Birthday Success!

Ainsley had a lot of little helpers blow out her candle with her.

And she got her first Zhu Zhu pet today. So fun! We got home at 1:45 and it is now 3:16. I haven't seen them. They have been in their room playing Zhu Zhu pet, flying pegesus, and they have many pieces of paper that are decorated with stamps (they have been coming out to show me their creations).

Thanks Aubrey!
Hugging Alex.
This is one happy little lady! Thanks everyone for making her birthday a special one!

Party Time!

My good friend Jena said we could have the party at her place. I was thankful because we would have been cramped at my place. It worked out great! Thanks Guy and Jena!

Guest List:
Lily and Lincoln Fish
Aubrey and Eva Lenahan
Ella and Will Quinney
Izzy and Alex Secor


First on the agenda: Lunch
Second: Pinata
Third: Cupcakes and ice cream
Last: Presents

Lunch was nice. We got the kids their PB&J's and then moms and dads took their pizza into the dining room and enjoyed some chat time.

Then the pinata. It was HOT outside, so we just had Chant stand on the stairs and hold the pinata over the banister. It was the string kind, so they each took a turn pulling one string and then the second time around they all grabbed one and pulled at the same time.

The kids waited so patiently for their turn. I was impressed. (Pic above: Eva, Aubrey, Ella, Lily Anisley, Brinn is cut off, and Izzy)
Everyone scrambled to get the candy when the pinata came down.
Enjoying the goods!

Birthday Celebration Preparation

My Ainsley Girl turns 4 next month. Chant and I decided that 4 was a good age to start having friends over for birthday parties. But this year we will be in Idaho for Ainsley's birthday. The poor thing was devastated. I told her that we could just have her party early. So today was the lucky day. I have spent the week planning and preparing. The food preparations got underway last night. I baked the cupcakes earlier in the day and after the kids were in bed Chant and I started the decorating assembly line. Ainsley wanted to have a puppy party. One of my good friends, Angela, has an amazing book with any kind of cupcake you could possibly want to make. Of course they don't look as good as the ones in the book, but I was pleased. In case you can't tell, the top ones are Chihuahuas and the ones below are black labs.

For lunch I made PB&J sandwiches in the shapes of puppies and bones and served them with chips and apples. I think they were a hit. Everyone ate anyway!

Quiet Time

Naptime is like my sanctuary. It is the one quiet moment in the day I have to regroup. But Brinnley will be starting Kindergarten in August and even though she actually does sleep, I need to get her out of the habit before school starts. And Ainsley, let's just say she wouldn't be too upset if she didn't have to take a nap. So Tuesday started Quiet Time in our home. For one hour they are to stay in their room and play quietly. And so far it has been a huge success! We only had one day where the stay in their room part didn't work so good. Yesterday afternoon Ainsley wanted to play the Leapster. She got it out, turned in on and within a minute she was out. But oh boy did she sleep well last night!

Sisters

The last time I was home was in August/early September last year. I have been homesick in these months, but the worst was in January and again in April when my Dad had health problems. I wanted nothing more than to be home. A good close second was last night. I missed my brothers and sisters-in-law so bad it hurt. I just wanted a hug from them. I have been blessed with the most amazing sisters-in-law in the world!

Tracy has been a part of our family the longest, 16 years. Tracy's birthday was yesterday. Happy Birthday, hope it was a good one! She is an amazing cook. She can make the most amazing things from her food storage. It's truly a skill. She is so frugal and can make their money stretch. She is gentle and sweet. She is an amazing mother and wife. She is always doing things for other people, even when she has her own problems and needs the service. She has a huge heart. I have so many wonderful memories with Tracy, including a trip to Hawaii, many Women's Wild Weekend adventures, and shopping the day after Thanksgiving just to name a few. I love you Tracy and I am so glad you are my sister. Thanks for being such a wonderful example to me. You are the one who taught me to keep a journal and I have faithful done so since the summer Lance was born. Thank you for all you do for my brother and for raising such beautiful children. I love you!
Dear sweet Christi has been a part of our family since 2006. Our family would not be complete without her and her 4 wonderful children. We love them so much and cannot imagine them not being a part of us. Christi is an amazing person. She is a hard worker. She is smart, caring, and loving. She is always doing things for people. She loves fall colors and has the best style, always wearing cute necklaces and bracelets. She was my inspiration to branch out into the accessory world. And her sense of style extends into the way she decorates her home. She always has the wheels in my head turning when I go to her beautiful home. She would do anything for her kids, and does. Christi, you are an amazing mother and I have learned so much from watching you. Thank you for willingly joining our sometimes dysfunctional family and for making it better! We love you so much Christi and we are praying for you.
Jen is amazing! I remember the day I met her I was so nervous I wanted to throw up. I mean come on, in order to be related to Chant you had to be pretty awesome. And she is! She is so talented. She has amazing showcase talents, like singing, but then she has other talents that I admire. She is true to herself. She does what she thinks is right. She is loyal. She is talented at helping people work through problems, I know, she has been my shrink a time or two. She is thoughtful and caring. She knows how to have fun. She loves garage sales, like me. Can't wait to hit a few with you! She loves to wear hats, which I love about her. We cannot wait to live closer to you and be able to do things with you. Thinking about it makes me excited!
Kristy is my comic relief and my spiritual giant. I lived with Kristy for a summer while Chant was on his mission. I am so thankful for that time because I learned so much about her. One of the memories I dig up when I am in need of a good laugh involves her and a bat, the kind that flies. Another good one: her, my mom, and a funny story about a hard roll. Always does the trick when I need to smile. And believe me, being with her in person is even better. She has the kind of laugh that is infectious. And it comes so readily. I love that! Kristy is so in tune with the spirit and she can find the purpose and lesson in anything. She is a very positive person. She doesn't like to be hot, like me. Finally someone that can relate! We love you Kris and are so excited to see you in 6 days.

I am so blessed with such beautiful, inspiring women in my life. I love you all and am so grateful for the examples you all are to me. I cannot wait to see you all again and get that big hug that I have been needing from each of you!

The Moral of the Story is...

Saturday Chant had to go into the clinic for a few hours. After we all kissed him good-bye, the girls scurried off to their room to play, Porter sat in a pile of cars and was happy as a clam, and I got started on the dishes. A few minutes later I noticed all was quiet. Porter was not making his car noises. I turned to see what he was up to. And here comes the little man walking towards me. He has a diaper wipe in his hand and is trying to clean something brown and squishy off his other hand. You guessed it. Poop. He had smeared it all over my chair, my throw pillows, and Brinnley's most special purple blanket. I called for Brinn to bring me a towel to lay him on, because of course he had smeared it up his back. Then I reached for the diaper wipe container...which was slimed with the brown stuff as well. I got the little man cleaned off good enough then threw him in the bath. Then came cleaning the furniture and washing the pillows and blanket. And the last thing on the agenda was the diaper wipe container. The lid had been broken for about a week and so it was just sitting on top. When I saw it, I grabbed a towel, picked up the lid with it, and threw the lid away. There was no saving it. I covered the container with saran wrap in hopes the wipes would stay moist. That lasted all of a few hours. It is now Wednesday. The wipes have been kicking it sans lid and saran wrap for 4 days. And guess what? They are still moist. The moral of the story...I guess humidity is good for something.

The Big Two

Porter's 2nd Birthday was Sunday. When he woke up from his nap all his presents were piled in the living room waiting for him. He knew what was up and he started going for the paper. My wrapping jobs were a little too good sometimes and he needed help, but he loved ripping the paper.He got a Little People airport and a whole crew of planes, cars, and people to zoom around the track.
Finally, his first phone! Now maybe he will stop trying to take mine all the time.
He played with the airport track the rest of the evening. Even 4 days later, it is pretty much guaranteed that is where he will be.
He got this cool Lego castle that came complete with the knight, princess, wizard, and horse.

Everyone seemed to love the presents. The kids played well together all day and they have been busy playing all week.

Happy birthday little boy. I cannot believe my baby is two! We love you and are so glad you are ours!

Birthday Cake

After presents we did birthday cake. Brinnley wanted to help light the candle.
Porter needed a little help figuring out what to do, but he got it.
SO Good!

Celebration

Tomorrow is Porter's birthday, but we did our outing today. For our little man's second birthday, we went to Build-A-Bear. This was our first time. We thought it was pretty perfect since Build-A-Bear started in St. Louis. It was a wonderful time!

First, the kids picked their animal from dozens on display. Brinn picked a puppy, Ainsley a monkey, and Porter an owl. Here they are showing off their animals.
Next they stuffed their animals. The girls thought it was pretty cool. They held the foot pedal down that puts the stuffing in the animal. After the animal was stuffed they picked a fabric heart. They kissed it, touched it to their hearts (so they would be loving), ear (so they will be good listeners), nose, and then they made a wish and put the heart inside the animal. (Brinnley with her stuffed puppy she named Sniffy.)
Ainsley making her wish before putting the heart in Monkey Jr.
Porter got scared of the sound the machine made when it was putting the stuffing in, but he liked watching from a distance while holding Hooty and his heart.
After stuffing the animals, we gave them baths. Ainsley was especially thorough washing Monkey, Jr. Porter liked it too, using the brush and everything.

Next they picked outfits and then dressed them. The girls both picked soccer uniforms that were complete with shin guards and a mini soccer ball. Hooty got a nice pair of overalls.
While we were walking to the car each kid wanted to hold their own animal condo, even Porter. It was slow going but he is a determined little man and he made it. Trust me, he did not want to let go of his owl!


When we got home the kids swam in our little pool in the front yard. From the moment they came back in the house 2 hours ago, we have not heard them or seen Hooty, Monkey Jr., and Sniffy. I am scared for what there room looks like :) Today has been wonderful! We had a melt-down free day and they have played so nicely together. I love my little family and we cannot wait for the big day tomorrow to continue celebrating Porter Boy. We love you little man!

I did it!

When I was in high school (or else a Freshman in college, I can't remember which) Dad took my Mom and me to this ski shop one Saturday afternoon to look around. I saw this amazing coat and was instantly drawn to it. I mean, what's not to love? It's lemon yellow, need I say more? I showed it to Mom and started pointing out every amazing detail of this fine piece of clothing. Soon I had her convinced she loved it as much as I did. Then we pitched the sale to Dad and the two of us walked out of the store with matching lemon yellow coats. I adore this coat and wore it everyday.

Then, I started putting on weight and my beloved coat no longer fit. I have carried this coat with me from apartment to apartment, nine times to be exact. I have kept it lovingly packed away. Just waiting. When we moved to our current home I removed it from its Rubbermade container and hung it in the back of Porter's closet.

Today I was cleaning out said closet and came upon my Coat. I thought, "Why not?" And tried it on. And to my extreme joy, it fit!!! I zipped it up and it wasn't even snug. Fit like a glove. A tear or two slid unbidden down my cheek. To me this coat was my "If only I could fit into...again." And I did it. It is sometimes hard for me to acknowledge my accomplishments, but I will give myself this one time to say, "YAY me!"

Morning Snuggles

This morning at 6:22 I heard "oh, Mommy" coming from Porter's room. Remarkably, the girls' room was still silent. I quickly grabbed my little man and took him back to my room so we wouldn't wake the girls. He and I snuggled and sang songs until 6:57, when he started to say "cup." It was a half hour of bliss. He loves to snuggle. And I love it too. We sangs "Wheels on the Bus," "You are My Sunshine," "The Elephant Song," and "I am a Child of God." And he sings with me. SO sweet.
It was a good start to the day!

(His nose cut is courtesy of a nosedive taken off a patio table yesterday. He screamed for a while, but he is fine.)

The Haps

The month of May I was a bit of a blogging slacker. It's not that there was nothing to write about, but more that I was too busy doing all these fun things. Brinnley finished her last soccer game the 26th. She loves soccer and had such a good time playing with her friends. She got a metal and got to keep a soccer ball. So exciting! We are so proud of our girl!
It has also been hot! Like 89 or 90 degree days. So we broke out the pool. This picture was taken the day we said good-bye to our dear friend Whitney. Her and her family moved just two days later. We will miss sweet Whitney. She was a good friend.
Ainsley testing out her new garage sale find. She got a smaller big girl bike, so she feels more comfortable and she can reach the petals better. She goes fast! I almost got ran over a few times! And Porter loves the scooter. He doesn't even mind that it is a Princess one. He does really well on it! It's going to be a fun summer! We plan on taking the bikes and scooters to Idaho so we will have wheels to get us from Grandma and Grandpa's house to the Plumbing Shop and the park.