Savoring Sunday

I am on a major scaleback in the picture posting department. I have almost reached my max capacity for my blog picture storage...what do you do when you're at 100%??? So, until I figure that out, I will try not to post too many!

But I did have to sneak in a few from yesterday. We had some friends over for dinner and barbecued--ooooh, do I love these summer Sunday meals.

The kids ran around and played while we visited--

They have the cutest little girl--Kinlee (sorry, I am sure I misspelled it) She LOVED being in the swing and was all smiles! :)

And their little boy Jaden (sp?) showed up in full Incredibles uniform. He is such a funny kid!
Jenna was pretending to be a baby--she rotates this with being a puppy, a kitty, and a princess. But I thought she looked so funny here...
Dirty face=good meal??
Kaden saw a cat on our fence and watched for it after is jumped down and ran away...

Ikea heaven

I am still catching up on blogging from this weekend! WOW did we have a lot going on!

Saturday morning Kaden and I took Sarah and her kids to the airport. We found a great deal on a flight out of Pittsburgh, and even after paying us for gas to drive there and back, Sarah still saved a good amount of money over flying right out of Cleveland.

Pittsburgh is about an hour and 45 minutes from here--a beautiful drive--and I loved that it gave us time to talk and prolonged the inevitable leaving. I bawled like a baby when she left and I sure felt silly about it.

After she went disappeared through the sliding glass doors, Kaden and I were on a mission: find and conquer Ikea.

I mentioned to Sarah that "I just wanted to see what was in there" because I have never been. She assured me I would need much more than a few minutes to browse. SHE WAS RIGHT! :)

Just after walking through the door I fell in complete IKEA love. Wandering through the store, looking at all the gadgets and gizmos and AMAZING ideas...making a mental list a mile long and wishing-wishing-wishing for a house of our own to put all this stuff in. :)

Kaden and I walked around for 2 1/2 hours while I ooohed and AHHHHED and coveted cool stuff. I was quite surprised at how well he did. But there also came a time when it was time to go--right about when we hit the hour past lunch time and heading into naptime. Good thing he was with me. I might have set up camp and stayed the night there. :) He also made me think twice about all my purchases. I left only spending $12...though I would have liked to spend $912 dollars. If only, if only...

I am thinking that we will be adding Ikea to the list of mandatory things a place has to have for us to move there. :) jk!

Picture a day Challenge--232

Kaden was EXHAUSTED tonight after missing his nap and then running all about in the backyard all afternoon. At one point he started crying and crying--we still have no idea what happened. But he ran right to Brandon and snuggled up. It was so sweet...

I hope my kids never grow too old, too big, or too cool to snuggle.

6 Random things about brandon

Hey blog fans, this is Brandon again.
Jenny tagged me so here are my 6 random things:
1. I have a sister-in-law named jenny that has been tagging me to do things for a year and this is the first time I have done it due to the severe allergic reactions I get from calling attention to myself. As you read this I am probably battling desperately to keep my pharynx from swelling shut.

2. I once shattered the light fixture in my friends house because I was involed in a reenactment of a light saber duel and someone put the light too close to the ground.

3. When I was eleven, I was so inspired by the Rocky movies that every afternoon I would box with my friend and his brother in hopes of developing the skill to be world champion. I did, however, bloody my buddy's nose more than once.

4. When I first met my Rachel she tried to get me to go out with her sister.

5. Someone once told my that if I starved myself for three days and wore a loin cloth I would resemble Gollumn from "Lord of the Rings". I was so amused that I now enjoy stroking my ring and hissing my precious, the only thing I don't like about it is not eating.

6. When I was in high school we had to drive a hour and a half to get to the nearest Walmart. Due to the distance, Walmart became an all day family activity. After spending several hours shopping my older brother and I would get bored and developed the habit of yelling "to the BAT CAVE" as we raced down the aisles of the store.

I really am not sure who has been tagged and who hasn't so I tag Jason, Tia, and the husbands of those who read this but haven't written anything themselves.

WE OFFICIALLY HAVE A WINNER!

The name change? The ice cream? Are you all in such suspense? (probably not, but play along!) :)

After voting, the name that I had come up with myself won--isn't that how it always works? :) I loved hearing your ideas and thoughts so thank you so much for participating! I had several people suggest I just leave it as OUR LIFE, and after really thinking about it I liked a part of that--

So, I will work up a header and background change with the new name. I am so excited to see how it will turn out! :)

THAT MEANS, drumroll, that we had a random winner from all you particpants.

The $10 Coldstone Gift Card goes to:

jkziel said...
A Mother's DiaryBecause really a lot of your posts are the perfect read for mothers--but I dunno.I'm sure you'll come up with something nice.
August 18, 2008 5:38 PM

SO, Shoot me an email with your address and I will pop it in the mail for ya! :)

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE FUN!!!

Picture a day Challenge--231

Today my sister went home--back across the many, many miles that fall between us--

Thank you Sarah--thank you for coming, for keeping me company, for watching the kids, for sharing your icecream with me. Thank you for talking and laughing and going along with my crazy ideas. Thank you for being my sister, and most of all, my friend.

I miss you...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

So little time, so much to do together--

WOW! The past 4 days are definitely evidence to me that if I don't post every day I completely FORGET what happens. I will see if I can recap our funfilled few days! :) I really didn't take many pictures. It was pretty chaotic keeping up with everyone and I just didn't find myself reaching for the camera as much--more so just enjoying the moment.

WEDNESDAY--we started out our day with a trip to the park. It was fun to be out and about and let the kids play...until STROLLER WARS started (each kid wanted to push the ONE umbrella stroller resulting in a massive meltdown)

After the park and the meltdown we went for lunch at Pizza Hut--always a good deal when you have so many kids who eat for cheap/free... :) Unfortunately, Pizza Hut ran way low on pizza and we waited MUCH longer than we should have had to. Overall, didn't go too bad--2 time outs, about 17 dirty plates, and 6 full tummies all ready for naps. :)

After nap time we loaded up the kids again and went to the mall to play and take care of a few errands. We played and played and came home right in time to get everyone tucked in bed.

Side note: when you have so many kids to get in and out of the car, it gets kind of blurry as to who needs what to be ready to go. Kaden chose 1 blue sandal and one pink ballet shoe. I realized this as he got in the car and figured we would change it when we got to the store. Well, that just didn't happen and he wandered the mall in "style". We ran into Payless to look at shoes and the salesperson came up to me wondering if his shoes were really supposed to be that way. Made for a pretty good chuckle!

THURSDAY--We got a late start doing much of anything this day. The company who was putting on our new roof finally showed up--only 3 days late. So we decided to leave while they worked. We made a stop at the Fancy McDonalds for lunch and then continued on to the Children's Museum for a few hours of play.

This shot just makes me smile over and over. Little Matthew was just chillin' in his chair and Spencer climbed up in one too.

Our friend Debbie came with us and brought her little boy Ethan and the girl she babysits named Olivia. All the little girls (Emma, Jenna, Olivia) loved the little water area and played there for a long time.

Here's Spencer--freestanding. :) He is getting more and more brave and stable!
After the museum, we knew we couldn't go home quite yet, so we decided to go to Old Time Pottery (a craft store--that is REALLY cool and REALLY cheap). Do I know what we were really thinking taking 5 children under 4 to a craft store?

No. I don't.

Needless to say, it was short-lived. But a fun attempt. :)

After dinner, Brandon took over the troops and Sarah and I went out KID-FREE for shopping and some celebratory birthday ice cream at Coldstone (Happy Birthday Sarah!) We found a TERRIFIC clearance at JCPenney's and were able to get 7 (SEVEN) pairs of shoes for $48 with tax. SO exciting!!! (too bad most of them were for the kids!) I meant to take pictures of our bargains, but just didn't get to it.

It was so fun to just sit and talk over ice cream (after we finally FOUND the place!) We came home to all the kids in bed--even baby Matthew fast asleep. Brandon, you seriously deserve the BLUE RIBBON mega award for this one!

FRIDAY--We loaded all the kids up and went into Cleveland to the West Side Market. When I went to San Fransisco last month, I took some dried strawberries with me. Sarah and Emma LOVED them, and had to stock up while they were here...and the W.S. market is where they're at! We bought a GIANT watermelon and some other fruit and headed home. We noticed TONS AND TONS of garage sale signs along the way and stopped at a few. After talking with a few people we were told it was a city-wide garage sale and there were about 150 participants in a few mile radius. We snatched up a couple steals and went home to get the kids lunch.

We had originally planned a really great pink party to go with the book, "Pinkalicious". But everyone was so hungry when we got home that we just threw some stuff together. I did think up this great idea for a meal. I am sure someone along the line has thought this same thing, but I have never heard of it before--a pizzadilla (mix between a pizza and a quesadilla). We cooked up some sausage and bacon and put it with peppers and olives and cheese, folded it over and cooked it. Then we cut it like little pizza slices and dipped it in pizza sauce. A much CLEANER way to eat pizza! And I actually really liked it! :)

The best, BEST part of our day was after lunch and stories--we got everyone BACK in the car with sippy cups in tow and went shopping at garage sales. Because it was nap time, everyone fell asleep and we were able to drive up to a house, leave the car running while we scoped things out, grab our deals, and run to the next sale.

Worked out AWESOME. We really got some GREAT finds! My top finds of the day were 2 purses--NICE purses. I am pretty darn excited about this because I have been only using a diaper bag anytime we go ANYWHERE. I never understood people with a purse fetish. But after trying out these two nice leather purses, I just felt so hip and cool (which I RARELY feel) and I think I FINALLY got how some people could collect them and why they might have more than one. :)

While I will probably never buy one for full price, I COULD handle $5 for a Coach purse...

When the kids woke up we went home. The day had turned TOTALLY muggy and gross. So while we cranked up the A/C inside, we started the water OUTSIDE for the kids. They played outside for a long time--ate outside--and went back to the water again afterward. :)

A GIGANTIC THANKS to Sarah for babysitting the kids while Brandon and I went on a date to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was so nice to get out and about and spend some time with him and it gave me a chance to wear one of my new pairs of shoes ($10 from Penney's). Now, this is not a pair of shoes I normally would have gotten. And I don't know really WHAT came over me...but I loved these shoes. Cute, simple, different from the norm...and the picture doesn't quite do them justice. It was fun to put them on and try to dress myself up as much as my frizzy hair would allow. :)

And here's the glorious new purse--RED, my favorite color...I got one purse in brown (and a different style) for more everyday use. But this night was special, and deserved the "special" bag. :) I just LOVE It.


We came home and got everyone in bed and then stayed up WAY too late...

It has been SO fun having Sarah here. The days just FLEW by and I wished I could somehow make them multiply instead of subtract. I only hope we can see each other again sooner than later...why do there have to be SO MANY miles between us?

The time to go has come way too soon!

Picture a day Challenge--230

My new purse...

Picture a day Challenge--229

This was SPENCER at the Children's museum. He loved the mirror and playing with his newfound "friend". :)

Picture a day Challenge--228

This is the ceiling above the Children's play area at the mall--I thought it looked SO neat!

RaNdOm TaG

I have been tagged with this tag about 13 times, so here's to all you taggers! Sorry it took me SO DARN long to get this one up! :)

Rules Once Tagged:

1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post.

1) I always have to sleep on the side of the bed closest to the door. It's been like this ever since the day we got married. I don't really know why--and it's quite silly considering that Brandon gets up with the kids way more that I do, but it's just how it is. Me and the door=friends.

2) I am not a real actor/actress buff. For example, I didn't know what Brad Pitt looked like was until I was in college. I'd heard his name all growing up and probably seen a movie or two with him in it, but I couldn't have picked him out in a lineup at all. And on that topic, I just don't get going ga-ga over a movie star. My brain just doesn't work that way. I always feel like a ridiculous outcast in conversations where girls/guys or even married men and women are talking about someone who is "so hot" because I have never really thought about people in entertainment that way.

3) I rarely win anything. In fact, at the state fair a few years ago Brandon and I both entered to win a sewing machine. Guess who won? Yep, Brandon. (but he gave it to me...I mean, really what was he gonna do with it anyway??)

4) Someday, when/if we EVER buy a house, I am putting a drinking fountain in the back of the house. :) I even drew up plans when I was a teenager (because I obviously was nerdy enough to do that kind of stuff since I didn't know who Brad Pitt was) of where it would be and how the setup would look. Can you imagine how COOL this will be??

5) I was voted Best Dressed student in middle school. Sounds COOL, right? Not so much though when you consider that the TEACHERS voted and the students were COMPLETELY shocked. Amidst the gasps and whispers I shamefully took my place in the front of the school to receive my award, wearing my handmade plaid cuff shorts with matching vest and hair bow. Now, in my mom's defense, it WAS a cute outfit--just not a COOL outfit. :)

6) I either stay white, or burn. There really is no middle ground for me. Once I put a heart shaped sticker on my leg and sat out on the balcony to "tan" while I studied. I was trying to test exactly how much darker my skin would get. Well, unfortunately I fell asleep (studying does that to ya!) and for the next long while I had to walk around with a bright white heart smack dab on my lobster red legs.

Okay, there ya have it! 6 random things that reveal my complete nerdiness...

And now to tag:
-Cameo
-Susan Overton (so you can actually get your blog started)
-Kemi
-Camille (because you really need an update)
-Andrea Golding (to get your creative juices flowing)
-Esther (because I don't think you have been tagged for a while)

Bedtime, bedtime go away...come again after we play!

When we got home from picking up Sarah from the airport, the kids were anxiously awaiting our return! And with a new playmate arriving, they were THRILLED with the chance to play outside.



I just couldn't say no. :)



So, bedtime was pushed way back and they ran out in the yard with thei pj's on, to swing, run, and play.



Here's Spence from his perch...

The kids all LOVE baby Matthew. Smiles and kisses and the attempted foot bite (why does Kaden choose to show his love to babies this way?!!?) filled our evening.
HOW could anyone resist this little face?!?!
Here we were watching a summersault--great follow through Jenna!
Here we were watching an ATTEMPT at a summersault.

Better balance and better luck next time Kaden! :)

And our sweet little niece (cousin) Emma! I think she looks so cute here!
Spencer just chillin' and watching the kids play.


YEAH! Sarah, we are so glad you are here! What a fun week this will be.

Picture a day Challenge--228

They're here, they're here! My sister and her 2 kids are here to visit for the week and I am so excited!

This picture was taken at the airport when I went in to help her bring stuff out. Can you BELIEVE she fit stuff for 2 kids AND herself for 5 days in ONE (1) SUITCASE?!

Amazed. Seriously amazed.

We ALMOST have a winner!

I know, I know. You are all probably wondering when on earth I am going to announce a winner of the name our blog contest/giveaway!

Well, it just so happens that tonight Brandon, my sister (who just got here!!) and I sat down and read through the entries. Let me tell you all, you guys are HILARIOUS (and desperate to win some ice cream).

I read through and it felt like we wrote a long list of ones we liked (there really were some great ideas!) and then narrowed THAT list down and here we are.

I put a poll on the sidebar at the top. Please go vote for your favorite! I had to include one for Brandon since this IS his blog too (I will let you all take a guess which one).

If your entry isn't listed, don't fret. I threw in a bonus name that I thought of, and if that one gets the most votes we will do the random pick for a winner of the gift card.

So head over and vote! :) And thanks for an incredibly FUNNY read tonight! :)

Parenting and perfection (or lack of...)

I have been writing this post for several days now. Sometimes in my head, sometimes quickly scribbling a thought or two. Either way, it's really been on my mind. LOTS.

Parenting.

Why is it so easy to compare to others, and so hard to accept what we see around us? Kids who sit quietly in church, who talk politely all the time, who don't throw huge tantrums, etc. Kids who just seem like they have the perfect parents.

And then we look at our kids and wonder if we have fallen short in teaching all we should. I find myself so lost lately--feeling like I want to give my best, 100% to my kids. I want them to learn and grow and know everything they need to so they can face life and all the challenges that will come. I want them to be well-rounded individuals who take pride in who they are and where they come from. I want them to be well behaved, but always ready for a good time. I want to do all I can with these precious little spirits while I have been entrusted with their care.

But how?

I feel like I am falling so short in this area of my life. If only I were completely selfless and really did give my all to them. Then, would I feel better about my work as a mother? Are the going to look back and see the good or only remember my shortcomings?

There are so many times I just want to throw my hands in the air and scream. Yep, you heard me right. I too get overwhelmed and overstressed. And I feel like somehow those feelings and reactions cancel out anything I might have done right in the short few years I have been their mother. I feel so discouraged when I realize that some days I just don't handle things like I know I should or I throw an all out personal pity party and they clean up the confetti. :)

To be honest, lately I have found it ironic that sometimes the comments that are made that should make me feel the best, are the things that make me feel the worst.

I know you see our projects and outings, etc. You all see that, and I love those times and moments. I DO. And I love your sweet comments and encouragement. But I somehow feel like you all think I am so much better than I really am. I try hard not to make everything seem perfect, because in all reality it isn't. There are tantrums and time-outs, and let's be real--an occasional spanking.

So I sit here feeling guilty--guilty that I don't feel like a very good mom, and guilty that some of you actually think I am, and guilty that my kids don't sit still in church and throw tantrums and don't always say please.

Guilty and wanting...wanting to be better for my children, for myself...wanting to be less selfish, more embracing, slower to anger, and quicker to love.

Picture a day Challenge--227

We went to the zoo today with some friends--Dina, Holly, and Julie (+Jackson). WOW, was I SO thankful for the extra hands! Thanks girls for pushing strollers, holding kids, finding kids, lifting kids...and for being great company as we trudged up that RIDICULOUS hill while I pushed my giant double stroller with 60+ pounds of warm bodies in it as the zoo shuttle passed us by...guess we know for next time. :)

Saw lots of animals--and people. Every Monday is free zoo day, and lots of people take advantage of that. :) But it was a great time...the giraffe's were the end of our tour today, and what we had looked so forward to seeing. What beautiful animals! I am so in awe at their splendor (though, they do look extremely uncomfortable when they try to sit down.)

ISH

Our summer lovin' book was ISH...and I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this book! It has such a great lesson--that you can be you and do beautiful things just by being YOU.
So for our project we decided to paint however we felt like painting. I bought these little wooden cars from Walmart for .88 cents each. The kids LOVED them and were so excited to paint their car to make it their own. :)

If you can't tell, we had a DISASTER afterwards. Mainly because Kaden decided that he would streak his face with white and green and then pour out an entire bottle of paint and wipe the wall with his hands. No worries Jane (my landlord), the paint came off. :)

But hey, being creative-ish was all worth it. :)