Summer Week 1

We have a week of summer vacation under our belts. And overall, I'd say it was a good week. Hopefully the girls would say the same thing. :)
Monday began Analise's responsibility chart, and the girls started filling a glass with small stones. I will detail in another post.
Monday also brought the weekly grocery shopping trip with all three girls. It went well until checkout time. That is always the most stressful part of the trip. I am in constant "manage the girls" mode while trying to put groceries in the cart, take care of coupons and check items as they are scanned. All while the girls are irritable and doing things they shouldn't be doing. Almost stresses me out thinking about it. :) Monday night was our last night of CMA. Analise has learned so much this year. I am thankful we have the opportunity to do it, and thankful for parents who help support it, too.
Tuesday we went to the library. We got all signed up for the summer reading program. Honestly, I am not real excited with the changes this year. I think they've made it too hard for young kids. However, we will still read, so I am accomplishing the main goal. I allowed each girl one movie and 5 books. I figured keeping track of 15 books was plenty.
Wednesday was one of those days where I wish I could ship the kids to my mom. I have a day like this about once a month, and today was it. I had one whining, one complaining, and one hitting. Add that to my irritable mood, and now you know why I wanted Grandmom to have them. :) We needed to go to Target, so we got that done...pretty well, I might add. It was a gorgeous day. Warm, slight breeze...the park was calling my name. Though deep down I didn't think the girls "earned" a trip to the park, I figured since God grants me grace, I will grant them grace. So at the last minute I called up Brandon and asked him if he could take an earlier lunch. The girls and I drove through for fast food, and we met Brandon at the park for a picnic and some playtime. I am glad we did; the fresh air and fun activity was good for us all. I also used this as the prize for the girls filling the glass with stones. In the afternoon I got out Sadie's new water table for the girls to play with outside. Lesson learned - put them in swimsuits first! They were so dirty and wet that I gave Sadie and Maisie a bath before supper! After dinner I had a meeting at church that I was more than willing to attend. :)
Thursday morning was fun at the park with friends. I don't know who has more fun - the girls or me. :) The afternoon got a little crazy. I was making dinner for my bro in law coming over for dinner, and while I was at it, I was taking some of it to our neighbors who just had a baby. It was going to work perfectly! I had bread dough going in the bread maker, Analise and I made chocolate chip cookies, and I was on the right time frame...until Maisie work up with pink, mattery eyes. I called and talked with the nurse. Since we already had drops I started her on those. However, since Maisie was running a slight temp, the nurse wanted me to bring her in. Augh! So, I scrambled...as soon as the cookies were done, I put the bread in the oven, I cooked the noodles and meat, etc. Now if only you could have seen my kitchen; talk about needing more counter space and what a mess! We flew out the door last minute to get Maisie to the clinic. Thankfully we were only there 15 minutes. We got home in time for me to make the fruit salad and get dinner delivered to them on time. Poor D had to see my house a wreck when he came over for dinner.
Last night we finally got the room finished! Well, finished enough to move furniture back to where it belongs. What a good feeling!
I've been trying hard to get up before the girls each morning to exercise. As much as I want to lay in bed and sleep another 25 minutes, I actually find myself in a better mood if I am up and exercised before they get up. They then play the Wii while I shower. Let's see how long I can keep this up. :)
A couple of funnies:
I asked Maisie the other day if she wanted a pbj sandwich. She said she didn't because I was going to use the PB with crumbs in it. (She doesn't like crunchy PB.)
I asked Analise if she wanted graham crackers for a snack. Later I heard her call them gran crappers.
For some reason, Analise can't say fly swatter. I've heard her call it "fly smacker" and "sly watter."
And a sweet memory...Weds. night I got home after the girls had been in bed for a bit. I checked on Sadie, rubbed her cheek, and she woke up and said, "mommy! and gave me the biggest hug." When I checked on Maisie, she gave me a huge hug, too. I don't have to be gone long, and the girls are so excited to see me back home. Even after a day like Weds. I want to treasure those moments.

Appreciation

I think I have learned more about God and his love for me since I have been a parent. My kids truly teach me things even when they have no idea. It gives me the perspective of seeing God as my Father, and me as his child.
For example...the other day after graduation, Analise noticed some kids getting candy. I never saw it, but she mentioned it more than once. I finally told her that I am sorry she didn't get anything, but I had planned on driving through Sonic so she could get a slushie.
As we waited 15 minutes in the drive through, and after we got the slushies, she continued to whine about little things. I piped up and said something like, "Analise, I told you I was sorry you didn't get candy. Dad and I wanted to treat you to something fun. However with all this whining/complaining, it makes me not want to do anything fun for you because you don't appreciate it." As I finished I thought, "Does God think that way about me? Does he bless me with something and only hear grumblings from my end? " I truly want to be grateful for all His blessings!
It also got me to thinking some more...I like it when people appreciate something I do/give. I am not looking for credit because all my doing should be for the Lord. However, at the same time, Brandon and I are trying to instill in our girls to say thank you and never take anything for granted. "Thank you" is a sweet sound to my ears. Brandon has taught the girls to say that at dinner every night. Analise is learning to thank him for when she gets something special. She knows it's because daddy works that we get to do and get special things. I try and thank people for things because I appreciate it, and I want them to know the blessing they are to me. I'm thankful my husband is on the same page with me, and we work on this together. We don't want to take things for granted, and most importantly, we want to thank our Heavenly Father for all of His blessings. May we show our appreciation by the way we serve Him with our life.

Summer has arrived!

The last day of school was last Thursday. It didn't feel a thing like summer; it was cloudy and in the 50s. I thought Analise would be so excited that school was over, but she surprised me. She came out to the van quiet and a little melancholy. She said some of the girls in her class were crying. Though Analise didn't cry, I think it made her reflect a little bit. Thankfully the sadness didn't last long.
We had a good opening weekend for summer. Friday night we got together with family for pizza. We always enjoy those times. Saturday was painting day! So long nursery...hello big girl room. Pictures to come when it is complete. Along with the painting comes a messy living room and Sadie sleeping in another room. My dear husband did all the painting while I tried to keep the girls out of his way. That afternoon while the girls napped, Analise and I ran to the mall. She's fun to take shopping by herself. We returned comforter #1 for the bedroom, bought comforter #2, and I looked for brown sandals. No luck.
Sunday turned out to be a very social day. After church we came home for about an hour before going over to a friend's house. We had friends driving through, and our "old" small group got together to see them. We enjoyed visiting and hung out for three hours. The beauty of it all was that I really did get to enjoy it. Since we didn't meet until naptime, Gma let the girls sleep at her house. Analise went with us, but she played the entire time with her good friend, A. I love hearing how God is working in everyone's lives!
We then came home for about an hour and then headed to small group. Our last one until fall. The girls love going to small group because their favorite friends are there. We have 4 couples and 13 kids under the age of 6. Crazy, crazy but lots of fun. I pray these kids can grow up together and encourage each other in their faith.
By the time we got home and got the kids to bed (late again) we didn't do much more in the Sadie's bedroom. Thankful for a great weekend!

Our Grad

Analise had her Kdg. graduation yesterday. She was so excited! She welcomed all the parents and enjoyed singing, watching a slide show highlighting her year and getting her diploma. She enjoyed having daddy and grandparents there, too. I didn't get emotional at all. I was much more emotional when she started Kdg...not when she finishes.

The year has flown, and today is her last full day. We LOVED her teacher and will miss her tremendously! Analise made friends and learned a lot this year! She loves to tell me how high she can count, knows her money, some simple adding and subtracting, but the big thing...she is reading! And might I add...reading really well! I hope she keeps up her love of reading (kind of like her mama. :))

I am so thankful Analise has been able to enjoy this week. Friday night (11:00) she began the stomach flu. We hung out at home all weekend, and by Monday morning she was back to her normal self. PTL!

This week at school has been a fun week. Monday was field day. I remembered to put her in shorts, sent her water bottle and she wore her Nike's (like everyday). Anyway, she gets in the car after school and the second thing she says, "Mom, you forgot to put sunscreen on me." Oops! Can't remember it all. Yesterday was graduation, today was supposed to be lunch at the park, but that got rained out. Tomorrow we pick her up early afternoon and say farewell to Kdg...all in what seems like a blink of the eye.

Going Green

Slick Stix, Lip Stick...what's the difference?

Last Week's Highlights

First, some pictures...

Maisie enjoyed the bubbles from Analise

Analise had her school "Mascot" painted on her cheek at field day. She was pumped about it.
Sweet Sadie and her blankie

Sadie still loves to walk around in her sister's shoes. It make me laugh seeing skinny legs with big feet.

We had a good week last week. Monday was the typical buy groceries morning. Since Sadie about fell out of the cart (due to a strap breaking) a couple of weeks ago, I don't use the big "kid" friendly carts anymore. We get a normal sized cart so Sadie can sit up front, and Maisie rides in the basket until it's too full and then she walks. It's working well.

Monday night was Analise's music class. I honestly can say that I think she can read music better than me. My mind just doesn't click with reading the staff. However, give me a note, and I can harmonize. She has learned a lot this year in music!

Tuesday morning I went to a volunteer assembly at Analise's school. Thanks, Gma for watching the girls! I enjoyed the time there. They had a little open house with donuts before the assembly, and I was able to visit with the moms. I didn't volunteer this year in her classroom to be recognized, and I didn't go this morning to get a certificate. I helped in the classroom this year for several reasons - I still loving being in a classroom with kids, I got to see Analise at school, I got to know her classmates, I wanted to be a help for her teacher, and most importantly I wanted to love on those kids like Jesus would.

Later that morning we went over to Brandon's folks to meet up with a college friend and his wife that had spent the night there last night. They were passing through for a doc visit. It was great to see N, J and their new baby boy. I got to snuggle with a 3 week old. Joy of joys! I even gave him a bottle and burped him. I was needing a baby fix, and this did the trick. We enjoyed lunch together.

For dinner we were back at their house to celebrate my bro in law's bday. It was a good night with family.

Weds. morning we went to my nephew, A, preschool graduation. Oh I love those events! Seeing those kids sing on stage is so fun to watch! We left there and headed straight to Maisie's Kindermusik class.

Thursday morning we stayed home and got things done around here. We had a fun evening. My favorite college sitter, T, and her boyfriend came over for dinner. She blessed me so much this year by faithfully coming over each Thursday afternoon so I could go to kdg and then run a couple kidless errands. We enjoyed dinner and played the Wii some. It's refreshing to hang out with Christian college kids. I hope we encouraged them some that night, and it was fun to remember the good ol' college days. What great memories!

Mom's Day

Not the best picture, but compared to the others, this was the winner. Sadie looks thrilled, doesn't she?
This was probably the best Mother's Day weekend I've had in the 6 years of being a mom. I told Brandon my gift was my getaway weekend. However, he still had the girls pick out flowers for me. He even tilled some dirt, added new dirt and gave me a place to plant all my pretty flowers.
Brandon was the first to wish me a Happy Mother's Day at 12:30 am. The girls were quick to wish me a happy mom's day when they were up. However, all day Maisie wished me a happy birthday instead. I loved it!
Church was good and when Brandon realized I had no dinner plans, he was quick to offer lunch out. However, since I knew every place would be packed, it just seemed easier to bring something home. We got Ruby Tuesday's. We don't do carry out very much, and now I know why. It tastes like leftovers before you even eat it! Honestly, since I didn't have fries, mine was good. Babyback ribs...one of my favorite splurges!
The afternoon went well. I planted some the flowers with the girls' help. It was kind of chilly and breezy, so I didn't plant everything.
We grilled burgers for dinner and had a nice evening. The true gift of mother's day is being a mom. I've been reading two different books that have both been encouraging me in my motherhood and to see past the moments that are sometimes icky of motherhood. The books are "Creative Correction" and "Family Driven Faith." One is very thought provoking, and the other is more simple and practical. I like getting both right now.
At school Analise made a little gift for me and answered questions about me. It was so sweet. I'll share a few...
1. I Like it when my mom....tells me I can watch a movie.
2. My mom can do many things. I think she is best at....watching my sisters. (Isn't that sweet?)
3. My mom has a pretty smile. I like to make her smile by...being me. (She explained that just being herself can make me smile. It's true!)
4. My mom is as pretty as a flower.
5. My mom is smart. She even knows....how to swim! (Now if you know me at all, that answer should crack you up!)
Thank you Lord, for my three beautiful, healthy daughters. I never want to take a day for granted with them.

Ahhh...

As I mentioned, we had big plans for this weekend. My friend, G, was having a monumental birthday, and her hubby wanted to send her on a girl's shopping getaway. My friend, L, and I were more than willing to oblige. :) As we talked, the weekend just got better and better. L decided she and her hub, S, wanted to take us all to a nice restaurant 3 hours away. So the plan was for the six of us to get away for a nice dinner and then the men would drive home while the girls spent a night in a hotel. It all went as planned, but I went solo. I just knew Brandon wasn't up for it, and I didn't want him getting any worse. So it was me and the other two couples.

We left town about 4:15 and got to the most amazing restaurant around 7:15. We ate and enjoyed the night until 9:45 when we parted ways. The ladies and I crashed at the hotel...we stayed up pretty late just talking and then crashed for the night. The next morning we were up and at 'em pretty early not wanting to waste a minute of our day. We went to mall 1 where we ate breakfast at Paradise Cafe. Mmm...we walked the mall until our pedicures at 9:30. Ahh...bliss! We enjoyed the pampering and cute toes when all was over. We got our rings cleaned at the best jewelry spot around. My diamond looks brand new! After that mall, we went to Eddie Bauer at a little strip mall. Lunch was at a local cafe, and it hit the spot. We drove to mall 2 but didn't spent any time there when we realized the stores we wanted to hit weren't there. Mall 3 brought us better luck. We hit another store on the way to mall 4. The last mall is an outdoor mall, and the weather was great for walking around. We shopped some more, left with more bags, and just enjoyed the time not worrying about little ones.
We stopped at Chipolte on the way out of town and got home around 9:15.
I am so thankful God blessed me with these friends. They are some of the most selfless and giving people I know. They think of you before they think of themselves. The time shopping went to smooth; we knew what stores we wanted to hit, we tried on clothes and got honest opinion, and we were able to share the joys and struggles of life with each other. I think this needs to become an annual trip! :)
After I got home, Brandon mentioned the girls would love to see me. He was right. Maisie just couldn't stop hugging me! Analise was excited, too, but she didn't cling to me like Maisie did. Since then, Maisie always wants me to put her town for naps and bedtime and still hugs me like crazy. I told Brandon I should either get away more often or never leave again because Maisie is still adjusting. :)
While I was gone, Brandon was quite the man/dad at home. He and the girls hit their fave donut spot for breakfast. He took the younger ones to the Children's Museum, they all went to a home improvement store to buy me flowers. They had a movie night...the girls had a blast. Not once did I worry about my girlies while I was gone because I knew they were in good, loving hands. Makes the going away even better. Ahh...

Rest of the Week

Why does it always seem I am a week behind?
Last Monday night Brandon mentioned he wasn't feeling well. Tuesday morning, he woke up feeling worse. In fact he stayed home from work and even went into the doc thinking he might have strep. The girls and I let him rest while we bought groceries. His strep test came back negative. Since he was home during nap time, I was able to run an errand during that time. He said I was taking advantage of the situation, and I agreed. Why not? I ran a birthday gift over to my friend, G. It was nice to get out for 30 minutes. :)
Weds. morning he still wasn't feeling well, and the 24 hour lab confirmed the strep test was negative. He rested in the morning and went to work in the afternoon. Poor guy. That night we got together with family to celebrate his mom's birthday. We enjoyed delicious chicken fajitas. Brandon was a trooper and went, but by the end of the night he was exhausted. He wasn't feeling any better. The doc had given him a scrip for an antibiotic in case he wasn't feeling better by this weekend.
He went to bed early Weds. night, and we decided I'd fill the scrip in the morning. I curled up and watched something I don't usually watch...CSI NY. I liked the show, and as it ended at 10:00, it dawned on me that Walgreen's is open 24 hours. So at almost 10:30 I headed out to fill that prescription. I'll admit, I was more than willing to help my hubby, but I was a little on edge going out that late after watching a murder mystery. I'm such a wimp. :)
Brandon was very thankful, and as I climbed into bed at 11:00 we were still able to joke and laugh. That is one of my favorite things about my relationship with Brandon. We laugh together - a lot. Even when it's late and he is sick, we laugh.
Thursday morning he slept in and went to work in the afternoon. We were going to have company for dinner on Thursday, but I called and canceled that since he still wasn't feeling well.
We had big plans scheduled for Friday/Saturday. He thought he'd be up for it, though I knew he was exhausted. So Thursday night I made an executive decision. I wasn't going to let him go out Friday night. It was hard, trust me. I wanted him to go with me so bad, but I in good conscience couldn't let him doing something where he'd stay up until after midnight. So, he didn't go...
The weekend is for another post.

Sat/Sun

Sunday morning came plenty early, and we all headed to church. The service was good, and then I stayed a little longer to help at the children's recruiting booth.
We went home and fulfilled my mother's choice for a birthday gift. She wanted new pictures of the girls to put in her frames at home. Since the girls looked nice after church, we headed out back for a photo shoot. Since most of them were individual shots, it went pretty well. Hopefully she got some that she'll enjoy. :)
After we had leftovers for lunch, everyone rested except for me, mom and Analise. We got down and dirty in the garden! We layed the black layer over all the garden and got busy planting. I planted a couple of new things this year - cucumber and green zucchini. We then planted my usual - grape, early girl and better boy tomatoes, green peppers, basil, green beans, and cilantro. It all looks so small and dainty when we first plant them. I can hardly wait to enjoy these all summer long. Grow garden, grow! My strawberry plants are beginning to bloom as well.
After we came in, mom and I worked in the kitchen to make a new pasta recipe. It is spinach lasagna. I tweaked the recipe some and we all really liked it! I used jumbo shells, and fresh spinach instead of the slimy frozen kind. We also made a new broccoli casserole that turned out yummy.
The bonus of this time with my parents was getting an extra day! Yeah! We all took Analise to school, and then thanks to dad, we drove through and got donuts. Later in the morning we headed to Menard's for some dirt and other things. My folks then took the girls for lunch and to play at the park. While they had fun, Brandon and I went for lunch by ourselves. Such a treat!
We then all went to pick up Analise, and she got to introduce them to her teacher and show them her classroom. She was a proud kindergartner. :)
Monday evening they went with Analise and me to her music class. I was so excited for them to see what she is learning and doing in something they've helped invest in. I hope they enjoyed it!
We then met Brandon and the girls for dinner at Qdoba. I love that place. Dinner was fun, but the end was sad. We had to give hugs, say goodbye and watch them drive away. They were headed to the hotel close to the airport. On the way home Maisie mentioned she still wanted Grandmom and Pops here. As I was brushing Analise's teeth, she mentioned that she wished they could stay until Christmas. Mom and dad, I hope you both know we ALL had a great time with you and love you. You are definitely missed!

Last Weekend

We had a great weekend last weekend. Friday afternoon my parents arrived! What a great way to start off. We'd originally planned to hang out in a city about 3 hours away and do the zoo and other things. However, we eventually found out that city was expecting 40,000 people that weekend, so it was hard to find a hotel, and all the prices skyrocketed. So, we decided we could have fun here. And we did.
They weren't home long before we headed to Old Navy. We knew everything in the store was an extra 30% off, and my mom wanted to get the girls flag shirts. I also ended up finding shirts on clearance for Analise to wear this fall. I think I got 4 shirts for about $7. Yeah!
We came home and enjoyed steaks (good job grilling, my man!) homemade mashed potatoes, fresh corn and homemade bread. Yum yum. The girls got to bed later than usual, and then we relaxed. They had put in a long day, and I had been busy, too. So while we relaxed, we watched Brandon get ready for the next day's turkey hunt.
Saturday morning the girls went straight downstairs to read books with Grandmom and Pops. I made blueberry buckle (mmm) all by myself. :) It was my mom's birthday today, and she got to see what May 1 is like where we live. People deliver May Day baskets. It took me a few years living here before I caught on and planned ahead. So anyway, we have this nice slow morning and Maisie finally took off her jammies to get dressed. I got distracted and saw friends coming up to the house with their baskets. I go to answer the door and find all three girls already there....including Maisie in her birthday suit! Thankfully they are close friends, but it was a little embarrassing to me. Of course, it was one of our pastors...Thanks, KS, for just laughing and understanding!
After we were all dressed :) we delivered our baskets to cousins and friends and then went to the new children's museum. (See pictures in prior post). The girls had a BLAST, and I loved having the 1-1 ratio. We spent about an hour and a half, and the girls could have stayed longer, but I knew we needed to get lunch. We drove through for pizza on the way home. After the two younger ones were down for naps, Brandon came home, another May Day basket was delivered, and then Analise, mom and I went to buy veggies/flowers. It was a lot of fun getting out just the three of us, and Analise loves to help pick out flowers. We came home with more than enough veggies for the garden! While we were gone, Brandon rota tilled my garden...a labor of love! Esp. since he'd been up since 4:30.
Saturday night dinner was smoked rotisserie chicken, rice, fresh Green beans, salad and bread. Hope you enjoyed it, mom!
Brandon ended up helping family with something, and mom and I gave the girls baths. After they were in bed, we watched "No Greater Love." It was a nice story with a nice Biblical perspective. We finally all went to bed. More to come...

Picture Memories

Children's Museum Fun

Analise's Music Program

Lat Thursday was Analise's music program, and we couldn't wait to see her sing. It was called "Swinging Through the Holidays" so there was a song for each holiday. She knew the words and actions to every song, and you could tell she was enjoying it. The program was for K-1, and there were close to 175 kids on stage. Brandon got some great pictures, but since others kids were also in the photos, I won't post them.
I wasn't sure how the other two would do for sitting 45 minutes and having to be relatively quiet. I was very pleased. Maisie sat on Grandpa's lap and did a nice job. My real surprise was Sadie. That girl listened to the music and would clap along or try and imitate the motions the kids were doing on stage. I got the biggest delight watching her!
After the program, we drove through and got some ice cream as a grand finale to a fun evening. Way to go Analise; we are proud of you!

Cardinal Excitement

It was an exciting day last Weds, when I discovered we no longer had an egg in the nest but instead a baby cardinal! Isn't it so sweet?

This picture was taken when our little bird was less than 24 hours old.