Springtime

We live on a farm.
And in the springtime, on a farm where horses graze in the front yard and four little children run outside to play, sometimes in the freshly tilled yard, we also have mud.









And there are two little boys with huge imaginations. They can make boats out of styrafoam. Sticks and red plastic make for great sails. A little lego man takes a ride through the mud puddle.







Gwen decided not to immerse herself in mud. She did, however, give me one of her beautiful smiles.



We have spent time at the ballpark (about to be WAY too much time)











And I looked up one day to realize that my "baby" boy, isn't so much a baby any more. He'll be nine this summer, something I still can't believe. Seems like it was just yesterday that he was a little tyke.



And Miss Callie, well, what can I say. She's almost 23 months, going on ten. She does, after all, have three older siblings.



Notice the rock in her left hand? She kept picking them up and trying to eat them. Called them 'm and m's'.

Today was opening day at the ballfields, which mean pictures, wind, rain, mud, and four small children. Then we had a gymnastics meet. After nine hours of activities and freezing cold wind, I'm beat. The military picked this weekend to send Kevin away for drill.

Maybe tomorrow we'll see some flowers and sun . . .

End of March

For the blog, I've been slacking. But in my real life I've been busier than ever, while my head is spinning with thousands of ideas/inspirations.
I want to homeschool my kids.
I want to build a porch rail.
I want to paint my kitchen cabinets. Wait, I want NEW cabinets. Bisque color, with dark counters.
I want a bigger kitchen window.
My garden needs tilled.
I want to take the kids roller skating.
I need to find my softball glove so I can practice with Gwen.
And that is just the tip of the iceburg.
But that's okay, I have three days coming up in which to start tackling a few of my projects (including finally building my laundry basket dresser), close on our refinance loan, take the kids roller skating, plant some climbing roses, and start a new photo book.
It's going to be a fun, but very busy, weekend :)

One quick photo, with ALL FOUR IN IT!!

Two Weeks In Photos

To try and describe the last two weeks would take an eternity. So I'm just going to sum them up in a handful of photos, that don't nearly do it justice but include the things that I would like to remember.

There were the hours and hours put into getting our master bathroom finished to a point that we could get a re-finance loan. Although it's not quite done (hence, no before/after pics yet), the kids donned their swimsuits and took a bath in purple water. They were pretty thrilled.



There was weather warm enough for hulu hooping



And bubbles



Friendly inch worms



Dancing in the bubbles



Getting up early for work/school, and pigtails that never stay in






Homemade strawberry/cheese danishes



A much needed trip to the Children's museum with dinosaurs, mirrors, Egypt, Dora and Diego, and so many other activities that I can't begin to describe. Since we got a family membership (with military discount!) we'll be headed back several more times this year.

(Look how many times Callie is in this photo!)






Waiting for rock wall tickets



Getting excited



Making it to the top!! A real rock wall, I'm not sure I could have made it up :) It was much higher than my camera makes it seem.





Visiting Egypt





Callie getting tired in Dora/Diego land



The awesome dinosaurs



Lex letting us know that he was done for the day



I was done for the day as well. For the week. The past two weeks have been so incredibly busy and stressful, including everything from a car wreck (Kevin, thankfully he's okay but his truck is not), to the threat of losing a program I've worked on for years.

I'm watching a thunderstorm outside right now, hoping and praying that the coming week is free of stress and filled with a lot of fun. We all need a break :)

Windows to the Soul

When you look into someone's eyes, you can learn so much about them. I have missed capturing the eyes of my children in photographs, so today I bribed them with a piece of valentine's candy and in less than ten minutes captured all four of them.
When I pulled up the photos, I was a bit shocked at how much they have grown up. I see them every day, but somehow, I have missed it.























At least when they're all grown up, I'll have the photographs, and the memories to hold onto.

P52 - Week 6

This week has been . . . well, too odd for words :) Or pictures. I only have a couple to share from this week and the end of last.

This week I -

Got kicked out of my office building at work due to smoke (fire alarm never sounded?), right before an important presentation
Gave an important presentation
Got an 'A' on that presentation
Wound up in a clinic getting a shot for a migraine, 2 hours before I had signed up to help out with Hunter and Gwen's Valentine's Day parties
Made it to Hunter and Gwen's Valentine's Day Parties :)
Worried about a sick baby girl, diagnosed with the flu and getting respiratory issues
Smiled when that baby girl got better
Cleaned one entire room top to bottom, the first of many to come
Stayed up late, got up early
Fell asleep early, slept in until 7:30
Woke up to the sound of birds singing. That made the whole week worthwhile.

And now, onto the pictures!

My baby girl is getting so big



And so is my little boy!


His favorite smile


Me and my littlest baby



Beautiful Gwen - she handed out photo Valentine's cards and the kids really liked them :)


I hope that Callie always looks up to her big sister.


Gwen taking an 'artistic' photo!


Lately we've had a lot of snow, ice, and super cold weather. Today the thaw began, and I'm thrilled. I can't wait for spring . . .