Party of Five

A New Beginning

2012-01-01T18:19:00.010-06:00

January 1.

It's the best time of the year to make a change, right? Truth is, I've been craving change on this blog for quite some time. I don't like that my last name is in the url. I don't like that my kid's real names are used on here. These are 2 of many things I would change if I knew 4 years ago what I know now about blogging.

So I thought, let's make a change in 2012. A fresh start with a new blog. I hope you will move with me. I know it's a pain to change out a url in blog readers and so forth, but I won't be posting here any more.

My new blog, Journey to Joy, will be a much simpler, quicker blog about the things that bring me joy every day this year. Some days it will be my kids, somedays it may be a piece of chocolate or a pretty cake. There have been too many families I know touched by tragedy recently and I want to be very intentional in 2012 to find joy every day.

So jump on over to journeytojoy2012.blogspot.com. I'll be there every day (hopefully) learning to live life more abundantly. Just like my Jesus told me to.

2011-10-13T07:38:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed to be a mom to two beautiful daughters. Yes, at times they are trying and we have many years of tumultuous emotions ahead, but I love having 2 girls! While my son is the apple of my eye (he loves his mama the best and he tells me so!), I love having two very distinct personalities of the same sex. My girls couldn't be more different. One is vocal, articulate, studious, a night person, sloppy, technical, fun loving, and my partner in all things geeky. (Harry Potter, puzzles, Star Wars, Disney World, etc.) My younger daughter is domestic, has an intense love of fashion and decorating, an organizer, dramatic, crafty (both physically and intellectually, a morning person, and very emotional. If you pick a stereotypical trait of a girl, between the two of them, I've got it covered.

Loves rainbows, baby dolls and glitter everything? Avery

Talks non-stop? Mackenzie

Loves cupcakes, baking and crafts? Avery

Loves shopping and shoes? Mackenzie

I recently took several pictures of them on the way to the Taylor Swift concert. See if you can determine which one is the "poser" and which one was saying, "hurry up and put away your camera, mom". Hint - it won't be difficult.

God has really blessed us with these two blue eyed beauties. I love all of the spunk and chaos they add to our days!

The first step

2011-10-12T07:17:00.000-05:00

Admitting you have a problem is the first step....right?

Well, I'm going to be the first one to admit that I may have a slight addiction. 2 weeks ago, I stepped away from my Google Reader. I didn't set out to take a break from blog reading, but for 1 week, that is what happened. I was ~~reading a great book~~ too busy and it actually felt good to let the blogs go for a couple of days. However, there is always a price to pay...

This is what my account looked like when I signed back in.

Yikes! 479 blogs?? I had only taken 5 or so days "off", which means I must read close to 100 blogs a day! No wonder I have no time for my own blog. ;) To my benefit, I subscribe to many blogs that I don't actually read, but just scan for info. Or some of them are just funny stuff like Cake Wrecks and Awkward Family Photos that literally take me 30 seconds to read.

Of course I still read the one blogger that started me down this treacherous path, everybody's favorite: the Pioneer Woman. I've been reading her blog for over 3 years now, and this November, I'm getting the chance to meet her! She is coming to our city for a benefit luncheon and I have tickets! I'm excited to see her new cookbook and even more excited to meet her in person and hear her speak. She has such an fun life story!

I know I'm not alone in this addiction. Anyone else have a blog reader on overdrive? And don't get me started on Pinterest. I do not have a problem wasting time on Pinterest. Repeat. I do not have a problem wasting time on Pinterest. Repeat...I do not have a problem....

A little kitchen work

2011-10-11T10:42:00.007-05:00

Today is an exciting day! We are finally having our granite countertops installed! YEA!! It's been on our "list" for 3 1/2 years, since we moved into our house. We put it off for so long because it never seemed the right time to deal with all the mess.

Here's a before shot of my kitchen:
I love so much about it. The layout, the island, my kitchen sink window, the desk.
What I don't love about it is this tile. It really dates my kitchen, but more importantly because the grout is so wide and the tile is very grooved, it just never feels clean. I've had it sealed and steamed, and everything else you can imagine, but it just can't stand up to the mess of our family.

So, today it looks like this:

But tonight it should look like this:

traditional kitchen design by philadelphia kitchen and bath Lang's Kitchen & Bath

Well, not quite just like that. ;) Our new tile backsplash won't be in for another week or so. Stay tuned for the final reveal!

Summer bucket list revisited

2011-10-03T21:23:00.004-05:00

After patting myself on the back for a fairly consistent blogging month in August, I decided to go AWOL in September. The short version recap looks like this:

1) lots of schoolwork
2) tons of work for PTA treasurer mom ( don't ever get me started on what a thankless job that position is!)
3) 11 year old birthday parties
4) regression of a certain 3 year old to pooping in his pants again
5) made plans to tear up my kitchen and put in granite countertops (yea!!), which has involved many hours of deliberating over color choice, sink options, kitchen faucet possibilities and a little study of travertine backsplashes. I can.not.wait. to kiss my ugly tile goodbye!
6) many soccer games and practices
7) a night of chaperoning a preteen lock in (oh. my.)
8) waiting on my nephew Cash to make his arrival to the world. Any day now....

But today is not September. It is October and boy do we have big plans for October. Tonight we are in Little Rock where my husband has a 2 day conference for work. We left our little guy at home because our true purpose for the trip is a surprise for our girls. You see, back in May, after we completed our little summer bucket list, Avery insisted that we had left something important off the list. The next day in ugly black permanent marker, she wrote across the bottom, "see TS in RL", which translates into " see Taylor Swift in real life.". Avery just adores Taylor Swift. She knows every word of her songs and will spend hours in her room singing and dancing to her music. At some point almost every week she tells me that she is going to be famous and play the guitar and live in L.A. like Taylor. She is passionate about her Taylor Swift. So when the opportunity came up for us to purchase tickets to the Little Rock show, we didn't hesitate. We have sat on this secret for 4 and 1/2 months and tomorrow night at dinner we can finally let the cat out of the bag. Although we have had fun keeping the secret, I can't wait to see Avery's face when her little bucketlist request comes true. We even passed all of Taylor's equipment trailers in the car on our way here and they never even noticed. This time tomorrow the girls will be within squealing distance from Taylor, Marty will be sporting hot pink ear plugs, and I will be crossing our final item off the bucket list. Woohoo!!

PowerPoint Proposition

2011-08-28T06:24:00.000-05:00

Mackenzie has a birthday in a few weeks and there is only 1 item on her list. She doesn't care much about a party or a cake this year. Only this:

She wants an iTouch in the worst way possible. Of course, she really wants a phone, but we have informed her there is no way she is getting a phone. I'm putting that purchase off for as long as I can! In the discussions about an iTouch, we have put forth many rules and stipulations. Since she will have internet access and the ability to text, it makes me kinda nervous. Here's a few of our rules:

It must be placed in the kitchen at 9:00 every night and left there until morning.

She may not bring it to school.

We are allowed to check texts and browsing history at any time.

It must be put away at the dinner table.

I'm sure we'll develop more over time. If any of you have any suggestions to add to this list, I would love to hear them. Mackenzie has spent her time assuring us that she is responsible and able to handle the restrictions. To emphasize this point, one day she created this Power Point project. She created the entire thing by herself with pictures included. Marty was so impressed that he said he would have bought her an iTouch that night if we didn't already have one sitting in my closet waiting for her birthday.

My personal favorites are #6 with the inclusion of a picture of Miley Cyrus as a reasonable teen, and #7 with the reason illustrated by the girl sitting by herself and the word "lonely". I love the implications that if she doesn't get an iTouch, she will equate herself with the girl under that tree. She makes me laugh. And she's brilliant, because this totally won us over. Which number is your favorite?

School Session

2011-08-27T09:00:00.007-05:00

Well, now that school has been in session for a week and a half, I guess it's time to put up my official "1st Day of School" pics. I'm nothing if not punctual and relevant.

I always like to look at these kind of annual pics alongside the previous year's pics, so you are subjected to a double whammy today. Just be glad this computer is only 1 year old, which means I can't go back to my last 5-6 years of pics and bore you to tears without great effort on my part to locate my external hard drive and spend my Saturday sifting through old pics.

Mackenzie 2010 - 4th grade

and this year, 2011 - 5th grade

Avery 2010 - 1st grade

Avery 2011 - 2nd grade

Group shot 2010

Group shot 2011

Nathan 2010 - ALC - 2 year old class

Nathan 2011 - ALC - 3 year old class

They have all done well, although we have already been hit with a sick day due to a stomach bug (vomiting in the car, yeah!) and a yucky cold for Nathan. Just working out the onslaught on germs, I guess. They have all grown so much and I am getting used to having Nathan gone 3 days a week this year. I miss my little shadow and my days are much quieter. In the meantime, it's taxi/chauffeur mode for me and the miles on my car are going up, up, up. One of my best friends is in the process of teaching her son to drive and discussing things like insurance and hardship licenses. I think I'm going to be content with the high mileage and taxi status for a while! Happy school days everyone!

a Pinterest Project

2011-08-25T12:16:00.010-05:00

I have so many great things to post about! But so little motivation to actually sit down and write about them. I guess I am enjoying knocking things off my to-do list too much!

One item I marked off the list a few weeks ago was a framing project that I had mentioned. I have recently jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon. It is truly fabulous for getting your creative thoughts flowing or put your motivation into overdrive. Or it can keep you sitting at the computer for hours while you look at everyone else's creativity. I was determined to actually create something that I loved on Pinterest.

Here are the inspirational photos:

(for sources, you can follow me on Pinterest here.)

Since I already had several old frames, this was approximately a $10 project.

Frames before:

Side note: I have learned the hard way that the best way to hang groups of frames is this: measure your space, arrange your frames in this manner on the floor in the same size space, use butcher paper to cut paper frames of each frame in exactly the same size, measure and hang these paper frames to the wall with tape, once satisfied with arrangement, nail the paper frames to the wall, remove paper frames (but not the nails) and replace with real frames - no multiple nail holes or remeasuring needed!

I ended up having to break mine up into 2 arrangements due to the funky placement of a random light switch in my kids' hallway. Male contractors, you make me tired. A girl would never put a light switch at a different height than all the others, in the middle of a long hallway wall. But I digress.

I had a little painting help. Yes, he's only wearing underwear and we painted on a drop cloth on my hardwood floors. (Hi Mom!) It was like 120 degrees that day and no paint drops were spilled, so no worries. Moving on.

The 3 year old with no clothes on took this picture with my DSLR camera. He has talent, right?

Maybe he'll be a stay at home blogger one day.

Ready to start hanging my paper frames!

And the (mostly) final product...

I was quite pleased with how these turned out. The beauty of these frames is that they are hung on my kid's side of the house. They are not visible at all to anyone that is not going to their rooms or their bathroom. Which means it's great that the frames match their shower curtain and not the rest of my house. I am using them to hang artwork and do have plans to make 2 of the frames into chalkboard. I will possibly add chicken wire to one or two as well. It looks like an easy, breezy project, but it took me several hours with my little "helper" around. Also, if you try this project, keep in mind that your kid's artwork has to be fairly small to fit inside of a frame. An 8 1/2 x 11 paper size or smaller works great with most frames.

So hooray for Pinterest for motivating me to actually accomplish something creative in my house. Now, if only I could un-motivate myself to make these brownies that I pinned earlier.

Yum, yum.

Photo practice

2011-08-16T09:29:00.008-05:00

I mentioned on a recent post that I am taking an online photography course. I hesitate to mention it because 1) I don't want my amateur pictures judged or scrutinized for improvement and 2) I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be some for real photographer. But that's one of the reasons I have enjoyed this class. It's not about being a great photographer at all, but it's more about how to capture a moment vs. an event and how to take your digital SLR camera off the auto setting and actually use the manual settings. And how to use natural light to your advantage. With those things in mind, I took advantage of time with just my little guy last week and tried to capture a moment.

Of course these pictures are not perfect by any means (check out the blur!), but I love these pictures so much. They totally capture his little boy "play mode". And for good measure, the cat became a model as well.

I am happy to report that the girls are back home and all is right in our vibrant, noisy home. We are enjoying the last few days before school. We all may or may not have slept in until 9:00 this morning. It's going to be a tough transition!

Where my kids at?

2011-08-08T19:04:00.005-05:00

It's project week! Also known as "My kids have left the state to visit their grandparents and now I have energy to tackle some projects that have been left on the back burner for too long" week! Yes, I still have my little guy running around since only his sisters went to STL, but he is quite used to being my shadow and is easily entertained. Yesterday we shopped for all of our project supplies and we were ready to tackle the to-do list!

Here's a glimpse of the day:

Spent an hour at school getting all my PTA treasurer books ready for next year

Michaels and Lowes for supplies

repainted kid's bathroom

watched 4 episodes of Real Housewives of New Jersey (I'm getting caught up on the season)

repaired a broken desk drawer with wood glue

cleaned out Mackenzie's room and closet, packed away clothes for Avery

Ahh...much better. And yes those are pics of Harry Potter and friends above her bed. In case you didn't know, she's kinda ~~obsessed~~ a fan. I always clean out my kids' rooms when they are not home and I usually tackle them 4 times a year: before/or right after school starts, before Christmas, spring time, and before the last day of school. It's funny how the problem areas in their rooms reflects their personalities. Mackenzie probably has 200+ books in her room. Of course she won't part with any of them, so we have to get creative with storage or it becomes cluttered real fast. Avery is over run with clothes. Right now she can fit into almost anything size 6-8, but her closet get stuffed with clothes she is not ready to part with and clothes of Mackenzie's that are still too big for her. Nathan's biggest challenge is Legos and blocks. Easy enough. In my 3 years experience comparing boys to girls, girls will win the messy room award every time. We'll see if this holds true going forward!

Today's list looks like this:

pay bills and balance check book

framing project for kids hallway

catch up on all emails and blog reading

hang new pictures in my living room

finish reading my book

update all PTA spreadsheets for new year

Nathan gets a haircut

Attend open house at girl's school

Hope my parents are enjoying their time with the girls! They will be worn out after this week for sure. :)

Domestic joy

2011-08-07T08:37:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what a preteen smirk looks like?
Now you know.

Mackenzie (please ignore the I've been running through the sprinkler hair) has been learning how to wash dishes and load a dishwasher correctly. Let's just say it doesn't make me her favorite person! Ah, the joys of parenting.

Party Filled Weekend!

2011-08-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

I don't think we could stuff this weekend with any more activity.

First off (and most importantly) I am hosting a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Ashley, and my yet to be born nephew, Cash! The gifts have been wrapped, the diaper wreath made. We are ready to celebrate! I can't wait to see my brother's reaction to all the baby stuff invading his household. He kinda sorta doesn't like clutter. Ha! Babies and clutter go together like PB&J.

Also on the agenda is attending my husband's 20 year high school reunion. Blah. I am not a fan of these things. We attended the same high school, but graduated 2 years apart and ran in very different circles. My husband loved his high school years - they are his "glory days", and he can't wait to catch up with 200 of his "close friends". My high school experience was fun, but I walked away with 3-4 really great friends, whom I still talk to on a regular basis today. Not sure I need to spend $150 and a sweaty night at a local bar to get caught up with them. I think we should put the $150 and babysitter time into planning a girls weekend instead! Anyway, it will be ~~tolerable~~ fun and will, at the very least, be a night out with no kids.

We are also celebrating my dad's 60th birthday this weekend. He truly is the best dad and has been through some pretty big life changes recently in the job and health department. We are so thankful that God has provided for him. When I was little, the most important thing he taught me was that God is always in control and has a plan for your life. The biggest thing he taught me this week? That God is always in control and has a plan for my life. My dad is the most faithful man I know. We are excited to celebrate with my parents this weekend!

I'm sure I will have pictures of this weekend that will be forthcoming. Did I mention I am taking an online photography course? It is by ashleyannphotography.com and I have already learned so much! It makes me want to pick up my camera all the time now.

Hope your weekend is as fun filled as ours!

Back to school...almost.

2011-08-05T10:04:00.006-05:00

12 days and counting...Good thing, I think we've all gone a little stir crazy around here!First week of August - it's the calm before the storm. It has taken me a few years to figure this out, but school responsibilities don't actually start on the first day of school. It really starts about 3 weeks before hand with the shopping for supplies, clothes, and shoes. There is also equipment shopping for any extra curricular activies - soccer balls, new piano books, etc. The selection of backpacks and lunch boxes is an extremely important choice of balance between fashion and function.

In addition to all the shopping, your calendar will be filled with various functions that require not only the presence of your children, but mostly you and your pocketbook. There are the open houses, teacher meet & greets, parent orientations. There will always be a t-shirt for sale, so bring cash. There will always be tons of paperwork, so be ready with your important info. It's best to go ahead and memorize the doctor's phone number and physical address as well as the policy numbers of your health insurance. Seriously, it's no joke. The amount of paperwork I will complete in the next 2 weeks probably killed a small forest. Well, at least a grove of trees. :)

We have been hanging kind of low this week, watching our carefree summer days slip by. We made the rounds to the library, the cheap movies, our church's play center, all while trying to avoid 115 degree heat.

We had the opportunity to let the kids visit my parents in St. Louis for the upcoming week. It will be great for them to have some last minute fun before school. So while my husband and I are spending 4 out of 5 days next week at a school related activity, the enrolled school children will be living it up at the grandparents. Don't worry. We are ready to meet the teachers. And we won't leave home without the cash this year.

2011-07-28T10:56:00.008-05:00

The cooking extravaganza has continued this week. It's been a week of experimenting - I made a goal to make no meal that I have made before. So here's what's been on the menu: (and yes, they are almost all PW recipes)

bowtie lasagna - this was tasty, everyone liked it and it would be an easy soccer night meal

I made these PW Marlboro Man sandwiches and they just didn't impress me. Or even the hubby. I think they would be great with high quality beef, like a sirloin, but the cube steak just isn't my favorite type of beef.

This watermelon granita is my favorite thing this week. You take an entire watermelon, cut it into chunks, add some lime juice and a little sugar. Put in a blender or food processor then freeze for one hour. Scrape the mixture to shave the ice in one hour increments for 3-4 hours and you're done! So easy. I've been eating it all week and my kids love it too.

Gazpacho = delicious. This is dinner tonight with a little grilled chicken.

In the meantime, my oldest girl has been at camp all week, and judging from the few pics I have received via facebook, she's having a grand ol' time hanging out by the snack shak. Avery and I had a girls day where we got pedicures, went to lunch, and bought all of her school supplies. I think she enjoyed the pedicure the most!

We spent last weekend at Lake Ouachita with my brother and his wife. We always have such a great time with them. My brother is great with my girls and loves to take them tubing. Of course I forgot my camera, so these are the only pics I took from the entire weekend.

We finished up the weekend with my nephew's birthday party. My sister-in-law is so talented. His cake was amazing!

Hope your week has been filled with yummy food and good times too!

2011-07-19T14:28:00.002-05:00

I love the laid back routines of summer. Even though it is steaming hot outside, I find myself cooking more in the summer just because I have more time. It's much more fun to cook when everyone is not rushing home at 6:45 looking at you to hurry up already, give them food!

I found the how sweet it is website a few months ago and recently tried out a few recipes. My entire family is a huge fan of her cashew chicken

and the crunchy honey chicken.

Yeah for new chicken dishes! Last weekend I made crazy feta. I know it sounds a little weird, but it definitely grows on you. Of all people, Nathan loved it and couldn't get enough. Today we made these fruit pizzas:

Oh my, these were so yummy! I love that the crust is made with whole wheat flour too. Of course I took no pictures of my own, so you will just have to make them yourself!

Farewell Harry

2011-07-17T21:51:00.005-05:00

It's no secret I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. I started reading the HP series around 2003 when some of the early books made their way to paperback. I was surprised at how quickly I breezed through the books, finding them full of extraordinary detail and tales of adventure and friendship. I think I read books 1-4 in one summer. Then I had to wait for book 5. As soon as it came out, I remember rushing to buy a copy before heading to the lake with Marty's family. I was pregnant with Avery, on the lake in a boat and while everyone else was skiing, I had my head buried in that book the entire time. Then came book 6, and finally book 7. I bought that book on a Saturday and asked Marty to watch the girls all day for me. I read it in one day. Along the way, I have seen all of the movies. Sometimes at the theater, sometimes on DVD. They are cute, and fun to watch, but nowhere as magical as JK Rowling's Harry.

I have always been thrilled that Mackenzie is such a great reader, and I had secretly hoped she would love Harry too. She asked to read the books 3 summers ago, when she was 7. That first summer, I let her read books 1 and 2. She loved them and begged me to let her read further, but I made her wait. I knew the older books needed more maturity. The summer she was 8, she read books 3, 4, and 5. Last summer she was finally allowed to read books 6 and 7. Harry has become a part of our summer landscape and we would have it no other way! We re-read the books together, we watch the movies together, we listen to podcasts, we have our own discussions about things like Jo's foreshadowing and storytelling styles. Nerdy? yes. Has it been extremely fun having something to bond over every summer? you bet.

When Mackenzie turned 10, I allowed her to see her first HP film in the theater last fall. Since it was during the school week, we could not go to the midnight movie, but it was our first opportunity to watch one of the films together in the theater. She has been geared up all summer long for the release of the final movie. We bought our tickets well in advance and set out for the theater with some caffeine for me and a Harry t-shirt for her. She loved seeing all of the fans dressed up in glasses and cloaks. The movie experience was great with the entire audience clapping and cheering Harry on. We laughed. We cried. And for 2 days we have talked about our favorite parts and lines of the film. It has been so fun to share this journey with my little reader!

a little getaway

2011-07-13T12:38:00.022-05:00

Yesterday was my hubby's 39th birthday. 39!! How in the world did we get so old? We still feel like we are 23. Well, kinda like 23. We celebrated his birthday this weekend in his favorite manner - a quick getaway with no kids. Thanks to my sister, who kept the girls, and his mom, who kept Nathan, we took a road trip to Branson. Now Branson is not usually our favorite place, but we had the best time this weekend. We took our time driving some unusal backroads (I wish I had taken a pic of the one lane, wooden bridge we found our selves driving over) and ate at some really fun places. We spent some time exploring Big Cedar Lodge. It's huge, beautiful, and has so much to do. We are definitely planning to bring the kids back for a few days. Seriously, they have fishing, the lake (and toys for the lake), smores by the campfire every night, horseback riding, cooking classes, night time movies at the pool, lazy river, etc. Our kids would love it. Just maybe not when it's 110 degrees outside.

We had a champagne brunch there on Sunday morning and it was such a fun meal. Where else can you have such an amazing view while eating rack of lamb and crab legs for breakfast? It was the perfect place for no kids.

After brunch we went to Dogwood Canyon for the day. I'm not sure how we have lived in the area this long and never really heard about this place. It is a beautiful nature center filled with waterfalls, springs, and trout. They offer biking, walking, and hiking trails, along with horseback riding, ATV tours, private jeep excursions, a 2 hour tram tour and trout fishing. We did the adventure package which included the biking, tram and trout fishing for $40 each. Turned out to be a pretty reasonable deal since we were there for 6 hours. It's hard to describe this place without seeing it, but my favorite was the bike ride. You ride over covered bridges and can stop along the way at all of the waterfalls and springs you want to look at. I only had my phone camera with me, so these pics aren't the best, but they are better than nothing.

The best part of the tram ride was riding through the pasture to feed the elk and bison that are free roaming. They were beautiful and so close!

We truly had the best time. It was good to get away from the kids and just have fun with each other for a day!

iPhone clean up

2011-07-08T19:12:00.021-05:00

Ever since I got a phone with a decent camera, I find myself forgetting that I have pictures tucked away on my phone that need to be downloaded. So here's a little iPhone picture reveal. Enjoy!

Picture of my dad's new car. It's pretty swanky and if I wasn't toting around 3 kids, I'd love one myself. So happy for my dad - he deserves nothing but the best!

Picture of the pool at our gym where we spend more time swimming than working out. Maybe not the best plan. :)

Pic of Avery and her sweet friends at VBS. She had a great time that week and made the decision to be baptized! We still have to plan the date, but I am excited she wants to show her friends and family that she accepted Jesus into her heart last December.

My girls and one of Mackenzie's good friends from VBS. I spent the week working with 4th graders and they blessed me so much that week. I had the privilege of counseling this sweet girl to accept Christ that week and it has been the highlight of my summer by far. Just a sweet reminder that when you serve - you are always blessed in return!

Beach tanning practice. Enough said.

On our trip south to the beach, we passed miles and miles of cornfields. Somewhere along hour number 6, a dare was thrown down that I would shuck some corn from the side of the road if Marty pulled over. Let's just say I won that dare and I can add "shucked corn" to my list of accomplishments.

Remember those 600+ beach pictures? This is the ONLY pic of Marty and myself that made it home. Sad. It's an ok pic, but there's not even a beach in the shot. Oh well, maybe next time.

Our favorite meal from our beach trip happened here: at George's at Alys beach. We stopped in on a whim and it will now be a must do for following trips. Oh, and the following week I saw online that Katherine Heighl and her husband ate here as well. Good taste!

2nd favorite meal from Destin is Pompano Joes. Sometimes I think their grilled crab legs are 75% of the reason my husband agrees to go back to Destin. :)

Apparently this is how you play dress up when you mom gets rid of all of your princess dress up clothes because you are "too old". I say this version uses a lot more creative brain cells, is totally original and beats a too small Cinderella dress by far!

4th of July was traumatic for Lexi. Terrified of the fireworks, she escaped from our house and ran away. This pic was taken the next morning, after she had found her way home. With those eyes, I think she was ignoring the scolding she was getting for running away.

A few nights ago, Nathan had a dream that involved a ghost. For the past 4 days, he has refused to go into his room because of this ghost. Bedtimes have been a challenge. Last night he agreed to sleep in his bed, but only upside down and with every light on. Sigh. He's hamming for the camera here in an attempt to keep me in his room longer. Love that boy.

Well folks, that represents a a handful of our on-the-fly pics. It's a blogging jackpot - boring vacation photos AND blurry iPhone pics! Consider it your 2 for 1 special and have a fabulous weekend!

Yea! A new blog post!

2011-07-07T21:15:00.008-05:00

I cannot believe I have not posted since May 19th! No going back, just going to pick up and run with it. Summer is in full swing and it hasn't been until this week that boredom has set in. We copied my friend Valerie's idea of creating a summer "bucket list" and that has been so much fun for everyone. We all threw in ideas and contributed, so there is a lot of personal satisfaction when items are crossed off. It helps give a little focus to summer as well.

We have almost completed Nathan's swimming lessons (he's done fantastic!), enjoyed VBS, and spent a wonderful vacation at the beach. We had a wonderful, mostly relaxing time. As I took over 600 pictures (ridiculous, I know), I am taking my time sorting through them all. I desperately tried for a decent pic of all 3 kids. Ha-ha. There is no such thing. Here's the best I could achieve on our designated picture night:

Um... yeah, not good. Most pictures looked like this:

so, I guess it's all relative, right?

On our last night of the beach, we found a huge deserted sand castle and an impromptu game of "king of the world" became Nathan's favorite thing. In a rare moment of sympathy for the crazy lady behind the camera all week, they managed to look the same direction at one time.

Sure, they are spaced too far apart, beach hair is everywhere, nobody matches, they are all 3 covered in sand, but I love this picture. This is my kiddos in real life - all messy, but (usually) smiling. Eventually I'll get around to sharing some of the great individual pics I took, but for now, this one is my favorite!

a belated mother's day recap

2011-05-19T11:38:00.014-05:00

If being a great mother was judged on my ability to churn out an amazing mushroom risotto and fresh blackberry cobbler, I would have received an A+ yesterday. If it was based on time management, patience, and my effectiveness at ironing and putting away the laundry, the grade was an F. Thank goodness our children don't judge us this way! They detested the risotto (of which I was extremely impressed and proud of myself, thank you very much), and were annoyed when I insisted upon their help with the laundry. This is typical of most days where you feel like you win some and lose some on the parenting scoreboard. But occasionally, your children can surprise you and affirm that you are in fact doing okay as a mom. Mother's Day was one of those days for me. I know, I know, kids are supposed to appreciate their mothers on Mother's Day. Even so, their gifts to me meant more than any material gift and warmed my heart in an amazing way!

Exhibit A: Mackenzie's poem and book of art

I know I'm not impartial, but I see some serious art talent here!

Exhibit B: Avery's random scrapbook pages and poems

"rose are red vilis are blue and no won is a pretty as you" Sweet!

"Happy Mothers day - you are a brit as the sun" Swoon!

"Sorry its not the best presint its all I can do, but happy Mothers Day to you!" Ha!

"My mom is very wise.

She has gorgis green eyes.

She is loved very much.

Shannon is very comical.

My nice dasling (dazzling) mom is buteyful.

She drinks water and tee all the time." Makes my heart melt!

"Mother's day rocks - you are special like a dazy (daisy) and I love dazys! I love you, Avery, to a asme (awesome) mom" Swoon!

My girls had the best time making these and were so proud to give them to me. I love them so much and am now thinking of starting a "Mom Book". I will treasure those cards and poems forever. And just so my husband doesn't feel left out, he gifted me with one of these:

Love, love!

I am so blessed to be loved by such sweet kiddos and an amazing husband. Even when they aren't impressed with my risotto cooking skills!

a little better

2011-05-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

2 projects completed today = a little better attitude than yesterday.

Termites are on their way out. Unfortunately it was a positive diagnosis, but the damage seems to be minor and confirmed to one wall. Thanks to the Terminex man and a much lighter checkbook, we can sleep a little easier tonight. Oh yeah - the black widow spider Mr. Terminex found yesterday sitting on top of a few (!!) egg sacs? She's gone too. Shew. I am already breathing easier.

While the ground around our house was being saturated with all kinds of pesticide, I was able to concentrate on finishing yesterday's project.Avery's wall is finished and I'm so glad I tackled it. In the next few months, I'm going to be transitioning her room into more of a "big girl" room. I'm thinking of stenciling on the green wall (maybe a damask pattern?) and a wrought iron bed. Either way, it was great to knock something off my list today! Tomorrow is touch up paint in the remaining bedrooms and carpet cleaning! You know you are jealous. ;)

Failed projects = Whiny Wednesday!

2011-05-11T13:00:00.005-05:00

A little lack of blogging lately....distracted by real life. :) With 3 weeks left of school (and one of those weeks being 4 days filled with events that require parent attendance - yes, awards assemblies, talent show, field day, I'm talking about you) I have been busy fulfilling my to-do lists that are not kid friendly. So I've been making my dentist appointments, planting our garden (for the 3rd time), oil changes, blah, blah, blah. One such appointment I've been putting off is having our carpets cleaned in the kids' bedrooms. So late last night, I had everyone haul everything out of their room that was on the floor and moved to our living room. Here's a view of the ~~junk~~ treasures. Seriously, all of this was on their floor. And I'm even a person who detests clutter on the floor. We are obviously doing some major cleanout before this goes back into anyone's room. ANYWAY. This morning Marty was asking me what time the cleaners were coming and it dawned on me that I did not receive my usual confirmation phone call yesterday. I ran to check my calendar, and sure enough, they are scheduled for FRIDAY. Which means my spare living room will look like this until FRIDAY. No biggie, more time to clean out, right?

After dropping the girls off this morning I do a check of their rooms and decided with an almost empty room and an almost empty schedule I could tackle a project I have put off forever - painting the wall behind Avery's bed green. I grabbed my leftover paint samples and threw a little on the wall to make myself commit to the project and I was off to Lowe's for some supplies. Came home, fed the boy lunch, made sure he was down for the nap and I was ready to PAINT. Cleaned and assembled all needed tools, grabbed the blue tape and started to wipe down the walls. Hmm, there seemed to be a little mud stuck on the wall in a place or two. Strange. How would mud get behind her bed? A little scrubbing revealed a tiny hole. And then another. And another. Then it hit me. Could I possibly be seeing termite damage? Surely not. Surely. A minute later, I'm going straight to the phone book to call Terminex and schedule an inspection. There's no way I'm playing around with even the REMOTE possibility of termites. So now I can't paint. And now her room has to stay like this until the inspection is over. 2 failed projects + possible termites = a not so good day. Oh well. At least I updated the blog, right?

I'm going to include a rant here just for a moment. Of course I went straight to Google and searched for signs of termite damage. I thought it would be helpful to view the images so I could compare what I was seeing at our house. Why does every image search on Google have to be so severely disturbing? The first 4 pages are filled with homes that are literally DESTROYED by termites. Like there is half a wall left after the termites have their way. I would consider that a level 10 on the termite destruction scale. Since my house is still standing, and I'm only looking at 4 pin holes in a wall, I'm guessing we would be a level 1 or 2, if we have anything at all. Where are those pictures? I don't think they are on google images. A month or so ago, when Nathan had allergies to the extent that his eye swelled shut, I did an image search of allergic reaction. Well of course, every creature that has had some life threatening, disfiguring, allergic reaction to their eyes spanned the first handful of pages. Why don't they lead in with a level 1 and work their way up? It really irks me and puts me in a foul mood. Some people have "Wordless Wednesday" posts on their blog. Consider this my first entry of "Whiny Wednesday". It's much more appropriate.

Sure feels like Kansas

2011-05-01T20:59:00.007-05:00

I've been a little MIA lately, but with good reason! First of all, last Friday we were within 25 miles of this:

Yikes! Then, on Easter Sunday we drove home through this:

Those storms caused such major flash flooding that one of my husband's barges broke loose and caused the shutdown of 4 bridges in our town. Essentially, there was no way in or out of the city during a major storm and my man was out there trying to corral the infamous "runaway barge". Actually he just notified authorities and towboats did the actual work, but we are still thanking God today that the barge only passed under one bridge with no contact. It was a crazy night to say the least!

Then Tuesday brought even more rain and storms with skies that looked like this:

This was basically a funnel cloud that never touched down. That's what it looked like from our door after the rotation had passed. During the few moments that it passed over, it actually looked more like this: (start at mark 1:07 to see the most accurate shots)

So very spooky, especially with the sirens blaring. It is also so strange to see only the tops of the trees moving. These storms continued to grow and were eventually part of the devastation that hit Alabama the next day. It is just terrible to see how much those people have lost and yet, we realize how close we came to our own tornado that day. Thank you God always for your protection!

Things calmed down later this week, but of course we have once again had storms all day today, with another threat of flash flooding. So. Ready. For. The. Beach. :) And summer! We have started our end of school countdown. May is always so busy, and yet, I love transitioning into summer and a more relaxed schedule. I hope your weather has not been as severe as ours!

WINNING!

2011-04-22T10:55:00.002-05:00

Ok, I told you guys I had 5 readers! :) Thanks to those that shared their Easter plans! Sounds like there will be lots of egg hunting going on. I hope the weather holds out for everyone. We are literally on the road to St. Louis to celebrate Easter with my parents. It has been an eventful trip so far with an entertaining pit stop that involved my husband, a stranger, a door, and 2 smashed 44 ounce cokes. Good times.

And now for the good stuff! The winner of the giveaway is......AMY!! Amy is a full of spunk friend I have known since high school days. She has a fun blog at covetthedust@blogspot.com. Check out her adorable kids and amazing creative talent if u have time! Amy, message me your favorite scent and I will order the goods for you.

I pray that you all have a wonderful time of worship and fellowship with your family this weekend! As for us, we have so much to be thankful for, and at the top of that list is a loving God who bestowed mercy and grace for us so long ago that we might have life, and have it more abundantly! Hallelujah! He lives!

My FIRST giveaway!!

2011-04-20T23:16:00.010-05:00

I am back and fully recovered from my whirlwind trip to Vegas! And what a trip it was! I cannot wait to share a few stories and pictures from my trip. I'm not sure I'll ever get to do Vegas the same way, so I definitely need to document it. It truly did take me a day or two to recover due to the 12 hours of sleep I got during the entire 4 days. :) However, we are already in re-packing mode, so the Vegas stories are going to have to wait until after Easter. Until then, I thought I would share 2 things that I am head over heels for this week.

ONE - myjobchart.com

This website allows you to make a customized chore chart for your kids. You assign the chores, they get a password and log onto their own pages, check off their chores, and shop for rewards. For instance, Mackenzie wants a new DVD. She shopped for it using the Amazon link at myjobchart.com and it calculated that she would need 1500 points for purchase. ($15.00) I assign her chores and her point value for each chore (making her bed - 15 points, etc.). She will log on everyday and mark which chores have been completed and can designate her points to a spend, save, or give bucket. I was skeptical because it sounded complicated, but oh. my. My kids have never been so excited about chores. They literally race home every day, fight to jump online first, and are begging me for more chores. The communication is fun too. I will get a daily email telling me what chores they have done and how many points they amassed for the day. They can also send me messages, so I have been getting a lot of MOM ROCKS coming in on my phone. Swoon. My 7 yr old loves it just as much as the 10 year old, so it doesn't have to be for an older kid. Check it out and put your kids to work! It's why we went through the birth process, right?

TWO - Mrs. Meyers free Earth Day shipping I first used a Mrs. Meyers product a few months ago and I am in love! I hate to do dishes, but it sure makes it more fun when it smells wonderful. It's kind of like wearing lacy undergarments to the grocery store. Nobody is really going to know or care except you, but it can put an extra spring in your step. These products are a little hard to find in our area, and shipping from the website is usually more expense than I can justify. It is, after all, just soap and my local Wal-mart carries plenty of Dawn and Palmolive. But in honor of Earth Day, Mrs. Meyers is providing free shipping for all products! Woo Hoo! This has inspired me to host my first giveaway! I am going to give away a bottle of the liquid dish soap AND countertop spray in the scent of your choice. To enter, just leave a comment telling me what your Easter plans involve. Are you going to a sunrise service? Lunch at grandma's? Hosting an Easter egg hunt? I'm curious to know how you celebrate! I think there are only about 5 people that read this blog and 3 of them are family, so the odds are pretty good that you may be the randomly chosen winner. :)

I will end the contest at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, so hurry and add your comments! (For clarity purposes, Mrs. Meyers nor myjobchart.com know a flip about me. They gave me no freebies, and I'm buying the prize with my hard earned stay-at-home mom salary!)

Family Bingo Night

2011-04-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

Since we rarely do the family game night thing around here, I though I had better document our Bingo night for when our girls start the "you never play games" routine. Now I have documented proof! See, according to this blog post from 4 years ago, we did indeed play a game and had a fun night of Bingo! Future guilt trip averted with one easy blog post.

By the way, if you think it looks like this girl posed her shot more than one time to get just the right angle of lighting and chin pointing, you would be right. It was 5 takes people. Sigh.

By the way, has anyone been to a real gambling bingo hall? Marty and I actually went for a date night during our first year of marriage. Those people are crazy serious about their bingo! People buy 5-10 cards at a time, have multiple dobber markers and little troll figurines that they rub for good luck. And they do it all while chain smoking in between number calls. Yeah, it was real classy.

We also took a cruise about 10 years ago, and spent the majority of our time not by the pool or the frozen margarita bar, but in the bingo hall that was set up every day at 2:00. It cost us $20 a day to play, but we're both pasty white people and you need a little afternoon entertainment on a 7 day cruise. I'm pretty sure it was us and about 15 elderly couples and wouldn't you love to travel with us? We are party animals.

Marty won all 4 games, and I'm pretty sure it's because he was calling the numbers and some shady action was happening. As a matter of fact, we're probably going to have to rematch soon. Maybe 2:00 next Sunday?

Say Cheese!

2011-04-11T21:00:00.001-05:00

This week I am hitting the road for a girls-only trip! To say that I NEVER do these is quite an understatement. It's so difficult to plan time and money away just for myself, but I am so excited about it! I am joining a few ladies in my family for a celebration of my mother-in-law's 70th birthday. She has always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, so we are going to rough it in Las Vegas for a few days. Staying in a suite at the Wynn, taking a champagne lunch helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, shopping, and a little Jersey Boys show to boot. That's a nice contrast to this past weekend which has been spent nursing double ear infections for my boy and a nasty sinus infection for yours truly.

Due to my sinus issues, I have needed someone to tell me when my boy needs a-changin'. (No, he is still not potty trained. I don't want to talk about it.) Tonight, my husband informed me that something was stinking and a clean up on aisle 3 was needed pronto. Knowing he has a, ahem, slight aversion to dirty diapers, I asked him if he was going to be able to handle all of the dirty changes while I was gone to Vegas. His response? "I've got it all under control. I'm going to feed him cheese. Lots and lots of cheese." :/ Seriously. He should write a parenting book.

HOW TO NOT CHANGE A DIRTY DIAPER FOR 4 DAYS!!
(a look at cheese and it's many functions)
by super dad Marty

No wonder he's a mama's boy.

A year ago today

2011-04-10T21:41:00.005-05:00

A year ago today, my family was happily celebrating my sister's marriage at her beautiful wedding reception, not knowing my grandmother would meet Jesus that very night.

A year ago today, I saw my father-in-law dance with my girls for the last time.

A year ago today, we were expecting to meet Lily, our unborn niece, in a few months time.

A year ago today, we did not know loss.

Today, on the year anniversary of my grandmother's passing, it is hard not to be sad. I have been sad throughout the year, but this day brings about a different emotion. I find myself longing for the day before. A day when our family did not know the difficulties we would face in the next few months. A grandmother's comforting voice silenced. A niece that would live for only 4 months. A father-in-law that would pass away after an immense physical struggle with cancer. A Christmas Eve that involved a funeral. I want the day before back when we did not know these emotions. I can imagine that is what heaven will feel like. An immediate erasure of pain. Erasing the pain of loss. Erasing the pain of regret. Erasing the pain of separation.

It has been amazing to see how God has provided ways of comfort over the last few months. For instance, on that very dreary, cold and rainy Christmas Eve, we were at the graveside services for Marty's dad. Because of the rain, we were crowded under the tent, and we closed in tight to make the most room. Grave side services are truly the most difficult part of a funeral, and when you are sitting so close to the casket with the family, you find yourself looking anywhere but at the casket. Since we were so crowded, I was actually sitting on the end of the row with my elbow resting on a tombstone. When my eyes began to wander, I took in the name on this tomb stone. JoAnn. The name of my grandmother. I couldn't even see her last name, only JoAnn. In that moment, I knew that God would give us the grace to see through our losses. I knew that God understood our pain, and cared enough to comfort us in the big and small ways that would see us through the next few weeks.

So many details orchestrated that event: my in-laws bought their plots years ago, it had to be raining, it had to be crowded, I had to sit on the front row, I had to sit on the end seat, I had to look. Now when we visit Marty's dad's grave, I find myself looking over at JoAnn and I know that God provided a place for me to honor her there, since I can't visit her actual grave. We truly are in God's hands and always at his mercy. I know this in an entirely more real way than I did a year ago today. And for that, I am grateful.

Today

2011-04-03T22:55:00.007-05:00

Today I....

.....laughed all day at the scene that first greeted me this morning. We have been having a minor issue with our neighbor's dogs digging under our fence to come visit our kids & pets. This morning, when Marty got up to let our dog out, he opened our bedroom patio door at 6:30a.m., wearing only his, ahem, skivvies, and was unexpectedly greeted by our neighbor who was retrieving his wandering dog. They exchanged a few embarrassed exchanges, he got his dog, and went on his merry way. But seriously, what was he doing in our backyard at 6:30? Weird Duck.

....spent a few hours in a room filled with 13, yes,THIRTEEN two year olds. Nine of them were boys. We learned that our son is very tall and bossy, he's not the only almost 3 year old that is not potty trained, and he is protective of his big sisters when his friends are wrestling them or trying to chase them. I think he even used the phrase, "I'll keep you safe, sissy." ahhhh.....There's a good heart lurking under all those temper tantrums he's been sporting.

....had some time to catch up on my backlog of magazines. The October issue of Real Simple had some great pumpkin recipes, but the "How To Wear a Chunky Sweater" article did me no good at all.

.....talked to my mom for an hour about little girl's shoes and dresses, laptop covers, and patio remodels. Every girl should have a mother or daughter with whom they can discuss such important things. Those conversations are one of God's greatest little blessings.

....finally feel like I'm turning the corner on this allergy/bronchitis/cold thing that has been hosting a party in my sinus cavities. I could talk all day long and only hacked and coughed for about half of my waking hours. If this healing trend does not continue tomorrow, I'm going to the doctor. I've got stuff to do man, and losing my lungs ain't one of them.

....have been toying with the idea of hosting a weekly ladies lunch/Bible study in the fall. Now, I don't want to lead the study, just host it. I'm feeling the need to use what God has provided for us (creepy neighbor aside, a beautiful home for entertaining), and maybe provide a way to foster closer relationships and deeper Bible study. Moms are usually so busy serving and mothering that it's hard to fit in some quality girl time. I know there are local MOPS groups, which are great, but I'm thinking something a little more intimate. If you take part in a study similar to this, I would love to hear about it! If you live in my area and have any thoughts and/or ideas or would pray about LEADING a study, please message me and let me know!

....stayed up too late. Again.

Eat at your own risk

2011-03-29T20:51:00.007-05:00

As I always do, I surveyed my family members before an impending trip to Wal-mart. Because it never fails that the moment I walk in the door after a grocery trip, someone will say, "Mom, I'm glad you are home - I've been looking everywhere for you to tell you I need _______ (fill in the blank) for school tomorrow morning!" I like to be able to respond with a mature, "Too bad, so sad, I ALREADY asked you!" Not really. I would probably just sigh and make plans to stop at a store in the morning. But you get the idea. I try to avoid the scenario.

Yesterday, my oldest whispered in my ear that she wanted Oreo cookies. I was a little suspicious that the one family member out of five that actually does not like Oreos was requesting them from the grocery. I also could not understand why she was whispering. Then she handed me a printed sheet from a website. The website name? aprilfoolzone.com Yep. She has already been planning and plotting her April Fool's jokes for this Friday. Her joke of choice? She wants to scrape the cream filling out of several Oreo cookies, replace it with toothpaste, and serve it to Avery and Marty, who are cuh-razy about Oreos. I'm slightly impressed with her ambition and ability to plan ahead. I also kinda want to warn the other two. Of course, she is assuming the Oreos will last until Friday. And that's an awfully big assumption around here.

Terrible Twos are here. Yea.

2011-03-29T11:06:00.008-05:00

the short version... Spring break days 4 -5 were extremely boring, but ended with a quick trip up north to see my brother and sis-in-law and shopping for spring clothes that no one can wear because winter came back. Next year, we are going to Disney World for spring break. The End. Moving on.

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year. It's the day my windows get cleaned. Seriously. I don't have a house keeper (yet), but I allow myself to splurge and have some cleaning jobs serviced for me. Window cleaning is one, tile and grout cleaning is another. The entire house is cleaned the night before (we can't let the window guy see anything but a spotless interior, right?), and when the guys pull up in their truck, I get so excited. They get to work pulling off screens and moving furniture while I start cleaning my beloved plantation shutters. 3-4 hours later, my house is literally sparkling. Like, truly sparkling from the street. At night, my windows are so clean, they look like a room full of mirrors. It makes me so happy. Weird. And I'm probably getting old. Window cleaning day also means it is guaranteed to rain the next day. So yes, today is a cold, rainy day filled with scattered thunderstorms. Awesome.

When you think of terrible twos, do you think of snotty nosed kids who constantly throw irrational fits, are defiant, and have complete melt downs for no reason while their parents stand by with a bewildered expression saying,"I just don't know, he's not usually like this"? This is our newest parenting reality. Someone has replaced our sweet, easygoing boy with this little person who thinks rules don't apply and he is in charge. Some examples:

* We are out to eat at a restaurant. He is finished eating and wants his plate removed. After explaining his plate will be moved in a moment, he exclaims, "no, right NOW" while pushing said plate and food AND fruit punch to the floor. Insert mortified parental faces here.

* While playing, he hits his sister with a closed fist. "Nathan," I say, "do not hit your sister." Continues hitting. "I'm not hitting," he replies. "I'm PUNCHING." "Nathan," I say, "DO NOT punch or hit or touch your sister. Stop right now." Continues hitting/punching. He replies, "I'm NOT STOPPING." Lawdy, that one did not end pretty. I won't discuss my discipline techniques here, but he sure was snotty nosed afterward.

* Today, I am walking him into preschool. I take off his jacket to leave with his things. Halfway into his class, he decides he wants to put his jacket back on and go outside. I tried to simply put his jacket back on, but that was not good enough. He wanted to go back outside. I lost my nice mom demeanor, took the jacket back off, told him he was not going outside, he was not wearing his jacket, and he was going to class. Meltdown commenced. Crying the ugly cry, folded up in fetal position on the ground, screaming I want my jacket, I want my jacket. Now add to the scene lots of other mothers toting their adorable obedient toddlers to class having to step OVER and AROUND my screaming child. I did what any sensible mother would do. Scooped him up, wiped the snotty nose, passed him off to the teacher and got the heck out of there, praising the Lord I had the next 5 hours to myself. I truly think I may have skipped to the car.

These are just a few examples from the past few days. I won't even talk about what bedtimes have been like. I have enough experience to know it's all a phase, and one day I'll look back and miss this, and blah, blah, blah. It's exhausting. If you drive by my house today and peek into my sparkling windows, you're likely to find me curled up with an old Dobson standby, Bringing up Boys, Dare to Discipline, or Strong Willed something or other. Or maybe I should just go ahead and read all three.

Spring Break: Day 3

2011-03-23T19:42:00.005-05:00

Today was a productive day for mom! Laundry done, floors mopped, bathrooms cleaned and 3 home cooked meals. We ran a few errands, one of which was getting my youngest girl's hair cut by about 3 inches. Although she is not thrilled with the shorter 'do, she is so beautiful and it instantly made her look so much older. (Sniff.) With summer and swimming around the corner, it was definitely the right call. Speaking of swimming, we are so blessed to have great neighbors with a sweet girl living across the street from us. They also have an indoor swimming pool. (I know, kinda strange, right?) They are gracious enough to invite our girls to swim all the time. Tonight was a pizza and pool night, so my girls spent the evening swimming, eating, and laughing.

In the meantime, little man and I spent some quality time in the dirt. We planted our first row of the garden: basil, cilantro, arugula, and strawberries. We are waiting a little longer to plant our tomato plants 1)to make sure our crazy weather has truly pushed us into spring, and 2) to make sure our crazy dog stays away from the garden. Nathan loves to help and talked my ear off the entire time. The phrases repeated at random:

Mommy, I'm a good helper.

Nathan is a big boy.

I can do this myself.

Nathan does a good job.

I sure am doing great.

Over and over and over. It's nice to see the kid has inherited his dad's lack of self-doubt. Check out the too big "borrowed from the girls" gardening gloves and the swollen, red, allergy suffering eyes. This boy melts my heart. :)

Spring Break: Day 2

2011-03-22T23:07:00.004-05:00

Well, get ready because this was one exciting day. *Insert sarcasm emoticon here* We do have a few outings planned later this week, so today was a "catch up around the house day". The kids were thrilled. Actually they played outside a lot. As in, all. day. long. This freed me to work on moving some pics to my external hard drive (hold back your jealousy of my exciting day), finish my book, and do a little laundry and tv watching. The girls got invited to go to McDonalds and our local bounce house, so Marty and I enjoyed take out and a little quiet time with Nathan.

I did try something new that I had been wanting to try out for some time. I made this:

a kale-apple smoothie. If you haven't tried kale, it's a dark green leafy lettuce, kind of like spinach. I tried making kale chips, where you bake them in the oven, but they didn't turn out too well. I found a recipe in a magazine for a kale smoothie and it was surprisingly yummy! It's so easy to make, because there is no slicing and dicing involved. I tore a few washed kale leaves, added 1/2 cup light apple juice, one banana, a splash of lime juice, and enough ice to make it slushy. I told the kids it was a late St. Patrick's day treat (we had green pancakes last Thursday, so they are used to color-altered food), and they even enjoyed it. I know it sounds kind of gross, but it was so good. I'm having another one tomorrow!

Spring Break: Day 1

2011-03-21T15:40:00.005-05:00

Have you heard of project 365? You know, where you post a pic showcasing every day for one year? That's way too much commitment for me. However, I thought it might be fun to capture some pics of our spring break staycation this way. As much as I would love to be in Colorado, the beach, or even in good ol' STL visiting my parents, it was a good decision for us to stay home. I have been sick (thank you allergy season) and my kids are enjoying some downtime. Courtesy of my 5 year old digital point and shoot so please excuse the quality, this is what today has produced:

This girl loves her some Harry Potter. This winter, I let her buy a Harry t-shirt and judging by how often she wears it, I'm pretty sure it's her favorite article of clothing. Of course, she is watching a HP movie for the umpteenth time. I'm not sure who is more excited for July and the last HP movie- the kid or her mother. ;) Oh, and don't my wood floors look great? Love them!

Some days Play-doh is the worst $10 you can spend, and some days it's the best bang for your buck. On a beautiful, mild, sunny day like today, with the friendly neighbor available for play, it can easily occupy a few hours of time. Just what a ~~mother~~ girl needs!

This poor boy usually falls asleep every day in the girl's school pick up line. It seems his optimal nap time is usually between 2-4, and there is never a day that he gets a complete nap. Hopefully this week, he will get completely well rested. Would you be shocked if I said he was the sweetest, most obedient, angel when he gets his sleep?

With all of the kiddos occupied, I've even had a little time to indulge in this:

I'm halfway through this gem of a book and I already know it's one of my favorites. Such an inspiring story. I still have no idea how it ends, and I hope I'm not disappointed. Don't let the fact that it is non-fiction steer you away. It is an amazing story told in a compelling voice that makes you wish you had a free day or two to be immersed completely.

So, are you doing something really exciting for Spring Break? Or are you taking it slow and easy hanging out at home? Inquiring minds want to know!

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a bulleted list (aka lame blog title)

2011-03-03T12:49:00.009-06:00

*Our hardwood floor installation is finally finished! It looks so beautiful and as an added bonus, I now get to live life with a broom attached to my hip. It completely changed the look of our house and I am thrilled to be rid of carpet!

*I have spent this week cleaning out closets and pricing clothes for our local HUGE kid's consignment sale. It's always such a pain, but I enjoy getting some money out of outgrown clothes and my closets and drawers get cleaned out in the process, so it's a can't lose situation. I always get a little teary to see my kid's clothes leave. It makes me sad to realize how much they have grown and to see the progression from baby clothes to toddler wear to big girl dresses. Before long it will be high heels and prom dresses. Sigh.

*We have an exciting adventure to Washington D.C. coming up very soon. We are leaving Avery and Nathan behind (cue guilt filled music here) and taking Mackenzie with us to Marty's business trip to D.C. She is extremely excited at the idea of such a big trip. I am excited to get away for a while and I am already anticipating the history lesson overload. Marty and Mackenzie both love history and politics. They can't wait to experience all of the monuments and museums, while I am looking forward to not cooking, finding some good sushi and maybe do a little shopping. What I am most excited about is getting to spend a lot of one on one time with Mackenzie. As a parent of 3, it's always difficult to give each child their own uninterrupted time. I am dreading the time when she thinks her parents know nothing and considers it an embarrassment to hang out with us. So I am planning to soak up every minute and make some great memories for us. After the most difficult past 6 months, that has been one of my greatest desires for this year: that we would create some meaningful family memories for our kids. We are well on
our way!

*I love my iPad more than a person should probably love an electronic device. Then, iPad 2 comes out. I am not one to chase after the latest and greatest, but I kinda want an iPad 2 just for the chance to buy this $39 cover.
Well played, Apple Marketing Team, well played.

*I didn't blog much in February. A disheveled house, sick kids, and snow days will do that to a person. However, we did have a lot of blog worthy moments. My favorite night was Valentine's Day. I had decided to stay home and cook a fancy dinner for the kids and actually use our formal dining room and china. The girls dressed up, Marty put on some dinner music, and a little impromptu pre-dinner dancing materialized. The food was good, the talk was better, the dirty dishes were horrendous, and the memories were priceless. (See bullet point #3.) I think this may become an annual event. I would love it if one day in the future the girls would invite their dates over for our Valentine dinner. Probably not going to happen though. (See bullet point #3 again.)

*Our 6 month old border collie is driving us insane and is the sweetest dog ever. The end.

Arkansas Fireworks

2011-02-17T21:05:00.004-06:00

I have a ton of super cute pictures I could be posting from all of our fun snow happenings, but really, who wants to look at pictures of more snow? We are all tired of winter around here and since we have been living in 70 degree weather for a week now, it kind of feels like posting Christmas pictures in July.

Instead, I will leave you with a little eye candy. This video shows a small glimpse of how fun Arkansas boys can be. Creative, crazy, and pretty good looking to boot. Apparently Katy Perry thinks so too since she posted this on her personal website today. Not that I follow Katy's website. This made our local news, people. Not a lot happens around here. If you think it's tacky I'm posting a video full of hot college boys, remember, I'm married, not dead. Enjoy.

Picnics and Snowstorms

2011-01-31T13:36:00.004-06:00

Last Friday our weather was beautiful. Absolutely perfect. Sunny and 72 degrees. After being cooped up for so long, the kids just wanted to be outside. We made a quick stop at Sonic for an after school snack with the intent of an impromptu picnic on the lawn.I know I should be serving some organic, sugar free cookies and carrots or something natural and healthy, but really, all a kid needs sometimes is a grape slush and some cheese sticks to be happy.By the way, what is it that kids do at school all day to come home looking so...disheveled. Is recess so frenzied that it destroys my 30 minute flat iron sessions every day? And the poor boy is in desperate need of a haircut. Write that down as another thing I'm learning about boys - they need their hair cut frequently.
One day he will look at childhood pictures of himself and ask me why nothing in our home was blue or red or green. Hand me downs. They work even in pink.

Tomorrow we are expecting another snow/ice storm. Not too happy about this development. I am scheduled to get my wood floors installed over the next 2 days and a house full of displaced furniture, no TV, 3 animals inside, 3 kids home from school, sleet and show outside and men hammering away on flooring doesn't mix well. I may need to stock up on some extra-strength headache meds along with my bread and milk before the ice hits. This town goes crazy with everyone buying milk, bread, and eggs for 2 days before a storm. Seriously, the stores will be sold out of bread and milk. It's like everyone thinks we're going to be housebound for a week and we won't be able to satisfy our french toast cravings. I think we're just going to hope that Sonic will still be open.

5 things I learned from RH of BH finale

2011-01-28T12:48:00.004-06:00

1. 17,000 square feet for 2 people does not a cozy home make.

Lisa and her husband and hoping to "downsize" this year to a home where they don't need an intercom to find each other.

2. Botox and "fillers" are considered maintenance and not plastic surgery. Hmmm, maybe this is why so many celebrities claim no plastic surgery when they have obviously had some help in the wrinkle department.

3. Money can buy you $60,000 birthday parties for your 4 year old, but can't help you in the class department. As evidenced by Taylor, who, when backed into a corner told Kim to back off or she would go all Oklahoma on her. What does that even mean? I went to college in OK, have lots of friends in OK, yet no one has ever gone all Oklahoma on me. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound nice and made Taylor sound like a hick blond L.A. transplant.

4. Quiet girls look smart, loudmouthed girls look petty and shallow. Catty name calling and backhanded comments are even more unattractive on the 40+ crowd than they are on the playground. Kudos to Adrienne who has obviously learned that sitting quietly with your mouth shut is the quickest way to look like you have the most intelligence of the group.

5. I have much less, but infinitely much more than any of those women. I will never have a personal chef, house manager, a butler or a nanny (unless her name is Sara). My identity is not secured by my clothes, my home or possessions, or my ability to look 15 years younger. What I do have is the knowledge that God loves me and He alone holds the reins to my past, present, and future. And that makes me feel like the richest housewife ever.

Beverly Hills, Roses, Idols and Football

2011-01-27T12:25:00.004-06:00

I was proud to start off this year watching very little tv. Many of the shows I used to watch are over or they have just not sustained my interest.

However.

I have been totally sucked into the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills drama. I have been a faithful watcher of almost all of the RH series, but these ladies really take the cake. The houses, the parties, the lifestyles, the lack of manners. I find it all so fascinating in a glad I'm sitting on my couch in my boring life in boring middle America kind of way. All the money in the world wouldn't tempt me to trade places with any of them. The reunion show is tonight, and it's going to get ugly.

I sure hope Lisa's husband is not talking about Cedric, because they were sooo good to him.

Let's talk about the Bachelor. I haven't watched this show in at least 5 years. I have actually been a very proud NON watcher. Never got caught up in who was getting a rose, who was on a date, blah, blah, blah. Not this year. For whatever reason, I watched one silly episode, and now, I'm hooked. I love Emily like the rest of America, but I think she can do much better than Brad. Michelle is definitely looney tunes material, but it makes for some "can't look away" television.

I was dead set against watching American Idol this year. Last season was terrible, I am not a fan of J Lo or Steven Tyler, Simon was gone. I was just over it. When was the last time anyone really good won anyway? Kris Allen from Arkansas? Of course. Then I watched this clip that was on some news sites today.

Pretty sure I teared up watching this. That boy is one of a kind, and now, I just want him to win. And the way Steven Tyler interacted with his fiance just made him my favorite judge. I'm still not sure if I'm going to watch the rest of the season, but that clip just increased those odds considerably.

Last, but not least, is a show that I have heard wonderful things about for a while, but I never really had an opportunity to watch. With the addition of my new iPad (thank you so, sweetie!), I can now stream it from Netflix and watch it almost anytime, anywhere.Once I realized it was a character drama (LOST, I still miss you!) and not primarily about football, I was hooked. And I'm only on the 3rd episode! And maybe now that real football season is almost over, I can talk my hubby into watching it with me. I sense a marathon FNL weekend in the future...

So much for not watching any T.V.! Which shows are on your radar? New shows, old shows, reality shows? Just please tell me I'm not the only one waiting for Monday night to see who gets another stupid rose.

Snow days = cute knit hats and flip flops

2011-01-20T22:45:00.009-06:00

We have been a little busy lately taking a few interesting day trips (to be blogged about later), and we have been hit with some fun wintertime weather. Thankfully, no ice, only just a bit of snow. The first round was early last week and looked a little like this: Ok, so you can't see much snow, but how cute is that freckled beauty?

One of my favorite things about dressing boys is picking out knit hats for the winter. Thankfully, Nathan loves to wear hats and will try to wear them inside, sometimes even wanting to wear them to bed at night. This has been one of our favorites. I purchased it before Christmas from here and this is what it looks like in action: Not to be left out, here is Lexi and Avery enjoying a game of "chase"

Today, we got a few more inches of snow and Nathan was determined to make his first snowball. After finally agreeing to keeping his mittens on, he put together enough snow in his hands to qualify! We have had fun on these snow days playing outside, watching movies, and drinking hot chocolate, but I am hoping for an early spring. However, I'm not quite as ready for warm weather as Avery, who, upon seeing the snow this morning, got dressed in shorts, a tank top and flip flops and counted the days until spring on her Taylor Swift calendar. Slow down, sweet girl....it will be 100+ degrees before you know it!

Our ever expanding family

2011-01-10T09:52:00.008-06:00

Today is one of my favorite days - the first snow day of the year! We got to cancel school, the mopping date with my floors, a spelling bee, PTA meeting and dentist appointments. Instead, we are still in our PJ's at 10:00, eating breakfast and watching iCarly. What's not to love? I woke up in a baking mood and have already churned out homemade blueberry muffins and a chocolate sheet cake because apparently I need more carbs and sugar in my life. Pretty soon, I am going to bundle up the kids, grab a camera and play outside. Hopefully they will be so exhausted so that after lunch, it will be nap/movie time and I can tackle some laundry and a book. Perfect day.

Except. Our family has recently and somewhat spontaneously grown from 6 (5 humans, 1 dog) to 8 (5 humans, 1 old dog, 1 puppy, and 1 kitten). The puppy was a much discussed, but quick decision made back in October. Lexi is a border collie/australian shepherd mix and is apparently a rare shorthair version of those two. She looked like this in Octoberand like this at 3 monthsand looks like this now at 5 months old.She is a sweet dog, but she is high energy, and even though we have 3 active kids, we are still pretty much a low energy family. She is so smart, and on the days she gets the right amount of attention and affection, she is the best dog ever.Want to know what's got her attention? It's the other newest family member: Kit-Kat.Right before Christmas, he showed up at my in-laws house. My husband, being the huge cat lover he is (??? nothing is further from the truth!), decided to bring home the kitten to join the zoo that is known as our home. He loves that little kitten so much, I wouldn't dream of protesting the adoption, but it's really been such a joy to see Nathan bonding with him. Kit-kat puts up with being carried upside down, stuffed into a Toy Story tent, contained in Lego baskets, and forced to ride in electric 4 wheelers. Not to mention Kit-kat also gets the leftover "affection" from Lexi and the occasional snap from the old dog, Sydney. He is going to be one tough cat and judging by the size of the coyote we saw roaming our street the other day, he may need those skills. When you throw a snow day into the mix with 3 animals, it gets pretty rambunctious around here very quickly. Just trying to feed them all separately and stop the fighting over food can get pretty vicious. Last night our cocker spaniel bit me 3 times on the leg. First time in 13 years she has bitten me, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little betrayed. But she is senile, deaf, and has had to put up with a lot of commotion lately, so I guess I don't blame her for being a little, um, bitchy. Just like we always knew that 3 kids was our stopping point, I'm pretty sure that 3 animals is more than enough.

On a completely related note, in less than a month, I will have new hardwood floors in my house! Yea!

The post that is NOT about 2010.

2011-01-01T20:19:00.012-06:00

Just because I am not ready (and may never be) to blog about how our Christmas holidays were, I will attempt something different for a welcome to 2011. And how welcome it is. Remember the lovely movie that launched Hugh Grant to US fame, Four Weddings and a Funeral? Well, our 2010 was almost the opposite with 3 funerals and a wedding. And no Hugh Grant. So, with all things cute and British and male in mind, I would like to share my 2010 reading list and the start of my 2011 list of hopefuls. Thanks to the awesome gift of a Kindle last year, I think I read more last year than I have since college. There truly is nothing better than a great book, so pick something off the list and get to reading!

I read this book in one day. And I read it two days ago, so it is fresh on my mind. I LOVE this book and I wish I were still in the middle of reading it. It's a Young Adult novel (how I hate that label), about a girl and a British boy who fall in love in Paris. It makes me want to go to Paris in exactly the same way that Gilmore Girls made me want to go to New England. It's lovely, lovely, and I will probably read it again this month.

I stopped drinking the Nicholas Sparks koolaid a few years ago, but I picked this up this year, thankfully before I knew it was going to be another sappy movie. I had low expectations for the book, so I was pleasantly surprised, even though it's exactly what you expect from Nicholas Sparks.

I can't really pronounce the title of this book, but oh, how I loved it. The characters are so real, and the author can convey such feeling and emotion by using very few words. I wished this book was twice as long because I didn't want it to end.

I read these books back to back in two days. It's typical chick-lit (I equally hate that label), but they were fun and a little sad, and I will read more of Emily Giffin, when I'm in the mood for an easy, lighthearted, read.

I read these books a few months ago, before they were EVERYWHERE. I enjoyed them, and they are quite suspenseful. However, because they were written by a Swedish author, the names (there are tons) and locations are difficult to maintain. It takes a while to get established before you get to the action. I rented the 1st movie (Swedish version), and was surpirsed to find that it was a great flick. Being a fan of Daniel Craig, I am most definitely looking forward to the American version.

This book was just ok. It put me back on my Nicholas Sparks hiatus. He is the male version of Danielle Steele and I think it is written in his contract that he must churn out a book every 6 months.

This book was the last in a trilogy of books: Wake, Fade, and Gone. Wake was amazing and fresh. Fade was pretty good. Gone was terrible. Just awful. Now I can't even recommend Wake and Fade knowing how terrible it all ends. Blah.

Being a Twilight fan, I had to read this book, um, novella. It was fun to step back into the Twilight world briefly, but I hope Stephanie Meyer is ready to move on to something new. I know I am.

This book scared me like no other. I honestly did not know it was about vampires until I started reading it and these are most definitely not your Twilight vampires. It is filled with dread, despair, isolation, desolation, devastation and a ton of suspense. I couldn't put this book down, and when I was finished it stayed with me for weeks. There will be two more books to complete this story, but I will definitely have to mentally prepare if I tackle another one.

I have loved every minute of the Hunger Games series and this book was no exception. It wasn't perfect, but I love Katniss, Peeta, and Gale, and how they were so flawed, yet you admired them anyway. I can't wait to see how they try and make a movie with this story about teenagers who are required to kill each other in order to stay alive. Yeah, that's not going to be PG at all.

This book captured my attention from page 1. I wanted to keep reading and reading, but I forced myself to read and savor it slowly. It is honest and challenging and I highly recommend it.

To be honest, I am still halfway through this book. It is well, sad, and I have had all the sad I can take in real life right now, so this one is on the back burner. I may go back and finish it, but there are many others in line to read first.

Easily one of my favorite books of the year. It's easy to see why it sat on the bestseller list for 91 weeks. It's heartwarming, historical, funny, and dramatic. I was fascinated to read firsthand of how different our society was just a short time ago. This truly is a great book, and you should definitely read it before the movie version hits theaters.

I started reading this book almost 2 weeks ago when it became clear that I would need to be very secure in my knowledge of how to help someone grieve. I'm still reading it, and it has been helpful already by increasing my understanding of spiritual based grieving. I wish I didn't need to read it, but thankful for a friend for passing on the recommendation.

I have heard great things about the Stephanie Plum series, so I decided to try out the first book in the series. It's been ok, and I'm about halfway through. It's definitely not a "must consume this in one day" kind of book, but I'll probably finish it anyway.

How much do I love this book. It was just so beautiful the way it kept jumping around in time heading towards a destination that you knew you did not want to arrive. I honestly do not know how the author kept up with all of the time lines, but it was just brilliant. The movie did not come close to doing justice to this book. Easily one of my best 3 of the year and the one that produced the most tears.

Of course I had to read this book again. It had been 3 years, and I needed a refresher before the movie came out. Reminded me all over again how much I love Harry, JK Rowling, and yes, even Snape.

I was first intrigued about this book when I recently saw the movie preview. It had great reviews, so I decided to jump in. I literally sat at home almost all day just to keep reading it. A historical novel written about life on a circus tour during the Depression, the insight into America during that time was just as interesting as the interaction between the characters. With rich details and stilted dialogue, I'm pretty sure the movie version won't come close to this book either. I'm so glad I got my hands on the book first.

Ok, that's about all for 2010. A quick list started for 2011 will hopefully get me off to a running start.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

One Day by David Nicholls

Matched by Ally Condie

The Radleys by Matt Haig

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Decision Points by George W. Bush

So, what are you reading in 2011?

Lemonade puddles

2010-12-10T12:49:00.005-06:00

This week I learned that when your 2 year old spills an entire pitcher of lemonade on your tile floor, it's okay for bare feet to play in lemonade puddles before the clean up begins. Happy weekend!

Surprise!

2010-12-09T13:22:00.008-06:00

How about a post that's a little lighter and fun than recent ones? I love surprises. Especially if they require no obligations on my part. We recently bought a new vehicle (yea!!!) after a deer hit our van. Secretly, I think my husband was just waiting for an excuse to put an end to his minivan driving days, but that's another story. After searching everywhere, and I do mean everywhere, we finally found exactly what we were looking for Tulsa, which is not too far from home. We loaded up on a Saturday and headed to the Lexus dealership. That's right...it just so happened that our pre-owned with low miles and 2nd row bucket seats Suburban was sitting at a brand new Lexus dealership. She's a beautiful gas guzzling machine. We've already nicknamed her "the beast". Anyway, back to my surprise. Doing business with an upscale dealership like Lexus has some perks. Personal follow-up phone calls, snacks and drinks while paperwork was being completed, thick plush logo napkins in the bathrooms. These were my husband's favorite and he may or may not have swiped a handful to put in our guest bathroom at home. It doesn't matter to him if it's inappropriate to have Lexus napkins in our bathroom. He thinks they are great. So, last night, we received a few packages, and assuming they were some Christmas or late birthday gifts, it was a fight to see who could open it faster. Well, it seems like Lexus of Tulsa has been doing a little Christmas shopping. They were so kind as to even shop at one of my favorite stores, William-Sonoma. Score! There was thisand this

and this

Thank you Lexus of Tulsa. My house smells like a beautiful Christmas tree thanks to you and your customer service perks. Almost makes me want to check out the 2 seater red convertible you had in your showroom. Almost.

The post I never imagined writing.

2010-12-07T21:38:00.003-06:00

4 and 1/2 months ago we were excited. We were about to welcome Lily, our first niece and girl cousin into the world. My girls were ready to share all of their knowledge of bottles and brothers and tea parties. I was looking forward to a sweet girl to nurture, love, and encourage through life, the same way my own aunts have helped nurture and encourage me. July 30th changed a lot of things for our family. Immediately after Lily was born, our visions of love shifted to a complete unconditional nature. We would love Lily even more despite whatever her physical or mental capabilities might be. She had already become the most special member of our family. And then later, we found out that Lily's time with us was going to be incredibly short. Months. It seemed so unfair. It still does. They were a fast and furious 4 months filled with prayer, birthday parties, home visits, and more prayer. And without being able to speak a word or even lift an arm or smile, Lily began to change people. For some it was a call to pray more. For some it was a call to a deeper faith as demonstrated by her parents. For some it was a reminder to hold their loved ones closer and to be content. For some, it was a lesson on how to love others. For me, she did all of those things. Without one word, she has changed us and we are not the same.

Today was Lily's memorial service. It was beautiful and perfect. Her Uncle Luke wrote a beautiful song for her that he sang at the service today. I've put it on the link below, but be warned that you should have some tissue nearby. I am also posting the letter that Lily's grandmother wrote and that was read at the service today. It is the beautiful story of Lily's life told by her own perspective. Today has been a difficult one for our family, but we are still here, still proclaiming God's love, mercy, and kindness. We love you, sweet Lily.

A story called…

The Light of Lily
by Shareen Pruitt

Hi to everyone. My name is Lillian Paige Pruitt. Before I made my whirlwind of a grand entrance on July 30, 2010 at 12:52 PM, God my Father prepared me.

I sat on His lap as HE explained that He was going to send me on a mission to a place called earth. He told me that HE IS LOVE, but HE wanted me to take HIS LOVE with me and spread it all over the place. He explained that I might see it as a roller coaster ride. That actually sounded kind of fun to me!

He said that I would see and experience what was called sadness and sickness, but His Love would always win. My heavenly Father promised me that no matter what happened, He would never ever leave me. He said that I would never have to be afraid. He said some things would happen to me that I might not fully understand, but that all I had to do was TRUST HIM! God never lies you know.

He told me that he was going to give me what was called a Momma and a Daddy and 2 brothers. God told me that they were very full of HIS love, but I would be used to make their love grow even stronger for God and each other. This is where the spread of God’s love through tiny little me all began.

God looked at me at that moment, hugged me tight with a great big smile and kiss and said, “You go getum Little Lily!”

July 30th, I entered the world! Oh my! What a fuss they made! I could tell that this might not be such an easy task after all!

I was what they call, BORN! I remember when my Momma and Daddy that God told me about, held me for the very first time. Talk about cool! I felt the very same love as I felt on my Father’s lap in heaven. God’s peace and contentment came all over me. I knew I was where God wanted me to be. I felt safe.

I was in what was called a hospital for a long time and I finally got to meet my big brothers, Denver and Hudson. Boy, were they ever wild and fun! I couldn’t have asked for better big brothers than those two. God certainly knew what He was doing! They were very special and when they held me, I once again, felt the very same love that I felt the day I sat on the lap of God.

My Momma and Daddy, Denver and Hudson always saw that I did as many fun things as I could since God had already decided I would only be on earth for a short time. Not every little girl gets to have four birthday parties, lunch dates, go fishing, horse back riding, have their fingernails and toenails painted, all topped off with a trip to Disney World in just four months!

I met all of my family and so many friends. My cousins McKenzie, Avery, Nathan, Jackson and Jace were always kind and gentle. I loved them so much and oh how special they are in God’s eyes.

One thing I’ve learned is when God decides something, HE GETS IT DONE! HE ALWAYS WINS!

Hudson couldn’t have said it better to momma, “Momma, Jesus is coming to see Lily soon,” and that is exactly what he did. Jesus said to me, “Miss Lily, your mission is accomplished, and I am well pleased! It’s time for you to come home with me where your momma, daddy, Denver, and Hudson can all be together someday with us. Those who ask Me in their hearts will live with Me forever in heaven. I am their Godly Father and they are my children.”

He told me that where he was taking me, there would be no sickness or sadness. He told me that I would see, hear, sing, talk, walk, run, and dance. HE told me that I would be perfect and totally healed. I’m excited!!!

As Jace, my cousin always says, “That’s the Best!!!

Welcome Home Lily!

“The End”
or
“The Beginning”

He has overcome

2010-10-26T10:27:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of a childhood friend who died 2 days after giving birth to twin boys last year. Sunday, my husband took his father to the emergency room because he was overcome with pain from cancer. Sunday, I watched my sister-in-law host a birthday party for her son as she was holding my niece who was having a seizure. The diagnosis of her short life span is becoming reality as she faces more health issues. There are so many reasons for us to be sad, but yet we have more reasons to rejoice. Sadness comes from a place of love. If we did not love the people in our lives so deeply, there would be no reason to be sad. We also know that every circumstance is by God's design. Even when we do not understand the will or the reasoning of God, there is comfort to know that God's peace is never ending. I know that we are not the only family to be touched by sadness. Many families are facing difficult circumstances. But not every family faces difficult times surrounded by God's peace. If for some reason you are reading this and you do not personally know God's love or the comfort of knowing that this life does not end with death, I would love to talk with you about my experiences. There is no circumstance that God's love and peace cannot overcome.

A friend posted this video to facebook the other day and I just love it. Not only is the message amazing, but the stop motion use of Lite Bright is just too cool.

2010-10-23T23:40:00.008-05:00

Because I like a challenge, we added a new puppy to our family dynamics. It was always so easy to take a great picture of 3 young children. (insert sarcastic tone please.) Now that we have 8 week old Lexi, I feel I can finally stretch myself and capture a great, casual, family photo. Or not. Evidence of 3 pictures taken in quick succession:

decent...

I'm losing them fast...

and they're done.

I need someone to give me a tutorial on how to swap heads in photoshop a.s.a.p. However, individually, I can hold my own. It's easy when your subjects look like this:

Love these beautiful girls!

By the way, just for fun, compare the kids in these pictures to the children in the pictures on my blog header taken almost exactly one year apart. What in the world happened? (Dab eyes with kleenex, pretend it's allergies making my nose run, keep it together, man!) Time is stealing my babies. If you have any ideas about how to make it stop, please let me know.

2010-10-20T22:38:00.003-05:00

3 things I learned today....

1. If you ever must take a drug test, do not bring your toddler son to the appointment with you. They will not allow him into the bathroom with you for fear that you would take his urine and pass it off as your own clean sample.

2. If you are having problems with your DVR and the cable serviceman comes to your home to work on said DVR unit, it's a good idea to watch the 43 shows you have recorded BEFORE he walks out the door with your entire recorded seasons of Lost, the Real Housewives of D.C., and the Big Bang Theory. Goodbye best episode ever of Crossroads featuring John Mayer/Keith Urban that I've had recorded since May. I miss you already.

3. If you spend a large portion of your day playing Legos with your little boy, talking with your bff for almost 2 hours, and rubbing your new puppy's belly, you will feel like a failure for getting no tangible, visible, work accomplished, but your heart will overflow with joy and your burdens will be instantly lighter.

Can't wait to see what I learn tomorrow!

A new fall tradition

2010-10-18T10:47:00.005-05:00

The other day the realization struck me that I have created a new fall tradition. You see, I love to cook and puree my own pumpkin. A few years ago, I never really knew that one could actually cook a pumpkin. I guess I thought the only way to use pumpkin was from a can of Libby's. Then one day, a friend at work talked about baking her pumpkins to get ready for the holidays. What? You bake your own pumpkins? She told me how easy and tasty it was and sent me home with some scratched out directions to make my own pumpkin puree. And guess what? It is easy breezy. Simply clean, cut, scrape, bake, puree, freeze, use. For your enjoyment I'm linking to PW's instructions, but once you try it, there are really no instructions needed. Don't get me wrong. It is not cheaper and there is really nothing unhealthy about those cans of Libby's pumpkin. However, there is something about smelling the fresh pumpkin baking and seeing the bright orange bags in my freezer that speaks fall to me now. I love using a pumpkin for something practical and now I have plenty of pumpkin on hand for pumpkin pies, bread, muffins, pancakes, and all of those other wonderfully unhealthy things to cook in the fall. So grab a pumpkin or two and get baking!

New England Escape, Day 1

2010-10-01T21:39:00.010-05:00

We are home from our ah-mazing trip to New England. I loved every minute of this trip! We had the best time and it ranks right up top with our honeymoon to Maui as one of our favorite vacations. We were so fortunate to have great weather; this week they are getting hammered with rain! Yuck! If you're a fan of looking at other people's boring vacation photos, then this is your lucky day. If not, feel free to move along with no hurt feelings.

After a 4:30 a.m. wakeup call, crack of dawn flight, layover in the Admiral's club in Dallas, and an almost 4 hour 2nd flight, we had the skyline of Boston in our sights.

It was early afternoon when we arrived, so it was definitely time for some New England tasty food! We walked from our hotel to Quincy Market and picked the closest restaurant with no wait. I can't even remember the name, but it definitely hit the spot! Lobster for Marty (the first of many) and fish and chips for me. The fish was so yummy and very different from fried seafood of New Orleans and definitely different from the fried catfish delicacy of my hometown.

After lunch, it was time for some serious sightseeing. Since we ate lunch outside, we took in some views of Quincy Market from our table. It was a busy place filled with awesome food and tons of touristy vendors and shops.

We did some walking and headed over to the North End, the Italian district of Boston. Eating at one of these Italian restaurants was the one thing I didn't get accomplished on this trip. I guess that's a good reason to go back, right? This was my favorite area of Boston. I loved the authentic Italian feel to it.

Close to this area, we were able to see the statue of Paul Revere, his house, and the North End Church. The most interesting of the 3 to me was the church. It was fascinating to see how churches were constructed and how differently people worshipped during those times. Every family had a box with their pews on the inside. Some were decorated with fabrics and cushions, but most were plain. The preacher would deliver his sermon from up high on a pedestal. The pew boxes up front were more expensive and for the more prominent families. And the pew boxes in the back? Those were the cheap seats baby!

Paul Revere's home was underwhelming to me. Turns out he only lived there for a few months and it's been redone several times, so it doesn't strike me as historic as what it should be for the price of admission. Maybe it had something to do with the attached gift shop? Anyway, the most interesting thing about it was how small everyone was in Revolutionary times. We are giants compared to these people. Now I know that God created the earth and everything in it, but you can't deny that we are an evolving species. We are a LOT bigger than we were 200 years ago.

I'm going to stop there for today because I don't want these posts to be off-the-chart long. But mostly because I'm tired and I have to be on the soccer fields at 8:30 in the morning. ~~If October wasn't my favorite month and I wasn't in love with the beautiful weather we're having, I would almost wish it was November just to be finished with soccer.~~ It will be fun and I can't wait to cheer Avery on to make some goals tomorrow!

A Little Retro and Rainbows

2010-09-22T00:03:00.009-05:00

Armed with a little bit of free time and a mini-me who is learning to be a great chef, we tackled a creative project that has been on the back burner for a while. Ladies and gentlemen....I give you....the rainbow cake. I first saw this cake on a blog a few years ago. A certain young lady in the family will be celebrating her 7th birthday soon and we are thinking of tackling this cake for the big celebration. There were definitely some things that went very wrong, but hopefully the future creations will be a little more (ahem) stable. I have to admit though, it's pretty impressive to display such beautiful colors!

And, since we are talking about rainbows, want to know one of my all time favorite songs?

Love, love the Muppets and I love Kermit singing that song. Anyone remember watching those Muppets shows that came one during prime time t.v.? I loved watching that show. Kids nowadays just don't know good t.v. They can watch 5 episodes of Spongbob without moving an eye muscle. But that Muppet show? It was ROFL kind of t.v. You had to get involved and actually listen. No zoning out and drooling when the Muppets were on. I'm not sure how a cake can get somebody thinking about the good ole days in 1982, but dang, that's just what happened. Tomorrow I'm going on an airplane. Maybe we'll have a post about Top Gun? Oh, why wait. Here's the best scene of the 80's anyway:

I always felt sorry for poor Goose who was obviously the only one not following the latest insane fitness regimen and wasn't allowed to take his shirt off. And who on earth is the guy doing all the yelling? I've seen this movie about 100 times and yet I still do not remember his name. Maverick, Iceman, Goose, and ..... somebody help me out. Who remembers this guy's name? Do your IMDB research and I'll be waiting patiently over here helping myself to one more slice of rainbow, I mean, cake.

East Coast Girls are Hip

2010-09-17T09:26:00.011-05:00

I am as excited as a kid 2 weeks before Christmas. Waiting. Anticipating. It's the best thing sometimes. My husband and I are finally taking a little getaway with no kids. To the best we can remember, it's been 5 years since this has happened. 5 YEARS people! It will probably be 5 years before it happens again. It takes so much coordination to leave 3 kids behind. So many things to plan and prepare. So much guilt in taking off without them. So much worry about being so far away. But then there is my wonderful husband. My husband who so patiently (most of the time) waits while they tell me very important things like every person in their class that got in trouble with the teacher that day and which new silly bands were acquired. He deserves much more than 5 days of my undivided attention, but such is the state of life right now. Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law and the WBBE (world's best baby sitter EVER), it looks like this trip is actually going to happen.

So where are we going, you ask? We're headed to the East Coast! California girls can keep all their daisy dukes and bikinis on top. And their popsicles too. I've been to L.A., and frankly, just wasn't impressed at all. New York? It's my 2nd love, just right under Disney World. I fell in love with the East Coast when my parents took my cousin and I when we were 12 and 9. One of my most fun trips. Do you remember collecting all those shopping bags as souvenirs, Ashley? Great memories. Made a trip there again for New Year's Eve with a college roomie and then ♥ THE MOST ROMANTIC WEEKEND EVER ♥ there with my husband several years ago. It took one carriage ride through Central Park, snuggled under blankets and drinking hot chocolate on a beautiful fall October Saturday morning for me to be a forever NYC girl. A few years ago, I took a last minute girls shopping trip there with my mother, ~~my second mothers~~ two aunts, and my cousin. Just lots of shopping and eating great food and so much fun. This time we're going to branch away from NYC but staying true to my east coast love, we're going here:

and here:

and hopefully eat lots of this:

On the agenda: a beautiful hotel room on the Boston harbor waterfront, a dinner cruise on Boston Harbor, a day trip to Kennebunkport, a quick trip to Newport, RI, and lots of great food and conversation. We truly cannot wait. Christmas is almost here!

Technical Issues

2010-09-14T09:09:00.010-05:00

About a month ago, we made a splurge purchase. My laptop had been soooo slow and the hard drive on it was almost full to the point that I had to keep deleting things to make room for new stuff. My husband gave me the ok to upgrade, and on a tax-free, back-to-school shopping event, I finally made the jump to a Mac. Oh my. This machine is beautiful. Everything is lightning fast speed. It's hard to explain, but everything is just easier. And easier + faster =more time in my day! My setup is exactly like the pic above with the wireless keyboard and mouse. Also, notice the almost hidden optical drive on the side of the monitor and the port for an SD card. Awesome, right? Wrong. Yesterday, after taking a few pics, I was going to upload to the computer and reached up to insert my SD card into the port. Instead I put the card into the optical drive. Whoops. Dang. Now I have a brand new computer with an optical drive that doesn't work because my card is floating around somewhere on the inside of lala computer land. AND I have lost my all time favorite, 4g camera card. AND we are getting thisclose to taking a trip in which I NEED that card. DANG. I lost an hour of my life yesterday to trying to shake it out, tweezer it out, paper clip it out, and nothing. Grrr. Apple, your iMac machines can do so much, can't you make one that is 100% human error proof?

Speaking of Apple, I have a serious complaint. I get that they are always changing their products to move things forward and all, but sometimes things that work well don't need to be changed. Last Christmas, my oldest daughter received this ipod Nano.

It's been a great gift for her. It has a radio, takes pictures AND video, and has large enough storage to meet her needs for a long time. And it's durable. It's survived many cheeto stained hands, a 2 year old's mistreatment and a night spent outside in a torrential downpour. She loves it so much, that it has caught the eye of her little sister. Now guess who wants a Nano for Christmas? She want one exactly the same (different color, of course). And guess who just changed their Nano lineup? Stinkin' Apple. Always trying to move forward. This is the new Nano Do you see how small that thing is in relation to the ear buds? My girl would lose that thing in a heartbeat. Also, same price as earlier model, but no camera, no video camera. Boo. So yesterday I hightailed it over to my local big box store and purchased my first Christmas gift of the season before they are off the shelves for good. A purple 5th generation Nano. No touch screen for us. It's old school click wheel all the way for this family. We're cool like that. And we put SD cards into optical drives. Now where's that tech support phone number....

Circumstances and Joy

2010-09-10T09:48:00.008-05:00

Ok, so I've been gone from blogging for a while. It mostly had to do with some circumstances in our family that got me a little down. For me, blogging is something to do for fun, as a creative outlet, and a way to share some pics and thoughts with family. When the circumstances of your life are not as fun, the desire to blog kind of goes out the window. However. The past few months, and especially the last 6 weeks have taught me that God truly wants our joy in life to not be derived from our circumstances, but rather from the love that He give us. The circumstances have not been pretty. My father-in-law has a cancer diagnosis that is slowly taking its toll. The circumstances are terrible, but we find joy in the fact that there are more good days than bad days for him. We find joy in a family united by prayer and petition. We find joy for each day and opportunity God gives us to share with him. My sister-in-law (his daughter) was expecting a baby girl in July and we looked forward to the joy she would bring our family. Then the circumstances of life took a turn that no one expected. Baby Lily was born with Zellweger's disease. A truly devastating diagnosis for such a sweet innocent baby. I won't go into all of the details of the disease other than to say that she has a life expectancy of 6 months. Circumstances stink. But joy still abounds. We are joyful that she was able to be released from NICU after 1 month and come home to live her life with her family. We are joyful for a sweet niece to love. We are joyful for the awesome testimony of her parents as they walk this journey. We are joyful for girly bows and dresses and for sweet baby cries. It is always Satan's plan to rob us of the joy of our salvation. When we are in difficult circumstances such as these, it has to be a conscious effort to allow your joy to abound. So we carry on and celebrate each moment and day that God has given to each of us.

"We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Cor. 2:7-9

Ok, now something unbelievably funny. Well, maybe not that funny, but we can't help but laugh. Last Sunday morning, we got up to go to church and this was the sight in our driveway.

Seriously. Someone, (or some-bodys) stole my husband's tires and wheels and left his truck on blocks. While we are so thankful that more damage was not done and that no attempt into our house was made (can you imagine!), we have laughed so hard at this all week. We can't help but chuckle every time we pull in and out of our driveway. It's just so ghetto. I hope that you are familiar with this hilarious YouTube post.

For real. Well, have you heard the remix version someone took the time to craft?

Even more hilarious. It's been the theme of the week around here. Even the smallest member of the family is singing....we gonna find you, homeboy.

Eat More Chicken...especially if it's free!

2010-07-09T08:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we drove by our local Chick-fil-A eatery (that's always been a funny word, hasn't it? Does anyone ever use it in normal conversation? I can't recall the last time someone told me they tried out the new eatery by the mall...) when my oldest girl spotted the sign proclaiming that Friday you could eat your meal for free. IF. If you dressed like a cow. I saw the sign too and chuckled to myself...huh,huh, who is actually going to take the time to dress up like a cow and go to Chick-fil-a dressed like that? Well, I should have known my little girl's creative side was already churning away. A few hours later and this was running around my house.

Not to be outdone, the younger sister had to put an outfit together as well. So I guess we are going to Chick-fil-a today for a free lunch. Now that we are going to, well, do this thing, I'm going to round out the trio and put Nathan in a white onesie and cover him with cow spots. Marty suggested, very slyly, I might add, that I go dressed as a cow as well. Ha! I tried telling him that I already feel like a cow, you know, because of all the extra "water weight" I've been toting around since avoiding the gym all summer. No thank you. I think I will pay for my lunch the regular way and let the kids get their kicks for free this time!

Milk and cookies

2010-07-08T20:36:00.005-05:00

How cute is this shirt? With interchangeable cookies/oreos? I want one for my boy like, yesterday!

Someone start the countdown!

2010-07-03T07:42:00.004-05:00

I went to see Eclipse last night, which was actually a good movie. But the best part of the movie experience by far was this trailer...

November 19th can't get here fast enough!

Put your random hat on and get ready for a ride

2010-07-02T14:46:00.008-05:00

1. We went to our local nature center earlier this week where we watched 4 snakes eat lunch. What was lunch? Well a live mouse dropped into their cage. It was the most disgusting thing I think I have ever seen. A couple of the snakes just squeezed the mice until their eyes literally popped out and they died. It took about 10 minutes for the snakes to eat the mice whole. It was truly gross and fascinating at the same time. You guys are lucky I didn't bring my camera with me.

2. We are busy getting ready for a mucho grande (did I spell that right? I never took Spanish. I've always been more of en Francais type of girl.) 4th of July celebration around here. This will be our 3rd year for our party and it just keeps growing. We are praying the weather holds out and it won't rain so that we have to cancel.

3. If I could have one supernatural skill, I think I would wish for the ability to either speed read, or create multi-task reading. Like if I could fold laundry and read at the same time. Or if I could be washing dishes and reading. There are just too many books to read and not enough time. I found myself pumping gas today and thinking, "I wish I was reading, right now at this minute instead of pumping gas." I don't think my Kindle has helped with this problem....

4. For the first time in 10 years, my home has no baby crib in it. I have taken this transition surprisingly well. No tears, no melancholy. I think I was more excited about putting together a little boys room.

5. The no crib for naptime transition has been terrible. I spend about 45 minutes to an hour standing outside the room, making surprise visits, and then issuing various disipline measures. There have been lots and lots of tears and I am discovering that I am a parent to either a very stubborn boy or a boy with a wonderful sense of a cheerful, buoyant, persistent spirit.

6. The worst part of the recent naptime debacle was when Nathan was sobbing and he starting crying, "rock me, rock me". Uh, kid....we sold the rocking chair in a garage sale 3 weeks ago remember? When I told reminded him the rocking chair went bye-bye, all kinds of tears started flowing. Knife to the heart and note to future mother's everywhere - never get rid of your kids' rocking chairs because there may be that one time when they are crying and need you to rock them and you'll realize the $45 in your pocket is worthless.

7. My parents will be at my house for the holiday weekend and I have yet to a)unpack my groceries from my shopping trip this morning, b)clean their bathroom and c)wash their sheets. Looks like I'm getting up at the crack of dawn.

8. I will be getting up at the crack of dawn because the moons have aligned and I get to enjoy a VERY rare night out tonight. Going to see Eclipse with a great longtime friend - my first and dearest in Fort Smith, dare I say. We have seen all the Twilight movies together, so we are pumped to get our Team Edward on tonight.

9. Remember that funny "Dad's Life" video I posted yesterday? Well, I stated that it was obvious to me that my husband was well represented by the pasty white dad that loved rockin' the John Deere lawnmower singing about his "manscaping". When I showed it to Marty that night, he thought he was represented by the dad rapping about his big screen tv. Funny how our perception of ourselves never does quite line up with what other people think. I think that's a lesson for me to quit worrying about other's views and just go with my own reality. My fantasy world is probably more fun anyway.

10. So excited about getting my girls some tickets to go see a Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast. Of course it's a traveling Broadway show, but still, I love to get them exposed to the little bit of culture that comes our way.

11. Today, while I was at Walmart, I saw a lady wearing a white Hooter's tank top. The problem was this lady was probably over 200 lbs. Now, I try to not judge people, but I truly think it's a matter of evaluating a taste level, not judgment. I found myself wondering the entire time at Walmart how in the world she came in possession of a Hooter's tank top and who told her she looked good in it and why on earth would you wear it to Walmart. Fascinating stuff.

12. My husband doesn't know it yet, but I am scheming a plan to abduct my oldest daughter for her birthday weekend that involves the two of us flying to Orlando and spending 2 days at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This also might involve a visit to my bff and her daughter at the same time. I'm sure when he reads this blog (he is by far my most faithful reader - out of all 3 of them), he will be realize the kind of SUPER MOM status this will be bestowed upon me by my new 10 year old. This renewed affection, adoration, and appreciation by the new 10 year old will then in turn set us both on a course to navigate the waters of impending teendom with love and respect. We will never be forced to yell at each other, slam doors, endure eye rolling and name calling. We will eat ice cream at midnight and giggle about boys and discuss how ridiculously immodest some girls are today. Meanwhile my husband will relax and enjoy a stress free few years knowing he can pinpoint it all to the day she turned 10 and her mother whisked her away to an outrageous Harry Potter filled weekend. We will....wait....just a minute...there's a few pigs flying around outside that I've got to check out. Catch you later!

Rolling on the floor....

2010-07-01T10:58:00.003-05:00

I've got a longer post hopefully coming up later today, but for now, enjoy a little laughter coming your way...

If you know my husband very well, it's obvious which dad fits his persona! Love you honey! :)

A Chuckle for your Monday

2010-06-21T13:55:00.006-05:00

Back in May (how is it possible I am STILL posting about May??) I mentioned here that we were going to a Miranda Lambert concert. Well the concert has come and gone and we had a great time on an extremely rare date night.

That night cost us a lot of money, but we got a ton of laughs in return. Priceless moments like this photo:

Look beyond the girl sitting beside us with blue streaked hair. Look past the lady on the row behind us who desperately needs to watch Oprah's "How to be sized for a proper bra" segment. The sweet little old couple.

Oh. My. Goodness. We laughed and laughed at this couple. They were frozen like this from the time the show started until it was over. I couldn't decide if the music was too loud for the husband or if he just didn't like it. I kind of wanted to tell him that Walgreens sells earplugs because his arms must have hurt holding them in place like that for 2 hours. They were on the 3rd row, so she must have been really into Miranda or they won the tickets on some radio contest and had no idea what they were walking into. Either way, I'm glad they were game to come out and entertain our crew!

And finally, because it's Monday and every one needs a pick me up on Mondays, I give you:

Another cutie booty shot. Because I just can't get enough.

2010-06-08T14:21:00.006-05:00

Mother's Day. It's one of my favorite days of the year. My request for Mother's Day this year was for my husband to watch my kids while I went to visit my mom in St. Louis. This was her first Mother's Day since my grandmother passed away in April and my father would be out of the country. I just couldn't stand the thought of her being alone on Mother's Day. My brother and sister and I surprised my mom Friday night and spent the weekend with her just hanging out in STL. We did some fun things like visit Crown Candy, a famous STL joint that has been featured on Man vs. Food. We have no pictures from the weekend, but it was nice not to be behind a camera for a change too.

While I love to celebrate my own mom, I also love that my kids are old enough to craft some goodies for me from their own imagination. No store bought cards here! I couldn't help but display a few of the more "colorful" items I received!

This was by Avery and a line of it reads "I love you not the devil, I know that you love God." Ha! Cute, sweet, and true!

This one by Avery reads, "It is Mother's Day and I will obey you and do what you say." Makes me chuckle when I realize I wasn't even home for Mother's Day and I missed my one day of golden behavior. I wonder if I can get a raincheck?

Mackenzie's tag reads, From: U-Know-who To: Da-Bome (Bomb) I'm going to enjoy these years when I am still da-bomb and not, you know, the crazy mother who doesn't know or understand anything and NEVER allows her do what everyone else is doing. Those years are coming, I FEEL it.

I love this card and everything that is written in it. But I can't lie. It takes all the willpower I have to bite my tongue and not point out the incorrect use of "your" when I read it. One of my BIGGEST pet peeves! Seriously teachers, why is this not corrected by the 3rd grade? I am thinking of holding a summer lesson on the proper use of your and you're. I know I break all kinds of grammar rules all the time, but this one is truly so easy to fix. Can I get an amen?

She copied this poem from a book at school with the sole purpose to make me tear up. She succeeded!

I love, love these tea cups from Starbucks my sweet sister gave me. It was so thoughtful of her to remember me for Mother's day. They remind me very much of a store that I love. I store like....anthropologie....

I had a little change in my pocket and picked up these gems from Anthropologie while we were in STL. I love the earrings and my cute little vase was only $8! Score! I just love that store, but yet, so thankful I don't have one close by!

More than a little addicted

2010-06-04T11:29:00.004-05:00

I have a question for you fellow bloggers: How in the world do some of you find time to post everyday? I have read various blogging tips such as set a certain time every day to post and never miss it, write every day even if it is just a little something, etc. I always have good intentions, but more often than not, I always put it off. Sometimes I have so many great pics and blog ideas running through my head it can be overwhelming to think about posting it all, so I just don't. I think it's a goal for the summer to be more motivated post-wise.

I think a major reason I don't post more often is because I sign on to my computer and the first place I land is my google reader which tracks all of the blogs I read with their unread posts. If you are a blog reader and don't already use a reader, I highly suggest it. It is so much easier! I currently suscribe to about 50 blogs and by the time I read everyone else's posts, my time is gone. I just love it though. I love keeping up with fun friends and their families, like http://covetthedust.blogspot.com/ and http://www.woven-and-spun.com/. I love great photography blogs like http://www.rayelawphotography.com/blog/ and my own bff's site http://ohsnap-photographybytiffany.blogspot.com/. I read lots of Disney-related blogs (it's my home away from home and easily my #1 vacation spot), cooking blogs (the standards Pioneer Woman, bakerella and one of my new faves I am baker.) and there are several decorating type blogs like Farm Chicks that are great for inspiring ideas. Check out my uber-cool college friend Valerie's blog and her beyond awesome birthday party that she threw for herself. I mean, look at all we missed out on before blogging became so much fun! I love reading some great devotional blogs that challenge me every day to read more of the Word, study more, live more. And because I am somewhat of a tech-nerd, I have to throw a few of those type blogs into the mix.

So, inquiring minds want to know: Are you addicted to reading blogs like me? How many do you regularly follow? (please tell me it's more than 50, I'll feel so much better!) What are your top 3? I still love checking out new blogs and would love to hear which blogs you love!

Merry is the month of May, part 1

2010-05-27T21:58:00.010-05:00

I have a love/hate relationship with the month of May. I love it because it means summer is upon us and free time is right around the corner. I hate it because it is always so busy wrapping up activities, school functions, Mother's Day, birthday parties. It can truly be exhausting. Usually all of the activity plus exhaustion = family time that is not always the most relaxing. It's a lot of "hurry up, not now, maybe tomorrow or next week, because I said so, hurry up, get in the car, we're leaving right now, hurry up, leave your brother/sister alone, let's go, hurry up..." you get the idea. Thankfully, the end is in sight and we are looking forward to our last day of school tomorrow and a 3 day holiday weekend spent at home with no agenda.

Since blogging has taken a back seat to all of this activity, I am going to be posting a few catch-up posts. We actually did some fun things, so it's worth going back and documenting some family moments we had along the way. First up was a trip to the park with Nathan and then a neighborhood block party that was full of kid-friendly fun: bounce arounds, cotton candy, clowns, carriage rides and popsicles. The weather was beautiful and it was a great way to kick off summer!

I love this next picture so much. He looks like such a little boy and he is so proud that he can run now. A rabbit had caught his eye and as much as I tried to get him to approach quietly, he couldn't contain his excitement!

After spending so much time outside, poor Nathan got hit with some pretty intense allergy symptoms. His face and eyes were so swollen and although he is enjoying his first push-up experience, he can't help but look pitiful. Someone really should have told his parents the last place he needed to be hanging out was a fresh cut grassy field.

This girl, with no allergies, was having a grand time being in her social circle element.

A joy for jumping is discovered....

but there's always time for a quick kiss to dad.

Mackenzie in summer fun mode,

and finally a horse drawn carriage ride with neighbor friends.

More on May to come!

Gunpowder and Lead

2010-05-07T14:26:00.002-05:00

WhooHoo!! Do I have a super fun date night scheduled and on the books! Marty and I love to go to concerts together. We've seen Kenny Chesney (3 times), Keith Urban (2 times), Lady Antebellum, Celine Dion, Gary Allen, Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw....Are you noticing the country theme? Yes, we like country music, but that is usually the biggest concerts that come relatively close to our small town. However, this month, Miranda Lambert is actually coming to our town and playing her own show. We saw her last May and she was awesome and put on a super fun set. I was lucky enough to score 2nd row seats to this show in a few weeks. We have a lot of things going on around here dealing with our extended families and all of the end of the school year activities, so we are both looking forward to a night out with some great friends and my sister.

One of my favorite songs by Miranda is her current hit, "The House that Built Me." Having to move away from 3 of my childhood homes, I can relate so much. Love, love this girl!

Total Eclipse of the Heart - Glee style

2010-05-06T14:06:00.002-05:00

I am a huge Glee fan. I can't help it. I love the sappy high school story lines, the cheesy 80s and 90s music, and the break out singing musical style moments.
Even my husband is starting to enjoy the show although he would never admit it outloud. But he has referred to himself as Mr. Schuster on more than one occasion! Check out this little gem from this week's episode. It's definitely going to be on rotation on my ipod this week!

Movin' Out

2010-05-03T14:47:00.007-05:00

Sometimes, as a mom of 3 young children, it seems like most of my days are spent moving stuff. Restocking the pantry, throwing out trash, picking up toys, transferring laundry from bedrooms to laundry room to washer to dryer to closets and dressers. And usually the next day, it all has to be done again. Not the most exciting part of my "job." The worst though, is the semi-annual clothes clean out. There are 2 nephews that supply me with tons of clothes for Nathan that must be sorted and there are tubs of Mackenzie's old clothes that must be pulled out and perused for Avery. Then there are Mackenzie's clothes that must be determined: still fits, outgrown (save for Avery), donate. It's all very exhausting and is usually a 2-3 day event.

Luckily I had a little helper to provide a few moments of distraction. On a side note, if this kid's socks continue to be so dirty, I may decide to switch him to black socks every day. I am so glad this chore is o.v.e.r. and these totes are moving out!

wild and crazy

2010-04-23T19:45:00.008-05:00

Somewhere in my mind, I vaguely remember spending my weekends going out. Not that I was ever a big party girl, but still, weekends were for dressing up and going somewhere. Kind of like this recent bachelorette party.

Beautiful girls, a wonderful dinner (where I only paid for one person, versus five), and lots of laughs at a piano bar. My sister had a great time and it was fun to have a rare night out with no kids around.

But truthfully, my favorite weekend nights are nights spent like these. A balmy, almost summer night with a fun movie, pajamas, pillows, and popcorn.

Call me crazy, but I'll take a family Friday night at home over a wild and crazy night out any day.

Oh yeah - and check out the new expression the little man is sporting when he sees the camera pointed in his direction. Ummm, we're going to have to work on that a little!

One tough boy

2010-04-22T13:30:00.003-05:00

Is it wrong to love the skinned knees that inevitably occur when a toddler gets passionate about exploring the wide world of the outdoors?

Because if loving these dirty little knees is wrong, I don't want to be right. :)

2 bouquets

2010-04-21T12:13:00.004-05:00

2 bouquets of beautiful flowers graced my table this week. Both were from 2 very different celebrations of life: My sister's bridal bouquet from her wedding and flowers from my grandmother's funeral. We had a rip roaring time at Kellie's wedding - dancing, eating, laughing, and sharing in her joy that she found someone so wonderful with whom to share her life. But just as high as we were up that night, we were down when 2 hours later, my grandmother joined her Lord and Savior face to face. I am so proud of the fight she gave to hold on until after my sister's wedding, but we are all so sad that we are separated for a while from such a loving, giving person. I will probably share more thoughts on her life later, but I am so thankful for this post and for my mom who shared it with her before she got sick. That trip was the last time we would get to share with her and I am so thankful that she got to meet Nathan and that my girls have such wonderful memories of the time they shared.

The flowers have been a reminder that God is always good. His plan and timing is always perfect and always best. So many times we think we are making choices and decisions for our lives, but God is the one always in control, always working for good for those who love Him. From the smallest details of our lives to the monumental occasions, His hand is leading, guiding, loving. I am thankful for a God that gives and I am thankful for a God who takes away. Just like she always sang, "Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before" my grandmother has been given a new body and spends every day face to face with Jesus.

And heaven just got a little bit sweeter.

It's about time!!

2010-04-06T12:56:00.016-05:00

After a looong blogging break, I am jumping back in with both feet! Of all times to pick this back up, it is now the week of my sister's wedding and it is all kinds of crazy busy around our house. We are so excited and looking forward to an amazing party and celebration Saturday night. I'll be posting pictures next week and can't wait to see my girls in their beautiful dresses. In the meantime, a little recap on the past two months is in order.

Avery got her ears pierced with a few tears, but a lot of smiles after the soreness went away! Such a brave girl!

Mackenzie got to try her first frozen mocha for a Valentine's treat. She decided she was not a fan and I was beyond excited about that. Those things are expensive!

We spent yucky, cold, snow days having fun at Chuck E. Cheese.

We had fun showering my sister with gifts at her bridal shower.

We learned how to make homemade pizza. They were yummy, but I'm not replacing our local favorite any time soon!

We planted our summer garden.

We decorated for Easter and made some cute Easter basket cupcakes.

Finally, we spent last Sunday celebrating our risen Lord and Savior. It was a wonderful Easter Sunday with the most beautiful weather we have seen around here in a long time. Check out the little man's play cell phone. I think he looks like he's ready for Wall Street!

I have a lot more great pics, but I will wrap it up for now. We are happy that spring is finally here and have been spending lots of time outdoors on slides, bikes, and four wheelers. Personally, I am thrilled to be past my "blogger's block" and looking forward to sharing some fun posts in the near future!

Tough

2010-02-11T11:27:00.001-06:00

Sometimes it's tough to be the baby.

The only one who doesn't get to play in the snow.

The only one left out of the snowman building experience.

Hurry up Spring! We are anxiously awaiting your arrival!

2010-02-10T10:38:00.002-06:00

I know it's only February and there is much of the year to experience still ahead, but may I please make an early nomination for 2010 Dad of the Year?

(I'm not sure to whom this kid in the mismatched outfit and CROCHETED sweater belongs, but no kid of mine would ever venture out into the snow in this kind of attire. When I find her mother, I will have a serious talk with her about how to dress her children appropriately for snow play.)

Yes, honey, I know. You're the man. You're the bomb.

Disclaimer: if these pictures are the slightest bit blurry, it may or may not have been due to the fact that they were taken through the window by a mom who was warm and cozy while sipping a cup of hot tea, and who was much too comfortable to even think about going outside to build a wet snowman.

chicken soup for my soul

2010-02-08T20:31:00.011-06:00

It is one of my biggest joys in life to see my kids become readers. I love it when they become independent readers and make discoveries on their own. My oldest is a prolific reader and the only 9 year old I know who is trying to find out a way to make a living by reading books. My middle daughter is just beginning to read books on her own. She gets so excited when she can read independently and I can see her confidence growing. However, I especially want to encourage my son to become an avid reader. I think there is a stereotype among boys that it's not cool to read, or the assumption is made that they just don't have the attention span. I guess we will find out along the way. Moms of boys, what do you think about this? Is it an unfair stereotype that boys are not as thrilled with reading? How do you encourage your sons to read?

We have children's books literally all over our house. I want them to be accessible, available, tempting. So when I see my son doing this:

and this

and this

and this

and this

it truly is chicken soup for my soul.

( I LOVE this kid's adorable flexed foot here, but please ignore the dirty socks folks. It's been ~~raining~~ snowing cats and dogs around here and mopping has been on the back burner.)

Tropical Getaway

2010-01-25T11:03:00.006-06:00

A few days ago my brother called and invited us to go to Cancun for a week on a couples trip. tempting. After talking it over, we decided that due to circumstances (kids, finances, time, work, blah, blah, blah) that we would have to pass. Sometimes it's no fun being a responsible grown up.

Apparently, the idea of a beach themed vacation has not entirely left my mind. When Avery brought home a note reminding parents of the upcoming 100 day of school celebration, I decided to get a little creative with the project. This year we would not just bring a bag of 100 m&m's or make a 100 Fruit Loop necklace. We would do something tropical. Something with blue waters, marine life, palm trees.

May I take a moment to introduce you to 100 Marshmallows Island?

It's the closest we're getting to a tropical getaway for a while.

Derailed

2010-01-21T10:36:00.005-06:00

Today I experienced my first derailment in the quest to achieve certain ~~weight loss~~ health and fitness goals this year. A temporary setback.

A traditional New Orleans King Cake sent by my sweet aunt straight from Randazzo's bakery. (Thanks, Aunt Nancy!) These are so yummy and they bring back so many memories of childhood class parties and Mardi Gras celebrations for me. So with no thoughts of treadmills and calories and (gulp), trans fats, we will enjoy our once-a-year treat and pass on a little of my New Orleans heritage to my kids . And yes, they fight over that silly little plastic baby inside just like my brother and I did when we were little. It's tradition.

And tomorrow, this train is back on the rails where it belongs.

Brotherly love

2010-01-20T13:01:00.005-06:00

While my two girls bicker like cats and dogs and then run off giggling like best friends, their love for their brother is a little more consistent. For the most part, they are patient and kind, helping him learn to navigate in his little world. He has learned how to climb on chairs, open doors, find a snack, color, and brush his teeth. Before long they will be teaching him how to sneak pizza in his room (hide it under your pillow - mom will never find it!), how to take gum out of mom's purse, how to fake brushing your teeth, how to hide dirty clothes under your bed and how to eat your sister's McNuggets when she's not looking. But for now, I think I will sit back and enjoy the displays of brotherly love and instruction that is taking place. The rest will come soon enough.

Guess who is making a visit to our house tonight?

2010-01-16T21:28:00.005-06:00

After weeks of wiggling and wiggling a stubborn little tooth,
while shopping tonight, it was finally pried loose
It happened at a store that's filled with rustic charm,
that's right - it happened at Pottery Barn!

Six years old, now waiting for the tooth fairy to appear,
and tonight this mom may shed a little tear.
You see, to a busy mom & dad, she still seems a baby,
But tonight God showed us she's becoming a little lady.

Now her smile is changed forever & reveals the passage of time,
it's these little facts mom & dad like to deny.
She will keep growing, more teeth will fall out,
but Avery will forever be our sweet baby girl, without a doubt!

the first 15 days

2010-01-15T11:07:00.002-06:00

How the first 15 days of 2010 have been spent:

1. Eating Pomegranate seeds
I love, love, love these things. New fruit for me this year, I bought them by the armful in December and saved some for January. Now out of season, I am savoring my last few pomegranates and all of their juicy flavor.

2. Praying for my grandmother
In and out of the hospital for various events several times last year, this latest episode in ICU for the past two weeks has my family feeling a lot more venerable about her health. Thankfully, she is on the road to recovery now, but not without complications that may or may not be permanent. Married for over 60 years, it's been incredibly hard on my grandfather to see her health decline.

3. Spent 1 week with no social media
I disengaged for the first week of January from Facebook, Twitter, blog writing/reading, and texting. I ended up loving the quietness and accomplished much more on my to-do lists. I learned I am addicted to reading blogs-I had over 120 entries piled up for me on Google Reader after my week off! In my defense, I can skim-read through blogs pretty fast and it only took me a little over an hour to catch up. I also learned that I can do away with Facebook with very little pain, but without Twitter, I'm at a total loss for our local weather forecast. Thanks Garrett for keeping me updated!

4. Made 2 batches of Texas Caviar
Never had this stuff before, but it is soooo good. I hope someone tells me this is semi-healthy to eat, because I may or may not have eaten an entire batch all by myself.

5. Reading
Currently reading Ford County by John Grisham (donated to me by my Father-in-law, who has proceeded to ask me about it every time I see him now, which has caused me to bump it up to the top of my reading list) and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Marie Ann Shaffer. So far, both books are great!

6. Gaming
Playing a LOT of the new Mario Bros. game on the Wii. Mackenzie and I are a little addicted to this game and we play together all the time. Currently on world 5, but hoping to make it to world 6 by the end of January!

7. Running - consistency at the gym has = 20 miles run in the past 8 days.

8. Organizing closets and purging for a spring garage sale.

9. Attending elementary school awards assemblies. So proud of my girls and all of their hard work! Straight A's for both, but it's those Good Citizen awards that make me most proud.

10. Read The Time Traveler's Wife. I cannot say enough good about this book. I loved, loved, loved it. It has been immediately promoted to one of my top 5 books, ever. It is so tragically beautiful. It haunted me for days and I could not stop thinking about Henry and Claire. They were so real to me. I haven't seen the movie, but I plan on renting the DVD when it is released even though I know it can't possibly compare to the book. And I will probably re-read this book again in the next few weeks. I'm a nerd like that.

11. Watching the Battlestar Gallactica tv series on DVD. Currently on episode 5 and hooked enough to watch the entire series. (insert nerd reference here again)

12. Experimenting with a new camera lens. Looking forward to some milder weather to get outside and take some more pics of the kiddos! There's just something about being cooped up in the house that makes them a little goofy.

13. Shopping for 8 birthday gifts. From cousins,nephews, and great friends to brothers and Father-in-law, January to mid-February is birthday central for us.

14. Hosted our small group for our 2010 kick-off. We've been together for 4 years now and I consider it such a blessing to spend every Sunday night laughing with such great friends.

15. Watching The Good Wife with Juliana Margulies. I have watched this show since the fall premiere, but I had several episodes backlogged on my DVR. It's a great show and I love seeing a show with a smart female lead that cannot be classified as a cougar, housewife, or reality star. Refreshing.

2009-12-31T11:05:00.009-06:00

Today is New Year's Eve and I am looking forward to a fun night out with some great friends. This will be the 5th NYE we have spent together and it has become our little tradition. We usually pot-luck it and play card games until the wee hours of the morning, but this year we are going out, baby. A meal that doesn't require me to cut any of my food into bite size pieces to share with a toddler. A meal where I don't have to apologize to the waiter for the mess left on the floor. We're also going to a grown up movie. Not sure which movie yet, but truthfully, it doesn't really matter. I know it won't have singing frogs or the Jonas Brothers in it, so it's already a great movie to me.

Before I wrap up 2009, I wanted to share some of my favorite gifts from Christmas. Everyone needs birthday & gift ideas for the year, right? (Spoken by someone who has 7 birthday gifts to purchase in the next 6 weeks.)

Boots bought my mom, picked out by yours truly at the huge Macy's black Friday sale at 6:00 a.m. The bonus that makes them so fabulous is that my hubby will only refer to me as "officer" when I am wearing them. He's goofy like that, but I can't lie. I actually feel a little more "in charge" when I wear them and he makes me smile, so it's a win-win.

Love this Tickle Monster book! It comes with fuzzy gloves with the holes cut out for your fingers so you can tickle along with the story. The actual story isn't so great, but my little man already comes running to me with the book and gloves in tow, begging to sit in my lap and be tickled. Elevated to great gift status instantly.

Stitch-it-Owl Kit, by The Little Experience. These are great little projects to get some kiddos interested in the sewing world. (My oldest got a horse pattern, but no picture as she's already cut up the box to use as a trough.) They come with a fabric pattern, kid friendly scissors to cut them out, stuffing, floss, and step by step directions. The age on this box says 6-10 and I would put it in the 8-10 category. I had to do ~~most~~ all of the stitching on the owl. Thank goodness it is made more charming by the "made by a child" look. The website has lots of great ideas for girls AND boys. Priced under $20, these will be making some birthday party rounds this year for sure.

Jessica Simpson purse bought by my mother-in-law. Perfect for spring and way more money that I ever would have spent on a purse for myself. Love it!

Teavana Perfect Tea Maker. I am jumping on the loose leaf tea wagon. You can go to a tea store, watch them scoop out your own custom tea mix, and then brew it all right in this pitcher. It has an infuser at the bottom, so you just place it on top of your mug and viola - the tea strains right into your cup. Right now I am hooked on the Rooibos-Chai Tea, but my next flavor to try will be the Toasted Nut Brulee Oolong Tea. Doesn't that just sound yummy? In the summer, I'm going with something more fruity like Imperial Acai Blueberry White Tea. Thanks mom, for getting me jump-started!

Saved the best for last - something I've drooled over for a few years now. Thanks to my sweet Marty, a new book is as close as a few clicks away. I've read one complete book, and no joke when I got to the last page, just went to the next book on my wish list, clicked away and was holding it in hand in a matter of less than a minute. I also downloaded the Bible and loved that I could look up references, take notes, bookmark verses, and underline in church without ever having to fish around for a pen in the bottom of my purse. Can't wait for the kids to go back to school so I can get some serious reading accomplished!

A few of my favorite things

2009-12-24T11:53:00.005-06:00

Stockings hung by the chimney with care

Beautiful new ribbon bought 75% off after Christmas last year

Ornament given to me when I started piano lessons at 6 yrs old

Yummy Christmas treats waiting to be eaten

Little boys in Christmas pajamas with chocolate on their faces

The beginnings of a beautiful white Christmas

My 2 girls going to sleep hoping to catch a glimpse of snow and Santa

God has blessed us so much this year, but the most treasured gift of all is the gift of salvation provided to us on that first Christmas night so long ago. Merry Christmas to all my friends and family!

some Christmas mischief

2009-12-22T09:16:00.005-06:00

My husband has been ~~pestering~~ encouraging me to update my blog with a new post, but in all the frenzy of Christmas related activities, I have been waiting for something truly blog-worthy until I made an update. Quite unexpectedly, this morning, I was gifted with the next blog post. True to the words, Christmas break, the girls have been given a break about bed times and sleeping rules. We don't allow the girls to sleep together during the school year because it is too difficult to enforce actual sleeping times instead of just bedtimes. So, for the past 3 nights, they have been allowed to stay up and watch Christmas movies and then sleep together. Last night, I tucked them into bed around 10:15 and told them lights out and stay in bed. This is what I found this morning:

Not sure what gave them the bright idea to put on a winter coat and sleep together crammed into a little closet space, but it made me smile this morning. It does this mom good to know that amidst all of the bickering and fighting between them, there is a little friendship growing.

a look of need

2009-11-30T22:52:00.005-06:00

It's a look I see a hundred times a day.
A look that conveys a need.
A need for a diaper change.
A need for food.
A need for a nap.
A need for a sippy cup in exactly the right color.
A need to play with his sister's markers.
A need to be understood.
A need for comfort.
It's an intense look, because toddlers are intense, needy, little people.
And I need him to stay looking this way for a long, long, time.

Isn't she lovely?

2009-11-20T11:07:00.004-06:00

I get to spend this entire, crazy busy weekend with my baby sister. We have big plans to Christmas shop, see New Moon, eat sushi, drink coffee, gush about wedding plans, and oh yeah, run a 5K. Not such a big deal for Kellie, since she's been a marathon runner and college athlete and all. But a HUGE deal for me. Not an athlete, not a runner, not a lover of exercise or physical exertion in general. But I want to run to say that I've accomplished a goal and to feel good about succeeding at something way out of my comfort zone. It's an even BIGGER deal to have Kellie run it with me. Not only am I comforted to know that she will be by my side the entire time, but she's been by my side for every major event of my life.

Born 10 years after me, we are forever stuck a generation apart. I always sound like the old, mature, almost-mother and she always sounds like the young, naiive, full of life, almost-daughter. In spite of the age difference (or maybe because of it), I couldn't imagine having a more supportive or encouraging sister. As a kid, she tagged along to many band and piano concerts, college classes and even some of my dates. It's quite funny to look back at my wedding pictures and see the awkward 12 year old that was so unsure of herself. As a teen, she was there for the birth of my children, there to see the transition of her sister from a young married girl to a busy mom of 3. Today she is still here, now supporting my kids at every birthday party and major event for them, and in turn, still supporting me.

The difference between us is that I haven't always been able to be there for her. Always the one it has seemed with more responsibility and ties, I couldn't always pick up and travel to important soccer games and track meets. I didn't see every prom dress in person and yes, even missed the all important college graduation. It's for this reason that I am so excited about this next step in her life. In a little over 4 months, she is marrying a super, great, guy that I couldn't have hand picked any better for her. It hasn't always been an easy road for her in the dating department and I am so proud of her for not settling and for not losing sight of her standards. It's the reason I can't wait to be there for her on her special day. The day she starts a new life and I get to be right by her side cheering her on. It's a little tough to be another bridesmaid (excuse me, "Matron of Honor", which sounds even worse than bridesmaid. Who came up with that name anyway?) admist a sea of beautiful 20 something year olds who seem to have trouble gaining weight and who are probably blissfully unaware of the world of Spanx, but I would do it for my sister even if I was 50. I am even starting to get a little bittersweet as we spend some of our last times together with her as a single girl. Now I know why she clung to me so tightly in tears as I was trying to disentangle and leave for my honeymoon. We might be a generation apart, but the feelings and experiences we share are always mutual, always reciprocated, just always delayed. So thankful God blessed me with her beautiful smile of encouragement, so thankful for the man He brought to her life, and so thankful to be the one standing by her on her big day.

By the way, Kellie, don't expect any kind of crazy toast at your wedding that would include any of this mushy stuff. The most gushing you're going to get is right here. In April you won't be shocked when I sit quitely while toasts are being made. I refuse to be the matronly, Spanx wearing, mother of 3, 30 something year old that fell apart and became a mess while toasting her baby sister at her wedding. Not going to happen. :)

Love-Love

2009-11-18T09:59:00.003-06:00

I remember this guy.

I remember this commercial.

I remember being quite taken with the hair, the attitude, the marriage and divorce to Brooke, the image. After this week, I see someone different. I see the story of a boy brainwashed from birth to pursue a sport he hated (his words) and the life that ensued from the pursuit of money, status, and peace. He was always chasing a dream, even if it wasn't his own. Less of a rebel and more of a lost soul. It's a truly fascinating read and well worth the $20 bucks. I love, love it.

A speech from a future president

2009-11-12T21:16:00.000-06:00

Tonight, my oldest daughter informed me that she had memorized her first speech that she will give when she becomes President of the United States. I knew this was going to be good stuff, so I grabbed a pencil and paper to document this monumental occasion. Something tells me that we will enjoy reading this "speech" 20 years from now. ;) Here, I have shared the 3 main points of her speech as told by a 9 year old presidential wannabe with my own comments appearing in the italics. Enjoy, and God bless America.

1. I don't care if you vote for me or not, I'm really just here to have fun.
Ha! A candidate would probably be more likely to get my vote if they came out and said something as honest as that statement! Sure, there's the whole pressure of being leader of the free world and all, but let's face it, the job has some perks. Why would someone want to be president anyway unless it was a job that was going to be fun?

2. God has special plans for people's lives and if you vote for me, it will be a part of God's plan.
The wisdom of this astounds me. Yes, God does have special plans for our lives. Thank you Mackenzie for reminding me that God doesn't just have plans for us, but special plans. Yes, no matter who you vote for it is always a part of God's plan. He is always in control, no matter who is sitting in any elected seat. That is why I never really get too worked up over political issues. I will always do my part by voting, praying for our elected officials and staying current on issues, but I am certainly not worried that the government's plan for my life will circumvent God's special plans for me.

3. If you vote for me, we will be in the Guiness Book of World Records - your votes and my picture.
Well, I guess there is a little ego in every politician. What can I say? She's a little obsessed with the World Records right now and I she figures that being president will be the best way to guarantee her a spot in the book. I guess this is a better option than deciding to grow out her toenails or making the world's largest ball of ear wax.

I know I'm biased and all, but I would totally vote for this kid.

The best 30 days ever

2009-11-04T11:47:00.001-06:00

The next 30 days of my life are set to be some of the most fun times! It's been a while since I have traveled anywhere exciting (unless you count Little Rock and the roach in our bed exciting), so I am giddy about all the next 30 days entails.

A ski trip to Colorado with a group of friends. I have no plans to ski since the little man is traveling with us, but I am looking forward to some fun adult conversation, time in a spa, and well, just some downtime. My hubby loves Colorado and he always makes our trips out there so fun and entertaining.

A day spent with the best sister a girl could ask for is planned, complete with Holiday Market shopping, sushi, and New Moon!! I'm not sure there could be a greater combo than that. I could think of no one I would rather gush about Edward with than my little sis. Yeah, we're one of those people. Don't hate.

A Thanksgiving spent with the greatest family on earth. We have so much to celebrate in our family this year with an upcoming wedding and a new brother-in-law-to be added to the mix. The boys always have a ton of fun, and the girls, well let's just say we are spending some time in a major shopping mecca. The day after Thanksgiving shopping? We're there. Can't wait.

A solo (plus little man again) trip to Florida to see my bff for my birthday. I love this girl and I cannot wait to jump on a plane and spend some time on her turf. What an awesome birthday gift I gave myself! Late night chit-chat sessions, watching movies, running around Florida. Counting down the days already!

Fall is for Apple Cake!

2009-10-29T11:15:00.000-05:00

This morning was yet another gloomy, cloudy, rainy day, so against my better judgment I decided to skip the gym and make an apple cake instead. See how seamlessly one bad decision can lead to another? I love baking in the fall. There's just something about the crisp coolness in the air, looking out your window to see beautiful red leaves falling and the smell of cinnamon and apples coming from your oven. This weekend we had a Halloween/birthday shin-dig at the house and we played some kid's relay games with baskets of apples. I had been looking for the perfect recipe to put some of those leftover apples to good use. Of course, me being the huge Pioneer Woman fan that I am, it was straight to her website to find a recipe. (Can't wait to get my hands on her new cookbook, by the way! It's on my Christmas list, hint, hint.) Here's a warning: the following cake should not be consumed by anyone remotely interested in their health as it's loaded, swimming in, smothered, drowning, in tons of butter. My advice is to pair it with some broiled fish, brown rice and broccoli for dinner just to offset the adverse health implications. Enjoy!

New respect for photographers

2009-10-28T12:18:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, we took the kids to a fall festival held by a local nursery. The set up was adorable with old fashioned wagons and carts, handmade scarecrows, and pumpkins and gourds galore! Since we went on the fly after church when the kids were still semi-clean, I though I could get some nice fall pictures. In the back of my mind, I even entertained the thought of accomplishing the holy grail of pictures: the all 3 children looking at you and smiling shot. Here are a few samples of what was accomplished:

This was one of my favorites. Love the shirt, love the pumpkins, love the little spaced out teeth. Makes my heart beat faster.

This girl was in quite the foul mood and really didn't want to participate in any photo taking activities. So, what I got was a smirky, half smile that said, "I know what you are looking for and I have ability to give you a great picture, but I don't care and this is what I'm giving you. Work with it." I love it anyway, silly girl.

My oldest is usually the kiddo that could care less about posing for pictures. However, she was in quite the model mood, so she kept proposing ideas to keep my attention on her and away from the other two who were trying to determine the best way to de-arm a scarecrow. I love these pictures of her, but I can't stop wondering who turned on the time machine to produce this grown-up looking girl. Everyone knows that she's 6, right? What? She's 9? Sigh, I wish someone would help me keep up with these things.

Another favorite of the little man. I love the serious look and those chubby little cheeks. I dread the day when he is 9. Somehow, I don't think he's going to let me kiss those cheeks all the time when he is 9.

Anyone ever hear horror stories about the mood swings of a toddler? These 2 pics were taken one frame apart. Total frustration to total delight in the matter of .2 seconds. Life with a toddler, caught in action.

And now attempting the elusive 3 happy kids shot:

Can you feel the attitude radiating from the kiddo on the right?

Sure, nothing says "great picture" like a pair of bunny ears.

I guess I'm not the only one who didn't like the ears.

And, if your brother didn't like the ears the first time, it means you are forced to do it again.

Dad gets the bright idea to get their attention by clapping. Great idea. Moving hands are always welcomed in photos.

More attitude from the girl in the back. She gets this from her father.

This was the best of about 200 pics. Managed to get everyone looking the same general area. It helps if you squint when you look at the baby. Professional photographers around the world, my hat goes off to you. You earn your money, that's all I'm sayin'.