happy happy 2012

i am not really a resolution girl but what i am going to live by this year is.
do what makes you HAPPIEST!
do more of what you love.
if it makes you happy why not do more of it?
more playing games with the kids. (more UNO MOO)
more ice skating in our driveway!
movie nights!
more scrapbooking.
expanding pLum! bigger and better.
more nights out with my girlfriends.
more date nights. (just me and my hubby)
more play dates.

we (as in I) tend to care sometimes what others think or what they would say. does it really matter if i am ok with the action and the result? by no means does this mean i want to hurt people along the way. but sometimes life takes us on a path that we did not expect. making new friends, losing a good friend, changing jobs, moving houses, cities or states. life happens. we have to make the best of what is thrown at us! it is not always fun or does it always make us happy! but we are the ones that need to make US HAPPY! other people do not have to change-we have to change!

(saw someone say on FB today) As we grow up, we realize its less important to have lots of friends
but more important to have real friends!

i love changing things in the house. lots more to do. but it is a start!
love the new kitchen preslee got from nana and papa for christmas! got it all painted and put in the play room today. thanks to grandpa who stopped by to say hello!

i love the king of queens. it is one of the those shows i could watch it over and over and over all day long. this and law and order SVU! pretty women still gives me goose bumps at then end
now matter how many times i watch it! PJ had the flu. dillon had another ear infection. we have been at the clinic and ER more lately than we ever have! words with friends. what a crazy addiction! i am

getting published again! a mini album! i am oh so EXCITED!
now i just need to get it in the mail this week. (with a supply list! YIKES) was outside today barefoot. spray painted in the yard. jan 10th 2012. no snow.
and the sun is out and shining!!
i heard tomorrow will be a change! not ready for that.

watching PARENTHOOD. listening to dillon sing the ABC's in the monitor. and drive his monster trucks! i went up stairs to get some water and heard him running saying " sorry mommy" " sorry mommy" "i will get in my bed myself". i normally would pretend i did not see him but when i heard him saying that i followed him to his room. told him he did not need to be so sorry but he did need to go to bed. then he asked me to lay with him. so i did. and here we are again 20 minutes later! he is growing up way to fast! i need all of those moments i can get!
he is always saying. what is that name? what does that do? and as adults we think we know the answers until we start getting asked the questions. they are getting harder and harder each day. today he asked me why there were lights out in the field. i told him they were the airport lights. he then of course asked why? so i went in to a long story about the lights... why they need them..how the airplanes use them and how long the runway is. he then responded with "they need lights to go on when it is dark mommy so they can see" i said 'yes" and he said "ok". so long story short i could have said the lights are on bc it is dark and he would have been satisfied!

what we have been up to?
Riley was here to stay for a couple of days while grandma and grandpa were in TEXAS at the NDSU national championship football game! this is the only time you will ever hear me say GO BISON! they won and they had a great time! we did too with Riley!
open gym @ the ECFE!
snowman making. i know i know not even as tall as preslee--but that is all we could get!
playing with friends!
art projects!
lots of good napping!
preslee getting some FACEBOOK and PINTEREST time in!
dress up!
time @ the pet store! it is oh so hard not to leave with a puppy!
happy new YEAR! dillon got to ring in the new year with us this year!






xoxoxo
hugs
mb

home sweet home

tis the season'
we had a wonderful Christmas with our families!
we are so blessed!
and overwhelmed with new toys!!!!!
we had a fun family christmas on xmas eve morning. we opened presents. and then played played played! dillon was so into it this year. all he wanted and could talk about for the last couple of months was getting steel bins and a big bulldozer. santa came through at the last minute with a big bulldozer! thank goodness for last minute shopping on his part! preslee loved everything. the paper, the boxes and the presents too. dillon now had a fully working farm. between that and the new train set he is busy all day long. he takes breaks to play basketball, monster trucks and do some cooking... but then back to the basics. trains and tractors.
preslee wants to do anything d is doing. that is not the easiest thing for dillon to understand. not to into sharing yet. pres loves to grab things and run. (she even giggles as she runs away) and now that she can run i am a bit worried about her getting tackled.
drew is constantly saying we need to discuss where everything is going to go........
thanks to both of our families for the wonderful food and company!
it sure is not the same without the snow, snow forts, sledding and the snow ball fights!
we made the best of it. seems wrong though.

now i am baking buns. a little late for my liking... almost done and then i have to let them cool too.... yikes i am going to be up way later than i want to be!

one of my scrapbook pages that was published in a magazine was pinned on PINTEREST. that made my day! (pinned by someone i do not know)

it is 10:25 and dillon is still up. he did have a 3.5 hour nap... so i knew this would happen. put him in bed @ 9:20. he got up to say goodnight to his trains, because he is a big boy, to tell me he loves me to the moon and back, because there are monsters in his bed....... he better be staying put for good now.

all of the laundry in the whole house in done... folded... put away or in the dryer! wow does that feel good. sheets washed. toys put away. closets cleaned. lots of it going to the garbage! YIPEE so excited to start decluttering the closets. some of the stuff has been stashed there since we moved here 5 years ago. if we have not looked for it, wanted to use it or wear it. we do NOT NEED IT!
simplify simplify simplify!

drew took a couple of days off to stay home with us. we did some fishing. sledding in the yard.
and lots of play time @ home. so fun to have us all home together with no big plans at all!
drew is off to the lake of the woods tomorrow night with some friends to do some fishing!
hope they are lucky! or skilled.




love the snapshots of daily life.
xoxoxoxox

realxing

kids in bed.
drew at curling.
me catching up on all of my smutty tv. real housewives of BH.
we spent a couple of days snuggling our newest family member MAX this week.
he is such a great baby. the chaos of all of us around him did not bother him a bit!!!
i love the time we can all spend together. the kids love playing and being together.
tonight we went to see SANTA and his band on the CANADIAN PACIFIC railway!
so crazy it was raining on Dec 14th! we had fun!
no snow in sight. yes that is craziness for MN this time of year. i am asking santa for snow for CHRISTMAS over and over.
it just would not be the same with no snow and crazy fun sledding at the farm!
preslee is really on the move now. her ears are all better and she is a WALKER!
love watching her walk all over!

(dillon with one of his girl friends who took him on a dinner and movie date and brought him a coon skin cap to wear! love it)

good night
xoxoxoxoxoxooxox

playing catch up

these make me smile!
love the days.. or moments when everyone is happy, smiley, laughing, healthy and playing together!
these make me realize the days that we are having right now being sick and crabby. and getting so sleep. it is all worth it for the days like these.

********love love love**********

recap.
1. thanksgiving. mirror family picture! best and only one we got all day!
2. the kids hating on santa. dillon did decide to tell him he wants a bulldozer and steel bins but it was not easy!
3. as you can see preslee enjoyed santa and mrs claus too!
4. we have a walker!
5. just makes me smile looking at that cute face!


preslee was also SUPER EXCITED for all of the black friday deals in the paper!
she could hardly contain her excitement!
someday we will be going out @ midnight -5am together!!!!

in even more exciting news!!!!

we have a new nephew! Max Richard Birdwell was born this afternoon @ 12:31.
He is perfect in every way and a big boy. 8lbs 15oz. i am oh so excited to get my hands on him! sadly i have to wait until monday. 5 days......i can do it right!??!?! i am itching to get on the road right now. but with two sick kids and no where for them to go... i better stay put and go next week! can not wait to see my sister again and her beautiful family of 5+1=6!

other news.
miss pj is walking. well i should say she can walk. but does she?!?!
not very often. she still thinks crawling is still faster!
she changed from our sweet and sassy little girl to a fiery redhead overnight!
(but went to the doctor and we have two kids with double ear infections again)
so maybe it is the sickness again or maybe she is this feisty. only time will tell i guess.


************she may be a bit feisty. but she sure is cute!***********

1. the kids with their cousin jack. and soon we will have another cousin.
auntie jj is expecting in april!!!
2. last week we spent 6 days in mnpls @ the birdwells. so fun to be there with them. we celebrated chases 3rd birthday (pirates). shopped. played games. had a "sprinkle" for mandy. lots of scrabble. nana and papa were there too. the kids have so much fun together. dillon was for sure not ready to come home! we are excited to go back and play again next week!

***************************
so excited for Christmas and for once we are almost done shopping. and as in we i mean me. i do all of the shopping.... and wrapping. but i would not have it any other way. i love shopping. and even though it is getting way more expensive to buy for kids of the family.. and harder when they are older. it is still exciting and fun for me!

love how much dillons loves to farm. he could farm all day.
we can never have enough trucks, tractors, bails and animals.
we also have a little bit of monster truck love too bc of his cousins.
we even have ramps that papa built us.
today he "the farmer" was feeding his cows the hay he bailed! he plays so quietly and intently. he loves to read his books about farming and how all of the machines work!
preslee loves anything dillon loves with the addition of babies! it really is amazing how kids are wired. we walk through the aisles at the store and dillon is yelling "i want that truck" and preslee is repeating "baby baby baby" over and over again!

lets hope the kids are sleeping now for the night.
poor preslee just keeps coughing and coughing!!! poor girl.
now.
some time for some sewing now and the show REVENGE!
is it bad that i ate a whole bag of frosted animal crackers today?!?!?! it got me through.
but now i do not have any for tomorrow. hope the kids are feeling better!

***************************

I may not be anything to you but I am everything to my two amazing kids.