Who needs a dog?

This is a question that I have asked myself countless times since Saturday evening. It started out as an innocent enough evening, we went on a walk through our neighborhood. It was absolutely beautiful outside and a very enjoyable walk. We got back home and the two little ones decided that they needed to go to the bathroom. No big deal, right? They then proceeded to drop their drawers in our front yard, 10 yards away from the front door. Still no big deal, I wasn't panicking yet...and yet is the key word. I went to go help the youngest not pee on his pants, but then it started getting a little hairy. He kept trying and trying and I thought, "This doesn't usually take this long, I wonder what the problem is." And then I thought some more and realized that something bad was happening. Luckily I moved my foot not a moment too soon. And yes, what you're thinking is exactly what that child did. In my front yard. In the grass. Gross. I grabbed him, carried him inside with his pants still down and promptly put him in the bathroom. I then put Spencer on pooper-scooper detail and it was really funny to see him outside with a bag in his hand scouring the yard for the "prize". So once again I ask, who needs a dog when you have children?

Happy Birthday and Happy Mardis Gras!

Ella-marie turned 5 this past week! What? I can't believe it either!

Ella-marie picked...drumroll please...funfetti cake. But at least I was able to guide her in the right direction with fudge frosting. That made all of the difference in this cake. And also I had an epiphany with this birthday cake. Kids don't care whether the cake is shaped, circle or just an easy 9x13 cake, as long as it has fantastic heart shaped decorations and sprinkles up the wazoo. It was the easiest cake I've ever done, and it received much applause and accolations. Very much in the moment. What a delicious cake!

Ella-marie requested a super-Ella cape for one of her presents. After I fixed it (when Hunter got a hold of my scissors and "trimmed" it for me) it turned out quite nicely. Note to self: when sewing and have to go downstairs to iron, TAKE SCISSORS WITH SELF!!

Oh yes, it's a princess sing-along CD. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to sing along, only Ella-marie.

Mardis Gras

Mardis Gras this year was also my sister's birthday, so we decided to go all out for our Mardis Gras party. We had delicious Cajun chicken club sandwiches, sweet potato pancakes, and a beautiful (cough, cough, ugly) cake. It was all very delicious. And the kids wanted Michelle to know that we were thinking about her, and thus the picture. Happy birthday Michelle!

February Fun!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Where did February go? I celebrated my 29th birthday (you can count the fingers below). And no, I did not have a cake because I still don't like birthday cake. But instead we had some delicious hot fudge malts. Oh so delicious!
And in other news, Ella-marie won tickets from the library to go see "Disney on Ice: Princess Classics." She and I got to go without any other siblings or smelly boys and it was a wonderful adventure.
When you ask her which princess is her favorite, it's always answered "All of them!" And she and I have decided that when we grow up we're both going to be ice skating princesses. Yes, that's right, I want to be one too. The above picture is her in front of the rink with the "castle" behind her. They did a great job making one castle work for all of the princesses with just a few tweaks. It was great fun and I'm so glad we had a chance to go.

Princess Aurora and her fairy godmothers. Ahhh, each princess had a prince to fall in love with! It was like Ella-marie's dream come true.

This was the grand finale when all of the princesses and princes came to Cinderella's wedding. We won't think about those logistics too terribly hard...