A good time was had by all

We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to spend time with friends this past weekend that we don't get to see very often. We were excited to meet Katie and see Daniel, Cristina and Ben. I don't have many pictures, but this little one is so cute. So is big brother Ben. It was nice to hang out, talk and catch up with one another, watch basketball, celebrate Daniel's birthday, eat good food and let the kids just play, play, play. We love and appreciate the Bradshaw/Moss clan who are our second family.

My Dream House

A couple of weeks ago Phillip and Ellen built this house and emailed the pictures to me at work. Phillip knows how much I dread working on Saturdays and wanted to send me a little something to cheer me up. It worked!

Kite Day

Kite Day 2010

Today was Kite Day at church. We had fun on the playground, flying our kites (Ariel and Yo Gabba Gabba), eating hotdogs and hamburgers, seeing the Easter Bunny and hunting for Easter eggs. Ellen was a little out of sorts due to missing her nap but she had a good time. She still does not like the Easter Bunny, or any "characters", but we did manage to get a few pictures to document the encounter. When they announced that the Easter Bunny was on his way Ellen told me she wanted to go home. Then she told me she wanted to go night night. Hannah told Ellen that the Easter Bunny would not bite her or eat her but Ellen was still scared. Maybe next year.

My favorite picture from today

Easter Bunny pep talk

Patiently waiting for the egg hunt to begin (3 and under group)

A look back at Kite Day 2009

(2 pictures Mindy emailed me last year, but I also blogged about it)

No love for the Easter Bunny

Life = Work

Our life is mostly centered around some sort of work these days: our day jobs, neverending housework (and the house is still a wreck), running errands, caring for Ellen, wrangling the dogs, maintaining the yard (ha), preparing meals, etc. It is not fun. All work and no play has taken a toll on our relationship but it's the little things that are helping us make it through with minimal scarring. I appreciate Phillip's acts of kindness/service, which happens to be my primary love language. My sweet husband heats up my Lean Cuisine (or leftovers) every day and brings it down to my desk so I can quickly eat and then still have a full hour for my lunch break. This same man gets up first in the mornings (even though I should), lets the dogs out and then takes a shower... all with minimal complaining :) and all while I get to stay in bed and enjoy a few more moments of peace. Phillip has always been a dedicated father. Ellen loves her Daddy! (We joke that she is a Mommy's girl at night and a Daddy's girl in the morning). He does a lot with her and for her. There is joy and lots of laughter in our lives but we still get overwhelmed by the daily grind and all that it entails. Times are hard, our routine is monotonous and we don't always get along but we have each other to lean on... unless we aren't on speaking terms :)

You can never have too many bubbles

She had a great time with these bubbles last night!

Busted

Duke is still going strong but my bracket is totally busted thanks to Georgetown, Kansas and several other teams. I even used wite out (which I just discovered is spelled wite as opposed to white) to keep it legible. Although I do not follow college basketball like I used to, the NCAA tournament makes this one of my favorite times of the year. The games are so exciting!

Although there have been many heartbreaking losses along the way, Duke is a great team to follow. My heart belongs to the ACC. I am so glad I grew up with a mom and dad (and sister) who appreciated sports and taught me to do the same. I started watching Duke at an early age and my love for that team, and basketball in general, has stayed strong. Andrea and I went to several games in our younger years but only when Duke came to Winston-Salem to play Wake Forest, never at Cameron. I used to put "Tickets to a Duke game at Duke" on my Christmas list every year but I was never granted that wish. Even Santa couldn't score Duke tickets! I also dressed up as a Duke fan for Halloween for a couple of years. We were "in love" with Christian Laettner but I dare say that we had a connection with a lot of the players. When I met Phillip and discovered he was also a big Duke fan, I knew he was the one. Well, not really, but it was/is a good thing to have in common. Thanks to Phillip, Ellen is a Cameron Crazy in training. She chants "Let's go Duke!" with conviction.

My bracket is all marked up but that isn't really important. I am rooting for the remaining teams to play their best and enjoy this experience. There really is nothing like it.

March Madness

Some of us are anxiously awaiting Duke(1) vs. Cal(8)

Others of us have more important things to do

But with a face like this, there is hope for her yet

Growing like a weed

I quickly snapped a couple of pictures at daycare during drop off yesterday morning. Ellen looks so grown up in her stripes.

Domino's to the Rescue

Sometimes a good deal on 2 medium, 2 topping pizzas can really bring a family together. Phillip gets mushroom and black olive and I get onion and pepperoni. I am actually partial to just getting onion on my pizza but when a second topping is free, you can't go wrong with pepperoni. If you ask Ellen what kind of pizza she wants, she will tell you "macaroni pizza". Macaroni = Pepperoni. We finally made the connection. So when the leftovers are all gone and the cupboards are bare, or we don't feel like cooking, we search high and low for $13.09! The easy clean up is worth every penny :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

My Little Helper

Finding the strength to carry on

After 2.5 days off work plus the weekend, 4.5 days total, it was not easy getting out of bed this morning. To make matters worse, I have a dentist appointment this week and I have to work on Saturday. In spite of it all, here are a few things/thoughts that are keeping me going:

1. Duke Blue Devils are ACC Champs

2. Girl Scout cookies

3. Phillip and I had a date night while Dad was here - went to Which Wich for dinner and then saw Green Zone

4. I am going to Ellen's St. Patrick's Day ice cream party on Wednesday

5. Family vacation is planned and will be booked this week

6. Leftover pork chops for lunch today

7. Ellen is doing well with her potty training

8. Starting Jillian Michael's Shred workout tonight

9. I haven't bit my nails in over a week

10. Spring is in the air

Two Peas in a Pod

Dad and his lovely assistant helping us hang a full length mirror in our guest room

What a pair!

Project: Install Ceiling Fan

Mom and Dad bought us a ceiling fan for Ellen's bedroom for Christmas. We decided not to try and install it ourselves. Wise decision on our part. Dad and Phillip were a good team and the fan looks great!

My seal of approval

(I'm not pregnant!)

Chuck E. Cheese

We went to Chuck E. Cheese this morning. It was Ellen's first time and we think she liked it. She didn't want to do much and was a bit grumpy but we will definitely try it again sometime.

Snack Time

It saddens me to say this, but of all things she wanted the tootsie rolls and the suckers and she cried when she didn't get them.

All tuckered out