~ Random Thoughts ~

Albums cont...

2011-09-03T10:22:00.001-07:00

Just do it, I have to live that way.
If not projects will sit around forever.
So I got some double-sided tape, and eyeballed it as I was going.
I really like how it turned out. I am sure
there is a smarter way, but for now it's perfect,
and I am so glad to have something on that huge empty wall!

A couple months ago, my fabulous sister Cami
made a darling Family Rules Printable. She was
also kind enough to do a bunch of different colored ones,
and let people download them here for free. I had this
long frame, so I decided to steal her idea and resize it
to fit my needs. I also added a few rules.
This frame is from IKEA, so if anyone wants a
long one for their house. Let me know:)

Comments please

2011-09-01T15:13:00.001-07:00

My grandmother had an amazing album
collection. I remember so many times sitting in
her wonderful bedroom up on North Central.
listening to her music. I loved it when she would sing along.
She had an amazing walk-in closet, tons of fabulous jewelry,
and a bathroom full of so many goodies. I could have spent
hours in there. A few weeks ago we moved her into an
assisted living home, and we were invited to come and get some mementos
for our home. I got some wonderful things when we did this
years ago when she moved out of her home on North Central.
This time I was drawn to the records, I really thought they would be
fun to use as artwork perhaps? I only grabbed about 14, so today
I lined them up. I think they might be fun to have
on our big blank wall in the front room or maybe as
semi headboards for the girl's beds? I keep going back
to the front room. I need some ideas...

What do you think?

8/31/11 (Again)

2011-08-31T21:41:00.001-07:00

Apparently Buffy likes her quiet time as well :)

8/31/11

2011-08-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

Kids in bed,
quiet time for mom

"According to their faith",
I needed that tonight...

I kinda dropped the ball the last few days,
I'll try to make it up though:)

Happy Birthday

2011-08-26T22:10:00.001-07:00

Warning: This post has a major Macy photo overload, and I cut a ton out. When my girl is this cute, I just have to put lots of pics:)

She started a new smile, and she
has the squinty eyes.
SO I either get her sad with eyes open,
or cheesy with squinty eyes.
I hope this phase doesn't last too long!

She's so darling, I just can't get enough of her!
Look at that hair, is that so much fun?!?

Did you catch her toe pop?
Man this girl is gonna be trouble
(both of them)

She was so unsure when everyone sang to her,
she is so timid, she really doesn't like the attention.

Macy and Audrey, too cute!

I love her face, she was so anxious to open that gift

We had a fun little party with family and a few close friends. She wanted cookies & brownies with ice cream. I baked all day, and she was happy. She waited anxiously all day, ready for her party to start. I hope she's not too sad tomorrow when she wakes up and realizes it's all over:(

This little girl has brought so much joy to our lives. It's crazy to think that 4 years ago, we thought we were done having kids. I was happy with our family, and really didn't think anything was missing. Boy was I wrong!

When I got pregnant, it was a really rough time for us, and I was so unsure of why she was being sent to us right now. The timing would have been so much better 2 years earlier. It's amazing how well my Heavenly Father knows me, he knew the things that I was going to go through, and he knew I was going to need her joy in my life. Baby and toddler joy is so different from bigger kid joy, and I needed her as a baby then. Does that even make sense? It does to me. She is pure happiness, and our bigger kids need this sweet little girl to keep them from growing up too fast.

There is nothing better than hearing her giggle with Andy, after climbing up the ladder to his bed. Hearing her squeal in fear and laughter as she is running away from Cooper. Watching Buffy always being willing to play house and kitchen with her, and Chloe giving her make-overs and doing her nails. They always have time for her. I am sad that she is growing up, I don't think our family is ready to not have a baby in the house. I'm not. I'm so sad for me when she starts school on Monday, and I am secretly hoping she hates it so I can keep her home. Unfortunately I am sure she will love it, so I will have to deal with it.

I can't wait to continue to watch her grow, I have a feeling this girl is going to surprise us all. Watch out world, here comes Mason Lane!

8/26/11

2011-08-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

This girl LOVES to paint...

(I love how pretty the colors are all mixed together,
until they become that grayish brown)

She prefers my toll paints, or acrylics
instead of washable water colors :(

She is so serious about her art

8/25/11

2011-08-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

Gotta love high school homework...
She's so smart though
(I think even smarter than I was,
maybe she's just more dedicated)
She is definitely gonna go far.

The result

2011-08-24T12:23:00.001-07:00

(a little closer to see the fabric)

Macy & Victor wondering when
the party's gonna start...

I made this sign last year,
but I don't think I've ever posted it.
I love it, and it is basically up for the next 6 months.
This is our crazy time:
August - Macy's b-day
September - My b-day
October - Andy's b-day, and Halloween
November - Cooper's b-day and Thanksgiving
December - Chloe's b-day, Christmas and New Year's Eve
January - Jon's b-day, and our anniversary
February - Buffy's b-day and Valentine's

I know, it's insane...

I have wanted to make one of these bunting banners,
and finally just did it. I just kinda guessed as I went
along, I'm sure I could have found a great
tutorial, but I'm happy with the finished result.
It's double sided, so if someday I want to add
lettering, I can. It definitely adds some cheer to the front room:)

8/23/11

2011-08-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

I got the urge to make something,
and I did it. I love it when that happens!
Pics to come...

8/22/11

2011-08-23T09:53:00.000-07:00

The babies LOVED having the house to themselves,
no big kids to bother them!

My Buffy going into 5th Grade

Andyboy (he's probably too old to be called
that now), going into 7th Grade

8/21/11

2011-08-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

More Sunday loves on the bed.
Macy is supposed to be taking a nap,
but she knows how to butter her daddy up:)

8/20/11

2011-08-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

We went to Ikea over the weekend to get
the little Miss a tall stool, so she could wash her hands
all by herself. Now she also goes in and soaks her
hair completely, at least 3 times a day(all by herself).
She always comes out and asks me if she's beautiful.
The answer is always the same,
"The most beautiful."

8/19/11

2011-08-23T09:13:00.001-07:00

I love my new pillows,
and the kids love throwing them on the ground.
It's a win/win...

8/18/11

2011-08-23T09:07:00.000-07:00

Before...

During...

After...

I'm not crazy about the vase, and I need
my mom or brother or sister's artistic abilities
to add some shadowing and more foliage.
All in all though, I really like it, and it was
so fun to do! Now I want to head out to some thrift
stores to get more paintings to make over!
Also, I could use some suggestions on what color to paint the Frame.
I want bright and fun, help me! I'm leaning towards yellow...

8/17/11

2011-08-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

(Victor, Cameron, William, Audrey, Macy, Lola, Buffy, Rose, Tommy & Max)

Just another day at the zoo...

Things I LOVE about this pic

Macy folding her ears, she does it all day long
William's shoes on he wrong feet
Macy's dirty feet, she never wants to wear shoes
Buffy the baby whisperer always helping

Who needs paper?

2011-08-16T21:12:00.001-07:00

I think I need a little more...

a little lipstick

Perfect!
These two LOVE painting, too bad they'd
rather paint themselves than the paper.
I love washable watercolors:)

8/16/11

2011-08-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

I've been working on something that involves
these. I'm really enjoying it! I love having an
outlet for creativity every once in a while.
Hopefully I can show the finished product soon...

8/15/11

2011-08-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Buffy was so excited over the size
of this cheese curd, she ran to take a
pic with it. That girl cracks me up, and
might like cheese curds from Culver's
a little too much...

8/14/11

2011-08-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

It never fails,
once I decide to go in my room
for some quiet time on a Sunday afternoon,
they all come follow. So we have a giant wrestling
match, play No Stinky Kids on the Bed, snuggle,
laugh, yell, push each other off, Jon likes to hold me
down because he knows how much I HATE it, wet willies etc...
I decided we needed to document it today.
I love my family!

8/13/11

2011-08-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

I love my cereal jars.
I no longer have to deal with having
every cereal box left on the kitchen table
after the kids eat breakfast (even if they
don't eat cereal, because they like to look
at the boxes). These make me very happy:)

8/12/12

2011-08-12T16:18:00.001-07:00

Did you know you could buy kitties at
Target? Too funny, I got out of the shower and
found her like this. This is one weird cat...
She fits right into our craziness!

8/11/11

2011-08-12T16:16:00.001-07:00

My new sunglasses, they make me so happy...
It also makes me happy that our FSA account
paid for them, sweet! I would have continued to
by $5 Target glasses for the rest of my life...
(Yes, they are classic Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Because
I am cool enough, ha!)

8/10/11

2011-08-10T19:10:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh, I love her little
Fred Flinstone feet dangling from the potty.
She makes me so happy;)

8/9/11

2011-08-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

So we painted and rearranged our front room
this weekend, because I woke up and realized
that if I lived with this set-up and color for another
day, I would lose my mind. I needed a change.
Not crazy about the color, but maybe once I get more
done I will. I redid my mantel. Not sure if I'm crazy about it,
but I am IN LOVe with this pic taken by my
darling, talented friend Ashley, of
Sunshine and Shade Photography. It makes me
so happy. I also LOVE my new owl (the one on the perch), it has
been at my Grandma's for as long as I can remember and I am so
happy I was able to take it as a memento.

8/8/11

2011-08-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

Macy is potty trained!!!
As she would say "Hippy!!!"
Nothing better than cute little toddler buns,
in darling "polkie-pot" undies.
I especially love her dress tucked in from
when she pulled them up...

8/7/11

2011-08-08T14:43:00.001-07:00

Sleepy girl,
she always calms down after the babies
are down for naps. I put on her show (rather sneakily),
she gets enticed to the couch, and before you
know it she has calmed down, and sometimes even
falls asleep...

8/6/11

2011-08-08T14:39:00.001-07:00

Andy enjoying his quiet time on the computer.

8/5/11

2011-08-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

Buffy's play-doh creation...
Love that girl!

8/4/11

2011-08-05T13:26:00.001-07:00

Kitty has been part of our family for about a month.
Macy is still so timid around her. She loves Kitty
when she's calm, but freaks out when she is running around,
jumping, chewing, scratching, playing. She never
wants to hold her, and the few times she has,
Kitty isn't in the mood to be held. So today when
Kitty fell asleep on my lap, I knew it was my chance.
I gently moved her next to Macy, and Kitty slowly
moved onto her lap. I don't think Macy even noticed until
I took the picture. Sweet girl and her Kitty:)

8/3/11

2011-08-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

The 1st week of the month is always crazy. Between Trailer Park stuff, and Jon's church and scout meetings, I am usually beat. Wednesday night Jon had a particularly LONG meeting (like 10:30 at night). So this was the only thing that was going to get me through Thursday night while he was at his Roundtable meeting. Nothing like an ice cold Coke, and a Snickers. Chocolate and Coke go together like PB & J!

August 2

2011-08-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'm so thankful that Macy & Victor love each other so much!
What a better way to watch cartoons, than holding your
besties hand, and laying on her belly!
(sorry it's a cruddy photo, I was sneaking
hoping they wouldn't notice)

August Break

2011-08-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

So I decided to join along with The August Break. It will help me to get back to my blogging, without being to time consuming. We'll see:)

zoo

2011-08-02T13:43:00.001-07:00

Macy seriously kills me
with how cute she is!

Before it was completely miserable, we headed over to the zoo to meet Cami and her kiddos. We were excited to go into the new Orangutan exhibit. We did a Kai Lan tour for Macy. If you don't have a 2 year old, you probably have no clue who Kai Lan is. Ni Hao Kai Lan is a show on Nick Jr, and Macy LOVES it. In the show there is a Panda, Tiger, Monkey and Rhino. So we saw all of those animals, and she told us their names. I was really hoping to get to the San Diego Zoo this summer so she could see a Panda Bear, another time I guess... The kids then had a blast playing in the water. I love going to the zoo because it completely exhausts everyone, and they all sleep fabulously that afternoon or evening!

Rock Springs

2011-08-02T13:34:00.001-07:00

For years we have heard about the pies at Rock Springs Cafe, and have always wanted to try it out. When we went camping in May with the Finn's, we were going to stop and get some on our way home. Little did we know we would be speeding home because Chloe was in the hospital with the 1st of her seizures, so it didn't happen.

A couple weeks later, Jon had to drop off his papers at Az Game & Fish, and we realized it was only about 25 miles more to head over for pie. It was a lazy day, and we asked who wanted to go for a drive. Cooper, Macy & Buffy joined us. We got out and ran around, it had a nice little outdoor area to explore. Then Jon decided on the apple pie, and bought me a slice of coconut cream. We headed home, picked up our other kids, and went over to mom's house to share. Apparently we got them hooked, because when they went up to Munds Park a month later, they stopped and got pies on the way home for all of us. I can't wait for another road trip:)

Graduation

2011-08-02T13:20:00.001-07:00

Chloe and Coco
( 2 of my favorite girlies ever!)

So somehow I have a child old enough to have graduated from 8th grade. I'm still confused, because I still feel like I am 25... Something is off I guess.

We found her dress like 2 months before graduation on CLEARANCE (woohoo), but right before graduation she started 2nd guessing it. So we searched some more, but she came back to this one. I thought it and she was beautiful. I was so proud of her. She had an amazing 8th grade year, she did well in school, and has really decided to take it seriously. Her teachers loved her, her administrators loved her, her friends loved her. I am so sad she decided to leave her school for a different high school, but she is ready for new adventures.

I am so proud of Chloe's desire to do what is right, and to be modest. She was so beautiful, and was so age appropriate for the night. Some of the girls dresses and shoes made me cringe, I couldn't understand how mother's would let their daughters already dress like that! I am glad she doesn't fight me, and understands that modest is the hottest! What an amazing girl I have, I am one lucky mama!

For her gift we went and got her some black sparkly TOMS. I knew she needed new shoes for the dance, but I really didn't want to get her heels that she wouldn't wear. She LOVED the shoes, and when she decided to add the daring belt to her dress from H&M, the outfit totally turned into Chloe. Not too girlie, not too boyish, a little fun. She is so amazing and I love her sense of fashion. I also gave her a pearl ring that my mom & dad gave to me when I graduated from 8th grade. I am thankful to have those special things that I can pass on to my girls. I think that meant the most to her!

...

2011-08-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

This was 2 summer's ago,
look at that baby girl...

I can't believe how much they've all grown!

Pinetop

2011-08-02T12:35:00.001-07:00

Last month we went up to Jon's family cabin for a work weekend. Jon's mom just added on a new room, and is asking the family to help out with it. She also needed some new furniture brought up there. We decided to make it a fun family weekend. We needed to paint the addition, and we knew we could kick that out quickly.
When I realized that we needed to take 2 cars, I decided to let the 3 older kids invite a friend. We had invited Mike & Liz and their family to join us, and I knew that Cooper would have Zane to hang with. I loved taking friends on trips when I was a kid, and was excited to let them have the same experience!
We got really lucky, and the kids all invited fun friends that fit perfectly in the craziness. We went to the park, went on walks, we let the kids bring their bikes so they rode a lot, we went into town for bocce balls and pizza, ate cookies and cookie dough. Then on Saturday we drove into Snowflake for the Pioneer day celebration. We decided to do the rodeo, and the kids had a blast.
I love going to the cabin, and wish we could get up there more often. Here are just a few shots from the weekend...

Rock Bottom

2011-05-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

I think today I have hit it.

We have had over 2 1/2 weeks of sickness, some serious, some minor. My Sciatica has hurt worse than it ever has before. I started watching another baby, and Victor is here full time now. Jon has had many meetings, and has been gone more than usual. Friend drama, school drama, family drama, life drama. Xray's, doctor appointment after doctor appointment. Macy has suddenly turned into the devil. Cooper is no longer bringing me more joy than frustration. Dealing with insurance crud, and co-pays, more prescriptions than one could imagine.

It was all just bad timing. Any one of those things I could handle, possibly even 2 or 3, but all of them together has really done a number on me.

I have been a terrible mother throughout all of this. I have lost all my skills. Dinner? What dinner. Laundry, if it doesn't stink, wear it again. Snuggle at night? Are you kidding, I'm asleep on the couch by 7:00. I was supposed to pick you up from somewhere? Oops.

I have still pushed through, made myself do things everyday (even when I didn't want to). Today it has hit though. I don't want to do anything. I am READY for a break, ready for some good luck and good news, ready for gas prices to go down, ready for happy children who don't need me every moment of the day, ready to not have to fill out permission slips and medical documents, ready to be able to start walking with my friends again, ready to stop holding my breath, ready to smile.

I have been lucky enough to have some good friends, and my mom, and Katrina to help me out here and there. To try to remind me that I am loved. It helped.

I was able to find the bright side about Chloe being in the hospital over Mother's Day. I was able to sit in the quiet hospital room, reading my books on my new Kindle, having special time with Chloe, and short but sweet visits from the other kids. I didn't have to deal with the Saturday chores, with a messy house, with the kids needing me. It was actually a very nice day. (I have given Chloe permission to be hospitalized on Mother's Day again, if needs be)

So today I am diving into my stack of books from the library, I may or may not do the laundry. I can most definitely say I won't be cooking dinner, or straightening up the front room. I will probably not have make-up on by the time Jon gets home (luckily he still thinks I'm beautiful). I will most likely have more than one soda today. I have decided I am not going to feel bad about it either (we'll see how well that goes, I don't do well with guilt).

Luckily Victor and Macy have been pretty good today, and are taking early naps for me. I really do love those two sometimes!

Let's hope this day off does well for my spirits. I am glad it is the weekend, but I am not looking forward to the chores tomorrow. This house is in dire need of help from the past couple weeks of craziness. I am praying for strength, for good results on tests for Chloe, and X-rays for Cooper, no permanent damage with Buffy & Andy for the neglect I am sure they have felt over the last few weeks, and maybe, just maybe a date night. Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

I really probably need to find someone I can serve. Doesn't that always take your problems away?

Day trip

2011-04-22T16:31:00.001-07:00

I asked Macy what her favorite
part of today was and she said,
"Throwing rocks in the water."

What a doll...

Glad Lyric was with us so she could take our family pic:)

Today we were going to take the kids to the zoo, as we pulled in we realized that everyone else in the City of Phoenix had decided the same thing. One thing I love about my kids is that they are always up for anything. Sometimes they get their sights set on something, but most of the time they are pretty flexible. We sat in the parking lot and gave the kids a few options of other things we could do, they were up for anything. After a few minutes Jon suggested we head down to the river. We made a quick detour to Target to get cheap flip flops, containers in case we found any creatures that we wanted to bring home with us, some towels, and we were off.

25 minutes later we found our spot, a nice big flat rock, with a calm wading area, a stronger current passage way, lots of river rock, and fun little areas to explore. It was a great area. The kids had a blast. We only lost one flip flop to the current. There weren't very many people at all, and everyone that was not very family friendly moved on quickly.

It was a great day, I love spontaneous adventures with my kids. With money being tight I have decided that we are going to do a lot more of these this summer, to help break up the day to day grind.

The only hard part is when we do something fun without one of my kids. Chloe is at a youth conference, and I missed her. It makes me sad to think that this is going to be our life a lot more often. I have older kids that are going to be doing other things. It makes me sad to take a family picture without my whole family. Is that weird? What am I gonna do when it's time for college or missions? I'm not ready for my little family to grow up so fast. I like my baby chicks all by their mama...

2:10 p.m.

2011-04-01T15:31:00.001-07:00

this wall makes me smile...
(ranging from 1950's -see me dad in
the bottom left corner, to present day.)

well hello there...
i like surprises in the cookies :)

been doing a lot of painting lately

she put her babies to bed...

she put herself to bed (such an angel)

heaven in a cup (or jar I guess)

best friends/cousins
F.O.R.E.V.E.R

Keepsake

2011-03-31T08:43:00.001-07:00

So I have boxes of clothes, that I just can't get rid of. I am too sentimental. I know I can't keep them all, but parts of them make me so happy. Late one night I had an idea. I gathered whatever material I had on hand, and started cutting and hand stitching. All the cute little patches, or the sweet dress that I just loved the soft material of. I ended up with this.

In hindsight, there are things I would change. I still love it though. I only made it is big as the remnants of fabric I had to finish it with. Even the bias tape I had lying around, so I didn't spend anything to make this.

The flower, and a heart on the blanket I just cut out of one of her dresses and created the shape. I also filled it with batting so it poofs up, and she likes to squeeze it. The rest are just directly from a shirt or something, and I glued it on then hand stitched all around.

It's a soft flannel in front, and that wonderful minky dots in back. She loves it, and I had fun making it. I think I will do one for Cooper next...

What do you think?

6:20 a.m.

2011-03-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

The sun is waking up...

Bedhead

My hardest child to wake up,
every morning it's a fight :(

Can I please climb back in,
just for a few minutes???

I swear Andy's bag weighs
more than he does. He's
such a good student, and I am
forever thankful for that!

nom, nom, nom, nom

8:30 a.m.

2011-03-29T08:46:00.001-07:00

morning sun...

treasure

breakfast remnants

one of my (many) projects

chocolate milk in a sippy
& nick jr

my benches
(painted for a few hours yesterday,
almost done. I *heart* the yellow)

What 10:00 looks like...

2011-03-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

I guess she was hungry...

watching little bear with
2 of her girls :)
(she likes to have the vacuum chord
around her. I don't even roll it up
anymore)

1st load of laundry

My one window that opens in the house,
it stays open until about lunchtime.
Then it's too warm

Not sure if this is Coop's tomato plant,
or Macy's daisies. I guess we will all be surprised!

If I was a fancy blogger I would have put them
on a cake plate, then I realized I am a crappy
blogger who hasn't updated in over a month.
You get the bucket shot...

NOTHING on my calendar today.

Homemade Valentine

2011-02-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

I threw these together with some scrapbooking stuff,
and printed them out on cardstock. The girls
have a cute pink swirl for the backside,
and the boys are just plain.

Snipped a little hole to put the bookmarks
through. I have been sewing every night for a few
weeks, but it was worth it, and
I like having something to do while I
am watching tv. Buffy loves how they turned
out, hopefully her friends will too!

The boys got a piece of candy
stuck to it, nothing too fancy for
the boys (wouldn't want them
to get the wrong idea).
Buffy knew the bookmarks were too
girly for them.

Daydreaming...

2011-02-10T18:03:00.000-08:00

I am really wishing I could be back
at the beach right now.
I guess I will just keep staring at
this picture and daydreaming...

2010 collage

2011-02-10T17:58:00.000-08:00

Macy Love

2011-02-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

Just when I think she can't get any cuter...

I made her this Valentine shirt today,
she loves the heart "polkie pots",
I just added the ribbon rosettes.

She's Crafty

2011-02-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

I wanted to do something crafty
while watching tv the other night,
here is what I ended up with.
I like it a lot :)

heart

2011-02-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

How cool is this?
We opened up our giant bag of potatoes for
dinner the other night, and found a heart shaped one!
Chloe was the lucky recipient
(she needed a little extra love that night).

More than I can chew?

2011-01-26T14:43:00.001-08:00

I made one of these for Buffy's scriptures,
she needed another bookmark.
Then I thought they would be supercute Valentine's
for their friends. After an hour and a half
cutting last night, I am not sure it was such a great idea.
What do you think? One of my friends thinks
I should try to sell them, not sure if
anybody would actually pay for it.
Thoughts please...

Valentine

2011-01-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

Just some of our decorations around
the house. The kids are have already
eaten most of the m&m's :)
Not sure if it's just right,
but it's good for now
with the stuff I had at home.

Victor wanting candy...

Purge 2011 - Medicine / misc. kitchen cabinet

2011-01-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one whose medicine cabinet can NEVER stay organized? It doesn't help that 4 out of 5 children have daily meds they need to take, and many of them do it themselves without any regard to keeping the space neat. This is also the only cabinet that gets misc. junk from the kitchen put in it. It is the cabinet above the toaster, and I used to keep the bread items in it also. that is until it began to look like this. I loved having the bread in it though, so that is less stuff on my counter.

The red bucket is the playdough, very accessible to all, but easily put away :) The meds are put in seperate boxes, and the daily ones are all in the same box, so the kids can just pull the box down, do their biz, and put it back (hopefully), YEA! The best part is the room for the bread again, WOOHOO!

Purge 2011 - Kitchen junk/ziploc/plastic utensil/medicine dispenser drawer...

2011-01-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

BLAH!
I really dislike this drawer.
Everything gets thrown into it,
the boxes always get crumpled,
you can NEVER find anything!

I can't believe how many sippy cup lids I threw away,
I swear they were from when Coop was a toddler!
Much more organized,
please oh please let my children keep it this way!

Purge 2011 - Spice/Cooking Cabinet

2011-01-20T18:13:00.000-08:00

BEFORE

It's not horrible, but it's not great.

One thing I hate about this cabinet, is no matter how organized I try to keep it, other people use it also. It also has to store food, it's not just cooking stuff. I am really hoping the bins will help people keep it organized. A girl can hope, right?!? So here goes...

Not to shabby, right?
Let's see what it looks like in a few weeks:)

Purge 2011 - Hell, I mean Hall Closet...

2011-01-11T11:19:00.001-08:00

I think most people are blessed to have a hall closet, and probably a linen closet, and probably a pantry, and maybe even another closet (coat or storage of some sort) in their home. We are blessed to have a spot, that is below our a/c intake, so the door is as tall as Cooper, and a little awkward inside. So needless to say, there is a lot of stuff to be stored in there, but with lazy kiddos, it's gets messy very easily, Especially since most of the stuff stored is their games. Once again, I am horrified to be showing you the before, but here goes...

1 1/2 hours, and 3 bags of trash later... Now granted, the after isn't spectacular, but at least I don't fear for my life when I open the closet door. I think I am going to have a game out today when Jon gets home, and ask him to put it away. He might have another heart attack like he did after he saw the red area in the kitchen yesterday:)

The Holidays are over...

2011-01-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

The last bit of our holiday decor came down. I loved walking by our Christmas Card wall a million times a day. I loved seeing our friends and family's smiling at us. Until next year :)

Purge 2011

2011-01-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

Let me warn you, what you are about to see is not pretty. I know because I have been looking at it for about a month and a half. Our house is small, and very small on storage. I am not lucky enough to have a closet where I can just throw stuff in to hide it, and between Holidays, and trying to rearrange, my craft table in the kitchen became the junk pile. I am embarrassed showing it to you, but here we go! Just scroll down...

So this year one of my resolutions is to SIMPLIFY, which means purging a lot of crap from our home and lives. I have come to the realization that we aren't going anywhere soon, so I need to make this house work for us! SO 3 1/2 hours, and 4 1/2 bags of trash later, and ta-da!

I know it's not great, but it is a heck of a lot better. Hopefully this will get some of you to conquer that area that you didn't think was possible!

Sweet Girl

2011-01-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

(Yes, I am aware it
is very similar to her
other one, but oh well)

Chloe

2011-01-05T20:39:00.001-08:00

Little Lady

2011-01-05T20:38:00.001-08:00

Lovey, Love

2011-01-05T20:35:00.001-08:00

Macy Love

2011-01-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

Fun at the park

2010-12-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

The boys digging until
they find mud. Every mother's dream :)

Love these girls so much!

Macy and her "Owie"

We were supposed to go to the zoo yesterday, so we loaded up and drove off. We pulled in, and there were a billion other people there, so there was no way I was doing that. I thought I would surprise them and go to the train park in Scottsdale. As we pulled in, I noticed there were a billion people there also. So we headed back to Central Phoenix, and went to our standby, Indian Steele. It was empty, and we LOVED it. I love having my kiddos home sometimes, and then there are times like right now, when I really can't wait for them all to go back to school!

Christmas Morning

2010-12-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

That morning after Santa had visited

Buffy has been asking for this since her birthday
(last February),
she was very excited!

I love Coop's face!

I love Downeast, and I
love that I found that dress on
clearance for $5

Let's just say it looks like our house
is covered in nerf dart vomit...
The boys love their guns though!

Macy was in my room at 5:45 today,
asking if she could play with
her play-doh. I think she likes it!

Knives, Potato Chips & Griddles, OH MY!

2010-12-27T08:16:00.000-08:00

Let me start of by telling everyone about my most favorite potato chips in the world. You can only get them at the Duck and Decanter, or if you live back East, or if you order them online.

For years, I have been putting them on my Christmas, Mother's Day and Birthday lists. Not because I am an addict, but I thought having some snack bags would be nice to be able to indulge myself with every once in a while.

I have also added to those lists this year, a long flat griddle, and maybe a new knife or two. I have never received the chips, and Mother's Day came and went with no new knives or griddles.

I forwarded the list to my mom and Jon again this season, and didn't expect any of it, but I always get other good stuff, so no big deal. (I was secretly hoping and praying for a cool new phone)

Christmas morning there is a box, that is as tall as Macy, and as wide as a refrigerator. The kids are all telling me that I am going to LOVE it, and dad did a great job on my presents this year. I kept teasing there was no way he did as good as me (he got a new gun, 2 hunting trips, clothes, cologne AND a Kinect for the XBOX, it seems like a lot, but the gun was in the middle of the year, and the trips are done already), they weren't so sure. So I was very intrigued.

The first box I opened, had a knife sharpener in it. I have to say there was a little disappointment. The next one had a certificate, that I will always have sharp knives in my house. It was clever, and Jon did a good job on the certificate. I didn't want to be ungrateful, but I likened it unto me giving him a brand new sewing machine with a certificate saying he will always have hemmed pants. He didn't (and still doesn't) find this amusing.

The next box, a new knife...

I was very excited to see if the big box would bring all the amazement I was hoping for. I opened it up, and there it was, a year's supply of potato chips. Jon thought he had ordered me the snack size bags, but I got 12 giant bags of potato chips. I wanted to dive in and swim around. Then as I started looking at them, we realized they all expire in February. We will be eating a lot of chips in the next 2 months (if you are having a potluck, please invite us).

This is the 1st year that Chloe went out on her own, with her own money to get us all gifts. She was so excited to give me mine. I opened it, and it was my griddle. Great job Chloe! I started looking forward to Sunday night pancakes :)

We got showered and headed over to my mom's. I couldn't wait, she always gets me great stuff (I LOVE MY MOM). The 1st thing we start off with are the stockings, and guess what's in it? Potato Chips and a new knife. I thought I was going to die! Then after all the kids rip into their goodies, I start on mine. Present #1, and a nice expensive knife. Present #2, my favorite perfume (yippee), Present #3, and nice new griddle.

Who knew this would be the year they would all listen to me?!?

Guess what we had for breakfast today? Not pancakes, but potato chips :)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T07:58:00.001-08:00

I could not decide which card I liked better this year, so I did it half and half. Anyways. Merry Christmas to you from our family. I really am so very blessed! Now someone light a fire under me, so I might actually get everything accomplished today that I need to!

Monkeys

2010-11-30T09:16:00.000-08:00

Could she be any cuter? I adore her squeaky voice, not looking forward to the day that I don't have any squeaky voiced babies anymore :(

A rant...

2010-11-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

School Fundraising...

How do I dislike thee?

When Chloe was in kindergarten, they had this fabulous idea, if everyone in the school would just pay $10 per kid, we would meet our fundraising goal. Can you guess how many people took advantage? I think me & Jon. We also threw in an extra $40(we were high rollers back then with only 2 kids!)

I hate the cookie dough, the wrapping paper, the assemblies enticing your children with impossible prizes. Even when my kids try their hardest they never get a good prize, so feel so bad when the other kids get it. I think the main thing is that my family doesn't really believe in supporting their nieces and nephews school fundraising. I'd buy stuff from their kids, because that's what aunts and uncles are supposed to do, right?

This month the children were sent home with coupon booklets, for $20. I think paying for coupons defeats the whole purpose of the coupon, but on top of that they weren't really great coupons. Today was the last day, and guess what? The kids can't find there's to turn back in. We may be forking out $180 to pay for the booklets, that we won't even use.

I understand that fundraising is key to public schools, but I also think there are a lot smarter ways to do it.

So my day will consist of ripping my house apart, searching for these coupon books. I can't wait to get started!

She's Crafty

2010-10-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

What can you do with a bunch of
candlesticks, glass jars and
super glue from a $1 Store?

Make darling vases,
and decorative bowls...

Actual product in use

Same $1 store carries
plates and other misc items.

Fresh coat of spray paint,
and we have $2 plates for our
dessert buffet at the
Halloween Party.
So cute, and so easy!

(Thanks Dorothy for
the glass ideas)

Happy Birthday Andy Boy!

2010-10-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

I can't believe my Andydrew is 12! I am still in denial, I don't know what I will do when I see him pass the sacrament. It is going way too fast!

We celebrated his birthday by letting him and Chloe play hooky. We headed off to Matt's Big Breakfast in Downtown Phoenix, it was good, but no better than 5 and Diner, or Mimi's Cafe. I wouldn't go back with the kids, just because of the cost. They enjoyed it though, so it was totally worth it!

Then we headed over to the Library so I could pick up a culture pass for the Children's Museum. Luckily there was one left. We spent almost 5 hours there. They had a blast. We came home, and had a late lunch, early dinner of wings (Andy was excited). Then we just lazed the night away. Andy played with his new computer game, Chloe was sick :( Buffy went to a friend's house, and Coop terrorized Macy. The usual.

I made a Cookies & Cream cake. Andy wasn't crazy abut it, so I feel bad. I should have stuck with his favorite yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

I think he had a good day. I loved hanging out with him, and was thankful for the hugs he et me steal. I love my Andyboy so much, I don't know what I would do without him!

Children's Museum

2010-10-08T07:55:00.001-07:00

She ruled the kitchen,
it got ugly when the others tried to get in her way...

Seriously?
She couldn't be any cuter if she tried!

LOVE this pic of Victor,
such a sweet boy!

The kids could have played with this for hours!

Loved this,
was so glad they cooperated so we could get a
shot of them in it!

More happiness...

2010-10-01T14:30:00.001-07:00

My Happiness

2010-10-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

The cast comes off

2010-09-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here is the whole story, don't want to forget it!

Chloe was invited to a super fun birthday party. It was a food fight at a public park. I was beyond jealous that I wasn't invited. After the food fight, they had blue tarps that went down the park's hill, with the Fire Hydrant's as the water. One of the tarps had a hole, and as Chloe went down her finger got caught, and she snapped her wrist. She was a trooper and didn't complain until after the party. It was a Saturday afternoon, so off to Urgent Care we went. After a co-pay ($150), and x-rays, they decided it wasn't broken, and sent her home with a brace. Their instructions were to wear it until it doesn't hurt anymore (seriously).

Fast forward to 13 days later.

We get a phone call from urgent care, after more looking on the x-rays they have found a cyst on her ring finger, and tell us we should probably follow up on that sometime. I ask them how long it should take for her wrist to heal, because she is still wearing the brace, and it still hurts. The doctor then tells me that shouldn't be the case, and we need to follow up with our pediatrician. Now I am mad, when they discharged us they should have told us if it wasn't better by a certain date, then we need a follow-up appointment. I kept my cool, and made an appointment with the doc.

Appointment with doctor ($30), and new x-rays ($300) and a trip to an orthopedic surgeon ($60). It looks like there is a tiny fracture in her growth plate, she needs a cast. So she picks the glow in the dark one because we are going camping that night. It is pretty cool. Mimi blings it up before a party, friends autograph it, it gets stinky, etc... Luckily she only has to wear it for 3 weeks, but the appointment to get it off isn't for 4 weeks.

3 weeks have gone by, and Chloe is DONE. So Jon gets his dremmel, and his headlight, and off they go to the back yard. 20 minutes later, and Chloe is already washing her arm.

I think the funniest thing is that only 2 of my kids have ever broken a bone, and both of them broke their left wrist. Isn't that weird?

Macy got a new skirt...

2010-09-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Do you think she likes it?

Family

2010-09-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had our annual "Swimming at Aunt Jo-Jo's house, while she is in Newport", it was a great way to end the summer. The kids had fun, we were all held hostage by the bees, it took mom and Jenn almost 40 minutes to get the pizza. Can't wait to do it again :) Here are a few pics from the night. I love my family!

Things I love...

2010-09-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

LOVE.

THIS.

GIRL.

She was super cranky this morning, and I was in drying my hair. I thought it was unusual that she wasn't stuck to my leg, but I was actually enjoying a little bit of freedom. When I got done I went looking for her, she was in her bed with her covers and baby doll, fast asleep. I love her so much. I guess she just really needed an early nap!

Campout

2010-09-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

Kids in the creek

Pretty Chloe

I don't know why, but I really like
this picture.

I am in love with her
sweat suit and new tennies.
She is so darling!

Coop was only going to get his feet wet,
yea right. This was about an hour before we left.
Soaked head to toe!

The cool kids (Alexa, Chloe & Kody) finally got in the water.
I am glad that Brian convinced Kody that it
was the cool thing to do!

I did a really crappy job taking pictures on this campout, so here are the few I got! We had a great time, we headed up to Chavez Crossing in Sedona (personally the BEST place to camp). Our plan was to leave by 12:30, after physical therapy for Jon, doctor's appointment for Chloe and a cast, we actually got on the road by 3:00.

We got super lucky that the rain stayed away. Until about 3:30 in the morning. THen the sky lit up brighter than you can imagine, and a huge crack of thunder. I was positive it had struck the tree we were camping under. Then it poured, like I have never heard before until about 4:45. I was so worried we were going to wash down the Oak Creek. Sedona is big for Flash Floods.

We woke up ( well I wasn't really asleep) to sun, and it stayed sunny. The kids had a great time playing in the creek, and Macy just loved being around other kids who doted on her. It was a great little trip!

Happy Birthday

2010-08-24T20:27:00.001-07:00

I'm pretty sure these were taken just
a few months ago...
(P.S. this is one of my ALL TIME
favorite photos, EVER!
I will forever be grateful
Ashley!)

and yet somehow she turned 2 today.

I need a pause button.
I am not ready for her to grow up!

She's Crafty...

2010-08-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you LOVE to read, you LOVE to craft, you LOVE photobooth pictures, you LOVE glitter and glitz? You put it all together and make bookmarks! Most of the new photobooths give you 2 sets of pictures, so I always have an extra set. I always need bookmarks, so today I had a little fun while Macy was sleeping. Now I just need to laminate them, but that's no big deal.

1st Day

2010-08-06T12:40:00.001-07:00

4th grade, look out
here she comes!

My 1st grader.
He was being so brave, I know it was hard.
I was so proud of him!

Fun at the Zoo

2010-08-06T12:34:00.001-07:00

I love how excited she is in this picture!

Chloe & Coco (our adopted daughter)

She was so surprised,
so glad I got it on film!

Notice the Kimodo Dragon in the
background. The kids thought it was
pretty cool!

I find it funny that we basically go to the zoo to play in the water. I can't wait until it cools off so Macy can actually see animals. She is at the perfect age. I have a feeling we will use our pass a lot this fall while the kids are at school!

random... (again)

2010-08-06T12:29:00.001-07:00

I love our sunsets here in Arizona,
it almost makes summer bearable.
Who am I kidding? Nothing makes
the summer bearable!

The fort I made for the kids,
I thought I did pretty dang good.
The boys slept in it that night.

random...

2010-08-06T12:18:00.001-07:00

Macy playing dress-up

I am IN LOVE with this picture of her,
so Macy...

Introducing Little Orphan Macy

My Pioneer man on the trek.

We got home from Cali on Saturday, and Jon and I left for our Pioneer trek on Wednesday. We also had a friend pass away very suddenly on Sunday, so we had a funeral we had to go to on Wednesday also. It was an amazing service, and really made me look at how much more I could do with my life.

Jon and I headed off to be the photographer (me) and videographer (Jon) for the trek. It was a blast. We have fabulous kids in our stake. It also helped that Brian and Dorothy were a ma & pa, so we could laugh with them, and CW was at base camp with us. So we had such a great time (despite the mud, and our tent being in a lake). I actually made Jon drive me into Flag for the last night, I couldn't sleep in a pond.

Thursday & Friday

2010-08-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Belmont Park
Chloe, Mikaela & Katrina

The boys

After Coop rode this wave in, he said to
Joey, " Now that's how you boogie board!"
I almost died! I LOVE that kid!!!

Jimmy's sand creation for the
Sandcastle contest.
We still never heard who the winner was!

Our last night, hanging out on the
boardwalk in front of Gigi's place

Some of the cousins,
I love these kiddos!

Thursday and Friday were Beach days. Friday was our Sandcastle contest, and that night we all got together for Cake & Ice cream and to say our goodbye's. It was sad, I didn't like having to say goodbye to my family. I love them all so much!

I don't think I mentioned that we lived a few blocks away from Belmont Park, so at night we would walk down and ride all the fun rides. It was a very cool hangout. It almost made me not mind that we weren't in Newport. It's awesome having someplace to walk to at night!

It was such a great week, and I hope we get to do it again sometime!

Wednesday

2010-08-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

Billy, Chloe, Jon & Kaitlyn

Looking to our right

Looking to our left

Buffy & Karlie

Wednesday we headed over to La Jolla Shores. Jon wanted the kids to have a chance to snorkel, and a bunch of our crew were snorkeling and kayaking over there that day. They got to see Leopard Sharks and Sting-Rays. It was pretty exciting for them.

If we ever have a ton of money I am going to stay at the La Jolla Shores Hotel. It is right on the beach, and they have people go out and set up your umbrellas and chairs for you, and you can get room service on the beach. Now that is my kind of vacation!

Tuesday

2010-08-02T13:37:00.001-07:00

Tuesday we headed over to the USS Midway with the family. We have done it before, but wanted to hang out with everyone else. Afterwards we all headed over to Seaport village for lunch, a carousel ride, and $100 worth of Ben & Jerry's. I don't think my mom will ever treat us all to ice cream again :)

Monday Night

2010-08-02T13:27:00.001-07:00

Gramma Ro with her crew

Balloons for Dad/Grandpa

Sweet girl,
loves her daddy

Coop & Joe,
Best Buds Always

Johnny found his bench

The Sunset

Monday was also my dad's 59th birthday, and 10 years since he died. So that night we had my grandma over for dinner, we took family photos, had a talent show, laughed, cried, sent balloons up to him, laughed, cried, took a walk along the boardwalk, laughed and cried.

I can't believe 10 years ago there were only 3 grandbabies. I know he was so happy looking down from Heaven. I can't believe how much I miss him sometimes. Being at the beach is always hard without him, it was his favorite place.

It was a great night!

Sea of Red

2010-08-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

Chloe & Bella

David & Andy so excited to be at the beach

Nice face Jimmy

We dug a giant hole to recreate a pic we
took in 1986 with the grandkids. The
bottom photo is the recreation,
the top is lots of the great-grandkids

Love my family!

Monday was our beach Olympics. We all wore our red reunion shirts. You can imagine the attention we got with all the red shirts, covering so much beach area, playing funky games. It was great. People were a little competitive, and there was a little cheating going on, but it was all in good fun! Man I wish I was back there!

Sunday

2010-07-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

The biggest snowcone, EVER...

I love this boy, so much!

Gigi, surrounded by family

Darling girls

Grouping 84 people together
for a family photo = FUN

Macy LOVED the sand,
but hated being a mess...

Nothing like hanging out in
suits on the beach

The whole fam damily

Sunday we went to church, then we went for a walk along the boardwalk. At 4:30 everyone (all 84 of us) came to our house to bless Rosie. Afterwards we headed to the beach for a family picture, then back to our house for dinner. The kids had a blast dancing on the walls of our patio, singing and dancing. Most of the adults sat on the roof and laughed and talked for a few hours. It was great. A perfect way to end the day. Then we all stayed up to watch Sea World's fireworks from our roof. We had a direct view, so we went up everynight. It was so fun. Definitely a huge perk of our house!

Saturday, Mission Bay

2010-07-19T12:50:00.001-07:00

Macy adores Audrey,
best friends already

Rambo & Roach

Part of the crowd

Could she be any cuter?

Jimmy smiled a lot,
that made the trip great!

Gigi with some great-grandchildren

A little info about how our reunion came to pass. Growing up we had reunions every other year, usually in Newport Beach. As we grew up we would have mini-reunions in Phoenix, or go camping. Our last major reunion was in Utah in 2004. My grandma decided she wanted a reunion that everyone could come to. So she rented everyone beach houses, paid for gas or flights to and from California, to ensure we could all make it. Only one cousin couldn't get off of work. It was amazing. 84 Peterson's, together again. It was the best gift she could ever give to any of us, and I think she enjoyed it also.

This was our 1st day. We all met up at Grandma's house to get aquainted with new and old cousins, and to go over the week's itinerary. It was such a great reunion. It took a lot of time and planning, but it was totally worth it. I love my family, and I am so thankful for them all.

Newport

2010-07-18T14:44:00.001-07:00

Rosie

Waiting for milkshakes
on the pier...

We can't go to California without going to Newport. Since our reunion was in San Diego, we decided to go a day early so we could visit our old stomping grounds. It was wonderful. The adults had Crab Cooker for dinner, the kids Pete's Pizza, and Ruby's milkshakes on the pier for dessert. We hit the arcades, saw family, swam in the hotel pool until the wee hours of the morning. It was a great way to start our vacation. Lots more pics to come, so stay tuned!

Laughed until I cried...

2010-07-18T14:34:00.001-07:00

I really hope Jon will help me recreate this for our family pic this year...

Fun at the Zoo

2010-06-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Some of the animals were very protective
of their young...

Others couldn't understand
our fascination with taking
their pictures!

The babies were finally
set free

I was lucky to catch them at bathtime :)

The babies liked the attention!

We also got to see them at feeding time!

Then we saw some during naptime...

I caught up with a few monkeys,
ready to ham it up for the camera!

This guy was a little too close
for comfort, luckily he never attacked!

Procrastination...

2010-06-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

About 3 months ago Chloe asked if I would make matching headbands for her cabin at camp. Of course I said yes, because if you haven't noticed I CAN'T say no! The only bad thing is I say yes to too many things, and I have a bit of a problem with procrastination. Not because I want to procrastinate, but because my life is so busy, I have no other choice but to put things off until later!

So I have spent the last 4 hours making headbands, because I am dropping Chloe off for camp in about an hour. Way to go Kristy!

They turned out cute, and she is happy, so I am happy.

It is going to be a long week, Jon and Andy left for Scout Camp this morning, and Chloe leaves for Lomia today. Which means it is a week of me and the littles, plus Victor. I am not looking forward to loading them all up whenever I need to go somewhere, I really like having older kids to leave the younger ones with. I am also not looking forward to not having Jon come home so I can get a little break at night. Hopefully I will survive, I guess check with me at the end of the week!

Canyon Lake

2010-06-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon we got a call from Jon's cousin Aaron, asking if we wanted to go to the lake the next day. We hemmed and hawed a bit, because I knew we were having the missionaries over for dinner that night, and I didn't know if we could make it home on time to get everything done. I really wanted to go though, so we said yes.

Friday night we got dinner started, did chores, got everything ready so we could just get home from the lake, do a few last minute things and be ready.

I am so glad we did. The kids had such a fun time. I was so worried that Macy would be miserable, but she was a real trooper. I could ride on a boat all day long. It was a great day, and I can't wait to do it again!

Missionaries

2010-06-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

We seriously have some of the coolest missionaries ever. My kids love them, and we love having them over for dinner. Last night was our last meal with one of them because he goes home tomorrow. So we made it a special one, the kids asked him what he wanted (don't ask how expensive it is to feed 4 missionaries and a family of 7 ribs ), and we made a yummy dessert (brownie sundaes), and they didn't have appointments to rush to so we had a lesson and then played games.

Chloe and Jon have been going and teaching a family with them, it is a girl Chloe's age, and I am so glad she is getting this chance.

Last night we had fun on Photo Booth, and I came up with a great idea. Every time they come over for dinner we are going to take a picture. I am going to print it out and put it in a book, and let the missionaries sign it. It will be so cool to look at the book 10 years from now with all the missionaries we've had. I think the missionaries will get a kick out of looking at it also.

New Favorite

2010-06-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

My new favorite show (season finale was last night) is 9 by Design on Bravo. Talk about my dream life! 7 kids, wouldn't that be wonderful?, and room for all of them to boot! They have the most amazing homes, and they are the coolest people! If you have never seen it, WATCH IT! I love all these shots from different homes of theirs. AMAZING!

I also want to rename some of my kids, could their names be any cuter?

Wolfie (Boy)
Breaker (Boy)
Bellamy (Girl, adore this one!)
Tallulah (Girl)
Five (totally should have named Macy that!, Boy)
Holly (Boy)
Major (Boy)

Dreaming out loud

2010-06-02T10:47:00.001-07:00

I really want white floors, I am loving them right now. I also love all the color. I am ready for a redo in my house. We shall see...