what I need is all around me

fly boats and go fish

Anna watching Wonder Pets and playing in her "fly boat"

This little one wanted a lot of attention yesterday.  It's always hard when the big kids are gone and mama and daddy have a list of stuff "to do".  It's especially hard when it's 115 outside and going out to play isn't really an option.

So we played Go Fish.  Often.  Mama and Anna.  Daddy and Anna.  Mama, Daddy and Anna.  And then when they got home, Sam and Anna, Mary and Anna and Sam, Mary and Anna.

And except for the fact that she shows you her cards, Anna is pretty good at it!

:-)

Kids at work and laundry, laundry, laundry!

On Friday, Mary spent the morning at work with me and Sam spent the afternoon.  It was a combination of them wanting to come to work with me and me worrying that despite my excitement for their upcoming trip, I might miss them while they're gone.

Mary had to do more "work" than Sam, just because she managed to be around when the temperature wasn't 110+.  I {heart} yellow wellies!

Mary cleaned + drained the fountain in our courtyard.  She did a great job, too!

Sam spent more time doing "office stuff"...

This weekend was pretty typical.  Lots of getting ready for the upcoming trip.  I've done eight loads of laundry so far (and more to come) and ironed countless shirts...and a few pair of pants. Whew!  

Also making a little project for Jason's grandma, since he'll get to see her while he's back.  Just a simple book filled with Anna's pictures from this year.  Left-over plexi-glass from my cool frame project ended up being the perfect cover for a sweet little book.  I love it!

Also making some thank-you cards for the people I work with.  I think it's so important to let those you work with know when they're doing a great job, and everyone in my office knows I love to "make" stuff.  They seem almost as pleased to get something I've made as they do when I bring in doughnuts or cookies or popsicles.  (And yes, I said almost...they totally love the free food more!)

I {heart} my daddy!

I asked my dad to help me with a project.  I've always run to my dad to make me stuff, and even at 38, I still do it.  I'm so thankful that he usually says yes at least relatively enthusiastically.

I love a lot of things that Heidi Swapp does creatively and her new venture (House of 3) has some stuff I really like.  I decided to buy some of her "wall art" because I wanted to use it for a party I'm having while the kids are away (more on that in another post).

Anyway, I decided I wanted a cool, ornate frame to put my "wall art" in, just so it could be portable rather than permanent.  But big, cool, ornate frames are EXPENSIVE.  But when your daddy is super-cool, you can run to Lowes, buy a few strips of chair rail and some plexiglass and you end up with this:

That's the finished project...take a look at the frame up-close:

And just in case you're Mary and are wondering, no, my daddy doesn't whittle.  That's the cool chair rail we bought at Lowes.  

And one more shot of the cute chandelier, too...

It turned out exactly as I hoped it would.  I love it.  And I love my daddy!

one day in June

I happened upon these pix from a day at my parents back in June.  Love the action shots of the girls...

Love my goggle boy, too...

And then later that night, all tuckered out from a day in the sun...my sweet girls again

ROCK BAND!

Jason ordered the game "Rock Band" for the kids and yesterday it arrived.  While everyone was totally surprised and excited, it was Anna that made me laugh the most!

Not sure where she picked this up, but at one point, she grabbed the drum sticks and (in rhythm) clicked them together and said, "One, Two, Three, Go!" just like a "real" drummer might.  So cute.

Without any instruction, she was able to follow along on the screen and hit the appropriate "drum" when it's color appeared...crazy good stuff.

Mary spent most of the night drumming away until I forced her to stop in an effort to keep her alive (Mama doesn't like being driven crazy ALL THE TIME).  

Tonight the family was at it again, playing in the "full band" mode.  This means we added a singer to the mix.  Anna was delighted to be part of the act and sang along to the song "Creep" by Radiohead.  My favorite part?  When she sang along and said, "I'm a creep.  I'm a WEIRDOOOOO"  Wow.

BTW, she's already got the whole "I'm the lead singer"/diva attitude going on...

Good stuff for the whole family!

Around the house...

Just a few pictures from around the house last night...good, wonderful photos that represent our real life.  So cool.

Mary doing her 30-minutes of reading...

 

Laundry that needs to be ironed...

Hair that needs to be rinsed (and a girl with a very unusual look on her face when she's in the bath!)

Remnants of a wonderful dinner.  Really wonderful.  Yummy recipe here!

 

And a little crafting...hmmm...so very nice!

What a great night!

first pedi

Tonight, Anna had her first pedicure.  She's watched mama and Mary get them done a number of times and tonight she said, "It's my turn!"

She was delight with the result and immediately wanted to call Grandma Jean to let her know.  Even though I won't be there, I'm so excited for that trip because I know how much fun the kids will have (and Grandma + Grandpa, too!)

Look at how pretty I am!

Pretty red + sparkly toes!

Calling Grandma Jean to tell her all about it!

Checkin' out the toes!

Fourth of July!

While not my favorite holiday by a long stretch, we ended up having a really wonderful 4th of July this year.  

We had our friends, Brad and Melissa (those who are friendly call them B-Rad and Missy, and let me tell you...the kids LOVE to call him B-Rad) and their daughter Taylor (T for short) over for a BBQ and then we all headed to the fireworks.  If I do say so myself, our meal was fantastic.  Good teamwork between me and Jason.  :-)

Here's a cute picture of our friend, T.  She is CUTE!

T takes gymnastics with Anna and is just about the same age.  She's a lot quieter than Anna, though, which we love.  Two kids as noisy as Anna would kill a party in no time flat.  We've spent more time with her (and her parents) lately and I'll admit she talks a lot more now than she did a month ago...must be that she's just so comfortable around our family.  She especially enjoys Sam, which is sweet considering Anna can barely tolerate him 99% of the time.

We went to the Peoria Sports Complex to relax, eat/drink and play before the fireworks started.  B-Rad and Jason ended up taking the youngest to the bouncy toys for quite a spell.  Made it nice for the rest of us.  It did, however, make for a strange situation.  In looking over my photos from the night, the ratio is totally off.  Usually there are 3 or 4 photos of Anna to every 1 of someone else.  Not this time.  Sam and Mary are completely represented at this event while Anna got the short end of the stick!

Eating a tasty treat before heading out to play...

In the wagon, ready to go (good call on bringing the wagon, B-Rad.  Worked like a charm!).

Meanwhile, the older kids looked lovely in the fading light...

As it got darker, we whipped out the glow sticks.  Funny how much fun you can have with a $1 package of glow sticks.

(and crazy hats!)

Even the little ones got in on the action!

Almost time for the fireworks to start

Happy Birthday, USA!

After the fireworks we came back to our house and while I TRIED to go to bed because "Anna needed me" (she was out cold and I just wanted to sleep), they pulled me back out for a few hours of Wii.  You know you're with some good friends when they come into your bedroom and drag you out of your bed.

Hoping to enjoy the next 9 days with the family before they head to the midwest for their summer vacation.  By yesterday afternoon they were all on my last nerve and I was beginning to wonder if I'd even miss them when they take off.  I'm sure I will, so I'll do my best to cherish their little faces.

And then I'll throw myself a little party while they're away...

better late than never!

Months ago, my aunt and uncle came to town for a few days and brought fun, Wisconsin-themed gifts.  I promised to post a pic of Anna with her super-cute Bucky Badger socks on my blog, then summer hit and she stopped wearing socks.  She requested them yesterday, though, as she knew she'd need socks to go rock climbing later in the day.

So here you go, Jane.  Better late than never...

4th of July pics posted later today...I PROMISE!

Right now

Just a little something fun tonight...

Outside my window... Can't really see out of the window because of all the "window crayon" marks all over!

I am thinking... that it would be super cool if my house would clean itself.

I am thankful for... wireless internet.

From the kitchen... an unplanned (and not very good) caramelized onion and gouda frittata.

I am wearing... old, brown maternity tshirt, blue plaid pj bottoms and some of Sam's socks...yes, I'm totally styling!

I am creating... a nice balance of cards, scrapbook pages + "other stuff"

I am going... to enjoy this night with just one kid.

I am reading... The Alexander Cipher by Will Adams (from the library...it's only so so)

I am hoping... that Anna doesn't require middle of the night breathing treatments tonight.

I am hearing... Ni'Hao, Kai-lan and the sound of Jason putting jelly on Anna's toast.

Around the house... a few dishes to do before going to bed but otherwise, a nice, clean kitchen.  But the rest of the house...

One of my favorite things... a great night's sleep (um, will that EVER happen?)

A few plans for the rest of the week... one more day of work (whew!), celebrating Father's day and having a playdate with some special friends.  Oh, and laundry, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and more laundry.

Just a little something fun tonight...

Outside my window... Can't really see out of the window because of all the "window crayon" marks all over!

I am thinking... that it would be super cool if my house would clean itself.

I am thankful for... wireless internet.

From the kitchen... an unplanned (and not very good) caramelized onion and gouda frittata.

I am wearing... old, brown maternity tshirt, blue plaid pj bottoms and some of Sam's socks...yes, I'm totally styling!

I am creating... a nice balance of cards, scrapbook pages + "other stuff"

I am going... to enjoy this night with just one kid.

I am reading... The Alexander Cipher by Will Adams (from the library...it's only so so)

I am hoping... that Anna doesn't require middle of the night breathing treatments tonight.

I am hearing... Ni'Hao, Kai-lan and the sound of Jason putting jelly on Anna's toast.

Around the house... a few dishes to do before going to bed but otherwise, a nice, clean kitchen.  But the rest of the house...

One of my favorite things... a great night's sleep (um, will that EVER happen?)

A few plans for the rest of the week... one more day of work (whew!), celebrating Father's day and having a playdate with some special friends.  Oh, and laundry, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and more laundry.