Monday Surprise

This week is one of those "busy every morning, busy every evening" kind of weeks. And yet here I blog....hmmm...

Anyway, I had a surprise for Brandon on Monday night. After a busy day, taking Analise to music, eating a late dinner at 7:10 and rushing to get the girls to bed on time, Sweet Twin #1 came by at 8:15 so Brandon and I could go out on a date. And what did we do on this spontaneous date? We went to Menards (so romantic, you know :)) and then to Applebee's for half price appetizers. It was nice to get out with him one on one and to talk. I  just wish I wasn't so tired. It might seem silly that we need to go out at that hour, because all the girls are in bed. But when we are at home, there is always something else wanting our attention. So getting out of the house was a good thing!
Thanks to sweet T for doing your homework in our living room so we could go out!

A Day Away

Warning - several photos.

When Sadie was released from the NICU three years ago, we went and saw a pediatric eye doctor. He told us at that time to come back when she was three. And here we are already. I decided to schedule this over break since we needed a day away. We arrived for the appointment, and 15 minutes later we were finished! I was so proud of Sadie; she talked with the doctor and did what he asked, and the other two girls did well, too! Dr. showed Sadie some pictures on a card and then posted those same pictures on the wall to see if she could see them. She saw them all, even with one eye at a time. Her eyesight is 20-30, which is as good as you can get at this age. And she can see 3D. Again, we feel so blessed! Thank you Lord!

We went from there to Kohl's. I had  some Kohl's cash burning in my pocket, so I spent it on some new flips flops. (Or as Maisie calls them, "slip slops.") We at lunch at Fazoli's and headed to the state capital. Analise wanted to see it so badly. She had talked about in in social studies as part of their state unit. When  we drove by, there was a parking spot, so we decided to go in. I've lived in this state 10 years, and this was my first time here.

 Ready to go in

 It is a really pretty building! Brandon, Analise and I enjoyed looking around, and the other two had fun walking around and not being at Kohl's. :)

 We took the old, tiny elevator up to the viewing balcony on the 14th floor. We were able to see all parts of the city.

 Analise took this picture of us; she was so excited  to use the camera!

 Each girl took a little break from all the walking.

 I am so glad we decided to do that; it was a highlight of the day for most of us! From there we went to the park. Since it was such a nice day, the park was rather busy, but that didn't stop the girls from having fun.

After the park we did some more shopping, ate dinner and headed home. I was looking for summer clothes for Analise and had a hard time to find things that I was willing to let her wear. And willing to pay. It was good to get out of town, enjoy some family time, and have some time with Brandon in the car. We listened to two cds from David Jeremiah's series from the Coming Economic Armegeddon (sp). Very interesting...looking forward to eternity with our Savior!

Spring Break (?)

It hardly felt like spring, and I didn't feel like I got much of a break, but regardless...last week was spring break.

At the beginning of the week, we made a family "list" of things we wanted to accomplish. I thought it would be fun to look back at what was on our list, and what got accomplished.
- Analise wanted to go boating...didn't  happen. :)
-Go to a park
-Nature barn
- go for a walk
- feed the carp at the bridge
-Analise work on counting money
- Maisie work on writing her letters
- Easter egg hunt
- play tball
- blow bubbles
- daddy hang the new swing
- work on throwing and catching with a baseball mitt (Analise)
- clean the front courtyard by raking and pulling old plants
- organize closets and drawers
- find spring dresses in totes
- organize basement
- plan my meeting for Kid's Camp
- clean and change bedding
 - paint toenails
- have a puppet show
Most of the things that didn't get accomplished were outdoor things, and that's because the weather was so icky. And for some reason I thought I could get some projects done. I must have been delusional when I thought that. I barely got "normal" things done with all three girls around.
Here is a peak at our week:
Sunday - Brandon washed car while I cleaned out the front plant area. We then went and fed the fish.
Monday - girls and I went to Target to get some things. We realized later that Maisie left her coloring book at the checkout lane, and I never purchased it. That went over like a lead balloon.
Tuesday - fun day out  of town. (another post)
Weds- rough day. Crabby girls, irritable mom, Sadie had three potty accidents, Maisie had her first play day and had lots of fun, Maisie decided to cut off a little of her hair, I took Analise and Sadie to the grocery store while Maisie was gone. Analise was a huge help. Weds. evening I had a meeting at church. I'll admit, it was nice to leave the house!
Thursday - stayed at home, picked up minivan, had meeting the afternoon for Kid's Camp. Maisie and Analise went over to Grandma's to sew on a button and help her plant seeds. I had an hour to myself to plan my meeting.
Friday - playdate in the morning, afternoon at home cleaning, family night after dinner. The girls did a puppet show for us, and then Brandon and I gave them an Easter egg hunt. Fun times.
Saturday - we went to an open house at Brandon's old house. It was so fun seeing how it was remodeled!
Wedding in afternoon and evening. And it was quite the wedding! WOW. It was for Brandon's coworker and his fiance who we've gotten to know through the Truth Project. There were 1000 people at the reception! It was super fancy, and I felt a little out of my league, but it was also lots of fun!
Sunday- church, dinner at the inlaws that went into late afternoon which led to no naps...so I was the only one who went to small group. Brandon stayed home to get the girls to bed early.
Looking over that list doesn't look overwhelming, but we all slept in later, so our days were off a little, including bed time. I felt like my time to crash was later in the evening, so I then would stay up later...oh, the cycle!  By the end of the week, I had managed to finish a great book!
And now we are back into the Full Swing of things!

Life Highlights

In the last couple of weeks:

- We took our annual drive to see the birds migrating. The girls had fun watching and listening to the birds. Brandon then took the girls up a hill to sit under the interstate to listen to the semis when they drove over. They weren't all that impressed. :)

- I found a $170 wool coat that I wanted at Kohl's and paid $20 for it!

- We took  our annual "trip" down to a local farm store so the girls could play with the chicks. The simple things are what they love!

- We had a dinner/movie night last week. We ate pizza on the tablecloth in the living room and watched the movie "Chestnut." A cute, cute, clean movie. Again...the simple things.

- Brandon is almost finished with his Sunday school class and the many hours of preparation. He is glad, and so is his family. :)

- Sadie LOVES her new bike. She will ride in circles on the patio. She's not too thrilled on sharing it, and most of the time I'm okay with that. The other girls have their own bikes, and Sadie can't ride theirs.

- My nephews came over to fill out their March Madness brackets. It's a tradition around here. We all fill one out and then try to keep up on it. My bracket is virtually over since Kansas lost.

- We are beginning the process of planning our summer. It takes quite a bit of planning!

- We had to take the minivan in this week to get the bumper fixed. Sadie kept asking me, "Where is the minicar?"

- Maisie told me she wanted a "gorilla" bar for a snack.

- Maisie is in the habit of asking me what time it is. Like time matters to her. A conversation usually goes like this:  Maisie, "mommy, what time is it?" Me, "3:15." Analise, "Mom, it's 3:12." So she is learning about rounding....

And that's all I can remember...

Random Photos

My sunglasses bit the dust last week, but when Sadie put on the frames, I thought she looked cute. :)

 Here is my reader in such a comfy reading position...maybe?

 She loves Potato Heads

 All three girls have been hopping around the house on their hopper balls. Even Sadie is quite the hopper!

 This may make me sound old...but I enjoy watching the birds eat when I stand at the kitchen sink. My favorite...the cardinal!

Beautiful Snowfall

Last Sunday we had the most beautiful snowfall. (And this comes from the gal who can't wait for spring and warmer weather.) It came down nice and gently, and the flakes were huge!

 It was one of those snowfalls, where you just had to go catch flakes with your tongue. Even Brandon and I caught a few.

 A little snow doesn't keep my man from grilling.

Analise's Artwork

Analise had some artwork chosen to be hung at the mall as part of their art gallery. Needless to say, she was excited, and I think I was a little in shock that a daughter of mine would be chosen. I have zero talent in the art world.

 Here she is with her jungle picture.

Sadie's Celebration

We celebrated Sadie's birthday with the local family on Friday. She was so excited to celebrate again. For dinner, I made ham, cheesy potatoes, and fresh corn. Grandma added a lettuce salad and french bread. Not only did Sadie enjoy her birthday meal, but everyone else did, too.

Here we are with her cake. I chose to make a sunglasses cake, because she has always loved sunglasses!

 I talked to my mom early in the afternoon and told her how excited I was about the cake; it actually looked like the recipe's picture. However, it got silly after that. Throughout the evening I heard comments about it looking like a bikini top. Later my nephew asked his mom, "mom what is that anyway?" She asked him what he thought it was. His guess, "butt cheeks?" We laughed and laughed. I made a sunglasses cake but really it made for some great laughs.

 She got a new Camelback water bottle from S and D; she loved it!

 A kite, a kickboard and bubbles from D/S and boys. She wanted to go swimming and use her board.

 A new swimsuit!

 The grand finale...a new bike. That smile is genuine. Since she's had it, all she wants to do is ride that bike!

Birthday Celebration

Sadie  has been looking forward to her birthday since Analise's birthday a month ago. I'd frequently hear her singing happy birthday to herself. So when she woke up this morning, and I told her happy birthday, she was thrilled. We walked into the kitchen together, and I turned on the lights. I wish I would have caught it on video. It went something like this:

Sadie, stops dead in her tracks after seeing the balloons, " woa...birthday balloons?"

Me, "Yes!"

Sadie, "Thank you mommy!" and gives me a big hug.

We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and I let her open one present. She got new pink, sparkly shoes that she just loved.

Another sweet moment was when Maisie got out of bed. As she climbed down the ladder from her bunk bed, she sang happy birthday to Sadie.

 We had Kindermusik this morning, so that was a great place to be for the birthday girl. Here she is dancing.

 Grandma picked up Sadie to take her out for lunch. Sadie had lots of fun and was probably the most excited about drinking lemonade with a straw.

 Miss Maisie went over to Aunt Sarah's house for lunch; it was a special time that Maisie enjoyed. They made a sweet card for Sadie. When Maisie gave it to Sadie, Sadie said on her own, "Thank you Maisie!"

And since I had no children home for lunch, I met my man at a Chinese restaurant for lunch with him. I'd been craving for an outing with him, so this was just what I needed.

 After daddy got home from work, it was time to open presents! We gave  her the shoes, a new Curious George movie, a summer outfit and a piggy bank. Oh, she loves that piggy bank. Now she can put pennies in her own bank instead of Analise's. (Sorry Analise. :))

 They do love each other!

 Grandmom and Pops gave Sadie her own stuffed Daschund. Now all three girls have their own "Minnie." She hasn't gone anywhere without that dog since we got it.

 After presents we ate a quick supper and even quicker birthday cake dessert. We had to rush out the door for Awana. She didn't mind the rush.

 I admit, I couldn't decide on what kind of cake to make for Sadie Lady. When I would ask her what kind of cake she wanted, she answered with "an eyeball cake." I like to pick something out that represents who they are. And when I think of Sadie, I think of singing. She LOVES music and loves to sing. So how does one make a music cake that a three year old understands? I mentioned an ipod cake to Brandon the other day and shared my concern that she wouldn't know what it was. The next day Maisie was holding my ipod and pretending it was a phone. Sadie says to Maisie, "No Maisie; that's for music." And that's when I knew I could make my three year old an ipod cake.

It was a good day. She wore her "birthday girl" shirt all day, so people would naturally ask her how old she was. The stinker always answered, "Four."  She enjoyed talking on the phone with Grandparents, and aunts and uncles. I enjoyed talking with them, too, after Sadie's two minute conversation was over.

Sadie, we love you and are blessed by you. God knew you were just what we needed!

Blink of an Eye

Doesn't the saying go something like: the days go slow, but the years fly by...

I think back three years ago where I spent nine weeks in this room. I look at pictures and watch the videos, and it all comes back to me: my feelings, the smells and the tastes. I almost can't let myself go there.

 And then she comes...all 2-13 lbs of my little fighter. Again, I look back at the pictures and videos and get overwhelmed. Makes me think of the Mercy Me song - "I just can't say enough about You..."

 She was so fragile and yet so determined. As I tucked her in to bed tonight I told her, "God has big plans for you." But really, hasn't He already shown Himself in her first three years?

 And here we are today. She's three years old and weighs 27 lbs. No one can tell by watching her that she had such a rough/early start to life.

And the one thing that doesn't change:

Lovely

Plus

 Equals:

Lovely, isn't it?