mickey cheese n' stuff

Friday night I went to our women's ministry event w/ a good friend of mine. Unfortunately it was very dissapointing. My husband said as I left that evening, well, even if it sucks, you still have a great time w/ Sarah! and he was right!

First of all the speaker was on grief..(kinda depressing), and then it was the same speech verbatum, that I had heard already. Luckily my friend thought it was interesting. Not to mention I forgot about who would be attending a women's church event on a Friday night. Um, lets just say.. 98% was over the age of 50!!
Anway, it was good for Sarah and I to hang out, and we did until midnight..(as I was coming down w/ a cold.. that was pushing it!!)

Saturday, we went to lunch with grandpa and then went with him to the Purdue Men's basketball game. We met some friends there, and enjoyed a really awesome game, as we spanked the ILLINI!! (brigham kept saying , GO purdue, beat the lions..) well, he was close =)

After that, we went out to meet some of our friends at the one and only CHUCK E CHEESE!!!
boy, did I have an eye opening!! Totally a different crowd. the line was out the door when we got there. I went in to see if our friends were there already, and came back in shock..(horror!).
Andrew replied by saying, Um yeah, didn't you know this was the WT capitol of the world?
Yeah pretty much. We heard people complaining about the wait, b/c they drove 1.5 hours to get here!! They probably spent their entire paycheck in one night!! so sad.
Once my friend got there, she concured. this coming from one of the most chic of all my friends. Her family always looks like they just stepped out of a fashion magazine.
We just kept saying.."its for the kids".
unfortunately most of the patrons there did not have that same motto. It was amzing how many adults were racking up these tickets.. then they would have hundreds of tickets they traded in for their choice of the crappiest of all crap.

Not to mention the food sucked. although the salad bar was pretty fresh and clean. Andrew said give it 6 months. this location has only been open about 3-4 months. But seriously, it was hard to have a constant conversations w/ our friends b/c the kiddos kept getting up and down. there was way too much stimulation for them!!
All in all Brigham had a great time with Grant and Kennedy, and I got to play w/ baby Ella.
oh, and it was fun for us adults to hang out too.
Brigham spent most of us time running up to other people's games and interupting them. I don't think he quite got it.

I admit, I did play about 6-7 games of ski ball. AHHH< the memories. and I skunked this little kid at the basketball throw game. Andrew kept teasing him that he was getting beat by a girl!!
So we combined our tickets , a whopping 85 of them, and Brigham got to pick his crap.
He chose a nice fairy wand( only b/c his friend Kennedy got the same one) and a sheet of stickers!
It was sooo worth it.
here he is riding w/ chucky (or Mickey cheese as he kept saying!)



in other news, I came down with a terrible cold and chest conjestion. ya know the one when your chest and upper back aches when you cough?/ Not fun.
we had to work in the nursery yesterday. I was like in a complete daze the whole time. I slept all day yesterday and then my mom sent over some home made soup. went to bed att 8:30 last night. Yep, before my two year old!!
I feel tons better today and am getting caught up on all the stuff I didn't do on Sunday.
have a great day =)

happy sweet sixteen

(x2) is what my birthday card from my husband read!!! what a silly guy!! Since he is 3 years younger than, me, he feels he is justified in making me feel OLD!!! well, at least he tried to be funny about making me feel younger this year!!

I had a great birthday celebration, that lasted three days!! Dinner on Sat w/ my husband and son. Lunch at a very nice, upscale yet comfortable steakhouse after church on Sunday.

Then we were invited to some friends house to watch the Colts game , which had a great outcome for most people living in IN, but not so much for us. It was a really great game, and I am glad that Coach D will be taking a trip to the Superbowl... Peyton, not so much. The more that guy wins, the more they put him on camera, and he just should not talk out loud!!!
(ok, just my opinion, but I think he's a moron!!)

Superbowl Sunday should be pretty rowdy, in these parts, as the two INdiana favorites duke it out. I have friends from college that play on the Saints, Patriots, so it would have been cool to root them on!

Anyhow, Monday, Andrew surprised me by taking the day off work for my birthday. Yep, that meant I could sleep in.. He made me breakfast, lunch(well, he ordered take out and brought it home =) , and I did not lift a finger around the house!!
He got me some scrapping stuff and this.. since he knew baby and I have been craving it- YUMMO! it was a butterfinger cake from COLDSTONE CREAMERY!!
yellow cake, cake batter icecream w/ butterfinger bits, peanut butter ice cream and chocolate fudge!
We indulged ourselves when we returned from dinner at the Olive Garden w/ my dad.
Totally was craving italian and their salad. Dad got me a bunch of scrapbooking tools and organiztional stuff from here. and also a gift certificate to a local spa for a European calming package.. massage, pedi and mani>. I am SO going to use this like the week after baby comes!!

Mom took me out yesterday and she spent mucho mucho bucks, at Target getting me this and some desk organizers.
I am totally redoing my office/craft/ scrap room. Got tons of drawers, and file cabinets, and the cool cubes for paper.
Trying to get one room done, then Brigham's big boy room done, and then baby's and re arrange our room. Guess I have the "nesting" fever sooner than expected. I am totally ready.Got some ideas for Brigham and just found a cool quilt in PotteryBarn Kids that I will have to get!
Here's me diggin in to my cake..
mmmm , may have to just get me some, before I get back into my hole of an office!!
Thanks so much to all of you who sent me cards, and Laura for my gorgeous gardenia plant, and the phone calls. So much appreciated.
*my husband said 'this phone is out of control.. does it ring like this every day?'
NOpe, just on my birthday sweetie =)

bring it on !

we officially got our FIRST snow here in Indiana. and by that I mean, it actually stuck to the ground!!

It was cold, but the sun was out in blue skies, and I couldn't resist waking Brigham up at 10:00 am to go outside and play!

He was SOOOO excited, and I had a blast watching him!
It was really hard to get him to come inside, until I convinced him that hot chocolate with marshmallows was really yummy!

Well, I better go get myself lunch, I forgot to eat breakfast , and I think that baby M is telling me its time! I made this fabulous baked spaghetti last night, so I think I'll go heat up some of that with a big ol' salad!!
( I've started to crave really healthy stuff lately~ not bad eh?)
Then the rest of the afternoon is dedicated to scrapping. Went to a crop at the LSS with my friend Jennifer. It was a GREAT girl's night out. Kinda got my mojo back. and I have plans to go to an all day crop hopefully, with my friend Kelli. Our birthdays are this weekend, so we thought it would be fun to do something for US!!!
Have a great day..
(and for my long distance friends.. it has been SOOO good to catch up with you, needs to happend again soon!)

I have become a hermit !

yep, thats right, this entire week, I have stayed inside. flannel lounge pants and comfy t~shirts, Brigham in his jammies. Basically I have been catching up with out of town friends with lengthy phone conversations, scrapping like a mad woman, and actaully preparing dinners..
I have only driven the car once this week, to go to the bank, post office and to pick up a small FROSTY .. (the baby was craving chocolate =)

Last night when Andrew came home from class , I pursuaded him to go out to the Pita Pit, and great little place on campus. I had coupons, so it made for a cheap dinner. And since we were out, we made a stop at DQ, because, once again little baby M was wanting chocolate in the form of a dilly bar!!

I must say I have been pretty productive scrapping away lots of Brig's pics from this year. I went to a friends house last Friday night and that pretty much got the ball rolling.
We are going to a crop tomorrow night at the LSS. I can't wait, to get my hands on all that new stuff ! I have splurged a bit around the holidays on the 1/2 off paper and rub ons at Hobby Lobby.
I have taken over the finances, which is a great relief to Andrew since he is working full time, going to school and taking 21 credit hours!!! He really didn't have the time to squeeze in focusing on the bills, while working a second job last semester too. Plus, I never had a clue how much money we had, and I would just make daily trips to his office, so he could shell out $20 or $40 bucks to me. He felt like a money machine, and I hated having to drive over there every time I needed to get money. So far, this is working great!! Everything is paid on time, and I have created a workable budget for us! Only half way thru the month, but its looking good.
And with our tax money, we will pay off our only credit card of $1000 and we'll be debt free!
never again will we buy furniture on store credit.. but when each kitchen chair was $499 we did what we thought we had to at the time.
Dave Ramsey would be spanking us silly !

We went to Indianapolis a couple weeks ago to celebrate a friends' 30th Birthday. There were about 20 of us surprising her at the downtown PF Changs. It was fabulous and she was so surprised. Andrew and I made a mini date out of it and went early in the afternoon, to shop around and then we stayed the night at an amazing hotel. Total luxery! We decided that we will try and make that happen every other month, to get away to the big city, or a quaint little B&B somewhere. We needed that time away from a 3ft chatterbox!!
While we were there, we found some awesome deals, and I couldn't help myself:
( adorable little newborn outfits pictured here)


We had a party for New Year's Eve, and I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time. NO alcohol, seriously, and my stomach hurt so bad, I was worried baby M was going to have a heart attack!!
It was a lot of fun, and to my suprise I never got tired, and good thing b/c our guests didn't leave until 2:30am!! Guess we were party animals huh??
I tried some new recipes, and they turned out great. I would show pics, but blogger doesn't like to post photos on my blog.

Sorry for the randomness, but thats just how my mind thinks these days. Oh and I am into my 6th month now!! I totally don't feel pregnant at all. Have gained about 7 pounds and really am not eating much more than usual.
If anyone can give me pointers on how to actually post pictures, I can show you my 6 months ones, and some other cute ones from Christmas....
advice totally welcomed =)

a holiday sorta update

I hope all of your holidays were filled with joy, peace, and excitement(ok, did I just contradict myself?)
anywho, here's a recap of our Christmas .

Celebrated w/ grandpa (see last post) and Brigham got lots of loot.
It was a nice quiet time together and a great meal in the Chinese restaurant!

Christmas morning, Brigham woke up around 10am!! man, we are lucky parents LOL
He was not quite sure of what to make, in fact he told us that Santa didn't come....as he looked at the mound of presents under the tree.
It was not until he saw the cookies were half eaten, that he knew the fat guy had been here. Brigham went straight to this little kitchen. I was so excited to give this to him, b/c it was mine when I was little. My grandfather built it for me and w/ a little elbow grease, it became as good as new! Santa and grandma spoiled Brig with lots of food and pots and pans . We put it in our extended kitchen area, so he can cook right along w/ mom..(well, someday, when I actually cook!)
Brigham gots lots of stuff. think mom and dad.. er Santa went a little nutz this year. But its so much FUN!!! Andrew surprised me with some goodies too, even though we said we were not doing much for each other.
(we bought all his stuff , AS we were shopping for family). I like to be surprised, plus I felt guilty picking out stuff for myself. I have so much more fun buying for others.
So we had our family traditional breakfast of home made carmel rolls and egg casserole.
Whatdaya know, I DID cook!!
We left the house a mess, and dropped Brigham off at my moms, so that Andrew and I could go serve at the Family Resource Center. Its a tradition that we go help those in need for a few hours. Sure makes us feel blessed when we come home to a bountiful gourmet meal and tons of gifts. I wish I could have shopped for everyone there. Not to mention, many of the people we talked with as we drove them home, were alone for the holidays. Definately felt good to be able to bring some joy into their day.
We went back to my moms house and opened gifts, for -ever. SHE totally out did herself...(though I say that every year!).
the last gift opened was played with for the rest of the day.. and each day after that....
two Thomas the Train wooden sets. Brigham was in heaven. He threw such a fit, and just sobbed when we had to pull him away for dinner.
We gave in, and didn't make him eat.
We enjoyed a fantastic traditional meal, and great conversation w/ a woman who is an old family friend , whose kids all live far away.
Mom even sent us home, without doing the dishes. I was in shock.
We pretty much did nothing for the next few days. My house looked like a toy bomb exploded.. and I was OK with it.

Christmas came... and went... and...

we are still recovering !!!


The week before was spent brunching with friends, cookie exchanges, dinners w/ friends, last minute gift giving, card sending, baking, and watching classic holiday movies....whew!!! Brigham LOVED making gingerbread men w/ grandma on the eve before Christmas Eve. She watched Brigham all day and night, so that Andrew and I could get prepped for the big day, and have a nice date dinner out!

We rang the bell for our church and the salvation army on Sat morning. wish my pictures were up.. Brig brought in the dough that day, as he was bundled up in the stoller and licking, I mean ringing the bell. It was not too cold, but the wind was mighty fierce. We trained him to say 'merry Christmas' to each person after they donated!! SO CUTE.

I think we were all ready for a relaxing Christmas Eve and Day spent at home!!

Andrew did a couple last minute runs on Christmas eve, but mostly we just watched the Colts get beat and other FB highlights =)
Off to church, and a fabulous service and then to the traditonal dinner at the chinese restaurant w/ grandpa.
The trend must be catching on, as three of our friends were there, and one other gathering that my dad knew from Civic shows. The food was good, we ate too much. Brigham got a fortune cookie. all was great!
Back to our house for presents. The process was a bit long, b/c after each book was unwrapped.. a little voice said " want to read this one to me?"
seriously, how could we turn that down... on Christmas!!!
Lots of books, clothes a Diego doll, that scared the crap(literally) out of Brigham, some movies and games. You would have thought it ended here....
Wake up Christmas morning... at um...10 AM!!! yay for my sleeping kid!
he ran out to see this:ok so guess I'll do my Christmas day post another time.
getting impatient and a bit tired anyway....
hope you all had a blessed CHRISTmas with family and friends. can't wait to hear all about it =)

the verdict is in.....

well we went to the doctor and .......

I'll be using this bedding for the nursery!!

Everything in the US went great! In fact the nurse said ours was so boring.. and thats the way it should be!!

I am still feeling fine. A little trouble sleeping (only due to Andrew's snoring!!) Still prefer to sleep on my back or stomach. The whole side thing is so NOT comfortable. Not really eating much more . Usually a hot pocket for lunch and another one for dinner!
Guess the only thing I have been really craving is Diet Coke from Mc Donalds. ( yep a large one, every day!) and mexican food.

Still trying to get last minute cards in the mail, and the goodies packaged up for our neighbors.
how is everyone doing with the shopping? I still have a few things to get... I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner!!

Happy wednesday =)

baby madness has begun...

yep, this is crazy. when I was pregnant two years ago with Brigham, I did not a single person who was pregant. Now with this second one, I know 17. SEVENTEEN!!!
and I am pretty good friends with 13 of them. Seriously there must be somthing in the water here in Indiana!!

So I went to the first baby shower a few weeks ago and then this past Tuesday we had a surprise shower for a friend having her fourth child.
My girls group/bible study of about ten women get together every other Tuesday night ,and do everything from a book study, to cleaning each others houses, to painting, to just hanging out!
They have started something for each new mama with her second, plus child, and that is that we get together for a diaper shower!! Its so fun and so practical, (though hard to place all the diapers and wipes). So the first one was this week and then I am hosting one for my friend the first week of January.
We have babies being born every month until the middle of July!! (and some months more than one!).

I am feeling great. Still am not really showing much unless in certain shirts. My doc said at my appt. last week, that I had only gained 4 pounds!! YAY!!
I am hoping that I only gain the baby weight, so that it comes right off!! I want to be able to enjoy this summer in the sun =)
Four more days until we can find (hopefully) find out whether we'll be using the same nursery or prepping a new one in pink!! I am totally ok with either. Just having a little one to snuggle and bundle will thrill me !!

I totally can not believe that Christamas in a week!! EEK!! I swore I would get my shopping done early this year. NOT happening-. I even braved Black Friday and got quite a bit done, but then I think I got cocky, and let the next two weeks slide by.
Actually, we have been busy with lots of get togethers and play dates that I have not wanted to hit the stores.
So tonight Andrew and I are having a date night. we are sending Brigham to his FIRST baby sitter. An adorable eleven year old girl from our church, who just loves Brigham to death. She always asks if she can go get him from the nursery. She's been asking to play with him, and Brigham just adores Kelsey too. So with help from her mom, she'll be watching him tonight, while we shop.
I am hoping to get everything done tonight, and wrapped tomorrow. and shipped out on Monday. ... a girl can dream anyway!
well, I was going to post some pics of our holidaydecor, but it'll have to wait til Monday.
have a great weekend everyone!!

its been awhile....

but I don't think anyone reads this thing anyway. I was looking back to a year ago, (and the months that followed), when I first started this blog.... every post seemed to have 9-14 comments by different folks. Kinda funny, how the novelty of the whole blogging thing has seemed to worn off!
I have been terrible too, b/c of those 9-14 consistant commenters, I rarely skip by to read their blogs anymore either. Here and there, but certainly not with the diligence that I once had.
So for any of you who used to comment, and are just passing by, I am glad you caught a glimpse and I will try and get to yours soon!
----------------------------
SO here's the update: picture at 5 months.

This is my fave lounge -around-the-house preggo outfit! Its so comfy!

a bit big right now, so you can't really see that I'm kinda showing at this point. I am feeling great, actually don't feel pregnant at all!

I went to my grandmas for Thanksgiving where about 15 of my family members did no know, nor did they say anything. I thought for sure it was obvious! guess I should be thankful, that I am not ballooning out yet!

two more weeks til we find out whether we will be shopping for pink or blue.. I am SO excited=)

Last week, we had unusually 60 degree weather in the last week of November , here in the drab midwest.. so we took advantage and went to the park! Here is my little guy:

He absolutely loves the park.. and it is so fun to see as he explores and gains the confidence to climb.

(though yesterday we went with some friends to the McDonald's play area and Brig got stuck up in those big tubes(ya know it looks like the big hampster maze).. we heard this whining coming from somewhere, but didn't know where.. luckily my dear friend Sarah was brave enough to climb up after him!.. )

So this week is pretty busy with a christmas brunch for playgroup. two holiday dinners for each sorority that I belong to. A Habitat for Humanity annual banquet. I have been sorting all the gifts for Christmas for Everyone, that our church is sponsering. Today I have to bake 5 dozen cookies to take and then shop for the four little kids that Andrew and I are sponsoring.

I just love this time of year.. the business is all for a good reason!

from halloween to turkey day

guess life just moved on past us this fall.. at an incredibly fast pace.

Hardly believe that we are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow.

I know I don't always count my blessings, or show how grateful I am for the gifts our family has received. Life seems to keep moving, without us stopping to realize how amazing God has been in our lives this past year.

I am so thankful for the dedication and hard work, that Andrew has been willing to do in order for me to stay home with Brigham. Its been a tought road, these last two years, with a full time job, a part time job, and taking a full load of classes each semester. This is just a season, and hopefully (in MAY) we will look back and realize the good that came out of our wacky schedules.

I am grateful for the beautiful baby boy, is bringing so many smiles and joy to our lives every day. And I am so blessed to be watching and(feeling) God's handywork as baby number two is developing into a sweet sweet miracle.

I am so blessed to have family that loves and supports us.
For the health of our family members.
For the home that we have.
For the fabulous blessing of Christian friends that surround us.
For the country we live in. The freedom we have.

For our needs that continue to be met, and our wants (to be graciously appreciated also).

Thanks above all that we have a wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace. The mighty God, The everlasting Father, that pours unconditional love over each one of us. That we may rest in the comfort of HIS powerfullness, and grace.

What are you thankful for this season?

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

halloween madness!

It all started last Friday night...
with a very rainy night and a pizza dinner...
Mom and Brigham met our friends Kelli and Greg, Hannah , and Kylie at BRUNO's for some fabulous dough balls and plenty of cheese bread..(thanks Greg! next time you'll know!)

Grandma surprised us too, especially by footing the bill!! THANKS Gabba =)

We took the risk during the downpours to head down to grandma's office where our kiddo's transformed into a witch , a scarecrow and a monkey.

We headed out downtown mainstreet for our 3rd annual trick or treating . Many of the stores stay open late to pass out candy. Last year it was so crowded we had to stand in lines in the FREEZING cold. THis year, no lines.. however we had to dodge the raindrops. Luckily, by the time we got dressed and out, it had stopped.
Since most other people stayed in that night, the merchants had plenty of stuff to get rid of.
Our kids raked it in!!
So funny, brigham would just run up, say trick or treet and then just stand there smiling.
I don't think he got, that you were supposed to leave. He was so stinkin cute in his little costume. and it actually turned out to be a perfect one to keep him warm..

I also love his little "punkin". I had seen them in the PBkids catalog, but then got an email the Wednesday before Halloween, that they were on sale $6.99 and free shipping.

It was delivered to my door about 30 minutes before we left . now thats timing!

After his first real experience, I think Brigham loved running around with his friends in costumes, but luckily for mom and dad, he didn't understand you were supposed to EAT what you collected. his little pumkin sat in our car for the next 4 days, and he never asked about it.
THINGS changed on Halloween!!

It started early when we went to Grandma's office. everybody had a ball looking at my monkey, and boy did he put on a show.! He got a tad bit spoiled there.
Next we went to meet Daddy at work. Lots of people were dressed in costumes. they were having a bunch of contests for all the managers. At first Brig was not too sure of the ghoulish adults, but soon warmed up, when they started dumping candy in his pumpkin!

We actually had to make a deposit, b/c his pumpkin was overflowing! He scored with lots of full size candy bars(in the kind mom and dad like).
We ate lunch there, and by the end, our tired lil monkey boy was saying " no more the monkey tummy," as he tried to pull his costume off!!

Nap time, and then it was off to the first of two parties. One was with our friends the "other millers" .
there were about 6-7 families and lots of little ghouls and goblins. here's a pic of most of them..
we trick or treated all around their neighbor hood, Brigham had no fear; he would just run up to the door, (while we waited at the driveway) and come running back to us!
at one house, he and this little girl were taking forever to come back, when Andrew went up to see what was up, and there our sweet children were playing with a big RAT!!! (rubber), but none the less, a RAT!!!

so we did our rounds, and headed back for some good eats and story time for the kids.
We left and made a couple stops to show off our monkey before heading to our friends Kurt , Jill , and Isabel for a bonfire. Many of our friends from church were there with all sorts of fun costumes and lots of yummy snacks. The fire was wonderful, and the kids did not even notice the plumeting wind chill as they ran around the back yard!

So with our monkey nearing bedtime, we made one last stop at Grandpa's house. He got to play with Cosette, the super fat cat, which quite possibly was the high light of the day!
As we tucked in our muhchkin, Andrew and I started sorting out his candy... are suckers the big thing or what??? anyway, plenty of chocolate to help my cravings =)

I'll try and post some more pics later, blogger seems to have a limit on what you can do.
hope you all had a fabulous halloween!

our fall festivities are out of control!

I am sure most of you (with kids anyway) have lives similar to ours!!

We have been doing something for the last few weekends, enjoying all the gorgeous fall colors. gotta get out while we can, b/c soon the nasty, gray midwestern days will be upon us. YUCK!

We're looking forward to trick or treating this year. the first year, brig was a pea in the pod and my friend Stephanie and I took our babies, who slept in the strollers most of the time!! it was fun for us =)

then last year, Brig was one and was our little bumble bee. We were able to have a lot more fun with it. trick or treating downtown to all of the shops, and then we had a huge harvest party with about 20 families!! I don't think Brigham really got it yet!!

This year he is going to be a monkey! He is so into monkeys and he loves curious george! I am so not into characters so we found this cutest costume at Old Navy about 2 months ago!!

well we are going downtown again on Friday night. I so hope its not cold. and then we'll do the neighborhood thing with friends on Tuesday night.

Last weekend, we spent cleaning the house, planting some bulbs, and watching football.

Of course The BOILERs got crushed by Wisconsin. such an embarrassment. We went to an annual event at my friends parent's house out in the country. There was a big bounce, a hay ride, horses, lots of little games, a piniata, and a bonfire with smores. YUM.. there's nothing like them roasted over a fire!

Brigham had a great time even though he was one of the youngest kids. Its so cute to watch him try and keep up with the 4and5 year olds. They usually could care less about him, but he just smiles, and copies whatever they are doing!!

I have some really adorable pics , but I'll save them for another post.

We had our annual pumpkin patch party a few weeks ago. It was so much fun. Lots of food, and about 13 families all crowded into our house for a great time. Then we caravaned out to the pumpkin patch that included a hay ride, petting zoo, corn maze, and big bounce. not to mention the biggest sand box(gravel pit) I've ever seen. The kids loved it.

We are going to carve pumpkins tonight, if its not too cold. I am all ready craving the salty seeds! YUM...

well , thats bout it around here. have a great week =)

quick recap

am i getting lame w/ the ol' titles or what????

We have been enjoying the unseasonal weather at a 'hot' and 'humid' 77 degrees the last four days!! You know just when I was getting psyched up for the fall weather , with that crisp autumn air!!

Last Thursday, Brigham and I went to the Indianapolis Zoo. We met my college roomate and her two adorable little girls there. It was so fun to hang out with them, despite the fact that it was drizzling almost the whole time. It also was cloudy and never reached the 70 degrees that it was forcasted to. Dang weather man.
Of course Brigham and I were the only ones dressed in shorts and tanktops. Appearantly the Indianapolis weather man is more on target, as everybody else had long pants and jackets!!

We had fun anyway, the kids could have cared less that is was yucky weather. We got to see two teeny tiny baby babboons and the newest lil elephant.
Brigham kept yelling out at the monkeys.. "HI GEORGE!!"
after the zoo, we went to chic filet and the kids played for over an hour in the play area!
So fun to catch up w/ Steph. I had not seen her in ten years!!

Friday I took Brigham to pick up his new Stride Rites that we had ordered. However, when we got to the store, and waited for about 25 minutes until someone could help us.. they brought out the shoes.. and they were the WRONG ones!! URG....
I was not the happiest mama at the time, considering I had been chasing Brigham around the store trying to keep him from bolting into the mall, while we waited.
So we now have to wait for them to re order the shoes, in the RIGHT color!!
I also braved taking Brigham out to dinner , just the two of us! I was a bit nervous, b/c I usually have another set of hands to help.. We went to Fazzolli's.
Brigham sad quietly eating all of one bite of his pizza and about 4 1/2 breadsticks. I don't blame him, those things are delish.. however, I won't win the mother of the year award for filling my kid up with greasy carbs!!

anyway, we had a great time, and he behaved very well.
Saturday I was supposed to meet Kimber, and a bunch of other Indiana peas for an all day crop. However, I was feeling really crappy, and knew I would be no fun , nor productive.
Hope you ladies had a fabulous time =) hopefully I will make it down there soon.

Sunday my dad and I took Brigham to the FEAST OF THE HUNTERS MOON.
Its a really cool reinactment of life with fur traders, native americans, british and french soldiers as they occupied our little town of LAFAYETTE , INDIANA.
It was so much fun to take Brigham and watch him as he explored the land, enjoyed the food, and danced and played the drums any chance he got!
I have to say, I enjoyed the rabbit stew, apple dumplings, some amazing fruited lemonade.
And of course an herbal pork chop and some fried smelt!!
YUMMMMY . when at the feast you take in the smells of the campfires, and it usually lingers on you after you leave. It was perfect weather.
Here is a pic of Brigham chowing down on the yummiest of sweet corn.

**picture cutie head with melted butter and corn all over his face***

Well, I am trying to get myself organized this week. I am going to a 12 hour crop on Saturday. I am hoping to get about 15 pages done. I want to try and at least get Brigham's first year and most of his second year finished...before I have to start on a new one's book !!!
wish me luck. I don't know how my scrappy stuff gets so out of control.. perhaps I have too much of it =/ ???

have a great Tuesday!!

FUN stuff !!!

brigham, mama, and grandma enjoyed Purdue's homecoming festivities.
we got up real early so we could eat breakfast at grandmas tent ( she is on the alumni board for Consumer and Family Sciences) and boy did they serve some good tailgaten' food!!
Brigham got lots of loot including a glow in the dark "huf-fol" as he refers to a football!!
Here is my cautious little guy in the "George the monkey" jumpy thing.
<----------------------- and after a BIG hotdog and chips for lunch we watched the band play a little at The bell tower, and then Brigham got to hit the WORLD's LARGEST DRUM
He loved sitting in the stadium and looking for
"pete's hammer", which is what he calls our mascot Purdue Pete!!

Brigham was all decked out in his brand new sweatshirt, sporting a Pete tattoo on his cheek, and proudly hitting his "foam hammer".

The college kids could not get enough of him, and a few of the inebreated guys slapped him a high five and gave him his "touchdown tooter"!!

we're sad that daddy could not be there for his first game, but brigham did perfect a few phrases:
"GO PAROOO" "FIRST DOWN" "BOILER UP" and "IRISH BAAAAD"

although that last one did not prove to help last Sat. but it sure is cute to hear this out of a two year old!!

and with football brings my favorite time of year (besides the Christmas season)
FALL is here!!! though it is a crazy 80 degrees all week, so comfy jeans and sweaters are out of the question!!

I have started w/ the fall decor around the abode..
preparing for our annual harvest party and pumpkin patch gig!!


and we found Brig's costume!! since he is totally in to George the monkey..(not curious george) though one in the same!! Brigham simply refers to his curious pal (and any other ape, gorilla, or chimp) as George the Monkey!!

photos are concluded, as said by Blogger.

Have a great day =)

random photo Friday

yep it has been a really long time since I posted!!! We are just running like 100 miles an hour, every day... its fun, and I love having full schedules..but I miss having this updated for friends and family to catch a glimpse into our crazy lives!!

(even though none of you ever comment... its okay, really!!)

so here is my new do (but not the latest):

I have changed the color.. but will keep ya'll in suspense till next time =)

I've been busy planting somewhere around 300 bulbs, and I still have more to go. here is my little helper w/ the tulips!

Brigham is modeling the newest look in fall head fashion!

um, they are clean. promise. but doesn't he look proud?

we're taking Brigham to his first college football game. Its Purdue's homecoming against Minnesota tomorrow.

wish us luck!! ( oh, and with Brig too)

have a great weekend everybody =)

remembering...

http://www.cbs.com/specials/911/

For the days and weeks immediatley following that horrific morning, I was glued to all media forms with stories, interviews, breaking news, and updates. I like so many others began back to my normal routine.
My busy day to day life. focused on my stuff. Even with the war going on in Iraq, it seemed like this trajic and monumental event was distant, yet all ready.
Over the past few years, I really did not read much or pay attention to the news surrounding each subsequent anniversary of the attcks.
Last night I sat watching this account on CBS. It was amazing. I could not control the tears streaming down my face as I watched this heroic camera man and brother to a firefighter as he filmed his documentary. Little did Gideon know, that when he set out to make this film, that his views would have such an impact.
Everything I had seen on the news before, was accounts from after the attcks. This footage was every minute as IT was happening. Up close and personal. the streets. the people. the dust. the fear. the distruction.the questions. the uncertainty. the disbelief. There were still some joyful moments caught on film as each member of the first fire department to respond returned to their station.
I am sure you will be flooded with stories today.
I urge you to check this one out.
Say a prayer for those who lost a loved one. Say a prayer for those still suffering the effects from the evil that struck that day.
Even though we live in AMERICA, the home of the free. This was a reminder that there is so much hatred in the world.
Astounding to us, as we live our daily lives, that people would hate us SO much that they would orchestrate and carry out such a plan.

I continue to strive to be a little nicer to those around me. To smile at someone. to lend a helping hand. to take a meal. to encourage others. to show Christ's love. to accept differences.
Just a little something I can do.

ARE YOU READY?????

for some FOOO BALL????

Yep, thats all the buzz around our house. actually it has been for the last few months, as Andrew prepared for his FFB draft. thats fantasy football , for all you non leaguers!!

seriously, My husband is the biggest freak when it comes to college and pro ball. and he is priming our son as such too!! I hope I get a little estrogen on my side in the future.. HEE HEE HEE!
no, actually I enjoy football and the festivities that surround it immensely!

Andrew was the commish of his fantasy team, meaning he had to create the video/ slide show for the draft. wait... take that back. he DID NOT have to .. he did it. and it turned out really cool. wish I had the link to it. guess I'll post it another time. there are 12 guys in it from work, and they all have their own team names.
some are pretty ingenious like my hubbies- THE LISBON ASSMAGELLANS..
others like the running pickles, anti dentites, pirates of keywest, purple helmet heads, and some that are a tad offensive like the Pussy pounders and the twin peak torpedos!!
use your imagination for their logos. some were pretty flippin hilarious!

anyway, each guy came up with a logo, and then Andrew photoshopped them w/ color. He put together a really kick ass movie. This kicked off the draft on their 77 inch big screen.
Not to mention they got a keg. yes a keg, for 12 guys!!. their draft was last Saturday and lasted about 5-6 hours. upon completion of that, they all stayed around to play poker!
oh, did I mention my husband had me going to Hobbly Lobby searching for what would be the "chester copper pot"/ yes, this is their trophy, and each year, whoever wins, gets their team name engraved on it!
and if that is not enough.. they are getting jerseys made. I'd say they are a bit over the edge.
But , hey, if it keeps him happy, and (out of the house!) ha ha =)
and it gives him NO room to talk about my scrapbooking stuff, right?

So beyond Fantasy play, college ball does start tonight. So fun. and then our first home game of the season is SATURDAY> we are so going to win against Indidana State!!
BOILER UP!!!
we're tailgating, and cooking up some good eats.. and of course, there will be yummy beverages.
however, I won't be getting in on that this year ... =/

Oh, and I am sporting a new look these days. Seems to be the trend in haircutting these days.
Rachel, and Darcy, and a couple of my good friends here have all went for the chop- o-roo.
I tried this new salon in town. Actually had to make my appointment like a month ago and I think it turned out fun. My hubby is not so fond of it. actually, he pretty much hates it. But, hey, I don't like some of his t-shirts, and I still go out in public with him!!

so here is the new do.. though, I have had issues the last few days, in re-creating it. Its been a bit more curlier lately.
ok... can anyone tell me why I am the ONLY blogger who can't get the photos to up load.. like EVER?
some of you always seem to get multi uploads. I am lucky if I get one. UGGGGGHHH!!!!
maybe I need to choose between blabbing and posting pics!! tuff decision =/

me and my beautiful balloon

up up and away..with my beautiful balloon.
does anyone remember that song?

We went to a 1st bday party and wouldn't you know, my kid released the BIG cluster of helium shaped balloons within ten minutes of being there!!

It was a pool party, and I was in the water, Brig ran over and grabbed them, just then I noticed that the bag of marbles was not attached. I yelled for my friend's husband to grab, but it was not in time!!

Luckily they had another bouquet inside, which Brigham was able to grab a blue one out of it!

We went out to dinner the other night at O'charleys and of course he HAD to have a balloon during dinner. Yep, this one lasted all of 3 minutes, before it took off to the rafters! It was blue too.

As the waiter gave us the check, he came back with a HUGE GREEN balloon. seriously, bigger than his head!!

I think fear was set in, b/c for the last 4 days, the light blue and the BIG green balloon have gone everywhere. they go into the car. and back into the house. and into the bedroom at nap time(but I do pull them out before he falls asleep!). and YES, even in the tub!!

Did you notice his big grin in the pics? It has become official.. that I always have a camera in hand. As soon as he sees it , he immediately grins and says CHE-EEEESE!!!

cracks me up!!

I started back to work this week. Not too many kids, so thats good, but I am sure it will pick up when pre school starts. Moms always like to drop off the little ones, while the older siblings are in school!

Had our first bible study of the semester and it went really well. I had to lead solo, since Andrew is working Sunday nights. Our study is on Growing together in Christ, by Homebuilders. I am so psyched about this one!!

Well, I will leave you with my latest page.. guess its a TWO PAGER!!! I can hardly believe it!!

(um just kidding.. you can check it out on 2peas)

have great Thursday =)

congratulations to the MILLERS

did you all see my cousins??? well, they almost won a million.. came close.. got runner up!
but they did win a cool new dodge !!
So proud of COle and Ld. http://www.nbc.com/Americas_Got_Talent/
check them out . click down on the left to hear the millers.

well, I should fess up, they are not my cousins. But they are home town favorites. I have been watching these guys and their family play since LD was like ten years old!! He is amazing, that kid!

not much going on here. running here and there. preparing for the fall routine.
Had my big open house for my business yesterday. Didn't have a huge turn out, but got lots of outside orders. My goal is to make enough so that I can put down new flooring in my kitchen and dining area!!
with a two year old feeding himself, the carpet has become spot central! Yes I said, carpet in the dining room. Is that not the dumbest thing?
anyway, I have searched out, and am going to do a wood type floor. hopefully soon.

Brig is almost potty trained. well, he would be if I would stop being the lazy mama and just work with him more. Its so convenient to just let him go in the diaper! he is coming and telling us, so that is good.

I think the other thing, is the milestone of that my baby is pottying in the toilet!! HE's not a baby anymore..=(

I 'll leave you with a funny comment from the mouth of a 2 year old.
He was just looking out the front window. He saw a little white truck drive by (like an S-10) or something.
He started saying.. "bye bye pizza.. bye bye pizza!"
cracks me up. is is saying to much about the habits of our neighbors..(certainly would not be us!

Have an awesome weeekend! I am going to get my scrap on. hopefully. I have definately been slacking.
party on dudes =)

some random stuff.

yeah, have not done a random post for awhile.

can you tell which kid's mom is addicted to scrappbooking? actually both are, but my kid is putting out the cheese! i am loving the too big shorts.. they look like jams. my mom thinks he looks like an old man.

quite frankly there is not to big of difference between a baby and an old man. mushy foods. diapers.babbling about nonsense!

this is my cutie head with his little friend Noah. the moms conned the dads into going to Hobby Lobby. we individually bribed them with dinners out.. (conveniently located near HL!).

I stocked up on patterned paper and letters, and a bunch of cardstock.
I am so bummed that of course the heidi swapp stuff was not included in the sale.

we went to a concert at our downtown train depot. The Clayton Miller Band (local fave) has made it to the finals of that reality show of Regis'. "America's Got Talent".

They came back to perform. Actually its just Ld on the harmonica, and his brother Clayton on drums and vocal.. but they used to play with other guys. It was cool to hear them.

Brigham loved every minute of it.. and was a crowd pleaser with his fancy moves! I swear this kid is part African American. this boy can dance!!

Don't know if you can see the kid in black on the harmonica.

He just blows me away with talent. We started going to hear him and his family play five years ago, when he was just ten years old. He was so cute.

He's grown up now, and lost some of that cuteness appeal. Hopefully his talent will get them thru. Check it out Wednesday August 16th is the finals.

We took brigham to his first movie on Tuesday. Andrew took the day off and we just played . We saw Barnyard. Brig lasted 45 minutes before he got very loud. animated. and yelling out every kind of animal that was on the screen, and added the noise each one made.

though cute, I am sure it was a bit annoying for the other people in the theatre. Its a kid movie in the middle of the afternoon, so I am sure it was to be expected, but brigham was by far the youngest kid in there. so we left early, but truthfully the movie was really bad.

and i was rooting for it b/c Kevin James plays the lead "cow". sorta funny. really stupid.

He was mezmerized by the screen and totally enjoyed his little kids pack of popcorn, lemonade, and pixie stix. Guess his loudness could be a result of sucking pure sugar thru a straw.. who knows!!

pictures next time around.

been scrapping lately. and Lisa made the cutest layouts of Brigham for me. She is quite the "blue star" designer. though I always refer to her as the blues tard designer!! I read it like that everytime she posts. man does her talent blow me away. Thanks SO much girl. =)

you can check em out on twopeas since I can't post any more pics.

hope everyone is having a great week, and the weekend is right around the corner!