whatever

We had a Saturday on the calendar with nothing on it!
it rocked.
i slept in.
we worked in the yard.
i am so ready to plant flowers!
craig took the kids on a bike ride in the afternoon.
annie took a nap.
i sat on a blanket in the yard and read my magazines that has been waiting for me the past few days drinking iced coffee.
it was just so sunny and wonderful.

we called craig’s aunt and uncle and asked if we could come over for dinner.
we are so rude.
they said yes (what could they say? ha)
so we headed to the farm for the evening.
we couldn’t have had a better night.
just beautiful.

gary and janet have pigs.
lots and lots of pigs.
we were lucky to get to see baby pigs that were only hours old.
they are the cutest.
annie was nervous but everyone else was right in there trying to grab one.
wow! pigs are loud.
i think the squealing is what made annie nervous.
later she said “pigs were cryin’. they say put me down! put me down!”
some were so tiny i could have put one in sean’s pocket but he wouldn’t let me try.

the tractors
the combine
four wheeler
playing frisbee
hunting for bugs
the new cows
kitties running all around
the swings made from old tires
burgers and chocolate cake
the sunset

so comfortable.
so lovely.

i am emotional thinking about it and that seems silly.
(craig will say that it is)
i just love to see the kids love everything around them.
love to see them discover.
feeling free and learning.
gary and janet are so kind and patient with our kids.
teaching them new things without judgement (city kids)

the views from their yard are gorgeous.
like a painting.
kansas IS beautiful.

okay. . . you get it!
i loved it.
and love them.

today i began clearing out the craft room.
it suddenly looked like a place they would put on an oprah show titled “houses gone bad” and she’d say “When did you just give up? how can you live that way?”
not clearing the crafty stuff (mostly) but stacks of everything else that had no place the past two years.
it will soon be empty.
the Etc. shop will be so happy.

one more till may.
holy cow.

yesterday was so busy. but awesome. the best day ever (as i told craig).

babysitter . . . shopping . . . pedicure . . . new scrapbook supplies . . . another babysitter . . . dinner banquet with craig . . . wearing my new shoes (they are so cute i couldn’t stop looking at them!) . . . laughing too loud . . . coming home to no kids awake . . . movie till waaaaaay too late

it was just so nice.
i have bit of a headache today though. . . thank you heineken.

do you remember on mary poppins when burt was making the chalk drawings in the park? and then they jump into the drawing? that was my favorite part. i was trying to remember all that i could while drawing with the kids in the driveway. trying to recall that memory.
we ended up with lots of hopscotch boards and annie’s scribbles. beautiful.
i love that you have to squat down or sit on the ground to do chalk . . . you HAVE to be involved full body.

the cleaning is done for a bit.
still messy downstairs and lots of laundry to fold but the kids will be home soon so they can do that.
we are headed outside because the sun has peeked out for a minute and we don’t want to miss it. takin’ out the new sidewalk chalk! it’s almost as exciting as a new box of crayons.

here are a few pages i did of annie recently.
that’s way better than cleaning.

we have to clean this morning.
like all those clothes that annie pulled out over a week ago are still there. i have 2 weeks of things piled up in my room. i have many loads of laundry to fold and no baskets because they are full of folded laundry that has been upstairs for a week not put away.
it’s just so much more fun to scrapbook or pull weeds.
but today i have to get it going.

so i will put a picture of me doing the opposite . . . laughing and relaxing.
so happy i don’t even care about the double chin! 🙂
craig was the one making me laugh . . . like always.

our bird sunlight got out this morning. he was flying all around the kitchen.
i just left him. . . all day.
i figured he needed some air time anyway. two years locked in that cage.
once he figured out how to not bonk in to the windows it was fine.
that’s a banana next to him that annie thought he’d want to eat.
one second after i took this shot he flew off right at me! and we all screamed . . . like he’s such scary bird.

this is what happens at 6:00 when annie get s no nap.
but if she does have a nap she is up until 10:00 driving talby nuts!
can’t win. pay now or pay later.

i spent all day today pulling weeds in the flower beds.
(between making meals, fixing snacks, filling sippy cups, running carpool and going to soccer)
it was sunny and 70’s so i was very happy to be doing it.
lots of worms and rolly-pollies for the girls to play with. . . love to see that. talby actually pulled weeds herself for awhile too. when she’d get the whole thing she was so excited. “i got the ROOT!” holding up her prized weed.
actual words that came out of my mouth today: “boys!! get out of those wheelbarrows! they are not for people!” and also “you can’t swing a shovel around! if you hit someone with a shovel you may kill them!”
this is a crazy house.

the pink flowery stuff is from the daddy/daughter banquet i got to help decorate for on sunday. craig & lauren said it was a really nice night. (ahhh . . . so cute)
i got to pick up the 3 dozen balloons on one of the windiest days in kansas! watching me get those in the truck could have been on funniest home videos i am sure. add in a 12 year old girl who wanted to play that she was floating away . . . it was a scene.

**trying a little different technique this post so who knows how it will work after i push save.

Other than scott’s temper tantrum at the end . . . we had a nice birthday for craig.

his mom brought us dinner. we ate his pirate cake . . . arrrrrrrgggggg! he liked talby’s choice of pirate decorations. Sean got out his own pirate costume to set the tone a few hours even before the “party” started.

then craig’s mom graciously stayed with the kids and we went out. we didn’t even know where we were going – anywhere just OUT! we sat and had a drink and people watched – it was plenty of entertainment for us.

happy birthday mr. duerksen