did you ever have one of those moments...

when you see a picture of yourself and realize that all those figure flaws you thought you were hiding so well are actually very obvious? Just had that moment. I hate that.

the sprinkler and the trampoline

Oh, how they love this.




My mom forwarded an email the other day about my 3 year old cousin who was jumping on the trampoline with his older sister. He fell wrong, broke his arm and ended up having to have surgery with 3 pins. Thanks, Mom. Just what we needed to hear.

house painting

This is where my hard-working hubby has been spending lots of his time lately. Keep in mind that this is after working a 10 hour day outside in the hot weather.


This is what the house looked like before...


and after... (a sage green with navy blue accents)


Notice how smooth it is? He's been scraping down to the bare wood. When we had some painters give us a bid, they commented that they had never seen so many layers of paint on a house before. In 20+ years of painting houses. This has not been an easy job. He has done such a great job! I'm proud of you, honey!

ballerina

Sophie got to go to her first ballet class last night. She was so excited! It's actually called "Creative Movement." They do 20 minutes of ballet and then 20 minutes of gymnastics. The building has a little waiting room area and then a door that leads to the gym. Dance rooms are upstairs. Parents stay behind and the little dancers go with their teacher. I thought she might be hesitant, but as I was saying "have fun," she was already headed out the door with Miss Jahree'. She absolutely loved it and even sang a new little song for me last night. I see lots of dance recitals in our future!

cousins

Sophie and Lawson have so much fun playing with their cousins. I wish they lived close enough that we could do this more often!

Sophie & Mary (just 6 weeks apart)


John (quite the little reader!)


Sarah (love those curls!)


Maggie (first time we've met! She got lots of hugs and kisses from Lawson!)


Lawson's not used to having to share Grandma. (or his favorite blue swing!)

this is why i should read.

They could be read to for hours. So happy they love books like they do. I hope they always love to read.

p.s. book #2 is now finished. I haven't been terribly productive today.

spoiled.

I have an amazing husband. Sensing I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, Corey told me this morning that I needed to get away today. Go somewhere and do something fun. No argument from me! He went with a friend this morning to help load and unload a playhouse. Came home and washed all the dishes in the kitchen sink. Then spent several hours outside in 85* weather, standing on scaffolding, wearing a face mask and scraping paint. After all that, still got cleaned up around 5:30 and sent me off to have some alone time! What a guy.

So I happily...
* stopped at Sonic on my way out of town for a cranberry limeade and cheddar peppers with ranch dressing. yum!
* drove to Wichita and listened to my music.
* Eddie Bauer outlet: bought 4 things, all on sale, 20% off coupon, gift card... spent $15. (after the gift card)
* Old Navy outlet: $3 pink flip flops for Sophie. Nothing for me. Way too much size 2 stuff in that store. I'll stick with EB.
* Bed Bath & Beyond: I could roam in there for hours.
* Panera Bread: my favorite kind of bagel, lots of cream cheese and a yummy lemonade... to go.
* walked to a nearby fountain, found a quiet bench to eat and read.
* sat in the cooling sunshine, listening to the fountain and read 100+ pages of my new book!
* left the fountain as the sun was setting. such a pretty evening.
* Super Target: cute flower pony tail holder for me, a couple fun things for the kids. (Needed more time to roam, but they only stay open until 10 pm! I figured it would be at least 11:00.)
* Home again... feeling refreshed, renewed and ready to be a better wife and mommy. Every wife needs a husband like this! What more could a girl want?

While I was out enjoying my alone time, this amazing daddy took his kids to Pizza Hut, the park, gave them baths and put them to bed. I'm a lucky girl.

i shouldn't read books.

I love to read, but it turns me into a bad mommy. I had a new book, one that I've been waiting to read. Waiting until summer so that I would have the time (and not stay up really late and then be very grouchy with little 1st graders the next day.) I started it Thursday during naptime. About 1:30. I finished it Thursday. About 10:30. This is a 337 page book. Corey thinks I'm crazy. I end up trying to find things for the kids to do by themselves, where I can just sit and supervise/read. Then I get grouchy when they want me to play with them. Bad mommy. I have another one ready to start and I'm telling myself that I will spread this one over a few days. Naptime. Bedtime. I can read and still be a good mommy. Surely it's possible.

does anyone else ever feel this way? or is it just me?

“In her daily experience with a child, a mother’s time is not her own. She has to respond constantly to unclear verbal and preverbal demands from her child. Often she has no idea what to do, many times no good solution is available, so she’ll suffer guilt and anxiety no matter what she does. The child constantly explores the boundaries of her patience and power. When the child’s control lapses, her own control is required. She must consider using force on a helpless human being who sometimes invades her bodily privacy and psychological integrity like a monstrous, consuming enemy. She deals with the world of child rearing, where hundreds of experts give contradictory advice; the outcome can’t be measured for fifteen to twenty years. She has to process this advice through her intuition and a constant stream of her own childhood memories dredged up by her child’s dilemmas. And she must do all this with others - mother, mother-in-law, neighbors and school teachers - looking over her shoulder, marking her report card, measuring her against their own standards. Though it would be a relief to give up and follow some set of packaged rules, she must dare to be different - the fate of her child depends on her decisions. Besides, no set of rules seems exactly right.”

-Roger Gould, MD

watering the animals.

We take very good care of our animals around here... real ones and plastic ones.

Sophie giving her horse a drink.

The turtle was thirsty, too.

Then Zoe came outside, so she needed some food and water.

Lawson loves to give the kitties water. Ice cubes are really the only safe way to let him do this.

love these kids.

thanks, mom.

I had been wanting new curtains for my kitchen. Found a shower curtain at Wal-Mart that I really liked. With a little bit of cutting, sewing and draping, my handy mother and I came up with this... (she did all the work, I just help with ideas.)



We used the top portion for new curtains in the breakfast nook and toy room. I love 'em! Thanks, Mom!

such a good daddy.

I couldn't ask for a better father for these little people I love so much. You're the best! Happy Father's Day, Corey!

Happy Father's Day, Grandpa!

Little veterinarians... just like Grandpa. We couldn't find any greyhound puppies, but we thought these chocolate labs looked pretty close!

Happy Father's Day!

Corey's never really liked our downstairs bathroom. It's very red, but I like it. This is the bathroom he uses to shave, shower and brush his teeth, so I do feel a little guilty that he spends all that time surrounded by walls he hates. While he was at work, we put together a little surprise for him. I thought this might make him enjoy the walls a little more...

Sophie wanted to add a few touches of her own, so we have a few pumpkins and ladybugs taped to the walls, too!

they love each other.

lightning bugs

What could be more fun on a summer night? Sophie would catch them and bring them to Lawson. He would hold them in his little hand, watch them crawl up his arm, and then squeal and laugh when they would fly away.

pictures

We went to our favorite picture place today to try and get some cute Father's Day pictures. I think we were successful!

yeah for me!

I have 23 things on my To-Do-List for this week. I have already crossed 15 of them off. And it's only Wednesday. Love that feeling of being productive.

popcorn

Hours of fun... courtesy of the UPS man.

It is now naptime and I'm thinking that the popcorn may mysteriously disappear.