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

Happy Birthday Gramma!!

Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. ~Welsh Proverb

There's no place like home except Grandma's. ~Author Unknown

Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete. ~Marcy DeMaree

The Greatest gift God gave us for being a Mom was becoming a Grandmother. ~Mary Kappes

The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent. ~Sam Levenson

A garden of Love grows in a Grandmother's heart. ~Author Unknown

If your baby is "beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time," you're the grandma. ~Teresa Bloomingdale

Grandmother - a wonderful mother with lots of practice. ~Author Unknown

Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies. ~Author Unknown

Happy Birthday Gramma!!
We love you!!

Love,
Alexa & Braden
xoxoxo

Hanging Out With Cousins

My Wordless Wednesday last week was Alexa feeding my sweet little nephew. Nope, it wasn't Braden. The giveaway was the bottle. My adorably stubborn little man would never take one. When we thought I was going to go back to work when he was 3 months old we would go a whole day trying to give him a bottle and he just wouldn't eat. All.Day.Long. I guess it was a good thing I didn't end up going back! Anyway, here are a few more pictures from that day. My mom and I got a feel for what it would be like to have 4 kids ages 3 and under. Crazy...that's what it was. But we had a blast hanging out with my niece and nephew for the day at my Mom's house.

I don't think it's possible to get a decent picture of four little kids, but it was fun trying.

Look at those eyes, what a handsome little peanut he is.

Braden took the chance to tell his little buddy all about balls.

And this is how the bottle session ended.
Hard work. :)

Random Thoughts

*Remember when gas was under a dollar? I have only been driving for 12 years but I can totally remember paying 86 cents a gallon back in the day.

*I made chicken fajitas on Wednesday night for supper and I can still smell it in my house. Gross.

*Matt and Alexa went outside the other night to play in the snow. They had so much fun sledding, making snow angels, throwing snowballs and just being silly. I am sad I wasn't out there taking pictures of it.

*Braden went down for a nap a couple days ago completely fine and woke up with a full blown cold. How is that even possible? He has been kind of miserable and up a lot the last couple of nights coughing so much. I hate when kids are sick.

*The sun is out today...this is like the 10th day in a row it has made an appearance and it's wonderful! You can definitely notice a difference in people when the sun is out, people are much happier. I am much happier! :)

*Why can't people use their blinkers? It's not like it takes a lot of effort, all you need is just one finger to flip it on.

*How big are Perkins flags? They're huge.

*How come sometimes my kids don't even notice I exist until I am on the phone? Payback. I totally remember doing that to my mom as a kid!

*Braden my ex-kisser who now only wants to give fist bumps will so graciously all the sudden want to give me lots of kisses when he is eating and his face is full of food.

*I have had the same solicitor call my phone about 4 times a day for the past 5 days. They won't get the hint I don't want to talk to them and they won't leave a message either. Annoying.

*Why does Kleenex make their boxes so ugly?

*I have been doing a study of Daniel by Beth Moore. It is really good, I would definitely recommend it.

*Redbox is the best invention ever.

*The second best invention ever is the free cookies for kids at CUB.

* I gave up chocolate for Lent. It's a miracle I have not craved any yet. Only 38 days left.

*Why must my kids hide my deodorant on me?

*I am very excited for a movie night with Matt tonight.

*I am also super excited about a girls night out tomorrow. Dinner and bowling, FUN!

*Alexa has been extra sweet to Braden lately, I think because she knows he's not feeling good. She has been giving him lots of kisses and rubbing his back and even sang him Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman the other day while trying to make him dance. Those moments make a Mom forget everything else going on in the world.

*I have been obsessed with watching the Olympics. My recent favorite was the snowboarding...Shaun White rocks!

*There's only 29 days until Spring is officially here. I know that doesn't mean much living in the Midwest because we will still get snow after that, but it's a start.

*Have a great weekend everyone!! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Midwest Kids Fest

On Saturday we got up and headed out for a day at Midwest Kids Fest. We have never been there before but it sounded like a good time, anything with the word Fest in it has to be fun right!? Yeah, we had a blast. Especially Alexa. It was cool because there was tons of booths where parents could get free samples and info about all kinds of kid related things and then there was a bunch of stuff for the kids to do too.

I was totally floored at how 'big' Alexa acted the whole day. Like doing this...

She would have never tried that a couple of months ago but she told me she wanted to go jumping and didn't even look back when I left her to get all strapped in. She about died laughing and had so much fun. I think the guy next to me thought I was a little nutso because I was laughing so hard too. Part was out of shock that she was doing it and part was because she was having so much fun. Isn't it the best seeing your kids have so much fun!?

Here she is petting a crocodile.

And a snake. Again...totally new for her.
She even told me to 'come pet the snake because she was really nice.'
Ummm, no thanks.

She also got her face painted like a butterfly. She sat so good as the girl did it and then wanted me to take pictures of how cool she looked.

Pretty cool! :)

Braden found a stand with balloons at it and sweet talked the lady into one.
That was all he needed, he was good the rest of the day! :)

Too bad they don't do this every weekend!