It's Going To Be A Long One...

A long day that is! WHEW! The kids are both whiny and sick...not fun! And although it is completely NOT their fault and I feel horrible that they feel horrible, it does wear on a mom after a while, ya know? It's nothing major...just colds or allergies. After I dropped Huntler off at school yesterday Gentry and I ran errands and I noticed that her nose was a tad on the runny side, but not a big deal at all. The moment I walked into Huntler's classroom I could tell he wasn't feeling well...his nose was red and I could tell that he had been wiping it. His teacher said he had been "blowing it" all morning! Which really just means it would start to run and he would panic and grab a wad of kleenex like he does around here!! I think he used a half of a roll of toilet paper in a 30 minute time span yesterday! I finally got out a new box of kleenex and told him just one at a time...funny how there is a giant pile of barely used ones on the bathroom counter right now, isn't it?!!

But for the moment all is peaceful! Gentry is napping and Huntler is laying on my bed resting in the quiet. I am hopeful that he too will take a little nap...I know he'll feel better if he does!!

I have been busy, busy, busy around here! Working like crazy on some fun Etsy stuff and reading my camera manual every second I get!! We have had our camera almost three years now and I am FINALLY reading the manual!! And the only reason is because I want a new camera!! Seem crazy? Well, it is, but I am going to learn to shoot in manual mode so I have some control over my images!! And I will not buy a new camera until I have mastered manual, so I am trying to soak up as much as I can! I must say that there are three great girls (thanks Tonya, Lacey and Krista!!) out there that have been so kind as to share with me SO much!! I am so excited to learn something new!! The online class I am taking starts at the end of the month and I am sure that will be a great inspiration as well!!

So...can I just say thanks to all of you for your comments and suggestion on my Elmo post?! I ran some ideas by Huntler and he likes the crayon idea as of right now. So, okay, I am pretty sure I have seen crayon costumes and we can try to make that happen. I ask what color. Rainbow! Are you kidding me?! They may have crayon costumes but I am pretty darn sure none of them are rainbow!! So, I'll have to talk him out of that!

And while on the subject of talking Huntler out of things, I can't seem to talk him out of the whole train themed birthday bash! So I am doing what any good mom would do...I am giving in. So what that we have already been there and done that, we are doing it again! I must say it was really cute...I made hobo packs for the favors and everything! And as my dear friend Lisa pointed out this morning, we still lived in Kansas when we threw that party so no one from here has seen any of my ideas yet! I just like the planning aspect so much that I wanted something different, but the last thing I want is a devastated little four year old when he sees a crocodile cake instead of a train! He is really obsessed with all things Thomas, but I can't give in quite that much...just trains!! But I am sure there will be a few bits and pieces of Thomas scattered about that day!

Thanks for all of the encouragement on my Etsy shop! I am not sure if I should be happy or panicked at this point with all of you eager readers ready to see what I am creating!! I am an EXTREME perfectionist and that has been the biggest struggle for me in this whole adventure! The fact of the matter is that it is RARE to find that "perfect" item anywhere you go...hand made or store bought! I just have really high standards and expect to get quality items and of course sell them! I'll just tell you that there are little pieces of ribbon scattered all over, marabou fuzz covering my bedroom and craft area and paper slivers galore! And I can't forget to mention the shirt I ruined with my trusty bottle of Mod Podge!! 

So what's a post without a few pictures?! These are from our California trip! I finally managed to get through them! If you remember the 17,000 pics I had to sort through a few months ago, you will understand why I haven't loaded anymore onto the computer yet! I have to delete all of the non-keepers from this batch before I go adding even more!!

Anyway, I just did all that this morning while the kids were still in bed and I edited a few while I was at it...

Look out Disneyland, here we come!! When we got our car a couple of years ago, a DVD player was a MUST! When you drive back and forth to Kansas a couple of times a year (15+ hours drive time each way), you gotta have some entertainment!! Gentry has worn her headphones for as long as I can remember! She doesn't always leave them on for long, but she insists upon having them!! And Huntler? He is a pro at getting them on and off! He does so good traveling that we hardly know he is even back there!!

Now this one was a TOTAL accident but I love the feel of it!! His hand was obviously not supposed to be the main focus, but bumping along on this little train ride we were on, it ended up in focus! I actually deleted it right off the bat, but then drug it out of the trash and looked at it more! I think it is kinda fun!! Anyway, see his expression?! He was SO excited!! My favorite part of that entire day was seeing the joy and the magic through the kids' eyes!!

Here is Gentry on the Alice in Wonderland ride. Although she looks bored, she was just really tired!! The "Happiest Place on Earth" can do that to a kid in nothing flat!!

See? I'm telling ya! Here she is with grandma on the carousel!!

Ahhh Huntler. I took this one while Chris and his mom were on a ride with Gentry. We were in Toon Town and the loud sounds of this little house were about to send him over the edge! 

The VERY first ride we went on was some scary Buzz Lightyear ride. If you've been there, you know what I am talking about! It is loud, dark and you spin around in these little cars and shoot at things. I had Gentry and Chris had Huntler. Gentry and I were good to go...we didn't shoot at anything, but we spun our car and had fun! Chris on the other hand spent the entire ride (and it seemed like the longest ride in the whole theme park!!) comforting a hysterical Huntler. The entire time he cried and held his hands over his ears, just as in this picture. He is EXTREMELY sensitive to noise and the combination of the dark with the noise was NOT a good one! Once we got him out and into the daylight he cried and said over and over again, "I don't wike Disneywand. I want to go home." Not good...not good at all. So we got drinks and calmed down and I talked him into the teacups! And let me just say that we all LOVED the teacups!! (I took a double dose of motion sickness medicine that morning so I could get through these rides in one piece!!)

And on that note I am off! Huntler is NOT napping but instead has some Thomas flashcards that he keeps shoving in my face...I am off to play!! Chris has to work some this weekend and I have LOADS of stuff to do, so I am taking a blogging break until Monday! By the way, if I owe you an e-mail...I will be replying over the weekend! I have gotten REALLY far behind!! Anyway, if you need your blogging fix, check out some of my links on the sidebar! There are TONS of great ones over there!

(I added a new song...Remember When by LeAnn Rimes. They played it after the AMAZING fireworks show at Disneyland and I LOVE it!! Listen to the words...I bet you will love it too!!)