Spring?

So it's been spring for more than a week now. Although, waking up this morning, I would never have guessed. Here's what I saw when I looked out the window early this morning:




Sarah didn't seem to mind it, though.


She even made a spring snow angel.




I guess winter's not quite over yet. Even though tomorrow is April. Someday it will be warm again...

Normal.

So. On any given day, if you walk into my house, this is probably what you'll find. I swear, there was nothing on these floors yesterday! I really do clean my house daily, and I try to keep things organized. But, I have 4 little ones that like to spread their favorite things around the house all the time. Yes, FOUR of them. Audrey's crawling now, and she takes toys along with her, too. Does anyone else have the reappearing/migrating toy problem?

Pretty... girls?

The other day, Sarah came into our room around 6:30am, right after Jeff had left for work. She wanted to lay with me for a while. Since none of the other kids were awake yet, I told her that was fine. She fell asleep there, and when I went to get the other kids up, she was still sleeping in my bed. I got breakfast for the boys, a bottle for Audrey and changed all the diapers. Shortly thereafter, Sarah came upstairs with a bright pink bottle of nail polish she had found in my room asking if I would paint her toenails. I said, "of course" and proceeded to do so. Right as I was finishing her second foot, Lucas came to see what was going on. When Sarah was finished, Lucas climbed up on the couch and put his feet out for me to do his toes too. I painted one little toe, and put the cap back on. Then Alex came over and sat right next to his brother, pointing at his feet. So I painted one little toe on his foot, too, replaced the cap, and sat back. Since neither boy talks yet, they just grunted and pointed at the rest of their toes. It was pretty obvious they wanted the rest of them to match. So I did it. I painted my boys' toenails bright pink. I figured it's cold enough right now that they'll mostly be wearing socks anywhere it would matter. And no one will see them at home. But here I am posting the pictures online. Oh well. We'll chalk it all up to childhood! Here they are. They're all so proud of their pretty toes! Since I couldn't get a picture of all of them looking at the same time, here's the bunch I took:









And here's Jeff's reaction to his BOYS' toenails looking like girl ones:

Tagged

Your Name: Jeff

What is her full name? Ashleigh Michelle Tracy Farnsworth, but I call her love-muffin.

How long have you been married? 177,379,200 seconds and counting.

Who long did you date? 5 months + 177,379,200 seconds and counting (we're still getting to know each other).

How old is she? 26 years old.

Who eats more sweets? she definately does (dark chocolate)!

Who said I love you first? She did, oh wait, she said she loved the engagement ring. I think I said I love you first.

Who is taller? I am; it runs in the family.

Who can sing better? She can sing better. She gets to practice with the church choir while I watch the kids.

Who is smarter? It's probably a tie, but in different areas. We compliment each other.

Who does the laundry? She does, otherwise it wouldn't be done for at least a month. I can recycle clothes for a long time.

Who mows the lawn? I do, but I haven't had to since it isn't growing during the winter.

Who pays the bills? I take care of most, but she handles the grocery bills.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me, because Sarah goes to the left side of the bed when she crawls into bed.

Who cooks dinner? Ashleigh does a great job cooking. She makes just the right amount so I can have left overs all week. Yum.

Who drives? Me, when we go out as a family.

Who is more stubborn? I think I am, but I'm reasonably stubborn.

Who kissed who first? Lets see... I kissed a girl named Rachel in 5th grade and Ashleigh was kissed in 9th grade. So I guess I was first. Oh, you mean our first kiss together... hmm... I took care of that one on our third date after dancing. It was a quick one.

Who asked who out first? I took care of that one also. She couldn't resist going out with an older guy especially a Roman soldier.

Who proposed? I did of course.

Who has more siblings? I do, but she has more if you include step-siblings!

Who wears the pants? We both do, it is cold here during the winter. She definately looks better in them.

What color eyes does she have? Blue, just like me and the kids.

How tall is she? 64"

Is she a righty or a lefty? Right handed.

What is her favorite color? Blue because she loves the color of my eyes.

Family Visit

All our family left our house this morning. It's quiet in the house, but you all are missed already. Sarah is sad that Grandma isn't sleeping in her room anymore. The boys love the snakes Grandma got them, Audrey misses all the commotion that was so entertaining for the past few days, and Mama misses the adult conversation. Here's a catalogue of our fun for the last few days.

Perspective.

Usually, before I let Alex and Lucas come out of their room in the morning, I will go in the kitchen and get their breakfast ready and on the table so they can go right in, sit down and eat. It's easier than trying to keep two hungry toddlers out of harm's way in the kitchen while trying to prepare breakfast for them and a bottle for Audrey. Once in a while, Sarah will open their door for them and let them out before she comes downstairs. This morning was one of those times. I was still in my room all the way downstairs when Sarah came in saying, "Mom! The boys took their diapers off!" Yep. It was one of those mornings. I looked down the hallway to see Alex following behind Sarah, and Lucas behind Alex. Both boys were completely naked. They had smears of poop from head to toe, and Alex was holding a big ball of it. Gross, I know. I promptly bathed them, re-diapered them, then went upstairs to assess the damage. Keep in mind: I hadn't had the best day yesterday. It was crazy, hectic and stressful, and when I woke up this morning, I was looking forward to a new day and hoping that it would be less eventful. Not a great start. While I was pulling dirty sheets off beds, and putting poopy balls in the bathtub for washing, Sarah came in to use the bathroom. She said, "I'll go potty, mom, and you can go in the boys' room and clean up their mess." In response, I said sarcastically, "Oh, yeah. That sounds like so much fun." Of course, it did NOT sound like fun. Actually, I was pretty sick of cleaning up that same mess that keeps happening. But, being 3 1/2, and since I am usually anything but sarcastic, Sarah took my comment at face value. She excitedly said, "Oh, yeah. It DOES sound like fun! I'll go get my vacuum, and you can use your vacuum, and we can clean up the mess!" Of course, she doesn't actually have a little vacuum. But she was so sweet, and so excited to come help me. After realizing that she doesn't have a vacuum, she said, "Wait a minute. I don't have a little vacuum. But I can help you pick up all the toys." And indeed she did. Her excitement and enthusiasm to be helpful and clean the mess completely defused my bitter attitude and made me realize the more important aspects of raising young children... no matter how frustrating it can be at times.

FLYING fingers!!!

My brother, David, has had this video on his myspace page for quite a while now. I finally got a chance to take a look at it and I was blown away! Now, if you love classical music and think it is disrespectful or sacrilegious to convert old classical masterpieces into new classic rock, than this video probably isn't for you. But if you love a good guitar solo, definitely take a look. I know I can appreciate great talent when I see it...

A REAL Snowman.

Jeff keeps saying that the teeny little snowman I made with Sarah is "weak" and that I should post the picture of the nice big one he made with the kids a few weeks ago. So here it is. Sarah named him Frosty. (which is her favorite movie right now, by the way) It's a great looking snowman. However, since then, all the snow has melted. Sarah is sad.