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...
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
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!
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!
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!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
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.
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.
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