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6.24.2011

i don't get it.

i've ordered a few things online in the last couple of weeks. good deals, presents, stuff for girl's camp.... just different things. and i don't get how packaging and shipping systems work for some places! i've ordered the same product a couple different times, and they'll come differently. or take this example: i ordered 20 books from barnes & noble for girl's camp. they came in two different packages, likely because not one location had them all. thats fine. BUT. 2 books came in a huge box with tons of puffy plastic, and the other 18 just came in some cardboard wrapped with packing tape. ???

or how some places throw free shipping around with everything, no big deal. like a custom shirt for joe. that came all the way from china. yes i KNOW it was china, there are china stamps all over it and was over-nighted. that was free. but to ship some lightweight paper products a few hundred miles? that'll be your arm please. do you want it sooner than three weeks? okay, thats an arm and a leg. i rarely pay shipping on anything.... but still. free from china, ten bucks from illinois.

i'm not upset or offended. i'm really happy that i can sit at home and do a little click, type, click and diapers land on my doorstep, and not drag my kids all over the place for every little thing. but the crazy packaging? gotta love it.

6.23.2011

the good life


oh sweet summer. 
right now we are enjoying summer to the fullest. farmer's market, snow cones, pool, bike rides, playground, grilling, staying up late, windows rolled down, picnics... love it all. summer really is the best time. and we are soaking up as much as possible. the winter of '10-'11 was the winter that wouldn't end. but it has been absolutely GORGEOUS the last few days. can't get enough of it.

other than joe working a ton, and me wrangling the kids all day and enjoying every minute (ha) not a ton going on. i have a sweet friend who is a dance instructor who offered to do a dance class for a few girls claire's age once a week. the first class was this week and claire loved every second of it. it is so perfect for claire because she gets to do it with her friends, who she loves. so lucky to have a talented friend and lots of cute kids around!

did i mention the bubbers is a walking machine? he does more an more each day. scary. but so fun. it seems every parent wants their kid to walk and not be the last to have their kid walking.... that will never be my kids. fun and not fun at the same time. i just hate the stupid baby gate. i guess they aren't stupid because they keep the kids safe, but my shins? not so much. and claire likes to climb over it.... but then gets stuck. 

oh that girl. little dare devil that one. she needs swim lessons..... i just keep putting it off. she has no problem just jumping into the pool. she would much rather have floaties on, but if she doesn't want to leave the pool and i've taken them off, she WILL jump back in without them. like she did the other day..... lucky i knew it was coming so i could grab her. yikes. that girl is SASSY. love her to death though. most nights we go through our little routine and its quick and i'm out and shut her door. but  last night i just couldn't get enough of her, and i had to drag myself out of her room. she was pretty sleepy, but was being so sweet and gave as many kisses as i asked for. she is growing up waaaaaay too fast. 

off to enjoy some more summer. 

6.20.2011

Getting so close


Hear me out before you go, huh? What's with the milk carton?

The date on the milk carton says June 27th and everytime I see it I get real excited. Why? Because that is the day miss Sarah Jane is coming to Utah! I did a little sneaky thing and convinced my mom to let her come stay with me before she starts school in september in Idaho. She is such a fun girl to have around and my kids adore her, so pretty perfect right? One week and the kids will be climbing all over you girl!

And thanks for letting me borrow your 'baby' mom! I'll take care of her, promise :)

6.13.2011

Bug bites stink.

well not stink as in smell bad. but they are the worst. and i always get them in the worst places. like the back of the knee. right now I have one on the back of my ankle. and it stinks. so no shoes with a back to it! those are my fave to wear.

i am sorry this is random. i am putting off doing laundry and my ankle won't stop itching.

I'll come up with something better later.

6.11.2011

use as directed, folks

or else you might be a lobster. like me. unless you kind of like that feeling, like me. 

crazy for liking that sun-burnt feeling? probably.

but you would too, if your husband likes the room to be a freezer at night, and you can never get quite warm enough. being sunburned means warmth all night long. yes. 

6.05.2011

today is sunday

and we miss our daddy. a friend at church asked if i ever get to see joe. nope. not really. and that is likely not going to change any time soon. so instead, i do as much as possible when we do have time together, look forward to our trip to the beach in august, and when he is gone, focus as much as possible on the littles. who are really, so much fun to be around.

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bubba is out of control. and what i mean by that is, he has suddenly become a  climber.

this is not good. especially because he gets real proud when he reaches his goal, but tries to play it off like its totally normal. like when he got past what i though was a good barrier to the stairs, and came giggling into my bedroom this morning... 

i love him just the same though. 

little guy is almost walking on his own. sad day when he isn't a little baby anymore... 

he is SUCH a momma's boy. i knew he would be. we started doing this thing after he eats a meal in his high chair- i sit across from him and we lean forward til we touch foreheads, and then just giggle and laugh, and look cross eyed at each other. and then do it over and over. seriously the world around me stops and i soak that in.
he is just so sweet like that. melts your heart. 

and his sister, the sweet and spicy one, just gets sweeter, and spicier. 
i love when she gets so sweet with her little brother. she has always loved her little bubba, (and he totally adores her- no one makes him laugh harder) but it feels like lately she is really understanding her role as the older sibling- both watching out for him and keeping him in line. so i have to keep her in line- she is developing a somewhat terrifying sassy streak. 

at 2 1/2 she still demands that her milk be hot. ummmm.... yeah. and if she can't feel it through the cup that its hot, there is no way in you know what she will even try it. even if it is hot. so you can't shake it up and have to make she sure grabs to top half of the cup where its warmest so she knows. pa.the.tic. i know.

but she makes friends with EVERYONE, just about EVERYWHERE we go. and insists on holding hands. or growling like a dinosaur if its a boy. like at the airport, she convinced four other kids to swing around on the poles with her for a solid 45 minutes, because the flight was delayed. and yes, everyone in the gate area was thoroughly entertained. the other parents kind of tried to stop it.... is it bad that i didn't? (i did stop her when it got out of hand, but for the most part there was no need) caleb was being a little needy, they weren't hurting anyone and i thought it would be great to get some energy out. look, it wasn't MY fault the flight was delayed! and i wasn't about to pull out all the junk and make her sit down, just to have to clean it up really fast every time they announced it would be just a couple more minutes. (a flight attendant told us on one of the flights that "a couple of minutes" really means "we have no idea how long this will take, so just sit back and stop asking." and its true. it is NEVER a couple minutes.)

i digress. claire makes friends with everyone. i really wish i had her little outgoing personality. love it.

she also has a little ocd about things being in their place. not everything, but lids and tops have to be just right, and rugs have to lay completely on the floor. doors have to be shut all they way, and blankets pulled all the way up. makes me laugh.
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love my kids. they rock. love my husband. hes the man. he still tells me i'm the hottest girl at church. (whatever. so NOT true. but thanks. *blush*) 

life is rolling on. and i am completely STOKED to go swimming this week. summer has arrived! and most of my plants in the garden are starting to make little fruit and veggie buds. i even got a fully ripe strawberry! it was the size of a dime, but a strawberry i did grow. i even got a row of fresh herbs in- can't wait for some pestos! 

happy sabbath.

6.03.2011

i feel ya girl.

sometimes i wish i could just curl up and fall asleep, without a care in the world. there was a day when this happened. it seems i was rather known for it. i'll have to scan those pictures in someday.

we are back. we survived the trip flying home, despite delays and such. i chanted in my head "i can do hard things" about 70,000 times i think.and i think joe is happiest i am home. he tried to tell me that he got everything taken care of.... well i hate to say this, but leaving a tray of cupcakes on the counter for me to take care of after two + weeks doesn't really cut it. my garden survived, until claire attacked it today, which is all i was really concerned about. love ya babe.

it was a grand time being home at my parent's house one last time. six years is about the limit it seems. i was sad for a little bit- i only lived there for a 1 1/2 years- it was fun and different from the west coast. our wedding reception was held at our house, and i did do a little bit of growing up there, but i have few friends there, and my mentality when i was there kept me from getting attached. (moving in the middle of junior year of high school with only thoughts of college on the brain, that just didn't leave room for much else) i'm excited for my parents to be in, yet another new place, in houston. just more to explore, right? as terrible as it sounds, i am slightly jealous. for almost the first 1 1/2 of married life joe and i moved about every 4 months, so being in the same house for 3 years straight makes me antsy. i'm trying to accept it. watch, as soon as i do, we'll be moving. its how it always happens- moving, callings at church, jobs, sleep schedules, you name it. get comfortable and it changes. forever has the motto been "the plan is, the plan will change" in my family. that is one thing that you can get comfortable with. i always have fears of hoarding, so going through stuff and say keep, sell, get rid of it was rather refreshing. and adding books that i grew up loving to the shelves here for my kids made me pretty happy. leaving slc with half empty suitcases and returning with them stuffed to the max on the return home = i am very spoiled/blessed/lucky, and skycap at the airport every. single. time. they didn't even bother to weigh them this time... thank goodness. they probably took one look at the my circus and rolled their eyes. although i am kicking myself a little bit thinking we could have gotten a few more things in.

things to miss about edwardsville, il: green. everything was so green! and seasons. the people there are as nice as can be. the slower pace. bike trails. frozen custard at bobby's. powerful thunderstorms. weather people that can't predict the weather unless it comes from the national weather service. the family atmosphere. the good community.

we'll ignore the things we won't miss.... except for the whole dead mice bit. hopefully that problem will be left behind.

i am not sure if i have a cold or just the worst allergies ever, but either way i'm pooped. and my husband is actually home tonight, and i have surely missed him. more later.