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!!!