It's Spring!!

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous!!!  So, naturally, we had to be outside as much as humanly possible.  Actually, the girls and I were of the same mindset, thinking, Oh my goodness, we need to take advantage of this because it's been so cold for so long and what if this is just a fluke and what if it's never warm again after this QUICK! Do all the warmweatherstuffnow!!!  

But I woke up this morning and it was still warm so-- phew!-- crisis averted.  Anyway, we had a super fun playdate with Clayton, Aubrey and Celeste yesterday... outside, of course.

I thought Noelle was looking so cute, sitting all alone here.

And Brooks is always cute, even when he's way overdressed in his hat.

Look what we found!!  Flowers!!!

I'm not sure what's happening here, but I would guess it has something to do with Riley, who had no inclination to join Noelle and Clayton on the bench for a picture.

Look at that cheesy grin on the Aubster!  Good to know that Noelle isn't the only one who rocks the cheese-ball face.

Two gorgeous girls.

Okay... I also have a hilarious series of pictures with the four oldest kids, but my iPhoto is being weird... and I wrote this two days ago, so it's time to post it.  I'll get those other pics up soon!

Kona Goes to School

Once upon a time, there was a mom who may have been a little off her rocker.  She did things like take all three children to Ikea, letting the older ones run around and jump on the beds.  One day, she brought her oldest child into preschool and saw that there was a sign-up to bring in pets.  The mom stood and stared at the list for a while, contemplating whether it was a good idea to bring in her 80-lb lab.  She decided that it was not.  Then she signed Kona up.

And that is how, this past Tuesday, Kona came in to preschool!  Riley was so thrilled that she was getting to bring her dog.  I was thrilled that Mike was able to come.  Because, let's be honest, Kona is a super-friendly and excitable lab. 

Right before this picture was taken, Kona had apparently surprised one of the pastors when he entered the restroom.  Ha!

Both Mrs. Hauser and Mrs. Ellison are dog people, so they were great with Kona.  Kona, for her part, whimpered with excitement the whole time.

Riley was a little shy when talking about Kona, but it was clear that she was bursting with pride at getting to bring in such a cool object for show-and-tell. :)

The sign-up list cracks me up. Kona's company is two fish and a bird. :)

A hug from Daddy, while Riley struts around, holding the least. :)

Overall, it was a great time.  No preschools were injured; Riley was thrilled.  Woohoo!

Inked

Whenever we color, we inevitably leave traces of it to enjoy for the rest of the day... or at least until bathtime.

Riley gave herself a serious face tat this morning.  But she actually still doesn't even know it.  And I really have no idea how it even happened.  Noelle's the one who loves coloring on herself.  Huh.

The other thing that Riley did was, I thought, pretty awesome.  She started writing letters, all on her own!  She made an "I", "H" and "O".  She needed a little help with the "R", so we played connect the dots.  This was a first, and I'm pretty darn proud! :)

Catching Up

 I haven't posted pictures in awhile, but that's not for lack of them.  :)  Here are a few from the past couple weeks that caught my fancy.

 Oh my goodness, Noelle looked so cute this day, sporting her pink and black top (from Uncle Steve), her Pumas (hand-me-downs from Bella) and her pigtails.

This past week, we had a playdate with Clayton and Aubrey (oh, and their mom... hehe!).  Clayton's house is pretty fun.  The girls are demanding we return soon.

Brooks chilled on the couch for awhile.

Riley tried on a new, interesting shoe.

Aubrey was just all-around cute, as usual. 

Then, this morning, we went to the Children's Museum with Bella and Vinny.  I put the girls in matching "ballerina pigtails" and couldn't resist snapping some pics.  First, here's the little cheeseball...

Riley wanted a picture with Brooks.

Then the girls were so cute together!

Brooks is always crazy adorable.

Trying to get a picture of all three.  Could be worse!

Daddy went hunting today, so Brooks showed how he wanted to join.  Look at that chubby face!  Hilarious!

Funny Girls

My children are pretty funny.  Here's what they've said, just today.

This morning, the girls were coloring, and Noelle realized that it's super fun to pull the paper off the crayons.  When she finished ripping it to shreds, she looked at the floor, put her hands on her hips and said, "Oh man!  What a mess!"

Riley, as we were driving to the Children's Museum to meet our friends, Bella and Vinny, asked when they were getting there.  I told her they were already there.  "Holy cow!" she exclaimed, "They're waiting for us!  Holy!  Cow!"  Noelle then chipped in, "Holy cow!"

Riley's been following me around, calling me Mrs. Greengrove.  Anyone know the reference?  I do.  And it's not just her mistakenly adding "grove" to our name.

Riley told me, "Oh, you're the cutest big teacher in the world!"  Thanks?

Overheard

Overheard in the Green house, these past few days...

Riley: I'm not Riley; I'm a puppy!
Nana: What's your name, puppy?
Riley: Hefty.

Noelle: Woof woof!
Granddad: Are you a puppy, Noelle?
Noelle: No, a kitty cat. Quack quack!

Mike: Riley, get out of the bathroom!
Riley: I will, but not if you ask like that!

Well, yeah

Tonight, while we were trying to get Riley to clean up all her toys, I asked her a few times to do one thing. Finally, Mike stepped in and said, "Riley, I don't want Mommy to have to ask you again."

Trying to say that she couldn't hear us, what she actually said was, "Well, I wasn't listening."

Well, yeah. I know. She didn't mean to, but she sure did speak the truth. :)