i want my dada...all the time

wes is obsessed with all things chase right now.

when he wakes up, he wants dada to get him out of bed. he wants to be in the same room with dada at all times. heaven forbid chase get up to go to the bathroom or go in another room for some reason.

when chase leaves for work in the morning, it's a complete disaster.

when he wakes up from his nap in the afternoon, wes will go sit by the back door and cry/scream/throw a fit until dada walks in the door and picks him up. you get the picture!

although it gets a little old listening to the wailing, i don't really mind at all. plus, i can't help but smile when i look at this pitiful face!!


you can just see the love!

i don't think that's what the bible meant

earlier today, the two little people were sitting in the kitchen eating a snack while i was thinking about starting on supper. william got up from his chair and walked over to wes.

"wes...love your neighbor as yourself. now, gimme one of your chips."

i've obviously got some work to do.

it's like i'm living with a miniature joey

if you've never been a fan of the tv show, friends, then that title isn't going to make a lick of sense to you. if so, well then....

do you remember that episode when phoebe was trying to teach joey how to speak french so he could land a role in a play? well, i'm totally phoebe, and wes is joey. except that we are trying to speak english. and not a bunch of it. just a word or two.

it goes something like this...
wes walks to the cabinet where the cups are and points, then screams.
me: "you want something to drink?"
wes: nods his head yes
me: "can you say cup?"
wes: "taaa-eeeeee"
me: "no, that doesn't sound anything like cup. say, cup!"
wes: "eeee-aahhh"
me: "not really. can you say cuh?"
wes: "cuh."
me: "yeah! can you say up?"
wes: "up."
me: "good. now put it together. say, cup!"
wes: "ahbadooooooo"
me: "nevermind. here's your drink."

(i mean, seriously, how hard is it? we ride down the road by a construction site, and the kid screams, "tactuh! tactuh!")

me: "can you say thank you?"
wes: "uh-uh"
me: "say thank."
wes: "tank"
me: "say you"
wes: "oooo"
me: "thank you?"
wes: "ahbladeeeee"

this is why i'm insane by the end of the day!

me: "can you say i love you, mama?"
wes: "uh oooo, mama."

well, he loves me and tractors. i guess there could be worse things!

hallelujah for the hot weather!!!

ok, so anybody that knows me understands that i love me some 90 degree weather. hot sunshine. not a cloud in the sky. windows rolled down. it just makes for a great, great day!

so, i know it comes as a surprise that i would even consider 50 degree weather in the "hot" range. but, it has been so completely nasty, rainy, and cold here for like...ever. and did i mention rainy?!?

well, these past two days it finally made it into the 50s without any accompanying rain clouds. therefore, i shoved the little people out the door. i was going to lock the door and refuse to let them in. but, i could have left the door wide open, and neither of them was going back through it!


so, i did a little laundry and cleaned the kitchen in peace. then, when i realized that they were out for the duration, i finished off the reese's peanut butter cups that filled the little people's stockings (they'll never know) and perused the MS magazine wedding register. in peace.

somebody please tell me that summer is almost here?!?!

december twenty-five!

making cookies for santa on christmas eve


making sure that santa will like them


working off some energy post-bath before hitting the pillow for a long winter's nap


part of our christmas decorations includes a calendar-type thing that hangs on the wall in our kitchen. each day has a pocket, and each pocket has a 3 musketeers in it for each little person. so every day, we would count down the days until christmas...and eat chocolate. who says i'm not a cool mom?

anyway, william knew that the 25 was christmas day. not before. so, when i got william out of bed on christmas morning, i had to convince him that it really was christmas! he made me show him my watch with the 25 on it before he was ready to go downstairs and begin the festivities!

waiting on the ok to head downstairs on christmas morning!


dinosaurs!! finally!!


wes getting in on the action, too!


this kid is in heaven!


they really, really wanted to take a break for this pic!


a rousing game of hungry, hungry hippos! wes is actually pretty good at it (when he doesn't try to eat the marbles)!


the new teepee is a hit. add his sleeping bag, and it's the perfect camp out spot in his room every night!


after all the presents were opened, i heard the back door open. ben walked in, said hey to everyone on his way through the kitchen, and then he and william conquered the world! it was great. they played trucks downstairs. trains upstairs. put a puzzle together. chased each other in circles around the house on plasma cars, and then went outside to ride ben's motorcycle and apparently play in mud puddles. in the meantime, i got dressed, cleaned up and started cooking lunch! come over anytime, ben!!


the obligatory family christmas photo in front of the fireplace!


i hope everyone had a great christmas! we did, but don't think that i didn't get every single decoration and the tree put up before lunchtime on the 26th! while i enjoy this time of year, i also like order in my house. and the 364 days ahead before i have to do it again!!

cousin christmas

a few days before christmas, we went to jackson to celebrate christmas with the henson cousins. it was slightly chaotic...especially at bedtime...but we survived, and the the little people had a blast!

how many kids can you fit in one tub?


the only things william asked for were a rescue pack and some dinosaurs. he was so excited to find a rescue pack in this box! his face lit up as he said, "this is what i wanted for christmas!!"


taking a time-out from presents to hold my newest cousin, alexandra. (both he and wes enjoyed this kid a little too much! william told me that i needed to get him a little sister.)


who knew a blow up bed could be so much fun when turned into a boat on a river infested with crocodiles?!?


the cutest 2 man band i've ever seen


we are missing the little one because she was sleeping, but how amazing is it that all 5 are looking at the camera?? in their matching pjs, no less!

a little pre-christmas fun

you didn't know there was a 10th reindeer, did you?


they don't mind being sweet and sharing a chair when 3 musketeers and gum drops are involved!


rudolph and santa getting a little practice in before the big day!