Today is my parents anniversary. I am so lucky to have such good examples of what a healthy and happy marriage is. I have never wondered if my parents loved each other and I am so thankful for that. After 34 years, they are still holding hands!
Enough of Miles..... let's get some pictures of me!
Future foamer???
Okay, enough of the trains! Let's get back to me! :)
Paige is in the Honor Choir for her school district. On Saturday they had an all day music workshop. At the end of the day they had a little concert. The fifth graders sang three songs, and then the older grades performed a few songs. Next time you see Paige, ask her to sing you "Things I Learned From A Cow." It's a really cute song.
After Paige's group performed I had to take Miles out into the foyer, he had been good and quiet for as long as possible for a 19 month old! He found a little friend there. They were so cute together. They followed each other around everywhere, and then when one of them would sit down, the other one would sit down and then scoot over as close as possible. She was adorable with all her curly hair. Miles is already quite the ladies man! :)
There are these pretty flowers growing all down the sides of the creek. (they could be weeds for all I know, but they're still pretty!) Paige was at her friends softball game and Livee had to run back home for a potty break, but I did manage to get a couple of my kids to sit down and pose for me.
Our first stop always has to be the flamingos. They look fake in this picture, like yard decorations.
The girls loved the Bat Phones. Livee has a scared look on her face because she had just heard on the phone that there are rattlesnakes in Texas.
Just lookin cute with the little elephant statue.
They had a "moment."
These pictures crack me up! Girls will be girls! I think Livee and Codie had spent a little too much time together that day. Did you notice the little argument and the elbow jab? :)
It was a long day. Once we got to the zoo, and the teachers got us checked in and passed out tickets, we only had about 2 1/2 hours to see everything, and we had to fit lunch in there too. I felt like I was rushing the girls through all the exhibits, just pointing out the animals as we passed through. It was a warm, humid day, so we were all worn out by the end of it. Livee slept through the whole trip home too. So much for the excitement of the bus ride!
I can't wait to do it again!!!
Miles is definitely his daddy's boy! He loves to get into Craig's grip and take out his radio and flashlight. He wants to do whatever Daddy is doing.... mowing the yard, installing new plumbing, fixing the sprinklers, taking out the trash. Actually one of his favorite things is throwing away his diapers. After we change him he will take the diaper and say "trash" and then we will take him outside to throw it in the garbage, and he is so happy to do it. I hope he still has that good attitude about it when he is a teenager and it's one of his chores! He is talking a ton now and he loves to tell you the different animal sounds. If you call at the right time you might even get him to talk on the phone for a minute or two. He is such a boy too! Always wants to be outside in the dirt or playing with his Tonka truck. He loves to throw everything, if he can pick it up, watch out 'cause it's gonna be flying through the air in a second! It's funny, I never really knew that I wanted a son until I had him, now I can't imagine not having this little guy in our family. I love my Craig and my little Craig Jr.!
Zoe has been complaining about an earache but she didn't have a fever and it doesn't hurt all the time. I took her to the Pediatrician and she said her ears looked perfect, no infection. We talked for a little while about what else it could be and the Dr. thinks it is TMJ. She has always been a teeth grinder when she sleeps, and she also clenches her jaw a lot while she's sleeping. I guess a lot of people with TMJ think that it is their ear that is hurting because it is so close to the jaw joint. I made her an appointment with the dentist, so we will just have to wait and see what he says. Right now she needs to sleep with a football type mouth guard, and if she has pain we give her Motrin. It is supposed to work better than Tylenol for this because it is an anti-inflammatory. If anyone has any experience with this please let me know. Thanks.
Update: Zoe's Dentist agreed that it is the TMJ thing. She has to try a new mouth guard to sleep with, and she is not supposed to chew gum, or eat anything that makes her jaws work hard, like well done steak or chewy candies. I need to keep a journal on when she has pain in her jaw, ears, neck, or back. It hasn't bothered her for the last few days, so hopefully she won't have any. She has another check-up in 2 weeks, and then the Dentist will decide if she needs to see a specialist.
Paige ran in the house yesterday and told me to come quick and look at what she had made. She calls it a "swi-mock" half swing half hammock. Works pretty good for her, I'm just not sure how comfortable it is. :)
Tuesday: We had activity days. I teach the older girls and my neighbor across the street teaches the younger girls, so we just combined our groups and they are learning a really fun Spanish dance to perform for their moms. I think we had about 15-20 girls over. A lot of fun, but a lot of giggling and screaming going on! Wednesday: Livee decided she wanted to help with the yard work. She got some scissors out, and started trimming the weeds. I think Daddy felt a little guilty after that, because the next day there was not a weed to be seen in our yard! :)That night I had a Home & Garden party at my house. It was a lot of fun. I met four new neighbors and we are already talking about having a neighborhood party this summer.
Thursday: I went to Enrichment Night and I was so glad I did. We had a dinner and then we went to different rooms that were all decorated to represent a different time in Jesus life. It was really special, and the Spirit was so strong. It was just what I needed! We were having thunderstorms that night and the girls get a little scared so they were in my room for a little while until the storm died down. Then we tucked them back into their own beds. This is what a found a little later. Zoe and Liv cuddled up together... so sweet.
Miles wasn't bothered by a little thunder and lightning! :) -unfortunately my battery died right after I took this picture so I wasn't able to get a pic of Paigee sleeping that night.
Friday: Miles had a Dr. appt. to recheck his ear infections. His infection is gone but there is still a lot of fluid in his ears. The Dr. said that he has twisty ear canals and it makes it hard for fluid to drain out. I have to make him an appt. with the ENT to find out about ear tubes. :(
Saturday: We had such a fun family day! We went to Costco to get some steaks for Livee's b-day dinner and had fun going to all the different food sample booths. The girls love doing that! Later we went on a bike ride/walk to the old Justin park. The weather was so nice and the kids love doing anything outside. It really was a perfect fun day!
Today: After church I made the kids pose for some pictures in a field by our house that has some wildflowers growing in it. Later family came over for Livee's B-day dinner. We had steak, mashed potatoes, and homemade banana pudding for dessert. Livee told Uncle Cody later that she was born on April 9th and April 20th that's why she gets two birthdays. :) Oh, I also got to try my very first crawdad (or is it crawfish?). My neighbor brought a whole bunch back from a weekend trip to Louisiana. I thought it was pretty good. Thanks Colleen!
YYY
It's kind of a hassle moving the furniture all over the place, and it's more work than having a professional do it, but we got the same results, and way more cost effective! Miles doesn't mind all the furniture in random places around the house. One of his favorite things is watching the photo slide show on the computer, so he loves having his climber so close to the pictures on the wall.
Before:
After:
I would normally never post a picture of the spots on my carpet, but they're gone now, so I don't mind doing the before and after thing. I am sooooo happy, may carpet looks brand new! I love it, love it, love it! Thank you Craig for the steam cleaner, and for the muscle power! :)
These girls had so much fun the other night. We didn't get to pick up Carys til about 8:30 so they didn't have a lot of time to play that night. They came in and got their Jammie's on and we made cookies and then we went to bed around 10:00. They didn't even complain, they just crawled into bed, I gave them a kiss, turned on the moon and then they were out! 
He did a pretty good job. I think he had as much fun cleaning up as he did making the mess.
Oops, he noticed some marker on his hand.
When Miles was still tiny, Craig was holding him and said, I hope when he gets bigger he's a wild kid. I said yeah, because you are going to be at work, and guess who gets to take care of the wild kid? :) He said he meant that he wants him to like playing outside, and likes to get dirty, and is adventurous, and not afraid of things. Well he got that! So, whenever Miles is jumping on Daddy's tummy, or getting into his work bag, or digging in the fireplace, or eating June bugs, or coloring on the walls.....etc., I laugh and then I remind Craig of his wish and tell him to go take care of his wild son. :) Except, of course most of the time Craig is at work. Thanks Craig! 
And finally the unveiling of the pottery. They had so much fun making these!
