Catching Up...

Catching up on some pictures from March...I've been busy getting organized and ready for my scrapbooking retreat, so I have neglected my blog in the process. I so enjoy looking at other blogs, seeing pictures of cute babies and families, and realizing that my crazy life is just as nuts as many others out there. Isn't it good to know you're not alone? Do I hear an "amen"? Anyway, here are some pics from Easter and just some fun ones of the kids. More to come soon.



Easter morning, Gabe with his "CHEESE" smile!

Elijah loved his "baseball" Easter basket, filled with everything baseball. His fave: new batting gloves and finding the piece of gum in the pack of baseball cards.

Isabel looking adorable, loving her basket, too. I put new barrettes, lip gloss, bubble gum, nail polish and notecards in it. Oh, and a chocolate bunny, since she is my only kid who really likes chocolate.

Gabe is really excited to play baseball...he found Elijah's old Mets hat from last year, and was ready to PLAY BALL! That baby can hit a pitched ball at the ripe old age of three! Joe's mom says he was the same way at that age. They definitely don't get it from me!

Easter egg hunt at our church, with Elijah's friend, Aaron. What the heck is Gabe doing, anyway?!

Gabe was the first preschooler out the door on the way to the egg hunt. I love how he's looking at Miss Jenny (and check out the huge mound of snow still on the ground)!

Have a great day!

April Fool's!

Can you believe what my sweet husband bought for me? Joe was so thankful that I have been such a good wife to him and great mom to his three babies, he stopped by the car lot and arranged to have this awesome ride delivered to my door. What a guy! Then, he's even taking care of the kids all weekend while I go out of town on a scrapbooking retreat with my big sis! I am so lucky!

Okay, you did read the title, right? You do know what today is, right? Yep, April Fool's! Did I getcha? For those of you who know my husband, I'm sure you knew that I was joking. He is keeping the kids all weekend while I scrapbook with Michelle, and I'm sure he is thankful (most of the time) for me, but I'm pretty sure he will never surprise me with a new car :)

Anybody else have some good April's Fool pranks up their sleeve? I'm trying to think of something to do to the kids, but I don't want to stress them out before school in the morning. Hmm...maybe I could Google some ideas. I'll let you know if I come up with anything good.

Spring Break...memories

No, this isn't our spring break from this year. Last May, we took the kids to Myrtle Beach and spent a week at Coral Beach Resorts. This year we stayed home and did work around the house...much more productive, a lot less fun, still about the same amount of work for me :) Today was a nice day, sunny and fairly warm, and we were able to go swimming (at the indoor pool) and play outside afterwards. Joe has painted our bedroom and put up a chair-rail and new trim and put new grout on his mom's kitchen floor and played with the kids and put up with me. I am off of my groove, having everyone home all day long, having to cook all day and entertain and be nice...way too much to ask, to be quite honest. What am I going to do on summer break? I think I'll be picking up some hours at the hospital if Joe doesn't find something to do during those months. I love being home with the kids, but I cannot stand to hear the words "I'm bored" when their rooms are filled to the brim with stuff to do! Makes me want to donate all their things to the Salvation Army and then let them complain about being bored. What do you do about that?! I have two months to come up with an anti-boredom plan for the summer; one that doesn't involve a lot of money or travel, with gas being over $3 per gallon. Any ideas?

Hope everyone else is having a great spring break. Can't wait to see the flowers bloom...I am already loving hearing the birds chirping away every morning, and there have been more robins than I can count in my yard this week. I love it!

Happy Birthday, Summer!

These pics were taken about a month ago, when I watched Summer while Becky got her hair done. Gabe has such a great time with her, and I love how gentle he is, sharing (most) of his toys and showing her how to play with them. For the longest time, he called everyone in Becky's family either "Summer" or "Summer-boy". Now he's finally learning their official names, and almost always gets them right :)

Summer turned one yesterday, and we helped her celebrate on Saturday with a party and an egg hunt at their house. She looked so adorable in her little duck-y dress, toddling around and wondering what the fuss was all about. Gabe loved "helping" her open her gifts, and you should have seen the sweet outfits she got for spring and summer. Thanks, Becky, for inviting us to share in this special day. We had a great time!

Happy Easter Weekend!

"The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.'" (Matthew 28:5-6)

On this holiest of Christian holidays, we have so many reasons to rejoice. Some of mine are: my freedom, my family, my health, my job, my home, my friends, my church, my Savior. What are some of yours?

I hope all of you have a blessed weekend. Have fun hiding eggs and baskets, eating chocolate and ham and green bean casserole until you puke (hopefully not on your Easter clothes!), and reflecting on what Easter really means to you.

If you have time, listen to this whole song ,"He's Alive". It's really good!

Buddies

Although Joe was content to stop after two babies, you would never guess it by watching him with Gabe. Those two are such BUDDIES! Joe has already taught him to hit a pitched baseball (that baby is only three years old!); he plays football and ping-pong and "racquetball" with him; he has taught him how to log onto hotwheels.com and play on the laptop sitting next to him, while he works on his computer. I love to see what a great dad Joe is...I knew he would be from the first month we were dating. He adores little kids, and he has such an easy way with them. And he's not just that way with Gabe...he coaches Elijah's baseball team, takes Isabel out to Olive Garden on "dates", and is always willing to put aside what he is doing to help them with whatever they need. My babies are so blessed to have such a great dad!

Thanks, YMCA!

I signed Elijah up for flag football last September hoping that he would have a good time and make some new friends, which he did. What I didn't think of was the fact that I, too, would make new friends. I am so grateful that God put Jake on Elijah's team, and that Jake's mom, Becky, and I hit it off so well right from the start. I can't believe we have only known each other six months...it seems much longer. We are so similar it is downright scary sometimes! And now that we have broken Becky into the game of euchre, we can have some great times with our husbands as well. Tonight we all had the best time eating dinner, playing cards, and just talking, and the kids did great together, too. The only one who needed a timeout was Ellie, our puppy; a house full of seven kids and four adults was just too much for the poor thing.

Thank you, Mike and Becky, for a great evening. I hope this is just the first of many great times together for our families!