Lazy Days of Spring

(Be prepared - this is a long one - very enjoyable, but quite lengthy :-) Ha!)

It's certainly been a while, hasn't it?  The children were out for Spring Break at the end of March and we just stayed around the house - in hopes of potty training, but that didn't work out too well for us!  We'll probably try again this weekend since we have a few days out for Easter.  We saw a Mickey Mouse traveling show a few weeks ago at the Bi-Lo Center here in town ... it was good but because I took my big camera and the lens was removable, I wasn't allowed to take it in so no pictures of that event.  I know you are very upset!

We have been enjoying the up and down weather these past few weeks.  I haven't taken antibiotics in years but have been on them twice in the past 8 weeks ... it's crazy!  I'm feeling better, though.  I have also recovered nicely from my surgery!  I have been released to start exercising - as the doctor said, "Jennifer, just ease into it.  I don't want you jumping back into your old routine."  Do you think I should have reminded her that my lack of an old routine is what landed me in her office in the first place? Ha!  I am feeling good and the children are glad that I can finally hold them again!



Stewart & I were able to go down to Augusta, GA, for Wednesday's practice round at the Masters.  What an absolutely gorgeous day.  You might recognize a few of these folks!  The great thing about Wednesday at the Masters is that you can take cameras and the players are so available.  (Cameras are strictly forbidden on tournament days)!

Arnold Palmer

 Jack Nicklaus & Gary Player (who played the Par-3 Challenge with Arnie)

 Zach Johnson,  a previous Masters winner (I think)

 Johnathan Byrd (Clemson boy)

 I totally have drawn a blank on  his name ... he's hysterical, though!  Yes, that is a cigar in his mouth as he is signing his life away in autographs :-)

 Tom Watson

 And, my favorite, Ian Poulter - not only because of his name, but isn't he just so darn cute? :-)

 We were camped between holes 8 & 9 on the Par 3 course ... all of the sudden, something caught my eye up above - it was Arnie just taking it all in!

The children are growing up each and every day ... it's so much fun to interact with them and see what they know, what they understand, and what they just make up!  Ian picked out this pig at the Dollar Store a while back - it reminded him of the Evil Dr. Porkchop in Toy Story (and I am not forking over $10 for a plastic pig) ... well, a couple of weeks ago, I found it like this - leaned up on Stewart's new water feature for his desk!  As you can tell, he is just propped up right next to it so that the pig can get a first-hand glimpse of the rocks that tempt Ian everyday :-)

Bonner has her own quirks, too, and you all know that's having all of her 'stuff' with her at all times.  Well, she has recently found a new place to "nest" - right in front of the new desk we had installed when we did all the renovations to the house.  It's a cozy little area and she likes to get her pillow, her blanket, her lovies, and her Abby and get all "snug-a-bug" ... it usually doesn't take her brother too long to join her which doesn't usual result in screams of happiness :-)

We have started celebrating the Easter tradition of hunting for eggs ... now, Ian & Bonner just do not get this but if there are treats in the eggs, they are more than willing to look for them!  Here are some pictures from our neighborhood hunt that was held a couple of weeks ago!  (I went with Bonner and Stewart took Ian so most of the pictures I took were of her ...)

And, today, this sweet lady across town hosted a big Easter Egg hunt at her house.  The children had fun - they were, however, disappointed that when they opened the first eggs they found that they were empty ... in other words, no treats!  The look of despair was hysterical.  I quickly explained that the treat was coming in the form of a yummy cookie and all was well with the world once again :-)

Easter Bunny was there with "Little Bo Peep" - at least that is who Ian & Bonner thought she was and I was fine with that since I wasn't sure how to explain a Mrs. Bunny!

 The one thing about Ian is that if he isn't pitching a fit, he is smiling & usually laughing!

 And when she's in the mood, she can definitely "cheese" it up!

 There is no telling what is going through his mind but since he is all boy, it probably had something to do with getting dirty or finding a ball to throw!

 She was definitely cheesing it up on for this picture!  So dainty!

 And, of course, she had to have her 'stuff' when going down the slide!

And, I am sure you are exhausted by now of reading about our latest antics, but I did want to end this post with some more Ian-isms and Bonner-lingo since they are just priceless to me ... and I want to make sure they make it into the blog book for years to come :-)  Enjoy!

Ian-isms
- "Bonner, your Cinderella dress is beautiful!"
- "Sing it with me, guys!"
- "This isn't a fun corner for time-out!" (He wanted to go to the corner where he could reach his toys)
- "Sleeping Beauty will hit Snow White and that will not be kind!"
- "I love God and He loves my princesses!"
- Ian picks up Bonner's Minnie Mouse mirror and says, "I'm putting on my make-up!"
- "I will give God a sip of my water"
Ian can sing pretty much every song he's ever heard - and his favorite is "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story ... a close 2nd is "Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus" ... he also sings the B-I-B-L-E song and "My God is So Mighty".  He says the blessing for us before each meal! He is truly a miracle toddler and we are so thankful for his outgoing personality that simply lights up a room!

Bonner-Lingo
- Me: "If Woody (Toy Story) is a cowboy and Jessie is a cowgirl, what are you?"  Bonner: "A cow-Princess, mommy!"
- One day I was putting my make-up on next to her and she asked, "Are you coloring your face, mommy?"
- "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your ponytail!"
- Bonner to Ian: "You are a very good Prince Charming!"
- Stewart was changing Bonner's diaper one day and she kept calling him "mommy".  He said, "I'm not your mommy." And she said, "I know."  He asked her how she knew he wasn't her mommy and she said, "Because mommy's hair is light."  Stewart then asked, "Well what color is my hair?"  Bonner said, "Gray!"
- During our prayers one day, I finished them with "And, please God keep us safe" to which Bonner added "from the Easter bunny!"
- During the Lord's Prayer she says, "Deliver us from Igor" (instead of 'evil')
- Instead of Lady & the Tramp, she calls is "Lady & the Hound" - and when you show her "The Fox & the Hound", she says, "Just like Lady & the Hound".
Bonner is a true blessing as she reminds me every day that children this age are sponges.  She is pretty smart and very articulate.  She can say the Lord's prayer and loves to do puzzles.  Abby Cadabby remains her favorite 'friend', but she knows every Disney princess that ever was...  She has just started doing matching stuff and really enjoys when she makes a "pair"!

Well, thanks for hanging in there with me!  I trust that this Easter season will greet you with greatness and that you will remember the true reason for the season.  Ian & Bonner are learning the Easter story more and more each day ... as Ian would say, "God is super-powerful!"  Don't forget that as you embrace His love for you this week!  He came, He lived, He died, and He rose again ... all for YOU!

Love,
Jennifer

St. Patrick's Day and more

Last Thursday, St. Patrick's Day, the Greenville Recreation Department hosted the Leprechaun O'Gala at a local Pavilion.  You know me - something different and child-friendly - so we were there!  The children were not quite sure what to expect, but they eventually settled in ... at least for a little while!

They had games set up indoors which Ian was all about!

Ian "fishing" for a prize!

  Ian Golfing like his mommy & daddy

 Ian Bowling - I think these 2 pictures are hysterical - how he is bent over watching the ball!  I'm surprised he didn't just run up there and knock all the pins over like he does with his little bowling ball game at home :-)

Ian doing the Ring Toss for a lollipop

 The lollipop is what finally lured Bonner from my hip - she even did the ring toss, too!

Ian got his face painted for the first time ... orange fish!  Thank goodness for the lollipop which kept him really still!

 They were pretty much over all the inside activities pretty quick!  I must say that my children love to be outside and it was an absolutely gorgeous day so I didn't mind being on the playground either!

They also had this little train that goes around the soccer field on a track.  Ian was definitely not into until we got underway ... but Bonner seemed to actually enjoy it from the beginning!  I am never surprised by which child is the extrovert at any one moment ... the problem is that it alternates throughout the day!  Abby Cadabby seemed to have a great time, too!

 

"Mommy, could you please turn off the sun - it is so bright!  Oh yeh, cheese & Happy St. Patrick's Day - whatever that is!"

I had a Junior League meeting out of town this weekend so Stewart took the kiddos to Perry to see his family.  It worked out great and I think they had a wonderful time!  Anyway, we are working on getting back on schedule - I just thought these pictures after Ian was drug out of bed after his nap were priceless :-)

And, lastly, my sweet neighbors brought over Easter presents for the children last week ... check out Bonner's new headband :-)  She loves it so much!  I even found it in her bed this afternoon!  And, of course, her latest tutu is still a clothing article requirement when we are at home playing!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Character Breakfast and More ...

Before I get started on our outings today, there were 2 conversations I wanted to post - I hope they make you smile :-)

Bonner: Can we please watch Little Mermaid when we get home?
Mommy: Bonner, I am not sure we have Little Mermaid at home for us to watch.
Bonner: We do have Little Mermaid, mommy.
Ian: Do you have Big Mermaid, Bonner?

Bonner: Let's sing me Happy Birthday!
Mommy: What kind of birthday cake do you want to have, Bonner?
Bonner: Cinderella and Ian would like a Prince Charming cake.
Mommy: Did you ask him if that's what he wanted?
Bonner: Ian, do you want a Prince Charming cake?
Ian: No, I want a Snow White cake!

No time goes by where they don't make me laugh :-)  We have had a great few days!  Gigi babysat on Thursday night while Stewart and I joined our neighbors for her birthday at the Sugarland concert.  At the Heart Ball, Gigi was sweet enough to get Bonner this new tutu (it came with a matching one for her baby doll, too) and Gigi brought it to her Thursday ...  She has pretty much worn her new tutu every minute since!

I found her laying in the floor with her tutu on ... when I asked her what she was doing, she told me, "Making snow angels, mommy!"

Our helper, Ms. Amber has been a big help since my surgery ... she is great to give the kids a bath each day after school and the other day she snapped some photos of the kid's "crazy hair"!

Today was a fun day as we went to the SC Children's Theatre's Character Breakfast ... I definitely was not sure what to expect but the kids had a blast!  I really wanted to see how they would react being around characters - whether they would be ready for Disney or not.  The great thing is that they basically brought Disney to us today :-)  Bonner ate up every second with every princess.  Winnie the Pooh and his gang, the Wizard of Oz characters, Annie, Stuart Little, and all the princesses were there!  Ian wouldn't get too close to them; I guess he'll want to do the rides at Disney :-)

We started off a little slow ... but the breakfast they served was super yummy!

But once the princesses started prancing down the aisle, Bonner perked right up!

Ian even got into the action a little bit!

Bonner with Jasmine ... when she got in her crib tonight, she said, "Jasmine did not bring Aladdin today, mommy!"  And, she was correct!

Bonner & Ariel, the Little Mermaid

Bonner with little orphan Annie!

Bonner with Aurora, Sleeping Beauty

Bonner with Snow White

Bonner with Rapunzel

Bonner with Tiana of "The Princess & the Frog"

Bonner with Belle of Beauty & the Beast

Bonner with Mulan

And it would not have been complete without Cinderella & Prince Charming!  Ian blew Cinderella a kiss and gave Prince Charming a high five ... but did not want to get in the picture :-)

We also enjoyed an absolutely beautiful day outside ... here are a couple of pictures I just had to post!

Ian thinks it is so fun to look inside at Baxter sleeping!

Bonner put all of the chalk and her Abby in this milk crate :-) and then she took it to the front porch!

When Ian saw her coming up the steps with it, I kid you not ... he looked at her and said, "Let me help you, Bonner!"  What a sweetie :-)

And after such a busy day, some girls just need to take their shoes off and enjoy the softness of the grass!  As much of a princess as she is, she loves to have her shoes off and to play in the dirt!

But even with all the fun today, the thing that made my heart melt the most was in the car this morning.  I have been saying the Lord's Prayer with the children before they go to bed for about 2 weeks (prior to that it was "Now I lay me down to sleep..." but they started asking me for a new prayer).  Gigi mentioned the new prayer to them on our way to the Character Breakfast and I told her that I thought Bonner might know it (I noticed her mouthing it the other night but wasn't sure exactly how much she knew).  Well, she started at "Our Father" and made it all the way to "Forgive us our trespasses..." by herself.  After a couple of words here and there, she finished the whole thing!  Now, I understand that it is simple memorization, but I think it's critical that the more we can talk about God and bring Him into our day-to-day lives, the better.  Tonight when she went to bed, she got just as far and, again, I was very proud!  Ian is working on it, too.  He gave it a good effort tonight as well - super excited for them both!

Pictures of the Children

I am still struggling to get any videos posted ... but, hopefully, one day very soon!  I think I have figured out how to do it, but I just have to find the time to actually do it!

I have started to pick the camera back up and take pictures of the children more frequently again ... I guess I started slacking off as they started getting more active and I started to get more tired :-)  Anyway, here are some pictures from the children over the past couple of days!

When we bought Laser, Inc. several years ago, we were introduced to nicest man, Papa Joe, and his beautiful and sweet wife, Ms. Annette.  Joe was President of Laser and we are so blessed that he endeared us as much as he has!  Joe & Annette are so thoughtful - so last week when this big box of fruit showed up on the doorstep, I should have known right away!  The fruit was sent as a "Get Well Soon" gift to me - and Bonner absolutely loves the juicy oranges.  Instead of saying, "Cheese" for this picture, she made herself laugh silly saying, "Juicy!"

Here they are sharing animal crackers ... Ian likes to control the bag and hand Bonner one at a time.  She's pretty sweet about it, but you can tell it drives her nuts!

You might remember this castle from Christmas.  She has thoroughly enjoyed playing with it - and her princesses are very much "at home" on the lovely furniture - if you look very closely on the floor, you will see Cinderella "taking a nap"!

You might also remember this doll house that Aunt Terri & Uncle Glenn gave Bonner for Christmas.  Well, this little guy has completely taken it over and renamed it "Andy's House" from Toy Story.  It's not unusual to find his Toy Story friends, the barn animals, and any 1 of Bonner's numerous princesses going in and out of the door of Andy's house :-)  If you look closely in this picture, Ian has a death grip on Snow White!

And before long, they are just taking their princess and Toy Story friends back and forth between "Andy's house" and the castle ...

Now you can see, he has traded in Snow White for Sleeping Beauty!

The great thing is that they really do play well together ... and their creativity and imagination are just great!  I love that they have a 24/7 playmate and that they are really enjoying one another's company - at least for now!  A day doesn't go by when Bonner doesn't ask Ian to push her in her baby stroller; and he is often inviting her to play basketball or golf ... or, yes, even to play with HIS princesses!

2011 Heart Ball

Stewart and I attended our 2nd Heart Ball this past Saturday night!  Many of you might remember that Ian was honored last year as one of the Heart Babies at the American Heart Association's Heart Ball so that started our tradition!  We love the girl that is responsible for putting on the function and we are thankful for the money raised during the "Open Your Heart" moment for CHD research.

This year, we knew one of the Heart Babies, Elsie, very good and had recently met Sam, another of the honorees ... both are Georgia Bulldogs so, of course, we were going to support them!

This year, we had a great group of friends and family that came along with us for the fun!  And, fun, we had!  I am pretty sure I know now what the doctor meant when she said, "Don't cut too much of a rug... you've got alot of stitches!"  Yikes!! Was I sore the next day (and still a little bit, if I were to be honest)?  But it was so worth it!  We had a great time!

Here's our table :-)

Mary Ellen, Heart Ball Extraordanaire - and another UGA girl :-)

Good friends, Matt & Krista

Good neighbors (& friends), Bob & Gena

Beautiful Wylie Women & all good friends

Mary Anne, Mary Hunter, & Elizabeth

Mom & Steve - you gotta give him credit - he wasn't feeling all that good.  He left early and mom hung out with us until the end!

The Waite Family - Aimee, Sumner, and little Elsie!  Elsie had surgery this past summer (July 23) in Charleston; she's a trooper and so cute!  You can't tell from this picture, but she has this beautiful curly hair and she's super smart :-)  We were thrilled to be able to be there this year with the Waites!

And, Stewart & I did have 1 picture taken together, but I forgot to bring it home from work to scan it in ... I promise :-) I will!  Not trying to hide anything at all - not sure it's the "big reveal" many of you are looking for, but it's a little glimpse into the "new me"!  Ha!

Surgery Update & More "-isms"

Well, I am almost 3 weeks post-op.  It's been a very interesting journey, but so many have reached out to take care of our family ... and Stewart has stepped up so much to make sure that the kids are taken good care of!  I stopped taking the Loritab on Saturday after my surgery the previous Monday (2/14) and, man, the curtains were pulled back.  I could finally function.  I started driving a few days later and have been up and about pretty much since then.  As the weird numbness wears off, the pain has started to come through.  It's expected and it's very well controlled with just Aleve.  I'm very fortunate.  I will get my last of 3 drains out today and am super excited to shower!  I am getting ready for my unveiling tomorrow night at the Heart Ball :-) Stay tuned for some pictures!

The children have been great through these past few weeks!  They understand that mommy moves a little bit slower and that I can't hold them, so they wait for me to sit on the couch and then crawl in my lap.  They are so sweet and ask me all the time, "Mommy, are you feeling better?"

And, with that, I just want to give you some more things they have been saying as they really are funny little people :-)

Bonner-lingo
- She came running up to me the other day and said, "Mommy, I want some donuts!"  Well, most of you know that I am a sugar nazi and that they aren't allowed too many sweets... and, in fact, I have offered them donuts before and they have turned them away.  So, needless to say, I was confused.  I asked her if we had any donuts and she said, "Yes, mommy!" so I asked her to go get them out of the pantry.  And, she returned with .... cashew nuts.  No idea!
- "I'm a good colorer, mommy!"
- "Here's my mirror.  I need to put my face in it!"
- "I don't like that Jeopardy, mommy!" (Wheel of Fortune was on) When the actual Jeopardy came out, she said, "Oh, boy, mommy, that's the Jeopardy I like!"
- "Where could my (insert anybody or anything here) be?" instead of asking "Where is (so & so)?"  It's just so funny to hear a 2.5 year old say, "Where could my daddy be?"

Ian-isms
- Ian explained the Valentines he got from school like this: "I got these hearts today for Christmas!"
- Ian has a mind that never quits.  We were out to eat one day and he put his Toy Story friends on a napkin and said, "Look, mommy, Woody & Buzz are riding on their skateboard!"
- Stewart gave me an Ipad for Christmas so I have used it on a few occasions to show the children YouTube videos of their favorite friends.  A few days after watching Dora on the Ipad, she came on TV.  Ian looked at me and said, "Mommy, I saw Dora on my computer.  I'm sending her an email!"
- Their Sunday School lesson last week was "God is omnipotent."  When I asked Ian what he learned in church, he said, "God is powerful!"  Amen!  Thank God for dedicated Sunday School teachers that can explain omnipotent to my children so that they get it!

Conversations between the 2
Ian & Bonner interact and talk alot these days.  Here are a few conversations between them that I just think are priceless.... and I guess, in some weird way, shows us just where their hearts are!

The Sunday after my surgery, I was still not in the condition to go to church so Stewart took the children by himself (I was super proud of all of them).  When they got home, Ian & Bonner came running in the house to show me what they had made at church.  It was a paper Jesus and a "boat" made out of a paper plate (the boat was open at the top so Jesus could "ride" in the boat).  Ian looked at me and said, "Look, mommy, Jesus is riding in his boat."  To which Bonner replied, "Jesus is God, mommy!"  Ian's response, "Do you want to play with God, mommy?" So I sat down and we played.  Stewart had brought Wendy's home for lunch and after playing for just a few minutes, it was time to eat.  We got up from playing and walked over to the table.  We all sat down - the 4 of us and the kids' 2 Jesuses.  We started eating and Ian started to feed his Jesus his chicken nuggets.  Stewart and I just watched and then he looked up and said, "Jesus loves chicken!"  And just last week, we were walking through Costco and there was a lady serving some frozen fish ... I said, "Oh, now that's fish - do you want to try it?"  Ian said, "Fish is for Jesus, mommy!"

Yesterday, we were outside playing in the beautiful weather.  Ian got in his cozy red coupe car, looked at Bonner and said, "Bye mommy, I'm going to Disneyworld!  Bonner do you want to come?"  She said, "Sure!" so she followed behind his car walking until they got to the other side of the car.  Bonner said, "Here's Disneyworld; we need to wait for Mickey!"

Last night, we came in from dinner and Bonner said, "Ian, let's go to a football game!"  So they walked to the other side of the kitchen and sat down.  Bonner said, "Ian, do you see the football game?"  "I do, Bonner! But where is our football?"  He got up, went to his room, and came back with a pigskin and started throwing it to Bonner.  She said, "No, Ian, I am a cheerleader!"

Hope you all have a great weekend!  We are very excited to be going back to the Heart Ball tomorrow night!  Pictures to follow soon!
Love,
Jennifer