Princess's first love?

  

This morning we had the ultimate fun of a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese!  What kid doesn't like CEC? It is loud, you get to run around and play games, they play music and feed you  pizza and cake!  Unless it is your first visit...today was Princess's first trip to Chuck E. Cheese. 

You can see by the look on her face that she didn't know what to think!  This is the expression she wore for the first hour we were there.  Aunt Penny tried to get her to have fun at various things, but she looked like she was next to tears. Even when she was eating two pieces of pizza, chocolate ice cream and cake, she still wore this expression.

I finally took her to the toddler area and sat her down on the stairs to the slide.  She spent several minutes just taking it in.

It slowly dawned on her that this was her size and she could relax and play.  To which she did! Up, down and around she went over and over again. Until...

She spotted Barney...

and it was love at first sight.  I am not quite sure what this says about her ability to discern. :)

Is it spring time yet??

Ok, I know snow is pretty, but I am done with it!! I am  a warm weather person!! I need my vit. D!! So, I thought I would post a picture that I took a year or two ago.  Nothing like forsythia's.  They scream that spring is here in all its glory!  I look forward to that and hope this pic brightens your day. :)

Stretching...

What? is the question that you should have here...Stretching what?  Today is one of those days where my character and brain are being stretched.  I don't like being stretched, it can hurt, especially if the stretching includes your children.

As most of you know, I am impatient and can have a quick temper...stop the snickering.  It has been my lifelong lesson to become more patient, and slower to anger.  I thought that I had it mastered when I taught, no such luck.  It is not until someone (Hotrod mainly) comes up against you with a stubborn will or a nonchalant attitude (and he has both) that you truly see how impatient and HOT tempered you really are!!!!!!!!!!!!  I am not going to go into all the details, let's just say that it had to do with his schooling and that I ended up on the front porch.  Time apart was a necessity. 

Have no fear it ended well.  We finished, we loved, and we did nothing else...he is now watching He-man.

How is my brain being stretched?  hehe...I am learning how to read the script for a template. :) That is cool stuff!  I had downloaded this template, but it was too dark and all the type was the same color.  I really liked the look, but it needed help. 

I spent an hour on the web trying to find out how to change things that were locked...no luck.  So I enlisted the help of a blog guru, and with a little bit of guidance and much time, I have changed the look of the template. I like it!! 

I now know just enough to be dangerous...that is never a good place to be ;).

Here it comes!!!! There it goes.

My Birthday...there are two tales that I could tell you of my day.  The horrible visit to the doctor with my son and accidentally giving my daughter a bloody lip, or the hours that I spent on the phone today with family and friends that love me.

Although the doctor's visit and the bloody lip will be funny in years to come, let's stay positive.  Yes,  I know I haven't been today, but I can end the day well.  Right?

I have been shown so much love today.  I have spoken with all my dear and dearly loved friends, and a good portion of my family.  I did have to call my daddy at 7:30 this evening, but that is OK, I know he was thinking about me today. :)

And this wonderful, yummy cake was made for me by Lara!!! Yea!!!  It is a blessing not to have to make your own birthday cake, and she delivered it in the snow.  Unfortunately, my house is currently germ city, so we visited in the snow for a few minutes.

I was asked today what I would like for my birthday and my reply was "sanity".  In reality it was given to me. How blessed I am at this point in my life to have the friends and family that I have. So, even tho, I was stuck in the house with the kids, Matt at work for a 12 hour day, God blessed me greatly with all the kind words from today.  So, let's see what this year holds!!! 

Love you all!!!

My moment...well, what it might look like

You would think, by looking at this picture, that I was having a calm, peaceful moment to myself.  It would seem that I drink my wonderful cup of tea out of a beautiful, breakable, tea cup on a daily basis.  Oh, if this were true. To have time to make such  a beautiful cup of tea and sit and read a book, quietly.

In actuality, I had two kids running around me (that I was ignoring), and a countertop full of cooking things and dishes (I simply pushed them out of the way).  I was making a cup...mug(big and thick) of tea and the sun hit it just right. So I transferred it to one of my prechildren teacups and played with my camera for a few blissful moments.

I never even drank that cup of tea, but that is life at the moment...

Dinosaurs on Planet Swordland

Prior to Christmas, Hotrod became interested in dinosaurs.  For this reason, as a Christmas present we bought him the Digging for Dinosaurs DS game.  Well,  since then all sorts of new creatures have entered PS. In fact, normally on Matt's day off he builds the kids a fort out of the mattresses in the guest room...not today.

Today, Hotrod requested a museum...yes!!  So Dad built him a museum.  I was a paying costumer, of course.  You would think that mom would get in for free, but no, I had to purchase a ticket.  I was given a tour of the museum which included the various skulls that had been dug from under the museum...apparently.

I was then told about the various new dinosaurs that now live on Planet Swordland. Shall I run them down for you? :) There is Chomposaurus- meat eater; Runosaurus -meat eater; Climbosaurus- yes, meat eater; Jumposaurus- also a meat eater.  Well I asked the obvious question, "Are there any plant eaters?"

No, was the reply, although there is a plant and meat eater. I forgot its name, sorry!

Matt came up with one...Stinkosaurus.  Hotrod did not find that funny and delegated that dinosaur to an altogether different planet in another dimension, no less.

Our Birthday Girls!

 What do you do when you are snowed in with two birthday girls???  Well, you make cupcakes and celebrate with the siblings and cousins you have immediately available!!!!  Thankfully for us, that is quite a little party! :)



As you can see the girls had a lot of fun with their cupcakes.  I still have to get all the chocolate out of Princess's shirt!!  What you can't see in this picture is what those fantastic cupcakes have in them...butternut squash!!! Yes!!!

Normally, the recipe calls for pumpkin, I didn't have any left so I used what I had! The kids love them.  Matt hates them and is really verbal about it. They are still chocolate....just a little healthier.  He says, "Why would you do that to a cupcake?????"

Amy bought the girls the most precious, old school toys.  They both fell in love with the toys and they couldn't have been cuter pulling them around! Fun times!!!  Our little two year olds!!!

I have waited a lifetime for this....

 When I was three (Daddy correct me if I am  wrong), my Daddy bought me my first jean jacket.   I loved that jacket, and wore it everywhere for as long as I could.

You see, Daddy and my big brother wore jeans and jean jackets and I can remember at a very  young age wanting to be like them.  I remember getting the jacket and how big and important I felt wearing mine. I still wear jeans.

It was finally too small and I didn't want to get rid of it.  So, I decided that my little girl would wear it someday. It has hung at the back of my closet all these years waiting for that little girl.

Well, yesterday it dawned on me that Princess was about the right size for my jacket.  I got it out, put  it on her and it fits!!!!!!!  And she looks ADORABLE in it!!!! Oh my!!!  I think she looks better in it than I did. Yes, I shed a few tears...

These are the moments....

There are moments in our lives that define the time we are currently in, the spot in which we are to be content and grow in grace and knowledge of Christ... this was one of those moments...

Today was a good day. Ladies bible study this morning, lunch, Princess down to nap, school with Hotrod, noodle making and finally homemade chicken noodle soup.  Other than the temper tantrums that Princess threw...it was a good day. So to end the day, I thought I would soak in the tub and read my next Ted Dekker book.

(BTW, if you have not read his work, I highly recommend it. Start with Black...)

I pulled back the shower curtain and there was a tub full of toys. Normally, Hotrod picks these up, but somehow that got missed after the last bath.  Of course, I had to pick them up in order to soak, so I began the process.

As I encountered each toy, I squeezed out the water. Now, normally, this is no issue. BUT.  My children have a various array of bathtime toys, which include two different types of ducks. One which squirts water out from the flat bottom and one that squirts water out from the beak.  Every once in a while, I will forget which one I am holding and will squeeze that sucker with gusto!!!

You can see where I am headed with this story.  So I picked up a duck, squeezed with all I had and yes, squirted water right into my eye. 

Now I have two choices here...I can think awful thoughts about why my son did not pick up the toys as he should or I can just sigh...the sigh of a tired mom, just wanting to soak in the tub.  I sighed that sigh, and then laughed.

This is where I am right now...not for forever, but right now.  Someday, I will not have to clear the tub of toys in order to soak in it.  I am told that I will miss these days....time will tell. :)