MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas!

(the cards are on their way...we had issues. And we ran out. I am tired of the whole thing so if you don't get one from us - We love you. We think of you all often. Next year you are at the top of the mailing list and will get yours first. Hopefully before Christmas.)

AND just so you know...the dudes are in my basement RIGHT NOW finishing up the crown molding and trim! I am so excited we don't have to do it! It's totally getting done and I am here reading Blogs! And next I am going to go read my sewing machine manual and maybe get started on those curtains. All while the professionals trim out my basement. sigh. awesome.

there are more things to life than winning a Christmas Giveaway OR a dancing girl and her 9 year old brothers sense of humor

I told you she loves to dance. She is always dancing.

Nash loves to be involved somehow as well. Introducing - Farticus. Seriously? I know.

This is taking a while to upload...

Didn't this month fly by? Maddie turns 12 on Monday and Christmas is on Thursday! This is the last weekend before Santa comes. Excitement and anticipation!

Brian agreed to let me call someone to come finish the trim work in the basement. Yipee. They said they'd have it done by Christmas. I haven't heard from them all week. I hope they call soon.

hmmm...the video is still loading.

Let's see...Oh, Brian is going to run the Pell city 5K on Saturday. I am opting out. I'm gonna take the kiddos and do the 1 mile fun run. Fun Run. fun run. Does that even make sense?

Still processing. Maybe you don't get to see the video after all. I'm going to go get me a snack and I'll be back to see if we're ready to post.

Here we go. (and please ignore the old lady huff when I change to a sitting position.)

Giveaways galore! Not FROM me. But hopefully FOR me!!!

There are so many Christmas Giveaways out there. Talented people and/or people who know how to find cool stuff are sharing their SKILLZ with, well...hopefully ME.

This one is to die for.

Mermag.

If you haven't ALWAYS wanted a self portrait done of yourself...

Self. Self. Self. SelfLESS Merrilee.

My sister totally really knows her too.

AND I have a book that she illustrated called Elvis and Olive that was fun to read.

Also if you go and link to her blog on your blog you get entered for an extra special prize that is TO DIE FOR EVEN MORE!

AND:

Design Mom

She's going Christmas Crazy with a

12 Days of Christmas giveaway grand enough to be called an EVENT!

Totally. I know.

12 different thingys. Go see.

And enter to WIN.

Check out Miss Cally's blog for some Fantabulous crafty goodies.

She has got an eye for fabric.

And you can win it ALL with just one comment. Generosity is her middle name.

So Jump on the Chuckwagon and enter NOW so you don't get left with the raw end of the stick.

Good Luck and Merry Christmas to all!

Oh, Happy day!

are you too busy?

I lurve living in Alabama.

Where ever you go...where ever you are...you can always find reminders of what is really important.

And apparently it's not grammar.

Which is why Brian had to take this picture.

So much so that he backtracked a few steps to take this picture during our

morning of CRAZINESS in which you NEVER want to go BACKWARD when you have sooooo far to go forward! I kept going forward. He had to catch up. Which wasn't hard. 'Cause I was walking.

"What makes walking crazy?" you ask?

When you wake up early on a Saturday in 30 degree weather to walk 13.1 miles!!!!

Yes indeedee! I finished a half-marathon.

My runner friend Alisha enjoys (?) to do this kind of thing so she talked me into trying one out. I wasn't about to run. So she sent me a walking training schedule and I followed it...mostly.

My other two friends I talked into being my walking buddies had VERY good reasons to not be able to do the actual race so Mr Brian stepped up and became my buddy.

Brian kept me going at the pace I needed to go. He started us off running (I know! ugh) for the first mile so we wouldn't be too far behind everyone else. We still ended up pretty far behind everyone else. Pretty quickly,too. But this was not about them! It was about us! I wasn't trying to beat anyone, just trying to get it done. In less than 5 hours. And we did.

In 3 hours 2 minutes and thirty-something seconds.

I look happy, huh? I wasn't. I was grumpy. And I was SORE! But I knew this picture may make it to the blogging land of happiness so I mustered up a smile.
And weird! Look at my fingers. For some reason the whole 'race' (I use that term loosly - it wasn't so much for us.) I kept pushing my freebe gloves down between my fingers with my thumb. I noticed it a couple times about half way through and now that I see these pictures it looks like I was doing it the whole time! Weirdo.

We ran 3 miles - not all together. After that first mile we ran a half mile every 2 miles walked, or so. So we ran 3 miles and walked 10. But we walked FAST! Like speedy quick. And we "sprinted" (not really) the last little bit to the finish line .

Brian ran backwards taking pictures of me.

Wanna know what was in my kangaroo pouch? I had a crunchy granola bar for two and two boxes of Craisins. Alisha gave me a little bag of Energy Beans which were great!
You should have seen us pick up the pace after those babies! Yum.



You also may be wondering about my choice of running gear. I learned on
What Not to Wear that the colors don't have to match to "go" together.



So - It was an experience I was glad to have...uh...experienced.

Brian and I had fun making each other laugh, which wasn't hard because our brains were a little oxygen deprived quite early on. But he's a funny guy, I tell ya.

I may even do it again someday.



What I learned: Anything you can do I can do better.

(Just kidding...that just popped into my head. Have you heard that song? It's funny.)



Sometimes you have to make the time to do something new.



If you go out in the very cold for a good chunk of time you may come down with a cold a few days later.



Everyones bodies are different and some may hurt more and maybe even for longer than others.



Brian owes me a dinner at Classic on the Noble! Woot!



and last but not least...

(This post may be edited when all my anti-cold drugs wear off. I will check back in a few hours and fix what needs fixin'. Now off to find a good song to go with this post and get something warm to drink. Should I do one of those steam tent thingys? Do they work?)

my new hat and a bracelet that is out of stock

I totally won! This is one awesome winter hat.

Warm, cozy and made with love!

Want your chance to win a Heidi origional?

Check out her blog. Leave a comment and you are entered!

New winners every day.

(not the most flattering pictures of yours truly, but it's really all about the hat.

I got feeling a little dorky taking pictures of myself. There were MANY to choose from.

I don't think I'll do that again any time soon.)

Also, check out those pies she made for Thanksgiving. We totally scored when we got the Kesler's to come for Thanksgiving dinner! Even though their company would have been more than enough to make my Thanksgiving fabulous. The pies were to die for. And the rolls...sooooo delish!

I was checking out a coat my sister was coveting at J.Crew and found this bracelet.

It's called the Storybook Charm Bracelet. And it is out of stock.

I love it.

the first thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

(My sister and her husband are very funny, creative and talented.

This video is from a couple of years ago. Check it out! You wont be disappointed.)

carter wanted a swing

So Brian got the stuff to put up a swing.
He get's excited about projects.
Can you see the beam up there? WAY UP THERE?
I had Erin go stand by the tree
so you could get an idea of how high up the beam has been bolted to the trees.
I'm telling you. When I am upstairs in Erin's room,
I look out her window and the beam is at eye level!
The 2x4 you see nailed to the beam was to help us hold the beam up so he could screw the first bolt in and then we had to use the 2x4 to get the end of the beam to the other tree.
Brian says the higher the more fun.
I still think it's too high.
But, maybe he's right. It'll probably be a blast.
I may have the kids wear helmets when they use it so if they don't swing very straight and they smash into a tree trunk at least their heads will be somewhat protected.
We still have to finish getting the bolts all the way in and then it's flying time!
I'll keep you posted.

picky eaters

I cooked.

Yeppers.

This week I made a meal.

Cream of Potato Soup and French Bread.

The bread is an awesome, easy recipe from Heidi,
my bama friend.
(it didn't look pretty. I need practice on the shaping of the loaf, but I made it myself - from scratch! and it tasted marvelous.)

And the soup was so easy!
That one is from my other friend, Natalie!
Thanks for helping me feed my kids! (kind of)

Try them both. Really. Just do it. You'll be happy.

In a crock pot...

Dump in:

2lb bag of frozen hash browns (cube style)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

2 cans chicken broth

1 med. onion finely chopped

1 - 8oz. package of cream cheese cut into small cubes

Salt, pepper and garlic to taste.

Mix well. Cook in crockpot on low all day.

I wasn't paying attention when she told me she used a can of cheddar cheese soup instead of the celery soup - so next time I'll use cheddar although the celery one was still yummy, just had chunks of celery in it...did not thrill my kiddos.

Which leads me into my next topic - what the title of this post refers to.

My kids! Love 'em. Really, really do.

And I could totally handle if they didn't like one or two things.

All right. I just deleted my rant. Embarassing. Fine.

So they are picky eaters.

There are worse things.

Suffice it to say, I calmed down,

emptied the laundry basket and put all the food back in the pantry.

Then quietly/lovingly told the kiddos that if they are going to be such picky eaters things may be difficult sometimes. Sometimes meals may work out for them, sometimes they may not.

You decide for yourself :

"Will I still eat the hamburger even though those McD guys put ketchup on it when we specifically said 'plain'?"

What can you do.

One thing that stuck in my head from last weekend in Nashville was

"Teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves."

I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do that. (What is the punishment? She said you re-teach the principle, but how do the consequences work into it?)

And I'm not sure if it really applies to picky eaters, but...

What do you think?

How do you handle (or wish you handled) picky eaters?

(try the soup!)

piggy back

I just rely on other peopleses fab posts to cushion my...uh...stuff.

(really my brain needs a boost. I can't think of anything interesting to say! Waxing eloquent is not my skill. I must say I am pretty darn fabulous at re-capping movies or tv shows. And I am a pro at enjoying a nice chocolate...or ten. and give me a good book! Nothing will get in my way of finishing that bad boy! NOTHING! That my friends is dedication and attention span. shazah.)

So Wanna know what I'm doing this weekend?

LOOKEE HERE!!!

but please (because you love me) subsititute all positives about yours truly.

xoxoxoxo

love you!

kind of like an update

Wendy's prize for winning the contest is one it's way.

NO I'm not posting a picture...unlike my creative loverly sister, my prizes come from Target.

Still good. Target ROCKS!

...and just for the record, I don't laugh EVERY time my kids fall down. Just when I think laughing will keep them from crying. Couldn't you hear the thoughtful pause of contemplation before the chuckle presented itself? I was thinking what would be the best for HER. I wasn't amused. Not at all. And she didn't cry. My toughy. She was just a little embarrassed but once she looked around and saw nobody else was there she pirouetted her way back into the spotlight of...hmmm...the spotlight of...drrr.

So this is funny. My dear boy, Carter.

Not the stinky one - yet.

Last night when I put him to bed he kissed me and got my nose.

"Oh, I think I missed." he said.

Then I tucked him in and as I was leaving reached over to shut his closet door.

"Uh Mom. Could you open that?"

"What? you want your closet door open?" (who would even want their closet door open?)

"Yeah. Cause then I wont be scared when I have to open it, cause it will already be open."

He's working through a lot of fears right now.

mary

She's a funny gal.
Check out this interesting and imformative post on her blog.
You learn something new every day, eh?

she loves to dance

Erin LOVES her dance class.

She dances all over everywhere like a pretty dancing princess.

She comes to me during the day often and daintily puts out her hand and asks

"May you dance with me?"

Here is a little video clip of Erin dancing during a lunch break at Animal Kingdom.

over the grumps

Grinchy would not quit until I took a picture with him.

He was quite cuddly soft.

Cassy and Seth LOVE these!

and now so do we!

Those braces really paid off...

(there are a lot of fun effects on that picnik web site.

I tried all of them in attempts to make the menu planning for the week go away. It hasn't.)

trick-or-treat

Here we have a hobo and a kung-fu princess.

And this here is a knight and Indiana Jones.

It was a "raid the dress-up box and see what we can find" Halloween.
My only gripe is that nobody was handing out chocolate.
So I have not been gorging on candy like usual,
which I guess is a good thing in the long run.

i open at the close

The Golden Snitch!

I'm telling you my sisters are

amazingly creative, clever and awe-inspiring.

This one is all Cassy.

(Ohhhh, Mary. I wish it was me.)

So, yea to my lovely Aunt Wendy (who I love even if she did CHEAT!)

I am off to go look for something to give her.

My sewing machine is broken. My skillz there are minimal anyhow.

(I can make a mean dishrag bag however. Haven't seen any ladybug towels yet though.)

Maybe I'll give her a coupon for a Calico goodie. (heads up Cal-Can.)

So while I'm looking around, check out my Cassy-sis' blog.

It's highly entertaining.

(Her videos are a hoot. Thanksgiving 2006.

Nothing better. The Father's day ones are awesome too.)

contest-a-rama-lama-ding-dong

First one to guess the costume for the little one gets something.

grumpy

i'm grumpy.

sigh.

almost there

We're getting close to the end of the week.

Next week will be so cool.

Nothing planned except to get my gray hairs covered up on Wed.

And carve pumpkins for FHE.

Looks like I'll have to renew my book AGAIN this Friday.

So, quickly, before I set my traps for bad guys and try to walk calmly but end up running the last few steps to make a flying leap to the safety of my bed and eventually fall asleep lying flat on my back with the phone next to me on the pillow and a few lights on because Brian is in NYC tonight and not here to protect me from stuff with his brawny muscles and fearless nature

(he actually sleeps through most night time crazy stuff and if he does happen to wake up

he is so confused that it just causes more crazy),

I will tell you something cool about the Halloween Party

('Fall Festival' down here in the south) on Friday.

When Brian gets home tomorrow evening he is going to go by his work and pick up the boxes they ship bus seats in and take them to the church to build us an awesome spooky tunnel all throughout the RS room for the kiddos to crawl through.

We did this last year and it totally ROCKED! Really it was so fun.

But the funny thing is, I was just talking to him on the phone, and he is planning this thing out and wants to get a fog machine so fog will be seeping through the cracks and ooze along the floor of the tunnel. Thus, increasing it's spook factor.

I don't think it will happen, but I think it's fun that he wants to do that.

K- so off to bed...
um...
k-...
wanna come over and watch Pride and Prejudice with me?

home sweet home

I love being home.
We had a great fall break family vacation,
but i love to be home.

I also like to make lists.
Here is a list going through my head right now.

What I want to do this week now that I'm back:

• Catch up on a weeks worth of new blog posts.
• Post my own humorous and entertaining summary of our Florida trip.
• Finish reading my book - Trickster's Choice.
• Watch all my back logged DVRed shows before the guy comes today to switch our provider and they are all lost. (do you know how many Oprah's I've been saving for a "do nothing but sit in my pjs and watch Oprah" day that was coming up very soon?!!)
• Get hooked on Tim Gunn's Guide to Style show. (I've got like three of those DVRed...soon to be no more. I sooo need a guide to style.)
• Make Erin's B-day cake.
• Call Jen
• Nothing.

What I have to do this week now that I'm back:

• vacuume
• laundry
• grocery shopping
• figure out kids halloween costumes by the Branch Halloween party on Friday
• finish organizing and planning party on Friday
• make signs for party on Friday
• e-mail Holly
• call Jill
• figure out prizes for costume parade on Friday
• figure out awards for pumpkin carving contest for Friday
• call Cheri
• sew badges on Nash's cub scout shirt for den meeting on Wed
• plan birthday party for Erin for Tuesday (TOMORROW!)
• make Erin's b-day cake
• plan sharing time for Sunday...I can put that one off a little...I get my best inspiration Sat. night.
• figure out something for the branch pres. to give the kids for being Super Service Stars this week.

There are a couple more "have to's" but they all kind of go along with the Friday party thingy.
Which will be fun. And I don't have to do the den meeting this week 'cause I get to help with a sewing project for YW activity! That'll be fun, too. Even though I really like doing cub scouts.
I've actually got something on my 'have to' list that is also on my 'want to' list! What a treat.
I'm usually not this busy. It's just one of those weeks.

Life is good.
Home is great.

Maybe I should start with a shower...

xoxoxox

picture picture

From my awesome sisters blog...a tag...kind of. I think.

She got it from my other sister's sister-in-law, who I agree with Cassy is pretty radical.

Old school radical...meaning way cool, dude.

So - looking in my fourth picture folder for the fourth picture...

Here it is.

One of our first attempts at a bubble bath in our first ever jetted tub. A little goes a long way.

And...since I'm lazy and don't want to do a whole 'nother post -

The bag in my last post is SUPER easy to make using two dish towels! My sweeeeet friend Heidi found this gem of a project. Interested in getting the instructions?
Let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Honestly - 'Sew' easy!

Har Har Har

whooos crafty?

Look what I made!

THIS IS NOT A GIVEAWAY!

I want to keep it.

four!

can you believe it?

I'm out of babies.

She is so funny, smart and loves to dance around.

Happy Birthday, Pumpkin Pie.

xoxoxoxo

i've been busy

But I have SOMEHOW found the time to check my fellow bloggers blogs and found some fun giveaways that if I link to them I will get double the chance of winning. And they are awesome so check them out.

#1

We all love Cally's stuff.

Being one of her sisters doesn't mean I get free stuff all the time.

I have to enter just like everyone else.

So here is the link to the big CALICO give away.

You wont be dissappointed. promise.

and the song on her playlist is FABULOUS. Love the weepies.

#2

When I need a good laugh I go here.

Beezwax from Arizona has a way with words.

She cracks me up and she is giving something away too!

CHECK IT OUT!

I love it.

I'm gonna go look for some more other free stuff.

There are some great and funny peeps out there.

And I may have some finished basement pictures for you soon.

The bathroom is ALMOST completely done.

lesson learned

Oooo La La!

I have seen the error of my ways! I LOVE cleaning showers.

All bathrooms, in general, are a joy and bring a thrill of happiness into my day.

Especially if I spend the proper amount of time scrubbing and making them sparkling clean and smelling fresh.

Joy of Joys!

And now that I've added yet another one (bathroom) to my

'opportunity to learn the value hard work and a job well done'

I am in heaven. Well, not yet. But I am closer.

It was a hard road but I have learned this lesson well.

So well, in fact, that I should be released from this calling (bathroom cleaner) and install maybe these ladies or maybe these guys in office.

I could spend the extra time working on the lessons of life I have not yet perfected.

So, honey. What do ya think?

9 years old

Happy birthday, my Icy Blast boy!

new attitude

The color came out nice. Brian put up the lights last night. Now we just have the tile floor, toilet, vanity, closet doors, and trim to do!

I do have to clean all the crud out of that shower/tub insert. Grodie! Can do!

All by the end of this month. In-laws are coming.

Wanna see their room?

Mmmmmm. It's like a black and white cookie. So delish.

We have to put up the chair rail, baseboards and crown molding. Oh - and paint the doors and trim around. Can do!

This is my project today though...

I have been charged with the task of washing that floor.

We are going to epoxy it. Like those fancy garage floor coverings. We've never done that before and thought it'd be great for the food storage room. If I have time I'm gonna roll that bad stuff on as well. New adventures! Can Do!

I have a new attitude to make life (with me) easier.

ill

I've been sick.

Not fun, but thanks to dear friends who cared for me and my kids - we survived. And I am feeling sooooo much better - finally.
So I will put effort forth into a new post soon. But my brain cells are not functioning properly. (which is a true statement since my 3rd child was born - I think they call it placenta brain. AND apparently it is an irreversible condition - gross, I know. sorry)

We are still painting in the basement. Now working on the bathroom to hopefully have that finished before Brian's parents come to visit at the end of September.
We're attempting to put down tile for the floor. Never done that before. Yea. A new adventure. Which I'm finding out that although I LOVE reading about adventure, I'm not so excited about actually experiencing them anymore.

So on with your lives lovely people. While I try to finish this basement project and wait for something exciting to happen or a clever thought to cross my squishy brain.

tremendous love to you
xoxoxoxo

loved

Thanks Babe. Love it!

Check out Cally's cute bag giveaway

so you, too, can have something

cute and crafty from that creative chica.

operation de-odorize

Bright and early Thursday morning...

mom: "Don't forget the deodorant, k -Nash?"

Nash (eyes brighten): "Oh Yeah! I got it right here!"

Takes off his pajama shirt and struggles a bit with that vacuumed on lid. Carter (7) watches very interested.

Nash applies the deodorant kind of sideways, but who cares, really.

Nash: 'Woah! That is COLD! NOW I know why they call it Icy Blast!"

chuckle, chuckle.

Nash: "No really Mom! Look. It says Icy Blast. It also says here...wait, where is that thing I read...Oh - K. It says 'Smell Great All Day!'"

Yup. I hope it works for ya Mrs. Tillison.
My baby. Growin' up.

stinky boy

My son needs deodorant.

He'll only be 9 in two weeks.

Stinky, stinky boy.

That is kind of a crazy milestone. My little 8 year old in third grade needs DEODORANT! I mean he definitely needs to be de-odor-ized, I do not despute that...but he's my little boy. In third grade!
So as I glanced over the wide selection at Wal-Mart, I am noticing they don't have Scooby-Doo, Sponge Bob, Pokemon, Spiderman, or Speed Racer deoderant. I had to buy the same stuff I buy my big old manly husband!!! But not the same smell...that would be wrong. I smelled a great many deodorants to see which one smelled more like a little 8 year old than a big muscly man. I settled on Speed Stick (close to Speed Racer - I'll put a couple car stickers on it in a minute.) Irish Spring-Icy Blast! It's more of a soapy clean smell than a spicy musky smell. And it'll help him smell great ALL DAY! I am accepting the growing boy.

This is for you Mrs. Tillison.

whacha doin'?

Painting.

...and I am sooooo dead meat if I am still telling you about this when

Brian gets home! I needed a break.

Back to work.

the raw end of the stick

Hey sis...
malapropism \mal-uh-PROP-iz-uhm\, noun:
The usually unintentionally humorous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound; also, an example of such misuse.

Maddie picked this word off dictionary.com to 'stump' her teacher.

I told her we actually knew someone that was great at that!
Unintentionally, of course. That's the definition...
AND that's a cool web sight. Loads of laughs with the 6th grader.

xoxoxo

leaf me

The tree has been 'leafed'.

It was fun too.

I picked up these little 1/2 pints of color from the local

Home Depot

and was a bit worried if they would be good colors or not.

They were GREAT colors!

I tell ya. That was lucky.

The dark green was glossy

(ugh-didn't even look for that on the can)

but it turned out all right in the end.

It actually added a bit of texture and variation...yeah...

I'm an artist imposter. But I keep trying.
(My camera is having issues so please stop by if you are able, and check it out in person. It's pretty good if I do say so myself.)
There will eventually be a little birdie perching on the upper empty branch. I just have to get brave again....tweet.

Fun Stuff.

finally, a sheet

It's happening.

Right now!

Yeppers!

The drywall is up.

The mud and taping is done.

And the sanding has begun!

Really.

Right now!

finally, a tree

I wanted so badly to paint a mural or something fun on Erin's wall before we moved in here.

I was dissuaded by the few that had input and so I didn't.

But now...I did!

And I guess it's not really a mural...

it is

a tree.

I have yet to do leaves...but I was excited that I got this far so I thought I'd share.

Okay, Okay...singing at Target.

If that's the worst they can do then I'm a lucky girl.

And I am. I know it.

I started early and worked hard at getting them to stay focused for long periods of time.

Nobody can say my kids have ADD. They can watch that TV for HOURS without moving a muscle. That is focus.

And they are sooooo computer savvy.

I tell you, I am impressed with their mouse control at only 2 1/2 years of age.

And so what if I have to 'count to three' to get them outside to play and then set the timer so they'll know when they can come back in and will stop pressing their noses to the window looking wistfully at...inside. They stay out there. They sit right on the stoop nice and quite. sigh. I'm gonna blame that one on the "outside dangers" course they gave them at school. They are a little nervous about ticks and poision ivy. But who isn't!

We now have "No Screens Day" on all the T days and Sunday.

(and time limits on the other days)

They are getting good at Legos. And they built a fort.

And they swim - that's outside.

My kids are smart and funny and gorgeous and healthy and careful-ish and they have good memories.

I love those guys. They're my favorite.

And they are a lot like me...except for the memory part.

Someone mentioned to me that I don't post very much.

Actually...I post everything.

And I'm not complaining.

Jen said I'm in for something big.

I hope not.

I'm quite content with what I've got.

shopping with kids

One reason I am looking forward to school starting is that I will only have one child to take grocery shopping or to my beloved Target.

Today I had the pleasure of running errands with all four kids. It wasn't so bad actually. Except for the asking for gumballs at every shop we went to and hiding in the hanging rugs at the paint store. Really, not too bad.

Then we arrived at Target.

After taking Erin to the potty I came out to find the three older kids all jammed into the extra seat part of those longer buggies that are nice except if you have to turn or come too close to the shelves. And they're not just sitting quietly. They were stating that there were kids for sale. Only $20.

Now, this is Target.

I frequent this store often and have to keep up appearances.

The fussing began as I told everyone "OUT!" Then I thought...they only have a week left before school, let them do something fun. So I said okay but NO fighting and NO asking for anything or else you're walking.

Erin climbed on and I saw four smiling kids - so I smiled and began my journey.

There's no fighting. That's fabulous.

THEN they all got it in their minds to sing that peaceful jungle song...you know, the one I have painstakenly found for you to listen to as you read the post. A-Wimoweh, A-Wimoweh... Now, I've been a Mom for 11 1/2 years and am actually quite fabulous at blocking out a lot of their noises. And I really didn't notice that they were singing at all until they hit the high pitched

A-Weeeeeeeeeee-eeee-eee-eee-eeeeeee-umm-umm-a-weh

It was screechy and so loud! So I nicely asked them to shush.

Nope.

The whole rest to the shopping trip I was serenaded to sleeping lions, hush my darlings, and HEY HEYs.

Not so peaceful.

I have slowly learned my lesson that as soon as you lose it and begin to talk angrily (aka. yell - yes, sometimes I do) someone you know walks around the corner.

So I smiled and tried to go to my ignoring place. I managed quite well until the screeching A-Weeeee....came up again.

I then decided to wait a week and a half for the rest of my Target 'wants' and head to the register, glad that I hadn't yelled and hadn't run into anyone I knew. As I swiped my card (smiling because I was almost out of there- although dreading the car ride home - less air space for the sound to dissipate in) I turned to look at the kids and saw Mike Parkhurst from church standing right next to the cart.

I guess if it was anyone I'm glad it was him. He has a good sense of humor.

(unlike some of the shoppers who weren't as amused with my children's budding performance skills)

Fortunately they didn't think it was as fun to sing it in the car.

and now UTAH!

Utah was great! We hung out and relaxed, visited, played Nerts,

went to Temple Square, saw our new cousin, Sara, blessed,

painted bowls and nic nacs at Color Me Mine, swam in Grandpa's pool...

We did lot's of stuff,

but I seem to not have taken as many pictures of this leg of our journey...

This is Carter. He likes to go off on his own when we go places.

He always stays near, just a little apart, looking around.

Salt Lake Temple

Erin loves Grandpa Paul.

She stayed right by him the whole week.


Honestly...it was so bright out there that every picture
I wanted to put up here has squinty or closed eyes.
The plants and flowers were Bee-Utiful, as always.
It was fun to take the kids to Temple Square.
Wish I had more pictures for ya.

Brian took Maddie and Nash for a ride

on a raft down the Provo River.

Nash was quite nervous, but ended up loving it.

I like this picture because the reflective logo on

Brian's shirt got all bright and it looks like he's

a Superhero protecting the kids!

He just needs a funky mustache and he can be Sporticus!

The boys aren't used to sharing a bed.

I'm really not sure what happened here.

Carter started off next to the wall.

Looks like Nash forced him to find more room elsewhere.

We had a GREAT vacation. It was so good to see our families.

Can't wait to see them again!

xoxoxoxoxox