WOW...with out words

this has been the BEST weekend in a long time!!! I turned 40 on Friday. THAT isn't what made it such a good weekend, it was all the wonderful surprises Greg had for me. The girls woke me up nice and early on Friday to wish me a happy birthday...see previous blog. Then Greg tells me he is taking Lauryn to swimming lessons (yea) and that he is going to be taking Grandma Patty and Liyah with them (triple yea) and he will be taking them to the library for summer reading club story hour and then he takes them out to lunch at McD's. So I got to spend the morning alone, quiet, thinking about what to do that day (not much). Greg told me to be ready to go out for dinner by 4:45pm and that was all that I had on my agenda.....ahhh this is the life.

He'd hired the babysitter, planned the dinner and had a few other secrets too.

On the way to Big Rapids the cell phone rings and he starts talking to someone with a really deep voice about meeting and going to the Mexican place we like. Here's where you will see the real me. I can't wait to see who is going to be meeting us and Greg won't tell me so I grab the phone to see who had called. IT WAS PAUL and KIM BAHR!!!! (Long story short, Kim and I met in college in the early 90's and have been best friends ever since. Paul fit right in with us and Greg came later and we've all enjoyed hanging out and having a good time since) They live in Wisconsin, in the Madison area and we don't get to see each other often enough. They were here, for my 40th birthday. WHOO-HOOO!! Sangria's and Margarita's here I come.

We had such a great evening. That wasn't the end of my really great weekend tho'. Greg had planned a wonderful cookout on Saturday evening with family and friends. I knew about the cookout but didn't know he had invited some very good friends over (some friends going all the way back to high school days and before). We had a wonderful evening and enjoyed some of the company until late! The Bahr's were still here and came over Sunday morning to go to church with us. Spent the day with us and spoiled my kids with beads for making necklaces and bracelets, and beautiful summer outfits (they've worn a new outfit everyday since). I love that my friends love my kids, besides they have two boys so Kim says she doesn't get to shop for girly things that much!! They also served me crack for the first time, I'm now officially addicted!! It is like the BEST caramel corn EVER, thanks Kim (and my butt, belly and thighs thank you!).

Monday was our 7th anniversary!! Yeah, those years seem to have gone by super fast. If I didn't have two kids, a mother-in-law and 5 animals I would feel like Greg and I were still dating....wait, we did go out on another date!! Kim and Paul stayed down in GR on Sunday and Monday nights and we shipped the girls off to my mom's (thanks mom) and set Patty up with snacks, drinks and a really long movie. Then they had dinner together at my parents house....everyone was fine and enjoyed their time so no worries anyone!! Greg and I went down to GR and went to the hotel pool with the Bahr's and then the 4 of us went out to eat dinner at Carrabba's (one of THE best places for fine Italian food and wine). We had a great time and got home a little later than planned. Late enough that mom had the girls bathed and in bed!!! See we aren't totally insane.

It has been the best weekend in a long time...wait that is so deja vu! Thanks Greg, thanks mom and Paul and Kim YOU ARE THE BEST BESTEST FRIENDS A 40ish WOMAN COULD WANT. AND YOU TWO AND GREG WILL CATCH UP SOON, NO WORRIES

The Big 4-0

Today is the day, I don't feel any different. Except Greg took the day off and took Lauryn to swimming lessons with grandma and Liyah. Something I've been doing all week, but got time off for good behavior.

Lauryn made me breakfast this morning. Cereal and a lot of milk! Thanks Lauryn, mommy needed that! It hasn't been an easy week, but I'm so relaxed and happy right now I can't even think of anything to blog about. There's always the laundry, the accidents, the dishes (note to self don't think that just because you have incentives (read Bendaroos (see previous blog) that your children will continue to WANT to do dishes and clean)!! I don't think Lauryn has done dishes all week. She has kept her room clean and helped with the table setting and cleaning at meal times!

Next week she has 5 more days of swimming lessons. It's funny to watch a kid who doesn't like to get her face wet, learning how to blow bubbles and "bob" in the pool! I've also found out how uncoordinated she is, she has a very hard time keeping her legs and her arms going at the same time. No wonder she can't dance! She tries hard tho' and I've got to give her that. Even tho' she is the last kid to get from one end of the pool to the other she doesn't stop until she gets there. She's found herself a little "boyfriend" who helps her by grabbing her hand and pulling her when she gets too far behind.

Liyah is her usual self. We got to get some new clothes for the girls summer wardrobes this past week. Everyday since she has been coming out with Lauryn's new sundress on, playing dress up. She has worn her new church sandals to bed for her naps and puts them on first thing in the morning. She carries them with her to show grandma Lucas and Chevy (her cousin) since she isn't allowed to wear them outside, unless it's Sunday and we are going to church.

The only thing about Grandma Patty this week has been her wearing her sweatshirt in the house until the thermostat says like 78 degrees!! I was sweating getting her dressed this morning, and she wanted me to help her get her sweatshirt on!!!! She has enjoyed watching Lauryn and the other kids swim this week. Just a chance to get out of the house makes it fun for her.

Greg and I went for a walk the other night (about 20 minutes out in the back woods) and went back to the river. I went down to the river to see how warm it was. It was nice. Maddie went with us (she never misses an opportunity to go out in the woods exploring) and she ended up swimming all the way across the river! She couldn't get up on the other side since it was too steep, so had to come back and splash around with me. If she could fetch it would be a lot of fun out there with her!!

Greg's taking me out tonight, which means a babysitter for the kids (and grandma too we just don't tell her that) and pizza for them. I don't know what I'm having for dinner, but I'm sure it will be good. He kept the whole taking the day off etc. from me so who knows what he has up his sleeve. The one drawback is you can stay out and let the babysitter tuck the kids in, but you have to be home to tuck your mother-in-law in. I think the babysitter would feel a little weird doing that!! (right Lydia!?) But that's okay, Greg told me today he's got the whole weekend and Monday off (since our anniversary is Monday) and that just means more surprises. Whoo-hooo!

No sarcasm today. Feeling too good and not letting my sanity be compromised on such a glorious day!! Hope that the rest of the weekend goes so well. We'll see how well next week goes, when I'm feeling more like "40".

Odds and Ends from an overly tired Mom

I know tomorrow morning at 7 I will wish I had gone to bed earlier. I just don't feel like it. So there!! Maybe it's my inner self being stubborn, and selfish. After doing things all day for others and letting them do what they'd like to do (if it is legal and moral) ie, watch whatever square and yellow cartoon character they want. I like to do things once in a while that I don't usually get to do. Like stay up after midnight and watch crime t.v. I even sneak into the pantry and snitch a snack (okay, it was cashews and they were salted so sue me, atleast I left the choc. chip cookies alone).

Greg and I decided it would be a good thing to make a menu up for family meals. It would help with grocery bills, buying only the things we need for the week (or 2 weeks) meals that I have planned out. Then sticking to the menu, eating what is on it and not ordering out when we don't know what to fix at home.

It was a relief the last two days. I've posted the menu (on my new pantry door chalkboard) everyday ([read] Lauryn gets to read it and start her complaining first thing in the morning instead of right before meals) and the family (ie Lauryn knows what we are going to be eating that day, and gear up for it appropriately ([read] Lauryn gets to start begging for "something else" first thing in the morning instead of right before meals)) (Okay, so sue me for being a parentheses freak).

Actually, it's been fine. She knows the rule is this is what's on the table, this is what you try and this is what you can POLITELY say No thank you to. She actually tried a bite of tomato soup today! A BITE, not just a lick. Liyah tried it today too, she was happier with her grilled cheese sandwich (Lauryn doesn't like those either).

I was happy that I got to grill all four of our sandwiches at once on my new cast iron grill/griddle for the stove top. $15.00 at Aldi's!! I'm not too proud to say, I'm an Aldi's whore. I would LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOVE it if they put a store in Big Rapids or Mt. Pleasant so I didn't have to go all the way to GR to get a good price on good food!!! C'mon I shopped at Aldi's when I was a poor college kid, they are both college towns.....

Anyhow, Lauryn tried new foods today. She didn't ask for more than a bite (okay, she didn't technically ask for that either) but it wasn't a battle to see who would win!! To top it all off we have a new currency in our house, and it's better than money!!

Lauryn and Liyah being the TV freaks that they are, see waaay too many commercials for things. Thus, the begging "Oh, can we get that?" "I want that!" you know how it is ( and you need therapy if you are denying that cold hard truth of that (or else your kid hasn't started talking yet)). Well, the mommy and daddy in this house got very tired of toys and books and kids stuff not being taken care of ([read]Mommy got tired) and got rid of a lot and said no more. You buy what you want, or wait for gifts. So getting back to the story.... commercial, begging, no, you buy..... Lauryn and Liyah have been begging for Bendaroos (these crazy little pieces of colored string covered in moldable wax) for almost a year now. Daddy finally caved in and bought some, mommy wasn't happy but that is a whole different blog. So now we have leverage. Each chore around the house is equal to a certain amount of Bendaroos (mostly 3). The girls (especially Lauryn) have been quite amenable to working around the house today. I think she earned over 28 Bendaroos today (and mommy didn't have to do the dishes once!!)

So don't let people poo-poo you when you finally give in and start bribing your children to get them to do things!!! It's a wonderful thing. I'd nearly call it BLISS!

NOTE: 10 days and counting to the big 4-0! Hooray

WHO in their right mind

Decided that the rule, "Children should be seen and not heard" should fall by the wayside. I mean, I think that it would be an awesome rule to have. Especially after a 3.5 hour ride in the backseat of our Ford Contour with Liyah on one side and Lauryn on the other! It was a trip of INCESSANT (adj. Occurring without interruption; continuous) talking, poking and other loud noises and bodily functions. When I say INCESSANT I mean it.... very literally! I thought that I would lose my sanity, it's good to know I have more than a 3 hour supply still, before we made it home.

Don't get me wrong, I think that I've had a few years to get used to the talking that the girls do, it is a LOT, but I've never been trapped (yes, trapped with wide butt stuck between the two car seats) between the two mouths in motion like I was yesterday.

We went to Dundee, MI yesterday to pick up grandma Patty. She had a wonderful time with family for the past 3 weeks. We ate lunch with Aunt Sally, Aunt Linda and Grandma Patty at Bob Evans and we had a nice visit. Then came the trip home.... whew! I can't imagine what it would have been like with grandma in the back seat with the girls (she doesn't have any sanity to spare).

The thing is, how would you go about making the children these days follow a rule such as "Children should be seen and not heard." I believe that if I had started young with the rule "Don't speak unless spoken to" that would have been the start of a beautiful relationship. I wouldn't have whining, hollering, temper tantrum throwing children. I would have demure, complacent, obedient and manageable children (of course just like I was as a child). But now it's too late. It is true when they say the first year of a baby's life the parents try to get it to say it's first word and then the rest of it's life they are trying to keep them quiet!

I'm glad to be home, out of the confines of the backseat. I'm glad that I can hear Lauryn and Liyah from the other room and not right in my ears. I'm happy that I can get out in the open and work in the flower beds and hang laundry on the line. Lauryn and Liyah can run around outside and holler and scream as much as they want. I am glad that I can keep a few grams of my sanity for today. We'll see how it goes now that I've got Lauryn home from school, Grandma Patty home from Ohio, and of course Liyah getting into all and everything!

Wait, maybe if they take me to the funny farm it will be more like a spa retreat! I could come back home refreshed, renewed and relatively sane!

The Sun was here today

We spent the majority of the day outside today. The girls helped me plant sunflower seeds in my new front flower bed (a whole week and 1,000 lbs of top soil and manure later). Then we planted bulbs, seeds and a new rosebush that Greg bought me. We are excited to get to watch all the pretties grow, now if I could just get Liyah to quit walking through it!!

I painted our old dark green shutters a nice red color to match our red door. Greg hung them this afternoon after he got home from work! Then we planted our new Montgomery cherry tree in the front yard.

Mom told me today that our beans, corn and squash are coming up nicely in the garden. Yea!! I love this time of year. Out enjoying the sun but not the unbearable heat, and getting things done and making it so beautiful after a long white winter!!

I'm posting some pics of our sunflowers from last year. Lauryn helped me plant them and was so excited to watch them grow. We took pic s throughout the summer and used Liyah, Greg and Lauryn to get a perspective on their height. At the end, when the birds and squirrels came and cleaned them all out, there were about 4 of them over 8' tall. The ones we are going to have this summer are more decorational sunflowers.

Oh, BTW, the chocolate ice cream stains came out of Liyah's dress! Whew!!

The Work Never Ends...

I have been so busy and enjoying the outdoors that it seems I've come to a complete and utterly unbearable halt when the rain came the last day or two. I'm not the only one in the house who is suffering. Liyah doesn't understand why she can't go out and play, she likes the mud! I don't like the laundry that the mud creates, or the sweeping and mopping, the washing walls and doorknobs and the multiple baths in one day. So, we have been house bound for the last couple days, reading books, playing games and yes, veggin' out in front of cartoons (Phineas and Ferb have such great ideas for things to do on summer vacation).
That doesn't mean mommy gets out of doing work. Liyah got two baths and three outfits the other day. Actually, she was wearing three outfits at one time. She had gotten up and dressed herself in t-shirt, capris, bikini on top of that and a dress on top of that!! Needless to say when the need for the bathroom came around she couldn't get to bottom of it in time and peed on the bathroom rug (well thank the Lord for that, I didn't have to mop up a big puddle). So, strip down and get a quick bath. Then a new outfit (this is technically outfit #4). Dinner that night and mom makes the classic favorite Kool-aid for her kids. Liyah and Lauryn are sitting at the table one minute and the next Lauryn is in Liyah's face and the cup of Kool-aid goes all down the front of her and all over the floor. Hence, Liyah has to strip out of outfit #4 and get a quick bath. Mom has to mop up the puddle that time. Whew, I thought it was over, then Liyah went and put on clean underwear and a clean dress.....ok she going through a princess ballerina phase and wears dresses everyday if she can....then she runs outside while daddy and grandpa are putting in some grapevines in the side yard. But WAIT, mommy catches her and gets her inside before she can get wet and muddy! Then daddy gives her chocolate ice cream later and we have outfit #5 in the laundry with stain removal spray all over it! Waiting for the next load of laundry 'cause mom refuses to do laundry everytime there are dirty clothes and I'd already had my two emergency load limit for the day!!
So who says having to stay inside because of the rainy days has to be boring and not exciting. We have entertainment each and every day!! If the kids don't entertain you with their antics, I'm sure watching mom get through it without blowing a gasket is!
Grandma Patty is coming home June 3 from Ohio. She has had a wonderful visit and time with her sisters. We are looking forward to her coming home. Even the girls have said they are looking forward to her coming back. I'm hoping that she will enjoy the new flower beds and the birds we've been seeing. I'm hoping for nicer weather so we can get through the day without having to walk over each other. I'm hoping for lots of things.....we'll see how the summer goes y'all.

Oh, hail the mighty graduate

This week has been one with some firsts for our family. Lauryn is now a graduate! She graduated from Kindergarten on Thursday night. We had honors banquet and graduation. She not only graduated, but did so with A Honor Roll honors for the year, she received the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence and received a certificate for handwriting. She won a trophy for memorizing all her scriptures (a new scripture passage each month), mom should have gotten one too for all her work with her (talk about "pulling teeth"). We are very proud of our strong willed, outspoken, pouting, temper-tantrum throwing, blonde haired, blue eyed daughter (you decide which one I'm talking about!!

Looking forward to getting the beans and tomatoes into the garden this week. I also have to get my last flower bed ready for my sunflower seeds as they are all sprouted and I don't want them to start molding.

Patty has her neurologist appt. Tuesday morning. She will be coming back sometime this week. The girls have actually been asking about Grandma Patty, and said they are looking forward to her coming back! I have half and half feelings about it. It's been relaxing not having the extra responsiblity of showering, dressing, and tucking in that extra person. I do enjoy having her here though, and she will love sitting out in the backyard and looking at the flowers and watching the hummingbirds come and eat.