The Tale of Two Bunnies

Santa brought Laila a bunny (the one on the right) for christmas and she has given it shall we say  "A lot of Laila Love".  Poor bunny has been pretty much ripped apart but she took it everywhere with her.  I figured I better try to replace it before it was to late to get another one.  

Bunny v.2 arrived last week and to my relief she took to that one like she did Bunny v.1.

Show us where you live Friday - "Kids Rooms" Edition

"Show us where you live Friday - Kid's Room Edition"

Hosted by Kelly over at   Kelly's Korner 

This the 5th week of this great "Tour of homes"  - Seriously, what will we do when we run out of rooms.  I loved looking at everyone's lovely dining rooms last week and I'm really excited to peek at all your kids rooms.  

We did our son, Hayden's room a few years back in a Thomas the Train theme and surprised him with it when he returned from his grandparents place on summer vacation.  He loved it so much then but now I'm starting to hear quiet rumblings that Thomas may be on the way out but I'm not sure what he expects it to be replaced with.

But he will need to wait until at least next year as we are going to embark on decorating Laila's room this summer.  As you will see in the pictures her room is lacking in the decorating department but honestly she only sleeps in there now so it fits the bill.  I'm still trying to decide what the theme will be for her so I will love to see what other mommy's have done for their little girls.

Both rooms are great sizes with hmmm...you guessed it "built-ins"  - while they are nice it has been a bit challenging trying to place furniture in the rooms.  I know as the kids get older the bookcases and desks will be great but for now it's been a little awarkard.  They both have nice walk-in closest which makes it great for clothes organization.

Here's a few pictures of each room..  Enjoy !!

Hayden's Room.....

I love Hayden's bed because we bought the trundle for underneath.  

It will be great when he starts to have friends stay over.

A view of the walk-in closet and the entrance to his room.

A view from the door.

The "built-in" bookcases and desk with the walk-in closet to the right.

Laila's Room....

A view from the entrance - One of my most favorite things in her room is the super cozy glider rocker.  I have spend may hours rocking both babies in that chair.

My other favorite thing is her crib which was actually Hayden's when he was a baby.

The change table that we will converted into a chest of drawers this summer.

A quick view of her "walk-in" closet.  

Mommy has a small shopping problem but gosh little girl clothes are just to darn cute.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well that's a quick look at my kid's rooms and I thank you for stopping by !

If you want to see more great kids room stop by Kelly's Korner.

Orange Chicken Rice Bowl

I made this stir-fry for supper last night from Kraft Canada and it was a hit for every member of the family.  It's super easy to make and the leftovers tasted even better today.

What you will need:

1 lb (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/4 cup Kraft Signature Asian Sesame Dressing

1/4 cup orange juice

3 cups of frozen stir-fry veggies ( I used fresh carrots, red onions, peas and red pepper)

3 cups of hot cooked long grain rice

1/4 chopped nuts (I used cashews)

How to make it:

Heat large nonstick skillet on med-high heat.  Add chicken,  stir-fry for 6 minutes or until cooked through.

Stir in dressing and juice.  Bring to a boil.  Add veggies; cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through, stir constantly.  

Note : Because I used fresh carrots I put them in the skillet with a little EVO before cooking the chicken to soften them up - just remove before adding chicken.

Remove from heat and serve over rice then sprinkle with nuts.

Another weekend over...

Really I think weekends should be 5  days because seriously when you own a home and have kids there is never enough time to get everything done in 2 days.

Although tempted I resisted watching the Jon & Kate + 8 marathon this weekend on TLC.  Honestly, why would I want to watch that train wreck all over again.  But I'm sure I will be tuned in like millions tonight to watch them "face each other" for the first time.  What is wrong with these people....I personally think the only thing that makes her mad is he got caught.  It is a "big money" train for Kate and my  feeling is the train is comin' to a stop very soon.  No more personal appearances all over the country and no more $20 autographs.  I ask the question also why she needs a bodyguard - I guess those fans at the church speaking engagements are a rowdy bunch !  I swore I wasn't even going to discuss this on this blog but I just couldn't resist any longer.

So I'm wondering how many calls to HealthLink regarding Laila have to be made before a "red" flag is raised and Social Services stops by to investigate.  (I kid really !!)  But seriously, this child is like a walking accident but this probably has something to do with the fact she goes about 100 km/hour at everything she does.  

Our latest incident occurred on Friday evening.... the kids had just had baths and were freshly dressed in pj's.  With the intention of them  heading to bed in 5 minutes.  Hayden came running back in from his room and she was running out of our bathroom.  They hit "head on" with her of course taking the brunt of the hit.  She fell backwards and hit the back of her head on the corner of the baseboard.  She started screaming which to me is always a good sign and within seconds there was a huge goose egg on the back of her head with a cut about 1.5 inch long.

We called HealthLink and after speaking with the nurse figured Laila would be fine at home. She said we should just check her hourly for the next 6 hours.  She was fine in the morning and the bump was gone.  But seriously, this is the 4th call in the last few months with an ambulance ride thrown in for good measure.  She is so different then Hayden who was calm and relaxed but  little miss daredevil certainly keeps us on our toes.

I went to one of the local nurseries on Saturday and picked up a few bedding plants for my outdoor pots and apparently everyone else in Calgary decided to the do the same thing.  I have never seen that place so busy but seriously this was the first weekend that I would have considered it safe to plant anything.  The landscapers are coming tomorrow to power rake and  air raid our lawns then our sprinklers are being turned on Wednesday.  Summer makes me so happy but with the way our weather has been I'm sure it will be over way too soon !!

Hubby surprised me on Sunday by getting up super early and cleaning my van.  With two kids and spending as much time as I do it in you might think we were homeless and living out of it.  It seriously needed a good cleaning and it so pretty now.  Let's see how long we can keep it like that.  Thanks my beloved for the wonderful surprise.

We had a great BBQ with some friends last night and just hung out with them for a few hours.  Then poof it was Monday morning again.  Faruq is in Fort McMurray for the day and not back until 7:30 tonight which is long day for him because he leaves on the Corporate jet at 5:00 am.

It's going to be almost 20 here again today so I think Laila and I maybe having a little picnic in the backyard this afternoon after Hayden goes to school.

Get out and enjoy this lovely day - Happy Memorial Day to all my american buddies !!!

Chow for now....

Friday means family...

As soon as daddy gets home from work we are heading out to get haircuts (we all need them desperately) then maybe pick up some supper.

The plan is to then rent "Night at the Museum" because Hayden would really like to go see the sequel that is coming out (I think today).

I finally got the monkey bars that have been backordered from Toys R Us yesterday so that's on the agenda to put them together.  

We have swimming tomorrow morning then a quick trip to the farmer's market afterwards for next week's fruit and veggies.

I may try to head to my favorite nursery to look for a few bedding plants....gosh I hope it's safe to plant them now.  Although we just had snow last week !

No other real plans though and that's just the way we like it on the weekends !

I hope all my american friends have a nice Memorial Day on Monday.

~ Chow for now ~

Michelle

Show us where you live Friday - "Dining Room" Edition

"Show us where you live Friday - Dining Room Edition"

Hosted by Kelly over at   Kelly's Korner 

This is the 4th week of the great "tour of homes"  -  Last week it was so cool looking at everyone's guest rooms.  Thank you for the wonderful comments on our not so conventional guest room.  We love the space and put a lot of planning into it.

This week we are going to tour "Dining" Rooms and while I have a beautiful space that is designed for that purpose it's not being used for dining.

I do have a dream of what the space will look like in 10 years (if I'm lucky) but for right now it is being used by the smallest members of our family.  Honestly, when we viewed the home for the first time this is exactly what I envisioned for it so it fits perfectly.

It is ideally situated right off the kitchen and just across the hall from my office so it was perfect for a playroom.  It has big bright windows and lots of space.  It's fun being in the space and the kids love it.

Here is what my dream dining room will look like in a few years...

But for now this is what it looks like and I'm perfectly fine with that .  :}

The area for the hutch fits the IKEA Expedia bookcase perfectly !  As well, I picked up the little chair from there and it's great for the kids to snuggle into while reading books.

A view from the kitchen.  I just picked up a remnant from one of the carpet stores for the floor.  We have tried those foam tiles but they are a pain to keep clean underneath.

Laila's little kitchen and chairs/table.  

I picked up the kitchen last Christmas at Costco !  I knew she was a little young but I loved the fact that it was all wood.  She does play with it a lot now.

I have set up another area for them to sit and read in front of the windows.

The last time I went to IKEA (seriously most everything came from there) I snagged some great inexpensive picture frames in primary colors that we have placed throughout the room.  We still need to hang a few of the larger ones but really there isn't much else left to do.

Thanks for having a peek! 

If you want to see more great dining rooms stop by Kelly's Korner !

If you own a 6 yr old you must read this....

I love, love, love Alice over at Finslippy !  I find her very funny and her writing is so witty. But today I read a blog post that really she could have been hiding in one of my kitchen cupboard writing about my relationship with my nearly 6 year old little monster (I mean angel) !

You really must stop  by and read this post about her 6 1/2 year old son.

Thanks for the morning chuckle Alice !!

Wordless Wednesday - May 20th

Laila's got some new wheels !

(It comes with all the bells and whistles but sadly no on/off switch)

Crazy Afternoon !

Well it's been a bit of a crazy afternoon for us actually it's just been downright scary.  A few months back I wrote about Laila spiking a temp and ending up with seizures then a trip to the hospital via ambulance.  Today we put her down for her nap at 1:15 and when she didn't wake by 5:30 I went to see what was up.

When I entered her room I knew there was a problem because she usually wakes immediately when someone enters.  I found her in a the corner of her crib somewhat non-response when I tried to wake her.  She was very warm and was sweating terribly.  I have to say I was pretty calm because of what had happened the last time. (Of course, Faruq had gone to the grocery store when this happened - I kid because he was out of town with Hayden during her last episode)

When I lifted her out of the crib she  started crying which to me was a very good sign.  I brought her downstairs and took her temp which was reading 101.5 !! She was trying to vomit but the poor peanut had nothing in her tummy.   I gave her the fever reducer meds that we gave her the last time and within a short time the fever had started to drop.

We called our Health Link and spoke to one of the nurses - we all agreed that she probably didn't need to go to the Children's Hospital for observations as we started to manage to the fever and she appeared to be returning to normal.  Within a few hours she was running around and had eaten her dinner.  

It's scary to think that you can put a normal healthy child down for a nap only to go in and find this within a matter of a few hours.  Our doctor did say once kids have these Febrile Seizures they are prone to getting them again.  I honestly think she may have had one in her crib this afternoon which really scares me but there isn't much we can do.  I know I will be sneaking into room tonight to take her temp more then once.

I didn't realize this but if either parent suffered them as children (I did as a baby) then my kids have a 10 to 20 percent greater chance of getting them.  I guess by 5 most outgrown them but holy man that's a long time from now.

Please say a little pray that Laila's temp stays down tonight and we don't have any seizures.

My hubby...

Is the best !  I'm having a bit of a down day for a few different reasons and he was so kind to take the kids out today to let me have a little alone time.  He works many hours to provide for his family and he is a truly great husband and father.  The kids love to have "just daddy" days so today was a treat for them.  

They left at 9:00 this morning for swimming lessons (that I guess had been cancelled due to the long weekend...Oops !), then headed to MacDonalds for breakfast.  It was off to the Farmer's Market and a beautiful little outdoor park downtown for some more playing.  They finally arrived back home around 6 this evening and I have to say I two very tired kiddies.  Poor little Laila almost fell asleep in the tub and barely touched her evening milk before crashing in her bed.  

To my delight my beloved picked me up some beautiful Gerber Daisy's, a few Crave Cupcakes and the best popcorn (that you can only get at the Farmer's Market).  But honestly, he gave me the best give by letting me have the day to  just recharge.

I'm truly the luckiest girl in the world to have such a caring and loving husband !!

Thank you Faruq - I love you more everyday !

Long Weekend....

I love long weekends !  I find the two days we usually get just isn't enough time to sit and relax but having the additional day means we do get a little family time to just be together.

Hubby is actually coming home at 11 this morning and will be off until Tuesday and Hayden is off until then as well.  We have dr.'s appointments for the kids today then we are heading to IKEA for lunch and shopping.

Tomorrow we have some swimming lessons, farmer's market visit and lawn work that needs to be completed please pray for some warm weather.  Calgary has been having a very bad spring this year but they are forecasting highs of 20 on Saturday.

We are hoping on Sunday or Monday to maybe head to the mountains for a picnic and hike.  

Have a super long weekend and I hope you can enjoy some quality time with your family !!!

Wordless Wednesday - May 13th

Someone's ready for summer !!

My Mother's Day

We had a lovely quiet day at home with breakfast being served in bed and lots of snuggles and kisses from the kids.  Faruq and I don't celebrate a lot of holidays but we try to really acknowledge each other on both Mother and Father's day.

This year was a little scary for Faruq as he has been working a lot of evening and weekends so he was a little paniced this past week because he hadn't gotten me anything.  But as always he did awesome and came through with a few lovely gifts for me.

The kids gave me a dozen cupcakes from a fabulous bakery called Crave in Calgary.  I actually think it was more a gift for them as they both love them but none the less they were very yummy.

Then daddy presented me with two wonderful gifts.  Firstly,  something he knows I will use because I gave up my personal trainer in January and have been struggling to find the time to workout.

He happened upon it on a fitness website and thought it would be perfect for me.  It totally looks like what I need but sadly it isn't being released until May 19th but he has preordered it so it should arrive next week sometime.

Secondly, he gave me a gift card for a camera shop in Calgary so I can go in and pick up some new accessories.  He said it would be way easier that way because he has no clue about photography.  Again, a perfect choice and I can't wait to go spend a few hours in there looking around.

Honestly, just having the family together and hanging out was wonderful for me.  I hope you all had a great day with your loved ones.

Show us where you live Friday - "Guest Rooms" Edition

"Show us where you live Friday - Guest Room Edition"

Hosted by Kelly over at   Kelly's Korner 

This the 3rd week of the great "tour of homes"  - Seriously, what will we do when we run out of rooms.  I loved looking at everyone's lovely living rooms last week and I'm really excited to peek at your guest rooms this week.  

Our "guest" room is a little unique in that it is actually in our basement and it isn't really a room.  We only have 3 bedrooms upstairs so with two kids knew that we would have to make accommodations most likely in the basement for visiting guests.

Last year when my hubby and I started to design the basement development we both felt strongly about not taking up large amount of living space for a bedroom that would only be used at best maybe once a month.  So I did some research on the Internet and found some really nicely designed Murphy beds.  The decision was made not to put a bedroom down there.

We are so fortunate to have good friends that are "custom" home builders.  Their completed houses are usually in the millions but they agreed to take on our little basement development.  We knew we had a lot of custom work required so they fit the bill to a tee.  The carpenters were amazing to work with and it was so great to see our design come to life.  It was an expensive build but we both felt that it had to match the upper two levels with it's finish.

The Murphy bed has been awesome and we don't regret for one minute not putting a bedroom downstairs.  Our guests say it's like having their own suite because we put a full wet bar and bathroom down there as well.  

A litte update:  The bed  was a complete custom build as we had a specific size and style we wanted.  The cost for the bed was around 7K but the kits started around 5K for the double and this was a queen.

Here are a few pictures of the area...Thanks for stopping by to have a look !!

 The framing stage.

Just installed but not stained yet.

The completed bed - in it's usual closed position.

The bed when it's open.

The wet bar area.

The bathroom.

Hopefully we will have a tour of basements in the future so I can show you the rest of the space.

~~  If you want to see more fabulous "guest" rooms stop by Kelly's Korner ~~

Kayleigh Anne Freeman

This morning when I logged onto to check a few of the blogs I follow I was devastated to read that the Freeman's sweet angel Kayleigh Anne had lost her fight for life last night.

While I don't know these folks I like thousands of people have followed their journey with Kayleigh and prayed for a miracle that the she would be going home with her parents.  But instead last evening she was returned home to our heavenly father.

Her parents Aimee and Adam wrote a moving tribute to their beautiful daughter on their blog, please take a moment to stop by to read it. 

Rest in peace sweet Kayleigh Anne...

Unplugged...

Yikes !!  So hubby and I decided that come June 1st we will be canceling our cable.   

Honestly, I have to admit I watch too much TV - I'm a "Reality TV" junkie and spend a lot of time watching a variety of different shows.  But I will truly only miss maybe one or two but know that some how my life will continue without them.  I'm sure some I can watch of the Internet because that we are keeping.  I mean really I can only get rid of one bad habit at a time so we will stay connected to the World Wide Web (for now).

Faruq only watches the occasional sports show so for him he just sees the saving of $65 a month which is a total win for him.

Hayden would watch TV all day I'm sure if I let him - I have always been bothered by the "zombie-like" state he goes into when watching TV so this will be a good thing for him.  Laila doesn't watch TV for anything other then commercials so she maybe a little sad but again I'm sure her little life will go on.

We own lots of DVD that certainly can be revisited for another viewing and we have a Blockbuster membership so I'm sure I can catch up on some of my favorite shows when they are released onto DVD.

I gotta admit I know this is going to be tougher then I think....what will I do at 4 every afternoon when I would be watching all my favorites characters on Coronation Street !!!

Maybe I can convince DH that we should down grade to "basic" cable then wean ourselves off that in say 6 months.

Wish us luck !!

Love this...

I opened my mail this morning and found this great video from a dear friend...Thanks Donna it made my morning.

Click here for the video 

I hope you are all having a fabulous day with your loved ones....Enjoy your day !!

Happy Mother's Day !!

Before I was a Mom  , 
I never tripped over  toys 
or forgot words to a  lullaby. 
I didn't worry whether or  not 
my plants were  poisonous. 
I never thought about  immunizations.

Before I  was a Mom , 
I had never been puked  on. 
Pooped on. 
Chewed  on. 
Peed on. 
I had complete  control of my mind 
and my  thoughts. 
I slept all  night.

Before I was a Mom  , 
I never held down a screaming  child 
so doctors could do  tests. 
Or give shots. 
I never  looked into teary eyes and cried. 
I  never got gloriously happy over a simple  grin. 
I never sat up late hours at  night 
watching a baby  sleep.

Before I was a Mom  , 
I never held a sleeping  baby just because 
I didn't want to put  her down. 
I never felt my heart break  into a million pieces 
when I couldn't  stop the hurt. 
I never knew that  something so small 
could affect my life  so much. 
I never knew  that I could love someone so much. 
I  never knew I would love being a Mom  .

Before I was a Mom  , 
I didn't know the feeling  of 
having my heart outside my  body.. 
I didn't know how special it  could feel 
to feed a hungry  baby. 
I didn't know that  bond 
between a mother and her  child. 
I didn't know that something so  small 
could make me feel so important  and happy.

Before I was a Mom  , 
I had never gotten up in the  middle of the night 
every 10 minutes to  make sure all was okay. 
I had never  known the warmth, 
the joy, 
the  love, 
the heartache, 
the  wonderment 
or the satisfaction of being  a Mom  
I didn't know I was capable of  feeling so much, 
before I was a  Mom .

To all my mommy friends I wish you a very Happy Mother's Day and to all the ladies who so badly want to be mommy's I hope your dream comes true soon !!

Chicken Pot Pie

My family loves this favorite and it's so easy to make.  Here is the recipe I have been using since Hayden was a toddler.  It actually came out of one of the many baby food books I have bought so it's great for your little ones.

Chicken Pot Pie - Makes 4 adult or 12 baby servings !

(Taken from the book "Better Baby Food")

Preheat oven to 400'F

9 inch (23 cm) pie plate

What you will need: 

• 2 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
• 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup diced cooked turnip
• 1 cup diced cooked carrots
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pie shell (unbaked)

How to make it:

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, whisk in flour, stock and milk.  Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until smooth & thickened.  Stir in chicken, turnip, carrots, peas and cayenne.                                  
2. Pour mixture into the pie plate.  Top with pie shell, crimp the edges and poke holes in the top to let the steam escape.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; reduce heat to 350'F and bake for another 40 minutes or until pastry is brown.  (I often throw it on broil for the last 5 minutes to get the crust nice and golden brown).  Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
   

Laila at 17 months.

Laila Quinn Suleman

   "A True Gift from God"

Our Lovely Laila is 17 months and I can hardly believe it.  Our dream of a complete family was so fulfilled upon her arrival and the last 17 months have been filled with so many  joyous moments.

We struggled for years with "unexplained" infertility but never gave up as we knew that we were meant to have another child and what a child we got.  Our prayers were answered a million times over with the birth of our daughter.

Here's a few of the things that make her "Laila" ...

She loves her Mama and Dada.

She loves (to torment) her brother.

She loves her crib.

She loves food and eats a lot.

She loves her Elmo.

She loves her fuzzy little pink bunny.

She loves Sesame Street.

She loves to say "Bye" to whomever she meets.

She loves to climb on anything and everything.

She loves to go swimming.

She loves to make big, big messes for mama to clean up.

She loves playing in the dirt outside.

She loves to blow kisses to everyone.

She loves her naps.

She loves to sleep in late in the morning.

She loves books but doesn't want us to read to her yet.

She loves, loves, loves Music and rocks out everyday with mama.

She loves the mouse on our computer.

She loves her little cellphone (so not like her mama).

She loves to try to stay up a little later when daddy is watching her.

She loves to watch Hockey.

She loves to go for rides with mama in our van.

She loves all her "girly" clothes (okay that's her mama's)

Laila it is has been a joy being your mama for the last 17 months and can't wait to make more memories with you while we walk through your life together !!

I love you so much !!

Your Mama

Show us where you live Friday - "Living Room" Edition

"Show us where you live Friday - Living Room Edition"

Hosted by Kelly over at   Kelly's Korner 

Thank you all for the lovely comments last week. It was so much fun peeking into everyone's kitchens and I can't wait to see the living rooms.

A few people had asked what the color of  stain on our cabinets is and it's Espresso.  It is a very dark brown and I have to admit not the easiest to keep clean with two small kids but I do love it and it's all through my house . 

Our living room is attached to the Kitchen area and I have to say it doesn't quite have the same "wow" factor that the kitchen delivers but it's comfortable.  We honestly don't spend a lot of time in here as the kids have a toy room and our basement is finished.

The main wall has great built-ins that we store games, books and movies in. It has a gas fireplace and a small TV that I primarily watch while I'm cooking in the kitchen.

The outside wall has these 4 great windows that provide lots of light during the day but also it's a gives me a great view of our backyard so I can see what the kids are doing if I'm not out there.  We have two large leather chairs that I love to curl up in and read for the whole afternoon.

On the inside wall we just have a very comfy sofa a great coffee and end tables by "Old Hippy Wood" and there's not much else to tell ya' !

Thanks for stopping by for a peek !! 

If you want to see more lovely living rooms stop by Kelly's Korner's.

See you all next week !

The climber strikes again....

Just to prove the microwave was not a one off here is our little climber at it again.  Note that I chose again to grab my camera and not remove my daughter from a potentially dangerous situation...Okay she wasn't really ever in any danger as the cabinet is only a few inches from the floor.

Happy Thursday !!

Wordless Wednesday - May 6th

Laila - May'08

I love having a little girl during the summer as there are endless 

cute outfits to dress her in !!

(Sorry it's a really bad picture but it's the best of the bunch I took.)

Poor Hayden...

Is missing his last beavers meeting tonight because he is just exhausted from a very long night last night.  He woke a few hours after I put him to bed screaming.  When I got to his room the poor kid was obviously in pain and was saying his legs where throbbing.  My first thought was "growing pains".  I got them as a kid and remember many nights of excruciating pain.

I gave him some children's pain meds and just rubbed them for over an hour which seemed to help but within a few hours we were right back to the same situation.  This continued pretty much all night and I decided to get our dr. to check him out this morning.   So off he and dad went at 8:30 this morning and just I suspected he figures it is "growing pains" as well.  Kids will go through them typically from the ages of 3 to 5 and then from 8 to 12 so hopefully we will be out of them soon as he will be 6 in a few months. :}

So tonight I'm ready with heating pads and pain meds but hope I don't need to use them.  

Does anyone have any other suggested that helped if you had kids that experienced these?  

What's for Dinner...

Tonight at the Suleman's !  Apparently it's Laila !!

This little daredevil is just crazy lately.  She will try to climb into everything and anything but if she doesn't quite fit that doesn't seem to deter her in the least.  

Lord please help me for I don't know what she will try to wedge her little body into next (but be assured I will most likely get a picture of it).

I ♥ faces - Week 17 (Kids Entry) - Hats

May 4th ~~ I ♥ Faces Kids Entry

This is a picture taken of my lovely Laila last summer ! ~~ August '08 ~~


Stop by "i ♥ faces" to have a look at more great pictures from this week !

Ladybug's New Do....

Finally Ladybug's hair is long enough to put in a little ponytail on the top of her head.  I'm the first to admit I'm not the best at styling longer hair because I have always had a short do !! 

(Also note she is wearing a dress  today - two in two weeks I'm getting better at the girly clothes)

Anyone have some helpful hints that I might try the next time !!

Show us where you live Friday - Kitchen Edition

"Show us where you live Friday - Kitchen Edition"

Hosted by Kelly over at   Kelly's Korner 

Like many of you I have been a regular reader of Kelly's blog since she had beautiful little Harper - when I read about this blog tour I thought it was such a neat idea to see where everyone lives so I thought I would join in.

The combo kitchen/living area is my most favorite place in my home.

It was the main reason we bough the house a few years back.

It is one huge space and has been wonderful for hosting may "get-togethers".

I hope you enjoy my little tour !!

This is one side to the galley part of my kitchen.

This is the other side of the galley  - it's the island with the breakfast bar that we actually eat at most of the time.  

A look from our seldom used eating area of the island with our super comfy bar stools.

This is on the far kitchen wall.  It has the fridge, desk and another prep area with a wine rack in it.

A view from the kitchen into our "living" space.

A view from our Living room into the kitchen/eating area.

The other great feature is a "formal" dining room off the kitchen.  

But honestly we aren't not "formal" people so we turned it into the kids playroom.

Well that's a little look into my favorite room - 

Thanks for stopping by !!

Click here to see lots of lovely Kitchens.