I Love This Face...

Even when it is covered in dirt, it is the cutest little girl face I know:

And if you think the face was dirty, look at these little feet!


And here's that precious face all cleaned up:


And I even love that face when she keeps me up half the night. Last night was NOT fun! I don't know what was going on, but it was a VERY rough night. She woke up several times and was extremely irritable. It was a very long night and I've been wide awake since before 6 this morning. Yes, the night owl was awake before the sun was up! I will definitely need a nap today! And she is now semi-awake and pitching a fit. Guess I'll go deal with her while remembering how much I love that face. And the little person attached to it!

Read Me A Story

I don't think I even need to say much. I love this picture. I took it the other night when Chip was reading to Ruthi. Just one of those "regular moments" I was able to capture. And I love it.

Menu Plan Monday

Super quick and easy meals on the menu for this week:

Monday: Chicken Broccoli Lo Mein ~ Egg Rolls

Tuesday: BLT's ~ Chips

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Fajitas

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Leftovers/Sandwiches/Cereal (whatever...just me and the kids)

Sunday: TBD

For more menu ideas, be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Wheel-barrow of Fun!

CJ is an incredible big brother. Sure, sometimes he annoys the snot out of his little sister, but she can dish it right back out. I really thought that with 10.5 years between them, that there would be little/no sibling rivalry.

I was DEAD WRONG! They can drive each other NUTS at times.

But they absolutely adore each other as well. And it melts my heart when CJ takes Ruthi and does something fun with her, just because he wants to...not because I asked. And to see the delight on her face and knowing that she will always remember these moments - yeah, that really makes my heart soar.

When I was in the middle of all the wedding reception plans last week, it was difficult to give much attention to Ruthi. And this three year old can only take so much of my attention being directed somewhere other than on her.

But her incredible big brother did a great job entertaining her. I had to go outside for something, and found them having a good time. So I HAD to stop long enough to take a few pictures. This is what I saw:



(I STILL can't get that boy to smile for the camera!)

(Ruthi may have been having more fun than he was, but he was having more fun than it looks like he was in these pictures.)

On Friday I was busy, and again CJ stepped in and kept Ruthi entertained for most of the day. She LOVES to play outside, so he had her out there for quite a while. He really kept her busy.

On Friday evening, she began telling me how much fun she had with CJ that day. Then she proclaimed, "CJ's the best!" (There went my heart again!)

Pretty soon, CJ is going to be off doing his own thing with his friends. I hope he will still make time for his little sister who looks up to him so much. (When they are not annoying each other.)

Somehow I think he will always make time for her, because I can see how much he loves her. And I think that before too long, she won't be quite as annoying to him as she can be now. (She is three, after all!) And I look forward to watching their relationship grow.

I love these kids, and I love how much they love each other. It really does this mom's heart good!

I've Been Busy

I know I haven't blogged much lately. I've been a bit of a busy gal and it just hasn't left much time for blogging. Well, maybe I'd have time to blog if I didn't have so many blogs to read!

I've GOT to decide to "drop" some blogs from my bloglines, because I just can't keep up! But that's a difficult decision because each one in there is there because I enjoy reading it! Some of you people blog a LOT, and it's almost impossible to keep up!

Anyway...last week I was consumed with preparing for a wedding reception. My cousin Lindsey's wedding reception. My little Lindsey who used to live with us, and how on earth is she 20 now because I am still only 27! LOL! Oh, I am getting old!

So, I made a wedding cake, a groom's cake, and prepared the food. The challenge was that there would be no kitchen in the place where the reception was held. So I had to prepare foods that we didn't need to heat up and that we weren't too concerned about refrigeration either.

Ruthi, my Mom and I spent Friday night at my Aunt's house and she allowed us to use her kitchen to finish all the preparations. And she is one incredible hostess! (Thank you Joyce!)

I didn't manage to take too many pictures - I was too busy setting up and then making sure everything stayed full. (Which was mostly refilling the punch fountain!)

I have a few pictures of the cakes and food. As I was looking at the pictures, I noticed that they really do not do the food table justice. It looked so much better in person for some reason. The photos make it look odd for some reason. It's weird, because I know it looked much better when I was looking at the real thing. And it must have, because there were tons of compliments. But if I hadn't seen it for real, and only looked at the pictures, I wouldn't be impressed. Weird? Hmmmm...

Here's the wedding cake:

I don't do flowers. I make cakes. A florist usually will add the flowers. There was no florist. My Mom put the flowers on this cake for me. I think she did an amazing job.

Here is the Groom's cake:



Here's a shot of the food table:

And I can't even begin to tell you how much it's driving me nuts that the white tablecloth is pulled up in the middle and the yellow is sticking out. Nuts...I tell you!

And here's a close up of the fruit which was the "centerpiece" of the food table.


Here's Ruthi!


And one of Ruthi and Nana:


And somehow, I didn't manage to get a picture of Lindsey. Maybe my Mom will be so kind as to email me one!

Ruthi and I were planning to come home Saturday night. I was so tired though. Chip didn't really want me driving when I was that tired, so we stayed another night with my Aunt. We slept very well and woke up to a fabulous home-cooked breakfast. I was able to drive home fully rested and on a full stomach!

So that's what kept me busy last week. This week I've been working on some other things. I'm creating some items to put in themed baskets for a silent auction our homeschool group is having. They are raising funds to build a new facility. The one that is currently being used is busting at the seams!

So, I'm making some things that will hopefully help them, and help me at the same time by getting my name out there a little. And I'm working on some things to add to my Etsy shop. When I get these finished, and photographed, I will post them to my craft blog. But that probably won't be until at least Monday.

So see? I actually have a decent excuse for not blogging much...busyness!!!

May is a busy month, so I'm not sure it will get much better...but I'll try to keep up!

There's a Fly in my Room

2:30 AM - this morning. I hear Ruthi's door open.

She appears next to me. "Mommy, I can't sleep." (This is a phrase I often hear at this hour.)

Me: Yes you can, and I bet you can sleep in your bed!

Her: No I can't. I want to lay down with you.

Me: Why can't you sleep in your bed?

Her: There's a fly in my bed.

Me: A fly?

Her: Yeah.

Me: What's the fly doing?

Her: Just staying in there.

Me: What if I get the fly out - then can you sleep in your bed?\

Her: I want him killed.

Me: OK, if I kill him, you can sleep in your bed?

Her: No.

Me: Why not?

Her: He's not lettin' me.

Me: What if I make him go bye-bye?

Her: No, I want him to stay!

Me: You want the fly to stay?

Her: No, not the fly! Jesus!

Me: Oh! Well, Jesus will let you sleep in your bed.

Her: I want to sleep with you.

She then stretched, yawned, rolled over and closed her eyes. And then she tooted on me. But she was too tired to think that was funny.

Yes, I then got up and wrote the entire conversation down so I wouldn't forget it.

Would I love it if she slept all night, every night? Sure! But then I'd miss out on some special middle-of-the-night moments and cute conversations. And I will always cherish those!

Menu Plan Monday

Well, I'm just squeaking it in on Monday, but I want to make sure to get my menu for the week up. I wouldn't want my dear hubby to, you know, have to ASK what's for dinner! LOL! It will be right here for him!

First of all though, the Refried Bean Soup from last week was fabulous!! Oh my goodness, I could eat it every day for lunch! As a matter of fact, I ate it for 5 meals and a snack! It was THAT good! CJ liked it too, and he's not always crazy about soups. My hubby did not get to try it, because we ate it for two meals when he was at work, and when I was eating it for lunch, he wasn't home either. So he just never had a chance. Maybe when I make it again, I'll make sure he at least gets a taste!

Up for this week:

Monday: Cereal (and popcorn as an evening snack!)

Tuesday: Meatball Sandwiches ~ Fried Potatoes

Wednesday: Tacos ~ Refried beans ~ Chips and Salsa

Thursday: Leftovers/Sandwiches

Friday: Bacon ~ Eggs ~ Grits

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Sunday: TBD

American Idol - Top 6

CJ drew this several weeks ago, and I keep forgetting about it. I thought it was cute, and perfect for an AI post!

I never got around to posting last week's recap, and that apparently disrupted my husband's week. Between not posting the menu on Monday and the AI recap on Tuesday, he was out of sorts. So, to make sure he is happy, I'm going to do my best to make sure I get these things posted when they 'should' be! LOL!

On to the show....

Tonight we have the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber – I am so not going to know any of these songs!

Syesha Mercado – One Rock ‘N Roll Too Many
I have never heard this song, so I have NO CLUE how it should sound. After listening to her in the clip, the beginning seemed kind of week – but I’m not sure. But I think the rest is sounding pretty incredible! Go Syesha! And the judges loved it!

Jason Castro – Memories – (Ok, I do know this one!)
I’m not liking this very much. It’s too low for him, I think. Not good. Make it end.
Randy says it’s a train wreck, and I’m really not disagreeing.

Brooke White – You Must Love Me
OK, it’s not good when the mentor says the singer doesn’t have a clue what they are singing about – not a good sign! OK, so looks like maybe he got through to her – guess we’ll see!
Ouch – another start over from Brooke – the first time she did it was one thing. I don’t think it will go over so well this time. I don’t know this song, but she seems to be struggling with it a little – it doesn’t feel like she’s staying with the music or something. I can’t tell. But it’s definitely not her best performance.
Now that I’ve heard the entire song, I think I am familiar with it – but only the “You Must Love Me” part.
I’m actually surprised the judges weren’t a little harder on her – especially Simon.
WOW – Simon just said he would have done the exact thing Brooke did when she forgot the lyrics and that it was a brave thing to do! Even though Paula said you should never stop and start. Interesting! OK, Enough about Brooke.

David Archuleta – Think of Me
Mr. Webber advises him to keep his eyes open. Can he do it?
He’s trying – but they keep closing. The thing is even when they are open, they are kind of beady, so they still almost look closed! The performance – ehhh. Ho-Hum. It’s a typical David performance. Just does absolutely nothing for me. No surprise, 2 of the judges love it. Thankfully Simon thinks about the same thing I do!

Carly Smithson – Jesus Christ Superstar
Too funny that she started to sing All of You, and Mr. Webber told her it was not a good choice for her! I definitely think the right choice was made.
She is really singing this! And she’s doing it quite well. And she’s having fun. And I think her dress is really cool.
Oh.My.Goodness! The t-shirt – TOO funny! If you didn’t see, it says Simon Loves Me (This Week). Funny.

David Cook – Music of the Night
Don’t know this one either. (Can you tell I’m so not into opera)? This song seems a little odd to me, but I actually really like it. Maybe it’s just because David is singing, it but I really like it! I have no idea what the original sounds like, but it seems to have David’s spin on it, and I love it. THIS is the David who should win this thing!
Dang it, my DVR cut off, and I didn’t get to hear what Simon had to say, but from his first few words, I’m thinking he wasn’t blown away.

I think Jason and Brooke are going to be in the bottom three. As for the third, I’m not sure. Even though I think they both did a great job, it will probably be Syesha or Carly.


For more Idol chat, be sure to visit BooMama.

Menu Plan Monday

OK, I know it's technically Tuesday, but apparently it's very important that I post my menu.

I received a comment last week from my dear hubby, wondering where the menu was, because he wanted to know what's for dinner! Seems he's come to count on it.

And I let him down last week by not getting it posted.

So even though we've already had dinner for Monday (but he did know what we were having earlier in the day), I figure I'd better get it posted so he won't be discombobulated this week!

Monday: BLT's ~ Chips

Tuesday: Refried Bean Soup

Wednesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs ~ Salad ~ Garlic Bread

Thursday: Chicken Cream Cheese Enchiladas (These have become a favorite around here!)~ Refried Beans ~ Chips & Homemade Salsa

Friday: We won't be home for dinner

Saturday: The kids and I will be at a wedding reception - hubby will be on his own for dinner :( But there will probably be plenty of leftovers.

Sunday: Homemade Pizza ~ Salad

Some News To Share...

This has been a long time coming, but I've finally "taken the plunge" and I am now officially "Open for business"!

I have been making greeting cards for a while now and I absolutely love making them. My husband has been gently prodding me for over a year now to start selling them.

But I've been dragging my feet. Why? Honestly, probably a little bit of lack in confidence.

Sure, people who know and love me tell me they love my cards. And I've even had complete strangers, who have seen some of my cards here and on my craft blog, give me high compliments.

All that is great, but I just kept wondering - will anyone actually be willing to pay, you know, real money for my cards?

Well, on Monday, I finally took the plunge and opened a shop on Etsy. Actually, I had already 'opened' it, but on Monday, I finally listed some of my cards.

But I didn't tell anyone yet, except my husband. I wanted to get a few more in there before I made an announcement. And I prepared myself to be waiting for a while. I've seen shops that have been open for a few months before they make their first sale.

So imagine my surprise when I received an email on Thursday that someone had placed an order! And she not only bought one, but FOUR of my cards! Wow! Someone WAS willing to pay for my cards!

To say I was excited is an understatement!

This is someone who I've never had any contact with - a complete stranger bought my cards!

And my hubby is so proud of me, that he is taking me out for a celebration dinner tomorrow and my parents are coming along too!

So, I'm now announcing my GRAND OPENING to all my bloggy friends!

You can visit my shop, JMDesigns, HERE.

And I'm also pretty proud of the fact that I created my shop banner and the button over in my sidebar all by myself!

So go check it out and let me know what you think! I'll be adding more stuff as soon as I can get it made, and I plan to add things other than cards very soon.

Oh, and if your curious about the name - JMD are my initials, and obviously the D doubles as the beginning 'designs'.

My Bananas

"Just look at those beautiful bananas?

I can't believe they are growing up so fast. Before you know it, they'll be married and having little bananas of their own."

This is a comment I just received a little while ago on my last post. (There were bananas in one of the pictures.)

This made me LAUGH OUT LOUD! It was from "Anonymous", but I know it was my Dad. And I know a hint when I read one. He wants to see pictures of his GRANDCHILDREN - not my shopping trips! LOL!

And I know there are other family members reading who would really like to see some pics of the kids, so guess what? I'm going to post some!

CJ hasn't been one to smile for the camera lately, so these are mostly Ruthi. I'll try to get more of him soon.

I took these of Ruthi last week. She isn't always as cooperative as I'd like her to be when I want to take pictures, but thankfully, on this day, she was all for it, and I got some really cute shots.

I couldn't pick my favorite, so there are several!








Isn't she just precious and adorable? Of course, I know I'm quite a bit biased!


I'm not at all joking when I say it's difficult to get pictures of CJ. He either hides or makes weird faces. He has to be in the mood. The most recent ones I took of him, I was sneaking to do it. I caught him and his buddy Jake on the lawnmowers.

In this first one, Jake had just turned and spotted me. He turned back quickly to warn CJ I had the camera in my hand. I shot this one just before CJ looked up and hid his face with his hat.


I zoomed in to get this one. Instead of hiding, he glared at me to let me know he didn't want his picture taken. Of course, I did it anyway!


Maybe once he realizes that I'm going to share his photos whether he cooperates or not, he will eventually just smile and be happy. Well, at least I can hope!

So, I hope this will tide you over for just a little bit, Daddy. I will try harder to get more on here more often! Love you!

Super Savings Saturday

I wasn't going to post a SSS post this week, but I finally made it to CVS a little while ago, and it was a pretty good trip. So I decided to go ahead and post it along with my Kroger savings this week.

I made two trips to Kroger. Actually, the first trip was Saturday of last week, but I didn't post last Saturday, so I'm combining it with this weeks.

Here are the pictures of the two trips:


The total before sales and coupons - $173.12
I paid - $90.49
I saved - $82.63

Not too bad. The stuff I bought in the Big Event sale was stuff I buy anyway, but some of it I don't buy as often. So this was a nice way to stock up. My total could have been a little less, but there were a few things I needed that I didn't have coupons for, and a couple things I bought for a new recipe that I don't typically buy.

Oh - and I bought three of the reusable bags today. I really like them - they came in handy carrying all that Gatorade and the canned goods today. They are nice and sturdy and I was able to fit all of the stuff in the second picture (Except the paper towels and the milk) in three of those bags! It would have taken many more plastic bags to hold all of that heavy stuff! I will be getting a few more next time. They hold so much more, and they will be great for my trips to Aldi!

My CVS trip was my big savings. Here's what I got:

Total before sales and coupons - $65.62
I paid - $10.14
I made $9.50 Extra Bucks and $10 cash*!

The bad part? It would have only cost me $2.14. I had $8.00 in EB's that expired! That stunk big time. This would have been my greatest CVS trip to date, had those not expired. I can't believe I let that happen, and I can assure myself it won't happen again!

*The $10 cash was because of the Cover Girl deal. The sale for next week was already activated which is buy one get one. The computer read that being the better deal, but it actually wasn't since I had two buy one get one free coupons and wanted the $10 EB's for purchasing $20. The manager that was there is so great, and he didn't bat an eye about it not working right. He told me the computer was not going to cooperate and print the EB's so he just re-rang it and handed me $10. He was actually laughing at that darn register (and the fact that it wasn't cooperating) and was incredibly nice. Apparently the same thing happened earlier today with someone else, so he was totally prepared to handle it. No complaints here!

I am very thankful that the couple of times the system didn't cooperate just right that the manager was awesome and was willing to make it work. I think it pays to keep a smile on your face and be extra friendly, and I plan to keep doing that! I certainly wouldn't want them to see me as a 'problem' customer!

I'm finally getting a hang of the CVS shopping, and making it work better. It also helped that the things I went in to get were actually in stock! Now to make the EB's I earned today work for me and NOT let them expire!

If you want to see how much others are saving, be sure to visit Money Saving Mom!

American Idol Top 8

Tonight we have inspirational songs.
The whole family is watching together tonight, so let’s get inspired...

Michael Johns – Dream On
Hmmmm....not bad. Not sure I love it. Um, I don't care for the end...the high part...don’t care for it at all. Chip says the song is far more powerful than he sang it.
The judges are kind of all over the place – dislike, like, kinda like. Who knows?
CJ didn’t like him.

Syesha Mercado – I Believe
Here she goes tackling another big song and being brave singing the song of a former Idol. Can she do it? Seems she can. And honestly, I’m not a huge fan of Fantasia’s voice, so I like hearing Syesha sing it. A little pitchy in spots, but wow – she nailed that high note. Good job.
Randy doesn’t feel the connection and Syesha is challenging him! Brave girl for sure!
OK, I think she did a great job, but I totally agree with what the judges said. She really does need to ‘find herself’ in song.
Chip didn’t like it. CJ liked her, but not as much as he usually does.

Jason Castro – Over the Rainbow
First of all, I LOVE this version of it – next to Martina McBride’s version, this is my favorite. And I think it is perfect for him. Did he wow me? No. But I thought he did a fabulous job.
Apparently something is big time wrong with me though – because it totally wowed Chip and the judges it seems. I’m not sure why I wasn’t wowed. I really, really did like it though! And I definitely think it bought him another week. CJ was wowed too.

Kristi Lee Cook – Anyway
(Speaking of Martina!) I love this song, and I think it’s one that’s suitable for Kristi’s voice. NOW I’m saying WOW. Because WOW – that was awesome! I’m so glad she didn’t go home last week!
Chip just said he thinks we need to throw some votes her way tonight.
CJ liked her... a lot.

David Cook – Innocent
This isn’t my favorite from David. I didn’t like the beginning – it just didn’t sound like him. Then it got better in spots, but I’m just not crazy about it.
Chip says David lost him tonight. CJ didn’t like it.
I wouldn’t say it was bad – but it was just a bit odd for me. I agree with Randy and Simon – just wasn’t as good as the past couple of weeks.


**Chip just reminded me that this time last year, no one went home because of the Idol Gives Back show. So maybe no one will go home tomorrow night!**

Carly Smithson – The Show Must Go On
Looks like she may have taken Simon’s “fashion” advice – she looks great. And she sounds great too! I think she did better than the judges think she did.
Chip didn’t think it was great but he’s a huge Carly fan, so he won’t say anything bad about her. CJ ‘hated’ it. (He’s NOT a Carly fan.)

David Archuleta – Angels
Ok, yes...he sounded great. He just doesn’t do anything for me. At all.
Chip says he did better tonight than several others. I agree. But I think we are both having a difficult time admitting that because he’s not our favorite.
CJ doesn’t like Enchilada* at all.

Brooke White – You’ve Got a Friend
She is so good at picking songs that are suited to her voice. And I totally think she did it again tonight. Fantastic. I loved it. The judges only think it was pleasant. So what. I loved it. Chip liked her a lot. CJ did not.
Look at that – I’m a poet!

Bottom three tonight? Michael, Syesha, and Carly
Chip’s bottom three – Michael, Syesha and David A.
CJ’s bottom – Carly, Michael, and Enchilada*

My favorites tonight – Kristy and Brooke
Chip’s favorites – He refuses to commit to less than 4. So his top 4 are Kristy, Brooke, Carly and Jason
CJ’s favorites – Kristy and Syesha

IF someone goes home tomorrow, I predict it will be Syesha or Michael.

*CJ now refers to David A. as Enchilada! He’s not a fan, so he’s having a little fun with it. He also won’t call Jason by name. He refers to him as dreadlocks. (But he likes him.)

On a funny note – I told Chip last week that if Michael makes it to the top three, I’m going to go be in the crowd that is welcoming him back to his hometown and asked if he was going to come with me. Yeah...he totally laughed at me. He basically said no way, no how. He then said that the ONLY contestant so far that could have possibly ever made him get in that crowd was Katherine McPhee. Too bad she wasn’t from our neck of the woods huh?
Oh, and for the record – I really would not go fight that crowd to see Michael. Even though it is so close by!

Oh, and one more for the record – I HATE Paula’s dress tonight. Couldn’t she find something that fit a little better? And that’s all I’ll say about that.

Be sure to visit BooMama for more idol chat!
Good Night.

Menu Plan Monday

Here we go with another week. I've been into "simple is better" mode lately, and this week is very simple. Typically, I don't cook on the nights hubby is at the fire station, so there's always a couple of nights of sandwiches or leftovers. That helps keep things simple. This week - it's ALL quite simple!

Breakfast choices this week:
Muffins
Pancakes
Cereal
Oatmeal

Lunch choices:
Sandwiches
Baked Potatoes
Soup
Salad
Leftovers

On the dinner menu:

Monday: Sandwiches or cereal

Tuesday: Hamburgers on the grill ~ Baked beans ~ Onion Strings

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner

Thursday: Sandwiches/Leftovers

Friday: Chicken & Pepper Jack Taquitos ~ Refried beans ~ Chips & Homemade Salsa

Saturday: Homemade Pizza & Cheese Bread

Sunday: TBD

For more menu ideas, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Bad Mom

And I don't mean bad as in cool or good mom. I mean bad as in...shame on me!

But first, I'm a bad blogger - because I seem to be terrible at getting pictures up anymore right after I've taken them. Or even within a couple of days. Nothing like posting pictures two weeks after I've taken them!

Yes, finally...here are some Easter pictures!

But why am I a bad mom? Well, I didn't make Easter very Easter-y for my kids at all this year! Maybe because it came so early, it just kind of sneaked up on me...I don't know.

What I do know, is we didn't color eggs...like I planned. We didn't decorate cookies...like I planned. And worst of all? We didn't even go to church on Easter Sunday...like we should have!

And as for church, I don't even have a wonderful reason. I was very tired, and I didn't feel that great. On the Friday before, we all went bike riding. Chip and CJ go a couple times a week. As for me, well, this was the first time I had been on a bike in a few years. Plus, I haven't done any form of exercise in several months. And we rode 10 miles. That is not a typo - 10 miles. And let me tell you, there were a few times I simply did not think I would make it.

Chip (pulling Ruthi) and CJ had long taken off and left me. I finally caught up (Chip had turned around to come find me) and made it to the halfway point. We rested and Ruthi played. Then we switched her over to my bike so that Chip and CJ could take the off-road trails on the way back. I didn't think pulling her would make that much difference. That thinking? Would be very wrong.

I actually got off the bike a couple of times and just walked next to it. Ruthi was cheering me on though, telling me I could do it! When it seemed I'd never make it back, Chip and I switched bikes and he pulled her back the rest of the way. Once I got on his bike, that last mile or so was pretty much a breeze.

But the damage had been done. My legs? Yeah, they were tired. But that wasn't the bad part. My bottom? Well, I'm quite sure it was VERY bruised from that seat! (And that's with a squishy gel seat!)

Friday night I still managed to get preparations for Easter (Saturday) dinner done and finish cleaning the house. Saturday I cooked and we enjoyed a wonderful Easter celebration with my parents. We celebrated on Saturday since Chip would be working on Sunday.

By Sunday morning though? I could barely move! The soreness had REALLY kicked in! So we did not make it to church. And the kids and I slept in until after 11:00!

So yes, I'm a bad mom. No dyed eggs or pretty cookies, and no church on Easter! (Which means no photos of kids in their nice Easter clothes either!) I hope I haven't scarred them for life! LOL!

So anyway, here are some pictures from Saturday. I also didn't manage to take very many pictures for some reason. And the attempts I made of getting more than 2 people in one shot? Not very successful!

Doesn't CJ look thrilled?

Hunting (plastic) Easter eggs.

There's One!!!

Having fun with Poppy - Ruthi LOVES to be tickled and was getting a good tickling. She wasn't interested in stopping to smile for the camera!

Ruthi loves her Nana!

I have a cousin who lives in Ohio who happened to be in town Easter weekend. He called Sunday afternoon to see if he and his family could stop by. By the afternoon, I was moving around a little better, so of course I said come over. The kids had a blast playing together. I took pictures, but since this post is already so long, I will put those in another post. I will do my best to get them up within a day or two. Really, I will!