Five for Friday....

1.) I love Pioneer Woman. Just read her site and you will understand why. Also, am I the only one who likes SNL anymore? Justin Timberlake was hilarious.




2.) Found these adorable ornament shaped cokes at the store and had to have them....ONLY reason they are in my fridge is because they are cute. I am such a pepsi girl....okay, and because Tyler & Charles really have no preference. (this photo is just for you Evon)

3.) I have a cold/flu/sinus/achiness that won't go away....last night I slept 14 hours(so my husband says)!!!????!!? I had to include this pic. Don't you wish you had one of these sometimes?

4.) I wants these dishes from Williams-Sonoma....seriously bad. What about you?

5.) My friend, Lori, gave me this fun award.

The rules are as follows:

1. Name 5 things you love. Lori decided to write 5 things she loves about Christmas and I will do the same.:)
2. Pass the award on to 5 blogs you love.
3. Please link back to my blog.:)

Here are my 5 things I love about Christmas:
1. I love the real reason for Christmas. Not X-mas....CHRISTmas.

2. I love bundling up the kids and driving around town looking at the best Christmas lights. The house that has the Charlie Brown Christmas display wins every year!
3. I love making Christmas cookies with my kids and letting them get good and messy(isn't that the point?)
4. I love getting a real tree. I have tried getting artificial, but it just isn't the same for me. I love the smell.

5. I love giving and receiving Christmas cards.....catching up with all the people in my life is so great.

I will pass this award on to:
Jill, Cristin, Cristina, Stacy, Clare, and Summer. Can't wait to hear your favorites.

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday....

It's my love's birthday today and I can't get this song out of my head. You know you can't either. It's addictive. So what it is from Yo Gabba Gabba. Only the best for you Charles...a song from a children's show! Have a great day! We love you....

To please a man.

I put the sauce on....

Made braciole, meatballs and sausage.....

Bought M&Ms

with words and faces on them....

so the kids could decorate this delicious, ridiculously rich

sour cream chocolate cake I made from scratch.

Recipe:SOUR CREAM CHOCOLATE CAKE & FROSTING

CAKE:
2 c. flour

2 c. sugar

1 c. water

3/4 c. sour cream

1/4 c. shortening

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

FROSTING:
1/3 c. butter

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted

3 c. confectioners sugar

1/2 c. sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla

CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 x 9 inch oblong pan. Measure all cake ingredients into large mixing bowl. Mix 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes.

FROSTING: Mix butter and chocolate thoroughly. Blend in sugar. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Invited our families over....

We made sure there were presents to open...

All for you Charles. I would do it all over again, every day....if it would make you as happy as you have made me. I love you....we love you.

Doesn't everybody?

Get flowers from their husband on his birthday weekend?

That's my husband....anything but typical! Thanks Charles, you are sweetness.

I love this boy!

Michael's school pictures came home today. He was very impressed with them...as was I. He is a handsome one, that son of mine.

Our forgotten grapefruit tree.

We have a pink grapefruit tree on the side of the house, but because it is next to our neighbor's house & carport, we sort of forget it's there. Well, the kids have found out about it in a big way... The want to pick em'.

They want to sit in it.

They want to climb up as high as they can go.

And they want to hug it.

Oh, and they want to show off their apple shirt in it.





And yeah, hug it again.

We are considering requesting some sort of treehouse from Santa this year.....we will see.

They have already started their Christmas wish lists...

Lindsey-monkey bars and a dog named Biscuit.

Michael-a Thomas room, oh wait, a Lightning McQueen room, oh no, wait, a Batman room. All of them, that is all.

Natalie-a ball.

Tyler-some machine that takes vhs tapes and uploads them to your pc and then you can make dvds out of them....you know, for all those videos we recorded of PBS when he was 3!

Well, that was this morning anyway! Can't wait to see how the list grows over the next month!


What is on your list?

Found photos.....

About 2 weeks before I found out I was pregnant with Tyler. Ah, to be that small again. I loved those shorts. Also, I miss that park so much(we bbq'd alot when I was little)

Me and my grandfather about a month or 2 before I was to have Tyler. I miss him so much. I miss those hugs, they were the best.

Tyler and I at the County Fair.

Charles, Tyler and I at an amazing waterfall we found out hiking with friends..Remember that Janice? We need to go back.

Here's Tyler and I(and Charles) in 2001. See? Even then we couldn't get everyone to look at the camera at the same time. How do you like my hair? blah.

When it was just the 3 of us.

Note to self.....make sure you are in more photos. Time goes by and you want your children to know that you were actually there!

Note to all of you....can't tell you why all the pics are crooked, sorry!

Note to all veterans today....THANK YOU.

Five for Friday.

Since I am so behind, I thought I would try this out...

1. Whenever you child is extrememly quiet in his room....your intuition is right. Go check and you might find this....he removed all of his clothes and had a little accomplice(to the left) with him. How do you like the inside out pjs? He is all about style!

2. Pomegranates. I know what they are, but have never tasted one before(I know, where have I been? ). This weekend we got some and the kids loved them! Especially Lindsey & Tyler. Who knew? Now I need to find some recipes that include them.

3. Hope to surprise Tyler today and take him to see..

are we the only ones who haven't seen it?

4. Goodbye spooky branches, witches and jack-o-lanterns!

I finally got everything down....yay, it only took me a week:)

5. We played peek-a-boo today, Natalie and I. Is she the cutest or what. I swear I do comb her hair...aack!

Election Day.

Did you?

Trick-or-Treat 2008

Halloween night. Starring: Batgirl, a psychedelic clown, and Batman.

Do you think my children will ever look at the camera again...or at least at the same time? I wonder.

I was proud of their manners. They remembered to thank everyone, even Natalie! She was so cute...Twick or tweet.

Enough photos Mommy! I have things to do.

The combination of pre-Halloween excitement, cooler weather, walking a couple of blocks, and their sugar intake lead to this....completely crashed with his loot and a FAO Schwarz catalog(his favorite reading material lately).

Hope your Halloween was fun!

Happy Halloween!

Are you ready for tonight?

***Costumes.......Check!

Black, yellow, and pink are major players in the ensemble.

***Spiderwebs made......Check!

***Buy candy for Tyler to hand out....Check! $15 later:(

***Paint pumpkins with Grandma..... Check!
***Carve pumpkins.....Check!

(he is really progressing....halloweens in the past, he would never touch the knife, let alone carve)

***Avoid cameras ALL the time....Check!

***Decorations up.....Check!

***Cut out pumpkin shaped sandwiches and cucumbers for their lunch, also decorate their lunch bags, but forget to take pics of it all.....Check!

***Wear Halloween colors to school because they don't allow costumes anymore!?!??!?....Check!

***While they are at school set up the back yard for fun....off I go.....

HOPE YOUR HALLOWEEN IS HAPPY!

A hoodlum and a peanut butter cup.

When I put on her shirt/hoodie, she left it up ALL day long.

Cute right?

Even while we were playing ball and "pick a color on the ball, Mommy"...she left it up.
I thought that she would take it down while working so hard on her "I painting a PICHUR, Mommy!" aquadoodle. No, apparently that helps in concentration:) And if that wasn't sweet enough for you.....looky what I got in the mail.
This delicious, diet-breaking, gigantic peanut butter cup from Made by Crissy Mathers. She makes several different kinds, but you know me and peanut butter....I can't control myself. Check out her etsy shop....it was really rich, but so good!