Short Rundown

(can't wait to see these beautiful trees blossoming up and down the streets)
picture via

This week has been so laid back and relaxed at our house for the most part. Other than Riley starting soccer (real practices, even though they've been doing conditioning for the last few weeks) things have been pleasantly slow. He leaves about 6:30 pm and doesn't get home until around 9:30 pm or so. He knows I can get kind of bitter about their practice and game schedules so I think he's been trying to be extra nice this week. :) He has been gone really early for work all week as well, so he has been one tired guy. The soccer team has their annual sleep over tonight at the high school. Who wouldn't want to chaperone some 40+ high school boys who will probably stay up until the wee hours of the morning?

I just put Morgan down for a nap and I can tell he is feeling so much better because he is getting back to his happy, fun little self. He still has the worst runny nose though, yuck. Poor little guy takes off sprinting (and he is fast) when he sees me coming at him with a tissue. The humidifier in his room has helped a lot, and I think he realizes it because when I go to put him to sleep he points to it and then points to the wall outlet for me to plug it in. Bless his little heart. He loves to play catch and he throws so hard we have to make him backup. Little boys are like puppies in a lot of ways. I can sit and play "fetch" with him - I'll throw his little foot ball into the living room and then he'll chase it down and come throw it back to me. I get such a kick out of his stubby little legs running in super-speed mode.

Kendle has had a fun week at school. Some people from Petland came to their school yesterday and brought some animals with them. She said they were all very cute, but she liked the little dog the best. Big surprise. I've never met another little girl who likes dogs so much, in fact probably 90% of her stuffed animal collection consists of dogs and puppies. They must also have been talking about St. Patrick's day in her class because yesterday she came home and wanted to Google "are leprechauns real?" She sat at the computer for a long time and looked up all sorts of information about leprechauns. Then she went in her room for a while and drew a picture at her desk of a rainbow with a leprechaun gaurding a pot of gold at the end. She is a funny girl. When she gets something in her head that she wants to know about, she will pepper you with questions until your throat is sore from talking. She wants to know about everything. She is getting so tall now too, I just can't believe it. She is one of the youngest in her grade, but just keeps growing like a weed. Must be all of that peanut butter she eats. Maybe she will get some height like her aunt Tamra.

I've been loving this sunshine and am getting antsy to start sprucing up our yard. I absolutely love this time of year and have been airing out our house all week. I should have been doing some spring cleaning this week since things have been so slow, but it was nice to just kind of relax and take it easy and try and nurse myself back to health. I have cleaned out my closet (although that feels like a constant chore) and some of Kendle's things and have a huge pile of clothes I need to do something with. Some items are too nice to just give away, so maybe if I'm feeling motivated enough I'll post them on my blog and anyone who wants something can come pick it up. Tonight I'm going to make some chicken potato soup and homemade bread for dinner. After I put the kids down, I'm going to watch Australia. We saw it at the movie theater and I just loved it. I can't understand why the critics didn't like it - I thought it was great. I think Baz Luhrmann is a genius. So that's my fun Friday night in a nut-shell.

Hope everyone has a great sunshine filled weekend!

Happiness Is.....

*Cuddling with the Morgster on the couch watching American Idol.

*A husband who stops to rent DVDs on his way home because he knew how much you liked a movie that came out this week.

*The sun coming out to light up an otherwise bleak week, and hearing Kendle and Morgan laughing on the swings outside.

*Being mistaken for the babysitter.

*Dancing around the kitchen with the kids while we're making dinner.

*Low-fat chocolate pudding with extra whipped cream on top. Counterproductive, but nice.

*Walking to get the mail without getting pelted with rain or cold wind.

*Having a menu for the week posted on the fridge, and hearing little or no complaints from the troops.

*Knowing Kendle still needs my kisses and hugs at night.

*Reading stories with her before bed and laughing together at all the right moments.

*Sitting down after a long day to relax and hearing -- quiet.

Even though I am still miserable with this darn cold that has wreaked havoc on me the last few days, today was a good day.

*Worth Watching*

I recently discovered Clara Cannucciari, who is a 93 year old cook. She has her own cooking videos you can watch here that feature recipes her family made during the Great Depression. On each video she teaches how to make simple and affordable meals while telling stories about her life during the Great Depression.

I sat hooked watching all of the video's and listening to her share interesting tid-bits about the hardships they faced, but also the good things she remembers. She has such a cute personality and lots of great information to share. Some of her stories are so funny. This has inspired me to want to do the same thing with my grandmother.

Here is just one of the videos I thought I'd share. To see the rest clink on the link above.
(make sure to pause the music playlist on my side bar first)

Happy Anniversary

This morning while helping Kendle get ready for school, she grabs something from underneath her pillow and hands it to me:

(front)

(back)

Today is not just a celebration of our marriage, but of our family as well. We have two of the most wonderful children I could have ever hoped for and I feel it is a great accomplishment and a blessing to be a wife and a mother.

While we were away this past weekend I really enjoyed how lovely it was to have some peace and quiet and get caught up on my sleep. We had nothing tethering us to a schedule and it was fabulous. It is quite freeing to be able to go shopping, go to a movie, and out to eat without feeling the need to rush home to a babysitter or have a time crunch. The ability to get a good nights sleep without a little one waking me up was very restorative. I literally felt like a new person (minus this dratted cold I've been nursing). Everyone needs a break like this once in a while.

But what is not surprising, is how by Sunday afternoon I was anxious to get to my parents house and see our kids. It was great to get away for that very reason. I'm glad I missed them. I couldn't wait to see Morgan's happy little face and Kendle's toothless grin (she lost her other top tooth Thursday night).

I really feel so lucky to have such a great family and am thankful for the marriage and husband that I have.

*Some of the best parts of our weekend:

-The scenery was gorgeous! To get to where we were staying we had to drive around the lake and through the mountains on a very snakey twisty turny road. There was lots of snow, but the sun was shining for the most part and the lake was stunning. We saw a lot of deer. Every direction you looked was an unbelievable view. I'd go back in a heart beat.

-The Mackenzie River Pizza Company. They only have locations in Montana and Coeur d' Alene. We need one here, the food was fantastic.

-Riley humored me all weekend. We saw a chick-flick (which he actually thought was funny) did lots of shopping, and he didn't listen to sports radio at all the whole weekend. It was great!

**Extra tid-bit: Did you know that for the 7th wedding anniversary you are supposed to buy something made of copper or wool? How exciting. Could that wool have anything to do with the 7 year itch? Ha.

***I also need to add that my parents are rockstars, without them this weekend would not have been possible. The kids had so much fun with them they didn't want to leave. My mom even made sure the tooth fairy visited Kendle at their house. They were spoiled with root beer floats, treats, and lots of love. You guys are the best!