Sunday, March 30, 2008

My Favorite Things {revisited}

Well I haven't done a favorite things post lately and I have a few minutes before evening church activities so I thought I'd post about my favorite restaurants. In no particular order:

1. W.W. Cousins, Louisville, KY. I love "Cousins". They have the best burgers and the best burger bar. Fudruckers doesn't even compare to this place! I particularly love their Pepper Salsa on my french fries YUM. It's been kind of a running joke with my family that every time I go there I see my high school boyfriend (probably because Tuesday night kids eat free and we both have kids), the last time I was there I didn't see John but I did run into Tim O'dea, another friend from high school.....random.....

2. The Melting Pot, anywhere. I love going to the Melting Pot. The food actually isn't that great but the ambiance and hanging out fondueing your food is a lot of fun.

3. Zaxby's, anywhere, but one of the best I've had was in Shelbyville, KY. When I was in Campus Crusade for Christ we always went to Zaxby's after our weekly "meeting". (We switched to a different restaurant later in my college career, but who's counting) I have great memories of hanging out there and I know I drive my in-laws crazy because every time we are in Bowling Green I insist that we all eat there. I particularly love their Teriyaki wings and home made potato chips, YUM!

4. Blue Willow Bistro, Scottsboro, Alabama. I love hole in the wall restaurants! This is one of those. When we spent the summer in Huntsville we heard about a great place called "The Unclaimed Baggage Outlet". It is exactly what it says, a grand warehouse full of some schmuck's old suitcase contents. Greg and I had a lot of fun digging for good deals and even made a little money selling some stuff on ebay. They had everything from jewelry, to clothes, to furniture, including bathing suits (which I actually saw people buying, BARF). Anyways, all that to say, after shopping we happened to find the Blue Willow Bistro and Antiques. The have amazing food, which includes RUM butter for your biscuits AND you can buy anything and everything in the store. We got a great deal on our dining room chairs!

5. Coastal Flats, Northern, VA. I was never much of a seafood eater (you would think with a grandmother from the outer banks that it would be in my blood, but it's just not my thing) until I ate at Coastal Flats, MAN do they know how to cook some seafood. They have a grits, country ham, shrimp dish that is to die for!

6. The Whistle Stop, Glendale, KY. I know lately the Whistle Stop has fallen on hard times, last I heard their cook was hit by a train (the irony) and a couple of months ago my Mom called to tell me it was on fire, but if they are still in business, which I believe they are, they have THE BEST Fried Chicken and Baked Apples. If you are every passing through KY on I-65 you have to stop at the Whistle Stop!


Well, now I am too tired and too hungry to think of any other restaurant favorites, but given the choice of cooking at home and eating out, I'm always, ALWAYS, ready to dine away especially if it is a one off or hole in the wall!! Any suggestions?

Saturday, March 29, 2008

I want to be here....




On that cruise, with that body back.....alas if it meant another year in Iraq, I suppose I'll just stick with what I've got......

I can't wait until summer, the pool, warm weather, no school.......

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Big News!!!

No I'm not pregnant, but I think we are far enough in the process to let everyone know that we are BUYING A HOUSE! We have casually been looking around for something and happened to stumble upon a neighborhood and a house that we love. We close on the 18th of April and should be moved out of post housing by the beginning of May!

We are so excited. Here are a few pics of our future residence:

The outside.

The living room.

The kitchen.

Monday, March 24, 2008

He is Risen Indeed....

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again." Luke 24:5b & 6.


Before the big egg hunt at our church two weekends ago.

Gabe wasn't all that in to the hunt.

Ethan on the other hand....how embarrassing.....I was so proud he ended up giving a lot away when he realized he had A TON more then the other kids.

Joel "stealing" baby food from Target.
I caught him red handed and insisted he pay.

The Easter Baskets!

Joel and Mommy....I think he looks
like a Leppert....what do you think?

The boys each got new Bibles for Easter.
They were VERY proud of them.



The boys with their crocs and their new Jibbitz from Gigi and Papa.
They love them. Thanks Gigi and Papa!
Thank you Granny and Grandpa for the
cashola....it's burning holes in their pockets!


Our "marbled eggs". The kit didn't work out quite the way I hoped.
Now I know why my Mom and Dad always got the plain ol' dye kit.


The Easter "duds".


I LOVE this picture. Isn't he a cutie!

Look at my studs! Do you know how hard it is
to get FIVE people to look ALL at once and all smile
and have their eyes open?!

MAN....what a looker!


Hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Easter. I know we did. Great hunt, great day, great food, great company (Nancy, Ryan, and Jillian) and a great reason to celebrate.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Have you ever wondered...

....what a child looks like right before he vomits?! Check out the Gabers...

...let's just say 10 minutes later we were cleaning up vomit from UNDERNEATH the sofa!! Obviously this was taken a couple of weeks ago. I'm so glad we are feeling much better AND this week is Spring Break WEEEE!!!!!!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Palm Sunday

Gabe waving his palm!

Gabe, Ethan, Sam and our new friend Cooper Bridges.

Palm Sunday - The Sunday before Easter, observed by Christians in commemoration of Jesus's entry into Jerusalem, when palm fronds were strewn before him. (definition from answers.com)

I love Palm Sunday. Even as a child I've always imagined how magical the roads must have seemed as people waved their palms in honor of Jesus. Today in church the 2 and 3 years olds walked through the church waving their palms. It was super cute and I'm so glad I keep my camera with me at all times!!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Tom Thumb

The Joelster very proud of himself!

Is this a teething toy?

My first thumb baby. I'm sure I'll regret it later but it's awfully cute now!

Friday, March 14, 2008

"I Love You to the Moon and Back"


I just took these pictures and had to post them. I played around in iphoto a little but aren't they amazingly sweet. I would kill for those lashes....did I ever tell you I put mascara on them once?!

I just turned on itunes and "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins came on, which seemed perfectly appropriate for these pictures. Here are the lyrics:

She was starin' out the window of that SUV
Complainin' sayin' I can't wait to turn 18
She said I'll make my own money and I'll make my own roots
Mama put the car in park out there in front of the school
and she kissed her head and said I was just like you

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In her one bedroom apartment and her daddy stops by
He tells her it's a nice place, she says it'll do for now
Starts talkin' about babies and buyin' a house
Daddy shakes his face and says Baby just slow down

Cuz you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times so take a good look around
You may not know it now but you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plummer workin' on the water heater,
Dogs barkin' phones ringin' one kid's cryin' one kid's screamin',
And she keeps apologizing, he says they don't bother me I got 2 babies of my own one's 36 one's 23 it's hard to believe

But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times so take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna miss this
Yeah, you're gonna miss this


Ahhhh....what a great song....I love me some good ol' country, go buy it on itunes and go kiss your babies!

The Samers


This is what I woke up to on Valentine's Day!
How sweet, especially since Greg was out of town!


This is a diorama of sorts. He meticulously set the whole thing up the night before and I was instructed to not enter the toy room until Valentine's Day morning. I especially like the tank. I'm a sucker for tankers....(wink, wink, Greg).

Sam's Valentine's Mailbox. Didn't he (we) do a great job on it? I know it's hard core, laugh all you want, but I decoupaged tissue paper onto the box, then we cut out the letters and shapes on my Cricut Machine and then put a final layer of Decoupage medium over the whole thing. Trust me I tried easier method but they did not work and honestly Decoupaging is EASY, ask my girlfriend Connie how many "Days Until Daddy Comes Home" Blackboards I've made!!


Well since I spent some time bragging on Ethan I thought today I would talk up Sam. My sweet Samers. I am so lucky to have such wonderful children. The Bible Study I spoke of yesterday had about a trillion charts to fill out that would help us understand our kiddos better. Here are some things I listed for Sam:

- Bright
- Good at math
- A thinker
- Obedient
- Great musical ear
- Good memory
- Creative
- Caregiver
- Neat
- Shares easily
- Loves learning about the Lord
- Saves his money
- Helper
- Leads the "play" around the house
- Intent on learning everything about a given subject

Sam is such a special kid. I will always treasure his little toothless grin in my heart. I can't wait to watch him grow and mature into an amazing man. I pray for all my boys daily and pray for the special woman they will one day marry.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

My Poor Baby....


The other night I walked in to find Ethan sleeping like this. This picture is actually taken in the dark with the flash on. Poor kid he fell asleep on top of the covers and was freezing. He was as tight as a little ball, trying to stay warm.

Ethan is a special gift from the Lord. He lives out loud and you rarely have to ask what's on his mind. At the moment I'm doing an amazing Bible Study called "Raising Responsive Children" by Judy Rossi. It hasn't yet been published, but will be soon and Judy is leading us through the study. What an awesome opportunity. This week we focused on our children's personalities. I was very convicted that I didn't really know my children (which the more experienced Mom's assured me was very normal in the stage of life we are in). All though a little discouraging I did start to look for all of the wonderful unique parts of each of their personalities. Fast forward that to yesterday when I was doing dishes. Ethan has just discovered a new love for drying pots and I figured why not take that love a step further to putting them away. As I continued to do dishes I could hear his grunts of frustration finally ending in an ecstatic little cheer. That sweet little boy had rearranged the pots and turned and twisted them until he had them all in their perfectly. I was so proud.

Love ya Ethan!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Sweet Lovin'


My girlfriend Nancy suggested this as a blog post. It was a lot of fun to answer and made me remember just why we fell in love. Enjoy....

How long have you been together? We met on a triple date. He was on leave from Korea and went out with my Bible Study leader. I was out with one of his friends. That was ten years ago, but we didn't start dating until December 1999, so eight years, actually together.

How long did you date? We dated 7 months before we got married.

How old is he? Greg will be 35 on Friday, baby your are OLD!!

Who eats more? Greg can definitely out eat me, except at about 30-35 weeks pregnant, then I'm eating food off of his plate :0)

Who said "I love you" first? How embarrassing....I think it was me....Super Bowl Sunday 2000.

Who is taller? Well I'm 5' 2" and he's 6', you do the math!

Who sings better? I would say me, he would probably disagree because he was an All State Tenor, I think his voiced changed since then, sorry baby....

Who is smarter? School smart is for sure me, but "street smarts" it's definitely him, so I would say he is actually smarter.

Who does the laundry? No question, me and let me tell you I do probably 25 loads a week!

Who does the dishes? I do breakfast and lunch dishes and Greg makes the kitchen SPOTLESS after dinner, I'm a lucky girl. I get to wake up to a clean kitchen AND an empty dishwasher, now that's close to heaven.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I guess that depends on if you are sitting on the bed or standing at the foot :0)

Who pays the bills? I have always payed the bills do to the nature of Greg's job.

Who mows the lawn? When Greg's around, him, unless I'm kidded out. When Greg's away I do it, when he was in Iraq we had an awesome lawn guy named Brad Boland who mowed it for me for FREE, I could have kissed him for that!

Who cooks dinner? I always cook dinner (using www.savingdinner.com). If Greg does cook his specialties are pancakes, scrambled eggs (the best in the world) and frozen pizza.

Who is more stubborn? No comment, let's just say our kids get it honest!

Who kissed who first? He definitely kissed me first.

Who asked who out? He asked me out. Our first date was to see Sleepy Hollow the Legend of the Headless Horseman, the second was the next day to a formal Army Ball.

Who proposed? Greg proposed in my dorm room on February 18, 2000.

Who is more sensitive? We are both pretty sensitive, another trait my kids get honest.

Who has more friends? Hands down me. Greg is probably more likable, but I'm a pursuer and keep up with a lot of my old friends.

Who has more siblings? My parents had a full term still born, so I suppose me....two sisters one brother. Greg has two sisters.


Friday, March 07, 2008

Curl Up and Dye

My sister and I are trying to get out of the salon hair color business. It is so expensive and who has time to go to the salon every 6-8 weeks and sit for a couple of hours?? Together we have been exploring at home options. Every time I go to Target I make the boys peruse the hair color aisle with me, they actually consider this to be a lot of fun, as they love touching all the little hair samples! (I remember doing this as a kid.....ah passing down traditions....)

On 15 February, a mere 3 weeks ago, I had my hair colored "back" to it's "natural" color. I'm not sure if that's completely accurate as I'm sure no hair color manufacturer in their right mind would come out with "Ugly Mousy Brown". Anywho, I had it colored a really pretty brown, color 5N to be exact with just a few face framing highlights. Now the colorist did warn me that the color would fade "some" but assured me it would take at least 6-8 weeks. I think that girl had been inhaling to much hair color, because my hair is fading quickly!

Which brings me back to my Target story. After spending an excruciating 15 minutes in the hair color aisle the boys were restless, the paint brush hair samples had lost their appeal and I had given up, but as I turned the corner I found the clearance color on the end cap. Have you ever noticed that Target is a little misleading with those red tags?! I'm fairly certain that I only save 10-25 cents on clearance items but I sure do snatch them up! SO long story short I stumbled upon a color glaze by Clairol.



I was excited to "boost my color and shine" in just five minutes. Perfect I thought and all this for just $5!!! Now that's a price I can live with, that is until I noticed, when I got home no less, that the silly glaze only last through SIX washes. WHAT?!! So your telling me I'm going to have to do this at least once a week?!! UGHHH.....the beauty industry has me again. My search continues....

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Still Alive

We are still alive, but still GROSS!!  I spent the day recleaning everything.  I bleached and lysoled pretty much everything I could get my hands on.

Greg is on round three of the pukies, last nights was by far the worst and landed him in the ER.  Sam threw up on Sunday night and is now running a fever.  Today was the first day Joel didn't have diarrhea after every meal (on a positive note, I finally figured out how to spell diarrhea, I'd say that's an accomplishment).  I went to school today to get Sam's homework and his teacher told me that almost half of the class is out, three vomited in class yesterday alone!! Ethan and Gabe are thankfully feeling much better.  

Pray for our little family, I'm weary of the yucks and today my van doors stopped opening and my odometer is gone, I'm not pulling my hair out yet, but I may be bald if this craziness continues.  Right now I'm just thankful the Lord has given me an extra dose of patience and a sense of humor these last two weeks.  I've managed to only have one minor melt down, which was actually this morning.

Hope to be posting new pictures soon, stay tuned!