Easter Weekend Part 2!

Sunday morning Ruby woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:30. That was not what I was wishing for, especially after the long day I had on Saturday! I opened her door to her smiling face saying, "good mornin'!" just like she always does. I thought the next thing out of her mouth would be something about her Easter basket, but instead she went right on past her basket to the bathroom as per her usual morning ritual. We went passed the full basket just waiting to be noticed at least 3 or 4 times. I was starting to worry she just wasn't into the Easter thing. I was just going to have to remind her. That part of her must be from her father because I would have NEVER forgotten about my EASTER BASKET! Being born on Halloween, I pretty much came out of the womb looking for candy.

I asked Ben, who of course was sleeping in because it was his actual birthday, if he was ready to do the Easter Basket. He climbed out of bed to help me make a BIG deal of our discovery of the Easter Basket. FINALLY, she noticed the basket and came over to look through her gifts. She got a new bathing suit, two books, some swim shoes, and a few treats. Ruby pulled out the books without hardly even noticing them, looked at the bathing suit for 2 seconds before she discovered the very small amount of candy we had put in the basket. She had one of those malt ball eggs in her mouth faster than I could tell her we would have one treat after breakfast. Ahhh!!!!  There's the Mommy side of her shining through! I knew it was in her!

I took the basket away because she was fast headed for a second which, of course lead to a full out two year old fit. UGH! HAPPY EASTER! In order to divert her two year old mind off of the delicious treats, I offered for her to try on her new bathing suit. She agreed but, surprise surprise, then she refused to take it off. So, she ate breakfast in her new bikini. Pick your battles, right? Breakfast in a bathing suit was not one I was going to fight about this particular morning.

After breakfast, I was finally able to pry Ruby's bathing suit away in exchange for her pretty Easter dress. Ruby loves going to "Baby Jesus' house" so getting ready for church wasn't too difficult. I got myself looking Easter pretty and Ben, in his new pink shirt to match his ladies, was looking handsome! We were ready to head out the door and off to church.We made a stop at Starbucks for my caffeine fix, headed to pick up his mom and finally to church. We made it!And sort of on time too! Woo hoo!

Next, we headed home to attempt a a quick snack and an early nap time before we headed to our next destination of the day. Ruby's been struggling with naps lately, but luckily I actually got her to sleep by laying down with her. I fell asleep too! It was GREAT! I LOVE NAPS! Ben had to come in and wake me up to get ready to go. We waited until the last possible second before we woke our little darling up. She woke up pretty refreshed and ready to see her cousins. This was going remarkably well!

Our 3rd destination of the day ( I don't count Starbucks and the stop to pick up Ben's mom because it was on the way.) was my brother-in-laws mom's house. Scott's mom, Carol, always does an amazing job at family functions. Her house and yard are just beautiful (which makes for great pictures) and the food is always delicious. Every Easter, she does and Easter egg hunt for the kids who can come. This year, we were down two cousins due to illness, but we still had a great time.

Mac, Lou, and Ruby scoping out some eggs hidden up high! Good thing Mac is such a tall young lady!

Beautiful Lou with her VERY full basket! YAY!

Ruby and Lou counting up their loot!

I love that Carol doesn't put candy in her eggs. She puts change in them. Which mean no temper tantrums over candy and no melted chocolate on pretty Easter clothes! YAY!

My brother-in-law Scott looking VERY pooped! I was feeling that way too, but we still had pictures to do.

Awe! Aren't we cute! I love Ruby's face in this picture.

Nannie and Ruby!

Us!

Ben and Nannie

The happy couple with our fashionable shades. Hey, it was bright!

I mean, come on! Does it get more perfect than this?

That didn't last long.

Silly faces!

Ta da!!!!

Daddy and his little girl.

Me and my sis Holly sitting pretty.

The Princess and her ladies.She looks ready for a parade doesn't she.

My mom and dad were there too, but mom has just had foot surgery, so they didn't hang around for too long and weren't in many pictures.

But at least I got this one!

Pictures were done, lunch was great, and the egg hunt was a success. It was time to head back home, our 4th destination of the day, to do Nannies basket and treats for all of us. It was a quick trip and then we were back out to take Nannie home for her to rest up after an already busy day. We were beyond pooped too, but we still had a 5th destination. There is no rest for the weary!

Our final stop was a visit with Coakey, Ben's dad.. Coakey has M.S.and due to his medical condition has been in a nursing home for the last year. It is always great to see him, but the nursing home isn't always easy for a two year old. Luckily, it was beautiful day and we were able to visit outside in their little garden. Nannie gave Ruby a bubble maker for her Easter gift.  We took it with us to keep her happy and entertained so we could visit for longer than 5 minutes.

 

Yay bubbles!

After a VERY wonderful day, we were finally able to go home. I was sooooooo tired. Two days of places to be and parties to throw, I was ready for a relaxing week at home. Woooooo saaaaah!

Ben's Birthday!

It Began on Friday morning and continued through Sunday night.This weekend was... THE EASTER/BEN"S BIRTHDAY MARATHON!!!! I am still tired this morning from all of the weekends comings and goings. All in all though I think it was a success. I know Easter is busy for a lot of people, but throw in a birthday and we got straight up nuts on our hands.

Saturday morning began VERY early. I wish someone would explain to Ruby that Saturday's are supposed to be sleep in days. I've tried to tell her, but she just doesn't care.UGH! Usually Ben and I trade off who gets up with her, but being that this was his birthday weekend he pretty much took both days. Oh well, such is life and it WAS his birthday. I had a lot to get done anyway. Watching my daycare kids doesn't exactly give me the flexibility to go shopping for a birthday present during the week. I have a hard enough time just hitting a few stores when it is just Ruby.

That being said, I was hoping that once my darling birthday boy rose from his wondrous slumber, I could head to the store kid free and get to business. That didn't happen. He had other plans to finish some yard work and get and get a keg for the weekend happenings. Ruby was "helping" him with the yard, but it wasn't going too well, so I swept her into the car and off we went. We had a lot of ground to cover and I knew we were on a tight schedule before she needed a nap.

Needless to say, it wasn't the best experience. When I got back, Ben asked me if I had a good time. HA HA HA! UHHHHH NO! It had been a battle of the wills since we left the house. I spent the entire time listening to Ruby try to dictate what we were going to do next. " No, all done shoppin mommy! I go playground! I sooo hungry! I go potty!" It was NOT fun people. Not fun at all! I pushed the issue and I got all of my check list accomplished. She fell asleep on the way home. At least I didn't have to argue with her to take a nap!

Next we were off to Ben's moms for a great dinner. She had a fabulous spread. The best part was, all I had to do was bring some store bought potato salad. Ruby, was the star of the dinner. She showed off all of her tricks and big words. Ben got his key lime pie for dessert instead of a birthday cake. Ben is not a lover of sweets, but he LOVES key lime pie!  We had a great time visiting with the family, but we needed to head on home for party number 2 of the day at our house.

Ben mentioned earlier in the week that he wanted to have people over to watch the basket ball games that were going to be on that night. I thought from the conversation that HE had already talked to the folks he wanted to come. THAT was NOT the case. I was supposed to do it. SO, on Thursday night I was frantically Facebook messaging people to beg them to come. We had a few takers, THANK GOD! So, Ben got what he wanted and I wasn't in the dog house.

Ben had a great time. Tuxedo t-shirt and all! 

 

There he is in all of his glory! Yes, he is wearing a tiara. I forgot to get plates, so we had to use Ruby's princess plates. DUHHHH! He had to wear the crown to match the plates! He was such a good sport!

There's the spread! Ham biscuits, potato salad, fruit, chips and the only other type of sweets Ben likes...CARROT CAKE! Notice the LACK of clutter! Ohh yeah! I've been working hard on the clutter front. Pictures and post are coming soon!

In case you lost track, we are only on Saturday. We still had ALL DAY Sunday! I'll be posting about Sunday in my next post. I've got a million pictures to go through first. And right now, Ruby is begging to go to guess where... the playground! It's just Ruby and me this week because it's spring break, so it SHOULD be a nice relaxing week. Now, if I could just get her to sleep in tomorrow, THAT WOULD BE PERFECT!

Happy Good Friday!

Happy Good Friday everyone!  It is sure to be a great one here. I have all sorts of things lined up for the kids to enjoy today. I stayed up late last night getting everything ready for the busy day.I started by decorating the door and window in the playroom to be festive for Easter and and the letter E celebration! Bells and her mommy loved seeing the decorations when they came up the sidewalk!

 

It just sets the mood for the day! Here are the girls sitting in the playroom talking about the pictures on the window! 

Of Course we will do an Easter egg hunt because E is for Easter and egg! 

And I am all set to dye some Easter eggs. I asked the parents to dress the kids in something that could get dye on it. We'll be careful but with 2 year old children it is better to be safe then sorry!

 Everyone is soooo excited to be here for this E is for Easter celebration! There is singing and playing and it's only breakfast time! Check out K's rendition of Peter Cotton Tail. I would love to say that I taught it to him, but I think he learned it at home or from a video. Either way it's still cute. I wonder if it will still be cute when I hear it for the 20 billionth time.



 I hope you all have a Fabulous Good Friday and an Excellent Easter!

Don't forget to celebrate the true reason for this Easter Celebration. 

Jesus Died and Rose for YOU! What a GIFT! So, find your own special way to celebrate the Lord and the Blessings of life He has given you! This is the day the LORD HAS MADE! We will REJOICE and be GLAD in it! AMEN!

Changing the subject a bit to give you an update on the clutter front. My friend BJNR left me a comment on my post telling about this website called flylady.net. She said it had helped her, so I'm giving it a go. The first assignment was to shine my sink. There were very specific instructions to follow. I did them all and I have to say, I do feel better. Fly Lady said it would be like her hug to me. It would make me smile when I woke up in the morning and saw my shiny sink. She was right! I'll keep you all posted on my Flylady experience and my progress to DE-CLUTTER!

Happy Friday Follow!

CLUTTER! UGH!

Clutter! Clutter! Clutter! It's everywhere I look. It's on top and on the front of the fridge, on most flat surfaces and in many many drawers. I live in clutter. Despite my best intentions and relentless cleaning, it just keeps coming back and each time it seems to grow bigger. The higher surfaces really gather the mess the best. What was clean 15 minutes earlier becomes the place to keep things safe from little hands or banish toys that have been taken away. UGH!

This beautiful island above becomes a drop spot for everything the moment I walk in the door. I really can't blame anyone but myself for most of it. There's the camera bag...mine. There's a coffee mug...mine. There's the phone... I forgot to put it away. Fold up potty seat... I took it out of my purse and it landed there. I think I see poster paper in there... also mine. There are some Ben things too! There are some sunglasses, a home depot bag ( you know that's not mine for sure!), our dog's collar, and Ben's work stuff. So, while I am outing my clutter issues, I do have a little help from those around me.

Clutter and messiness has been a problem my whole life. I remember when I was in the third grade begging my best friend Natoya, to help me organize the inside of my desk. Hers was always perfect. Everything was just where it was supposed to be. Her folders looked brand new even though I knew she had them all year long just like me. She would always help me, but it seemed that within just one day, it was right back the way it started.I would like to blame my messy nature on my creative brain or a genetic disposition to being sloppy, but the fact is I am old enough to know how to do better. You would think so anyway!

I was recently painfully reminded of just how messy I am. I went into a friends house and saw how the other side, the non-clutter side, live. When I walked though the door I was instantly aware of my house keeping short comings. My friends house looked like something out of a Southern Living Magazine. Everything was perfectly decorated. There was no dirt or clutter in site. Even the base boards were immaculate. COME ON!!!! I looked and looked for clutter or mess somewhere, but I swear, there was not a thing out of place. She is living my dream! The clutter-less goal I have been striving to achieve my whole life is in her house!  How does she do it??? I have no idea! All I know is, I don't do it and I want it!

I want to live like that. I want to live in a house where everything has a place and I remember to put it in it's place. I want someone to come in and tell me how to decorate.I want them to tell me what to pitch and what to keep. I want to buy containers and shelves to make things nice and neat and pretty. I want to start from scratch and do it better this time. I dream of the show Clean house coming here and giving me a little boost. My house isn't as bad as the ones on that show, but I could definitely use some organization help.I want Trish to give me all of the containers and help me to sort , Matt to handle putting in all the shelving, and Mark to redesign my house from top to bottom. It would feel like a breath of fresh air to have a clean slate.

Alas! That will never happen. I will have to do it myself. BOOOOOO! I will have to buy all of those containers myself which, by the way, are not cheap. I will have to throw away things I might need later. I will have to repaint my whole house and remove the little finger prints and crayon marks from the walls. I will have to find the perfect couch that doesn't attract my dogs hair. I will have to fix it all someday. I did sign up for this home makeover contest. I have been faithfully checking to see if my number has been drawn. Nothing yet!
I'm still hoping though!

For those of you who live in the non-clutter world, please, do not judge us that do. Most of us want to be like you. Most of us are trying our best to keep this little DIRTY secret of clutter hidden from the rest of the world. I, however have just outed myself to the world and I am feeling a bit naked. Who am I kidding? Everyone who has been to my house knows it  anyway. Shouting, " DON"T LOOK IN THERE!" kinda gives me away! ugh! I remember thinking , " When I am home and not working at school anymore the house will always be clean and the laundry will always get done." That didn't happen. It seems to have just gotten worse.

I'm not giving up! I will defeat this mess and clutter. It will happen someday! I have to believe that I can accomplish that simple task before I go before the Lord. I want to rest in peace knowing that I left my little space of the world clean.  Until that happens though... Don't go in any closets, drawers, or rooms with the door shut. It's just better for us all that way!

We WILL have fun at the zoo!

Last week the kids and I took second trip to our local Zoo! It's a very small family owned zoo. I've been to the San Diego Zoo before and this little zoo is a far cry from that glorious place. However, it serves my kids perfectly. It's big enough to wear them out, yet small enough not to wear me out! I had season passes to the zoo last year because Ruby loved it so much. We went all the time. So, I thought nothing about getting them again this year. I figured we would go once every few weeks, just to see what was new and to review the kids favorite spots. It would be the perfect way to get all my darlings to take a long long nap after lunch and give me a break.

My plan was almost foiled when we took our first trip of the season and it was a bit of a disaster. It seems that my little darling Ruby has developed a new emotion since last year. FEAR! This zoo has a peacock and a rooster that they allow to walk around the park. We saw the same peacock and rooster last year and it wasn't a problem, but that wasn't true this year. That darn peacock and rooster pretty much ruined our trip. It started with Ruby flipping out and then trickled to K and Bells.We couldn't get out of there fast enough that day. I was worried that I had just wasted a ton of money getting the season passes and this kids wouldn't ever want to go back.


Sure enough, when I mentioned going to the zoo again, all three children had remembered the rooster and peacock fiasco and were worried about going back. But, I was determined to have a fantastic trip this time. I was not going to have bought those passes in vain! We piled into my mom- mobile, put in Madagascar to set the mood and off we went to change popular opinion about the zoo!



Putting in Madagascar was brilliant, if I do say so myself. By the time we got to the zoo the kids were looking forward to the giraffes and we were making it our mission for the day to look for the lion and perhaps some lemurs. We got out of the car, checked in and got our zoo treats for the giraffes and we were set. We walked into a very noisy zoo that put Ruby back a few steps. It took some coaxing then some firm talking, but I finally got her down the ramp to the first set of animals. Here is the video. You can see how this might be a little intimidating. K and Bells, were into it and I think that helped eventually calm Ruby down.



We were off to a great start! AND I am happy to report things only got better from there. Next we saw the cutest baby monkey. The mommy monkey was playing with the baby. It was just precious!

Then we found our lion!Which of course we decided to name Alex after our favorite Madagascar lion!

Then another fantastic discovery! Ostrich eggs!

Turtles sunning themselves.What a great learning day we are having at the zoo!Until...

THAT STUPID PEACOCK! I had to try and distract Ruby while we passed by it! K and Bells saw it and picked up the pace a bit. I hurried them along as fast as I could. Ruby saw it after we passed and screamed and ran! OHHH NOOO! My perfect zoo trip was about to be ruined by one dumb bird! 

AND THEN ...

there were two birds. UGHHHHH! This one, I'm not sure what it is., BUT  we found out later he wasn't supposed to be out of his little caged area. NOT GOOD PEOPLE! I had to find something to redeem this day and quick!

THANK GOODNESS FOR THE GIRAFFE!!!!!



You can see the kids weren't that interested in feeding him, but it still saved the day!

The Penguins were a big highlight of the day too. We got to watch them eat their lunch.

Then we ate ours too! I've found that it's best to eat lunch before we go home whenever possible. Most of the time one or all of them fall asleep on the way. So, when I get home it's straight to bed for them and rest time for me!

We talked about our favorite parts. Ruby said hers was the giraffe, Bells enjoyed the monkey's and K said his favorite was the lion! Why am I not surprised? We had a fantastic day overall. I think even with the bird issue, I could safely say the kids would agree!

Here are some more great pictures of the day! 

THIS CRAZY CREW HAD A WONDERFUL DAY AT THE ZOO!

Heart- ache to Heart- full! Prayer and Praise!!!

Today hasn't been the best day. I woke up today with terrible chest pains and some nausea. I hadn't slept well. Between the t.v. coming on by itself twice in the middle of the night (I'm not sure what the cable company is doing, but when they reset the cable the t.v. comes on and scares me to death.) and my attempts to stop the snoring from the other side of the bed, ( "Ben, ROLL OVER!!!") I was wiped out! THEN, even though I could have slept in a little to a big whopping 7:00 AM, Ruby decide 6:00 AM was the wake up time for the day! UGH!

After my attempts to get her to go back to bed didn't work, I gave her some books and made her play in her room until I could take care of business and get dressed. I got about 3 minutes in before she wanted me to let her out of her room. "MOMMY! I ALL DONE PLAYING IN RUBY'S ROOM!" Seriously, I can't get even 5 minutes???? "Ruby, hold on a minute. I'll be there after I get dressed." Did I really think it would be that easy?I must have mistaken her for some other child. "No MOMMY! I ALLLL DOOOONE!!! I COME OUT NOW!" I listen to her holler through her door until I open it. "Hi Mommy! What you doin'?" Deep breath."What did I say Ruby?" "Ummmm, you say you gettin' you dressed. A be der a minute." "That's right. Please don't yell at mommy. Be patient okay?" "Okay, Mommy! I soooo hungry! I want some yogurt."

The mommy's job is never easy. Even though I am not feeling well, I have mouths to feed, diapers to change, time outs to give, and lessons to teach. THE SHOW MUST GO ON. But today was different. I wasn't shaking my chest pain. I wasn't loosing the nausea. I truly felt awful. The down side to doing daycare is that EVERYONE is depending on you. SO, taking a sick day isn't such an easy decision. I had been having chest pains for a while. I needed to go to the doctor. I knew that, but taking the time isn't that easy when so many folks are depending on you. But, I just wasn't feeling right. I had to do something. How that was going to happen, I didn't know.

When Ben came downstairs he noticed I didn't look right. He asked me what was wrong. I told him about my chest and nausea. He said he had a pretty flexible day and he wanted me to make an appointment as soon as I could to go to the doctor. He was going to come home and watch all three 2 year olds while I went. Luckily, K leaves by 11:00 and he would quickly only have to deal with Ruby and her cousin Bells. I got the appointment and a little after 10:00 I left him. What a GREAT husband!

At the doctor's office, I went through my list of complaints with the medical student who was interning and then again for the nurse practitioner. I told them my list of medicines ( It is completely ridiculous that I am taking so many things considering I am only 31years old) and asked if some of the things I am taking are making this happen. The N.P. thought my Metformin (sp?) could be causing the nausea, but she wanted to do some other tests too. First, they did a oxygen test with this little thingy on my finger.Then, they made me run around and they did that test again. NORMAL! 99% and 98%. Next, came the blood work. Usually that takes forever because they have trouble finding a vein, but the nurse today rocked and got it on the first stick! YAY!

Finally, they did an EKG. After the doctor had read the results, the med student came back in. I was trying to read her face as to what her comments might be. I though she would come in and say," Well, the EKG was fine, so we want you to...." But her face gave nothing away. " We looked at your EKG results and there is some concern. Because we don't have any other EKG to compare it to we need you to go get another test done. Don't worry. It's not an emergency, but there is something a bit off." Uhhhhh was all I could think. I'm pretty sure I didn't move or say anything, but my face must have prompted her to continue. "The bad thing about an EKG is that it isn't specific. We know there is a problem, we just don't know what. It could be a birth defect you didn't know about, or your heart just isn't getting enough oxygen. So, here is the slip. The lady at the end of the hall will help you make the appointment. For now, go get a chest x-ray, just to check that too, stop the Metformin for a week and see if you feel better, and when everything comes back, come back and see us and we'll go from there." Okay. Alright. Ummm. I finally got some words together, "So I just take this to the lady at the end of the hall???"

I called Ben and told him what happened. He told me to go ahead and get the x-ray done, since he was already home. He had things under control. I called my Mom, who evidently soon after we hung up, started emailing some folks to start praying. I went to get my x-ray, but had to go back after lunch because they were closed. So, I ran to my parents office and had lunch there with my sister. My Dad was there, and Mom had already talked to him about everything. He was going to the cardiologist because of something similar. AHHH my lovely gene pool. It's not good people! Not on either side! I finally got my x-ray and went home.

Ruby was in bed, but still awake at almost 2:00. I made myself comfy on the couch next to Ben, and that was it. I was out cold. Sometime in there, Ruby fell asleep too! I slept for an hour and a half, at least. My body was done. I needed some rest and time to process everything. So, basically... We know there is a problem, but we don't know what. It's not big enough to put me in the hospital, but it's big enough to make me feel terrible. We know there will be more appointments and tests and I will have to figure out how to handle the daycare when those things happen. Stress, Stress, STRESS! BREATH!

This evening we took pizza to the nursing home and had dinner with my Father-in-law. We had a great time and it really took my mind off of everything, which was exactly what I needed. I am a worry wart. No matter how I try to hand things to the Lord, I still obsess over them. I've been working on that my whole life. I would like to say I have gotten better about letting go and letting God, but that isn't the case. I just can't let things leave my mind until they are resolved. So, that was an up note to my day!

THEN, THE BEST THING HAPPENED!!!!

Twitter Mom of the MONTH!

click on the purple link to see the article!

I am TWITTERMOM'S Mom of the MONTH! HOW COOL IS THAT!

I knew it was coming but to see it in print was VERY exciting! TwitterMom's was one of the first places I found when I started blogging. I love this site. I have made several dear friends all over the place. Everyone has been so helpful with my blogging and every day mommy issues. THIS MADE MY DAY! Thank you soooo much to Lea Curtes-Swenson who wrote this article about me. She took my answers and made me sound much more impressive than I am. But, I'll take it!!! THANKS! THIS was the pick-me-up I needed today!

Thank you to all of you who are dedicated readers and wonderful advocates of my work. Two particular ladies had already given me beautiful blogger awards deserve a special shout out. The author of the blog aplaceforthoughts.com and Mommy Friend Lori over at mommyfriend.com have been a great source of encouragement for me. I find you both inspiring. I look forward to reading and learning from your thoughts everyday. To those of you who haven't checked these blogs out, check them out and spread the word. THEY ROCK! It's moments that these ladies have given me and this amazing write up by Lea, that keep me motivated to be better, do more, reach higher. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

My HEART is fuller tonight. In a good way! Please pray for quick and answers and solutions to make it feel better! Thanks again to everyone for lifting my spirits! 

My Little Gift from God

Happy Friday Friends! It has been a busy but great week. I am grateful for the beautiful weather we've been having. I've been able to be outside almost everyday this week with the kids. While outside, I've noticed a new friend hanging around our house.This amazing cardinal has been joining us everyday while we play.He flies from tree to tree making his presence known. He is VERY loud. The kids and I can pick out his song now and we start looking for him.

I love cardinals. I love their vibrant red bodies and their black masked faces. I also love them because they were one of Naun's( my maternal grandmother) favorite. I can remember spotting them from her window when I was little. She talked about them as if they were some sort of mystical treasure that you rarely see. "Look a here! A cardinal! Shhhh! Move slow or we'll scare it away!" I always feel so special when I spot one, like it is a little gift from God and a wink from my grandmother in heaven. 

This guy isn't scared away by much. He perched himself very close to us while the kids were playing in my driveway. He just sat there and watching, almost intrigued. Yesterday, he was REALLY loud. I don't know what he was yelling about, but we actually hollered for him to quiet down. I felt guilty doing that because this is so cool to have him hanging around. But... it was REALLY loud. He did not, comply. He's a spunky fellow!

We can learn from this little guy!

Let your vibrant colors shine. Don't be afraid to show yourself to the world. Speak up and let people know who you are! YOU ARE A PRECIOUS GIFT FROM GOD!

May you find some spunk to help you get through your Friday!

Love,
Jessica

WHAT DAY IS IT?????? IT"S GAME DAY!!!!

My heart is racing a little this morning. I have butterflies in my stomach. I feel like the day is crawling. I went to bed early last night to make sure I got lots of sleep. The appropriate clothes were set out for the morning. I'm ready!!!!!! You're probably wondering what's going on. Is it a job interview? Am I pregnant? Am I performing????? NO PEOPLE !!!! IT"S GAME DAY!!!!!!! The NCAA tournament is here and MY TEAM the University of Richmond Spiders are headed to the dance!!! WE are so excited. YES, I said WE. Ruby woke up this morning asking for her Spider shirt. THAT A GIRL!

While my husband is an over the top Virginia Tech Hokie fan, I was BORN to love the Spiders. Literally! My father went to UR and played basketball. He was inducted into the hall of fame a few years ago. My sister went to school there too. I didn't, but it doesn't matter because being a Spider is in my blood. I actually went to one of UR's rival schools because the music department there was good and it was much cheaper than UR. HOWEVER, I NEVER cheered for them in basketball. I even went to a game with my classmates and refused to cheer for them. It was almost nauseating for me to even be there. My heart and soul remained true to the Spiders.

My Mom and Dad have successfully raised  three Spider fanatical kids, and we in turn are spreading the love to our children. We always have a great time at the games. I'm sure there are more pictures, but here are just a few with Bells and Ruby.

Here is our SPIDERS Entering the court. I know there are almost NO people in the stands. That's because it was during one of our blizzards. BUT... WE WERE THERE!  WE almost died trying, but we got there.



Here are Ruby and Bells getting into the spirit of things!

There are three granddaughters who are just as thrilled as these two are. We are all a bit crazy, but it's fun!

Here we go Spiders! Here we go! Here we go Spiders! Here we go!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOO SPIDERS!!!!

Happy St. Patrick's day!

Happy St Patrick's Day Everyone! I hope you are wearing green. I am! I was trying to think of how I wanted to tackle this awesome day with my kiddies. St. Patrick's Day is a bit confusing to Ruby in particular. She has an Uncle Patrick so, she thinks it is his birthday. I thought instead of going the St. Patrick route, I would focus on leprechauns and the letter L and the color green.

Sidebar here!I did some research and learned that there is NO correlation between leprechauns and St. Patrick. The reason we always put those two things together is because us crazy American folks decided to jump in on the St. Patrick celebration and just threw in everything Irish  we knew about. Ha Ha Ha! And so, we celebrate St. Patrick, the man who banished snakes from Ireland (I know there is more to it, but I'm too lazy to tell you the rest when I know you can Google it just as well as I can!) by getting dressed up like tiny little people who hoard their pots of gold, and drink green beer! Who am I to stop a party? 

Here is how we celebrated St. Patrick's day at our house! Sorry kids. No green beer for you!

Here is my awesome bulletin board.

L is for leprechaun!!!Here are the leprechauns the kids made. The kids did really well. The ears were a little tricky for everyone. Bell's leprechaun looks a little like sloth from Goonies with his crooked eyes.

We worked on these hats too. They had to match the shapes up. K did an excellent job on this. He got all of the shapes facing the right way!  The kids had a blast with this and it was a fabulous review. 

It was an absolutely beautiful day outside. We played and soaked it in and looked for green things. Luckily there are a lot of green things outside! Here are Bells and Ruby relaxing after a long day of playing.

Ruby's confusion over St. Patrick's Day. Like I mentioned before she has an Uncle Patrick, so it make sense that she would be confused. The other kids just joined the band wagon.

Here is more of the confusion.

Happy St. Patrick's  Day!Oh and Uncle Patrick... I guess you get to have an extra green beer tonight since EVIDENTLY it's your honorary birthday!