Best for first...

To start out my challenge of a month of new recipes:

Glenn and Kate have a brand new bun in the oven! Congrats to them! I'm not sure I am going to top that one this month...

I do, however, have a cake in the oven. A real cake. And it looks positively dangerous. I'll let you know how it goes!

Wildly bouncing ball

I don't know what gave me the idea, but I tried on my pre-Kaija jeans. And they fit! Not prettily. But they fit, nonetheless. -I would have celebrated with a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie, but I already had one- They weren't THEE jeans (ahem, Sabrina) but they were jeans. I now have 5 pairs instead of 2. -Okay, so I had two cookies, sue me!- And having more jeans makes me happy. -I didn't go for a third because of those chocolate covered almonds I ate- So the day was going pretty well. Until Z sends me a text. -almonds are good for you, full of good fats- Apparently he has something work related that came up the day we were planning to leave to Florida for his cousin's wedding that he is standing in. -the chocolate on the almonds is just a bonus- So instead of the whole family going, the plan is that he'll fly there himself. I won't lie: I was disappointed. -so I had a cookie to help with that- But the good news: it'll actually save us money. Which isn't as fun as going to Florida. -I'm willing to bet my jeans don't fit anymore- I guess that's how the ball bounces.

Happy 30th birthday!!

To? I'll give you some hints:

*her and I shared the same golden birthday year.
*same age, obviously.
*had we stayed in MI, I would have gone to school with her.
*instead, we met years later.
*we were roommates.
*she is one of my besties.
*I consider her a sister, really.

Hope your day is fabulous! I meant to put up a throwback photo- but since I'm not incredibly organized in the photo dept, I couldn't find them. Guess you got lucky, since I just needed to post this already.

Who? Katie. Katie A** the second. (Not to be confused with my SIL, who has the same name.)

My wish for me for your birthday? :) That I could live closer to you- so that we could complain about the weight we gained having babies while eating something sinful, rely on each other for child care, be there for each other when we just.need.a.break.! Sigh. Maybe someday!

*this*

is what it's all about. Right now, I have a yard full of active boys. Celebrating Logan's birthday. I can't help but realize how very lucky we are. Of all of the places we could have ended up, *this* is where we are. Here. And even if we do end up moving in the future, my kids are building lifelong friendships. Friends they will, without a doubt, see in the future through church. *this* makes me happy. We are so blessed to have *this*.

Excuse me while I go wipe my leaky eyes. Those bothersome allergies...

Roadtrip!

I had a plan. Armed with my camera, I was going to take pictures of my friends and everything I love in New Mexico. And show you on my blog. That's when my camera showed me that I wasn't in charge. Dumb camera. But: I went, I saw, I conquered. And came home completely refreshed and ready to play mommy again. Without the pictures to prove it. Sigh.

Here's what I learned:
*Roadtrip - kids + hubby = fun
*Not everybody remembers to fly their flag at half staff on September 11th. Sad.
*No matter which way I see it, Missouri is beautiful. And Oklahoma is HuMiD. Texas is big. Indiana is stinky. Michigan is just as much home as New Mexico is anymore. Equality is good.
*And Amy and Jodi are still as thoughtful as ever.

I loved my trip. I pigged out on everything with Green Chiles. Bought my family a bushel and a half of roasted green chiles to take home. (They smell amazing, fyi.) Went to my old gym and saw my peeps there. Oh, how I love them! Saw almost everyone that I wanted to see. (You don't count, Laren. You don't live there anymore.) Relaxed. And relaxed some more. With Amy, mostly. It was wonderful.

All the mommies out there need to do that for themselves. Seriously, I had reservations about this trip?! What was I smoking?!

Oh, and Happy BCM, Amy!!! Thank you for everything!! Big (((hugs)))! I heart you big!

If you wish upon a star and your wish comes true, you will end up with the cutest dog in the world. Per Isabel.

My house is clean, my bars are gone, got my Tetanus shot (I got poked by a rusty Corn Carnival pin from 2005. True story.) and my MIL is coming. What could be better? I know! If 2/3 of that pan of bars won't soon be making an appearance on my hips. That's what.

I'm taking a sabbatical from the computer. And stuff. Only for a week or two. See ya then!