Easter Highlights

He is risen!! And what a glorious day we had celebrating with family and friends. Sullivan actually set his alarm and woke us up at 7am. After a little convincing, he agreed to go back to bed until 7:30. At 7:30am on the dot, he rallied his siblings and they bounded down the steps to see what the Easter Bunny had left them. Well, some of them bounded down. Sawyer actually dragged himself up the steps, but he was a good sport about rising early.

Mike's Dad is in the hospital recovering from hip surgery, so he took the boys to visit him early in the day and Oakley and I stayed home. We watched Mary Poppins and prepared food for an early evening cookout. Oakley LOVES to help out in the kitchen! We made an Asian Salad, a salad with Mandarin Oranges and Carmelized Almonds, a Strawberry-Pretzel Salad (more like a dessert), Broccoli Casserole and Corn Pudding. When coupled with the steaks we grilled (not your traditional Easter fare), we had ourselves a little feast!

Nicole and her family joined us mid-afternoon for an egg hunt (several hunts, actually) and the boys spent the afternoon playing frisbee and flying kites. We LOVE their beautiful girls (and Mom and Dad) and I'm so glad we got to spend some time with them yesterday.












Some of my family joined us later for the cookout -- the first of many we hope to host in our new home. We spent the evening watching The Masters, catching up with family and friends, and enjoying the day together.

Life is good!

A Typical Kentucky Spring

Today it snowed. SNOWED?!?! We awoke to freezing temperatures, great big flakes, and the ground blanketed in white powder. It's April 7 .... just a typical Kentucky spring. My Mom has always told me never, never, never put out plants prior to Derby Day. And she's right, although I do recall a white Derby in my past, too. It may be 70 degrees one day and 20 degrees the next. And although those 70 degree days tempt us into believing it's spring, we all know better.

Not that we don't take advantage of those warm days!! Last week the kids were out of school on Spring Break and Wednesday was beautiful. I took the day off and before I even woke up, Sullivan had already researched the forecast, printed it off the computer, and had it waiting for me on the kitchen counter. Sunny skies, warm temps ... a perfect day for the zoo.

So Hagan, Sullivan, Oakley and I loaded up and headed north toward the Cincinnati Zoo. We tried to coax Sawyer out of bed to go with us, but he chose to sleep in.

We were pleasantly surprised to find no crowds and because it was such a nice day, most of the animals were really active - ready to welcome the warmer days.

The gardens were beautiful, and the tulips, my very favorite flower, were in full bloom.

The boys were a little disappointed that some of the animals hadn't been moved yet to their outdoor habitats because the weather was still a little cool for them. We'd much rather see the monkeys hanging from trees than behind glass cages. I understand the importance of zoos but it's always been a little depressing for me too.

We spent the longest time at the Gorilla exhibit. They are SO AMAZING to me. Last year we were enthralled with the Momma Gorilla and her new baby, but this year, it was this large male that drew us in. He stood up and walked around like a man ... for a long time. Incredible!

Regardless, we all had a great time and it was the highlight of our week!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy New Year

Look who's back!! Will wonders never cease .....

It's been so long since I posted that I don't even know where to begin. I'd like to say that I'll catch up on the past several months (which would be really helpful to me when I scrapbook my photos), but I seriously doubt that will happen.

We're doing great, but have just been really busy. Starting a new job and simultaneously building a house can be all-consuming and I just haven't had the energy to devote to my blog. But hopefully, we'll be settled in our new home sometime next month, and I'm going to do my best to post more often.

So I'll start off the New Year with an Oakley story! Last weekend the family went out to dinner, and Oakley, in her true fashion, sang all the way there and all the way through dinner. Seriously, she may someday be an Idol contender. She sings ALL THE TIME and we've pretty much learned to tune it out and carry on a conversation despite her melodic voice. But this night, something caught our ears and we all stopped mid-conversation.

Here's her rendition of Old McDonald Had a Farm .....

"Old McDonald had a farm. E-I-E-I-O. And on that farm he had a -- Please press an animal to continue singing -- PIG!! E-I-E-I-O."

What?!?! Please press an animal to continue singing? Sullivan just shook his head in dismay.

"She thinks that's part of the song," he said. "We need to take the V-Tech away."

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Maureen, so here goes:

Seven Things:

1. I am one of six children (three boys and three girls). Growing up, we shared one bathroom. It CAN be done. I'm married to Michael, who also happens to be one of six children (three boys and three girls).

2. There are only two things I cannot (or will not) eat: mayonnaise and canteloupe.

3. I was born in Vilsek, Germany. Yup, I'm an Army brat.

4. We are in the midst of building our home (this is a first for us). I quickly discovered that I have champagne taste. And a beer budget.

5. My labor with my second son was 50 minutes, start to finish. SCARY because we almost didn't make it to the hospital. And on the mad rush to get there, as my husband was begging me not to push, he ran over a opposum.

6. I've never liked opposums.

7. There's no sweeter sound than that of children singing. It always makes me cry.

I am tagging:

Karen
Cynthia
Sara
Leslie
Angie
Leslie
Krista

That's My Princess

We recently visited Dr. Taylor for Oakley's four-year-old check-up. Oakley loves Dr. Taylor, despite the fact the since she's had to endure many immunization shots while in her office.

After her physical exam, Dr. Taylor began to question Oakley about many things in order to determine if she is developmentally on target, which she so is! She had her count to 10 and in her excitement, Oakley forgot to stop at 10 and counted all the way to 40. She tested her on all of her colors and her shapes, and I think she was pleasantly surprised when Oakley correctly identified the diamond and oval along with all the other shapes. She asked about her favorite foods (thank goodness my girl threw in some fruits and vegetables along with McDonald's), and her favorite things to play.

Then the conversation took a turn ....

Dr. Taylor: Oakley, what do you always ride in while you're in the car?

Oakley: I ride in my car seat, with my buckles.

Dr. Taylor: Can you ride a bicycle?

Oakley: No, I'm still little. But I can ride a tricycle. It has three wheels.

Dr. Taylor: What do you always wear when you ride a tricycle?

Oakley glances at me for a little help.

Dr. Taylor: Oakley, don't look at your Mommy. Look at me. What do you always wear when you ride a tricycle.

Oh ... this is really a test for me. To see if I'm being a responsible parent.

Oakley: Ummm. Ummmmm. A tiara?

I just failed my responsible parent test.

Dr. Taylor: (trying really hard not to smile) "No, Oakley, that's not the right answer. A tiara won't protect your head."

Oakley: "Oh! A helmet!"

That's my girl.

Dr. Taylor: "That's right, Oakley. You should always wear a helmet when you ride your tricycle or a bicycle."

Oakley: "And a tiara."

That's my princess.

FOUR ... Fabulous Four!

Guess who turned four today?!?! That's right -- my sweet girl is now four years old!

She's grown up so much in the past year, it's really hard to believe all that she's learned, accomplished, discovered and braved. We celebrated pretty low-key today ... actually, REALLY low key.

Our lives have been topsy-turvy this past month. In a matter of one week, I was offered a position with a great company and accepted it, I resigned from my old position, we got a contract on our house, and we signed a contract with a builder on a new house. Yes, we're building and I hope our marriage survives it (just kidding). Actually, Michael and I are celebrating (again, think low-key) our 20th wedding anniversary today!!

So, in the past month, I've had a yard sale, we closed on our house and are in the midst of packing (we'll have to move into rental property while our new home is being built -- ugghh), the boys started school, my youngest changed districts and schools, and all three boys started their soccer seasons, complete with weekend out-of-town tournaments. My head has been spinning, and I told Michael I just didn't think I could handle another change.


Then lo and behold ... Sawyer got his driver's license.

And totaled my 4-Runner just two weeks later.

Miraculously, he walked away from a really bad accident unscathed with the exception of some burns on his arm and places on the inside of his mouth from the airbags. He most definitely had an angel on his shoulder. I chalk it up to inexperience (and most likely, excessive speed), but he was coming home from work on the interstate, was in the passing lane, and the car to his right veered into his lane. Sawyer over-corrected and hit the concrete barrier. He lost control, skidded across three lanes of interstate traffic (without coming into contact with another vehicle), slid off the road, down into a deep ravine, and into a tree. Truly, God spared his life that night and I thank God he is alive.

Subsequently, I had to get a new vehicle, which I just purchased two weeks ago. Then last Tuesday night, while in the Cracker Barrel parking lot, an older gentleman backed into my passenger door. And I still have temporary tags!! Just a small dent, but I took it for estimates and they're going to have to keep it for a couple of days while repairs are being made.

And I couldn't even be upset with the man that hit me. First, it was an accident. And second, he's 85 years old, meanders up to me, and says, "Well, did you ever see such a thing? I try not to do stupid things, but every once in a while, one will sneak up on me." I felt so badly for him. I kept apologizing to him!"

More info that you wanted to know, I'm sure. I haven't had a minute to think, much less blog, and I guess I'm documenting all of my whoas to try to justify to myself why Oakley didn't get a big birthday bash this year.

She was more than content with a few presents and her immediate family joining her this evening for birthday cake (not even ice cream). She got to wear a birthday crown during preschool this morning and I picked her up early today from school.

She joined me on a visit to Sullivan's elementary school this afternoon. A week or so ago, Sullivan's third grade teacher called and asked me to come and talk to the classroom about our travels to China and how our cultures differ. She is devoting this semester to studying the Olympics and all that it encompasses. She asked me to bring photos and anything we picked up in China that might be of interest (chopsticks, Chinese silks, currency, artwork, etc.) As I was gathering things together last night in preparation, Sullivan asked me if we could bring Oakley. I explained to him that she would miss her naptime and that it probably wasn't a great idea because she would then be grumpy on her birthday.

"But Mom, " he implored. "She's the best thing we got in China!"

You can't really argue with logic like that.

So I picked Oakley up after lunch today and she accompanied me to Sullivan's school. This was such a special visit for us all. I think Oakley felt really special as we talked about her homeland, about what a beautiful country China is, and about how warm her people are. She even taught the class how to say hello and thank you in Mandarin. Sullivan was so proud of her and he beamed throughout my entire presentation. I love talking about China and why we love it so much!!

All of Sullivan's classmates kept wishing Oakley a very Happy Birthday, and she practically waltzed out of the classroom when it was time for us to go.

So after soccer (surprise, surprise) this evening, we all gathered in the dining room and celebrated our little girl. After we sang Happy Birthday and she blew out her candles, she opened her gifts. She loved her Mary Poppins movie, her new pajamas, her Ariel bathtime doll and her new Candyland game.

But she was most excited about opening the gift from her best friend Caeleigh!! It's a precious "O" peg rack, and she absolutely loves it! Thank you, Caeleigh. Oakley loves you and misses you so very much!

Happy Birthday to my sweet Oakley, who thanked me this evening as I was tucking her in, for singing Happy Birthday to her and for getting her a cake with green and pink polka dots.

And thank you to her birth mom, whom I know is dreaming tonight of the baby girl she held in her arms four short years ago. Please know that your precious girl is everything you want her to be -- well-loved, cherished, and so very happy.