whatever

this day is feeling crazy . . . but i am determined to not let it get to me. that rain is driving me nuts.

first things first:
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERRI.
WE MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU!
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all the kids have a different schedule today. school is out at 3 completely different times.

my parents, my sister and her 2 kids and my grandmother are coming to visit for the weekend (2nd Easter – minus the eggs and all the candy). so we are getting ready for that . . . cleaning. it’s nice to get it done before saturday anyway. i still have some beds to make. and bathrooms to clean. do you think they will want to eat? i may have to get some groceries.

and i have to say hooray for my boys!! they are in their room since they got out of school playing legos together. nicely and quietly by choice! awesome. it will not last long but how great this 1 hour has been.

i did get in the craft room this morning. usually i can’t get going in the mornings. but this morning we had to take lauren to school after she missed her ride. she didn’t notice it was raining. i was not happy but it did wake me up. the little girls joined me and made some sticker art and a bracelet. and i got one page done.

also a few minutes ago annie was screaming at sean upstairs. i got up to go see what was going on. as i get to the stairs i see a diaper with no baby in it. that’s never good. i get upstairs to see what the fuss is. there is a very naked baby just wanting help opening her dollhouse. what a goofball! she loves to take her clothes off – it’s her new thing.

loving my chalk board door that i discovered yesterday morning – completely covered in scribbles.
and that is Annie is the bucket – not me – if you were wondering. ha ha

yesterday talby had a bike-a-thon at pre-school.
they love to bring their own bikes to school. and why wouldn’t they?
it’s so cute to watch them work so hard to make it around the big sidewalk path. one of the teachers had to go out to the other end of the path to help some of the kids get out of the dip in the path. their little legs couldn’t pedal hard enough to get up the tiny hill. so cute.
annie went around too on her push bike. i sent talby to go help her when she was all the way across the path (pretty far away). it was precious. you could see her talking to annie, annie nodding her head and then talby starts pushing annie on her little bike as fast as talby could go. too sweet.

funny picture.

i love my new page of my niece Maya Grace even though it took 3 hours to make because i was watching 3 shows – including an Oprah where I was full on sobbing – at the time and it was late at night. craig came in and had to laugh at my crying.
he is a robot. no tears.
i am all tears all the time. i could probably cry on command.
and then talk about crazy . . .
i laughed myself to sleep last night.
sean made me laugh earlier in the evening (not that funny though) and i started talking about it again and i lost it!
i don’t know what came over me but i was laughing like a woman going to the looney bin. at nothing. for a long time. craig kept telling me to stop laughing and go to sleep. i just couldn’t. i also couldn’t breathe. it was hysterical to me. i finally wore myself out and fell asleep. i have to admit that’s a good way to fall asleep.
makes me smile just thinking about it.
i think it was a my body releasing stress. better that way than yelling or more crying.

i was so happy to see my old friend Chad today. it is so nice to have friends who are able to pick up where you left off from the past visit no matter how long it’s been . . . comfortable . . . genuine real friendship. . . timeless.
it was too short of a visit but that’s just life. and sorry again for the not having any food. we should have gone to pizza hut to relive the good old days of our employment.
i wish you didn’t live in Seattle but i don’t think you’d like it in Newton anyway. can’t wait to see you in December again!
talby took this picture of us!

what a beautiful day today.

just beautiful.

we surprised the kids this morning with their very own Easter bunny.
i know it’s silly. it wasn’t something it was planning to do.
i went on friday to see a piano we were considering buying and left with a bunny.
that is just so typical ME!!
the family selling the piano is moving and she was showing me other things she had for sale and we walked past a rabbit in the hutch twice and i finally said “What are you doing with your bunny?”
saturday night i drove out with my friend and we picked up the rabbit at 10:30 PM!! it was just fun.
i didn’t sleep well . . . fearing it would get loose or our cat would kill it before we got up.

it was great. they were so happy. so surprised. i heard from lauren “Oh Awesome!!” i loved that.

they are debating on names.

Donuts
Surprise
Thumper
Betsy
Bo

I am going to call him Donuts even if i’m the only one.

our church service was uplifting. lots of singing today and sean was arm in arm with me smiling brightly. it was full to the back. it was neat to see so many people there.

we got cooking right away when we got home. lauren and scott helped prepare food. talby was in her element setting the table with cloth napkins even.
we had family and friends here for a yummy dinner. craig made a ham and it was fabulous. i only tried one new recipe and was pleased with the results. our house is never calm and quiet but our friends know that and it’s okay . . . right?
and then strawberry cake with fresh strawberries. mmmmm

while clean up was going on in the kitchen i hid the eggs.
so much time goes into a 2 minute egg hunt!
but they love the race to find the hardest ones. to be fair we make them all get the same number . . . stop when you hit 14.
then the trading begins . . . i will give you my jelly beans if i can have your kisses.

after all that there is nothing to do but take a long nap.

now i think i need a little more strawberry cake.

we had in a snow storm . . .
the day before a four day break with these kids.
i hope it melts quickly.
except then there is mud.

i don’t have too much planned for them for Easter break.
movie on friday maybe? if i can find a sitter for annie.
bowling sometime over the four days?
we joked last week that bowling was going to be our new Easter tradition instead of egg hunting. i think we’ll still do both this year.
i bought them a new game that we will TRY to play all together – Zoo-reeka. but it rarely goes as planned.
i would like to think i would color eggs with them but to be honest the mess of dye in my white kitchen makes my stomach hurt. That is a bad mom i know but it’s DYE.
lauren still needs an Easter dress. (Need is the wrong word.) I want her to have something new because all the others have a new outfit. And she is the only one who will care that everyone has a new outfit but her. So we have to try to squeeze that in somewhere.

but my main focus to trying to keep Jesus in the front of my mind. It’s Easter and I get so busy or overwhlemed with all the kids home or planning easter baskets that i don’t think about Jesus till i sit in the pew on sunday morning. so I am trying to change my focus. be in prayer. being so thankful. I am trying. there is alot of sad stuff going on and i need to be so grateful.
thank you Lord for everyday.

have a blessed good friday.
here some pictures from the last few days that warm my heart.