Big Dreamer...

Bryan says I like to spend money.  I think he is somewhat right.  The thing is, you have to HAVE money before you can spend it.  But I am scheming about what I would do if I did have a lot of cash at my disposal...
I like to day dream about my dream house.  I have been planning all the things I want in it since I was 14 years old!  I thought I would immortalize my ideas in one spot.  They have been jotted down in various areas around the house- my journal, the back of some power point slides from an old perio lecture, the recipe box...ect ect. 
Here are the main items:

• One main floor.  I might possibly go for a basement for a game room. But I really HATE stairs.
• A FLAT driveway
• Big windows.  (I hate dark places.  I want my house to have LOTS of light) This brings me to my next dream...
• Privacy.  A house in the sticks might be alright after all (either that or have my house far back on a big lot with lots of trees to block the from the prying eye).  I don't want those big windows to be a waste.  I want to be able to have the curtains open all the time with out worrying about creep-o's checking out my house!
• Enough Closets.  Big closets. 
• A nice coat closet by the front door with enough room for shoes, scarves, umbrellas, coats, hats.
• Linen closets in every bathroom
• One in the laundry room to hold all my cleaning supplies
• Another one for seasonal items that you want to access without having to go in the attic...
• While I am at it, how about a nice walk in closet in every bedroom?
• A 'folding station' in the laundry room.  i.e.- enough counter space that I don't have to fold laundry in ANY other room in the house. (one of my friends told me that this idea is silly and I don't need a folding station, just a maid if my house is going to be this big...lol)
• A wrap around porch.  With a swing.
• A kitchen with an island. And enough counters to store everything in.  I don't want my toaster to not have a home and be stuck out on the counter. 
• 2 sinks in the master bathroom.  And tons of counter space. 
• Did I mention big windows?
• Master bedroom- far, far away from the others.  So far that if I turned off the baby monitor there would be a ZERO% chance of me having to hear a someone who wants a party in their room with mommy at 3 AM.
• Work out room
• Game room/movie room
• Office
• Formal Living room when you enter the house.  With my grand piano.  (dream on...huh...)
• Covered Porch in backyard.
• Fenced in backyard
• Basketball court in backyard
• Flower Garden
• Veggie Garden
• 3 car garage (big enough to open the doors and not be hitting the walls, possibly big enough to open doors and get in the garage if I was carrying a child or carseat or stroller.)
• Lots of grass in the backyard.
• Vaulted ceilings. (I didn't say I was practical)
• Master bedroom with a reading nook.  I want a bay window to sit in and enjoy the sunshine and a good book.

This is just the start of my very long list.  Did I miss anything vital?

A week of pictures

Maybe someday we will actually leave the house.  But for now I feel like spring is a long way away.

We did get a couple packages in the mail this week! We LOVE packages!  Abby sent Peter some stickers for Valentines day.  They went crazy with them.  I have stickers all over the house.  Most of them end up in Brooke's mouth though.

Peter is getting to be quite possessive of his 'stuff'.  It drives me bonkers.  You can see from my awesome photography, the word "NO!" is captured forever in this lovely photograph...

Our second package this week was from Nana.  She made these awesome sweaters for the kids.

And sent the sippy cup.  Brooke REALLY was into it.

Ah.  Candy.

"Is it spring yet mom???"

 "We REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to go outside!"

This is the 'gargoyle/gremlin' face Brooke likes to make.  I don't really know what its for.  She just thinks its funny.  I do too.

I came down stairs the other day to find Peter hanging out in Brooke's saucer.  He can get in it just fine.  He can't quite get out...

"Yes.  I am looking for something disgusting to put in my mouth.  Do you have any mud? Staples?  Dead bugs? Carpet fuzzies?  No? Never you mind.  I will find something nasty to occupy my oral cavity..."

Someday Peter will hate me for making this story public.  But I thought it was pretty hilarious.  We were getting ready for church this morning and he tells me he needs to go potty.  Ok.  No big deal.  I tell him to go for it.  He disappears into the bathroom.  about a minute later he is hysterical.  I run into the bathroom to see what was going on. 
He was in the toilet.  Yup.  In.  The.  Toilet.  As in, he fell in.  He forgot to put his little potty seat on the toilet. Luckily, he hadn't gone in it before he decided to go for a swim.   

This is what it has come to in our house.  Pulling out the grocery bags.  It is THAT boring around here.

Jomax even agrees!

Ready, set, GO!

"Brooke! We said 'GO!'"  (Peter beats her EVERY time! I wonder why???)

The other day, Peter put on his backpack and walked out the door saying "Bye Mom!  I'm going to school with Daddy!"
Too bad he forgot his pants.  And he doesn't know how to drive.  Otherwise I am fairly confident he would have made it to school.

Bean Burrito's.  The Hays' family dinner of champions.

I really love that Brooke's personality is coming out.  But I think I was unprepared for how strong of a personality it would be.  Peter is so easy going.  Not that Brooke isn't.  She is just more adventurous.  And I don't know how this is possible, but I think she might be the most stubborn one in the family.  She won't go to sleep unless SHE wants it.  She doesn't play with toys I give her.  She finds the ones SHE wants. 

Oh ya, and have you noticed the frequency of 'Jomax' lately?  He goes everywhere with us.  This poor monkey has seen better days.  Peter carts him anywhere he goes.  And the moment he is distracted, Brooke picks him up.  Welcome to the family Jomax.  I hope you survive the craziness. 

My Little Valentines

  

What is your vice?

Mine is the dirty dishes.  They are always there...just lurking in the sink.  Waiting.  Getting dirtier by the minute!
I try to stay on top of them I swear!  My plan is to not go to bed until the dishes are done.  And it works.  Most days.  But then SOMETHING happens.  We host some friends for dinner.  Or- We have something planned soon after dinner.  SOMETHING.
And for one LITTLE day, they sit in the sink overnight. 
Then morning comes.  And its chaos.  They sit in the sink all morning.  I think- nap time, that is when I will get this under control. 
Nap time rolls around...
Yup. You guessed it, I am napping. 
So the dishes SIT.  A little longer...

It seems like once you have one night of dishes in the sink you have EVERY item in your kitchen begging to jump in the sink with them. 
Those nasty, stinkin', no good, very bad pots and pans join them.  Along with every spoon in the house. 
Suddenly, 2 days have passed and my sink is overflowing with this non-sense.  What to do? What to do?!

I'll tell you...
Anything but the dishes.

Notice anything?

She is obsessed! EVERYTHING goes in her mouth.  All. The. Time.  I am just waiting for this phase to end.  Frankly, I don't see the light at the end of this tunnel.

Who gone and dunnit?!

 Mr and Mrs. Ryan and Emily Brewton!

Yup.  He did.  My little brother gone and tied the knot...

We had the traditional "Rehearsal Dinner"  at Texas Roadhouse with the families the night before.

These pictures are in no way professional, when I get those I am sure I will post some of them too.

I love how Peter is checking out his belly button...

Okay...the cake...
1. SO much work.
2. did I mention lots of work?
    What I learned:
          - When placing fondant on the tiers, start on the bottom.  This was the first time I have EVER made a square cake and I wasn't sure about the seams. I had it down by the middle of the second tier.  Sadly, I was an idiot and decided to do the top one first thinking "its the smallest". Ya, that and the TOP. The one EVERYONE sees.  The seams were a little rough and the fondant started tearing when I was placing it.
           - Buy GOOD pans.  I tried to go cheap because I wasn't going to transport them back to the 'burgh.  Big mistake.  The smaller layers were okay, but the bottom layer kept breaking in half when I took it out of the pan.  It kept sticking and it was AWFUL.  I had to make it 3 times before it came out okay.  Next time I will buy high quality pans.
          - It takes more time than you think.  It took me 8 hours total time.
          - I make the cake from scratch.  Good call.  It tasted awesome. Chocolate cake with white fondant was tricky.  I had chocolate frosting too (from scatch).  Note: next time, do NOT refrigerate the frosted cake.  The flaws in the frosting WILL show through the fondant.
       
It was in no way perfect, but I feel like the camera really shows all the flaws in the cake.  It looked a little better in real life.  I had a blast making it and hope to practice more so I can get an even better cake next time!

My brother was so sweet, he wrote and sang a song for Emily