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i am so honored to make this post. thirty seven years ago today my husbands parents (mom and dad r.) tied the knot. what an accomplishment, what a blessing! God sure knew what he was doing when he brought you two together. There is so much love between the two of you....God's love....selfless love....it just pours out. i am so lucky to have been able to par-take in that love (still par-taking :)) what a great example you are. not only to us, but to the girls and everyone else who is watching. i watch, i've watched for a long time now. just seeing the two of you last night in the parking lot hand in hand. showering each other with love and respect. you fit together like a glove. the way you look at one another....when you dance. i love watching the two of you dance. so graceful...so beautiful. you two are great. we don't tell you enough. mom, dad, thank you for your marriage, and for your gracious love. without it, i would not be married to your wonderful son whom i long to be married to for 37 years too(and them some.) we love you so much. we hope you have a wonderful day!

18 mo

my sweet funny face. i could just eat you up. today my dear marks eighteen months of pure bliss! you are so darn cute, i can barely contain myself. i never knew that having a second child bring so much more love and laughter into our house. you are our little clown....spinning 'round and 'round then falling over on purpose, wearing your high heeled shoes, blowing lainey sized zerberts on my belly...you make me laugh. your big blue eyes and your big front teeth, sparse hair (very sparse on top...just like your daddy, but you do look just like him). just looking at you makes my heart swell. really swell! when you look up at me and smile, i absolutely melt....holding up your arms "mammy, mammy." you are my little buddy. i love you so much. i am so thankful for the gift of wonderful you!

golden aspen

harley, harley, harley......they are every where. i am in ruidoso, new mexico visiting my in-laws. donna and i headed out yesterday morning to have a short but sweet weekend up in the mountains. this weekend is the golden aspen motorcycle rally. motorcycles from all over come to just hang out i guess. i'm not sure i really understand why, but it is pretty interesting. it truly is a site! it's just a good thing alan isn't here....he would get back on his "wanting a motorcycle" kick....and i don't think i could handle that again.

the weather is beautiful, no one is screaming or crying....it's quiet (with exception of the rumbling of the motorcycles.) i love my family so much, but this really is a much desired and needed little break. thank you. mommy will be home soon. love you alan, love you girls.

de-sterilization

before.....(as you can see above that kylee was allowed....just this once, to color all over the counter tops. did i emphasize "just this once?")

after......

before...white and very sterile. maybe not clean per say, but hospitalization or psych ward WHITE! but now there is more warmth, the room is more tied together. i felt like a little kid waiting for christmas morning to arrive. i can honestly say that i have hated those white counter tops....they showed everything, not to mention, not very fun to clean. i love the darker counter tops. and good bye nasty white porcelain sink, hello stainless steel. as much as i am loving the new counter tops i can't forget that they came with a price. several trips to lowes, a few thrown tools and plenty of nicks on my husbands head from those nasty child proof locks on the cabinets below the sink. my husband had a heck of a night. i can't thank you enough honey for persevering....you did a great job. i thank you so very much.

perfect fit

earlier this week i had the privilege of taking pictures of my cousins newest edition....sweet callie! i just loved these picture of her with her nini (alaina's nini too if you ask her.) such a sweet and beautiful baby. though her first week in this world was a little difficult everything has fallen right into place....bliss! we are all glad you are here, happy and healthy.

little piggies

i know this may seem a little ridiculous, but i just had to do it. the poor girl has no hair on top, it's all in the back. she is all about looking "pretty." i asked her if she wanted "pretty hair," she said, "uh huh." i asked her if she wanted pretty toes and nails...."uh huh." you should have seen how proud she was to show daddy her nails...bent wrist and all (unfortunately after being in the pool a few hours later it all came off.) such a pretty little girl, and so darn funny. she really is a clown.

as for poor kylee, she is sick AGAIN! what is going on? i feel so bad when they are sick. please pray for her....and that the rest of us don't get it. if she still has a fever in the morning we will be one our way to the clinic....happy labor day. hope everyone else has a great holiday!




here's lookin' at you kid!

"rolling"

so we could have a little more one on one time with first let me say, "thanks dad" for watching alainakylee. we had a date with our oldest tonight. a little pizza at minsky's (love it!!!), and bowling. kylee wasn't really thrilled with the idea of going "rolling" but once we walked in the doors her mindset changed. i haven't laughed so much in a long time. she was hilarious. she didn't just roll the ball, she threw it (up in the air that is....alan, even had to catch it mid air) it sounded like the floor cracked everytime the ball hit down. she loved it and had a great time....not to mention a chocolate chip cookie from the guy behind the food counter and ice cream on the way home...what a night out with mom and dad. we had a great time with you kylee. you are such a sweet girl.

dough girl

i remember afternoons when my mom would decide to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies....licking the spatula and the beaters was the best part! that sweet, soft dough and bittersweet chocolate chips...mmmmmmm. it's still my favorite part of making cookies.

kylee has had a rough few weeks. she's been acting out a lot more than normal....i think we're dealing with a bit of sibling resentment. lainey, i know kylee loves you so much, but being the big sis' is tough, just as it is to be ther little sis'.

anyway, i thought that today since kylee doesn't have school on fridays and i got canceled at work last night...that it would be a great idea to spend a little one on one time with her (instead of a nap.) so, we make cookies and watched "dreamer." (i still can't believe that i sat next to kris kristofferson and his wife on the plane ride out to hawaii.) what a great movie, always makes me cry. thanks kyleebug for a fun and yummy filled afternoon!

first day of school (pre K)

said it before, but who are you and what did you do to my "little" kylee???? i don't even realize it sometimes until i look at a picture of her....she is growing up so fast. and in the blink of an eye i'll be taking pictures of her as she heads off to college. please stop for just a minute, i need to drink you in. it really reminds me that instead of "stopping to smell the roses," i need to stop and see my girls. see them in all their glory, the way god made them. see what they are doing, what they are saying, what they love. to stop and play, or just sit and hold them. just be still! why is that so hard to do? i get so wrapped up in having "to do" things, that i don't take that time. i know i'vei'll keep saying it as long as i have to....i am sorry for being so busy with the things that aren't very important, from expecting so much from you....i can only expect the great things god has in store for you. i love you both so much. i am sooooo lucky to have two beautiful, funny, sweet, smart, creative, energetic and enthusiastic (i could go on...) daughters. thanks for being mine! i love you..........xoxo

miss hollywood

look at miss hollywood! i barely got this shot. alaina really gets excited when you start pulling out all the dress up stuff, but she'll only leave it on for a few minutes......except the shoes. she'll wear those silly things all over the house. you'd think that being pigeon toed and high heels wouldn't go hand in hand, but she pulls it off quite well. she even tries to run in them. she is such a character...what a clown. lainey, you make me smile. love ya lou!

self portrait

i have been completely neglecting this blog.....been a little busy. but i thought i would break in my new chair. i hit the jackpot at the goodwill store today. i have been looking for a simple wood chair, one that i could paint and use for portraits. well i found one (for $5), then i found this awesome piece, the one i'm sitting in. i payed a little more than i would have liked, but i just couldn't pass it up...it was too great. i love the print....even the colors (though you can't see it now.)

the picture below pretty much depicts how i'm feelin' right now. for the last three months i have not physically felt up to par. i haven't been able to put my finger on it. i keep thinking "hypothyroidism," i definitely have at least 5-6 of the signs and symptoms. so i called the doc and now i'm just waiting my blood results. i just want to figure out what the heck is going on so i can feel better....more normal anyway. not to mention, we had a really bad wednesday. we had to put our payton to sleep. if anyone has experienced having to do that, you know what we are going through. it is awful!!!!! so i think i'm just going to stuff for a little while.
kylee starts school monday, i can't believe it. we went up to the school to see her classroom and meet her teacher. anyone who knows kylee, knows that she is not very shy....but as soon as we walked in there she completely clammed up. as soon as we left she was dancin' around saying, "i can't wait to start school....my teacher is awesome!" i'm so glad she likes school....for now anyway!?!

lainey wants to talk so bad. she'll try to say just about anything. new words.....book, butt (buh), big butt, cookie, kylee, thank you (sounds like "kunk koo"), more, yeah, juice (sort of), grama and bagel...i know there are more. i'll keep ya posted.

priority or first class? or are those the same thing?

i just thought these were so funny. the simplest things make the most fun! a box and stamp...who would imagine? this child makes so many facial expressions in a matter of minutes...has since she was a baby. serious...happy (smilin')...and her newest "oooh." that "oooooh" expression came with two blisters on her heels. every time you make mention of her boo boo, she'll look at her heels, then back up at you, pucker up her lips, scrunch her eyebrows and say "ooooooh." so dramatic and a little exaggerated if you ask me....but darn hilarious. she really is a little clown. last night she had the best time just spinning in circles and falling over. she thought it was so funny....so did we. when she realized that she was making us laugh she she started falling over on purpose....doing a half turn then fall on the ground (on purpose), completely faking it...then she'd start laughing. what a goof!

poor kylee on the other hand had a rough weekend. all weekend long she had a fever that would not break, but she acted fine....so weird! so yesterday i took her to the doctor and sure enough she had strep throat. and after dinner last night her temp peaked to 103 degrees (that was after seeing the doctor.) i carried her upstairs and put her in a cold bath, that was fun! but thank goodness last night after a bowl of ice cream (and popsicle) for dinner and a little rest, the darn thing finally broke! she's much better now...i just hope she doesn't think she's going to get ice cream for dinner again tonight!







the newest facial epression i was talking about....."ooooooh."

my little fish

fish one....and fish two....(she thinks she is anyway)!

i think kylee swam with water wings for maybe two weeks before she was off on her own....and now look at her....jumpin' in all by herself! amazing. she is growing up so fast.

i don't think i have really posted an update on her lately, so here goes. kylee has been a busy little girl this summer. she learned to swim, ride her bike (still needs a little more time) and still in the process of learning all her letters and numbers (writing them too.) oh, and she has finally stopped sucking her finger and biting her nails! yeah!!!! one of her favorite phrases is...."please, you have to give me a second chance (pleading)." she is such a little negotiator. it seems that we rarely ever have the last word...."but, but, but..." or "well, well, well..." well, well WHAT i ask you! such a sweet girl with such a strong will. we have had and are having many challenges, but she is worth everyone!

she starts preschool again in a few weeks, she will be attending the elementary school in our neighborhood (that is where she will go to kindergarten), four afternoons a week. thank goodness for that! now i don't have to fight nap time anymore. nap time has been such a challenge this summer. i have been very reluctant in giving up on them, so we compromise...."quiet time." (mommy needs a little break in the day) if she doesn't want to sleep she can play quietly in her room. however, it doesn't always run so smooth.

i know there is more, but my mind is drawing a blank....on to lainey......

she is still ornary as ever, but talking a lot more. if you say something that she thinks she can say, she will try it! unfortunately, a week or so ago she learned how to really use the word "NO!" yeah!!! so much fun being told "no" all the time by your 16mo old.

she is now climbing on everything....and into even more stuff. she will only eat if she has a fork (which is a good thing), and she loves it when we pray at dinner. she holds our hands, even bows her head a little, then at the end she says "men!" so sweet.

well, i better go so i can finish doing the laundry. whoopi!!! stay tuned for further updates....i know there is more that i have forgotten.

hairspray anyone?

wow! wow! and wow! i was not expecting that to be my response to this movie, but it was in a big way...kinda like the hair in this movie. back in the day, 1988 that is, my sister and i watched this movie over, and over, and over again. we absolutely loved it (even though ricki lake kinda annoyed me). we knew every line in that darn thing. so when i heard they were making another movie (from the musical...which i haven't seen) i rented the old one because i thought kylee might like it. she did of course....so i thought it would be fun to have a little girls night and go see the new one last night.

and "oh my gosh" it was so awesome. the casting and the music were fabulous!!!!! it completely over exceeded my expectations. i was tapping my foot the entire time, and kylee was literally dancing in her seat (big surprise, huh?). she kept turning to me and smiling. it was so fun. i want to go see it again. i think i might even like the soundtrack. all morning long i've been singing the "good morning baltimore" song.

so if anyone is in the mood for a good musical, this is a must see!!!! A++

(the only casting flaw i thought was john travolta's part, i don't think he was the best pick...even though i think he is great, just not for that part. but what do i know? the man can dance!)

splish...splash...

rainy day fun! alan took the girls outside tonight to play in the rain. it was so fun to watch. lainey loved splashing around...actually, marching was more like it. up and down the curb they went...splishing a splashing. there is nothing like a warm summer rain.

sweet, simple moment

kids say the darndest things i tell you. yesterday i was caught by surprise by something kylee said....."mommy, when i am bigger and i am a mommy (everything is when "she is a mommy"), can i keep alaina?" of course i told her that she would have to check with alaina, but my heart was soaring. i love those simple moments of hope. a hope in which, despite all the bickering, screaming and pinching (alaina) that there is something deeper there between the two of them. i just relish in these moments of "pure love" for one another. we don't see that side as frequently as the screaming in frustration, the "alaina's pushing me", blah, blah, blah....because after all...they are normal little girls....with a pretty normal sisterly relationship. so you can see why like to emphasis the sweet things!

....now, did all that make sense?

ten years....really?

can i just say "oh my goodness....so freakin' weird!" last night i attended my ten year high school reunion. has it really been ten years? am i really approaching my thirties? i am in shock.

i am not sure what to say about last night...yet i feel like i want to say something. it was so bizarre being in a room (...or should i say "bar") with so many people that i interacted with on a daily basis for four years (some even longer)....yet haven't kept in touch with. i must explain that my junior and senior year were a little different and difficult. i was dealing with a few personal issues at the time, i was a little bored with the party scene and i graduated at semester. i guess you could say i became a little disconnected. so i was a little nervous about going, but thanks to mike and julie, and patsy n' company i felt much more at ease. i actually stayed a lot longer than i thought i would. my how people have changed...and some not so much. but who am i to talk, i have changed a lot since high school...praise the lord for that! and something else i noticed after looking at the picture above....what happened to my upper lip....where did it go? i used to have one....i think?

i can't believe that i have lived in kansas city my entire life and have never been to the overland park farmers market! seriously, that is just wrong. for my next outing i would like to go to the river market....yeah, never been there either. ridiculous! there are so many really neat places in kansas and i haven't been to half of them. it is something i really want the girls to experience. i guess the girls and i are should start having our very own field trips and start


learning a little more about k.c.. what made the event more special was that my dad joined us. we spent a little time at the market....buying every kind of fruit kylee could find, then went and took a few pictures at one of my favorite spots, then went to the plaza for lunch. how great is that? thanks so much dad for spending your morning with us. we had a great time.


tip of the day: when choosing a place to dine with the kids,

outdoors is the best. lainey typically does not sit still for very long, but being outside there was plenty to keep her attention...the music playing (which she couldn't stop dancing too), the birds eating her large crumbs on the ground and even an ambulance (sirens blaring.)

all in all, a great saturday morning!

a little peak

this is what it comes down to. the poor girl absolutely hates to have her diaper changed. i think it is because she has to stop moving. they just get heavier, and heavier....until there is no other way to go but down, down, down! alaina honey, i know you will one day not like that i posted this, but i couldn't resist...what parent could? at least you are somewhat covered. compared to most of my baby pictures, i was always buck naked. what the heck mom and dad? (just given' you a hard time.)
i absolutely LOVE this picture! on the forth of july we spent a little time downtown having our pictures taken. i had to twist donna's arm (not really) to take a few family shots. seeing as how the last ones we had was when alaina was only four months old. man, i can't believe that has been over a year ago. unbelievable where the time goes. thanks donna for doing this...they turned out great.

and i think i finally got a few good shots of the girls together....thanks to alan getting alaina to smile. she can be a real tough cookie when it comes to being photographed. a little non compliant if you know what i mean.

sunday snack

yummy, yum, yum! nothing better than warm chocolate chip banana bread and a cup of iced coffee on a cloudy sunday afternoon (though the sun did make an appearance). the kids were napping, the bananas were halfway out the door, so i thought what the heck....i'll bake. one large loaf, three mini loaves and eight muffins later i sat down to enjoy a wonderful treat. kylee came down after her nap to enjoy a few slices and a muffin....my little bottomless pit. i wish i could eat all that she does. it really doesn't seem fair, does it?

after naps we went outside while daddy cut the grass. bicycle lesson, chalk, umbrellas and balls....yeah, umbrellas (aliana loves them.) what a nice afternoon with the girls.

oh, here is the recipe for the banana bread...i.e muffins, bread, mini loaves....whatever.

3 T milk

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 bananas

1 C sugar

1/2 C margarine

1 egg

2 C flour (i used whole wheat)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

miniature chocolate chips (how ever many floats your boat)

Mix milk and baking soda. Mash bananas and add to mixture. Mix sugar, margarine and egg. Add this to mixture. Add flour, baking

powder, salt and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Bake in a loaf pan at 350 for one hour, or bake in cupcake pans for 20 min. (I think I baked the mini loaves for 30 min.)