Vacation

We got back on Saturday from a week long vacation with my family to Ocean City New Jersey. It was a hectic, fun-filled week, with lots of beach time and late beach nights, good time with extended family and all the craziness that goes along with that. The weather was great and we're all nice and tan!

I'm not great about getting pictures up on my blog - it's usually feast or famine -well, today it's the biggest feast of all. Rather than spreading them out over a number of blogs I just posted a bunch of vacation pictures all at once and most likely this post will be filled with big chunks of open space and unevenness, which is what typically happens when I post pictures.


To start things off, Catherine turned two on Sunday, our first full day at the beach. We enjoyed a few presents and a yummy chocolate cake with peanut butter filling. Catherine was so excited when she saw her cake, she kept running around and pointing to it, saying "cake!". Below you'll see her taking seriously the task of blowing out the candles.

Here she is, waving to the papparazi

Monday was another day at the beach but we got to go to the boardwalk that night for rides! Here is a picture of Ella, Isaac and myself on one of those fun spinning rides that no adult was interested in going on (I'm including myself in that category - but what can you do!).

Ella and Catherine are enjoying their Kohr's orange and vanilla (with rainbow jimmies) cones.

Reading time with grandma and all four grandkids....

Our favorite time was heading back down to the beach after dinner. Ella loved the water so much and even Catherine became pretty fond of it. The water was rough and you had to keep your eye on them because the waves would take them down, but by the end of the week they didn't seem to mind going under anymore. You would have never guessed that Ella was petrified of getting into a pool at the beginning of the summer. Below is a shot of Ella, mid-jump, joining her Pap-Pap and Isaac in a little pool while Theo looks on.

Meanwhile, Catherine and I were flying a kite. Actually, we were just holding the handle, Matt did all the hard work.

Isaac and Ella in the waves

Not sure what Catherine was doing, but I loved this shot of her.

Another favorite Catherine shot...

One of the few pictures I got of the two girls together. Ella just looks way too old.

And of course, a picture of Matt and me.

After this Matt and I decided we needed some more quality time together. What better way to do that than to both get the stomach flu together!? Seriously, who does that happen to? That happened on Wednesday and it then spread to a few other unlucky family members. At this point Ella and Catherine escaped it, so we're counting our blessings. If they end up with it, then we'll have to find some more blessings to count in the midst of it!

Overall it was a fun week. Tough because of the illness, but we had special times with my family and now are eagerly awaiting the arrival of oot one, but two new additions to the Koerber family. Not only are Mike and Sharon due mid January, but Matt and Chrissie have number three on the way two months later.

Well, now I'm off to give relax and watch High School Musical 2. I have no excuse so I won't even try to come up with one....

Quick update...

just wanted to let you know that I just got back from a week at the beach and hope to have a new post up in the next day or two filling you in on the last month or so of our summer!

We're still alive and kickin', just waaaaayyyy behind on blogging....

Childhood Favs...

My friend Jodie over at A Beautiful Collision just added a post about remembering those movies that she watched over and over again as a child - on sick days or rainy days. You know, the movies that you basically know by heart and just thought were the greatest thing ever. You can check out her blog to see her thoughts, but I thought it would be fun if you all started sharing your childhood favorites. When I fill out those online profiles for blogger or facebook one of the categories is movies and for some reason my childhood favorites never seem to make the list. But when Jodie mentioned sick or rainy day movies a few came to mind immediately...

The Star Wars Trilogy. Yes I would watch all three movies while at home sick. In fact I wonder if I was really that sick because I imagine it would have been tough to stay conscious through 6 hours worth of movies. But after you've seen movies five plus times you don't need to concentrate that much. I remember getting to the end of Return of the Jedi and feeling so sad that it was over. No more "galaxy far far way", no more Hans Solo and Chewbaca and R2D2 and Luke and Leia. Little did I know that all those happy memories would later be tainted by Jar Jar Binks.

Back to the Future. Oh my I loved this movie. Or, more importantly, I loved Michael J. Fox! I remember being on the bus for first or second grade and the girl sitting next to me asked if I had a boyfriend. Of course I said "yes". "What's his name?" was her next question. To which I responded "Michael, Michael Fox". It wasn't a mistake either, very deliberate on my part. It was as if leaving out the middle initial somehow would make it less obvious that he was a famous actor. Anyway, that movie brings back memories of a birthday party that my dad surprised us all by renting Back to the Future (do you remember what a big deal it used to be to rent new popular movies? Unlike today when there are at least 100 copies of a new movie.).

I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that jumped out immediately and brought back very tangible childhood memories.

So sorry Jodie for completely copying your post. I just couldn't help it! And for everyone else - please share. I know you already have something in mind. And while you're at it check out Jodie's post for a trip down memory lane with Daniel and Ali (if you don't know I don't know if there's any hope for you - JK)!

Anyone out there...

read the last Harry Potter yet?

I would love to have someone/anyone to discuss with. I spent about 30 minutes trying to sum it all up to Matt after i finished reading it Sunday night - he read books 1-4 so he was genuinely interested, but I think I lost him after a bit.

It's kind of a weird feeling to come to end of the Harry Potter story. I've always loved Harry Potter and been a fan since the get go. I'm not one of those who spends time in between books pondering what is to come and debating various theories with others. I just get very excited when a book is about to come out, buy it right away, read it right away, and then feel sad/depressed when it's over. The last couple of books (not #7 - I won't post anything about that for those who haven't read it yet) I've felt sad because of how they ended and some of the characters who were lost. But now, to be at the end is a different feeling. I guess it's called closure!

So although I don't want to discuss specifics I would love to hear if you've read it and if so, what did you think? Loved it, hated it (hard to imagine), just so-so? Did you cry or stay dry eyed? Did you feel closure or do you want more? I'll post my answers in the comments....

All in a day's work

Today I cleaned out our fridge. I hate cleaning out the fridge and rarely do it. This should be obvious by the pictures I've posted. It's typically Matt's job because I get so grossed out by all the old leftovers and yucky food that has gone bad that he has to do it. I think he gets grossed out too, but he knows that I will hold out longer so he caves in and does it.

Just to keep you all somewhat interested I figured I would post some "before" pictures. This was after I had cleaned out the bottom shelf so about a third of the mess is actually gone already.

Wow, look at all those salad dressings! Who knew two people (two salad eaters, that is) would need so much dressing?

Luckily this time around there weren't too many mold leftovers. There was actually a container of moldy macaroni and cheese - I didn't think that was possible and I know it wasn't too old, which leads me to think there might be a problem with our fridge. Actually we have had issues with the door not closing well. I sometimes wonder if it's because our house is so old and the floors are a bit crooked so gravity is working against it. Unfortunately it's most likely due to the fact that the fridge is overstuffed and it's physically impossible to close unless really pushing it shut. Still with me? Anyone completely disgusted with me?

I found a great deal of expired condiments, tortillas, salad dressings - things like that, items that gets in hidden in the back of the fridge and replaced with newer stuff. Well, except for the salad dressings - those are quite obviously displayed on the fridge door. I guarantee that I have never served any of you expired salad dressing. I'm quite good at checking the dates. But if I am good at checking dates, why why why are all those containers still in my fridge? I think that's a whole other issue that I'm not gonna get into now!

So now for the after pictures....

A couple of things to note. When I was looking at the pictures on my LCD screen I thought perhaps you wouldn't be able to see the difference between the before and after. Ha ha.


Anyone need some mustard? The top right of the first before picture shows four, actually I think five (a small one in between the two larger ones) mustards. That's after throwing away a few. I like mustard as much as your average person. But according to my fridge I must be a really big fan.

Onto the door.

My apparent love of mustards is surpassed by my love of chocolate sauces. Now that I won't argue with, but I was surprised that I had enough sauces, syrups and toppings to fill a whole compartment.

Anyone else notice the big yellow jar in the bottom left compartment? That's a jug of Jose Cuervo Margaritas. Before it was hidden in the back of the bottom shelf. I figured that was a real waste - I would totally forget it was there! And now that I've remembered I think I'll be enjoying a margarita tonight!

Now I need to go throw out ALOT of trash! And I gotta go grocery shopping - my fridge is empty!

a day of firsts...

Today Catherine went pee pee on her little potty for the first time. It was right before her bath and no one even noticed at first. Afterwards I was thinking about how easy to potty train she was going to be and how cool it would be to have her trained at two.

Fifteen minutes later she pooped on the floor.

Like I said, a day of firsts. First pee in the potty, first poop on the floor.

I'm trying to convince myself that my earlier thoughts were true and all that sitting on the potty just got things all stirred up. Allow me to have my fantasies....

Free shipping

This is my first time posting on Works for me Wednesdays - it's hosted by Rocks In My Dryer and always has at least a hundred helpful tips and ideas submitted by other bloggers. I think I first heard about it from Crafty P awhile ago and I'm always suprised when I check in each week and see that the ideas keep coming.

I hate finding a good deal online only to realize that after you factor in shipping it's not such a good deal anymore. That's why Wal-Mat's Free Store to Site shipping works for me! They now have an option to buy items online and have them shipped free to your local store. I recently purchased on outdoor recliner and saved myself $15 in shipping. The shipping was very quick and I just picked it up when I had other stuff I needed to get at the store.

Not everything is available to be shipped this way, but you can do limit your search to Site to Store items. I noticed that some of the really big items - like a swing set - did not offer free shipping, and some of the smaller items (DVDs, books) had $.99 shipping (not bad). Alot of furniture had the free Site to Store shipping - a friend just bought her toddler bed from Wal-Mart and had it shipped free.

I think this is relatively new service. Around Christmas I was trying to order an art desk for my 3 year old and every store only carried it online and was charging $20+ to ship it. Site to Store was only available in about five states - not mine of course, which was a bummer because Wal-Mart's price was the best. Now it's offered in probably all BUT five states. Hopefully this is helpful and you can save some money on shipping costs while taking advantage of good prices.

Let Everything That Has Breath Praise the Lord

That was the title of the song that Ella danced to in church this morning. She was part of a group of 3-6 year olds that did a four week worship dance class with Renee K. and then performed in church today.

Ella loves to dance. She dances all around the house and makes up all sorts of moves. But she's never been to great about following along during her dance class. Occassionally she'll do the moves, but the majority of the time she's marching to the beat of a different drum. But she likes it and looks forward to it so we encourage her to have fun with it and keep reminding her that she's dancing for Jesus.

I pretty much knew what to expect this Sunday. I knew that Ella would not really do the routine. She would do a few moves and then get distracted and do her own thing and then start watching Renee again and following the dance. I thought she would probably stand there and play with her scarf or her dress (I had many many talks about not lifting up her dress and I'm very thankful that it got through to her). I honestly thought she would be pretty subdued. In that sense I was very suprised - for about 10 minutes before church she was running around on stage with the other kids and then in the minute or two before it actually started she was jumping up and down in her spot. As far as how she did - I was right on.

I was determined not to laugh. I had laughed extremely hard during the dress rehearsal which was five minutes before the actual performance. I figured I got it all out and I knew what Ella was going to do or not do. But as the music started Renee whispered for the girls to "smile" and Ella proceeded to give her famous "Pirate Smile" looking back and forth for about fifteen seconds. For those of you who don't know Ella's pirate smile, I've included a picture....







Now, that was over a year ago and it's not so extreme these days, but that is often the way Ella smiles when you actually tell her to smile. Now usually if you tell her to say "cheese" she'll give you a relatively normal smile.

So as soon as the pirate smile came out I lost it. I basically laughed (silent, shaking, tears rolling down face laughter) the whole way through the dance. I have to say that she did a great job in getting up there and just having fun. I wasn't sure if she would go through it because she sometimes gets very shy or scared in new situations, and being up on stage in front of alot of people was certainly new.

If after all that you still are interested in watching, I was able to download it to google video. The quality on our camera is good but for some reason it didn't transfer that great. I used a new program and might have to fiddle with it a bit.

A couple of things to notice...
- The laughter you hear is mostly from our one pastor's mom sitting behind me. She loves Ella to death and said it reminded her of watching her grand daughter do ballet. I know she was really trying to hold it in (because she too had watched the dress rehearsal and giggled through that and we talked about trying to hold it in next time).
- Ella singing praise the Lord - with the emphasis on Lord.
- A little yawn somewhere in the middle
- How beautiful they all looked and how good the others did.
- The lovely choreography by Renee.

Now for your viewing pleasure.....

Weekly post :)

My friend Renee posted about this week's So You Think You Can Dance. Go here to add your input!

I still have to post some pictures from our trip to Clearfield and Pittsburgh. Ella had so much fun with her cousin Isaac and I got some cute pictures of them holding hands. She cried so hard when we were getting ready to leave Saturday night. She told me in the car she wanted Isaac to come home with us! I think he felt the same way about her :) In fact he had some jealousy issues when another little girl wanted to play with Ella - he did not like someone else moving in on his turf. Isaac is such a sweet sensitive soul, something you don't always see in little boys. I think it's a good thing and I hope my kids grow up with tender hearts that have compassion for others. But sensitive kids are easily hurt and it' s a fine line as a parent to nurture that sensitivity but also help them toughen up so they aren't overwhelmed by the world around them.

We loved our time with Matt (my big brother), Chrissie, Theo and Isaac. There was a house for sale not too far from them and Chrissie kept dropping hints about us moving out there. Especially after I was blown away by how "uncrowded" their Costco's was and I found out that they have a Fudruckers one parking lot over (from the Costco, not their house - that would be dangerous).

I could keep going but it's going to storm and we have alot of stuff outside that needs to come in! So off I go. Remember, SYTYCD fans - go over to Renee's blog and add your opinion.

The results are in....

So this is just a quick post to discuss last night's elimination from So You Think You Can Dance. I won't put anything on this page because I know Renee hasn't watched it and might see it accidentally.

I was NOT happy with the people that got eliminated tonight. In a way I was alright with the girls - not because she (whoever she was) deserved it, but her solo was nothing special and someone had to go. For the guys though, I really think the wrong person was kicked off. Renee I almost called you and said I'm not happy tonight - and it would have been you saying don't say anything, I haven't watched yet!

That's it for SYTYCD tonight. Tomorrow we're off to Pittsburgh to see Matt, Chrissie, Isaac and Theo. I don't think Ella knows we're going tomorrow. She knows we're going Friday, but I don't think she knows tomorrow is Friday. If all goes well we'll spend the afternoon at the Pittsburgh Zoo which should be a treat for the kids since it's much bigger than the little zoo that we live close to.

Today we spent the day at Curwensville Lake and both kids had a wonderful time playing in the water. I have some fun pictures to post when I get home....

Have wonderful weekends!

What did you think?

I'm at my parents for a few days before we head to Pittsburgh to visit with my older brother Matt, his wife Chrissie and their two boys and attend a family reunion for my mom's side of the family. Aside from my brother's family, it's been years since I've seen my mom's family - the last time I was at a gathering was for my Grandpa Bill's funeral and I was about 14 weeks pregnant with Ella.

I enjoy spending time at my parents because there's lots of space for the kids to play and a big yard to run around in and a long flat driveway to ride bikes on. But for some reason Ella has not been sleeping well the last couple of times we've been in Clearfield. I was really hoping it wouldn't happen this time, but of course, around 2:00 am she wakes up crying for me and when I go in she doesn't go back to sleep for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I lost track of time at some point. It was very frustrating and annoying. Of course that lack of sleep catches up to her throughout the day and she had probably an hour long temper tantrum over the clothes I picked out for her (I really didn't care what she wore, but she wanted to wear her sister's shorts and was literally hysterical because she couldn't.). Looking back, if I had known what it would have led to I would have said " sure, wear Catherine's shorts", because it was so not worth the fuss. But once I put my foot down about something I cannot give in to Ella - if I do it will come back to haunt me. I have a hard time comprehending why this stuff matters so much to her. Why a pair of shorts is worth the screaming and the tears?

Oh well. Enough about Ella. Who out there is watching So You Think You Can Dance???? Erin, Renee - I know both of you are. What did you think about tonight's show? I am really liking this season. The dancer's are all really good. I have found that I really really enjoy contemporary dance - it's grown on me these past few years and I tend to look forward to it and to how the dancers will do with it. I'm having a hard time remembering all the dancers because I don't have DVR at my parents and I can't just quickly rewatch a dance that I like. Which I do at home. A couple of times! I liked Pasha and Jesse - mostly because Pasha really surprised me and was awesome, plus the choreography was great. Jesus and Sarah's Paso Doble was cool and he's another guy that I enjoy watching. Neil and Lauren's hip hop was cool - I liked this new guy's choreography alot - I agree with Mia about the fluidity of it. Lacey and Kameron - good as I would have expected. I like him but he hasn't wow'ed me yet. I like Jimmy alot, Danny not as much. Danny is great, but seems to be lacking in emotion and passion. And since the judges always say that's an important part I'll hold that against him. I love Hok and was surprised he could at least keep up with his dance (was it the Samba?) and look so comfortable. I know I'm forgetting and I'm really just talking about the guys. Can you blame me?! :) For the girls I like Lacey, Sarah, the girl that dances with Hok (name?), Lauren, not sure about Jesse. Last year I had already decided I liked Benji and Travis was growing on me and I loved Musa and Alison as well. This year I'm still figuring out who I'm rooting for.

How bout you? Who was hot and not so hot tonight? Who do you like regardless of how they do? I have a hard time separating personality/performance from dance technique so I know some of my fav's might be different from, say...Renee, who knows dance and can appreciate the training and technique probably more than I do. I think it would be fun if the few of us that read this and watch would weigh in weekly and share opinions, rants, raves, etc....

And if you're not watching, check it out on Wednesday and Thursday nights on Fox. My mom was actually watching with me tonight and enjoying it!

Hola

So it's been awhile since I've posted. I've been having too much fun reading other people's blogs - much easier than actually writing something on my own.

I figured I should post some pictures just to let you know that I'm still out here and give you something new to look at.

These are from our trip to Chincoteague Virginia over Memorial Day weekend. We had a nice time with Matt's parents and the kids played non-stop. Once we got to the beach Ella barely stopped running (hence the picture) - she was just so overjoyed to be at the beach. Catherine's favorite spot was the beach chair (hence the picture!) - she was just taking everything in - and looking very cute doing it. The close up shots are from a park that had a wooden boat the kids could play around. Ella's hair is red because she painted it earlier that day - she did a good job of it.

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Chincoteague is very different from Ocean City, NJ - where I've grown up vacationing. Very calm and quiet and not busy at all. It was a nice change of pace for me. I'd like to head down for a week the end of August or beginning of September before Ella starts school. The highlight of the trip for Ella was riding on the moped (how the heck do you spell that?) with Matt. As soon as she'd get whiny and annoying he'd take her for a ride around the block. We're seriously thinking of buying one at the end of the summer when they sell them off cheap. Not because of Ella (although that's an added bonus) but it gets amazing mileage and Matt could take it the mile to work and do his immediate errands with it. I think the highlight of everyone else was watching me come within inches of wrecking the moped - twice. I was barely moving so there was no danger to my safety - just to the fence and shed that were in front of me.

Since then we've been trying to beat the heat (Ella is again terrified of swimming pools - she had gotten over it by the end of last summer and apparently forgot that she wasn't afraid and now she's afraid again. I feel like it's my fault since I never did swim lessons with her. I know it's not too late but I keep procrastinating and I'm not sure where to go. She loves water just not pools with no shallow ends.) and stay entertained. Catherine and Ella are like tweedle dee and tweedle dum. They play together all the time - not always nicely. Catherine adores her big sister - she's the first one she asks for when she wakes up after nap. I think "Ella" has replaced mommy as Catherine's most frequently used word. That and NO.

Well Ella is anxious to go watch Charlie and Lola, which means I can (i.e., should) start doing some housework. Adios!

PS - I turn 30 in three days. Yikes!!!!

Hmmmm.....

So much on my mind and so much I shoud be doing. But my last post is about an episode of The Office that is two episodes back so I'm in need of a change....

So here are some things I want to share. Nothing special.

1. I mowed the lawn for the first time yesterday. I felt pretty proud of myself.
2. I ran 3 1/2 miles yesterday. Trying to push myself past the 3 mile mark so I don't get stuck there. Contemplating doing a 10k in the fall. When I excercise I tend to have alot of energy afterwards (weird?). Sunday I ran and then proceeded to clean the kitchen and then go outside and trim the hedges. Seriously. And the Monday's run was followed by the lawn mowing.
3. The Office season finale was really good. In true Office fashion the little moments were the true big moments. I'm excited for next season. If you're a real office geek, like me, go to NBC and then to The Office and you can read Creed's blog.

4. Once again I realized how different my kids are from each other. Today after playing at the park for a few hours I noticed that Catherine had a pretty good scrape on her knee. Don't know how or when she got it because she didn't let me know. With Ella, no injury goes unnoticed - no matter how small or seemingly invisible.

5. I have to recommend this recipe for icing. I made it for cupcakes (as shown in the post) and it is much lighter and not nearly as sweet as a buttercream icing. I'm sure you save some fat and calories, but most importantly, it tastes good. Now I'm just waiting for a reason to make the peanut butter pie you can also see in the same post. Thanks Crafty P!

6. Tonight is the last episode EVER of one of my favorite shows - Veronica Mars. I'm pretty sad, especially because the episode was written as a season finale, not a series finale. So we'll be left with a cliff hanger and have no closure for these characters that we've grown to love over the past three years. This season wasn't as good as the first two, but I think it's because the network (CW) was pushing the creator to make changes and make it easier for the casual viewer to jump in and watch. The previous seasons had series long mysteries that built up to intense season finales. But even so, it was better than alot of the stuff that's on TV now, but just wasn't able to get good ratings (again I'll blame the network - I'm a true fan!). Now it's being replaced by some crap crap crap reality show called The Farmer needs a Wife. I feel a bit sick just writing that. Can you tell how I feel about reality TV? The really sad part is, it's the type of stuff that America watches. I would love to know what is so fascinating about these reality shows? If you are a fan (in general, not neccesarily of the farmer variety) please stand proud and let me know why it appeals to you. We're all allowed our opinions, I have mine, but I am curious about others'. I promise, it won't change the way I feel about you!!! :)

7. Speaking of reality TV, I am going to be hypocritical and tell you about the ONE reality show I watch. So You Think You Can Dance, which premiers this Thursday. I am not an AI fan, but for some reason I really love SYTYCD (not typing that out again). It features a wide variety of up and coming dancers - from studio trained to street dancers. If you appreciate dance (your appreciation doesn't have to compare to your actual ability) you should like this show.

8. OK, final TV plug. Friday Night Lights became one of my favorite shows this year (next to The Office and Veronica). I resisted watching it at first, but got sucked in after a few episodes because Matt was hooked from the start and I was curious. I know how annoying it can be to have someone bug you to watch a show (b/c I do it alot!) but I really think you'll like this one. You don't have to be a football fan to enjoy it. There's some typical risque high school behavior, but it definitely doesn't center around that. Anyway - NBC is replaying the entire first season on Sunday nights at 9pm - since there's not much good on during the summer I suggest you check it out (or tape it!).

9. We're heading to Chincoteague VA this Memorial Day weekend to visit with Matt's parents and stay at their little beach place. Not excited for the four hour drive, but I'm looking forward to a few days at the beach. I hope everyone has a wonderful extended weekend - I know it's more than a half a week away but the chances of me actually posting again before that are rather slim.....

I'll leave you with some pictures to reward you for actually reading all this (or not, I'll never know)

Beach Games

So how many of you are Office lovers out there? I don't mean that you love the place where you or your husband work, but the awesomely funny show - The Office....

What did you think of last night's epi? Were you holding your breath for the last 2 minutes? All season I've been hoping Pam got up the courage to speak her mind about a few things and finally it happened!!! I have to go watch it again - at least one more time, because it just goes by so fast. I never watch it live but start it 20 minutes late so I can bypass conmmericals - the whole time I'm watching I'm checking how much time is left and I'm wishing it were longer.

Some highlights for me (in no particular order)- Creed catching the fish and then showing up with a skeleton saying "no one told me we got hotdogs", Stanley taking Jim out with the sumo suit, Jim walking Karen into the lake, Dwight yelling at Ryan and Ryan quitting, The whole bus singing "The Gambler", poor Andy floating away (in the background while Michael is talking), and many more I'm sure.

What were the highlights for you? Are you excited or scared for next weeks finale! One hour long - yippee!

Also - potential SPOILERS - but nothing too bad. But be warned....
Word on the street is that there are two separate finales filmed. Rashida Jones (Karen) is involved in a pilot over at FOX and if it gets picked up she'll leave the show. Which is the reason for the two different episodes. Of course I hope the pilot gets picked up so the show moves in a (hopefully) pro Jim and Pam direction. But I'm pretty annoyed that the direction of the show may be determined at all by Rashida Jones. I think the writers should do what they want and plan regardless of her. I am hoping Jim and Karen break up and a) she leaves for the corporate position or b) she stays in Scranton but they still break up. I am worried that if her show at FOX doesn't get picked up then they'll keep Jim and Karen together which will annoy me. What do you think? Come on, if you watch The Office you have to be wondering what's going to happen as well....

PS. Just read that next season will be 24 episodes - 4 of which will be hour long specials! Yeah!

Singing

Here is a video of ella singing - just a trial - working on posting videos...

Spreading Rumors

So I've known that Ella really wants another baby brother or sister (she says sister). But until today I don't think I really knew how much she really wants one. And also thinks it might actually be happening. Perhaps it's a variation on the Field of Dreams - if you think it, it will come. It being a new baby.

Today when I picked her up from her class after church one of the teachers came up and said "Congratulations!" I knew by the way she said it what kind of congratulations it was and I immediately looked down to see if my belly was looking big for some reason. But she cleared it right up by saying that Ella shared with the whole class during circle time that what she was thankful for was "that my mommy has a new baby in her belly!"

Can you believe that!!!!!!?????

I actually laughed pretty hard and then explained that, no, I was not pregnant, but Ella keeps talking like I am. To the point of even naming the baby. She even informed the class that it would take awhile - like 9 weeks! Don't I wish.

Later on I saw one of the other teachers for her class and said, "J., just so you know, I'm not pregnant.". She replied, "I know, Ella's been saying that for awhile now and could tell you weren't getting any bigger so I figured it wasn't true." Oh man. I'm wondering how many people at my church think I'm pregnant. Now I'm going to be self conscious about wearing fitted shirts when I'm having a fat day (usually the times when I don't wear a fitted shirt, but still...).

When I told Ella later that mommy didn't have a baby in her belly, she started to cry and said "But I really really want one!" It almost made me want to say, "Ok sweetie, we'll have another baby just for you". Almost, but not quite...

Conversations with Ella

The other day I was making hamburgers and Ella was "helping" me. I told her a number of times, don't put your hands in the raw meat. I turned around to do something and when I looked back, of course she had her hands in the raw meat...

Me: Ella, I told you not to do that. Why did you do that?

Ella: The serpent made me do it.

Me: WHAT???

Ella: The evil serpent made me do it.

Oh great. She's already blaming the devil.

(the day before she was making Matt play "sunday school" with her and he was telling her the creation story....)

A few nights ago as we were saying prayers....

Ella: Hey God....(pause)....I love you.

What you can't hear was the sound of my heart melting.

She pushes me to the edge of my sanity pretty much every day but she is so full of love - it was wonderful to hear that expressed towards God rather than Diego or ice cream or pancakes! Here's a picture of her giving some love to her little sister. Not sure how well it is being received.... :)

April Fool's!!

So this is what I saw when I looked out the front door this morning.

















Fun fun fun.....

And this is what I saw when I looked out my back door
















double whammy!!!

(In case you can't see clearly in the picture - a rather large tree has fallen across our backyard.)

On a positive note now we don't have to worry about the tree falling on the kids when they play in the back yard. That was from Matt. I didn't know we were worried about the tree falling on the kids.

Along with I'm sure most of the people in the Mid-Atlantic region, I am pretty desperate for Spring. We've had some glimpses - a few days in the 70's - only to be replaced by two weeks of 40's and 50's all topped off by a rain/snow storm! Perhaps it's time I watch An Inconvenient Truth?

On a side note- Elizabeth's blog (from A Groove Slightly Tranformed) has disappeared! Beth - if you check in here ever, just wanted to know that you're alright.

It's Official...

I now join the ranks of thousands (dare I say, millions...) of women who have gone before me. I am officially a Soccer Mom! I bet you were expecting something a bit different, right? It's just that you hear the description "soccer mom" so often and I have a vision in my head of who that is describing. Today as I took Ella to her first day of a six week soccer camp I realized, oh my goodness, I'm a soccer mom! Now I'm not running a carload of kids to and from games with a stash of gatorade and oranges in the trunk, but I've taken the first step in that journey. Kind of scary. As much as I love soccer I never saw myself as the soccer mom. I always saw myself as the coach. Which, hopefully as the kids get older, I will be. First and most importantly, one or hopefully both of my girls will have to like soccer enough to warrant me being their coach.

Today reality hit when I realized that Ella was not going to step onto the soccer "field" and be transformed into an instant star. I don't think I really thought that would happen, but deep down a little tiny part of me wondered if when she got the chance she would prove to be a natural. Not a natural. At least not at age three! I don't think I was brave enough to play soccer until I was in third grade. Ella has inherited some of my tendencies towards shyness so I was very proud of her for getting out there and not crying (I imagine I would have at age three) and being excited to go back the next week. She was definitely timid and nervous and had a hard time listening and was usually pretty far behind everyone else. I'm sure it was a number of factors - the big truck that was digging and spreading dirt 30 feet away that made Ella nervous, being in a totally new situation with kids she'd never met before, or having two coaches with English accents (who knows, maybe she couldn't understand them!). Even though she may never have the interest in soccer that I did, it's exciting for her to be at the age when she can start to try new things.

As for Catherine, I had to drag her off the field. She wanted to be out there with the rest of them. Maybe she's the natural....hmmm...just a few years till we find out! Just kiddding!!!

Sorry no pictures to post - Ella looked quite cute in her soccer gear but I can't find the camera....bummer.

More to come...

Today was a beautiful Spring day. Sunny and in the 70's. Tomorrow looks to be more of the same. The next day we have an Easter egg hunt and Ella is supposed to start soccer "camp". So of course it will be in the 50's and raining. Go figure. After that it's in the 40's and 50's for the rest of the week and weekend. So today we had to take advantage of the weather and spent the majority of the day outside. We spent the morning at the zoo with some friends and had a picnic lunch there. Then more outside play time at home until Catherine napped. Ella watched a little tv and then was back outside again until dinner time.

Did you catch that Ella is starting soccer? I'm so excited- it's a six week program that meets for one hour each week. I have no idea if she'll like or how she'll do, but I'm glad that she'll have a chance to try it at an early age. Of course I'm hoping she'll love it as much as I do and I'll get to be her coach at some point. This summer, she is also going to do a worship dance mini session with one of her favorite people, my friend Renee. She's always been very interested in dance, despite not being really graceful or anything. There's no chance that I could be a dance teacher, so that's why I'm hoping she'll enjoy soccer as well. I'll keep you posted.

I'm experimenting with uploading videos and then posting them on this site. So bear with me if you end with alot of viewing opportunities that aren't too interesting....until then, some candid pictures of the kids taken by our friend Joe -