WELCOME SPRING!

We are so excited for spring!!! I have taken probably a hundred pictures in the last few weeks! First, here are some pictures of the kids and I planting flowers in the mailbox planter...we did pansies out there
and then the kids each planted their own flowers and Grace and I planted thyme (to attract butterflies) and basil...oh, I can't WAIT for tomato mozerella salad with fresh basil from our garden! And we planted a big (for us) garden with cherry tomatoes, big tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, poblano peppers, brocolli, red leaf lettuce, red onions, eggplant, banana peppers, zuccini, cucumber, and watermelon! Ah! I'm so excited to see it all come up...

Anteneh planting the flower he got at their preschool fieldtrip to Kroeger's Nursery...
Grace planting her thyme to attract her much desired butterflies and therefore caterpillers...
Luke, working hard to till up the garden for mommy
Joceyln (wearing SPF 45) watching her cousins planting
The cute little sign Densie gave me
My boys working hard!
Anteneh releasing a tadpole into the pond at Kroeger's Nursery
Another field trip shot-LOVE THIS PICTURE! See Luke in the background?

A Few of My Favorite Things

• Seeing my kids stuff their mouths full of really green salad or fresh raw veggies...and knowing that we've worked really hard to raise them like that....
• When my kids tell me with excitement about a story from the Bible like it's the coolest thing...
• Looking in the rearview mirror and seeing Anteneh belt out, "My soul, my soul must sing!" to the kids' worship music and knowing that God brought him to us so that his soul could learn to sing to the Lord.
• Seeing my kids get dirty-really dirty from digging in the dirt or planting flowers
• Hearing the boys yell with all the boyish excitement you could imagine when they are getting ready to do something brave or fun...like driving Daddy's new mower...to hear the theme music Anteneh sings for himself during those times, "chick a chick a chah, chick a chick a chah!"

The Day Everything Went Right!

Note how I dressed the boys in their brightest yellow matching shirts so they'd be easy to spot in a crowd! Thanks for the spiderman shirts, Grandpa Jim!

Those of you reading this who are parents know...a day like this comes along once in a LONG while...a day when everything goes right! We headed to St. Louis yesterday and decided we were going to have a good time even though the forecast was for a high of 39 degrees and snow mixed with rain...the night before Grace and I prayed and asked God to make it sunny and warm...(I had little faith that this would happen)...here is a summary of our perfect day:

Didn't run out of gas on the way there, even though I drove 75 miles an hour for an hour on E!

Made it to Qdoba on fumes for lunch instead of stopping at any of the 10,000 Mc Donalds' along the way!

The manager surprised us with free brownies for the kids b/c they were "so well behaved"

When we got to St. Louis, it was 70 degrees and sunny!! It was a miracle! (or at least an answered prayer!)

We found 2 parking spots (daryn had to drive separately so he could drive home Monday when his flight arrives back in st. louis) next to eachother in the FREE parking!

Free admission into the best zoo in the country.

Absolutely no crowd at the zoo! and all the animals were out so we could see them.

Not one major problem or complaint at the zoo! (parents of 3 kids-you know this is amazing)

The cheetahs were out and very visible..(our children along with a few of their cousins have a cheetah obsession)

Bathrooms were plentiful

The hippos were awesome

We let the kids pick out a small stuffed animal since they were all so good...They were only $5 each! I consider that a miracle, as well!

Hotels.com had booked us one extra room that we would have had to pay for (we were supposed to have only one) but the hotel let us cancel that room and not pay...(don't use hotels.com!)

The Ethiopian food was GREAT! (Queen of Sheba restaurant on Olive Blvd-we love it!)

The pool water back at the hotel was WARM!

They let us squeeze a rollaway bed in the room (some hotels won't let a family of 5 stay in one room)

All three kids went to sleep great!

Daryn didn't wake anyone up when he left for the airport at 3:30am

So, the day ended w/ many little victories...individually none of it seems very spectacular-but those of you w/ kids know-to have a day of roadtrips and vacation where nobody fights, nobody gets in trouble, and everybody is happy and complaint free-is a MIRACLE!!!! Yeah! Thank you, God...

of course, today is another story now that everyone is exhausted:) haha

Hear are a few pictures from the Queen of Sheba restaurant...you should have seen how much injera our kids ate!!! By the way-another awesome thing-Grace and Luke love Ethiopian food as much as Anteneh! haha...no complaints even though it is so different than American food...I love that we can eat at ethnic places w/ our kids...it's a special thing to eat it w/ Anteneh...and the kids LOVE eating with their hands....
and last but not least...Anteneh dancing at the restaurant...

A Frozen Easter

Happy Easter Everyone! Here is our family Easter picture-in the morning when it was like 45 degrees...before it started sleeting/snowing...
Look at those adorable children!
Cute Easter boys...
This picture is so sweet...It looks posed but really they were just standing there and I told them to turn and look at me...Grace looks so old!
Everyone mom's worst nightmare...her son coming out of the house to hunt for easter eggs at grandma's wearing a black and red batman costume.....ahh! He's in this costume for all the big family pictures with the cousins! haha...and we forgot the easter baskets so the kids had to use paper bags! Oh, well...they had fun...even though 2 seconds after this picture was taken it started to sleet!




Today I took the boys to the Newburgh, "Fortress of Fun"...it's a big wooden maze like castle in a park...By, golly-if it won't get warm around here, we are going to play out side anyway and PRETEND it's warm! Even if I have to bundle up and sit under a blanket while I watch the kids play at the park! The boys brought their swords and played "knights"...one of their favorite things to do...here they are crossing the bridge, ready to fight the dragon! OMG! I LOVE this picture...Anteneh had never been on a play bridge before and was scared b/c it was shaky-so, Luke put his arm around him and helped him across while he told him they were brave...(tear to my eye)
Looking down through the tire tunnel!

Grace's Birthday

Grace and her cousin, Joceyln... For Grace's Birthday, she had a sleepover! Well, not a REAL sleepover...I figured that the girls were a little young to actually spend the night so we did a make believe sleepover! Everyone came in their jammies with their sleeping bags...we did all the stuff you would do at a sleepover (including ice cream sundaes) but all the girls left at bedtime! Here is a picture of Grace in front of her ice cream bar, ready to party! (with my mom in the background)
Grace in her cheetah jammies with her pajama wearing friends! (and Shadow, who was the only boy allowed!)
This picture of Luke is from the next day at the family party...of course he got hot running around and took his shirt off...it's classic...I love taking pictures of him..
Look how pretty she is! My six year old!

I just love this picture of Anteneh and Shadow! He had his batman suit on and his blankie around his neck as a cape and decided to take a little break from fighting the bad guys just long enough to cuddle with his dog:) He even had a pillow propped up on him. Shadow is a good sport!
We have been mighty busy lately...here is a sort of 'before' shot of our kitchen...we ripped off the tile backsplash, removed these old countertops, and cleaned the mold out from under the sink (there was a lot of wood that needed to go)...
And here is an 'after' shot...I love our new countertop! We also replaced the really old nasty sink. We are still working on the new backsplash (as you can tell from the picture)...

Flying in Icestorms....

Well, I just got home from a WONDERFUL week w/ my bestie (that is the current hip word for best friend, I have learned:)) It was so great-Tracey and I shopped, ate out, watched TV (uninterupted which is a major treat for me), made homemade soy candles, and walked her dogs...3 days w/out my husband and kids...while I sure did miss them, it was so refreshing...I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit her! My husband is wonderful for letting me go (of course I arranged some helpers for him but he did most everything himself-and school was cancelled due to weather while I was gone so he had an extra hard job!)...he lets me do an annual trip to Tracey's house-it's such a blessing...and I'm so thankful to Tracey for being the world's BEST hostess (she actually bought my plane ticket, too!) I have been laughing to myself every day since I got home b/c the stories of my travels are so funny...I had to post them with the hopes that someone else might enjoy them, too:) Here is a summary of my week last week:

Sunday night: Get packed, tell everyone goodbye and my mom droves me to the Evansville airport...they tell me the flight to Detroit (where I am connecting) was delayed and it would make me miss my flight to Tampa so I'd have to come back in the morning...I AM SO DISAPPOINTED! I do NOT want to go back home for the night! It was going to cut my vacation short...I meet another young woman traveling on my flight and she is really bummed, too...our moms get to talking....so, I stand there for 15 minutes till the airline people say, "well, maybe you can make it..." so, I chance it! Now, the moms decide Jackie (this other girl) and I need to stay together in case we get stuck in Detroit (can I tell you by this time I'm feeling like a little kid b/c my mom is sounding so overprotective....does she remember that I've flown to foreign countries multiple times w/ my children? HA!)I'm on my way to Detroit on the flight w/ my new friend, Jackie and her little pug dog...as we are landing we exchange cell phone numbers...we have plenty of time to make our connections...till the airline holds us on the plane for 30 minutes b/c they can't find anyone to let us off the plane! We take off running! I arrive at the terminal as I see my plane shut the door...I'm stuck! So, they give me a hotel room at the day's inn and a meal voucher...great...but then my new friend, Jackie calls...she was given a room, too BUT that won't do for her so she decides to get herself a room at the Westin (attached to the airport...$250/night)...and she asks me if I wanted to crash there w/ her and her dog (she has to sneak in)...haha....I tell her I am fine at the days inn and that i don't have the money to split it w/ her...she says, "oh, who cares! just stay w/ me..."...so, I spend the evening w/ a complete stranger and her dog...who keeps jumping in my bed and biting my hand...I sleep in the most comfortable, plush bed I've ever laid in, watched a nice big flat screen tv....and while it is slightly awkward, it ends up being a decent night! They even have freshly brewed Starbucks in the room in the morning! So, we part ways and I fly out the next morning...arriving in Tampa exhausted and in dire need of a change of clothes (I'd slept in my clothes) and decent toothbrush!! I was sore for 2 days from running so hard in the airport...no kidding...I guess the last 2 months at the YMCA was a waste of my time!

Thursday: So, after a wonderful few days w/ Tracey, it is time to travel home...I am supposed to fly out at 12noon but since I see there is an icestorm heading to Evansville that day, we decide I should get up at 4am and fly standby on the 6:22am flight (Northwest Airlines)to beat the storm...(Tracey is a great friend and droves me to the airport at the crack of dawn!)...they let me go early and I am on my way...UNTIL...when I get to Memphis, they CANCEL MY FLIGHT TO EVANSVILLE! The ice storm had begun...so, they try to send me to Detroit...I decide that it's not smart to go further north...so, I go to another desk and they book me through Cincinnati...then I think, "this is crazy...that's where the storm is heading after Evansville...I"ll get stuck again"...so, then they rebook me to Atlanta (and switch me over to Delta)...I think I am good to go...so, I fly to Atlanta....then get stuck again! They keep delaying my flights...then finally they board us....we are going down the runway and I think, "I am going to make it!"...then they cancel our flight 2 seconds before take off...(lots of swear words are the only things flying-not from me of course), take us back to the airport and tell us to wait until the next morning! AHHH!!! I think I'll NEVER get home...I wait in a 60 minute line to get my flight rebooked...take a bus to the Holiday Inn..spend $60 on a room...walk in the freezing rain to some little diner, eat by myself, sleep, wake up and go back to the Atlanta airport...my flight gets delayed 40 minutes...then 10 more...then 10 more...then we get on the plane...then we sit on the plane for 55 minutes...then we FINALLY FLY HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 34 hours after waking up at Tracey's I am HOME!!! I could have driven to Evansville and back to Florida again in that time!!!!!!!!!!!!

The CRAZIEST thing was that when I got to Evansville, my bag came out on the carousel! Hahaha....it was like a miracle! I couldn't believe my bags followed me on that adventure! I'd switched airlines, and rebooked multiple times...I'd even been booked on multiple flights at the same time somehow at one point...

Well, I'm not sure why I just typed all that out...I guess b/c it's funny to me...if anyone actually takes the time to read all of that, I hope you don't feel like you wasted 10 minutes of your life-haha....

Lesson learned: start visiting Tracey in the spring or fall ...NOT the winter!!!!!!!!!!

February Stuff

As any parent knows, each of your kids has a special place in your heart and there are special activities you kind of save for THAT child...one of the things that Luke and I do together often is make bread-my favorite pictures of him are often when he's kneeding (actually PUNCHING) a big ball of dough! Here he is one morning, still in his jammies, making bread...someday his wife will be really impressed that he knows how to make whole wheat dinner rolls!This is a picture of the kids with their cousin, Jocelyn...how funny are her little high waisted jeans! Haha