Day #1

Here's a few pics of what's been goin' on in NC ~
Marley LOVES the sidewalks in Moms subdivision...she wants to walk constantly and she's peed all over the neighborhood! Mom and her girlfriend Chris threw a Easter Party for the kids yesterday afternoon.

They had lots of fun with it. They had an egg hunt, a pinata and an egg race (in which the eggs were uncooked!). I don't know who won the actual race but I can tell you Sam was the only one who didn't break his egg.

After the Easter Party, we all lazed around the house. Actually behind it on the patio. It was absolutely GORGEOUS and we soaked in the sun. It felt glorious!

Then we headed to Lincolnton to Steve's house. We had a great visit with Carolina waiting for Dad and Anne to arrive and once they did we took pics and...

got BarBQ King...mmmmmmm.

Sam stayed at Steve's house when we headed back to Mom and James' for the night.

Today we plan on going to Concord Mills Mall and possibly catching a movie...the forecast is calling for rain, but I'm not buying it ~ it's GORGEOUS out again right now.

Carolina on my Mind

Well, we have arrived safely...and it's GORGEOUS! There are leaves on the trees and the grass is SO GREEN! No pics yet, I''ll update again later with those. Just wanted to let you all know we made it! Maggie talked incessantly from the time we hit NC to the time we hit Mom's front door, Liam ate an entire 1lb bag of licorice stealthily in the back of the van...but other than those small annoyances it was fairly uneventful. Marley did very well on the trip. At one point I looked back at her sitting on Sam's lap and I promise you she was grinning. Big toothy grin...she's ecstatic to have not beeb left behind. I'll keep ya posted! Love to all!

That's IT!!!

Ok ~ I've had it ! It is snowing and I have to go NOW!!! This is WHY I have to leave Ohio every spring for a few days! The drive is completely wet and freexing as you read...I don't see how the kids won't be on a 2 hr delay tomorrow morning! Sam says Michigan State are Losers...

Maggie says...Moms taking my picture Dad!! She also told me Sunday morning that she wished she could just sleep until Wednesday...

WE LOVE YOU ALL ~ 2 MORE DAYS!!

Palm Sunday ~ Children's Church

Prior to church this morning Liam and Maggie stepped outside to practice baseball for a few minutes...when I looked out I saw my princess winding up in a flower girl dress... Kind of cracked me up anyway.
So, after our lesson in which the children and I discussed palm Sunday and how easy it is to praise Jesus one day and figuratively speaking throw him under the bus the next day :( we moved on to craft...this week they made bookmarks to use in their Bibles.
Here's Maggie...

...and Sam and Mason (and Josh and Austin)...

...and of course Liam.

After craft we all headed outside to hunt for Easter Eggs!!

I'm thinkin' this was their favorite part!

We are counting down the days! We have ball Monday and Tuesday night and Liam has a spring concert Tuesday. In the nidst of that, I will be cleaning and packing. We only have 3 more days!!!

Sorry I'm Such a Slacker!

Well, the BIG news is that road crews came out 2 days ago and smoothed out our road. Doesn't seem like it should be a big deal, huh? Well, if you've ever been to our house you KNOW...we are always delighted to see the township guys come out. Literally, the last time they came out and fixed the miserable compilation of ruts and potholes we call a "road" was when Dad and Anne were here in September. It was REAL bad... it's all better now :)...but it won't last long. In the spring all the rain ruts it up double quick!

I know some kids who are almost (but not quite) as excited as their parents to come to NC!! We've actually gotten pretty busy again, so I'll tell you what's goin on with whom...

Sam ~

Sam is doing very well...so well in fact that he was on Merit Roll (All A's and B's) in the 3rd grading period. Don't get me wrong, I STILL think he's completely capable of Honor Roll (straight A's), but Sam and I have travelled a long hard path when it comes to school and how important it is to me (and how not important it's been to him)...many of you have commiserated with me through the years, so you'll understand when I say, "I was absolutely THRILLED!!" I made a big fuss and a peanut butter milkshake (at his request). He has also started baseball. I have to admit, I go as much to socialize as to see him play, so you'll have to trust Jon and Katie's word that he's doing well so far. He's batting well and it seems he will likely play first base due to his height. For those of you who have not seen him in awhile, his tennis shoes and cleats are size 12 ~ yes, you read that right! A flipping size 12!!! Sam has been playing basketball a lot in his free time to practice for a March Madness tournament they've had going in fitness...they lost their game today, which was a bummer, but he did really enjoy it while it lasted.


Liam ~

He's still wild and crazy, what can I say? He is reading at a 3.3 now (3rd month of 3rd grade) which is excellent for him!!! We are so proud of how hard he's worked, I do believe reading has finally clicked for him. I don't think he'll ever LOVE to read like Maggie, but he is doing it well for his age/grade and that's all I ask of him. He, too, is playing baseball again (of course). I'm a little worried about his team. Last year he moved from t-ball to coach pitch a year early for his age...this year, technically he's a first year coach pitch player...or I'd ask them to move him up again. His coach is the high school principal, who seems like a very nice guy. The problem is that 75% of the boys on that team don't appear to know a baseball from a cantaloupe... Honestly, after watching one practice I've decided those boys are either going to improve QUICKLY, or they're going to get hurt playing with Liam. He's still quick and accurate and I wish desperately that we could afford to put him on a travel team. Maybe someday...

Maggie ~

What can I say about Maggie? She is, of course, doing well in school. She is, of course, playing softball badly :)! She's so funny and such a girl! Her coach is practicing with tennis balls right now (good thing) to break the girls of fear of the ball. At the first practice Maggie got smacked square in the forhead with the ball. She didn't cry about it until I laughed at her on the way home though. Her favorite thing to do right now is READ. She is her mother's daughter through and through! She's currently into the Magic TreeHouse Series. We've been discussing getting her a booster seat. Much to her chagrin she still is in her infant seat (she's been 38 lbs for 2 years!) Yesterday I found out that Ohio passed a law that she will have to stay in the booster until she's 80 lbs or 8 years old...I guess it'll be til she's 8 as she's likely to not weigh 80 lbs until she is in high school!






I am still working out everyday...using my pedometer to ensure at least 10,000 steps per day. I will say, while I'm still faithful to it, I've started changing a couple things out of sheer boredom. The routine is getting OLD! This week I scrapped the cruches and started doing pilates moves that focus on the core in their place. I'm tired of doing 500 crunches every stinkin' day! The pilates this week have helped a little to make it fresh. I'm kind of looking forward to the break while we're on vacation. I still plan on getting 10,000 steps a day, but it won't be routine.

Jon only has one more month at Chase ~ I think he's excited. He really hates working for Chase...everyone pray with me that he finds a new job that he ENJOYS!!

The only other news we have right now is a new neighbor...

Maggie is very taken with him. We love you all! 5 MORE DAYS!!