Sitting around the lunch table...

Grace, completely out of the blue: "Daddy, you're a lucky Daddy! With two kids that just popped out of Mommy's belly!"

Funny girl. :)

an American hero

I grew up with Andy. His older sister was my babysitter, his younger sister was one of my best childhood friends and his dad was my dentist. I read this and it breaks my heart. Please take the time to read the article that Men's Journal ran on his story and realize the sacrifices that our troops make for us. They truly are heroes and they need our support. Click here for the article. Thanks.

not looking to be a tv star

In an attempt to not be featured on the A&E show Hoarders, I'm making an effort to weed through the kids' numerous art projects they create at school on a weekly to bi-weekly basis. In the process, I hope that I'm also teaching them that it's okay to throw things away. I used to do this at night when they were asleep, but then realized that they weren't really benefiting from that. For one, they didn't see me weigh my decision on what to keep and what to let go of, plus, there was a lot of explaining on my part when they discovered some treasure missing. So, now I try to involve them in some of this. This past week, we talked about letting go of two items that I knew would be a struggle. Sam recently came home with a dinosaur "fossil" that he made at school that smelled strongly of coffee. Red flag: art projects made out of wet food products...definitely not meant to be kept to show the grandkids someday. That same week, Grace came home with a giant Cat in the Hat hat that she had painted and sculpted herself out of paper. It was enormous and already starting to rip apart at the seam. We discussed why we couldn't keep these items and, finally, they gave their consent to toss them...on one condition:

that I take a picture and put it on my computer. I guess I'll work on the digital hoarding some other week.

hopping on the bandwagon...

A couple of pics of the kids in their UK gear for spirit day at preschool last week:

I figured it was about time we tried to fit in a little down here :)

change in weather

We started the day with rain in the forecast and dance pictures on the agenda. So, everyone was bathed right after breakfast since Grace had to get all prettied up for her photo shoot and I was pretty sure that the rain would hit and they wouldn't be playing outside after lunch. I snapped a quick photo of Grace all decked out on our way out the door:

When we got home, though, the sun was shining and it was warming right up. So, I hustled the kids out to the backyard to play where they remained, virtually fight-free, for the next 2-1/2 hours!! Gave Mama some time to do a little work, blog, and get some laundry and cleaning done! It also gave them ample time to get good and muddy, which doesn't quite translate in these photos, but the ring in the tub later proved it!

Yes, the patio is mud-covered, as well...that's what happens with these two around plus a crazy mutt who is thrilled to DIG!

Anyway, we ended the afternoon with both getting themselves bathed, again, and dinner. I was happy that the beautiful weather stuck around a little longer than expected! And I can't wait to get the dance pictures back from this morning...they all looked too cute in all their frills!

a pricey little hobby...

We love to antique. We antique at shops, shows and even on-line through CraigsList. The Kentucky antique scene is incredible! I inherited the trait from my mom and, over the years, have successfully converted Kris into an antique-lover, as well. I dread taking my kids into Meijer or Target for fear of how they might behave, but, almost monthly, we take them to a big antique show near our house and never worry about them breaking anything as they are now friends with all the dealers and have come to respect the furniture and collectibles. Well, either that, or nothing looks as shiny and new as it does at Meijer and Target so they just aren't that interested! :)

Our friend, Amanda, asked me to write this post. I am referring to her as Amanda as that is her professional business name, but really she has come to be affectionately known as Mandy, Midge and even Marge at our house. :) Her Sister, Sister post this week that she put together with Ashlie was all about their favorite piece of furniture. Each of them featured a different antique in their homes and I completely agree with her that antique pieces, while slightly pricier, hold more character and are more durable and well-built than much of the furniture sold at mainstream stores today. I guess I just feel more at ease bringing these pieces into my home knowing that they have already endured years of wear and tear somewhere else and survived, so they should be able to last through many more years of wear and tear in my own home.

After Mandy...ahem...Amanda sent me a message that she had posted about furniture, I spent way too long wandering around the house trying to decide what really is my favorite piece. Even though we have many pieces that hold sentimental value, it came down to a toss up between two pieces that Kris and I picked out together in recent years. And I finally decided on this one, because the other of the two was the giant desk we share, and posting it would have meant having to clean it off, and, well, I just didn't have it in me at the moment. (I know Mandy is cringing right now, as she is self-employed as a successful home organizer!) Anyway, here it is:

We acquired this china cabinet from a local shop soon after we moved to Kentucky and I was so excited to find a piece of furniture that could both protect and display my collection of antique china and crystal. It was a bonus that it blended so well with the table and chairs that were my grandparents' years ago. I love this piece and that we picked it out together and love that it just adds to the atmosphere of my current favorite room in the house.

I may have to do additional posts on this subject because we have so many pieces that have a story behind them that I hold dear. Thanks, Mandy, for making me stop and take a look at the furniture we've collected over the years.

all fun and games??

A few pics of my mom making sure Sam and Grace earned their lodging and meals last weekend! :)

Kidding :) She had them out in the snow making a snowman the day before, but I failed to get pictures of it on my own camera because it was in the basement where Graham was napping and Sarah was laying down the law: no one was allowed in the basement for fear of waking the sleeping one-year-old before the big birthday party. So, instead, the only outdoor pictures I have of the kids with Grandma are these of clearing the driveway. Trips to Grandma and Papa's house are serious business. :)

two peas in a pod

Caleb and Grace are a mere four months apart in age and they love to play when we get together. You see, Grace is a little bossy (I'm using the term "little" loosely!) and Caleb is very agreeable, so they are the perfect pair! A pic of the cousins from Grandma and Papa's house last weekend:

cutest. thing. ever.

Sam loves the little ones. At dance class each Wednesday, he makes it his duty to "watch" Conner, a younger sibling of one of Grace's classmates. Conner and Graham are about two weeks apart in age. So, when we saw Graham again in Harbor Beach for Grandma's birthday celebration, Sam was all practiced up on how to interact with a one-year-old. While he's a little crazy with his sister and Caleb, he turns into the gentle teacher with Graham. I love these pics that I was able to get of him teaching Graham how to do a puzzle:

80 years young...

I say 80 years young because, when Grandma called herself old in front of Sam, he said, "Grandma Pat, it's not nice to say 'old' because it hurts people's feelings." And I was really happy to know he was listening that day in Starbucks...

Well, this post is a little late since my Grandma's birthday is actually the end of February and that's the weekend I packed up the kids and attempted to drive through the edge of a blizzard to get to the party. But, Grandma loves to extend the celebration as long as possible so she was probably hoping that I'd hold off on this post until six months into her 80th year.

Back to the blizzard...

After six hours on the road, passing several ditched cars and a jack-knifed tractor trailer on slippery roads, and only getting as far as Toledo (the town that usually marks hour four of a normally seven(ish)-hour trip), I decided that we better get a room for the night and continue on in the morning. When I told the kids that we were stopping to stay at a hotel, they freaked out. They were certain they were going to miss the birthday party. After some reassurance that we would not miss the party, they settled into bed at the hotel for the night. And I was able to snap this cute pic of them at six the next morning before I had to wake them to hit the road:

The three of us packed up and made it on the road bright and early on Saturday and the road conditions were 100% better than the night before. Upon arriving in Harbor Beach, we went straight to Grandma Pat's and Papa Tommy's house to surprise Grandma and let her know we were there to celebrate the big 8-0. She was very surprised, while we were careful not to mention that Sarah, Nate, Caleb and Graham would also be rolling into town within the next hour (which is pretty impressive for a 3- and 5-year-old who LOVE to talk!).

The rest of the weekend was filled with celebrating birthdays (Grandma shares her birthday with her baby, Uncle Bill), playing with cousins, visiting, eating and playing in the snow, complete with building a snowman with Grandma (which I have no photos of...all on Mom's camera!).

Grandma and Uncle Bill with their cakes — don't let the numbers fool you...Uncle Bill swapped out Grandma's "0" with his "8" to try and make himself feel eight years younger for a few minutes :)

Opening presents — Dr. Seuss from Claire and Gavin and the boys

I have a few more pictures from the weekend that need their own posts, so stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Grandma! I hope you're still celebrating! :)

Sunday morning

We're still dozing while Sam is watching "SuperWhy" at the end of our bed.

Sam, reading the screen: "R, N, P"

TV: "R, N, P"

Sam, proudly: "I was right!"

Me: "Good job, buddy."

Sam: "I am always right in life."

Me, to Kris: "He is sooo your son."

Kris: "That's my boy."

:)

a teaser day...

Arriving home to 60° weather after our weekend trip to Columbus was a pleasant surprise! Good for a little bike/scooter-riding and dog-walking...even if it did only last for a day...