While Daddy's Away the Nino's will Play

Just a few highlights from today:

*Owen wet through his p.j.'s onto crib sheet and favorite blanket.
*Took 45 minutes to get everyone together to go on morning walk/bike ride...took longer than the actual walk. Abby, who can ride her bike, wants to sit in the stroller...and Ella, who can't ride a bike yet, wants to bike. Go figure!
*Owen dropped his banana on nasty floor, mashed it in fingers, ate a little of the fuzzy nana and then handed it to me...nice.
*Went to Post Office to mail a package...promised kids some popcorn if they behaved...they didn't make popcorn today.
*Scored the big kiddie cart at Wal-Mart...then they all fought over who sat where.
*Owen's strap in the cart was broken after I finally got him to sit down
*Went to get a certain ball in the toy dept that Abby's been wanting for her b'day...it wasn't there
*Kids started really fighting and irritating each other by this point...starting to get embarrassed
*Finally make it to the check out line...kids escape out of cart and head toward arcade
*Go to pick Owen up off the floor as he throws a full out tantrum...
*Cashier misses my price adjustment items - I work so hard to get these organized! UGH.
*Back Home - feed the kids lunch while I unload groceries that need to be refridg/frozen
*At last, I sit to eat my lunch...as I'm finishing up my big bowl of strawberry spinach chicken salad...I see a LIVE LADYBUG flailing around on a piece of spinach. I almost vomited right there on the table. Was nauseous for hours.
*Answer machine blinks with 8 messages...hoping they are all people calling to just say hi and how much they love me...or, even better, that they are coming to pick up one or more of my children.
*Put younger two down for nap and send oldest to room for how he behaved at Wally World
*Lots and Lots of return phone calls made
*Oldest comes down to negotiate getting out of his punishment
*As older two interrupt a phonecall, we see on the video monitor that Owen has jumped out of his crib! (this has never happened before!!)
*Start dinner...go to finish putting up groceries in the mean time...see that I left a huge box of Fish Sticks in my bag of what I thought was pantry goods. Wonderful.
*I see Owen, out of the corner of my eye, about to launch my Avocado I bought today to use in a recipe...I ask him to please put it back on the shelf...instead, he takes a huge bite out of it! Please tell me the avocado will survive!! I absolutely cannot go back to the grocery store again!
*Get everyone's drinks, vitamins and dinner on the table...Owen goes #2.
*Go to change him while his and I food gets cold.
*Return to find out that Abby doesn't like baked potatoes after asking for them at the grocery store...refuses to eat (very unlike her) but then begs for dessert for about 30 minutes.
*Got Ab & O bathed and just about to get Ella out when I hear a loud crash and then screaming. Will was horsing around with O on Ab's bed...bump the size of Texas on O's forehead.
*Had Will ice O's head while dried girls' hair...their brush was missing...Daddy took it on his trip b/c he couldn't find his.
*Had Will read to O while I got his sheet and blanket out of dryer...
*Put O down to bed and proceeded to go read to girls...phone rings...it was Daddy...he made me feel better when he told me his roommate snored the entire night and he didn't get a wink of sleep. Isn't it terrible how we feel better when other people suffer?! He proceeded to tell me how incredibly tired he was after his long day of golf and a "business" mtg at a nice restaurant. Poor, poor guy.

~ The little ones are tucked in and lights are out...I have my first minute alone since 7:00 a.m. this morning, and yet I am out of energy, out of brain cells, craving unhealthy food (gave in and had a 1/2 a cupcake with choc ice cream), and the dryer is dinging! I get to go to bed to start the whole process all over again. :) Thank You Lord that your mercies are new every morning...

(Please note: despite all the negative connotation in this entry, I would not, no I could not, trade my life with anyone!)

School's Out for Summer!

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world. ~ Ada Louise Huxtable

MANY a FUN DAY in MAY

SO MUCH FUN GOING ON IN MAY!!

I can hardly keep up with everything...I have always referred to May as the "2nd December" - busy, busy, busy! But, all SUPER FUN events!!

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WARNING: This blog entry is on the extremely photo intensive side! It's so dang hard to narrow 23 days down to just a few pics!!

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The kiddo's built a GIGANTIC FORT out of pillows & blankets to sleep in over the Holiday Weekend. Amazingly, they went to sleep at a decent hour!A Rockin' Block Party in our good friends' Cul de Sac...Band and all! It was such a BLAST!!

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Abby going to town on the hula hoop!

The DUDES
* ELVIS made an appearance!!

The girls WENT WILD for the E-Man!

And for this man! a.k.a. "The Ladies Man"

My Girly Girls

Adorning one of their favorite Matilda Jane get ups.
A Sigma Chi Get Together at a good friend's house...it was SO MUCH fun!!

(So much better than those stinky fraternity house parties!)

Aren't they getting so grown up & mature?!

The little kids dined in the foyer at a picnic table due to Mother Nature raining on our parade.

Miss Abby at her Tumbling Class...and yes, she is vertically challenged like her Momma!

Working on her back handspring TA DA!

The Fam on their way to Abby's 1st Piano Recital

How Pretty is this Clubhouse?!

Abby was first up and did an AMAZING job!!

Her smile melts my heart. I was SO PROUD of her.

The littlens and I have been making frequent stops at various parks around town due to all this gorgeous weather we've been having. This day Hunter Park was our destination.

Ella Bella...just a swingin'!

Pure Happiness

This was one of the most comical, yet precious things to watch. Owen (2 1/2 yrs) made friends with Victor (4 yrs). They instantly took to each other. They saw a squirrel and tried to chase it down. That led to a game of chase between the two. They ran....

And ran...........

And ran............

And ran...........

And ran...........

And FINALLY took a break to stop and pet a nearby dog.

My little princess decided to try out some climbing.

She was so proud of herself...she's usually not the daring type.

Owen getting ready for his last day of pre-school ~ Water Play Day. He couldn't wait to give his teachers their pitchers of hot pink roses.

Miss Michelle & Miss Kathy ~ We LOVE U!!

Ella's Water Play Day

Good Friends

Drying off and enjoying popsicles

This girl sure does love to swing!

And pose. :)

The O-Man trying to mimic Ella's pose.

Silly Goose!

The morning of Mother's Day...bringing Mommy breakfast in bed!

Opening all my beautiful homemade cards and gifts.

Listening to Mom read the two page interview Daddy did with all four kids...then typed up all their answers for me to have and enjoy forever. It was PRICELESS.

(Favorite memory with Mom, how are you most like Mom, favorite thing to do with Mom, what you most admire about Mom, something you'd like to do with Mom, funniest memory with Mom, if you could buy Mom anything, what would it be?)

My dream of being a Mother of Four has come true. I even always wanted two boys and two girls...I still can't believe God blessed me with this family. How could one be so lucky??

More homeade gifts...

Off to church...Mommy's favorite outing of the week!

My little Knight in Shining Armor...one of my great garage sale finds!

My dear friend Brent's "Blingy Surprise Soiree"

So Grateful for this Girl!

She's one of those rare finds...the kind you tuck away in your treasure chest and cherish forever.

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY B!!*

*~Christina's Masterpiece~*

Some of Brent's Biggest Fans

Spring Sing & Mother's Day Tea

I will so desperately miss having these two home together...we have had such a fantastic year together. I CANNOT believe my baby girl will be in Kindergarten next year! It just can't be...

South Tulsa Baptist ELP Spring Sing

What happened when I asked Ella to pose for a photo with her good friend Myah

Oh boy...looks like they're going down!

Yep...they're down!

It doesn't get much sillier than these two Peas in a Pod!

THE Mother's Day Tea...a day I look forward to with each of my children. They sing to us, serve us yummy treats, give us homemade crafts, and get their picture taken with us. I was so thankful that this wasn't my last one...the waterworks would have started if it would have been.

(Well, yes...it's my last one with Miss Ella, but I held on to my emotions knowing I still had the O-Man's 3 & 4 yr old Teas to go!)

I adore you my Ella Bella...I am so proud of you and all that you have learned this year. I love that you are my "kissing bandit"...you are the only one of the four that consistently chooses me (over Daddy). You melt my heart.

The Girls of Pre-K ~ sure do hope we keep in touch!

My big 10 yr old B'day Boy got what he has been wanting for months...an ABERCROMBIE zip up hooded jacket. I kid you not, he wore it for a week straight! (I can't believe "labels" are already making a way into his life. Although, I do remember on my 10th b'day getting my 1st pair of GUESS overalls and I think I wore them every day for a week too! LOL!!)

One Happy Boy

Grandad (Greg's Dad) presenting Will with the framed picture of Tiger Woods that he has been longing for for months...he read the sweetest message to Will that was written on the back. It was a moment I know will stay with Will forever. The picture hangs proudly.

World's Greatest Grandma with the B'day Boy

Uh Oh...the party is officially over and it's time for NACHO (libre) to make an appearance! The Greggor pulls out his beloved mask only for very special occasions such as this. :)

We still have another Wild Week of May to go...Memorial Day get together at Nana & Grandad's, my Brother's B'day Dinner at Oma's, the 1st night of the Esther Study, Abby's Class Ice Cream Social, Will's 4th Grade Graduation Party, a Wedding, and Birthday Parties. Hold on tight...YEEEEE HA!