setting up the house....

everything was moved very well yesterday to the new house.... we had loads of help which I am so thankful for....so today it was time to starting putting things in place... the first order of business was the playroom so the kids could.... well.... play in it!(of course)... here are a couple good shots from this afternoon.... and yes Daisy is walking... well when she wants too!

it's ours..... Yeah!!!!

the closing went well today and.... we are officially owners of this beautiful house..... soon to be a home......

having "box envy"...

I ran to Shaws today to return a few things and I found myself having "box envy".... I think I have been packing too much because I saw the empty boxes in the isle from stocking and thought "oh I could use that for......" and then catching myself saying "I have some sort of weird disease now from all this packing".... so we close on the new house at 11:00am tomorrow! I am now super excited but just waiting for the tears to flow about leaving our little "nest" here that we have had for almost three years now... I am going to take a break from packing tonight and hit the laundry mat washing winter comforters to put away for the summer(it is absolutely gorgeous here today) and tear inspirational pages out of the last dozen magazines that will hit the recycling center and never meet the new house =( I am sad to throw these out but I have a new system of organizing ideas I see on paper thanks once again to soulemama (who I did meet on Saturday.... she is lovely)... off to fit in some last packing before I go pick up the kiddos from "Papa"land...

dreaming of this.....

tough nap time...

how is it that I am the one drinking Diet Coke with Lime(my favorite) and still napping..... and they are awake during nap time after hours of playing outside(and no diet coke)???

I am finally....

feeling like I am gaining some ground... and Marissa just so you know I have made $15(not like I really care about the money) off of craig's list now... but better yet I will not be carting 45 old CDs and two large bags of fabric to the new house! Yeah!.... and my errands went well today... the bank- check, the post office- check, goodwill- check! Just need to make a trip to the dry cleaners and maybe to a special book signing/crafternoon tomorrow.... hummmmmm (can't decide if I can swing it or not)

everybody just stay calm!!!!

this phrase is just a tiny slice of what is going on in my life!!! moving is not easy! in fact I never want to do it again! it'll only happen if God speaks to us (which I know could happen, ie my parents.... they moved 8-10 times in the military and since have moved twice to work on different college campuses as missionaries and they still talk as though they aren't settled, you know never say never!)... I feel as though I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off... I am trying to sell a few things on Craig's list... somebody may need a last minute prom dress or three boxes of retired Mary Kay products right?... I need to get to the bank, dry cleaners, and post office within the next 24hours.... I still have to work 36hours before our closing date (next Thursday)... my poor husband is trying to help with everything but I have never been good at delegating... I am starting to get emotional about leaving this beautiful home in which I have brought my two babies home to and I have grown to love... it is hard to imagine life any where else... I sobbed in our last apartment when I went back to clean... the older I get the less I like change... I never thought I would be like this but here I am... needless to say I am the one freaking out.... I want to have a "freak out" party but no one in my house works that way except for me (well maybe Daisy if she doesn't get her food ASAP).... for this I am grateful but then I feel badly about it and guilt is now plaguing me... for the moment I am going to rest in the fact that in two weeks this will all be over and happy, joyful, caring, patient mama will be back...
Daisy and Carter trying to stay clear of me in their new "chill out" spot

fun while it lasted....

here aresome shots of us watching, entertaining and having lots of fun at Dave and Jayme's

Daisy wanting to take a step but being hesitant...
Giuliana and Carter playing on the rocking Horse...
art time...
pictures for the new baby...
Daisy finding new things everywhere...


after naptime... waiting for the phone call....
Guiliana on the phone with her Daddy, learning of Genevieve Hope's arrival into the world....
sharing the news with Dawson...
making their own pizzas for dinner and brownies to have for a treat after we go see Genevieve

a gift from above...

a week ago today we went down to New Jersey to help welcome Genevieve Hope Carter into the world.... she was a peanut (6lb 12oz) in my baby standards (daisy was almost three 3lbs bigger than her when born!)... she is so sweet looking and Mom, Dad, and big sister and brother are doing well... more pics of Kevin and my adventures of being responsible for 4 kiddos all three and under coming soon.... it was a fun adventure!

off for a girls/scrap weekend...

Marissa and I take off at noon for a weekend at a friends cabin.... the main agenda is scrapping! my goals: finish 2006, finish Daisy's album (almost there) and Christmas 2006... Should be about 50 layouts... if I get bored I will go back and journal on previous pages... looking forward to staying up late and sleeping in... cooking with no distractions... and not having to pick up my little loves food crumbs from under her highchair... thanks again hun!

coming from a long line of "pack rats"...

so i am attempting these days to get as much packing done before I go scrap this weekend.... so during naps today (only having 4.5 hours of sleep)... I went down to the basement storage room to clean, purge, pack.... the first order of business was tying up loose ends open boxes that have one thing missing etc and sorting holiday stuff (yes I finally finished packing away some Christmas things like dishes and candles)... the next order of business was the gift wrapping "station"... man what a mess... see I have never really wrapped a gift down here just grabbed my stuff and brought it up stairs to wrap... then throw stuff in this area in one big heap... first step was going through the baby gift bags and throwing out the ones I would never reuse and get them to fit in one bag... the second was to weed out the huge basket of gift bags... I even found wrapping paper saved from presents I got at my bridal shower more that six years ago now!!!!!!... the most time consuming thing I did was flatten, fold and organize tissue paper... here are some thoughts about tissue paper I had while I did this

a) I think it makes more sense to make tissue paper in a square than rectangular because it is easier to fold, you always use more than one sheet and aren't we all about being green?
b) green seems to have the most shades and it seems to be the most versatile to me... mint is refreshing, calm; lime energizing; sage earthy feeling; and kelly green growth; dark green Christmas- this must be why it is my favorite color!
c) I have almost as much yellow tissue paper as I have white? can't figure out why this is
d) pink is the lowest in the stash I know I am not much of a pink girl but I did just have a little girl and that means I should have fluffy pink tissue somewhere
e) I love polka dots way too much!

so 1.5hrs later and I had accomplished something that seems very little but is huge in my mind...

now off to fabric... a much larger task!

one happy food day...

so in return for naming their son, Max, our friends came to make us breakfast... well he did! we had a wonderful time eating crepes, crumpets and visiting... Alyssa could not make it due to lack of sleep but I knew she had wanted to be there.... but I saw her that night when we (five lovely ladies from our church) had dinner at Jennies house and did a supper swap... I brought four batches of my Gnocchi Bake and left with Baked Ziti, Chili, Spinach Ravioli Lasagna and a vegetable Chili with homemade Corn Bread... when I came home I put one Chili in the freezer, one in the fridge for Monday when i work... this crazy good lookin' lasagne for Tuesday dinner when I am again working and Baked Ziti for maybe this weekend when I am away scrapbooking and my darling husband is watching my kiddos for me (thanks hun!)... Jenn was the most organized with everything already divided, printed labels with cooking directions and this wonderful box to carry everything home in... hard to believe she has 16month old twins and is due with another (just 1) in August!!! she'll hate this picture but I only took a couple... so anyway I love this supper swap already and I highly suggest doing it with us next time!!!!! we may do this once a month and if it grows it could be awesome!!!! one more thing to help this crazy mama out!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

family traditions...

by having a baby girl last February I knew that a new tradition was going to enter my home... the yearly homemade Easter dresses... I loved that my grandma made us matching dresses almost every year and I even have some still... so here is a sneak preview of this year's... and another little surprise is to come hopefully on Sunday(if I find time with my brother and Jayme in town)...

I think...

Jim Carrey came and stole my baby girl and left me with Ace Ventura...

a young love...

our weekend away went very well... it was fun being together just us, no kids, first time in almost three years... I feel that our love for each other has grown lots but we still have a long road to walk together... we are in chapter three or four... you know when the plot of the story thickens.... as far as Ted Tripp's conference... we are encourage, energized, rested, and at peace with our roles as parents... and since I waited all week to post this I can report our game plan is going well... Carter is doing much better at looking at Mama and Daddy's eyes when we are talking to him... and Daisy... well she is showing that she is testing the waters to learn her boundaries but... we are up for the challenge!... this is all part of learning!

just in time...

for our road trip to Dave and Jayme's... their church is having a parenting conference this weekend with the keynote speaker Paul Tripp... we are reading and studying his brother's book "Sheparding a Child's Heart" and really love it so far... seems as though it is sealing our parenting/discipline styles (if you will) in cement... I never thought this would be a struggle but it is sometimes hard to be on the same page since we grew up in very different homes... but God has drawn us together to a closer place in our almost three years of parenting... hope we learn more this weekend and are encouraged... so (back to the magazine) I am now a subscriber to Martha's Living mag again (after a two year hiatus)... I just love the pictures so much!... and the gardening issue... perfect for dreaming about my new yard to be.......

"wibbits" is what he calls them...

yeah I am talking about those too cute for words boots that I spent full price (14.99) for at Target.... I never see them on sale, clearance, or in thrift stores... it was worth it cause he wants to wear them everywhere and since it has been rainy or snowy for the past few weeks... they are somewhat gender neutral so hopefully Daisy will wear them too! money well spent! (yeah I am still trying to justify it)

a new type of peek-a-boo...

she likes to still be able to see you when she plays peek-a-boo... so this piece of cheese(wooden of course) works great!

getting refocused...

I am organizing my life today... catching up on phone calls... finishing Daisy's scrapbook... making list... setting goals... you know all the good stuff in that life needs retouching... and I am starting a new adventure... me the non-reader is joining a book club tonight!... yeah for new adventures!