Hot days

When the weather is hot

there isn't much better then sitting on the steps with friends
enjoying a nice cold snow cone ....

Memorial Day

Last year I wrote this as my Memorial Day Post...
Since I still feel the exact same, and am so busy with monkeys that I don't have time to write something new, I will point you in the right direction to read what I wrote last year...
Happy Memorial Day!

Mother's day wall art

I can't believe I forgot to share my "Mother's day wall art"!

It was beautiful and surprising!

Oh how it made me smile!

My heart, well, it smiled too!

A little imagination and some wikki stix made this momma smile this mothers day!

(Just a note though, don't have your children do this because when I took the wall art down it peeled the paint off the wall. A small price to pay for my wonderful gift!)

Park play

When it's a nice day out there is no place the kids would rather be then outside playing.


Thankfully we live in a great neighborhood and can go out any time we want.

But some days it is so much fun to go to a park.

And we are so very fortunate to have a number of wonderful parks in our area.

So last week, after a morning appointment we headed to one of those parks.

The kids spun around until they were dizzy.

They took breaks for juice boxes, or rather, roaring waters, I love those things.

They did some climbing and driving on the big "truck".

I played with them and enjoyed them!

I also spent time just looking at their sweet faces and being so thankful for the opportunity to spend so much time with them while they are still little.

This also happens to be the last time the sun shined around here and I am really missing that sun!

Please, Mother Nature, if you read my blog, we need some nice weather!!!!

17 YearS

It was 17 years ago today that Chris and I went out on our first date.
I had a crush on him for quite some time before that. Actually to say a major crush would still be a huge understatement!
We went out with friends to play pool, I could count on one hand the number of times I have played pool but I would have gone almost any where if it would have meant spending time with Chris.
This actually is not our first date, just hanging out, but it's the night he asked me out for our first date.
After playing pool we went to leave and discovered that my friend Kathy, who drove us to the pool hall, had locked her keys in the car. Chris and I went across the street to grab a soda out of a soda machine while we were waiting for Kathy's dad to come rescue us. On the way back across the street Chris asked me if I was going to the prom. I said no. He asked why and I said that no one had asked me.
That's when it happened. He asked me out on a date. TO THE PROM! I had to seriously contain my excitement and just calmly said yes even though my insides were trying to jump out of my skin!
Over the next few weeks I made all the plans for the night. A new dress, I tried on a hundred and ended up buying the first one I tried on! Hair, nails, make-up, flowers.... It was so exciting!
Then the night I had anxiously awaited came.
It was prom night.
Our first date.

17 years have gone by and I still could recount pretty much the entire night. I won't bore you by doing that though. Just know that it was an AMAZING night and the start to an even more AMAZING relationship.

What I realized a few months ago is that it is not just 17 years, it is half my life. I am 34 years old. I have been with Chris for half my life now.

And that major crush on him back then is absolutely nothing in comparison to what I feel for him now. He holds my heart in his hands. Our relationship is better then it has ever been, and it has always been great! My love for him is beyond what any words could say.

The last half of my life, the last 17 years have been WONDERFUL, so wonderful in fact that I am looking forward to the next half of my life with my soul mate by my side!

It's just a phone

A couple weeks ago our phone went kaputz and I had to get a new one. I am very particular when it comes to phones and only wanted a Panasonic. The two little ones and I went to Sam's club and the only set that really worked for us had a base with a corded phone. I hadn't realized that my kids never really see corded phones, too funny!

That afternoon when Katelyn got home from school she was in awe over it. She just thought it was so cool. She asked if she could call her best friend on it and I said sure. This is what I heard when Ryley answered the other end.

"Guess what! You're never gonna believe what I am calling you from! Our new phone! And guess what, it's attached with a cord to the wall!"

I couldn't stop laughing as she continued her conversation with her best friend about the very cool new phone we got!

Easter

Time is just getting away from me lately! Life is so busy and time to blog just doesn't seem to be part of it. That would be why, even though I uploaded pictures of Easter just the day after Easter, I still haven't gotten around to writing words to go with the pictures.
So finally... Easter Sunday!
We spent time in the early morning playing games with the eggs that the kids had dyed the day before. Games like "egg war" and "spoon/egg race" that are so much fun to little kids! Not only was it fun but it bought us some time while waiting for Ben to get up.



We finally gave in and woke Ben up so the egg hunt could begin. He was half asleep for a while but the half that was awake only wanted to eat the candy out of the egg he did find and not look for any more.

The big kids however, nothing held them back from looking all over. The egg that was hidden in the ramp thing in this picture wasn't found for a few days though. I always loved finding hidden treats days after Easter when I was little!

This adorable baby chick and three of her friends found their way into the Easter baskets so we had a lot of chirping around our house.

Then we went for Easter dinner to Chris' aunt and uncles house which is always so fun and wonderful!

Here is Nana and Ben! He was way too busy keeping an eye on the dog, making sure she didn't get too close, to look at the camera and smile.

The six of us!

My family! My life!

Look at these absolutely beautiful sisters!

As usual, Auntie Joanne planned a huge egg hunt for all the children.

This year there were about 25o eggs! The kids LOVE this and remember it the whole year looking forward to the next!

There was a lot of playing, running around, and even some baseball that children and adults played!

What a day!

Easter, a day to be even more thankful for the wonderful life that I have been blessed with.

Ben in a basket

Kate: Mommy, Mommy, come in here!

Me: What is it Kate?

Kate: Just come here you've got to see this!

Me: I really can't honey, I have something on the stove that I can't leave.

Kate: Just come here really quick! You have to see what we did to Ben, it's so cute and he loves it!

Me: Kate, I am sorry but I can't leave this. Just tell me about it.

Kate: Where's your camera, I will take a picture!

Me: It's right here but I don't know if I want you to use it.

Kate: I promise I will be really careful and you will really want to see this!

Me: OK

Ben in a basket... Very cute! Thanks for the pictures Kate! Love you!