Hello? Anyone Post Here?

Hello? Is there anyone out there? I really wouldn't be surprised if you've given up on me....

Life has been ridiculously busy. Not complaining, just reporting.

Here's the low down:

1. The kids are really enjoying being back in public school. I miss them terribly, but know they're where they need to be for now. Dot is super focused on her grades and is setting high goals for herself. I know she's going to be successful. Yakko is rocking his grades, too. He thinks school is awesome! Wakko is making friends like crazy and has become a very popular kid at school.

2. Mindy is changing every day! She talks up a storm and loves to be understood. Her favorite words are "puppy", "happy", "daddy", "Bubba", "milk", "snack", and "mommy!!!!!!". She knows several words in sign language and points to things all the time. She loves to dance, but only at home. She adores babies and everything to do with them. Her favorite time is bath time and she will eat nearly anything if it's in a little ziploc bag.

3. My sweetheart is amazing. He takes care of dinner at least 4 times a week, cleans the house, helps kids with homework, and runs kids all over kingdom-come... and that's after working all day at his full time job! Just this weekend, he fixed weather strips, winterized our yard and front door, and hung our stove vent. I'm one lucky lady!

4. I am teaching six days a week and loving it! Last week I taught 27 hours. The studio has expanded it's programs to include group and private voice lessons. We now offer yoga and Zumba as well! I love my students, my teachers, and my career! The best part; my kids can take all the lessons they want!

5. We have spent a lot of time with Grandpa Bear lately. I know him better now than ever before; three weeks with someone can be amazing!

Life is nuts, but it's good. I am thankful to be surrounded by amazing people who love and support me; that's what life's all about!

Christmas Eve: Christmas part 3

Christmas Eve was super fun this year! Grandpa and Grandma Chatty came over for a short visit, and the kids enjoyed opening gifts from them. Dot was especially excited about the Red Riding Hood! We opened our traditional pajamas and spent time taking silly pictures in front of the tree. It was simple, traditional, and wonderful!

Aunt Kim's Wedding Reception

My youngest sister, Kim, got married! She is a beautiful, talented, smart, amazing woman who deserves all the best in life! She married a wonderful man, Shawn, whom I know will love and take care of her forever. They are so cute together!

It was a pleasure to be part of their special day together. My little ones were able to spend time with lots of family; baby Peanut even met her Great Grandpa and Grandma Smith for the first time! Although I was busy helping with food, music, and kid wrangling, I was able to capture a few moments here and there. Enjoy!

With hope, I will have more pictures to post soon.

Congratulations, Kim and Shawn!

Wakko's and Peanut's Special Day

Wakko is such a great brother! He shared his 8th Birthday with Peanut... she was blessed on his Birthday. Two weeks prior to the big day, we got the all clear to move Wakko's baptism to that day as well; it will forever be a day we will cherish!

Thank you to Nate, Melissa, Sydney, Macey, and Porter for flying out to share this day with us! You made the day extra special. Thank you Melissa for your talk; it was fabulous and super memorable.

Thank you to Grandma Karen for making Peanut's dress and for your talk. They were beautiful!

Thank you to Tiffanie and Grandpa Chatty for the music and conducting. You added so much!

Thank you Maags, Bennetts, Strattons, and Poultons for making the long drive to be here. Your being here meant so much!

Thank you Megan S for transcribing the blessings: what a treasure!

Thank you Ben W, Amy H, and Carolyn N for helping with the food: it was so great having your support!

Thank you Gales, James Family, Rinquests, Neumanns, Watsons, Rachel, Sabrina, Megan S, Mandee Lue, Hamiltons, Alvaro, Alanna, Cedric, and Kim for being part of our special day. I know Wakko and Peanut will always feel a special connection with you because of the time and love you shared with us all.

Fish Lake

Our boys went to Fish Lake over the weekend and had a great time! Yakko caught the biggest fish, a three pound mackinaw, and had a fabulous experience. Wakko kept everyone on their toes with his crazy antics, and Daddy kept everyone's poles fresh with bait. Grandpa and Grandma Bear joined the fun and made the trip even more special for the boys.
After two and a half days of fishing they brought home their limit; a bonus for the whole family. What a great trip!

Great Strides 2009

The Great Strides for Cystic Fibrosis was today; the family had a great time!

Dot

Yakko

Wakko

...enjoying the walk...

Aunt T and Grandma

Dot and her friend at a booth

Wakko and Yakko with their friend at the building table

Yakko building his baseball shelf

Our neighbors/friends came to support this awesome event

Grandpa

Dot and her friend

Wakko and his buddy hanging out in the shade

What a fabulous time had by all!

Weekend Warriors

What did your weekend look like?

This is what mine looked like:

1. "Seussical" call backs. Seriously, I was so proud of my kids! They did a great job. The very most difficult part of all this is the waiting game. Will they get cast? If so, what will they be asked to do? How about my friends? Will they get cast? (Btw... congrats to Candice! You'll make a fabulous "Cat"!)

2. My Sweetheart's brother and brother-in-law came up for the gun show. It was so great to see a sparkle in his eyes when they got talking about guy stuff like ammo, calibers, etc. He loves to go target shooting, and this weekend's visit got his excitement for that hobby right back up. Wakko tagged along with the men to the gun show, and had a fabulous time. There's a remote control flying saucer in our house to prove it. Yes, the irreplaceable decorations in the house have been put away. My brothers-in-law came with a ton of gifts in tow: my darling mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and nieces gave us a whole bunch of baby gifts (wash cloths, towels, clothes, burp cloths, hair bows, blanket, shoes, etc!!!!). They are all so darling and will be put to good use! Thank you so much for it all! Dot, Yakko, and Wakko love the Easter gifts, too!

3. Reloading. I didn't know one could load their own bullets until I met my Honey. He and Dot had a great time with this all Saturday afternoon. She'll be remembering that event the rest of her life!

4. An emotional break down. My boys got into a mega whopper of a fight on Saturday night. It was so hard to hear them saying such horrible things to each other. Today seems to be a much more peaceful day... my fingers are crossed it lasts!

5. Sleeping in on Sunday. I know, I know. We should have gotten up. Well, church is super uncomfortable for me. I am FREAKIN' HUGE! Sitting on the church pews is uncomfortable enough to send me into mega contraction ville. My Sweetheart is still kinda jaundicy, so I was perfectly happy to let him get all the sleep he could. (He meets with the surgeon tomorrow morning... I will let you know how it goes.)

6. Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Have I ever told you what an excellent cook my mom is? Well, she is! She prepared a gorgeous and delicious dinner that hit the spot, and it couldn't have been more perfect for a pregger tummy and sick hubby. Thanks, Mom!

7. Chatting with my parents, my Kim, and her boy. I love Sunday afternoons like this.

8. Watching my Honey nap. We've been married for nearly eleven years, and in those many years together, he's probably only taken 6 naps. I loved watching him sleep.

9. Watching "Three Amigos" with my kids. Nothing beats sharing a classic with the next generation!

10. A visit from Emily and fabulous cinnamon rolls! (She looks so cute with her little pregger tummy.) How lucky am I that so many of my friends cook and bake and share! Thank you for spoiling us rotten! I love my friends and am so thankful for all of you!

11. Reading blogs. I love seeing all the pictures, getting all the updates, and learning more about each of you. Thank you for allowing me into your lives!

Easter 2009

Our family has always enjoyed Easter as a special time of year. The Easter Bunny pulled a trick on us... and hid the kids' baskets! We awoke to one single package of lonely Peeps on the kitchen table and the buckets were missing. Our irritated children awoke us with "the Easter Bunny stole our buckets!!!" Yeah, that was hilarious! Obviously, they were eventually found in weird and wacky places in the kitchen.Yakko was quite pleased to find peanut butter cups in his bucket.
Dot loved the flooding of pink and purple treats.
Wakko liked it all!
Early in the afternoon, Grandpa and Grandma came over for Easter dinner; we enjoyed ham, yams, cookie salad, green salad, and rolls. What a feast!

Grandpa and Grandma spent a good chunk of the afternoon dying eggs with the kids. It was especially nice and appreciated since neither my sweet heart or I were up to it. This is the stuff memories are made of! This was our kids' favorite part of the whole day!Grandpa took pictures, too!See? Getting a picture taken isn't the end of the world! It's actually a good thing... we have a photo to go with a memory! Wahoo!After the cooked eggs were all dyed and dried, it was time to prepare for the big hunt. Grandma brought a bag full of filled eggs that the Easter Bunny had left at their house for our kids; my honey and I filled eggs too, resulting in plenty of loot for the kids. We had the kids play in the front yard while the adults had a ton of fun hiding dyed eggs, filled eggs, etc. in the back yard. This was my favorite part of the day because it reminded me so much of mega egg hunts at my grandparents' house when I was a little girl. Even as I reflect on those memories today, my eyes fill with tears. I am so grateful for my parents and grandparents giving me such fun memories...

Anyway, the kids had a blast trying to find eggs. Grandpa was extra tricky hiding eggs, and Grandma was hilarious! She kept the kids giggling and laughing all hunt long.

When all was said and done, the kids all had mega spoils from the hunt! The adults laughed ourselves silly, and we were all super ready for naps.


After the hunt, we decided it was time to go inside and rest. The doorbell rang, and Aunt T and Uncle Z came over! (I forgot to get pictures... so sad!) Aunt T told us about how awesome "Wicked" was (I am so jealous!), Uncle Z spent most the time on the back porch talking to his family in Miami, and we all just chilled for a while. We learned that T and Z hadn't eaten yet, so we pulled out the ham etc. from lunch with Grandpa and Grandma. After they'd finished up, it was decided that dessert needed to be served. We melted chocolate and dipped strawberries, bananas, and pretzels.

It was a very full and happy Easter for all! We hope your Easter was wonderful, too!