{happy birthday girly-girls!}

The past three years have been some of the craziest, most wonderful years ever. To be honest, it still doesn't seem real that so much time has passed. I wish it would go slower, but enjoying each moment as it passes has become even more important to me. Today is their actual birthday, but we have been celebrating all weekend. Saturday we went out for pizza and ice cream, then picked up their new Cinderella bikes and helmets. The rest of the day was spent teaching them how to pedal, which we had to do inside the garage since it was raining so hard. Sunday we had their favorite pasta for dinner, pink cake (is there any other kind???), and opened a few presents. The festivities will carry over to today with a few more presents and phone calls from family. Happy Birthday my baby girls--you gave me hope again, and you were most absolutely worth the wait. I love you.

Age 1:

Age 2:


Age 3!!!



Oh, and the fact that they were both potty-trained the week before their birthday? That was a present just for me. :)

{while you were sleeping}

PANTRY, PART II:

Okay. I guess we've moved past the pantry lock, and on to bed alarms. This morning, two little girlies woke up before I did, and made their way not only downstairs (very quietly I might add), but down to the basement where the food storage is. They found something to stand on, and took 3 boxes of fruit snacks back upstairs to the pantry (their headquarters?). Then they found scissors (really safe, huh?), and went to town. By the time I found them, a whole box of Wonder Pets was gone, and they were halfway through the John Deere. Apparently they were saving the best for last...My Little Pony.

My game needs to be stepped up...in a major way.

{improvisation}

Apparently my girls are not going to allow the lack of a stool (which was taken away on purpose) to inhibit their snacking habit.


Obviously it's time for a pantry lock.

{park day...it's spring!}

Friday was the perfect day. The sun was out, the sky was blue, it was in the low 70's, and a slight breeze was blowing. I felt like singing. Like seriously singing. As in on-top-of-the-hill Maria Von Trapp style. After a long, cold, (did I mention long?) winter, this was a huge breath of fresh air.
We walked to the park to meet our friends, and spent a couple of hours just soaking up the sunshine. Heavy-duty potty training wasn't about to stop us from getting out of the house either. I just brought along the potty chair we reserve for such necessities (I had to stuff it in the bottom of my jogging stroller), and it worked like a charm.

I'm so grateful for spring!

Hallelujah!

{easter weekend}

We hosted our annual Easter egg hunt on Saturday, and it was wonderful! The weather couldn't have been more perfect, had we ordered it ourselves. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and there wasn't an ounce of wind. It wasn't super warm, but with all those other things going for us, it made it feel like springtime!

We had about 50 kids hunting for over 650 eggs, hidden all over our yard. They were separated by age group, with the bigger kids really having to put some effort into their hunting. Last year we heard some complaining that it was 'too easy", so Rick took the challenge. I'd say he succeeded.

Kate loved hunting for eggs, but Emma had her eye on one egg in particular, a Cinderella egg that she had spotted while we were sorting and hiding them. She absolutely refused to pick up any other egg until she found that one. I tried explaining to her that there were lots of kids hunting for eggs, and that someone else may have already picked it up. But, she wouldn't stop her quest. So, I started looking around for her, and saw a pink egg that had Snow White and Sleeping Beauty on it. It did pacify her for the moment, and I was finally able to convince her to fill her basket. Later on, after the hunt, I was holding her while talking to my good friend Erica. She asked why Emma was looking a little melancholy, and I explained the situation about the egg. She looked through her little girl's basket, and lo and behold, there was that Cinderella egg! She traded Emma for her Sleeping Beauty egg (knowing that her little one wouldn't mind), and all was well with the world. What luck!

Afterward we had a yummy brunch, a fire in the fire pit, and lots of talking, laughing, and playing. It really is one of my very favorite things, and I look forward to it each year.




Easter Sunday was also a beautiful day, and I was so excited that I could put sandals on the girls and they wouldn't freeze. They were so excited to get dressed up for church, but not so excited to get their picture taken. :) We also have to put Ryan on "picture alert" first thing in the morning, so he will be ready to give me his full attention for at least 2 minutes. I just snap fast, and hope for the best!






Happy Easter!

{coloring eggs}

The week of Easter would not be the same without coloring eggs. Our kids look forward to it for weeks, and love to choose their own box of dye and decorations. I keep them up in the pantry until the night of, and I can't tell you how many conversations we had about it leading up to the big night. When my girls were sick, even holding the box made them feel better. It was quite the coveted possession!

Traditionally, we color eggs for Family Home Evening the Monday before Easter, with homemade ice cream (usually the first of the season) as our treat. That's my favorite part. :)
I just love every holiday there is. The festivities, food, family, friends...




P.S. Try coloring raw eggs. If you're like us, and don't use too many hard-boiled eggs, this is a great trick. I've even used them with little ones, and we haven't broken one yet! It's especially fun when they get to choose which of their colored eggs they want to use for scrambled eggs, waffles, cookies, etc. This year we did a mixture of both, which also worked well.

YUMMY HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM

2 1/2 c. whole milk
2 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
5 c. half and half
2 1/2 c. whipping cream
1 1/2 T. vanilla

Scald milk until bubbles form around edge of pan. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Stir in half and half, vanilla, and whipping cream. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Freeze as directed. Makes 5 quarts. Enjoy!

*If you don't have an ice cream freezer, and your family loves ice cream, I would really consider getting one. They have inexpensive models (we have one by Rival) that cost less than $20, work well, and are easy to use. It doesn't cost a lot to make, but is such a fun family activity and treat. We use it almost once a week throughout the summer!

{life}

My life has been all about random this week. There has been a lot going on, and nothing going on, all at the same time. Ever feel like that?

1. Miss Kate has been pretty sick for the last four days, and so most of my time has been spent taking care of her, and doing all the accompanying laundry. I think we're up to 8 loads? She is finally starting to feel better, and I'm so glad. Poor thing--it's so hard to watch little ones being so sick.

2. We are starting major construction tomorrow. We decided to finish part of our basement, and make it a large family room with a storage area. Rick has drawn out the plans we decided on, and will be starting to frame tomorrow. I am also turning the current playroom (upstairs) into the nursery. All before the end of June. I know I should feel overwhelmed, but I don't. Yet. I will post pics as we go along.

Originally I was going to keep things how they were, and turn the guest room into the nursery, but several things changed my mind.

*The guest room is directly above the front door and open entry--along with lots of noise and foot traffic passing by. The playroom is at the very end of the hall, and I could just picture my other kids running by 50 times a day.

*The playroom, soon to be nursery is directly across from our room. Perfect.

*I really wanted to have a guest/craft/sewing room. It's just nice to have the extra space if you can swing it!

3. I finally decided on nursery colors. I'm going to paint the walls (hopefully this next week!) a chocolate brown, and the bedding will be in blues and browns--with maybe a touch of orange or red thrown in for accent. I love a bedding set from Target...now it just needs to go on sale!

4. Emma is on her way to being a runway star...the makeup similarities are striking, don't you think? If not that, a makeup artist for sure. This was self-applied. At 6 am.

5. After years (at least it seems that long) of not losing any teeth, Ryan has lost 4 over the past few weeks. The tooth fairy is back in business!

6. We had a small blessing befall us this week. We refinanced our house last month, and somehow instead of the usual one month delay in paying the new mortgage, we have two! That will be a great boost to our basement fund!

7. We are now seriously on the hunt for a new (to us) vehicle that will fit our soon-to-be whole family. We have looked at many different options, but I think we have decided on the Suburban or Yukon XL. These are the only two SUVs that we have found that not only have enough seats, but also have the cargo space we are looking for. There are others that I really like (love the Toyota Sequoia), but the lack of adequate cargo space has been a major issue. I will be so sad to let go of our Odyssey though--we have loved it, and it has been a really great vehicle. Plus, now I have to learn to drive something even bigger! I was driving a car up until three years ago! Driving lessons might be in order.

8. I am feeling really big all of a sudden. I'm not sure what I'm measuring right now, but I can tell you, it's a whole lot. And no, no pics at this time. :)

{ultrasound day!}

Today was the day! I've had many ultrasounds, but this was with a maternal-fetal specialist, and I was far enough along to see the genders. She did a comprehensive scan of both babies, which showed that they were both healthy baby...BOYS!!!

Now on to the hard part...names. I have such a difficult time with boys' names, so now that we have to come up with four of them (that we actually agree on), it should be interesting.
It also means that those pink carseats I had for the girls will hopefully find new owners, along with one set of clothes. One set is already promised to my sister. :)

We are all just so excited, especially Ryan. Boys are so much fun, and it's going to be wonderful having them in our family!

P.S. I also got the all clear to start walking on my treadmill...hooray!!! I guess I can bring it in from the garage now. :)

{before and after}

{cake before}

{cake after}

and for your viewing pleasure...the reason for my part-time job as a refrigerator cleaner.

{freedom!}

It has never felt so good to be up and around! I'm now able to be out of bed--so I can take care of my kids and actually leave the house! I still have some restrictions, but I accept them gladly. I guess my treadmill will have to stay in the garage for just awhile longer!

The first thing I did after my release? I went to Target. :) I was there for 3 hours!

{clothes...and 10 year old boys}

Ryan was an adorable little boy, and I loved dressing him. A lot of people told me that boys were simply not as fun in the clothes department as girls, and that there wasn't much selection, but my experience was different. Baseball caps, little sweaters, miniature braided belts, faded jeans, button-up plaid shirts, polo shirts, and even a tie to match his dad...it was always fun for me.
I also considered myself lucky--he never cared what he wore, he let me put whatever I wanted to on him, and I picked out his clothes each day until he was at least 8. Even then, I could buy him whatever I wanted to--the styles, colors, etc., and he would just go with it.

Well. He is now the ripe old age of 10, and (gasp!) has an opinion about what he wears. Not that that is a bad thing, in fact, I encourage individuality, and knowing what you like. However...I have to admit that it is hard for me when he doesn't like what I like. All of a sudden, shopping is not so easy as it once was. It now requires input.

I have discovered though, that there are advantages to this new development. He actually likes picking out his clothes, and we have come up with our own little system. I'll go online (or to the store) first, and get a general idea of what's available (and acceptable). Then together, we'll make the final selections. Last night, as we were going through this process together, I realized how much fun we were having. That we were connecting on a totally different level, and how much I enjoy his company.

So sure...things have changed. Perhaps that was what was so hard to overcome at first. He's not little anymore, but he's still my little boy! We may not always agree on style or colors, and he may not choose what I would choose, but he will know that I respect his choices.

As long as it's on sale.

{lessons}

-I can ignore the pile of smooshed Corn Flakes on my family room floor. Those who know my OCD tendencies, and the love I have for my vacuum, realize the self-control it takes to do this. Admittedly, I threw a blanket on top of them, and faced the other direction, but still, I am quite proud.

-Obviously I have been either sick or out of commission for a really long time, because my girls have LOVED going from house to house everyday.

-Chicken nuggets, frozen pizza, fish sticks, and anything else out of a box have plenty of nutrition. Really. Okay, so 2 weeks won't kill them, right?

-Moms have bat ears. We can hear things, especially when the ability to get up and check things out is taken away.

-Laundry really does multiply. Sometimes within minutes.

-There is nothing on daytime tv. Thank goodness for DVR, and lots of great movies!

-I can be happy for bad weather. Having to sit through a beautiful day after a long winter is like torture!

-I have an awesome husband--one who doesn't complain when his weekend consists of cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and taking the kids everywhere. (hmmm...that sounds familiar :) )Doing it alone is never easy, and I really appreciate his support.

-I have the best friends ever! I would NEVER be able to make it through without them opening their homes to my children, offering meals, or just calling to check on me. I am a really, really, lucky girl.

{perspective}

Have you ever wanted a whole day (or two) just yourself? Maybe go shopping all alone, without little hands and voices hurrying you along? Perhaps watching your favorite movie or TV show completely uninterrupted, and without filling requests for either more milk or snacks? Reading all day long would certainly be a dream of mine--to soak myself up in a really good mystery, or intense novel. What about lunch to yourself, all while taking slow, thoughtful bites, and thoroughly enjoying the taste of your food (not mac and cheese, either) instead of eating as fast as you can to match the pace of your toddlers?

I'll be the first to admit that those days are ones that I've dreamed for, perhaps even longed for. Just a little rejuvenation goes a long way.

Well. It's funny how your perspective can change when it's no longer your choice. Suddenly, the thought of staying in bed all day long isn't as appealing as it once was. I have been on bed rest (only up to use the bathroom, shower, and go to my appt. for 2 weeks) for only 6 hours, and I'm already ready to move on. I am making lists of books I want to read, movies I want to watch and re-watch (I'd love suggestions for both books and movies!), items to shop for online, and I am also counting on each one of you to blog A LOT so I have plenty to read everyday.

The really good news? The babies are okay, and as long as I take it easy for the next couple of weeks, I can get back to normal activity. I'm grateful that there is something I can do.
And I'm positive that as soon as I'm back to real life once again, I'll be just as ready for a "day off" as I ever was.

{saturday outing}

After weeks of being inbound, and a husband that has been working all the time, plus a winter that doesn't want to stop, it was finally enough. I needed to get out of the house, and so did the kids. A new children's museum was recently built in a city nearby, and I have been wanting to check it out for awhile. So, along with some friends of ours, we spent a good portion of the day there.

I was actually quite impressed, and the kids all loved it. It's on smaller scale than some we've been to, but had great space utilization, and a good choice of activities. The water area is always a big hit, and my girls loved the miniature kitchen area. We followed it up with a yummy lunch out, which made it the perfect winter day outing!