Life.

Evan likes it.
(He's just not ready to admit it, yet...to me...so he sneaks to eat it under the desk.)

Summer TV

Not having as much TV to watch is a good thing. But I'll tell you, I love my summer TV almost as much.

So You Think You Can Dance has started!!

And ABC has finally decided to finish of the seasons of two of my favorite all-time TV shows, Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone.

Because who doesn't love a quirky pie maker and pals...

and a group George Michael sing along.
I know I do.

I secretly still love George Michael.

And I'm not embarrassed by it at all.

A Little Education

It's late. I really should be sleeping and you'd think after our fun filled, yet exhausting weekend, that I would be fast asleep but instead I'm up "thinking"...

about the word "midget".

First, I am grateful for a quick acting husband who was able to educate our children on the offensiveness of this word. (He's always so calm and rational. It's a good thing I wasn't around. I'm not like that.)

Yet, there are others who for whatever reason, still do not understand that to most of the dwarfism community (and that includes their loving family members), midget is a very highly offensive term. Like calling an African American a n**ger. Or a mentally challenged child a retard. Gasp! "Andrea, I can't believe you said that."

Yep, that offensive.

I know this term gets thrown around casually and is often not used or meant to offend, but if you see a LP (little person) or dwarf (the politically correct terms) DO NOT call them or refer to them as a midget. It's offensive.

Consider yourself educated.

(P.S. My DH is concerned about my use of offensive language in this post, so he kindly edited the "n" word for me. Who would have ever thought that my husband would be the one to think before he speaks! I'm sure those reading know that this was not meant to take offense, but to make a point. I think he should edit the other words, too! Love ya, hun! Thanks for looking out for me.)



On a side note...

Here is a photo of Evan climbing near the top of Cunningham Falls...
And here he is making it to the top!It's a good thing I wasn't there to witness this jump. I think I would have had a heart attack!

Like Father Like Son

Have I seriously ever wondered where Jared gets his personality from?

Crepes. Yum.

I made crepes yesterday. Mmmm. Mmmm. Good.

My favorite way to enjoy a crepe is sprinkled with powdered sugar and with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Evan just enjoys the powdered sugar sans lemon juice or crepe!
Silly boy.

Fitting in

Well, we finally "fit in" with the whole baseball thing...


Pants!
Cleats!
And dirt!

By the wayside

I'm done with my creative blog. So, I'm now going to be posting some of my digi scrap layouts here. It's part of our every day, so why not, right?


Cafe Latte by Sugarplum Paperie and Tracie Stroud


Underwater Escape by Erica Zane


Sya's Movie-spiration templates and Britt's Imperial Girl


Erica Zane's Underwater Escape, Tropical Escape and EZ Templates 5


Off Tha Chain by Tracie Stroud and Krystal Hartley

Casual Sunday

After reading Alanna's blog post here, I couldn't help but to giggle about today's happenings...

I've had a wonderful Mother's Day, so far, by the way. Jared jumped in bed this morning to cuddle (I love that he still loves to do this) and at 7:30, breakfast and gifts were brought in to enjoy. I relaxed for awhile and then realized I needed to get going! I had the Mother's Day gift for all of the women at church and I didn't want to be late. So I quickly got ready. While throwing myself together, a sister from the ward called and asked for a ride. We had no problem doing this, but this took another ten minutes off of our already dwindling time. I quickly grabbed a clip for Anna's hair, threw some snacks in a bag, Rob put the gifts in the car, made sure the boys had shoes, ties and scriptures in tow and off we went.

Considering our time crunch, things went pretty smoothly. Truly, an awesome Mother's Day.

UNTIL...

I hear a "Psssssttttt, Andrea!"

Rob's trying to be discrete, as the sacrament is being passed. "Look at my feet!"

I look. In our mad rush out the door, Rob had forgotten to put on his church shoes! And had worn his crocs instead (which are the shoes he wears in the house because he hates going barefoot)!

And I didn't think my awesome Mother's Day could get any awesomer!


Thanks, hun!

National Stay Up All Night Night

It's tonight. National Stay Up All Night Night.

I dare you to do it.

Because we have 9 am church tomorrow, the boys celebrated last night. And ate pizza, popcorn and M&Ms and watched the Sandlot. I've been recuperating from a nasty cold, so I was in bed by 9 pm. (ah, it was so nice) I would have let the boys stay up as late as they could, but Mean Rob was in charge and National Stay Up All Night Night ended at 11 pm.

Evan was included in "the boys" last night. Eleven was too late for him. I was awakened from my slumber when Rob went to lay him down. He was crying hysterically, obviously over tired. And guess who was up right at 7 am this morning?

Geesshhh...this is the punishment I get for going to bed early! Cranky kids. Yay!

All in a days work...

She started the day wearing a pink tutu and striped shirt.

Then a swimsuit and cover-up.

Quickly this changed to a sweater jacket and zip-up jammies.

Next, shorts and a tank top.

That soon changed to a diaper cover and pajama top.

By naptime, she had on jeans and a dress.

When she woke up from her nap, it was just jeans.

Then it was back to the tutu and shirt.

She even tried on the 6-9 month pants that are a gift for a friend.

And that quickly changed to the tank top (again) and a diaper.

Which then she decided all this dressing and changing was too much work, so she lounged around the rest of the day in just a diaper.

I'm tired from just watching her. Anna must be worn out.

Play Ball!

(if you are here for the NSD blog train, please scroll down)

Not so sure if I'm ready for this...

Look at all that dirt!
Oops, no baseball pants OR cleats. Slacker Mom!


Evan found entertainment by running 3/4 of a mile. I may join him next time.

Anna loved bugging her brothers, stealing their hats. Such a little annoying sister! Doing her job well!

I can't believe I gave in! I'm really not into busying up our lives, but we've decided to make this a family affair. Rob is helping to coach Jared's team and worked it out that Tyler and Jared's practices are on the same evening and most of their games are on the same day. It's a non competitive Baptist league. No announcing winners. Cheering for the other team. I am so for it!

It was a muddy, drizzly morning. We were there for hours. BUT the boys had a blast. And we'll be back at it next weekend and the next and the next. We'll just be a little more prepared with activities, snacks, and coats for the little kids!

Happy [inter]National Scrapbook Day

For National Scapbook Day, Scrapmatters is having one monster of a blog train!!! Welcome to my little space in the blogging world!!

So far, you should have stopped by...
1. Andrea http://andilynn.wordpress.com
2. Britt http://brittishdesigns.blogspot.com
3. Heather Lee http://joyrevisited.blogspot.com
4. Denise http://www.denisebeattyoriginals.blogspot.com/
5. Tater http://taterscraps.blogspot.com/
6. Kimbytx http://kimbytx.blogspot.com/
7. Melanie http://melanie3boys.blogspot.com/
8. Kim http://geekydiva.wordpress.com
9. Emilee http://morelovemorejoy.blogspot.com

Next you'll be heading to Jaime's blog...
11. Jaime http://jaimeward.blogspot.com

Our Creative and Design Teams have created FREE 5x7 and 8x8 scrapbooking quickpages for you using the new kit Hawaiian Happy Hour!!

(This kit is FREE with a $15 purchase!!!)

And here is my little portion of all the goodness!!

DOWNLOAD HERE

As part of our blog train, we are sharing "my idea of paradise"...Quiet, deserted beach, warm day and with my family. Nothing could be more perfect then that!

Rejoicing!

We just got back from the dentist!! Each boy only had one cavity!!!

I know. Great news.
(You can refer to here, to see why.)

The dentist was surprised that I was so relieved. She's new.

My only concern, though, is how do I get the kids to floss on a regular basis...

We're lucky if we get all of the kids teeth brushed twice a day.

And sticking my hands in their germy mouths to help them get those molars (the culprits), blah...I know I'll end up with the swine flu for sure.

Suggestions? (I'm not against bribery.)

All the crafty ladies (all the crafty ladies)...

I interrupt this blog to bring you some very important information...


WooHoo! Okay, maybe I'm a little obsessed, but I do find it reason to celebrate and celebrate BIG!!! If you're new to digital or hybrid scrapbooking, this is the perfect time to jump in!!!


ALSO, Denise Beatty (aka The Queen of Scrap) is ready to be dethroned!!!! Any takers for knocking her off?


This bright, fun and cheery kit is one of the prizes for participating...
Here's my page I did using Natural Wonders...

Out of the mouth of babes...

I guess he's really not a baby anymore...

My newly four year old, Evan, just kills me sometimes. He definitely doesn't have a lack of words! His words may not be understood most of the time, but believe me...he talks!

Yesterday, I took him to get his haircut. While we were waiting, I was distracted with Anna and Evan exclaims, "Wooo, Mom! That man is really fat!" I looked over at Evan and he was pointing to a man who was paying for his finished haircut.

I'm sure my face turned bright red. But no one would have known because I chose to be a mature adult and ignore my son and lower my head in embarrassment.

Eventually, I pulled Evan aside and whispered firmly in his ear that we are not supposed to say things like that. They hurt people's feelings, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah...

But really, I just wanted to know why of all times did he decide to talk perfectly clearly?

Kids...

Uh. Oh.

Tell me to get these awful thoughts out of my head.

Tell me to stop looking into those BIG, BLUE, BEAUTIFUL eyes.

I'm turning to puddy.

Hurry. Run away. And don't look back.










No, Evan. You cannot have a puppy.
(sniff, gulp, choke, gasp for air, sigh...that wasn't too bad)

Seriously. Now.

What little girl wouldn't want to play in this room?

Notice the new Eiffel Tower vinyl. Thanks, Delilas. We LOVE it!

Anna is really enjoying having Becky around. Geeeesshhh...makes me almost wonder if Anna needs a sister...





This is a joke.

Photos Galore

It is too hard to capture every moment and every memory in just a few photos. The run down on Florida is that we had a blast. A BLAST. From Sea World to the beach and Kennedy Space Center to the water park--it was all a good time. We really enjoyed spending time with the Beatty family and would definitely vacation with them again (unless we scared them from ever wanting to vacation with us)!!!

So, here are a few (or 180) pics to show you how much fun we did have!!!

Leo

Did you know that my husband has a secret talent?

He is The Master at the Wiggle Wire.

The "what?" you ask...

The very tricky carnival game that is supposedly extremely difficult to win...which is why the prizes are always the biggest AND the best.And which is why we now own a HUGE stuffed turtle...
Which of course was immediately named Leonardo...

Which of course was promptly dressed the part once we returned home...
Welcome home, Leo!

New necklaces.

Nothing made me more excited then watching my nieces LOVE their new necklaces. I'm bummed I didn't get a picture of Kira's necklace or a picture of Taylor and Kira wearing them together!
Oh well.

Dear Leah and Laura,

Why was I such a whimp about the toilet bowl ride?

Loved it! Went on it twice with my kids!

Andrea

Sweet.

**Pre-posting**

Evan was so excited to celebrate his birthday at school!!! He decided he wanted rainbow sprinkled cupcakes and that he HAD to have a blue one.We are in Florida today for Evan's actual birthday. He will be having breakfast with Elmo and friends and his "best girlfriend" at Sea World. I'm sure it will be a fun and special day for him!!

We are so proud of our Evan and how much he has "grown" over the past year! He is so loving, so moody, so sweet and so kind. Happy Birthday, Ev!

K

I thought craft Saturday was a success, but now I'm left with 3 unfinished projects!!! I did, however, just finish my "trash to treasure" project. Thanks, Melanie for pulling this one together. I love my "K" and all of it's meaningful junk!

(Eiffel tower, charm from Grams Chiapelli given at our wedding, a trumpet, guitar, house key, keyboard key, triskel, hair bow, hidden mickey, a teardrop,...all significant things to our family.)

Next up is my ottoman...I can't wait to finish that one!

TOOT! TOOT!

Eeeeeeekkkkkkk....In the world of digital scrapbooking there are only a few things that could make me squeal. One is being recognized on the blog Gallery Standouts...

Check out my cheesy, lovey-dovey layout here. And you can buy this fabulous-o kit made by the even more fabulous-oo Erica Zane here.

Pssssttt...Pass it on...WAAD

This is in honor of our friend Grant. Coming from the field of Early Intervention, I know that early detection can make a difference. Please make yourself aware.



Watch for the Red Flags of Autism

(The following red flags may indicate a child is at risk for atypical development, and is in need of an immediate evaluation.)

In clinical terms, there are a few “absolute indicators,” often referred to as “red flags,” that indicate that a child should be evaluated. For a parent, these are the “red flags” that your child should be screened to ensure that he/she is on the right developmental path. If your baby shows any of these signs, please ask your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:

• No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter

• No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter

• No babbling by 12 months

• No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months

• No words by 16 months

• No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months

• Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

*This information has been provided by First Signs, Inc. ©2001-2005. Reprinted with permission. For more information about recognizing the early signs of developmental and behavioral disorders, please visit http://www.firstsigns.org or the Centers for Disease Control at www.cdc.gov/actearly.

I don't know...

...but maybe toilet water does something special for your hair?

(my charming daughter, washing her hair)

On the Road again

Have I ever mentioned that I do NOT love road trips? I used to love them...when I didn't have kids. Now the thought of riding in a car for 13 + hours with four kids, whining, movies, etc...brings on a migraine.

I'm sure it won't be as bad as I envision and that I'll be happy once I'm in sunny Florida, but in the meantime, I'm going to grump and complain my little heart out.

Pray that I survive and that my family survives me!!

Brat Pack

With the arrival of spring finally here, we have seen an abundance of children gravitating towards our back yard. I'm sure a huge, cut down tree is part of the appeal!

I am so grateful my children love to play outside. And that they have their pick of friends to play with. And if that means broken toys (i.e. swings, light sabers, golf clubs, hockey sticks,...to name a few), so be it.

As long as they are being safe, having fun and being kind to each other, they can play at our house all they want.




P.S. We will be having a family night, though, on outside rules. When the hockey stick breaks because it's being used as a sword, I'm not as okay with that!

New Things

Some people wonder why I would spend so much time making these, but I just love these Cupcake Pops!! Aren't they the cutest? I made them for Leslie's shower today. The chocolate ones were YUMMY. The cherry vanilla ones were okay, but chocolate is more my taste. I found this idea on a fun baking blog, Bakerella. She even shows you how to make the cutest Hello Kitty Pops.
I see an Anna birthday party favor in the works!

My next new thing...

I have been oooooing and ahhhhing over the hand stamped jewelry at Etsy for months now.
And I've finally pulled it together and gotten myself the basic supplies!! Just in time for craft day on Saturday!! This morning I made this necklace for Leslie and it took only 10 minutes (seriously)!
It's on a 1" metal blank with a crystal charm. I love how it turned out and how simple it was. At craft day we'll be making the metal charms, crystal charms and the birds nest (from the Etsy photo). I can't wait.

And Rob just bought his own new toy...
Would anyone like some firewood?

Sticker Collection

Did you ever have a sticker collection when you were growing up?

I did. Scratch n' Sniff stickers. Puffy stickers. All kept nicely in a little sticker album.

Evan and Anna started their very own sticker collection today all by themselves. Not only once, but twice!!And the only joy I find in this...when they are older, I'll get to embarrass them like crazy!!

I have a problem...

I, too, have an addiction...to my laptop.

He crashed last night. Big time.

As we speak, he is on an airplane to San Diego with Rob because not even my computer whiz husband could figure out what happened.

I feel like my two best friends have been taken away from me.

Everything non-important to my life is on that laptop. My survival for when Rob is gone is all on that laptop.

I'm already feeling boredom settling in.








P.S. I'm actually kind of looking forward to getting some other things done this week. Like painting Evan's bedroom. That should keep me busy. Or maybe I'll mop the kitchen floor. Yeah right...that's pointless.

Confessions of a Chocoholic

Someone in our family has a problem and it's a very serious one.

He needs help.

Ready to prepare some favors for an event that I'm responsible for, I went to retrieve my hidden stash of bargain chocolates (bought them at an incredible price--I'm on a strict budget here). But to my dismay I found that 3 of the 4 bags had secretly been demolished over the past 3 weeks.

The first step is admitting that you have a problem.

He has done this (after much ranting and raving on my part). I think I even heard the words, "You are right." (WooHoo--I love those words)

But now what? I have tried to curb this problem over the years, but it is obviously out of my control. I'm at a loss. What should I do?







P.S. To those who think I am being absolutely cruel to my husband for outing him in this manner, I say..."Whatever." My next post will be about some fault of my own...now if I could only decide which one to chose!

Jared's turn

Well, the paparrazi was out in full force last night as the 1st graders put on their "Under the Sea" performance.

Unfortunately, most of our photos turned out like this...as cameras kept popping up in the middle of my shot!

Jared was such a hoot to watch! This kid has so much energy and enthusiasm!!! Definitely a ham! I almost feared the crazy antics that Jared and his buddy on the left could come up with...trouble makers in disguise. I seriously don't understand why his teachers keep saying he is quiet. I guess he knows how to put on the "good boy charm" when the teacher is around because he was the farthest thing from shy or quiet last night!!!

Oh my! Is that a wide open mouth? I can almost hear the beautiful music!!

Jared sang his heart out last night and put every ounce of power in his skinny little body to perform. We're so proud of him and happy that at least someone in the Kunz family has the ability and desire to be STAR!!!