Elefun

We've been getting a little burnt-out on the game Candy Land.  When I say "we" I mean "me."  I'm tired of finding the little colored cards all over the house, and stepping barefoot on the little plastic men.  I decided it was time for a change, so we loaded up and headed to Toys-R-Us in search of a new game.  This is what we found.

 

  

It's called Elefun - a plastic elephant who blows butterflies out of his super-long trunk.   As you can tell by the pictures, the girls are having a blast trying to catch all the butterflies.  

Gracie actually got pretty good.  Her strategy was to stand as still as possible and wait for the butterflies to land in her net.  

 Livi's strategy, on the other hand, was to swat at them as they came out, then step on them after they fell to the ground :)

Of course this game could not have been the solution to our game boredom.  We ended up taking the game back the next day.  By the end of our afternoon of fun, I swore I would never get that game back out again.  SUPER fun for the girls, but tiring for the adult who has to load the butterflies, stretch up the trunk only to do it again approximately every 7 seconds.  The girls must have thought the game was on loan anyway, because there were no fits about the return.  

So, I have learned to appreciate my Candy Land after all.  Set up the board, stack the cards, and you're good for at least 20 minutes.  I also love the way the girls sit together and name the colors.  And the way Livi totes the little men around with her after a game, like they are her buddies.  Not to mention the bonding time it offers for our family.  So, for now, no more complaining about cards under beds or little men in the bathroom...I'll just be thankful I don't have to spend an entire afternoon reloading the elephant.

Comfort foods

I'm on a mission to try every flavor of Coffee-mate.  If you would have asked me a month ago, my favorite would have been Belgian Chocolate Toffee.  I'm not sure what my answer is now - this little guy is pretty darn amazing!  AND makes for a very pleasant morning after a certain little 3 year old has decided to take up a new hobby of 20 questions (or shall I say 20 requests) at 3 a.m.

While Josh has been gone, the girls and I have done some baking.  Try these!!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Playgroup-Granola-Bars/Detail.aspx

They are great for breakfast or a mid-day snack.  The girls love them and they are relatively healthy. 

Tonight I shall pair the two and listen to the heaven's sing!  Happy Friday everyone!  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

A day with Daddy

Last month I had a day planned to take Livi in for her 2 yr. doctor visit.  Josh and I thought it would be fun for Gracie to go to work with daddy that morning.  We told her the day before so she could get excited about it (just like her momma likes).  You know when she is excited about something because she can't hold back the giggles.  Well, the giggles started and she immediately started asking questions, all kinds.  What are we going to do?  Who will we see?  What will I wear? etc.  Here are a few pictures of the morning.

Here's Josh and Gracie.  She decided on her cow print dress (pretty appropriate, I thought) and Josh even made her a little name-tag.

Josh secretly hopes to present this picture to her the day she becomes an operator :) 

She got to run the deposit to the bank , pick up produce at the grocery store.  She even checked on guests in the lobby and offered them a mint.  She finished up her morning work with an episode of Curious George in daddy's office. 

Overall a very fun morning for her.  Fun for daddy too! 

There are many times Josh and I just look at her and think, "Where have the last 3+ years gone?"  She's growing up fast and we are doing our best to soak it all in....



So......

here we go.  I've had this blog for months and haven't typed a thing.  I guess it's hard for me to just jump into things like this. 

To tell you a little about my blog, I'm planning to use it as a creative outlet.  I love taking pictures...not so much the writing part, but I figure I'll get better as time goes on.

I used to keep a written journal, and then I had two children.  Typing is way faster than writing and time is very precious around here. :)  For me, writing things down and rereading it helps me to become an outsider looking in.  It gives me a better perspective on my life.  Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not, but I hope to learn about myself from this experience.

As you may be able to tell from my title, I have a Mother Teresa obsession.  I think she was one of the wisest women of our time.  I love to read about her life, her mission, pretty much anything that came out of her mouth.  One of my favorite quotes from her is "Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing."  I read this quote often.  Sometimes I feel like it was written for me.  I'm a stay at home mom, so my day is filled with little people and little tasks. This is what God has asked of me, to be a wife and a mother, and to put my whole heart and soul into it.
 
So, to those of you reading, I hope you enjoy.  I'd just like to close this first one with another favorite Mother Teresa quote since I've got her on the brain...

"Yesterday is gone.  Tomorrow has not yet come.  We have only today.  Let us begin."