My Rock Star

So, do I worry about her?! My Ellie, my baby Ellie. My little girl Ellie that says, "You got yourself into it, you can get yourself out" (When Emily is stuck upside down on the couch). My Ellie that will only give you a kiss when you're least expecting it. My Ellie that will only stay in bed if you bribe her that you will buy her a pair of shoes. Miss Elizabeth Glover that had her kindergarten assessment today. She looked ready to take on the world, not looking back at her mama who was reminding her to be a good listener and to do her best! My, Ellie, the rock star. who will ROCK the world....someday.

Spa Day

Having three girls 2 1/2 years apart, there are many hormones in the Glover household! We took advantage of the moment when Rob traveled to New Orleans for business, and we headed to the spa! We brought Anna along for the fun, for a fundraiser while working at The Academy the last two years. I had Anna as a student in kindergarten, and her mom is the Director at The Academy, and my long-time friend, going back to my first years of teaching in Centerville. We started out the day getting "mini mani's," and the girls spent half their time choosing their colors- decisions, decisions! Emily told me her polish definitely brought out her personality! We headed home to make homemade ice cream, which turned out to be unsuccessful, so we went to a local parlor where they make their own ice cream homemade. I have to commend the two boys so kindly handing out many flavors for the girls to sample. They had a very hard time deciding- final votes: grape, almond brickle, pineapple, and lime. Yum! Erika had some special activities planned at home, they packed so much in. I relished sitting in the hallway listening to the girls dress up and take care of their babies. Their conversation was priceless as they interacted together interpreting what they think as the "real world." We ended the night by making homemade perfume and banana-honey face masks. I loved kissing their sticky faces good-night!

Telephone

If Rob would have been here, we would've called it the perfect summer's night. Since we didn't get home from swim practice until 8, we called it a BLT night; quick and easy. (Although we still have to buy our tomatoes, b/c ours aren't ripe yet). The girls were so giggly outside, they decided to play "telephone." I guess my dinner conversation without daddy wasn't holding their attention. Their whispers turned into giggles and then into belly laughs. Their whispering messages full of food (didn't I teach them better?!) into their sisters' ears turned into chaos. So much for our dinner, bring on the fun! I couldn't decide on just one picture, one is as funny as they other.

Rob surprised me last with a night out. Monday we will be married for 13 years, but he's in New Orleans for the week. I was a little bummed about him missing our anniversary, but I know he doesn't have any control over his schedule. His dad took the girls to the Fair, and we enjoyed a night out at The Paragon, and then we watched "The Proposal." Usually when we get a sitter, we have a planned event and we're never alone, so our evening together meant so much. If you know me at all, I love poems and quotes, so here are a few I read and smiled to.

Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without. ~James C. Dobson

A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year. ~Paul Sweeney

Home cooking: where many a man thinks his wife is. ~Author Unknown

The highest happiness on earth is marriage. ~William Lyon Phelps

"You may only be one person to the world, but you may also be the world to one person." - anonymous quote

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao Tzu

(And my favorite quote of all:) "The most desired gift of love is not diamonds or roses or chocolate. It is focused attention." - Richard Warren

Bella Balloons

Tonight Rob was outside playing in (actually, cleaning) his new camper, when Emily came running in to let me know they saw our neighbor's balloon right above their house! They actually have three, but the other one was below the tree line. His first balloon was Miss Scarlet, and then they got Bella and then SanMarGale (a future community in Lebanon). He named his balloon company after his daughter and has worked very hard to make his company a success. I am so excited to show him that we got a picture of his balloons soaring over his house. Pretty neat!

Rainy Days

I love rainy days in the summer. We are always so busy swimming, visiting friends, going to Kings Island, that it's nice sometimes to have rain slow us down and keep us inside. The girls were so content today hanging out at home. If I asked my girls what they want to do when I spend time with them, they would probably choose for me to play Barbies, set up a store, play house and I'm the little sister, or anything imaginary. Little do they know, I would really prefer to sit and read, play cards or play a board game with them. So mommy won this time, and we played Monopoly. Yes, adult version! I forgot how long it takes to play, but I was surprised at how they hung with it! It probably helped that it was girls version, where they bought boutiques and their game piece was a cell phone or a flip flop. It was fun to see the girls' personality come out as they made decisions buying property. Emily bought everything, no matter how much money she had, and Ellie tended to weigh out how "good" the property was. She didn't want the "cheap" stuff. I have to admit, it was hard to sit for that long and not get things done, but I am so glad I did, making sure I do it more often.

I wanted to capture this "morning fresh, still waking up" look of Ellie this morning. So sweet!

My Dad

My dad is the best. When I think of the kind of person that I strive to be on a daily basis, it would be all the traits of my dad. At the end of the day, I pray to be more patient, less judgmental, and just as trustworthy as my dad. He is 60 and has taken on many roles in his life. I believe God had a planned journey for him. He has had many paths he has chosen, but eventually after testing the waters, it was clearly marked. The goal was easily seen in the distance. He has farmed, owned a gravel pit, went back to school (we were in college together), was a deacon of our church, a chaplin at a hospital, a nurse, and now the Clinical Manager at Hospice of Middletown. I look back over the last two years and realize that God called Dad to be involved in Hospice for a reason. I have lost 3 of my grandparents and my mother-in-law, and Hospice took care of them the last hours of their lives. My dad was there, he was The Rock. He is amazing. Hospice is amazing. Although he deserves to be retired, he is at the prime of his career. In 2004, he followed his calling and became the Founder of Middletwon Hospice. I have so much respect for him, I only hope to have the same effect on people as my dad does. When I think of words that represent my dad, it would be: peace, comfort, and dignity. I love you, dad!

Rob and I have dated since high school, hard to believe it's been 13 years. He is the best person to ever come into my life, he's my best friend. He puts up with me and just nods his head when I get the crazy idea, "Honey, I'm going to start a blog."

Erika is 10. Erika is my sweet little girl that is growing up way too fast! She is a mini-me (not looks, just personality). She doesn't stop thinking, worries about things completely out of her control, and is very hard on herself. OK, so putting my mom through all those dramatic years I knew I had it coming. She's definitely worth every ounce of my energy. She doesn't do anything without really thinking about it first, which is such a wonderful trait to have in today's world. She got a t-shirt for her birthday which states: "Cute and in control." Pretty much sums her up!

This is Emily. Emily is 7. Emily is my saving grace. She is all heart. Emily is sensitive, always putting others first. When she starts something, she doesn't give up until she finishes it. Being the middle child, she loves time alone, reading. She's the best, my Em's.

Here are the loves of my lives.

Ellie is 5....going on 18. Watch out, world! She is strong-willed (and will win!), charming, and a social butterfly. She welcomes any challenge, just don't let her lose. We hope as she gets older, she will divert some of that energy into maybe curing cancer, becoming the first woman president (Republican of course!), or win an Olympic medal.

Welcome to my little online world!

Thanks for stopping by for a good laugh or to just keep our connection to my family in this hectic world of raising small souls. I started this blog to voice my thoughts and to replace my hobby of scrapbooking. I always had great intentions, but all I really wanted to do was visit with my friends and drink wine. What I missed the most was journaling the best moments of my life; thus, my blog. I am hoping that this will help me to capture the everyday moments in my life, and I can keep up with it.
Enjoy!