. . . words to live by . . .

. . . we love it when elliott wears this shirt . . .

. . . especially when he wears it with his arsenal skort . . .

. . . "fun stuff" includes

{but is not limited to}

playing with papa's large jar

of jelly bellies . . .

{the watermelon ones are long gone}

. . . and watching videos

{baby einstein, i think}

on his dad's iPhone . . .

{sometimes even during church!}

. . . and showing off his new teeth . . .

. . . at ten months old,

life is pretty much

non-stop fun stuff . . .

. . . this month is such a special one . . .

. . . happy {a week late} birthday to chris, the crazy dad . . .

{how can i have a thirty-one-year-old son-in-law?}

. . . and happy twenty-ninth birthday today

to amber, the amazing mom/daughter . . .

{i hope she gives herself a break

and doesn't run 11.5 miles again today}

. . . half-marathon training can wait . . .

. . . just take it easy for once . . .

. . . right . . .

. . . like that'll happen with these munchkins around . . .

{this officially concludes our september birthdays!}

photos via lacy rane photography

see lots more here

. . . hah . . .

. . . totally appropriate initials for

halleigh anne hansen . . .

. . . who always makes me laugh . . .

. . . hah . . .

. . . take, for instance, her yellow accessories . . .

. . . they perfectly match the yellow light

she got at school recently . . .

{the goal is to keep your light green at all times}

. . . who would have guessed that

cartwheels in the cafeteria

were such a big deal? . . .

. . . those stuffy lunch room ladies are so not fun . . .

. . . but twister and candyland

with about twenty of your closest friends

is lots of fun . . .

. . . just like halleigh . . .

. . . so are red velvet cupcakes . . .

{though i'd recommend them only for

outside birthday parties next time}

. . . happy sixth birthday

halleigh anne hansen . . .

. . . not on my "a" game . . .

. . . that's for sure . . .

. . . "the facts were these" . . .

{i miss that show, by the way}

. . . it's my month to play the organ

in good ol' hp ward . . .

{i'd love it if every month were my month ~

it's the best job in the church!}

. . . the opening hymn was announced

~ a favorite ~

#144 secret prayer . . .

. . . the intro went off without a hitch . . .

[the part marked with little brackets]

. . . continuing on . . .

. . . i played,

barbara directed,

and the congregation sang

three whole verses . . .

. . . then i stopped . . .

. . . but she didn't and they didn't . . .

. . . because, sadly, . . .

. . . there are four verses . . .

. . . i can only imagine

how my red face looked

with my aqua sweater . . .

{we did eventually sing the fourth verse}

. . . i got a sub for tomorrow . . .

. . . i'm going to another ward . . .

. . . white on white . . .

. . . perfect gift for blessing/christening day . . .

. . . 'cuz even when

your little darling

is dressed in white . . .

. . . spit happens . . .

{or worse ~ speaking from experience!}

. . . girls gone wild . . .

. . . zebras, cheetahs, and giraffes . . .

. . . oh, my! . . .

. . . available in hot and pale pink colorways . . .

. . . rise and shout . . .

. . . new to oops! . . .

. . . navy chenille . . .

{che·nille ~ etymology: french, literally, caterpillar}

. . . which i totally get ~

it really does resemble

those furry little critters . . .

. . . these probably

would have been better sellers

a couple of weeks ago . . .

. . . but ~ true blue cougar fans will snatch these up . . .

. . . even if you're still in mourning . . .

. . . hey, taylor . . .

. . . i feel your pain . . .

. . . you've probably already seen this,

but i found it rather amusing . . .

{it's customizable ~ go ahead . . . give it a try}

. . . go green 1.0 . . .

. . . let's try that with a little added punctuation . . .

. . . go, green! . . .

. . . how about this? . . .

. . . go {away} green!! . . .

{look ~ there's drew}

. . . anyhow ~ to celebrate my birthday,

my sweet children provided paint and manpower

to make the green go away . . .

. . . everyone worked hard . . .

. . . chris got appointed "superintendant" . . .

. . . he was super handy with the caulking gun . . .

. . . he tried to teach us to roll the paint on

in the shape of a "v" or a "w"

and then fill it in . . .

. . . but, amanda got a little confused . . .

. . . it's great to have young, skinny daughters . . .

. . . hop up on the counter? . . .

. . . "not a problem" . . .

. . . crawl under the desk? . . .

. . . "i'm totally on it" . . .

. . . naturally . . .

. . . shenanigans ensued . . .

. . . especially with brent . . .

. . . who took a break mid-job

to play in a basketball game . . .

. . . hence the wardrobe change . . .

. . . she moved the ladder all by herself,

but amanda's aim was a little off . . .

{nearly two times ~ check that back leg!}

. . . finally ~ about

•eight hours

•four rolls of masking tape

•three gallons of behr premium plus ultra

{in "sensible hue" ~ with a couple of drops of black added}

•three coats of paint

•three oreganos pizzas

•two pablo picasso salads

•numerous diet cokes

•dr. peppers

•minute maid lemonades

•and lots of laughs

later . . .

. . . the task was complete . . .

. . . thanks, tyler, for pointing out that

this is the end of the post . . .

. . . and huge thanks to

my girlies and their wonderful husbands

for making this happen . . .

. . . i love you all! . . .

. . . one year older . . .

. . . aging is so much more fun . . .

. . . when you celebrate with fabulous friends . . .

{even though the candles wouldn't stay lit}

. . . happy little birthday to us! . . .

. . . q&a . . .

. . . because enquiring minds want to know . . .

. . . dear bobbi: please!

NEVER use mayo and salad dressing

in the same question . . .

. . . also ~ please! NEVER use salad dressing {at all} . . .

. . . and only use best foods real mayonnaise . . .

{apologies to vicki ~ mayo was put on the earth to torture her}

. . . dear kristen: kosher salt is delightful . . .

. . . it is less salty than table salt . . .

. . . it comes in little flake-like pieces . . .

. . . i keep some in a little pinch pot on my stove . . .

. . . i feel super fancy/gourmet-ish

when i sprinkle it in my cooking . . .

. . . you can find it {usually} in the baking aisle ~

near the regular salt and ice cream/rock salt . . .

. . . try it . . .

. . . dear angie: {as i answered earlier in a comment} . . .

. . . it's a good thing we named her

amanda "joan" after mom romney . . .

. . . they are practically clones . . .

. . . and amelia "nathel" looks exactly like my mom . . .

. . . we were smart baby namers . . .

. . . thanks for noticing . . .

. . . dear bobbi: {again, as i answered earlier} . . .

. . . a z-pak is the antibiotic i was on for bronchitis . . .

. . . it has nothing to do with the fact that

my feet are large and wide! . . .

. . . dear amanda: sorry, but no . . .

. . . this goes along with my inability to

"give you {or anyone else!} a piece of my mind" . . .

. . . i have none to spare! . . .

. . . dear amber: you are my daughter . . .

. . . you should be well aware of the fact

that NOW would be way too early

to get ready for the holidays . . .

. . . what fun would christmas be

without the panic/stress/last minute rush? . . .

. . . oh, no. these are late birthday gifts . . .

. . . dear kim: apparently baby girls wear camo, too . . .

. . . i know! i couldn't believe it, either . . .

. . . yes, i fill special orders all the time . . .

. . . that's what these were . . .

. . . questions? . . .

. . . feel free to ask . . .

. . . no permit required . . .

. . . every time i make a batch of these . . .

. . . they become endangered species . . .

. . . hunting season is officially open . . .

. . . black/white/red all over . . .

. . . all packed up and ready to go . . .

. . . by custom order/special request . . .

. . . for a swanky/sophisticated baby-to-be . . .

. . . there's a couple of extras . . .

. . . so, start spreading the news . . .