Our Family in Phoenixville

The Mother of all Christmas Posts

2012-01-02T21:39:00.001-05:00

Fasten your seat belts ... I think this is gonna be a long one. :)

Chad has started a tradition over the past couple years of taking the kids on a Christmas Eve morning hike. I love this because it's something special that they can look forward to ... and it affords me a little quiet time to get last minute cooking/wrapping/etc. done. This is the first year that Chloe participated!

Throwing rocks into water is an integral part of hiking according to the kids.

I love how Chloe can barely see out of her hat. :)

Chad said that at one point they were all singing Christmas carols as they hiked along.

Wish I could've heard that.

That evening we went to church and the kids sang in the service.

Chloe did so with her finger up her nose the entire time.

Luckily when you're 2 you can get away with that and it is still "cute":)

After church we tried to get a nice family photo.

For some reason Chloe was intent on doing this weird flippy move.

What can you do? Once again - she IS two!

Looks like Santa came!

See? He DID come. :)

Christmas morning in the Christmas jammies

Opening stockings.

When Carter saw this picture, he said (and I quote): "Look at me! I look so cute!"

I happen to agree.

Audrey was VERY happy with what "Santa" brought!

So was Carter!

(So was Chloe - she got a Bitty Baby - but I didn't get a picture of her with it on Christmas morning.)

As you can tell, she was also happy with this princess dress.

Around lunchtime we headed over to my parents' house to exchange gifts and have dinner together.

Chloe really got into opening gifts. She decided Uncle Andy needed a little help. :)

It would not be Christmas if Chad did not receive a humongous bag of Jelly Bellies.

Carter discovered the game "Sorry" on vacation this summer and was WAY excited to get this.

He kept saying "I'm so lucky!!"

My Dad made two special gifts this Christmas. The first is this bed (with trundle!) for Audrey's American Girls. My Mom made all the bedding for it too.

He also made this adorable crib for Chloe's bitty baby. Again my mom made the bumper and crocheted some little blankets for her baby. Chloe got right to work putting her baby to bed. :)

Everyone got new PJ's for Christmas. They put them on for the ride home later that night.

The day after Christmas we got busy packing and cleaning up for our trip to NY. To keep the kids occupied we finally broke out the gingerbread house. Somehow we kind of overlooked doing it before Christmas and they had a lot of fun decorating it with Daddy.

The next day we headed up to Buffalo to celebrate Christmas with Chad's family ... the kids were so excited!

This is the kid table...minus one kid who is not old enough to sit up yet. :)

Yes, ladies & gentleman, we had 17 people under one roof.

My sister in law and brother in law are saints for hosting us year after year!

Grandpa with the "big" girls.

Grandpa & Uncle Josh with all the kids piled on the couch.

Meet Nate. He is my newest nephew! Isn't he a cutie? He just smiled and smiled for me while I took his picture.

One of the days we headed to the Museum of Play in Rochester. Audrey & Carolyn rode together in our van with their lookalike dolls.

One of my favorite exhibits there was the grocery store. Every kid got a cart, picked out 5 items, and then took them to checkout. They got to scan them and print out their receipt. Then they had to "restock" their items. They loved it!

Audrey was working the bakery and cheese section for awhile.

The whole gang on Sesame Street!

Another day we took the big kids bowling. Carter was in heaven - he loves bowling.

Before we left, we had a mini birthday party for Carter (whose birthday is in January). He got to open his presents from Grandma & Grandpa and his cousins.

Shortly after this, we had to go. :(

On our way home.

We always stop at this rest area ... it is a big lodge with scenic overlooks.

Since 7 hours in the car was not a full enough day for us (ha) - after a brief stop at home to drop off luggage - we headed straight to Chuck E. Cheese to do our annual New Years Eve celebration with our neighbors. The kids were very happy to see all their friends.

Chloe wanted to climb in the tubes but her little legs could not make it up this beginning part.

Guess who got to climb in and help out?

I asked my neighbor Karen to watch my camera and she decided to take a few pictures of me climbing in here. ;P

It was all worth it to see her happily sliding down the tubes with her big sister! ;)

It has been such a busy, fun, blessed, wonderful Christmas season.

As usual, I am a little sad to see it go. :(

I wonder what 2012 will hold though!

Advent Thoughts

2011-12-22T19:00:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I just got to feeling that the Christmas season was sneaking by and my focus was too much on last minute shopping, wrapping gifts, baking cookies, putting together teacher goodies, etc....the list is never ending. So I decided the other day that I was going to spend the afternoon taking "off" from Christmas.

I made myself some peppermint hot cocoa and sat by the tree and just read over the Christmas story again. I talked to God. Lately I have been feeling very discouraged with myself. I just poured it all out to God and sat back and "listened." The earth did not move, lightning did not strike, I did not get some special revelation from God .... but I felt at peace. And I felt like my focus was shifted in the right direction.

Each year we try to remember the advent season with the children by doing this advent wreath with them. One of the reasons I was especially discouraged is because we had failed to do the wreath this year. I feel like it got squeezed out amongst all the activities which seemed to be falling on Sunday nights. And I was so mad at myself because to me - this is what Christmas is and should be about more than anything.

Anyhow, after my time with God that afternoon, I decided that we could still do it. There were four days leading up to Christmas, and our evenings were free this week. So I was determined. We did the first one last night and have plans to finish the others in the coming evenings. I want to add - it was not perfect. Chloe left the table before we even really got started. An argument broke out about who gets to blow out the candle. One child decided not to sing the Christmas carol with us.

BUT.

Audrey and Carter both read the Scriptures by themselves. At the end Carter insisted on praying. AND, most importantly, the kids were reminded of what Christmas is really all about.

As I took this picture of the advent wreath, I started to clear off the table so the picture would be "nicer". But then I decided to let it stand as is ... because this is our life. It is messy and filled with distractions and the kids don't always cooperate with "our" plans and things are just not perfect. (Ha, understatement of the year.)

BUT.

In the middle of it all, just like that advent wreath on the table - among all our mess and chaos and craziness ---

Immanuel ....GOD IS WITH US.

And if we can just grasp a glimpse of that this season .... then it is a good Christmas indeed.

Christmas Fun, Part 2

2011-12-22T15:31:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas one and all!

My Carter is not much of an artsy dude. In fact, most of his coloring and crafts appear to be an attempt to finish ASAP so that he can get on to something that he really wants to do. But yesterday he sat down and colored this picture with only a little help from his mama. (I showed him how to draw presents with bows.) We had a lot of fun working on it together!

Speaking of Carter .... last week he had his preschool Christmas concert. He was very excited to go to school that day and sing. Until he found out that it would involve dressing up. Which means that I made him wear a sweater and cargo pants. :) Anyhow, he quickly moved on to being excited again and sang with great gusto.

The only problem with being one of the tallest in your class is that you are stuck in the back row where it is hard for Mom & Dad to see you very clearly. :)

And here he is "recessing" (his friend Rebecca is in front of him). It cracks me up that he walks around with his hands in his pockets like an old man. He is probably smiling real big because he knows that after the concert is the cookie reception!

Chad and I went to his company party last weekend.

Yes, this is one of the few times of the year that I dress up. I even painted my nails and had time to do an "updo". We had a great time - now that he has been at his company long enough I actually enjoy going and meeting up with some of his co-workers and their wives/husbands.

On Tuesday night we hosted our small group's Christmas party. We had one out-of-town couple and one sick husband so this picture isn't "complete" but these are some of the people that we love the most!

Every year we have a white elephant gift exchange. Chad (not my Chad, but the one in the back row on the left) is modeling some of his white elephant "gifts"... that rockin' sweater AND the peel-n-stick mustache!

Of course, then all the guys wanted to try on the mustaches....

....then we girls decided to get in on the fun.

Yes, we're weird. It was one of those 'you had to be there' moments. :)

My white elephant "win" was this Noah's Ark latch hook rug.

I'm not a huge fan but Diesel seems to love sitting on it...

Just to add to the fun around here I am now potty-training Chloe. :-/
I didn't really want to start yet but she keeps asking to wear "unduh-pants" so I felt like I should go along with it. We are about a week in but not real consistent yet. Probably because Mommy here is too busy to be very consistent yet....anyhow, I am anxiously awaiting the end of my diaper-changing days!

We are all excited about all the fun still to come - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day... and then a trip to Buffalo NY to see all the cousins!! The kids are WAAAAY excited.

Christmas Fun this week

2011-12-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

Phew! We have had a ton of fun this week!

Last Monday evening we took the kids to Koziar's Christmas Village. Christmas Village is a cute place about an hour from here that is just .... well, a zillion Christmas lights and displays. We tried to go last year with my parents but we made the mistake of going on a Saturday evening a few weeks before Christmas. We got about 4 miles away and there was bumper to bumper cars waiting to get in (and crawling along at a snail's pace). So we ended up just turning around and coming home .... my mom calls it "The Christmas Village Disaster of 2010" :)

Well, we did not make the same mistake this year. We went on a week night .... 3 weeks before Christmas ... and got there right after it opened. It was a great night to go.

They had a bunch of displays and little decorated windows to look in.

This is the nativity scene.

But the kids proclaimed that some of the displays were "creepy".

I kind of have to agree ... there were some oversized Raggedy Anns and some scary looking Santas in some of the windows!

Had to stop for some hot chocolate. Although Audrey burned her tongue and then wouldn't look at the camera.

Carter could have spent the whole entire night watching the trains going around.

Definitely his favorite display.

We kept the kids out a little too late on a school night but it was worth it!

Then on Saturday Audrey, my mom and I went up to NYC to visit American Girl Place!

Boy, was Audrey excited (and honestly....so was I.) :)

We took a tour bus up there so all we had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride!

We walked right by Rockefeller Center.

It was busy at 10 am... but let me tell you - at 5 pm (when we left) this place was an absolute zoo. You could hardly walk. It was like a sea of people. Anyhow...

The first thing we did was take Rebecca to the doll salon.

I know, totally obnoxious.

But it was WAY fun ...

And I have to say that by the end of the hair styling, her semi-nappy hair was looking MUCH better.

See?

After the salon we did a lot of browsing, and then had lunch in the cafe.

Even Rebecca had her own seat.

Audrey with my Mom.

It was a great girl bonding day.

Audrey had saved her birthday money and after completely studying the store (and catalog) top to bottom, she finally bought herself a few goodies.

And Santa just might be bringing a few more goodies too!

Christmas Parade

2011-12-02T21:21:00.000-05:00

So we have lived in Phoenixville for what, 6 years now? And we have never taken advantage of this little gem of a parade. Well, there's a first time for everything. I keep saying, it is getting easier and easier to do stuff like this as the kids are getting older. They can stay out later and no baby is needing to get to bed early.

All the kids lined up and waiting for the parade to start.

Chloe and I staying warm together.

Audrey and friends (and the ever-present American Girl dolls)

The main feature of this parade seemed to be lit-up fire trucks

(and a lot of dressed up characters .... Elmo, Mickey Mouse, etc .... only they were really scary-looking costumes....)

Chloe taking it all in

and the big finale .... Santa Claus is coming through town!

It lasted maybe 10-15 minutes and it was over. Which was fine because guess what?

Baby, it's cold outside.

We came home and had hot chocolate and everyone even went to bed on time!

Thanks Phoenixville for a fun little evening out!

MIA

2011-12-01T22:47:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have been MIA the past few weeks. There has been some sickness ... and busyness... and holidays came and went ....

... or maybe this is my problem:

It is a full-time job trying to get Chloe to keep her clothes on!

I find little piles like this....

...all over the house!

Did she not get the memo that it is DECEMBER??

(Although it WAS 70 degrees the other day ....)

Anyhow, this is her new thing to do.

Yesterday I took the kids to the dentist and while she was waiting for her brother and sister, she occupied herself by trying to take her pants off. Right in the middle of the office.

(It is getting rather embarrassing....)

Moving on, guess what is here?

My FAVORITE time of the year -- Christmas.

I am particularly excited about the season this year, because Chloe is old enough to "get" what is going on and she is loving all the lights and decorations (and turning on every musical Christmas snowglobe/decoration we have simultaneously....) We have been reading the Christmas story to her and she is getting the hang of who Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus are (AND the animals ... don't forget the animals in the manger scene!)

See? She couldn't even decorate the house with her clothes on!

Tonight I took the kids to the mall to see Santa.

The poor guy taking pictures couldn't get Chloe to smile for anything!

She wasn't scared but I think she was a little overwhelmed by all the dressed-up people.

I am loving spending my evenings next to the tree.

I am looking forward to many more fun memories this December ...

and trying to make time to slow down and celebrate the true reason for the season.

Misadventures in Makeup

2011-11-10T13:47:00.000-05:00

This is what my little girlie normally looks like.

She is cute, huh?

But don't be fooled. She can be trouble. :)

Lately she has been trying to get into makeup.

This was her first foray into makeup "artistry"....

(this was Audrey's play makeup....)

Today I got a text while I was putting on my makeup.

Somebody took advantage of my stepping away from the bathroom to try out some mascara.

It was all over her eyes, in her hair, and on her hands.

Can I just say .... mascara does NOT come off easily. :(

Note to Chloe: Halloween is over ... now stay out of the makeup!!

Leaf Pile Jumping

2011-11-03T13:00:00.000-04:00

3 little monkeys jumping in the leaves!

Tricks and Treats

2011-11-02T21:57:00.000-04:00

This was what happened last Saturday:

What kind of trick is this, Mother Nature?

A few inches of snow. BEFORE HALLOWEEN.

AND we lost power. Boo.

Let me tell you - I am glad I am not Amish, regardless of how many Christian fiction books I have read about the Amish. The kids kept asking to watch TV and play computer games, and after a time even Chloe was asking to do things and then saying "No power?" We passed the time by playing games, carving our pumpkins, and doing puzzles. In the evening, we escaped to a local pizza place and then crashed for an hour or so at a friends house ... then returned to an increasingly cold house. Thank heavens for our fireplace! Audrey, Chad & I slept down near the fireplace while Carter opted for his own bed (and we just had Chloe sleep in her crib). By morning it was 57 degrees! Our power was restored the next morning so we were all very glad to have heat again. Having snow in October was so freaky! I am so glad it melted within a day or so!

So moving onto the treats....

Check out these 3 cuties. Couldn't you just eat them with a spoon?

I had a busy Halloween day, running from parade to parade. It was so much fun!

First up was Carter's preschool parade:

As you can see Spiderman was a popular costume amongst the 4 year old boys :)

Carter refused to wear the mask - he declared that it was "scary"

Then later it was off to Audrey's parade. The kids had to dress in costumes that reflected the theme "Go Wild for Books"... so as you can imagine, there were quite a few wild animals represented.

Audrey went with the "wild" bunny costume. :)

I got to help with her class party....it really did feel like a room full of caged animals!

No really, it was a lot of fun. I ran the game station ... witch's hat ring toss.

Of course later on was trick or treating.

The whole gang of kids ready to go...

Pretty, pretty princess :)

Chloe with her friend Rebecca. Chloe quickly got the hang of this trick-or-treating thing. :)

The kids and their loot.

Apparently I need to hide the loot.

The next morning when I got out of the shower, I found this little peanut sneaking a lollipop from her pumpkin!!

Morning Conversations: Picture Day

2011-10-20T20:15:00.000-04:00

Carter in his dreaded "button shirt"

This morning's conversation ....

Carter: "... but I don't want to wear a button shirt." (ie, a shirt with buttons on it.)
Mommy: "I know, but today is picture day and you need to wear a nicer shirt. I promise, you won't have to wear a button shirt to school again unless it's concert day. And you can take it off as soon as you get home."

C. puts on dreaded "button shirt" albeit reluctantly. A couple minutes later, after also combing hair...

Mommy: "Carter, see? You look so handsome!"
C: "Mommy, don't say that!"
M: "Okay, you look yucky. Is that better?"
C: "Yes!" :)

And to think that 2 days ago I spent the morning trying to convince Audrey that her outfit really was cute and that no one was going to notice the "dark circles" (?) under her eyes .... oh the differences between boys and girls....

"Going the Distance for Gabby" 5K

2011-10-17T15:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I did something that I have kind of had in the back of my mind for a long time ... I ran a 5K!

(Full disclosure: I mostly ran. There were some big hills on this off-road course that kicked my butt so there was a little walking involved ... I really wish I could have run the whole time. I think if it had been a flat course I could have, but who knows. The important thing to me is that I trained, I ran as well as I could, and I crossed the finish line.)

This 39 year old posted an official time of .... wait for it .... 39:39. That kinda cracked me up.

People keep asking me: Are you going to keep running now? Well, the whole running thing has been quite the experience. Early on I said to my running buddy Kelly ... At what point will we actually run without thinking - when can I stop already??? Well, I feel like I did get to the point where I was running without thinking about the fact that my knees/calves/ankles/feet/heart/lungs/etc. were screaming in pain, and I was just running - kind of machine-like. I was really happy that I got to that point, because it made distance running seem like less of an impossible dream. I have no dreams of running marathons or even 10K races, but I think I would like to try another 5K sometime. I would really like to run the whole thing, no walking. We'll see what happens though. Life often gets in the way of my best intentions with this kind of thing.

This race was different for me anyway. When I first decided I would run this 5K, it was for my neighbor Gabby. At the time she was battling cancer, and I thought - well, if she can deal with radiation and chemo and physical therapy and all the other yucky stuff that goes into having cancer, well, I can certainly figure out how to run 3.1 miles. And then while I was training .... well, Gabby died. I HAD to keep running. Maybe that sounds weird, but I just felt like I needed to finish what I started. While I ran I often thought about her and her family and would just pray. It became a little holy experience for me. I found I really liked running alone, just me and my thoughts.

I wish I could have run the whole entire race. That was my goal. But for a mom of 3, finding time to train is hard, and in the end, I did the best I could. So I am really happy with myself. In fact, I think I was kind of obnoxious at the finish line. I hammed it up and paused for pictures and wanted to bust out some hip-hop moves at the finish line (but from that I refrained....) All in all - it was really (if you can call pushing yourself to the point that you can hardly walk the next day) fun!

Another special aspect of this race for me is that it happened where our church, Grace Valley Fellowship, meets. Our church actually scrapped having a service and decided to have our church members be involved in helping out. I was so proud and excited and honored to have a lot of my church friends there to be a part of it! My pastor was even able to lead a short prayer service after the race, so people could be involved in praying for Gabby's family, our community, and for all of those who are touched by someone with cancer.

I already posted these on fb but for my own records, I am adding my photos here too!

And they're off!

Huffing and puffing my way to the finish line.

CROSSING the finish line!

With my neighbors Julie & Kelly

With my friend Lyn

With Carter at the prayer service.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

2 Timothy 4:7

A verse that means a whole lot more to me now!

The difference between the 1st and 3rd kid

2011-10-10T22:55:00.000-04:00

Today something funny (and a little disturbing) dawned on me.

When Audrey was little, we would drive around in the car listening to Veggie Tales and all kinds of preschool songs. At that point I could still stomach listening to Wheels on the Bus and the ABC song ad nauseum. And Audrey would be sitting behind me happily belting out her songs with hand motions and everything. It made my heart smile.

Today we were driving around and I noticed something a bit different. Chloe was behind me singing along with Carter and our neighbor Rebeeca .... to Firework by Katy Perry; Baby, Baby by Justin Bieber; and Shake It Up by Selena Gomez. UGH!!!!!!! I don't even listen to these songs! Where are they coming from???? And why is my TWO YEAR OLD singing them? (and my FOUR year old too for that matter....I think I may need to blame the 8 year old...)

Guess I am going to have to break out the preschool stuff in the car again. Itsy, Bitsy Spider, here I come.

Hope I don't have to pull over to puke! After 3 kids, am I getting tired of these songs or what? Maybe Firework isn't so bad after all ... well, okay, never mind.

Wordless Wednesday: Apple Pickin' Fun 2011

2011-10-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

Lunchtime conversations ...

2011-10-04T13:01:00.000-04:00

"...Mommy, this chip looks like Oklahoma!"

Why, yes it does, Carter. :)

Quiet Time

2011-10-03T19:11:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of the kids having quiet time. Yes, partly because then I get quiet time ... which I need.

But I am a big believer in the kids having quiet time because I truly believe they need space to think and create and just be alone with their own thoughts .... and to learn to entertain themselves. I also like the kids to be involved in group activities but in our culture, it is easy to be busy with activities... but difficult to find time to just "be." So when the kids are no longer napping (but still home in the afternoons) I try to arrange for them to have "quiet time" in their rooms for a period of time in the afternoon.

This afternoon Carter asked for a bunch of puzzles and then later when he was done with them, he asked for his world landmark cards. Later on I came into his room and this is what I found:

He had taken all the world landmark cards and laid them out on the floor ... and was looking them up on the maps. (This is something I did with him the other day, but I was impressed that he was trying it on his own!)

The cards have all different world landmarks (there are pictures on the other side of the cards). I spent $1 on these at Target. Oh, and $1 each on the place mats with the US & World Maps. I think that $3 = one of the best ways I have used our money in a LONG time.

I can't tell you how much time we have spent playing with these cards.

(I know, Carter is a little "unique" in that he finds these interesting...)

But I love that quiet time gives him time to just pursue his little interests. :)

By the way, this is why Carter prayed at church "Thank you, God, for the Taj Mahal..."

Cake Pops

2011-09-30T23:42:00.000-04:00

Last week this came in the mail:

The kids IMMEDIATELY began ~~begging~~ asking if we could make these cake pops (only Carter kept calling them "Family Circles" haha). And then they spent the past week trying to decide which kind they thought was the coolest. My only criteria was that we NOT make the pirates. (They were way too detailed for me and my patience level.) They decided on cats and pumpkins.

Now, I have absolutely zero experience making cake pops. (And I have heard from many people that they are not as easy as they look...) SO, I enlisted my trusty friend Lyn to help because -
1. she has made cake balls before at least
2. my kids love for her to come over, and
3. isn't every new adventure much more fun with a friend?

On Thursday Audrey had the day off so Lyn came over and off we went.

It was kind of a messy process ....

And it was a little trial and error (with a few pops that fell off their sticks ...)

But all in all, we had a lot of fun and we were all pretty pleased with the results.

Although I still think our "cats" look more like reindeer...

Carter & Audrey were very proud of their hard work...

I really like how the pumpkins turned out!

Our littlest cake pop sampler seemed pretty happy to test them out ...

Hey cake pop, where have you been all my life???

Yup, they were a hit.

May have to make these again sometime!

Yup, another Carter story.

2011-09-21T22:01:00.000-04:00

Today Carter's teacher told me this anecdote about Carter....

She had 14 scarves for an activity, and there are 15 kids in the class, so she asked "Can somebody share their scarf with someone?"

Carter raised his hand .... and then said "Yeah.... I can't do that."

Nice.

She said to me "It IS good that he knows himself ... and hopefully by the end of the year, sharing his scarf will be something he CAN do!"

Umm, yeah, I hope so too.

His teacher is someone who always frames things so nicely. :)

So proud of my little lady...

2011-09-18T21:33:00.000-04:00

Determination

2011-09-15T15:18:00.006-04:00

DETERMINATION is ...

...spending many long minutes...

...trying to get your brother's shoes on...

...and not giving up until the job is done!

Back to School, Part 2

2011-09-14T15:18:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday, my favorite boy in the world started preschool again. I am so excited for him this year because he loves school, AND he has a GREAT teacher that I just love! I know he will love her too.

Carter and our neighbor Rebecca standing outside their school.

Is he getting tall or what?

Happy new year of school, little boy!

Passages

2011-09-11T16:48:00.001-04:00

This past week Audrey turned 8.

Lately she is just REALLY grown-up. On Friday night I was getting ready to take her over to a friend's house for a birthday party and a sleepover. She had come home from school and packed up her stuff (all by herself). I did a double-check of the bag to make sure she had all her essentials and then I noticed.

"Audrey, did you forget your Baa?" I asked. Baa, as in the dirty little lamb that she sleeps with every night and hugs as she falls asleep.

"I don't need him." Audrey quickly replied.

I said "okay" in a casual way, but I blinked back tears. "It" is starting.

You see, Baa has been a constant in Audrey's life since well before her first birthday. He has logged countless miles with us on numerous airplane and car trips. He has almost been lost a few times (resulting in a search rivaling an Amber Alert!) He has received at least two facial transplants. And most importantly, he has been a constant and well-loved companion. As I said, Audrey has slept with him every night.

And truthfully, she still sleeps with him -- but I guess taking your stuffed animal to your friend's house is no longer acceptable.

Of course I know Audrey is supposed to grow up. And I want her to grow up. In fact, I am enjoying many aspects of her being 8 years old. I can generally reason with her and have real conversations about real things. She and I have recently started writing each other "notes" back and forth in one of her notebooks and I L.O.V.E. this.

But then there is Baa, and it makes me sad that she will start needing him less and less.

Because you know what that means -- she will be needing me less and less too.

And that just stirs up some very complex emotions in this Mama's heart. :)

Happy Birthday my ~~Baby~~ Big girl.

(Who is now taking pictures of herself with our camera... )

Flooding

2011-09-08T09:08:00.000-04:00

The big news around here is that it is raining cats and dogs. (I said "raining cats and dogs" to Carter the other day and he quickly ran to the window and said "WHERE??!?!" So I had to explain that euphemism...Then he looked at me like I was nuts.) :)

No seriously. They made a big huge hairy deal out of Hurricane Irene ... when what they SHOULD have done is made a big huge hairy deal out of Tropical Storm Lee. It has been raining here since Monday ... on and off during the day but torrential rains overnight the last few nights. This morning I woke up and all the trains into the city had been suspended and the Schuylkill Expressway (one of the major routes in Philly) was shut down. Around here it isn't TOO bad but the river a few miles away has not crested yet.

Anyhow, the point of this post is .... remember that trip to Hershey Park I posted about (just last Friday?) Well, this is Hershey Park now:

A massive flood zone.

(photo from coasterfusion.com)

They have a small zoo area in the park and apparently some of the animals died in the flash flooding. :(

I am really glad we went last week and not this one!

And pray for people who live in the flood zone. Some of our friends live right across from the Schuylkill canal and are expecting a potentially full basement of water later on ... boo.

The last hurrah of summertime

2011-09-04T22:11:00.000-04:00

Guess where we went yesterday?

Still not sure?

How about this? (Hint: Check out the shape of the window...)

Yep, we visited the land of Chocolate .... Hershey Park!

Where your size is measured by candy bars ... Carter was a Reese's PB Cup...

And Audrey is now a Hershey Bar. This means that she can ride most of the rollercoasters!

Although thankfully Carter could ride a few too. Including the Trailblazer and the Sooper Dooper Looper! He is so brave!

(I still cannot believe that my kids love rollercoasters. When I was their age, I was terrified of them! And Audrey rides them with her arms in the air!! AAAAGGHHH!)

And yes, we did ride many of the "tame" rides as well. :)

Audrey driving..... thankfully we have many more years before we will reach this milestone.

We also went over to Chocolate World and saw how they make the yummy chocolate!

And you get some free samples when the tour is over. Even better!

You may notice that Chloe is not in any of the pictures ... that is because we left her at home with her Mom-Mom & Pop-Pop. They took her to the park and she had rides on the swings and a carousel, so no worries, she had her own fun time! ;)

It was such a fun day. Long and tiring, but oh-so-fun. I love days like this when the kids are just enjoying life and having such a great time! Good memories.

I have to admit, I almost feel a little guilty posting pictures of our day. While we were running carefree around an amusement park, our neighbors were rushing their precious Gabby to CHOP. Gabby is in the ICU with excessive swelling in her brain. It is causing her to have difficulty eating, moving, even breathing. It is obviously very scary, and they need our prayers. PLEASE pray for them.

The obligatory first day of school post :)

2011-08-29T21:28:00.000-04:00

Ready....

Set ...

GO!!

5K Training: Week One in Review

2011-08-22T21:54:00.000-04:00

One week of 5K training is complete! I'm on my way!

Here are my random thoughts on my running experience in no particular order:

1. Running makes you VERY sweaty. I am not a big fan of sweat. :)
2. The shoes really do make a difference. On my first outing, I wore my 12 year old running shoes, and the next day my knees were hurting. I got new shoes, and my knees haven't hurt since. (Now my muscles, on the other hand....)
3. I am wondering at what point I will think -"Yeah, I love this ... it feels great"... or even at what point I stop thinking "How long til I get to stop?"
4. I am very proud of myself for making a plan and for finding a running buddy. Thanks Kelly!
5. I am very proud of my husband for sending me off to run and not complaining about being left to get the 3 amigos ready for bed by himself.
6. Okay, I do not like the sweat, but I do like how I feel about myself when I have finished yet another run!

Wish me luck!!

This post is for Magda :)

2011-08-19T20:16:00.000-04:00

Yup, this is another Carter story. And I especially thought that my sister-in-law's mother-in-law (got that connection?) would appreciate this story, given that she is a Spanish speaker. And plus, she faithfully reads my blog. So doesn't she deserve a little Smith family post in her honor? :)

Last weekend we went to Chick-fil-a for lunch. The kids had free kids meals from VBS and we were out and about anyway so we stopped to eat.

The manager stopped by the table and asked if the kids would like balloons. Of course they all yelled "YES!"

"What color would you like?" asked the manager.

"Blue, to match my shirt," said Audrey.

"Peek" (pink) said Chloe.

"INDIGO!" says Carter. (Only Carter...)

I quickly said "Carter, I don't think they have indigo balloons here. What other color would you like?"

"Morado." he said to the manager.

Luckily the manager knew Portuguese so he could pretty much understand that Carter was saying "purple" in Spanish!

Gotta love that Winnie the Pooh Kindergarten computer game. There is Memory Game section and they say the words in English AND Spanish. Carter is now walking around and pointing to household objects and naming them in Spanish "la mesa" (table)... "la casa" (house) and "Mom, your shirt is 'anaranjado'" (orange) ... all with a pretty good accent, I should add!

The kid cracks me up.

Did I mention he is FOUR??? What is he going to come up with when he is 10??

Wacky Wednesday

2011-08-18T21:43:00.000-04:00

Wacky Wednesday is a summer tradition here in our neighborhood.

I'm not sure why we call it "Wacky Wednesday" ... it really isn't all that wacky. But anyhow...

Each of us takes a Wednesday and plans some kind of fun activity ... the kids love it and they get some kind of organized fun with their friends. And it is one less day each week of trying to come up with stuff to keep all the troops occupied!

I haven't blogged any of the previous activities, but they have included water slides, pools, scavenger hunts, painting big boxes (aka "forts"), etc. This past week we all took the kids over to one of the hiking trails at Valley Forge National Park and they all had a LOT of fun!

All set to go!

Wading in the water

The kids spent a lot of time looking for critters near the water.
And they were not disappointed!

The kids found this crayfish....

Then they managed to capture a toad.

Then they found this giraffe floating in the water ... although I am fairly certain that this is not indigenous to the southeastern Pennsylvania area.
It did keep Chloe occupied for quite some time though!

Carter spent most of his time doing this - throwing rocks into the water. I think he could literally do this for hours.

And of course he spent a little time being silly too.
Isn't the waterfall behind him beautiful?
There are so many beautiful places to explore around here!

Hiking back to the cars for a picnic lunch.
This is Audrey & Chloe's favorite thing to do these days - piggyback rides!
(And it gave me a break from carrying her! She wanted to be carried most of the way back. Guess I should've brought the stroller!)

Can't believe another summer is coming to a close.
Thanks neighbors for all the fun!!

My life lately

2011-08-17T22:42:00.000-04:00

Summer is winding down around here. Audrey is back to school in about a week and a half ... Carter will be off to preschool a few weeks after that. It is always a bittersweet time. I AM looking forward to the routine that comes with the school year ... but then again I am NOT looking forward to the routine that comes with the school year. No more lazy days of sleeping in ... no more lazy nights of sitting on the deck and letting the kids play outside till the lightning bugs come out. Oh well. I feel like we have had a very full summer and done most everything on our summer "to-do" list. So my goal for these few weeks is to just enjoy the freedom and have fun with the kids.

In other news .... I have begun training for a 5K! Yup, I'm a runner now!

See, I have new running shoes! Ergo, I am a runner.

(If only it were that easy....)

I am doing the couch to 5K program. I just started this past Monday ... so I am closer to the "couch" end of this thing but I am determined to get to the point where I can run the whole 5K race. Tonight I went out with my neighbor Kelly, who is also training. I have to say, it is much more fun to run with a buddy!

We are running for a good cause. I wrote before about our neighbor Gabby who is battling cancer... well, there is a 5K run for her benefit in October. So what better reason to get my batootie in gear and start getting some exercise? And Chad has been very supportive, encouraging me to get out there and run.

Well that's all for now. My life really isn't too exciting, is it???

Tasty Tuesday

2011-08-09T13:00:00.004-04:00

If there can be "Wordless Wednesday" in blog world, I figure there can be "Tasty Tuesday", right?

Oh, I crack myself up, making up my own blog carnivals for the 20 people out there who occasionally look at my blog :) And on top of it, I'm sure someone else has already come up with Tasty Tuesday ...

[Is it bad that I still don't understand what a "blog carnival" is? Every carnival I've ever been to has rides and funnel cakes, and so far no funnel cakes have arrived at my house on blog carnival days ...unfortunately - seeing as I am a big fan of funnel cakes.]

Okay, I am totally digressing. I think I need to get more sleep. And have school start again. Yes, that would be nice.

So, the point of this whole post. Yes, there is a point.

I made these muffins yesterday. They are pretty healthy .... and my kids, all three, gobbled them down and asked for more. So I thought I would share the recipe. I have another healthy muffin recipe that the kids love too, maybe I'll share that one another time.

I freely admit that this recipe is taken straight out of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. Although I made one small modification, so does that make it "my" recipe now? No, probably not.

Zucchini, Banana & Flaxseed Muffins
[Mom Hint: If you want your kids to eat these, do NOT tell them this is what they are called. I simply said they were "Banana Muffins." Throwing in the words zucchini and flaxseeds will probably not help your cause ... ]

Ingredients: (It looks like a lot but they are mostly in your pantry)
1 3/4 c. flour (I used half whole-wheat flour ... this was my modification! ;) )
1/2 c. ground flaxseed
1 c. light-brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Whisk all of these together in a large bowl. Then add:

1 1/2 c. grated zucchini (about 1 large zucchini or 2 small)
1/3 c. mashed ripe banana (about 1 large banana)

Stir to combine.

In a small bowl, mix:
3/4 c. whole milk (or whatever you have around)
1 lg. egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract (of course Martha insists that it be "pure" v. extract...)

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined (do not overmix or you will have muffins that are as dense as small baseballs.)

Divide among 12 muffin cups and bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
[Mom hint: Make them into mini-muffins. I don't know why, but the kids eat mini-muffins like crazy but the big ones, not as much... I guess they like that the muffins are more their size!]

They have only 2 g of fat (per large muffin) but 5 g of protein and 3 g of fiber! And not one drop of butter or oil! You could probably cut back on the sugar as well without much flavor difference. I might try that next time.

I tried to take a picture of these babies but truthfully - my camera does not zoom in very well, and taking a picture of a mini muffin from 5 feet back .... well, the photo just won't do it justice then. So take my word for it - they were yummy and healthy too! Go make some!

Next Tuesday? Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (which are also healthy and yummy!)

Philadelphia Zoo ... with Grandpa & Grandma!

2011-08-08T22:31:00.001-04:00

This past week Grandpa & Grandma came to visit! The kids were so excited!

Because Grandpa & Grandma have phones with GAMES on them!! And their parents have lame-o phones that don't even take pictures!

No, really, they weren't excited to see them for THAT reason. Well, not for that reason ONLY. :) Of course, they love and enjoy playing with their grandparents. Although, the kids do love playing Bubble Blast, just sayin' ...

We did a lot of fun things but last Friday we all spent the day at the Philadelphia Zoo. We had a great time although one of my children may have claimed that he wanted to leave the zoo to go home and play Bubble Blast on Grandma's phone (see a theme here? this is one of the reasons I have no plans to get a fancy phone at this point!) ....Anyhow, I got a lot of good pictures of the kids and Grandma & Grandpa at the zoo so thought I'd post them here.

Yup, we were here.

Grandpa & Carter strolling hand in hand

This little girl was very excited to see all the animals (in real life) that she has memorized from Baby Einstein DVD's! I honestly think she enjoyed the zoo more than the other 2 kids!

A nice brother-sister moment. :)

This tiger came right up to the glass to say hi.

Carter & Grandma on the carousel.

Chloe and her VERY red lips after eating a cherry push-pop.

Grandpa & Grandma with the kids

This is how I felt by the end of the day.

I was SO tired!

Seriously, I must be getting old. Walking around the zoo all day wiped me out!

Some things never change (and others do...)

2011-08-03T17:04:00.000-04:00

See this picture?

I remember taking this picture when Chloe was just a few days old. I remember thinking (as I took it) that Chloe looked so small next to Carter... but that soon enough she would be so much bigger and jumping all over the bed with her brother.

And I was right!

Party Girl

2011-07-29T22:21:00.000-04:00

Last night Chloe had a party in her crib .... and she invited her best friends.

Looks like everyone had a good time.

Maybe TOO good a time.... :)

A Party, the Phillies & Surviving the Heat

2011-07-26T22:59:00.001-04:00

This past weekend was a scorcher. Friday, Saturday & Sunday were all well over 100 degree days ... with heat indices up to 115 ....

Of course this was the weekend of Chad's 40th Birthday Party ... and it was OUTSIDE, folks. After I got used to being coated in sweat, it actually wasn't so bad. There was a breeze and we were under a covered pavilion, so it was all okay. We only had one family not come because of the heat.

It was really fun to have a lot of our friends and some of our family all in one place. Chad's parents really wanted to be there but his sister just had a baby and that kind of messed up that plan. In a good way, it messed up that plan, just to clarify!!!

I put out a few pictures of Chad through the years.

This was about the extent of my decorating, other than a Happy Birthday banner that kept falling down.

I mentioned getting some balloons and Chad said "why do we need balloons?" so I said to myself "forget it." It was just one more thing to do ... that I didn't have to do after all!

Chad blowing out his candles.

Surrounded by many eager children just dying to eat some of that big cake!

Chad wanted to have a wiffle ball game with friends. That pretty much went by the wayside given the heat. But then he and some of the guys ended up just hitting the ball and playing frisbee anyhow. (Once it cooled down to a relaxing 99 degrees....)

I don't know what is going on in this picture but it makes me laugh every time I look at it!

Audrey and some of her friends.

I don't think the heat fazed the kids at. all.

Oh to be a kid again!

Andrew & Jess brought their 3 week old baby to the party in the heat.

In true kid fashion, he seemed oblivious to the fact that it was hot out!

Most of our awesome neighbors were able to make it!

I'm not sure what Brian is doing with Thomas here, but I will vouch for the fact that Thomas is indeed still alive. :)

My Dad helped clean all the frosting off of Chloe. :)

She loves her Pop-pop!

Audrey looks great here and I look like I am melting...

Despite the heat, I think most everyone had a good time.

Okay, maybe not our friend Katie who was 3 days from her due date ... but she still came. What a friend!

So for Chad's birthday, I got him tickets to see the Phillies (my favorite team) play the Padres (Chad's favorite team)!

Can you believe that after I planned this out in advance and bought the tickets (I thought I was so clever and such a great wife for thinking of this) ... well, then a business acquaintance offered Chad 4 tickets to the very same game?

The only difference is that his tickets were WAY better than the ones I got. :(

Like, 4th row from the field tickets.

Anyhow, we ended up sitting in the awesome seats and giving away my tickets to a neighbor.

But the nice thing is that my neighbor got to take his son to his very first Phillies game! I am so happy about that.

I told you they were good seats.

Again, it was EXTREMELY hot. So hot, they were giving out water & ice for free. (This from the stadium that charges $5 for a hot dog ). But about halfway through the game a bunch of clouds rolled in and brought a nice breeze along with them. It made it much more bearable!

We had a really fun time.

And woo hoo! The Phillies won! (Sorry Chad!)

And just for fun: This afternoon Audrey & Chloe disappeared into Audrey's room for about 20 minutes. When they came out this is what Chloe looked like - in full princess attire, complete with makeup and nail polish and a new hairdo. (and of course with her baby in hand)....

I think Chloe is like Audrey's own personal doll baby. :)

Best Friends

2011-07-20T16:01:00.000-04:00

"Baby Chloe" now goes everywhere with us ....

Chloe feeds her baby bottles, sings her lullabies, kisses her good night and sleeps with her in her crib, ...

... and she puts a diaper on her, gently wraps her up in blankets, and takes her outside every day for walks in the stroller. She also refuses to let her wear clothes... I'm hoping that will change soon...

So sweet to see Chloe's little nurturing tendencies. A true friend, indeed.

Oh. So. Tired.

2011-07-16T23:21:00.000-04:00

SOOOOOO many awesome fun things have been going on around here!!!

I have started about a dozen blog posts and then I just can't get it together to finish any of them ....I am too tired.

First we went on vacation. I know! I never even put up any pics from our week in Ocean City!!!

So here you go - proof we were there :)

Then next up was 4th of July festivities, which included 2 different celebrations. Those I did manage to blog about.

The next weekend our friends the Voges' came for a visit from Illinois. What is greater than having old friends visit?? I took a lot of pictures, but - yeah, they never made it on the blog either. I had to recover from all that fun as well. ;)

So here you go - a little proof they were here.

THEN: (drumroll, please) .... my husband turned 40 on Monday! Wasn't it just yesterday that we were sweethearts in our 20's??? I wanted to do a whole special blog post about his birthday.... and look at me. I am so delinquent!

We are having his "big" party next weekend so maybe I'll do a post then. Or maybe I will still be tired and recovering from that event too....

And today my sweet little Chloe Elizabeth turned 2! We had cupcakes with a few neighbors yesterday and then today my family came over to celebrate. She has now discovered presents and cake and the birthday song and it was so fun to see her enjoy all these things ....

But guess what? I am still oh so tired.

Tired .... but happy. :)

My cup runneth over!

Lazy summer mornings...

2011-07-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

... are perfect for reading.

This morning after breakfast Audrey was talking to me about the book she started reading last night. Then she said to me "Mommy, do you think I should read and find out what happens next?"

I said (in a low key, non-pressured kind of way, because of course if I got too excited that would ruin it) ... "Why, I think that would be a great idea."

I had to sneak to take the pictures. But she was so engrossed in her mystery that she didn't even notice.

This from the kid who earlier in the summer acted upset when I told her I would require her to read for 15 minutes each afternoon! We are now going on 30 minutes of reading straight. :)

I think we have discovered the joy of reading!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-05T22:17:00.000-04:00

We came back from vacation just in time for some 4th of July fun!

On Sunday evening our neighborhood had its annual fireworks extravaganza .... which includes lots of desserts, chatting, and of course, fireworks. It also - for our neighborhood - includes making geysers out of mentos and diet coke. Yes, you read that right. In case you are unfamiliar with this, here's a little video to help you get the picture:

{Obviously, the kids think this is GREAT fun.}

Getting ready for the show to start

Doing sparklers...

Don't worry they were closely supervised ...

Aren't they purty?

The next day (the 4th) we had no real plans so we invited over a few friends who were also without plans ... what is it about impromptu fun that is just so... fun?

We all commented how this was the first 4th that we could remember where it wasn't miserably hot and humid and we actually enjoyed being outside! (Heat and humidity are my LEAST favorite things about summer, can you tell??)

I can't believe this cutie is 4 months old already!

Audrey got busy organizing games for all the kiddos. (She was in her glory.... people thinking all her ideas were wonderful ... haha) Actually she mostly did a great job of keeping the kids occupied!

"Mr. Chad" broke out the sparklers and they were a hit.

I love this. Carter is too busy watching other people... he doesn't even realize his sparkler is burned out.

No, we did not give this chick a sparkler. No way.

We also did a few fireworks. Just because ... well, because it is July 4th and that's what you're supposed to do, right?

This picture cracks me up. Run Chad run!

We had to do fireworks before dark because there were a few little ones who needed to get to bed!

As dark approached I took Audrey & Carter to the "big" fireworks in town.

We went over to our neighbor's church parking lot and had a perfect view of the fireworks ... and it only took us 5 minutes to get home.

Happy Birthday America!

Today's agenda

2011-06-28T22:46:00.000-04:00

Today's vacation agenda:
*Get up and have a light breakfast
*Rent a surrey and pedal down the boardwalk
* Eat THE BEST DONUTS I have ever tasted. Cinnamon sugar dusted, hot out of the oven.
* Go to the arcade and take silly pictures in the photo booth, play skee ball, and try to keep Chloe from hurling the skee balls all over the place.
* Come back and eat lunch.
* Naps .... for me, out on the deck while reading. AAAHH!!
* Play a game of Sorry with the kids. (Again, keep Chloe from throwing game pieces all over creation.)
* Go out to dinner with the kids.
* Walk down to Gillian's Wonderland Pier and ride all the rides. Can I just say that my older children are pretty much done with the kiddie rides?? The older 2 love roller coasters and log flumes and things that go fast. Then there's Chloe - we went on one kiddie ride ... it was a little too fast for her taste so she was DONE with rides.
* Come back and relax in front of the TV with my computer.
* Take a nice hot shower and go to bed!

A pretty good day, I would say. Much better than this one!

Recognition, Part 2

2011-06-26T09:13:00.003-04:00

I read this article called "Motherhood as a Mission Field" on another blog and I thought it expressed what I was trying to say in my other "Recognition" post ... only much more eloquently than I could say it! (AND, the writer has 5 children ages 5 & under so props to her for writing so clearly when she should surely have massive brain fog!)

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-as-a-mission-field

And no, I am not writing this from the shore ... I just had it post today!

To-Do

2011-06-24T10:30:00.013-04:00

Today's To-Do List (or as Audrey used to call it when she was little, a "Duh-Doo List"):
*Do everyone's laundry
*Pack everyone's bags (except Chad's)
*Make enchiladas to bring along as an evening meal
*Gather all necessary groceries
*Make sure we have all beach "stuff" ready including toys, towels, umbrellas, coolers, etc.
*Gather everyone's loveys and security objects and sleeping paraphernalia, including CD player for white noise
*Pack up toiletries including sunscreen and medicines.
*Check weather forecasts and come up with a few Plan B's in case of rain.
*Decide which toys we should bring that are the smallest yet most entertaining.
*Speaking of entertainment, we better pack a bunch of DVD's for when we have downtime.
*Make last minute run to store for things I've forgotten (doesn't matter HOW much I plan, there is always something forgotten ... Argh!)
*Load up kindle with books to read... okay, I just made myself laugh out loud writing that one. A girl can dream can't she??

All this while keeping 3 kids occupied and preventing them from killing each other...

Tomorrow's To-Do List:
*Head to Ocean City, NJ for a week's vacation. Relax. (If that's what taking 3 kids on a trip is called....ha!)

Recognition

2011-06-22T15:35:00.000-04:00

Recently at our church they began something called "You've Been Mugged." Basically, the idea is that somebody (the pastor or elders, I assume) notices something that someone is doing that benefits the church and/or others, and that person gets a special "GVF" (Grace Valley Fellowship) mug. And they print your name in the bulletin and they usually call you up to the front to accept your mug. Pretty cool idea, huh?

Well, Audrey has kind of latched onto this. Every week she asks me: "Mommy, when are you going to get a mug?" And I say "Audrey, I don't really do anything much to merit a mug.... so probably never." Basically - don't hold your breath, kid.

Now, yes, I do teach the toddler class once a month ... but there are at least 20-25 other people who teach as well. Some more often, and more ably, than me. And Chad and I lead a small group ... but really he is more the leader, and I mostly send a few emails and such. Nothing big. I try to help how I can. But the truth of the matter is, I have 3 young kids and limited time, energy, and talent at this point. Now, some people can have 10 kids and still manage to lead the women's ministry and teach Sunday School and host events for 100 people, no sweat. But I am not one of those people. So, I do the little bit I can, and I make room for my husband to do ministry at church, and I am in the background.

And I have to admit, that deep down, this sets off a whole series of {not so admirable} emotions inside of me.

It's nothing against recognizing people for their valuable efforts and service. I'm all about that. And the church doesn't only recognize "important" people -- they have recognized "behind the scenes" kind of people as well, which I think is especially wonderful.

I guess the problem is .... my natural inclination is to feel a bit like a nobody in comparison.

And here is the thing that irks me: I KNOW that I am not a "nobody". God has gifted me with a husband and children that are my primary ministry. I feel that very strongly. I know, I know, I know that this is what God has called me to do for now. (Well, and forever in many ways ...)

So why the "feeling like a nobody"?

Because I am listening to the wrong voice. When I "feel like a nobody" it is because I am believing a lie -- a lie that Satan wants me to believe. The lie that what I do "in public" is what matters.

The TRUTH is that God values everything you or I do that is for HIS glory - whether that is in public or in private. Right now in my life, most of what I do is at home, just the kids and me, so it is very much "private". But I know that God sees me. He sees what I do (or don't do). He knows what I am thinking about (good or bad). And He recognizes every time I do what He has called me to do with a right attitude and thankful spirit. In a sense, I need to think to myself that when I make the right choices and when I listen to His leading ....well then, I am receiving my very own "mug" of sorts in God's book, which is where it really matters, right?

I say this because if you are like me, then you may also struggle at times with feeling like your "work", whether at home or church or otherwise, has value. And I want to encourage you that YES!! It does. It has eternal value. God knows our hearts and sees our deeds. And for me that is encouraging - and convicting! - all at once.

I read this quote YEARS ago and I had it hanging on my office wall for years as a reminder of this very thing. My "calling" at that point was so very different. There was no husband and there were no children at the time. But the message was and is still apropos, so I am leaving you with it today. Here it is:

"The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It’s overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt."
— Leo Buscaglia

Father's Day et al.....

2011-06-20T14:46:00.001-04:00

First of all - I want to thank all of you who commented on my last post. I am glad to know that I am not alone in struggling with the "day-to-day" life of being a mom. But I am even more thankful that something so awful (meaning Gabby's battle with cancer) can bring about a little bit of good in all of us (meaning giving us more grateful and loving hearts).

I had a really fun weekend. On Saturday Chad and I took the kids over to the Y pool and just enjoyed splashing around with the kids. Later on Audrey and I went on a little date with her friend Kaitlyn and her mom Kelly. Kelly & I each got a deal through Living Social to take the girls to Sweet & Sassy (basically, a little girl salon). So the girls got their hair done in updo's, their nails painted with sparkly nail polish, and their faces done up with "makeup"

... of course you can't be all dressed up with no place to go, right? So we took them out to dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise. Our server even brought the girls drinks with little umbrellas and a parrot made out of fruit. They kept saying they were in a "hawaiian" restaurant ... guess they are too young to know that Jimmy Buffett is actually more of a Floridian .... anyway they had a great time together.

So yesterday was Father's Day. I admit ... there was no breakfast in bed. BUT, that was mainly because today Chad spoke in church so he was doing a final review and went to church early. He spoke about Science & the Bible, and he did a great job, if I may say so as the proud wife! If you ever want to take a listen, it should be on the church website in the next few days: click Grace Valley Fellowship and then click on "listen to messages online" and it should give you a list. (In case you are wondering why Chad would be speaking on this subject - ie, you don't know him - he is a geologist and science is one of his true loves, right behind Jesus and his family!)

Anyhow, we did give Chad a gift: a new wallet. He had been carrying his money/cards in a money clip and it broke a few weeks ago. So guess what he has been carrying his stuff in? A plastic baggie. Classy, huh? :) We certainly had to remedy that situation!!

That afternoon my parents and brother came over and we grilled out and sat around on the deck till it was dark out. I like to try to get a picture each Father's Day of the kids with their Daddy. As usual this was not an easy process. What is it with my kids and cooperating with pictures?? It seems like every family I know says "Let's get a picture" and the kids all line up and smile sweetly and it is over in a minute. I guess I was "blessed" with the camera shy/strong-willed types, because family pictures for us usually involve me getting stressed and sweating and starting to make all kinds of threats and then someone always ends up crying or yelling or something. Lovely, huh? :)

I will say - this does make for some hilarious outtakes (and I will also say, thank God we no longer are using film cameras or I would have rolls of this kind of stuff....)

Carter & Chloe refused to take part initially ... so I told them they were not allowed in the picture and started snapping away.

HA! Reverse psychology worked! But Carter would only stand a distance away.
(at least he smiled I suppose)

Come on Carter! Come over here!

Chloe can charm the pants off anyone... including her big brother. :)

Okay, it has now devolved into a crazy group hug ...

This was the best we could do.

Not too shabby.

At least everyone looks like they are enjoying themselves!

A super special Happy Father's Day to Chad, my Dad, and my Dad-in-law!!

Thinking, thinking

2011-06-16T22:57:00.000-04:00

Thinking about a lot of things these days. (This probably also explains my lack of blogging. Too much churning around.)

My neighbor Gabby is on my mind each day. She has just begun chemo and radiation 2 days ago, and is already dealing with side effects. Her parents are by her side constantly. I just can't imagine how hard this must be for them all. It breaks my heart, and I pray for them all the time.

Then I look in my own children's faces. I think about how it could just as easily be one of them down at CHOP.

And then I think about how often I am not really listening to them. I think about how often I lose my patience. I think about how I make too big a deal about things that really don't matter in the scheme of things. I think about how I take for granted that they will grow up and go to college and get married and give me grandbabies and do great things for God.

Then I also think about how quickly they are growing and changing. And how I need to just soak up the kids' every last little smile, giggle, spoken word, and yes, even the not-so-shining moments of their lives. Because we never do know how much time we will have with them.

A month ago I was hoping summer break would go quickly and wishing that Chloe would grow up a little faster. Now - if there is one little positive thing that I can take from Gabby's situation - I have such a different viewpoint.

Yes, the days are long and tiring and filled with negotiations and cooking and cleaning up and settling squabbles and running errands and cleaning up some more .... but now my perspective is less "grin and bear it" and more "grin and just enjoy it all."

This evening we put the kids to bed, and as I kissed Audrey good night she wanted me to lay down with her for a few minutes. My usual response is - No, I need to go finish the dishes/fold laundry/etc. But tonight, I said okay and climbed up into her bunk bed and laid down. We ended up having a long conversation about something that was on her mind and I was able to pray for her, that she would trust God and not be afraid.

I wonder how many times I have missed out on these kind of moments because I am too busy or preoccupied. Or even more embarrassingly - because I have a TV show I want to watch.

Now realistically, as parents, we have limited time and resources to offer our children. It would not be wise or even healthy for me to drop everything every last time the kids wanted my attention (because the desire for attention can be bottomless sometimes, and they do need to learn that the world does not revolve around them alone.)

BUT. I can slow down and take the time to listen more. I can enjoy playing with them. I can discipline them in a way that teaches them and doesn't put them down.

Father God ....thank you for my beautiful family... and help me to love them well and be grateful for however long you give us together on this earth.

New & Improved Spaghetti Face

2011-06-14T21:56:00.000-04:00

Remember this guy?

(Yeah, I know, I hardly remember Carter looking this little either.)

He really liked spaghetti. Can you tell?

(And apparently he really liked to eat in general - WOWZERS are those cheeks pudgy!)

Someone STILL likes his spaghetti.

Only now the mess makes it all over his ENTIRE FACE.

And to think that one day this boy will go out on a date.

I think we have a ways to go on eating neatly and table manners before that's gonna happen! :)

Hey, I'm just happy that he ate his whole dinner without an argument!

Playing catch up

2011-06-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

It has been waaaaaay busy the past few weeks. So I apologize to all my 10 readers that I have not had the chance to update the blog for awhile. SO, without further ado, here is my attempt to catch up for the last couple weeks.

It's been a few weeks ago now, but I went over to Audrey's school for Field Day. She was thrilled that we showed up, and I was thrilled that she was thrilled that we showed up. (Now, give it a few years and the story will probably change....) I was also thrilled that I could go to a school event WITH the other 2 kids. One of my frustrations as a mom this year has been that it is just very hard for me to help with Audrey's class and school activities - the issue is always what to do with the other 2 kids. Gotta love Mommy Guilt.

I am so happy with how Audrey's school year ended up. Early on in the year she had some anxiety here and there and it was a little rough changing teachers midstream, but she ended the year on such a good note. She loved her teacher (once she finally came back from maternity leave in February...), she did really well academically, and she made some really good friends. She even went on her first sleepover with 3 of her best school girlfriends right after school ended.

Last day of school at the bus stop with Daddy. (Thank you Kelly for snapping this picture and sending it to me!)

On Audrey's last day of school, everyone wore red in honor of our neighbor Gabby who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. The school also collected donations to help the family and over $4000 was raised! Here is Audrey with the bus stop crew. Gabby's sisters are in the front row (2nd and 4th from the left).

See that flash of red on the far left? I think she was excited to start the summer!

In other news, this past week Carter finished up his t-ball season!

He LOOOOOVED T-ball. When we signed Carter up for t-ball, we were a little worried - what if he didn't really like it? What if we had to drag him to practice? etc. But he jumped right in and enjoyed it from the get-go.

In t-ball, there are no outs, everyone gets to bat, and no one keeps score. But guess what? You still get a trophy when the season is over. I'm not anti-trophies ... but a trophy for what exactly? Showing up? :)

There was a little pizza party after their game .... so I made these little baseball cupcakes for an after pizza treat. :)

Chloe really liked the cupcakes. (Sorry, had to throw in a photo of her too!)

Okay, two pictures. :)

SOOOOOO,

we are now onto summer break.

We have already visited the Y pool once and Audrey got her orange wristband.

This morning Audrey & Carter started summer swim lessons, which will keep them (and the rest of us) busy during the morning for the next couple weeks. They both had a great time at lessons today and are making great progress!

Other than that ...

Carter & Chloe are practicing for our trip to the beach in a few weeks ....

Carter is practicing his reading with his sis

And Audrey & Carter are making bridges on the couch. The only reason I took a picture of this is that I remember doing this with my brother when I was a kid!!

Oh, and now that it's summer it seems like the kids don't go to bed until shortly before I'm ready to drop over from exhaustion every night!! Makes it hard to blog....

Prayer, Part 2

2011-06-03T21:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight I am asking that you PRAY with me.

My little 5 year old neighbor, Gabriella, was just diagnosed with cancer in her brain. They have found it in and around her brain stem. It is not all in one mass, so they cannot operate and remove it. They have just biopsied the cancer to figure out the best course of treatment. She will be in the ICU at CHOP for a few days now and then the wait begins for the pathology report ... they are told they will have to wait a whole week. The reality is that -- as her Nana told me today "We need a miracle."

It all is so hard to take in ... I feel like I am still in shock. She was just outside playing last week.

So, please, please pray for Gabby. My heart is just breaking for her, her family and especially for her parents. Pray for that miracle!

Thanks so much for joining me in praying for her.

Memorial Day ... aka MudFest 2011

2011-05-30T22:03:00.000-04:00

Today we headed over to my parents' house for a Memorial Day picnic. The bummer was that Chad was not able to come with us. He was scheduled to fly home from Chicago this morning but his flight was cancelled and I am currently waiting for him to come home.... FINALLY! We all missed him but I'm glad he could have a fun weekend with some of his very best friends in the world.

Anyhow, I was glad to have some fun with my family today. Since it was (once again) hot and humid today, we took a sprinkler and some water squirters over.

The hammock was a popular lounging spot.

Audrey and Chloe "hung out" together for awhile.

Girl bonding. :)

The kids enjoyed some popsicles (or, as Chloe says "pah-soos")

After a cookout and dinner on the deck, the grown-ups talked, while the kids played. I should have known when it was so peaceful for so long that they might be getting into a little mischief.

The sprinkler had made a puddle at the edge of my parents' yard and they were busy splashing around in a big muddy puddle. They were already dirty and having such a great time that I figured - why not just let them enjoy it?

See? I told you it was a mudfest!

They were an absolute mess. But I just hosed them off ... and they were good to go.

I think my brother (who does not have kids) was appalled ... haha!

I am hoping they have sweet dreams and happy memories of a fun day splashing around in the water ... and the mud.

Firstfruits

2011-05-29T21:08:00.000-04:00

Look what came out of our garden today!

The kids and I have been enjoying beautiful fresh strawberries.

All of a sudden, the grocery store variety tastes really lame.

We also have a bunch of lettuce and baby spinach to harvest.

Good thing I have a "bunny" for a daughter. :)

Zoo Night

2011-05-26T21:39:00.000-04:00

Just a couple pictures from Audrey's Zoo Night.

I was really impressed. The kids (and teachers) put a lot of work into this event!

The kids sang a few songs (that Carter & Chloe -and I also, truth be told - cannot stop singing). Then each child went and stood in front of the habitat that they had created. There were "animals" lining all the hallways of the school!! They each wore a sticker that said "press my button to hear more about my animal" and would then recite a bunch of facts about their chosen animal. I thought it was such a creative program!

Audrey in her "habitat"

Audrey and her fellow research ~~bunny~~, I mean buddy!

Chad can breathe a sigh of relief

2011-05-25T08:56:00.000-04:00

Why can Chad breathe a sigh of relief?

Here is what I found in Audrey's not-so-secret "secret book":

A. She does not like boys. PHEW! Isn't she a little young for boys??

AND

B. Chad - despite his gender - is excluded from the list. :)

Unfortunately ... it looks like Carter has not fared so well....

(Although last night she said that Daddy AND Carter were the only boys she liked.)

Don't be fooled, Carter gets on her nerves, but she loves him too!

It's official: I'm a mother.

2011-05-24T22:33:00.000-04:00

As if the c-section scar didn't confirm it for me... you know you're a mom when: you are sitting up at night, long after the children have been put to bed, stitching together a bunny costume. :)

The first graders at Audrey's school are putting on a "zoo night" tomorrow evening. They have learned some zoo-related songs. They have researched their chosen animal at the school library. They have designed and colored a habitat background to stand in front of and answer animal-related questions. And apparently their mothers have been hard at work coming up with costumes!

So I have spent the last few nights working on this:

Okay, these ears were actually bought by Grandma at Easter. THANK YOU GRANDMA!

(One less thing to try to put together!)

But this beautiful bunny shirt was handcrafted by yours truly, haha!

Yup, I have spent a few hours stitching feather boa material to the edges of this previously boring gray t-shirt, as well as adding a pink felt "tummy."

Then I spent a while surfing the web learning how to make a pom-pom ball (aka a bunny tail) out of yarn. So I made a huge awesome tail! But then I realized it was way too big and heavy. So then I made another smaller tail. THEN, I spent quite a bit of mental energy wondering how to attach it to the shirt!

(I finally just glued it to a clothespin. Hope it stays!)

I'll have to post a picture of Audrey in her get-up after zoo night tomorrow!

Speaking of being a mommy ... Chloe spent quite a bit of time and energy trying to put this little beaded necklace on her dolly this morning. My girlie loves her babies!

(I think I see some costume-making in her future ....)

The end is here ...

2011-05-20T16:46:00.000-04:00

... And I don't mean May 21st.

Preschool is now over for the year. {Cue crying of mothers of preschoolers everywhere. :) } I am mostly a little weepy because Carter had such a fabulous year - he LOVED school. He has grown and matured in lots of ways this year. I think the main stride is that he is learning to be more independent. But he has also learned more about sharing, and how to be a friend. He even had his first preschool playdate this past week.

His year ended with a "Spring Sing". I uploaded a little one minute sample of him and his class singing "Superman". He is so into it, I love it! (In case you have trouble locating him, he is the cute little guy in a white shirt and light blue vest.)

One of the things I love most about childhood ... singing proudly and unabashedly in praise of our God.

A new generation

2011-05-09T09:12:00.002-04:00

The other week Audrey came out of her room carrying this contraption she had made:

Her own "cell phone" complete with texting capabilities

I seriously don't know where the kids get this stuff. I hardly talk on my cell at all let alone text.

Even Chloe walks around with her princess phone "talking" and "texting"!

It's a brave new world, folks.

And to think I used to sit on the rotary phone with the twisty cord talking to my friends in junior high (and in high school ... and in college for that matter).

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T16:06:00.000-04:00

I want to wish a gigantic Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, my Mom-in-law, and all my other Mom friends out there! It is a special gift to be a Mom.

And to those of you who have lost moms recently or not-so-recently ... or who are hoping to be moms someday and waiting.... or who have lost children ... you are not forgotten. Prayers and hugs to you on this potentially difficult day. May God's love and comfort surround you.

The Blessing of Prayer

2011-05-05T22:20:00.001-04:00

If you have ever had others pray for you, you probably have known the comfort and peace it brings to know that others are with you, lifting your deepest desires to the throne of God.

But I am finding that equally amazing is the blessing of praying for others.

I shared at a previous time here in my blog about how, shortly after Chloe was born, I often struggled with feeling like I didn't really have much to "offer" anyone (at least anyone outside the four walls of my home). I was mostly limited to taking care of my children, especially my baby, and managing the house as best I could. And many days I felt like I was hardly doing that very well.

And then God showed me that I could have a valuable ministry within my own home - one that no one else even had to know about. That was the ministry of prayer. So at the time, I would spend my extra moments (usually while I was nursing Chloe, to be honest) to just pray for whomever and whatever was on my mind that day.

So, I especially began praying for a few women in my small group. I haven't mentioned it here for quite a while, but Chad and I lead a small group in our church. We are a group of 6 couples who meet weekly for Bible study, prayer, fellowship, fun, and basically to encourage each other in our lives as followers of Christ. We have been meeting for ... wow, I think about 4 years now. So we have all been through a number of ups and downs together and have grown to really care deeply for each other.

Anyhow, a few women in our group had been praying for babies, and in my own prayer time, I began praying for them - that God would bless them with more children ... but also that He would give them peace no matter what the outcome.

One friend had 2 children, but then had 2 unexplained miscarriages.

One friend had 1 child, but then was just not getting pregnant again after trying for many months.

One friend had no children, is approaching her late 30's, finally got pregnant after trying for quite awhile, and then had a devastating miscarriage.

(I also have a few other friends aside from our group who I have been praying for re: pregnancy as well. I don't know ... having been in a place where I deeply desired a child, I just really know the pain of wanting a child so, so badly.)

So back to the blessing of praying FOR someone?

I want you to go to this link: http://www.wanaselja.com/?p=2131

Isn't it amazing??? Every. single. one. of these women had some difficulties getting pregnant, and now each one has a baby or is about to have one! Praise the Lord!

So something I've been learning in all this? I am coming to learn that much of the beauty of prayer is that it forces us to step outside of our own little world and all the little "stuff" of our day, and focus on something larger. Much of prayer, honestly, seems to be a mystery. But through it we begin to realize that God is big, and we are small. To grasp that He can do anything, and "apart from Him, we can do nothing." To see the beauty of His holiness, and the depravity of our deepest thoughts and motivations. To hear His voice, and silence the world at large. To understand that He cares about all that we bring to Him, and that nothing is too small. To realize that He knows all ... and we know very little.

But for me, it also involves realizing that sometimes the best thing you can do for a friend is to pray for them. I can't help anyone get pregnant. But I can pray about it. And if God, in His wisdom, chooses to give that person a child -- then I get to rejoice right along with them in our answered prayers.

Just so this all doesn't sound too pollyanna - I have many friends who I pray for that are still living in the land of unanswered prayer. I am happy to see some of my friends expecting babies. But I also have a number of friends who are still hoping for a child (or dealing with illness, or struggling in a difficult situation). It is a hard place to be - in a place of waiting and hoping. I have been there. We have probably all been there in some way. And, sometimes - though it is a mystery to us -we never see our prayers "answered"... but for me, this is where FAITH comes in. Faith that God has a plan for us that is so much better than one we could have picked out ourselves. It is in that truth that we can all have hope... even in the worst of circumstances.

But for now - I am rejoicing with these dear, dear friends of mine .... and loving holding all the babies.

On his road to the big leagues...

2011-05-02T13:22:00.000-04:00

It begins.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Gloves on, ready to go...

Taking a few practice throws.... (look at that form!)

Getting the pep talk ....

"GO CUBS!"

(how appropriate for us former Chicagoans - hopefully their record will be better than the Chicago Cubs...)

Getting set for his first "at bat" ever...

A few last minute adjustments ...

And it's a hit!

Safe at first!

Although truth be told ... everyone swings til they get a hit ... and everyone is safe at first. :)

That does not make me any less proud though.

I have it all recorded so that when he is in the majors I can sell his memorabilia to collectors on ebay. haha!

That's my boy!!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:27:00.002-04:00

Living, He loved me

Dying, He saved me

Buried, He carried my sins far away

Rising, He justified - freely forever

One day He's coming .... Oh Glorious Day!

{casting crowns}

Hope you had a blessed Easter...

He is risen, indeed!

Spring Break, Day 2 & 3 + a little something for Grandpa

2011-04-20T21:04:00.000-04:00

I don't really mean to blog about our ENTIRE spring break. But for now I am having fun taking pictures and writing down our highlights so until I get tired of it, I will continue ... ;)

On Tuesday we had our friends Katie & Cassidy over.

The kids spent quite a bit of time pretending they were puppies, complete with painted on puppy faces.

Carter was not interested in playing puppies. (He has zero interest in dressing up.) He decided to paint a "masterpiece" instead.

We even let the kids put their plates down and eat lunch on the floor and drink their milk out of bowls.

The rest of the day involved some long naps from 2 out of 3 children. Hallelujah!

This morning we woke up to more wet weather outside.... what to do, what to do. I ended up taking the kids to the mall. (My kids actually love the mall as long as it doesn't involve too much shopping.) We did a wee bit of shopping but mostly we walked around and got soft pretzels and went to play near the fountain.

We came home and our friend Lyn came over ... but boo hoo - I didn't take a picture. She comes over and hangs out with us a lot. The kids love her!

While she was here - we used one of our mall purchases to do this:

We painted Chloe's tiny little toenails for the first time. :)

Later in the afternoon, Audrey decided she wanted to do this:

So ... our friend Kelly worked her magic scissors and now Audrey looks like this:

4 inches of hair GONE!

I love it... and just in time for Easter.

And now, this video is just for Grandpa. Remember when we were on vacation at the shore, and you & Grandma made the kids hot dogs, and you said "I'm having dos (2) hot doggies!"(said with a Spanish flair)... no??? Well, the kids remember ... and they still think saying "Dos Hot Doggies" is a total hoot. They can't say that without cracking up. So last night we were talking about that vacation and Audrey & Carter decided that Chloe needed to learn how to say "Dos Hot Doggies" too.... so here it is.

Spring Break, Day 1

2011-04-18T23:09:00.000-04:00

It is day one of spring break. Many people use this time to go on vacation. However, we are not some of those people.... :) So, it is up to yours truly to make this a fun and exciting time.

Actually, I am just shooting for keeping everyone occupied and from getting on each other's nerves....Honestly, last week I was kind of having a bad attitude about spring break and semi-dreading it. But I decided that was not going to make it fun for any of us. Really, what I needed was a PLAN.

So despite the fact that THIS was calling my name:

I decided to mostly ignore the laundry and do something a bit more fun.

First we headed to the library.

Audrey took out about 5 books (on top of the 3 she brought home from school on Friday).

I asked if she had big plans to do a lot of reading over break.

She just gave me "the look" so I am guessing that the answer there is no. :)

Actually maybe this is another way in which Audrey is like my Mom. They both love to hoard books!

During nice weather, a trip to the library usually = a trip to the park across the street.

It was fun to take all three of them to the park for once!

As you can see,

there were smiles all around.

As you can also see, I was unsuccessful at getting my kids to keep their jackets on. :)

At the park, we ran into some neighbors and we all ended up going out to lunch together.

We all seven squeezed around this little table. Ha!

After going home for some rest time, the kids spent the rest of the afternoon playing outside with their friends.

Audrey & Carter ended their day with Icee drinks. Perhaps not my wisest parenting move because the kids were wired after that! However, the kids were so funny that they were cracking Chad and I up. And that, I believe, is a great way to end the first day of spring break. :)

Easter Egg Fun

2011-04-18T14:34:00.001-04:00

This past weekend the kids went to 2 different Easter Egg Hunts!

The first was our neighborhood hunt.

See this lovely photo of my children walking down the block to the neighbor's house?

I'm glad I got this photo.

Because about 5.3 seconds later Carter had a massive unexplained meltdown and threw his bucket, Chloe started hunting the eggs before the official "start", and Audrey (aka the enforcer of every rule that she is not currently breaking) felt it was her duty to yank all the eggs out of Chloe's hands since - of course - it was not yet time to pick up eggs. Chloe started wailing, Audrey was yelling about Chloe not following the rules, and Carter was refusing to go and hiding behind a tree.

Did I mention that the whole neighborhood was watching this fine display?

At this point, I almost packed them all up and headed home.

Instead, I held my head up high (okay, not really) and marched us all to the egg hunt. (Okay, maybe a little dragging was involved.)

Sometimes parenting reminds you that whatever control you think you have is really an illusion!

Thank God these neighbors all know us well enough that I did not find this totally embarrassing.

As you can see, we managed to recover from the aforementioned drama.

I asked Carter & Chloe to look at the camera but they were WAY more interested in checking out their candy stash.

Our hosts (who are also the Smiths....) have a new trampoline that was the hit of the party!

On Sunday our church hosted an Easter Egg Hunt for the community.

I brought my camera but I did not manage to take many photos ... I jumped in to help at the face painting table so my hands were busy most of the time!

The face painting was REALLY fun. After you paint something on a kid's cheek and then hold up the mirror, the look on his/her face is priceless!

And the egg hunt? Well guess what - Carter had ANOTHER meltdown.
I think this kid has something against the Easter Bunny.

No really - Carter has been seriously tired for days but he WILL. NOT. NAP!!

Despite all my attempts to get him to do so. So I think that is the root of his problems this weekend. He usually is such a happy and easygoing boy.

Anyhow, I took these few photos of Audrey, who was watching all the face painting (and desperately wishing that she could do it). I did let her paint a heart on Chloe's cheek.

BUT -does this kid look grown up lately or what? I almost fell over when I looked back at these pictures. Wasn't she just in preschool???

I wonder how much longer she will think Easter Egg Hunts are fun.

I am guessing that she is going to be too cool for them in a few short years .... :(

Spring Break has now started .... enjoy the time off everyone!

God is so Good

2011-04-16T14:22:00.003-04:00

Out of the mouths of babes.

Amy's Day Off

2011-04-07T22:01:00.000-04:00

Well, I didn't LITERALLY have the day off. But it was pretty darn close!

The last few weeks have been quite busy "mom-wise" around here. First Chad was gone for a week and I was home alone with the 3 kiddos. Then his parents came for a visit for a few days (which wasn't work, but did involve cleaning and picking up and trying to keep the kids from undoing the work I had done to clean up ...) Then Chad had a busy week at work last week which involved him leaving early in the morning and getting home late some days. Then last Wednesday he went to the Phillies game with a friend (which I had no problem with at all but did mean putting the kids to bed by myself - again). Then it rained for a few days which meant that the kids were all trapped in the house with lots of energy and not enough space to run it off.... etc. All the "stuff of life" but tiring nonetheless.

So - late last week Chad said to me - I think on Saturday you should go out for awhile and get yourself some new clothes if you want.

Then later he said - I think we need a date night. Do you want to see about a babysitter?

Wowzers!

So Saturday became a very good day. :)

I took Audrey to her gymnastics class and then worked out. Which I can't say I totally enjoy but I do feel good about myself when I'm done.

Then I came home for lunch, put Chloe down for a nap and took off for the store!

Do you know how nice it is to shop without kids? REALLY NICE. I actually went in and out of the dressing room about 3 times trying on different things ... and had time to think about whether something actually looked decent or whether it was something I could really use or whether I really liked it or not. Half the time I feel like clothes buying involves grabbing something off the rack, hoping it fits, and bringing it home and then regretting it and taking it back. :(

After my shopping expedition I came home and got ready to go out for dinner.

We went out for Mexican at On The Border. Which has fabulous chips, salsa, fajitas and strawberry margaritas. ;)

We walked around a bit and then headed over to Barnes & Noble for some browsing and coffee.

AAH! What a day. And this time I didn't get a speeding ticket! ;) You can read all about that here.

In other news ... I don't know what on earth other parents do to get all the beautiful photos on their blogs .... but lately this is the best I can do.

Today Carter started T-ball and had his first practice (with Chad as assistant coach). I thought I would take a quick picture as they got ready to leave. And this is what I got: Booger Boy.

Carter had "Crazy Hat Day" at school on Wednesday. I found a great crazy hat in our dress up bin but of course he refused to wear that. He wanted to wear his BASEBALL hat (I think the baseball thing must be genetic). So Chloe was walking around wearing the crazy hat and looked so cute ... but of course the minute I got out the camera this is what happened...

I don't even remember why I was taking this picture but obviously I missed the "moment."

Please, doesn't anyone else out there have this problem??? :)

Little Reader

2011-03-31T20:59:00.000-04:00

I cannot even tell you how big this makes me smile:

"Mommy, I reading all the words all by myself!"

Tea Time at the Smiths

2011-03-30T13:34:00.000-04:00

This morning Carter requested a tea party. Yes, Carter. I think he just likes to drink out of little cups and he LOVES to put some sugar in the water (big surprise there). So a tea party we had. (And apparently writing like Yoda I am.) ??

No pinkies in the air here .... just a full face in the cup and half the water down her front. Someone is not a very lady-like tea drinker yet. :)

CHEERS!

Fun with Grandpa and Grandma

2011-03-29T22:30:00.003-04:00

This past weekend Chad's parents were here for a visit. The kids love to see their grandparents! Well, Audrey & Carter get very excited. Chloe spent a day looking at them a bit skeptically but she slowly warmed up. Grandpa quickly learned that sneaking her some jellybeans was a great way to make friends... ;)

The first agenda item was celebrating Grandma's birthday, which was on March 12th.

One of the gifts we gave Chad's Mom was these silhouettes of the kids. I made one for my Mom on her birthday too. I got this idea from my friend Kelly ... and I finally made the time to do something crafty!

Grandma's new phone was quite popular with the kids!

There were some fun games on her phone. And I just have to point out that I am officially in the dark ages. I have an old pay-as-you-go flip phone that doesn't even text efficiently. Not that I text ... yup, I am old.

Carter read Hop on Pop to Grandma.

Carter talked Grandpa into a few games of Mario Kart.

Chloe had fun playing with Grandma too.

All in all, it was a low-key few days but that was good. We all had plenty of time to just hang out and spend time together.

The kids are already asking when they are coming back!

First Day of Spring

2011-03-20T22:19:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of spring, and you know what that means?

Free water ice at Rita's!

Chad got party cake water ice.

(I know, that sounds kind of yuck but it was actually really creamy and good!)

Of course, his water ice and spoon were quickly taken over by a little girl in pink. :)

Really, they were enjoying their water ices ...

it was a little bit cold out though

Just ask Chloe - she's "cold" too!

Hey, there's a smile. :)

Thank you Rita's ... you put us all in a "happy place"!

Well, that is until it was all gone and Chloe had a little meltdown ...

St. Patrick's Day = Failure

2011-03-17T22:05:00.000-04:00

You know, sometimes as a mom you can't win.

I decided - now that I feel like some of the "fog" of baby brain has lifted - to try to do something more "fun" for St. Patrick's Day. A holiday which I have previously ignored despite my being part Irish.

So I was thinking about food. My first thought of course was corned beef, but seeing as I have never made corned beef - and I can't even recall ever eating corned beef - I quickly crossed that off the list. My next thought was Shepherd's Pie - but then I realized that 2 out of 3 kids LOATHE mashed potatoes. (I know, what is wrong with them???) So I finally settled on "fish & chips" which for me meant heating up frozen Gorton's fish fillets and french fries. Lame, but at least I thought they would eat it ... especially since I was making a mint chocolate chip ice cream pie for dessert!

Well, Carter & Chloe would not touch the fish. Chad asked "What exactly is this that we're eating .. chicken strips?" Audrey ate the "Irish fish" (as she called it) without complaint, especially after she heard about dessert. But she has always been my best eater. So very mixed reviews on dinner. Not really very fun after all.

But besides that - I forgot to dress any of my children in green. This morning I went to the bus stop and every. single. kid. had on green. Complete with special green shamrock hairbows and skirts and shirts, etc, etc. Audrey wore green pigtail holders but that was it. She then came home and asked if she had anything green to wear outside to play. Of course I could not find one single green item in her entire wardrobe. Fail.

Then Audrey asked why the leprechauns didn't mess up anything in our house. (And I am thinking - leprechauns are supposed to mess things up? News to me... I thought they were looking for a pot of gold...) Fail again.

Sheesh. Back when I was a kid my mom didn't do any of this stuff and I never felt ripped off. (Of course none of the other moms did all this stuff either ...) I have to say - I am finding it irritating that every single little holiday is now filled with great expectations ... expectations that all fall on the Mom. Which is fine if you are Miss Creativity and full of fun ideas and unlimited time and money. But apparently I am not THAT mom.

Seriously. Valentine's Day used to mean giving each classmate a valentine. Now it means giving each classmate a valentine plus candy/a pencil/a goody bag. Easter used to be finding a few eggs in the yard and a basket of candy. Now it seems - if the latest Target ad is any indication - that it also involves presents AND toys AND baskets of candy. And I LOVE Christmas but don't even get me started.

I know that I don't have to choose to "keep up with" everyone else. But it is hard when your kids come home wondering why you didn't do all these things that everyone else did .... it makes you feel - well, a little like a failure.

Anyhow - I know I am a good mom despite my St. Patrick's Day failings. So I'm not up on all the cool creative things you're supposed to do. So no one wore green. At least I am confident that today I spent time with my children and loved them and treated them well. That's what they will remember in the long run.

And the mint chocolate chip ice cream pie? Well ... at least that was a hit. :)

Beauty & the Beast

2011-03-12T22:07:00.000-05:00

No, this is not a blog post about me and Chad ... haha.

Today Audrey and I got to have some special time together - just the two of us. We have been looking forward to it all week! Although this morning, I have to admit - I was wondering if we were going to have a good time. I was feeling tired and for whatever reason, Audrey woke up in a funky mood which seemed to linger throughout the day. But after many prayers for patience whispered under my breath, we ended up having a fun afternoon. ;)

Audrey with her Belle doll, which she wanted to bring along

So... we went to see a high school production of Beauty and the Beast. I was so amazed at the fact that high schoolers pulled off such an amazing show - especially musically. (I didn't know a single kid in the show but I was really proud of them!) Afterwards we went out to dinner together. After talking her out of yet another trip to McDonalds, we ended up at Friendly's.

It's interesting. These kind of excursions are not only enjoyable for me as a parent, but are also a bit enlightening. For example, I don't know why - but I expected Audrey to be much more outwardly "excited" throughout the afternoon. I guess because she had been talking about going to this play with me for weeks. Then when we were there she was so reserved about it that I actually wondered if she even was enjoying it. Durirng the intermission I was asking her what she thought about the show and she gave me very short answers. I actually felt a little discouraged that we weren't "talking" much but just kind of hanging out together . I had to tell myself to not have expectations but to just enjoy the time together and trust that it was worthwhile whether we "talked" or not.

But later on I had a little revelation - Audrey is in many ways a lot like her mama. We both tend to hold a lot of our feelings and emotions inside. I think we both - in the midst of something - are so busy processing our thoughts and feelings internally that it may not appear to those around us like we are having any feelings at all. I don't know if that makes any sense to anyone but me .... but it was a little like looking in a mirror. Anyhow, she may not have said much about the day in the moment. But when I was tucking her in tonight, she wanted me to lay down for a few minutes with her. I am glad I did! She proceeded to talk about our day, and ask me who my favorite character was in the play, and we had a nice little discussion about the whole thing. So I guess that she just needed some time to take it in and think about it before she was ready to talk. ;)

Anyway - that was my little light bulb moment for today. Thank you, God, for entrusting my Audrey to me and please help me to love her well, especially in the moments when I don't always "understand" her.

*** Just in case anyone local is interested in the show - it was at Delaware County Christian School in Newtown Square. I know they are doing 3 more shows next weekend if you're interested!

Sick kids, Part 2

2011-03-10T21:46:00.000-05:00

Poor Carter & Chloe. This week they both got hammered again. BUT: Thankfully this was a very short-lived illness! Fever lasted 24 hours, coughing/wheezing for a few days. That's it. Thank you Lord!

But it has been really stressful to me. I had a few nights of being up every hour or two all the live-long night. Then I called the doctor's office for some advice about Carter and they told me to take him to the ER (it was at the end of the day). Which - don't call child services - I did NOT do. I just thought that was way over the top ... and I also realized that his inhaler was out of medicine and this is why it was not working. Duh. But hey. As previously stated - I was pretty sleep-deprived.

Then I took Chloe to the doctor the next morning - she was really breathing hard and wheezing. So I came home with instructions to start giving her nebulizer treatments. Of course with my insurance I couldn't simply bring a nebulizer home with me from the doctor's office, I had to call insurance ... then call the medical equipment company .... then call them back .... then talk to the local subcontracted medical equipment company ... then wait til 8 pm at night for them to drop the thing off. I was so irritated by then and I felt like crying which - as previously stated, I was pretty sleep-deprived, thus the tears ...

Anyhow - all that stress - and this morning the kids were basically fine. Still giving them the asthma meds but they were eating and playing and squabbling like any other day. I'll take it! I know it is so worrisome when they are sick ... but it just reminds me to be oh-so-thankful that illness is not a daily thing for them. I know some people have children who are truly ill and fighting for their lives.

A little benefit of all the nebulizer treatments is that I get 10 minutes of uninterrupted cuddle time!

Now ... off to bed. I am oh. so. tired!

#39

2011-03-06T21:06:00.000-05:00

I just celebrated my 39th birthday. Yup, next I will be the big 40! Which of course, just can't be. Chad and I went out last night to celebrate my birthday and he said to me "When you start saying - there is no way I can be [this age], I think that is when you're getting to mid-life crisis point." I think there is a little truth in that. Although I don't feel like I'm having a "crisis" at all ... I am actually happy to be my age. (Not so happy about the wrinkles and slowing metabolism but that is another blog post.) But I am happy with where God has me, here at age 39. And the wrinkles are mostly smile lines so how can I complain?

Anyhow, I had a really, really great day. I don't have too many pictures of most of it .... because I just didn't bother with my camera. Honestly, I just get caught up in enjoying what I'm doing and I'm really not thinking about my blog and getting photos to share. Which is fine - I'd rather just live in the moment anyhow!

My day started with breakfast out with Chad and Chloe while the 2 other kids were at school. I LOVE eating breakfast out! Then I went out for lunch at .... Chick-fil-a! We met my friend Lyn there. And now I just have to share this story because it was so cute. When I picked Carter up from preschool, I surprised him with going out to lunch. I said "We're going to Chick-fil-a" ... and he said "I LOVE Chick-fil-a!" then I added "And we're going with Lyn!" and he thought a minute and said "I LOVE Lyn!" (I think she got a kick out of that story too!) He is so enthusiastic. :) So we had lunch, the kids played in the playland a little bit, then Lyn came over and hung out with me all afternoon. Fun! She also gave me some beautiful flowers. Guess what? I love Lyn too! hehe

I did take one photo at Chick-fil-a ... Chloe has discovered ketchup and was eating it with her finger straight out of the container!

Later Chad came home and we all hopped in the van and went to my parents' house for dinner and cake. My brother and my friend Melissa came too! Then we opened presents and guess what I got ... I was so surprised!

See? I told you I was surprised!

It was a KINDLE!!!

Oh boy, am I going to have fun with this baby!

Chad, his parents, and my brother chipped in to get it for me.

My parents gave me a leather cover to go with it and an Amazon gift card.

Now I am going to have to finish this post up rather quickly because I have books to download!
PS - I have been on a huge reading kick lately so perhaps I will do a post on some books that I have enjoyed and would recommend!

Like mother, like daughter

2011-03-02T08:57:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Chloe and I had a little fun with the camera. We took the photos ourselves so pardon the unflattering nature of some of the photos .... She is in a major phase of making faces and mimicking so it was fun to see what she did.

Pouty lips

Sucking in our lips

Sticking out tongues

Giggle break!

More lower lips

Say CHEESE!

Pretty smiles :)

Updates ... and more than you really wanted to know about us

2011-02-24T22:51:00.001-05:00

My mother-in-law sent me a friendly reminder across the miles that she is missing out on the blog updates. As a grandma, these things take on great importance!

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth.

I don't know what has happened but it's like after we all were sick at the end of January I lost my blogging mojo. Or perhaps I have just been busy playing catch-up after almost 2 weeks of being out of commission and have had little time for blogging. Or some days I feel like I don't have anything much that is worthwhile to share with the general public. For example, does anyone out there want to hear about my trips to the grocery store, the latest kid tantrum, or what I'm making for dinner?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
[Insert sound of crickets chirping here.]

Yeah, guess not.

Okay, well there is more going on in my life and churning around in my brain than dinner and shopping for the family.

I'm going to start off with kid updates, because let's face it - this is what many ~~people~~ family members want to hear about.

Audrey was off from school for the past six days. After I adjusted on day one to all the chatter and constant stream of questions, I really enjoyed having her around. She is so, so helpful these days. And she is a great big sister. Well, she is a great big sister to Chloe. Carter is sometimes left in the dust, poor guy, but she kept Chloe busy quite a bit with all things girly. She is really becoming such a responsible and pleasant kid. This was confirmed when we went to her school conference the other day. Her teacher had only very positive things to say. She is excelling in reading and math, and her teacher raved about her handwriting. She also mentioned that Audrey has not missed a single spelling word all year. She has me to thank for that ... I was the spelling bee champ in school when I was a kid. :)

Anyhow, Audrey will have a new teacher starting tomorrow, and I am a little concerned about that. (She has had a long term sub all year as her teacher was on maternity leave since day two of the school year.) It took Audrey a number of months to really adjust to first grade. There were many days early on of "I want to stay home with you" and "I don't want to go to school" and "My tummy hurts." Since Christmas she had really turned a corner and I don't want a regression. So, besides trying to stay positive about it, I just keep praying and putting Audrey and the whole situation in God's hands - which is all I can do anyhow. I know that she will ultimately be fine but I do feel for her and her classmates having to adjust to a new person so late in the year.

On to Carter. We also had a very positive conference with his preschool teacher back in January. He is a smart little guy so no concerns there. The main thing I am trying to accomplish with Carter right now is having him take more responsibility for himself. He is a kid who would be happy to have me dress him, feed him and wipe his bottom for the rest of his life. Okay, maybe not the rest of his life. But for now he is quite happy for me to do things for him despite the fact that he is quite capable of doing things himself when he puts his mind to it.

Well, apparently he is not going down without a fight. The other day before school I asked him to put on his socks. Something he is absolutely able to do. He wanted ME to put them on and I said no, he would need to do this. He had a meltdown about it, and to make a looooong story short - I ended up putting his socks and shoes on, Chad ended up taking him to school because he would NOT get in my neighbor's car to go, and he lost TV & Wii all day. (HA! This always give me the upper hand!) So guess who put his socks on the next day .... and the day after ....

Despite his sometime helplessness, gosh darn it, that kid is such a joy to be around. Today we had a little friend over (last minute) and he was so kind - he offered to share his beloved cars and marble race and was just so sweet to his friend. It made me as a mommy so proud of him. He is also a very loving brother and he routinely tells me "Mommy, I love you" out of the blue.

Oh, and he is officially done with nightime pull-ups! (Really I should've ditched them awhile ago - he always wakes up dry.)

And then we have Miss Chloe. She is now 19 months old, and in the past month her verbal skills have taken off! She says so many words now... and she just communicates so well now verbally and otherwise. However, my least favorite word that she has learned is "No" (while shaking her head). The other day she sat in her booster seat like a princess, while turning down everything I offered. "How about yogurt?" "Noooo." "Okay then I'll give you a grilled cheese" "Nooooo!" as she points to the snack cabinet ... ugh. And if you dare put something on her tray she doesn't like, over the side it goes.

She is also a singer these days. Her new favorites are the ABC song (she can get to about J or K and then she's done) and today she picked up "Are You Sleeping?" which she would sing every time she put her baby in the cradle. So cute.

Lately, she is in a total "Daddy" phase. The past number of days she has actually cried when Chad left for work. I absolutely LOVE this development. :)

Now for an update on the parents.

Chad and I went SWING DANCING last weekend! Woohoo!

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away (also known as Chicago in the late 90's), Chad and I used to go swing dancing here and there. Chad is actually a really good dancer. Well, a really good swing dancer - he refuses to do any other "freestyle" kind of dancing. But back in the day we would go with friends and it was always a great time. Well, this past weekend our church (yes you read that right, our church) hosted a Valentine's swing dance and boy did we have fun! It has been awhile but I think we've still got it!

Chad has been busy working on our closet. We hired a friend of ours to widen the opening and now Chad is finishing it up by caulking, sanding, putting in shelves, installing the door, etc. This is great but it is also depositing copious amounts of dust all over our bedroom, our clothing .... I see a lot of dusting and laundry in my future.

He is also becoming quite the expert at Mario Kart on Wii. :)

And now for me.

I have all kinds of things on my mind lately - from the light to the heavy. Sometimes I think that when I stop blogging it's because I have too much on my mind and - being more of an internal processor type of person - I need time to process it all before I can write. Or should I say - before I can write and hit "publish post". I have quite a few blog entries that have never been posted because I was kind of processing on the screen but ultimately felt they were not for public consumption.

Anyhow, a few things I've been thinking about:

How can I listen to and hear the Holy Spirit speaking to me more clearly? (courtesy of my Bible study) I really am trying to "listen" better ... and then obey.

What should I do/ what gift should I get my Mom for her birthday? How can I make her feel special?

How can I encourage a very close friend who is struggling with a deep sense of grief and depression? And why has God allowed her to go through so much and deal with so much pain? When and how will she ever be healed and functioning in her daily life? And why has He spared me from that kind of suffering? And trying not to feel guilty about that.

On a more happy note, I have 2 friends who are about to have babies in the next couple weeks! So I've been thinking a lot about them and all the changes that are coming for them.... I've also been thinking about God's goodness. Both of them had trouble getting pregnant and one also had a miscarriage in the past year. So I am praising God for these babies and so thankful that so many prayers have been answered. Such a gift.

All right, I'm losing steam on this post, so I'm going to go ahead and wrap up.

So - Mom S. .... this one is for you... :) Enjoy!

The downside of reading ...

2011-02-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

In my last post I mentioned that Carter has started to try to sound out words and has a number of sight words, blah, blah, blah.

Well, one of his favorite things to do is watch the ticker go by at the bottom of the TV screen while I watch the news/weather channel/etc. (Strange? Yes, I know. But he is our strange little guy and we love him for it.)

So this morning it happened. A word went by that I am not sure that I want him to spell, know by sight, or even say out loud at his age. SEX. And of course in true kid fashion, he zeroed right in on it. After all, it IS only 3 letters and very easy to sound out.

So he yells out "Mommy! S-E-X! That spells (pause to think ...) SEX!"

My response "Right, Carter ... now look! What does A-N-D spell?"

C: "AND! And S-E-X spells sex!!" He was very proud of himself.

And all I can think is - PLEASE, PLEASE do not go to school (or church or anywhere else for that matter) and inform everyone about your new word!

Just for the record: What went by on the TV was something about someone having to register with the sex offender registry. Nothing really inappropriate but I guess sometimes the news is a little questionable for the under-5 set! Mamma Mia!

Belated Birthday Post ...

2011-02-13T22:03:00.000-05:00

Oh my poor Carter.

Every year it seems that his birthday comes ... and he gets sick. Tis the season! So this year was no different - he (and every other member of our immediate family) was sick this year too. So this weekend we FINALLY got to celebrate his birthday with him. I have said this before but just for the record - Carter has been sick on 3 out of his 4 birthdays! I sure hope this is a streak that is broken from now on!

Birthday #1 - Smiling despite the ear infection ....

Birthday #2 - HEALTHY!

Birthday #3 - Sick with a fever ... :(

Birthday #4 - well, a week after his birthday. So glad to have my smiling, happy boy back!

Complete with a mouth covered in cupcake crumbs!

This weekend Carter had a small party with some friends at Chuck E. Cheese.

He loves it there (and he kicks some butt at skee-ball!!)

His party was mostly girls .... but he did have one little guy friend who came along! I keep saying - he is going to be a great husband someday because he sure will have plenty of practice hanging with the ladies.

Carter is a funny boy. He seems to appreciate gifts once he receives them, but we could give him absolutely nothing and I don't think he would care one bit. On the way home from Chuck E. Cheese I said "Carter, when we get home, how about we open your presents?" And he replied, "I think I want to take a bath instead." Audrey looked at him like he had 2 heads. (She is already telling us what she wants for her next birthday - in SEPTEMBER!) Gifts - while not HIS love language - are definitely her love language!!

We also celebrated with family.

Here he is opening SEVENTY matchbox cars from his Mom-mom & Pop-pop. SEVENTY.

But my parents also supplied a handy little carrier so he can put them away in there.

(I still have a feeling I will be finding little cars in every nook and cranny of this house.)

He does love his matchboxes!

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy. I can't believe you are FOUR already!

The rest of this post is for me. I just want to remember what Carter is like right now.

Latest stats:

Height - 43 inches - 94th percentile

Weight - 44 lbs. - 90th percentile

(just a side note here - Chloe had her 18 mo. well check at the same time and her weight was in the 15th percentile. Yes, I feed them the same things but one is a heavyweight and the other a lightweight I suppose!)

Carter still loves his letters and he is starting to read a little bit. Meaning, he can't pick up a book and read it, but he has quite a few "sight words" - he actually read most of the card Audrey made for him for his birthday. He's very interested in what letters say so he does a lot of asking me "Mommy, what does R-A-I-S-I-N spell?"

Now if I could get just get him to willingly dress himself and put on his own shoes ....

Life in our house, this week, Part 2

2011-01-29T16:29:00.000-05:00

Thursday .... Audrey sick with a fever
Friday .... Chad & I sick with a fever
Saturday ... Carter & Chloe sick with a fever

Oh, January, I am growing to despise you. Snow days, sick days, Carter's birthday plans ruined. This is what January is becoming. :(

Life in our house, this week

2011-01-24T22:17:00.003-05:00

The time has come in our family where we need these:

Lately the craziness at the table has just been ridiculous. So .... time to intervene.

I told Audrey and Carter that for every rule they follow completely at dinner time, they will receive one point. When they reach 100 points, we will take them out for ice cream. Where they can practice their manners once again.As you can see, they have already earned 10 points ... beginner's luck?

Moving right along....

Chloe has bonked her head at least once a day for the last week or so.

And the following photos show why:

She loves to climb ... and she can now climb the coffee table, the sofa, the chairs ...

and she thinks she's a big kid.

Only she's not. :)

Fortunately she seems to have 9 lives...

Lately I am really enjoying watching the kids relate to each other.

"Big Kid" Chloe has taken to joining Audrey & Carter on the couch to watch Saturday morning cartoons. Chloe's verbal repertoire now includes "Wa-wa" (Dora, as in the explorer) and "Wii"(as in the video game system). Ugh.

But even more, I am enjoying seeing how Chloe has begun relating one-on-one with each of her siblings.

Audrey's relationship with Chloe is very much your typical big sister role. Audrey enjoys reading to, carrying around, and "leading" Chloe in all sorts of girly fun. I can just see the admiration growing in Chloe's eyes. Everything Audrey has - Chloe wants to get into!

It's nice because Audrey is old enough to actually help out with Chloe. And maybe because of the age difference, there is very little jealousy or rivalry. Audrey has been very helpful lately - so much that Chad & I decided (for a number of reasons) that she should get a small allowance now.

I have never seen a kid so excited to make up a job chart for herself :)

Then there's Carter & Chloe.

They are two little lovebugs.

(That is, when Carter is not tackling her or sitting on her head. Like I said, 9 lives.... Although I really think he does it in love. Kind of like how junior high boys tease girls they like? Yup, I'm going with that explanation....)

They really do enjoy each other.

And since Audrey is gone at school all day, they spend a lot of time just the 2 of them.

Here they are - YES, watching TV together. I love how he has his arm around her!

Seriously, they don't watch that much TV but the pictures sure seem to say otherwise!

Oh, and I'll leave you with this little news flash - Chloe STILL loves to chat on that phone!

Little Mommy

2011-01-24T14:14:00.001-05:00

How can 18 months go by so quickly?

2011-01-19T14:05:00.003-05:00

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