add to the pretty...

yesterday, i got a surprise in the mail!! (i guess not totally a surprise when i ordered it, but still...) it was a YUCKY day out, and i was so excited to get this beautiful, handmade scarf!

from the weekend... think he enjoyed his chocolate don-don??

and, celebrating grandpa's 86th birthday!! (missed the shower, but go to celebrate with peter instead. such a joy!)

some haile women...

you can't see how the ocean is just CHURNING yesterday, or the rain coming down, but i liked this view.

nora snuggling with baby easton over the weekend. she loved being a "mommy" to him... he might have liked her "love" a little less. no, he was so good, and she was so gentle! it was too cute to watch....

more of the waves... a different camera this time!

more of my pretty... isn't that a BEAUTIFUL camera strap?? my sweet (online) friend made it....

playing chutes and ladders over the weekend... nora won. she always wins. i know, surprise there!

look what he found... and was so intrigued by...

today we are back to school! and jamey doesn't have swimming lessons again this "semester". i figured it wasn't worth the fight, even if he seemed to enjoy it.... so, we are going to find something fun to do, just us! (it might involve errand running....) here's to a kinda warm, kinda sunny tuesday!

a weekend...

on saturday morning, i got a PRESENT!!! more fabric delivered to my door... i got this and one more bolt that doesn't fit in the picture. how happy was i...

today, i took myself to trader joe's and target. and got myself some beautiful hydrangea. and some pre-disney gifts... as we head to the big DW soon!!

nora's dresser... the "n" is her latest addition!

home....

so, this was a cool shirt of mine, that i think i shrunk... from eddie rodriguez (remember that store, jenn??) and now, it's almost the perfect size for a dress for nora.

nora wanted a headband made from this cool flower i got. broke out my hot glue gun this morning!!

it's a little fuzzy, and i hate these curtains (i have dreams of making them cool when we get to hawaii!... but, this was david's valentines' day present (not the curtains). i saw these canvases on another site i follow, and thought they were so cool. these, i think, were her designs, but sold to someone else. i couldn't find them anywhere close to me, and i think they were much smaller than i wanted. (most stuff she can do custom order- she did it for me over Christmas for another gift that turned out SO COOL!) so, i made my own. (it's from ruth 1:16- "where you go, i will go. where you stay, i will stay". i thought it was so appropriate for us and our life.)

so, i slowly packed my suitcase today. in fact, when i picked david up from work at 11:30, my suitcase wasn't even packed. i just wasn't sure i was going to get out. by the time we left for the airport at 1, my 2:10 flight was delayed 80 minutes. i got there, got all checked in, got starbucks, and finished my business federal taxes. then, checked my phone and saw that my flight was cancelled. so, i meandered up to the gate agent, just as they got the page and made the announcement that my flight was, in fact, cancelled.

i got to be first in line, and they told me i would get to cle at 5pm tomorrow. btw... the shower i was going home for is at 1pm tomorrow. so, after some hemming and hawing and trying to figure out if i should drive to boston and pay another airline (feeling like florida all over again), i decided to just get my money back (boston would have been great if there weren't 50 mile an hour gusting winds and awful rain...).

fortuitously, God had this planned... we just decided that i was going to be able to be home for the next shower, so i wasn't feeling so much pressure. but, i am still sad. it's my sissy... i WANT to be there...

instead... i have one order for a new bag, and as i checked in today, had some more interest. the ticketing agent wanted a bag, and passed it on to three other agents. (now, i need to get a website and some business cards, too!!) so, i might work on that. it was a nice little gift, as i had been praying about getting this business thing going.

so, hubs has the kids, and i am going to sew. he really wants to still make this a fun weekend for me (or maybe he doesn't want me to spoil the daddy/kiddo time!!). so, i'll stay out of their hair for awhile!

an affair to remember...

i love this man! i am so thankful he loves to take me away for weekends!!! enough said.

pizza in nyc... he's not a fan of the picture taking...can you tell?

a spot (i think??- uncle fred) i know so well... we stood here, or very close to here for so many years, enjoying the macy's day parade. i can't wait for my kids to enjoy it!

the weirdest store entrance ever! this random glass square, with stairs going down to the apple store. SO COOL!! i LOVE all things apple...

this picture doesn't really capture the ridiculousness of this foosball table. it was all barbies. and pink. and AWESOME. and, only cost $25,000. and, something like only 10 were made.

can you tell i feel a little awkward? i was trying not to push the little 3 year olds out of the way to get my picture. but, how cool is that??? (on the big piano at fao...)

david and the lego man...

enjoying the walk in central park...

notice the cute bag... made by me! it ended up being so wonderful to carry through the city! (not that i am bragging...)

i think i won mother of the year award today. started with a mimosa and ended up with losing my son in my house and finding him with a tampon applicator. awesome. (one did not have an effect on the other... i promise!) it was just not my day. we were all a little cranky. but through it all (when i found jamey hiding another time), i told him he was a stink pot. he kept walking around saying, "stink. POT!"

nora told me today that when she is as tall as auntie sarah, she can watch "the lizard of oz", and see dora-thief. and jamey FINALLY cried when daddy put him to bed! (i shouldn't be happy. i am just glad it's not just me!) it strikes me daily how big the kids are getting. nora asked me today if i remembered when she got sick at mom-mom's and had to sleep in her sleeping bag (cause i thought it would be easier to clean up), and she didn't spit (throw up) in the pan, and she got to watch a show. seriously, the stuff this kid remembers!! i love her! and the boy...

i get to fly home for the weekend... for a certain bridal shower. and hang out with my family. just me. something i haven't done in five years. wow... i can't wait! (i do think i will miss the fam, though!)

a weekend in review... almost...

the second half of our weekend... we stumbled upon this little friend!

and a gorgeous view of the upper east side. and, had lunch at the boathouse in central park...

then, david got to meet another "little" friend!

and more snow in central park!

i loved these roses throughout the city...

we were graced by the swansons for dinner...

the davids.

and, david got to cook for us at benihana! so much fun!

his wonderful meal! i have a six minute vid i will try to upload!

cleaning up...

his mentor, carlos

the gang...

some more cooking...

the snow we woke up to! it was so beautiful!

a little chilly waiting to get tickets to "mary poppins"..

at lunch, warming up!!

i can't get blogger to let me put up any more pictures currently. don't know why the problems! but, david and the kids are playing, dinner has been had, and awaiting david to clean it. naps were slim today, and i need to go put clothes away (three loads are currently sitting on my bed!!)

i am glad to be back, but we had such a fun time away. for Christmas, i got david this "train to be the chef night" at benihana. we had so much fun enjoying the city (unfortunately, he had to train on saturday and perform on monday night... so we HAD to spend two days in the city!!!). he was a trooper and we shopped quite a bit! (he commented a few times how he wished nora and james were with us in the disney store or fao schwartz... umm, no??? how about NO!!!)

i also talked my way into trying on a bridesmaid dress at jcrew and made my decision (who knew that you needed an appointment to try on a bridesmaid dress???). now, i am going to stalk the dress and hope it goes on sale!!! but, it was TWO SIZES smaller than i would have bought without trying it on!

let's see... we walked. A LOT! and ate at some good restaurants. and slept. a lot!!!! i am telling you, i was ASLEEP in bed at 8:20pm on saturday night. and woke up at 3am when our neighbors had an hour long party, and then again at 7:30, because i just couldn't sleep any more! and we were lights out before 10pm on sunday night, too! crazy!

so, back to the grind. i guess they are going to try to sell our house? (the one we are currently renting) an appraiser came today. did you know that our house was built in 1890? holy cow! i knew it was old... we came home to some random water coming from somewhere we can't determine. we'll see how that goes.

alright, that laundry. it calls... maybe i can even get it put away before the kids go to bed!

having fun today..

discovering the drawing board...

twirling in a new dress...

hanging out at ikea. he was so proud of himself... pointed to the name and said "k"! (okay, i was so proud of him!!)

lunch after our rendezvous! lovely!

a friday... and new pics!!

jamey's two year old picture! love that boy. (although, he was HARD to get to sit/stand/lay/be still for a picture. or smile. the woman kept saying she was going to get his belly. so, he'd pull up his shirt and show his belly!)

my favorite!

another family one!

playing with the big kids!!

at g's birthday party tonight. cute cake his mom made! my sweet, creative friends!

kids are sweetly ensconced with grammie and grandpa. and david and i leave for nyc in the morning! whoo-hoo...