HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IMAN!!!! 

I can't WAIT to see that sweet BABY!!! 

You are going to be an amazing daddy!  

We love you and miss you so much. 

Praying for a year FILLED with blessings

for you and your beautiful family!

Christmas Mischief (Christchief)

Lots of Christmas fun going on around here.  First off, I think I have a new second-favorite Christmas movie, Arthur Christmas.  It was SOO good (although Elf is still #1 because...LOOOOOOVE!!!). 

Christmas Pickle

One tradition we have is the Christmas pickle ornament.  If you haven't heard of it, the ornament is hid somewhere on the tree, and the first one to find it gets a present!  This year's surprise, the new Barbie Christmas movie (exciting, huh???  My girlies thought so!)  :) 

These pics are not the best (like ALL the other ones on my blog...haha), but you get the drift.  :)

Pickle hunters....getting right down to business. 

Christmas Caroling

And just tell me WHO on Earth doesn't think it's fun to load up a bunch of family and friends on a hay wagon and ride through town singing Christmas carols???  (Informing the troops that we're 40% sure this is legal...don't they look thrilled?).  

Overflow seating and front end security.  :)

Ready for take off.  Don't they look ready?? 

(I see doubt in some of those faces.  Or is that fear?)

The peanut gallery.

Mother Christmas looking lovely  :)

I don't think anyone even noticed we were there. 

Nice to meet you.  Can I sit on your lap? 

Imagine THIS pulling up to the nursing home door.

People, we have GOOD people.  That's all I kept thinking all night long.  We have GOOD people! 

*blessed*

Pulling up to the hospital, quite a sight to see.

Empty nest.  :)P 

(Who brought the quilts??  What a bunch of wimps!)

Bringing up the rear.

We closed out the night with lots of goodies and some good 'ol bluegrass jamming with a couple of guitars, a couple of fiddles, a mandolin, a banjo, some drums and a WHOLE lot of shakers and "backup."  I would have had pictures, but someone stuck a fiddle in my hand and it was all over from there.  :) 

Christmas Lights

Finally, this weekend we headed to Madison with my great uncle for some Texas Ro@dhouse (our fave!) and a drive through a Christmas light display.  Again, not the best pics, but fun nonetheless. 

The Capital (and the lighted building in the background is the REAL Capital!)  :)

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."

-Hamilton Wright Mabie-  

A CONSPIRACY of LOVE....isn't that how this whole thing got started?? 

Happy Christmas, folks. 

Luca's Turn for a Mommy Date!

I'm not sure why both my girls choose McDon@lds for every date or if I'm the common thread which keeps landing us under those beautiful golden arches. 

Hello, my name is Cari. 

And I love french fries. 

A lot. 

I also love her.  Like a lot, a lot, a lot. 

She carries a purse. 

It has Dora on the front and is chalked FULL of

lip gloss, stickers and sugar free gum. 

'Cuz that's how a lady rollzzz.

 Got a coupon for a FREE Build-@-Bear!!!! 

(which I spent $38 on....dang, they got me again!)  

How much money does one actually have to spend at

Build-@-Bear to get a coupon for a FREE bear? 

Let's not think about it. 

Bath time.

Making a birth certificate for "Lily"

 Sweet moments with my littlest one.

 Only 1 pic to share from our recent educational adventures.  I never posted our barn dancing pics, but I figured they're getting a little old to constitute a post.  Here's a single shot of a drawing class our homeschool group hosted.  Immediately after I took it, my camera battery DIED!!!!  NIGHTMARE OF ALL NIGHTMARES!!!!!!! 

The worst part is, later that day our KONOS group field tripped to the optometrist and then dissected PIG EYEBALLS!!!!!!!  And NO PICTURES!!!!!  (I know, I know, you're TOTALLY disappointed!!!) 

Just to give you a visual, think about the most disgusting, oozy, goozy, slimy, grossest thing you've ever seen. 

Then touch it with your bare fingers and slice on into it.  UGH!!!!) 

It really was amazingly awesome and totally gruesome learning about the eye, dissection and all, but I think I'll rest a little easier now that all the eyeballs in the room are actually in someone's head. 

Never a dull moment! 

Why Every 8-Year-Old Should Have E-mail

Found this in my inbox today:

I love you yes I do!

You make me very happy!  You never make me take a nappy! 

Because you are so very smart my love for you is bigger than w@lmart!

You are so cute I could puke!  (Extra points for using "puke" in a poem!  Atta' girl!) 

la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la!!!!!!!!! 

Heaven must be missing an angel (that's you). 
brenin

Have I mentioned that I really really really reeeeeally like this kid??

Girl Time

This is a little late in posting, but a couple of weeks ago Bren and I had a little date.  She's been asking forever to get her hair cut by my hair girl and also to work on her own blog.  I thought it woulld make for a great date, so we both got a new 'do, and then we headed to the Macs to enjoy some Wi-Fi and french fry!  :-) 

She's just mildly excited about this idea.

The kid looks about 5 years older with

her new cut, but still super duper cute!

The older Bren gets, the more I have to make a conscious effort to "balance the scales" a bit with the time I spend on the girls.  While Luca still requires a great deal (a GREAT deal) of my time and energy, Bren can disappear with a book for a couple hours and I'm pretty sure could thrive in her own apartment any day now (and probably negotiate a pretty fair rent in the process).  ;-)  It's really nice to step away with her for a bit and be able to hear what's happening in her beautiful heart. 

And remind her that she's not allowed to move out until she's 45. 

Maybe 47, I haven't decided yet. 

Happy Birthday....VERY. Happy. Birthday.

To say I had a happy birthday this year would be an understatement. 

Think absolute serenity. 

Think room service. 

Think ginormous pillowy bed. 

Think  Heaven. on. Earth. 

This ducky about sums up the experience. 

My sister spoiled me absolutely ROTTEN (and I have to say I LOOOOOOOOOOVED it!!!!).  She booked us a suite at a premiere spa which we decided was best described as "a monastery with product."  :-)  Seriously, you can't help but meet your spiritual self at this phase of relaxation. 

The spa requires you leave cell phones, iPods, cameras, computers....all those things that buzz in your ear incessantly and prohibit complete and utter clarity....back in your room. 

....then they surround you with the most gorgeous surroundings you can possibly imagine.

...and then they let you lather yourself in as much lotions, exfoliators, soaps, lotions (there was a LOT of lotioning happening) and spa splendor that you can find. 

Delightful. 

Oh, and then there was this.  The bed. 

I have asked this bed to marry me, but it hasn't responded yet.  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to leave it, but with some therapy I may be on the road to recovery. 

And the bathroom.  *sigh*

You may think it strange that this post contains not 1, but THREE pictures of the bathroom, but maybe after you meet "the shower," you will understand. 

It has its own lighting.  Because it can. 

It also has 4 million jets and shower heads. 

I'm certain I was in flight at one point.  :)

Everywhere you looked....beauty.

The drive up. 

We had a surprise 5 inches of snow fall the day before (the first of the season!), and it blanketed the whole experience in magic!  We took a NIGHTtime swim in the heated pool, and the freshness of the air, the snow on the tall pines all around us, the steam rising off the water, the fire crackling beside the pool....it was literally like a dream, surreal and inexplicably beautiful! 

Our view....I love that they lit up their woods!!! 

Makes me want to do the same with our woods!

And this may seem shallow to post a picture of my "goody bag" contents, but each and every piece is such a testament to how well my sister knows me.  (She even got me NyQuIl so we could sleep the GOOD sleep on our little getaway!!!!  This chick is GOOD!!!)  The jacket I fell in love with while we were up north this summer, and she remembered (of course) and had it shipped....each little piece is so me....I was definitely feelin' the love! 

 

My sis is the reason I do lots of things in life, but most importantly, she's the reason I wanted a sister for my girls.  I want this love....this down to the CORE "soul" connection....this "sisterness" for them more than anything else on Earth.  It's unspeakable gratitude that I have for her....she is light and laughing until your stomach hurts and infinite love. 

She's my miracle.   

 

Homeschool Underground

Field Trip to Cave of the Mounds!

The whole thing looks like a scene from Star Wars...unreal!  :)

Catching "cave kisses" (drips of water). 

The giant cave was discovered by miners in the 1930s, and the kids had the opportunity to do some mining of their own after the tour. 

Luca's treasure, a piece of iron pyrite (also known as "fool's gold").