For all those who come to this happy place, Welcome!

Some of my friends recently created a "Joy School" for our 2 year olds. Abbey loves it. She has fun playing with her friends. We meet twice a week for 2 hours (I love that - running errands w/out kids is heaven!) We each take turns hosting and we rotate, letters, numbers, colors, and shapes - but at this age it's mostly learning to play nice and spending time away from mom.  I hosted the week of Abbey's bday so that meant cuppycakes. They were a huge hit (sugar generally is with kids)  They also loved snack time and played really well together. We only have 5 in this group which is very manageable.  Abbey & Maddie are the only girls, but they get a long great. Both are determined, a little head strong, but they make each other laugh and both love to sing.  Jessie hosted this week. I love seeing what the other mom's come up with. Jessie made doggy eared hats with them. She said the kids walked around and laughed at each others hats. I love it!  Jes...

Here is Abbey just a few months old at the Happiest Place on Earth! We liked this baby - she was a keeper I think James taught her this pose for pictures Happy Baby! kissable lips oh, my goodness! Abbey loves dogs and eating dog food even more... This one is like looking in a mirror modeling my mom's handiwork. SHe is a true girl - in love with shoes hard day shopping at Target with her best buddies and her binks She's a fun little shopping buddy Her eyes get all smiley like James do. "gekka-boos" sleepy girl bff's loves yorgurt and making a mess! Happy Birthday Abburps! We love you sissa. It's been a good 2 years - especially this last summer

Isn't she a beaute? Oh wait... hold on, the phone's ringing. ... Sorry, that was the 1980's calling to get this dresser back. This picture does not do it justice. It's that pinkish wood tone that for some reason was THE rage (my laundry room cabinets were the same unfortunate color), but it was FREE (thank you Tessa & Tiff) - she had definite potential (and Abbey desperately needed a dresser). This is how she looks now. Isn't she hot stuff. The best part is that she is solid & study (no pressed wood crap covered in vinyl laminate) - when I was sanding her I was almost tempted to stain her a nice coffee color, but I'm too lazy and tired for all the extra steps. ... and check out her rack (hardware), they were the longest handles I could find that would come close to fitting the existing holes. They were $9 each and I needed 6 of them (ouch... kind pricey) EXCEPT that I bought these at a Ace Hardware that was moving locations so I only paid $3.50 per han...

This is my competition - should I be jealous? Mostly it just makes me laugh when he giggles (like a little boy with Legos) about the latest cool new things he has learned... I can't criticize him too much, I do know what it's like to be enamored with a  machine. She is tiny, cute, and still my sidekick after 2 years. She comes in handy with school and all my mischief.

A few of us mom's decided to form a Joy School co-op for our 2 year olds. This is my baby girl getting ready for her first day. A little camera shy of all the paparazzi We actually had our first fight over clothes this morning. I got her dressed in a pillow case dress I made and a pair of shorts. She started trying to rip it off, "Get it off! Get it off" - really? Your only 2 and it really matters that much what you wear? Here she is forgetting all about me as she starts playing with Seth. I don't know how much she learned, but the socialization should do wonders for her - hopefully make her take it a little bit easier on our new baby... and miss her brother & sister a little less while they are at school.

This was the teenager Jen when I met and married into this family. She was a lot of fun & a lot of crazy all in one. We all loved her. Luckily, her unlikable phase didn't last very long. Here she is a few years later mom of Sadie and married to JC, she was heaps of fun again.  Here are our 2 babies only like 5 minutes ago (Paige & Sadie). oops... I blinked. Here are the bff's from last weekend. The span of time from the picture above to this one literally feels like 5 minutes. Where they h... did the time go? and why do I feel so much older? Crazy Cora and Roy had a lot of fun together. When Abbey would put on this hat she would say "Nee-ha!" (um.. almost, you little city gal) Crazy Cora is trying to do Roy in. I think she might have shot him in this one. Crazy Cora, you must have missed. Roy's lookin' a little too lively for being shot at. Nope. I think she actually hit him in this one. Good job Cora, you might be crazy but you got a decent ai...