Wordles

I found a fun site called Wordle.net, you can insert a bunch of words about your family, a poem, a story...and it will randomly create "word art" for you. My example is the Proclamation on the Family. The most prominent words are the words used most often in the text. I love that the biggest words in the Proclamation are GOD, CHILDREN, FAMILY, and ETERNAL. Have fun! (You can click on the picture above to see the larger version).

Birthday Randomness

There was no real rhyme or reason to Hayden's birthday this year. After a whole week of dealing with a family flu epidemic, we were all just happy to be fever-free, and dressed. Despite our low-key affair, we had a great day celebrating our favorite little boy's 2nd birthday!

The cake....my first attempt at making a fondant cake actually turned out pretty well. It was so fun making it, like a crazy high school art project that you never want to end. It took many hours, and no one wanted to eat it when I was done, but we did, and it was yummy. Hayden perfected his new "I am TWO, and whatchya gonna do about it" look.
We celebrated with our usual birthday meal of choice...Little Caesar's Pizza!

(Madeline gets a little crazy when soda is involved)

Hayden was fascinated that he was allowed to be so close to a burning flame. When it was time to "blow out the candle" he didn't want to.

Cake is yummy.

Hayden's birthday loot includes a new tricycle (which we wished included new leg extender's)...a racetrack, and "Cars" sleeping bag set from Grandma and Papa, a Little People's boat set, and a new firetruck.
LIFE IS GOOD.

Happy Birthday Big Boy!!! We sure LOVE YOU!!!

Tom + Callie = True Love 4ever

Tom + Callie sitting in a tree....


K-I-S-S-I-N-G...



First comes love


Then comes marriage

Then comes Tom with the baby carriage!!

After 12 years of knowing you, and almost 11 years of being your wife...you still rock my socks off :) You are the best Valentine a girl could ask for. Thank you for being the love of my life, my best friend, and the father I always hoped my children would have.

I LOVE YOU.

Magic Cars

Bosom Buddies

Don't let the sweetness fool you...our cat Skittles was only trying to escape Hayden's "love". Still pretty cute though, and I am so glad I finally have a camera again.

GRATEFUL

This afternoon, the girls were were "watching" Hayden while I was running up and down the stairs taking care of laundry. A good 10 minutes or so had passed by, and I called to Madeline asking if Hayden was still with her. No, was her reply. We quickly did the common "run through" of the house looking for him. He was no where to be found. In the past, this usually means he has crawled through the doggy door at the side of our playroom and in to the outdoor kennel. Not usually a big deal since the kennel is enclosed. Today he managed to push open the gate at the back of the kennel, which IS a big deal. This means he wandered around the backyard trying to get back in to the house. Another problem? There is snow in our backyard. Not a lot, but we still have a few inches in the shadow of our back door. The bigger problem? He was bare foot. We found poor Hayden screaming in pain, as he stood barefoot in the snow at the back door trying to get in. I quickly grabbed him, wrapped his discolored feet in towels, trying to fight back the tears. I was scared. I didn't know how long he had been standing there, and he didn't know better to get out of the snow. He had been there long enough though, that his feet were bright red, and his toes were an awful purplish color, and I was scared to death of frostbite. There was no time for a formal prayer, but I can promise I was pleading with Heavenly Father in my mind. I got him warmed up the best I could, I couldn't rub his feet because he would shriek in pain when I tried. I put on his cozy slippers, wrapped him in a blanket and got him some warm milk. Five minutes passed, and I checked his feet again. Still freezing cold and discolored. This is when I really began to worry. Finally after a few more minutes, and just when I was debating to do something more (call for a blessing, or take him to the ER) his toes went back to bright red, and then to pink. By this time he had fallen asleep in my arms, too tired after his ordeal to cry anymore. Madeline came in to check on him, and said "I think he will be fine mom. I said a prayer, and I felt really good after, like he will be ok". I am grateful for prayer, and the faith of a child. I am grateful that the first thing Madeline did in our stressful situation was go to her room and say a prayer on behalf of her brother. I am so touched. And, above all? I am sooo grateful Hayden still has his toes!

President Obama (First Grade style)

My girls were super excited about Barack Obama's inauguration yesterday, as was I. They watched it at school, and Madeline expressed how awesome she thought it was that she lives in this time, and that she was part of history. It IS awesome. We live in a scary time, but also in an amazing and wondrous time. I felt honored to witness Barack Obama become the 44th President of this great nation. Regardless of your political preference, President Obama has an arduous task ahead of him, and he needs our support and prayers. It is easy to become cynical when dealing with our political leaders, but I choose to keep it light and positive for my children. Avery brought home this booklet from school. It is chock full of extremely important information if I do say so myself....

I especially love some of the highlighted words...basketball, photos, piano, the beach...you know, the really important stuff. :)

*And just to add another very important note to Scholastic's... are the Obama's not the best looking family to ever live in the Whitehouse?! I think so. What a handsome family. I especially admire the evident love that is present between the President and First Lady. They are the sweetest couple.