Saturday, March 29, 2008

Easter.

I thought I'd share some Easter pictures with you all. You know, now that the holiday is about a week gone, and I finally got my lazy self around to uploading these...

I tried to get a nice shot of the two Hibblets, but they weren't having it. Tate screamed if we removed the monkeys. Same for the sheep and Rory. So they got to stay. Happy Easter.

Our second attempt wasn't much better.

A not so happy Tate and Daddy getting ready...

Rory loved the duck Aunt Jenna and Uncle Brian brought! (Even though it was Tate's...)

Tate received some bubbles in his basket and has been cracking us up ever since by trying to blow them. (It's more of a spitting. Not a blow! Phhhhft...)

Rory playing with her new "Ketchup Doll" toy. (Ketchup Doll/Cabbage Patch Doll...same thing, right?)

Oscar (my Dad) and Rory playing with the Play-Doh.

We had a great time with my family. Very relaxing and mellow. That's how I like my holiday's!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

My silly kids.

Sometimes I wonder why we even bother buying them real toys...

Friday, March 21, 2008

Bubbles.

The one thing that still catches me off guard about being a mother is how very little alone time I actually have. Not that I mind really, but I realize now that I'm hardly, if ever, alone...

This morning I put Tate down for his nap, turned some Lazy Town on for Rory (Just know that I have a deep hatred for Lazy Town. My daughter? Loves it. Of course.), and headed upstairs for a shower. You know, my alone time.

Two minutes later I can hear the little pitter-patter of Rory feet running across the kitchen, and the creaking of the stairs as she climbs them. Next thing I know, she's in the bathroom. Our conversation went something like this:

Rory: "Mommy! I need help!"
Me: "Ro, I'm in the shower. You need to wait."
"No! I can't doooo iiiiittttt!" (That would be a whine.)
"Why? What's wrong?" *Peeks around curtain, sees Rory dressed in full Disney Princess Gear. We're talking dress, boa, tiara and one shoe. The other is clenched in her frustrated little fist.*
"My shoooooeeeeee won't go ooonnnnnn!"
"Okay. Can you sit on the toilet seat and wait for Mommy (Something happens to you when you have children. You start to talk about yourself in the third person. Its strange how naturally it comes...) to finish her shower? Then I'll put your shoe on. Okay?"
"Okay." *A few seconds pass* "Mommy?"
"Yes?"
"Don't put the bubbles in your eye, okay? It hurt. Daddy says."

I love that kid!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Peep.

I love Easter. Yes, for all the spiritual reasons. Of course.

But really? For the candy.

Cadbury Creme Eggs? Oh. My. Word. I could eat those things all day long. (My good friend Rachael has somehow managed to stock her side room with these wonderful little candies. She tells me it's because of her husband's job and the free merchandise he gets. Sure. I like to think it's because she loves me enough to keep a room in her house stocked with candy year round. Yup.)

I love Jelly Beans. Especially the black ones. Not much beats them.

Except for Peeps. Peeps take the cake. Oh, how I love those little sugared marshmallows! Tucker and I have spent much time (It's sad, really, when we think about what we spend our time on...) perfecting the Peeps. We like to open the package for at least three days and get them to the slightly stale point. You know, a bit crunchy on the outside but still soft and marshmallow-y wonderful on the inside. It took a few packs to perfect this method, but now we have it down to a science. You can't just open the Peeps, you need to actually remove them from the package and let them sit out...

Anyway.

So, imagine my joy when I stumbled across this website. Dressed up Peeps! My word. The part of me (and I can't believe I'm about to share this deep dark secret of mine) that actually loves adorable things in silly outfits (think cute children and small dogs) is over the moon.

But then. Then I found this site. I am now slightly disturbed, but still loving it...

Hmm. Googling Peeps is way more fun than you think it would be.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Tuck.

If there's anything I've learned from the last nine years with Tucker, it's this. If he calls you and wants to, say, spontaneously go to our old favorite pub in Scranton for lunch on St. Patty's Day, say yes! Spontaneous trips with Tucker are always an adventure, and always fun! And he's full of 'em.

I love that man. Have I mentioned that lately?

This made my day.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Spit.

Recently, Tate has learned to spit. (Actually, it's more like spray. He sprays out his juice while drinking. Yay.) As much as I dislike this new development (Trust me. Anti-Spitting discipline has begun...), I can't help but find the faces he makes while doing it cute!

And he's so very proud of himself...

Monday, March 10, 2008

Cheesey.


I love this picture. (Obviously posed. We really don't line up like this for every photo opportunity. Hm. Perhaps we should...)

Tucker being goofy: Check.

Cherie, pregnant and embarrassed by Tucker's goofiness: Check.

Jenna just looking pretty (But wait! No sparkles! Jenna always sparkles!): Check.

Brain, semi-amused and slightly scared of what he's married into: Check.

My word. We are so totally super cool...

Friday, March 7, 2008

Pretty in pink.


Well, it's good to know he's in touch with his feminine side...



Oh, the joys of having a big sister! All the "hand-me-down" toys are pink...

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Project Runway.

I have a confession to make.

I love me some Bravo reality television.

Last night was the season finale of Project Runway. I was attending a new Bible study, so I had to DVR it. Because of that, I didn't get to see the results until today. The Hibblets and I got comfy and enjoyed the final viewing together. There were snacks, there was prime TV watching seating, and...


...there was much excitement. (Even though my favorite didn't win...)


You'd think I'd be sad over the ending of my Wednesday night tradition. But no, no I'm not. Because...Top Chef, here I come!

The love of Bravo. It's sad, really...

*Disclaimer: The Hibblets (of course) didn't watch the show. Are you kidding me? I'm lucky I got to snap those pictures. They move faaaast...

Dave Ramsey.

Have you heard of him? If not, you need to seek out his stuff. He's responsible for a Financial Peace course and book. We (Reluctantly...I'm such a foot-dragger when it comes to things I know I need to do.) signed up for his class at the beginning of this year. It cost us $100, and required that we sacrificed every Monday night until May.

It's changed our life. It's saved our life.

This class is just a series of DVD's, a workbook, a book, some random envelopes and a wallet like thing to hold them in. Those items right there, along with some deep soul-searching and serious discipline, have helped us finally get a grasp on our finances and has showed us how to get our heads above the water. We're finally on a (Tight!) budget. Our money zeros out each month because we have a place, a job, for each dollar that we receive. I'm amazed by the peace that one little budget can give you! We have some serious savings now. Its March. We started a month ago. Why weren't we doing this years ago?! By the calculations of Mr. Dave Ramsey and his helpful website, we will be debt free (completely and totally) in 2010. No more school loans! No more car loans! No more debt hanging over our head!

Today is Thursday. Payday. Today we officially start the envelope system of paying only cash for certain things. We've cut up and canceled the credit cards (They've been paid off for awhile. For some reason, though, we hung onto to them. Security and all that. It's silly, really.) and have placed the debit card to the side. We've set up for our bills to be automatically paid. We're plastic free for the time being. It's an amazing feeling!

For the first time ever, Tucker and I are working side by side to tackle this. And we have hope that we can...

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Little Mommy.

Lately, Rory has been obsessed with being a mommy. She carts around her baby dolls, sets them up to play, feeds them, puts them down for naps (She then spends the next few minutes whispering and telling us all to "Shhh!"), and spends a lot of time dressing them and changing their diapers. Last night? Rory decided that Tucker and I were to be called "Father" and "Mother" and she was to be called "Mommy". (I'm starting to think she may watch too much Little Bear...)

Anyway. Rory has moved on from the dolls, and now wants to "Mommy" Tate. She insists on holding him, feeding him, and yes, punishing him. (We're working on that one. *sigh* It's been a battle. "Rory! Do not put him in time-out! No! Don't tap his hand. He didn't do anything wrong. Rory!!")

It's still cute, though. See?

Monday, March 3, 2008

Rock On.

This morning, Tate graced us all with a little Pajama Rock. He climbed up onto the table, (I honestly wish I had pictures of that. He was so cute hoisting his guitar up there and then scrambling on up himself!) and started to jam. Gotta love that Backyardigans guitar...
He, of course, has a super fan.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Tate Torture.

I know, I know. We just did bath pictures.


But really. The Hibbs Water Torture is too good to miss.

She wouldn't stop dumping that water on his head. In her defense though, Tate loved it. So maybe it's not torture. Maybe it's more like fun. Tate fun.