{Ahh..the little things}

flip-flops & big girls

Anyone who knows me knows that I wear flip-flops earlier in the spring than I should, and retire them later in the fall than most.  I simply LOOOOOVE flip-flops, and I have now infected my little ones with the flip-flop disease too.  It is all that they wear, and Ellie has them in many colors.  There is nothing cuter than thier little feet in little flip-flops (or flip-floppers as I often call Zander's).  I can not bring myself to bother with shoes these days now that I have seen thier little toes so often, I just can not cover them up :) 

Along with the older ones wearing flip-floppers, comes Ava's bare feet.  It was cold the other day & it killed me to cover her little pigs again...so I didn't.  We went to MOPS with her bare feet & I found that MANY other people had the same little feet LOVE.  Who can resist them? 

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Ellie had Kindergarten testing last week.  Can it be true? 

Is she really going to start school?  Is she really FIVE?  Did she really just spend the night with her friend the other night?

I am afraid it is...just look at her.  These pictures shocked me.  Ellie is a BIG GIRL now!

Everything went well.  She was very quiet (of course) but I keep reminding her that she needs to talk when asked by her teachers.  I think she is getting better about it.  We will hear in the next week or two about how she did, and I am hoping that she did fine, and that she will start school with as much enthusiasm as her big brother did.  *(I can not find my post about it, but he literally jumped out of the car & RAN into school)*

My other girl is about to turn SIX months & I will post about her very soon, but lunch is ready so I need to get the kids fed.  Pizza rolls & carrot sticks...YUM!

Today

is a very different day for me.

Kaden is at school, Ellie at a friend's, and Ava & Zander are here and we are all relaxing and enjoying a QUIET, CALM day.  If you know our house, you know this is VERY unusual but VERY MUCH appreciated!! 

It makes me know why I used to feel so patient all the time....I had nothing to stress me out!  Having two kids seems so easy now compared to my four.  No one is fighting/yelling/running/etc.  We have not been in the car running everyone here & there.  Just staying home ~  Zander & I playing or watching some Nick Jr,  and Ava napping, nursing, or playing happily on the floor.

I love it, it feels great!

so many things...

  ....too tired to blog tonight!!

Here is what is on my mind:

• Ellie's kindergarten testing
• Kaden WAY stretching boundaries tonight
• VT shootings (of course)
• spring is back ~ YAY
• my camera (it is getting fixed or replaced, but I am without it for 2 weeks!!!!)
• our zoo trip tomorrow
• the fact that I need a good night's sleep
• my love note

Hope you are all having a WONDERFUL warm & sunny weekend  :)

just so you know

I know that a few of you were envious of my alone time...

I thought I should let you know that I ended up sitting at the computer another 1/2 hour or so, then went to finish the dishes.  By that time, Harry & the kids were home.

So much for a great time, huh?

ahhhhh.....

Daddy took Kaden to practice & the other two kiddos wanted to go....and he agreed! 

Ava is napping, so I am ALONE  :)

I think I'll go grab a snack & a book ~ ahhhhhhh.....

hello Angi, meet floor

I took my first fall in years yesterday. 

I had just picked Ava up from her crib & I started out of the girls' bedroom, when my foot stepped on this: http://www.fisher-price.com/us/lovingfamily/products/product.asp?id=33032&show=furnishings  (although it was the less-cool minivan). 

Needless to say, it was like stepping on a skateboard, and my foot flew out from under me. 

My arm that was holding Ava hit the back of the couch, I spun around and landed on my behind, and she flopped around in my arms & ended up upright on my lap.  When I realized that we were both okay, I just sat there on the floor and cried.  Kaden rushed over and asked what happened & if I wanted him to take Ava (what a BIG boy!!) but I said no and that we were both okay.  I think I needed to sit there & just hold her for a moment or two.  I was scared to death of what could have happened.  She never even flinched or made a sound, but I was a MESS!

I finally settled down & got up to finish dinner.  I started to get a headache, and my muscles in my back felt pretty sore already.  Harry was working out when it happened, and when he came home, I told him about it and he suggested I go to see his Dad (a chiropractor) just to be sure that neither of us were hurt.  We made a late night visit last night, and thankfully I am feeling fine today.  The back of my arm that hit the couch is sore, but I do not even see a bruise, so I know it is not very badly hurt.

So, yeah...that was the excitement around here this weekend  :)

Uh-oh

  I have a bad habit of sticking things into my purse to carry them in from the car. 

Yesterday it was a Tim Horton's travel coffe cup , and I assumed it was closed because it was empty.

I was wrong.

And it spilled INTO my purse.

Somewhat thankfully, I had last filled it with Mt.Dew & I had drank it all, leaving just some melted ice in it, but it was still a MESS.  Wet coupons/receipts/notes/lists/packs of gum,  sticky money/altoid tin/phone, but the clencher...

my camera was in the bottom & was VERY wet  :(

I tried using it last night & everything was working completely out of order.  I tried to zoom, and it would start viewing the pics.  I tried to delete a pic, it would not scroll, etc.  I opened the battery door....wet.  I decided to try to plug it in & save the pics to my computer just in case the camera decided to die.  That did work (YAY)!  I decided to check the memory card...wet.  Obviously, the inners of my camera had all been soaked in the wet sticky mess *sigh*

It is all open & drying out, but still not working correctly. 

Good thing we bought the warranty & water is better than coffee, right??? :)

relaxing

Today was a MOPS day, so even though it was a mad rush to get everyone ready & out the door, I am now relaxed and feeling rejuvenated spiritually.  Physically, I am t-i-r-e-d, but I think it because I have been staying up later then normal and Ava is still eating about every 3 hours through the night. 

Right now a nap would be wonderful.

Zander & I are doing the next best thing though, we are curled up on the couch together.  He is watching Blue's Clues and I am watching that and checking my e-mails, etc at the same time.  I keep trying to convince him that we should go into my room to lay & watch tv, but he is not convinced yet  :)  Ava is sleeping though, so a little nap would be do-able,  I bet.

It is a cold rainy day here.  Boy, do  I miss the warm weather that we were having.  This cold/wet stuff is just YUCK.  It does make for nice cuddling time though, so I can not complain today.

*editing to add as soon as I hit publish, Ava woke up, so Zander & I catching that quick nap is now out of the question, LOL

Happy Easter :)

As usual, we have LOTS of family to see today & tomorrow, and we are looking forward to it!  Lots of love & always yummy food :)

Just for giggles, I decided to show you what it is like trying to get A good picture these days...

And yes...these are the GOOD ones, LOL!

And I was doing so well...

I was getting really good at posting here often, but it seems that I've been too busy playing outside lately. 

Here we are yesterday having a picnic, which is the kids' current fave thing to do.  We've been busy doing the normal Spring stuff & it has been FUN, but the weather changed today, and it is windy, cloudy & C-C-C-C-OLD ( 30 feels like 16 due to wind).  So, we've been in all day today & I've been cuddled on the couch most of the day with Ava and the family favorite blanket - "the rainbow blanket"  (which is actually a blue striped blanket???).

The kids have had a free-for-all kind of day consisting of computer time, coloring, listening to music & dancing, playdough, legos, a little bit of everything.  And guess what?  Yep, it is all scattered all over the house (NOT the playdough, but everyting else)!  This house is a DISASTER, I actually feel bad that Harry has to come home to this!  It looks bad enough to me, who has been here to see the chaos unfold  :)

But, dinner is in the oven & A load of laundry is finished....so I've been productive, right???