'nuff said. hahahahahahaha............one of my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies EVER!

my one true love...

Awww, look at my love of 11 years!  I'm digging his tux....  I've been told that he attended 6 proms in 2 years.  Random girls from the stake would ask him to go to their proms with them.  I can believe it!  I love you pookie....thank you for everything~

Have you ever gotten caught talking to yourself while shopping solo in Wal-Mart?  I am ashamed to say that I have....more than once.  More than twice actually.  Please tell me that someone else does this too??

dudes....can you believe this?!?

haha, had to add this one!  this is what he gave me when i asked him for a normal smile....what does that say about us?

i have the oddest desire to start singing Boyz II Men....

I'm not really sure what that title means, actually.  I just have one of their songs in my head as I'm pondering Blaine going to school.  I should be singing I Am a Child of God or something similar.... and I'm starting to feel like a bad person soooooo....moving on.

We've finally gotten all of his school supplies (does anyone else find this a daunting task?).  New school clothes (most of them aren't really new, but they're new to us....and someone obviously takes better care of their clothes than we do, thank you nameless benefactor).  All of his paperwork is completed....he's psyched and I'm happy and sad at the same time.  Which sounds a little manic, but I think it makes sense.  We're excited for this new phase, but sad that our times together at home are gone.  We'll have weekends, holidays and summers of course.  It's not quite the same, though, is it?  Someone else is going to be nurturing my son people.  MY son.  Wow, if I didn't sound manic before...I sure do now.  Anywho....he'll be surrounded by other kids, caring teachers....so I'm not too worried.  But I did cry myself to sleep last night.  I'm starting to think I should be medicated.

oregon.....

mini donkeys (like on Shrek!!!)

blaine was bound and determined to bring these bones back to florida with us.  since we couldn't take them home-home....we at least brought them down from the mountain.  "let's look for more bones mom!".......ew.

how great is my dad, seriously?  he made this porch swing for blaine....it was awesome! 

speaking of awesome.....my friend andrea is like the coolest chick ever!  she let us come over to ride her horses.  she had absolute faith that blaine could ride all by himself (he knew he could do it too)....it was me that had a problem lol.  but he showed no fear whatsoever....it was a really special time!

speaking of special (you see what i did there?)  fishing at twin lakes has to be one of the most peaceful, beautiful things to do.  there was a breeze and we (dad really) caught some fish....which they got to fry up and eat the next day!  my mom packed us a delicious picnic lunch....with homegrown cucumbers and pb and j's with her homemade grape jelly......yummy!!!!

this was after our little fishing trip.  i'm not quite sure how he stayed asleep coming down those dirt, gravel roads.  it sure was bumpy, but the ride is fun listening to the oldies station and chomping down on swedish fish :).

this is why i designated  these clothes"dirty clothes".  when blaine put on his "dirty clothes" he could play in this dirt garden, hehe.  oma gaye gave him a little shovel and a bucket for him to go super crazy with.  wait to go oma!!

Wow, okay so....we just got back from Oregon yesterday (technically this morning?) and we're already missing it!  We had what those movies call a "fun filled family adventure", haha.  Blaine's a little older this time and we could do a lot of things that we weren't able to do last year.  He went fishing, horseback riding, mountain climbing, porch swinging, rock skipping, park playing and had a play-date with some friends of mine.  And he could never get enough.....just wanted to keep on, keep on!

I got to have lunch with two of my oldest and dearest friends.  I was able to participate in my mom's fundraiser (PeeF....which helps to raise money for their local school's music and art programs).  Their auction went off well, good show of people....the food was yum and the music was great!  I got to horseback ride for the first time in over a decade.  I got to go fishing....which I love!  We went wood cutting (wow....I'm out of shape...but it was fun)....I got to do some welding with my dad which I've been dying to do for a long time.  My mom and I got to spend lovely time together....she's so fun and we can be silly girls!  I know we did more than that....but I can't remember them all right now.  Suffice it to say, we had a blast!  Can't wait for next year...this time, 3 weeks!

It was Michael's birthday and our 11th anniversary this past week.  We took another trip to the Japanese steakhouse that we dined at on my birthday (your meal is free if it's your b-day and we're cheap like that).  This time we took Blaine with us.  The food was, again, a delight.  But the best part was watching True's reaction to our chef.  He loved the onion volcano, the spatula egg balancing and the lobbing broccoli (just for the record, Michael was the only one at our table who caught it, with his mouth!).  He also tried everything put in front of him.  Fried rice...loved it....scallops....tasty....shrimp and veggies....tolerated.  He wouldn't have tried those things if we were at home.  But in that environment he wanted to be part of the experience.  It was a win-win evening!

At Blaine's appointment yesterday, the nice woman asked him if he had any friends.  To which he replied.."I don't have friends, I have cousins."

Ha!

birthday post...

(sorry about the low quality phone picture in a dark restaurant)

So after three years of attempts....I finally got to go to this Japanese restaurant that I've been dying to eat at. Seriously, three years people.  And it was definitely worth the wait.  The service was great, the chef was so much fun to watch and the food was A-mazing.  I was so worried that Michael wouldn't like it but he loved it so that made the experience all the much more wonderful.  So, Kan-Ki in Jacksonville, FL....A+++.  I want to eat some teriyaki steak right now!  (I also learned how to use chop sticks.... only took me 30 years.)

high tea.....

Oh my, it's been quite a while since my last tea party.  It was so entertaining last time and I had a lot of fun planning it.  I love the little sandwiches, the herbal tea, and I especially love my tea cup collection (the above is not a picture of it, sadly).  Any ideas on what I could do for my next one?  That includes recipes (scones, sandwiches, tea cookies etc.) or decorating ideas.  I used a tea set for my last party but would like to use individual tea cup and saucer sets this time.  Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!

am i ready for school?

I was so set on homeschooling this year that I ignored looking into, for lack of a better word, real schools.  We did a walk-through of a school yesterday and Blaine fell in love.  He loved the teachers, he loved the classes and he loved the other kids.  On the drive home he told me that he wanted to go to school there and I just about burst into tears.  Now I know that he's ready, but am I ready?  How can I let him go?  *sob*

I sometimes forget that Blaine partly belongs to deaf culture.  I'm just so used to him being Blaine, you know what I mean?  I'm used to our lingo, our own way of talking and communicating.  It only springs to mind when someone else asks me what he's trying to say...or asking me to get his attention so that they can talk to him.  Today, at tae kwon-do, we met a family with a deaf and mute daughter (she's the teenage aunt of a fellow little ninja).  Her mother was interpreting for her and I was desperately trying to sign (my limitation in this area is embarrassing) so that she was part of our conversation.  Blaine loves meeting other people with hearing aids and was excited when she gave him his own sign name.  She also gave me one for which I am grateful.  Only a member of the deaf or hard of hearing can give you one, so I thought that was pretty cool :).  When we left, I felt so blessed to know that we are not alone in our troubles and that there are people out there willing to help by sharing their own experiences.  She is who she is and he is who he is.  Now it's time to move forward in acceptance and let him live.  Ciao~

i feel pretty.....

I really love wedding dresses. I would always design them for myself and friends. And even though I'm married now and I've done the whole dress thing, I still love to look. Do some oooooo-ing and awwwww-ing. Surely I can't be the only one?

camping....

Alone time can be overrated. Michael took the Blaine-bop camping this Thursday and left me to my own boring devices. Within the first hour I was clueless about how to entertain myself. And I just missed them both so much, really. Blaine and I had a mommy/son date when they came home and it was so sweet to be with him! Those boys are the best family anyone could ask for.........fact.

tiny kicker....

Blaine had his very first ever Tae Kwon-Do tournament today. Michael and I couldn't have been more proud! And it was certainly a lot of fun to watch all those 5 and unders punching/kicking/jumping and also running an obstacle course. He received a medal today and liked that immensely! So I hope that this is something we can stick with in the coming years. Now a white belt, tomorrow a black belt. Well, you know......not literally.

Hahahahaha, I love you Bill.

didn't have a clue...

So my hubby Michael and I have been going on 11 years of marriage this July. But I still find out things about him that I never knew before. Does this kind of thing happen to anyone else? Like for instance, while on his mission to Argentina, Michael ate an entire goat. A whole goat!!! That blows my mind because I was particularly pleased when I once ate an entire chicken. Yeah I get it, that's pretty disgusting. His mom also told that when he was 8 he announced that he could never get married because he loved all women. I don't know what that says about us, nor do I want to know. We'll leave it as a cute comment :). I'm just happy that after all this time, I find him interesting and I fall a little bit more in love with him every day. Even knowing he gorged on a goat.

I so love my Goodwill. But I don't think I've ever gone there to kill time, I always have a purpose! Definitely serious business :).

isn't she lovely...

There's no one quite like Audrey....

places i'd love to go someday....

despair....

Today, I ate the last of my thin mints. Life no longer has meaning or purpose.

just pondering....

If you are mother you are going to have a bad day every now and again. And if you think about it, that's just like any other job really. But I was thinking (after one of my bad days) that my little boy is the cutest and sweetest when I'm tucking him in at night. When I look at him our bad day just fades away. And then that made me think about our Heavenly Father. When He looks down on us as we're sleeping, does He feel the same way? I think He does.......

friday funnies...

does anyone else think this has to be a missionary??? hahahahaha

gonna miss 'em...

Michael's little brother and his family moved out west today....can't believe we won't be seeing them very often (not often = once a year). I'm going to really miss my lil nephew, Andrew especially! Good luck on your new adventure, we will miss you!

blaine turns 5...

Well technically, not until tomorrow. He is no longer toddler....he is kid! For his birthday surprise we went to the Museum of Science and History (the MOSH). It was so much fun! But the really special part was the planetarium. Blaine loved it but was at first disappointed when he realized we weren't really going to the moon lol. Today we had a miniature birthday party, just us and the grandparents. It's just been a really great weekend and I feel so blessed to have, know and love Blaine!

really?

It has been mentioned before (like a gazillion times) that Blaine looks like the kid from Home Alone 3. Only 5 and already has a celebrity doppelganger lol! I don't know though...I can kind of see it....what do you think?

i do believe in fairies.....

the circus was a bust!

Blaine and I have been counting down the days until the circus came to town. We both wanted to go so badly! But I did a terrible thing and never looked at the ticket prices all the while making promises. BIG MISTAKE! The circus is an expensive show folks and there are no children's prices. Everyone has to pay almost $25 smackaroos a piece. I am NOT paying a mint to watch a show through binoculars in the nosebleed seats. But I'd promised Blaine we would go......what a dilemma. So Michael puts on his excited daddy voice and says, "Blaine, how about we go go-karting tomorrow instead of the circus?". I was anxiously awaiting some kind of tantrum (like the one that little brat threw on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) but none came. Whoosh!!!! Disaster avoided!!!! He just looked up at us and said, "Can we? This is awesome!" So the moral of this story is....never make a promise unless you've done your research. And never spoil your kids (unless it's with love) unless you want them to turn out like Veruca Salt.

the girl in me.....

So maybe I've just realized that I'm a girl and that I love girly things sometimes. And since I hit a big milestone this year (it's something that rhymes with flirty but is not nearly as cute) I've been trying to take better care of myself. I'm also cheap. I'd like to take better care of myself and my wallet. So here's a really great facial scrub recipe that I came across.



you're going to need a half of a lemon (or some lemon juice)
a teaspoon of granulated sugar.
and 2 cotton face pads

First you squeeze the lemon juice onto your stacked cotton pads. Then you will sprinkle the sugar on top of that. Any excess sugar on your fingertips, just rub that onto your face. I like to wet my face with water first. In gentle circles massage the lemon juice/sugar/cotton pads onto your face until all of the sugar dissolves. Your skin will be a little red (I recommend doing this before you go to bed rather than in the morning). Rinse your face and let it rest for a minute before applying your moisturizer. This will brighten your skin as well as lighten acne scars, sun or age spots. I've been doing this about every 2 or 3 days for 3 weeks now and I can see a difference. It's an inexpensive and effective home micro-dermabrasion. Hope you guys like it!

odds and ends....

unwrapping our gingerbread house.....it was fun!



blaine pretending to be a sith lord.....scary this is....



blaine first waking up on christmas morning....



an inability to contain enthusiasm over pop-up tent.....