the simple life

12 on the 12th, take one

Click on photo to see it bigger

I have decided to participate in the 12 on the 12th photo/scrapbook project being hosted by Elizabeth Dillow from Ella Publishing Co.  I'm excited because I don't feel any pressure to complete a scrapbook page with my photos, and I don't feel like I've failed if all the photos come from my phone + Instagram app.  Twelve photos on the 12th day of the month? This I can handle  :)

January

1.  Bella's early morning preening. One of her "New Year's Resolutions" is to be easier and get up earlier in the morning. She's doing really well so far, and I have to say, I love this goal.  (Ezra's goals are to "eat more 'healfy fings', and to do more running.  Julian is to try to always do the things he knows he's supposed to do.  We'll just say he gets his lack of follow through from his Mama. ;) 
2.  Coffee for two. Ran out of creamer. Blergh. 
3.  My clearanced Starbuck's Christmas mug, holding all of my favorite marker pens. Every morning starts with signing of papers before sending kids to school. 
4.  My favorite B&BW lotion, doubling as an ice scraper. 
5.  Early mornings with Ezra. (He has afternoon preschool) He found Toy Story 3 on the iPad and was pretty excited about it.  
6.  3 gloves missing their mates. On our coldest day so far. Stinkin kids. 
7.  Did I mention, coldest day so far? My eyes water from the cold, so this is me waiting on my car to warm up after my first class of the day. (Oh yeah, I am back in school. You would know this if I still blogged.) 
8.  Bags. One for school stuff, one for errands and library books, and my purse. That cute flowery one is in the $2.50 section of the Dollar Spot at Target RIGHT NOW! GO!  It's way cute and has a zipper.  
9.  Annabelle enjoys the responsibility of picking up Ezra from after school each day. Again, a task that I can appreciate. See above re: freaking cold day. 
10. FOUR. After school. :) 
11. After my Thursday evening class let out early, I was able to stop by Julian's Cub Scout meeting. The boys constructed a bird house. It was my favorite project so far. Julian, however, did a lot of complaining about the heaviness of hammers. 
12. My favorite time of day, ready to cozy up in my favorite chair and watch junky tv shows and clip coupons. I should mention that Dustin was in this day too, but Thursdays are the worst day for us to see each other. SO, he's represented by the green coffee mug. ;) Hooray! One month down, 11 to go! 

HEY HEY! You are going to LOVE this.

My brother, as you may remember, lives in Chicago.  He is very tall and dark and handsome, although sometimes quite intimidating looking, especially when unshaven and in a cranky mood. Well, here, you can sort of tell here, that he is no delicate flower.  :)

He is talking to me on his phone while walking down the sidewalk and mentions that now that the weather is nice, there are people on every corner, raising money for some cause.  One group wants to save some building, another wants money to save a river, each cause more deserving than the next, of course.

He is very annoyed by these requests.  

He mentioned that last week a man jumped in front of him on the sidewalk, obviously trying to lure him into  a charitable place by throwing his arms in the air and declaring, "HEY HEY! YOU are going to LOVE this."  

CJ throws his arms in the air and replies, "HEY HEY! I don't talk to strangers", before continuing on his way.

I love that this tall, intimidating looking, nearly 30 year old man still uses the "Don't Talk to Strangers" line.  

farewell 2010...

• lots and lots and lots of snow
• a 10th anniversary
• a 6, 8, and 4 year old.
• not to mention, a 35 and 31 year old, with the sweetest cake ever
• the first family vacation as a family of 5
• the first time our family of 5 dressed up for Halloween
• a first Thanksgiving as a unit, and the first (possibly last) night of Black Friday Shopping afterward
• a little boy who discovered Cub Scouts
• a littler boy who discovered that he does not like organized sports unless he can hold his Mama's hand.
• a little girl who loves music and art and reading and science experiments
• a Daddy who gets to be closer to home and not hate his job
• a play group that fits like a glove
• lots of movies
• lots of kid "dates"
• lots and lots of laughter
• a Yoshi obsession
• an abundance of garden tomatoes
• not enough nights spent in the neighbors backyard with a campfire
• lots of bike rides and mosquito bites and popsicles
• lots of library trips and dumpster diving. (Don't knock it, we paid for most of Christmas and the family vacation with dumpster diving and scrapping metal!)
• waaaaay too much money spent at Target, Starbucks and Chuck E. Cheese
• lots of movies, music, and favorite new TV shows
• a trip to Chicago for the Bartell girls
• a few trips to Arkansas 
• NO MORE DIAPERS EVER!!!
• pretty much the best Christmas ever.
• 2010, we needed you.  Here's to 2011! Hooray!

Cloudy Shoes

Ezra LOVES this song. I do too His favorite part is the end, "Still trying to fix my MIND!" He sings it loudly in the car and then demands that I play the song again. I'm happy to oblige.

 

Today, I look at my cell and see that my brother called last night.  I check my voicemail as I'm driving and immediately started smiling...and then crying.  My brother saw Damien Jurado in concert last night, and when he started singing this song, CJ called me and let the entire song play on my voicemail, then hung up. It's my very favorite kind of voicemail, and I've received several of them from CJ.  Any concert that he thinks I would love, he'll call and let me hear a song.  I have voicemails saved on old answering machines that I refuse to throw out b/c there are songs on there from my brother.  I love that kid.

***November Daily photo album to the left is freshly updated.

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*Also: Don't forget to vote for my photo if you love me!  haha! Click here to Vote!

 

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Love,

Waldo, Woody, Mario, the pink haired rock star, and the pink haired rock star's Mama/groupie.  :) 

Sledding on Love Day

Dustin really really wanted to take the kids sledding on Valentine's Day.  We geared up, and got the 5 of us completely decked out in our winter duds in record time...oh I'd say 2 hours, max. 

 

This included duct taping Ezra's broken gloves to his wrists, because that's how we roll.

Well, also because I've vowed to not buy one more darn pair of gloves this Winter.  If you lose and/or break your gloves, kiss them fingers goodbye, boys.  Or do as God intended and stick your hands in your pockets.  And move back to Texas, where they are complaining about their cold spell...all 42 degrees of it.

You noticed that crayon on the wall back there, didn't you?  Yes, that's called "living in the house with artists".  Artists that do time-outs in that very corner after coloring on the walls.  Landlords LOVE us.

We borrowed our neighbor's sled.  You know, that one neighbor that goes snowboarding at our local golf course?  He's awesome.  He tried to convince us to take the snowboard too, but Dustin (and his aching back, that hit the ice 2 minutes into his snowboarding lesson) politely declined.  Although there are talks of golf course boarding next weekend...

Annabelle dragged that darn sled all over town, huffing and puffing, but incredibly happy. 

 

see? 

The boys reaped the rewards of Annabelle's hard work.  Ezra's face was the color of his jacket by the time that we got home.  Speaking of home, the boys and I wimped out early.  Julian just wanted one good sled down the back alley behind our house before turning in, and Ezra decided that it was time for hot chocolate and Charlie & Lola.

I love Dustin's silly face.

Parking lot of doom, you just got owned. 

Oh, and PS, I WAS there.  See, here's some <blurry> proof.  Dustin, apparently, can't use my camera's focus button with gloves on.  Every photo looks like this.  nice. I feel like when my kids are adults they will say, "I seem to remember Mama being there...but my memory's fuzzy..."  Son, that's not your memory, that was your Daddy's sweet camera skills. 

December 2--Where November went...

During my birthday month, we:

 

• Visited the zoo!  Thanks to the Des Moines library for the free kids passes! :) 

• Unknowingly locked my keys in the car, and had to wait an hour for Dustin to come bail us out.  Annabelle was sure that we would have to spend the night in the parking lot and was super scared.  Julian was super excited.  I was super exhausted.
  

•  I turned 30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• 

•  That's right, 30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Went to the movie theater 3 times in one week!!  The last time I was in a theater was twice last November, to see Twilight.  Both times. <--- nerd.
• This time I saw New Moon (at midnight, of course) <-----nerd, Where the Wild Things Are, and the Fantastic Mr. Fox!   All of them were very happy making.
• Seriously planning a new tattoo.  For years I have always assumed my first tattoo would be on my foot, and now I’m thinking wrist.  I’m kind of excited.
• Cut Ezra’s hair.  I’m so sorry Ezra.
• Sewed a SUPER CUTE pink/plaid Christmas tree skirt.  Thank you ehow.com!
• Put my Christmas tree up, and the kids helped decorate.  So fun.  So far, only 2 broken ornaments.  Score.
• Have eaten a dark chocolate cherry Kashi bar and drank a blackberry IZZE drink nearly every single day for snack time.  Also, giving up soda. (again) Except for the kind that is mixed with liquor, of course.  ;)
• 
  
• Spent a LOT of time at Barnes and Noble.
• Earned about $15 in Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks.  I am addicted.  I have ordered 2 books (one for me, one for Christmas gift for kids) so far.  I’m ¾ of the way to my next $5 card.  If you sign up, please use my link here, so I can get more swagbucks off of YOUR earnings! :)  Hooray! 
• Hosted Thanksgiving at my house for the first time ever.  I highly recommend having your Mama prepare most of the food for “hosting-your-first-Thanksgiving-ever”.  It turns out much better that way.       
  
• 

• 
  
  
• Pulled Julian’s tooth.
• Enjoyed a nice late night swim on one of the coldest days of this month.  Indoor, heated pool, of course.  Also: Annabelle nearly drowned. 
• Bonus: She didn’t drown!  Hooray!
• Lots of hot chocolate and marshmallows
• Not blogged.  At all, really.  And for that I’m sorry. I promise to be better in December.
• cut my hair REALLY short.  Or was that last month?
• missed you guys.  If we’re friends and you’re not on Facebook, why not?  That’s all I have to say about that.  ;) 
• Contemplating abandoning this blog, if only Facebook had some kind of archive system.  But they don’t, so I’ll have to be better about checking in here more often.  I already promised that, didn’t I? 
  
• Still loving Tumblr.
  
• Fixed my webcam, so I can take more silly self photos.  Like last year.  
• Bought a new hat.  I love it and wear it almost constantly.  But it won't work in a few weeks when I need something that will cover my ears and keep them from freezing and falling off of my head.                  

I love you, November.  You are a keeper. 

 

Dad's songs.

There is music from my childhood that will always remind me of my Dad.  

He introduced me to Elton John through a couple of greatest hits tapes.  When Dad picked the cassette up, I thought he was joking.  There was an odd looking man on the cover, wild glasses, pink sneakers and possibly golf pants?  The second cassette's cover wasn't much better, but when the music started filling our car, I was instantly hooked.  "Crocodile Rock", "Tiny Dancer", "Rocket Man",(quick fast forwarding through "The Bitch is Back", because that is exactly the last thing my father, a pastor, needed his kids to be heard singing).   My Mom always worked up a sweat singing "Bennie and the Jets".  Good clean fun for everyone.

My Dad and Uncle Kent spent a lot of time setting up Kent's "pool house" as a weight room.  For hours we kids would swim in the pool, then dry off by sprinting through my Aunt and Uncle's freezing house to use the bathroom and find the sugary treats.  I ate my first white chocolate covered pretzel in that house.  One night on the way to work out, Dad stopped by Wal-Mart and picked up a Michael Jackson CD, "Man in the Mirror".   I remember rewinding that song over and over and over before the iron pumping session was over, and in the process grew to love Michael Jackson for more than just "Bad" or a token spooky song to play during Girl Scout camp outs.  "Thriller", anyone? 

My parents went through a rough time in their marriage, and separated for a few months before divorcing, only to remarry a short time later.  During that time, my Dad discovered Garth Brooks.  I enthusiastically  sang along with "Friends in Low Places", and "The Rodeo", but the most significant song was "Shameless".  I remember watching the videos on CMT with my brother and sister.  Garth Brooks sang that song with such passion, tearing up that lone yellow rose and then beating on his chest, and declaring that he was "SHAMELESS!  SHAMELESS AS A MAN CAN BE!"  Some nights when Dad was at the house, we would watch videos and everytime that song came on, my Dad would try to get Mom to dance with him through the living room, always  mock pounding his chest during the passionate parts. I will forever owe a tiny part of my parents reconciliation to Garth Brooks, whether he deserves it or not.  

But one of my truest favorites that Dad introduced us to, was a woman named Nanci Griffith.  
She had the sweetest little wholesome voice, and every song she sang invoked memories of a time that I was obviously much too young to remember, but I loved it just the same.  One of my favorites was "Love at the Five and Dime" and thanks to the beauty that is YouTube, I can listen to my favorite songs without having to dig through my parents old shoeboxes of cassette tapes.  

the longest 20 minutes of his life

I almost never watch musicals.  I know I'm probably missing out on a lot of classics, but my parents both hated musicals and they instilled in me the fine art of the super quick fast forward reflex when a character bursts into song.

So chatting with my Mom the other night, she casually mentions,
"We watched Mamma Mia last night."

"Seriously?"

"Well, yes, sort of.  We didn't realize that it was a musical. "

"Well, yeah.  And an ABBA musical at that!"

"Well we love ABBA!  We just didn't expect the whole movie to be one long song.  Every time somebody started singing Dad would say "FAST FORWARD!", and every time that song ended, a new one was starting!"

"Mom, it's  a musical.  I think that's how it's supposed to be."

"I guess.  We watched it in about 20 minutes."

*laughing*

"Your Dad said it was the longest 20 minutes of his life."

I love my parents. :)

 I haven't seen Mamma Mia but I love Colin Firth so much, I know I'll have to try to watch it eventually.  Do you watch musicals?  I remember watching a few when I would baby-sit for my Aunt, whose children only watched classics, musicals and John Wayne flicks.  My favorite was probably "Meet Me in St. Louis" with Judy Garland.  I haven't seen it in YEARS, and I still get songs from that movie stuck in my head ALL.THE.TIME.

my mom, the crazy bird lady

{my Mom, in Chicago, trying to catch pigeons}

Today's my Mom's birthday, and we are so sad that we can't be there to celebrate.  An inside source told me that there is a surprise fajita dinner tonight, in her honor, with homemade German Chocolate Cake.  That makes me even MORE sad to miss!

We love you little Mama, and hope your birthday is wonderful :)

and these little turkeys are trying to convince me to have a "Happy Birthday Tata!" party, here at home. 
"or we could just have cake"...says the little girl with "rock star hair".

Flashback Friday** Mississippi Squirrel Revival

hisssss

**another story from June that I was reluctant to share out of embarrassment.   but since i've already shared one of the most embarrassing stories of my life, i decided that this one really isn't that bad. ;)  

the afternoon had been so lovely, a nice change from the tornado warnings and flash floods we had seen earlier in the week.  the sun was warm in the late afternoon sky and the breeze coming through the kitchen window above the sink was just perfect for cooling the upstairs of our home. 

i had opened the windows that surrounded the sun porch, and as i washed dishes in the kitchen, i could hear the sounds of the kids playing wild games of "farmer guy" and "cooker girl".  their imaginations are really at the sweetest stage, where they communicate so well, and are both eager to go along with whatever story the other has conjured up.

and then i heard shrieking. 

not the typical "Juju is about to pinch me!" shrieking, and not the now familiar "I fell off the top of the swingset" shrieking.  this was a cry of terror.

my overactive imagination ALWAYS jumps to my worst fear, that somebody is hurting one of my kids.  I watch them like a hawk, so that is SO unlikely to happen, but it is where my mind immediately jumps when i hear that frightened cry.

"JUJU!  RUN AWAY!!  THERE'S A SNAKE!!!!!!!"

a snake. in my yard, with my kids.

i know in my head that most snakes in this area are probably harmless. 
i know in my head that "if you leave it alone, it will leave you alone". 
i know a lot of realistic, level headed information about snakes.  
but the fear that i have of snakes is one that removes all reason and logic from my mind and replaces it with images of a boa constrictor (an Iowa native, i'm sure) wrapped tightly around my son's little body.

i ran into the yard wearing my flip flops and a maniacal expression. i had a memory flash through my mind of my Mom killing a huge snake that had climbed a tree along our driveway.  i remember thinking she was the bravest woman alive, and i knew that my time had come to be that same brave Mama for my kids. 

Dustin was running errands in my car, so i was so thankful to see his truck in our driveway.  i ran to the bed of the truck and quickly found a shovel and ran to the kids, screaming "Run inside!" while simultaneously asking "Where is it????"  I know it was a mixed message, one that Annabelle was confused about, but I quickly spotted the snake crawling along a wall made of railroad ties, directly beneath where Julian had been sitting seconds earlier, with his feet dangling over the edge.

this is where i got confused.  i had NO idea what to do.  the snake was long, but very thin.  it moved quickly and i knew i had to make a speedy decision.  i was torn between thoughts of getting my kids in the house, and not wanting them to watch me kill this thing.  but should i kill it?  what if it's harmless?  how do i catch it, and then what do i do with it??? harmless or not, it's a FREAKIN SNAKE and it's less than two feet from my front door and i don't want to come across ANY kind of snake in the near future. 

so i chased the stupid thing down and with kids watching from the porch, killed this snake. 
did you know that snakes will continue to try to slither around, long after they are obviously dead?  i was afraid to leave him alone, sure that this was a regenerating snake, just waiting for me to turn my back on him.

we went back inside and i was really shaken up over this first intentional slaying of an animal larger than a spider. 

Julian came up to me and said, "Mama, that was uh-mAzeeng.  You were SO brave!  Me and Bella was thinking that you could probably be a Tha-tek-tuv  (detective)". 

my heart swelled, i really did feel brave.

and then Dustin, with the most noble of intentions, dashed that all to pieces.

he looked at the dead snake and then looked online to see what kind of snake it was. 

"Mindi, you know that you killed one of only TWO snakes that are not legally protected in Iowa?
It was a young, non-venomous GARTER snake, and if it had been legally protected, you could be paying a big fine!"

then he said some nonsense about giving the kids some perspective about snakes, so they would hopefully not inherit this deathly fear that ran through my side of the family.  (i refrained from mentioning that maybe i should give the kids some perspective about cockroaches too, since i've seen HIM scream like a little girl on top of my coffee table at the sight of one.  i refrained because i was screaming on top of the coffee table with him at the time.  excuse me for only being a fan of God's more furry, cuddly creatures!) 

he took them to the computer and they looked up all the snake information that they could find.  they found that out of all the snakes in the area, only 2 or 3 are actually venomous, and none of them have been spotted in our county for several years. 
**(i mentioned that they haven't been "reported" because somebody's wife probably illegally killed them before looking online to see if it was going to be okay with the state of Iowa!)

an hour later, my kids came upstairs and said, "Mama, that snake was "non-venomous".  You killed it and it was all your fault." 

so much for Mama, the brave "Tha-tek-tuv".   i was now Mama, murderer of harmless baby animals.

McWhat?

(this is from June, actually.  I just forgot to post it.)

Tonight Dustin calls from the McD's drive thru. 

"Hey Mindi, what kind of ice cream does McDonald's have?"

"Um, vanilla soft serve", I reply, knowing that this is Dustin's favorite.  {When we were dating, we would go to Baskin Robbins a couple of times a week, and I would tease him for ordering vanilla soft serve when there are 31 real flavors to choose from.}

At this point I hear an intercom voice, "Welcome to McDonald's, may I take your order?"

Dustin says, "Hang on just a minute, bro", and then asks me, "Can I get that in a cup or what?"

"Dustin, why don't you ask the man who works there?  You know, the one you just PUT ON HOLD?"

So he comes home and I tease him about it and he says, "Well, I wanted something with cookies or candy or something in it.  What's it called?  A McFlurry?"

"Yeah, they have McFlurries". 

"WHY DIDN"T YOU SAY THAT WHEN I ASKED YOU WHAT KIND OF ICE CREAM THEY HAVE?  I thought it was something I  made up.  Like McDreamy or something".

"Dustin, you did not make up "McFlurry".  For that matter, you didn't make up "McDreamy" either, and if you did I sure hope it wasn't because of an infatuation with a hot doctor on Grey's Anatomy!"

and the only photo on my computer that has anything to do with ice cream:  my cute and VERY pregnant sister from a few months ago.

 

my beautiful sister and her beautiful babies

Jonas + Jocelyn.  she is definitely smitten.   jealous, yes, but definitely smitten.

the sweetest scent

Jonas + Madison + Jocelyn

he never takes his eyes off of his Mama

see?

he's the cuddliest thing.  it was physically painful to have to put him down to take photos.
i could just rock and cuddle this kid all day.

it's wrong that she looks this good so soon after birth.  seriously.  i'm officially protesting.

he was sleeping so soundly, and then i took his pacifier away. 
he quickly reminded me that I should NEVER DO THAT.

a few more yearbook photos, and a warning to my brother

mom 94

mom 1960
 i couldn't do any of the photos with glasses in them for myself....my nose was too big.

     

me, mom and my sister Amy.  i definitely think we should get matching afros when we get our tatoos.  ;)     i think the fro is slimming!  the photo did cut off about 40% of my chubby cheeks, but i like how the hair draws some attention from my chubby cheeks and makes me look slimmer. 

the truth is, my mom and sister could probably both grow an afro naturally, as they (and CJ) have naturally thick curly hair.  me and dad would have to fake it. ...although, this picture is eerily similar to an actual high school photo of my dad.  i'll have to see if i can find it.

the only justice that exists in their having this naturally thick, curly hair, is that they would have to go through an insane amount of work to get silky straight hair.

and even if they could....some of them probably shouldn't.

 

dear CJ,

don't do it.

xoxo, your loving sister

this weather makes me so very happy

the weather is so lovely.  we've had thunderstorms in Arkansas, and i think rain is in the forecast for the entire week, but the 110+ temps have dropped to the 60's and 70's. 

today was grey and cloudy, cool and perfect.  on the drive to my grandma's house, i opened the sunroof and the windows and enjoyed the cool air.  going up the mountain, i spotted a few campers and the loveliest campfire smell filled my car, as i listened to sweet songs on my ipod.  (The Magic Numbers is getting extra play time this week)

i visited a bit with my Mimi and Pa Bob, while the kids made Mimi rub coconut lotion all over their hands and arms and even their little chubby feet.   i ran to Wal-Mart to pick up some special treats and other food for Dustin's care package (he's working out of town right now and is having a very lonely day).

 i consider it a successful Wal-Mart trip when i manage to avoid those awkward acquaintances that I know just enough that it's awkward if I don't say hello, but equally as awkward if I stop to talk and realize that we have nothing to talk about.  

have i mentioned that i am a bit socially awkward sometimes?  that's probably something that you should know about me, should we ever meet in the future.

anyways, i ran into a few people at Wal-Mart that I was actually glad to see, so that made the trip better.

back into the car, rolled the windows down again, despite the sprinkling rain, and listened to a favorite song as loud as possible

how was your day?

this week in arkansas:

this week i've:

*bought a copy of "Breaking Dawn" at midnight, and read the book cover to cover in a few stolen hours in the evening.

*the last time i went to a midnight release for a book, it was here in Arkansas also, and it was for Harry Potter.  my dad rolled his eyes, obviously unimpressed with my love for Harry Potter.  when he asked what this book  (Breaking Dawn) was about, i hesitantly said, "vampires and werewolves".  another exaggerated eyeroll.

*lots and lots of family from California, Georgia and Texas came to visit for the weekend.

*we spent many late hours visiting, playing board games and watching a new generation of cousins interact and play (and fight).  also, drinking an interesting assortment of mixed drinks.  (what could we do with diet 7 up to make it taste better?  vodka and sunny delight.  sweet.)

*took an army of children to the local pool, got nice and brown.  love my little pink cheeked, sun kissed kids

*enjoying some lovely thunderstorms.  Annabelle declares that a tornado is coming at every wind gust.

*not enjoying the 110+ heat.

*became addicted to Guitar Hero 3.  i'm not a video game person, and haven't been so obsessed with a video game since Tetris. 

*falling in love with a boy named Jonas.  he's delicious.

*dealing with a very jealous Ezra.

*undoing all of Julian's random organization projects.  found a plunger in the office last night. 

*took the kids to a local arcade type pizza place.  the kids dubbed it "Little Chuckee Cheese"

*back to school shopping for Annabelle.  can i just request non-baby clothes for a 6 year old, without Hannah Montana or High School Musical on it?  also, no stupid phrases like "too hot for you", or "tell your boyfriend i said hi". 
seriously.  she is SIX YEARS OLD.

*groomed Charlie MYSELF.  realized why having somebody else do it is SO WORTH the $35.
took my little helpers (Juju, Bella and Madison) out for ice cream treats afterwards as a thank you.

*lots and lots of Cruizzers (local drive in place) drinks.  they really are so much better than Sonic, and i love Sonic.

*filing taxes.  finally. 

*enjoying the random garden gifts from neighbors and friends.  more sweet corn please!

*also enjoying my Dad's nightly dinner creations.  he's becoming quite the cook.  Ezra and I request more asparagus almost every day.  it's THAT good.

*waiting and waiting and waiting for CJ's arrival.  (TUESDAY!!!!!!!!)

*MISSING MISSING MISSING dustin.  so very much.

*also miss keeping up with my online friends.  i miss you guys and i'm sorry that my email and blog have been so neglected this week.  slowly but surely, i'm trying to catch up and hopefully things will be back to normal after we are back in Iowa.

i'll try to add some pictures tonight, but no promises.  ;)

my little activist

My parents visited this week, for a couple of days and then returned to Arkansas with the two big kids.  Dustin has been pouting for the last 24 hours, occasionally walking down the hallway muttering, "Where's my Jujee?  Where's my baby girl?"

*photo by Annabelle

Fortunately he has a baby monster (ezra) and a yard full of baby bunnies to keep him occupied.

While my parents were here, we introduced them to the bunnies, by bringing one inside.

My dad made several "animal eating" jokes, mostly at my expense.  Since switching to a mostly vegetarian diet, I haven't tried to eat in an actual restaurant, so it was fun trying to find something on the menu at say...Dave's Famous BBQ joint, or a local Mexican place. 

So he made several jokes about the bunnies, mostly revolving around "Rabbit Stew!", and talking about how his Granny could whip up something amazing with those little guys.

The kids took his joking to heart, and Annabelle began to lecture him on the poor manners of people who kill living things.  (this from the child who had bacon and chicken strips earlier that day)   Julian, however, took a different approach. 

He ran downstairs and grabbed a few notecards, and "wrote" several notes to Poppy.  He returned upstairs and said, "Poppy, I made something for you and ONLY you."

We thought it was going to be a sweet birthday card or something along those lines. 

Instead, it was a notecard with 6 stickers of baby animals (rabbit, chicken, duck, etc.).

Apparently this was a list of animals that Julian didn't want Poppy to kill or eat anymore.

The notes included several small drawings of Poppy loving animals and a giant exclamation mark (to show that he was serious).

on the drive to the BBQ place, Julian piped up (quite randomly) to say, "I don't like to eat on the side of candy.  I like to eat on the side of healthy things.  Like my favorite foods are tomatoes and avocadoes and berries and corn on the cob...(and continued listing all of the healthy foods that he could think of)    Upon entering the restaurant, however, he launched into a campaign about why I should give him quarters for the gumball machines.

He really made us laugh with all of his little healthy "nagging". 

Later that night, Dad made another joke about the rabbits and Dustin threatened him with  "Don't make Juju get out the animal flash cards again!"

toad cakes

tonight we were Skype-ing with my parents, when my Dad surprised us and said, "We're coming to visit Iowa....TOMORROW!" 

actually Wednesday, since they'll stop to feed my mother's gambling addiction along the way (i joke, i joke).

my Dad's birthday is Thursday, so i said "We'll have to have a party!" 

the kids quickly claimed their contribution to the party.

Julian screeched "I'LL MAKE POSTCARDS!!  NO WAIT, INVITATIONS!!!"

Annabelle asked Poppy, "WHAT KIND OF CAKE DO YOU WANT? I'LL MAKE IT!!!!"

Poppy, who I should mention has a very strong Arkansas accent, said he would like a 4-layer cake, or a 3 layer cake, or a 7 layer cake, "you know, a "code" cake".

"Code" is how my Dad sometimes says "Cold".  However, in this case, we all thought he said, "A TOAD cake". 

Annabelle wrinkled up her nose, looked at me out of the corner of her eyes and said, "Looks like we gotta kill some frogs". 

july 4th in summary

a good day including:

1.  a picnic with an impromptu (self-timer) photo shoot

**Dustin had been doing yard work with the kids, so he was not so interested in a family photo, but i insisted.  and i usually win. 

2. S'mores

3. fireworks  (not really, just "snakes" and sparklers).  
 
4. many many declarations that this was the "best day ever" before the kids went (quite easily) to sleep.

Julian sang a very sincere,  "Happy Holidays", (a made up song for the 4th of July), while roasting his marshmallows.

we also had frozen watermelon balls treats. 
instructions on how to make them found on my new (work in progress) food blog! :)
check it out here: eating elephants!   not sure if i'm loving wordpress, this may move to a different location in the future, but for now it works. :)

happy saturday! 

whew!

sorry bout that, we had a little internet disruption and i'm so happy to be back online, especially because i got to see new 4D ultrasound pictures of my little baby nephew!

coming soon! 
he keeps his hand and foot smooshed up against his face at all times.
he has lots of hair.
he looks like his Daddy, as far as we can tell.
he will possibly be baby "Jonas" or "Jonah". 
i'm going to attack him with kisses and my camera at the soonest available moment, just you wait.

a little rundown on us:

*Dustin's had the flu for about 4 days now.  ugh. 

*Charlie has joined the "late night club" that was reserved for my night owl, Ezra, and my occasional bed-wetter, Juju.  Charlie has decided that 2 am is the most appropriate time to bark and howl to be let outside to pee, and then beg for a treat. 

*planning a trip to Arkansas to meet my new nephew in a couple of weeks, plus my bff Mika had a sweet baby girl last week that i cannot wait to meet!  love "baby" season, especially when i'm not included.

*annabelle and julian have been begging for a picnic, so tonight we ate watermelon outside with the mosquitoes, and then left some leftover watermelon for a mama rabbit and her two babies that live in our yard.  they LOVED the watermelon.  i sure hope that watermelon is an appropriate food for bunnies...

*googling watermelon & bunnies

*lots of chalking going on

*bought S'mores fixings for this week.  the kids have been playing "camping" a lot this week, so i plan to surprise them with a little campfire (maybe that will ward off a few of the vampire mosquitoes too)

*Julian can spell and write his first name.  if you understood Julian's temperament, you would be as amazed as I am.  spent a few dollars at the Target $1 spot on a couple of workbooks for the kids (pre-reader for Julian and phonics for Bella) as well as an eraseable placemat with capital letters of the alphabet on one side, and lower case alphabet on the other.  Julian loves copying words that i write out for him, so maybe this will be fun for him too.   also a US and world map.  the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE maps.  Annabelle was quite proud to find China on her own.  Julian wanted to call Poppy with directions for the shortest route from Arkansas to Iowa.  "Just go straight up!"

*Annabelle is about to lose another tooth and she is quite dramatic about it.

*fun errands tomorrow!  (farmer's market & library)

*During a phone call, Mom mentioned to Julian that we would have a pool party for (cousin) Madison's July birthday.  "Would you like a pool party, Julian?"

Julian screamed, "THAT SOUNDS LIKE A PERFECT IDEA, TATA!!" 
He was quite proud of Tata for coming up with such a brilliant idea like that, on her own.

Ezra talked to Tata (about Elmo) for a few minutes and then said "Tata Tata Tata" all night long.  (I hope nobody thinks he's talking about boobs as he randomly babbles about "Tata's" in the grocery store)

I said, "Yes Ezra.  Tata.  Tata.  and Poppy.  can you still say Poppy?"

Ezra smiled at me and barked.

"No Ezra, not PUPPY.  POPPY."

another bark.

An Arkansas trip is definitely needed.  :)

Superhero medals are the new necktie

so dustin was actually working today, when he came home for the second day in a row, with a major rash/blisters covering his arms, plus dizziness, disorientation, shortness of breath.  lots of weird, not cool issues. 

we've had SEVERAL really huge problems in the past few months with Dustin's job, that I haven't mentioned here, just because the last time i got into the habit of talking about all the crapola stuff (our business being robbed + dustin's accident + being screwed by insurance companies)  this blog got really sad and depressing and i just decided to stop talking about it.

however, not talking about it definitely doesn't mean that the problems have gone away.  they've definitely intensified, quite possibly tripling in size, and i just have to say that despite all of that, dustin's been a MAJOR trooper. 

a few nights ago, talking to our neighbor who works in a somewhat similar field, Dustin learned that in some companies, hard work and loyalty are actually honored, sometimes with bonuses, sometimes with raises, and in the case of our neighbor, a medal of appreciation.

Dustin came home and said, "K got a medal.  a MEDAL.  for being a good worker.  I'm an excellent worker!  I work my butt off, 6-7 days a week, from morning to night and i've never gotten a "good job", much less a MEDAL!"

he was saying it in a joking, pouty way, but it really did make him a little envious. and rightly so.  not because of K's achievements, but because of the unfair way that he's been treated recently by ego driven, thieving boss men.  (can you pick up on my frustration?  sorry, i really have kept it pent up a long time)

anyways, as Dustin slept in the next room covered in burning rashes and trying to convince himself that the Emergency Room wouldn't be necessary, and trying to not be angry at a manager that said, "can't you at least finish your first job?", I decided that Dustin needed a medal.

I brought the kids into the office during Ezra's nap, and we rolled and smooshed up balls of Sculpey (fimo clay stuff).  we fashioned our little medal, and then baked it until it was hard, and then tied a big red ribbon through the hole.  we baked homemade brownies, and the kids drew pictures and wrote letters, and then we waited in anticipation for Dustin to feel well enough to come see our surprises. 

I told the kids to keep it a secret, not to tell him anything.  So Julian, playing it cool, walks into Dustin's room and says, "Hey Daddy.  Do you smell what Mama's cooking for you for Father's Day?  It's hot dogs and you can have as MANY as you want!" 

then he and bella giggled crazily and said, "come on daddy!  let's go get your "HOT DOGS!" 

Dustin feigned shock when he saw that it was actually warm yummy brownies,and then oohed and aahed over every sweet picture and love note.

and then Annabelle said, "here daddy, you deserve this medal because you're our #1 Daddy!"

Dustin was so sweetly surprised, and said, "That's it, I'm coming to work for you!"

he said he's going to wear it to work tomorrow.  i really hope he does.  :)  all the other dad's wearing their father's day neck ties are going to feel so inferior.  :)

oh yeah, and the kids also built Daddy a "Kingdom", but i made them take it apart immediately at the thought of Charlie being crushed by the falling bricks.

and before you ask, Yes, the kids DO dress themselves, and NO, our yard hasn't seen a mower in almost 2 weeks. 

so i guess i'll wrap this up with a huge Happy Father's Day to all the papas out there, especially my Dad, the Big Poppy.  It was good to talk to you today, and the kids can't WAIT to come see you and mom next month :)  We love you so much!  Happy Papa's Day!

baby birdie blue

when i was a wee kid, we lived out in the country on "Buddy Lane".  my dad's sister and her family lived on Buddy Lane also, and we spent nearly every day together, making the short walk from our house to theirs and vice versa. 

on these walks we found everything from turtles to lizards to stray dogs, that i immediately claimed as my own.  aside from the dogs, the animals were all very easy to care for. just take the turtle/frog/lizard and place it in a shoebox, with holes punched in the lid.  add grass, a stick, some dirt (to recreate their environment!) and a few crumbs of bread, and Viola!  Instant animal home.  :) 

(please don't ask how long any of these animals lived.  everybody knows the average life span of a frog is less than 2 days, right?)

anyways, i have been re-living some of my experiences with my kids this month, as an assortment of animals have come across our path.

one night a couple of weeks ago, Dustin was walking through the garage and found the tiniest baby bird on top of our lawn mower.  the door to the garage was up, and we can only imagine that the bird fell or was kicked out of the nest close to our garage.  (there are several around our house)

it was about 1am, and we couldn't find the nest, so he brought the bird inside and we tried to do whatever we could to protect him from the harsh rainy conditions of the night.

step 1:  find a shoe box.

seriously.  i put that baby bird in a shoe box, just until we could find his mommy in the morning.  i was tempted to throw a stick in there for good measure, but decided against it.

i tried to talk dustin into chewing up an earthworm and spitting it into the bird's tiny mouth, but he didn't go for that idea.  we did try our best to find something the baby bird would eat, but nothing seemed to entice him.

the next morning, the kids woke up and saw this baby bird and went bananas over his tiny cuteness.  as they looked at the baby bird (LOOK BUT DO NOT TOUCH!) i hopped on the computer to see how we should go about getting baby bird back home.

STEP 1:  DO NOT TOUCH  A BABY BIRD EVER.
STEP 2:  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED A BABY BIRD. 

Apparently a baby bird needs to eat every 15-20 MINUTES.  seriously.  i felt so bad that we were about to unknowingly kill this little guy in our ignorant attempt to save him. 

i jumped up and grabbed the shoebox and raced outside to find the nest.   the website insisted that if i placed him on the ground or on a branch or bush near the nest, the mother would be able to find him and care for him. 

and then the wailing started.  apparently Julian thought this was his new pet.  he cried and raged and stomped and insisted, "I DON'T EVEN LIKE CHARLIE!!!  I WANT "BABY BIRDIE BLUE"!!!   (apparently baby bird was named in the ten minutes that Julian knew him).

 Julian throws a lot of fits, but he was seriously heartbroken.  he usually gets over things pretty quickly, but he ran downstairs and cried to Dustin for nearly 30 minutes and spent the rest of the morning in a sour mood.  he wasn't angry as much as he was disappointed at the loss of his beloved "pet". 

he was finally brightened up at the idea that this Baby Birdie Blue would be raised by his parents, but would stay close as our "yard" pet.  later that afternoon, a bird flew up to our living room window, and just poked his head around peeping inside.  I pointed the bird out to Julian and he started grinning. 

he said, "That's Baby Birdie Blue's mama.  i think she's tellin us 'thank you'."

i'm pretty sure he was right.

stay tuned for a second animal we found this week, that we did NOT consider keeping as a pet....hiss hiss

a story about my dad.

I don't know if this is a common "cure-all" for what ails you, but in our family, "Sprite" was like a miracle elixir.  I don't know how this soft drink was discovered to be good for everything from gas to headaches, but at the first sign of ill whining from one of us kids, our parents gave us small doses of Sprite. Sprite was often turned to before Pepto Bismol (gag) or even Children's Tylenol.

As a parent now, I can see how this may be useful if one has a little gas.  With my kids, this is something that I have used a handful of times for a kid that needs a special treat, but not necessarily medication.  Surprisingly, it works almost every time.

Now, a little foreshadowing into my story about my Dad.  My Dad has always been a hulk of a man.  He is big and strong and intimidating.  He would often drop us off at school or basketball games on the back of his loud Harley Davidson.  He would throw unsuspecting male friends of mine against walls and door frames, just until they were sure that they were dead meat, and then give a barking laugh and pat them on the back, with a reassuring grin that said, "Welcome to our home.  Touch my daughter and I'll snap you like a twig". 


However my Dad has two known fears:

1.  snakes
2.  discussion of female issues.

I've watched my Dad literally groan and writhe in discomfort at the mere mention of PMS or cramping.  A simple "Summer's Eve" commercial on TV can ruin his Sunday plans of watching Nascar races on TV, because those commercial breaks just can't be trusted.

So one day when I was in high school, I started experiencing some really painful backaches.  My stomach was cramping and all i wanted to do was alternate between sleeping on a heating pad and stretching my aching back over the arm of a chair.  ANYTHING to stop this pain that was obviously coming from a...well...(sorry Dad).........female issue.

At one point during history class, as I was contemplating stretching backwards over the top of my desk, I decided to head to the office and sign out early.  However, I was underage and still needed my parents permission, and as my Mom was not able to be reached by phone during her lunch hour, the nurse INSISTED on calling my Dad.

My Dad made it to the school in record time.  He was sure something must be wrong, since he had never had to pick me up early before. 

I got in the car and Dad's concern immediately showed on his face.

"Are you okay?  Did you throw up?  Do I need to call Mom?  What's wrong?" 

I tried to convince him that I was okay, but my symptoms (stomach pain, back pain, headache, strong desire to curl up in a ball in the floor of the car) seemed to alarm him. 

Finally, to put an end to his worries, I quickly mumbled that I was FINE, it was just "girl problems".

I saw a chill run up my Dad's back.  He suppressed an urge to shudder his head and close his eyes, and instead just looked straight ahead, quietly.

The ride home from school is a quick one, barely a 2 minute drive, but those were two of the most uncomfortable minutes of BOTH of our lives.

 Finally, we approached our driveway.  Sensing the awkwardness, but still doing his best to be an understanding father, he said, "Honey, do you need anything?"

What a loaded question that was, considering the circumstances.  I could see a flashing sign running across his face that said,  "PLEASE DON'T ASK FOR TAMPONS.  PLEASE DON'T ASK FOR TAMPONS".


He then quickly answered his own question with, "How bout I get you a Sprite?"

happy mama's day

happy little mama's day, to my favorite little mama.
from your favorite kid.
you know it's true. ;)

and to amy, one of my other favorite little mama's, who is giving me my FIRST nephew!!!  (we found out last week!! it's a boy, due in August!!!)  happy little mama's day to you too. 

happy day!!

since last time:

since i last blogged:

20th    **almost completed unpacking and arranging Annabelle's bedroom             
             **repaired a badly damaged toy box and lid ALL. BY. MYSELF.   
              **basked in my awesomeness of being such a "handygirl"
             **Skyped with family, regarding Jocelyn's Elmo birthday party

      

{photo swiped from my sisters Myspace.  she and her husband made these cute elmo cupcakes and i LOVE them!}

                  **missed home badly
                **Dustin's work truck was parked on the street in front of our house, as I decided that I deserved to park in the close parking spot.  It was vandalized while we were sleeping, some work tools were stolen and a window broken, and some expensive equipment that he's responsible for was left on the ground in the rain.
                  **felt really bad, and have since relocated my car (that has an alarm) back to the crappy spot so Dustin's poor work truck can be parked close to the house.

 

21st    **completely set up our surround sound system  ALL. BY. MYSELF.  a task normally reserved for Dustin who is working much too hard to be bothered with a surround sound system and a broken toy box.
            ** once again, basked in my awesomeness
                **ate some delicious "deer jerky"  that a customer gave Dustin.  the last time i had deer jerky was in 2nd grade, when Kirk Holder brought some to share with our class.

22nd   **celebrated Earth Day by buying a Starbuck's mug that i've had my eye on.

            

             **listened to Annabelle's poignant question of "Why do you think Earth Day means you get to
                   buy things for yourself?"
              **told Annabelle to go to bed.   he he ;)
              ** oh yeah, and celebrated our EIGHTH {8th}  wedding anniversary

{photo courtesy of Mom's webcam while Skype'ing}
**no, i'm not constipated or scared, that's just my awkward facial expression, and why i prefer to be behind the camera
              **bought some Bare Escentuals make-up after debating over 2  years about it.
              **now understand the Sephora addiction
              **watched Juno with Dustin and decided that peanut butter and apples are the perfect snack. (realized this over 5 years ago after giving birth to Annabelle, and just forgot until I recently found myself with 7 pounds of apples, going bad quickly)

23rd         **decided that i was so over cleaning up dog poop, as well as kid poop, and officially declared Charlie a "mostly outside" dog.

                    **decided that i was never going to find my vegetable peeler or my knives and bought both so that I could make stew. 

24th    **missed sweet Jocelyn's 2nd birthday and wanted to cry pretty much all day

 

              **happy to have a sympathetic husband listen to me whine most of the day
                ** had Chinese night at the kids request, and steamed edamame, made rice, and stir fry complete with carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas, water chestnuts, and bok choy (never tried before, and really loved it).   Annabelle looked at her plate, decided it was yucky, and after a little persuasion to taste it, ate every single bite, and more.   Julian needed no persuasion, and ate it all with lots of "mmmmms".
                    **kids super psyched over a care package from Poppy and Tata.  Julian amazed that the "package guy" (UPS) could find us, even though we weren't in Texas anymore.

25th      **decided to walk to Annabelle's school to pick her up, instead of drive.  strapped boys into the double stroller and headed out
                 **weather decided to become winter again, after a few delightful spring days.
                      **with the help of Julian's non-stop whining, realized the whole "walk to school thing" was a bad idea
                  **stopped at a local restaurant where we were the only patrons.   totally fawned over by the sweet wait staff, as well as the sweet little old man who cooked our food.  they brought us free food, toys, flowers, etc.   at one point, i thought they really were never going to leave  us alone to eat.  the food really was not very good, but the people were so very nice that we will probably go back again soon.         
                    **Charlie decided that it was too cold to be an "outside dog" and has returned indoors, wilder than ever, and full of new secret hiding places for his dog poop.          

annabelle's #6

This is the picture we used for Annabelle's invitations.  Obviously we were having a "Littlest Pet Shop" party.  :)

Here's Annabelle and her bff Madison.  In every single picture, Madison is making this face. it cracks me up. 

here's the cake!  i had a lot of fun making this.  we made a "practice cake" a few days before the party to make sure that i could handle it, otherwise we would be making frantic phone calls to bakeries.  :)

Thanks so much to Tanya, she sent me a massive email with explicit instructions and recipes for a few of her favorite buttercream icings.  I'm so pleased with how it turned out and so was Annabelle.  Apparently Julian was too, as you can see where he began to dig in with his fingers right at the edge of the cake!

 

of course, no party is complete without equipping our children with large dangerous sticks and letting them bust a pinata.

ezra, as usual, avoiding eye contact with my camera.  only this time, it has less to do with the camera, and more to do with not wanting mommy to take the gum and candy away. 

we had such a wonderful weekend, Annabelle was happy to see lots of friends and family and of course, be spoiled rotten. 

We got home on Sunday, and as we were looking at our calendar, I pointed out that her actual birthday was on Tuesday.  She said, "My birthday is in 2 days???  Who's coming to my PARTY?"

um, nice try sweetheart. 

Tuesday was filled with lots of fun phone calls, a birthday ribbon and songs at school, special treats and ended with (as I mentioned in an earlier post, but I'll record it again just to remember) Annabelle determinedly pulling a tooth.
 

iowa and the lizard hunter

we are moving to Iowa.  in less than one month.
life is a bit chaotic right now, to say the least.

i was sitting at the computer yesterday, searching frantically for rental houses and elementary schools, when it hit me that we are not prepared for Iowa weather.  yes, we have winter clothing, but our winter clothing is for TEXAS WINTERS.  not iowa winters, where it is currently snowing/sleeting.
i was reading a newsletter from the school that Bella will probably be attending and it mentioned that the kids were really enjoying some new sleds at recess that somebody donated to the Kindergarten class. 

sleds?  at recess?  these kids don't just go to school on snow days, but they venture OUTSIDE AT RECESS? 

while reading that newsletter, the kids were outside playing in the dirt, wearing tank tops, shorts and sandals.  my patio door was open, letting in a nice breeze with the loveliest hint of rain.  and somewhere in Iowa, kids were sledding at recess.  CRAZY.

frantic rental home hunting has turned into frantic winter clothes shopping.  does anybody in texas sell snow boots?  i don't think so.  the best i could find were rain boots, and boy are we ever equipped for rain.  i bought Julian some really cute shark rain boots from Gymboree today.  he went crazy over them, wearing nothing to dinner tonight but Shark rainboots and Nemo undies.  man i love that kid.

check out this lizard he was so proud to catch this week:

see the lizard on his shirt?  and his proud little face. 

such a lovely surprise

so nice to have Dustin home for a bit.  the kids are insane with happiness.
i'll begin posting regularly again tomorrow, until then, one question:

anybody from Iowa or know a lot about it?  i have a question or two...

my sweetie pie grandparents

one sneak peek for my Mimi and PaBob. they were the perfect models.  Mimi teased that i may want to hire them, since they were so easy to work with.  i will definitely do another mini-session with them in the future, because i totally forgot to take a few with their canine babies, Lil Bit and Dixie.  poor puppies felt quite neglected, i don't know how i forgot with their whining and sad eyes.

i just love the tenderness here, so so precious.  maybe one of my favorite pictures ever, especially because i only have  one or two photos of my grandparents together. 

any family that would like this may save it to their computer ;-)  i'll have more soon, i just uploaded these tonight before bed and i fell in love with this one immediately. 

oh, and here is a b/w if you prefer

dare to guess her age???

happy birthday hot mama!
look at this cute picture i found!  needless to say, i'm hopeful that i'm swimming in your gene pool.  :-)
the kids and i can't wait to see you all this week.  Annabelle has high hopes for cake.

oh, and this is totally random, but i found it in a magazine, tore it out with the intentions of putting it in a card or something for you, and then Ezra found it...thus the wrinkles and sticky fingerprints. 

this is one of my Mom's favorite ad's,  and EVERY time the commercial comes on, she turns it up loud and makes us all watch and laugh with her.

cowboys

when CJ and i were pretty little, my Mom had these pictures of a little cowboy and cowgirl hanging in our bedroom.  i think they are from Home Interiors, but she told us that she had them specially made for us.  "See, CJ's little dimples, and Mindi Rae's big brown eyes", she would point out, trying to convince us.  We were onto her, although the pictures really did look a little like us as kids.

Today Julian dressed up as a cowboy.  He had me tie his bandana on like a cape, put on his cowboy hat and added a holster which he filled with a hammer and some "Lincoln Logs".

He let me take a few pictures, and this one instantly made me think of that little cowboy picture.  I googled it and found the prints on ebay and the memories of our little bedroom on Buddy Lane came flooding in.  i remember sitting at a big wooden table with Mom, sun pouring in from some light source that i can't identify (did we have a sliding glass door there?  or a really big window?) painting these little wooden blocks with our names on them, and painting our light switches. 

Mom worked full time when we were little, but I still have remember her in almost every memory of my childhood.  She was and IS a strong strong presence in my life, and I cling to these little memories when they pop up.  I remember her always obliging me with paint by number pictures and those little math workbooks at Wal-Mart, which I ADORED.  Finger paints, activity books, puzzles, play dough, she rarely said no, as I often do with my kids.  although i seem to have worse luck with choking babies than she did, so that explains why I say "no" to smaller items for now.

but Mom always tried to supply us with anything we needed to help us discover our talents or just things that made us happy. 

I remember one time I was in the 6th grade, I think and Mom wanted me to figure out what I liked, besides sports.   She said, "Mindi, if you were interested in astronomy, I would buy you a telescope.  If you were interested in science, I would buy you a microscope.  If you were interested in dancing, I would sign you up for dance lessons.  When you figure out what you are interested in, let me know and I'll help you out in any way I can." 

It took me about 7 years before I mentioned that I really wanted a new camera.  I didn't know what kind, I didn't know anything about photography beyond how to take funny pictures with friends, but for my 19th birthday I received a birthday card from my parents with several bills inside, and lots of corny notes like "watch the birdie!"  and "say cheese!"   There was also probably a random silly poem inside. My Mom is notorious for her cheesy "hallmark" greetings.  Another reason to love her.

Dustin and I drove from Tyler, TX (where I was in school at the time) to Dallas, TX and bought my first "big camera".  I never learned how to use it properly, but man, i loved that thing.  I loved how it made me feel.  I knew that this was my "telescope". 

3 "big cameras" later, and I am forever grateful for her desire to see us happy.  To equip us to do the things we love.  I keep going back and forth in my mind over whether or not to go into "business" with my photography.  What to specialize in and how to make it work with 3 small kids.  But I realize that this is something that makes me happy, regardless of whether it is supporting us as a family or not.  I will always have a camera at my side, and I will always (i hope) love to learn new things and capture every possible memory throughout my life. 

she and my dad are doing this with my kids now too, and i love it.  my dad calls often just to ask if I think julian would be interested in a book about trains, or a football helmet and shoulder pads.  (although he did joke that it was his attempt to move him away from all the girly games he plays with annabelle! :-)  ) 

he bought annabelle a big jewelry making kit a few months ago, and I never imagined how much she would love to create necklaces for people and obsessively organize each little bead by color and shape.

it makes me hopeful that with all of these influences in their lives, that they will discover early what makes them truly happy.  and if not, we'll continue to offer microscopes and dance lessons until they do find what makes them tick.   :-)

ten on tuesday * happy birthday CJ!!!

1. today is my brother CJ's birthday.

2.  CJ and I had an extreme love/HATE relationship as kids.

3. we were close in age and had similar interests, so we were stuck doing everything together.

4. we were together all the time, which made for lots of interesting fights.  very physical and aggressive, mean and just horrible.

5.  i feel so much sympathy for my parents, now that i am dealing with a tiny little fraction of that sibling rivalry.

6.  CJ and I became very very close in high school.  It was nice having somebody to always do things with, even if my "real friends" couldn't go out.

(during our unfortunate hawaiian shirt phase)

7.  most of my girlfriends thought CJ was sooo cute.  like "pinch his little dimpled cheeks cute", as if he were four years old or something.  now, most of them are in relationships or have moved on and a few of them are probably kicking themselves for not waiting on CJ to grow up into the little hottie man that he is now. complete with little dimpled cheeks  :) 

8.  when i got married, i asked CJ to walk me down the aisle with my Dad.  other than my Dad (and Dustin, of course) , CJ was the most important man in my life.  he was literally there with me through almost every single thing i've ever been through. 

it's such an interesting relationship, that of siblings, i mean.  it's nothing like friends, because no friend ever really knows what it was like to grow up in your home, with your parents and rules and habits and traditions.

it's nothing like a parental relationship, as my mother has never sat on me until i gave her the remote control(although my dad has!)  and my dad's never chased me out of the house with a baseball bat.  they never lazed around the house, applying elmer's glue to their hands, and then slowly trying to peel it off in one layer.  they never played games like "toss the loaded mouse trap at each other", or had to walk to the store every time Dad was in the mood for Ritz crackers and hot links sausages. 

CJ and Amy (my sister) know me as much as any other person on the planet, and that creates this bond that is just unexplainable.

9.  as much as we denied it, my parents were right.

• my dad was right in saying that this little brother that i routinely pounded and beat the snot out of, WOULD someday be bigger than me.  and when that day comes, i better pray for his mercy.
• my mom was right, that when i grow up, i will value my relationship with my siblings above all other friendships that i've ever had.  and that if i'm ever far from them, i will miss them in a way i could never imagine.
  

i NEVER believed those two things, and it's funny how they became so true, so completely true.

10.  i had such a rough day with the kids today.  they fought and cried and whined, before annabelle had even made it out of the car from school.  i put them down for cat naps, and prayed that they would call a truce before i donated them to Goodwill.

they didn't.  they fought all night long.  and then, because of that little cat nap, Julian was such a pain to get to sleep.

he was up every 5 minutes, needing something.  he came into the kitchen as i loaded the dishwasher, crying for me to "make his bed, cause it's messed up AGAIN".   i told him he would have to wait until i was done. 

a few minutes later, i walked in to check on him, and he was tucked in up to his chin.  i asked how he tucked himself in and he said, "it's okay mom.  bella fixed my bed and tucked me in." 
such a good sister.

i know, with 100% certainty, that someday Annabelle and Julian and Ezra will value their relationships with each other above all other friendships.  and if they are ever far from them, especially on their special days or birthdays or when they have good news or deeply sad news, they will miss each other in a way they could never imagine...

i'm just hopeful that when the day comes that Julian is bigger than Annabelle, he will be as gracious and forgiving to her for her bossiness, as CJ's been to me.  :)

happy birthday brother.

sidetracked.

you know, i stayed up late on the first of January.
made lists.
scribbled project ideas for 2008.
wrote in a journal and really searched for what i wanted this year to be about.

the next morning, we woke up to find out that our (Dustin's) office had been broken into, anything of worth stolen, and the rest reasonably trashed/vandalized/destroyed.

we have a pretty good idea of the culprit, and of course, that makes it sting all the worse.

and suddenly my lists and good intentions and hopeful ideas were moved to the back burner.

immediately i was thrown into panic mode.

• freeze bank accounts.
• call the investigator. 
• be frustrated with the foot dragging of  police department.
• call pawn shops.
• search for receipts (hopefully they didn't steal the receipts and other paperwork that would affect our income tax filing for 2007)
• search for serial numbers.
• search for scumbag as i drive through austin, just in case he's stupid enough to not skip town.
• feel sad for myself and dustin.
• feel really sorry for myself.
• throw a really festive pity party for myself.
• contemplate breaking my 3 day "no soda" streak, as i have no other really good vices like smoking or drinking or pot or arson or anything....well, aside from eating large quantities of sugar.  but i didn't have any and i wasn't going to get the kids out of bed to search for Little Debbies at my local grocery store.

and today i wake up and remember that our life isn't about "things".
our life isn't about our "business".  if it's taken away or destroyed, we still have a life to live.
we still have children to love and raise and teach and enjoy.
we still have dreams.  hopes for the new year.
we have each other.

so today, i will continue my phone calls and pawn shop searches.

but i will also stop feeling sorry for myself. 
**i will still feel a little sorry for dustin though.

i will continue on with my goals and plans for January and the remaining months of 2008.
i will succeed at some.
i will fail at some.
i will be happy and sad and triumphant and anxious and successful and careless and ambitious and in love and apathetic and emotional all over the course of 2008.

in summary:  i will LIVE my life and try not to be sidetracked by the mean or stupid or bad things that happen along the way.

happy new year!

spending my evening:

*listening to NPR podcasts (Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!  is a personal favorite)
*drinking hot cocoa
*planning and making lists
*talking to dustin, a million miles away
*reading books
*wishing i had a bb gun to shoot stupid firecracker maniacs who are setting off firecrackers RIGHT outside my kids window.  like seriously, on the ground, two feet from the kids bedroom window.

Have a wonderful, colorful, cozy, satisfying, healthy HAPPY new year!

shameless bragging ahead

*shameless bragging ahead*

so... my brother is officially a sous chef now at this sweet belgian restaurant in chicago. 
i'm so proud of him.
so so proud. 

rough and tough

annabelle plays with a large group of boys at school.  she has several girl friends, but she mostly runs with a pack of boys. 

as a result, i have noticed a lot of violent talk, role play, agressive games, etc.   
nothing terribly disturbing, just a lot of "Okay Julian, now pretend i KILL YOU!  and there's blood everywhere!"

today, Dustin and I were playing keep away from Ezra with a soccer ball.  Ezra LOVES this game.  Annabelle and Julian come running in with their football, and we started playing a fun game of  boys against girls.  which is uneven, but pretty fair, since Annabelle and I are big believers in the "girls rule, boys drool" philosophy.

as we played, Dustin said, "Wait, we have to name our teams!  Juju, let's be the.... ALIEN MONSTERS!!!!"  Lots of masculine high fiving followed with cheers for the Alien Monsters.

I turned to Bella and asked what  we should name our team.

She grinned a sly little smile and said, "The MURDERERS!" 

Dustin and I were shocked.  I attempted to stifle my giggle, and said, "Honey, I was thinking something more along the lines of The Princesses or the Sparkles or something."

She said, "Oh, the Princesses is cool too." 

happy birthday amy!!!

today (sept. 4)  is my little cutie pie sister's birthday.  she's 22 today.  i just love her and her sweet little family so much and CANNOT wait to see them next month.  and squeeze that little Jocelyn's cheekies.
I love you Amy.  Happy Birthday!!!!

chocolate hair

julian is a very emotional/passionate/sincere little boy.  because of this, he seems to feel all emotions so strongly.  i think this part of why/how he gets upset or angry so quickly.

but the other side of it, is just oh so precious.

when my parents were here, he made comment after comment that just melted us all.

he was trying to thank my mom for a package that she had sent the kids a couple of weeks earlier, and then tried to thank her for every package she had ever sent.  he just couldn't find the words to thank her properly and he kept tripping over his words and sounding so confusing.

"tata, thanks for, thank you, for, i like, i really liked, that package, that school supplies, i, thanks for that, easter, lightning mcqueen, thanks for that.....tata.  i miss you."

later, mom sat in the floor and julian just kept touching her hair.  this is a little pet peeve of mom's, so i told julian to stop, but mom said it was okay.  so he kept petting her head and finally he said, "Tata.  i really like your hair.  it's just like...chocolate."

at one point, we were dropping my dad off at their hotel room for a nap (while we went to do a little shopping).  as dad got out of the car, Julian said in his most sincere, little nasal voice, "Awww.  I'm just  really gonna miss you guy." 

the whole visit was full of random "i love you's" and "i miss you's" and "i'm having so much fun's" and "thank you's". 

i know the drive was long and the visit too short and a little emotional, but i like to think that julian's sincerity and love was payment enough for their sacrifice last weekend. 

we love you poppy and tata, and now that you know where our house is, you'll have to visit again soon.

new daily quote

New quote in the Bartell household,
"USE YOUR TOOLS!!!!"

it's starting to sink in, i think.

and thanks to Mi'chelle, i listened to this song approximately 87 times today.  LOVE it.

happy late papa's day

i was so tired last night, that i crashed shortly after the kids went to bed, which is SO not like me. but that meant that i missed out on my papa's day blog.

Here's something funny about my dad that you may not know. 

• He drives a truck. 
• He is a big burly bear of a man. 
• He does all of his shopping at the Flying J truck stop.

It all started a couple of years ago.  He called me to see what size jacket that I thought Julian would wear.  Julian is pretty small for his age.  At the time (almost 2 years old) his diaper tabs overlapped his tiny waist, and he could still wear 6-9 month clothing.  I told him that he would probably wear 18 month-2T.
"So a size 5 would probably be too big?"  he asks.
"Ummm...well...(trying to be excited about Dad's impending purchase, while steering him away from a jacket that Julian wouldn't be able to wear until 2012) it would probably be pretty big..."

He went on to tell me that it was too bad, because he found the greatest little leather jacket, but the smallest size was a 5, and he didn't know if he should get it for him to grow in to.

My dad hates shopping.  HATES it.  He once told me that when he visits a new place, he stakes out a Super Wal-Mart.  He NEVER shops there, so I asked why. 

He said,  "Well, to me, a Super Wal-Mart is like a hospital.  I hope I never have to use it, but it's reassuring to know that it's there if i NEED it."

So, I asked, shocked, where he found the jacket. He found the jacket at the Flying J.  He has to stop at this truck stop everyday anyway, so while heading to the bathroom, or to buy a drink or something, I guess he started browsing the wide variety of truck stop goods and found this jacket.  And thus began his frequent shopping trips.

On Julian's birthday, Dad sent a huge book on trains, courtesy of Flying J.  It still had the sticker on the front, proudly advertising the store.  Dustin and I laughed.

Then, he sent Annabelle one of those horrible ceramic animal figurines, of a cow and a baby calf.  She LOVES this thing.  He knows her well.

In the recent months, we received a book on big trucks, and 2 more animal figurines of a Horse and 3 pigs, with promises of many more figurines and books to come.

You would not believe how excited these kids get over Poppy's truck stop purchases.  I have to tell Annabelle on a daily basis that her ceramic animals can not come to the grocery store with us.   Julian proudly points to the big trucks in his book and says, "Big Poppy's truck!!" 

Before all this, I would go into truck stops and notice these little gifts and wonder, who in the hell would purchase this stuff. 

the answer.  a big, burly, bear of a man...called Poppy.

I love you dad.  Happy Papa's day. 

poppy and ezra

i love comparing baby pictures.  this is ezra at 4 months  and my dad at 3 months.  i think they definitely look like they could be brothers, although ezra seems to have way chubbier cheeks. 

dad's picture was extremely wrinkled and discolored, so in my attempts to remove the lines, it made his face a little splotchy/bumpy. 

cute boys. :) 

the easter bunny came early...

the easter bunny sent us a package today, via UPS.

we were pretty excited.   annabelle always treats the UPS man like royalty when he shows up at our door, as it is usually a package from Tata.   Although we have had a few sad days when Dustin ordered several boxes of equipment for work.  Not a happy sight to see the UPS man knocking at our door with 6 large boxes of cable. 

julian was so happy to receive a "Cars" shirt.  I don't typically dress the kids in cartoon themed clothing (we save that for undies and p.j.'s)  but Tata  the easter bunny always pulls through with a bitchin pair of Thomas the Train light up sneakers...or in this case, a real CAR t-shirt.  he wore it proudly for the rest of the day.

my favorite item was this shirt for Ezra.  I don't know if you can read it, but it is a picture of a skunk and it says, "Mommy's Little Stinker".

Very appropriate, as he produced three impressive bowel movements within 2 hours of wearing it.  Lucky me.

I can't complain too much...the Easter Bunny sent some sweets for Mommy and Daddy too.   So we popped a bowl of popcorn, ate some easter treats and watched 101 Dalmations...again.

Plus, the kids sat together and looked at the camera at the exact same time for approximately 2 seconds, and I caught it.  It only took me 42 tries.   that is not an exaggeration.  i love digital photography...

 

 

leather and pipe tobacco

the other night, dustin was away overnight for work, and the kids were really upset that he wasn't home to tuck them in.  it is always more special when daddy reads their story and tucks them in.   he called from the road to say goodnight, and they both started crying after hanging up the phone. 
i was finally able to console them by tucking one of dustin's t-shirts into bed with them, just like little puppies.  they snuggled up next to the soft, worn shirts and smelled their daddy's smell until they fell asleep.

well, annabelle did.  julian got up for one more "glass of water, turn-the-fan-on, turn-the-fan-off, read me another story, i'm hungry, what movie are you watching, i need another drink, what's ezra doing" before he went to sleep.

it made me think about how important smells are to us. 

shortly before dustin and i were married, i went to africa for about a month.  dustin told me later that he went over to see my mom one day, and when he left, he swiped my favorite green sweater from my bedroom.  he said that he kept the sweater by his pillow each night because it smelled like me.  it was comforting.

after dustin and i were married, dustin travelled with a band for several days to weeks at a time.  i lived close to my family, so i had an easy enough time getting through the days, but the nights were really hard.  i spent several nights at friends homes, my parents home, inviting my brother and sister to sleep over. anything to not be alone at bedtime.  but when i was alone, i took Dustin's worn brown leather coat out of the closet and curled up in our huge armchair, while falling asleep to "You've Got Mail".  (my most important comfort movie, since we had no cable tv, or internet to distract me) 

the smell of his coat. it is my favorite smell.  it's a mix of old leather, campfire smoke, patchouli, Lever 2000 soap, old spice deoderant, and a little pipe tobacco (for that short time that he tried to smoke a pipe but quit in frustration of constantly having to re-light the darned thing.  the smell reminds me of autumn, my most favorite season.

the smell reminds me of late night talks on our front porch of our first home together. dreaming of the future, while petting our neighborhood stray cat, affectionately dubbed "Prince Albert".  it reminds me of campfires at friends homes.  drinking root beer and staying up way too late, since we were all mostly childless.  the smell reminds me of evening walks through our local park, strolls around the duck pond, drives in our old clunky 1980's mercedes.  it reminds me of midnight picnics after a long separation.  bicycle rides to the football field.  drinking sparkling grape juice on my cousin Ben's balcony/porch, listening to Fleming and John on the stereo and watching the rain.  going to Baskin Robbins and Wal-Mart every single night, because nothing else was open in our small town. staring at the stars from an old quilt on the ground. drinking hot chocolate and coffee at a coffeehouse party on 4th street.  sitting in the dark on a velvet couch, holding hands and just being together.   

i love that time in my life.  one brief smell from that old leather coat and the memories come rushing back in. 

unfortunately for me, i didn't tell dustin about my love of his leather jacket, and the memories it held for me.  which is why in december, during a particularly cold spell, dustin "loaned" the jacket to a new friend who has since moved away. i am sure we will never get the coat back, and even if we do, the smell will have changed to this new man and his life and habits and soaps.

as stressful as things are at this time in our life, with new businesses, small children, bills, living away from my family and our friends, i know that in a couple of years i will look back with longing.  longing for the days when our children were babies.  longing for nights spent making fun of american idol and eating "magic popcorn" (popcorn covered in sugar and cinnamon). nights spent dreaming of our growing business and taking the kids to play hide-n-seek at daddy's office. nights spent tucking our children into bed with old t-shirts...

and in a few years when i need to remember these days, i have already laid claim to a new sweater of dustin's.  and this one won't leave my sight. 

tidbits to remember

little things i want to remember:

**the lunch julian asks for every single day, "peeney botter sarwich"

**the way annabelle instructs people to talk to Ezra:
"you gotta say, 'EZRA!!  are you a gooooood boy?  are you goooooood?'  then he will smile.  SEE???!!!  IT WORKED!!!"

**the way annabelle can sing every single word to "Television Radio Star" from memory. (one of dustin's songs)

**the way julian is like a monster truck, crashing through the house...and then can be so gentle with ezra for approximately 14 seconds...and then he's back in monster truck mode.

**when ezra is in his baby backpack while walking through the grocery store, he tries to slurp on my neck and chest (non-boob area) to fall asleep.  to avoid getting hickied up, i turn his head to the side, but he keeps trying anyway.

**annabelle reminds me so much of me as a little girl, constantly wanting to play school, and be given "homework" practice.  i need to be better about giving her "assignments".  i just know she is going to do so well in kindergarten next year.

**the way julian runs through all the dark rooms in my mom's house, armed only with a flashlight, because he is "fighting monsters and dragons".

**the reckless way annabelle applies lipstick/chapstick/lip gloss

**the fact that julian still doesn't see a distinction between girl/boy interests and has asked for lipstick, purses, and to get his ears pierced.  also when the kids play pretend, annabelle ALWAYS wants to be Madison (her cousin), and Julian ALWAYS wants to be Bella.  so sweet.

**the way they can forgive my sleep-deprived crankiness so easily.

i really am blessed to have such a good family.  i need to remind myself of that more on days like today, when everything seems to put me in a grumpy mood.

hot mama

a photo that i think my mom might like ;-)  we women are so critical of photos of ourselves...but my mom is just silly.  she is gorgeous.  her beauty comes from the inside first and that's what makes her outside so beautiful.  isn't that the way it's supposed to be? 

my mom is one of those women that makes me less nervous about aging.  i'm counting on her good genes. :) 

fortunately for me, all the women in my family age well.  shortly after dustin and i got married, he said something along the lines of how pretty i will be when i get older.  he said, "you look so much  like your mimi, and let's face it: your mimi's HOT!"     i always thought that was pretty cute.

anyways, i just wanted to let my mom and sister know that the album from last weekend is ready...i emailed the link to you, so check your email :) 

boys and poop talk

dustin and annabelle went on an overnighter to houston, so it's just been me and the boys hanging out all day.  i love these guys.  i often get so overwhelmed with all three kiddos, that i leave annabelle and juju to entertain eachother while i tend to ezra, or leave ezra in the swing while making lunch...

but this morning, i had ezra on my lap and julian  on the arm of the chair, and they were both laughing hysterically, like i was the funniest person alive.  i think we were singing songs about poop trains.  it was awesome. 

last night, we went to the playground at the mall, ezra hanging out in the baby backpack, and juju running like a wild man.  we met a family who had a 14 month old girl named annabelle.  juju was totally confused.  then, we tried to play dalmations and juju told me that he was "Lucky" and I was "cruella de'vil".  i told him i didn't want to play the mean lady, i wanted to be "Penny".  he very solemnly informed me that i could NOT be "Penny", because Bella was always Penny.  Then he said, "HEY!  Bella's not here.  we no play dalmations".  and we had to change our game to bunny rabbits,  because it was apparently just wrong to play dalmations without the queen dalmation herself.

shortly after, SEVERAL families showed up and we were about to leave to get dinner.  i asked juju if he wanted to go eat chicken nuggets or teriyaki chicken and he LOUDLY informed me that he wanted, "A POOP SANDWICH!".  and for a second, i wondered if he had been hanging out with my friend Katie.  because i really can't remember teaching him about poop sandwiches.  we are a "tootie sandwich" household.  needless to say, i felt judged at that moment, by all the parents of children that were not shouting about eating feces.

we headed to Chick Fil-A and got a fruit cup and chicken nuggets and i had like 3 people try to stop and help me.  now i've made several trips out with all 3 kids alone, and never once had anybody tried to help me.  i guess without annabelle's help, i look completely flustered. which is a little sad that it takes a 4 year old to help me look "put together". 

i had people opening doors for us, pulling out chairs, carrying trays of food.  it was nice.  i almost felt like royalty...except that i paid for juju's  chicken with mostly quarters and dimes.... and i was wearing a sweatshirt to cover up my baby puke stain covered t-shirt.

2 bites into dinner, i had gotten all the food arranged, ezra mildly content, and was mentally already at home in my p.j.'s with kids in bed watching American Idol...and juju yells "I GOTTA POOP!!!!"  i guess all the talk of poop sandwiches really did him in.  have you ever tried to help a messy little boy wipe his bum, with a baby in a backpack, an oversized diaper bag on one arm and your other hand holding a bag of chicken and a small root beer?  throw into the mix that i have a bathroom phobia...especially a PUBLIC bathroom...and well, let's just say it was not my best moment. 

oh the joys of boys...and poop.

and to veer off of the poop subject for a minute...this may be my absolute favorite picture of my dad.  i love how his hand is the size of bella's head and how he is just beaming between these two little girlies. so super sweet.

grands

several weeks ago, i was looking through photos and realized that i had almost no pictures of the kiddos with their grandparents.  i had individual shots of bella and my mom or dad and jocelyn, but other than that...nada.

so when i went home last weekend, i prepared myself to beg and plead with everybody to cooperate for  a nice little picture.  and fortunately for me and my ego...i didn't have to do much begging. 
i LOVE everything about these pictures, and all of the imperfections.  here is your warning: i plan to hit up more family in the future for impromptu photo sessions.

happy birthday tata!!!

today is my mama's birthday. annabelle has been counting down (on our wall calendar)  to Tata's birthday for over 2 weeks now.  She is one of Annabelle's most favorite people in the world, so this is an important birthday to her. (plus, i think she is going to try to weasel some "special birthday treats" out of me for her and Julian).  this is the birthday card that annabelle made yesterday and she couldn't wait for me to put it on the computer.

my mom is the most important woman in my life, hands down.  she has taught me what it is to be a woman of grace.  she is a woman of strength and integrity and is known for her encouraging, supportive spirit.

My brother and I were talking about our Mom over the phone one night, and it eventually led into us emotionally praising her attributes, and feeling sympathy for others who didn't have a mother like ours.  (we don't normally get so emotional, but i think cj had had a few drinks, and i was extremely emotionally pregnant.) 

We both agreed that regardless of how much money our mother  ever made, even if she won the lottery (or hit it big playing the nickel slots!)  she would never be physically wealthy.  She would spend every dime taking care of others.  She just doesn't seem to have it in her to be selfish.  (a trait that i unfortunately did not inherit)

as a child, i loved her, but took her for granted.  i wasn't aware that all other mom's weren't like our mom.  now, as an adult, as a mother, as a wife, struggling with my selfishness and dealing with everyday stress and pressure...now more than ever, i appreciate the person that my mom is.  and as an adult, i appreciate her even more as a friend, but the BEST kind of friend.  the kind of friend that knows exactly when you need a break and offers her babysitting services.   the kind of friend that brings home a cherry slush from Cruizzers, just because she knows you like them.  the kind of friend who sends your children care packages on HER birthday. you spoil us lady...but i'm not complaining.  :-)

i love you mama, and i hope your birthday is fabulous.  come see us soon, and we'll take you to Chuckee Cheese! :) 

happy birthday mimi!!

today is my sweet grandma's birthday.
we called to wish her a happy birthday this evening, but bella couldn't talk until she finished creating Mimi's birthday card.
since we are too late to mail it, Mimi asked us to post it on the blog so she could see it. 
i hope you like it, Mimi.  We sure do love you and hope your birthday was wonderful. 
we owe you a birthday cupcake the next time we're in town. 

a 5 generation snapshot, complete with cranky annabelle.   

 

 

my cute mimi and pabob dancing.

bella's birthday card for mimi.