whatever

it’s been a wild weekend.
friday night scrabble.
lauren had nothing to do so she played with us.
i only play to be a part of the family…
making a moment…bonding and all that.
i don’t have a scrabble kind of brain.
they play for points.
(it takes forever)
i am lucky if i can make a word let alone put it somewhere worth points.

craig makes killer tapioca pudding.
he has made it for us since we first got married.
it’s one of his specialties.
pancakes is another.
he and i are the only ones who like it it.
which makes it an even better treat.

i taught annie how to play memory.
now we have to play it everyday.

she got a match!
this game was bright and early…
8:00 AM saturday morning i believe.
the sun was just coming up over our neighbor’s house.
she’s getting pretty good.

and even more wild…
we went swimming.

the hot tub was great.
other than everytime i went in it annie would scream and cry
until i’d get back in the pool with her.
i guess if we are going to go swimming close to bedtime on a day without a nap…
that’s what i get.

and wrapped up the weekend
making straw and bead necklaces with my kindergarten sunday school class.
oh yeah…there was also a 10 hour cleaning spree in between games & swimming.

this place is just too exciting.

happy birthday to you!

oh how i miss you.
i miss your sheer honesty…
with me…with yourself…
everyone needs a friend like you.

so i was thinking of you as i went through my pictures
trying to find one of you
and i pulled photos that i thought you’d like.
you like coffee…

unflavored (blech)
with the cream warmed up before you add your coffee.
you like this girl…

alot.
you like burn’s cafe.

who wouldn’t? mmmmm….pie.
you like kids doing this…

i knew it would make you laugh.
you like chocolate chip cookies…

burning hot right out of the oven.
that’s crazy.
you like reading all these…

even if i don’t…”Knowing God” is HARD lisa!!!
you like these guys…

and these guys…

i do too.
and you more than like this guy.

what a lucky guy he is.
and you like salad…

but you like butter more…

me too. especially with sugar.
you like kids showing their arm pits…

as much as the next person does.
you like uncle gary’s pigs…

did you ever think you’d like holding a pig?
you like this sweetie…

so handsome in that photo.
you like emily…

the laziest cat in history.
i wish so much i could celebrate with you today.
i hope your birthday is full of yummy cake….

and no treadmills.
or airplanes.
love you lisa.
happy birthday.

aunt jan…
look what we did today.

we went to borders to spend our gift card.

we had books everywhere.
the salelady was getting so anxious…totally hovering.
we read more and more books.

here’s my pile i never got to touch.
it’s quite different going with the kids…
no coffee.
no chair.
no looking at anything that doesn’t rhyme or pop-up.

these were the final selections.
sean’s is obviously the Pirate/Diaper book.
annie picked Dora’s Manners. (sounds great to me)
scott picked Stink – it’s a chapter book.
and at the last second talby switched her choice to Flotsam.
it turned out that it has no words!
but the art is amazing….
loved it.

thank you again aunt jan.

when i really think about it…
i am nervous for 2008 because of how challenging 2007 was.
my kids are going to each get older this year
and that means more changes and more challenges!
more frustrations.
i don’t look forward to another year of always thinking
“how do i handle this?”
“can i handle this?”
so if i was to say a resolution…
it would be
to be less angry.
figure out the secret to staying neutral in my discipline.
try to be an empathetic (not pathetic) mother.
give more hugs.

that’s all one resolution…not four.
they are a package deal.

but i AM looking forward to creativity that will come of 2008.

i don’t know what i will create….
anything creative is good.
i may begin to paint…did i say that? we’ll see.
it fills my heart.

and i look forward to a bathroom for only me and craig.

not this one..but just the idea of it…
2008 will bring a sink that is just for me.
a tooth brush holder…just for me.
soap and a brush just for me.
no little kiddies allowed.
it will be a dream come true..
i would start demo tonight if we could.

talby and i finally made the pom pom garland.

we each made a strand.
she caught on right away.
that’s me wearing the plaid jammies
(because it IS my christmas break uniform)
and it was 4:00 in the afternoon.

looks like a pro…
she said quietly “we’re just like 2 moms..sewing together…hee hee”

they are kind of funky colors?
i think we are going to hang them in our sunday school classroom.

and one more thing..
this is long isn’t it?
i took lauren and her friend to the mall today.
there were 10 pictures like this on her camera…

total goofballs.
and suddenly…she likes pink.
changes her mind after all these years.

we shopped seperately.
and when i went to the register
with my pile of clearance items…
everything was half price of the clearance price!
i felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
i guess i just misundersood the signs.
it was awesome.

here is our christmas card for this year…
in slideshow version.
not as good of quality as in iPhoto…
but still neat.
all these pictures were on the blog
at some point this year i think.
now they are all in one spot.

(grandma…just click on the arrow to play it.)

the song is Amazing Grace by Jars of Clay.

one more day of 2007.

i don’t want to forget….

craig’s mom asking for annie to sing her program song.
she stood up on a chair in front of us all
she shouted very loud waving her arms
“EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!”
not Away in the Manger.
then she giggled like crazy.
so did we.

craig’s mom opening her gift with annie’s help
she says “we got dat! we got dat fo you at da MOLLL!! yeah…da moll”
nodding her head up and down.
she likes to talk about the mall.

scott reading the christmas story for all of us on christmas morning.

annie being sick for all of christmas.
poor baby.

all the christmas art…
different every year.

annie knocking over a table in my mom’s kitchen
with a candle, lots of dishes and food on it…
trying to get to her beloved playdoh in the bottom drawer.
we were very lucky that she wasn’t hurt.
wow…it was the loudest sound i have ever heard!
when we were leaving my dad hugged annie and said
“thanks for breaking my dishes”
she said “Wham-pa that was a ass-i-dent!”

the beautiful snow that almost ruined christmas.
(those are my mom’s christmas lights shining through the snow.
it was nearly impossible to drive in.
thankful that everyone made it safely.

a really lovely time with craig’s dad’s side of the family.
so nice to just sit and talk this year.
i really enjoyed it.
becky’s house looked so pretty.

fondue at our house…2nd year in a row.
we love hosting parties.
craig’s family has fondue every year…
anything you can dip or fry – they do it.
lots of food…
then games for the rest of the evening.
chad, ross and gary you are too funny.
“terry brown”
“meat lover’s pizza”

seeing everyone get excited when they opened their aprons.

meeting amy’s friends from college
and getting this beautiful handmade christmas greeting…in chinese.

changing our christmas this year.
giving each child only one gift and their stocking…
and seeing how happy they were.
no complaining (lauren tried to be unhappy but couldn’t stay that way.)

hope your christmas was full of funny special memories too.

what a wonderful christmas.
really really lovely.
lots of snow and lots of family.
happy kids
happy family
lots and lots of laughing.

“stockings” came in boxes this year.

is that a smile?!!
IS SHE SMILING???!!!

“knee high socks!!”
she will only wear knee highs this year.
so she was thrilled about 4 new pairs.

hannah montana and friends.

heeleys.
shoes with wheels in the heel.
this was what scott wanted.
now…how many days till a broken arm?

sean received legos from everyone.
he said at my mom’s
“this is one of the best days of my entire life!”

i hope you all had a wonderful christmas too.
we all got new jammies…even me.
this is my official christmas break uniform.
messy hair, no make-up and giant coffee cup required.