Quick one

Well I am taking a quick break from packing. I managed to get all our clothes into 1 bag. That's pretty good considering that is a family of 4, clothes for a week +. Anyways I am counting down the hours until we hit the road. There are 3 vehicles caravanning down the FL. 2 of us are going all the way to Marathon (half way down the Keys). Matt is in for a new experience, since the only time he has driven to FL was 1 time for spring break in college. I have a feeling this road trip might be a little different. Regardless, we are hoping to get there by late Saturday night. My plan for the week is to sit by the pool, read a book or two and have a few cocktails! Hopefully the kids are good with the plan too! There will be 18 of us staying in 1 house, ages 1.5 to 83! Something for everyone! I hope everyone has a wonderful spring break and I will be posting pics as soon as we get back. I hope we bring a little sun and warmth back with us!

new saying

Well this morning I said something without really thinking and it turns out it was pretty smart. And simple! Mia has a habit of repeating herself over and over. So this morning I said:
You said it. I heard it. No need to repeat it.

I am trying to acknowledge when she says something whether it needs a response or not. So she knows I heard her. We will see how it goes.

life is good

I get to wake up to this sweet face. How lucky am I?

Hello everyone! I have been loving this weather lately. Mia said the funniest thing this morning to me (she is at that age where she loves to talk and most of it is very funny.)

Mia: Mommy last night when you were bye-bye and it was dark out. I watched a show with Daddy. The ladies had babies in their tummies and they popped them out!

Me: I turn around with a slightly confused look on my face trying to figure out what she is talking about. Then I remember that New Adventures of Old Christine was on and they have a couple ladies on that show that are preggo. So, it makes sense but for a moment I had to wonder what kind of shows they watched when i am not around.

Since we have moved back to IL, Matt has taken over bath time duties. He used to be at work at night so he missed out on the majority of them. (That means I DID the majority of them!) It gives me a little quiet time or time to sit on the couch and just relax for a bit. On Tuesday night just as he was getting ready to get the kids into the bath Harold called and so I took over the routine. I had a great time watching them splash around. Sometimes you need to break out of the routine just to see what happens on the other side. Now I will hand bath time back to Matt and enjoy my 15 minutes of 'me' time.

He just wanted to stay wrapped up in his frog towel. I just wanted to snuggle him!

Dane is currently obsessed with his belly button. He pushes it and says' "Beep Beep!" If he sees someone else's watch out, he now will go after that one. He wakes up in the morning and he's in his crib "Beep Beep." Same thing at nap time. I think he might go into shock in a couple weeks in FL when everyone has their swimsuits on. His favorite belly button, after his, is Papa's.

Mia walks around the house singing all day. Making ups songs, mixing up words to actual songs and singing some just like they were sang to her. I love it. I wish I could bottle it up and save it for 10 years down the road. The Hokey Pokey is a current fave. Kaitlyn and Kara do it with her and you should see her stick her bum in and shake it all around. I am pretty sure she gets that from me.

Here is Mia trying to figure out what to wear. She is such a girl!

Smiles all around

Some things in life just put a smile on my face. A real wood burning fireplace, a newborn baby, a phone call from a friend you haven't talked to in a while. There are others but you get the idea. Today is a dreary, rainy day but we all had a smile on our face as we finished lunch. Chocolate pudding has that power. Mia and Dane had their first taste of it last night at dinner and the smiles were just as big. So after eating a great lunch I was happy to dish out the chocolate goodness.

I finished another dress for Mia last week and I am putting the final touches on a dress for myself. I made a little headband to match Mia's dress. (It came in handy when she got sick that night at Ohma's house.) Next up so overalls for Dane. I just sew for enjoyment and to use my brain. It's a nice change of pace, sewing machines are pretty quiet! So let me know if you need something. And I am still waiting for the material to arrive for the girls who already told me what they want. Hoping to get the shipment late this week.

Catch up time

I can't believe that it has been so long since i was on here. Well February was pretty busy. We went to a lot of volleyball games, my sisters stayed with us for a weekend and just life in general kept us moving. I had surgery on my wrist and can't wait for the darn splint to come off (just a few more days). You never realize how many things require 2 hands when you are a mommy. I have taken a little break from sewing but plan on jumping right back into it next week.

We managed to get some fresh air this week and really enjoyed being outside. It was nice to get out a different set of toys for a bit. Mia worked on her new scooter. She must get that from Papa Hartnett. And Dane just wanted to get into everything and get out all the balls he could find in the garage.

Spring yet?

This past Saturday was so nice! We played outside for a bit then headed over to the Smicks' for a baby shower. The guys stayed outside, safe from all the baby stuff going on inside. They played a little basketball, it was like watching them back in the day. It was a little weird when i realized that I had known the guys the longest out of everyone there. But it was great to see them all again and be able to enjoy a little fresh air. Now the problem is I had a taste of spring and nice weather, I am really done with winter.

Dane has been showing a lot of interest in using the potty. I wasn't planning on working on that until we got back from Easter vacation but I guess if he's interested I should go with it.

I thought up some new things to sew and hopefully will get to a couple this week. Dane might actually get something too! I found this blog that looks full of fun ideas/ crafts that kind of thing. To all you mommies out there: check it out if you are looking for something new to try.

http://www.rookiemoms.com/

Oh and one more thing, I can't find my video camera charger. It is making me crazy. I can remember seeing it and thinking what is this for, then I can't remember what I did with it. Of course there are a bunch of things I want to record before the kids stop doing them! Mommy brain strikes again.

orders backing up

Ok, well not really but I did finish Mia's dress. It was nice and easy to do and turned out slightly better then expected. I think I will draw up a few other designs/ patterns and see where it gets me.

Dane has a new favorite chore around the house. Just put the pile you want loaded at his feet and in it goes!

Mia always there to supervise

Meanwhile Mia and Dane have been playing in my closet a lot lately. It's fine I am in the bedroom usually cleaning up another toy disaster zone while they play. Today I went in to check on them and this is what I found. Matt had taken the morning off so he was there to see his son all dressed up compliments of his sister. I don't think that Matt thought it was as funny as I did. Dane was happy as a lark strutting around in 2 swimsuit pieces and 1 shoe.