Maiki loses another tooth...

Maiki lost her third tooth today.... The pictures don't do the look justice. She looks really cute and has that little whistle/lisp when she talks. She lost this one at school, so she got a special tooth box to bring it home in. The "tooth fairy" left her some change to count so she could practice her math skills. :) Sorry about the red eye in the pics. I didn't have time to edit first...

Valentine's Day was so nice. We had a great day - starting out with special deliveries for the girls from their Mommy and Daddy Valentines. :) Of course, Makena (aka Evilyn) was mad because Maiki got red roses. I can't win... We spent the day together. Went to KC and tried to go out to eat. As expected, everything was packed and we ended up eating at a grubby little Waffle House in Overland Park. Not very romantic, but fun. Then, we had to make a special trip to Krispy Kreme!

Valentine Parties

Mike and I have figured out that Valentines Day is the next best thing to Halloween to people under the age of 10. They got more junk and more candy than they did on Halloween I think! I didn't get to attend the parties (ok, so I wasn't THAT disappointed). The kiddos had fun. I had fun looking through everything until I figured out that I had to find a place to put all the junk!

Making Valentines...

The girls were so excited about making Valentines this year. They had a lot of fun. I had to have a lot of restraint not to help them, but I did it. Maiki was especially hard not to help. She wanted to glue everything on one card! :)

Oh well, I got to make Maddox's for him this year anyway. He had his first party at Sheri's.

My beautiful nieces....

Well, unfortunately, the circumstances weren't that great for my first outing with two of my three nieces, but it was fun in any event. This was the first time I have EVER had them all alone. With so many kiddos the same age, it's hard to get away with one or two. Sophia and Olive and I spent the day shopping, eating, and playing in the park. It was a beautiful, sunny warm day - unusual for February. They talked me into things at Target, and I have to admit, I talked them into things as well! I had fun spoiling them...

Study Time...

Maddox was helping the girls do homework tonight... He had his own flash cards and markers, but he was much more interested in what they were doing. He was saying all kinds of things, but we weren't quite sure what it was. Makena was being her alter ego "Evilyn" tonight, so she was not letting us photograph her. The girls are doing so good in school. We are having battles on occasion with Maiki because she is much more interested in recess, lunch and boys... sigh.... it begins so young!

Mike managed to capture me in all my loveliness. No matter what I say about not getting me in the photos, he manages to do it... Oh well, at least the kids are cute.

No No....

We have a Michael Jackson mask that Maddox calls "No No". We keep it in the coat closet and he has to check everyday to make sure it is still there and isn't on the loose somewhere. :) Tonight, Mike was torturing him as you can see. Maddox was peeking at No No through the bannister and would not go anywhere near it voluntarily. I can't say that I blame him. Look for yourself...

Makena, the Butterfly (aka Evilyn)

Maiki was not feeling well today, and Maddox was sleepy, so we went home after church and mom and dad took Makena to the home show in Lawrence all by herself. She enjoys getting time to herself these days. She has an alter ego named "Evilyn" that comes out pretty frequently. We aren't sure if it is jealousy, or just a stage, but it is a little hard to take. We are at a loss as to what to do with her.... what DO you do?! Anyway, she had her face painted at the home show and it was pretty awesome. Mike captured it despite the cruddy attitude. Cute Makenaism for the day.... I'm not sure I'll get this exactly right, but Mom told me that she and Makena were talking about a picture or something of a mommy in an apron, staying at home with her kids. Makena said, "Well, most of the time dads stay home with kids, unless the moms can't get a good job." Gotta love kids. :)

February??

We have been out enjoying this beautiful and crazy weather. It is February 7 - usually cold, snowy, icy and just plain miserable. But today, it is probably 60 already and it is only 10:45 a.m.! So, I looked at my computer, thought about working, and decided otherwise. Instead, we all got dressed and went outside to enjoy the day. The girls rode their scooters. Mad Man trampled through the rocks and dirt and tried to chase down our elusive cat, Manfred. It is a good day and one that makes it hard to remember that in just a couple days, our nightmare will be relived through Brian's trial. I have asked friends and family for support and prayers for Angie, dad, the girls, and even Brian. I know God has a plan for all of us, and this beautiful day is just a reminder of how good He is.

Thursday....I'm Thinking Too Much

It is Thursday. Nothing too eventful about that, but for some reason, I have been in one of my "moods" today - thinking too much about the what could have beens, what weres and what might be coming. I get in these moods on occasion. This one has been prompted by a new bible study we are doing on the book "Chasing Daylight". It is a book about seizing each moment and making them as memorable and important as you can. The smallest moment can be life changing. It is pretty interesting, and has stirred my thoughts. The sermon last Sunday was very poignant. Pastor Randy asked the question, "If you were feeling called to do something, and you had no fear, what would you do?" It is a question I have been unable to put out of my mind because I am in a bit of a lull in my life. I'm not unhappy, not overly happy. Not doing anything too extraordinary or too dull. It makes me wonder how many moments I might be missing. I know I missed one the other day. Maiki had made me a Valentimes (as she calls them) card and brought it to show me. Well, being my usual obsessive self, I was busy doing something. She left it in the bathroom for me. I failed to notice it, and instead noticed something (that I of course cannot now remember) that she had not picked up, or not done. I went down to her room set on discussing this with her. She asked me if I saw the card and instead, I was intent on being mad and I missed that moment with her. I went upstairs later and read the card. It was so sweet and she had obviously taken a great deal of time doing it. So, I went back down, woke her up, and told her I loved it. She appreciated the late effort, but I definitely screwed that one up. So, here I am in my lull, wondering what else I am missing. Everyday, I wonder what I am missing with my kids or in general. I like my job, but it is not my life and it never will be. Am I wasting time? Should I be doing something else? Anyway, it has been bothering me a LOT to say the least. Just thought I would share my thoughts with whoever is bored enough to read.

On another note, Brian's trial starts next week and we are all waiting to exhale from that whole ordeal. I know God has a plan for all of this and hopefully it will involve Angie finding happiness soon. She has seen so much sorrow lately.