Tonight I'm thankful for:

Singing my children to sleep

Christmas lights and how they make me feel warm and cozy inside

The Hanukkah cards Lillian is making for all of her Jewish friends

The way Liam hugs me real right and says, "I LOVE you, Mommy!"

The three different advent calendars that we have counting us down to Christmas

The Christmas songs Sydney has been learning at preschool and how she sings them non-stop around the house

Clean laundry- it's all still in baskets, unfolded and not put away, but still clean none-the-less

Dinners with Bobby, even if they are at 5pm and he has to leave at 6:15pm to work an over-night shift

Piano music from Paul Cardall

Long Overdue List

Today I'm thankful for:

My children, whom I think are the most beautiful little people in the world.

My husband who loves me.

Unseasonably warm weather and a nice walk around the block before going to the bus stop to get Lillian.

Helping Lilly with her math homework.

Playing five rounds of The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel game with Liam and Sydney while I fold laundry in the floor.

The kisses that Liam blows to me when I walk out of his room at bedtime, and how he tells me to have sweet dreams.

The way Sydney bounces and skips everywhere she goes.

How Bobby will stick around to eat dinner with us before he has to leave for his night shift at the hospital, even though it means he'll be a little late.

Audio books that keep me entertained while I clean the kitchen.

Lillian's company. She's my little bff and I'm so grateful for her companionship.

Letter to A Bike Thief

Dear Bike Thief,

You stole my daughter’s bike today.  She’s seven years old.  Today was her first day of second grade.  I took her and her younger brother and sister out for dinner to celebrate, and that’s when you came and swiped her bike.  I have to give you some credit for doing it in broad daylight- that was gutsy.  Lucky for us, a neighbor across the street saw you and yelled at you.  Then she called the police.  She said you were just a boy.  Other neighbors saw the police cars in front of our house and police officers knocking on the door.  They called me and that’s how we found out. You should have seen the sad look on my daughter’s face when she learned that her bike was missing.  Her first verbal response was that she really liked that bike because she loved going on bike rides with her grandpa.  She just learned how to ride it without training wheels this summer. The day before her seventh birthday, her grandpa took her outside after dinner, took the training wheels off, and taught her how to ride.  I’ll never forget the joy and excitement I felt for her, watching her ride training wheels-free for the first time.  The smile on her face was so big; she beamed with self-pride.  That was also the first bike she fell off of and got a bloody knee.  She has many precious memories with that bike, as do I.  Shame on you for stealing a tangible piece of her childhood memories.

I don’t know if you stole the bike to make a few bucks, or if you’ve posted it on craigslist hoping to get a buyer (but believe you-me, I’ll be checking for postings that match the bike’s description). My almost-five year old daughter thinks you took it so you could give it to your little sister who really wanted a pink bike.  I think she’s giving you too much credit for kindness. Regardless the reason; no matter who has it now, I hope they enjoy it as much as my daughter did.  I hope you tell the new owner how you came to acquire it.  Then you can tell them how sad the previous owner is.  Her innocent little seven year-old brain is trying to comprehend why someone would want to steal anything from anyone.  But worse than that, she feels scared.  She’s afraid you are going to come back.  She doesn’t want to go anywhere in the house by herself.  Her personal space has been violated and she feels vulnerable.  Let that run through your head the next time you think about stealing another bike.  

I’ve learned my lesson- all the other bikes, tricycles, wagons, and scooters that were on our front porch are now locked in the garage.  They will stay there until I get a lock to keep them secure on the porch.  My two year old son learned a lesson from your actions, too.  He said he wanted to punch you.  I told him we should always be nice to people, even when they do not-nice things to us.  Then he said he would hug you instead.  Maybe if you got more hugs today you wouldn’t have wanted to steal my daughter’s bike.  So if you decide to come back around, perhaps you’ll want to put that pink bike back on the porch where you found it.  Then you can knock on my door and we’ll all give you a big hug.  

Sincerely,

Sydney's Selfie & Other Things To Be Thankful For

Today I'm thankful for . . .

1. Handprint Art.  This afternoon, Sydney and Liam made some pretty awesome works of art for Father's Day.  I would post pictures of their work, but it would spoil the surprise for you-know-who.  I'm under strict orders to keep it confidential.  So stay posted until June 15th...

2. Picnic lunches in the yard.  Sydney and I had lovely picnic lunch in the sunshine this afternoon.  Sydney laid out a big yellow beach towel all by herself, which she was very proud of accomplishing.  It started to get pretty hot in the sunlight, so we fetched our giant umbrella and ate under its shade.  We enjoyed star noodles, cold pizza, grapes, strawberries, cucumbers, and goldfish crackers.  It was quite a feast.

3. Big umbrellas.  Our big umbrella is good for more than keeping us dry during a monsoon or providing shade during a sunny afternoon picnic.  It can also be a big boat, as Sydney showed me.  She sang "Row, row, your boat" as she rocked back and forth inside of it.  She also twirled it around like a baton, and she even stood up on a chair and stretched up high to make the umbrella touch the ceiling.  It kept her quite entertained for a good while.  I just hope that the old superstition isn't true of having bad luck when you open an umbrella indoors- if it is, we're totally doomed.

4.  Sydney's Selfie.  She got a hold of my phone this morning and took about 50 photos around the house- mostly of her toes, the inside of our bedroom closets, and the view looking over the balcony and down the stairs (I don't want to think about how she had to dangle my phone over the edge of the balcony for those photos...)  Of all of them, this one is my favorite.

5. Lots of time with Sydney.  I just realized how much I'm writing about Sydney.  I'm so glad I got to have some one-on-one time with her today.  Liam has been sick with a fever and a cough over the past few days.  Today his fever seemed to hit a peek and he took a very long nap in the morning.  That gave Sydney and me some extra time to spend together.  We had a lot of fun, but I hope Liam hit the worst of it today so he'll be feeling better soon.

6. Drawing with Lillian.  Lillian wants to learn how to draw a horse, so we looked up some easy step-by-step instructions online.  We sketched, erased, and resketched together.  We discussed where to draw our lines and we asked each other, "How would Unlce Alan do it?"  In the end, our horses didn't turn out nearly as well as the teacher-illustrator's, and we decided that her instructions weren't ideal (although our ability level is probably some of the blame...at least a little bit). :)  I did a quick search on our library's online catalog and found some books by a guy named Dan Green.  He has a bunch of different books on how to do simple line drawings, geared toward kids- "How to Draw....101 Animals; 101 Monsters; 101 Silly People; 404 Things for Girls; 404 Things for Boys; Dinosaurs and Other Cool Things, 101 Ocean Animals," etc.  I'm hoping we can get our hands on some of these books soon.  Lillian suggested getting them for her birthday...hmmm, good idea!

I love how Lilly drew her horse's mane, and the sun with the squiggly rays coming off of it.  Like it's right out of My Little Pony! 

7. The way Liam says, "I want you" and "I want to hold you!" when he wants me to pick him up and hold him.  If he's talking to someone else and I mistakenly think he's talking to me he'll say, "I'm not talking at you, Mom." His little brain is working so hard trying to master the grammar of the English language!  I love it!

June Joys

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Lillian falling asleep next to me with her head on my shoulder and my arm wrapped around her.

2. Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and antibiotics to treat Sydney and Liam's fevers and ear ache.

3. Freeze pops.

4. Paul Cardall's piano music.

5. Warm sunshine. So nice after a long, cold, snowy winter.

6. June! This is the month of the last day of school and the first day of summer! I'm so excited for all the things I'll get to do with the kids, with Bobby, and with other family and friends over the next few months. Can't wait!

Tigers and Kitties and Native American Princesses...Oh My!

Today I'm thankful for...

1. The view out of my bathroom window.

2. When my kids call me "Mama."

3. Face painting!  One of my neighbors painted the kids' faces today.  She is always painting her two little girls' faces and she offered it to Lillian, Sydney, and Liam.  They jumped at the offer and sat completely still while she worked.  Liam was a tiger, Sydney was a pink kitty cat, and Lillian was a Native American Princess.  So cute!

4. Bobby sitting next to me on the couch.  He's been on call today and other than a few hours at the hospital to take care of some things, he's been able to be with us.  We had a great BBQ dinner and he helped get the kids to bed.  He's been able to dodge a few bullets by taking care of phone calls that did not require him to go to the hospital.  I really hope he'll be able to get a good night's rest to start the week off well tomorrow.

Life and Gardening

Today I'm thankful for...

1. The ten dollar bill I found in the dryer this morning.  It's nice to get "paid" for the work I do around the house. :)

2. Lillian's prayer when she said she's grateful for the rain because it helps all the flowers and trees grow.

3. The way Liam holds onto the corner of his pillow as he's falling asleep.

4. Sydney's big, blue eyes with long eyelashes and the freckles on her nose.

5. Flower seeds and gardening.  It's amazing how many parallels and metaphors can be made between planting/growing seeds and life.  Four young women from church came to my house tonight and we planted flower seeds in little clay pots together.  We talked about how growing flowers is like growing faith- they both need specific things in order to grow (flowers need soil, sun and water; faith needs desire, prayer and opportunities to be taught by the Holy Spirit)- they also both need to be nurtured and cared for on a consistent basis.  It's amazing how a seed the size of a pin head can grow into a tall, beautiful, blooming flower- and then that flower can produce lots more teeny tiny seeds that will grow into even more flowers and more seeds....and the cycle goes on forever.  This process of creation reminds me of a quote I heard from a talk a few years ago:

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty..." -President Uchtdorf; "Happiness, Your Heritage"

Cilantro, Dinosaurs, Dogs, & Dinner

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Two little cilantro sprouts!  I'm trying to grow herbs.  My green thumb isn't quite so sure about this endeavor.  A couple of weeks ago, I bought oregano, mint, and basil as little starter plants and transplanted them into cute, colorful pots.  The basil has already died.  The mint looks like it's holding on as best it can, and the oregano is pretty good...I think.  Cilantro is my favorite herb to cook with, but I couldn't get a starter plant so I bought some seeds and started from scratch.  I noticed today that two little sprouts just poked up out of the dirt.  Wish them luck!

2. Dinosaurs.  Sydney wanted to do a "preschool lesson" this morning.  The kitchen sink was piled high with dirty dishes, but I suppressed the urge to go into Crazy-Cleaning-Mama-Mode and instead threw together some activities for the kids.  Liam requested dinosaurs.  We recited poems with hand motions about dinosaurs; pretended to stomp, fly, and run like dinosaurs; learned about herbivores and carnivores; compared Liam's dinosaur toys by color, size, how many legs they walked on, etc; and we looked at pictures of dinosaurs.  The best thing the kids got to do was play with little plastic dinosaurs in play-dough.  I buried them in balls of play dough so they could excavate them like paleontologists.  Then they made fossil footprints in the play dough and Liam pretended that his dinosaurs got stuck in sticky mud and hot lava.  They entertained themselves for almost an hour; it was amazing!

We also read a book called "Chalk" by Bill Thomson...actually, the book has no words so we make up the story every time.  The illustrations are amazing and the kids really like it when I name the three characters in the book after them.  It's basically about three kids who go for a walk in the rain and find a mysterious bag of sidewalk chalk at the park.  The chalk proves to turn a boring rainy afternoon into quite an adventure!  We've gotten this book from the library so many times that I've considered buying it.

Since dinosaur starts with the letter D, I couldn't resist incorporating some Teacher's Creatures in our mini preschool lesson.  I introduced Donald the Dog to the kids. Liam now knows what sound the letter D makes, even though he can't always identify what the letter looks like. :)  At least it's a start....

To go along with our dog and letter D, we read a book about Donald the Dog's friend Marley.  "Bad Dog Marley" is one of Lillian's favorite books.  Her Aunt Sharon gave it to her when she was about 2, along with a stuffed Marley dog from the book/movie "Marley & Me."  Marley is her most beloved stuffed animal.  It is her first choice of snuggle item when she is tired, not feeling well, gets hurt, or needs comfort.  If she can only bring one stuffed animal on a trip, Marley is always the one that gets to come along.  I think her other stuffed animals all have Marley Envy.  Anyways, Marley happens to be a good friend of Donald the Dog, so we read his story today too.  It's a fun story about a family dog who causes lots of trouble but in the end proves that he's right where he belongs.

It was fun, and rewarding, to see the kids learning...and the dishes eventually got cleaned in the afternoon. :)

3. Bobby getting home before we were done eating dinner.  It's such a change from the first three months of the year when he was gone all week long.  I like being able to ask him when he thinks he'll be home and if he'll make it in time for dinner.  He isn't always able to join us at the dinner table, but at least there's a chance he will. 

Grateful Sabbath

Today I'm thankful for...

1. My Savior.  Because of Him I understand that I am a divine daughter with an invaluable sole.  Because of Him I can reach for perfection and become perfected in the process.  Because of Him I don't feel fear or despair when I remember my family members and friends who have passed away.  Instead, I feel a comforting peace and hope in the belief that death is not a dark ending, but rather a beautiful, bright beginning to a new phase of our existence.  Because of Him I know joy.  I know love.   I know.

Easter is over, but this is still a very powerful portrayal of Christ and what he did.  For you, for me, for all of us.  It's only 2 1/2 minutes long, and it's definitely worth watching!

2. BBQ picnics outside on our front porch.  For dinner tonight Bobby grilled his famous chicken and I made our favorite lime-cilantro rice with pineapple (recipe here at Our Best Bites...SO good!).  Bobby also grilled up some teeny-tiny potatoes (real name) from our neighbor along with sweet peppers.  Eaten on a paper plate with the sun on my face, it was the perfect meal!  The kids picnicked on top of the slide while the neighborhood kids lingered around waiting for them to finish so they could have a turn at our new softball-on-a-string batting tee.  After meal time, the neighborhood batting practice session was in full swing (no pun intended).  We sure have some sluggers on our street.  One of my neighbors told me a story about her very first babysitting job when she was 13.  She was watching a little 3 year old.  They were outside in the yard and he had a batting tee like ours.  The first hit he made off the tee sent the ball flying straight through a window in the house!  Imagine that for your first babysitting job!  I didn't ask if she ever babysat for them again.

3. Barbie's new couch.

Barbie is lounging in style.  She doesn't have any kids with messy fingers and leaky sippy cups, so she can enjoy the luxury of white upholstery. :)  I found a really easy tutorial online. (thanks, Pinterest!) All you basically need is an empty tissue box, fabric, tape, and a hot glue gun.  A 4 year-old assistant helps, too.  Sydney sat in my lap during the project, directing where the hot glue should go, giving design advice, and holding fabric in place.  The pillows were entirely her idea and she came up with the designs.  She even helped sew them together!  It was so cute to watch her little delicate fingers work the needle.  I think she has more pillow designs in mind, so the Mom Factory will have to get back to work soon.  The next Barbie furniture project might be bunk beds, so stay tuned.  We're furnishing Barbie's mansion piece-by-cardboard-piece....Barbie has been struck by economic hard times like the rest of us, plus she likes to upcycle her recyclable goods. :)

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Beautiful blossoming trees. Pink, purple, and white buds are everywhere. I love it! Spring time really lifts my spirits after a long, cold winter!

2. Softball. Lillian had her second softball/tee-ball practice and "game" this afternoon. Her best friend from across the street is on her team. They have nice yellow jerseys (better quality than any of the Little League jerseys I ever had!) with matching yellow visors. Their team name is the Liberties. Lillian made a yellow rainbow loom bracelet this morning to give to one of her coaches. I saw him wearing it after the game today. :)

It's so much fun to see Lillian play in the field and herd toward the ball whenever it gets hit her way (which has only been a few times). She has a good swing and she knows how to hustle to first base with her hand clamped down on top of her helmet so it doesn't slump down over her eyes or fall off the back of her head. Any time she sees Bobby or me on the sidelines she jumps up and down and waves to us. It makes my heart jump for joy to see her having fun playing a sport that was such a big part of my own childhood. I hope it brings her fun and excitement.

When Lilly turned three I was ambitious and bought her a real, high quality batting tee. It's finally getting some good use.  Bobby is a genius and he rigged up a softball on a rope so Lillian can have batting practice without breaking any windows or losing her ball in the street. He just drilled a hole straight through one of our softballs and threaded a thin rope through the hole. Then he tied a knot in the rope on either side of the ball to keep it in place and tied the other end of the rope around the base of the tee. It works great!! And it's the coolest new toy on the block. The boys from down the street like to take a few hits every time we have it out in the yard. Lillian's swing is getting better every day.  Sydney is also getting some good batting practice... It's never too early to start! :)

3. Brinner... Breakfast for dinner. Bobby is on call today and tonight. The afternoon was pretty quiet so he was able to see Lilly's softball game and play at home afterwards. When I was about to start making dinner he got called back into the hospital. I decided to ditch nice dinner plans and made chocolate chip pancakes, cheesy eggs, and bacon instead. We love brinner.  Poor Bobby has been swamped ever since. Since he missed eating with us tonight, maybe he can have brinner for breakfast tomorrow morning. Oh, wait. That would be breakfast. Just breakfast.

4. Dance parties. Every where I go I hear kids singing Frozen songs. Especially "Let it Go." I can't get away from that song. So naturally it got stuck in my head today. The only way to get rid of it is to listen to it, so I queued up my Disney kids Pandora station and sure enough it was one of the first songs. We all belted it out along with Ms. Menzel. When the other songs came on Liam asked me to dance with him. How could I refuse that invitation?! Lillian declared an official dance competition so we all busted out our best moves on the living room floor. I had so much fun bopping and hopping around with the kids, but I'm glad the curtains were drawn. :)

Spring...almost!

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Spring....that ALMOST came this week!  Yesterday it hit 60 degrees...so nice!  We discovered little flower buds poking out of the ground beneath all of the snow in our yard.  It's amazing that they came up under such a freezing cold blanket, and through frozen solid ground!  Today was kind of warm, but with rain and lots of wind.  Temps are plummeting into the 20's at this very moment.  Winter coats, hats and gloves will go back on tomorrow.  :-/  BUT there is still hope for Spring- it's coming!!

2. "Smoovies"- I made some smoothies with strawberries, kiwi, and bananas tonight.  Liam called it a "smoovie."  :-)

3. The Huggy Monster.  Lillian and Sydney were invited to their friend's house across the street for a play date late this afternoon, which gave Liam and me some rare one-on-one time.  We played "catch" with a Chicago-style softball, I gave him airplane and rocket rides, and we played tickle monster.  He likes to tackle me to the ground, then hug me tight and say, "I GOTcha!"  I ask him if he his rescuing me or capturing me, and he always says he's rescuing me....my hero. :)  At one point while we were playing I started chasing him around saying I was going to get him.  He got a little scared...I guess I'm scary?  So instead I told him to catch me.  He started chasing me and I played my damsel in distress role by screaming, "Aaah!  Aaah!  Help me!"  Liam suddenly stopped and looked directly at me and said, "No, I not SCARY monster."  I said, "Oh?  Are you a NICE monster?"  To which he replied, "No.  I a HUG monster!"  Then he hugged me really tight and said, "I HAPPY!  I HUGGY monster!"  So we sat there and hugged....while my heart melted.

4. Stories with Big Sister.  Sydney got her fingers slammed in the window by accident.  She's fine, but she was pretty sad about it.  Lillian felt really bad- she was the one closing the window when Syd's fingers were in the way.  Lillian invited Sydney into her bed to read "One Fish, Two Fish..." by Dr. Seuss.  Then she let Sydney fall asleep in her bed next to her.  It was a nice sister-sister moment.

5. A clean van!!  Well, the outside is clean anyway.  The inside is another story.  My neighbor always has a clean car.  (He also doesn't have any kids...just as a side note).  I asked him where he gets his car washed and he recommended this place he goes to all the time.  I thought it was worth a shot.  My van was so crusted over in salt and grime and it was a sad site.  So I took the kids on an adventure to the car wash!  Sydney reminded me of the time Grandma took her to the car wash in Grandma's car.  She prepped us by explaining everything that would happen with the soap, the water, and all the brushes and the drying.  Her favorite part were the "ballerina brushes"....the tall round ones that spin around really fast and look like a tutu twirling around.  My neighbor's recommendation did not disappoint.  The car wash and the attendants did a great job.  Well worth the $11.79 and tip.  All afternoon, Sydney made it a point to show everyone how clean the van is.  Now who wants to vacuum out the inside?  I'm afraid to even look under the kids' car seats.  I'll probably need a bio chem suit to clean under there...

I'm so grEIGHTful!

Today I'm thankful for...

1. My kitchen helper.  Liam helped me make pizza for dinner while the girls were at a friend's house for a play date.  He spread the sauce and [very liberally] sprinkled on the cheese.  We chatted about two year old boy stuff, like how he's a big BOY and Sydney is a big GIRL and Lillian is a big SISTER.  It was so pleasant to have one-on-one time with him.  He is such a good little buddy!

2. Ladybugs and Watermelon.  Sydney and I are SO ready for summer.  While Liam took his afternoon nap we had a little mani-pedi party.  Sydney wanted ladybugs on her fingernails and watermelons on her toenails...no easy feat on her teeny tiny nails (that she has a bad habit of biting down to stubs).  I did the best I could, which I guess was good enough because Sydney was totally thrilled with them when I finished.  She was so excited that she made me send a picture to ALL of her grandmas.  It was so fun to have girly time with her.  I can't wait until all the snow melts outside and it's warm enough for us to sit on the front step and do our nails like we did last summer.

3. Notes for Daddy.  When Bobby leaves early in the morning he usually leaves a note for the kids on their chalkboard.  Sydney decided to write a note for him last night.  She's getting really good at writing her letters- I'm so proud of her!  We took a picture of it and texted it to Bobby.  Lillian wanted to do the same thing so she wrote him a note on a little piece of paper.  They made Bobby so happy!

 

4. The 22 bucks I found in the back pocket of my jeans this morning.  Woohoo!

5. Lillian's stuffed animals, all lined up so nicely at the foot of her bed.  She was very proud of her work.  She said her goal is to keep her room clean and organized.  So far, so good.

6. Liam's new bow-tie.  We won it at a fundraiser at church a few weeks ago.  Another lady we go to church with made it.  It's so stinkin' cute.  Liam loves to wear it and run around.  He says he's so handsome.  Yes, he is!

7. Snow cream!  For family home evening last night we made snow cream....ice cream except with snow!  It was SOOO good!  All you do is mix half and half or milk with sugar and vanilla, then add in some snow!  We loaded it with tons of toppings like strawberries, mini chocolate chips, Andes mint chips, Heath chips and rainbow sprinkles.  It melted pretty quick, but it was still good to drink right out of the bowl.  It made the extra four inches of snow worth it. :)  If you want to make it, here's a link to the recipe we used http://family.go.com/food/recipe-852461-snow-cream-t/

   

8. PIRATES!!  Aaarrrgghhh!!  Having fun in Michael's!

Tea Parties, Bum Burps, and Hiding Lions

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Good food.  Today was Fast Sunday.  On the first Sunday of every month we fast together as a church.  That usually means skipping two consecutive meals, whether it's dinner the night before and breakfast in the morning, or breakfast and lunch on the same day.  The money that we would have spent on food, we donate into what's called "fast offerings."  This money is used to help those in need to buy food and other necessities.  Fasting is also a special opportunity to pray for something personal, whether it's for an answer to a question, for guidance, strength, or for someone else.  Today I was fasting for a friend and also for inspiration on how to contribute financially to our family without taking too much time away from the kids (I'm down to babysitting one kid instead of two and would like to replace the drop in income).  Our church doesn't start until noon.  We finish at 3pm, but we usually don't get home until 4pm because we stay to talk to friends and on the way home we always stop to visit an elderly couple.  I'm usually pretty hungry by the time we get home and dinner is ready.  Tonight Bobby made one of his childhood favorites- eggs goldenrod.  It's a yummy cheesy and boiled egg mixture eaten over toast.  Lillian has been asking to have it for a few days and we had lots of eggs in the fridge.  After fasting for most of the day, the first bite of whatever I'm eating is so savory.  It doesn't even matter what the food is. I remember one Fast Sunday not long after Bobby and I got married- I broke my fast with a Ritz cracker topped with vanilla yogurt and a slice of fresh peach.  At the time it felt like the most delicious thing my taste buds had ever experienced.  I'm grateful for the food that has always been available in my home and for the reminder that fasting gives me of how fortunate I am to not have to experience hunger on a non-voluntary basis.

2. Bum burps.  When Liam toots (farts, passes gas, lets one rip...) he says his bum just burped.  So funny!

3. Sleeping in.  Bobby let me get "five more minutes" of sleep this morning while he fed the kids breakfast and got them dressed for church.  Those extra five minutes were more like an hour...and what a wonderful hour of sleeping it was. :)

4. How to Hide a Lion written and illustrated by Helen Stephens.  We got this book from the library earlier this week and it's Liam's new favorite book.  We've read it a jillion times already.  It's a cute story about a lion and a little girl named Iris who tries to hide him from her parents and the special friendship they form.  The illustrations are fun colored sketches and the text is short but entertaining.  Perfect for a two year old who loves lions.  I don't mind reading it to him over and over again.

5. Lilly and Sydney's tea parties.  They got dressed up in fancy dresses this afternoon and set up a full tea service on their bedroom floor.  It's so fun to see them play, imagine, and interact with one another.  It just warms my heart to see their friendship grow and blossom.  I'm glad they have each other.  I know they have a lot to give to one another, as well as a lot to learn from each other.  Sisters are just great that way...I'm glad I have a sister of my own to experience it with too.

Zoos, Scooters, School, and Puking

I'm thankful for...

1. Beautiful weather on Saturday and going to the Baltimore Zoo with my kids and husband.  FYI- the zoo in Baltimore has half-off admission during January and February.  If you have a membership to the Philadelphia Zoo (or most any other zoo), you receive half off admission any time.  It was only $35 for our family of five.  We spent three hours there and saw elephants, lions, giraffes, polar bears, chimpanzees (lots of 'em), native Maryland wildlife, otters (from a cool underwater tunnel), bats, a hellbender salamander, arctic foxes, cheetah, leopard, and the official mascots of the Ravens football team- two HUGE ravens named Rise and Conquer.  Apparently, the Baltimore Zoo is the only zoo to house and care for an NFL mascot.  The birds attend every Ravens home game.  How's that for your zoo/NFL trivia?

2. Scooters.  Sydney and Liam wanted to ride scooters today.  30 degrees and windy made it way too cold to do it outside, so I rolled back the carpets in the living room so they could roll across the floor.  Liam doesn't have much scooter experience but he did a pretty good job.  In the afternoon, Sydney bundled up and rode her scooter all the way to Lilly's bus stop.  Her little scooter wheels flashed and blinked the whole way as she scooched and scootered her way up the hill.  We can't wait for spring.

3. Post call.  Bobby was on call yesterday/last night.  He got a total of 5 hours of interrupted sleep...more than most call nights....and he finished rounding earlier than expected in the morning.  Feeling well rested (and homesick) he decided to come home for the rest of the day.  His visit will be less than 24 hours, but it's always nice to have him around.  He surprised the kids and we had a nice afternoon and evening together.  He leaves again very early tomorrow morning.  We'll see him Friday night when he is able to come home for the weekend.

4. Lillian's self-motivation.  I've begun to recognize how little I need to prompt, urge, prod, or nag Lillian to do her homework.  She usually comes home talking about it and she'll jump right into it at the slightest suggestion or reminder.  She gets a weekly packet of a few pages of reading/writing homework and occasionally a page of math homework.  With the packet homework, she'll sit down and do all the pages at once instead of one a night like the teacher suggests.  Her reading and writing abilities have really taken off and she impresses me more every time I hear her read or read what she's written.  I'm so proud of her and how well she is learning, but most importantly, how she seems to enjoy learning.

5. Short puking episodes.  I'm never thankful for puking kids.  But when they have to puke, it's always best when it happens fast and they recover quickly.  Thankfully, that's how we experienced it over the weekend.  Liam woke up on Thursday night and threw up three times.  But in the morning he was totally fine and throughout the day you never would've known he was sick the night before.  On Saturday evening while we were driving down to Baltimore to visit Bobby, Sydney started complaining that her tummy hurt.  I tossed her a plastic bag and told her to puke in it if she had to.  Five minutes later she threw up, and thankfully it all landed in the plastic bag.  After a quick pull-over and damage assessment everything seemed fine and Sydney was feeling much better.  So we continued on our way and had a great weekend!  I don't know if it was some weird strand of a quick GI bug or if it was something they ate, but either way I'm glad it's over and they are feeling better.

Snow, Snow, Go Away

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Temps above freezing and the sound of snow melting.  For a few hours this afternoon the sun was warm enough to melt the snow off the roofs, sidewalks, streets, and everywhere else.  It was music to my ears to hear the drip, drip, drip of melting snow!  I saw the wood floor of my balcony out back for the first time in over a week.  On our way to the bus stop to get Lillian after school I noticed that the snow pile on the edge of the sidewalk is taller than Liam!  Temps are supposed to hit 60 later this week.  Hopefully that will do a doozy on the snow.  It's pretty and all when it's freshly fallen and there's a magical white blanket coating everything with a sparkly shimmer.....but in my opinion there is nothing magical about this much snow.  Nothing.

2.  Play dates.  Sydney spent ALL DAY at a friend's house across the street.  For nearly six hours, her friend's mom said they played so well together and had a great time.  I missed her, but I was able to get so much done while Liam napped in the afternoon!  I'm so glad we have awesome neighbors who are friends with my kids.

3. My clean desk.  All the clutter and paper piles have been removed (or relocated).  I am now ready to tackle our 2013 taxes.  Hooray for me.

4. The 2 hour school delay this morning.  We got more snow last night.  I was not so excited about that, but it was nice to have more time to get up and going before Lillian had to be out the door for school.  I stayed up WAY too late last night watching the Olympics, then I got sucked into watching Jimmy Fallon's first night as host of The Tonight Show.  I'll admit that is was more U2 than Fallon that kept me watching, and it was mostly worth it, but I wouldn't be able to sustain and nightly ritual of watching The Tonight Show...do people really stay up that late every night??  Ha, listen to me...I'm looking at the clock and it's midnight.  Time for me to get my beauty rest.

Grateful Despite the Snow

Today I'm thankful for...

1. The Olympics.  They are so fun to watch!  And it gives me something to do while I fold laundry at night. :)

2. Cousins!  My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit with her five kids this afternoon.  It was fun to watch all the kids play together.  I'm grateful that we live close enough to family for frequent visits and that our family takes time out of their busy schedules to spend time with us.  Can't wait til we live even closer to them.

3. Calls from Bobby.  He called four times today- every time he had a break between cases or was getting into his car to go somewhere.  I know he's thinking about us during the day and I'm glad he takes the time to check in and see how we're doing.  He's been away for the past six weeks and we only get to see him on weekends.  It's hard for everybody, but he's helping to keep us connected across the distance.

4. My children's smiles.  It warms my heart every time to see their faces light up with a great big grin.  I never get tired of it.