Seeing Green

I like green. It is a refreshing color that evokes memories of spring, summer and of course, St. Patrick's Day. My kids (& I) needed to enjoy a day of relaxation and togetherness, so we decided to celebrate "green" to it's fullest this year. We made green shamrock shaped pancakes for breakfast and then headed to story time for what I hoped would be stories about leprechauns, rainbows and gold. Story time did not disappoint. Emma and Nathan loved the stories and enjoyed fishing for shamrocks and gold (rocks) when story time was over. The added bonus was seeing all the kids and their moms dressed in green. Very cute and festive!

We decorated the house with 4-leaf clovers made out of balloons and made leprechaun puppets. All day Emma kept asking when the leprechaun was going to arrive. Finally, he arrived around 2:00, leaving "dust" from the doorway to the table. The "dust" lead to a large bowl of "dust." Add some milk and it makes a delicious treat (a.k.a. pistachio pudding). Emma asked if we can tell the leprechaun to leave the little brown specks out of the "dust next year."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Overrated

Cups are overrated. Who needs 'em?

Pay it Forward

A few days ago I decided to play along with this "Pay it Forward" chain on my friend's blog. She is so prompt that I got my cute gift in the mail today. It was fun to open the mailbox and find a package addressed to me. It made my day.My very own made-with-love journal/notebook! Isn't it cute? I love it and it is perfect for me since I love to write in my journal and have written in it at least 3 or 4 times a week for over two years. I needed a new one.

So this is how it works if you want to play along and get a warm fuzzy from me (please note that I most definitely will not be as prompt as my friend)..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this will receive a hand made gift from me sometime during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Winners must post this challenge on their own blog, meaning that you will pay it forward, creating a handmade gift (anything) for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway! Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift. When you receive your gift, blog about it! If you are not one of the first three to comment on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! It's all about paying it forward.

Valentine's Dance

Only a few select individuals received hand-made (by Emma) invitations to our first annual "FAMILY-ONLY VALENTINE'S DANCE." Our dance was quite typical of other dances featuring young attendees. Everyone dressed in their best attire, the music had to be adjusted a few times, dessert ended up all over the fancy outfits and the boys and girls cried when their partners wanted to dance with someone else. Emma wanted to dance only with Dave and Nathan wanted to dance only with me. In the end, Dave and I made a deal with our young ones. We got to have the last dance together. Life at it's best. I want more of this.

The Month of Love

Despite the obvious fact that my blog has been sorely ignored for almost a month, Valentine's Day did not go unnoticed in our home. We started early. The first Friday in February was date night, a very special date night. We went out to eat as a family and then...Dave and Emma had a daddy-daughter date while Nathan and I had a mommy-son date.

Emma was beyond excited to get dressed up cute for her one-on-one. Daddy and his date went to see the movie Madagascar II and then found a place to buy a giant pixie stick.

My date and I did something less conventional. We found a giant aquarium and stared at large fish. Nathan could not have been happier wandering around Cabela's. Both dates were delightful and full of memories.

Impossible

Last weekend while visiting my parents in Idaho we attempted the near impossible, getting six adorable, happy, wiggly, energetic cousins and their grandparents to all look at the camera at the same time.

"Grandparents bestow upon their grandchildren
The strength and wisdom that time
And experience have given them.

Grandchildren bless their Grandparents
With a youthful vitality and innocence
That help them stay young at heart forever.

Together they create a chain of love
Linking the past with the future.
The chain may lengthen,
But it will never part..."

~Author Unknown~

I am grateful for loving grandparents that shower upon my kids all that makes grandparents special-attention, hugs, good examples, kindness, stories, life lessons and most importantly, love.

Purchasing Peace of Mind

Did you know that Wal-mart has greeters at 5:00 AM even though the parking lot is virtually empty? I guess they want those crazy moms who have to make 5:00 AM trips to Wal-mart for peace of mind feel not so crazy. When I say "peace of mind" I am actually referring to the Cozy Tot Crib Tent. At least I'm hoping that the on-line reviews are correct and when I use this tent my child will stop wondering around the house at night, start taking naps again, and be safe in the process. Unfortunately Wal-mart failed me. They don't carry this lovely tent in the store. I called three other stores between 6:00 AM and and 10:00 AM and finally found one at Burlington Coat Factory. We hurried down there to make sure no one else got to the last one before we did.

At about 4:45 this morning I had had it with worrying and getting no sleep. Nathan started climbing out of his crib around Christmas time. Worried about his safety and not really thinking about other options, we converted him to a toddler bed. It was not such a fun experiment to have a 20 month old with this kind of freedom. We tried putting a gate up in the doorway, but to no ones surprise Nathan climbed over it on the third day. I'm hoping my new purchase will deter the little climber and that I can get back some peace of mind...and some sleep.