Happy Bday Mariah

My dear little sister is 25 today. Most Memorable moments...

1. church dances
2. putting tape down the middle of the room to mark our territory
3. getting letters about how the back room was cursed
4. Grandma and Grandpa weeks (we went on our first plane ride together to visit them)
5. when she got bustier than me after years of making fun of her
6. getting one look at her and knowing she was pregnant w/ Andrew even though she denied it
7. telling me that she was pregnant last Summer and me not believing her for who knows how long (Sami)
8. finding a nacho cheese machine for her wedding reception
9. being able to finally wear the same size as her even though she will be two sizes smaller in less than a year
10. her moving here so I can have her clothes
11. I love her kids (not a memory, but still)...they are the cutest things ever and yes Sami is way cuter as a newborn than my kids were
12. mom giving her the skunk look right before her Senior pictures
13. the Izusu
14. talking about boys
15. finding out she kissed a boy before I did
16. Maddie telling her that she was older than me
17. when she said she was moving to San Diego (!!!!!!)
18. when G and I finally met Kalon (he's a keeper!)
19. and most recently: Big and Chunky song

I heart you sister!

Hot Summer Days

Its hot outside and two things are happening. One, I have turned into my mother. "Close the door!" was a common phrase growing up and it continues to this day. Seriously, I woke up this morning and since our bedrooms are east facing and the house is not insulated it was hot. I touched the window and it had that oven door hot feeling. I am not joking. I actually thought b/c there was so much heat that there was a fire in the attic so I was touching the ceiling to see if it was hot too. Also, my daughters have decided that it must be cold outside b/c Maddie has been regularly wearing jeans and a sweater. Not a wool type sweater but a breezy day 3/4 length sleeve sweater, but still! Reagan is going through the layering phase. She puts on multiple long sleeve shirts and then freaks out when the sleeves bunch up. Last night she had on four long sleeve shirts and two short sleeve shirts. Yes that is 6 shirts total. I am not sure where these girls came from! Poor Reagan, well not really because she chose to wear all of those layers, was totally sweating when 10 minutes later she wanted them all off. Surprise surprise, right?

Garrett's schedule is busier than I thought it would be. Well not necessarily busier but some days are spread out so it doesn't make sense for him to waste gas coming home. For instance, one day he works at the legal clinic in the afternoon and heads to the school for the rest of the evening until his class ends that night. Another day he is literally gone from 8am until after the girls have gone to bed. Luckily Friday he is done at 1215pm and doesn't have anything until work. Yes the boy works at Target two nights a week. He basically gets zero sleep over the weekends (like maybe 4 hrs Saturday and a few after church on Sunday). The only good thing is he does have lots of time on campus to read before class so he isn't staying up until 2am like he did last year.

I have no idea what is going on this next year in regards to my job which is why G is working at Target. We were approved for a smaller cost of living increase compared to single students than last year. It wouldn't seem like a lot over a 9 month period, but it is if you divide the amount over that period. Plus working will allow for things like Christmas presents (what a concept huh?). We are def. lucky w/ the support we have gotten this Summer.

We are splurging tonight and going to In N Out b/c I don't want to turn the stove or oven on. The kitchen gets the hottest b/c of the blasted sunlight that brings a bunch of heat in. When you sit at the kitchen table you can literally feel the heat on your back. It was suggested to put a tarp to cover it, but I am not sure how to keep it down. It is on the steep incline of the roof so I would be afraid bricks would roll down the roof. Any suggestions would be great!

PS-I love having my sister here. She has the cutest kids ever. Once Andrew sleeps until at least 730am in the morning he is welcome to spend the night. I am not a 6am morning person!

Skunk Video

We found a dead skunk halfway underneath the back patio. We are thinking the fox was being nice and dragged it out from under there so we could dispose of it. After discovering that animal control doesn't take care of wildlife (whats up w/ that?!) I decided to call someone to get rid of it. He only charged us $75 and w/ the going rate at $200 it seemed like a good deal. I have included a video of Garrett picking the skunk up yesterday morning. Enjoy my screaming






PS-I do have a picture of the dead skunk but am too lazy to get up to get the other camera..hey I am being honest :-)

Fashion faux pas

Have you ever been in the situation where you are wearing the exact same thing as someone else? I have on a few occasions, but luckily (here is the vain Elizabeth coming out...) I looked just as good or better as the other person. So I was facestalkbooking and came across a picture of someone w/ the SAME WEDDING DRESS as me. Yes this was almost eight years ago but still! Its not the issue that she wore the same dress, but the fact that if we were to stand side by side we would DEFINITELY have two different styles. As in mine would be decent and hers not so much. I am going to be struck down by lightning right now. See, if I had the same outfit on as say my sister or A. Miller, but when its someone that you have to really say between clenched teeth, "do we really have the same taste in clothes?" I have to question my style. At least I looked better in the dress.... Oh and none of you are this person in case you are wondering...actually none of you reading this are related to this person and no I will not tell you who this is, well actually I am totally calling Mariah in the morning. I would call her now, but its after midnight!

PS-if I don't wake up tomorrow you will know why. I will have been struck by lightning