Cup Runneth Over: A Couple Days in the Life of...

Rick, don't ask me where the chocolate ice cream went. I have no idea at all.

I also have no idea why I have been craving ice cream for the past 24 hours. Although I like ice cream, I don't normally crave it. But my mind and stomach wandered to the freezer several times yesterday. I didn't give in until 9pm last night, but when I could no longer ignore that pit in my stomach, I filled it not with just ice cream. No, it was a giant bowl of chocolate ice cream covered with Heath and chocolate syrup. And there might have been 2 more toppings. But I'm not certain, because I fell asleep after the sugar low.

And before anyone posts a comment of "Maybe you're pregnant!".... Hello, my name is Ami and this here is my blog. Clearly you haven't been reading long enough to know that #1 I am infertile, and #2 I wouldn't make an announcement like that through a subtle hint. NO, I would be rather blunt and tell you, "Hey, I'm pregnant."

But I'm not. So, let's continue.

In other news, we have been home a lot this week. We were quite busy on Monday and Tuesday, so I declared the rest of the week time to slow down and stay home. And Rick declared that I have been spending too much gas money, so we're grounded.

In an effort to keep the wild boys entertained, I set up their tent and let them drag two hundred of their toys into it. And I happily put up with this chaotic mess for 48 hours! I did not have one panic attack over the mess that grew every hour in the middle of my living room. I am so proud of myself.

The boys had themselves a grand time, as you can see.

But by 8pm last night, THAT TENT HAD TO GO! And an hour later, I was eating ice cream.

As we were playing outside a bit yesterday afternoon, some elementary-aged kids asked if they could give the boys face paintings. As much as the control freak in me wanted to say no, I couldn't deny my children the thrill of the artistic expertise of nine year olds. And my husband was there to nudge me into being a fun mom.

Liam asked to be a clown.

And a clown he is. Let me just pause and enjoy that face without glasses. I miss seeing those large eyes without polycarbonate lenses and wiring around them.

Jack also asked for a clown, but his artist drew something that resembled a stick figure. I think I could have done better, and I have never once declared myself artistic. But J Man was happy, so I was happy.

Garrett had a baseball painted on his cheek, but he wasn't available for autographs or photos. He was in no mood for the paparazzi.

Following the painting, we found Daddy in the backyard looking at his newly planted vegetable garden. When we moved into this house nearly three years ago, I told him there would be no plants in the back yard, because I did not want to chase little boys away from them.

We decided that this was the year we could plant some things without fretting over the boys' ability to understand the importance of not pulling the plants out of the ground two minutes later. Rick and the boys have had some fun times digging in the dirt over the past couple of weeks.

Penny for your thoughts, Rick.

Jack, aka Daddy's boy, also loves the garden. He looks forward to the day we tell him, "Go ahead and pick a strawberry."

Until then, he plays with the mulch.

Did you know that today is the first day of spring? It is! It was a bit chilly to play outside this morning, so I kept the boys busy indoors. First, we had a lesson on rain and rainbows, because we've been studying the letter R this week. As part of the lesson, we drew pictures of rainbows.

Then, we made a rainmaker. I will not claim originality on this idea. My mother-in-law actually bought the supplies for us a few weeks ago, and I saved it for the R week.

Jack loved hammering! I was a little bit scared he would get carried away and hammer some walls or furniture, so I kept him at my side.

Garrett couldn't wait for the finished product, so he got busy with his turn.

Liam was more than tired of the camera , so he rolled his eyes at me. I'm not sure where he learned that trick.

Finally, a rainmaker! Honestly, the making was much more fun than the finished product.

And because I'm such an awesome mama, we also dyed Easter eggs today. What else is there to do on the first day of Spring?!

The boys were fascinated with the the whole "add vinegar to the cup and drop a dye tablet" idea. Clearly, this former science teacher does not do enough experiments around here.

Tada! The finished product:

Actually, the boys want to add stickers tonight. Stickers? I never put stickers on my Easter eggs as a kid, but it's not about me.

Those three eggs that look white are not white. They're pastel eggs, because this organized mama ran out of vinegar.

And don't ask about the two missing eggs.

While the eggs were drying, the boys decided to be the pirates who don't do anything. Literally. I did not make that up. They sang the Veggie Tales song. And when they ran out of words, they sang the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine".

We teach them well.

What a random and long post. Thanks for stickin' around.