We're back!

It was a pleasant afternoon. The kids were enjoying homemade ice cream cones.



Froggie was especially liking his..





The sun was shining and the birds were singing...




It was one of those perfect days that don't come along that often...



The moment passed...



Panic set in...



Chaos ensued...



The terror was evident...




Both boys were in obvious distress...






The cause of the fright.....






Sparklers... What brought one child such pure joy



was torture for the others. After lots of encouragemnt, Froggie finally braved it. I don't know if he ever liked it, but at least he tried.






Kermit, on the other hand....



There was no convincing.



Hope every one had a happy fourth of July! We sure did..... Next year we might skip the sparklers!

Happy Birthday Felicity!

It's hard to believe that Felicity is nine! She is such a fun little girl and she is growing up so fast. I want to slow time down. I want her to stay little forever. We had a fun celebration week for her big day! Felicity decided to postpone her birthday dinner until the weekend, so her nanna, pappa, and uncle John could be there. On her actual birthday I took all the kids to a fun place called ijump. It was full of different inflatables for the kids to run and jump on. No pictures, sorry! I was too busy trying to keep up with all of them! We had a great time. On the way home we stopped at McDonalds and Felicity's dreams came true when I let her get a happy meal. Honestly I could have stopped there and I think she would have been satisfied! After we ate, she opened her presents. She got a board game, one of her all time favorite things to do is play games, from her Great Grandma and Great Grandpa!



From Mom, she got a nintendo DS and from her brothers she got a game to go with it.



That next Sunday we had Felicity's special birthday dinner. I always let the kids choose whatever they want to eat for their birthday dinner. If they choose ice cream, that's what we eat. They have full control. Felicity has been choosing the same thing for four years running now. Barbeque chicken drumsticks, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. This year, she made the addition of ribs to the menu! She thoroughly enjoyed her dinner.



I also let the kids choose whatever kind of cake they want. Felicity this year requested something with chocolate and peanut butter! Oh the possibilities were endless and I spent a good two weeks trying to decide what I would make for her. I finally decided on a chocolate cake with a peanut butter filling, and a whipped chocolate ganache frosting. Holy cow! This cake was LOVED by everyone, most importantly Felicity!



I always wonder what the kids wish for as they blow out the candles.



As the birthday girl, Felicity got the honors of cutting the cake and taking as big of a piece as she wanted.



This picture is deceiving. This cake was a good five inches tall and Felicity cut herself a piece probably four inches by four inches. Needless to say she wasn't able to finish it, but she had a good time trying.



There is something special about this little girl. She has such a tender heart and is kind to everyone. We love having her in our family and appreciate everything she brings into our lives. Happy Birthday Felicity! We love you!

Too tired!

I love Froggie! I love his laugh. I love his smile. I love his laid back, easy going personality. I love how calm he is. I love how he just goes with the flow. I love his developing sense of humor. I love how he looks around the room for me when he realizes I am not right by his side, and I love how his eyes light up and he smiles when he sees me. I love that he is a snuggly boy. He really is such an easy and happy boy, except when he's not.



We were running behind one night last week, so dinner was later than usual, which meant bath time was later than usual, which pushed back stories, prayer, and bedtime. You know how it goes. Kermit and Froggie are sharing a room right now, and I have learned the trick for nap time and bedtime to go smoothly. Kermit has to go to bed first, and be asleep before Froggie goes in. Otherwise Kermit climbs into the crib with Froggie and it quickly turns into a party. Poor Froggie was exhausted and ready for bed.



There was no consoling him at this point.



Every attempt just frustrated him more.



Since snuggles weren't helping I decided to get down on the floor and "cry" with him.



He wasn't sure what to think at first.



I didn't give up. I just acted even more silly until I got what I was after. A smile, sort of.



It didn't last long....



Good night Froggie!

Kermit

A few months ago Kermit had perfectly groomed hair. Then life got crazy, and I missed one haircut, and then another. It had gotten out of control.




As his hair got longer I fell in love with the little curls. So I decided to let it grow out, and see what would happen. I love it!



Kermit is a busy boy. He is up around five o'clock in the morning and runs nonstop. He talks up a storm and loves to laugh.



Kermit has wonderful manners and always remembers to say please and thank you. When he hurts his brother he always says sorry, even if it's obvious he doesn't mean it.



As wonderful as he is, there are moments when this sweet boy makes me want to pull my hair out. He is all boy with nonstop energy, and we rarely make it through a day when he doesn't look like this by seven o'clock.



I love this age. I love seeing the world through his eyes. I love seeing the magic of a dandelion, the mystery of rollie pollie bugs, and the fun of rain puddles. I love that this sweet boy helps me see the joy all around me.

Kittens!!!

The kids are in love. Two of the cats had kittens within a few weeks of each other, and the first litter(is that it's called) are finally big enough to play with. Felicity loves to snuggle the kitties. She has become fast friends with all the animals in the neighborhood. This kitten is definitely her favorite.



Kermit tries to be gentle. He is successful for the first few minutes and then he forgets. I have found him pushing kittens around the house in the Barbie car. I have found him holding a kitten upside down by the tail. I have found him playing basketball with a kitty and a rubbermaid container. He loves them so much and sometimes he loves them a little TOO much!



The best part of having the kitties around is watching Kermit "teach" Froggie about the kittens. Froggie isn't quite sure about them yet, and Kermit has made it his personal mission to bring them together. Here he is showing Froggie that the kittens are our friends! Progress has been made, but Froggie still isn't completely on board with the whole idea of kittens.

Froggie

Froggie turned one(in February, I'm a little behind with my blogging)!!! He is walking all over the place. Froggie loves to play outside and dig in the garden. He is such a snuggly boy. (I originally typed baby, but had to change it, since he isn't really a baby anymore!) This boy keeps me on my toes. He is so busy trying to keep up with Kermit that he is learning things way faster than the other two did. He has a well developed talent for climbing. He gets lots of practice.



My favorite thing he does right now is he walks over to me, reaches out his arms, so I will pick him up. Then he puts one of his hands on each of my cheeks and turns my face to look right at his, and then he plants a wet, slobbery kiss on me!!



Froggie loves his brother and spends a good portion of his day "talking" to Kermit. They have become pretty good playmates, except when they both want the same toy. Then Kermit grabs it and Froggie screams. Fun times! Although over the past little while Froggie has learned to hold on for dear life to any toy he really wants to play with. Then they both get to screaming and that is REALLY fun times!



There is something special about this sweet boy that just melts my heart! He is getting big way too fast and we are loving watching his little personality develop.

A lesson for Mom

We got home a little later this evening than I had planned on, so I was trying to rush through the bedtime routine. Late bedtimes always equal grumpy kids at our house.

Kermit uses the potty, check.
Pajamas on, check
Teeth brushed, check
Family prayers, check
Froggie in bed, check

I go to lay Kermit down and he starts crying, Pare Momma Pare! In my rush, I tried to make my sweet two year old go to bed without saying his own personal prayers. How grateful I am to get to learn from these sweet children. They truly are my greatest joy! (Froggie too, I just couldn't find a recent picture of all of them together!)

Dear Jason,

You are a fantastic realtor. You found the perfect home for our family. You were always available to answer our questions. One problem....I remember you telling me that it never snowed here. That I wouldn't even need a shovel. Have you looked outside?

The kids are loving the snow. We have had lots of it this winter. Last weekend we got close to a foot. Monday was a snow day. Felicity had Tuesday and Wednesday off for Teacher work days. Thursday she went to school, and Friday was another snow day. We got another 18 inches or so of snow on Friday and Saturday. I am waiting to see if she will return to school tomorrow or not. Just checked the school's website and school is closed again tomorrow.

We have kept busy with the snow. We spent one night making snow ice cream. Here's Felicity collecting some clean snow for the ice cream.



We made marshmallows one day. Before they set up we made some peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches.



We were also lucky enough to have some visitors this past week. Margaret and my little sister Christina came to visit. We have had lots of good laughs in between shoveling the snow. I am all dug out. If it snows again I am looking for shoveling reinforcements. Anyone interested?

We have also been working on a birthday present for a sweet little boy who's almost one. More to come on that later!!

She's so cute!

My sweet little sister is expecting her first child in the middle of February. Chrissy and her husband Jacob came up to visit this weekend, and I was lucky enough to get to take some photos of them. Here are a few that I have finished. I can't wait until this little baby gets here so I can love on him or her. Is she not the cutest pregnant lady you have ever seen?