dreams do come true: colby and kristin's boo gets BOOBS

someone must have been in the "wish granting" business last night......

BOO! or BOOGERS! or BOOTS!

this is the festive halloween sign that our besties colby & kristin have displayed in their yard right now.




two nights ago a wise soul decided that the wordage could be improved by a few more letters:

when they came home last night, their secret vocab-lovers had worked their magic yet again:

we wonder what it will say next? (my wish is for "boobs". but i won't get my hopes up.)

october 23rd, 2010: a perfect moment in time.

have you ever had that perfect moment in time?

the one where you sit back, survey your surroundings, and wish for the moment to be frozen in time, forever, so that you can pull it out and re-visit it?



october 23rd, 2010 was a defining moment for russ & i--we had spent some time looking around the the ritz-carlton laguna niguel. (holy MOLY. everybody should try that once in their lives. it's how the other half lives--we were glad they weren't "on" to us--it's all about pretending to fit right in. so it's good they can't see the balance in our check book while walking through the entryway ;)


one of the attendants who parked our car suggested we go and watch the sunset out on the outdoor patio/lounge area, 180 blu:

the views were breathtaking--

we lamented the fact that our battery had dropped right through the bottom of our camera into the pacific ocean, cursed it a few times for good measure, then pulled out the cell phone to capture the moments:

what made the area so amazing (besides those trivial ocean views) was the fact that they had couches and fire-pits set out all around the deck.


my favorite part? that they would bring you a heated, soft cotton blanket to keep the chill away.


GENIUS:

when we looked to our right, we saw this:

when we looked to our left, we got to watch a traditional indian wedding--so cool!

we literally stayed, snuggled up on our lounge, for two hours enjoying the evening while an amazing guitarist played live. it was PURE HEAVEN:

we will forever look back on this evening as the night that all our stars aligned.

{sigh.}

thankful thursday

things i am thankful for this week:




**THIS cookie that i found on jennie's blog. it is sinful. which is the best kind of cookie as far as i'm concerned.

& thank you to megan for making them for rbc's birthday. they are his new favorite.






**the opportunity to purchase a totally cool new bike--

i look like a certified idiot while riding it. AND i protested much about having to wear the helmet. (safety first!) but i'm glad to finally get it.

{thank you to my angel benefactors for helping make it possible. i love you!}






**this view that i get to look at daily. it never gets old.







**pictures from costa rica that make me smile--








this is the squirrel that is currently living with/terrorizing my parents. i think he's adorable:

"her dress what has flowers."

mia doesn't read yet, but her job is to "read" her book to me at night after i've read it to her.

i'm always amazed at young children and their ability to remember details--i envy it. (perhaps it's because i SUCK at any memory game?)


anyway, i loved that we captured her unique style of speaking.

as her mother, i should really correct it..............but i think it's too cute.



plus, i figure her peers will shame her out if it if needed.

russ's costume was not complete. until i got him this sweet boombox belt buckle.

JUST when i thought i was finally an adult.....


i go & prove to myself that, indeed, i am NOT.



by purchasing this radical belt buckle for russ's halloween costume.

even though his costume was complete.



and it came from the maverick store's poor man's ed hardy line.



AND it cost $16.99.




(there's a sucker born every minute.)

crochet-love: clove girls model hats, look ADORABLE.

my friend allison crocheted these too-cute-for-words hats for my girls--


i absolutely ADORE them. as well as envy her just a bit for being able to create such works of art with some yarn and a hook:

(p.s.--those lips were NOT photo-shopped or tinted red. that there was done the old-school way, via red popsicle:)

she also made one for chandler, but she was absent during the photo shoot--so i thought it only fair to include a collage of her as well: (doing her favorite thing--sucking on a drink from swig)

happyhappyhappy: we love traveling

these things make us happy when traveling:



seeing the christus at temple square in salt lake city:

two little ladies taking advantage of a spectacular city view from their own private balcony perch:

a beautiful fall night:

& LOTS OF LOVE between cousins:

mia's "wink" :

things that make mindi extremely happy while traveling?


a priceless blogging opportunity realized while watching an extremely affectionate/pda-filled poolside massage:

and then actually getting the guts up to talk to them afterwards--while being informed multiple times that the spray bottle is "full of ICE WATER, dahhhling! and he mists me! with ICE WATER!":

mia + a bunch of smiley-face balloons = LOVE

when we went to put out megan's signs for the marathon the other day we started with 40 smiley-face balloons.


what could be better?

oh, wait--the only way it could be better is if you are doing the "ROCK ON!" sign.

(note to reader: entirely HER idea. her mother had no clue it was coming. but she was pleased, nonetheless....:)

encouragement. OR i made a shit-ton of signs for megan's marathaon

when my baby sister told me that she was running the marathon, i knew that i wanted to do something to help encourage her.

an idea hatched inside my (smallish) brain: what if there were a number of posters with different song lyrics that meant something to her, and they were strewn all along the marathon course in succession?


& so it began--


i hadn't really planned on doing as many as i did. but the idea seemed to grow, much like a fungus. only more musically-savvy.


i asked her to give me a list of songs that she's always loved or that she currently loved, and i started busting out my stash of ginormous sharpies every night. (they smell so good!!)



we started about mile 14 with THIS song:

of course, there HAD to be THIS song:

& THIS song:

we also paid tribute to the man who has an insane gift for saying his own name in each of his songs (x 3):

we ended with THIS song:

by roughly mile 23, we pulled out the big guns--

madeleine & baby cole would certainly entice her a few steps further:

as well as our catties:

(btw: megan HATES dave & martin. she has never even held those wonderful, loving little felines--which is the real tragedy in our books. we thought this might make her smile.)

neal as a naughty boy-scout leader was REAL MOTIVATION:

& we ended with the best card in our deck:

all in all, it was a lot of work, but worth every moment. i love all of my sisters and would do anything for them--i know that megan felt me cheering her on.


while wishing somebody would put her down like a horse ready for the glue factory about mile 18.....





i AM retiring my poster skillz for a short while, though--my hand hurts.