Hitched!

My older brother, Dan, got married last week in Culver, Indiana (one of my favorite places on earth). The wedding was SO BEAUTIFUL, and our little family was asked to be a part of it. Maddie and Jude made the cutest little flower girl and "ring boy," and I was one of Marissa's bridesmaids. Our camera isn't working right, so we're still waiting on a bunch of pictures from family members. But for now - take a quick peek at the wedding. Yes..that's me sobbing up front. I knew (and warned everyone) that this union would get me all sorts of emotional. Dan and Marissa and I have been close friends for many, many years - and I couldn't be happier that the two of them found their perfect match in each other. Love you both SO, SO much! Congratulations!

After the wedding, Maddie and Jude charmed everyone at the reception. I kept losing Jude, only to find him slow dancing (or fast dancing for that matter) with complete strangers. They just kept stealing him away. By about midnight Jude had lost all energy and fell asleep coloring. I honestly think I had a little crush on my own kids that night. I couldn't stop blushing over how cute they were!

Doesn't Jude look like a little stud in the tux? As he was getting fitted for it, he kept smiling and looking at himself in the mirror. I said, "buddy - do you think you look handsome?" And he said, "Yeah, Mom. And Chloe is going to look so pretty, too." I was a bit confused and asked why he thought Chloe would be there. He responded with, "because I'm going to wear this to marry her."

(If you don't remember who Chloe is, click HERE)

I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. The poor little kid really was getting excited for his own wedding to cute little Chloe. Give it a few years, pal - then we'll start talking about that one!

You can enjoy some better wedding pictures HERE. My little broken camera doesn't do this beautiful day justice.

On the "To Buy" List

Patience, my friends...

I officially find out tomorrow what this little baby will be. I just thought I should post that for all of you that have been texting, emailing, and calling - assuming that I already know and am holding out. I'm not sure if I'll be posting tomorrow (I turn the big 2-9 and am spending the day with my hubby) but I will do my best to fill everyone in soon. I'm pretty sure that I already know what we're having - what do YOU think?

From the Mouths of Babes

Jude: Mom, did you know that Grover is a bear?

Me: Uhh..I thought he was a monster.

Jude: Nope, just a bear.

Maddie: Mom, what is Ernie?

Me: Well, he's a person.

Maddie: I don't think so.

Me: Well, he's kind of a puppet person, so he's not quite human...he's more like, well, Bert.

Maddie: What's Bert?

Me: Uhhhh, I'm not quite sure.

Jude: Mom, Prairie Dawn is a dog, right?

Perhaps they're not benefiting as much from Sesame Street as I did.

...because in our family, safety always comes first.

They're Baaaaaack

It's been a while since I blogged about any strange "events" that took place in my house. Things quieted down for a while, so I assumed that my invisible friends had realized that stalking my life really was a waste of time. (I mean, really, how much fun is it to watch me fold laundry?) Anyway - if you are unaware of my previous events, read HERE and HERE before continuing on. It'll make a lot more sense.

Done reading? Good.

Every morning, we wave goodbye to Rob out of the front window. It's been a little family tradition since Maddie was a baby. This morning, we finished our goodbyes, I pulled down the shade, and started to hear a beeping noise. I immediately knew that the microwave was being turned on. I looked around and saw that all three kids were still with me, so I hurried into the kitchen. Nothing in the microwave, but 8 minutes on the timer. I walked over and canceled the time. As soon as I turned my back, numbers were being pressed again. I quickly turned around and once again turned off the microwave. As I walked away - it happened a third time. I finally walked over and said (out-loud...yes, feel free to laugh) "STOP IT! This isn't your house - don't do it again!" And it stopped.

For most of the day the microwave behaved itself. But mid afternoon, when it started up again - I decided it was time to get out the camera. As I set up the camera, the microwave once again turned on.

Oh, and you're not seeing things. There is a skull sticker on our microwave. Rob put it there. Probably to remind me every day that the microwave is haunted. He's so thoughtful.

I could be wrong, but generally you don't see that kind of behavior in a major appliance. No?

She's 5!

Madelyn had her first friends party this summer. It was an afternoon filled with fourteen friends and a whole lot of games, water slides, trampoline jumping, piñata smashing, presents, cake and a new bike. Maddie was in heaven! I have no idea how my mother did six of these every year! Happy Birthday, Maddie! We love you and can't believe you're off to Kindergarten this year.

"Mom...

...I want to sleep like this tonight."

Busy, Busy, Busy

I hope that everyone can forgive my blogging absence - it seems like every time I sit down at the computer to blog, I remember an email that needs to be sent, an activity I need to plan, or a calendar I need to update. About three months ago I was called as the Young Women's President at my church, and since then my computer has a whole new use. It's a calling that I love SO, SO SOOOO much, but one that keeps me very busy.

On top of that, we are dealing with Rob's news. Apparently, he's 16 weeks pregnant! We're really excited, and expecting baby #4 to arrive late December or early January. We can't wait to find out what he's having - and have already started discussing names. Here's a little view of what's going on inside his tummy (with the exception of the anatomy - that's a LITTLE different in his case. We're still working out the kinks on that one).


And here's a view of the outside. If you ask me - he's showing a little earlier than normal. At first we thought it might be twins, but after a couple of ultrasounds and hearing the heartbeat - it looks like it's just one gigantic baby.


And don't even TRY to tell me that your pregnant husband doesn't own a mesh tank top.

(Okay, so maybe I'm actually the one carrying the baby...but it IS his mesh tank top. I SWEAR.)

Summer Thus Far

Thank goodness summer is finally here! It was only about a week ago that the weather here warmed up enough to actually break out the kiddie pool. But now that we're actually hitting the high 80s on a daily basis we're spending as much time in the water (and apparently drinking contaminated water) as possible.



The kids first thought that jumping on the trampoline with water was the best thing ever, but have recently realized that playing under the trampoline while water showers through is even better...AND Ella can play too.






Just posting this makes me want to slice up some watermelon, and slap on some sunscreen. I am LOVING this time of year with my kids!

Thanks for being a

Waterfall Hiking

New-Baby-Couch-Sleeping

Baseball Playing

Snowman Building

Book Reading

Medicine Giving

Bowl-Hat Wearing

Train Riding

Back-Yard-Tent Sleeping

Two-Kid-Pool-holding

Snowball Throwing

Insect Handling

Always Playing

kind of Dad. We really are the luckiest family in the world. Happy Father's Day!

Photo Shoot

I love to look through, and giggle at, the pictures that Maddie takes of herself when she's on the computer. There are literally hundreds of them. Some silly, some very posed, and by looking at these, I'd say we're adding artistic to the list. Here is my most recent find:

It's all fun and games until I stumble upon some that I forgot to erase: