In the last week....

...we've had a lot of little projects and visits from friends. I can't believe January is now over!

Audie still loves playing with her baby. The other day she asked me for a jacket and hat for her baby, then she picked up purse and waved "bye" and headed to the door.

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Our friend Meghan and her boyfriend Bill came in for a surprise visit. They stayed the night at our house, surprised Meghan's parents at church, and headed back home. It was good to see them and get to know Bill a little bit better.

We went to our favorite chocolate place...Kelley took the girls to the back and gave them special little VIP bags of chocolate.

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Corinne asked me to put curlers in her hair the other night. When we took them out the next morning she was so proud of them...I think it made her feel grown up :)

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Matt's mom and dad came in last weekend. While the boys went pheasant hunting, Nancy and I took the girls to the children's museum. There is a lot of hands on stuff to do there, and I think the girls really enjoyed it!

They had this little tube that made you feel like you were in a tornado. You enclosed yourself in this cylinder and pushed the button to get the spinning fans going! It was hilarious to watch the girls have their hair blown around in there. They giggled and giggled.

Corinne's favorite was a little veterinarian station. She got to put on a lab coat and pretend to take care of animals.

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And finally, the best part of the weekend was our little friend Amanda getting baptized. Amanda is a friend of Alison's that we have enjoyed getting to know. Both Ali and Amanda have babysat the girls, and we always enjoy Amanda over here at our house. Amanda's bubbly personality is so much fun- and she is becoming such a beautiful young lady. I am so proud of her!

So last night Ali was able to baptize Amanda....so cool.

Ali and manders.... you girls are both so beautiful and I am so proud of you! Ali- you are a great friend- and great job with being so consistent to invite Amanda to church and be a picture of Christ to her! Keep up the good work! We love you girls!!!!

my precious little helper

Corinne does a pretty good job of helping out around the house. She likes to help me fold laundry and put it in piles, and she likes to wash the dishes. I really appreciate her little servant's heart- especially with the dishes! She pulls up a chair to the sink, and washes each of the dishes very well. When she is done, they are all ready to load in the dishwasher!!

We haven't had any HUGE events going on, so I thought I'd post a few pictures of what we have been up to the last couple of weeks. While the weather has warmed up a tad, we still have stayed at home and done projects around the house. Matt has been working on his surround sound system and new TV, I have been doing more sewing projects. The girls are still keeping busy with their Christmas toys, and all in all it has been a good couple of weeks.

I was trying to come up with some new things for the girls to do. I had remembered in 3rd grade that our teacher would put shaving cream on our desks and allow us to play in it for a while. It was always so much fun. While that would have been too messy for the kids to do, I thought the idea of it would still hold. So, I taped some foil to the kitchen table, added some shaving cream and food coloring, then taped a layer of wax paper over that. Corinne drew pictures in the shaving cream with her finger. She really enjoyed it.

Cameron was over that day, and him and Audie weren't too into it.

Audie has been mastering the "double pacifier suck". We may have hard times ahead of us trying to wean her.

Mom came over one night last week and taught me and my friends Trina and Jamie how to knit. Notice my needles are empty? I had quite a hard time knitting. I couldn't get crocheting out of my head. I picked it up again though and things are looking better. I am hoping to knit a project before winter is over so I have something to show for it.

and my little boogie bottoms, as I like to call her, playing on the piano. She is such a nut and is a heartbreaker. The last month or two has been so enjoyable watching her learn new things. She sits on the counter (yes, send me to jail, I'm a horrible mom to let my kids on the counter) with me in the mornings while I get ready. She puts lotion on her face, brushes her teeth, and pretends to put deoderant on. She mimicked me this morning---when I put gel in my hair, I tip my head to the side so all of my strands of hair hang down and so I can reach the length of my hair from the side. Audie then pretended to squeeze gel out of the bottle, and she tipped her head and started acting like she was putting gel in her hair too. It was so cute...and scary to know how much she picks up from ordinary things we don't take a second thought about. :)

Auf Wiedersehen

...is German for "goodbye"

That is what Heidi Klum says to the contestants of Project Runway when their garments are not good enough to stay in the running of becoming the winner of the show.

Heidi also uses words like "hot mess" and "disaster" to describe the garments that are not style worthy or fashionable.

This week I pretended that I was on Project Runway. I designed this dress, went to the fabric store (I was imagining that I was at Mood -the fabric store the PR contestants go to), and gave myself 8 hours to complete this dress.

Well, I didn't complete it in 8 hours. And I don't know if Heidi would call this a "hot mess". But it is my first real dress I have designed/completed using my new dress form. And I am happy with the results.

It is actually a 2 piece garment. The top can be worn alone, or add the high-waisted skirt over the top.

So what do you think? Suggestions? Constructive criticisms?

Catching you up

I am quite thankful that tomorrow is Monday, January 4th, and things will be back to normal. Since about the 2nd week in December things have been so hectic! (a good hectic, but still hectic)

Here are a few pics of our happenings over the last several weeks:

We had a baking day with our friends Melanie and Trina. Above is Corinne and Trina rolling out some dough to make candy cane cookies.
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On Christmas Eve, we celebrated with my family. Leslie, Jon and Cameron were there and we had soup and sandwiches, and exchanged gifts.

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This pic was taken on Christmas morning. Corinne somehow thinks that all of Audie's gifts were hers as well and that she had rights to all of them. She may have gotten away with it this year, but I dont think it will fly next year. Audie will be old enough to know which gifts are hers, and I dont think she will tolerate sharing as nicely as she does now.

Me and Corinne both got cookware! Mine is an all-clad skillet with a copper core. Good stuff.

We did have a white Christmas, so Corinne and Dad went out and played in the snow.

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The weekend after, Matt's family came in to celebrate with us. Above is the painting I received from Dale- I absolutely love it! He did a really good job, I couldn't have asked for more.

Audie got a little car to drive around....at least Audie's name was on the gift. Again, Corinne has taken over all of Audie's presents as her own.

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We rang in the new year with my aunt and uncle and cousins. Corinne really took a liking to Kara. Thanks for playing with her Kara!!

Watching the game on TV. Nick wasn't too interested.

And last but not least, my favorite aunt and uncle. There is a long standing joke of who is the "favorite" aunt, uncle, niece, etc. (Well, call it a joke if you want, I know where I stand) I'm not going to take the time to count us all, but there are at least 15 of us nieces and nephews. Only a few of us show up enough to be in the running for being the favorite (ok, really only one, and that is mua...) But we have a lot of fun being competitive to who is the favorite. Sometimes points are docked if someone is mean, or doesn't show up to the family events, etc. It's really all in fun, and we get a good laugh about it.

So Susan, here you are. You finally made it to our family blog.

I hope you all had a good holiday season!

It's Christmas Eve

...that means tomorrow is Christmas.

Tonight we are exchanging gifts with my side of the family.

Tomorrow we are having a family Christmas....Breakfast, reading Luke 2, presents, board games, Christmas movies, frozen pizza, and possibly a Christmas light tour 'round the neighborhood.

Next week Matt's parents and brother Scott will come.

New Years Eve my uncle and FAVORITE aunt Susan, and cousins will come to ring in the new year with us.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Stuffed Peppers

I really hate to be prideful and say this, but I'm good.

As you know, I love inventing recipes. More often than not, they turn out....errrr...uhhh..not what I had hoped they would turn out to be.
But last night was an exception. I made stuffed peppers that were out of this world. After a battle with hot pepper on my hands and face again (if you missed that post, you can read about it here)- we sat down to eat this wonderful delight of dinner. You readers just happen to be lucky enough for me to share this recipe with you. So folks, here it is-

Jenny's Stuffed Peppers (Serves 2)

4 Anaheim peppers

2 chicken breasts

1 bottle of Bud Light Lime

2 T Lime Juice

3-4 cloves garlic diced

1 med. onion diced

1/4 cup corn

1 cup shredded Pepper Jack Cheese

chili pepper, cumin, salt, pepper

Sour Cream, Salsa, Cilantro (as garnish)

Marinate chicken breasts in a shallow dish with beer and 2 T lime juice for about 4 hours. (give or take, who's counting anyway?)

Season chicken with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook chicken breasts in olive oil over med. high heat until browned and cooked all the way through. Remove chicken from pan and allow to cool. When cool enough to touch, shred the chicken. In the same pan, add onion garlic and corn, and saute for about 5-6 mins, or until corn is golden brown and onions are translucent. Don't forget to season the corn and onions also! with salt, pepper, and cumin. Season until your heart is content.

Meanwhile, make a slit in the Anaheim peppers and remove the ribs and seeds. Mix together chicken and corn mixture, and stuff into the peppers. (Stuff 'em tight!!)

Sprinkle the pepper jack cheese generously over the top and place under broiler until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Serve with cilantro, sour cream, and salsa.

I did make these two ways. I tried flash frying one of the peppers, and it wasn't as successful as broiling it. I was hoping that some breading would stick to the pepper, but obviously the pepper is just too waxy to have anything stick to it. Broiling worked well, and I will stick to it in the future.

And another thing...you may want to use a pepper you are familiar with. Anaheim peppers are not supposed to be spicy hot, but this batch was. I am very good about being able to eat spicy stuff, but I just could not finish my second pepper. I ended up scraping out the fillings and eating it with chips. Poblanos are a more mild pepper that should work well with this recipe too.

Christmas is quickly approaching....

...and I am quite excited about that.

From Thanksgiving to now, we have been very busy. We made a trip to KC for Thanksgiving, and also celebrated our 4th anniversary there. It seems like there is something going on almost every day of the week- and my mind was becoming so boggled with plans! I finally had to sit down and put everything on the calendar- and it continues to fill up!

I got a letter in the mail this week that notified me that my license was suspended due to an unpaid ticket. We were trying to work out to have it diverted, but too much time passed by and they suspended me. Yikes! December is not a good month to not be able to drive anywhere! We paid the ticket this morning, and I should have my license back in a couple of days.

So, due to busyness on this side of the fence, I am posting a link from Facebook of pictures from our KC trip(click here), and a few others taken recently. Once life slows down I will continue blog posting more consistently.

I finally got out to the mall yesterday to find Audra some jeans. However, I became quite frustrated at the selection of kids' clothing. Don't get me wrong, there are tons of clothes out there, but I am bothered by what is on them. It seems like every pair of kids' jeans have butterflies, flowers, or tacky little jewels up and down the leg. Most of the shoes on the shelves are covered with cartoon characters such as Dora or Strawberry Shortcake. The shirts have been taken over by monkeys and kitties- with most of them not being very cute.

I really don't mind the occasional flower or rainbow on a shirt- they are fine for the girls to play in, or wear around the house. Corinne even has a "Hello Kitty" shirt that I think is very cute, and every wardrobe must have a KU shirt with a Jayhawk on it!! But for the most part I want their clothes to be tasteful and not marked up by some silly character or tacky and fake looking jewels.

Constantly being inspired by fabrics and unique, rich colors, I wish I could design a line of kids' clothing that wasn't marked up with clutter. Simply coordinating stripes, contrasting plaids, and the simple pair of jeans and denim jacket with no markings other than the seams.

After coming home from the mall yesterday frustrated, I sat down at my sewing machine determined to create something for Corinne that would be something I loved for her to wear. I'm in to vests lately, so I found some fur fabric in my "left over" bin and got to work. I had to take some measurements from Corinne and surprisingly she was very patient with it and excited to try it on! 4 hours later, the vest was complete!!

I lined it with black fabric, so the vest can be reversible. I thought this vest would be very cute for some Christmas pictures, and to put on the front of our Christmas card. I am going to go to the fabric store today to try and find something coordinating for Audie to wear too. I'm thinking I want to put Audie in a puffy black skirt fluffed up with tulle. I just hope a good result turns out!!

Thoughts for a Thursday Morning

It has been a couple of weeks since my last post, and since I don't have any pictures to share with you, I thought I would share our happenings and thoughts running through my head this week.

**I ordered sugar cookie dough from a girl I used to babysit. She has a Christmas fund raiser going on at school, so we're looking forward to our cookie dough coming in so we can make some holiday cookies in fun shapes.

**I must get to Target or the mall because Audie has no pants to wear. She has a pair of jeans that are 6 months in size... they fit in the waist, but are very highwater. She has 2 pairs of khakis that are 12 months, but I have to pin the waist, and they are too long. I may have to resort to doing some altering if I can't find any that fit her well

**I had Indian food for the first time last night. A couple of ladies I met recently (who actually live just a few blocks away!) invited me to join them for dinner. It was surprisingly very good! I had Chicken Curry, a very spicy dish and basmati rice. Both were excellent. Ever heard of "Naan"? Awesome Indian flatbread. I think I would stop into the restaurant just to get an order of this wonderful stuff.

**As we were leaving the restaurant I came across a basket of candy. In the basket was one package of Razzles. I had never heard of Razzles before except from the movie 13 Going on 30.

13 Going on 30 is definitely one of my favorite movies- and to find out that Razzles were actually real made me thrilled beyond words! If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it.

**I need to finish wrapping up this post because today is a busy day. Cameron is here for the morning, and Corinne's buddy Wyatt will be coming over shortly to play while Breann goes to the eye doctor. After the 2 boys are picked up by their mommies, we are headed downtown to meet Brenda for lunch! Then back home for naps- and we'll see what the day brings after that.

**Project Runway season finale is tonight. I am so excited. I love this show. Tonight they will announce the winner after the 3 finalists have worked for months making their own clothing line consisting of 12 outfits. Throughout the series the contestants were given a series of challenges to make a garment and then send it down the runway to be judged by top designers. The contestants on this show constantly impress me of how they can make these beautiful dresses and garments out of a few yards of fabric. The creativity just challenges me to make things and practice my sewing. Matt has a hard time watching it because there are gay men that are in the show. But he is a wonderful guy to sit down and watch it with me. But hey, he owes me anyway. I have to sit through hours of football on Sundays. That is not in the least bit my idea of fun.

I came home tonight from meeting with a friend and was greeted with hugs and kisses and laughter from Audie and Corinne. My 2 baby girls were in the sweetest mood tonight. About an hour later, I started to pick up the toys in the basement while Matt gave Audie a bath. I came upstairs to find Corinne picking up her toys in the living room...without being asked!!!! I ran to her and told her how proud I was of her and thanked her for doing that. I really reiterated how sweet she had been this evening and I was thankful for her good attitude. Then it was her bathtime, and she hopped in the bath with no complaining or excuses. (much out of the norm). I wanted to reward her further for her good behavior...


me: "Corinne, you have been so good this evening. You can stay up past your bed time if you want to"
Corinne: "No thank you, I'm fine."

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maybe I should leave more often!!?

Trick or Treat!!

Halloween was so much fun this year. I decided last minute to dress up with the girls, and we had a blast. Late in the afternoon we stopped by our favorite chocolate shop....what better place to go trick or treating than at an artisan chocolate store??!!

We turned a lot of heads as we walked in with our costumes on- (who wouldn't stop to stare at 3 pretty butterflies) and took a photo with our favorite chocolatiers! Luckily, all of the ladies working today had on costumes, so we didn't feel so much out of place. The girl on the far right is Amber. She has become buddies with Corinne. We have really enjoyed getting to know her as she has such a sweet and genuine personality.

We got back home and our friends Kevin and Crystal arrived for dinner. Their son Austin was Cat in the Hat (and boy was it a cute costume!!)

Corinne's butterfly- Audie's Dragonfly

Corinne really got the hang of trick or treating. She led the way through the neighborhood and marched right up to each door and confidently said "Trick or Treat". I was surprised as I thought she would be more timid. But she did great.

Happy Halloween!!!!

nose rings and praying bugs.

Corinne is continually surprising me with things. I guess

this time she wanted her nose pierced!? She has a pair of clip on earrings that she likes to wear- and I found her walking around with the clip over her nose.

Yesterday was a very nice day out. I took the girls outside to play and ride bikes, and found this lil' guy on our porch. Now, all you guys know that I don't like anything creepy crawly. Actually it gave me the eebie jeebies to put my face near his to get the photograph. But for the sake of practicing photography I did it. He actually was kind of cute peeking around the porch post.

Family Pictures

It's been over a year since we have had family pictures taken. We went out the last 2 Sundays to get new ones done. My sister Leslie is a great photographer and did both photo sessions with us. Luckily, she was patient with us- we had a very hard time getting the girls to cooperate! One would be looking away, while the other smiling...one would be moving while the other making a funny face. We just really had a hard time this time around getting everyone to look good, but I think we succeeded with a few good ones.

The first Sunday we went out, it was very windy. But Leslie lives near an awesome trail that we got some good shots on, and all of the trees helped reduce the wind.

Audie was in a pretty good mood that day...

however, Corinne was not. I love the above picture, but as you can see, Corinne is missing. She was headed to the car at this point- I think she would have driven herself back home as she was ready to be done taking pictures.

I was looking for that perfect shot. We didn't get it in the first shoot, so I asked Leslie to try one more time. We went out yesterday and got this one.

I posted the above and below pictures so you can see for yourself what we were dealing with. Corinne pretending to be asleep, Audie squirming away. As difficult as it was to get the girls to hold still and smile at the camera, I wouldn't trade anything for a good shot. I love the girls' feisty personalities and the "squirminess" that makes them who they are.

Carving Pumpkins

I suppose there is no escaping the fallish weather. It seems like it got cold way too early this year, but what can ya do? We purchased pumpkins this week to carve them and embrace October!

My mom is leaving for Africa on Tuesday for a missions trip. I carved her an Africa pumpkin. She will be gone for 2 weeks and it should be a good trip for her! She will be visiting the place she grew up, doing missions and medical work.

The Basement

Remember this?

I try not to. It is the worst of my wood paneling dreams. Thankfully, it is just a memory and we no longer live in the horror of fake wood.

Here is the in between stage...

...and the (almost) finished product. I still need to add many more pictures to the walls, need to pick up a lamp shade, and a few touch ups here and there. The rest of what needs to be finished will have to be on an "as I see it/like it" basis. I plan on going to a flea market at the end of the month and hopefully will find a few goodies to fill up the walls with.

Apologies that these pictures are dark- The colors in the picture are distorted from what the actual colors are. The sectional is a charcoal grey, and the walls a stormy sky grey. The accents are mustard and plum, however, I am not positive the plum color is working. I am keeping my eyes peeled for a print fabric in a navy to make more pillows with. Time will have to be the key in getting this room exactly the way I want it!

Our new sconces. I am so thankful I found these that I liked. I had no idea lights could be so expensive. We could have spent up to $500 smackeroos on lights if I bought what I really liked. These are simple and work well! And much better than the ugly ones that were previously there.

I am in love with this lamp. It may be one of the most hideous pieces of furniture I have ever owned, but I absolutely love it. (There is also a good story behind this lamp, ask me and I'll tell ya) It used to be a 70's gold color but a nice coat of charcoal metallic spray paint made it turn out quite nicely, if I do say so myself. I still need to find a large drum lamp shade to top it with.

Also notice the table it is sitting on. $12 dollars at a thrift store! I sanded it and painted it glossy black. I love it.

My "favorite pictures" wall. I printed several of my favorite family pictures and framed them. I will continue to add to the collection over the years. The painting of the "M" was my Christmas present from Matt's dad last year. "M" stands for our last name, if you needed help in figuring that one out.

And finally, the chair I picked up from Goodwill a while back.
Before:

and after:

I am not totally satisfied with the outcome. I covered it in a black velvet, and you cannot see the lines of the chair as clearly as I would like. I will keep my eye open for fabric and I may recover it at a later time.

I've been to hell and back

These guys were not my friend today. I was preparing supper- the usual prep work. Chopping onions and garlic, tonight it was also tomatoes and peppers. I finished and went into the living room to play with the girls until Matt got home. I noticed that my nose and the area in between my nose and lip was burning just a little bit. I guess I had touched my nose at some point while chopping the pepper. I went to the sink to rinse it off. "Better safe than sorry", I thought. I didnt want to give the jalepeno juice time to soak in my skin.

As soon as that water hit my nose I had the worst burning sensation I have ever felt in my life. So I continued to put more water on it, and flushed water up my nose. BIG MISTAKE. My eyes started to water, my nose started to produce more mucus than a cow with swine flu. My face was on fire. I filled a bowl with milk and dunked my face in it. It gave me some relief.

I went to the internet to look for solutions, and found that baking soda helped. I made a paste with baking soda and water and left it on my nose. It seems to have given me relief. phew!

And go ahead, let the picking nose jokes come. Matt already got his laugh about it. I wasn't picking my nose. But Go Ahead. Whatever. I can take the heat.

With my sad story comes a recipe you must try!

I suppose for now I will call it Six Layer Fish.

Six Layer Fish (serves 4)

2 lbs Halibut or other white fish

1 onion sliced thin

1-2 tomatoes chopped

1 jalepeno

2 avacados, each halved and sliced

cilantro

tortilla chips

Heat 1 T canola oil in skillet to medium high heat. Season fish with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. When skillet is very hot, sear fish on both sides until crispy- then move the skillet into the oven at 350 degrees for 5 mins or until cooked thoroughly.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Season onion, tomato and pepper with salt, pepper, and cumin. Saute in skillet until onion and pepper is soft, 5-6 minutes.

Layer fish on your plate, topped with the sliced avacado, hot onion mixture, chopped cilantro and crushed tortilla chips.

Serve with black bean soup.

Audie

I took these pictures of Audie last night- she was in a great mood. Corinne spent the night with Grandma, and I went out with a friend, so Audie got some good alone play time with Dad. When I came home she was stomping her feet and giggling with excitement, and she opened her arms to give me a hug.

It feels so good to be the girls' mommy. However, I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. When I talk to Corinne on the phone I get a lump in my throat because I just cannot believe that my daughter is holding a conversation over the phone! She sounds so little, but talks like an adult. Audie brought me her shoes this morning because she wanted to go outside. Both of the girls are doing things for themselves, and they are not babies anymore! I wish it were possible to capture time.

Sorry it has been so long since our last post. I know this post was supposed to be our new basement, but I just haven't gotten around to taking the pictures yet. I wanted to give you all something to tide you over, so what better than a picture of the three kiddos that steal my heart most? These pictures are horrible color, I know. Photoshop could have helped me out here, but for now I just don't have the time. I know most of you won't mind a couple of dark pictures of beautiful kids.

the girls have started to play really well together. (most of the time) As long as Corinne wants to, we're good to go.

and my handsome little nephew Cameron. I am babysitting him today and a few more days this week. To see more pictures of him from my sister's blog, click here

waaait for it, waaaaaait for iiittttt!!

Hang on, folks- pictures of the new basement will be coming very soon!

Matthew is home today from waiting on the furniture delivery truck with our new sectional on it! It should be here in the next hour! As soon as we get it set up, I am going to rush to Lowe's to pick up some paint! We are hoping to have everything painted and in place by Thursday night so we can watch "The Office" in our newly done family room.

There are a few additions to the room I would like to have. But since they are uber-expensive, they will remain on a wish list. Here is one of them-These acrylic coffee tables are so cool! They blend right in to the floor, so it is not an inconvenient bulk that takes away from making the room feel light and airy. But coming in at $249 (and that's the knock-off brand price!!) it is an item that will have to be left at the store.

and this painting-

I'm not sure what it is, but I am drawn to this painting called Devil Whale from urbanoutfitters.com It's mellow and I love the colors in it! But again, $80 is a bit steep for the girl who works hard for NO money. (:

A sneak peak of progress, and one really cute 3 year old.

We are finally working on the re-do of the basement! Here is a little peek of our progress. The ugly wood paneling (if any of you haven't seen it, I will post before pics when we are all done) has come down, and the sheet rock has been mudded and taped. Now it is all ready for paint!!

We ordered a sectional last weekend which should be here on Tuesday.

There are a few items I have been collecting over the past couple of years knowing we would one day be getting the basement put together. I picked up this chair from Goodwill almost a year ago. Here is the before picture, I am working on re-covering it.

Corinne saw me snapping pictures of the chair and she seemed to feel the need to jump in and be a part of the picture. The greatest thing about this chair? It swivels 360 degrees. 17 bucks at Goodwill....can't beat that with a stick.

...and at the end of a long afternoon, Corinne fell asleep. She was busy talking to me, she laid her head down and in a matter of minutes she was fast asleep, and slept here for about an hour.

As I am typing this post, Corinne is playing with Zona- carrying her around awkwardly and gritting her teeth telling the kitty how much she loves her. Audie has the greatest episode of bed-head you have ever seen wearing footed pajamas and finishing the corners of Corinne's pop tart.
These cute little personalities make me stop and think about how much I love my kids. We have been blessed with good kids. They have a wonderful daddy and I am so thankful for the wonderful life I have been blessed with.

Corinne's 3rd Birthday

It came to the end of the day yesterday, and I hadn't taken Corinne's birthday picture. I had bought her a new dress to wear for some pictures, but It rained and rained all day, we have colds going around, and I thought crusty noses wouldn't be the cutest for a birthday photo shoot. So, to say we had a picture taken ON her birthday, I took a few snapshots.

A few weeks ago, I tried to teach Corinne how to pose for a picture. Bad idea. She has taken it way too far. She tilts her head all the way to her shoulder. She smiles rediculously. She makes funny faces. Hopefully we can tame it into a calmer style. But here are the pics of the day Corinne turned 3!!

In the picture below, she is not yawning. She is being silly on purpose. She thinks she rules the roost.

Got a good one with her and dad.

Here is a picture I took today. I still would like to do more "birthday" pictures, so I will post more when we get them done.

Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dale will be here this weekend to celebrate with us both the girls' birthdays.

Neeeeeroooooommm!

This weekend we were able to attend an Airshow. We had front row seats to the runway as Matt's work provided passes to sit under a special tent. It was a pretty neat experience for Corinne, she seemed to really enjoy herself. Matt was impressed by the Airforce's "jet car"- a car with a jet engine. If I remember right, it went from 0-400 mph in 8 seconds.
The weather was absolutely perfect, and I couldn't get over how beautiful the sky was.

Sorry these pics are a little small! Click on them to make them bigger for a better view.

The above and below pictures are a husband/wife team. The wife is a wing walker. Her husband did drops, turns, loops, and flew upside-down with her standing on the top. It was amazing.

More pictures of the girls

We decided to take advantage of the nice weather tonight and take some more pictures of the girls. I have been having so much fun with my new camera Matt bought me, so it's a good thing our girls are beautiful to photograph. Although, I am realizing I can take picture after picture after picture- and get about 2 good shots. Eyes closed, on the verge of crying, looking away, distracted by someone or something are just a few culprits of making it hard to get a good picture.

I haven't gone through any of these pictures in photoshop, but I wanted to post them while I was on the computer. And for you grandparents, aunts, uncles, whoever you are that look at this blog and are waiting for a picture from us....be patient, one is coming! I am wanting to get a good picture of them to get printed off- but I want it to be really good.

August 27

Happy 1st Birthday Audra!

Today is Audie's first birthday. I can't believe it has already been a year. It has been a wonderful year and so cool to see the changes and growth in her. She has such a sweet nature and spirit about her and always content.
Happy Birthday Aud! We love you!

Audie got birthday money in the mail yesterday from Great G's Helen and Vernon. With it she bought this new dress and a couple other outfits. This morning I took the girls out and took a few birthday pictures.

Who is Who?

I thought these two pictures showed a glimpse of the girls same features. The top picture is Audie on our trip to Seattle, and the bottom picture is Corinne when she was a little over a year.

Weekend in Seattle!

Matt has been in Seattle for work the last week. He found out he was going on short notice, and we decided it would be a good idea for me to join him for a few days during the weekend. It was such a nice break for me to get away. The trip was perfect for me. Just long enough to relax a bit, and see some new scenery. Corinne stayed here with Grandma Joyce and some family friends for a few days. There is so much to explain about the trip, but I will try to do it shortly as possible. I uploaded many more pics to facebook. Blogger is much slower with the upload, so take a look at the rest of the pictures on facebook by clicking here

The first day into Seattle, Matt and I visited Pikes Market. I can't explain how amazing this place is...Fresh fish, fresh fruit, flowers, veggies, spices etc. Amazing smells, amazing sights, it was great.

Second day we had an awesome brunch at a place called Salty's, and then walked along Alki Beach.

Monday, my RA from college, Allison, drove in to visit. She is several hours away so it made me feel very special that she took the time to see us. She was such a blessing to be with for a couple of days.

The above and below pictures were taken at the Seattle Aquarium. Audie was a trooper the whole trip. She was agreeable and easy. Below is Allison and me outside the aquarium.

This picture may be too small to really see- so look on facebook for the bigger pic. But in Pikes Market at one of the fish stands, when someone buys fresh fish, they throw it from the ice table back to the guys behind the counter who wrap it up for the person to take home. Well, they threw the fish over my head. I'm talkin' a big fish. I think the guys enjoyed it too much. But what a fun job to have! And a great experience and fun for us.

Alki Beach

This burger is from Red Mill burgers, voted best burger in Seattle many years in a row. I'd say it is one of the best burgers I've ever had. Definitely top 3. (And I'm hard to please!)

Holding a live lobster.

this is one of the vegetable sellers at the market. I wish I could explain what this experience was like. But there is no way I could explain the size, the smells, the people, the atmosphere, etc. I loved Seattle. I loved the "artsy-ness", and the "ecclectic-ness". Such a fun experience.

Great company with Matt, and it was awesome to see Allison again. I'd definitely reccommend Seattle to anyone who hasn't been!

This morning we took the girls downtown to play in a waterfall. I have been playing around with my new camera and photoshop, so here are a few I put together.

Pretty Audie

Rocking Chair Re-do

I have been project-hungry for a while...but I didn't want to start anything with the wedding stuff going on. A furniture re-upholstry has been on my mind for a while, but the last several weeks I have had no luck finding a reasonably priced piece of furniture at the local Goodwill stores. Thrift stores have caught on to people shopping for furniture and prices are pretty steep. This rocker was more money than I wanted to p ay- especially for what it was, but I was starving for a project...so I took the plunge. I am happy with the results.

Here's the before.

And after.

Corinne loves it. It is just her size!

A Wonderful Wedding Weekend.

PHEW!! What a crazy weekend! Emily and Clayton were married this weekend, and as I type this they are probably boarding their plane to Jamaica! Congratulations Emily and Clayton!

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. The day went pretty smooth. I was the matron of honor, and Corinne was the flower girl. Saturday ended up being a long day for Corinne, and she was pooped. She ended up not wanting to carry her basket down the aisle, but she made it down, walking beside me very timidly. She was absolutely beautiful and I was proud of her for being such a trooper.

We tried hard all day to get a good family picture....but you know how that goes...especially with two tired kiddos.

My mom and Audie's toothy grin

It was a great day. I think after a few naps for us all we will be fully recovered!

As soon as the professional photos are done, I will let you all know and post the link to them. In the meantime, if you want to see more pictures of the wedding, the rehearsal dinner, and emily's bachelorette party,

click here

Mango Lime Salsa

Here is the first official recipe I came up with based off of a few flavors from my new book, The Flavor Bible. There are a couple ways to eat this, the first night we had it on grilled chicken, and last night we added it on top of our fish tacos. Both were excellent. If you like sweet salsa, this would be great with tortilla chips as well.

Mango Lime Salsa

2 mangoes, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

zest of 1 lime

2t lime juice

2t brown sugar

1t kosher salt

a pinch (or two or three... depending on how hot you want it) crushed red pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

For topping the grilled chicken, I didn't use a food processor, I left it chunky. We also had grilled red onions on top of the chicken that gave it a different flavor that was awesome. Red onions could be minced and added to this, and it would be great. If you are serving this for more than 4 people, I would recommend doubling the recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

My favorite shows to watch on TV are cooking shows. I have learned so much from watching The Food Network! When watching shows such as Top Chef, Iron Chef America, or The Next Food Network Star, I always wondered how these chefs knew what food paired well together and which ingredients complimented eachother....especially on such short notice in these competitions. They are given an ingredient to work with, and they can come up with these amazing food creations on spur of the moment! So I did some research to find a book on knowing how to do this. May I introduce you to my newest friend?! The Flavor Bible.
This book is exactly what I was looking for. I recommend this to anyone who doesn't like to follow a recipe. (Maybe it is the rebellious side of me, but I just hate following directions. The only time I use measuring cups or spoons is in baking...and even seldom then do I measure it out.) This book has an A to Z list of every ingredient imaginable. Under each ingredient it lists all the ingredients that go with it based on some of the top chefs in the country. Throughout the book are tips from these top chefs, ways they have found to master culinary creativity, and ingredients they have put together to make a sucessful dish. A few chapters talk about balancing a dish, with salt, sweet, bitter and sour flavors.

This book defninitely isn't a cookbook. But it is a great manual to creating your own recipes.

I made my first dish last night- I am still working on a creative name for it...but for now we'll call it Mango Lime Chicken. I will post the recipe soon-- the best I can. Remember? I dont use measuring instruments.

Golf

Matt's parents and brother Scott were in town this weekend. Saturday morning, the boys went golfing and I joined them for the last 9 holes. It was my first time out, and it was a lot of fun! I think I have the golf fever now.

In other exciting news, Audie is now making her way around on 2 feet! This past week she has really gotten a hold of her balance and walks around most of the time.

Hoses, Trashbags, and Slides

Who needs a waterpark when you have trashbags and a garden hose? Ali spent the day with us and after some chinese take-out and browsing at Goodwill, we decided to set up a slipper slide with a few trash bags.

It worked pretty well....

Until our trashbags ripped.

So we got out a tarp....but it wasn't slick enough

So we moved the hose to the swing-set slide. Corinne loved this. She did it over and over and over. She's quite a brave little girl when it comes to going head first and being daring. I like that in her. We had a fun afternoon!!

how does your garden grow....

A few weeks ago, you might remember my mentioning that Matt had built me a planter box for my vegetables. Halfway through his project I asked him to extend the space (actually double it), and I am glad he did. I could totally use twice the amount of space I have here. I have 8 tomato plants, 2 zucchini plants, 2 pepper plants, and much okra. I had to opt out of tomatillos this year, as they grow to be huge, and I would not have had the space. Here is the progress of the veggies so far!

This little guy is the winner to be picked first! I can't wait to sink my teeth into him in the next couple of days. MMMMmmmmm!

My zucchini plants. Audie will probably eat a lot of these this summer.

If you have never seen a zucchini plant, they grow to be HUGE!!! This is about 4 ft x 3.5 ft.

Here are my little okras growing. I am going to have to go through them in the next few days and pull the ones that are not the strongest. OOOOOOOhhhhhhhhh I love okra. My favorite way to eat it is fried up! Give this recipe a try. I call it Brenda's Okra Mix, because she was the one who gave me this recipe. I think Keenan's mom was actually the one to invent this recipe though. Either way, give it a try. It it my ultimate summer favorite food.

Brenda's Okra Mix

12-15 okra

2-3 GREEN tomatoes
1 small onion

1 jalepeno

1/2 cup milk, one egg

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup corn meal

Salt and Pepper to taste

chop okra, green tomatoes, onion, and jalepeno to same size. Beat milk and egg together to form a wash. Mix together flour and cornmeal and season with salt and pepper. Season veggies with salt and pepper. Add veggies to the egg wash, and cover with the flour/cornmeal mixture. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

This is great to just chomp around on, I've also put it on a burger. Let me know if you try it a new way or a different variation of it! And Enjoy!

Emily's Shower

This Saturday was Emily's wedding shower. It was hosted in her grandma's backyard which was just beautiful. Huge trees, a waterfall/pond with fish in it, and colorful flowers. Despite the slight heat, it was a perfect setting. It turned out to be a great shower and we're looking forward to the wedding in August!

Emily with girls from her high school class

Emily's mom is on the left, Claytons mom is on the right

Brunch consisted of breakfast burritos, bread, muffins and a fruit tray.
Thanks to everyone who helped out with this. It was a lot of fun!

Cornrows

Corinne explored her black roots last week cornrows. She's the whitest black girl you've ever seen, huh? I didn't know if she would sit still while I braided her hair, but I put on a movie and she did pretty good. She didn't want me to take her picture afterward, so I didn't get a good shot. But I though her hair turned out cute.

She kept trying to cover it up so I wouldn't be able to take a picture.

Crikey!!

Tonight we spent the evening at Leslie and Jon's. Jon cooked up some great hamburgers and grilled corn on the cob. After dinner we ended up outside, and Jon thought that Chomp would enjoy some time in the grass and being outdoors. I feel sorry for this little alligator...everyone tries to chase him, he gets put in people's faces, Jon tosses him around...he seems to get so scared and run away. If he only knew that he is the scary one... at least me and Corinne are scared of him.

This is Leslie and Jon's neighbor kid. He's a brave little boy.

Cameron got sleepy and went to bed. He missed out on all the gator fun.

Audie was dozing off in the car on the way home.

Fathers Day

Happy Father's Day!

We love you!

A little over 2 weeks ago I (Jenny) learned how to ride a motorcycle. A family friend owned a bike in the past and I have really come to enjoy riding on the back of a motorcycle, and motorcycles have interested me. I also always wanted to learn how to ride, and I finally learned how. The first couple of times I was a little iffy. There is a lot to think about as both hands, and both feet have a job to do in operating the bike. Well, in this last time I went to ride, everything turned around. Everything clicked. It was like I had been doing it

for years. Everything came without thought, and I rode and was able to enjoy the scenery.

Now, I know probably about 95% of you that read this blog think I am cr

azy. I am very much aware of the risks involved in riding a motorcycle. (Especially with a husband and kids to take care of at home) But I just cannot remove the thrill and enjoyment I get from this.

I am not sure if there is a motorcycle in my future. But it doesn't hurt to browse eBay here and

there for a good deal. Like this one:




or maybe pink!!

Another busy week! We spent this week preparing for Mom's 60th birthday party (pics to come). The party was a hit and we all had a great time.

The girls are doing well. Corinne has finally refused to wear diapers (the evening we bought a huge box of them from Sams). She has done really well with it. She still amazes us everyday with little things and ideas she comes up with.

Audie is getting braver to let go and try to stand alone. She wants to walk so bad, but doesnt have the balance to do it. We are still hoping she will be walking by August so she can be a flower girl with Corinne in Emily and Clayton's wedding.

The month of May has been quite busy! After having company, we celebrated my birthday- even though it ended up being kind of a dud. Matt and I both had colds, strep maybe? We both had sore throats for several days. The evening of my birthday we went out to eat, and my eye started to water and get goopy- mom insisted that I go to the ER to get it checked out, because Matt was leaving for Seattle the next day, and she didnt want me stuck with an eye infection and 2 kids...alone. So we took a little trip to the ER, they diagnosed me with pink eye, and then spent 2 hours at the pharmacy waiting for my perscription. Happy Birthday Jen!

Matt left for Seattle the next day for a full week. He got to visit Pikes Market, see them throw the fish, sample some good fish....I was totally jealous. He isn't the one who even likes fish! I do! But he brought home a few pounds of Copper River King Salmon over dry ice...it was amazing.

Here are some recent pics of the girls in the dresses Mom brought back from Hawaii.
Check out their cousin Camerons Hawaiian outfit on Leslie's blog.

Basement Bath Redo

Finally here are some pictures of our new bathroom in the basement! After having the drain system installed the sheetrock on the entire east wall is torn up. What better time for a bathroom redo!? We stuck with the red and the infamous guitar toilet seat, put new tile on the floor and spruced up the counter/sink. Some new pictures of guitars- none other than a Taylor of course, and it is good to go! I also bought music composition paper/book. I suppose while sitting on a guitar toilet seat it is good of time as any to write music. 

The weekend

We had a whirlwind of a weekend. We had special friends come for a visit Friday night. The Isaak family is making rounds in the US visiting friends and family. We were so excited that they were able to stop by and visit us. They live in Brazil, and they are doing a video series that is a chronological teaching of the Bible. Good stuff! Check it out at www.lightinaction.org  

I met Arlen and Cynthia while at Bible College in Waukesha. We got back in touch with them around the time I was pregnant with Corinne, and Cynthia and I actually had our kids on the same day! Corinne and Nina share the same birthday. Twins from different mommies! The girls had fun playing together. They were so much alike, and so different. It was cool to see. Nina is such a serious little girl, but she is so smart! She has over 50 Bible verses memorized and even knows verses in Portugese. We were quite impressed!

Here is me and Cynthia. She is so sweet and loving, and she is a great mommy. It was so nice to visit with her again.

Nina and Corinne

The cute boy in the middle is their other kid, Dorian. He is One year and 3 months old. 

Mothers day was a little out of the ordinary. Matt and I got sore throats Saturday night, and slept most of the day on Sunday. Matt had a card for me that Corinne and Audie had colored for me, it was so sweet. So even though I wasnt feeling well, I still had a good day being reminded of the wonderful family I have.

We finished the basement bathroom re-do. I will post pics soon!

Not many things in life are better than this.

Thoughts from the mother of a 2 1/2 year old.

The last 2 weeks we have been potty training. Actually to be exact, we have been potty training for the last 10 months, But Corinne just hasn't been ready. 

Corinne does her own thing. She is independant and strong willed. Though, I never would have thought potty training would be this difficult.

Two weeks ago I took her to Wal-mart to let her pick out new panties. She chose Dora panties, and Minnie Mouse panties and was more than excited to put them on. I also let her pick out some reward candy from the checkout lane, she chose Skittles. The next day she wore her panties, and kept them dry for a few days! I thought we were in the clear...guess not. After about day 4 the excitement wore off, and I found myself replacing her panties several times a day.

Then, she started asking to wear diapers. I told her no, because she was a big girl and she wore panties now. She replied to me that she wasnt a big girl, and that she wasn't growing, and that she needed diapers. (Funny how this all reverses- when we get in the car, she says she is growing and too big for her carseat becasue she wants to sit in the front seat.)

Three days ago we woke up, I took her to the bathroom, put panties on her and then went to take a shower. When i got out of the shower, she had gotten herself dressed. I praised her for being so big, and doing it on her own- come to find out, while getting dressed she had taken off her panties and put a diaper on herself. That was quite a fight undoing that situation.

So now I have resorted to telling her that she cannot have a snack until she potties. She can't watch Veggie Tales until she potties, she can't go outside to play until she potties. She has given up all of those royalties in order to not have to go to the bathroom.

This morning she wanted a snack. I told her she couldnt have one until she went to the bathroom. She didn't go for an hour and a half. And as I was putting Audie down for her morning nap, I hear a pitter patter of feet go into the bathroom, flip the light on, move the step stool across the floor, the rustle of getting on the potty, and the sound of tinkle. The toilet flushes, the candy drawer opens and closes, and the light flips off. Not a peep of telling me she had to go, not a peep of telling me she went. She did it all by herself. Go figure.

Not trying to be negative here, but I don't predict the above act to stay. I know Corinne. Although she is a creature of habit, she keeps me on my toes with what she will do next.

The question is, what will I do next?

Kitties, Easter bunnies, and blogs

Last week we said goodbye to my first warm-blooded pet. Mocha wasn't a very nice kitty. She turned into a bitter and crabby old cat, but she tolerated Corinne well. My mom put Mocha to sleep after she lost a lot of weight and had a hard time getting around the house. RIP Mocha. 

When I was talking to Corinne about the Easter story this weekend, and how Jesus died for us...Corinne replied "Like Mocha."

Uhhhh.....not quite Corinne. Good try though.

I'm not sure if Corinne pulled Zona up in the rocking chair, or if Zona jumped up herself. But I thought it was funny Zona staying and tolerating the uncomfortable position of Corinne's lap.

As Matt was mowing in the backyard this weekend he ran over a rabbits nest. Luckily none of them... Well, you know. The 3 little Easter bunnies survived. He called us out to come take a look. They were so cute!! We weren't sure what to do with them, but we decided that if they were as fruitful to multiply as much as little bunnies do, we would be overtaken by bunnies in our backyard. I plan on starting a garden here in the next month and dont need little bunnies chomping at my veggies.  Matt was going to "get rid of them". I insisted he take the more humane route and take them to a field to release them.  After he grabbed one out of the little hole in the ground, they all scurried in different directions, but he caught them and put them in a bucket. He and Corinne took them and buried a new hole for them in the woods near our house. I just feel sorry for the mommy bunny. I would die if I came home to my little babies being gone from my nest.

Matt has started a blog!! Check it out at www.seekingekklesia.blogspot.com . Leave a comment...It would make him feel good.

7:45 am- Corinne asks for breakfast. Dad fixes her 2 pieces of toast

8:30 am- Corinne: "Mom I want a snack"

                  Mom: "no"

9:27 am- Corinne: "Mom I need a snack"

                  Mom: "are you hungry?"

                 Corinne: "Yes"  Mom fixes her a bowl of cereal with strawberries

9:40 am- Corinne: "Mom I'm all done"

                  Mom: "ok"

9:41 am- Corinne: "Mom I need a snack"

                 Mom: "No Corinne you just had a snack. You can have breakfast and then one snack                                   before lunch and you just had your snack. You dont get anything else until                                         lunch."

                 Corinne: "Mom I want lunch"

Snow

Our week of good weather was too good to be true. After living all my life in Kansas I should know by now that the weather is bipolar. My tulips were days away from blooming, my peony bush was sprouting, and my perennials had little pink tips forming on the ends. I can tell my Easter flower enjoyment goodbye. Maybe I will have to splurge and buy some flowers from Dillons to put on the kitchen table...after the snow melts and we return to outdoor life that is.

Weather like this just seems to put me in a funk. Yeah it's pretty, but I've just never been one to enjoy winter. (Especially when it should be spring) I don't really like to play in it- and the snow is so stinkin bright it just hurts my eyes. Matt and Corinne however have been looking forward to this hour for two days. In fact, they are out playing in it as I type this. I will say that it was fun getting Corinne all bundled up and seeing her excitment about the whole deal. 

building a snowman

After Matt did a few circles in this little sled, Corinne took a tumble and face-planted in the snow. I saw that one coming. After that, Matt opted for the straight route.

I am holding out for spring.

St. Pat's Day at the Zoo

Jenny laughs at me for being the goofy parent that carries the video camera around the zoo, but I think it's worth it and love videoing my girls. So much more captured with video you don't get with pictures! Here's a video of our day at the zoo, was definitely worth taking a day off and getting out of the cubicle!

~Matt

Trip to Tulsa

Brenda and I took 2 days for a get-away and went to Tulsa this weekend. It was so nice to be able to go without an agenda, not having to look at the clock worrying what time it was and when to start supper; not having to work, clean, do all the duties that moms do! Nothing but rest and relaxation! We took Audie along with us and she was a trooper. She didnt make a peep the entire time. We visited the Philbrook museum, and ate dinner at the Spudder on Friday night. Saturday we had breakfast and went to a flea market. Mostly we just enjoyed eachothers company and conversation and a bit of time away from home. 

The pictures above and below is the view of where we had breakfast; a place called The Wild Fork. The meal was so peaceful and enjoyable- it was in a patio area filled with tulips, magnolia trees and quiet fountains. 

This was taken outside the Spudder restaurant. 2nd best steak I've eaten next to Ruth's Chris. It isn't your typical popular restaurant, it is defnitely a guy's restauraunt/bar. But Keenan had eaten there when he went to Tulsa and said it was too good to pass up.

We had a wonderful time. It was a good 2 day break. To be honest, I got a little homesick after talking to Matt and Corinne on the phone :) .  But we plan on another trip next year, and look forward to it!

Zoo

Yesterday at about 9 am, I decided a trip to the zoo would be a lot of fun. The weather has been so nice it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I called Matt at work to see if he could come home and join us, and he did! The day was perfect, we had so much fun.

Spring

It sure does feel like spring outside. We have enjoyed the last couple of days of incredible weather. Yesterday we went out and joined some of our friends who were camping and had lunch at their campsite. 

Corinne counting to play hide and seek.

I meant to take a group picture of all of us out there, but unfortunately I forgot.

In other news, Audie is now crawling. She is also working on two teeth sprouting from the bottom.
Brenda and I are headed to Tulsa this weekend for a "mom's weekend getaway". We are really looking forward to relaxing and stepping outside of our "worlds" for a couple of days.

in the baby stroller

We (ok, I...jenny) put Audie in Corinne's baby stroller. (it was just a few minutes after Matt got onto Corinne for sitting in it herself...oh the bad parent I am!) I thought it was too cute to pass up the photo op.

If you are thinking these pictures are slightly redundant, you are thinking correctly. It seems nearly impossible to get a decent picture of both of the girls. One is looking away, or one is crying. One might be posing perfectly while the other is squirming to get away. A few times they might both be just perfect, then the camera shutter doesnt click fast enough to capture the picture.  I thought I would document exactly what happens every time we try to take a picture. You will see in the following pictures exactly what I mean. I think also, that the girls' personalities shine brightly in these pictures. 

Ah, finally! This is the picture I was striving for! It only took 10 minutes to get!

The hand the rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.

-william ross wallace

The girls' new room.

A couple weekends ago we switched the computer room and Corinne's room around, and moved both of the girls into the old computer room. A new coat of paint on the wall and some super cool paintings from Grandpa Dale, and we have an awesome room!

Corinne sometimes complains that she doesnt like her new bed, and that it's too big. But usually it is during nap time, when she tries to think of every excuse in the book to put off her nap. Some of her other excuses include needing to go potty, needing to brush her teeth, and needing a drink of water.

These are the paintings Grandpa Dale did! We love them!

Isn't she pretty?

Ali and Audra played costume dress up yesterday.

I thought I should document something we do about once a week. We pack our lunch and go to meet Brenda to eat during her lunch break at work. The 4 of us girls pack in the front seat of the car and eat our lunch, and then sit and talk for the rest of the hour. Corinne bounces around, plays with the windshield wiper sticks, presses the radio buttons,  turns the vents up or down, arranges the rear view mirror... When I turn on the car, the radio is blaring, the windshield wipers are at full speed, and we're blasted with cold AC. She's a monkey! 

The girls took a bath together tonight and had a lot of fun! Corinne has really warmed up to Audra in this last month and likes to talk to her and entertain her. Audra also likes Corinne- she is always watching Corinne and tries to reach for her.
We like to make Audra laugh! She laughs like this when we say "boo!"--Matt has adapted it to "boooo-ger!" and that is what Corinne is saying in this video.

Our December Happenings

It has been a while since we have updated on what's been going on! Our month of December has been super busy, but it was a good time with family and friends and celebrating Christmas. This post's pictures are actually backwards, so to see what we did in order, start at the bottom of this post and scroll back up!

And this is where you will find us today! Matt doesn't go back to work until the 5th! So we are playing and having fun.

My FAVORITE aunt and uncle came to  visit us too, although I didn't get any pics of the time spent with them. (to my other aunts/uncles who view this blog: if you would like to move up on the totem pole and become a favorite, take it up with John and Suz. Bribery with chocolate might work too)

See my cool apron? This was my present from the Poore's. It finally arrived in the mail and they gave it to me on Christmas Eve!! I love it! I have wanted an apron for a long time, but for some reason have wanted my apron to be special, so I have put off buying one hoping Matt would give me one on mothers day or something. One of them caught the hints I was dropping here and there, and ordered me one for Christmas. It's cool Corinne and I both got aprons. 

The 4 of us celebrated Christmas at home on Christmas morning. We started a tradition making gingerbread houses.  Yes, Corinne is licking the icing off of the house.

Charlotte (Matt's cousin) gave Corinne slippers for Christmas...from then on they were buds. Charlotte told Corinne she would take her shopping (I dont think she knows that Corinne doesnt forget things) So, Corinne has asked to go shopping with Charlotte, every time she puts her slippers on. 

One of the days in KC we went to Crown Center. 

The Sunday before Christmas we headed to KC. Since Thanksgiving when we visited, I had heard from Corinne how she had wanted to play McDonalds at Grandpa Dale's house. She exhausted all of us with the McDonalds set.

And my present didn't arrive in the mail, so I was sad.

Matt got the new Batman DVD

Corinne got a baking/apron set from the Poores.

We celebrated Christmas with the Poores, here is Ali sporting her new jacket we gave her.

Emily graduated from nursing school this month!! Congratulations Em! She really finished well, and we are proud of her. Also pictured is Clayton, her fiance. They are getting married August 1.

Audra tried on Camerons winter hat 

Corinne is really good at hide and seek. She actually will stay hidden until she is found. Here she is playing with Ali and Kamo (her favorite buddies). Ali hid her under this pile of clothes and it took a while for "Mo" to find her!

This morning I had lunch with my mom and my aunt Marcia. Marcia just got back from a missions trip to Africa. She spent a little over 2 weeks in Sudan, visiting the same place where my mom and her and their brothers and sisters grew up. For those of you who dont know, my grandparents were missionary doctors in Sudan. My mom was born in Ethiopia, and was in Africa until she was about 17. (i think). She is one of 7 kids! My grandparents were kicked out when the wars went on there in the sixties.
Marcia came across a group called Aid Sudan and they take trips to Sudan yearly. While there they did some Bible teaching and health teaching. Some of the Nuers remembered Marcia and the work that my grandpa did. Very Cool! There were hundreds of pictures, but these were some of my favorites.
I thought I had copied over a picture of my aunt- but there are none of her in any of these that I have (sorry marcia). She actually might be happy about that anyway. Her and my mom never like pictures of themselves.

(Marcia: I hope I got all of this information right!!)

This is what I call a super mom! Fish in one hand, a baby in the other, and a basket on her head.


This is the backside of the church my mom grew up in.



The house my mom and her siblings grew up in.



Another view of the house. There are some additions on the far left that had been made in the last 40 years.
I have seen some pictures of Africa before, some my grandpa has. There is a picture of him standing by 3 dead lions he had shot, a picture of my grandma standing on a front porch in an apron... but all of the pictures I have seen previously are in black and white. You know when you see pictures in black and white, you can only imagine the people in those pictures actually seeing black and white. (maybe thats just me) So it's kinda cool to see these pictures in color. I suppose my mom and the other oldies started seeing color in and around the 60's. :)

The top circle on this building shows the year it was built. 1933.

Mom said there used to be an owl that lived in that hole that they named "winkin blinkin and nod"

Wow. I'm thankful for my Maytag washer and dryer.

A woman smashing grains.

I think their skin is just absolutely beautiful!

Audra sleeps like this :)

I'm planning on buying a plane ticket and going over there to steal that little girl. I think she is so pretty.

I can't get over how beautiful these people are! I love their dark skin!
I think I want the boy in the creme colored shirt too.

My aunt was given a necklace by one of the women. Marcia said someone told her that it was an expensive necklace and worth enough to buy several cows. Some of the elders gave testimonies of remembering the work that my grandpa had done. They also pointed out trees that they said Dr Gordon had planted, but Marcia said my grandpa had no remembrance of planting an trees.
It sounds like it was an amazing trip!

"Welcome Back to Nasir"

Some 300 people lined the airstrip to welcome my aunt.
It sounds like she was almost a celebrity "Dr Gordon's daughter"

Audie laughing...pretty darn cute.

I got Audra to laugh pretty good this evening.
I started with a couple of fake "ha ha's" and she started
to laugh, which in turn made me laugh for real.

It's about time, Cameron!!

The Little guy is finally here!! Leslie was in the hospital for two days trying to make progress to deliver, but never progressed, so ended up having to have a C-section. All went well, and Cameron arrived healthy!! He is 9 pounds 8 oz, and 22 inches long! Congrats Leslie and Jon!

Thanksgiving, Anniversaries, and hopefully a new cousin tomorrow!

We spent Thanksgiving again this year in Kansas City. Matt was a little under the weather but got better in time to eat the Thanksgiving meal. Corinne enjoyed playing with her uncles. We had a good time!

Grandma Nancy dug out Matt's old car. A pretty sweet ride!!

We celebrated our 3 year anniversary before we left. We wanted to go to Ruth's Chris steakhouse again this year, and make it tradition, but because of the little time we would be spending in Kansas City, we decided to pass this time. Instead, Matt had a wonderful anniversary surprise at our house. I dropped the kids off at my moms, and when I got back there was a table with Outback steakhouse takeout (my ultimate comfort food), roses, a card, and a ring! He also cut out hearts with verses on them and put them in the bathroom with a hot bubble bath!




This poster was hanging on the wall in the dining room. "Happy Anniversary my Queen" Do I have a guy or what?

Still no arrival of little Cameron. Leslie has a doctors appointment tomorrow, and hopefully will be induced tomorrow. Pics of the little guy to come soon!!!

All the ping pong table is a stage...

Corinne's debut . At about 35 seconds, you'll notice she's pretending to hold a microphone in her hand. We're not sure where she learned that, neither of us taught it to her...hmmmmm. I think she was more interested in giving a show and dancing rather than concentrating on singing the song. I wonder where she gets that from...!!??

Haloween

This year Halloween was last minute. We weren't going to take Corinne trick or treating, but then realized she'd be missing out on a new experience. So the day of Halloween I was trying to think of a costume Corinne could wear that wouldn't require a lot of effort. So I decided to make her into a parrot using Audra's chili pepper costume that we used for the Chili cookoff. It obviously was a little small, so we turned it around, and I attached feathers to the sleeves using some fabric I had downstairs, wrapped yarn around the "stem" of the chili pepper, and added some eyes.

She kept stepping on the tail. And Audra peeked her way into the picture

Matt was the one to take her around the neighborhood. He said she wouldn't say anything when people answered the door, but once they closed the door and started walking again, she said "Next house!"

Motorcycle Ride

Corinne got quite the treat this weekend! She had her first motorcycle ride in the sidecar of a Harley! She seemed to have a lot of fun, and it made Keenan's day to be able to give her a ride. They took a loud stroll around the building of the new Indian Motorcycle company and down a little park street. Here's a video clip of the adventure-

Corinne....being Corinne

Several nights ago, Corinne tried to get herself dressed. She put a shirt on over her head, and ended up leaving it like this.

Of course Matt and I thought it was pretty funny, started laughing, and I went to get the camera. She caught on very quickly that she was getting attention, so the last couple of days I have found her with shirts on her head.

Ain't life as a two year old grand?

Family pictures

This week we had Leslie take some family photos. They turned out pretty good considering it was a very windy day, and Corinne didn't cooperate too well. After only about 5 minutes we had to turn the photo sessoin into a game so Corinne would participate. Mom has a green thumb so her backyard was great to take pictures in by her flower garden.

Check out the rest of the pictures by pasting this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55392&l=ac4c3&id=610627065

Leslie's Baby Shower

My beautiful pregnant sister and I.

"But No Elephants!" This was my (and Leslie's) favorite book growing up. You can get it on Amazon.com for a few bucks. It's a wonderful book! (Leslie said it's still her favorite book)

Daddy's Girl

As most of you know, two year olds are imitators. This morning Matt got his breakfast and sat at the table to read his Bible. Corinne saw him and took her breakfast plate to the table, and got one of her books to read while eating her breakfast. Just like daddy.

Chili Cookoff!

This weekend was the Downtown Chili Cookoff. Thanks to Leslie and Jon and American Movers sponsoring us, we were able to enter! The day started off early with a 7am set-up and we began cooking at 9am. We made about 7 gallons of chili and served the public at noon with a non-stop line for an hour and a half. What a crazy day! Our recipe was awesome, and had chunks of sirloin steak and Guiness extra stout beer. Although we didn't place, we had tons of fun. Our satisfaction came in seeing people step away from our booth after trying our chili and saying, Wow, that is really good! We even had a group come back and ask for the recipe!

Jenny, Matt, Keenan, Brenda, and Ali.

Audie joined in the fun by wearing a chili pepper outfit.

My dad is a Wagonmaster, and they make 300+ gallons of chili!

Lawn Mowing and a New Dress

More interested in the pretty red panties that came with it than in taking a picture.

Our friend Mike was in town this week. He's a photographer and he took some pictures of us. Here are a few of my favorites.

Happy Birthday Corinne!!

We celebrated Corinne's 2nd birthday with Pizza and a Bob and Larry
Veggie tales cake. (Corinne got to see Veggie Tales live on stage with dad this weekend
and had a blast.)

Corinne was just beaming with a smile all night that she got a party and this was HER cake.

Aunt Leslie, Uncle Jon, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Joyce celebrated with us.
Corinne got new shoes, new boots, and a bubble lawn mower.

She's Here!

Audra Jade
8/27/08

8 lbs 12 oz

21 inches

to see more pictures paste this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48862&l=6eb1b&id=610627065

News

No baby yet.
If there is still no appearance by next Friday, we will set a time to be induced. We are all ready for this one to show his/her face!

Here's a pic of Corinne after eating black beans. Forget the fork and neatness. She dug in to this plate with her fingers.

Hopefully the next post will be with the announcement of our new son or daughter.

Until next time...

Tag...I'm it.

My sister Leslie tagged me in the last post on her blog to give 6 random facts about myself. Not sure how I feel about it, these facts aren't going to be too deep. I'm not big on telling the entire world my feelings and thoughts...much less anything about me. I guess I see it as having to win my trust before I lay everything out there, but I'll do my best to come up with 6 facts about myself. And, since I'm not the typical blogger of journaling every detail of my life, I probably won't tag anyone else. If you read our blog, and decide you want to do it too, what the heck- Go for it. Also, Leslie's 6 facts are on her blog- http://www.jhawks482.blogspot.com/ Give her blog a look, she does a good job with it.

1) I LOVE french fries. It might even be an addiction. I can down a few fries and it changes my mood in seconds. Sometimes, if I'm having a bad day, I'll do a quick run through the drive through just for french fries. Matt has learned this secret, and I am thankful he allows me to have french fries when I want them. (Maybe for his benefit of me being in a better mood, but hey, we're both happy)

2) Here's another food one for ya: Since being pregnant with Corinne, I have fallen in love with dark chocolate. Previously to my pregnancy, I could pass up chocolate any time. My mom would put chocolate Easter bunnies in an easter basket, or chocolate Santa's in my stocking at the holidays, and I would always tell her, "dont buy me chocolate, you are wasting your money, since I'm not going to eat it" She said she did it so Leslie and I would have "equal amounts" of things. I guess I can appreciate that, but really wouldn't have minded if the chocolate wasn't there. After I got pregnant with Corinne, the fettish started out with chocolate cake. I'd grab a box of cake mix from the store, make it, and have a piece of chocolate cake almost everyday. This craving turned into trying different kinds of chocolates and about that time an artisan chocolate shop opened up here in town. At this shop, chocolate is $54/lb. It is GOOD chocolate. Needless to say, my palatte has become advanced in my liking of chocolate, and my tongue is spoiled...therefore, I can no longer eat Hershey's. Only the quality stuff.

lets just hope my metabolism keeps up with my habits.

3) I don't shampoo my hair. You may think this is completely disgusting, but my curly locks have found satisfaction in not being shampooed. Amazingly, it doesnt stink or look dirty... I haven't shampooed in about 4 months now, and my hair finally does what I want it to. Who knew, after 23 years of battling a frizzy fro, all I'd have to do is throw out shampoo, and it'd be what I want it to be.

4) I love fabrics, and unique colors of fabrics. I think if I didn't feel so strongly about being a stay-at-home mom, I'd pursue interior design. I'm not sure if I'm good at it or not, but I love dreaming up colors and ideas and what to do with different colors and different fabrics. I love going to the fabric store and seeing the colors and touching the fabrics. I've been making purses and handbags lately, just to fulfill my desire of using the different materials. I don't aspire to be a Vera Bradley, I just want to do what I enjoy.

5) I am afraid of the dark. I don't like walking into a dark house unless there is a man with me. If Matt goes out of town, I like to be in the house before it gets dark, and then also try as much as possible not to walk past windows. Call me chicken, I don't care. I'm woman enough to own up to my fears. :)

6) I want to have a daughter someday named Kat. I think that name is so saucey. She'd be named Katherine, or Kathleen or something along those lines, just so long as I can nick name her Kat. I'm not sure if Matt is so sold on the name, hey, who knows if we'll even have another girl. But I hope so. Cause I love it.

Getting ready for the baby....while taking a trip down memory lane

Yesterday we pulled out all of the old baby stuff to get ready for the new one! Washed the car seat, wiped down the baby bath, washed the clothes and got them all folded and ready to go...

After we were done cleaning the car seat, Corinne got in it and played around. It entertained her for almost an hour. She put her baby dolls in it, Tigger got to play in it, and Corinne pretended to fall asleep in it.

After I took several pictures of her playing around in the car seat, she decided she was done being photographed, and said "No!" and closed up the sun visor on me.

Pictures by Aunt Leslie

A few weekends ago we went around town to do a photo session of Corinne. Leslie took all of these pictures, she did a great job! Thanks Leslie!

to see all of the pictures that were taken, copy and paste this link into your browser

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44503&l=14f79&id=610627065

Belly at 35 weeks

Crossmen Drum Corp

Earlier this week we heard about a drum corp presentation. We were actually able to watch the drum corp practice (after a long avenue of getting there)
Here's the story:
Alison, Kameron, and I show up at the stadium of where the drum corp is supposed to be practicing. As we are walking in the stadium, a man walked out and asked us what we were here for. "The drum presentation.", I replied. He said "Oh, ok, just making sure we weren't crazy." There were about 15 cars in the parking lot, but no drums, no muscians were anywhere to be found. Ali had the idea that it might be at Central High school's stadium, so we told the man we'd go check it out and see if that's where it was instead. So the 3 of us hop in the car and drive down the street several blocks to the practice stadium. Whaddya know!? There are all the busses, the drums and instruments there in the parking lot. So we quickly drove back to inform the people that we were at the wrong place, it was actually at Central's practice stadium.

By the time we pull up, several more cars have shown up, and there are people sitting in the stands already. The mans wife was by the gate and asked us what we had found out. We told her that we had seen the busses at the Central high schools field, and that's where it was! She rushed in to tell her husband the news and tell the others in the stands that we were all at the wrong place.

At this point in time, it's about 25 mins past when the presentation was supposed to start. The drum corp was running very late. but we were on our way to the correct place to see them perform! "We're heroes!" I told the kids, as we were driving to Central's stadium. "All those people would have missed out if we hadn't of checked!"

So we pull up and park, find our seats in the bleachers and wait.

About 5 mins later, one of the drummers walks up and says, "are you here for the presentation? It is actually at a stadium down the street. we practiced here today, but we are presenting it at the other stadium." Oh my word. my heart sunk. I just told everyone THERE that it was HERE, and all those cars are on their way. We weren't heroes anymore.

So we went to Wendy's and hid out for a while

And finally made it to the practice presentation! It was incredible!!

This is the lady I'd like to be. Conducting the entire band. I've always thought it'd be fun to be a conductor.

a video of one of the segments the percussion did. Incredible!!

Several weeks ago we went to the wildlife park...
They were under construction, so there weren't many animals on display. But, it was a nice outing, and we made a good memory.

More Summer pics

We went to a baseball game last week... Matt mistakenly thought we were supposed to look "bored" in the picture...even though we were...a few of the innings were running pretty slow.

Ready to go swimming!

Baby Poll

My sister Leslie added a baby poll to her blog, and I thought that would be a fun idea! I'm curious to see what others think we're having. Go ahead and post a comment on why you think one way or the other, or why you hope one way or the other! *FYI, I have NO bit of inkling whatsoever on whether a boy or girl is growing inside of me. *

Summa summa summa-time!

Here are some pictures from our summer activities so far-

We gave painting a try. It lasted for a little while, then after Corinne realized there was paint on her hands, she didn't want to participate anymore. She is a girly-girl and doesn't like to get dirty!

She did enjoy sidewalk chalk.

Last weekend we went to my sister and bro-in-law's house for a cookout. They have a pet alligator named Chomp. From head to tail he's probably about 2 1/2 to 3 feet long. He's cute from a distance... although, I don't think Corinne agrees with that. She didnt want to have anything to do with him.



Something we do enjoy is CHOCOLATE!!! Our favorite hang-out just happens to be a chocolate/gelatto shop just a few blocks away from our house. We visit about once a week and are on a first-name basis with the workers there :)
Ali and Kamo enjoying gelatto

I can't believe how big Corinne is getting! She looks so mature in this picture.

Lookin' cool in Dad's shades

Belly at 25 weeks

Whew! We're gettin' big. Although, I think it may be about your perspective.
I for sure, I am feeling very pregnant and big. Earlier this week, while enjoying gelatto
at my favorite chocolate shop, I was talking with one of the girls that works there about
baby names. And her reply was, "so...are you expecting?" In my head, I'm thinking, What?!!
How can this big belly be anything but a baby. She goes on to say "Well, I didn't want to say
anything, because I wasnt sure." And last night, I was told that I was very big, and the next
statement was... "are you having twins?!!!?"
Different Perspectives.

Mothers Day

We had a very nice Mothers Day.
Matt surprised me with a gift card to a spa,
and a whole brochure of "treatments" I could choose from.
My dear friend Brenda was given a gift certificate to the same spa,
so we are going to go together. I think I am going to choose the
30 minute private bath soak, and a pedicure. I can't wait to go!
Here are some of our Mothers day pictures:

Winter Boots when it's almost summer? Who knows. Corinne has a mind of her own. She dug these out and wanted to wear them. The idea only lasted for about 10 minutes, but Matt and I got a good laugh out of it. Fashion Diva? She's got a few tricks to learn (from mom of course, :) ) but she is definitely a girly girl. Purses, dolls, and everything pretty.

I had to add this picture too, so you can get a better view of the belly. But don't be deceived, the picture doesnt quite do it....I am much bigger than it appears. I'll add some updated belly pics soon.

Corinne and Zona napping together.

Waffles

Waffles. Mmmmmm.

Yesterday my sister Leslie came by to pick up a book. She is pregnant with her first baby. We were talking on the porch and Matt asked her if she's had any pregnancy cravings. Her reply was "waffles"

Funny, my one craving has been waffles. Weird. Coincidence? Who knows.

Anyway, here's a recipe for Belgian Waffles I am going to try soon. Give it a try if you like, let me know what you think.

Classic Belgian Waffles

makes 4 waffles

1 1/2 t active dry yeast

1 c warm water

3 c all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

1 c whole milk

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs separated

1/2 t vanilla

Confectioners' sugar for dusting

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water. In a large bowl, stir the flour with the salt. Whisk in the yeast mixture, milk, butter, egg yolks and vanilla until smooth.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold them into the batter and let stand for 20 mins

Preheat the oven to 225 F. Heat and grease a waffle iron. Pour 1 1/4 cups of the batter into the iron and cook until the waffles are golden, 6 minutes. Transfer the waffles to the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. Dust with confectioners sugar.

Weekend Pics

Our friends Jenny and Ken at their wedding reception

Corinne and Kamo

If you'd like to see a video Matt put together with Ali and Kamo this weekend,
just follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7KWi-nxxI4

The 3 of them wanted to make a video for Keenan while he's gone.
They did a great job!

Tomato plants and Keenan

I was able to get my tomato plants in the soil today!
Looking forward to big, juicy tomatoes in a couple of months!

Keenan will be leaving tomorrow for 3 weeks to do training for his new job.
We will sure miss him! Pray for him while he's gone.

Bye Keenan!! We love you!!

At the Zoo

Today Corinne and I went to the zoo.
I"m not sure what she thought about it all. She
seemed to like it from a distance, but when the animals
got too close she seemed to get a bit nervous.

Peeking over the fence at the elephants.


Corinne really likes monkeys, so I thought she'd love this statue of one.
I set her on it for a picture, at first she was ok...

But then started to be unsure...Maybe she was just
a bit uncomfortable. I wouldnt want to sit on a metal
monkey with his hand on my rear-end either!!

Playing with Wyatt

Corinne likes to push her babies around in the stroller.


It was hard to get Corinne and Wyatt together in a picture.
Both of them didnt want to sit still long enough.


One of Corinne's favorite games is to be pulled around on this blanket.
I dont think Wyatt liked it as much as Corinne does.

too quiet....

Yesterday Corinne was asking for her cup...I told her that it was on
the kitchen table and told her to go get it. So she left the room to go get it
but she never came back. I didnt think much about it...thought she found herself
something to play with. But then she was gone a while...and she was quiet...too quiet.
So I went to find her, and this is what I find:

Indulging in a Toblerone chocolate bar.

Growing Belly

Here is my belly at 17 weeks.

Easter

Here are a couple of pictures of Corinne in her Easter dress
that I made. Corinne hasn't worn a dress since last summer. When
I put the dress on her earlier this week she hated it. She kept
pulling on the bottom fullness and trying to pull it off. But we kept
it on, and she got used to it.

More Pics

Corinne still loves to bang on her drums!!
Ali and Amanda babysat today while I went to lunch with a friend.
Corinne absolutely adores Ali, she's always saying her name and wants
to call her on the phone. These two get along great!

Amanda and Corinne

Rocking the baby to sleep

Corinne likes to rock her dolls, change their diapers,
and feed them milk from her cup. She'll be a great big sister!

Happy Valentines Day

Curled hair

We went from Bed Head to Pretty Hair!
I curled Corinne's hair this morning.
She didn't like it too much...having to sit still--
The goldfish crackers helped...you can see evidence in the first picture

In other news, Matt and I are expecting!
Another baby should be arriving in September.

Bed Head

Corinne woke up from her nap and had wild hair!!
I had to get a couple of pictures and post them.

Corinne and Grandma's Kitty.

In the wagon.

Christmas

Our Christmas ran short this year. The 3 of us ended up with the flu.
Corinne was sick first, and Matt and I came down with it
on Christmas eve, and were sick Christmas day.
So, it wasn't to eventful. (At least in the way we'd hoped)
So there's only a few pictures here.

The highlight of Christmas was Corinne's wagon.
She received a Red wagon..she loved it

Airaona and Devante

The beautiful lady on the far right is Airaona and Devante's mom
They all came over last night for dinner and so we could exchange our
Christmas presents


Ok, the bunny ears thing was funny the first time....



Ebony and Ivory :)
This is A and D's brother DeKwan. He will be
one next month. He's quite the cutie.

I had to add this picture so you can check out
how much hair DeKwan has! They put it in
corn rows every once in a while! Pretty sweet!

Carolling

We had quite a busy weekend. As you can see from our
previous post, Friday we went to a hockey game
with the kids. Saturday we had a class to go to in the morning,
about an hour after that was A Youth Horizons Christmas party.
Sunday morning we went to church, had a clothing distribution,
and went carolling, then came back to the church for dinner and games.
What a busy weekend!!

Here's all of us getting ready to go sing our hearts out!


Ali. She's my pal.


Keenan stayed at the church with Corinne
in case any of the homeless came by for some food.
They colored... and the report was that "Corinne thought
the markers were chapstick" Thus explaining the purple on her lips.

HOCKEY!!!

We got a picture with T-Dog! We were all jealous
because in between the games he rode around on
a 4-wheeler on the ice and did donuts. It looked like a lot of fun.

Airaona and I weren't too interested in hockey, except
when the fights broke out.

Tuesday night Matt came home and informed me
that it was "MNO". (moms night off)
So I didn't have to cook or clean and he told me I could
go out for the evening! So I called Brenda and she
joined me for dinner. We went to On the Border.
Corinne with the flowers Matt brought home for me on Tues.
Isn't he great?

Corinne likes to smell flowers and candles...
even flowers on the pages
of her books.

2nd Anniversary

For our anniversary Matt took me to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.
By far the best meal I"ve ever had in my 22 years of life.
After dinner, we walked the plaza and looked at the Christmas lights.

Our Waitor gave us cheesecake for our Anniversary

Here's a picture of my steak that was cooked so amazingly perfect.
Check out the huge plate of shoestring potatoes.

The Face of Guilt

I wonder who made this mess??

Go Kameron!

Kameron's football tournament was this weekend,
so Corinne thought she should dress for the occasion
and show her Titan spirit.

The back of Corinne's shirt said "Go Kamo!"

Bon Fire

Yep, that's right, hot dogs on a pitch fork.

Hangin out like a big girl!

Me and my pal Ali

The girls from Gerrard House. Gerrard house is a small organization
that takes in unwed mothers. Our friend Beka works there and put
together this bon fire for them! We had a great time with them.

Daddy and Corinne

Carving pumpkins

Airaona and I carved pumpkins last night.

Isn't my little owl cute?

Corinne and Wyatt

Meet Wyatt. Corinne's "boyfriend" (Not if we have anything to do with it!)
Scott, Wyatt's dad is Matt's raquetball and tennis partner.
He wants Corinne and Wyatt to get married.

Wyatt trying to kiss Corinne

Being slick. Corinne doesnt like it so much.

Surprise Date Night

Matt planned a surprise date for me Friday night. Well, if you don't already know, I hate surprises. I guess I'm just not patient enough to bear the suspense. But here are a few pics of our date.So we dropped Corinne of at Emily's house.
Driving in the car... still don't know where we're headed.
We ended up at El Gaucho, a steakhouse. It was pretty good!

Matt waiting for the steaks to come.

After Dinner, we went to a shooting range. I hadn't been shooting
since I was in Waukesha 3 years ago. This time around, I didn't like it as much.
Maybe it was the thought of the responsibility I had at home, and I was afraid
of an accident. I found myself closing my eyes right before I pulled the trigger.
Above on the right is my target. Not bad if i say so myself!

Kansas City

Uncle Scott and Corinne

We went to KC this past weekend to visit family. On saturday we
went to the Farmers Market downtown. On the corner,
there was an Asian Market. The back room was full of fresh fish
snails, crabs, etc. It was really cool! This crab and I bonded.

Here's Matt and I waiting for Grandma Nancy to pick out pumpkins.
This was a really neat Market! We bought some peppers to make
fajitas, and avacados for guacamole. Matt also bought me
a Mother of Pearl pendant for a necklace.

Enjoying a Tootsie Pop

Ice Skating

Last night we went ice skating with Airaona and Devante
Airaona did pretty well. Te on the other hand...

...Let's just say he will probably never be a professional skater.
He spent most of his time on his rear end.
He stayed positive
though and had a good time.

Camera Happy

As you can see from the last two posts, I had the camera out
all day today. We got some cute pictures, but I do have to admit
some are very posed. I felt like I was a senior in high school
taking senior pictures. But hey, I've got the cutest
kid in the world, and I have to show her off!

Chris Martin-- If you ever stumble upon this blog,
you'll notice in the picture above that Corinne has the
"dumby eye" that I am so
famous for in all of my pictures

God gave us one beautiful baby

evidence of a chocolate graham cracker...