Five years ago today I was in the hospital and I was crazy nervous about the new little girl I was about to meet. If only I had known how special she would be.
She has a heart that is twice as big as her little body and almost as big as her smile. She’s obsessed with animals of every kind and would save them all (in her bedroom) if we gave her the chance. She is already more than I had hoped for and she is mine.
Let the celebrations begin!
She is great with the kids, works for next to nothing and is content to sleep in our unfinished basement. What a deal!
Our only complaint is that she is a little hairy and occasionally has a body odor issue but nobody’s perfect.
Happy Thanksgiving!
How wrong is it for me to just ease the running stroller into the kitchen after our morning trek?
My little princess loves everybody and everything. It is a fantastic trait and one that I admire in her. It can, however, complicate life at times.
My husband picked up this little treat in the backyard this morning.
Yep, that’s a little snake.
My sweet girl dashed off and retrieved her Easter basket so that “Mr Snake” would be cozy. She’s so thoughtful.
She then started to plead her case for keeping the snake as her new pet. She countered every argument we gave and even interjected, “My friend Jackson has a pet snake.” Thanks, Jackson.
She then used the eyes. Pitiful and unfair!
(Yes, that is Spiderman inspecting the snake. We roll with the Super crowd.)
Unfortunately, Mommy is fairly immune to the eyes. My angel was pretty disgusted with my lack of compassion for her new friend, but the snake had to go.
We’re talking about a pet fish.
Father’s Day 2009
We took our annual Father’s Day picture yesterday and I can not help but marvel at how much the children have changed since last year. Ella looks a foot taller and Bryce has doubled in size. One thing hasn’t changed, though. Jake’s smile is exactly the same. What a nice constant.
Father’s Day 2008
Daddy watched the kids for a couple of hours this weekend and when I came home I found my little man rocking a new look.
While I’m not sure this is the direction I would have gone, I think we can all agree that he really owns it and is working the knee socks. It’s hard not to admire the confidence.
I would like to extend a special thanks to Bryce’s “design consultant” who helped make this look possible.
Yesterday I found Ella, my little dreamer, sitting in the grass playing with her ponies. She was so completely engulfed in her little world. It was magical to watch her.
But she eventually caught me watching…
and rewarded me with a booty shake (‘cause that’s how we roll in this house).
…just living the dream.
Spring Break came to a fantastic end with a visit to the zoo. It was, like any of our outings, a wild time.
Little man managed to stay in the stroller for a record 10 minutes before prying his way out and insisting he walk. Luckily, he seemed to have a reasonably healthy respect for the animals and we only caught him trying to do this
a couple of times.
My sweet princess was completely mesmerized by the animals and loved each one more than the last. She did, however, provide us with a running commentary regarding the “stinkiness” of each new animal we visited. That’s my girl!
Jake and I really enjoyed the day with our kids. The house building has caused us to miss more than a few workouts lately. At the zoo we did lots of heavy lifting, ran several sprints, and completed a 3 hour test of our endurance. Better than a gym!
We left the zoo with two happy little sleeping babies in the back seat and a napping mommy in the front seat.
That’s a good day!
Today we celebrated St Patrick’s Day in style with green accessories, a St Patrick’s Day parade with Aunt Christie and even some leprechaun mischief.
My first little leprechaun is such a beauty and never fails to make me smile. She loved the parade and found that if she blew her whistle before she waved, she received a better response. What a smart girl! I love seeing the world through her eyes. It truly is magical.
My second little leprechaun was quite the charmer in his little green hat. He was pretty mellow during the parade as it fell near his nap time but he enjoyed the motorcycles and fire trucks.
This little leprechaun was also responsible for the day’s mischief.
1 case diapers + 1 box of paint =
5 minutes of crazy good fun!
(He used to diapers to reach the paint)
When I found him he said, “I paint” but he immediately stopped smiling when he read my expression. He had found himself in a sad state once again. He was caught painting the wall, wearing his sister’s Hello Kitty necklace and he had no where to run.
Today’s prayer: Thank you Lord for helping me laugh through the craziest days, for making my little busy one lovable despite himself, and especially for the “magic” in my Magic Eraser!
Dear Bryce,
Mama loves you so much and I can hardly believe that you have been two for a full month, now. My eyes still see you as that tiny little baby with the big curious eyes.
Two has been a particularly busy time in your little life, and I want you to know that I forgive you. I know you were just trying to help when you put the can in the microwave and pushed start. Next time, let’s empty the contents into a bowl first. And I completely understand that it was an accident when you emptied the gallon of milk onto the floor. The sour smell is gone now and there’s no permanent damage. Concerning the cookies, maybe you could just eat one or two next time and not take one bite out of each one. That will keep daddy happy.
Now is my turn to apologize. Mama’s so sorry she took your pacifier away. I know you didn’t mean it when you said
“Bad, Mama…no fair…Mama, take away”.
It was just the pacifier withdrawals talking. Please know that I just wanted you to avoid big bucked teeth in the future. I hope you will forgive me.
I look at your sweet little face and those busy hands and those still curious eyes and I worry. I know that your mind is working and developing a plan for your next adventure. I just pray that God gives me wisdom and strength to head you off at the pass because my heart beats a little faster each time I hear you say,
“I drive car.”
Love you with all my heart,
Mommy
Whew! We have been so busy around here since Christmas.
We have, unfortunately, had some more of this..
and, of course, lots of this..
and this..
We even had some of this (dry Kool-aid)..
He seemed very sorry.
But not really.
He did at least make an attempt at “sheepish.”
