Ahh, a weekend...

After a crazy Thursday/Friday - think why would I have to be the first one in line at the drive thru on Friday morning explaining why ALL of my mail was in their night deposit box and why my deposit was still in my car (and I was in my pjs) .... Ella was up most of the night Thursday with an earache and had gotten sick on Wednesday and thrown up in Sandy's car. Jonathan also ended up with his second round of the flu this year and his grandmother passed away. And, my poor mom broke a big chunk of one of her front teeth... But, on the the good news. When my mom came for dental work on Friday her and my dad took the kids home with them. I will tell you, it was welcomed! I am sort of ashamed to admit what happened on Saturday. I will though because I deserved it! First off, I did not wake up until 8:30, ate a doughnut (thanks to my dad) and proceeded to sit in bed and watch tv until 12:30. The part that is not going to make me look like a total slug is that I got to spend some extra time at the gym. I ran 3 miles and did some weights and lunges. I then went home, showered and hit the movies. I also got to talk on the phone to a couple of my friends. It is Monday though and I am ready for my kids to be back!

New Game

Forget Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders.....Ella comes downstairs today and announces that her and Jude are playing a new game. The name, you ask, Shoot the Rabbit. The rules are simple - the first one to toot wins. Welcome to the Griffin house. We thrive on all things proper and ladylike. She gets that from her Dad.

A Day at Work!

Jude came to work with us today because there was an illness in his classroom that we are trying to prevent. While he was here, he had his teeth cleaned. He did a great a great job. I think his favorite part was the prize afterward. Some might say his teeth looked better BEFORE he had them cleaned (see last picture) !

Happy Easter!

We manged to get a couple of pictures even though it was freezing! It's a good thing the Easter bunny brought Ella a coat to wear over the dress that Nana made for her. We also had to hunt down a sweater vest for Jude to wear. He was not down with the bow tie at first but I think once he got it on he thought he looked pretty good. I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Ella's Easter Party

As I would love to say that I was there for the whole thing, it would be a lie. The truth is I got behind at work and was late to Ella's party which means her table was the only one still eating when I arrived with the fruit. Oddly enough she was not really disappointed as I stayed for the movie and all the other parents left. She got some great eggs and was thrilled with a diamond ring she found in one! Her and Jude went through their stash to check out their new goodies when they got home.

New entry

Ella has redeemed herself with her new note to me. I will once again interpret her writing. The "We Luv Yuw" is of course We Love You. She also wrote Jude's name twice and then her name is in yellow (with the a below the Ell) in the corner. I am not sure what the "pirit" is about but the first part was nice!

We've come along way, Bunny!

2006
2007
2008

Of course I have pictures of Ella with the Easter bunny when Jude was not yet here but these have been behind each other in a frame so easily accessed. They have made quite a progression! The last one was made in Bowling Green when we went to pick up Maggie the dog.

Jude's Easter party and first day of school in UNDERWEAR!

Well, the first part of the title went well. I arrived a little late and missed the egg picking but made it in time for the food and singing. I was so proud of Jude. Ms. Kelly and Ms. Rachel said he ran off the playground to go poop and he made it! However, after I left the party they called to tell me the second trip on the playground and need to poop ended in dirty underwear. He is doing great though. I guess everyone has an accident now and then! The pictures are of him and his friend Bryce.

Maggie the Dog

Ella is dying for everyone to see the picture of Maggie the dog. Maggie belongs to my brother and he is out of town for a week. He asked my parents to keep her and since my mom was going to be here for several days we headed to Bowling Green on Friday morning to pick her up. As it ended up, Mom had to drive a little farther to get her and dropped the kids and I off at the mall while she made the trip. The only reason that is important is because it sets up how Maggie ended up riding in the front seat while my mom drove my car and I rode in the VERY back with her dog food. Anyway, Maggie was a great house guest and didn't seem to terribly mind the kids being interested in her every move. Ella will be happy that everyone now has seen her picture with Maggie.

Let the hunting begin!

The Easter celebration began at church this past Sunday with the annual Easter Egg Hunt. Of course to complicate matters a little, I forgot their Easter baskets AND my camera. So, once again, no pictures to go along with the post. Rest assured that there will be more egg hunting and pretty much they all look the same. Ella was pretty upset by the fact that she had nothing to put her candy in. My response of "only keep what you can hold in your hands" did not go over well. We had to clean out her lunch bag to put her loot in it. Jude did the best he could with his little hands until their babysitter and dear friend Audie offered up her pink purse for him to store his goodies. The thought of relinquishing all candy to Audie's purse was not appealing at first. She had to reassure him that she would give it all back. He was happy with that result and filled up her bag. As it turns out I ended up giving all the candy (well, the candy that Jonathan did not want) back to Audie and Jenna! (Don't worry neither child noticed) Jude's party at school was today and Ella's is on Thursday. I did make it to his WITH my camera. I will post pictures and details later.

Guilty Conscience

Okay, if Ella knew I was posting this for friends and family she would be very sad. But, again, it is a memory for me and when I make my blurb book I want it in there. So here goes - As most know, Ella is learning to spell and read. She keeps several diaries where she practices her words and numbers. She writes things like Mickey Mouse (which she knows by the song), cat, mom, dad and Jude. She is also sounding words out. This morning she had some major guilt and told my mom first thing that she had written something not very nice in her diary and that she was going to scribble it out (Jude had told her to do it, by the way, and she DID not want him to get in trouble). When I got up she also confessed to me the same thing. Yes, she did get in trouble for lying (because Jude does not know the word she used). To sum up a long story her diary read "Jude is stooped". It also had a drawing of Jude. I will try to scan it in so all can see. I must say as I was sad that she would call her brother stupid, she did do a good job of trying to spell it!

Visit With Mimi and Pops

Mimi and Pops came to visit over the weekend until Wednesday. Their visit was filled with much excitement. We took a trip to Chuck E. Cheese where I forgot my camera but the pictures are easily described - I sat at the table and ate too much pizza while Ella and Jude led Mimi and Pops around like little crazy people "playing" games and riding the simulated roller coaster ride and pony. No, Pops and Mimi did not ride the pony. There was also a big Wal-Mart trip. I did not go but many purchases were made, including underwear for the potty boy in training as well as a couple of toys. Jude also has decided if you want something done right you must do it yourself as he was in the middle of his nap and pooped (he had pooped in the potty earlier but apparently was not finished). He climbed out of bed, got his wipes, cleaned himself, put on a clean diaper, put his "dirty materials" outside his door (I mean who would want to smell it while trying to relax), got back in bed and went back to sleep for another hour. Don't worry, if you don't want to go through the hassle of teaching your child to be potty trained just bring them over and Jude can teach them how to properly change their own diaper. He is good at it. He must know I am tired.

Another Snow Day!

Well, this was a "big" snow day. I am not sure of the exact totals but I am going to guess the 5" mark. The kids had fun but of course were cold quickly. Jonathan actually got out and burned a few calories shoveling off the steps for Mimi and Pops to get into the house. Jude and Ella rode the Jeep, made snow angels and took a ride in the sled.

Happy Birthday Reesi!

I am a little late in this posting but Reesi's birthday party was last weekend and Ella had a blast. They learned to be princesses, walked the catwalk, did the Limbo, made a conga line and had their hair, nails and makeup done. Of course there were presents, food and cake as well. I didn't get many pictures as it was fun to just watch but here is one of Ella in full costume. Thanks Reesi for inviting us to a great party!

Memory Lane

As I was getting ready to go to bed tonight my screensaver of old pictures popped up. I took a very short trip down memory lane - as I was sleepy! These are a couple of my favorites. It really seems not long ago at all - sniff sniff.