Happy Easter!

Easter was a little different this year. Tim took them up North for the weekend while I worked on the house, so I didn't get to see Lilly in her pretty Easter dress but since she likes to wear a dress everyday I will have to put her in it for school! I did make a nice dinner and hide some eggs all over the yard before they got back that night though. It was fun to watch them scurry about. Such pros now that they are older! Next year I will have to get a bit trickier!
The Easter egg hunt in my grandmas backyard which was kinda fun since I did the same thing when I was little!

And of course the giant Chocolate bunnies! Which they wanted to eat for breakfast the next morning! I love them to pieces.

The past week...

So, this might just be a rambling on type of blog but if I don't do it this way it probably just won't happen and I know you miss me. :) First of all, apologies if you can't see the previous post pics. I thought maybe bc it says "share these photos with people not on facebook"...I kinda assumed it meant that people not on facebook would actually be able to see them...hmmm. Whatever, it was kind of a cop out lazy blog anyway, hehe.

I hope everyone had a great mothers day. Mine was fabulous. The kids didn't sleep in for me, but they were in good moods. The weather was decent, a little windy but if you were in the sun all was good. We packed a picnic and Tim joined us for a trip to the park. We hit a new park just north of us which my friend Meghan told me about and it was fun. It should be really cool this summer bc it had a really great new spashpad there. So, if you live in indy or come to visit let's definitely plan some splash park playdates. Free wet fun is always good!!

We also celebrated Tim's birthday last week. I got some cute pics of him with the kids which I will post later. The kids did alot of the planning, Lucas kept letting Tim know that his birthday was coming soon and he informed me that Tim really wanted a Scooby Doo cake. (Not really sure that idea really came from Tim, but I was willing to go with it). I was trying to tell Lucas that daddy likes icecream cake from DQ in lieu of regular cake, and maybe DQ would have a scooby doo option. They didn't, so Lucas wanted to try and make daddy a Scooby Doo cake in addittion to the ice cream cake bc "Mommy, you have to have a cake and that is only icecream". So we looked for something ScoobyDoo to put on a cake but no luck there either. Lucas did spot some Robot/Monster sprinkles though and thought those would do...bc Scooby Doo and Shaggy chase monsters and robots. And to be honest, the "robot sprinkles" were essentially black, green and blue sprinkles which for some reason they sell better when having a robot on the outside...of course! The kids also picked out there own presents for daddy which is kinda a tradition that we started a few years ago. I got the idea from my friend Steph and it is alot of fun to see what the kids actually pick out for "mommy and daddy"...(which is essentially stuff they think is cool and that they would think we think is cool too...or just stuff they want and might be willing to share with us at times). So needless to say Tim got Legos, special pink playdoh and bubbles for his birthday. He loved it! He also got a couple movies and a book that I had actually bought him for Christmas but that I had hid in a "secret spot" (that even I could not find until last month when cleaning out the closet). So wahla! Birthday presents! Does anyone else ever do secret hiding spot thing or is it just me??

In regards to everything else to ramble about I will save it for another day. Excited for this coming weekend, traveling to kokotown and then my old HS stomping grounds. Should catch up with alot of different people (and being kidless will make it a nice quiet car ride as well).

Wordless Wednesday- Most people usually Eat the Ears first...

Simple Smiles

The simple joy of coloring eggs brings so many smiles. It was really fun to watch with the kids last weekend. They really enjoyed coloring "monsters" on their eggs and then make them mostly pink and green (their favorite colors). Not sure where monsters come into play on Easter, but once Lucas does something Lilly wants to follow suit.

And here is whole bunch once we were done!

How many eggs did you color this year??

All dressed up for Easter

We had a great Easter morning as a family. It was still pretty chilly that morning so I hid the easter eggs inside, but they still had fun. They opened presents and then we had an omelet and easter sprinkled pancake breakfast together and then Tim and the kids headed North to his grandmas for Easter with his family. (I did taxes that afternoon...but they did get done on time with a refund! bonus!)

Lilly really liked her new knot dress. My friend Julie made it and makes a ton of other clothes too that she sells on Etsy- check it out!! She LOVES doing customs and her fabrics are amazing!

WOW. Are the kids looking grown up in this picture or what??

(I will share some more pics this weekend of coloring eggs! So check back!)

Christmas Catch up

Why is it that I always seem to start off the new year already behind? This is the last Christmas post and then maybe I will move onto things like...New Year resolutions...oh wait I am already a week late for that too! I guess I better make put tardiness on my resolution list. Wait, I think that was on there last year. Hmmmm.

christmas with the bishops = 7 reindeer on a couch,

and two snuggly cousins all cuddled up!

and catching up with long lost cousins who we don't see often enough!
christmas at the hess' = us getting everyone else sick and only a few pictures since the photographer was not feeling well...

We had a good and merry time (minus the flu). It was nice to see everyone even though our plans didn't work out exactly as scheduled. Can't wait to start the new year...oh wait it started without me!

And it was good...

Hope everyones Christmas' were filled with love, joy, excitement and smiles. Here is what ours was filled with...

funny sleepy but excited faces and the wonder of how santa really got down the chimney to fill those stockings!

pure excitement and joy over simple things.
lots of smiles for a very busy girl who got; paint, crayons, markers and a new little art desk/easel to let her creative juices flow!

and a super fast race track that not only travels the cars it came with but also boats, trains and anything else that will fit on it.

Hope you got the toys and wishes you asked Santa for!

Ooohhhhh...

...the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is sooo delightful.

So since we can't go where we want to go..let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Well, we are stuck at home yet another holiday. Not due to sick children this time, but ice. WAY Too slick to leave yesterday, better this morning but saw two accidents and slideoffs 5 minutes after leaving and deciding since we were headed north where it was colder we would forgo the plans and hideout in the burg until a later date. So Tim made a nice fire last night to keep us warm and cozy and we vegged out in front of a "opened early" movie.

And since I have yet to share any tree pics, thought I would show some pics of the decor that no one else will probably see besides us.

The sheer excitement of a simple Christmas tree by a 2 and almost 4 year old was amazing. It just warmed your heart to hear things like "Look Mommy! The perfect tree!" and then with each ornament..."Look mommy, a star! a snowman!" (you get the idea?) Too cute.

So far the tradition has been Lucas topping off the tree, I am sure next year there will be a fight.

And the final decor. I think I like my house better at Christmas.And just to let you know, Santa is happy that he no longer has to do breathing treatments twice a day. We did recieve word yesterday via a checkup that both children are finally healthy (still a residual caugh when they get running), but no more wheezing or infected ears. My Christmas wish came true!!

I hope you Holiday wishes come true as well. Enjoy the family, be safe in the weather, and Merry Christmas to all!!

Oh Christmas Tree...or Lilly

Both Lucas and Lilly liked to help decorate the tree this year, but Lucas was into the ornamets and Lilly was into the beads...which she used to decorate herself! She treated them like giant necklaces and would just dance around in circles. I did manage to steal one strand from her and put it near the top, but decided that maybe I shouldn't put the other beads on anywhere where they could be reachable by a really cute two year old...or she might just pull the tree down on top of herself! Enjoy the dancing pics!

How did she get so cute?

p.s. Pretty sure I lost the contest...but thanks for voting if you did!! (And if you didn't...well the guilt is on your shoulders and I am taking back your christmas presents!)

Classic

Oh the classic picture with Santa. Lucas wouldn't look at him at first, but then he warmed up, told him he wanted a big green and orange dinosaur and then smiled ever so sweetly for the camera. Lilly on the other hand wanted nothing to do with him and I think Tim barely got her on his lap...you could tell with that scowl that she was not a happy camper.

Some days they both deserve coal, but most days I would give them the world if I could. They are the best presents I have ever gotten and I wouldn't change that for anything.

Christmas Picture OUT-TAKES...

These are always fun to post and just gives you a little anticipation what the final picture actually turned out to be and since I MIGHT finish Christmas cards this weekend, thought I should post these now. Also, my friend Emily is having a little contest for who has the best out-takes. I would vote for hers by far...but since she doesn't count, thought I would give it a try! They are definitely not the worst we have ever had, but are pretty funny.

The infamous choke-hold...

Only a little crying...but boy does she look pitiful!
And yes Lucas is wearing shorts (and a Halloween t-shirt underneath). Had to bribe him with a sucker to put on the sweater.

And this one looks like he is about to hurl, but you can see Lilly's great hairbow!

This one is actually one of my favorites, oh too cute even in out-takes.

I am definitely one lucky lady with two adorable children. Wait till you see the final pic! It will melt your heart! And feel free to enter the contest too! If it was based on cuteness, I would definitely win, but feel free to challenge me on how horrible it was!

Still Blessed

Well, our Thanksgiving did not quite go as planned.

We were suppose to head North but that got canned.

About 12:30 Lilly woke caughing and did not sound good.

We tried breathing treatments and did all that we could.

We decided to head to the ER about 4am,

She was diagnosed with Croupe and there went our plans.

Home for the weekend is where we would be,

but what would we do without a turkey?

Thank goodness for Wal-mart who was open all day,

for folks like us, (or for those who delay).

Tim decided he would take on his first Turkey quest,

so a recipe he found and headed out for the rest.

A fresh turkey was bought, potatoes and stuffing too,

His family would not go hungry and all he had to do...

Was wash and butter and season and rub, it turned out to be some amazing Thanksgiving grub! He mashed, stuffed, and carved for his family, but when it came time to eat no one was ready.

Lilly was crying because she was ready to sleep, Tim was tired from making the feast. Lucas wanted the turkey out of his sight, but I think the table looked beautiful, right?

The turkey was moist, the potatoes were lumpy, (I don't know about you, but I like mine kinda bumpy). And of course there was no room for pies in our tummys, which was too bad since there were three in the fridge that were yummy.

We did miss good cooking by mom and spending time with family, but we are so blessed that our weekend was pretty happy. Besides the caughing and puking (did I mention Lucas had the flu?), we spent most our time playing games and watching the tube.

Still blessed with the snuggles through good times and bad. Still blessed with the friends and family we have. Still blessed by the Lord who provides it all. Still blessed by all we have, both big and small.

So remember that Thanksgiving is not only about food, but to also give thanks for all that is good. I hope your weekend went well, wherever you are, and we send our love to those near and those far.

The true Superheros in my life

They aren't only superheros on Halloween...

Daddy is their biggest hero of all.

They do make the cutest dynamic duo ever!

Kapow! Pop! Kabam!

Well I do have to say thanks to God for my everyday Superheros. Tim goes off to fight crime at work and make the world feel as safe as he can for his family, and he does an amazing job. Lucas fights monsters, robots and ghosts here at home (but he doesn't fight off my kisses). Lilly mainly fights off her brother and her creative energy is contagous (and is the best hugger ever). Me... well, I just tend to fight laundry, dishes, and dust bunnies (and sometimes a difficult client who doesn't realize that I know what I am talking about). We all have our strengths and weaknesses. We all triumph and fail each day. I just pray that even though things may not be perfect in our little world, that God is watching over us and protecting us b/c he is the biggest Superhero ever.

The Justice League...and me

Sorry for the blog delay, but phone line was down which meant internet was down. But as you can see below, Halloween turned out great. The Justice League (plus Cat Woman) were out fighting crime in the burg (and collecting candy of course).

We had been talking about Halloween for quite awhile and Lucas went back and forth between a ghost and Batman. Of course Tim was pushing for Batman, but when Lucas told him he wanted him to be Robin I just started laughing. Not b/c I was trying to picture Tim in tights, but b/c Tim being Lucas' sidekick was just oh so funny. Tim tried to be Superman or Green Lantern or someone else, but Lucas insisted on Robin and of course Tim gave in. He really looked great in his tights and adding Wonder Woman to the mix was the pefect touch.

Here's the crew that hit the sidewalks. So we added an Elephant, Monkey, Carebear, and Frog to the group, I think we were outnumbered by animals.This was Neil whose house we crashed for Halloween. Thanks for sharing Clarks! All the kids did really well and I think the funniest part was just watching everyone walk down the sidewalk either cape flying or being carted in a wagon for the little ones. The funniest was the elephants waddle and the carebears heart on her backside. They were all too cute.

The Dynamic trio looked amazing! Thanks to my mom for helping me with Lilly's costume the morning of! Hope everyone else had a wonderful Halloween as well!

Throwback Thursday- Happy Halloween!

Well, last year we were 50's greasers and pink ladies...wonder what we will be this year? If you don't live in the Burg, you will have to wait and see the blog post! Not throwing our typical Halloween party this year...so sad I know. Let's pray that next year we will be back on track to continue the tradition. But don't worry we are still dressing up this year! Tim and Lucas are ready to go...maybe I should start working on Lilly's and mine since I have less than 20 hours left! Here is your one word hint: Justice.

Well, I did survive the root canal...thanks to all of those who sent their love and concern my way. Got numbed up again today, didn't go with gas b/c I had a bad headache all last night that wouldn't go away and I had to blame something. Numbing was worse, 1/2 my nose and part of my left eyelid...that was weird. Now I am just sore and should probably go to sleep.

Happy Trick or Treating to all! Nothing chewy for me!

Carving it up

So yesterday we actually carved the pumpkins we picked the weekend before. The kids had a good time with scooping out the slimy guts.

Tim got creative with the top of the funky shaped pumpkin and it turned out great.
Lilly liked trying to put the pieces back that you cut out.

They were such goofs last night, just screaming and laughing at one another. Not sure if it was the pumpkin rush or just being overtired from a long weekend. But that only sat still for about 2 seconds for a picture and unfortunately that one turned out fuzzy, then it was back to running circles.Lucas had been talking about his "scary face" pumpkin for weeks now. Above was his impression of what he wanted his pumpkin to look like. I think Tim did a great job at trying to create this face on Lucas' pumpkin...

Which one do you think is his?