Made me smile today 2016

January 2

I really started the day in a great mood, so happy and patient with the kids

I got a chance to read before everyone else woke up

I spent some time just with Lexa talking and trying to teach her how to do a cartwheel

Got a good workout done

Baby hugh smiling so sweetly 

Nice to have Patrick home on the weekend

Patrick unpacked four boxes in the computer room today! Woohoo!

Made my favorite soup

Got to relax and watch a movie with Patrick tonight with a little baby sleeping on my chest 

January 4

Back to routine with kids back to school

Hip hop dance routine workout was fun 

Playing with Will outside, him saying " Wee-hoo" as I pushed him on the swing

Finally cooks dinner again- made buffalo chicken

Started reading Anne of Green Gables to Lexa. I loved those books.

hugh loves to smile and coo at us. Such a sweet, happy baby!

I took a nap!

May 10

Will made a trailer out of his wagon hooking it up to his ride on construction vehicle.

Timmy asked me to sit in while he took a bath and talked to me nonstop.

Sitting out on the front porch after dinner.

Finally working out again after lots of stops and starts

Timmy brought home a paper saying he's one of the top 25 readers at his school and he gets a special water day. So proud!

I was strong and said no to shows 100 times to will today and yesterday, and got him to turn it off as soon as I finished my workout. 

Will walked into the room wearing a Santa hat, some necklaces and a scarf tied around his waist and said he had his Halloween costume all ready.

Timmy thought that was funny when I told him.

Will pushes the button on Hugh's toy and it says, let's play together, then plays a song. Will keeps pushing it and asking me to dance with him. " raise your leg like this, mommy, now jump! Turn around like me!

Will and Hugh napped at the same time the last 2 afternoons. It was so quiet and peaceful..

I won some olive oil spray at the parent meeting for the kids after school get fit program

I've really been enjoying reading to will. He's really getting into books now.

Hugh gave Patrick the most mischievous, impish grin when I picked him up. It was so funny.

Hugh is so cute as he learns to crawl

He bounces when he sits like he's Erving to go

Will and Lexa make him laugh all the time

He almost always stops crying in the car when I turn on music

I gave him his first food- sweet potatoes. He loved it! 

He's been less fussy now that his tooth has come in

May 15

Looking through old pictures of Sara and I. There are some funny ones!

Starting to get caught up on pictures and maybe even prints and the blog soon..

Listening to Will. He's such a talker!

Listening to Timmy talk to me at dinner about his iPad water game strategy.

Trying Lexa's Sprite/berry/lemon cupcake creation.

Hearing Hugh squeal when Will is being silly crazy

When Hugh calms down when I hold him

Watching Sherlock

Hearing the thunderstorm outside 

How Timmy likes all different kinds of music 

Yoga at the library with mint friends felt so good

This quiet time at night to read a little bit

The cool rainy day

Only 4 more days of school and waking up super early!

May 17

Listening to sorta awesome podcast

Watching will and Lexa play at the disembark. So engaged!

Lexa was so into the spy academy there, she couldn't stop talking about it when we got home.

Will dressed as a private eye.

Hugh played with other babies. Baby cuteness overload!

Will loved playing at the play "airplane port" with his suitcase and then getting on the train(trolley)

Getting to see Patrick this afternoon, even though he was sick.

Hugh is already pulling up to standing on things.

Lexa's science fair project

Looking at all the kids' science fair projects. They were really neat.

May 17

Will put on his own pants! I turned around, and there he was with his pants on!!

Hugh seems to be coming down with a cold and has the sweetest most pitiful hoarse voice when he coos and cries

My mom is back home from the hospital and feeling good.

Working on Timmy's science fair project with him.

Hugh is pulling up to standing

Hugh likes to look at the cats through the sliding glass door window.

Hugh makes crazy excited growls noises.

Will loves to play fireman. He wears his hat, and loves to pretend things, especially the vacuum cleaner are hoses.

Patrick seems to be feeling better 

I made some good chicken with cilantro avocado sauce for dinner 

I put a raspberry hibiscus tea bag in my water and it was so nice

May 20

It was a good day. I did some chores, exersized andkept the kids from watching tv all day and spent some quality time with them, they're first day home for summer.

Playing dragon cave with Timmt and will when he came into my bed this morning. He still likes to play that.

Sitting on the patio eating breakfast talking to Timmy about dragons

I made them watch educational shows while I picked up

Will and Lexa wanted to do my workout with me.-

Lexa did kids yoga after I finished too.

Timmy made a "bio dome" 

Lexa wanted to get out the keyboard and her old music lesson pages and practice

I read to Timmy while will napped

Lexa was so excited about her and Timmy's plans to play mission together in the morning. He made sure she had her costume ready and he wanted her to sleep in his room.

I got to do some reading in the evening and night.

I love cuddling my little boys at night.

May 21

Timmy still likes to play dress up. He got up and came out wearing a dragon ninja costume with horns, a dragon hat and a cloak

Patrick woke up and Hugh napped while I worked out. It was so peaceful.

I finished my latest YouTube 30 day yoga challenge. Excited to start the next one.

Listened to the so awesome podcast. I really enjoy that. This was their summer inspired episode. I now want to paint my toenails, make the kids Popsicles, grilled Cajun burgers, drink summer cocktails, but myself some summery skirts and toast some snores!

Journaling some stuff about the kids lately. Writing it down seems to make me happy.

Lexa and Will playing baby together. It's nice to see them getting along.

Tickling Hugh to hear him laugh. It the best sound.

Watching him crawling all over the place.

The way he bounces as he sits when he gets excited.

Will getting him bouncing excited and laughing.

The way he always has big grins when he sees his daddy.

Reading books to Will before his nap. He loves to cuddle up with me to read. It's the best, best, best.

Hugging each of my kids when I asked them if they were hungry for dinner.

Surprising them with cupcakes

Avocado on my burgers

The white fallow deer that comes to our yard had some new beautiful soft furry horns when he came this evening.

Hearing birds chirping even when we're inside.

The cows were out in the neighboring feild today.

How Will loves his Mr. Porky shirt that he won.

Lexa wanted me to look through her old artwork with her.

May 23

Timmy and Will helped me plant my potted succulents. They gathered rocks for them too.

I picked up the living. It's nice in there and I feel productive.

Game of thrones with Patrick!

Timmy saw his friend in the dr office waiting room. He was happy to see him , and he was so nice, showing and telling his friend about the book. 

Listening to weird science blow your mind show in the car with Timmy. I love how interested he is in science.

Felt better when a got moving and fit my work out in

Will wanted to play badminton with Patrick when he got home from work, and Patrick told him he had to find the birdies first. After looking all around the house, Will came back to him and said, "I hear the birdies. They say tweet, tweet, but I can't find them."

Sitting out on the front porch with Hugh while Lexa and Will played with Patrick.

May 24

How all the children live Hugh. They're crazy about him.

Having a chance to read this morning

How they're all feeling better from strep throat and ear infections

How I haven't gotten sick from them

Being " interviewed" by Lexa with her toy microphone and making up silly answers to her questions

Keeping up with the dishes without my beloved dishwasher

Started a new yoga video series. Stretching felt great

Sleeping until 9:30 before they woke me up!!

Having lots of energy. I was actually bouncing and dancing around at one point.

How Hugh smiles at his daddy when he sees him

How Will asks questions about his books as I read them to him

Will singing

Will telling me he wants a big tummy like mine..

Will going to bed early

Will randomly used the potty on his own today

Timmy asking me to read "The Book With No Pictures", and how he and Lexa think its so funny to have me read that

Lexa dressed in her mermaid dress with purse and sunglasses on

Will and Lexa playing hide and seek together 

Feeding the kids waffles from the freezer for dinner instead of cooking

Patrick brought me roses and Italian food for our anniversary. ( I had forgotten!) he said he'd scored one for husbands everywhere. 

May 25

I resisted getting fast food for lunch while we were in town. 

How will pronounces things. He still has that adorable 3 year old way of talking, Amimal

Lexa wanted to put on a talent show with Will and Timmy and spent all afternoon looking forward to and planning it.

Hugh bangs on the table when he's excited and wants to communicate with us I think. He did it last night when he was interested in Patrick's food and today watching Will play with his trucks.

Will ran in and told me he wants to be a lion for Halloween. 

Singing karaoke and dancing with the kids this evening

My mom bought us memberships to the Witte museum in San Antonio. I can't wait to take the kids.

Patrick says he and Timmy have some summer fun all planned out for us. I wonder what it is. 

May 26

Looking at beautiful photos from our mountain vacation last summer

Quest for dinner

Letting Timmy sleep in my bed

Timmy decided to play Venn Diagram

Giving the kids Popsicles and later hot cocoa

All the kids are in my bed. Why are all the kids in my bed?

Reading in bed

September 18

I was productive, I cleared out the laundry room and got through most of the mountain of dishes

Talking with Timmy about the story he wrote at school, what he likes to draw- different types of monsters, how school is going

When Hugh laughs at everything

Hugh loves being pushed around on the riding toys, he gets the hugest grin on his face. 

Having grunt conversations with Hugh. He says, "ugh", I say, "ah," he says "I'm" 

Quiet time in the afternoon when everyone was napping but me, in my chair, cuddling Hugh on my chest

Hugs from Will

Will and Timmy making up songs. Will dancing as he sang.

Jalapeño poppers. I love those things. Eating those and "pink dip" and watching the Aggies win at football.

Seeing the elaborate house Timmy built with the magnatile blocks.

Watching Will play with a little boy during Lexa's cheerleading. He's already being a good friend.

Watching a few episodes of Burn Notice. I really enjoy that show even though this is our second time watching it. I always like spy shows it seems.

I enjoyed my clean car. I carried a bag of trash, a pile of laundry, several cups, and three or four bags of toys out of it the other day. It's so much better. I can even open the doors without random things falling out of it!

Patrick appreciating the work I did in the laundry room.

And him finally taking the trash away, it was piling up.

Reading wickipedia about barracudas to Timmy and later talking to him about parasites.

September 19

Reading

Being goofy and making Hugh giggle

Watching will play

Seeing Patrick after work

Patrick reading to the kids. He's reading them one of his favorites, The Wheel of Time.

Getting cleaned up kitchen before bed achieved. So much better to wake up to!

Talking to Timmy and Lexa at dinner about what they want to be for Halloween and book character parade, so I can start getting their costumes together.

Sept 20

Yoga was relaxing

Sipping my afternoon coffee

Cuddling with Hugh

Lexa reading to Will

Will laughing at the funny parts of the stories

Will helping me to fetch things, put things back in the refrigerator, saying thank you

September 28

I was reading a book to Will and the character in the story said, "my mommy cooks me good meals.", and Will said, "you do that too, Mommy."

Listening to podcasts in the car

Got the shopping done

Hugh standing on a box of diapers, happy as can be

Lexa wanting to buy books for Timmy and Will

Lexa making me coffee

How happy Lexa was that I'd gotten her the pickles and pickled okra she's requested

And then her happy whoop when I said I was making tacos

When Timmy's migraine was better and he came out and ate dinner and willingly did his math homework

Timmy laying in the chair wanting to tell me about a creature he'd made up

Getting Will to bed early

Texting Mom and Sara. I love how we've had these text conversations going this week. It great to be closer in touch and share with them.

A little while to read in bed, in the quiet

October 2

I got myself to be productive- laundry and kitchen clean up

Hugh smile up at me in my lap  tonight

Cinnamon tea with cream I'm drinking

Lexa loves to make her own pizza

It was fun to play around with altering a dress for Sara's wedding.

Will is finally learning his colors

Lexa was so nice and helpful this morning

Timmy talking to me while I put away his clothes in his room

Timmy talking through the wall from the bathtub to me

How Timmy loves to cuddle his cat

Will agreeing to take a nap

Will and Lexa enthusiastically helping me sort clothes.

Looking down to see that Hugh had climbed into the laundry basket

How Will loves to hold "light bear" when he goes to bed

Collecting plants with Will to make "soup"

Going back to sleep when Patricj got up!

October 3

Working out felt good to stretch and move

Will wanting to go for a walk today

Finally got things back into the laundry room

Quiet while both high and will napped

We didn't get lost on our walk through the ranch

Playing spot it card game with Will. He was pretty good at spotting the matches.

Will helping me when I ask him to put things away

Hugh stomping around when I was doing jumping jacks in my workout like he's trying to do it too

Hugh going over to his high chair when he saw Will and I sitting down to eat lunch, waiting to be lifted up into it.

I think I heard "Mama" a few times from him today

Hugh fell asleep in his high chair after eating lunch

How Will likes to pretend the living room chair is his pirate ship

Talking to Lexa and Timmy at dinner.

Timmy wants to plant a milkweed garden on our roof for monarch butterflies.