Birthday Extravaganza!

Today is Lindy Lou's fourth birthday. Remember this tiny bundle? What happened!?! It seems like yesterday. Ahh. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for her, that she is growing up and getting independent. But I have also been fighting off tears of nostalgia all day. She was such a (gulp) good baby. She was such a (sigh) doll. And fun too (waa). You know (sniff), all of those things are still true. She is still so good. And so cute. And fun. Hang on....I better get some tissue before I finish this.

We had ourselves a blast today. She opened tons of gifts. We met Matt for lunch and she got a fried ice cream the size of her head! She got to pick her cake out at Walmart (please don't pass out...I didn't make her cake. I know. I am just waiting for the angry mob outside my door. BUT RELAX. We are going to have a friend party some day (why nail down a date on these things) and I WILL make her a cake for that. Or at least carefully remove all packaging from the Sara Lee number I'll pick up in the freezer aisle. Just kidding (no I'm not).


There are way too many things that I love about this child to name here. She is a fierce defender of what she thinks is right. And she is also so funny and full of hilarity that not a day goes by without much laughter. She is just one of those kids that can be a little out of control at times, yet she manages to be charming and darling at the same time.

Matt and I got her the Pretty Pretty Princess game. We fell in love with this game before we had kids. We babysat for my brother Tom's kids, Nate and Erin when Lindy was but a twinkle in my eye. The object of the game is to get all of your color of jewelry AND the princess crown. Those two little kids were so dang cute playing that game that I vowed then and there that if I ever had kids I would get them that game the MINUTE they were old enough to play it. She got it today. She smoked Matt and I to become the first ever Blatter Champion of Pretty Pretty Princess. Fitting.

Alll By Myself...

So it is day three of Matt's vacation...oh I mean business trip. He just called me from the Dodger's game...oh shoot, so sad for Matt. Let's hear it for the babies, right? Well, I was in some desperate need for some humor today. So I scrounged up a couple of videos on youtube to share with you just in case you have been locked in a house for three days like me (but I'm not bitter or anything)...or if you just need a laugh because let's face it, Wednesday's are tough.

The first is from The Office, one of the all time greatest shows ever, like of all time. Ever. These are PSA's that they recorded and played before last season started.



This one is from SNL. It involves quite a bit of violence, but it's worth it...if you like punching and zombies. My favorite part is Dave Grohl's face while he is eating his stolen fry. *Mom- Don't watch it. You won't like it.



Do you think it is worrisome that I find people getting punched so funny? I'm kind of surprised. I thought I would at least make it to day four before busting out the punching humor. Oh I kid. Relax, I'm not going to punch my kids...well, check back on day five. Oh I kid again! I would never ever ever never, like ever. Never. Please don't be offended if it's not your kind of humor. I know it is uncivilized and you might think it is lame, but that's really me, uncivilized most of the time and lame on most days. I just needed a good chuckle, thought you might like it. Don't be mad if you don't. I can't be held too responsible for my actions...I'm half crazed. Better make that three quarter's crazed.

In Honor

Today is my sister's birthday. Amy lives in Utah so we won't be able to get together for her special day. But I still wanted to do something special because I live to give, ya know?

Amy is a gourmet chef. If you are ever lucky enough to go to a special occasion she is hosting you will go away with a very happy belly and probably a hand packed dish of leftovers too. Because Amy also lives to give...it runs in the family. She truly enjoys cooking and creating masterpieces in the kitchen. Amy takes the time to make every dish extraordinary. She has occasionally caught some flack for her attention to details. I have been known to question her garnishes...but I only mock because I can't garnish. That culinary flair that flows so easily from her is very foreign to me (as demonstrated in this picture of Hank eating a Barbie leg for dinner...and it should be noted that he is also wearing no pants, we're practically savages at our house. In fact we don't have a house, we live in a van...down by the river {name that SNL actor and win a pretend prize!}).


What?! Barbie legs are pretty nutritious I hear. Oh that's not true. I've never heard anything about the nutritional value of Barbie or any other doll legs. I'm just guessing that they're healthy...I mean they don't have any fat on them, so how bad could the be, right?

But back to Amy. In honor of her, I made a fine cuisine for dinner. Which around here is honestly a pretty rare occasion. Usually we are lucky if we get through an evening without someone biting their finger in a dither to get as much food into their mouth as fast as they can. Well, that's mostly me... I nearly lost my pointer in the pizza fiasco of '99, but that's a different story for another time. Tonight I made Turkey Pecan Enchiladas (recipe courtesy of the talented Jenn) AND I garnished. Yes. With cilantro. Just for you, Ame.


So to quote the lovely Paula Deen: Amy, from our kitchen to yours we wish you best dishes! Happy Birthday!
* I think it maybe should be noted that I am not a professional photographer. I know that is one fine looking picture of enchiladas (catch the sarcasm). But don't ask me to come photograph your dinners for you. I am too busy taking the legs off of Barbies to feed my kids.

Say Wha?!!?

Oh No You didn't girl.

This weekend we moved my old big black bed into Lindy's room. We decided we may as well wash her sheets while were at it (once a year may seem like too often for you all, but we are neat freaks like that). When we made the bed the top sheet was a little damp so we left the comforter off. Hours later, I (ME, CAROL) went down and put the comforter on all by myself (this really isn't a pitty party, I am just clarifying the facts here). So tonight Matt went down with Lindy to tuck her in. I was upstairs in my room and heard the following conversation over the monitor.

Matt: Wow Lindy, did you make your bed yourself?
Lindy: Yep (said with a lot of pride as if she really had).
Matt: Did Mom help you or did you do it?
Lindy: I did it aaaaaa-llll byyyy myyysseelf (that is all stretched out to represent a sing-songy voice).

Say what??? She never did come clean. Totally took credit for my hard work. It's a good thing she's cute or there would be a rumble after dance time tomorrow....and maybe there still will, I'm pretty fired up over the whole situation.


Doesn't she look absolutely tiny in that big double bed? I guess I forgive her. Anyone that gets swallowed up in a sea of pink like that, I just can't stay mad at. But there is a good chance that next time maybe I will let her make her own bed...and wash her own sheets while she's at it.

A Very Pleasant Evening Indeed.

**** Just a word of caution. The word awesome is used with reckless abandon in the following post. If you don't like that word, you are going to have a rough go of this post. However if you do like that word then this is going to be....you guessed it...AWESOME.****

I want to tell you about the awesome weekend we had last week. It rocked the casba (first one to name that band {my money is on amy} wins a prize)! We went to Mecca, oh, I mean Randolph, to go to a benefit my cousin Maydi Jayne threw for her brother-in-law. He is sick with cancer and I can only imagine the medical bills. So (listen to this clever, clever name she came up with) it was called "Country kicks Cancer." And it was so fun. There was a spaghetti feast, both a silent auction and a real auction with a fast talkin' auctioneer and everything. Matt got to be one of the spotters (the person who looks for bidders). I had never seen an auction like this before and I had the best time. But WAIT the fun doesn't even end there. After all of that there was a concert. Just a guy (I'm sorry, i forgot his name, but he was awesome) and his guitar. It rocked, well countried to be precise, but it was definitely cool. So here are some pictures of it. For those of you who look at Amy's blog this will be a total repeat. We must have followed each other around and taken the same pictures. Ha. Great minds, right? Well enjoy the pics... OH, by the way. The benefit raised 26 GRAND. Seriously....AWESOME (say that with a really gravelly voice like a monster truck rally announcer, I promise it will sound AWESOME).



Here are Hatch and Lindy. I swear they really did give us all a big plate of spaghetti and salad AND garlic bread AND cake. I guess it wasn't enough though. Poor Hatch and Lindy were forced to eat each other. Very sad indeed. I guess I shouldn't have eaten Lindy's cake after all. oopsie doopsie.



This is Andy and Kandice (and Milli of course) with my Uncle Bill, one of the toughest men in the land. Uncle Bill once saved me from the throws of death atop a vicious horse named B.T. (it stood for Bad Temper.....it was an understatement). He singlehandedly held the horse down and stopped him from bucking me to the next county, and sweeped me off in one life saving scoop, AND he put me safely back on the ground, AND he then helped me scour the land for my shoe (which I lost while being in said throws of death). I have esteemed him as one of my heroes ever since.



And here is sweet Milli, the cowgirl. She borrowed Uncle Bill's hat and quite frankly, I think she is a natural country girl.



These are some of the finest ladies you will ever meet. Amy, Jillie-bean, Kandice and Milli. I am only sorry that Lauren, Katrina, and Maydi somehow dodged my lens. Actually, I did get a picture Maydi. She was walking in front of the camera while I was actually taking a pic of something else....Surprisingly, those shots never turn out flattering.



The thing I love about this picture is it is obviously getting later in the evening. Hank crashed. Matt and Andy were spent from their duties as auction spotters, and yet, there is Lindy in the background, running for grail. This picture pretty much sums up Lindy. Everlasting energy. She is nonstop! I love her to BITS!


We just established Lindy can hang with professional cyclists and gymnasts in terms of energy, so I was THRILLED that Jared could hang with her. I have been telling Amy for some time now that I have got to get me a Jared. He plays with Lindy and runs with her, spins her around, and even lets her beat on him (see Amy's blog for proof positive of that one). Unfortunately for me though, Amy seems unwilling to part with him. So if any of you are looking to unload any 8-11 year olds that are great with kids...you are in luck, cuz I'm buying. And I can offer you a pretty sweet deal. I discovered a treasure of 73 cents in the laundry today and I am totally willing to give you half.


Please stop laughing. Seriously...knock it off! I only put this awesome picture of me on here to display my FINE win at the auction. That's right. The Pampered Chef Pump to Stir (i made that name up, but i think they should probably change it to that) pitcher. Please forgive my makeupless face and matted hair. I'm just keepin' it real, ya'll. We didn't get home until 2 in the morning, but I couldn't put off making some punch in my sweet, awesome, coolest ever pitcher (I can remember when I used to get this excited over a new CD or outfit...occasionally even a date. But those days are long ago and distant. Now my thrill in life is cheap diapers and new pitchers, and what a thrill both bring me!). And let me just tell you, Crystal Light has never tasted sweeter than when poured out of this little honey. Never. Tasted. Sweeter.

Easter and Trampoline Love

So I think it is pretty safe to say that I am not a natural born blogger. There are blogs that get updated every day, sometimes more than once a day. There are blogs that get updated once a week. I tried that last one, it's exhausting. I think that I will now be classified with the blogs that get updated once in a great while. Yeah, so the sooner you lower your expectations the better off we will all be. HOWEVER. Before you give up on me competely, I have something to make it up to you. Today I will be posting not one, but TWO slideshows for your watching enjoyment. I know. Your palms are probably a little sweaty with anticipation. Mine are too, so let's just get to this before my laptop shorts out (technology seems so fickle about getting wet these days, hmm).

The first slideshow is of Easter. We, like many of you, have asked the Easter Bunny to skip our house. Our kids get a new outfit from us...and that's it. So this is of our the kids showing off their fantastic new duds. Oh, and also Lindy and Matt making some faces. Now please don't be offended at these pictures. They aren't making fun of anyone but themselves, I think. Oh, and I think you have to put your cursor over the picture to see my captivating commentary on each photo. Trust me...it would be a SHAME to miss out on my thoughts. Yes, a shame.

If you didn't laugh or at least crack a smile at Matt and Lindy's identical faces then I'm not sure we can be friends anymore. If you fall into that category please leave a comment to say that we are no longer friends, so I don't keep up life with false hope that people think those faces are as hilarious as I do. It isn't good to live life in shelter. Infact, we will stay friends, I'll be mad for a while, but I'd rather you tell me the truth than keep me in the dark. It's like in high school when I would get home at the end of the day and have a gigantic piece of spinach in my teeth (yeah, because I ate spinach a lot in high school, more like a big zit on my face). It would have been better to have an awkward moment with a friend than go all day with some disaster on my face meeting the world. I'm so glad we've cleared this up. I know I will sleep better tonight.

The next slideshow that you will be treated to is our NEW trampoline. We got it back at Christmas time and have been counting the long years, oh I mean months, of winter until we could put it up. I'll warn ya, it's long. But totally worth it if you like to look at pictures of my kids (and a few loved ones and fun neighbors). Again, don't forget that to see my insights I think you have to put your cursor on each picture (I could be way off on this as these are my first ever slideshows and I have no idea what I am doing).

Wow. So the tramp is open for business if anyone feels like a good bounce. Come on down! Unless of course you didn't think the Lindy/Matt faces were funny, you people are banned for life (you know I'm kidding right? I love all the tens of you that read this and you are welcome at anytime regardless of how you feel about my family making IDENTICAL funny faces...but come on, it's funny). Now if you will excuse me, I need to check my teeth for spinach (and my face for zits). See you sometime in the not too distant future!