Remember last month, when all Andy wanted for his birthday was to go bowling? Well, today Brady turns five!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRADY BOY! WE LOVE YOU!
Nate and I really like the idea of doing a memorable family activity with the kids for their special days instead of adding another toy to the heaping toy box… So, [...]

Last night, Nate treated the kids to small bowls of ice cream here at home. They were, of course, excited. (Who doesn’t get excited about ice cream?!)
About 10 minutes later, Connor came into the bedroom where Nate and I were talking and said, “Um, Mommy, I have a good problem.”
Nate and I exchanged glances thinking [...]

Poor Ferris…

For the record, Nate found her like this and stopped to take photos before rescuing the poor girl.

There are times when your own bed just isn’t comfy enough and only Mommy & Daddy’s will do.
The evidence, from two separate occasions:

Evan fell asleep on our bed while the boys finished up their school work last week.
 

Evan snuggled up next to Daddy to watch “Little Einsteins.”
I’m not sure who fell asleep first.

My boy Connor is endlessly romantic. He snuggles, compliments, kisses and hugs. I tell Nate often that Connor’s going to make someone a great husband one day.
The other day, I was washing dishes. Connor was playing with a small Superman action figure. He decided that he’d be the bad guy and Superman would be the [...]

I’ve mentioned before that my children are well-acquainted with morning sickness. Since I’m blessed with chronic pregnancy and also chronic nearly-nine-months-worth of morning sickness at a time, they’re used to seeing me bent over the toilet, making retching noises. It’s a way of life around these parts, like baseball and swing shifts.
I was glad I [...]

One day last week, I was working on some graphic design projects in the basement while the kids napped… Or so I thought.
Andy doesn’t always sleep during nap time, but he’s required to spend some time relaxing in his bed. Imagine my surprise when he shouted down the stairs, “Mommy, Evan and Connor got your [...]

Two years ago yesterday, on January 18, 2007, Evan Joy entered our family two months early.
She weighed just two pounds and 12 ounces. She had two concerned parents and a team of doctors.
Yesterday, she proudly announced to everyone at church, “I two!” Our Pastor even acknowedged the miracle of her birthday from the pulpit as [...]

It’s really cold here.
The temps haven’t even reached 0 today. Not my idea of fun… But one good thing might come of it.
For some reason unbeknownst to me, I have been dying for icee/slushy drinks the last few weeks. I’m craving stuff that’s cold and icy. The idea of a lemonade slushee sounds amazing to [...]

We’re “experiencing blizzard-like conditions” here in Chicagoland.
The good news is that the weather’s too bad for Nate and his students to fly, so he’s home for more than 20 minutes a day. (The bad news is that he doesn’t get paid when he doesn’t fly.) We like him around.
The kids have been dying [...]