my boyfwend

I realize I don't really post that many pictures of my mister so heres one!  When I met Danny I went up to him, saw a cute, dark haired guy and said "Hi who are you?"  He actually laughed and was like "Danny.  Who are you?"  So I kinda got a crush on him.  I liked his voice, I liked his smile, I liked how he would laugh, and tease, and talk with me from that first conversation.  We had a long conversation about I believe 90's music (it was only 2001), and talked about some common friends we had.  I believe somehow the topic of the Fresh Prince of Bellaire came up but I don't remember.  Anyways, I didn't see him much after that first couple times.  I think we talked for a while at a dinner after church one evening, and everyone was cleaning up, and clearing out, and there we were sitting across  the table from eachother talking, not wanting to really get up and go, and I had the thought...cheezy Mormon thought here it is "I feel like I've known this guy before!  I feel like I've talked to him and been like his best friend before"  So random.  Anyways.  He worked evenings.  So I would pester his roommate Ben, "hey where is your roommate Danny?" and he would always say working.  So outside of talking to him at church and the random events it was hard to see him much more than that.  But of course, we did end up seeing each other more.  But I will leave that for another story.  Just that's my guy up there.  And he's turning 37 two days after I turn 33 in October.  Us Libra's stick together.  yessirree.

its alllliiive

my blog is still alive!  it was dead.  it locked me out for some period of time and unfortunately I didn't even care that much.  I'm sorry.  I love you blog but not that much.  Not to actually figure out why I was locked out.  Now you are back.SOooooooo

Addie started 4th grade.  She has a teacher who is a tall ice hockey player named Miss Siehl and she says she is her favorite teacher so far.  She's happy so I'm happy.

Eva started 1st grade.  The girls ride the bus together, and sit together.  I love seeing their faces wave to me from the same seat as the bus pulls away in the morning.  It's sisterly love (for the moment).  And I never hesitate to yell in a frantic mom voice from the front door "I LOVE YOU COOKIE!" 
 Eva's nickname.  I hope I can do that till she graduates.  She always gives me a dirty look.

Harvey is in the school of netflix.  It is hard to get into.  It requires 8 dollars a month and an ability to puruse through many bad 90's cartoons and made for tv movies.  He's doing pretty well so far and has found several courses (Wild Kratz, Garfield, Power Rangers) that he is doing really well at.  

Mr. Dotson is attending 5th grade for the 8th year in a row.  I hope he doesn't lose his marbles.  I don't know how long he can keep it up.  If I had to attend 5th grade that long I'd probably run away to another country and join the circus.  He's still here, so that's going well I guess. 

as for me, I'm a commitment phobe and have been running but still haven't signed up for my half marathon.  Jeff Galloway is the bomb!  he has helped my running so much.  Read Jeff Galloway.  I'm not kidding.  He will have you running more miles than you ever thought possible.  And you will feel good.  And only be running 3 days a week.  Otherwise, I've just been getting the piano calender set up for fall, taking Harvey out with me when he isn't in school (watching netflix) and trying to think of vegetarian ish dinners to feed the family. I fell off the boat for like a week and gained 5 pounds!  I seriously can't eat meat or cheese it makes me blow up.  I let the kids eat it a bit because they need to blow up, but me, no need whatsoever. 

whats up

what makes me happy: these people.  And others not pictured above.  Bad blogger-yes I am. 
 Life just keeps turning, and things are going on and I don't even know where the heck to start. 
 Because as a mom isn't every day just another day, and the days turn into weeks and months and years and the changes are small, and noticeable more looking back after a distance, when you see chubby thighs even out, and toothless smiles fill in.  I look at lines around my eyes and see pictures of years ago and remember thinking how I didn't like the picture and now I think I look awesome in it. 
 Things that happen in a day are food, more food, dishes more dishes, dinosaurs, spider man suits, field trip money, and Fly Guy books, pianos clanging, doorbells ringing, dropping off at afternoon kindergarten and being rebellious and dropping her off right in front even though we are supposed to park down the street.  Addie doing family home evening lessons on nature.  Lethal puppy farts.  Harvey saying" I love my mom", Danny saying "you keep our world turning".   I'm running, in the early morning, watching the sun come up and praying thank you, thank you Lord for another day. 

ain't nobody got time for that

Things I've learned since being burglarized:
put your pictures somewhere besides your computer: like a cd, external hard drive, a box, because you cannot replace those...I still cannot think about the videos I lost, the kids on vacation at the beach, smiling at the camera wind blowing through hair, small legs, diapered chubby butts.  I wish my memory was better but unfortunately pictures and videos really helps me out in that department.  Christmas videos, and performances at school and in the living room set to music.  Dancing like crazy and and Harvey being a "super E" his word for super hero.  Videos I can't get back.  But at least I can take new videos, ones I will save carefully 

Lock your doors: sounds obvious, but I kept leaving my back patio door open so people could come in without a key.  not smart.  Someone I didn't want to come in came in without a key.  

Leave your dog out:  This I'm still on the fence with, Chilly was in her cage, and maybe if she was out she would've gotten hurt, but I'm guessing with how she growls at the dp&l guy she could have been some kind of deterrent.  

Don't leave your stuff in your master bedroom:  The only bedroom they checked out was the master bedroom and that is where they stole my jewelry.  Probably any other place is better for jewelry, like literally anywhere else.    

The worst feeling is just the feeling that someone was in my house, dumping my special, yet worthless to a stranger things, and taking things that belonged to us.  
I hope I can feel safe again and help my kids feel safe....but I guess we will never probably feel so safe we leave our house open.

happy winter!  It's the dead of winter and snow is piling up here, I'm treating myself to sitting online as long as I want.  I've been trying to limit technology in my house.  Why? Because I feel like my family is turning into zombies, school, eat, tv...repeated daily.    So I am trying to stay off the computer and do other productive activities, like read, make up arrangements of songs on the piano and read Harvey the same book 1 million times in a row..right now he really likes the "elephant and piggie" books.  Honestly I feel like just keeping this family fed and sanitary takes a ton of time.  i do not know how 2 working outside the home parents do it- it would be seriously hard.  If i worked 9 hours a day like alot of people do we would probably have our house condemned and our kids put in foster care because they would be living off like cheetos and root beer.  I mean, we had one of addies baby hamsters escape and we couldn't find it for 5 days.  things get bad round these parts.  today laundry needs to be done and I have to hope no more hamsters get out or we will be in trouble.  I need those hamsters gone!  Addie's rodent collecting is getting to the level of animal hoarding, 3 gerbils and 7 hamsters.  So tonight I think I'm going to make soft pretzels, I haven't made those in a while, and Addie and I are having a good luck charlie Season 3 marathon.  Daddy and Eva have a date to play checkers until Eva is a checker champ.  So that is today!

still here.....

I haven't been journaling, blogging, or anything that actually involved writing.  I kind of miss it,  every night I commit to writing in my journal then my head hits the pillow and my eyes are heavy and the thought of trying to make sense of my day sounds like work that is too overwhelming.   
  3 kids.  Doesn't sounds like much, but lately my days are flying by, I hardly sit down all day, but my life is full and happy and I feel content......because how could you not be with check out my big boy in his panties.  Yes we call them panties.  Yes he will be okay.  He is more man in his panties than you'll ever be in your underwear.  He has two older sisters, what do you expect. 

cookies

we call eva cookie because she has chocolatey eyes and she's brownish in color so she is our cookie.   

harvey is a cookie man himself

Actually he just fell asleep and he literally smiled in his sleep and said the word "Cookie"  But who doesn't love cookies.  Actually I'd like to meet someone who doesn't love cookies and I would slap their face.  Or force feed them cookies.  Maybe they just have never had a good cookie.  I've never met a cookie I don't like.   Well I take that back....some cookies, given enough nuts, are more of a granola bar and I steer away from those.  

So, summer has struck round these parts.  We have been making family memories and you better not forget it kids.  I tell my kids...you guys have a great life and a wonderful childhood....I think I tell them that so maybe when they are older they are less likely to go to a therapist and complain about their childhood.  We have been fishin and swimming, and playing with loads of cousins, and playing with poor homeless animals at the animal shelter, and going to the farm and the park and riding bikes.  You name it it's happening and it's good.  Although I'm wore out.  It takes alot of food to feed 3 growing kids with extra cousins over.  I feel like a 50's housewife somedays where I go from scrubbing out a huge pot to making another meal to rotating laundry to making more food.  I need to invent a mom feeding trough where you just throw food in a trough and the kids line up and eat it whenever they are hungry. we need a cookie trough.  We wouldn't become obese that way now would we?