This week, I'm thankful for...


... buttons that work on my computer. I cannot figure out for the life of me why my arrow buttons and quote/apostrophe key have gone on strike. But it makes me quite grateful for the others that work.


... spellchecker on my computer that fixes the apostrophe-less words I now write.


... coffee. Nuff said!


... snuggling with my girls.


... quiet time watching fun TV shows with my hubby after the girls go to bed.


... laughing at nothing and everything with good friends.


... a date tomorrow!


... jobs. That we have jobs. That we can pay our bills. That God provides creative financing. That He always comes through.


... antibiotics for a baby girl with a nasty ear infection.


... Tylenol for a big girl with a sinus headache.


... a first grade teacher who understands our daughter, who encourages her, who nurtures her, who forgives her for talking :), who shows her that extra love when she hurts.


... a wonderful nanny who loves my little girls like her own.


... two kitties who love us unconditionally, who know when we don't feel good and try to snuggle that much harder, who love our girls so much that they get stuck in their rooms at night, who make sure to tell us all the neighborhood gossip while we are getting ready in the morning.


... snow. Yeah, I know we've gotten more than our fair share this month, but I do really love snow.


... quilts made by my grandmother that keep my family warm.


... my grandmother just celebrated her 95th birthday.


... our cozy home.


... our wonderful life.

I got introduced to this woman by my co-worker. Jeanne Robertson is a very funny, talented lady. Enjoy!

Because only my children ...


... walk around with an issue of Sp*rts Illustr*ted for a week like it's a security blanket.


... can correctly identify Brett Favre on the cover of above-mentioned magazine.


... proudly proclaim "The Raiders are stinky cheese!" every time they see our youth pastor's daughter, an avid Raiders fan.


... ask, "When is football season over? I want to watch baseball!"


... can correctly identify the Rockies, Avalance, Nuggets, and Broncos logos.


... have chosen their favorite teams at the ages of 6, 3, and 2.


... pick the Rockies beanie over the princess beanie.


... cry when it's Sunday and the Broncos outfit is dirty, so we can't wear it to church.


... are positively giddy because the Olympics are coming soon!


... can sit through an entire 2 1/2 hour baseball game at the stadium, and be mesmerized by the experience.


... choose ESPN for bathroom reading.


... will sit with Daddy and watch ESPN. For longer than 2 minutes.


... love looking at baseball/football/hockey/basketball cards.


... will tell me, "That man is wearing a Raiders/Lakers/Yankees/etc. logo. We don't like that team". Makes going out in public very interesting...


... fight over who gets to wear Daddy's baseball hats.


... ask if they get to watch basketball when Katie, the Duke-crazy babysitter, comes over.


... can sleep through playoff football/baseball/hockey/basketball games in our home.


Like I said, only my kids...

I took these pictures from my camera phone before Christmas, and just now remembered that I had them. How sad is that?



When my brother, sister-in-law, nephews, and niece came to visit us, we also spent some quality time with the livestock. Actually, two of the steers needed to go visit the neighbors farm (read: butcher) and the rest needed food. My nephew Hayden asked to go along because, well, he likes to be outside, and he likes to be with Grandpa. Madison asked to go because she adores Grandpa, Hayden, and her Uncle Kevin. So that meant I went too.



Madi loves to visit her cows. Yes, in her world, they are all her cows. They are just temporarily on loan to Grandpa.



She helped sort all the cows (read: stand behind the fence with Mommy and moo at them). Then we helped feed the cows.



Here are Hayden and Madison getting ready to throw hay into the stalls.

Since Thursday & Friday were spent digging our home out from the snow (more on those adventures later), we decided to make today a fun family day. We headed to Farmington for some needed shopping.


Celine has been staying with us since Mama & Papa are in France. We had gotten her a gift card to Target for Christmas, but it is hard for Celine to get to Farmington to use it. We took the whole herd. Celine was a great shopper, finding some great clothes & movies for herself. She is really fun to shop with. And it was good for us to get some sister bonding time. We don't get much of that with munchkins in tow most of the time.


After Target, we headed to Fuddruckers in the mall for lunch. We thoroughly enjoy each time we get to go to Fudds. Everyone was is such a great mood, I decided to get out my phone on my camera and snap away. I love the antique and black-and-white settings on my camera - it totally changes the mood of the photograph. Here's a few of the big girls:

For Katrina's fifth birthday (a year and 4 months ago), we had a bunch of her little friends over to our house. We made playdough for each of the kids. We still have this Playdough. This is the best Playdough I have ever seen. The girls play with it on a weekly basis, and it has held its consistency the entire time. Wednesday night, the girls played at the counter while Daddy cooked dinner. I have an amazing hubby, I know.







The serious artist

who discovered using shishkabob skewers for drawing sticks.

Little Miss All My Playdough Must Be In Tiny Pieces All Over The Counter

This week, I am thankful for...

• antibiotics and pain meds. On Tuesday, Jerome took me to the Urgent Care because I had had a fever (103), vomiting, sore throat, and aches. Turns out, I had strep throat, an ear infection, and sever tonsillitis. My right tonsil was so bad it was actually abscessed. Did not know they could do that. They had to give me an IV bag of fluids and antibiotics while I was in the office. They also sent me home with more meds. I spent two days at home resting, and it is amazing how much better I feel.

• my kiddos. Spending the last two days at home sick could have been a joy or torture, depending on the attitude of my girls. And they have been angels. Our biggest disagreement was over who was going to sit on my lap. Tuesday morning, while we were watching a movie, Violet crawled onto the couch with me, snuggled against my chest, and fell asleep. We snuggled for about 1 1/2 hours. It was pure gold.

• my hubby. I know I brag on him a lot, but he has really stepped up to the plate this week. Fixing meals, taking care of the kids, loving on me, doing whatever needed to be done. I am so grateful God chose to give me a husband who is willing to serve.

• movies. How else do you entertain a 3 year old and a 2 year old for two days when the only time you can get off the couch is to throw up?

• my job flexibility. It is so wonderful to work for my parents. To have bosses who lovingly force you to go home when you are sick, who urge you to stay home until you feel totally better, who come to your house to watch your kids so your husband can drive you to Urgent Care.

• for two days of rest and visiting with my Daddy. Sometimes I think that I go and go, and the only time I slow down is when forced. I have spent a lot of time thinking about Gods dreams in my life, about transparency (another post), about a lot of things. Good things. God things. And I'm excited to see where they will lead.

What are you thankful for this week?

Christmas with my almost 95-year-old grandma and Katrinas first rifle!

What is this, you might ask?







Why, it is my nephew, of course. Riding his unicycle. While talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone. I know, right? Such talent.






But seriously, he has had that unicycle for a year now, and he is really good at it. I am sincerely impressed by how good he is. Not that I am a proud aunt or anything.



We had so much fun with our family before Christmas. Watching movies, playing video games, making memories. I love these kiddos so much!


And, Crystal, you will be pleased to note that there is not a single photo of you. My sis-in-love mentioned that she was less than thrilled by my post last year. We went bowling, and I apparently took some less that desirable photos of her. I listened. It was hard, but I listened.

... because there is no lack of interesting material for these posts.



Madison's latest adventures include:

• entering our bedroom first thing in the morning wearing literally nothing. She then asks me if she can be Super Girl. When I say yes, she runs to her bedroom and comes back with underwear and socks. After we "dress" her, she runs through the house (in only her underwear and socks) exclaiming, "I'n Super Girl!" Don't ask me how she is able to remove the pjs and pull-up so quickly, when she acts physically incapable of pulling up her underwear and pants after using the restroom. I have no idea.
  
  



• transforming herself into the "Grumpy Leopard." She has a fuzzy leopard coat she has inherited from her sister. When she wears it, she makes sure we all know that she is the "Grumpy Leopard", complete with scowl and crossed arms. Remember this outfit? She now pairs the pants with a leopard print tshirt and proclaims herself Grumpy Leopard. My grandmother would be proud - Madi has many leopard options to her wardrobe.
  



• locking her sister in her bedroom. Again.

• deciding that the apple display in the grocery store was just her height. We were shopping this morning. I was ahead of the cart with Katrina. Jerome was pushing Violet in the cart while Madi walked with him. He saw the apples, and thought they looked nice. Madi saw the apples, and apparently thought they were just right. Yes, she took a bite out of an apple. Without her hands, mind you. This child has real talent.

Just a few of our latest adventures...

...as overheard in our house tonight:



You need to eat your black-eyed peas. They will make your boobies grow big.



Just thought I would share.