While You Were Away

Dearest Ben,

Yeah for us for surviving your busy season!  Does it get worse each year or is it just worse to me because our children keep multiplying thus creating more work for me?  Anyways, I'm very happy that my life will again include you in it.

Here is a recap about what we've been up to while you've been away....

We get together for play dates a lot, several times a week lately.  It's wonderful to have adult interaction!  And Sadie really enjoys it, too.

Fisher and Sadie.  They really like each other!

 We get together a lot with Andrew!  Sadie says he's her best friend.  They really play so nicely together.

Aren't they cute?

And I'm so lucky to have Cricchio so close by.  I love our play dates together!

Jax always sits happily on the ground - watching us and eating grass.  

Sadie enjoys the slides....

and playing in the sand.

 Sometimes Leslie, Isaiah, and Lucas come and then Jax has a playmate.....

One day Sarah and Ethan joined us and we also went in the pool.  Well, mostly Ethan went in the pool.

We also go visit my mom once a week.  Last week we took the kids to the beach.  It was a beautiful day and they loved it.  Thankfully Jax has learned his lesson and no longer eats the sand.  I'm so happy we're past that phase.

Jax is sure starting to get heavy for me.  Look how huge he looks in my arms!

My mom and I also went shopping down to Ellenton.  I had several things to return and ended up making more money than I spent.  Are you proud of me?

We may have made a stop at Kilwin's for a lovely ice cream cone.  It was a wonderful experience!

The smell from this store beckons to you from miles away.

Just after eating our ice cream cones.

Jax was great all day even though he was teething.

Sadie loved the fountain.  She even tried to get in the water and partially succeeded before I could grab her.

We also went to be with my mom on her 60th birthday.  Can you believe she's that old?  I don't think she looks that old.  I'm so grateful I get to spend time with her each week.

My Mom on her 60th birthday.

When we're home I try to do educational things with Sadie.  Mostly she just wants to draw pictures of sharks and snakes.  Should I be concerned that those are her two favorite things to draw?  

I also started our spring garden.  Things have begun to come to life already.  Please don't let me forget to water them like I did last year, ok?  

I think this is the Kale.

Jax like to escape from the house and help me water the plants.  

Can you see his two new teeth here?  Sorry about the runny nose.  It's either from teething or he has your allergies.  I'm still trying to decide which it is.  

I also restarted our compost pile.  It doesn't look like much yet but this is going to be beautiful fertilizer soon. You'll see!

I even went to the bait and tackle store to buy fresh earth worms.  Sadie thinks they're snakes and does not like them at all!  Why does she love to draw snakes but she's scared of the fake-real thing?  I can't quite figure that one out.

I've also become very interested in growing spouts, as you now know.  You're right they do taste like grass but do you know how healthy they are?  More nutrients per calorie than any other food on the planet?  Plus we can grow them in 3 days without soil, sunlight, or dirt.  Amazing!

I've also been reading a lot to keep me occupied and entertained.  The Mommy Brain is especially an interesting one.  It turns out that motherhood rewires our brains and women end up even smarter after bearing children.  We do have problems during pregnancy (like when I stood in line at Gap to check out and realized at the register that I had nothing to buy) but it's only because so much energy is going into the reworking of our brains.  They say pregnancy to a woman's brain creates even bigger changes than puberty.  Amazing!  You should try it !!

Anyways, that's some of what we do to distract us from your absence.  I'll be so excited tomorrow night when you get home at 6PM.

Guess what our first project is now that you're back....potty training :)

Video, As Requested

There are a lot of videos here, I know. But I just couldn't chose a favorite.

In this first video Sadie and Jax are chasing each other around the house on a Sunday evening.  Sadie insisted on wearing her dress over her pajamas - just so you know.

I took this video at my parents' house last week.  Sadie loves to make Jax laugh.  She had him going pretty good but by the time I thought to grab the camera they had started to calm down.  It's still cute, though.

This next video shows Sadie and Ben's current favorite game.

Spring Has Sprung

We've had a cold couple of months but I think the worst is behind us now.  I'm not really a winter, cold-weather type of person.  I'd much rather be too warm than too cold.  And now, I can breath a sigh of relief and start enjoying my shorts, flip-flops, and the great outdoors again.

Almost every day last week we had highs in the upper 70s.  So, on Friday, (the high was 80), I packed up the kids and went to the beach.  It was so beautiful.  The water was still bitter cold but we had great fun playing in the sand, watching the seagulls, and soaking up the sun.  It felt so good.  So, so, so good!

Special thanks to Ben for:

1) Moving to Florida 

2) so I can sit on a beach in the middle of February

3) with his adorable two children 

4) while he works long hours

5) so we can eat yummy food and live in a safe house.

You're the best :) 

The Day of Love

Cards, candy, kisses, cookies....what's not to love? Even though I barely saw my "Valentine" on Valentine's day I still had a stellar time celebrating with the kids.

On Saturday we went to my parent's house and decorated sugar cookies - a fun family tradition that Julie has introduced us to.  Mike took the kids outside and my mom held Jax so I could decorate a few.

Hmm, I wonder whose little hand is in this picture?

I didn't actually decorate either of the two above but they were the only ones left to take pictures of. 

On Sunday Sadie delivered these cards with a sugar cookie to her friends at church.  She totally loved exchanging cards and cookies with her classmates!

After church I tried to take a pictures of the kids together.  This was the best I captured:

I tried, yet again, to get some pictures of the kids in cute Valentine's clothes.  Jax looked stunning in his purple shirt, but Sadie insisted on covering her purple shirt with a sweater.  At least it was cute and pink, though.  

This would have been a good one if Jax was looking.

What is so interesting on the floor guys?

Jax thought Sadie was trying to wrestle with him and he kept laughing.  He loves to be near her!

Sadie giving Jax a kiss on the cheek.  He fell over but was not injured.

This just makes me laugh! Jax looks how I felt at this point.

So, I sat Jax back up and took some pictures of just him.  He's always more than willing to smile for the camera!

Real men wear purple.

Randomness

I haven't blogged much recently.  It's hard for me to blog when I'm keeping a secret - like being pregnant.  But, now that I've come out of the closet about that little secret I thought I'd be blogging more.  I'm still feeling a little uninspired, though.  So, here is my attempt at a post.  It's very random but the best I can come up with.

1)  The kids had their well-child visit to the doctor last week.  Care to guess the weight difference between my two children?  There is a two and a half year age difference and only a 5 lb. weight difference!  Jax was 20 lbs and Sadie was 25 lbs.  Kind of funny, huh?  

2)  This is Ben's busy season again.  It is very sad.  He gets home late, leaves early, and works the weekends away.  I feel like a single parent these days.  If he wasn't so extremely helpful and pleasant when he is home I wouldn't notice his absence quite as much.  Woest me!

3)  I like Barbara Streisand.  There - I've said it.  It's a secret I've been keeping since birth because it's not exactly socially acceptable to be in your 20s and in love with Barb.  Her politics are not really for me, but I love her movies and music.  The kids and I have had colds this week and I always break out my Barbara Streisand movies when I'm sick.  I've been doing this since I was probably 8 years old.  Sickness = Barb, in my mind.  They just go together, don't cha think?  I'm learning to embrace my oddities.

4)  It is my belief I'm pregnant with a girl and I think she's going to be a tomboy.  Ben says it's a boy for sure.  We're going to wait to find out this time around.  Let's hope I have the discipline to not change my mind in the ultrasound room.

5)  As I type this Sadie is sitting beside me watching YouTube Disney videos.  Right now "I'll make a man out of you" is playing.  Love that song!  Her other favorite is "Just around the river bend".  Jax is playing with a cord from the video camera and he is wearing the funniest pants.  They are former Fisher pants and I love them so dearly.

6)  Kimmy received her mission call.  Had your heard?  Probably so.  She has been called to serve in the Salt Lake South mission, Spanish speaking. I'm very, very excited for her.  I was always scared to serve a mission.  I like stability, familiarity, and consistency.  She is really brave!  I will miss her so much, but I think she'll be a great missionary!

Update: Jax is no longer on the floor, he is on my lap and he wants to type, so I had better sign off.  Here is a random picture of darling little Sadie to go with this random post.  Isn't she cute?