wow 3 pics

3 pictures is all we got -3!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and here they are in all their glory. I sat on the front porch and scared small children while Jeebs took the kids out to get a little loot. I held the walkie talkie and cued Jeebs when children were approaching so he could chime in with some spooky laugh or phrase. It. Was. Awesome.

Jeebs' Birthday and some costumes

Happy Birthday Jeebs- sorry something is always going wrong. Ezra is so stinkin' sick. Someone is always sick or something bad is always happening on Jeebs' birthday. It's the nature of Jeebs' birthday- we should just learn to expect it. Oh well. I made him a chocolate, caramel, chocolate crunch cake that would put you in a coma and make you slap your momma erry day and twice on Sunday. It was a 100 grand cake. Thank you Martha- you never let me down. 100 grand is his favorite candy bar and they just so happen to have a cake based on 100 grand in the October issue. What are the odds? Homemade chocolate cake, homemade caramel sauce, homemade chocolate crispies, and homemade chocolate frosting- yeah. I love you Jeebs.

Now, onto the boys' costumes: Ezra was sick so this was taken a while back, but you get the idea. He was the cutest dragon and losing his voice so his roar came out like a pitiful little squeak.
Cagey was Sonic- see previous post. His costume and face paint turned out way better than expected.
Tates stripped off her costume before we got a pic, but we're doing a repeat performance tomorrow night and hopefully we'll get pics. Jeebs and I have a problem to communicate. We assume when the other one says they know where something is they're going to get it or if it's part of their costume they'll get it. But that's what we get for assuming- forgotten camera and parts of costumes- not to mention swim bags.

Curse you Sonic and your little spikes too

I have been making Cagey's Sonic the hedgehog costume for most of the day. I got a royal blue hoodie and I've been attaching royal blue felt spikes on the hood. I finally have it done! Yay! I thought it would be much easier than it was. And now onto the red sonic shoes.

The awesomeness of the day- when Tates tooted on the way to school it sounded like a grenade had gone off in the front seat. She had been complaining of a tummy ache all morning and after that I think she was better. I hate gas.

a gross story about the circle of life

Last night we were spending the evening outside playing, jumping, whining etc. As we were mid-game I noticed several leaves twirling down to the ground from the trees. I thought to myself, "how pretty," then I realized they weren't leaves, they were feathers. I looked up and saw a hawk ferociously plucking each little feather out of another little bird. I immediately screamed for everyone to take cover because there were lice covered, disease infested gross bird feathers raining down on all of us. No one moved except me. I grabbed the camera to get a better look and I saw the little lifeless bird feet dangling from that upper branch. The hawk plucked, and plucked and plucked then devoured the little nasty thing.
You can see a few feathers flying behind him in this picture. He made short work of his meal and was on his way. Our yard was covered with little feathers- I don't like birds.

trampoline hair

I love when the humidity goes down.

I'm on a boat

I wake up every morning hoping that this dizziness will be gone and yet every morning I wake up and still feel like I'm on a boat all day. I am so tired of it because all I want to do is sit so I can feel still. I hate to sit. I am so behind on everything. I didn't get invitations out for Taylor's birthday- I just had to send messages and phone calls to parents- which to me is pretty lame. Halloween is right around the corner and I haven't finished (or even started) Cagey's sonic the hedgehog costume. Taylor still needs a robe for her costume and I was really determined to have a costume this year, but it's not looking very promising. I would just really like to know what's wrong so I could fix it. I have another doctor's appointment on Monday that will probably be just as useless as the first one. Oh well- after all the things that have happened to me in New Bern I have found that this too shall pass. (hopefully).

I am now also fighting a miserable cold and on Wednesday had some kind of stomach funk. It was so painful I made myself throw up thinking it would make me feel better- it didn't. Btw making yourself throw up is disgusting. My stomach cramped so hard I thought my stomach muscles would be in knots forever. Okay- I'm done complaining.

A baseball birthday for Tates

Tates loves baseball/softball so it was only fitting that she have a baseball party. After decorating their "crazy 8's" t-shirts they got their pics taken at "yankee stadium".
When throwing a party, Jeebs is the man to have around. He built this dang cool game for practicing your pitching. I would have just cut some holes in a piece of cardboard and called it good, but not Jeebs. He went to Lowe's got a cheap piece of wood, cut 3 holes, attached it to a base he made from leftover wood and Tadaaa we had a pitching game.

We also had a sunflower seed spitting contest- which we didn't get any pics of because I was busy handing out seeds and getting spat on and Jeebs was busy measuring. I think Jeebs won over all- not surprising since he spits sunflower seeds all day long!!!

Of course we had a baseball cake and Tates got lots of presents. Thanks to all who came and celebrated with us.

Oh and Jeebs built me this little concession stand in about 5 seconds. I told him what I wanted and he dug around in the garage and made this:
I can't believe my Tates is eight and she will be baptized in 3 weeks. wow.She's still rocking the Vans.

Fundamentally wrong

The true Christian view of man in relation to the Earth.
             Man

          Animals

        Birds

      Fish

    Plants

  Earth

Man was created and was given stewardship over all the Earth.

The environmental secular fundamentally wrong view is totally reversed.

  Earth

    Animals

      Birds

        Fish

          Plants

            Man

Man is the least important and is subject to the Earth.

"This is why you go to jail if you destroy an eagle egg, but you are protected if you destroy a baby in a mother's womb."

Now, I don't want to destroy an eagle egg, but if my child is starving and that is my only option I am going to destroy the egg- especially if it keeps me out of a government building waiting for a check.

I've never seen or heard it put a better way than this. This was on Glenn Beck's show Friday night. Watch and learn people, watch and learn.

A Cage for Cagey

We picked up a little cage for Cagey yesterday and then Jeebs caught him a pet. Meet Bob...I don't know how long he'll live, he won't eat any of the bugs we've given him. Lizards definitely don't eat fire ants- it's the other way around. And before you go making assumptions about my intelligence, I was the one who said I thought they would eat the lizard. Jeebs decided to try it. The ants immediately chomped down on poor Bob. Jeebs saved him though.

Wanna go to Hogwarts, babe?

(in front of the hogwart's express)

Yes I do and we did. Universal Studios has a new Harry Potter section opened now and I'd wait a few years before you go because it was insane. There so many people you had to wait in line just to go into a store. It was pretty dang awesome. Tates and I waited in line to go through the Hogwarts castle and ride the Harry Potter flight ride for over an hour!! I was so scared I was going to get sick and then I was worried Tates would be scared on the ride so I reached over and grabbed her hand. Little did I know, I was the only one who was scared :)






(Inside Honeydukes and Zonkos)

(looking down the street of Hogsmeade)

(Ezra drinking pumpkin juice outside Hogwarts)
(Hogwarts in the distance)
(inside Hogwarts, all of those dark screens were the moving paintings)
(some Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students posing for pics- the girl in the Hogwarts robe was really British- that made me happy)

I love Harry Potter and I can't wait until November! We drank butter beer and pumpkin juice. I wanted to eat at the 3 Broomsticks, but the line was too long- maybe next time :) Taylor got a Hermione wand and she tried to transfigure us all the whole way home. 1..2..3... Faravherto (however it's spelled)

10 hours and

you're at Disney World!! Jeebs' parents were kind enough to invite us down to Orlando and go to Disney World with them. We were so excited. We went to MGM or now Hollywood studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom. At Hollywood studios Tates got to make her own light saber and could have died a happy little girl right there. Cagey also made his big purchase of a Darth Vader shaped case of Star Wars cars. The highlight for me was at Epcot where I got the kids to pick an oyster for a pearl. Taylor got one that was almost exactly like the one I got 15 years ago (7 mm white, yellowish). But, Cagey picked the next oyster and he got TWIN pearls that were a silver blue in color. They are the coolest things.


Posing for the camera on the Aladdin flying carpet.

Tates on the carousel- she turned down the Peter Pan ride for the carousel. What is it about a carousel?


Ezra and I were got bored waiting so I snapped pictures of him and fanny packs :)

Cagey discovering his twins! The girl said less than 5% of the pearls have twins- awesome.
Dolphins were in the aquarium swimming and playing it up- "look at us we're flippin' little dolphins."



Ezra and Cagey can fit in the stroller together and there was hardly any screaming (Ezra did have a drink to keep his mouth occupied and keep him from screaming).
Saying goodbye to Disney...Before we headed out for our last day at Disney we went exploring around the hotel pool and I had to snap pictures of the 3 amigos in their Star Wars shirts.
Ezra was trying to do the lean back thing- I was so afraid he was going to slip under the rail and go down- and yes I know I'm insane.

We had a blast- thank you grandma and grandpa for the fun getaway!

Fanny Pack ATtaCk

We are back from Disney World! My kids really don't know how lucky they are. We had a really good time and are T-totally exhausted. But, while I was sitting outside a ride Ezra couldn't go on because he was too short, I started snapping pics of people wearing fanny packs. I have many many more, but I think you get the idea. Why oh why would you wear one of these things? I admit I wore one in middle school, but I regret that decision whole-heartedly and have turned from my fashion sinful ways. Does anybody want to hear what you have to say if you're wearing a fanny pack? Let me answer that, No- you're wearing a fanny pack! If you have one, do yourself a favor and throw it away. There are better options- a backpack, a wallet with a lanyard, if you have a stroller ummm it has compartments that are not strapped around your waist sitting like a colostomy bag on your hip. If you need more email me- vblog@jamvan.net. Really I can help you. Let's recap:

1. Never wear a fanny pack unless it's 1988- it's not now so move on.
2. Never buy your defenseless, helpless child a fanny pack ( I blame you ma).
3. Look for other options.

I have more cool pictures and excitement to share if you're not offended about the fanny packs- join me back here tomorrow.

Martha Martha Martha

I pulled out my Martha Stewart Halloween and Fall magazines this past weekend. I can't wait to make some more freaky decorations! I love Halloween because it's my 2 favorite things- dressing up and cool weather! (hopefully, last Halloween it was 80 something, we were burning up!) Oh yeah with just a touch of spookiness.

Yay Cloche or Nay Cloche

I've been wanting a 1920's style cloche for a while, but couldn't justify spending the money on all the ones I found. And then...I found one at Maurice's for a lot less than all the others. So yay cloche or nay cloche? (disregard the checkered print shirt- I realize you have to wear the right clothes to make this hat work, I'm just undecided as to whether or not I could pull it off)
So....Goobers or Raisinets?

romance

The mainstream idea of romance these days seem to center around passion, lust, promiscuity and fornication. These are such fleeting, silly, and completely wrong ideas. Heavenly Father's plan is an eternal plan of romance. We live worthy lives and become sealed to our spouses forever in the temple. Marriage is not the end of romance as the world would have everybody believe- it is the beginning. I get to be with Jeebs forever if we live worthy and to me that is the most romantic idea ever. (Me after Ezra was born, pumped full of fluids)
(Which also means when I look like this he still has to love me, swollen nose and all,poor Jeebs :)