A little mardi gras?

This is the second time recently that I have needed a few grocery items, stopped in at our neighborhood grocery store, and found free "holiday" balloons leftover from the previous day.

Of course, the girls picked the biggest ones...

And of course, Gloria loves the "Badooos."

A work in progress...

The nightsands!
I am SO thankful and SO fortunate that my Dad was here when they arrived and helped me greatly with the assembly. I was in way over my head...and I really don't like assembling things in the first place! Thanks SO much, Dad!!!

The waitress

At mealtime yesterday, Mariana turns to me and says:

"Mommy, you are like a waitress. You brought our food. You brought the drinks...and the ketchup and mustard. You are like our waitress."

Uh, yeah.
No, most of the time I really enjoy serving my family and the occasional guests we have, even if it means never sitting down for a full meal. However, yesterday was one of those days where I was feeling it...how could she tell?

Ash Wednesday

Turn away from sin and believe in the gospel.

A week!

I cannot believe it has been a week since I posted! What a week!

I was sick last week, then we hosted both our parents for the annual BVCL benefit where we actually bought a table this year...wohoo! It was really nice and we really enjoyed having our families here with us.

My parents stayed the weekend, and we had a very sick Gloria Friday night and Saturday with 102 fever. She was truly pitiful. We were actually glad when she started screaming and ordering us all around again!!!

Then, Saturday my sister and her family were in town touring our local university for my nephew who is currently a senior in high school, and we celebrated my other nephew's birthday which was that same day.

Wow...so here are some photos!


She got on here all by herself and even pedaled half a stroke backwards until her foot wouldn't reach!










Happy Birthday, Jared!

I got my nightstands in and will be working on those for the next couple of weeks too! And Ash Wednesday starts Lent tomorrow....so much to do!!!

Mow

This is one of Gloria's many new words. In particular, this one refers to a kitty. It's so cute! She really has the "ow" sound down and actually enjoys saying it loudly when someone around her gets an ouchie. One of her favorite words is WOW which she says over and over in the car sometimes as she marvels at the scenery passing her by. She is really having a verbal explosion these days. Austin keeps asking me, "Are you writing all of these words down?" (nope! ;-0)

And speaking of explosions...she is up to 14 teeth that have poked through. 2 more I-teeth to go and she will only have her 2 year molars left! In the words of Gloria, "Woooowwww!"

Finished!

I finished the headboard! Actually it has been finished and airing out in the garage for a few weeks now. We just brought it in today. Yay!


I still really wish I had a before picture. I just wasn't thinking about it 3 1/3 years ago when I was 9 months pregnant! This is the best I can do. Picture 4 panels of a similar shape to the inner carvings in this photo and a similar but more swirly carving within all made to look like wood out of a resin-like plastic material.

I pulled those panels off which left a big piece of plywood between the two posts. I sanded the old stain off the posts. That is where it sat for 3 years. I covered the plywood with wainscoat and topped it with a trim piece. Then I stained and varnished the whole thing. Total project cost was under $100. Not bad!



Ta da! Now for some matching nightstands....

Raspberry girl

Gloria has developed a rather strange but very funny habit. A few weeks ago during night prayers she was sitting with me, and finding my leg exposed, planted her little face in it and started blowing very loud, um, "gas"-like raspberry noises. Of course nobody could keep a straight face! I was relieved to find that she had seemingly forgotten about it until a few nights ago. She did a repeat performance, during prayers again. With a warm spell here, she has found my leg bare a few more times and taken advantage of the opportunity. The problem is that the laughter she gets is so encouraging that she keeps doing it! It leaves me with one very wet leg! No photos...sorry. ;-0

Monkey see, monkey do?

That is one adventurous girl...or make that two.

Who is queen?

Contestant A
(who happens to be married to the king of this home...She thought on the day this photo was taken that she would be queen of the home, but recently some competition has arisen)


Contestant B


Contestant C


Contestant D


Currently there is some fierce competition between contestant D and contestant A. Contestants B and C are quite happy with the title "princess." Keep watching to see who will win! ;-)

got milk?

We do! It is Mariana's new inspiration for potty training. She usually asks me for milk to drink about once a week (I used to give it to her every day, but she topped drinking it). I don't buy "her" milk anymore because the rest of us use Soy. But I started buying the little container of strawberry milk and letting her have some after she goes teetee. She is suddenly quite motivated!

fun daddy

Enough said.

funnies

Allia is trying out jokes again and getting better...

Today outside after lunch

Me: Yikes, I feel some sprinkles. I think it is starting to rain.

Allia: (swinging really high) Nope, that was just my drool.

Me: (laughing) Grose, what? No, I think it is really starting to rain.

Allia: (laughing really hard) Mommy, it was a joke!

What we've been up to

We have had lots of little things going on that ultimately amount to me not blogging. For one, I am really trying to finish a project I started just before Mariana was born...almost 3 1/2 years ago! I am revamping and refinishing a headboard for our bed handed down to us from my parents. I took the old one apart and got it all ready for revamping while I was nesting just before Mariana's birth. That is how it sat in our garage until these last few months. Now I am almost done, and I will post pics then. I only wish I had a "before" shot!

Anyway, among other things....

We had a visit from Pawpaw and Manah





And this little munchkin is doing a round of marathon teething again. She is cutting her 4th molar, and it looks like the I-teeth will be following close behind. Yikes! She really likes to keep things interesting around here!





I have also made a commitment to myself to spend my time more wisely, so that amounts to not so much "fun" time blogging and viewing blogs on the computer...at least not until I get my other chores done and spend some good focus time on my precious girls!