just what the doctor ordered

We had such a fun Easter!! My mom came to visit - and as always, she brought the sunshine! Nothing beats having a fun visitor to play with. Mornings always start early here for Mom. The boys hopped in bed with her for some snuggle time right as the sun rose - every morning! I put a child safety lock on the outside doorknob to her room so that they wouldn't be able to get in, but without fail she kept the door open a crack so they could come in. I thought maybe she didn't realize that there was a safety lock and so I again pointed it out, but Mom insisted that if she didn't want them coming in, then she would shut her door. Mom is such a good sport - she insists sitting in the back between the two car seats.

Some of the fun memories we made:

Cheeseburger in Paradise - our traditional dinner there is always fun. Of course, Mom ordered her strawberry milkshake FIRST!

3-D movie Monsters vs. Aliens - I sent Matthias to get the boys a popcorn and he came back with 4 drinks, cotton candy, popcorn, Dots, and Licorice. After I got over thinking just how much that cost, it was super fun to have a full movie experience!

Bowling - we always get the gutter rail so that the boys can actually knock some of the pins down. It was a riot watching Bex pick up his own bowling ball and roll it down the lane all by himself. I smoked everyone - Matthias didn't believe that my strategy was all about the angles I used off of the rail. It totally was.

Bean Blossom Bottoms - see below.

Easter - It's always fun to cook with my mom. Easter morning breakfast was tastey and pretty. We had sticky buns, recycled fruit bowl, and soft boiled eggs. (Oh, Chris, that's one up on ya. . . recycled fruit bowls.)

Thanks again for coming out Mom! We love you!

bean blossom bottoms

One of our favorite little hikes to go on is Bean Blossom Bottoms. (You can't really call this a hike, it's more like a stroll.) BBB is a protected wetland with a built in 2 mile trail/boardwalk throughout. It is a peaceful, beautiful swamp alive with tadpoles, frogs and birds. We came prepared this time with a small net and container. The boys have wanted to catch tadpoles and frogs for some time now. Catching tadpoles was easy. The frogs were tricky little suckers though. Matthias did catch one with his bare hands, and we had two happy boys! It is now living in a make-shift aquarium, and we plan on freeing Bibs tomorrow during FHE.

BBB reminds me of the book Girl of the Limberlost. Have any of you read it? It is one of my favorite books, and is an Indiana Classic. My mom got it for me when we moved here. BBB is a Bloomington gem in my book! Spending time here is medicine for my soul!

Christmas 2008

We were able to go to Utah for Christmas, and we loved being with family over the holidays!

Mom and I. It's so comforting being in my parents home around the holidays. I love seeing the decorations she still displays from when I was little: the miniature village homes, the windmill that reminds me of Grandma Jones, the smokers, the water globe, the nutcrackers, the red and white tree. Love it all. 

Me and Grandpa Jones on Christmas Day.  Such a sweet and wonderful man!

The boys during the holidays - so happy to be with family!

Matthias - a kid at heart

I love this picture - Bex and Ty at the Gateway water fountain.

smelling sweetness

When I was little, we had hidden candy spot in our kitchen, in a lower cupboard where the cookie sheets were filed. I don't know if Mom hid candy so that we ravenous candy eating children wouldn't inhale it at sight, or if she stashed it so she would have a chance for some later. The thing about it was that I never knew we had candy until I smelled it on her breath. I remember being held, getting a whiff of candy and asking what she was eating. Often times she answered, "Nothing," with a very guilty look on her face. After leaning in closer, sniffing, and asking again, "Mommy, what are you eating?" she opened her mouth and indeed I found that nothing was in there. Well I knew it was candy because it smelled like candy, so off I went to the secret candy spot to expectantly find... CANDY. My Mom's favorite treat, that she would buy in bulk every week the whole month of October, were the orange, black-licorice flavored pumpkin taffies.

What triggered this memory is that lately Beckham, being more sophisticated than the younger me, skips the question entirely and demands, after sniffing me out, "I want some candy too." This is so comical to me, that now I am in the candy hiding role. And so, I must ask myself, why do I hide treats? Well, for starters, I don't want my kids eating candy every day (why I don't use the same guideline for myself, I don't know??) Sometimes it serves as a little mid day pick-me-up. Other times, it's just too good to share. I know, crazy.

Anyways, it's interesting and funny to realize that I am turning into my mother! Well, Mom, I must say, I am glad to be like you, even if we are guilty of secret candy places and consuming too much candy.

Me as Strawberry Shortcake. Halloween in first grade.

for you, mom

Happy, happy birthday! I sat down with Ty to do a list poem for your name, Nana, and here is what he came up with:

N- nice
A- annette
N- nose ("she has a nose")
A- ant ("she has lots of bugs in her yard")

If I were writing you a list poem, I would include words like, amazing, awesome, aglow, able, attractive, natural, neat, nifty, nutritious, nurturing, and neighborly. We love you mom and hope your birthday was fantastic! We miss you and hope to see you again this year!

nana, stay for "just a couple more whiles"

This past week, over Easter weekend, my sweet mom came to visit us! I told my dad on the phone today after we sadly took her to the airport that it was just a tease visit - not long enough! We had a wonderful time with her and I wanted to hilight a few of our moments.

She didn't get here until midnight (after Beckham had fallen asleep), and when he woke up and found her, he immediately attatched himself to her. It was like his toungue was stuck to a frosty flagpole. He wouldn't let her out of his sight - while he ate his breakfast that morning, he did so with one hand holding on to her and the other hand feeding himself. He wanted nothing to do with me while Nana was here, which provided me with a wonderful break. This picture is exactly how he spent a third of his time. It makes me so happy to see how much the boys love their Nana and how even though we live so far away and only see each other a couple times a year, that their bond is still so strong.

Mom and I went to a Ballet that was delightful. I felt like we were such little girls because we kept whispering to each other through the performances and couldn't stop talking about it after. It was so fun! Something else that we got to do (that we used to do all the time) is go on a speed walk - she's a hard one to keep up with! You'd think I'd be able to smoke her, but she's still got it!

Yesterday we broke the news to Ty that Nana had to go back home today and he kept saying, "Nana, can't you just stay for a couple more whiles?" He tried to think of a way to get her to stay and asked if she could ask her teacher if she could stay longer. After we got home from taking her to the airport it made me cry (again and again) because Ty kept saying, "Mom, I'm really sad that Nana had to go home today," and then he laid on the couch for about a half hour with just the most bummed look on his face.

Anyways, it was the best treat ever to have my mom here. We went shopping - she bought me the ship shaped butter dish that I have long been coveting. We love going to Cheeseburger in Paradise as a tradition whenever she is in town. She is so funny because she orders her Strawberry Milkshake to come out FIRST... now you know where I get my love for treats. We colored easter eggs and had a hunt, cooked together, went to Ty's favorite restaurant: the Cereal Barn, took Beckham to the Barber Shop, played outside, played games, had late night chats, and had a grand old time being in each other's company. My mom is like a ball of happiness and sunshine and I love being with her! We love you Nana and will miss you tremendously! (As we do all our family! Please come visit - any and all of you!)