the luxurious life of anna

back again!

2011-04-03T00:13:00.001-05:00

i'm famous!

2009-11-09T13:34:00.002-06:00

you know how i got to meet my new bff?
well, i. am. ON! HER! BLOG!

if you go here, look at the first picture.
that's me on the left side, the headless wonder with the claw-like hands.
and that is miss allikaye, my cousin's daughter, she is talking to.

i KNEW KNEW KNEW we were going to be friends forever!!!

ree, call me!!!

ree-lly, ree-lly fun

2009-11-04T21:54:00.009-06:00

have you all heard of ree, the pioneer woman?
i might have talked about her a time or two, or fifty.
well, anyway, i love her.
and guess what?
i met her!!!

she wrote a cookbook:
and is now on a book tour.
so my mom and i drove out, and we met my aunt susie, cousin ashley, and her daughter allikaye. first we met for lunch, because a girl's gotta eat.

then, we hightailed it to the bookstore.
yes, we got there three hours early, but guess who was first in line?this girl.

i know, i know, you're thinking "three hours?! isn't that a little excessive?!"
meg at whatever, who went to a different book signing, said to get there early. EARLY EARLY EARLY!!!
so we did, and it paid off!

this was it, the moment i've been waiting for all my life. does it look like i'm a little excited?
because I AM!!!
and it looks like my new best friend ree is thinking "you're in my bubble...get out...security!"

i told her "i-came-all-the-way-from-nebraska-and-i-got-here-three-hours-early-and-i-was-the-first-in-line-and-i'm-so-excited-to-meet-you-and-i-made-your-macaroni-and-cheese-and-i-love-it!!!!!"

this is how she signed my book:
you'll always be first!
that spoke right to this middle child's heart! ha!

we left right away, and i didn't get home until 3am.
but it was TOTALLY worth it!

i would like to thank the following people for helping make all this possible:
my sister amber, thank you thank you thank you for watching the boys for me! you're a saint!
meg, thanks for the advice about going to see ree!
my mom, thanks for going along with me and for driving. sorry about my crazy driving in denver!
and to you, my fans, i couldn't have done it without you.

i'm back and better than ever!

2009-11-03T21:54:00.002-06:00

i know you all have been wondering where i went for those two long, long, LONG months.
i decided to take a break, reflect on life, step back and evaluate some things.

HA!
just kidding!
to be honest with you, because, well, it IS the best policy, i was just lazy.
i had better things to do than blog, like read twitter and eat bon bons.

but i'm back now, and i have lots to share with you!
so sit back, read and enjoy.
and like it says on my sidebar, i don't hate comments!

the best day ever

2009-08-30T22:37:00.002-05:00

today, i am having the best day ever. no big thing, like winning the lottery, has happened. it just is one of those days where everything is perfect.

this morning, jacob woke me up way too early for church. but instead of getting ready, we sat and talked about how much we love our boys, and how much joy they bring to our lives. we talked about the future. and then we laughed at some of the things the boys are doing now.

we decided to try the early service at church today. we normally go to the late service, but it is right in the middle of the boys' naptime, and they don't appreciate sitting still and being quiet. but who does, when all you want is a nap? so, to the early service we went. it didn't go much better. so jeffrey and i went out to the hallway, to sit and listen to the sermon. the WHOLE time, he rested his little head on my shoulder, sucking his thumb. i didn't hear much of the sermon, but i did thank God over and over for my little bubbas, while i rubbed jeffrey's belly.

since the weather is pretty much perfect today, we opened all the windows, and i have been listening to the bugs' music all day. ("we're going buggy." anyone from r-4 remember that spring program?) and the sun felt so good as i sat reading. i can't tell if it feels like spring or fall, but it definitely doesn't feel like summer.

i told the boys to give each other a hug, and they wrapped their little arms around each other and laid their heads on the other's shoulder. IT. WAS. TOO. CUTE.

and they each said their first word today. sammy's first word is ball. although, it sounds like bop. but the whole time he was playing with a ball, he was saying "bop!" and when i was feeding the boys lunch, i had my back turned to them. jeffrey started making noises, so i turned around, and he signed "more" to me. that is the first time he has signed a word without me prompting him.

this didn't happen today, but i thought you would enjoy hearing the boys laugh. one time, we were in walmart, and i was making sammy laugh. some lady said his laughter was "delicious." so here is some delicious laughter.

i just couldn't help but think all day "does it get any better than this?" a husband who loves me. two little boys who keep me laughing all day. and a God who fills my life with good things(psalm 103:5).

7 quick takes - volume 23

2009-08-21T22:03:00.004-05:00

~1~
we got this drink mixer for our wedding.
and we have used it nonstop...as a dust collector on top of our fridge.
yes, in five years, we have used it zero times.
until tonight.
i made shakes for jacob and i.
i felt like i was reliving my glory years as a dairy queen employee!
i had so much fun working there.
lots of good memories!
(hey amber.....BEHIND YA!!)

~2~
i am SO EXCITED for football season!
i love football!
i don't care who's playing, i'll watch it.
all day saturday and all day sunday, football, football, football!
my favorite teams are the nebraska huskers and the green bay packers.
who are your favorite teams?

~3~
speaking of football, jacob has the cowboy/tennessee game on right now.
the dallas cowboys just built a new stadium.
do you know how much it cost?
500 million?
900 million?
oh no....1.15 BILLION DOLLARS!
a billion dollars for a football stadium?!
is that necessary?
do you know how many people that could feed?
how many charities that could help?

~4~
i found this quote at cjanerun.
"forget yourself and get to work."
she is a member of the mormon church, and this is one of the statements of their church.
is that not the best way to view our mission on earth?
FORGET YOURSELF AND GET TO WORK.
i'm sure Jesus wants to yell that at me somedays!

~5~
tonight, we went for a walk around the neighborhood.
the boys ride in their little red wagon.
jacob usually pulls the wagon, and i walk beside the boys.
tonight, i held my finger out to sammy, and he grabbed onto it.
we went like this for awhile...so sweet!
and then jeffrey decided he wanted to hold my hand too.
we asked the boys which way we should go next and they told us:
~6~
it's late, and i can't think of anything else to write.
sorry there isn't seven!
have a great weekend!

new camera settings

2009-08-11T23:08:00.003-05:00

over at a familiar path, she is doing a series about your camera and all the things you can do with it.
this week, she talked about iso.
i had no idea what this was before i read it...and really i can't tell you much now.
go here for her explanation.
these pictures, i changed the iso setting to 800.
and they are very grainy.
just now i realized that is way to high of a setting for the outdoors.
oh well!
at least i learned something new!

i love this one of the boys walking in the grass.
sammy
jeffrey

the world has not seen cuter ringbearers

2009-08-08T22:27:00.007-05:00

saturday, the boys were ringbearers for our good friends ken and mel.
i prayed all week that everything would go okay, and the boys did so good!
they were pulled in a wagon up the aisle, they sat in our laps during the whole ceremony, and they were pulled back down the aisle after the wedding.
and there was no crying!
oh my gosh, they were so cute!
here they are right after getting dressed in their tuxedos.
(i was a little sad for this generation of young adults. the tux jackets were a little big on the boys. so when i got done dressing of the boys, i said "instead of saying 'fat guy in a little coat,' it should be 'little guy in a big coat.'" they had no idea what i was talking about it. NO. IDEA. sad is what it is.)

i think they were a little concerned at all the people staring at them, trying to get them to smile for the cameras.
they would have none of it.
here they are with the flower girl.
the beautiful couple.
after the ceremony.
the boys trying to get bubbles.

at the reception.
the boys lost more and more of their tuxs as the evening went by.
when we got home, there was a little "ricky business" action going on.
and then they went back to their normal activities...carrying pans around the house.

some lessons learned today

2009-08-06T21:42:00.005-05:00

1. when you get an offer in the mail for a free oil change, read the print.
not the fine print...just the regular print.
so when you go to get your oil changed and say you want a free oil change, they won't look at you funny and say "it's 21.95."
i have no idea where i read "free oil change," but it was not on that offer.

2. the one comment i have heard the most since having twins is "your hands sure are full!"
and today, i had to agree.
i already had the boys out of the car, and i needed to get the stoller out of the trunk.
i couldn't let the boys go, because they are walking everywhere these days.
so while i held both of the boys' hands in one of mine, i opened the trunk, pulled the double stroller out and set it up...WITH ONE HAND!
yes.....my hands are full.

3. frozen pizza for supper may not be the most nutritious, it sure makes for easy cleanup and a relaxing night.

a crazy good deal!

2009-08-04T11:44:00.003-05:00

do you like the magazine "country living?"
i love it!
and guess what?!
you can get a year's subscription at amazon for $5.
that's right, FIVE DOLLARS!
go here.
but the offer ends august 8th, so hurry up and go there already!

a recipe and cute pictures

2009-08-02T16:46:00.008-05:00

yesterday morning, i tried a new recipe from "come on over"puffy pancakes
1/2 c butter
1 c milk
1 c all purpose flour
4 eggs, beaten
garnish: powdered sugar
place butter in a 13x9 baking pan; heat in a 425-degree oven until melted. whisk remaining ingredients together; pour over butter, without mixing. bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes; sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. makes 8 to 10 servings.

oh my yummyness...they were awesome!

i was in the nursery with the boys when the timer went off, so i asked jacob to look at them.
"what does it look like?" (meaning, does it look like it's cooked all the way through?)
"it looks like the surface of the moon!"
and was he right!so despite the appearance of the pancakes, we tried them right away.
i didn't put powdered sugar on them, but we did use syrup.
it is WAY easier than making regular pancakes, and it tastes. so. good.
try it...you'll LOVE it!

show of hands....who wants to see cute baby pictures?
i'll assume (although my 10th grade english teacher taught me NOT to assume) that there are a few hands raised, so here we go.

last night when we got home, before we got the boys out of their carseats, they were sitting there with their heads in the same position.
sammy sucking his thumb.
he does that so much that he has a little callus on his thumb.
jeffrey has started sticking his tongue out the right side of his mouth.
he does this all the time.
i cannot even handle how cute the boys are in these onesies, shorts, and little shoes!
jeffrey
sammy

7 quick takes - volume 22

2009-07-31T22:06:00.003-05:00

hello everyone!
can you believe another week has already passed?!
crazy, i tell you!

~1~
last week, i admitted that i love cookbooks.
this week, i am admitting that i am addicted to recipes.
it's a sickness, actually.
i have a box full of recipes.
some have been copied from my mom and sister's recipes.
others have been torn out of magazines.
and some have been printed off the internet.
someday, they will find a home in the recipe box.
but until then, i will just keep moving that box around.

~2~
i have come up with an ingenious plan for all the recipes that i do try.
i bought a daily planner, and each day, i'll write what i made for supper, and what cookbook it came from, and if we liked it or not.
that way, when i'm meal planning for the week, and i'm stuck on what to make, i can glance back through the months, and find something that we really liked.
brilliant, i tell you!

~3~
to add to my addiction, the pioneer woman started a recipe website.
tasty kitchen.
i've already started a recipe box at that site, and have added many recipes to it.
like this dessert.
heavens to betsy.

SOMEONE SEND HELP!!!

~4~
i read this the other night in better homes and gardens:
"lower your art. most people hang it too high. to gauge the right height, pretend that you're looking in a mirror. you shouldn't have to look up at it."
that is great advice.
but who should be looking into the "mirror"?
my husband, who is 6'4", or me, 5'3"?

~5~
the boys eating:why are you bothering us mom?

are you still there?

~6~
dear patrons of the restaurant we ate at tonight,
thank you for the evil looks, overzealous sighs and shushes that we may have heard.
those really worked well to calm the boys down, and make jacob and i feel welcome.
we appreciate your care and love you have for us.
love, us

~7~
dear past patrons of restaurants that we have eaten at,
i'm sorry if i ever gave you the evil eye or sighed heavily at you and your children.
i now realize feeding children, while trying to finish your meal is almost near impossible.
please accept my sincere apology.
you did/are doing a great job, and your children are beautiful!
love, me

the county fair!

2009-07-29T22:55:00.005-05:00

this week is the phelps county fair!
woo hoo!
growing up, i was involved in 4-H, showing hogs and later cattle.
i can still say the 4-H pledge:
"i pledge my head to clearer thinking;
my heart to greater loyalty;
my hands to larger service;
and my health to better living for my club, my community, my country and my world."

so, we took a little drive over to phelps county, and took in all the sights and sounds....and smells that the fair had to offer.

we had to introduce the boys to the livestock...hopefully, they will be showing animals when they get older.
getting a close up look at the hogs.the boys are looking at the cattle across the aisle.
and then we took them to the carnival.
they rode with their cousins on this ride.
luke, jeffrey and addie.(i love how jeffrey's hair stands straight up!)

emma and sammy.

jacob and i didn't ride any rides, except the carousel with the boys, but we did eat alot!
i'm not even going to list all that we ate.
but just know, it was alot and it was good!

the phelps county fair always brings back fun memories of my childhood.
i love going back, and it's fun taking jacob and the boys with me.

take it

2009-07-27T23:04:00.002-05:00

as the great faith hill once said: "take it, take another little piece of my heart now baby," the boys did just that.
on bath nights, we undress the boys in the nursery, and then let them crawl to the bathtub in our bathroom, down the hall and around the corner.
they know exactly where to go, and they usually crawl full speed ahead.
it is so funny to watch them.
well, tonight, neither one of them crawled.
yes, it is fun to watch them grow up and develop and start doing new things, but it is also sad to know that they are past their little baby days.
they took that little piece of my heart, and now i want to cry.

and this really makes me want to cry, i have no pictures of them crawling to bathtime.
i know i have a video of it, but no pictures.
i have hundreds of pictures of them, and not a one of them doing this.

a high, a low, and a lower

2009-07-26T22:36:00.002-05:00

today, after church, we were talking to someone, and i was holding sammy.
i whispered "can you give mama a hug?"
and he did!
he laid his head on my shoulder, and put his little arm around my neck.
if ever there was a time for a pause button on life, this was it.
~~~~~
tonight, jacob and i were discussing finances.
i know, fun, right?!
guess what that discussion led to?
yes, and it wasn't pretty.
but we're over it now.
~~~~~
are you reading mckmama's blog?
if so, you know what's going on.
if not, here's the rundown:
while she was pregnant last summer, she was told that her baby had a serious heart defect, and would probably die.
stellan was born, and had no trace of a heart problem.
at four months, the heart problem came back, and they have been managing it with medications and one heart surgery since then.
the kind of heart problem he has, the doctors have never seen before.
so they are trying all kinds of things to get his heart beating correctly.
so this weekend, stellan was hospitalized to try a new regimen of medications.
it is not going well.
mckmama recently twittered that stellan's blood pressure is 57/32, and they are going to have to ventilate him soon.
SCARY!
please pray for little stellan.
and his mama, as she is watching all this take place.

reading

2009-07-26T00:29:00.001-05:00

7 quick takes - volume 21

2009-07-24T16:45:00.007-05:00

hello everyone!
i'm back.
let's jump right in, shall we?

~1~
i must show you some pictures of the boys.
you haven't seen them in awhile.
now i realize, i am completely biased.
but ALL bias aside, are they not THE cutest boys you have ever seen?!
can you tell them apart?

~2~
since we have last talked, there have been some big changes around here.
the first one is the boys have decided that solid food is not poison!
they went from hating it to loving it in one day.
they used to eat 10, yes i said ten, tubs of baby food at each meal.
and then one day, they would have nothing of it.
and now, they eat solid food like little champs!
together, they eat as much as jacob and i do at a meal.
we are a LITTLE scared what the teenage years will bring.
here are some pictures of the boys enjoying spaghetti.
sammy
jeffrey
~3~
the other big change is we are mobile now.
yes, the boys are walking.
it is a fun stage, for sure, but i will miss their crawling.
sammy is a speed crawler, and would probably win the gold if that were a competition.
and the funny thing they would do is when they really got going, they would put their head down, and crawl like crazy.
i'm going to miss that.

~4~
i love to read.
my favorite genre right now is cookbooks.
crazy, i know.
but i have so many of them, and i love to read them and get new ideas for meals.
the one i have used for almost every meal this week is "come on over."
i have found so many good recipes in here.
yum!

~5~
so i just went to the gooseberry patch website to get the picture of the cookbook above.
and i have found SO many more cookbooks that i want.
i might need an intervention.
how cute is this one:i am a little obsessed with all things farm related, and i would love to eat at that table right now.
i guess it's just the farmgirl in me.

~6~
my new favorite place to internet window shop is anthropologie at home.
i love these measuring cups.
and these potholders.
and this chair? yes please!
yes, i know it might be a little expensive.
but oh so cute!

~7~
and finally, the best big news of our family is jacob is a licensed architect now!
PRAISE THE LORD!
most professions, there is only one exam you must pass to be licensed.
in architecture, there are nine.
NINE!
first, he had to go to school to get his bachelor's degree.
then, he had to get his master's degree.
then, he had to intern for three years.
THEN, he was eligible to start the exam process.
he counted up the hours he spent taking the tests.
it came out to 27.25 hours.
that is just taking the tests.
that does not include all the hundreds of hours he spent studying for them.
i am so proud of him, i could burst!

7 quick takes - volume 20

2009-06-19T21:58:00.002-05:00

hello from sunny michigan!
we are here visiting jacob's family.
i am using my mil's computer, so i have no pictures of the cutest little boys on the face of the earth to show you.
so in honor of the, oh, FIFTEEN hour drive up here, the quick takes are all highlights, and maybe some lowlights, of the trip.
without further ado....

~1~
we saw about ten deer in the final hour of the trip.
that's not really a highlight, except we saw a tiny little baby deer bouncing across the highway.
so cute!

~2~
as i was driving, someone passed me.
and he was so excited to see me!!!
he kept waving and waving.......his middle finger at me.
i would have loved to see the expression on my face when i realized what he was doing.
i think my jaw dropped open and i just stared at him.
well, i showed him!
i honked my horn loud and long!
ha...take that sucker!
(what did i do to deserve the middle finger salute?
why, i was going the speed limit.
the nerve of me!)

~3~
i am always running baby names past jacob.
you never know when you are going to need one.
well, i asked him about a certain name that i LOVE, and he immediately shot it down.
i was crushed!

~4~
tonight, we went to a restaurant for a good old fashioned fish fry.
and do you know who used to go to this restaurant all the time in his hay day?
none other than al capone.
crazy!

~5~
have you heard of blue moon ice cream?
i think you can only get it here in michigan.
it is the weirdest thing.
it is blue in color, obviously.
but no one can describe its taste.
it's not vanilla.
it's not mint.
it is so weird!
but tasty, none the less.

~6~
the part of michigan we are in is in the eastern time zone.
so i was all freaked out this morning when the boys slept until 11!
jacob and i kept touching them, making sure they were still breathing.
so basically, the boys slept until 10.
don't hate me because i'm beautiful, hate me because my boys sleep through the night for 12 hours.

~7~
i surprised jacob with a visit to lambeau field on our way through green bay.
we went to the packer pro shop, so jacob could pick out a new shirt for father's day.
and then we walked around the atrium and let the boys crawl all over the place.
while we were there, another family with twins came up and introduced themselves.
we talked for fifteen minutes about all things twins.
having twins is so much fun.

~7b~
back when john kerry was running for president, he was campaigning in wisconsin.
and he called lambeau field "lambert field."
immediately, people started booing.
so now, jacob and i call it lambert field.
it cracks us up.

have a great weekend everyone!
go visit jennifer with more quick takes!

RICK! RICK! RICK!

2009-06-09T17:52:00.003-05:00

i was at amber's last week, and we watched a "best of amy poehler" snl.
and the "uncle rick" skit is now my favorite!
so i've been watching them all the time on the internet.
this one is the best.

my three favorite parts are
when she runs around the bench: RICK!....THANKS FOR LETTING ME GET MY EARS PIERCED RICK!!!...RICK!!!,
when she says "don't kill me monster hand!"
and when she whispers rickrickrickrick.

it makes me laugh...but it also reminds me of me when i was ten.
1. the glasses she wears are identical to the first pair of glasses i had to get in fourth grade.
i found them at my parent's house recently and tried them on.
they were almost as big as my face!
2. i wore a retainer FOREVER and i'm sure i had some sort of lisp like hers.
3. i don't think i had an inside voice until i was much older.
i'm sure all my friend's parents cringed when their daughters asked if i could spend the night. REMEMBER THAT RICK!!!
4. when we had sleepovers at this age, our number one goal of the night was too stay awake all night long.
why?
i don't know.
it was cool back then.
and to achieve this goal, we would drink mountain dew after mountain dew after mountain dew.
i remember spending the night at shannon's once, and i was like "i drank FOUR mountain dews! four! i'm gonna stay up ALL night now!"
5. not that i've ever sung "working 9 to 5", but once, and i'm not trying to be dramatic, but we did do a routine to that song at our p.e. program, with huge ribbons.
what do a bunch of 2nd and 3rd graders know about working nine to five?

RICK RICK RICK RICK!!!!

one year checkup

2009-06-08T21:22:00.004-05:00

today, the boys had their one year checkup.
things are looking good!
well....except for their height and weight.
they are both in the less than three percentile for both height and weight.
sorry bubbas...hopefully you'll grow tall like daddy soon!
sammy
jeffrey

stats - one scary, one encouraging

2009-06-07T21:52:00.003-05:00

we've all heard that one in two marriages end in divorce.
what is scary is that that stat is the same for christians.
yikes!

what is encouraging is this stat:
of the couples who pray together, one in 1,052 of those marriages end in divorce.

so the question is:
are you praying with your spouse daily?

7 quick takes - volume 19

2009-06-05T22:12:00.006-05:00

hello again!
did you have a great week?
hope so!

~1~
today is our anniversary.
five years.
i can't believe it.
we have had many great times together.
moving to a city where we knew ZERO people.
buying our first house.
and of course, the bubbas!
i love you jacob!

~2~
i got this email from amber the other day.
"this is a "verse" addie is making me memorize....
spring came. jesus came to life. come on let's play. it's spring. psalms 82:5
if i get it right i get a sticker."
isn't that hilarious?!

~3~
i was at mckmama's photography website the other day.
and she has music playing on the site.
i'm hooked.
i downloaded it on itunes.
i've been listening to it nonstop.
the only problem is that it is all in french.
i have NO idea what's she's singing.
but it's catchy, and helps me get the housework done.
and that's good enough for me!

~4~
amber and the kids came over tonight so jacob and i could go on a date.
after they left, i was going through the pictures on my camera and found these gems:i think luke is trying to get the boys to look at the camera.

i can just hear addie saying "moooooom."

~5~
i'm sorry, but it is late, and i can't think of anything more to say.
i probably could come up with something, but why bore you.

have a great weekend!
(for pictures of the boys' first birthday party, see below.)

the big birthday celebration

2009-05-29T23:00:00.017-05:00

happy birthday to my bubbas!
we had their birthday party a week ago, last friday night.
due to the inability to upload pictures, this post is way late.
sorry.

i would like to thank hobby lobby for their sponsorship of the party.

back when i was pregnant, i saw a sign at hobby lobby that said "prince, son of a heavenly king."
how cute is that?!
i wanted to buy it so bad.
but that was before we knew what we were having.
it was also when i was pregnant with one child.
well, technically, we were pregnant with two children, but we only knew of one.
so anyway, i didn't buy it because i thought "what if we have a girl? what am i going to do with a sign like that?"
and i've been kicking myself ever since because i couldn't find it again.

well, i found it again at hobby lobby.
but this time, it was like an uppercase living product, a big sticker you can put on the wall.
let me tell you, i snatched that baby up right away.
and then it sat in a pile for months.

so one day, i was AGAIN at hobby lobby, wondering up and down the aisles, wandering what i was going to do for the boys' first birthday party.
(i believe i was singing "i wander as i wonder.")
and then, my eyes fell on this:

the light bulb clicked on, and let me tell you, it was bright!
i knew right then what the theme was going to be: prince, son of a heavenly king.
how perfect is that?

here is a picture of what i did with the p:soahk sticker:

i also found picture frames at hob lob that say "little prince" on them.

and when the boys were dedicated, amber gave them this frame that says "wonderfully made."
this is one of my favorite pictures of the boys:

here is what the table looked like with everything on it:

here are some pictures from the night:

their expressions kill me!

the boys and their cousin emma.
isn't she beautiful?!

i got the fabric for these onesies at hob lob.

here's everyone ready to eat supper.
may i say that i LOVE my pink and brown polkadot napkins?

look at all the presents!
and i even found wrapping paper that matched the plates!

we love our new shoes erin!
someday, we'll get to wear them!

and larsons, we love our new bath toys!

after opening presents, it was time for cake!
sammy, on the left, stuck both fingers in the icing.
that is as close as he got to the cake all night.
jeffrey didn't even touch the cake.
he just held onto the plate.

this is us trying to feed them cake.
they wanted nothing to do with it.

sammy, after i forced some cake in his mouth.

this is my new favorite picture of the four of us.
i love my family!

i put that icing on their noses, so that they would have SOME cake on them.

at the end of the night, we found these footprints on the kitchen floor, underneath where they "ate" cake.
so CUTE!!!!

these were the party favors.
i found cookie cutters shaped like crowns at, where else, hobby lobby.

so there you have it.
the boys' first birthday party.
it was so much fun!

happy birthday samuel!

2009-05-28T02:54:00.002-05:00

i love you samuel mark!

happy birthday jeffrey!

2009-05-28T02:37:00.000-05:00

i love you jeffrey jacob!

crying

2009-05-28T00:08:00.002-05:00

i am not a crier.
nope.
i keep it all it.
crying is weakness.

but tonight, i bawled like a baby.
you see, tonight is the last night of my babies' first year.
when we were getting them ready for bed, i asked jacob what his favorite memory was of this past year.
and then we started naming all the fun things that happened.
and then, i lost it.
lost. it.
and this wasn't your regular cry.
this was "the ugly cry."
i was trying to hold the boys and hug them and look into their eyes and savor the moment.
all they wanted to do was take out all the dirty clothes from the hamper.
silly little boys.
who i love with all my heart.

happy birthday! plus lots of other stuff

2009-05-25T15:33:00.003-05:00

happy birthday dad!!!
hope you're having a great time driving home from colorado today.

this is a picture of a picture of my dad and me.
we were pretty excited about the evening buffet, i think.
he is one of the kindest people you will ever meet.
he is brave, strong, loving, compassionate and patient-which is good to be if you have three daughters.
we named little jeffrey after him.
and sammy looked just like him, when he was a baby.
i pray that they both grow up to be as wonderful as my dad.

a year ago today, this is what i looked like:OH MY GOODNESS!!!!
I WAS HUGE!!!
i am 5'2", and in this picture, i am 4' around.
yes, that is right, i said four.
four. feet. around.
i don't even remember being that big.
i remember not being able to move...but not being that big.

last year, on memorial day, i went to the hospital for a scheduled non-stress test.
no big deal.
in and out in an hour, and then breakfast!
wrong-o!
my blood pressure was too high, so they decided to induce me.
and they also started me on magnesium, a muscle relaxer.
that was some crazy stuff!
i couldn't focus on the tv.
my arms weighed 100 pounds.
and when i looked in the mirror, my eyes were so messed up, i thought i looked like sloth from the goonies.
"hey you guys!!!"

and lastly, thank you to those who have served our country.
i am so thankful for your sacrifice.
God bless you.

nine

2009-05-19T21:35:00.002-05:00

nine...the number of months i was pregnant.

nine...the number of containers of baby food the boys eat at one meal.

nine(ty billion)...the number of times my heart melts a day just looking at them.

nine(hundred)...the number of times i say "NO" a day.

nine...the number of poopy diapers i change a day.

nine...the number of times the boys try to pull the gate from the wall at the top of the stairs.

nine(brazillion)...the number of times i say "i love you!...you're so cute!...iloveyouyou'resocute!!!!"

nine...the number of times i clean up pots and pans from the kitchen floor.

nine...the number of days until my little babies are no longer babies.
(my heart just broke into a million pieces just now.)

7 quick takes - volume 18

2009-05-15T22:47:00.006-05:00

hello again!
happy friday to you!

~1~
me and my boys.
i love how they have the same finger in their mouths!

all my boys.

~2~
the invites for the boys' birthday party.
i made them, thank you very much.

~3~
today, my 7th and 8th grade teacher, mrs. scoville, and mrs. bergman, the school cook, stopped by.
(i went to a rural school, k-8th grade.
we're one big family.)
mrs. bergman is an AWESOME cook.
and look what she brought me:
her world famous cinnamon rolls!
heaven in my mouth!

~4~
the boys crawling out onto our deck.
can you see jeffrey's (on the left) hair?
i love how it sticks up in the back.

~5~
this stadium.....yeah, my husband DESIGNED it!
he is SO smart!
isn't it awesome?!

~6~

~7~
i usually don't like church signs because they remind me of velveeta.
but this one, i really like:
don't judge a man's actions until you know his motives.
good reminder church sign, good reminder.

it begins

2009-05-13T00:09:00.002-05:00

tonight, the boys were doing on of their favorite activities.
shaking the gate-at-the-top-of-the-stairs with all their might.
they love to do this.
they usually scream too as they're doing it.

well, tonight, jeffrey for some reason was bending sideways towards sammy.
i couldn't tell what he was doing, because he was still the shaking the gate at the same time.
all of a sudden, sammy makes a beeline for me, crying really hard.
neither jacob nor i saw anything happen.
but when sammy got to me, i picked him up and looked him over.

and i found it.
a perfect set of four little teeth indentions on sammy's arm.

biting has entered our home.

ahoy mateys

2009-05-10T22:54:00.002-05:00

the boys got these outfits last july at one of their showers.
they FINALLY fit into them.
they are cow pirate outfits.
second mate jeffrey and cap'n sammy.

give me all your loot, or i'll make you walk the plank!

fighting over their hook.

jeffrey would not leave sammy alone, so i threw him in the crib for awhile.
it was so cute, he crossed his arms on the rail, rested his chin on his arms and watched us.

yo ho ho until next time!

7 quick takes - volume 17

2009-05-08T21:37:00.003-05:00

can i be honest with you?
i have no motivation to do this this week.
but i know that the "millions.....and millions of fans" are waiting.
(do you know who used to say that?)

~1~
lots of women are list makers.
some make multiple lists so they know exactly what is going on.
i made a list today.
and it made me feel horrible!
all i could see was all the things i didn't get done.
i don't need a dumb list telling me how bad of a person i am.
the devil is pretty much a champion at that.

~2~
speak of the devil...oh wait, i was.
(haha, i crack myself up.)
do you ever notice that when you are studying something in the bible, and then you are trying to apply that to your life, the devil is right there to let you know how horrible you are doing at that?
yeah......right here.
he's taken up residence on my shoulder.
whispering and sometimes shouting my shortcomings.
thanks devil!
i appreciate it!
(family members, all i can think of right now is "de-viled eggs!")

~3~
this is something i don't understand.
how does gerber baby food and target brand baby food taste different?
all it is is apples and water.
or bananas and water.
or peaches and water.
the target brand tastes different.
kind of bad.
how is that?

~4~
happy mother's day to all the mothers out there.
hope you have a day filled with not making a single meal.
good luck!

~5~
confession time.
when we first got married, i was the queen of procrastination.
especially when it came to housework.
i would leave dishes in the sink for days.
the bathrooms....disgusting.
dust, my best friend.
poor jacob.
he didn't know what hit him.

well, since moving into our home, i have tried to stay on top of things.
and tonight just might make it on the "top things i never expected to happen to me" list.
as i was doing the dishes-from tonight's supper just to clarify-all of a sudden i realized i was in a great mood!
i was actually enjoying washing the dishes!
miracles DO still happen!

~6~
the boys' first birthday is coming up.
like in twenty days.
"holy cow! would someone pinch me please?" (name that movie)

what did you do for your child's first birthday party?
theme?
gifts?
party favors?

i don't want to get TOO crazy with everything.
i know the boys won't remember it.
but i do want it to be special.
HELP!

~7~
today, while feeding the boys, the ipod was playing.
and the great song "whoop there it is" came on.
of course, i started dancing and singing.
who wouldn't?!
sammy starts dancing with me.
jeffrey IMMEDIATELY shakes his head no.
come on jeff, it's a great song.
don't be a party pooper.

"i'm taking it back to the old school, cause i'm an old fool, who's so cool."
that song takes ME back to the old high school.
and driving around for hours with sarah.

what song takes you back?

~
so that completes it.
have a great weekend my bloggees!

on my way

2009-05-02T23:02:00.002-05:00

has anyone heard of a little blog call the pioneer woman?
no?
i didn't think so.
she doesn't have too many followers yet.

oh wait.
she just had a giveaway on her blog.
and 19,169 people left comments.
19, 169.
1.9.1.6.9.
i can't even count that high.

i feel i'm following in her footsteps.
i have had.....wait for it......seven comments on one of my posts.
jealous?

i thought so.

7 quick takes - volume 16

2009-04-30T22:42:00.004-05:00

friday already?
i have been so messed up this week.
on tuesday, i thought it was friday.
today, it feels like wednesday.
oh well....here we go!

~1~
both boys have two upper teeth, and two lower teeth.
every once in a while, jeffrey realizes that he can grind them together.
fingernails on a chalkboard!
foil on a cavity filling!
it makes my ears and teeth hurt!
i cringe just thinking about it.

~2~
our garage is full of boxes.
full.
it's too overwhelming for me.
so i just shut the door and think about happier times.

the few boxes that i have opened have got me seeing one thing.
$$$!
my sister and i are going to have a garage sale this summer.
and all my junk is going to be someone else's treasure!
"ca-ching. like a big cash register!"

~3~
yesterday was one of those days.
i hit the wall.
my nerves were shot.
sayonara sanity.

no one big thing happened.
it was just an accumulation of all the things that have been going on recently.

i had to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!!!

so last night, after the boys went to bed, i hightailed it out of there.
i went to target.
ahhhhh, glorious day.

i stood in the book section for a long time.
just looking at books.
writing down the ones i would like to read.
and i stood still the whole time.
no moving the cart back and forth, trying to keep the boys happy.

when i got home, i told jacob that that was my therapy.

~4~
does anyone watch jon & kate + 8?
on the older episodes, she is always saying "i hate this camera" with much hatred in her voice.
i feel her pain.
a sledgehammer is what my stupid camera needs.

so last night, at target, i got myself a new camera!
i can not wait to use it!
thanks for the birthday money mom and dad!!

~5~
this is one of my biggest pet peeves:
when workers at a store or restaurant start to close before the actual closing time.
last night, before i went to target, i stopped at the mall.
i had a birthday coupon at one of my favorite stores that expired yesterday.
i know i got there ten minutes before they closed, but all i wanted was a shirt.
and i still had TEN minutes.

little miss thing was not happy about that.
every shirt she walked past she would hold up and say "how about this one? how about THIS one?"
i found one in three minutes, tried it on at the speed of light, and then took it to the counter to pay.

as i was paying, and CLEARLY frustrating her, she yelled at her co-worker "can you pull the gates down?"
the co-worker yelled back, "is it nine?"
no, no it wasn't.
but she was going to teach me a lesson.

~6~
have you heard these songs?
yeah, i hate them too.

~7~
the boys on their dedication day.
i'm a puddle on the floor.
my wonderful family.
thank you Lord for my blessings.

so luxurious

2009-04-28T15:54:00.001-05:00

so this morning, the nanny came to me, while i was getting my daily massage.
in the background, i would hear the maid cleaning the house.
and i could smell the breakfast that our personal chef was preparing.

the nanny wanted to let me know that the boys had a rough morning.
sammy threw up, and had caked-on snot all over his face.
jeffrey had somehow lost his diaper through the night, and now had poop all over his feet.

i dismissed her and told her to take care of it.
i was busy eating bon bons.

7 quick takes - volume 15

2009-04-24T15:46:00.000-05:00

wow! what a crazy weekend we had!
i was all excited to get back into doing the 7 quick takes, and i had one almost ready to go, but life was busy busy busy this weekend.
we had family in town, the boys were dedicated and i celebrated a birthday.
i will post pictures of all that later.
i promise!

here is what i have for quick takes.
there are only five though.
sorry!
hey peeps!
it seems like forever since i've done the quick takes.
first there was good friday.
then last week, i was so tired from moving i couldn't even come up with one quickie. :)
i've recovered somewhat, so let's jump right in!

~1~
my aunt judy got these outfits for the boys.
they are so warm and cuddly.
and i love how there are little ears on the hoods.
i put them on the boys so i could take pictures of them before i packed them.
they took one look at each other, and started laughing.
laughing like i have never heard them laugh before.
i would pay $100 brazillion to go back in time to video them laughing.
i did put these back on the next day, and i got them laughing on the camcorder.
it was hil-ar-ious!

~2~
my niece addie was over a few days ago.
and when it was time to feed the boys, she asked if she could feed them.
of course i said yes.
i couldn't wait to see how this was going to turn out.

she did really good!
she was very careful, and talked to the boys the whole time.
it was funny because even when their mouths were wide open, she still did the airplane thing.
halfway through the feeding, she said to herself "i'm a good babysitter."

here are some pictures after she got done.
sammy.

jeffrey.
he looks like he is in shock.
"what just happened?"

~3~
here are the boys in their easter outfits.do you know how HARD it is to find church outfits for little boys?!
girls, easy peasy.
there are so many cute dresses out there.
i went everywhere i could at the mall, and most of the clothes for little boys had cartoons all over them.
cartoons + easter = no go.

~4~
after we moved into our house, we had a knock on the door.
i was so excited.
i thought "one of our new neighbors is here to introduce themselves!"
yes, it was a neighbor, but no, she really didn't care about introducing herself.
all she wanted was to tell us that we were parked in her parking spot.
can people claim parking spots?
i grew up on a farm, so we could park wherever we wanted.
is this typical in town, that people claim spots and then make you move when you are in said spot?
just wondering.

~5~
here are some pictures of the boys' favorite things to do in the kitchen.

what a wonderful world

2009-04-22T23:14:00.000-05:00

ahhh...tonight was so wonderful.
the boys and i went to walmart.
fyi...that is not the wonderful part.
but driving around, with the windows down, and a sonic drink, smelling freshly cut grass, it doesn't get any better than that.

poor jacob was home in bed.
they have a HUGE project due at the end of the week.
he stayed last night to get as much work done as possible.
all night turned into all morning too.
he got home at 6am.
SIX AM!!!
is that dedication or what?!
he didn't even sleep.
he came home to shower and went right back to work.

on the way home from walmart, what a wonderful world came on.
i love that song.
love. it.
so i dedicated the song to the boys, and then sang my heart out.
one part of the song always cracks me up.
"i see skies of blue, and clouds of white.
the bright blessed day, the dark sacred night."
i used to think he said "the dogs say good night."
i crack myself up.

a great first impression

2009-04-21T16:10:00.000-05:00

today, it is beautiful out.
FINALLY!
so the boys and i sat out on the front porch.
we were enjoying the weather.
looking at the blue sky and the white puffy clouds.

our neighbor across the street came over to meet us.
she just had a baby, and she brought him over too.
as she was walking up to our house, i stood up.
and then...i fell down the stairs.
yes, you read that right.
i FELL. DOWN. THE. STAIRS!

i believe i would have gotten a perfect 10 on recovery, though.
i popped up, and said "hi, i'm anna!"
like nothing happened at all.

good one, anna.

it's friday, but sunday is coming.

2009-04-10T13:12:00.000-05:00

today, there is no 7 quick takes.
just watch this video.
amazing.

45, sneak peak and yum

2009-04-08T22:56:00.000-05:00

i may be using some of my "7 quick takes" material, so if there is only four on friday, you'll know why.

the boys are 45 weeks old today.
that was my first thought when i woke up today.
my second thought was "there is only seven weeks until they're one."
my third and final thought was "SEVEN!!!! seven weeks?!"
then, i buried my head in my pillow and wept like a baby.

here are some pictures of them during their first bath in the bathtub.sammy.
he's killing me softly with his smile.

jeffrey.
too busy playing to smile.

sneak peak into our new house.
these are the curtains that i L.O.V.E.!!
love, love, LOVE.
and this is our bedroom.
i call this look "meth house chic."

do you live near a maggie moo's ice cream store?
yes?
then run there and get some better batter ice cream!
i could eat that all day long.
oh, maggie moo's, i miss you and your creamy goodness!

today i was at walmart, and what to my wandering eyes should appear, but cake batter ice cream!
i grabbed that little tub 'o goodness and waited all evening to have some.
and it was heaven in my mouth.
aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! (the sound of angels singing)

that's it for now.
hope you are having a great week!
see you friday!

7 quick takes - volume 14b

2009-04-03T07:38:00.000-05:00

i didn't think i was going to get this done today.
(hence the 14b in the title.
this was my original post.)
we are moving into our new house today!!!
but after jacob left this morning, i couldn't go back to sleep, so here we are.
enjoy!!!

~1~
today, we are going to start with a cute picture.
~2~
yesterday, i was driving my dad's dodge ram.
and i met another ram on the street.
you know how when motorcyclists meet each other on the road, they wave at each other a certain way.
i was thinking maybe dodge ram drivers should have one.
and i tested it out on the one i met.
i think it might have qualified more as jazz hands than a wave.
you can bet your bottom dollar that ram drivers will NOT be doing jazz hands anytime soon.
that's too bad though, because jazz hands are the new thirty.

~3~
my new memory verses are on the sidebar.
ch-ch-check 'em out!

~4~
if this is tmi, please forgive me, but i think it's cute.
i have a special breastfeeding pillow so i can nurse the boys at the same time.
and sometimes, they hold hands.

melts my heart.

~5~
are you in need of a new bible study?
sister, here's a good one for you.
living beyond yourself: exploring the fruit of the spirit by beth moore.
so. good.
it is a video series, which i have done in the past, but right now, i'm going through the bible study portion of it, and let me tell you, amazing.
week by week, she takes you through each of the fruit, and really gives you something to chew on.
(i crack myself up. fruit. chew. haha.)
try it, you'll like it.

~6~
i used to be addicted to sudoku.
but i broke myself of that bad habit.
and by bad, i mean staying up way too late..."i just have to get one more puzzle done" as one turned into two, which turned into 24.
but who's counting?
anyway, sudoku has snuck back into my life.
and it wants my mind!
sometimes, if i can't sleep, sudoku grids will fill my head.
and i'll try to finish them.
isn't that sad?

~7~
people are asking for more pictures of the house.
i will post more later.
hopefully, i will be able to take some more pictures before it is filled up with boxes.

have a great weekend!
next week, i'll be coming to you live from our new house!

7 quick takes - volume 14a

2009-04-02T23:36:00.000-05:00

~1~
we.

~2~
are.

~3~
moving.

~4~
today.

~5~
come.

~6~
back.

~7~
later.

2009-04-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

i wonder if they make this for twins.
amber, my birthday is coming up.....

guess what?

2009-04-01T21:47:00.001-05:00

you're looking at the owner of a new house!!!!
we closed on our house today.
i've been on cloud nine all day.

Praise the Lord!

here comes peter cottontail...

2009-03-31T16:52:00.000-05:00

saturday was the boys' 10 month birthday.
seriously?
ten months already?
yeah, yeah, yeah.
i know.
it only goes faster from here.

those lucky little boys.
they got to spend the day shopping with their momma.
at target, i always go through the dollar spot, or what i like to call "there is nothing here that i need, but it's only ONE dollar, so why not?!"
and that is where i found these treasures: the boys are obviously thrilled that i found them.
i think sammy was trying to hide his face with the carseat cover.
but i'm too quick for him.

as any self respecting mother would do, i am teaching the boys from a young age the value of shopping.
someday, my daughters in law will thank me.

7 quick takes - volume 13

2009-03-26T22:00:00.000-05:00

well, hello again faithful readers!
did you all have a good week?

without further ado....here we go.

~1~
last night, on the pioneer woman, she had real time q & a.
and she answered my question.
do you know how huge that is?!
she has like, a brazillion readers!!!
seriously....it made my night.

~2~
one of my favorite jokes:
on the front page of the newspaper, the title of the story read "three brazilions die in plane crash."
the blonde reading it wonders "how many is a brazillion?"
hahahahahahaha!!!!

~3~
i just started twittering.
i have two followers.
i'm sure ashley is waiting on pins and needles for my next update.
if anyone else twitters...let me know...i'm pinkie654, if you want the gripping updates on my life.

~4~
goodness gracious...they are cute.
i don't think there is anything cuter than almost-naked baby pictures.

~5~
i was going through old pictures of the boys, and i can't believe how little they used to be.
look how teeny tiny they are!!!
oh i love you boys!!!!

~6~
i've been memorizing bible verses along with beth moore.
and i can't tell you the difference it has made.
actually, i can.
it's amazing, when these verses run through my head, it completely changes my outlook.
because: ...the word of God is living and active. sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. hebrews 4:12
the verses i have memorized thus far are listed on my sidebar.

~7~
today, i went to a funeral for a young mom.
she has two little, little kids at home.
please pray for her family.
and always, ALWAYS, wear your seatbelts.

have a great weekend, my friends!

here's the video

2009-03-20T13:31:00.000-05:00

the quality is superb.

7 quick takes - volume 12

2009-03-20T08:21:00.001-05:00

~1~
i don't know if you heard or not, no one is really talking about it.
so i thought i would be the first to tell you.
happy spring!
and if you want to sound smart, it is the vernal equinox.

~2~
this week, the boys went to the park for the first time.
they l.o.v.e.d. the swings!
here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.
jeffrey.
sammy.
there was only one bucket swing, so after they swung by themselves, i put them both in it.
they just sat and looked around, and had the best time.

~3~
have you seen the show on the food network "diners, drive-ins, and dives"?
we have a love-hate relationship...me and that show.
i love to watch it.
but hate it because the food always looks SO good!
i think i would like that job.
driving around the country, eating comfort food all day long.
what could be better?

~4~
my camera has a video camera in it, but it doesn't tape sound.
so in honor of those films that came before us, i give you...the boys silently swinging.
(so nothing would load. i'll try later.)
***the video is now up. it is on the post above this one.***
~5~
here is an adorable picture of the boys after lunch.
can you tell them apart?

~6~
here are some pictures of the house. the kitchen.
i love these colors!
another view of the kitchen.
this is our bathroom.
i love these stripes!!!
and this is the backyard.
king of the hill anyone?

~7~
last weekend, my nieces, emma and addie, spent the night.
they are so cute!!
we made cookies together.
here they are after the cookies came out of the oven, and they put the chocolate kisses on the cookies.
and here they are discussing the awesomeness that is their aunt.

while we were eating a most nutritional meal of macaroni and cheese, emma explained the tooth fairy to me.
she has some loose teeth in front, so i asked her what happens to them.
emma: when you bite an apple or a carrot, your teeth get stuck in them.
me: and then what happens?
emma: you put them under your pillow and the tooth fairy comes and gets them.
me: what does she do with them?
emma: she takes them and gives them to babies.

mystery solved!
thanks emma!!!

the breakfast song

2009-03-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

this is hilarious!!!
watch it!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYqM9-Fj0Pg

i cannot figure out how to get this video to show up on my blog.
any pointers?

7 quick takes - volume 11

2009-03-13T07:25:00.001-05:00

good friday to ya!

~1~
daylight savings time has thrown me for a loop and a half this week.
i am so confused when it comes to the boys' schedule.
they usually take a morning nap around 10:30.
but is it really 9:30 to them?
i didn't change the clock in the nursery so i would know what time it was in our old schedule.
but then i would look at the clock and think:
is it still pre-daylight savings time setting?
did i move it ahead an hour?
the clock says 10:00, and they should be ready for a nap, but is it only 9:00 to them...is it 10:00, but they don't seem tired...did i change the clock...did jacob change the clock?
forget the boys, momma needs a nap.

~2~
the weather also has not been nice to me this week.
it looks so nice out.
the sun is shining.
the birds are chirping.
the stroller is calling our names.
and then i look at the thermometer...28 degrees.
psych!
we haven't left the house since monday.
spring can't get here fast enough!!

~3~
last night, jacob went to check on the boys, and i think they were a little tired.
jeffrey must have been in the process of crawling over sammy, when he fell aleep.
he was laying crosswise on top of sammy's stomach.
sammy had no idea.
he was out cold.

~4~
there is a show on vh1 called sober house.
it is a reality show about celebrities trying to get sober.
and it is so sad watching them trying to get over their addictions.
they have tried to fill the void with so many things, and i wish i could crawl through the tv, and tell them Who can fill that emptiness.
i know their lives won't magically change, but what a different outlook they would have.

~5~
picture time!
jeffrey.
i love how he sticks his tongue out.

sammy has two teeth on top.
it makes him look so much older than he really is.

this is how they look in the morning.
i LOVE it!

~6~
my parents made it to cambodia safely.
mom called me last night, and the connection was GREAT!
our conversation consisted of her yelling "hello....hello....anna...can you hear me....we made it...can you hear me...we made it...bye."
and me yelling back "hello...mom...hello...i can hear you...mom...okay...okay....love you!...bye."

~7~
our house is coming together quickly.
jacob is almost done with the painting.
the cabinets are in.
the kitchen floor is in.
we close in 19 days!!
i can't wait!
i'm going to the house tomorrow, so hopefully, i'll remember to take some pictures.
cause i know you are on pins and needles waiting to see the paint colors i picked out.

goodbye, that's all she wrote.

2 things

2009-03-11T16:19:00.000-05:00

1: my parents left for cambodia today.
please keep them in your prayers.

2: my friend elizabeth recently celebrated her birthday.

happy birthday elizabeth!!
i wrote this little song for you:
i am a friend of liz's.
i am a friend of liz's.
i am a friend of liz's,
she calls me friend.

you're welcome!
miss you, can't wait to see you!

7 quick takes - volume 10

2009-03-06T08:08:00.000-06:00

this week, i am fresh out of ideas to talk about.
so i am just going to link to different websites or blog posts that are interesting.

~1~
blasphemy.

~2~
this is why you're fat.
beware: you might throw up a little in your mouth.

~3~
i love her house.
and her blog.
and her bangs.
so i got some.
but now i don't like them.
mine...not hers.
just go and look at the pictures of her house on the right side of her blog.

~4~
love the one you're with.

~5~
before and after.
i love the salt and pepper shakers.

~6~
to live is christ.
then go here, and get a free book that will make you think.
yes, free.
go get it.

~7~
and what would a 7 quick takes be without a picture of the boys?
so cute.

2009-02-27T21:19:00.000-06:00

so eliz left a comment with a link to the "mashed bananas" song.
it's from the wiggles.
here it is.
thanks eliz!

enjoy!

7 quick takes - volume 9

2009-02-26T14:59:00.000-06:00

~1~
my niece, addie, used to be in kindermusic.
she learned a song there, and the only words i know to it are "mashed banana, mashed banana."
she would do a little dance to it, so i sang it all the time, trying to get her to shake her groove thing.

the other day, i fed the boys bananas.
and jacob said, "we are NOT going to teach our boys the mashed banana song."
up to that point, i had completely forgotten about that song.
i don't know why he doesn't like it...other than the fact that i might have sung it 152 times a day.
but since i was, in fact, mashing bananas, that is all i can think about as i feed the boys.
"mashed banana, mashed banana."

~2~
shout out of the week:
hello to faithful reader dan!
next time you make cinnamon rolls, send some our way!
hope you're doing good!

~3~
the most fulfilling thing about being a mother is watching the boys grow and develop right before my eyes.
one day, they're just laying on the floor, kicking their little legs, taking it all in.
before you know it, they're crawling, pulling themselves up, exploring everything.
last week, i started the boys on solid food.
and it was so amazing to watch them learn how to use a spoon.
the first few times, they didn't know what was going on.
and then...it just clicked.
they were opening their mouths, and swallowing the food, instead of pushing it back out of their mouths.
amazing.

~4~
i still get emails from the company that takes pictures of babies in the hospital.
this week, i got one from them, and in the subject line, it said "do you have a cute kid?"
do i ever!
aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
this is what they do when they are tired.
grab their magic blankets and suck their thumbs.
seriously!
they are so cute!

~5~
we call them magic blankets, because that is what they are.
as long as the boys have these with them, they are happy.
fourteen hour car trip to michigan?
no problem! we have the magic blankets!
tired and cranky?
hand them one of these, and they are good to go.

my seventh and eighth grade teacher made them for the boys.
when i opened the gift from her at one of my showers and saw these beautiful knitted blankets, i teared up.

~6~
if miss colbie caillat would have written her song "realize" nine years ago, i can assure you it would have been the theme song of my life when i was in college.
here are the lyrics to the chorus:

if you just realize what i've just realized,
then we'd be perfect for each other
and we'll never find another
just realized what i just realized
we'd never have to wonder
if we missed out on each other now.

i'm sure i would have played this song over and over, all the while wondering why he wouldn't just realize that we were perfect for each other.

there was one boy in particular that comes to mind.
his name was scott.
i always saw him in the cafeteria.
and i thought we would be perfect for each other.

until one day...
he showed up for supper in a t-shirt that said "i fear no beer."
(sound of tires screeching)
WHAT?!!
"i fear no beer"??!?!!?!?!!

sadly, that was the day i realized we wouldn't be perfect for each other.
"i fear no beer"?
why? why would you put that on a shirt?
AND why would you wear that shirt?

~7~
i love baby calves.
they are so cute.
and when i drive by them, they make me smile.
i don't know why, but they do.
if i was the pioneer woman, i would take some pictures for you, but alas, i'm not.

is "baby calves" redundant?
what i'm trying to say is brand new baby calves.
when they're still so little.

have a great weekend everyone!

7 quick takes - volume 8

2009-02-20T07:42:00.000-06:00

did everyone have a good week?
can you believe it's friday already?!
crazy!
~1~
i have a new obsession.
i love trying different things with all the pictures i have of the boys.

~2~
i experienced a new mom-thing yesterday.
i left the nursery to go do something, and when i came back, it was SO quiet.
i thought maybe the boys had crawled into a different room.
no...they had gotten into something they shouldn't have.
and they were having a good ole time.
just like they say, if it's quiet, the kids are doing something they shouldn't.

~3~
i will never complain about being bored at home again.
i am learning that a boring stay-at-home-mom job means that everything is going good in our life.
this family is going through a really tough time right now.
i know i post a lot of sad stories about little kids, but they really need our prayers right now!

~4~
this doesn't make any sense to me:
when i get up early with jacob, i feel great throughout the day.
i'm not tired.
i have a lot of energy.
but the days when i sleep in or go back to sleep after jacob leaves, i am so tired!
what's up with that?

~5~
this is great fun:
here are the rules:
1) go to wikipedia.
hit random or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
the first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.
2) go to random quotations by clicking: http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
the last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.
3) go to flickr and click on explore the last seven days or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
the third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

here is mine:
band name: m10
album name: deal with it the right way
album cover: ha!
(or har, to you amber!)

~6~
i love turning the monitor on in the morning and listening to the boys wake up.
their little noises melt my heart.
somedays, it sounds like they are talking to each other.
other days, it sounds like they are trying to destroy the crib.

~7~
some smiles to brighten your day!

valentine's day...i heart you

2009-02-17T20:44:00.000-06:00

we had a great valentine's day!
we started the afternoon at a most romatic place...menards.
we had an hour and a half to pick out as many things as possible for the house.
we were maniacs, maniacs, on the floor, and we were picking stuff out like we've never picked stuff out before.
we picked out lights, a kitchen sink, faucets for the bathrooms and kitchen, bathroom accessories, door handles, outside lights...it was crazy.

then we went out to eat at a restaurant, venue, that reminds us of one of our favorite restaurants in des moines, greenbriar.
only at venue, we didn't have to wait two hours for a table.
but greenbriar sure is worth the two hour wait.
anyway, it was yum-my!
we went all out...appetizer, salads, salmon for me, porkchops for jacob, and TWO desserts!
creme brulee...God's little gift to me.
it was so nice to sit and talk.

and this will make you want to go out to eat right now:
two sundays ago, we went out for lunch after church.
the boys didn't want to stay in their carseats, so we were each holding one, and using whatever we could to distract them...cups, toys, spoons.
well, one of the spoons ended up in one of the carseats, and it came home with us.
on saturday, we took the spoon back.
i stayed in the car, and jacob took it inside.
when he was walking back to the car, he had a big smirk on his face, and i knew something happened.
when he walked in, he explained to the hostess what happened and handed her the spoon.
she acted like she could care less.
the whole time, she was rolling silverware in napkins.
as he was walking out the door, he looked back.
and oh yes, she put that spoon-which had been sucked on, dropped on the floor, stuck in a car seat, left on the floor of the car, put in a cupholder which had sticky pop in the bottom of it-into the CLEAN utensil holder.
ummm, sorry to whoever got that spoon!

and the boys have a message for you:

did everyone else have a great valentine's day?

7 quick takes - volume 7

2009-02-13T22:20:00.001-06:00

it's friday again...you know what that means: ~1~
here is a picture of our house.
beautiful, ain't it?!

~2~
growing up, we called our grandparents "grandma" and "grandpa."
blogs have opened up a whole new world of names for grandparents: nonny, bibby, glamma, big papi...just kidding.
about the big papi...but wouldn't that be funny?!
did you call your grandparents different names?

~3~
shoutout of the week:
hey erin!
91!

~4~
being a former nurse on a neurology unit, this totally cracked me up.
if you are not a nurse, don't judge.
you will never understand 'til you've been there.

~5~
the other morning i walked into the nursery and found this:
somehow jeffrey had managed to unsnap all but the top two snaps on his pajamas and get his feet out of them.
silly boy.

sammy's cute morning face.

~6~
convicting.
i better go write some letters.

~7~
for our first valentine's day, i found a heart shaped fondue pot at a store called target.
you might have heard of it.
fondue has a special place in our hearts, because we got engaged at "the melting pot."
so every year, i get the fondue pot out, and we fondue to our hearts content, or until the chocolate runs out.
and i have two heart-shaped plates i use.
and heart-shaped tea light candleholders.
do you have any traditions on valentine's day?

hope you all have a great valentine's day!!

roadtrip anyone?

2009-02-12T16:02:00.000-06:00

there is a place in madison, wi called dance fabulous.
it's a dance studio that teaches you dance choreography to hip hop songs!
seriously?!
i'm there!!

amber, you don't have anything tomorrow, do you?
they are teaching mo money, mo problems!
because that IS our life story.
now we'll have a dance for it!

pray pray pray

2009-02-08T09:51:00.000-06:00

little cora is now with Jesus.
please pray for her parents.
she was 10 months old.
i cannot even imagine what they are going through right now.

7 quick takes - volume 6

2009-02-06T21:46:00.000-06:00

~1~
the boys have a new friend!
jacob alan is here!
congratulations morgan, tara and brenna!
we visited them in the hospital, but i forgot to take pictures.
go to tara's blog to see him.

~2~
in other exciting news, we bought a house!
it is being built right now, so we won't move in for a few months.
pictures to follow.

~3~
the day jacob alan was born, this is what i had for my facebook status:
"anna is having a great day! she held a brand new baby and the seller accepted our offer!"
someone made the comment that it sounded like we put an offer on the baby!
it reminded of friends when rachel was pregnant, and told joey that "my boss wants to buy my baby."
totally cracked me up.

~4~
all the experts tell you to buy toys that have bright and bold colors on them.
so the nursery is full of toys in every color of the rainbow.
guess what the boys want to play with.
anything devoid of color.
white diapers.
black remote controls.
gray storage tubs.
gray cell phones.
gray spoons.
clear water bottles.

~5~
the boys are still sleeping in the same crib.
and when we put them in the crib at night, we try to lay them as far from each other as possible.
most nights when we check on them before we go to bed, they are snuggled right up beside each other.
seriously...it melts my heart.

~6~
since i love valentine's day so much, i thought the boys needed some valentine's love.
so i got them these shirts.
they say "mommy's little love bandit."
because they stole me heart.
i don't think they share my love for valentine's day though.

~7~
yeah, i have nothing.
sorry.
have a good weekend!!!

7 quick takes - volume 5

2009-01-30T15:50:00.001-06:00

~1~
i am obsessed with mango right now.
simply orange juice with mango.
can't get enough.
mango mandarin from bath and body works.
my favorite scent right now.
although i'm not actually eating mangos.
to be honest, they scare me.
i have no idea how to cut one up.
i know there is a gadget out there called a mango cutter.
.......i just looked it up...it's called a mango pitter.
and i guess i should invest in one.
this is the description:
"this innovative new tool solves the single drawback to enjoying one of the
world’s most delicious fruits – removing the odd-shaped pit. quick and safe
to use, it slices a mango right down the center and cuts the pit free,
making salsas, smoothies, fruit salads and sorbet far easier to prepare from
mangoes."
not as scary as i first thought.

~2~
my favorite thing to do when i get the boys up from their nap is to smell their blankets.
the blankets smell just like the boys.
i want to bottle up that smell.

~3~
the boys are starting to pull themselves up now.
not by their bootstraps.
just to a standing position.
and i am their favorite thing to pull up on.
although, it's really not that fun for me.
when they grab, their little fingers pinch like none other.
it's usually on my leg, or the back of my arm, and then once they stand up, it's my neck that they grab and pinch.
OUCH!!!

~4~
the photographer that we went to in october for family pictures hangs some of the portraits at pizza hut.
we ate there last night, and the boys' picture was there!
the boys are famous!
at least in our little town!
this is what the picture looks like.
two little angels.
normally, i can tell the boys apart, no problem.
but this one, i think they look so identical.
i love it!

~5~
i've been trying something new this week.
i am getting up at 6:00.
a.m.
VOLUNTARILY!
i never, and i mean NEVER, thought in a million, billion, kagillion years that i would get up at that time if i didn't have to.
and the weird thing is....i like it!
i can get some things done before the boys wake up.

~6~
my favorite holiday of all time is coming up!
valentine's day!!!
i don't care if it is a made up holiday.
i l.o.v.e. it!
jacob could skip getting me a birthday, anniversary and christmas present...as long as he gets me stuff on valentine's day.
(just don't tell him i said that.)
i love the pinks and reds.
the cards.
the flowers.
everything about it, i love!

~7~
happy birthday tomorrow ashley!!!
hope you have a great day!
i wish we could be there to help you celebrate!
hopefully soon we can come visit.
love ya!

please pray

2009-01-29T15:54:00.000-06:00

please pray for this little girl.
i found their blog today from whatever's blog.

little cora is 10 months old.
and she has stage 4 cancer.
FOUR!!!
it doesn't get any worse than that.

please lift this family up before the Lord.

the day everything changed

2009-01-28T21:46:00.001-06:00

a year ago today, i was 22 weeks pregnant.
with one baby.
until 10:30.
when we had our first ultrasound.

as i was getting comfortable on the table, the tech asked me "the reason for the ultrasound is......."
and she looked at me.
and i looked at her.
i thought "doesn't everyone get an ultrasound at this time?"
she asked "are you measuring small? big? is this just a screening ultrasound?"
i said "it's just a screening ultrasound."

so she proceeds.
and two seconds after she starts, she says "well, congratulations! you're having twins!"

WHAT?!?!?!!!!!!!!..............................what?!?!?!!?!!!

and our lives were never the same again.

when we found out i was pregnant, we were both so excited.
we knew there were going to be changes in our life.....we just never knew how big those changes would be.
now, we look at life as "before twins and after twins".
and january 28 is the line that divides the two.

we had many different reactions that day.
i burst out laughing.
jacob was in shock.
after the tech left the room when the ultrasound was over, all i could say was "we have to buy two of everything."
jacob kept saying "we'll be fine."
then we called our families.
my dad burst out laughing.
both my mom and my sister asked "are you sure?"
my aunt screamed. (because my grandma is a twin also.)
my friend elizabeth exclaimed "WHAT?!"
my friend tiffaney cried. happy tears.

i really wish i would have written everyone's reactions down that day.
i would love to know what my grandma-the twin-said.
and cheryl, who also has twins. i was her nanny for many years.
and we can't remember what any of jacob's family said.

the rest of the day, all i could say was "we're having twins" with a deer in the headlights expression.

my friend lindsey (hey girl!) totally called the twins thing.

i visited her one day at the clinic where we used to work together.

i think it was about a week before the ultrasound.

and i said something to the effect that "i can't believe i already have to wear maternity pants."

and she said "maybe you're having twins."

which i promptly laughed at.

we are so blessed to have them.
i can't imagine life with only one of them.
i told jacob one night "wouldn't it be boring if we had only one?"
does that make me crazy?
don't answer that.

today the boys are 8 months old.
EIGHT! MONTHS! OLD!
i still cannot believe it.

happy birthday boys!!!!
i love you!

when skies are gray

2009-01-23T22:10:00.000-06:00

you make me happy

2009-01-23T22:07:00.000-06:00

7 quick takes - volume 4

2009-01-23T11:56:00.000-06:00

seriously?!
it's friday already?
cra-zy.
you know what that means:

~1~
fortune cookie, fortune cookie, wherefore art thou, fortune cookie?
you teased me.
the past two nights, one or both of the boys have been waking up in the middle of the night.
they usually sleep all night long.
i know, i know. "two nights, what's the big deal?" i hear some of you asking.
but, and this is when i climb on top of my soapbox, life with twins is much different than life with just one.
imagine, being woken up by your precious little one at 1 am.
you roll out of bed, stumble blindly to the nursery, and pick up the little angel.
you go through the routine of getting him back to sleep: rock, sing, pat, nurse. repeat.
repeat.
and repeat again if necessary.
you lay him down in the crib and back away slowly, praying with everything in you that he stays asleep.
you go back to your bed, lay (all of a sudden i am struck with grammer-itis. is it lie down or lay down?) down and start to drift off to happy land.
OH WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!
the other one just woke up.

~2~
speaking of waking up in the middle of the night, i am one of those mean moms who believes in letting the boys cry it out.
some hate it, some like it.
like the monkees, i'm a believer.
anyway...
last night sammy was crying it out.
when i went in to the nursery to make sure everything was okay, i saw the cutest little sight i've ever seen.
jeffrey was laying/lying on his back.
and sammie was resting his head on jeffrey's chest.

~3~
yesterday, it was 60 degrees.
just now i looked out the window.
it's practically blizzarding!
why the tease God?
WHY?

~4~
i have always wanted to be a stay at home mom.
i never knew how lonely that job could be.
don't get me wrong...there is no other place i would rather be.
but it is lonely.

~5~
we are in the midst of house hunting.
bbblllaaahhhh!!!!
have you seen the commercial for, i think remax, where the family is in a hot air balloon?
they drift over the town, looking peacefully at all the houses.
and then they point to one, smiling at each other.
the realtor lowers the balloon on the fron lawn, and just like that, they've bought themselves a new house.
once this blizzard is over, i'm getting myself a hot air balloon.

~6~
do you know what cracks me up?
i'll tell you.
the way babies can sleep with their arms sticking straight up in the air.
how do they do that?

~7~
i love watching jacob interact with the boys.
he has nicknames for both of them, and they crack. me. up.
they don't even make sense.
but oh so cute.
and when he calls in the afternoon, i put the phone on speaker so they can hear him.
and their little faces light up when they hear his voice.
it makes me melt like a popsicle on "da fourff of july."

my only sunshine

2009-01-19T22:24:00.000-06:00

you are my sunshine

2009-01-17T23:53:00.000-06:00

7 quick takes - volume 3

2009-01-16T21:15:00.000-06:00

conversion diary has 7 quick takes every friday.
here are mine.

~1~
have you seen the movie bella?
i recently saw it for the first time.
seriously...it is one of my favorite movies.
it is a love story...but not a typical love story.
even guys will like it.
go watch it. now.

~2~
tonight, we had chinese food for supper.
the food bad.
my fortune good:
you will sleep well at night.
thank you fortune cookie!
but where were you in october?!

~3~
back to bella.
i love the soundtrack, but there is none to be found.
does anyone out there know where i can find it?

~4~
pictures of the boys to follow soon.
i hope.

~5~
over at beth moore's blog, they are memorizing 2 bible verses a month.
i decided this was something that might be beneficial.
so i jumped right in.
this is my second pick for january:
colossians 3:23-24 "whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. it is the Lord Christ you are serving.

~6~
i know we are WAY behind the times...
but jacob and i recently watched the office.
hil-a-ri-ous!
i might be hooked.

~7~
when i start the boys on solid foods, i want to make their baby food.
i want the best for them, and by making the food, i can control what exactly goes in their mouth.
has anyone out there done that?
any good websites?
what brand of food processer do you suggest?
any and all suggestions are welcome.
thanks!

have a great night!

2009-01-12T21:54:00.000-06:00

hello again bloggees!
how has everyone been?

i haven't blogged in almost a month!
where has all the time gone?

i am slow in getting back into the swing of things.
for christmas, we drove to the u.p. to visit jacob's family.
(the u.p. is the upper penisula of michigan. fyi.)
sixteen hours.
16!
with two seven month olds.
but they did great.
we were up there for almost two weeks.
then we drove back.
18 hours.
icy roads.
crying...both me and the boys.
well, not me, but i wanted to.

and now, i have all this stuff to write about, but i have about zero desire to it.
so have patience.
it's a virtue.

7 quick take - vol 2

2008-12-19T13:00:00.000-06:00

1:
i was reading parents magazine the other day.
it had a very wise article "what's your mommy sign?"
"could your parenting personality be written in the stars? judge for yourself: check out your sign's strengths and use astrologer dabney oliver's advice to bring out the best in your child."
seriously?!!
from the stars?
it told me in the year ahead, i need to "ignore the economy. the stars say to focus on your career. push for a promotion, ask for flex time, or channel your inner mompreneur and start your own business."
push for a promotion...let's see...i'm a stay at home mom.
what can i be promoted to?

i'm so glad i don't have to trust the stars to tell me what to do.
i know the One "who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name." isaiah 40:26.
and He knows me.

2:
do you want to know one of my least favorite verses in the bible?
yes?
ok, here is it:
"anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." james 4:17
let's just cross that one out, shall we?

3:
could they BE any cuter?!

4:
this summer i read "the nativity story."
it was based on the screenplay for the movie "the nativity story."
which was based on the story of Jesus' birth.
just so we're all on the same page.

one thing that really stuck out to me was how much mary's life changed after she was told that she would give birth to the Son of God.
her whole life changed in that instant.
she wouldn't get to have a wedding celebration like all her friends.
she was now an outcast.
she was supposed to be stoned.
joseph could divorce her.
nothing would ever be the same.

it's easy to think when you become a christian that "everything will fall right into place."
or "God wouldn't let (fill in the blank) happen to me, or my family."
or "if God is a loving God, why did He let this happen."
or "i didn't sign up for this."
well, i don't think mary did either.
but His ways are not our ways.
He sees the bigger picture.

5:
here's something to make all the stay at home moms feel great.
someone figured out what a stay at home mom's job is worth.
are you ready for this?
$200,000!
yes, two hundred thousand dollars.
i repeat two hundred thousand.
maybe i should push for a promotion...or at least a raise.

6:
i love christmas time.
everything...i love it!
except for the crowds.
and the compromise that comes with getting married:
sharing family time.
i want to spend all our time with my family.
cause we're a lot of fun!
not that my husband's family isn't...it's just different.
i'm from nebraska.
he's from michigan.
so there is no way for us to spend christmas eve with his family, and christmas day with my family.
i don't know which would be worse-being gone for all the festivities or splitting them.
any splitters out there?
do you like leaving one party to go to the other?
or would you rather just be with one side for the whole time?

7:
i don't know what else to talk about.
so i'm off to go channel my inner mompreneur.

2008-12-12T23:58:00.000-06:00

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100

our house closed today!
we are praising Him for His faithfulness!
thank you Lord!
we are truly grateful for all You have done!
Praise His Name!!!

isn't she lovely?

2008-12-08T16:08:00.000-06:00

little lexandra grace is here!
congratulations dan and morgan!!!

isn't she adorable?!!
we can't wait to meet her!

along with evelyn, she is on the list of future wives for the boys.
you know...because kids love arranged marriages.

my desire

2008-12-07T16:16:00.000-06:00

this is what i want for our children.

a little bit of everything

2008-12-06T21:55:00.001-06:00

tonight i made banana cookies.
sounds weird...i know.
i thought the same thing until i tried them.
yum.
yum yum yum.

the recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter.
i apparently started baking yesterday, because i put in 2 sticks of butter, instead of the one that the recipe called for.
call me paula deen.
the cookies tasted fine.
just a little rich.
a little extra butter never hurt anyone.

here's the recipe:
1/2 cup butter (that is ONE stick of butter. not two. fyi.)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 ripe bananas, mashed

preheat oven to 375. cream butter, sugar and egg. add dry ingredients and bananas. mix well. drop on ungreased cookie sheets. bake for 10 minutes.

eat warm.
when you bite into your first cookie, the heavens will open and you will hear angels singing and you will be bathed in golden light, coming down from above.
aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
your welcome.
***my mom just informed me of a spelling error. it should be you're welcome. not your welcome. thanks mom!***
~
here's a little christmas tidbit for you all.
impress all your friends and family this christmas season.
instead of wishing that special someone "merry christmas," you can say "mele kelikimaka!!"
that is "hawaii's way to say 'merry christmas to you.'" (from the song mele kelikimaka)
~
why is it when i start a post, i have all these great ideas to write about.
and halfway through, i can't remember any of them.
not fun.
~
here's a quote that kicked my butt.
"no man has ever crawled out from under his wife's criticism to be a better man-no matter how justified her condemnation."
what?
it doesn't work that way?!
why not?!
wouldn't it be easier that way?
just do what i tell you to do!!!
and we'll all get along.
i'm just saying.
not that i would ever do that.
but it's a good warning i might take into consideration.
~
are you in luck!!
you lucky duckies!
i have tried to post pictures on here, but the first two times, it didn't work.
but you know the third time...

i could stare at this one for hours.

my aunt judy got these for the boys.
they look like they are going to be in a potato sack race.
it says baby's first christmas at the bottom.
hello big toe.

who has the cutest twins in all the land?
me...that's who.

sammy's getting ready for senior pictures.
jeffrey is taking notes.

my three favorite guys in the whole wide world.
~
i just took a break and ate another banana cookie.
seriously.
go make some.
~
when it comes to christmas carols, i am a purist.
don't jazz it up.
don't add a catchy stanza.
just give me a piano and an organ, and i am happy.
joyful.
i want to tell it on the mountain.
and sleep in heavenly peace.
~
jacob and i went on our first date in probably six months last night.
do you know how much fun that was?!
we actually had a conversation.
we weren't just shoveling in our food at lightning speed.
and yay for target!
they are open an hour later now.
and yay for mcdonald's!
they have mccafe now.
cheap coffee drinks.
i got a caramel iced decaf coffee.
yum.
yum yum yum.
~
good night my little bloggees.

my new hobby

2008-11-30T20:57:00.001-06:00

hello to the world of blogging!
i've been gone for awhile.
well, not really.
okay, not at all.
tonight, jacob walked in with the boys, and said "let's go visit mommy while she works on her hobby."
and by hobby, he meant reading blogs.
i'm not that bad.
my sister is worse.
(sorry amber, if i'm going down, you're going with me.)
i'm all about sharing. and caring.

i've now renamed our bedroom "hobby lobby."

the boys' first thanksgiving.
jeffrey has the sweetest smile on his face.
makes me giggle everytime i look at it.
and no, they didn't wear pj's to thanksgiving.
i just forgot to take pictures in their outfits.
good one, anna.

the boys are now six months old! and do you think they could smile for the picture?
no.
and do you think i could have picked a better time for the picture, right before baths and eating and bedtime?
no.
good one, anna.

here's a better one.

this is what they looked like at the beginning:
sammy is being all "rico sauve" with his shirt unbuttoned.
look at how jeffrey's little tongue is sticking out.
too cute!

my cousin jenna took some pictures for us.
i am using them for our christmas card.
i don't think i'll use this picture:
but i better get used to this in the future.

a happy ending

2008-11-22T12:47:00.000-06:00

remember this picture?it breaks my heart everytime.
but there is a happy ending.

on a much different note, and way less significant, does anyone twitter?
what exactly is twitter?
is it like facebook status updates?
inquiring minds want to know.

the hill are alive...

2008-11-17T21:40:00.000-06:00

with the sound of "what is going on"?

does anyone watch "the hills?"
i know i am probably too old to watch it, but i don't care.
i love it.
i'm addicted.
must.watch.hills.

did anyone watch last night?
great editing mtv.

AND did you see the preview for next week?
lauren and justin bobby?
did i see that right?
what is going on in hillsland?

and what does audrina see in jb?
and what does heidi see in spencer?

and why are the clothes that i wore in fourth grade making a comeback?
they weren't cute then, and sorry whitney, i love you, but they aren't cute now.
(i'm sorry to say that whitney, you are my favorite.)

and did anyone see "the hills according to me?"
i laughed soooo hard at that.
too good.

and could i ask anymore questions?
and could i sound any more like chandler bing?

7 quick takes

2008-11-14T22:25:00.000-06:00

a blog i read, conversion diary, has "7 quick takes friday".
so i thought i would join in on the fun.
sit back, get something to drink....this could be long.
just warning you.

~numero uno~
this week jacob and i tried something new.
after feeding the boys for the final time of the day, we put them in their crib to see if they could put themselves to sleep.
and it worked!
there was some crying involved...but it worked.
before this, i would rock them to sleep and then put them in the crib.
which usually took all night to get them both asleep.
so right after i would lay them in the crib, i would rush to the bathroom and get ready for bed so i could try and get some sleep.
tonight, after i laid them down, i ran to the bathroom to start the getting ready process.
and i looked at the clock....8:51.
EIGHT : FIFTY ONE!!!!!!!!
the night is still young!
so i had all this time to get stuff done.
and guess what i did.
i found like 943 more blogs to look at.
genius.
if procrastinating was a degree in college, i would have been magna cum laude.

~#2~
last weekend, we were in des moines to pack up our little house.
here is a helpful hint for everyone:
don't try to pack your house with five month old twins along.
you will get about one box packed.

~#3~
embarrassing story: my friend elizabeth's family owns a moving company.
so she came over friday to visit and help me pack that one box.
we were upstairs in the bedroom, and i asked her about a dresser that still had some clothes in it.
she told me not to worry about it, because they could pack the dresser in the truck without emptying the drawers.
so i didn't empty them.
saturday, i returned to the house to find that someone, in fact, had emptied said drawers.
and guess what was in one of the drawers.
lingerie.
i kid you not.
and guess who packed that box.
one of jacob's former coworkers.
not a female coworker either.
oh the embarrassment.

~#4~
here is a picture of the boys and elizabeth's little girl evelyn:

poor evelyn.
sammy saw toes, and he didn't care who's toes they were.
they were going in his mouth!

~#5~
say what?!?!! i'm how old?!

the boys are 24 weeks now.
the start of their sixth month.
i CAN NOT believe it!!
where have the last six months gone?

~#6~
a guy at jacob's office got these for the boys.
i call it "thugz-in-love"
remember that one erin?

~#7~
no one makes me laugh like my sister amber.
i was over at her house today, and seriously, all we did was laugh.
it is not funny to anyone else, but we sure get a kick out of each other.
here's the quote of the day:
don't worry, beef curry!

just what i needed

2008-11-13T20:26:00.000-06:00

this was totally what i needed tonight: a good laugh.
seriously...this is too funny.
i was laughing out loud.

a gut ripper

2008-11-12T23:17:00.000-06:00

my friend jenny posted this on her blog today.
it made my heart stop for a second.
how sad.

jenny and her husband have two adorable little boys.
and they are waiting for the adoption of their two little girls from liberia.
the girls' names are bernice and praising.
isn't that cute?!
please pray for their family.
they have been waiting and waiting and waiting for the adoption to finalize.
things in africa run so much differently then they do here.
but she has so much faith...it's amazing.

another new layout

2008-11-05T23:57:00.001-06:00

so i couldn't stand the looks of the layout i put on here earlier today.
it made my eyes cross and toes curl.
and i couldn't hear myself think.
so here is a new one.
bon appetit!

luxurious!

2008-11-05T14:20:00.000-06:00

how do you like my new look?
rather luxurious, if i do say so myself.

2008-11-02T21:04:00.000-06:00

so i haven't posted any pictures in awhile.
and like most of my life, i put off things and put off things and then one night, i do it all.
so here are, like, 100 pictures of the boys for you.
enjoy!

jeffrey is starting to scoot around.
one day, he got stuck under the changing table.

my wonderful family.

up to no good.
(but don't they look so cute in these outfits?!)

i was trying to get a picture of them looking at each other.
but they only have eyes for their momma.

sammy

jeffrey

my grandma and her twin, holding my twins!

sammy has found his toes!

their new exersaucers.
they love putting all the toys in their mouths.

so one morning, i walked in to find this.
they usually start out side by side, with their heads where the boy-on-the-right's feet are.
crazy boys!

grandpa and grandma bought these halloween outfits.
the orange one says "hair wolf."
the black one says "mummy loves me."

i made these.
can you believe it?!
jacob is from michigan.
i am from nebraska.
i got the idea for these from tshirts that amber gave us last christmas.

i also made these.

howdy partner.

finally!!! i got a picture of them looking at each other!!

too cute!

peas in a pod for halloween.
they loved these outfits!
they only cried once the whole night when they were wearing these.
i think they felt swaddled again.
if they weren't so dang hot, i might have the boys wear these to bed.

my grandma with all her great grandchildren.
emma was a lizard.
addie was a princess.
and luke was a monkey.

she's the nicest old gal on the block.
(name that movie quote.)

communication at its finest!

2008-11-01T23:52:00.000-05:00

tonight, i asked jacob for a malted milk ball.
he thought i said melted moth ball.
all i have to say is yum.

lindsey, i think i gave him my disease!

happy halloween!

2008-10-31T12:32:00.000-05:00

this is my friend jaime.she's a hoot!
she is the reason i made it through nursing school.
lots and lots of prayer helped too.

anyway...she told this joke one day in class.
and it has stuck with me all these years.
here you go:
what did the ghost say to the bee on halloween?
"boo bee!!"
haha!!

pictures of the boys in their adorable costumes will be up later.
have a great day!

these are a few of my favorite things

2008-10-22T23:30:00.001-05:00

crazyness

2008-10-22T13:12:00.000-05:00

it's snowing outside.

"why is it snowing in july?" i keep asking myself.

when the football season started, i thought "why are they playing football in june?"

then the leaves started falling off the trees, and i thought "what is this world coming too?"

seriously, my whole concept of time flew out the door somewhere around the end of may.

i think it's because my whole summer was spent like this:

juggling two boys in the big comfy rocking chair.

and this totally cracked me up!

***so i just realized that i misspelled the title. here is an english lesson for you all, free of charge. the "y" changes to an "i". i don't remember the reason why...it just does.***

more help needed

2008-10-16T20:34:00.000-05:00

i need your advice.
a few posts ago, i had a picture of samuel.
i labeled the picture sammie.
is sammie an acceptable form of samuel for a boy?
or does it have to be sammy?
for some reason, i like sammie better than sammy.
is sammie too feminine?
i don't want a son who looks like a girl in red and whose name is girly.
help me please!

i'm in love...

2008-10-11T23:25:00.000-05:00

...with this kitchen.
love, love, LOVE it!!!!

(three posts in one day?)
(what's up with that?)
(help me rhonda, help, help me rhonda.)

am i being followed?

2008-10-11T17:37:00.000-05:00

i totally stole this from another blog, fyi.
there is now a follower gadget on blogger.
click on the link on the right side of the blog to follow me!
i have titled it "people who love me."
then, when you go to your blogger dashboard, it will tell you when i update my blog.
i only have one person right now who loves me.
(thanks elizabeth!!)
help a girlfriend out!!!
give me some love!

family, friends and football.......the longest post ever!

2008-10-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

so yay!!!
blogger is letting me upload pictures now!
here we go...

last week, the four of us hopped in the car for a trip to des moines.
we went to visit friends and go to a football game at the stadium that jacob designed.

friday night, we met our good friends dan, morgan and hopelyn at chili's for supper.
this is a picture of morgan and i. isn't she beautiful?!

and this is a picture of their daughter hopelyn and the boys back in august.
her hair cracks me up!
dan and morgan are expecting their second daughter in december.
i can't wait to meet her!
she is also a future girlfriend for one of the boys!

after chili's, we all went to the local football game.
jacob designed the stadium.
it looks awesome!!
here are some pictures of it:

dan and morgan call it "the house that jacob built."

here is a picture of the four of us at the boys' first football game:

saturday we went and visited my good friend carrieann.she has two little boys, isaac, above, and luke.
i admire her so much!
she is a wealth of information, and i am always asking her questions.

after that, we went and visited our friends, myron and diana.
(i forgot to take pictures there.)
we all worked in awana together, and we miss seeing them every wednesday night.

later that night, paul and joann came to visit.
we love them!!
jacob and joann used to work together.
they are the boys' des moines grandparents.

sunday, we went to our old church.
we got to see everyone again.
it was so much fun!

then we packed everything up, and headed home.
we were so excited to get home, because we knew when we got there susie, my aunt, ashley, my cousin, and allikaye, her daughter would be there!it is always so much fun when the cousins from colorado come visit!!

we had such a great time with them!

tuesday night, we went bowling with them, my mom, amber and her kids.

amber, ashley, and me.

my mom and jeffrey.

ashley, addie, and me.
my mom bought us these purses, and we are soooo excited!!
aren't they cute?!

emma and me.

sammie playing with daddy!

jeffrey excited to watch the bowlers!

after bowling, we went to hobby lobby.

you can tell how much the boys loved it.

ashley makes a-dor-able blocks!!

she brought some for the boys, and i love them!

thanks ashley!! we love our blocks!!
you can visit ashley's etsy store here.

this is a picture of our house.
isn't it cute?!

and our sold sign!!!!!!!!!!!

praise the Lord!!

we will miss you house!

blahhhh

2008-10-09T19:52:00.000-05:00

you would not believe the fun i've been having the past few days.

but you won't know about it for awhile...because blogger is driving me c.r.a.z.y.!!!

crazy i tell you.

poor jacob came home today at the wrong time.

he got the brunt of my blogger frustration.

i can't get any pictures to upload. or download.

i don't know which way they load.

i just wish they would load.

i was going to end this post now, but my younger sister told me this weekend that all i blog about is my kids.

so to keep that true, here is a picture for every one of the three readers who read this:

ohhhhhhhhhh yeah.

blogger isn't loading pictures at the moment.

so never mind the new picture.

just scroll down and look at an old one.

tootaloo.

welcome to our world

2008-10-06T00:36:00.000-05:00

this is scott and elizabeth.

aren't they cute?!!

(it helps that scott is holding one of my adorable babies.)

scott and elizabeth were some of our closest friends in des moines.

they lived right down the street from us.

we ate meals together.

they were in our small group.

elizabeth and i would go shopping as much as we could.

even grocery shopping.

jacob and scott would do projects around our house together.

elizabeth and i were pregnant at the same time and would go on snack outings.

that's right.

we would go out in search of snacks.

jacob is a HUGE michigan football fan.

scott is a HUGE iowa football fan.

one day, at church of all places, they were talking about football and michigan and iowa.

and it got ugly.

i was scared.

i had pictures in my head of me dragging jacob one way and elizabeth dragging scott the other way and we would never be friends again.

(it really wasn't that bad, but in my middle child frame of mind i was thinking "let's all get along! no fighting! shake hands and move on! let's all be happy!")

their little girl, evelyn, arrived a few weeks ago and she is cute, cute, cute!!!!!!!!

i think elizabeth and i are going to arrange for one of my boys and evelyn to date and eventually marry.

scott talks about my boys having to prove themselves.

whatever that means.

welcome to our world little evelyn!!!

we can't wait to meet you!!!

in need of help...for my boys' wellbeing

2008-10-01T17:35:00.000-05:00

so today i was at hastings.
not the town.
the store.
(it's like a janky barnes and nobles...if you've never been there.)

and when i was purchasing my item,
the check out girl said:
are they twins?
me: yes.
cog: are they both girls?
me: no...they're boys.
cog: but they're wearing red.

since when is red a girl color?
am i behind the times?
should i be concerned that my boys are traveling throughout the countryside in a girl's color?

help me people!!!
what are boy colors and what are girl colors?

inquiring minds need to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

guest blogger

2008-09-27T17:35:00.001-05:00

i'm sitting here with sammy,
introducing him to the world of blogging.

one can never start too early, you know.

he is learning to type, too.
here is his message to you:
re,mtmmmmmmmmmmmvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvn zllkilll./
isn't he smart?!!

i had to pry his hands out of his mouth.
and wipe the slobber off of the keyboard.

"i love blogging!!!!!" says sam i am.

love is the answer

2008-09-27T02:22:00.000-05:00

does anyone remember the tv show "rags to riches"?
my sisters and i were dedicated viewers of that show.
and by dedicated, i mean we taped every single episode...every...single...episode.
and watched them over and over.

(i wonder if any of the tapes survived the "great clean-out of 2008"? please say yes, amber! i don't know if i will ever watch them again, but i can't bear the thought of not having them.)

this is how wikipedia describes the show:

Set in the early 1960s, the series starred Joseph Bologna as Nick Foley, a businessman with a playboy lifestyle. In an attempt to develop a family man image, he decides to take in a group of six orphaned girls, moving them into his mansion in Bel Air, which he shares with his butler Clapper (Douglas Seale). Foley's original plans change when he grows fond of the girls and ends up adopting them.
The show was different from the regular comedy-drama in that the cast would often burst into song to help explain their feelings or move along the plot. Very often, the songs the cast sang would be covers of various hits from the 1960s.

what cracks me up is the part where it says they "would often burst into song to help explain their feelings or move along the plot."
i mean, who doesn't?

take for example, "la bamba".
does that not help explain your feelings or what?!

or how about "ice, ice baby"?
"all right, stop, collaborate and listen."
"if there was a problem, yo, i'll solve it."

so anyway...back to rags to riches.

the last episode deals with the cuban missile crisis.
here is the summary by tv.com:
"The Cuban missile crisis hits the girls full blast as Russia threatens to attack the United States. Nick decides to build a bomb shelter when Mickey becomes afraid of being vaporized. Diane plans a very emotional Sweet 16 party, with the idea of creating harmony with Russia."

wow...that is some good television.

earlier this summer, jacob's office had a baby shower for us.
these are smart people he works with.
all they gave us were diapers.
lots and lots of diapers.

so when we got home i stuffed them all into the closet in the nursery.
this is what it looked like:

i felt like i was one of the girls on rags to riches.
getting the bomb shelter ready for when the russians attacked us.
i may not have bottled water, or canned goods...but by golly, we have diapers!!

once again, back to rags to riches.

at the end of the cuban missile crisis episode, diane stands on the stairs of their mansion, and sings "love is the answer."
and the crisis was over!
all from one little song!

way to move the plot along girls!!

(if anyone is interested, you can watch some great videos of rags to riches on youtube. search rags to riches, and my, oh my, hours of great entertainment!!! you can even watch diane sing "love is the answer.")

bob king called, he wants his comb over back.

2008-09-26T23:16:00.000-05:00

my dear son,
in the event that you go bald in your elderly years,
be proud of your baldness!!
toupee's are not for you, i'm sorry to say.

i rest my case.

shiver me timbers!

2008-09-19T10:52:00.003-05:00

ahoy matey!!!
it's national talk like a pirate day!!!

from wikipedia:
One of the most influential books on popular notions of pirate speech was Treasure Island, a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, from which sample quotes include:
"Bring me one noggin of rum, now, won't you, matey."
"Avast, there!"
"Dead men don't bite."
"Shiver my timbers!" (often pronounced as "Shiver me timbers!")
"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest -- Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"
"There! That's what I think of ye. Before an hour's out, I'll stove in your old block house like a rum puncheon. Laugh, by thunder, laugh! Before an hour's out, ye'll laugh upon the other side. Them that die'll be the lucky ones."
"Have I lived this many years, and a son of a rum puncheon cock his hat athwart my hawse at the latter end of it?"
The archetypal pirate grunt "Arrr!" (alternatively "Rrrr!" or "Yarrr!") first appeared in the classic 1950 Disney film Treasure Island, according to research by Mark Liberman. His article cites linguistic research that may locate the roots of this phrase much earlier.

enjoy your day mateys!!

you cannot lose my love

2008-09-19T10:52:00.002-05:00

sara groves is one of my favorite singers.
her songs are a-ma-zing!

i had never heard of her until she came to our area and had a concert.
that was our first date, so she holds a special place in my heart.
(how i wrote that last sentence, it sounds like sara and i had a first date. we didn't. jacob and i did. just to clarify. one can never be sure these days.)

one of her songs is "you cannot lose my love." love it!!
here are the words:

you will lose your baby teeth
at times you'll lose your faith in me
you will lose a lot of things
but you cannot lose my love

you may lose your appetite
your guiding sense of wrong and right
you may lose your will to fight
but you cannot lose my love

you will lose your confidence
in times of trial your common sense
you may lose your innocence
but you cannot lose my love

many things can be misplaced
your very memories be erased
no matter what the time or space
you cannot lose my love

you cannot lose
you cannot lose
you cannot lose my love

isn't that great?! i love it.

and while the boys will never lose my love, i, on the other hand, have lost much:
my patience
my mind on a few occasions
my flat and toned abdomen...oh wait...it never was. and after having twins, it probably won't be. ahhh, such is life
my free time
my love for potato casserole. i can't eat it anymore. there are many other things that still make me sick, not all of them food.
and most of all...my sleep.

do i want those things back? of course. (especially the flat stomach!!!)
but then, i wouldn't have my little bebes.

and what would i do without this?: