"it was horrible"

today i went to the doctor for a general checkup. i had to have a tetanus shot. luckily ella was with me to hold my hand. she did a good job comforting me. i told her it wasn't too horrible, then asked her if it was horrible when she got shots or if it was okay. she said "it's horrble". enough said.

we now have 4 goldfish. we added to our goldfish family. we now have dorothy (our original) and sweetie. they live in ella's room with a plastic plant hot-glued to a rock. it's super chic.
afton has speedy and orange-y. speedy is so named due to his super swimming/evading the net at petsmart. the girls could not be happier and check on their fish numerous times throughout the day.

now hear this...i love ryan. for many reasons, but here's one...i love ryan because when he travels to different wards on sundays for his calling, he always comes back to our ward to help us gather up our things and get home. usually there is only 5-10 minutes of church left, but he never just heads home, he comes back to our building and collects the girls and i. it's not a huge thing, but i just love to see him walk into the building when i'm not expecting him. he's really thoughtful.

i just saw dan in real life. it was great. i highly recommend it.
also saw i am legend. not so great.

hey! why is that girl wearing jammies to school?

yesterday was "sick day" at afton's school. so all the first graders wore their pajamas and aftie wore a band-aid on her head for her "sickness/injury". she said that lots of the kids had polka dots for "chicken pops" on their faces. i wish i could have seen a classroom full of pretend sick kids!

well, here's the recap of our week:

*ella has an ear infection
*afton had a sleepover last night
*afton is having a sleepover at our house tonite
*hosted book club last night - reviewed Confessions of a Shopaholic - which i didn't read
*afton had a dentist appointment - no cavities!
*ryan went to the driving range (indoor) - tried out the new hybrid club (i mistakenly said, "how was the new driver?")
*as we drove to dinner last night, i commented on the snow being almost melted away. ryan replied "it's supposed to snow 3 inches tonite". and that it did. not a blade of grass in sight (sigh).

hoppy easter!

happy easter to you! we had a great day with friends. our sacrament meeting was so nice. it really felt like a meaningful remembrance of Jesus Christ's resurrection. the easter bunny was quite low-key this year, and much to my surprise, the girls seemed fine with less. i think this is going to be a new trend at our house...giving a little less stuff to our sweethearts.

the easter bunny brought each of the girls a new webkin and a book and a little bit of candy. all of the girls (me included) scored new dresses and shoes for the holiday. ryan got a new tie. (see photo above)

yesterday we attended an egg hunt at some friend's home, followed by pizza and wings (standard buffalo fare) and much fun and laughter.

this week brings a couple of school days off, book club (confessions of a shopaholic), dentist visits, and the other usuals.

also...a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FRIEND, TINA!!! tina and i have been friends since 1989 or so. we've had a lot of fun/funny times together. people are often surprised that we are friends because tina is much quieter than i am. i was always the loud and obnoxious friend. (it's possible that is still the case) now we live far away from each other, but i think of her often and we try to make contact at least on our birthdays. she has always been a great friend with the sweetest little laugh. i sure love you tina and wish you a great day tomorrow!!!!!!

happy hulse day!!!

we made it to and from the waterpark! of course, i forgot the camera, so we have nothing to actually show for the trip. correction - i have a lovely head of frizzy hair.



highlights of the trip:

84 degrees

not having to step one foot in the cold outside air

watching afton swim without plugging her nose

watching ella do her swim/dance

hanging out in our bathing suits all day long

snuggling up in our beds after spending the day in the water

giving the girls foot massages after their bath

delicious pizza from Boston's



lowlight of the trip:

afton vomiting on the way home





tonite i ran to tj maxx to look for easter dresses for the girls. i drove past old navy and thought maybe i should just pop in there and see if they have anything; but decided against it. i struggled to find a dress for afton at tjmaxx. they all looked way too old for her and they looked so cheap and ugly. so, i finally found a so-so dress and decided to head to old navy to see if they had any cute shoes to go with the dresses. i ended up finding two outfits for the girls and shoes for ella there. i drove back to tjmaxx and returned the original dresses.

moral of the story: listen to your shopping instincts.



also, here is a before picture of our air vents. i guess moe didn't take any after shots, but i saw with my own eyes and it was miraculous!

this is a little tricky. focus on the top half of the picture. the bottom half of the picture shows what's under the vent in our basement.

one of those days...

i'll spare you the details. let's just say, i couldn't be happier after a nice yoga practice, a hot shower and now watching tv in bed.

we had our air vents cleaned today. have you seen those commercials with the disgusting air vents? well, ours were worse! the cleaner-guy took pictures on his iphone and said he'd email them to me. when i get them, i'll show the big before and after shots. the difference was amazing. i think we'll all be breathing a little easier from now on.

i felt really happy after chatting with another amy i know, on the phone this evening. she is afton's friend's mom. she was calling to set up a sleepover for the girls and said she would return my book when the girls are together. i said, "what book?" she said, "oh, the little book you gave jo after church." then i remembered, the book of mormon reader. i told her it was just an extra copy and they could keep it. she was pleasantly surprised and said that they had really enjoyed reading it. apparently they've read quite a few of the stories and have liked it a lot. so, who knows?

tomorrow we are off to the waterpark. hooray!!!!

righteous babe

i feel quite righteous today. not only did i join the choir, but i actually stayed for practice. to top that, i went to a stake choir presentation tonite. it was very nice and there were some really beautiful performances.

yesterday we went to the temple. it was just what i needed to help me feel good. our temple is the palmyra temple. so, i think it's extra special to go because we get to see the sacred grove each time we go. it's such an amazing, special place. i remember hearing about it and learning about joseph smith's experience there and thinking what an amazing place it must be. now, all these years later, i live so close to this sacred place and i can go and visit anytime i want. pretty lucky.

ella received a goldfish from her primary teacher today. i'm still unclear why, but we'll figure that out later. the important thing is that we have a fish. this has been afton's dream because she'll never have a dog or cat or any other animal, because i'm allergic. afton helped ella name the fish. so, dorothy is the newest member of our family. ryan brought home a really cool glass flask from work, so we put dorothy in there in ella's room. you can only see dorothy when she's in the front of the flask-so everytime dorothy swims by ella yells "hi dorothy, hi!" and waves.

last night we had a girl's movie night at my friend, stacie's house. we watched "becoming jane" which frankly i thought was just a little too sad. i did like it, but i hate sad endings, especially when it's someone's real life, not just a story.

last but not least, happy st patrick's day to you!

the almost weekend update

i wish i was as funny as tina fey or the other weekend updaters on SNL. i have always loved the weekend update. anyway- here's my far less entertaining version...

right now the girls are working on their daily project (afton's idea). they are making bead necklaces for their babies. they are sitting in afton's bedroom doorway with their backs toward me. i look down the hallway and see these two little sweethearts working away. i also see ella's tiny little bum-crack. she's got low-riders on today!

afton is out of school early today and monday for parent teacher conferences. she came home and i finished running on the treadmill, then for a super-fun surprise, we went to the crazy slide (mcdonald's playland) for lunch. this is afton's dream lunch destination. i try hard not to touch anything and i make them eat the apples. ella doesn't like to play there, but likes to watch afton.

then we headed to joann's to return some cording. i let them each get a couple strands of beads for their "daily project". we got home and set them all up with their beads and a movie. afton's comment of the day was..."now, this is what i call a fun day".

we had afton's teacher conference last night and i am happy to say she is doing really well. she was pretty nervous that her teacher was going to show us her work folder. apparently she's got a pile of work to catch up on. i thought it was funny, until i realized that she was really upset about it. she kept saying, "i'm sorry mom, i just get so distracted by michael". our new motto is "just keep trying to do your best". she seems a bit more relaxed about it today.

we had our service auction at church and it was very fun. my friend, kari got my recipe binder. she was telling our doubles partners at tennis last week, that she was going to outbid everyone. i hope she's not too disappointed with her big win.

i put a new link on my good stuff section. my friend, christy (from oregon and now buffalo) and her sister started a blog with all kinds of tips. tips on dinner ideas, where to get good deals, ideas to keep your kids busy and having fun, etc. it's really cute. they had some darling easter buckets on there, for $4! supposedly, they may be having some freebies or giveaways. so check them out!

happy weekend-ing!

afton's spelling words

helped I helped my Mom with a project.
wished I wished that I could have wings and I still do.
looked I looked at delshis cakes that my Mom made.
asked My Mom asked me if her sentence would work but I said no.
rested I love
played
spilled
would
have

*afton typed her words and the sentences to practice for her weekly test. i see another dollar in her future!

breathtaking

i am nearly speechless at this new line. it's really beautiful. i'm saving my $$ for a purchase that may or may not be worn. it may be hung as art in our gallery (family room).

www.uniform-studio.com

potential

just a note of caution...do not proceed unless you enjoy late night rambling.

tonite we ran to wendy's on our way to miniature golf (for family night). it's been a very long time since i've been inside a wendy's. i had an experience that i've been thinking about all night.

ryan and the girls ordered their meals and then it was my turn, which always includes a few special requests :). so, i asked for the number 1 with cheese, and the meat on the side. ryan likes to add my burger to his, since i don't eat it. i then asked if they could melt the cheese on the bun. well, they don't actually melt the cheese on the bun, so i said that's fine. the girl taking my order then had to turn her head and tell the other girl about my special request for the meat on the side. this girl then rolled her eyes and said something that sounded like, "whatever".
you would think i had asked for the cheese to be flown in from vermont.
anyway, when i received my meal there was no cheese to be found. i politely walked up and asked for a slice of cheese. there was a big fuss (with laughter and more eye rolling) and i was finally given a slice of cheese.

my second experience, this all will have a point eventually, was after talking to my sister on the phone about a friend of ours who doesn't realize there is more to life than just going through the motions day in and day out. this person has tremendous potential, i believe, but doesn't really know that and wouldn't really know how to go about finding a greater path/future.

my point is this...i was thinking about the girls at wendy's and wondering what i could personally do to help these girls understand that there is more to life than the crazy customers asking for crazy requests. i thought...could i take them to a really nice dinner to let them see something really special? (silverware, cloth napkins, beautifully presented food, a lovely atmosphere) could i take them under my wing and share the knowledge that i have about the purpose of life? if i had billions of dollars, could i send them to college to get an education? could i find a mentor for them to teach them about business and encourage them to find a career? could i teach them about being positive role models? could i show them the joy of being a mother? could i help them understand that there are good men in the world that treat women well?

then i thought...maybe they've reached their potential. maybe they were raised in downtown buffalo where it's not nice to live. maybe because they're working in the suburbs, they've made it out of downtown buffalo. maybe they do realize their potential and are working at wendy's to pay for their education. i don't know.

my dad's life, so far, is one of the greatest success stories i've ever heard. he came from a very unstable home life, but somehow saw his potential. he accepted the gospel, graduated from college, had a family, took risks in business, and worked hard. he continues to do so and he continues to be a great example to me. i hardly have the work ethic he does, but i do know how to work hard, should i choose to do so!

i guess it just goes to show how very blessed i have been. it's not really important to be taken to a fancy restaurant, and we don't go on a regular basis. but the point is, it's not unthinkable. we were both raised by parents who worked hard and were involved in our lives. i think we learned from them to keep trying to do our very best.

now i think i'm just rambling. i do feel better after writing this all down. i wish i could help others to see the positive side of life. maybe a school for positive thinking? amy's school of happy thoughts?

sunday update

today our church was canceled. last night a friend called and asked "is it bad to be happy we don't have church tomorrow?" i laughed and said, "well..."

our stake president canceled church yesterday because of all the snow. however we woke up this morning to a bright, sunny sky. i think we got about a foot of snow total, but it's been melting all day. ryan was out clearing the driveway this morning...see above.

friday night we had our first babysitting swap night. we've never been interested in doing a swap, but finally decided we'd give it a try. i'm not sure if we are crazier to forgo the swap and pay for a babysitter, or to give in and join a swap. we will take a turn one friday night a month to watch all 10 children for 3 hours. that doesn't sound too bad, right? right?

well for our date, we went to a new place. it's called black & blue. it's a steak and crab restaurant. it was a little fancier than we had originally anticipated, but it was delicious! ryan ordered oysters because i hadn't had them before. let's just say, he won't be ordering anymore for me anytime soon. they weren't the worst thing i've ever eaten, but far from the best. the rest of the meal, including the lobster fonduta was fantastico!

last night we made our way to target in a blizzard to pick up a few very important items for the girls. flip-flops.

we are going to the waterpark in a week and a half. the girls have already packed their suitcases, including scissors and markers?, and have them sitting by the front door. they are beyond excited.

i am excited because for the first time ever, i have found a bathing suit that didn't make me nauseated when i looked in the mirror.

this is a picture of it, but that's not me. my legs are much longer.

cinderELLA

service with a smile...and possibly arthritis

sooooo, we're having a service auction for enrichment next week. i decided my service contribution will be a collection of our favorite family recipes. so, i just sat down to start typing and am now realizing just how much typing is going to be involved. knowing myself the way i do, i'll most likely be typing all night tuesday night and then scrambling on wednesday to get it printed and bound. i also agreed to make a cake and a salad. normally, this wouldn't be a real big deal, but we all know i am not normal. (i'm laughing, so you can too!) three items of business in one day is a lot for me. so, i am going to attempt to shake things up a bit and actually get started on this before the eve of the deadline. wish me luck. (it's never worked before.)

a turn for the worse

the weather has taken a turn for the worse and i do mean WORSE! some schools were canceled today, but not ours. now it is snowing and blowing and earlier there was freezing rain. we ate dinner at olive garden and came out to find a car made of ice.

i helped my friend stacie with a little project today. she is making invitations for a family wedding dinner. they look so beautiful and classy and elegant and contemporary. the paper is beautiful and then we embossed a little branch on the printed part in a coppery-brown color. they look lovely!

ryan had a great yearly review today and may have some good opportunities coming up in a month or two. we'll keep our fingers crossed!

i received a letter from my tennis club that the whole summer is going to be free. all free leagues, court time, etc. i am so excited and hope that afton will want to play with me. she'll be back in lessons this summer and has said she'd like to hit some balls with the old lady.

and here's another yoga success story...i took ryan's mom with me to yoga last week. she wasn't too sure about trying it, but i talked her into it. well, she liked it and said she slept pretty well. (she has some sleeping troubles) so, we had good intentions, but didn't take anymore time to do yoga while she was here. but she left a message tonite saying that she did yoga yesterday and slept well again. hooray!!!! i'm telling you friends, yoga is a miracle worker.

it's a sunshine day...

i think i'll go for a walk outside now, the summer sun's callin' my name, i hear it now. i just can't stay inside all day. i gotta get out, get me some of those rays. everybody's smilin' - sunshine day!

in case you aren't familiar with the brady bunch hits of the 70s, the above lyrics are from one of their biggest hits! (or is that, one of their biggest hit?)

this song perfectly describes the day we had today. it was in the mid 60s and beautiful. these sort of days do not come around often in buffalo. we savored every single moment. we wore no socks, we wore flipflops, we wore jackets, we wore sweaters, we wore capri's, we wore sunglasses!

ella and i went to our story time at the library, then made a crazy move and invited our friends to lunch! then, we came home and threw open the doors and windows!

well, it's now time for one of our favorite shows...the new adventures of old christine. ryan and i get a real kick out of this show. the writing is quite humorous and we've found ourselves laughing hard for a long time after the show is over.

it's supposed to be back in the 20s tomorrow, so we are hoping the high from today's good weather will tide us over for a couple of days. have a good night!

a joke from ryan

we thought my dad might enjoy this one...

george bush and dick cheney were sitting in a diner. a cute waitress comes over and asks to take their order. george winks at the waitress and says, "i'll take a quickie". the vice-pres then says, "mr. president, i believe it's pronounced, quiche".

a whirlwind

it's been a whirlwind of a week. a few highlights...

the quilt shop

jo-ann's (3, 4, 5, maybe 6 visits)

4 newly construced and upholstered ottomans

1 new cushion for ella's bench

2 new pillows for ella's bench

dinner at the cheesecake factory

sesame street live!

hiding easter eggs

hunting easter eggs w/grandpa

yoga

book club

lunch at wegmans

ryan's mom and dad have officially worn us out. ry and i both napped this afternoon and the girls both fell right asleep at bedtime. whew! we love them and miss them already.