Life is Good

Life is good!  My life is also crazy, loud, busy, full of love, tickles, snuggles and exasperation. I never imagined myself as a mom of four, but now I can't imagine my life any other way. 

This weekend is the annual opening day of deer season, so I am a single mom. Now that Cooper is 6.5 years old he gets to go to deer camp with Jason. 

I hate having Jason gone, but I do sure love having a little time alone with my littles. I treat these weekends as "free weekends" and have as much fun with the kids as I can and let chores (and good nutrition) fall to the wayside. 

So far this weekend Henry has cooked dinner both nights. Friday was pizza bread.

Saturday was nachos. 

He loves to cook or really help in any way. 

We also had doughnuts today, went to Target and got stuff for Grace's birthday party next week, and then went bowling. 

Henry has been asking to go bowling all summer. He wanted to go "when it snows outside this summer" but since I didn't think that would happen we went today. Emma was volunteering for a back to school backpack event with the church so it was just Henry, Grace and I. We had a lot of fun and actually did pretty well.

Henry got 67, Grace got 90 and I got 132!

Being this kids' mom sure is a blessing to me. Hard to believe that next week Emma starts her 2nd year of High School and the week after that Grace starts 5th, Cooper starts 1st and Henry will be in Pre-K. 

Just One Thing

Someone in my moms group recently asked, "if you could only teach your children one thing, what would it be?"

There were some great responses that I could identify with but none of them were all encompassing enough. Sure I would love for my kids to be happy, and confident, and self-sufficient, and to know Jesus but I want more than that for them.

What first popped into my head and what still is repeating in my head is the Golden Rule. Matthew 7:12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. I want them to be kind to others just as they would want others to be kinds to them.  I want them to be respectful of others just as they would want others to respect them.  I want them to give others the benefit of the doubt, to show gentleness and patience.  I want them to be helpful and considerate.  I hope they are humble, grateful, and willing to serve those less fortunate.  I want them to be loving and joyful and considerate.

As I list out all of the qualities I wish for them which I think fall into the Golden Rule it reminds me of the "Fruits of the Spirit".  Galatians 5:22-23 tells us "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."  These are the qualities I wish for my children.  I pray nightly for my children to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  I know that I can't force the qualities on my children I can only pray that the Holy Spirit fills them with these qualities, and I know that if they are filled with these qualities then by default they will treat others the way they would want to be treated.

Some key scriptures that I pray they will learn, understand and exhibit:

Matthew 25:40 ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ ~ Serve the less fortunate.  Honor all people.  Don't judge a book by its cover.  Remember that all people were made in the image of God and are valued.  It is what you do when no one is watching that is the true measure of your intentions.


Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. ~ Do your best in everything you do.  Do everything as if God, your friends, you mother, your Grandmother were watching.  If you wouldn't act that way to your teacher, principal, Pastor Lance, don't act they way to me, your father, or your siblings.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. ~ If you don't know what is right or what to do, pray about it.  Think back on your Bible teachings.  What would Jesus do? 

1 John 2:15-16 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. ~ Be in the world but not of the world.  Walk the narrow path to Jesus, salvation, everlasting life, don't be caught up in the world and it (lack of) values.  Don't follow the broad road that leads to sin and damnation.


Sometimes it is overwhelming to wonder how I am going to raise these four precious children that God has entrusted to my care.  When I think it is too much I remember:  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:13

Long weekends

Long weekends are a mixed blessing. This past weekend was Presidents Day so we got Monday off. It was a very productive weekend. Saturday we cleaned the family room from floor to ceiling including moving all of the furniture, shaking out the rug and mopping all of the wood floor. We also got Lucy groomed, went to ballet and sold almost 150 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies (well Gracie did). We even squeezed in a trip to Starbucks and the park!

Sunday was church, a trip to the nursery for potatoes, and about ten loads of laundry before heading to Grammie's and Grampa's for dinner.

Monday we woke up and weren't quite sure what to do. I washed all the sheets and the towels. Went to Walmart and Safeway.  Finished folding and putting away stragglers and watched Smash (my new favorite show!). Then I realized it was still only 3:00. I decided it was s perfect time to take the kids to the park. Emma want interested but the littles were game.

We had gone to Keiser park in Saturday so Monday they opted for "Connie's" park. It wasn't quite as much fun as our trip on Saturday since we didn't run into any friends to chat with. But it is always fun to send time playing with the kids.

By 6pm we were all beat. Three day weekends are nice for getting to spend time together and getting projects done. But by the end of the weekend we are all worn out and ready to get back to normal. I told Jason that next time we have a three day weekend we are getting pizza for dinner on the last night so that we can just relax.

Lucky Me

Sure, just like everyone else, there are days that my kids drive me crazy. But overwhelmingly I love my kids and I enjoy spending time with them. There are days that I can't believe just how lucky I am to be their mom. Most of my very best days are days that I can just focus on being their mom and not worry about work, chores, errands or "to dos". Yesterday was one of those days. The day started of just like any other day. Jason had to respond to the frost alarm in the early morning hours so it was just me and the kids. We were planning on making it to church, but that just didn't work out.

Henry and I got out of bed around 6am and fixed coffee, checked the computer and then plopped ourselves on the floor in the family room. The little kids joined us for cartoons has Henry climbed all over me. Eventually we made breakfast (pancakes since we only had 2 eggs in the house and not much of anything else). Emma Jo was in charge of the bacon. Jason got home as we were finishing breakfast. Then I tried to get Henry to take a nap since he was rubbing his eyes. He filled his belly and drifted off. After snoozing for about 10 minutes his eyes popped open and he was recharged! I handed him off to Jason so that I could shower before he left for the house. After my shower Henry was definitely ready for a nap. I rocked him to sleep once again.

Around 11:30am, it was time to get serious about starting our day. The kids and I decided it was perfect weather for a picnic. We got dressed and headed to the store. The kids were great at the store and in no time our cart was full and we were ready for our picnic.

The little kids got the blanket and spread it in the yard. Emma Jo found the umbrella while I made lunches. It was nothing fancy, but it warmed my heart to see the four of them sitting together, sharing a meal, sharing stories, being kind to each other, and enjoying each other's company.

We had puffy Cheetos. (I can't remember ever buying those before.)

We played hide-and-seek with a napkin.

And in general just enjoyed each other.

Later in the afternoon we baked cupcakes for Emma Jo's Championship party and a cake for dessert after dinner with Grammie and Grampa.

I was tired at bedtime, but happy to have spent a great day appreciating all of the blessings that God has given to our family, namely Emma, Grace, Cooper and Henry.

Great Weekend

After feeling awful on Friday, I was so happy to feel great this weekend. The weather has been perfect and the kids and I have tried to take advantage. Yesterday we played outside in the water and today we had a picnic in the yard.

We took Henry's bathtub outside so he could have a "swim".

Grace and Cooper played with buckets of water.

I told them not to get each other wet. I guess I didn't say they couldn't get themselves wet.

Later, Grace and Jason went to the annual Girl Scouts Father-Daughter Dance. The theme was Flowers and Flip Flops. Jason was pretty happy he could wear a Hawaiian Shit. Grace was thrilled to wear flip flops and her new Easter hat.

While they were at the dance, I stayed home with Emma, Cooper and Henry. We made pizza buns for dinner and had sundaes for dessert!

Cooper was delighted to have whipped cream! It is one of his favorites. Emma Jo liked the chocolate sauce and the black and white ice cream.

A Day Off

Sometimes it is the little things.
Little things that add up to be everything.
I have a million little things to do everyday and sometimes it gets to be too much. That is the way I have been feeling this week. I'm sure it is compounded by the fact that Henry has become the baby who DOESN'T sleep. Jason reminded me that Cooper was once the baby who only slept while being rocked, so I'm sure that someday Henry will sleep. Although it doesn't feel that way at 3 in the morning when you are up for the 5th time.
Anyway, I was scheduled to go on a Girlfriend's Retreat with First Baptist Church this weekend. I had been looking forward to it, but in the past few days it felt like just one more thing that needed to be checked off my "to-do list".
Last night I made the decision to say no. No, I'm not doing what I should do, I'm going to do what I want to do. So today, instead of leaving my family and spending the day with the women from church, I decided to go shopping.
Mom, Emma, Grace, Henry and I packed up the Yukon and headed to Emeryville. We were hoping to find a chair for Emma's room at IKEA. It ended up that we didn't really find too much of anything to buy, but I did find a little peace. It felt great to not have anything that had to be done. I did have three kids with me but Henry was a shopping angel and the girls did great, especially after lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.

Leprechaun Cake

Last week I happened upon a blog posting about a Leprechaun cake. I instantly knew that the kids would love it. Even though St. Patrick's Day was on Thursday, I still decided to make the cake on Sunday. Emma Jo was at the house helping Jason get things ready for new flooring, so it was just the little kids and I.

We mixed up the cake batter and separated it into six different bowls. Then Grace and Cooper got to add food coloring to their bowls to make all of the colors of the rainbow (this was accompanied by singing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song about "Red-Orange-Yellow-Blue, don't forget the Purple too!"). Then we carefully layered the colors into our bundt pan. The kids enjoyed squeezing the batter out of the baggies. After it baked it was time to add the marshmallow clouds around the edges and in the middle. Then Grace was in charge of making a leprechaun trap, gold coins, a sign and a ladder.
It didn't turn out as beautiful as the sample blog, but it was pretty darn cute and the kids loved it! Emma Jo was surprised when we slicing into it and there was a rainbow inside.
This was definitely a hit and we've already talked about ways we could adapt the method for birthday and other cakes.

Time Flies

Where has the month gone? I can't believe it will be February in just a few days.

Henry is 6 months old today! Hard to believe he is so big already! He goes to the doctor tomorrow, but last week he weighed about 17 pounds (40th percentile).
He has just started eating "solid" food and he loves it! Applesauce was a question mark the first couple of times but now he gobbles it up. Sweet Potatoes were a hit from day 1.
He can roll over both ways.
He prefers to sit at all opportunities, preferably while someone is talking to him.
He will lock his legs and hips so that you can't sit him down when he wants to stand.
Henry has started "talking". He will gladly carry on a conversation with anyone who will sit next to him. He also "sings" in the car when others are singing to the radio.
The older kids still LOVE him. They fight over who gets to "keep Henry happy". They are really enjoying that he is more interactive these days.
We've been working on teaching him to crawl. Cooper will crawl around to show him an example and Grace will hold his belly off the floor to see if that will help. So far Henry is showing no signs of crawling.
He can move where he wants to by rolling and spinning around using his feet and arms.

A year ago at this time we were terrified how a new baby was going to upset our lives. Our fears were justified in a way, Henry has definitely knocked our previous routines for a loop. But he is a sweetheart and now I can't imagine our family without him. I can see that he is adjusting to our family and we are adjusting to him. I can already imagine when this very needy, demanding newborn stage is going to be over and our lives will be somewhat back to normal.

Worn Out

Yesterday the kids and I had a "stay at home day" due to the Martin Luther King Jr Holiday. We started off slow but when we got going there was no stopping. First we (I) cleaned out the fridge, did some laundry and organized the pantry. Then we headed to the Dollar store to get supplies for Grace's "Student of the Week" presentation. Next was down to Windsor to drop Emma off at Halle's house. Lunch was a treat for the little kids with a visit to "ChickenDonald's" and playing in the kids' area. I don't think I've taken them there since before Cooper was born! Grace and Cooper had a blast and played so nicely together. We went in since Henry was hungry, but once we got there he was too distracted by all the kids running around to eat. I guess everyone had the same idea for a holiday Monday.
After lunch I took Grace, Cooper and Henry to the grocery store. Surprisingly it went very well. Grace and Cooper were pretty helpful getting stuff off the shelves, and our morning adventure clipping coupons netted over $35 in savings!
Once we got home we put away groceries and played outside. Then Cooper took a bath since he was filthy! After the bath it was evident that Henry needed a nap. As I was putting Henry to bed the little kids were watching Scooby Doo in the family room. Cooper was curled up in a towel eating a yogurt. When I emerged from the bedroom I discovered Cooper sleeping in the chair with the yogurt and spoon still in his hand. I guess three days home with Mommy was just too much for him.

We ended up waking him at after 7pm so that he could have some dinner and get dressed before going back to bed.

What a Week!

It is only Wednesday morning, but we've already had quite a week. It started Saturday morning with Cooper puking in the carpet store. Guess we'll have to pick out the new floors for the house another day! Then Saturday night Henry decided he didn't need to sleep. I didn't get him down until 11:30 (he usually goes down around 8!). Then at 2 he woke up and could not be comforted. I finally discovered he would sleep in my arms if I sat in the LazyBoy rocker. We stayed there until 7am. Thankfully Jason was off this weekend and Henry and I got to sleep in until almost 10! I was still exhausted and tried to take the day easy.

Monday I got everyone to daycare and school and was just settling into a groove at work when my phone rang. Cooper was sick again. I hurried to daycare and picked the boys up. By the time I got him he seemed fine so we spent the day lazing around the house watching Bolt. Henry had a doctor appointment in the afternoon and we discovered he is totally "average". He weighed in at 14lb13oz and was in the 50th percentile for weight and length. Monday night Henry didn't go to sleep until 10pm, but he pretty much slept all night (except for a few snacks).

Tuesday Cooper stayed home with Grampa and Daddy while the girls had their Thanksgiving parties at school. Henry was a daycare and it was a quiet day. The quiet ended around 6:30 when Cooper accidentally touched the wood-stove. Then there was screaming and tears. After running cold water on it for 30 minutes and holding onto a Nemo and Lightning McQueen icepack we discovered he was more scared than hurt. He was exhausted from the experience and fell asleep in Jason's arms around 8pm.

This morning everyone seems to be better. Cooper's hand is a little red but I can't see any blisters. Henry is snoozing on the bed. The girls are sleeping in knowing they have a five day weekend. I'm hoping this is a sign that the week is changing and we'll have lazy days and happy kids for the long holiday weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

One of Those Days

Today was one of THOSE days. Yes, one of those days when everything was just about perfect.
I woke up to a quiet house. It was 6:30 (I never sleep that late). There was hot coffee and all the kids were still asleep. It would have been better if Jason was home or the kids slept long enough for me to watch Private Practice, but it was pretty good nonetheless.
Then I got everyone up and ready and there were no fights. We got doughnuts for breakfast and even though they didn't have the kind the kids requested (chocolate twist), everyone was happy and said "Thank You".
We watched Grace's soccer game and then came home with our friend, Halle, in tow.
Once home the kids played nicely together blowing bubbles and riding in the "Golf Jeep" (golf cart).
After lunch I took all the kids (including Halle) to Emma Jo's game. By then the sun was out and Jason was able to meet us there. Henry slept and I was able to watch the whole game. It would have been better if Emma hadn't been hit in the face with the soccer ball, but at least she was fine by the time the game was over.
On the way home from the game we got ice cream (and Starbucks) and brainstormed Halloween costumes for Emma and Halle.

All in all it has been a great day. The kids have been fabulous, I got all the dishes and laundry done and Jason did the grocery shopping! The only thing that would have been better is if Henry would have taken a bottle. I'm really stressed out since I'm going back to work in a week and Henry is now refusing to drink from a bottle. I'm hoping Connie is more patient than I am and that she can get him to take one!

More Changes

Just when we were all getting used to life with a family of 6, we've changed it up again. NO, we are not adding to the family, but we are adding to the house. We've decided that a family of six needs more than 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We have begun a major remodel/addition which will result in a 5 bedroom, 3 bath house. Each of the kids will have their own rooms, and I will finally get my soaker tub!

In order to make this go as smoothly as possible, Jason, the kids and I have moved up to my parents. They graciously offered their house to us for the duration, and have moved into the back cottage in order to give us more room. I'm still in awe of their generosity and the kids are still trying to figure out how exactly this is going to work. "Will Grammie have breakfast with us everyday?" "Can I ride on Grampa's forklift?" "Are they really going to sleep back there?" "Are we going to our house today?"

Last night was the first night in this newest reality and for the most part it worked pretty well. I'm sure by the time we have it all figured out it will be time to move back home. I have a feeling when we do leave there will be withdrawal pains, for the kids... and the grandparents.

New Reality

I think I'm starting to adjust to my new reality of being mom to four children. But I had forgotten just how busy life can be with a newborn. Although it seems like I'm busy all the time, it also seems like I don't get anything done, except feed Henry.


My typical day goes something like this:

~ 6am - wake up and get a cup of coffee, nurse Henry
~ 6:15 - Cooper comes out to family room and we turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
~ 6:30 - Grace joins us in the family room
~ 7:15 - wake up Emma Jo
~ 7:30 - Emma finally gets out of bed and heads towards the shower
~ 8:15 - out the door on the way to school
~ 9am - Henry and I arrive back home - he is hungry and nurses until about 10am
~ 10:15 - shower and get dressed
~ 10:30 - start laundry
~ 11am - pump milk so we can try and get Henry to take a bottle
~ Noon - Henry wakes up and wants to eat - realize I'm famished
~ 1pm - finally get lunch after Henry falls back to sleep
~ 1:30 - fold and put away laundry, try to pick up the house, clean the kitchen
~ 2:30 - Nurse Henry
~ 3pm - Head out to pick up girls from school
~ 3:30-6pm - either hang out with the girls and help them with homework or take them to soccer practice
~ 5pm - Nurse Henry
~ 6pm-7pm - spend time with Jason and all the kids, eat dinner
~ 7pm-8:30 - nurse Henry
~ 9pm - Bedtime
~ Midnight - Nurse Henry
~ 2am - Nurse Henry
~ 4am - Nurse Henry
~ 6am - start all over again

In addition to the above, I try to fit in everyday life necessities like grocery shopping, doctor's appointments, banking, sewing on Girl Scout patches and buying diapers. Not to mention the baby announcements that are sitting on my kitchen counter waiting to be addressed or the Thank You notes that have yet to be sent. Then on top of everyday life, we are gearing up for a major home remodel and addition. That involves cleaning out closets and cupboards, determining what we can give to charity, what we need to take with us during the move and what can be put in storage for the next six months. It also involves trips to the Building Department and excursions to the Bath & Kitchen store and visits on-line to try to pick out a new soaking tub, shower and bathroom fixtures.

Since my day seems to be full now I wonder how I will manage in a few weeks when I go back to work. I'm going to need to figure out how to shower in the morning before I leave the house. The major obstacle I'm facing is worrying that Cooper will wake up while I'm in the shower and he will accidentally hurt Henry while he is trying to help. Maybe I could leave the family room TV turned to a cartoon and Cooper will migrate out there on his own? Then I'm going to have to figure out how to get us all out of the house an hour earlier than we leave currently. Henry is going to have to start sleeping better for that to be a possibility. And actually with the temporary move we'll need to leave the house about 20 minutes earlier than we did last year since we will be living further away from daycare and school.

I guess we will continue to take it one day at a time and figure it out as we go.

End of Summer - Cookie Making

One of the last things we did to enjoy the end of summer, was make chocolate chip cookies.

We invited our friend, Halle, over to help.

I'm not sure if the kids liked the cookies better or the cookie dough. (Thankfully the eggs we used weren't tainted with salmonella.)

We had to pick up Cooper after we mixed the dough, but before we formed the cookies. That was when I realized that I might have lost my mind. Because who in their right mind would think making cookies with four kids and a 3 week old baby was a good idea?

Thankfully Jason got home before it got too out of control, and Henry slept through most of the chaos so everything turned out okay. (And I got some delicious cookies to snack on while I go a little crazy.)

Good Morning

This morning started out a little earlier than I would have liked, at 4am Henry decided it was time for breakfast. Before 5am Cooper decided it was time to watch Mickey Mouse in my bed. But early wake up aside, today is a good morning. Jason is at work but we are doing just fine on our own. Now at 7am Henry is snoozing away in bed next to me. Cooper and Grace are playing Barbie & Buzz Lightyear in their room and Emma Jo is still sleeping. In a little bit we will officially start our day with breakfast, showers and chores, but right now it is quiet and peaceful in our house. It is moments like this when I think "four kids isn't crazy". We'll see if I still think that this afternoon...

Last Post on 2 Princesses, 1 Dude & The Little Bean

By this time tomorrow we will know if this little one is a boy or a girl! In fact, we'll be holding the Little Bean in our arms and making room in our hearts for one more baby. I'm a little nervous as to how the induction is going to go. I'm unsure if baby will be here tonight or not until tomorrow morning. I'm hoping that Jason and Mom will both be there for the birth. I'm worried how that will work if the baby decides to come in the middle of the night.

I'm still unsure how the baby is going to affect our day-to-day life and family balance. I'm sure it will all work out, but it feels like such an unknown. Our family seems so busy, so full, so complete I wonder how one more will fit in. But, my arms are aching to hold this little one and I'm so excited to see what Emma, Grace and Cooper think about the new baby. I guess we will know soon...

After the baby is born and we get settled at home, the next question will be what should this blog/journal be called next?

The Big Switch

There was lots of activity in our house this weekend. We finally made the switch and gave Emma Jo back her own room. With Cooper becoming such a big boy, we promised Emma Jo that she could get her own room back and Cooper could bunk with Grace. Everyone seemed pretty excited about the possibility. Grace is ecstatic to finally be big enough for the top bunk. Cooper is so proud to be a "big boy" and get to sleep in Grace's bed. Emma is just happy to finally have her own space.
We started the move on Saturday morning by having Emma sort and pack her closet. To make matter really complicated Grace wanted to move from her dresser and her side of the closet to Emma Jo's dresser and closet. Clearly those are to be used by the oldest so it was her rightful place. So Saturday we had to get Emma's things out of her room, Cooper's things out of his room, Grace's things into Emma's old space, Emma's stuff into Cooper's room and then Cooper's stuff into Grace's room. We also had to put the baby stuff into our room so that Emma could have her real furniture, not a baby changing table/dresser combo. Right smack in the middle was nap time so most activity had to halt as Cooper took a nap in his old room. By that time I was exhausted and so happy Daddy was home to help.
Thankfully by Sunday afternoon Emma Jo's room is completely re-done. She is so very, very happy to have her own room and is so proud of how she put it together. We didn't do any painting or even change the window treatments since we're not sure which room she will be in after the remodel.
The little kids' room is about 70% done. Their toys and books need to be organized. Cooper's clothes need to be loaded into his dresser. All of the wall art needs to be shifted or changed.
The biggest work still needs to be done in our room. We have odds and ends from each of the kids on the floor. We have several loads of laundry that need to folded. The baby's stuff is sorted but nothing is washed or put away. It is basically chaos in our room. Jason is frustrated since he doesn't do well with disorder. I'm even starting to feel claustrophobic. Unfortunately I've felt awful today so I haven't been any help at all. I'm counting on feeling better tomorrow and tackling at least the clothes and having Rosie vacuum the floor. I'm sure that will go a long way towards our room being livable again.
I am happy to say that we now do have a car seat and diapers! I just need to wash some baby clothes and we wil be ready for baby!

Last weeks of School

The girls are busily gearing up for the last couple week so school. I was looking at our calendar the other day and realizing just how busy May is and June isn't much better. Before we know it the baby is going to be here!
Last week I was lucky enough to chaperon both girls on their end-of-the-year Field Trips. I was waiting to post until I had the pictures downloaded and edited, but I just don't have the time or energy for that these days. It seems as soon as I get home I'm ready to lay down. Unfortunately I can't do that since I have three little people to take care of.

Tuesday Grace's Kindergarten class had a field trip to the Windsor Town Green. We played on the playground until the Library opened at 10am. Then the Librarian told us all about the library including the types of things they carry, where things are located and the rules of the Library. Did you know you can check out 30 books at a time for up to 3 weeks! That sounds like 25 lost books in my house! After our tour each of the kids got there very own library card and were allowed to check out a book (we limited them to 1 on their first visit).
After the library it was back to the playground for lunch and then Powell's brought over Gelato for dessert. Grace loved it! I'm not sure how she tasted it because when she was done her bowl was still full and her entire body was covered in chocolate, from her eyebrows to her shoes!
On our way home Grace declared that she wants to move to Italy since they have the best pasta and gelato! I told her maybe we could visit there someday.

On Wednesday it was Emma Jo's 5th grade trip to Sacramento. We left the school at 8am and didn't return until almost 7pm. It was a long day! We started our day with a stop at the Sutter Fort. I was surprised by how small the fort is. I only had Fort Ross to compare it to, but I'd say Fort Ross is twice as big. The kids liked looking in each of the rooms, but the highlight was a tie between the gift shop and the man, dressed in period attire, who fired a real musket.
After the fort we headed over to the Capital building. We ate our lunches on the lawn before entering the building. The kids had a list of questions that needed to be answered so we scoured the halls, stairwells and galleries looking for information about the capital and the state. The architecture and details were amazing and it was fun to remember that the last time I was in Capital was on my own school field trip.
Our next stop was Old Town Sacramento. We headed over a little early and managed to find ice cream before the rest of the class came over. We didn't have much time for shopping before our tour of the Railroad Museum, but the Ice Cream was worth missing the shopping. By this time I was exhausted, so I welcomed the 20 minute movie at the museum. (Thankfully I didn't fall asleep like one of the other parents). The Railroad Museum is pretty cool and I'd love to take the whole family back later this summer. I think Cooper would love it! The kids had a great time scouting out the trains and I pretended to be a weary traveler and watched from a bench.

It isn't often that I get to do one-on-one things with the kids and I regret that. I'm sure it will only get worse once the Little Bean is born. For now though, I'm enjoying the time I have with them and trying to spend as much quality time with them as possible.

How many times can I look at them and feel so overwhelmed with love?

Tonight I was cleaning the kitchen counters when I glanced out the window and saw Grace and Cooper playing outside. They were laughing and swinging on the swings side-by-side. They were having a great time just the two of them. I stood there watching in amazement. Amazed that they were having such fun together. Amazed that they were mine. Amazed that each and every day I love them more and more. You'd think that after time I'd get used to it. I'd know they are mine. I'd know that I love them. There would be no capacity to love more. And yet, it seems that the love swells and swells and it never bursts.

Later, Cooper was playing ball while Emma Jo watered the garden. Cooper bent over to get his ball and whacked his head on the edge of the table. Emma immediately ran over, scooped him up, kissed his owie and made it all better. She hugged him, kissed him, loved him. It made my heart swell again. How did I get so lucky to have such great kids? I love them, they love each other. There couldn't be anything better.

I'm one lucky Mommy.

Great Weekend!

For the first time in what seems like months, I had a great weekend! It is amazing what a little iron and a little sleep can do. I've actually got energy and feel alive! Of course, it did help that the sun is out and the weather is beautiful. Saturday started off jam packed with to-dos. Emma Jo had a science workshop, soccer game and date with Grammie. Grace had Girl Scout Cookie Booth Sales (her first!). I had a list a mile long of things to buy at Target and the mall, things to clean, chores to accomplish. Thankfully Jason took Emma to her activities and I got to work down the to-do list and spend the day with Grace.

Sunday started off with French Toast and church (after we realized what time it actually was, thanks time change). Then the afternoon was spent constructing a lady bug and turtle costume. They are almost done and I'm pretty proud of how their turning out.

Then we headed to Grammie's for Sunday Dinner. With the great weather we were able to play outside both on the swing set and with bubbles!

Emma Jo is too big for the swingset but she loves to drive the golf cart!

After dinner it was time for S'mores. Grace was commenting on the way to Grammie's that we used to have S'mores at least twice a summer and we haven't had any in months. She didn't care that it was still winter...

Cooper didn't want a S'more, but I think he ate more marshmellows than anyone else. I stopped counting at four...