Random Happenings

* We are loving parks and the zoo. I especially love when the kids take awesome summer naps because they are so active.

* Reese is sleeping through the night! It is wonderful to go to bed and sleep until morning. I knew the day would eventually come!

* Mark and I are going away ALONE for two nights in a couple of weeks. I am so excited I can hardly stand it.

* Riley will no longer be taking naps in our room. Yesterday I walked into a room covered in make-up and toothpaste.  It's a good thing possessions don't eternally matter. That is all I have to say concerning the situation.

* A big shout out to the man in Target that assisted me to the car the other day. It was a sight to see. Try to picture me trying to carry a screaming and kicking 2-year-old while pushing a cart with 2 other small children during a complete downpour. The 2-year-old escaped from the car and I forgot about the 3-year-old in the cart. She was soaked. We were all soaked. It wasn't a pretty sight.

* Quinn is obsessed with tools, especially screwdrivers. He is starting to take apart all his toys so he can "fix them".

* Reese is starting to eat baby food. She does not seem extremely interested, but she seems to like the veggies more then the fruit. She also has not attempted to crawl. I was remembering today that at her age Quinn was moving like crazy around the house. I am ok with her being immobile.

The many uses for sunscreen

Today Riley and Quinn's friend Max came to play. Look at those adorable faces.

So innocent, right?

And then there was sunscreen. A nice, full bottle just waiting to be opened.

Sunscreen can be like paint to children.

Did you know it can be used as a substance to scrub windows?

It can be used as body art.

You can use a knife to spread it over bed sheets.

You can paint tables, multiple toys, and legos with it.

A carpet cleaner perhaps?

It does change the scenery when looking out the window. Oh, and make sure you use a dish sponge and wet wipe when applying.

I was just trying to feed this sweet one when it all happened...

Three years ago I would have been so frustrated to walk into a room covered in sunscreen. I am so grateful that I am learning to not sweat the small stuff. It was refreshing to walk into the room and tell the kids not to move so I could get my camera. I laughed as I was cleaning. I found sunscreen on almost every toy. I was amazed at their speed and creativity. I am blessed to have happy, healthy children that cover the carpet in laundry detergent, nail polish, lipstick,pee and even sunscreen.

Cow Day 2012

My super cool nieces joined us today for Chick-fil-A customer appreciation day. If you dress like a cow, you get a free meal. I love free things so I thought we would dress up for some yummy food.

I even joined in the fun. I love Chick-fil-A! (My spots fell off in the car)

I could not stop staring at this little cow. Isn't he the cutest?

I made sure we all got the most expensive meal. It was free. Why go for the 4 piece nuggets when you could have 6?

I then forced my nieces to dance with the kids. I thought it was for free dessert. Nope, it was so you could dance to make room for dessert. Ooops. I'm sure they had fun anyway.

If you live around a Chick-fil-A and don't have dinner plans, dress like a cow and get the most expensive meal on the menu. It was so worth it!

Riley 3.5 years

Just a few reasons why I love my little 3-year-old...

I love when she uses long words in the wrong context. For example, today she said, "Mom, there was was a scary monster in my room and it was so embarrassing". She also said, "I am playing with sissy's bottles because I am complicated."

She makes up her own words. Her word for "am not" is "am'nt". For example, "Mom, I am'nt upset." She says it often and it makes me smile every time.

Shortly after she turned 3, she was afraid of things/people in her room. Her biggest fear was Jesus. One day she was told that she did not need to be afraid because Jesus was always with her. In her mind, that meant Jesus (the actual bearded, white robed human Jesus) was in her room every night. After a few months, her fear went away. I am glad. We like Jesus in this family.

She loves dresses, skirts, headbands, and jewelry. Her little sister will have a lot of nice, unworn short outfits in a couple years.

She talks all day long. Nonstop. It makes my head hurt. We could be a pretty boring family without her.

Whenever we go to parks, zoos, friend's houses or church, she tends to find a random 5 to 7-year-old girl to play with. She tells them what to do and they listen. I don't understand it. It's like she has a radar that allows her to find that compliant girl who will listen to a 3-year-old.

After 3 years, she is finally sleeping good. She no longer wakes in the middle of the night and she is taking 2 hour naps. Bliss.

She has a sassy mouth. We are working on it.

She loves life. She wakes up with a smile on her face and goes to bed with the same smile. I could take some advice from her.

I am really enjoying 3. She can stop growing now.

10-4 Good Buddy answers {July}

1. What's your favorite free thing to do with your family?
 Splash pads, parks, and the zoo. Well, the zoo is not free, but someone bought us a pass, so its technically free to us.
2. What project in your house are you wanting to get finished or...ahem....start?
 After a 2-year-old artist "painted" our kitchen, I really need to paint. I should re-paint our entire house. It currently has flat, light-colored paint on all the walls. I can't even count the millions of fingerprints.
3. What are your top 3 favorite phone/iPad apps?
I have the old-fashion kind of phone. I can call, text, or take really bad pictures.
4. What is your favorite post from last month? {June}
 This was not the best circumstances, but I know in 5 years I might laugh reading it.
5. What is your go-to fast food restaurant?  ps...I never spell resturaunt  correctly.
I can't decide between Chick Fil A and Taco Bell. An ideal meal would be a chicken sandwich, nachos and cheese, and a mountain dew. Amazing and gross at the same time.
6. What clothing style do you love?  Find a picture on-line that describes the clothing style you like best.
I thought about this long and hard and decided at this point in my life I have no style. The past 4 years have gone like this... maternity clothes, stretchy clothes, regular clothes for 2 months, back to maternity clothes... repeat the process twice. I am currently in the stretchy clothes phase.  I can't get myself to buy new clothes as I am hoping to lose more weight. You don't want to see my stretchy clothes style.
7. What attribute of God are you clinging to most these days?
His grace. When I have a poor attitude during tough days, I realize how God shows me grace over and over again even in my weaknesses. Knowing His grace reminds me to give grace to others, including my children.
8. When you think of junior high, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?
Ugh. I remember blue rimmed glasses, braces, and a bad perm.
9. What is your favorite summer dessert?
Ice cream and breakfast smoothies.
10. What is your favorite picture from last month? {June}
This one melts my heart!

Summer fun in pictures