Jump, Jump

Well, Aunt Cindi went and did it. Gave Evan a moonbounce - yes, I said moonbounce - for his birthday. WAY, WAY over the top, but boy, do the kids LOVE IT!! It has it's own blower and a slide and probably the best thing of all, it's portable!

The boys practically LIVED in the thing last week during our beautiful warm weather. And yesterday, we took it with us to Aunt Megan's house and all the cousins [that are walking :)] got to jump around in it. THANK YOU, CINDI - this is the gift that keeps on giving...

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Thought I'd post some spring-y pics I took last week when it was absolutely GORGEOUS out everyday. This week the forecast is calling for rain :( every day!! April showers are a bit late this year! :)

Nathan on the deck steps - isn't he a cutie pie?

Nath checking out this weird tree that started growing in our mulch bed last year. Mark says it's a "junk tree" - whatever that means. Check out the full photo below - any guesses on what it could be? We'd love to know...

We'll have been in our house 8! years next month. Our property used to farmland, so there's a serious lack of trees and shade!! Stinks in the summer, but I guess it's kind of nice that we don't have to rake in the fall. Anyway, this is one of our trees that we planted. Don't know how much shade it's going to offer at the rate it's going. :)
My phlox - love this plant - comes back every year and spreads, too!! I have trouble keeping things alive, so I love my perennials!!! :)

Don't Ask

Just thought I'd share a photo. Took it yesterday after I put Ryan in timeout. You'll see why.

5 for Friday

I've been thinking about some of these *IDEAS* for a while now. Just some handy inventions that I could really use -thought it'd be a perfect addition for today...

1. The Voice-Activated Claw - you know, like the one in Toy Story. The one that travels along a track, zips down, and picks something up, travels back and deposits it in the dispenser. Why don't they make these for family vehicles?? It'd be perfect in an SUV or a mini-van. Do you know how many times I could have used this?? Driving down the road and someone calls from the backseat they dropped their ________ [fill in the blank - binky, blanket, cup, toy, book , etc] If I had the VAC, all I'd have to do is say, 'Binky,' and the VAC would do its thing, depositing in the rightful owner's lap. No crying, no pulling over, no reckless driving while trying to fetch said objects [I, of course, don't do that].

2. While we're on the car thing, why don't family vehicles come with an optional soundproof window between the front and back seats? Like the kind they have in police cars or cabs. It is VERY distracting to be driving with a screaming kid in the backseat. Just push a button, the soundproof window is up, and all is well.

3. High-chair Bubble - this one is a collaboration of our church homegroup. Wouldn't it be nice if there were some kind of half dome surrounding the seat of the high chair to collect all the lovely projectiles that fly off the tray?

4. If we can't have the High Chair Bubble, then at least, could somebody PLEASE invent a self-cleaning kitchen floor??? How hard can it be? Haven't we had self-cleaning ovens for like 50 years now??

5. This last one is not an idea. Ran out of them :) But I did want to share my latest scrapbook page - you know, the one that I worked on 2 weeks ago when I said that I was feeling the creative urge? Yeah, it's taken me this long to finally post it. You can call me Queen of Procrastination.

Headbutt

I just love the conversations that I have with my boys. They put a smile on my face in the midst of even the most stressful days!

Yesterday, Evan and I worked on his thank you notes from his birthday. He was so excited to put the finished products in the mailbox and put up the flag. I watched him from the window as he strolled down the driveway and skipped back, flashing me his trademark "thumbs-up!" [see photo] as he went.

When he came back into the house, he asked, "Did I do a good job, mom?"

"You did a great job, buddy. Give me five."

He gave me five, said, "Good job! Headbutt!" and attempted to give me a headbutt.

I guess this comes with boys in the house.

What a hoot!

Ladder

Running errands in the car the other day, Ryan and I had this conversation:

Ryan: I want to go up in the sky, mommy.

Me: That would be really cool to be able to fly up there like a bird, huh?

Ryan: I need a ladder.

:) Love the way this little man thinks :)

In the Bag

This conversation took place on the way to school Friday morning:

Mom: Evan, today when we go register for kindergarten, there might be some kindergarten
teachers there who might ask you some questions. They might have you write your name or jump up and down, I don't know. But, all you have to do is answer them and show them how smart you are.

Evan: I've got it in the bag, mom. Don't worry.

Five for Friday

1. I cannot believe that I didn't find time to blog this week. Well, I shouldn't really say that. I attempted 2 times earlier in the week and our internet was acting screwy. Actually, my husband swears it's me - that I have some kind of electrical thing going on that makes electronics act goofy. I must admit, sometimes I wonder if he's right. The internet won't work for me but as soon as I leave the room and he tries, it's fine. I reenter the room and it's wacky again. My cell phone drops calls ALL the time, but not my husband's - and we have the same service. Who knows? It's just very frustrating!

2. All Evan wanted for his birthday was a goldfish, so we went out and got him our very first pet on Tuesday. He was SO excited! When I asked him what he was going to name him, he said, "Goldfish" followed by "Buddy" followed by "I love you Buddy." He's so darn cute!

3. Said goldfish died last night. :(
"Look, Dad, the fish is sleeping on his side this morning."
"Yep, don't wake him up."
My wonderful hubby spent 1 1/2 hours and $5 in gas this morning hunting down 3 10 cent goldfish to replace our loss :)

4. I had 3 nights out this week - lucky me, huh? :) Monday, I had a dinner with my women's Bible study, Wednesday, I had a MOPS steering team meeting, and last night, I had dinner out with 3 of my best friends from high school. I was thinking today how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends. Even though each night was spent with different women, they were all full of laughter and sharing and understanding. I am so thankful for these relationships. And I am extremely blessed to have a hubby that loves me enough to allow me to nurture my friendships. :) :) :)

5. I registered my baby boy for kindergarten today :( I cannot believe that my little guy will be going to school every day in the fall. Time sure does fly...

The Gift of Sabbath Rest

I'm reading Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World with my women's Bible study and in the last chapter, I was struck between the eyes with this story:

"...of a migrant South African tribe that regularly went on long marches. Day after day they would tramp the roads. But then, all of a sudden, they would stop walking and make camp for a couple days. When asked why they stopped, the tribe explained that they needed the time of rest so that their souls could catch up with them." (p. 184)

I LOVE this concept of slowing down to let my soul catch up. Taking care of 3 young children and a house - HA! (hey, I try) - keeps me running some days at what feels like light speed. Even trying to "make time for myself" wears me out because I inevitably stay up entirely too late. I'm so glad that God has given me a day of rest to help my soul catch up with the rest of me - to help me balance out again and give me a fresh perspective to start my week. Now I just need to give myself permission to s-l-o-w down!

Five for Friday

Thought it'd be nice to start a weekly post where I blog 5 thoughts or events or photos or a combination of any of the three each Friday. Hoping this makes me a better blogger :)

OK, I know, it's Saturday afternoon already, but I've always been late :) Here goes:

1) My baby boy turns 5 TODAY!!! I can't believe that 5 years ago, we were eagerly anticipating the arrival of our little [or should I say BIG -he was over 10 pounds!] bundle of JOY! This time 5 years ago, our lives were about to change FOREVER, and we didn't even realize - nor would we change - the magnitude of ways that this little man has enriched our lives.

2) We celebrated Evan's birthday at the local moonbounce place with some friends from school and church, family friends, and all his cousins last night. The kids had a blast and it was SO nice to just leave when it was over and not have to worry about cleaning anything up! BONUS!

3) Signs of spring are everywhere around here FINALLY!! We have buds on the trees and some bulbs coming up. Not holding my breath, though - I'm sure we're in for another snow before the end of April. It actually snowed the day we brought Evan home from the hospital.

4) We have survived our first 5 days of "OFFICIAL" potty training with Ryan. By "OFFICIAL," I mean we've got the potty chart for his stickers that he earns and he's all about getting the M & M after going. Even moonbouncing last night - NO ACCIDENTS!! YIPPEEEE!!

5) I have been a serious slacker in my scrapbooking lately - too much time spent on the computer. Feeling the urge to be creative - hopefully, I'll find time to scrap this weekend and post some things that I finish.

6) I'm already breaking the rules, I know....but I promised some Easter pics...

The boys waiting patiently to begin following their trails of Easter eggs to their Easter baskets. Yes, Ryan's jammies are on backwards - Uncle Sean and his girlfriend, Angel, babysat the night before :)

Nathan in his Easter finery.

Evan all dressed up.

Ryan looking so handsome!

Nathan and Cousin Ava looking adorable together.

Love this pic!

Evan, Ryan, and Cousins Abby & Chris on the starting line of the egg hunt...

A New Woman

Finally feeling better today - saw entirely TOO much of my bathroom for the past 5 days with an awful stomach bug. Getting pretty tired of my diet of ginger ale, chicken broth and crackers - YUM!! Thinking of writing a diet plan with only those 3 ingredients because I lost 5 pounds :)

Might not last long though because my first "real" meal tonight was cheeseburgers on the grill and homemade oven fries - Yummy, Yum, Yum! Only thing that would have made that better would have been a homemade chocolate shake, but thought my stomach wasn't quite ready for so much dairy.

Anyway, here's to feeling better after feeling like you've been run over by a truck :)

Hoping to post some pics later this week of our Easter....stay tuned.