happy birthday lily!

happy, happy 4th birthday my little lilybug... 

you fill our days with sweet joy.

busy...

i know you're thinking, "man, months go by with nothing, and then... BAM!!! here she is again. what the..."  i have a confession... i've missed blogging. there i said it. i have. but i've been busy. it's kids and sports, dinner and laundry, work and church, and sleep. sweet sleep. mostly because when i've found time, i've also had to choose between blogging and sleep. not so much a choice here. i need sleep. i'm not a girl who can run on fumes for very long. i've got to get some zzzzz's. or else. and when else hits, it's usually not pretty. so for the sake of those precious people who have to live with me, i have chosen sleep...

however, i have recently decided to try to work it back in between being a wife and mom, laundry, t-ball, gymnastics, laundry, sunday's lesson plans, making lunches, cleaning, work, sleep, eating, laundry (did i mention that already? i feel like it's all consuming sometimes. it multiplies and i've not figured out how. i mean, how can 3 kids have that many dirty clothes?). ok, i'll move on... the real point is that i love blogging. it's a way for me to remember kid stuff and to have an outlet for whatever needs out... today i'm apparently on the laundry soapbox. laundry soapbox. get it? wahahahahahaha!!! that's funny. ok, sorry... apparently the cold medicine is kicking in... i'll take that as my exit cue... for now.

gardening anyone?

can i just tell you how fun it was to come home to a master gardener working on my flowerbeds... my poor, pitiful flowerbeds. even calling them flowerbeds is was a stretch. but not anymore! they're coming to life! there was not only work but education going on! the master gardener (m.g.) was teaching my children about planting, proper watering, discussions about spiders, and details about earthworms (or night crawlers... or whatever they are. you'd have to ask the m.g. what they are. all i know is that they're huge. i know they poop dirt. i know they come apart as a defense mechanism... or when you accidentally cut them in half with the shovel. and most importantly, i know they're great fishin' worms. but they're still worms... ewww.) anyway, back to the little gardeners. they picked the flowers, picked the spot they're in, and planted them there. i know they're proud of the great job they did. how do i know? well, they're ready to plant more. they really did a great job... and how awesome is it that the master gardener is their grandma! it makes the time sweeter and the flowers prettier. 

Good morning!!!!

what a beautiful way to start my morning... gorgeous sunrise, rooster crowing, and my hummingbirds are buzzing around.

we are so blessed to have a heavenly Father who paints the sky in the mornings just because it makes us smile.  

hiiiieeeeee-yaaaahhhhh!!!!

your kid may be a black belt, but mine is a pinkwithpolkadots belt!

 

 

you must always be on guard. he will do a drive-by karate chop...

 

hiiiiiieeeeeee-yahhhhhh!!!!!



owasso homecoming parade 2012

it's the homecoming band queen, kadee, with her prince and princess!

 

lilybug had so much fun waving as the parade went by and gathering candy!





band homecoming 2012

queen kadee and her court!

 

princess grace and prince cale

shhhhh... i might steal that crown... i think it would fit just right!

 

oh, and cinderella made an appearance at homecoming, too!

lily was pretty upset that she wasn't going to be a princess. so, kadee and debbie fixed that problem!



i am not the tooth fairy

i happened upon a conversation between the two little girls below who were discussing whether or not i was the tooth fairy at our house if cadence's mommy is the tooth fairy at her house.

the conclusion was that i was not the tooth fairy. i wondered how they knew that. so i said "maybe i am the tooth fairy, how do you know i am not?"

gracie and cadence, with all confidence, told me i was most certainly not the tooth fairy. so, just exactly how is it that are they so sure? 

i'll share their reasoning...

1. the tooth fairy has wings... gracie says i do not have wings.

2. the tooth fairy has a wand... gracie assures me i do not have a wand, either.

3. the tooth fairy has a poofy dress with a tooth on it... I can assure you i do not have a poofy dress with a tooth on it.

4. the tooth fairy has a bracelet made of teeth... i don't care what kind of fairy you are, that's just creepy.

so, if you ask the girls, i am not the tooth fairy.

ok girls...

this is what i found on gracie's door last night...

apparently she is looking forward to the excitement of summer break. 

happy birthday, lilybug

3... and it seems like yesterday. i enjoy your every day

and every new discovery you make.

happy, happy 3rd birthday to my little blessing!!!

i love you... to the moon and back.

~~ mama ~~

a (comm)ode to lily

and now, a short poem...

there once was a little girl named lily

she wouldn't poop in the potty, so silly?

her mom and her dad,

and mr brad

were tired of trying... no, really. 

(*sigh...)

potty training 101

"mom-eeeee, my baby need-a potty!" 

say cheese!!!

3... 2... 1... smile!

apparently when one uses the "mommy voice",

even the sheep obey.

the imagination of a boy

i know, you're thinking "what in the world is that?"

well folks, that is ingenuity at it's finest! this morning as i was getting ready for church, cale picked up the comb and my eyelash curler
and the finished product was a gun.
yes, really, a gun.

i think i very well may have the next macgyver on my hands...

land run 2012

apron... check. cowboy hat... check. bandana for the dust storms... check. boots on... check.

they are ready to stake their claim!

maybe i should have specified before the land run that i'd like to have about 100 acres...

let the games begin!

yay!!! i've finally received my new camera cord so i can download pics again, so...

let the games begin...

watching cale's team is hil-ar-ious! they look like a school of fish or a swarm, all in a herd together, following the ball. and, he loves it!

what has been so amazing is to see the transformation in gracie once she steps on that field. she looks like she's been playing for much longer than the few weeks it actually has been. and then there's me... i never thought i'd be the mom hollering at her kids from the sidelines. i am.

she says she can hear me when she is out there. that has to be so embarrassing.

if you look closely at all of the boy feet in this picture, you'll see a black soccer cleat with a tiny pink swoosh... that's gracie. apparently she ain't skerrt!
and yeah, about that whole "hollerin'" thing... this was about the point my filter had a slight malfunction, and i yelled, "GRACIE, DON'T YOU LET THOSE STINKY BOYS TAKE THAT BALL FROM YOU!!!"

yep, it was me. i'm that mom. but, in my defense, it just happens. something inside takes over.

it's ok if you're a little embarrassed for my kids... i am.

soccer mom... s.o.s!!!

well, it's official... i am now a soccer mom to two little players. really. for those of you that have known me more than 7 years, stop laughing. this is serious. not heart-attack-serious, more like i-don't-want-to-look-like-an-moron-serious. i need some advice... apparently there is some sort of soccer mom/sports team etiquitte, and apparently i know nothing about it... or so the look on my face said. one of the moms asked about who was bringing snacks this week for their first game, and then all necks whipped in my direction. why me, you ask? well, cause i'm the coaches wife. for both teams. yes, you read that correctly. my husband volunteered to coach both teams, so therefore that apparently commits me to some sort of soccer mom responsibilities i know nothing of. google it? nah. ask the other moms? never! blog it? heck yeah. so, help me... guidance? advice? 12 steps? where do i start? someone. help. me.

oh, and my reason for not blgging lately? some little magician has made my camera cord disappear. excuse me while i continue looking...

what am i gonna do?

cale got in trouble (actually cale and gracie got in trouble) on the way home a couple of nights ago for just being mean to each other. it culminated with a decree by the family matriarch... spankings for both.

so, we get home, i head to the mailbox and cale into the house. as i am walking back up the driveway, cale comes back out. he (very loudly and even a little excited) says, "don't worry, mom, i got it!" to which i replied, "you've got what?" he then explains, "my spanking! it's ok, i gave myself a one so you don't have to!"

what do you say to that one?

~~ the mama ~~

and this character award goes to...

lilybug!!!

for being "loving"... how sweet is that?

simple... it's just that sweet.

cardinal of character!

my sweet girl was the cardinal of character! woo hoo!!!

the trait for the month was "progress".

her first grade teacher, mrs vogel, said "grace is wonderful at reaching goals!"

congratulations, baby!