Grateful Sunday

Sometimes this weekly list is hard because the same things pop in my head. Maybe my life is too monotonous. Here's a few:

• I'm grateful for spell check. I had trouble with monotonous.
• I'm grateful for thoughtful friends. I have had several people tell me they are praying for our family to sell our house. I was very touched by that.
• A working car. A couple of weeks ago the check engine light flashed on the minivan. It happened on a Saturday when Brad was driving. We drove to the mechanics and asked about it. They were able to fix it on Monday. I absolutely HATE car trouble (one reason we usually buy a new car). This was relatively painless. Brad dropped it off Monday morning. Their shuttle took him to work and picked him up at the end of the day. And it only cost $300 which I was grateful for. Could have been a lot worse.
• Recipes. This sounds silly but I have been so bored with making the same food over and over. I went through my hodge-podge of recipes that I have acquired over the last couple of years. I think I might try something different for a change. (If you have any good ones, pass them on!)

Okay, I'm tapped out for now and Ben is screaming in his bed. He usually goes down so nicely so I'll end with saying I'm grateful when kids go to bed without fussing because it doesn't look that way tonight.

Let's cross our fingers that Emily and Sam are already asleep.

Emily is the Best!

One of the frustrations of having a house for sell is that I feel like I have to have the house looking perfect every time we leave. Yesterday I was talking to Brad on the phone debating whether or not to mop the kitchen floor before we went to story time at the library. We decided that the chances of a showing in the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday was slim. Brad told me to relax, let it go, or else I would go crazy.

Well, just as I was telling the kids to get into the car, the phone rang. It was a realtor who wanted to show our house (while we were at the library). Frantically I tell the kids we have a showing and we can't go to the library yet. Fortunately, I had everything "show ready" except the kitchen and living room floor. As I'm grabbing the mop and mentally calculating how long it will take to tidy up and can we still make it to story time, Emily comes to me and says, "Mom, what can I do to help?" Oh, my heart filled with joy and relief. With her help I knew we could probably make it. She cleaned the entry way and vacuumed the living room floor while I gave the kitchen a quick mop. Then as I was finishing up, she carried Ben to the car and buckled him in his car seat and had Sam do the same.

We got the house ready and we were only a little late for the library. I'm so grateful for Emily's willingness to help. When the call came, my first thoughts were that the kids would complain about missing story time and/or get in my way while I hurriedly cleaned up. But it went so smooth and I was able to leave knowing that the house looked pretty good. They didn't complain about being late and cooperated while we rushed into the library.

Here is a picture of Emily reading a story to Ben. When did she grow up?

Happy Birthday Ben

This weekend Ben celebrated his 1st Birthday. I can't believe he is a year old! To help him celebrate, Emily made him a birthday hat. Isn't it cute?We gave him a few presents. Emily and Sam piled them on top of the couch pillows (I'm not sure why...)He was so adorable opening the presents; although, his brother and sister had a hard time not helping too much help. He loved the tent house. He crawled in and out and looked out the windows.
But his FAVORITE toy was a play phone. I picked this one up on clearance after Christmas knowing Ben would like it. HE LOVED IT! Ben loves phones and to have one that he can push the buttons and have all to himself was so exciting for him!
He would not put the phone down. He knew just what to do with it. He "talked" and "talked" and "talked" and loudly protested when Sam and Emily wanted a turn. It was so fun to see him so happy.
On Sunday we had a few friends over for dinner and cake and ice cream. Ben had a little help blowing out the candle (do you like Sam's Spiderman hat?). He obviously enjoyed his slice of cake.

Sam was more than willing to share his ice cream with the birthday day. (Do you see their matching shirts? Sam loves to dress the same as Ben.)Happy Birthday Benny! We love you so!

He's So Proud of Himself

Today during conference Brad had Emily and Ben on his lap. Somehow Ben flipped his head and bonked Emily in the face. She started to cry (he's done it to me before and it really hurts). I was holding Ben as Brad was comforting Emily. Ben looks over at Emily and Emily cries out, "He looks so proud of himself!"

It was really funny! Maybe you had to be there but Brad and I found it quite hilarious.

Grateful Sunday

I almost forgot to compose this week's post. Here it goes:

• I'm grateful for TiVo. As Brad and I tried to listen to conference, we kept saying, "Be quiet-we can't hear." I think I will listen to it again later.
• I'm grateful for friends. We had a small dinner to celebrate Ben's birthday. It was fun to spend some time with friends who are like family. I wish we could have invited more.
• I'm grateful for a clean house. It has been really difficult keeping the house as clean as it has been (due to showings) but it is totally worth it. I love living in a clean house.
• I'm grateful for nice weather. On Saturday the temperature was actually 60 DEGREES!!!! The kids played with friends outside for hours! (That really helps keep the house clean!)
• I'm grateful for nice neighbors. We don't have a lot of kids in our cul-de-sac but that means they all play together and usually quite nicely.
• I'm grateful our babysitter was able to come at the last minute on Friday night. Brad and I really needed a night out alone.

My Three Girls?

Emily really wishes she had a sister (and a pet) so she uses her little brothers to act out her dreams. Here is a picture of her brothers dressed up as her little sisters (we took it tonight).

The boys are so excited to be a part of her play that they are more than willing to do whatever she wants (well, Ben doesn't really have a choice). I'm sure in a few years Sam will be mortified that he dressed up in "girl" clothes (you should see some of the pictures I have-hee hee). Earlier this evening she had Sam crawling around on the floor with a jump rope leash, pretending he was a dog.

I'm glad Sam is willing to play because there is no way we are getting a pet (who knows about a little sister-or brother-just to clear up any speculations).

Happy Easter

I have been so overwhelmed with the whole selling the house situation and Brad's horrible schedule that Easter was really low key this year. The Friday before Easter Sunday we had our Easter Egg hunt since Brad was home. The kids woke up to Easter baskets filled with toys, games and candy. They had fun looking through the baskets and they couldn't wait to find all the eggs hidden around the basement. It didn't take long for Ben to realize that there was candy in the eggs. He was so excited! On Easter Sunday, our friends the T's invited us (me and the kids since Brad was working) for dinner at their house. It was a fun evening visiting with friends and eating good food. Maybe next year I'll have it more together and we can focus on the true meaning of Easter.