Mia Magoo is ONE!

Well, to say that I am behind on blogging would be an understatement.  Hard to know where to start.  But then I found this picture of Joe with a mustache and decided to start there.  Happy Birthday Amelia/Magoo/Goobers/Mia :).

Joe wants you to think this mustache is real.  (It's not)

Worst birthday present ever

May 22nd arrived out of nowhere this year! We were focusing on all the end of school activities for Carter & Ellie and our visiting cousins and all of Carter's baseball games and then it was suddenly my birthday. We had plans to hang out with my family, but I had this nagging urge to get to the doctor first about a skin issue I had been having. I suspected it was a heat rash, but better safe then sorry. Off I went to the dermatologist with all 3 kids in tow. Turns out it wasn't a heat rash. I have shingles. They tell me I shouldn't be around pregnant women or babies. I should have laughed at them (considering my 7 month old solely nurses and never leaves my arms), but I chose to cry instead. It hasn't been terrible, probably since Joe has stayed home to help, but it hasn't been pleasant either. I have these patches that itch and hurt like crazy all at the same time and ALL the time. And apparently shingles is mostly an old person disease. Happy birthday to me.

Last day of school!!

Nine months ago I was so nervous about Carter starting public school. The only way I could have handled it was by knowing that Carter had the best teacher in the whole wide world. Seriously, Ms. Bowen is amazing. She is patient and encouraging and so darn happy all the time! I was one of the room Mom's and Ms. Bowen let me bring both my girls with me every time I volunteered in the classroom. Ellie became a little honorary 1st grader and the kids loved her to pieces. The feeling was mutual :). I loved reading and planning their parties and being there for field day, assemblies and lunches. One little girl paid me the sweetest compliment when she said that I was the Mom who had been there the very most. On the flip side that probably means I am the most over-bearing and controlling...

Our new pet

The horse down the road had a baby.  We call her Browner, the kids think she is probably related to Brownie- a horse who lives by our old church building.  They LOVED seeing Brownie every Sunday and when she wasn't there we would imagine she was on vacation is some exciting locale.  Now we love to see Browner and will often go out of our way to drive by her.  We stopped by the other day and she sat right in front of us so we could take pictures, what a well behaved pet we have.  Wow, we are wierd.

Locks of Love

Ellie has always loved having long hair and has been ADAMANT about not having it cut.  But she is also ADAMANT about not having it brushed.  Finally she decided the hair had to go.  This was not easy for me!  I love her pretty waterfall hair.  But, it had to happen.  We talked all about people who are sick in the hospital and lose their hair.  She loved the idea of giving them her hair, so off to the little girl beauty parlor we went.  She was so casual about the whole thing.  I was trying to not cry and she was smiling and watching Tangled.  She was adorable before, she is adorable now.  And we are learning about helping others.  It's a win-win.

Don't tell Ellie, but as I am writing this post and looking at these pictures- I MISS HER LONG HAIR!!

Color Run

I have not posted in a long time.  I can tell it has been too long because blogspot has TOTALLY changed it's format since I was here last!  I'll try to figure this out as I go...

I am trying to be a runner again.  Emphasis on trying.  My friend found a super fun 5K race called the Color Run, and if they come to a city near you I would highly recommend you do it!  You show up in a white shirt and at every kilometer they have a bunch of volunteers throwing different colors at you.  Fun, right?!  Then it got even better, Carter & Ellie joined me in the mosh pit of people at the end and everyone threw color up in the air.  Major party, major color explosion, major fun.  I love that my kids really get into things :).  And as you leave they have souped up leaf blowers that blow all the loose color off of you so you don't get your car too colorful on the ride home.  This was Ellie's least favorite part NOT because it was loud or scary, but because they blew most of her purple color off (her favorite).  We'll be there next year- same time, same place.

I can do this...ish.

What a glorious day this is turning out to be! My house is immaculately clean, my floors are all shiny and I don't have to be emberassed if someone comes by and needs to use my bathroom! It's almost 10 am and all three kids are dressed and fed, Amelia is fast asleep in her swing and all I hear is the soft humming noise of the computer! I can totally handle 3 kids. I am amazing. This is probably the appropriate time to mention that the cleaners just came. Hence the clean house. And Carter and Ellie are at church with Joe. Who is doing my calling for me (he is the best substitute primary chorister EVER. I think they secretly prefer him to me). So basically all I did was get Amelia to sleep. I'll take it! Someday I will be able to do all those other things too. I think.And yes, I have my Christmas tree up. It's been up since the first of November. Give me all the slack you want but we are going to celebrate this, the second most important holiday of the year, as long as we can. And, we might put our tree up again for Easter.