Spring

I am dreaming of Spring.  and Gardens.  and Flowers.  And kids outside for hours.

2010 was the year I finally planted a Garden. Not just sticking plants in the ground- but with a Vision. 

Passion into Action.

I have a bit of an obsessive mind- I have been READING about garding for years.  I have been STUDYING gardening for years. 

Above we have Delphinium grandiflorum 'Blue Butterfly' and 'Summer Nights', 'Shasta Daisy 'Becky,' Purple coneflower Echinacea 'Magnus' and 'Prairie Splendor', Garden Phlox 'David' Phlox paniculata, Cosmos "Sonata', Denver Daisy Rudbeckia, and a rose bush in the very back. 

These are the things that keep me up at night.  Life must be good.

Pioneer Woman Book Signing

It was a long, icy, Ohio winter.

I had just had my 4th baby and was in the midst of a bit of postpartum craziness.


Is she alive? Is she breathing?


Honey, can you roll me over, I’m starting to get bed sores but my boobs are just too heavy to lift.


I read this:
The Pioneer Woman

She brought happiness that day.

still processing?

Valentine's Day

We had Cherry pudding cake and pot roast at our Valentine's Day party.  The meat was hard as a rock so we kept in the spirit with loads of ketchup.

 

Sydney Grace

Flying!

Injuries

I cut my finger yesterday and, as usual, I reacted as if my finger had been amputated.  It was nothing compared to this:

I wish I could get better control of myself in these situations but it is truly a visceral reaction.  I feel the need to plug my ears and run the vaccuum. 

Sunday love

Ballet Recital

Luke's First Holy Communion

First day of School

I just found these pictures of Sydney's first day of Kindergarten and wanted to add them here! She loves school! I resolve to try harder to be current :).

renovations

We have been home now since August 2009. Home!

Christmas 2010

renovations

Sydney

"What shall I do today?”
She thought as she brushed her hair a thousand times.
“I will put on the pink dress with the tiny white dots.
I will dust the furniture and teach the cat to fetch..." And just then, a strange wind pried open her bedroom window and she suddenly had an uncontrollable urge to spin and howl, to jump on her freshly made bed with her eyes shut tight. In other words, she was on the brink of a new discovery...

Monique Duval

Disney

The Disney trip has concluded and we had loads of fun.

It took me 45 minutes per child to scrub, exfoliate, moisturize, massage, clip and clean each kid. The glitter was glued to their scalps and the stink was integrated into their systems. The boys at least will remember this trip forever. Luke was pretty funny- he completely panicked a few times- once at Animal Kingdom during the bug movie when he thought the bugs were going to exterminate us and once in Epcot on Space. He had heard that a couple of people had died on the ride a few years ago and was sure we would face the same fate. We had only three "pilots" in our car and he was sure if we missed pressing any of the buttons in the fourth seat we would plunge back to earth. He was literally screaming when he was fastened in and the doors were shut. Ha ha. He loved the ride though! The most impressive ride was "Soaring." My memory of it is clutching my harness and trying not to freak out- but hearing Sydney laughing and laughing

Luke was eating shrimp last night and said "I always wondered what was in shrimp... chicken."

The girls had a blast meeting characters and princesses. Mia yelled "Look at me Mickey Mouse, look at me!" Disney turned Mia into a monster but I think she is back to her sweet self now. On our last night there Jeff and I were laying in bed talking about how much fun we had and how we should go back every year. As soon as we were home, we quickly nixed that idea. So much work and not my idea of vacation to be navigating amusement parks. I would rather take them to a state park or national monument every year. One day we would love to rent an RV for the whole summer and tool around. No more trips planned until Hawaii in July. Spring break is coming so I should probably do something with them. But I think we will end up sleeping in everyday and touring Columbus in the afternoons.

Sydney was naming all her body parts and I pointed to her eyelashes and she said "eye tails!"

Traveling...

We leave for Disney World tomorrow.
I know, I know it's just an amusement park, blah, blah, blah... But we are excited! One more day of school with math tests and John Glenn, turning in their Valentines box's and cards (they miss the party and Luke said he might cry). I do feel bad he's missing it - these things mean a lot to a first grader, but I think we'll make it up to him. I am still jet lagged and with the house drama, travel plans, and work/life it has been hard to keep up.
I'm hoping fervently for afternoon naps.

Hawaii

I just returned from a quick but luscious trip to Kona and remembered that I never did post any photos from our Summer trip. I love it there so much! No celebrity sightings this go around but plenty of whales.

Christmas

Oh my goodness!