"Bella Notte"

The other day we came across Lady and the Tramp on tv. I have always loved this movie, so I sat down with the kids to watch a little bit of it. The next day I was making lunch and Julia begged me for top ramen. I'm not a fan of the ramen myself, but we keep some in stock for Matt. He loves to eat it as a snack. Anyway, I made the noodles for Julia. It ended up being a bad idea after the movie they had just watched the day before. I walked into the living room to see this...

Immediately the song Bella Notte popped into my head...
Oh this is the night, it's a beautiful night
And we call it bella notte
Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte.
Side by side with your loved one,
You'll find enchantment here.
The night will weave its magic spell,
When the one you love is near!
Oh this is the night, and the heavens are right!
On this lovely bella notte!

So here's to my little Lady and the Tramp. Thank you for a wonderful picture to use as blackmail someday. :)

Mirabeau Park

After church today the kids were a little restless, so Ron and I decided to take them to Mirabeau Park to walk around. There is a waterfall and lots of paved pathways through the trees. It was absolutely gorgeous there today. Nothing too exciting, just a nice peaceful walk through the park. It was fabulous.

The only family pic we got out there...a nice lady offered to take it for us


Dad and the kids...


Matt...isn't he handsome?


Sweet Little Julia...


Tanner made it to the top...YEAH!


Daddy's Little Princess Olivia


What were you doing back there Matt? LOL!


We all had a great time and the kids definitely got the wiggles out!

Peter rocked my world last night...

Last night was a girl's night out I'll never forget. Peter Cetera came to Spokane and my BFF Nanci got tickets. We went to dinner first, then headed on out to the concert. When we walked into the INB Performing Arts Center we had a good laugh because we could have sworn we walked into a retirement home. We were surrounded by "older" folks and it even smelled a little like older folks also. Nanci and I were definitely the spring chickens of the group! We got up to our seats and settled in. Of course we had our cameras with us and with 15 minutes to show time I figured it was a good time for a self-portrait. We put our heads together and snapped a photo of ourselves...which will not be posted on here due to my multiple chins. A few seconds later, hall monitor Ruth was standing in front of us telling me I had to check my camera in at the office downstairs. What?? I politely told her that I had no intention of taking pictures of the concert, I was just trying to document girls night out. She agreed to let me keep the camera in my purse. It was pretty hilarious to look over every so often during the concert to see ol' Ruthie keeping an eye on us to make sure the camera didn't pop out again.

The concert was awesome...much better than I expected. Peter was rocking the stage with his fist shakes and hip wiggles. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

After the concert Nanci and I went to the green room to meet Peter. (this had been pre-arranged). We were so excited to get a picture with him. Once we got into the green room Peter let everyone know that pictures were not allowed. Perhaps Peter should learn some manners. We shook his hand and he then announced that we'd be taking a group photo for his website. SWEET! Nanci weaseled her way back next to Peter and I just struggled to be visible. Hopefully the picture turned out ok. Once it pops up on the website, I'll be sure to post it on here.

Thanks again Nanci for a FANTASTIC night. "Even a fool can see" that I had a great time and loved every minute of Peter!

Out of the mouths of babes...

Today Tanner and Julia asked if they could brush my hair. Of course I said yes because I LOVE having my hair brushed or played with. Tanner was combing through it and said "Oh Mom, your hair looks cute". I thanked him for being so sweet. Then it was Julia's turn to comment:

Julia: Mom, your hair is so soft!

Me: Thanks Juju!

Julia: I'm not kidding Mom, it is so soft and greasy!

I was laughing so hard and she finished up with saying, "Mom, you need to say thank-you because I gave you a compliment." Guess we need to have a chat about compliments. ha ha

A little while later I was making lunch and being the gourmet chef that I am it was corn-dogs. Julia came running into the kitchen and this conversation took place:

Julia: Mom! I just saw something you HAVE to buy on TV.

Me: What is it?

Julia: It's these magical pills that burn away fat!

Me: Oh, that's nice (now re-thinking eating the corn dog)

Julia: Mom, if you get those pills you will go from that (pointing at my belly) to this (lifting her shirt to expose her belly).

Me: Ok Julia, I'll think about it.

Julia: Seriously Mom, it would be awesome.

I immediately put down the corn dog and went on the hunt for something a little more healthy. Darn kids! :)

I want to be domestic....shhh....don't tell

For whatever reason I have taken an interest recently to making baby blankets. Perhaps it's because my sister-in-law is expecting her first little girl in January (with any luck the baby will come late December for tax purposes...ha ha). I find it funny that I never had the desire to make blankets for my OWN babies, but I'll just run with it for now. My good friend Momma Poff was kind enough to let me come over last week to show me how she makes her infamous baby blankets. I definitely learned a lot and am looking forward to trying one out on my own. Here is the picture of the finished product. I'd be lying if I said I made it myself...in fact I pretty much watched and made mental notes, all while enjoying a few good laughs. (Although I have to take credit for picking out the fabric) It was a lot of fun. Here's to hoping my first "solo" blanket made will turn out as cute as this one...


And of course the matching burp cloths...

National Comic Book Day

After reading my friend Nandango's blog today, I thought her entry was fun so decided to post something similar here. Apparently there are many national holidays none of us knew existed. According to this site you can look up which national holiday falls on your birthday. Turns out that mine is Donald Duck Day. Who knew?? I guess I know what my party theme will be for the big 3-0 next year! So look up your national day and let me know what it is! The website is: http://www.louderbacks.com/home/dict/days.html

Snail Mail

The other day I got an unexpected surprise in the mail. I opened the mail box, saw the bright yellow envelope and thought to myself "sweet! something other than a bill or credit card offer!"

It was a card from my wonderful friend Natalie. It couldn't have come on a better day...I was needing a little pick-me-up. There was no occasion for this card, but just her way of letting me know she cares. I've been thinking about this the last couple of days and realized how much I enjoy getting mail. I think I've taken it for granted with the ability to email friends or just pick up the phone and call. Of course there's always the "blog stalking" to keep updated with what's going on with my friends. So I've decided to be better about sending cards or notes in the mail....and not just waiting for a birthday or holiday to do so. So at the risk of sounding completely cheesy and retarded....if you enjoy getting mail please email me your mailing address to landrews1979@yahoo.com so I can try to be a better friend.

Snakes and Rocks

Tanner has been potty-trained for a few months now, but he still needs help wiping after a #2. One day last week he ran upstairs, did his business, and then yelled from the bathroom "Mom! I got rocks and snakes!" I was confused by this comment from him and went upstairs to check it out. He pointed into the toilet and said "Look Mom, two rocks and one snake. The long turd is the snake and the little turds are the rocks." Wow. Are these the kind of insights I get to look forward to from my little guy? Gross. :)

Take me out to the ball game...

Well this post is a little late, to say the least. This summer Julia played t-ball. It was pretty comical watching the 4 and 5 year olds run around. Julia's friend Karli was on the team too. They had a lot of fun together. Turns out that one of the girls from the team is in JuJu's kindergarten class this year!

The team:


Our little allstar:


Juju & Karli....so adorable:


We're pretty sure they'll hate this picture someday....LOL!

First day of school....HOORAY!!

We have had a wonderful, eventful summer but there is something so great about the kids going back to school! Julia started Kindergarten this year on September 4th and Tanner started preschool on September 8th. Julia, our social butterfly is doing so well and making lots of new friends. According to the aide that watches the kids until the parents pick them up, Julia has tried on several occasions to go home with her classmates. She tries to convince the aide that she's going to have a "playdate". Nice try Julia. :) She's a clever little turd though, I'll give her that! Tanner had a rough time during his first few days at preschool. He's such a momma's boy and has never been to daycare, so he would cling to me and even cried a few times. I'm happy to report that he is now a "big boy" and goes to school with no problems at all. In fact he tells me every morning I need to leave and come get him later. Ha ha. I'm so glad he's warmed up to his teachers and is enjoying his time there. Matt started school on September 8th also and has adjusted so well. He says he enjoys it and has made some new friends. Matt politely declined a back-to-school photo shoot, but I'll get him one of these days! :)

First Ice Cream Cone

Miss Olivia had her first ice cream cone today. She always looked so envious of the other kids while they're slurping down their ice cream. So I finally gave in and let her make a mess of herself. She loved every minute of it! Needless to say it was bath time as soon as we got home!

Am I ready for this?

On September 3rd we officially became a family of 6. Ron got custody of his oldest son Matt. It was a crazy day but all worked out for the best. I have not posted anything about the custody battle until now because the internet is such a public forum and I didn't want the wrong eyes coming across my blog. But now that all is said and done, I can fill in the blanks. We have been fighting for custody of Matt the last couple of months and it's actually moved along quite quickly. We were really trying to get him here to start school. Our attorney notified us a week in advance of our court date in Havre, Montana. We scrambled to get things ready and to prepare ourselves for what could be a long hearing. We got together our documents, discussed our plans for Matt and prayed that everything would go in our favor. I was fine and dandy until our attorney advised me that I would be testifying in court. What?!? Are you kidding?? I had certainly not anticipated that! I just wanted to sit there and be a supportive wife...not be up on the stand! So of course I over analyzed everything and probably got nervous for no reason. The day of court I had to wait outside the courtroom until it was my turn to be called to the witness stand. I felt like I was going to throw up. Combining nerves with no sleep was not pleasant. But surprisingly it went okay. Our attorney asked me basic questions that I had no problem answering. Then it was time for cross-examination. I felt like I was on an episode of Law & Order. The opposing attorney stood up and asked me a couple of questions, that in my opinion were completely pointless, but I guess he had to ask something. Ok, my turn was over...PHEW! Sadly for Ron, his interrogation wasn't as easy as mine, but he did great. The judge came back with his decision that Matt would come live with us during the school year. YAY!! We were so thrilled and so glad that our hard work paid off. Matt was jumping up and down outside the court room once he realized he would be leaving with us that day. We love having him with us!!