Dear Jack

I can't believe you started kindergarten. I am not sure who was more sad you or me. When they had to pry your hand out of mine and drag you away from me, my heart broke into a million pieces. I don't think of you as a 5 year old. You are still a fuzzy headed 6 month old who rubs his head while he drinks his bottle. A happy 2 1/2 year old who likes to watch "pooh pigic" with a sippy cup of milk. It seems like yesterday you were 3 and I was feeling sad about sending you to your first year of preschool. Where did the time go? How did it pass so quickly? Our house is too quiet during the day and I miss my little helper. Your teacher calls you smilin Jack because you are always smiling :) My favorite part of the day is coming to pick you up from school, when you see me, your face lights up and you smile you biggest smile and run to me.... promise you will always do that?!?!

I love you Jack, you are my little prince and my favorite deputy.
xoxo,
Mommy

Man of the house

This weekend Jack and Emma spent the weekend with Jeremy's mom. When Jack called me on Saturday night he asked me "so mom, what are you going to do without a man in the house?" Meaning himself of course! He is to funny and cute! He is a good little man of the house when his daddy is away :) Such a sweet boy!

Here he is the "MAN OF THE HOUSE"

Heart melter

When we drive by the cemetery where Elizabeth is buried Jack always says "hi baby Elizabeth, we love you!" Since Emma talks more and more all the time she joins in on the greeting too. Today when we drove by the greetings were in full swing and then I heard it, the heart melter, Emma's tiny voice from the back of the van saying "hi baby Wissabiss, I love you more!" That is the sweetest thing ever. It warms my heart every time when the kids greet their baby sister, but todays was especially cute.

Taken on her birthday

strollers

Why is buying a new stroller so frustrating and so much work for me? I have the nice big travel system, standard stroller for Emma. It is nice, very nice. When I bought it at Kids Stuff Super Store (for more money then I care to admit) I was on cloud nine! But now Emma is getting bigger and I just want a light weight umbrella type stroller to cart her around in. We have a criteria for the stroller, has to have tall handles, as I am 5'7 and am not going to be all hunched over while pushing her and it should be pink, we are sick of all the boy gear! SO she and I have been talking and we are getting a new PINK stroller. She is stoked! I have the Chicco one all picked out in the cutest pink color, Lipstick :)

BUT yesterday I was at super Target and test drove the Maclaren equivalent.... OMG such a nice stroller! So I was sure the Chicco one was just as good.... Stopped by Kids Stuff and test drove it.....no, its not near as nice :( BOO! The handles are too short and I kick the wheels when I push. No bueno.....The one at Target was more money and navy blue....that's not what I want...ok not to fret I will go home and shop online :) Get home read all the reviews for both strollers and the Maclaren wins. Alright now to find a pink one we can afford, first up is a powder pink and white one, it is a go for everything except... I don't love the color.

So then I find it... a raspberry and black version and I love it!!!!!! It is perfect in every way! Ok that's it I'm done......but not really. It is sold out everywhere, I can not find that stroller AT ALL! Oh barf. After many hours of looking for it I finally gave up and knew I had to decide between the powder pink and a red one I found on eBay for $30 less then the pink. I decided to sleep on it but had pretty much made up my mind that I would get the red, gender neutral and $30 less just makes the most sense. Up this morning to purchase my red stroller...but wait its gone. That's right gone, all 10 available were snatched up in the night. SWEET! So I guess its the powder pink for us......unless by some miracle I find a raspberry one in the next little bit. Who knew getting a simple umbrella stroller would be do difficult!

The Perfect Stroller (that I can't find anywhere)

Dear Sandi

I can't believe its been 5 years since I last saw you. I still remember standing in my kitchen making my leftover Chinese food and thinking I wonder where mom, dad, Doyle and Sandi are going to dinner? I remember hearing so many sirens so close and thinking geez I wonder what happened? I remember answering the phone mid bite and hearing my mom tell me you were gone. So much has changed since that day. Those sweet little Burt boys, well they are getting so big. Tanner is almost 15 and starting high school, can you believe that? Walker Gage and Gavin are getting way to big too! Sweet baby Trevor is starting kindergarten this fall, he looks just the same as he did the last time you rocked him to sleep. Fussy baby Jack, well he is 5 years old and going to kindergarten this fall to! I remember my last conversation with you, talking about how fussy he was and I had just come from the doctor with him and thought maybe he was getting better. My life is filled with fond memories of you, I wish you were here to fill it with more. We miss you Sandi and think of you often. It warms my heart to think of you looking down smiling on your family and friends and being proud of how your children have turned out. I am especially thankful you were waiting in heaven for my little girl. I am glad she has you to take care of her until I get there. We miss you, miss your advice and yummy food, your smile and mostly just you.

With Love from all of us!

Re Do

I love to redecorate things in my house, I am always thinking about a way to re arrange or change the look of a room in my house. I have never been really happy with the way Emma's room looked. When I found out she was a girl I bought everything PINK! The problem was I picked up this here and that there and when I put it all together in her freshly painted pink room, it was a PINK EXPLOSION! Don't get me wrong it was sweet, just very pink! So last winter when she turned 2 I had stared at the pink as long as I could and had to do some changing. So I made her some pink and brown pictures with flowers and I love them. Then I took existing pictures and wall hangings from her room and painted them in the pink and brown them. It came together pretty well, but I couldn't find a valance. So I have been searching off and on since then for a valance that will complete the room, I have looked at fabric until I could puke, and never found just the right one. My love for craigslist hit me yesterday and I sold her pink gingham valance from her pinksplosion room and decided I was getting a replacement now. But still I cant find just the right fabric. On the advice from all the people I asked I got a brown with pink polka dots fabric and sewed up some valances. The finale result...eh....it's ok...yeah just ok. I really don't like it. So now I am back to square one.... new valance, or am I over pink and brown? LOL who knows. I'm a nut like that ;)

The results are in:

NO BUBBIE CANCER FOR THIS GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU GOD!
THANK YOU TO ALL MY WONDERFUL FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO SUPPORTED ME THROUGH THIS VERY LONG 2 WEEKS..
I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!