To Cut or Not to Cut

I am having a major dilemma over here.
I can't decide if I should cut Alexa's hair or not.
What should I do??

I keep going back and forth.
Cut.
Don't Cut.
Cut.
Don't Cut.

Last Summer I said we would keep growing it out through the Winter and then get it cut this Spring for Locks Of Love.
That would be really cool for her to do, right?

But then her gorgeous long hair would be gone.

But it's just hair and it will grow back.
(I have to keep telling myself that.)

I would miss it though.
A lot.
Even though it gets full of food and is a struggle to comb.
I still love it.

And she can't leave our house without someone commenting on it.
It's her thing, ya know.

So what do we do?
Cut it off?
Leave it?
Just trim it?
Help.

How long did you wait to cut your daughter's hair?
Did it go over well?
Sometimes I can convince Alexa it would be a good idea to cut it into a cute bob and other times she kind of freaks and says she doesn't want boy hair.

(I know there are many more important things in the world than cutting hair, like everything, but I am just asking for some input, advice or maybe someone to tell me to chill out and just do it.) :)

Nobody puts Braden in the Corner....Except Himself

Braden kept playing with the DVD player and the DVDs today and I was telling him over and over not to touch but he kept going back again. Finally after about 10 minutes I said, "Braden, do you need to take a timeout?" I really don't even know why I said it because I have never tried putting him in time out before, but right after I said it he gets up, walks to the kitchen, pulls out a chair and crawls up on it. Apparently he knows the routine from another little person around here. At first I thought he was moving on to crawling around on the table like I often find him doing but then I realized he had put himself in timeout. I couldn't stop laughing, it was adorable. Do you think it would be as effective if I put him there? :)

Egg Hunting

Today we brought the kids to my parent's church for an Easter Egg Hunt. The first of many hunts in the next week or so. I still have candy that they got from parades last summer. One of these days they are going to figure out we hide it all right away. :)

Even though it wasn't much of a challenge they had fun anyway. Alexa only looked for pink eggs of course and Braden was picking them up and throwing them in anyone's basket he could find.

Wordless Wednesday

All Dried Up

One week.

That's how long it has been since Braden has nursed.
(Actually it has been 8.5 days, but who's counting.)
I think he's officially done. *sniff sniff*
I am happy about it now and it already seems like it has been months since he quit.
But if you would have asked me about it approximately 6.5 days ago, it would not have been pretty.
In fact I think I was bribing him with cookies.
I'm kidding.
Mostly.
I am just so emotional when it come to my kids growing up that every first and last always brings a tear to this Mama. It's hard...but so much fun at the same time!
So anyway, he's done with the milk.
Wow.
19 months.
I never thought I would nurse that long.
But I am happy I did.
It was such a great bonding time and was sometimes the only time we got to hang out, just the two of us.
Also, looking back on it I am so happy that it was his choice.
There was a point I thought that I would have had to pack up and move out for a few days. I wasn't sure he would ever let it go!
Now the milk is dried up and my tears are dried up and we're moving on to the next stage of life with this little man.

In other Braden news:

He is talking like crazy and will try to say almost anything we ask him to.
He is starting to put words together. (2-3 at a time)
He can count to 10.
He is very independent when he eats. He wants NO help.
Loves being outside.
Still very much a cuddle bug when he wants to be.
Great sleeper. (11 hours at night and 2 hour nap)
Loves playing with Alexa and copying her every move.
Is almost always smiling and laughing.
Except when he is fake crying. (with real tears...he's good)
Loves to read books.
Is just such a happy little dude and so fun to be around!!

Mom N' Me Monday

Julie over at The Peanut Gallery...Exit Here started a blog hop to get Moms out from behind the camera and in the pictures with their kids. Such a great idea! Matt is pretty good at grabbing the camera every now and then to take pics of me and the kids but I am going to make an effort to do it even more...so they know I was around when they were little. :)

Here I am with my little munchkins, I can't believe they are both looking at the camera AND smiling! Nope, these aren't from last Fall...we just got our yard raked this past weekend. We like to live on the edge over here. :)

Here's some more of my favorite pictures from the afternoon:

Fun at the Zoo

Last week we took a trip to the MN Zoo with our friends Tina and Holly. It was the perfect day...the sun was shining and the temps were warm. The kids had such an awesome time! They all got along very well and they were so good too! There was times when I think they forgot there was even animals around because they were having so much fun playing and running around. I couldn't believe that Alexa and Braden didn't fall sleep right away in the car, but they both took really long naps after we got home. It was such a fun day, we can't wait to go back soon! Now time for loads of pictures. :)

Here's a group shot.
7 kids 3 and under.

Here's Alexa and Henry.
They really like each other and it's so cute!

They were even holding hands!

Train Rides

Bunny House

This weekend we decided to put our awesome building skills to work and make a house for the Easter Bunny, because like Alexa says...he has to have house. Simple enough, right?

Well, not so much. We used a kit that was bought for last Easter...not sure if that has anything to do with the outcome but we are going to blame it on that anyway.

We had some broken walls and as much as Matt and I tried to rig something up to get them to stay, it just didn't work. From the looks on her face I think we crushed all her thoughts of "Daddy and Mommy can fix anything!"

It didn't stop us from having fun anyway. Alexa just might become a decorator someday...she was so precise on all the candy being in the perfect spot. Yes, that perfect spot also included her mouth. (Is year old candy bad for you?)

Finished product...she was so proud!
Any bunny would be happy to call this home, right!?

3 minutes later...

Good thing she was already on to something else and didn't mind much. :)

Five Question Friday

It's Friday!!
I love Fridays.
I really wish there could be more Fridays during the week, wouldn't that be great!?
Also, thanks for all the great comments on my last post...it was awesome to come back to all the love! :)
Make sure to check out Mama M's blog if you want to join in on Five Question Friday.

1. How much time do you spend on the computer a day?
Hmmm, I don't even know. I don't usually spend a large amount of time at once on the computer but I do pop on a lot and check my email and twitter throughout the day. I have been cutting way back on computer time lately though...I don't want my kids to see me on it all the time, so my goal is to get everything done that I want to during nap time and after they go to bed.

2. Will you pay for your children's college or raise them to pay for their own way?
I would love to be able to pay for our kids schooling but we probably won't, at least not all of it. I think kids work a lot harder when they are paying for it themselves. However we will be helping them big time in other ways like insurance, rent, food etc. My parents helped me out but I also worked a lot while I went to school and my grades really suffered because of it. I will make sure our children will be able to concentrate on what they are there to do. Until then I have my fingers crossed for some scholarships! :)

3. Have you ever been in a car accident?
Yeah, but nothing major. I remember the very first day it snowed after I got my license I drove right into the ditch, yeah that was embarrassing...what makes it even worse is it was one of those snows that was melted by the time we were out of school. Oh yeah, also one time I was rear ended and the guy was mad because I had stopped for the pedestrian. Are you kidding me? He was so lucky my kids weren't in the car!

4. What is your favorite book?
Here's the deal, I haven't read anything besides Dora or board books in like 3 years. Which is kinda too bad because I really do love reading, once I open a book I don't usually put it down until I am done...it's just picking it up that's the hard part. One of these days I will start reading again, until then Little Critter books it is. I'll copy Mama M and say that a couple of my favorite kids books are: Love You Forever, I Love You Through and Through, Goodnight Moon and The Giving Tree.

5. Do you make your bed everyday?
Ummm, no. Kinda weird considering I have to have the inside of my refrigerator spotless with everything facing out. I don't get it either.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! :)

Where have I been you ask?

Okay, nobody asked that.

Actually that's not true...my grandma called from Florida and asked me why haven't I updated our blog in forever. I knew someone missed us. Thanks Nana! :)

We have been busy! Nothing very exciting or anything, just busy. And enjoying life. And enjoying the Spring like weather that we have been having. The snow is almost all gone around here. It's been great, we have been able to go out walking and bike riding for the past couple weeks. Right now it's actually thunder storming. I love thunderstorms.

Also, I broke my computer. :( I just grabbed the screen (why would I do that??) and the thing cracked right down the middle. My friend asked how Matt felt about that and he said, "I'm thrilled" but obviously she couldn't hear the sarcasm in his voice. :) Actually he didn't mind too much, we have had that thing for almost 7 years which has to be some kind of record. So anyway we knew we would be getting a new one sooner or later. We were able to get everything backed up onto our external hard drive before the whole thing died, thank goodness!! We still haven't gotten everything put onto my new computer though, I'm dying to look at my kids baby pictures...like I do way too often...because I like to torture myself like that.

In other news, the kids and I have been staying at my parents house for about a week and a half while they are on vacation. You see, I have a little sister and she just can't be trusted alone. Just kidding, she is an angel...yes, after 7 kids they finally got a good one. I'm kidding again, they have two good ones. :) We go home during the day but have been hanging out there at night. I am SO excited to be home and sleep in my own bed though and be with Matt again. We have been seeing him before we leave at night but it's not the same. The kids don't mind though, Alexa loves anything that has to do with Gramma so even just using "Gramma's potty" gets her all happy. :)

Other than all that it's been the same old stuff. Matt is working hard and getting ready to graduate. The kids and I have been having lots of play dates with our friends and I have even been able to sneak out a couple times with the girls.

I feel like life is just going really fast lately, anyone else? I can't wait until Summer is here and Matt can take some time off and we can go on some mini vacations to just relax and enjoy being together!!

I miss the bloggy world and hope to be back soon!
With pictures of course. :)
Hope everyone is doing well and having a wonderful week!!

Making Snow Angels with Daddy