Frogs!

We have frogs! Tiny little baby froggies joined our backyard last week and got caught. The poor little things have been played with and played with all weekend. (Yesterday we even had to take a frog break so we wouldn't hurt them or make them tired. ;))

The Lesson of Lemonade

Thanks to Pampered Chef . . .

my 2 yr old is learning up & down . . .

and up & down . . .

and up & down. . . .

Whew! I need something refreshing. That was hard work!

He is Risen!

Today is Easter Sunday!! I am reminded of the most amazing sacrifice I'll ever know - that of Jesus' death and resurrection. It brings me life, hope, joy, and all because he loved me enough to give me his life. Thank you Jesus!!

To give my kids a visual of the empty tomb and the surprise Mary and Martha might have felt, we made resurrection rolls. Just dip a marshmallow in melted butter and then roll it in a cinnamon/sugar mixture. (This represents the anointing of Jesus' body. Older kids will be able to understand the symbolism.) Wrap it in a crescent roll (seal it too) and bake according to the directions on the crescent roll package. (Tip: wrap it well!!!) Let them cool and open them up. Maybe you'll be surprised too!

Our empty tombs . . . .

These are my guards outside Jesus' tomb. They are making sure no one steals Jesus' body.

(I was the angel, of course.)

Headband Crazy!

We are going crazy around here for headbands and flowers! I made this headband with attached flower in a matter of minutes (and, as you know, that's all I've got). In fact I've made 3 headband covers and 5 flowers over the weekend! You can find the headband cover template and directions from mmmcrafts and the flower tutorial from The Secret Stitch Club. Click on these links and you can see it for yourself. (BTW- I just learned how to link this stuff and I didn't even have to ask anyone. Wahoo!)

Blueberry Picking

Today we went blueberry picking with a couple of friends. It was so much fun but it didn't take long to fill our buckets with wonderful blueberries. "Only pick the blue ones!" YUM! We already made a list of the yummy things we are going to make with our catch. Pancakes and muffins top the list!!

An Awesome Day!!

Today was such an awesome day! I remember the last time I felt like that - day after Thanksgiving, 2008. That sounds terrible. It's not to say we don't have many really good days. But sometimes we have a truly awesome day that seems too good to be true.

We started off the day by sleeping in . . . .I should have known that things were on my side when all 3 kids slept passed their usual bedtimes. They owed me though. 2 of them were up VERY late last night - not their fault, but still, they owed me.

We went to the park and played with friends for a couple of hours. I packed a picnic lunch but our friends all went home before that. It was no big deal. The kids didn't fuss about it at all. We packed up our fun stuff and ate together. I caught a glimpse of peacefulness just sitting with my little guys have a great picnic lunch. It was one of those moments.

They all went down for nap fairly easily. The only glitch in the day was that naps didn't last very long but I still got to sit on my butt AND get some things done. YAY! After SHORT naps, all three kids got up and we baked. Karis entertained herself (a new thing for her) while I baked with the older guys.

It was an unusually fun time for all of us. . . . .

Karis is 1!!!

I really can't believe it - my BABY IS ONE!!! ( I sound so old. )

So far she can:

- walk around while holding on

- stand for brief seconds by herself

- say "Dada", "Saysee" (Jayci), "nana" (banana), "yumumum", "hey", and "yea"

- smile so cutely while wrinkling her nose

- eat like a man

She is so cute and growing so fast. Don't worry. I'm being realistic about her perfection - I can see the temper from a mile away. It's really fun to watch her grow and learn.

Happy Birthday to ME!

I recently celebrated my 32nd birthday. (Yes, I am that old but thank you for thinking I'm younger.) For my birthday I only wanted 1 thing - a baby to celebrate with and pass my special day to . . . and I got what I wished for! My sweet friend, Jen, waited 6 days passed her due date just to have Abigail Rece on Dec 7th. Ok, I'm sure it wasn't her choice but now I know that Abi loves me. She wanted to be born on my bday. Of course Jen doesn't love me so much anymore but I think I can be forgiven.

Sweet blessings to my friends the Joneses. I used to share my day with Patsy but she is celebrating with her Creator this year.

Happy Chicken Day??

For the second year in a row we went to Chick Fil-A for Thanksgiving. Our friends that own it have opened up their restaurant to us and those that don't have family in for the holiday. We all bring something and eat to our hearts' content!

Our kids are beginning to think this is what Thanksgiving is all about . . . and I guess it is. We have come to find our Ridgeline friends to be our adoptive family in Cali. It is fitting that we spend Thanksgiving with those we love!

Feeling Halloweenie

Today was a spontaneous halloween fun day. We went to the Pumpkin Patch after nap, watched the Backyardagains "It's Great to be a Ghost", and made pumkins/ghosts/cats out of orange playdough.

I was thinking, while Iwas building awesome right arm strenth stirring homemade playdough, "This is the life. This is what having kids and being a mom has always been about to me . . . and it won't last long." Snif. It made me a little sad.

Nonetheless, it was an awesome day. I don't know why I don't do more things like this. Maybe I just

needed a day to realize how fun it is and that the days of being a dorky mom in my kids eyes are just around the corner.

We called it a Halloweenie day! I have a feeling there will be more. . . .

**Playdough recipe (makes enough for 2 kids, in my opinion)

1 c flour

1/2 c salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp oil

1 c water

Stir dry ingredients in a pot on the stove top. Add oil and water and mix well. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot.

Pour dough into a bowl and cover with a wet towel for 1 min. Make a well and add 10-15 drops of food coloring (ratio for orange is 2 red : 1 yellow). Knead together until color is uniform. ENJOY!

Rosey the Pumpkin

Today we got together with some friends for pumpkin carving at the park. It was a lot of fun! We got home with Rosey the Pumpkin. She was yucky on the inside but not anymore.

It was a really fun day. Especially when Cade and I got to swing. Few things are better than seeing your kids crack up laughing from pure joy. . . . what a memory!

Can You Find Me Now?

We are homeowners again! AND we actually live here too. This house needed about 3 weeks worth of renovations before we could move in so "owning" and "living in" are 2 totally different things. Last night we mowed the grass (ok, weeds) and I don't think we've ever enjoyed it more. Weird!

These pics are of Cade playing his version of peek-a-boo, called "Can you see me now?". He was in the midst of all our packing papers and having a blast!!!

We'll send more pics of the house later.

Happy Birthday, Jayci!!!

Jayci wanted a Strawberry Shortcake birthday party this year so Mommy attempted a strawberry cake. It looked good except I ran out of red icing. It tasted good and that is what's important! Cade blew out one of the candles before Jayci could, but we re-lit and let her go . . .

She got a bicycle for her big day and rode all over anything concrete with it. Even now, every time we get out of the car, she races to the bike and rides as long as I am unloading siblings and groceries out of the car. Before long, we'll be calling her the blur.

She also got a princess umbrella and is dying to use it out here. We took strawberry rice crispy treats to school the day after her birthday. When it is your bday at school you get a crown and you get to be the prayer girl twice. Jayci was thrilled! She still wears her crown around and prays sometimes.

Happy Birthday to You!

Karis is 1 month old today! Thought I'd post some current pics.

"It's tiring to be this precious."

It's a Girl!

Mommy made us shirts that tell the world we are the big brother and big sister of Baby Karis!

Hello, World! I'm here and ready to check things out . . .

This is Karis on day 6. She spends time with eyes wide open but still sleep a lot. This is her baby doll that we are using to measure her growth this month.

Karis is going home from the hospital. She was not crazy about the bow but she tolerated it for Mommy and Granna to get a few shots. My grandmother made the blanket. Each kiddo has come home wrapped in Meme's blanket. I think it's a great expression of love from the oldest one of us to the youngest. I only wish she could be here to wrap Karis up herself. Maybe soon.

Life around here has become quite eventful. The older 2 are doing fine. Right now they want to hold the baby and kiss her all the time. I'm reminded that one day they won't feel so excited to have a baby sister so I'm letting them do whatever they want to with her.

Cade isn't sleeping well, which is hard on Matt because he gets up with him each time. Hopefully we will outgrow that when I am back to 100%. I think he just misses his Mommy and whatever normalcy we had a few weeks ago.

Jayci is doing great. However, she is disappointed that we did not name the baby Ariel. She brought Karis's picture to school and told her friends, "Her name is Karis. I wanted to name her Ariel but Mama said Karis." I love her resignation to the fact that I RULE!

Hugs and Kisses to you all!

Bellies and Babies

Ok, here we are 3 days to go until baby girl gets here! I am getting a little nervous. Not really about the delivery but about the whole family thing. It seems crazy to throw another kid into the mix. I guess there never is a perfect time for that and everything will iron out eventually, but it just seems insane to think that things will ever be smooth again.



So last Saturday, I got brave and let my photographer friend take some belly shots of me. She just bought some new studio equipment and needed to practice so I became the guinea pig. I only like this one, mostly because you can't see anything but the baby - no face, arms, etc.



We'll keep you posted!

I Pottied!!

I know you all cannot be as thrilled as I am but Cade pooped in the potty for the first time tonight!!!! He was so proud of himself. I'm sure one day he'll die to know I took a picture of his first poop but I did. Don't worry the pics aren't gross.

Jayci was a big help. She put the potty seat on, tried to play a game with him, and got him and M&M when he was finished. She felt much accomplishment too.

Such a Pretty Boy

As you can see, Cade likes to dress up in his sister's dress up clothes. His favorite things are her beads. He takes as many as he can and wears them around like Mr. T without the gold. He has recently taken interest in this hat and her apron. Matt detests this practice and refuses to believe that it's only a phase. I try to tell him Cade just wants to play with his sister and this is the best way to be included. This is not a sufficient answer. So in order to appease him (and reduce fighting) I made Cade his own apron. Instead of the purple with lace he sports his red and white check apron while "grillin'," or as they say in Cali, "barbequing". It's so cute!!!

Speaking of sewing . . . . I have a favorite new blog! Check out secretstitchclub.blogspot.com. They have so many ideas and great tutorials. I've found how to make "Hooter Hiders" and links to make headbands and diaper/wipes pouches. Their favorite thing is aprons and they are really cute! The tutorials are awesome and very easy to follow. Check it out . . . even if you're not a big sewer . . . it's easy and fun!