Rain...

It is a truly rainy day today. It started yesterday, and has not really stopped. We have had breaks, but after the glorious spring weather we had last week it only serves us right that we are reminded that the rain is not gone for the season yet. I have enjoyed it today. It makes getting house stuff done a little easier when it is not beauitful outside! I watched the weather on the news last night, and we had about 1/2 inch yesterday. I am wondering how much we will get today. I am hoping that it is an inch or maybe even 2 - unlikely. You might be thinking I am crazy to want all that rain, but last night I learned we are 9 and 1/2 inches behind in our rainfall for the new year! People may think we are a rainy state, but we are not proving thus far! I welcome the rain, because that means we will have to water less this summer. So...let it rain, let it pour, but don't let it flood!

Today...

1. i finally glued my eyeshadow brush back together after it being loose for over a year
2. i made the guest bed after a month with the comforter and sheets sitting ontop of it all over it
3. i wash the shower lining because all the mold had finally gotten to me (i discovered the last time i went to buy a new liner that one can wash it in the washing machine and hang it dry and it looks like a brand new one - yeah to me for saving money!)
4. i re-framed two prints that we have had laying around since before christmas time, maybe long (now i just have to get to the store to buy some wire and they can be hung for good)
5. i vacuumed my lampshades, which were horribly covered with dust. i had such satisfaction watching the dust get sucked up into the vacuum. they look new again.
6. i cleaned my bedroom

oh yeah, i also took care of my kids today. i was able to do all this and more because they were perfectly content playing with each other in Molly's room with her new baby bathtub (thanks, granma!) and Jack's new pop-up car toy.

here's to getting things done that don't seem big but let you breathe a sigh of relief and feel a sense of accomplishment! i wonder what i will get done tomorrow...

A day of firsts for the season...

1. lunch outside with the kids (although, it was out front because the sun felt warmer)
2. an hour worth of pulling weeds in the front bed (while the kids ate lunch)
3. driving around thinking that I need to put my sunglasses in the car for such sunny days
4. seeing the first of the purple crocus flowering around town
5. desiring to buy plants for my pots for the year
6. sending out the kids to play out back while I got lunch ready
7. all of us wearing flip flops outside
8. reading out front while the kids nap (soaking in my much needed vitamin D)
9. not having to make a fire because the house really was not that cold (at least for this family)
10. driving around with the windows down a little

I know that it is not quite spring yet, but I am seeing and experiencing enough change that I can feel it in the air. The days are longer and warmer. I am sure that we still have some cold ahead of us, but the change is there - you can just feel it. Oh...also there were a bunch of robins in our backyard the other day searching for worms. They have made it back from the south - another sign.

All boy, except...

...the shoes!! This is our friend, JT. He turned 3 about a week and half ago. He came over this morning for a playgroup that we were hosting at our house. His mom, Davina, was at an appointment so I was in charge of watching him. Some of our other friends arrived a little later. Molly was wearing some boots of another mom, and I looked around and JT had Molly's dress-up shoes on himself. I could not let the opportunity go by without taking a picture. I love the mix of camo pants with the girlie shoes. I told him to say cheese, and this is the picture I got. I love that at this age they will still play cross-genderly (I am not sure that is a word!). Jack is quick to say that he will not play with baby Betsy, but playing with shoes that are not your own are wonderful to a 3 year old. Thanks JT for letting me take the picture! Sorry you missed the moment, Davina!!

A morning of Play-doh...

I am a bad mom, as I have said before. I don't often get the Play-doh out for the kids because it makes such a mess - one that I have to clean up because those little pieces really are hard for them to successful pick up! Well on Monday, I surprised the kids and said let's get the Play-doh out. They were more than thrilled to sit and play with it. Kyle was leaving for a trip to Mississippi for a week, and I needed to get his ironing done (notice the ironing board in the background). I thought the Play-doh would be a great distraction for them as I worked. I was not paying attention, and the table is what I looked up to see after I was done. They wanted to get out every color instead of creating things. They are still at that age where it is the most fun to get stuff out and spread it everywhere. They proceeded to mix the colors together to make things. It was a successful distraction for them while I ironed, and the clean up was not so bad even though the table does not make it look that way!

Molly loves sprinkles...

I was not watching Molly as she was decorating her cookies. The sprinkles we had did not have a shaker top on them - they were just open when the lid was off. So to my surprise when I turned around, Molly had a whole bottle almost on one cookie. I shook off the excess onto her plate and explained that it was too much. She then proceeded to eat the extra with her hands - what a mess - but what a picture!

Valentine's Day...

We had a great little party on Valentine's Day at the church. There were crafts and cookies to decorate. It was a wonderful time. The kids loved to cut and paste. My friend, Gerrie, was helping Molly make her valentine. All Molly wanted to do was put hearts on top of hearts until the sun went down. She LOVED the glue. The cookies were, of course, a great hit. The kids did great spreading the icing on.

Molly, the princess...

Molly was finally convinced that it was okay to wear her princess dress-up outfit without any clothes on underneath. She loved it, and though very highly of herself. It was cute. She was dancing around and winging to herself!

Beware...

...I have not posted for a long time, so today I went a bit crazy. I hope you enjoy the ramblings, and of course, I will try and post more often instead of going crazy all in one day!

Jack, today...

Here is our precious boy as of today. Look at those rosy cheeks! Just thought I should give him some face time. I don't have a story or anything to write about, which doesn't mean anything except that I can't think. Enjoy the smile, and may it make you smile right back at him!

Besty is still around...

Baby Betsy is still here and going strong. I don't think that Molly has gone a day without playing with or including her in with the day's activities. It is interesting to think about how she got so attached to her the moment she opened the present Betsy was in two Christmases ago.

Well done, Grammy and Pops! You have gotten every bit of money that you spent on her.

The last month Molly has taken her play to a new level with her. Before Molly would just carry her around, but now Molly is her mommy. She talks to her. She feeds her. She rocks her. She bounces her when she is crying. She does all the typical "mommy" things that are done to a baby throughout the day. This play is interesting to me, because Molly is the youngest and therefore has not witnessed in our house. True, I do take care of my children. However, the whole mommy/baby relationship is something that she must have picked up from others or is innate in her. What do you think?

Remember popbeads...

Molly wanted to play with her popbeads the other day, so I said sure! They entertained both she and Jack for two days. Why make one necklace, ring, and braclet...when you can use the whole bucket to make as many as you can and wear them all at once. She looked great, and we had fun making them. It brought memories of mine when I was little, because I too had popbeads. My dog, Purdy, ate them...which is probably what I remember most about them. Ahh...memories! Purdy soon left our house because of such incidents.

A visit from Uncle Lawny...

Uncle Lawny came to visit us a couple of weeks ago. You would have thought the candy man came and said that Jack and Molly were going to get as much candy as they wanted for the rest of their life! They were so excited to see him and spend time with him. I think they were just as excited as Kyle was for the visit. It was wonderful to see them all playing together. It also is hard to see since we live so far away, and they do not get to play like that all the time. It is those times when I wish we lived closer to family! We were grateful for the time and energy he gave the kids. We are grateful for his family giving him up for a long weekend, and we hope that everyone will come this summer!

My Oma...

My Oma passed away this past Christmas Eve. I have been thinking of her often since she passed away, and have meant to blog about her several times. I have many entries in my head, but this is the first that has made it to the actual blog. You will have to bear with me, because I am sure that this will turn into a ramble!

One thing I have been thinking about is the memories that one has with a person - especially a grandparent. I have many wonderful memories of my Oma. My mom put together a book right before she passed away that had memories from family members with Oma being at the center. It was hard to narrow to just one memory. Now, those memories are that much sweeter because there will not be any new memories with her. It is such an interesting emotion that comes over you. Everytime I look at the sweater Molly still wears that Oma made, it makes me smile and remember my love for her. Before, it was just a great thing to have a sweater made by my grandmother. This is the first really close loss that I have experienced, so the feelings are all new to me. I am thankful for the memories that I have, and will cherish them always.

Another thing I have been thinking a lot about is how much I miss her voice. I, of course, miss her but we have lived apart for the last couple of years so not to see her often is nothing new. However, we did talk regularly. I miss her answering the phone with her own way of saying "hello" followed by a "hi, honey" that only she can say in her way. No one can replace that!

The picture above is the last picture I have with us together. It was the last visit I had with her. She had just been diagnosed with cancer while I was there. I will cherish this picture. (Besides, I think it is a pretty good one!)

I rest assured that she is up in heaven with Jesus loving being with her Savior. One day, I will get to see her again and hear those words..."hi, honey!"