My 25

It seems like lately I have been reading a lot of the "25 random things about me." The last couple of weeks I kept thinking, "what would I say?" So here goes....

1. This is my 100Th post.
2. I don't scrapbook. I love to print pictures, put them in an album and write a note next to the picture. For me, that is an accomplishment.
3. Whenever I go to a Goodwill store, I sneeze.
4. One of my favorite snacks before bed is peanut butter toast. (Thanks to my dad.)
5. B and I started dating in Jan, engaged in April and married in August. I wouldn't have it any other way!
6. I have had three c-sections.
7. Each c-section provided another girl. Lots of pink and hormones in this house. :) I love my girls like crazy!
8. I don't drink coffee; instead I love a good hot chocolate.
9. I love to read a good book! It's hard for me to put it down because I'm afraid I'll miss something....crazy.
10. We don't have cable.
11. I am learning that I love my DVR. I don't miss my shows and don't have to watch commercials!
12. I sobbed when I found out I was pregnant with our 3rd.
13. I then had a rough pregnancy with 9 weeks on complete bed rest in a hospital 2 hours away. Those last nine weeks Sadie lived in the womb with no amniotic fluid.
14. Sadie is our miracle baby being born 10 weeks early and weighing 2 lb. 13 oz.
15. A player on the Globetrotters once gave me free tickets to a game and visited with me afterwards.
16. I love to hang out with friends. A girls' night out...love em!
17. I wish I was more organized...some areas of my life are and others always look disastrous. I'm a "pile until I file" kind of girl.
18. My sister and I were Barbie nuts when we were young.
19. I just taught something to Analise yesterday that my dad once taught me...how to throw - not like a girl.
20. One of the hardest things for me to do is get up in the mornings. I long for the day when I can sleep in again...even until 8:00!
21. I played volleyball in college and loved it.
22. I am convinced that my dryer eats socks.
23. Brandon and I laugh a lot together.
24. I've been to the Dominican Republic twice.
25. My dream vacation day would be: a warm cruise with my hubby, reading a book by the pool, eating delicious food, getting a massage, and listening to MWS in concert.

Girl Week

Last week was Girl Week at our house. Daddy was gone Monday-Sunday. Let me tell ya, there is a void when he's not around. Thankfully the girls do well and most of the time they get along. However, there are those moments when I think, "I can't do this any longer!"
It helped that we had a pretty busy week. Monday we stayed home and worked on Valentines all day. I should say that Analise spent time on the valentines. She really enjoyed doing them this year. She decorated a box for her party at school.
Tuesday was Bible study and then the cousins came over to play in the evening. It's a treat having them here; they are special young men. Weds. our highlights were school, doc appointment and Cubbies. Thursday was parent/teacher conference for Analise. We are very pleased and thankful for how well she is doing. Friday was spent inside watching the snow fly. We got several inches. Sat. was Analise's birthday party, but I will talk more about that in another post.
Thanks also to family in town, they helped pass the time by having the girls at their house or feeding us a meal. What a blessing!
As I mentioned, Sadie had a doc appointment for her monthly shot. She weighs 15-9. Everything looked great, so we are grateful. Like the other two girls, Sadie has discovered her voice...the high squeal voice. We were able to break the habit with the older two, and we are working on Sadie. I do wish she would learn quicker! Sadie is getting up on all fours and rocking. She has learned to pull herself forward using her arms. She gets really motivated to move when she seems something she probably shouldn't have. The other day she went from the living room to the kitchen. I always think it's fun to see her in different location then where I left her.
Maisie is still "pouring forth more speech." We celebrate each word, and she is even saying words that she had been signing. She loves to hum/sing along with songs. In fact, the bedtime routine is now longer because she has a list of songs she wants to sing. And since it's Maisie, we always sing them in the same order; she doesn't like to vary the list any. :)
I have to "boast" a little on my hubby. He had Valentine flowers delivered to me midweek because he knew I would need a pick me up. They are beautiful! Gerber daisies and lilies. The best part is that he picked them out before he left on the trip, and the note that came with the flowers was in his own handwriting. We are still enjoying the flowers.
I'll be posting again soon about the birthday girl...

February Memories

It's only been a week, but I feel like I have lots I want to jot down and remember. I'm sure later tonight I'll remember something I didn't add.
Last Saturday we packed up the girls in the minivan and drove to the capital city. After two weeks of not getting out, this mama needed a day away. I am thankful for a husband who was in favor. The girls did really well and seemed to enjoy themselves, but it wasn't a super fun time for them. We went to Kohl's, and I actually got the older two some Easter dresses. I hadn't planned on getting them, but they were cute and on sale. (I don't think I should ever pay full price for anything at Kohl's!) We then went to the mall. We weren't there real long, but it was long enough for the girls. I was looking for a pair of shoes and finally had luck. The highlight was the carousel ride. They loved it! We then went to Michael's, so Analise and I could get some more birthday party items. After that was supper at Chipolte and we headed home.
Analise is counting down the days until her birthday. It's fun to see her excited. I think she decided on a teddy bear cake. My mom gave me some fun molds/cups to arrange in different designs. Her letter for preschool was R. Though she can say both R and W, it was harder for her to find things that began with the letter R. She would think of W words. One of her favorite things since Christmas is gumballs. We have a little gumball dispenser on the counter, and she loves to use a penny and get one. The other day I chewed a yellow one and told Analise is tasted like banana. She later informed me that her green gum tasted like green beans. Sounds yummy. :)
We enjoyed a few nice days this week. One day it was upper 60s, so the girls played outside, and then we went for a little walk. Analise loves to ride her bike, but the sidewalks have all the driveway dips, so we go up to a church parking lot close by, and she rides to her heart's content. The other two don't mind the double stroller. We decided to pretend we were driving around town. I asked Analise where she wanted to go. I'm sure she gave a typical girl answer: Menard's! I proceeded to ask what she want from there, and she informed me: a shotgun! It's a good thing I see my daughter play with dolls every now and then. :) You can probably guess where she goes with her dad. Analise was looking at photo albums (I am one of the few women who doesn't scrapbook, but the girls love the albums!) and she saw a summer picture with her in her suit. So she decided to put her suit on again. When I got home from Kindermusik with Maisie, she looked like what the picture above shows. Funny!
Maisie has changed the most the last week. If you've followed this blog at all, you know she has been "slow" in learning words. This week her vocab exploded! I don't think I can remember all the words she added. She learned some on her own, she's repeating more after me, and she even used a couple of words that she's been signing. Here are a few: banana (nana), bus, boat, happy, home, juice, water, honey, bike. I know there are more. She is also putting more 2 word sentences together. In addition to that, she still loves to sing a song or hum along with her own sounds. I LOVE IT! Her favorites are BIBLE, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus and This Little Light of Mine. Not only are we excited, but you can see the little pride in herself, too. I also learned this week that Maisie can chew those gumballs. You know she is the second child, because we didn't let Analise have gum until she was four.
I don't want to leave out Sadie...she is now clapping! I think this is something she's actually "on time" for her real age! She continues to roll all over the living room, and sometimes we find her stuck under a table or chair. She's getting to the age that when I feed her a bottle before bed, she doesn't fall asleep. I miss the snuggling time with her, but I focus on enjoying some 1-1 play time with her. I took her outside with the girls, and she loved being out there. She sat on my lap while I was on the swing, and she was so happy. I am hoping she'll be walking this summer so she can adventure on her own.
It felt good to be back in a routine again this week. I have started a new book series that I am really enjoying. Most of the time I don't allow good books in the house, because I just want to read. I do enjoy reading while riding the exercise bike.
Last night was family movie night, and we enjoyed the snuggle time with the girls. We watched "Horton Hears a Who." Very cute!
I think I've emptied the brain, so until next time....