Happy 60th Mom!

Yesterday was my mom' s 60th birthday!  Happy Birthday Mom! I started typing this yesterday, but I didn't get to finish it. 


 Since the day I was born I have loved my mom so much. I cried everyday before school when I was little. I only did that, because I wanted to stay at home with my mom. We have always been really close, and we still are to this day. I talk to her two or three times a day on the phone. She is one of the first people I talk to in the morning.  I hope Ella and I stay as close as my mom and I have over the years. 

My mom is a great example of what a mother should be. She has always been by my side and stood up for me. She is caring, loving, and supportive. She would drop everything if I needed her. She has a great set of morals and values and tried to teach us the same. Not only is she a great mother, but she is also a great mammy. I have always wanted Ella to be close with my mom (and dad), because I am so close with them. 


This past weekend we had a surprise party for her!

We have been planning this since January. It has been a really hard secret to keep. I had to tell her a few lies, and I hate to do that. It was all worth it in the end, because she had no clue we were doing this for her. 


My dad blindfolded her and told her they were going out for a surprise birthday dinner. She actually thought that was really what they were doing. Family and friends were waiting for her at Kipplee's party house to surprise her. I was only able to get one picture of her coming in, because I was a nervous wreck. 

 My mom cried, but she did so much better than I thought she would. She was definitely pleasantly surprised. With the exception of a few people, everyone that was invited came to celebrate!

Ella insisted my mom open gifts right away.  I think it was actually Ella opening, and my mom watching. 

 These two girls love a good party. We had a fun time trying to get their little fingers out of the cake. 

My dad deserves all the credit, because this was his idea!!

Notice the bottom right corner of the cake. I wonder who could have done that!? 

It was a great party and such a fun way to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday. I know it meant so much to her to celebrate with family and friends.  

Little Friends

Terry brought Autumn over to play yesterday. They had the best time together. I absolutely love watching them play together and listening to their conversation. They are so cute together. 

At one point Autumn looked at Ella and said, "Ella, I love coming over to your house to play." Listening to her say that in her little voice is probably the cutest thing I have ever heard. They both just melt my heart. 

This pictures makes me fast forward to their teenage years. I think we are in for it one day. :) 

Weekend randoms

Friday started out with a trip to the podiatrist for me. After I ran on Thursday my big toe was bleeding due to the gross toenail I have been dealing with for YEARS! I couldn't take it anymore so I called and made an appointment for the following day to have it taken off. He took one look at it and told me it needed to be removed permanently. Great! It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. When he first started I could feel a little bit of pain, and I about came out of the chair. After a little more numbing medicine I was good to go. He told me it would be sore, but it hasn't hurt at all. It actually feels better with the toenail off. I haven't been able to run or work out this weekend, and that part is bothering me. I'll be back at it soon though! 

Speaking of running I got some new running shoes in the mail on Friday. I have loved my asics, but my feet are starting to hurt. I wanted to try Brooks, because I hear they are great running shoes. I am not sure if I like them or not. I haven't been able to run in them, but they definitely feel different than any other athletic shoe I have ever owned.  Any runners out there that might happen to read this I am wondering your advice on Brooks vs. Asics? I can't decide if I am going to send them back or not. 

Saturday we didn't do a whole lot. Ella said that she wanted to go to the playground. While Adam took my car to get new tires (YAY!) I took Ella to the playground. It was a little colder than anticipated, but she still had fun. 

Ella took a great nap on Saturday. While she napped I went to Kohl's and got a car wash. I love having a clean car, but I know it's not going to last long. I found a nice Melissa and Doug toy at Kohl's for Ella. It teaches matching and colors. She is pretty good at both, but I knew she would still like it.  She loved waking up from nap to a "surprise". She loves surprises!

Saturday night we stayed home, and I made dinner. I tried out a new recipe, three cheese pasta bake. I thought it was good, but Adam said it was way too rich. It was definitely NOT healthy at all. In fact, I think I gained about five pounds from the portion I ate. I thought it was pretty tasty, but I may not make it again since it is so fattening!! 

Ella got the biggest kick out of Adam on Saturday night. I think it was the hardest I have ever heard her laugh. Luckily, I was able to get a video. 

Sunday I cleaned a little and went to the store. Adam power washed the garage and started on our fence. It was a nice, quiet weekend just how I like them!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is my least favorite holiday of the whole year. I have never been a fan of valentine's day and probably never will be. I can't really pin point my exact reason for disliking it so much, but I do! I was at Schnuck's yesterday doing some grocery shopping and noticed a dozen roses was $30. They are usually around $10. How ridiculous is that!? Adam and I don't even really acknowledge Valentine's day.  He did give me a combined anniversary/valentine's gift this year which was very nice. 

We were supposed to get snow last night, but low and behold mother nature did not cooperate. I wanted one good snow this winter, but it's not looking promising.  There was a little snow on the ground this morning so Ella and I went out to play in it for a little bit. I wanted to try to get one good picture of her to commemorate her third Valentine's Day, but she was not having it. This is the only picture she would allow me to take. Lol:) 

I tried something new with Ella today. When I used to work at the daycare in college the kids played with shaving cream all the time and loved it. It was not my favorite thing to do (it was so messy), but it was fun to watch the kids lather themselves in it. I bought some at the store yesterday just in case we were stuck in the house today. It kept Ella occupied for about 10-15 minutes. She isn't a fan of getting really messy. I can't say I blame her. 

Tonight Adam and I waited until Ella went to bed to eat dinner so we could have a quiet dinner for Valentine's Day. Our dinners are anything but quiet anymore. Every time I sit down to get ready to take my first bite Ella tells me she has to pee. It never fails! We just wanted to sit and enjoy our food, and that is what we did. 

I made baked ziti, salad,  and red velvet crinkle cookies. It was really yummy. The cookies are so addicting I am thinking about throwing them out just so I don't eat anymore. I wish I didn't love food as much as I do! 

We had a nice, quiet Valentine's Day. Even though I dislike Valentine's Day I'm glad I have Adam, Ella, and the boys to share it with. 

Weekend fun

I can describe this weekend in one word....COLD! It was freezing. I was dumb enough to sign up for a 5K in the winter. I hoped and prayed that the weather would stay mild, but mother nature did not cooperate. 

Saturday morning when I woke up it was 19 degrees and windy. I decided to suck it up and get the run over with. I honestly thought it wouldn't be that bad. The run was out at the USI campus. Besides the cold, it was fun to be back on campus. I miss USI so much so I did a little reminiscing as I was running. 

I have to admit I did think about quitting about two minutes into the run. I don't think I have ever been so cold in all my life. My face was numb, and my nose was running like a faucet. It was not pretty. I even had to stop for a little bit, because it was hard to breath. Towards the middle I started to thaw out, and it got a little easier. Needless to say I won't be doing anymore winter runs! 

Adam's picture taking skills were not at their best this weekend due to the fact his fingers were probably frozen. Most of my pictures were out of focus. I'll let it slide this time Adam! :) 

 Two crazy runners!! 

I am so proud of the fact I have improved my time by four minutes since my first 5K! 

Saturday night I offered to watch Autumn so the girls could play together, and Penny could have some time alone. Now that the girls are getting older it's much easier to watch them both by myself. They have the best time together. There was lots of laughing and screaming. I have a feeling we will be doing this a lot more in the future!

Brody's birthday and CMOE

I want to start by wishing Brody a very Happy Birthday! He is 5 today. He has spent most of his day sleeping. Typical Brody. 

Brody is such a sweet dog and so independent. He has never required a lot of attention. He is the best sleeping buddy you could ever ask for. He does tend to bark and howl (more like a scream) during the night, which drives us absolutely nuts. We love him anyway, and we are glad he is a part of our family:) 

This morning Ella and I met Terry and Autumn at CMOE. Ella hadn't been in awhile. I found it interesting to see how well she played there compared to last time. I didn't think I was ever going to get her away from the wet deck. All it is is balls and water. Those are two of her favorite things. Ella and Autumn had a good time playing together. They got crazy after we had been there awhile and started running around screaming. I think that is their favorite thing to do together!!

On the way home Ella said she had fun with Autumn so I'd say it was a successful trip to CMOE!