loving my kids

My friend, Jenny, is doing a book giveaway on her blog. All you have to do to enter the contest is leave a comment about what you love about your children.

I love Jenny for making me do this exercise. Here's what I wrote:

i love avery (10 yrs) for being my little man who helps me get his baby sister in her car seat when we are running late. i love the way he hums a tune when he's eating a favorite meal. i love how he beat-boxes like a champ. i love watching him play baseball.


i love miles (8 yrs) for engaging his imagination 150% of the time. and i love listening to him use big words. i love that he's the most natural snuggler in all the universe.


i love jillian (3 yrs) for her laugh, her expressive eyes, her tenderness that doesn't let me off the hook when i use a harsh word. i love that she knows the lyrics to more songs than i do.


i love phoebe (1 yr) for melting my heart every time i look at her. i love, love, love to feel her two chubby hands with slightly sharp fingernails (because it's really hard to keep everyone's nails trimmed all the time!) grab my chin to turn my head to look at her. i love her stinky morning breath and the way she laughs and says "mama!" when it's just been too long since we've seen each other.

Now, if you've got some kiddos (or grandkids? or nieces or nephews?), go check out her blog and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Loving The Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches! I know if I don't win a copy, I'll be borrowing hers!!!

Up Next, After the Antique Road Show!

What were you up to while I was putting the girls to bed?

Watching a PBS documentary on the Russian Famine.

What happened?

It was really sad. It started with a drought. They didn't have any food. Finally, Americans sent corn, milk and potatoes. But not before the starving people dug up graves and ate the flesh of the dead. Ten butcher shops were shut down for selling human meat.

Sweet dreams buddy!

just to clarify...this was a conversation between Brent and Miles.

my landline went dead and i didn't know what to do, so i went to the website and opted for a chat. this is the conversation that ensued.

Thank you for contacting Qwest. My name is Nicole R. . How may I help you today?

jenna: hey great. um. my landline appears to not be working. no line. how can i get help for that.

Nicole R. : I am sorry we cannot arrange to conduct a conference call with our repair department, but let me provide the number for you to contact them at your earliest convenience. To request repair, please dial 1-877-348-9007 from any working phone. Phone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or, please click here to log in to your MyAccount. Click on the Help tab to open a repair ticket under "My Phone Service". I apologize for any inconvenience.

jenna: awesome. thanks. technology has made me dumb and i couldn't even remember how to get help.

Nicole R. : Oh no problem

Nicole R. : Is there anything else that I can help you with today?

jenna: not really. wanted to make a bad joke about helping me order pizza, but no. thanks. really. you've already gone above the call of duty. lates.

i may or may not have...

...gone to Walmart today.

...bought a Miley Cyrus brand shirt. For myself.

...showed this video to Avery. And Jillian.


...made hot breakfast for the first half of the week due to a major cereal shortage in our home.

...and maybe even heated up a hotdish and put it in thermos containers for the boys' lunches.

...bought Shamrock shakes for me and the kids. (Even Phoebe may have partaken of the Shamrock.)

why i don't take, post or print pictures of my children at this stage in my life

Jillian: "Mah-um...Mah-um...can I take the picture?"
Me: "No, no honey. Let me get one of you and Phoebe in your cute dresses."


Me: "Honey, can you two scoot back??"


Phoebe: "Wah!!!!!!! Wah!!!!!!!" (translated: I want to look at the picture you're looking at in the camera!!!)


Me: "Hold on. I gotta turn off the flash. k. Phoebe! PEEK-a-boo! Be still one moment...."


Me: "PEEK-a-boo!!! Look at mommy :D!!!"


Me: "Fine...here you go, Jillian."
Jillian: "say cheese!!!!!!!!!!"
Me: "cheese."
Phoebe: "uh. uh. WAH!"


Jillian: "Phoebe, say 'cheese'!!!"
Phoebe: "WAHHHHHH!!!" (translated: I'm about to go ninja on you if you don't give me that frip-frappin camera!!!!!!!!!!!!")



update: my friend, babysitter and the first commenter on this post, becky, had the same idea earlier in the day...with a tad more success.

I imagine Becky was all, "Okay, Phoebe, try to look emo....good girl!"


"Okay, Phoebe, now look totally spaced out while I pull off looking cuter than a baby! sweet. Good job!"

showcase showdown. winner revealed!

And because you've been DYING to know what the actual re-re-re-retail value is...


I think it's safe to say, we were pretty amazed at the price tags on some useless, beaten up items.

In honor of Kim and Graham's big win, here's a video of a Kim who did not win...twice.



Kim and Graham, I think you're gonna have to arm wrestle over who getsta get the Starbucks bev!!

The Price Is Right, double date edition

Guess the price! Nearest bidder (to the penny!) without going over get's a $4.98 gift card to Starbucks!

double date

So we got to go on a double date with our super fun friends, Molly and Abraham. What do four parents of a combined eight children do on a Friday night?

First stop: Savers
Mission: Find "The Best" item. Such a loose category. Could be anything really.

Like...

...a classic Cosby sweater or a HUGE pair of underwear. What makes that cane qualify for the best?


yeah...It said something like, "since you have become so old and decrepit..." nice.

Brent found a great pair of women's pants. I got The Best of Shalamar. (I also found an Arlo Guthrie record that WAS pretty awesome. Alice's Restaurant, people? I know. so cool.)


After I clearly nobody won our contest, we made our way to the books and media section. Naturally. We found some books that you might want to run out and get before they sell out of them!!!




Then, we played "who can find a John Piper book first." I was sure I would find The Passion of Jesus Christ. I just had to zone in on the color scheme I knew so well. And it paid off! Ironically, Abraham picked up a book right between these two...I think it was a Tripp book. Ha! Paul David TRIPPED him up. yesssss! I win again!



I wish we played a game that resulted in this picture. Molly wins. I can't look at this without my eyes watering.


Molly also found this gem.


hmmm...if I just put some circles next to it...yup, that looks just barely bootlegged. (and, thank you, abraham for photo-bombing. nice work.)

So, after a bunch of laughs, we headed out to THE best pizza place in town, Parkway Pizza!!

Here's a very tired looking me and my wonderful husband.



And there's the happy couple. Silly, really.


My guess is that my sister would bet that it was ME who kept slicing a piece of pizza into smaller and smaller bites, but I don't think I was working alone here. Apparently, there are others who have the "just one more sliver" tendency!!!


Best part about this picture? Mollly's toes. Too cute!


Thanks M & A for the fun adventure!!!

a tender moment

Our children adore their father. Since today is Brent's birthday, I thought I'd post this just for him.

favorites from the Christmas photo shoot

photographer: jenny rigney
location: rigney's backyard
temperature: eh...15 degrees?
photo shoot time: 20 minutes max.
fun fact: brent & jillian actually had a short photo shoot the following day because it was just too cold to make a three-year-old smile on day 1


amazed. we are all looking in one direction.


yep. those are my handsome boys.


oh.my.phoebe. i LOVE this face!


the twins. seriously.


this pictures is healing for me. first one of us together that doesn't totally suck. i actually like it. a lot.

thanks, jenny, for working wonders!