Saturday, March 14th

Firstly: HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER!!! It's my sister-in-law's very special day today. We will be celebrating this afternoon. Our Madaline will be 14 on Monday, so the celebration today will be in part for her as well.
I don't have a lot to report today. I started my tomato and pepper plants on Monday, but have yet to see anything sprout. Callie continues to demand lots of attention (there will be no third child syndrome here), Reese is in the midst of potty training, and Maddie is still an angst filled teenager who is too cool for everything (especially smiling). It's become a sport around here to try to get her to smile. It's not for the faint of heart. :-P
I am trying to find some motivation at the bottom of my teacup. This last stretch of winter gets me down every year. We get those little hints of spring, only to be punched in the face with another blast of winter. Green tea might not be strong enough, I might have to hit the coffee today.
We have been talking about putting our house on the market lately. There are no adjectives to describe just how much I dread selling a house. Having people tramping through my house, having to lug the dog and kids out every time there is a showing, and having to keep the house spotless should be worth it in the end though. We have some painting to do, and Ben has to finish the trim in Reese's room. Other than that we don't have a terrible lot to do in order to sell (luckily). I would like to replace the vanity mirror in our bathroom and we might rip the paneling out of the kitchen to make it look brighter. Neither project is necessary, but would pretty things up a little for (hopefully) a quicker sale.
Reese just came in, reeking of maple syrup, chanting "tickle me". Toddlers are quite possibly the most enjoyable part of parenting. They still have that yummy baby I-could-eat-you-up quality, but it's swirled in with the hilarity and wisdom of a child reconstituting what they absorb from the adults in their lives. Unfortunately, toddler-hood lasts approximately 12 minutes. You look up from your work and they are in high school. I'm afraid to look away sometimes, because time is so slippery where growing children are concerned. Speaking of which, I am off to enjoy my children now.
Have a great weekend!