rise and shine and give GOD the glory glory

It's a miracle!!! Miss E has slept in her own "big girl" bed two full nights in a row. Thank God:)

Now if only we can get her potty trained, get her to take NAPS in her own bed...and get her to keep her clothes on all day we'll be in business!

Miss E. napping in the playroom in her outfit of choice...just a pull-up!

That's all for today. I'm not feeling so hot (just the pregnancy aches and pains)and Miss E. is standing in my lap while I type saying (as she typically does when I type), "Can I work with you?". Yes, it's cute, but no, it does not allow for any real "work".

right now

Right now we're...

Enjoying the pool
Trying to get the deck painted
Working on the kids' rooms
Wishing we could have rooms like this from Pottery Barn


Knowing that our rooms will be much more affordable and still AMAZING
Thinking about scrapbooking
Relieved that the long hours are finally ending (AK)
Singing lots of songs
Trying to stay cool
Enjoying Berenstein Bears and Dora
Laughing at a lot of things Miss E. says (even if they're naughty)

Shocked that summer is half way over


Spray painting lots of things
Feeling overwhelmed by how much work we want to get done in the next 3 months
Feeling overwhelmed by how blessed we are

Still sleeping all 3 of us in the same bed
Loving all things Toy Story
Looking forward to our baby boy
Really happy

2 layouts

So glad it's Friday! I love the weekends, since AK can be around more, as gushy mushy as it sounds.

Well...I haven't finished (er...started) the beach layout, but I'm hoping to tackle that and a cousins layout (and 2500 things in the house) this weekend. I did make these 2-page layouts recently and wanted to share;)




And with that...we're off to the lake!

treasure hunt

Lately I've been like a mad-woman, trying to get things done in the 3 months we have left before baby boy makes his appearance. Most of the projects on my never-ending to-do list involve chores/decorating the house. Yesterday, however, I began the daunting task of sorting my digital photos on the computer and ordered some through snapfish. I haven't printed any photos in...are you sitting down???...over a year and a half!!! I'm not able to print them all at once but I am hoping to order a few months worth of photos each month.

It is so fun to look at the older photos...Miss E. was just so little. It makes me sad too that she's growing up so quickly. I thought I'd share a couple of favorite photos I found on my little photo-treasure-hunt yesterday.

Wish me luck on all my organizational endeavors...I sure need it!

june according to blackberry

Well, we're recovered from the flu...thank God! This week holds more long hours for AK, more potty training for Miss E. and more organizing and decorating for me:) I also hope to get a couple scrapbook pages done (if I blog it maybe it'll be more motivation to get it done!)!

I was just going through the photos on my phone and came across some favorites from June...so glad to have a camera phone for those moments when I don't have the regular camera on hand!









photos top to bottom:
on the slide at the park by our house (wants to go everyday)
on the swings at the Recplex park (it's rare anymore that she wants to swing)
singing in her carseat on our roadtrip to TN
Lake Michigan beach in Kenosha...enjoying the sand
Lake Michigan beach snackbar in Racine with Charley and the boys
at Brown's Lake in Burlington with bff-s Nevin (pictured) and Kenzie
walking into the furniture store with Daddy to look for a "big girl bed"
watching the parade floats get ready as we waited for the 4th of July parade to start

Happy Monday!

top 10 reasons not to get the flu

10. Your family will probably have it too.
9. If your family is sick too, you probably won't get to control the tv...and Barney is much more annoying when you're nauseous.
8. Your toddler will still insist on crawling all over you...especially on your stomach.
7. Your toddler will bang like crazy on the bathroom door if you close it to spare her the details.
6. Your hubby will be the one who gets to stay in bed.
5. You will have to cancel all your plans.
4. Your toddler will steal your comfy spot on the couch AND your pillow.
3. You will be hungry but will be afraid to eat.
2. You won't want to tell anyone because they'll treat you like you have leprosy.
1. You will have to forgo your post about the Holiday weekend and blog about having the flu instead.

Let Freedom Ring!

God Bless America...Land That I Love!

























God Bless America...My Home Sweet Home!

hello beach.

We're off to the beach again today (we= me, Miss E., Charley and maybe Grammy and GG if I can make them...and maybe meeting Sarah and the two little girls she babysits). We've been going a lot lately because I love the view of the water and I love the joy of splashing kiddos (as long as I'm away from the splashing)and I love sitting on my towel watching. What I don't love is the trek from the car to the beach and back again, then covered in sand. I haven't told the kids yet because it may be too cold today...but the beach is the current plan.

I started thinking about the first time we took Miss E. to the beach, on our cruise in Mexico when she was a wee 9mo old. I just love these photos and remember the day like it was yesterday. I think I'll have to scrap these soon...