Snow Day!

Snow Day, Snow Day……we played in the snow ALL day.

It’s frosty, snowy, and cold here….but we made the best of it. We all got bundled up and went out for a morning of snow playing.

Isabella had to copy her daddy, so she carried the shovel everywhere we went. Jacob on the other hand, was trying to explain to daddy that it’s easier with a snow blower (aka: the lawn mower).
Now, after the work was done….shoveling the driveway, the playing began….we went sledding. The kids loved it….Robb on the other hand, was a bit tired taking them up and down the hill.

We had a nice day, but for me…..bring on SPRING!

Baby it's cold outside! When is Spring?

Help, do you see the white flag waving, the smoke signals....anything! You wouldn't right now, because it's all WHITE.

It's been cold, wet, sleeting, snowing, and ice...since Friday. Therefore, outings have been limited to non-existent. To top it off, no school today. Usually would be fun, but given the weather report, we are climbing the walls.

Bad thing, it's not nice enough to even go sledding or build a snow man. This weather is not my favorite. Robb could live in this, give me sunshine 70's, green, and a breeze any day.

Going a little stir crazy here today, so I tried to escape...didn't make it far. To darn cold.














So, in an attempt for Isabella to keep the girly side of her and to keep up with her big brother she has decided that this is her attire for the day. She is wearing her purse that grandma gave her for Christmas and a tool belt with a walkie talkie in it. She must have this on where ever she goes, and from to time, she stops to pull out her cell phone in her bag and says 'hello'. Meanwhile, Jacob is walking around with a pad of paper and a pen telling me that Isabella is one of his 'worker guys' and she needs to get off the cell phone and get back to work.













It's all fun, but, I NEED OUT!

Enjoy your day and stay safe,

Angela

PS - No photos of Jacob, he is telling me, "NO PHOTOS MAM - I AM WORKING".

Getting ready to send the smoke signals out...

This is what we get to do at Grandpa's. Fun huh?

Having a rough time today explaining that we don't get to do this at home. I am about to raise the white flag.

Can you tell I got a photos editor for Christmas? I don't know how to use it one bit, but it sure is fun distorting all our photos. I am taking a class in March, so hopefully they will get better.

Enjoy you day!

Bitter or Better?

Today I was talking to a dear friend and we were discussing how often life is funny and at a very moment in time, something happens – a message let’s say directed at you and only you…and you know it happened just for you.

For example you are in your car and a commercial comes on for something that you have been thinking about. You get to work, you right down what you heard and make the call...then the ball gets rolling and the rest is history. It all happened because you were in the car, had the radio on, and listened to what actually was going out to the masses, but you know it was directed at you, so much so that you could have drove the car off the road.

Some would say it’s God, divine intervention, coincidence, luck, life, and so forth… That very message may have been on your mind, or sometimes that message will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. I have often found that our heart speaks to us in a very unique way.

So, anyway, this friend and I were talking and comparing our own behaviors lately (really complaining about the mundane things in life – pms, dishes, errands and so on) and the word forgiveness came up and do we really live our lives in that ‘forgiveness’ mode. Then all of sudden we changed gears a bit; how our lives are affected by forgiveness or lack of and then it hit me….she mentioned to me….Do you want to do/be BETTER or BITTER?

Aha, light bulb. I needed that message, clear as day there was a reason I answered the phone (if you know me, you know I screen most all calls and hate the phone). It was my plan today to get that phone call and have that chat, to wake me up a bit, pull me from this slump and to decide…..Better or Bitter!

I guess what I am really trying to say, had I not picked up that phone at that moment, I would have missed a message that I possibly needed to be reminded of. I think when we know better we do better.

Thanks friend – call anytime.

What kind of Art do you like?

Robb and I love art, we like to collect art work when we travel and hang it in our home. We don’t usually hang anything on a wall or sit it out unless it’s some kind of art work or framed photos or family and friends, not much into knick knacks. Therefore, our house can seem kind of bare, but each thing that is out has a memory/story or a just a laugh attached to it.

Now mind you, we are an average family with two kids and don’t have a shmancy house or live in a museum. As it turns out, we traveled much more together when we were younger and didn’t have any money, so when we get a chance to travel together now we try to pick up a little something from where we were to remind us of our journey. It’s our own souvenir of sorts.

Many of you who would step in our house and probably wouldn’t like our style or tastes, but as you know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Our art work is from the unknown, most likely inexpensive, and hopefully from a street artist trying to make her next meal.

Last May we were fortunate enough to travel to China to adopt our Isabella. It’s a great place to find extraordinary art of any kind. Making this journey was a long time coming and for Isabella’s sake, we wanted to show her the beauty of her birth country here in her own home until she has the chance to experience it herself someday. So , we took it upon ourselves, to buy as much art work as we could and anything we liked. Well, we did….we came home with at least a dozen things that need to be framed and hung or put away for a rainy for Isabella.

Slowly we are pulling these pieces out of the closet and having them framed one by one. An art of its own and wished I knew how to do, because that in itself is a small fortune.

Well this particular piece, my favorite – took the slow boat from China and just made its way here at Christmas time. We have framed it and it’s looking for the perfect wall as we you read this. We love it. She is just the most precious little girl with all the hope in the world in her eyes. I took a picture of it, so I could share with you. It’s an oil painting from an artist in Shanghai, named Liyao Lin. Enjoy – the photograph doesn’t do it justice.

Looking for the Silver Lining...

Do you ever just have one of those days? You know the one’s….{insert self pity mode her}….where you feel like you are doing nothing but changing diapers, wiping noses and what knots, fixing breakfast, cleaning up after breakfast, low and behold it’s snack time, then lunch time, wanting to take a nap so bad you are willing to sleep in front of the kids door so that they don’t escape, but you can’t or you won’t sleep tonight or get anything else done today (feel free to insert anything else in this list like not answer the phone so you can finish your project, if my boss yells at me one more time and so forth – I have been there as well.…) Well, I am having one of those days! Oh yes, I forgot to mention, while having this particular bad day, I accidentally (I say accidentally, because it should have been put away) ran into a toy yesterday and tore off my entire big toe nail on my left foot, so it’s throbbing.

Just when I thought I wasn’t going to make it and may have to step outside and scream (you know blow off some steam)…. I look down at our little boy’s face (as I am literraly grabbing the door lock to unlock the door) and he knew it… he knew I was having one of those days…and he says to me….”You’re my best friend mommy”.

Ahhhhhhh, I love it that I am still mommy. That just made everything better.

So I decided to find a silver lining in today’s events and moods:

1. It’s not Monday and we have made it ½ way through the week.
2. I have a best friend and he is really cool.
3. We made it through breakfast, snack, lunch, and snack, so there is no going back.
4. By the time my entire toe nail grows back, it will be flip flop season again and I am going for a pedicure.

So, I guess what I am really trying to say is…there really is some kind of silver lining in everyday (some days it just may be that you woke up that day)…it just may be the thought of not making breakfast, not changing anyone, your boss accidentally choking on her drink while at an important function making a fool of herself, or the phone lines going out so you really do get some peace and quite to get your project done, or simple little things like one of your favorite little people thinking that you do really rate as Number One. Find that silver lining in today, make a list, and sleep on it. It’s bound to get better.

Santa Arrived!

Santa Came!

We had a wonderful Christmas and wished the same for all of you. The kids had kids to play with and the adults had adults to play with and no one got hurt. Plenty of fun, gifts, spirits, food, great conversations, making plans for more get togethers for the upcoming year, and entertainment.

No funny stories to think of right now, but thought I would post a couple of photos. I haven't really gone through them, but here are a couple of my favorites (stockings (our favorite), all the presents at Uncle Bill/Aunt Gwen's house, and the kiddos).

Today everyone has left who was leaving, everyone is back in their own beds, and we are just hanging out in our PJ's playing with new toys and on the computer.

Have a great weekend and ringing in the New Year. We wish you a safe journey and many new surprises for the upcoming year.

Robb, Ang, Jacob, and Isabella

Ralphie!

Scene:

Ralphie talking to Santa:

“I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!”

CUT!

Need we say more.

Bakapalooza 2006!

Bakapalooza 2006 – Was a hit – Two Thumbs Up! We can’t wait to book the date for next year. Chef Isabella and Chef Jacob both have staked their claim in Sugar Ville and are not leaving. WOWSA!

This two day event started off of course with being out of the correct ingredients, so we had to make a store run. Who wouldn’t have to? Day One, store, baking - Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies, Double Chocolate Cookies, Rice Crispy Treats (my personal favorite), Pecan Tarts, and Russian Tea Cakes, rolling out dough with lots of flour all over the kitchen. Day Two – (again my personal favorite), the house filled with tiny little hands with their sleeves rolled up, chef hats on, and knuckle deep in frosting. Sprinkles every where, and enough colored candy sugar to cover the North Pole.

Isabella was game for anything as long as she was put in her chair and sat up to the table. She takes the ‘less is more’ approach, bypasses the frosting and goodies and straight for the cookie in mouth. That is all she needed…chair at table, girl sitting at chair, tray of cookies = Happy little Isabella.

Jacob on the other hand thinks….’more is more and better’. He couldn’t get enough sprinkles or frosting on the cookie. He wanted his hands cleaned after each cookie as though he was individually making a masterpiece out of each single cookie. I obliged, we carried on. Then of course came time to eat one….it took him 5 minutes to decide on which cookie to eat, then pointed to the top of the refrigerator (where I thought I secretly stashed the extra’s) and asked if he could have one of those. Again, obliging, all while being explained that these particular cookies he decorated were all for Santa.

As you can see, we know who ranks high in this house, not MOM who has helped for two days baking….not DAD who is off working for his family….but the Big Guy – Santa Claus, who is still checking his list twice seeing who is naughty and nice and of course, brings TOYS! Ahhhhhhhhhh – to be three again.

Oh yea, one more thing….our “Secret Party”, not so secret. Jacob and I decorated his cookies today while Isabella was napping. He asked why Isabella wasn’t decorating cookies like he was. I said, she is napping and we decorated a few this morning. He then turns to me and said, ‘at her party with her friends’…..WHAT? Big ears little kids. Darn it…we were caught. Then being three, he turned to me and said, ‘did they play with my toys?’.

We here hope you get a chance to do a Bakapalooza of your own – It’s fun!

Until next time, enjoy the sunshine,

Robb/Angela/Jacob/Isabella

All roads lead to Christmas...

Twas’ a plain ol’ early Sunday morning and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…..well actually it’s way to early to be up and blogging, but it’s so quite I had to get up to enjoy it. The silence doesn’t roar through this house very often, so taking advantage of it is priceless.

I thought I would share with you what we have been up to ‘the Events Leading to Christmas’. At this point in our house, all roads lead to Christmas. We are spreading cheer, calling Santa daily for an update on the North Pole happenings (1-800-972-6242), tracking him on NORAD - http://www.noradsanta.org, and even doing some of our obligatory chores like school, cleaning, and work.

We started the holiday season off by attending Christmas in the Park, where we watched fireworks to music. I was a wonderful evening. The weather cooperated, so we enjoyed a picnic on the lawn just before the fireworks. We have been to lighting ceremonies all over the city that included fireworks as well. Always seems to be Jacob’s favorite part. We have had breakfast with Santa, Miss’s Claus has read to us, took a trolley to a puppet show, and made a bird feeder craft all in a mornings work. We went to visit Santa and sat on his lap for photos while telling him what we want the elves to make for us for Christmas. We have seen a marvelous train display and even rode a train. We have decorated our Christmas trees, the house, and made Christmas cards. You have seen the gingerbread party happenings and we are going to begin ‘Bakapalooza’ today (explain more later).

Jacob has told Santa this year he wants, a violin, a camera, and a piano (which is really an electronic key board that he saw while out shopping). He was then even nice enough to tell Santa that ‘she can’t talk’ (meaning Isabella who is 18 months and he can’t understand what she is saying) ‘wants a dollhouse’. Now, is that not Big Brother love at its best?

Isabella has decided since this is her first Christmas celebration, we haven’t quite done enough and the house isn’t waffling with the aroma of Christmas. Argot, ‘Bakapalooza 2006’. We are going to start baking cookies of any shape, flavor, and size today with Jacob’s expertise and help. Then tomorrow when Jacob is at school, Isabella is secretly throwing a ‘Cookie Decorating’ party. That’s right; I have lost my mind and started listening to my kids. Isabella has invited 7 of her friends over to decorate cookies (all of whom the oldest is 3), while Jacob is at school. This is the only way I thought I could do it, early in the morning, one kid, and a house full of people hyped up on sugar. You see the funny thing is Jacob literally thinks all we do is clean while he is at school. While some day’s it does fell that way, he starts the morning wondering if it’s a school day and then wondering what we do while he is at school. I made the mistake one time saying, ‘we are cleaning today’. Then when he gets off the school bus, he asks if we cleaned. I reply, ‘yes’. So, the thought of him missing a party may be just too much to bear, so Isabella is calling it a ‘secret’ party. However, like I stated above, we will have Jacob and his expertise all day today while rolling out dough and cutting cookies into fun little shapes.

For now, I just wanted to share some photos of the Holiday Happenings leading to the Big Day.

Enjoy this time and try sneaking some quite time alone in the wee hours of the morning. It really is nice. You get a chance to drink your beverage of choice while it’s still warm.

Will post photos on the Bakapalooza later,

Angela