Preparing

We leave for vacation this week (home to Wyoming, yay!), and I am not prepared at all.  Our plans were not even finalized until yesterday, and for me that spells chaos.  But instead of panicking, I'm hyperventilating taking deep breaths and going with it.

Generally, when we take road trips, we like to camp along the way and bring all of our own food.  I've found that things are just more peaceful that way.  Instead of stuffing two rambunctious kids and a baby into a hotel room and expecting them to be quiet and sleep while my dh and I somehow try to unwind, they get to run around outside until it's dark, and then I throw them in the tent and expect them to be quiet and sleep.  The difference is there is room for us all to move around and have a little breathing room after being trapped in a van for hours.

Bringing our own food and refusing to eat out is nice too.  When we've not done this, we usually arrive at our destination completely sick of greasy burgers and fries and want nothing more than a carrot to chew on.  This way, we eat well.  Plus it's nice to picnic at a park we find in whatever town we happen to be at, the kids can run, and we can eat in peace.

This trip however, we are spending two nights on the road going, and one night coming back, and it's only really going to work for us to camp out one night going and maybe the one night coming back.  I'm trying to go with it, and remembering that it will be nice to have a shower and a comfy bed those nights in the hotel.

Anyway, what this all means is that I have busy days ahead planning and thinking and packing.  I am so looking forward to our trip.

Guess What I Got?

...for our anniversary?

I have been wanting one for years now, but it just never seemed the right time.  You know how that is right?  Throughout the night of our anniversary dinner, my dear, wonderful husband slipped me six clues and six memories for each of our six years of marriage.  I have to say, I was baffled, but right before we got home, I guessed it.  He had it in the trunk of the car the whole time.  Stinker.  Isn't he awesome?!

So at first I was pretty intimidated by this machine.  It comes with a little DVD, showing how to wind the bobbin, and set the stitches, ect. which I watched.  That really only served to make me more intimidated.

Today I decided that I would learn by doing.  See that stack of dish cloths there?  That used to be two old towels that were badly ripped.  I cut them up, and stitched them up, and now I have a stack of the best dish cloths ever.  I already have about ten projects mulling around in my head.

Watch out sewing world.  Here I come!  ;)

Ragamuffin

Keeping Ladybug looking like...a lady, has become quite the task.  She no longer keeps her hair fixed, and I'm growing her bangs out so most of the time she just looks sloppy.  Plus, she is very talented at finding mud.  We live in Arizona.  Unless we're having a big storm, the ground is hard and cracked and dry.  But leave it to Ladybug, and she'll find mud.  Often I will peak outside to find my beautiful baby girl looking more like something a coyote dragged through a wash than not.

See that hose behind her?  My dear husband hooked up some misters to our back patio to make going outside more tolerable.  Who knew it would give her a chance to get down and dirty?

The activity in question.

I find it hilarious that she is usually WAY more dirty than her brother when they come in from outside.

Cuteness

*Warning: if you can't handle a high cuteness factor, do NOT watch this video.*



You recognize this right?  You can see the original here.  We've had this song in our heads for a week now, and Fritter has been singing right along with us.

To Hubby, With Love

My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love as deep;

the more I give to thee,

the more I have,

for both are infinite.

-William Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet"

Happy 6th Anniversary Nee!*  I love you so much!

*Nee is short for Ho-ney.  It's ours and we like it.  :)

My Way Or Your Way, But Some Way Please!

Fritter needed a nice (acceptable) way to get his energy out.  Wrestling with his sister was out of the question.  So was throwing handfuls of rocks on the porch.  So was climbing to the top of our new picnic table and jumping off it.  Since he couldn't find a nice way to get the energy out, I did it for him.  Yesterday it was cleaning my baseboards.  Today?  Today, I made him run laps around the swimming pool.  I know.  I'm a mean mom.  I gave him a nice glass of ice water afterwards though, so I'm not that mean. 

I think he's gotten the hint.  Right now, he's driving his car around on the porch.  Very fast.  And he's making racing sounds.  Now that is acceptable play.