Silly Sunday - The Cat's Revenge...

Happy Birthday, Andy!!!

Happy Birthday to my amazing, sweet, and understanding husband!!!! You are my best friend and my soul-mate. Thank you for being the best Daddy in the world and for putting up with all my crap! And thank-you for welcoming Chantele into our home this weekend so we can share your birthdays! I love you!

Happy Birthday, Andy!!!!

Happy Birthday, Chantele!

I am so excited and happy to be spending today with you! I know a number of people weren't very happy about you coming here for your birthday. Thank you for sharing it with us!!!! You are such a wonderful woman and a very special friend! I hope today will be an amazing birthday for you!!!

Happy Birthday, Chantele!!!!

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!

Leaving soon to pick up Chantele at the airport!!! YIPPEEEEE!!!! Ohio may never be the same again...

Cullen

Quit growing up so fast! My heart can't take it!!!

A Special Present

For little Sarah's birthday a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to give her something special and different. Sarah was turning 2 so you have to find just the right gift. Not too baby-ish, not too old for her. I lucked out at the drug store and found the cutest musical tea set that was for ages 2 and up. Perfect!!! We now had our theme! So I called Heather and purposed we go in on the gift. Heather bought a great basket. Then we found the perfect fabric (It's so bright and cheerful, just like Sarah's personality!). I told Heather I would make placemats and napkins.

Let me stop for a minute and admit that I have a problem. I don't like to waste fabric! I ended up using almost every single scrap by making a tea pot cozy and an apron. (I think I had only three scraps about 1" wide that I didn't use!) "Hello, my name is Sam and I have a problem..." Yeah, I know, now leave me alone!!!

Anyway, I will say it - I am Overachiever Mom! (There, Heather! Are you happy?!) I decided Sarah needed special pretend pastries for her tea party. So I made some. Okay, I made A LOT! Three cookie sheets worth. I made breads, rolls, cookies, donuts, tarts, croissants, S'mores (individual chocolate squares, grahams, and melting marshmallows so you have to assemble your own), pound cake slices, and a cherry birthday cake. They were all made from salt-dough. They had to bake for 12 hours to become hard as rocks, then the fun part was painting them!!! (We won't talk about the problems with the bad batch of paint that NEVER DRIED!) Sealing everything with polyurethane 5 time was a pain, but gave a nice hard shiny finish. Anyway, I was very happy with how everything turned out. I know I made a ton of pretend food, but I split it with Ian, Kieren and Sarah. They all LOVE it!!!

So, here are the photos:


Ready to bake some of the pretend food. (Kieren had fun making "cut-out cookies" and Cullen made Pokemon figures too.)

Half-baked, just like me!!! (Shut up, Heather!)

Some of the finished pretend food. ("S" cookies, braided bread loaves, chocolate dipped donuts, cinnamon rolls, tarts, croissants, and a cherry birthday cake for the birthday-girl.)

Sarah's Gift
Upper left photo: Sarah's birthday present - Tea Party In A Basket!
Upper right photo: reversible fabric placemats and napkins.
Lower left photo: tea pot cozy.
Lower right photo: Sarah's tiny apron with extra napkins sticking out of the pockets.

First Day of School Then & Now

HOLY COW!!! Look how grown-up Cullen is now! I'm feeling old. I'm in denial. I'm going to go hide under my covers and pretend I never saw this photo. My first baby is a 6th Grader...

(Click on photo for full effect.)

How Do You Feel?

Ian is staying with us a couple days per week while Heather is at work and his Daddy is flying airplanes. I think Ian has been spending a little too much time in the company of woman...

IFeelPretty
Video sent by drewnsam

I swear to you that the wardrobe was 100% Ian's idea!!!! He and Kieren do this every time!

Happy Birthday, Matt!!!

Today is my BIL Matthew's birthday!!! Okay, this isn't the best photo of him, but it's the best I can do at 1:30am! (This is going to be a really busy day so I am posting this now!) Matt is Andy's "little" brother. Trust me when I say he is much cuter in person! (Why do men think wearing ballcaps backwards is a good look?!?!?!) As you can tell, Kieren loves her Uncle Matt, as does Cullen. Matt is a total sweetheart and I love him dearly! (He's single, ladies! Although, he has a girlfriend right now, I think.)

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Matthew!!!!
Love you!
Kieren, Cullen, Sam & (your annoying OLDER brother) Andy

BIG HAIR!

Kieren LOVES when she has "butterflies" in her hair. Butterflies are what Kieren calls braids! She tells me they are her "buh-er-fwy...(take breath)...winn-guhs" and flaps them to fly. Oh yeah! The cuteness is unbearable some days!!! Anyway, the other night as I was getting Kieren ready for bed, I reached for her braids to undo them. I was told in Kieren language that she didn't want me to do that! She told me "schleep...buh-er-fwy...in huh-ay-er"! Okay! Points for using words, extra points for using more than two!!! So Kieren got to sleep with her braids in (I removed the rubber bands closest to her scalp so they were more comfortable)! This is what happens when you leave braids in Chinese hair all day and all night:
.

.

You get REALLY BIG HAIR!!!!

(Holy cow! She looks like a teenager!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!)

OOoooooooo...Closing Ceremony

Oh! You Miss Me?

We have been very busy this week.

Mommy is losing her mind! I SWEAR I'm not the cause of it!!! Okay, maybe just a little...but her eye was already twitching!

Cullen goes back to school on Tuesday. Mommy is watching Ian on Mondays and Wednesdays again. I start school in just over a week! Cullen and I both have Orientations. Monday is Ballet registration. Our friend Auntie Chan is coming to spend the long weekend with us!!! And Mommy is sewing, sewing, sewing... I think it's funny when she drools and babbles!!!!

I promise Mommy will blog again before the weekend is over!!! Until then, here's a big kiss!!!! *SMOOCH*

Silly Sunday

More Paul Hunt

More laughs for you!!!!

O.M.G! This Will Make You LAUGH!!!

Paul Hunt is an amazing gymnast and a hysterical comedian!!!! You will love this!!!

Favorite Photos From This Weekend

Cullen and Kieren collecting the booty from the pirate pinata.

Can she just be any cuter?!

...I guess she can!

My graceful little sprite!

Cullen told me he was dressed as a New Yorker. Click on the photo to see his nose ring! The kid cracks me up!!!

More Favorites From This Weekend

"Where's My Rum?"

Ryan (Jake & Sarah's Dad) is a bit conflicted. Should he be a pirate for Jake's half of the party or a fairy for Sarah's half? Can't decide? Be both!!!

Aunt Heather...I have no words for this...

The Captain, in period costume (Jake & Sarah's Uncle Keith), made the whole party!

Well, we had The Captain so would this be Tenile? Nope. Just my husband making Kieren happy!