missing grandma

Our boys are back after a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house....playing at the park, eating ice cream, playing with baby Eli, baseball with Uncle Ryan, grilling hamburgers, coloring pictures for Aunt Erin, etc.

Brian and I were thrilled to have the weekend alone but glad to see the boys again today. Tonight as I was tucking them in Elliott started to say something about Grandma and then his lip started quivering and the full-on crying came. He misses Grandma. He wishes we lived closer to Grandma so we could see her more. He wants her to visit us at our house.

It's got to be hard for them to get to spend just a little time with them and then have to come back home not knowing exactly how long it will be before they see them again. Bedtime is especially hard cause Grandma always lays down with Elliott until he goes to sleep at her house (not so lucky here with Mom).

The crying went on for a few minutes, then Ethan said something to upset Elliott and Elliott's foot just happened to kick Ethan's foot, so then both were crying. At this point it was way past bedtime which meant their self-control was pretty much out the window and the only way to resolve this was for me to lay down with them for a few minutes until they could calm down. So I crawled into the middle of the bed between them and it was an immediate mood change. They fell asleep a few minutes later. I'm sure Elliott will still be missin' Grandma in the morning, though.

peacefulness

I was going through pictures trying to find a favorite of Elliott when he was a toddler and came across this picture. This is just what I needed after a very hectic morning at church this morning. This is my Grandma's backyard. Sitting in the swing under the huge oak tree. Talking to each other. Laughing. Enjoying the warm breeze. Summer sunset.

I wish I was sitting there right now. I really wish I had been sitting there this morning - I needed just a little peace and quiet. But looking at this reminds me of how grateful I am that God has given me this place and other places like it to enjoy when we do need to just be still. Thanks for the reminder.

warm weather and tulips

I'd been watching the weather and knew that today was supposed to be a warm spring day, plus it was Brian's day off and I was hoping that the tulips would still be blooming at the Botanical Gardens. Yes!! It all worked out exactly like I imagined (don't you love those rare occasions?). We really had the best time and the gardens were really beautiful - more so than I imagined. And besides running from the mean bees, the boys even enjoyed the gardens, too. But they were really wooed there by the Children's Garden. They remembered coming with Ben and Sam a couple of years ago and were just waiting for the "big slide". It did not disappoint.

Happy Easter!

Yesterday the boys and I got to go to my Aunt Jane and Uncle Bruce's house for a Hosselton family Easter gathering - all but 2 of us were there, so 28 in all!! I love getting together with all of them. Wish we did it more often or lived closer to make it a more frequent thing. Luckily, 2 of my cousins are getting married this year so I'm excited to see everyone again in August and September.

Grandma always gives all of us crisp new two-dollar bills on Easter (or I think she always does - Erin, help me out here!). Anyway, this is her handing them out to all of us. Love that she still wants to be independent and make things personal.

Cousins checking out the loot - thank you Aunt Jane, Grandma Dee and Grandma Hosselton!!

The newly engaged couples - Kevin, Jenny, Tara & Tyler. Congratulations guys!!!

On Friday we colored Easter eggs - even turned it into a little science experiment, seeing which liquid the tablets dissolved the best in (lemon juice, vinegar or water). Maybe I could home school......yeah, probably not. The boys had a blast doing this - there was even a Georgia egg with a big G on it and an Illinois egg with a block I. I don't know where they get these ideas???

My cute boys! I actually remembered before Easter Sunday this year to get outfits and make sure their shoes fit (I usually have to stuff their feet into shoes a size too small cause I forget this detail until they start to put them on on Easter - they usually just wear their tennis shoes to church). They were so excited that they got to wear a tie!

favorite salad dressing

This is our absolute FAVORITE salad dressing. I don't know what it's called (sorry). We had this salad the other night when it was cold and gray out - definitely something bright and yummy for these gloomy rainy days!

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. original seasoned rice vinegar

2-3 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. ground mustard

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine all ingredients. Shake until well blended.

love this face

Yep, this is the face I got when I wanted to take a picture at my aunt's house when we were there for Easter this past weekend. My cousin, Jordan, is the one with his back to me - great shot of both of them, don't you think? Maybe a little too much sugar?

guilty

yes, guilty. I was just looking at a blog that I watch everyday to see if something new is there - something to spark creativity, motivation to get the camera out, inspiration to work on a scrapbook page, a new tip for organization or home decor, etc. and was thinking to myself "she hasn't updated this since the end of March!" I'm so missing that! Then I realized I hadn't updated mine, either - ooops!!! So here is the beginning of "catching up"