Dear Dave,

Happy Birthday, my darling!

You are,

Hot

Caring

A great friend

Handy

Tall

Loving

A fabulous father

Really hot

A good driver

Hairy

A very hard worker

Devoted husband

Good at mowing perfect lines in our yard

Strong

An amazing drummer (and a good singer, I promise!)

Able to eat large quantities of food in a very short amount of time - impressive!

Punctual

A great golfer!

The love of my life

Etc.

Hallie and I love you like crazy.

Love,

Your wife.

Final Lesson.

Hallie's final swim lesson for the season was last night. She has taken 16 lessons and has loved 13.5 of them. She can now hold her breath for a crazy long time, climb a pole to the bottom of the pool, swim without a swim belt front crawl, swim on her back and all-around enjoy the water.

These swim lessons have been the best thing for her this summer, and we will certain continue them. I think they are so important for kids to take and continue to take! Especially when you live within a stone's throw to a pond. Important.

We will miss Nancy, who ended up being super nice and good with the kids - despite a very rocky start. I'm glad we stuck with it. Because we almost didn't. I mean, like, I really almost pulled her.

So i'm glad we didn't.

Pregnant.

NOT ME. Fooled you though!

The one on the left, Alison Brown Hannon Troutwine. She gorgeous, funny, caring and due in January.

Congratulations, Al!!!!! (hope it's okay I put this on my blog).

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

In other news, look how awesome this picture is. Taken on Spring Break 2000, South Padre Island.

Kendra, remember that time we got really mad at Alison, because really she was so nice and pretty? What was that all about?

Alison, remember that time we got in the back of that pickup truck with guys we didn't know and went to that random camp ground? How stupid was that?

And Keri (uhhh), remember that time that random guy you were dancing with paid $30 to let you do the bungee cord thing? Sweet. And that top - ahhh...what were you thinking?

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

I love looking at this picture. Left is pregnant, middle has two boys and I have a daughter.

My  how time has flown.

There.

There you go, Aunt Liz.

Now you can "tire" of seeing your awesome hair and eyebrows, sweet gold hoops and awesome red hawaiian shirt. (Ten bucks says I get an email about the history of that shirt and/or earrings and how you loved it and looked fabulous in it.)

I will sit here and admire my giant teeth, nose and freckles. Oh and my swimsuit.

Filler.

I've got nothing today, but the Monday blues. I certainly wish I could fast-forward to Thursday night.

Dave is finally home, so we have some family fun time time planned for tonight.

Okay, not really. We have swim lessons and that's about it. But it will be nice to just be together. He's been gone since Wednesday and it's never the same when he's gone.

Happening Right Now.

I have been staring at these primed doors for two years now.

Today, they are finally being painted! Thank you mother-in-law!!

Why I Shouldn't Go to Auctions.

Apparently I can't back down. Hmm. I'm thinking this applies to most areas of my life.

Last night there was an auction held just down the street from my house. I thought it might be fun to take Hallie and just see what they had.

Things I am always looking for: vintage Pyrex or Fireking.

Things they had: vintage Pyrex.

They also had an antique's dealer who was after the same two gorgeous yellow and blue pyrex that I was. And I'm nothing if not competitive.

I won.

I also got a vintage Fisher Price Little People's Garage Thing for $1. One dollar!

Fail.

No-Fail Pie Crust, my left foot.

Doesn't Hallie look like she's working really hard?

The pie crust recipe was pretty easy, but not so easy to transfer to the baking dish. In fact, I basically pieced it together, cursing (inwardly) the entire time.

It tasted delish, especially after dusting the top lightly with cinnamon and sugar. YUM.

I love fresh peaches. I, however, do not love Crisco. GROSS. And good grief so much goes into a pie crust!! Who knew?!

Well Done, Devlins, Well Done.

You seem to have a knack for picking out the perfect dresses, Sarah. She put it on and refused to take it off.

The pink mailing package was a nice touch, too.

And the Tinkerbelle card.

All around, well done.

A Good Reminder.

It's days like today that I need a good reminder of just how good life can be.

This helps.

So does this.

Aaaannnd, this (although that poor tomato almost became sauce).

Who cares if things aren't happening as quickly as I would like? No biggie, right? Right.

I'm happy where I'm at. Right.

Stupidity in A Series of Photos.

That's about 1,500 gallons of freezing cold water right there.

PS - I love you Bob!

Misc.

I found a few more pictures I wanted to post.

Post nap, watching Dave and Dylan brave the freezing waters of the freshly-filled pool.

I look like an old lady, but I also think I look like Grandma Chronister.

Two pieces! Peace!

More about Dylan and Bob tomorrow.

The Grand Finale.

Everyone had left by the time Hallie woke up from her (much needed) nap. We had gobs of leftovers, so we invited a few friends over to eat and let the kiddos play.

It was the best part of the day.

My dad bought Hal a pool for her birthday, and it's just a perfect size. The girls donned matching swimsuits and floated, splashed and played for quite awhile. Not a single fit was thrown, even after more friends and kiddos showed up.

It's always a great evening when the kids don't fight, and the adults can visit. We have great friends.

Pressure.

When will I learn?

What will it do before I figure out that my daughter does not enjoy big crowds of people all focused on her?

Please do not let me forget, because the party was half of a disaster. There was a lot of crying, including the moment I turned the corner with candles lit, and everyone started to sing "Happy Birthday to you..."

WAAAAAH!!!

Not good.

However, the presents were much enjoyed. (do you see Dave's giant feet?)

It was still awesome seeing family.

And other than the Balloon Incident of 2010, Hallie and Kenz had a blast.

And Hallie loved the "pupcakes" with extra, extra sprinkles.

And in the end, that's all that matters.

 

Gonna Party Right Down to the Wiiiiiire!

At the bonfire Morgan County Fair!

Jacksonville surely knows how to put on a great county fair. And Craig Morgan puts on a great show - thanks to the fabulous sound equipment from Mason Sound - oh yeah, baby.

And that means Dave was in town for the whole weekend, just a few miles away! We were able to meet him on Saturday and ride some rides - okay, Dave and Hallie did most of the riding. The spinning ones make me puke anymore. They had a blast on the Tilt-O-Whirl, Scrambler and something else that spun.

I rode the dragon rollercoaster twice with the blonde and Grandma Bev braved the airplanes. It was a blast.

After a refreshingly airconditioned-meal at Pizza Hut, we dropped off The Grandma and headed to the concert that night.

Hallie was the belle of the ball and made friends with the crew. She even scored a guitar pick. I think I have a budding groupie on my hands. At one point during the show, he brought two tramps women up on stage and sang to them. Hallie wanted to go up there so badly, so Dave said she could when she was five.

Awesome.

Dear Dave,

We swam without you last night. Hallie had a blast saving "Emily" from the "mobster" (lobster) and splashing around. We miss you dearly, but do not miss how bad you smelled the other night.

After all, mommy is the rudiest, but you are certainly the tootiest.

Love,

Your Girls.

PS - I would rather have you home, even if you smelled bad and keep me up at night. No kidding.

I Survived.

Barely.

It was a long weekend. Very fun, but very long. I'm so glad I took Monday off to recover. It was a day of nothing, but ended up being very funny.

Here is Hal eating a snack before bed on her birthday.

Here is Hal two minutes later, after spilling water all over her jammies.

I will post pictures of the birthday weekend tomorrow, starting with the super-size Morgan County Fair. It was a blast, and for sure one of the highlights of the weekend!

Check!

I am checking #1 off my list! (and #9!)

I totally cheated and changed #9. But it's my list and I do what I want!

My 30 Before 30


1. Successfully grow a garden (that one is going great!)

2. Purchase new drinking glasses (white polka dot from Target - love)

3. Sew a quilt

4. Print all past pictures since Hallie was born (making progress!)

5. Put #4 into albums.

6. Learn to play "Dawn" (from Pride and Prejudice) on the piano.

7. Re-size my super-cute moo-moo.

8. Get (and stay) pregnant (no pressure, right?).

9. Get my ears pieced!

10. Take a tour of Woodlawn Farm.

11. Give up soda.(I am actually making progress with this.)

12. Visit Kurt in Colorado. (november!!!)

13. Find and buy black and white striped cushions for porch swing/rockers. I changed my mind.

14. Eat hibatchi with Dave.

15. Go on a job with Dave. In the semi. (we leave August 1st!)

16. Lose 5 pounds. (changed from 10 to 5...let's be realistic)

17. Organize under the kitchen sink.

18. Take a trip with Hallie and Dave. (St. Louis - to the City Museum, Brewery and Neil!)

19. Hang up plate wall in dining room.

20. Make cinnamon rolls from scratch.

21. Buy nightstands for the master bedroom.

22. Buy lamps for the master bedroom.

23. Make a headboard for the master bedroom.

24. Have new windows installed in the house. Blah.

25. Host an outdoor movie night.

26. Host a bonfire.

27. Sew curtains for the laundry room.

28. Pay off sound loan.

29. Pay off my car loan.

30. Host a fish fry.

Happy Birthday, Hallie!

You can read her birth story here.

I can't believe she is four. It sounds so old.

Hallie, you are beautiful, funny, sensitive and caring. You make people laugh whether you want them to or not (usually not) and you charm people with your precious voice. You are a mama's girl, but love playing with your daddy, and secretly love when he torments you. You still sleep with Purple Baby and your Special Pillow and love, love, love to have your back scratched (on the itchy spots!).

On that stormy day four years ago, I knew our lives were changing forever. But I never knew how much you would bless our lives. Your daddy and I love you so much! Happy birthday!

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Birthday Comparison.

Every year we celebrate Hallie's birthday with my mom at the Lake of the Ozarks. It's full of swimming, boating, food, dogs and fun! Her step-cousin Vinnie has a birthday July 3rd and it's so fun to see the two tow-heads blow out candles together. The three kids get along so well and have a blast together. It's always sad when we have to leave.

2009

2010

2008

2010

2008

2009

2010