2 Toots Grill

I found this great little place to eat in Downers Grove where your food comes to you on a little train. Once I heard about it I knew we had to go! The kids had SO much fun. I think it will become a tradition each time we head out that way now.

Here is some video of the train!

Having fun with Grandma and Grandpa!

Morgan and Grace

I got some cute shots this weekend of Morgan with her cousin Grace. These two had such a
great time together.

New kids pictures

So here is my most recent attempt at trying to get some cute pictures of the kids.

Good luck Dad!

I had an extra Easter treat this weekend. I found out that my dad was in town so we had the chance to visit with him before he heads out to Utah for his treatment. The kids were so excited to see him. It was a great afternoon and I am so glad I got to see him.

So dad, here is to wishing you best of luck on your treatments and a speedy recovery. I thought these pictures would bring a smile to your face.

WE LOVE YOU!

The city I love!

Downtown Chicago never gets boring to me. Each time I go I feel the buzz and excitment of being there. I love the beauty of this city and all the memories that rush back into my head of all the fun times I have had there with friends and family.

This Easter we headed to the city to visit the Field Museum. I am glad that we went it was such a great day in the city!

This is a picture of the kids being scary in front of SUE.

These were some amazing totem poles. They were so tall we could not fit us and them all in the picture.

Easter

We spent this Easter in Chicago with family and it was a great trip. This is a picture of the kids finding the letter left from the Easter Bunny. Our Easter Bunny hides their baskets and they have to find them. We had to wake Morgan up...Abby and Ethan could not wait any longer. It took her a second to come out of her sleepy state but she was excited for the hunt to begin!

This is Morgan on our easter egg hunt. She had a blast!





Ethan finding his eggs!


Abby and her basket. Grandmad lets each kids find 10 small eggs and one large egg all filled with candy. There were so many grandkids that we had to send them down in different age groups. The kids had such a great time with their Grandma and Grandpa and cousins!

Spring ahead - or not!

So, we awoke this morning ate breakfast and got ready for church. We were a little rushed but made it to church with just a few minutes to spare. When I arrived in the parking lot I thought it was odd that no other families were walking in. As we walked down the hall and got closer to the chapel I wondered, "Why the heck is someone giving a talk already?". A nice man sitting on the couch in the foyer could see my confusion and said, "It is daylight savings time."!!!!

Yes, thats right....I have lost my mind. I had reminded my husband earlier in the week but somehow totally forgot about it last night and this morning. I then ran into my friend in the hall and explained to her what a goof I am. She got a good chuckle at my expense....I laughed at myself as well and blamed it all on the baby.

I am starting to think that between the screamin dill pickle chips and the obvious loss of any brain cells I had left I should consider myself lucky if I manage to make it these last 3 months of pregnancy without gaining 50 pounds and forgetting my childrens names!

I must be pregnant!

So I arrived home from my girls weekend and found these in my pantry. A clear sign that a woman had not been doing the shopping for the last few days. I thought, "Screamin dill pickle, yuck!". Well the other day I finally thought I would give one a try...... I'm hooked! Seriously what kind of person would put these in their body?

The good thing about them is that they are so strong it is impossible to sit down and eat half a can. One or two chips at a time is satisfying enough. I do admit to the fact that I did crack the can open this morning at 10:30 and I must say the baby goes nuts when I eat them.

Thanks to my dear hubby...he has created a screamin pickle monster!

I Spy Bags

So I have been thinking about trying to make these I spy bags for awhile, and I finally did it! I know you can buy them but I thought it would be fun to make some on my own. It took some trial and error but I think I got it. I could not figure out how to sew the clear vinyl, it just kept getting stuck in my machine. I called my mother in law who is fantastic at sewing and she gave me a great tip that worked like a charm! They turned out pretty good and the kids have had a ton of fun playing with them. The plan is for them to be a quiet church toy that they only play with on Sunday but I could not resist letting them dig into them for a few days.

Girls Weekend

Well, I am home from my great weekend! I really could not have had more fun if I tried. It was so wonderful to get away for a few days with some wonderful women and laugh and cry and feel the spirit. I wish I had more pictures to show but the batteries died in my camera, however we all promised to email each other the pictures from our cameras so I may add some when I get some of those.

The car conversations were great, the food was great, the event was great it was all just great. I left feeling inspired to be better and make some changes. Most of all I left with an even greater respect for the women I had the pleasure traveling with. They are such an inspiration to me and I so look up to them and their families.

So a big thanks to my great hubby for planning the trip and allowing me to get away. It means the world to me. A big thanks to my mother in law for welcoming us in her home and taking good care of us.

Here are the two pictures I have. Again, I hope to post more soon. One is a group shot minus one friend. I hope we managed to get one picture with all of us in it. The second is of me and my great friend from high school/college roomate. It was so fun to run into her and catch up for a night.

I can't wait for the next trip! What are you all doing next weekend????

This can't be good

So....last week I found it! My first grey hair!!!! Today I found another one! Not to mention the fact that I found two grey hairs on my husband over the weekend. I feel so old. Maybe this baby is aging us faster than we knew. Before I know it I am going to be considering a face lift and wearing depends!!! Oh this can't be good.....

Brrrrrrrrrr

Ok, so I need to vent...speaking of vent there is no hot air blowing out of ours! Yes I once again woke up to a FREEZING cold house this morning. As if it is not hard enough for me to roll my sick and pregnant body out of bed to rush my 3 little ones off to school with a husband out of town...I had to do it all shivering the whole time!!! Abby literally had blue lips this morning. BLUE LIPS!

We have been fighting a losing battle with our heater since we got back from Christmas break. We arrived home to an ice cold house but luckily no pipes had burst. We ended up having to pay someone to comeNew Years day to "fix it". Well after many replaced parts and many a cold morning it is still not working and once again someone is on their way over to look at it again.

I am so frustrated. It also makes me laugh just a little that it is not just cold here it is freaking cold here. It was -4 when I took the kids out this morning. Not the kind of weather you want your heater to shut off in. I almost killed Charlie the other day when he said, "Just think of all the money we are saving in heating bills." Seriously I know he was kidding somewhat but this is starting to not be very funny.

So I am crossing my fingers that maybe it will actually get fixed this time and we don't keep throwing money away!

U2 Super Fan!

Ok, so anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE U2 fan. I had been reading all about their recent trip to the Sundance film festival in Utah and wishing I still lived there so I could camp out in Park City trying to catch a glimpse of one of my favorite bands. So I know I sound like a teenage girl but really I don't care. I love this band and have seen every show since I was in high school.

Anyway I was so excited to hear about their 3D movie but thought there was no way it would ever make it's way out here to small little Midland but guess what!!!! It is coming this Friday. My husband is out of town that day so we will not make it opening night :( but mark my words I will be going and if I have it my way I may go even more than once. It's not enough that I personally went to this concert twice and have the DVD of the concert that I clean my house to at least once a week. I now get to enjoy it in a whole new format.

I know, I know I am obsessed but can't a girl have a little fun and enjoy some great music for a few hours and escape the mother world? I did take Abby to see Hannah Montana in 3D now it's my turn for some fun.

Valentines Day Fun

Yesterday was Valentines day and I thought I would share some of the fun things I did this year. These are the valentine "fortune cookies" I made for Abby's class. I saw the idea in the Martha Stewart magazine and I thought...hey, they look easy and not too expensive I'll give them a try. Well, they were not too hard and did not cost a lot of money but Martha said they would hold candy and even with my best effort I could not really get it to hold treats. So I finally gave up and purchased some valentine's bags and put the fortune cookies in a bag with the treats in the bag. I put individual names on each of the fortunes and inside they all said, "(Name), You will have a sweet year. Love, Abby" Will I ever make them again? NO, but they did turn out cute this one year.



My next success was this cake. All I can say is WOW. It was so good. It was the perfect blend of everything. Sweet but not too sweet. Oh my mouth is watering now just thinking of it. Is it bad to eat cake at 10:00 in the morning? I may just have to go steal a bite! Here are some pictures of my little fat faces enjoying their cake!

Dolly Parton I think I love you!

Ok so maybe I don't love Dolly Parton but I do love her imagination library. Have you heard of it? It is a free program for children birth to 5 years old. The program is totally free. The only requirement is that you are aMidland resident. After you register they send you a hard cover book each month for each one of your children in that age group. The books they send are great and they send books that are appropriate for that age group.

My kids have been enrolled in this since we moved in and have LOVED it. There is nothing like getting 2 free books each month in the mail. The kids are so excited when their new book comes each month.

As far as I know you can register online at www.imaginationlibrary.com. If for some reason that does not work let me know and I can get you the form to fill out. The person who runs the program works at the place that I take Ethan to speech therapy and I can pick up as many forms as you need!

If you have kids the right age I highly recomend signing up!

You know your sick when.....

1. The only thing you have eaten for 3 days is popsicles and soup broth.

2. Your room looks like a bomb of tissues, cough drop wrappers, vicks vapo rub and empty water bottles exploded.

3. Your ears hurt so bad that a simple noise like a bathroom fan sounds like a 747 is flying through your house.

4. You have no idea what your kids have worn or eaten for the last 3 days.

5. When instead of having a babysitter and going out with friends you stay home and lay in bed for the 40th hour of the day.

6. When the fact that it is actually 20 below zero feels like an amazing blessing as you take a nap with the window open and it is the first time you have felt cool in days.

7. When a friend offers to make you dinner and you are actually considering taking them up on it.

8. When your nose is so sore and red you could hands down win a contest against Rudolph in guiding Santa's sleigh!

9. When being sick is a bad enough event that you feel the need to blog about it!

Kids say the darndest things!

So, Ethan has a field trip today and he and Morgan both call field trips, feeling trips. Don't ask me why but they do. It got me to thinking about some of the funny things my kids say or have said in the past.

Ethan lovingly used to refer to his primary teacher Sister Kepler as Sister Pickle. Now Morgan calls her primary teacher Sister Nyman, Mr. Diamond! Ok- so she has issues with her he, she, Mr. and Mrs. what can I say!

Ethan calls helicopters, helidoctors. He also asks for breastick every morning-code for breakfast.

Morgan calls flip flops, slip slops.

When Abby was litlle she would always say, that be would be great instead of that would be great. I can still hear her little voice in my head saying that.

The list goes on and on. Sometimes I correct my kids but other times it is so stinking cute I just let it be.

So...what are some funny things your kids say?

Our Vacation

At the airport ready to go!

Well, we are back. Let me tell you the weather here has been a rude welcome home. I am missing Florida already. Our trip went great! I have to give a big shout out to my in-laws who came along with us and made the whole trip more relaxing. It was so nice to have 4 sets of eyes on our 3 kids. We only lost Ethan the very last day for about 10 minutes. They were the most terrifying 10 minutes of my life....but he found a Disney worker and was safely back with us.

The kids pretending to be scared outside the haunted mansion

All in all the vacation was everything I had wished it to be. We pushed hard every day and I can honestly say we left having seen everything we wanted to see. It was great to be together as a family for one whole week just enjoying each other. It was so nice to see green trees and beautiful flowers and be outside in the fresh air for 6 straight days.

Being silly at the Animal Kingdom

If any of you plan on going with your family call me first. I had every detail and trick in my pocket and they all really helped. I think the longest we waited in line was 20 minutes and that for sure was the exception. We got great seats to all of the shows and all the research I did really paid off.

The girls with Snow White and Ethan with his train conductor friend!

We had a great time but I think we were all ready to get home to a normal routine. The day after we got back school was cancelled. Abby came up to me and said, "Mom, my brain hurts. I think it is shrinking or something because I have not been learning." Oh, she cracks me up. We spent the next hour doing math problems together and she said she felt much better.

Charlie in the Indiana Jones show, Capt. Jack Sparrow, Beauty and the Beast show

We had a great time and I can't wait for our next trip together!

Happy Birthday Dad!

My friend recently paid a great tribute to her father for his birthday on her blog. Seeing as it is my father's birthday today I thought I would steal the idea. I fully acknowledge that my dad will most likely never see this as he is very computer illiterate but I thought I would write down some of my thoughts anyway. Here are just a few things I have learned from and love about my dad!

1. I love that I always knew that as long as I was doing my best my Dad was always proud of me. He never made me feel like I was not good enough. I always felt encouraged to try my hardest but there was never pressure to be "the best". I knew no matter what my dad was proud of me and loved me!

2. My dad has run many marathons. For him it never seemed much about getting a really great time or beating anyone else it was just about finishing the race and accomplishing a goal. While I don't think he was trying to teach me a lesson running marathons I learned from him that it is not always about winning, sometimes it's just about finishing the race.

3. I learned from my dad the importance of hard work. He had a difficult life but he worked hard and was able to provide a very nice life for us. I appreciate his work ethic and what it has taught me.

4. My dad LOVES halloween. He always made that holiday so much fun. I have now passed on his traditions to my own family and I think of him every time that holiday rolls around.

5. I learned a love of photography from my dad. I still remember his camera that felt like it was filled with lead weights and the brown leather bag he carried it around in. While I don't claim to be a great photographer he taught me that a picture is more than just point and shoot. I feel like the few great shots I have are from the things I learned from watching him take pictures.

6. My dad is the best card sender in the world! I love and cherish his cards. He finds the perfect card for every occasion and you usually will get more than one and they are always filled with his artistic handy work. I LOVE my dad's cards and have saved them for many years!

I could keep going but I won't. Suffice it to say that I have a great dad and I love him and miss him and I wish I could be with him today. I hope that by some birthday miracle he is able to fugure out a computer long enough to read this!

Dad, I love you!

Mickey here we come!

We are on our way to the wonderful Disney World. We are looking forward to some warm weather and lots of fun memories! I will post about all of our fun as soon as we get back!