i'm trying so hard. there has been another snow storm in denver...stinking denver! you'd think they'd be ready for snow...our flight out on the 2nd (yes...we've been here for-ever!)has a layover in stinking denver! i have to be home by the 3rd to deliver some art work to the city center for that reflections exhibit sometime between 9am and noon. i'm really trying not to worry. we looked on the weather site and it says that it'll warm up to about the 40's by tuesday so there is still hope that we'll make it in time...
just hung out with tara again tonight. this time she brought some pictures from our past. i should have asked tara to borrow them so i could scan them in when we got home.
there is this series of 3 pics with me, becky and ellie going to camp all looking relatively okay on the bus ride to our winter church camp. the next picture is the three of us getting ready for the first meeting of the camp. the last is us with the biggest hair ever! it's so funny. we're so proud of the heights we reached.
those were the days.
A Many Family Blog
12/29/06
12/19/06
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...
well, there's no snow here in michigan. it feels much like seattle-we've had some rain and some slight wind but no snow.
i haven't had a chance to post any pictures but i will. worry not.
i had dinner with tara and becky the other night. to be honest i was a bit worried about whether or not we'd have much to talk about...after all it's been about 13 years. thankfully they are both excellent conversationalists. i think there was maybe one uncomfortable silence but we moved on rather quickly. we all had small memory gaps which made me feel much better about my own lack of memory. tara is about to be a nurse and becky is a computer engineer. they both look great and seem very happy. i'm so glad it worked out.
i would tell you what i really think about becky but she told me that she's reading my blog these days so i have to keep it all to myself...;)
all in all the trip has been good. we're super tired this time around. the kids are all screwed up with the time change. they've been falling asleep around midnight and waking up around 9am. thankfully they're spending the night at another grandparents house so we should be able to sleep a full night and wake up when we're ready tomorrow. sleep is so wonderful.
i haven't had a chance to post any pictures but i will. worry not.
i had dinner with tara and becky the other night. to be honest i was a bit worried about whether or not we'd have much to talk about...after all it's been about 13 years. thankfully they are both excellent conversationalists. i think there was maybe one uncomfortable silence but we moved on rather quickly. we all had small memory gaps which made me feel much better about my own lack of memory. tara is about to be a nurse and becky is a computer engineer. they both look great and seem very happy. i'm so glad it worked out.
i would tell you what i really think about becky but she told me that she's reading my blog these days so i have to keep it all to myself...;)
all in all the trip has been good. we're super tired this time around. the kids are all screwed up with the time change. they've been falling asleep around midnight and waking up around 9am. thankfully they're spending the night at another grandparents house so we should be able to sleep a full night and wake up when we're ready tomorrow. sleep is so wonderful.
12/15/06
christmas dinner with friends
no school today due to huge wind storms. it's pretty funny how un-prepared seattle seems to be regarding weather. this is the 3rd school closure this winter...it's only December 15th for goodness sake.
moving on...
we had christmas dinner with some friends the other night and here's some pictures to prove it: Dave did an AMAZING job carving the crap outta the turkey.
ann made a BEAUTIFUL cranberry cake:
august paid attention to detail while decorating the gingerbread cookies that tania made:
oddly enough we all ended up with new aprons. this was not planned. we just know what we'd like i guess:
moving on...
we had christmas dinner with some friends the other night and here's some pictures to prove it: Dave did an AMAZING job carving the crap outta the turkey.
ann made a BEAUTIFUL cranberry cake:
august paid attention to detail while decorating the gingerbread cookies that tania made:
oddly enough we all ended up with new aprons. this was not planned. we just know what we'd like i guess:
three little dresses six different ways
in the midst of the wind storm i finished these three dresses:
dress #1 side 1:
dress #1 side 2:
dress #2 side 1:
dress #2 side 2:
dress #3 side 1:
dress #3 side 2:
confused yet?the colors aren't so good on the computer but they're super cute in person. dress #2 side 1 is light pink corduroy with a brown velvet ribbon, side 2 is pink and white pokadots. dress #3 is this really cool green cord with orange and greenish brown buttons, it's other side is an amy butler print with brown background with an orange and green pattern on it...very cool. the first one is chocolate brown with pink and brown fabric. i'm loving it.
happy holidays!
12/10/06
mama said there'd be days like this
why does stripping and making beds always put me in the worst mood?
i've been working so hard at getting the kids to help out around the house...they're great at taking care of their plates, they're getting better at straightening up their rooms and they'll even take the trash/recycling out if they are asked.
today is the day we change our sheets. hazel's bed isn't difficult, it's a regular ole twin bed, easy to change...but august has one of those ikea loft beds. I HATE, HATE, HATE changing his sheets. so i asked them both to work on getting their sheets off while i changed my own bed. hazel zipped through it, even picked her new sheets (christmas pillow case made by my mom and red sheets to match).
are you following me?
i've just changed my sheets and hazel changed hers. what is august doing, you ask? oh, he spilled some water and is now complaining about having to clean that...
hazel went into his room and offered to take his pillow case off while he works on his bed.
finally he gets his sheets off so i show him how to put the fitted sheet on...ok, i'm not expecting miracles here, i can barely do it myself but while i'm lifting his mattress i bump a book on his dresser which sets off a series of unfortunate events ending in his new bionicle in pieces on the floor.
*breath*
august starts to cry, hazel announces that she'll take august's sheets and pillow case down to the laundry room for him and i start in on how if august would only put his toys away where they belong when he's done playing with them then this would never have happened.
*breath*
i
sound
like
a
mother!
i've been working so hard at getting the kids to help out around the house...they're great at taking care of their plates, they're getting better at straightening up their rooms and they'll even take the trash/recycling out if they are asked.
today is the day we change our sheets. hazel's bed isn't difficult, it's a regular ole twin bed, easy to change...but august has one of those ikea loft beds. I HATE, HATE, HATE changing his sheets. so i asked them both to work on getting their sheets off while i changed my own bed. hazel zipped through it, even picked her new sheets (christmas pillow case made by my mom and red sheets to match).
are you following me?
i've just changed my sheets and hazel changed hers. what is august doing, you ask? oh, he spilled some water and is now complaining about having to clean that...hazel went into his room and offered to take his pillow case off while he works on his bed.
finally he gets his sheets off so i show him how to put the fitted sheet on...ok, i'm not expecting miracles here, i can barely do it myself but while i'm lifting his mattress i bump a book on his dresser which sets off a series of unfortunate events ending in his new bionicle in pieces on the floor.*breath*
august starts to cry, hazel announces that she'll take august's sheets and pillow case down to the laundry room for him and i start in on how if august would only put his toys away where they belong when he's done playing with them then this would never have happened.
*breath*
i
sound
like
a
mother!
12/7/06
the ringer
dude!
i watched that johnny knoxville movie "The Ringer" . i didn't see it in theaters because i thought i'd be offended...but then my brother scott mentioned that it was pretty funny so...i netflixed it. trey was out of town when it came so i watched it alone. i'm not a huge laugh out loud person but holy cow. i laughed often and loud.
so.
i'm watching again tonight with trey so that i can laugh at the movie AND at trey laughing at the movie.
i watched that johnny knoxville movie "The Ringer" . i didn't see it in theaters because i thought i'd be offended...but then my brother scott mentioned that it was pretty funny so...i netflixed it. trey was out of town when it came so i watched it alone. i'm not a huge laugh out loud person but holy cow. i laughed often and loud.
so.
i'm watching again tonight with trey so that i can laugh at the movie AND at trey laughing at the movie.
12/6/06
it's the most happiest time of the year
i've been checking on those reunion websites for a few years now hoping that i'd find a few old friends. today was the day!
i was notified that someone had looked at my profile. i checked it out with little hope that it would be someone i actually knew...but i was so wrong.
we moved to south lyon michigan during the summer of my 7th grade year. south lyon is a small town. all the kids knew each other. thankfully we moved into a house right next door to a girl who was my age. becky was tall and beautiful and athletic. she walked over and asked if i wanted to join cross-country with her. i thought it would be a great way to make friends so i went along with her. becky had a friend who lived down the road a bit and the three of us became as close as girls can be. tara was also beautiful and athletic...not sure how i fit into the mix, but tara, becky and i did everything together.
then tara moved to the next town. it was a sad day. we still saw one another at church but it just wasn't the same. becky got a boyfriend and well, we all know what happens to the girls when a new boy gets involved.
thanks to the internet i have now contacted both these lovely ladies. i'm really hoping to get together with them this christmas.
i'm also hoping to have my camera so i can document the occasion...if i'm lucky i'll be able to find a picture of the three of us in jr. high...that'd be something!
i was notified that someone had looked at my profile. i checked it out with little hope that it would be someone i actually knew...but i was so wrong.
we moved to south lyon michigan during the summer of my 7th grade year. south lyon is a small town. all the kids knew each other. thankfully we moved into a house right next door to a girl who was my age. becky was tall and beautiful and athletic. she walked over and asked if i wanted to join cross-country with her. i thought it would be a great way to make friends so i went along with her. becky had a friend who lived down the road a bit and the three of us became as close as girls can be. tara was also beautiful and athletic...not sure how i fit into the mix, but tara, becky and i did everything together.
then tara moved to the next town. it was a sad day. we still saw one another at church but it just wasn't the same. becky got a boyfriend and well, we all know what happens to the girls when a new boy gets involved.
thanks to the internet i have now contacted both these lovely ladies. i'm really hoping to get together with them this christmas.
i'm also hoping to have my camera so i can document the occasion...if i'm lucky i'll be able to find a picture of the three of us in jr. high...that'd be something!
12/3/06
hanging things
i'm pretty sure my persimmon tree has got to rot due to the bit storm...trey picked some off the tree today and they look nothing like the ones at whole foods...oh well, they looked pretty on the tree.
on friday i had some gals over to have a little pre-christmas party and i made trees for them all. i went a little crazy on the sewing machine. notice that all the trees are colors that i'd like and are very un-christmasy...they're still cute.
we had a small birthday celebration for the boy today. he turns 8 tomorrow. i called him into my room today to tell him about the day he was born. we lived in michigan at the time. it was a pretty warm winter. trey and i were out with friends the night before he came. i remember being at the bookstore and just not feeling well and wanting to go home. being pregnant is a great excuse to leave things, so i went home. that night my water broke. i was in labor for about 10 hours- i just remember the feeling of not being prepared for what was about to happen.
the day we brought him home we were in shock. we had gone to all the classes that the hospital suggested- breast feeding, infant care, breathing techniques...all of em, but we were so lost when we walked through the door. he was a great baby. really. we just sat on the couch and wondered what to do next.
eight years later we're in a different state with another child looking at our family in wonder. we got lucky with our kids. they're wonderful and full of wonder.
after everyone left the birthday celebration we started putting the ornaments on the (fake) tree. the girl had the most fun doing it. she kept on digging through the boxes to find the prettiest ones to hang.well, i started this post with a hanging thing and i'll end it with one. years ago trey's mom gave us a bunch of old ornaments. here's one them.
merry (early) christmas.
12/1/06
Owls
i've mentioned before that i'm learning to sew. well i spent the better part of last night working on this:
now, before you get all excited and think that i've mastered the art of sewing let me just tell you this...
i used 2, yes 2 patterns to come up with this dress. here are the inspirations:
i went to a trunk show a few weekends ago and found this gals work and just fell in love with it. i had to special order a dress for hazel. it came in the mail a few days ago and as i was looking at it i thought that maybe i could pull it off...
well i did. but. i'll leave the dresses to the professionals. it was not super easy. but it does fit hazel.
now, before you get all excited and think that i've mastered the art of sewing let me just tell you this...i used 2, yes 2 patterns to come up with this dress. here are the inspirations:
i went to a trunk show a few weekends ago and found this gals work and just fell in love with it. i had to special order a dress for hazel. it came in the mail a few days ago and as i was looking at it i thought that maybe i could pull it off...
well i did. but. i'll leave the dresses to the professionals. it was not super easy. but it does fit hazel.
what's the date?
wait...seriously...is it december 1? doesn't that mean i should have an advent calendar out? shoot!
well, that's not what i wanted to post about this morning.
it's been a while since i went to the dentist but i got up the nerve/guts to go about 2 months ago. they said my teeth looked pretty good BUT i did have 2 teeth that needed some fixin'. the first was one that needed to have a cap on it, the second just needed to have the old filling removed and a new one put it in, not a problem. so i went in to get the tooth needing a cap fixed first...i won't go into the details of it but let me say this: it took 3 visits to the dentist to get it fixed. yes, 3. but here's the thing...the dentist looks down at me with that welcoming mask on her face and says this:
"ok, so the cap is set. now we've been messing around with it and it will be very sensitive for the next few days. the sensitivity may last more than a few days. it may last a few weeks, or a few months or maybe even a few years. you just never know. ok. thanks. hopefully we won't see you again about this tooth for a long time."
WHAT!? a few days? few weeks? few months? FEW YEARS?!!
i'd post a pic of the new tooth but i can't get the camera that far back in my mouth. sorry.
well, that's not what i wanted to post about this morning.
it's been a while since i went to the dentist but i got up the nerve/guts to go about 2 months ago. they said my teeth looked pretty good BUT i did have 2 teeth that needed some fixin'. the first was one that needed to have a cap on it, the second just needed to have the old filling removed and a new one put it in, not a problem. so i went in to get the tooth needing a cap fixed first...i won't go into the details of it but let me say this: it took 3 visits to the dentist to get it fixed. yes, 3. but here's the thing...the dentist looks down at me with that welcoming mask on her face and says this:
"ok, so the cap is set. now we've been messing around with it and it will be very sensitive for the next few days. the sensitivity may last more than a few days. it may last a few weeks, or a few months or maybe even a few years. you just never know. ok. thanks. hopefully we won't see you again about this tooth for a long time."
WHAT!? a few days? few weeks? few months? FEW YEARS?!!
i'd post a pic of the new tooth but i can't get the camera that far back in my mouth. sorry.
11/28/06
ice and snow
our first real snow day from school. the snow is still on the ground with a nice layer of ice under it...driving has not been easy round these parts...the kids and i started the day with pumpkin pancakes...yum!
notice the stuffed christmas trees on the window ledge! i just love them so.
the kids spent about an hour downstairs making various ships out of their pattern blocks...
august made some cool battlestar looking space crafts
while hazel made two ships, one was called "witch ship" and "pretty princes ship"...on the menu for tonight: beef stew...my first attempt...i'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow...
11/26/06
our busy weekend
whew! it's sunday night and i'm ready for the school week...if we have school tomorrow...it's been snowing all day which is odd for our neck of the woods. the snow thrilled everyone. we went over to our friends house for dinner a little north of us where the snow fell even harder causing them to lose their power. we all ate by candle light and their fireplace. it was lovely.
when we got home trey and the kids set out to make our first snowman of the season.
earlier this week i went to the fabric store to get some fabric to make the christmas trees that this gal makes. i made a set for a few friends and a set for myself. i'm so glad littlebirds shared the pattern.
i feel so creative...even if it wasn't my idea...i have my mom and my mother-in-law to thank for the fact that i can sew now...linda gave me her old machine and my mom sat down and made me sew for myself...thanks ladies!
i'll post more tomorrow...
11/24/06
dinner with friends
We made it through dinner. our friends Tim, Tania, Erica and Rob all came over with their kids and my sister came over with a friend of hers. it worked out perfectly with the kids as everyone had someone to play with...Noah and August did Legos, Hazel and Eloise played princess/unicorns and Ezra and Elijah played with anything they could get their hands on. the adults all enjoyed the company...
well, Trey mostly fretted over the turkey...
The kids around the "kid table"11/23/06
a night with no sleep
well, happy thanksgiving.
i didn't sleep much last night because i found out that parts of my family will not be going back for christmas. i feel like a spoiled child who isn't getting her way. i spent most of the night crying in my bed only to keep the husband awake and worried so i moved to the couch. watching tv will usually keep my mind off my many troubled thoughts...so i watched tv. i'm pretty sure that i did get some sleep because i woke up at 7am with puffy eyes. so. there you have it folks. i'm a 34 year old spoiled child who still cries when things don't go my way...
we've got some wonderful friends coming over today for thanksgiving. my son and i will pull out some games and movies. there will be 6 small children running around the house. our first thanksgiving in this house. it should keep my mind off christmas for the day.
i'll post pictures either tonight or tomorrow.
i didn't sleep much last night because i found out that parts of my family will not be going back for christmas. i feel like a spoiled child who isn't getting her way. i spent most of the night crying in my bed only to keep the husband awake and worried so i moved to the couch. watching tv will usually keep my mind off my many troubled thoughts...so i watched tv. i'm pretty sure that i did get some sleep because i woke up at 7am with puffy eyes. so. there you have it folks. i'm a 34 year old spoiled child who still cries when things don't go my way...
we've got some wonderful friends coming over today for thanksgiving. my son and i will pull out some games and movies. there will be 6 small children running around the house. our first thanksgiving in this house. it should keep my mind off christmas for the day.
i'll post pictures either tonight or tomorrow.
11/22/06
just turned 5!
my girl just turned 5. look at her chubby little hands...my sister took her for the day and did her hair in hot rollers. she came back looking like a big girl.now we get through thanksgiving and move on to my boys birthday...he's turning 8! ugh. kinda makes me want a baby again. i know that sounds crazy but with these two big kids i just want a little one to cuddle up with...there may be a small dog in my future.
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