They All Can't Be Perfect...

This is the cake I made for Grace's birthday party. I think it looks pretty good, and you may too, until you know that it was supposed to be twice as wide and have Elmo on the other end. I had completely frosted Elmo's head and was getting ready to put on his eyes when the entire head began to crumble into pieces. There was no saving it, even though I tried. It was a little frustrating, but it turned out well in the end. Grace did ask where Elmo was, though, because she has seen him before he fell apart. :) Thankfully Cookie Monster survived and we were able to enjoy him later. We had a lot of fun with our friends over again, and enjoyed our night of pizza together. Grace loved having everyone sing Happy Birthday to her again. Another birthday gone by and one more to go on the 30th! I'm not sure I can handle one more cake!!! :)

Grace turns 2!

Well, here we are again... another birthday in our family. Gracie turned two today. What a big girl. She is trying so hard to get her fingers in the right place to show everyone how old she is. We had a fun day celebrating her birthday. Her favorite part had to be everytime one of us sang Happy Birthday to her. Her whole face lit up and she just smiled and would move her head back and forth while we sang. She is such a joy. She had a lot of fun opening her presents... of course she got a new baby. Her favorite, though, had to be a pair of dress up shoes we got for her. She wore those things all around the house. She would have worn them to go out to eat if we had let her :) Grace is our adventurous one, ready to tackle everything head on. I can't wait to see what she will be like as she grows up. She is determined and strong willed... hopefully we'll be able to teach her how to use it for good. :) Our little princess is growing up :)

Re-living my childhood?

So, today after supper we decided we would take Isaac and Grace to the playground. We stopped at one in a neighboring town, one we had never been to before. It was so fun... Isaac is so much braver this year then he was last. He climed on a set of rainbow monkey bars (that's the best way I can describe them) that had a pole in the middle and he slid down it. He still shows his timidness, but is overcoming it each day. We were all having a grand ol' time running between the slides, the swings, etc. I spied the teeter totter and thought how fun it would be to go on again. So, I called Francis over and we did the whole "snoopy, snoopy let me down... what will you give me charlie brown?" thing. Of course, by then Isaac and Grace wanted in on the action and we thought, well, why not? BAD idea. Isaac sat with Francis and I held onto Grace. Everything was going great until it was our turn to go into the air. Well, we went up quick, bumped a little and because I was holding her on my left leg it was enough to throw me off balance. I started screaming to Francis to put us down, but he couldn't because he had put his legs out straight in front of him and wasn't able to get the leverage to get us down. The only other thought in my mind as we were falling was to not fall on Grace. We did fall, and we fell hard. Even though I've lost almost 40 pounds I'm still a big girl! :) Somehow (I know God had His hand right there), I managed to roll enough onto my side and back that I took the brunt of the landing... and I am feeling it. Grace only has a scratch on her leg from getting caught between me and the handle of the teeter totter. I hit my shoulder and head pretty hard on the ground, but my worst injury has to be my right leg. Because I was trying so hard to stay on the teeter totter, I ended up pulling my hamstring. Thankfully, I am able to walk and Trainer Nah (aka Jessie) says I will be sore, but fine in a few days/weeks. So, the lessons we have learned: We aren't getting any younger, though we are getting smaller :) No more re-living childhood experiences (at least with Isaac and Grace around), and that God is good and He watches over us even when we aren't very smart :)

Laundry...

Today was sooooooooooooooooooooooooo beautiful!!! We spent most of the day outside in the sunshine and fresh air. I knew that one day this week I would wash our blankets and hang them out to dry. I wait all winter for the smell of laundry hung outside. I don't take the time to dry all of our laundry outside, but it is such a treat to get to have our blankets done this way. Well, today was the day to do it. I managed to get all of the blankets and sheets hung, dried and brought back inside... all except one comforter which needed a little extra time. Unfortunately, by the time I got to bring it inside there was a long white strip running down the middle of it... if you haven't figured it out by now it was bird poo!!!! *sigh* So, grumbling under my breath, I brought it back inside, washed it AGAIN and hung it out, praying the birds would stay away :) And they did. I guess, with all of the times I have hung out the blankets, if this is the first time I've had to rewash something, it's not too bad! So, I'm ready to snuggle into my freshly washed blankets and get a long nights sleep... looking forward to another gorgeous spring day tomorrow!!! :)

4 years ago today...

Okay... I know I've eluded to it several time in the last few days... but TODAY is the day. 4 years ago, my Isaac was born. It is hard to believe how quick it has gone. No longer is he a helpless baby, dependent on me for his every need. Now he is a fun, energetic little boy who still needs his momma, but can do so much for himself. He will forever be my baby boy... but as each year goes by I am excited to see the changes he goes through. Each new day he is learn and exploring the world around him. This new year he will venture off to preschool.... how am I going to do this? Letting him go... that has to be one of the hardest things to do, but I know that it is all a part of life, a part of allowing him to be independent, allowing him to be himself, allowing him a chance to do things apart from us, allowing him to grow. So, today, we cherish the moments we have with him, the times to hold him, cuddle him, and love him... knowing in our hearts that all too soon we will have to let him go his own way. Happy Birthday, Isaac!!! :)

Mission Accomplished!

Whew... I did it... I actually did it. I almost can't believe it. Isaac absolutely loved his cake. At first he didn't like the idea that we were going to eat it... but when the time came he was all about having some. In fact, he wanted a piece of the Oil car, Thomas, and then the Troublesome truck (in that order). He had so much fun today. This morning he got up and was surprised by all of the decorations we had put up after he went to bed last night. There were streamers and balloons and pictures of Thomas all over the kitchen. The real fun came just before supper time when the real party began. It was really only our normal pizza night with our friends from church except for all the decorations, cake, and presents. But, that was enough for him. We debated about having a "real" party with more of his friends (from MOPS, too), but I'm glad we stayed small. It was a lot of fun and we all had a great time. The kids played pin the #1 on Thomas and ran around playing with the balloons we had blown up. They had fun watching as Isaac opened his presents and they all ate enough pizza and cake!!! :) It was a fun, though exhausting day. But it was all worth it to see the joy on Isaac's face! :)

Cake Making Night...

Tomorrow is Isaac's birthday party. I can't believe he will be 4 years old on Sunday *sigh*... but that is for another day :) Tonight I have been working on his cake for tomorrow. I have spent the better part of the late afternoon, evening, and up until now baking and freezing and frosting his cake. I'm tired... but I think the effort is going to pay off. As you can see in the pictures it is still a work in progress, but it is coming together slowly. I'm hoping that it semi resembles Thomas, a Troublesome Truck/freight car, and an Oil car when I'm done. I'll post the finished products tomorrow night! Hopefully they won't fall apart before then. :)

American Idol

I will admit that we are big fans of American Idol, since season 1. We love the show, love the songs, love rooting for our favorites, have even been known to vote a time or two. We've always been excited when one of the idols will sing a Christian song and think how courageous they had to be to go out and sing that song on tv. Well, this season, something different is going on. Actually it has been these last 2 weeks that have been the most surprising. Two weeks ago, they had a new band on the show performing. This new group played an upbeat version of "This Little Light of Mine". Needless to say, we were a little caught off guard, but hey, it's a new group, they don't have anything to lose, right? That same night, Dolly Pardon was on and she sang a song called Jesus and Gravity. Here are some of the words from her song...

"'Cause I've got Somethin' lifting me up Somethin' holding me down Somethin' to give me wings and Somethin' to keep my feet on the ground I've got all I need, Jesus and gravity. Jesus, I've got Jesus, I've got Jesus He's my everything He lifts me up He gives me wings He gives me hope and He gives me strength and that's all I'll ever need As long as He keeps lifting me up He is my life He is my God He is my wings He is my flight Lift me, I've got Jesus, I've got Jesus and that's all I need."

That is quite a powerful message, but again, it's Dolly Pardon. I'm not a fan of hers by any means, but I know she is a huge star, and if she wants to sing it I'm sure there aren't too many people who would tell her she can't! :)

So, that brings us to tonights show. The contestants who haven't been voted off yet sing a group song each week on elimination night. Tonight nearly blew Francis and I away. They sang Shout to the Lord... all eight of them who haven't been eliminated yet. What an amazing performance and in front of so many people. I don't know what is going on... if these decisions are being made by producers or what, but I have to say how neat it is to see such a willingness to have these songs sung and performed for such a large audience. It may only be a shortlived thing... but how amazing it has been to see! :)

Mom's Night Out

I was able to enjoy a wonderful evening with 5 other moms from my MOPS group tonight. We went bowling for our monthly Mom's Night Out event. It was so much fun... none of us could bowl exceptionally well, though we had a couple of girls score above 140. My first game I bowled a 93... my 2nd game only a 54... sad, I know. We all just had a great time being together and laughing and fellowshiping. Grace had a hard time with me going tonight... she didn't even want to give me a hug or kiss... she was definitely put off by my leaving without her! Francis said she did well though and managed to make the most of the evening without me around. It was nice to be able to get out for a few hours, have some fun, and know that Isaac and Grace were enjoying some special time with daddy. I'm looking forward to the next Mom's Night Out, later this month, already! :)

The Excitement is Building

We had such a fun morning with Isaac and Grace. We got up this morning and took the kids to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast... something we have NEVER done. They were so excited. Isaac ate his donut fairly well, but Grace was more interested in the egg from my sandwich. After that we headed to the party supply store to look at decorations for their birthdays. We had so much fun looking at the many different characters and favors and accesories. In some ways it was overwhelming the number of choices. Isaac chose to have Thomas the Train for his birthday again this year. We thought he might pick something else since we did Thomas last year, but he said "when I'm 4 I'll still like Thomas" :) Good thing since we just redid his room!!! Gracie chose Sesame Street decorations. She likes Cookie Monster and Elmo a lot. So, now in the next few days we'll print off some pages to color to make the house decorated, I'll try and come up with some creative cake ideas and hopefully everything will fall into place for a couple of nice parties. :)

The Littlest Things

Isaac and Grace are so cute. It doesn't take much to get them excited. Tonight after supper we took a drive to go see the lake. Once we got to a place where we could see it from the car, we stopped and just looked at it for the longest time. Grace loved seeing the waves crash against the rocks and the water splashing up in the air. When it was time to go all we could hear from the back seat was "bye lake, bye water" etc etc. We took different roads home and we saw a horse that was being trained. That was exciting for them to watch, too. Earlier in the day, when Isaac was in Sunday School, Grace and I took a walk with our friends. Grace and Brett were facinated by every stick on the ground and leaf that blew by. Tonight before bed a tiny ladybug was found in our living room. They took turns having it crawl on their hands and laughing at how it could walk upside down. So many little things today to experience through their eyes. It's nice to be reminded that they don't need new things or big exotic adventures to have fun. For them, all they need is a drive around town, a walk around the block, or a displaced ladybug to be excited and bring them joy. :)

A Blast from the Past

A dear friend of ours from Houghton came to visit today. It's hard to believe that it has been almost 2 years since he last came to visit. We've talked on the phone and Francis has even met him for lunch, but he hadn't been here to see the kids in that long. What a fun afternoon of fellowship we had. We spent some of the time remembering all of the fun we had, especially the first year. It's amazing the things you forget, but once reminded of them the memories come flooding back. It makes me excited to reconnect with everyone again... maybe this summer even! Isaac and Grace just loved having a new friend to play with. Isaac's first question was "do you want to play with me?". He automatically assumes anyone who comes over is his new playmate :) Matt was a good sport and played trains and read stories to them. Isaac has affectionately called him "Uncle Matt" and as he drove away Isaac said "I'm going to miss Uncle Matt". Hopefully we'll get him back here sooner then this last time! :)

(this picture was taken at our last visit 2 years ago!)

The Other Side of Spring

What a rainy day we had today. Just another reminder that spring is here. It was so nice to hear the rain hitting the windows. We made the most of the day despite it's dreariness. We read a lot of books, the kids both took great naps, and I managed to get the house looking semi-decent... it wouldn't be a catastrophy if somebody just popped in! :) I am so thankful we have such a big house, especially the downstairs. Even on days like today, when Isaac and Grace aren't able to be outside running around, they were able to get some laps in between the living room, playroom and kitchen. It amazes me how much energy comes out of there little bodies... they just keep going and going and going. We're looking ahead to quite a busy month for us. I hope some of their energy will rub on to us. With 3 birthdays and parties and friends and family visits and our regular weekly activities we are going to be on the go. But it should be filled with lots of fun, laughs, and memories.. and maybe even some posts that are a little more exciting! We shall see... :)

1st Day of Spring...

Today was the first day I felt I really got to enjoy Spring! Isaac and I went for a walk while Gracie took her nap this afternoon. It was just so beautiful out... it was warm with a little breeze and there was plenty of sunshine. We spent time looking at different flowers that were peaking out of the ground. We were spying shapes that were formed by the cracks in the sidewalk. And "we" were overjoyed by the number of school buses we saw. :) After we got back from our walk all of us went over to our friends house and enjoyed some time outside with our kids. These friends of ours have 2 sons, both close in age to our kids, so it is always fun to get together. You could really tell the kids have missed being able to run around and play. They were all tired and ready for bed when we parted ways after supper. Spring is definitely my favorite season. I love the warmer temperatures, the new life you see all around you, and the chance to be outside and enjoy it all. Spring is here... get out and enjoy it!!! :)

Best of Friends?

Isaac and Grace are so fun to watch. Some days, or should I say some minutes they are laughing, playing, having fun together and a second later all I hear is screaming, screeching, and yelling. They are slowly learning how to play together and when they listen to each other and work together they have a great time. The hardest thing they are having to learn is to share. Neither of them usually want something until the other one has it, or even if they look at it! Grace is definitely an instigator. She will usually do something to Isaac (take a train, move pieces, etc.) and he will start yelling or crying or chasing her. She thinks it is the greatest thing and is laughing and running from him. Sometimes Francis and I just can't keep from laughing ourselves. We are trying to teach Isaac that she thinks what he does is funny, so she tries to do it again. If he would just ask us to help it wouldn't be as much of a game to her. At the same time, we are trying to teach Grace not to tease her brother and to leave his things alone when he is playing. There are days it feels like a never ending battle. Then there are times like tonight where they were both dancing and laughing together, giving each other hugs and having a great time... and that is when we smile and enjoy the moment for how ever long it lasts! :)

Playgroups

Today we had playgroup with some friends from MOPS. 5 of us moms gathered together in the basement of the house and just had some mommy time. Yes, there were 14 children running around, but we still managed to share with and support each other in the different places of our life. One is pregnant and due to give birth any day now, one just had a baby 5 weeks ago, one mom just took in 3 foster kids on top of the 6 of her own she had already, and then there was me... who was just forced to give up nursing her little girl! These girls supported me, they knew exactly how I was feeling, and they allowed me to feel that way without judgement. It was wonderful and I am so thankful for them and for the friendships I have with each one of them. :)