Signs of Springtime...

We've had a lot of bird and squirrel activity in our backyard lately....and we've been spotting fat baby robins everywhere! These guys are big...they don't exactly look like babies....but they're chubby and cute and can't fly really well yet...here's hoping the neighborhood kitties give them a break and leave them alone until they figure out what those big wings are for!

Playtime with friends...

E. Stone and Holden came over to play for a bit this morning (well, Holden took a snooze in E's crib...) It was a fun time for little friends! Our E always gets a little confused and tries to call Ethan Stone "Nathan" because she has several friends with that name....she knows what she means, even if the words don't come out quite right!

It always amazes me to look at old photos and see how these babies have changed...

What a blessing we have in our friends!

Paging Dr. E....

...would you like some clothes to go with that stethoscope?

Saturday sweet surprise....

On Saturday, my sweet friend Laura picked up lunch for the two of us from one of my favorite places. Not only did we have a wonderful lunch....we had these monstrously wonderful cupcakes for dessert.....mmmm, not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Friends, fun, food and fellowship...

On Friday night we got together with my college friend KLK and her husband for dinner. It was a fun evening of fun, food and lots and lots and lots of talking! We're all such chatterboxes that our get togethers are always loud and full of laughter. We're all always talking over each other to tell stories, share ideas, remember times past and make new memories! Although our times together are often few and far between, we cherish our moments together!

Mommy, I'm dancing...

When E and I head out to the garage to get in the car to run errands while hubby is at work during the week, there's a empty space in the garage where his car usually sits. Sunlight often streams through our garage windows, making little patches of light on the garage floor. E has claimed these patches of light as her own personal spotlight, and has started "dancing" in the garage before we get in the car to run errands or after we get home. I finally caught her in the act yesterday! This is one of those funny, cute things I never want to forget!

Love that monkey...

My mom babysat E on Valentine's Day so hubby and I could go out to dinner. My dad was working that night, so he didn't get to come along with Mom to see E....he was very bummed, so he sent this balloon along with my mom as a treat for E. (Of course Mom brought a valentine treat bag for E, as well).

E has not stopped talking about this balloon from her Pa (what she calls my Dad...she used to call my parents Ga and Pa, but now mom is Gramma and Pa -- pronounced "puh," has stuck for my dad).

Each morning, she has to say hi to the balloon, and she gets a little worried about it if it's out of her sight for too long. Too funny!

Everything is just duckie...

E has been having fun lining up her ducks on the edge of the tub during bathtime...she has every kind of duck you can imagine....a Christmas duck, a duck dressed up like a cat, several ducks that light up in the water....but these have been her favorites lately....do you recognize them?

She tells me that they are, from left to right...
Mommy...Daddy...baby E...and kitty Victoria!

Grocery shopping fun...

I had such a sweet morning with my girl. After several days of high fevers, an upset stomach and general horrid virus ick for our sweet E, she is feeling much better, and we both HAD to get out of the house this morning. After a quick stop at SuperT*rget to check out the Dollar Spot, we headed to one of our favorite places to get groceries. This place has some amazing deals on produce. Our family is eating so much healthier since I started shopping there, and we're trying fruits and vegetables we normally wouldn't try.

E and I always have a blast strolling through the store, scoping the deals, and E enjoys telling me the names of all of the produce items she sees. After we get home, she always begs me to get "her steps" (a stepstool in our kitchen) so she can help me unload the bags. Today, she helped me put all of our apples into the fruit bowl...and apparently saw that they made great building blocks, too!

She also helped me put our boxes of organic mac n cheese in the pantry...she was so proud to be such a big helper.

I love that sweet girl of mine -- and I am so glad she's feeling so much better!

Happy Valentines Day...

...from our little sweetie!

Friday night family Valentine's fun...

We had a sweet evening together with a

special meal and presents for E...simple, good fun!

Family fun...

E's cousins Bekah and Rachel were in town tonight and came over for pizza, chocolate chip cookies and playtime...what fun! And what a bunch of cuties!

No longer a baby...

...I registered my baby for preschool this morning...she's going to go two days a week in the fall. I know she's going to love it. I'm so excited for her, but my heart is breaking just a little too -- how did she get so big, so fast?!