March Mud Puddles

Watch out Lance!

I am so proud of my sweet Lillianna.

And by the look on her face, she is too.

She loves riding her bike!

Because we used to live on a steep hill, she hadn't had a bike until this weekend.

With the gorgeous weather, Brad and I were just itching to get the girls bikes.

Lillianna and her Daddy picked this one out.  I thought she should start with something smaller so she wouldn't get frustrated.  Boy, did she show me.

She was working so hard to push the pedals as she rode it from

 the toy department of Wal-Mart up to the cash registers.

But once she got it out on the road, she was determined to have it at top speed in no time.

And she did!

Look at that tongue sticking out with determination.

Meanwhile, Ellenie could not be bribed into getting a bike.

Hysterically, she refused a new bike and only wanted a new bell

 for her newly inherited tricycle (formerly LaLa's).

She was so excited to ride that tricycle with a new princess bell.

So, I was pretty proud of her too.

She also loved her new helmet and found it very useful in picking flowers.

Overall, a very memorable weekend for us.

The most perfect Spring-time weather, lots of family time outside, and two precious girls that I couldn't be more proud of.  Now, if I could just get time to stand still so I could enjoy it even more.

Here comes the sun...

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter

Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun

and I say it's all right

 

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun

and I say it's all right 

 We couldn't get enough of the brillant, wonderful, yummy sun yesterday.

 We played and played until we heard a big noise and went running across the street...

 It never gets old to see the big truck with the big claw picking up trash.



Well maybe it gets a little old.  But then you just find new ways to entertain yourself.

Kiss Me - I'm Irish!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Beauty all around

On our trip down South, we got to go to a place we love.

A beautiful place that brings a smile to our face.

We got to go to Jean Jean's house!  We got to spend time with family and it was wonderful!

Lillianna loves all the treasures she can collect and share with her new (and improved!) Princess Jumper.

Ellenie, like the rest of us, enjoyed the beauty all around us.

Did I mention treasures?  Lillianna loved finding this in Papa James' garden.

Lillianna gets her love for puzzles straight from her Sue Sue!

What a beautiful time.

Hugs that tug at the heart strings

Hug O' War

by Shel Silverstein

I will not play at tug o' war.

I'd rather play at hug o' war.

Where everyone hugs

Instead of tugs,

Where everyone giggles,

And rolls on the rug,

Where everyone kisses, 

And everyone grins,

And everyone cuddles,

And everyone wins.

Recently, we went back to visit with friends in Mississippi.

It was much, much too short of a visit but it was so much fun.

We miss them and their hugs so very much!

Scenes from the park

To infinity and beyond!

Playing on the computer the other day, Lillianna designed portraits for each member of our family.

She was really proud of these.

She customized each outfit to include our favorite colors.

She made sure our eye color was right and even had a reason behind each emblem on our chest.

So, I felt bad asking her if she really thought

 I wore my hair in "puppy paws" (as she described them) in "real life"