The Birthday Girl

Yesterday was Elise's 7th Birthday. Lucky seven. Each year I say, "I can't believe she's (fill in the blank with whichever age she is turning)!" This year was no exception. What really strikes me about this birthday, is that my youngest brother had just turned 7 when Cory & I got married. He was down last weekend and he's now almost 16, creeping in on 6 feet tall and not at all the little boy with the buzz cut who couldn't keep his shirt tucked in. And our wedding day seems like it was just yesterday. So I'm afraid I'm going to blink and Elise will be 16. So leading up to yesterday, I reminisced about the day Elise was born and how she's already seven years old.

When Cory & decided it was time to start our family, we couldn't have been more thrilled, excited, nervous and unprepared for the adventure before us. After what seemed to be a never-ending nine months and an even longer delivery, the doctor handed a sweet little swaddled bundled to me that changed my life forever.
We spent that first year taking care of the house together, walking around outside, having picnics with Daddy and letting her discovering everything she could about this world around her and me trying to figure out how to be a mother. Before I knew it, she had turned 1. And she was the cutest thing I had ever seen.
By the time her second birthday rolled around, we had moved, I had had to begin disciplining her from time to time (that was very hard the first go round. I just wanted to love her all the time, not put her in time out!!!!), we were preparing for a little brother to join the family, and she was growing and developing into this sweet, helpful, grown-up little girl.
By her third birthday, we had moved yet again. We had adjusted to aforementioned little brother. Elise became a little mother to him. She was sweet, sassy, totally a little girl and spent her days playing with cousin Emmy. Her main activity consisted of filling up every purse she could find with complete nonsense and walk around like she was queen of the castle. I will never forget her and Emmy going into the playroom with toy shopping carts and stuffing them full of 50 random things they could pull out and walk around the house pushing those carts like they were 25. It was adorable and hilarious and endearing.

With her fourth birthday, had come yet another move (is there a trend here?) and I suddenly began to realize what a big girl she really was becoming. I was looking at her last year at home before school started!!!! We always had so much fun and it was fun watching her and Ian play together. One of my favorite memories was of them playing Barbies together (being the big sister means having your way a lot!!!). Elise had hers all dressed, hair brushed and the dolls lined up on the edge of a blanket, ready for some grand imaginary activity. Ian had a doll in his hand, zooming it around the room like an airplane, complete with sound effects!!! What a difference, but how fun it was. Elise also showed even more her talent for cleaning up. It truly is a gift!!!
For once, her fifth birthday was held in the same house as her fourth!!! I could see Elise's sweet, sensitive nature even more. She was very aware of others feelings, and began to emerge as a peacemaker in our home. She also developed a healthy sassy streak (from where is a mystery;)). Her own sense of fashion really began to become apparent as she would decide what to wear what looked good and no amount of talking could convince her otherwise. We had also welcomed another little girl into our family a mere three months before and Elise was most definitely in LOVE with that baby!!!
Last year was her sixth birthday. In the last year she's developed more talents and has really begun to shine in our family. She loves music, she's somewhat double jointed and quite pleased with the fact that she can "creep people out". She's more and more independent, a great little chef, still a peacemaker, a loving, caring, wonderful big sister with a heart of gold and a joy to have in our home. Now, with another little sister on the way, I have no doubt that Elise is ready for the challenge. Here was our little snaggle-tooth yesterday on birthday number seven. The time has flown by. Like with anything in life, there are ups and downs. But this little girl is the light of our life. Sometimes I am just overwhelmed by the love I feel for her. I wish I could adequately express the feeling I have, but there are just no words. I heard a quote one time that said, "There are two lasting gifts you can give your children. One is roots, the other is wings." The more and more I watch Elise grow, I think the roots are the easy part. The wings are too, I guess. It's just the part where I watch her fly that tugs at my heartstrings a little more. I think I also understand why my parents wanted me to build a house in their backyard. :)


Happy Birthday, Elise!!!

A little funny...

Cory was showing Ian a picture of his family when they were all young. He pointed to himself and said, "Ian, do you know who this is?" Ian looked for a minute and finally guessed, "Joseph Smith?"

So the Verdict is...

In case the new look of the blog didn't give it away, here's the news...we're having a GIRL!!!!

A short tag

My beautiful, smart & fun cousin Lisa tagged me!

The rules state that I must use the letters of my middle name and describe myself with words using the corresponding first letter...
(the pressure's on!)

Generous
Responsible
Amicable
Creative
Engaging

Now, I tag three people: Susan, Kristin (if she isn't too busy having a baby :)), and Lynetta. And just for good measure, let's see if Katie and Elise want to tackle it!!!

Our new Kitten

My friend Susan's cat had kittens not long ago and after reading about it on her blog, I talked it over with Cory and we decided to get one of them. Over the weekend the kittens were finally old enough to leave their mom, so we went to their house and chose one for our very own. So meet Sugar, also known as "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch":

Elise was really the one who decided on which kitten to get. She is in love with this little kitty and I think the feeling is mutual.

Ian actually wanted a different kitten, and it was quite a horrific parting for him and the other kitten that he wanted. But once all was said and done, he's become quite attached to this little darling. She loves following him around and he loves the attention.

At first, Merry Grace wasn't sure she was up for touching the kittens. She thought maybe she'd just pass on the fun. Once she'd tried it, she was hooked and cried unless it was her turn to hold the kitty. We've had to teach her about being gentle because sometimes she looks like she might love her to pieces...literally.

Here's a close up of her beautiful face.

And more snoozing. She's a cutie and we're so glad to have her as a part of the family!

My favorite things

I'm in a grumpy mood today with several things on the agenda that need to be done, none of which I'm particularly excited about doing. So I'm listing a few of my favorite things, hoping it makes me feel a little happier about the day. :) I don't know how well reverse psychology works on yourself, but here goes...

• Tomatoes
• Kittens sleeping on my lap
• Expensive fabric softener
• Hot showers
• Flowers
• Bargains
• Hot chocolate add ins
• Ice cream cones
• Sitting on the porch
• Picnics
• iTunes
• Blogging
• Taking pictures
• Selling stuff on Craigslist
• The smell of pine sol when I mop or clean (I'm using orange scent right now)
• Windy/breezy days
• Flip flops
• Homemade freezer meals
• A clean house (when someone else does it. :))
• Sitting on the beach from sun-up to sun-down

I could keep going, but duty calls. Its time for Ramen noodles, hot dogs, and tomato sandwiches. Better get crackin'. :)

Sweet Sisters...Then & Now

Sometimes, as a parent, there are just beautiful moments that you treasure. Seeing how my kids love and protect one another are some of those times. Here is a picture of a newborn Merry Grace, snuggled up sleeping with her (also sleeping) big sister, Elise.

And here, a few years down the road, are the sleepyheads again. They just look so sweet and peaceful snuggled up together. I'm so glad they love each other.

Planting Flowers and More Trouble with Super Glue

This past week the kids and I spent some time out in the yard planting some flowers around the house. We planted petunias in front of the porch as our first task. It is truly a miracle they they are still surviving a few days later. Between Ian getting them out of the container minus much of their roots and Merry Grace's fascination with trampling them, picking the blooms, and watering them with hot chocolate, if they make it, it will not be because of all the tender loving care we gave them. But we had fun, so I think that counts for something. Elise helped me quite a bit the next day and we planted another bed of flowers. She was a super help. I reminisced about how she's been planting flowers with me since she was less than a year old. She's been my faithful planting companion since all she could do was eat the dirt we planted in. :) But each year she's helped me, regardless of what age she was or what house we lived in. We've had lots of good memories working in the flower beds.

I had early meetings at church this morning, so Cory was in charge of bringing the kids. He does such a good job of getting them fed, dressed and out the door to church on time. This morning everything seemed to be on target to be ready early. The last thing he had to do was get Merry Grace dressed. While he was dressing her he heard the water running quite a bit. He told Elise and Ian to stop running the water. When he finished with MG her came into the kitchen and was tipped off to mischief. He found the kids with super glue on their hands, mainly Ian. Through some discussion it was discovered that they had hid a tube under our bed and that was how they had been able to get into it. In conjunction with that, there was a spot of super glue on the carpet and some on our pillowcases. *Sigh.* Cory spent a while cleaning off Ian's hands and inspecting other damages. But fortunately they still made it to church, just not at that early time they'd hoped for. :) Super glue is fast becoming the bane of my existence.

Ian plays T-ball

Ian is also playing T-ball this season, so for the next month we are practically living at the ball park. But we don't do a lot else during the year, so we figure the sacrifce for the next couple of months is worth it. Ian was a little tired at his last game. He played great, however and was the cutest thing out there. This was my favorite picture of the night. (I was using Cory's camera which doesn't have as great a zoom, nor does it take as good a pictures as mine, but hopefully if you click on it you'll see how cute he is anyway! :))

Home again, home again, jiggity jog...

This past weekend, since Cory was going to be gone most of the weekend on a Scout trip, the kids and I packed up and went home to visit my family. We hadn't been up there since Easter, so we'd really missed being up there with them. We had a nice, relaxing time--going to the walking/biking trail, playing Rock Band, and just hanging out together. My parents were so good to take the kids out in the yard to play, especially pushing Merry Grace on the swing (she literally would never get tired of doing it!), showing them the chickens and my brothers were great to jump on the trampoline with them. One of our favorite parts was definitely the walking/biking trail. The trail follows a river most of the way, but at one point a creek runs under a bridge to meet the river. The kids love stopping there to play. Even though we did much more than this over the weekend, the only pictures I have are of our time in the creek. :)

Here the kids started wading in the most shallow part of the creek.


Merry Grace soon caught up with us and came down to the creek to join in the fun.


Then they started wading in the deeper water. Even though it was a nice day outside, the water was still pretty cold.

Soon just wading wasn't enough, and they geared up to "swim". Even Merry Grace couldn't be left out.

And off they went, ready for the big chill. They had so much fun, though!!! They played, splashed, jumped, and generally just enjoyed doing something different. We are definitely not cut out for the city life. :)


It was such a fun time. I loved doing stuff like this when I was a kid and even that day I couldn't resist getting the water a little bit too. I wasn't up for a "swim", but did have fun wading and getting a little wet. Good memories...

T-Ball Time!!!

T-ball games started last week and Elise has already had her first game. We were all thrilled that her team just happens to have their shirt in her favorite color--Carolina Blue. She looks totally official out there. She is much more "into" it this year, understanding the concepts and enjoying the game for the sport of it, not just the sociality. And she is just too adorable!!!

Here she is, waiting for a ball to come her way.



I wasn't in a great place to get a good shot of her batting. But she hit the ball off the pitching machine and made it to first base. Yay!!!!

A day at the Zoo

Last week we made the trek to the Zoo. Neal & Amanda (Cory's brother & his wife) and their family went with us. The weather was cool, but not too cold and perfect for walking heaven-only-knows -how-many miles. We got there a little before lunch and stayed until the zoo closed. We had two six-year olds, a four-year old, a three-year old, a 2-year old, and an infant, so we sort of felt like we brought the zoo with us, but the kids were amazing. Not a whine, fuss or complaint the whole day. They were troopers and we all had a fun time together. There were just too many neat things to see, but we got to as much as we could and enjoyed every minute we were there. Here are some of the highlights...

Here was Merry Grace looking at the elephants. We took Elise when she was this age and we just happened to be lucky enough to catch the elephants peeing. For months, her only comment when we talked about the zoo was that the elephants peed. :) No such luck this time--just elephants being elephants. Merry Grace still thought they were pretty cool.



The kids enjoyed the "extras" almost as much as the actual animals. This was a gigantic rhinoceros statue that they climbed on for a while. It's back also made for a pretty cool slide.



One of our favorite things was getting to see the polar bear playing with a ball. He would take this 75lb. ball, throw it up against the rocks and let it bounce into the water, then dive in to retrieve it. He did this the entire time we watched and was still doing it when we left. It was pretty cool to watch.


Boys will be boys. The whole zoo to explore and they find a trashcan to play with. They took turns peeking through the holes at one another and then running to switch sides. It really is the simplest things.... Gross!!!



Elise, Emmy and Charles-Allen. They are just as cute as buttons and as sweet as sugar. We stopped to take a rest and get some cotton candy, icees, and popcorn before trekking off again.


Like I said, the extras were just as much fun as the zoo. They spent a little while climbing on this big rock. Uncle Neal was a good sport and let them jump off for him to catch.


These are boys who will actually stop and ask for directions. They spent a good deal of time examining the map and took very seriously their task to find out where we were and where we needed to go.



I don't have too many pictures of Ally. She was just a little too small to really enjoy the experience of the animals, but she was so dang good we hardly heard a peep out of her. Here she and Merry Grace are chillin' in the stroller.



Silly girls!!! They were so sweet the whole day. Neither one would take a turn in either stroller unless there was a spot for both of them. They'd rather walk a little longer than be split up. Most of the time they had their heads together, holding hands or linking arms. They are a matched set and wouldn't have it any other way...unless, maybe, there was a way they could be actual twins. :)



This was us at the beginning of the day. There's also a picture with Amanda & I, so there is proof we were there. But here are the Daddies and their kids. What a great group this is!!!!



I had to post this picture of the "Tarheel Duck" as we called him. The kids thought it was so cool to find a duck who was a Tarheel fan. :)


This goose was not where he was supposed to be, I believe. He came up and over to where we were walking. He followed us a little longer than he might have, had Ian not been feeding him bites of chips. Silly kid!!! It was cool to be that close to a goose, but he sounded quite ferocious. The kids were a little hesitant about what his intentions were. :)



There was a cool playground near the place where we stopped to eat. The mulch was actually chunks of rubber cut to look like mulch. It was so soft and squishy. There were all kinds of cool things for the kids to play on. They were having so much fun we could hardly get them to eat! Here Elise and Charles-Allen were playing on a giant spider web. They were really high.



Cory was chauffeur extraordinaire for the day. He pushed the stroller, carried kids on his shoulder and just generally toted kids around where and when they needed it. sometimes carrying one and pushing a stroller at the same time. It was exhausting enough just walking around, so I don't know how he managed it. He's just an awesome Dad!!

So there you have it...our day at the zoo in a nutshell. We had such a fun time together and are all looking forward to our next adventure!!!

My Newest Nephew

I'm an aunt, again. Cory's sister had a baby last week, Jacob Ethan (to be called Ethan) and he is a cutie. He was only 6lbs. 5oz. which is over a pound smaller than my smallest. When I held him the first time it was like picking up a blanket, he was so light and little and tiny. But he is so handsome and has this tiny, little, perfect body. Every time I see a new baby I'm amazed by what a miracle it is. He joins his two big sisters who I suspect will spoil him rotten and torment him to pieces all at the same time. (I should know, I'm a big sister to three brothers myself. It's part of the job description.) He comes into a family that has a lot of love, both in his immediate family and his extended one as well. My kids are all enraptured by him. Elise, as expected thinks he's cute and wonderful. She can't wait for her new sibling to arrive even more after seeing Ethan. Ian, who is surprisingly tenderhearted towards babies thinks he's the greatest thing ever. He loves holding him and is very careful and gives him gentle kisses on his little head. He also calls him "Baby Uncle Ethan" which I think is hilarious because I have a brother named Ethan, so the the two have just gotten meshed together. Merry Grace loves him too and whenever we ask if she wants to see Aunt Melissa's baby she very seriously looks at us and says, "My baby". (Thankfully she's not possessive. :)) Anyway, we're just thrilled to death with the new little member of the family and just wanted to show off how truly adorable he is. :)

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my dad! He's a little bit like an M&M...a little crusty on the outside, but an ol' softy on the inside. :) He's a man of many talents--he raises chickens, makes the best sourdough bread known to humankind, a jack of all trades meaning he can literally fix anything in your life that breaks or needs repair, he's a terrific gardener, he's the friendliest person you'll ever meet and has never met a stranger, he has served diligently in almost every calling the church has to offer except Relief Society President and I feel sure he could have done that one well too :), he's raised three great sons and one really, really, really super daughter, and keeps doing all those wonderful things day in and day out. I can always count on Daddy to call me on the phone, if I ever have an emergency I know he will be here at the drop of a hat to help out (he's already proved that in the past), and I know if I'm ever in need of someone to be stubborn with, he will come through. :) He's just a great man and a great dad. When I began dating and looking for qualities that I wanted in a husband, most guys had a really hard time fitting the bill because I set such high standards after watching my dad all those years. Fortunately, I found someone who would be as great a dad to my kids as my dad was to me. So "Happy Birthday", Daddy. Here's to at least 51 more. I love you!

Where are the Cleaning Fairies

I've been waiting for the Cleaning Fairies all day, but to no avail. I'm beginning to think they don't exsist. I really need to sweep, mop, vacuum, do laundry, clean the bathrooms, generally straighten things up, organize a few things, wipe down the kitchen, do a load of dishes, and that's just the short list. Oh my. It has been a fun day, though. Obviously no cleaning has been done, but it was productive nonetheless. I had several Relief Society things to do this morning, including running out for a little while. It was a little hectic, but we got "everything" done. We came home, ate lunch, and then got started on our "project of the day". Elise is out for Spring Break, so we've been trying to have a little "extra" fun each day. Today we painted flower pots. We painted six in total and it was a lot of fun, if not a little exhausting and messy. But that just comes with the territory. I'll take a picture of them and post soon. They are really cute and we had a good time. We also gave Max (our dog) a bath for the first time in longer than I'm willing to admit. Either way, he's clean but I'm wet and smell like a dog. So now its late afternoon and I need to start dinner and the house is still in need of some serious attention and I need to take a shower. :) I also think the kids may have spent a little too much "quality" time together today. I can tell they need a break from each other. So they're spending a little time apart right now. And still no sign of the cleaning fairy. Darn it! If they make it to your house, please, please send them my way. Otherwise, it looks like I'd better get started....

That's a Classic

Last night the kids were playing with silly putty. Their new discovery was that silly putty bounces, just like a rubber ball. They kept rolling it into a ball shape and throwing it down the hall and in the kitchen. Ian brought his ball to me, and he was just giggling. He said, "I have to tell you something silly. I bounced my silly putty and it bounced into the toilet! So I had to get it out." My first question, seeing as how he was currently holding the actual ball that had been in the toilet, was, "Did you wash it off?" He assured me he did, and his hands too. A few minutes later, Cory (who hadn't been present for the earlier conversation) came and sat down on the couch beside me and Ian brought his putty over to him. "Make a ball for me, Daddy," he said. Cory gamely took the putty and began rolling it into a ball. Then Elise goes, "Yeah, he dropped that ball in the toilet." Cory stopped rolling and just looked from one to the other of the three of us, each of whom burst out laughing. Poor guy! We assured him it had been washed off, for whatever consolation that was. The look on his face when Elise told him it had been in the toilet was just priceless. What a good sport he is. :)

Odds and Ends Around Here

Elise is growing up so fast, it is really scary. I think some of it may be the different phases kids go through. There was a while there where there was some sassiness, some contention or competition between us, and generally things not being as smooth as they had previously been. Apparently she has worked out some of those things and has just become the joy of our family. She is the absolute best big sister in the world. She plays with Ian, including him in practically every activity or adventure she is planning. He adores her so much that he cries almost every day when she leaves for school and the other day when she was out he said, "Yay!!! Now I don't have to cry today!" With Merry Grace she is completely untiring in her help with her. She will push her on the tricycle, pull her in the wagon, tote her around and just all-around help her with whatever she needs. At dinner time, both little kids want to sit beside her, so even though we only have two chairs side-by-side, she pulls a third one around and scrunches them closely together so they call all three sit together. And not only is she great with her siblings, but she's a huge help to me. Just last night at dinner she helped make the salad and set the table. Then when Cory and Ian left for t-ball, she stayed right with me and helped me clear off the table. I really cannot say enough good things about her and every one is deserved.

In other kids news, Ian had a dentist's appointment today and did wonderfully. On the way there he asked me "What does 'in the lane' mean?" I wasn't sure where he'd come up with that phrase, so I asked him where he'd heard it or to use it in a sentence, so I'd know where he was coming from. He replied, "You know, like 'Andale, Andale!'" Merry Grace is in love with horses, which she calls "Soresies" and whenever we pass a field with horses, cows, goats or anything of the like she shrieks, "Soresies." It's so adorable. I love the little way she says things. She's putting more and more words together and getting more and more opinionated. She's a lot of fun. :)

I had a proud mommy moment last night when my kids went crazy over their vegetables at dinner. We had salad with a homemade vinaigrette dressing, corn, peas and potatoes. They cleaned their plates and wanted more of everything except the peas. Even Merry Grace couldn't eat enough of her lettuce. It turns out Elise fed at least one pea to Max, but I can't complain when they ate so well. Lots of times meals are not a joyous event, so to have them all enjoy the food (especially veggies) and want more, so it was a great day!

Names

I was thinking about the different names kids call their grandparents these days. It seems like the names grandparents go by today have much more variety than when I was a kid and certainly when my parents were kids. I called both sets "Grandpa" and "Grandma", and they were distinguished by the fact that for my paternal grandparents I used their last name in addition to their title and with my maternal grandparents I used their first names. Today my kids call my mom and dad "Grammy" and "Papa". They call Cory's parents "Grandma" and "Pa". With their being so many grandchildren on his side of the family, his dad also goes by "Grandy" and "Granddaddy". My kids are also fortunate enough to have three great-grandmothers living whom they call "Grandma J", "Dee-Dee", and "Little Grandma". I still think my kids use more of the traditional grandparent titles. What did you call your grandparents, and if you have kids, what titles do they use for their grandparents now?

A few random thoughts

Cory and I saw a commercial several days ago for Hellmann's mayonnaise. It was pretty funny, because it was basically touting mayonnaise as a health food--omega-3 fatty acids and so forth. I love mayonnaise, but I definitely have to use it sparingly, as it is not on my list of "healthy" foods. I did, however, use some on a tomato sandwich or two yesterday. Cory bought some tomatoes at the store earlier in the week, and for someone who doesn't like tomatoes, he picked out one of the best tomatoes I have eaten in a long time. I had tomato sandwiches for lunch and dinner and a half of one for a snack in between. Yummy!!!! In other randomness, I was thinking about how our hot water heater's heating element (or something of the sort) went out the other day and I had 2 or 3 days of cold showers. There is almost nothing in the world that will get me grumpier than a cold shower first thing in the morning. I don't know what it is... Continuing on, Ian cut the side of his foot this morning on a basket (do not ask me how) and it was hurting him. It wasn't a bad cut, more just the skin, which can be really sensitive. Anyway, his bandaid's kept coming unstuck and we were going to have to try something different, so I told him that we needed to put some antibiotic cream on it anyway. He responded, "You mean super glue?" AHHHHHHHH!!! No, I told him, I most certainly did not mean super glue. There was no need for him to ever use super glue, thank you very much. Good grief.

Mischievous Mischief

It started Sunday afternoon with a few little mischievous incidents, and continued into the evening. While drawing and coloring, Merry Grace found a magic marker and wrote on several things that were not paper. I promptly threw the marker in the trashcan and started wiping the window sill, etc. off. Minutes later I look over at the kids and see them drawing red X's on their hands and tummies with the red marker that Merry Grace recovered from the trashcan. I had pretty much had it at this point, so I told the kids to go to the bathroom and start running the water for a bath, that I would be right in there. I took a second to finish wiping off what I could of the marker and heard the kids begin splashing in the water. I didn't think too much of it, since they were supposed to be running bath water, but when I went in to the bathroom they (meaning Ian and Merry Grace) were splashing around in the toilet with that indestructible red marker. The toilet water was, of course, red and there were red water droplets sprayed all over the bathroom. Sheesh!!!! We survived the evening, all in one piece, thankfully. Then on Monday night, Cory had late appointments, so it was just the kids and I. My laundry was in desperate need of attention, so I began the overwhelming job of folding heaven knows how many baskets. The kids were supposedly playing happily and nicely in another room. They typically play so well together and genuinely love being together. Well, they had fun, alright. That fun, however, was Elise squirting out super glue all over her and Ian's hands. The miraculous thing is that they didn't glue their hands to anything around the house or each other or any body part. That being said, they managed to entirely coat the palms of their hands with super glue. So instead of spending the next little while folding laundry, I spent the next two hours soaking and picking super glue off four little hands. It came off better than I could have imagined, but it was incredibly tedious. My favorite part of the whole thing was when I said to Ian after hours of peeling super glue from his hangs, "You're never going to do this again are you?" He responded, "I didn't do it this time. Elise did." Not to be sidetracked from the real issue, I replied, "Well, I know, but if Elise ever wants to do something like this again, you'll say 'No', right?" To which he said, "Yes!!! I didn't think about that this time!" I think my main accomplishment for the last few days has been to keep a reasonable amount of sanity and not blow a gasket. :) Not so bad, if you ask me.

Lovin' the Weather

One day this week it was 70 degrees or better and we were once again outside enjoying the weather. Cory's parents spent one night with us, so Grandma came outside with Ian, Merry Grace & I to bask in the sunshine.

Ian was team "Tarheel", and the imaginary team was Duke and he had Grandma keep score of the game. Needless to say, out of three games, the Tarheels creamed Duke. He's a pretty good little shot.


I love how the kids interact with one another and how sweet they are together. This is just one example of that. :)


Ian and Elise are playing t-ball/softball this year and we've been practicing some out in the yard. Merry Grace thinks she's big enough to play "beeball" too and tries really hard, considering she's just slightly bigger than the tee and can barely lift the bat.


While Ian was making baskets, Merry Grace drove the "beeball" around in the jeep and thank goodness she buckled it in. Safety first!!!


My little all-star!!!


Elise was a good big sister and pulled Merry Grace around in the wagon. Merry Grace was riding in style, no doubt about it!


I think you can get a little better view here. We have an outdoor fire pit thingie and Elise took the copper bowl part out, dumped out all the ashes, placed it in the wagon and made a sweet little bed for Merry Grace to ride in. I think they both enjoyed it!


Luckily, Merry Grace doesn't mind being driven around since she's not so great at steering. And the bigger kids would rather drive anyway.


Our little dog Max. He's a cutie.

Tagged!!!

Tagged

My friend Susan tagged me, so here goes!!! Check at the end to see if I tagged you!

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago
1. I was a senior in high school.
2. I was taking an internship class where I got to shadow teachers at an elementary school. It just happened that my best friend and I had it together and more often than not it became what my parents called my "drive around and eat Chinese food"class.
3. I was trying to get ready for the Senior Prom.
4. I spent lots of weekends baby-sitting my brothers, and didn't mind it a bit. This could be a big argument for spacing your kids out. I would love an in-house baby-sitter!
5. And Cory, whom I had never actually dated, but had written for two whole years, was coming home from his mission in a few short months.

5 Things On My To-Do List
1. Go to the store and pick up a few things.
2. Fold some laundry. I suspect I will easily find a reason to move this to tomorrow's to-do list.
3. Straighten up the kids room. I started in the kitchen/living room and have been working my way to the back of the house, one room at a time.
4. Watch the ACC tournament.
5. Go to Elise's t-ball practice.
6. Sounds like an intense day, doesn't it? ;)


5 Snacks I Enjoy
Oh, there are so many!
1. Potato Chips (I only like these for a snack when I'm pregnant. Go figure!)
2. Any fruit with a little bit of that sweet, cream cheese fruit dip.
3. Anything chocolate!!!
4. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
5. Icees or slushies

5 Places I've Lived
1. Raleigh, NC
2. Wilmington, NC
3. Albertson, NC
4. Mt. Airy, NC
5. Fuquay-Varina, NC (do you notice a NC trend here?)

What I Would Do if I Became a Billionaire
1. Finish the home repairs we want to do or just move somewhere with lots of land. :)
2. Get new cars, free and clear.
3. Help some family members who could use it.
4. Save, Save, Save.
5. Do whatever good we could.
6. Oh, and I'd really like a porch swing. :)

5 Bad Habits
1. My sweet tooth.
2. Not taking the trash out when it gets full and just stacking things on top until Cory gets home.
3. Misplacing my car keys.
4. Neglecting just about everything when I get into a good book.
5. Not putting the laundry away after I fold it.

5 Jobs I've Had
1. Cleaning my dad's office
2. Day-care "teacher"
3. Teller for Wachovia
4. Helping Cory with whatever thing he needs help with.
5. Mother

People don't know about me ...
I think some people may know these things about me, but here goes anyway! I always wear lipstick (and I literally mean always) and mascara. I'm not adventurous or daring AT ALL. I have no desire to EVER sky dive, bungee jump, ride in a hot air balloon, ride a motorcycle or about 30 other things I could rattle off the top of my head. I like to get stains out of laundry and I can get most reasonable things out, even tough stains. If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be a little cottage right on the beach or a big farm with lots of animals. I detest any celebrity magazine or TV show and refuse to read or watch one. I will, however, read the yahoo headline story about a celeb. :) I enjoyed high school and have good memories of it, although I would not be interested in going back. I'm sure there are more tantalizing details of my life, but I'm drawing a blank for now. :)

I tag: Lynetta, Kristin, and Lisa. And I'd love my mom and dad to do it, but don't think they will. :)

How we know Spring is almost here...

We have loved the gorgeous Spring weather so much we can hardly stand it. It feels so good to be outside in the fresh air and work in the yard and play with the kids. Here are some pictures from around our house today, which are clear indications that Spring is on its way!

Here are some blossoms on a cute little tree in our backyard. While I was taking the pictures a honeybee flew up and landed on the flowers. We all enjoyed watching him.


Here is a dandelion. I know these are just weeds, but after the winter I'm thrilled to see anything that looks like a flower. We have quite a few of these in our front yard which, when they go to seed, the kids love to pick and make wishes and blow them across the yard. I guess its a good things I like them. We're probably destined to see more of them.


Another flowering tree around our house. This one is in the front. I love any flowering tree and would be very tempted to have nothing but those around my house.


Merry Grace was out swinging in the yard today. She loved it!!! I could barely get her off to come back inside!

While I was planting some seeds, Ian spent time climbing some small trees in our yard. He was quite good and thrilled with his new skills.

YAY SPRING!!!

Not the House Special

Since becoming pregnant this time, I've needed to get something in my tummy first thing in the morning. Cory and the kids have been so wonderful to help me out with this. This morning I was teasing Elise and said, "Elise, what are you fixing me for breakfast?" She responded, "I think Daddy is going to fix you something and I'm going to fix you something. Something special. But its not the 'House Special'. You'll see." This is where I started getting nervous. The last time she made me the House Special it was a bowl of cereal with Cocoa Pebbles, Banana Nut Crunch, Reese's Puffs, and Honey Nut Cheerios mixed together. Yummy, right? Don't you all eat that for breakfast? Luckily this time it wasn't the House Special, it was a bowl of Corn Flakes, with the tiniest sprinkling of sugar. And it was really good. :)

Kid-isms and a few other random thoughts

I love the little things kids say, where they don't get the words or the expressions quite right. I'm always sad when they learn the "right" way to say things. The older they get, the more they lose these little expressions, but I was reminded of one that Elise says that is so cute. Instead of saying "pinky swear" she calls it "pinky square". I think it is too adorable. Yesterday while we were straightening up my room I had on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition". It was near the end where the house and so forth were being revealed. Elise asked me, "Is that house one of your dreams?" I told her "No" that I love our house. So she asked, "Well what do you want for one of your dreams?" I semi-jokingly told her I wanted a porch swing. In total seriousness she looked at me and said, "I believe you'll get your dream." She is just too cute.

The beautiful spring weather has been wonderful the last few days. I'm dying to get out and work in the yard, if only my queasy stomach will follow my inclinations. I had a really good day yesterday and got lots of good cleaning done. It felt very rewarding, if a bit tiring.

On Sunday, near the end of sacrament meeting, Ian started complaining of "sweaty feet". Elise says the same thing during the summer when she has to wear socks and shoes. Cory always takes the kids to primary and for good reason since two or three people stopped me with questions before I could get out of the chapel. It's really not a big deal, but this Sunday as I gathered up my things to get out of there, I realized one of the things I was holding was Ian's socks and shoes. Ugh. Apparently he'd already solved the "sweaty feet" problem. I was headed to primary to take them to him, when I saw someone I needed to talk to and then got stopped again. Then I felt like I needed to spend a few minutes tweaking my lesson before Relief Society, and the next thing I knew church was over and I'd never made it in there with the shoes. Good grief. So, sorry to all the primary leaders and kids for whom we set a bad example. Thank goodness we can try again next week.

We're in the process of having our house painted. If you've ever seen our house, its all brick with a little bit of wood stuff on the front...as an accent, I guess. Basically we have this lovely front porch (railings and all), the carport, the wood siding stuff and all the window and other trim currently painted a dingy mustard yellow. But that is slowly but surely being put to rest. It will soon be a sand color with white accents. So much nicer. Almost like getting a new house without actually having to move. :)

Ian likes to fall asleep with the covers completely over his head. He says it is because he is scared, which may be true, but it does a good job of scaring me. I realize he is 4 1/2 years old, but it still makes me nervous. I have yet to convince him of a better way.

I am just doomed to have independent fashionistas in my children. It is a constant internal struggle for me to convince my kids to my line of thinking regarding proper fashion attire. I've mentioned this before, but the morning's events reminded me again. Elise was getting dressed for school and was asking about the temperature. After some discussion over what shoes she could wear, she came back in my room with a pair of pink strappy wedges. I decided that while it will be warmer today, pants are still the way she needs to go, so I suggested a pair of black pants and a magenta top with some cats on it. The whole outfit actually matched and looked really nice and when Elise looked at it she said, "Hey! I actually like this. It's cool and it goes together, but without really matching." The funny thing is, is I think I saw her fashion style through her eyes for just a moment. I'm hoping as we pick out spring clothes I'll be able to find more things she'll really like wearing...but still looks nice. Then Ian came in with a pair of too-small royal blue knit shorts with red and white stripes...and a navy blue UNC shirt to go with it. He wanted to know if it matched. Usually I just say "yes" no matter how horrendous it looks, but this morning I said, "Not exactly, buddy." So he came back a few minutes later with the same shorts and another shirt that still did not match. Again I told him "Not so much." But he was convinced it did, so he's wearing it as I type. And Merry Grace...well, she's happy wearing anything from nothing to something of Ian or Elise's or something from her closet, but only if she's in the mood. I'm having a serious internal struggle over how much leeway to give them in their dressing. There are so few things they have control over at their ages, especially the younger they are. They are sweet, good, well-behaved kids, they just have a non-conformist fashion sense. I just don't know how much I should lay down the law over their clothes and how much to say, "You have to do it my way." I love their free-spiritedness about it, but there are times I cringe when I look at what they've picked out. Actually lots of times. :)

Also, as I've watched the poll, I'm interested in knowing what "other" favorite Easter candy you have. So if you don't mind sharing, tell me what they are. Mine was Snicker's Egg. They are rich, but so yummy. It's a good thing they only make them at Easter. I don't know how great my resistance would be otherwise.

Well, that about sums it up. Now I need to get on with some of my effective activities...whatever those are. It's a toss up between folding laundry and taking the kids out in the yard...hmmm....