Happy Birthday, Megan!

This is Meg's birthday week! Her actual birthday was Tuesday, but she is having a few friends over tonight for a party. She is officially a teenager now!!

Some fun facts about Meg... and a few reasons why I love her so:

Megan was born 3 1/2 weeks early and had to be put in the NICU when she was born due to some lung development issues. She stayed there for one night, then was moved to the Progressive Care Unit for 3 days. You would never know that now... she has the loudest set of lungs and can talk more than anyone in the family!

She developed asthma a few years ago, but she doesn't let this stop her. She still plays soccer and can run faster than her brothers when she sets her mind to it.

She LOVES animals! Cats are her favorite. I am allergic, so she has to love them from afar.

She loves to be on her grandparent's farm, and is her grandpa's shadow. She can herd cows better than most.

She has a very tender heart, and gets her feelings hurt easily.

She is determined to make straight A's this year... although sickness has prevented her from getting them this semester. So close... but she has missed one class more than the rest, and just didn't get her make-up work done in time to count for report cards.

She has a very bubbly personality. Her sister nicknamed her bubbles.

She is an awesome baby-sitter. She loves to spend time with her younger cousins.

She loves YW, and working on her Personal Progress.

She is the first one to bed, and the first child up every morning. She LOVES her sleep!

She is very artistic. She loves to draw, paint, craft and take pictures.

She loves to read... and books about animals are among her favorite.

She enjoys being in the kitchen, and loves to cook.

She is my snuggle-bunny!

She was born a natural red-head. She turned blonde as a baby, but her eyebrows stayed red, so I thought she might eventually turn back into a red-head. Since that never happened, she turned to Miss Clarol for some help!

Her hair has some natural curl to it as well. It's hard to tell now that it is so short, but when it's longer it will curl up on its own, and hold curl very well.

I love this girl! I can't believe that she is so grown up!

Spring Break 2010 in pictures

The kids and I have been on Spring Break this week, and we have kept plenty busy. We have worked, shopped, played and partied all week!

On Monday, we planted spring bulbs:


And went prom shoe shopping:


(prom is next weekend, so plenty of pictures will be posted of the full outfit then!)

On Tuesday, I worked some on my craft room:


On Wednesday we headed up to my parent's farm where we enjoyed the following:


Megan was diagnosed with Mono a few weeks ago, and has not been feeling much like herself lately. She enjoyed getting out this week and relaxing in the Sun with the cats:


The boys helped their grandma clean out a flower bed:


And my dad


helped me turn this:


into this:


and this:


He also made me a headboard and footboard, but I had to leave before they were done, so I don't have pictures of them yet. He called me today to let me know that they are finished and ready to come home. I can't fit them in my van, though, so I will have to either borrow a truck to go get them, or wait for my dad to have the time to bring them to me in his truck. I'm so excited to get these all done! I've been drooling for them for at least a good month on the knockoff wood website. Barry and I loved the Hyde end tables, but wanted them with a shelf on the bottom so we could use them as nightstands. I sent my dad the plans, he went to work, and had one all finished for me when I got there. I ran to the lumber yard with him the next day, and got the rest of what we needed to finish all my projects. Do you want to hear the best part? I got 2 nightstands, a bench, a headboard and footboard for $85!! I still need to finish them up - I am going to paint the bench, but Barry and I are not sure if we want to stain the rest or paint them. I'm just so stinkin' excited to have them all done.

On Thursday night my family gathered at my sister's chocolate shop to have our annual St. Patty's Day dinner. It was very yummy, and I ate way too much! We got home on yesterday afternoon, and enjoyed a night of pizza and movies. Today Barry and I have been discussing/researching/planning on what do to with our backyard. We bought a reel-mower! So excited about that purchase. If we lived on acres and acres I probably would have pushed for a big riding mower, but since we don't, we decided that the most cost-effecient choice would be a good ole reel mower. Josh is actually excited to use it! We'll see how long that lasts! :)

So, it's back to school on Monday. Kind of bummed, but at least we know that once we go back there are only 9 weeks left!!

For all you Knock Off Wood fans out there...

Check out today's post...

Happiness

I've decorated the master bathroom in a beach theme, and I am thinking about having this picture blown up poster-size to put on one empty wall. It's such a calming picture to me... even though waves were pretty big that day in anticipation of the storm that blew in the next day. I can just feel the sun on my face, my toes digging in the sand, and the sound of the waves, washing all my cares away. Ahh...