Beautiful butterfly

I'm not sure which would have been a worser fate for this beautiful butterfly...smacking our windshield as I exited the off-ramp & dying quick, or being caught by my children & dying a slow death from their "love".

He made the rounds at school too...lucky, lucky butterfly.

Mother's Day

Sitting in church before Mass started, I was just flooded with emotion, thinking how truly happy I am that God called me to the vocation of motherhood...through the lump in my throat, I just kept saying "Thank you, God, thank you." Sometimes being a momma gets messy-with all the crying, arguing, reminding to do things, decisions to make, I forget to just say thank you. And so, in honor of Mother's Day, I counted my blessings.

We went to church together & then came home, where I didn't have to do anything for the day! Hubby took care of lunch (cooked steaks on the grill & had a yummy cake) and we played outside almost all day-something I love to do. The kids & I played a fun game of Life (on the iPhone-so cool for little kids) & then they were up to their usual tricks on the fort.

14 years with this guy...man, did I chose well!! Love him with all my heart...

Down a New Path

Having 4 kids and being parents for almost 8 years now, we've gone through most of the common kid ailments-broken bones, hospital stays, poop horror stories, barfing anywhere but the toilet, bad coughs & fevers, falling from heights, and realizing at the END of the trip to the grocery store that you forgot to finish buckling your child in her car seat. Can I just say thank you God for guardian angels?! However, there was one last rite of passage we hadn't dealt with yet...stitches. Lily covered that one for us the other day!

We are now, officially, veteran parents! Until the teen years, that is...

Nothing big...just 3 stitches, and she was so brave I couldn't believe it. The nurses were awesome with her & kept bringing her fruit gummies & kept the cartoons on. She was calm & still, so we didn't have to papoose her-such a blessing. A week later, all is fine & she just has the tiniest mark. Knowing Lily, it won't be her only battle mark!
This is her with her BIG ole' sucker I promised and promised her I would buy her after it was all over. They make everything all better!

Wonderland Night

Our school family night at Wonderland...we spent the evening with our sweet friends, the Marshalls, and even though it was very cold we all had a great time-even hubby!!

Ava before sundown.

And Ava after sundown...all snuggled in!

This is a picture I took of Julie & the boys...and it's also proof that my slight fear of heights has not gone away. So glad they would only let 4 people on!

Lily's first time on a carousel...she took it all in with a grin on her face.

If you grow up in these parts, you have to have a picture of riding the famous boats-everyone does, I swear it!

Jack's favorite ride was the frog hopper-I have not heard that kid laugh so deep in a long time! It was a true belly laugh & he just kept going back.

Best buds

Jacob and Lily just may end up getting married...it's rumored that in the church nursery they spend a lot of time kissing...on the lips! (We get the low-down from the big kids at pick-up)