Which mouse was it?

This weekend was a busy one. Dawson was sick and on the couch for most of it. Brandon was working and watching UNC win some b-ball games. Jeff helped some friends move. And the girls and I got to attend another round of Saturday birthday parties.
We started the day off at Chuck1e Cheese for a b-day party for one of Sophia's girl friends. This was a 'girl' party . . . not a boy or a tomboy party. In fact, I believe between Friday night and Satruday afternoon, I was told quite a bit by sweet Sophia that she was a tomboy . . . for example she didn't know what to buy a girl for her birthday because she is a tomboy. She was cracking me up with reminders that she was a tomboy.
Gracie went with us to the birthday party to have her first Chuck1e Cheese experience. She was fascinated by the mouse but would not get close enough for a picture with him. However, she did give him five. Which resulted in hours of conversation for Saturday and Sunday telling us over and over that 'Mickey Mouse Five'. Enjoy!

A new family pet???

This weekend we celebrated Grandma Stahly's birthday by heading north to Opry Mills to the Aquarium. (my camera played dead during the trip so I have to wait for Jody for pics) Anyhow, the Aquarium is a restaurant around an . . . ready for this . . . aquarium. In the big tank are sharks, fish, and stingrays. There was also a huge green eel. We had a great time eating pretty decent food while watching the antics of the marine activity. The kids loved to walk around the tank and watch all the activity. After lunch, we went across the hall to Stingray Reef. A parent-trap where you can pet and feed stingrays, as well as ride a carousel. Grace rode the carousel about 8 times and was still very upset when we left.
My favorite part was feeding the stingrays. It was awesome!!! You feed them cold shrimp that you put between your fingers on your fist. The stingray then slides up the wall to your hand and takes it out of your fist. You can feel his little teeth on your fist. We could then watch through the glass walls as the stingray chewed up his snack. It was so cool! They would then climb up the wall to you and let you stroke what would be their head. They are such neat creatures. So . . . I decided I need one for a pet. My in-laws have a pool so I figure I can keep him(or her) over there and have a friend to swim with. I just think it would be so super cool.
Oh and I think the kids had a good time with the stingrays too . . . and if they didn't . . . oh well!

Favorite Foto(s) Friday

Look at these two cuties! Aren't they the sweetest thing?
I am not by any means a foot/toe person. Mostly they kind of gross me out. I have in the last two years grown to like a good pedicure. But mostly feet/toes go in the EWWW category . . . but not these cute little toes. There is just something about little baby feet that is way cute!

Out Of the Mouth of Sophia

Just a quick post . . . a short snippet from the world of Sophia . . . this morning, as with all mornings, we were rushing to get out the door for day cares. I was telling Sophia to come on, get up, put your jacket on, we are going to be late . . . you know all that Mom stuff. . . probably sounded like blah, blah, blah, to her also . . . anyway, she just stopped, looked at me, and said . . .
"Why are you so negative?"

Memories of the Weekend

Saturday was Grandpa Hornsing's birthday!!! Sophia called him right away on Saturday morning to sing to him, and let her siblings each have about 2 seconds to say Hi, Happy Birthday. Sophia loves to talk on the phone to Grandpa and Grandma Hornsing! As she is talking to them, I tell her to ask Grandma if she is going to take Grandpa out for his birthday to eat and to a movie to kiss. Sophia asks . . . "Hey Grandma, are you going to take Grandpa out to dinner and then to a movie to kiss him like you have never ever kisssed him before?" Obviously she felt Grandpa Hornsing needed a little loving for his birthday!

This weekend also involved the cleaning and re-arranging of Dawson's bedroom. He got a new dresser and nightstand and things just really needed to be cleaned out. By Sunday Dawson was pretty over it and just wanted it to be done. At one point, Jeff and he were walking up the stairs and Dawson said "I don't know what she just said, all I heard was blah, blah, blah, clean it up!" Nice to know I am wasting my words on that!

Gracie still is held when going to sleep . . . I know I know she is almost 2 . . . (blah blah blah) . .. but she is my LAST baby and I LOVE holding her and listening to her sleep. ANYWAY . . . so last night before she would crawl up to go to sleep, she had to put all the babies night-night too. Here they are . . .

Spring will be coming

Okay, even though in our little spot in the world, spring has come for a day or two and left again to bring us some late winter . . . spring will be coming. And with that means spring clothes need to be brought out. I had tubs and tubs full of clothes from Sophia as well as those others had given me after I found out I was having Grace. I decided I need to go through those and pull out what would fit Gracie this spring, get them washed up, and figure out what I needed to buy for her for the season. The journey through the tubs made me remember that sweet Sophia was a 2T for two springs, and was a 2T on the bottom for an additional year. As I ventured through the tubs I just kept finding 2t's - which is what Gracie will be wearing soon. I have washed and folded all the clothes I pulled out and currently Gracie could probably wear something different every day from now until June or July. Insane! A blessing and a bummer . . . blessed to be able to not have to buy her clothes until fall again . .. bummer because we all know I love some retail therapy! When you see Gracie this spring and summer you might see her sporting some of my favs from the Sophia toddler years . . . you know the time when she would wear what I told her to. Sophia informed me the other day that Gracie will only wear these girlie clothes for a bit longer because "once she sees how girlie they are and can tell you she doesn't like them, she will".
(notice the bows even . . . oh yes, once upon a time, Sophia loved bows too. Until she could tell me she didn't like them anymore . . .)

NE Humor

My aunt sent me this joke from home, Nebraska . . .

After having dug to a depth of 10 yards last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their New York ancestorsalready had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.
Not to be outdone by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, California scientists dug to a depth of 20 yards, and shortly after, headlines in the LA Times newspaper read: 'California archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.'
One week later, the Lincoln Journal Star, a local news paper in Lincoln, Nebraska reported the following: 'After digging as deep as 30 yards in a corn field near Milford, NE, Larry the Cable Guy, a self- taught archaeologist and dyed-in-the-wool Husker fan, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Larry has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, Nebraska had already gone wireless.'

A Love Story

My daughter Sophia is a self proclaimed tomboy. She will tell anyone who talks to her that she is indeed a tomboy. She loves being a tomboy but makes one exception to the rule of the tomboy - and his name is Steven. Steven you see is her boyfriend. And quite accidentally, I believe I let her go on her first date with Steven Saturday. It was their friends birthday party, but quite honestly the two of them were too wrapped up in their time together outside of school that they kept ditching the party. I think the pictures speak a million words as to how into this boy my sweet little girl . . . er tomboy . . . is. Sadly, in a few months they will both be going off to Kindergarten and not at the same school. But what a love story they have for now. :-)