disneyland and garate time

happy birthday, bennett!

the big man is officially 2. we celebrated his birthday yesterday. no extravagant fanfare. no pony rides or clowns. just a simple family party with lots of love and laughter. we just returned from our family vacation to california (more to come on that... i know, you can hardly wait!) and i simply didn't have the energy to plan a birthday party. truth be told, he doesn't know the difference.

birthdays for my children find me a bit sentimental. and combined with pregnancy hormones for this particular birthday, also a tad more emotional than usual. my kids are growing up. the years go by way too fast (although there are some days that seem to drag on for an eternity). our life is good and filled with so many happy times. i love the life God has given me.

bennett is such a wonderful little blessing in our lives. he is practically bursting at his little boyhood seams with joy and energy. he is rarely found without a smile lighting his entire face and shining out his eyes. his laugh and squeal (or is it high pitched scream?) fill our house with joy. and where his energy comes from, i'm not too sure. he loves to run like crazy, and it almost looks like his body won't be able to keep up with his determination and excitement. he loves to tackle his sister. sometimes she's game, other times not so much. those are the times i say, "bennett, run some laps." and he takes off with a squeal of laughter to run countless circles around the couches. he appears to be living life to the fullest, even at the ripe old age of 2. and i must add, he loves to give kisses and hugs. what a little lovebug he is.

amidst my sentimental, emotional thoughts, i think of bennett's birth and how close we were to a tragic outcome. i'm reminded of how God has always looked after us, and after bennett and how our lives are always in his hands. bennett truly is a gift from him. (so is ella, of course. but more on her october 8th!)

tribute to the birthday boy

reasons my daddy is the best daddy ever

(as told to mommy by ella)

1. does things kind


2. cause he's a sweet daddy


3. pushes me so high and i go to outer space (on the swing)


4. tells me tony bologna and ej stories


5. cuts really careful with the knife
   
6. drives the car and drives us to "old" mcdonalds


7. feeds jake and sometimes he feeds oakley (our neighbor's dog)


8. grabs our sippy cups before we go


9. talks on his phone right away


10. changes bennett's diaper


11. opens the kitchen door when i want my treat... and sometimes you do too, mommy


12. plays with me


13. rocks me when i'm a baby


14. eats dinner so well


15. makes dinner sometimes


16. waters the plants


17. turns on the water if my hands are dirty


18. heats up food and gives food to me


19. does something i need


20. turns on the movie


21. reads stories with me


22. goes to the grocery store with me


23. goes to the grocery store with nobody


24. gives us vitamins


25. gets a band aid for me when i get owies sometimes


26. wipes bennett's nose sometimes


27. does his work out


28. baptizes people sometimes


29. brushes my hair and gives me a bath

for these reasons, and many, many more... we are excited father's day is here for another chance to say how much we love you, daddy. thanks for your love, attention, sacrifice and endless storage of energy. life is better because of you.

happy birthday!

the masche sextuplets turn 1 on june 11th! what beautiful, happy babies they are. as if this year wasn't already a marathon of its own, jenny and bryan ran a marathon this past weekend! wow! i have been beyond blessed by the testimony of the masche family and the ways God has strengthened them, provided for them and been glorified through the way they live.

and seriously, could you imagine if this was your life?!? you amaze me, jenny!

where is that little man?

so this morning, my journey around the house to find bennett ended in his room, where i discovered him sitting on his changing table, holding a diaper and a wipe. when he saw me, his face lit up as if to say "ah, there you are" and with a big grin he said, "change?" and held out his diaper.

hmmm... could this be a sign of potty-training readiness?

the joy of summer

this time of year brings out the worst in me. (well, that and sleep deprivation.) as the temperature begins its seemingly unending upward climb here in phoenix, i take advantage of every opportunity to express how much i dislike this sweltering desert. and really, the reasons are endless and bear repeating almost daily amidst my misery. so, i thought i would try a different tactic this year. maybe a little reverse psychology would help and i can list all the great things about summer. so here goes...

1. air-conditioning. seriously, i can't believe people live in temperatures like this and survive without it. or work outside. one day a UPS driver delivered a package and i asked him if his truck had a/c. he said no, but some days it is so hot he can turn on the heater and it is actually cooler than the air. this is sick. he, and all other faithful drivers bringing packages to my door so i don't have to run errands in my hot car, deserve a raise.

2. electricity. i can listen to the sweet hum of the air conditioning thanks to good old benjamin franklin and his kite. thanks, man. not only have you enabled my air-conditioning to save me, you have also allowed my popsicles to stay frozen and the tv to work so my kids have something to do while stuck indoors.

3. my wonderful husband. he loves to grocery shop and run all misc errands so i don't have to drag my kids around in this heat. he also listens when my lists aren't so positive and finds way to make life more comfortable.

4. strawberries, mangoes, cherries and other miscellaneous fresh fruit. summer is the best time for these, and they are usually cheaper. or so my husband tells me since he's the one shopping for them.

5. ice cream. my dad always made the world's best homemade ice-cream. what a wonderful legacy he has passed on to me and to his grandchildren. thanks, dad.

6. our pool. it's only 12 inches deep and we can't fit the whole family in it at once, but it was about $13 and worth every penny.

7. high gas prices. really, i was looking for an excuse to not have to drive around town and lug my kids in and out of a hot car. now i can stay home and eat popsicles.

8. parents who live up north. its only just over an hour away, but much cooler. it also often comes with free babysitting and lots of relaxing.

9. in-laws who live in san diego. really, is there a better place to go within driving distance in the summer? can't wait to go to the beach, and possibly even need a long sleeve shirt for the evenings! can you imagine!?!

10. less laundry to wash. why? because the kids rather enjoy running around in diapers/choneys when it is this hot. why bother getting them dressed?

11. dominos. it sure is much easier to justify pizza, or some other take-out, when its too hot to cook. and of course, my husband is always happy to pick it up.

12. compassionate friends. i have one dear friend who lives in northern california who checks our weather almost daily to feel my pain. thanks, sara. i love you too!

happy summer!

fashion show part 2

my mom amazes me for many reasons. the focus of today's post is her ability to sew. and not just sew, but fashion a quite beautiful dress for my daughter in what felt like mere minutes. we went to the fabric store last weekend, came home, and she walked out of the sewing room with this masterpiece. thanks, mom!

memorial day parade

the fun never ends at grammy and poppa's. a little glimpse of our patriotic children and their special parade...

the "float"

the patriots

happy memorial day!

fashion show

thanks to aunt gigi and uncle phil for some very stylin' attire from their recent trip to china.

watch out ladies!

joshua

this past weekend we got to enjoy our new cousin, joshua. he sure is a special little guy and a blessing to our family.gotta love ring-around-the-rosy

joshua and his daddy

fun dr. appointments

so i had my 22 week dr. appt today. these visits i usually enjoy by myself out of thoughtfulness for the doctor, staff, and other patients who although are looking forward to delivering their own bundle of joy, most likely don't find my precious children as endearing as i do as they scream, squeal, run around, and enjoy their childhood.

this visit of peace and quiet today reminded me of my last appointment and how ella had come with me in order to make it to ballet in time while daddy was home with bennett and his stomach flu. it was all very fun to her, especially when it came time for the collection of the urine sample. as i began the process, ella looked at me with humorous shock and said, "mommy! what are you doing?" apparently, she has never seen anyone pee in a cup before. good thing. so i explain it to her and she asks, "mommy, can i see it?" and since she was so excited, possibly as though seeing a pony for the first time, i figure... hey, where's the harm in letting my 3 year old look at my pee in a cup. "sure," i say to her. so with wide eyes she walks across the bathroom, looks in the cup and says with awe, "wow, mommy. your pee-pee is beautiful."

i love being a mom. i really can't think of anyone else on the face of this earth who would respond the same way.

"this is NOT safe"...

... ella's words when daddy introduced her to the new secret hiding place. i couldn't agree more.

baby names

today at lunch ella sighs and says, "mommy, why don't you come up with the baby's name?" not realizing this has been so stressful for her, i ask why. "well, i just have so many good names i can't decide on one." so i ask her to tell me some of them. i didn't realize that "ikea" had competition. "i think candyland would be a really good name." and after a little while she said, "and i really like tricycle. i think that is really pretty."

hmmm... yeah, maybe i'll take it from here...

reasons daddy is so fun

we could never list them all, but here is a sampling of the last few days...

water balloons

especially making ones that go "pee-pee"

snack time

and of course, the never-ending supply of energy...

we love you daddy!