The Great Swing Set Debacle of 2009

We have a new swing set in our backyard! I won't bore you with the details, but getting the correct swing set was such a disaster that the normally calm member of our family was writing nasty letters and our dearly-loved neighbors are walking away from it with a brand-new awesome swing set of their own. :) Regardless of the process, we're psyched to have it.

Here are the kids waiting for the swing set to come off the truck:


What, your kid doesn't go to preschool in a tutu and puddle boots?

Steve and Caroline reading the directions.

Steve had lots of good "help." I mainly refreshed drinks and provided snacks.

After a day and half of hard work on Steve's part, the swing set was ready for play!

I think this may be my new favorite picture:

I have the feeling our backyard is going to look like this most nights after dinner this spring:

PS - I think my husband is pretty awesome, not only for his mad swing-set-assembling skills, but also for spending his whole weekend building this for his kids. We love you, Steve.

Samantha's Day Off

Back in the days of teaching kindergarten and first grade, snow days were a beautiful thing. I got the whole day to sleep in, watch daytime tv, and just be lazy. I liked to celebrate those days by calling my mom and sister and reminding them, repeatedly, that I had the DAY OFF and that if they needed me I wouldn't be at work because I was AT HOME on a DAY OFF. They found these calls charming. :)

Well today and I just wanted to let you, my faithful blog readers, know that I have THE DAY OFF. Steve's got the kids all day, so if you need me, I'M NOT HOME. I'm not serving snacks, folding laundry, or doing the preschool drop-off. I won't be changing any diapers or putting anybody down for a nap. 'Cause I'm on a DAY OFF.

Can you tell I'm pretty excited??? This will be the first day in more than a year that I'll be away from the kiddos for more than 3 hours. The freedom is almost overwhelming. Now if you will excuse me, I'm off to take a long walk, go to Starbucks and read trashy magazines, and then meet a friend for lunch and shopping. You all have fun at your jobs!!!

Ever seen a princess trout?

The town we live in has a great fly fishing club with their very own trout pond. Generally, the pond is for fly-fishing only, but for those under 3-ft tall, permission is granted to cross over to the dark side and fish with worms. So, pink princess pole in hand, Boo and I took advantage of the beautiful 60-degree day here to have our first fishing adventure!


Dealing with the worms got us off to a little shaky start, but after repeated assurances that daddy would handle all worm-related activities, Boo was back on board. We found a nice spot along the bank to sit down and, after a few casts and a little bit of squealing, Caroline reeled in her first fish--a beautiful rainbow trout, which is apparently also known in some circles as a "princess" trout. Who knew?!

We definitely had a great time. I'm so lucky to have such a great little fishing buddy and I can't wait for William to join us too!

Nana & Papa

We had a great visit with Steve's parents last weekend. The big highlight for Caroline was a sleepover and movie night at the hotel. The highlight for me was a date with my honey. I always enjoy having Steve's parents here, but for some reason I thought this was a particularly nice visit. We miss you, Nana and Papa.

Trouble

Yeah, I'm talking about you:

William's current favorite activity is to climb up 3 - 4 stairs, turn around, sit down, and give me this look:

You know the one. Look at me! I know I'm not supposed to be doing this! Are you watching, Mom? Climbing the stairs isn't the purpose; the purpose is to show me that he knows the rules but being naughty is FUN! He also likes to give me this look when he: 1.) plays in the kitty food/water bowls, 2.) stirs the toilet, or even better Caroline's little potty, and 3.) throws food off his tray. Ugh. Not sure if I'm ready for this toddler business.

Egg Hunt

We hosted our playgroup families for a casual brunch and Easter Egg hunt on Saturday morning.

Parker, Caroline, and Brianna waiting for the hunt to begin.

Lynda helping Cate collect eggs.

Leo finding hidden eggs.

My buddy Jared.

Caroline and Brianna comparing baskets.

And then it all goes down hill when Ella figures out there is CANDY inside the eggs.

How cute is Parker?




Caroline and Brianna again. These two are rarely more than 2 feet apart.

The mommy paparazzi.

My girls, Lynda and Emily.




Brianna was basically the only cooperative child who would look at my camera and smile.

Caroline, Jack, and William.

My main man.

Playgroup Birthday Party

We had our playgroup friends over to celebrate William's 1st birthday. It was a great ending to the weekend-long festivities!