Quote of the Week

"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

Albert Einstein

Peter's 7th Birthday

Our sweet Pete finally turned 7 years old. Family birthday parties seem to be the theme as of late. I have to say that they really are the way to go. Peter turned 7 on Sunday this year. Mike took the lead this year and made a fun dinner for Peter and surprised him with chocolate cupcakes that Emma helped to make. All Peter wanted to eat was small peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with chocolate chips around the plate. We ate strawberries, crackers, cheese, and the yummiest BBQ chicken. After feeling full and enjoying some fabulous chocolate cupcakes we all headed over to the trampoline for some fun together. It was so nice to see the kids playing happily together and making Peter's day truly special. Peter entertained us with his funny faces and goofy nature. It was good to all be together on Peter's special day. We love you Peter!

Peter was so excited to be able to celebrate his birthday with his grandparents before they left. Two days before Peter's real birthday Grandpa Franz and Grandma Anne took us all out to eat pizza at Farellis. The pizza and salad was so delicious. Peter got to order whatever he wanted so he ordered nachos and sprite. He cleared that entire plate of nachos...WOW! Each of the kids got a balloon and then grandma and grandpa gave the boys a bunch of quarters to play video games while Mike and I took the girls home to get the presents ready. We decided to make quick homemade oreo cookies for Peter instead of a cake. We put seven cookies on a platter in the shape of the number 7. He loved that! Peter loved opening all of his gifts. He got legos this year from everyone. After feeling full from eating cookies he ran upstairs with Andrew to put his legos together. About an hour went by and then the boys came downstairs to ask us how they were suppossed to build the Indiana Jones lego planes because they were already partially put together and they didn't have any instructions. I thought that was rather strange so I went upstairs to inspect and realized that someone had already bought these legos, put them together and then returned it to the store. No wonder why my boys were confused. I would have had a hard time building without instructions as well. There was a little sadness as we had to pack the legos back in the box to return to the store. Luckily we had no problems exchanging the box for a new one. Peter was able to build those airplanes all by himself--only needing Andrew's help with the wheels. He was so proud of himself!

The day after his birthday Peter got a card in the mail from Grandpa Al with $5 in it. His eyes got real big as that is a lot of money for a 7 year old...well at least we think so. It was like he won the lottery. I am glad to see that some things never change. I used to be so excited over a couple of dollars from my grandparents for my birthday! I hope this tradition continues! Happy Birthday Kiddo!!

Grandmother

As I ponder about Abby being our last baby I have to admit that a part of me is a little sad to let go of the baby years. I definitely will not miss those long and paranoid pregnancies, painful deliveries, sleepless nights, unpleasant body changes, and frequent diaper changes. What I will miss are those sweet moments where your baby just stares at you and even though there are no words exchanged you both know what each other is feeling. I love those baby smiles and giggles and all the first time moments. I love the way my babies smell and how I get to lather them with sweet smelling lotion after their bath. Truth be told I still do this with my girls. I will miss the chubby legs, neck rolls and bald heads. With all those things I will surely miss there is one word that brings comfort to me---Grandmother. In the wonderful circle of life someday I will be able to enjoy all of those moments intimately with my grandchildren. My kids have the best grandparents and it is only too bad that they never really got to know their Grandma Candace. She was such a wonderful woman whom I still have fond memories of. She was strong, courageous, valiant, honest, true, loving, patient, and so much fun. I miss her dearly. I do feel lucky, however, to have a wonderful mother who is a fabulous grandmother to my children. I feel so lucky that she is so involved with my children. She has been there for every important moment of their lives and she loves them so much. My mother is also a strong woman, very courageous, valiant and true, loving, patient, kind, fun, gentle, and full of faith. I couldn't have asked for a better grandmother to teach my children things I can't teach them. She loves to spend time with each of my kids and loves them for who they are--even when they are being naughty. There is always so much excitment when she comes to visit and lots of sadness when she has to go home. As soon as grandma leaves they all ask, "When is grandma coming back?" I sympathize with them as I miss her too when she is gone. I am thankful for Grandmothers and for their wisdom and love. There is something so sweet about the bond between my girls and their grandmother. I know that she thinks of them as her girls too. I always pray that my mom will live a really long life because we would be lost without her. I need her and her wonderful words of encouragment. There is nothing better than being a mother and a grandmother. So as I say goodbye to the baby years I say hello to many wonderful years of excitment and joy as I learn how to be a good mom and wonderful grandmother!

Oh how we all miss you Grandma Candace. Someday we will all be together again. I look forward to that sweet reunion!

Quote of the Week

I love quotes! They inspire. They renew. They motivate. Sometimes to get back on track all I need is to read a good quote. So here is to more posts of simple yet inspiring quotes!

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."

Unknown

Coloring Easter Eggs

It always seems that things in our family get so busy around Easter time. This year was no exception and it was actually a bit busier than normal. I have had easter egg decorating kits for the past two years but for some reason we never quite have enough time to do them when Easter rolls around. This year I thought it would be fun to let the kids finally decorate some eggs. I first gave them a little talk about being careful around the dye so as to not touch their clothes with it or put their fingers in their mouth. I quickly realized that I scared them too much to the point that no one wanted to touch the dye for fear something bad would happen to them. After reassuring them it would not hurt them but to just be careful and wipe their hands on the paper towels instead of their clothes they proceeded to finally have fun. Well, I should really say that Emma and Peter had fun. Andrew was a little paranoid still so it took all I had to get him to sit down and color one egg. I told him he had to smile for just one picture. Next time I will just keep my big mouth shut and let them have innocent fun. Maybe next year we will actually get around to decorating our colored eggs. Baby steps!!