Sorry Jared.

Jared is left-handed. And he was gently hoping that one of our kids would join him.

We believe Hannah is right-handed. And...

I think Asher is too. He drew his first picture today.

Sorry Jared, he's a righty.

He had fun.

Not his first time eating them though.

Why do kids like to eat crayons??!!

Once Hannah barfed up pure crayon. It was colorful.

Fun Fact: 7-10% of the world is left-handed.

The Outfit.

She has been wearing this outfit for quite sometime now.

Going on a week I think.

Fairy princesses wear camouflage boots right?

And they wear them backwards too.

Wish Me Luck.

Asher is at that age where I have to work a little harder to keep him alive.

He can walk and climb, but has zero common sense and not the best balance.

Taking my kids to the park used to be relaxing for me. Now it's about keeping Asher from breaking his adorable neck.

I introduced him to the slide. Bad idea. He loves it.

He didn't even hesitate on the first try. Went face first without thinking.

Usually he slides down on his belly, but often he walks off the platform without looking where he's going. He doesn't learn from pain.

He doesn't care if someone is in front of him. He slides right past them.

I'm crossing my fingers Asher makes it through the summer.

We've also been to the beach 3 times in the last week. Keeping Asher from drowning is work too.

You ask why I even leave my house?

Because the park and beach are safer than the trouble he gets into at home.

Wish me luck.

I think this is when my gray hairs will make their debut.

I hope I look good in gray.

Shout Hooray!

Hannah had a birthday. Her third of many to come.

She had a Rainbow Party at the park with her friends. There was treasure hunts, cupcakes, presents, a little face painting, and fun.

A 3 year old's dream day.

Hannah was on present overload. She was given so much from her friends. Books, shoes, backpack, hair bows, lion, soccer ball, bubbles, coloring books, games, and more.

And we got her too much.

A camera, piggy bank and change, magnifying glass, squirt guns, and dirt, pot, and seeds. (I made up for last year. I did nothing for her. Nothing. Sorry Hannah. I was tired. Just had a baby. You'll understand someday.)

Happy Birthday Hannah girl.

We love your 3 year old guts!

Special Thanks to all her friends who came to celebrate. And super-special thanks to Jenny for making the cute cupcakes come true. It was fun making them.

Definition of a "Pre-Bath".

Pre-Bath:

-noun

When you are so dirty you have to take a bath in the kitchen sink before you can take a bath in the tub.

(He had chili and beans crusted to his body)

He gets like 3 pre-baths a week. He's that good at eating.

Proof I Love My Kids.

Dear Kids,

Taking you places is colossal-monstrous effort.

But...

(Where's Asher?)

We do it because we love your guts to pieces, bits, and molecules.

(We took the kids to MSI and the Field Museum. It was so fun!)

There's A Little Geek In Everyone.

I am a rock collector.

There. I said it.

(Hannah loves rocks too. Wonder where she gets it from?)

It started as early as 3 years old (maybe sooner). It was a passion that never went away. It just grew and got more awesome as time went on.

Oh how I love a pretty rock.

My hobby has even gotten me into trouble...

When I was 4 years old I collected rocks from from the ground at the Petrified Forest National Park (fyi- very illegal). A cop pulled us over because someone saw me do it. I remember being very scared and very upset that a cop took away my tiny 3 pebbles I had carefully selected from the millions on the ground.

But sometimes really cool things happen...

At Colossal Caves a weird old man approached me in the rock store and took me to the basement (a mother's nightmare, I was 7). While there he packed up a box full of cool rocks for me to take home for free. His name was Don Kieffer. He was really nice and we became pen pals for a few years.

I started collecting rocks almost 30 years ago and I still get a thrill when looking at them.

I have many many many different kinds of rocks. Some cheap. Some I paid good money for. But silly ol' Peacock Ore has been my favorite since this ridiculous adventure began.

Remember my Gem-o-Rama treasure hunt?

Yes indeed. Geek at heart.

Thank Goodness For Curly Hair.

I think Heaven gave my kids curly hair...

...to help me through these moments.

Because it really does help.

Picture of The Month - May

When kids get up too early...

Veggie Tales comes over to babysit.

This happens every morning recently.

At 6 am, I kind of miss winter... but not really.