A theme in our lives right now?!

Well, everyone was so excited over the poopie scooping post, that I thought I'd continue the trend.

Very exciting news...Ellie just pooped on the potty!!! She did this without even being prompted. I was back in my bedroom and came out to squeals of joy..."Mommy, Mommy, I just pooped on the potty!" And sure enough, there it was. There were many hugs, high fives, and celebratory phone calls. I never knew that these kind of things would excite me so much.

Potty training seems to be quite successful right now. Hopefully the trend will continue. And no, there are no pictures to document this event : )

So, how long do you think I can get this to last?

The girls were outside playing a couple of days ago as I was doing some things in the kitchen. As I was doing some dishes, I peeked outside to find them doing this...

Yes, they are poopie scooping! They think it is a fun game. And they make a very good team.

Ellie is the spotter and pointer...

Molly is the scooper...

Here they are posing with their finds.

I just couldn't resist getting out the camera to document their little project. I know that it won't be too long before they will be more reluctant to help with these kind of chores, but for now, I will enjoy their enthusiasm!

Mother's Day brings a new hobby?

While I was getting ready on Sunday morning, I overheard Eric telling the girls that it was Mother's Day which meant we were all going to be extra nice to Mommy (no fussing, whining, fighting, etc). He reminded them that the day was all about me and thanking me for being such a good mom. Very nice words to hear...wonderful to know that at least Eric (even if the girls don't really get it) appreciates all I do to take care of the girls and our home.

It is interesting because Mother's Day really isn't a huge deal to me...on the other hand, I expect to be the queen on my birthday! But, I decided that maybe it was okay to have TWO days in the year that are all about me : ) (and of course appreciating my mom!!)

We all got ready on time (with really very little stress) to go out to a nice breakfast before church. After church we came home for naps, and even I got to take a nice long nap. Then, we all headed to the store to pick out some tomato, zucchini, and pepper plants for the garden that I hope to plant in the next week or so. This brings me to my new hobby...

I have decided that it would be very fun to grow some of our own veggies. This is something that I've talked about for a couple of years, but I'm finally taking some baby steps to make it happen. My mom has grown veggies for a long time, so I'm using her help and expertise to get started. I've realized that is the hardest part for me...just getting started. It seems a bit overwhelming. But, the plants are now purchased, so I'm a little more committed. I'm wishing that I had really tried to learn something when I was required to take botany as part of my biology degree. I simply got through the class, so I could get on to the interesting classes such as cell biology.

The other exciting thing about this is that I could potentially (if I enjoy this and don't kill my plants!) have another hobby to add to my list. It seems that whenever we fill out any questionnaire, Eric could fill up two pages with just his interests and hobbies (especially if he had more time in his life!). I, on the other hand, am always trying to come up with more than a couple. I enjoy life and think I have several interests...I just can't ever pinpoint exactly what I enjoy doing! Anyways, we'll check back in a couple of months and see what progress my little plants have made : )

Congratulations to the Cades!

With the newlyweds, Eric and Becky

Andy-James-Eric

With Brooke and Stacy

Brian-Eric-Eric

Eric and I traveled to St. Louis this weekend for our good friend Eric's wedding. While we haven't known Becky long, we were able to get to know her a little bit when we spent time with them in Boston last year. She is a great match for Eric. It was a fun day of celebrating with them! It was also a bit of a reunion as friends gathered from California, Kansas, and Boston. There were many camp friends gathered, and it was fun to bring up old memories and get caught up on everyone now. Two of the couples we spent time with this weekend live within a mile or so of us...and it took us going to St. Louis to hang out! (Every time we see each other we always vow to hang out more often...maybe this time we'll make that work!) It was a short but great weekend. Congrats Becky and Eric!

Also, thank you to Grandma and Papi for a fun overnight for the girls, so we could make this trip!!

The walls came tumbling down...

(The sign says, "We made it to the promised land!")

Molly with one of her best friends

A couple of months ago, Molly performed in her first musical at church. The children's choir presented a musical about Joshua. It was so fun to watch her perform! I've really been enjoying exposing her to different activities, and I always wonder which ones she will latch onto and pursue in the future. Tonight we are off to another first...Molly's dance recital. Pictures to come, I'm sure!