Some forgotten shout-outs

Joe read my blog and wanted to make sure I mentioned some other people who helped out with my party. My in-laws, Bill and Sandy, had a big hand in the decorating, as did my good friends Michael and Joanna. It was all so wonderful...did I mention that? :)

We had our first showing the morning after the house went on the market. The people loved the house, and said the only thing they would change would be the ceilings (in that they are not vaulted). Well, shy of removing entire rooms upstairs, that ain't gonna happen. I felt good about the showing, though. I have a hard time not taking those comments personally. I know when I look at listings, I'm very critical. In other words, I can dish it out but I can't take it. Well, actually, I knew that about myself. :)

Hope y'all have a lovely Valentine's Day. I have Valentines for the loves in my life....my hubby and 5 kids. I wish I had been more creative...the last thing we need is more chocolate after the mass consumption of birthday cake over the last month. C'est la vie.

For Joe's and my first Valentine's Day together, he took me to a restaurant in Phoenix at the top of the Marriott Hotel. Over the course of an hour, the restaurant revolves 360 degrees, revealing the Phoenix skyline, the surrounding desert, and distant city lights. We went at sunset, so you can imagine how wonderful it was. I was hooked...I knew he was a keeper! We went back for our fifth wedding anniversary (this time I was old enough to have a glass of wine) and it was still wonderful. But I think nothing matches the first time you spend a truly romantic evening with the one you love...am I right?

Did I just imply that I think it's all downhill from here? If I did, I didn't mean to. I love being a wife and a mother...and I fall more in love with Joe everyday.

Ok, I'll stop. Stop making gag noises and get back to what you were doing. :)

Long time no blog...

Well, it's been almost a month, and it's been a doozy! Several of us celebrated birthdays (all 7 of us have birthdays between Oct. and February...how's that for planning?)

Brad turned 12. TWELVE? Seriously? If not for the sarcastic wit, hair that hangs in his eyes, and an appetite that doubles my grocery budget, I'd never believe it. He's a great kid. He's a lot like Joe...he's very laid back and very diplomatic. He also has very little sense of urgency. :) His motto in life? "Why do today what you can ignore until someone else does it or it just goes away?" He has no malicious intent...just very few things spur him to quick action.

As a baby, he was a mover and a shaker. The kid crawled at 6 months, cruised at 7 months, and walked at 9 months. He was into everything! He was a very happy baby, and we're thankful he's still a sweet, loving boy. Here's a little before and after. In the first photo, he is 9 months old. In the second, he's 12. To be honest, it feels like it went just that fast.



On the 31st Hannah turned four. I can't believe that, either. She's not a baby anymore...really not even a toddler! Her greatest accomplishments this year would have to be (in no particular order)
Learning her ABC song
Being able to remain, and participate in her ballet class. Whenever she is acting up, all we have to do is threaten to make her stay home from ballet and she's instantly sugar and spice.
Self-control...we're down to four or five tantrums a week now. That's down from four or five an hour.
Manners. Though we're not in the clear, I hear "thank you" more often than I hear "hurry up!" when I'm pouring the apple juice.
Eating. Now she can eat as many as 3 chicken nuggets in one sitting. We're up from licking one and then feeding it to the dog.
Sleeping. Though naps are a thing of the past, she no longer visits me at 3 a.m.
Social grace. She still speaks her mind, often at the expense of tact, but she is less likely to say "go away" and more likely to say "ok, I'll share." This is often accompanied by a bit of a "hmph" that she thinks we can't hear. We're working on that, too.
She's busy and sweet and cute as a bug. She's a bundle of fun, and we love her to pieces! Here are two pics of her. In the first, she is 9 months (thanks to eosinophilic disease, she is a whopping 10 lbs or so...). In the second, she is four. She and Kaylee had just gotten hair cuts. We are so thankful the e.d. is under control and she is a healthy, happy girl!






Four days after Hannah's birthday, I turned 36. Holy cow...for real? Despite my being on the downhill slide to 40 now, it was a GREAT birthday. Mom was here for two weeks and we did all sorts of preparations for putting the house on the market. Then on Saturday the 2nd, we did a little shopping , supposedly some relaxing "girls' night out" for my birthday. I should have clued in when suddenly mom was rushing me along like we had a plane to catch. We ran through J Jill, zipped through Dillard's and flew through the Gap. Still, I managed to find some fabulous things, all on sale. LOVE the end-of-season sales. But I digress...
When we arrived home, my home was filled with over 30 people! They yelled "surprise!" and sang, and I cried. I'm a serious boob anyway, but if you really want to turn on the waterworks, this is the way to do it. It was a wonderful night, and I still get giddy when I think about it. Joe spent weeks planning, and he and my friend Chris did the food (it was YUMMY). Amy did a bunch of the decor (including transporting 30 helium-filled balloons!) and the whole thing was wonderful. It's very humbling to know all those people set aside an evening for me. I still get weepy... My friend Joey and I tied for third place in the Wii bowling tournament. Eileen (my bunco buddy...she's quite competitive!) took second and CR got first place. It was great fun. I can't say it enough...the greatest people live here in AZ. Glad I'm married to the greatest, so I can take him with me. :) All of the rest of you...come along, won't you?

The house goes on the market tomorrow. Eeeek! Please pray for our sanity during this process. I have no idea how we are going to keep our house continually tidy for showings. Yeah, right! Did I mention I have 5 kids? Gimme a break. Only by the grace of God will we get through this move. I get nauseous sometimes thinking about it! :)

Thanks for reading...hopefully I'll be more faithful to post regularly!