Easter happenings

I'm going to start with my "first thing in the morning" picture that Julie challenged us to do. I hadn't even made it out of bed yet, and the red-eye reduction light made it next to impossible for me to keep my eyes open...reduce red eyes it did indeed! It was like looking straight into the sun.

Happy Easter to everyone! "Cora what is Easter about?" "Um...Is it when we celebrate John Smith's birthday?" "John Smith??? Who is that?" "Jesus's cousin who baptized him." So today we spent some time reviewing what Easter is all about and who John the Baptist is. On Friday, we went down to the park to play and I actually took some pictures. Since Mark is home for the weekend I'm able to use his computer to upload photos so here we go!

Here are a few pictures from last weekend when our cousins came over to play. AJ and Eli always find something cute to get into. Abe and Garret, and probably Eli too, would play xBox the whole time if we let them. They enjoy playing Ninja Turtles and X-Men, but we don't let them play X-men anymore because of Lady Death...Garret's favorite, half dressed character. Below are some pictures from the park.
Garret was blowing me a kiss.

Friday night we went to an Awesome Easter egg hunt in Julie's neighborhood. There were so many eggs scattered over the field at the Grant, Cora's elementary school. The kids had a great time. I'm so thankful this was put on because my kids might not have had a hunt this year otherwise.



Thanks to all who were involved with the hunt. We had a great time!! We went to Wal-Mart early yesterday evening to get Easter basket stuff. Why do I do that to myself?? Wal-mart on the eve of any holiday is maddening. I had to dig through carts just to find any candy because there was none left on the shelves. When stores put holiday stuff out months in advance it bothers me, but I'm going to actually start supporting this and buy what I need the first chance I get so I never have to do last minute holiday shopping again!!!!! But we made it complete with baskets, candy, and an actual dinner.

Someone needs to wipe that kids nose! Cora and Garret really wanted another egg hunt in our backyard so they took all the plastic eggs and stuffed them with their candy. Daddy hid them and then the hunt was on. I'm so happy I have kids that can compensate for my lack of enthusiasm most of the time anyways...


Anyone want to buy our house? We have a goal to get our house up for sale in the next 2 days and hopefully it won't be long after that. So if anyone knows anyone looking to buy a house...

My most favoritest books ever!

When I was a kid I used to love love love books. I carried around books like some kids carry around stuffed animals, and I still have many of them to this day. I was going through all my stuff the other day and came across my old books, and decided today I wanted to make a visual list of all the books I remember loving as a kid. They were a big part of my childhood and I even taped pieces of paper with a number on the backs of them to create my own library. I have copies of most of these books and have even had to scan a few covers in. I hope somebody out there sees a book they remember as a kid that they haven't seen in 20+ years!

These two used to be my most favoritest ever. I'm not sure why, but they were. The Lincoln one is just a history book with old photos and I remember just sitting there looking at the pictures. My name "Jemmy" is even written on the front page. I don't know why I couldn't write Jenny because if you can write a m you can make a n. Anyways. My mom likes to tell the story of how I would sit and stare at the picture of the Lincoln Memorial and say, "Nincoln could not under-tand." I'm still a big history lover today.

Does anyone remember watching that movie Rikki Tikki Tavi??

If you look closely you can see duct tape in the binding of Oh What a Busy Day. I have the old Best Word Book Ever and it too has duct tape on the edges.

Charlot's Web was the first chapter book-well long one anyways-that I read followed by Island of the Blue Dolphins. Island of the Blue Dolphins is great, but it's kinda depressing in a lot of ways.

When I was 5 I got my tonsils taken out, and my parents brought me this book in the hospital. Want to talk about weird...I remember, very vividly, waking up from being put under for that surgery and looking into the eyes of the other little girl that was laying on the bed next to me. I just don't understand what it is about some memories that keep them so fresh in our minds while yesterday slips away???

I was thinking about making a list of the movies I remember watching as a kid, but decided not to after getting through Dirty Dancing, Return to Oz, Platoon, and Exorcist. All the holiday classics are among my favorites, however: Garfield's Halloween, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Carol. I have so many Christmas movies I love. It was fun getting this post together.

I give up...

I do not have the time right now to make my blog visually entertaining. Sorry. For those of you that can't stand books with no pictures (all you 5-year-old's), this blog's not for you...well it's not really for you anyways, but you might not want to read it. Ok then. I got into my first moving-car accident on Sunday while trying to find some house with a map that looked like chicken scratch (and no that's not my attempt to divert blame). It was the worst hand drawn map I've ever seen. When I tried to call the person for directions, he gave them to me as he was lecturing me for being late. So I only got about NONE of the directions and I was not going to interrupt his lecture to ask him to "please repeat that last part". So I was turning around every other street and one of those times I tried to turn around there was some 16-year old behind me in her rich Daddy's brand new car. Boom! The back of my car is flat and I can't open the hatch. Lovely. It was all my fault and I cried, and cried, and then tried to regain my composure to go see if the girly I hit was ok. She was and she wasn't crying, and looked at me like she felt bad for me cause' I was crying. I hate crying, and I think it's because my emotions aren't under control anymore, and I hate that too. AHHHHH All is well now, and the GEICO lady did a good job of making me feel like it's no big deal because you have insurance and this whole thing is only going to cost you $500 dollars and a jacked up insurance rate next year. Happy!! And if one more person says to me "That's new" or "I haven't noticed that dent before" I'm going to give them that crazy little quite chuckle followed by a "yeah".

I actually attempted to get my kids to church after that. Cora said, "Mom...can this be that one day a month we don't go to church?" Sure. Why not. For dinner that night: Grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese, and yes, Julie, if I had had cheese sticks we would have had those too!

Garret did wrestling this past month and it was so much fun watching him! I wasn't sure how he'd do, but since he's only had Abe to wrestle with he did very well actually. Abe is a wrestling stud, and loves to toss Garret around and it really helped Garret. He only lost 2 matches, and took them very well. That always impresses me when people can handle losing at a sport because I'm not very good at it. I do not like losing and neither does Cora, but Garret is great at it. He's an awesome LOSER!

Sweet Escape

*This morning I was cleaning up around my kitchen and I came across Cora's little Hannah Montanna diary so I decided to read it as there are only 3 entries anyways. She wrote about the trouble she got into the other day in the library for hitting other students with books; "I've never gotten into so much trouble in my life. I had to write up a slip and everything." Then she wrote about her crush, and then she wrote this: "My mom did somethng really wrong today. My dad is in Washington D.C. and I hate it." This was yesterday and I'm not so sure what I did that was so wrong because I was only with her for 90 waking minutes the whole day, but whatever. Serves me right for reading her diary. A few minutes later, still cleaning up, I catch myself unconsiously (Julie!) singing outloud Gwynn Staffani's song Sweet Escape. "If I could escape, and recreate a place that's my own world..." I'm not sure if those are the exact words, but those are the words I was singing.

*Lysol Power toilet bowl cleaner will really do the job a toilet bowl cleaner is supposed to do...even on those stained toilets with those spots you just can't seem to get white.

*Old English wood polish is amazing and has made my kitchen cabinets look almost new again. I recommend that stuff too. Just thought you all would like to know that.

*AJ has walked around for the past 2 days singing I am a Child of God non-stop. I'm thinking I'm going to record that in one of those voice recorded things they put in stuffed animals and just carry it around in my pocket and give it a squeeze whenever I feel like losing it.

*Cora won the Arbor Day poster contest last year and is sure she is going to win this year as well. She checks the mail box every day looking for the letter telling her she won. Today something came addressed to her and she ran up the drive way shouting and screaming "Mama Mama it came!!!" It was a spring soccer flyer and that was a very sad moment for daughter and mother.

*Garret was possessed today. It was a bad day. A terrible horrible no good very bad day. Then he talked to Dad on the phone and was better. Mark coming and going like this is getting very hard on the kids.

*Jorie is finally getting over her bronchitas/pnemonia. Not getting over it, but has been on antibiotics for two days and I can finally put her down. So I haven't been able to take her to the kidzone at the gym, and my babysitter is very busy this week which means no running for me. Poor me right? Wrong. Today did suck very bad, but I feel very blessed even in these situations that make me a little insane. Things could be so much worse and so much harder, and I've really been humbled throughout today with these thoughts. My heart goes out to all the wives, mothers, and daughters out there who have had to face death and disease and other "biggest fears" head-on. Tonight I look up to you all and your experiences and your examples of strength. I look to my Savior, who has suffered not only for the sins of the world, but for the pains of the world. He knew most of us would be tested to the breaking point when He instructed us to Cast our burdens on Him, and take His yoke upon us. That means something very different for each of us, but I know that there are some situations where doing just that is vital. Truly, He won't give us anything we can not handle because with Him we can and must handle what comes at us. All that said, I still look at things sometimes and wonder "What's the deal??!!" Sorry to go off like that because I had no intention of that. It just happened. I'm going to end this "testimony" now. And I'm not going to use any spell check either!!! Amen. ;)

I did it!!

You know those days when you have soooo much to do you don't know how you are going to get it all done so you actually start un-planning things?? That was me today; however; I actually did everything I had planned...INCLUDING BLOG!!!! I only felt slightly crazy this afternoon when the kids were asking me for everything at the same time. "Can I have a fruit snack? Can I have one? I want one too!!! Are we going to the princess party? What time is the princess party? We're not going??...Can I go with somebody else's mom then?" Oh man!! You moms out there know exactly the situation I'm talking about! But it turned out to be a very productive day, and I'm ok...and so are my kids.
I have really missed blogging and reading everyone's blogs. I see people out-and-about and I feel so disconnected. I don't know what has been happening, and it's sad!! I've realized I don't only read people's blogs because I'm bored and have nothing better to do...I actually care about your lives and how you all are!!!! I've missed you guys, and am excited to reconnect!
The last three weeks have been full of awesome times and good fun, but I have no pictures to show for it. Sadly, I lost my camera in FL at my friend's wedding, but my sister has most of the pictures on her camera and someday I'll get them from her. Anywho...I had a great time with my family and some really old friends. The wedding was perfect, and the bride was one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen. I love you Kory! I rode back to Larghetto (Largo) from Jacksonville with my sister which is a 4 hour drive. Luckily, she had 6 packs of those Harry Potter Jelly Bellys so we kept ourselves busy coming up with really really nasty combinations; rotten egg and sardine, rotten egg and vomit, pepper and soap. It was so much fun, but it made for really interesting smelling poop the next day. I know that is gross, but it was so amazing to me. If you haven't ever tasted those Jelly Bellys they have them at the World Market. Go get a few boxes and have some fun!! Just don't plan on being around anyone for the next few hours because your farts smell funny too. I'm sorry, but it is the craziest thing when your farts and poop smell like Jelly Belly flavors. (I want to delete all that, but I just can't. It's so true!!)
AJ just turned 3 on Sunday. He wanted a Bat-man cake, so I did the bat symbol. It looked really cool when I cut the cake into that symbol, but then with the frosting I'm not so sure...Luckily, we didn't have a camera so there are no pictures of it, but unfortunately we don't have any pictures of AJ turning 3. But I was there and it did happen and he was so excited to wake up to Batman all over the kitchen; balloons, tablecloth, danglie things (I don't know what you call them), Batman wrapping paper. He loved it. Julie and the kids came over to help us celebrate. Nice and simple. I'm so thankful for that kid. He is so much fun, and tries so hard at life. What I mean is, anything new or challenging or fascinating to him he just tries so hard to experience it and master it. Like dribbling a basketball before he can really talk, and when he does start to talk he practices saying everything he hears. He is turning out to be such a little joke-ster too, and loves to say, "I'm just kiddin." It seems so much has happened in the first 3 years of his life that it has just flown by. "MAKE IT STOP GOING SO FAST!!!"
Well that is enough for me tonight. I have to ease back into blogging. I'm going to go read all your blogs now until I can't see straight. I have so much more to write about...another time.