Let the Good Times Roll

Looking back over my past posts, I've had a lot to say and not many pictures. I've tried getting some cute pictures of the girls, but they don't cooperate. Oh well...
We had a good weekend. Friday night we had a little movie night with the girls. After they were in bed, Brandon and I watched the first episode of "Undercover Boss." We both really liked it. I don't watch much tv, and he watches even less. So to find a show we can watch together made it more enjoyable. Saturday morning we were up earlier than we had hoped, thanks to a certain middle child waking up and then waking up her big sister. I decided to make pancakes with Analise. They were yummy, and the girls don't know what a pancake is unless there are mini chocolate chips in them. :) We then met some friends and their kids down at the local fun center. They have a big play area with balls, slides, climbing stuff...a great energy burner in the middle of winter. The girls had lots of fun playing with their friends, and I had fun talking with mine. After lunch I had Maisie help me make taco soup. This is her kind of thing to help with...dump from cans and mix together. She was a big help!
Later that afternoon, Analise got her last birthday wish...her cousin, A, came over to spend the night. They had fun playing, we ate dinner together, and then they played the Wii with Brandon. It was a fun night. I was busy in the kitchen making brownies and bread for our college group at church. I decided since the others were busy with the Wii, Sadie could help me make brownies. It was so fun having her sit on the counter next to me. It was a special thing for me today, to get some one on one time with each of my girls while making something in the kitchen. My mom, sister and I spent LOTS of time in the kitchen together, and I have lots of fond memories from those times. I've always tried to include my girls whenever I can, and today I had three chances...once with each daughter. I had to laugh at one point over the differences in personalities. Sadie got something on her finger while cooking. She wanted me to clean that finger immediately! Maisie would have cleaned her finger as well...only it would have been her mouth instead of a paper towel.
Tonight after the kids were in bed, Brandon and I watched the Olympic speed skating. We really got into it!
Sunday was church, naps, laundry and small group. It snowed again, but I have to admit, it was pretty.

Maisie has had quite an accomplishment in this house...she's on day 5 with NO timeouts! What's fun about this, is the fact that she, too, is so excited. Life has been happier and better for us all, and she's proud of herself. Keep up the good work, Maisie! This morning I got to fulfill a promise. If she woke up with a dry diaper, we would get donuts. They hit the spot this morning. Now I hope that since she's done it once, it's a habit she will repeat over and over. Maisie's latest thing to say is, "(So and So) has stinky toots." We give her a hard time and laugh. She will say this at random times. Now only it's funnier because Sadie will also say, "toots."
Maisie loves the song from MWS cd, A New Hallelujah...the last song with lots of drums. I frequently hear her ask while riding in the van to listen to the "boom boom" song. Maisie is still my girl that will shower us with "I love you's." Got to love it! However, if she is frustrated with you, she will say, "I no love you." This girl can make me want to pull out my hair, but she also melts my heart.

Sadie is no longer my baby girl; she's like a little person. She has such a personality, she jabbers and jabbers, and she amazes me with what she is doing. She gets her own jammies from her dresser drawer, she knows to throw her dirty clothes down the laundry chute (even her big sister needs reminded), she loves to give Maisie (Maisie's) blanket when she is sad. What I am loving most right now is hearing Sadie sing. There's no doubt what song she is singing.
Each of my girls at about this age had a word they would say, knowing when they said it they would get tickled. Analise would say "Thank you for kitchens". Maisie said, "Buttons." Sadie says, "Apple (and sometimes banana)." It's crazy but fun.

Sadie loves Kleenex! She calls them "No nose." In addition to Kleenex, a baby wipe can keep her entertained for quite some time.

Analise - just a quick note. She's been asking lots of questions lately about baptism. Out of the blue two weeks ago, she asked me when I was "baptisted." Thankfully I knew what she meant. We had a nice discussion about it. Last night she brought it up again. I remembered the analogy my pastor used about a wedding band being a sign of commitment in marriage, and baptism is a sign of giving your life to Christ. I think she got it. We'll see where this leads, but in the mean time I am thankful that Analise is sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and I pray we can always have open discussions together like we have.

Analise is Six

I can't believe I have a six year old. I have had plenty of time to warm up to the idea; she's been talking about her birthday for months. :)
We had a great day...all of us! Brandon went and got donuts for breakfast. She was thrilled. I let her open one gift before school...the shirt she is wearing in the pictures.
I was a busy beaver all day, which it typical of mothers on birthday days. I was up early making the pork chop marinade and finger jello. We took her to school and I was up at church all morning for Bible study and after that a commission meeting.
I got home at 1:15, ate a quick lunch and decorated the cake. I was SO thankful that Brandon had offered to pick up Analise from school so they could go get ice cream together. Not only did they enjoy it, but I was able to keep working in the kitchen. Brandon told me later that while eating ice cream, they watched some of the Olympics. Analise says, "We watched that fudger skating with grandma the other night!" (Figure skating)
The day only got better for us all when Brandon stayed home at 4:00 instead of going back to work. We watched the slideshow DVD that Brandon and I had spent a lot of time on. :) She chose the song for the slideshow....Toby Mac, "No Ordinary Love." We frequently boogie to that song.

Here she is with the pink heart cake she wanted
She LOVED her new shirt from Grandmom and Pops

We loaded up the van a little before 5:45 and headed over to the grandparents for the family celebration. We were so excited to celebrate with everyone on her actual birthday. Her dinner of choice was: grilled pork chops, fries, finger jello, and Gma made the corn and bread. The cake was chocolate with homemade buttercream frosting. Mmmm. :)

During dinner we asked Analise questions and everyone took a turn guessing her answer.

She and I had taked about this before hand, so I knew her answers.

Favorite animal: giraffe

Favorite Bible story: David and Goliath

What she likes to do best during the summer: Swim in her cousin's pool

If she could go anywhere: She'd go to Grandmom and Pops house!

It was fun hearing all the guesses, and her cousin, A, knows her well! (On a side note, all of Maisie's answers had to do with animals and a zoo. I think I am catching on to something here.)

After dinner we watched the slideshow and then opened gifts. She got crafty things, Hello Kitty shirts, Leapster games, a kid's atlas, a new Webkinz, swimsuit, a new bike and accessories. She loved it all!
She also enjoyed all the phone calls wishing her a happy day.

Analise, we are so proud of you and who you are. We pray that you will be a woman after God's own heart. We pray for you to grow in wisdom, stature and in favor with both God and man. (Luke 2:52) I would go on, but I have to go get that six year old from school. :)

Valentine's Day

It was a special treat having my Valentine home this year. I had the table all set up with the girls' gifts so they saw those as soon as they got up. What a fun way to start a Sunday! I have pictures somewhere, but I can't locate them. Sorry. We didn't get the girls much. What they enjoyed the most was a big monkey balloon. They've had more fun with that thing.
Analise, Maisie and I enjoyed delivering some valentine cupcakes to friends in the afternoon. I was originally going to take just Analise, but since Maisie was up, she came along, too. I am really glad they could both be there. They helped make the cupcakes, and I wanted them to see the blessing in sharing with others. Little things that I hope and pray make big differences.

The evening was the best part. Brandon and I had a date night! Thanks to Gma and Gpa for coming over to take care of the girls. I got a Papa Murphy's heart shaped pizza for them to enjoy while Brandon and I went to a local BBQ place. I was really wanting PF Changs, but that doesn't do me much good when the closest one is three hours away. :) We enjoyed a nice dinner with good conversation. I don't think we talked about the girls at all. We mainly talked about work since whenever we talk at home there are interruptions. Imagine that.
After dinner, we went to a movie...something we rarely ever do. I have wanted to see The Blind Side for a long time, and it was still in the theatre. Boy, was it good! We both really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it!
Time with my sweeties....so thankful!

On Hold

As I write this I am listening to "hold" music through my phone. I don't mind waiting as long as I can get a good answer I am looking for. I need some insurance things straightened out.
As as kid, I was very shy and didn't like making phone calls. I remember getting nervous ordering a pizza over the phone. Not any more! I have learned to be kindly aggressive on some things. I've learned that if I am kind, yet straight forward, I can sometimes get what I want. :) I've called about Chunky Peanut Butter not being chunky...got coupons for free replacements. I called about tortillas being stuck together...got three coupons for tortillas. I called about a shirt shrinking when I washed it according to the directions...got a free shirt. I called about a toy that didn't work like it was supposed to...got a new toy replacement. Those are a few that I remember. Today I am working on getting the insurance taken care of, and it consists of phone tag. I really need this item to clear!
So when I wanted to post, the above what not going to be a part of it. Welcome to my brain...it goes in all sorts of directions.
Brandon was gone again last week. It was his annual trip to KY. He left in a whirlwind last Monday afternoon. I still can't believe he made that flight. Got to love change of plans due to flight reschedules. Again we are very thankful for friends and family who help us pass the time while daddy is gone. Monday evening Gma and Gpa took care of the two younger ones while I took Analise to music. We ate a late supper and got the girls to bed as soon as I could. Unfortunately, bed time was rough. Maisie missed Brandon so much I couldn't get her to stop crying. One moment she was in bed fine, the next moment she was a wreck. After lots of prayer and quoting Scripture with her, she finally went to sleep in my bed at almost 10:00.
Tuesday was Bible study and my dear friend, L, invited us over for lunch. Thanks again for the sweet time and yummy lunch! My sis in law was there, too, so that made it extra fun. Speaking of that sis in law, she blessed me by running two "in and out" errands so I didn't have to do it with the girls in the freezing cold. One of those errands was the library to get books for me. A necessity when the hubs is gone. :)
Tuesday night for dinner we went back to Gma and Gpa's house. We all enjoyed it. Bed time was later than I wanted, but I was flexible and went with the flow.
Weds. morning I took the girls to the doc so Sadie could get her monthly liquid gold shot. Of course, since the appt. was 10:30 and we needed to be somewhere by 11:00, the doc was running behind. The girls did a nice job waiting. We then took off and got to Maisie's kmusik class 15 minutes late. Weds. night was Awana, and I ran the games without Brandon. Got to love the honesty from Analise, "Mom, the games won't be as much fun tonight without daddy." She's probably right. :)
Thursday and Friday there was no school because of PT conferences. Analise was gone most of the day Thurs. because she went on a "field trip" with her Gma and Gpa and her cousins to see great grandmas and a museum. She had lots of fun. It dawned on me that morning, "When am I going to buy groceries?" I was down a daughter, and yet it was so cold I didn't want to take the other two with me. God bless my dear friend, G, who took the younger ones so I could go by myself. I fed the girls a quick lunch, and then we ran to church to help some others put together appreciate things for our Sunday School teachers. It was a whirlwind of a morning. Thursday night we hung out at home. I called my mom in the evening and told her I wanted to clock out of my time card, but I couldn't. She helped by talking to Analise for quite a while.
Friday morning Maisie had a donut date with Gma. She was so excited, and I was happy she got to do something instead of always watching her sister go off and have fun. While Maisie was gone, I took the other two to Target. Analise had received $2 in bday money to spend. And let me tell ya, it was a lot easier at the store without my Maisie. With Sadie sitting in the cart up front in the seat and Maisie "riding" in the back of the cart, it gets a little feisty. We took our time and looked at things...and then headed home so we were there when Maisie got home. Rest of the day went pretty well. We had pizza with the fam for dinner, so that helped. Maisie was so sad that her cousin, K, wasn't there.
Saturday was the day I "worried" about. We had nothing planned all day, and B wasn't supposed to get home until 7:30, if his flights were on time. We had a good day. The girls got along, they played well, we made cupcakes together, frosted them and had fun. The time went quickly though we never left the house. The only time I was in the van was to move it out of the middle of the garage to my side, so Brandon could park in it when he got home. I also make sure I clean before Brandon gets home. I guess for me it is a way of showing that I love him. I make sure our bathroom is clean, we have clean sheets and towels, etc. Maybe I just don't want to be shown up by the hotel housekeeping. :)
Unfortunately Brandon's flight was delayed, so I knew he wouldn't be home before bedtime. Analise handled it very well. We had a movie night to help pass the time. They always love that!
So thank you to those who prayed and helped us through this week. I found myself staying up late most nights. Thanks to Mindy Starns Clark, I couldn't put my books down!
Brandon got home about 9:15 and went and cuddled with the girls in bed. They LOVED it! Nothing quite like a daddy to make the family complete!

February Fun

I will admit; I have the winter blues. A nice warm beach, a good book and only my husband around sounds VERY appealing. I suppose I would add some good food as well. :) However, that isn't reality. Reality is cold, wind, snow and routine. Throw in some crabby kids, a tired mama, and I just want some excitement. However, I should still listen to my mother's advice, because she said last week that sometimes mundane is good. She was right. Twenty four hours later, my life got exciting with a sick child. Sadie, a bucket and I got to spend a few hours together. Thankfully she bounced back rather quickly.
This past week brought some different things, so that helped the winter blues. Lat Tuesday was coffee night with friends. Though if you know me at all, it's more of a hot chocolate night with friends. Either way, it's always enjoyable. We meet at 8:00 and stay until they close at 10:00.
Thursday after school I took the girls to get much needed hair cuts. Maisie's looks the same, only shorter. That girl has an amazing ability to get food in her hair. We decided to let Analise go for a shorter hair cut. She wanted it to look like mine. :) Little does she know that I would like to have her hair. :)
Thursday evening we had a sitter come over so Brandon and I could go to PT conferences. They went great! I only share the juicy details with my parents, sorry. :) It was a lot of fun to see how she has improved with things since we met last fall. I am very pleased to know she is being a light for Jesus at school!
Saturday we had an "un"birthday party for Analise. We don't want to pull off "big" birthday parties every year, so I told Analise that we would do something different instead. I was blessed in the fact that the local art museum was offering a family day on Sat. So Analise invited three church friends over at noon. They bowled on the Wii while I baked the pizza. We ate lunch and went to the museum. It was a win-win! The girls got to see an entertainer, they did all sorts of crafts, and it was all free! Both mom and daughter were happy.:)
Sunday was church, and Super Bowl party with friends. The day ended on a sad note. So sad the Colts lost.

The New Do

Sadie continues to develop

January Highlights

The girls in their Minnie Mouse head band

Here is our month in a nutshell:

January flew right by, and I'm not complaining. It always seems to get a little mundane to me; never much excitement. We are thankful, however, that no one was admitted to the hospital this month! The last two years someone has been admitted.

Brandon was gone for a week for work. He suffered in Orlando. :) The girls and I had a great week, though we all missed him! We are thankful for friends and family that help us pass time. We hung out with friends, played with cousins, we even got to spend some time playing with four week old German Shepherd puppies. All three girls LOVED it. Brandon has been working some Saturday mornings, so the girls and I have settled into a little different routine. We go get donuts, they take long baths, and we hang out at home. One of the favorite things to do this month as a family is to play Wii Resort. All the girls enjoy that time. Even Sadie will go get a remote, bring it to me and ask, "Wii, Wii?"

Analise is still enjoying school and loves to learn. This month she began reading with a para a couple of times a week, so she can read at her level. I am thankful her teacher arranged this so Analise can be challenged. Analise celebrated her 100th day of school last week. She took in a water bottle full of 100 marshmallows, and she had to pack a cereal snack with 100 pieces. It was my normal day to go in, so I got to participate in the fun activities. Analise did something a couple of weeks ago that just melted my heart. She had brought home a library book a few months ago, and Maisie loved it. So this month, Analise looked around until she found that book again. She wanted to check it out because she knew Maisie would be happy.

Maisie continues to speak more clearly and in longer sentences. She is willing to try saying new words, but if she doesn't want to try, she simply says, "Thomas." She's so proud to say that instead of Matas. She still calls toothpaste, pooth taste, and I just don't have the heart to correct her. Maisie's latest thing is to try something and tell me, "No peeking." Maisie started Kindermusik again, and it's an older class. She is in there 30 minutes without me, and then I join for the last 15 minutes. This month Maisie is learning that obedience is not an option. :)

Sadie (22 months) is growing and developing right on track. We had a development followup appt. at the beginning of the month, and the doctor was very pleased...esp. when I told her Sadie has 30+ words! She is mastering her "C" sounds by asking for cheetos and cookies. :) She weighs about 22 lbs. She loves to play with her Mr. Potato Heads, and she thinks she must color when her sisters are coloring. If she sees a belly button, she will poke it and say, "Beep beep." She was the only one to get sick this month; she had the stomach flu for a few hours. Not fun!