I smell like my Grandma!!!

It always amazes me how a smell can immediately transport us to another place and another time and evoke such memories with a simple whiff. I was painting our front porch the other day when Daniel walked up, smelled the paint fumes, and said, "That smells like our basement in Chicago!" He had helped me paint a corner of our basement for his classroom. Everytime I use a certain kind of spray starch on Brent's shirts, I can picture standing in front of the ironing board at the home of a kind lady I ironed for while I was in high school.

I had another one of those moments today. I found a great website, familyfun.com, that has a TON of great ideas for things to do with your kids. (also found the subscription to their magazine, a favorite of mine, for only $10 on the website!) So I'm all inspired to start spending more time doing fun things with my kids. We came home today from our mom's day out at the park, and I decided it was time to put some feet to my inspirations. I opened up a bar of Ivory soap that I had stopped at the store and bought for this craft, and my brain conjured up all these pictures of my grandma, who only used Ivory soap...for everything!!! She constantly smelled like Ponds and Ivory. The craft included grating a bar of Ivory and blending equal parts of shavings with lukewarm water and mixing it with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes. It comes out the consistency of shaving cream that you can color with food coloring. The kids used it to fingerpaint on our sliding glass doors. I had to show them how to do it so we were all up to our elbows in it by the time we were done. So now...I smell like my grandma! She's died many years ago, but I've been reminiscing about all the sweet times we had at her house. I was her favorite...everyone will tell you it's true...she taught me to play the piano, crochet, and sew, too...all the things I found incredibly interesting that no one else seemed to care for. I walked out of my room to answer the phone and was hit by this wave of food from the crock pot and Ivory soap...it was like walking into my grandma's front door!

I do have to wonder however amidst all the reminiscing if my next post will show me crying in frustration as I try to get all the soap off the windows! :0)

Da-da-da-da-Dora!

We had Hannah's hair cut yesterday...she wanted it long so we could put it up in pigtails, ponytails, and braids--she's all girl for sure! But it was just getting scraggly. I think it was all the tangles that pushed her over the edge, too! So we decided short is better for her! Her hair is pretty when it's long, but really cute when it's short...we decided she looks like Dora now! She was so funny...all day long she walked around looking at herself in any and every reflection saying, "I love my hair!" These girlie things are so innate it's scary!

Really...we do have a life...I think...

Honestly...we do other things than just sit and take pictures of Sarah...although I can't seem to think of any right now! So just a couple more pics to show everyone how much she's changing and starting to do things! She loves her exersaucer and the toys on it...she's picking up rattles now and actually playing with them. She's also getting really good at doing push-ups when she's on her tummy. Although her form is not quite perfect, she does a great job of getting her head up straight!

She's getting so very big!!!

Just a new picture to show the fam how big Sarah's getting! She's still as sweet as ever and her arms just keep getting squishier and squishier!

How to weigh yourself...

And to think I've been doing it wrong all these years! This is really good to know!

Photography at it's best!

For every great picture you get, there's at least 10 that are like this one! Especially when it comes to babies! I'm so glad we have our digital camera so we don't have to pay for pics that turn out like this...although this one might be a good one to keep for those times when we'll need funny pictures of her for those special Senior Graduation presentations!

I have started putting her in the exersaucer now and then...she likes it for the most part...she's really starting to play with things so the toys in front of her on the tray are a real draw. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by...she's pushing 4 months already!

It's 78 degrees here today! I've pushed the kids outside and am getting some spring cleaning done...although there are those nay-sayers who will always add that we have had snow as late as June before...I'm trying not to think of that...it's 78 and I'm loving it!

Updated photos

Just an update on how the kiddos are looking...nothing too exciting going on here. We're finally having some spring-like weather so Daniel and Hannah are outside almost all the time! We're finishing up our school work this next week --needless to say, Daniel's ecstatic about that! Sarah's doing really well--sleeping between 12-13 hours at night! I think maybe, just maybe, she's slowing down when it comes to gaining weight. She's not getting any heavier at least! And I do have to say that she's the happiest of all 3 of our babies. She only fusses if she's hungry or sleepy! I'm telling you...she's turning out more and more like me! :0)