perfect

My mother's day was perfect! My mom came over and Don made us all some waffles with whipped cream and strawberries.. yummy, oh so good!



Now, the kiddos want whipped cream on something every morning!



Enrique made me a book..






I mean, really, it can't get much better than that!


Oh, and we have some good news! Don found a job doing some granite work. This is really just in the nick of time as his unemployment is up in a few weeks. He started yesterday and really likes it!

It is kind of weird being here all day without him. 6 months of us all together has been really nice. But, it is also kind of great to start getting back into a normal routine with the kids. It has been like being on permanent weekend mode the past few months. And, while I love weekends, my house is not as clean as I would like, I feel a little scattered and I have not done some of the things I would like to with the kids. A good weekly rhythm is something I am really looking forward to getting back into it!

And, in case you are worried.. Don is still totally committed to making toys! It has become his way to stay sane and explore his creativity.. so Chubbas 'n Boop is still open for business! Hopefully one day it can be his full time job, but for now.. it is a fun way for us to make a little extra money and for him to keep his artist self happy.

Life feels normal again, which is kind of perfect!

once upon a time..

A cute boy who loved Elvis somehow wooed a workaholic party girl.. They fell in love. They laughed alot, they stayed up all night... talking. Right!

Well, one morning, the goofy boy decided to get down on one knee and ask the girl to marry him. On her finger went his grandmother's wedding ring.

They only knew each other for a few months, but decided to head off on a little road trip to Las Vegas to see if they could get Elvis to marry them..



After driving from Colorado to the city in the desert and staying in a scary hotel for one night they decided to start "The Big Day" with a ride on a roller coaster on top of a building..(very fitting way to start this crazy adventure I think.)

Then, Lisa, being a tad bit overwhelmed by the lights and the noise, begged charming boy to take her to a park. After driving around FOR HOURS looking for a place with grass to lounge, they found a nice neighborhood park and loved on each other for awhile..

Feeling refreshed, they headed to a new, fancier hotel to change and get ready..

Elvis was a bit pricey, but the Chapel o' Love did the trick perfectly well..



And here we are 5 years later! Still feeling the love and glad we took the chance.

Happy Five Years to Us!!

I love you babe.

i heart faces - black and white

Yay! I just forced myself to download a TON of pictures that have been stockpiling on my camera. What that means is that I will be tackling the daunting project of playing blog catch up, hopefully before I head out of town for the weekend. Which, by the way, is my first EVER weekend away from my daughter... Big deal, very big deal! Wish us luck on that one!

In the meantime, since I missed last week, I wanted to make sure to get my entries in for this weeks I Heart Faces photo contest.

This week's theme is black and white. I decided this would be the perfect opportunity for me to start tinkering around with my camera and take some new pictures to enter. After an afternoon (enjoying our fabulous weather) of taking a gazillion pictures, playing with the manual settings on my camera, here are my 2 favorites...

This gorgeous little girl was just so cute today, it was REALLY hard to pick out my favorite picture, but I love how dark her eyes are in this one, and well, I know I'm biased, but she is pretty darn cute - don't you think?


Here is my super cute hubby looking a little like Elvis.. hmmm, big surprise?



Ok, should be getting flooded with catch up posts in the next few days...

made with love

After my crafting catch up post, Don asked where the pictures of the rocking horse were. I totally forgot!!! (I'm so bad.)

One of Boop's birthday presents was this ADORABLE rocking horse, made with love by Daddy!

He wood burned the mane and some other decorative features on it...
Pretty lucky little girl, if you ask me, to have a daddy who takes the time to make her something special just from him...
And here is a super sweet picture of the two of them together. He puts her to sleep every night and often gets lulled to never never land at the same time...
I love my husband so much!

52 weeks :: 23

The whole point of the 52 Weeks project is to make sure that I am getting in front of the camera with my kiddos, since so many pictures get taken by me and very few of me with my children. Same is true for pictures of me and my wonderful husband. So, I am going to throw this one in. We look pretty darn cute here. I love my hubby!

we love papa

Don is a great papa, I really do think so. This guy has so much love in his heart for these little people. He makes them laugh and giggle like no one else. And can go from being a big kid himself full of gusto and rambunctiousness to sweet and nurturing in an instant. Really he is both at the same time.

This blurry one pretty much sums up the level of energy these two have when they play.

Oh! And he loves to fish, he could spend all day everyday at the lake just chilling in the hot summer sun. Good thing about that is yummy fish dinners at least a couple of times a month!!

Look at him all proud!

And, he is great at putting our little non-napper down for a nap. How does he do that?

Like this...
Sweet, wonderful papa!

a wish...

To be in love with my husband years from now like these two are:

yay!

We got a new camera last night!! Now I just have to spend some time fiddling with it, so I should have some new pictures to share soon. We are going camping for 3 days this weekend, good excuse to take lots and lots of pictures. I have been really missing being able to capture those sweet moments with my goofballs! Really, really missing!

Here are some things we have been up to:

Chubbas:
Ant hunting.
Playing magician, abracadabra!
Drawing tiny pictures.
Building houses and rockets.
Playing the guitar with Daddy.
Singing lots and lots of songs, especially the Beatles.
Making and splashing in mud puddles.
"Reading" his library books (sharks, whales and of course, trains).

Boop:
Trying to stand and thinking that is totally funny.
Working on a new tooth.
Talking and babbling to us lots!
Getting more and more on the move, but not really crawling yet.
Pulling open my desk drawers whenever she she sits here on my lap.
Banging things, doesn't matter what.
Giving sloppy yummy kisses.

Mama:
Knitting. Almost done with the wool soaker I am making for A. It is so cute!
Making lots of homemade food like cream cheese, bread, and fresh butter.
Working lots, I have some new wedding clients and feeling like my business is moving along.
Loosing weight. Slowly, but I have lost 15 pounds since February. I'll take it!
Reading. I am always reading. Recent topics are food (surprise), homeschooling (surprise again), and a great book called Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali.

Papa:
Teaching himself the guitar, playing almost everyday. (so sexy)
Fishing (of course).
Working his butt off in his hot shop so we can do all the above! (thanks babe)
Watching baseball.
Getting us ready for our first camping trip of the summer.
Cooking on the grill as much as possible.

See you next week with PICTURES!!!! Yay!

daddy day

My cute husband feels pretty lucky to always have his birthday and Father's Day within the same week. We seem to be having a little tradition starting to throw a Father's Day BBQ. It was a perfect day to be with friends and celebrate one great guy! Thanks for being such a great papa...we love you so much!

Oh how I wish...

I had a pack of housecleaning elves that loved to keep everything in my house tidy! Anyone know where I can find me a few little guys that would be willing to come live with us? I promise we will feed them well and be really nice to them!

Seriously, I am trying my darnedest to get all the last little bits unpacked. We are ALMOST there, but not quite. Soon, I hope, everything will have it's place and it will feel cozy and clean in here. Until then, here are some cute pics from the past week...







These last two were taken by Don. He likes to call he and I the greaser and the bobby sockser. He has a serious 50's obsession and has this picture in his mind how we would have been back in the day. Well, he decided to dress our little Chubbas n Boop up like the mini greaser and mini bobby sockser. Our own little mini-me's!

ode to awesome papa

10 things I love about my husband:

1. He is the best daddy in the whole world. His adoration of our kiddos is visible, joyous and unmistakable.



2. He makes us breakfast every weekend. And does the dishes!

3. He laughs loud and proud.



4. He is sexy. He really is. Sometimes I just look at him and think, wow!

5. He works so hard to support our family and I really appreciate that he has given up working in the kitchen to make a better wage so I can stay home and take care of our babies. I wonder if he knows how much I really do love him for this?

6. He makes yummy food for us and is a foodie, which to me is just sexy!

7. He's a dreamer.



8. He is not boring! He keeps me entertained and is always interesting to be around.

9. He is happy. Sounds simple, but seriously, this guy finds the good, happy, wonderful things in everything.



10. He is magic! He listens to spirit, is guided by god (his version), and pays attention to what the universe wants for him and us.

I love you baby, forever and always. You are my best friend and the perfect mate for me!