Patience Pays!

We just recently purchased a new couch and painting for the living room. We have lived here three years and have only been able to seat 4 people in this room...so it was time to get a new couch. We have found that you can get great deals at Lasalle Bristol. We've found two great pieces of furniture at Sofa Select and then learned that you could get the same piece of furniture for much less if you order it thru Lasalle Bristol. The painting I saw in a store a couple months back but didn't want to spend that much....I continued to keep it in mind and when I called the store to see if it was still there, it was! But this time the price tag was missing and the salesperson said they would give it to me for half of what it was originally! Needless to say, I hopped in the car and went to get it the very next day. I LOVE a great deal. :)

Long Overdue Fun with Friends!

We recently went over to spend time with our friends Jason & Amanda. Our kids are close in age and get along super well. Jaycie and Tatum are two peas in a pod! They played dress up for a while and later watched a movie together and had popcorn while the adults talked. Amanda busted out her awesome baby book for Ethan and showed us the cutest pic...it was of Ethan's first kiss...with Tay!!!! So cute. Look at them now. We had a great time you guys! We should get together more often - not every 1-2 years! Thanks for a great evening! Can't wait to get together again.


One of the funniest parts of the evening was when Ethan started to flex and ripped off his shirt. He had a tattoo on his back and when I asked him if it was real he looked at me and quite seriously said "No." I think he really did think that I thought it might be real!

Different Yet the Same!

If you look at our girls individually, they are quite different. But get them together in just the right way and their similarities are striking! We've had strangers ask if they are twins... usually when sitting down. Oh how I love my baby girls!

My Camera Does WHAT?

I have always loved a great picture. I wish that I had the time and patience to learn more about taking them! We recently vacationed in Florida and while on the beach with friends, I learned from a new acquaintence that my camera actually does something that I was unaware of. In fact, I'm sure my camera does LOTS of things that I am completely oblivious to. Turns out that I can set my camera on "color accent" and it will pick up only the color that I want it to and leave the rest black and white.

I was soooooo excited! I don't have a fancy camera by any means. After I learned this, I walked around the beach for quite a while testing out my newfound setting. It almost makes me want to sit down and read my manual...ALMOST. Here are a few samples.

Easter Egg Hunt at Elcona

The girls had their first Easter egg hunt at Elcona this year. They were very excited about wearing their new dresses! The hunt was held outside near the golf course and the little ones were let up front to get a head start on finding eggs. Tay was one of the oldest doing the hunt. The Easter Bunny was there and Tay had her pic taken with him...Jaycie refused! We must have asked her 5 times but she wouldn't change her mind. Tay and Jayce had a good time and were excited to get home to open up the eggs to see what was inside.

The Place That Gives Me Chills

Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to go to IU. I remember sitting in the basement of my childhood home watching the 1987 National Championship with an Indiana University flag wrapped around me...the excitement and anticipation of this game is still very clear in my mind.

Well, I went on to attend and graduate from IU where I made many friends and experienced things I will never forget. One of those is the experience of a home basketball game in Assembly Hall. There is an energy in that place that can't be described. And it all started with Bobby Knight. Bobby was such a controversial coach, but no one could make a game more interesting. Indiana Basketball is rich in tradition and will always be a part of me...no matter how much they have struggled in recent years.

Just this month, we went to see Indiana play Northwestern. My parents have season tickets and we were lucky enough to spend time with them at the game! Taylin and Jaycie went with us and were very excited. Jaycie kept saying that she was going to be an "IU girl" - which translated to "cheerleader." She wore an IU cheerleading outfit and for some reason had it in her head that she was actually going to be on the court cheering! Too cute.

The best part of the trip was being in a place I love with the ones I love...let's just say if my daughters go to Purdue it will be a tough pill to swallow.

It was a great family weekend...and IU played awesome! Go Hoosiers!

Bye Bye Baby

I can't believe that Jaycie, our youngest, is going to be 4 in just a few days! She is all that reminds me of anything baby. Sometimes I hold her and think "She's only going to get bigger...and momma is done having babies!" Her being my last baby is sad to think about sometimes, but I feel that my friends and family might find me in the loony bin if I suddenly found out number 3 was on the way. No kidding...I would be slightly more than panicked.
When I take Jayce to school now she runs off ahead of me to her classroom...so independent - not relying on mommy to hold her hand anymore. Her teacher at school always does creative things with her class and this week they are celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday. Yesterday she took Dr. Seuss books to class, today she dressed liked a cat (seen above) and tomorrow is wacky day. Tonight we picked out her outfit for that as it is much easier this way. Jaycie likes to be difficult when I have little to no time to deal with it, so if I saved it for the morning, she would argue with me about every last thing. She is our stubborn child.

Although she is getting older, there are still things she says and does that are so stinkin' cute. Tonight in the car on our way back from the grocery store the girls started to pick at one another, so I decided it was time for a distraction. We played guessing games about colors and movies, etc.

Then Jaycie says, "Let's play I spy a little eye!"
This instantly puts a smile on my face as we all know that it is "I spy with my little eye..."
As we are driving down the road and Tay and I have explained several times that she needs to choose something that we can actually see, Jaycie says "I spy a little eye... something purple."
And of course there is absolutely nothing purple in sight. :)