a-musing mom

Celebrity book signing

2008-12-11T12:48:00.002-05:00

Kate Gosseling did a book signing at our store last night. She said it was the biggest turn out she's EVER had! It was fun AND very exhausting for everyone.

**Look for me to walk right past at about 3:55. Whoops!

Merry Christmas from the Hillmans!

2008-12-07T18:48:00.003-05:00

Here's our e-card for 2008. I hope you enjoy it!

Peace be with you,
Jesse & Rachel, Ambrose, Alex, and Athan Paul

You know you're a mom when:

2008-11-07T10:09:00.004-05:00

...you find yourself daydreaming about a minivan (pictured above).

I'd like to daydream about this VW, but I think it's only available in Europe. Isn't it cute?!:

Leaves are for playing in!

2008-11-06T09:00:00.003-05:00

We raked leaves in the backyard for the sole purpose of jumping in the pile & throwing them all around! Oh yeah, and burying each other under them--that was fun.

If only...

2008-11-03T14:29:00.001-05:00

It reads: "You have erned A Week in new york! (smiley face)

On Saturday, Ambrose told me that this letter had arrived for me in the mail. He's so sweet.

Question of the day

2008-11-02T11:57:00.003-05:00

"Mommy? Do you ever feel sorry that you have to take care of 3, well 4 really, boys every day?"

-Ambrose

I had to answer him as honestly as I could, it's my duty as his Mother. I told him "I am NEVER sorry, or sad that I have to take care of my boys. I love you all so much and wouldn't want it any other way. Now...do I ever feel tired and need a break? Sure. Everyone needs a break sometimes from their job."

"Yeah, I understand that." -Ambrose

I hope he walked away knowing that I have no regrets when it comes to taking care of my FOUR boys. More than anything, I want my children to always know they are a valued part of my life, something I didn't have growing up.

FYI: This question didn't come up during an 'exhausted mommy moment', it was COMPLETELY out of the blue during a wonderful day we were having.

Halloween's not complete without a candy thief...

2008-11-01T17:57:00.003-04:00

Awww...Athan, why are you in the corner?

Because Alex ratted him out!
(His stash was under the couch!)

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T20:53:00.003-04:00

The Blue M&M, Buzz Lightyear (for the 4th year in a row!), and firefighter hope you had a fun Halloween.

Best friends are we, my brother and me

2008-10-10T17:24:00.002-04:00

Last night's bunkbed conversation in the dark (I was listening on the steps):

Athan: Alex, I is scared of the dark. Will you protect me?

Alex: Yes. I will protect you.

Athan: Good. Cuz last night I did see a monster in mommy and daddy's room and it was really big and scary.

Alex: You did?

Athan: Yes.

Alex: Well, I will protect you.

Athan: Fanks (Thanks).

Alex: You're welcome.

Straight to my heart

2008-10-01T08:47:00.003-04:00

"You is my best mama." -Athan

He's been saying this to me all week whenever I do something for him or he's just feeling lovey. Melts my heart every time.

Kitty...or little lion?

2008-09-29T00:05:00.000-04:00

To put into perspective how big our cat REALLY is...here is Gus next to our 3 year old.

29

2008-09-26T10:17:00.003-04:00

Today I celebrate 29 years of life.
10,585 days lived. I feel blessed to have each and every one.

Glad I was listening

2008-09-25T09:56:00.002-04:00

When I picked Ambrose up from school, his hand was bloody where he somehow stabbed his palm with a pencil. I asked him what his teacher said after it happened...

"She told me to go in the bathroom and wash my hands with soap & water. But I told her that soap will lower my white blood cell count!"

I would have loved to have seen her face when she heard his response :)

Another one...
"You want to try my glasses on, kid?"
-Athan to Alex in the backseat of the car, referring to the Harry Potter glasses he was wearing.

Library

2008-09-19T09:14:00.005-04:00

The boys LOVE going to the library. Lately, Ambrose & Alex have been getting comic books--specifically Batman or Superman, but sometimes Garfield. Athan does puppet shows for us while we're reading our books--the puppets usually end up eating the stage, which makes his brothers laugh like crazy.

Ninja Class

2008-09-17T14:05:00.001-04:00

This is the ninja headquarters. It's guarded at all times.

Ambrose (the instructor)

Alexander (the muscle)

Athan (the negotiator)

Vaccines for the whole family!

2008-09-11T10:45:00.001-04:00

It's sort of a long story, and some of you may have heard it already, so I'll just sum it up in 1 sentence:

We awoke to a bat flying in our bedroom and per the Gov't Health Dept., we are all going through the rabies vaccination process because there's no real way to tell if a bat has bitten you when you're sleeping and no way to know if the bat had rabies unless you physically have the bat tested.

So...we have to head to the E.R. (the only place that administers it) a total of 5 different times over 3 weeks. We have had #1-3, so only 2 more to go!! The boys have been such good sports about the whole thing--probably because they know they'll get a sparkle band-aid & candy!

Ambrose taking his turn to entertain us while we wait in a tiny E.R. room
*photo courtesy of Alex

Angry Ambrose quotes

2008-08-28T19:19:00.000-04:00

When Ambrose gets mad, it's entertaining to see the ways & words he comes up with to inform you. Here are 2 JUST from today (he gets angry a lot):

#1
Ambrose (in a very sweet voice): Mommy, what day is it today?

Me: It's Thursday today.

Ambrose (in a low growl): Well...I HATE Thursdays. (storms off)

#2
(Ambrose has stormed off after being told he needs to clean his room. He returns a few minutes later with the book Jesse and I gave him for Kindergarten Graduation)

Ambrose (in the sweet voice): Mommy, what do these last 3 words say? (pointing to the handwritten inscription on the inside cover)

Me: It says "We love you"

Ambrose (in the grumpy growl): Too bad that's not true!! (storms off again)

We might be song writers...or not

2008-08-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

The boys and I were feeling tired of the same old "baby songs" (Ambrose says), so we made our own "Twinkle, twinkle" rendition:

Twinkle, twinkle little car
Can you drive us very far?
Across the roads watch our for toads.
And when it's clear look our for deer.
Twinkle, twinkle little car
Can you drive us very far?

Also...I received this compliment from Ambrose after I drew a picture of an alien car for our song-- "Wow, mom, you draw pretty good for a woman."

New backyard fun...thanks to Daddy

2008-08-19T11:34:00.000-04:00

Jesse not only assembled the swing set (thanks Dad & Jan!) last weekend,

he also made the boys a tepee!

What a silly group of people...we belong together

2008-08-08T10:21:00.000-04:00

Last night was the annual company picnic for Jesse. It was loads of fun and the only regret we have is not taking video of Alex driving the go karts--he was a natural.

Reliving the white dress

2008-08-07T11:42:00.000-04:00

Friday night. My wedding dress. Folding laundry. Doing dishes. Checking email. Is that so bizarre?

EXPLANATION: We had a midnight release party for Breaking Dawn at Barnes & Noble (the 4th book of the Twilight Series). In this book Bella and Edward are to be married, so I decided I would take my wedding dress out of the box after 9 years and wear it to the party as Bella. It was a lot of fun and I'm just pleased to say that I can wear my wedding dress after 9 years of marriage and 3 children.The store was packed. We sold 500+ copies that night.

Highlight of the evening: Meeting Taylor Lautner who plays Jacob Black in the upcoming Twilight movie (Dec. 12)! He's super sweet & stayed to sign everyone's books (until 2:30am).

Farm day observations

2008-08-05T16:54:00.000-04:00

Every Tuesday we head to the CSA farm to pick up our vegetables. This week we were able to pick a quart each of cherry tomatoes & beans in addition to our 2 bags of yummy veggies. The boys and I headed out to the fields and picked our share--only to eat them ALL before we got home ;) It's wonderful to have my children eat handfuls of food that THEY just picked.

On the way home, Ambrose let me in on his observation for the day:
"So I guess there are 2 kinds of grocery stores, a fresh one (the farm) and a not-so-fresh one (the regular store). I like the farm best because you get the food right when it's picked--there are no trucks, stores, boxes, or lots of people touching it before you get it."

"Glad I was Listening" --to Jesse

2008-07-30T22:26:00.000-04:00

"It would be so easy to publish books if it wasn't for authors."

-Jesse's comment upon arriving home after a hard day (apparently) in the publishing industry

It's game time!

2008-07-29T13:11:00.001-04:00

Friday at 5:30pm we got a call from my sister telling us she had a regular customer in who happened to have 4 free tickets to that night's 7pm Whitecaps game. We had already been trying to come up with something fun to do with the kids that didn't take a lot of energy and this seemed to be the answer. We jumped in the car & headed to the restaurant to pick up a to-go pizza & the tickets. It was a great night out.

We all had a great time eating snow cones, cotton candy, and taking pictures of the baseball players.

Best quote of the evening comes from Alex. Right in the middle of the game he turns to me with a sad face and asks, "Mom, didn't you bring ANY books for us to read?"

The view from our seats. (Photo courtesy of Alex)

Fresh Ink

2008-07-26T12:28:00.000-04:00

My sister & I got matching tattoos this week, except that hers is pink & mine is orange (no picture of us together yet, sorry). I'm so happy with the way it turned out.

Remembering Andrew Widman (1978-2008)

2008-07-18T22:48:00.000-04:00

For the past day, my wife and I have been walking around the house, bleary eyed, mourning for our friend, Officer Andrew Widman, who died earlier this morning after being shot responding to a domestic dispute in Ft. Myers, FL.

I met Andy on my first day of class at seminary in September 2001. I remember sitting down next to him—at that time he had long, hippy-like hair and I thought he looked like the type that knew his Latin.

In October 2001, my mom died after a long struggle with MS. It was Andy’s encouragement that ultimately kept me in school. I remember sitting in Andy’s kitchen talking things through. At the time, I wanted to run from school but he really grounded me. At least for me, a close relationship was forged on that day.

Over the next two and a half years, he would be my closest friend on campus. Only rarely did a day go by that we did not see or talk with each other. Both our families left school in 2003, and as a result our contact was less frequent, limited to the occasional phone call, email, and Christmas card. I still counted him as one of my very closest friends, the kind of person that will forever fill a spot in your life. I hope I get the opportunity to someday share with his kids just how special he was.

Andy was a huge film buff and had a sharp eye for up-and-coming actors and directors. I remember watching some of my favorite movies after getting his recommendations. He and I (along with our wives) probably watched 50 movies together during the years we lived close to each other. Now that I think back, I remember watching a lot of “cop movies” together, Heat, Die Hard (I think), and others. Andy hated The French Connection, a story of crooked cops. It seems appropriate now, perhaps a foreshadowing of the great police officer he would become later in life.

Andy introduced me to kimchi; countless books; The Lobster Trap (a local dive with free pool and cheap beer on Tuesdays); good Thai food; the game Axis & Allies. I could go on and on and on with the many happy memories that come to mind.

To me, he was the epitome of what a Christian should be. He had a deep love for all people and took his faith seriously. He let the Bible be what it was; he did not try to tame it or, though it may be convenient, fit it into a nice, tight theological system. He had a profound influence on my own faith.

O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our brother Andy. We thank you for giving him to Susanna, his family, and to us, his friends, to know and to love as a companion. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with Andy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

—Jesse Hillman

A favorite moment

2008-07-09T10:37:00.000-04:00

Sometimes Paulie crawls into bed with me when Jesse leaves for work. We snuggle and then he falls back asleep for a little while longer. It's after this short slumber that one of my favorite moments occurs. Here's a glimpse of what it's like to wake up to those big green eyes.

New toys for the road trip

2008-07-07T17:17:00.000-04:00

We bought the boys each an iPod Shuffle before shuffling off (sorry) to Ohio last weekend. We loaded up numerous kid songs, along with Nickel Creek & the Beetles and then showed them how to use the iPods. It was the quietest road trip EVER!

Here are a few shots with them before we opened them:

A complex relationship

2008-06-25T10:47:00.000-04:00

"Want to play?"

"Hmpf..."

Glad I was listening

2008-06-23T16:57:00.000-04:00

The 3 amigos are riding in the backseat of the car (Alex is in the middle). Athan and Ambrose roll their windows down when Athan turns to Alex and says, "Alex, roll your window down!"

Alex replies, "I not have one window."

Athan demands, "Then open your mouth!"

So Alex rode for a while with his mouth wide open.

**UPDATE for the last post: Ambrose lost BOTH teeth on the same day (June 16)!

Rites of passage for Ambrose

2008-06-08T19:02:00.000-04:00

Kindergarten graduation -- Class of 2020

First loose teeth (2 of them!)

(the 1st big tooth coming through!)

To each his own

2008-06-06T16:13:00.000-04:00

"drummer boy"

"the rock collector"

"energy man"

Wowie Zowie!

2008-05-31T21:04:00.000-04:00

Look what my wonderful husband just ordered for me on Newegg.com!! Isn't he the best?! It's the Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS. Should be here by Wednesday!

"THAT just happened" --A new segment

2008-05-14T10:12:00.000-04:00

This is a new segment called "That just happened." It's for the little (or big) things I witness around the house. Enjoy the 1st one!

Two nights ago Alex and Athan were pretty rowdy going to bed, but Jesse's brother was over visiting so we kind of let them be silly in bed while we talked --rather than laying down the law ;) Anyway, Ambrose came downstairs to tell us that his brothers had stuck "big band-aids" all over the bunk beds & wall. Sounded like it needed my attention so I headed up to see what in the world was going on...uh, yeah, the 2 little rascals had gotten into not only the band-aid stash in the bathroom, but also my panty liners and had stuck them ALL over the place! Oh brother. Oh, it gets better... So we see Alex right away in the room, but Athan is no where in sight until I notice all the blankets crammed under his bed. I move the blankets to find him hiding under there, I make him come out and when he does he is butt NAKED!! About the funniest thing I ever saw, it definitely lightened up the moment. Those boys, those boys.

"Glad I was listening" -Bathroom edition

2008-05-14T08:46:00.000-04:00

**Be warned, this entry uses 'bathroom words' (which are frequently heard in a house full of boys)

(Alex is sitting on the potty)
Athan: I need to go potty like you right now.
Alex: Then go upstairs. I am going "Dia-neena".
Athan: Dianeena?
Alex: Yes. Do you know what Dianeena means? It's when you have to go lots of poop. and lots of pee. Lots of pee AND poop.

Now Athan just came running up to me saying "I did go two pees! So now I get two candies cuz I did go two pees!"

Today's funny

2008-05-09T18:03:00.001-04:00

"Daddy's car is growling!"

-Alex, from the backseat

Today we are driving the husband's car. It's a blue '99 Ford Escort Wagon with a loud tailpipe and not a lot of pick up--let's just say I don't feel I'm very high on the 'coolness' meter while driving it.

There's a new king in our house....

2008-05-03T15:16:00.001-04:00

His name is Gus. As many of you know, I am NOT a pet person-- so I was stunned when I fell in love with this cat at Petsmart (The Humane Society was there with animals for adoption) and told Jesse we HAD TO buy him. Gus is easy going, friendly, patient, and affectionate--fits right in. He learned his way around the house and found several lounging spots within 2 days; now he acts as if he's lived here his entire life. He's 3-4 years old and weighs in at 18.5 pounds! We love him and I think he loves us, or at least doesn't seem to mind ruling this homestead.

MIA

2008-04-14T23:16:00.001-04:00

Sorry, folks. Our house is currently chaos. We started refinishing the wood floors on the 1st floor on Thursday and it's been a disaster ever since. It's unlikely that we will even have our furniture moved back in by the weekend. Fortunately, though, we got our BRAND NEW furnace working again (the fuse went out) since it's going to be 28 degrees tonight! Which means that the 2nd coat of stain is going to take even LONGER to dry. Good grief. Life is not fun right now.

Overheard on the radio

2008-04-03T11:24:00.000-04:00

I heard this today.

"...and I really wanted to go, but it was almost 8 and my favorite TV show was coming on. Well, I made a decision: People are more important than a TV show."

-A radio personality on my local Christian radio station. Everything she says makes me smack my forehead, seriously.

Guess who's on Flickr...finally?!

2008-04-01T10:06:00.000-04:00

Yes, I started a Flickr account. Mostly for swap purposes, but I will be uploading pictures of the kids--since they are the ones you are REALLY interested in. It's okay, I know how it is.

Now...if I can only get the husband to buy me a digital camera ;) I think anyone who has his email address should send him an email just saying "Buy Rachel as digital camera, please!". Maybe he'll get the point. If you want his email, just send me a message and I'll give it to you--if you're legit, yo.

"Glad I was Listening" - Paulie's edition

2008-03-15T14:56:00.000-04:00

We're in the car and talking about why I have different dinners than the boys (last week they wanted hotdogs for dinner and I didn't, so now they think it's an 'all the time' thing).

Me: I like chicken, vegetables and soup for dinner sometimes.

Paulie: I not like chicken.

Alex: Yes you do! I thought you liked everything!

Paulie: I like goldfish........ I like crackers.......... I like goldfish crackers........

He's creating quite the distinguished palette, huh?

It's time for another "Glad I Was Listening" segment

2008-03-12T10:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Ambrose was in the bathroom talking to himself and this is what I heard:

"I'm so thirsty I could drink the Mississippi River! (mumbles--) That is.....if it really even exists."

Ahhh...Winter Break for mommy

2008-03-07T09:59:00.001-05:00

Kids have a mid-winter break from school usually in the form of an extended weekend. I think that parents also NEED a mid-winter break (AND non-parenting adults, but especially parents). I've taken it upon myself to implement this fact (for ME at least, you'll have to come up with your own plan, sorry) and in exactly 2 hours I will be headed to a Stamping Weekend Retreat. How much stamping will actually get done?? I'm not sure, but I know 55 women will be enjoying their well deserved break doing whatever floats their boat. And who knows? Maybe next year we'll give the men a break....nah, who am I kidding--we're already planning our getaway for next year! Yippee!!

Knock, Knock....Who's there?

2008-02-27T15:03:00.001-05:00

I really need to get a digital camera.

We've been feeding the birds & squirrels through our back door for about a month now. We break put bread pieces and toss them on the porch, then we step back and watch the feast. Well, today I was on the computer and there was a 'knock' on the back door. I look over and Mr. Squirrel is peering in & scratching at the door! I'll keep feeding them because the boys get such a kick out of it and also because it's something I remember my Grandma always doing. Just as long as they don't get too comfortable & try to sneak in my house. I'll go all broom crazy on 'em!

Monday Madness

2008-01-14T16:39:00.000-05:00

Today was a hard day; the kids were SO naughty and I was feeling like I couldn't get anything done. In an attempt to make myself feel better, I sat down and wrote out the tasks I accomplished thus far (3:30pm). Here's what I came up with:

*I got Ambrose up, ready, fed, and to school (with 2 brothers in tow)
*Unloaded the dishwasher
*Loaded and ran the dishwasher
*Folded & put away (2) loads of laundry
*Washed another (2) loads of laundry
*Fed the kids breakfast
*Fed the kids lunch
*Fed the kids AM and PM snacks
*Showered (Yippee!)
*Picked Ambrose up from school (with 2 brothers in tow)
*Cleaned out & reorganized the linen closet and drawers
*Vacuumed the recessed light sockets in the upstairs bathroom
*Replaced (2) light bulbs in the upstairs bathroom
*Took down the shower curtain in the downstairs bathroom (AND cut up some of the material to use again)
*Hung a new shower curtain
*Talked to my mom on the phone
*Talked to my sister on the phone
*Talked to my friend, Kristen, on the phone
*Emailed Laura, Sara, Sue, Andrea, and Jesse
*Caught up on my GoogleReader
*Played a game of "Go Fish" with Ambrose & Athan
*And I managed to eat lunch, a snack, AND a 'secret' milkshake

Would you like a run down of what the kids did this morning? Here's what I know of (I'm sure I'll 'discover' more as the day goes on):
*Ate breakfast
*Ate (2) snacks
*Ate lunch
*Pooped (1 of which needed a diaper changed, the other needed supervision)
*Climbed onto the counter, got and ate candy out of the cabinet and also dumped a bowl of cereal & milk on the floor in the process of the raid
*Made playdoh balls (which are now embedded in the carpet)
*Got out (5) puzzles (at the same time!)
*Got out (4) board games (also at the same time!!)
*Played together, fairly nicely, in their bedroom
*Dumped out EVERY bin of toys onto the bedroom floor (Ahhhhh!!!)
*Along with more playing, reading, and watching a PBS show

And it's days like this that I couldn't even fathom before I had children.

Glad I was listening

2008-01-10T10:40:00.000-05:00

I feel so thankful to stay home and raise our children. I'm especially thankful to have overheard these conversations this morning:

1st. (On the way to school in the backseat)

Alex (to Ambrose): Stop distracting me
Ambrose: Do you even know what distracting means?
Alex: no
Ambrose: Well... it's when there's something bad happening and you are doing something else and you try to pretend it's not happening.

2nd. (Alex and Athan playing in their room, doing their usual "Mommy Alex" role playing)

Alex -- "No, don't dump that out!" (Athan dumps whatever it was) "Great! Now I have to clean that up cause I am mommy."

Quotes for the week

2007-12-19T08:26:00.000-05:00

It was hard to pick just one quote from each boy, they give me so much material to work with.

"Just nothing."
-Athan Paul, anytime you ask him something and he doesn't want you to know the answer (like, "Where did that candy cane go?").

"Yes you do! It's checkers!!"
-Alex's response when Paulie said he didn't like the game they were playing.

"Mom, when I get adopted I hope I get a family as nice as this one."
-Ambrose, last night after dinner.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-14T16:21:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't receive an email from us or you want to watch this video twice a day like I do...here is our 1st digital Christmas greeting 'card.' Enjoy!

Let's boogie!

2007-12-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

Watch our dance

The Burrito Brothers

2007-12-10T12:40:00.000-05:00

I recently developed a few rolls of film and I'm so happy this one turned out. The boys love to be rolled into tacos or burritos--or "Kacos" if you're talking to Paulie. This time even Lucy and Orange joined the fun.

Friday's Feast

2007-12-07T08:12:00.000-05:00

Appetizer
What was the last game you purchased?

I just purchased M&M checkers for Alex for Christmas.

Soup
Name something in which you don’t believe.
Skinny = healthy

Salad
If you could choose a celebrity to be your boss, who would you pick?

Matt Damon, but only if he promises to speak in his thick "Good Will Hunting" boston accent.

Main Course
What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?

Don't put a sweater in the dryer and walk away thinking you'll remember in 3 minutes that it's time to take it out.

Dessert
Describe your idea of the perfect relaxation room.

The walls would be lined with favorite books and music would always be playing. There would be hot tea or coffee along with ice water. And let's not forget the stamping area! It would be a grand stamping area--completely organized. ;)

Have a great weekend! And don't forget to buy everyone on your list a book.

Winter day

2007-12-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

I'm not a 'winter person.' When I left the mitten state I vowed I'd never return, and yet, here I am trying to get through another dark, cold, and dismal Michigan winter. Is there just a giant cloud that hovers over Michigan for 5 dreadful months?! Good grief.

Alright, no more complaining because the sun IS shining today and the snow is glistening and it's actually quite delightful.

I never enjoyed playing outside in the winter, but I easily forget that others do. So, when the boys wanted to go outside today my first reaction was "ugh." But, it turned out to be a lot of fun and really only lasted 15 minutes (not counting the 20 minutes getting ready to go out). We made snow balls (actually, I just made snow balls and passed them out) and threw them at the garage, followed rabbit tracks in the yard, and made snow angels. We retired inside to play 20 Questions while we warmed up with our cranberry apple tea--here comes today's funny. It was Alex's turn to ask a question and he came up with one I'd never heard before:

"Is it something you can cut off from yours body?"

Ambrose and I almost fell off the bench from laughing so hard.

It was a great Winter day.

But who's counting??

2007-11-20T20:29:00.000-05:00

Jesse has been gone for approximately 183 hours--he is due back in 1.5 hours.

Today was the LONGEST day, as to be expected. But, Alex did provide me with a laugh when he was playing a computer game; he turned to me and said "Mommy, I gonna kick dis yobot's BOOTY!" Apparently he was battling a robot and thought he had the upper hand. I love that kid.

Friday's Feast

2007-11-16T09:59:00.000-05:00

Appetizer

What was your first “real” job?

I worked as a dishwasher when I was 14, but that only lasted a couple of months. I assume that's a 'real' job, it had a paycheck--that was all that mattered to me.

Soup
Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?

Outside.

Salad
Complete this sentence: I am embarrassed when…

It's revealed that I don't/can't keep up with current events.

Main Course
What values did your parents instill in you?

It's never too late to change.

Dessert
Name 3 fads from your teenage years.

Gangsta' rap. Teen dance club nights. All basketball shoes were named after a b-ball player.

Overheard in the night

2007-11-15T08:45:00.000-05:00

"Tomorrow is hotdog day!"
-Alex, talking to Athan from the top bunk.

"No! Tomorrow is Saturday."
-Athan, responding to Alex.

(The "tomorrow" they were debating was today, Thursday.)

Handwritten note from Ambrose.

2007-11-13T23:14:00.000-05:00

I think it's okay--he DID say "Love" before "Hate." AND he finished the letter with a "Love Ambrose." I think he was just trying to put his frustrations of the day into words, which is great. This stems from him being upset that I had him stay in his room for his quiet time--sometimes it's tough being 5.

2007-11-13T09:37:00.001-05:00

Ambrose attended his 1st 'school friend' birthday party this past Saturday. I stayed to help Anthony's mom with 16(!) 5-6 year olds--and also to make sure Ambrose could handle the situation. He seemed to have a blast, but later in the day Jesse asked him if he had a good time, he answered:

"Yeah, if you call getting pushed down 11 times FUN."

Oh boy.

Friday Feast

2007-11-09T07:52:00.000-05:00

This is from Friday Feast

Appetizer
Which snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?

Popcorn. Although when I was in high school (and didn't care about the ridiculous prices), I always got Goobers.

Soup
What year did you start using the internet?

I think it was 2000-ish.

Salad
What is your first name in Pig Latin?

achel-Ray

Main Course
Name something you are picky about.

Loading the dishwasher.

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: I ____ ____ yesterday and I ____ ____ today.

I didn't run yesterday and I won't run today.

I lived to tell about it

2007-07-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

I survived my second Harry Potter Release Party! It was an exciting night with LOTS of HP fans. I was in charge of "Pictures with Harry" and also the costume contest--Snape won and an adorable Rita Skeeter (she was only 8 years old) was the runner up.

After the activities, I cashiered--CRAZY cashiered! It's an adrenaline rush to ring up over a thousand people who had waited for HOURS to buy/see/touch the HP book. In case you are wondering (with tax) "your book comes to $22.25, if you are a member it's $20.02."

**Here's a shout out to April, Liz, Danielle, Billy, Joanna, and Kelly for visiting me last night--hope you liked your pictures! Thanks guys.

Today's funny comes from Alex

2007-07-15T21:27:00.000-04:00

"I no yonger a hungy man."

-Alex's response when asked if he was done with his lunch.

Where do they come up with this stuff?

2007-07-13T10:23:00.001-04:00

My kids never cease to amaze me with their imaginations. For example, this morning Ambrose was dancing around the living room singing an 'original' Scooby Doo song. When he noticed me observing him, he said, "You see, I'm a movie director for Scooby Doo and I'm working on a new song." See what I mean?

Guest blogger: Ambrose (5 years old)

2007-07-12T11:36:00.000-04:00

Do you want to hear a joke?

What's the first thing a gorilla learns at school?
His Ape-B-Cs.

Ready for another joke?

What kind of ape lives in a gym?
A gympanzee.

This is the last monkey one...

What kind of monkey can fly?
A hot-air baboon.

Here's another animal joke.

Why do elephants have trunks?
They'd look silly with suitcases on their faces.

Would you like to hear another joke?

What do vegetables give each other when they get married?
Onion rings.

One more...

Did the animals go into Noah's Ark in pairs?
No, the worms went in apples.

I hope you enjoyed the jokes.

'Be careful' taking advice

2007-06-26T15:58:00.000-04:00

Two days ago, I had a stamping class at our house. As usual, I was hurrying to get my supplies prepared and the house presentable. In the midst of the chaos I remembered a 'tip' for cleaning up in a hurry--if you have dishes on the counter, just stick them in the oven. "Brilliant! That will save me from having to unload and load the dishwasher!" I stuck them in and forgot all about them, literally.

(since it's Summer, we rarely bake)

Fast forward to today--I had made lunch for the boys and was anticipating my own lunch of leftovers from our date last night, so I started the oven. About 10 minutes later, the boys were done and tearing through the house and I saw that I hadn't put in my lunch yet. I opened the oven and...you guessed, there were my dishes!--all nice and 'toasty.' There were some Pfaltzgraft dishes, a soup pot, a casserole dish, and a big rubbermaid bowl. Which one do you think couldn't take the heat?! I REALLY wish we had a digital camera so I could show you the result of baking a plastic bowl. Anyone have a advice for getting melted plastic off your oven??

2007-06-19T21:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight's funny:

(Jesse & Rachel are cleaning up after dinner)
Jesse: This dining room is disgusting!
Rachel: Wonder why?! (as Athan throws a half eaten carrot across the room)

Summertime

2007-06-18T12:28:00.001-04:00

Here's a picture of the boys enjoying the summer. We were at Meijer Gardens where the boys learned about how chocolate is made and saw real cacao trees. Ambrose's favorite was the jungle green house--he was thrilled with the enormous leaves.

*the cute little one in the orange is our friend, Caden

What I've enjoyed this week

2007-06-15T08:50:00.000-04:00

Whenever Friday rolls around, I reflect on all the good things over the past 5 weekdays. This week, there were some great times shared with family, friends, and alone--some included:

*Strawberry picking--all 5 of us went picking and returned with 20 pounds of berries!

*Strawberry eating!

*Visiting various parks--I try to take the boys to several different parks each week. It's fun to watch them progress in their social & physical skills--and equally as nice to tire them out for naptime!

*Stamping class--I taught a class last night in our home; we made Father's Day gifts & cards. I enjoy teaching and am so glad that I'm back into stamping.

*Wine + husband--Jesse and I frequently open a bottle of wine after the boys are in bed. We've been married almost 8 years and are still crazy about each other.

*Daydreaming--speaks for itself, I think.

They grow up so fast

2007-06-12T09:48:00.001-04:00

8am this morning--

me: I really need some coffee
Athan: Me too!

The funny thing is, he really meant it. He is the 3rd biggest coffee drinker in our house--and he's only 2! He'll drink it hot, cold, sweetened, black, anyway he can get it.

a better life

2007-05-24T16:41:00.000-04:00

Jesse has been reading Barbara Kingsoler's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, and when you are married to someone reading a book--it 'almost' counts as you reading it yourself. It has challenged us to question our eating habits, where our food originates and what happens to it along the way. I have seen daily evidence of my struggle with this topic.

It's baby steps for us; we've lived a lifestyle similar to many Americans not giving a second thought to our food and it's direct effects. I decided that we are going to buy our bread fresh and local (or make it ourselves when we have the time--in 5 years maybe). Yesterday, the boys and I trekked half a mile to the bakery, walking (not relying on oil)--another lifestyle change. It was wonderful. I got the exercise I'd been trying to find the time for, we got fresh baked (cheaper than the grocery store!) bread, waved at EVERY car and neighbor we passed by, and enjoyed everything seeing the things we usually zoom past.

It's these choices that will hopefully create, what every parent wants, a better life for our children. We would love for them to slow down, enjoy life, and spread love to everyone around them. The bakery trip was our first and will now be included in our weekly activities.

Sightings

2007-04-20T09:19:00.000-04:00

Our family was walking into church on Sunday and a guy with long brown hair and goatee was holding the door for us. Our troop walked through thanking him as we passed--Alex was the last one. When he passed the gentlemen, he looked up with a big grin and said "Thanks Jesus!" Of course...why wouldn't he expect to see Jesus opening the door to welcome him to church.

Another sighting:
I took the boys to the movies and in the lobby Alex started pointing and trying to get my attention. He pulled on my arm and said "Me! Me! (his name for mom) uh Jesus!!" I look over to where he's pointing and see a life-size cut out of Capt. Jack Sparrow. I had to break his heart and tell him "Baby, that's a pirate."

I've arrived...

2007-04-12T15:29:00.001-04:00

Whew, I just flew in from xanga and boy are my (insert humerous computer piece here) tired.