Ellie's First Husband

Ellie: Mommy, guess what!
Mommy: What?
Ellie: See my wing? Brynn gave it to me.
Mommy: Oh, it's very pretty and it fits your finger just right.
Ellie: Yeah and guess what! I have a secret to tell you.
Mommy: Ok...
Ellie: It was my ring for to marry me today. I goed to get married today.
Mommy: You got married today?
Ellie: Yep.
Mommy: Who did you marry?
Ellie: Brayden.
Mommy: Really? Did you wear a fancy dress?
Ellie: Yep. I was a pwincess and Brayden was my pwince and now we're married.
Mommy: Did you hug him?
Ellie: I hugged him AND kissed him!
Mommy: Oh my! What did you do after you got married?
Ellie: We went on our first date and watched a movie! We watched Tangled!


My mom tells stories about my sister in Kindergarten, chasing down the boys. She'd have her friends help her catch the boys and then she'd come along kissing them. When asked how she held the boys down, my sister said "I just sit on their heads." I'm guessing that Ellie did not actually kiss Brayden and I'm guessing that it would come as a complete shock to him if you informed him that he has a wife, but it occurred to me that the age is approaching.

At the very least, we might be witnessing Ellie's first crush. After all, last night when we watched Strawberry Shortcake videos on Youtube, Ellie informed me that Strawberry Shortcake's prince was Huckleberry Pie and that she was Strawberry Shortcake and that Brayden was Huck. That's two days this week she has mentioned his name. And from the looks of it, her style is just like her Mommy's. I was always a sucker for the nerdy smart kids with glasses.

Tid-Bits

I love how Addie pats you on your head to tell you that she wants to ride on your shoulders.

When putting flower barrettes into my daughters' hair, it is required that I use every flower barrette within sight at the same time. I have to hide them ahead of time if I want to limit the number used at a time.

I love how Addie "spits" after brushing her teeth. She lays on the floor while I brush her teeth, swallows the tasty baby toothpaste, then stands up to the sink, leans over and makes a "pa" sound to spit. Good job, baby!

I love how when Ellie was telling me about how much fun it was to help Gramma plant strawberry plants, Addie just nodded her head in agreement with every sentence her big sister said.

I love how Addie will play hide and seak in a restaurant, while holding a balloon. the result is that she hides behind a booth and you can still see her balloon floating above her. You say "where is Addie?" and you can hear a giggle coming from beneath the balloon.

I think it's hilarious that my girls love to wear hats. As long as they're my hats. They refuse to wear hats that actually fit.

Both of my girls LOVE to eat ice. They get it from their Daddy.

I love how as soon as you get a child naked, they can't help but run around squeeling with delight.

I love how brave Addie is. She even goes head first down the slide with no second guessing. Ok... perhaps that's not the best thing after all. But she's brave!

I love how Ellie will offer to let you wear her super soft shirt with her. We haven't figured out how to accomplish that yet, but at least she's nice enough to offer.

I love that when Addie is all tucked in for bed, you can ask her "Can I have a kiss?" and she nods her head, removes her pacifier and puckers up for a kiss. Afterwards, she plops her pacifier back and and closes her eyes.

I love that after falling from a swing Addie, while crying, decides she knows the solution. We walked across the park to get Bun Bun Bear, walked back to the swing, crying all the way there and back. But then she stopped crying, and got right back on the swing, only this time Bun Bun Bear was with her. And she was ready to go.

I love how whenever Addie sees a dog or a cat, she quietly (and with a sing-song voice) says "Hiii!!!" and waves.

Wordless Wednesday

I may hold you to that offer

Ellie loves the movie Tangled. Really, who doesn't? And it comes as no surprise that she has decided she wants to be Rapunzel when she grows up.

Mommy: We need to cut your hair soon.
Ellie: But why?
Mommy: Because it's getting so long!
Ellie: But I want to grow it ree-ah ree-ah long so I can be Rapunzel!
Mommy: Oh you do? Ok, then let's just cut the front part - the part that sticks in your face.
Ellie: Ok. And den I can grow my hair ree-ah ree-ah long like Rapunzel?
Mommy: If that's what you want.
Ellie: I do want dat, and den when it is ree-ah ree-ah long, can you lock me in a tower so I can not leave?
Mommy: I'm thinking that ten years from now that might be a good idea.
Ellie: It is a good idea. Can we do dat please?

Word Games

Addie is starting to enter that fun stage of toddlerhood where she is just barely starting to talk, and I'm so excited about what's to come!

However, the girl still doesn't use her words very often. Her most common words are probably "sdis" (this) and "mo" (more), which by the way always gives me instant flashbacks to when Ellie would say "mo" - I think they must both have the same voice! And then there was the time when we watched a Celtic Women concert and she said "pincess" two or three times. Princess? Really? You can't say Mama or Papa but you can say "Princess?" Come on!

Addie still doesn't call me "mama" or Daddy "papa" even though she knows how to say those words. The closest we get is when she plays the pointing game. She will go around the room and point to each person, saying their name. Pointing to me, she says "Mama." Pointing to Daddy, she says "Papa" and pointing to Ellie, she says "Lala." But get her to call use by name any other time? Good luck with that.

Another game that Addie loves to play is the bye bye game. Mommy loves this one too because it requires very little effort on my part. Here are the rules:
1. Mommy sits on the floor (this is the best part).
2. Addie walks away saying "Ba ba!" and waving "bye bye" with her hand.
3. I say "Bye bye Addie!" and she leaves the room.
4. Addie returns, only to walk past me in the other direction saying "Ba ba!" again.
5. She disappears only to return and repeat in the other direction.
The best part of this game is that I get to just sit and say "Hello!" and "Bye bye!" over and over again. It's only icing on the cake when Ellie decides she wants to play too and we discover a good 20 minute game where they're both happy just walking back and forth and waving.

So... word games are hit. Princesses are a hit. More is a hit. Mama and Papa not so much. At least we get hugs.

Three girls in the household...

... and Daddy recently realized he's never going to be able to wear his own jacket ever again.

My Little Sisters

Have I mentioned lately just how much I enjoy the fact that these two absolutely adore each other?

We recently discovered something wonderful when we go out to eat at restaurants. If we put the girls on the opposite side from us (we used to each sit next to one of them), then we can sit back and relax. They entertain themselves much better than we can. It's a wonderful thing, really. You have no idea.

And I loved their reaction when they walked into a restaurant and had a couple older ladies Ooohh and Awww at their matching dresses...

Ellie blushed and said the obvious, "Dis is my baby. She's wearing the same dress as me."

And Addie stuck her foot out and twisted it from side to side until one of the ladies commented on her pretty princess shoes. Then she stuck the other foot out to show that she had a matching one too. Where did she learn that one from?!?

Wordless Wedneday

A girl and her friends II

Even at this age, friends come and go. Comparing friends from last year, only one friend remains the same... and it comes as no surprise that she is still tops. Ellie sure does love her Brynn. It's so wonderful to see my girl have so many friends.

Ellie's Party (THEN and NOW)

It was a good birthday weekend and Ellie was such a sweet birthday girl (more on that later).

Two years ago Ellie had her birthday party at Bounce Town, and that was where she wanted to celebrate this year. There was no talking her out of it, but I didn't try because I wasn't sure I wanted to take on another big party like last year's. Click on the photo to enlarge it. You might get a kick out of the comparison of Ellie THEN and Ellie NOW. I know I did - especially the method of going down the slide!

Ellie has gotten so big it seems like there is no mountain she can't climb. Ok, that was a little cheesy, but the photos of her and Gramma could not be passed up.

Bounce Town is fun for the whole family! Lucky me, I was the one behind the camera.

Though a dozen of Ellie's friends came to celebrate with her (more photos later), I have to say that it's much harder to take photos of them at this age than when they were only two. Four year olds are MUCH faster and impossible to keep up with, so you'll have to excuse the fact that I'm brushing past the whole "party" thing and moving on to the little sister. How did Addie do at Ellie's Party? Much to my delight, she held her own!

The delightful little girl tried so hard to keep up with her big sister. She loved to bounce with all the big kids around her. But then they'd suddenly decide to go to another bounce castle and POOF! They were gone. She'd try to follow but often by the time she finally caught up to them, they were ready to move on. It was funny to watch and Addie didn't seem to mind because she just liked being amongst the chaos.

And when it was time for food, she out-performed any of Ellie's big friends. She, alone, ate 2.5 pieces of pizza, which was easily 2.5 times the amount that any other child ate.

We love our birthday girl. She had so much fun and was so proud to be four years old. She loved passing out the party favors to her friends and telling them thank you for coming. She was a very polite birthday girl.

It wasn't until her actual birthday that I realized just how sweet this birthday girl was. We decided that the house needed some de-cluttering so we went through Ellie's old toys and picked a bunch to give to "another little girl who didn't get many birthday presents." Much to my surprise, Ellie was completely ok with the concept of donating her old toys. We went through them and she'd consider each one before making a decision and though I would have been happy with getting rid of 1/4 of the toys, she ended up willingly parting with nearly half!

We made a game out of choosing the stuffed animals. We piled them all into the middle of the floor. ALL OF THE STUFFED ANIMALS WE OWNED IN ONE BIG ANIMAL MOUNTAIN. Then we went through and each of us picked one animal that we wanted to keep. We told Ellie to be sure she picks her most favorite ones first. And Daddy and I were sure to pick the ones that had sentimental value to us and we helped Addie pick the animals that were hers. Then we went through and we each picked an animal to give away.

That was the hard part. Ellie did fine, but I think it was more difficult on Mommy and Daddy. Ellie picked to donate some animals we loved and chose to keep some that we thought were obvious "trash." But alas, that's the point right? It's a difficult thing for a child to give up some of her old toys, so why should we expect it to be easy on us? Anyway, I was proud of the birthday girl. She done good. She done REAL good.

So, of course we went out to celebrate! Nana, Grampa, Uncle David, Haydn, Brandy, Uncle Adam and Aunt Erin all joined us for a dinner celebration. Gramma had the wonderful idea of having us all dress in funny hats for the special occasion. I was surprised that everyone played along. Needless to say, this girl is loved by a lot of people, and it's no wonder why.

Dear Ellie Bunny,

You turn four this weekend and I have so much I feel like I have to say to you. Sometimes I wonder if you know how special you are, but other times I find that I do not doubt your self confidence. I hope you are always able to maintain that confidence. In fact, there are so many ways in which I hope you will always remain the same as you are today.

You are so intelligent and are able to comprehend things with very little explanation, yet you also are beginning to understand the rewards of working hard towards a goal. Take riding your bike as an example - at the beginning you were so heart broken about not being able to do it right off the bat, but after practicing more and more, the look of pride on your face now is priceless.

I hope you will always remember that if you put your mind to something and really work at it, then you can accomplish anything even if at first it seems so intimidating. I hope you will always be proud of yourself and your accomplishments.

You are such a fantastic big sister. To this very day you are still so proud to have Addie as your baby sister. In fact, you still refer to her as "my baby" as though there could be no replacement. You are so patient with her and know that there are some things that she just doesn't understand now, even if those same things would be considered "not nice" by your friends.

I hope that you will always be able to give others the benefit of the doubt because sometimes they just don't know of their wrong-doings.

You love to spend time with your sister. From the moment you wake up, you wait as patiently as possible until the time comes when you can go wake up Addie. It's almost as though being the one to first greet her in the morning is a requirement for you to have a good day. Then at the end of the night a hug and kiss from you seems to help Addie go to bed feeling more secure as she closes her eyes for sleep.

I hope that you will always be close to Addie and know that the two of you will always be there for each other. You will be able to lift each others spirits when nothing else seems to work and you will find comfort in each other's never-ending support.

Then once at school, you continue to enjoy spending time with your sister, even if your friends are around. The teachers tell me that when Addie's class comes out to the playground, you always rush over to give your baby a big hug. You also often stay with her and play together even though there is a fence separating the two of you. When her teachers tell you that you should go play with your friends, you quietly say "But I don't want to. I want to stay here with Addie. She will cry if I leave."

I hope that you will always enjoy spending time with your sister and question why you would ever have to explain this to anyone.

You are so empathetic to other people's feelings and love to play a nurturing "motherly" role. Your teachers know that you are a kind child and can trust you to welcome a new friend into the class by assuring that they feel like they belong and are welcomed.

I hope that people will always be able to trust you to be kind to those around you and that this will continue to come as second-nature to you.

You have so many friends at school. Your teachers tell me that you are friends with just about everyone in the class room and I'm always amazed at how easily you can walk up to any child in your class and talk to them as though they're one of your closest friends. You are very popular, but your kindness means you deserve to be.

I hope that if you are to be popular, it will always be for the right reasons.

You are a wonderful best friend to Brynn. Your teachers tell me that she tends to be friends with which ever kids you are playing with, and I've been told that the other kids refer to the two Brynns in your class as "Just Brynn and Ellie's Brynn." But it goes beyond that - You always think of Brynn even if she's not around. Receiving a toy from the dentist, you asked if instead of getting two for yourself, if it would be ok for one to be for you and one to be for Brynn. You love to bring in extra snacks, just for Brynn. It is very important to you that Brynn has her own Bun Bun to keep at school, even though there aren't enough bun buns for everyone else.

I hope that you will always be dedicated to your closest friends and that you will always try to think of ways to brighten their days.

You love reading books! Whether they be picture books or longer chapter books, new books or old books with torn covers and pages, published books or books created by Mommy, it does not matter to you. You just want to read and hear new stories.

I hope that you will always have a love for reading, an escape into new worlds and lives. I hope that you will always know that a book is more than just its appearance.

You are very cautious but brave at the same time. You tend to look at a situation, taking it all in before you jump in yourself. Yet, I think it's this moment of pause that gives you more courage than some of your friends around you because you are usually willing to try new, and sometimes scary, things. You often serve as an example for your friends.

I hope that you will always be able to examine a situation and take a moment to decide how you're going to approach it. This will help you avoid any "heat of the moment" or "knee jerk" reactions. Think before you act and you will act much wiser.

You already have a love for the great outdoors. When given the assignment to take a photo of something pretty, you took a photo of a tree. Whenever you see daffodils, you get excited about how they remind me of you. Whenever you see rainbows, you tell us how they make you think of us. You can sit and watch a mommy bird bringing its young food for what seems like an eternity. On an almost-daily basis, you gather "special rocks" from your playground and present them as gifts to Mommy as though you're giving me diamonds.

I hope that you will always be able to see the beauty in the simple things around you. These things bring Mommy great joy and they do not cost a thing. I hope you always remember that the world is a beautiful awe-inspiring place.

You love your extended family with great intensity. Whether it be Nana or Grandpa, Gramma or Cary, Pappie or Grammie, Grandpa Lou or Grandmommy Jeanne, Aunt Erin or Adam or even Audry and Clive, Uncle David or Aunt Brandy or even Haydn, or Uncle Jacob, you know that you are loved by so many people who have a special place in your heart. You never question the bond you have for these people.

I hope that you will always be close to your family, even if they're extended. This is something that your Mommy has not done well, but I'm sure you can do better.

Your two favorite people in the world are Mommy and Daddy, and you often tell us how much you love us. You even remind us every now and then that we're doing a good job and that you like being our Ellie. We are so proud to be your parents, but it is nice to know that the reverse is true too.

I hope that you will always be able to remind your loved ones that they are special and that you appreciate them. There is so much that goes unspoken and it is too easy to take these things for granted.

Ellie Bunny, you are such an amazing little girl with a very bright future ahead of you. I hope you continue to make your Mommy and Daddy proud, though I have no doubt that you will. I hope that you live life to its fullest and continue to do the things that make you most happy. In the end, those are the right things to do.

I want to thank you for being in my life and for reminding me of all the above.

I love you!
Mommy

My new favorite blogs

Once a year I write a post that is completely random and has nothing to do with my children or husband. I know, it's a shock, but trust me... it happens occasionally. And since my stockpile of pre-written posts is awfully slim these days (hmm... read what you want between those lines) I figured today was a good day to tell you about my new favorite blogs.

But first, let's not forget about the old classics... see my lists to the side... Some don't write in their blogs nearly as often as I'd like them to, but I certainly enjoy their posts when they do have time to write. I have some funny friends!

As for the new blogs...

Me and My Ready-Made is my sister's new blog. I'm so excited that she has started one because she always has funny stories about her "ready-made" family or her experiences at work. She has a handful of posts but I love her style already. This is going to be fun!

To My Wife is a fantastic "blog" where a man has written quick one-sentence posts to his future wife. He is single now, which adds to the "awww" factor for me. Even though I have no idea who he is, I absolutely LOVE this blog. I can totally see it having special meaning to his wife, when the day comes.

Dear Daphne is absolutely touching. Daphne's parents are writing letters to her about lessons they want her to learn as she grows up. The concept is absolutely precious and I think I'm going to steal the idea for occasional posts on my blog... I just have to get past the feeling of my letters not being nearly as perfect as theirs. They're both witty and loving. Perfect, I tell you.

Inner Beauty Project was started when the fantastic Iman Woods (see the photos she took for us on the left) wrote herself a letter when she was suffering from post-partum depression. It has kind of turned into a "movement" of sorts where women write themselves a letter about exactly what they need to hear. Their letters have a way of bringing tears to my eyes.

Gniffer's Gnomes is filled with whimsical stories about little hand-made gnomes that take on personalities similar to real-life loved ones. Ok, ok... so I snuck my own blog into the list of new favorites, but I have to tell you... these gnomes make me so happy! They're just a tiny way to brighten someone's day, and believe me... I'm addicted... I LOVE the reactions I'm getting and the stories I'm creating.

Wordless Wednesday

Raising butterflies

I've always known that Addie would look up to her big sister and want to do everything that Ellie does, but I have been surprised by the extent to which the opposite is true too. Addie is very independent and when she "invents" a new game, Ellie is quick to join in.

Ellie's birthday is coming up this weekend and one of her early presents was a butterfly pavilion. It has been a huge hit already because Ellie loves to watch the caterpillars move and grow (which they do at a surprising speed).

But when we first got the package, Addie decided that the packing peanuts looked better inside the butterfly home. And tiny handful by tiny handful she started emptying one box and filling another. Of course, Ellie joined in quickly and soon all the packing peanuts were in the butterfly home. Silly girls.

When we informed Ellie that we needed to take them back out, she asked why. It just seemed like they had accomplished something perfect with the peanuts so why undo their hard work? I told her that butterflies don't like eating packing peanuts. She informed me that's ok because they're not "budderflies" yet.

Though she has a point, we did eventually get the peanuts out, and the "cadderpillars" are growing quite happily. They're hanging in the corner of Ellie's room so that she can see them whenever she wants. It should be fun.

Niffers can dream, can't they?

So I got this email from a friend of mine who apparently knows me too well. The email simply said the following:

Church made into a home... At least your neighbors are quiet ...

A couple purchased an old church in Kyloe, Northumberland, in PA. They invested a lot of money on the interior, but the exterior remained almost completely intact.

They did more of a restoration, rather than a renovation, which would have cost them 3 times less.

If they had not purchased the old church, who knows what would have happened to it, as it was in very bad shape.

The couple however, adapted the interior, while leaving the outside with the minimum appearance of a house.

And it had the following pictures. Go ahead and drool along with me...

Aww shucks, I love you too

I absolutely love LOVE LOVE how expressive Ellie has recently become with her feelings of love for Mommy and Daddy. Most of the time it's filled with warm feelings of cozy fuzzy good stuff, like this:

Ellie: Mommy, I have a secret to tell you.
Mommy: Ok, what?
Ellie: (whispering in Mommy's ear) I love you so much!

OR... when I watch her concentrate on her fingers for what seems like an eternity before she sets them up to sign "I love you."

OR... the occasional "Mommy, I love you so much it makes me happy." Sigh.

But sometimes it moves into a realm of warm feelings of mush that leaves you wondering how to respond:

Ellie: Mommy, I love you.
Mommy: You do? I love you too!
Ellie: I love you because of da rainbows and trains.
Mommy: Oh.

OR...

Ellie: Look Mommy! Anoder flower! Is dis the one that makes you sdink of me?
Mommy: Yep. (it was a daffodil)
Ellie: And see dis flower? It is purple? It's da one that makes you sdink of Addie, right?
Mommy: Sure. (it was a tulip)
Ellie: Oh, look! I found anoder flower and dis is da flower dat makes me sdink of you! Come look! It makes me sdink of you!
Mommy: Awww... thank you! (it was a dandilion)

OR...

Ellie: Mommy! I know how to be nice to you.
Mommy: You do? How?
Ellie: I love you so much! (and gives me a hug)
Mommy: Oh, yes, that is very nice. I LOVE that.
Ellie: Now can I watch a movie because I love you?

OR...

Teacher: Look, Ellie, your mommy is here.
Ellie: Mommy! Mommy!
Mommy: Hi! How was your day today?
Ellie: Good, but Mommy I have someping to tell you.
Mommy: Yeah?
Ellie: I love you so much I have to go potty!

WOW. That's a lot of love just waiting to burst out (both figuritively and literally, I suppose). I'm a lucky Mommy.

Ellie's Soccer

So we enrolled Ellie and her best friend Brynn into soccer. They're on the same team. I have to say that I'm really surprised by how much I'm enjoying watching Ellie play, though I cried the first time I saw the girls wearing their uniforms because they look so grown-up!

Ellie is doing so well! I've never been athetic or even coordinated, so it comes a surprise to me that Ellie seems to have picked this new sport up easily. It appears as though she's the best player on their team (though parents are strongly discouraged from saying such things). She is often the one who finishes their little tasks during practice first and she even scored both of the team's two points last week! More than that, it appears as though she's one of the few kids her age who understands that you can run NEXT to the player with the ball instead of just chasing him. She plays good defense and even seems to stop running before the rest of the kids realize they've run outside of the field lines long ago.

I'm impressed, but then again she often has that effect on me.

So... some videos are in order, don't you think? Though, sadly, I didn't get any video of her two goals, I did get the next best thing:


Ok, perhaps THIS is really the next best thing:


Or this:


No, really... hear me out on this one... I think the net was placed in the wrong spot! If only it were a foot to the right, Ellie would have scored at least 3 more points!

I do have to take a moment to stop talking about my Ellie, though, and mention someone else's kid. GASP! Yes, I know... other people have kids too. But this little kid was amazing! Tanner is a tiny little boy who KNOWS HIS SOCCER. HOLY COW! He was amazing! Leagues ahead of any other 3 or 4 year old in the entire world (I'm sure). We even joked about whether or not he already has an agent. Where the majority of the kids still focus on kicking the ball in a straight line as fast as they can (regardless of where that line is leading them... as long as they keep going, it's progress), Tanner could actually CONTROL the ball. He was able to jump out in front of the ball he was previously kicking, jump and turn and make it go in the other direction. Instead of just hoping for the goal to suddenly move towards where he was kicking the ball, he would pause for a moment and AIM for the CENTER of the goal. I'm telling you, this kid was AMAZING!

As we parents marveled at how incredible Tanner was (he alone scored close to 6 points - all in the CENTER of the goal) and not-so-quietly hinted at ways to outmove him (hey, my dad always told me "if you ain't cheatin' you ain't trying"), Michael and I wondered if Tanner simply had an older sibling who played soccer too. Perhaps this little sprite will look more like a pro when she's Ellie's age simply because she starts now. It is something to ponder... perhaps she can overcome the clumpsy genes she probably inherited from her mommy.

Wordless Wednesday

Props to my soul mate II

It has begun. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, here is a reminder.

We actually have three or four daffodils now and they make me so happy! I figured it was a good time to do a Tid-Bits sort of post about my Niffer Boy....

I love how Michael encourages me to do or buy the things he knows make me so happy.

I love how cooks us dinner every night.

I love how he drives almost every time we go somewhere together just because he knows I don't like to.

I love that he always thinks of the perfect gift for me and then agonizes over it for months just hoping I don't think of the idea myself and ruin his suprise.

I love how he playfully engages the girls and teases them just enough that they hide bashfully.

I love that he thinks of ways for me to improve my gnomes, again encouraging me just because he knows it makes me so happy.

I love it when Michael randomly sends me a text saying "Niffer, Niffer" to let me know he was thinking of me.

I love how he can see both sides of the story, even if he doesn't agree with one. He is able to at least understand where the other person is coming from.

I love how he is able to talk me down if I'm upset about something. I know that if I'm still upset even after talking to him, THEN it is a big deal. Though this rarely happens.

I love that he knows to get me flowers that make me think of my daughters.

I love that he's one of my loyal blog readers.

I love that he encourages sentimental attachment to things that may not cost much - like rocks or little treasures from our treasure-hunt list.

I love that he just knows when I need a break even before I ask for it.

I love how well we travel together. No drama. No fuss. Just go-with-the-flow-but-see-as-much-as-you-can traveling.

I love that he buys me church windows because he knows I love them so much.

I love that he will still write me the occasional love letter in a card for my birthday or Mother's Day to let me know that I still mean a lot to him.

I love having lunch with him on occasion.

I love how good he is with kids. Take him to Bounce Town and it's not uncommon to see him sliding down the slide with a pile of kids sitting around him at the same time.

I love that I'm still so excited about the idea of growing old with my Michael.

The list goes on and on but my lunch break has ended. I love my Michael and I love my daffodils!

Big Sister Quote of the Day

Ellie: Mommy, are you tired?
Mommy: Do I look tired?
Ellie: Yeah.
Mommy: Oh. I suppose I am.
Ellie: Why?
Mommy: Sometimes it's hard to be a Mommy and sometimes it's hard for me to work all day.
Ellie: Because you miss me when you are working?
Mommy: Yep. I miss you and Addie a lot. But you know what?
Ellie: What?
Mommy: Daddy takes really good care of Mommy so that really helps. Did you know that Daddy takes good care of Mommy?
Ellie: Yeah, like me! Daddy takes care of Mommy and I take care of Addie!

Tid-Bits

I love how whenever Addie sees a pen, she wants me to draw pictures on her hand.

Izzy's Mommy told me about a recent conversation she had with her daughter:
Izzy's Mommy: There are two Saras - Sara M and just Sara. But how do you tell the two Brynns apart?
Izzy: That's easy. There is just Brynn and there is Lori-elle's Brynn.
Too cute. I knew Ellie and her best friend were close, but apparently I didn't fully appreciate just HOW close. It makes me chuckle.

I love Addie's bed time routine, and for more reasons than just that she's so easy to put down. We put on her PJs, read some books, and then the good stuff happens... I ask her to go give Ellie and Daddy a hug and a kiss goodnight. Addie promptly toddles into Ellie's room for hugs and kisses for all. LOVE it.

I love hearing about the grand sleepover at Aunt Erin's:
- Both Addie and Ellie had the only clean plate clubs. Excellent.
- Ellie and Audrey went to sleep late, but it certainly wasn't Ellie's doing. Apparently, a few times, Erin overheard her saying "Audrey, I'm tired now. I need to sleep. Go to sleep now."
- In the mornings Audrey and Clive are accustomed to entertaining themselves until 7:00, but they didn't want to leave Addie out... So all four kids (and stuffed animal friends) piled into the pack-and-play with Addie.

I love how Addie reaches up and holds one of my fingers to walk along beside me.

I love how Ellie STILL calls Addie "My baby." Still. To strangers, to friends, to family... she proudly announces it quite often.

I love how Ellie will hum a princess song throughout the day.

I love how Addie teases me whenever I go in to wake her up. She hides under the pillows and giggles and squirms just a little.

I love how relaxing it feels to wake Ellie up in the morning. I scratch her back for a few minutes and then ask her if she wants to wake up her sister or just rest a little longer. Most of the time she wants to be the one to get Addie up, but sometimes she chooses to stay. But one thing is for sure... "Mommy, dis scratching my back - it's my mostest favoritest thing." So I guess that part stays.

I think it's hilarious how Addie will come up to you, turn around as though to position herself to plop down on your lap, but instead she points to her butt to tell you she has a poopy diaper. Perhaps that's a sign of the end of diapers for us?