Happy St. Patricks Day

You will have to excuse Gray's enthusiasm, he has been home sick for 2 days.
Before I went to bed last night I went to check on the kids to make sure they were safe, covered, etc. When I opened the door Abby rolled over & said, "Mom, Lindsey & I changed into our green shirts for tomorrow so that we don't get pinched in the night!! Leprauchans could be hiding under our beds!!" I told her that was fine, no problem & then Lindsey rolled over & said, "Mom, I don't want to get pinched so Abby & I changed clothes now no one will pinch us!!" This morning when they woke up I asked if they had been pinched. Lindsey said,"Something pinched me on my little toe! How would a Leprauchan get in my bed? I bet he would just climb up. I am going down to check the milk!!" Lindsey is worried about the milk because every year we have sneaky Leprauchans that turn our milk green & our muffins or pancakes green. And sure enough they did it again this year. Abby was so excited about all this green food, that we packed her green muffins & milk in her lunch box.

13 & Counting

Yesterday Derek & I celebrated our 13th Anniversary. I do not know where the time has gone. I cannot believe that we have been married 13 years, that we are the parents of 3 children. It seems like yesterday that we were newlyweds living in Logan, UT. Derek attending Utah State University during the day & working at Gossner cheese at night. I worked at Lewiston State Bank full time & we saw each other on my lunch hour when I would pick him up from school & take him to work. Oh my goodness how things have changed. Now we live in Illinois where Derek works for Takeda & I am a full time mom. We see each other on weekends & some times during the week in between YW, basketball practice, gymnastics, cub scouts, brownies & out of town trips. It has been a wonderful 13 years & I feel so blessed to have Derek, Grayson, Abby & Lindsey in my life.
Then...


Now...


If you ask me, I think we are getting better with age.

Sledding

A couple of weeks ago we went sledding with our friends Shawn & Ashley. I am not a sledder, something happens to all of my coordination when my bottom meets the sled. The first time I went sledding I ended up with a concussion & well there hasn't been a time when I haven't been injured...including this time. This time about 1/2 way down I totally biffed it, unfortunately for me I was able to some how keep heading down the hill. Little did we know that there was a huge chunk of ice under the snow at the bottom of this hill. As I was coming to the end of my ride I somehow biffed it again & hit my knee on this big chunk of ice. It hurt so bad, that when I got up I thought I was going to pass out. I told Gray who had slid down after me that he was going to have to carry my sled back up the hill to dad & Shawn because I couldn't walk (Thanks Buddy). Needless to say I didn't experience going down the hill a second time. Oh sledding...isn't it so much fun!! I will say though that the kids, Derek & Shawn had a blast. The kids were troopers, they loved every minute of sledding in the below zero temperature. Ashley was deemed the designated photographer since she is pregnant & unable to sled. Thanks Ashley for all the great photos.
Cute Little Lindsey

Derek & Shawn
I share this photo only so you can all have a good laugh
Abby screaming in joy & misery
Grayman

My friend Angela sent this video to me & I loved it & thought it was worth everyone else seeing. Instead of e-mailing it to everybody I figured I would try & put it on my blog for your viewing pleasure. So please enjoy The Mom Song.

Happy Valentines Day

I know it's a bit late to blog about Valentines Day, but better late than never. Valentines Day for us is a family event. Every year I cook crab & lobster (this is mainly for Derek & I) & then after dinner we have chocolae fondue (this is mainly for the kids & I). Delicious!! This year Derek had the romantic task of replacing the bathroom faucet (Thanks a bunch). Thanks sweetie for my new camera!! Watch out Kevin, Mike & Andrea because I have a ton of camera questions.



Abby & Lindsey were thrilled to get "the thing that helps me sleep" as a gift for Valentines.

My dad

It was 4 years ago today that my sweet dad passed away. Day's like today make me stop & reflect. It gives me a chance to think about how blessed I was to be raised in a loving home with parents who cared for me & were always there to help me. There are so many things I miss about my dad...most of all I miss being able to talk to him, he was such a great listener & always gave me such sound advice. I miss being able to give him a "bear hug", make him burnt chocolate chip oatmeal cookies,or staying up late talking, playing games & eating junk food. I miss watching the little things he would do to show my mom he loved her. I am so grateful for the knowledge that my family will one day be reunited with my dad & that our Families are Forever.

Finally...

So last night as the kids & I were eating dinner Abby yelped & started to cry. We asked what was wrong & through the miracle of not so official sign language, tears & hysteria we were able to make out that she had bitten down on her fork. Ouch!! Abby kept crying & saying her tooth hurt, then Gray being the genious that he is suggested maybe her tooth was loose. Yep, it is official Abby has her first loose tooth. Yeah Abby. She is so excited about this because many of her friends have already lost teeth. I cannot tell you how many times last night I heard, "I can't believe I have a loose tooth" or "I didn't think my tooth would be loose today." Oh the thrill of growing up. I have a hunch that this is going to be a long & painful process. Let's put it this way, Abby is not known for her pain tolerance & can sometimes be a bit of a drama queen. So we will see how this whole loose tooth things goes.
P.S. Grandpa we need you to fly to Illinois to pull out Abby's tooth!!