Dang, He's Cute

I just wanted to catch one good picture of the kid smiling. He spent a significant time hamming things up...

...before I got this:

He's just the funniest little boy...who melts his mom's heart. (And then he throws a ginormous tantrum and ends up being put to bed early...go figure.)

Fire Station

Ellie's long-awaited field trip finally arrived. She excitedly donned her preschool T-shirt and prepared for a not-so-short walk (in snow) to the fire station.

They got to talk to a fireman, learn about his special fire-proof/water-proof clothes, and even walk through the cab of the fire truck. As Ellie says, it was awethome.

In spite of the cold...it was a fun day.

Safety Is Our Number One Goal

Today I took Curtis to the store to pick out his very own (non-pink) bike helmet. He opted for the very manly HotWheels edition:

The gender-appropriate gear helps compensate for our lack of male-influenced wheels. See?...he's so happy now.

Blossoms

My children have taken turns presenting me with handfuls of "blossoms" every day over the last couple weeks.

They're totally my favorite.

(Oh, and the "flowers" are nice too.)

Happiness

My kids find joy in the funniest little things. Today, for example, their happiness came in the form of two Hammermill boxes...stuffed to the brim with reams of blank white paper.

For the record, that's 10,000 sheets of unmarked canvas. Heaven.

Post Edit: I should mention that my dear husband bought all this paper online for the insane price of $6.50. He's scary when he shops.

Happy Birthday, Dad

Happy birthday! We love you.

(For the record, my dad is more awesome than your dad.)

Down and Dirty

Whenever my kids see that I'm occupied they immediately go for things I wouldn't ordinarily support. Today, while talking with my Visiting Teachers, the girls promptly begun "cooking" up a menu full of mud pies, mud soup, and mud salad in the back yard.

Ironically enough, my boy was quietly riding his scooter through the back yard...without a stitch of dirt on him.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

For the last few months Lindy has been growing her hair out with the goal of donating some of her AMAZING hair to Locks of Love. Today was the big day.

This is Lindy before:

And after:

She is much braver than I am...it was a little difficult for me to watch those scissors in action.

You look beautiful, Lindy. Your mom is so proud. xoxo

Big thanks to Kim (our beloved hairdresser). We love you...and sorry (again) about the chaos I introduced into your home. And your neighborhood.

More Hair

Ellie didn't want to be left out of the action today. She got a haircut too.

Oh, and a sucker.

I Haven't Done My Job

Every once in a while I find myself in a position where my failures as a mom are glaringly apparent. These moments are especially embarrassing (entertaining?) when my shortcomings are announced publicly.

During the lesson in Ellie's primary class today, her sweet teacher asked, "How can we choose the right even when other people try to get us to make bad choices?"

Ellie's response: "We hit them."

And after the teacher kindly encouraged her to rethink her position...Ellie remained firm: "Yup, we hit them."

Sigh.

If Nothing Else, I Inspire Loyalty

Imagine my surprise as I pulled this out of the dryer today:

Why?

No, I'm really asking...WHY?

(Other titles considered for today's post include, but are not limited to, "Loyalty or Vandalism", "Put an End to Graffiti", "Tagging For the New Millennia".)

Just Chillin'

Ian handed Curtis his iPhone today...with a movie. In order to take advantage of the situation, Curtis got into movie-watching position:

Awesome.

(Oh...and yes, his shirt does, in fact, say "Ladies Man".)

Word of the Day

I just used this word.

bed·lam

   [bed-luhm]

–noun

1.

a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.

2.

Archaic. an insane asylum or madhouse.

And it was perfect for today. Frighteningly, nightmarishly perfect.

Easter

Color the eggs: Check.

Provide sufficient opportunity for sugar overload: Check.

Hold a fun-filled Easter Egg Hunt: Check.

Remember to pray for no snow Easter morning: Oops.

The Easter Bunny decided to hide our eggs inside this year. Go figure.

Our "Great" Grandma

My grandma stopped by today. She's an over-acheiver, especially for a senior citizen, and is always on the go. I know of few people that have as much energy as she does (I am not one of them). Somehow, in the midst of all her comings and goings, she usually manages to find a few wonderful moments to stop in and remind us how lucky we are to have her in our lives.

She is especially loved by Lindy (who has missed the last couple visits because of school) and, as luck would have it, spring break made it possible for her to get a little Grandma Radford time...and she was thrilled.

We love you, grandma...and can't wait to see you again.

Seriously Awesome

Our family uses the term "awesome" quite liberally. All sorts of things are "awesome". I often wonder if, in our casual use of the word, we have lessened the awesomeness that is tied up in that one amazingly awesome word.

So, in order to avoid the risk of not adequately describing the awesome awesomeness of my husband, I have to provide concrete evidence of exactly how awesome he is.

You are looking at an entire wall of built-in bookshelves...constructed by my one and only Captain Awesome.

Awesome.