Happy Birthday!

I can't believe Milo is 1!! This year has to have been one of the quickest in my life... thus far! It has been a good year & it was a great day today. A day of celebrating! Celebrating Milo, & his wonderful addition to our family.

Milo I love you!!

I will give more of an update including birthday pictures once I have the time to figure out our current computer issue.

A Little Linky-Loo

This blog I may or may not stalk is having a giveaway of some of her fabulous crafty items that I so desperately want for my little kiddles. Calico has some stinkin' cute stuff, check it out, aren't those monsters perfect for my kids? There's a boy & a girl!! Too cute!

My First Car...

1991 Ford Festiva in Gel Toothpaste Blue... aka The Blue Bullet, or Go-Go

My parents got this car in the fall of 1996, 6 months before I turned 16. I was such a snot, they thought I'd be thrilled that they got a car for me to drive & I informed them that it was not only an ugly car, but THE UGLIEST color EVER! My step-dad tried to talk it up, by saying "It has a peppy engine & a sassy interior!" Were we looking at the same car?!?! I can tell you, that the peppy engine part was true... the interior? Not so much!

This was the only car I drove until I moved across country the December after graduation in 1999. I'll admit that I hated having to drive a recycled Pepsi can, but man was it good on gas mileage.... combine that with the fact that gas was around $1/gallon then & it had a really small gas tank, so I could afford to fill it up. Despite the fact that she wasn't my first choice in cars, she was a good car. Teenage girls don't take very good care of cars, but The Bullet took good care of us! My little sister drove it when she turned 16 & continued to do so for over 4 years. She sold her to a family friend 3 years ago. Jeff & I had just moved to Oklahoma. (If I would have known she was selling it we would have bought it from her, & had an extra car.)

There is a Bullet... all Festivas are Bullets to me... in my neighborhood & when I see it I often wonder if the Blue Bullet has finally bit the dust, or is she still as reliable as ever. Imagine my excitement when I was reading my mom's blog & she had attended the wedding of the Bullet's owner!! I can't believe that thing is still running!! She looks good... she actually looks the same!!

Oh the memories... *SIGH* I'll spare you details, but just know there are many fun memories that go along with that hunk-a-junk!

Swearing In Ceremony

Here We Go Again

Let me preface this...
Last Wednesday night/Thursday morning I had a little visitor in the night... she informed me that her belly hurt. We set up a bed on the floor in our room complete with a large empty bucket. My champion puke-er made me proud by keeping it clean! I personally think she should be given the gold medal after last August & all of the bodily fluid that came along with that illness. She still remembers how to keep things contained. She even reminisced while taking a bath, telling me all about being sick & in the hospital.... she asked if I remembered.. haha, is forgetting an option?! Thankfully this was a short lived bug, we were over it in about 12 hours, but we still had a low key day from lack of energy.

Here we are 6 days later & once again we had a little visitor last night shortly after I got to sleep. Once again a bed was made on our floor, complete with Hannah's Tupperware friend. After a few different rounds we had more of a mess than last week, lots more laundry & a lot less sleep on my part. I did lay there doing the math on how many times Hannah has thrown up in her life, I'm pretty sure it's over 100.

Sorry if I ruined your appetite... I did avoid adding a picture, not sure I want to see what Google images had on the subject.

The Sun Has Set

Summer is over & fall is officially here. I debated on having an end of summer or a beginning of fall dinner. Jeff had me confused into thinking I could have it today & do end of summer (some communication error.) So I decided it would be fun to enjoy a dinner out on the patio partaking in a yummy summer dinner, enjoying some of the summer things we won't be enjoying until Summer's return. So we did just that.... Kristen & her boys joined us. Dinner consisted of...
Chilled Strawberry Soup... or melted smoothie, since we just drank it.
Grilled marinated chicken skewers
Grilled onions
Brussel sprouts (not sure if those are summer, but it's summer of us to grill them in a foil pouch), Couscous (thank Kristen)
Peach Pie - this was a fresh peach pie, not a cooked pie, & it was DELICIOUS!! Thanks Mandi for the blog post on that one. You can find the recipe here.
I saw her post about the pie, it looked & sounded like the perfect ending to my summer meal.. and it was, but I will admit that the 2nd piece I had later this evening was MUCH better, because it was thoroughly chilled & set up.

Hannah was jumping on the trampoline & I told her to say goodbye to summer & hello to fall... she did just that, with the expected about of enthusiasm & drama that Hannah always delivers. I'm looking forward to a wonderful fall!

Bedhead

9/9/08

Bedhead is a nasty thing....

It can make some of the cutest things....

Not quite as cute!

It's a Race... It's a Race...

9/13/2008

This morning my friend, Leslie, & I ran a 5K over by Lake Hefner. It was a small race, Race for Freedom, sponsored by Geico. I enjoyed the run, & tried really hard to pace myself & not get over excited with all the faster runners. The worst part was we parked where the website told us & we had a 20-30 minute walk (no joke,) it was a small enough race we could have parked closer. So by the time we got there we ran to get registered, then ran to get our chips & since we had a little over 5 minutes to start we ran back to get our shirts.

I knew I could do it in 36 minutes & I wanted to do it under 35 minutes & I was so close... There was a girl I was coming up on in the last few meters & was going to pass her without much of a problem & she decided to keep pace with me & the way they had us sort of funnel in to cross the finish line was a bugger... the girl was still just barely ahead of me & wasn't as excited to cross the finish line... so she was taking her sweet time. I was literally seconds over my goal & came in at 35:08. Leslie & I are going to try to do another 5k next month & there is a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day, which should be lots of fun. A 5k is pretty fun to run.

Great #8

Milo has been a 7 tooth wonder for a long time now... 4 up top & 3 down below.All of his teeth have come in 2's, except the last one. I have been waiting for the great #8 to makes it's appearance, I've checked often & was thrown off when I noticed that his one-year-old molars are beginning to form under the gums, but still no number EIGHT.
The last few mornings he has been waking up around 5:30,
(that is a bad teething habit my children have both had)
Today was different though, because upon a finger swipe of the gums I found #8.

September Culinary Crew Dinner

Tonight was our Culinary Crew Dinner & it was FABULOUS!! Christina & Lindsey did a wonderful job... the table was beautiful & the food was delicious!
You'll have to head over to our blog to see pictures & get the recipes (they will be added later.)

Group Prayer

Milo, Hannah & I cuddled up in her bed for a little pre-nap singing, followed by lots of hugs & kisses before Milo & I left. While singing Milo one more song before placing him in bed I could hear the pitter-pat of Hannah running across her room. After getting Milo down I went to see what she was up to & found her kneeling in a ball on her bed.

Me: Hann... It's time to go to sleep.

She quickly pops up & grabs a couple of her stuffed animals (she has nearly a dozen with her) in a protective way. I'm a little curious of her odd behavior.

Me: What are you doing?
Hannah: Trying to keep Bear down.
Me: *Giggle* Are you holding him down & laying on him?
Hannah: No, we're praying to them.
These are the son of gods *holding up the 2 largest of the stuffed animals*
And this is the Son of Magic *holding up another bear*

The were of a few others, but I can't remember. I asked if they were praying to Heavenly Father & she said yes. I looked at the biggest bear...

Me: Is this Heavenly Father.
Hannah: No, that's the Son of God.
THIS is Heavenly Father *pulling the Frog Prince out of the mess* Well it's a frog, but it's him.

Of course, by far the biggest & he has a crown.

A Simple Conversation

We were in the car listening to a primary C.D & the song, If the Savior Stood Beside Me, was playing...
Hannah: Who are they singing about?
Me: They're singing about Jesus.
Hannah: I wish I could be Jesus for Halloween...
Because I like him!

Meatballs Galore!

I've been on a meatball kick lately. I made a batch in the oven for the first time a month or so ago (thanks Kristen) & fell in love with the simplicity! I've always been a skillet method girl & the time it took to cook them in batches along with the fact that they would occasionally fall apart made me a little crazy & I would opt not to make them. I know love making a huge batch & keeping them in the freezer... they freeze beautifully.

The previous batch a did was a combo of ground turkey & bulk Italian sausage, they were very yummy! This batch was the same, but I added some ground beef because I bought all 3 at the store & had it readily available.

I just rotated the trays a few times during the cooking process.

The kids & I usually have a couple as an afternoon snack. They are such an easy quick meal with a little marinara over pasta or rolls for a sandwich. They are a quick lunch for hungry kids either plain or with your choice of sauce. We've even cut them up & put them on pizza when we were out of topping options.

You may call me Esquire

The bar results are in! I PASSED!!! The swearing-in ceremony is September 25th.

Jeff, I'm so proud (yep, PROUD) of your hard work!!
Live it up baby, the skies the limit!!
Jeff is too modest in his lack of excitement here!
I am thrilled, no giddy, with excitement!!
Let the CELEBRATIONS begin!

This weekend will be spent celebrating.

Any suggestions on ways to live up our weekend we'll be considered!

A Letter to Mim's

Dear Nimaw,

When we talked on the phone this morning I told you I would write you a letter & I got right to work. I won't tell you what it says, just in case mom gets around to mailing it to you...
don't hold your breath!

Today is Wednesday & you know how those tend to go.... mom tried to break up the mid-week blues by making yummy waffles with strawberries & spiders. Theses little black guys have shown up in all kinds of food & even my milk... mom said they are going to be everywhere, that makes me giggle.

It's been raining here all week & most of my clothes are summer dresses, but mom picked up a new dress & I wore it today. (I like it even though it does not spin very good.)

Well I should get going, there are toys that need playing with & books that need reading. This is a picture I drew after talking to you... it's of Grumpy... can you tell it's him?! I can't wait to see you both at Disneyland.

Love,
Hannah

P.S. Mom was showing me this letter & I wanted to add something else.... "Grumpy was mad when he was watching his show & then he watched a show with lots of hitting people... it was called.... uh karate?"

WOO HOO....

We're going to Disneyland!!!

Our travel package was delivered today during nap time. I stuck the box outside Hannah's room, so she would see it when she got up, boy was she excited!

I wanted to capture the opening of the package, because I knew she would have some great reactions.... she didn't disappoint!

I love how excited she is of the unknown!

Mickey, we'll see you next month....

We are EXCITED!!

Adoration...

It may not look like it in the above picture, but my kids adore each other! Well Milo adores Hannah & I know Hannah loves being adored!

I could watch these two interact all day... it's just too bad that the best interaction observed is when they don't know you are watching....

I think I need some one way glass installed in the playroom!

Play Dough & Crazy Eyes

September 3rd

I bought a small package of little crazy craft eyes & Hannah thought they were so fun. We've made animals & monsters out of pom poms adding eyes. Well today we used the eyes to make our play dough creations more exciting. I made the lion & Hannah was so thrilled that she was requesting all kinds of animals that I was not capable of making. Then she suggested a crab (thanks to her friend Ty & his crab birthday cake) so I granted her request. Hannah had fun make lots of bones & a flat green monster, & she is the one that started using the eyes on herself... I'm so glad she went this route rather than trying to stick them up her nose like the pom poms.

A Tasty Treat

September 1st

I know better than to hang out in my backyard at dusk without first applying a bottle of bug spray... but I went ahead & did it anyway! My legs may not seem all that fancy to the human eye, but to any type of bug they are a tasty treat. I had 50 bites from my knees down!

Jeff thinks I'm a nut job (for various reasons really, but we're only discussing this one) & if I didn't have the marks to prove it, I am positive he would think I am exaggerating. He doesn't fully understand why we can all be outside, he & Hannah could get a few little bites & I get attacked.

I tried to come up with the best analogy I could for the situation & it was one that involved the Twilight books. I am like Bella to the little blood suckers & if I'm not around they'll settle on something else that is satisfying, but if I'm there they can't resist me & can't be bothered with the others. He did NOT appreciate my comparison, & I just got a rolling of his eyes rather than the laugh I was working towards!

Dance Party

After our afternoon stroll we had a little evening Dance Party... you know where you turn on a CD & you can't help but dance. We only recorded the best performer, so you are all saved from watching Jeff & I dance.

Sunday Stroll

We went out for a little walk this afternoon/evening. It was a little warm, but still rather enjoyable. The sky was the best shade of blue, the company was delightful & the kiddos were entertaining!

NieNie's in the TImes...

I must admit that I miss my daily dose of NieNie Dialogues, updates from Nie herself, but I am enjoying reading the first year or so of posts that were before I started reading her blog. I have become obsessed with keeping updated on the recovery of Stephenie & Christian Nielson through her sister's blog.
I think about this little family numerous times every day, the long recovery, the hospital bills & the thought of their 4 young children. Despite the sad story here, I often think about the blogging world coming together through this tragedy, & that amazes me & touches me. I love seeing the good in people & so often it is the saddest things that unite mankind!

The New York Times did a great article on Stephenie & Christian Nielson, go read it!

This is a Boy I Love!!

I sing this silly little song that just repeats that phrase "This is a boy I love" over & over again. I even sing it to Hannah changing the "boy" to "girl" & sometimes they both get it & it's "These are the kids I love" It's a dumb song, but it's my song to them!
I love so many things about this boy, I won't list them all, I'll just focus on those obvious in this picture....
His chubby little feet
The little crease at his cankle.. you know that chubby thing where his ankle should be.
His full rounded cheeks...
but more than the cheeks,
I love right behind them below his ears at the top of his neck! This is the best place to give him kisses & oh does he get kisses!! (He is such a good sport about it (most of the time.) It's the softest most sweet smelling spot, I would like tell you to give it a wiff & a kiss, but I can't...
Get your own!

Tea for Two.... Two for Tea

August 29th

Mimaw gave us these darling cookies, called Hannah's Delights, when we were in Salt Lake. We were going to have a tea party there with some little girl's, because we have a bigger selection of girls in Utah than we do in Oklahoma... but it just didn't happen. I forgot to bring the cookies with us, but Mim's mailed them to us. So after naptime we sat down to enjoy afternoon tea. I can safely say I am the luckiest mom to have been able to enjoy such a wonderful afternoon with one of the most delightful people I know!

Hannah helped me set the table, complete with a table cloth & we turned on a little Frank Sinatra. Hannah decided she was going to be me, so she would only answer to Megan, & I got to be my friend, Kristen. We chatted about very random things, but mostly about how yummy our Dole Orange Pineapple Banana "tea" tasted with our yummy raspberry butter cookies... I mean, Hannah Delights. Milo even got to be someone else, he was Cason (Kristen's 7 month old baby.)

Jeff got home early & he got to be Bryan (Kristen's husband) & he was dancing to the music in the kitchen, but Hannah... I mean Megan insisted that he wanted to dance with her & not Kristen. We asked her where Jeff, Hannah & Kristen's other boys (Ty & Brans) were... she informed us that Jeff had taken them to the zoo. Our afternoon tea started to feel more like an episode from a daytime soap opera, but that made it that much more enjoyable & entertaining!

Is it just me, or does it seem that Hannah doesn't seem to be as happy as I am?!?!