April

I thought I was going to get better at blogging again. Not so much. I am still trying, and thinking about it. As Tanner gets bigger, it is getting easier to do again.
We have had a crafty as well as sporty month. Annika started softball and had her first game yesterday. Got a solid hit from a pitch. Of course, I had the camera but no memory card. UGh. It's okay though. We have one or two games a week now through the end of June.
Phoebe studied robots in school and one assignment was to use recycled parts to build her own.

Tanner just posed and looked cute during the process. He was actually quite careful and let the girls work.

This one was Annika's creation because you know we couldn't do a project without her getting to do one also.

The Daddy Daughter Dance was one of my big crafty projects (I was chairperson = do 90% of the work as all of you moms know). Jeff and Phoebe had a wonderful time and they looked so cute. I ended up having 185 people attend! So I was pretty happy, and immediately elected to be chair again next year. Which is okay. I already have ideas. :)

An even better picture! Aren't they adorable! So glad they have this memory.

Phoebe had a bad tooth that had been filled and then just got worse. She had to have it pulled a week ago and now this week she gets a spacer to save room for the molar that won't come for a couple years. She is such a little trooper!

Love the pansies and hyacinth Mom gave me. My daffodils and tulips all came up and the iris are growing. Can't wait for more stuff to bloom! I am itching to force Jeff into building me a garden.

Tanner figured out how to climb the rock wall. He is 2! Is this supposed to be possible?

Oh the sand that is everywhere in my yard! But all of the kids have fun in it. I need to go buy more.

I know exactly why I don't blog anymore. I have been trying to type with a very wiggly 2 year old on my lap. Not the same as a sleeping infant. And I'm too tired to do anything after kid bedtime these days.

Very Significant

The more I think about this photo the more I realize all of the many reasons I like it and the significance of why. It shows us, Jeff and I, in a happy place.
1. The obvious physical location is one.
2. Hair... I am finally back to the short that makes us both happy. Jeff is okay with the short hair he has and that makes us both happy.
3. Bodies...we are both getting healthier and back in shape and proud of our hard work the last few months. Check out those beach bods! Yeah baby. Hanging out with the slightly older crowd of St. Maarten also helped with body image as well. Too funny!
4. Marriage...we have never been more in love or more supportive of each other. I think that is huge and wonderful.
5. Jobs...we both like what I am doing and how positive it is for our family. And a huge, positive change is coming for Jeff...next week he starts a new job and leaves GMAC and its depressing culture behind! :)

Feelin' It

We all know I can't actually get the photos and text in the order I want it, so we'll just have to roll with it. Here is how I spent my morning...

And this is how Jeff spent his right next to me....
And then we had a lovely little fish lunch. YUM!
Jeff in the surf.And then I actually gave the camera over to Jeff.
Jeff's friend and coworker Jamie is also here this week and this is his sidekick. We are having entirely too much fun coming up with ideas on how to pose Mr. Potato Head.
Our kick butt room at Oyster Bay. Can't thank Mom and Dad enough for this trip!!!!!!
And us tonight at happy hour feeling the love and the warmth.

Jeff riding the waves on a boogie board. He was much more successful than me. I ended up with a swimsuit of sand, but was still smiling.
Oh Yeah! WE needed this vacation so bad. It took a few hours to get relaxed and let go. But we are so there now. The flight was just fine. We have had good weather so far. Lots of naps. Lots of sunburn, but not too much. A fair amount of water. And a fair amount of relaxation inducing beverages. :) the happiness is soaking in! Miss our little cuties though.

One Less Thing

The tile is up! Jeff finished this morning in my parent's guest bathroom!

two much too handle

My sweet little boy turned two. He is hitting it full throttle, just like anything else new he does. He is talking up a storm. He is in only the 20th percentile for height. Who would have guessed when he was born? So we'll see how he grows from here. But as you will see in this photo gallery of him (which of course I uploaded backwards in time) that big ol' melon of his is in the 75th percentile. Little smarty pants. This is him and Annika at Legoland last weekend. They had a blast. Definitely overpriced place I think. But they loved it, and I didn't have a party for him, so I am going to justify it.

This is the "cake" I made for him because our stove was out of commission. He LOVED his "dum fu*# " and was quite appalled that we ate it. So he would get in our face for two days exclaiming "AY DUM FU#*!!!!!" So hard not to laugh.

This is how the dump truck started; purchased rice krispie treats, twinkies, and Oreo cakesters.

Posing for Mommy in his lumberjack/macho man ensemble.

This is the new truck from Grandma and Grandpa for his birthday. He can sit in the back and pull the bucket up to sit on the base and scoot around. So of course he says, "Shi# dum fuc@." Oh I love this stage.

At the zoo with his big sisters.

First Haircut, just like his sisters he doesn't grow any hair in the front, only the sides and back.

I love my little guy!

2 More Conversations, Olympics, and more

Convo #1: I am snuggling Tanner after he woke up from his nap, rocking him in front of a sunshine filled window. I am having a "mommy moment" thinking how sweet this is, how cute he is and how much he is growing.
He tells me, "Boobs warm, boobs soft." and snuggles in tighter with a grin on his face, closes his eyes, and sighs. Men.

We have been loving the Olympics this week. We watched every night. Jeff and I have stayed up late to watch all the skating, skiing, and snowboarding. I need to figure out when the bobsledding and luge events are because I really want to watch them. The summer games don't ever really draw me in. But there is something about these winter events that I can't get enough.

Convo #2: Enjoying the games with Annika. Watching the highlights of Shaun White's gold medal runs (which I loved seeing the night before) and watching the women's snowboard event. I ask Annika the daredevil if this is something she would want to do. She replies, "Yeah, they go really fast, and the tricks look really fun. But I wouldn't use a board like that. Mine would be bright orange with black skulls on it." OK. Planning big she is...going for her own lines first. I love that she is that way.

Phoebe got her progress report yesterday. I am so proud of her. She is way above average for reading and spelling. There was a note that she should get individualized help to encourage her. She is making homework way to easy for me. She brings home her vocab lists to read and spell and does it perfectly the first time. We don't practice. I would love if the other two are this easy, but I'll probably have to get my act together and work with someone on this stuff. But for now I am basking in the glow of my oldest's talents.

We went to the zoo last Monday. I am here to say, I like the zoo in winter. We bundled up and packed our lunches. Very few people were there. Most of Brookfield is inside buildings so we just walked from one to another and kept very very warm. It was a great day. I didn't have any babysitting kids. So it was great to spend just the day with my lovely children. An excellent memory.

I'm FINE

Me: How is your diaper.
T: FINE!
Me: Do you want some juice?
T: I'm fine.
Me: What are you playing with that toy?
T: It's fine.
T: Dad-da fine. Bee-bee fine. fine water. Da-ka fine. Mama fine?
Me: Yes mama is fine. I now realize how often I say fine.
T: FIIIINE!!!!! .....Da-ka naughty.
Me: Oh really?
T: (nods head vigorously) Da-ka naughty. Me fine!