Right now.

1. Enjoying my bright yellow tulips on my kitchen table as the sun pours in the windows.

2. Spending far too much time on the computer. Finding inspiration in all kinds of places that the internet so easily offers. Really thinking more about trying to turn my hobby and my passion of all things paper and creating into something more.

3. Wishing I knew what that something more was.

4. In a hot chocolate phase. Yum.

5. Thinking about turning off the TV for a while - too easy to flop down onto the couch after the kids are in bed and really wasting too much time. That's a tough one.

6. Looking forward to soccer season ending. Weekends becoming more free.

7. Super excited to see my sister. She arrives May 24th and that still seems so far away.

8. Trying to get motivated to collect everything to do our taxes. How boring.

9. Happy that Taggart is playing nicely upstairs with his little friend. The last couple of playdates haven't gone as well as I'd like. He has sharing issues, what can I say.

10. Thinking back to two years ago today when I started this blog. I wasn't sure where it would go and how long it would last, but I can't imagine not recording all this stuff. Some days it really feels like a chore but there are times when I can't wait to sit down here and type it out while it's still fresh in my mind. Thanks for all those who read and for the few that take the time to comment. It means something to me.

Enjoy today.

Today...

...we baked some cookies. Licking the spoon was the best part for Tag. The best part for me...his outfit. He dressed himself today (he's in a big shorts phase right now)and it just sort of cracked me up all day long, along with the little jig he did while he licked the cookie dough.

Later in the day. The outfit gets better... (I like the hand on the hip pose)

Reagan showing me her grin with that very loose tooth in front that has been driving her crazy for the past few weeks.

It finally got loose enough and I convinced her to let me pull it out. For a minute she was thrilled it was out and then she discovered that she didn't like how it felt in her mouth or how she looked so she wouldn't give me an 'after' smile.

That didn't last too long. Soon she was grinning at everyone and making phonecalls to all her peeps (Daddy, Nana...) to let them know the big news.

And yet another layer is added to the outfit.

Not Spring just yet

Thank goodness for two boys desperate for $$. If it keeps up they'll be able to get paid again tomorrow. :)

Sick or not sick - that is the question.

One of the things I don't like about motherhood is being the judge of whether or not the kids are too sick to go to school. I don't need that kind of pressure. I'm a big meanie if I send them to school and then they end up in the sick room with a fever halfway through the day. But on the other hand, I'm a big pushover if I let them stay home and they are running around flying paper airplanes halfway through the day. I'll let you guess what today was. He's so not getting me tomorrow. After school we all headed to the mall as promised to Cooper to get the latest book in the Bone series that he has been reading non-stop for the last week. When we go to the mall and one of us is purchasing something everyone runs to grab their wallets 'just in case they see something they want to buy', which of course, is highly likely. Everyone ended up with new books and that made for a very quiet peaceful few minutes when we got home. So happy and thankful that

they all enjoy books.

A good lunch

Usually I don't eat a good lunch. Cheese & crackers if I'm lucky, but often just nibbles of whatever I'm feeding the kids. But I love it when I'm feeling energetic enough to make myself something yummy. Today I had one of my favorites:

Flat bread toasted with half an avocado mashed and spread on top. On top of that a mixture of greens, red onion, tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and s+p. A little crumbled bacon if you have it, which I did. :) Try it - it made for a good day.

We started out with a little crafting - which Cooper requested (today was a pro-d day so all the kids were home). After checking on FamilyFun.com for ideas with came up with these two quick ones. The little purple bug up front is Reagan's and it has a marble inside of it so when you roll it down a little incline it does little somersaults. The two little cars are Cooper and Hudson's. Tag had a bug too. Reagan got invited to a friends house for a while so I took the boys for haircuts and then we picked Reagan up and picked up some ice cream before heading to the park.

Tag was much more interested in playing than in his ice cream so I have to admit that I ate most of his strawberry sundae.

Reagan and Tag had a great time and Cooper did too, being his usual annoying, ahem, I mean charming self. All of which drove Hudson crazy. This is him running away from me because he was really ticked off with Cooper and therefore didn't need a camera in his face.

So at the risk of painting the picture of a perfect, joyous family, please know that my kids (in particular, Cooper & Hudson) were driving me crazy with their whining and tattling and general annoyance.

Does anyone else ever feel like they are raising ungrateful, little pouty stinks of children, or is it just me?

All in all though, I would consider it a great day.

Valentines

Today was our second annual Valentines photo shoot.

After last year's valentines I had a reputation to uphold.

The problem was nothing was coming to me - no ideas. Until last night when the idea struck. So I picked the kids up after school and we headed down to the park for some photo taking while the light was still good. We then dropped Reagan off at art, came home for some quick editing, back to pick Reagan up and off to Walmart to get them developed. After dinner we all sat around the kitchen table and assembled them.

Here they are from start to finish. I love that they still all want to give Valentine's, even Cooper...and homemade ones at that. I have a feeling that this may be close to the last year of this so I'm enjoying it while I can.

Playing hookie

It was an educational day off from school so that makes it okay.

Reagan's class was going on a field trip to Science World and Tony had planned to meet her down there for the day. But because the Lego exhibit was there and we were having a hard time finding a free weekend we decided to all go.

Cooper was especially excited about seeing all the Lego and could have spent the entire day just in that exhibit.

Reagan was surprisingly most interested in the creature exhibit, where she got to touch a milipede, turtle, snake, gecko, and guinea pig.

Tag and Hudson just sort of went with the flow, enjoying it all.

It was nice to be there on a weekday when, especially after all the school groups left, it was a lot less busy and you had a lot of room to roam and check things out.

Definitley better than a day at school.

This week

(photo taken early December)

Our cardboard house got turned into surfboards. When the other three saw this cool one Tag and I made they all made one too.

Taggart got lucky with Cooper's lunchbox. Unlike an earlier post.

Sunset out our back window.

Hudson came home early with a stomach ache so Cooper walked Reagan home from school. This is what I saw when I opened the front door.

I've lost another one to the ipod.

Soccer Saturday in full force and me with my new zoom lens. (Cooper in goal)
(Hudson and his best bud since preschool, Duncan)
(this one didnt' go in but another one later in the game did)(they won)

Saturday night - me catching up on my blog. The littles in bed. Tony and the boys watching Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D.

FPOTM - Jan

At the beginning of the year I remember promising to post a Favorite Photo of the Month (FPOTM) and since we are now 2 days into the second month I better get on that. It was not an easy choice but here it is:

Now, I realize that this is not a 'good' photo in the technical sense. I realize that it really isn't even a good photo in any sense. I chose this as my favorite because of the memory it brings. On this particular evening Cooper and Hudson decided to join Reagan as she created fashionable girls with her new "My Style Studio". Hudson thought they should make such a book for boys where you could create your dream car rather than your dream outfit but since this is what they had... they created. This photo came right after I asked Cooper what that little line was just at the top of the girls shirt. "Cooper did you just draw cleavage?" I love that I made him blush - that's hard to do. I also love the little grin on Hudson's face in the background. So the FPOTM will just be my favorite, not the best. After all this is not a photography blog - it's a real life blog.

PJ's, movies, and football

He loves his pajamas. He hates getting dressed. Every morning it's a bit of a fight to get him dressed to get out the door. But not on Friday. It was pajama day at preschool. The easiest, smoothest morning we've had in a very long time. He crawled out of bed and was so excited to be all ready. A quick waffle with syrup and he was good to go. Couldn't every day be pajama day?
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Finally saw Slumdog Millionaire. I say finally because I have been talking about going to the movies for weeks now but Tony missed my (anything but subtle) hints until this weekend. So Saturday night we went and I really liked it. An interesting, unique story. I love going to the movies. I realize that more and more the less and less I go. I am going to try and get there at least one more time before the Oscars. Years ago (pre-4 kids), Tony and I would watch the Oscars and make a night of it, with snacks and the whole bit. The last few years I hardly watched at all because when you haven't seen any of the movies it proves to be a lot less interesting. So this year I will watch and if nothing else, I have seen at least one of the nominees.
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SuperBowl is beginning to become a family affair. Strange, considering only one out of six of us actually likes to watch the game. But when it involves Dad taking you to the bulk candy aisle to load up for your watching pleasure it makes everyone a fan. Today we ate more junkfood than I would care to remember. Don't ask me what teams were playing? :)