Tuesday, April 27, 2010

eww

so
we're driving down the road
and I hear Lexi laugh excitedly.
"What's she so excited about?"
I ask in the direction of the rear-view mirror.
"Oh, I found a french fry. She has it now."
Let's just say I haven't been to the drive-thru lately.
blech!

Monday, April 26, 2010

the b-day suit

In honor of My Love's birthday today
I just can't help myself
I have to share this story
~
We've been having a marriage class at church
last night's topic was
s-e-x
err - intimacy

They did a little newlyweds type of game.
One of the questions for the ladies was
"How would your husband prefer you to come to bed?"
the choices were
a) in flannel pj's
b) in a sexy nightgown
c) in your birthday suit

I was surprised not everyone answered "C"
anyways
one young gal, who's been married 6 months did answer "C"
but
to her surprise, her husband had chosen "B"
She said something about thinking he'd pick "C"
and he replied
completely seriously,
"I didn't know you HAD a birthday suit!"
I
could
not
stop
laughing
(and neither could a lot of other people!)
Another contestant leaned over and told him
what, exactly, a birthday suit was.

The poor guy promptly looked at his bride
and changed his answer to "C"
(I think he still might have been in trouble, though)
~
The telling is not nearly so good as being there.
We're hoping they caught it on video.
It was hilarious
~
Happy Birthday, My Love!
I like you
and
I like your birthday suit
XO


Sunday, April 25, 2010

a good life

Lily and I are in the kitchen
getting ready for Papa's birthday tomorrow.
We've got 3 pots going on the stove;
the kitchen is a wreck

Tyler is helping Tony study his menu

The other boys are playing

Lexi is just being a good girl

It's not very well organized
and it sure ain't clean
but
it's a good life

Saturday, April 24, 2010

GKS

It's kinda silly
but I eagerly anticipate it twice a year.
I've gone
in the Spring and Fall
since I was 7 1/2 months pregnant with Jeremiah.
Tyler usually goes with me on Saturdays;
he wasn't able to this year
and it was weird.
I'd see a man out of the corner of my eye and look for him
only to remember
again (yes, it happened more than once...)
that he wasn't with me this time.
~
I love the
~
This time
I managed to find the girls
some adorable matching polka-dot dresses.
I'd passed up the size 4;
at $7.50 it was just out of the question.
I have my standards you know;
high quality
low price.
But then
I found a very similar dress in Lexi's size
so I sent Lana back to grab the one for Lil'.
Score!
No great shoes this time around
which was a bummer.
I was hoping for a pair of pedipeds
in Lexi's size for about $7.
~
We decided
I'll volunteer to work a shift in the Fall
so I can shop early.
Not that I'm looking forward to it or anything....

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

baby Nella

Have you met Kelle?
If not, you really ought to.
This is a good place to start.
It's where I started anyways.
I should warn you;
you might want to grab a tissue
or two.

Lexi loves looking at pictures of Baby Nella

We visit Nella
and her big sis, Lainey
pretty much every night.
and sometimes, during the day, too.
~
Baby Nella has Down Syndrome.
~
I used to think that God would give us a DS baby.
In fact, I sort of wished He would.
I've read about the how you can't help
being a better person
when you live with these precious children.
I want to be a better person.
and
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for
those considered 'disabled'
(TJ has it, too)
so it seemed only logical that God put it there for a reason.
When Lexi was so still in my womb
I wondered....
~
He didn't choose to bless us with an extra chromosome;
I'm fine with that.
He still uses my children to grow and shape me
and make me just a tiny bit more like Him.
And
we can pop in and visit Nella
any time we want to.


Monday, April 19, 2010

times, they are a changin'

We went on a family walk / ride
this evening

Papa was going to ride his unicycle
but decided he was a bit rusty
so he opted not to.

You'll notice
we're missing somebody.


so
we'll be missing him a lot around here.
~
so proud of you, Tony!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

sick sweeties

my babies are sick again
~
I haven't slept well
('well' being used loosely, here)
in days.
My mind is foggy.
So is my heart.
~
At dinner - which was quite late
(Tyler and I are participating in an 8-wk class on Sunday evenings)
I told Tyler I just wasn't ready for the night;
I knew Lexi would require more patience than usual
and I just wasn't feeling it.
I didn't have it to give.
He took Lex' in the room
and lovingly massaged her miserable little body
with
miracle rub & lavender oil.
And now
she sleeps.
~
My brain is still a blundering mess
but my heart feels better.
Thanks, Daddy
for loving us so well!


Monday, April 12, 2010

in the garden

Everybody has been talking about their gardens lately.
And us?
I've tried not to even think about ours.
I knew I'd just get overwhelmed.

I have no seeds started.
Shoot
I haven't even opened a seed catalog this year.
~
We headed out Saturday evening
to put in a few hours.
And you know what?
All that work we did last year
hauling poop
and sand
and
mulching with shredded paper
left us with very few weeds to pull
and
some mighty fine dirt.
~
pretty soon
I'll figure out what to put where
- if we can still manage to buy plants somewhere -
that is

Thursday, April 8, 2010

I'll take the cute outfit for $1, Alex

I still have a bit of pillowcase
and the top 2/3 of the capris left
so
factor that out
add in the elastic
and I still think we're right at $1.00
I'd like to add a ribbon along the hem, too
if I can find the right color.




yes
we know
the girl is a mess!
a treasured mess, but a mess none-the-less

brilliance

Every great once in a while
I have a flash of genius.
This morning
I solved my
how-to-store-patterns
problem
~
It's no surprise that I have a difficult time
using a store-bought pattern;
I mean
I can't cook from a box
and can
- only with great difficulty -
follow a recipe.
So, I often make my own patterns
based on
either
clothes that we already have
an actual pattern
or just an idea in my head.
I've tried various papers for these patterns
(which, I should identify! note to self)
most often tissue paper
because it's a good size
and it's most like purchased patterns.
Once
when patterns were on sale for a buck
I picked out the fattest pattern package I could find
with the intent of using that paper to make new patterns
but the markings made me crazy
and every time I saw the pattern envelope
I'd wonder what on earth
I'd bought that wedding dress pattern for?!
I've used newspaper
but that's distracting and messy.
Packing paper
is another thing I've tried;
it's a tad better than tissue paper
but still not great.
So I've taken to using card-stock
which works fabulously.
But after I tape pieces of cardstock together
(most pieces don't fit on an 8 1/2 x 11 inch page...)
I end up with some pretty big pattern pieces
which
up till now
I wasn't quite sure what to do with.
~
In my moment of pure brilliance
in the wee hours of the morning
it came to me:
Join the paper pieces together
without any overlap
using clear packing tape
and then I can just fold the pattern along my taped 'lines'
and store them in a 9x12 envelope.
Doesn't matter what size or shape the pattern is
it'll fit
and the pattern won't get messed up in the process
~
stroke of genius, I tell ya!


Wednesday, April 7, 2010

this girl....

We were lying down
and Lex' decided she wasn't quite ready for bed yet.
"She can play Peek-a-Boo Barn on my i-phone," Lily says.
"Well, that's very kind of you
to be willing to share your game and your phone,"
I reply, "but it's late and Lexi needs to go to sleep."
"Oh, I want her to play with it.
I just love Lexi so much and I want her to be happy."
~
this is the same sweetie
who
earlier today
told me,
"Thank you for my brother, Josiah!"

score!

I'm quite pleased with the goodies I found today


The top two pieces
I snatched up for my friend, Abigail.
She's a tiny little thing
so I imagine it's tough to find clothes.
I wouldn't know....
I think the capris are probably a bit big
but maybe she can wear them for a week or so postpartum
~
I'm especially tickled with

and

Now
I just need to carve out some time
to draft a few patterns
and
get sewing.

Monday, April 5, 2010

new friends


so I'm on facebook
scrolling down
down
d
o
w
n
suddenly
my heart skips a beat
oh my!
he's gorgeous!
~
He doesn't ever have much to say
but I sure do like it
when he gets a new friend
and his face appears on my screen



well, looky here


Both boys learned how to ride a bike
yesterday at Gramma's house
and today
they rode over 4 miles
up and down the 'bumpy road'
~
good job persevering, guys!

Easter fun at Gramma's & Grampa's


Mom didn't have all of her kids there
but I did
and it was nice.
Moms like that sort of thing!





Aiden and Uncle T

the twin cousins
(and some of the girls...)

Brandon Bud ~ aka 'the sweet one'

Lex' was pretty serious about this egg business

just watchin'

Princess Pie, showing off her earrings



Luke & Lana
with
the happiest baby in the world

I know - lots of pictures of Lexi
but c'mon, she's just soo darn cute!

Tony's first year - ever - of not hunting eggs
(boo-hoo)

...Aiden's just so darn cute, too...

cousins ~ going through the goodies
thanks, Gramma & Grampa!


Saturday, April 3, 2010

hello, my name is Tracy

and I am addicted to
cheap
cotton/lycra shirts.

I'd buy one here
and one there.
I never spent more than $1.50
but then I went to Branson
and found I could buy them for $1.00.
Everywhere.
And I decided
half-price at the Salvation Army
just wouldn't do it for me any more.
I had to find them cheaper!
I scored four
for 25 cents each last weekend
but I want more
more!!