SoLongNoBlog

I was away this weekend visiting my family in upstate New York--thus the bloggy silence. 

We had a really lovely visit and it was very hard to leave. 

I already miss the hills and the forest, and the pond and the fresh air and the peace and quiet and calm (and my family).

I took hundreds of pictures =) but here's what I'm thinking about tonight--

the back yard in the morning

sigh...

I've been working today on putting things together to visit my family this weekend! It's a little overwhelming but I'm making progress! It's kind of taking over the house though and making me lose my mind a little bit!!

 ***

Anyways, the other day I went to see the Harry Potter finale with a friend and it was really excellent--I'm pretty sure it's my favorite movie of them all--just super well done and really tied up the series well. I'm so glad I got to go!!

My friend brought some pretty amazing caramel corn and inspired me to try making some on my own--it turned out good but not great--I only had microwave popcorn to start with and I think it would have been better with flavor-free air pop. Still pretty yummy though. =) (recipe here)

***

So that's it! We had a very busy morning running errands and tying up loose ends before we go and since the kiddos were so well behaved through it all I took them to the pool where they all promptly melted, fought, cried, wailed and generally caused mayhem. Wow. So, it's naptime and I need a break just as much as they do! Happy Wednesday!

It's Monday and I couldn't be happier--because every day that goes by gets us one day closer to a visit with my family in NY!! I don't get home often enough--and I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's only when I'm home that I feel like I can *really* breathe. All the wide open spaces and fresh air and lack of traffic really speak to me. 

I can't wait for some bare-foot grass troddin'!

***

Anywho, in other news my husband is free of extra work duties now and he's all mine again! Yahooo!!! I'm so proud of him--the show he was directing received awesome reviews--actually *HE* received the awesome reviews, because he's awesome =)--you can read one here! (Scroll down to Don Giovanni!)

***

That's it for now--I'm off to enjoy a peaceful house while the girls are at a local VBS and Ezra is in bed! Oh how I love happy summer days & nights!

It Ain't Easy Being (A) Green (Fairy)

it'sFridayFriday

we had a lovely day

the weather was amazing and mild-ish

i went for a long-ish run this morning and didn't have to walk and my legs didn't turn to spaghetti and my lungs didn't burst into flames and i could have kept going and it felt great. 

i've been faithfully going out nearly every morning and it was lovely, for ONCE, to feel like i *am* improving my fitness level!!

my kids were at turns wild and wonderful today--i took them to the grocery store and they were the poster children for perfect kids (and they were clean and color coordinated and illicit-ed many ooo's and ahhh's =) and then we got home and they were the poster children for insanity-inducement.

we even had a pool date with some of our favorite people!

naps were a bit of a fail but ezra slept! ha! =)

my husband is home tonight and it is quiet and the windows are open and it is lovely!

amazon even gifted me with free movie credits!

(you can get them here too)

i watched Red Riding Hood:

a good (not great) movie--i really enjoyed the cinematography and the artists' eyes that put it together. amanda seyfried is stunning, the movie is well paced and the ending is surprising. this movie was pretty clean too--no cursing that i can recall (no *hard* curses anyways), the violence is all peripheral and no indecent exposure. =) 

anywho, time to put my feet up and flip through the (free)magazines that arrived today--i have a soft spot for UsWeekly. =)

goodnight!

ThursdayPictures

The girls woke up bright and EARLY (emphasis on the early), skipped downstairs and immediately started playing dress-up. They were so silly--here's CinderellaCinderella:

And Ezra? Being that the poor lad lives with two girls he grabbed the first thing he found and asked me to put them on! He's a fairy! Or cupid! Or something! Not very manly, but very, very cute! =)

It was an absolutely gorgeous, perfect, low-humidity, warm but not blazing kind of day and we soaked it up! We took a nice long walk in the morning during Amelie's piano lesson, had a quick park date and enjoyed the pool before naps! And now, the babes are in bed and my husband is going to pick up takeout for grown-up-dinner. Favorite. 

Happy Thursday!

Oh July--How Fleetly You Fly!

I can't believe we're nearly half-way through July already--I am head over heels in love with summer and don't want it to end! Having all of my babies home is so fun, also a little challenging, but also wonderful. =) They are getting so big--Ezra was sitting watching tv the other night in the funniest pose--I had to take a picture--I can not accept how big he is!

And another picture, of my kiddos the other night--I love love love when they are all squeaky clean and freshly scrubbed and wearing jammies--favorite!

I'm so thankful for them and these moments together! I wish we could stay this way forever!

I stole this from my friend. =)

 

Things I am

neat-freak

color-coordinated

 thankful

forgiven

Things I am not

messy

outgoing

graceful

sporty

Things I love 

my Savior

my husband

my babies

my family & friends

Things I do not love

sin

whining

cold toes

 wet hair

Things I like to eat

mozzarella cheese sticks 

warm bread

raspberries

peanut butter out of the jar

Things I do not like to eat

seafood

mushrooms 

scalloped potatoes

broccoli

Things I have

eternal security

a wonderful family

a lovely, happy home

an awesome stockpile 

Things I still want

to be less like me and more like Jesus

to be more encouraging to those around me

to live closer to my parents

to be a country girl again 

Things I want to do tomorrow

go to the pool

take a nap

go for a run

enjoy time with my family 

Things I want to do in a year

continue to work on being a better 

Christ-follower

wife

mom

friend

Things I prayed for and received

my precious husband

my babies

my home 

encouraging friends

Things I keep praying for

a loving heart

a kind tongue

a generous spirit

my loved ones

it's saturday night and i am baking cookies and sifting through the netflix archives for something fabulous to watch.

 

i think i've settled on--------->

starring vintage sarah jessica parker, helen hunt and shannon doherty.

i'm pretty sure it's going to be awesome (or awesomely bad--either way, i'll be happy. =)

my husband is doing something slightly more refined and playing for the delaware valley opera company's performance of *don giovanni* because he's awesome like that.

and the children? they are sleeping and i am so happy about that since they recieved miniature light sabers in their happy meals this evening and have been pummeling each other for hours. it is quiet and peaceful now and it is such a treat!

goodnight!

It was a rainy rainy day here--and though we desperately need a little rain (we haven't had any to speak of for weeks!) it's a little intense. 

Last night while my husband was at his opera-gig there was a tremendous storm with super strong and frightening wind shears and torrential rain--at one point the rain and wind were so strong that I couldn't see out any of our windows and when I heard tree limbs snapping I grabbed my children and we hid in the basement. 

And then, the sun came out and everything was ok...aside from the fact that the basement was flooding. Gah. 

And today, que extra-heavy rain and we are still flood-y. Ick. We had a tornado warning this evening and honestly, it would just be a whole lot easier to be blown away then to keep my kids in the basement any longer than 5 seconds.

Anywho, =)

*****

We tried a new playdough recipe today! Koolaid playdough! It was super easy to make and no expensive cream of tarter in the recipe!

(I found this picture on the googles--i only had pink lemonade koolaid and it didn't turn out a very exciting color =).

*****

This is the next one we'll try!! Peanut Butter playdough? 

Heck. Yes. I bet it will be an even bigger hit! 

*****

Not much else is new, I'm just thankful that after this never-ending-crazy-children-day that my husband is here to help me corral them. I'm also thankful that if the world doesn't blow away we're going to get takeout after they are in bed....is it 7 yet?! 

Good night!

it was sooo humid and hot today.

i dragged my poor babies (2 in the stroller, 1 on a bike) to the park and we all melted....luckily we cooled off at the pool and even luckier than that, they were so exhausted from our adventures that they all took an awesome nap; and i joined them b/c napping is my favorite. =)

i love the freedom we have to do whatever we want with our summer days--it's such a luxury to have so many free days with them--i'm reminding myself of this when we're tired and cranky and hot. =)

******

i'm currently reading *Give Them Grace*  and it's really rocking the way i look at my own life and how i raise my children--i'll share more when i've had more time to digest it all.

*****

i'm still (slow)jogging and really starting to enjoy it more. exercise has become a consistent part of my life over the last two months--and it's a time for myself that i really enjoy and look forward to every day. 

*****

speaking of things i look forward to--it's almost time for bed! yippee! good night!

Gymboree/Mini Boden Cuteness Window(s) Shopping

4th Of July Fun

The kids were very excited about the parade this year--they love that we can just perch on our front lawn to watch! Mr. Wonderful tried to hold them back as long as possible but they couldn't wait to get outside and ended up waiting on the curb for half an hour before the parade began. =)

Excited Maeve!

Excited Amelie!

Everyone was happy before the parade started--but as soon as Maeve heard the motorcycles coming down the road she was terrified and crawled up into my lap and had me cover her ears.

Ha! So sensitive! She sat that way for most of the parade--only hopping down once in a while if the candy thrown was particularly interesting.

Ezra loved the lollipops! (Apparently the wrappers are extra delicious!)

Granny, Pop and my boys.

Amelie says, "It smells like candy in here!!" 

They got so much--their shopping bags were half full by the end of the parade!

Ezra was super serious for every picture I took--but I *think* he had fun. =)

We also had a family bbq, went swimming and got to watch the town fireworks with Amelie after the babies went to bed! I *heart* the 4th!

We've been having a great holiday weekend so far!

Yesterday was our annual blueberry-picking extravaganza with Granny and Pop, Aunt Micayla and her little ones. 

We had lots of fun hunting for the nearly non-existent (but still delicious) blueberries, going on a hayride, playing on the playground and visiting the animals. 

After a yummy lunch we headed home and all got a nap! 

It's my favorite kind of day!!!

Here are a few pictures of the kids before hand--as usual Ezra completely melted. =)

And here's Amelie and Maeve looking very much like similar-sisters!!

 

<3 Love. Him.

Anyways, today we ran errands and laid low and snuck in a quick pool trip and tomorrow we have bit 4th of July-ish plans.

Yay for happy summer weekend!

Friday Five

1. I just *love* Friday(s)--don't you? =) 

2. Granny came over this morning to watch the kiddos for me so I could do a deep clean upstairs (which is impossible to do while watching Ezra). I wanted to get the cleaning done today since my husband doesn't have to work all weekend and we'll be able to enjoy him and not be stressed about playing-catch-up!

3. We went swimming with friends today and I was certain it would be an epic fail because me v. 3 kids in an in-ground pool seemed like terrible odds. But really, it was absolutely wonderful! The kids did awesome! Amelie stayed her in little tube and floated all around (she is going to take swim lessons this summer but hasn't started yet--she is DYING to start!!!), Maeve floated in her little ladybug thingy and Ezra floated with me and they were happy, and silly, and crazy and tons of fun. All this and with friends too--it was the *best* kind of summer day. (*they also took awesome naps. Woot. =)

4. Amelie had her first piano lesson today! She's so excited to finally be working with her teacher on her new instrument of choice--I love that it makes her so happy! The piano was like a best friend to me growing up--I hope she'll continue to love music the way her parents do!

5. Mr. Wonderful worked a half day yesterday so that we could go out for an Anniversary lunch. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and it was delicious! I am so thankful for my precious husband who truly is my very best friend and his Mom who is always willing to help us out by watching our kids when we need her to! What a blessing!

Happy Friday, Happy *3* Day Weekend!

Rinse. Repeat.

Tomorrow is our 10th wedding anniversary--I was scrolling back through the annals of my blog and found this fun meme I did a few years ago. Enjoy =)

1) When was your wedding day?

June 30, 2001

2) What day of the week was it?

Saturday

3) Did you get married in a church?

Yes, we got married in the church I grew up attending.

4) How many in your wedding party?

4 bridesmaids, 3 junior bridesmaids, 2 flower girls, 1 ring bearer, 4 groomsman, 4 brothers acting as ushers, and a partridge in a pear tree

5) How many guests were invited to your wedding?

around 200

6) How long where you together before the engagement?

we dated for 1.5 years

7) How long did you wait to Tie The Knot after your proposal?

6 months

8) Did you register for gifts? If yes, where?

Pier 1 and JC Penny (Target didn't exist in NY yet! ack!)

9) Who did you hire as your photographer & videographer?

some crazy old photography teacher dude who took terribly mediocre pictures

10) Did you have a DJ or a band?

nope--a harpist playing show-tunes and classical music

11) What was your First dance to?

we don't dance and didn't have any dancing at our wedding---but we did sing From This Moment On to each other during the ceremony

12) Did your father walk you down the aisle?

yes

13) What color were the bridesmaids' dresses and groomsmen's vests?

a pretty bluey-purpley color (although, they weren't the color i had ordered--periwinkle blue)

14) Did you have a bridal shower?

yes--a racy one with my friends, a tearful one with my family and a lively one with my church family

15) What type of limo did you get?

a big black one...um, how many types of limos are there?

16) What were your flowers?

i had white roses and the girls had blue hydrangeas...sorta....there was so much hideous baby's breath (even though i forbade it's use) you could barely see the rest of the flowers...and not to speak ill of the dearly departed, but flower chick wasn't a great listener.

17) What flavor was your cake?

vanilla--yum-o

19) What type of wedding gown?

It was two pieces--a poufy cinderella-y skirt and a corset top with silver embroidery. so pretty! i tried it on as a joke but ended up lov-ing it.

20) What was the weather like that day?

hot, sunny....and then thunder-showered during the drive to the reception but cleared up for the rest of the day.

21) Did you have an open bar?

No we don't drink and didn't care if anyone else wanted too--much to the chagrin of nearly all my extended family members--tee hee!

22) Where did you go on your Honeymoon?

the poconos---it was wonderful. BEST. WEEK. EVER. so romantic, and peaceful and wonderful--i'll never ever forget it!!

23) What was your favorite thing about your wedding day?

just. being. married. finally! married! finally!!! and seeing my brothers dressed up in tuxedos, they're so handsome! and smiling so much my face muscles hurt! and seeing my grandmother dressed up, happy, sober and alive--i miss that so much.

24) Did anything go wrong?

not if you don't count the fact that: the church had no air conditioning, it was like 100 degrees (literally), the ring bearer fainted, the bridesmaid dresses weren't the ones i ordered, the baby's breath...but really, i wouldn't change a thing--it was the best day of my life up to that point--it was such a day of joy for me--I'll never forget how amazing it all was.

25) How long have you been married?

7 years, 9 months (but it feels like just yesterday we were newlyweds!)

**updated to: 9 years, 364 Days. Best. Days,Months,Years Ever. =)

it was a little overcast and rainy here yesterday

which i love 

because then

it's the perfect reason

to just stay home

and relax

not that i could have gone anywhere if i wanted to

because maeve, at the very mention of leaving the house,

threw herself on the ground and said,

"but maaaamaaa i just want to stay home and play with my tea set and watch movies."

and to that i replied, 

"yes. let's do."

so maeve and ezra sat peacefully on their respective sofas and watched bubble guppies

while amelie enjoyed a grandgirl day with grannybrownhouse

and then we napped

and i felt tired and lazy

so i laid on the couch and ate takeout with my husband

and it was good.

Just Some Things

1. I've been desperate for highlights and unwilling/unable to shell out the $100+ it would cost to get them from my favorite stylist at my favorite salon...so I bought a box of highlighty-goodness from *The Walmarts* and trained Mr. Wonderful in the fine art of hooking hair through a plastic cap.

Voila!

$10 highlights! (although, it looks a bit more like my hair was lightened than high-lighted)

2. I used to listen to music for hours and hours when I was younger....from the time my parents bought me my first cd player (I was 12 =) until around the time I started working full time/got married/had children.

And then I only listened to snippets here and there and in the car and maybe a speck or two through the internet.

There aren't many songs that I actually want to keep listening to (how much electro-pop-synth-fakey-fakeness can you listen to?) and then I started listening to Adele....

Songs like her's make me want to buy an album and go to a concert...

3. This is Ezra before church today (playing with a prize from the party we went to yesterday). =)

4. We had a happy day and got to spend time with nearly all of our Jersey family this afternoon! Now the littles are sleeping soundly and I'm working on a *slow jogging mix* for my ipod. =)

Good night!

we enjoyed another great day--i'm fully convinced that even the most mundane things are made joyous and lovely just because we're all together.

my mom sent us *lunch out* money so we were able to treat the kids (and ourselves, yay!) and then spent the afternoon at a fun n' sassy cowgirl party for a little newly-turned-4 friend!

naptime didn't happen for the girls--so we had some extra playtime outside. =)

oh, and they helped daddy sort the ginormous pile of coupons that needed to be taken care of. and now it's nearly bedtime (favorite) and i get to enjoy quiet-watching-tv-time with my husband. happy!

pictures of the biker kids:

it has been a wonderful week with my little family!

mr. wonderful has been home every day and we haven't done many big things but 

even the little things are more wonderful when we are together!!

we have spent a lot of time swimming, playing outside, running errands, and even snuck in a delightful trip to the shore with one of our favorite families yesterday. 

naps have been plentiful and long.

the weather is hot and sunny.

the house is clean.

the cupboards are full.

the babies are healthy.

and i am so very thankful for our little life together.