Cuzin lovin'

We got to spend a little time with Steve's brother Shawn and their family
this weekend. All the kids loved seeing their cousin, Alana. Here are some
shots of the cutie...

Construction beauties

Yesterday one of our neighbors was having a tree cut down. The girls were pretty fascinated with the whole thing, watching from the front step. Next time I looked out, this was what I saw...



Them lounging, watching from on top of Steve's car. Too funny.

Fondue

Last night Steve and I and our friends from the Pastors College, Toby and Rebekah Kurth, went to "The Melting Pot" for a very special treat! We had a coupon for a 4 course fondue meal. I had heard that this place was so good and worth a trip. We were not disappointed. We ate so much and had lots of fun hanging out with the Kurths. Bummer for Steve, something that he ate did not sit right with his stomach and he spent much of last night and this morning...well, you get the picture.

Steve and I about to dive into the main course



Our buds, Toby and Rebekah amidst the flame of our dessert



Steve and I after we stuffed ourselves

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

Since I kind of "blew it" this year with sending my mom a card or gift, I thought that I would take a minute to publicly share what I love about my mom. Also, b/c she so much loves to be the center of attention, I thought she would appreciate this. :)

There are many things that I love about my mom, but here are a few of my faves...

She's generous with her time.
My mom will spend a whole day, week, however long it takes, helping me or my brother and his wife with all kinds of things around the house. She will put her duties aside and make time for ours. Last summer she spent hours re-painting my kitchen cabinets. She would come after work and keep plugging away until they were done with perfection. They look brand new and beautiful thanks to her! This weekend she and my dad drove to Columbus, OH to help my bro mulch their place. Take note, mom has not yet done her mulching but helps to get theirs done!!

Mom with my brother Chad at his wedding


She's brave.
My mom is this funny mix of sassy and determined. If you tell her she can't do something, she will find a way to do it. She's been known to knock down walls in her house, she's volunteered on the ambulance for decades, took on a job as a deputy coroner. Two years ago my mom's sister was diagnosed with leukemia. Of all the siblings, my mom was the perfect match to be her bone marrow donor. Mom didn't even flinch to make the sacrifice to give of herself to save her sister's life.

Mom and I in Hawaii for Chad's wedding


She's hospitable.
Mom and Dad have a nice home that they built themselves and are very willing to open it to others. Mom has taught me the joy of sharing a home-cooked meal with those we love.

Her laugh.
My mom has this very contagious laugh that usually comes at inappropriate times and is often accompanied by many tears. I love to hear her laugh.

Mom and Morgan



She loves my kids.
When my babies were born, there was no one like my mom to help me through the transition. She has an amazing ability to get a baby (or toddler) to sleep with her stubborn determination to "win the battle". Mom has spent many hours watching my kids so I would go to the doc, get my hair cut, go out with Steve, or any other reason.
My kids all love their grandma very much.

Mom and Aaron


She can decorate.
My mom was blessed with an amazing gift of having an eye to decorate. I unfortunately have not inherited that gift. I buy my stuff (or use her old stuff), throw it at her, and she does it for me. If you can see on the top left corner of this next photo, mom used an old, ripped up quilt that her grandpa had made, and had it made into these adorable stockings.



I am so thankful to God for my mom. She has been an amazing blessing to me in so many ways. I don't know where I'd be without her.

Love you, Mom.

Homeschooling 101

Well, yesterday was a big day for this homeschooling rookie. I had my year end evaluation. I was pretty nervous, to be quite honest. Things actually went very well. The lady was encouraging me for where the girls were at with what they had learned and even called me a "disciplined mom". Wow, that was some serious praise for me!! Funny how one little nice comment can put you on cloud nine for a few days!

I have been very thankful for this year to spend with the girls. I feel we have all learned a lot and have had some fun together. I have about 10 more lessons to get through and then we will be done for the year. That will feel like an amazing accomplishment.

More DC

Today we had the joy of spending the day together as a family. This
doesn't get to happen too often with the significant work load on Steve,
so we were all happy to have the time together. We took the Metro into
DC and spent most of our time in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.
The girls were loving it; Morgan's favorite was the dinosaurs and
Claudia's was the gem exhibit. I think she could have spent all day looking
at all the gems and jewels! I think we may have a little diva in the
making.
We came home, took naps, and then went out for supper. On the
recommendation of a neighbor friend, we tried a Middle Eastern restaurant.
The food was amazing. I was proud of the girls for trying the new, spicy
fare. And now Steve wants me to try whipping up some of the chick pea
curry that we had there. Any suggestions?


Fun on the metro



This is what you see as soon as you step out of the metro station. What
a beautiful view. Don't you love the shades?


The girls at the gem display

Girls nite in

Steve was gone this evening for a meeting so the girls and I
had a little fun. I gave them each a new haircut and then we
had some chocolate fondue and finished it off with painted
nails. Such fun.

Here are the girls sporting their new do's. It is just me, or does it
look longer on both their left sides? Hmmm...


Dippin...


Chowing!