We may not be Irish, but we still like to add a little luck to our lives!
Sunday we had our traditional "Green Dinner" including (but not limited to) corned beef and cabbage, green garlic bread, green sugar cookies, and Olive Garden's salad. If you haven't made Olive Garden's salad, it's a must. It is SO good.
This morning we had green eggs and shamrock toast. The kids got a kick out of it. Bradley kept telling people all day, at the store, at the park, at Abuelos, on the phone, "we had green eggs today." He was pretty fascinated. (And no, Bradley is not enjoying two plates of breakfast. He likes to feed Conley bite by bite. I think it's a great idea, and so do my floors!)
Jamison had a great day. She loved her green eggs.
She also loved her green necklace.
If you can get past the huge amount of drool this boy creates (two teeth are cutting through) you can probably see a little bit of leprechaun in those cheeks?
We aren't Irish, but my children have Irish-sounding names. Conley's name actually is Irish and while Jamison and Bradley are both English names, I think they sound Irish.
Although Bradley lost yesterday's dental battle, luckily he doesn't remember a thing!
It was a long, sad day for my boy. But, it only knocked him out for a few hours. He was back to his Bradley-self again before the sun set.
I'm sparing details on purpose, because I know most people don't just love the dentist like I do. But, it was truly a battle to get this boy numbed for a few small fillings. Boy did the dentist get his money's worth yesterday?! He did a fabulous job!
The Johansons have moved to Utah where Adam will attend BYU. He is entering the Physics and Astronomy PhD program in a few short months. We have enjoyed living with them for the last little while and are sad to see them go.
I have to work pretty hard in most areas of my life. I have to remind myself daily to be friendly. I have to force myself to clean up some of the harder areas in the house. I have to set alarms to remind me to go to class, choir rehearsals, doctor's appointments, etc. I have to reward myself in order to get the motivation to grocery shop, plan menus, and cook meals. I sometimes even have to talk to myself to get through the menial tasks that each new day brings!
But, one thing's for sure, I have never had to work at loving my children. A conscious effort has never been needed to show how much I adore these three.
Enjoy a few moments from my life . . . here are few reasons why I love my children.
CONLEY - "The belly-laugher"
Conley is a happy, happy boy. He's got the cutest little dimples and I'm glad he finds excuses to show them off! He is such a little light in our lives. Bradley and Jamison both adore their little brother. Bradley gets so excited when he comes out of kindergarten each day and I've got Conley there to greet him. These two are going to be best friends for sure. We love Conley, he fits in our family like I never could have imagined.
BRADLEY - "The scholar"
Bradey had homework for the 100th day celebration. He had to bring in 100 of anything; straws, pencils, chocolate chips, anything. I asked him what he wanted to bring in. I gave him about 10 choices and he picked "pictures." He wanted to bring in 100 pictures of his classmates. What a fun project this turned out to be. Much to my amazement, Bradley helped with every step of the way. He picked out all the pictures and went to Sam's Club with me to pick them up. We had fun counting all the pictures. He wrote each child's name on the papers. He helped me with the cricut to cut out each item. (He loves helping me with the cricut!) He went with me to Michaels to get the poster board; he picked out black. Last, he helped glue everything together. It was so much fun to work on this with my boy. (And, of course, his teacher LOVED it.)
Jamison - "The Animal Lover"
I was never into toys, stuffed animals, barbies or dolls when I was little. And, I thought my Jamison was much the same way. She never had a favorite toy or anything when she was little. Recently, however, Jamison has taken up quite an interest in the few stuffed animals in this house. I have had some of them for years. They've sat on shelves and collected dust. But, not anymore. Jamison loves all of her animals and has names for each one. She plays with them all day long and picks three to sleep with each night. She has a different favorite every day or two. It's so funny to watch this little girl in action!
"We've had a busy few days!" I often wonder how many times I've typed that sentence! It seems our lives are always non-stop, go-go, go. But, the phrase that seems a little cliche definitely applies; "it's for the kids!" I'll try not to be too wordy in this post as there are a ton of pictures to scroll through. (Okay, I just finished the post and am now proof-reading. Sorry, but it's a little wordy!) So, scroll on down and enjoy some shots from our fun FILLED weekend.
Bradley's had his last art class (in school) this week. In Kindergarten, at his school, he attends art, music and library only for the first half of the year. Sad, but true. This is what he created during his last art class. I LOVE IT!
Jamison went with me to Bradley's Valentine's Day party on Friday. She was so excited to go to his class. I think she looked so cute.
Friday night we had an Olympic party. My mom suggested it and gave me the ideas (Canadian Bacon pizza, gold beverage, gold cookies and an Olympic cake.) The kids had a great time.
Here are the kids biting their medals. Sorry, their fake!
Elizabeth and Anthony collaborated to make this delicious cake.
Tyler and Ann and their 4 (soon to be 5 by the way) kids were able to come to town for our Olympic party and the rest of the weekend. Here's Tyler enjoying Opening Ceremonies.
Saturday morning the kids played outside and we took TONS of pictures. Jamison and Megan were very cooperative!
Bradley snuck away from the fun for a few minutes to get a MUCH needed haircut! He's so handsome.
And, speaking of sneaking way, Anthony and I were able to sneak out for a Valentine's Day date Saturday afternoon. We enjoyed some great food, talking and a little shopping.
Saturday night Tyson, Kari and their cute kids joined the mix. They were heading to Utah for a snowboarding/skiing vacation. They stayed in Vegas Saturday night so we got to spend some time with Mya and Owen. Owen shared his talk for next Sunday with us. He's very prepared. And, I'm not just saying this to be nice but Owen is SUCH a sweet boy.
Sarah was SO excited when I told her Mya was on her way. I don't think I've ever seen a little girl jump so high.
Aunt Elizabeth headed to the store Saturday to pick up all these cute shirts for the kids. My mom was kind enough to foot the bill and I think it was well worth it. And, not just because the pictures turned out so cute, but because the kids LOVED their shirts.
Conley
Jamison
Bradley
Saturday night, time for bed. Here's my little Swedish daughter in her new Valentine's Day pjs.
Later Saturday night, Sam decided it was time to get serious. He had mentioned going shooting to Anthony earlier in the day, but I had no idea this would be the scene in my living room later that night! Tyson brought a few guns and Sam brought a few guns. Sam bought TONS of ammo. I am not a big fan of guns. I was glad to see them exit the house. I think the shirt Tyson chose to wear for target shooting was hilarious.
They had a great time. Thanks Sam for the idea.
Sunday morning! It was a beautiful day outside. Here are pictures of my sweet children in their Valentine's Day duds.
Conley - my little drool bug.
Jamison - my gorgeous girl.
Bradley - my future heart-breaker.
Our last Valentine's Day to be a family of 5.
I did a lot of laughing this weekend, but by far the hardest I laughed was because of these next two pictures. Sunday morning Anthony was taking pictures of Bradley and he was standing like this. Anthony said, "Strike a pose, Bradley." Like he'd know what that meant!
He immediately pulled this pose, and said, "How's this daddy?" That boy!
After church these two had a little photo shoot. Can you tell that right after a few pictures, my girl went inside and enjoyed a nice Sunday afternoon nap. She is always so beat after church!
And, to wrap it up . . . the famous red dinner was delicious. Ann made a yummy cheesecake jello, Sarah Day made pink heart-shaped rice krispie treats and Elizabeth made a very festive red, white and pink cake. The desserts were all SO yummy. Oh, and we had chicken parm on the side.
I've never been a big fan of presents, flowers, chocolates, teddy bears and/or cards on V-day. Sorry, but I'm just not one of those girls. I have told Anthony over and over and over again not to get me anything. He does every year. I also get him something every year. We must not believe each other when we say, "I really don't want anything." This year, it seems like he was finally content to let me have my way and just have a day of "love" with my family. Though we didn't exchange gifts, it was my best Valentine's Day yet. My Valentine, Anthony, is my best friend. He spoiled me all weekend with acts of kindness and love. I love him and my children so much.
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