Let it Snow!!!!

We may end up having a white Christmas. How fun and magical. There's something comical about getting ready to go play in the snow. I'm not sure what it is but I think this picture may help.

I've Been Blessed

Today I took my two girls and my little baby to the library. The events that followed, I can't seem to get off my mind. I walked to the counter with Natalie, (my 5 year old) to check out our books. At the desk, talking to the librarian was an elderly gentleman, probably 75 years old. He seemed jolly enough as he talked with the librarian. I sat down our books, smiled at him and said, "How are you today?" "Terrible!" He replied, in a not so jolly voice. I was taken back a bit and said, "Well what could be going on in your life to make you so terrible?" Instead of answering my question, he bitterly shot back at me, "I am doing much worse, but I couldn't think of a word to describe how I am really feeling." I was still just stunned that this seemingly nice man was so angry. I glanced at the book he had just checked out that he held in his hands. The title explained much of my confusion, "God is not Great." I was saddened by this gentleman, and wasn't sure what else to say to him, so I smiled at the librarian. She said to the man, "Now THIS is a family. You'll never find one better." I assumed she said the comment in conjunction with the earlier conversation she had had with the man. I smiled at her and said, "We've been blessed for sure." "You haven't been blessed," the man slammed me with. "You HAVEN'T been blessed. No one is blessed," he repeated. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "I HAVE been blessed." I was shocked at how blunt this stranger was being with me. And how could he say I hadn't been blessed with my beautiful children by my side, and me holding my perfect little baby? The old man, bent down and stared at Natalie. I was intimidated by his stare, and worried about what he was going to do. He directed his question to her, "So...have YOU been blessed?" he said almost mockingly. My little girl, didn't bat and eye. She didn't look up at me for the answer. She looked that man in the eyes and said clearly, "YES!"
He straightened and said, "I will tell you how blessed you are once I'm done reading this book." He chuckled and headed out the door. I called out after him, "Merry Christmas." "Something like that," he said. And that was that.

I couldn't get this guy off my mind. I'd never met someone so negative about everything! And so negative to everyone! It was very disheartening. However, I was never prouder of my child. What a testimony she already has! With her simple one word answer, it was apparent to me that she has more knowledge than this old man. She knows she has a Heavenly Father and He loves her.

Back at home, I hadn't mentioned a word about that man, and Natalie said, "Mom, you know that guy at the library? When he asked me if I was blessed, and he said he wasn't blessed, I thought in my mind, he must not believe in Jesus Christ." With tears in my eyes, I said, "You are right Natalie. Isn't that so sad?"

I am so proud of my little girl. Out of the mouth of babes, huh? She had done more in testifying to this gentleman than I could have ever hoped to. And like my daughter, I want to proclaim, YES!! We are blessed! And we know from whom our blessings come. How grateful we are to our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

Let us Adore Him

My little Katie has loved playing with our kid nativity this year. As I passed by the table, I was touched to see how she had arranged the scene. I think she understands the meaning to "oh come let us adore him.". All of her characters wanted to behold the Christ child. Sweet.

And so we commence

Christmas never officially starts for our family until the Christmas tree is picked out, put up and glowing in the living room. We finally accomplished that fete last night. And o what a tree. O Christmas tree to be exact. It's beautiful. More than the tree these days I love the picking out process. My son is quite picky about his tree. It's so fun to watch him at work as he searches effortlessly for THE tree. And he found it. It's beautiful. The picture doesn't do it justice. But just so you can have an idea how beautiful it is. O tannenbaum!! Ha ha. We welcome another tree into our home for the season.

Watch out!

Ha ha. Now that I can work my blog so easily from my phone AND since my kids are just do darn cute, watch out world!! Erin is blogging !!

On a positive note

Isn't it funny how quickly we all forget how incredible life is?! Simply being alive and not having to think about making your heart beat or your lungs pump is absolutely incredible!

My husband and I were enjoying tv last night and just for quickness of writing, the tv was not working correctly. As we both hummed and hawed about why it wasn't working and how frustrating it was, we looked at each other and laughed that here we were using or iPad as a remote and watching a program being pulled from the Internet and we were complaining. Are you kidding?? How incredible!!! We literally have at our disposal every tool. In fact as I type this post in my phone I am amazed that it will be available in seconds to anyone in the world at the click of a button.

Amazing.

Yo ho ho

My daughter Katie is creating a new image for Santa. She already thinks he swims in the north pool and now she says that Santa says "Yo ho ho.". I'm kinda liking the pirate image. Santa's all about loot anyway, right? Ha ha.

Family Time

Thanksgiving this year was fabulous. I feel I have so much to be grateful for. My husband's family was so wonderful to come to our home this year for the festivities. We had a whole week of complete joy! It was fantastic. Not to mention the spread of food. We ate like kings. I love having family that loves to cook, or at least pretends to love to cook. (I've never really asked my mother-in-law if she enjoys cooking, but she's sure good at it.)

We ate and ate, played games at night, watched parades, football and movies, went swimming and just sat and chatted about nothing.

And the pinnacle moment of it all was our little baby Jackson receiving his baby blessing on Sunday. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing a new little baby being blessed by men who love and support the child. It was truly a "Mommy moment."

Thanks to all my family who came for Thanksgiving, or the baby blessing. It was wonderful because YOU made it wonderful. I'm most grateful for family like you.

Thankful

I love this time of year. I love making our home cozy for winter. I love how hot chocolate seems to go with every meal. I love how the smells of ginger, cinnamon and apples can bring back beautiful memories. I love how the mountain out our front window changes from blazing orange to dark majestic blue. I love how it only seems appropriate to stay in bed for an extra ten minutes in the mornings because it's too cold to leave the blankets.

How blessed we are! And it all comes from a loving Father in heaven. How grateful I am for him.

Natalie just turned five, and to celebrate, she wanted to go to Olive Garden. What a deal for mom!! It was so fun to celebrate with her. She also wanted to go swimming. That was a complete blast. We were able to be the only ones in the pool, and it just couldn't have been more fun. She is turning into quite the lady. I love how she talks to sophisticated to me, and yet she uses words in the wrong context or she uses words she doesn't even know what they really mean. SO CUTE!!

Katie is really becoming mommy's buddy. She is realizing she doesn't have to do things the way brother and sister do them, and she's taken off! She is almost potty trained, which has been so funny! She says the funniest things while trying to go to the bathroom. Her favorite phrase is, "My potty's not home right now. I can't go." Daddy recently took the kids to Lion King and now that's her favorite music to sing. It's pretty cute to hear her sing, "I just can't wait to be King." She is definitely the "king" of this house.

Nicholas is going crazy with anticipation. He can hardly wait for his glasses to get here. Yep! He's getting glasses. As a mom, I was relieved that he was excited to get glasses. You never know how kids will react with stuff like that. It will be interesting to see if he's still as excited about them in a few months. ha ha He's also starting basketball this week which is one of his favorite sports. He can't wait to try to "slam it" as he says.

And little Jacks...he is Mommy's joy! Honestly, I have never experienced this with a baby. He is just SOOOOO CONTENT!!! PRAISE!! I am just LOVING this baby. He is so aware and so just darn cute with those big brown eyes! (Our first baby with Dad's eye color!) He's going to be able to get away with alot, I can already tell. He can melt my heart pretty quick.

As for Kyle and me, we are just great. Never better. When we got married, my Aunt wrote in our guest book, "The best is yet to come." I see that come true every new day. I am so blessed to have the family I have, and to be in the position I am in. Speaking of positions, Kyle was recently put in as a High Counselor in our church. It's been such a fun calling for him and very humbling for both of us. I'm still working in the stake Young Women's in our church. It's so fun to "stay young" with the youth. I really enjoy it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family. We love you! May you enjoy this beautiful time of year.

The Mind of a Child

I am a brilliant mother and am always using the most wonderful ways of teaching my children. (ha ha) Last night my children helped me to realize just how wonderfully my teachings sink in.

My kids are sometimes quite picky at what they will and will not eat at dinner. Well, last night was one such night. I had gotten quite frustrated with the situation so I decided to help them understand why they needed to eat different types of food. The lesson went something like this.

Mom-"Kids, let's think about a building. What would happen if you built a building all out of windows?"
Nicholas-"It would break."
Mom- "EXACTLY!! That's like our bodies. What would happen if we only ate one thing all the time?"
Nicholas-"Well, we don't eat windows, Mom."

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha My husband about lost it. And I just smiled at how once again my own wisdom had been exceeded.

I continued however, and tried to explain. It got a little better, but I still don't know if my kids quite understood. The remaining conversation went like this.

Mom-"What would happen if we only ate pizza?"
Natalie-"WE WOULD DIE!!!!"
Mom-"What would happen if we only ate apples?"
Natalie- "WE WOULD DIIIIIEEE!!!"

Everything I named was of catastrophic consequences! It was comical.
Another lesson well learned.

Clean, Clear and Crisp

Mmmmmmm....don't you LOVE fall?! I love everything about the changing seasons. Fall, simply stated, feels comfortable. Sweaters, hot cider, cinnamon, crisp caramel apples, pumpkins, gorgeous colors on the trees....MMmmmmmmmmm. What a blessing to live in an area that experiences Fall!

Today's posting is simply a rambling. I have no amazingly funny stories or inspiring words of wisdom. However, it has been brought to my attention by my adoring public, (aka Kim...thanks!) that it's been over a month since I last posted, and the fans are screaming for more. It feels so good to be loved just as much as Twilight. ha ha So, to those of you who continue to read...thanks.

OKAY...SO now I'm just laughing at how ironic life is. You know how I just said I didn't have a funny story to tell? Well, my son Jackson must have heard because he just had the biggest blow out of baby history in our family. He was sitting on my lap while I typed and I didn't even notice. I stood up to go get a drink and picked up Jackson, and I spread the lovely substance from my lap clear up to my chest. I had to completely go change every bit of my clothing. Ha ha...and what makes it better is this is Jackson's first blow out. Aren't you glad, as my blogging audience, that you were here to share it with us?? And don't you find it funny the title of my post now? I can guarentee that experience was anything but clear and clean.

Moving on...
Life has been so good. Jackson is growing quickly. He already smiles and coos at us. It's still a little strange for me to look at him and think he's my fourth child. Where did time go? His hair is lightening a little, and his eyes are still fooling us as to what color they are, blue or brown.... and yes, I realize blue and brown are not even close in the color scheme.

Nicholas loves first grade. It's been fun to see him stretch his wings. Natalie is keeping me busy. She's such a big help. I am trying to enjoy each day with her, as this will be her last year at home before she starts school. And Katie is a hoot and holler. She makes me laugh. I can't believe how tall she is.

Kyle and I are doing great. We had a fun date last night as our favorite TV show started up it's new season. We love to watch Castle together. It was fun to cuddle on the couch and just relax...and it was an AMAZING fete for us to have ALL 4 kiddos asleep by 9:00!! YEEHAW!!! Way to go babe! I love ya!

So, there's our past month in a quick sum-up.

He's Here!!!

Our little man is here!! We are so excited and just so grateful for him. What a blessing he has already been in our little family's life.

Jackson Louis was born yesterday, August 16th, at 1:07 pm. He was 7lbs. 14oz. and 21inches long. He shocked us by being the only child we've EVER had born with hair, and dark hair at that. He's pefect. Absolutely perfect.

Thank you to all of you who have been thinking and praying for us. We have felt of those prayers and your love. We can't wait for you to meet him!

Seven Years of Magic

Seventh Heaven

This week marks my husband and my 7th anniversary. I can't ever express fully how much my husband means to me however, I would like him to know that I love him, and how deeply I am in love with him still. It's truly magic what we share. Here's a quick look back at our seven wonderful years together. I love you Kyle Louis!

I Must Have Done Something Good

"Nothing comes from nothing. Nothing ever could. So somewhere...I must have done something good." Last night was a mother's pay day. Every Monday night we dedicate to our Family Night. We sing songs, play games, have family discussions and lessons and treats.

Last night, my kids practically put on Family Night by themselves. My daughter taught us a beautiful lesson about treating our bodies with respect. My son had planned a scripture to act out with his siblings. And our littlest fully participated. It was such a joy to sit back and watch the evening unfold before our eyes.

Sometimes, as a parent, you wonder if your efforts matter. Is anything sinking in with my kids? Are they picking up on what I am trying to teach them? It's a pure joy when evenings like last night happen. It makes me feel like we must be doing something right. It was so enjoyable to just be together.

As a side note, I had my doctor's appointment yesterday, and all is well with baby. I think it might be awhile longer, although daily I keep thinking this baby is going to fall out any minute. But everything is well. The baby's heartbeat is perfect and he's measuring a good size. We will keep you all posted as to when our new little one joins the family. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. We love you.

The End is Near

No, I'm not predicting the end of the world, just the end of my "free time" as I know it. I thought, while I had a few moments of free time I should blog because I may not get around to doing that much once our little man comes, which may be at any minute. (That's a line for my family out there. Love ya!)

My pregnancy has been relatively uneventful, which I am thankful for. I was laughing with my doctor the other day because she asked if I was swollen in any areas. I said, "YES!!! Can't you see this belly?! And I'm SURE my legs have got to be swollen. Do you ever remember me being this fat?" She just laughed, but in all honesty, I laugh about pregnancy questions like, "Are you swollen?" "Do you have any veins that have changed or hurt?" "Are you feeling movement?" "Are you getting rest?" I mean, seriously...I'm pregnant! My body is NOT my own right now...my body has never been more swollen. My veins? Half of them I can't even see because I can't bend over to look at my legs. Movement? I feel movement all the time...The question is if it's the baby or just...well, other things. And as far as rest...Am I suppose to be sleeping with this watermelon?! I must have missed that memo.

Pregnancy is just funny. Beautiful, but funny. It's hard to explain to anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to experience it. It's an out of body experience that you experience in your own body that you swear isn't your own body. YEP! That about raps it up.

(Let me real quick say however how grateful I am to be able to be pregnant. I realize there are many women who would love that opportunity and it doesn't come. I am so grateful to be able to be pregnant.)

I am due August 15th...and so as the end draws close, I would like to take a moment to express my thanks to a few people, as well as other things that have made this pregnancy so memorable.

Thank you Kyle, my AMAZING husband! I can't imagine any man being more sympathetic and wonderful as you tell me each and everyday how gorgeous I look, rub my back endlessly, get me whatever I need and keep me laughing through the whole process. I LOVE YOU!!!! I can't wait to have another "mini Kyle" running around.

Thank you to my children for reminding me daily how large I am getting. It's really reassuring to have you tell me I'm big.

Thank you people at Wal-Mart for starring at me as I try to push a cart full of groceries and manage to keep track of my two oldest kids, and try to hush my crying two year old. I know what you are thinking. You don't have to say it. And yes, I want another baby. Thank you.

Thank you old women at church for saying things like "My, you've blossomed." I've always wanted to "blossom."

Thank you old men at church for saying things like "Don't you and your husband ever sleep?!" Even though you've had six kids and we're only on our 4th, I'm sure we are having more fun at night than you are at your stage of life.

Thank you odd shaped pillow that I sleep with every night. I'm not sure if you are doing anything for my body, but I'll keep sleeping with you because it keeps the kids out of the bed.

Thank you random cravings at random times. It's really awesome, not to mention convenient, to HAVE to make a grilled cheese sandwich at 2:00 A.M. Thanks!

Thank you maternity clothes for making me fashionable through all nine months of pregnancy. Seriously? Who are we kiddin?! That's about all I can say.

Thank you people who give suggestions on how I should hide my now outie belly button. I appreciate the help. And I have a suggestion for you. You should probably have that mole on your face checked. Either that or walk sideways.

Thank you iron pills that my doctor says I need to take. You are so particular at when I have to take you, and if I choose a wrong time, I know you won't be staying down for long.

Thank you sandals. I have no idea what else I would put on my feet during pregnancy.

Thank you, my dear_______. You know who you are. It's so nice of you to always point out my stretch marks and say, "Do ALL women get those?!" Guess what? YEP!!! It's totally awesome! And you're next sista!

Thank you people who tell me who has a birthday on my due date. Guess what...I don't know Great Aunt Millie, and I don't care anyway.

And finally...
Thank you Mom. I have so much more love and respect and honor for you now that I realize I caused you such discomfort even before I was born. I think you are the most wonderful creature in the world!!!! I LOVE YOU!!! (And thanks for laughing with me as we talk about our pregnancies. It's fun to have something else in common.)

Classics

So, I have to give my husband credit for this post because it was his idea. Tonight, he reminded me of those good ol' sneakers the "cool kids" at school had. The ones you could pump up with air by pushing the tongue a few times. Do you remember those?! How totally cool was that?! And where the heck did they go? Nothing says "I'm completely bodacious" like pump up sneakers. And what about those school pictures, when you could choose lasers as your background? My son was looking at my husband's scrapbook and he saw his picture from '89, complete with techno color and LASERS and he said, "I want those in my picture!" And who wouldn't?? Only the cool kids got lasers in their school pictures...(which just a side note, I never had lasers because my mother thought they would "clash" with the family room decor.) Again, nothing says, "We're a totally rad family" like lasers in your kids' pictures. Or, how about the amazing snap bracelet? What an invention!! Or the socks that really weren't socks, they were just leg bands that went under your socks to give the appearance of "layering". GENIUS!! Not only classic, but cool my friends.
C-O-O-L. Just think about it.

June

I always feel like I should post at least once a month, to keep up with what's going on in our family's world. I can't believe June has so quickly passed away. I looked at the calendar today, (which Happy Birthday Mom!!!) and thought wow, where is time slipping to?! So, here are some updates.

Kyle and I have purchased an insurance agency in Utah. It's been so exciting, new and challenging. My husband is such a hard worker and I love watching his ambition for life. He really grabs any challenge by the horns. In fact, he looks for a challenge when he feels like maybe life isn't challenging him. I love that about my husband. He doesn't settle for easiness. He wants greatness out of everything. I'm proud of you Baby!

I am definitely pregnant, for those of you that haven't received the memo, or for those of you that thought I was just putting on a few pounds. I can't believe our little man will be here in a little over a month. WOW!! I guess I should be setting up a crib and such. I feel really good and have been really blessed with a wonderful pregnancy. But let's face it. A pregnant body just doesn't move like a non-pregnant body. I've been wanting to paint my toes, but I feel like I'm running a marathon when I try that task. Maybe I can get my kids to do them for me.

Nicholas lost his second tooth. He was pretty excited. He's the sibling that is most excited for the baby. He counts the days until he'll have a little brother.

Natalie learned how to ride her bike this past week. She does amazing and was so quick to learn! I am always amazed at the process of learning new things with children. What determination and dedication.

Katie is getting much better at falling asleep by herself, although she still makes me completely laugh at what she says or does. She really is quite a character. She is speaking so well though, and that makes a huge difference in everything. It's amazing how wonderful it is to understand your children. ha ha

My older sister had her baby earlier this month, a little boy, Thomas. Although I haven't seen him personally, he looks so cute in pictures and is just so sweet. I can't wait to hold him. What a blessing children are in our lives! We are so excited for a new little on in the family.

My husband has been a super dad recently and allowed me to go off to Utah with my family to watch my cousin's wedding, as well as help my own sister pick out a wedding dress. She's going to be married in August and we are thrilled for her. It was so fun to be with my family and see family I haven't seen for awhile, but I missed my husband and children so much! They really are my family now, you know.

So, that wraps up June. It's been a crazy and full month, but so fun and wonderful.

Cultural Enlightenment

What the hulla ballu flying monkey be-gummies descrepen mung cho HO!!!! UMPH!!!!That's about how I feel right now with my little two old daughter! (Before you read any further, you should understand that I love my daughter with all my heart and soul, and I have no intention of doing anything drastic. Just a note to the reader.)

My daughter, bless her sweet little heart, is an Aztec. Or a Mayan, or Buddist or one of those naturalist-earthy sorts. I can't quite figure it out, and it's about to drive me bazerik. I honestly wish I could post a video of my daughter for you to witness the absolute phenomenon for yourself, to let your own eyes behold what I endure night after night after night. (Or maybe in her mind it's moon after moon after moon.) Anyhow...I will try my best to paint a very real picture for the reader.

My daughter, (whom I love...footnote to reader), holds a nightime ritual of sorts. It begins with a begging of food, normally something that shouldn't be ingested right before bed, like chocolate or ice cream or skittles. After a LONG fight of "No, you can't have that before bed," she finally settles for something like bread, or cheese, or a cracker. Grasping her rations tightly, we normally gallop to the bed chambers. Here, she settles in to bed, and begins to nibble so delicatley, and slowly on her provisions provided. After the small feast, "The Dance "begins.
Although not exactly the same every night, "The Dance" proceeds in a somewhat similar manner moon after moon.

We begin with a fanning of the sheets. The sheets are tossed ever so gently up and down from the body, and then violently shaken. Sometimes, they are thrown over the head while the body flings around underneath. This is often times accompanied by chanting, which is barely audible nor understandable. An ancient tongue no doubt.

We then proceed to the war paint. This consists of lotion, chapstick and sometimes oils. (Yes, oils! My mother-in-law has so graciously given me many natural oils, which I really do enjoy and use.) The lotion must be applied to the legs and feet, and chapstick must be put on, and remain on. If sheets or pillow touch the lips, a reapplication is necessary.

Next comes the longest, (as well as my favorite) part of the ceremony; audience participation. My hands are placed somewhere, typically on her chest or head, and then she proceeds to continue chanting/singing while she makes salutations to the sky. (YOU LAUGH....BUT IT'S TRUE!!!) Take tonight for instance. My daughter put my arm across her chest and then uses her hands to sweep across my arm and then throw her hands up toward the ceiling. She then rolls her arms as they slowly come back down to my arm, and the process begins again. Weird???? ABSOLUTELY DRIVE YOU CRAZY!!!

The practice ends by her slowing her chants, and slowing her movements, but they are ever still present. She just slowly slows down until it's over. Again, tonight she had place my hands on her ears and then mumbled to sleep, as if my hands were headphones and she was singing along to her favorite album. I had to laugh, to keep from crying, as I tried to pull my hands ever so slowly away from her ears, and she would quickly "re-adjust" her headphones for better clarity. This took about seven minutes before the soundtrack ran out and she was snoozing.

I ask you, my fellow bloggins, WHAT IS THAT?????!!!! All I can figure out is that she is from some different culture.

Season of Change

I've decided I like change. I really do. Which is shocking seeing that I come from a family that loves tradition and similarity. (Not that either is bad.) I, for one, love the freshness of change. For example, I love to rearrange the furniture in my home. I love to paint the walls. I love to try new meals for dinner, new products and watch new t.v. shows. Along with all this, I love to change my hair. I was noticing the other day, as I was scrapbooking....actually, I DON'T scrapbook. It's more like filing pictures away....I noticed I had a different hairstyle in practically every photo. My family has been pretty faithful to have family pictures taken yearly, and I look different in every one. So, I thought it would be fun to post the many hairstyles of Erin, and let the viewers decide. ha ha

More Pics of Pres

Preslee

Our cousin Preslee has been visiting us for the last couple of weeks. It's been so fun to have a cousin here. I know that my sister has been missing her girl dearly, and also has wondered what in the world we do everyday, so here are pictures for you Amber. Preslee is soooo much fun! Thanks for sharing her.

Preslee doing the long jump.

At the circus

Doing Grandma's hair. "Where are you Grandma?!"

How do those eyes look?

Pres going in for her massage.

In a Galaxy Far Far Away...

My son's birthday was yesterday and it was so fun. We had a Star Wars party. All the kids brought light sabers, and we saved the galaxy from invasion. The kids also fought Darth Vader. It was a beautiful night at the park for a fun party. Happy Birthday my son!

Happy May Days!

I love May. Even though in Wyoming, you may mistake May for November, I still love the anticipation of green grass, flip flops, creamsicles and summer sun. I think my whole family is just itching for warmer weather. As I type this, my kiddos are in the garage in the kiddy pool, which I filled up with hot water from the kitchen sink. They've been begging to use the pool, and I didn't think that 40 degrees is quite warm enough to be swimming outside. So we improvised. (An idea inspired by the love of my life! Thanks Babe for being the best DAD EVER!!!)

Believe it or not, I have had requests from my blog fans for certain stories and pictures. I am so touched that my blog has made it's way into your hum-drum lives. So, this posting is a quick recap for those that asked. To my fans, this one is for you! ha ha

My son just finished up his basketball season. Basketball games at age 5 are the cutest! I actually was quite impressed with the skill improvement from game one to game six. The boys were doing great! It made me smile to think of them playing "real ball" together someday.





Easter was so fun! The kids are at that perfect age where they love to hide and re hide and re hide eggs. Easter is my favorite holiday I think. Weird? I guess again, I just love the coming of Spring. And who wouldn't love to go to Easter church with kids looking so cute?! Thanks Grandma Corbridge for the beautiful dresses.

My daughter is practicing for her tumbling recital. She is doing amazing! I am so proud of how hard she works and how much she desires to do everything the teacher requires of her. She's our star.

And my youngest is as determined as they come. She is so excited for warmer weather, and she just won't let anything stop her from going outside. What will a little snow hurt? You can still get a tan, right?




In a nutshell, my kids are my life and they are doing fabulous! I am so grateful to be their mommy.

Springtime In Our House

Well, who would have thought that this Easter season, we'd be able to have our own taste of Spring right in our home. The sights and sounds of Spring are not only abundant from our window, but in our kitchen, we hear the new little "cheep cheep" or baby chicks.

My son's kindergarten class hatched chicks this week and the teacher needed someone to "chick-sit" over the four day weekend, and of course my son volunteered. Which had been great fun for the kids. They are great babysitters and are constantly checking on them, holding them, and making sure their stay at our home is as comfortable as possible.


We have four chicks, named Peep, Friendly, Brown and Turkey. And each of the kids have "adopted" one of them. Turkey, sadly, has been left alone because he's not as affectionate as the others. He really acts his name.

My husband and I, knowing nothing about chicks, have laughed about the "worse" that could happen. The chicks have a heat lamp on them constantly that really lets out the heat. In fact, it gave our little girl a sunburn on her arms from reaching into the box so much. We figure the worse thing that could happen to the chicks is we end up with a box of KFC. ha ha


So, our kids have had a fun Easter season this year. It's been fun to see the excitement a baby brings, even a baby chick.