A little sampling from our morning...

Holland playing Peek-a-boo behind the curtain.

Baby Jack watching the older kids play.

Oliver

Owen enjoying the slide.

P.S. More pics from our picnic at Fort Simcoe in Picasa.

Fun in the hay...

One of the best weekends ever...

We are just winding down one of the most fun weekends I have had in a long time. All of my college girlfriends that are still in the state came with their families for an over-nighter...and let me just say, it was SOOOO good to see them. These girls have been an incredible influence on my life and it is so refreshing to catch up now and then. Although we don't see each other nearly enough, it always feels like no time has gone by at all when I see them. They are definitely friendships that I will cherish forever...and visiting this weekend is just what I needed. And actually, it's not quite over...Becky and Hale will be here for a few more days, so the fun will only continue! Meg, Cholie, and Mar, we SO wish you could have been here. We need to see you guys ASAP! There are a whole bunch more pictures in picasaweb if you're interested...Kate, sorry you're not in the one above, we took it too late!

Bed time...

This evening before bed time, Owen and I were outside to see Daddy off to dinner with some business associates. And of course, the minute Owen saw his rocking horse on the deck he started tugging at his shirt (his version of saying "please" in sign language) and pointing at the horse. So I let him ride for a few minutes even though he was SUPER tired and he got the happiest look on his face. It was like he had escaped the doom of bed time and instead got to do something that he thoroughly enjoys. He was oh-so-happy....So, I snapped a couple of pics.

On a different note, I decided to let you all in on a little side of Owen that I have not yet shared on the blog....his fits. I have no idea where he got this from, but whenever he is mad and pouting because he doesn't get his way, he throws himself on the floor and burrows his forehead into the ground like something absolutely horrible is happening. And then he peeks up to see if you are watching or not. I know it shouldn't be funny, but for some reason I really get a kick out of it. So the pics below are a little taste of this behavior from a few mornings ago...Daddy took them to catch Owen at his finest...

This is mid peek to see if anyone is watching:

And finally, he has discovered the fit got him nowhere:

My Top 5...

I've never really done one of these before, but hey...they're entertaining, right?  Thanks Danielle!

Things under $5 that I couldn't live without:

1.  Deodorant.  Let's be honest, I have an obsession.

2.  Gum.

3.  Coffee creamer.

4.  Paper towels.

5.  Fountain soda.

Favorite Movies:

1.  Shawshank Redemption

2.  Anne of Green Gables

3.  Napoleon Dynamite

4.  The Fugitive

5.  Little Miss Sunshine

Baby names I love:

1.  Claire...but unfortunately it doesn't work too well with St. Hilaire.

2.  Grace

3.  Liam

4.  Greyson

5.  Gavin

Songs I could listen to over and over:

1.  "Country Roads" by John Denver

2.  "Independence Day"  by Martina McBride

3.  "My Front Porch Looking In" by Lonestar

4.  "God Bless Us Everyone" from Celine Dion Christmas

5.  "Be Thou My Vision" from the church hymnal, ba-dum-ching!

Books I love:

(Oh dear, this is going to stretch me.)

1.  The Bible.

2.  My Utmost for His Highest.

**the problem now is that the last time a read a book I was probably 8 years old, so....

3.  Black Beauty

4.  Mandie and the Ghost Bandits

5.  The Velveteen Rabit

People who have influenced me in positive ways:

1.  C.J.

2.  Owen

3.  My mom and dad

4.  My college girlfriends for sure!

5.  and specifically Marla, because her heart is AMAZING!

Things that are always in my purse:

1.  Keys

2.  Sunglasses

3.  Wallet

4.  Gum

5.  Tampons, of course!

Moments that changed my life forever:

1.  May 13, 2006...the day I married my incredible husband!

2.  May 23, 2007...they day our precious child was born!

 I don't think I can name any more specific moments, but periods of time that changed me include:

3.  College

4.  Moving back to the Valley

5.  The one year and 2 months we have spent raising our son!

Obsessions I currently have:

1.  So You Think You Can Dance

2.  Watering the yard....a lot!

3.  Watching my plants grow, and I'm not kidding.  I take a walk through the yard at least once a day just to see if anything is changing.

4.  Taking pictures

5.  Watching Owen ride his tractor...and walk...and do all of the cute things he does.

Places I would like to go:

1.  Hawaii, here we come!

2.  Mexico again because we absolutely LOVED our honeymoon!

3.  Ireland

4.  Greece

5.  Australia

Appliances or kitchen tools I couldn't live without:

1.  Paper towels for sure.  I know they aren't technically appliances, but they definitely get the most use in our kitchen.

2.  Good knives.

3.  Hand mixer

4.  Coffee pot

5.  Salad spinner

People whose top 5 I would like to see:

1.  Becky

2.  Carly

3.  Leah, but that might be hard since she doesn't do blogspot.  Maybe she should start!  ;)

4.  Meghan 

5.  Alli, too....just like Leah, she should definitely start a blog.  We'd all love it!