"I" Week

I had to get back to the letter of the week thing. I took a little "vacation" from it for awhile, but now I can't be lazy anymore...
We did "I" and sadly, didn't do much with it...Maybe I can muster up the enthusiasm to go get frozen yogurt (aka - ice cream) tonight as a family. Maybe I will just send Rich and the kids.
*sigh*
Brynn decorating her igloo. I had big plans, but this is all that came to fruition. The face paint is left over from a birthday party yesterday. I am not allowed to let any water come near their faces...fun, fun.
Don't ask about the face. I am not really sure what was going on here. He has his face painted too, but most rubbed off on his pillow. I am pretty excited that I get to try to wash that off his bedding.
I had to corral Maeve to the exersaucer. She wasn't really enjoying it, but at least she was in one place. With two new teeth coming in, and a cold on top of it, she isn't the happiest camper today.

Waffles Anyone?

Rich makes breakfast every morning for the family. He loves it, and I don't mind...
He is perfecting the pancakes or "mancakes" as we call them, and waffles. So far my favorite are banana, and s'more.
These were seriously the most huge waffles that I have ever seen!!!

Fun in the Shade

I bought this teeter toter at a garage sale last year for a quarter. It has been the most amazing toy for the kids. They ALL love it!

When no one will play with her, this is where I find her.

Yes, that is Cannon in underwear...it didn't last too long though. He was pretty excited to put them on!
I am so happy that it fits 3!

Namesake

We were sitting around the table the other night, talking about names. I asked Brynn what her full name was, and she answered Brynn Noelle A____. I then turned to Cannon and asked him what his full name was. He answered, Cannon Ball A____. Too funny! I think his cousin Peyton has him convinced that his name is really Cannon Ball! Thanks Peyt!

Happy Earth Day!!

and happy birthday to my dad as well!

They're Off!

This was two years ago!

This was yesterday morning...

And then yesterday afternoon!

Now I only have to deal with retainers! I guess I am not completely out of the geeky junior high phase. I don't get food caught in my teeth, but I do pronounce about half of the alphabet with a slur. Yippee!

Unexplainable Mysteries

Here's my question: Why is it that this is how my kitchen counter looks after one single morning? It was spotless on Saturday, we were not home at all on Sunday, and now its Monday afternoon, and this is what it looks like... Where does all this stuff come from? And why does it ALWAYS end up on the kitchen counter?

Easter Dresses, Easter Eggs, and Candy

This is what Easter is all about right? (Can you feel the sarcasm???)
Easter was great this year. We dyed Easter eggs, decorated them with puff paint (huh?), and put them in the fridge to eat for the next couple of days. I don't know if the kids will be heartbroken or excited to crack into their creations.


We started eating candy Sunday morning, and haven't stopped since. The kids were excited about their little Easter baskets, and of course, I had to put in a toothbrush amongst all the sweets!
My mom got me a bag of York Peppermint Patties (my most favorite treat), and its sad to say that most of them are already gone.
We spent the afternoon at Auntie Renee's, where the kids had an Easter egg hunt, we ate tons of good food, and everyone hung around listening to the older generation play their guitars. My nephew found the "golden egg" for like the bazillionth year in a row. (This kid has luck, let me tell you!)
The kids, well 2 out of the 3, fell asleep on the way home, so our evening was actually kind of relaxing! I expected a major sugar high, then a crash, but everyone slept through the night, and we all woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning!

Hapy Easter!

Easter is tomorrow, and I am looking forward to a day of frilly dresses, sunny weather, Easter egg hunts, and chocolate stains on new Easter outfits! More than that though, I am looking forward to remembering a message of everlasting hope, absolute grace, and redeeming love! I love Easter, and the amazing reminder it is to me about how much God loves me!
I hope your day is filled with joy too!

Happy Anniversary!!!!

We celebrated our 8th anniversary yesterday. Rich planned out a bunch of things for me, and I have to say that I felt absolutely treasured all day! He really put me to shame in all of his prep work. My pathetic card was nothing compared to all this...

He had some friends decorate our car. (To be quite honest, I was way too embarrassed to drive this all around town. I had to "un-decorate" it because I didn't want people to stare at me...) It was a sweet gesture!


Then he had a bunch of balloons blown up to put inside. The champagne and glasses were courtesy of the Schulz family, and that was an unexpected surprise!

He bought us this really cool set of decorative candle holders. I love, love, love the blue and gold bowl!

And then he wrote out a sweet little note, just for me!

We went out to dinner at Johnny Garlics, and then spent the evening watching a movie and snuggling together on the couch.
I can't believe that I have been so lucky to be married to this man for 8 years. He is more than just my husband. He is my best friend, my encourager, my supporter, and the man that I respect with all my heart.
That was then....

This is now! From husband and wife, to a family of 5! Look how far we've come!

Happy Anniversary to us!

Look what she can do!

Here are all of Maeve's new "tricks"....

She loves raw asparagus.


This walker toy is awesome! (Thanks Stroud family!)

The climber in action.
Step 1: Open the door, and climb in the car.

Step 2: Climb from the front to the back.

Step 3: Feel a sense of accomplishment and see who else notices.

"H" Week

H week was full of outdoor activities thanks to this awesome weather that God is blessing us with.

This project didn't really tie in except that it mentioned hearts and home. It was a bookmark, which is always a nice thing to have.


We had the kids to hand painting (a takeoff of finger painting), in colors that match our bedroom. The art will go up on our walls as soon as I find some suitable frames.

People might pay big money for these someday....

We also did some hand prints in concrete mix. They got to decorate it any way that they liked, but I had to make sure that they didn't actually decorate all over their prints. I think they turned out really cute!


Later in the week, Rich took the kids for a hike with a friend and his daughter. Between two guys, they maintained control of 4 kids, ages 6 months to 4 years old. I am super proud of them both! The kids hiked and hiked, and had a blast. It was hot, but they are troopers. (We are actually training them so that we can attempt some backpacking trips this summer. Hhhhmmmm, maybe I should be in training too....)

The kids got to hold a lizard.

Brynn named him "Frosty" because he felt cold.

Apparently some walnuts were spilled, and everyone just picked them off the ground, dusted them off, and ate them. Can you tell that no moms were present????

Our verse of the week: Duet 5:16 Honor your father and mother as the Lord your God has commanded you. That your days may be long, that it may be well with you.