Eleven months and a Puppy.

Seriously? Eleven months old? How is that possible? Sure, if I took the year DAY BY DAY ... it seems to have taken forever to get to this point ... but if I just glance back ... the months have flown off the calendar.

Audrey Elizabeth is the world's fastest crawler. I thought Eli was speedy ... but this one ... she would have lapped him. Audrey is into EVERYTHING and really loves to explore on her own. I have often "lost" her in the house ... only to discover her in the pantry ... pulling out all the potatoes or rolling water bottles under the piano. Audrey loves her big brothers and thinks just about anything they do is comic material. So ... we've implemented a no talking/laughing/blinking policy with the boys at the dinner table to see if that helps keep her giggles and screams under control. I don't have high hopes.

But holy smokes ... 11 months old. That means I need to get cracking on a BIRTHDAY PARTY!! Woo-hoo! Let there be pink! And polka dots! And cupcakes!

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And in other news ... we caved. Call us crazy but Eli has been begging us for a puppy. And life isn't crazy enough with 3 under 5 ... so why not add to the insanity.

Allow me to present ... Harley.

He requires very little care. No walks. He grooming. No fetching. No shedding.

He is THE PERFECT PET!

When Eli saw him, he screamed, "HARLEY! You've come back to us. I've missed you for so long!" (We used to have an actual non-cardboard version of Harley when we were first married and found him a new home several months after E arrived in the world).

Live it up boys! Harley is as real of a puppy as you'll be seeing around these parts ... for a LONG time!!

EIGHT.

Easter Sunday, 2011.

Eight years.
I think we're getting old. Well, at least Ben is. He hit the "mid-thirties" mark this week. I still have another year before that happens. Not that it matters ... I swear there are new wrinkles arriving daily. And I'm going gray. Nice. Not even 35 and I'm going gray.
For better or for worse, right? It's not as though I actually recall my "real" hair color ... I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it since I was a senior in high school. So ... the gray will get covered. As for the wrinkles, I think those will just have to stay.
God has blessed us immensely. Beyond our wildest dreams. We have been pruned and shaped over these past eight years and I am actually delighted that when I look back, I see only glimpses of who we once were. The years have greatly benefited our relationship. Years ago, there were things that used to "rock our world" ... and those same things just seem to flutter by today. We have new things that come up ... but we are gaining new skills to figure those things out. Kind of cool how it all works.
Love you, Benjamin. And these three little crazies that we have been given ... love them too.
Happy Anniversary!

Mr. Andy and 2.0 Breeze.

A few weeks ago (or maybe a month ago) ... our favorite Mr. Andy came to town. We love Mr. Andy so much that if Audrey had been a boy, we had considered naming the baby Merrick (Mr. Andy's last name). Or Santa ... but thankfully, we never had to decide between those two options!
Mr. Andy lives in Nashville and the boys (and Audrey) can't get enough of him!
Perhaps it's because he swings them around until they can no longer stand up straight ... or brings really cool toys like every possible thing that starts with an "i" ... pad, pod,phone, book ...
We begged him to stay ... but he said he needed to rest up a bit. Wonder why?
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And then .... we had the party of the century ... a 2.0 Breeze party ... planned by the crazies for their Bella.
It was my grandpa's first day home from the rehab hospital and Eli gave him a toy figure in a wheelchair :) Pretty sure Howie was wishing for the peace and quiet of rehab after he endured the next few hours of us!!
Great Uncle Dave was also in town ...
the boys loved the new trick he showed them ...
Back at party central ... the boys brought their Lego Hero pieces to have a building party. You see ... they call my mom 2.0 Breeze. Breeze is the only girl Lego Hero ... and when everyone gets into character, they only refer to each other by their "code" names. They usually make me a villain. Thoughtful, huh?

The boys even made Bella a green cake ... topped with Breeze herself!
Happy (LATE) Birthday, Bella! For your sake, I hope Audrey plans your next party :)

Has Anyone Seen the Electrical Tape?

Who knew you could have so much fun with a roll of electrical tape?

Within minutes ... Eli had the entire roll wrapped around the kitchen. Complete with a launching pad for the birds. Angry birds.

The boys (ahem .. birds .. who were very LOUD, I might add) ... loaded themselves into the launcher ... and flew around the entire house.

They even had a nest where I believe they used every pillow their eyes could spot ... and sat on top of the eggs ...

That the green pig (enter Ben) ... stole. In the end ... the angry birds defeated the green pig and I hope I have no need for electrical tape. Because ... it's all gone.

And for that matter. I hope my mom doesn't need any of that string Eli found at her house.

And I hope my grandpa managed to unwrap his walker.

The other morning, I was missing my dental floss. I found all 300 yards of it wrapped around my kitchen chairs.

It's a good thing he's cute. A really good thing!

Little Miss I Want to Be A Toddler and Happy Easter.

Eating her first pancake ...
Pulling herself up for the first time ...
Becoming a pro at pulling herself up on EVERY little thing she can ...
And becoming a pro at bugging her big brother while he's trying to wash his hands ...

And ...
The Easter table decorations are finally done.
Okay. Maybe they're not done. Maybe the baskets are missing their handles and the bunnies are missing their tails ...
But we're getting close. Note to self. Scrunching tin foil to the shape of an egg and then covering it with clay is WAY harder than it appears. So ... instead of eggs ... I made more of .. um ... Easter rocks ... with lots of bumps. Adds way more character, don't you think?

Life at Our House.

One child ran into the side of the house with his head. He said he wasn't looking where he was going. Another child ran into the stairs with his eyeball. I'm guessing he wasn't looking either.

Another child apparently doesn't like going to bed and thinks throwing up ... in large quantities ... is a better option. Oh. And she's also getting her two front teeth. Nice timing.

And then the first child ... the one who ran into the house ... got pink eye. Sweet.

And then an earache. Even more fun.

And then gave his cold to the child who ran into the stairs ... and is trying to give it to me.

I've had a glass of wine. I've made myself a smore. I've consumed more chocolate than is probably wise to partake of. I've been trapped in this house for so long that I've now started rearranging the laundry room. And visualizing all sorts of changes for the downstairs. And I'm making decorations for our Easter table even though I'm not sure I'm even cooking an Easter dinner but at this point ... who cares!!! Because ... well ... looking at how the week has gone so far ... doing unnecessary brainless activities just seems like a much better option.

LuLu and Lizzy Lu-ster Rooster

I have known Miss Lucy's mom since I was five. We went to the same church ... her hamster ate my favorite pair of shorts ... we were in church plays ... and bell choir ... were camp counselors together ... started a hair scrunchie business ... went to the same high school ... went to the same college. We have been pretty close to inseparable for the past 28 years.

Except ... she escaped this hotter than hot dessert dwelling place a few years back for some green pastures in the great NW! I have always been a bit jealous of her relocation ... and that her house has a red front door ... and that she has a crazy veggie garden in the summertime ... but I still love her. I just wish she'd move back!!!!!

Last summer .... God blessed us with yet another memory to share together! She and I both gave birth to daughters ... only 5 weeks apart. Now ... can you get any more fun than that? They are destined to be built-in BFF's!!!

Lucy Cooper and Audrey Elizabeth

Testing out the waters ...

Okay. So maybe they need to move a bit more slowly in to the world of best friends :) But it's not optional, girls. I'm just saying. Not an option :)

Emelye even entertained all 4 at once ... apparently AEB was a straining to a bit to catch the latest tv show??

Love you Em and Miss Lucy. And next time you come to visit ... we're going to bust out the crafts. Hair bows. Ruffle pants. Flower shirts. And you'll have to stay for much longer!!!