Ivy is three!

Ivy's birthday fell on Easter this year. So did cousin Simon's. (My mom tells me Easter won't fall on this date again for well over 200 years!) My littlest one is three now. I can't believe that! How does this keep happening? Birthday after birthday after birthday they all keep getting older!

Because her birthday was on Easter, my brother Warren and his family were here as well as Nathan's family. They stayed with my mom and when our family joined them, there were 10 of the 11+ grandkids together! (there are two more "in the works")Our boys had a great time with their cousins, who are all boys. Uncle Warren got them Nerf guns to join the Nerf guns his boys had brought and the boys ran around shooting everything and everyone in sight. That is, when they weren't jumping on the trampoline!

Aunt Elise found the perfect gift for Ivy: pretty, fancy dress up clothes.

Ivy put those on first thing this morning and took a while deciding whether or not it would be worth it to change her outfit to play in the surprise snow we got today! (Eventually, the snow won)

She has them back on again now, though!

Nathan, Elise and Simon are staying on a bit longer because Nathan is going to do some work in my mom and Dad's house. In fact, he should be here any time now to borrow some of the power tools he will be needing.

Warren and Lynn and the boys have already headed home. I already am missing their new baby, Lincoln. Besides being such a little doll, he is just the perfect cuddling baby! Squishy and soft and weighted just right... Hmmm..... :-) I am sure Lynn and Warren are glad to get home, though, because the normally happy Lincoln was feeling a little out of sorts while they were here. Maybe he's just a home-body.

The boys loved the baby too. Particularly Max and Vitali. ( I wish I had a picture of them with him...Lynn?) I wonder how much, if any, contact they have ever had with babies? Max would hold him so gently and sweetly and say, "Baby. Be nice." While petting Lincoln's baby soft hair. Vitali would hold him and when Lincoln started crying, I asked him if the baby liked him. He answered confidently, "Da!" I didn't ask Lincoln...

A movie review...

(Imagine a picture of hot,
buttered movie theater
popcorn here.
Mmmmm......)

Hannah and I went out for a girls' night tonight! We had a very nice time. Originally, Annette was going to join us but then was offered the chance for a sleep-over at her very best friend's house and that was an offer I knew she couldn't refuse! I was right!

The reason for the Girls' night was to go and see the movie, Enchanted, in the "dollar" theater. (The dollar theater is really $1.50 now, go figure.) My friend, Marie and her daughter, Rachel went to see it and Marie couldn't say enough nice things about it.

Hannah and I both enjoyed the movie. It is about a cartoon princess (very stereotypical) who "falls" into the real world and all the adventures that follow. Much of what I enjoyed were the subtleties like the way she pranced around everywhere and talked in a very "Fairytale Princess" kind of voice. Hannah and I laughed right out loud at some parts, although Hannah laughed louder and more often than I did. My favorite parts were the following: When she thought the dwarf who got angry with her was Grumpy, the animals all helping her clean the apartment-especially when the pigeon ate the little dancing roach, and the corny musical numbers. And I think it's worth the mention that the actress, Amy somebody, was absolutely amazing at this part. It was so fun to watch her completely pull off the fairy tale part. Even her fingertips moved in a way reminiscent of Snow White or Cinderella!

And Bethany, (my sister) I thought of you often in this one and wished you were there to watch it with us!

All in all it was a very nice movie; definitely worth the $3 plus popcorn and drink and smuggled candy! Especially since it was a nice night out with my eldest, who is getting more and more "elder" all the time. She loved the special attention and pretty much glowed all evening.

I am starting to notice that the more children you have, the more quickly time slips by; despite the fact that some days seem to drag on into eternity! I feel like they are on fast forward sometimes. I know, I know: all moms say that!

Spring again

Do I still have anyone out there? I hope so!

Here are some of my little pieces of spring to enjoy!

It was a rainy day here in our neck of the woods.
The daffodils finally ventured out just in time to feel the cold spring showers.

Someone (I am pretty sure I know who...) stepped on this, my only hyacinth, today. I guess we'll see how it fares; it still has a few buds left.

The Bradford pear tree will be stunning soon. I would guess about a week. The blossoms are kind of stinky but the beauty is striking enough to make it worth the smell. And it's nothing that bad, just e x t r e m e l y floral.

My "baby" boy,Vitali, plays with a small, fuzzy, yellow and black caterpillar.
It's the first one we've seen this spring.
He seemed to enjoy it --as long as it didn't try to make a mad dash up his sleeve.

There! It's official. I'm back! I don't know how often I'll be posting and this isn't one of my better ones but it's something! Life is slowly becoming less about adjusting to our new members (and them to us) and increasingly more about our new "normal", whatever that is.

Till later...