april 21

it was a rainy, busy day with last minute errands, preparing for carl, mercedes, pierce & london's arrival and gearing up for brooke's first soccer game!  brooke's team has only had one practice, and the coaches really didn't do anything to prepare them for the game.  so, the game was pretty humorous.  brooke's team (in red) didn't score a single goal.  the pink team scored about 30.  despite the lopsided outcome, i was so proud of brooke's enthusiasm for the game.  brooke played almost the entire game and never wanted to come out of the game for a break.  brooke hustled up and down the field, over and over again, and even came somewhat close to scoring a goal.  brooke was so happy to be out there and never once complained about the rain.  That made me SO happy and SO proud.  Bob and Kaye were there to see brooke play, and i know brooke enjoyed having her very own cheering squad.

carl, mercedes, pierce and london arrived just as we returned home.  i was so happy to have us all under the same roof, especially after car troubles nearly prevented them from coming at all.  we visited, snacked, played, baked, decorated and had a great dinner out at el coyote.  no matter how prepared i think i am for a party/event, i always have a long list of things to do at the last minute and not enough time to accomplish everything.  this party was no exception.  thankfully, i had a lot of extra hands to help me with all the last minute details.  kevin, kaye and i were up until 2:00am with the final preparations.  bless them for sacrificing sleep to help me pull everything together.  i couldn't have done it without them.

april 20

gavin is three years old today.  that just doesn't even seem possible.  but all it takes is one look at him, and i see it.  he is three.  gavin is growing and maturing every day, and his vivacious spirit is as present as ever.  my heart bursts with love for my boy, and i feel so blessed that i get to spend all my days with him. on this day, we celebrated gavin from morning 'til night.  i blew up balloons and left them in his room so he would see them when he awakened.  just a little something special to start his day.  for breakfast brooke and i sang "happy birthday" to gavin over powdered donut holes :)  pretty yummy.  soon after, kevin arrived on the red-eye from LA, and we got ready for our day.  gavin (with brooke's help) chose to spend his birthday at chuck-e-cheese.  it was our first trip, and the kids were excited.  they've seen enough commercials to know it was going to be fun :)  and it was a lot of fun.  the pizza was good, the games were plentiful, and we had the whole place to ourselves.  chuck-e even came out to see us, and gavin was thrilled.  so cute!  we had lots of tokens and managed to win a fair amount of tickets, and gavin and brooke had lots of fun cashing them in for prizes.  after gavin's (and kevin's :) nap, gavin opened his birthday presents from us (golf clubs, a robot, a baseball glove/ball and a new batman figure).  brooke was super sad that everyone had golf clubs but her, so kevin and gavin went downstairs and returned with a surprise for brooke, too - her very own golf clubs!  a big smile spread across her face, and i reassured brooke that we would never leave her out.  so then we all went "golfing" out in the backyard.  the kids loved putting their golf bags on their backs like "real" golfers :)  brooke got frustrated very quickly and started yelling at all of us to be quiet!!! so she could hit the ball.  too funny that girl of mine.  gavin tried out all of his new sports gear, and then we settled down for dinner.  it was a happy birthday for gavin.  yet, he keeps reminding me that his carnival party has not come up yet :)  2 more days!

april 19

this morning brooke and her friends got to shovel dirt into containers in preparation for the school's rainbow garden.  it was a big hit at drop-off!  kevin's on a 24-hour trip to LA, and gavin's birthday is tomorrow which means i am B-U-S-Y!  and i was up very late making party hats, which means i am T-I-R-E-D.  i love the way they turned out, but i just kept thinking to myself at 1:00am that kids don't even like wearing party hats.  ha!  at least i'm willing to admit that i'm a little bit crazy when it comes to celebrating my children's birthdays :)

april 18

it's wacky wednesday in brooke's class!  she was excited to be wacky, but she turned some of my wackiest ideas down in favor of: 4 pigtails, lots of barrettes, a shirt on backwards, a lei and funny socks pulled up high.  i was thrilled when we pulled into school and saw brooke's teachers all decked out and looking really wacky!  it was also fun to see how brooke's classmates made themselves wacky.  i have a feeling that a lot of fun was had at school today.

april 17

brooke's first soccer practice!  i signed her up for the spring session with the girls southeast cincinnati soccer association.  all of the girls on brooke's team were born in the year 2007 so brooke is one of the oldest and tallest on the team.  the coaches are parent volunteers, and so far, their approach is for everything to be "fun!"  brooke was so excited to be out there playing soccer, and she had a big smile on her face the entire time.  i'm pretty sure having fun won't be an issue for brooke :)

april 16

2 years old and riding a bike.  pretty awesome.

april 15

look at brooke go!  we packed up the kids' bikes and kites (easter gifts) and headed to lunken airport for the day.  it was a pretty and very windy day.  perfect for kite flying.  brooke and gavin both got a turn flying their kites and riding their bikes.  brooke did great on her bike today.  the improvement in just one day is amazing.  we ran to terry's turf club for big, juicy hamburgers for lunch and then returned to lunken for some fun on the playground.  we topped off the day with ice cream at udf, and i think the kids must have been wondering what in the world they did to deserve so many treats in one day :)

april 14

two back to back days i will never forget.  the kids and i got home late last night after a great family dinner out in lexington, and bob, kaye and kevin were waiting on us.  bob and kaye had a dinner in cincinnati so they spent the night with us and a good portion of the day today.  after brunch at first watch we went to montgomery cyclery so ba kaye and bob bob could buy gavin his birthday present - a big boy bike!  gavin was so excited!  thankfully, there was a break in the rain, and we were able to go home and test out gavin's new bike.  gavin is so great on his balance bike that kevin and i had already decided the training wheels would come off before gavin ever got on his bike.  gavin was a little reluctant, but we were confident in him.  sure enough, kevin put gavin on the bike, and off he went!  a little wobbly at first - mostly from erratic steering and a lack of concentration - but within minutes gavin was riding with no problems at all.  when brooke saw her brother riding a bike without training wheels, she started crying "why can gavin do it, and i can't?"  i reminded her that she could do it.  she just needed to keep trying.  with that, brooke yelled for kevin to put the pedals back on her bike so she could ride, too.  sure enough, she got right on her bike and off she went!  never under estimate the power of sibling rivalry!!  we were all so proud of both of them.  there was a lot of hooting and hollering and picture taking :)  i really can't believe that both of my children learned to ride bikes without training wheels on the same day.  definitely a day to remember!

but that wasn't the only milestone of the day... we also hired a babysitter (mackenzie) for the first time tonight so that kevin and i could go to a farewell happy hour for our friends kyle and audra.  brooke was upset by this news at first, but she warmed up to the idea by the time the big event rolled around.  brooke and gavin had their choice of having us put them to bed before we left or having mackenzie put them to bed.  they both chose mackenzie, and i knew everything was going to be just fine.  and it was.

april 13

there are some days that just stand out amongst all the rest.  for me, those kind of days usually involve some kind of fun adventure, a relaxed atmosphere and the right mix of people.  today we had that in spades (minus one important person).  the stars aligned for me and the kids to meet dad, jennie, heather, danny and stella at keeneland for a beautiful day of horse racing.  unfortunately, kevin just returned from wisconsin yesterday and had to be in the office today for meetings.  so the kids and i packed up and headed south.  i haven't been to keeneland in at least 13 years, so it was exciting for me, and i was equally excited for the kids.  dad and jennie secured a place for all of us right against the railing near the winner's circle, so the kids had a front row seat and even got to pet some horses.  brooke, gavin and stella had a great time with bar bar and gigi and loved every minute of the experience.  brooke was determined to win enough money to buy a new lalaloopsy doll.  bar bar and gigi were nice enough to pick a race where they bet $10 to win on every horse in the race.  brooke kept asking what number horse we wanted to win.  gigi and i just smiled and told her not to worry.  she was guaranteed a winner :)  lucky for us, the long shot won and bar bar and gigi made money on the bet and brooke got her money for a new doll.  race after race, we bet on our favorite horses and did our best to cheer them on to victory.  i didn't have a winning ticket all day, but that didn't matter.  i won just by being there.

april 12

we had a picnic lunch at beech acres today after school and played with joseph l. and his family.  brooke and joseph are very good buddies at school.  i think joseph REALLY likes brooke :)  they play together a lot.  i love how brooke has grown into friendships with boys.  when she started the school year, brooke was only interested in the five other girls in her class.  slowly but surely, she's learned how to be friends with the boys, too.  i happen to think that's a very important skill to have in life.

april 11

gavin had his first soccer session today!  a couple of good friends recommended coach russell's program to us (hammer fc), and i was finally able to get the information i needed to get gavin signed up.  it was a cold day, but gavin kept warm running all over the field playing fun games with coach russell and several other kids.  gavin is so naturally athletic and most sports come very easy to him.  soccer is no exception.  it was fun for me to see him running around kicking the soccer ball while trying to figure out exactly what "game" he was supposed to be playing (coach russell makes all the drills into games for the little kids).  by the end of the 45-minute session, gavin was worn out!  so much so that he slept for 3 hours this afternoon - something he hasn't done in a long time.

april 10

2.5 hours to myself this morning.  first time in 2 weeks.  it felt good :)  megan texted me while the kids were at school to invite us to join them at the zoo this afternoon.  after initially thinking we'd pass, i decided we should throw our schedule out the window, buy a pass to the zoo and spontaneously embrace the day.  life is too short.  so we packed lunches, picked up the kids from school and drove to clifton for a beautiful and crisp afternoon at the zoo.  jackson, joey, brooke and gavin agreed on what they wanted to see and then raced ahead from one animal to the next.  chase had other ideas for the day and took his time exploring the cracks on the ground, the leaves on the bushes and all the other things that interest a 1.5 year old.  such a cutie pie!  heather and stella met up with us, too, and we treated all the kids to ice cream cones with sprinkles.  it was a fabulous day at the zoo, and i always love how much fun our kids have together.  i remember when brooke and jackson were only a year old, and mom, heather and i took them to the zoo. i remember that it was a lot of work, and we weren't sure we could have done it without three adults to take care of the two little ones.  life is so different now. three of us can handle 6 little ones without much problem at all.  i think we've all grown into our roles quite nicely :)

april 9

it was back to work for kevin today, but the kids had one more day off school.  we had a relaxing day around the house playing with new easter toys and eating way too much candy.  after kevin got home from work, brooke talked him into taking the pedals off her bike so she could ride it like a balance bike.  then the 4 of us went on a family bike ride around our neighborhood.  it was our first bike ride with all 4 of us on bikes.  gavin and i rode ahead, while brooke and kevin trailed behind.  it was so exciting, yet also a little hard to believe.  our babies are growing up.  the days of them trailing behind us in the buggy are behind us.  i guess we can sell the burley.

april 8

we were blessed with a beautiful easter day, and i felt especially blessed to be able to spend it with at least part of my family.  after an exciting morning at home enjoying what the easter bunny brought for brooke and gavin, mom, heather, danny and stella joined us for church.  we all arrived early to make sure we had seats, and gavin was asleep on kevin's lap before the service even started.  it was a nice service, and the kids were very well behaved.  brooke loves going to church, especially when gram vicki is there with us.  brooke tries to sing the words to the hymns in her sweet little voice, and it reminds me that we need to make an effort to attend church on a regular basis.  after church we had a nice brunch at nectar in mt. lookout, and then we came back to our house for a relaxing afternoon playing with the kids and watching the masters.  the kids got so many easter treats!  i think they have more candy than they did at halloween!  not good for me coming off of 3 weeks with no sugar!  my mom gave me a box of my favorite Papas chocolate-covered marshmallow eggs.  there are 40 of them in the box!  lord help me.  we concluded our easter festivities with a super fun texas-style easter egg hunt at the clarks' house.  heather and i walked brooke, gavin and stella down the street to see what this texas-style egg hunt was all about.  evidently in texas they break the tops off the eggs, cook the eggs and then fill the shells with confetti and cover them in tissue paper.  you literally crack the egg by smashing it on the top of someone's head and all this confetti comes flying out!  it's impossible not to laugh.  i've never seen anything like it in my life, and it was a ton of fun.  we all walked home with confetti in our hair and way more plastic candy-filled eggs than we can handle.  what a happy easter!

april 7

thank goodness this was a 24-hour flu!  i feel so much better today, but i'm still pretty wiped out.  not too wiped out for some fun easter activities though.  this morning we took the kids to an easter egg hunt in montgomery.  brooke and gavin raced around finding eggs until their baskets were filled to the brim.  heather, danny, stella and terry met up with us, and we all enjoyed some cute little easter festivities.  afterwards we had brunch together at first watch and then headed home for naps (mine included :)  this evening we drove to clifton for some yummy adriatico's pizza.  it's the first thing i wanted to have when we finished our cleanse :)

april 6

gavin's on the mend, and now i'm sick.  as in flu-like sick.  i was in bed almost all day.  but it's good friday and easter is 2 days away, so i had to drag myself out of bed for something as important as coloring easter eggs!  i bought the kids a dozen and a half eggs each so they could color to their hearts content.  this is the first year that gavin has really gotten into the process of decorating easter eggs.  i loved to watch brooke and gavin color their easter eggs almost entirely on their own.  brooke loved the color of her eggs so much that she didn't want to do anything else to them.  no stickers, no glitter, no nothing.  after all the eggs had dried, i hid them around the yard and brooke and gavin had a blast finding them.  over and over again :)

april 5

reds opening day!  it's exciting to be back in cincinnati for opening day, and i had grand plans to take the kids down to the parade with heather, danny and stella, but gavin's illness spoiled our plans.  so we took it easy today and watched the parade and baseball game on tv.  i made a delicious coconut and lentil soup and gave my boy (and girl) lots of tender loving care.  tonight when kevin checked on the kids, he came in and told me that i had to see gavin.  "you'll know why when you see him," kevin said.  and this is how i found him.  my mom sleeps this way.  i slept this way for most of my life.  and on rare occasion i have found brooke and gavin sleeping with their little hand over their mouth, usually when they are sick.  precious.

april 4

first kevin, now gavin.  my boy was feeling bad today.  gavin had a fever, and his poor eyes told the story.  mom came to visit this morning, and i ran downtown to meet an old friend, john oaks, for coffee.  i owed him a proper thank you gift for the family pictures he took for us 3 years ago right before we left for seattle.  i finally found the perfect gift, and i was excited to give it to him.  i rushed home afterward knowing that gavin was not feeling well.  he crawled right up in my lap and fell asleep.  i hate it when my babies are sick, but i love being able to take care of them like only a mama can.

april 3

day 2 of spring break got off to a rough start.  i wanted to take the kids to the park, but brooke refused to wear a hat like i asked her to, so we stayed home.  and i was frustrated.  while brooke stayed in her room pouting, gavin and i played baseball in the driveway.  for the first time, i got out pretend bases and had gavin run the bases when he hit the ball.  every hit was a homerun :)  we were outside playing baseball in the driveway again this afternoon when kevin came home early from work.  i took one look at him and knew he was feeling really bad.  he made a beeline straight for bed, so i packed up the kids and some buckets and headed to the park that i had planned on going to this morning.  it turned out to be the perfect decision.  kevin got some much needed sleep in a peaceful house, and i had a magical night at the park with brooke and gavin.  the weather was perfect, and i sat on a park bench reading the hunger games while watching brooke and gavin playing together on the sandy playground.  they were having so much fun with one another.  brooke was pushing gavin on the swings, and they would run together from one activity to the next.  i could easily see that they are not just siblings, but they are also friends.  it filled my heart with such love.  and then i heard brooke say, "gavin, do you want to hold hands?"  when gavin grabbed her hand brooke said, "you're the best brother ever!"  and off they ran.  they have no idea, but that made my entire year.  i am so blessed.

april 2

it's our first day of spring break, and i'm feeling remiss for not having planned anything special for us this week.  i guess this is the first year that brooke has technically had a spring break, so it kind of snuck up on me.  i am excited to have a week with both of my kiddos all to myself :)  this morning we ran errands with grocery stops at trader joe's and whole foods.  then we went to michael's to make good on my promise to brooke that we could go buy some craft supplies to make fairy dust.  craft supplies, a puzzle book and super hero action figure book later, we were on our way home.  lesson learned :)

we spent the beautiful spring afternoon making fairy dust, enjoying a special fairy fruit smoothie, going for a walk, practicing on brooke's bike and playing outdoors with sidewalk chalk and super heroes.  i think we all enjoyed our first day of spring break.

april 1

we have lots of family time in our bed.  we read books together at bedtime, and brooke and gavin both love to come and snuggle with us every morning.  they have this whole little routine of things they do in our bed in the mornings, which includes some snuggles, playing with our iphones, hugs and kisses, begging us to take them downstairs, whining until we can't take it anymore, and at last resort bringing in remote control cars and trucks that make a lot of noise and drive us out of bed.  little rascals.  this morning they were content to snuggle with us and read a book.  a nice relaxing start to our sunday...

march 31

we had the pleasure of celebrating gavin elrod's 3rd birthday today.  it was our first visit to totter's otterville.  i was pretty impressed with the place.  it was like a mini children's museum.  brooke and gavin loved it.  the little puppet show got lots of smiles and giggles, and lunch in the fire station was a huge hit.  we were thrilled to see the hulays family again so soon after their move.  it was great to catch up and hear how their first few weeks in canada have been.

after the birthday party, we stopped by montgomery cyclery and checked out "big boy" bikes for gavin.  gavin and brooke had fun riding bikes around the shop.  we bought brooke a basket for her bike, and i think we found a great bike for gavin that may end up being his birthday present from bob bob and ba kaye.

march 30

we've been spending a lot of time in the neighborhood lately with the nice weather we've been having.  gavin's balance bike is the hit of the neighborhood.  no one can believe how good he is on his bike.  so much so that now some of our neighbors are taking the training wheels and pedals off of their kids' regular bikes so they can ride them as a balance bike!  jade's daddy did that on her bike, so naturally brooke came home this evening and wanted us to take her training wheels and pedals off her bike.  she got one of her two requests - no training wheels!  so we practiced with brooke tonight in the driveway, holding onto the bike the entire time and breaking our backs in the process :)  it's a start though and a really big step for brooke!

march 29

sometimes i wonder about the breadth of technology that brooke and gavin will see in their lifetime.  they will experience things that we can't even conceive of right now.  they are growing up on the iphone and the ipad.  oh, the things they will take for granted :)  tonight was a rare treat - a movie on the ipad during an early dinner before brooke's ballet class.  as a rule, we don't watch "tv" during dinner, and it's a good thing because there wasn't a whole lot of eating going on!  i love that brooke is dressed in her little red riding hood costume and gavin has on his favorite batman shirt - both perfectly in character.  brooke had jade over today for their first play date.  the girls enjoyed having a tea party and playing dress-up, hence the little red riding hood costume :)

march 28

afternoons with gram vicki are so much fun, especially when they involve craft projects :)

march 27

friendship.  today was full of it.  we met tonda and will for a picnic lunch and play date at beech acres after school.  it was great to have the time to catch up with one of my oldest and dearest friends.  we also spent time this afternoon with neighbors - riding scooters, doing sidewalk chalk, enjoying the nice weather.  brooke and jade really enjoy each other's company, and my heart melted when i saw them holding hands today.  so sweet.  once kevin came home from work i was off to book club to enjoy more time with friends.  tonight was a pretty special book club gathering because the author of the book we read joined us.  the author, stacey simms, is a friend of ali's, and she spent the evening with us, outside on ali's rooftop patio, fascinating us with her knowledge and talents.

march 26

gavin's carnival birthday invitations finally went in the mail today!  i taught myself how to design my own invitations using photoshop, and i'm really happy with how they turned out.  only 4 weeks until the big party!  gavin can't wait.  either can i :)

march 25

today we spent the day in mt. orab for a very belated birthday get-together with dad/bar bar.  the weather cooled off a bit, and it was very wet from the rain we've had, so we put on our hunter boots and headed east for a great day with dad and jennie.  brooke and gavin love going exploring through bar bar and gigi's yard and garden.  brooke likes to visit all of the special trees that bar bar and gigi have planted including her and gavin's very own trees.  brooke also spent some time with gigi in the garden and got to plant some flower seeds.  the kids did some crafts outside at the table while dad grilled lunch, and then we all gathered around the table for a delicious "clean" meal (for jennie, kevin and i) and a much less "clean" meal for dad, brooke and gavin :)  after lunch the kids had a ball playing hide-n-seek with bar bar.  gavin loved the thrill of being startled by bar bar, and he begged to do it again and again.  bar bar was a great sport, and brooke and gavin loved every minute of it.  i thought i was never going to get gavin calmed down enough to take a nap, but once he was in bed he fell right asleep :)  we had a nice, relaxing afternoon watching golf and basketball, and then the kids got to sing "happy birthday" to bar bar and enjoy some yummy cupcakes.  the day was the perfect way to celebrate my dad.

march 24

weekends on a cleanse aren't a bit fun when you really enjoy eating and having a drink!  today we hung around the house and enjoyed a pretty day with blue skies and puffy white clouds.  kevin entertained the kids for a bit while i ran to hyde park to pick up some things i need for gavin's invitations.  it was nice to be out alone for a little while on such a beautiful day.  i found the cutest little old-fashioned popcorn store in hyde park, so i picked up kettle corn for the kids and surprised them with a special treat when i got home.  the highlight of the day for brooke was daddy taking her to the bank to cash a birthday check which gave her just enough money to go straight to target and buy a new lalaloopsy doll.  money burns a hole in our girl's pocket :)

march 23

today it rained cats and dogs so we retreated indoors for some much needed rest.  i was happy for the opportunity to spend a rare, friday night out with my sister.  we attended the spring fashion show at anthropologie and did a little shopping.  the people watching was just as much fun as the fashion show, as was shopping without kids in tow :)