{Thursday}

quite creative with my post titles these days right?

this morning we had to pop into the book store to pick up two birthday gifts.
aubrey was all excited and said she wanted to buy a book.
all by herself.
with her own money.

we found her ladybug purse, counted her dollars and loaded it up.
she was so very excited.
"do big girls buy their own books mommy?"

oh how i love the bookstore.
i could literally spend the whole day here.
funny thing is...i'd never leave the children's section.

if i could have any other job on the planet it would be a children's book store owner.
just like the "shop around the corner" in the movie you've got mail.
remember that place?
here's some pictures just in case you don't.:)

all those books.
the twinkly lights.
heaven.

they had all the springy, eastery books out.
you know how i'm ready for spring right?
now i'm really ready.

it was funny...on the way home aubrey asked me where big girls go to learn things.
i told her school...just like little girls...and that mommys and daddys can go to school too. it's called college.
she said "oh good mommy...i'm gonna go to college someday too...and i know...we can go together.
but we won't live there like steve (blue's clues)...we'll come home every night.
perfect.:)

when we headed out to get janey for lunch aubrey was playing with an empty cereal box that she brought along in the car. she made up a game...what's hiding in the box. she put one of our medicine syringes in there and gave me clues to try and guess...after i got it right she said..."ok...now hand me something else to put in the box...but don't look.":) ha ha
we had lots of fun with that game and janey even played along too.
she's a good little clue giver!:)

when we drove through the park we stopped to admire our semi-frozen lake.
janey said "it looks so peaceful and pristine."

i think i agree.

this was the soundtrack to our day.
i love every single song on that cd.
who am i kidding...i love every. single. one. of his cd's.
childhood in a song for sure. (am i right tara??:))

so how was your thursday?
listen to any good tunes?

have a happy day,

cindy

{Today}

today is a good day.
we are...dare i say...almost back to normal with just a few lingering coughs boggin us down.
everyone woke up happy and despite the rainy, yucky, dreary, wintry mess outside we are all smiles and sunshine inside. it doesn't always work that way ya know. my moods are most days tied too closely to what's going on outside...so when these days pop up we grab 'em and hold on tight.

we missed panera and the library last week.
it was cute to see some of our "grandpa's" and our favorite "bagel getter" again and have them say "where've you been??" aubrey acts shy sometimes, but i think she secretly likes all the attention.

 

 

the little learning light bulb has really clicked on for aubrey these days.

she is asking about words and writing in her notebook.

of course i love that!!!

it's been awhile since i helped anyone "stretch" their words out to hear the sounds and write them down. i really do live for this stuff and it's one of the things i miss most about being out of the classroom.



 

today at story time, we read books about penguins and polar bears.

we sang and danced and played with the parachute.

i talked to our favorite librarian afterwards...trying to convince her to move story time to thursdays.

if not, preschool will pull us away come fall and this will be our last year.:(

don't even get me started on that.



 trying to catch a snowflake

 janey has been wanting me to read to her at night lately.
not chapter books, read alouds.
she picks three of her old favorite books and we snuggle up together under the covers.
anything to make her feel "little" i think.:)
that's way better in my book then doing things to feel older and more grown up, so of course i'm loving every minute of it.

i made sure to get her a big stack of new ones to choose from today too.

i think this one was my favorite.

i love jan brett and how she tells a story within a story with her illustrations along the borders of each page. this one is just beautiful.

 

aubrey and i are really loving this new series by beth bracken.

so sweet and simple and perfectly easy for little ones to relate to.

the illustrations are charming too.

 

we made it through the day with very little tv, which is a good thing.

although someone is cuddled up under a ballerina blanket watching sophia the first right now...we did pretty good.

since she was sick, she has gone to bed every night between 6:30 and 7 and i think this late afternoon rest time is really what she needs to be happier come dinner time.:) and that is a very good thing.

 

so how was your wednesday?

good things?

sunshine?

 

have a happy day,

cindy

 

 

 



{Haircuts, Stuff and Two Videos}

hello there.
happy tuesday.
today we are getting a wintry mix of rain, freezing rain and snow.
sounds lovely right?:)
how 'bout you?
the snow is falling in big fluffy flakes right now.
that kind i love.

************************

two weeks ago...before we were all struck with the sickies...aubrey got a haircut.

i'm not sure who enjoyed it more really.
these two were so excited to see aubrey get her new do.
i am envisioning lots of foursomes to the hair salon in our future.

oh how i love these three.

 

***********************

 

well, just when i thought we were in the clear illness wise...we got hit this weekend with pink eye, an ear infection and a uti.:(( ugh ugh double ugh!!
feeling very thankful for antibiotics these days.
my latest mantra is ..."this too shall pass!":)

today aubrey and i braved the slush and picked up riley for lunch.
we shared a mango smoothie and chatted.
i love these little moments together in the middle of their day.
i wish we were together for lunch every day, but i know they need/want time with their friends too.
riley goes to middle school next year (gulp!) i hope our little routine braves the change.

this is aubrey sharing the details of our day.
stuffy nose voice and all.:)

as you can tell by the frequency in which she mentioned "watching a show" we are in tv detox over here. 8 solid days of shows in your jammies will do that to you. we are remembering how to actually play and paint and do puzzles over here.:)

and here is one of riley and janey's evening concerts.
they played several songs where janey hit the drum or sang...this one cracks me up...the beat boxing and the "other stuff" janey is doing makes me laugh!!:)

have a happy day,

cindy

{Insta Friday :: week 7-8}

::happy friday friends::

we are feeling better and janey is back at school today.

i must say we miss her.

a lot.

aubrey is till in cuddle couch mode so she is missin her snuggle-lovin sister a bunch.

aubrey and i are hoping to muster up enough courage to venture out for a few snowy park shots later.

this fl girl is not a fan of winter driving that's for sure.

get ready for lots of sleeping baby shots...partly cause that's what we did most this week and partly cause i LOVE them and just couldn't resist.:)
 

::here's a quick peek at our week(s)::

 

i love pretty soap.

and wandering around target.

solo.

 

aubrey said "poppy has one of these"!

of course they loved that.

 

 i love mornings that start with love.
i forget what moment they were sharing...but i'll take it.

 

i love these crazy shots...but goodness i know you MUST be getting tired of seeing them already!:)

 

not sick yet...just snuggly and cute.

 

 

janey was said this morning...so when we went to pick up riley for lunch, we made her a surprise note and taped it in her locker. 

 

this is aubrey's place of honor at check-out time.

she sits on that little counter near the register enjoying her free cookie and names all the goodies as dave scans them and weighs them.

 

dave created a new lunchtime favorite for the girls.

a turkey and cheese sandwich on a soft pretzel.

yum

 

i love yummy bbq.

especially when you don't have to leave home to get it.

the smoked brisket and slaw were amazing.

 

favorite pudding in our house.

seriously the best.

 

fluffy new kitchen towels make me happy.

 

my flushed cheek and fevery sweetie.

 

every day this week after lunch we would lay down and she would say, "i can't keep my eyes open".  she'd fight for a few minutes then finally give in.

sweetest

thing

ever.

we are growing san marzano tomatoes.

homemade sauce one step further.

 

 

this book saw a LOT of action this week.

sigh

 

 

this never happens...so double sigh.

but she's back!

and ready for rocker day!!

 

peace out!

 

 

hope your week was a wonderful one,

cindy

 

{Today}

i see a light at the end of this sickness tunnel.
i ran up and down the stairs a few times this morning carrying a laundry basket and didn't have to sit down to catch my breath.

i see smiles and a little activity stirring in this lazy house of ours.
the girls actually had lunch in the kitchen instead of sacked out on the sofa.
the tv is off and the puzzles are out.

i am having this soup for lunch.
(dave used kale this time instead of greens. we like to cook it a loooong time...it gets creamier and yummier!)
i had it every day this week actually and i LOVE it.
it makes me happy.

dave has a work dinner tonight and the girls and i are getting take-out.
the thought of a bubbly bad for you soda is getting me through yet another lazy day of coughs and too much tv.

we have ice and snow coming this afternoon.
ugh
i am glad that tomorrow is friday.
ready for a weekend do over.:)

hows your day?

have a happy one,

cindy

 {thankful for}
1. a warm home to heal us
2. friends to bring us goodies
3. how close we live to our girls school
4. lots and lots of puzzles
5. health

{Home Movies}

little miss janey loves home movies.
they are her favorite thing to watch....ever!:)
we have watched a TON this weekend since everyone was sick.
she loved this little snippet from halloween 2007 when i asked her what goodies she was hoping to get..
she had me record it on my phone so i could send it to her ipod so she could watch it over
and over
and over again.

thought i would try posting it to see if it works.
no guarantees...but here goes.

is she the sweetest thing you have ever seen or what?

have a happy day,

cindy

PS
now i really want a tootsie roll!!:)

{Sickies}

well love day wasn't even over before we knew we were in for a wild weekend.
aubrey was whiny and clingy and by friday afternoon she had a 103 temp and wouldn't eat or drink or keep any of her meds down!:(
i am such a wimp when it comes to my kids being sick.
i always panic and think the worst...like should we go to the er for a fever...kind of worst.
i usually always cry.
maybe it's just when they are so small and they can't communicate how they feel and what really hurts and they are inconsolable and you can't talk or bribe them into taking their medicine.

it was a tough night trying to sleep with a burning hot three year old between us.
but we did it.
saturday she started feeling a tad bit better...but then it hit janey and i.
fever, body aches, cough.
general yuckiness.

i love to nurse my babies back to health.
snuggle them up under blankies with a drink and a snack.
wait on them.
watch their favorite movies with them.
love on them and make them feel better.
but boy it's a whole different story when you feel cruddy too.
needless to say it was a loooooong weekend.
and not the good kind!:)

thank goodness dave and riley were feeling pretty good.
not themselves, but good enough to pick up the slack and come to our rescue when needed.

today janey is home from school and we are all about 75%.
the house is a germy mess and their is laundry to be done.
we are taking it slow and stopping often for snuggle breaks.
hoping to feel ourselves again real soon.

sure hope your long weekend was a healthy one,

cindy

{thankful for}
1. goodnight gorilla dvd
2. delsym
3. hot tea
4. throat drops and motrin
5. snuggly blankies and new fun "sick day cups" from target.