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!

Ascot parking lot jogging???

IS this the new thing??? Seriously we were at Tarjay the other night and this guy was jogging around the parking lot.. in some very short shorts.. and an American flag little neckercheif..
cuz, you know when ever I want to go for a run... I choose a very large parking lot.. where there are lots of moving cars to dodge!!..
it was the funniest thing.

okay, so we have been super busy lately.. thus the reason that I am totally slacking with the cj. I am soo sorry girls.. I 'll get back on track. and the sad thing is that I have cropped the last two Fridays with some friends. I have gotten lots of layouts done , but can't seem to get the mojo moving for the cj's. Examples:












Its so freaking HOT.. and we've been either in AC "cwafting" or at a pool. "Cwafting" is what brig likes to ask to do while I scrap.. SO cute!!
I am so glad that Brigham likes the water, though much of the time, he prefers to run around the pool and play catch with his pool toys, while I float in the pool. not a bad deal, for me.

I have really been stressed lately.. and feeling like I am spinning out of control. I am trying to get things set for the fall.. and that means meetings, meetings, and more meetings. Once I am in the routine, its awesome. I LOVE to have a full calendar, but doing all the prep work begins to wear. I also don't like to just join something to join. If I am a part of an organization , you can bet that I will be chair of a committee or jump on the Exec Board. Guess I kinda bring all this on myself huh?
Well, in the midst of all that, I am trying to kick off another season of my business. With our new catalog out.. I am totally pumped and am having a 10 hour open house in a couple weeks
!
and I am also trying to enroll to take some classes at Purdue. I love to play with color and decorating.. so I figured I might as well go get a degree in it so that I can actually get PAID for it!!!

I did this layout to remind myself of the simple things in life.. Everyday moments.. And everyday laughs(guess I just created a title for another LO)!!
well, check it out on 2peas.. guess blogger is not willing. =(

I also scrapped a cute little pink card for Darcy's bday last week.----->picture it here!
I invited a bunch of peas to join in and make sweet little feminine pages for her.. still waiting on a couple of them, and then I will send them out to you D.
Rachel and Hanni also did surprises for her.. so I am pretty sure her day was made!!

well, i gotta run. .. literally. I decided that instead of sitting on my hiney watching my soaps..(though CBS daytime completely rocks) I should get off my hiney and start exercising.
SO now I have started walking away the pounds with Denise Austin. So far it seems to be working. I have lost 7 pounds in a little over a week!
guess, refraining from nightly trips to Dairy Queen has helped too!!!

have a great Tuesday everybody!

the barnyard bash revisited...(hopefully) !!

so here was the front of our house:
and a sign that i made....... and then in the backyard i had hay bales , a red wagon, a duck pond, signs posted on the fence like "they went that away", or ice t and lemondae 5cents!
we had several little games, like horse shoes, pin the tail on the pig and an apple tree for the kids to play with.
Here is a pic of the food . We had quite the big ol spread.. hamburgers, chips, beans, home made pot salad, corn on the cob, fruit salad, watermelon..
YUMMMMM !! and here is the cake. .. and i need to say that still today we have an entire barn cake, and the cow cake, minus and ear and a whole out of the hoof!!
the cuppy cakes went super fast.. and the silo.
we also had the best homemade ice cream!!
those Little "haystacks" are made with pretzels and butterscotch chips.. MMMMM.. good =)
and i have pushed my luck so you'll all have to wait yet another day to see the MOOVALAS cake that brigham hardly touched!!

thanks for peeking, hope ya'll enjoyed your tour.

a birthday kinda weekend!!

So last Thursday was my little guy's 2nd Birthday!!
can't believe he is already two.. growing so fast and learning so much everyday!
We started the celebration with his traditional breakfast(how much of a tradition right, he's only 2?) at Mc Donalds for pancakes!! this kid ate nearly THREE of those big ones!!
then after community care we went to meet grandma at Applebee's for a FREE birthday lunch =)
did you know you can fill out a postcard and they will mail it back to you for a free kids meal!
very handy!
so he thouroughly enjoyed the royal treatment and his GREEN balloon.. and the cuppy cake that grandma brought him! I was so looking forward to the icing all over the face.. but no, not this kid. He is so cautious, that he dipped the candle in and out of the cuppy cake numerous times, just to get a little taste at a time!!

We spent the rest of the day napping and then opening all the goodies that had come in the mail!
this kid raked in $85.00 from out of town relatives! must be his cute little cheeks. =)
Friday, we spent most of the day shopping and organizing things for his party on Sat.
we had to mentally prepare ourselves too, b/c the forecast was to be 95 degrees!! and with 40 people coming I was counting that the party would be outside!!

So the theme was a barnyard theme. It all started with the invites that I sent out:
I think you can see it ok! I got so many compliments on these little things.. I do think they came out quite creative myself!!

So we turned our house into a barnyard. I had gone to the farm n fleet store and got troughs and lots of galvanized buckets to serve things in. and then I dug through my moms collection of her "country stuff " from the eighties!!
SO glad that she was not in to Pottery barn way back then, or I would not have gotten so many perfect additions in serving ware!

I used red and white gingham and navy and red bandana prints. We put all of Brigs toys out of sight and only had out barns, and tractors, and stuffed farm animals. One of my friends loned my two little rocking horses, and several farm themed puzzels!
Everyboday came in their barnyard duds.. and we had a farmtastic time!!
we wanted to make sure the guests knew which hose was the party house.. SO.....
(i will have to finish in another post!!)

anyway we had a fabulous time! more than one child threw a fit when they had to leave!
we survived the heat.. although, I did forego the games.
They were having too much fun in the duck pond and the sandbox to stop for organized play!
Thats ok by me, cept now I have 15 pink balloon "pigs" floating around my living room!
I had added pink ribbon for tails, and drew nose and eyes. the game was that the kids had to "swat' with a fly swatter, all the pigs from one side of the fence to the other!!

------------continued in next post----------------------------------

promised pics of Cinci

this view was right behind the stadium. It was so calm and pretty! we went across the river to KY to this cute little germantown.

here we go!








this was on the screen just as the grand slam was hit!

fireworks went off. music played. everyone was slapping hands!

IT was a good time!!!
and this is the GABBER.. . my husbands had to get a picture taken with the odd character.

(i am such a good sport huh?)

(don't be afraid Niki... he is really lovable!!)

and here is a pic from the concert. What is JULY 4TH without a picnic from KFC??? classic, american fanfare.

So I have some super fun pics from our trip to the zoo ,but I will save that for another post.(don't wanna push my luck).

however I will leave you with my latest scrappy page.

(kinda fits in with the traditional american theme)

well, i pushed my luck. will try later =(

check out my previous post to hear about our anniversary weekend =)

go REDS, white and boom, an 85th, and a little bling!

WHew!!! well, its THursday, and I basically am still recovering from the weekend!.
So remember in my last post , i mentioned it was our anniversary..(actually same has JILL and her hubby).. Such a fun little tidbit to find out that we shared the same date!

I told my husband to leave work around noon on Friday, because I was taking him away for our anniversary. We took off driving but on our way we had to make one last stop... ( i was beginning to be mad at him for waiting to the last minute to run errands).. so we pulled up in front of
stall & Kesslers.. and he ran in.

I waited patiently, trying not to let my mind wonder too much. He came out with nothing. anyway,,, i just played it cool.
So we were off... heading out of town. After about an hour, he says that my present was not ready yet.. and that he felt really bad.. and everything..suprisingly, I was ok with this.. and not bothered in the least!!
I was not expecting anything since we were going away. THIS was our present to each other. and the $$ in the trip was going to add up fast!!!

We ended up in CINCINNATI at a hotel. The hotel was set in a business district, but pretty secluded among trees at the end of a road. do you know he actually asked me if there was a scrapbooking convention or something?? He thought I was trying to rope him in to everything at once!!.

NOPE that is in two weeks...at CHA in chicago.. i cant' wait to see all the scrappy goodness!!

anyway, his present was that we were staying in a fabulous suite.. and then heading to a REd's game!
Andrew has a goal of visiting every major league park, so I KNEW i could not go wrong with this one!!
The game was awesome, our seats were right down the first base line. We were the first seats at the wall.
basically we talked to the right fielder throughout a lot of the game....(which was a bummer)..
at the 7th inning stretch, Reds were down 7-0... fans started leaving... and then......

craziness started... they scored 4 runs in the 8th inning, and then 5 more in the 9th to win!!
it was so exciting.. the bases loaded and Adam Dunn came up and hit a grand slam...
right into the indians' bull pen(which was within arms length of us!!).. the stands went wild.. they had fireworks.. and screaming... and later that night, we found out that we were on SPORTSCENTER!!! can you believe how well , i planned this anniversary gift for my hubby???
i don't think it could get any more guy style!!
********i was going to share pics, but blogger is not cooperating, once again... i am seriously thinking about switching**********UGH!!!!

so since it was the 4th weekend, after the game, there was an amazing fireworks display.. it was all coreographed to music and lasted about 45 minutes!!!
totally an awesome evening...
and when we got back to the hotel... Andrew had a little wrapped box sitting on my pillow...
inside.. diamond earings!!
i about flipped! they are so gorgeous.. he picked them out so they would have the best of the four C's!! and man do they sparkle!!!
He totally scored some points with that one!!

the next day we went to the zoo.. we were the fifth people in, and were in and out by noon, so it was not very hot. It was a very nice zoo. and I have lots of awesome pics.. but we'll save that for another day. seriously, can't believe how close I could get to these guys!!

we did some shopping 'cross the river in Rednecktucky... I mean Kentucky!!! actually it was fine, as long as we stayed in the little germantown. We ate at some fabulous little places known for in CINCI. ya know.. ribs.. chili.... etc... YUMM!!!

It was a really cool weekend, and so fun to get away!

Sunday we had a family reunion of sorts to celebrate my grandma's 85th birthday! She is an amazing woman. Still standing tall(meaning she is not hunched over yet) , very healthy, and still got her whit!!
It was nice to have the whole family, minus two of my cousins get together. We live less than two hours away..(actully 3 cousins live less than 15 minutes away!), but we hardly ever see each other!
We ate at this incredible SMORGASBOARd.. known in the region for serving it up right to farmers.. Isn't that a strange word.. my dad kept using it and I kept correcting him saying
"dont' you mean a buFF- ett?
i began pondering.. what is the difference between a smorgasboard and a buffet?
this was a very nice restaurant;very clean; and very good food.(even lots of healthy stuff).
HMMM> maybe that is the difference.
something to think about.

We celebrated the fourth at an outdoor concert over on Purdue's campus. there about 30,000 people spread all over the lawn. The fireworks were ..OK.. but Brigham had a blast, waving his little flag around. He kept saying "FAUKER".. "BOOM"....."awe pretty". yep we just hope he won't be talking about firecrackers at church.. yep, say it outloud.. thats what it sounds like!! He even tried his first elephant ear. He was not to into it after the first bite, (thank goodness), so darn, his mama had to help him finish it!!
I don't think I've had one of those in ten years. Oh and I even got cotten candy at the ball park.
I was sure reliving my youth!!! HA HA HA =)

well, thats it for now.. will try and load up some pics.. and of my new scrappy pages. I have been on a roll lately.. but for now, ya'll can take a peek at two peas.

thanks for sitting thru my weekend's recap. Have a great thursday =)

three years ago today......

I was ....goin to the chapel... and gonna get married!!!

Gosh, so much of it seems like a blur...

we drank a whole lot the night before at our rehearsal dinner.. then my bridemaids and I went back to the hotel I worked at for free liquor in the bar.. and we all passed out in our complimentary suite...

next day, we crawled across the street to the spa.. to get all purtied up...

went to the church... went through the ceremony...(don't remember half of what was said.. we were both so nervous).

shook hands with lots of people, we don't really know!!!.... just kidding, we knew most of them.. but our guest list was so big.. we had lots of distant friends and relatives.. that we were just meeting for the first time!!

saw my hubby looking all fine....but it was so sweet at how nerveous he was!!

we were escorted by a classic car and chaueffered by the owner of my mom's company.. we went over to campus where we had gorgeous weather in which to take pictures.

here we are escaping thru the mass of bubbles... and here is the get away car..

oh and here is one of my fave wedding party pics near the fountain at purdue...

onward to the reception.. held at the other hotel that I worked for... we did it up right, let me tell you... with one minor hitch...

as we were waiting in the lobby, for all the guests to be seated, so that we could make our entrance... I turned quickly, not knowing one of my bridemaids was standing on my dress...

OOOPS.. a huge R I P.. righ in the embroidered lace!!.. yep, I was pretty much pissed.. and told her so..

remember, it was MY day,,, and I was the princess.

after a glass of wine, it was completely forgotten!!

here is a pic of the pretty hors deuvre's table: HA HA HA , I tricked ya!!

well, i pushed my luck with blogger.. and he won't let me post anymore!!.. i may try later.

basically the reception was a blast.. we had amazing food, lots of music and dancing, DUH!!!

and one of my bridesmaids got real mad and stormed off to a local bar... ( i have not talked to her since!).

next my aunt and I got real cozy over in the corner, as we shared a couple bottles of vino...

I pretty much lost my new husband after the first dance!!!

towards the end.. my maid of honor and i headed up to the martini bar on the top floor.. where one of our friends was bartending...

My attempt to "flash" him my newly married off boobahs.. was hindered, by the fact that my bodice would not budge... and the fact that ANdrew walked in right at that moment!!

we stayed in the bar for awhile.. until I felt the urge to hurl... ran to the bathroom.. and basically that was the end for me.

My dress was so romantically removed by Jennifer. My ring picked up off the bar floor, by Andrew's friend(because I had taken it off and threw it).

I passed out with a trashcan beneath me, and after I had broken the towel bar in the bathroom!

( i tried to use it as leverage, as i picked myself off the floor!).. lucky for me the hotel suite was a gift from my boss!!..( i told him much later about the bar incident!)

Andrew enjoyed his wedding night curled up on the couch as he watched MONSTERS INC!!..

( i still have never seen it!).

we awoke the next morning and stumbled to our after wedding brunch. and then boarded a plane.

I was very happy to arrive at our honeymoon destination.

AHHH the memories... who would want a boring wedding with no glitches!!

I may try to upload some more pics later.. plus some scrappy pages that I got done over the weekend!!

have a great day =)

a manless week, the beginning of terrible twos, and my retreat!!

WHOO HOO, yep I was "quite without a husband" all week!! That line from Parent Trap(one of my all time faves) just kept popping in my head all week!

Andrew had his first big business trip in Michagan. He has only been with the Farm for 1.5 years, and he is the only one from his training group that has been asked to do this. He actually had to prepare, and give seven agency visits, and then also speak at two BIG meetings. He was so nerveous and excited. Well, he claims that he did great.. guess I will take his word for that..
No, he really is an incredible speaker;very confident and elequent with his words.
so while he was up partying with the bigdogs.. I was at home, by myself with an almost two year old!!
Actually, I thought I would be scared, or miss him, , but I actually had a great time by myself.
Reasons why my husband should leave more often:
1. Seriously, I had the bed all to my self, without being mauled every night!!
come on you married ladies , know what I am talking about.. and if you're not yet, ... trust me, it will come soon enough!

2. I was able to watch what I wanted on tv..with out feeling guilty that I was not including him!
I actually watched that new "america's got talent".. .. it was not half bad.. but seriously, where did they have to go searching to find MR. Nightrider.. I thought he had drowned in the ocean somewhere!!!
guess, this will be a comeback for him.. and Brandy!!

3. I could talk to my friend in Ga for over three hours one night, with out getting "the look"..
He never understands how I can talk on the phone so much!!

4. I could be on the computer and blogging, with out him totally making fun of me.
He thinks blogging and talking with "friends" on the net.. is for dorks.
Well, then he must be married to one.. although I admit, the internet is a scary place, and actually not a very "true picture" into what people are really like.. since you can be who ever you want to be ! I just have fun with it, and have "met" some pretty cool people....(so I think)

5. I was able to scrap.. uninterupted!! I never like to be working on my stuff when he is home, so I could work into the wee hours, and then just crash.. yeah, in my bed alone.. to SLEEP!!!

I also got to spend a bunch of time with my friend Jennifer. She and her son came over one morning, and has we talked and the kids played.. we realized nearly 3 hours had gone by and we had not eaten. So we packed up and headed to Mc D"S. and stayed for another couple hours while the kids played. It was so great not having a schedule, or have to be home to start dinner(not that I really ever do that!).. but I try to be home when andrew gets home from work!

Jennifer is such a dear friend, a fellow pea, and was my matron of honor in my wedding. We live in the same town, yet its been over six months since we have gotten together!
It was so great to catch up. and we are going to a crop tonight at a LSS. I am so looking forward to girl time.. and getting some pages done!!
-----------------------------------------
Brigham is three weeks away from turning two. I think there must be something in the manual the kids are given by God, before they exit the womb.
Boy, he is certainly starting the clingy ness, the definate attitude, and his little tantrums, where he lays down on his back!
I actually think its pretty cute, so its hard not to laugh, but I usually just ignore him.
He is talking up a storm, which also can get quite annoying. !! He is repeating everything...
whoops, the other day I called the dog a little shit.. So then Brig was saying "thit" all night!!
so funny.. but, yes, not good-

I took him Dog n Suds (this little drive in place) the other night. we got to sit by this huge dog carrying a tray of rootbeers.. he loved his coney dog, which he picked off the stick, bit by bit!!
and he totally enjoyed his kiddy cup of rootbeer.
(another thing I could do with the hubby gone...is give my kid soda!)


So every evening after I put Brigham to bed, I went out to my retreat... My garden.
Gosh, i just love being out in nature. even pulling weeds and playing in the dirt, is refreshing to me. I love to see the results as the flowers start to bloom.
One night, brigham even helped me spread mulch over my back flower bed. He loves to be out with a trowel in hand just like mama!
Although, I think he ended up with more mulch on him, then the garden!!
so i will leave you with this.. and hope that you will get a glimpse into my happy place!
---------------------------------------------------------EEEEEEKKKKKK!!!(thats me screaming)--------------
okay, i may just be giving up on blogger. the last four posts have not allowed me to get picts up, or at least very many!!
guess, i will try later.. I know you all think i am a big fat liar, and that I don't truely have pics of anything I talk about!!!

have a fabulous weekend everybody.. I am hoping to get a bunch of scrapping done =)

what a week...!! relaxation, food, fun, and more food!!

I had every intention of posting last week, but teaching vacation bible school for 25 two and three year olds, was a bit more exhausting then I thought!! what a bunch of cuties they were... it was so exciting to see the energy in every one of the kiddos!!
i was so impressed at how quietly they all sat while listening to the story teller.. as she told them about GOd's love for them. It sure helped that she had a pet parrot named ZOCH that gave out lots of hugs!!
through, bible stories, crafts, playground time, movies, music, and free play.. these kids had a great time at SONTREASURE ISLAND..

my litte guy concentrating way too hard on the beam to look up for me =) ------------------------------>
on the last day, we gave the kids all pirate hats, and they got to dig in the treasure chest for all sorts of special "treasures". We also had lots of fun at the carnival where they had face paints, ring toss, and a duck pond!
The kids had a blast as they took whacks at the rainbow piniata.. .. After each kid had tried 3 times, unsuccessfully, to bust the rainbow.. we had to lend a helping hand.. and then they were showered with candy and fruit snacks!!
no doubt all these kids were pretty tuckered out.. I know mine was.

Not to mention we had playdates at the pool nearly every afternoon too, which meant.. NO naps.. but lucky for me he went to bed early!!


this pretty much sums up the week---->oh, and here's a peek at what the room looks like, we still have a lot more to do.. Including a mural on the outside wall.. but all the kids seemed to be pretty enamored with all the fish!!

ok, well I guess I have reached bloggers limit for pics... Sorry for creating all the suspense... I know you all are just dying to see the children's ministry rooms!!

So Friday afternoon, we had lunch with some friends.. and then met some other friends for pool time! Brig is so loving the water this year.. I was not sure if I would have to be extra causious around the pool or not.. and luckily my easy going kid, is just as laid back at the pool.
Other then the fact that it is super hard to get him out.. twice last week he was climbing back into the pool, after I had already changed his clothes!! quick little booger he is!!

So the miller fam went out to dinner on Fri.. and then Andrew and I put Brigham to bed at um... 8:00pm!!(that is way early for us!) and we watched the RINGER!!
seriously, this is super funny... johnny is a riot in here.. not to mention all the rest of the "extras.".. I was busting a gut, numerous times, but i was feeling so guilty for laughing at the...
"mentally challenged"..
Andrew kept reassuring me, that the Special Olympics... Probably made a killing off this movie, since there name was plastered all over the place..
so if you have not seen this.... this is a very GOOD recommendation.

Sat, we were lazy, and did some yardwork... and then took naps. We went to our town's annual fundraiser.. THe TASTE OF TIPPECANOE...
yep, its a teeny weeny version of the taste of Chicago.. or any other big city that has one.
Still, it was great weather, great crowds... (45 thousand were in attendance!!).. , awesome music, and incredible food.
Brigham was the hit of the show, as he was jammin so hard to the "rock stage" that we unleashed him from the stroller..
Everybody was getting the biggest kick out of watching him clap, boogie down, and stomp his feet..
Then there were fireworks at 10 pm, which Brig was totally blown away by..(well, not really, but we did get ashes all over us!).. he kept saying BOOM everytime the sky would light up.
I am so happy that he was not scared. We are planning a big party for the 4th, and so i was worried that he may be too afraid to be out and about!

Sunday, we had a bbq at my house for my dad and Andrew.. good, down home, traditional cook out food. I even tried my first batch of deviled eggs.. there was not a one left!!!.. good sign =)

and last night my mom took Andrew out(with brig and me) to his favorite restaurant called the BLUE NILE!!.. this is such a quaint little Mediterranean place on campus. the food was awesome.. and really spicy. Brigham could not get enough of it...
and I payed for it this morning, as he left me quite the bit of gratitude in his diaper!!

anyway, I have got to finish cleaning the house and getting laundry done today.. and then Brigham has his FIRST haircut!!... i am so leaning to having the girl give him a mullet, ..just so I can keep his curls.
Andrew says, why not, we are in Indiana, and that seems to be pretty popular around here.
NO joke.. we saw FIVE people at the taste, sporting mullets!!..
amazing!!
so wish me luck that I am not too emotional as she snips away at my baby!

where have all the cowboys gone?

ok, so my title has absolutely nothing to do with the post.. but that song has been stuck in my head for like the last week and a half... (does anyone remember that one) and because the only titles I could think of were completely lame..

so I did actaully blog last week.. I know, I know you probably don't believe me since it has been, um 16 days since my last post..
But really I did.. and it was a good post, with lots of cool picts.. and whitty comentary, and it took me over 2 hours do finish it..
but blogger was not playing very nicely, so when I was frustrated enough by the lack of participation that blogger had in uploading my picts.. I finally called it quits.
Went to publish my post.. and WHAM!!! it was gone.. yep, maintenance problems or something.. and of course I had not saved it yet!!

So I will save that one for later on in the week..

last Friday, andrew called me in the middle of the afternoon, and asked if I could find a sitter.. he would not tell me why.

He had been working overtime for the last couple weeks, which means he was not coming home until 10 pm and working 12 hour days on Sat. So this was a complete surprise that he was going to come home early!!

I did not have to persuade my mom to watch Brigham.. in fact he got to spend the night, and she kept him all day Saturday too!!

Andrew and I had an awesome night. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse.. one of my faves.
I was even good, and only ate 1 roll.. and got the veggies and salmon, . (i usually indulge in 3-4 rolls and get the baked potato and steak)..

after dinner we went shopping... (my husband actually was willing to go to the mall??)
i have been complaining for the last couple months, how none of my clothes fit , so un beknownst to me, he set aside some "clothes money" for me.
He did not complain once, as I was very indecisive on this excursion!!

Next, we went to see the BREAK UP!!.. and my hubby gave me cash to go get a mongo Diet Mt. Dew and milk duds..
trying to figure out why did I even bother eating healthy at the roadhouse?

anyway if you have not seen this movie.... it is an absolute MUST!!
Vince and Jennifer are totally hot in the movie, which made it very easy to watch =)
I have always liked Vince, but he is now in my top two fave actors.
about 20 minutes into this movie, I turned to andrew and said "we need to own this".
seriously, I think the writers were flies on our walls. the relationship issues, the converstations, the miscommunication.. it was so REAL!!!
plus, Vincent D'Onfofrio (law and order ci) played Vince's big brother.. and he was hilarious in the movie.
Jason Bateman.. (yep he is still around) is one of "the guys" and a look alike to Tom Brady .
it was sweet, romantic, bust a gut, bust a fist thru the wall, all at the same time.
the best that there was lots of SWINGER moves considering Jon Favreau was Vince's best friend.
awesome , awesome movie.. and it took place in Chicago.. so what could be better?

after the movie, we went to our fave little bar around the corner.. i tried to live it up by downing a Long island... this was MY drink in college.. now, not so much. I could barely get thru it..
I am such a wuss.. so I settled for good old COORS LT.

we ended up being out tile 3 am.. and it was so much fun to "live" again =)

Saturday, I got some more flowers and got them in, before it rained. then since I was kidless, I went downtown to all the trendy little shops, which are very inticing for little hands, but not for this stay at home mama's budget!

it was fun to just be by myself for a while.
that night, we all met my mom for dinner at this little greek place.. YUMM-O!!
Here is Brigham on a sugar high, eating a chocolate creme pie!

**** pretend here is the adorable little guy with whipped cream all over his face! *******

Well, I was going to show you all how are VBS room turned out. We are going to call it UNDER THE SEA community child care.. cuz the infant thru 2 year olds are going to be called
Covenant Cove..(our church is Covenant Prebyterian).
It is so cute.. but since blogger is not cooperating.. I don't want to even attempt this..
also, its midnight, and I have to teach 20 kids under two tomorrow morning.!!!

I have been working on a few scrappy things too.. got my cj sent out for Felica's fabulous life of...
you can check it out on 2peas if you want...
hopefully later this week, I will get to post some pics.. URGH!!!!

later peeps =)

life moves at ya pretty fast...

if you don't stop to look around once in awhile,,, you just might miss it!!!!

Ferris said it so well, and that is totally how I feel!! We have been running 110 miles an hour for the last couple weeks, thus the BAD BLOGGER syndrome which I have contracted =(..
sorry all.. thanks for the patience!!

woke up on Mothers day as an instant mother to 3 kids. My dearest friend went out of town to look for houses so that she can ....MOVE AWAY!!. We had the priveledge of watching her two babies , ages 3 and 10.. We had a blast.. and fed them lots of sugar.. and watched Jim Carrey movies!!!... Sorry Jop... but I am sure you know by now =)/

so my friend did find a house in south GA... and she will be moving... next week!!! I am so bummed about it.. but totally excited for her. She is going to have an amazing time in the south.. and is only a couple of hours away from Disney!!. Yep, our next year's vacation is already planned =) I know that God will bless her with an abundance of wonderful friends.

less than a week ago, another one of my closest friends packed up her bags to move south... to Miami!! We're all friends and we knew the time would come that these two would get transfered due to their husbands jobs,- we just did not think it would come so soon.
i have to say, I am glad that they are both going somewhere warm...makes it real hard to visit, for sure!!

My neighbors must think I am a total nutcase because even though it rained for ten days straight, I was able to get some planting in= )
I dodged the raindrops, and managed to get over 200 annuals in the ground. and then over the weekend, I put about 100 perrenials in that my friend and I dug out of my mom's garden.
My fabulous husband surprised me on Sat by spreading a driveway full of mulch around our entire house!.. actually he just dropped the piles, and i was on my knees spreading it. I did not trust him not to bury my flowers!!!
of course just shortly after we were done, we had two more days of rain. once my babies are up again, I will take some pics.. and post!!

this is my last week "teaching" at the community care.. until the middle of June.
My focus now has turned towards VBS.. I am in charge of the 1-3 year olds. I am so excited about this!!.. I have been busy planning lessons, crafts, activites, and decor for the room.

in conjunction with VBS, a friend of mine have been working really hard on getting ready for the transformation that our children's ministy is going to have.
We are still working out the names of the rooms, and we are changing the name of our community care..
You'll have to wait til, its an approved thing, but the theme is going to be tropical...
SO FUN!!! I have been in Michaels, and Hobbly Lobby more times in the last couple weeks, my car is on auto pilot!!!....(not that it did not have a BIG clue before, HA HA HA)

My brother came in yesterday from Mesa, AZ. so we have been out and about a lot.
It is so good to have him home. his wife of 1.5 years, told him to move out in Dec... and in January, he found out that she had a "boyfriend", or something.. Now she is pregnant and planning to move to Hawaii this summer!. the papers are not completely final, but it has been extremely difficult for him... and for our family, since we are so far away.
We're all looking forward to a great visit and hopefully, guide him in some direction.

American Idol fans????? Okay, so I admit, taylor is IT.. i mean that guy is the one..
however, I do stand by my original comments that he is not an American Idol(at least the type that we have been accustomed to in the pop culture). I know he will go far.
Katherine will do fine with whatever she gets. She does have the looks. and a voice. I would have to disagree with her fashion sense, but Oh, well!!

Okay, so I am off to watch the finale of LOST!!! so stoaked about this..
if they leave us hanging.. I will be so P. O.'d!!!

Have an awesome Wednesday all my bad (in a good way) bloggin babes!!

its raining men!!

well not actually, but it is raining something fierce in good ol Indiana!!
we're on the 3rd day of grey skies and wet grounds. makes me feel for those living in Seattle..
Hailey, I don't know how you do it!!!
not to mention I finished planting about 200 flowers just minutes before the downpour began.
my little guys are pretty much drowning now!
My fingers are crossed that they will survive!

speaking of surviving... how in the world did Katherine make the last cut?? and what was up with my boy Chris getting the boot this week on AI?
Not like any of the final 12 will be hurting for a job, but seriously that Chris had some serious talent.. not to mention looks! In my opinion, he was the total package.
My vote now goes to Elliot. his voice is good, and if he does not win AI, he could always get casted as the new Mr. Ed! (the singing Mr. Ed)
Taylor is not an idol, at least for teens...and Katherine.. well, she'll do just as well joining the cast on some Wb series.

to continue with my angst with television(public right of free speech, right?) could LOST have any more twists in it? I am thinking long term, but how long do you think this island thing will keep up? at east five seasons? I am one who hates to not know what is going on. My mind is always running away with what could be happening.. Man these writers are good. I am not looking forward to the last epi.. cuz I know they will leave us with a major cliff hanger.. and we'll have to suffer thru the entire summer!!
I just want to know, why all of those people are placed there? HOw long as the island been inhabited? Are the others good or bad? Whats the driving force?
anyone know what ever happened to that big monster thing? its been in hibernation for a while.
all I can say is this show will be winning awards.

my life is not all about tv. in fact since we got rid of HGTV and ESPN(2), it is on much much less.
sad, I know.. but now we actually are doing home and garden projects and playing sports instead of just watching others do it!!

We did have a very fun and filling Cinco De Mayo party last Friday. I am so glad for the invention of mexican food. some seriously good stuff =)
My husband has suggested many times, moving to Mexico... I am considering it.. just for the food!

We went to the INdpls Opera and slept..i mean enjoyed it thoroughly. My dad was in it , so we went as support for him. The costumes, makeup and set designs, were beyond amazing. The music was fantastic. The story line.. predictable, and well, the time frame.. about 2x, too long!!
this was only my second opera. The other one was Madame Butterfly, starring Glen Close.
I won't say, I'll never go to another one, but it is not high on my list.
another thing.. opera patrons are rather snobish.. again not my style!

well another week as flown by, as I have been forced to be cameraless. I was able to steal my mom's for a few days.. I will leave you with some cute pics of Brig.
lets just say RANDOM PHOTO FRIDAY.. for you Jill !!


brig finds his way to a mud puddle!
and picks his first flower!

<----here is my little model, as he attempts to climb the big boy play equipment.





maybe we should not introduce potty training during his "hat" stage!!



Thanks to his friend Noah, or "no" as he calls him, brigham has developed an obsession with choo choos!
we are easing into Thomas(im not a big fan!). but this is a train my grandpa made for my brother.

here is a pic from Easter! I just got these from my mom, so I thought I'd share. I love his little outfit... my brother wore it 28 years ago!!

thanks for reading my random thoughts and peeking at my photos.

all you mamas, have an awesome day ... you all deserve the royal treatment!