Our Flowergirl

Hannah got to be the flower girl for her uncle Nathan's wedding this past Friday. She did a good job and had a lot of fun (I think). She felt like a beautiful princess for the day and I was so proud of her. Unfortunately she is probably too young to have too many memories of the occasion, but oh well...that's what pictures are for!


The saddest part was realizing that we would not be seeing Nathan and Mollie again until Christmas since they are moving to Texas. It wasn't like we saw them all the time anyway, but we attended the same church, and it was nice to at least see them in passing. We hope to make it down to Texas at least once while they are there, but with two little ones and the cost of gas, it really depends.

In other news, we are planning on putting our house on the market in September. The hope would be to get it on the market in time to sell before winter. It will probably take a couple months the way the market is now. Our only wish would be that there was a house on the current market that interested us. There are a couple that would do, a couple that are nice but a lot of work, but nothing "just right" yet. We are praying that by the time we are ready to sell, the right house comes along.

If you are interested in viewing a few more pictures of Hannah and the wedding, here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49726&l=d9eb4&id=593949611

We Survived Freshwater Fury

Eric and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary this weekend (seriously--have we been married that long?). We went to Door County, and spent one night at a B&B in Sturgeon Bay.

Before we headed further north, we decided to go to the Maritime Museum. Eric has a thing for boats--and I reluctantly traipsed along because he obviously wanted to go. The Maritime Museum had signs everywhere touting "Can you survive Freshwater Fury?" Nowhere did it say what Freshwater Fury was, we assumed it was some sort of exhibit. Realistically I knew they were just making it sound very cool, but that it was probably just a simple display. Even still, I was a tad bit disappointed when I realized that it not some crazy ride or other exhilarating exhibit. So, since the alternative was to perish of boredom, we made it more interesting. Or at least I did--I think Eric was a bit embarrassed by me (although he did play along--good sport that he is).


"Do I spot a storm coming? Captain, you better check this out!"

"Uh oh...this doesn't look good."
"I've never been in a storm this fierce! If I let go I'll wash away!"
"I better send out a call for help right away! Good thing I know the morse code."

"I should never have agreed to man the wheel while the captain relayed his message! This is harder than it looks!"Yea! We seem to have made it through!


What kind of adventure would this be without the obligatory kiss of the hero and heroine at the end?


Yes, we did go on to spend the rest of our anniversary getaway achieving more romantic (and less goofy) pursuits including walking along Lake Michigan and enjoying the amazing world that God made for us. We attended an outdoor play in the woods, which was fun (if not a bit bug-infested). It was wonderful to be able to enjoy each other and actually be able to finish a thought without having to stop to answer a toddler's question. Ahh, bliss...

And So It Begins

My kids are already fighting!! I was never so disillusioned as to think that they wouldn't. And they've certainly been at it lately over toys. But it is amazing to me that they are fighting verbally...when Grace does not even know that many words!

My proof:



Hannah can't stand that Grace doesn't agree with her, and so they'll continue this back and forth until Eric and I are absolutely bonkers!

But...they are very cute while they do it.





Can't wait to see what they will come up with as Grace learns more words!

Future Politician

While outside playing today, Hannah found a plastic tube from one of her toys. She proceeded to use it as a microphone and deliver a speech. She lowered her voice and projected. I was really holding in the giggles as I watched her play the part.

Her speech follows:

"Marcy is a dog. Daphne is a cat. My car is a hippo. Grace is a baby. And I am just Huckabee. You can clap now."

And then she turned and expected me to clap and cheer for her, and to her utter delight, Grace joined in with the clapping, too.

I found it so cute that months later, she still thinks about Huckabee and pretends to be him. Obviously watching him speak a couple times had some sort of impact on her memories. What a girl!

Broccoli Saga Part II

As if I needed any further convincing, Hannah has continued to prove to me that she's crazy where broccoli is concerned. Perhaps I ought to try some frozen broccoli so I can understand what the fuss is about.

Last night as I stood by the stove cooking Chicken Alfredo, Hannah says to me "Can I have some frozen broccoli in a bowl, Mommy?" Secretly surprised, I quickly stifled any reaction. I let her think that it was a privilege, inwardly exalting that she's eating a vegetable!! I fill up her bowl and continue cooking.

A few moments later I hear Grace crying (which almost always means that she's fighting with Hannah over something she wants or something Hannah has taken). I ask Hannah was is going on, and sure enough, they are fighting over the bowl of broccoli. I ask Hannah if she can share, and she reluctantly does. Grace is a little less enthusiastic than Hannah, but even still she continued to protest if Hannah wouldn't let her have a piece.

The weirdest part? Hannah came to me about ten minutes later and asked me if she could have some new broccoli because the stuff in her bowl had become yucky. Upon examination, I realized that it had had not become "yucky" it had just become thawed. So broccoli itself? Not so much. But throw it in the freezer and you have a winner. Go figure!

Here is some proof. These were not taken last night, but on a prior frozen broccoli binge:

Caught in the act of snitching.

Mouths full of frozen broccoli!

Showing off a handful of the "good stuff"

Fair Fighting

This is my 3 year old's new word. Where did it come from? Not a clue. In fact I'd never even heard her say it before last night.

In the tub last night while Hannah was getting her hair washed, Grace's finger somehow poked into Hannah's mouth. It didn't take long for that itty bitty finger to get bit, and what followed was chaos. Grace screaming with shock and pain, Daddy furious that Hannah had done such a thing, Hannah shocked that one little nibble had created such mayhem, and Mommy sitting back in bewilderment...wondering which one to calm down first!

After Daddy had rescued Grace and had taken her off to ready her for bed, Mommy probes Hannah for some answers. "Why did you bite Grace?" Without hesitation came the reply "But I was just trying to fair fight." Come again? After she repeated it several times I came to the conclusion that she did indeed mean what she was saying. I didn't hear wrong. But what is fair fight? I asked her to show me. She reaches up and tickles me! It is then that I begin to wonder if "fair fight" is equated to "play fight" in her head.

Daddy play fights with his girls quite a bit. It always consists of lots of tickling, some tossing of little bodies in the air, and plenty of wrestling and chasing. Since I don't think Hannah has ever been bit, I don't think (at least I hope) that she didn't know it would hurt Grace, but instead was trying to start some sort of play.

Either way, this morning I set Grace down on the couch and Hannah joined her there. Before too long they were chasing each other across the couch, stopping to tickle each other and laughing hysterically. And the whole time Hannah is yelling "Fair fight! We're Fair fighting!" Goofs!

Tagged

My friend Allison "tagged" me to answer these questions. I've been so terrible at blogging, but I figured I'd ought to at least do it!

1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Hmm...10 years ago I was finishing up my sophomore year of high school. I was 16, had just gotten my driver's license. I doubt anything fun or exciting was going on...it was high school!

2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
Well, the IL's are heading home and so I will be busy reclaiming my home.
1. Laundry!
2. Fold Laundry (yes, I know this could technically fall under the "laundry" chore, but I have so much piled up it will probably take enough time to count as an actual separate chore)
3. Sweep and mop my kitchen and dining room since it has so many people tramping through, and it has been rainy.
4. Reacquaint myself with my girls. So often when we have company for more than a day I feel as if I don't get to spend much quality time with the girls, I just get the mundane stuff (diaper changes, baths, bedtime, discipline) and so I need to spend some time just being with them.
5. Vacuum...same story as #3. A lot of people...lot of shoes...lot of traffic. Needs a good clean!

3) Snacks I enjoy:
Chocolate! Although that seems too decadent to be a "snack". I like low-fat kettle corn, cheese popcorn, baked pretzels, and apples if they are tart and crunchy.

4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Pay off all our debt
Buy a new house
Adopt our African babies
Support Missionaries
Donate to Christian organizations (especially LLBC!)

5) Places I have lived:
Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania