march 22 - talkin' to Grandma Shaw

We had just gotten home from church this afternoon and my Grandma from AZ called.  We hadn't talked to her since they got back from Hawaii, so it was good to know they were getting all recovered from their trip.  I had to take a quick shot of Meghan as she was talking to her, because her hand gestures and facial expressions when she was telling her all about her horse back riding adventure were priceless!!!

march 21 - one {last} party...

Aiden's birthday cake....I have to mention that I sent Aiden to mom and dad's yesterday afternoon after our horse back riding expedition, looking like a cowboy.  He came home this afternoon all urbanized with the hat and canvas boat shoes.  He looked adorable after grandma had taken him shopping.... 

Ready to blow...
For any of you who were wondering....I.am.not.a.cake.decorator!!!!  I gave it my best shot and the cake was edible...but perfection was off by a long shot!!!  It did somewhat resemble a football, I think!!!
Rock 'Em...Sock 'Em...Robots.....we just about had a real life know down drag out over this one!!!

This is a great picture of the photogenic Chad and his girlfriend *meg is covering her eyes at the mention of that word* Erin.  We were glad they could come over, too!!!

Aiden's surprise when opening a red barn from Papa and Nana...this is something he will use with his farm machinery!!!
Bebe Alaina....so beautiful!!!
My "baby" Calyn...looking sweet and innocent.....
Meghan and Alaina...she, too, is enamored with the little lady!!!
This is a photo that I actually "worked on" in photoshop, so it is a bit brighter...

We spent the day today getting ready for family to come over to grill out and celebrate Aiden's birthday.  I know, I know....seems like the celebration is lasting forever, but this will really be the last post about it.  The weather was beautiful...absolutely gorgeous!!!!  We grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and had some other "summer" foods to go along with them.  Aiden had a few gifts to open and really just enjoyed spending time with his grandparents, aunts, uncle and cousins.  We all enjoyed Alaina...she's so sweet...her disposition is precious and those eyes!!!  I tell ya....Calyn just couldn't get enough of her.  I think she wanted to carry her around...we obviously didn't let that happen, but she did hold her for a bit after tricking daddy to get out of the rocking chair.  Clever little thing, she is!!!  

March 20 - Did you know horses {sneeze}!!!

I took the kids to Wesley Woods today to ride the horses for a little bit today.  They.had.a.ball!!!!  They each had a helper to walk with them while they were riding and the horses were very gentle and tame.  Sue was so good with the kids, talking about how to stop, start and turn a horse.  {Aiden thought he needed spurs}  They talked about how to act around the horses and even what they ate.  One of the funniest moments was when one of the horses "sneezed"...the look on Calyn's face was hilarious!!!  Meghan was in seventh heaven the whole time!!!!  She absolutely loves horses and was very *emphasis - very* sad to leave the horses!!!  We'll be back!!!  I promise!!!  

march 19 - {PARTY}!!!

We had a great time today at Aiden's party...there were 15 kids there, including our three...they were so well behaved and mannerly!!!  I hope they all had a good time!!!  We just spent time outside playing - basketball, football, sidewalk chalk, cable swing, tree house...and then the mud!!!  Oh the mud!!!  The kids went on an adventure out in the pasture and found a huge mudhole...of course Aiden and Meghan were the first and the worst!!!  Aiden actually got stuck and Jory had to come "rescue" him and pull him out of the mud.  Yes, I have pictures of all of those moments....

We had pizza, rootbeer floats with homemade ice cream from Pampa Wayne and buttermilk brownies.  The pinata was loads of fun, too!!!!  The adults survived and a big thanks out to Nita, Shanna and Ashley for helping Jory and I corral them all!!!

march 18 - happy birthday aiden!!!!

Aiden turned 7 years old today - wow....where did the last 7 years go?  Everyone always says enjoy it while they are little because it goes so fast....that is the understatement of the year!!!  Aiden spent the day with Jory at the farm today and had requested lasagna for supper...so that is what we had with garlic bread.  Then he opened the presents from mommy and daddy and the girls...he is really into football this year {hate to tell him that I'll never let him go out - he might get HURT!!!!} Ha Ha!!!!  He did get a football and a tee to kick it off of.  He also got a scooter which he loves!!!  Tomorrow is the big party here....I'm getting geared up!!!  

march 17 - a {gravel} angel

Meghan's imagination/wittiness never ceases to amaze me....her laugh, her sense of humor, her crazy imagination...they leave me in awe most of the time.  Sometimes that is good and sometimes that is not so good *thinking of the hard headed times here* - anyway, I caught her in the driveway making a "gravel angel" and thought...that's my Meg!!!!

march 16 - a bit of {flare}

I like to experiment with different techniques with picture taking....in other words, I have absolutely no idea what I am doing, but once in a while I get an image that doesn't turn out too bad.  I kind of liked this picture with the sun flare...wish it was a bit brighter, but still kinda cool...

march 15 - {His} promises are the real deal

Even though Aiden and I skipped church today to go out to Stuart to help my mom after her surgery...the Lord blessed us with a beautiful rainbow to remind us of His faithfulness!!  Rainbows have always given me an overwhelming sense of peace and reassurance.  This one was exceptionally beautiful...but it was quite difficult to photograph....I was laying down on my back on our front step...quite a site....and when I got up there was quite an array of sidewalk chalk designs on my back {see yesterday's post}!!!  Aiden and mom went for a walk...then Aiden watched a movie with Papa Jim.  The girls had a "daddy-daughter day" and went to church and then to the farm.  I don't know why but the girls seem so cute in their "farm clothes" and I am not sure who likes it the most the girls or the daddy!!!

march 14 - greasy, grimey.....kiddos!!!!

Well, since I had to work today...cousin Ashley came to babysit *oh yeah* and the kids had a great time!!!  I hope Ashley did, too.  Aiden was grounded from the TV, so I think it was easier to keep them outside for the day...and that is just what she did.  After breakfast, they went outside and played...basketball, chalk, tree house...you name it!!  They rode bikes, too.  Ashley served them lunch outside and they continued to play.  By the time I got home they were still outside and not really wanting to come in at all...so, I started working on getting the garage cleaned up.  By 6:00pm I had to force them in to shower, but of course I had to snap a quick picture first...it doesn't hardly do their grimey little faces justice, but they were sure cute.  They could hardly stay awake to eat and there was a whole lot of fussing and whining....straight to bed after supper....and they were all three out in seconds....spring is definitely in the air!!!!

march 13 - singing like a bird

Meghan and Calyn serenaded Pampa Wayne tonight with different songs....so I snapped this picture of Meg real quick....look out American Idol!!!  We grilled steak on the grill tonight, which sounded good to Grandpa and Daddy.  It was pretty tastey!!!  Aiden ate a whole filet!!!

march 12 - inspiration struck {early} today

Today was quite a busy day...meg to the dentist, me for a haircut, lunch with a friend, then out to help mom with a few things and finally a school board meeting tonight.  UGH!!!  I am ready for bed and yes I am posting at 11pm!!!  

When I came out to the kitchen this morning and looked outside, this was the sight I saw in the pasture....slumbering cows, dawn to the east and a full moon through the trees to the west.  It really was kinda neat....i only wish that grass was green!!!!  I think the cows thought I was nuts - hmmmm.....maybe!?!?!

march 11 - for the love of {reading}

Aiden loves to read!!!  And he does a great job!!!  Enough said!!!!!!

march 10 - a little {cousin} time

Calyn stayed over with me at mom and dad's last night - she thought she was pretty cool!!!  This morning "the girls" got together at Aunt Jenyse's house and played for about four hours.  They had a wonderful time and Calyn was so tired when I picked her up, she didn't even make it to the city limits on our way home before falling asleep.  The lighting in Jenyse's front room was perfect, so I seized the opportunity to take a few pictures.  They were so excited that it was hard to get them to sit still long enough to snap a few, but I thought they turned out pretty good.  My focus is a bit off on Beth in the last one - forgive me!!!  

Mom had a good day today - not sure she will remember any of it, but her pain has been quite manageable.  That was the thing she was most nervous about.  She slept most of the day and her nausea is pretty much resolved.  She is eating well and seems to be sleeping well, too.  I hated to have to leave, but I have to work tomorrow.  Dad's a pretty good nurse, too, so they will get along fine!!!

march 9 - reading at {nana's}

Mom had her surgery today and got along really well.  We got her home later in the afternoon and parked in her chair in the four seasons room.  Nurse hatchet *me* was in charge of feeding her pain pills and changing her ice pack.  All in all mom did super...they were able to fix her shoulder - thanks Dr. Quenzer and Dr. Honkamp - and gave her strict instructions to limit her activity especially for the next two weeks.  I know she has a lot of work ahead with therapy, but she's a trooper and I know she'll be back to lugging shopping bags in no time.  

I thought mom would probably {kill} me when she became coherent again if I posted a picture of her today.  So when I found Calyn reading in Nana's really cool favorite chair, I couldn't help but snap several photos of her.  She told the Cinderella story as she was looking at the pictures and then proudly announced how she "read" the book.  If you know mom, you know she LOVES to read, so this was sight that made her smile.

march 8 - card project done!!!

so this is what i was working on intermittently during the speaker installation - a Basic Grey card kit.  It is really pretty cute, and I guess since there was a beginning and an end, the ADD didn't win!!! ha ha!!! I finished them up today and I like how they turned out...now we'll see if I actually mail them or if I will be like Julie!!!

march 7 - the {weekend} - finally!!!

Jory was able to spend the afternoon working on installing our sound system downstairs.  We had a great family day - the first day in months with absolutely no where to go!!!!  One for the record books.  Anyway...he had lots of help from the kids in between playing dress up (hence meg being sans clothing) and scrapbooking.  Yes, I am corrupting my children - even Aiden!!! *smile*  

When we were building the house, Jory did all the wiring and planned well for the surround sound.  He left wires in the ceiling hanging through so he would know where they were.  Now, five and a half years later, we are installing the speakers which when we were building he assumed would be the hangy down type, but after researching what he wanted more, he decided to get the flush mount ceiling ones.  Whatever...I don't have an opinion!!!  He was very aprehensive about cutting an 8 inch diameter HOLE in the ceiling, but after measuring and remeasuring, he went at it.  This prompted Calyn to ask "Why are you cutting a hole in the woof  and throwing it in the garbage, daddy?"  So cute!!!  She can't say her Rs vewy well...ha...anyway, for those of you who know Jory, you know that when he does something, he does it very meticulously and thoroughly.  So imagine when we built the house, him thinking that if we were to have the hangy down speakers he would want something to secure them to in the ceiling rather than just drywall.  Oh yeah...so there are 2x6s above the place where the wire comes through the ceiling that are like screwed, cemented and whatever else in place.  He joke that he must have thought the speakers would each weigh 50 pounds!!!  Needless to say, Jory was as amused at himself as he was irritated.  So he sawed through them and took the necessary area of the 2x6 out in pieces to make the flush speakers work.  They look great and as usual he did a fabulous job.  This leads me {finally} to explaining the pictures below.  Aiden got worried with the pieces of wood falling that he went and got his hard hat - hilarious!!! Then Meghan took a break from playing dressup to come help....by using her hard hat to "catch" the pieces in a very girly way *note the hand on the hip*!!!

march 6 - SCRAP MANIA!!!!

So Jules and I went back to Archivers tonight for a marathon scrap session...she was way more productive than I.  I seem to get so distracted there - maybe it is all the great {stuff} to look at in the store!!!  I secretly think I might have ADD -  I just get to jabbering and looking around and can't really figure out what I want to do...you would think a place like that would stimulate some creative juices, but no for me...just an overwhelming feeling of I don't know what!!!  

We are quite an interesting pair with our Office Max rolling boxes (just for the record...this is the {one} thing that I had BEFORE her!!!)  LOL!!!  I actually bought it for work to help with the massive amount of dictations I have to do, but I don't seem to need it as much there and it is mighty useful for the scrapping sessions.  Our scrap outings have taken on a common theme of recent.....{hot tamales}!!!

March 5 - "sports" day

Aiden broke out his {WAY} too small baseball pants from last year, guess those will go to Meghan this year - she's on the Orioles little league team this year, not sure if the gray goes with the colors, but we'll see.  Meghan went as the Hello Kitty cheerleader (yes, Steph, more familiar attire)!!!  Calyn is just in the picture to not be left out...guess you can call her the benchwarmer today!!!

March 4 - {whacky} wednesday

This is the Hunerdosse interpretation of "whacky"...no one got to crazy today, but the teachers at VCA had some pretty funky hair goin' on!!!  I kept thinking...we have to go to church like this tonight, so we kept it pretty mild and reversible.  Oh, I was wondering if the grass will EVER be green?!?!?!

march 3 - {retro} day

Today was retro day at school...Aiden went for the "fonzerelli" look from the 50's and meghan was supposed to be  little flower child.  Calyn had to be in the picture, but wasn't really fitting the motif, oh well.  

march 2 - pj day at vca

am i a poet or what....this week is spirit week at the kids' school...so today they wore their pjs...even calyn did to marilyn's....stay tuned for the attire for the rest of the week.  it could get interesting!!!

March 1 - Sunday's goings on...

I couldn't decide on just one picture for today...so here goes...

This was after church...the girls were helping my bff's son Cael walk through the lobby.  He is flanked by some hot lil' mamas!!!  {and lovin every minute of it}

This is Calyn in the van as we were waiting for Daddy and Aiden to get done in Menards.  I was hoping to capture some of the neat catch lights that were going on in the girls' eyes.
Here are Meg's catch lights!!!
This is a very out of focus picture of the four girl cousins playing horses and farm at the Machine Shed when we went out for lunch.  Left to right is Calyn, Beth, Meghan and Abbie.  They were having a whee of a time!!!
This is the epitome (spelling isn't my thing) of the cousin thing!!!  These two just can't get enough of each other....we're thinking that Drew needs to come down and spend some time at the farm with Jory and Aiden....soon!!!!
This was my favorite capture of Cael today....he is such a sweetie and I think he might be the apple of his daddy's eye!!!  Although he is looking at his momma....he's got his daddy's fingers clenched tight!!!
That's it for today....now to decide which pic to put in the album - only get to pick one you know!!!

february 28 - {date} night

We had a sitter come today and Jory and I went to Paul Blart:  Mall Cop and out to eat with some good friends.  We had a wonderful time....we sat and visited for nearly three hours at dinner.  The kids had fun with the sitter...this is how we left them.....coloring at the kitchen table.