"Avery, you look so pretty!".... "I know."
Thank you to all our friends and family who helped make Avery's special day even more special! :)
Monday, April 6, 2009
Birthday Bash
One day I will learn how to take all my pictures and make them in to ONE collage - but apparently today is not that day. Our little girl Avery is now SEVEN. I keep telling her to stop growing. She had a fantastic "birfday", including her version of a breakfast of champions (cinnamon rolls and bacon - we didn't complain), ear piercing, fun presents, a fancy cake, and a fun party with all her friends at Aerials Gymnastics. (Thank you weather for not cancelling the party). Frankly, we are all glad it's over, maybe now Avery will talk about something else every minute of the day, like Christmas?
Everything you ever wanted to know about Tom and I
Thank you Sarah for the tag...I always get sucked in to these!!
1. What are your middle names? Callie Stacey Leigh and Thomas Edward (Tom suddenly has a VERY cool middle name to Madeline, thanks to Twilight)
2. How long have you been together? We got engaged on our technical "first date" because we are crazy like that. That was February 25th, 1998...so just over 11 years now. It's funny, because I don't feel that old, but apparently I am.
3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? We knew eachother for a year, I think we would have gone out sooner, if it wasn't for the fact that I was a missionary! The no dating rule makes it hard...
4. Who asked whom out? It never really worked out that way, Tom kind of suggested that he fly to Canada when I returned home from my mission. We are all about drama.
5. How old are you? Oh brother, the older I get the more I hate this question...especially when your husband is younger than you!! Tom is 31, and I am older than that.
6. Whose siblings do you see the most? Probably Tom's, because AZ is a little closer than Toronto.
7. Do you have any children together? 2 girls, and a boy, and if you read this blog, you know ALL about them!!
8. Pets? UGH. Yes. We had 2 cats for a long time, and then our cat, Casper (who we had since we got married) died last summer. Now, we are stuck with Skittles, who I have never cared for much (I'm not mean, she's just annoying) and now she is PREGNANT, fat, and sassy and due any day. Heaven help me. Do you want a kitten?
9. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Home improvement projects. They can get stressful. We are both pretty laid back though, so no arguing at our house. It's true! Ok, maybe once or twice in 10 years.
10. Did you go to the same school? No, and it's a good thing because we wouldn't have gotten anything done. Kind if like at our house.
11. Are you from the same town? No, not even the same country...see? Drama!
12. Who is the smartest? If you want to know about medical stuff and math, or random facts about how things are made - ask Tom. If you want to know about pop culture, art, and how to make yummy food - ask me. I think we balance eachother out well. (Did you notice I avoided answering?)
13. Who is the most sensitive? That is tricky. I can be more hormonal, and I have more mood swings, but Tom can get sensitive too, but I won't say over what, because then he would get sensitive.
14. Where do you eat out most as a couple? As a couple? Well now, that just doesn't happen very often, but we enjoy Mexican and Chinese, so On the Border or P.F. Chang's is probably where you would find us.
15. Where is the farthest you have traveled as a couple? I would have to say Canada, and North Carolina. Maybe one day I can say somewhere exotic.
16. Who has the craziest exes? Tom has had some doozy's. He is so lucky to have found me! ;) I only had one who was a little cooky.
17. Who has the worst temper? As I mentioned before, we are both pretty laid back, but I think we both have equal potential when it comes to raising our voice at the kids!
18. Who does the cooking? I would say I do about 90% of the cooking at our house, the remaining 10% goes to Tom's grilling abilities (which are impressive might I add), and to Little Caesar's, and Panda Express.
19. Who is more social? Me, hands down (at first anyway)! Tom can come off as reserved and shy, but when you get to know him he won't stop talking. :)
20. Who is the neat freak? We both like a clean house, but overall I am the perfectionist.
21. Who is more stubborn? I'm not in to all that zodiac stuff, but I am a Taurus....what can I say? I like to get my way.
22. Who hogs the bed? Hayden, but when he is not there, I have to say we are both very respectful of one another's "space".
23. Who wakes up earlier? Definitely Tom. I sleep as long as I possibly can, but that is also because I am up much later than Tom most nights. I am a night owl, he falls asleep every night on the couch watching TV.
24. Where was your first date? After Tom flew to Toronto, he proposed that night by the lake, the next day we went up the CN Tower downtown. I guess that was the first real "date".
25. Who has the bigger family? Tom, he is the youngest of 5...I have one younger sister.
26. Do you get flowers often? Usually for my birthday, anniversary, or Valentine's Day. I think they are more fun when they are random though (hint, hint!)
27. How do you spend the holidays? Usually here. Tom's parents have been coming every year for Thanksgiving, but we enjoy a quiet Christmas!
28. Who is more jealous? I think Tom use to be more jealous, because I have a lot of guy friends, but I can honestly say we are both very secure in our marriage now, and there is no jealousy.
29. How long did it take to get serious? Well, due to circumstances, a year.
30. Who eats more? I think we are both guilty of eating more than we should!
31. Who does the laundry? Normally I do, but I have to say Tom did about 10 loads this weekend. He goes on little cleaning sprees once in a while, and I happily just stay out of the way!
32. Who is better with the computer? Tom is more tech savvy altogether.
33. Who drives when you are together? It depends on which vehicle we use, if it's Tom's car, Tom drives, if it's the mini-van usually I take the wheel.
Wasn't that FUN??! Ok, now it's your turn! If you read this, you're tagged!! Do it! Do it!!
1. What are your middle names? Callie Stacey Leigh and Thomas Edward (Tom suddenly has a VERY cool middle name to Madeline, thanks to Twilight)
2. How long have you been together? We got engaged on our technical "first date" because we are crazy like that. That was February 25th, 1998...so just over 11 years now. It's funny, because I don't feel that old, but apparently I am.
3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? We knew eachother for a year, I think we would have gone out sooner, if it wasn't for the fact that I was a missionary! The no dating rule makes it hard...
4. Who asked whom out? It never really worked out that way, Tom kind of suggested that he fly to Canada when I returned home from my mission. We are all about drama.
5. How old are you? Oh brother, the older I get the more I hate this question...especially when your husband is younger than you!! Tom is 31, and I am older than that.
6. Whose siblings do you see the most? Probably Tom's, because AZ is a little closer than Toronto.
7. Do you have any children together? 2 girls, and a boy, and if you read this blog, you know ALL about them!!
8. Pets? UGH. Yes. We had 2 cats for a long time, and then our cat, Casper (who we had since we got married) died last summer. Now, we are stuck with Skittles, who I have never cared for much (I'm not mean, she's just annoying) and now she is PREGNANT, fat, and sassy and due any day. Heaven help me. Do you want a kitten?
9. Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Home improvement projects. They can get stressful. We are both pretty laid back though, so no arguing at our house. It's true! Ok, maybe once or twice in 10 years.
10. Did you go to the same school? No, and it's a good thing because we wouldn't have gotten anything done. Kind if like at our house.
11. Are you from the same town? No, not even the same country...see? Drama!
12. Who is the smartest? If you want to know about medical stuff and math, or random facts about how things are made - ask Tom. If you want to know about pop culture, art, and how to make yummy food - ask me. I think we balance eachother out well. (Did you notice I avoided answering?)
13. Who is the most sensitive? That is tricky. I can be more hormonal, and I have more mood swings, but Tom can get sensitive too, but I won't say over what, because then he would get sensitive.
14. Where do you eat out most as a couple? As a couple? Well now, that just doesn't happen very often, but we enjoy Mexican and Chinese, so On the Border or P.F. Chang's is probably where you would find us.
15. Where is the farthest you have traveled as a couple? I would have to say Canada, and North Carolina. Maybe one day I can say somewhere exotic.
16. Who has the craziest exes? Tom has had some doozy's. He is so lucky to have found me! ;) I only had one who was a little cooky.
17. Who has the worst temper? As I mentioned before, we are both pretty laid back, but I think we both have equal potential when it comes to raising our voice at the kids!
18. Who does the cooking? I would say I do about 90% of the cooking at our house, the remaining 10% goes to Tom's grilling abilities (which are impressive might I add), and to Little Caesar's, and Panda Express.
19. Who is more social? Me, hands down (at first anyway)! Tom can come off as reserved and shy, but when you get to know him he won't stop talking. :)
20. Who is the neat freak? We both like a clean house, but overall I am the perfectionist.
21. Who is more stubborn? I'm not in to all that zodiac stuff, but I am a Taurus....what can I say? I like to get my way.
22. Who hogs the bed? Hayden, but when he is not there, I have to say we are both very respectful of one another's "space".
23. Who wakes up earlier? Definitely Tom. I sleep as long as I possibly can, but that is also because I am up much later than Tom most nights. I am a night owl, he falls asleep every night on the couch watching TV.
24. Where was your first date? After Tom flew to Toronto, he proposed that night by the lake, the next day we went up the CN Tower downtown. I guess that was the first real "date".
25. Who has the bigger family? Tom, he is the youngest of 5...I have one younger sister.
26. Do you get flowers often? Usually for my birthday, anniversary, or Valentine's Day. I think they are more fun when they are random though (hint, hint!)
27. How do you spend the holidays? Usually here. Tom's parents have been coming every year for Thanksgiving, but we enjoy a quiet Christmas!
28. Who is more jealous? I think Tom use to be more jealous, because I have a lot of guy friends, but I can honestly say we are both very secure in our marriage now, and there is no jealousy.
29. How long did it take to get serious? Well, due to circumstances, a year.
30. Who eats more? I think we are both guilty of eating more than we should!
31. Who does the laundry? Normally I do, but I have to say Tom did about 10 loads this weekend. He goes on little cleaning sprees once in a while, and I happily just stay out of the way!
32. Who is better with the computer? Tom is more tech savvy altogether.
33. Who drives when you are together? It depends on which vehicle we use, if it's Tom's car, Tom drives, if it's the mini-van usually I take the wheel.
Wasn't that FUN??! Ok, now it's your turn! If you read this, you're tagged!! Do it! Do it!!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Our Foolish Ways
Our list of foolish games and trickery this year included....
The letter
To give you some background...the girls' school is being released early this year (the first week in May to be exact) due to some remodeling projects they have going on through out the summer. When Madeline checked the mail today, inside the mailbox she found this letter from her "principal". She asked if she could open and read it. It read:Dear parents,
Due to the construction project this coming summer at King Elementary, we have encountered some difficulties, and may have to keep the school closed the entire school year of 2009-2010. Our only solution is to have the students meet in the forest at Cottonwood Creek Park for their classes next year. We will set up chairs, and desks, and shelving for books in the tree's. Please dress your children warmly each day for school, including hats, ear muffs, gloves, and possibly snowsuits, as the weather can get quite cold. We look forward to seeing your child(ren) next year! Please meet the first day of school by the dumpster in the parking lot.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at the school in the coming weeks, or at my new office in the public bathrooms at the park.
Sincerely yours,
Cordelia Stone
Principal
I WISH I could have taken a picture of Madeline's face as she read this letter. Horror? Pain? Bewilderment? It was hard for me not to laugh out loud! I think the second time she read it through, was when it hit her... "Mom! This has GOT to be a joke!!" We all got a good laugh, when it was said and done! Oh, what a tricky mom am I?
The Dinner
We had a "Wacky Macky" dinner. Before we could eat we had to pull 3 slips of paper from our cups, that "told" us what we would be eating and with what utensil. For example, Tom's first course was ketchup, apple juice, and a cup...he was lucky he got the juice and the cup in the first round. I had to wait for my cup until the 4th course!!
Tom's second course...mac and cheese with a knife. It didn't phase him in the least!
Avery on the other hand, was not so amused that she had to eat with a baby spoon. She was VERY happy however, to get a marshmallow with her hot dog and macaroni!
After a few courses, Madeline finally got a bun for her hot dog, but had to apply the ketchup she had put on her plate with a toothpick.We all had a lot of fun!
The Dessert
After school, I asked Madeline to run out to the garden and get me a container of dirt for our dessert. I told her I had found a new recipe for a healthy dessert, and it called for soil since it had so many nutrients. She thought I was off my rocker, and refused to eat it, but went and got me some. The girls actually ate it after some coaxing, and loved it! I don't know if Madeline would have believed it was dirt had she not gotten the dirt herself. Tom asked Madeline what part of the garden she had retrieved the dirt from..."Uh oh Madeline, that is where we put down cow maneur last year..." EWWW! YUCK!!! Which was followed by rinsing with mouthwash and, "I am worried we will get sick Dad!" Let's just say, the girls were relieved when the truth was uncovered...thank you crushed Oreo's.
Mother nature pulled out a few tricks of her own today...
The pajama bottoms
Tom usually leaves his blue pajama bottoms either on the bed, or by it, each day. I use the bed to fold our laundry on, so it is not uncommon to find both side by side on any given day. Tonight when Tom went to grab his pajama's, to his dismay all the laundry on the bed went with them. Earlier in the day I had stitched about 4 or 5 different items of laundry to his shorts. I am still waiting for his revenge...
Mission Accomplished.
The Dessert
After school, I asked Madeline to run out to the garden and get me a container of dirt for our dessert. I told her I had found a new recipe for a healthy dessert, and it called for soil since it had so many nutrients. She thought I was off my rocker, and refused to eat it, but went and got me some. The girls actually ate it after some coaxing, and loved it! I don't know if Madeline would have believed it was dirt had she not gotten the dirt herself. Tom asked Madeline what part of the garden she had retrieved the dirt from..."Uh oh Madeline, that is where we put down cow maneur last year..." EWWW! YUCK!!! Which was followed by rinsing with mouthwash and, "I am worried we will get sick Dad!" Let's just say, the girls were relieved when the truth was uncovered...thank you crushed Oreo's.
Mother nature pulled out a few tricks of her own today...
The pajama bottoms
Tom usually leaves his blue pajama bottoms either on the bed, or by it, each day. I use the bed to fold our laundry on, so it is not uncommon to find both side by side on any given day. Tonight when Tom went to grab his pajama's, to his dismay all the laundry on the bed went with them. Earlier in the day I had stitched about 4 or 5 different items of laundry to his shorts. I am still waiting for his revenge...
Mission Accomplished.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Our Take on Spring Break
We had big plans for Spring Break this year...all of which changed or were postponed for another time! Nevertheless, we had a great week - here are some of the highlights (or a lot of them, actually)....
The girls wanted to have a picnic at the park...but due to high winds we settled for one in the backyard. Hayden crashed the picnic and decided the "table cloth" was a blanket. Fun was still had by all!
We made lots of crafts....
Madeline's "collage"
We painted Madeline's room with lots of circles...
Tom's spring break craft project included finishing the rail...woohoo!
My favorite handy men! Hayden had lots of fun helping Tom out by handing him his tools (and trying some out himself).
We had a fun morning at "Pump-it-Up", all the kids got their wiggles out, which made for a wonderful afternoon for mom! :)
I think this is when Hayden was starting to "wind down"....
It was REALLY busy that day, but with the chilly weather that came our way, it was a great substitute for playing outside.
Meanwhile,
I started my over-ambitious project of sewing Easter dresses for the girls...whether or not they actually end up wearing them remains to be seen...
Madeline painted letters to hang on her wall.
But most of the time, we would find her in her room...reading the adventures of Edward and Bella. Yes, I'm afraid I have created another Twilight fan.
Madeline and Avery are participating in their school talent show next Friday. They will be performing a rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Madeline will be tickling the ivory's, while Avery belts out a tune! We painted these shirts for them to wear during their performance! (Stay tuned for that doozy!)
We had plans to go to the zoo, but we were hit with a blizzard on Thursday. It was time to send the kids outside to play in the white stuff! Hayden took the longest to get ready....
The girls had a blast building snowmen.
Hayden? Not so much.
It's a good thing he looked too cute for me to care.
Saturday was the biggest surprise of all! I took the girls on a mommy/daughter date to see Disney on Ice!
Avery gave it a thumbs up!
Madeline was so excited she was trembling!
The only picture I took before the camera went dead! Grrr! You will have to trust me, it was so fun!!
The girls wanted to have a picnic at the park...but due to high winds we settled for one in the backyard. Hayden crashed the picnic and decided the "table cloth" was a blanket. Fun was still had by all!
We made lots of crafts....
Madeline's "collage"
We painted Madeline's room with lots of circles...
Tom's spring break craft project included finishing the rail...woohoo!
My favorite handy men! Hayden had lots of fun helping Tom out by handing him his tools (and trying some out himself).
We had a fun morning at "Pump-it-Up", all the kids got their wiggles out, which made for a wonderful afternoon for mom! :)
I think this is when Hayden was starting to "wind down"....
It was REALLY busy that day, but with the chilly weather that came our way, it was a great substitute for playing outside.Meanwhile,
I started my over-ambitious project of sewing Easter dresses for the girls...whether or not they actually end up wearing them remains to be seen...
Madeline painted letters to hang on her wall.
But most of the time, we would find her in her room...reading the adventures of Edward and Bella. Yes, I'm afraid I have created another Twilight fan.
Madeline and Avery are participating in their school talent show next Friday. They will be performing a rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Madeline will be tickling the ivory's, while Avery belts out a tune! We painted these shirts for them to wear during their performance! (Stay tuned for that doozy!)
We had plans to go to the zoo, but we were hit with a blizzard on Thursday. It was time to send the kids outside to play in the white stuff! Hayden took the longest to get ready....
The girls had a blast building snowmen.
Hayden? Not so much.
It's a good thing he looked too cute for me to care.
Saturday was the biggest surprise of all! I took the girls on a mommy/daughter date to see Disney on Ice!
Avery gave it a thumbs up!
Madeline was so excited she was trembling!
The only picture I took before the camera went dead! Grrr! You will have to trust me, it was so fun!!Our next adventurous post will probably involve kittens...so stay tuned!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Pesky Green Friends
Apparently, if you are 9 and 6 and your last name is Helm, St. Patrick's Day is about one thing only....Leprechaun's. Today, Madeline and Avery could not stop talking about the pesky creatures. We don't really "discuss" Leprechauns much at our house, but they sure seem to talk a lot about them in school! So much so in fact, that the girls are determined to catch one in our backyard. They spent a good hour in the yard after school creating a "trap". It consisted of dirt, a broom, and a blanket. (Camera had a dead battery, darn it!) Somehow the dirt is supposed to lure the leprechauns in to captivity? Leprechauns are shifty characters. According to the girls, these are the naughty things the colorful creatures did today:
*knocked over Avery's chair at school
*attacked Madeline in her bedroom (she emerged unscathed, thank goodness) Avery said the leprechaun looked just like her picture... but REAL (see below)
*the girls said they heard distant "screaming" in the backyard, and they could only assume that a Leprechaun was kidnapping a neighbor.
*knocked over Avery's chair at school
*attacked Madeline in her bedroom (she emerged unscathed, thank goodness) Avery said the leprechaun looked just like her picture... but REAL (see below)
*the girls said they heard distant "screaming" in the backyard, and they could only assume that a Leprechaun was kidnapping a neighbor.
Avery's LeprechaunI guess Leprechaun's are also confused, because in between their mischievous activities, they also found time to be extremely generous and gave Avery candy without asking, gave her a gold coin, and according to her the above picture even "winked" at her during dinner. By the end of the day, Madeline wanted nothing more to do with them. We even had green "Leprechaun juice" with our dinner. Madeline said "NO THANKS. If it has anything to do with Leprechauns, I'm outta here!!" (She drank it anyway)
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Confessions of a 2 year old
I hear "shoes make the man"...so I try. It hurts to be handsome.
I am drawn to sharp, pointy things that hurt. Even after countless "incidences" I can't get enough of them.
I dislike sleeping in beds at night, but give me a shoulder, a car seat, or a couch to lean on and Ta-da! Instant sleepy head.
I dabble with make-up here and there, you know, it's just a "phase". I think red is definitely my color.
They say video games are for the big kids. I don't buy it! They were made for ME.
I am a chocolate addict, but anything sticky, sweet, or that causes stains will do. This is especially enjoyable right after a bath.
I'm an exhibitionist, hey - if you got it, flaunt it.
I need my creative freedom. This includes, but is not limited to, using my fork as a choo-choo train, my spoon as a nose-picker, and my bowl as a hat. The mess is just added bonus.Despite all this, I am obviously irresistable, because they sure like me around here!
(P.S. don't tell anyone, but I still live with my parents)
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