No Pain No Gain

Well, after much deliberation, I finally decided that life would be better with eyebrows. Sorry for everyone who had to listen to my endless questions...but I finally did it. I wanted to wipe the blood off before I took this picture, but Evan thought everyone should have a realistic view of what I look like. My brows will be really dark for a couple of weeks and then the real color will come through. Right now it is hard to see anything but the blood.

I will put more pictures on in a week and then you can tell me if you like the shape and color. I can go in to have it changed, although, I am not sure I am ready to go through that again. Maybe in five years...

12 Dancing Princesses

What kind of mother am I? Well, one who is trying to survive having three kids, so I don't object when the kids ask to watch a movie that I know will hold their attention. True, it is barbies 12 Dancing Princesses. Sanders actually loves it! Should I encourage this? Well, I have tried to get him to watch Cars, but it just doesn't do it for him. Evan comes home to a dancing...prince? He instantly pulls out the boy toys. I did point out that dancing seems to help boys with their coordination. Now Evan just laughs and puts in the movie when Sander, with great intensitly, asks for the 12 Dancing Princesses, this of course is said with a very obvious lisp. Well, I have to say I do love watching my kids singing and dancing around the house. Maybe Sander will take after his dad and be a great clogger. :) ( For those of you who haven't seen Evan clog, I think he is secretly working up a new routine) Hope you enjoy watching my two dancing... well you get the idea.

Spring is on the way

Scrub-a-dub-dub... One of the rare times the kids are all squeaky clean. Bath time before bed. I think this is supposed to have a calming effect on most children. I think it just gets ours more hyper.
I was in charge of book club this month. I decided to make grandma's famous chocolate skor cake. yummm. I asked Evan to put the cake out in the car and make sure it was safe. He came in with a smile and said, "Don't worry... I think it is safe." Yes Evan, you think you are funny, and at times we agree... Book club was fine. We read Beauty by Robin McKinley. It is a fun, quick read if you don't have a lot of time.
We went to visit Evan's niece Erin and this was the end result. One of her friends bought this guitar in China for $5. Since she had a nice new guitar, she thought it would be fun to let Gracie have it. I did take a video of the kids playing, but I don't know that it would have been "fun" for you all to hear the music. It was quickly "retuned" once we got home, and I am not sure it will ever recover.
Not sure what the weather is like in good old Idaho, but all the snow is pretty much gone here. The kids were excited to go outside to play first thing in the morning. They love being able to ride bikes with the other kids in the neighborhood. The other day Sander was trying to run after Gracie when he fell on his face. Yes, he cried so hard that he passed out just before Evan could reach him. The result being that he fell on his face again. That night he fell on the stairs. He has a a couple of really impressive bruises on his face. We only got a few child abuse questions.
Adelle is getting more personality every day. It makes me wonder what kind of trouble she will get in. The other day a bunch of moms from the neighborhood came over to chat and the conversation soon turned to telling all the experiences they have had with Gracie. ( sigh ) I am glad to know that my child can bring laughter to so many people, even if it paints an interesting impression of our family. Kids will be kids...

In love with the king

Okay, since we are serious about wanting people to come visit us, we felt that buying a bed was a top priority. Well, when it came time to acutally buy one, we thought it would be fun to have a king sized bed. (For us, not the spare bedroom...sorry if I got your hopes up) Of course prices for these are BIG! Well, we found a great deal from a college student. If anyone needs a new bed, do we have the guy for you! Well, now all we can say is there is a bed ready and waiting for anyone who wants to come visit. While it is not as good as the king, it is still a good bed. I never knew it could be so hard to get out of bed in the mornings, but boy is it hard! I am in love with the king....

we love our dad

Dad took care of Valentine's Day for us all. He bought us each a balloon, a beautiful lily plant, and a homemade card. He had to leave for work early, but when we went down to eat breakfast, this is what we saw....
That night we picked up a pizza, went for a drive, ate sugar cookies and candy, and then cuddled up to read a bedtime story. After the kids were asleep, we talked with Eric and Janine. Congrats you guys! We are excited for you.

Grandma's Cookies

I did try to do one crafty thing with the kids. We thought sugar cookies were a must. We sure miss Grandma Shirley's cooking. I tried to make her sugar cookies, and while I haven't mastered them like Grandma, we got the general idea. I thought the kids would like cutting out the hearts, but Sander set the trend. Cut out one cookie, shove as much dough in your mouth as you can before mom realizes why there are so few cookies, and then give an innocent smile.

Next came the decorating. All I can say is "Not in your mouth, on the cookie..."

The "Love Hat"

I wish I could say that I was creative enough to come up with these "love hats," but the credit has to go to Gold's Gym. Thank goodness I joined so the kids could do crafts every now and then. They absolutely LOVED these hats! It made me laugh all Valentine's Day.

Did I mention that Sander and Gracie get along most of the time? I was getting ready to take a picture of them sharing when... well, real life set in. Gracie crying when Sander bullies her. (sigh...)

Sweet Adelle, not to be left out of the fun of the "love hats," just because she wasn't big enough to make one herself. I found theses hats on her at veriouse times throughout the day. Can I say once again that she is such a great sport. She endure a lot. But I can honestly say that her brother and sister love her.