One Day at a Time

I figured this might be the last calm night before the storm of moving week, so I better post a quick update.

Last Saturday Mike and Maddie decided it was time to try riding without training wheels. Maddie has always said she would learn when she was 4 so we thought it was worth a try.

She was pretty nervous but as you can see we decked her out in her pads in case of spills.

I think this was the one and only moment she rode without Daddy. She got pretty mad when he would let go. When Mike's back hurt they called it a day and the training wheels are back on for now. I figure we have all summer to practice.

The girls are dealing with all the craziness at our house pretty well. They developed this new game together where they 'pack' all their stuffed animals into backpacks and go camping in the closet under the stairs. One night Mike and I were enjoying a quiet conversation and realized they were missing, only to find them playing happily in the dark closet with a flashlight. They definitely don't always get along, but they do enjoy playing together.

My mom came down this week and helped me pack, clean, and shop for a few days. The girls were ecstatic and loved all the time with her. One day while packing the kitchen I told them they could decorate some boxes and they had so much fun.



Mom was also here because she and my sisters threw me an adorable baby shower for our new little guy. I don't love the spotlight on me but I felt very loved and spoiled. I can't wait to show you more pictures by Noelle.


Maddie and Ella are smitten with their cousin Emrie. They are moving to Texas for the summer so we are enjoying every moment we get to spend with them. Maddie is always broken-hearted when she has to leave, and in the car after this sweet goodbye Maddie said, "Mom, I wish I was in Emrie's family." She wants Emrie to be her sister too so they can see each other every day!


Next week is going to be a wild ride, but I figure one day at a time and we'll make it through. In a church lesson I had a good reminder to find gratitude in every day and look for blessings instead of focusing on problems. So despite car troubles, the house being painted the wrong color (which got fixed, thankfully), and Mike being more than swamped at work and staying late hours, we have many blessings to acknowledge... I am thankful for supportive family and friends, a steady income, a growing family, and a gorgeous new house!

House Update

Check it out! The house is really starting to look like something!

The exterior is almost finished... all that seems to be lacking is paint. The board and batten and siding will be a light sagey green and all the trim will be white and black. I love the craftsman style and the freshness of the look, different from all the tan stucco.

We walked through on Friday night and they had just finished painting. This is the view from the front door: living room to the direct right, family room on the back right, kitchen to the left, and dining straight back. You can't see it here but the whole back area is vaulted to the rafters. It is so open and spacious!

The workers started locking the house so we can't stroll through at our leisure anymore, but Mike peeked in Saturday and said the vinyl was down and the appliances were being installed. It's all coming together so fast! I can't believe it will be ours in less than two weeks!!!

The staircase leads to the loft/tv room/playroom.

Maddie and Ella's bedrooms are also up here. I am a little nervous about Ella being upstairs and the master downstairs (plus moving to a big girl bed!), but I'm sure we'll get used to it.

Here's the baby's room! Just kidding, only for a few months until he graduates to the nursery (and Ella is for sure done with the crib). But check out the space in that closet--HUGE!

Instead of packing like I should be, I have been working on finishing furniture projects. This is the best before picture I could find of the old red chair with some much younger Andrews girls.

And here is the (semi) after! I haven't finished the cushion because it's HARD and I can't find the zipper foot on my sewing machine, so it's waiting for my mom's magical help. It was a lot of work, but the upholstery itself wasn't too bad. The sewing is always what hangs me up!

Here's my little helper displaying her new headboard. My mom gave me the headboards and footboards from my sister's and my room growing up, and with a fresh coat of paint I think they will be darling for my girls.

One coat of primer down.

This is a dresser we found for Ella on ksl classifieds, after a quick sanding. It was an atrocious color but it's got potential!

I spent most of yesterday in the garage. The headboards have their two coats of spray paint and the dresser is primed. Now I just need to sand and prime Maddie's old dresser and paint them both. I can't wait to finish their cute new rooms!

I'm afraid I'm a little spray paint happy now. Maddie's brushed nickel lamp has always bothered me, so I painted it a pretty pink.

Much better! Now I better go pack a box.

Sneaky Leprechaun Strikes Again

We made little shamrock necklaces last night to get in the Irish spirit. I was so proud of little Ella for stringing her whole necklace herself (with some pattern guidance).

I re-discovered this vase last night in my collection. We got it from Mike's sweet Grandma Johnson when she passed away last year. It couldn't be more perfect for a St. Patty's Day treat.

A sneaky leprechaun struck again (it was such a hit last year with Maddie that she still talks about it). He magically turned our toilet water and milk green during the night! The thing that still tickles me is how much Ella loved it! I didn't realize she was old enough to sense the "magic" but she was enthralled! When the Joy school kids came over she led them into the bathroom one by one saying "I'll show you! The leprechaun made the potty green!" She was a little scared of it at first cuz she thought the leprechaun would pop out at her, but we assured her that leprechauns are shy and don't like to be caught.

Joy School was awesome today! It was the last day of my month-long unit, which has been lotsa fun but let's be honest... I was tuckered out. So I called a local ice cream shop and set up a tour and demo!

They showed us how they make ice cream in the big machines and then let us taste test it for them. No problemo.

Scrumdiddlyumptious!

We visited Auntie Dana and little Daxy Doodle for lunch. Dana treated us to green victuals and then performed on the player piano for the kids.

We did another little tradition from last year and painted our toast into rainbows (milk and food coloring... toast to set... devour).

I tried a new recipe for our green dinner. It was homemade split pea soup from here but it didn't get the rave reviews I was hoping for. At least it tasted better than it looked.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Strawberry Shortcake Sha-bang

It was a gorgeous day for a party! We spent much of it outdoors letting the kids run wild. At one point I looked up and Maddie was telling secrets over by the fence with two of her favorite gals. Doesn't she look so grown up?

We started with a 'berry picking' game... really just red pom poms spread all over the back yard. The kids each had a little bucket to collect them in and see who could find the most.


The big moment... blowing out the 4 candles and digging in to the cake! Later she got spoiled rotten with gifts and then we had a Strawberry Shortcake pinata, which I somehow neglected to take pictures of. There was no shortage of sugar.

Mike made it home for the festivities and some mommy friends braved the fray. All three of my sisters were there, which made it special for Maddie and also helped me with the gaggle of kids. I took advantage of Noelle's professional skills and said yes when she offered to take pictures! She caught some pretty details...

The strawberry, green grape, and blueberry medley Maddie specifically requested...

The strawberry marshmallows that fit the theme perfectly...

The party favors...

... and the cake. It wasn't perfect (the strawberry layer sunk in the middle and made for a crooked top) but it was sure fun to make!


A berry good time was had by all!

You've Had a Birthday, Shout Hooray!

As promised, here are more details from Maddie's 4th birthday. Birthdays are special to me... milestones but also memories that slip through my fingers... so I tend to take a lot of pictures to remember everything.

It started off with a bed-head birthday hug from little sister. Ella was almost as excited about Maddie's birthday as Maddie was (almost).

After breakfast Maddie opened a card from Grandpa Andrews and Grandma Patti. She was a little confused by the bill because she tends to think only cents (quarters) are worth anything. I tried to explain she could pick her own present with it, but we figure she'll learn soon enough.

Joy School was at our house that day so Maddie was surrounded by her friends.

I've been trying to give her a frame of reference for her birthday (since she's been asking when it was for about 11 months) by telling her it's in the spring. Mother Nature must have heard me because this week has been the warmest weather yet, and we got to play at the park for free play time!

The special birthday snack request was chocolate popsicles. Here's our birthday princess in her Joy School crown.

After school there was much more playing outside. Here's another one of the many phone calls Maddie took.

After naps (yes my 4 year old still loves naps!!!), more playing outside. What a treat!

Every birthday girl should be allowed to lick the beaters.

Since we were to have the Strawberry Shortcake character cake the next day, we decided on a real strawberry shortcake for our family dinner. I must say, it was delicious.

She loved all of her gifts, but this one got the best reaction. She has been going around the house on a single adult roller blade for months, so we figured it was time for some small fry roller skates. Thanks Grandma Marcia!

Doesn't she look so big??? She's good on carpet but has taken lots of spill on the vinyl. Thank goodness for padding, although she may need some extra on the bum.

Obviously we had to represent Strawberry Shortcake. That's a happy girl!

Cute little sister didn't want to be left out of the fun. Oh, and she still wears her swim suit every single day.

I want to end with a few special things about our 4 year old.

Maddie is teaching herself to read and write. She loves to sound out words and often announces "Mommy, that says {such and such}!" She likes to type on the keyboard and recently showed us something she had written: "wewgotobedetat8maddieella" She was getting the message that "we go to bed at 8, Maddie & Ella". Mike and I both thought the other had helped her, but she sounded it out herself.

She is becoming quite the gospel scholar. She loves the scripture stories and primary songs. She was recently singing "Praise to the Man" to herself and said, "Mommy, Jehovah was Jesus' name before he came to the earth."

Maddie is very interested in everything baby. She wants to know details about how he eats, goes potty, and especially 'pops out'. After some description, she said, "Mommy, that's going to hurt!" She prays for the baby and for herself to be an even better big sister when he 'pops out'.

Maddie is very sweet, helpful, responsible, smart... and oh yeah, emotional. We love our little girl to pieces and think she is growing up to be beautiful inside and out!