My breakfast cereal's not the only thing talking to me...

As usual, Care Bear is chattering away a mile a minute. She's examining the Rice Krispies box very closely and has sounded out the names of the characters on the front. This is the running commentary:

Snap, Pop, Cr-ak-ul. Those are silly names for those boys. Hey, are those elves? We see those guys everywhere! Is that a pot of gold? (It's the cereal bowl on the front) It looks like a pot of gold. There they are again, Snap, Crackle, Pop! A and O sound the same. Can I have some Lucky Charms, please? No time to waste! I like them dry. Is your coffee maker burping? My nose is runny today. *SNIFF* His hat (Crackle) is a baker hat. We have to make those someday; I love them! (Rice Krispies Treats)... etc.

I'd keep going, but I'm already exhausted. Happy Monday, everyone!

I'm head over heels for this kid!

Isn't he the cutest thing? Check out those FEET. I could just eat him up. Liam, I love you!

Liam announced that he was a dragonfly and that these were his wings. They're two strips of the anti-slide grippy stuff that goes under my new kitchen throwrug. He's very creative!

Care Bear during M week at school. They were supposed to wear anything they had with Mickey or Minnie on it. It's a 3T dress that works as a tunic for my petite girl. Hehe. She wasn't pleased that it was pink, but I thought she was cute!

Ready for a rainy morning at the bus stop... it's not April shower time YET!

Sleepy snuggles

Sometimes you just need a fuzzy fleece, an armchair, a good book, and a grandpa. =D

For those of you who didn't see "anything" in this picture, do you see the two tiny eyes reflecting light back from the middle of the white stuffed bear on the floor? That's Teddy. He's a real dog, a tiny poodle, who lives with Dada's parents. He came to visit along with Grandma Barb and Pap the weekend before last. Grandma Barb told it was bedtime, and instead of heading down to the basement futon with her, he hoofed it upstairs and declared this his spot. Silly old Teddy.

PaPa reading to the kids

You know, my parents have very similiar pictures of my dad reading books to my brother and I in this same spot. The couch is new here, and PaPa didn't have reading glasses then, but it is very comforting to know that my kids are getting quality PaPa reading on the couch time just like we had with him. Love it. So do they! =)

Eat N Park really IS the place for smiles!

Who do you think had the best time at breakfast on Sunday morning?

A. Ivy, Bob, and Carrie

B. Joe

C. Lisa and Liam

D. Baby Emma


The answer, of course, is E. All of the above had a great time. The baby slept through the whole thing, my kids were crazy, their kids were great, and it was incredibly refreshing for me to see some of the friends who've known me for most of my life. Thanks for taking time out of your weekend to come play with us! It was awesome to see you all. Miss you already. Mar, next time, smiley faces or bust! ;)

Nana and Pap Pap's visit

Liam really enjoyed the flashlights and the bells that my grandparents have around their house. Here he's at the top of 2 small stairs. I think we'd just dragged him down from their off-limits upstairs area...

Care Bear greatly enjoyed Pap Pap's wheelchair. Thanks for pushing, Nana. Could that grin get any wider?

That's the bemused look Pap Pap had the whole time the kids were there. Buncha nuts! Maybe laughter IS the best medicine!

And we wonder where they get it. Just kidding, Nana. Well, only half kidding! =D Love you guys!

Rundown

No, that's not as in "we are all rundown" so much as it is a "this is what we've been up to lately."

Last week both kids had those bad coughs that are going around, again. Liam was sicker than Care Bear, and since she had no fever she got sent off to school so she'd be away from his germs for a little while. We didn't go anywhere. We skipped church Sunday, skipped the Y Monday, skipped moms' group Wednesday, and finally ventured out of the house to play at a friend's house on Friday night for about an hour. Thanks, Casey! Dada had been in Montreal for his first time... he was gone Monday through Thursday and it was actually pretty cold there, too ;)

Saturday we all went to Mama Rita's house for our monthly potluck. The theme this time was Indian, so Dada made the naan (flatbread) and we all enjoyed Mama Rita's ginger chicken and rice. Jeannine made samosas and Heidi brought pies. We also contributed macaroni and cheese for the little guys. Yummy! It is so great to actually see neighbors in the dead of winter. I'm so glad we're making getting together a priority once a month. We have SO much fun together!

Saturday night after the potluck, Grandma Barb and Pap and Teddy arrived to stay two nights with us. The kids had a wonderful time reading to them and being read to. They had a nice, uneventful drive here and got to catch up with the kids. It was my Sunday to serve in the nursery at church, so Grandma Barb put the kids down for break time while Dada picked me back up and we got a quickie date in! They had to leave early Monday morning before anyone else was up, but we all had a nice time together. Thanks for coming!

That was our busy weekend in a nutshell. It's been really cold again but there's no snow. Lots of sun, so we're thankful for that. And it's March already, yay! Dada and Pap installed the remote controlled blinds in the upper windows of the living room, so we are enjoying decreased glare in here as well. Maybe the next task will be getting siding back on the house. Hmmm.

Tonight we need to have dinner, trim up some haircuts, have baths, get ready for tomorrow, get the garbage out, and sort through a few more boxes from the Farmhouse that came up with Pap and Grandma Barb. A lot of them seem to be pictures and teaching stuff, so they take awhile to sort through. Want to get as much pitched tonight as possible so it's not sitting around another whole week.

Please be praying for my Mary Alice. One of her students is in a boatload of trouble. Please pray that she would be a light for her students and her staff. Be praying for the student and his family, as well, please. He's made some really bad decisions with far- reaching consequences. Thank you.

Have a good week, everyone. Enjoy those sunny, blue skies! Hope to see the Oak Street gang this weekend. I'm really looking forward to that!