More starts with Memorial Day!

We were eating dinner and Red wanted more cheese so I asked him "Do you want more?" He shook his head "yes". Monkey says, "More starts with Memorial Day. MMMMMMMMMore and MMMMMMMemorial Day...you see!" It was pretty cute the way he said it. We had a great day today. We got up and went to the parade...which is ALWAYS a treat for the kids. They get **CANDY** the funny part about that is the bag of candy is hanging on the door and neither one of them have mentioned eating any of it. It will hang there for about a week and maybe 3 pieces will get eaten by each of them at the most and then we will toss the rest. But they really did love running after the candy being thrown! GG was so sweet. Some of the people throw one piece of candy at a time to a group of 10 or so kids. Anyways, GG got the one piece thrown and she gave it to Monkey. It was the first candy of the day for her and she gave it to her brother because he didn't get one. I thought that was just the sweetest. I love her heart it is just so caring and loving. Monkey was cracking me up because he ran so fast to get the candy and he ended up with almost twice as GG...not that it mattered because it all went into the same bag. GG, of course loved seeing the cheerleaders, ballet dancers, and dancers. Monkey's favorite part was the karate kids that went past, a little boy about a year older then him, broke a piece of wood. That was big stuff to him. Red loved the bands and each time he heard the music he would start to dance...super cute.

Target Practice!

We didn't end up taking the kids to the zoo because of the weather. But we still had a fun day. Tuesday was super busy crazy!!! We had playgroup at our house and we celebrated Red and Cameron (they are 4 days apart) birthdays. GG had gymnastics that afternoon and then J and I went out on a date. He took me to the department and we shot at targets. I did pretty well. I actually shot more then 2 times. Last time he took me I was pregnant with Red and I was scared the vibration from the gun going off was going to hurt him. Silly, I know, but I still thought it! This time I rocked it, J was almost scared :) Today's excitement was after we picked up the kids from school we went out to eat at Jimmy's. Yummy, food!!! Well that's it for now.

Best dressed Kid!

Today we had Red's birthday party and he got some really cute outfits. He is definitely going to be the best dressed kid around! He really enjoyed eating his very own birthday cake :) He was quite messy. It was a nice party but the best part is that it is over ;)

Friday GlamorGirl's class had a field trip to Lamb's Farm and I went along. We had a blast. J also was on the shift that started a couple hours later then normal so we got to spend time with him before work. Then we met him at a park. The kids always love doing that as do I!!!

I was just sitting thinking about uploading some pictures of the field trip and party but I am just too worn out from all the excitement. Maybe I will tomorrow. Wait we are talking about taking the kids to the zoo tomorrow so maybe in a couple of days...

My BABY is 1 year old!

Birthday BOY!
Me and my Mama. We are quite the pair!
Do I get to keep this number 1?!?!
Upclose and personal with this little cutie.
Our scholar :) He was so serious for this one!
Our bright shining star!

You've got to love that little snicker of Red's. I just can't believe how fast this year went.

A Happy Mother's Day

J made a power point presentation for me as part of my mother's day gift. It was really cute. I am trying to figure out how to get a link to it so you can see it :) Anyways, it had each of the kids birth statics (with pictures of them just born) and about my labor with them and then other pictures of me and them over the years. Very sweet! He gave me 2 dozen red roses...my favorite. Then after church he made me close my eyes and he drove me to this really yummy restaurant where we ate lunch. Then we hung out with his parents and now we are home and after dinner the kids are going to rub my feet and play with my hair while J rubs my back. Oh yeah I also got two tickets for an hour body message, rock on. I just have to call and make my appointment. So that is everything that J did. The kids each made me something at school. GlamorGirl made a jewelry box, very pretty. Monkey made a hanging basket with his handprints on it. During sunday school Monkey made me a necklace with his picture on it and GG made me some flowers made out of dryer sheets with a vase! Then while we were at the church service they each made me a card. Seeing their faces light up when giving me their gifts was the best. I love those kids with all my heart. I definitely feel blessed to be called their mom :)

Crazy Day

Yesterday after school I took Monkey on a date to pizza hut to redeem his book it award. Then we went to the movie store and got two movies one for the kids and one for J and I. When we got home I put Red down for a nap and we played a few games then put on the kids movie. At one point during the movie all 5 of us were on the couch snuggled up on the blankets. Most of the time it was J, I and one or two of the kids. It was such a lazy and rainy day. I had a ton of fun just being with everyone watching a movie. Now today on the other hand is a CRAZY day. GG has a birthday party to attend at 2pm at a gymnastic center. Then Monkey has a birthday party at 5pm. Red's friend from playgroup is turning 1 today (after getting the 2 other parties for today) I talked to the mom and she is only doing a family party. I am thankful for that because I think I would of gone insane trying to get to 3 different parties!!! It kind of works out though because J wants to do a project with the kids as part of my mother's day present. I am taking GG to her party and staying with her and J will do the project with Monkey then I am taking Monkey to his party and it will be GG's turn to make one. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings :)

Update

The garage sale went well and so did the kids lemonade stand...they made $12 :) Today we normally would have gone to playgroup but instead Red and I went on GG field trip to the Library. We walked and it was a really good time. After we got back Red and I went to the office to see grandma and she gave Red a chocolate cookie. He really liked it! After school we went to GG gymnastics class and it was teddy bear day. She thought that was pretty exciting. This evening we met J at a park which is always nice to have a change of pace. We are almost done with the second book in the Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series. GG really loves it and Monkey is interested in it some of the time. Well the two oldest are in bed time to get the baby there too. Then it is mommy relaxation time. I get a bowl of ice cream and sit back and watch some good ol' television!

Garage Sale

Today was the first day of the garage sale. We spent the last week getting ready for it. If you know me and I talk about having a garage sale again, remind me kindly, that I *really* don't want too. The kids had a lemonade stand and in a 3 hour period of time they made $6.75 with a cup costing 25 cents. They were pretty tickled about that. I think they are going to want to have a stand ALL the time :) As far as the actual garage sale we have gotten rid of many "treasures" and have made a little cash. We priced things to sell not much was more then $1.00 with many things being 10 cents! That's about it for now...

It's been awhile...

Today Red and I went to playgroup then we headed over to school to walk/run for the Race for Education. It went pretty good Monkey and GlamorGirl both did 7 laps on the track...one short of walking/running 2 miles. I was pretty impressed :) This afternoon GG had gymnastics when that was over we came home and played outside and I started going through stuff for the garage sale on Friday and Saturday. But I got unmotivated real fast and just talked with the neighbors. The kids just got done eating dinner and are getting ready for bed. I am going to read to them before bed...so I'm outta here.

We're BACK!

The kids and I went away to my mom's it was our spring break get-a-way! It was fun Red and I went line dancing with my mom. I just put him in the sling and away we went. He loved it. While I was trying to do the moves he was bouncing up and down in the sling that it made it very difficult to dance.

The funniest thing happened right before we left here. We stopped by my dad's work to drop something off. GG says, "Grandpa would you like to go with us to see your old wife?" She was as serious as day when she said it. I almost died laughing! My dad just told her he had to stay and work. They have been divorced for over 20 years. She is so innocent and I love that.

The kids had a blast playing with my brothers and their new dog. I enjoyed seeing my family. I just wish they lived closer but I think when the toll road is done it will cut down the travel time...I hope! I really have nothing else to say I am just trying to keep myself awake for 20 more minutes so I can see my wonderful hubby. We weren't gone that long but I missed him. I love waking up and seeing his face...I just really enjoy his company.

Oh yeah NEWS FLASH: Monkey can officially buckle himself into his carseat! It is the coolest thing ever :) I push a button to open Monkey and GlamorGirl's side of the van and they pile in and buckle themselves!!! SCORE I just take Red and put him in and by the time I am done strapping him in and get in and strap myself the older two are buckled. It has saved so much time!!!! Can you tell I'm a little excited about that?!?! Well I am just rambling now so I am going to call it quits and surf the net.

Sweetness!

This morning I woke up to my little Red giving me a kiss on my mouth. It was a sweet kiss with no slobber! When I opened my eyes he gave me the biggest smile. What a sweetheart.

Sunday the kids had their Easter program at church and they both did a great job. Such little hams on stage :) We spent the rest of the day at J's parents. The best part was that J didn't work!!!

Yesterday we went to met the K's at the Discovery Center in their town, which is a children's museum. I had the camera because it was in the van from taking pictures at church. I got to take one picture of Monkey and the batteries died. I was so sad. But we had a blast. We stayed til closing then we went back to our friends house for dinner. We left there house after 8pm so it was a pretty late night.

Today we are going to be coloring our Easter eggs...I know a bit late but we have been so busy. This afternoon GG starts her gymnastics class!! Oh yeah, I LOVE BEING ON SPRING BREAK :) Later...

London Bridges Falling Down...

It seems the last few days where ever we go someone falls down. The day we went fishing this guy had his dog and Monkey went up to the dog and the dog charged Monkey and the guy wasn't as strong as his dog so he landed on his butt. On the way to church last night a man driving a motorcycle took a turn too fast and he dumped the bike. J drove back to see if he was ok but he landed hard on the ground and fast. Then today we bought me a bicycle and at the store a lady was trying to get on the bike and she wiped big time, almost knocking down several bikes. It was only after today we realized that people have been falling right and left around us. Well we are going to take a family bike ride now. I am so excited we went and got Red a helmet so he could ride on the back of my new bike!!!!

Waiting patiently

The kids are being so good waiting for grandma and grandpa to get here with their Easter presents before they head out to see my brother, Kevin's family. I don't even know where to start! Last night was absolutely AMAZING. J and I had so much fun on our date. We are not one of those couples that sit at dinner and just eat. We talked and laughed, we have always had really good communication in our relationship. The food at the restaurant was the best Mexican food I've ever eaten and we have leftovers...score. After dinner we walked around holding hands and trying to lose the extra weight we just put in our tummies :) I am going to make a point to make a date night at least once a month with J. If GlamorGirl gets once a month I should too!

Now I want to take some time to elaborate on Red's happenings. Now that he can crawl diapering has taken a whole new life. As soon as the diaper comes off and he thinks I am done wiping him. He flips over and crawls away naked. Since we have been outside alot I have put Red in the grass to see what he does. His reaction the first time was PRICELESS. I don't think he liked the feel of it but after a few days sitting in it I believe he has gotten used to the feel. He has now started to eat it, he has created a new food group for his diet. First it was mud and now he added grass! He *loves* the swing. At the park yesterday I put him in the baby swing and he was laughing and smiling the whole time. When I went to take him out he threw his head back in protest. He has a stubborn streak to him. I just can't believe he is going to be 11 months on Monday. Another thing he has been doing lately that just cracks the neighborhood up is whenever he hears laughter he starts laughing. When we sit outside with the neighbors and we all start laughing there is Red laughing right along. Which, of course, makes everyone laugh even harder because he is just too stinkin cute when he does that.

GG and Monkey don't have school today for Good Friday, and neither one of them slept in for me. I don't think it helped that J got up at 6:45am! The plan is that after the grandparents leave we head over to the library and then the park district to sign them each up for a summer activity. The rest of the day we will probably spend outside playing until J gets home. I am so happy it is nice out. I need to get the kids summer clothes out soon. Well I'm outta here.....

Sleeping AGAIN!!!

Now that the weather is nice the only time I can get on here is when they are all sleeping! We have been having so much fun outside. We have gone to a few soccer games and yesterday we went fishing. Red was funny because it was windy out and he was swatting at the wind, he finally realized it wasn't going to go away. GG and Monkey were funny to watch when people caught fish. They got so excited and were jumping up and down and running around. The only downside to fishing was that J lost his cell phone. But we still plan on going again! Today we had lunch with some friends and then went to the park afterwards. Tonight J and I are going on a DATE. I am so excited. We aren't even taking Red with us :) Well I need to go get some stuff done while the babes are sleeping :) I hope everyone has a Great Easter. Remember what it is truly about...Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and then 3 days later rising from the dead. He loves us so much that he died for our sins.

They're all sleeping...

even GlamorGirl the one who doesn't take naps! After lunch while I cleaned up J put all the kids down for naps and he fell asleep too:) So the kitchen is clean and a load of laundry is started so I thought I would get on the computer. The variety show last night was so much fun. The kids each got to see their teachers there. They thought that was the greatest. We sat next to our babysitter's (Jess) mom. She was making Monkey laugh so hard I thought he was going to bust a gut! Before that he was flirting with the highschool girls sitting behind us, he's a big flirt. It doesn't help that his aunt is a freshman in highschool so all of her friends just think all the kids are so cute, Monkey eats it up. GG loved watching all the singers and dancers. The music made her dance, she couldn't keep still! At one point she was doing the air guitar. It was pretty funny. She can't wait til she is old enough to be apart of the show. Both kids got a big kick out of watching Jessie, as they call her, during her song. Red even enjoyed himself and ended up falling asleep at the end. On the way home Monkey fell asleep now we only live about 5 minutes from the school but their bedtime had passed about two hours before. I carried Monkey into the house and put him on the floor sitting up. He had his eyes closed the whole time "pretending" that he was sleeping. It was really funny because he was trying so hard to keep those eyes closed while I got his pjs on him. Finally I said, "Well everyone who is still awake can have ice cream." His eyes opened so fast!!! I said, "I was just kidding I wanted to see if you were really sleeping." Then he says, "I know you were joking because I can't have sugar this late." J and I laughed so hard at that one. What a smart little boy.

TGIF

I am so thankful it is FRIDAY. Red and I went back to the library today and had so much fun. He really enjoyed the bubbles at the end. They also pass out little bees for the kids to hold while they do a bee song. Too cute. I am looking forward to leaving in about 20 minutes to go to school for the variety show tonight. It is so fun to watch the different skits, dances, and songs. The best part is J will be with us because it is his first day OFF!

Red

Here, I'll just sit here for you and be super cute!

What is on my head mom? It feels funny.

Oh, it fell off, where did it go?

Where did mommy go?

Oh there she is!

Such a happy GUY!

I'm hot stuff going all over the place.

What is that flash I'm seeing?

Stopping for a break...it is hard work. And I *guess* you can take a picture :)

He is going to the water bottle! He has finally figured out how to get places by army crawling instead of rolling and going backwards!

Red and I had a busy day today. We went to Bible study and then came home fixed lunch then took Jess (our babysitter) to get her license. She has gone 3 other times, once they were closed or close to it, and the other two time they were done with the driving test for the day. I told her since I am home I could take her during her school hours if her mom didn't mind. Of course, they were both frustrated and really wanted her to get that license. So she is now officially legal to drive! I was so happy for her. It was cool to be apart of that experience. While we were gone J and GG made a celebration cake for Jess. That was really cute. After we took her back to school the rest of the afternoon we spent outside playing. I love this weather :) I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Who will be taller?

Monkey and Red were laying on the ground next to each other and I never realized how long Red is, I got out Monkey's baby book to see how long he was at that age and he was shorter. I think Red is going to be my tallest and GG is going to be my shortest. I thought that was interesting!

We ended up going to the game yesterday and staying for the whole first game. The kids had a blast and they were covered in mud. Today was another game and we went they got dirty but not as bad as yesterday. And this time I was smart and brought a picnic dinner so that when the game ended at 6:15 I just had to take them home, clean them up and then put them to bed. I can tell they are enjoying the time outside :) As am I.

GlamorGirl floored me the other day. She drew a picture on her magna doodle and said, "Mom, can you guess which Bible story I drew?" The picture had a couple of people and a wall. I, of course, said, "Joshua and the battle of Jericho." Her reply was, "No mom. It is Joshua and the battle of Ai. You see this is Joshua." So proceeded to tell me all about the battle that she learned during Bible class. I was just amazed at how much she knew and how accurate she was at retelling it.

Our Happenings!

Yesterday was pretty interesting. We got up late because we forgot to change the clocks but we still made it to church just 10 minutes late. Not bad. Then when we got home my dad was waiting at the door to take GG and Monkey. So the two older kids were gone from 1 to 6, so Red and I went to a really fun baby shower. Red didn't really get to see the kids until 6 and when he saw them he was smiling and laughing so hard. It was really cute. GG gave him a new nickname "laughy taffy" you know like the candy! I thought that was pretty clever of her. She is so funny. GG ended up in our bed last night because the storm scared her and J ended up in Monkey's bed because he also got scared.(Monkey not J!!!)

Today Red got allergy tested and just like I suspected he is allergic to all dairy from a cow. But stuff from goat and sheep he is good with. Then after school we took the older two to Pizza Hut to redeem their book it certificates. Later today Liz has her first home game of the soccer season. I am hoping to make it there for at least a little bit. The sun is shining right now so I am optimistic.

Strike A Pose!

We built puzzles together while the boys were sleeping and she looked to sweet to pass up taking pictures of HER! Once she figured out what I was doing she started to ham it up as you can see.