haleyv6

Bedroom...and Bathroom

2011-11-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a while so I just wanted to post the most recent pictures of our remodel. Here are a few of the bedroom with some pictures and the things in it for every day :)

And finally...my dream bathroom. It has storage, white marble, a clawfoot tub and a walk in shower. I am officially in Heaven as I get ready every day!!!

The tile is my favorite. This diamond pattern mosaic really is the standout piece in the room. It was the perfect way to tie together the white marble and the black countertops...as well as the grey we wanted on the walls. We also got the rain shower head, two body jets and a handheld shower. All make me NEVER want to get out of the shower. Good thing we put in the PERSONAL water heater JUST for this room. HA HA HA!

Final pictures of the other side of the house will be here soon.

AND...if you noticed the new picture above we just got some AH-mazing pictures taken by a wonderful woman named Jamie Faulkner. She does incredible work and we couldn't be happier. Here is the link to our sneak peak. Enjoy...I can't WAIT for our pictures to come in!!

Goodbye Summer

2011-08-14T20:27:00.001-07:00

I can not believe I have to work tomorrow. I can't believe that some people actually work in the summer...every year. I would die. Summers and me are BFF!! This summer has been crazy. We have officially been kitchen-less all. Summer. Long. Miserable. But the end results have been fabulous so far. Hopefully it will all be done within the next few weeks!!

So here's to a happy and healthy school year for my students. We are really pushing exercise and health on their own time this year. Lord knows we can't do it ALL for them! I hope they respond :)

And have I mentioned how much I am going to miss my kiddos...and our old Nanny, Becky?? She came over and swam with us today and it just reminded me of how much my kiddos LOVE her and miss her so much!! But we are thrilled for her new endeavors!!!! The kiddos are at such a fun age right now. I adjust thankful that I can pop home during lunch when i really need a fix!! I pop in for some cuddle and smooch time. Love working 5 minutes from home.

So much to do. It will be so strange not being home for all of the last minute details on the house. Guess I will have to trust hubby to get it done...and FAST!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Laundry and Bedroom :)

2011-08-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

MORE PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!

Here are the most recent pictures of the house. We have just painted the laundry room and moved the furniture downstairs...so enjoy :)

Here is our PINK laundry room. It looks very ballerina pink in the picture, but it is really more of a peachy LIGHT pink in real life. So different in pictures...

All cabinets are hung...just missing the piece for the middle over the cooktop. But it sits directly on the countertop so it has to wait!!!

Bar area :) Room for mini fridge and ice maker!!

Farmhouse sink and dishwasher. To far right will be double ovens with TV over it!

View of island to bar area and breakfast nook!!!

Bedroom with furniture in it. We are still sleeping upstairs because the heat and AC haven't been hooked up yet. Going to get matching drapes for our windows on side of bed. We really wanted shutters but our windows are too shallow :( TEARS!!!!!

Sitting area by fireplace...really this is where Jimmy will eat late night meals after work.

View from MY side of bed!!!

Hallway/walkway into our bedroom. This used to be the guest bedroom!!!

Here is the new bedding. We went with an ivory quilt. I love it!

A quick before and after shot...Here is before with tub in it's place...

AFTER!!!!

Here is before where the old shower and tub were ripped out...

AFTER...

Just waiting on the shower glass for the shower and this side is DONE!!!!!

Woohoo!! See you all soon!

HOUSE update!!!

2011-08-02T17:51:00.001-07:00

Here are some recent pics of the house!!!!! Things are finally moving along. We are getting so excited to get into our new bedroom and kitchen!!

This first picture is a shot of the green room and turquoise hallway :) definitely hubby's favorite!!!

Here is a nice long run of cabinets. They will go all the way to the ceiling!! This is the dining room wall for anyone that knows our house :)

This cabinet will soon house a huge farmhouse sink :) none of the upper cabinets are hung on this side yet.

this will be the cooktop and large mantle piece!!!

Bedroom is done!!! Hoping to move furniture today!

Love our choice to do carpet!!!

We have running water AND a toilet downstairs! Praise the Lord :)

We put the drawer pulls on the cabinets too :)

YAY!!!! Can't wait to keep things rolling!!!

Summer recap...so far

2011-07-16T13:18:00.001-07:00

I have been SO far behind on blogging this summer...so I decided to do a recap of Summer so far....enjoy!!!

Girls weekend in STL...so fun to see all my old teammates!!

Ella's 4th birthday :)

Tyler's 2nd birthday...

Ella's last dance class for summer...

Tyler got to show some of his moves too...

Construction...lots and lots of construction...

Can't believe we were actually able to host the kids birthday party here...

Birthday bash for the kiddos ...all the Sesame Street gang was here...

The kids were thrilled...

Cake...

Hugs from daddy...

Playing with birthday presents...

Summer outside fun..

Love summer..

Ella posing for mom...

Our friend was in the Miss Illinois pageant...

Grant's Farm...lots of memories here...

Freworks...

Birthdays...

Baptisms..

Water Park...

More to come!!!! Happy Summer to all :)

Water Park

2011-07-16T12:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we headed to Cape Girardeau and tested out their new water park!!! The kids had a blast! I was so glad that we were invited to go. Ella had really been missing her friend Addy side school has been out...so it was a great trip.

Prepare for picture overload...

Getting their feet wet in the spray area...

Tyler making some new buddies...

Ella w in heaven...until her face got wet. Hahaha

She did, however, enjoy squirting others :)

Tyler lounging...love this picture

Ella and her friend Addy...

Spray time...

They were standing on the sprayers here...

Tyler wiping he water from his face. He would bend over a sprayer and get blasted!!!

So. Much. Fun...

Ella gradually getting over her aversion to water in her face...

Tyler rockin his new hat...gotta keep some sun off his sweet cheeks...

I would highly recommend the Cape water park. It was very well priced and fun for kids of ALL ages!!!

Puppy Power

2011-07-16T12:50:00.001-07:00

I know that my sis posted a blog about Mia's party...but i wanted to share my pics as well!!

Bone bunting...

Puppy pals to adopt...so cute

Adie and mom...

Meade boy and Marta helping with presents...

Tyler playing in the yard...

Cooper and Adie...

Maggie and Austin...

Te birthday girl...

It was a fantastic birthday! I can't believe that Mia is SEVEN!!!!!!!

Bday ideas...continued...

2011-06-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

Here are ideas for T-bone :)

He is pretty true to size as well. He wears 2T clothing (some 3T shirts) I would DEFINITELY get 3T pajamas if you are getting those. He wears a size 7.5 shoe...He is a BEAST. ha ha ha

He would really enjoy tinkering on his own workbench

I can TOTALLY see Tyler bopping this Spongebob punching bag. HILARIOUS...

AND...I think Meade has one of these shaking/trembling bulldozer...and Tyler LOVES it!!!!

Both of my kids would LOVE a new PUDDLE JUMPER to help them with their swimming skills!!

THESE are the cutest swim trunks EVER for Tyler. Maybe a swimshirt/rashguard to go with??

Tyler also really loves anything that you push and make noise like this learning toy!!! Or this "Mater" laptop!! ADORABLE

Hope these ideas help!!! :)

Bday Ideas...

2011-06-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ask and you shall receive...ideas for the kiddos that is :)

People have asked for ideas for the kiddos. They LOVED the blog that I did around Christmas time...so here is a birthday version!!! Here are some ideas for Ella...

She may or may not be getting this Leapster from us...so anything to go with the Leapster would be awesome

They have these awesome games, cases and charging stations. These would be great additions to the Leapster. If you type in Leapster on the Toys R Us website they have a MASSIVE assortment of goodies.

Her best boyfriend Aydn was riding one of these AWESOME big wheels on our last day of school and Ella was OBSESSED...this one is Radio Flyer brand also at Toys R Us!! (They have a red one too...may be a better hand-me-down for Tyler) ha ha ha

She is also really into games right now such as MEMORY, HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPOS and ELEFUN.

She has the Loving Family Dollhouse. THESE baby accessories are so adorable.

Ella really keeps mentioning Mia, Sophie and Gracie's two piece swimsuits...so she would definitely stalk any of those. Such as THESE from Target :)

Or an adorable cover up like this one below

She is pretty true to size wearing 4T clothing.

I will be back with more ideas for Tyler!! Happy shopping. Can't wait to see you all on Saturday!

4 Years Old...

2011-05-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Today Ella is FOUR years old!!!!

Feels just like yesterday when we had you...

You were a fantastic baby. You hardly ever cried...we could take you anywhere!! Pretty soon you were zooming around running everywhere...

You are our big brown eyed girl...

Here you are right after you turned 2 with your new baby brother...

You take such good care of him and love him so much...

These two girls are your favorite people in the WHOLE world...

Daddy is your favorite too. You love to play with him as soon as he gets home from work. You ask for him after naps too...

You would follow these girls ANYWHERE!!!

You are so smart and LOVE to play and read all day...

Tyler is your bud...but he drives you crazy at times...

only because he wants to do EVERYTHING you do...even put his hands on his cheeks...

But you really love him and take great care of him...

You even give him the biggest smooches EVER...

You love funny face time...

We love you so much Ella!!

Happy 4th Birthday sweetheart!!

Ella's Last Day of Pre-School 2011

2011-05-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

WOW...a half a year of preschool is over and done. SCARY.

So scary to think that the school year is almost over. That just means LOTS...and LOTS of craziness to begin the Summer!

Here is Tyler watching Ella through the window...playing outside!

Tyler runs into the classroom and plays immediately when going to pick Ella up :)

It was their "water party." Weather didn't cooperate very well, so they made the best of it using squirt bottles and towels. It was adorable...

Tyler got in on some action playing with the big kids. Becky says he was in HEAVEN.

Ella with one of her teachers, Miss Beth.

Ella's friend Addy. They are attached at the hip at school.

Tyler getting some work in on the playground :)

Ella and Addy again...like I said, attached at the hip.

Kids running wild :) SO cute

Posing in front of her school building. Hopefully we will be back their again next year.

Probably my favorite picture EVER...

Can't wait to start our crazy Summer out this evening at Gracie's birthday party...and another one for Michael tomorrow!! YAY SUMMER!!

Walls and Roof up!!

2011-05-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

We have WALLS and the trusses are up too :)

Our construction craziness is further along...here is the side view of the new walkway and kitchen!!

This is our newly formed hallway...

And this will soon be the view from our breakfast nook out the windows to the front yard. Our cooktop and mantle-like hood will be placed in between these two windows...

This LARGE window will be the view from the sink area. It will fit beautifully beneath this 5 foot window :)

Another view from the outside...as hubby trims a few branches that got banged up with construction!!

This is just a view up toward the trusses. Hard to tell, but they will soon house a tray ceiling spanning the entire space!!

Lots going on here. We hear they may want to tap into our existing kitchen soon...which we are not fond of. That means lots of crockpot and microwave meals for us. AND no dishwasher!! YIKES!

We will see how long we can keep them out of there. There is still completion work to be done on the other side...painting, molding, light fixtures, flooring. So we are hoping to distract them with that work at least until Summer break gets here!!!

MUST HAVE...

2011-05-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

I HATE my camera bag. Seriously...I think it may be the ugliest thing on the planet to lug around. So recently I have been obsessing over these bags from JO TOTES

photo courtesy of jototes

I mean seriously...how cute are these bags?? They are so cute and perfect for what I need.

THEN...I found THIS tutorial on LilBlueBoo!!!

Photo courtesy of lilblueboo

I can not WAIT to get my sewing machine out of storage so I can make one of these ASAP!!!!! So easy and perfect and FREE on her website. I love Ashley from LilBlueBoo. She has the most creative stuff. If you haven't come across her website already you are in for a treat.

So in case anyone is bored and has a lot of free time...its going to be at least another month before my sewing machine makes it out of storage...feel free to make one in your spare time. :) ha ha ha

Walls!!!!

2011-05-13T15:19:00.001-07:00

Things are moving along here on the home front!! Drywall is being done on the first side...and the floors are going down and walls going up on the other side :)

Here are a few pics of the progress...ceiling in bedroom

Fireplace in the bedroom...

View of bedroom as we walk in. I am in love with the massive French doors to back yard...

Our tub will soon be placed under this window...

And tons of cabinetry and double sinks will soon take over this wall below...

And side #2 has begun too!!!! YAY! Sad that the windows below will be gone. However, new 5 foot windows will take their place!

It is so annoying that we have to go OUTSIDE to get to our favorite hangout spot in the house...these rooms will soon be reunited :)

The walls actually went up today, but I haven't taken pictures of them yet!!

More updates to come!!

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Mother's Day

2011-05-13T14:37:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to post a few pics from my Mother's Day. My day started with a 4.5 hour car ride from Louisville to St. Louis to get back from the Kentucky Derby!!! I went straight to the restaurant to meet 2 of my sisters and my parents...who had my kiddos for the weekend! To say I was excited to see them is a HUGE understatement! I always miss my kiddos when I am gone. Don't get me wrong...the mini break is always nice. I don't remember the last time I slept until 8:30pm. But hugs were in order the second I got back!!!! Lots of hugs :)

Then we headed to MY grandma's house to hang out. LOVE seeing all the kiddos running around together. It is absolutely adorable!

Here is Tyler playing a little whiffle ball in the back yard...

The kiddos loved hitting the shed in the back yard...

Maggie and Austin...

Noodle wars...

Trying to get a mom and kids picture...

The kids were not cooperating :)

My mom and dad...love them to pieces...

Little Meade with his momma Adie...

Then we headed back to my parent's house for beverages and cigar time...

The kiddos played in the yard...

Tyler was a sweaty disaster for the car ride home...YUCK

My Mother's Day was a great day...sad my hubby couldn't be with us, but he spent the day with his mom instead!!

So thankful for my mother and sisters. Having them has made being a mom so much easier!! I love you Mom! Thanks for showing us how to be there for our kids!

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Kentucky Derby

2011-05-13T14:36:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I was fortunate enough to go to the Kentucky Derby!! The whole trip was totally thrown together last minute, but it was really an amazing time. Fortunately my family could help with the kiddos on short notice...and my awesome nanny offered to drive them to St. Louis for me to save an extra 4 hours of driving! Thanks again Becky :)

In the car about to head into the Derby...

Our friends Tim and Lynn were able to join us with little notice as well!

Thanks to Erin at BringUpBurns I was able to throw a hat together! It ended up being SUPER CUTE!

Jimmy drinking a mint julep...WITH a mint julep tie :)

All the boys together...Mike, Matt, Jimmy and Tim

Our friends Terri and Tom who invited us for the weekend. We had such a great time thanks to them...

Our view from the 6th floor...apparently horse racing is NOT like baseball...the higher the better. You can see the entire track from up here!!

We ended up having a beautiful day!!

And Lynn got a picture with Martha Stewart...she was thrilled :)

Afterwards we headed to a fantastic dinner with friends!!

We had a fantastic time!! I truly hope to go again :)

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PLUMBING

2011-04-27T04:27:00.000-07:00

The plumbing is finished!!!!!! YAY. Here are a few quick pictures of the bathroom!

That is our new 73" soaking tub. I already got inside it...there are about 6 inches of empty space at the end...I have plenty of room to soak!!! There will be a chandelier hanging over the tub centered on the window!!!

Kind of hard to see, but tis is the wall to our shower. If you look close you can see a pipe for the shower head, two body sprayers, and a handheld shower head!!!!

And this is the view from the ORIGINAL bathroom door. This used to be a view of the bathroom window. But now you can see all the way down the new bathroom right into MY closet!!!

This view is where the old sink vanity used to be...and some closets. Now ripped out to make room for our NEW sink vanities and make up vanity!!

Things are finally moving along! Today there isn't much going on. I think the speakers for our bedroom, bathroom and outside by hot tub are being hooked up. But, tomorrow is the fireplace in our bedroom and then DRYWALL starts MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T18:07:00.001-07:00

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter! We started off the weekend with an Easter Egg Hunt at the Savage home. It was a blast. There was cookie decorating and the Easter Bunny made an appearance. The kids were a little afraid at first, but finally warmed up to the adorable bunny. Here are a few pics from our adventure.

Then today at the Karayiannis household we stayed pretty low key. We had our morning Easter Egg hunt (indoors sadly, because it was OF COURSE raining)

We went to my in-laws for some AMAZING food. And I mean amazing. Lamb, green beans, greek potatoes...and other yumminess :) Just look at this table.

But during the day today we had a lot of family time as well as getting a few things ordered for the house!!!! Too bad construction seems to be at a standstill!!!!

My favorite purchase of the day....THIS casserole baker in TURQUOISE!!!!!

SO many colors to choose from...it was so hard to pick!!!!

I am so excited! We also nailed down our color scheme for the bedroom. S now I need feedback!!! Which of these bedding sets from West Elm would you get??? They have an entire page of WHITE BEDDING...which I am obsessed with!!! We were really inspired by Pottery Barn's all white bedding section! But nothing really tore at my heart strings...then we saw the ones at West Elm. I immediately thought of my wedding dress when I saw the pin tuck pattern. Some people may find that strange, but I love it!!!!

Here is the pintuck bedding...

However I think Pottery Barn does a better job of making their all white bedding look not so boring like in this picture below...

They do a much better job of layering. I love the all white bed look. Not very practical with two little kids and a dog...but it reminds me of a hotel. I think we may do it!!!

Which one would you do??????

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Both sides?????

2011-04-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

So...they have officially begun work on the other side of our house. I am super excited that this has started. However, a little frustrated the other side isn't further along so that our house doesn't seem quite so "torn up."

One thing i can for sure be very thankful for is the fact that I have VERY flexible children. Since our kiddos stay home every day with our rock star nanny, Becky, they are here for ALL the construction. They hear every nail, every piece of wood that is chopped and every brick now torn off of the house. And they have been great all things considered!!! Becky has also been so flexible. We are so blessed to have such a fantastic person for our children!!! Becky loves to take the kiddos to the park or to run the lake which gets them away from the madness!!!!

Part of the time Tyler naps in a pack n play in our master bathroom and Ella in our bed. But, now that they have moved on to both sides we no longer have a "quiet" side of the house!! That is what I meant by hoping they were further along!!!! We were hoping that by the time they moved onto the new side of the house that the old side (which houses the KIDS bedrooms) would be closer to finished! But, it's not, and that's ok. Today i am home with the kiddos and they are napping away in the "Raiders" room. Oh so thankful my kids will sleep anywhere!!!!

Here are a few recent pics of the first part of the renovation!!!

Master bedroom side. The kiddos sleep right above the new roof!!!!

The siding is actually on now. We will have the exact same size renovation on the other side of the house!!!

Here is the view from our "bed." We will soon be able to see the fireplace in our bedroom :)

This is the opposite wall. Between the windows will be our bed with french doors leading to the back yard!!

And here are my happy kiddos. Ella is teaching Tyler how to smile with hands on cheeks :) ha ha ha

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A roof???

2011-04-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Not quite, but we are almost there!!! The roof is almost finished on the addition and I am getting SO pumped!!!!!

Things have been going pretty smoothly so far...have to wait for more brickwork to get finished before the decking of the roof can go on, but that's the price we have to pay to keep all the original brick!!!

Changes on the inside of the house are happening fast too. If you look at the first picture, the tip of the roof is running right into a window...so below you can see the upstairs kids bathroom that we had to close up the window.

Really really makes me sad :( There is nothing I love more than natural light. But, I guess that just means we get an AWESOME amount of natural light in the new addition! YAY.

Sorry for the awful phone pics...to say I have been busy is an understatement. Crazy renovations and hubby out of town...kids sleeping in pack and plays in OUR bathroom. It's been interesting!!!!!

More to come soon!!

Work in progress...

2011-03-28T18:05:00.001-07:00

Our house is DEFINITELY a work in progress right now!! Construction is underway and moving quickly when the weather permits :)

Here is a picture of the blocks for the crawlspace all ready to throw some floors on...

Here the plywood is put down...

Looking good!!!!!

Walls will go up tomorrow! The plan is then to start some "inside" work until the trusses come in!!!!! YAY!!

I am getting so excited :)

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CONSTRUCTION ZONE...

2011-03-22T14:47:00.000-07:00

Maybe we should have a construction zone party for our kids birthday party this year because that is ALL I see in our future as of right now! Destruction...and construction has officially begun. We are adding on to our house. We are turning the guest bedroom and bathroom downstairs into our master suite with SUPER sweet walk in closets. And on the other side of the house we will be adding on a KITCHEN that is NOT 10' x 10' like the one we have now. I am by NO means a master chef, but part of the reason I don't try harder is because our kitchen SUCKS! (At least that is what I tell myself)

Here are some recent pictures of our disaster zone...

These pictures are of our guest bathroom and bedroom wall, which will soon be the master suite :)

They are placing the blocks for the crawl space and will SOON be putting up walls and floor!!

The next picture is the other side of the house. They haven't begun demolition on this side of the house. But right now we are trying to salvage some of our plants. They are going to have to RIP up our beautiful gardens so they are digging up some of the plants and we are HOPING and PRAYING that they live through the move!!!

There are MASSIVE pieces of equipment ALL over our yard...It is CRAZINESS!!!

Why go through all the trouble you ask??????

Just look at the picture below...

This is what these plants look like come June!!!

They must be saved :)

This is our craziness going on here!! Hope you are all having a wonderful start to Spring!

29 years ago...

2011-03-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

...I was born with a best friend.

Only three minutes apart :)

I forever was blessed to have...

Someone to go to Vegas with...

Someone to meet FAMOUS people with...

Someone to celebrate with...

Someone to play professional sports with...

And someone to make #2 and #3 out of 4!!

I am the luckiest girl in the world to have 3 fantastic and wonderful sisters. I am even LUCKIER to have a twin. I get the honor of sharing my birthday with my best friend. Someone who ALWAYS makes my family proud.

Thanks for being a wonderful sister and best friend. Happy Birthday Adie.

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

2011-03-04T08:08:00.000-08:00

I have been totally M.I.A. lately. We have had so much on our plate.

We are getting ready to add on to our home. A BIG renovation...adding rooms, tearing out old ones. It's gonna be CRAZY. So, we have had trips to the bank, meetings with builders, designing of cabinets, kitchens and bathrooms. Scrolling through magazine after magazine...and my favorite Ipad app HOUZZ. I am in LOVE with that app.

Here is an example of an inspiration kitchen:

traditional kitchen design by chicago general contractor Oakley Home Builders

If our kitchen looks HALF that awesome when we are finished we would be thrilled!!!

Everything begins on Monday. I like to call it my birthday present. My birthday is Tuesday, so all the excitement is going to be crazy. REALLY crazy.

So, I will start with some before pictures and keep you updated the best that I can. This weekend we are making a trip for a beautiful 5 year old's bday party...and to celebrate OURS too. That's right I said ours, because I get to share my birthday EVERY year with my favorite person in the whole world, Adie. I LOVE being a twin. I wish that I have twins...someday maybe!!!!!!!!

Blogpress

2011-02-05T19:36:00.001-08:00

I am writing this blog for the first time using my iPad! I am using blogpress and I am so excited to blog on the go!!!!
Ella and I are watching Enchanted in my bed cuddling and this is PERFECTION!!!!! Why have I not done this sooner??

So this weekend has been very different than expected. It started with drinks at the bar with some of my favorite girls! A former SIU teammate was inducted into the Hall of Fame and we met her out for drinks after their dinner! SO. MUCH. FUN.
But then, it goes downhill. The snow totally ruined our plans to head to my parents for the weekend and to attend a very cute girl's 2nd birthday party. Ella had been talking about the party all week! And i had to rain on her parade this morning. Seriously devastated.
So we unpacked and went to the mens basketball game...another fail.
And now my throat hurts so bad that it hurts to swallow. Who is jealous???
Hopefully I will feel well enough for a good workout tomorrow!! And then i will enjoy watching the commercials during the Superbowl!!! YAY!

Happy weekend to all!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Birthday...

2011-01-19T12:51:00.000-08:00

My birthday is in JUST over a month and have already been stalking some things I may or may not want. And totally came across this CUTENESS today.

I want my pantry to look like that! FOR REAL!!!!

Or these from The Stories of A to Z!! LOVE LOVE LOVE these too :)

I am obsessed with these large jars!!! I am totally going to ask my ever so creative sisters and mother to search for some big jars like these for me :) Would be the perfect bday present...and my sis, Marta, has a vinyl cutter that would make my life SO easy!!

Just sayin'

I am in LOVE with these!!!

Pre School!!!

2011-01-03T20:02:00.000-08:00

Ella had her first day of Pre School today! WOW! Pre School. I can't believe she is old enough to be in school!

I feel like yesterday was our first visit at my mom and dad's house...

She just started sprinting around the house...

Falling asleep ANYWHERE...

Welcoming a baby brother...

Following her cousins EVERYWHERE...

She has grown up so fast...

She is feisty...and fun...and SO outgoing!!!

She is 100% a daddy's girl :)

So it was very fitting that daddy go to take her to her first day of preschool!!

Ella posing with her backpack...she LITERALLY couldn't get out of the house fast enough!!

I was DYING hearing Jimmy talk about her first day, and how she was so excited to be there. She didn't mind that daddy left her there one bit. When she got home she told me all about how she met new friends! Ella with other kids = HEAVEN!!! So proud of you Ella. So glad you had a great FIRST day!

It's been a while...

2010-12-29T11:20:00.001-08:00

It has been WAY too long, but we have been WAY too busy here at the Karayiannis household. Between shopping, and wrapping, and preparing for Christmas I abandoned my blog!!

Here is my Christmas wrap up...

We started off the festivities with making gingerbread houses with all the kiddos.

From left: Meade, Gracie, Sophie, Tyler, Mia and Ella

Working hard on the houses. Thanks to Adie, they had quite a spread of goodies to put on their houses.

Ella's house almost completed!!!

Christmas Eve this year was spent at my mom and dad's house. Hubby and I rotate every year...we do one day with my family and one day with his. It only seems fair!!!

Here are the Viefhaus sisters!

From left: Maggie, Adie, Haley and Marta

Daddy and Tyler in their matching shirts...SO CUTE!!!

A very rare FAMILY shot...Tyler was impossible and I am usually taking the pictures so these are rare!!!!

My dad enjoys putting headbands on our boys...torture of course :)

And we had a VERY white Christmas this year! So exciting to see this on Christmas morning!!

And since we had such beautiful snow we decided to take advantage and snag some stellar pictures for Maggie and Austin's engagement. I only put a few on here, because I don't know which ones they will be using for their own projects...so I don't want to ruin any surprise.

The ones in the snow are down by my parents pond...my fingers were FRIGID while I snapped these pics...as were Maggie's toes. And not to mention the CRAZY glare from the snow and sun...but they turned out GREAT!!!

And I truly have to thank the Momtog Blog and Drew B for selling your fantastic UNmanual. It really finally gave me a clue as to HOW to use my camera...and I have NEVER been happier. I may NEVER use the automatic setting AGAIN!!!!!!!! Wow!!

The ones with the Sunset are from Marta's house...they turned out absolutely adorable...probably because Maggie and Austin are SO cute!!!!

Can't wait to see what you two lovebirds do with all the pictures!!! So glad I was able to help!

I hope you all had as blessed and joyful of Holidays as we had...up next, preparing for our NEW YEAR'S EVE party!!!!!

Monkey Bread Muffins

2010-12-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share this EASY recipe for a YUMMY breakfast!!! I made these this morning. I got the idea from a teacher at my school...but I was inspired by an incredible Monkey Bread recipe from Mel!! The one that Mel makes was always a little too much for our family to eat...and we are bad about leftovers...so I like the size of this recipe!!!!

Here are the ingredients you will need...

1 pkg of biscuits
3 tsp of cinnamon
1/8 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1T of butter melted
muffin pan and muffin cups

Preheat the oven to 400!!!

Mix sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl

Cut each of the biscuits into 4 pieces

Because biscuits come in 10 packs you should have 40 pieces to place in each cup. I put 4 pieces in each muffin cup!!!

Melt the butter and pour over top of the biscuit pieces

Sprinkle the mixture on top

And bake for 10 minutes

Can't get much easier than that!!

They are the perfect size for snacks too. My kiddos love to pull the little pieces apart!

****Next time I may try and do the "shake" technique to get them a little bit more sugary!!! The insides weren't very sugary...but were STILL delicious. MAYBE we don't NEED all the sugar. ha ha

I had two very happy kiddos with a fun breakfast this morning!! Happy Cooking

Christmas Lists

2010-11-28T17:23:00.000-08:00

Many have been asking for lists for Ella and Tyler...so of course I decided to blog it instead :)

Here is a wish list from Ella:

*****These are all IDEAS and EXAMPLES, not specifics*****

**LONG SLEEVED or LAYERABLE dresses Size 4T

(Ella is obsessed with dresses. Literally had to HIDE her Summer dresses because she was crying about wearing them!! MISERABLE)
**Games for the "Click to Start" Leapfrog My First Computer
**The Tag Junior Reading Pal and books!!!

**As far as toys go...we have tons, but Ella really enjoys Barbies and Princess toys. She likes the new TANGLED movie that just came out, and really likes Toy Story 3 as well!!!
**Underwear (Size 3T to 4T) and SOCKS!!!!
**Any clothing she usually wears Size 4T tops and 3T bottoms!
**Tights and Leggings...since she's obsessed with dresses :)

**Boots and Slippers to keep her feet warm :) Size 9 or 9.5

**And sweaters!!! Like THESE from Old Navy!!

***Almost all of these pictures above were taken from Old Navy's website.***

Tyler's wishlist:

**Hoodies, like any of THESE from Old Navy
**Sweaters. Tyler wears 2T tops and 18 months bottoms!!

**Slippers to keep his little feet warm (SIZE 7)

**ANY shoes...he literally only owns tennis shoes!!

**Educational toys such as this from Leapfrog
**Or these magnetic sound toys from Leapfrog too!!

**Tyler truly enjoys ALL toys!! He loves trucks and trains (Thanks to Meadeboy) too!!

I hope this was helpful to your shopping needs!!! Again, all of these are examples of what the kids like! They would most certainly be happy with ANYTHING that they get. I will try and update this again in case I think of more ideas!!! People were asking for ideas, so I am sending them your way!! Happy Holidays!

Dear Santa

2010-11-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

I decided to get an early start on my own Christmas shopping this year, and that got me in the mood to make my own wish list for Santa! I decided to do a wish list blog :)

So anyone needing ideas for my favorite things this year will have it NICE and EASY!!!

Earrings small ones OR big ones

Headbands like the ones ERIN makes in her Shop...LOVE them

Fun T-shirts (those with embellishments or fun designs) Usually Size Large

Gift cards to BUCKLE or JoAnn's Fabric

Cardigans (Size Medium at Old Navy)

Tank Tops/Shells for UNDER cardigans :)

ANYTHING Maroon...I go to a lot of Saluki events so I can always wear maroon

Sunglasses like these from Kohl's

Dressy flats like these from Target

Make up...eye shadows, grey eyeliner, any lip gloss

Bare Essentials Faux Tan or make up

Nail polish...any colors

Workout leggings

Cricut and cartridges

Lowcut sport socks

Purses/handbags like the one below from the Buckle

Sport Watch like this NIKE one

Thank you so much for checking out my favorite things!!!! Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays. I hope everyone on MY list makes a Dear Santa blog!!!!

Why I have sisters...

2010-11-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

A while back my sister, Marta, wrote a blog about her cuties' bday party and said that there is a reason that she had sisters. For example, when her pictures got erased from her camera after her kiddos 2nd and 6th bday party she was able to use MINE!! Well I have an example of my own. Mine is geared toward my kiddos too. I have sisters to help me become a better mother.

Marta, is a fantastic mother. She has set the bar so high when it comes to being a mom. She lives for her children in every way. And Adie is the same way. Adie is like me, a working mom, who works away from our kiddos, so we can relate to each other a lot about kid issues. Maybe our kids are looking to get attention from us in any way they can (good or bad) because they miss us. All those kinds of things. It's so nice to have sisters who understand what you are going through and to bounce all of your problems and ideas off of! Now Maggie doesn't have her own kiddos yet, but she is constant entertainment when our kids are around. Because she doesn't have her own kids, she is full of energy to spoil our kids rotten with love. I hope I can return the favor to her some day!

And we all got super lucky because one of those sisters is a Kindergarten teacher. She is always so smart in ways to help motivate the little youngsters. And this idea worked like a charm!! So thank you, Adie!!!

We were having an issue with Ella doing things independently. It was like one day she snapped and stopped wanting to do the things she used to NEVER have problems doing...such as pulling down her own pants and undies to go potty. She all of a sudden expected help with these tasks she had been doing on her own for a while. This was just not fun. After many temper tantrums and hair ripping out I had a little chat with twin sis!! She had all the answers!

A chain!!!! What kind of chain? Well a simple paper chain was all we needed to fix the issues with miss Ella!!

What we did was very simple. We chatted with Ella about doing things on her own! Then we told her that every time she did something without our help she got to put a new link on her chain! We put the first one up and then she was hooked!!

After the first day we went to Hobby Lobby together and picked out paper. We ~~accidentally~~ picked out paper that matched her room!! Hee Hee. I may or may not have steered her in that direction!!

We set a goal for miss Ella that when the chain hit the floor we would go to the "Dragon Park." (There is a park near us with gargoyles and dragons and castles...nicknamed the Dragon Park.)

So every day she asked to do things on her own...even things she wasn't really trying to do on her own yet before. Putting laundry away, folding clothes, anything she could try and do. It was AMAZING!!

Here is a picture of her chain hitting the floor!!!

Here is our decorative box filled with our paper. We just bought regular old 12 x 12 scrapbook paper and cut them into 1.5" slices!!!

She picks the paper and it gets stapled to the rest!!!

We decided that once she finished a chain we would hang it up in her room!!!! (which is why we ~~accidentally~~ picked paper that matched her room)

Here is Ella standing next to her paper chain!!! She is so proud!

All smiles because we are off to the park!!!

After her first chain we made an extra stop on the way to the park...the horse stables!

This is Ella with her horse, Whisper. She was SO excited to go for a pony ride.

Riding along on Whisper...

This was TOTALLY a random trip. We were literally driving by and decided to stop in and see if they had rides available. Ella was in love.

Tyler face planted on the dirt road behind the horse so I snapped a quick picture of him covered in dirt!!!! ha ha

Ella showing off her horse stamps!

She was devestated when they washed off in the bath :(

HERE are a few snaps of the park...

you may have trouble seeing, but inside the cross at the top of the castle is Ella's face...

The monster castle..which is basically a big maze/fort and she loved it!!!

One of the many dragons the kids played on. Ella and Tyler were crawling all over.

Overall, the paper chain has been a huge success. It was such a great idea from Adie, also, to hang the chain where she can see it right away. Ella's meltdowns always seemed to occur right after nap and when she woke up in the morning. So that is why we chose to hang it in the doorway. If we use this in another way, such as for sharing or eating dinner, we would move it to where she can see it while she eats!!!! Thanks to my sisters and good job Ella!!!

pumpkins

2010-10-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

It's PUMPKIN time!!! This past Monday we had our annual Pinch Penny Pumpkin Carving Party for our employees and we decided to join in the festivities!!!

Ella picked out THIS Snow White template!!!

I was, OF COURSE, the photographer while watching Tyler roam and Daddy and Ella went to work!!!!

Ella LOVES to get her hands dirty. She scoops the insides out with her BARE HANDS!!! That's my girl!

This is her scraping the inside out with a spoon...

Tyler with his PUMPKIN orange shirt was a big help...stealing crackers off the foot table and running like crazy :)

A quick surprise shot of the two artists :)

Cutting snow whites eyes out :) That sounds mean. ha ha ha

A quick pose with mommy!!!

Here is Ella with her Snow White pumpkin!! It looks MUCH better in real life all lit up!

WHAT DID YOU CARVE THIS HALLOWEEN??????

Cooking with Ella!!!

2010-10-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ella and I decided to do a little COOKING last night. So we picked out a recipe from our favorite "Quick and Easy" cook book and went to town. We decided to make Broiled Chicken with Pesto Toasts!!! YUM!!!

When we cook I pull a chair in from the dining room and we go to work!
Here is Ella in a pre-kitchen mess pose!!!

First thing we did was smear extra virgin olive oil on the chicken...

This may be my favorite picture from the evening. LOOK how happy she is...

But we didn't use just REGULAR olive oil...we used GARLIC flavored...EXTRA YUMMY

While the chicken broiled for 15 minutes we put a can of diced tomatoes (drained) and 1/2 a jar of green pesto sauce in a saucepan to heat to put on the toasts!!!

While the pesto and tomatoes were heating we cut up the french bread. This is Ella's "bread castle" as she called it...

Ella with her bread castle...

After a few minutes of simmering the pesto sauce was ready for the toasts. You pour half of the pesto and tomato sauce over the chicken...and place back under the broiler for about 15 more minutes. Then Ella and I smeared the pesto sauce on her toasts and then it was time to sprinkle on the CHEESE!!!!

This was one of her favorite parts!!!

We placed the toasts under the broiler for about 2 or 3 minutes when the chicken was just about done!!! It was QUICK and EASY!!! So easy a 3 year old could do it!!!

Ella's plate also had some fun sides...watermelon and chicken and cheese tortellinis!! She did have some of my chicken too :)

We also have to thank Tyler for sitting so nicely in his chair in the kitchen so we could cook and have fun!!! YAY for Tyler!!!

I LOVE to cook with Ella. I hope she enjoys it as much as I do!!

Spooktacular Tree

2010-10-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

This is my FIRST attempt at a semi-tutorial. So brace yourself!!! Since I did this project TWO years ago I did NOT have a blog then or take pictures...so I am going to describe the project with the images that I took today...So enjoy

I would also like to say that I do NOT take credit for this project. Because I did it two years ago I truly can NOT remember where I found it!! Obviously...I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, so it doesn't surprise me that I don't remember!

Here is the final product...A spooky Halloween ornament tree!!

What you need:

Decorative Canister

Sticks/Twigs from yard

Foam

Black Spray paint (optional)

Ornaments

Halloween stickers

Halloween ribbon

Straw

I started out by collecting the sticks for my "tree." I tried to pick out some SPOOKY ones, and then spray painted them black!!!

I then assembled my ornaments. I used Halloween stickers to decorate them and tied the ribbon on the ornaments

Inside my canister I placed a foam rectangle and shoved the sticks in.

I then covered up the foam with some straw!!!

Time to hang your ornaments on the TREE!!!

Have your kiddos help!! A very FUN and easy Halloween project!!!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

BONFIRE!!!

2010-10-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our WEEKEND!!!! The 2nd weekend in October may be my favorite weekend of the ENTIRE year. Yes I said it...more than any Holiday or other time of year. It is MY absolute favorite. During this weekend we go to Augusta, MO and enjoy a fantastic meal (The Sausage Supper) and enjoy the wineries that Augusta has to offer!!

But this weekend was made EVEN better with a BONFIRE at my parent's house to find out the sex of the newest addition to our family...Baby Smith.

Here is Momma Smith and lil Meade hanging out down by the pond...

Our family likes to have what is called a "Guess the Sex" Party. We guess the baby's sex and weight and whoever is closest WINS!! Here is Ella and my mom putting their guesses in!!

Tyler enjoying a quick snack while we make our guesses and chat...

Maggie and Austin pose for a quick picture...Notice Maggie's pink streak in her hair??? All of us girls went Saturday morning for a breast cancer fundraiser. We all got a pink streak put in our hair...even some of the little ones got them too :)

Here is momma Adie getting ready to hand out "the gifts" which reveal the sex of the baby!!!

Nana and Mimo opening up the gifts...if you can see those are BLUE presents in their hands. Baby Smith is gonna be a little boy. That makes TWO for the Smith family!!! We are so happy to have MORE boys in the family. SOOOOOO exciting. Congrats to Adie and Meade!!

Little...actually HUGE Tyler strolling around the yard...

Three of the sisters...Marta, Maggie and Adie...

Here we are getting a sisters picture...please watch how the pictures progress. They ALWAYS start off sweet and cute...

Then some chatting usually begins MID picture...

Then some LAUGHING...

Then RANDOMNESS...

WOW is all there is to say about some of those pictures!!!! ha ha ha

Here are some shots of the kiddos enjoying the evening...

Gracie, Riley, Mia, Meade, Sophie and Ella

The BONFIRE!!!

Kids enjoying hot dogs and Smores!!!

And a little DUCK DUCK GOOSE!!! (Mia, Sophie and Ella)

Austin and Maggie enjoying some smores :)

Those are some HUGE bites!!! ha ha

The Smith family...with another cutie on the way!!! Conrats to you!

So glad Adie and Meade started the weekend off GREAT!!!! Happy Fall!

TINKERBELL AND FAIRIES

2010-10-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love Tinkerbell?? And all of her movies? Well our little Ella is OBSESSED!! The newest Tinkerbell movie, Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue came out not too long ago and we have had some fun with all the action.

We bought the movie as soon as it got to stores and watched it THAT evening. Ella was instantly hooked on all things fairies again.

In the movie, Tinkerbell gets trapped in a "fairy house" and it's up to her friends to come rescue her. Well while I was at work the next day our nanny, Melanie, and Ella recreated their own fairy house.

Here is what the fairy house looks like in the movie:

Another view of Tinkerbell standing in front of the bridge that leads to the fairy house:

Here is Ella and Melanie's version:

I love the flowers on top of the magnolia leaves. SO ADORABLE!!!

Is that not the cutest?? They made a bridge and little mini fairies. I thought it was the CUTEST thing EVER!! I am so glad there are creative people out there to come up with cute projects for kids. That is why I stick to P.E. I had already watched the movie with Ella before Melanie and NEVER in a million years would have thought to create our own fairy house!! LOVE it!

And since this is a TINKERBELL themed post I figured I would add in my pictures from our trip to Disneyland this Summer. Pixie Hollow...

And me and my friend, Molly, with the ONE and only Tinkerbell...

How real does that Tinkerbell look?? I was STUNNED!!

RANDOMS....

2010-10-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

I would say this is my first attempt at a "random" blog. I have been SO busy and not blogging that there are so many topics to write about that I figured I would just chat about them all in one big burst!

***I hate it when people compliment me as "looking good for having two kids." :) Can't I just look good for being a normal person?? Why does it have to be about having children. ha ha ha

***WHY is it so hard for middle school children to remember ONE simple locker combination? You know 3,543 of your friends cell phone numbers...and can't remember ONE locker code? It's called being lazy.

***Public school Pre-K...I am so happy that you are "needs based" to help all of those children that need LOTS of help in school. Sad that my child probably won't get it because she isn't the most needy (Yet very thankful at the same time for obvious reasons).

***Reeses Peanut Butter Cups...I officially CAN NOT stay away from you, and it's not even Halloween yet. I am going to be out of control! YIKES

***I thought my skin would get over the random break out stage after high school. NOPE, still here. This is a lot of fun.

***My kids brighten EVERY part of my day, week, month, and year. I had SO much fun with them yesterday when I was able to come STRAIGHT home from work and NOT go to practice. I loved every second that I helped with softball, but I am SO ready to be a great mommy and wife again!!

***So guilty of this even though I hate it...I don't know ANYONE's phone number anymore. Literally, I know my immediate family and that's it. That is AWFUL. I have to look up every number in my phone or I just hit send. Not good in case of emergency AT ALL!!

***Ella is going to be in school soon. I don't care if I have to take up another job to pay for it. She will be in school soon. Just seeing the excitement on her face when she went to go screen is all I needed to see!!!!!!

Happy Tuesday

We used the TUB!!!!

2010-08-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

Today we finished the tub in the bathroom. What a relief to have the biggest piece finished!!

This is a picture of the tub IN the space.

A VERY tight fit...but that was the whole idea. We knew not many options were available with the weird space we had!!

Here are the kiddos TESTING it out!! They had a blast in the new tub.

Splashing away!!!

Close up of the faucet!

I am in LOVE with our new bathroom so far. The handheld shower is the BEST for rinsing hair. The kids fit in it perfectly!

We also got the toilet installed, so to finish we need to put in the vanity and cabinets...then its on to little stuff. I can't WAIT to be done.

I must thank hubby and his dad again for EVERYTHING and all their hard work!

School Days...

2010-08-16T10:34:00.001-07:00

It's officialy, school has begun. I am on lunch break so this needs to be quick!
I LOVE my new school. It's gonna be crazy getting things going, but I am happy to be in ONE building every day of the week and with the same kids every day!

YAY. However, there are two adorable kiddos that are making my heart ache to be away from today!

I love you Ella and Tyler. Can't wait to squeeze you when I get home.

Here FISHY FISHY...

2010-08-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

Today Ella went fishing with Grandpa and had a BLAST!! She is STILL talking about it!

My parents have the cutest pond in their yard and she begged my dad to take her fishing this morning before we headed back home!! Ella is a pretty brave 3 year old. I was actually SHOCKED when she didn't touch the fish!

Here are a few pics from today's events...

Ella and Grandpa sitting on the bench

Changing locations to "the hill." Ella was "so careful" not to roll into the water!!

Love this close up of her BIG BELLY and how she is staring at the water!

Right after Grandpa caught the first fish. She wasn't so sure about it just yet!

Getting braver...was thinking about touching it!!

SUCH a cute picture!!

Started to reach her hand out and then pulled back. Grandpa was showing her the "fish eyes."

Ella posing for a picture :)

Love that she's cuddling up on Grandpa's leg while he fishes!! She loves her Grandpa!

And our fishing got cut short since the dogs were let out and SPRINTED down to the pond to jump in...not good for scaring the fish! ha ha ha. So, we packed it up and headed on home.

Thanks Mimo and Grandpa for watching the kiddos while we went to the Black Eyed Peas concert. (Post to come soon!!) And thanks Grandpa for taking Ella fishing. She will probably stalk you down EVERY time we are there now!

Today...FLOOR TILE!!

2010-08-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

My husband and Father in Law ROCK. They knocked out ALL the floor tile today. Grout tomorrow and then put the chair rail up. Then we can start moving stuff in!

Sorry the picture is kind of dark. The sun was too bright for the flash to go off...and this is the only place I could take the picture because I can't stand on the floor yet!!!
But, I LOVE it!!

Bathroom Update

2010-08-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

We are still working hard on the bathroom. So far we have demolished EVERY part...and now we are on to perfecting the new one. Hubby has been hard at work. They put the subway tile in for behind the tub...

It looks SO good!!!

Amazing how much better it looks with a little grout and PAINT!! How do we feel about the color??

We still have to put a chair rail up and paint on the bottom...but things are finally moving!

We will have a chair rail where the paint stops...maybe eventually it will ALL be subway tile. But, we will see.

I am SUPER excited that the TUB came in. Here is a shot of the kids playing in it!

They are so happy to have their OWN bathroom and own space. I am excited to have NO toys floating in the bottom of MY shower!

Here is the LINK to the before pics...in case you needed a reminder of the disgustingness!!!

Floor tile today!!

3 down...1 to go :)

2010-08-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Big news in the Viefhaus family!! Our littlest sister, Maggie, is getting married!!! My parents had the great fortune of having 4 daughters, and they are on to their LAST wedding!!! I am sure they are thrilled beyond belief! Not only are they about to help plan their final wedding, but they get an incredible son-in-law as well!!!

Austin and Maggie got engaged on a beach in Mexico...it was adorable. Like something out of a movie.

So to celebrate we all met them at my mom and dad's last night when they got back!!!

Here are the sisters stalking her ring...which is GORGEOUS by the way!!

Here we are...all the sisters about to be married off...

Our signature "star" picture...all the sisters and mom making our ring star...so cute!!

The boys had a celebratory cigar and whiskey drinking out on the patio...

And my dad STALKING Maggie's ring! So cute!

Congrats to Maggie and Austin. We are so excited and happy that you two have each other!

Random Trip to the Zoo

2010-08-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

The family headed up to STL for the day to watch a Cardinal game...which was rain delayed so bad that we left...and decided on a random trip to the Zoo to fill our Saturday.

We ended up having pretty good weather...a little muggy, but not nearly as sunny and hot as it could have been!! The kids had a blast. So here are some pics

Adie and baby Meade in front of the fountain!!

Ella and Daddy checking out the animals!

Ella and Mommy checking out the animals!

The awesome Zebras!!

The Elephants!!

Adie and baby Meade!!

Ella and her girl cousins, Gracie, Sophie and Mia!

Ella and the Gorilla!!

The girls with the BIG Gorilla!

Adie and Meade!

Marta holding Gracie and Sophie on the carousel!

Mia riding with Mimo!!

And the AWESOME huge sleeping Tiger!

Favorite picture of the day:

So cute!! The girls stalking the animals!!!

We had a great time. It was so good to see everyone. Miss you all!

Weak Stomachs

2010-07-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

If you have a weak stomach I suggest you NOT look any further...because these pictures MIGHT make you nauseous!!! That is if you have any design sense!!!

We are FINALLY remodeling our disgusting upstairs bathroom. It is in between the kids' rooms and has ONLY a shower in it. Like that does me any good? So the kids have now been bathing in OUR bathroom for three wonderful years!! It's time for them to have their own!!

So the remodel has begun. Please don't cringe when you see what we have been living with for the past 3 years...

Older than dirt cabinets and pink vanity top...

A beige toilet??? Who does that?

These sconces will REALLY make you jealous...

The wallpaper border is TO DIE for!!

Our hideous window decor...

Now the next pictures are of our FIRST day of demolition...

You'll notice the linoleum floor has been ripped out and the shower doors are already ripped out...

Wallpaper border is GONE!!! As well as the medicine cabinet and wall cabinet...

We got SO much done!! So proud of my hubby and his dad. They worked super hard. These pictures were taken at about 3pm today...and by 8pm EVERYTHING was gone. I will have to update those pictures tomorrow. The kids are asleep and I don't want to disturb them!!

We will keep you posted on the progress!!

STUD MUFFIN

2010-07-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

My little sister, Maggie, is a stud. She is the best softball player I have EVER seen in real life. She just had THIS article in the paper and I wanted to share with everyone that I know. We are so proud!!

Congrats Maggie!!!!

A star in the making...

2010-07-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

Meet Mia...

Mia is my cute niece who just started playing softball this Summer. She is the oldest of 3 cuties in her family and is on her way to setting an AWESOME example for her little sisters and cousins!! My daughter, Ella, ADORES Mia and wants to do EVERYTHING she does. So when we got the opportunity to go watch Mia play some ball this weekend we jumped right to it!

We loaded up the kids and took them for wagon rides during the games when they got bored. Thankfully Marta provided the crayons and books for the older kids. Tyler and Gracie mostly enjoyed the wagon!!!
Here is Mia playing the field and throwing the ball back to the pitcher...

Here is a close up of Mia ready to catch...

So cute of Steve coaching Mia. BEST. DAD. EVER...

Showing her how to swing...

Mia smacking the ball and getting a hit...

A five from her other coach when she gets to first base...

And running the bases after the big game. Sophie and Ella's favorite part of the game I am sure...

Here is Mia taking care of lil sister, Gracie. See how they adore her...

All the girls on the field...

Thanks to her big cousin, Mia, Ella hasn't stopped talking about softball yet. Thank goodness because Daddy wants her to play soccer. If Mia does it...then I am pretty sure it's safe to say Ella will be doing the same in 3 years. :) Thanks Mia and good job! It was so fun watching you play ball! We love you lots.

New Friends

2010-07-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to TWO of Ella's new best friends...
ALBERT...

Albert is named after the ONE and ONLY Albert Pujols! The best baseball player EVER!!!!!! He came into our lives at Ella and Tyler's birthday party in the treasure hunt. Ella dug him out of the sand and has been buddies with him ever since.
And this little guy is YADI...

Yadi is named after the best CATCHER (besides my sister Adie) Yadier Molina. He also made his arrival at Ella and Tyler's bday party. However, he was left here by someone else and Ella adopted him!!!

Ella loves these little guys. She carries them all over the house and takes care of them. It's actually pretty cute. However, its also a little startling to see where they end up some times. Sort of looks like a real creepy animal in her bed

I have definitely FLINCHED a few times when seeing them and NOT remembering that we have little creatures around the house!!!

But Ella loves these little guys and they eat, hang out and sleep with her...so they are here to stay!

Enjoy your new home Yadi and Albert!!!!

Father's Day and Tyler's Birthday

2010-07-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, but it's SUMMER and we are all crazy busy. So...

This year Tyler's first birthday fell on Father's Day!!! So cute for the family. The day before was my nieces' birthday party...so we were already with the family so we spent the morning doing a little shopping and the afternoon hanging out in the HEAT with my favorite people in the whole world...my family!

It was fun to celebrate Tyler's first birthday with our whole family as well. Since we already had his birthday party, we celebrated by getting him a new car seat :) and letting him have as many popsicles as he wanted.
Here is is sharing one with daddy...

The "after" face is priceless...

He really did LOVE them...he kept going back for more. When we got Tyler his car seat a present for Ella ACCIDENTALLY ended up in the cart thanks to Jimmy. He spoils these two to NO END!!

Ella was a huge fan of her new tunnel. It has already provided us HOURS of entertainment in it's first few weeks!!!
Tyler and Daddy on their big days...

Tyler cruising around Mimo and Grandpa's house...

Snapped an adorable picture of my twin sister and her family...

The boys in our family are VERY outnumbered by girls so I had to snap a picture of the boys hanging out together...

And a very SWEATY picture of all of us girls with our dad :) He has been an incredible role model for us as we have gotten older. Him and our mom have made us sisters who we are today. They have showed us how to be parents and how to live our lives with our family. Without them I know I would be totally lost. So thank you to my Dad on this awesome Father's Day...and to mom for putting up with him :) ha ha ha!!!!

And a thank you to my hubby, Jimmy. The man who lets me lay out while he gets our children's party ready...and makes time for me...all while being an incredible dad :) Happy Father's Day!

The Beach

2010-06-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

We got packed up and headed out to Cedar Lake Beach yesterday...only to get RAINED or "monsooned" OUT! Ella was devastated. We were in the water for about 2 minutes when the lifeguard blew her whistle to get everyone out. We waited for a few minutes, but the skies soon became black and we raced home!!!

But, I did snap a few pics of our time there.
Ella cheesin all dressed and ready...

Our friends, Michelle and Allison took Ella (in their car) and this was all their idea. I wasn't planning on going, but since I was bored I packed Tyler up and decided to join them last minute!! It was totally during his nap time, so I was sure to bring my own car in case it was a disaster!!!

Michelle and Allison getting Ella all ready to dig in the sand!

Of course Ariel had to go with us!!

Ariel is a GREAT swimmer too :)

Tyler all smiles hanging out in the stroller for a snack!

Ella had so much fun with Allison and Michelle.

She was so confused AND devastated when they made us get out of the water!!! But, we have the best friends in the world because they took her back today to try again!! No rain in the forecast...Thank goodness!!!!
I have a feeling this was just the FIRST trip to the beach for Ella this summer. We have a sandbox...and a pool at our house...but that is NOTHING compared to a real beach to a 3 year old! I love it!!!

SUMMER DAYS...

2010-06-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

Summer...oh how I love you. I love all the freedom our days have. We can go WHEREVER we want WHENEVER we want and I LOVE it!!!!
The past few days have been heavenly. Since the party planning is OVER it is now time to relax and start enjoying the Summer Days.

Here we are enjoying some of our new birthday toys. Ella and Tyler were playing Supermarket with the new cash register. Ella was scanning everything in the house and Tyler was along for the ride. I love when these two play together...ADORABLE.

Then we had a fun afternoon at the park. I figured I could get a little exercise in and some fun in for the kiddos. I ran to the park, and let them play...

Tyler was all smiles trying to creep up the blue slide

Ella loved the slides too...

Then we ACCIDENTALLY snuck across the street to get a SNO CONE from the awesome "Tropical Sno" that is so perfectly near the park. Ella and Tyler cooled off in the stroller while we waited...

Ella going to work on her strawberry sno cone!

Our next adventure for our Summer kick off was cooking our own pizza. Ella got to make her own pizza and she was so excited!

Here she was smiling next to her pizza crust (Please ignore my dishes in the background) ha ha

Smearing the sauce and adding some serious cheese...

MORE cheese...

Time for the pepperoni...

So proud of her pizza...

Did I mention MORE cheese...

And the finished product...

The kick off to an exciting summer is ON!! I even started with a bang...I sprained the HECK out of my ankle working softball camp this morning!! W O W. Pain in the butt. I was smart and kept ice on it RIGHT away so I am hoping it will be better in a few days! I guess I will have to WALK my miles instead of run them for the next few days.

HAPPY
    SUMMER
         TO
            ALL!!!

THE PARTY!!!!

2010-06-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well...we can FINALLY relax because the Party is over. My sister in law said to me the other day, "Isn't nice having this party at the beginning of the Summer because then your yard and everything is ready for the rest of the year." I guess I never really looked at it like that, but she is totally right. We now have the landscaping done...all the party supplies you could ever need. And basically, a little peace of mind!! YAY.

The party was a huge hit. It was a tough time of day (for Ella) having the party start at 1pm. Her nap time is usually around 2ish...sometimes closer to 2 and sometimes closer to 3pm, depending on the day. But, she pushed through the day with NO nap...and only a few minor whining episodes. Overall, I was QUITE impressed that we made it that far!!

So here are some AWESOME pics of our incredibly fun day.

Here is Aunt Maggie testing out a sno cone. We rented a sno cone machine for the day which was a HUGE hit!!!

Here is little Meade and Gracie testing one out as well...

We had some games! We did a treasure hunt where the kids dug in the sandbox for goodies. I got this idea from Erin, however they did a "dinosaur dig" but same concept :)

Sophie sporting her new glasses she found in the sand...Oh and the BOUNCE HOUSE in the background :)

I found this awesome photo prop at Oriental Trading Company and my AWESOME father in law built a frame out of plywood and a step in the back so the kids could reach to put their heads in! He ROCKS!!

Here is a picture of the parade car that my bro in law fixed up JUST in time to give rides at the party. This is Marta taking my sis, Adie, and hubby's friend Danny around for a ride...

Tyler roaming the yard. The birthday boy was ALL smiles ALL day :)

My best friends in the WhOLE world...my sisters (Marta, Adie, myself and Maggie)

Anyone with children MUST invest in one of these swimvest that my sister got baby Meade. It really is the BEST swimming aide ever. I think she said she got it at Walmart!!! Heavenly!!!!!

PRESENT time...Two kids...LOTS of presents. We may have to add on to our house for room for all the AWESOME toys the kids got!!

Tyler's Cake (We used the image from Dimpleprints to go with our theme)

Ella's cake...

Singing to the kids and blowing out the candles :) Got a little teary eyed...not gonna lie!

THIS is how we eat cake in our family...

Little Meade taking a big boy bite of a snack. Was stalking his pirate swimming attire...visor, swimshirt and trunks...DYING at the cuteness...

The girls hanging out on the bounce house :)

Ella rocking her cape that Aunt Marta made so she can REALLY climb the ladder fast :)

Mia putting the playset to the test!!

Sophie's turn on the slide!

One of my favorite pictures of the night...Ella and Daddy with their fresh cotton candy.

Nothing like a night cap of cotton candy before bed time :) ha ha ha! And please note the STELLAR towel behind the girls...it says "Ella and Tyler's Birthday Celebration 2010. Those are the favors we gave our guests!!! SO MUCH FUN

I can not thank everyone enough that made the trip and that helped make the party possible at all. It was truly a day I know I'll never forget. Can't believe Tyler will be one in ONE WEEK!!!! Happy Sunday to all!

BIRTHDAY SNEAK PEAK...

2010-06-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

We are so excited for the kiddos' birthday bash that will be taking place tomorrow!!!! I wanted to invite you to a sneak peak to their party.

It is CIRCUS themed and I got all the decorations from an AWESOME website called DimplePrints! The wonderful person running it has everything made custom for your child (names and pictures) and all you do is print them off on your home computer. Don't get me wrong, there was some hole punching and stringing to go along...but worth every bit of my time. Everything looks great and we aren't even DONE yet!!

Here are some decorations set up throughout the house...

Cute Happy Birthday banners...

Some decor in the dining room (Definitely not complete until the cake and goodies are on the table tomorrow...

Easy printable party hats...

And we definitely had to SNAZZ up the "man cave" so we added some hanging pom poms and some hanging pictures/welcome signs to the rafters....LOVE!!!!

A few random signs around the house...

Like I said, this is most definitely JUST a preview. There is SO much more to come!!!! Thanks again to Dimpleprints for making this birthday party so much fun to decorate for!!!

Be looking for an afterparty Blog soon!!!

THE PLAYSET!!!!

2010-06-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

Jimmy's parents got the kiddos an AWESOME playset for their birthday this year and we were so excited...
and then came the part about US having to put it all together! So, of course we called up some buddies, and provided the beer to get the playset up and running!!

Here is a before shot of the BLANK corner of our yard

Ella helping put together HER playset. She really was actually pretty good help...

The boys working hard in the driveway...

Again...a shot of all the good help...

Tyler testing out the first finished piece...

Ella testing out Day One's final piece...

Day One complete and we got pretty far...

The finished product...

Ella is stoked about the GLIDER and Tyler loves the infant swing ...

Ella can't wait to have her cousins over to play with her!!!

Thank you Dad for all your hard work! And a big thanks to everyone else that helped put this MONSTER together!!! The kids will get SO much use out of it!!!

Ella is THREE

2010-06-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

This blog is a TAD late...but ONLY because we have been so busy preparing for a STELLAR Circus Birthday for both of the kiddos!! We can't wait. But, on May 30th our oldest munchkin turned THREE! I can't believe how fast it has gone!
Here are a few snaps of our fun day...

Ella opened up her presents and saw a new BARBIE CAR!!!!

She wanted to show off her new Snow White and Princess Tiana Pollies. Those are her favorite thanks to her favorite cousins...they got her HOOKED!

Showing off how she can say she's THREE...

A yummy Krispy Kreme doughnut for breakfast...wish it was MY birtday right now...

Out for a swim in the pool with her favorite new Swim Barbie from Aunt Marta...

Our friends, Dane and Molly, brought over the cutest Ladybug cake for miss Ella...

Tyler dug into it as well...W O W

And finishing up on our NEW PLAYSET!!!!! Grandma and Papou got Ella and Tyler a new playset for their birthdays. We are so excited!!!! There will be a blog to follow on the progress of the playset! It was quite interesting putting it all together!!

It was a fantastic day!!!! I can't believe our little girl is now THREE. What a blessing you have been for us Ella. We hope you had a GREAT birthday!!!

Pictures

2010-06-02T13:14:00.001-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Here are some pictures of what has been going on with us lately...ENJOY!!!

Softball...and heartbreak :(

2010-06-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

A recap of our weekend...

We made the 8.5 hour car ride to Ann Arbor, MI to watch our little sister, Maggie finish off her softball career. We didn't know it would be the end of her career when we headed up that way, but I can honestly say that I couldn't be more proud of her!!! The weekend didn't go as we thought, but I am still so honored to be her sister and proud of her accomplishments as a young woman and athlete!!

First the boys played some golf and I gladly watched the cute kiddos!

After golf we went to game #1! Here are Ella and Little Meade hanging out together

The next day the rest of the family arrived!!! We got to hang out before the game! The kids played at the farm...Ella was in HEAVEN with her favorite cousins!

A little TAILGATING before the game (Marta and Adie)

Jimmy and I before the game...

The HEAT was intense at the game...especially in the outfield bleachers. The kids stayed cool under the umbrella...while Miss Sophie tried to catch a catnap on mommy!!

Maggie's last line-up during the National Anthem

And some tears after her last collegiate game chatting with Ella.

It was truly a heartbreaking event. I wasn't ready for Maggie to be done playing ball...who knows, maybe she won't be!?! But, she did go out with a bang...Big 10 Player of the Year!! And my favorite player of ALL time. Congrats on a wonderful career Maggie!!!

Dear Blog...

2010-05-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

I am sorry I have abandoned you. Please forgive me as I am SO busy. Busy planning a birthday party...busy with report cards...switching schools yet AGAIN...teacher requisitions...grocery shopping...busy with a broken washine machine...and mountains of dishes...and the kid's playset...and the world's LONGEST to do list!

BUSY being a M O M. Which I love. So...sorry if you are put on the back burner. I will get back to you soon. June 1st and SUMMER can't get here soon enough!

Love,
Haley

COUNTDOWN...

2010-05-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

The countdown has TOTALLY begun. If there are any other teachers out there you know what I'm talking about. 11...MORE...DAYS...UNTIL...SUMMER...BREAK!!!!!
I can't WAIT!
What is on your Summer-to-do-list?
We have Birthday Parties...pool time...more Birthday Parties...4th of July...concerts...and RELAXING.
Unlike last Summer with a NEWBORN!!!

Now we have an ALMOST 3 year old...and an ALMOST 1 year old...TIME FLIES!!!

Happy Thursday

NEW CAMERA

2010-05-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

I am OBSESSED...it's official! I can't get enough of my new camera. Hubby got me the Canon Rebel for Mother's Day and I truly don't know how I have lived without it.
I have taken SO many pictures over the past week it's AMAZING!

I have taken some pictures of our flowers in the front yard...pictures of Ella smelling the flowers when we got them inside.

Tyler was an excellent model as well!

More photos to come!

Issues...

2010-05-06T06:28:00.000-07:00

We had an interesting event on Tuesday night. Ella was in the tub, and Tyler was in the tub. Both kids were all scrubbed down and we just had HAIR left to wash. When the inevitable happened...Tyler POOPED in the tub. At first I just smelled it...but then I saw the floaters.
I was DYING laughing. What else can you do? So I immediately drained the tub and removed the floaters. Scrubbed the tub and filled the bath back up and tried again. Ella could not stop laughing and Tyler looked so proud of what he had done!!!
I did snap a few pictures (of the kids laughing) I wanted no evidence of what was IN my tub that evening!! However the above picture is from the night before...he still looks guilty though right??

Now, I am about to leave town for 2 days and I need to do laundry...OF COURSE our washing machine would go out when I need to do a few loads...NOT to mention that Ella LITERALLY has ONE pair of undies left. Thank goodness the repair man could stop by this morning to take a little look. The washer is only 2.5 years old...we really shouldn't be having these issues already right?? I hope not. So, if it doesn't get fixed...I guess it's old school handwashing for me tonight :) Wish me luck!

MOMS

2010-04-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hey all you mommas out there. There is a cute giveaway going on over at Dimpleprints.

Need cute invites or the ease of an amazing birthday party planned and all you have to do is PRINT???
This is totally my style. I have already decided that next year will be the GOLF themed bday party, but Ella and Tyler's bday party this year just might be CIRCUS themed!!! I can't wait to get all of this rolling. We have just over a month

But, if you want some CUTE easy printables for your mom go to Dimpleprints and enter the giveaway. She does GREAT work!

PICTURES!!!

2010-04-27T06:49:00.001-07:00

YAY!!! Our pictures are back and I am so excited to do a PICTURE crazy post of the kiddos :) So...enjoy

Our photos were taken in our backyard by a lovely teacher friend of mine, Becky. She is a retired P.E. teacher, so we have a lot in common. Ella, who may or may not be the WORST smiler in the world, was not impressed with taking pictures at this time. She was just POST nap and needs a little time to get friendly...so the first pics were a little rough :)

Here they are posing in front of some of our beautiful flowers...
Ella was doing some weird CHICKEN WINGS thing with her arms...and Tyler was ALL smiles...
Close up of Tyler....LOVE this one!
Ella showing off total ATTITUDE :)
Getting a little better with the smiles...still a little forced!
Smooching on Tyler. Now it was his time to be crabby :)
Peeking through the gazeebo
Picking flowers in the yard...
Ella helping Tyler walk..
Running to the sandbox...
Mom helping Tyler walk...
Bright eyed Tyler...
Crawling in the grass...
Ella's favorite place to be right now...the SaNd BoX!
Wiping the hands clean...
So cute...
Hiding her feet :)
Tyler loves to play in the sandbox too...if I can keep him from putting SAND in his mouth...
A smooch from big sister...
Ella's 2nd favorite place to be...the TrAmPoLiNe
Doing her "butt drop"
Now she is all smiles...
Tyler's hair stuck on the trampoline because of the static!!!
Ella playing :)

Tyler is so happy...
SERIOUS face :)
Playing ball...our favorite
Ella's catch :)
These pictures were SO much fun. Can't wait to get them printed out...maybe even for a few Mother's Day Presents :)

S I...S I...S I...S I U!!!!!

2010-04-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

MOST. FUN. WEEKEND. EVER!!!

We had an absolute blast this weekend with the SIU softball reunion. I hope that everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did! Just a little recap of the weekends events.

Friday night we had a "happy hour" with drinks and mingling for all the former players. But, I also had a friend in town that I haven't seen in way too long. My friend Stephanie, that I work with, was in town with her hubby, Carl, and it was SO good to see her. I miss her so much and wish she still worked with me :( P.S. my stellar shirt that I have on was made by Erin...please stalk her page and enjoy all her cuteness!!!
So, we had a blast Friday night (Momma had an early curfew though because we had some of the softball girls watching the kiddos...so I went home early so my sisters and parents could hang out)

Here is a quick snap of the girls at the games. Everyone LOVED the girls' recycled tshirt dresses. I made all the dresses with Ashley's pattern from Lilblueboo. I took some old SIU softball shirts and turned them into some dresses. Plus I had some HOT models to show them off. Here are Ella and Sophie...
I also had some inspiration from Julie at JoysHope. She is famous for her pretty messy flowers (that Sophie has on in the picture above) but has recently created some AWESOME new necklaces that I was stalking. I knew that I would not have had time for a special order to get to my house before the weekend...so I attempted a maroon colored necklace of my own...which turned out OK. Adie is modeling it in the picture below. Still no comparison for the real thing!!!
Adie and Marta posing before we walked down on the field to get recognized.
Me and my hubby. :) That is our old dorm in the background!!!
MOST of the girls we graduated with. Lindsey, JD, myself and Adie!
Now Saturday evening our STELLAR parents offered to watch all the grandkids so we could go to our dinner reception. SO. MUCH. FUN. 6 crazy kids...all under 6 years old. Hectic and crazy. So we were so lucky they were there. Snapped a few pics before and at the event.

Here is my dad trying to sneak little Meade in the picture playing with a Barbie. He thought this was hilarious! Adie and big Meade had no clue Barbie was invading their picture. But still what a cute family!!
Here is Ella taking her turn on the trampoline...Sophie and Mia waiting so nicely for their turn!
Adie and I at the reception. She was modeling her "olive" necklace that it was named the rest of the evening. I thought I was going to pee my pants laughing SO hard at everyone that was there. Only rat would ask for a martini because of that necklace...
Adie showing off her olives and "pretending" to mix them in her drink! ha ha ha
Me and my friend MOLLY who worked the event for us that evening.
And to end the night the right way...we headed next door to Pinch and witnessed a girl with her entire underwear hanging out...how exactly do you NOT notice this???????
ha ha ha...Well, I will try and add some more pictures...after I steal some good ones from all of my friends. I didn't get many "group" shots because I didn't want to throw a 500th camera out there...so more group pics to come. Thanks for all the CRAZY memories girlies. Can't wait to see you soon.

Easter

2010-04-12T16:50:00.001-07:00

Oh Easter...how I loved you this year. This was our first "REAL" Easter. And by that I mean that Ella kind of had a clue as to the whole Easter Bunny process...enjoyed finding the eggs. And, we finally started learning what Easter is REALLY all about. We read out of the Bible, and Ella asked questions. It was so neat to finally have her interact with the importance of a Holiday, and not only get into the sneaky Easter Bunny part. So I snapped off a few pics to share with you all.

My baby boy bunny Tyler...all smiles at breakfast. I am sure one day he will hate me for this photo!!
My baby girl bunny...eating her bunny shaped POP tart that she requested...
Out looking for eggs...
Looking so hard for the eggs...she was so cute sprinting around the back yard.
Putting them in her little bunny basket.
Tyler hanging out inside after the egg hunt.
Ella drawing with her new Color Wonder markers the Easter Bunny brought her.
A mini egg hunt at Grandma and Papou's...
Finding the eggs with Daddy's help.
Mommy with her kiddos.
I hope everyone had as wonderful of an Easter as we did!!

Big Weekend

2010-04-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

We had a BIG weekend!! Big in so many ways. The whole family was in town...we had the SIU softball reunion...AND Tyler was Baptized!! Probably, the most special part to me :) Not, that every other part of the weekend wasn't an ABSOLUTE. BLAST!!! It was just such a perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Here is a picture of Tyler and mommy cuddling up at the front of the church. He had JUST woken up...
With Pastor Gray, saying a welcome prayer...
With his awesome Godparents, Dane and Adie...
The whole clan...Tyler's Godparents and the rest of the family...
A quick shot with my mom and dad (minus Ella because she was DONE taking pics)...
Tyler with Mimo...
The girls posing for a quick pic...
Jimmy's family with Tyler...
Then an after party TRAMPOLINE time with Ella...
She was bouncing all over and smiling so big...with her cute teeth and tongue...
I hope you all had as Blessed a weekend as we did!

EGG TIME!!!!

2010-04-02T18:45:00.001-07:00

One of my FAVORITE part of Easter...Getting to dye the Easter Eggs!! I always loved it growing up...and it seems like Ella had as much fun as I did!!!

Here we are getting set up...
Sticking her tongue out at the camera...
This is how Tyler helped...just being GOOD for mommy since Dad wasn't here to help :(
Grandma K came over to help. She also brought princess stickers with her...
The end product...some STELLAR looking eggs...
The stickers and the GLITTER eggs were my absolute favorite!!
Ella with her work completed...
So proud of her eggs...
Hope you all have a great Easter. :) Squeeze those kiddos tight. Can't wait to see pictures of the EGG HUNTS next!!!!

Spring Fun

2010-04-02T08:23:00.001-07:00

Spring is in the air and that means A LOT of outside time for the family. But, first I had to throw in a cute "comparison photo" of the kiddos again.
This is Ella standing in her crib at 9 months...
And here is Tyler standing in his crib at 9 months...
A few more crib shots...
He is obsessed with standing. I think he will be walking very soon...
So proud of his standing!!!
And now some FLOWER pics. Ella and I went out this morning and picked some flowers from the yard. She wanted to "model" with them. The PINK flowers are actually from our magnolia trees in the yard!
Ella and mommy...Girl time while Tyler naps :)
Ella cheesin it up!
The dress she is wearing was made with the LilBlueBoo Sienna Dress Pattern. SO CUTE!!
The picture ABOVE is my absolute FAVORITE...she looks so adorable! And Ella peeking out the window at the other flowers!!
At the park across the street...
Ella is OBSESSED with the swings!
Tyler waiting SO patiently in the stroller...And a few more SPRING YARD pics as promised. The star magnolias are in FULL bloom. The one in front of our house is my favorite!!!
But the ones by the street are also nice...
As you can see they are already losing SO many petals...but worth every second. They are MUCH more beautiful in person! And the kids by the driveway...
We loved our nice stroller ride to the park!! I hope you all are enjoying Spring as much as we are. We are doing our Easter Eggs tonight!!! YAY!

SPRING...

2010-03-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

Oh welcome back Spring...how we've missed you so!!! Finally some CONSISTENCY in this miserable and rainy weather we've had. Temps above 50!!! Don't go away PLEASE!

Another reason I love Spring is because of how our yard transforms. Here are some of the first few shots of our front and back yard of beautiful flowers to come. These are the first to bloom...
The Star Magnolia trees...You will notice that EVERYTHING ELSE is blah still...but these get me ready for the fun stuff in our back yard!!
Another beauty by our back patio...
Beautiful trees everywhere in our back yard. I will keep posting pictures as our backyard changes. It is really unbelievable how these trees go from NOTHING to HUGE flowers. I tried to get some before and after pics of these trees...but it wouldn't stop raining last week to get a good shot!! Oh well...maybe next year!!!

Stay tuned...and enjoy your spring weather.

A BUTTON :)

2010-03-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

LOOK OUT...Thanks to Beth I officially have a button. I am so clueless about BLOG land I had never figured out how to use it :) I am starting to get the hang of this. Ha Ha. Grab one if you'd like!!!

SCARED...

2010-03-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

So, we find out this afternoon whether or not we have jobs for next year. I never thought that being a teacher could be this stressful at this time of year. It's stressful around report card time...or parent teacher conference time. It's stressful at the beginning of the year trying to get organized...and at the end of the year when the kids are BOUNCING off the walls waiting for Summer.
But, now...in March/April it is usually carefree and fun. Since I am a P.E. teacher, this is usually my favorite time of year. We get to go back outside after being trapped indoors for most of the Winter...BARF. I hate being inside. So, this news was SHOCKING to us. At our last board meeting they told us that they didn't think any cuts were going to be made...I think the words they used were, "we are most certain."

REALLY????? Most certain? Now there are 17 of us from 4 schools that have to meet. We are the "newest" teachers...so that is of course expected. I have been teaching for 5 years...2 in the district I am in now. But, it still hurts. The UNKNOWN is the worst. NOT knowing if I am going to have a job next year.

We are pretty sure today is mostly to hand out the R.I.Fs (Reduction in Force). This is basically a "we are not hiring you back next year AS OF RIGHT NOW) Many of the teachers will be hired back...on a very strict list of who has been here the longest and what field you are in. I am one of the lucky ones because I am Physical Education. Most people are not certified to teach P.E. But, there may be a teacher out there in our district that is older that has that certification that they could FORCE to teach P.E. if it saves them money. SO. ANNOYING.

So, the other good thing for me is that a teacher in our district (That is a woman) is retiring after this year at the Middle School. They will have to fill her position with a woman (someone to go into the locker room while they change and so on). And I am the ONLY other female P.E. teacher in the district. So, with her spot open...and I guess technically "mine" would be opening up...It is doubtful that they would have 2 people with secret P.E. degrees out there in our district...let's hope anyway!

So, I am hopeful that things in my area work out...and to all those in our district that are going through this too, I feel for you all. I will keep you posted!!!!!

SHOW US YOUR SHOES PARTY!!!!

2010-03-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

I am excited about this post...probably because I know that NO ONE else could possibly have the same gym shoe obsession that I have!!!!! Ha Ha! I am a P.E. Teacher...so I know that plays a SMALL :) part of it. I wear tennis shoes like others wear adorable pumps or other nice shoes to work in every day...so that is my excuse :)

However...the downfall is that I almost NEVER buy "normal" shoes...so when it comes time to go somewhere nice...I usually have to call up one of my sisters to help me out :) Thank GOD for sisters!!!!

So lets start the shoe tour...

First picture is just a shot of my MANY tennis shoes. This bottom of this closet is ONLY for my gym shoes (which are all stored in the guest bedroom closet downstairs). We live in a very old house...and very old houses = NO CLOSET SPACE...so we had to add on some closets in the guest bedroom. This is why all MY shoes are stored with my hubby's sweaters :)
I had to take some of the stacks out and place them in front so we could see them :) Can you say OUT of control???
There is literally a RAINBOW of colors...hardest color to find YELLOW and MAROON!! Believe me...I've done the legwork! ha ha
As you can see I prefer Nike Shox...but also have Nike Air Max (for my Nike +!!!!!) and one pair of New Balance!!
These are my Valentine's Day shoes from hubby. Hard to see, but the silver has little mini white hearts!
These are my favorites!!!!!!!! I wear them almost every day right now. They are my Nike + running shoes...along with the orange ones right in front of them...but they are broken in perfectly and that is why they are so beat up...they have a lot of mileage :)
These are my MEN's nike shox because they don't make any women's Shox in MAROON. We live near SIU Carbondale and their colors are maroon and white...so I was sick of wearing red shoes to the sporting events...so we broke down and got MAROON ones...these were my Xmas present from hubby :)
Now...I don't ONLY own tennis shoes...so I added a few favorites. My new Uggs that hubby picked out for Xmas. L.O.V.E them!!!!!! So comfy and worn all around the house and Grocery Shopping! My fav!
These are brand new for my birthday...They are cute slip on wedge flip flops from Victoria's Secret! I can't wait for it to get a BIT warmer and I can bust them out!!!!
And finally my SAVIOR...my black boots which I have worn ALL. WINTER. LONG!!! I wear them with leggings, skinny jeans, regular jeans...I have put some serious mileage in on these shoes too...just not RUNNING miles :)

I hope you enjoyed my shoe post...please take the time to show us your shoes...and thank you to The Stories from A to Z for the idea!!!

Go Blue

2010-03-14T17:34:00.001-07:00

Just got home from an EXCITING trip to Louisville, KY to watch our lil sister play ball!!! Michigan kicked some butt and won all 4 games!!! So good job Maggie and Michigan. Just posting a few pics of the festivities this weekend!!

Tyler as "the marshmallow man" because of his warm gear :) The kids were all SOOOOO good!! Frigid temperatures...and minimal whining. Can't ask for much more than that!!

Ella and Mommy posing for a quick picture :)
Ella getting her "shades" on by my friend Molly :) Molly is like Ella's second mommy!! LOVE her!!
The boys...We have Marta's hubby, Steve, Maggie's boyfriend, Austin, Adie's hubby, Meade, Dad sneaking in the background, and my hubby, Jimmy!!
Marta and Steve...soooooo cute!!!
Ella and Sophie playing Barbies!! Thank GOD Marta brought the Barbies...that was Ella's entertainment the WHOLE time!!! That's why Marta and Adie are M.O.Y. (Moms of the Year!!! ha ha ha)
Another smile from Tyler :) Such a trooper...even in the cold! LOVE this boy!
Gracie going for a wagon ride!!!
The indoor pool...Ella was in HEAVEN!!!!!!!!
Ella with her NEW swimsuit!!
We had such a blast and tried our best to stay warm. Thanks to everyone that made the trip! Happy Sunday!

TWINS...and I don't mean ME

2010-03-11T08:29:00.001-08:00

So I was snapping a few pictures of Tyler the other day in the BATH and DeJaVu totally popped into my head. I have taken this picture before. So, I ran into the hallway to grab THIS picture down from the wall...
It was then that I was STUNNED as to HOW much my kiddos look a like. The picture above is Ella at about 9 months! The picture below is Tyler at 8.5 months...
Can you say TWINS????!!! Its hilarious because when you see them now they don't seem to look that much alike...but as far as when they were little...definitely TWINS! So cute.

I have also had ANOTHER person tell me that little Tyler looks like my dad!! I will have to post a baby pic of my dad and see what we think! I love this age of kiddos :)

Birthday

2010-03-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

Adie and Haley...
I have been lucky enough to share my birthday with my bestest friend in the WHOLE world for 28 years now. My twin sister, Adie, is the best friend a girl could ask for. We have been inseperable since day one...which makes it sooooooooooooo hard now to live 2 hours away. But, luckily this year our birthday fell on Spring Break...so we made the trip up to STL and spent the weekend with the family!

First day there we celebrated my niece, Sophie's, 4th Birthday with a STELLAR Princess and the Frog themed Party...Being the twins that we are, Adie and I bought the SAME outfit for our sons to wear (without talking about it) ha ha...Here are the boys playing downstairs at Marta's house...

Sophie's Party was soooooooo much fun...even though I had the world's CRABBIEST daughter due to NO nap on the way up there...it was still a great time.

On our actual birthday we spent the day at the ZOO! Ella and Tyler had a GREAT time. Here is Ella and Daddy checking out the Elephants...even more impressive were the MASSIVE piles of elephant doo doo that Ella was DYING laughing at!
Ella examining the animals. She was so into it! So cute...
Ella and mommy posing in front of the fishies!!!
A stroller smooch...to finish off the day. What a GREAT day at the Zoo.
After the Zoo trip we had a fantastic dinner with our family at Brickhouse in Wildwood. It was soooo yummy and a great time. Thanks to all that joined us!