Mommyville

What we've been up to...

2012-05-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

taping and texturing

painting

singing

praising

dancing

posing

braiding

waking up on the farm

hiding

watching

digging

picnic"ing"

hitting home runs!!!!

Ask for your Blog reader discount :)

2012-05-21T07:56:00.001-05:00

Home for Sale by Owner: $97,000

1978 Rambler, on a 66 x 165 lot. The house has cement board siding (2009) and many new windows. It has a front deck and a basement walkout and features a lower level kitchen. This 4 bedroom and 2 bathroom home with attached double garage has 1800 square feet of updated living space. The kitchen measures 18x12 with laminate flooring and lots of birch cabinets. The living room measures 18x14. The recently finished basement includes a fireplace, large master bedroom, bathroom with large, handicapped accessible shower and a family room. A kitchenette with a cook top, fridge and convection microwave hood oven gives the owner the option of having a renter or in law suite. The house has a gas furnace and central air conditioning. The lot has a spacious backyard with an apple tree, shed for storage, a cherry tree and several rhubarb bushes. Recent updates include new trim and solid wood doors on the main level and brick landscaping. Conveniently located only walking distance from the main street businesses, the school and several churches. Private small town living with all the conveniences only 20 minutes away from Sioux Falls. See more photos at http://smilebox.co/Juvenv. We are VERY motivated to sell and this home is move in ready! For a showing or for more information please leave a comment or email me!

Guess what time it is?

2012-05-20T14:07:00.003-05:00

All week long... :)

SONRISE National Park is the theme for this years VBS.

Eating snack

Getting ready for awesome crafts

Some of the superb decorations this year.

Playing games

Sanding wood for this craft

Bible story time

Closing around the campfire.

Wish you all were here with us!

Meet Macy

2012-05-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

This is our newest family member. It just sorta happened. We love her. She is an 8 week old lab. I have never seen my kids so eager to care for something. Let's hope it doesn't wear off. Isn't she just adorable?

It's Monday and I am so thankful for this

2012-05-14T08:16:00.004-05:00

Ephesians 1:7

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace...

a rant

2012-05-09T22:09:00.002-05:00

If you are looking for some nice fun lovey dovey post move on. Keep moving. This one is not going to be pretty. So either prepare to hear me whine or go some where else. Thank you.

I just put the kids to bed, check the time, almost 10 pm. I started at 8. When I went into the girls disaster of a room I was HORRIFIED to find permanent marker all over their bunks, the walls, the sheets, the toys...everything. They spent almost 3 hours in there pretending to take a nap, just like they do almost everyday. When they emerged I was playing catch with Maleah outside and I noticed that Nora's face looked a little blue. I asked about the markers and they confessed. I am one of those moms who keeps a little art kit with WASHABLE markers in their room just in case they feel a Picasso moment coming on. There is paper there, too. Although it is rarely used. I didn't even think about the marker because I knew it was bath night. Someone must have put a permanent marker in their box. It's too late now to worry about who to blame. I went ballistic and packed up every single toy. I filled kitchen trash bag after kitchen trash bag with barbies, my little ponies, squinkies, books, dolls, legos...the pile in the garage fills the space of a car. How did they live in that room with all those things? They were crying and bawling the whole time I was scooping the toys up. Can I just have one? PUUUULLLLLEEEAASSSSEEEEEEE momma? Nope. Not even a single lego. I don't know if I will even go through it. I'll have to calm down a bit and see if I want to do the work or just dump it all at Goodwill and start fresh. I hate stuff.

I started this cleanse thing 9 days ago. I quit my vitamins cold turkey and started this. It probably wouldn't be a big deal to most people but I take a ton of vitamins. D, A, B, C, calcium, E, lysine, fish oil, and one more that I can't remember right now. But I am telling you I AM A DIFFERENT WOMAN WITHOUT THEM. And that is NOT a good thing. I really miss my vitamin D. It had to be the week when the sun is hiding, too. I feel icky, exhausted, crabby and downright mean. I am tempted to throw in the towel but it's a 10 day cleanse so I am gonna do one more day. Pray for me.

I haven't planted one thing yet. So, in August when I am bawling my eyes out because I have no tomatoes or peppers or onion to make salsa I will probably be as crabby as I am now. Still, I have no motivation.

I had to get a sitter last night, actually two sitters. One so that I could go enjoy my weekly turbo kick workout and one so that immediately afterwards I could attend the city council meeting. I made a friendly joke about turning in a voucher for babysitting. No one laughed.

I hate being sad. It makes me want to sleep all day and not do even the simple things that need to be done. The laundry is growing legs and moving all around the house...it's in every room now. I haven't done the dishes in a couple of days and we have no spoons or forks.

What is it with this weather, cold, hot, really hot, cold, rain, hail...it drives me nuts.

I really need a haircut and to wax my eyebrow and lip before someone mistakes me for a long haired man with boobs.

Did you hear that Obama decided that a marriage is legal even if it isn't between a man and a woman? How did this guy get elected and why does he think he is God? I would be very afraid to be him on judgment day, very, very, afraid.

I don't discuss politics much on this blog. So I have to go. I think someone wants to play words with friends with me now.

An evening at the lake

2012-05-08T16:12:00.001-05:00

This morning it's cool and breezy, but last week at this time it was HOT. So we took a trip 6 tiny miles south to Lake Vermillion where we went fishing and by the end of the school night, swimming.

Just making sure there are more dandelions for next year...BLOW

Shore fishing.

Gavin and dad made sure all the poles were in working condition.

Nora found the swings with Maleah.

Then, our cousins showed up, in their suits. MOM, why didn't we wear OUR suits. Don't know maybe because it is May 1st?

Rolled up the capris.

Getting her feet (and butt) wet.

Addi stuck with fishing. She was really excited to use her new pole from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Russ.

REAL excited.

So, while everybody else (I can't believe it) swam.

Addi fished.

Gavin, coming to see if Addi is catching anything.

Nora called this a MUDDY pie.

She fed it to the fishes.

Addi casted out and Gavin tried to catch her little orange fish on the end of the pole.

Dad taught Addi to cast and she did quite well.

Nora didn't want to put her shoes on so Aunt Josie carried her wet, muddy niece to the van.

Things I am afraid of

2012-05-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

1) summer schedules

2) diets

3) moving

4) going bankrupt

5) raising children into good people

6) satan

a purple jelly bean

2012-04-30T18:32:00.000-05:00

Here I sit, in the messy living room. My feet tired from a long unscheduled day at school. The foot rest is just out of reach and I am too exhausted to get up and move it. Supper plates are askew on the table. Food is still warm on the stove. Baby dolls and toys are tossed about in random positions. The kids are outside and I can hear their voices through the open window. The television is on with the news blaring sad stories of death and destruction. I can't reach the remote or I would turn it off, it's depressing. My husband is in the shower getting ready for the night shift. He just got off the phone with a baseball coach and has added yet another game to a overbooked summer schedule of ball games. My brain is toast. I came home from school and started supper right away so that we could eat together before dad leaves for work. Sometimes dinner is the only time we are together in the same room for more than a minute or two.

I am thinking about my full inbox of emails. The google reader is full of hundreds of recipes and deals that I may or may not read. I am itching to see how many of my friends have played "Words with Friends" today and whether or not I am winning.

This is it. This is my life. Not so pretty, not so "good". Just plain and real and painfully messy. I twist my bent and scratched wedding ring to a proper position so I can type with out the tiny, blemished diamond rubbing my finger.

This morning after I got the call to sub, after I showered and woke the school age kids, after I got dressed and put on real people clothes and not sweat pants, as I was blow drying my hair... I stepped on it.

I felt the squish under my foot. I turned off the hair dryer and looked down to see a smashed purple jelly bean on the rug. This is what it has come to, I thought. This is my life. I step on jelly beans in the bathroom. At first I was disgusted. How embarrassing to have a smooshed candy on the carpet in the bathroom! This was a tiny purple piece to the puzzle of my life.

I try to remember a time, a long time ago. The gears in my head creak and moan and I try to think of a quiet peaceful time when my house was always neat and tidy, when my calendar did not look like a doodle pad. I can hardly remember it.

Is that really awful? I can't remember when we was just we and not us, when supper meant take out or a restaurant. I do not even recall when laundry was barely done once a week and garbage could be forgotten to be put out because it didn't even fill the can. It almost seems unreal that my life was ever like that.

All day I have thought about the purple jelly bean. I thought about it when the teacher called the room I was subbing in to tell me my son got sick right next to the trash can in his classroom. I thought about when I called my husband to come and pick my son up from school. I thought about the bean on my lunch break and on the short two block drive home from work. I thought long and hard about that little colorful stain on my bathroom rug. I finally came to the conclusion that if I had a choice I would choose the purple jelly bean life over the empty calendar life. I mean that purple jelly bean is so much prettier, so much sweeter.

I can hear them now, the kids are singing. They are all hanging out together and I am here with my tired feet and fried brain and I am smiling. I am pretty sure God placed that purple jelly bean in my bathroom this morning intentionally. (well, with a little help from an adorable three year old) Thank you, Lord, for reminding me how blessed I am. Thank you for the sweet, colorful, reminder that life, sticky as it may seem, is certainly a gift.

A recap of the week...

2012-04-29T11:26:00.001-05:00

On Monday we hung out with Great Aunt Kathy. We planted flowers for newlywed Grandma.

Then we went to the park and played. Then we went to the pub and ate lunch.

We were all in dire need of a nap so we crashed in Grandma's living room and slept.Then we brought Kathy to our Pajama Party reading rally. We forgot to remind her to wear her jammies. She said that was okay.

On Tuesday we took Great Aunt Kathy to the airport. We waved at all the planes we saw for the next few hours, just in case it was hers. Then we brought hard tacos to dad at the hospital for lunch, only by the time we got there it was kind of like taco salad. He said it tasted good anyway. On Wednesday we went to Grandma's and picked all her asparagus and looked for photos of Grandpa Cliff. Then we came home and made steak, hashbrowns and asparagus to celebrate our 14th anniversary. On Thursday the bigs had their spring concert. Maleah played her recorder and sang a few songs.

Gavin sang a tribute to American soldiers while photos of our community members scrolled on a huge screen. We saw pictures of Great Grandpa Toffel and Grandpa Cliff.

Nora directed the concert from her seat. Every single song.

On Friday dad, Gavin and Addison left to go to the cities to help Aunt Lisa and Uncle Russ move. Nora and mom and Maleah stayed home because Maleah had a piano recital today. Can you name that tune?

**Thank you Mr. VanRuler for the video, next time block me out, I won't wear that outfit again, geesh...

Wedding - by the numbers

2012-04-25T08:37:00.001-05:00

94ish new family members, he comes from a big family
54 bobby pins in Maleah's hair
29 people from Mom's side of the family at the wedding
24 tables covered with rolls of plastic and very difficult masking tape
20+ flower arrangements made by a few talented women on Friday
18 grandchildren all together, hope Grandma and Ted take their vitamins :)
12 day time cough medicine doses taken
10 the number of the spray tan I decided to go with, shoulda done the 8
8 jordan almonds an Italian wedding tradition, 8 to represent new beginnings
5 kinds of cupcakes at the reception, my favorite was the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
3 times the kids got to swim in the hotel pool
2 very happy newlyweds on their honeymoon
1 exhausting wedding weekend

Mom's married!

2012-04-23T07:32:00.000-05:00

What a weekend. We'll talk later, until then here are some photos...

Jo's van on the way to decorate Friday morning...

the decorating crew

grandma's doilies

the woods and tea cups

the dutch tradition, a tree full of wishes, the italian tradition was the jordan almonds as favors

the flower arrangers...

candles and fresh flowers

lilacs from mom's garden, she also brought apple blossoms

who knew we were all so talented?

mom and ted

the rehearsal

the rehearsal dinner

lady in waiting

kids in waiting

jo's arrangement for the ceremony

Here she comes!

waving the streamers afterwards

18 grandkids

chocolate cupcakes

first dance

proceed to party

stepsisters

Easter Egg Hunt

2012-04-13T10:23:00.001-05:00

We have the MOST fun at the annual Easter egg hunt in Scotland. Grandma has gotten wise and scheduled the meal around the hunt. Here are this years photos. We made out well this year earning not only the participation prize but the grand prize in each category as well! Go go Gordon egg hunters!!!!!

The money ~~ball~~ egg.

She was the last to hunt.

So eXcItEd!

Got one!

We came. We hunted.

We dyed eggs.

We napped.

We posed with handsome Andy.

Waiting in the wind.

It's almost time!

It was quite cold with that wind.

Too old to hunt this year!

Grand prize egg hunter!

Strategizing.

more strategy...

Watching the big kids hunt.

Winner, winner!

Hope your Easter was just as fun!

Art of Dessert: Chocolate Wasted Cake

2012-04-13T08:41:00.001-05:00

Kristie!!!!!!! We need a girls weekend and we are gonna make this cake....get ready!

Art of Dessert: Chocolate Wasted Cake: Ever since my brother started using the phrase "I wanna get chocolate wasted" from the movie Grown Ups , I've been wanting to make this ca...

Spring chicks

2012-04-11T07:13:00.002-05:00

We are so blessed to have friends who buy baby chicks and get them sent in the mail. No kidding! These babies arrived USPS in a relatively small box, all 61 of them. Last night we got to go and see them and boy were we excited!

There is just something about little baby chicks and that adorable sound they make, peep, tweet, cheep. We were enamored. They are such a beautiful shade of reddish gold. One of them is called a "rare" and he is much darker than the rest of them. They are already starting to get their feathers. I can almost taste those farm fresh eggs!

Spring makes me think of new life. Baby chicks, green grass, and the reminder of Jesus' death on the cross that washes (forgives) us clean (new life) of all the black, yucky sins we commit. What a beautiful season! I pray that you can take the time to enjoy it.

We are hustling and bustling here and I am just so thankful we took a bit of time to slow down and hold the baby chicks yesterday, it will be the highlight of our week, no doubt!

a ramble

2012-03-26T07:06:00.001-05:00

There is so much more value in doing the dishes than just getting them clean. Last night I asked the bigs to help me dry and put away and we had the best conversation. They are growing up so fast.

It's a bad idea to make a loaf of beer bread on a chilly Sunday afternoon when everyone else is busy or sleeping. Just saying I should have doubled my workout this morning.

The sunrise is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous, blues and purples and pinks. I am tempted to wake the littles to see it, but I am not that stupid :)

Saturday was beautiful. It was near 80 degrees. We played outside all day, got sunburned and then yesterday it barely made it past 40 degrees. Only in South Dakota...

Nora begged to cook yesterday. She made the best banana bread. She used LOTS of chocolate chips, because they are "very yummy and good".

We put the for sale sign up again. We are praying for someone who will love this house as much as we do to come and look at it. If we can sell, we may be able to move to the farm and, according to the kids, buy a lot of animals. I should go see that movie where the family buys a zoo. Perhaps then I will think twice about moving :)

Maleah reminded me that I told her I would play a duet with her for her recital. I spent all weekend practicing with my left hand in the treble clef. I wrote all the notes in and I still can't play as fast as her. Why do I pretend I can do these things?

When the truck was in the shop we needed it almost every day for something. Now that it's home and we paid the gigantic bill we haven't driven it once. Isn't that the way it goes?

Gavin has been begging to sit up front in church. For as long as I can remember we have sat in the last pew. Our church is very small so the last pew is actually not that far away but still...So I gave in and sat in the second pew on Sunday. As we were leaving church my mom looked at me and I looked at her and our eyes widened. "It's a whole 'nother world up there". My kids are very used to being in the back pew. It didn't help when Pastor started the service off giggling and saying, "you are throwing me off", either. We'll see if we do it again. I think I will wait to see what the kids say.

It's Monday, which in our family is sorta like a Saturday and a Monday with a Friday twist. Dad has the day off, the kids have a regular schedule and I don't have a sub call...yet.

Happy week, my friends. I have been a terrible blogger as of late and I can't say that it will improve anytime soon. Life is more than a computer screen :).

Wax Museum SD History

2012-03-21T08:47:00.001-05:00

A few years back the 4th graders at our school started this project and it is a very cool way for the students to learn about SD history. Anyway, each student picks a person, place or thing to write a report and make a poster about. Then for the monthly reading rally they dress in character and parents and students go around and "push a button" on the poster to hear the wax figure come to life and tell their story. It is a bit of work but the kids enjoy it and so do the spectators.

After a bit of research, Maleah chose Amanda Clement, who was the very first woman umpire. Her story is interesting. Her brother played baseball in the early 1900's and before one game they were waiting on the umpire who never showed. Her brother volunteered Amanda, whom he said was a pretty good ball player and could take the guys place. She was only 16 then, but she went on to umpire for 5-6 years and paid for her college education. Anyway, Maleah slid (pun intended) into character with her speech and I videoed it for grandma,dad and you. The sound is pretty bad, but you get the main idea.

First Boat Ride of 2012 Quotes

2012-03-19T20:22:00.004-05:00

Nora, "Mom, what COLOR is the water?"

Maleah: "It's really windy and Nora's hair is blowing in my face."

Gavin: "Dad, can I drive?"

Addi: "We go fast, daddy. I can see the back of the town from here."

The whole family enjoyed the ride, although we pretty much fill the boat up :)

Pisteuo

2012-03-12T20:07:00.003-05:00

Did you know the word pisteuo, to believe in Greek, appears in Matthew and Mark ten times each, in Luke nine times, but in John ninety-nine times? NINETY-NINE, that's like almost a hundred. I have read before that John's purpose was evangelistic. He wrote to produce faith in Jesus Christ as the son of God.

So what does it mean to believe? The local high school cheerleaders chant, "We believe that we will win!" at games. I guess you can say that to believe means to hope against all odds. But I agree with the author of Deeper into the Word, Keri Wyatt Kent (my newest Kindle Fire download), that this is not the belief that John speaks of.

The author says;

To be a believer is not to consider yourself His biggest fan. Rather, it means you stake your life of his claims; his proclamation of divinity, his assertion that he can forgive sin, his radical statement about being "the way, the truth and the life." To believe is not just to give intellectual assent, but to stake your life on the premise that such truth will save you.
Pisteuo means not only to believe but to place your confidence in something, to rely upon it. It is often translated "commit to," or commit to one's trust."

Belief does not simply change our mind about God, it changes who we are. We are filled with life- not just for eternity but for now. Belief means we live differently, because we live fully.

I believe.

I participated in a Bible study awhile back with some awesome friends. (really miss you guys) It was a Beth Moore study called Believing God. We learned about Godstops. A "Godstop" is any means by which God goes out of His way during your day to make Himself known to you.

Recently I have been experiencing some of these Godstops. They have been real, consistent, and continue to strengthen my faith. I would like to share just a couple of them with you.

We got the news from the dentist that Maleah would need braces. We also got the estimate of what it would cost. I got scared. I prayed. I got a second opinion. It was still scary. I prayed about it. Then Ryan came home from work and told me about a year long contract he was thinking about signing. It would be a small raise. Guess how much? Almost exactly what the braces would cost. Godstop.

Gavin had been begging to shop at the mission Haiti store uptown. (A local business was having a thrift sale and all the proceeds went to Haiti.) So I grabbed the cash in my purse and a shopping we went. We spent about a half an hour looking at stuff, picking out things we couldn't live without, we got some new things, some new to us things and something for everyone. We got to the checkout and I pulled my cash out. I had exactly the amount that the total was, thirty-seven dollars. Kinda weird, but no big deal. So we came home to show our bargains. Gavin was showing his father the FCA New Testament Bible he got. They read a story and the Bible verse together. Later, Maleah wanted to go up and shop for a bit. Dad took her. When he came home he had the biggest grin on his face. "Do you know what verse I read out of Gavin's new Bible before I left?" It was Psalm 37. Cool, huh? Yes, I spent $37 and I Ryan read Psalm 37. Coincidence? Nope. Guess what? Ryan found a wall hanging with that verse on it at the sale. It stared him down and he just had to bring it home to me....Godstop! Do you know what Psalm 37:4 says?

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Which may mean nothing to you, but to our family, in our present situation. It means a lot. All of a sudden we looked at each other and just laughed. We have been crazy worried and stressed about "things" in our life and this verse just reminded us that as long as we keep the Lord in our life and believe and delight and trust in Him our life will change for the better. Whatever the Lord desires for us will be in our hearts and because He loves us, enough to sacrifice his one and only son, He will provide for us not only our needs, but our wants, too. Is not that AMAZING?

Ryan was snapping photos of things for Grandpa to sell and Nora had to get in on the action! Don't worry Grandma, we won't sell Santa!

The obligatory I haven't blogged in too long 10 list...

2012-03-06T14:51:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I needed three of me. I had a Dr. appointment and I got called to sub, twice.

That pretty much sums up how this winter is going. It's as crazy as the weather. I just got back from a short run and I feel like I may have heat stroke, something told me to turn around after a mile and a half. I am glad I did. I was way overdressed and my goodness it's almost 70 in the sun! WOW.

I know I have been neglecting the little blog. It's a bit dusty and all the corners have cobwebs. I am online everyday, I just feel like I don't have time or worthwhile words to post. Here is a brief update of what is going on in Mommyville;

1) My mom is getting married. MARRIED!!!!!! This event planning has pretty much taken over everything in my life at this point. The lucky man is from just East of Sioux Falls and he has swept my mom off her feet, quite literally. I am extremely happy for her, although it will take some getting used to having her in a different city and not in church every Sunday. I have been spoiled. The wedding is in April and will be a gorgeous, blessed union of two amazing God loving people. I can hardly wait.

2) Our piano broke. Middle C just came right off. Which means Maleah is practicing on a keyboard that is VERY LOUD. We are in search of a (nearly free) piano if anyone knows of one. The smaller the better :)

3) Gavin (8) is aspiring to be a chef or at least a baker. He has made cookies twice in the last week. He has learned the difference between T. and t. and now knows how to fluff flour. He also loves making supper. He has made barb-ques, chili and eggs and pancakes. He loves to be in the kitchen about as much as loves to watch football. He helped me make chili the other night for the preschool chili cook off and we won 1st place in our category. He got his picture taken and everything. He was so pleased!

4) Uncle Glenn showed the girls his false teeth. Addison was scared of him but Nora says, "that's what happens to old people, they are just like babies!"

5) Dad and the girls went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Gordon and Uncle Glenn yesterday and the decided to take the boat out. It was quite the adventure. You will have to ask the girls about it, their rendition of the event is quite hilarious. Let's just say old gas and no oar makes for a interesting boat ride.

6) Ryan has applied for the twelve month work every weekend position in his department. It will make for some changes around here. Some good some not so good. We made a list of cons and pros and he decided to turn in his application. We'll see if he gets the job and then we will plan a lot of during the week camping trips, I guess :)

7) I have been busy driving the kids to the dentist, orthodontist, preschool and games. I have subbed enough to make me feel like a professional and help out a bit with the budget. I can't believe how quickly February went. I think I am getting old. The days are spinning past me faster than I can cross them off the calendar.

8) Yesterday on the way home from the doctor I saw thousands of geese flying north. It was quite the sight. People were pulled over on the interstate taking photos. If that isn't a sign of spring I don't know what is.

9) We are still trying to sell our place. I haven't done anything but word of mouth. We are 'on the fence' about moving and I truly believe that if it's God's plan it will get done no matter if I hire the best Realtor or not. Well, that, and I am cheap.

10) What are you doing at your computer? Get outside and sit in the sunshine today and get some vitamin D. It's way good for you :)

i love a good giveaway

2012-03-06T07:10:00.002-06:00

Do you shop Amazon? I do. Here is a great giveaway for an Amazon card to get you started or help fund your habit! ONLY AMAZON DEALS giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Camo

2012-03-04T12:07:00.001-06:00

How cool is it when you match your bedspread without even knowing it?

Deprived

2012-02-23T17:09:00.001-06:00

This picture was taken one week ago. We had a "picnic"on the deck for lunch. Yesterday it was near 50 degrees.

Today, however, my snow deprived three year old was in HEAVEN. She was outside for over 2 hours. I had to beg her to come in.

She did beg me for some raisins and carrots to make a snowman, which was actually more of a snow pile, but who is judging? I watched her spend at least 45 minutes making the perfect face and devour most of it in less than 5 minutes. I guess playing in the snow make you hungry. Sorry little snow pile, your life was short lived.

She also ventured over to the neighbors house to 'help' her brush the snow off her car, but ended up trying to start a snowball fight, good thing she can only hold a teaspoon of snow in her hands or we may have had to call in a mediator. It was like she had never seen snow before. All morning she was smiling and laughing and really soaking it all in. Literally, she went through three pairs of mittens :)

Heart Hair and She Shoots She Scores!

2012-02-15T16:14:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning I cut my workout 15 minutes short (thank you Michelle) so I could come home and do heart hair.
Then; I got ready, sent two off to school with valentines, made my lunch, got one off to preschool with valentines, subbed, came home, a~~te candy,~~ made supper, crammed everyone in the car, drove to Maleah's ballgame, spilled goldfish all over the bleachers, watched Maleah score 10 points, visited with friends, came home, got the kids ready for bed and REALIZED I DIDN'T TAKE A PICTURE OF HEART HAIR YET. So, forgive me for the worn in heart hair look. This is truly an all day style :)

side pig tail hearts for Maleah

back pony heart for Addi

one tiny toddler pig for Nora

and some of the game for Grandma and whoever else is interested...ignore my commentary, something comes over me when I watch her play and I pretend that I am the smartest coach in the world, foolish, I know, but it's that transformation thing I was talking about...

Wintring (Winter + Spring) or Sprinter

2012-02-10T12:07:00.001-06:00

Maleah has been really enjoying her basketball season. I am shocked at how much it changes me as a person. I turn into a crazy screaming mom who yells from the bleachers with no concern for her other children or those seemingly normal, quiet people who sit near her. It's sort of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr Hydeish.

Anyway, this last game was only her age group and she really had fun. So did we, watching her. Hence, no really good pictures, sorry.

Last night, for some reason, the kids conned me into making valentines. After much online searching and looking for the perfect ones. Gavin decided on these...

Maleah and Addison, thank you Jesus, decided to use some of the boxes I had purchased at the clearance sales last year. Then Nora made a "yist" of people that she really needed to give Valentines to. So we made some for her, too. Addi and her signed every one all by themselves. They wanted me to write their names on scratch paper so they could "copy". They are growing up way too fast.

Speaking of fast, anyone else think January went by pretty quickly? And here it is the 10th of Feb? Yikes!