Doodles By Lauren

Tag-I'm It!

2012-01-26T13:56:00.000-05:00

Two hour delay today, due to ice.

YIPPEE!

Why is it that this guy was up at 6am then?

And Laney...

wasn't into the school gig.

Wanted to stay home with her momma.

Had some time, so made curls in her hair.

Oh, she was excited to go show her classmates then!

Big sister was excited to stay home a bit.

Ready to get to school to see friends too!

So, Mr. H. and I...team work today.

I've been cleaning,

while he checks my email!

He's kind of a slacker though!

Not getting the job done how I want! Ha!

M'kay...my blog friend BRANDI tagged me.

Here's 11 things about me, then answers to her questions.

1. I'm left handed, but do a lot right handed (swing a bat, golf, gymnastics...)

2. Had meningitis at age 2. Lucky to be here.

3. 60's music...what's not to love? My go-to song: Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay

4. Wish I could talk to animals (and have them acutally talk back)

5. Dream Job: playing with animals (I know...not a real job, but how fun)

6. First job: gymnastics instructor at 16. 20+ years later, I'm still at it!

7. I can still do the splits at age 38! Yep, bragging!

8. Still use the same alarm clock that I got as a child.

9. I've illustrated 2 children's books.

10. Can quote Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club....To Kill A Mockingbird, Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet too!

11. Nobody can copy my signature. Trust me...it's killer!

1. Dream car: Porshe Cayenne (I'm practical)

2. Dream vacay: Anywhere with animals (rainforest, African safari...)

3. Fave celeb: Morgan Freeman is pretty cool!

4. If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be? Harper Lee

5. Celebrity crush: Michelle Williams...how darn cute is she?!

6. Biggest disappointment in life: When I finally filled out at age 18...larger clothes...even shoe size! Boo hoo!

7. What would you do with your money if you won $1 million dollars? Well, wouldn't really get a ton after taxes...but home improvements...yes, please!

8. Favorite movie: Not a movie buff, but To Kill A Mockingbird ..hands down... favorite book...read over a dozen times. And the book is ALWAYS better!

9. Favorite TV show: Real Housewives (I'm shallow), Modern Family

10. Saddest day of life: Everyone I love is still here, so I'm good.

11. Happiest day of life: those 3 minutes it took to walk down the aisle

My Kind Of Snow

2012-01-23T10:21:00.004-05:00

It was those snow boots that hubs bought!

After my last post...no snow accumulation...

snowed for days!

One was jumping for joy...

while the other two...

checking the weather station...

making sure this was the real deal!

While the snow flew,

we had a lovely Friday nite with our friends.

My dear friend Alyssa, 4 hours prepping homemade dough.

Her hubs, Rob... tossing that dough, layering on toppings, grating the parmesean...

And after a bit, Alyssa...happy to hand over her assistant job!

Emily and Isabella loved creating! Ha!

Meanwhile, lil' mister googling more topping ideas!

Sure was wonderful...

spending time with friends...

at their pizzaria!

And while the snow still fell,

up early Saturday morning...

watched hubs coach both girls' basketball teams!

Laney...the youngest group.

Sweet girl...

just has a "ball"...

love how she guards her friend! Ha!

Then there's Miss Emily...

all shootin' it up, running backwards down the floor...

she's into it!

Finally...

Saturday afternoon...

my BIL Kyle got out his Xmas gift...

hooked the girlies on...

Squeals of delight!

Going near...

and far...

think everyone had fun...

And...WOW! A bit zonkered by the end!

From this on Saturday...

to this on Sunday!

Took Laney to a birthday party!

Swim suits...

nice change!

While Laney and I were enjoying the tropics,

Jon helped Emily make her morning munchies for school!

Couldn't believe it when I got home...

and saw 23 bags of puppy chow!

The snow was pretty.

It was fun.

But guess what?

Mother Nature turned up the heat and over night...

all melted!

Oh ya, snow here for a few days,

then POOF! gone!

Now THAT'S my kind of snow!

Winds and rain today,

but oh hooray...I'll take over snow any day!

Cozy here...

Zippin' around again...

indoor style this time!

Hope you are all geared up for the last FULL week of January!

Those Little Things That Make Your Days GRAND

2012-01-19T09:03:00.003-05:00

Ya, still here.

Just busy with daily...life.

Don't have much to bring to the table...

actually...a lot to the table...

just not a whole lot else.

Last weekend we went to our monthly dinner club.

Paula Deen recipes!

I made this.

Liked it so much that I made it again last night for my family!

Kids just couldn't get enough!

Definitely a new staple here.

I know, I know...Paula and the whole diabetes thing.

I'm still a fan of the gal.

And WOW! Liking what sweet southern lady has here too!

~swoon~!!!!

So here I am, off to dinner club.

Had some shot of hubs and me, but Emily cut our heads off.

Just moi will have to do.

I bought this dress merely because I love the handkerchief hem.

Monday hubs and I celebrated 19 years!

Yessiree...Jan. 16, 1993...the night we met!

Crazy fraternity party...

romantic, huh?

I tell the girls that when Jon first laid eyes on me,

he told me that he had to have me in his life!

They love that story!

Emily asked if we met in 1777.

We tell her that Jon rode in on his dinosaur!

Jon, Henry and I spent our "anniversary" day shopping!

Hubs got some new snow boots

(since we have YET to see any real accumulations here).

So now we have his and her Sorels...

See? Told you we are romantic!

Daily life...just buzzing by.

It's those little things, moments that make it all okay.

Like Italian nite at our home.

I may be late in the game, but made my first olive oil dip!

Olive oil, balsamic, minced garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil.

Definitely made me smile!

And one of my best moments...

At hippotherapy.

This horse watching Henry in therapy.

It was a beautiful moment.

Rocky the horse (not a horse that Henry rides) just stood there watching Henry.

Snorted a bit,

think he wanted Henry to come play!

Ah, yes...it's those tiny things that make your days so big.

Makes you see what's really special..

what's really important...

what makes you happy.

Enjoy your Thursday!

I'm off to love on this little man...and yep, enjoying every moment of it!

Friday The 13th

2012-01-13T13:05:00.005-05:00

Ya, eerie, I know!

Well, has Friday the 13th gotten the best of us?

Well, here's a look at today...

Henry started climbing outta his crib some months ago.

We knew he wasn't ready for a big boy bed yet,

so this was the solution:

It was perfect!

He liked it...

we liked it!

Until last week.

Lil' mister's inquiring got the best of everyone.

Broke the zipper, unzipped it.

We tried to safety pin it shut.

Broke the safety pins in seconds.

So, here's what hubs brought home the other night:

Ya, a toddler bed.

Toy Story at that.

(Yep, Emily is modeling it...

Tried to get the main man himself to model,

but he was outta that room in seconds.

This is where I caught him!)

Anywhoo...

Never used a toddler bed with the girls.

When ready to move into big girl beds,

had their big girl rooms all ready to go...trundle beds and all.

Well, Henry...

throwing us a curve ball.

His room now mishmash of different goings on.

And I'm not a fan of the whole Toy Story theme for a room,

but he's in love.

Hubs...

that guy came home with a bed, sheets, pillow, comforter and pjs...Toy Story!

Afternoon naps may be a thing of the past now.

(Darn! 2 hours to get things done!)

Last night...night 2 of toddler bed.

I sleep on the floor until he went to sleep.

I'm getting old.

My back hurts!

And this morning at 4:45am...

Henry was up and ready to run around the whole house!

Arrrrrrrrr!

No...not a fan of toddler beds! Ha!

So, THAT his how my Friday the 13th started!

And what did Friday the 13th bring?

Winter!

Cold, wind, snow.

We usually get a call from the school if there are delays, etc.

No call, so I rounded up the troops.

Got 'em all ready, breakfast eaten, boots on and ready to go out the door.

Then I checked the tv...

2 hour delay!

Akkkkkkk!

And I even had my clothes and makeup on!

(It would be my luck that I would get stuck in a drift in loungewear and no makeup! Yes, a fear!)

Well, soon moved to school canceling!

Yes!

But, no going back...we were ready for the day!

Big sister did a bit of this...

Until I had an idea...COOKIE MAKING!

After making and baking 3+ dozen,

we were satisfied.

Finished.

Taste tested,

then got into the groove!

Xbox 360 dance game.

I didn't think I was too shabby...

I was moving it,

and shakin' it...

but my girls...

out star me!

Now...THEY have some moves!

Then turned on a Dora dancing game.

Henry LOVES!

Sweet guy is pretty good at following along!

He's so lucky to have great sisters who will dance with him!

So, Friday the 13th...

looking brighter.

Plan to eat the day away...cookies!

Dance the cookie calories away...

and maybe snuggle up...

keep warm!

Off to move George at bit...

before he catches fire!

Happy Friday the 13th!

What I Wore Wednesday: Newby

2012-01-11T08:26:00.002-05:00

Decided to join...

A first time for everything!

Now, I only have a few outfits that I actually captured.

Tough remembering to photo yourself daily!

Here we go!

Friday: volunteered at Emily's school. Navajo Day. I painted with 3rd graders!

Skirt: Anthropologie

T and tights: GAP

Jewelry: Anthro

Boots: Frye

Saturday: Out to dinner for hub's birthday!

Dress: Anthro

Turtleneck and tights: GAP

Boots: Old Navy

Tuesday: Hippotherapy with Henry, Hub's birthday!

Dress: Anthro

Striped T and Skinny Jeans: GAP

Boots: Old Navy

Necklace: Local boutique

So...I'm noticing a trend here...

Love my Anthro dresses and Gap shirts!

Hop on over here to see what others are wearing!

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Birthday...38!

2012-01-10T19:27:00.002-05:00

Just when your feeling pretty great...

kinda young...

WHAM!

#38 hits you.

Not me! My dear hubs!

Today.

I made some birthday cookies for him to take to work.

Rolling pin, flour, homemade icing and all.

Okay...so it looks like a 5 year old made them.

I tried.

And they were yummy!

Hubs did ask for cookies instead of what you are supposed to bring to work when it's your bday...donuts!

Guess cookies are healthier than donuts?

The girls got home from school...

and got busy wrapping!

(I know...cool blue feathers, eh?)

Beef tips and homemade mashed potatoes for dinner...requested by the birthday boy!

And strawberry jello poke cake!

A lil call from Megan and Madison too...

even though they live just down the lane!

Great job singing the Birthday Song!

Jon said he was feeling pretty good...

you know...

being 38 and all!

Feeling good until he checked out Laney's card...

Here's to 38, Jon!

Or...83!

And, hey...you look pretty great for 83!

Hope it was a great birthday, love!

Monday

2012-01-09T09:52:00.003-05:00

Ahhh...Monday.

Ready to put on your gear and tackle the day?

You all know how my little guy just loves Toy Story, right?

Well, I JUST found out that Buzz Lightyear's voice...Tim Allen.

And all this time...

I thought it was George Clooney!

Buzz Lightyear just isn't the same now!

The past few days...

here and there.

Took Henry to the doctor for his 3 year checkup.

31% in height and weight...perfect!

And his first time wearing the gown.

Looked so grown up!

Friday, I was asked to help out with Emily's class...Navajo Day!

My activity?

Painted face masks!

Sure was fun...helping my girl and her classmates!

(Not me in the GAP sweatshirt!)

In between this and that,

snuggle time was made.

Cousin time was fun too!

And our entertainment while munching on popcorn?

Right outside our window!

Yi, yi, yi!

Never a dull sight here!

And my crafty girls...

spent all day making a little cafe for their dolls.

Check out the little cups (made from toilet paper rolls) and straws!

Yep, good ol' Monday is here!

Take charge!

Swat it around if you need to!

Embrace it,

Enjoy it!

Happy Monday!

Home Sweet Home-Animal Edition

2012-01-04T13:54:00.001-05:00

My love for animals...

always gets the best of me.

Seems like they've all been testing me lately.

Checking to see if I'm still a lover.

Last week while eating dinner, a few neighbors came over.

Outta hibernation to get some food that we put out.

Thinking Henry thought they were cats!

Speaking of cats....

still have Mr. Oscar out back.

Heated doghouse and all.

And remember this guy?

Well, no microchip and no interest locally.

Found an amazing home for him!

New owner came to pick him up last night!

We said our good-byes.

Last night, he slept in a real person bed!

But guess what?

His new owner just couldn't get over a pure bred dog...just found outta nowhere.

After lotsa searching, found his owners!

They placed an ad via facebook!

Sweet pup traveled some 12 miles to get to our home!

His true owners are going to get him!

Hope they love the fact that we treated him to the nines!

Happy ending!

And, yesterday, Henry was back to hippotherapy!

The girls even gotta come this time!

After riding his horse, Henry went into class therapy.

The girls and I were then invited into the horse stalls!

The girls enjoyed feeding carrots to the horses.

And learned some cool things about some of the horses!

Stripes (with Laney)...see his eye? Blind in that eye!

And another horse (not shown...she is shy) just had an eye removed.

The girls didn't realize that horses have disabilities too!

So, today, back to the grind...hubs at work and the girls at school.

Have to admit that I shed a few tears after dropping the girls off at school.

Been thinking of them all day...

so, Henry and I made a little after school treat for them.

Yep, Henry's little hands sampling!

So, here's to chocolate,

back to daily routines...

and happy animal tales!

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T16:17:00.003-05:00

Christmas Break...

We've been thoroughly enjoying!

Movie marathons...

AT THE MOVIES!

Hubs and I couldn't even remember the last time we went on a movie date.

And this past week...2 dates in 3 days!

Wednesday: My movie choice: WE BUILT A ZOO.

Liked the people, LOVED the animals. Good. Sad.

Italian dinner after!

Thursday: Jon and I took the kids (and a few dolls) to see CHIPWRECKED.

They loved sitting with cousins Megan and Madison!

Barnes and Noble after!

Friday: Jon's movie choice: GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO.

Great suspense. Dark. Violent. Intense.

Mexican dinner after!

And yep, we've had some down time too.

Just enjoying Christmas goods.

Oh, our New Year's Eve?

Couldn't have been better!

Had dinner at our friends' home.

Fancy china and all!

The kids couldn't have been happier to play with their friends...

but...always happy to spend some time with each other too!

And a FIRST!

Can't believe we stayed until midnight!

Even the kids got to welcome in the new year!

Boy, were we outta there right after midnight.

Too late for us!

A few miles home...

and lights out for us!

This morning Jon made his annual New Year's Day breakfast: German pancakes!

Emily...so excited to be his assistant!

Here we are... 2012.

Wonder what this year is going to bring?

Well, we might have gotten something a bit early.

New Year's Eve morning,

looky who showed up on our doorstep!

He has a collar, but no tags.

So friendly!

Nothing open, but we will HAVE to make some calls.

I hope his person is good to him.

Hubs gave him blankets, food and is out playing with him (and Sacco).

I might have googled Eskimo names for dogs.

We have a lot on our plates already though...3 kids, 2 cats and a dog.

Okay...guess we'll see what else 2012 brings us!

Happy Birthday Henry!

2011-12-28T10:53:00.001-05:00

Yesterday...

December 27...

my Henry Oliver turned 3.

WHERE HAS TIME GONE?

And while we cozied up inside,

this is what greeted us outside...

Yep, a blanket of fresh snow!

Last night...had a wonderful family party for Mr. Henry.

The boy is OBSESSED with Toy Story!

Gets so excited!

Lil mister received every.single.Toy Story thing for Christmas....

so we decorated with a lot of his new goodies!

And the girls were such a big help!

All day they were so excited for their brother!

(I know...eyes closed, but can't believe this was the only shot I got of my girlies!)

Pizza, breadsticks, chips and punch...and Henry's favorite cake....ice cream cake!

And the birthday song didn't go over to well this year.

Last year he tolerated it...

this year...

well, I'm thinking our family singing has gotten worse!

But...

sweet boy saw his cake and got a lot more excited!

And OH BOY! Did my guy love his cake!

And Sheesh! Did the presents come in droves!

The favorites?

Slinky dog and a Rex flashlight!

It was a great birthday.

Celebrating my baby...

still cannot believe he's 3!

And the celebrating continues.

Today, first thing, Sheriff Woody had all of his toys out...

ready to play with each one!

Here's to my favorite boy...

so special,

makes me smile every day...

He's come a long way this year...

I love my Henry Oliver so much!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T17:01:00.000-05:00

Christmas...

all the anticipation...

then ZIP! it's gone!

We all enjoyed the festivities here!

Christmas Eve day...

we baked ...

Santa likes peanut butter with Reece Pieces and brownies too.

Christmas Eve nite, we spent with Jon's family.

Oh the kids...

opened all kinds of goodies!

Henry...pretty funny this year.

Would unwrap a gift then want to run off to play with it.

Had no idea there were MORE gifts!

Had to keep coaxing him back to the tree!

And the grande finale...

My BIL Kyle really made the girls' evening...

Hours of labor...

handcrafted American Girl Doll wardrobes!

Had them waiting in the garage!

Yep, each girlie got one!

And they have been spending so much time in their rooms...

organizing and reorganizing them!

Christmas Eve...after a wonderful dinner and lotta gifts,

we all came home to get ready for Santa's visit!

And OH BOY! He sure did visit!

My girlies...ran into our room at 6:45am!

Couldn't wait!

Had to get lil Henry up!

Sweet boy had no idea, but knew to run to the tree!

Yep, Santa did good!

And I must have REALLY been a good girl this year...

look what hubs gifted me!

Love.Love.Love!

I promise you will see pix of me sporting it...

but this momma ran into a wall a few days ago...

have a nice black and blue lip...not so pretty!

My parents came over for Christmas lunch.

It was such a nice time with them!

Of course, more presents came with them!

My mom gifted Laney with a special Irish Barbie.

(My maiden name is Irish.)

Yes, BaBoo the elf left us, but heard that Irish Barbie was coming to live with us.

He left her a message though:

And my dad gifted Emily with a very special telescope!

(Ya, Papa...the dramatic CHEEEEESE!)

And Mom and Dad gifted us with a new popper and a yard of popcorn!

We've ditched the microwave kind...

all about a la natural!

Christmas night, we were back at Jon's parents' for dinner.

And yes, more gifts!

The big kahuna gift...

a toilet!

Ok, so Henry jumped on it right away.

Needed a drink,

must have been cramped with his feet in the pot,

then needed food, drink and friends.

People...cross your fingers here!

So, our Christmas is officially over.

We had a wonderful time with family.

We are so lucky.

The kids have really been enjoying.

Today...an all day dance party,

Toy Story mania,

Easy bake marathon,

telescope construction,

and my kind of exercise...XBox Kinect games!

We've had a lotta fun...

BUT...

the tree is now down and all Christmas decor inside and out are put away.

Why so soon?

Some little guy turns 3 tomorrow!

BaBoo's Craziness Continues

2011-12-23T08:49:00.002-05:00

This elf of ours is relentless!

Always coming up with new tricks!

~~Walks~~ Slides on the WILD side too!

And yes, I admit...when I was little, I used to do some indoor sledding too!

And double yes...my kids have tried it out as well!

But bean bags at the bottom ALWAYS protect you! Ha!

And Day 22...

The girls had just watched a Fruit of the Loom commercial a few days before!

Love BaBoo's undies!

Now, today...

Last night Emily and Cousin Megan stayed over with Jon's parents.

Guess BaBoo was trying to trick us...

Trying to make us think Emily WAS here in her own bed!

Oh Baboo!

Well, he leaves us tomorrow!

The girls and I are baking cookies for Santa today.

Getting ready,

yes we are!

The final count is here!

Our Happenings

2011-12-20T09:09:00.002-05:00

Christmas countdown is on!

All gifts bought, wrapped and waiting!

Had a lot of goings on before Santa arrives!

Last week Emily had mini mall.

Whole 3rd grade.

All fake money.

Rent booth space.

Have to come up with a product to sell.

We didn't want to spend a lot of money and time (over 100 shoppers),

so came up with this:

Ya, that's Laney posing.

Em was over it.

Well, she was happy...successful booth and only came home with about 10 leftover baggies!

YUM!

Friday nite, hubs finally got out to pretty up our Charlie Brown tree.

Oh wow! It looks so pretty at night!

On Sunday, we went to our first Christmas!

It was also Jon's Grandmother's 94th birthday!

Whatta lady!

And I cannot forget BaBoo...crazy elf!

And just to let you all know...

today I'm sporting my very first pair of skinny jeans.

Secretly giggling...

feel like I am going to split a lotta seams any minute!

Now that would be a nice post!

Uh Oh Art!

2011-12-18T18:12:00.000-05:00

Went to our first family Christmas today.

And a BIG UH OH happened...

Artist: Henry

Medium: fingernail polish

Surface: Grammie and Papa Larry's bathroom carpet.

Guess who's getting new carpet for Christmas?

Christmas Hints

2011-12-16T08:41:00.003-05:00

Been wrapping all kinds of wonderful gifts...

90% of my shopping and wrapping...done!

I'm on it this year...

and it feels superb!

While I wrap goodies for others,

think BaBoo has been playing on my own Christmas wants.

Enter want #1...a horse!

(minus the Don Quixote looking elf...yikes)

Yes, the joke around here is that I SAY I want a horse...

BUT, a horse would probably end up inside our home, own bed and all.

No way I would want it outside in the cold!

So...Henry is LOVING his horse friends at hippotherapy...

I'm thinking that if lil guy ever requests a horse, his daddy will definitely follow thru!

And although I love my home,

wouldn't be too shabby to get a brand spankin' new one...complete with a new ride!

A new home...minus the pink roof.

A new car...maybe something a bit sportier than a pink mini van.

Ah well...

probably NOT getting a horse, a house or a car this year...

but a girl can dream, right?

Shopping trip with the hubs tomorrow...maybe he'll cave and get me one of the three!

Here's to the weekend!

P.S. For some reason I forgot to ever put in Day 11...A tropical vacay is on my WANT list too! :)

Song and Shenanigans

2011-12-14T09:21:00.001-05:00

Poor Emily...

long week already.

Fell asleep on the car ride home from school yesterday...

and it's only about a mile ride!

Well, bucked up and did a great job at her Christmas program last nite.

Oh, how grown up Emily and Cousin Megan are...

~tear~!

Walked them to their classroom before the program.

They were ahead of me...

didn't even look back!

And oh...did they WOW! us with their performances!

Both from the front row!

It's always nice to watch oldest girls...

how far they've come...

from chubby cheeks and diapers..

to such fab girls!

We are so proud of them!

And from beauty to bananas...

BaBoo...yep...definitely inserted some craziness into our home!

Here's a little taste...

Day 12: Laney lost a tooth the day before.

Laney came into my room..pink sparkle all over her!

Went to look...

BaBoo...must have talked to the Tooth Fairy!

Silly elf...pink sparkle ALL.OVER. Laney's room!

(and yes, her trim is broken. Welcome to crazy Laney's room!)

And after the girls giggled over BaBoo and his dinodeer...

out the door for school.

I came home and noticed Sacco loved the ~~shredded coconut~~ snow!

Ahhh...just keepin' it real in our little neck of the woods!

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season!

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

2011-12-13T09:01:00.003-05:00

Last night...

we all had dinner with the jolly ol' man!

My uncle owns a restaurant...

is lucky enough to have Santa dine in every year!

We were seated...

then heard Santa's bells!

And yep...Laney getting her first glimpse of the man in red!

Henry? Wasn't too sure of Santa at first!

Oh, Emily?

Knew she was excited...

but this was her first year to be a bit shy.

Girlie is getting older and becoming a bit embarrassed.

Well, my aunt and her family sat beside us.

They have an exchange student from Finland...Mila.

And guess what?

Mila was so excited to see Santa!

Emily thought it was soooo neat that a teenager was eager to talk with Santa!

So, in all coolness, Emily was a definite shoe in too!

First up, Laney.

Sweet girl made Santa a book!

Listed everything she wants!

Next, Em was ready to tell Santa that she wanted books!

Finally Henry.

Little guy didn't say anything...star struck.

He did eventually give Santa a big high five though!

Yessiree...visiting with Santa...

such a great evening...

my favorite Christmas tradition!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Just Dance

2011-12-11T16:18:00.001-05:00

My girls...

seems like any extracurricular activity they're in...

Jon or me...right there as a coach, instructor...

Well, the girls went WAY outta their comfort zone.

Their sweet babysitter is a dancer.

Encouraged the girls to attend a dance clinic!

They were all pumped up to go, especially when they heard it was a Disney theme!

Laney...a few tears when I dropped her off

(we live like 1 mile away and Karlee has my number)

but...girl sure cheered up and was then EXCITED!

At the end of the clinic, parents gotta check out the dance that the girls learned.

Laney...Karlee was one of her instructors...

girl knows how to shake her stuff!

Emily was in the next group.

Girl was quite nervous, but had a lotta friends in her group!

She knows her moves!

And later that night...

the girls got to preform at the high school basketball game!

Glitzed them all up...even put glitter in their hair!

They were a ball of nerves...especially Emily.

Ya, shed a few nervous tears before we went, but soon...very excited!

My parents met us over at the gym.

The girls were so excited for them to see their performances!

First up...Laney!

She did a great job!

Definitely helped that Karlee danced with her AND Laney was partners with her friend, Riley!

Emily danced in between games.

Emily...what a dancer!

And after?

Oh that girl was WAY excited that SHE ACTUALLY WENT OUT THERE AND DANCED!

Couldn't stop talking about it all...

and both girls want to dance next year!

A big thanks to Karlee for encouraging the girls to do something they've NEVER done before!

(Oh...notice the hair bows? Karlee and her mom made matching ones for Karlee, Emily and Laney! So awesome!)

The girls are still all smiles from dancing...

but Laney has something to smile a bit bigger about...

lost her 2nd bottom tooth this morning!

About 5 minutes after she woke up...

tooth was bleeding, ready to get outta there...

and Jon...just plucked it out!

AND...today while the girls and I baked cookies ....

gifted to us by my wonderful friend, Alyssa...

Hubs melted my heart.

He put out the heated water bowl.

(A MUST have for our critter and feathered friends.)

THEN...saw him working on this...

He installed an outdoor heating pad for Oscar the cat's home!

Is that awesome or what?

Oscar will soon think he's at the Ritz!

Hope he loves it!

Hubs...pretty much only did it for me...so sweet!

So ya...we had a great weekend!

The girls danced, Henry ate his weight in popcorn while watching his sisters preform, we all ate way too many yummy cookies and the outside animals have some early Christmas gifts.

Pretty.darn.good.weekend!

Let It Snow

2011-12-09T13:37:00.001-05:00

Well, sheesh...Baboo

still rocking silly antics.

See for yourself...

Baboo, the advent calender...and a new dusting of snow...

have my girlies smiling!

And this momma is quite happy...finally sporting my hot red boots! Ka-Chow!

And little mister is smiling too...

December brings only 1 day of therapy a week (instead of 3)...

meaning...

ipad for a bit...

and jammies all day!

(...and don't mind that lil bit of advent chocolate on Mr. Henry's lip! Mmm!)

So happy it's the WEEKEND!

Can't wait to have hubs and all three littles right with me for the next few days.

We have a lot to get ready for...projects...dancing...

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Our Toilet, Tricks, & The Ugly Tree

2011-12-07T09:01:00.001-05:00

Just when life is on smooth cruise....

a little bump gets thrown in.

Enter Henry.

Our toilet...plugged.

Hubs is quite the handyman...tried and tried to fix it.

This tool, that tool.

Finally, uprooted the whole toilet...

Meaning it was hanging out on our front drive!

After some time, hubs called to me...

found the problem:

Ya, a plastic green pepper!

Finger points to Mr. Henry...

because Jon threatened the girls with their lives...

and they still didn't fess up.

Oh, good times!

And BaBoo is still up to no good.

The girls have been waking early since Dec.1...

just to check out what he's up to.

See?

Such a troublemaker!

And...Jon's mom gave us a tree that she used at school.

Put that baby up in Jon's office.

Poor tree. It's a sad one...

and of course, I tried to save it.

Felt sorry for it.

Thought I would add some feathers, pinecones....

purple lights and shatterproof purple and green ornaments.

Display the Christmas cards on it.

So, here is my UGLY tree!

Feathers look like an Indian headdress,

lights look pink...

and whoa! the gaps in this little tree!

Well, look who's under it!

Yep, must be his vacay tree...

you know..away from his home tree in the family room!

Oh well, something about this sad tree is making me keep it up.

Off to tackle Wednesday.

Tummy flu going around.

I have one home with a bit of a temp.

And another one shoving his Toy Story characters into my ugly tree!

Se la vi!

He's Here!

2011-12-04T13:07:00.001-05:00

Yes, that's right...

and I think we got a pretty ornery one too!

Read the ELF ON A SHELF book to the kids on December Eve.

In the morning...

our elf arrived!

Laney found him.

Heard her gasp, then shout...

MOM, THAT GUY'S HERE!

Ha! Silly girl!

And look! Mr. Elf even brought day 1 goodies from our advent calender!

After tasting the yummies,

we had a naming meeting.

Emily wanted TWINK. Laney wanted TOM (she was watching Tom and Jerry)...

then Henry shouted BA-BOO!

So, BaBoo the elf he is. (Even though Laney isn't sold on the name.)

Day 2: Super BaBoo zipped in!

Sporting genuine superhero accessories, of course!

Day 3: Snow Angel!

(Little stinker just HAD to get out my crappiest pan for it too!)

And today, Day 4: Didn't take BaBoo too long to find a friend!

Dried rose petals and all!

BaBoo...definitely keeping the kids on their toes!

Along with BaBoo antics, we've had a nice weekend.

Friday nite...Dinner Club!

Theme: Christmas Memories.

Better believe we had some AMAZING grub!

Our friends, the Yoders, did an superb job hosting!

Great times, with great friends!

And Saturday nite...

family date night!

Took the kids out for pizza,

Barnes and Noble for Xmas books,

then we had to go see some local lights!

The man who lives there...

been doing this for years!

Local organizations help him decorate now.

He dresses up as Santa,

passes out candy canes to the children.

Quite a wonderful tradition!

Yep, just making the best of the holiday season!

And there's so much more to come!

Hope you all had a deLIGHTful weekend!

Home For The Holidays

2011-11-30T15:48:00.001-05:00

Now that our tree is up...the littles cannot keep away!

That tree just sucks em all in!

The girls...constantly making gifts for anyone...everyone....dolls!

Oh, daily checks...making sure the gifts they are gifting are still there.

(Sometimes Henry McSwiperson snatches, unwraps and leaves the contents strung all over...always resulting in tears from his sisters!)

And my girls...always checking for NEW gifts under the tree too!

Just today, Laney bought SECRET gifts for everyone from her school's Gingerbread Store.

Now, If I were a betting mom, I would put a lot of money on the fact that my chic will totally spill the beans before Xmas.

She's already busting from the seams!

Oh, and how's Henry doing with the tree? Let's see...

1. hourly ornament rearrange sessions

2. loves the metal kitty ornaments...steals them all...puts them all out, has them talk to each other

3. have only found a book, toy story figurines and Sacco's dog treats between the branches. Can't wait to see what other goodies Henry adds!

Anyone else loving the tree?

Ubecha!

Haven't seen much of George since the evergreen went up.

He has a new home under it.

Thinks its a tanning salon!

Guess sweet kitty got a bit tired of the faux tan look...

he did come out from under the bulbs today...

guess his body craved some real UVAs.

So yes, the children are already in the Christmas spirit...probably because this decided to make a grand entry yesterday...

With snow swirling around, and the twinkle of the Christmas tree lights...

I did a few last preps for December's entrance...

Advent calenders.

Last year got cute ones...a lil chocolate a day...for $1 at Trader Joe's.

Well, those babies sold out in 2 days!

Pier One...out, Target...out.

So, I came up with my own version.

Made one for my three littles, and made one for cousins Megan and Madison down the lane.

Just some sweet daily surprises!

And tomorrow, our Elf on a Shelf comes out!

Can't wait for this little devil!

Last year's version went MIA.

Never did find him!

??????

Wow! With the holidays surrounding us, and now that the countdown is on...

we've all been showing our better sides.

1. Some of us have a wee bit more tolerance of others.

We don't hiss, swat, growl or spit at each other.

Yes, goodwill to men.

2. Someone decided to let this momma exercise while he made dinner AND dessert!

Not just dessert, but Rachel Ray's blueberry cobbler!

Well, guess he needed Rachel Ray right beside him...

this was the outcome...AFTER he scraped off the top layer...that was as black as our countertop.

Oh well, hubs was quite a great sport about it all.

3. We are definitely trying to help out those in need. And this is our latest project...

Don't judge.

I promise we don't live on the wrong side of town.

This, my friends, is hub's 350,000th animal home that he has rigged up for a stray.

We used to buy cool looking homes, but after time, they deteriorate, and we throw them out.

Trust me, doing this is definitely NOT on Jon's top 100 list, but he knows how much this means to me.

And guess who likes his new home?

This is right after I added a fresh blanket...straight outta the dryer!

See the snow?

Well, last night, hubs put on his boots and coat and went out in the 20 mile hour winds that were throwing snow all over...to wrap Oscar's home in layers of plastic.

Gave him more fresh linens too.

Oh, and hot chicken casserole is ready to go out to this sweet kitty...Hope he likes his dinner!

Ya, we are all trying just a bit harder, giving a bit more.

Never know who's watching.

Nobody wants coal!

Thanksgiving Break--We Rocked It

2011-11-26T21:08:00.001-05:00

Whew!

Thanksgiving Break...

L-O-V-E!

I always say that my favorite time is when my family is under one roof.

No school, no work, no schedules.

Very, very nice.

Hubs took some extra days off, so our break was a bit longer.

Last Tuesday, Jon got to see Henry ride his horse...very first time!

And I know that Henry loved having both of us there!

Wednesday: Jon and I went to school for Laney's Thanksgiving Feast.

Rolled out the ~~red~~ orange ~~carpet~~ table and all!

Laney and Cousin Madison enjoyed the food that their class made!

And what was extra special?

After the feast Laney got to come home with us...about 40 minutes early!

Went to get Emily from recess...

yep, she gotta come home early too!

The girlies coming home early....oh how they LOVED!

Thanksgiving...

our family of five had a fab lunch.

My parents were visiting my sis and her fam in Savannah, GA...

so it was a first time ever that this girl cooked a ham!

And guess what?

I'm darn good!

Great meal...and I'm so thankful for these peeps...

After lunch we relaxed.

Movie afternoon...food coma...but yes, we did move a bit.

We then traveled to Jon's parents for dinner.

Since we NEVER get to spend time with Megan and Madison...

ha...

Pretty smiles are a given...

And dress up is a must.

Great food,

lotsa laughs.

And always a sighting of Sugar the kitty.

Seriously the SWEETEST kitty EVER!

Don't let her looks fool you!

Well, lost my brain and was up and out the door by 7:15am...Black Friday!

Jon's mom, sis and I tackled the stores.

Hubs even made my coffee and had it in a ready to go mug as I headed out!

I didn't NEED anything, so it was fun to just enjoy shopping.

Didn't wait much, but found some great deals!

So, I didn't lose my brain afterall...great FUN day!

Since Thanksgiving was over...there was one thing to get done Friday night.

The boxes came out...

Gold dusted burlap was wrapped around...

feathers and pinecones took the place of last year's silver star.

Out came woodland ornaments used the first years after we were married.

All of the silver stayed wrapped up this year.

I needed a change...back to nature.

Was a bit badass this year...

had to have some of these wild gems.

Sure, the top half of my tree is dressed to the hilt, while on the bottom...

just pinecones and plushies...

because of this sweet pea...

He is enamoured with our tree!

And today?

Took the kids on a little date...

THE MUPPETS!

Henry's first ever movie!

Ya, I know...must have been some killer previews...dying of laughter I was...

thinking I actually look a bit Cullen-ish.

Anywhoo...while I tried my vampire skills,

Henry was AWESOME!

Sat between Jon and me, watched 80% of the movie (20% iphone) and never got upset!

Oh and the girls?

They've seen some of the VINTAGE Muppet Show programs,

which made this movie that much better.

And yes, the Mahna Mahna song has been heard around our home days before the movie!

So, ya...great break!

Now, I'm off to maybe grab a ~~1/2 gallon~~ spoonful of peppermint ice cream ...

and enjoy this.

Tis the Season...

and I'm so ready!

Bring it!

Chi-town

2011-11-20T20:03:00.001-05:00

Instead of a friend party, Emily really wanted to go to the American Girl store, so on Saturday...

Chicago...we went!

Totally packed, because it was Saturday and the annual Magnificent Mile Christmas Parade was to take place later in the day...but...the crowds...just part of the experience!

Ya, look at all those peeps!

Once inside, we looked at every.single.thing....and then some.

Each girl took a doll...and those dolls were over the moon excited when we told them they could get their ears pierced at the salon!

Em had a lot of birthday money...

and Laney?

Ummm...just our money! Ha!

Those two...

let me just say that once we put all 100 bags on Henry's stroller...

We walked outta there wider than a double wide!

Whew!

And right next door?

THE LEGO STORE!

Oh sweet Henry was lovin' his favorite cowboy!

After American Girl and Lego, I snuck Laney off to a little shop...let her pick whatever her dear heart desired...and TA~DA!

Only Laney!

Love that girl!

Wore this around all day!

Shopped all day and the kids were p.o.o.p.e.d!!!!

Once back out on the streets, I just wanted to throw everything in my arms into the arms of my family members...

then run dead sprint to Topshop, Zara, Urban Outfitters and to the 500 floor Anthro {that seriously opened it's doors and called my name when I walked by}.

I wanted to smell that NEW clothing smell, touch every piece of fabric...

get lost in the love of the store...make my head spin dizzy...

But...the crazy shopping beast that overtook my thoughts, quickly bolted.

And there I was looking at my family...

and we walked back to the car...tired smiles...and excited to open our new goodies!

And the way home...the fun kept on going!

Oh wait!

Guess what?

Remember these Sorel boots that I was drooling over a few posts back?

Well, guess who was a sneaky sneak and bought these bad boys while I was waiting in what was like a 2 mile line to the ladies' room?

Yep, I'm the owner of these gems!

{Hubs liked the red. I didn't even know they came in red!}

Bought them for me...JUST BECAUSE!

Ya, hubs is pretty fantastic like that!

Oh, and holla if you are a fan?

Hubs had Laney and I pose.

Laney just knows the characters and likes Chico (Jacob)!

Just 24 hours prior, I bought 3 tix...

and today, went to see it with my SIL and our friend, Lacey.

Yep, 3 Twi-moms!

Gotta admit, was wondering how they were gonna film part 1.

Don't know why I wondered, because it was beyond dreamy!

The Cullen home and scenery...ahhhhhh-mazing!

Can't wait to go again...will hafta treat hubs to it!

Fun, fun weekend!

Actually one of the best!

Par-tay...9 Year Old Style

2011-11-19T21:31:00.001-05:00

Friday night...Celebrated #9 with a little family party!

Em's requested meal: homemade potato soup, rolls and pumpkin pie!

The birthday gal also wanted an AMERICAN GIRL doll theme...red and white decor.

What did I learn about her decor?

1. Red and White...hard to find..even so close to Xmas!

2. I really can peel 10 pounds of potatoes before 8am (yes, I'm bragging)..and worked so well in the crock pots!

3. The clearance aisle at Home Goods...going back since my $15 drink dispenser is fixed! No red punch running down my cabinets and onto my floors! WHOOP!

4. My 1st homemade pumpkin pie didn't suck (again, bragging). Maybe it was just Grandma's homemade whipping cream and ice cream...just masked any bad pie taste!

Hubs had back up pies that we used...I tried to keep mine way in the back...hoping nobody would notice it! Ha!

Party favors...Barbie Christmas DVDs!

And remember that sweet hubs has grown facial hair for MOVEMBER?

Well, he FINALLY shaved it all down to a moustache!

EEEK!

We all make fun of it, but yes, he is doing this for a great cause!

Oh my girl...so excited about her birthday pie!

And what is better than having your brother and sister (engulfed by the red table balloon) try to blow out your birthday candles with you?!

Mister Henry...so excited to help blow out the candles and followed me when I went to cut the pie.

All lil man could say was MMMMMMMM!

Next...lotsa love and gifts from family.

My family...oh definitely the bomb dot com!

They are way good to us!

Laney did a great job watching big sister open gifts.

And Henry?

Found a discarded bag and ran around under it...the rest of the party!

Reminds me of this movie...

The part when Steve Martin's son has a bucket over his head and keeps running into the wall...

after watching for a while, another parents states...

YOU MUST BE PROUD.

Ha!

Super birthday for my super, most wonderful, amazing 9 year old.

Nine Is Fine

2011-11-18T08:49:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to my first born!

Started the day with song and a wish!

School treat bags were ready to go!

And my soon to be 9 year old (not until 12:06PM)...

was ready for her big day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMILY CAROLINE!

Yes, Happy Day to my favorite {almost} 9 year old...

who I love to the moon and back...

and then again.

Merry Christmas Henry

2011-11-16T13:10:00.001-05:00

I know...not even Thanksgiving yet...

but...

we already gifted Henry with one tiny gift!

No...not a pony {yet}....

but second best...

remember THIS SWING that he uses at therapy after he rides his sweet horse?

Yep, the one that he loves...

all wrapped up like he's in a cocoon.

Well...

Look who has his OWN swing at home!

I thought it would be a Christmas gift...even a birthday gift {his birthday is 2 days after Christmas}...

but hubs...

that guy...

was too excited and just couldn't wait to do this for his little man!

Okay, so at first, Henry was a bit unsure of his swing.

But then...he asked for his horse.

{Oh ya, made the connection that he swings after riding his therapy horse!}

And soon my sweet guy started to swing, sing and enjoy...

all nestled in his new toy!

And I'm thinking the swing is a winner!

Once outta the swing, guess who was ready to get in again?

Merry Christmas early, Henry!

And Laney and Emily...who tried it out last night and fell in love with it...

and Jon...yessiree...hubs tried it out too!

Now off to think of what to get him for Christmas and for his birthday!

Win Some, Lose Some

2011-11-14T13:54:00.001-05:00

Sometimes things just work...

and sometimes they don't.

Jon found this old Little People {vintage} set up in the loft.

Cleaned it all up...little peeps and all.

Oh WOW! Henry and his sisters have been IN LOVE with this oldie but goodie!

And yesterday, after a little family shopping trip,everyone found their groove.

But soon...I noticed the art room. Masterpieces and supplies left here and there...everywhere!

And someone else left all these dear friends hanging....

Giggles from the girls' bathroom.

Opened up and noticed the waiting room!

BEAUTY SALON!

Goodness, those girls slicked each other's hair down...

makeup galore (new gifts from the Home Goods kids section)!

And just today...

guess Henry wanted in on some salon sass too!

All over my bathroom, floor and walls...

bedroom...floor and walls...

Laney's whole bedding, walls, bed frame and carpet.

Seriously started hyperventilating when I found it all.

It is fixable.

I can say that now...after hours of thinking...and now that my breathing is semi stable.

But the day wasn't a total bust.

Got this yesterday at Home Goods...clearance aisle...double bonus!

So, it has a leak (I knew I should NEVER even stroll down that freaking clearance aisle!).

Hubs maybe fixed it though.

MAYBE.

So I sit,

reflecting on the day.

Tons and tons of crapola...

~including trying to maneuver pix on this crazy blog~

but...

there was good...

a lot of it...

and THAT'S all that I'm trying to think about!

Snow!

2011-11-11T13:17:00.001-05:00

Yesterday...

Huge snowflakes...

Swarmed us!

What is it about the first snow...

makes us run to the window...screaming in delight.

The girls and I sure did...

and Henry?

Oh, he just ran around screaming in delight too...but had no idea why! Ha!

Even though the sun came out 5 minutes later...

the snow did stick.

And that makes it official in my book.

And keeping up with the spirit...A little Christmas shopping...it's gonna happen tonight!

Happy Weekend!

...And My Heart Goes Out To...

2011-11-09T13:42:00.006-05:00

LANEY:

Thanks everyone for your kind comments regarding Miss Laney.

This is today. Lunch. Henry and I visited.

Yep, she's still sporting crocodile tears at times.

Her teacher said she sees this a bit, but only lasts a few minutes.

She assured me that Laney is fine, and I believe her.

So hard walking the fine line of empathy...wanting to heal Laney's heart...

and giving too much attention to the situation.

Well, cousin Madison and Laney were clearly happy to have me join their lunch table today!

EMILY:

Ate lunch with her too.

Just had a total realization hit me while eating with my 3rd grader.

She's like her dad.

Her emotions don't smack you in the face right when you see her.

(Unlike Laney, Henry and me.)

She doesn't dwell, is in the moment and just enjoys.

I want to be more like my 8...almost 9 year old.

OSCAR:

He just showed up late summer.

Initially, I named him Oatmeal Cookie.

Looked quite yummy and sweet...with that color of fur and all.

Although he is quite a love bug...Mr. Meow hisses at Sacco.

Also beat the cat outta George a few weeks ago when George accidentally got out.

So, Oscar the crabby kitty he is.He is on my WORRY LIST.

It's getting colder.

I've made him a make-shift house...blanket, roof over his head.

He gets fed morning and night.

He greet me at the garage door...like a lonely, lost soul.

Sometimes at night, after the kids are tucked in....

I'll take a blanket, wrap Oscar up...and sit with him...all cuddled up in my lap.... on the garage steps.

He purrs and kneads his paws.

He's a very good listener too.

I tell him about my day.

I also tell him how handsome he is.

And I always get a meow from him when he hears that!

I'm just hoping that Oscar the cat doesn't try anything on my other neighbors.

Meet neighbor #1....and his sidekick, neighbor #2.

I hate the fact that Mr. Oscar doesn't have a home.

I'm thinking George doesn't share my same feelings.

HENRY:

Told him yesterday that he was going to go ride his horse!

Little dude went and grabbed his two BFF's....horses!

Held them the whole hour drive to therapy.

Henry sure does love horse therapy.
And he has a leg up on other kids his own age...

he does his own stunts...

make that two legs up!

I stood outside the arena taking pictures.

I could hear everything.

Henry sang, laughed and talked...

the.entire.session!

Zippy the horse...neighed and snorted at Henry.

I think Zippy gets a kick outta my guy!

So ya, my heart always has a place for all of the above.

Put them all together...and WOW!...now that's a happy heart filler right there!

The loves of my life...

but my heart also goes out to these beauties....just a bity Xmas wishing!

{Tory Burch}

{Sorel}

Hope you all are enjoying your Wednesday!

Monday, Monday

2011-11-07T08:34:00.005-05:00

Our weekend...

included a dinner club date, marathon and lotsa down time.

Just another typical weekend!

Friday nite...Italian nite for dinner club!

Perfect for Jon...carbo load the nite before his marathon!

Saturday morning...26.2 miles. All in 3:32.

I'm thinking he liked the post run massage a lot more!

So, Saturday night we took advantage of the time zone change...popcorn and some movies!

(oh...like the facial hair? Jon's participating in MOVEMBER for work. Raising funds for men's health...prostate cancer and other cancers. Says he's cheating because he's supposed to be just sporting a mustache. I think he should get bonus points for his Grizzley Adams look though!)

And thought I was really having some crazy allergy attacks yesterday.

Turns out...sickness.

Yuck.

There should be a rule that momma's can't get sick!

I did muster the energy to do a lil' DIY though...

the littles' table was NOT looking so hot.

Crayon scribbles, glue spots, and now that Laney can spell...

LANEY, JON and YO! were magic markered all over the table top.

It needed some help...enter chalkboard paint.

I like it.

I think the kids will use it.

Don't know if I've created more of a mess...

chalk marks and dust all over?

Hoping Mr. I DON'T TRUST YOU WITH ANY TYPE OF ART SUPPLY will enjoy.

I did bribe him to the table with a dum dum sucker and a Diego doll his size.

Threw Diego on the ground and left him for dead.

Ate the sucker in 3 bites...

but has been enjoying the table.

And another little one isn't as chipper as her brother.

Miss Laney, oh poor girl.

Cried and cried about going to school this morning.

Says she misses her family terribly!

I gave her a family picture to take, hold tight next to her heart.

Wish I could stop her hurt.

Not sure what to do here.

Any suggestions?

Off to enjoy Monday...

yep, under the weather...and rainy weather it is...but ready to tackle the day.

Hoping it all ends with smiling faces!

Can You BeLEAF It's November?

2011-11-02T08:42:00.004-04:00

Took down all of my Halloween decor...

seeing that it's now November.

Already prepping for Turkey Day!

Laney...said her today outfit would have been worn by the pilgrims!

Boots gifted by the Indians...of course!
Now that it's November...the girls were sporting their new hats this morning!

Ugh...and know it's November because we go to school in the darn DARK!

So, now that it's November...

Have a pretty new sign.

We've had some unwanted visitors in our woods.

A member of our family could be mistaken for sweet Bambi!

Especially if she had these!

Sure enough, November is here.

I get to take the dog out in the freezing cold dark...

now gotta put on her bright colored coat ...protect us both! Yikes!

And...

now that November has rolled around...

I've already started thinking Christmas!

Really only a few more weeks until our tree goes up!

Ok...better work on my pumpkin pie skills first!

Hope your November has put a nice skip to your step!

Trick Or Treat

2011-10-31T21:20:00.006-04:00

Halloween 2011...

and the girlies were up...

rip roarin' ready to get to school!

Not a ton of Halloween activity at school,

but once back home...

a few littles were getting quite excited for TRICK OR TREAT!

Yep, thinking we have a Cullen in our home!

And sure enough, looks like she got her first victim...

went for the eye!

Mimi and Papa (my parents) came over for a pre-candyfest dinner.

We traveled to family...

and looky who we saw once at Jon's parents...

Papa Larry in the combine!

Jon literally scooped Henry up and boogied across the road.

Up they went, with Miss Laney right behind.

Papa Larry (Jon's dad) just turned that combine right at me!
First time ever in the combine for my sweet boy.
Three generations of Johnson's together...right there in the cab.
They finished that lil' field.
Sounds like Henry and that combine...L-O-V-E.

We then zipped into town...
ghosts and goblins filled the sidewalks!
The girls and I walked door to door
(while the boys sat in the car and chatted with lotsa outside friends).
So nice when you know every person!
What I loved the most....how excited the girls were.
This was their first time walking door to door.
Ya, excited about the treats,
but more excited about the experience....
walking in the dark, brushing shoulders with witches, monsters and freaky masked peeps...
holding out their Halloween buckets...TRICK OR TREAT!
Yep, they were just a smilin'!

Now we have 3 buckets, 3 bags and 3 sacks of goodies...
put the three tired babes to bed.
Jon and I may or may not have put a dent in the candy.
Shhhhh!
I'm thinking sugar detox tomorrow!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

One Party To Another

2011-10-30T17:37:00.005-04:00

Last night...whole family went to celebrate another birthday!

Of course we had to pull out costumes!

Not overjoyed with the whole Cheshire/CATS face paint anymore (Yawn!),

so went more for just a nice lil' meow!

A kitty and an owl...who knew they could be best friends?! :)

Even took the sweet spiders that the girlies helped me make!Started out with grilled hot dogs!

Love this shot...

told everyone to make a crazy face....

and I'm thinking nobody heard me...

this was reality, people! Ha!

My sweet lil' Henry reenacting some Robert Frost for his momma

(yessiree...I'm the English major, thank you very much!)

After some grub...the witch pinata was ready to fly!

Then back out to the fire pit...smores to wash down all of the witch's sweet treats!

And how can you forget apple bobbing?

After all of the party fun,

we left Emily with the birthday girl.

Oh ya, it was a spOOktacular party!

And today...

loungewear.homemade chili.fireplace running....

We resorted back to crafting again...

Helped the girls make treat bags for their classmates.

Even added these fabric covered suckers!

Oh goodness...been years since I made these babies!

All of this...

and it's not even Halloween yet!

It's My Party....

2011-10-28T22:35:00.004-04:00

So, she's 6.

After she blew out her breakfast candle...

up came the sun and the birth DAY began.

Miss L was STUDENT OF THE WEEK...

daily snacks, pix, show-n-tell...just for my girl !

(every student gets a turn.)

I volunteered on her actual birthday...

made up a lil' story about a monster.

Had the class LISTEN to my instructions on how to draw it

(colors, shapes....)

Nobody could peek.

Then 1-2-3...we all held up our versions of Lou!

I read a story and handed out birthday treats.

Even ate lunch with my gal!
*****

And later... after a birthday dinner...

presents it was!

(*When we were at Disney, we told the girls that they could each pick out 1 thing at the END of the week. Made window shopping quite fun for them. They picked out their one special item on the last day. Didn't know that Momma was shopping for some of their passed up ohhh and ahhh items all thru the week!)

Birthday dessert...requested root beer floats...and a new Halloween video...

perfect way to end a lil' bday!
*****

But tonight...

Laney's family birthday party!

She wanted a Halloween themed #6!

Pizza, cupcakes....goodie bags filled with more sugar and Disney!

And can't forget the insane amount of AMAZING gifts from family!

Everyone enjoyed the party.

Henry even taught his great grandmother how to navigate the ipad!

Sheesh....were they ever movin' and groovin' all around cyberspace!

And WOW! Balloons are the tip top #1 love of his life!

Oh Laney Isabelle...

#6 was pretty darn good to you!
Hope it gives you the best year yet!

Six

2011-10-27T08:26:00.003-04:00

Six years ago...

you came into this world...fast and furious

(and at a whopping 9.5 pounds)!

You've been full speed ahead since...

never looking back.

You are so smart, creative, funny...

Oh how I love you so.

At exactly 7:18 this morning, we sang to you.

Happy #6 Laney Isabelle!

Disney 2011

2011-10-24T10:19:00.009-04:00

While the girls were at school...

making secret phone calls, pulling out suitcases, packing, then hiding them again.

Quite crazy trying to keep Disney World a secret!

Woke the kids up way early...had a flight to catch.

Had new Minnie and Mickey shirts layed out!

They saw them...and finally guessed!

Screaming...hugs...then Emily got upset.

She was worried about missing her class zoo trip...worried that cousin Megan wouldn't have a partner!

Taking the van to the airport...guess who was on it?

Jon's parents!

Oh...more hip-hip-hoorays and lotsa hugs!

Girls didn't know that Jon's sister, hubs and their cousins would be flying one hour after us!

Their girls had no clue either.

Decided to surprise them in our hotel lobby upon arrival!

Needless to say, they were thrilled!

And Emily and Megan were both relieved about missing the zoo trip! :)

We hit all of the parks!
Am thinking everyone liked the race car ride!

And WHOA! Characters galore!

The girls' autographs books were used up!

Henry even got a kick out of the characters!

Everyone had breakfast with the princesses...

then everyone was present to see Henry meet his very favorite people...

WOW! Did Henry's face light up!

I was taking pix and video.

Outside a huge glass door...the whole family watched Henry meet his friends!

And Mr. H. even got a round 2 meet and greet with Buzz later on in the week!

Oh...yes, I looked a bit nutty...

We took the kids trick or treating in Disney World!

Way fun...a must do!

They shut down the Magic Kingdom for this special event.

Everyone dresses up.

Tons of fun...parades, dance parties, way too much candy...every.single.character out!

We did the whole ALICE IN WONDERLAND theme...even though that movie freaks me!

Mad Hatter Jon

White Rabbit Henry (he was sporting an oh so cute bunny shirt via Vintage Lucy's)

Queen of Hearts Emily

and Alice Laney
and I sported my Cheshire Cat/Mr(s) Mistoffelees outfit!

(I thought not smiling would make me look better...FAIL!)

Yessiree...Emily had a blast!

And Laney too!

Even Henry (and his monkey that made so many pix!)

The girls LOVED spending time with their cousins...

everyone enjoyed....

the boys....and the girls!

Disney 2011...

I have a feeling we will be back(after a BIG rest up)!

A Run And Some Halloween Fun

2011-10-22T19:42:00.005-04:00

Disney post is coming.

365 pix on my camera alone.

Whew!

Today was our first day post Disney.

Since we gorged ourselves for 7 days...

although walked a lot, not nearly enough after all of that food...

Hubs decided last minute to run our local 1/2 marathon this morning.
He wanted to put in 20 miles, so he ran 9 miles before the 1/2 marathon.

You know, a little warm up!

(He's in marathon training mode.)

I bundled up the babies and we drove into town to watch him finish!

Every single race I watch, Jon always finds me and gives me a high five.

(Yes, even Chicago Marathon, Honolulu Marathon...all of 'em!)

The kids got a kick outta Daddy stopping by before his finish!

And off he went!

Yay Daddy!

Jon ran well,
everyone was happy.
It was all great...
until big sister decided to go down a slide...without checking to see if there was a ginormous puddle at the end!

And yes, we all had a good laugh...even Emily!

*****

Tonight I took Laney to a local church Halloween party!

Jon's grandmother is a member...like the queen bee member!

Emily heard the word HAUNTED and was a big NO WAY!

So off Laney...ummm...Alice (in Wonderland) and I went!After crafting, decorating cookies, playing games..and filling her bucket with an crazy amount of baked goods and candy....

My sweet Alice in Wonderland turned into this!
What a wonderful event.

Quite the first day back from vacay!

Just Visiting Friends

2011-10-21T16:33:00.003-04:00

Did you notice my absence?

Just got back from visiting a mouse and all his friends!

Told the children 1 hour before we boarded a plane to Florida!

Oh ya, 7 days visiting all of our friends...

and my phone got dropped...

so I have no idea what you all have been up to!

Tuff stuff to stay away from all technology for 7 days...but....

REFRESHING!

Can't wait to tell you all about our trip!

Indian Summer

2011-10-12T08:12:00.012-04:00

We've had quite the indian summer here in Indiana.
Trees are PoPing with color and leaves are dropping at high speed.

And our evenings...well, we've definitely enjoyed!

Some neighbor friends are taking advantage of the nice weather.

Stocking up for the fall.

Working hard, yes they are.

While a few others...

let's just say they probably wouldn't get the job done! Ha!

Soccer is coming to an end.

We've sure had a great season!

Not sure if my 5 year old just likes it for the socialization!

She does have fun with it all though!

Always letting us know how many SCORES she got!

And Miss 8 year old...game on!

This age group...serious business!

Em's favorite part about soccer?

The fact that her dad was coach!

Oh, and Mr. #1 fan?

You can tell how INTO THE GAMES he gets! ~wink~

Oh ya, indian summer...

made the kindergarten's pumpkin patch trip so nice!
First ever field trip for Laney and cousin Madison!

I KNOW how super duper pumped they were that Aunt Suzanne and I went!

(Seriously...think that part was at the tip top of their HAPPY list!)

Indian summer...

we love it...

but...

it's gonna LEAF at super hero speed...

So, I'm off to enjoy it all!

Breakfast Club

2011-10-08T11:09:00.005-04:00

It was our turn to host for dinner club last night.
We turned it into BREAKFAST CLUB!

Theme: Breakfast for dinner!
Perfect weather ...so we had the event outside on our deck.

Went with a casual fall theme.

Guests dinned on delish bacon wrapped appetizers while sipping orange pineapple mimosas. Even served pumpkin beer.

It literally snowed leaves...beautiful!

We added some extra seating on the deck as well.
Jon spiced up the porch with beautiful lights...loved by George!

And my tablescape?

Went for a casual/rustic/Anthro look.

Mixed our every day white dishes, inherited dished from Grandma ( She

bought a few at a time back in the 1950's at our local hardware store), and threw in splashes of color with some Home Goods dishes.

Canning jars for drinks...name tags from brown paper bags.

Did include some FINE ware too...used Jon's mom's good silver.

Fresh flowers, burlap, twine and candles (battery) are always a staple!

Hubs...popping the cork!

I took this right out my kitchen window!

We munched on amazing homemade dishes...

egg sausage casserole

bacon potatoes

blueberry muffins

fresh fruit and dip...

and cinnamon rolls as big as your head!

Our friends...

ya, we have really good ones!

And after our bellies and hearts were full, everyone started trinkling out...

not empty handed though!

And then there was one.

The perfect evening for the best BREAKFAST CLUB ever!

Splish Splash

2011-10-06T08:56:00.006-04:00

This is Henry's new play place.

Loves the sink.

Maybe he's been hinting to splish splash?!

I took his hint,

and after dinner...

we all packed up.

Left the furry kids at home...so they could relax in a QUIET house.
(They thanked us.)

And over to Grammie and Papa Larry's house we went!

They just had a pool installed!

We had to try it out before they closed it for the season!

My kids...the first little peeps in the new pool!

And great weather so... swimming in October?

Crazy!

Trying to get a cute pix of all three babes.

It's always great until someone gets knocked out with a ball!
My sweet boy is FINALLY cool with just chillin' with swimmies!

Still can't believe swimming...after the crops have been harvested!

The basketball hoop was a total hit!

And dear Magic...just wanted to join in the fun!

I love this dog...

he cannot see well,

cannot hear well either...

so he sniffs his way to you!
My boy is going to spend many hours with his toys on these grand stairs!

My favorite...Laney with corn behind her!

The fencing hasn't been put up yet, so I had to take advantage of this shot!

Action!

And I promise that hubs wasn't posing here!

Must have been in deep thought! Ha!

Ahhhhh...relaxing!

The pool was such a great treat for the kids!

On our way home...

they were already thinking of pool toys that Santa needed to bring!

And this morning...

thought I would treat myself.

Went off coffee at the beginning of the week.

OUCH!

So, tried a pumpkin pie hot cocoa recipe.

It was so good.

Very rich.

And made my morning.

Three casseroles,

and lasagna for tonite's dinner already made.

Getting ready for a little dinner party tomorrow night!

Crossing my fingers that the farmer's don't harvest too close...

close harvest means lotsa bean/corn dust! YUCK!

Happy Thursday!

SMORE Fun

2011-10-04T18:45:00.003-04:00

We've had some wonderful fall weather lately.

Just 12 hours after playing Mad Hatter and Cheshire Kitty...

we celebrated my grandparents' 65th wedding anniversary.

Not to mention that each turned 90 as well!

The kiddos had a ball outside...

And our week has already been full.

Emily made Henry's spooky breakfast the other morning!
And, ya, lil man is gaining some skills on his horse!

Wish I knew the right terminology...

his therapist positions him differently...

the motion stimulated communication!

One of the best positions...over the barrel.

So cute to watch him hanging over Zippy the horse, singing TWINKLE, TWINKLE!

Then Ms. Kelly decided to shake things up a bit!

Check out this stunt!

Looks like a real jockey!

Henry wasn't in love with it, but time will tell.

And trotting...

It's more than amazing to see this little 2.5 year old trotting down the arena on a horse!
Up and down they go, like pros!

After hippotherapy, this is my guy last night at 6pm!

So, while Laney was out with Jon,

sweet Henry was just plain OUT,

Emily and I assembled 22 snack bags for her turn at MORNING MUNCHIES at school.

And this is just the middle of the week!

We have so much SMORE to do!

The GREAT 2011 Halloween Bash

2011-10-02T09:38:00.009-04:00

Last night...

the 4th annual adult Halloween party!

The girls were over the moon with excitement...

watching Mommy and Daddy get ready.

Roared when I applied Jon's lipstick!

Ahhh, our version of the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat...

Henry didn't know who we were!

He knew my voice, but wasn't too into my looks!

We had fun with the MOD theme...

and I'll totally be sporting this kitty dress with purple tights in my future!

Every year, two different couples host the party.

What a FAB job they did this year!

The gig was at our friend's farm.

15 seconds upon arriving, look who greeted me!

She ran right up to me...thought I was her long lost momma!

Oh...wanna check out the rest of our clan?

Enjoy!

So, when the Williams sisters showed up with their dark base and stuffed buns,

we all started to wonder...

WHERE WERE THEIR HUSBANDS?

After some time, while everyone was enjoying the event and beautiful sunset...

we saw something in the distance.

The husbands.

They slowly made their entrance on this.

Oh ya, a REAL horse.

And chaps too.

And that is all I can reveal.

It was the perfect movie scene...

Brokeback Mountain style.

We had a catered meal,

went on a scary hunt

(goodness knows how many people were dressed up and strategically placed to scare us),

and the DJ...who also had karaoke?

Hands down, we rocked the barn!

So, we were up partying,

but we noticed that our wildlife friends were up a bit later, partying a bit harder...

we woke up to this...

Oh well, at least someone enjoyed those puny pumpkins!

This And That

2011-09-29T12:53:00.005-04:00

Henry and I had our friends over yesterday for a lil' playdate.

My sweet friend, Alyssa, gifted me with this fun banner!

Who doesn't love denim, burlap and buttons?!
Thanks girl!

And all of my dear peeps were in photographic moods this morning...

Puff Kitty...the girl NEVER takes a bad pix!

Mr. Henry...my mover and shaker!
Emily...ready to get to school!

And Laney.

Posing with the last of the garden flowers that Jon and she collected last night.

Ahhhh yes...the last of our garden.
I don't care if anything pops up, except for...

pumpkins!

We always plan a ton, hoping for a great turnout.

This year, we even planted a variety of pumpkins that were guaranteed to look like this:

And after planing like 100, this is what we got...
Nailed it.
And today, Henry and I surprised the girls at school with pizza/breadstix lunches!
Laney chose her friend Griffin and Cousin Madison to sit with us.

Then Emily chose Griffin's big sis Morgan, and Cousin Megan!

The girls loved their nice lunch treats!

And I always love surprising them!

Hope you are having a wonderful Thursday!

It's Officially Autumn When...

2011-09-27T15:42:00.002-04:00

A first for the fall season...

We pulled out our BOOTS!

The cool temps are perfect for boot wearing!

Lotsa rain too...

so we pulled out these mommy and me's...

And even though my boy won't wear boots,

he's still having a ball riding Zippy the horse!

Oh ya...little mister is loving horse therapy!
All smiles, relaxed, sings songs, tells the horse to GO...
Henry asked to GO FAST today, so the horse trotted!

Henry giggled.

And what was just as cool...so did the horse!

No joke...just snorted and snorted, lifting it's head up and down!

Like Henry told it a great little joke!

So, the horse rider of the family won't wear boots like the rest of us.

That's okay, since we might go back to shoes sometime.

Guess everyone in my home has good taste.

Now, to get hubs on board and we can be THAT cool matching fam!

Happy Tuesday!

Hot To Cold Weekend

2011-09-25T14:31:00.005-04:00

Our weekend started out a bit heated.

Friday...Laney woke up with a fever.
Poor girl was heartbroken...had to miss Grandparents' Day!

Emily did have my mom, Jon's mom and Jon's Grandma in her room!
(It's harvest time, so the grandpas were in the fields.)

Laney was feeling a bit better by the time my mom came home with Emily,
so I made a little AFTER SCHOOL SNACK for all to enjoy!

Friday evening...got my hair done.

And this is the straightest and lightest you will ever see my hair!

The blonde highlights took, but the red and brown didn't!
(Crazy the brown didn't since I'm a natural brunette!)
Big oops..must have had recall colors!

Well, you may just see me as a blonde for a while, because honestly....I don't want to spend the energy to go back and have the darker colors run back thru my hair.

I'm a huge fan of brunettes, but hey...why not see what the blonde world has to offer?

*****

Saturday morning...rain.

It never stopped!

Both girls played their soccer games.

It was Laney's turn to take snacks, which we had fun with.

Baked and gluten free snacks...score...errr...goal!

Everyone came home cold and drenched!
But after... what is better than a hot bubble bath and a hot lunch?!
****

It hasn't stopped raining since Friday night, so we've been relaxing.
I read this:

Got it for Emily and as soon as she reads it, I'm taking the girls to the movies to see it.

*****
Last night we all did get a bit spiffied up...
went out to celebrate Grandma's birthday!

We only took phone pix, so here's one of G.G. with the girls a few months back.

(G.G. stands for GREAT GRANDMA.)

Yep, this is Jon's grandma.

Isn't she the prettiest grandma...great grandma you've ever laid eyes on?

Family birthday's are the absolute BEST!

*****
And today?

More rain and cold, cold, cold.

Feels more like the prep of winter!

This weather brings out some wicked allergy reactions from yours truly, which is a bummer.

But this may not be helping out either...

I'm thinking Puff Kitty sleeping on my pillow may be adding some fuel to my allergy fire?

Guess what?

Ya, made only one half of the bed.

Oh how could I disturb my sweet 13 year old princess?!

*****

We are enjoying apple cider,

lotsa candle light,

lounging in our comfy clothes,

and enjoying some movies.

Just the perfect ending to our weekend!

Happy Weekend

2011-09-23T08:11:00.005-04:00

It's here...

the weekend!

Shout it from the roof tops...or the barn tops!

Oh my silly girls...

yep, just been a silly week!

Ready to break out more silly fun...

just started celebrating last night.

Homemade carmel apples.

Not as easy to make as I remember.

And WHOA!

Those carmels really stick in your teeth!

YUM!

So, Happy Weekend! From my flower girls...

who will hopefully take some tips from my boys...

RELAX and ENJOY..

with lots of cuddles in between!

Making Memories

2011-09-20T20:11:00.002-04:00

Thirteen years ago, Jon and I received a journal from my family.

We were to take it on our honeymoon.

Write it all down...

memories for later.

Best thing I ever did...wrote it all down.

Every day, I would journal.

Captured all of the details from our very first day as a married couple.

And now I blog to journal our family life.

Yes, I go back and read older posts.

I smile, I tear up, I laugh outloud.

Memories of our family.

In reality, this is how some of our mornings are.

And we are the family...three children, two kitties and one dog...

who has majorly dirty windows!

(In our defense, they are dirty on the OUTSIDE! Ahhh, life in the woods!)

And yes, sometimes a kitty relaxes where he shouldn't.

We are the family who loves to cheer on our beloved Boilermakers!

Yep, I pop our own snack popcorn before heading out the door to a Purdue soccer match.

We are the family who supports each other...cheering each other on.

Right now it's three days a week of therapy for Mr. Henry.

But, how how he is changing and growing!
Let's just say that...

I want a horse.

At our home.

Since we don't have enough animals! Ha!

I love that Henry loves riding the horses.

I love that he greets the horse with a nice pat...

and waves to his horse, Stripes, giving thanks to a wonderful session.

What else grabs my heart and fills it immensely?

How happy the horses are!

Captured Pepsi the horse waiting for his little person to come outta that door!

After riding the horse,

my boy goes into therapy.

Here he is...yes...he's in this amazing lycra swing!

While in that swing he will say anything and do any given task!
I now want one.

Wonder if it would make everyone else in our house do any given task?

We are the family who loves to read!

Book fair week at school!

The children and I shopped after school.

Along with some books, they each just HAD to have a Harry Potter sticker book.

And WOW! They went through every.single.character.

Emily told Laney about each one!

And (GASP!)...we are the critter loving family!

So happy that my children love animals!

Last night the littles just called and called for a friend that they spotted in the woods.

Finally gave up and left.

And once the coast was clear, out came their object of affection!
Hey, kitty is no fool!

(Oatmeal Cookie...a stray...probably no longer since I actually named him!)

We are the family who definitely has a number one in life...

FAMILY!

And I am the blog momma who takes endless pictures of my children.

And I blog journal about them.

Creating more memories for my family to look back on.

To smile, tear up and laugh outloud.

Fall Friday

2011-09-16T15:42:00.004-04:00

The turning of the leaves...

means bustin' out the longer sleeves!

It also means new popcorn..right out of the fields!

My dad brings us buckets full.

Yes, popcorn...fresh from the stovetop...PoP!PoP!PoP!

Along with popcorn...APPLES!

Add a lil' dipping carmel...YUM-O!

And September means SCHOOL PICTURE DAY!
Laney swears that she made a goblin face.
Emily said she blinked.
This could be interesting!
***
Hope your Friday is FAB!
The weekend is HERE!
Hooray!
Hope I don't end up like this after we've celebrated ours!
Have a great weekend!

...and just keepin' it real...
30 seconds after my SCRATCHED UP chest fell on the witch,
Henry ran over, shouted "OH NO!"
Tried to pull that nasty ol' witched outta there.
No luck.
He successfully amputated her leg though!

ENJOY THE WEEKEND, MY FRIENDS!

Oh Baby Boy: Nursery Artwork

2011-09-14T18:12:00.002-04:00

Last month, I had some TOP SECRET artwork to paint.

The sweet couple was expecting baby #3!

Everyone knew THAT wonderful news, but...

nobody KNEW that the couple KNEW that they were having a BOY!

Enter moi!

J and L wanted an airplane theme for their TOP SECRET baby boy nursery!

Here it is ready to go (taping of the crib measurements are on the wall).

And AFTER!

Oh...notice the Potterybarn bedding?

Notice the pillow on the glider?

It has the baby's name on it.

So, besides the couple, I knew the gender and the name!

Right after I finished painting, the door was locked.

And I had to keep this secret!
***

Well, I love how the nursery turned out!

The fun vintage airplanes were such wonderful PoPs in the room!

I used just a few colors, so the artwork wouldn't overwhelm the room.

Red, white, blues and silver!

And baby Mason was just born!

So now everyone knows the great news!

And now they can have a peek at the nursery!

On The Run

2011-09-14T13:21:00.006-04:00

Oh we've been having lotsa fun here...

Friday night was our monthly supper club at our friends' home...tailgate theme!

Saturday night, date night... with one of our most favorite couples... at P.F. Changs.

(My first time ever eating there.)

This week hit with a bang...speech therapy at Purdue on Monday.

Hubs even got to see his sweet boy in action!

Henry and I then ventured thru Purdue's campus to see Jon.

Yes, I felt old and quite disabled with a stroller, but I couldn't be happier to push my son thru the campus that I walked some 15 years ago (GASP!).

Tuesday brought some fun hippotherapy.

Best therapy EVER!

Besides a lot of running around,

we've had some fun here too.

Let me introduce you to my new best friend.

Seasonal at Target.

I may have gotten a few bags!

Laney and I had fun making and baking them up!

Oh, and meet my year+ project.

My great grandma's high chair!

It was nasty dark and not worth anything (no tray table and two different back two legs).

I tried painting it funky and colorful.

Fail.

Ended up going all red.

Added some black and white, aqua and purple ribbons.

And even though the cookies aren't gluten free,

I did use almond milk (dairy free).

Ya, Henry got a nice treat...and liked it lots!

My girlfriend and I both have little guys around 2 years, so we thought they needed to get together...share, cooperate, etc.
The littles had fun,

so did the mommas!

Mr. Aspen ready for school! Ha!

And the only other pix that I got that wasn't fuzzy (two years old means RUN, RUN, RUN!).

My dear Henry is going to be such a bookworm!

Happy Wednesday!

Babies, Blankets and BAM! The Weekend!

2011-09-09T09:00:00.003-04:00

Busier than usual for this momma!

I got THE instruction manual...

while oldest sister is at school all day,

I have to tend to her dolls.

Oh, she asked nicely, and I obliged.

Didn't realize what was in store for me though.

Getting these 6 littles ready takes her 15 minutes.

Took me like all morning.

I'm totally blaming my assistant.

He tried to undress them, made lotsa messes and drew (pencil..whew) on Emily's bed!

I think I will have to fire him! Ha!

So, unseasonably cold and rainy here (daytime: 60's).

And last Friday it hit 100 degrees.

Weird.

Loving the cooler change though.

So, last nite, after reading this blogger friend's post, I laughed.

Blankies.

We know a lot about them here!

I had one as a child: Cacky.

I sucked my index finger and rubbed the silky on the edge of the blanket.

Stopped sucking my finger, but kept that blanket...

until 6th grade.

I kept cutting it down to eventually a bit of nothing.

Then it was gone.

Got a new one right before I flew out the door to college.

Whoa!

That blanket has been EVERYWHERE, seen EVERYTHING.

Everyone knew that blanket.

I still have it.

Wanna see it?
It's now old and tired.

It stays in the drawer beside my bed.

You might even find it folded and napping at the end of my bed.

It has to be hand washed.

I keep losing more and more of it.

But guess what?

After having it sewn too many times to count...it still has some silky on it!

Ya, you might find me rubbing the silky part once in a blue moon...or a lot more than that!

Hubs has a blankie too!

Cookie Monster blue.

His grandmother made it for him when he was a little guy.

Everyone fights for it on cool evenings!

So after our crazy blankie obsessions...okay...MY blankie obsession...

got smart when our sweet babies came along.

I used white cloth diaper blankies.

Bought like 3,000 of them.

Jon's sister had them too (for her girls).

Jon's mom kept some at her house (just in case we forgot ours).

I could smell them all and know which ones were mine.

Ya, crazy huh?

Well, the girls did sleep with theirs, but no longer.

Henry was never into them.

So, I have 3,000 white diaper blankies that I just can't use for cleaning rags...just yet.

And I'm pretty darn excited that my children did NOT inherit my blankie obsession!

So, it's THE WEEKEND!

Holla if you are as excited for me!

The girlies were pumped for their last school day of the week!

We have lots in store over our weekend!

Can't wait to get it started!
Enjoy yours!

Just The Little Things

2011-09-06T19:17:00.004-04:00

So, what's going on here, you ask?

Cool temps and lots of wind....

perfect kite flying weather!

Painting acorns and making necklaces!

Fall snacks! Whoop!

Jon and I made an assembly line...

Bagged those munchies up!

Emily's turn to take morning munchies for her class.

(Yep, they get morning snacks every day! MMM!)

Mr. Henry Oliver in LOVE with his new Scooby Doo shirt!

Oh ya, this boy sooo digs Scooby!

(He calls him DOO!)

Today...I put about 200 miles on my vehicle!

No joke!

An hour down to hippotherapy.

My boy did a FINE job!

His face lit up when the horse started to trot!

And a first ever...Henry looked at me behind that glass window...smiled and WAVED...3x!

Boo-ya!

And check it...

Henry's first ever artwork!

Doesn't matter that his therapist and he had some inky hands!
What matters is that he sat for 4 minutes just a stampin' away!

It's just the little things...

that rock my world...

and fill my heart.

(Besides the 200 miles of car time!) :)

There's A FIRST For Everything

2011-09-04T20:26:00.010-04:00

Well, we've been having some F-U-N during our Labor Day weekend!

Friday... Henry's very first day of...SCHOOL!

There are 4 children, each child has an adult with him/her, a speech therapist per child and two coordinators!

Whew!

And can I tell you...Henry ROCKED his first day of school (a day meaning 75 minutes)!

His favorite time?

SNACK!

Here's a lil' pix that my sweet boy took of his school! Multicultural festival was later that day!

And a self camera phone shot while I chatted with the coordinator!

The only pix of my dear Henry on his first ever day of school!

Friday night meant GIRLS NITE OUT!

Jon treated his grandma and the littles to the hot dog/root beer stands while it was Mexican and margaritas for moi!

Saturday nite brought friends over to our home for pizza and laughter!

Ya, party animals we are...everyone was gone by 10pm!

And this morning?

Oh my baby...love this guy!

Hubs inherited this 1958 BMW motorcycle.

It was his grandpa's.

Very sentimental....and Jon has already started to shine the bad boy up!

(He's already been given RULES: helmet is a must and no children allowed!)

This afternoon, Laney and Henry went to have fun at my parents' home,

while Jon and I took Emily out for a nice date!

PURDUE SOCCER!

Gearing up...lunch before!

Then...let the game begin!

Future Boilermaker?

EO...top notch assistant coach!

Our friend, Coach Rob...

and his dear sweet Aspen!

The game was a bit rainy...and muddy!

(Check out Em's hat!)

Soccer girls sliding all over that field!

And an after game run on the field!

We then went to see Coach Rob's office over at Purdue's football stadium!

Ahhh...the view of Purdue!

Hubs was pretty stoked to check out the field!

And it's always nice to see the GREATS OF PURDUE!

To look down on Purdue's campus all day would be pretty darn entertaining!

Or looking out onto the field every day...not too shabby either!

We had such a wonderful time at Purdue!

Thanks to our wonderful friends, the Klattes!

Wow! Pretty darn good times in the past few days.

FIRST day of school.

FIRST "it's finally MINE" bike.

FIRST date with our adorable oldest.

So much...and we are tuckered out!

Hope you all are celebrating your weekend...hands in the air, smile on your face...dancing around...taking in all of the big and little bits of happiness!

O' Happy Days!

Embracing

2011-08-31T09:25:00.002-04:00

My dear friend says that the beginning of every season is her favorite.

So true, so true!

I don't even want to speak the words (so I'll type them)...

I'm over summer.

Fall is knocking on our door.

Yesterday, Henry's hippotherapy session with his NEW therapist went well.
She had him just a waving to me...

they sang songs...

Ms. Kelly had Henry command Tiger to STOP and GO...

and of course, Henry had to give Tiger lotsa rubs (all enjoyed).

Guess I was nervous about the therapist change...

and was so relieved that it all went well...

when lil' mister came out, yelled MOMMY and jumped into my arms...

I started crying.

Ms. Kelly must have really thought I was the nut job! Sheesh!

It really is amazing to see how far my little man has come.

One year ago he wasn't speaking and wouldn't look when his name was called.

Very emotional to see daily changes.

Anywhoo...Henry jumped into my arms and said EAT! HA!

*****
Speaking of eating...

Good grief! I'm still cooking up a storm....my waist and thighs thank you Ree! Ugh!

Just made a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Gluten free.

Frozen cookie dough from Whole Foods.

Genius!

And for dinner?

Like I said...moving into fall, so chili it is!

I'm going to have the girls help me make soft pretzels when they come home from school! MMM!

And guess what?

Henry asked if we could stop by Home Goods on our way home from hippotherapy!

(Okay, I guess I can't blame him for everything!)

I purchased a few fall looking loves.

I'm liking the change.

Side note: My great grandmother's chest.

Yep, it's really beat up...scratched...and my momma says I need to have it refinished.

But, I keep saying that all of those marks have a story.

Even if I don't know what any of the stories are!

Fall, yes you are knocking on my door...

and I'm embracing you...

letting you in.

Maybe you can eat all of this food I've been cooking!

Eating Up Family Time

2011-08-29T13:52:00.006-04:00

It's all about having fun...

getting dirty...

filthy...

but there are always smiles...
jumbo pixie stix seem to add to the delight.

Just enjoying family time.

Loving weekends when we are all home together.

Just our little creative family.

Sweet Laney's free spirit attire.

And Emily's fun artwork...
(Yes, I may grow fangs and horns when I am mad, but no bare midriff for this momma!)

Time together as a family...
very precious.

Because I know that my three little ones will just get busier and more independent as they grow.

So, I'm enjoying every little moment with them.

*****

And when the weekend is over...

and Jon is back to work...

and the girls are in school,

Henry and I have our time.

Today we cooked.

Okay, he played with his TOY STORY friends while I cooked.

Much earlier this morning, while exercising, I watched this gal.

Have you watched?

Made me hungry...

so I prepared dinner this afternoon.

(So I can just enjoy the girls when they get home...instead of running around...trying to do too many things at once.)

The outcome... we are having egg/sausage casserole and cinnamon rolls for dinner.
Oh and this...

peach crisp over ice cream.

Since all of the above doesn't have enough calories or fat in it.

Cheers Monday!

Kick It!

2011-08-28T13:30:00.007-04:00

We started our weekend off with a family treat.

One of my best friend's hubs is the Purdue Women's Soccer coach.

First home game of the season...

we were there!

Jon's sister and her girls came too!

So did our friend, Lacey and her two kiddos!

All of the lil peeps were stoked to see Purdue Pete!

Emily made signs the night before...
so the players could sign them after the game!

One of my favorites...one of the lefty players telling Laney how cool and amazing lefties are (Laney and I are lefties!)

Cousin Madison, Laney, Emily and Cousin Megan...so excited to have the players sign!
While the girls got autographs...

Jon got some tips from the assistant coach, EO!

We all love EO...especially Emily, because they are about the same size! Ha! So sweet!

Then hubs got some more great coaching advice from Coach Rob!
Last year, I have pix of Emily doing cartwheels in the middle of the soccer field.

This year...crawling?! with Coach Rob's son, Aspen!

Takoda...first Purdue game!

He was pumped to see his daddy coach!

My bestie, Alyssa, and me.

Everyone had a great time...

and you know what?

The kids played so much better at their own soccer games on Saturday morning!

I'm seeing more Purdue soccer games in our future!

Ahh-Choo To The Weekend

2011-08-26T14:23:00.004-04:00

Late summer...

oh, I can feel the transition into fall.

Morning cardigans due to crisp air

and evening sunsets just a bit earlier.

And just this morning...

sneezing every 2 seconds.

Don't know if I am having hot flashes or just get sweaty from all the sneezing.

Ahhh...late summer...and RAGWEED!

But, I'm bucking up.

My body is full of Allegra, nasal spray and Mucinex-D.

(Still going through a box of tissue a day...

anyone have a cure-all?)

Bucking up because it's the WEEKEND!
Can't wait to have my girls home!
Can't wait to maybe spend a wee bit more time in jammies!

Oh ya, that's right...late summer is here...

can't wait to make some peach cobbler outta these babies...

fresh from Michigan!

(Thanks to Jon's parents!)

Ohhhh....can't wait to get this weekend started!
We have some family fun planned!

Even if I have both nostrils stuffed with tissue!

Happy weekend, everyone!

About Us

2011-08-24T13:25:00.006-04:00

Back to School Time...doing some ABOUT ME projects!
Big Sister spent a lot of time last weekend creating.

Proud of the outcome!

And lil' sister is getting the hang of kindergarten.

Her favorite times? Recess and when she sees her sister!

And lil' bro...embracing hippotherapy!

Waving to his horse, Zippy!

And one of his favorite choices...swinging!

Yep, we're all on the climb up!

Exciting!

But, we do have our moments.

Em hurt her foot at recess yesterday.

A hole in her foot and it still had asphalt in it. Ewww!

Laney then ran into a pole at recess.

Big goose egg on her forehead!

So, bandaged up today,

and in the best tennis shoes and socks!

While they are hopefully boo boo free,

We are a little scattered around here at home.

Had all my carpets cleaned today.

No furniture in some rooms...

And my kitchen is the make-shift living room, office, etc.

Haven't had enough of me?

Here's the ABC's of moi:

A: Age: 37 (thought I was 35 all last year! Oops!)

B. Boogie down to: 60' s music

C. chore you hate: folding clothes

D. dogs: Sacco (a rescued greyhound)

E. Essential start to your day: Get ready before the kids get up...and coffee!

F. Favorite color: green, but I'm loving orange at the moment!

G. Go to meal: Tacos

H. Hair: this please!

I. Ideas you are thinking of: artwork and Halloween costumes

J. Job title: mom, cleaning lady, gourmet chef, taxi driver, artist

K. kids: Emily, Laney and Henry (human)...Sacco, Puffy, George (furry)

L. Live: Indiana

M. Middle name: Dawn (yep, I'm from the hippy era)

N. Nickname: ---

O. Overnight hospital stays: 3...with babies

P. Pet Peeve: Slow peeps. I'm quite impatient!

Q. Quote: There are no rules when it comes to art.

R. Righty or Lefty: Lefty! But I play sports as a righty.

S. Siblings: My sister, Andee, is 4 years older.

T. Time you wake up: 5:30am ...hello treadmill!

U. University attended: Purdue

V: Veggie you love: tomatoes...fresh off the vine!

W. Wildest Dream: I would love to be able to talk to animals!

X: X-rays had: ---

Y: Yummy food: pizza, any time. Red licorice!

Z. Zoo animal favorite: All of them...I'm the one who wants to set them all free. Come on over to my house!