Girlfriends

We had another brunch today. It went well. I am thankful that God has such a handle on details. Heather spoke so eloquently on hospitality. I am challenged to really invest in others and not just perform or "entertain" which is easy for me to get caught up in since I love details. Here are a few fun shots.

Homeruns All Around!!

I was sipping ice tea with a friend this morning having intelligent and thoughtful conversation. When asked about my kids, I sighed and proceeded to, well, complain that they were "grating" on my nerves lately. Well what mom hasn't been there? When I left, I couldn't shake this feeling that I just wanted to feel differently. I didn't want that to be my answer for the day when asked about my children. So I returned a shirt at Eddie Bauer, bought new shoes at Nordstrom's Rack, and headed home. I was determined to make sure that this day would not turn out that way.

A few weeks ago, I found an incredible clearance deal at Target on this Homerun baseball kit. It's been too cold to get it out but Jordan has been so excited for the day we get to open it. Well that day was today. We packed up bikes, scooters, the Homerun kit, and the kids and headed to the park. We had a picnic lunch and then set up the stuff to play Baseball. The kids had a blast. They all got into it. We even had some random people at the park ask to join us. Thankfully, Jordan only gave me one welt on the back of my thigh. MAN...that boy can make contact with the ball!!

Then it was time to get the bikes and scooters out for a trip around the lake. Again a lot of fun. The kids couldn't get enough of all the dogs out today. Some very small and some very HUGE! The funniest event of the day by far though, was Isabella's bike not quite coming to a stop when she got off and it finding it's way into the lake just far enough that we had to literally fish it out. For the record, I did try to run and catch the bike but it came down to me or the bike ending up in that lake and it was not going to be me. The pictures tell a great story! I was laughing so hard and taking pictures that I was totally helpless in getting it out of the lake. But a nice stranger that saw it happen was kind and found a huge branch of a tree for Greg to use.

We tried to go bowling this afternoon but when told how much it cost to bowl at the new Southcenter Acme Bowl we declined. So it was off to Westfield Shopping Center to find the Sweet Factory and treat the kids to CANDY!! That was a big hit of course.

I can most definitely say that I love my children. I love them so much that I chose to enjoy this day with them today. Don't think for a moment that there still weren't moments of whining a bit, or complainig a touch, or siblings driving each other crazy....but we didn't care. Because the laughter and the joy of spending time together far outweighed those futile and short moments.

My Valentine Pretty!

Ladies, don't you just love it when your husband really hears you and then actually does what you asked!! Greg went above and beyond this Valentine's Day. He got me a specific decor piece I asked for in the kitchen. I LOVE IT! It will be fun to decorate it with the changing seasons and holidays. Obviously we went with red jewels first.

Grandparent's Day with Mikayla

Mikayla and Grandma got to celebrate Valentine's day together this year. Grandma got to come to school and have lunch. What a blessing to be back with family again.

Megacooking

I love having meals in the freezer for those days when you just need a dish to put in the oven. No thinking or planning involved. LOVE IT!!

Superbowl Fun!!

Well, it was a Superfun Superbowl afternoon. Although we were all routin' for the Cardinals...it was still a great game. Way too many missed tackles if you ask me. That and their personal fouls were their demise. I'm still the only momma that loves to be a part of the football scene. Missed ya Erin. The 3D thing was pretty lame. We were all jazzed up and then we were like Uh, O.K. Well that was fun. It was definitely a nail biter at the end. Can anyone else say "WHAT FUMBLE?? That was absolutely forward motion on that last attempt by Warner. And is it just me or are the commercials getting a bit too edgy for family fun. My favorite (that I caught anyway) was the Dorito one with the snowglobe. Pretty funny!! Of course the highlight of my evening was getting to meet Natali for the very first time last night. She is so amazing and super cuddly. She slept on Aaron through a lot of jumping up and screaming. That girl is definitely all about her daddy when he's got her! Thanks again for hosting Finnestads.