What's the word, bird?

Our fine feathered friends didn't get the memo that I have a HUGE phobia of their kind.  They thought our pool & backyard looked inviting and they came to hang out.  I understand why.  We do have a pretty awesome backyard.

  I was SO bummed the girls were sleeping when these two guys showed up.  I had to take photos to share since they flew off before the girls were awake.  Ryder's scream of excitement scared them off.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but I do hope they come back soon for another visit.  The girls would love to see them in person.

 And then we have this lovely mama bird below.  She back for the second year in a row.  She makes a nest on top of our outdoor speaker each Spring and waits for her babes to hatch.  She's always there, protecting like a good mother should.  Last year we got to see her two little babies peeking out from underneath.  I'm sure we'll be meeting this year's babies soon.

Before it gets too hot...

we decided to visit the zoo one more time.  The weather was great, but it started feeling toasty by the time we left.  The kids always have such a great time and Ryder loved the petting zoo this time around.

All of a sudden...

our girls seem SO grown up in so many ways.  They are looking taller & leaner and are eating us out of house & home.  We've definitely had a growth spurt recently because they weigh 2 lbs. more than they did at their 4 year well check just 4 months ago.  I can't be certain about their height, but my guess is that they've also grown at least 2 inches (according to our marks on the kitchen wall).  Everything in their closet that was size 4T no longer fits.  Their pants look like they're waiting for the flood and their shorts look like little bummie shorts from the 70s.  They are so long waisted that I've been buying size 6 shirts for the summer.  Our twins rummage sale was this past weekend and there wasn't a great selection of clothing for 5 year olds, but one of our members was selling a size 6/7 Gap sundress for $5 and it was adorable.  When I held it up on the hanger it looked huge, like something the girls would wear in a few years.  But lo & behold, I brought it home and it fits greats.  Ryan loves it and it looks adorable on her.

Another thing we've noticed is their expanding vocabulary, their expressions when they talk, and their insatiable curiosity.  Reese will tell a story and she's really animated with her hands.  She'll put her hands on her hips like a teenager and tell us a matter of fact statement, or she'll get really excited and flap her arms when she can't contain the excitement.  It's my favorite thing to watch because I can tell she's SO happy and excited.  Ryan is really into one of our counting books, Chicka Chicka 123, and loves to practice counting.  We sit around and count up to 100 a lot and she can almost count that high by herself.  She needs a little reminder around 80 and 90, but she's doing so fantastic.  Both girls are into dinosaurs and we read the same book over and over.  I need to go buy a few new ones because they now have it memorized and if I try to paraphrase or skip a sentence they remind me to go back and read it correctly.  Can't slip nothing past them.

The questions are incessant and I love this because I remember being this way as a child.  I remember I wanted to know the answer to everything and I asked a million questions.  When we are driving down the road they notice everything, and in a 5 minute car ride they will have asked me at least 10 questions.  I found a great way to keep it going-I just ask a question back as in: "I don't know what killed off all the dinosaurs, Ryan, what do you think happened?"  I love hearing their answers.  It's always something creative and imaginative that only a four year old would think of.

They are both so smart and they have blossomed a lot in preschool this year.  Next year they are going to do a Pre-K, M-Th class from 12:30-3:30.  I'm looking forward to having our mornings open to do whatever we want and then my afternoon time with Ryder boy.  I know it's going to be a great year for us.

My favorite four letter word....

is FREE.  We picked up this little sandbox and Tonka truck at one of our vacant listings.  The owners left it behind and we decided to give it a new home.  It was a bit crusty with dirt and mud as you can see, but we cleaned it out and it's good as new. 

 I had my little helper outside, all up in the mix.  He kept throwing things inside as I was trying to clean it up.  I took all 3 kids with me to Home Depot to buy sand and now it's all filled up and ready to go.  They've been having so much fun playing outside in the beautiful Spring weather.

Going away

My cousin, Bryson, and his family are leaving for NYC this week.  He got an amazing job with a consulting firm and they are going to live in NJ while he commutes to the city.  It's very bittersweet.  We are all sad to see them go, but it's such an amazing opportunity for their family.  We met at the SandBar with friends and family to say our farewell.  The weather was amazing and it was lots of fun hanging outside and soakin' up the sun.

 Super Dad keeping the kids out of the pool.  Yep, there's a pool at the bar and we thought it would be a great idea to bring our 3 kids.  Awesome.

 A perfect day for virgin strawberry pina coladas and bean burritos.  Yum!

 Mimi & Papa above and Auntie Emmie & Greg below.  They're practicing for their trip to Cabo next week.  Lucky little devils.

Great Play

We've missed this place.  The girls took a soccer class that was lots of fun.  They did well and were some of the oldest in the class.  It was really fun to watch them play with their coach and kick the ball around.  I only had my point & shoot camera and the lighting was terrible.  I wish I would have had my other camera to get some good action shots but at least I had something to snap a few photos.

Once you go black

Cory finished the TV stand and I'm really happy with the outcome.  We figured if it didn't work out we could turn it into firewood and the TV could sit in the niche like this:

But then what would we do with all these?

 

Here it is before he put on the last coat.  I wasn't sold on it yet.

 And here it is back in the niche after a few more coats of paint.  Nice work, honey.

Mama's happy.

Before TV chest

I have been wanting Cory to paint this for awhile.  It's finally happening.  This is before.
Stay tuned for After.

As always, he had some helpers.

Our newest cousin

We have a new addition to our extended family.  Cambrie Lynn was born today at 2:39pm and she's adorable.  8lbs. 6oz and 20 1/2 inches long.  Carrie & Connor are so proud.  What an adorable family.  We love you guys.

Triplets

Mimi took the girls on a trip to Target and when she arrived to pick them up they insisted on dressing just like her.  They found dark pink shirts to wear, jeans, and Twinkle Toes.  Mimi even put a little bow in her hair so they could match.  The girls told me they were triplets, or trip-a-lets, as they like to say.

Buddies

Ryder sure does love hangin' out with his buddies.  We've had some fun park outings this week and Ryder has had a blast playing with Masey and Colin.  Look at these little cuties dumping out the Craisins.  

Hello, Spring

Landscaping photos taken by Reese & Ryan.  I just found them on our camera.

 Hello, pink blossoms on our plum tree.

 Hello, green grass that looks so inviting.  We'll see you soon for a picnic.

 Hello, orange and yellow flowers that Reese & Ryan picked out.  You are oh so vibrant.

 Hello, lovely geraniums.  Red is my favorite.

 Hello, crusty palms.  We hope you come back to life soon.

 Hello, green leaves underneath.  Looks like a trim off the top is in order.

 

Hello, friendly neighbor.  We see you're sprucing things up for Spring too.  

Way to keep the 'hood looking good.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Jared

Jared is a St. Paddy's Day baby and we celebrated his 29th birthday with the family.  Mimi tried making prime rib and it took forever to cook so we ate all the side dishes while it was finishing.  Yummy salad, asparagus, baked potatoes, and homemade rolls.  I don't eat prime rib so no big loss there.  As the meal was cooking it seemed like there was one disaster after another.  When dinner was served we couldn't stop laughing about all the funny things that had happened.  It was a really fun night with the family.

Someone can't wait for him to blow out the candles so we can eat cupcakes.

Wordless Wednesday

Such a crackup.

Dream ride

I'm ready to say goodbye to this 

and say hello to this.

Reese keeps asking for a minivan.  She loves the sliding doors.  I completely agree.  She gets on a kick and asks Cory over and over if we can get one.  I like our Navigator but I would L-O-V-E a minivan.  I really thought I would never utter those words.  Let me tell you one thing, my friends, never say never.  I really hope I'm sporting one of these bad boys around town in a few months.

So purdy

This little beauty arrived via FedEx today and I was so excited. 

I bought this lovely ring for myself years ago and wore it on my right hand almost every day.  About two years ago I noticed the stone (white topaz) was cracked underneath and in need of some major repair.  I shelved the ring for awhile, not really sure what I was going to do with it.  I found it three months ago while I was cleaning out my jewelry basket and thought I should look into getting it repaired.  The store where I purchased it has since closed and they only operate out of Colorado.  I sent it off to the company headquarters to be evaluated.  They called me and told me for a nominal fee they could repair the ring and send it back to me completely refurbished.  Done!  It took them about 4 weeks to fix it and it was totally worth the wait.  I'm so happy to be wearing it again.