Valentine Cookie Decorating

Our friend Ms. J is a wonderful cookie and cake decorator and of course has all the stuff for the kids to do it! Perfect! JC and I got to go to her play date to decorate cookies. I was so bummed JM was at school and so was she. Thankfully she was able to get over it with the help from some yummy cookies we brought her! We'll have to do real play dates again this summer because I know she misses that!

Mom Notes

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom!



Here are my girls at church singing in their choir. Handbells for the first time! My girls seem so serious. And yes they are wearing the same dresses that they wore to the zoo yesterday. They didn't get dirty and why on earth would I create more work for myself on Mother's Day!! :-)

First thing this morning hubby cleaned my car out- which was a great gift! (My "Love Language" is acts of service when I am in my home where I often feel overwhelmed with housework!) Thanks hubby! And to my girls: You are my gifts from God. A gift that has shown me so much about being patient and about loving. And, having two pre-school girls has opened up my world to new passions like children's art, literature and teaching that give me such joy! Wow, God has already given your little lives such purpose in mine! I can't wait to see what is to come! Although I am happy to linger in these pre-school years with you.

And to my own mom - a poem I found fitting:

A Sonnet for My Incomparable Mother

I often contemplate my childhood, Mom.
I am a mother now, and so I know
Hard work is mixed together with the fun;
You learned that when you raised me long ago.

I think of all the things you gave to me:
Sacrifice, devotion, love and tears,
Your heart, your mind, your energy and soul--
All these you spent on me throughout the years.

You loved me with a never-failing love
You gave me strength and sweet security,
And then you did the hardest thing of all:
You let me separate and set me free.

Every day, I try my best to be
A mother like the mom you were to me.

By Joanna Fuchs

Be My Valentine

The girls got dolls for Valentine's. They aren't really doll girls and I was so happy that they loved these! (Disney clearance - WOO HOO!) You can see JC sleeping on the couch with hers. They are close to the same size! They also got pocket kites to keep in the car for any given windy moment and we are excited to try those out!

We had a great day! We started it with breakfast tacos fom Tacodeli (yum) with Daddy and then went to Mt. Bonnell for a short hike. Then made cookies and JC got her nap! It was a perfect day! And how I LOVE my girls!!!

Peatown

The church got a NEW sign.

But this is the OLD church where we got married! Basically a one room church and I thought it was charming.

Plus Bette and Papa got married there too which made it a special place.

We went to the Christmas Eve service which JM was only TOO happy to do when she found out we were headed to the church where we got married! We've only passed and pointed in the past since we normally go to Mia and Poppy's church when in Longview. This church actually only holds monthly services at an irregular time.

The girls were angels. (They fell asleep during the service!)

Christmas Comes but Once a Year..or Does It?

We decided to have Christmas at home this year, but since we needed to travel to Longview we celebrated at home on December 21st! Mia and Poppy were in town so the girls enjoyed having them as their audience looking at "Santa" stuff. Now HOW can you get Santa to come early?? You put out cookies, and sprinkle magical reindeer food on the yard (glitter and oatmeal) and they just know they need to come early and honestly it helps them have a lighter load on Christmas Eve! haha I actually don't think my kids believe in Santa...totally. It's more of a game and story, although they might be a bit unsure. It's all in fun. In the morning though JM runs to me and says "Oh thank you Mommy, that is just what I wanted!" Umm yeah, she knows who shops in this house! She also is a bit of a snooper and sees little treasures on occasion. This Santa thing won't last long with me shopping. If I find a deal I have to buy it in front of the girls. This year almost everything was bought between January and July. I am a clearance addict and last year's toys were 75% off in January! Those ponies dance and sing and were a HUGE hit! Last year: nearly $50, in January $10!! We also love our pink clompers. We had a pair of green ones and decided to give them to cousin I and get 2 pairs of pink ones! And then the one thing I got up at 4 AM for on the day after Thanksgiving - the Leapsters. They also got kid crank flashlights (NO BATTERIES TO REPLACE!!!!) and musical toothbrushes...and soap. One of JM's final requests was a bar of soap. You just have to fulfill dreams on that one!! Anyway, fun stuff, I didn't feel like we over-did it. It was just right. I actually have a few more things I am saving for Valentine's or Easter because I knew they'd hit the jackpot with the relatives as well.

I love seeing how thrilled the girls are with gifts. They think everything is fabulous. This was the first year we didn't video it (video camera broke)and it made me sad as the kids were so funny.

Oh and what did this mom get from the hubby who agreed we wouldn't buy each other gifts?? An MP3/MP4 player!! Do you know I've never had one? Last musical device like this I had was a walkman that played TAPES!!! I am actually a little clueless on how to use this new gadget!! How did I let myself get TOTALLY lost in this techno world?? Sigh..excited though. Oh and I bought Hubby a collection of HG Wells books in a lovely leather bound edition....Looks brand new..... :-) I don't feel bad for spending WAY less than hubby. He buys himself computer stuff whenever he likes and he likes it that way. I am lucky that I don't have to pick out random things for him and luckier still that after 10 years I figured out he REALLY doesn't mind!!! Funny.

A Regular Day?

When we aren't around our extended family we act as if we simply don't know what a traditional Thanksgiving is - and I LOVE IT! A part of me misses the turkey and sides, but we just don't have any desire to make all that for just us, so when we stay home at Thanksgiving we just do whatever.. Last year we basically ate chicken dip, since we didn't go anywhere last year either. We did that yesterday. :-) So what's in store for today?

We did this craft of a Marshmallow snowman way back in February. Back then JC didn't take much interest so it was fun to see her do it this time! JM was as meticulous as ever. They both did great about waiting to eat marshmallows too!

After our lunch of frozen lasagna (and let me add a YUM YUM here!) JM played outside..with a balloon in her shirt. It was hilarious especially since she is always talking about growing up and being a mom and having 10 kids. Every now and then out of the blue she'll come up with a name for one of her kids. I wish I remembered them cuz they are alway great names, unique but not too crazy. If you ever need potential name choices - ask JM!

Obviously the day was pretty "regular." But you know what? That is what I am thankful for. For having so many regular days that fill my heart! God has blessed me in so many ways and to be a Mom who gets to see so many moments in my children's "regular" every day lives is what I am always most thankful for.

Hope everyone has had a day filled with memories and reasons to be thankful.

We look forward to the turkey and family we missed at Christmas.

Ornament Making Part I

We cook a lot over here. I really don't know why. It's certainly not anything I excel at, but the kids think it's fun and we always do counting to take turns and attempt to look at fractions when we measure. Our friend J and her girls got us these super cute apron sets for birthdays. Oh how we love them. Anytime someone comes over they have to try the hat on as S is doing in this picture with JM.

So, speaking of S, we had her and her mommy and siblings over in an effort to make our own cinnamon scented star ornaments, pictured lowered left. I will not share the recipe as I didn't like it! They smell great, but unfortunately are not as hard as I think an ornament should be! I will place them high for scent, but no hands can touch and crumble! I have one more recipe that I have the ingredients for that I will try next. Cross your fingers! If you have a great recipe - send it my way!

In the far right picture JC is making our lunch. :-) Actually she AND N made us this pizza, but my memory card was full and I think I accidentally dumped the picture of N. Pizza is so fun/easy to make! This time we used that Boboli crust and it was good!

Precious Pilgrims

At school today the girls performed a song with their classes (and my class too). All the girls dressed as Pilgrims and the boys like Native Americans.

JM and one of her friends. They felt the need to pick up center pieces to pose for the picture.

The Good and The Bad

A sampling of some photos I took for a possible Christmas card. These are the "good."

These are the "bad" but I can't toss 'em cuz I LOVE looking at them. Goober girls. Taking pictures of them together is SOOO hard. Making matters worse..afterwards we were to head to Radijazz for some fun as a 'reward.' Umm CLOSED! Whoops. Perhaps closed forever, it was very weird. They were open last week! We headed to the park with our friends instead.

Weekend Words

JC: (with stuffy nose) Mom, you're my best friend. I love you. (With arms around my neck and lots of hugs. She did this repeatedly through the weekend. I think she could tell I liked it!)

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JM: (after negotiating when I'd come check on her in bed) I made that deal. I think my work is done here. Have a good evening!

After this "bit" JM does her crazy eye trick. Yes that's right, due to my child's Duane's Syndrome she gets to do nifty party tricks, which aren't exactly tricks at all but a condition where one eye doesn't move all the way to the right. It's wild and suddenly she's pretty aware of it and how to use it. I think it's funny and great to be able to use it and laugh about it. Hubby not so much. Hubby has always hated eye tricks. I have some of my own he dislikes and they aren't even as cool as JM's.

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In other news we are assisting retail this weekend by getting pumped for Christmas! We put our tree up! I thought it was nuts. We've never done it that early, but hubby was game and when hubby is ready to drag that stuff down from the attic you better take him up on it!! And of course the girls were excited. And my theory is that we are assisting the economy by decorating early, gettings folks who come over in the mood early and in turn they will start their shopping even earlier! ha, who knows - that's what the stores do. Anyway, we are excited to have the tree up for 2 whole months! We have been listening to our Harry Connick Jr. and Barry Manilow Christmas cds too! :-) I need to find the rest. ie. James Taylow and the kiddo stuff. Yes that's right my collecton is mostly the Hallmark Christmas albums! I find them delightful!

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And we voted early this week! It's certainly going to be a historical election. And I can say I didn't play favorites in the way of "parties" this year and all three parties were voted for at some point on my ballot...hmmm I wander who I voted for for president??? This is a typically red state, so that answer is not really important. What is interesting is that we will either have a part African American president or a female vice-president. Either prospect is exciting in our history regardless of my political preferences.

Cheetos

No this post is not really all about Cheetos - sort of! The kids did some cooking at Mom J's house. The Pottery Barn Outlet Queen BTW. She totally gets into all the super cute holiday decorating. We read a Halloween book and did some Halloween food decorating.

The girls of course ate all of the available Cheetos they possibly could!! Jumping tables to get to them practically! haha Poor things! We NEVER eat Cheetos because we ALL love them and I would hear begging for Cheetos 24/7 if they were in teh house. SO, they make great treats and great bribery! :-) Umm, yup that happens on occasion! So yes, huge treat today - Cheetos! J could have had only that and the girls would have been totally happy.

These are some owl face cheese sandwiches they made. JC's expression about her owl face pretty much sums up how she thought it tasted too. It's one of JC's patented expressions. :-) But hey Cheetos went with it so..great meal!

Here is where they hit the sugar jackpot! Pretzels dipped in orange or green white chocolate and then covered in sprinkles and candy! The girls both napped today! I think there was a sugar crash involved!

Absolutely wonderful! We are so glad to have our fun play group of creative moms willing to put this stuff together!!

Labor Day

Well, it's Labor Day and it was full of labor! How fitting! Hubby was busy working at home and we had ZERO plans out and about, so I proceeded to keep the girls busy, away from hubby, no TV on, and get some cleaning done too. This is always harder when hubby is home cuz of course they want to be with him and are drawn to him! So, we try to get creative. Although eventually we went to Target and shared some popcorn while getting a few things we needed like laundry detergent.

Well I was cleaning out old markers with no lids and I read somewhere you could wet the tips and use them some more like paint sticks, so we did it on coffee filters...that gave us a few minutes of entertainment!

We made a cake in a mug!

You need: a mug, 4 tbs of sugar, 4 tbs of flour, 2 tbs of cocoa, 3 tbs of milk, 3 tbs of oil, and an egg. Combine the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, and mix WELL. Put your mug of cake mix in the microwave, and cook it for 3 minutes. Eat it if ya can! I got this off another blog that has great crafty ideas for tots called Chasing Cheerios.

Not really sure what happened, JM and JC sort of had rock cakes, but mine was ok! Not exactly the best cake in the world, but this was a good cooking project for the girls cuz it was single serve and ya mix it right there in their mugs. The process was worth it!

Oh an dHappy Birthday to my big brother!! Hope you actually took some time off!

Entertaining

My sister-in-law has a wonderful friend C who graciously had us all over for dinner on July 4th! Grilled burgers and hot dogs and fresh fruit salad!! My favorite!!! And to invite all the family that was there! How nice!

C also has a beautiful little girl named O. She let me take pictures of O for practice. It's great to take pictures of kids other than my own! And she is such a doll. C is starting her own clothes-line and O is of course the model. I can't wait to get one of those dresses for my girls!

C also made water balloons for the kids! They loved it! I have to say JM especially did, likely because she didn't have to fight big kids for a chance to throw one!!

The silly JC with her silly looks, eating an ice cream cone on Poppy's lap.

Flagstaff July 4th Parade

Just because we were in another city doesn't mean we don't do crafts!! Y managed to get us the supplies for these patriotic parade wands from a play date she didn't go to.

The parade was awesome. This is a town that really gets a huge turn out. It was a very long parade though. We left at the half way point. For a city which has mild summer temperatures (compared to our Texas heat) it was actually pretty hot on this day. Mid 80's??

My patriotic JM and her flag and wand to wave during the parade. Oh and the best seat in the house!

My brother and Little L were wiped out.

Afterwards we went to a art festival and found this lady doing face painting. The girls chose butterflies.

My nephew chose a Tiger. Isn't he GGGGGGGRRRRRRRREAT!?

First taste of Italian Ice! I'd never had it before either! It was good! I didn't know it was any different from a regular Sno-cone. You can already see JM's lips going blue!

Always looking cool.

Poppy and Mia.

Happy Father's Day

We spent Father's Day at church, then headed to lake 'O the Pines for lunch. We were actually scoping out future reunion locations for something a little different. This is Mia with JC. Oh how nice it is to have a JC leaning on you!

Here are some baby birds in a nest we saw from our table. The picture is through the window, so it's a little foggy.

Beautiful girl at the lake!

Here's the girls with Poppy! (My best dad!)

Happy Father's day guys!

Especially to hubby of course who does such a wonderful job being a Dad, hubby and a provider! One thing about hubby is even on the days the laundry didn't get done I know he's always secretly happy that on occasion we headed to the zoo, or park, or museum instead! I always know experiences for the kids is important to him. I love that and I am so lucky to get to experience their childhood with them in this fun pre-school time!

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is my JM on the back row practicing her song with "PraisePals" at church. They performed in the service shortly after, but I will spare you those pictures. JM apparently thought the practice was the only time she needed to perform. See her hands sweetly together, like she is supposed to have them. In the service she played with her robe the entire time. Oh well, she always enjoys it and will be sad to stop her little group for the summer. In the fall JC will get to join her! JC is VERY excited!

And to all the Mommies, Happy Mother's Day! Especially to Bett and Mia of course! The best moms hubby and I know! Thank you for showing us how to live full lives and continuing to take care of yourselves and others and live healthy lifestyles. What a great example!

Happy Easter 2008

Here's the finished product!

Hubby and me.

JM and Poppy listening to music on the hammock.

JC and JM getting ready to dig into the socks and suckers Aunt G sent!!! This was a super fun treat G! They loved the suckers with their names on them!

Gotcha!


The hunt was a blast. We did it Saturday because Mia and Poppy were here. The weather couldn't have been better.

At the end Julia decided she wanted to eat some Easter eggs. I love boiled eggs. When she bit into the inside we asked if she liked it, she said she did,but then asked when would she get to the chocolate!!!!

Gratefulness to God for giving me such blessings as my J's is my main thought on a holiday in which I think we should truly celebrate the lives we have. It's such a gift no matter what you believe.