What could be better...

What could be better than an old chalkboard and a nice new piece of chalk? Well - I'll tell you! It's a chalkboard wall! When I was a kid I LOVED to draw with chalk on the small chalkboard that my grandparents had in one of their spare bedrooms. It was fun to draw and erase over and over again and it always left such fond memories. I can remember leaving messages on the board for my cousins before we would leave to go home and then when we would come back months later there would be message from them waiting for me. What a great time that was!
Well, this weekend the girls and I were able to paint a WHOLE wall in our playroom with chalkboard paint. It was the neatest thing. I wrote their names at the top - stating that this was "The Gerling Girls Board". Then they took to drawing all kinds of beautiful pictures on the wall. They giggled and laughed and had such a blast telling me how "cool" it was. I hope this is a memory that they will treasure as they grow older as I have treasured mine. Who would have thought that something so small could end up meaning so much!

Woo Hoo!

It's Friday. It's Friday - that's all I have to say!

Love It! Watch this - Great Message - Thanks, Karen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyVzjoj96vs&feature=player_embedded

Batgirl! Where's your tooth?

Yes! It has finally happened. After Anna has witnessed most of her friends lose their very first, second, third, and fourth teeth - she has been patiently awaiting the loss of her very first one. On Halloween it finally happened. Now she is enjoying the "strange" way she's talking and she's very much ready to lose another tooth so the tooth fairy will bring her more money for her bank! Look at that evil little grin and no - the tooth fairy did NOT give her $5.00 - paw paw did!

Not Me Monday

Today is most assuredly a Not Me kind of Monday. Those days are always lurking around the corner - ready to sucker punch you in the gut! :) Here it is in a nutshell:

I did NOT make the girls waffles smeared and smothered in jelly (because I had NOT forgotten to buy syrup at the store - for the gazillionth time).

I did NOT let Donald pick out Julie's clothes this morning because my butt was just too darned tired to get out of bed. That would be a very selfish and not motherly thing to do and I would NOT do that - ever!

I did NOT shiver with disgust as I realized one of our most beloved hermit crabs passed on to those golden streets in the sky and I had to remove it from it's cage (yuck).

I did NOT shiver with disgust and remove the said hermit crab from it's cage with 20 pairs of little eyes looking at me as I threw it in the trash can for it's burial. That would have been a terrible and insensitive thing for me to do.

And I did NOT call all over looking for those stinky squinkies just to find them at my closest Wal-Mart. Then I did NOT beg the lady in Toys to hold both sets for me until I could get them after work.

Dave Ramsey says the little children don't need all that "plastic stuff" and I would NEVER go against Dave. Nope - Not me!!

Squinkies - Oh how I detest thee...

I've come to the conclusion that my oldest daughter has the "nose" for those toys that will be the "it" toys of the season. It never fails that each year she comes up with the toy that is by far one of the greatest and most hard to find. She always starts months in advance by telling me about some silly toy that she would like to have. It's usually something really silly and looks completely stupid (pardon my potty word). I (most of the time) say something like, "oh - well - let's put that on your list for Santa." Thinking that this weird toy would still be here even after the Christmas rush and nobody would be looking for it. As usual - I was WRONG! Last year - it was the Zhu-Zhu pets - which were by the way - very unimpressive (for lack of a better word). This year - it is the squinkies. Yes - said squinkies. I really thought for sure these little beasts would still be shelf sitting when it came time for the birthday and Christmas shopping time. Little did I know that squinkies would be all the rage. Sold out of every store and online.
Darn those blasted squinkies!

Life at It's Best

Sometimes you have to step back from your hectic schedule and look around you at all the wonderful blessings that God has provided. I am constantly reminded of how wonderful my life truly is. Yes, there are those days that I am more than capable of pulling out my hair along with everyone elses, but God has a way of showing me that he is in control and how every second on this earth should be cherished to it's fullest. My daughters and my husband are a prime example of that. Anna - the oldest - is by far the most stubborn, independent, artistic, and nurturing of our clan. Then there is Sophia. Sophie is our spit-fire. She has more energy and enthusiasm for life than anyone I have ever known in my life. She is life in motion. Julia is fairly laid back but very smart. She takes everything in and absorbs it like a sponge. I can't wait to see her personality blossom as she does. Therefore I say - Anna is the heart of our family - Sophie is the spirit - and Julia is the completion. A combination of the two that came before her - all wrapped into one final package. It was a tough choice to decide that our family was complete but in the end we prayed about it and knew that this was the right path for our family. Three beautiful little girls. Three girls that have such unique and wonderful personalities to contribute to our family unit. Three girls that will give us plenty of gray hairs throughout the year, but I know that I will treasure each and every one of those hairs as they will be a reminder to me of all of the special moments that I share each day with my children. I thank God everyday for his wonderful gift to us - my daughters!