What is LOVE?

LOVE is your 8 year old bring you a birthday breakfast in bed that consists of a big glass of chocolate milk because he didn't get you a gift.

LOVE is your 6 year old setting up a tea party for you in her room using the breakable tea set.

LOVE is your 11 year old buying you the exact knife sharpener he wanted...and using it for you so you don't have to.

LOVE is your 30-something wife going to Red Lobster with you and not outwardly gagging at the smells and sights.

On the other hand...

LOVE is you choking down that breakfast drink with a smile on your face.

LOVE is you bellying up to the tea party and enjoying those moments with your princess.

LOVE is you paying $6 for 1/2 a box of mac and cheese and 1/2 an orange at Red Lobster and not complaining...too much.

LOVE is you doing dishes and laundry on your special day.

We LOVE you, Big Daddy, and LOVE being LOVED by you!! Happy 40th :o)

Determination Pays Off!!!

I mentioned Princess P's determination yesterday, but had no idea what her determination would bring today. She and T have been out riding their bikes as much as possible the past few days. Today, there were two little neighbor girls out there riding with them. P comes back across the street to us and says she wants her training wheels off. Okie dokie...we took them off. She tip toed up and down the street for several hours today, not giving up, even after our backs had. She just kept on going by herself, one step at a time. And it paid off! Tonight, after dinner, she wanted to go back out again (we had been inside for about 20 minutes since getting home from church, after all) so I headed out with her one more time. And what do you know...she did it. All her hard work and determination today paid off and she was able to ride quite a ways by herself. She is still shaky, but that will come. She still can't turn around without us, but that will come. I am so proud of her for just doing it. The boys were not this brave their first day out!

You go girl!

Determination

The kids have been taking gymnastics for the past few months. They like to practice what they are learning at home during the week. This week, C and P have spent lots of time working on their headstands (T will pass...he tolerates the classes and even had fun this week in class, but isn't exactly jumping at the chance to practice, and that's ok). Tonight, I had my camera out to take pics of the super-moon....that we couldn't see because of the super-clouds so I took some pics of P practicing.

This week, we have seen an awful lot of this:

 

She's getting there. We have also seen a whole lotta this:

And this:

It is taking a lot of practice and they will likely be all bruised up but they are having a blast and we are enjoying watching them...and sometimes participating too ;o)

[side note...I really am a better photographer than this. These were taken in the dark living room with just the kitchen light on...but they serve their purpose and I am thankful to have a camera that can rock super high ISOs!]

Going Green: Happy St. Patty's Day :)

Sentimental Saturday

Someone commented to me earlier this week about how well T and P play together. It reminded me of this picture from when they were little and T was not quite so sure about having a little sister. I'm glad he outgrew his fears :) They are such great friends and it is fun watching their creative minds work together. They will get playing and giggling like nobody's business and I just love it.

Lie to Me

A friend got me hooked on the show, Lie to Me, on Netflix. Have you seen it? It is fascinating to me. I find myself analyzing everything people say lately. Well...not what they say, but what their face says while they are saying it. I also notice myself giving little "micro expressions" when someone says something that annoys, surprises, irritates, etc me. I just love when I get to say Cal's famous line, "Now that's the truth!" to the kids :) So if you catch me staring at you sometime, you probably don't have a booger or anything, I might just be trying to catch you in a lie ;o)

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Ash Wednesday!

Happy Mardi Gras!

One of our neighbors has a big "Mardi Gras" inflatable in his front yard. Who knew they even made those?!?! Anyway, the kids were asking what it meant. I knew a little...but not enough to give an education on it. Thank goodness for Google. After googling Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, and even Lent, we were off.

We dyed some sugar to top our "king cake" with. Purple was harder to make than green and gold but we tried.

I got a phone call just as the "cake" came out of the oven so the kids decorated it for us.

It tasted better than it looked ;) They had fun making masks while learning the history of Mardi Gras. Pretty cool that it originated in the middle ages, which we have been studying this semester.

Then the fun began...P  and I gave each other makeovers.

 

She was laughing so hard I was nervous so kept my eye on her.

 

Turns out I was nervous for no reason. She is a pro and we look simply gorgeous.

 

Although I do think I now know why they wear masks!

 

We had a great day and already have our plan for Lent now. Being raised Southern Baptist, we have never celebrated Lent before and I am very excited about this year.  We have a plan and I pray we stick to it. I'll post about it later but am keeping it a surprise since it effects some people that read this...and surprises are more fun :)

P journaled about our day all by herself (obviously) and I had to include it here. I'll translate below it ;)

 We made a mask.

We made a king cake.

Mom put makeup on me.

Time to throw away the Wii! Yikes! OK, I'm curious....do you celebrate Mardi Gras? Practice Lent? Tell me more, tell me more.

Necessity is the mother of invention

A certain little princess has been extremely gassy the past two days so T took matters into his own hands and whipped up a gas mask out of random toys and duct tape. Pretty clever, isn't it?

Not So Wordless Wednesday: Shots are more fun with friends!

I'm not very good at the Wordless Wednesday deal, but am kinda enjoying the "Not So Wordless Wednesday"s, so, here is this week's edition.

Last month, I started getting the shots for my trip to Cambodia this summer, but my doctor's office doesn't have any Typhoid shots so I had to go to the health department. Another friend that is going to Cambodia with me needed hers too....so we decided to made a day of it. Invited one more friend for moral support and threw in an awesome 3 year old and it was a party waiting to happen :)

Don't we look like fun? 

Some of us are more fun than others ;)

Little C entertained Big C while his mom and I excitedly answered some "personal questions".

Little dude took his job of hand squeezing very seriously and was definitely a nice distraction during shot time.

Apparently I started squeezing his hand back during the actual shot because he sweetly said, "Miss Yessie, you squeezin' my hand now." Oops! Sorry, buddy!

And one more photo just to prove we were both shot. 

You're welcome, F :)

So yes, shots are definitely more fun with friends. And shopping and lunch are also more fun with friends ;o)

I am so looking forward to this trip and seeing how God uses us and teaches us while we minister in Cambodia.

Thanks for the fun day, girls.......now, please, pass the Purell :)