Do You Believe in Magic?

Our home is truly a magical place! I always knew it was special, but today I realized just how enchanted our home really is.

This afternoon, out of no where I saw one of the toy dinasaurs fly! It flew up, up, up! Straight into the ceiling fan and shot straight into the computer (don't worry Dad, it was the old computer:). Our fan makes a strange noise now, but it will only remind us that dinasaurs fly -- around here anyway! After the loud landing this dinasaur made I looked quickly to Isaac. He too witnessed the flight! His eyes were sparkling with delight! So beware of flying objects if you dare to enter our home as I am sure there will be many more encounters!

Several other mystical things have been going on around here. For instance, many picture frames were scattered about, coasters were found on the floor of all places, my diswasher door has an unusual squeak . . . it's as if a three year old tried standing on it. Hmm, you would think I had five three-year-olds running about today!

Endless Bliss

Spring is here so I've been busy sprucing up our palace by painting the walls a nice "crab apple" color. It's really warming the house up! I negotiated a bit of a treaty with Bill -- I paint the edges and trim and he will use the roller once I'm finished. It's already looking much better and cleaner in here!

Bill is out protecting the kingdom from the "bad guys." His wound from an encounter last week is healing up nicely and the stitches will soon be removed.

Prince Isaac has been keeping our quarters safe and protected from trolls and other vicious beasts. He runs around the house with his sword (an attachment to the vacuum cleaner since his foam sword from Aunt Heidi broke) and scolds and conquers the foul monsters (as far as I can tell). I feel quite safe around here!

And Sleeping Beauty . . . well, she sleeps the day away of course.

Bumps and Bruises

Ike got a haircut on Tuesday which means we won't have to get it done again for another six months! He is quite pleased with his new cut because it is "Like Daddy!"

Last night he was standing on his little wooden stool in front of the mirror and asked me where his hair went. He disagreed with my answer (whatever it was) and said that his hair "went home" and that he needs to get "some new ones." Hmmm . . .

Ike also managed to get a fat lip and a bruised nose in the past few days. He asked his cousin Kailey to dance with him (we were all watching Dancing with the Stars) and before we knew it he had tumbled to the ground, managing to land flat on his face. Of course, my sister had beautiful wood floors installed just a few weeks ago so it was a hard fall.

Well, we've had a busy couple of days and we sure are glad that Bill will be home from training today!

Picture Post

Walmart Greeter

Easter came upon us quickly this year. Thank goodness I have a wonderful sister and mother who are on top of things. My Mom picked up Easter outfits for the kids -- the thought had barely entered my head. My sister called and invited us over for dinner and egg coloring the day before the holiday. I wish I was more organized and on top of things, but quite frankly I am NOT. It would help if I looked at the calendar once in a while or was aware enough to notice the aisles of Easter items invading the grocery store.

By Saturday, I hadn't purchased an Easter basket for my little guy. So Bill and I piled the kids in the truck and went to Walmart to find a basket. We were doing our very best to not let Ike see us put the basket in the cart. Bill took Ike down another aisle while I scouted out a basket. Trying to be sneaky, Bill distracted him with a small, cheap dump truck. Once we made it to the check out line, I had him come stand with me in front of the store. All seemed to be going well! We might just pull off an Easter basket surprise.

Well, as lines go at Walmart, it took Bill a while to get checked out. Not to worry! A three year old is very self-sufficient when it comes to entertaining himself. He started greeting people as they passed by. "Hi guys!" he'd say quite cheerfully. Some would smile and stop and listen to him chat away. Others, however, wouldn't stop or respond to his greetings. In this case, Ike would turn to me, put his hand on my leg and solemnly say, "He's sad, Mommy."

Well, my new goal is to get myself organized. These holidays are meant to teach children the beauty of life and I fear if I don't get my act together, my kids' precious childhood will have passed by. They will only remember waiting in line at Walmart while I do last minute shopping. It's truly not fair and I would never want to disappoint them or make them sad. However, not only do we have holidays to make lasting memories we have many moments we can make lasting impressions.

So Happy Together

Okay, so we might not be all bright eyes and smiles, but today we have been together for eight years! There is always something to celebrate around here! Whether it's an anniversary, a new life, or a simple milestone, you'll find us celebrating.

Speaking of celebrating, we've been rejoicing in the fabulous news of our good friends Jordi and Scott -- twins are on the way! We are SO excited! And we'll be celebrating this news for a very long time!

Happy Easter

Time to Celebrate

This Easter we have pleanty to be excited about! Grandma splurged on Easter outfits for the kids and Ike's Easter basket is hidden, just waiting to be found. The hard boilded eggs are colored and the plastic ones filled will goodies! We have a new little girl to add to the party and a little boy who doesn't quite know the excitement that he is in for today! The feast is being prepared by numerous cooks and soon we will all gather and celebrate that the Lord is risen! What a marvelous holiday! We might have runny noses and little coughs, but that won't keep us from the festivities.

Kate slept well last night! Six whole hours! I've been up since 3:45 and decided to stay up and make a caramel roll breakfast for my wonderful family! Well, the dough is rising (after all, rising is the theme of the day) so it looks like my efforts are not in vain!

Beauty and Brains

New dress from Pop Parramore.
Ike reading up on what to expect from his sister the first year.

The Little Blessings

Cute Kate. If you click on this picture it will make this image larger and you can get a good glimse of the cute little curl on the top of her head.
Ike and his buddy Wyatt eating cookies with milk.
Dreaming Kate.
Ike likes playing Candy Land with me.

It's Delightful!

For those of you who have kids, you'll understand what I am about to say. For those of you who don't have kids, I am going to tell you what you have to look forward to!

When I was expecting my first child, I had no idea what I was in for. I had no idea how overwhelmed with love I would be -- not just for my new son, but for my husband. Watching the man you love adore your little ones is one of the most precious gifts in life. I often find myself smiling as I watch him talk softly and sweetly to our children. I love the way he notices when Ike needs some father and son time. I adore how loving he is with them. He's such a gentle husband and an adoring dad.

Filling up the Gas Tank

My Dad and I were always friends. Some of my first memories are of he and I playing silly childhood games together. He had such patience as children can play the same games over and over and never get bored . . . he never seemed to mind.

When I got a little older, I remember him often taking me to the gas station to fill up his work van with gas (he was a carpet cleaner so he often had to fill the tank at the end of the day so he was prepared for the next work day). As a small child, I loved going for the treat he'd buy for me (I usually chose gum), but as a teenager I went because I loved the conversations we would have. He would listen to me and my ridiculous opinions -- sometimes he would smile, sometimes he would agree, and sometimes he would share his own insight. No matter what, he would never laugh or scoff at my foolish teenage babbling. I was safe to tell him anything and everything. He would always try to understand; he never once made me feel young and dumb which I am sure I often was.

The strong and trusting parent and child relationship I had with my Dad started very young. Although I get busy, I try to remember how my Dad treated me and took time for me. I always want to be there for my kids like he was there for me. He gave me such a great example of parenting. He may have just been filling up his gas tank, but to me it was so much more than that.

Now I am twenty-six and I am sure that if my Dad were still on earth, I would be just as excited to go on rides to the gas station with him (probably more excited). I sure do miss sharing my thoughts with him and listening to his wise advice . . . but most of all, I sure do miss my friend.

Kitchen Helper

The kids and I were up bright and early this morning (Bill pulled the late night shift with Kate so we let him sleep a little bit). After breakfast, Kate went back to sleep and Ike and I spent a little quality time in the kitchen. We baked cookies, bread, and carmel rolls (the picture shows the carmel rolls not turned over yet if you are wondering about the carmel). Our bread turned out a little . . . well . . . we didn't cook it long enough so the center was not done. Oh, well! The carmel rolls turned out great and we had a lot of fun!

Paying it Forward

After my post "Love is Patient" a lot of you e-mailed to encourage me and make sure I am okay. I asure you that I am fine and really appreciate everyone being so nice and understanding.

Well, the day after my "challenging" day, my sister invited me over for coffee and dinner. How wonderful it is to have someone to relax with and treat me so nicely! We just let the kids play and we talked and talked and watched a movie. It was so wonderful to get out and just enjoy myself. I wish everyone had an understanding sister (or two:) to turn to!

The next day, my Mom invited us over to her house for lunch (amazing tacos that I will try to get the recipe for so you too can enjoy them). Afterwards she took my little blessings and I out for coffee. SO wonderful!

I don't know about anyone else, but I just love cooking and LOVE other people cooking for me! It is such a big help with the little ones to have a break every now and then. Not only do you not have to cook, but there is no mess to clean up either.

Tomorrow I am "paying it forward." I found someone to cook for and hopefully make their day a little easier. I know we are all busy with everything that we have going on with kids, keeping house, reading books, dressing up babies, bathing babies, etc. But we aren't the only ones who have busy lives and "challenging" days. So I encourage you to bless someone this week -- send someone a card, make someone dinner, pray for someone -- bless someone and you too will feel blessed!

Finding Treasures

I love all things shabby and old. It's a good style to love when you have young children -- one more scratch on them just adds to the charm!

A couple of years ago Bill and I were out at an antique store and he found this coffee table that he knew I would love. Knowing he had found something special, he had me come over to look at it. As Valentine's Day was approaching, he asked if I would like to have it. I must have had a "pretty please!" look on my face because he did buy it for me. Now it sets in our living room and since it was a Valentine's Day gift, I place the Valentine's cards and notes from him in here along with other special letters and pictures. It's a great conversation piece as well as a great place to kick your feet up!

So have fun decorating your home and making it lovely and personal.

Just a few of my favorites

When Ike went to bed tonight he wanted Kate to come to bed with him too. He was thrilled that she grabbed his hand. He's just a wonderful brother.
This girl LOVES bathtime!
I took this picture yesterday. She is one month old here.

Baked Chicken Alfredo

Okay. This is a great recipe and you can make it at any point in the day and store it in the refridgerator until dinner time. It also makes great leftovers.

Baked Chicken Alfredo:

1 package (1 lb.) fetucine noodles
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 tbsp dried parsley
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in the cream.

2) Drain noodles; add 2 cups sauce and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 13X9 baking dish. Make a well in the center of noodles making a space about 6in X 4 in.

3) To remaining sauce, add chicken and parsley. Mix well. Pour into center of dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and paprika (the recipe calls for it to be in the sauce, but I like to sprinkle it so do whatever you want).

4) Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-30 minutes longer or until bubbly.

Yeild: 8-10 servings.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

Love is Patient

Every morning the words "Love is patient" are the first words in my head. Now it's not voices I'm hearing, just words that come to my mind:) Yesterday I would have benefited from having the words written on my forhead. Now I am not saying that it was like Alexander's "Horrible, no good, very bad day." Let's just say it was one of the more challenging days that we mothers experience on occasion.

Bill must have sensed my day starting out "challenging" because he insisted on making me one of his delicious lattes that he knows I love. Sometimes Moms need a little caffeine to jump start their day and he was hoping that it would work directly on my attitude. He certainly doesn't walk on egg shells when he senses the tiredness creeping into my attitude -- he just kills me with kindness.

Well, it was one of those days where everything I tried to do only got finished half way. The laundry was washed, but unfolded. The dishes were washed, but not put away. And dinner, well, I didn't even think about it. I did manage to wash the floor only to have to wash it again after Ike managed to spill a glass of milk from one side of the room all the way to the other. I did clean the bathroom only to have to clean it again after Ike decided he'd try flushing the entire roll of toilet paper. I called Bill to see if he could come home for his break, but he was overwhelmed with work and also ended up having to work four hours of over time. I wanted to just sit down and cry, but I ended up going to bed instead.

The hospitals should offer breathing classes for life with child and newborn. I sure would go!

Anyway, I know a lot of my friends are in the same place in their lives and occasionally get overwhelmed with what is on their plate. I just want to encourage you to remember that love is patient and if we aren't patient with our kids then we aren't loving them as we ought to. We don't get our kids forever so enjoy your good days and make the best of the most challenging ones. Your kids are watching you so make sure you do your best to teach them by example what love really is -- patient and kind. So enjoy kissing those chubby cheeks and scrubbing the floors!

What's in a Name

We have been asked quite frequently if, why, and how Kate got her name. So here's the scoop!

Kate -- It means "pure" which I just love. Also when my Dad was sick and spent some time in the hospital, he had this sweet nurse who had the name. She had so many attributes that we hope to teach our own dear Kate -- patience, understanding, gentle, and loving.

Adelynn -- it means "noble" which is another beautiful attribute that we really want her to take on. In a round about way, I also wanted a name that represented people that I just love and adore -- my sisters. Heidi is my sisters name and it means "noble" as well. Also Heidi is short for Adelaide and that is where we get the "Adel" part of the name. Now "Lynn" is my sister Michelle's middle name.

May is for Bill's lovely Grandmother who we both just admire and we really hope that Kate is just as lovely, gentle, and kind.

All in a days work

I've just prepared a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls and put them in the oven. It smells absolutely divine in here! Yes, Baby Kate slept through the entire process (I don't know what I'd have done if she needed me in the middle of kneading the dough) and Ike helped me through every step. He loves to help me cook, but it's the eating what we make that he doesn't necessarily like to do. Well, now that I sit down to write, I expect Kate to awaken at any moment. She seems to have the "Mom's sitting down" radar on at all times. I really don't mind though.

I sent Ike to wash his hands after playing in the dirt. Of course after five minutes of his being absent, I realize that he is still in the bathroom. Knowing full well that a boy left alone in the bathroom can turn a clean room into a disaster area, I swiftly made my way to his bathroom. Squinting my eyes, I was unsure if I really wanted to know the level of damage that could be done. I slowly opened the door to find him still washing his hands in a bathroom drowning from all the water. Well, that's not too bad! Nothing a few towels can't clean up in a jiffy. I've seen worse!

On Saturday the ladies at church threw a shower for Kate. Instead of playing games (I am not a big fan of games . . . especially "Guess What Food is in the Diaper") they brought scrapbook stuff and we put together a small album for Kate! Genious! I love every page!

While I was at the shower, Bill took Ike out for "pamcakes" at Ihop. Ike saw a commercial on television and had been asking to go for a almost a week. Once the "pamcakes" were in front of him, he ate the strawberries and whip cream right up, took a couple bites of the pancake, and decided he'd truly experienced pancakes (I don't make them).

Peaceful Night

Last night was wonderful. Little Kate woke up at 2:00 and again at 6:00. She slept quite soundly and peacefully. Just LOVELY!

Bill took me out to Target today to buy me a new outfit. I really like Target so I shopped the clothing department and he took the kids to the toy department. It really is a lot easier to shop with Bill there because he takes care of the kids which allows me to think of what outfit I want to get.

When Bill and Ike came to find me after their adventure in the toy department, Ike announced that he had Skarloey the train. I had told him a few days earlier that he'd have to wait until his birthday before he could have Skarloey. Apparently Bill hadn't heard me so Skarloey came home with us. Now Ike has been singing "Happy Birthday" to himself all day. I think we really confused him and now he thinks any day he gets a treat it's his birthday.

As if the day hasn't been wonderful enough, my sister is having us over for dinner tonight! I really do enjoy cooking, but I also know how to enjoy a night off! Besides, she and her husband are fabulous cooks so we always know we are in for a real treat. It will be a family affair as Grandma, Lester, Mom and Roger are all going to be there.

Well, since I have the night off as far as cooking dinner goes, I really must spend some time scrubbing the kitchen and floors . . . . and of course spend the rest of my time playing trains and holding Baby Kate.

Grandma and Lester

Bill took our picture 'cause we were having such a good time! Lester is an old college friend of Grandma's. She's a wonderful woman and we just instantly fell in love with her. Lester is just a bundle of sweetness and we wish she could stay here forever.

Bill

What a day! Bill helped me out this morning and cleaned the house to give me a head start on the day. He scrubbed toilets, counters, mirrors and made all the beds in the house. He didn't stop there though! He vacuumed the house and cleaned the kitchen! How lovely! He's just so easy to love and appreciate.

All that cleaning he did gave me time to relax and hold our baby Kate. Isaac sat in to snuggle with us too! He only wants to snuggle for a little while though -- when the door is open to the backyard it's hard for him to stay seated for very long. I also enjoyed a visit from our next door neighbor Phyllis. She came over to hold the baby and chat a while. She's a busy 84 year old so she only stayed a short while before she was off and running again.

I enjoyed phone calls from both of my sisters today and one from cousin Cristi. I guess I did my fair share of chatting today.

Well, I must go prepare dinner for my wonderful family!

Up Bright and Early

Life in the Fast Lane

It seems that every time I sit down to write a new post someone needs a little love and attention. There are Isaac stories to listen to, "boo boos" that need to be kissed, juice cups to fill, backs that need patting, stories to read, alphabet letters to practice, praise to be given, and lets not forget the diapers that need changing. I am certain that these are some of the most beautiful moments in life and I sure am grateful for all the wonderful memories I get to make with my kids.

We've trasitioned quite wonderfully to life with our new addition. She's just amazing and since newborns just sleep and sleep I have been able to keep things in order here -- most of the time! I've made some new recipes that include seafood enchiladas! I'll try to post the recipe with a picture the next time I make it.

Yesterday we had some of my favorite people over for a lunch party. My Grandmother came with her delightful friend Lester (Lester is a woman) who is in town from Canada. My Mom and her husband Roger came as well as my sister and her little girl. Everyone came bearing gifts for little Kate. Mom brought five -- yes, FIVE -- new blankets that she made. They are BEAUTIFUL and she made them in different colors to match Kate's adorable outfits. This little girl will never get cold! Grandma, Lester, Michelle, and Kailey came straight from shopping and brought her a photo album and a sweet dress.

For our lunch party I made my favorite casserole -- baked chicken alfredo. Again, I'll have to take a picture and post the recipe. It's quite simple and never fails to be absolutely delicious! Bill was sweet and made fancy coffee drinks for us to enjoy over a few card games. YUM! We do like our coffee around here!

I must say that the weather here is working in my favor. It's been just beautiful out and Isaac has been able to spend hours on end outside. Why does this work in my favor? Well, it keeps the house a little more tidy. Now the flower bed is getting quite disturbed by all the digging, but dirt brings so much joy to his face that we just don't mind. Flower beds can be fixed and a sandbox can be bought!

Picture Perfect