CONGRATULATIONS MASTER!

James received his Master's Degree last night!!! Way to go Honey! These are his friends from his class.
My parents came out to attend the graduation!
This is James with his Mom!
Here is James with his Nanna!
Me with my super sexy man! I'm SO proud!!
Here's Katie playing with Nanna. What fun we've had with Pam and Nanna here this week! We sure have had a great time- and I've enjoyed having an extra couple of pairs of hands! :-) Congrats, Honey!!

Lady Katie

James has a new title for our sweet baby girl: Lady Katie.
With the way she twists her hands all the time, it certainly fits her!
We sure love this girl!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

These are Tyler's rainbow cupcakes. He'd eat the top, frost, eat the top, frost, and on and on.
Logan's were a bit more artistic. If you tip your head to the right, you can make out his pictures a bit better, as the picture is turned. :-) They are a leprechaun (on the left), Mommy (top right), and Superman sign (bottom right).
These are some other fun ones we made.
I LOVE St. Patty's Day! I'm not Irish and I don't really know a whole lot about St. Patrick, but I've always enjoyed the holiday! It's one of those holidays that really brings everyone together- you either join with everyone and wear green, or you beg people to reach out and touch you (pinch! pinch!) by not wearing green! :-) I did marry an Irish boy, though- so the whole "Kiss me I'm Irish" thing means more to me as well! :-) I suggested green eggs or green milk (and the boys thought I was crazy), so we settled on St. Patty's Day themed cupcakes. Here are two boys who greatly enjoy eating the cake batter next to the sign I bought 8 years ago at James and my first St. Patty's day. :-)
Hope you all enjoyed this fun day! And I especially hope you wore GREEN! :-) Next year I'll post the pic of me in my shamrock sunglasses. I wore them most of the day, and if they were off, Tyler would bring them to me. "Here's yours glasses Mommy!"

Logan's White Belt

Here's handsome white belt Logan!! :-) He really enjoys his class!!This is Logan showing respect right after receiving his belt.
This is Logan receiving his belt.
Logan and his teacher!

We Love Illinois!

These are my two favorite women ever!! I just love hanging out with them- I learn so much each and every time!! (And let this picture be a lesson to all of us- refrain from wearing patterned clothing in pictures if you want to look like you have a normally shaped body...)

Blankets, blankets, and more blankets!! Nonna let the kiddos climb on "Blanket Mountain" with supervision. They LOVED it!
Katie sure loves Papa! As I always say, "He's wonderful!!" (Thanks again for that awesome tricycle, Dad!) :-)
Here's Gracie! This little girl is light years ahead of others her age- she is AMAZING!!! She's walking, singing the theme to Elmo's world- well, humming it anyway, and as you can see here- riding horses! :-) She has the sweetest little smile- and she is ALWAYS on the move!Tyler LOVED the balance beam that Papa put together- Lucy is a pro, and was very patient as Tyler went ahead of her. He was thrilled when he finished- as you can see here.
Here are the two of them walking on the beam. Lucy did 'releve' as well (no idea how to spell that, but it's when she does her tiptoes)- what a little gymnast!! She is such a doll! We had a GREAT weekend- very short, but very fun!

Great People and Uplifting Moments

This is my awesome friend Laura! She came to visit as a treat to her (and me) for Valentines Day! (Thank you Micah!!) We had SUCH a great time! Facials, shopping, ice cream, trying out zumba, and lounging in our jammies were just some of the great things we did...but my favorite thing of all?! Talking!!! Laura is so uplifting- she really has an awesome grasp on life, parenting, and loving people for who they are. You can't help but be uplifted when you are around her- I learn so much from her, and continue to. Today she sent me a link to this devotional by one of the leaders in our church. It's only about 6 minutes long, but it's beautifully done. If you have a few minutes, I hope you'll watch it!! Thank you Laura for visiting, and for continuing to inspire me!!
Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snAjZ8mfoYw

If you watched the video, you know it mentioned remembering everyone is a child of God. As I was watching it, and listening to that, I realized that Katie was watching intently as well....and then I realized she wasn't smiling at the video on the computer, but she was smiling at my reflection in the computer. :-) Her sweet little face reminded me that others are always watching- even when we don't realize it...all the more reason to practice what we preach! I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing me with so many people to love.

The video also mentioned enjoying nature to feel closer to Heaven. Well, today James and I were able to watch the sunrise together. The fog was just beginning to lift from the field behind our home, the sky was orange and pink, and the sun was just peeking up over the trees. As I stood there with my handsome man's arms around me looking out at the beautiful world, I thought, "This is surely a taste of heaven." I hope each of you find a taste of heaven today!

What's a Parent?

Logan often tells Tyler what to do, and we remind him he is not a parent. Today, Tyler told Logan what to do, so Logan said, "Tyler you are NOT a parent."
I said, "Logan, Tyler doesn't know what the word 'parent' means."
Logan began to explain to Tyler what a parent is. This is what he said: "See, Tyler, look at Mommy. She has big feet. She has big legs. A big tummy, and a big head. You don't have those things so you are NOT a parent." ha ha Awesome!