i'm just thinking...

today i had a lovely lunch with a sweet girlfriend....and as we discussed the impending birth of miss frances katherine (yes, we HAVE named the baby) i couldn't help but wonder what this little miss might look like....

will she have vivian's mohawk?

or those signature day cheeks?

will she be jaundiced (aka oompa loompa baby) and make bi-weekly trips to the doc?

or will she have those cool green blue eyes?

one thing is for sure....she will get lots of daddy love...

and that makes for a happy, happy baby!

AND a happy happy mommy!!!! :)

spring break...sort of

several months ago, steph and i decided that it would be a good idea to start a "trade". as often as we can, one of us takes all four, and the other gets a 24 hour break. this is great for a multitude of reasons...and the kids LOVE it! since i really am in no condition to go anywhere further than 20 minutes from the house...steph offered to take the kids after wye mountain for a little spring break...and i said SURE!! :)

the boys had a great time playing super hero...

the girls were silly and giggly as usual!

and steph even managed....AFTER she bought them a surprise toy, took them to the playground, out to eat at larry's, bathed them all, AND got them to sleep by 7:45....to make them super cute easter shirts!!!!

yeah...she rocks!! aren't i the luckiest gal ever to have a friend like that?! yep, i think so too!!

daffodils

chances are if you read ANY arkansas blogs, you will see a post very similar to this. wye mountain is a little bit famous, if for no other reason than for generations people have been making the forty minute trek out of the city to take pictures of their kiddos. we did it when i was kid, so i was having a hard time thinking about skipping this year....never fear....we made it!

we were accompanied by our dear friends, ruby and trip.

oh yeah, and their sweet mommy miss stephanie.

i wasn't sure how cooperative the kiddos would be, and they looked SOO cute, that i took a test shot before we left...

but they were pretty cooperative.

or at least for a little while.

they were very excited to pick the flowers (which is only allowed in a certain area),

the girls LOVED their bouquets, while the boys used theirs as swords.

it was a great day, with great friends....thanks reeves!

excuse #3,982

sometimes i just don't know where to start. this is true in life...and in the blog world. i take pictures constantly, but they don't always tell the most interesting of stories. so i wait to blog, then i get overwhelmed, because i don't want to do it out of order...etc....ugh! with another baby's arrival quickly approaching i think i'm going to get over it....quickly! so here is a bit of miscellaneous happiness:

1. bauer adores his daddy....and daddy kind of likes his big boy, too! :) last week clif asked me to come outside and check out what was going on....clif was grilling dinner, and....

well....so was big b!!

2. vivian "posing" before dance in her new leg warmers.

3. v got six inches cut off her hair. don't freak! it is still considered long (past her shoulder blades), but she asked for me to take a picture....and of course bauer wanted in on it.

4. miss v has also been doing a LOT of artwork lately (something i LOVE, because my mother was a talented artist and always encouraged us to express ourselves through multiple mediums.) this is her latest self portrait via doodle pro.

5. ihop had free pancakes a couple of weeks ago...all you had to do was make a donation to the local children's hospital. gege was even in town and was able to join us....

b thoroughly enjoyed it as well....oh, and yes....he has yet ANOTHER black eye, courtesy popa's end table. i know, LOVELY, huh?

beauty and the beast

no, not harrison and vivian (although if it was i'm not quite sure who would play which part!) the REAL beauty and the beast was being presented as the spring musical by nlrhs.

it was three hours, so we left the little ones at home and the big kids were treated to a little special mommy time....vivian and i.

and aunt sissy and harrison. they really enjoyed it, and it was really well done....AND...

can you believe we even knew the spoon and the knife?! emily and anna grace clark were in clif and i's wedding...now em is a senior! when did that happen?!

soccer game 1&2

soccer...6 weeks, two games a week. just one of the multiple reasons i can site for not updating the blog. as you can see by sweet miss v's face, the first game was FREEZING!! it took ten minutes to layer the poor child's clothing!

but i think they enjoyed it...we (clif and i) are quickly learning when four year olds play soccer, sometimes they pay very careful attention (see above)...

and sometimes they don't (check out miss v).

oh well....they have fun, and that's what matters!

the second game was a bit warmer...

or maybe it was just the warm and fuzzy feelings between these two buddies!! ;)

and if you are wondering about sweet b....he stays with popa and dotdot during the games. i cannot keep him off the field, keep time, help clif change players, and be a million years pregnant!

but he doesn't seem to mind the one on one time does he?! :)

the annual anny post

today is the day...march 9th. the anniversary. eight years ago, we were married...and sometimes it seems like yesterday....

yesterday....a time when we had so much free time we weren't always sure what to do with it. (but somehow back then we thought we were swamped!!) we even had time to attend other people's weddings...

and go on little adventures to explore the city (i think this is sometimes referred to as a date, but i'm not sure.)

we were also pretty excited to see each other (ok, so some things stand the test of time)

and apparently, (according to this shot) took the time to document that excitement with pictures of just the two of us. (yeah, i looked and i cannot find a single shot from this YEAR!) this evening, for our romantic time, clif will coach vivian's soccer game, while i chase bauer and cheer. and in just a few short weeks these two young kids, pictured in this very post, will become part of a family of FIVE!! eight years, eight hundred turns down life's twisty path, and eight bazillion things for which to be grateful!!! thank you cliffy, for a life i couldn't have dreamt, but can't imagine not living!! i love you.

soccer season begins...

and so things around here are CRRRRAAAAAZY! but, i wanted to post these for a certain aunt...

who just MIGHT be a little proud...

of the first of this generation's soccer stars!

check back soon, i have lots more...but these just couldn't wait! (thanks to the fabulous whit for sending the pics...you rock, as usual!)