I found something worse!

Those who know me, know that I have a thing about banana's. I HATE THEM!!! They freak me out, I am totally grossed out by the smell, to me it's the worst smell on the planet. Bizarre, I know. I am a freak, there is something wrong with me... yes I know.

BUT! There is one thing one this planet that makes me crazier and that I hate more than the smell, taste or touch of a banana.... and that is hearing Sophie whine about how bad she wants one. In the past week I have purchased banana's TWICE and even peeled a few.

Hell hath frozen over!

the MOTHER of all blog stories!

I am so proud of my Lia. For the last few months she has been saving her "Caught being good" money. Usually give her a quarter if I catch her doing something good and I didn't have to ask her. Sometimes it's more... but this girl has been so good at saving and she's always had one goal, the Mermaid Barbie. I promised her that when she had saved up $20.00 she would have to pay her tithing (she's super excited to give it to the Bishop) and then we would go to the store especially for this Barbie. So last night we counted it all, she had a ton in there, and put the $18.00 in her purse and hung it by her bed so we could go this morning.
She woke me up bright and early to go get the doll, she even tried dressing herself. She was too excited and left her jammies on. It was really sweet and I was so proud of her. So so so proud that she had set a goal and achieved it. At last, it was hers. (Look at that smile!) She showed it to everyone as we walked to the front of the store, told the cashier all about it and proudly handed her each dollar bill individually. (I was going to ask for all of it back and pay for it myself but she was so excited I couldn't sneak it from the lady so I thought I'd put it in her piggy bank) and then we were off. I had to unwrap her in the parking lot so she could be seatbelted in to Lia's car seat too.

Then something went wrong. The Bicycle Classic is in town so all of our streets were crazy, I was trying to get to a little cafe for lunch with a friend. And going up one of the busy, stop and go streets, somehow Barbie flew out of the window. It didn't even take a milla-second for Lia to SCREAM hysterically! "MY BARBIE FLEW OUT OF THE WINDOW, MOM SHE'S GOING TO DIE! MOM GET HER!" So I pull over, on the way over I watch about 15 cars drive over her. One sweet traffic cop (because it's seriously nuts out there) hears her screaming and notices me trying to figure out how in the heck I'm going to get this doll back, decides he will help me. He stops traffic so I can go retrieve what's left of this poor doll! I only grabbed one piece on my first try, her body was missing an arm and a head. I tried my best to get it put back together as I walked back to the car. I dusted her off, wiped her with a wet wipe, got the arm back on (kind of) but there was nothing I could do about the head.

Lia is NUTS by this time. She was so devastated, she kept saying "Mom her arm is broken, her head won't go back on and her boobies popped!" Tears are streaming down my face now, I'm trying to look like I'm crying tears of sadness like hers, but I was dying of laughter!

Then Billy calls, I try to tell him what happened... to no avail so I hand the phone to her to see if he can help her. She can't really talk, she just keeps saying "Dad, she got run over and now she's dead!"- it was so sad! I knew I was going to go get her a new one. When she handed the phone back, Billy said it was the saddest thing he'd ever heard and to please go get her a new one.

So we went and had a nice lunch with Jenn and Jasmine. We saw some people we knew and told them the crazy story and they offered money to put towards a new one because they felt so bad for her.

We went back to Wal Mart, they didn't have anymore pink ones so I drove to Redlands to Target and now Lia and her Mermaid Barbie are reunited at last.

I still laugh to the point of tears about it to, I swear, the things we do for our kids!

another Lia story

This is one of the six piles of hair we found. Her side mullett is awful. I still can't post a picture of it. But noone has noticed when it's in a side pony tail with a big bow.

We love this laugh!!!

Our Sophie

Our Sophie, I'm just so glad she's ours. She's one of a kind and I just adore her. I love how she invents things and then just rambles on and on about them. This was a combination of orange juice, water, grass and marinara sauce...

Pistachio Bread

1 package white cake mix
1 small package pistachio pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 water
1/2 oil

Mix everything together and pour into 2 loaf pans or 4 mini greased loaf pans. (You can also make muffins)
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake at 350 for 30-35 min

We had a fun shower at our house today. My friend dropped this yummy bread off and I stole the recipe so I could post it.

It also gave me something to do while I play on the computer trying to calm down... Lia just cut off most of her hair on the left side of her head... There are words, but none of them are nice.

House stuff.

WE HAVE A NEW FRONT DOOR!!!It's so incredibly wonderful! I know I shouldn't be so excited about a door... but I am! We had the most awful one before, really it was. It was cheap, flimsy, no weather seal... just awful. We had been eying one at Home Depot for a long time. Well, we finally decided to bite the bullet this year and spend some of our tax money sprucing up the casita.

So a week ago, we packed the family up and met Billy's parents (because they have a truck) and went to go pick it up. OUR DOOR WAS NOT THERE! So then we eyed this beauty, and we LOVED it, and we decided we would get what we loved. So we load it up and start heading over to buy more molding and the hardware and on our way over his parents tell us "Happy Birthday you two" and they surprised us with the door. And I was floored, they know that because I couldn't talk for a while.

I love it for so many reasons, but my newest reason is that it makes the most beautiful rainbows in our house during the day. I feel like Pollyanna, you know when she cheers up her grumpy neighbor by hanging all of his prisms in the window. How can you not be happy looking at a rainbow?!!

We also finished the wood flooring, it's so amazing! We created an entry way, so you don't walk in on UGLY linoleum. The molding isn't finished in this picture, but it is now. It was an INSANE team effort, but we will forever be grateful for everyone and all they did.

My new hobby.

I have been having a lot of fun making flower hair clips and head bands for little girls. I tried making some for just my girls, then started giving them away as presents BUT then some people have been asking me to make them for their kids. So I've started a wanna be business, I sell them for $1.00 a flower and $1.00 for the head band. It's been really fun for me to do. I've been dying to do something creative and that doesn't take up too much time or space because I don't have much of either.
While I've been making these my girls get into a little mischief... Like Lia finding her blessing dress and wanting to dress up like a bride. (it's two pieces that's why the top dress isn't buttoned) This made me laugh for the longest time... she was totally stuck in it! Look at her arms, how uncomfortable does she look?!!!

I snapped this one when I thought they were going to kill eachother... but then they turned "all happy" in the blink of an eye.

These are just a few... seriously I covered the top of my table in finished ones.

If this doesn't make you smile???

I don't know what will.

Un-Private

Ok, I tried keeping my blog private. The truth is I don't post any secrets so it seems lame to lock it up. I keep this blog so that friends and family who don't see us very often can feel like they are apart of our lives.
So once again, enjoy my beautiful babies I sure am.

Not a mountain nor the half of it!

This is almost half of the laundry I had to wash, dry, fold and put away! It was no mountain, it was a mountain range, I called it the Sierra Nevada's! This is what happens when mom is out of commission for two weeks!

BARF TO BAM!!!!!!!!!!

Old carpet... barf! Even Tommy hated it.

I let the girls draw on the old wood floor. Here is the note I wrote "Dear house, You're welcome!"

Everyone (but me) worked so incredibly hard!!!

Sophie broke out my dad's hammer... he'd be so proud!

Every good worker deserves a break, thank goodness it was so beautiful outside!

and BAM! Beautiful wood floors! I really can't believe it's our house!!!!

Billy's parents swapped hutches with us, this was his great grandma's hutch... we LOVE it!

We still have more to do, but we love what's done! We painted this little hallway and put new handles on the cabinets... the old ones were horrible!

Thank you Bill and Cheryl, actually thank you is not even close... but we sure appreciate everything!!!

Mi Amor!

Billy knows how to spoil me!

Lia made these hearts! Aren't they so cute?!!!

I heart attacked the house the night before, the girls were so surprised.

It was a fun day. Billy and I got eachother one thing of candy (I still have most of mine... so does he come to think of it)

but we've both been trying to get healthy so he got me a yoga mat and I got him hand weights and had the kids pictures taken.