saying goodbye

our condo flooded in december, so we had to replace the carpet. i finally got to see it this week! i was very excited about the way it turned out. i picked the color from a 4 inch square of carpet, comparing that to a 2 inch square of the paints!! i think i did a good job!!! anyway, we are trying to sell it. i was over there the other day showing it to our prospective buyer. i got there a little early to vacuum and clean up, since our renter just moved out. it was so bittersweet.

david and i both feel like pursuing selling is the right thing to do right now. but, this was the condo i bought when i was 23. all by myself (although i maybe shouldn't be too proud of that!!). it was at that condo that david came to the door and picked me up for our first date. it was there that we came back to after our honeymoon. it was there that we brought our daughter home from the hospital. it was our first home. first steps. first dates. first love. first meals.

all the memories. all the laughter. the time that all my sisters and my mom were there the week nora was born. the first christmas when sarah and byssa came out. anyway. there's the new carpet!!!

more surprise pictures!

a little surprised!!

what a great crying face. david and stef are SO PROUD of themselves!

love!

crying. and loving my bestie!

sweet, sweet baby boy!! at the pool...

he seriously played in the pack n play for like two hours!! it was AWESOME!! then, jeffrey got in to play with him and bought us another half hour!!

nora was so big in the pool!! mostly, she played in the intertubes and swam ALL OVER and across the pool!!! what a big girl!

my girls. (missing a few...) SUCH a fun day!!

for auntie byssa...

your niece loves you!!!

a weekend...

umm... i'm not supposed to be in here, am i??

about to jump on daddy. but, i love that tummy!!!

"coooooookie chase!!!" this is nora's favorite thing with daddy. why it's cookie chase, i don't know. but, he jumps around and chases her! look at those ups!!

is anyone watching???

what a fun weekend... what fun with daddy. mom-mom came today! her last visit. getting our bucket list done. and, hanging out with the bestie still in town. the end for tonight.

BEST. BIRTHDAY. EVER!!

david and stef threw me a surprise 30th birthday party. (yes, it was a year early... that was part of the surprise part! he knew that this year, i would have all my good friends around...)

we were planning on going to the melting pot for dinner. we were going to go with stef and shea, and we were supposed to pick them up. we get to their house, and david got out of the car and opened my door. (the opening the door part wasn't weird, he was being super chivalrous! i had gotten into the car too fast, so he wanted to open it. made sense to me!) the weird part was that he was walking up to the door. i was thinking, "seriously, i am just going to get them. just stay in the car. we'll be right back!". then, i started to think about a surprise party. but, really didn't think he was doing it! well, i was wrong. i opened the door to about 25 of my closest friends! i started crying! (totally didn't expect that!!!)

then, as i start to compose myself, stef says, "shell, we have another surprise". chels walked around the corner! i sobbed! good tears! i was overwhelmed! this last week, i have just felt SO BLESSED! and i felt exponentially so last night. chels flew 3000 miles, on FIVE flights with a two year old to get to me! and all the others that were there. it was a WONDERFULLY AWESOME night. what a great man and great friends i have!! i can cry just writing this!!

so, i don't have most of the pictures. (or the video of me crying away) but i'll post those when i get them. here are a few that i managed to capture! i can't even begin to describe how blessed and loved i felt! or surprised!

a pinata... cinderella!!!

lighting my candles! i managed to blow out 25 of them!! not too bad...

the girls even made me a red velvet cake, sans the red!!!! (oh yeah, and fried ice cream!!!)

me, joy and stef. those girls worked so hard to pull it together!!! (and lied so well....) so, just after i got there, these two people came to make street tacos. this little old mexican woman was rolling and making tortillas in stef's backyard, and the man was making the meat and tacos! the food was FABULOUS!!! (and we have a TON leftover! guess what we had for lunch today?????) it was so good. stef made VATS of salsa that's to die for! and guac. and david picked up my favorite white sauce from my favorite mexican restaurant! won't have a party like that in rhode island!!!

oh no!!!

my two year old just told me "i need to wear some cute unders, mom", as she takes off current, plain white underwear in search of something better.

daddy's home!!

did i ever post this one? i just love his sweet little face! we went to a friend's house today. the mom is one of the sweet girls who takes care of jamey during cbs. jamey just snuggled up to her and hugged her! for several minutes. it was so sweet!!! especially considering he wouldn't go to anyone else while i was around this week!

nora has been making "puppets" with anything she can find! (jeanne, do you recognize these? we love them!! for more than just puppets!!!)

and nora was having a staredown with some rolly-pollys. daddy has taught her NOT to kill them. now, she's just convinced he's going home to his mommy!!

so, daddy came home last night. he stayed home a few minutes extra this morning to see his kids! actually, nora climbed into bed with daddy around 5:30 am to see him! they snuggled for quite awhile!

jamey woke up and david got him. they snuggled and had fun. when daddy left for work, jamey thought the world was coming to an end. it was SO SAD!! nora, at least, i can explain that daddy will be home this afternoon.

happy birthday to...

me!! it was a wonderful day. started with a sweet girl in my bed, snuggling, and will end with a cute boy snuggling in my bed! i made us pumpkin pancakes, went to Bible study, where everyone devoured my not-so-red velvet cake! (my fav!!) then, came home and BOTH kids napped!!! then, got a surprise ice cream visit from the hodges! (stef and kids) it was wonderful. i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those kids and their mom!!! i worked on a project for "peace bears"... a friend's organization that gives bears and support to women with pregnancy losses. (something very dear to my heart!) then, went to get a FREE, full-sized new cleanser from origins (they were running a deal today that if you brought in one you didn't like/use, etc you got theirs free! awesome... i had an old lotion lying around that i didn't like...). then, because we were out, and it was rush hour and dinnertime, the kids and i had a date/dinner at nordstrom cafe! i LOVE it there. it's been raining here for awhile, and i had creamy tomato basil soup and shared grilled cheese with the kids! SO FUN!!

then, came home, talked to the fam, and put the kids in bed. now, cleaning the house, finishing the project, and awaiting my hubby!!! thanks for all the calls/texts/facebook posts! it was a special day!!!

the blessings continue...

how i found nora the other day. note all the princesses lined up! she was chatting with them...

and then, chatting on her phone. she had been pushing her doll around, with her FOUR purses on her arm. then, decided to call andy.

eight years ago, i got treated to a very special 21st birthday dinner. papa lawrence was in town and took me out! last week, i found out that papa lawrence was going to be in town again, so today, courtney, the kids and i drove up to have dinner with him. the blessings continue. a wonderful dinner. with a wonderful friend, whom i love. and whose family i adore. and with two kids that were great! (for waking up at 4:30 am this morning... so fun!) and with another friend (courtney) that i adore!

thanks big t!!! it's always fun to be with you...

off to bed... and my hubby comes back tomorrow!!! best birthday present ever!!

oh... btw! nora found heaven on earth today. i took courtney to nordy rack (she had NEVER been!) on the way up. and nora was in heaven in the shoe department. she wanted EVERY "glass slipper" there. she thought she'd died! it was too cute. and she told me that each one fit!

today, she also told me she was glad that her glass slipper didn't break (like on the movie). james stood almost all the way up by himself yesterday. it will be soon!!!

so blessed...

there's a martina mcbride song about being so blessed with so much more than i deserve. that's how i feel right now. i just got back from a great birthday dinner with some awesome girlfriends! there were six of us and mexican food! life doesn't get much better. i really could have cried the whole night thinking about how much i will miss them. but, what a fun night of love and laughing! and celebrating me. how does life get much better.

so, i think that birthday celebrations should last all month. and, when a gift comes, you open it then! so, it's been a good week. gifts. three checks in the mail yesterday!!!! celebration. although david laughed. i had to make my own dinner reservations for birthday dinner this weekend with him. made my own cake. bought my own present (just cause i really wanted it and needed a justification... bought it in march!). organized my own birthday dinner. bought the gift cards for our date this weekend! ahh... the life of being a mom.

anyway, i am so blessed. with so much more than i deserve. great husband. great kids. great family. great friends. great life. AWESOME Savior! and with that... good night!!!

what i've been up to!!!

a silk dupioni flower girl dress!!!

new couch cushions!! (actually for outside, but i am enjoying them inside right now...)

a new wallet for me!!

the outside, with a ruffle!!

so, this is what i have been up to recently! don't mind the pictures. they were taken on my photobooth. nora has been painting happily on her new easel with watercolors. her favorite color to paint is black. but, i am keeping myself entertained while david is gone!!! i have a plan to start some dresses as gifts!!!

as an aside. why don't people get the hint. two ladies came to my door and asked if i wanted to join their Bible study. my child is running around naked. i may or may not be dressed yet (a result of sewing!), and i have told you that i am in TWO Bible studies and love my church. oh, and i am moving in two months. not interested. so, i probably am not going to change my mind! i will say "no" sweetly, however!! that would be a tough job... but, still no! thanks, i like my church!!! and i am saved. by grace. alone. through faith alone. wonderfully!! at least they didn't come during nap time and wake up my kids!!!

me.... and the beach!

at the beach!

nora playing with her new bestie!!

james enjoying the sand!!

running from waves!!! how did she get so big???

he put it in the bucket, then into his mouth!!!

i was hit with something the other day. i was applying for a new credit card (an airplane one... more benefits with travel, since we are moving a little further away...), and it asked for profession/occupation. i wrote mother. then, the next question was salary. umm... $0? who would give me a credit card for that? it was an interesting way to look at that. but, how do you qualify and quantify all that i do? or moms in general?? i mean, really... it made me laugh!

we went to courtney's on the beach today. it was fun! and freezing!! it was 83 and sunny at our house. it was 67 and overcast at hers!!! kinda crazy. but, we played at the beach for about a half hour. enough time for jamey to eat BUCKETS full of sand! and nora to realize how cold she was!!! then, we went in and saw her awesome new place on the beach! they are renting for the last few months here. then, we talked her into coming back home with us, since andy's working! you might wonder what i did without her. i sure do!!! we are lucky to have her. nora followed her around her house while she was packing, saying "we can do whatever you want". sweet nora wanted her to come stay over so badly!!

nora also has this new habit of bringing me her shoes and asking "is this the right way?". she knows when shoes aren't on the right feet! she's SO BIG!!!

also, david got to visit some good friends who are on the east coast today. i am a little jealous!!! brad and i went to high school together, and i take a lot of credit for introducing him to his wife!! and then, we had kids weeks apart!!! JEALOUS!!! they had fun. and, we all get to visit this summer.

awesome.....

was just singing to my kids. loudly and i am sure, off key. and then i hear the mailbox (which is on the wall opposite where i was standing with the window opened) close. yup... the mailman (person) was right outside. awesome!!!

while the boys are away....

albeit a scary picture of tania, we had a WONDERFUL girls night last night. so, i realized at 7 that i hadn't blogged. i figured i would do it when the girls left. and then, it was 12:30am and they were leaving. i decided to go to bed, assuming i would have to be up at 6am with the kids. (and, i had gone to sleep at 11:30pm the night before with courtney) but, my wonderful kids AWESOMELY woke up at 8 am!!! hallelujah! it was WONDERFUL! i am still quite tired, but it was a great night with great girls. strawberries and chocolate fondue. two buck chuck. four good friends. (and can you see the new yellow and white pillows i made in the background???)

so, jamey said "ball" the other day. it sounded like "bah", but i knew what he meant! he's getting so big!! nora climbed into my bed and snuggled with me this morning. we have been SO BUSY since david's been gone! this morning, we had leftover pancakes and went to a fabric store that was having 25% off of the fabrics i love!! so, i got a bunch of stuff to start projects... which probably means more late nights this week!! oh well, so much fun! such good kids.

a sleepover...

we are having a sleepover tonight...

not kensley, though. she just came to play.

the kids enjoyed our (empty) pool outside...

bray and nora just laid in the pool and talked! it was so sweet...

we ichatted with cousins today. it was fun! kensley really enjoyed it!

i was making dinner, and turned around to find this. the kids, PRAYING on their own! i could have cried!!

brushing teeth and making faces!

cheese!!

nora (and then brayden after i took this shot) snuggled up to courtney on the couch! courtney's hubby's working all night, so a big sleepover at the haile household! court watched the kids while i worked out! and then, came back to put them in bed. it only took about 30 minutes for them to (hopefully) fall asleep!!

i was at brayden's house one night when his older siblings were going to a sleepover, and he was being left behind. i told him he could come spend the night at our house one night (and promised david it would be when he was gone!). so, i figure it's good for nora to learn how to go to bed when in bed with someone else! and they are TOO STINKING CUTE!!!

a girl after my own heart...

i really like that picture. note the glass slippers (plastic)... she wore those ALL day. despite several offers to wear other shoes. all she wanted was those!! all day. a girl after my own heart!

the happiest place on earth!!! naptime!

my sweet girl, enjoying "small world" for the first time!

jamey really enjoyed all the rides this time. on "small world" and "nemo" he loved all the things to look at!!

nora was excited to "drive" us in the race cars. who knew she was old enough???? my baby girl!

and there's my big boy!!

here we are on "small world". cute looks we have going on, huh??

nora was showing off the ring she was wearing to ariel. she dressed herself... fairy dress, "crown" (headband), necklace and a ring!

she's a little thrilled to be meeting ariel!

my big boy riding his own ride!

showing off her glass slippers to belle!

hugging tigger... still a little timid about it, but okay this time!

the hailes... our last trip to disney for awhile. very sad face!

reading and saying goodbye to grammie this morning... but it was a FUN trip! and james figured out how to unlace the shoe in his hand!!!