55 degrees and lovin' it!

It was so beautiful today! We were all getting restless being inside so we decided we should go for a bike ride. Well, trust me I am in no condition to go for a bike ride, so Kelli and Andrew rode bikes and I pushed Emily in the stroller. We went around our neighborhood a little and then stopped at a little deli up the street from us for a muffin and something to drink. When I asked the kids if they wanted to stop at Shawn's (the deli) they were so surprised! Kelli said, "Mom you are the most wonderfulest mom in the whole university!" They have been saying that lately about all sorts of stuff...the most wonderful ________ in the university! It cracks me up! I should probably correct them and tell them it is supposed to be the universe, but I like it so much I will let it go a litte while longer!!

Sidewalk chalk...a sure sign of warmer temps!!

Does anyone else see a resemblance here??? I wont say who I think she looks like, but if you can see it...leave a comment.

I just love how Kelli is looking at her big brother in this one...Andrew held up the peace sign and Kelli held up 4 fingers...Andrew tried to explain to her what he was doing and she said just do how many old you are! It is like she is looking at him thinking "Wow, He is 7!".

This one makes my heart stop!!

Couldn't leave it!

Well, I didn't like my previous header so I took it down and just added a picture and I didn't like that either! So I should be in bed but instead decided to make a new header! It is huge and I am afraid it wont look right on square monitors! So let me know how it looks on your screens!

I am heading to bed...Andrew came home from school sick today...went to the doc and he has strep throat, poor thing. He was miserable!

Just gonna take it easy tomorrow and do lots of snuggling and probably a couple movies and reading and enjoying being home with nothing to do!

Smile!!

Andrew came home from school on Tuesday and was so excited because he had a loose tooth! He has not lost any yet and several of his friends and cousins have so he was beginning to get anxious about it! SO when he said something felt funny after eating lunch he was checking things out in gym class and discovered a loose tooth! I was so excited for him and a little sad to see another sign that he is indeed growing up as much as I am trying to not let him! As soon as Brian got home from work he ran to tell him all about it! Later that night, Brian was giving it a wiggle when we discovered that new teeth were coming in behind the loose tooth and the one next to it! Better start saving for braces now!! =) Yesterday when he came home from school it was really loose and I could see him playing with it with his tongue pretty constantly. When Brian came home, he told Andrew he should just pull it out! So Andrew tried for a little bit to get it out and then Brian did a little more wiggling and then Andrew, without even a whimper, reached in there and yanked it out! Thankfully they did it when I wasn't in the room because I was getting weak in the knees watching them wiggle it around!! He was very excited to have a dollar from the tooth fairy this morning! I told him I thought he was pretty lucky because I think the most I ever got was a quarter! I told him that the tooth fairy must have been feeling generous because it was his first lost tooth! Here are some pictures of the milestone! (You know I was focused on the tooth when I was taking the pictures, because when I uploaded them there was big crusty boogers I had to edit out!!!)

21 weeks!

We had our midpoint ultrasound today and everything looks perfect! We are so blessed! I think I am going to start doing belly photo's this week. I am really trying to savor every moment of this pregnancy as it will be my last! If I decide to do it, of course I will share them!



Here is a labeled version to help you out!!

Fun in the snow!

I have felt bad several times this winter that Emily has not had the chance to go out and play in the snow. It has just been too cold! Yesterday Brian bundled her up and took her out with him when he was taking the garbage out. She headed right for the snow, touched it and then went straight for the garage (not sure if she was seeking warmth or wanting the sled which she has watched her brother and sister using!). Andrew pulled her around the yard for a while and she absolutely loved it!

All choked up!

We had a small superbowl gathering yesterday, just us and Lauren and Derrick. It was a very enjoyable, relaxed, comfortable, all together great day! We had enough food that we could have fed many, many, many more people! We will be having leftover superbowl food for the entire week!!

Many of you know how important music is to my life...I can't hardly go for an hour without having some kind of music playing, or be singing as I work, or whatever, and there are a few times that I can remember that some music has moved me to tears. Well, yesterday, when Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem was one of those times. I am not sure if it is because of the recent tragedy she has experienced, or if it was the sheer powerfulness of her performance, or what, but I was all choked up! I hope you had the chance to hear it, but if you didn't...here is the video of it! Enjoy! (remember to click pause on the music box on the right, and ignore the video it tells you to go see at the end...this was just the best quality video and it happened to have that at the end)

clean kids and construction

I love bath time! I always forget to bring my camera with me, which is probably a good thing, because it at least doubles the time it takes! But I happened to remember the other night...I have 100 pics, and will post a few more later (I promise not to post all of them). But there is a great sequence of Kelli dumping water on Emily that is just too cute not to share when I have a little more time!

Brian worked up in the attic all day today...He is amazing! What a blessing it is to have a handy husband!! Here are just a few before shots! He got lots done today, it is coming together!!

Busy!

It has been busy around here! We are remodeling the attic for Andrew for a bedroom...I should snap some before pics before any more gets done (note to self)! I am working on lots of stuff for our annual at church women's retreat that is coming up next month, putting together a website for Kori Mauch Photography (it is awesome!!! If I can say that myself, and I can't wait to get it live so I can share it with all of you!) And then just the day in day out stuff of being a wife and mom, while adjusting to my ever changing body, and waning energy levels...I just about collapse in bed at 9! Brian has been very good about encouraging me to go to bed at 9 and it is amazing how much that helps me do better the next day! He is a smart guy! =) But that is what has been going on around here! I did get my "real" camera back and am SO excited! I haven't had a whole lot of picture taking opportunities, but here is one from this week I am in love with! My baby is turning into a big girl!

A Post For Kelli...

This is a post for Kelli! The kids love to look at my blog (when they are allowed to be on the computer, that is) and I thought I would take some time to do a post telling a little about Kelli and her main pasttimes...taking care of her "kids". Kelli has so many kids we all have lost count. There is Macie, Emma, Payton, Kevin, Matthew, Slinky, Brooke, Megan, Dustin, Tyler, Caroline, Chloe, Emily, and Aileen. She also has three dogs that she keeps busy with too. They are Gunner, Bauer and Baxter. Kelli spends most of her day with a baby in arm, and is always talking to her kids and telling them what she wants them to do. She also is a very firm disciplinarian, one time even calling the police to come take Payton to jail, because he was not listening to her and was being SO mean to his brothers and sisters. The other day there was a tragedy as well. She came down and very matter of factly tells me that one of her children is dead. I asked her more about it and she said that Kevin had been out playing in the snow and she told him to come in because his face was getting too red but he didn't listen, so he got too cold and died. I told her that was so sad. She came back to the kitchen and said that now Kevin was alive again. He had gone to the hospital and they had "shot" him. She meant, shocked him! Oh to have an imagination like that!! Of course most of these kids are imaginary, but some of them are her dolls, so here are pictures of her sweet kids that are able to be photographed!!

This is Chloe


Big Huskey and Little Huskey


Aileen
This was my doll when I was a little girl, you can see she has had many surgeries and repairs. and since this picture was taken she has had her remaining arm removed as well.


This is Emily


This is Caroline


This, I am told is also Emily. It is Emily's new baby from Santa. Kelli asked Santa for a baby for Emily so she would not play with her dolls anymore!


Hope you have enjoyed getting to know Kelli's family!!
They always ask me if people made any comments about pictures of them. I am sure it would make Kelli's day if you left her a quick note about what a good mom she is!

Photo update

Though I am terribly missing my "real" camera...I have made myself continue to take pics with my little point and shoot until I get word that the "real" camera is fixed! Here are just a few

After the last post I thought you all would enjoy seeing a photo of the two siblings sitting together watching a movie (this was less than 24 hours before they also lost tv privileges for the rest of the week!) And then they even invited their sister to join them!

Andrew's school did class tshirts this year, each kid drew a picture of themselves and wrote their own name....I think this is the best idea~ Isn't it adorable!!

Love the freckles!!

Bath time with Emily...she loves it!

But when she is done...she is done, NOW!!

All bundled up and ready to go! I just think she is the cutest thing ever in her coat and hat!