Good Friday

This week

It has been just one of those weeks for us. We have been staying busy with all sorts of different things.

Have you not been loving this weather???

We can't get enough of it and have gone to different parks to play every single day this week! Today, I needed to run to the grocery store. Madaleine had other plans, and asked if we could go to the park and play instead. When Gavin asked where we were going, Madaleine quickly answered, "To the park and play because I told Mommy that. "

I also had to renew one of my certifications required for my job this week. These girls were having way too much fun.

I am also doing two different bible studies. The first one is by Denise Glenn, and it is called Wisdom for Mothers. It has been a great study and goes through all the different areas of being a child of God, a wife, and a mother.

The second one that I am doing is with my church and is called Faithful Abundant True. It includes two weeks each of Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer, and Beth Moore. I loved how each of these women spoke so wonderfully about how to go deeper still with your relationship with God. This was the first time I have ever done a study with Kay Arthur, and I'll admit, it took me a while to get her precept style of study... but I really did get a lot out of it and I loved how passionate she is! Of course I also loved Priscilla and Beth... I have never done one of their studies without learning so much and loving it.

Next time, I don't think I will be able to do two studies at once. It has really taken some effort to be able to get both sets of homework done every week plus do everything else that needs to get done in my day. I fell short a few times. I have decided that I will only do one at a time from now on, that way I can put all my efforts and focus into just that one.

Other than that, this week has just been full of all the normal (not so fun) things like cleaning, laundry, and cooking.

There is one more thing...

Gavin is extremely excited that the plumber is coming to our house this afternoon. He has already asked me if he could shake his hand and show him all of his tools. :) He has a thing with plumbers. I think he got it from one of his favorite shows Calliou. We have had the plumber come out once before to unsuccessfully retrieve a firefighter christmas tree ornament from the toilet. Today he is coming because I clogged the garbage disposal with way too many pasta noodles. I, however, am not as excited as Gavin is to see the plumber again. :)

Sweet Nothings

This post isn't of anything in particular... just a few sweet nothings.

Tonight at dinner, Len said the prayer before we ate. It went something like "bless this food to nourish our bodies and thank you for the hands that prepared it...". Len was finished with the prayer and said amen. Apparently Gavin thought that there was something big that his Daddy left out of that prayer, because he very quickly added, "And please help us to have brownies."

Of course I had to make a big pan of brownies after that sweet little request. :)

This is the kids tonight eating their favorite dinner... "basagna" (lasagna)

My hubby... I love him to death. He has his quirks though. For the past few weeks, he has been sending me emails from work with pictures of the car he would like for us to get.

This is a Mercedes Sprinter my friends... and Len is obsessed. I have no idea why. It is hideous. He is serious though. He keeps telling me that everyone would be so comfortable and have so much room. He thinks it's the greatest thing that you can actually stand up in the back.

I don't think so. I really don't know where he comes up with these things.

This is Gavin "fixing" his sister's bike. He has one of his toy screw drivers. Any time he is fixing something he tells me to call him the plumber.

Our kids have this thing with saying their names are different characters from different shows they watch. They insist that we call them by these names. Most recently they have been in love with the new show Bubble Guppies. There are two characters whose names are Molly and Gill. We were at the park the other day and a older girl (she was about 7) asked them what their names were. Of course Gavin said his name was Gill and Madaleine said her name was Molly. It was the funniest thing to see all the other kids call them Gill and Molly, and they actually responded to it like it was really their names.

I have caught myself calling my kids Uniqua and Pablo in the grocery store isle trying to get them to behave. I'm sure that made people wonder about us.

Sunday fun day

We headed out to Hermann Park this afternoon for a picnic lunch, and then went to the zoo. It sure did seem like the entire city of Houston was there today... geeze. We took the kids to the zoo about a year ago, and it wasn't so much fun. The kids weren't really interested in looking at the animals back then, and all they wanted to do was RUN. Put me in a crowded public place with two kids running in opposite directions, and I call it a day and swear I will never go back. I'm glad that I forget though, and do go back eventually. This time was soooo much better. The kids loved seeing all the animals, and they have "grown up" enough to know to stay with us and not run away. It was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to going back soon... on a week day when it's not as crowded :)

The kiddos and their handsome Daddy

And here they are with their Mommy. Unfortunately, most all the pics turn out this way... mouth full of food, trying to get everyone to smile and look in the same direction... it just doesn't work. Oh well.

Little missy with her bubbles. She is thinking bubbles are the greatest thing in the world right now :)

When we asked Madaleine what her favorite part of her day was, she said it was riding the carousel.

I love this age and how such simple things can put the biggest smiles on their faces. So precious to me.

She thought this was really cool too.

Yikes!

I love their little inquisitive minds

When and how did she grow up so fast? She looks like such a kid in this picture.

I thought this was too funny. I must have been yelling very loudly to look at me, smile, and say cheese, because I obviously got the kid in the background to do those things and wave... ha! I guess my kids tune me out. It's nice to know I can still get someones attention though :)

This picture just proves how Len and I obviously don't get out much. We parked in garage 4, and as Len was waiting for his parking ticket to print out, he was surprised when this came out instead. What in the world??? Where have I been?

Let's get this started with a few recent pics...

Here are a few recent pictures to get this blog started again!

Here is my handsome man having a picnic this afternoon.

And my beautiful little girl with her "CHEEEEEESE" smile.

This is Gavin getting ready to go to the store. Seriously... this is what he put on, and of course I let him wear it (we were just going to Walmart... so he would fit right in... ha!). I love it!

This was them one day while I was trying to make dinner... they got into the pantry and found the paper towels. Here is the paper towel tower they made. Of course they would make it and crash it down again and again and again.

And here they are doing their "bible study". Madaleine is playing the teacher and Gavin is playing the little boy. It's so funny how they play together these days... they really come up with some funny stuff.

I just had to take him away from his bible study so I could get a picture. Precious!

Here are some funny things they have said lately...

Madaleine comes running to the stairs and says, "Mommy! I'm up here making crescent rolls, basagna (aka lasagna), and baghetti (aka spaghetti)"

Me, "Oh wow... that's great!"

Madaleine, "I'm also making babies!"

Then she runs off and continues to play with her babies and make them crescent rolls, lasagna, and spaghetti.

I walked into Gavin's room one afternoon to wake him up from his nap. He rolls over, opens his eyes, looks at me and says, "Mommy, leave me alone. I'm trying to get some sleep."

One morning, we were driving and it was really foggy out. Madaleine asked why it was so dirty outside. I told her that it wasn't dirty, it was just the fog. Later she saw the truck in front of us pull away and leave a big cloud of exhaust smoke. She said, "Mommy! That truck is the one who made it all dirty out here!"

I was telling the kids to start to clean up their toys so we could get out of the bath. They always sing the clean up song which usually goes like this...

Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere, clean up, clean up, everybody do their share.

This particular night they sang, "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere, clean up, clean up, everybody do their hair" with uncontrollable giggling afterwards.

Madaleine passed some very unladylike gas, and she got a big grin on her face and said, "That was a bubble tooter!"

Let's just leave it with that...

New computer= start to blog again!

Well, momma... this is for you! I will do my best to get this thing up and going again! I know you miss those pics.

My hope is to be able to start updating this more often and recording some of our family memories again. Give me a little while to learn more about this mac thing (yikes), and then I will try to start this up again...

until next time... sometime soon!

Random pics

Date nights are the best! Especially when your hubby takes you out for steak! This date night was even better because we didn't know it was going to be date night until a few hours before. A big thanks to Angie for volunteering to watch our two kiddos!!!

And do you guys remember the obsession at our house with the helmets? Well...

As you can see... the obsession is still there.

Len just calls it taking safety to the next level, ha! I guess that's a good way to look at it.

Madaleine has started to notice the flowers (weeds) growing in our yard, and is constantly picking them for me. So sweet. I love that girl!

And I love this boy... and trust me, he is ALL boy. Notice the helmet again... ahem... and the dirt on his little bootie. Yes, it is only dirt. I promise. Boys like their dirt.

Madaleine thinks it is the most fabulous thing when she gets to wear one of our t-shirts to bed. When I pulled it out for her to wear that night, she seriously said, "OHHH... my favorite shirt!"

Guess he had to stand up on the ottoman because it was the only place he could actually stand. They are a mess with their toys... literally.