Cherry Blossoms

Springtime on the east coast is absolutely AMAZING!!! It makes me very grateful to be out here. Pantera quote from when she was asked to clean her room "Everytime I look at my room, it makes me want to die!"

New Car

Barbie Bloopers

I guess Barbie is quite the comic genius!

It is finally warm enough to play outside! Zeke is quite the outdoors man. He has to wear his monkey backpack if he wants to explore because we need to enclose the yard. He will bring it to me during the day then run over to the door shouting. Who needs a dog? Here is Pantera mocking me...
She has teased me for so long, that it really is refreshing to watch Zeke pick on her. Last night she ran out of the bathroom soaking wet from the tub. We have hardwood floors so naturally she slipped and fell. She started sobbing. Zeke thought it was funny so he pretended to slip just like she did and let out a wonderful fake cry. Then he looked at her and laughed.

What's the last thing you will see before getting hit in the face with a ball??? Probably this...

Pantera has had a big week. She moved up to a booster seat, got a new bed, and started sleeping in her own room! I ruin my kids with co sleeping. She has been in her own bed in our room for the past 2 years so this was a HUGE step for both of us! I took her to the store and let her pick out her own bedset. She is the only kid I know that could walk in firmly saying Star Wars and walk out with Barbie! The only problem is that she feels she has to keep her bedding a secret or none of her friends that are boys will ever want to come over to her house again.

I was watching Pantera play with a little toy chick a couple of days ago. She didn't know I was listening but here is her conversation "You are such a cute little chick! To bad we eat chickens. But you are really cute, so we might not eat you..."

The Bee Game

JOY

The picture in the middle is Zeke saying "chssss" for the camera.

I don't know why it has been on my mind so much this week, but I just keep thinking about joy. The word joy describes something that is deeper then happiness to me. There are so many moments with my kids that I can't describe any other way. I love the times when I can stop and remember that this is what life is all about, it's not about money, not about where you are, it's the moments of joy that make life meaningful. This week we took the kids to get ice cream. Zeke got his first cone all to himself. Watching him take a bite, then grin and loudly say "MMMMM" as ice cream dripped down his face, was absolutely PRICELESS! After a while he tried my blizzard, realized he liked it better, and stole mine! I have never seen him shovel anything into his mouth so fast in my life. I just love watching them grow up and especially love to see them try new things.

Pantera and I have read 6 chapter books in the last 8 days. We are all out of the "Junie B. Jones" series and thanks to Andrew have discovered "The Magic Treehouse" series. I can't believe that she will sit and listen for as long as she does. Then she always begs for "one more chapter!" She and Zeke have been playing together alot more lately. I can't even tell you how wonderful it is to hear them both laughing and running around together. I really thought Pantera was going to be an only child when it was taking us so long to get pregnant. I love that she doesn't have to miss out on the fun of having siblings. I am so grateful for these kids.

Hole han

Check out Pantera's dress it only cost me $2!

I can't believe how fast time is going by! Look at how big these kids are getting!!! Pantera is getting more mature, I painted her a picture of her favorite Star Wars character and she was so grateful and excited. Whenever I've painted her anything in the past her reaction was usually "That's good, now paint me this!" She told me that it looks perfect and even thanked Heavenly Father for it in her prayers. Which reminds me, Pantera has been adding little digs at me into family prayers whenever she can. It usually goes something like "Please bless that mom can stop being so crabby and understand that I am just a kid and I don't know any better..." I finally opened my sewing machine yesterday. I haven't tried to sew since I was 7 and you can definitely tell! But I managed to make a cheesy pillow and sleeping bag for Pantera's baby doll. She then told me "This sewing machine really is a joy!"

Zeke has been very fond of holding my hand to go down the stairs like a big boy. He has even said "Hole han" a couple of times. It is just darling. Yesterday morning he threw a toy into the toilet, I told him no. He gave me a kiss, which is how he says he is sorry, then runs away. Then he came back into the bathroom and kisses me again, then throws another toy into the toilet. He is already smarter then me...what am I going to do?!?