A trip to the mall

Our trip to the mall Saturday surprised us all with Baby Girl getting her ears pierced.  Of course, I think that Baby Girl was the most surprised, followed by BBQ who did not like to see her baby sister so upset. Daddy could not stand it and once it was time to pull the ear-piercing gun out, he was at the back of the store unable to watch.  All in all, Baby Girl did great and she looks so precious in her white gold earrings.

I did not have my camera with me since our adventure was unplanned.  But I am so thankful for my phone camera and Photoshop that made these pictures possible.

Just Perfect!

Afternoon Tea with the girls

Somehow I came up with a crazy idea to have tea everyday with the older girls after school.  This was in effort to provide some quality time where I could really listen about their day in school - instead of everyone trying to talk to me over a screaming baby in the van on the way home from school. 

So most days we have tea and a small snack.  We talk about the good things of the day, what special they had and sometimes who got in trouble that day. 

I have to admit, I am not always gun-ho about tea time and the work and clean up that it can be.  But my girls love tea time and hold me accountable. 

We are making some great memories around the table everyday.

An interview with BBQ

I saw this on another blog, so I thought I would copy the idea and see how BBQ (age 5) would answer these questions.  I think it turned out great and kinda funny.

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?

To pull down your bed

2. What makes Mommy happy?
            When I give her a card

3. What makes Mommy sad?
           When I do not do right

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
            When she tells jokes     

5. What was Mommy like as a child?
             She liked Oatmeal crème pies

6. How old is Mommy?
               24

7. How tall is Mommy?
               Maybe, 6 inches

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?
                 Go out with me

9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?
                 Go shopping with Ms. Kim

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
                         For my family

11. What is Mommy really good at?
                  Cooking food

12. What is Mommy not very good at?
                   Not good at calming Izabelle down while I am reading a book

13. What does Mommy do for her job?
                     Works at Party All The Time

14. What is Mommy's favorite food?
                    Maybe, Green Beans

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?
                      When she corrects me in the books

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
                          Daphne from Scooby Doo

17. What do you and Mommy do together?
                           Go out and shop for big sister a present

18. How are you and Mommy the same?
                          Like hot chocolate

19. How are you and Mommy different?
                          Mommy has green eyes, I have blue eyes

20. How do you know Mommy loves you?
                         Because she gives me hugs

21. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?
                         McDonald’s

Do you Farkle???

Our family was given a new game for Christmas (thank you Auntie L and Uncle S) and we love it.  Of course, just the name brings giggles to our table.

We love how quick we can play one game. And shh.. don't tell the girls but it also teaches great counting skills.

 Not to mention, we are all out to beat Daddy.  He always seems to win.

Impromptu Pictures

I was so excited to find these dresses at a consignment shop for baby girl before she was born.  I remember being so excited that I snapped pictures on my phone and sent it to hubby and my Mom on how cute they were. I also remember how tiny they were and that they would be perfect for Baby Girl to wear in late September and early October.  I had no idea Baby Girl would be born at 4lbs 7oz.  So at 20 weeks old these size 3 month dresses finally fit her and we are in the middle of snow storms!  So I decided to take pics of her in them and then pass them on to a sweet friend who is expecting her first girl this spring.  I hope she can use them more than we did.  But hey, I think we got some priceless pictures. 



Baby Girl with her hippo friend, he is use to look huge compared to her.


 The big girls asked to have their picture taken with her - in fact they wanted a picture of them looking at her.

As you can see, they are in love with their baby sister.  God has blessed us abundantly.



Yum-O... Rice Cereal

Baby Girl has entered the stage where we can introduce cereal into her everyday diet.  So we started with the traditional first cereal, rice.  I was cautious about doing this, since she had such a terrible case of colic up until 6 weeks ago.  But after persuasion from daddy and her new found interest in watching us eat (and not to mention the added bonus of her sleeping through the night) I gave in.

Daddy is the best at feeding her, he does not mind the mess at all!! She loves her rice cereal and is so excited when she sees the spoon and bowl - and she is sleeping through the night again!!

That's our Gerber baby.

B-Ball Saturdays...

Our bigger girls are both playing basketball this year!  It is exciting and very busy.  I am so proud of my girls.  Basketball does not come easy to them but they try hard and it shows.



BBQ is one of 2 girls on her team, she tends to skip instead of running!




BBQ's team practices 30 minutes and then plays a 30 minute game




Sweet Girl's team ready to play.

Sweet Girl is a great defensive player



Searching for the perfect chair..

Our poor recliner has seen better days.  It has been through a couple of moves and 2 babies already and we are not sure it will hold on till Baby Girl is 1.  So we went shopping for a new rocking/recliner chair with our Christmas money from our parents.  We shopped several area furniture stores and sat in numerous chairs and never really feel in love. 

Now I know they say Lazy Boy is the best but I figured they were WAY out of our price range.  But upon seeing a Lazy Boy clearance commerical, I thought it was worth going by and taking a look.  I was amazed at the night and day difference between a Lazy Boy and the other recliners we had sat in. And reality was, the clearance price was close to the chair prices we saw in other stores.  We just knew after trying a Lazy Boy we could not go back to the other stores.

 But we both had ideas as to what we wanted.  I wanted high arms, and lots of cushion.  Hubby wanted it to be roomy and with lots of back support.

And he really wanted a massage Lazy Boy and we were very tempted by one with a great price.  But in the end we went with a basic Lazy Boy leather recliner.  It is such a man's chair but we both love it! 



Hubby relaxing in our new Lazy Boy



It will be ours in 90 days - we are so ready to bring it home and start making sweet memories in it.

Snow days, there is nothing like it.

The girls have been enjoying these beautiful snow days.  I think they would stay outside all day if I would let them! 

  

BBQ making snow angels

There is nothing better than hearing them giggle.

Poor Baby Girl had to watch from the window.  Maybe next year she will get her chance to play in the snow. 

BBQ learns to sew

BBQ asked Santa for a sewing machine. I was so excited at the possibilities and nurtured the whole idea for 3 months. Sure enough Santa Claus brought BBQ a beautiful blue sewing machine that she can use for years to come. So as excited as I am that she has one and is excited about all the possibilities .. I am a little stressed. I have not sewn anything since my Senior year of high school!! Thankfully Hancock Fabric and some tips from Nonnie came to the rescue.

We selected an easy apron as our first project. I have to admit I was sweating it. I took my time cutting it out, determining if we had the right thread, pinning it and making sure we had the time to work on it. With some encouragement from my hubby, we started actually sewing today - a snow day!

I was so proud of BBQ , she listened and following directions so well and beamed at every stitch she did. And her apron turned out great.

I am so thankful for the memories and so thankful for a hubby who encouraged me that I could lead our daughter in this adventure. So now Sweet girl is wanting to sew -- I promised her we would do pot holders. So stay tuned to our days of learning to sew.