SPRING!!

At last Spring is here! I can't tell you how happy I am. Stewart commented last night that" why do we live in this state when we hate the winter so much." Hmmmmm I have been saying that same thing for years. We are forgetting that we even have a winter right now, and focusing on how great it is to be outside. Last week we went to the aquarium, the park to play and have a picnic , and played outside whenever we could, used an entire thing of sidewalk chalk, my kids swam on Sat. outside (not quite warm enough for me but good enough for them.) Yesterday I went on a 5 mile glorious run. Today we went to the petting zoo at Thanksgiving Point. Jack was studying all the animals, and wasn't sure if he liked them or not. So cute. Madeline feed everything the corn and was licked by giant animal tounges. Thatcher refused to hand feed anything, and was wearing his hat sideways all day (like a gangster) and said that how rock stars wear their hats. I promise to post pictures of all the above activities! Life is good, if you need me you can find me outside!!

Goodbye baby-hello toddler!

Jack started taking steps this week. Sad! I no longer officially have a "baby" - he is a "toddler"!! I can't believe how fast this year has gone! Anyways, he has been popping up to a standing position from the floor all week, and all the sudden decided to add some steps. So cute-he looks like a little robot, all stiff legged. I will some day include pictures of all of this.....maybe. (-: Where did my baby go? Whoever took him please bring him back! I just have to remind myself of my New Year's resolution- "to be present". "What?" you may say. Well let me explain....I am what you could call an obsessive planner. I know many of you already may know my little dirty secert, it's time to come clean about it. I can't live without my day planner, and it has every detail of my day carefully planned out to maximize time/people/and energy, and doing it all while multitasking everything. I get a lot done. I am efficient. I am organized. And lately I am worn out, tired, and grumpy. I've been reading a really good book about being present. It is really interesting and has got me thinking and reflecting. I always tell myself "when ____ is done, then I can have some fun/relax/play/etc." Well guess what, blank is never done. There is always, always, some mundane task ahead, waiting to pull me from my "moment" with my kids, at work, with my family, or my good friends. I am sick of it, and realize that I have missed, and am missing a lot of moments. I want to be in that moment fully enjoying it with my kids, not always rushing to make it to my next thing to check off my list. So guess what I signed up for: a sewing/quilting class with my sister, possibly a dance class (minus the spanadex after 3 kids), and am going to run a half marathon or two this summer. So is there going to be panic attacks along the way, and lists of how not to have lists? Sure, but I'm going to try to relax, leave the messy house along with the stupid lists, and force myself if I have to, to be present. Wish me luck!

Big...... I mean REALLY big news!

So I have an announcement..... you guessed right I AM PREGNANT!!! It was a bit of a shock to us too! O.k. dumb april fools day joke, I am sooooo not. I may still look it but there is not a fetus in this gut. We made the mistake of telling the kids today that it was April Fools Day so every 5 sec. they are playing a joke on us. Stewart played a joke on the kids this morning by putting green bean baby food in a diaper, then showing it to the kids and telling them it was Jacks poop and then he licked it. Not really funny just disgusting-Madeline about threw up. Oh last year he put real milk in one of my breast milk bags and in front of Madeline dumped it on his cereal and told her we were out of milk but could use mom's breast milk. She started screaming and gagging, poor girl.

Thatcher was being naughty in his bed last night. Stewart went in, picked him up, and carried him to our bed, and tossed him unto it. Thatcher said, " Hey man...... thats not cool" is this surfer voice. The kid is so funny! Last night I also bought him a new swimming suit that he was wearing around the house. He jumped out of my closet with my bra on swaying and singing some song he made up. I never know what he is going to come up with next.

So its spring break and it is snowing!! Insert F-word here. Seriously. Next week we are going to go on a vacation here- downtown. We were going to go to disneyland before Stewart starts his job, but decided to wait until our annual October trip. It is so fun to go around Halloween time. So next week we are taking the kids to a hotel downtown, and taking them to movies, swimming, the childrens museum, zoo and planetarium. Should be tons of fun, I am really looking forward to it.