How do you like your eggs?

So, if you immediately thought of this movie when you read the title to this post, we were destined to be friends forever. For some reason back in 1999 when this movie came out, the line where Ike tells Maggie she didn't even know what kind of eggs she liked (because she liked whatever everyone around her liked) really struck a chord with me and I've probably thought of it half the times I've made eggs over the years, of any type. It became a sort of quest - what kind of eggs do I like?

To be honest, I never liked eggs of any kind as a kid. I have a very vivid memory of my mother forcing me to eat a bite of scrambled eggs, and then promptly throwing up all over the kitchen floor. I also remember we were both really mad. Her at me for throwing up, and me at her because in my mind it was her fault! I was kind of a bratty kid. Sorry mom.

Anyway, for what it's worth, and for the sake of family history and all that good stuff and because I was thinking about this while I cooked MY eggs this morning, I've learned over the years that I actually DO like eggs. I like omelets, I like hard boiled eggs, I like fried and scrambled and poached and baked and even eggs Benedict. I like all kinds of eggs! But THESE are my eggs:

Scrambled with Swiss cheese, ham, coarse black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. 

Nutmeg, you ask? Seriously, don't knock it until you try it. No matter how we make eggs, most of my family agrees a little nutmeg makes them especially yum. You don't need much salt because of the ham, though, so watch that. This morning's combination was four eggs, a slice of swiss, two slices of ham and a pinch of nutmeg. Salt and pepper to taste. 

I've also realized I like my eggs a little overdone. Soggy eggs? Disgusting. That's why I don't love them with milk mixed in, as they too often tip toward soggy and not fluffy. I like some substance to my eggs. The cheese adds that, along with flavor, and I love how it even browns up a little before the eggs themselves are burned as I am apt to do in my quest for "not-soggy" eggs sometimes. The cheese acts as a buffer of sorts, and when it begins to brown I know they're done.

Surprisingly enough, I love runny yolks with toast, too. Just not soggy scrambled. And all forms of eggs must be peppered. Who knew there were so many types of eggs? I love that it's a dish that can be completely, 100% personalized.

As for the family history part of this post, this is my "secret" recipe for green eggs and ham, a tradition on St. Patrick's day every year. Same recipe, just add food coloring. The kids love it, although we usually buy a ham steak an cube it instead of the costco lunchmeat ham shown here. 

Because it's a top secret recipe and I'd hate for my kids to realize their favorite green eggs and ham have *gasp* swiss cheese in them, I typically get this yummy breakfast after they've gone to school on something like cold cereal. Sorry kids. But I do have one little snitcher these days I share with, and she seems to appreciate them, too and will eat a full half the pan most days. :-)

And if you didn't get the movie reference or click the above link, here's the trailer. It has been too, too long since I've seen this movie and it's become a priority after watching the trailer twice. Maybe I can squeeze it in during that blessed second naptime, before the kids get home from school. Folding laundry or something, of course! But this was seriously some of the greatest chemistry between actors ever, don't you think?

I love to see the Temple...

We have Family Home Evening on Tuesdays around here, because that's just how we roll. And because piano lessons otherwise occupy our Monday nights and I have refused thus far to lose a weekday FHE to Sundays. Sundays the kids are already mine, but I crave that additional day, don't you agree? 

Anyway. 

I won't blog every single family night activity, but this one was special.

Matt's been asking to go to the temple, so as soon as Justin walked in the door (he's such a good sport!) we packed up the kids and Little Caesars and had a loverly evening on the temple lawn. I was actually more than a little impressed at how good they were, and how interested in the temple. We pointed out symbolism on the temple, talked about what is required to get a recommend and talked about the temple ordinances. It was fun to point out which rooms were lit, as well. That's the Celestial room behind Izzie's head. 

It was a warm beautiful March night, post daylight savings time and the temple was closed for cleaning - hence the heavy equipment in the background - so I think we picked a winner. It was fun because I felt fine walking right up to the front doors and allowing the kids to peer inside knowing there would be nobody at the front desk and the doors would not be sliding open. Seriously, it's a little thing but it was great. It reminded me a little of peering through the windows of a home being built when you know the owners are away. You've done that before, right? Except this is the ultimate house.

The evening also provided opportunity to do something I've been looking forward to for a while now. A few months ago, my good friend Julie Jolly brought me four pieces of opaque white glass from the St. Louis temple windows and I gave one to each child with an invitation (okay, maybe sort of a plea) to stay clean and to look forward to attending the temple when they're 12. I bore testimony of the Spirit in the temple and the peace and inspiration we can receive there. They loved it, were super excited about their souvenirs and I hope had a sweet taste of the nature of that special place. 

We are so blessed to live near the temple, and I think the evening was a rousing success. I don't think, however, they have any idea how badly I want them to take these things to heart. To come to the temple and be blessed. And like so often in this parenting adventure am reminded once again of our Heavenly Father's love and just how much He must feel the same.

After we returned home Izzie found me and with tears in her eyes told me she thought Erick had ruined the experience for her by singing his current favorite pop songs in the car on the way home. Lousy older tween brothers. (I didn't say it, but I suspect he's getting his ducks in a row for that awesomely annoying deacon phase and that he'll come out of it eventually. I don't know how long that takes though, and didn't want to get her hopes up just yet.) I was touched at her sincerity and her desire to feel the Spirit and promised her we'd return again soon, maybe just me and her. So sweet. How did I get so lucky?

Does this depression make me look fat?

Turns out, it does!  Obesity, genetics, depression and weight loss

This is a pretty personal post, and I feel comfortable posting it because I know so few people see it. I think writing is therapeutic, and although it can be argued I should be out enjoying the gorgeous sunshine, or exercising, or providing service to someone else or praying or forgetting myself and going to work (all good things to do when I feel this way) today I've been down and I'm choosing to write.

Hi, my name is Laura and like 10% of Americans I struggle with depression.

I didn't realize for a lot of years what was wrong with me, but I knew I didn't feel right. I didn't feel like me. I had felt so happy in the past, and considered myself a happy person. I even had roommates tell me they wanted to make sure we lived near each other forever because I was so full of joy that radiated to others. I don't say that to be vain. In fact, if I'd felt that way recently I'd feel it was vanity speaking but it's been so long now it feels like talking about someone else and can be a more rational conversation. It's just a personality thing, and I didn't understand why so many people would (in my perspective) choose to be less. I did (and still do, to some extent) belive happiness was simply a choice. You made that choice every day, and for some reason a lot of people chose otherwise.

I didn't know what happened, but sometime after I married a developed the blues. I don't know why I didn't realize it at the time, but I know now my depression is pregnancy and hormone related. Justin and I discovered we were expecting only two months into our marriage, and while it was part of our plan and we were thrilled, I struggled.

I thought maybe it was the weight gain. In the early years I thought it was the transition from working to motherhood. I thought it was loneliness. I thought sometimes it was financial stresses. I thought it was isolation due to numerous relocations. I wondered briefly if it was marriage that did it to me. I thought it was being a mother to young children. What's funny is the depression could have been caused or aggravated by any of those things, and often is, so my feelings were somehow easy to rationalize away into the infinite details of an ordinary life.

The other reason I didn't recognize the monster for what it was is because I wasn't always sad. I thought depression meant I was sad all the time, holed up in a room I refused to leave thinking suicidal thoughts. I've never felt that way, in case you were wondering. Instead it felt like a tightness in my heart. Like walking in mud up to my ankles. It was being angry at everything for no reason at all. It was telling myself I'm a failure. That I'm fat and ugly and my kids and husband deserved better. I read a paper this week that describes my feelings perfectly.

The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality, and it was vitality that seemed to seep away from me in that moment. Everything there was to do seemed like too much work. I would come home and I would see the red light flashing on my answering machine, and instead of being thrilled to hear from my friends, I would think, "What a lot of people that is to have to call back." Or I would decide I should have lunch, and then I would think, but I'd have to get the food out and put it on a plate and cut it up and chew it and swallow it, and it felt to me like the Stations of the Cross.
And one of the things that often gets lost in discussions of depression is that you know it's ridiculous. You know it's ridiculous while you're experiencing it. You know that most people manage to listen to their messages and eat lunch and organize themselves to take a shower and go out the front door and that it's not a big deal, and yet you are nonetheless in its grip and you are unable to figure out any way around it. And so I began to feel myself doing less and thinking less and feeling less. It was a kind of nullity.

With my first pregnancy I read all about post-partum depression and baby blues, and thought I was really on the lookout for symptoms. It's funny I didn't see them and put together the timing, I just thought I was depressed. Then I had another baby 18 months after the first, and another 24 months after that, and another 30 months after that. All that time. All those years. I mean, it was a period of peaks and valleys, not just one long low, but it wasn't until my fourth child was almost three that one day cleaning the kitchen I realized without knowing when it had happened that the fog had lifted. I felt like myself again, and it was strange to realize how long I'd been gone.

Incidentally you know what's funny? We still had financial stresses, I still had young children, we were still moving around and I was still overweight. But you know what? I wasn't depressed and everything I thought was the problem was more manageable. And more interestingly, when the depression was gone, the weight came off. I organized my house. I was working on a financial plan and was motivated to be room mom at school and to do whatever else was needed for my kids. My relationship with my husband was better, closer. All this time I thought the problem was someone else. Something else. Turns out it was me, after all!

By the time the day came that I received very personal, very specific revelation that we needed to have another child I had figured out that was my trigger and I cried and cried. I knew what I was headed back into and the toll it took on me and on my family. I knew, though, there was a very sweet little girl waiting to join our crew and that at 37 the clock was ticking, so we jumped in again.

I interject here now and forever unequivocally she was worth it. I love that little girl so much it's crazy, and I have loved having a baby again. Even thought I'm living in a fog again it's been worth it. I find courage and comfort in the story Elder Neil A Maxwell related in his talk, But for a small moment, where he says:

Several hundred Spartans were holding the pass at Thermopylae, that narrow pass, and the Persians came in overwhelming numbers and urged the Spartans to surrender. Hoping to intimidate them further, the Persians sent emissaries to the Spartans, saying they had so many archers in their army they could darken the sky with their arrows. The Spartans said, “So much the better. We shall fight in the shade.”

We shall fight in the shade.

I know families are ordained of God, and that He has our best interest in mind. I know He has a plan for me that involves perfecting my heart and my soul, and even more importantly that he has an individualized plan for my husband and each of my precious children and I have hope they won't fail. I have faith He fills in the gaps where I am woefully inadequate and weak, and although I cry to him sometimes in faith and sometimes in despair, I know He hears me and understands my desire to be who He needs me to be. And although I now fight in the shade, I know He is the Light.

Genesis 3:16: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.

1 Timothy 2:15: Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness.

em-jay...

This little sweetheart is already 8 months old! I can hardly believe it. In fact, even though I've been through this four times previously and could go back and re-read every time in the past I'd said the same words, I must have thought I was delusional. Let me say right now forever and always, I honestly am sitting here dumbfounded by how quickly the time has gone. Emilie is my baby and it's somehow just a little more exciting and a lot more poignant when she reaches milestones because I find myself every time saying that "L" word. Last.

She's not crawling, or army crawling, or scooting or anything akin to moving around really yet. She does do some pretty good rolling but I'm not entirely sure it's motivated by a desire to go somewhere. She's an excellent sitter, though, and just seems very content to stay in one place for now. I'm not worried developmentally because she pulled herself up to standing next to one of her toys the other day. She's just apparently chill enough she has nowhere in particular she wants to go yet.

She's a lover and a kisser and a cuddler. She loves music and being sung to and babbles with the best of them. She's getting her D's really fast and we wake up every morning to the sound of Emilie talking and singing her her crib in the other room. Erick calls it the Emilie alarm clock. Lucky it's not really early, usually somewhere between 6:45 and 7 am.

She is a great shopper and loves to go places in the car. She doesn't laugh easily and sometimes frustrates strangers with a cool stare, but loves her family and smiles for her brothers and sisters at the drop of a hat. And she smiles at her stuffed animals. They love her back equally, and our home is more full of love and joy than it's ever been. I forget how babies do that! Lately we've gotten a kick out of her fake cough. She'll sneeze or something, then give us coughs for as long as someone will cough back in reply.

Emilie loves most foods, but if we feed her she doesn't like she just refuses to open. It's funny because the look on her face is more "I forgot we were eating" than frustrated or angry, it's like she's just decided it's not good, and lost interest completely in food. Once again, totally chill. I seriously love this child. 

February 2014 - Proof of life (Grandma Pics)

Here's what we did in January and February:

Izzie turned double digits! We celebrated at the skating rink and Izzie made her friends balloon hats.

Sunday afternoon Jenga championships. She's gonna be a surgeon someday, I think.

Emilie discovered squirrels.

And applesauce.

And got a new high chair!

Matt and I spent too much time at Target, although discovering this skirt that exactly matched his favorite fleece was a high point!

Audrey and Matt discovered ancient writing technologies - chalkboards and tally marks. Audrey is a patient teacher and Matt's an eager learner. It works.

Izzie made a snow crocodile. Can you see it?

Audrey completed our family's first ever science fair project! In case you were wondering, fruit flies are far more attracted to beer than they are to any type of vinegar or fruit. We learned the alcohol content in beer is the same they look for in nature on rotting fruit for laying their eggs. The alcohol protects their young from parasitic wasps. We also learned fruit flies get drunk on fumes and pass out.

We took more pictures of Emilie smiling. Her favorite time of day is right before bed, strangely enough.

Knee creases. I love them. :-)

Izzie's fourth grade all-district strings concert. They were awesome!

We celebrated Valentine's Day with cereal for breakfast, since the kids had to make up a day of school due to snow. They would have otherwise been off for teacher development. We've had a lot of snow days this year!

Audrey let me do heart ponytails for the occasion. Super cute, right?

Her class party was a lot quieter than Izzie's, but Audrey rocked picking up cheerios with pipe cleaners.

This is how Emilie felt about the class parties.

After school we started our family Valentine extravaganza, featuring special crowns made by Matt! He came up with this idea on his own and carefully cut out and taped every crown.

First we watched a youtube video on hand tossing pizzas. Erick got pretty good at it!

Izzie chose stretching hers instead, but she was making a heart shape. She's an artist.

My own masterpiece. It was just as delicious as it looks, but I bet you can't guess the ingredients. Sausage, ham, chicken, tomatoes, pineapple, peppers, banana peppers and blueberry goat cheese. I know, right? But it was amazing.

Next we had dessert. We made human sundaes!

Dad and Erick were on a team, Izzie and Matt were a team, and me and Audrey were a team. Teams got to eat the sundae they created. Erick was a chocolate mess and Matt eventually fell to an errant blueberry in the eye, but all in all it was awesome fun and they were good sports. :-) We finished up the night watching "The Love Bug." So nostalgic.

Audrey and Justin attended a Girl Scout Daddy Daughter dance - the theme was hoedown and somehow I ended up with the craft projects. We made mustaches, wanted posters ad sheriff badges. I think they had fun, but that's one I'm glad is over!

Erick became a Skateport Plaza regular and a limbo king. 

Justin and Erick camped out not one, not two, but THREE months in a row in sub freezing temperatures! Justin works with the deacons, and Erick's along for the ride. The first picture is the Klondike Derby and the second was a January campout. Erick's wearing a green hoodie in both pictures. I swear he owns a coat.

 And that's all for now, folks!

Robins

The robins are back in Saint Louis. Did you know robins are migratory? I'd thought that, but it seems we often see them in winter here and today looked up the reason why. There are at least two reasons we see them what seems like all winter long. First, apparently the majority do migrate, but some species stay and hope for the best in being able to find food where the others have vacated. Next, the robins' natural habitat covers most latitudes in the United States, so people often see them coming and going on their way to wherever it is they're heading. When you look at migratory maps based simply on robin sightings they seem jumbled as to when they're coming and going. Recently scientists figured out a better way to track the robins - by their song. Robins only sing when they've arrived at home. Now isn't that interesting? It's still really cold here, despite the warm spell last week, but I walked out this morning and noticed even in the icy air the sound of a robin singing. Welcome back little guys. :-)

Our family is doing well. Everyone is healthy and happy, I think, although we're all getting anxious for some sunshine these days.

Erick's in middle school and just starting his final trimester of sixth grade. It's been a learning curve for us both and although I've embarrassed him more than once, I think we'll make it through. He wants to grow his hair a little longer these days and spends an inordinate amount of time on his ipod playing Clash of Clans, where apparently he's the sixth grade king at his school and others cozy up to get him to send them items they need in the game. I guess everyone needs a claim to fame. He did make the honor roll again last semester, and is getting better at keeping track of homework and due dates. He's had some growing experiences with friends and teachers this year, spent his first week away from home at sixth grade camp, and discovered he loves choir and hates clay pottery. Ask him about his ipod holder sometime. He has no interest in basketball or tennis, but loves to play soccer and swim. He's begrudgingly taking piano lessons although I think he enjoys being able to play. I keep telling him in college the girls will really think he's a catch if he keeps it up, but I may need to set my sights a little closer because although to me college is akin to tomorrow, it's another world away to a 12 year old boy. He and Justin also spent some quality time last fall hiking to Havasupai Falls in Arizona, and Erick considers it one of his greatest memories ever. I think all in all, the year has been good to Erick and middle school has been a success.

Izzie is in fourth grade this year, and we got a real chuckle last night out of the difference between her kindergarten and fourth grade pictures. She's really grown up so much! She's in her second year of violin at school and has plans to play with a friend for the school talent show next week. Cross your fingers, folks! She's a mover and a shaker, that Iz, and absolutely has to get some outside time in every day. She's becoming more confident all the time, too, and has started testing limits a little as to what she can and cannot say or do and get away with. Granted, she's always done that a little, but I see her becoming more bold as she grows into the big personality the came with. She'd like to be doing gymnastics, volleyball, swim team, soccer, training to be an olympic bobsledder and running for president all at the same time. She was the anchor on her soccer team this past fall and is looking forward to the swimming season coming up. Her arthritis has remained in a state of medicated remission, for which we are grateful, but the swelling has never gone down in her right knee. I guess that's just the name of the game, and she's glad nobody but me really notices. Izzie loves to create and do craft projects, and although at first it was her idea to do storebought valentines this year, after handing them out she confided she liked making them better so we'll go back to that next year. She also makes her own valentine boxes every year, on February 1st. She has this crazy internal clock she absolutely sticks to. She's also a fantastically responsible babysitter.

Audrey is in the thick of elementary school in second grade - not the youngest in the school but far from the oldest, where you feel like you'll be there forever. She left for school this morning with no fewer than ten rainbow loom bracelets on one arm that literally stretched from her wrist to almost her elbow, and she coordinates them. Sometimes she wears blues, sometimes it's rainbow, and sometimes it's another color. She has a huge collection of rubber band jewelry and loves, loves LOVES to accessorize. Audrey is fascinated with my jewelry box and asks often to borrow pieces to match her outfits. She has her own fashion sense and is much hipper than any of the rest of us when it comes to pulling things together. She takes enormous amounts of pride in her long blonde hair and thankfully lets me braid and do it fairly regularly, fulfilling a long time dream of my own. ;-)  She's turning eight in April and can hardly wait to be included in Activity Days with the rest of the older primary girls, to get her ears pierced, and has asked me every year for three years now for church shoes with heels. She's still wearing flats, I told her when she was ten but we'll see. She's also very loving and cuddly and will not leave for school or let me leave for anywhere else without running over for a goodbye hug. She loves to snuggle and can't get enough of playing with Emilie. I think they actually have a lot in common, so it will be interesting despite their age difference to see what happens as they get older. I do hope they'll be close. She skips, dances and twirls with abandon and told me last week after the olympics what she really wants to be is an ice dancer.

Matt is my little buddy this year as he's not in preschool but will be heading to kindergarten in the fall. He's so excited he could pee his pants thinking about it, and we ordered him a backpack online the other day to match the lunch box he has all ready to go. He's reading and writing, doing addition and subtraction and telling me about the solar system so I suspect he'll be off like a shot when it gets here. For now we're enjoying the last few months of hanging out. We like to play at parks, go to the library, play wii, and we spend a lot of time running errands. Matt is a very sensitive, sweet soul who doesn't take himself seriously and loves to laugh. His prayers have gotten increasingly longer these days and usually include a lot of "blessings", including "bless us that we can not jump or climb on the couch, bless us to feel the Spirit and the Holy Ghost, bless us to be like Heavenly Father, bless us that we can not kick or punch, and bless us so we can always be a family and never get lost." I'm not sure where the last one came from, but it's pretty adorable. He talks to himself sometimes when he's playing, something I think he gets from me but I'd never realized it was hereditary. For example, I can hear him right now playing something on the iPad and whispering "Taco Tuesday" over and over. It's from the Lego Movie we saw last week. Last Christmas I got a kick out of hearing him say "Clark, is your house on fire?" in the other room. He keeps us laughing and told me the other day he hoped someday he would die laughing because he couldn't think of anything he liked to do more. I could hug on him all day.

Emilie Jane is getting to be so big! She was added to our family in July 2013, and I say daily I am so glad she's here, because it was a near miss for us and I can't imagine our family without her sweet smile. She's almost eight months old and is rolling everywhere she'd like to be. No crawling yet, but if you pick her up she will definitely try to grab your cheeks and we all have Emilie's claw marks somewhere on our bodies. She's not a huge smiler or giggler, but she really is pretty chill most of the time. I don't think she's unhappy or unpleasant in the least, but she likes to just watch what's going on around her and take it all in. She has a wild flop of hair on top and a rat tail in the back that's probably 4" long and the rolls on her legs and wrists are absolute perfection. Her favorites are bananas, asparagus, watching the fishtank, going for rides in the car and pooping in the tub. I've never seen so much poop happen outside of a diaper, but I hope that bodes well and not ill for potty training someday. She likes it when I sing and adores her Baby Mozart movie. She squeals with delight at the opening sounds. She also is just starting to sleep through the night like a champ. She's been getting up once at night for a while, but this week has slept from 7-7 a few times so we're optimistic. No teeth yet, but a lot of chewing going on. Usually she goes down easily on her own for naps, but sometimes she needs company and if just stay in there with her and sit in the chair until she falls asleep, she's good. It's pretty cute and I love being so simply needed. She truly has no idea how lucky she is to have so many people so crazy in love with everything she does, but we love having a baby again and I often don't want to do anything but play with her and kiss her cheeks while I have the chance.

In 2012 when we decided the Lord wanted us to have another baby, Justin and I had recently lost a bunch of weight, were putting our finances in order and I felt for the first time in a lot of years I was getting life in general under control. I felt like ME again for the first time in probably ten years, although I don't know how to explain that better. I prayed to know just what the Lord needed me to do next, and to know that my life plans were acceptable to Him, and that night I had a clear dream of a little baby girl crawling around our house who I didn't recognize but knew was mine. I woke Justin and cried because I knew my answer but was terrified and  I'll admit I cried more than a little pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy and some post-pregnancy as well. I think probably pregnancy makes me crazy. And fat. That too. I gained back all my weight (I suspected I might) and we are kind of starting over again on a lot of fronts. However, I have felt firm confirmation we did the right thing, and that this sweet little girl was indeed meant to be part of our family for reasons we may not fully understand. I also feel a little better a little earlier than I have in past pregnancies. You may not think that eight months in a fog sounds better at all, but eight months is much better to me than the more typical year or two before I feel like a normal, motivated human being again.

Among other things, I've decided it's time to tackle my weight. Again! It's overwhelming but I think if I take it ten pounds at a time it will be easier. I won't be thin by summer, but I can't think of it that way. Ten pounds. Then another ten. I made my first attempt at a "green smoothie" today with spinach and blueberries, and the kids decided it tasted like sticks. Incidentally, how do they know what sticks taste like? Anyway, I added three full bananas and although it was then drinkable they've begged me to do it again but without the sticks next time. I assume they mean the spinach. I'm trying to incorporate more vegetables in my diet so they may have to just learn to adjust. My goal is a green smoothie for breakfast every day this week. Baby steps.

I think experiencing joy and creating joy are different phases I move back and forth between in my life. While I've struggled off and on with depression, even at my darkest I know I have moments where I've experienced joy like a flash of light or a beacon. Sometimes I didn't realize I was depressed because of those moments. I thought depression was being sad all the time. I know better now. Depression is lurking when I very rarely feel the drive, the desire or the energy to go about creating joy in my life and the lives of those around me. Something is missing inside. And I can tell when the cloud has lifted because I'm ready to embrace joy, and it lights my world not only like a firework, but like a candle inside, a combustible living flame that drives everything I do. I miss that, but I think I feel it's coming back. I feel like I'm coming back.

Little round robin, we may have more in common than anyone would think. :-)

Birthday Party!

We had a birthday party this week for our sweet Audrey, who turned 6 years old! Because she's a puppy nut, we themed it after Lady and the Tramp and she got the Disney stuffed animals for her family birthday gift along with the DVD. It was a lot of fun to watch it cuddled up on the couch, I'd forgotten my kids had never seen that movie! The first thing Audrey did when she opened Lady and her beau though was to make them kiss - should I be worried about my little romantic?

When the girls arrived we passed out dog hats and got them started coloring a dog house - one of those big cardboard houses. We had a bubble gum blowing contest and turned the movie on in the background while I finished up lunch. Which was, of course...

Spaghetti and Meatballs!!!

We had a little movie re-enactment here... but this was as close as they'd get to kissing. :-)

We played a few games and opened a few gifts, ate dog bone shaped cookies and finished up with yummy cake! To decorate I drew a Lady poster and we hung gold, silver, brown and pink balloons. I worried because when I planned this I'd hoped to have it outside but the weather didn't cooperate. It turned out okay, thanks to some fabulous friends who came to my rescue! I had also inadvertently planned the party on a day off school, forgetting it wasn't a day off work for Justin, so a couple of extra sets of hands were much appreciated! I can decorate a cake and draw a poster, but planning and scheduling is really not my thing. Thanks!

I think everyone had fun, and Audrey was on cloud nine. She got a slew of new stuffed friends and I found her snuggled up with every last one of them on her bed today holding a tea party. We sure love you, little Moosie girl. :-) Happy Birthday!

More Magic.

I've been wanting to do this for YEARS. Thanks Erick for finally being old enough to be interested in magnets, build with them, and to resist knocking them down. I feel as though something is finally complete inside me!

Audrey may need a little more practice dressing and diapering babies. We're taking applications from those willing to let her practice on their bundle of joy.
 

The new pet center in kidtown is awesome! Audrey washed and dried puppies to her hearts' content while Matt re-routed the hamsters through their maze. Super cute. 

If it looks like a ball, acts like a ball, or will roll at all, Matt's interested. 

I took this picture after I'd contacted employees twice about lost children thinking at the very least I could remember what my kids were wearing. I don't know what I'd do if I lost Izzie, she remembered Matt's shirt was black, not red or blue, and that Audrey was wearing jean shorts. May everyone have such a child.

Love the magnolia trees outside the house!

Izzie tried her best to cover four of the five holes on her own here - check out that elbow action! In the end she held two and I held two so that fifth ball would really soar. 

Biggest legos I've ever seen, and they actually said LEGO on them! Do you think there's some special division of the company that just makes huge bricks for childrens' museums? 

The high tower plan was eventually swapped for a shorter, sturdier model. And by sturdy, I mean that in the most relative sense of the word.

Finally, like I said before, Matt is still talking about the water play. I think it's funny though that instead of being interested in boats or water wheels, he bonded with a single plastic fish and "drove" it up and down the river the entire time. Okay, so maybe not that funny. It drives, and it had a face not unlike the characters on his favorite t-shirt.

The one favorite thing we didn't get pictures of was the detective center. Izzie and I went through the entire exhibit solving the clues and learning about forensics and detective work. It was awesome! A secret safe, a bookshelf that opens to reveal more rooms, and all the fingerprinting and black light analysis you'd ever want. She really got into it, and although our hypothesis was wrong we had fun. Immediately after this exhibit we lost Matt and all my newfound detective skills defaulted to "find someone with a radio." Oh well. :-)

So I started with four kids and made it home in the end with four. I think that deserves a full-on wave but I'll settle for sleepy kids and another day down of spring break.