A dose of reality

I think it's official, we are Indiana-ized. C pulled up to the house with this contraption and I thought, "Oh my goodness, what is going on here???!!!" Of course the G's loved it. The truth is we are putting in 4 garden boxes in our backyard and C was collecting dirt for it. Big G is helping with the shoveling. And they're off!

Our Ten Month Old Little Girl

Little G just turned 10 months this past Saturday. I am so amazed at all that is developing in her. Here are just a couple of things that she is doing these days:

Getting a new perspective from the stairs

Driving

Swingin' at the park

Eating ALL by myself!!!

Deep tub diving

Cooking up gourmet meals for the family

Trying new hair styles

Sharing my opinion on life

This growing up thing is just one big adventure after another. What will the next few months bring?

The New Time Out Spot

C was "playing" with the kids when he called for me to come "see." When I entered the room this was the sight I saw. Both of them on "Time Out." Not really, it just looked like a good idea when we saw them sitting there so still and content. I think they actually both "like" this spot, so it's not a good time out spot (I would never put my kids somewhere like this long term, just to clarify). Just liked the scene and wanted to share.

Is tomorrow comin'?

I am looking forward to tomorrow. I have gem of a friend who is gone on a conference with a team from church (which includes C) and she is totally blessing me with a babysitter tomorrow. Let me preface this with the info. that C has been gone on a conference to Florida last week returned home, dumped his laundry, reload his bags and was off this week to Atlanta for conference #2 and will be leaving next week for a camp up in Wisconsin for another 4 days. SO... being the great an insightful friend, she knew I would need a bit of a break from the children. The sitter arrives @ 9 am and can stay for most of the day if I need her. I am up tonight making my Freedom To Do List for tomorrow. I do love my kids, but there is an excitement in my bones this evening just thinking about driving alone tomorrow with a cup of hot coffee, listening to something beside "Curious George" and having the freedom to go wherever I want. No carseats, no diaper bag, no road snacks, no worries of feedings, diaper changes and ..... well the list goes on and on as you can imagine. So tomorrow I will wake up, DO my hair, wear a snot/food free outfit and hit the road. If you are wondering what I am doing, the list so far is:

1. Car Oil change (way overdue)
2. Pedicure (way, way overdue)
3. The mall to exchange some of Little G outfits
4. Old Time Pottery for some house decor items or Hobby Lobby - I haven't decided.
5. Wherever else the wind may blow me
   

Whether I do any of these things or all -I am most grateful for my friend who is a mom and knows the need for breaks to be a better mom. I love her for blessing me with such a gift of excitement, peace, rejuvenation and fun. I'll keep you posted on the day.

Just sayin' hello!

I can't quite figure out what God is trying to teach me here. But in the last few months I have lost my new (good) camera and our computer decided to die last week. So... that has left me a bit frustrated in the world of mommyhood. I won't bore you with my cell phone saga. I also lost both of my suits on our trip to CA. And no I was not wearing them when they disappeared. They are MIA as well. So...no pics and no place to upload, no suits and cell phone issues. Can anyone come up with the link here? I know, I know, it's a bizarre entry today. The up side, C brought his laptop home from work so that I could at least check in with Cyber world. We have a new computer on order and it should be here soon. My problem is, is that ALL my pictures are on our dead computer. I have 95% backed up, thank you Lord. the other 5% I will have to deal with in counseling (haha). I so have an attachment to my pictures. It will take some time to get everything back in order. Lesson learned on backing up documents. As for the swimsuits, cell phone and camera - I'll have to get back to you on those. Well... Just sayin' hi

Home

Greetings to all. It's been a while since my last post, but we took a trip west for C's work and pleasure for all of us. It was one week gone and it was so great to go to Ca. It was great for many reasons - weather, family, friends, time to enjoy God's creation on the West Coast. It was simply beautiful. We were able to introduce Gracie to cousins and others whom have never met her in person. It was wonderful. It was a great balance of everything and then it was time to come "home." They say home is where the heart is. My "heart" has still not reconciled with that phrase. When I go to Ca. I still say I'm "Going Home!" Yet the Driver's License reads "Indiana" the mail is sent to an address in St. John, yet my heart still says Ca. is home. I'm stuck in a state of flux. I am in both places right now and know that in time the scales will tip and I'll land in Indiana. The time will come I know, but for now I'm teetering. We are so grateful for the ability to travel such a great distance in such a short time by air. The kids do great on the plane and are good travelers. We were happy to come back to our home and the weather seems to be shaping up for us. I think Spring has sprung, I saw green stuff popping up in the front yard. I know that means something good is happening if the plants are willing to sprout. Here are some pics, we love you all, thanks for a great visit.

It was a great Easter

It's so amazing how each year brings a change with our holidays. For years, Easter was always in Palm Springs at my sister Angie's house. We enjoyed great family time, food and fun. We always went to Easter Sunday church service and usually went swimming and laid out in the sun. We always did an egg hunt for the kids and would hide the eggs outside around the pool and throughout the yard. As I mentioned, our holiday celebrations do change from year to year and this year was the extreme. We got up and did our Easter baskets with the kids, headed to church and then to our friends house for dinner with friends and their kids. Sounds pretty normal and fun and then I looked out the window and it was snowing!!! Everyone broke out in song to "I'm dreaming of a white easter" and I in my mind drifted back to Easter's past and was "dreaming" of swimsuits, sun and fun. I was snapped back to reality with the announcement of "Egg Hunt time!" Are you kidding me?! Come on G, let's go find your winter coat and boots so we can go hunt easter eggs! Ok, so the dads go out and hide the eggs and I am showing G through the window where to go and get the eggs as fast as he can so we can get back in the house. Yes, I'm a wimp. In CA, we wanted to find the eggs quickly so that the candy wouldn't melt under the warm sun. No problems here with that concern, if anything the candy would be preserved by freezing and safe for days, maybe even months back here. Anyways, he hunted and had fun with all the kids. We really had a wonderful day with all the families. They truly made our holiday warm and loving. And I do mean that. We are so blessed. We hope you had a wonderful Easter. We are heading to CA next Tuesday. I have already started packing the bags.