Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter to all!
What a beautiful day to celebrate a very beautiful realization of what Christ has done for us.
This Easter was extra special for us, simply because of Siena. She does make the holidays better and the celebrations more joyful!
Every girl has to have a beautiful Easter dress, right? I found Siena's a few weeks ago at a really great restaurant/shop. I totally fell in love with the dress, actually wishing they made one in my size. I paid way too much for the dress, as girls usually do when we find something we just "can't live without"...but, there's only one first Easter...and I rationalized it by saying she would wear it to a wedding this summer and as many other times as I can get her in it before she outgrows it. :) Grandma Sharon also got Siena a darling little lamb coat that was too cute for words. Siena was set for her Easter entrance! Before putting Siena in the dress, I definitely had a pep talk with her. I begged her not to spit up all over the dress right after eating asparagus or have a major blow out and destroy the dress completely. Yes, I begged a 7-month-old not to do what she does best, but I had to at least try. And she granted my wish! She wore it most of the day and looked absolutely adorable in it. Thank you, Siena! I owe you one for that... :)
After church, we put on a little Easter Egg Hunt in the church's lawn. All the kids ran around and picked up eggs and pencils and treats. It was fun to see all the girls in their pretty dresses running around and scooping up eggs. After the egg hunt, we went to Aunt Linda and Uncle JD's house for Easter dinner with the family. We also had a little Egg Hunt for all the little kids in the backyard. Matt and I packed a couple eggs with cereal puffs for Siena. You can't tease a child by putting candy in an egg and then not let them have it! If Siena's going to find eggs, she might as well be able to eat what's inside! She sure liked that treat! When did we grow up enough to have our own kids searching for eggs? Just yesterday WE were the ones searching for the eggs! To keep us a little young at heart, the "big kids" searched around the yard for some candy too. When big kids search, it's an all out war. Every man for himself (and his candy)!
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and spending time with family. It was a really pretty day outside, so we spent a lot of it outside. A great, spring day! We will look back on Siena's first Easter with fond memories...

Siena packed in tightly in the lamb coat, ready to go to church!


Our little lovely...






It was a pretty sunny day out, so Grandma Sharon to the rescue with some sweet shades! Hollywood, here we come!!

Teeth Poppin' Up!

Yep, that's right...Siena's got a couple of teeth sprouting up! We have been waiting for them for months! At three months, we noticed a couple little "holes" where the little baby teeth were going to be coming through. We thought the teeth were going to be following shortly. On top of that, Siena was putting everything in her mouth - I mean everything! That's a clear sign, right? She's been gnawing on fingers, toes, toys, necklaces...anything she can get her hands on. Every time someone saw her doing her usual gnawing, they would say, "Oh, teeth must be coming soon!!" And each time, I had to respond with, "Yeah, that's what we thought too...for the past 3 or 4 months!" Who knows, right?
But, last week, I noticed Siena's little tongue really going over her gums like crazy. Way more than normal. I hesitated thinking that teeth were coming because I have been thinking they were right around the corner for like 4 months! But, sure enough...up they popped! All in her own time...could that be the story of her life? Maybe seeing her same-aged buddy Brady's SEVEN teeth made her a little jealous. :) She wanted to join the club!
Now, the tricky part: trying to capture a photo of a baby's tooth! But I know the family and friends in Michigan are chompin' at the bit to see the tooth...so it was my mission to get it. Here's what I could come up with...look closely!! (And in the process, I got some other cute pictures - so enjoy those too!)

Can you see the precious little tooth...on her right side? Booyah!



She's got a cool tongue trick.


And then, just some cute ones...

The Sleepover

Siena and one of her best buddies, Brady, got to spend a lot of time together the past few days. Rusty and Amanda left town for a few days and we got to watch Brady! Brady and Siena have grown up together...all 7 months of their lives. :) Amanda had Brady one day after I had Siena. Since then, they have had no choice but to hang out together!
We had a lot of fun! They are both on such similar schedules. The only time that got a little tricky is when they were both due for a little food. They weren't very patient with one person trying to feed them both. :) But watching them play together was fun. They both liked the same toys at the same time. When one would pick up a toy, the other one wanted that toy too. I didn't think that started so soon!! Brady loved Siena's hair...and wasn't afraid to pull it! Siena didn't seem to mind, so I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures. Bad mom moment? Brady was a trooper and handled the new environment very well.
On Saturday, we got to watch Bryce, Brady's older brother, too. He's at such a fun age and Matt and Bryce love to play around together. All would have been great and fine...except we got a call from our realtor that they were going to show our house in an hour and a half and we needed to be out. Normally, no problem. With 3 kids and a "kid trashed" house, we had our work cut out for us. First off, we had to find a car seat for Bryce to use so he could be in the car with us when we finally got out of the house. Emily saved us on that one! I had to feed both the babies and occupy Bryce while Matt threw toys and blankets and stuff in the van, just to get it out of the house. We had to vacuum and spruce up while the little ones wanted nothing to do with any of that. And to add a little more laughter to the picture, while trying to get them all in the car, I find Bryce covered in vaseline from Siena's room! I had to just stop and laugh! We were a complete circus! And if you can't laugh at it, well, I just chose to laugh. The plan was to drive to Rusty and Amanda's house and let the kids play there while we waited for the showing to finish. About 10 minutes in the car, and all 3 were zonked out. Smart parent move: keep driving!! We ran a couple errands, ate a little lunch, and then finally back to our house - all while the 3 little ones slept.
A really great weekend. Bryce and Brady are such special boys and we love them a lot. Siena's got her work cut out for her trying to keep up with them!! :)

Brady and Siena love playing together!





"If that's the toy you're playing with, that's the one I want..."



"Fine, if I don't get the toy, I'll just play with your hair!"


"And if you pull my hair, I'll tweek your piggies!"


Off for a walk in the beautiful spring weather!



Gotta love bath time!

God Is Good.

There are a million things I could say to follow up the title of this blog. God has richly blessed our family. I look at my sweet baby girl every morning and get teary-eyed sometimes...we are so blessed. I kiss my husband on his way out the door every morning and smile, knowing I have a partner for life. God is good. Here's another reason why...
Before Siena came into our lives, the plan was always set for me to go back to work after having the first year off with her. That was the plan, and I was good with it. Then Siena was born. That changed everything. I didn't think I was going to be able to leave her and go back to work. I craved the time we spent together every day. I missed her when I wasn't around her. In my head, I struggled with the idea of going back to work. I knew that if I HAD to go back to work, I would need the perfect opportunity, the perfect team, the perfect place to go back and teach. My prayer for about 6 months was to make it very clear what I needed to do...as a mother and for my family. After looking at our financial situation, it really looked like it was going to be best for our family if I went back to work. (Our decision for me to stay home with Siena for this year was one of the best decisions I ever made.) I think because that didn't really give me a choice, I very quickly became okay with it. God totally changed my heart and showed me that maybe I'm not cut out to be a stay-at-home mom and that going back into the classroom was an exciting thing to think about. So, that's when that prayer for the perfect opportunity came right back into play. Again, God totally blessed that.
I will be teaching 3rd grade (again...and I LOVE that!) at Thomas Ultican Elementary. There are a lot of reasons why that is perfect. I have a couple friends that teach there, one being my future "teammate" in 3rd grade. She assured me that I was going to LOVE my new team...great girls to work with! I hear nothing but really great things about the principal, which is huge. TUE just had a whole bunch of renovation and work done on its building to make it look beautiful. It's a north school, meaning that someday, Matt will teach the kids that I had in 3rd grade. How fun will that be!? It's an early school, meaning I get out of school a little earlier, which is always nice. In other words, the perfect spot. A complete answered prayer.
That all being said, FSE was a wonderful home for 3 years. I had students who I will never forget, friends I will continue to have for a long time, a principal who was nothing but supportive and wonderful, and memories that will make me laugh for a very long time.
So, long story short, I have a wonderfully funny and amazing husband, a daughter who is pure joy and contentment, and now a job that I am excited to go back to. God is good.

PS. Check out our church's blog. Some AMAZING stories of mercy and what people are doing in the community for one another. Speaking of God being good...
gwcbs.blogspot.com

A Taste of Spring...

The past couple of days have been BEAUTIFUL! It is such a treat to be able to take Siena out of the car seat or out of the house without 20 layers of clothes and blankets wrapped around her! I think she enjoys it too...not so "marshmallow man" like! :) The breeze of fresh air in her hair and on her cheeks must be a great feeling...I know I'm enjoying it!
We have really great friends. We just inherited a really great jogging stroller from a couple who have a little one that is too big for the stroller. I didn't think it would be that big of a difference to go on walks/runs with that stroller in comparison to the one we have. Boy, was I wrong! It is so great! It even put a little added pressure on me to actually JOG with the jogging stroller - and that's a good thing. I love it! Obviously, Siena feels right at home in it too. Can't wait to use it all spring and summer...whenever that comes!




Siena also got to go on her very first wagon ride! Two very handsome little boys invited her over to go on a walk with them. Siena's a smart girl...she willingly accepted that offer! :) Bryce, being the gentleman that he is, pulled Siena and Brady around. It was darling! Siena loved it! She was bouncing around, looking all over the place. I think she was very excited to be free from arms, strollers, car seats, coats, blankets...freedom! After a little while, Bryce wanted in on the action, so he jumped in the wagon and took his brother's place. He was sharing toys with Siena and looking out for her. In fact, I heard Bryce say, "Seena, bugger..." (Siena, bug...). I turned to see what he was talking about and there was a bee on Siena's shoulder! Needless to say, that bee didn't live very long. Bryce...always looking out for his Seena! :) We certainly will have many more rides like that in the coming months!! Love you, Bryce and Brady...and Amanda!




We also went to the park with some friends this morning. It is another nice day - in the 60s again! Siena's little friends are a bit older than she is, so she did a lot of watching. But, I think she had fun dreaming about what she'll be doing soon! Bella, Samuel, and Luke were having a great time playing on all the outdoor equipment. (Baby Benjamin snoozed in the stroller.) Sure made me excited for the day that Siena gets to go down the slide and climb the ladders. That being said, I'm not wishing this time away for one second. Holding her in my arms, snuggled up in the pouch is a dream come true.












After all these beautiful weather pictures, should I mention we are supposed to get 6 inches of snow tomorrow???? I didn't think so either...but felt I should so I could remember the craziness that is KC weather these days. :)

Green.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
It's holidays like these (among other things, of course) that make me miss teaching. Outside of elementary schools and the Irish bars, St. Patrick's Day just isn't that big a deal! I bet Matt that if he didn't wear green to work, someone - a student or another teacher - would pinch him or make some comment about it. I lost the bet!! :)
Since I can't feed Siena green eggs or green beer yet, we decided to be festive and eat some green peas. She's not a fan of the peas, so it was more of a "choke them down with some sweet potatoes" rather than a fun, St. Paddy's Day experience. She makes some really great faces though, and that makes it all worth it...for me, at least!


After eating peas for lunch, I decided to gather all the green toys and stuff that Siena owns into the living room. She has a lot of green things!! She's not very picky when it comes to which toys to play with, so she enjoyed the smorgasbord of toys to pick and choose from. I had fun trying to set all the toys up to take a picture...while Siena enjoyed messing them all up and knocking things down before I could capture the moment. We're a good team. :)
It was a good day. Even though the excitement for the day was not matched by a classroom full of 9-year-olds, it was a first experience for Siena...and that makes it fun. Matt and I were even able to "cheers" a green beer after Siena went to bed - even if we didn't go out to the bar, we can still celebrate, right?