They forgot to tell the mall...

Driving by the mall in our area that is PACKED with cars ALL the time, you would NEVER know that the country is in an economic recession or downturn, or whatever term we are using today. Our gas is $1.41 today compared to $4.15 earlier this fall. While I think this is good, economists are telling me it is bad. Interesting. Just some random thoughts on the economy. Praise God He is our provider! He never goes into recession!

One of those days, Thanksgiving style....

Why is it, that the day before the day of the year when we are supposed to be SO thankful, I have a bad day. I am just having one of those frustrating days. I wouldn't trade my life for ANYTHING! and as I tried to explain my frustration to Tommy, I just felt guilty. The thing is, other jobs in the world, allow for sick days, vacation days and paid time off. AND if someone is just plain having a bad day, they can even lie and call in sick. I tried that, the stay-at-home mom HR line was busy this morning.

Please tell me no one saw that!!!

Do you ever have one of those moments where your reaction to a situation is so embarrassing, at least you think it was, because you really had an out of body experience? Today I noticed a tear in a garbage bag full of garbage in our garage. So I got another bag to double-bag. While I was in the process of placing the first bag in the second, a MOUSE jumped out of the bag! I was screaming and doing some sort of jitter-bug dance. Olivia was mortified. I pray that no one else saw my reaction, but how can I ever be sure? I am still not over it! EWWWW!!!!

A good love story

Tommy was gone tonight for a work function, so I put the kids to bed early and watched Made of Honor. CUTE movie! Good chick-flick for all of you with husbands like mine who ROLLED their eyes when this particular movie came in the mail (Netflix). I love a good love story, makes me remember the early years of my own love story. (Wow, apparently they also make me sappy!) OK, back to real life, where a kiss with my hubby involves two little people pulling on our legs, asking for a "bubby and sissy sandwich" (We hold them in the middle and have a family hug). Right now this stage of my love story is perfect.

Forgot the camera... blogging blunder

On Saturday we took the kids to Turkey Run State Park, and I left the camera in the car while we hiked!!!! The kids had so much fun! they were so muddy but had a ball. The caverns are incredible!

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Here is our touchdown baby! I love getting pictures of the kids while they sleep, so peaceful.

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Olivia is dealing with alot of 3-year-old stress. She is VERY concerned about not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve night and is worried that Santa will skip our house. This has been a whole new thing for me, I didn't grow up with the Santa thing. But we decided to do it with the kids, but really emphasize Jesus' birthday as well. So there will be a cake, candles and the happy birthday song. Today Olivia wore her Santa dress, red velvet with white trim. Everyone at Target noticed that she was rushing the season....

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Finally, I am thinking I should be very embarrassed by this next picture, but instead I think it is funny. This basket is holding all of the toys that were under the living room furniture. That is so bad, that I am cracking up! How does it get like this? Why don't I care enough to clean them out more often? Funny.

Today's Thoughts...

Jamie and I were just talking about how kids learn to sing our names. Remember when Logan was saying "oney' for "mommy", now he is copying Olivia and singing it for my attention... "mooooommmmyyyyyy". How do they learn that? Funny!

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Here is Olivia in this week's favorite outfit. A leotard and skirt.

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Here is a video of Logan saying my favorite word, at the moment, "butterfly". Sorry its kind of bumpy, but he was reaching for the camera...

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I was itching for a change, I soooo get that way! I just need to do something different, so I painted a wall! Its not finished, I need to hang the mirror and do some touch-ups. Here is the before.....

and the after....

what do you think?

Way Back...

I love it when I hear a song and am instantly taken back in time. This morning it was "Father Abraham" (on one of the kid's cds) and I was back at the Church of the Brethren with Jill and Brad. I think we were 5. Fun memories!!!

What songs have you heard recently that took you back in time?

Coats and Socks

Hi 86F Lo 69F

In my quest to be the ever-thankful, no matter the circumstance, child of God, I try really hard to see the positive side of everything. While I do struggle with this at times, I really do try hard. SO when we are the middle of one of the long seasons of the year, either summer or winter, I have days when I am wishing it was which-ever one it isn't, just for a mintue. Does that make sense? For instance today, took the kids for a walk. It was hot. Took the kids to an indoor playground, it was hot. Took the kids to the church, it was hot getting from the car into the building. Get the picture? At that moment I was thinking winter sounded pretty good.

BUT I do not want to wish away this season. SO I started listing, in my mind, what I loved about summer and the heat.

• The kids don't wear coats, meaning I am not stuffing kids who are too busy to stop to put on a coat, into a coat, then getting them into the car seat, where they are uncomfortable, THEN carting the coats around after they quickly take them off at our destination.
• No socks! If I happen to fall behind on the laundry (not that that EVER happens! I kid, I kid) the last thing that gets done is the sock matching. SO if we are in a hurry and the kids need socks, they may not end up with a matching pair. This really isn't a big deal, but considering the fact that your kid now doesn't have matching socks on, adding the reality that you stink at laundry, and if it happens to be that time of the month, you certainly have the makings of a good pity-party.
• Playing outside. This is a big one. I am pretty convinced that God gave moms spring, summer AND fall as opportunities to take the kids outside almost everyday. I am a winter wimp. (I know, hard to believe since I grew up in the tundra). I don't care to bundle up the kids very often, step outside into the snow and have to run back in to take someone potty.
• It stays light later - I feel that my energy often fades with the sun. So in winter, some call it seasonal-depression, I call it "the lights go out too early".
• Watching Logan run to the door when we say the magic words "go outside". I certainly don't say that very often in the winter. Maybe this winter will be different, I am vowing right now to play outside more!

These are just a few of the reasons that tomorrow when it is HOT and I am carrying a child, a big purse and probably some groceries, I WILL NOT wish, although just for a moment, that I could feel the cold air of winter on my face.

Stay tuned for the "why I love winter" post in December.

The Skinny About Post-Baby Bodies

I seem to be constantly struggling with the pros and cons of my post-baby body. (Actually, I couldn't really pinpoint a pro, except of course the babies themselves, HA!) Anyway, it was so refreshing to read what Gwen Stefani had to say recently regarding her post-baby body:

She says, “I’ve spent a lot of time wasted on it, thinking about it. Nowadays, I just try to realize how stupid it is, because nobody cares - except me!”

Rock on girlfriend!!!!

(To the VERY DEAR friend of mine with whom (just last night) I shared a late-evening phone conversation concerning this very matter, here is our new motto! Love you!!)

Indulgence

Thanks to Olivia's new-found love of the gas station, I am getting my chocolate-peanut butter-cup fix on a regular basis. So today, Tommy and the kids are outside playing in the pool, I should be doing the dishes but instead I am blogging and enjoying a peanut butter cup and iced tea. Life is GOOD! AND the movie Fool's Gold just came via Netflix! So fun to look forward to tonight!

New License Plates

I am a little bummed the the State of Indiana is using new license plates. I liked that the number code for the county of residence was on the license plate. I would get so excited when I saw a "20". I wanted to run up to them and say "I used to be a "20""! Now the plates are just random. I also remember getting excited on road trips into different states, when we saw an Indiana plate we check to see the county on the plate. How fun to be in a place like Florida and see a "20"! Oh well, I am all for change, but for me, this one is harder to get used to.

I LOVE MAGAZINES!

I absolutely love magazines, particularly home magazines. They are currently not in the budget, however, I do check out older issues at the library (can't tear out the pages though, bummer) and my mother-in-law, who shares my love of magazines, has given me lots of gift subscriptions. Currently I receive: Indianapolis Monthly, Traditional Home and Home. I also get to read Dotty's Architectural Digest when she is done with them. Today, a Country Home issue came, not sure if this is part of one of the others or not, but I enjoyed it! I would not consider my home decor country, at all, but I loved the pictures in this issue. I love how the photographs of rooms in magazines are SO inviting and SO cozy! In the past Kerri and I had received gift subscriptions to Southern Living (Thanks Kathy!) and I really enjoyed that one too!

All this to say, I really love magazines. Every now and then, when I can't resist the urge, I buy a celebrity gossip magazine at the check-out. I love to buy them as gifts when friends have babies. They are great to read when stuck in a hospital room. I recently purchased two of them for Kerri when she had silas (April) and I love her for keeping them until I could read them! The Internet is making them easier to resist. I too love ICYDK.com (our guilty indulgence, right Jill?). What magazines do you all receive and love?

Sidenote: I think I should start getting into more fashion magazines since I am in my thirties now and always seem to be a season behind the current trend...

Mama Mia

I am so excited for this movie!!!! It is my goal to see it in the next few weeks (we NEVER get to the movies!). Has anyone seen it?


http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809902249/trailer#5585728

Who is Superior?

This is too funny! God truly did create us all equal!

Women are superior to men. If you don't believe that, you boys try having a baby.

But then, men are superior to women. If you don't believe that, you women try having one without us.