First worm of Spring

My girls have been lovin' playing outside in the dirt, mud, etc...they are finally starting to find critters.
This is how girls play in the dirt...they use tea pots and make soup.
and below...birthday cakes with very large candles.

Update to dining area

SLOWLY we are updating and finishing projects so we should hopefully be out of this place next Spring. Below is Kevin working on the dining area walls.

Strange Pets

This is our pet, Pepito and this is how our lazy dog eats....

These are our lazy catfish....they are just snuggled, laying at the bottom of the tank...strange, huh??
And this is our....our....WHAT?? How did that get in there?! :)

Cheese

Friday night date

Patty Griffin’s soaring vocals effortlessly reached the far corners of the Orpheum Theater, in Boston, Friday night. Whether sitting solo at her piano or rocking out with her band. Up-tempo or bluesy, Griffin’s pipes pack a wallop. Her rich alto voice can just wrap right around music and she can really put on a show. Kevin and I just love her music and we had a great time going to see her....it was a fun date and we have needed an 'out' like that for a long time. (for those who appreciate music that is not mainstream--I recommend you check her out)

Is it a TWIN THING??

Not sure...but they always seem to have to go at the same time. Whoever is on the potty...smiles and takes their time when they know the other one has to go. Today I didn't think Nora could hold it so....there you go, two at a time. It must be a twin thing....

Play time

Above is Emma making a necklace. Below...finally we have hit the 50's! The snow is gone (for now) and we are welcoming the MUD. The girls love playing in the mud and they found some things growing outside today so they were all excited. Spring is finally here (although I did enjoy the rainy, gloomy days). The girls have been getting into things--today is was my contacts and wipes, yesterday it was shaving cream and the list goes on and on, they figured out how to open my child lock on my cabinets upstairs. So, we are now going to put a child lock on the doorknob and I will just have to put up with them coming all the way downstairs during nap to use the bathroom. Now I know it is going to be a big game because they get to go up and down the stairs. I just don't know what to do...no matter how many things I put out of their reach, no matter how much discipline they get, they still seem to find SOMETHING to get into.

Those were the days....

I love my girls and wouldn't trade them for anything but things do change. I miss those days.

Nothing to say

Beautiful rainy day. I love this kind of weather, except for the wet dog smell that now comes along with it. I haven't been taking pictures, and I really don't have much to say, but that usually doesn't last long, so no worries. The girls are really looking forward to Spring-like weather, in fact, any bug that they see crawling around in our house usually ends up in their hands and crawling all over them. We are hoping to see some 50's soon...some good news though....the snow piles have melted! The girls are still keeping me busy--getting into things, etc, but I just haven't had the brain power and desire to write about it, it is really starting to get to me. I will post again soon, with something MORE interesting to say.

You know you need a bigger closet when.....

IT LOOKS SOMETHING LIKE THIS!!!
Well, actually this is the girls closet and we are out of room. I need some better storage or something but I just haven't had the time to really tackle this project and in the back of my mind I am reminding myself that we are not staying here, we will be moving....so, I think I may just live with it this way. I just can't imagine how we will fit their shoes when they are teenagers, because the shoes shown here are not including the shoes they wear right now, which are downstairs (3 pairs of rain boots, 3 pairs of snow boots, 3 pairs of dress shoes, 3 pairs of play shoes).
I couldn't get the doors open wide enough to show ALL the clothes but there are plenty more. I am so thankful for all the clothes that God has provided because I have to say that the only things I have had to buy, since Emma was a baby, are socks and winter coats. It just doesn't help that Hannah and Nora don't grow very fast....they are still wearing some 18 months/24 months at 3.

ANOTHER babysitting day

So, we had JJ and Joel again and then we also were babysitting my neighbors little girl Emily(her mommy just had a baby). So, I had one 4 yr old, Two 3 year olds, Two 2 year olds and a 1 year old. Somehow I was able to sit them all at the table for dinner and eat myself, not sure how, looking back, but I did. I just know I slept very well that night. Above the girls and J are in their pj's dancing.

girls girls girls

I had my niece sleepover Friday night and it was just a taste of what I have to look forward to in the years to come. I thought they would NEVER go to sleep...oh, the talking and the giggling with more talking. Boy, was I tired! I thought for sure they would sleep in a bit but 6:30 the next morning I hear the whispering begin. The scary thing is that I remember when I was a kid... sleeping over my friends houses and being up ALL night...talking, laughing--freezing (in a ziplock bags) the training bra's of the ones who fell asleep first, etc...and I was reminded of those nights and it SCARED ME! Girls girls girls, you have to love them.

Another babysitting day...

This post is from Friday...I am starting to get behind again, but not too far behind. I was able to babysit JJ and Joel again and it was a fun time with 'my boys'. Everyone is starting to get sick....I have been feeling a bit sick myself and I am hoping I can get over it quickly before the girls head in that direction.

Babysitting fun

So, I have to say that I had a blast being around boys all day. It actually made me wish, for a moment, that I had a bigger family. Boys just add a different element to things--they are fun, fun to watch and listen to, they don't complain so much and whine and say--"you are not my best friend"--because someone looked at them the wrong way. It was refreshing. I love my girls but it would be nice to add a boy to the mix...who knows what will happen in the future. :) So, since I had already washed and packed away the snow shoes we had snow indoors again and they had fun.

Below we actually made b-day cakes with the snow (it was great packing snow, would have made a great snowman) and then I even put b-day candles in them and then we experimented with how snow melts.

Spring Snow

We woke up this morning to 5 inches of a winter wonderland. The snow was wet and heavy so it stuck to all the trees and made it look beautiful out. We did lose power for a bit but that is fine...the kids didn't even notice. We have a big babysitting day today, full of boys. This morning I am watching my friend Robin's two boys and then around 1:30 I am getting three other boys--the girls are very excited to have all these boys in our house and have planned all morning what they want to play with them. We will see how that goes...since they all live in natural state of 'playing house'...they are always a different character carrying around baby dolls and pocket books and they talk talk talk...it is really cute.

16 years today....

Today is the 16th year of the anniversary of my daddy's death. I didn't think time would move on that horrible day, but now I am amazed with how quickly time has past. I don't remember much about him but I know in my heart that he was an amazing man that loved God with everything that he had. I was told that he thought the most beautiful word there is--is Grace--and after all these years, I see it, I understand it and I feel the same way. "God's grace is like rain, pouring down all over me, and my stains are completely and totally washed away."


(below is my mom and dad--right after they got engaged)
(above is my dad, Ben and I and directly above just shows Ben and Chris took after my dad--he is doing a swan dive off of that cliff.)
If you want a closer look, you can click on the pictures individually and it will give you a larger view.

Early morning fun

So, one morning last week, Kevin and I were downstairs talking and I was making breakfast, the girls just got up and were making their beds. I went up to check on them and let them know breakfast was ready when I walked into a huge mess. Nora and Emma quickly slid underneath a bed and Hannah with this foam on her mouth and chin, looked at me and said, "I didn't do it mom", but while she was saying it she was forming bubbles--Yes, bubbles were forming with every word out of her mouth--I quickly turned around and ran downstairs because I was laughing--oh, I wish I could have captured that on video--her telling me she didn't do it but the evidence actually coming out of her mouth while she did it. Well, I eventually got control of myself so I could be genuinely upset with them and went up to figure out what happened. Apparently H & N found my salt (for the humidifiers) and dumped it all on the floor, then realized the mess they made wanted to clean it up so they got soap and wipes and then Emma helped them by getting a few large cups of water to make suds and that was the mess I walked into. You think I would eventually learn my lesson and NEVER leave them alone but sometimes it seems almost impossible