Pirates, Seashells, and Lizards!

We arrived safe and sound, trying to recover from the verrrrrry looooooong and tedious drive. The drive was actually pretty decent, it was just tough to drive from 9 am one morning until 7 am the next morning! Poor Gracie, when we were getting into the car yesterday she started crying and said "noooo, I wanna walk!"

We didn't do much the first day, just slept and went to Siesta Key Beach and had dinner with the whole family. Yesterday we went to the Ringling Art Museum since it was the free day. It is bigger and more beautiful than I imagined! I would love to go back someday (without the kids) so we can look through the whole museum and take our time.

Zane and Grace have been so fascinated with all the lizards and gecko's running around the place. They are not inside the house but they live outside and keep the bugs in check. Zane really wants to catch one, but the little buggers run fast!

Yesterday was also our 8th anniversary, and Mom and Dad watched the kiddo's so we could go out. We went to Anna Maria Island and ate at a restaurant that was RIGHT on the beach. We were outside on the patio and were able to watch the sunset! It was so romantic!!!! Then we went to Coquina Beach and took a walk in the surf. I found a little, perfect seashell to top it all off; it was the most wonderful anniversary we've had yet ;)

We are enjoying the warm weather and beaches for everyone we left behind in Colorado! Well, we are getting ready to go to Pirate's Cove to play putt putt with pirates and baby alligators!

Pit Stop!

Well, we made through the first part of our trip alive and still somewhat sane! We (Ty) drove until about 1 am, just outside of St. Louis, when we really couldn't go any longer. So, we stopped at a Budget Inn and got a room :)

The kids are doing surprisingly well on the trip so far, and since we were able to recharge our batteries somewhat, I suspect they can make it the rest of the way without melting into puddles and killing eachother! All I can say is, I've never been so happy to have nintendo and portable DVD players :)

Fear not Florida Fam, we are about halfway! I will try to update again today if we stop somewhere with free wifi (Starbuck's anyone?).

LOVE YOU ALL, keep praying for our safety!

Leaving for Florida

I won't be surprised if no one sees this post for weeks, as I'm sure everyone has given up on me! I'm blaming it all on summer... Anyone buying it? :)

It's 10 pm and I am getting the last of everything packed for our road trip to Florida tomorrow. We are driving, so we won't get there until sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning; but I really am gonna try and post picture updates along the way. We have a cooler packed with food and drinks, and backpacks packed to the brim with fun things for the kids. Of course we also have the DVD player for the car, two Nintendo DS's, a stack of fun books from the library... and sshhh, don't tell the kids that I have surprise goodie bags ready for those desperate "are we there yeeet?" moments! We'll see how it goes...

I can't wait to see you Florida family!!! BTW Dad, got your shorts ;)

New car! Well, for us at least...

We traded our "money sucking, gas guzzling, let's see how often we can break down and inconvenience Steph and Ty" Olds Alero for a 2006 Toyota Prius! It's a pretty car :) and now we won't be scared to take a road trip to Florida! It gets an average of 60 miles to the gallon, and did I mention that it is pretty? Ignore the garage sale sign on the back, obviously the car didn't come like that :)







Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Epic Battle of the Chosen Ones

Ok, I'm being a dork with a title like that, but this is seriously a cute video!

Update

Whew! Have we been keeping busy! Between work, seeing family, and still trying to keep some semblance of order at home, I needed to force myself to update this thing :)

Mike has already come and gone, but it was so nice just to hang out, even if we didn't do anything elaborate. The boys had a Guy's night, and though slightly rushed, I understand it was a good time. Grace leeched onto you Uncle Mike, and still looks for you! We should set up a skype time this weekend ;)

We went to the Butterfly Pavilion yesterday, with Ballingers, Mom and Sarah, and Rachel and Jacob. What a fun time that was! The kids got to touch starfish, a horseshoe crab, and a hermit crab; and Zach and Katie were totally brave and held a tarantula! Zane wasn't going anywhere near that action. After the awesome butterflies we had a picnic lunch outside. Thank you Rachel for awesome krautburgers!

Last night we went to Mimi's Cafe for dinner with the whole crew (including Dean!). It was very good, and Gracie was the star of the show. Papa asked her if she was a ham and she gave a very enthusiastic "Yeah!" And thank you Uncle Dean for the origami cranes; I hardly knew there were other kids there, they had so much fun with those cranes!

After dinner we went shopping for Zane's new bike, and another little boy with a birthday coming (ahem, Jacob!). Zane found the bike he wanted on the first try and pedaled it along with us through the rest of the store. I was so wishing the battery in our camera hadn't died earlier! He even rode it out to the car, it was so totally cute.

I am working on pictures, so here is a slideshow of our night at Casa Bonita.

Hanging out the Laundry

I found this print of a photo on Etsy.com, and I immediately thought of you Mom! I know how much you love to hang your laundry out to dry, these days. I would love to do that too someday :) If you follow the link and look at the description, you will find that the picture was taken in Sarasota...

Sparrows and Dumplings

Aunt Kellie, I wanted to show you some examples of how Sparrows/Swallows are all the rage right now. I wonder if it has anything to do with the Jack Sparrow/Johnny Depp craze (remember his trademark tattoo?)... I actually like most of the trend :)









I love that skirt! Too cute!

Anyway, I also wanted to let Zach know (if he is up for it) that Hunan now has the chicken dumplings on the menu! I think Mom and Dad want to come to Hunan while they're here, so maybe we can make it a family affair. We want you to come too, Grandpa Don!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! (Less than a week until I can hug my Mom and Dad again, woohoo!)

When I Grow Up...

Zane just told me that "When I'm all grown up, Katie is going to marry Cody, and I'm going to marry a pretty girl that looks like you Mom!"

Totally made my afternoon!

BTW, Cody is a boy in Katie's class, who Katie has a "crush" on ;)

Chilly and cloudy.

It's supposed to storm all afternoon, but I'm excited. I love a good summer storm! Debbie is leaving today to meet Trapper in New York, so hopefully her plane will miss the crappy weather!

Oh, and in case anyone couldn't tell, those vids in my previous post were just poking silly, good natured fun at Star Trek. I can't wait to see the movie, I hear that it is really good (not to mention seeing "Sylar" as Spock...Sarah, you know what I'm talkin' bout!).

I have been working hard on getting more things listed on Etsy too. I've gotten La Sorella updated and am working on getting it established. Ty has been taking pictures of me wearing the slings, and he has done a wonderful job! Thanks Babe!

www.kozykanga.etsy.com
www.lasorellaboutique.etsy.com

I have tons of pictures of the kids too, I will work on getting those up over the weekend :)

Some fun, in honor of Star Trek

From the Onion (a gag news channel):


Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

From the ThreadBanger website:

Dear Diary...

That's about as far as I ever got with the many journals and diaries I started, as a kid growing up. I thought it would be the same way with blogging, as I am just not a dedicated writer. I have pleasantly surprised myself, however, even if it is just one or two posts a week! It does help to motivate one, knowing that there is expectant family in another state waiting and checking patiently for posts. The only motivation I had with my diaries was, ummm...well, nothing :) So family, consider yourselves lucky... LOL!

Still just the same 'ol, same 'ol here. Ty and Lee are in the middle of rebuilding our deck, thank goodness. Turns out all the wood holding everything up was completely rotted! When they were pulling the wood up, it was literally crumbling in their hands. The kids and I have spent many afternoons on that deck this spring, so we are here in one piece by the Grace of God!

The lilacs out front are in full bloom, and boy, does it smell heavenly! The grass in the backyard is also starting to come up, but the weeds here sure are persistant. I am afraid weed-pulling will be a never ending job while we are in this house!

We are getting so excited for the coming month! There is a lot planned so far, but I just can't wait to be close to ya'll again. Trap will be getting back sometime around that same weekend as Mom, Dad, and Mike. It almost feels like Christmas!

Well, laundry and dishes are beckoning, and I must heed their call (or else we will be eating off the table in our underwear...)

Have a great afternoon everyone!

Spring has sprung!

I took some pictures of everything green and in bloom around our house!

My Peonies


Sweet William coming up next to the driveway


Grape Hyacinths...and Dandelions


Lilacs






My early Mother's Day gift, a tomato plant!


I already have tomatoes!


Zane planted a Sunflower :)

Found it!

Yay! I found the camera! Of course it was in an obvious place that I had looked over a billion times. I'm glad I found it because I took some really cute pictures of Zane this afternoon. Zane and I baked a loaf of Banana Orange Chip Bread...complete with flour fingerprints on his face!

Zane and Gracie are begging me for some, the aroma is torture...I cannot...resist!

First Kiss...

Grace's first kiss that is. Apparently she is a huge flirt at the nursery in church, and hugs and kisses the little boys (two in particular)! She is just used to giving Zane hugs and kisses, but I still feel a small sense of panic. I guess it just scares me a little to know that she is not shy around the boys! But maybe its just a phase :)

On another note, we cannot find the camera! I didn't realize how much I use it and rely on it until it went missing. I need it in order to list new items on my Etsy site, and of course for those spur of the moment cutesy things the kids do. Zane wants to get a buzz cut, but I don't want to do it unless we can take pictures! So, until we find it, no more pictures of the kids for the time being... Please pray that we do! I am!

I'll take what I can get!

Here I am, sitting in the bathroom, typing on the computer while the kids are in the bath. I've been needing to post an update but I'm always busy doing something, so why not kill two birds with one stone!? Just nevermind the typos or incoherent babble that might sneak in while I try to keep Grace from drinking gallons of soapy bathwater...

Last night was supposed to be my teaching debut, to teach anyone who wanted to learn, how to turn an old pair of jeans into a skirt. Tuesday afternoon, however, I got a phone call. Boo hoo! The class was cancelled due to not enough people signing up. Apparently there was much interest, but having to bring your sewing machine was the dealbreaker for most. Oh well, that class just wasn't meant to be.

On a more positive (absolutely giddy with excitement for me) note, the serger sewing machine that Mom and Dad gave me before moving, is in the shop getting a complete makeover right now! It did not have the presser foot cord or instruction manual, so I took it in to J&M Vac and Sew to see what they could do for me. They found me a power cord (yay!!!) and looked over the whole thing to make sure it worked and had all the parts (I did not ask, they are just awesome people). It was missing a few springs and needing oiling in the worst way. They offered to service it and clean it out for me for $100. The regular price is $150! So, It will be just like new when I get it back today or tomorrow. Dad, you did a good job to get this one; everyone (customers included) was so impressed with this hunk of a machine! They said I will be able to do some heavy duty, professional sewing on it, and it will last a looooong time :)

In case anyone is wondering, a serger is what you use to make a professional, finished, and re-inforced seam. The seams inside pretty much all your clothing are all serged seams.

Oh, and I found a pdf instruction manual online for only $8! Everyone gave me cash for my birthday last week, and I am so grateful! That is how I have been able to afford all these things :) I will take pics when I get the machine back.

Ok, the kiddos are bored and ready to get out now. I hope everyone is having a great week!

Let the Potty Training Begin!

Grace is ready. Most definitely. On Sunday at the Ballingers' she asked, very insistently to be changed, and that had been a first up until now! Now she always wants her diaper off, and this morning when I changed her, she did not want another diaper on. She was hysterical about it! Ty, we have to get a potty chair this week :)
We were blessed with Zane being easy as pie to potty train...I'm hoping Grace will be just as effortless ;)

I will have Easter pictures up later today or tomorrow. I am just waiting for the camera battery to charge, so I can get the pics off. My laptop doesn't have an SD slot and the one on the PC downstairs doesn't work! So we have to do this the hard way. We just need to get one of those thumb drives that has an SD drive, all in one.

Not much going on.

We have not been up to much lately. Mostly spring cleaning (Ty has gotten HUGE boxes ready for donation!), trying to stay on top of laundry, and all the sewing projects I have going. Speaking of laundry, I once heard this quote "Behind every good man is a good woman, and behind every good woman is a mountain of laundry!"

Here are some recent pictures of the kiddos, some of which show off new clothes. Thanks Papa and Nana Miller!

Edited to add: The picture below is a link to a slideshow at my photo album ;)

I give up

Even though I added everyone to my friends list, I finally figured out that you have to be a member of youtube to view a private video. So, rather than ask everyone to join, I just made the video public.

I really hate sites that make you have to join to view stuff like this. I can't look at Mom, Sarah, or anyone else's facebook because I'm not a member. I won't join because I already have accounts to so many websites that I can't keep track of it all! Not to mention I barely have enough time to blog, let alone start facebooking too :) Sorry guys, I'm just not jumping on that wagon!

Take Two

Ok, I'm trying to figure out how to keep the video private and let everyone I want see it too. I added everyone's email address to my friends list, so try watching it again and if your prompted just enter it in.

I hope it works!

Hi Grandma and Grandpa!

I took some video of the kiddos this morning for Grandma and Grandpa Miller. I have never posted video before so hopefully this will work and it won't take forever to load!





Zane begged me to type a "message":

uuggjuguiyuiotyuruifjuiyhy8uiuyrujjurueukgmmjhvfjjxswayqnvzxyhf

Crafting and beyond

Well we all survived the blizzard; in fact, most of the snow was melted the next day! That's the Front Range for you :) I bet there is still quite a bit of snow in Summit County though, I don't think its really stopped much since last week. How are you all doing up there Rachel?

So now my crafts and home projects are going beyond my sewing desk. The Boutique in Longmont sent out a mass email to all the artisans that sell items in the store, asking for some of us to teach "how to classes" to anyone interested. I emailed them to offer a class for "how to turn your old jeans into your favorite skirt." They loved the idea and set it up! So I will be teaching my own class on April 22 from 6-8pm. They are also going to pay me for my time plus the cost of materials! Not to mention I also get the chance to showcase my products. Here is a link to the site advertising the classes:

Handmade Classes

I sent her a picture of the type of skirt we will be making, but she hasn't gotten it up yet. So here are a few pics of the skirt and other projects, and of course the kids! You have to click on the picture to see it without the opacity. I might change my template (again) because of that...



I am really happy with the way this headband turned out. I added some decorative zig zag stitching which I think added character to an already "beyond cute" fabric!






Zane knows how to have fun!


Grace discovered dirt.


And one that Trap snapped of Ty and I.

Blizzard

Well, I just got two phone calls. One from Aunt Kellie and one from Debi (my Mother-in-law). Both were to check on us, because unbeknownst to me, we are in a blizzard! I knew we were having a pretty heavy storm, but I didn't realize it was so bad. We are supposed to get up to two feet of snow by tomorrow morning! Ty and Zane have been bummed all winter because we have not gotten a significant snowfall for sledding. Well Ty, I don't think you have to worry about that anymore! The first thing Zane said when he saw the snow was "Mom, we can go sledding now, woohoo!"

Here are a few pictures I took from earlier. Click on the picture to see a larger version on a solid background.

Our front yard and neighbors' houses




Our backyard


It has really calmed down since I took those, but the snow isn't supposed to be stopping any time soon. If our power goes out, Ty will get his parents truck and we would probably stay at their house tonight. Please pray for everyone's safety!

At least we are getting much needed moisture!

March weather

Last week was beautiful here in Colorado! Everyday we had temps ranging from the low 60's to the mid 70's. But today we woke up to cold and windy with a chance of rain or snow. I'm not complaining (too much) since we need the moisture, but I sure am ready for flip flop weather! Not to mention the kids have been curbing their cabin fever with excursions in the dirt and trips to the playground. We went for a bike ride on Saturday, and that was lovely!

I really don't have a point to this post, just wishing for some sunshine again!

Just had to share...

I am getting ready for a pedicure with the girls from work and then waitressing tonight, but Zane said something I had to share!

Zane: "Mom can we enter this contest?!" (from an insert in the Little Mermaid DVD case)

Me: "Hmmmm, sorry but no, its expired."

Zane: (goes over to Grace) "Mom says we can't enter, it's inspired!"

About our Gracie

Yesterday's post had a lot about Zane, so I will share some about Grace today :)

If any of you know Grace at all, you know that she knows what she wants and won't stop until she gets it! She is not hesitant about anything and is very persistent. She always wants what the "adults" have. Every now and then Ty and I will have a beer with our pizza or whatever. This is a treat for us, so this doesn't happen often, but when we do Grace wants it in the worst way! So a little while ago I decided to try some reverse psycology. After I was done I let her try the last drop that was in the bottle...thinking she would hate it. Yeah, that backfired. She loved it and still won't leave us alone. You'd think that I would've learned my lesson. This morning she wanted my cold coffee that I was about to clear. I let her have a taste and the rest is history! What have I done!?

On the cuter side of things - She was dragging her baby around with her (as usual) and wanted to give it to me. I told her "This is Grace's baby, and Gracie is my baby!" What did she learn from that? Perfect toddler logic. Now she is going around the house pointing to herself and saying "my baby, my baby." So now she thinks she has a new name, sigh.

But I'm not kidding anyone I'm sure, I live for this! Here are some more pictures from the last few weeks. Have a great weekend everyone!

Update on us

Well, everyone is over their cold, except for me. Blah. I still have a little cough that just doesn't want to give up! But life is still going on so I guess I'll resume blogging now :)

I've been mulling over where to pick up again with my update, and I'm still not sure. I think I'll just do a few separate posts so everything doesn't seem jumbled together. Thank me for that because I have a LOT to update on!

I'll start with the most important update...the kids!

When we started feeling better and the weather was nice, we went on a walk to do a few errands. We went to the bank and grocery store and then to lunch! Click on the picture to go to my photo album and watch the slideshow. For some reason the first few pictures turned out a little pixel-y.



Some other fun things happening are that Zane has figured out how to do somersaults. Any time he wants to impress someone, he just starts busting them out! He is also starting to say some really adult-type phrases that he means very seriously but are hilarious coming out of a 4 year olds mouth. (I know that is a run on sentence Mom, but at least I'm updating!)

a few examples...

Zane is trying really hard to squeeze some lemon into his water (we were playing a game with Ty's parents and brother so we weren't really paying attention). All of a sudden we hear a loud CRASH and SPLASH and he was sitting there soaked with his water spilled all over his lap, the chair, and floor. This is what he says after a pause of about 5 seconds "...Well...THAT wasn't supposed to happen!" We were all laughing so hard and the poor boy couldn't figure out why no one was helping him get his wet pants off!

This happened last night: Zane and Ty were playing a putt putt golf game on the Wii. Some of these shots are pretty hard, where you have to do some creative lining up. Like in pool, when you have to bounce the ball off the side to avoid other balls and hit your intended target. Zane was doing this in a way that I was SURE he wasn't going to make it, so I said "Zane, I don't think that is going to (right here he hits the ball, not listening to me, so I pause)..." The ball goes around everything perfectly and he makes a hole in one! He looks at me and finishes my sentence "...Work?!"


Ok, I hope that brightened your day! Zane and I want lunch now so I will come back to updating later. Have a wonderful day everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in a week. We are all sick with a particularly nasty little cold; except for Ty of course! He never gets sick when we are. Even last winter when all of us had colds and pinkeye that lasted a week, He didn't so much as sneeze the entire time. I remember when growing up that when the family got sick, Dad was still healthy as a horse too. I've got two theories as to why this is:

1. The head of the house doesn't get sick because they subconciously don't let it happen. After all, someone has to keep it together when everyone else is so out of it they can't finish a coherent sentence...

2. They really are sick, but are such good actors that no one is the wiser. In that case, where are the Oscars for these men!?

Another thing this cold means is that Grace's finger is permanently attached to her nose. I keep telling her it's not ladylike to pick one's nose, but she doesn't really listen. At least she looks for a tissue to put the boogers in...

ZANE!!!!

This is totally a brag post about my genius son! That statement is a tad biased but I couldn't call myself his mother if I wasn't ;)

This morning Aunt Kellie came and picked us up for a woman's group meeting at church. She brought with her all the books that taught Zachary to read at Zane's age; you know Mom, the "Bob Books." So we get home, eat lunch, Grace goes down for her nap, and now Zane and I can check out the books. So we sit down together and look at the very first book, which teaches you to read 3 letter words. The letters are M, T, A, and S. Zane starts by telling me what sounds all the letters make (NOT prompted by me), and about 15 minutes later he had read the entire first book. ALL BY HIMSELF!

I am beside myself with pride (bad mommy), joy, satisfaction, and sadness all at the same time. Zane is not my baby or toddler, and is even barely a preschooler anymore. This brings somewhat of a satisfaction in knowing that we are raising a smart and polite little boy who is gaining more independence every day. But it also brings a heaviness in knowing that my baby is growing up, and his world is moving beyond just Mom, Dad, and home.

Anyway, three cheers for the start of a long and satisfying journey of books and knowledge for my dear son!

In Honor of Valentine's Day

A cute story with Zane (who else!?) as the star, at church last weekend.

(Driving on the Interstate to church - 5:45pm.)

Me: "Zane, I really want you to be good at church tonight. No interupting, or being selfish with toys, and especially NO BURPING!"

Zane: "OK, Mom. I'll be good tonight!"

(Driving on the Interstate to home - 8:40pm.)

Zane: "Mom, I know you told me to be good tonight and not to burp, but... I burped on accident and a girl laughed and smiled, so I HAD to make myself burp because she liked it!"

Me: "..."

Zane: "hee hee hee!"

Happy Valentine's Day everyone, I hope you have a great weekend!

Introducing

My new blog look! After 3 days of agonizing and coming to grips with settling for something less than what I wanted, the answer popped out in front of me. I just had to delete an extra space in the HTML code... Of course it was something so simple and unassuming. It wouldn't be modern technology if it wasn't!

The flowers in the background are lotuses, which are my all time favorite. Many thanks to my sister for the link on her blog to the site that had this layout!

Another thing I added is the lolcat gadget on my sidebar. Lolcats are silly pictures of silly kitties with silly captions :) Some are lame, some make me smile, and some are absolutely hilarious. I tried to change the size but to no avail, so I'm afraid you must scroll to side to see the whole thing. Sorry 'bout that.

What does everyone think?

Please be patient!

This is not my new Blog look! I have a template that I love and really want to put up, but am having sooooo much trouble doing so.

So please be patient as I try to remodel!

Change

I added a new link to our Photo Album on my sidebar. I also added more pictures. We took a walk yesterday and had a great time! I didn't take any pictures while eating lunch or at the park (wish I did). Oh well. I am going to try adding more and more until caught up (really)!

Success!

At designing and making my own headbands! There were a few trial and error pieces, but as they say "practice makes perfect." I will start selling them on Etsy here in a few weeks as well as the Longmont Boutique. I am thinking about $7 for the 2" wide ones, $6 for the 1 1/2" wide, and $5 for the skinny 1". Do those sound like fair prices to you? Here are pics of some finished ones and some of the fabrics I have to make more.













If anyone wants one, just let me know ;)

This post is for Zachary!

Zack, all I could think about was you at work the other day. Guess what is being added to the menu at Hunan Chinese Restaurant? Chicken Dumplings! And boy are they delicious :) They aren't available to order just yet, but I will let your Mom know when they are. Then you can come in to visit me and eat a whole pile of delicious chicken dumplings!

I can't wait to see you buddy :)

Mommy's little helper

Grace and I just got done unloading the clean dishes from the dishwasher! She loved helping me...Mommy loved it too. When we were done with the bottom rack she closed everything up, said "all duh" and walked away. Hey, when your only two feet tall the full top rack is just a minor detail that can be ignored ;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

My first take on couture

I have been totally bogged down lately...with ideas. I just can't keep my brain from coming up with new designs and ideas for altering. Add a generous side helping of passion for all things beautiful and my sewing machine, and I can't be stopped!

Sarah took me shopping last year after my birthday, and I found a great pair of jeans that I loved. Well, after washing them twice, the length in the legs shrank! ...or I grew, but I'm inclined to think the former. So now I have these jeans that I don't wear because they sit above my ankles, and last I checked the eighties have come and gone. So what to do?

My solution and first try at patchwork:





The results







I am pleased.