what the...

so... i was just cruising through the living room and glanced out the front window. this is what i saw... or see... see-saw...

it's a grass fire. i know it's not the best picture, but it was hard to get a good shot, without flash, in the dark, with a 3 year old tugging at my shorts and whining about being hungry. i feed my children. really, i do. back to the fire... it's a little creepy. kind of cool, but only as long as it stays far, far away.

but, i'm starving...

8:00 is bedtime at my house for the three little people. cale got up once to tell us that his forehead hurt. he wasn't sure what happened but whatever it was, it was an accident. daddy carried him back to bed, covered him back up, and told him good night... again. the second time cale got up was to tell me that he was "starving". now, i know better than that. there are children in third world countries who didn't have four (yes, 4) pancakes for dinner. they are starving. no, i didn't tell him all of that. he's only 3! that'd open up a whole can i'm not ready to tackle. i did tell him that it was bedtime and he needed to go back. then... i heard his tummy. ok, so maybe he was hungry. i'm beginning to think he has a tapeworm. it's all the time with the eating. i know he's a growing boy, but goodness. lucky for my starving boy, daddy came to the rescue... and i headed for my jammies...

daddy and cale had a little snackie-snackie before bed...

this has to be one of my new favorites... cale is the sweetest boy. ever.

at this very moment, that adoreable mug is snuggled with daddy in my bed, reading a book. bedtime? later.

standardized tests are this week, oh my!

gracie and jordan were riding in the backseat last night discussing the woes of kindergarten (because there are so many). i heard gracie tell jordan that this next week, her class would be having "bear tests". the bear tests are the standardized tests that are given each year... or every other year... whenever. you know, the tests that you had to fill in the gazillion bubbles. i don't think they were called "bear tests", and i'm sure the tests have slightly different requirements for kindergarteners than when i was little, but i do remember the "need" for a large number of very sharp #2 pencils. ok, back to gracie and jordan... so, gracie was explaining that there would be three, yes three, days of testing. as if that wasn't bad enough to her, she went on to tell jordan that they would have to draw all kinds of shapes, numbers, and letters... and all the drawings had to be perfect. but, according to gracie, the worst part of the bear tests... wait for it... wait for it... and i quote,

"i think they make you spell chicken... all by yourself!!!"

the tooth fairy was here!

at 4:45 this morning i discovered (thank you, gracie) that the tooth fairy seems to be more exciting at the moment than christmas! she came running in, woke me up, and shoved the five dollar bill in my face. i finally had to explain to her that as exciting as the moment was, i had a few more minutes to sleep. i closed my eyes for a few short seconds... and then the alarm went off. ok, so it was probably more than a few seconds, but who's accurately counting at 4:45 am?

anyway, when she went in to get dressed, gracie discovered that the tooth fairy left her a note! what?!?!? left a note? apparently the tooth fairy wanted to make sure that gracie understood that each tooth will not net her an additional $5.00. what will the tooth fairy leave next, you ask? not sure. depends what's in her wallet, i guess. maybe the tooth fairy should stash some cash for the occasional unexpected loss of a tooth... that would make for a smart tooth fairy.

oh, and in case you're wondering... millie and mollie didn't scare off the tooth fairy. they didn't even bark... i don't even think they moved. some guard dogs.

p.s. i found cale examining his smile in the mirror earlier, and when i asked what he might be doing he said "lookin' for any loosed teeth"!

oh, glorious day!

what a big day this has been! six years (pretty much to the week, if you can believe it) in the making. my baby lost her first tooth today! when she was 11 weeks old, i took her to our old pediatrician and told him i thought she was teething. he, with his many years of child wisdom and me as a first-time mom, dismissed the notion. guess who was right? it's ok. that was my first lesson in paying attention to the "mama knower". you know the whole "it's my child, i know when it's something"! well, that was it for me. anyway, back to the girl... she lost her tooth! ok, let's be honest for a moment... she "lost" it with the help of miss karla. i was really rooting for her to get it out herself, but it just wasn't happenin'. poppy offered to get his pliers yesterday, but she ever so politely turned him down. can't imagine why? miss karla offered "jelly" so she wouldn't feel much of it... gracie hopped in the chair. there were a few tears, but so worth it. she is beside herself with excitement. gracie now joins the ranks of the kindergarteners who've finally lost a tooth! she's not the only one anymore!!!

awww... she is so cute. dang. i know that's my baby, but she is so stinkin' cute! i'll have to let you know what the tooth fairy brings... the real one. she's coming to our house. apparently she's going to leave money. the tooth fairy was given a suggestion of $5 and one for $20... thanks lulu. yeah, thanks a lot.

in case you don't know, gracie met the tooth fairy at school. the real tooth fairy. the r-e-a-l one. just making sure you get it. that's how gracie explained "the meeting" to me. apparently she's real and she wears a big puffy blue dress and she has real wings!

good luck, tooth fairy, getting past millie and mollie.

cale's just on here 'cause he talked me into it. he'd like to lose a tooth just because he wants 100 shiny coins.

i think the tooth fairy can handle that one!

awww... i just thought this was cute. and gracie actually wanted to pose with him. normally she screams 'cause he's near her... had to take advantage of the opportunity!

saturday night dinner

last night i decided it was time (again) for some good home cookin'. nothin' like a little fried chicken (ok, so they were chicken fingers), mashed potatoes, and gravy... homemade gravy.

i love to cook. i love to cook just about anything. it was a 2 1/2 hour meal preparation, but well worth it... if you don't mind that i say so myself! frying chicken "fingers", some good country music in the background, a nice glass of wine, and a little 2-steppin' with the kiddos mid-batches. now that's my kind of saturday night fun!

we sort of snacked our way to the dinner table. little nibbles here and there... and there and here... as i was cooking. yum.

what was the best part, you might ask? yeah, that gravy. it was as good as it looks. that has to be the best gravy i've ever made. let me pause for a moment and thank the best mother-in-law ever for teaching me to make the best gravy ever! thank you. i thank you, my husband thanks you, and my children thank you... oh, and the doggies, too! y'all come over sometime and i'll fix you some, too!

spring break 2011

i remember when i was little and how exciting spring break was. just being out of school was something to look forward to, any spring break activities were a bonus! my favorite times... curled up in a chair with a nancy drew book.

this week was gracie's spring break. she has played with friends, had a trip to the zoo (where she bumped into cale and lily... twice!), and topped the week off with girls' day out.

what does one do for our special "girls' day out"? this is spring break... we can't do just anything. it needs to be memorable. what exactly is memorable to a couple of six year olds?

• bowling? no... gracie doesn't bowl (which, by the way, is another story in itself).
• movies? nothing good out.
• painting the living room? "that's no fun, mom"!
• painting... pottery? yes!!!!

we worked very hard at painting our ceramics. gracie painted a cat, a dog, and a trivet. jordan picked a baseball, a fish, and also a trivet. mama painted a little plate. it was tedious... for me, anyway. they slapped the paint on and were ready to go. not me. it had to be perfect. i wanted to make it pretty and special. just so you know... it's so not as easy as it looks. back to the girls... as soon as they were done, they declared that they were star-ving! so...

we headed for lunch at an old soda fountain! so fun, and the food was yummy! we had such a great time.

this is the first of many fantastic times with the girls!

yay, me!

you know i told you my mother-in-law is teaching me to sew... well, i've been practicing this afternoon! yesterday, when we finally escaped these 4 walls, i went to the fabric store with big plans. i've got ideas. big ideas. however, i decided that since i've only sewn (is that a word? and if so, is that how it is spelled? hmmm... mom? this is a whole new language i'll have to learn). anyway, back to what i was saying... 4 straight lines. that's it. 4. so, i thought a pillowcase might be a good place to start.

i thought i was doing really well until i actually started sewing. then... problem. a big problem. the machine wasn't stitching. i'd threaded the needle and there was plenty of thread in the bobbin, but it was not working. so, after 45 minutes of threading and re-threading, i called in the big guns. marcia suggested i text a picture of how i'd threaded the machine and she'd see what was wrong. that was it. she told how to thread it the right way, and then it was all better. genius! it's amazing how well things work when they're operated correctly! then, i was off and sewin'...


cute, huh!?!?! a little j.d. tractor action for cale. it turned out pretty good, if i say so myself!
i've also had this ongoing problem with cale and the blankets he uses at night. he moves so much, they won't stay on him or the bed. a couple of weeks ago, i was pondering this whole problem. then i had an idea! i know, you can smell the rubber from the wheels turning. don't laugh, it's a really good idea. i made fleece blanket with a pocket at the end that fits snuggly over the end of his mattress so it won't come off. it's just enough of a pocket that his feet fit nicely down in it, but not too much that he has a hard time getting out. the only issue is that i didn't make it wide enough. we still may have to put another blanket on top of him, but at least this one won't come off!

see. i don't think it's quite long enough on the sides. maybe i'll just have to make another...

sideview of the pocket.

cale loves the blanket... he told me i was the "smartest, bestest mama in the whole world". i know, sweet right?

blizzard... day 4

it's day 4. 4 days. inside. together.

the kids played outside on wednesday for a few minutes and then a few minutes yesterday. both times they came in crying cause they were cold and their fingers were freezing.
i didn't hear a peep about going outside today!

tonight it was time to break out the big guns. the troops are restless. this called for unveiling a big surprise. i've been saving it for a special occasion. drum roll, please (and, i mean from the entire drumline)...

yes, folks... you're seeing what you think you're seeing!
it's super mario brothers.


and... they l-o-v-e it! i love that they're enjoying it so much!

luigi died. it's so sad. oh, gotta go... my turn!

blizzard... day 2

good morning from the ranch!

somewhere out there is a road. buried, but there... somewhere. snow's out there, we're in here. kyle has cabin fever... grace and cale want to play in the snow (not gonna happen. have you seen the wind chill? kyle will be one big hive.)... and even lily has been asking to "go bye-bye". i have one gallon of milk left and one package of butter. what will happen if i run out of butter? oh my, let's not even think about it.
mr road, oh how i wish you'd show your asphalt face.

gotta go. gracie is playing dentist and it's time to get my teeth cleaned...

evening blizzard update

let me share my day, in a nutshell.

most of the day, i've had one of these...

and my tootsies have been roasty-toasty in these...

my toes are still in the houseshoes, but now i've moved on to...

yay for snowdays!

afternoon blizzard update

welcome back! it's the afternoon update of the blizzard of 2011.

out the front...

out the back...

and this sweet little tree. it's a little over 3 feet tall, and all you can see is the tips of the arms and the top branch.

guess what? it's still snowing.

millie and mollie

we're in the middle of a "blizzard" at the ranch and the girls are in the mood to play...

morning blizzard update

the morning update from the ranch...

out the front...

out my bedroom window...

and out the back, we have the growing drift.

mollie finally ventured off the porch, which was really funny to watch. she took off running and leaping... and she's got moves i've never seen.

she was waiting for me to stop taking pictures and let her back in. poor thing!

blizzard 2011

in case you don't know... it's snowing at the ranch. a bunch. a whole bunch.

this is a look out our front window. i know you can't see the porch, but that drift is probably 2 feet deep. it's blowing so hard that there are ripples in the snow out through the yard.

the girls didn't make if off the back porch! they ventured to the edge and came right back to the door. and no, they didn't want to go back out!

this is a snowdrift at the edge of the back porch and corner of the house. that brick is at least 3 feet high.

the kids are so excited. they're ready to build a snowman. minnie just wants to make sure we don't lose them in the front yard later!

stay tuned... i'll keep you updated on our blizzard. what else am i gonna do today?

our new hobby!

today, gracie and i found our new hobby. grandma taught us how to sew! i wish i'd had the camera when gracie heard that sewing machine start humming. oh, and when grandma said she had pink thread to sew a blanket, you'd have thought we told her we were going to disney world. gracie was giddy! she sat for the longest time and just watched grandma work on some curtains (ok, so i sat there riveted too). we both just stared in awe. i know it seems silly, but it's one of those things i've never learned to do and have wanted to. i have a friend who quilts... that's something i'd love to be able to do! sure, i can sew on a button if needed and i do own a pin cushion (that hasn't seen the light of day since i was in fha in 9th grade).

now, i give you the proof...

grandma had a great idea to give her a needle and thread, i found an old shirt, and gracie spent a while "needling"
(that's sewing in 6 year old terms).

gracie made a ruffle on the bottom of my tank top.

so proud of her work!

then, grandma let me take a spin with her sewing machine...

grandma's idea for me to sew edges on a blanket and then for gracie to cut the fringed edges. gracie was so excited about her blanket, she's going to take it for her special show and tell (she's student of the week!).

ok, so i really enjoyed it. i mean really. grandma told me i needed to practice 'cause the next lesson is cutting patterns. she said we might make some dresses for the girls. yay! oh, the things i could sew... so, i'm thinking a blanket for cale and maybe a pillow case (or two) will be practice. so the little fleece blanket isn't a quilt... one step at a time, right?

homemade buzz

you read the title, and i know what you're thinking... you're wrong.

last night, i was in the kitchen trying to get the plates, silverware, napkins, drinks, rolls, and butter (ahhh, yes... the butter) ready for dinner. kyle fixed linguini and roasted garlic sauce and was hovering over the sauce. as if that wasn't enough going on in our kitchen, gracie pranced through (with cale on her heels) requesting scissors and tape. i glanced over to see that she had several paper sacks in her hands already. you may be thinking, "what could her imagination be cooking up"? not what i was thinking. mine had something to do with dinner being ready and the mess we'd have to clean up. i decided to let this one go. glad i did.

2 paper sacks + scissors + lots of tape + grace and cale's imagination =

buzz lightyear vest and wings!

happy 6th birthday, gracie!

oh, what a day this has been... starting at 5:30! no, i didn't wake her. lily did. and since, it's been full of excitement and sugar... and birthday boots!

• birthday donuts for her class treat.
• lunch with daddy... her choice... chili's.
• family dinner... her choice... mcdonalds (specifically "the big one"). let me pause here and tell you that i offered to take her anywhere** she wanted to go for her birthday dinner. i mean anywhere**. apparently i didn't explain that "anywhere**" means you have to look at the footnotes, and here it means no mcdonalds. next time, i'll be sure to explain the limitations before i make the offer!
• dessert/birthday cake... mama's suprise... cherry berry (yum!) with aunt b and big dad.

we sang "happy birthday" and i'm pretty sure much of cherry berry did, too!

then... it was off to get her a pair of boots. yes, that's what she asked for. my little heart was pitter-pattering when she picked them out. she loves them!

my little cowgirl!

she's adoreable in them.

on the way home from getting her boots, i was telling her about the day she was born. i told her about holding her and staring at her. i told her how in love i've been with her from the first moment. i told her how thankful that i am that God gave her to me. i told her how proud of her i am and how much i enjoy being with her. i paused and then she spoke... "um ok, but... are you done, cause i want your phone"... really? really. someday she'll understand. someday.

gracie's birthday eve

tonight is the night before gracie's 6th birthday. wow. 6 years already! as she was getting ready for bed, we were talking about this being her last night as a 5 year old. about how this was the last time she'd brush her teeth as a 5 year old... and how it was the last time she'd brush her hair as a 5 year old... and so on. so, then i asked her what the best part of being 5 was... she said "being your daughter". that was the best answer ever.

God knew i needed that... and her.

first snow of the season

ahhh... the first snow of the season. remember how exciting it was? i do. started last night at the ranch, and ended this afternoon. unfortunately, there's not much to show for the extended timeline. but to my children it didn't matter. you'd have thought it had snowed 2 feet by their excitement. the entire way home from school, they discussed playing in it. meanwhile, i was trying to talk them out of it. it's really cold, ok? there's not enough there to do anything. but, cale wanted to make a snow angel and gracie wanted to build a snowman. oh, and gracie also wanted to make snow ice cream. um, no gracie. definitely not enough for that! we pulled into the garage, they piled out, and straight to the snow they went.

oh the excitement... giddiness abounds...

what a good big sister... gracie voluntarily showed cale how to make a snowball.

what an arm... can you see that snowball (look closely on the road)... aunt kathy would be so proud.

gracie, ever the sweet big sister, offered to throw one at cale. he tucked and ran.

the entire "first snow of the season" experience lasted about 90 seconds. oh, well. there's always next time.

hot chocolate, anyone?

meet my... new love...

oh ok, i know... i should be blogging about christmas with the kids... or the 2 1/2 weeks we played musical sickies... or that jack (the elf) had to go back to the north pole until next year... or all kinds of other blog-worthy activities that have been keeping busy.

instead, for my blogging return i've chosen to introduce you to...

drum roll please...

yes, folks... that's right... those are my feet in my boots. my new boots. christmas present from the hubby. one present i'll not be returning, thank you. for those of you that know me well, well you know about me returning gifts. maybe my dad should go with him more often. just kidding, honey! (dad... i'm really not kidding.) the boots... well they're cute. really cute. like hot mama cute. he's really proud of himself. he should be.

i'm so excited i may just sleep in them.