Build It and They Will Come

Birds, that is! Last Saturday morning, Lowes had a free workshop day for the kids. The girls and our neighbor, Brett, all made cute little birdhouses. They all looked so cute in their little workshop aprons and goggles (which they got to keep). The aprons will definitely come in handy when we get around to painting the birdhouses. I'm not sure who had more fun, the girls, or Grady and I!

































My little builder in her dress...

Eggs, Eggs, and More Eggs!

Emmy didn't want her picture taken...

Look Vincent, this one is shaped like a carrot!
Jolee smiling and thinking about all of her candy!
Some of the neigborhood kids at the Hunt.

The kids had a great time at our subdivision Easter egg hunt. The weather was sunny and perfect! Grandma Judy and Grandpa Tom spent the beautiful weekend with us. On Easter, Grady and Judy had fun in the kitchen and cooked a delicious lunch for us...I didn't have to do a thing!

The Easter bunny was exceptionally generous this year (and Grandmas and Grandpas, too!)! It's amazing how much candy three little girls can accumulate...I think we have enough to last until Halloween! Now, if I could only find the willpower to stay out of it...

It's Nifty Being Thrifty!

I was recently visiting with a couple other moms about ways to save money, be more healthy, etc.. I realized that the blog would be a great way to share with family & friends, some of the little, easy things I do around here that really add up. I have a friend, Stacy, whom I bow down to as Queen Money Saver, so I'm sure some of her tips will end up here, too! I've added a new sidebar and the title is "Savin' Green, Bein' Green, Gettin' Lean" and you can find it to the right (just scroll down a bit). I will try to update it often. I'd love to hear some of your tips...feel free to comment!

Goin' For a Ride

Grady thought it would be fun strapping Emmy into the baby bike seat and going for a ride. Emmy, on the other hand, wasn't too sure about it. In fact, she cried for the first few blocks. By the time they got home, she was giving the thumbs up!

I don't know about this...
I'm still not sure...
Ok, that was fun!

Happy Anniversary!

The past nine years have, without a doubt, been the best years of my life. I feel so blessed to have you and our girls. Thank God we found each other. I love you!



And, thank you for the dinner surprise! Chivalry is NOT dead! I think I'll keep you around for a while longer! haha! :)

Such a Good Daddy...

The wind has really been howling around here lately and last night was no exception. Emmy was having a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep because the wind kept scaring her. I got up in the middle of the night 3 times to console her and tell her to go back to sleep. Finally, Daddy got up and decided to lay with her. When I woke up this morning, I went into Emmy's room and this is what I saw...Emmy snug as a bug right next to her Daddy. Aww.....

Jolee's 1st Soccer Game

Today was Jolee's 1st soccer game. She played great and was sooo close to scoring her first goal! The fields were a little wet and it was funny watching her running and trying to miss the mud!...(probably because I'm always telling the girls to stay out of the mud in the backyard!). I did tell her it was OK to run through the mud when playing soccer! We could tell that she was having fun and after the game she said, "Soccer is the BEST game!". Great job, Jo!



It was pretty chilly and windy and we were all trying to stay warm. Can you spot Jolee under Daddy's sweatshirt?

April Fool's!

Macey has been talking about April Fool's Day for the past couple of days. So, last night, Grady and I came up with a plan to "fool" the girls. After their alarm clock went off this morning, Grady told them that we had just gotten emails from their teachers that said the heaters were not working in the schools, and that it was recommended that all students wear their snowsuits to school to keep warm. So, they dug out their suits and got dressed...but they were NOT happy about it. Grady and I had to go to the office and giggle before I grabbed my camera. Here they are brushing their teeth (you can't see Macey's face, but she was ticked!).And then we told them their teachers had ONE more thing to say, "APRIL FOOLS!". Here's how Jolee reacted...and Macey ran off to her closet and shut the door. Again, not the response we thought we'd get!
We FINALLY got smiles and laughs out of them!

Macey tried to play her own April Fool's trick on me after school. She told me that she had to write her name 300 times and go to the principal's office for punching someone. I asked her if she punched the student named April...last name Fools? You can't fool good ol' Mom! :)

It's a Twister!

It was WAY too windy for Emmy & Jolee to go outside and play today, so....they decided to stay inside and create a tornado of their own. Here are pictures of the aftermath (and one of the tornado-makers!).

I read a quote a while ago that said, "Cleaning your house while your kids are little is like shoveling the snow when it's still snowing!". Those are words I live by! :)

No More Training Wheels!

Here's a clip of Jolee riding her bike without training wheels. She got it on her first try!





Here she is decked out in all the "gear"! I wish we had elbow and knee pads when I was a kid!

Feelin' Good!

Last week, all of the 2nd graders at Macey's school performed in a program called, "Feelin' Good!...A Celebration of Health and Well-Being!". It was a great program with a fantastic message about being in charge of your body, making healthy food choices and exercizing. Macey signed up to have a speaking part. All of the kids who spoke had to memorize one or two lines. It was really cute watching them sing and dance...most of the kids, anyway. Macey was so nervous that it looked like her arms were glued to her sides! When it was over Grady said, "Macey, I thought you LIKED to dance" and she said, "Well, not in front of EVERYONE!". She did a great job!

A video clip of Macey saying her line..."And putting forth our best efforts!".

A video of one of Macey's best friends, Evan, and his cool dance moves. He is in the middle right behind the mic stand. Hmmm...where did he get his good dance moves? :)

Mommy is Smart!

This was the dialogue between Jolee and I when I picked her up from school this morning:

Me: "What did you do in school today?"
Jolee: "We did math. My teacher folded a piece of paper in half and on one side was subtraction and on the other side was....ummm..."
Me: "addition?"
Jolee: "ADDITION, YES!! Mommy, how'd you get so smart?!"

Jolee Loves Her Kitty

Jolee loves Max to pieces. She likes to carry him around (even though he weighs almost 1/2 of what she does!). You'd think that Max would become annoyed and want to avoid her, but they truly are buddies. At night, if Max isn't downstairs sleeping, he chooses to jump in bed with Jolee and snuggle with her. They are two peas in a pod... Poor Maxwell! Looking at a bird outside.

Gaschler Scores TWO!!!

Tonight was the last basketball game of the season. Macey learned a lot this season but seemed to struggle a bit at first. She hadn't gotten any fouls or scored any points. But tonight, EVERYTHING came together! Not only did she play aggressive defense (4 fouls...that's my girl!), but she snagged an offensive rebound and put it up for two! It bounced on the rim and went in!! I flew out of the bleachers and everything on my lap (jackets, purse) fell to the floor....Grady volunteered to keep score and he flew out of his chair, too! In fact, he was so excited that he wasn't paying attention to the clock and the girls played at least 2 minutes without the clock running! What a great way to end the season! Great job, Macey!! We are so proud of you for playing so hard! And yes, we WON the game!

Bunny Ears!

The original purpose for this posting was to show Emmy on her bed with the rails taken down. We removed them a couple of weeks ago and so far she hasn't fallen out (knock on wood)! While I was taking her picture, she was pulling on her piggy tails and calling them her "bunny ears". I think she looks like a "mini teenager" in the first picture.

My little Snuggle Bug

Typing? Already?

I'm continuously amazed at how much different elementary school is now compared to when I went to school. Today, Macey brought home a typing certificate! I didn't learn how to type until 6th grade and Grady didn't learn until he was a freshman! In Macey's computer class (nope, I didn't have computer class until high school), they go to a website in which they take typing "tests". Today, Macey completed level 1 which included the letters, a, s, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, ;, e, i, r and u. She was 1 of only 2 kids in her class that completed this level. Pretty soon she is going to be typing as fast as her Grandpa Rich!

Best Buds

Macey and Jolee coordinated their outfits today. They came downstairs decked out in Chief's jerseys. I'm sure it was Macey's idea since she is my little "tomboy". I can't figure out how she talked Jolee out of wearing a dress!