I Heart Tumblr

Before the great crash of '09 (my laptop for those who don't know), I thought I was safely storing all of my favorite photos and inspiration photos in different folders on my computers.  Like everything else, all of those were lost so I've basically started from scratch.  Enter tumblr.  I set up a tumblr blog basically as an online inspiration folder.  Remember when a gorgeous catalog used to come out and you'd tear out pages you loved and file them away for later?  This is basically what my tumblr is, but better - it takes up virtually no physical space and is quite the visual treat (for me anyway:).  Best of all I can share it and it will never disappear.  If you're interested in images that inspire me (design, decor, and otherwise) you can visit my tumblr here.  And please oh please - set up a tumblr of your own (it is beyond easy!) and then let me know so we can share and swap images.  I guarantee you will love it as much as I do.

Valentine Cottages

If you just plain ran out of time in December to make gingerbread houses (like we did!) Valentine Cottages are the perfect solution.  We took a Sunday afternoon and decorated graham crackers houses with all sorts of pink and red candy, cereals, and frosting.  I even had some luck finding deeply discounted and very useful mini candy canes and peppermint sticks. It was a sugar high free for all for about an hour.  I'm sure even the neighbors could hear us! Everyone built they're cute cottages on white cake stands and they are now on display in the dining room.  We had so much fun doing this, we might purposely scoot this tradition right out of December so we can do it again next year.

Hey There Salt Lakers!

I got my tickets today!  Will I see you there?

Dinner Dress Code

We have no dress code for Sunday dinner (usually it's something warm and cozy - or at the very least comfortable). But something sparked in my silly girls' heads when they found out we were having Indian food this evening.  When I called them down to eat, they came down ready to devour some naan and masala looking just like this.  I laughed aloud and quickly snapped these pictures. Sadly, Bryce and Max and I felt very underdressed in our own dining room for this occasion. Needless to say, the food wasn't the only spicy part of the evening.

I drive myself CRAZY!

I wish I could be a "chapter or two a night" kind of reader.  My children wouldn't get ignored, my laundry wouldn't pile up, and I might actually cook something decent and healthy for my family.  I would just climb into bed around 9 p.m. and read for an hour or so and then pick it up again the next night.  Isn't this what most normal people do? Instead, for 1-3 days (and nights - depending on the book) I completely engross myself in a book, devour it, laugh, cry, wheeze and finish.  I only do what is actually required of me - but nothing above and beyond (chicken nuggets, here we come!) Luckily, this only happens if the book happens to be a good one - but  if it's a REALLY good one (like the latest above) I'm devastated to be done and a totally irritated at myself for devouring instead of savoring. In order for life to go back to normal, I have to take around a 2-3 week hiatus before I start the cycle again. So, with a heavy heart, I'm off to start my first load of whites.

DIY Cupcake Stands

Remember our neighborhood service auction?  This year I decided to try another cupcake themed item. (What is it with me?  You'd think I'd be over this obsession by now.)  I've been seeing these cute diy cake stands all over the place.  They are made from plates as the top - and candlesticks as the base.  So when I went to the thrift store to acquire my goods, I was giddy when I found these white square cocktail plates and these small crystal candlesticks.  After they've been washed and dried thoroughly, a little epoxy (and 24 hours to set) is all it takes to stick them together and transform them into cupcake pedestals.  I added a few red and pink ribbons to gussy them up for Valentines day.  And of course, a red velvet cupcake and paper lollipop as a cupcake topper.  I thought they turned out pretty cute. Watch out friends!  These are so delightful to make, I might be making these for all of you this year!

Things I miss about 2009

1.Warm weather (Hyatt Huntington Beach)

2. Jim and Pam's Wedding

3. Diet Pomegranate 7-Up - why is it released only during the holidays?

4. Le Grande Orange in Phoenix - yum

5. 11:00 a.m. church

6. DJ Dance Parties under the stars - we've gotta do it again this summer!

7. Taking a break in the shade with my sisters by Tom Sawyer's famous fence right on the Mississippi River

8. Having a one year old - she's growing up too darn fast!

9. Watching our friends and family and neighborhood rally around my kids as they worked so hard to earn money to buy Kalli a new bike after hers was stolen after only 2 days.

10. Being one year younger...bring on the anti-wrinkle cream!

Did I miss anything?

A Look Back: Christmas Day Highlights

The kids woke up and sang carols at the top of the stairs while mommy and daddy made sure Santa had indeed come - and they came racing down the stairs to find their loot. Kalli was pleased as punch with her iPod karaoke, and ugly doll, and some new ds games. Ella wouldn't stop snapping pictures of her new American Girl doll Kit with her new Hello Kitty Camera. Max was so thrilled with his skis he slept with them that night - and Miss Josie Faye (our girliest girl yet) couldn't stop showing off her princesses and their pretty "gip goss" lips. We played and played and went sledding at the golf course, read some of our new books and watched a movie - and of course ate like kings. We feel abundantly blessed to enjoy and celebrate our Savior's birth while surrounded by our family in a warm home with more to be grateful for each and every year. Merry Christmas 2009.

A Look Back: Christmas Eve 2009

Christmas Eve is always spent at home with our own family. We have a lovely little meal by candlelight of appetizers and finger food and then we host a special family program where everyone prepares a talent to share. Some read a poem, or draw a picture, or sing a song...This year included an orchestra of recorders and pots and pans - simply glorious on the ears. Then we conclude the program with the children acting out the Christmas story while Bryce reads it from the bible.

This year my two sweet girls made advertisement posters and pasted them all around the house (including the bathrooms). I thought they were so cute. The poster reads:

"Come to a concert December 24 in the living room."

Of course, the night wouldn't be complete without opening the first presents - jammies from Grammy and Paca, then setting out a spread tasty enough to entice Santa and his reindeer to leave us just maybe one extra present. The kids set up the girls' bedroom for a big slumber party, climb in their beds, and eagerly anticipate the morning.

A Look Back: Christmas Outfits 2009

My motto this past year has been PEACE.

This quote has stared at me and comforted and reminded me all year long from my bulletin board:

Peace.

It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work.

It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

Even peaceful styles and colors have infiltrated my home and our wardrobes this year. Far away from my usual "Sunday shoutfits" (remember last year?) this year I was really inspired by the gorgeous Olive Juice Holiday catalog and its calm and serene palates. For the children's christmas outfits, I borrowed from those beautiful icy, wintry, and PEACEFUL looks and here's what I came up with. Pretty and simple, no?

A Look Back: Holiday Goodies

I know I'm not the only one who fell over backwards when I discovered IKEA's amazing Christmas packaging this year. I've got an especially soft spot for anything elf or gnome related so these little wooden guys had me at hello. Here's how I put together a few goodies for some friends. (The pots are simple glass containers I bought from Roberts). I can't wait to see what IKEA comes up with next year. (psst: There is a catch. You have to be willing to buy Christmas goods in October, when they are released in stores - because their holiday goods have been known to sell out in a week or so.) I already miss the busy kitchen creativity that Christmas is known to pull out of us. I have two words: Valentines Day. Is your brain churning yet?

A Look Back: Breakfast at Kalli's

We had 20 or so of her friends over for a bright and early breakfast party on the morning of Saturday, December 12. I lost count of the number of crepes we went through - although I know it was over one hundred. Some of those hungry boys ate ten each!

We are so proud of our girl. She is so bright, fun, responsible, and kind. Or as her sixth grade teacher calls her "a dreamboat girl." Bryce and I couldn't have asked for a better "first" child. She is such a forgiving guinea pig of our jumbled attempts at parenting and a soaring example to her little brother and sisters. Many days she's my right arm. I'll find her stepping in to feed the kids, read with Max, or help Ella with piano - often when I'm making a poor attempt at all three at once! We are excited about the bright future that lies ahead for this one.

Happy 12th Kal! We love you!

Twenty Ten

The Christmas boxes are all put away (new storage boxes for a new attic in new garage for a new year...yipee!)...and it's been almost a month since I've paid any amount of attention to my blog. I don't have to tell any of you how busy December gets...but for me, this year was particularly packed. I hope to do a quick re-cap today in order to get some of my favorite December photos posted, but here's a quick rundown of the months highlights (and lowlights...unfortunately there were plenty of those.)

• Sixteen days of blissful holiday vacation - skiing, caroling, baking, singing, and sledding and so much more when you have over half a month off from school and the daddy doesn't leave the state one time!
• My first year in charge of our neighborhood nativity pageant. Lots of work - lots of payoff. There is nothing sweeter nor more humbly attuned to what the holidays are all about.
• My oldest turned 12! I still can't believe "I'M" that old!
• My computer's hard drive crashed. BOO! I lost everything from the last year. It's at it's third "doctor" appointment hoping for any amount of retrieval. Back up those drives folks! My Mac Time Capsule wasn't backing up my information and I am still totally devastated.
• Visits from both sets of grandparents brightened our holidays and couldn't have tickled the kids anymore.
• I was hit in my suv by a drunk driver. No one was injured - but my car has seen better days. I've been driving a rental for nearly a week while new doors and parts are being ordered. It was so surreal to watch the driver take (and fail) all the sobriety tests and be carted off to jail. We felt like we were in a scary movie. As we watched him get handcuffed Max peeped out from the back seat, "Why do people do wrong things?"
• Preparing the primary (our church's children's organization) for 2010 was nothing short of all-consuming. New teaching manuals, class lists, birthday presents, classroom assignments, and last minute budget spending had me working up right up until we cried "Happy New Year"! The three women I've had helping me since our first day (November 1) are truly worker bees with loving hearts and serving souls.
• The girls have been singing with the Salt Lake Children's choir so we spent a great deal of the month traveling around the city watching them perform. If you want to see pictures, check out Bryce's flickr page. My favorite performance was in the beautiful Cathedral of the Madeleine. It was reviewed by the Deseret News here.
• My favorite camera lens broke (will no longer focus.) So the question is to repair or to upgrade? Is it worth repairing? Any of you had this same problem?

Stay tuned for a few pictures. I'm back and more than happy to be posting. (If I hadn't been posting my favorite photos throughout the year, I would have nothing from the amr crash of 2009. I'm so grateful my blog was up and running and updated fairly regularly so I at least a few documented photos from the year.) Hope your 2010 is off to a great start.

Green....

...with envy. There is just a little part of me that wants to live Bryce's life: Palm trees last week...famous Rockefeller trees this week. Bah humbug!

The Happiest Place on Earth...Again

I honestly can't believe I'm doing another Disneyland post. But yes, we did it...AGAIN! Grammy and Paca came and we met our sweet Arizona cousins for a few days of pure Disney bliss. There is nothing on earth like Disneyland in December. If you want an idea of how the kids felt, take a look at Max in the picture with Mickey. We're laughing at that still! (He had just conquered California Screamin' and was so proud!) What a way to kick off December. Thanks Mickey!

Thanksgiving recap

We didn't go over any rivers...or through any woods for that matter. But we did drive through plenty of cactus fields to Grammy and Paca's. It's always a treat to be in a place where you can spend half of Thanksgiving day swimming - and the other half eating. Now were back to temperatures in the teens - brrrr! but loving our December days singing in choir concerts, preparing for our annual neighborhood Nativity program, lunching and exchanging gifts with friends, cozying up by the fireplace, and addressing Christmas cards. I love the holidays!

Thanksgiving by amr

Tangled and True is one of my favorite (and first) blogs to follow - so how excited was I when she decided to feature her readers' Thanksgiving ideas? Check out my guest post on her blog today. Thanks Brittany - and a happy holiday to everyone!

Patterned Paper Place Mats

*Image via Paper Source

If you have a big crowd coming for dinner and don't have enough matching table settings, here's a quick trick that can really pull your look together: scrapbook paper. For less than $1 each you can place a square 12x12 piece of paper under your place setting in any color or pattern you can dream up. It's just paper, but you will be amazed how much spark it adds to your table.

Gifting Time Savers

I'm all for time savers this holiday season so I've been perusing Etsy for some personalized tags for our gifting goodies. These simple black and cream with jute are topping my list. You can find them here.

It's been sparse around here lately...

...and here is the main reason why. I've been starring in a major role since late September. It's called "Stage Mom." And last night the big production went down. My girl Kalli was Portia in Shakepeare's "The Merchant of Venice." Of course I'm going to say she was wonderful, magnificent, and beautiful. Because I'm her proud mom - and she was.

Story Deli

School house tables, vintage mirrors, cardboard stools, and chalkboard menus. Not to mention the yummiest organic pizzas with the craziest toppings. It's been about 7 weeks since we've eaten there (right off Brick Lane in London) and I'm craving to get back. Who's coming with me?

Halloween 2009

Our Halloween celebration consisted of one elementary school Halloween parade, three classroom Halloween parties, two soccer games, two piano concerto recitals, one neighborhood chili party, and of course two entirely separate rounds of trick or treating. It was a blast but also utterly exhausting. Mix that busy cocktail up with nursing kids back to health (who really shouldn't have been trick or treating in the first place) and the results are this: 1. Halloween decoration coming down 8 days too late 2. Pictures posted 8 days too late 3. One sick mommy who didn't get out of bed for two days

Is it Thanksgiving yet?

Oh Gourdy!

I know! I know! Halloween is over...but I just had to share. It's no secret I LOVE my Jeni Gochnour Gourds. In fact, at a recent party I hosted - a few guests wanted a house tour. Funny enough, it eventually turned into a gourd tour. I was kind of dying that I had so many to show. Now to the fun part - Jeni saw the picture I posted of my living room and posted it on her blog! You can check it out here. If you haven't been to one of her shows, be sure to put her Christmas show on your calendar. It's one of my favorite holiday art shows of the year.

It's Looking Awfully Spooky Around Here...

I Can't Wait...

...to show the girls the perfect accessory I stumbled upon (at another one of my favorite haunts :) for them to wear to jazz class tonight. They've been learning the dance to Thriller during October and tonight's class will be the Thriller finale. How fun will it be to show up with this on? Thank you Tar-Jay!

Something's Gotta Give

*Image of my favorite house in one of my favorite movies as per listed above...

I'm finally just coming up for a breath from nearly a month of my life running me versus me running my life. I'm hoping this choke-hold I've got on it this week will last for a bit and slow down this beast known as our schedule. When life gets this crazy - something's gotta give ... and it's not only been my blog. In all the madness, however, there have been many shining moments and that's what I'd like to share and what I hope you'd like to hear (rather than what's been making me pull my hair out.)

1. On October 10th, a special little girl at our house celebrated her 9th birthday. It was a Saturday so the whole day was dedicated to indulging her - including soccer games, shopping, burgers and shakes with Grammy and Paca, a chocolate cake with a rainbow (her specific request) and topping the night off with a 3-d movie in Paca's theater. (Have I mentioned before that friend birthday parties only happen on "even" numbered birthdays? Love that.)

2. Kalli has been cast as Portia in "The Merchant of Venice" for her 6th grade play. We've been waking up early to attend 7:15 a.m. play practices and memorizing lines. She's amazes me every day. Keeping up with that girl's schedule is a full time job in and of itself!

3. Max is a boy with a sweet and sensitive heart. We had Monday off of school and we drove by a different elementary school that was having recess. (With the windows rolled up, of course) the girls and I laughed and teased, "You have school...and we don't...na na...na na...na." Max didn't participate in the teasing and with a fornlorn look on his face he said, "Aww those poor kids shouldn't have to go to school if we don't have to." Needless to say, we all melted and stopped our teasing immeditately. :)

His "sweet" does have a limit, however. After an afternoon matinee watching Aladdin with the girls, I asked him what he thought of the movie. Without hesitation he said, "Too much kissing."

4. I was in charge of a dinner for the faculty of our elementary school during parent/teacher conference night. I had most of it catered, but did make a little treat for each of them myself. I bet you can guess what these are. Think chocolate. I swear I'm never making them again!

5. We've been working hard on our primary program (which was last Sunday...whew!) and I love every minute I get to spend with the kids in my ward. Honestly, I do! I treat them much like I treat my own children. If they do particularly well on a song (I'm chorister, remember?) I praise them upside down and inside out and sometimes even surprise them with a treat. If the song is well...not so good...I'm honest. And we try it again. After one particular song that was only "so-so" I told them, "On a scale of 1 to 10, it was about a 3." One cute boy from the front row said to me, "Sister Roberts, you are the Simon of Primary Idol." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

6. I spent one lovely night last week indulging myself in a little birthday shopping spree at a couple of my favorite stores. I told Bryce he is lucky I consider "a couple of my favorite stores" TJ Maxx and Ikea.

7. Bryce had a couple weeks worth of sick days when he came down with bacterial pneumonia. On the bright side, it wasn't the swine flu.

8. Ella has been obsessed with this song lately. I don't know why...but she won't stop singing it. I can't help but smile and sing along.

9. And speaking of music, here's another funny one. Josie fell asleep in the car on the way home from my sister's house. I knew it was all the nap she would get that day so I decided to pull into the garage, turn off the car, and let her sleep for another 20 minutes or so in her car seat. I left the radio on to mask the noise of the garage door closing and the car door open so I could hear her the minute she woke up. After about 10 minutes, I checked on her...still sleeping. Another ten minutes went by...still sleeping. A few more minutes passed and I went to check on her and sure enough, she was awake. Not crying, as I suspected she might be after waking up in the car alone. No - she was singing. This song! Down. Down. Down. Down. Down. I'm still laughing about it.

10. And lastly, you'll never guess what amazing invention I've been parading around the house this week. It keeps me warm and amazingly enough, it keeps my hands free to do what I need. Are you stumped?

Yes, the kids got me a Snuggie for my birthday. Naturally, they want to be assured how much I adore it and insist I wear it each and every time I sit down. I'm sure Bryce had no hand in it whatsoever. It's currently the single most loved item in the Roberts' household. If you've ever wanted to see or touch one in real life, come on over and take it for a spin.

P.S.
On a completely unrelated and yet related tangent, did you know the "Something's Gotta Give" house has been for sale for year or so? Check it out on the Sotheby's Real Esate Section here. Don't get too excited, though. I'm pretty sure I'll find the house key in my stocking from Santa this year ;)

Extracurricular activities: Long Weekend Edition

No school at our house for the last two days which have made for a lovely long weekend. When I asked the kids what they would like to do to fill the extra time, the suggestions included 1. going to a movie 2. baking 3. setting up Halloween decorations 4. thrifting at the D.I. and 5. playing board games. I had to chuckle at my little girlie clones - their ideas matched up with mine just perfectly. Poor Max puts up with us mostly because he has to. (Luckily, Daddy rescued him midday and they built marble towers and then went to play soccer at the park.) We're happy to report that we've accomplished everything on our list and its not even Saturday! Here's a glance at the baking portion of our weekend thus far. We even put some of our prettier ones on display under a glass dome on our Halloween candy table. Happy Weekend.

Oh, and if you love cupcakes like we do - run - don't walk to your local Target to pick yourself up the Wilton cupcake decorator tube. It just doesn't get any better.

Tonight

I'm thinking of cozying up to a piping hot bowl of this.

The Loot

Don't you love to pick out that perfect little find to bring back to your kids from vacation? After countless shops and markets (oh you know I loved every minute of it) here is what I brought home for my little lovelies. Top to bottom - Kalli to Josie. Click to enlarge.

The Tube

This is my third trip to London and I finally feel as if I mastered the tube! (Don't mind me, I'm a bit slow...) The city really has opened up now that I feel there is no place I can't get to (and more importantly, get back home!) I learned this in Paris last year, and having said that this would be my (rather obvious) number one tip to anyone traveling to Europe. If you can digest the public transport, you'll be able to navigate the city so much more efficiently. Today, I don't even have Bryce to slow me down :) (meetings all day.) So I'm off to finish the trip with a day's outing to Fortnum and Mason, the London Transport museum, and the National Gallery - maybe Covent Garden if I can squeeze it in. Cheers to all back home. Love to my babies. See you tomorrow night.

Desprookjeskamer - The Fairytale and Polka Dot Shop

Amsterdam is shopping heaven. Yes, yes it is culturally and historically rich and the canals are fascinating and beautiful. Van Gogh, Anne Frank, and bicycles in every possible fashion. But oh I have found so many shops that are uniquely Dutch with style and dripping with sweet. Just one example is this sweet little shop I stumbled upon...little girl and mama heaven. And a few more to drool about...Didi, Hema (I got loads of party supplies here), and hoping to stop here tomorrow before we hop another flight. Oh how I wish the dollar were stronger and the bags had no weight limits. I'd bring back some more for myself and of course some more for you. Cheers.

Today I'm...

• digging up my passport
• gathering a stack of reading materials to take for over 17 hours of travel time. Do you think three books is enough?
  
• dotting the i's and crossing the t's of my three page instruction/schedule document for my dear dear mother-in-law who will be holding down the fort for the next week or so
• giving multiple pep talks to the offspring regarding following rules and being good for grammy
• giving good night and goodbye kisses...and wiping away a few tears.
• hoping I can buy whatever I forgot to pack

Rise and Shout

Going down to Cougar town for the first home game of the season...not at all excited.

Oh snap!

Isn't it fun to have a toddler in the house who's mind and mouth can be manipulated to say pretty much whatever the older sisters want her to say? We've been cracking up at this one - particularly when her timing is spot on. Imagine how funny this little sassy statement is right after I've chewed out (err...gently reprimanded) one of the children for less than appropriate behavior.

Right Around the Corner

In between making signs and cheering on B this weekend, the kids and I went to the library to stock up on Halloween goodies. You know - library goodies like books, dvds, and cds. Our library has a check out policy of three weeks so going early insured us a nice selection that will last us well into October. Many of our favorite story characters (the Berenstein Bears, Clifford, even Charlie and Lola) have a sweet Halloween story to share. So be sure to add the library to your "to do" list this week in order to not miss out on some spooky bedtime stories that will add to the Halloween spirit at your house this year.

My Favorite Lotoja Photo

image via Dave

To hear what Bryce has to say about his Lotoja experience, click here. To see a few more photos, click here.

For B

Today I am in awe of my husband.

Just a couple of days ago he found out about an open spot in the infamous Lotoja bike race and his mind was immediately set on competing. He didn't have to try hard to convince my brother Dave (an experienced racer himself) to be his support crew. They put their heads together, came up with a plan, multiple lists, a schedule and they were off. This was Bryce's first race. Ever. He has been a mountain biker ever since I've known him (one of our first dates in fact :) but only took up road biking this spring. He didn't officially train (though he rides 20-50 miles faithfully nearly every morning). He's never even done a century (100 miles). But today he slayed 206 miles, three states (UT, ID, WY) and a total elevation gain of 9738 feet in approximately 12 hours.

Since everything happened so fast - we weren't able to make arrangement for the family to come. But you can bet the kids and I were cheering him on from home all day. We followed the map and checked in at every feed zone stop and then made up signs depicting how many miles he had left. We are beyond proud of this determined, persistent, and strong man.

Her Loss, My Gain

We're about a week into Kindergarten and so much has happened for my little guy already. If you were dying to know, here's the latest dish: After finding a new girlfriend and then having his heart broken the next day - Max decides its best to keep me as his one and only true love. (His words.) Listen close - do you hear it? Yep, drip drop - that's my heart melting all over again. Happy Weekend.

One more thing

If I was going to give these as a little treat to my friends or neighbors, wouldn't I be so clever if I wrapped some twine around the jar and attached one of these sweet little wooden spoons on sale here?

Cake in a Jar

The kids are back in school and with my teensy amount of extra free time all I want to do is create. Somehow I had to let that side of my brain turn off when the summer camp counselor mom took its place for the last 3 months. It hasn't been but a couple of weeks since school began and I've already found myself up to my eyeballs in projects. I'm currently working on an art and photography collage wall in the family room, prepping the Halloween decos, having window seat cushions made, and of course cooking! I've been dying to try these cakes in a jar. Such a fun outdoor dinner party dessert or neighbor treat, don't you think? Just grab a spoon and eat it right out of the jar! Sadly, mine aren't nearly as adorable as Angry Chicken's, but I think next time I'll try the half pint jars simply for the cute effect. This one was poppyseed - but I imagine you could use any cake recipe you love. (Just don't fill it more than halfway. I learned this the hard way:)

We spent our laboring day...

...with a few of our favorite cousins by day.....
...and a few of our favorite rock stars by night...

A perfect finale to an absolutely awesome summer.

Spotted at bryc3

Trying to decide which is funnier: this video or watching my kids watch this video.

Be Still My Beating Heart

My baby boy just started Kindergarten.

The Rest of the Story

And being a brother isn't half bad either.

Sisters

"How wide and sweet and wild sisterhood can be."

Dorothy Knows Best

*image via flickr

My favorite kind of days are the ones when I just stay home ... when I choose to "forget" that the library books are overdue and that Max needs a haircut and new shoelaces before he starts school. The ones when I ignore the small farm of food pieces under the bar after breakfast or the piles of post-vacation laundry that need to be folded - and instead I chat on the phone with a girlfriend or my mom - or bake and clean (fun cleaning, you know - like wiping out cupboards). The best days are when the little ones are underfoot and I'm fielding silly questions like "Are "Pink Lady" apples really girls?" I have a hundred errands that aren't running themselves, twenty seven pieces of mail to sort through, nine rooms that desperately need some attention, and two little kids who still need to be dressed. But I don't care - cause we're home. And there's no place like it.

I Interupt This Regulary Scheduled Vacation Post...

...to present:

"First Day of School 2009-2010"

What I learned at Disneyland : August 09 Edition

1. Disneyland in August is reserved for only crazies - yes, we were six of them.
2. If you plan your entire day around fastpasses, you'll be surprised how much riding you can get done.
3. Sadly, all wishes made in the wishing well don't come true (Ella informed me this morning that she isn't surprised her pony hasn't showed up...)
4. If you ride the Mickey Carousel right after Grizzly Rapids, the breeze quickly dries you up.
5. Magic Mornings are so worth getting up early for...we got in nearly 10 rides before 8 a.m.
6. Not ALL two year olds love Winnie the Pooh.
7. Even if you have all the insider strategical information available on Midway Mania, Bryce is still unbeatable.
8. In three separate trips, we've graduated from a hotel off-site, to the Disneyland Hotel, to the Grand Californian. After much debate and discussion amongst all Roberts' offspring and the two parental Roberts...the Disneyland Hotel wins.
9. Three days is a'plenty.
10. It's a Small World After All (is still the best ride EVER!)

Our Not So Terrible Two Year Old...

... had a birthday.
... dressed up like a princess.
... ate a coconut cupcake. (Mom chose it, because it was white. Can you blame me?)
... kept on her darling new felt crown.
... screamed until she got a bite of Max's cupcake (She's two, remember?)
... gave kisses all around
... learned to shout, "It's my birthday!"
... left her dad and I a bit wistful after we tucked in our baby, who's not so much a baby anymore

Tweets and Links

I say potAto...you say potato.
I say concerto...she says "Daylight?"

To get a kick out of Kalli's latest musical obsession and her tweet about it, click here.

Then if you're wondering who the heck Matt and Kim are, click here.

(I dig her taste in music - she gets it from her dad).

Matt looks a little like Jimmy Fallon, don't you think?

And now since I'm talking Jimmy Fallon, have you ever seen the Dave Matthews GPS skit? Hilarity. Check it out here.