Love is Spoken Here

i love this . . .

2010-10-07T10:00:00.002-05:00

it's blurry . . . but their expressions are priceless!

coming {back} soon . . .

2010-10-06T10:51:00.002-05:00

{custom nap mat}

tutti fruity designs will be back very soon!
{a new and different and better tutti fruity designs}

**fun and funky clothes**

**fabulous nap mats**

and sew much more!

stay tuned for the grand opening of the new tutti fruity designs shop!

hello? is anyone out there . . .

2010-10-02T15:46:00.003-05:00

i'm still here and i didn't mean to disappear! life with 4 kiddos can be quite overwhelming {in a good way of course!} sometimes and blogging is 1 of the things that tends to get pushed to the back burner!

but my 1 loyal reader {hi mom!} has reminded me a few times that i need to update my blog . . . and that's what i'm going to do. i tell my own kiddos that they need to listen to their mom . . . so it is only appropriate that i must do the same thing!

it's quite obvious that i have a lot of catching up to do {thinking the name of the blog should be "always catching up"} since the last posts were about the end of the school year and now we are already almost at the end of the 1st quarter of a new school year! seriously . . . where does the time go?

i have lots of things going thru my head right now . . . we are at the finishing stages of the house we have been remodeling{remodel updates here, here, and here} . . . i have a new serger that i need to figure out how to use . . . i have very high hopes of getting tutti fruity designs going again . . . and i have dreams of learning my camera and photoshop better so i can start taking pictures for more than just fun!

stay tuned for lots of catch-up posts!

we went on down to the audubon zoo . . .

2010-07-14T22:30:00.005-05:00

water day . . .

2010-07-14T07:33:00.003-05:00

the last day of kindergarten for the little miss was such a blast!

the spent the entire morning on the play yard with their bathing suits on playing in water!

miss' first year of real school went by way too fast. her first day of school seems like it was just yesterday!

we seriously couldn't have lucked out anymore with the friends she has made . . . with her teachers . . . with the parent friends we have made . . . with everything really pertaining to her school.

this is the lady responsible for helping the 24 little kindergartens start their adventure in becoming bilingual! maitresse sophie is little miss' native French teacher. she is top notch!

the teacher:student ratio in miss' class was incredible! little miss was so fortunate to have 3 wonderful teachers this year!

(left to right: maitresse sophie, mrs. darby, little miss, ms. mccarter)

little miss loved her teachers . . . and all of her new school friends!

i'm in complete disbelief that little miss is about to start 1st grade . . . and that my little shrimp is about to start kindergarten!

goin' ridin' on the freeway . . .

2010-07-13T20:01:00.001-05:00

field day . . .

2010-07-13T17:34:00.003-05:00

time to do some serious catching up around here!

summer break with 4 little people hanging around 24/7 doesn't leave much time for blogging . . . but i need to get caught up so i don't forget about all the fun we've had the past few months. and unfortunately 'back to school' is right around the corner and i still have not blogged about the end of school!

so here is the first of many catch up posts . . . be prepared for lots of pics!

the end of school for little miss . . . meant lots of fun! field day was so fun for all the little kindergarten people . . . and equally as fun for me to watch little miss with all of her great new friends she made during her first year at big kid school!

school's out for summer . . .

2010-05-21T15:39:00.002-05:00

today was our first official day of summer break!

i think i remember dreading summer break last year.
not this year!
right now i'm so excited to have the littles home with me . . .
i'm so ready for more relaxed days . . .
not driving all over town dropping off and picking up . . .
waking up when it's light outside!

we don't have a lot of big plans for the summer . . .
the littles will go to missouri and spend some time with their nana and pops!
we are going to pensacola beach with my family!
{where 10 years ago this july i met the mister!}

other things i'm really looking forward to this summer:
sister sleepovers
playtime with friends
swimming with the littles
lots of crafts
movie nights
'summer school' with the girls
playing in the sprinkler
and so much more!!!

happy weekend!!!

may fourteen . . .

2010-05-18T23:21:00.000-05:00

i woke up on may 14th to find that even against

my pleading and bargaining . . .

little shrimp decided that even though mommy didn't want her to . . .

she was going to celebrate her fifth birthday!

i tried to tell her . . .

that she was getting way too big . . .

but she insisted that she really wanted to be five!

so i had to give in . . .

and accept that my itty bitty 4lb baby girl . . .

is now a big five year old!

cupcakes at school . . .
{ran out of gas on the way home from school . . . boo!}

cupcakes at granny and papa's after school . . .

the whole day . . .

was all about . . .

having fun . . .

and celebrating . . .

how blessed we are . . .

to have such a beautiful {inside & out} little girl!
shrimp had a table full of gifts . . .

that she could open fast enough!

we made her save the biggest box for last . . .

a commercial that could have ruined the surprise came on . . .

but thankfully she was more concerned with the box than the tv . . .

and trying to figure out . . .

why in the world the box was empty!

poor little shrimp . . .

was sent on a wild goose chase . . .

to find her new barbie bike . . .

that was supposed to be in the box . . .

but was nowhere to be found!

finally . . .

she found it . . .

and it was love at first sight!

and what's a fifth birthday without a homemade cake . . .
made by the birthday girl herself {and mom}!shrimp didn't get serenaded with the birthday song once . . .
she was serenaded twice!
once in english . . .
and the second in french!
{little miss must really love her to show off her french skillz!}

i hope all of your birthday wishes come true shrimp!

2010-05-10T14:00:00.003-05:00

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

~Author Unknown

you never fully understands the love a mother has for her children . . .
until you are a mother yourself.

on that magical day you become a mother . . .
you learn just how much you can actually love someone . . .
and all of a sudden you get just how much
you are actually loved by your own parents.

3 strands . . .
1 for each child

1 ring . . .
holding them all together

7 lucky charms . . .
1 for each special grandchild

and lucky they are!
God couldn't have given them a better nana!

and how lucky we are too!
God couldn't have chosen a better mom for us!

happy mother's day mom!
{this would have posted on mother's day . . .
if usps would have been faster!}

quote of the day . . .

2010-05-09T22:19:00.002-05:00

me: i'm one lucky mommy!shrimp: with a lot of lucky kids!

the greatest job in the world . . .

2010-05-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

there isn't anything better . . .

than being a mother!

yes . . . it can also be the hardest job in the world!

{sorry mom for the gray hairs we might have given you!}

but there isn't a greater reward . . .

than seeing the love your little peeps show for others!

happy mother's day!

getting ready . . .

2010-05-07T10:21:00.002-05:00

i'm trying to get organized and a plan in order for kids clothes {sewing} week.

i want to have a plan of action so i can get the most out of my hour {hopefully more} of daily sewing that i'm challenging myself to next week!

things are starting to look a lot like summer around here . . . getting harder to get the littles in bed every night, already 80 degrees when i am bringing shrimp and brown eyes to school, lots of outside playtime, and wasps everywhere!

we are counting down days till school is out for summer and we have a sassy little shrimp who is about to have a birthday!

lots going on around here . . . what's going on in your world?

happy weekend!

a couple days behind . . .

2010-05-03T09:39:00.002-05:00

but that's nothing new around here!

happy
{belated}
may
day!

did you deliver any may day baskets?

p is for a perfect picnic in the park . . .

2010-04-27T11:22:00.002-05:00

loving these . . .

2010-04-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

i needed to come up with 4 birthday gifts for the weekend.  having 3 chickies in school means we get a lot of invites.  and the gifts start to add up!  i can promise you . . . birthday parties aren't what they were when i was little!

i'm sure these weren't the most exciting gifts . . .

but i sure do think they are cute!

{and i'm sure the moms are just fine with 1 less toy!}

the post without a title . . .

2010-04-23T12:58:00.002-05:00

my box of seersucker arrived yesterday!

it's funny how the things you get excited about change as you get older!

right now it's thundering . . .
i can't wait for the rain to start!

we are about to go get little miss from school . . .
then i am dropping all 4 little peeps off at their granny & papa's for a sleepover . . .
in other words . . .
DATE NIGHT!

happy weekend!

the performer . . .

2010-04-22T07:20:00.002-05:00

little shrimp is our dramatic, dancing, acting, all around performing little girl.

she loves to dress up.
and when i say dress up . . .
i mean all out dress up.
not just the costume . . .
but the makeup has to be just right . . .
the hair has to be exact.

when she is dressed up . . .
not only is she in costume . . .
but she is in full character too.

we have started talking about how she needs to be in dancing . . .
thinking about trying to get her involved in some little people theater . . .

have even considered trying a little local modeling.

this is all new to me.
i'm totally clueless on all of this.
{except dancing . . . i can handle that.}
but i have no idea where to begin with the theater . . .
and the whole modeling thing is kinda scary to me.

she wears her heart on her sleeve . . . 100%
i know there is lots of possibility for heartbreak with this new territory.
but she would love the opportunity to try.

any suggestions on where to begin with all of this?

who knew eating cheerios could be so cute . . .

2010-04-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

better get busy . . .

2010-04-20T07:44:00.003-05:00

for some reason my fabric stash . . . and my list of greats ideas keeps growing!
but finding the time to actually get something created isn't happening!

this post that i thought i could do in about 2 minutes . . .
has already turned into 15 minutes.

from the time i started this post . . .
i forgot that i had a diaper-less baby running around.
and i forgot that he is only {almost} 19 months and doesn't use the potty.
i had to take a break from the post and clean up not only tinkle . . .
but stinky too from the back patio!

but . . .
i need to get busy and start sewing because . . .
i have a box headed this way from the show-me state . . .
full of seersucker fabric!

thanks for going to fm for me mom . . .
i can't wait to get my box!

weekend fun . . .

2010-04-19T12:49:00.003-05:00

last weekend . . .

2010-04-16T13:32:00.004-05:00

the weather so perfect . . .

and we spent last weekend outside! saturday we went to a crawfish boil at the church we started going to . . . which we really love! after the family fun . . . little miss got to have her first sleep-over with a friend! the little girl in the pictures with her is in her class . . . and she invited her to spend the night!

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sunday we headed to the st. dominic spring fair after church . . . and we didn't stay long because we had some hot and super grouchy little people!!

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this weekend we have a full weekend of birthday parties . . . and our realtor is having an open house sunday. oh we are hoping it's successful and that 'right' person walks thru sunday!

happy weekend to you!

easter . . .

2010-04-16T07:20:00.006-05:00

playing catch up today on the blog!

easter morning the littles were excited to see the bunny found them . . . they wanted to used their new buckets that nana and pops gave them as their easter baskets this year!

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i don't have one picture of the littles together with their easter threads on . . . oh well! after church we went to sean's sister's house for some crawfish and easter egg hunting!

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and before bed we finally got to dye some eggs . . . better late than never right?!?!

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monday morning . . .

we ate entirely too much easter candy!

i totally should be cleaning . . .

2010-04-13T21:30:00.003-05:00

but i promised some pics of my last 2 completed sewing projects!

little man is asleep and has been for the entire 2 1/2 hours that i have been home this morning. and guess what . . . i haven't touched my house yet! i took the little girls' class pics yesterday at school and i have been trying to get them edited and ordered all morning . . . i have been on the phone with our new health insurance agent who is cutting our health insurance premium in half and we are getting WAY better coverage . . . and now i am blogging!

i promised pics this week . . . and it's already thursday and who knows when i will be able to have a few minutes on the computer again!

little man and myself were treated to some new threads last week! i never sew for myself . . . and i'm so glad i did! i have lots of plans for things for me now!

i love little jon jons on little boys . . . and little buddy man had outgrown all of his from last summer.

so he got a fresh new black and white gingham jon jon complete with his monogrammed initials!

i don't think there is anything cuter than a little boy in a jon jon and chuck's!

and for me . . .

a linen bubble skirt!

notes to self:
*little buddy man needs a hair cut!
*practice taking self portraits!
*remind the person who is taking my picture next time that it's ok for my face to be in the shot!
*remind shrimp that scratching her booty while having her picture taken isn't the best idea!
*CLEAN the craft room!!!!

we're all mad here . . .

2010-04-13T16:41:00.002-05:00

mad hatter easter party
april 3, 2010

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beautiful . . .

2010-04-09T11:24:00.003-05:00

new orleans in the spring is absolutely gorgeous!

the weather is perfect right now . . .
70's during the day and 50's at night!

last night we all snuggled up on the trampoline under blankets . . .
and looked at the stars . . .
hoping we would see a shooting star.

tonight we will try again!

we have a full weekend planned . . .
tomorrow: french quarter fest and a crawfish boil at church
sunday: church and the st. dominic spring fair

what are y'all doing this weekend?

hope you have a happy weekend!

next week:
an easter post . . . finally!
pictures of 2 (hopefully more) completed sewing projects!

funny faces . . .

2010-04-07T08:13:00.005-05:00

a "little" road trip . . .

2010-04-06T13:03:00.008-05:00

the kids and i packed up the truck and headed north to missouri . . . all by ourselves! yep . . . just me and the 4 kids took on a 670 mile road trip (1340 miles round trip . . . not that i was counting or anything)!! sean was busy with work and couldn't break away . . . and we didn't want to cancel the trip. i nearly had a nervous breakdown thinking about how long the drive was going to be with just me and 4 little people . . . but i sucked it up and hit the highway! and i'm so glad i did!

we made it just in time on the 27th to change our clothes and try to make ourselves look presentable and make it to my nephew's soccer indoor soccer game. according to my sister-in-law . . . i smelled a little funny. and after being in the car for an entire day . . . sleeping a few hours at a hotel . . . and hopping back in the car for another 3 hours never changing my clothes . . . i completely agreed with her!

we made it to the game before it was over . . . and the kids had a great time watching mr. floppy (the new nickname they gave my newphew, bailey, because of his long hair)!

well, they were excited to watch for a few minutes. then they had better things to do . . .

. . . like chewing on baby dolls!

and chasing each other around!

i love watching this little (or i guess big) guy play soccer! this is my 12 year old nephew, bailey, who is taller than me now!!! so not right!

after the game we went back to nana and pops' (my parents) house and got cleaned up for real. boy did that shower feel good! we had to get ready for our "dinner" plans at garbo's . . . at least that's what my mom thought we were doing!

while the big people finished getting cleaned up . . .

the little people got to work . . . and made some beautiful crafts!

and when we got to garbo's . . .

my mom realized that it wasn't just dinner plans!

but it was a surprise birthday party with the whole family for her big 6-0!

my uncle (who was once stationed in new orleans when he was in the coast guard) showed up with his new hat . . . and of course i had to get a picture of him in it!

little miss got to put the candles on the cake . . .

pops' gave a great toast to nana . . . letting her know how much everyone appreciates everything she does for EVERYONE! and then we sang happy birthday . . .

and this little chicky grabbed the candle so quick to lick the icing . . . i don't know how she didn't get burned from the melted wax!

it was so nice to get to see my family . . .

and of course . . . nana had lots of help opening all of her special gifts!

on sunday little brown eyes got her hair did . . .

we got a new picture of all SEVEN {great}grandkids with my 94 year old grandpa! the last picture we took of him and the grands . . . was when brown eyes and my nephew, nicholas, were teeny tiny babies! my grandpa's mind isn't quite as sharp as it used to be . . . so he may or may not have a clue who these 7 little people sitting on the couch with him are!

little buddy man finally pooped out and crashed in the big comfy chair . . .

seriously . . . it takes everything i have to not just eat up those chunky cheekies!

monday we took the littles to jump mania to try and wear them out . . .

the girls played a lot . . .

and little buddy man ate . . .

and ate . . .

and ate some more!

after we got home i found little man in the kids room . . .

trying to get into 1 of nana and pops' 200 boxes of girl scout cookies!

and that wasn't the last time he tried either . . .

but this time . . .

he had much better luck!

wednesday night before we left . . . the littles got to get their easter baskets from nana and pops! and they got to come home with a new kid sized table just like the one at nana's! if you noticed in the pics above . . . the table and chairs were all recovered in super cute gingham oilcloth . . .

and i'm going to do the same thing to their new table!

we made it home safely . . . it took FOREVER to get home! the trip is usually 10.5-11 hours with kids. it took me TWELVE hours to get home! we did it all in one day . . . it was a very long day! all 4 of the little people did surprisingly well though. i'm so glad i sucked it up and took the trip . . . it was worth every hour we spent in the car!

something for me . . .

2010-03-24T07:36:00.005-05:00

since i'm on a sewing kick . . .

i have decided it's time to make something for myself!

these 2 skirts are next on my to-do list:you can find the blue skirt here.

you can find the pattern for the yellow skirt here.

what's next on your to-do list?

18 months & another finished project . . .

2010-03-22T17:53:00.002-05:00

our little buddy man reached the 18 months milestone yesterday . . .
man oh man does time fly by!
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i figured that since he was having a 1/2 birthday . . . it would be really nice of me to finish what i started! so i did . . . and i made him model it for me even though he would have rather had just his diaper on.

this little man has become quite the climber . . .
i have found him on my sewing table,
i have found him on the kitchen counter getting into the cabinets,
his favorite spot to eat is on TOP of the dining room table!

he has been sucker {aka pacifier} free for a week and a half!

his favorite words are:
mama {for me and little miss!}
gaga {dada}
beba {bella}
o-yi-ee-a {olivia}
ba-bee {baby}
pupa {puppy}
papa
pah {pops}
buyyy-buyyy {bye-bye}
baba {bottle/cup}
kookoo {cookie}
cak-kuh {cracker}
cooook-n {cooking}
rrrrraaaaaaahhhh {the sound every animal makes}

and my favorite . . .
big boy puckered up kiss-y sounds!

another one bites the dust . . .

2010-03-21T22:33:00.003-05:00

tooth #2 is gone!

and if you can see in the photo . . .
her new big tooth is already coming in where her 1st tooth fell out!

dear little miss,
please don't let anymore teeth fall out!
you are growing up way too fast.
thank you!
love,
mommy

our weekend . . .

2010-03-21T17:43:00.003-05:00

friday after school . . . little miss rode the bus home with one of her little friends from school, along with another friend. the 3 of them got to celebrate a birthday super fancy style! they got of the bus and went to h2o and changed into these precious shirts and skirts. {the birthday girl put on her fancy pinkalicious dress!} at the salon . . . they all got their hair curles and fixed with the cutest little sparkly clips. after they got their hair did . . . it was time to head to the nail place and get nails and toes painted! and then finally they ended up at a new little pizza joint in lakeview to eat pizza and have cake and open presents! we met them at the restaurant . . . and of course i had to bring my camera to get a picture of the 3 cute little girls before they went their separate ways. they were still having so much fun! the fun monogrammed pink shirts were the girls favors . . . and the second i saw it i knew it would be little miss' new fave shirt! she did not take the shirt off until saturday night when it was time to get in the bathtub . . . and then she insisted that i wash it so she could wear it again on sunday!

saturday . . . we had beautiful weather!
perfect weather for finding critters . . .

and playing . . . "look bubby a worm!"

"cool . . . wonder how hard i can knock it off her hand!"

"wow . . . look at the worm fly across the patio!"

and by this point . . . mr. slimy worm {that according to little miss isn't really slimy} is no longer living. they were just playing can you guess what letter mr. worm is now?

saturday night . . . i stayed up way too late listening to pandora, the rain outside, reading blogs, and making new bows for the girls to wear to church on sunday. well i got a 6 am wake-up call from little brown eyes letting me know that she had gotten sick in her bed. so . . . no church for us. but of course the girls had to try wear their new bows anyway!

and little miss finally got the flip flops she had been begging me to make her!

the parts of the weekend i failed to mention . . .

1. when little shrimp came downstairs sunday morning . . . she was covered in the nasty from brown eyes getting sick! luckily i was at the grocery with miss and i didn't have to clean that one up!

2. i hadn't heard from the real estate agent all weekend . . . so i didn't clean! of course there was someone who saw our house on mls and decided not to give the 24 hour notice when they wanted to see it. so . . . i had 3 hours to clean the house on sunday. nice! i did actually get it all cleaned though!

3. little miss only wore her new flip flops for about 2 hours before she threw up all over them. and has gotten sick 2 more times since that.

so this is why . . .

2010-03-19T17:17:00.003-05:00

dogs

are a

man's

best friend!

little buddy and the fur ball . . .

i mean roxy . . . have been sharing frozen taquitos all afternoon!

do they make child lock's for a freezer????

happy weekend!!!

did you get pinched today?

2010-03-17T16:59:00.004-05:00

happy

st. patrick's

day!

i hope your day was filled with rainbows. . .

leading you to a pot of shrimp?

oops!
i mean a pot of gold!

and of course . . .

a little leprechaun!

smitten . . .

2010-03-15T15:18:00.003-05:00

i'm seriously in love with everything in the new olive juice catalog that mr. mailman brought me today . . .

i have lots of dresses and skirts and shirts circled . . .

and i have {big} plans to make lots of olive juice inspired things for the littles!

if only i could have a few extra hours in the day . . .
it might actually happen!

we might look weird . . .

2010-03-12T10:29:00.003-06:00

but our faces sure do feel good this morning!

if you don't have this . . .
i would run to the store right now and get it!
not only do our faces feel so incredibly soft . . .
but it was so fun sneaking up on the kids with it on!
. . . even if shrimp said we were weird!

happy friday!

reel stories . . .

2010-03-12T10:00:00.002-06:00

last night the girls and i went to literacy night {reel stories 2010} at little miss' school. we had a blast. sean was working . . . little buddy went to see his granny and papa . . . so we got to have some girl time. literacy night was great. little miss got to go from table to table and complete different reading related projects. each activity they completed . . . they got a sticker to put on their reading passport. if they got 6 stickers . . . they received a no homework pass!! we were able to make it to 9 different stations . . . so no homework for us last night! this is the miss herself at the where the wild things are station making a pop-up book . . .

she must have really loved doing this project because first thing this morning . . .

she was in the craft room . . .

making more pop-up frog books!

if you wondering how she had time to make pop-up books before school . . .
that would be because we are playing hookie today!
sssshhhh . . . don't tell!

totally love this girl . . .

2010-03-10T15:49:00.002-06:00

*totally* is one of shrimps' favorite words . . .
she is totally so cute when she says it.
she is totally a sassafras.
she is totally sweet.
she is totally a girly girl.
she is totally a fashionista.
she is so totally loving.
and i think we totally have it in for us when she is a teenager!

2010-03-08T10:59:00.003-06:00

it's monday again. the weekend flew by . . . as usual! we had absolutely perfect weather this weekend in nola.

little miss and i got to escape for a few hours together on saturday for a birthday party. she got to play with her friends. i got to catch up with their moms.

sunday i actually got to have a meal with sean. he has a new office and has been there every night after work for the past week and a half trying to get all settled in. he's sharing a big office with his sister and brother-in-law. so there will be 3 businesses in the building. we are so excited because for the first time ever . . . sean's materials and tools won't be at our house . . . in his trailer . . . or in his truck. we haven't seen him much at all the past 10 days. so it was a treat to get to sit down and have lunch together. they are getting pretty close to being settled so hopefully this week will have less late nights for him.

right now . . . he is at little shrimp's and little brown eyes' school. it's community helpers week. so he is there telling the littles about his job as a contractor and teaching them about his tools. the girls were so excited they could hardly stand it. i think sean was equally excited. he called me right before he was supposed to be there asking how many littles were in the classes because he wanted to bring each of them a special surprise from the hardware store.

and for me . . . today i'm in my sewing room again! i'm working on this:

but i had a request from little miss to make these while she was at school. since i just finished her skirt . . . i decided to start something for our little buddy man. and i have 2 other little girls requesting some new threads too . . . hopefully i can find the time this week to spend in my sewing room making lots of fun new things for the littles!

happy monday!

i actually finished something . . .

2010-03-05T09:56:00.004-06:00

that was just what i needed . . .
i love being in my sewing room and making things.
anything.
i love to sew.
i love to craft.
i love to paint.
i think you get the point.
i especially love making clothing for my little peeps!

i hope little miss loves this fun and super twirly circle skirt as much as i do!
she picked the fabric from my stash and asked for a skirt.
i didn't have a pattern.
i knew what i wanted it to look like.
and i just started cutting and sewing.
{with a little help from mom on how to get a perfect circle via email.}

i love how springy it is!
i am debating adding a pocket with a cute little vintage button.
i need to get a tee and/or a little tank to match.
and add a little funky cuteness with some yo-yo flowers and ruffles.
but it can't be too fancy . . .
little miss doesn't like fancy.
{at least that's what she tells me.}

it feels wonderful to have started and finished a project!
i love checking something off my creative to-do list.
i can't wait to start {and finish} another!

happy weekend!

Nous avons eu un beau jour!

2010-03-03T20:27:00.002-06:00

{translation: we had a lovely (beautiful) day!}

little miss and i got to spend most of her school day together today! the french classes at her school went to tulane university to watch a french movie, azur et asmar. the movie was great . . . thanks to subtitles i was able to keep up with the storyline!! walking across the tulane campus was a treat in itself. the campus is absolutely beautiful. after the movie . . . we walked across st. charles ave and had a picnic lunch at audubon park. we couldn't have asked for a better day! i am so fortunate to be able to do things like this with my littles!

there's only 1 thing to do with a clean house . . .

2010-03-01T18:43:00.001-06:00

make a mess again!

i got the house in tip-top shape over the weekend. i was lucky to have only little buddy man home with me so i could clean without little tornadoes coming behind me and remaking messes. we listed our house last week . . . the one that we have been living in and i don't think i ever posted on here about it . . . and we had our first showing sunday. i wanted to it to be spotless so it would show well and hopefully help it to sell faster. the house that we are remodeling in lakeview isn't near completition but we are ready to get this house sold . . . and get back into lakeview closer to the girls schools. hopefully this week . . . since the house is super clean . . . i will finally get a post on here about the house we are in now and why we are in this house and why we want to get back to lakeview, etc. but for now . . . we are enjoying the clean house and i was able to get back into my sewing room yesterday! when i am always trying to play catch-up with cleaning and laundry . . . i never feel like i can take a little bit of time and go create. but laundry is caught up and has been staying caught up. and the house is still clean. so the first thing i did was drag out my pile of fabrics and come up with a plan. right now i'm working on a cute, little, springy, circle skirt for my little miss per her request. i'm not rushing to get it done . . . just doing a little on it here and there and it feels so great to be in my sewing room again! and by the looks of things . . . the girls enjoy this room too!

ahh much better . . .

2010-03-01T09:40:00.002-06:00

so i played the role of hair dresser this weekend . . .

and i think our little buddy man likes his new do!

i guess it's about that time . . .

2010-02-26T10:55:00.003-06:00

to give this little buddy man a hair cut.

it's going to kill me to do it . . .

but i can't handle the hair in his eyes any longer!

(and i'm thinking it's about time to get rid of that sucker in his mouth too!)

happy weekend!

less convenience . . . more homemade . . .

2010-02-26T10:22:00.002-06:00

this is one of my goals for the new year . . .
to make more from scratch and buy less processed junk!

we can go thru a bag of frozen biscuits in no time.

i know it's not only good for us to eat homemade . . .
but it's so much less expensive too!

i made a double batch of biscuits and stuck them in the freezer.

now i have a big bag of frozen biscuits in my freezer . . .
and i know every thing i put in them!

*******

i love sugary treats . . . our littles love sugary treats.

so i had to make them a special breakfast treat . . .

and they just loved having coffee cake for breakfast this week!

love these . . .

2010-02-24T21:52:00.004-06:00

read this . . .

and then read it again . . .
and then read it one more time and let it soak in.

now check this out . . .
and read it a couple of times too.

are you inspired to do better now?

me too!

(this is a completely unrelated picture of 4 little monkeys jumping on the chair in their mom and dad's bedroom because what's a blog post without a picture?)

i scream . . . you scream . . .

2010-02-22T16:36:00.001-06:00

mama said . . .

we . . .

need . . .

ice cream!

now back to your regularly scheduled blogger . . .

2010-02-22T10:00:00.002-06:00

thanksgiving . . . christmas . . . new year's . . . super bowl . . . and now mardi gras have all come and gone so quickly! and today the weather is beautiful . . . and i'm ready for spring!!

saturday, sean and i did some serious cleaning . . . i cleaned the house and he cleaned the dog. both were equally disgusting!

today is the kids first day back to school since mardi gras. kids in new orleans get a whole week off for mardi gras. it's great because it usually takes at least that to recover from mardi gras! mardi gras is always a blast and we always go non-stop so it's actually nice when it's over . . . at least for me.

we had a nice visit from my mom, aunt, cousin, and 2nd cousin during mardi gras! it was wonderful to have the extra hands around the house! and it was fun to share their first mardi gras with them! and it was wonderful to have babysitters while sean and i went to the orpheus ball . . . and got to meet sean payton!

while we were at the hotel getting ready for our fancy night i got a text that little miss lost something . . .
i can't believe our (big)baby girl lost her first tooth! i was excited for her . . . but so sad! once the teeth start falling out . . . they just don't look like babies any more! she wasn't thrilled with the idea that her tooth was going to fall out . . . but now that it's out and the new one is already starting to come in . . . she is wiggling all the others around to see if they are loose. i keep threatening her and telling her that i am going to superglue them all in so she can't grow up anymore!

happy monday!

be back soon . . .

2010-02-09T10:53:00.002-06:00

we've had a lot going on the past couple of weeks in the big easy . . .
you know like winning the superbowl!!!!!
image via times picayune

tonight the whole city gets to party with the lombardi . . .
as the entire saints organization and the lombardi trophy
parade thru downtown new orleans in true new orleans fashion.

new orleans knows how to party . . .
and new orleans knows how to put on a fantastic parade!

this is history . . .
and it's so much fun to be a part of!

all of this superbowl fun is right in the middle of mardi gras!
i have a feeling this will be the best mardi gras new orleans has ever had!

WHO DAT!

happy birthday, happy weekend and can i get a WHO DAT?

2010-01-15T16:31:00.002-06:00

dear drew . . .
i hope you have a wonderful birthday today!
and for your birthday i would like to ask for
a huge win tomorrow in the dome.
i will be there . . .
yelling like a crazy person!
happy birthday!

emily

happy weekend!!
tomorrow is a big day for us saints fans!

if you aren't cheering for the cardinals . . .
you better cheering for the saints.

and if you are cheering for the cardinals . . .

shame on you!

way back when (the final installment) . . .

2010-01-12T21:54:00.007-06:00

nana and pops wanted to get a picture of them with the 4 b-nard grandkids before we headed back south . . . all i can say is we tried!

what's really funny about these pictures . . .
the sassafras wearing the "olivia" shirt isn't even olivia!

and after an 11 hour drive home . . .
with a short snooze in a hotel . . .
we made it home . . .
wearing the same clothes we left in . . .

and we were welcomed by a familiar face!

i hope you aren't totally over christmas . . .
i'm all caught up with thanksgiving and i'm ready to catch you up on our christmas!
are you ready?

way back when (part 6) . . .

2010-01-12T21:44:00.002-06:00

nana has a lot of cute reading glasses . . .

and they are really fun to play with!

way back when (part 5) . . .

2010-01-11T21:43:00.003-06:00

sean took over the kiddos one evening so my mom and i could slip away and do a little shopping. she took me to the greatest fabric store ever! i could have spent hours and hours in there . . . and lots of dollar bills! new orleans isn't known for it's fabric stores . . . so i was in heaven. i cannot wait for the chance to go back and add to my stash!

while we were out . . . we had to go to hobby lobby. i love hobby lobby as much as i love target . . . and that's a lot! the closest hobby lobby to our house is about 50 min away. totally stinks! so . . . i don't go too much. i found this fantastic book . . . with the most adorable patterns in it! i'm hoping i can get some much needed sewing time in very soon . . . all of that beautiful fabric is calling my name!

way back when (part 4) . . .

2010-01-11T21:35:00.002-06:00

building a fort a nana and pops' is a must . . .

especially when you have new sleeping bags to camp out with!

way back when (part 3) . . .

2010-01-05T21:41:00.002-06:00

can you guess what they are doing?

here's a hint:

and another:

you guessed it . . . shrinky dinks!

i totally forgot how fun shrinky dinks are! the girls loved coloring them and watching them shrink into teeny tiny plastic charms!

(little miss was so stoked on christmas morning when she got to unwrap another shrinky dink kit from her st. louis family!)

way back when (part 2) . . .

2010-01-05T21:20:00.002-06:00

what's not to love about thanksgiving?

you get to wake up and watch the coolest parade ever . . .

you get to break the wish bone . . .

and hope your wish comes true . . .

catch up with family . . .

see cousins . . .

eat delish food . . .

and more food . . .

kiss on these yummy cheeks . . .

and eat a little more . . .

way back when . . .

2010-01-04T21:31:00.004-06:00

we went to missouri for thanksgiving . . . to visit my family. it was so nice to go home. i hadn't been home since last christmas! we saw my family a few different times during that year . . . but they were for the most part very quick visits and i didn't get to see everyone. so i was very thankful to be at home for thanksgiving! the only thing that could have made the visit better was if my oldest brother and his family would have been able to come home too.

we went to . . .

jump mania . . .

to try and wear out . . .

the little ones . . . and ended up . . . wearing mommy and daddy out . . . and it was a blast!

merry christmas . . . happy new year . . .

2010-01-04T10:17:00.002-06:00

it's becoming quite the trend that i'm always a little behind on blogging!

all the fun holiday stuff is over . . .
and it's back to the daily grind today.

the girls are back to school . . .
and i am going to start taking our christmas stuff down.

. . . and start thinking about how we are going to decorate for
MaRDi gRaS!!!

and i have lots of catching up to do around here!

it's game day . . .

2009-11-30T12:35:00.002-06:00

and we are all ready for some monday night football in the superdome!

we made it home safe from our thanksgiving vacation in missouri . . .
recap of all the fun to come soon!

friday night and time to party . . .

2009-11-20T22:56:00.002-06:00

friday night partying takes on a whole new meaning when you have 4 little ones!

it all started when the girls' (and boy's) big 12 yr old cousin came over to see if we might have a white little cardigan she could fit in to wear over her fancy dress. she was about to go to a friend's party and was dressed up in the cutest little chiffon-y dress and silver flats. as soon as shrimp saw her dressed up she was begging to go to fancy party!

well . . . as i'm sure you can imagine there isn't much time for fancy parties in these neck of the woods! so what do 3 little girls with the biggest imaginations do . . .

they raid mom's closet and their dress up trunk . . . and create a fancy party of their own!

in case you wondering if it's all about saying cheese, crafts, and sewing around here. . . it's not! this picture is about as real as it gets . . . little miss with her finger in her nose every waking minute. shrimp dying to put makeup on. and brown eyes crying or screaming about anything and everything.

those moment never seen to last too long . . . and then they are back to being best friends again and fixing each other up for the big party!

this is really a funny picture . . . it looks as if i sat them down and said say, "cheese!" but i didn't . . . really! they are on the "bus" headed to their fancy party. as i'm taking this picture i'm singing the wheels on the bus . . . in the silliest/craziest voice and they aren't sure whether to laugh or run off . . .and little man is thinking his mama has totally gone off the deep in!

after little man made his get-away from the crazy mama . . . the girls made it to the bus stop and headed to the party!

well almost all of them headed to the party!

{insert title here} . . .

2009-11-17T12:17:00.002-06:00

so the weekend came and went . . . and only 1 thing that i wanted to get accomplished got accomplished! it was the most important though . . . sunday sean took the girls to his brother's house to watch the saints game. while they were gone . . . i got the house cleaned! i mean really clean (except i didn't go upstairs). would you believe me if i said it's tuesday and the house is still clean? it really is . . . i can't believe it! but it's tuesday and i still haven't made it upstairs. that is on the agenda for this week though. we are getting ready to head to missouri for thanksgiving and i'm trying so hard to get the house totally in order and keep it in order before we leave . . . and actually get the christmas tree here and up before we leave. and when we come home to a clean house . . . we can turn the christmas music up and get it decorated! this is the first christmas in i think 3 years that i will get to put my christmas tree up and all of my decorations up that have been sitting in storage since we moved to new orleans. we are so excited!

my brain feels like mush right now . . . notice i couldn't even come up with a title for this post? i'm still plugging away on my photography workshop and this week just really challenged me and made my brain work in ways that it hadn't worked in years! but things are starting to click {pun intended} and i'm really starting to feel more confident with my picture taking.

and it doesn't hurt to have a handsome little model!

happy birthday pops . . .

2009-11-13T11:13:00.002-06:00

today is friday the 13th . . . and today is my dad's birthday!

if you have met my dad you know what a great, funny, charming, special person he is. he deserves the best birthday in the world for everything he does for his family. he has 7 grandkids that love him more than anything . . . 3 kids that think he is the absolute greatest dad in the world . . . and a wife that has been in love with him since they were in high school! today i hope he has a wonderful birthday . . . and i hope his next year is blessed beyond measure!

happy birthday pops!
we love you!

first gift . . .

2009-11-13T10:50:00.002-06:00

i started my shopping today . . . and it is probably the most meaningful gift i will buy this christmas.

read more here and here . . . and then make your way to water for christmas and make your donation today!

happy weekend . . .

2009-11-13T08:54:00.002-06:00

seriously . . . could the days go by any faster? i don't know how it's already the weekend again! the weather is absolutely gorgeous here . . . couldn't be any better. if you haven't been to new orleans in the fall . . . it's the best time to come! i have lots of things i want to accomplish this weekend . . . the main thing is getting the house back to a presentable state! please tell me i'm not the only one that can't keep up with the house work???? i need to get back to the stack of fabric on my sewing table and finish up my to-do list. we have a couple of birthday party invites for this weekend . . i don't remember going to a birthday party every weekend . . . both days of the weekend when i was little. when did birthday parties have to be such a big deal??? the weather is so perfect . . . i'm thinking the zoo might be on our agenda this weekend too. and of course . . .

lots of smooching all over those big chunky cheeks! (and his sisters too!)

books and breakfast . . .

2009-11-12T13:19:00.002-06:00

sean, little buddy man, and i had a lovely morning at little miss' school! the kindergarten and pre-k classes had books and breakfast this morning, followed by an international feast. i love her school . . . love, love, love it! when the norm is go to catholic school and you put your child in a public school . . . i'm sure it's normal to be worried if you made the right decision. well . . . we are 110% confident that we made the right choice for little miss! we have yet to be dissappointed with anything at all!

so back to books and breakfast . . .

the parents were invited into the classroom to be introduced to the reading program that her school uses. we got to see first hand how the teacher uses the program in the classroom setting and then she gave us intstructions on how to implement it at home with the children. following that . . . parents and students and teachers made way to the gym for an international feast. every family was to bring a dish of their choice. it was great! so fun . . . little miss didn't even want to sit with us!

when it was time to go home . . . her attitude changed. she didn't want to leave our side! about 1/2 of her class went home early with their parents . . . so of course i had to bring her home too! we made a stop at the girl scouts store and picked up her daisy scouts journey book for her first meeting tomorrow night!

nature at work . . .

2009-11-10T12:34:00.002-06:00

i started a photography workshop last week that i have been wanting to do forever! for my birthday . . . my super awesome husband let me sign up for it!

i have always loved photography . . . maybe because i grew up with parents that always had a camera around their neck . . . so i am so excited about what all i'm going to learn!

this picture was one i took for the first homework assignment . . . i was so stressed about it because i haven't had time to really sit down and work on it much this past week. so when i went out to take this picture . . . i was pleasantly surprised to find a busy little bee hard at work.

from the mouth of a 4 year old . . .

2009-11-09T10:11:00.002-06:00

little shrimp: mama . . . when will it be st. spongebob day?
me: huh?
little shrimp: yeah . . . st. spongebob day.
me: i don't know what you mean sis.
little shrimp: you know . . . like st. patrick day!

warning: this post contains a lot of photos . . .

2009-11-06T21:05:00.007-06:00

happy weekend!

we're home again . . .

2009-11-06T11:36:00.003-06:00

we made it home from our little get-away. on our way home we made a little detour because i heard that there was action at the original/future site of little miss' school.
sure enough . . . there are workers present and i guess you could say construction has started!

in case you are confused . . . the school that little miss goes to was lost during katrina. they tore down the school and temporarily relocated it to another campus that was empty in a different part of the city . . . and for 4 years people have been waiting and waiting and waiting for the new and improved school to be built! so it is a very happy sight indeed to see this! the school is projected to be finished for the '11-'12 school year!

just what we needed . . .

2009-11-05T13:12:00.002-06:00

a little quiet time to ourselves . . .
enjoying the beauty of one of god's greatest creations!

i so want to live on the beach!

things are much calmer around here now . . .
i think we will stay an extra day!

playing hookey . . .

2009-11-04T08:41:00.002-06:00

i picked the kids up from school yesterday . . . and we headed east to the gulf coast for some fall fun in the sun and sand for what's supposed to be a few days. however . . . the girls are seriously out.of.control. so, we might be heading home sooner than expected! let me just say we finally got them asleep last night around 10-ish and they have been awake (all 4 of them!) since about 4:30 am!

i'm not sure what all we will do while daddy is working here . . . but first on my list is to find a mcd's and get a very large ice coffee! we do know we will make a stop at little miss' fave restaurant for sure! i'm hoping sean can get away from the job for a couple hours and let me slip away to the old towne for a little window shopping.

happy wednesday!

a monday mosaic . . .

2009-11-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

1. DSC_0626, 2. DSC_0627, 3. DSC_0628, 4. DSC_0632, 5. DSC_0633, 6. DSC_0635, 7. DSC_0636, 8. DSC_0637, 9. DSC_0640, 10. DSC_0642, 11. DSC_0645, 12. DSC_0648, 13. DSC_0649, 14. DSC_0650, 15. DSC_0653, 16. DSC_0654, 17. DSC_0655, 18. DSC_0657, 19. DSC_0659, 20. DSC_0664, 21. DSC_0667, 22. DSC_0668, 23. DSC_0669, 24. DSC_0670, 25. DSC_0671, 26. DSC_0672, 27. DSC_0681, 28. DSC_0683, 29. DSC_0684, 30. DSC_0686

happy halloween weekend . . .

2009-10-30T10:03:00.002-05:00

i am exhausted . . .

i stayed up entirely too late working on their outfits . . .

but those happy faces give me the energy i need to make it thru the day!

hope you have a safe and
happy halloween weekend!

dear super yummy ice coffee . . .

2009-10-30T01:40:00.004-05:00

thank you!

without you . . . i don't know how i would have stayed up until 2:00 am tonight making 2 sweet girls their fun and funky halloween outfits! they have a party at school tomorrow . . . and if you know anything about them you know they have to look sassy if they are going to a party! i'm hoping for big smiles . . . hugs . . . and kisses when they wake up and see their halloween surprises.

until we meet again mr. ice coffee . . . which is only 4 hours away!

what was i thinking??!!

i'm in good company . . .

2009-10-29T13:19:00.002-05:00

but i'm not getting nearly as much as i had planned on done today!

my little shrimp was coughing a bit this morning and said her head hurt . . . so i decided to keep her home so she could rest up for the big weekend. only problem . . . she isn't too interested in resting! tuesdays and thursdays are my long days. the days that i actually am home longer than i'm in the car. i planned on starting and finishing shrimp's halloween dress today . . . and finishing brown eyes' halloween skirt . . . and cleaning. so far . . . i have only started shrimps dress. but that's ok. i got to color hello kitty with shrimp! i'm hoping for early bedtime tonight . . . so i can get back to work on the to-do list! we had a later-than-usual night last night at little miss' school with math and science night . . . so the chances of 4 sleepy heads tonight is pretty good! at least i'm keeping my fingers crossed!

we're getting ready . . .

2009-10-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

this . . .

and this . . .

could only mean 1 thing . . .

we finally got around to carving a pumpkin!

totally melts my heart . . .

2009-10-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

i've said it once . . .

i will say it a million times . . .

everyone needs a little buddy man!
this little guy has me wrapped really tight around his little fingers!

this is calling my name . . .

2009-10-26T06:01:00.000-05:00

and i hope i get a chance to plug in my machine this week . . .

it's been way too long!

on the to-do list:
a pump rocker costume (aka punk rocker)
halloween outfits for the girls
a warm and cozy cord jon-jon for little man
and some flannel jammies for the little people

i'm glad people think i have it all together . . .

2009-10-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

having 4 little people . . . with the oldest being 6 and the youngest 1 . . . i get asked a lot how do i do it all. i hear multiple times daily . . . you have your hands full. i also hear . . . you really have it all together. and i hear many, many rude and unneccessary comments from people that have no idea how blessed we really are to have 4 children. that could be a whole blog post in its own!

but here is proof that i don't have it all together . . .

i do try to keep it together . . . or at least pretend i have it all together.

but i don't stress myself out over a spotless house.
and the proof is in the pictures.

i long for the day that my house stays clean after i pick it up. but for now i am comfortable with knowing that when i clean one room . . . another is being destroyed! and that there will always be dishes in the sink . . . and most probably on the counter too. and that the laundry is never done. and breakfast dishes might not get cleared from the table until lunch . . . or maybe even dinner.

so if you plan to stop by . . . please call first so i can at least keep up the image that i do have it all together!

a super suite saturday . . .

2009-10-25T16:14:00.007-05:00

weekends are usually more busy than laid back for us . . .

saturday was no different . . .

we started the day with a birthday party . . .

at storyland . . .

one of our very favorite places . . .

my girl who doesn't like pictures wanted to pose for not 1 . . .

but 2 pictures . . .

then we went to another birthday . . .

*******

but i forgot to bring my camera in . . .

then we went home to get cleaned up . . .

for a very special surprise . . .

so special . . .

that i took pics of the girls in the bathroom . . .

then it was time for the show to begin . . .

so we sat in our super suite seats . . .

until the intermission . . .

and then i spent a lot of money on 3 t-shirts and a program book . . .

(i completely and totally love this pic of little miss! she never wants her picture taken. she isn't into fashion unless it involves cotton cheer shorts and t-shirts. she put her new abby cadabby shirt on and her face lit up. she said, "it looks so cute and it matches my outfit so good mama!" i'm not trying to raise vain and self absorbed girls but it sure is nice to see her smile like that and feel good about how she looks!)

but that's okay . . .

because it was a very special girls night out . . .

and the tickets were free!

i want to blog and need to sew . . .

2009-10-20T10:13:00.004-05:00

but i have a lot of laundry . . .
a messy house . . .

dinner that needs to be planned . . .and sweet little ones that need to be loved!

i have a plan to be back to a normal blogging routine by next week!
and i hope to rekindle my relationship with my sewing room too!

anyone want to come clean my house?

we ♥ lakeview . . .

2009-10-15T11:10:00.002-05:00

superkids . . .

2009-10-15T11:02:00.001-05:00

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these legs were made for walking . . .

2009-10-08T10:34:00.004-05:00

litte man is on the move . . .

walk-in showers are awesome . . .

2009-10-07T09:37:00.003-05:00

and i'm not sure who likes it more . . . the kids or the parents!

(but i will spare you a picture of sean or me in the shower!)

(did i even mention on this blog that we were moving . . . or had already moved for that matter? hmmm . . . maybe a post about that will be in the near future.)

little man says . . .

2009-10-06T17:49:00.005-05:00

since his sisters have this:

he needs this:

and his mama agrees!

field trips are fun . . .

2009-10-06T10:43:00.002-05:00

you get to ride on a school bus for the first time ever!

and you get to go the children's musuem!

(shhh . . . don't tell the principal! but you get to come home early with mom too! and stop by your old nursery school and see your favorite teachers!)

the roof is on . . .

2009-09-29T08:05:00.002-05:00

1 . . .

2009-09-28T07:29:00.002-05:00

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6 days ago . . . this handsome, funny, and super sweet little man turned 1 year old! i have no idea where this year has gone . . . but i do know that we have completely fallen for this sweet boy!

he has a personality that can make even the grouchiest person smile. he is a big flirt. he loves his sisters. he loves his milk. he loves food. he loves making silly faces. he loves to growl. he loves to snuggle. he loves when his mama makes silly faces. he loves saying, "oooooo."

we are learning everyday the joys of a little boy.

we know we are blessed . . . and we thank god everyday for this little 1 year old man!

frick and frack are back . . .

2009-09-10T07:23:00.002-05:00

after taking a 3 week vacation at their nana and pops' . . .

frick and frack (aka brown eyes and shrimp) are back home . . .

and back to school!

i tried and tried and tried again to get these photos posted yesterday on their first day of school . . . but blogger was not being very nice and wouldn't let me!

six and the big 3-0 . . .

2009-09-01T12:43:00.002-05:00

today is that special day that little miss and i share . . . our birthday!

she is a big 6 year old now. and me . . . the big 3-0! i told sean last night that i will officially be old and one of my big brothers confirmed that on my facebook page today. so . . . i am now considered old . . . even though i don't feel the slightest bit old!

i can't believe our baby girl is six . . . time sure does fly by when you are having fun! little miss is probably the best big sister ever. she loves all things arts and crafts. not so much love for princess stuff. she loves quoting sponge bob. not so much love for clothes other than t-shirts and knit cheer shorts. she loves playing with friends. not so much love for brushing her hair in the mornings. she loves all sweet treats.

so . . . she will love the petit fours that i picked up from the local bakery today for her! she told me she wanted a trampoline, a pool, and a camera for her birthday. she is getting 1 of those . . . and i'm sure it's not too hard to figure out which one!

happy birthday little miss! i can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us!

happy as can be . . .

2009-08-21T11:10:00.002-05:00

this adorable photo of my little brown eyed girl and my little shrimp arrived in my inbox last night via nana's iphone! it looks like they are having a blast . . . and actually getting along great! we miss them like crazy . . . but are fully enjoying our break!

we used 'em up . . .

2009-08-20T09:01:00.003-05:00

last night when i was laying in bed with little miss . . . i told her i couldn't believe she was getting ready to start kindergarten in the morning. i asked her where the past 6 years went . . . because it just didn't seem possible that she was old enough to be a big school girl! she informed me that "we used 'em all up!"

she was all smiles this morning and eager to get ready for her first day of big school! i was smiles too . . . with only a few watery eye moments. it wasn't until we turned the corner onto the street of her new school that i pretty much lost all control of the tears! of course they are happy tears . . . maybe mixed with a few sad tears because little miss isn't so little anymore.

sean and i walked her into her class and she was still all smiles . . . definitely nervous but still excited. when the teacher announced that it was time for the moms and dads to exit stage left . . . she broke down. she didn't want to let go . . . i didn't want to let go. but we did . . . her teacher came and gave her the little extra attention that she needed and off sean and i were off to the cafeteria to mingle with the other parents over a little fruit, coffee, and donuts. and of course . . . the tears were still there but we are so excited for her and the opportunity she has at her new school for fun times and new friends . . . and becoming bilingual!

happy first day of kindergarten little miss!

laissez les bons temps rouler!

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home again . . .

2009-08-17T10:03:00.002-05:00

we made it home (with a lighter load-only 2 kids!) after a wonderful week of fun in the sun! now its time to get ready for little miss' first day of kindergarten . . . and moving! i'm still sorting thru the hundreds of pictures i took . . . but i can't wait to post them. stay tuned!

checking in and out . . .

2009-08-06T22:18:00.002-05:00

it's been a while since my last post . . . and it might be a little while before my next one.

things have been quite busy around here . . . sean is working extremely long days on the house and so i've been on solo-parenting mode for quite a few days now. once they are in bed . . . blogging isn't on the top of my to do list.

what is on the top of my to do list is getting prepared for our guests that are arriving from missouri tomorrow! my parents and one of my big brothers and his family will be arrive tomorrow afternoon. they are spending the weekend with us in new orleans and then on monday we are all headed to florida for a week of fun in the sun! we can't wait!

happy weekend!

moving right along . . .

2009-08-02T22:28:00.004-05:00

the house project is progressing at a great pace right now. hopefully everything continues to go smoothly!

the little ones and i decided to finally get out of our jam's today about 5:30 p.m. and go visit daddy at work.

i was pleasantly surprised when we showed up and saw the back half framed. i am completely and totally in love with the floors. the flooring is 1x6 tongue and groove pine. they are going to be getting dents and dings during construction which is going to help make them looked aged and straight from an old french quarter building.

the house is a 'c' shape. we have the floor plan designed where the 3 girls rooms will be in the back section of the house all together. little man's room will be in the front section close to mom and dad.while we were there tonight . . . the girls staked their spot and the rooms have been assigned.

little miss and little shrimp's rooms will be next to each other with their windows overlooking the courtyard . . . that will be designed to have the feel of a french quarter courtyard.little brown eyes' room will be directly across the short hall and her room will overlook the backyard.

while we were there . . . little miss got some alone time with her daddy.

it only lasted for a few minutes . . . until the others realized how fun it looked to sit on the edge of the 2nd story that over looks the above grade basement.

this will be the living room that is also at the back of the house . . . overlooking the backyard.

soon enough we made our way to the basement . . . which really isn't a basement because its not underground. around here . . . people call them above grade basements. the entire house will be 2 story when it's complete. but we will have all of the living space on the second floor . . . like a raised house. the basement or first floor will have a 1 car garage, storage space, a sewing/craft room, small kitchen, bar/pool table and possibly a 1 bedroom apartment. sean is doing the basement with post/beam construction and the ceiling will remain how you see it now with the rough sawn oak joists and tongue and groove flooring from above exposed.

this is at the back of the house and will be the small kitchen area for courtyard, backyard, and pool room entertaining.
this great space will be where sean's pool table will go. we salvaged the slate floors that were already there. they are fantastic!
this is a big project . . . and sean is working like a mad man to get it completed. if all goes well it will take about 4-5 months to complete. stay tuned for more updates!

{almost} all better . . .

2009-08-01T23:42:00.005-05:00

i took shrimp to get her hair fixed today and she came home with a cute little bob.

after she cut her hair . . . i told her that she needs to remember to eat extra fruits and veggies so her hair would grow back faster. she was all for it . . . reminding me to cook veggies for every one of her meals.

on the way home from the salon . . . she said, "mom don't cook veggies for me. i don't want my hair to grow. i love it and i want it to stay like this forever!"

the new do is {almost} very cute on her . . . her curls that i loved so much are gone! but it's ok . . . she loves her hair and that's what really matters. we have plans to make some really funky headbands for her as the hair on top starts to grow and needs a little covering up. she's asking for big bows . . . flowers . . . feathers . . . and sparkles. i'm sure we will come up with something that's {almost} as cute as shrimp herself!

there's something different about her . . .

2009-07-31T18:59:00.002-05:00

you could never guess by looking at her right side . . .

but when she turns around . . .
doesn't take long to see that she got a little carried away . . .
with a pair of scissors!

a brudder and his stisters . . .

2009-07-31T18:33:00.002-05:00

a baby brudder is way more fun than a baby doll!

life with 3 ~~mudders~~ stisters isn't so bad.

and for a very rare second everyone was smiling . . . at the same time!

seriously . . . right after the shutter clicked a screaming fit began!

little brown eyes on being three . . .

2009-07-31T18:18:00.002-05:00

"i big. but i little. but i am big."