s p o i l e d !!

Today, I got to meet my great friend, Angela for lunch!! She texted me yesterday to see if I was watching kids today and if not, did I want to do lunch. YES!!!! So, we went to the new Mexican place...Chuy's. Um, HOLLA! It was so delish!! And, even better than lunch was that Eric took the afternoon off and told me he'd keep Mags at home. Here's what I came home to:
Too cute!!! And, Scooby Doo was on in the background. That's Eric's favorite cartoon. Ha! What a great Daddy and hubby for giving me a little break in the middle of the day! :)

say wha??????

Today, we are writing about our most memorable moment. I have lots of memorable moments, but this one is the most recent and the one that changed my life...my every day life.

I have this friend. Her name is Gretchen. ;) Over the past few years, she has become one of the biggest parts of my heart. You have those people in your life that you just know will forever be "your people". She is my people.

I know this story has been shared many times, in many ways, but it forever changed me. We were heading to my Mom's pool (which we like to pretend is a day at the spa...except for the darn kids that always splash us!) and when I picked up her and her crew, she was quiet. Bad sign #1. Then she said "I have to tell you something." Bad sign #2. She proceeded to tell me that Paul may be getting a promotion and they may be moving. GULP. From there, there were lots of tears. I mean a ridiculous amount. I knew that even though she said "possible", that this was God's blessing for her family. It would happen. There was no doubt in my heart. Since that moment, there have been lots of ups!...lots of downs :(....and lots of in-betweens. But, how can I be mad that God was giving them HIS BLESSINGS? Even though she is not down the street any more, and I can't just call and say "get yourself presentable...we're comin' over.", our friendship has only strengthened. We still have a daily chit chat time ;) and still blow up the texting on our phones! I am blessed that we still see each other regularly and that we don't even have to see each other to stay close. Sometimes God switches things up...and that's okay. Gives us a good reason to have lots of girl weekends!!

i'm a bow momma

I love bows. I love bows, clips, flowers, head bands, anything of the like!! When I found out I was having a little girl, I was so excited to think of the future "hair fixing". ;) Maggie, on the other hand, HATES anything touching her head! It drives.me.bonkers. that she pulls out anything I try and put in the little bit of hair that she has!!! One day, I just decided I was going to keep putting a bow in her hair and if she pulled it out 50 times, I would put it back in 51 times. Um, that lasted about 30 minutes until my baby girl got her way. Sigh. BUT...today we made progress.
I got a tiny little clip in her hair without her noticing and it stayed there for 30 minutes! Yee haw! This is good progress, people!

She's a mess!!! But, she's pretty darn cute with or without a bow! Ha!

easter

Easter didn't really happen the way I had planned in my head! Maybe that's what I get for getting all freakishly organized the night before!!! I knew I had to be at church at 7 am, which meant I had to leave at 6:45, which meant I had to get my rear in gear around 5:30. So, Eric would have the sole responsibility of getting the kids ready for church. Yikes!! I went into super Mom mode!! I ironed their clothes, laid out socks, shoes, undies, shorts, packed the diaper bag, put the milk and juice cups in the fridge, laid out what they should eat for breakfast, got the Easter baskets ready, sat out everything we needed to take the next day (most importantly, the camera!).....are you bored yet? I am! Sheesh! I went to bed feeling ready for Easter! Here are the kids after opening their baskets! Good job so far, Daddy!

Fast forward about 5 hours. We had almost finished the 2nd service and were part way through the ministry song when I saw Maggie's nursery number pop up on the big screen. Uh oh. I glance at Eric and watch him make his way to the lobby. Good. He's got it under control! The choir stands to sing the last song and as we begin singing, I hear "Psssst. Pssssst...Tracey." WHA??? "Tracey..." I'm in the back row and turn around to see Eric standing behind the choir. I gave him this "do you know that we are singing in front of church?" look. He motioned for me to come out of choir. I excused myself, hoping that it wasn't noticeable. Yeah, right. Anyways, he tells me that we need to get Mags to a doctor...quick. She has a fever and has broken out in a rash. When we got back to the nursery, they had a nurse there that was talking to me. I didn't really hear what she was saying. I was focused on Maggie...trying to figure out what the heck was going on! She was beet red and felt very warm to the touch. Another nursery worker rushed to get Levi for us and we headed off to Urgent Care. I just prayed the whole way that she was okay and the LORD heard my prayers. By the time we got there, she was fever free and the rash had started to fade a little. They checked her out all over and said it must be a little viral bug or maybe even that she got overheated and her body kind of "freaked out". Praise God for watching out for our baby girl. :) The funny thing is that there were several stories going on back at church about what happened! Gretchen called me and said something about her getting a bug bite or having a rash..... I just laughed and said that by the time church was empty, she'd be diagnosed with Polio! ;) Kidding!! I was thankful for everyone who checked in on us during the day!!!

Now, on to the good stuff!!! Because of the action of the day, we didn't make a stop by the house to pick up the dessert I made or the camera! So, I got NO PICS of my babies on EASTER! Just horrible! So, I stole these from my sister. The kids looked cute in their matching clothes! Mags was a MESS after all the prodding and probing at Urgent Care, so this is the best we got!

Some things are just way more important that cute frilly socks, white shoes with bows, and cute hair clips! My babies are happy, healthy and lovin' life! My family is tre fabulous. And, I worship a Risen Savior. What else matters?!!

eggsciting

I helped my neighbor, Natalie, start watching kiddos this week! Let's just say it was WAY out of my routine! ;) I guess I had set my mind on worst case scenarios...but, all in all, it was a very smooth week! I was exhausted by Friday, but I think that will get better. Right now, we have 4 kids (other than our own 5!!) one day a week and 3 kids two other days a week. Confusing, huh?!! So, we actually have two days off during the weekend. I hope it continues that way.
I picked up a few kits to dye eggs and we did that on Friday afternoon. It went well. Here is a group shot!

And, some finished dino-eggs (before the stickers got added!)

Levi's finished eggs. Too cute!

I am so thankful for this time home with my kids!! It is hard to believe Levi will be gone all day in the fall, so I am trying to soak up this time!! Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter tomorrow!!! I am excited to CELEBRATE the RISEN SAVIOR tomorrow!!

just breathe...

When it has been one of those days when I feel like there are so many questions...and things are out of sorts...and I am exhausted...and I just want to click "do over"...on days like today, it is so nice to see this:
and this:

and just breathe and know that God has given me two of the greatest blessings on this planet and everything is just as it should be.

maggie vs cereal bar

Maggie won! ;)

sister wives

This is Paul. These are his wives.

These are their children.

Okay, yes, I am teasing!! But, that's how it felt walking in to Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday!! ;) Jami and I loaded up the little peeps and headed down to Bowling Green to help celebrate Hope's 4th birthday. It was a GREAT trip!!! I'm so glad we went. The kids all did really well traveling...much better than I ever thought they would! They all played together nicely while Jami, Gretchen & I chatted it up (and Paul too)! Levi wanted to stay the night with Pierce and cried when we left for home. SO sad!! I wanted to cry, too, because I miss my bestie more and more each day. But hopefully there will be many more trips in the near future!! We had so much fun...I'll let the pics speak for themselves...

Thanks, Hopie for letting us share in your special day!! We love you very much!!

while mommy's away, the kids will play!

While I was at choir last night, Eric took the kids out back for some swinging. Eric's Mom and our niece, Megan stopped by, too!! This was the first time Maggie has been out to swing. She's getting sooo big! This picture is for my MOM. It is a picture of Maggers without her paci... Now, let me explain! My mom sent me a text earlier this week that said "In 95% of the pictures on your blog, Maggie has her paci in. She looks like one of those girls who always sticks out her tongue in pictures. Lose the paci for the pics." Ha! So, this started a 'Paci War'!! I texted her back and asked if she was saying Maggie needs to give up her paci. She replied that I took Levi's away at 9 months old; Maggie is 11. OY!!

So, last night, I'm sitting in our choir dress rehearsal and I get this text from my brother:

"Griffin told me there is a kid in his kindergarten class that brings a pacifier for snack time."

and this text from my Dad:

"I was helping unload buses at NW High school and a freshman had a pacifier."

Ok! So, they were all together and my mom was trying to be funny!!! POINT TAKEN. We will talk about taking the paci away from the POOR little innocent child! ;)

If you have any great paci advice, I'd love to hear it!!

two firsts

Levi got new shoes last night and this morning we worked on how to tie them (all.morning.long.). He did a pretty good job on his first attempt!!! :) Also, Levi wanted some gel for his hair. This was his first time fixing his hair for school. ;)

in the eyes of a child

I bragged on Maggie taking a few steps this morning, so now I have to share a little story about Levi. I am constantly amazed at the mind of a child. When we left to take Levi to school, this is what he was playing with: Now, let me explain! He was sitting at the bar and wanted to play "Jesus". I wasn't quite sure what he meant when he said that. So, as every good Mommy does, I acted distracted, doing stuff around the kitchen while totally eavesdropping!! I saw the toys he got out and I wanted to know what "playing Jesus" involved. In my mind, I was just praying that he was going to be respectful. It turns out that he was reenacting the crucifixion. Now, some things were a little off base...like the horse pulling the wagon and a ladder up the hill (a shoe box), carrying the cross (made from Lincoln Logs). The soldier (a cowboy) was carrying a machine gun. ;) But, everything else was pretty close. Levi had the soldier use a hammer and a mallet from his firetruck toys to nail Jesus (a fireman) to the cross. I couldn't hear everything he was saying, but Jesus was telling the soldier that he was not a bad man...that he was God, and if he believed, he would go to Heaven. I am so thankful for Levi's heart and how he loves to talk about and ask questions about Jesus. :-) I want him to always remember how much Jesus loves him.

big girl

Guess who took two steps last night?? That's right!! Maggie May took two steps...and then another one...and then two more. Of course, she fell down right on her rear after taking a couple of steps, but she'd get right back up and try again. I forgot how much I love this stage!! Trying new things, getting excited when we are all excited, crawling around the house babbling in her own language, doing the backward "bye bye" wave, resting her head on my shoulder acting like she's sleeping....so sweet!

And, along with the sweetness comes little tantrums when someone takes something away from her, whining when she wants something and you have no idea what it is, constantly pulling things out of drawers and leaving a trail of disaster behind her... BUT, I wouldn't trade her for the world.

party hearty

This weekend was full of parties!! Saturday, we celebrated my sister's girls' birthdays (is that proper grammar???) and had lots of fun! My sister is such a great hostess. She had a big dinner for everyone - burgers, hot dogs, baked potatoes, mac n cheese, baked beans and salad! Shew!!

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY, BAILEY & HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY, CASEY!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Here are a few pics I stole from my sister Me, Mags & my sister

My mom, me & Mags

Sunday afternoon, we celebrated my niece's 11th birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEGAN MACKENZIE!!! Eric's side of the family met at Tumbleweed to eat a late lunch. It was OH.SO.GOOD. Levi loves hanging with all of his cousins!! After we got home, we got to have some outside play time. :) It was a great weekend of some fun family time!!!

pb&j, shopping and bats

Any day shopping is a good day, but getting to shop with my Mom is a great day!! :-) This morning, the kids and I headed to Corydon to spend some time with our friends Melanie, Corbin and Addie. We had a really fun time. Melanie and I got to do lots of catching up while the kids all played. Maggie became fast friends with Melanie...crawling to her, sitting on her lap and smiling at her. It was really cute! We had pb&j for lunch and played outside some. I didn't take ONE picture! I was so mad when I realized it. Thanks, Melanie for letting us come hang out!!!!

After lunch, the kids and I headed to a few stores. We picked up some fun birthday presents for Bailey & Casey (we celebrate their birthdays tomorrow!!) and then headed to Papa's. Mom and I decided to make a quick trip to the outlet mall (yee haw!) and my dad offered to keep Levi. (Shopping...or...tractor rides at Papa's....shopping...tractor rides...the decision was easy for Levi!) Maggie did great and chatted it up with anyone who would look her way. ;) She's a ham!! I always have a good time with my mom, but we both talk each other's ears off and the trip goes way too fast!! Maggie got two new dresses and I can't wait to put them on her. Oh, (chasing a rabbit...) did I mention she's on milk now and done with formula? She's done great with the transition and my bank account is happier!

We got home pretty late and it was way past Levi's bed time. Eric hadn't seen him all day, so he laid down with him so they could have some snuggle time. Eric came downstairs after Levi fell asleep and was laughing so hard. He said Levi talked and talked about his day and then got really quiet. Eric thought he was sleeping and he started to get up, Levi rolled over and said, "Dad, did you know that bats are nocturnal?" and rolled back over and went to sleep. I love that little boy. ;)

movin' on up

I only teared up twice today. So proud!! Now, when August gets here, it will be a different story!!!!! ;) I registered my baby boy for Kindergarten today. He is getting so big! He was such a little Eric as he walked through the halls, waving at the teachers, giving a shout out to each friend he knew from preschool, showing me where the water fountains and bathrooms were...Oy! He's too big for his britches! He is super excited about going to Kindergarten and hopefully I will be excited for him, too...when August gets here! For now, I'll hold him a little tighter and love on him a little more. ;)

when you gotta go, you gotta go!

Yep, one good thing about having a little boy is letting him go potty pretty much whenever he needs to! ;) Tonight, we went on a little walk around the hood and ran into our neighbors. :) There are some new homes going in behind us, so we let the kids play on some of the construction vehicles. They had a BLAST!!!

And Maggie was just happy to have her feet to look at. ;) Love me a barefoot baby!

After playing hard outside, we headed in for baths and some down time. Maggie is so cute when she is standing up! I just know she's going to take her first steps soon. I keep waiting and waiting and waiting....

Fun facts for the week:

• Levi got his report card and did great! His teacher had lots of wonderful things to say and I was a super proud momma! He is very attentive, polite, helpful and very bright. OF COURSE!! ;)


• Maggie got two new teeth this week. That makes a total of 4! She has 3 more coming in.


• Levi likes carrot sticks now because his friend, Aiden at school eats them.


• Maggie is SO CLOSE to walking!! I am dying for her to take her first step. If she does it while someone else is watching her, they better not tell me!!!!! ;)

lovin' my kids!

We had a really fun weekend!! After Griffin left on Saturday, Levi and I had some together time while Mags hung back at home with Daddy. I love one on one time with Levi! We were supposed to go to a play, but the reservations got messed up, so we went for milkshakes. Um, in my opinion, way better than a play! ;)

After we got home, Eric had planned a little night out for us. Like a real date. :O Woot! I don't know if I've mentioned this on the ol' blog before, but Eric and Bob (our across the street neighbor/friend) have been helping Todd (our cul-de-sac neighbor/friend) with his DJ business! They spend a lot of Saturdays at weddings, dances, proms, galas, you name it, they've done it! Check them out here! Ok, that's my plug. So, 'Easy E' planned a night out. He even called to line up a sitter. :) Todd wanted to take everyone out as a "thank you" for all the guys help lately. He and Natalie took us and Bob and Jill to Red Lobster for dinner and then to a movie. We saw Lincoln Lawyer (which I kept calling Lincoln Logs...go figure!) and I really liked it! It was such a fun night. :-)

Then, yesterday after church, we spent the entire day outside in the GORGEOUS sunshine! It felt oh so nice! I even got red on my arms and nose! Time to break out the sunscreen. My kids love, Love, LOVE being outdoors, like most kids do! Makes me excited for the days ahead!!

Back to the grind today. Laundry, picking up....but it is more fun to do with the windows open! ;)

boy time

Yesterday, I went to my sister-in-law's to go through some of Emily's clothes for Maggie. Oh My Word. That child had a ton of clothes!! I took 4 garbage bags full (sizes 2T to 4T) and there were still 2 totes and a few bags left over. I felt like I was taking everything she had!!! :-) Love hand-me-downs. Thanks, Jen!!!

After my back hurt from bending over (ha!), we headed to a consignment sale in New Albany. I got Mags two a-dorable swim suits for this summer, a "birthday girl" shirt & shorts, a cute sweater for next year, tennis shoes and sandals all for 20 bucks! My kinda shoppin'!! I got ambushed by the boys asking about spending the night. ;) So, Griffin came home to spend the night with us. They were super good! Usually Levi is in bed between 7:40 & 8pm, but I got a wild hair and let them watch tv in bed till 8:30!!! I know, right?!! I'm waaaay cool! They were both passed out by 9ish and UP AT 6:20! Oy. Right now, they are shooting guns, playing their DS's, flying helicopters, and discussing whether they could lift a train. Levi said they could if they do it together and Griffin disagrees. He said they couldn't lift a train because they are too young. What Not To Wear nominees? Hmmmm... ;)