whatever

we had a wonderful vacation.
we love the beach.
the weather was the best.
craig was the only one with a sunburn.
our friends rock!
i get crazy around kids and a bonfire…bad queen.
the kids got along so well…with each other and their friends.
chicago is as cool as ever.
harry potter 7 is not long enough (says lauren).
my great aunt liza is 96 years young.
the ulrich hotel in the boonies was amazing!
i love jake and abby.
i miss my friends.
a baseball bat will help start your fuel pump in a restaurant parking lot.
talby beat me in bowling.
peter i am sorry we didn’t come over…you are missed!
GPS kicks butt.
the lego store is cooler than skyscrapers (say my boys)
IKEA is still awesome.
maribeth you are so dear to me.
always make friends with people who have a car as big as yours.
laughing with old friends is one of the best feelings there is.
chicago traffic is so ridiculous…kansas does it right.
maggianos…pedro…apple-tinis…good times.
paying for a new fuel pump is not fun on your vacation.
gone 9 days and not one stop at starbucks!
we have the best friends ever.
glad to be home…even though it’s a big mess.

this morning some of my sunflowers opened up in the back yard.
so pretty.
they are very tall but very tiny heads…oh well.
and all the zinnias are blooming.
i think that is my most favorite flower.
so bright and cherry.
so many layers.
happy flowers.
this little lady bug was picture perfect.

i haven’t scrapbooked in a month!
i was out of pictures….not caught up….just caught up till i went digital (christmas)
well i am no longer any where near caught up!
and i am happy about it.

i ordered over 500 pictures from scrapbookpictures.com.
as i was opening the package that came today i thought how cool it was that i don’t have to go into a store for my pictures ever again if i don’t want to!
i love that.
AND i love getting mail so that’s great too!
i got some 8×10’s in black and white. and tried a 12X12 size too to cover my entire scrapbook page.
how totally cool they are!
and now my memory card is empty and i plan on filling it up with all 263 images that it can hold this week.
i would like to have a back up card in case i need more but my husband isn’t going for that…yet.

i made these cutie-pie shirts for annie and her little friend abby we are on our way to see.

super easy and annie is dying to wear it.
i just stuck it on with a couple pins
and sewed around & around & around.
no rhyme or reason
the shirts were on 70% clearance at carter’s.

then how do you like this hysterical shirt!
it is just right for me for vacation….or any day really.
and…i made the camera strap i wanted to from the happy things list!
i choose black and white for craig’s sake…i wanted pink.
that shirt cracks me up.

i have a whole walmart story to share but i guess it will have to wait to we get back…

well we are out of here!
literally in five minutes we will be on our way to vacation.
i will miss my blog because i am addicted to it.
maybe by next year i will have wireless internet and a laptop so i can keep up with all the blogging world while i am sitting on the beach.
i am lame…i know.
enjoy your week… i know we will.
pray for us in the car ride tomorrow!
see ya.

with all the rain we have had
we are overflowing with frogs.
at golf today i let the boys (and talby) catch the frogs
and bring them home again.
they put them in a big green bucket.
then they were swimming with them in the pool.
i think letting them swim in the swimming pool can’t be much worse for them than all the kids holding them over and over.
they swam together
had frog races
became human jungle gyms for the froggies
it made for a nice entertaining afternoon.
and then we let them go.

this is the new favorite song at our house.
i have heard it at least ten times today.
my grandmother found us a CD of kids singing beatles classics and they love yellow submarine and Obla-dee Obla-dah. the kids’ little voices are so funny.
so then today we found it on youtube with legos!
now they are really into it.

my grandmother always took me the play White Christmas on Sunday.
it is nice to spend time with her like that.
the play was just like i think most 50’s movies were…lots of dance and singing…not too much plot…happy ending.
at the very end the theater had snow falling from the ceiling.
it was quite cute.
i asked her “grandma is that how it was? you met someone, had a conversation & then they were in love and engaged that week?”
she said “well…i married your grandpa after 3 dates.”
oh my goodness…not quite like it is now.
but seeing all that tap dancing was making me REALLY miss my tap shoes.
i haven’t done that in 13 years.
but i was getting pretty nostalgic for it.
they are grown ups up on that stage and they are tap dancing!
kristi maybe i will think a little more about your invite to your class…maybe.
craig already laughed at me about it…of course.
but i do miss it. i will have to find my old shoes.

i need to start a a whole catagory for this naughty baby.

i got it off the top of the toilet (and sink) but not the lid.
daddy was not happy.
but we know that they only cost $5 so it’s ok.
we know they cost $5 because that was the money limit for the grab bag gift at his dad’s this christmas and that’s what craig bought!
it was a hit.
he said “hey everybody needs one…what’s the problem?”
he can always make me laugh.

i am packing clothes for vacation today.
i want all the clothes to be in suitcases by tonight.
then maybe i can remember all the little things i usually forget if i have an extra day to think.
i am still taking helpful travel ideas from those who haven’t given me any!
i liked the ones i got…thanks. i will be buying headphones and pipe cleaners and passing out or taking away $1 bills.

sean turned seven this weekend!
he had begun counting the days to his birthday back in april.
it finally came!
the family party was a camp-out in the backyard.

we cooked hot dogs over the fire.
ate dinner outside. went swimming awhile.
opened presents.

all legos and a transformers t-shirt.
then it was time for s’mores….mmmmm.
i found chocolate and strawberry flavored marshmallows this week!
they looked yummy so we tried it.
no one cared for the pink but the chocolate ones were awesome!
the pink ones were so pretty though. i wanted to put them in a little bag and tie a ribbon around it and give it as a gift. they are so cute!
s’mores were yummier with chocolate flavored marshmallows.

daddy got to sleep in the tent with the kids.
lucky daddy.
someone had to stay inside with annie 🙂
i had to make the cake too.
in the morning sean had a little party with 3 friends.

we keep our parties very simple.
no plans.
just play with a group of friends.
eat cake…open presents..play some more.
that’s all they need.
and no goodie bags.
who started this craziness?!! and why did we all go with it?!! the presents go to the birthday boy not the guests. just like at a wedding…why are there now favors for the guests? the reception is to celebrate the couple! i guess it’s to say thank you but can’t you just SAY thank you and BE thankful? when did that become not enough? (i am aware that i sound like a crabby old lady)
i haven’t always been this way but with 5 kids there is no way i could do those big expensive parties.
i never went to any big parties like kids today get.
and i thought birthday parties were the best!
the coolest party i went to was roxi’s party at the skating rink in jr. high.
i just like to keep it simple.
and my kids are very happy with this system and that’s what works for us.
i am not against those who give goodie bags…it’s just not my thing.
everyone else can have the big parties and their kids can go home from our parties confused why they didn’t get a goodie bag…i am okay with that. ha ha

we waited till the afternoon to give him his big present from nana and grandma & grandpa.
we made him close his eyes adn then we set it in front of him.
he opened his eyes and smiled and said “i thought it’d be a bike”
very calm.
he looks so big.
and then one more shot of sean on his big day…
he is very into the pirates of the caribbean lego’s. the ship in the back with the black sails is the one he built saturday morning by himself. the ship with the white sails is scott’s but sean built it for him after scott got frustrated 5 minutes into it.
his brain is made for legos.

(sean does own shirts…he just didn’t have one this day. that’s summer for ya!)
happy birthday buddy.

check her out!
she brought me this paper…working on menu maybe?

SPOGID = spaghetti
LSNYA = lasagna
SOAP = soup

i said “well miss smartie pants…what are you going to do in kindergarten if you already know everything?!”
she was beaming with pride.
she should be.

scott was feeling brave.
he moved the little basketball goal to the trampoline and then jumped off the trampoline to slam dunk it.
i was sure he would get hurt.
but he didn’t.
he was having so much fun.
i brought out the camera.
i laid down in the grass to take some pics.

after seeing that scott could do it….sean wanted to try.
and then talby too.

silly kids.

after i was through with pictures i stayed on the grass and just chilled.
i had a magazine and a drink.
i was good.
talby thought it was funny so she took my picture.

i took this quick one to show how helpful my kiddos are.
to remind myself of this.
they do so much for annie.
she is always there needing a lift…a push…a hand…and they do it.
i don’t want to forget or overlook that.
sweetness.