A Love Hate Relationship

The bushes in front of my house are about to make me fall in love with them again. When I first met them I did not think they were anything special at all. Boring. Green. Big. Blah. Like this:

Then, while we were in the middle of closing on the house they did something spectacular. This:


Once a year these incredible huge, old azaleas go crazy and will literally stop traffic. I have been sitting on the front porch and seen it happen, people. I have had many friends and neighbors let me know that if I ever come home to find them missing I can check their yards. So, 11 months of the year I want to rip these out. But- I could not be more excited that my one month of love is almost here. Come on by in a week or so and see the show.

Chalkboards

Did you know they make chalkboard contact paper? I found some at Michaels and went a little nuts...

A new Chalkboard for the kitchen...

A new Chalkboard for Zander's room...

A new Chalkboard in a frame to display the kids artwork...

So much fun for $4. I love the chalkboard paint, but this was even easier and faster!

Spring Everywhere

My yard has exploded with blooms! It is safe to say Spring has fully arrived in Oklahoma.

The Magic of Reading

I have always been and will always be a proud and happy bookworm. I really love nothing more than getting lost in a great story. I have always hoped to pass on this love to my kids, and we have made reading an important part of our nightly routine since they were babies. My mom and Lance's mom have both helped feed this love for my kids by giving them many many new books over the years.
One of my greatest joys over the last year has been seeing Zander develop as a reader. He is getting really fluent and is now able to take on chapter books on his own. We have tried out a few Boxcar Children books (these were the books that got me totally hooked on reading!). But, our latest and greatest favorites are the Magic Treehouse Books. He is able to read these on his own, but still likes us to read them to him as well. Yesterday the Full Circle Bookstore hosted a special Magic Treehouse event. Jack and Annie came and sang some songs to the kids and we were able to stand in line to get our books stamped and a picture taken. It was really a fun event and got Zander even more fired up about reading the next books in the series.


Now I just need a new book for myself! So, come on faithful readers and give me a recommendation for my new read!

Spring Break

This past week has been Spring Break for the kids. We decided to head down to Dallas area to hang out with my Sister-in Law Kelly and her wonderful kiddos. My kids absolutely love their cousins so this was guaranteed to be a fun time for all. We drove down Tuesday, played, stayed in a hotel, swam, and had a pizza party. Big Fun. Wednesday was my niece Abigail's 7th birthday, so we headed to girl paradise... The American Girl Doll Store.
Abigail and Zella both had birthday money to burn so we spent some serious time checking out all the goods and making our selections. In the end, both girls bought this year's doll of the year, Kanani. She is Hawaiian and an obvious pick for both girls since we will all be in Hawaii together this summer. We also had dinner at the very cute and girly Bistro. What a great time!

Ain't no Party Like a Princess Party 'Cause a Princess Party...

We had a group of great friends over to celebrate the big #5 yesterday. It was a beautiful day, a gorgeous group, a ton of fun! Here are some snapshots of the fun...

Happy 5th Birthday Zella Grace!

Five years ago today I gave birth to the sweetest, kindest, funniest, most lovely daughter anyone could ask for. I can hardly believe she was ever that small (and way smaller!).
Happy Birthday ZGrace, we love you so very much!

A Cozy Den

I am extremely slow to buy new furniture. Most of the things in our house are still of the hand-me down repainted variety. I honestly love it that way. As long as a room works. This past fall Lance and I found ourselves Sunday afternoon after Sunday afternoon sitting on our futon couch with the cushion that slowly slides to the floor in the office upstairs watching football on a very small 11 year old TV with no HD anything while our kids sat downstairs in the lap of luxury watching HD Scooby Do on our comfy couches. There was something wrong with this picture. We vowed to change this situation in the new year and I am glad to say the project is almost complete.

Last night for the first time we were able to sit on our new comfy armchairs and watch our just as wonderful as the downstairs big TV and relax together in our new retreat. So, here it is... The new mom and dad hangout spot in our house. I love it! We each claimed a chair and I have a feeling 20 years from now we will probably still be in our chairs hanging in our newly fashioned Den.

One Year Blogiversary

Yesterday I took a peek back at the archives of this blog. I thought it had been about a year since I started this little project and I was right- today marks one year of posting about our adventures big and small. I have really enjoyed finding this outlet for my random thoughts, recipes, and projects. By nature being a stay at home mom is a little isolating. No matter how many activities and volunteer projects you take on the vast majority of every day is spent without much adult contact. Blogging has been a really fun way to stop and share some thoughts, especially on days when there is not anyone around to chat with.
When I had Zander over seven years ago people with older kids remarked over and over again about how fast life moves. They are so very right. I feel like I woke up a month or two ago and I am no longer the mom of little kids. I have about six more months and then both my kiddos will be in all day school. I can't wait to see what sort of changes await in the year to come. Thanks to my faithful readers and dear friends for your love and support!

Spring= Garden Fever

Spring is really in full swing around here. As I ran this morning I noticed trees flowering and tiny bits of green coming out all around me. This time of year makes me a little garden crazy! I have been working on cleaning out all my raised beds and got to hire someone else to bring in mulch to make it all look fantastic.(He estimated it would have taken me around 300 bags of mulch if I had purchased them myself!) Now I have to wait patiently to start planting. I always have big garden dreams this time of year. After watching my yard for one whole season to see what perennials I have where, I feel like I am ready to start adding some of my own favorites to the mix. Look out garden centers... I am headed your way.
Here are three bits of spring from my yard: