Almost 30

Sadly, I will be 30 in a few months.

I can't even begin to fathom this concept.

It can't be true.

I still feel like I am 18.

I definitely still act 18 at times....

I use sarcasm relentlessly.

I have dance parties with my daughters.

I eat Popsicles for dessert like they are gourmet ice cream.

I recently joined Twitter.

I watch American Idol,

America's Next Top Model,

The Real World,

& THE HILLS.

Wow. How old am I?

I definitely don't act like a woman who is about to turn 30 in 3 months.

Proof: Please take a look at my hair-do.

I was doing my hair this past Sunday and of course I didn't have time to shower and get cute.

(I never have time for this. I barely have time every 2 months to visit my wonderful hairdresser to get blonded! Hence the NEON BLACK ROOTS in this photo.)

So, while I was doing my hair I decided to twist it up on the sides to give my regular bland ponytail (see I AM 18!)a little flare. Well, Mia just LOVED this look and insisted I do the same to her hair. The fact that my hair-do was so interesting to a 4 year old really proves my point that I can't possibly be a grown woman about to turn 30...

How cute are we with our matching hair?

Mia loved the SELF photo-op in the Suburban in our driveway when we got home.

Who does that?

We sure do.
Not afraid.



My little Mia is getting to be such a big girl.

So big, in fact, that she wants to wear her hair just like her 18 year old Mommy.

Road Trip

We must be good luck.

Maggie's first at bat she hit a HOME RUN!

Maybe it was the crazy Michigan Bows I made all the girls?

No, that's not it.

She is just so STELLAR!

Hales, Mia and Mimo Cheering for Mags



Sophie and Gracie getting ready for game time.

Little Gracie all smiles (smirks).

Tailgating at the University of Illinois.

Before the game.

Go number 15!

Mags and Sophie cheering on their Aunt Mags

"Go MAGS!" Is their favorite cheer!

Little Meade-boy and (my sister) Mommy Adie.


Before the HOME RUN (See why I need an new camera?)




After the HOME RUN!

GO MAGS!

We had such a fun road trip to U of I to see my youngest sister play two games. It was so worth the potty breaks, back seat quarrels, diet coke overdoses, making a bottle while driving, etc etc.

I wish my hubby Steve could have joined us but he was coaching and had two games of his own.

I braved the trip with three girls under four alone and am so glad I did.

It was so much fun (minus the rain) staying in the neatest cabin (next to serial killers) I have ever seen. Every bathroom had a huge jet tub, flat screens in every room, farm acreage for miles, horses for Mia to stalk, and just an awesome place to go hang out for the weekend with my family. I wish Maggie could have stayed with us too.

Can't wait to make another trip soon to watch her play.

Mia is already practicing her chants..."KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL MAGS!"

This was one of the last pics at the game. Someone took this when I was making one of the 25 trips to the bathroom.

Gracie was sick of being in the rain so I trapped her in the stroller and, thanks to Aunt Adie, we had some umbrella protection. THANK YOU!

The Simple Pleasures (Fingerprint Friday)

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:

I can see the fingerprints of God

When I look at you I can see the fingerprints of God

And I know its true You're a masterpiece

That all creation quietly applauds

And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them?

To join click here

God's fingerprints are always around me.

My girls are such miracles and I thank God everyday for them.


The simple pleasures in life is what makes them the happiest.


Playing in the bath with such big smiles is so beautiful to see.

No worries.

No fear.

No sadness.

Just JOY in the simple things.

This is the way to live!

Bald is Beautiful

I can't agree more.

Bald IS Beautiful!

All of my girls were pretty bald when they were babies.

Luckily, they all had cute and perfectly round heads!

I called them all my "fuzz nogens"

My bald buddies.

Isn't this onesie the cutest?

Thank you Aunt Haley for letting us borrow it after Ella outgrew it.

(I doubt she ever wore it because she was NEVER bald!)

My children.

Very much Bald.

Gracie with Daddy at 1.5 Months.

Bald.

Gracie at 3 Months.

Bald.

Gracie with Mommy at 5 months.

Still Bald.




Gracie today.

Still fairly bald.

A little bit of fuzz.



With some peas mixed in.

Gotta love it.

The Butterfly House (of Pain)

The Butterfly House is supposed to be a fun, stress-free, delightful experience for all children.

You get to go into a gigantic glass house full of beautiful butterflies. They fly all around you and even land on your shoulder, or in our case, your HAIR BOW.

This was not so fun for my Mia.

She was calm the first 10 minutes when she ran off with her friends. However, when I demanded she come hang with me and her sisters and take a few pics, she was all the sudden flinching at every butterfly "fly-by" and started to really spaz out.

I guess it can be overwhelming. But the whole experience was just so typical.

I am without my hubby (stressful, three kids, stroller, purse, lunches).

I have Grace in one arm (heavy, workout).

I am trying to keep tabs on Sophie (crazy, lots of kids).

All while walking around this HOT glass house (SWEATING like I just ran 10 miles)

And now Mia is bawling a little louder with each butterfly flinch.

Mortifying (Sweat Drip, Sweat Drip).

Check out my POSE pics on a bench in The Butterfly House (of pain).

You will see where the PAIN fits in.

Gracie LOVED looking at the butterflies fly by.



Poor Mia






Sophie was so impressed!



How cool!

Action shot.

The day was not totally ruined.

After we escaped the actual STEAMY Butterfly House portion and Mia calmed down, I was able to snap a few cute pics of the kiddos roaming the other areas of the park.

A movie about how butterflies are born (graphic).

Post Melt-down

Sophie posing by the Cockroach Display. YUCK!

A quick photo op by the beautiful tulips on the way to the playground.

And finally, on our way out of the park.

What a beautiful butterfly day.

And a perfect Friday!

Once It Hits Your Lips.....

I am not even joking when I say this, but once this dip hits your lips you will be saying what everyone says, "I want the recipe!"

Well, today is your lucky day!

You are about to get the recipe for the most requested and TASTY dip ever invented!

POTTERY BARN DIP

Unfortunatley, I am unable to take credit for this magical creation. But I do make it practically every weekend. And, I am going to confess that when I make it for whatever the occasion, I stash a little away for me the next day because it's just that yummy!

And I have an eating problem! I can't stop!

Here is a picture of the delicious Pottery Barn Dip below.

Is your mouth watering yet?

This recipe came from my sister Adie's husband Meade's family. The Smiths. They are BRILLIANT chefs and make the most wonderful, mouth watering food. Every recipe of theirs is absolutely delish!

This particular recipe is from my sister Adie's sister in law. So thank you Megan for passing this recipe along to our family. I know I need all the help I can get.

Ok so here it is: Ingredients Needed:

2 Packages Cream Cheese 1 Can Niblets Corn (Drained) 1 Can Black Olives (Drained and Chopped) 1 Red Pepper (Chopped) 10-20 Sliced Jalapenos (Chopped) 1 Large Packet of Ranch Dressing Mix

(I skip the jalapenos sometimes. I never have them in my house because they make me faint! ;) It is super great without these but if you prefer, feel free to throw them in. Just buy a jar of sliced jalapenos and chop up 10-20, or whatever you prefer.)

Instructions:

I like to combine everything except the cream cheese. After making it 460 times I feel this works the best. So stir Corn, Black Olives, Red Pepper, Jalapenos and Ranch Mix together until mixed well. After letting the cream cheese soften for about 10 minutes, add the two packages to your mixture and combine really well! It should be evenly combined and smooth.

Serve cold with crackers or chips. Our family's favorite choice is Scoops!

Please let me know if you make this and let me know what you think. I am so excited to spread the happiness to all of you. Now when people ask me for the recipe I will just point them to my blog to get it. Much easier on me.

Enjoy!

HAPPY EASTER!

Here are my girls on the Easter Bunny's lap this past week.

They did surprisingly well!

No Crying.

No Scared Looks on Their Faces.

Just Calm, Cool Attitudes.

They loved him!

YEA!

I am happy to have gotten such a cute shot considering the $20 for two 5x7's.

WOW.

With this economy you think they would give us a deal.

Well they didn't.

I always say to myself, "It's once a year. Get a picture."

And I am glad because I know I would regret it if I didn't.

Easter is one of my favorite holidays.

I am so excited to share such a special day with my family tomorrow. I hope everyone takes a few minutes to remember what this day means and how important it is.

Romans 1:4-5

And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

HAPPY EASTER!

A Magical Tactic.....

Since becoming a mom I have learned many useful tactics to help me have smooth-sailing successful days.

I wanted to share one of those with you today.

(More to come in future posts!)

BRIBERY.

I have learned to use bribery in certain situations to cease the whinning, screaming, fighting, or any non-compliance that I may face daily as a mom of three girls under four years of age.

Now, I want to reassure you that I am not recommending this for ALL situations. I feel strongly about disciplining children in a way that they learn right from wrong, while realizing that they alone control their actions. I try to teach my girls that they can choose how they respond to certain situations. I explain that things don't always go their way. But that they need to adjust and NOT pout, moan, complain or grunt everytime they are asked to do something they don't feel like doing. This, my friends, is where my AMAZING use of reverse psychology, brainwashing and trickery come into play.

I wanted to have a mini photo session while the girls were all dressed up before visiting the Easter Bunny.

Notice the following three pictures.....especially Sophie.

Frowning.

Sun in Eyes.

Grumpy.

Now please note the next three pictures...

Note the SMILING cheerful glee that both girls express.

Could they be any happier?!

Amazing what a few jelly beans will do for a photo session!

If all else fails, pull out a few jelly beans to say, "I appreciate when you listen to Mommy! Here is a reward!"

Like I said, I don't always resort to this. I do want my kids to learn to just do as I say sometimes without needing a prize. But it is nice to have the option in certain situations!

"FREAKING OUT!"

Apparently, I have a clone. Her name is Mia.

Do we really look that much alike?

Well, from what I am told, we ACT a lot alike.

After you check out the pics below, you may notice she has a natural instinct to POSE and MODEL....(I also pretend to be a great photographer.) But I myself have always dreamed about being a model. I think it's becasue I have always been TALL. I really wanted to use God's gift to it's full potential............

However, I learned that you must posess many other qualities, besides just being tall, in order to be a model. :)

I never really did posess any of those. For example, being small enough to actually fit into the clothes that I would be modeling. HA! I have never been a size 2.

So, in the spirit of Mia and how for 4 1/2 years people have told me that she's my clone, I thought I would tell a funny story from this past weekend.

Steve and I were enoying a night out at a Blues Hockey Game. Suite and everything. My mom had my three girls. I received a call halfway through the night from my parents and I answered.

All my dad said when I answered was "Mia is really FREAKING OUT."

He never really says FREAKING OUT so I was a little baffled. I knew that Mia must have said this and I just started laughing hysterically.

I find out that her earring flew out of her ear as she was trying to get her necklace off in the bathroom. Mimo and her frantically looked for her favorite earring. Mia was sure that it fell into the toilet! Well, it didn't. They found it and everything was back to normal.

She came downstairs and was telling my sister Adie the whole story. I gues her exact phrase went something like this, "Yea, I thought it went in the toilet. I was really FREAKING OUT."

Coming from a 4 1/2 year old this is pretty funny. This story made me realize just how much they learn from us as their parents. I never knew how much I say "freaking out."

But apparently I say it a lot. And now so does Mia... my little clone. She does act like me I guess. I know why. Kids really do LEARN FROM EXAMPLE, NOT BY WHAT YOU TELL THEM! No matter what you want them to do...eat healthy, be kind, be polite.... they really will only do as you do, not as you say. Just a great lesson to keep you, as a parent, living your life for your kids and trying to be the best Mom you can be.

It takes a lot of work, but it is so worth it. I am so proud of my little Mia. She is such a big girl and even though she has my tendency to FREAK OUT, I am glad I have taught her that it's ok to be herself and be proud of who she is no matter what.

And, sorry for the delay, (the past few days have been super busy filled with kids getting over colds and too many dishes and loads of laundry to catch up on) but the winners of one of my FUNKY FELT FLOWERS are......

Lucky Irish Gal

and

Rebekka

I drew two names because I was SO SLOW in posting this!

Congrats! Just message me your address and I will get them in the mail for you!

Thanks so much to all for entered!