Newest Family Member

This is Marley...our vicious puppy weighing in at 4.5 lbs. He is AWESOME! So much fun and great with the kids. The best part is he's full grown. I love how tiny he is! He's been a good addition to our family.



Tanner also enjoys Marley's bed...

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Today my baby turned 2. I can't believe it!! The terrible twos have been in full force now for a couple of months....whew! She is one sassy little girl! I love how animated she is...she makes the BEST facial expressions. I love how she spins until she's dizzy. I love how when I ask her for a kiss she will shake her head no, only so I will smother her with kisses. She loves to cuddle (when she's tired). I love that she is talking and really learning a lot of new words. We really couldn't ask for a better baby...she is WONDERFUL!! Happy Birthday Via!

Only a true diva can mow the lawn in high heels!


Spinny-spin-spin


Big girls DO cry...


Thanks Grammy Chunk for Via's favorite and most diverse gift...ha ha ha

Catching some rays...

About a week ago we had some great weather. It was hot and sunny and perfect for catching some rays. The kids and I had stopped over at my parents house after church one Sunday and my mom was sitting on her patio swing enjoying the heat. As soon as we got home Julia changed into her swimsuit and grabbed a towel. I asked her what she was doing and her reply was "I want to have dark skin like Grammy Chunk, I'm going to go get a tan!" She headed outside and laid down on our porch swing (which happened to be in the shade). I explained to her that she needed to lay where it was sunny to get a tan. So she moved to the grass. It was so hilarious as she would run up to me every few minutes to ask if she was darker. Of course she wasn't and I needed to let her in on a little secret...no one gets as tan as Grammy Chunk...no one. I swear the woman gets a tan just by turning on her bedroom light in the morning. Why couldn't I have been blessed with that skin? I don't tan, I burn....and even then I am still pasty. :) Here's the little drama queen catching her rays...(Julia, not my mom...ha ha ha).

Impressive

The other day I was enjoying a quiet moment...which is rare. Julia and Olivia were napping, Ron was outside and Tanner was sitting in the dining room looking out the windows into the backyard. I was at the computer reading blogs. Ron had the task that afternoon of spreading some poison on an ant hill we found near some trees in our yard. There are landscaping rocks around the trees, so Ron was shoveling them out of the way to be able to pour the poison directly onto the ants. As he was returning the rocks to their original spot, Tanner looked out the window and said "Wow, impressive!" I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. He looked at me and said "what's so funny Mom?" It's just so funny to hear such big words come out of such little people sometimes. It always amazes me how much they actually know and retain. I better be careful about what I say around here. :)

Is that contagious?

Today Julia had four baby teeth pulled. She's been in a little bit of pain, but is doing so well. I think she's more irritated about having to keep gauze in her mouth to absorb the blood. When Tanner finally woke up this morning he saw her and immediately became concerned. I was sitting on the couch cuddling with Julia and he climbed up into my lap and asked what was wrong with her. I told him she had teeth pulled at the dentist and asked if he wanted to see. He said yes, so he leaned over to get a closer look. I think he was startled to see the four small holes in her mouth. However, when he leaned, his hand slipped and ended up landing on Julia's leg. He jumped off my lap and said "I don't want to touch her mom!" I asked him why and he said "because she will make my teeth fall out too!!" Since then Tanner has kept a safe distance...hoping to avoid catching Julia's disease. :)

Happy Mother's Day!

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

Happy Easter

Holidays are always fun at our house. Mostly because of the children's anticipation. This year Julia woke up before anyone else...proceeded to the living room to peek at what the Easter Bunny may have left, then tip-toed through the rest of the house informing everyone that he did in fact come. She's such a stinker and exactly like her Dad. Can't keep a secret and can't handle waiting for a surprise. We had a great morning and loved watching the kids get so excited over the simple things left in their baskets.

I didn't get a picture of Olivia with her basket, but man was she enjoying her ring pop!!


Tanner-man...pay no attention to the missing pants.


Super-cute JuJu! Not often we get a picture of her without a fake/forced smile!


And Matt...don't mind the inside-out shirt...sadly many mornings start this way for him. LOL!