well dave keeps asking me when i am going to put our other puppy's picture up. yep, you read that right. we have another puppy (rutger) for a grand total of 4 dogs and 1 woman shortly to go insane. i was on the phone long distance the other day and all four dogs were in the house and started barking and it was utter chaos. i'm sure the person on the other end of the phone thought i was in a kennel. geez.

other than that things are going fine. taylor is out of school on thursday and the rest of the girls have 2 more weeks. then taylor and carson head out to girls camp for a week. then i will spend the rest of the summer pulling my hair out trying to deal with four bored girls and four crazy dogs. it should be a good combo.

the thrill this weekend was getting pancakes in bed from anna. she mixed everything up herself and her daddy cooked them. she brought them to me and yeah, pancakes pretty much are some yummy goodness. i don't eat them much because i hear they contain calories. that's the word on the street.

another fun thing was that we took all the girls out for lunch at in-n-out burger on saturday and there was this cool monster school bus. so of course we had to ride in it. it was a blast. my girls thought it was the coolest thing. and it really was.

anna also got glasses last week. she looks so cute in them and i know they will help her out. these were the very first pair she went to. they suit her perfectly! i also took a picture of an outfit i sewed up for haley. i've been sewing lately and have made some clothes for anna, haley and carson. so fun.

i hope everyone has a great week...L

i interrupt the last blog post to bring you the only picture cuter than that puppy below. my beloved haley. that's right brianne. she doesn't even have to give me a grandchild...yet!

oh--and i have to run an apology. taylor was reading my blog and she was all like--i DID not sleep in the same clothes i wore to school and the dance. i slept in my clothes but changed them when i woke up. so i'm sorry for the confusion. taylor in no way wants to be thought of as completely without personal hygeine thankfully...L

say hello to my little friend...



this is oreo. he's a shih tzu. he's nine weeks old. he's the cutest puppy ever to have walked the earth. and he's carson's new dog. carson has wanted a shih tzu for a while now. i have always said no. a few weeks ago she begged me for a new puppy for her upcoming birthday and i told her no again. then sometime when i must have been chronic with the dutchie dave reminded me that i said "carson is such a good girl just go ahead and let her have the dog." i have no recollection of this spoken exchange taking place. as i said before--chronic dutchie syndrome. and look at him. who could be mad at that face?

so as i was thinking how cute he was i asked carson whom was going to take care of this ball of fluff while she was at school. say hello to mama. and he is my baby. dave and i take him every where. he is just so stinking cute. and cuddly. and lovable. did i say cute? and he's been so good. hardly any accidents and such a good disposition. friendly, playful, sweet. and cute. did i mention the cuteness factor? everyone loves him. all the girls and everyone he meets. did i mention we take him with us everywhere? yeah. jake and max and oreo are getting along quite well. although it is quite comical to see them interact. jake and max look like he's some new toy we brought them to toss around. and oreo now thinks jake and max aren't some biological experiment gone wrong. he's comes up to them wagging his tail and looking at them like "i want to play--just please don't eat me."

so that has been my week. well not all of it but that's another post. the good part of it is oreo. he's a little bit of sunshine around here and i just love him to pieces all ready. in fact dave asked me if i secretly hoped that carson gets tired of him so he can be mine. of course not...well, maybe a little...L

this girl is officially a teenager. watch out everyone.

some fun/funny things about taylor. when she was a baby she never cried. the only time she cried was when my mom held her. lol. oh yeah--she did cry when she got about a year old. if you didn't put her to bed on time she would stand by her crib and cry until you put her IN. i am not making this up. crazy.

she also said dog when she was one year old. that's it. i think she said it once or twice on the same day and then never again. for a year. not a single word. when she turned two she started speaking in sentences. thirteen years later she still only talks when necessary. ha ha

when she started preschool at 3 she never said a word there. she would get in the car and talk to me and she would talk at home but never at preschool. one day i went to pick her up and she was in the bathroom. a little boy stood beside me and asked me whose child was mine. i said taylor. he said he didn't know who that was. i said it's the cute little girl with short hair. she came out of the bathroom and saw me but not the boy next to me. she started talking to me and this boy's mouth dropped open. he looked up at me and said "SHE CAN TALK?" in utter astonishment. then when we walked off i heard him mumble "she's not that cute". LOL i still laugh at that.

now she's growing up and she is definitely her own person. case in point. two weekends ago we took her to her first junior high dance. when it was almost time to go dave asked taylor to go get ready. taylor replied that she was. now you have to know that taylor had slept in her clothes the night before, then gone to school in those clothes and was still wearing same clothes. so on the way to the dance i asked her if her friends were going to be there. i don't know--she said. okay. so we dropped her off by herself and picked her up by herself. she had a great time. i don't know of many girls who go to dances without a posse. but that's taylor. she doesn't care if what she does or wears or thinks is popular. she does what she wants.

some of her favorite things right now: johnny depp. hot cheetos. the color orange. electric guitars. top ramen. the beatles.

happy birthday taylor...love mom

lots of pictures; some words to go with...










where did the week go? monday again. lots of things going on around here. namely me getting back in shape. started my workout routine again. started lifting weights. haven't lifted weights in a very long time, circa first husband. i really like it--it gets you toned pretty darn fast. so i do that and walk. can't wait to get in shape. i have put it off for too long.

went to mesa on saturday--got a new 'do and went to a stamping up party hosted by my friend kaelene. she had it at her sisters house and beth and michelle came and it was fun to chat and relax. spent the day before the party going to the mall and checking out new sewing machines. mine is getting over the hill. i've had it twenty years. longer than i've been married to either husband! ha ha dave didn't think it was funny.

speaking of--while i was gone dave cleaned the entire house, did the laundry and grocery shopping and took the girls to the movie. how is that for incredible? and i got two bouquets of flowers as well! very sweet and i appreciated it soooo much. maybe dave will be around longer than the pfaff! ha

yesterday was good too. i took a nap after church and then made dinner and after dinner we all went outside and the girls raced each other. the dogs did too. ha and anna wore the dress i made her to church. with a little prodding. for some reason she was not wanting to wear it. she was so excited to have a green dress that i told her i would make her and then she wasn't to thrilled with it. maybe i will have to make her a more fitted one next time. if there is a next time. hmmppppf.

also there are some cards i made with my SU supplies. i loved how these turned out. just loved this combo of colors together. if anyone wants to place a SU order let me know i close out Kaelene's party this saturday. and dave and i are actually going to spend a weekend alone without kids. got someone to stay here with the girls and we are heading to tucson for the weekend. can't wait. also got haley's hair cut today. she was thrilled with it. me too. have a great week...L

introducing goth girl...





this is my almost teenager--2 more weeks and taylor will be 13. we let her start wearing makeup and when we were in cali we went to sephora and she got her make up done and all she cares about is the black liner! LOL then when we were in new mexico her and carson and i went to the MAC store and we all got our make-up done. dad even let carson start wearing makeup. we were thrilled and had a good time. it's so fun when this stage starts. all of a sudden your girls are turning into women. they got the coolest, funkiest eyeshadows too--bright turquoise and orange! ah, youth.

taylor was messing around in the kitchen with my camera today and she took these herself. she must have forgotten to delete them. oh taylor, you know better than that. momma gonna scrap those pics. i can't wait for her birthday. she is getting the present she loves and she is going to have a wicked cool party. she loves johnny depp. i mean LOVES. one day i was trying to get her to go somewhere with me and she didn't want to. so i told her JD would be going too. she knew of course that i was lying but she did say 'well he could come and bring his kids but he'd have to leave the girlfriend behind'. ha ha so i had to break the bad news to her that he is getting married june 4. so now she's planning to sneak into the wedding. which is probably going to be in france. good luck baby...L

oh the pains of going through soda withdrawals. for the 50th time. in two months. when will i learn? i have found a good substitute though. wylers light. raspberry. yummy goodness. david's aunt judy got me hooked on it when we saw her a few weeks ago. we took the kids and went up to new mexico the weekend before last. we used to go there all the time when dave's mom and dad lived there. we haven't been back since dave's parents moved to mesa and dave's mom died. so it was a really fun trip. judy and lance live right on the other side of albuquerque on a mountain. they have a beautiful home and two great big pyrenees dogs, lulu and koda. my girls were in heaven and judy and lance really took great care of them. we took the girls on the tram. a few cried before we left--guess which two? no crying pics though kaelene! after we got on and they saw how slow it went they were fine.

we also went to the zoo and had a great time. the albuquerque zoo was really good. it's funny how everyone can enjoy a zoo. it really doesn't matter what age or gender you are. who cannot get excited watching monkeys cavorting around? and we got to see pretty much all the animals. even the polar bears which were so cool to watch. all in all it was a very nice getaway and a lot of fun to get to see family. my girls don't get that enough and it was good to see them enjoy themselves there.

lots of things to do this week. i'm cleaning and reorganzing my kitchen. tired of things being all over the place and not being able to find what i need. i want to do some sewing and scrapping and getting ready for my stamping up party that kaelene is hosting for me. have a great week everyone...L

is a picture really worth a thousand words? let's see here. first up are pictures that will explain to my two youngest girls why momma isn't going back to disneyland for a few years. can you guess what ride we were waiting for? indiana jones? space mountain? no, just the train that takes you around the park.



next up we have pictures taken that show why haley is the most photographed, scrapbooked child in the house. last night i made a layout and taylor asked why all my scrapbook pages were of haley. evidence below.




and that pretty much sums up spring break at our house. a quick trip to cali with dave and haley ending up sick. a much crowded disneyland. shopping and a haircut. some good food. all i can say is that at least it was a break...L

everyone, i'd like you to meet bubble. about a month ago haley told me she was changing her name to bubble. when someone asked her about it she said 'my name is haley, but my friends call me bubble.' she can spell bubble in sign language, signs all pre-school papers as bubble, says her name in a prayer as 'bless bubble' and signs birthday cards--bubble. i don't know where she got this name but it's not going away anytime soon. and it suits her as she is quite bubbly. and talkative. a talkative bubble.

so it was sort of a bummer of a week. really a downer. won't go into details but seriously folks--yuck. and i don't want to talk about it or bring you all down into the bummer-ness of it. so there.

on a positive note, and since it is a sunday, i will say that i know God answers prayers. literally. when you need it most. and to let you know 'hey--i love you and i see your problems and i want you to know i am here.' and i have to say that i was very grateful. i know problems and trials all come our way and sometimes God lets you struggle through them. but He knows when to step in and help you out when you need it. and i needed it about 4-5 times this month already.

but things are looking up and i'm grateful for life and family. my family. my husband and kids. there is not a day that i don't thank God for giving me the best kids on the face of the earth. love them fiercely. of course spring break starts tomorrow so look forward to the post about me putting my kids up on ebay. except bubble. she's a keeper...L

well i have been working hard getting ready for my first stamping up open house. when i got my kit it was like christmas. so fun. i absolutely adore my stamps! and everything else i got. so i will post a few cards and layouts using my stamps. most have been scraplifted from the SU catalog. which i love! the Y layout is a scraplift from keisha campbell. i have been having fun embossing again as well. love it.

so i went to the doctor this week. for my annual 'you-know-what' exam and also to change out my IUD. because you know--i have SIX kids. love them. but don't want any more. first, because i am 45 years old. second, because i have SIX kids. so that went all well and fine. and my doctor (his name is greg layton--and he is a fantastic doc!) asked if i wanted to see the old IUD--and i asked if i could have it for my scrapbook. LOL no, i didn't take it. but dr. layton did ask if he was going on my blog. i told him i would and threatened to put a picture on too! ha seriously--if you live in the gilbert/mesa/queen creek area and need a new giney doc he is the best. he has an office on greenfield and baseline. his wife is a good friend of mine and reads my blog and will tell him i put in a good word!

anyway--i was going to go by myself and dave told me he would come along with me for moral support. which was nice because i was a little anxious and it was good to sit in the passenger seat and relax. then after we met kerry for lunch and then kerry and i headed out to scrapbooks etc. where i did not let her buy any stamps! LOL but we did hit the jackpot and got the making memories little notebooks. so cute!!! after that dave picked me up and we were heading home when he decided to treat me to one of my fave restaurants before we went home. so this pic is of us in the restaurant. it was a really good day for me. and i needed it that is for sure.

i have talked to shanna and already in one week's time they have had tornado warnings and snow. and it seems like in their new home they have a crack shack out back. i give her one year before she is chewing tobacco and saying "ya'll" every other word...L

i'm alive. barely. i had the worst flu ever. it kicked my butt. royal. now it's time to get moving again. i will start my exercising up again starting tomorrow. i did get a book read in february. i read new moon. the 2nd in the vampire series. i liked it. i just have to read eclipse and i will be ready for the 4th book in august when it comes out.

some good news. i became a stamping up demonstator! i am really excited. i love their products and look forward to becoming involved in the company. look for samples coming soon! i am going to have an open house this month before one of their sales ends. anyone whom wants to order feel free to look through their catalog online and contact me! really--they have some cool things. stamps, inks, punches, cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon, tools--you name it they probably have it. and all of their cardstock, papers, ribbons and inks match.

while i was sick i did manage to do a few things. i made these layouts. the halloween one has some of the new hambly that i won on their blog. i am not kidding. i actually won something! they were giving away some of their new releases and they picked 7 winners out of the 700 that posted. so i was really happy. i got the news when i was sick and that made me happy. it is so pretty. i love it all!

on a sad (for me!) note--shanna and her family left for mississippi yesterday. i am so going to miss her. even though i didn't live that close to her anymore i would see her at least once a month. all of our scrap group except the 2 sickies--kerry and beth--met up at fridays to say goodbye. i wasn't going to drive down because i was still recovering. but i would have felt horrible not saying goodbye in person. so dave drove me down and we hung out for a couple of hours. good fun. i'm going to miss you shanna...L

so it's 2:30 in the a.m. and i am not sleeping. i have the flu i think. nasty cough, aches, pains, sore throat and general yuckiness all round. but even while coughing up a lung kerry tells me i must blog. so blog i will. i haven't been doing much lately. really it feels like i am just trying to keep my head above water. i was thinking about my goals and if i had kept them or not. weight is still the same. but i started this week really well exercising and started jogging. it's actually more like partial jogging/walking. but i really felt good doing it. until my lungs started hurting. i thought i would beat this illness by exercising it away. but i will lay low until i am feeling better.

haven't read a book this month yet. need to get on it. but i have done good with other things. above are a couple of layouts i have done. also are the beautiful flowers my scrap group made me for my birthday. plus the beautiful adelaide lou. my sweet daughter's friend and our previous mesa neighbor ashley and her husband came to visit a few weekends ago and brought their 6 week old baby with them. she is a doll. and her name is just the cutest one ever. makes me want to have another baby. actually just makes me want brianne to have a baby. and let me name her. adelaide lou. love it.

ok--here is wishing me a speedy recovery and some flu related weight loss. although dave made me eat a cheesy chicken burrito covered in enchilada sauce for dinner. and i just had a 1/2 pb&j sandwich. but at least the girls did me the favor of eating up all our girlscout cookies.

oh--i almost forgot to mention. when i wasn't feeling good yesterday and kind of in a bad mood i went to the hockey game with a girlfriend. which helped me to feel so much better and when we got outside after the game it was snowing hard. and my car had about 2 inches of snow on it. boy was it cold, but it was so beautiful too. everyone have a great weekend...L

just some valentine cards i made. happy V-day to everyone and a big smooch. best present? jeff bought brianne a ticket to come home this weekend!! yay--i am so excited! she gets in tomorrow!! plus dave is cleaning the house for me tomorrow. score!

today started out kinda yucky. i have been feeling down and not sleeping and feeling some stress. so i cried a little and wow--it's amazing how letting your emotions out can do a world of good. maybe i should start to do this crying thing once a week. anyway--i feel better now and i am excited for this weekend with most of my family here.

so i decided to make a list of some of the things i love and here they are (in no particular order):
salsa and chips; XXX vitamin water, lip gloss, books, lakes, snow, art, scrapbooking, photos, eggnog, effexor, email, ipod, disneyland, music, brownies, diet pepsi with lime, hot baths, new shoes, haircuts, purses, air, stars, worn out jeans, warm wooly socks, a fire in the fireplace, and last but not least--my family and friends. without them nothing else would matter...L

i love this girl. i love the clothes she picks out. they're always so cute. as cute as she is, no one would go outside with her today and play. her eyes were welling up with tears. so momma went. we swung on the swings, then she slid down the slide, then she tried fixing the trampoline--which died a terrible death in a wind storm, and i took some pictures. i was thinking how lucky i was. no one else usually wants me to take their picture. haley is always more than willing. except after i took these pictures she looked at me said "that's all the pictures mom." and then she went about her business. i went inside to start dinner but i kept watching her and what she was doing. talking to herself and the dogs. running around. climbing the steps. having fun...L

He's gonna kick MY ass?