the moores you know

How badly do you need a mattress??

2008-09-27T18:36:00.001-07:00

Topher and I saw this one on the way home from church tonight...I pray I'm never this desperate!

Just between friends

2008-09-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

Okay friends...I have a confession to make. Our housekeeper decide to go back to a less physically exhausting job, so I've been taking care of the house since about May. I've done fairly well keeping up except for one area...vacuuming carpets. Our carpet attachment to the central vac doesn't work, so I've done our hardwoods and rugs, but no carpets. Yes, do the math, our carpets haven't been vacuumed in like almost 4 months! GROSS! So today, I went to my friend Amanda's house to borrow her BMW of all vacuums...the DYSON! YES! If you listen carefully, I'm sure you'll hear my carpets singing the Hallelujah chorus! So help me if anyone steps on the fringes of my freshly vacuumed rug! In fact, I'm so excited about my clean carpets that I had to blog about it before I have even finished our rooms! I never thought the sight of a cylinder full of dust and dirt could be so gratifying!!!

On a much cleaner note, I'm so excited about fall! The girls have started school and are doing great. Esther is in 3 year old preschool and Graceyn is in mother's day out both 3 days a week so that I can go back to work. For at least the rest of this week though, I'm enjoying some time to myself before starting work.

We are definitely excited about the change in season. Our windows are open, my very cute $3.50 fall rug from Wal-Mart is in the kitchen, and the mulled cider candle is burning! I think if the pumpkin patches were open, we'd be going this afternoon! The girls have already been practicing for Halloween...so cute!

A little "behind"!!

2008-08-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

Does this picture say it all or what?!! I mean just when you think you're on your way, keeping up and moving along you realize that you have some extra drag...something be it good or bad that is really slowing you down!!

Okay, things have been so hectic over the last month...fun but hectic. I only have a second, but I thought I'd at least post a couple of pics. We have a precious new nephew in the family! Yea Jess and Kels! Baby Ross Franklin was born on July 28th and is so cute. Mom was so proud to have all 5 of her grandkids together at once!! Graceyn was so intrigued and loved the baby as long as I wasn't holding him! Jesse's world is literally spinning!!

Last weekend, Mom took Christina, Chloe, Graceyn, Esther, and me all to Dallas for a girly girl weekend. We did Rainforest Cafe, the Aquarium, and the treat of the weekend...AMERICAN GIRL!!! Esther and Chloe both got "Just Like You" dolls that really do look like them. Chloe was "stary eyed" about the whole thing! Graceyn was crazy about

the Bitty Baby twins and their stroller...We had so much fun! This week we are gearing up for pre-school and mother's day out, but that's a whole different blog for another day!

Big girls

2008-07-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

As if turning 3 isn't enough of a "big girl" wake-up call for mom, Topher and I decided to get Esther's hair cut. I was (and still am) soooo excited about it. She and I went together yesterday to my salon. We both got big girl haircuts! She has the cutest little bob, perfect for starting preschool in the fall! Best part about it (besides the fact that it is so stinkin cute): I dont' ahve to listen to her yell,"Don't do the pull part" every morning when we fix her hair!

Not to be outdone by her sister, Graceyn has become Miss Personality Plus. She is soooo cute that I just want to squeeze her all the time! She is so into sunglasses right now. She wears them for hours at a time...whether we are inside or out. So precious!

Esther is 3!!!!!

2008-07-23T07:59:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Esther!!! On Saturday, Esther turned 3 and we had such a fun party! We went to her gymnastics place and had a blast....soooo fun! The best part about it -- it wasnt' at my house so I didn't have to clean up before or after! Awesome!

Mom made her the cutest Strawberry Shortcake cake. It was delicious and sooooo "berry" beautiful!

Esther is loving her new scooter...she won't ride it without full gear...helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. Safety first!
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Graceyn loves Daddy!

2008-06-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Topher has been coming home from work for lunch, which is wonderful. We love getting to see him in the middle of the day! Graceyn always climbs up in his lap while he tries to eat his lunch. Between her eating his sandwich and putting her grubby little paws in his french onion dip and Esther drinking his Dr. Pepper, he barely even gets to eat! But, he loves having them close even if he has to sacrifice a little lunch. Toph, you are such an amazing Daddy...

even if you do teach the girls a few bad habits!

Dress up

2008-06-27T11:59:00.001-07:00

Never underestimate the value of a good hat!

The red shoes add that little bit of "pop", don't ya think?

This is my favorite: Esther needed her "goggles" and "oxygen mask" to scuba dive in her animal ocean!

Princess Esther is packed and ready to go to see Princess Chole and Prince Jaxon.

Graceyn has some BIG shoes to fill!

rainy days

2008-06-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

For some reason, in my mind rainy days are lazy, dark, dreary, and make you wish for sunshine. But, when Lala is here, even the rainy days are full of fun! Thanks Lala for brightening our week! We love you! PS...I finally got our zoo post up so look for it below!

Conversation with an almost 3 year-old

2008-06-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

Esther and I have fairly deep conversations about life while she is sitting on the potty and I'm on the floor in front of her waiting patiently (usually). I guess it's just that we don't have anything or anyone else distracting us.

Me: "Esther, how did you get to be so beautiful?"
Esther: "God made me."
Me: "Esther, how did you get to be so sweet?"
Esther: "Mommy."
Me, smiling: "Yes, but really God made you sweet. Did you know that God made us and He loves us even bigger than the whole wide world?!"
Esther: "Plus all the rainbows?"
Me: "Plus all the rainbows."
Esther: "Absolutely!"

We're goin' to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

2008-06-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Could there be a better way to spend an extremely hot and humid San Antonio day than at the sparsely shaded, guano scented, family friendly zoo?! Uncle Joe and Aunt Meg are spending their summer in San Antonio, so they met us with us on Saturday of our vacation. Aside from Joe and Bob being stragetically targeted by overhead birds, the day was great. HOT and sweaty, but great!

Esther's favorite animal at the zoo was this ostrich...random! Anyway, when we got home, Topher's mom had found the stuffed ostrich he used to carry around as a kid...also random. Esther loves Ozzy and takes him everywhere with us now!

Graceyn and Aunt Meg won my vote for "Most Hollywood" while Esther practiced her "flamingo whisperer" techniques as she told them all to "stand on one leg!"

The zoo had this awesome sandy beach area with ankle-deep water for the kiddos to play. The girls loved it! They were pretty keen on this turtle statue too...the funny part is that they had real ones just across the way that really look exactly like this!

I know I'm a little biased, but seriously, these girls are soooo cute!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Esther sang to Topher in bed on Sunday morning,"Happy Birthday Daddy's day, Happy Birthday Daddy's day. Happy Birthday to Youuuuuu (pointing into Topher's chest), Happy Birthday Daddy's day!" It was priceless! Lydia has been here for a couple of days (Yea!!) and helped the girls make Toph a present. She said it was an adventure in and of itself. Somehow, she managed to complete the task, take pictures, and get the girls in the tub with little mess...unbelievable!! As sweet Esther says, "Lala is da bomb!"

The rest of Father's day afternoon we spent out at the lake with Topher's parents. It was beautiful. Our girls LOVED the water...they were like fish out there! Speaking of fish...Esther went fishing for her first time. Topher was sooo proud. She fished for all of like 2 minutes before she realized her cousins were swimming without her and decided to join them!

Graceyn loved her little floatie, but preferred to just chill out in her life vest. Lala got to spend the day with us too...they should have a special holiday for aunts and uncles too, don't you think? To me, this picture says it all...Happy Daddy's day, Toph. You are amazing and, we love you the whoooooole world!

Adventures with Shamu

2008-06-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

You've got to love summer vacations! Topher's parents took us to San Antonio with the girls and we had the most fabulous time! Actually, Pat and Esther planned this trip months ago after seeing Shamu on a commercial. They did a great job! Topher and I flew with the girls...they were awesome. Esther was so cute walking through the airport with her little ladybug backpack! Graceyn was facinated with her first flight...she enjoyed the view for sure!

The first afternoon we spent on the River Walk and at the Alamo. Esther went crazy at the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. She is so facinated by animals...especially snakes and alligators! The next day, we spent at Sea World...soooo fun! Topher and I were just as giddy as the girls. We got to feed dolphins and the girls loved the aquarium! Esther was so excited to meet "walking Shamu" and Dolly Dolphin.

With temperatures nearing 100 degrees, both girls tried hard to stay cool! Shamu did his best to cool us off, but we managed to stay just above the splash zone.

Esther was sooooo excited to meet one of the trainers...she so aspires to be a scuba diver like her aunt Lala. So this is just the first day and the dry part of Sea World. I'll have to update you all on the zoo and the water pics in the next post...until then!

Unwanted guest

2008-06-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

So today is a beautiful day to be outside...Esther and I were playing in the driveway while Graceyn napped. Our friend Lynne walked down with her cute little kiddos Ella and Jack. We decided to go in to the back yard and I had to wipe off the swings with a towel on the back porch. As I threw the towel back down, I saw it. A fat snake at least a yard long! It was about 3 inches away from my feet on the back door mat right in front of the door where I let the girls go out by themselves to play all the time! And it was HUGE! I of course very calmly screamed my head off and danced off the patio. Lynne did basically the same thing when she saw it. Fortunately, Topher the Great works only a few minutes from the house. He came right home on a white stallion with a giant sword to slay the fire-breathing dragon! Actually, he calmly coaxed it into a trash can as if that is what he does for a living, but I think as I watched him I saw more of the first story taking place! When Esther saw it, she said in her sweet little voice, "Oh, how beautiful." Needless to say we are having lots of conversations aobut how dangerous snakes can be and that we don't ever ever touch them! Lynne's question was, "How did that get here? Where did it come from? I mean this is a neighborhood!" She's so funny! Lynne's husband Matt came down to see what all was going on. While Topher held the snake down with a metal rod, Matt reached into the trash can and picked it up by it's head. They said, after looking into its mouth, that it wasn't poisonous, but that didn't really make me feel better about the situation! Anyway...such is the ho-hum day of a stay at home mommy!

Blue Skies

2008-05-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday, Esther and Graceyn and I went to the Fort Smith Air Show with my parents. Jeff and Christina were there with their kiddos, and my mom's friend let us have chalet passes to sit in their front row tent! It was such a beautiful day and such a treat to get to spend it with family on the runway!

The "crew"

Chloe (always stylin') with her daddy...eyes up!

Esther and Aunt Cici...best seat in the house!

Esther and Poppey entering the cargo hold.

"When do I get to fly the jet?"

Chloe and Estie ready for take off!

This was the view from our chalet...when I say front row seats, I'm not kidding!

The Thunderbirds were amazing!

Esther was more into her ice cream than the Thunderbirds...Jaxon just needed a nap!

I don't know how they could miss this!

Visit to Conway

2008-05-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

So this last weekend, Topher went fishing with a bunch of guys from our Bible study. You guessed it...a perfect opportunity for the girls and I to do some traveling! We started our weekend in Conway with two-thirds of my college BFF's Anna and Becke. Rebecca, our other crazy cohort is still in Virginia roughing it on the beach...just kidding...she was out there working on a master's degree in counseling and is now an academic advisor. She seems to really be enjoying life out there, but we definitely miss her here! Anna just had her third baby...another boy. We couldn't wait to go and meet baby Jack. Becke also has three boys. Crazy huh! They make my two little girls seem sooooo girly!! It is always so refreshing to see Anna and Becke. We don't get to see each other often, but when we do get together, it's like we haven't missed a day. God has truly knit our hearts together and they encourage me so much! This is Eli (Becke's middle son) with Luke and Reed (Anna's older two). They obviously enjoy each other's company!

Look closely, and you'll see a toy gun in Esther's hand. No, she was not using it to fend off the boys, but to "spray smell goods" (air freshner) all over the room. Funny how differently boys and girls play!

Esther with Reed and Sam (Becke's youngest). These three kiddos were all born within 6 weeks of each other!

This is precious little Jack! He is such a cutie! Graceyn was

facinated with him!

After spending the day with Anna and Becke, we went to my brother and sister-in-law's house for dinner and a sleepover! Joe and Megan are soooo fun! I guess this is the only time I've ever been able to spend time with them without the rest of our family there too. It was really fun for me, and the girls loved being with Uncle Jofus and Aunt Meg. They laughed until they could hardly breathe! We had yummy enchiladas for dinner and Esther helped make cinnamon rolls for dinner. Lydia got to spend the evening and part of the next day with us too. I had such a good time hanging out in their town for a change!

European vacation...two months later!

2008-05-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

So how long does it really take to make a 9 day trip? The entire week before we left was spent making trips to Walmart, getting new clothes (a must for vacation, right?), packing up the girls, cleaning house (can't come home to a dirty house), playing our hearts out with the girls since we'd be gone for so long, figuring out how to feed us without buying more food for the week...basically it's crazy to try to get out of town. Then, we finally send off the girls to my parents' house and somehow end up with time to make a final Walmart run, a trip to Sephora, and Tim's Pizza...almost a date. Oh yea, I forgot packing. Yes, I got everything but two very flat pairs of shoes into a carry-on size bag. Ask Topher how much he appreciated that in the London Underground! Bright and early (okay, a little before bright, but definitely early) we finally got on our way!

The trip was amazing. Sunday and Monday spent all day in London...Westminister Abbey, Big Ben, Parliment, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, double-decker bus, AMAZING!! We got to see Wicked while we were there (my surprise Valentine present!!), eat some great meals, and best of all hang out with our great friends Mike and Corrie (who traveled there with us) and catch up with our great friends Todd and Diana who are living in Scotland.

Monday night, we boarded a sleeper train, and Tuesday morning we woke up in Scotland! Todd and Diana are living in Edinburgh which is where we spent Tuesday and Wednesday. Sooo fun. It was so good to see Todd and Di. We had such an amazing time and laughed soooo much. They showed us around their town...the castle, the Royal Mile, the palace, beautiful cathedrals, solemn cemetaries, oh yea...the pubs. We all tried a little bit of Haggis, but I wasn't brave enough for black pudding. I'll spare you the details unless you really want to know!

On Thursday, we rented a little van and headed of for the Highlands...yes, Braveheart country! It was beautiful!We so enjoyed the time together driving, and got to see so much of the Scottish countryside.

The trip to the Eilean Donan castle was definitely a highlight. It's the most photographed castle in Scotland and has rich history. It's crazy that much of the history we saw was from times when America was just beginning to write her story! Although the castle was beautiful, our favorite part had to be the moment we walked outside the castle and looked down the lake to see a Royal Airforce jet come flying by just over the top of the castle! It was awesome! I saw parts of that jet that I've definitely never seen before...yep, it was that low! Okay, not that I've seen lots of jet parts, but you know what I'm saying. On the way home, we had to drive past Loch Ness. I know, you don't think Nessie exists, and neither did I, but now, I'm not so sure. You can judge for yourself, but we have all the proof we need!

Without a doubt, our favorite part of the whole trip had to be just hanging out with our friends. We ordered "take-away" Chinese, pizza, and even cooked one night together. We had the best conversations sitting around Todd and Diana's flat. It was so neat to see where they really live life...their favorite places to go, where they work, where they worship...off the beaten path of where our tour book would have taken us. That, friends, was "priceless"!

The generosity of a 2 year-old

2008-05-12T08:23:00.001-07:00

This won't come as a surprise to most of you...actually, it didn't surprise me either. But it did absolutely bless my socks off. Yesterday at church, we picked up a baby bottle to fill with money for the Loving Choices Pregnancy Crisis Center. Esther carried it around, put any spare change from the car in on the way home, and asked what it was for. We told her it was for the mommies who need help with their little babies. She was a little distressed that we weren't going straight home after church...she wanted to get the money out of her piggy bank for the bottle. We didn't get home from Mimi and Papaw's house until bedtime, but this morning, she found the bottle and emptied her piggy bank by herself. Her other bank is out of reach, so I got it down for her and gave her about half of the money inside. She said,"No, all of it, Mommy." I tried to keep some of it back...why, I'm not sure. I mean really, Sonic happy hour...pregnancy crisis, it's really no issue. Esther probably has no real concept of where the money comes from, what it is used for, or why we save money. She just knows to fill up the bottle with all we have and take it back to church. Maybe that's all she needs to know. Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Lord, give me the heart of a child so that I may understand Your Kingdom!

Is it wrong???

2008-05-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Okay...is it really wrong that I totally indulged in pride at it's worst...best...whatever when my girls were complete angels at the Bible book store?! I mean seriously, why is it such a big deal to me that they be really good there. Surely that lady behind the counter that kept telling me how cute the girls were thought I was a super-Christian and a great parent for having such well-behaved kiddos...how horrible is it that we really judge that way. Come on, be honest...you've totally been there too! I'm pretty sure I even walked differently as we left the store and used a much sweeter tone of voice because I was so puffed up with pride! Ridiculous!
Then, was it really wrong for me to find a little extra joy in making dinner knowing that I didn't have to eat it or clean it up because I had a girls night out? Carabas...hobo dinners...Carabas...hobo dinners...seriously, wouldn't you have felt the same tinge of excitement to set the table then jet out the door?! I really do love cooking for my family and I so treasure our nightly dinners at the table together, but I have to say the Rigatoni Martino with alfredo sauce was pretty amazing.
Before ending this little indulgence in my flesh, I have to say that Topher is an amazing cook and typically helps with dinner and/or clean-up every single night. Maybe I shouldn't say that...does that ruin his image? Love you, Babe!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...

2008-04-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since our last post. Since I have a lot of Type A in my system (which is gradually disappearing thanks to Topher!), I've been wanting to post things in order of their occurance. At the beginning of the month, Topher and I spent 10 days in Europe..amazing! The pictures are coming, but they are all saved on his laptop which he has with him at work all day, so I haven't had much time to get them on our blog. Instead of waiting on the Europe pics any longer, I thought I'd catch you all up on what all we've been doing since Topher and I got home.

So...back to the title...yep, that's what little girls are made of. Take a look and you'll see what I mean! They are so stinkin' cute!

Esther went with me to the dentist the other day just to kinda check it all out. She did great and came home with a bag full of "treasures". So later that week, she played doctor and dentist. She refused to work in Daddy's mouth without her mask on "so I won't get any spit on my face". Fortunately, he only needed a check-up, but poor puppy needed a shot. Graceyn thought maybe she could help out too!

We are loving the beautiful spring weather...finally!! The girls are loving the chance to get outside and seeing their big smiles is good for my soul! By the way...is there anything in the world cuter than pigtails??

When I was about 5 or 6 years old...maybe 7, my favorite place to eat was LC's Diner in Poteau, Oklahoma. My Nana and Papaw would take us to the little hole-in-the-wall restaurant for all-you-can-eat seafood night. Even then, my very favorite was the crab legs. My Papaw and I would go after those things like there was no tomorrow! Crab legs are still one of my very favorites, and Papaw, you'll be happy to know that the tradition lives on!! Esther loves crab legs too. Yes, she got that meat out all by herself. She's alot nicer than I am though...she shares hers with her Daddy!

We had a real treat last week...my sister Lydia came to spend almost the whole entire week with us! She's amazing! It was so good to get some time with her. Whether we are making cookies, dancing in the living room, playing outside with bubbles, or having late-night talks about life while staring blankly at the Food Network, we all love having Aunt Lala here! Thanks Lala for such a great week!

Along with everything else going on...Esther has met a major milestone! She can do somersaults all by herself! She has been taking gymnastics and is doing great. She has perfect form on the somersault, and must do 100 a day! While she does her somersaults, Graceyn spins round and round to "Ring Around the Rosies"...it is soooo cute! Needless to say, things are "rolling" right along here in the Moore household!

This never happens...

2008-03-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

But when it does, it is so precious!

1. You get a great family picture (out of only two takes!) with no yelling, screaming, or kicking while you are all dressed up in your Easter best.

2. Your two-year-old climbs up on Daddy's lap and says to Mommy,"Can you take a picture of us?" Then says, "Can Graceyn take one with us too?"

She even said "cheese" while looking directly at the camera! (Notice Topher decided it was time for a spring haircut...so handsome!)

3. Your two-year-old and one-year-old play together happily...no taking toys away, pushing, or whining. Graceyn even put her little hand on Esther's shoulder...I almost shed a tear it was so sweet!

Thank you, Lord, for moments like these....and for letting me procrastinate about putting the camera where it belongs!

Easter egg hunt

2008-03-22T12:56:00.001-07:00

A week of celebrations!

2008-03-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's spring birthday time in the Moore household! I've been so excited about letting the Birthday garden flag fly in front of our house for an entire week and a half. Last Saturday, Graceyn turned the BIG ONE! She is amazing and so stinkin cute! That morning, Esther went into Graceyn's bedroom and in her precious little voice sang "Happy Birthday" to her sister. They are so adoreable. Since we didn't have any big announcements to make (like at Esther's first birthday when we let her tell everyone taht she was going to be a big sister!) we decided a small family party would be fun. Please understand, by "small" we mean twenty people, but that's the beauty of a big family! Graceyn seemed to enjoy her cake and even shared with her sister and cousins.

As if her party wasn't enough, my fam had a little surprise party for my birthday (the 19th) complete with a pile of Maggie's cookies for my cake. Yummy! I was actually really excited... I love birthdays! Topher has been so sweet this week to wish me happy birthday week multiple times every day! So fun! Anyway, we have celebrated all week long and now get to finish our celebration week by celebrating our Savior's death and resurrection. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving us life eternal...starting now!

PS...In regards to my former ranting, I was able to do this post in less than an hour, but barely! For each picture posted, I attempted to upload it 3-4 times from my computer to the Blog before it would actually work. Crazy. Maybe I just needed to plug in the laptop for more power..that seemed to help somewhat. For my pride, I kinda hope it is more than that, but for my sanity, I hope that is all I needed to do to fix the problem!

Retraction to Britt's venting....

2008-03-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

I think what Britt means to say is that if any of you can give her a little lesson in how to upload pictures and place them where you want them, she would be grateful. Is it just us or does it take everybody a while to upoload and place pictures????

RANTING

2008-03-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Okay...I thought that Blogging would be a fun way to keep you all in touch with what is going on in our family, but in the time it takes for me to finish a post and include pictures, I could go sit at the one-hour photo department at Walmart, print pictures, handwrite you all a letter, and go to the post office to mail them! Am I just an idiot or what? Both times I've tried to post pictures, it has taken at least 2 and 1/2 hours! I hate this!! So, instead of seeing cute little pictures of Graceyn's 1st birthday party, you get to hear about my frustrations without any pictures at all! I thought that using Topher's Mac computer would make it easier, but I guess I am way out of the technological loop. Why can't I just drag and drop the pictures? I have to upload each one and then strategically place them into my post which causes previously uploaded pictures to disappear...ugh! Then when I finally upload them enough times to get them in the right place, it looks totally different when I "view Blog". This is so not therapeutic!! So, after another wasted evening with nothing to show for it, I'm dragging myself to bed. Sorry to have to vent to you all, but everyone else in my house and probably yours too is fast asleep. Oops, except for Graceyn. She just woke up so I guess I'll go put her back to sleep. No rest for the weary. Topher can take over the blog site again tomorrow!

Hair days, hat days, cleaning days, and snow days

2008-03-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

So I'm entering the blogging world. Topher agreed that since I finally am feeling comfortable with the 5 remote controls necessary to operate our entertainment system it would be okay for me to try a few posts.

Fashion and accessories are apparently becoming an important part of life in the Moore household. Esther is already an expert on dangling earrings, animal prints, and the use of a Chi. Graceyn has also mastered the animal print look, however she is learning the hard way about the tragedy of a bad hair day!

We recently had a big change happen in our home...our housekeeper

decided to quit cleaning houses. I know all of you mommies are seriously

saying "Ohhh, I hate it when that happens!" Like any woman of the house would, I tried to accept her decision calmly and rationally and tore into a new bag of Giradelli chocolates to think this through! Just kidding. As a

supportive wife, I told my sweet Topher that I'd take care of the cleaning for awhile and save us a little money. Then, I proceeded to tackle the cleaning by first teaching Esther the finer points of vacuuming! Divide and conquer, right?! We did okay for like the first week. Then last night I told Topher that his parents were keeping the girls and we could have a date...his first response was, "We can go out or maybe just grab something to eat and then come home and clean house while the girls are gone." Wow! Is our house so bad that my husband would give up a date to clean house?? I'm still trying to decide if I should be excited that he's willing to help or sad that our house is in such need of a good cleaning that he'd forego a date! With very little effort, I convinced him to choose a date and we'd do the house later. Maybe if I "just can't keep up with it" we'll get another housekeeper!!

On to a more exciting topic...Is there anything more needed in your fashion arsenal than a really great hat? It's like the little black dress for stay-at-home moms. With just the right hat, no one has to know that you haven't showered or touched your hair. It has totally given me the freedom to have a "I didn't have time to shower this morning but I will tonight...maybe" day while still looking cute and put-together! I'm trying to teach the girls the value of a good hat too. I think they've got it! Graceyn has even figured out how to use a hat to look cute when she can't figure out what she wants to wear!

Speaking of hats...there is just nothing cuter in

the winter than a good tuke (that's the Canadian term Topher uses for toboggan, sock hat, stocking cap, etc.). Esther and her daddy took advantage of the snow on Tuesday. She played on her swing for an hour and a half! We've had several snow days here this season, so I guess she was tired of snow angels and snowmen! Sadly, with all the snow days plus a week long ski trip to Colorado, we somehow neglected to let Graceyn play in the snow...ever! What kind of parents are we? Poor child!

Thoughts to ponder for this evening...

2008-02-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

Well Britt is out with her girls tonight for coffee, which means that I am out home with my girls. I know that as I write this things will change and I will somehow jinx myself, but here goes. It is 8:45 right now and it took me a few minutes to get some music on (totally awesome and I hope to get to it in a little bit), turn on the computer and decide that I wanted to write. Anyway, both girls are asleep or at least acting like it enough that I don't feel that I need to check on them. Graceyn finished off her bottle while we watched George (Curious George not W), and I put her in her bed and she didn't fight scream or throw her puppy or passie out, and she hasn't made a sound since. I guess she is tired from the early morning that she and Britt spent together. I guess it was early. Before kids 3:30 am was a late night, now unless its hunting season I consider it an early morning. Kind of goes back to the post I did talking about measuring baby's age in months. "She's 18 months old," not a year and a half, anyway different story. Got Esther's teeth brushed, read 2 books, said prayers, snuggled, and I left when she was still awake and haven't heard a peep from her. A new thing I intend on doing is adding to the "Quotable Quotes" to the right. As Esther and I were saying prayers I prayed "Please help daddy sell houses." After the prayer Esther said "when I get bigger and bigger I want to sell houses with you." Anyway that touched my heart, back to the post.

I think that Jack Johnson is my new U2, but in a different way. U2 is still the all time greatest band, but there is just something about Jack. I guess I have a crush on him, not literally, but he's pretty stinking cool. Speaking of cool and Jack Johnson- have you seen Apple TV. I think that it is almost as awesome as my mustache that I had in Alabama, but in a different way. "Not better just different." I think that is how the saying goes. So Apple TV- totally cool. When I try to explain it to people it doesn't do it justice. It's an Ipod for your TV. We have all our pictures that scroll through as it can shuffle through all Jack Johnson's songs or any of the other 3200 that i have. Once again its hard to explain, trust me if you want something to change your life look into it. My only beef is that I tried to rent a movie on ITunes for it but it won't play on the tv. Apparently there is a software upgrade that hasn't been released yet, but when it comes Woo WaaaWaa (refer to QQ to the right). So back to Jack Johnson. He did the soundtrack for the Curious George movie. Also pretty good if you have kids who are into that. I like to just dance around with the girls listening to him. It's for the girls not because I like to dance in the den. Although I did win the dance contest in 8th and 9th grade. I got mad skills!

Different subject: Esther got her hair cut for the first time by her Grandnanna. It looks great and everybody made a big deal out of it. I think she got 2 inches cut off. I got my hair cut at sports clips by some guy that obviously didn't like sports if you get my drift. I got over 2 inches cut off and no one even noticed. Is all the estrogen that flows through my house starting to get to me, that I care if someone notices my hair. The funny thing is I saw how much hair was on the floor when he cut it, it looked like a poodle died at my feet, but there is still enough up there to put in pig tails. Is that too much information???

There is a Sprite Commercial that you can see on youtube that is pretty much like part of my life. If you type in Sprite Commercial daddy little girl, you can find it. Apparently it has been out for over a year, but I just saw it. IF you go to youtube and type that in, and come up with something that you need to repent for, I am sorry, get some accountability and avoid that site. I tried to attach it, but it won't let me do just that 1 commercial.

One of these days I will figure out how to put some of our videos on here so you can see us in action. I think I might be able to figure it out. I am going to get a portable storage device that I can put all our videos on. I have some on this computer that I am figuring out how to edit and so far its pretty easy. It doesn't look too good yet, so I want to get better before I publish anything cause you never know if Jerry Bruckheimer or Steven Speilberg will stumble on this blog and want me to help them produce their next movie. Of course I will have Jack Johnson do the soundtrack and u2 do a couple songs, and might even throw in some Zamphir the pan flute master. With that, Britt is taking guitar lessons. And she is actually getting pretty good, so I might have her do a song. If anything she will get paid and maybe she will by me an Itunes gift card or her own Mac. Did you know that we are a Mac family now. Yes we are creative and don't do spreadsheets or bar graphs, so all you Windows folk out there watch out.

Well I guess that is all I can come up with now. I think Gracen just wok....e up. She did but now I am back but still going to sign off. Have a great day or night or weekend depending on when you read this.

Colorado 2008

2008-02-04T14:53:00.001-08:00

2007...The Year in Review

2008-01-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

Wow what a year it has been. Sorry that it has been so long since I updated this, but honestly I didn't think anybody actually read this thing. And maybe you don't, but just somehow hit a link that linked to a link that linked to a link that linked to Potterybarn that then took you to a credit scoring agency, that linked to online gambling that... well you get the picture.
I guess I should recap...

January- Britt pregnant, Esther gets ready for new Big Girl Room, Toph still growing beard.

February- Britt still pregnant, Esther gets first play in snow and moves to Big Girl Room, Toph still growing beard.

March- Britt Pregnant then has baby, deliberation about what to name new girl, decided on Graceyn, Esther enjoying privacy of new room, Toph still growing beard.

April- Britt no longer prego, Esther moves up to training pants and loving potty training, Graceyn thinks what did I get myself into with this family, Deliberations and discussions about Toph's beard. Toph finally gives in and shaves into some fabulous mutton chops, shaves head and the sideburns soon follow.

May- Britt changes 400th diaper, Esther discovers sunglasses and laying on her back looking at clouds, Graceyn still hadn't done much, Toph starts a beard goes fishing and shaves. Enjoy celebrating Easter and hunting eggs and first trip to the Zoo.

June- Britt doing great job keeping girls on nap schedule and allowing Toph to sleep through the night while she constantly is up with children. 6,254 screws and bolts later swing set finally built and Toph has to go fishing in Canada to celebrate. Esther enjoys swings and her own personal slide, Graceyn still wondering what happened finally gives in and starts smiling and giggling.

July- Esther had fabulous Swinging Safari Birthday Party with all her friends and cousins. As they sing Happy Birthday Topher in his mind is Happy that the 6,254 screws held together and that nobody was injured from faulty craftsmanship. Graceyn tasted first bite of pure sugar from sisters birthday cake, and her life will never be the same. Pack up for road trip to Alabama. Feel free to read previous posts about that.

August- Toph and Britt celebrated 4th anniversary at McDonald's over a Big Mac overlooking a fish tank, Esther rode in go cart, bumper boats, ferris wheel, got tan through spf 50 sunblock, Topher had a mustache, Graceyn enjoyed rolling around and continued to develop her personality.

September- I think that there was a holiday and we went to the lake.

October- Topher started to grow his beard out for hunting trip to New Mexico, where he killed his first elk, Esther wanted to go but doesn't have Hunters Education card (maybe next time) she ends up going bowling with Grandma instead. Graceyn learns to play hide and seek and all sorts of other games and songs, but mainly sings with what most people would consider a cry. Celebrate Halloween with 2 cute bugs, Esther as a Lady Bug Graceyn is a Bee. Graceyn starts real food, Britt starts guitar and still doing a great job on the homefront.

November- Thanksgiving. Too much turkey. Britt and girls have first Pilgrim party with their friends and Esther goes bowling again and bowls over 100. Graceyn realizes that when sister is away Graceyn can play. Graceyn thinks that it is so much fun when Esther has music class with Mimi and she can play with all sisters stuff. Graceyn takes first step. Topher fills the frezer again with 2 deer.

December- Graceyn is up to 10 steps, Esther not sure about that crazy bearded guy that everybody calls Santa, but knows she has to be nice to him. Spend the month getting ready for Christmas, Britt on the road working with her dad and Topher has Daddy Duty for 5 days. Everyone survived.

Well that was a short recap, I know that there were things more important than what I mentioned but that was the best that I could do. Once again I am not sure that people read this so I don't want to do to much, but I will try to update a little more regularly.

Day 4 No Passie

2007-09-24T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well there is a time in a girls life when you just have to be out with the old and in with the new. And this day started about 4 days ago. Without Esther's permission, we decided to take the passie away and help her give up this oral fixation. Let me tell you it hasn't been easy, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, I hope. Our nightly ritual has become much longer, it now takes 45 minutes to get her to sleep, and I am not around during the nap time but I hear it is considerably more time. What used to be a "Get your horsey and passie and go to your room," now consist of "get you horsey and for the next hour we will fight this thing to you finally give up from exuastion and fall asleep." Mornings are not much easier. When we used to sleep till 7:30 now we have our 6:30 wake-up call of her coming to the room since she can't calm herself back to sleep.
She is being a trooper though, so is Britt. I heard that orthodontics are quite expensive so I hope that this will help so we don't have a $1k braces bill when she gets a little older. Come to think of it I just saved $1,000 bucks so I guess I ought to go buy something, I've been wanting an IPhone and that should cover it. Probably have to buy 2 since I hear there are still bugs to be worked out.

Life is a Beach...

2007-08-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Well the old slogan "Life is a Beach" came true for the Moore Clan last week. We headed south to Orange Beach Alabama for some fun in the sun with a car load of diapers, toys and sunscreen. It was quite an adventure. Have you ever headed cross country with kids. It looks so easy on TV everybody singing songs, playing games, laughing, and having an all around great time. What they show you is 20 minutes of a 16 hour trip. If we were filming the whole trip we could find 20 minutes of peace and songs and laughing and games. And we can also show you 16 hours of everything but that.
Finally we get there and the week starts. The first couple days Esther wasn't too sure of the sand. It is one thing to have it in the sand box in the yard, but another to have it all over your body. Hair, face, hands, arms, legs, but mainly diapers. I wasn't wearing one, so I don't know for sure how uncomfortable it really is and I don;t have any desire to find out. By the end of the week she started to enjoy it and actually say "lets go to the beach." She also spent quite a bit of time swimming in what she calls the baby pool.
From Graceyns point of view, she didn't know what was going on and really just wanted to stay inside the condo and hang out on her Einstein mat. She did make it down to the beach several times, but between naps, feedings, more naps, more feedings, and the occasional bath the days went by pretty quick.
Britt was a trooper! She didn't get the savage tan that she desired, but got enough to look like she was out of town.
It was also our Anniversary while we were there and we spent an quite romantic dinner over a Big Mac, large fries, and chocolate sundae. All we were missing was candlelights, soft music and romance. But we figured when we got back home we could spend an evening on a date. Besides when was the last time you ate at a McDonald's with a salt water fish tank with Nemo and Dori?
All in all it was a great trip! We had so much fun playing, swimming, singing, and laughing that I look forward to next years trip. I will just make sure to bring some spray on tan so that way it will look like I spent more time on the beach than I did.

Congratulations to Gordo!!!!

2007-03-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Gordo- if you didn't know already... YOU WON!!
Amazingly enough you had the right day and sex of the baby and what is more, you knew the exact time the Garceyn was being born. How did you do it???
Next time you are in town we have a special surprise from Graceyn for you.
Hope you will be here soon cause it is starting to make the whole house aromatic.

Thanks and Back by popular demand... Brittneys Birthday

2007-03-07T12:39:00.001-08:00

Thanks to all of you who took part in Brittney's Birthday card gift. She was so excited and happy to get so many cards. So I am giving everybody notice that you have less than 1 year till Brittney celebrates her 2nd annual 30th Birthday. That gives you all plenty of time to help me come up with another idea to get something special for her birthday and I pray that it isn't another baby.
And seeing as how people got so excited about famous days in History, here is one to celebrate Brittney's Birthday: MARCH 19th
1865 - American Civil War: The Battle of Bentonville begins
1915 - Pluto is photographed for the first time but was not recognized as a planet.
1917 - The Supreme Court upheld the eight-hour work day for railroads.
1918 - The U.S. Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time.
1931 - Gambling is legalized in Nevada.
1953 - Academy Awards are first televised with Bob Hope as the host
1962 - Bob Dylan releases his first, self-titled album.
1972 - India and Bangladesh sign a friendship treaty.
1979 - The U.S. House of Representatives began televising its day-to-day business. (that's pretty exciting to watch)
1995 - After giving up an attempt to become a major league baseball player, Michael Jodan returned to pro basketball with his former team, the Chicago Bulls.

Share a Birthday
Bruce Willis
Wyatt Earp
Craig Lamar Traylor- Actor 'Malcolm in the Middle'
Ruth Pointer - Singer (The Pointer Sisters)
Glenn Close
Elias Hicks - American Quaker minister; advocated the abolition of slavery

Back in the Dugout...

2007-03-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

Well from the previous post "In the Bullpen..." till now a lot has happened. I had a Black and Blue salad from O'Charlies, poured me a cup of coffee, made a few phone calls about a survey, and I guess the most important thing was getting pulled out of the bullpen and put back on the bleacher in the dugout. Baseball analogies might not be the best approach, so I'll just put it to you straight. The baby decided that it isn't quite ready to make its appearance. Not much has changed since our last meeting with the Doc. Brittney got a haircut, but the baby hasn't continued to make it's way down. It's just kinda hanging around waiting. So we made an appointment for next Thursday March the 15th at 5:30am to go to the Hospital and induce (if nothing happens before). So Kelly Crossland- you were a late entry, but seem to be the most accurate so far. I guess anything can still happen, but Esther was the same way. We made an appt to get her. Usually I feel that we are more spontaneous than this, and making an appointment to have a baby just doesn't sound right.
But here are some of the historic parts of that possible day: MARCH 15th
Ides Of March
1919: American Legion founded
1937: The United States sets up its first central blood bank
1945: Record album charts first published in the United States
1820: Maine admitted as 23rd state
1994: 8th Soul Train Music Awards: Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston win
1991: 4 LA police are charged with beating Rodney King
1987: "Starlight Express" opens at Gershwin Theater New York City for 761 performances
1977: "Eight is Enough" premiers on ABC-TV
1493: Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after 1st new world voyage
1897: 1st indoor fly casting tournament opens, at Madison Square Garden (that's pretty cool)
1990: The Soviet Union announces that Lithuania's declaration of independence is invalid (how would you like to be a Lithuanian and wake up to that news)
1998: Titanic defeats Star Wars for the #1 place in the North American domestic box office, grossing $471 million.
44 B.C. Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of nobles that included Brutus and Cassius
2004: Martha Stewart resigned from the board of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia 10 days after she was convicted in a stock scandal.
2005: Former WorldCom chief Bernard Ebbers was convicted in New York of engineering the largest corporate fraud in U.S. history. (He was later sentenced to 25 years in prison.)

Share a birthday
Fabio
Eva Longoria actress
Bret Michaels, guitarist for Rock band Poison
Terrence Trent D'Arby, rock vocalist, Wishing Well
Andrew Jackson- 7th President
Dee Snider, rocker Twisted Sister
Sly Stone, of Sly and the Family Stone- ("Everyday People" song)
Ranganandhan Francis, born in India, field hockey, Olympics gold 1948, 52, 56
Veselin Topalov, Bulgarian chess player
Terry Hardesty

Well you get the idea...

In the Bullpen, Restless Nights, and The Big 360

2007-03-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

Well the day will be here anytime now and I am just on standby waiting for the phone to ring and the signal to call me up to the mound. Officially, I think that the original due date is next week, March 14th, but the common question that I wake up thinking is will today be the day. And today could be. I looked at my schedule and it is pretty clear the rest of the day. For that matter it looks reletively open the next week, except for one or two little things. As long as it doesn't come May 4-6, I should be okay. I have a fishing trip scheduled and don't want to have to cancel that. Anyway the possibility of that is pretty far fetched. That would be about 2 months late, and I don't think that Britt will be able to wait that long.
Another question that people often ask besides when I think it will be, is if I think it will be a boy or a girl. I think that it will be Kurt Russel. I had a dream last night that my buddy Gordo and I were being chased by someone and we were trying to flee from him. We were in some big city with a lot of traffic and near a fancy hotel that you had to walk through some glass doors and down like a subway escalator to be able to hide. Finally I decided to let Gordo run and I was going to fight the guy chasing us. I started to do some sort of round house kick on him- which I actually did in bed which woke me up, but just before I awoke, I saw Kurt Russels' face. I was Kurt Russel. How random is that??? So next time someone asks if I think its a boy or girl I am going to tell them its a Kurt Russel.
Esther is 19 months, I am 399 months and Brittney will be the big 360 March 19th. For those of you that have a hard time with math she will be 30 years old in less than 2 weeks. So if you think about it give her a call, drop her a note, and give me some ideas on what to get her. I haven't a clue. Another thing when do we stop with the ages as months and when does it turn to years? Is it because the clothing company stops with 18-24 months and changes to 2T? Then why don't we go by sizes. " 'Hey how old are you?' 'I'm 34x36 or if Im wearing Banana Republic then I'm Medium.'" Anyway- back to Britt. She is turning 30 and that should be a fun day, but most likely the baby will be here and I don't know if she will be up to a surprise party so if you have any suggestions let me know.

"The Number 23" staring Jim Carey..."The Number 31" Staring The Moores You Know

2007-02-22T09:13:00.000-08:00

I saw a movie trailer for a new Jim Carey movie that should be out sometime in the near future where there is some number that is apparently ruining his life. As you can tell the movie didn't stick with me too well and not to say that the number 31 is ruining my life. Let me start from the beginning...is there a limit on how many toys there should be in the bathtub? I was giving Esther a bath the night before last and realize that she has a ton of floating toys. We'll not a ton that would be 2,000. But 31 toys! Toys that pour water, toys that you stick on the side of the tub, toys that squirt, swim, splash, and all sorts of other things. I started thinking about it and wonder if that is some magic number. Is Hollywood wrong with the number 23? Lets take a look at 31... Prime number, 3 weeks till the birth of 1 more baby, 31 Days in a month, 1531 songs on my ipod, 31st is Halloween, 31st is New Years Eve, I was 31 years old two years ago(33-2 which is 3-1 to get the 2), 3+1=4 which is how many of us there will be when the new baby gets here, 3-1=2 which is how many people I know currently living in Scotland, do you need more examples?Okay how about 631 which was the prefix for the phone number that I grew up with, 31 Neutrons in the chemical element phosphorus, we had a house for sale 1731, Baskin Robbins used to be only 31 flavors, and the list goes on and on. So watch out Hollywood I have a spin on your movie! Or maybe the number is 13, which is the number of pillows we have on our bed, is the mysterious number. Wait...13- that's 31 backwards. This is getting way too scary.

Concert in the Red, Green, and Blue keys...

2007-02-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

We'll we are still on track for the arrival of #2. What does that put us at 4 or 5 weeks left?? This was an off week for the doctor's visit, but I think that after the next one it is a weekly visit. So I am sure there will be more to follow in the near future. Nesting phase is on a vacation right now or it is getting ready for a strong comeback soon. Esther's room is painted, the bed is on the floor, the dresser is painted and full of diapers and clothes, and I finally got the closet cleaned and shuffled around. She has her table, tea set, all her stuffed animals, and doll house in her room and is loving it. Everynight when I get home she says "hand" and takes my finger and pulls me to her room just to show it to me.
Last night was my turn to get her to sleep. It only took about a half hour, and she slept there all night. We read the same 3 books at least 15 times before I could finally get her to sit still long enough to stare at the same spot to realize that she was tired. It was great! Like I said she slept all night and so did I. Unfortunately, I think that Britt was up and down parts of the night. Between a baby kicking her bladder and the worry of Esther being on the other side of the house, she was the good mommy and kept checking on her to make sure all was okay. This morning I woke up to the sound of my alarm, but kept hitting snooze till I finally declared defeat and rolled out of bed. Through the monitor, we could hear Esther reading books to her animals, and then playing a concert on her little piano. She is better than Mozart, Beethoven, or Bach. I would almost put her up against Billy Joel, but there is just something about The Piano Man. He also has quite a bit more keys and peddles than the little one Esther has. Anyway... Life is going well, for the Moore tribe and will only get better- or more active.
I still haven't shaved my beard and it gets better looking everyday. Or at least I think so. I keep saying that I won't shave till the new baby gets here, and if its a girl I won't shave till I have a boy. Britts response is pretty blunt. She says that if its a girl, we won't wait a year to have #3. Britt doesn't like the beard??? So I guess boy or girl the beard will be coming off soon. I thought that I would try to E-Bay my beard when I shave, what do you think a sack of beard hair would go for. Do you sell it by the pound, the cubic inch, or individual strands. I guess I have some thinking to do.

Seven to go...

2007-01-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

Well we have 7 weeks left and we are slowly checking things off the "to do" list. Item #1- found a place to put the computer. But the only problem with that is that it created another item to put on the list. Now we have to find a place for the DVD's, phone books, menus, some stuff that I don't know what it is but can't get rid of. You never know when you are going to need an old menu for a pizza place that closed over a year ago or a bottle of somthing that has a bunch of ingredients that you can't pronounce. Anyway scratch one off the list.
The big girl room is working out. Esther took her first nap in there this afternoon. It was only for an hour, but then she stayed in there reading for quite some time. If I only had the opportunity to take a nap everyday that would be great. In fact I wish that it would be mandatory. I will vote for whichever canidate would run on the "Lets take a Nap" platform, he would also have to agreee with some other things, but the nap law sure can help persuade some votes.
Anyway 7 weeks- we go in next week for the next check-up and then after that I think we go every week till the baby is born.
Have you voted yet??? As the poll stands right now it seems that the majority is voting for a girl. Well thats all for now.

Holy cow...Only 8 weeks left.

2007-01-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

You read it correctly there are only 8 weeks till the new baby is supposed to be here. It seems like just yesterday we had nine weeks to go.
We went in for the check-up yesterday and heard the heartbeat. All seems to be going well. Mommy is doing fine, baby is a mover and shaker and doing fine, Esther doens't understand what is about to happen but doing fine, and daddy is going gray. Claims he isn't going to shave his beard till the baby comes, going on 2 months now and its loooking good. Although some people don't have such a positive feedback about the beard.

Nesting phase (as stated in previous post) is still with us, but the "big girl" room is painted thanks to the help of papaw and some little elves that somehow make the mistakes disappear when you take the spotlight off the wall. Now all we have left is to find a place for the computer, clean out the guest room, clean out the closet, take stuff to storage, move stuff around in the garage, take more stuff to storage, change the airfilters, kiddieproof the new room, buy a baby gate, teach Esther to sleep in a real bed, figure out how to get a stain out of the carpet, go flyfishing, clean the garage out again after moving more stuff into it, sand and repaint the furniture that goes in Esthers room, find time to go deer hunting, find a lamp, move all the clothes from the old nursury, start buying pampers, try to go to a movie, finish watching the Office seasons 1&2, and that doesn't even include the whole labor and delivery that we have to find time to work in the schedule. It's going to be a full 8 weeks worth of work.

Taking Bets

2007-01-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

Well we are just under 10 weeks till the due date for the new baby. We still don't know what it is, but we are going to start taking bets on the sex and the date. The person who guesses the sex and closest to the birthdate wins the fabulous gift of changing a diaper. Maybe we'll come up with a better gift later, but for now that is all I can afford. The nesting phase is setting in and I have the luxury of painting Esther's "big girl" room. Can you guess what color? If you said tan- then you and I agree and I wouldn't have to repaint it. If you guessed black- then you have some deep unresolved issues that you need to see a psychologist about. If you said Pink- then you can come over and help paint, because you are right. Seriously, come over and paint. I could use the help... Please?!

Wiggles, Little Einsteins, potty chair, and other important stuff...

2007-01-09T15:34:00.000-08:00

No we haven't been abducted by aliens, we have just been winding down from a holiday week and a fight with a sinus infection. I think that we might be winning the fight though. Thanks to our friend Ammoxicillin.
Well to fill you in on all that is going on- I think that as much as I though that The Wiggles were a group of football bats, they have some redeeming qualities. Because of them I have found 15 more minutes a day which translates into an hour and 45 minutes a week and 71/2 hours a month, or 91 hours and 15 minutes a year. (The math may not be right but you get the idea.) That should give me enough time to solve the Worlds hunger problem, write the great American Novel, or at least get a nap. Most likely the nap. Esther loves them and so I am rethinking my previous impressions of them. I still think that the Teletubbies are the antichrist and don't think that will ever change. So move over Little Einsteins here comes Greg, Anthony, Murray, Jeff, Captain Feathersword, and Dorthy the Dinosaur.
On a completly different train of thought the potty chair might help me pay the mortgage. I can't be sure, but I think that we might be using less diapers. For the past couple of days Esther has decided that the pottychair makes good sense. Not only does she get a sticker evertime she uses it (she loves stickers), she found a great place to hide her toys- sorry little horse, I know you can't swim.
And yes 24 starts on Sunday so don't call and bother me.

The Countdown continues...

2006-12-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

Three days till Christmas! The stockings are hung by the chimney with care in hopes that we can get all the gifts wrapped up with care.
The last of the packages are sitting all around the house waiting to be wrapped, and the car is parked in the garage waiting to be loaded and headed down the hill to start the first round of Christmas. I wonder what Santa will bring this year. Perhaps a dose of sanity (just kidding). One of the greatest things about Christmas is pulling up to the house honking the horn and yelling "Merry Christmas" as we open the back of the car and pass out all the gifts to put under the tree. It's just like a Hallmark movie. You can feel the warmth as you envision it can't you?

I have no idea what I am doing...

2006-12-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

Well here it goes... According to what all the hype is about apparently this whole internet thing is here to stay, so I might as well jump on the bandwagon and take part in this thing they call BLOGGING.
Only 5 days left in the shopping season and I need to get started, but decided to spend some quality time wasting away the day and into the early evening figuring this technology thing out.