Spidey & Taz

Lleyton Grey-Grey - otherwise known as a Demolition Derby, a Tasmanian Devil, a Whirling Dervish...a Havoc Wreak-er! Because of the kids-all-over-the-place mode that we're in here, Grey usually takes a nap or two on our bed. And he loves it up there! (no, he's never fallen off and can get down from it). This bed was made when he got into it...not anymore! He removes pillowcases, makes nests out of blankets and strips the sheets! All completely silently too, so I think he's asleep when I check on him, and find him destroying things! When I checked on him last week (pic taken when blogger was down), this is what I found...

Little Tasmanian Devil...he's so cute when he's sleeping though, right? :-)

And here's Spidey, showing off his web shooting skills. He loves his new toy!

Blogger Issues

Blogger has been having some widespread troubles. Seems like we are able to post now, but my posts that they removed have yet to be restored! I hope they do eventually, 'cause I can't remember what I wrote! There were a few kids quotes removed too, that I am scratching my head to try and remember. Argh. Oh well, I do have a few pics I need to get around to posting soon. Just a lazy Saturday around here, I slept in until 9 (!!!), Brian is now working, and we went shopping already and are home for naps. I am going to try and get a workout in before a party tonight. Loving the laid back "days off"!

Spiderman WOAH - Videos

The party was very fun, the kids had a blast, so that's really the important thing, right? It was special that Grandma & Grandpa B could be here for the festivities.

Highlight of the night - (Darla is involved in conversation in the livingroom, not at all aware of what B & B were doing)...Brooks was given a super soaker type of water gun. Brian, goes to the kitchen to show him how to fill it up. Brian does not believe the packagings claims that it will shoot 25 ft. So he aims it at an unsuspecting Darla from across the room...and WHAM! A powerful stream of water flies across the house and hits Darla directly in the face. Darla SCREAMS then busts out laughing, scaring Brooks almost to tears. It was very surprising (for Darla), funny (for Brian), and scary (for Brooks). At least a valuable lesson has been learned...we will not be using that gun in the house!

Grey was absolutely ecstatic about the gifts Brooks got. He seems to love Spiderman too! With each Spidey gift, he would point to Spiderman on the packaging and "woah woah woah woooow!" over it!

These are both very short clips from the birthday video. And not even focusing on the birthday boys, since this little guy was being so cute.

Cute Baby

He was being super cute and chatty, so I wanted to take a few pics, and they didn't turn out as cute as he was in real life:-)

He loves peanut butter sandwiches and was telling me all about it

His eyes are closed, but it was a nice smile anyway...

See the 3 teeth on the top? :-)

Spiderman Cake

The last cake of the year! As far as I have planned anyway!! I made my own marshmallow fondant this time, and it was super easy! However, when I was rolling it out and put it on the cake it was cracking and tearing, which I have never experienced before. I am not sure if it was the recipe or maybe I didn't do it quite right. In any case, I'd call it a half way success.

Getting ready to make that cake!!

The bottom tier - Brian's fave. Chocolate pudding and cherry filling! I put a dam of chocolate buttercream around the edge, to keep everything in place!

Top tier, red velvet & buttercream. I was inspired at the last minute to tint the buttercream blue. I think it's what Peter Parker would have wanted.

All done! Its the most lop-sided cake I've made so far...don't know how that happened with all the practice I've been getting!

one of the sides!

the other side. if you look close you can see the cracks and stuff on the corners!

All in all, it was a very cute cake, and it tasted great! Spidey would have loved it, I'm sure:-)

Thirty Two Years of You

 "...I hope you don't mind that I put down in words, how wonderful life is while you're in the world" (Your Song, Elton John)

Love you Babe! You are simply the best.

A few old pics as a trip down memory lane to celebrate Brian's birthday! This is a debut of sorts...the first time we've ever seen any pictures of Brian as a child on the blog! (We don't have any...so thank you to his Mom & Dad for scanning them in for us to use/see!)

Brian at 5 years old, with little sister Lauren

Not sure of his exact age, but he looks about 3? He's a cutie!!

I know this was one of his most memorable days! With his favourite team, the New York Mets

I see so much of our kids in him!

I see Grey in his profile!

Maybe around 9 years old here?

Sweet boy. He looks like he was really good, with those angelic eyes, but I know he was a bit of a trouble maker too!

This one was tagged with "1995"...which would make him sixteen. Haha, he's probably more like 10, tops, right?

It's us!

I wouldn't say that Brian has aged since I've known him (we met in 1998) but...in seeing these...maybe he has! Haha. Mostly, I think it's just that short hair makes him look like an 18 year old.

In 2004, right before we moved to Virginia!

He knows I love cowboys! First and only (probably ever) shot of him in a hat!

See what I mean about the hair? Somehow it makes him look more mature, and less like a teen. (Aging him significantly in just one year!) He knows I love his hair on the longer side, so he does his best to keep me happy. That boy is all about his hair. A loss of hair tragedy would rank among the worlds greatest losses I'm sure (well, to ME anyway:-).

In my brother Jared's wedding in 2005. We were expecting Kenna in just a few short months!

With the next generation of our family. I can see in these pics, that the only thing Grey got from my genes is a rounder face!

Brian is the perfect man for me. He is very intelligent, sarcastic, articulate, full of {sometimes crazy} ideas, a great Daddy & husband. He is a great listener, an exceptional friend, and can do his share of talking too. (I like to call him Chatty Cathy, when we're trying to GO somewhere, and he's still talking away!...and he calls me anti-social, lol!). He's kind and considerate, and gives of himself/his time to pretty much anyone who asks him for help. Being from an immigrant family, he has a soft spot for hardworking people, looking for a better life. He's got a lot of virtues...lots for us to be proud of!

He's a student of the Word. He does not blindly accept anything he hears. He weighs it out carefully against Scripture, not against man's theories. If it's in the Bible, he believes it, without excuse, ignoring or "wishing away" a particular thought that seems to contradict. Yet he is very patient with those who don't do the same/hold much different doctrinal views. Patient is not even the right word...basically, he accepts people for where they are in life and in their spiritual walk. There is no condemnation. He likes to see people grow and change, in a positive direction. He will be the first to acknowledge that every one always thinks they are right, and seldom is that the case, entirely. He is able to "when in Rome", without compromise (not always easy). He values a clear conscience, and is committed to showing deference and respect at great personal inconvenience. These are just some of the things I admire greatly about him.

He has wisdom and maturity that extend beyond his 32 years. He also hates high praise, so I'll shut up before he figures out how to commandeer my blog and deletes this! The end of my little birthday tribute:-) But for the record, I love you Brian! I'd rather spend 5 minutes with you than 100 years with anybody else. I'm very glad to celebrate another year of your life!

One day, riding in the car (before we were married), we were talking about how couples have "a song", and we didn't have a song. We stopped for gas as I'll Be came on the radio. We both said "I love this song". Jinx! This was it! It's our song. If only because of the pure coincidence of the whole thing:-), and the other little fact that trying to find another song that matched both of our preferred musical genres was nigh unto impossible. So it's stuck:-)

"...I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life..." (I'll Be, Edwin McCain)

DIY - Swiffer Wet Jet Refills

I love my swiffer wet jet. I find conventional floor mopping to be messy and a little time consuming. So I adore this little invention. Even though it necessitates the purchasing of the pads and the solutions. I do consider it a worthwhile investment in the on going cleanliness of my floors. I heard about this little DIY online, check it out!! It works like a charm! I've had one bottle for months now, and recently got another one from my hubby's jobsite, so I have to show you how!

Boil a little bit of water on the stove. Have your old swiffer solution bottle ready, as well as a sharp knife or scissors.
When the water is boiling, hold the cap in the hot water for 45 seconds to a minute. Then take it out of the water, and give it a good twist. (use an oven mitt perhaps, it will be hot!). The lid will pop right off.

Take your sharp knife, or scissors, and cut off all those little tabbies all the way around the cap. This will convert it to a normal twist top cap, so you only ever have to do this once! Then, rinse out your bottle, and fill with your own cleaning solution. I have hardwood and like to use water & vinegar, and my second bottle now holds water & Simple Green. I would keep the solutions liquid (like don't add baking soda or something), just so that it shoots out the sprayer nicely and won't get clogged up.

Simple. easy, and a major money saver! I've heard you can make your own pads (out of cloth), which would also save money, however, I'm not into that one. I used to have a mop system that used cloth pads, and I found it a pain to keep up with the laundry aspects of it, so I prefer the disposable for me.

Hope that helps you! Don't throw away your next few solution bottles so you can try this yourself!