Family Pictures - Finally!

We took these on Monday. Enjoy!

Hannah the Human Maraca

A moment from Hannah's world:

We were sitting at dinner last night and Hannah turned her fork around and starting tapping her head rather vigorously with the end. "I'm a maraca!" she proudly proclaimed. Mommy and Daddy rolled with laughter.

Happy 11 Months!

Happy 11 months Rebecca!

M&M Playday 9\3\09 (21 photos), by Julie Smith

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

New Curtains

Thanks to Pop Pop and Nana, our playroom windows are sporting some new fun curtains. I found them at Wal-Mart, of all places, after searching online and on location at over a dozen places. These babies are playful, colorful, and very bold. Perfect for the playroom! They have kind of a circus feeling and just make you smile every time you see them. :)



Hannah really likes them too.



Here they are with a broader view.



I just can't get over the fact that Chad and I got so bold with this room. He and I are usually wallflowers with our color choices. Lots of fall and desert-looking colors. I guess there's hope for us yet!

Rain Rain Go Away

We are approaching the end of a long week around here. It has been raining for days on end and we finally got to see some sunshine this afternoon. The kids got their flu shots on Tuesday. Oh, what fun that was. The nurse went down the line and all three got stuck in the leg. We had plenty of screams to share, but they got over it quickly after learning that they had earned a sucker, sticker, and prize.

Rebecca was a bit fussy and I thought it was the shot plus some light allergies. Wednesday morning dawned and it was obvious she had a cold. Yucky. So I had to miss my second week of Awana as a Sparks leader. Bummer. Today she was really sick and tonight Hannah had a hefty fever and Zach had a low grade fever. More yucky.

So now I am going to miss the Awana conference on Saturday and probably church on Sunday. Don't get me wrong. I'm so thankful this is nothing serious. It's just a disappointment. The highlight of the day, which is helping me cope (wink, wink), is I got to go to Wally World all by my onesie and fill the cart to my heart's desire plus I got to go to Office Depot and purchase my new desk. PLUS Chad ordered my new computer this week. I am purring and making biscuits. (Only cat lovers will understand that one!) This was all healthier than me eating a bag of Oreos, but a little more expensive . . .

I'll Take the Nothing Please

I was getting ready for church yesterday and as usual time was in short supply. Chad advised the kids they needed to finish supper so they could get dressed for Cubbies. As has been the case for several days now, Zachary fussed over his food and refused to eat it. Chad told him it was "that or nothing." (When my mom reads this, I am positive she will laugh and nod because this is a phrase that was intertwined with my entire childhood.) Well, Zachary got up and started looking all over the island. Apparently, he wanted to try this new delicious sounding food called "nothing." You just have to laugh!

Lazy Day

We are actually having a lazy day today! For the first time in months, we have stayed home all day and gotten to do whatever we wanted. For me that included laundry, mopping, and other such random chores. But I am still quite happy about that. Even as I type this I am waiting for a woman to come purchase one of my Craigs List items. She lives in Gunter, but was supposed to be here several hours ago. I am learning not to count my chickens before they are hatched.

We had a terrific week. Had school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The kids seem to be enjoying the curriculum. I know I am. AIG's preschool curriculum has a wholistic approach and all the subjects are centered around the Bible verse and/or story of the day. Fantastic! We have 1-2 hours each school day and Hannah seems to be digging it. Zach even joins us sometimes though he prefers to just practice with his scissors. :)

We had a Mommy & Me play day here on Thursday. There were four moms and 12 kids. Wow! Then I got to go to a sewing class at Joann's that night. Very fun!

Overall it was a terrific week and I made a lot of progress on tons of things. I still have so much to do after getting back-logged during my pregnancy and of course after Rebecca was born, but I am starting to see the progress now. Before it always seemed like more was coming in than was going out! I even got me email Inbox down to 231 items. Woohoo! Laugh if you like, but I'm breathing sighs of relief all the same. :)

Blast From The Not-So-Distant Past

I was going through some old emails (yes, I have over 300 in my Inbox waiting to be fully handled) and I came across this adorable photo Chad took in April with his phone. Notice the white toy boppy in the bottom right? Too cute!! Just had to share!!



And Rebecca is on the mend. Her fever broke Monday night. Thank you for all the prayers! My poor baby definitely needed them. She is still a little grumpy and needy, but most assuredly better. :)