Prepare to be Amazed

NICE ENOUGH FOR A PICNIC!! Yeah! The kiddos were thrilled when we could sit out on the front porch and have a picnic. You know, sndwiches with crusted bread from sitting in the sun, chips out of the bag that land on the sidewalk and leave an oil ring around it, and a drink with a few floaties on the top that have been blown in by the spring wind. Yummmy!

Looking nice in the shades. Nevermind my horrid toenails. Pedicure time. Always got to start off with a good one. (I dont' know why but I can't get this to not be underlined.) Oh well.


For Amos: Here I am at Lilah's reading the card you made for me. I totally loved it and thought it was HILARIOUS! So Prepare to Amazed with what might show up in your mailbox next.

ANd then here is me and my Nobody. We had such a great time hanging out in CO. It was nice to have some one-on-one time together. We were talking and realized we had never spent that much time together without kids, husbands, life, etc. Refreshing. Thanks for toting me all over teh Denver metro area to find Amy Butler, morning coffee, me at the airport, and unneeded crapbook supplies. I had so much fun with you and can't wait to do it again soon!

Long time no blog

A lot has happened in the past two weeks. Too much to talk about. Here is a funny story though. We went to Target last night. The kids were great all day so I thought it would be an easy trip. It was not however..... it was awful. Have you eer gone to the store and you knew from the begining that it was just going to be terrible? This was it, but I totally needed some essentials and Micah was working at the house so there we were. They started off easy just touching things unneccessarily, getting in and out of the cart, yada yada. It then escalated to taking multiple pairs of shoes out of boxes that we were not going to try on much less buy. So on and on. Well it ends up that they were both getting two bare bottoms when we got home and they were to go up to their rooms without talking and get their pj's on to wait for me. Gabe obeyed, but Ella got distracted and we started talking. LoLo said, "What did you do Ella?" I answered for her and said, "She was very disobediant, fought with her brother, did everything I told her not to do, did not do what I told her to do, blew boogers on her brother...." She was nodding the entire time until I said the blew boogers part. She kept shaking her head no, but she did do that. She said, "No I didn't do that mom." I said, "Yes you did Ella Mary." "Mom, they were not blue boogers." LoLo and I couldn't help but laugh. Then she got the bare bottoms.

UNITED flight 6557

I am boycotting visiting anyone. If you don't live in my town then I probably will never see you unless you come to visit. Just need to put that out there. Here's my lovely story.

I went to the airport and hour and a half early as one does before their flight. I was standing in line, minding my own business, when a guy and lady came up to use the easy check-in thing. I watched while he typed his flight info in and found out his flight was CANCELLED. "I'm glad I'm not on that flight," I thought. "What flight was that?" I said. "Denver at 4:00." he said. Craphole. (excuse my norweigan.) That was my flight. Yup. It was cancelled for mechanical reasons. Luckily, I was the next in line as the line started piling up behind me. The three people ahead of me were trying to make their arrangements to head off to the "land down under" and were taking a long time. I waited and waited seriously for like a half hour until I got to the counter and the lady told me there were three seats available for the 7:00 pm flight. I said I'd take one and as she dinked around and typed all the buttons on her little keyboard--- someone else took them all. Ugh. She tells me the next flight available isn't until tomorrow in the morning. I told her that is fine (I'm such a patient understanding person---I know. I know.) "Oops. Those flights are all full too until tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM. " No thanks. Could you please check other airlines for me." She said, "There is a flight from here to Chicago and then to Denver at 6:05 tomorrow morning." type...type...type...type "Anything else?" I asked. type....type...type..."Oh yeah there is a 7:15 direct flight." "Great, I'll take that." I said. (Who wouldn't want a 7:15 direct instead of a 6:00 with a layover?) She confirms the flights with help from the Australian family informal assistant who is still trying to get their flight taken care of ( I talked her into bumping my Monday flight to Tuesday without charge) and sends me on my way with my itinerary printed.
So I call my Nobody and she's like, "Tell me you're joking. Jaye, say you are kidding. ha ha ha It's a joke right? ha ha ha" "Lilah I am not joking it was cancelled again." "ha ha ha It's a joke." "No Lilah I'm not joking." and on and on. That woman would totally not believe me. I look down at the itinerary she printed to tell Nobody I'd be there at 7:45 her time and it says 7:15 PM!!! AHHHHHH! What the what!? I thought it was a 7:15 AM direct flight. junk!
So here I am stranded at the airport because Micah had dropped me off and I had the cell phone. I couldn't call him because he was at the new house working and didn't have a phone. I call my mom and she runs from work over to the house to tell Micah to come and get me. Thanks mom. Seriously. Meanwhile, I am sitting outside waiting (Praise God it was a beautiful day) and I decide to call the United 800 number (a.k.a. India). All the phone reps are from India. So I call India and talk to Brad. Have you ever known an Indian with a VERY thick Indian accent named Brad? Me neither. Well "Brad" gives me the hookup after I have explained very clearly to him that this is "My third flight cancellation on this confirmation number. I need a morning flight." I was very nice to good ol' Bradley. He gives me whatever I want.

After all that here's what I end up with.....
-an 8:25 am departure tomorrow morning.
-a 9:15 departure next Tuesday instead of Monday
-my work finished for the evening since I stayed home &
-a boyfriend in India named Brad

I decided that if the flight tomorrow is cancelled, then I am not going. Totally not doing that for the fourth time. I really wasn't upset about it. I think I'm used to it after two times. I was bummed that I wasn't able to go, but I actually got a better deal out of it since Micah had Tuesday off as well. Six full days.

A cup of Joe on my way to Colorado!

Today is finally the day I get to get away to the Mile High City. I'm off this afternoon for a long weekend. Yeah! I'm bummed that I wasn't able to get to visit with all of the girls a couple weeks ago, but now its my turn. I'm trying to get ready and the kids are driving me nuts. You know how it is when you are trying to do anything completely necessary and the kids are wanting attention. So instead of playing with them and entertaining them, here I am blogging and drinking a cup of coffee. MMMMMMM.....This morning I am drinking out of my very favorite cup. It is big and has a small top so the coffee stays hot longer.
This is my second favorite cup because it has the coolest design. It is big too but the top is bigger so it doesn't keep the coffee as hot as long.
There. That was my escape for the moment. Back to reality. I gotta go break up the anguing with the kids. ha!

Valentine's Day in March

So my mom got the kids Valentine's shirts again this year. She is always so good about doing thoughtful things for the kids. But the weather was junk out and we just didn't get around to taking any Valentine's pics. So here they are. We got ready to go out last Friday and I thought we may as well get dressed in red. Why is it such a challenge to get a good picture of children? And then when you're done it makes you crabby because they wouldn't sit for you. Ugh. I think I might quit my ameteur paparazzi business. It is a bit too stressful. Here is what we got though. My beautiful children. I love them so much.





I know I know he is too pretty to be a boy. Don't tell him I said that though. This little Gabriel is my buddy. He is always so worried about his mom and sister and has become quite the helper around the house. He likes to help clean up and take care of Ella. I've had to watch him though because he is a little bossy boss and can sometimes forget that he is only 5. What a very special little boy. He is so smart and knows it. Sometimes a little too smart. Don't worry---I gave him a haircut on Saturday so his hair isn't so long anymore.


This little beauty has grown up into quite the little mommy. She takes her jobs of cooking in her two kitchens (mom bought yet another), watching the "big baby" (who is now seven), and watching the puppy (Gabe pretends to be our little puppy) VERY seriously. She has to have her fingernails just painted so and if she has even a hangnail she will scream until there is a Band-Aid on it. She my little girl though and I love her so much. There is nothing quite like having a little girl.

These are a few of my favorite things.

Here are a few things on my mind. Things I am obsessed with. Okay so maybe not obsessed. Things that sure have been in my life lately.
1) Herbal tea. I used to drink a lot of tea in the evenings and then couldn't figure out why I couldn't get to sleep. After a couple weeks I realized it was all the black tea I was drinking. I switched to herbal tea (which is definitely an acquired taste) and now things are great. My favorite is Bigelow Lemon Lift. I'm drinking some right now. MMMMMMmmmm... One time last year I was really wanting to lose some weight and I decided that everytime I was hungry I would drink a cup of tea instead of eating anything. Worked pretty good. Just kind of curbs the cravings I guess.
2) The house. I didn't get to join up with all my girly friends in CO last weekend due to some weather issues, so I ended up painting and painting and painting at the house. I am done with everything on the main level but the bathroom(it's torn apart) and the kitchen because I don't know what I want to do with it yet. MOm and dad have been awesome with watching the kids for us. They just come over and take them. Don't ask or anything. Just come rip them out of the arms of their parents. j/k They are wonderful. They get books every night from LoLo and they really have a special bond with each of them. I got some great orange fabric at the store the other day for the living room curtains. And it was only $4 a yard! Bonus! Micah and I went to pick out tile tonight while the young pups were at AWANA. We found some but we are still deciding. He's like the budget patrol and I have the design eye. It's usually the other way around. Nothing we look at is very expensive though so it's not like I'm picking out granite times or anything. Speaking of granite....that's a great idea. j/k
3) Amy Butler fabric. I can't stop looking at that stuff. If I ever have another baby girl I will have an Amy Butler room. It is the most cutest stuff ever. I want to incorporate it into some curtains in the kitchen and possibly some pillows in the living room. I just look at it online everyday. Stupid. I have got to hit a fabric store in CO next weekend. Might need to save some of my scrapbook money and splurge on it.
4) Rocket Dogs. I got these new shoes a couple weeks ago and I am in love. They are so stinkin' comfortable it is ridiculous. I wear them even when they don't match my clothes. I'm sure I look like a dork, but what's new!? They will be my best friends this summer too. Shoes without socks. My favorite.
5) HGTV. Micah, mom, and I are hooked on HGTV. We watch at least one show every night and it is so relaxing. Micah almost likes it more than us girls. He likes to learn new stuff about home improvement and it fits. Last Sunday we ate at Applebee's after church which is right next to Jo-Ann fabric. We all headed down there after we ate so I could look at some fabric for Ella's Easter dress and Micah was on the prowl for vinyl fabric. He wants to keep some on hand in case he ever wants to make anything like Junk Brothers. It's a show where these two guys take a piece of junk that people have left out for the garbage man, change it into somethig new, and leave it in their yard and ring the doorbell and run. (i.e. they made a table into a pooltable once) He's crazy. Now that he's got this workshop he's like a new man. ha!
6) Games with Gabe. Gabriel is such a game freak. We play Sorry or Trouble at least one time a day and that is in between having Sonic the Hedgehog races on the XBox. He is so competitive it is unreal. I signed him up for softball so hopefully he can put his competitive spirit into action this summer. He really didn't have any hope though being the firstborn of Micah and Jaye. Bummer for him.

So that pretty much wraps it up. I will leave you with a pic of my daughter at naptime today. She carries around this baby she got from Aunt De all the time. She really believes it is real. She was supposed to be sleeping and I went in her room to check on her. She had made a pallet on the floor for her and her baby.