my poor legs

These are both my own fault and were obtained because I was lacking in common sense.  However, I feel entitled to gripe about it...so here goes.

Injury 1
A couple weeks ago I read a book about a woman who had four daughters and was dying.  In the book she said she wished she would have played with her kids more at the play ground rather than sitting on the bench and watching them.  I decided I was going to play more as well.  We went to the park the next day and I was helping the girls go across the bars when I thought I would impress them and pull an old trick out of my bag. 

When I was in elementary school, we would hook one leg over the bar, wrap our arms under the bar and over our ankle and then spin until we were so dizzy we couldn't stand up straight.  I thought I would give it a try and show my girls I was a really cool Mom. 

I did it.  My girls were impressed.  I had a moment of irreverent pride and got the biggest, darkest bruise on the back of my knee.  Apparently tricks like that should be left to those weighing less than 55 pounds. 

Injury 2

No, thankfully that's not me (but it's funny)

Last week was sunny for most of five days in a row.  (That's amazing.)  I wanted to soak it up as much as I could.  I spent many hours tide pooling, collecting shells, playing on the beach and at the park with my girls and going on walks.  One afternoon, however, I decided to lay on my deck and read a book.  Now, in Newport, sunny does NOT mean warm.  I wrapped a blanket around the top half of me and decided to let my legs get some sun.  I fell asleep.  Three hours later I crawled inside.  The backs of my legs from above my knee to my ankle are FRIED.  Even now, three days later, I want to cry every time I have to bend my knees.  My girls keep giving me hugs of sympathy and saying, "I wish you didn't have that sunburn Mom."  Me too...but now I have a great reminder to stock up on sunscreen for this summer.

Bunny

Lars has carried on a tradition that his dad used to do.  As soon as stores start stocking them, he will buy each of the girls a chocolate bunny and they are allowed to take one bite a day until Easter.  Heidi, being two and a chocolate fiend, didn't really grasp this concept so each day when the other girls would take a small bite, to ensure their bunnies lasted until Easter, Heidi would take the biggest bite she could and cry for more.

Coincidentally, after Heidi had finished her own bunny, our friend gave us a GIANT chocolate Easter bunny.  Heidi kept asking to have it and I kept saying No.  I put it on the counter and went of to do something else.  A while later I realized it was too quiet and I hadn't seen Heidi in a while.  I was pretty sure what was going on, so I tiptoed around trying to find her and catch her red handed.

When I snuck upstairs, I came upon Heidi sitting in the middle of the floor with the bunny completely unwrapped.  She had already gnawed the face off.  Stifling my laughter, I approached her and said, "Heidi.  Mama told you not to eat the chocolate bunny."  Heidi innocently responded, "I not eating it.  I LICKING it!"

Random...and completely inappropriate

Naomi and Leah were jumping around on the couch.  Leah accidentally landed between Naomi's legs.  Naomi grabbed herself and yelled, "You just hit me in the nutz!"  Leah countered.  "You don't have any nutz."

I would like to thank the influence of public school for this contribution.  :)

Art Exhibit

Leah and Naomi both entered an art piece into the Lincoln County School Art Show. 

Naomi's piece won and artistic excellence award.  They selected four students from K-4th grade based on skill...and a bunch of other stuff (see...not remembering).  Anyway, she got a fancy certificate and a gold sticker next to her piece in the gallery.

Leah's artwork showed up in the local newspaper.  http://www.newportnewstimes.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=79&story_id=27787

And here are a couple other pictures from the Gallery Open House and the walk home.

 Leah, Naomi, Heidi, Yaya

 Cheesy Heidi

 Yaya

Heidi stopping to smell the...tulips

Easter

 The girls rescued their Easter baskets from the rain outside.

 H, E, L and N exploring the contents of their baskets.

 H with her bubble gum eggs and blue eyes!

 E found the "dollar egg".  L was jealous

H, E, N and H with rock candy from our friend Judy.

A very "Good Friday"

On Friday my friend Nicole, her son Mitch, Emilia, Heidi and I spent the whole morning outside in the sunshine!  We drove south to Seal Rock and explored the tide pools and rocks there. 

 Heidi

Mitch and E

After that we went up to Ona Beach and searched for agates and fossils.  It's amazing at low tide!!!

Later Friday night we dyed eggs and frosted Easter cookies with all the girls and a few friends.

  You may notice the half eaten egg next to Heidi.  This is because it is her first egg that she attempted to dye.  I told her to pick one and put it in a cup.  Well, she THREW it into the cup.  The dye splashed everywhere and the egg was completely cracked.  Needless to say, she got a snack, I got a new painting shirt and my kitchen got a cleaning :)

Donation

 My sweet Leah decided she wanted me to cut her hair so she could donate it to Locks of Love. 

 We cut off nine inches.

Then she came up with a new use for it.  :)

an amazing gift

Ten years ago when Lars and I got married, my sister Stephanie started this quilt for our wedding present.  She finished it last week :)  Over the years this has kind of been a running joke.  I'll talk about wanting to paint my bedroom and buy a new comforter and she will say, "Don't do it!  I'm working on your quilt!"  So I never did.  We have been using Lars's ugly (but very comfy) blanket that he had on his bed all through high school.

My sister Steph in now pregnant with her seventh baby and still managed to finish this quilt.  I was SO excited to get it in the mail today!!!  You can ask anyone, I don't get emotionally attached to many things.  Art work and of course photos are about all I would care to save in a fire...but this blanket is now on the list.  It came with a history!  I could be leaving some places out, but I know that the pieces of this quilt have moved with my sister from Iowa, to Missouri, to New York, back to Missouri, to Colorado and back to Iowa.  Steph has somehow found time and for some reason made it a priority to piece this blanket together amidst home schooling her six children, moving, gardening, cooking, cleaning, traveling, being a mother, daughter, auntie, sister and friend. 

I'm not even coming close to expressing how much love I feel from this gift from my sister whom I love and admire so much.  I am so blessed to have a relationship with such an amazing woman, to know of her love for me, and to have it expressed so beautifully in this quilt. Thank you my sister for sewing all of those feelings, emotions and experiences into my blanket.  I LOVE it and I love you.

Hair Cut...and not mine

My five year old E has beautiful, fine, red hair.  It is silky and smooth...when she lets me brush it.  Which is never.  My constant threat is "brush it or I'll cut it."  E doesn't respond to threats.  She responds more to coercion.  I found some pictures of her with short hair and started raving about how cute she is with short hair, and how much I loved that hair cut.  Her sisters chimed in.  Of course the only one not jumping on board was Daddy who thinks all girls should have long hair. 

The very next morning E had the most amazing bed head I have ever seen with hair as long as hers.  I really should have taken a picture.  It had to have been sticking out a good four inches.  Lars took one look at it and said, "I think she needs her hair cut!"  I told him he had to make a big deal about it because she wasn't going to cut her hair as long as she thought Dad wanted her to have long hair.  So after Lars told her he thought she would look so cute with short hair again, E was super excited to get her hair cut! 

It was kind of a bitter sweet.  Once I actually got it washed and all brushed out, it looked so pretty that I wanted her to keep it long.  Then I remembered that it doesn't ever look like that, so I cut it.

Before

 After

I love it short! 

A SUNNY Weekend!

Although spring break was just two weeks ago, the girls had another five day weekend due to parent/teacher conferences.  This is a whole new dynamic for us since Lars IS a teacher.  He didn't get a break...but we did. :) 
On Friday the sun was shining so the girls and I went with a group of friends down to Cape Perpetua.  It's about a 45 minute drive south from Newport.  WOW!  I have never been there before and it is amazing!!  These pictures don't even do it justice.  I can't wait to go back with Lars and spend more time walking on the trails and enjoying the beauty of this area. 

 Lava rocks and tide pools down below

 the coast line view...

"devil's churn" down below

 Saturday I took the girls down to the beach.  We played around for 2 1/2 hours!  Naomi built an amazing sand castle, Leah expanded her collection of random "beachy" things, and Emilia found one seagull feather that immediately became her prized possession.  Heidi taught me the proper way to build a sand castle.  1. Fill your bucket with sand.  2. Step on the sand in your bucket.  3. Flip the bucket over. 4. Sit on the bucket.  5. Remove bucket.  Clap and squeal with delight.  6. Demolish sand castle.  7. Repeat steps 1-6 until the sun sets or your mother drags you home kicking and screaming...which ever comes first.