how do you catch a leprechaun?

I'm not quite sure how this little tradition started...
but somewhere in the last few years,
it became NECESSARY to set
LEPRECHAUN TRAPS!
I think I have the teachers at school to thank...
those darn Leprechauns made a mess of the classrooms,
left trails of green glitter,
and always a treat for the class.
So now... we spend March 16th
devising our own traps.
Jace and Lady lined the inside of their traps
with clear boxing tape.
The plan was that the Leprechauns would follow the $
and try to get the shiny treasure in the box
Once inside, those tiny Leprechaun feet would be stuck...
Stuck so tight nothing could pull them away.

Jace explaining how the trap would
absolutely, certainly, for sure
WORK!

What Leprechaun could resist
a shiny ball of tinfoil?

"See...he will follow the money trail...
try and get my shiny bracelet...
and surprise! Stuck in the pan!"

WELL...
Those tricky Leprechauns came
ONE boy and ONE girl
They stole most of the money
and left behind decoy Leprechauns.
Of course, the decoys were stuck tight in tape
and some end of the rainbow gold
was left behind.

Shredded green paper made a trail through the house...
it led to the fridge...
the milk had magically turned green.
Such TRICKY tiny people they are.

our end of the rainbow gold was eaten up in minutes
and new plans are already being devised for 2012.
Maybe that will be the year
we catch the people in green!

how old ARE you?

Tim turned 40 today....WHAT?
HOW did that HAPPEN!?
I know we have a teen....
and our baby is six....
but really,
we're jumpin' into the 40 and up age bracket?
Since my #36 is just two days away,
we celebrated both days this weekend.
We worked outside like crazy...
got the yard ready for Spring...
and killed MANY mice that we're
living in the fields next to our fence...
had dinner with our favorite neighbors...
saw a new not-in-the-cheap theater movie...
a GREAT weekend for both of us!
The kiddos made Tim cards
and Carter made the D-A-D you see below.

You must know the story of the letters above.
Tim has a thing for blue tootsie rolls...
he likes them so much, he gets the kids
to give them all up to him on Halloween.
For the past several weeks, Carter has been
picking blue tootsie rolls as his treat in speech.
He saved them all for Tim...
and then molded them into DAD.
So SWEET....here's to hopin' the hands were clean.

I stashed old man balloons at my mom's house...
Tim didn't even realize they were for him
until I pointed out what was on the balloons.
Why am I not surprised?

Happy Birthday to my favorite husband, dad, and best friend!
Birthdays aside...
Tim has been using his carpentry skills just for me.
He built me this cabinet last week.
He spent $60 on wood,
Used the tools/saws from the school's woodshop,
I sold the old cabinet for $40 on KSL
and spent another $30 for knobs/paint supplies.
So for around $50...
LOOK what I got!

LOVE IT! and can't wait to fill it up!
Awhile back I mentioned I was working on a photo wall
...well it's been 4 months in the making...
new frames, refinishing old frames,
scanning pictures (before I went digital)
and it's finally done!
I kind of really, really love this room now.

Oh...and if you missed it...
SPRING is just days away! YAY!

14 and counting...

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY...
Kenzie will be turning 14!?!
I remember being 14....I remember it well
in fact, I think 9th grade was just a few years back!
so it is cRAzY to me that one of my kiddos
is old enough for high school,
stake dances, honors courses,
yearbook staff, early morning seminary...
6:45 am seminary
no room in the regular schedule when you
are a total OVERACHIEVER
and ALL the other FUN that comes with being 14.
She still LOVES her horses
and her sweet special needs students...
she loves them to the tune of 20+ hours a week.
Aside from that,
this girl keeps her 4.0 g.p.a.
and is preparing for TREK with the youth this summer.

that new flat iron she opened up is gonna get a workout
trying to straighten all those curls!

Jace was so proud of the card he made for Kenzie...
He was glowing when she read it to everyone...sweet.

What makes a girl smile like this?
the DVD of "How to Train your Dragon"
who knew?

...YUM...
I was hoping a summer dessert would
warm us up!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENZIE! We love you!

time and $

Don't you just love three day weekends?!
The extra time coupled with a little money
makes for projects of the best kind.
Tim bought some wood...
and with some measuring and sawing
built me some serious shelves
in our coat closet.

It is now a coat/school work/snow gear
super awesome closet!

He even managed to bring home
a label maker....
yep, it's a little bit of heaven
to label shelves with exactly
who's stuff belongs where

When we cleaned out all the extra coats,
we found this sweet leather jacket...
it used to be Brit's, then Carter's,
and now it finally fits our Jace.
"mom! this is so COOL!!"
The jacket is so cool, in fact, that Jace
gave up the winter coat today
and wore it to school...
didn't even take it off, ever.
Just before we left for kindergarten,
he grabbed these shades to complete
his look of coolness!

Can't you just feel all that coolness

oozing out of him?

i call it clamshell

Two weeks ago we went to Maddy's 7th grade checkup,
she has an eye issue....
that's right, just ONE eye.
So we made a quick appt. with the optician
and got her ONE contact lens
and glasses with ONE prescription lens.
who knew?
The glasses came yesterday.
this is the "clamshell" frame
and I think she looks
beautiful, smart, and trendy
in her new eyewear!

Now Miss Lady is wishing her eyes were bad
cause she really wants the purple frames
to look smart like Miss Maddy!

i heart you today

Valentine's Day 2011....
memorable because:
it means February is half way over- Danielle
I can surprise her with a "16 things I love about you" list- Tim
lots & lots of Fun Dip- Carter
candy and yep, just candy- Lady
Jr. High doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day,
so I went for a ride on my fav horse Misty
who needs candy when you have horses?- Kenzie
candy and a valentine from a certain somebody- Maddy
a "stick 'em up" gun valentine that fits in my pocket- Jace

We had our candlelight tradition:
chicken marsala, chocolate strawberries,
pink drinks, and tiny cupcakes
with a little burst of sunshine right in the middle!

...this is what gets snapped when I send
Kenzie to get the camera...
now you know where I spend everyday from
2:15-6:00...at the kitchen counter,
that's my superstar exciting life!

yes! Maddy did just stuff an entire
cupcake into her mouth at once!

If you didn't see it on the table,
this is my burst of sunshine!
Gerber daisies shout "Spring!"
much better than roses...
Love traditions and days that let us be together!

this day....9 years ago

February 7th, 2002
Nine years later....
Time flies by and it still feels like it wasn't that long ago.
I would never, EVER, want to do it again.
I remember...
my shoes flying off my feet from the impact,
my kiddos crying from the back seat,
only seeing black and hearing everything,
my family around me,
hearing staples...being stapled into me,
waking up to my family,
love, prayers, blessings and
MIRACLES...more than one.
Knowing, beyond any doubt,
that our Heavenly Father watches over us
and guides our lives.

So very glad to be here,
be alive, be healthy,
and have more than I could have
ever thought possible.

hAppY LiVeR dAy!!