Hennessee Family

Five Years Old

2011-12-21T09:23:00.000-05:00

My little girl is five years old. I watched her wake up on the big day last week and she asked if she looked older. Five is a big birthday. She requested a "pretty cake," so I let the experts take care of that. I did make cupcakes for her little preschool class. Originally, she requested Chuck E. Cheese for dinner (we haven't been since she was a baby probably), but when she found out they mostly just have pizza, she requested Lonestar. She loves their mac & cheese. She got a bunch of fun gifts and late in the day admitted that she didn't really feel like she was five yet. Ben took two days off work to celebrate which made everything extra special.

Testing

2011-12-14T13:13:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to see how the iPod app works...

Thanksgiving 2011 (fixed!)

2011-12-08T17:50:00.000-05:00

I better post a few pictures before Christmas comes. It was a real treat to have family drive the five hours down to visit us. My brother Jim, his wife DeAnn and two cute boys, my brother Greg, and my parents. We took a few shots before they left.

Santa wasn't busy at the mall, so the kids were able to have a quick chat. A visit with Santa is free, it's just the pictures that cost an arm and a leg.

Thanks to the tremendous help of my sister-in-law DeAnn (and my mom, Ben, & Jim) we really had a yummy, yummy meal. I'm already craving those stuffing balls. Amazing.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T22:36:00.000-04:00

We really enjoy Halloween costumes. We think about it for months and then on October 1st the kids tell me their choice and no changes are allowed. (Joe tried to tell me this morning that he wanted to do be yoda, but I reminded him of the rules). I made the watermelon costume for Rosemary and Tim's dog costume (glad he liked it).

The rain let up for trick-or-treating and we had a great time. So different than our old neighborhood where all the kids from our part of the county got dropped off.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-17T09:30:00.000-04:00

Mike's Farm in Beulaville, NC. We had been a few years ago when Tim was our only child (five years ago!). Times have changed. For the Farm too. There were throngs of people there. Lines everywhere and the parking lot completely full. We're gladly we went though. Beautiful weather and the kids now have pumpkins!

Field trip

2011-10-08T23:07:00.003-04:00

Carolina is part of a small home-based preschool this year. Three mornings a week. We joined her class for a field trip to the science museum week before last. They had been learning about dinosaurs, so we walked the dinosaur trail and dug for fossils.

I think it's about time we cut his hair!

Last Weekend: Burnsville, NC

2011-10-07T21:08:00.000-04:00

It was so nice to have a weekend away! We enjoyed some chilly weather in the mountains of North Carolina. The views were great (no pics of those though). Ben's uncle's cabin is very homey and it was a much needed getaway.

Now he's three!

2011-09-18T16:37:00.000-04:00

Little Joe turned three this week. We celebrated all day. Ben took off work and Tim skipped school and we headed to the zoo. Joe was there to see giraffes. They're his favorite right now. We paid a little extra to feed the giraffes from the giraffe deck. Totally fun!

Ben made the cake from start to finish. He did a great job. I wish that I enjoyed making cakes and could whip up super cute ones!

Since the hurricane...

2011-09-05T21:22:00.000-04:00

Just some recent updates for our family. Starting most recent and we'll work back. Rosemary was blessed yesterday at church by her dad. We were kind of worried no one from our family could come be a part of things, but Ben's cousin, Chris, drove two hours that morning to be there and my brother Jim and wife DeAnn drove down from Maryland for the entire weekend to spend time with us (they left their cute boys behind). Rosemary was a little angel during her blessing.

We visited the same cemetery with Jim (since Wesley Jolly is Jim's 3rd great-grandfather too) and took another picture on the same bench. It's not often we get our entire family in a picture and this is a first for the six of us.

We also went to Sarah P. Duke Gardens. It wasn't as hot as our last couple of trips and much more enjoyable.

Carolina likes to find random flowers and get her picture taken with them.

I'm so glad I just found my camera battery charger. I've experimented with the ipod and the android and really having trouble getting decent pictures. The next two were taken with the android phone.

Love the biscuits Uncle Jim made us this morning!

Moving back a week... Rosemary is one month old and Joe finally was cooperative for his first pictures with her. Most of the time he pretty much ignores her, but every once in awhile, he will acknowledge her presence. He is very talkative and usually carries on a running narrative for us. He can say her name just fine, but usually refers to her as "new baby."

Saturday evening after the big storm and we were at the Durham Bulls' baseball game. Not sure if they won or lost, but we had fun. Ben got free tickets through a local orthopedic office for the whole family. The event took place on the party deck and included free food too. I loved the freedom of the party deck. My kids could just roam and enjoy themselves and not drive everyone crazy. We'll save our baseball game attendance for this once a year event.

So here is the damage from Irene. We are several hours inland, so it was just a windy rainstorm. Pretty mild, I guess. The tree broken below is small compared to the next picture.

This picture is of a 100-foot tree that fell during a lightning storm at the end of June. Seriously huge and we're glad it fell in the direction it did.

Pre-baby beach trip

2011-08-24T09:22:00.000-04:00

Darn, no pictures of me as a huge 37 week pregnant whale. Just kids at the beach. We went to North Topsail (pronounced Tops'l) beach and it couldn't have been more perfect. It wasn't too hot, not too many people, and no traffic. I was even toying around with another trip this weekend before soccer games start, but it looks like Irene thwarted those ideas.

Firsts for Rosemary

2011-08-21T22:01:00.000-04:00

First bath yesterday (check out her syndactyly on just on her left foot). And first time to church today. The girls and I were half an hour late. 8:30 church is tough enough, but add a newborn and we have serious issues.

Carolina is seriously in love with her little sister. Really super sweet.

Introducing...Rosemary

2011-08-14T20:14:00.000-04:00

Day 1:

Don't let those round cheeks fool you. She's our littlest yet, weighing only 6 pounds 14 ounces and just 19 inches. I elected to be induced four days before my due date. The birth was amazing. I asked for my epidural about twenty minutes too late. Two or three contractions after I was hooked up, she was ready to come. In just a few pushes she was out. Seriously intense pain, but very, very quick.

Tim held for a few moments so we could snap a picture. Carolina held on tight and cried when she had to leave for home. Joe had nothing to do with her. I still don't have a picture of the two of them together.

Day 2:

Some of the worst pictures ever of me are in the hospital following a delivery. I don't love this picture, but it's the best of all four deliveries, so I can actually post it. I'd really like to permanently delete all the rest from my computer.

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 18:

I totally know that newborns can't smile, but this one smiles A LOT. It's rare for a newborn to cry real tears, but she had a couple of crocodile tears the other day when she woke up hungry and I was outside for a few minutes. Way to make your mama tear up, girl!

I had a moment of enlightenment today. Every one of the girl names in our little family comes from Laura Ingalls Wilder. I knew I was a big fan as a girl, but this is ridiculous.
Our names:
Laura Elizabeth
Carolina Grace
Rosemary Elizabeth

Her names:
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder
mother and sister: Caroline
sister: Mary
sister: Grace
daughter: Rose

Ben said that it sure was a coincidence. I'm not so sure...

Kids talent show

2011-07-16T09:18:00.001-04:00

Tim with lego creations and Carolina with some drawings. Pretty much both their favorite pastimes. I told them that next year they are getting on stage and doing something. The show was great. Lots of singing, dancing, piano, etc.

Swim lessons

2011-07-13T09:03:00.000-04:00

I'm going to miss swim lessons. Two weeks for a half hour every morning and the kids had a blast! This was a first for us and Tim and Lina were both in the lowest level, so they used floats nearly the whole time. Carolina was really hoping that she would actually learn how to swim without floats on the very last day, but no luck. A little disappointed, but I told her that we'd practice on our own and make sure she learns quickly.

I kept thinking that I wanted to enroll them again soon and Carolina still has six more weeks before her little preschool starts, but then I remembered that my due date is August 1st and that kind of puts the rest of the summer on hold. I can't believe it's almost here! And Tim starts first grade on Monday!!

Vacation with friends

2011-07-13T08:42:00.000-04:00

We had so much fun with our friends in town visiting. It was our year to stay put and they traveled the 10+ hours to come see us. What a treat!

Here's what we did:

NC Museum of Life & Science
Duke homestead
Cars 2 at the theater
Festival for the Eno
Raleigh temple grounds
Duke Gardens
a nearby quarry (just the older boys and dads)
fireworks at the baseball stadium
a quick shopping trip for just the moms
Marbles Kids Museum
lots of eating out & having fun

Last Sunday in Raleigh

2011-07-03T16:06:00.000-04:00

Raleigh is not far, but we don't venture that way very often. We took a recent beautiful Sunday evening and visited the grave of a civil war ancestor of mine. You can read more about it here. Lina wanted to visit the temple on the way home, so we drove through Apex and walked around the grounds for a few minutes.

I can't believe how big my kids are getting. Me too, I guess -- but what can I hope for when I am 35 weeks pregnant? (36 now)

Spring Soccer

2011-06-07T09:24:00.000-04:00

We had a great soccer season. Ben started off as a reluctant and nervous coach, but really stepped up and thoroughly enjoyed it. All of his players had a great experience too. I think he'll be doing it again in the fall. Tim (shown here as goalie) really improved this season. He scored twice in each of the last two games. He is really excited to play again soon. Coach gave him an award for "Most Improved Player."

This was Carolina's first opportunity playing. She has mixed feelings about playing, but she really was a trooper and stuck with it, playing and practicing every time. It helps that she has pink shin guards. You should see her ball too -- pink hearts and everything.

Joe was disappointed he didn't get a trophy this year, but he'll be playing as soon as he can. Season started in March and just ended, so we had pretty chilly games/practices and very hot ones. Gotta love spring!

One year almost down

2011-05-27T17:02:00.000-04:00

I had a quick conference with Tim's teacher this week. Tim LOVES his teacher (I had to talk him out of inviting her to his birthday party) and loves his school and it has been such a good year for him. His teacher went over his recent assessments and said that he is top of the class. He is off their charts for reading and aced all the other exams too. I take no credit for this, he is a serious sponge. What makes me even more proud is that he got an excellent report for behavior and declared to be very polite. Two more weeks of school, a five week break and then he starts 1st grade. Wow!

Easter Sunday

2011-05-08T21:52:00.000-04:00

Where to even start? Our poor blog has been severely neglected. No apologies or excuses and I won't even try to play catch up. We're doing great though. We love North Carolina and the kids are doing really well and growing up quickly. I think I'll try to post a little about each of the kids in the upcoming days (or maybe weeks?)

Joe has an awesome sense of humor. He comes up with stuff to make me laugh every day. He and Carolina were telling me knock-knock jokes in the car the other day. Here's his (he doesn't quite have the form right):
J: Knock, Knock. Who's there?
Me: Who's there?
J: Monkey who.
Me: Monkey who?
J: Monkey who, who, aaah, aaah (his monkey sounds)

He also makes great baby elephant sounds (just picture quieter, higher-pitched). The kid was hardly talking when we left Maryland and now is in full-sentence, constant conversation mode. I love it! This is the oldest-youngest child I've had so far (make sense?). I'm really enjoying an older, more capable group of kids. Of course, that will all change in about 12 weeks when our newborn is here.

Kid Pictures

2011-01-29T08:14:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd be able to get a decent picture after church on Sunday. The kids are just too goofy! These are the best ones. At least they're a happy bunch!

A little warmth...finally

2011-01-19T21:29:00.000-05:00

A nice warm winter day here in North Carolina. It feels like the first since Thanksgiving. It's been colder than I expected. The kids could not get enough of the fresh air.

Soccer

2010-10-17T22:01:00.000-04:00

Yep, we're moving to North Carolina very soon. In July, Ben started applying for jobs in under-served areas down there in hopes of securing federal funding to help pay off the remainder of his student loans. He was offered a job with a big raise and we're really super excited. Of course, we'll miss all our friends and family in Maryland!

Just some nice pictures of Tim at soccer this year. They have an unofficial team photographer with so many fantastic pictures. Here are just a few -- he was smiling in so many of the pictures. It's great to see him having fun.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-14T15:06:00.000-04:00

The kids with cousins. Tim was in school (he's loving kindergarten, by the way). Four of the kids pictured below will be leaving the area soon. We're on our way to Durham, NC shortly and the two little girls in orange are moving with their family to Hawaii (Rick's next army post).

The kids could have stayed all day with the water pumps/duck races. Uncle Greg helping Joe.

My dad, and the kids. We really had fun.

Now he's 2!

2010-09-23T09:45:00.000-04:00

Joe turned two recently. Can't help but love this kid. He's so super sweet -- even when he's being a stubborn two-year old. He's got a great sense of humor and loves his family.

A good example of his recent silliness: Just Joe and I and were eating lunch together. He was munching on tortilla chips. Munch, munch, munch. Then "Ah-Ah-Ah-CHOOO." Pieces of chip fly everywhere. He repeated these fake sneezes several times before I caught on. the little rascal. I don't know where these kids learn this stuff.

First day

2010-08-31T15:51:00.000-04:00

A big day for all of us. We've entered a new era and the little trio is broken up. I almost made it without any tears until little nearly-two-year old Joe started sobbing as Tim got on the bus and then he waved and waved long after the bus was out of sight. Really sweet kids. I have a tight little bunch here.

We've had a quiet and peaceful day here. Really a huge change of pace and something I could get used to.

~time to go meet the bus~

July 9: Vacation, day 8

2010-07-11T22:16:00.000-04:00

Last day. Thanks for bearing with me through all the posts. No more for a little while. We started the morning at the Peter Whitmer farm, then went to the E.B. Grandin Printing Press. We stopped by Alvin Smith's grave and then drove by Hill Cumorah, the Joseph Smith home and the temple. There was rain coming, so we went home a day early. No regrets. We had a good time, maybe tried to do too much, but that's how it goes with three young kids.

July 8: Vacation, day 7

2010-07-11T21:58:00.000-04:00

Niagara Falls, NY. Never made it to the Canada side. I was totally bummed that I forgot the passport cards. We'll have to plan another trip to Canada sometime. I didn't let it bug me and we really enjoyed our trip to the falls. We were there less than two hours and then drove to our campground in Canandaigua.

July 7: Vacation, day 6

2010-07-11T21:47:00.000-04:00

Before we left Indiana, we stopped by a historical site called Angel Mounds. Interesting place with man-made mounds by early Natives. Only a couple more days...

See the mound behind the kids? I guess the chief would have his home built on there.

We slept in Columbus for the night and Carolina spent awhile drawing. She is pretty much obsessed with drawing and coloring. I really like it. She's drawing on a paper towel below.

Joe decided that he really likes to have his feet massaged, so Carolina obliged.

July 6: Vacation, day 5

2010-07-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. We spent a lot of the day in the water park. So fun and it completely wore us out! I really recommend this park.

July 5: Vacation day 4

2010-07-11T17:50:00.000-04:00

No good pictures of this day. We went to the pool in the afternoon. The weather was hot, but I learned not nearly as hot as home. Glad I missed the 100+ days. 95 was kinda cool, I guess. The dads took the four older kids to see Toy Story 3 at a drive-in that night.

Can't have a post without pictures, so here are some pictures taken right before the trip. Daddy mowing and Joseph doing his best to help. I like how he pushes a mower with one hand and holds on to the baseball mitt with the other. He's such a ball and sports nut. I think Ben is excited for him to be old enough for sports.

July 4: Vacation, day 3

2010-07-11T17:39:00.000-04:00

Like many of you, we spent the morning of the fourth at church. It's kind of a different summer. In recent years, we tried to plan our trips so we'd be in our home ward on Sunday. This helped with callings, nursery, etc. This ward in Indiana was the 3rd ward we visited in a month.

Apparently they are a little more lenient with firework rules in Indiana, so we were able to hang out a ward members' home and watch all the personal firework launchings in the neighborhood. My littlest guy was a little bit nervous, so we hung out inside most of the time.

These pictures were taken that afternoon and evening with our friends' camera.

When we met our friends we each had one baby boy. Now we've got three and our crowd has grown. The older girls and boys are close in age. We meet once a year and it's like we never had a break!

Joseph was not very cooperative at all. Thought I'd include one of the many pictures where he decided screaming was appropriate.

And here we decided to pretend like we only had two children:

Excuse any typos. I just woke up from a three hour nap while wearing contacts and it is really, really hard to see!

July 3: Vacation day 2

2010-07-11T13:57:00.000-04:00

Satuday morning, still in Louisville, we visited the Slugger museum with a factory tour. Very cool. The kids especially enjoyed the free bats. Before the museum, we stopped by a craft fair and then after the museum we had a late lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory. I love how it's family-friendly, but fancier than the kids are used to. We spent the afternoon/evening at the park on the river. Most people were there for fireworks and we thought about staying late, but we all headed two hours to Indiana to stay with our friends for several nights.

July 3: Vacation day 1

2010-07-11T13:40:00.001-04:00

We had lots of adventures on our latest trip. First stop was Louisville, Kentucky. We met up with our friends, visited the temple, a park and then later swimming at the hotel. That day was the longest driving day of the whole trip: 9 hours. By the time we arrive home a week later, we will have driven over 30 hours. Remarkably, the kids did really well. I guess they got kind of used to it.

June 12-15: The Farm

2010-06-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend (three nights) up at The Farm in western Maryland. Lots of dirt, cousins, and memory making. The kids had a blast wading through the creek, making a mess and playing with cousins. All of my six siblings were represented at some point over the weekend (not all at once though). We all enjoyed our time and Carolina repeated over and over the last morning "Not want to go home!" But...it was very nice to go home to all the comforts we take for granted. Hot showers, dishwasher, washer & dryer, lights, nice comfy beds, etc.

Ben's really hoping for a southpaw and things are looking good. :)

Uncle Rick's home after a year in Afghanistan. Then back to Colorado, then Texas and on to Hawaii for a few years.

June 6: Jake's Baby Blessing

2010-06-16T16:07:00.011-04:00

My little nephew Jake was blessed by his father Jim. Lots of family at church and then lots of family at his house for a cookout. My brother Rick just bought a new fancy schmancy camera (just a little bit jealous). Kind of cool.

Here's the baby with his maternal great-grandfather.

I'm glaring at Rick because he dared point the camera my direction with a mouthful.

Before & After shots

2010-06-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

So Tim was in desperate need of a haircut. Desperate. I had trimmed up the sides a couple weeks back, but that was as far as we got. Ben said we ought to take it all off, but I was definitely apprehensive. He's always had at least a little, sometimes a lot, of length. He's also got a little harry potter dent/scar in his forehead from a fall down my parents' stairs when he was 18 months old that I didn't mind covering. Anyway, it's done. And I surprised myself by actually liking it. Big change and I figured now was the time. It will be nice and cool for summer and can grow before kindergarten in the fall.

3 on the top, 2 on the sides and 1 around the edges

May 22: Joe haircut

2010-05-23T07:06:00.000-04:00

When my boys start receiving "mullet" comments, I know it's time for a haircut. He's needed one for a little while...

Anyway, I started this at the end of Joe's sicky day and Ben actually did most of the clipping. We just clipped the back and left the top alone. He was so good and so unlike his older brother who struggles with haircuts. What a sweet boy!

After shots:

May 22: Town festivities

2010-05-23T06:56:00.000-04:00

This is our third year in town and our third year attending this annual event. Lots of vendors, food, a couple of inflateables, and a car show. There was a new addition this year: the Tram. Ben was home with a sick Joe, so i took the kids over for a very quick visit. The kids talk about this event all year -- it's a great way to start our summer.

Pajama passport pictures

2010-05-18T17:00:00.000-04:00

I needed to send off applications for the kids' passport cards and took quick pictures with pajamas and uncombed hair yesterday morning. Check out Joe.. I crack-up every time I see the picture. And when I realized that he'll be using the card until he's over six years old, I really laughed. Obviously, he wasn't being very cooperative and I really couldn't take the time to wait for a better moment.

We're headed to Niagara Falls, Ontario in July for one day. I hope it was worth the hassle. :)

May 4: Gettysburg

2010-05-10T08:01:00.000-04:00

More fun with preschool friends. We spent a good part of the day in Gettysburg on Tuesday. Lots of rocks to climb, history to appreciate and then shopping afterwards. During our picnic lunch, poor Carolina stepped on a big bumble bee and got stung. She was such a trooper about all of it. She insisted on continuing on to the outlets and then ended up completely passed out in a stroller (we gave her half a benadryl, wow!).

You know, even with the struggle to keep my three young'uns corralled and safe, I was still able to feel the solemnity and spirit of Gettysburg. It is a beautiful and hallowed ground.

May 2: Sheep & Wool Festival

2010-05-09T07:44:00.000-04:00

Just a picture to say we were there. I skipped last year because it's not to so easy to enjoy all the vendors with three kids in tow. I should have remembered my sentiments and made alternate plans this year. I'm glad we went, but next year it will be me solo or perhaps I can convince a friend to come. It was hot.

May 1: Gunpowder State Park

2010-05-08T07:39:00.000-04:00

We're here with our preschool friends. Freezing cold water, but a beautiful day. Carolina was the only that would actually go out in the water and really enjoy it. Joe really, really liked the mud.

April 24: Redskins Draft Day

2010-05-07T07:28:00.000-04:00

Free admittance + Free parking
We took the kids down the draft day party a couple Saturdays ago. I'm glad it was free. There were obstacles courses and tours of the locker room. Lots of Redskins love.

Three Super Bowl trophies. Tim just about knocked over the middle one. Ben caught it real quick and we got a chuckle out of the armed PG county cop standing guard.

Spring fun

2010-04-23T16:57:00.000-04:00

The kids and I have really been enjoying spring lately. Fresh air really is very satisfying, especially after this last winter. I kind of liked all that snow, but I still feel like I'm still recovering.

We went twice to Oregon Ridge Nature Center/playground within a week. Once, just me and the kids and the other with our preschool co-op friends.

Little Carolina is the only girl in our regular bunch of kids. They range in age from 19 months to 5 years old and come from three families. My three are the two in the middle and the boy with the furrowed brows up front. Good news, we have a new mom with two little girls (3 & 4) that has recently joined us.

Egg hunt!

2010-04-04T07:56:00.000-04:00

We have some wonderful people at church that host an Easter egg hunt every year. This year, we had some really great weather. Made for a really nice event.

Ready and waiting at the starting line:

Carolina only picked up the purple eggs. She had her pick because there were a total of 975 eggs out there!

Way too interested in candy than looking up at poor old mom.

Our little happy flowers!

Tim turned 5!

2010-04-04T07:43:00.000-04:00

Before any springy/Easter posts, here's a quick late Happy Birthday to my five-year old Timothy! This kid is seriously his own person. I'm hoping public school in September doesn't take that from him. A couple examples of his "uniqueness:" He made up a word -- "machala" and he uses it every day. The catch is, it means something different every time he uses it. Hmmm.... He also has some different sort of favorite foods. Here's his list: pickles, tomatoes, green beans, and V-8. Not too much complaining from me.

We had a little party for him a week before his birthday, inviting his 3 best buds and their families. The kids just ran around and played in the backyard (glad for nice weather!). Not so organized, but they had fun. Tim helped make the invitations (Ben wanted me to be sure to tell people that so no one questions my crafting skills!)

I'm really terrible at icing cakes. I definitely need a lesson or two. This is the cake after my mother-in-law fixed my disaster. If you aren't sure, it's supposed to be a lego.

On the actual big day (a week later), we took Tim over to Lowe's for the first time and he and dad built a kaleidoscope at their Build and Grow clinic. Highly recommend it!

18 months old

2010-03-13T21:15:00.000-05:00

Little Joseph is 18 months old yesterday. Such a sweet little guy. He seriously keeps me hopping though. He gets into everything and climbs up anything he can.

The picture below is the remains of Joe's breakfast yesterday. While I was sleeping in, Ben fed him some "tootie fruities." He opted not to eat all the yellow and orange ones. Really strange. I don't know if it is the color or taste. I guess the blue, red, purple, and green ones are okay. Really, he probably shouldn't be eating them anyway, I guess.

Serious Snow

2010-02-11T22:12:00.000-05:00

Absolutely amazing. I can't even tell you how many inches we've received over the last week. Ben missed work yesterday because of the blizzard and then ended up working this afternoon. We walked him up to his job because the plow hadn't finished our little road.

Here's his little acura (on the left, under a pile). He hasn't driven it since last Friday. I guess he'll be taking the camry again tomorrow.

Our front sidewalks:

Happy Third Birthday!

2009-12-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

Carolina is three years old (six days ago). I wanted to get in a short little birthday entry for her before the craziness of Christmas. We celebrated with my little sister Mary and her husband Andrew. Pizza Hut, cake, and presents. Nice and simple for everyone. In celebration of three years old, here are three things that I love about my little girl:

1) she loves to be my little helper, she puts on an apron and helps me cook and bake
2) she is a definitely a girly-girl: her favorite colors are pink and purple and she wears skirts/dresses nearly every day
3) she is so super-sweet (except when she's not) and gives the best Carolina-hugs!

Happy Birthday, Lina!!

Christmas Party 2009

2009-12-12T21:40:00.000-05:00

We had a good time at the ward party tonight. Santa was awesome and the older kids did well on his nap. Joseph was very reluctant to join them. Carolina asked for "a princess" and Timmy wants "a dump truck." A couple hours earlier, their answers were going to be "a dolly" and "a jet." Makes us wonder how they make these decisions.

There was a simple nativity play after dinner and we were encouraged to have the kids dress the part. From the start, Timmy made it clear that he would "sit in the audience." He had friends that were shepherds, but I couldn't convince him to join them. Carolina loved being an angel. I made the dress yesterday afternoon and it worked out well. She insisted on the wings. She was the smallest angel and played the part perfectly.

Fun Snow

2009-12-07T16:37:00.000-05:00

Joe (14 months old) had major issues with his socks, shoes, mittens, coat, hat -- basically his entire winter wardrobe. That was until we stepped outside. He could not get enough of the snow. When he tried to walk in his timberlands inside, he would refuse and just fall over. He's been wearing soft shoes for months. Then, outside he literally ran off down the sidewalk. Not so hard to walk now, huh, buddy?

Also, I love hand-me-downs. He's wearing all of Tim's stuff. He's kind of on the small side, so even though they were born in different seasons, he wears smaller sizes and it all works out. Carolina is enjoying Tim's clothes too. His snowpants from the last two years fit her perfectly and she wore the mittens I knit him last year. Poor Tim, he was stuck wearing my gloves. I'll have to knit him a pair of mittens when I get a couple of other projects finished first.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-07T16:24:00.000-05:00

Okay, no pictures of the festivities, but here are a few of us with Ben's grandparents in North Carolina. Definitely a nice visit.

The Farm

2009-11-17T15:55:00.000-05:00

It had been about four years since I last visited "the farm." This is a house with 50 acres that has been in the Morrison family for nearly forty years in western Maryland. It is truly an experience. No running water, no electricity, enough said. There was a crowd up there. My brother Jim and his wife and 2 year old son, my brother Greg, my dad, my sister Mary and her husband and his dad, and me and my three kids. Ben had to work, but next time we'll make sure he's there. We had nice weather and nice company and everything really went well. We were there two nights. Mary took these pictures -- she did something to touch-up the second photo and Carolina's eyes look blue. Her eyes are actually the exact color as her hair.

Here's Mary and her favorite neice:

Joseph loves, I mean LOVES, his crocheted blanket. Don't worry, it received a really nice bath when we got back home.

Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T22:12:00.000-04:00

Random pictures. Fall Festival at the church last night. Ben had/has pink eye, so he's sporting his nerdy glasses.

Joseph was super-cute in his hand-me-down lion costume. Tim repeated his costume from last year. I tried to talk him into something else (not sure why I did), but he said that "it still fits." It will still fit for at least a couple more years, so we'll see what happens. Carolina wanted to be a butterfly.

Joseph and Timmy came home with me a little early from trick-or-treating. I think Tim was a little worn out. Carolina continued a little longer with her dad. Timmy helped me pass out some candy. See the jack-o-lantern on the right? His name is "Carvey Hopscotch." Tim picked his first name and Carolina gave him his second name. Every time they walk by, they say, "Hi, Carvey Hopscotch."

Just a phase?

2009-10-18T14:38:00.001-04:00

So my one child that would actually look at the camera and pose is starting to show a little bit of stubborness. As tribute to his once camera-ready grins, I've included this collage taken a couple weeks ago. Here Joseph is, so sweet and cooperative:

Still very loveable, but driving me crazy and running the other way:

Fall colors

2009-10-17T08:02:00.001-04:00

Who doesn't love fall? Especially the colors. We have these trees that are really stunning. They change colors earlier than the rest of the area, so it's really neat.

Here is what the trees on our little street looked like Oct 4th:

And here they are Oct 13th:

Here they are a couple of years ago.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-16T20:20:00.001-04:00

Wednesday we met a bunch of my family in the afternoon for a trip to the pumpkin patch. It was cold and wet, but we had a ton of fun. There were seven cousins, grandma, and two aunts and an uncle.

They have this thing called the "jumping pillow." It is huge and was Carolina's favorite.

Here are six of the cousins. At least a couple of you are a little bit familiar with the extended family, so here's the run-down:
Tim, Carolina, Katie (Jen's oldest, nearly 9), Sophia (Rick's oldest, age 3), Danny (Jen's son, age 3), and Joseph.

Carolina is helping us out in the corn maze:

Free day with the trains

2009-10-15T14:46:00.000-04:00

We had a blast on Tuesday at the B&O Railroad Museum enjoying Free Fall Baltimore. This was a field trip for 2 of the 3 preschool co-op kids. The trains were great. The weather was awesome (unlike today!!). And the price was perfect.

First soccer game

2009-09-26T22:09:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago -- It was drizzly and chilly, but we sure had fun watching Timmy play in his first soccer game. It's really cute watching all those little guys. Tim is enjoying soccer, but like a lot of kids his age he lacks a little in focus. It's really humorous watching him spinning and dancing

More Joseph

2009-09-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

He had his one-year appointment today. We switched doctors to Ben's practice. Much closer to home and discounted co-pays. Can't beat that. They figure he's measuring in the 25th percentile. Definitely my little shrimp.

We took these pictures at a little birthday party we had for him last Sunday. Joseph has a "thing" for crochet. My mom made him a couple of mini-blankets that he immediately latched on to.

Birthday boy!

2009-09-12T20:21:00.000-04:00

Little Joseph's first birthday was today -- the year sure went by fast!

I felt like a slacker mom today because I didn't make a big enough deal about the day. We're going to have cake tomorrow with his grandma and tonight we went to Pizza Hut for dinner and presents. Believe it or not, I wanted to keep things simple on purpose. It's all about keeping my sanity. Anyway, he loves pizza.

The other day I wondered what life would be like if he was our first baby. I decided that life would be a little boring because he's just not very demanding. And I also told Ben that "we would think we were really good parents." He's that sweet.

Free chicken!

2009-09-11T09:14:00.000-04:00

Anyone else take advantage of the free chicken on Labor Day? Chick-Fil-A offered free chicken if you came in with a team logo shirt on. I tracked down all of our little Redskin shirts and we had a good time eating our free chicken sandwiches. Each of the kids ate all their chicken. I told Carolina that if we cut up the chicken, it was just like chicken nuggets. You know what? It really is -- except a WHOLE LOT MORE PIECES!! We've determined that's what we're going to start doing. I wonder if they'll let us order one without a bun?

Also -- we live in serious Ravens country, so it was kind of funny when four out of five of us (Ben had a Maryland shirt on) had Redskins on. Despite the proximity, they are not really rivals, but it was still fun.

(sorry for the full mouths -- best I could do, they were really hungry!)

Vacation

2009-08-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

Ben took last week off and we had friends drive 12 hours to come see us! We were so happy they could spend the week with us. Our first stop was the beach. We stayed at Fenwick Island overnight and everybody had a great time.

Soccer!

2009-08-13T20:54:00.000-04:00

It just seems weird to me. Timmy had his first soccer practice this evening. Ben worked, so the kids and I watched Timmy kick the ball around. I got Tim ready and didn't realize he needed socks over his shin guards. Oops! He'll be better prepared next week.

Also, there are 11 boys on the team. 3 Zacharys and 3 Timmys. I would expect Zachary to be popular, but Timmy? I seriously had no idea.

(Tim is the one out front)

2009-08-12T20:28:00.003-04:00

Little Joseph is 11 months old today. It's hard to believe how fast the time flies! He's really taken to walking this last week or so and it is terribly cute.

(pay no attention to our mess)

Fun with cousins!

2009-08-05T22:49:00.000-04:00

All 12 grandchildren together for the first time. The twelfth, Zeke, was born just a week ago. We visited at Aunt Mary's house this morning and then went to the lake for swimming. Everyone had a blast!

Fast friends

2009-07-25T21:55:00.000-04:00

Joseph found a friend at Target this morning! :)

Hill Cumorah (pics fixed)

2009-07-22T13:40:00.000-04:00

I thought Ben was crazy when he suggested going up to Palmyra to see the pageant and camp one night with our three little kids, but I was very pleasantly surprised that everything turned out so nicely. The drive took us about 6 hours (with stops, detours, etc.) We set up camp, visited Hill Cumorah (Carolina and Timothy climbed the hill themselves) and then the Sacred Grove and Joseph Smith homes. Then back to the Pageant. Considering the ages and personalities, it all went really well.

KOA camping, part 2

2009-07-22T09:46:00.003-04:00

Lots of firsts last week. First time for the two younger kids camping, first time for the older kids riding on any kind of boat and it was the first time playing miniature golf. Timothy has a list that we keep of things he would like to do and this knocked off two of those.

In case you're curious, here are some of the things on Tim's list: (we started this list last spring right before he turned three)

go on a boat July 2009
go on an airplane
ride a horse 5/24/2008
eat a doughnut June 2009
have a campfire 3/2/2008
roast marshmallows 3/2/2008
go camping May 2009
ride on a whale
ride in a pick-up truck
ride in a tow-truck
climb a tree
go to a movie theatre (7/2008)
ride in a submarine
ride a motorcycle
ride a train Aug 2008
ride in a horse-drawn carriage
play mini-golf July 2009
fly a kite

If it has a date next to it, it has been done. I think most of these are pretty reasonable. Well, maybe not the whale riding. This list was actually pretty helpful for awhile. He would say something like, "I wish I could ride a motorcycle." And I would say, "well, let's put that on your list." Somehow, that helped his longing.

Carolina had an interesting technique. She'd hit the ball a few times and then set it right next to the hole and tap it in. When she got to the last hole, she climbed up in the cage to make sure it went right in the hole.

KOA camping, part 1

2009-07-22T09:35:00.001-04:00

I've been camping up near Palmyra, but not to the KOA. I was really impressed. We are going to try to make this an annual event. We're even looking for volunteers to join us next year for even more fun. I think we'll definitely try to do two nights.

Fourth of July

2009-07-05T21:01:00.000-04:00

I love that my kids have cousins! We all get together about once a month and they have a blast. We had dinner at my brother's house and then went to the fireworks in their town. The kids hadn't ever really been to see fireworks and they loved it! It was also nice that one of my sister-in-law's family had some glow necklaces. (The pictures were taken with the cell phone because our poor phone has been sent to be repaired)

Good vacation and Joseph update

2009-06-26T22:08:00.000-04:00

Timothy remembers and loves many things about his trips to North Carolina, but I think his favorite thing is taking a ride in the "hummer." We ended our trip with a bang on Wednesday morning as he drove his sister around the yard (she got her turn in the driver's seat too).

Little Joseph turned nine months old two weeks ago and he had his check-up a few days later. His current stats: 18 pounds (10th percentile), 28 1/2 inches (50th percentile) and 45 cm head. He had a fever the few days before his appointment with roseola, so I think he was a little under his usual weight, but he is definitely a little lighter than my first two. We're also fairly certain he has a peanut allergy. He snagged a teeny-tiny bit of his brother's peanut butter and ended up with swollen lips and hives on his hands and face. I won't post those unpretty pictures here. He's really a pretty healthy kid and still so super-sweet. Joseph crawls all over, pulls himself up on everything (especially me) and he climbed up one stair today. The little guy answers to Joe, Joey, Joah, and "you're so dang cute."

In the pool

2009-06-22T23:24:00.000-04:00

After the beach and naps, we had fun in Ben's aunt's pool.

Fun at the beach

2009-06-22T22:52:00.000-04:00

We are down in North Carolina visiting with some of Ben's extended family. This morning we went to the beach and really had a great time. The weather was exactly perfect, the water was calm and it was simply gorgeous.

Wedding, part 2

2009-06-07T22:39:00.000-04:00

We really had a lot of fun!

(yes, he is attempting raw broccoli)
(and, one of Mary's "colors" was camouflage)

Mary's wedding

2009-06-07T22:34:00.000-04:00

My baby sister Mary was married on Saturday. The first picture is Carolina and her cousin Sophia. Then Timmy, the ring bearer. Carolina was excited to be dressed up as a princess and Timmy was a bit on the nervous-side. He has never worn a suit and wasn't exactly comfortable, but he didn't fuss and did a great job! I was so proud of both of them.

Fun reception

2009-05-29T08:12:00.000-04:00

More catch up:

So we went to a fancy schmancy wedding reception on a week ago Saturday. Our friend (the bride)'s dad must really love her! Seriously, it was really cool and our kids were invited too. They served up slurpees on request and the kids enjoyed those (duh!). The newly acquired yard sale dinosaurs helped entertain the kids too.

Tim was kind of bashful when it came to dancing, but Carolina really got into it.

First time swinging!

2009-05-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Here's little Joseph, first time swinging. And yes, he now has matching short-pants.

Father/son campout

2009-05-18T15:59:00.000-04:00

Timmy had a blast with his dad at the father/son campout. It's so fun to see him growing so big.

Creativity

2009-05-08T22:39:00.002-04:00

Well, I've revived my crafty blog. Ben praises my little projects, but it's kind of fun to share with a wider audience. And I've been doing a lot of crafting lately. I finish or start something every day, I think. So here's one of my recent projects, with more here.

Tim & Mom

2009-05-05T16:41:00.001-04:00

I'm playing a little catch up with the blog:

Every year we go to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival (first Saturday in May). It's like a tradition. But every year, it draws more and more people and is nearly impossible to navigate. Especially with children. So I made the decision that we would not be going this year. Next year, I will plan ahead, leave the kids at home and find a friend to go with. It really is a blast.

So, that morning we ran errands and then after Lina was down for nap, I took Tim out on his own. We ended up at Baugher's Orchard and he had a blast playing on the wooden train, swings, etc.

Play clothes

2009-05-05T08:40:00.000-04:00

I've got lots of fabric and a little bit of time, so I've been sewing a few things. Carolina rarely chooses to wear pants any more, so needs more everyday or play skirts. And Tim needed shorts for the summer. So, I made them matching clothes. They are super-comfortable, the fabric cost me nothing, and the kids like to be matchy-match. Now, Joseph needs a pair of pants.

Random updates

2009-05-01T16:14:00.001-04:00

* I love spring, how about you? It is, without question, my favorite time of year. We bought this little bleeding heart last year and it was so little. Now it grows bigger every time we look at it. It's probably doubled since I snapped this picture (with my cell phone).

* Okay, so things did not go as well as the first night with Carolina's pacifier weaning. It wasn't too horrible, but there were some difficult moments. I threw the things away, so there has been no going back. I think she's just fine now.

* Speaking of "no going back," we are in our fourth week of potty-training her. I would have figured we'd be done way before now. More successes than failures, so we're continuing. My goal is to have her in underwear at church (not this week though). Yesterday she was at nearly 100%. And we even went out for a couple of hours. Then this morning it was the complete opposite. Puddles everywhere. I'm glad for the laminate flooring.

* I thought that Joseph's face was still looking kind of rough even without much dairy in my diet, so I started consuming milk a couple of days ago. (Ben also bought WAY too much milk and I didn't want him to feel bad when it came to pouring it down the drain in a week). His face has really broken out today, so I think I'll go back to no milk. It's funny because I feed him cheese and yogurt and he seems fine after those foods.

* 1-800-CONTACTS: My new best friends. I really goofed up one day. When I received a package of 8 boxes of contacts ($$$) for both me and Ben, I realized I had given them the wrong zip code. No big deal, it just delayed it by a day or so. Then, Ben opened up the box a couple days ago and informed me that they were all the wrong prescriptions. I ordered positives instead of negatives (3.00 instead of -3.00, for instance). Aaah! I called them up and they are sending the right ones and a packing slip for us to send the wrong ones back, no charge. Happy day! I also realized that I had given them the wrong area code for my phone number. Usually, I am really pretty careful and try hard to proofread. No idea what was going on that day. Oh, and I swear that girl on the phone was in Utah. Can anyone confirm that the call center is there? She definitely had the accent, etc.

* So our Camry A/C light was blinking and no A/C this year. We looked up the problem online and found an easy fix with a part that cost $45. I love the internet! Apparently, this is a super common problem and Toyota had issued a service bulletin a few years ago.

Momentous occasion

2009-04-22T12:47:00.001-04:00

No pappy last night for the little girl. Finally. Her pacifier was only used at night or nap, but she had started to get a little obsessed. More than once I caught her in her bed sucking at random times during the day. I felt like I was dealing with an addict. So we pulled the plug. And you know what? She stepped right up and was so mature about the whole thing. I let her have the hall light on and she stayed in her room for over an hour doing puzzles in her bed, finding her own way to wind down. She didn't complain, she didn't cry, and she didn't come downstairs once. Ben and I were both super-impressed. I'm about to put her down for nap, so we'll see if this is still a positive thing.

In other news, she thinks she is a princess. We were having a discussion about our aging, little townhouse last night. One day we will probably get a bigger home. Trying to be content with out home now, I said, "I like our home." And Tim (who loves it here), agreed with me. And I said something like, "It's not like I want to live in a castle or anything..." And Carolina says, "I want to live in a castle. I'm a princess." The most hilarious things come out of this two year old's mouth. If you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up, she says, "mac & cheese."

Random

2009-04-20T09:50:00.000-04:00

Okay, we saw this in Virginia on the way back from NC. Almost the same spelling...

A Baker's Dozen

2009-04-18T09:42:00.000-04:00

Well, not the most complicated project, but I made up 13 bean bags for the kids to toss around. It was kind of a fun, quick project and the kids are enjoying them.

Easter dress-up

2009-04-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

It's hard to get these three monkeys to cooperate for a picture. And, yes, Tim was smelling yellow flowers (both daffodils and dandelions, not sure which rubbed off on his nose).

Eggs & baskets

2009-04-15T21:58:00.000-04:00

The egg decorating gets more fun each year as the kids get older. Here are the eggs we decorated:

And I caught Carolina a little later adding some finishing touches to just the pink & purple ones:

And here are the baskets. Just a little bit of candy and some homemade bunnies I made in a couple of afternoons recently. I just drew a pattern freehand and sewed them up.

Joseph stuff

2009-04-05T21:38:00.001-04:00

Little Joe is doing a great job sitting up now. He loves it and so do I. He just enjoys sitting and playing and being a part of everything.

Regarding his face and the no-dairy-for-mom business: I feel like no milk/cheese for me really helped Joseph initially, but it kind of came to a stand-still. It wasn't flaring up too bad, but not getting better like I wanted it to. I've applied his medication several times this week and it really helps bring the red down. I'm still going without dairy. I'm pretty sure I was consuming way too much. We were recycling 4 empty milk jugs a week and this last week it was ONE. Okay, there was a near empty one in the fridge, but still! I figure I was drinking 2+ gallons just myself. And then I have not had any ice cream. So, this is saving us money and I actually lost a few pounds in the last ten days. That's big for me. I had not lost an ounce since Joseph was 2 weeks old (for 6 months, in other words).

My mom says he looks like Yoda. What do you think? I'm okay with that since we're Star Wars fans, I guess.

Since he's sitting so well, he's joined his siblings in the group bathtub. All three love it!

He started sticking out his tongue a couple of days ago. The first day it stayed out almost all of the time. I googled it and couldn't find any reason to worry. He's really a funny guy.

Four shirt

2009-04-03T08:36:00.001-04:00

Tim requested another birthday shirt this year. It's sort of becoming a semi-tradition. He has a three shirt and they both have one bibs (no picture of his, sorry). I thought this came out really cute and I was worried it was a little too cute and maybe girly. I was glad when Ben said, "he's four." Meaning, he's just a little guy, no worries. He loves it!

Morning funny

2009-04-02T22:16:00.000-04:00

Carolina, my little two-year old, has resisted her morning diaper change the last few days. This morning she tried to convince me that her current wet, soggy diaper was her favorite diaper and she wanted to keep it on. She pointed to a random zebra and how she really liked it. Ummm...I don't think so, little lady. Nice try. I'm guessing this is some sort of sign of potty-training readiness. Hopefully soon.

Star Wars mania

2009-04-02T20:14:00.001-04:00

Timmy has caught the bug! The obsession with anything Star Wars bug. He got $50 for his birthday (part Mee-Mee and part great-grandma) and we finally let him spend some. This is the first time he's ever spent any money (usually it goes straight to the piggy bank and then to the bank account). Since the kids have all been house-bound, Timmy and I took time online to pick out just the right thing. It had to be Star Wars Lego and it had to have R2-D2. We all went out this morning for the first time since Saturday and Ben helped him build it when we got home. Tim actually did a bunch of it by himself, but there is good reason to list it age 7-12. He started looking for ways to alter it immediately after it was built.

In other news: Anybody out there have a label maker? Not sure why, but I've been wanting one for months. Staples has a Brother PT-1880 on sale for $20 through 4/4 (normally $50). I picked one up this morning with a gift card that my mom gave me for my birthday in 2008. Now what should I label? On the way to Staples, Ben asks, "so why exactly do you need a labeler?" My answer: "it will solve all of my organizational problems." :)

Birthday celebration

2009-04-02T14:12:00.001-04:00

Rather than have a big party, we just kept it small with just the five of us this year. Everyone enjoyed themselves. No stress and lots of fun (despite the kids being sick). I knew they were coming down with something, but I thought they were feeling okay early Friday. It seems like Timmy gets sick every year around his birthday. Outside of colds, this is our first virus all winter/spring.

So our Friday went like this: I made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and then Ben went to work for half a day. I took the kids to their doctor appointments and we ordered pizza for lunch. After lunch, Tim blew out his candles and he opened his presents. I should have realized then that the kids were not better because no one wanted any cake and we didn't cut into to it until the next day. Timmy got 2 light sabers, one for him and another for a friend (his sister mostly) and he got the wii Diego game.

After Carolina and Joseph naps, we went down to the Baltimore Aquarium for the first time as a family. We opted to take the metro down there for fun and to save money on parking. I think next time we'll pay to park (around $20, I think). It's kind of a long walk for the little ones and we ended up walking through the red-light district, "the block," at the end of the day. Seriously scary and talk about feeling out of place. We held tight to each other and tried not to look at anything or anybody.

Now, back to the aquarium. I'm glad we went. It was the last night of the season for "Fridays after Five." I think it cost about $35 for all of us and would normally cost $74. The place was really packed and we moved through things very quickly. I'm glad we bought the dolphin show package because it gave us a chance to sit down and relax.

Doctor appointment #2

2009-03-31T07:45:00.000-04:00

Timmy had his annual check-up on Friday too. Our pediatrician told me that my kids are really good and he said he meant it because he sees lots of kids. That makes me feel better because in my eyes they really are a wild bunch. Our pediatrician always gives them "A++" on my take home report. Tim is growing and doing pretty good. Our only concern from the appointment is that he did not pass his vision screening. 20/50. It's certainly possible that his eyes aren't that bad and he was just having trouble cooperating. We've already decided that all of our children will be near-sighted. Ben's vision is pretty terrible and my parents and all seven of us kids are near-sighted. I didn't expect my four-year to wear glasses though. Not a big deal -- life could be worse.

I'll never forget a women in a previous ward who related how people would tell her how sorry they were that her five-year old had to wear glasses. And the mom was like -- "Hello??? I'm just glad they have the ability to diagnose and treat her at this age."

Doctor appointment #1

2009-03-30T07:30:00.000-04:00

I think of Joseph affectionately as my little runt. Like in a Charlotte's Web sort of way. At some point, I'll stop telling Ben, "Well, he was born two weeks earlier." Ben just shakes his head. According to my calculations he was. The first two kids were born 8 days after their due dates and Joseph was induced a week before his due date. Got it? For the record, I know that a full-term baby can be born anywhere from 38-42 weeks.

Anyway, he had a great doctor appointment on Friday for his six month check-up. He is 27 1/2 inches long and weighs 15 pounds 15 ounces. That puts him at 75th and 15th percentiles according to the growth charts. He's really pretty healthy. My only concern has been his skin. Specifically, his face. It is super-dry a lot, some days worse than other days. And it's only on his face. The doctor won't diagnose it as eczema, but he did give me a steroid to use sparingly. I may not use it at all. I read that dairy in a mom's diet can irritate some babies' faces, so a few days ago, I cut way back on dairy in my own diet and I think it has already made a huge improvement. I haven't had a glass of milk in 4 days! I probably drink 3 glasses a day. We're also big cheese eaters and I probably have ten pounds of cheese in the fridge. I think I'll have to cook up some cheesy dishes and just refrain from eating. I don't want it to all go to waste!

My 4-year old!

2009-03-27T07:15:00.001-04:00

I seriously can not believe that I have a four-year old. I mean, I've been thinking of him as just-about-four for a little while, so it's not such a shocker. But he's such a big boy now. He's really matured over the last year. He can be such a big help and he can do such a nice job of listening to me (still working on that though).

Here are some favorite quotes from him:

"It's tough being a Timmy"

"I'm not playing, I'm building" (when asked to stop playing with his legos)

"She looks like a rock star" (when asked to help his sister understand why it was important for her to keep her hair clipped back)

One of my favorite things about Tim are his sweet, independent little prayers. There was a time where it was a huge struggle to get him to pray. Now, he'll say his bedtime prayer without even being prompted. His prayers often include thanks for: mama, daddy, timmy, carolina, joseph, mee-mee, pop-pop, aunt peggy, uncle ronald, seasons, roses to bloom, flowers to grow, christmas, and easter.

His favorites (according to him)

color: green
number: 3
toy: tractor
food: tomato soup
dessert: sherbet
movie: Cars
game: I spy...
boardgame: checkers
video game: wii star wars
song: alphabet song

audiobooks

2009-03-25T07:30:00.002-04:00

Anyone else listen to audiobooks? I'm looking for recommendations. I read all sorts of stuff, but especially like fiction (historical and lately post-apocalyptic stuff). Books on CD make unpleasant tasks like mopping the floor go by tons faster. I just finished listening to the entire "Uglies" series by Scott Westerfeld. That was great. I've found some books to be not so stellar. The thing is, it's got to be a clean book. I'm kind of a stickler for that and the 2 and 3 year old will sometimes be listening. If you're not into audiobooks, you totally should try it. As soon as the weather warms a little, I plan on running to a book.

New perspective

2009-03-24T14:42:00.000-04:00

So, the kids and I rarely go out without Ben. Maybe once a week. Sometimes it's the library or a friend's house or an occasional trip to Wal-Mart, but that's all that I can handle. This last Saturday, I decided to take just Carolina out for her first haircut and a trip to the library. Wow! It was so easy. She wasn't perfect, but it was no problem getting her back on track. Oh, by the way, she was great for her haircut. It was just a few inches off the back.

Later, during her nap, I took Tim out just for fun. We went to a couple of craft collectible stores in town. Not terribly exciting, but I was looking for a grandma present. Timmy was soooo good!! I asked him not to touch anything without asking and he actually listened to me. I realized that those two kids feed off each other and take advantage of their frazzled mom sometimes. I am definitely going to take them out separately again soon -- it was actually fun!

(here Tim is running with the Wii Fit. I am so ready for spring and some outdoor running! Oh, and FYI, the Wii Fit game tries to say this boy is overweight...hmmm...)

Sweet ABCs

2009-03-22T15:20:00.000-04:00

(Original posting has the wrong video -- here it is corrected!)

So, Carolina did this back in January. It's kind of her own version of the ABCs, but it is seriously so sweet. I love to watch it (so does she!) My little girl can be seriously aggravating sometimes with her attitude, but I like to remember times like these!

(just ignore Ben asking about why we have cocoa puffs in the bathroom -- wonder which two year old was to blame?)

Bedroom frames

2009-03-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

I saw the idea of framing pages from children's picture books last summer and really, really thought it looked cute. So, I've been on the lookout for a good picture book. I found this book for a quarter at the library. I think I should have put them in bigger frames with mattes, but I'm fairly satisfied with the outcome.