April 30th

I am not really sure how it got to be April 30, 2013.  Did that sneak up on anybody else?  I mean April has come and gone, I feel, literally in the blink of an eye.  Sometimes, do you feel that life is just passing you by?  I have felt like that sometimes lately, like I am just going through the motions at times: get-up, workout, get kids ready, school drop off, work, home, dinner, bath, books and bedtime.  Rinse and repeat.  I'll be honest, sometimes, I don't even rinse. 

I have even wondered am I enjoying life enough, the kids enough, Steve enough?  I suppose that everybody feels that way now and again.  I just don't want to wake up one day and realize the kids have moved out and I did not enjoy them enough.  I mean, I realize that raising kids is not all puppy dogs and rainbows and that there are going to be times that they make me want to tear my hair out because parenting is HARD stuff.  The in between times though, the times when we are all cohabiting peacefully or outside playing in the yard - do I recognize how wonderful those times are, do I relish them enough, have I committed them to memory?  Sometimes, I just don't know.  Sometimes my mind is in too many other places. 

What I can say is I am a work in progress...and I pray daily for grace, peace of mind and guidance from God our Savior.

Date Night

Alan Jackson Concert

at the Ryman 3.20.13

We have become concert junkies  - lovin' Nashville!

Sad & Happy

Grandma T was just here for a visit...happy to have her and sad to see her leave.  We hope to see you again soon and wish you an early Happy Birthday for next week!  We love you!

St. Patty's Day 2013

Green Waffles

For some reason - Asher didn't eat them.

A belated shout out to our St. Patty's Day Birthdays...

Grandpa Ellwein

Sir Spartan Jax Green

Gwen

We hope you all had a great day!!

Happy Birthday Jax & Jilly

Jilly 2006

Jax & Jilly 2013

Jax 2005

Birthday Celebration

It is hard to believe that our first babies are getting on in years...dog years anyway!  Jilly will turn SEVEN tomorrow and Jax will turn EIGHT on 3.17.13.  I still remember when they were wee pups.  Jax is still as energetic as ever and Jilly is, well, Jilly - as cuddly as stuffed furry bunny or aloof and minding her own business.  Really, who am I kidding, she is never minding her own business.  You could rub two feathers together and if she thinks you were petting Jax she would be across the house in 5 seconds flat to get herself in on the action.  We are so grateful that they have been such great additions to our family.  Tonight they got a rare treat...pig ears while the rest of us had "chocolate cupcake" pudding and a Pirouette french vanilla wafer.  Happy Birthday to our Fur-babies!!  We love you!

Is It Spring Yet?

Well February has come and gone in literally the blink of an eye or the blow of a snotty nose.  We have had a number of ailments over the last month.  Saela - bronchitis and strep again with a trip to the ED for dehydration.  She was such a trooper since they had to stick her four times to finally get an IV.  Asher - confirmed influenza A.  Every time Asher coughed he said, "It's no fun to be sick."  Then when he was better and Saela was sick again he said, "It's no fair, Saela got 'two sicks' and I only got one."  Steve - upper respiratory infection.  Me - unconfirmed flu and a cold.  Jax - another seizure and med change.  Jilly - a case of nausea due to dining on trail mix and sour patch kids with a trip to the emergency vet - where they, free of charge, clipped her unsightly long front nails.  That was awesome and supremely embarrassing all at the same time.

Steve and I did make it to a couple of concerts - the group Fun and country singer Luke Bryan which were both very entertaining.  Saela had a fantastic conference at school and is doing really well with both reading and math!  Her listening skills at home are also improving which is just so nice!  Asher is singing new songs every day including "Sally the Camel" (I swear I learned Alice the Camel...) and "You Are My Sunshine."  I asked him to sing "You Are My Sunshine" one morning and he said..."You are MY Sunshine, Mom." What a way to start the day!  Well, that's February in a nutshell.

Here's to SPRING!

We Do...

...Like Each Other

...well most of the time

...some of the time?

...ok, we tolerate each other when it is convenient and in our 

best interests or when Mom wants a picture.