March 29, 2012

Jeff is going out of town this weekend so I decided to make a nice dinner tonight.  It didn't quite turn out like I wanted it to.  I made probably the driest pork chops I have ever made, and that's saying a lot because I remember the dinners I used to make at the beginning of our marriage.  None of us could chew, let alone swallow the meat.  Maybe finishing the meal off with strawberry shortcake will help erase our memory of the pork chops.

March 28, 2012

This is what happens when you have to be to work from 6 AM to 6 PM.  Especially when all the kids are playing outside, the house is quiet, and the bed looks cozy and inviting.

March 27, 2012

I handed the camera over to Jeff today and this is what he came up with:

I just got this plant.  Take a long look at it, because it will probably be dead next month. 

What Bailey does when she thinks no one is watching.

Bedtime stories.

He thinks this is funny.

The dumb fireplace that we're about to take apart and redo with stone all the way to the ceiling.

March 26, 2012

  On Jeff's days off we seem to find ourselves at Target quite often.  Today was one of those days.  Up until recently, Bailey has been happy to go along for the ride, literally.  But lately she's too bugged to be in the shopping cart.  We set her free today, and by the looks of it we may never get her into the cart again.

March 25, 2012

Okay, super boring post and fuzzy picture today.  I can't help it if nothing really noteworthy happens on Sundays around here.  Bailey found these socks in Jeff's (clean) laundry pile.  She was doing her darnedest to stuff the whole thing into her mouth.

March 24, 2012

I'll give anyone $100 if they can guess why we set our kitchen timer to 14:30 two times a day.  (Not really.  That's just the standard bet at our house.  No money ever changes hands, although I have offered to write Jeff a check when I lose.)  The answer will be revealed soon...(don't get too excited.)

March 23, 2012

Oh my goodness, today was not a good day.  We recently got a bill from our lawn guy charging us for power raking, fertilizing, aeration, and tree/shrub feedings.  Does this look like a yard that has been power raked and fertilized?!  If you can't tell, here's an up close look. 

Power raking is supposed to loosen all the dead grass and then they mow it up so the good grass can thrive. Our grass looks no different.  If it had been fertilized, after all that rain it would have greened up, even a little bit.  So I called the guy today and he insisted that all this work was done.  I told him to come look at my grass and then tell me it was done.  Last year we had a problem with him charging us for fertilizing that wasn't done.  When I called him on it then, he said that it was the fault of the woman who sends out the bills, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.  But this time I told him that we were tired of having to question every bill we get and that we were done with him. I hate conversations like this. I hate loosing my cool.  But most of all, I hate getting ripped off.

March 22, 2012

One of the really good things about Shelbi being 10 is that she feels old, and wants to do grown-up things.  She asked me if she could take Bailey outside to play and promised that she'd take good care of her.  I had no doubt of Shelbi's ability to keep Bailey safe, and welcomed the chance to let someone else be in charge for a while.  So this is what my afternoon looked like outside.  Inside, I was sitting in a quiet house, reading.

March 21, 2012

Yay for rain.  We're in the middle of a serious drought here in Amarillo.  I'd really like to avoid being evacuated from my house this year because of wildfire danger.  So rain is very welcome.  It was like this all day.  Perfect weather for a home-body like me.

March 20, 2012

Ryan got these light sabers for his birthday.  Of course you can't give him just one.  Erik was pretty excited to see that there were two.  They glow and make laser noises.  Yet Ryan still makes sound effects with his mouth when he swings it.

March 19, 2012

Since Jeff is still in Chicago, I considered telling Ryan his birthday is really tomorrow so Jeff could be here to celebrate with us.  But I have a feeling somehow, years later, he'd figure out what I'd done and use it against me.  My mom once denied my brother cake on his birthday because he didn't eat dinner and she still hasn't lived that down. 

We decided to do cake and presents from the kids tonight and go out to dinner and open the present from Jeff and I tomorrow night.  When I asked Ryan what he wanted for his birthday dinner he told me bean soup and jello.  Ew.  So we compromised.  He had that for lunch and SpongeBob macaroni and cheese for dinner.  Not much better.

This four year old definitely adds spice to our family.  He's clever, dramatic, and sweet.  He will always give me a kiss and hug when I ask for it and is just plain fun to have around.

March 18, 2012

Drive home, part two.  We only had six more hours to drive today.  It wasn't so bad, except for the wind.  There were parts of New Mexico where the wind carried dust across the road so thick that it was like fog.  I couldn't see 50 feets in front of me. But mostly the drive was nice.  I must say having a new car made the drive very comfortable.  The kids had more space and the ride was very smooth.  When I came up with the whole plan of driving to Utah for Spring Break, I wasn't sure how it was really going to go.  But it's totally doable. 

Jeff was already in Chicago when we got home.  So much to get done, but all I really wanted to do was shower, get in my pajamas and sit on the couch.  Bailey's got the right idea:

March 17, 2012

Today was the first half of our drive back home.  No picture; I'm lame.  We made it to Gallup, New Mexico, and again had dinner at Denny's.  They seated us at two separate tables, which made my kids think they had to yell to each other back and forth.  Then Bailey threw up.  No one offered to pay for our dinner this time.  Weird.

March 16, 2012

There's a really cool park near my mom's house that has interesting stuff for kids of all ages.  We took a picnic lunch and let the kids run wild.

 The kids were playing some sort of fighting game and Ryan got "shot."  He stayed here, pretending to be dead, for a good three minutes.  He is quite devoted to his craft.

 Since Ryan's birthday is Monday, my mom had a little party for him this evening. 

March15, 2012

Today we spent the day in Provo.  Of course, no visit to BYU is complete without a trip to the Bean Museaum.  I'm sure I have 5 or so pictures nearly just like this one taken over the years, but the kids are varying ages.  There always seems to be a baby in a stroller.

 This bear was a favorite exhibit.  It stood 9 feet tall.

 If you look closely, you can see a bear's skull displayed between the bear's feet.  Erik informed me that the bear pooped bones.

After the museum, we had the best lunch at Brick Oven Pizza.  Then on to visit grandpa at his office.

 We went bowling in the afternoon, which may have been one activity too many.  We had a lot of tired kids.  And I don't want to brag, but I did score 72 points. (And yes, I was bumper bowling.)

March 14, 2012

My favorite things about today:

1. Lunch with my friend Cara

2. Going to see The Lorax

3. Playing "Pit" with my parents, sisters, and brother

The following pictures have nothing to do with any of those activities.

March 13, 2012

Highlights from today:

Having a lovely lunch with my mom and sisters for Jenny's birthday.  The kids were happily playing outside.  My mom said the only thing that would have made it better is if Jill, the missing sister, were at the table with us. 

This endtable is in the upstairs family room, and is filled with storybooks for kids to bring to Grandma to read. 

Cousin Monica came over with a garbage bag full of prom dresses she "inherited."  The girls were in heaven.

The kids are playing "Break the Stick."  Pretty self-explanitory.

This may be my favorite picture of the week. My dad was playing peek-a-boo with Bailey over the back of the couch and I got a shot of one of his peeks.