Where is Spring?

It seems as though we've been waiting all month for spring to arrive. I took this picture of the girls way back on the 3rd of March:

I think this was the nicest day we all month! Between then and now, we had a few snowy days and many, many chilly days, and most of those were rainy & damp as well. Granted, the early spring flowers (like hyacinth, daffodils, forsythia, etc.) are all in bloom by now, which is definitely a welcome sight. But... come on, Spring, we're ready for some warm weather!

A Different Kind of Mess...

After dinner one night recently, while I was doing the dishes in the kitchen, the girls busied themselves in the dining room with one of their favorite activities: coloring-in on a big cardboard box with markers! (Papa Jerry sent us some oranges from Florida - they were delicious, by the way! - which are shipped in a kid-friendly-for-coloring box.) I was almost done with my washing when I heard Caroline calling out to me, saying "wait 'til you see this, Mom, it's really silly!"

Among other things, I guess this does qualify as silly! (Notice that she got her entire left hand & arm up to the elbow, and had only just got started on the right side!) See how happy she is? Well, I hated to burst her little bubble, so I didn't fuss at her immediately. As gently but firmly as possible, I told her that coloring yourself with marker was, in fact, not "silly," but rather "not allowed under any circumstances." Seeing that little face fall so suddenly when she realized that I wasn't pleased was not easy! But, between us, it was a water-based marker, so it wasn't really as bad as it looks. Just don't tell that to Caroline!

Picnic in the Park

Spring has been slow in coming this year, but yesterday was - finally! - a nice, warm, sunny day. We took advantage of it by having our first alfresco lunch of the year at the park!

As you can see, it was still a little breezy, but no matter. It just felt so great to be outdoors!

And what's a visit to the park without swinging? Here's Caroline, enjoying herself...

...and Jordi, too!

Unfortunately, it's raining today. But I hope to post more outdoor pictures in the near future as the weather continues to improve!

A Big Mess

A couple weeks ago, we experienced one of the disadvantages of homeownership - a big, expensive home repair! The old clay sewer pipe that went out from the house (about 20 feet under the side yard to where it hooked up with the city sewer line) failed. Whether it was crushed by tree roots or just collapsed from old age, we'll never know. What we did know, however, was that it needed to be fixed - fast!

We ended up having to wait a couple days until the job could get done. Thankfully, Tim & Judy were willing to accommodate us during that time! I took this picture of Caroline during our first night there. She's enjoying one of Grandad's special treats that he makes just for the girls: milkshakes!

Ta da - the finished result inside the house! (I wish I had taken a picture of the gigantic hole they dug in the side yard, but - alas! - I just didn't.) They had to jackhammer up some of the floor in the basement, and they came back last Friday to pour the concrete and clean up the rest of the mess. You can't really see it in the picture, but the girls did write their names & the year in the wet cement for posterity. Thank goodness that's over!

Happy Easter 2008!

Well, as you've undoubtedly heard, today is almost the earliest date possible for Easter (the earliest date possible is March 22) and, in fact, it won't be this early again for over 150 years!. Keeping that in mind, we prepared for a chilly day today with temperatures only forcast to be in the low 40's. Brrr!

So, off we went to church! Here's Jordi in the Easter play, wearing angel wings & a halo and playing the tambourine. (For some reason, she insists on holding a lyric sheet, although she knows the words and can't read them anyways! I guess she just wants to do what the rest of the older kids are doing!)

After the service, I tried to take some pictures of the girls in front of all the beautiful flowers up near the altar. Unfortunately, Caroline stubbornly (and loudly) refused to cooperate. So here's Jordi, posing on her own, showing off the pretty Easter dress that Grandma Henri made for her.

Luckily, she was more inclined to have her picture taken once church was over. Here she is, enjoying a Cadbury creme egg from the cute little blue felt Easter basket she received from Judy Ford!

Finally, a picture of both girls - and they're smiling! (These are not easy to come by, believe me!) I think they were both had enough candy in them to override any feelings of picture protest. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I got at least one picture of them as a memento of the day!

Happy Birthday, Nana!

Yay! Another birthday to celebrate! On Wednesday, it was Nana's turn to get another year older:

Once again, the girls helped Grandad bake a wonderful-looking - and tasting - cake. Delicious! We hope you enjoyed your special day, Nana, as much as we enjoyed sharing it with you!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Chris' birthday was last Wednesday, and we celebrated with a low-key birthday party at Tim & Judy's house. Here's a picture of the birthday guy with his two girls and yummy home-made cake:

Mmmm! That cake was delicious! This month is a great one for birthdays in our family - Nana's is coming up this Wednesday! (yay! more cake!)

Dave Ramsey - LIVE!

Last night, Chris and I had the special opportunity to see Dave Ramsey - live and in person! - in Lexington. The event is called "The Total Money Makeover," which (according to the website) "...is the LARGEST event on personal finances in the U.S. - period. Why? Because it's fun. In fact, it's the most fun you'll ever have learning how to win with money."

And it was! It was 3-and-a-half hours of energy, information, and inspiration, all delivered with a healthy dose of laughter. I started listening to Dave on the radio just after Jordi was born, and last year I attended his "Financial Peace University" class. So, even though I was already familiar with his philosophy and energy, it couldn't compare to seeing the guy live & in person! What a thrill!

Thanks, again, Tim & Judy, for such a wonderful Christmas gift!

Jordi's Self-Portraits

Previously on this blog, I have mentioned Jordi's affinity to our digital camera. She enjoys being photographed as well as being the photographer. Well, last month, Jordi managed to take a lot of pictures - more than 70, to be exact! When I finally uploaded them to the computer this morning, I was amused to discover that, among the shots of everyday items like toys, Valentine's cards, wall hangings, etc., were thirteen self-portraits!

Here is a small sample:







She's a funny kid!