"I've Got Two Things to Say..."

Spencer starts to share many of his thoughts with the phrase "I've got two things to say."  Usually the first one is, "ummm, ummmm, ummmm"...... and the thought.  The second thing is often "I love you."  Pretty great to hear.  I'm writing down two things he said over the weekend that I never want to forget.

1.  We were driving to a baseball game and Spencer was drinking juice.  The kids have been fighting a lot lately, and our conversation went something like this:
Olivia: "Mom, I want the juice.  Spencer is just holding it and I don't have anything to hold.  I never have anything to hold."
Me: "Spencer, please share the juice with your sister."
Spencer:  "I'm drinking it."  He decides to take a sip or two.  Then, at my second request, gives it to his sister.  Olivia drops the juice within 30 seconds of taking it.
Olivia: "Mom I dropped the juice."
Spencer:" Mom, Livia dropped the juice."
Me: "That's why you don't get to hold the juice."
Spencer: "That's why you don't get to hold the juice, Livia."  Try to sense the sarcasm.
Olivia:"Mom, Spencer is repeating everything."
Me: "I don't need you to repeat everything, Spencer."
Spencer: "But Mom, I'm a parrot."
Maybe you had to be there, but that last line had me laughing on the inside.  I'd been getting so tired of the constant bickering, and he made me smile with his innocence.

2.  The other night before bed, when Richard was working, Olivia, Spencer, and  I had just finished praying.  We were talking about how the Jesus in Olivia's heart could not fight the Jesus in Spencer's heart. Olivia accepted Jesus into her heart last year, and I am praying hard about the day Spencer does the same. Spencer pipes up and says, very matter-of-factly, "Mom, I would ask Jesus in my heart, but I just haven't seen him lately."

Our NCAA brackets

March Madness means basketball brackets at our house

 Richard's bracket

 My Bracket (filled out by Richard)

Olivia's bracket... she is our household winner!

Captain Richard Carico

Today was a super special day at our house!  We celebrated Richard's  promotion from fire truck driver to captain.

 I felt so honored and proud to pin his new badge on him.

 I am so blessed that God chose him to be my husband.

 His dad was promoted today, as well.

 This beautiful girl was all about the cake!

Spencer didn't even need a fork for his cake!

Getting four people to smile at the camera... Forget it!

On side note, today marked the first day of March Madness basketball AND the first night that Baseball Tonight was on TV, two definite signs that summer and baseball are on their way to us!  What a wonderful day!



Pictures I Love

Enjoying our first spring evening

They were playing "mom and dad" in this picture.

Olivia is my sweet drama queen, and Spencer just plays along most of the time.

What else can he do?

I heard her say, "We are over.  I've had enough.  I'm through with you."

I truly don't know where she learns this stuff. 

The neighbor and I were getting quite a kick out of her animation. 

And Spencer just sits... sweetly speechless.

I do love Dodger, but he really got in the way of my perfect picture opp this time!

They actually did this without me asking them to pose...

I had no choice but take the picture!

Lov'em!

Pleasant Valley Sunday

Welcome March and Things of Spring!!!

Breaking in the swing set for a new year!

 Posing for Mom!

 Playing hop scotch!

 Being a boy and throwing rocks into the road!

Practicing for her first t-ball season with her dad and soon-to-be assistant coach.

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day than Sunday, March 4th.  It was so nice, Richard decided to take the snow plow blade off his four-wheeler.  I warned him he would jinx us, and sure enough, it snowed this morning!

Matthew 3: 16-17

Look what spring brought to our roof top... a beautiful white dove!

Last Sunday was a beautiful day. We spent the afternoon outside, and  I was so excited and surprised to see this white dove perched on our roof.  I don't know that I've ever seen a white dove before...

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."