Happy Memorial Day

This past Sunday, we had a little BBQ with all the grandparents and cousin Emily! Here are some pictures of that beautiful day and all the fun we had...

(more photos on the link to the right....)

Mommy's Little Helper

Ben did the cutest thing today. Maddie got her finger stuck in the dishwasher door. (Mommy did not see her there and tried to shut it. Bad Mommy!!!) She was howling! I took her over to a chair and tried to sit with her and an ice pack, but she would have none of it. Ben -- no prompting! - went over to the freezer and started taking out different frozen packs and brought them to me. First was a teething ring which Maddie held onto for about a second and started crying again. Then he brought over Boo-Boo Bunny and the Eagles ice pack. By the time he was done he had picked out all the boo-boo things in the freezer and brought them to me.

I started worrying how I was going to get the freezer shut before everything defrosted and wouldn't you know it! Ben went over and closed the door, wiped his hands together (as if to say... my work is done here) and came over to see how his sister was doing. He had never done this before and never shown much interest in the freezer before. What a great little boy! I just stunned.

The big move!

Well, last Monday we moved into our new home. It was a very busy time and it went so much smoother thanks to our family. Grammy Ruth graciously came to stay for almost a week and watched the kids. It helps to have a "pro" around! Jim and Tarri came in on Sunday like knights in shining armour to help with the painting. To put it into perspective, I spent the entire day on Saturday painting one coat in the babies' room and 1 1/2 coats on the trim. Jim and Tarri were here for about 4 hours and they finished the babies' room and got two coats on the other two bedrooms. I was just lost, and they (along with Dad!) really came to my rescue.

Tarri was a big star during the week with helping me get packed, organized, moved, painted.... is there anything this woman can't do? Hmmmm I don't think she takes out the trash. But I bet she could do it if she wanted to! So the move is almost done, just a few odds and ends in the old house and a handful of boxes here in the new one.

I also wanted to take the time to thank all the people who helped us out during this frantic time.
Grammy Ruth - we could not have gotten much done without you here to take care of the kids. It was so nice not to have to worry about them because they were in the hands of a pro!
Tarri -- can I even say more? You were my guardian angel!
Jim - Painter extraordinaire!! and a great referral service!
Dad -- for everything, painting and the movers!
Mom - for helping not lose it! You are my rock!
Ken - For the great furniture. Only you could have provided a kitchenette set as well as bedroom furniture. And you were right. It is a vanity!!
My new neighbors - for making sure we moved into a home with a mowed lawn! And putting together that climber without any instructions. I am so excited to have such great new neighbors!
The movers - who pointed out the overflowing gutter so we could take care of it!
And I can not forget all our prior neighbors: Patty, Jaci, Joe, Steve, Julie, Rodney and Cathy. Thank you so much for the coming to Patty's party to send us off on such a high note. I am so sad to leave, but happy to be able to host many A-team parties in the future.

Thank you to everyone, and those I have forgotten to list (the brain is mush!) for such a great move. We love our new house and can not wait for the first of many gatherings of friends and family!

Paityn's Bike-a-thon

Cousin Paityn participated in a bike-a-thon today for St Jude's Hospital. She did a great job! They had set up two circles for the kids to ride around in two groups. Well, our Paityn rode around both circles with each lap! She did great making perfect loops and riding like the wind. Ben and Maddie really wanted to join her, but Daddy had them buckled into their stroller to keep them out of the flow of traffic. Great job Paityn!!!

A trip to the Park

Paityn, Ben and Maddie went to the park and had such fun on a warm day... no coats needed. Bring on spring!

Check out the photos link on the right for more pics of the park as well as the Raloo Rocket and a walk around the neighborhood.

The Easter Bunny visits Thornbury Farm

Today there was an egg hunt at the Thornbury Farm. The Easter Bunny made a stop to hide eggs and play with all the kids. It started at 1, the kids' nap time, but Ben and Maddie ran all over the place for over an hour! Ben loved the Easter Bunny! He was following him around and even gave him fives! Maddie loved looking at all the animals and climbing up the steps. Mom-mom and Pop-pop were on hand to keep track of the little runners. We all had a wonderful time. A special thanks to the Spackmans/Malloys for such a wonderful day!

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter this year. The kids all had great Easter baskets waiting for them Sunday morning. No one really seemed interested in eating candy at first (not even Christian!) but that changed when we got to Mom-mom and Pop-pop's house. Ben was the first to dump his basket, but Maddie really seemed to love the jelly beans. She kept eating them and eating them, and eating them! She had a whole mouthful of them at one point.

After this we all went outside to hunt for eggs. We had good ones for Christian, and then others with jelly beans for the babies. Again... Maddie was eating the jelly beans. Christian really seemed to love hunting for eggs. He was not too interested in the contents, but loved looking for the well hidden eggs. Ben and Maddie's eggs were not well hidden, but they still lost interest in lieu of the climber and swing set until it was time to go back inside.

So lunchtime comes, and alas, Maddie had enough of her jelly beans, those in the eggs and those in her belly. Now anyone with kids probably knows where this is going, but alas, their own mother was clueless. You will notice in some of the pictures (see link to the right) that she had a wardrobe change.

Overall, everyone had a great time and was sad when the time came everyone to go home.... well everyone except maybe Mom-mom and Pop-pop. I think they were grad for the peace and quiet!