4 kids and I didn’t even have to change a dirty diaper

Chuck surprised my sister for their anniversary by bringing her and the kids up to my house for the night so I could babysit while they had an evening out. What he may not have known was he was giving me a gift as well! It was my pleasure to watch the two boys. And then, Kevin and Jenn brought Mia and Sadie over! I was in heaven. While Caleb slept, Cai and Mia and Sadie played with the adults.  I had no idea Kevin was capturing everything with video, but he did that and put some cool music to it. You can see it here! If you wonder why I’m wrapping my hands around Mia’s head midway through, it was because I was giving her a makeover! Also, at 2:50-ish, you can see Sadie blow a bubble right into my forehead. Adorable. Also, we were “playing football” at the beginning, which is why my big butt is right in the frame ..

Also, if you’re curious about the makeover results, here they are:

She actually wanted one beauty mark “on each side” but I told her she could only have one. :)

And here are a couple of other photos of the kids together:

He was so excited and surprised every time we blew bubbles!

Enjoying a dinner around the table. I love it when my home is full!

I didn’t get any photos of Caleb because when I was holding him my hands were full! But he is absolutely adorable.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about the diapers, that was the advantage of having the kids’ parents around! And when Cai had a dirty diaper I suckered Kevin into changing it since they are both boys. I figured if I’ve been told that (by Jeff) about the girls, then it works in the reverse, right?

Even better than backpacking

So, my meeting with Caleb didn’t go as I had planned it to. In fact, I had been scheduled to be at my sister’s on March 1. Which meant I would have been there when Caleb arrived on March 3. But my little stint in the hospital changed those plans. And as I spent time [...]

Top-secret assignments, trips to DC and my in-laws are cool

This post is random (advanced warning). I had a dream last night that I was being secretly recruited by the FBI for an assignment of which I had no knowledge of but if I told anyone I would wind up dead. Also being recruited was an exboyfriend who is notoriously untrustworthy so why I would [...]

Life is a gift. Use it or lose it …

So, I’m a little late on the the whole “look back/look ahead” post that comes at the end of the year, but I was too busy celebrating the holidays to take the time to sit down and think about it! So, better late than never, right? Last year I wrote about some thoughts on 2008, [...]

I did it. What’s next?

I am a half-marathoner. I did it. And I can honestly say it could not have gone any better. The weather was absolutely perfect (overcast and rainy, around 60 degrees) for the Spinx Runfest Half Marathon in Greenville, SC. My clothes were perfect, nothing was rubbing or hurting or cutting or annoying. The new race [...]

I am getting stronger

I am near the end of week 7 of marathon training, and I haven’t been writing too much about how the training itself is going. Why is that? Well, because it seems as if marathon training is easier than my running schedule was prior to this. The week before training began I ran 47 miles. [...]

Help me be clever

Kevin, Jenny, Chuck and I are talking about running the 2010 Cooper River Bridge Run together. This is so special to me as I have fond memories of my first and only bridge run, with Jenny, in 2008. (Want to see how far Kevin has come? Check out his comment on that post!) I’m going [...]

modern. original. design.

Had the opportunity to update the ad for Melissa Oyler Designs for the September edition of  Natural Awakenings Magazine (which I also do layout/design for). Check it out – what do you think?

Great photos, fun design, sweet baby

Ingredients for the perfect birth announcements: An adorable baby, modern, hip parents, and a great photographer. Check out the announcements I designed for my new nephew – the blanket he is sleeping on is his dad’s baby blanket – how cute is that?

Enjoy family, buy local, and sidewalks are there for a reason.

I’ve been in Greenville, S.C., for the past two weeks – as you probably know, my sister had her baby on July 31 and I’m here to get to know him, help her and her husband out, and enjoy some quality time with family. I’m staying at my aunt’s house – 2.5 miles away from [...]