Weekend of FUN

We had a great time this Fourth of July weekend. With relatives visiting from Utah there were plenty of cousins and craziness.

Here are the little ones settling down for a movie after playing outside in the sun.

We went to Pike Street and fought the crowds at the Farmers Market. Lucky for me Josie fell asleep in her stroller and slept through this madness.

Reese loves feeling grown-up and was always curious about where we were on the map. Here we're waiting for our turn on the monorail.

Our 4th of July party was a blast - as always. The boys start the day with a trip to the reservation to get fireworks. Then we all gather at my sister's house and watch with amazement while sheilding our eyes from falling ash.

Josie was scared of the fireworks, but soon she stopped shaking with fear and was content just to NOT leave our laps.

Mother's Day

I'm finally getting around to posting some adorable things my girls' did for Mother's Day.

I wanted to scan the book Ashlynn made me as well as a top 10 list from Reese. However, Rich recently did something to our home computer and not only do I not have any photo editing software on it anymore I have no Microsoft Office on it. CRAZY...I KNOW! He works for Microsoft - I guess the shoemaker's daughter has no shoes.*

*(This is something my mom often said when I was young to explain why we had no blinds or curtains of anykind on our ground-floor, bedroom windows and would end up nailing blankets or sheets into the wall to cover the windows for privacy. My father made drapes and hung blinds for a living.)

So because my husband doesn't check my blog and has no idea how important pictures can be....you'll have to settle for my typing it in.

From Ashlynn:
A book she made in class (based on The Giving Tree) The cover is made from a wall paper sample and it's entitled "Do You Know What I'll Do?"

One day a girl said to her mom,
"Do you know what I'll do when the flowers grow again?
I will gather wild daisies and gently place them in your favorite vase.
Do you know what I'll do when it snows?
I will make a little snowman and take a little picture of it for you.
Do you know what I will do when it rains?
I will come inside and read next to you and snuggle right by you and have hot cocoa.
Do you know what I will do when the wind blows?
I will stand outside and show you how brave I am and that I can do anything for you.
Do you know what I'll do in the night?
I will read to you in bed and keep you company.
Do you know what I'll do on my walk?
I will gather some things and make crafts for you.
Do you know what I'll do when I wake up?
I'll make you breakfast in bed and make you a card.
Do you know what I'll do when I grow up?
I'll have a wonderful family and always come visit you."

So sweet.

And Reese made me at least three different cards and this top 10 list the italics are what she filled in:
10 I love my Mom because she reads me my favorite books.
9 I love my Mom because she helps me swing high.
8 I love my Mom when she makes me laugh by tickling me really hard.
7 I love my Mom because she taught me how to do the monkey bars.
6 I love to hear my Mom sing jingle bells.
5 I love my Mom because she finds time to be with me.
4 I know my Mom cares because she loves me, and our family.
3 I know my Mom is smart because she goes on the computer.
2 I love my Mom because she works so hard at exercise.
1 I love my Mom because she's the best mom ever.

Easter

We went to Utah to visit family there. And although it was nice to see everybody...the 'vacation' was anything but....

On Sunday, the morning after we arrived, we found out my dad was heading to the emergency room with chest pains. I spent the day with him there, while they ran tests and weren't quite sure if he had a heartattack or not. So they wanted him the following morning to go in for stress testing. After that test, they decided he needed to be admitted to the hospital. So I spent Monday with him in there and he got an angiogram and two stents put in. He came home on Tuesday and is still doing well :)

But after that I got sick with a head cold. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep. I tried to go shopping with my sister, but spent most of that time in the car because I felt awful. This head cold lasted for two days.

I started feeling a little better and managed to squeeze in an afternoon Rock Climbing with Lisa (which was a total blast!) and a visit with Rich's mom that was great for my kids (and grandma:).
Then I got some other sickness, where I had vomitting and overall ick! So Easter, I made it to church. Took a few pics. And then laid on the couch sick for the rest of the evening.

Not a fun vacation.....and not a very fun houseguest either! (Sorry Mel)
Put here are a couple of pics from Easter.


Reese got a matching dress for her and her doll. A Burlington buy...totally awesome.

Josie loved her dress, and thought she had to hold on to the flower at her waistband. I think she thought it would fall off.

Ashlynn had a really pretty blue dress but once she got home from church she changed so she could have more time to play.

A Fave and a Babe

Here are two miscellaneous pics I wanted to share.

My Favorite store right now has to be Tai Pan Trading Company. Although their website isn't real functional...the store is amazing. Everytime I go to Utah I make a special trip so I can get the cutest ever things for my house. There have been a few times I've entered the store and panicked because I was afraid I would never get to see everything. It's a good thing there's not a Tai Pan nearby or my house would be bursting at the seams with their totally cute decor. I ADORED this snowman sign and so I bought it to add to the cute seasonal change-out hanging arm I also bought from there.

And this is my babe Josie enjoying the American Girl Doll stuff Reese recieved for Christmas. Reese's bedroom is Josie's favorite room in the house. If the door is left open she makes a beeline straight to it. (Much to Reese's dislike.) Reese was at school so I let Josie take her tea in there.

Finally some pictures

Here are some Christmas Morning pictures. Santa was brilliant and brought Ashlynn and Reese American Girl dolls. Ash and Reese are just different enough in personalities and far enough in age to think they have nothing in common. But these dolls have inspired so much playtime together. It's been great. Plus...it's so fun to do the dolls' hair...there's no wiggling and crying when I try to get out tangles.

And not to be left out - Josie got a doll of her own that's the same size/style as the AG dolls. But I think Josie has used Reese's doll sized tea table & chairs as well as climbed on Ashlynn's doll bed more than she's played with the doll itself.

And here are some pics from New Years Eve. After an evening of playing games like Lips, Call of Duty, Killer Rabbits, and Would You Rather we rang in the new year with sparklers and confetti. These pictures are of Reese and her cousin Tyler.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is looking forward to a better/happier and more loving New Year :)

Thanksgiving with strings...

DON'T FORGET TO PAUSE MY PLAYLIST AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

So here's slideshow of me and my sisters modeling our aprons on Thanksgiving. It was so much fun. First we spent a day shopping for fabrics and then a day sewing them up.

It was tons of fun and I think new aprons will be a part of every Thanksgiving.

Sidebar

I know I promised more apron pics and I'll get to them. But first a little sidebar.

I'd like to mention a Christmas song I've hated. Dan Fogelberg's Same Old Lang Syne. This would be the boring song that lasts forever and you're stuck wondering why they play it at Christmas time. But ever since Wierd Al's Stuck at the Drive Thru parody of that Out of the Closet song....I have found I can enjoy Same Old Lang Syne....if I make it mine. And here's how you can love it too:

Just Sing Whatever The Crap You Are Doing

Here's a sample of what I sang tonight when the song came on XM Holly 81 :) (Just imagine it to that lame tune and make the words on the end very melodic)

It was time to start some dinner,
All I had was some ground beef.
So I'll make it into meatballs,
with some Pasta that's Penne.
Earlier my daughter Ashlynn,
tried to make up some Salt Dough
She must have spilled it on the floor
cuz now there's salt between my toes.
If I walk now on the carpet,
I could wipe it off my feet.
But then the salt will be inside of it.
I think it's better if I sweep.
I take the broom out of the pantry.
I wish it had a better home.
But it's a good thing that I'm sweeping
cuz on the floor there's Honeycombs.
Oh crap. Here comes little Josie.
She'll mess up my crumb pile.
Oh wait, she kissing baby Jesus.
She knows how to make me smile.

It works great in the car too.
;) YOU'RE WELCOME

I'm back...

from the edge of the world (Utah) and the brink of insanity (what does that even mean?)


Thanksgiving was a total blast.
Crowded as all get out,
noisier than a cat convention,
and better than ever. (This may be due to the fact that I ran around taking pictures and playing with nieces and nephews rather than cooking and cleaning.)



I'll make a slideshow of some of the pics soon. But for now this will have to suffice.

I'm happy to say my Apron Tradition really took off!

It's me along with 5 of my sisters and 2 sisters-in-law. (Each of our spouses had cameras with instructions to take great pictures of us....so none of us are looking in the same direction.)

HaPPy HaLLoWeEN!!!!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

As many know, I love October. I think Halloween decorations are so much fun and I always look forward to being able to wear glittery eye-lashes. And what I love the most - My family's Halloween Parties. But this year I didn't get to go :( boo-hoo. But you can check out some of the costumes on my sisters blog here.

So I'm throwin' my own party. While my kids go trick-or-treating with dad. I'm dressing up in my costume and handing out candy. (Before now, I've always been the one going out t&t'ing with the girls.) So here is the scene you'll see if you come trick-or-treating at my house.

Here's me with my Snow White :) Josie

"Have a Bite!"

The magic mirror.