Another QUIET Sunday...

or so we THOUGHT,


until SWEET little Emilee

who was DANCING around the kitchen

TALKING to the Grandparents in Germany

telling them WHAT she wanted for Christmas

SLIPPED in her white tights

and landed head FIRST


on A staircase baluster

dad joked that steri-strips WOULD do the job

mom KNEW stitches were required

which resulted in a TRIP to the Insta Care

who wouldn't ACCEPT our insurance

and sent us across the VALLEY

to SOMEONE who would

Emilee patiently WAITED to be seen by the doctor

there were NO tears

there was NO crying

just a sweet little GIRL

concerned for her BIG sister

who had to LEAVE the room when the stitching began

Three stitches, two hours and one taco LATER

we arrived HOME

with a HAPPY little girl

and a new BOX of hello kitty band-aids

when the Grandparents in Germany called BACK

to check on the PATIENT

she enjoyed TELLING them

about her ADVENTURE

while SECURELY buckled

in a restraining SEAT

I've seen the LIGHT...

...TWILIGHT

In A word it was fabulous, amazing, incredible, epic, dramatic, sensual, fantastic, wonderful, marvelous, terrific, awesome, humorous, excellent, sensational, phenomenal, brilliant, magnificent, outstanding, and delightful!!!

Special THANKS to my Bubba

for getting ME tickets (luv ya)

AND for staying home with the kids (huge sacrifice)

while I went with a FRIEND!!! (owe you big)

Thanks also to his work

who rented Thanksgiving Point Theaters

for an EARLY 7 pm showing on Thursday Night!!!!

(that's 5 whole hours BEFORE it was officially released)

The Day the Angels Sang...

Forty years ago TODAY

the HEAVENS were opened

and the ANGELS sang

I know this to be TRUE

because I was ONE of them

TODAY, forty years later

the heavens have opened AGAIN

this time I HEARD the angels singing

those who have already WALKED the earth

because this ETERNAL companionship

are IN Birmingham, England

LOOKING for them

and bringing them HOME

Ahhh! the BLESSINGS of Motherhood...

found these super cute pjs at the store

and just had to buy them

because I miss snuggling with my babies

Emilee LOVES them

"They are my Snuggly Jammies " she tells me

when she wears them everybody gets a hug

I absolutely ADORE Snuggly Hugs!!!

No TRICK or Treating this year...

... at least for Mom & Dad!!

Our Trick or Treating Crew...

Race Car Pit Worker...

went to a party with his FRIENDS, had a blast and came home at 11 pm. This POSE is also typical of a TEENAGER listening CAREFULLY and INTENTLY to every word (blah! blah! blah!) his MOTHER says :0)

Mime...

went trick or treating around town with TWO of his friends. He used a cell phone (making communication fairly difficult because Mimes don't talk) to make CONTACT with us during the evening. He called for pick up at 9:00 pm from a local business, where they had STOPPED to refuel with FREE popcorn, drinks and handfuls of candy.

Mime & his friends RAN from door-to-door all night long. When he came home, most of his makeup had been dissolved by sweat. However, he WON the award for the most candy collected (filling 3 gallon size baggies) which he generously SHARED with the rest of his family (for several days).

Little Red Riding Hood...

happily skipped around trick or treating with JUST her girlfriends for the FIRST time ever. Her Mother, an ENCHANTING witch, used her SPECIAL powers, casting a MAGIC spell and creating her DARLING costume (in Fairy Tale remembrance of her Grandmother, the Good Witch of Germany).



After trick or treating, they played GAMES and watched a movie (Homeward Bound). She came HOME at 11:30 pm, just before the time when SWEET little girls turn into yummy pumpkins (and their mothers turn into ogres).

Beautiful Princess...

was supposed to GO trick or treating with her Daddy BUT when the neighbors came to the door, she slipped into her flip-flops, grabbed her PINK bucket and joined them on their WAY (unknowingly, Mom was painting Mime's face AND Dad was ON the shed.) We stayed in contact with them VIA cell phone and, when it started to RAIN, HITCHED up the horses and picked HER up in the carriage.

Pirate Dog...

STAYed home all night, HELPING to welcome our visitors (who adored his costume) by sniffing them up and down as Princess passed out the CANDY.

Our favorite Trick or "TREATers" of the evening were also the last. We opened the door to see them standing on the porch with a cauldron FULL of candy and a combination pizza. Thanks, GREAT Grandma & Grandpa Meredith! We LOVE you!

More Halloween Memories...

A Halloween Fairy Tale...

The Princess & The Preschool Ball

"A Mean Old Witch..."

A One Man Job...

The past week, with every EXTRA minute available, my Bubba (as in hubba hubba) could be found working ON (literally) the shed. Due to the BUSY schedules for the rest of us, building the shed has suddenly become... a one man job.


During the week, HE lifted, set, measured, squared and nailed the trusses - ALL of them AND by HIMself... AMAZING!

On Saturday, HE single-handedly lifted the extremely heavy roof sheathing up the ladder AND onto the roof AND somehow managed to bring along his nail gun too. Then he repeated this process EIGHT times. Absolutely INCREDIBLE!

Upon returning HOME in the late afternoon from my busy Saturday (with Ryan in tow), I found HIM on the newly sheathed roof, neatly trimming the edges. I felt a little stab in my HEART (pitter patter), partly because I had MISSED helping with the entire roof but mostly because MY hard working, determined and hunk of a Bubba had raised the roof himself. IMPRESSIVE!

Little did he know that throughout the DAY I had been calling Kelsie EVERY 30 minutes (Ryan thought I was nuts) asking to check if her Daddy had fallen off the roof. HE didn't! :o)

It's Beautiful!