A(nother) Day in the Life

It was typical Thursday in February except...

...it was sunny instead of cold & rainy
... Jane had two naps instead of one so could sew her a little outfit
(I only sew straight lines but I made up the pattern myself--pat on back)
...I was able to sneak away and work on the church invitations
...call my parents (which I really should do more often, they are very sweet)
...drive home all by myself with out the words "mooommm", "Ben won't share", or "ahhheeyy".


...and Ben, now 6, lost his first official tooth (the first tooth---the upper front one---he lost due to an unfortunate accident when he was 22 mo. old)

So...all in all, it was a great, not-so-typical day. I hope tomorrow is not-so-typical too.

One Year Olds

It's funny to analyze who these one year olds are...what is going through their brains and what will they be like at 3 year olds and 6 year olds and 12 year olds etc. It's a tough age for these ankle-biters...learning to walk and talk and being told no more often because there is a lot more cool stuff to get into (and a lot more dangerous stuff to get into). But it's me who really does the learning...how different each of my kids are and how different their needs are. My mother-in-law once told me "Just love each one for who they are". Now I see why this is such golden advice.

Ben, my first one year old, was very serious, curious and had to try and take apart or fix everything. He is still very much like that but seriousness has turned into focused, curious has become creative and the fixer has become a wonderful caregiver and productive kid.
Joey, my second, was fun from the day he was born and continued to be a fun and funny little one year old. He started walking at 11 months and that just gave him more access to climbing, dancing and jumping and doing anything that was "fun". He is still very much our funny comedian who always makes us laugh.

And our Jane. Just turned one January 28th and is smart and smiley, walking and talking---not real words but she looks you right in the eyes and gives these minute-long monologues which make you think she'll be the next president. She loves to be chased and surprised and sounds just like Marge Simpson when she laughs. I don't know what she'll be like, but I'm excited to see where her words and her smiles take her.

Happy 1st Birthday Jane!

i can't believe my little girl is one!
one year ago i had had a month of contractions and was impatiently waiting for our baby to arrive. we didn't know if she would be a girl or a boy so when she arrived after--
--driving at 3am to the hospital
--in a snowstorm (well, just a large dump of snow really, but snowstorm sound more dramatic)
--waiting for about 5 minutes before asking for an epidural (my very first one and it was AWESOME! why??!! didn't i have one with the other 2 kids?)
--calling my sister to come after she had been here all weekend and went home thinking nothing would happen!
--and then, with the support of my sweet husband our sweet jane elizabeth was born--9lbs 6oz of total delight.
everyday we thank God for a daughter who is fun and smiley, sweet and cuddly, smart and makes us laugh.
happy birthday jane.

Happy 6th Birthday Ben!

ben turned 6 years old today and requested a donut party (for the 3rd year
running!)
the pictures really speak for themselves. i especially like the picture with all the kids in front of the garage door...notice the mini chocolate donuts in mid-air. throwing donuts at dad is always fun!
Happy Birthday sweet Ben.