Squee!!!

It's official: I have a plane ticket!

In 2 weeks, I will be going to visit my sister Lisa in Washington. I haven't seen Lisa since my brother Spencer got married 2 years ago. I haven't seen her 2 sons since then, either, and I've never even MET her daughter! (I don't even remember when was the last time I saw her husband Eric...) Likewise, she's never met my son.

Yes, Lisa, this picture is from the last time I saw you and Tyler. Does that tell you how long it's been?!

I'M SO EXCITED!!!! :)

Why I Love Spring

Aidan and I went on a walk to the park the other day, and the whole way there and back I just kept thinking about why spring is so amazing. I thought I'd share my reasons with you!

I love spring because:

1. You get to pull out all your cute clothes.

2. And if you have to buy some spring clothes, they come in better colors than winter clothes.

3. And they're cheaper!

4. With everyone wearing t-shirts, shorts, and flip flops, laundry is about 2 loads less!

5. Getting out the door is SO much easier since I don't have to put me and Aidan in coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and socks.

6. Plus, sandals are so much easier to get on and off than other shoes!

7. I can actually paint my toenails without my feet freezing.

8. The city finally starts to repair all of the potholes in the road.

9. We can play outside and go on walks! (This was Aidan's face the first time I tried to get him to crawl outside.)

("Are you SURE about this, Mom?!")

10. We can ride bikes! (Well, I can once we get a seat for Aidan on the back of mine. But I'm going to go for a ride today!)

11. Everything is so GREEN!!!

12. And the flowers are gorgeous!

(These are from my front flower bed!)

13. Birds come out again.

14. Getting the mail is fun again instead of a chore.

15. The produce is awesome! (Hello, strawberry freezer jam!)

16. I can finally wash all the salt off of my car!

17. I don't have to sweep our entry way 16 times a day any more because there isn't any sand coming in on shoes.

18. Driving is so much easier without snow and ice on the roads.

19. It's just prettier outside without all the gross dirty old snow!

20. Animals have their little babies.

21. There's more sunshine!

22. And the days last longer, too!

23. We can finally take the plastic off of our windows, which means we can open them again!

24. Which also means we save money since we don't have to heat our house!

25. I'm just happier in the spring!



Now, I realize that there are people out there who actually like summer, fall, or (goodness forbid!) winter. And they are welcome to post their reasons why on their own blog. But here at Steele Wool-Gathering, spring RULES! Feel free to add why YOU like spring!

P.S. Scroll down for more new posts.

Vacuum Chasing

I mentioned this in an earlier post, but I just thought I'd give you the visual to go with it. We seriously spent half an hour trying to vacuum the living room between me laughing, Aidan and me chasing each other, and me dashing to vacuum a spot he was sitting on before he grabbed the vacuum again.

New Car!

Okay, so WE didn't get a new car. But Aidan sure loves that box!

Just Because

We were trying to get a picture of how he finally has enough hair to actually brush it. But he got the brush. And I have to post it just because he's so cute!

(Oh, and here's the hair. And the drool dripping off his chin!)

(And he's naked again. We really do dress him most of the time! This was right after a bath. Sigh.)

Lollipop

It started with this:

We don't have cable, but I think this came on after conference. It reminded me of how much I love the song! And now?

This:

has been on repeat play around my house for the last week! Wouldn't it ROCK to be in a group that sang that for a talent show or something?!

"We Pray Thee"

At the risk of sounding sacrilegious...

Has anyone else heard the phrase "we pray thee" used in prayers? Or is it just an Iowa thing? For example, someone will say a prayer that includes, "We pray thee that the Spirit will be here", "We pray thee for those who couldn't come to be able to come next week," or will just plain end with "We pray thee in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I was brought up hearing "we ASK Thee" rather than "we PRAY Thee," so it strikes me as odd every time I hear it. Am I just weird? Does anyone else hear this in their ward?