can't help myself

Well, I thought I could restrain myself and just be happy with letting Cody and Ellie have a boring room...but it was just so boring! And last week I woke up in this half dreaming/half asleep phase at 5:00 am with visions of how I could decorate their room running through my brain. This 5:00 am creative moment is not uncommon for me, I love it when it happens because I'm awake but it's like my more creative sub-conscious is telling me what to do and I can remember it later on - weird. Anyway, so part of my "dream" was that I wanted to find some old figurine lamps and modernize them - it's kind of a new trend I've seen around. So at 8:00 that morning I get up and head over to the Goodwill and holy crap there are two figurine lamps right there, a boy and a girl holding puppies and kittens! It could not have been more perfect. They were an antique gold before and I just spray painted them. Have you read The Secret? If you have then here is a great testimonial to that book, I surely was sending out some lamp vibes to the universe that day.


Pillows and comfortor are from Target, birds from Michaels, and branches from the shores of the Brandywine River (bugs included).




We've been getting some cute things in the mail so I got this board to hold it all.




This is what the lamps looked like when I bought them.


So the lampshade sent me a touch over budget. It's from Anthropologie, with whom I have love/hate relationship. I will probably take it back, there's no way it will fit in our car on the way home, but it was just too perfect so I had to use it for the pictures at least.


I love making these Mobiles! Yesterday I had Jess and Erin over and we made more, they turned out really cute, but my pictures of them are blurry - sad.
Also I should note that the dresser and nightstand were already here, the apartment came furnished.

berry picking

Today we had our first taste of the east coast heat and it was way worse than I imagined. I felt so badly for Justin out there selling all day - who wants to let some salesman in with sweat dripping down his face? Ugh!

A few other girls and I braved the heat and went the the Linvilla Strawberry Fest. There are tons of fun things for kids and I plan to go back often. The farm is entirely "pick your own" so next month will be the raspberry fest - so fun!


Notice the sweat dripping down her nose.


Ellie and I ended up going by ourselves so Jess and I could trade watching the babies (Walker and Cody). We had so much fun together. Everytime she would pick a strawberry she would ask, "Is this a perfect one, Mommy?"




This is why I keep Ellie's hair short, so I can see her cute neck. It's my favorite part of her.


So hot today.






(picture from Jessica Stevenson)


When we got back Cinderella was singing with Barney. Ellie could hardley believe it and as we were leaving she said, "I just want to see Cinderella all day."

ellie's dream come true

Ever since our Disneyland trip last July Ellie always asks me to go to the beach. Well her dream came true - we went with Matt and Jess and Sam and Megan and had a gay ol' time. Jess has all the good pictures so feel free to check some out over at her place.

note to self: do not ride bike through wheat fields

I spent the rest of the morning in a nice bath of water and baking soda to try and get rid of the hives that covered my arms, legs and neck. Oh, and to rinse off the millions of spider webs I rode through. Yuck!

"This is going to look so good on my blog."

If you have a blog then I know you've thought this! Don't deny it. I admit, that is exactly what I thought when we found this bike trail. And when my heart started racing as I mentally prepared for the teeter-totter of death? "It's all for the blog, baby!" Justin calls. That's all it took. Video to come.

i'm in heaven

THIS is what I was so excited to come to PA for. I know there are farmers markets in Utah but for some reason I just think they are better here. Sunday we came to downtown and took the double decker bus tour of the city which was very cool. we got off on near south street for a break and what to our wondering eyes should appear? "ahhhh ahhh ahhh"(angels singing in background)- this:

longwood gardens

On Saturday I went with Jessica (in the white shirt below) and her family that came to visit to Longwood Gardens. It is another DuPont garden and is much more formal than Winterthur but equally amazing. These pictures don't do it justice. We all stayed for a couple hours and as we were about to go (all our kids were going nuts) I thought, "If I just push past this meltdown my kids are having, they will eventually fall asleep in the burley and I will be free to go wherever I want!" So we did, and they did, and I did. It was great.

more from our extended vacation

ellie contemplating the steps up the museum of art. she actually made it up to the top (with a little moral suppport from her blankie). and came down the stairs backwards. the apx team met here one morning to take a picture next to the rocky statue.


we came to a great aquarium last sunday after church.


ate some great steak and chesse on south street.


kelty at the delaware zoo - a very sad little zoo.


kennett square is my new favorite town here. i ran a 10k here last saturday and took justin and the kids back on monday. we ran with the burley and did 80's style exercises.


eating breakfast at the sunrise cafe. sooooo good! i had an mushroom and asparagus omlet wrapped in a sundried tomato tortilla.


we toured eastern state penitentiary one rainy cold morning. it was eerie made my day kind of wierd.


the exercise yard and the philly skyline


al capone's cell. he was a celebrity in his day and was treated pretty well.


the philadelphia zoo was awesome. i went by myself with the kids and just let them run around. cody liked the birds that eat table scraps the best but he also liked the prarie dogs.


ellie took this pic.


i love running out here, hopefully i'm getting better but if not oh well. the trails here are just awesome.


part of the running trail.


ellie's puzzle that she is very proud of. she must have spent an hour coloring it.

awwwww....

i can't remember where i saw this on the internet but isn't this room so nice? i love the little birds. i love the simple collected over time bedding. i love the nightstand. that's all. bye bye.

tonight i'm missing this:

happy mothers day

i'm so blessed to have this little family. it doesn't matter where you live, it's family that makes a home. i remember my parents bed was the coziest, happiest place to be in the whole house where we just laughed and snuggled. and it's the same for ellie and cody, they just love to be in our bed with us. my mom taught me to love being a mom because i know she loved it. she sees the wonder and innocence and creativity and intelligence in little kids that inspires me to be a good mom. i love you mom - we miss you!