March 7-12

This is the state of my craft room.  I have decided that it needs to be purged and reorganized.  I felt that things were just piling on top of each other and the kids and I were fighting over the same space.  So here it is the first day.  I have pulled everything out of the closet and off of the shelves and organized by like items.

Peter walked by and said "The craft room is full." 

Yep, no entry and no playing in there right now.  The plan is to have an area for sewing projects and one for crafting projects.  Or as I say - MOM's area and KID's area.  Maybe it will work.  We will see.

03.10.11  Here is the problem with having too many pillows and blankets that are easy to get out for the kids.  They become a wonderful pile to lay on, play on or jump on.  Esther is in the background trying her hand at rolling over.  Sometimes it happens other times it doesn't.

I have always wanted a floor you can walk on that you have no idea what might be underneath.  Don't you?

03.12.11 Kirsten's best friend Helen had her birthday party today at McDonalds.  The Parkers are our best friends and are like family.  Kirsten and Helen so enjoy being together and playing together.  Helen's expression in this picture is priceless.  She is soo excited about something.

Here are pictures of the kids at the party.

Happy 6th Birthday Helen!!

Esther four months

How does this happen?  Where is the time going?  At her last appointment she was weighing in around 13 lbs.  This kid knows how to eat.  She has not rolled over again until just this last week.  It was like she said - "Oh, I can do this - why do it again?"  She is all smiles and really wants to get down and play with the kids.  Not lay there and watch them play but really play with them.  She slept through the night a couple of times and now she is back to waking up at 3 am.  It is really cramping moms style.  I guess I can live on less sleep (but I'm a nicer mommy if I get more sleep - Hint, hint Esther.)  We are all trying to figure out sleep patterns around here but with the other kids schedules all over the place, Esther gets naps on the go quite often.
(Hat courtesy of my friend Liberty Cameron and booties courtesy of Linda Powers - Aren't they cute?)

Oh, baby you melt my heart!

Every photo shoot should be complete with a "HONK" on the nose.

And two cute sisters together.  (Did you notice the stripe theme with the sisters?  Kirsten helped me pick out Esther's outfit.)

And everyone smiling at the camera except the baby.

February Craziness

02.16.11 We had a nice "warm" day today and so we decided to walk to get Kirsten from school.  It's funny how we say it is warm when it gets above freezing here.  I do love it when we can walk to get Kirsten from school.  I think it is good for us to be outside again.

02.17.11 Today was even warmer and we decided to go to the Brookfield Zoo with our good friends the Parkers.  The sky was overcast and looked like it might threaten rain.  The temperature was above 50.  If it hadn't been windy it would have been the perfect temperature to see the animals at the zoo.  We had a great time and would go into the enclosures when we got a little cold.  My favorite picture is of Peter and the legs of Tommy that looks like he has been swallowed by the big fish.  I still laugh when I see that one.

Our ward did an Relief Society meeting all about food storage and they wanted us to send in pictures of how we store our food storage.  I have to laugh at our "TV Stand" food storage.  One day I will put some material around it so it is less like food storage and more like home dec.  The other pics are of my entryway coat closet.  Might as well use up the wasted space.

Oh to be wanted by so many people. . . This month has been pretty crazy as Dave has been looking at, interviewing for, and considering jobs here in Chicago.  It was amazing to watch the three companies trying to woo him their way.  He has considered all his options and will now begin work for Cooper and Associates in downtown Chicago starting Monday February 28th.  This last week has all been a blur and the unknown is causing me way too much anxiety.  Now because he has a new job, we will be losing the benefit of having a company car.  His last day with Siemens was Thursday and so on Friday and Saturday he has been car shopping for . . .

A 08 Honda Accord.  In blue, because his last 2 cars have been blue.  We were calculating how many cars we have had in our 12 years of marriage and were surprised to figure out that we have had 10 (including the ones we came to the marriage with.) 

Kirsten wanted to know why we had a new car if Dad was taking the bus and train into work.  I asked myself the same question.  I guess it gives me options for what I want to drive when I go out.

February began with a blizzard and ended with a ice storm.  It is always so pretty when there is ice  on everything.  I'm sure glad it wasn't a bad ice storm.  Everything was slippery today but okay otherwise.