This is My life

I'm going to try to make this short...

...but I know it has been a while!

So, the sickies continue at our house!  The pink eye is mostly gone (though Levi still has green gook in his eyes) but the runny noses and coughs continue on.  Ugh. I'm really not used to this...my kids almost NEVER get sick! So to have three kids all sick at once and Jason and I struggling with sore throats and the beginnings of a cough is really new to me.  Oh well, we are a functioning sick family so we will just keep going!

Jason and I have the weekend off so we are really looking forward to a family weekend!  We are not going out of town this weekend, but we will still do some fun things in the area.  Jason gets done after lunch today so we will head into town and drop the kids off at their toddler time gymnastics class while we enjoy some of that heaven-in-a-cup vanilla chai at the coffee shop down the street from the gym.  Then we are off to do a little shopping -- Alaina needs gyms shoes for school, we need to pick up some Christmas gifts to send to friends, and we have a few groceries to pick up.  A trip to the library, a trip to the Asian market, and then we are on our way to Fazoli's for dinner (hey, it's been a week!)  Then home to put kiddos to bed and then Netflix kindly delivered more GREY'S ANATOMY season 2 DVD's in my mailbox so I will enjoy those.  I am not really a TV person and never watched this show before a few weeks ago.  I kept hearing EVERYONE talk about it on the message boards where I spend some time and so I thought I would give it a try.  I'm hooked!

Tomorrow we will enjoy a breakfast of Thai Mango Sticky Rice and then  we have a few projects around the house to do. In the afternoon we are going to some friends house for the Nebraska Football game.  Then...well, our plans end then!  I am sure we will figure out something really fun though!

Just a Weight Watchers update since a few people have asked...we're doing great!  At the three week point Jason was down 15 pounds and I am down 8.  Jason put on a pair of pants this morning that he hasn't worn in ages and then looked sooo good!  I am really proud of him.  He is just the type of person that takes a while to convince about something (I've been trying to get him to do WW for almost two years!) but once he DOES start something, he is very, very faithful and precise.  Way to go, sweetie!

I have a new set of templates up in my shop...

You can get them HERE .

Also, the other week I had a day where I didn't feel like scrapping, I didn't feel like making templates, and yet I had the creative urge.  So, here's a teaser at what the result of my urge was...stay tuned for the full previews.

Okay, as usual, a few LO's for you before I go!

The first three all feature Meredith Fenwick's new EVERYDAY INSPIRATION collection.  RUN to go get this collection!

You can get it HERE .

A tribute to ANDREA'S  cake balls.

This next one is using one of my new templates from the Simply Elegant 4 collection.

Everything my Michelle Coleman (lace border is part of the template, though)

This is one I made using one of the templates I gave as a free gift for those who participated in my RING RING template contest.  See THIS THREAD to see the winner and winning LO!

Oh, I used Amanda Rockwell's A MOTHER'S LOVE COLLECTION ~ FUN for the LO above. It is available at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

Okay, I think that is all!  I am getting ready to start my super fun family weekend!  YEA!

Have a GREAT day!

Typepad, are you working???

Oh yea!  You are!  See my poooooor girl! Green gook in the eyes, bright red where there should be white.  My sweet baby!  {sniff}

Okay, we got back a bit ago and got the kiddos in bed and now I get to install my new external hard drive.  My last one crashed (as in literally crashed to the floor) and my laptop is already hovering at over 100GB (yep, in three months!).   So, I need to clean out my scrapping files, move some stuff out, move some pictures over, and then I will be good to go.

Before I go, though, I think I have some LO's I haven't posted here yet...hmmm..let me go look...

Have a great night!

Sipping Vanilla Chai...

...ALL BY MYSELF!  Heavenly I tell you...both the time alone AND this chai.  Granted, it tastes nothing like real Chai (which is a spicy Indian tea) but whatever this stuff is that the coffee shop is passing off as chai is heaven in a cup.  It's sugar free too...now that wonderful fact was negated when I saw the lady behind the counter pull out the Vitamin D milk but I turned the other direction so I wouldn't have to see.  Because to be honest, skim milk in a latte is rather blah.  And I didn't want blah.  Good thing Weight Watchers has those marvelous flex points...I can indulge in a little whole milk in my yummy no-so-chai like vanilla heaven in a cup.  Not that you cared about any of that :)

Anyway, back to the coffee shop.  I am here because our Internet is SO FUNKY and it absolutely HATES some of the digi shops...it won't let me download anything.  And Meredith Fenwick is releasing her new collection EVERYDAY INSPIRATION and it is GORGEOUS.  She has had it available for her CT for a bit now but I haven't been able to play!  So, Jason took the kids to the library while I sit in the coffee shop and download away.  I love wireless internet :) And the time alone is so wonderful...no questions, no interruptions, just me and my thoughts. And that wonderful cup of "chai."

Thank you to all of you who left comments or emailed me to tell me they were thinking of me.  It is so wonderful there are people out there who care and are concerned.  We're all doing a bit better now. Still sick, yes.  Still dealing with major work issues, yes.  But emotionally we are doing better and seeking God all along the way.  He is good and faithful and will show us His will at the right time.  Until then we just try to walk in obedience and use the mind that He has given us to make good decisions.

Speaking of sick...so, I think I mentioned that Alaina had pink eye.  Well, it kept getting worse and the over-the-counter drops weren't working so we took her to the doctor yesterday.  Probably a good idea since Levi woke up with green gook in his eyes and both Jason and I woke up with slightly pink eyes.  Turns out she has a nasty sinus infection.  24 hours later and she doesn't really look any better.  At least a few doses of antibiotic eye drops for Levi cleared him up.  But look at my poor girl!

Uggh.  Typepad won't let me put in a picture.  Errr.  Oh well.  Trust me, she looks bad.

Okay, well, since I can't out in any pictures the rest of this post would be pretty boring to most of you so I guess I will save it.  But, I did want to let you know that

1) I put up some new templates in my SHOP . And, the whole Digi Shoppe is having a sale this weekend to celebrate new designers and our new blog.  So you can grab everything for 30 -40 % off, no need to enter a coupon.

2) Only two more days to send me your LO's using my RING RING template.  It has been soooo fun to see what people have done with it!  Remember, if you send me a link to your LO in an online gallery I will send you three free templates PLUS you have the chance to win a $20 gift card to the scrapping store of your choice! 

Okay, bye for now.  Maybe if typepad gets itself worked out I will come back and post pictures, LO's, and a sweeeeet picture of my new nephew, Colton Paul!

Beauty amongst the Rubbish...

I'm having an India day.  Not in my normal use of the term "India day" but I am having one nonetheless.  Usually when I say that it means I am just having one of those days where I miss India deep inside me.  I miss everything about it -- the pulse, the chaos, everything.  And today may in fact turn into one of those.  But no, today is just one of those days where life itself reminds me of India.  You see, India is incredibly chaotic.  It is big, dirty, smelly, busy, poverty stricken.  Everywhere you look there is chaos. And tragedy. And hopelessness.  There are no "good sections" of town where you can escape. There are days you feel like you are drowning in the misery. But then, you come upon something beautiful.  You see a gorgeous mansion amongst the dilapidated shacks.  You see a bridal procession pushing through the beggars.  You see a golden temple with dirty cows just outside.  The beauty does not have a place of its own.  It just has to lived within the chaos and filth.  That's what I feel like today.  Chaos everywhere.  Hurt, frustration, desire, noise.  Just like India. Things just keep piling on and I feel like I am drowning.  I wanted to start my post today with, "Life sucks."  I know, I know. Not a good choice of words and yet that was the thought in my mind.  But then, as I went to grab my second cup of coffee for the morning I looked out my window.  And I saw something beautiful.  I saw two of my kids (who are part of the chaos that surrounds me) walking to breakfast (they go over every morning to see Jason) and they were holding hands.  Just two little kids, walking down the path, holding hands as they chatted.  Ah, the beauty amongst the rubbish.  The bright moment in an otherwise dark time.  I need those. I guess life is just a lot like India.  We wish the chaos would go away.  We wish we could escape the dirt, the filth, the hurt, the hunger, the utter despair.  We want to find the "nice sections" of town where we can forget about the filth.  But we can't do that.  We can't escape it. We have to live in and among it and then find the beauty.  It's there.  Sometimes you have to look carefully and other times it just pops out at you. But it is there.  Yep, life's just like India.

Okay, thanks for indulging me in my very introspective moment.  I am actually a very deep thinker and feeler.  Usually for my blog, though, I try to keep it a little light hearted.  But I just had that moment and I wanted to share.

And not to leave you with lots of questions...things are just a bit hard right now.  Not any one thing just lots of little things. We are having some work situations, I feeling low for no apparent reason, Alaina has pink eye, etc. etc. And to top it all off, Alaina came in this morning and I looked at her forehead and was thinking how much baby hair she had coming in.  Then I looked closer and saw that that "baby hair" was incredible even.  "Um, Alaina sweetie...did you cut your hair."  No answer. "Alaina" (more sternly now), "did you cut your hair?" The head nods.  OH.  MY. GOODNESS.  Yes, yes, I know.  Lots of kids do this.  I understand this. It's just that I REALLY thought that Alaina wouldn't.  After the fateful princess-cutting outfit fiasco last spring we have talked about cutting.  About once a week we have a conversation that goes like this: "Alaina, what are you allowed to cut?"  "Paper."  "Anything else?"  "No."  "Okay, good."  Seriously, having my daughter cut her hair is one of the worst things I can imagine.  Yes, I know in the great scheme if things there are A LOT of worse things.  But this is my nightmare.  I really can't believe she did it. AND, she covered it up.  When I finally got her to tell me where she did it and to show me the hair, she told me, "I put it in the trashcan and covered it up." So not only does she know how to disobey, she knows how to lie and try to cover it up.  My heart really just broke.  Not over the hair, but the fight with sin.  I wanted to remain in my parental state of bliss where my daughter was almost perfect.  I have no idea how to deal with stuff like this.  She doesn't throw tantrums, she doesn't hit her brother (well, not very often :), she says please, thank you, and excuse me.  She is pretty much the best little girl I could dream of having.  So, it broke my heart to know she is capable of deception.  Ugh. I guess when it rains, it pours.  I'll get through this time...with Alaina, with work, with life.  Just need to keep looking for the beautiful things.

Okay...a few LO's to share before I turn off the computer for they day and get some other things done.

We went the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago.  We went to the fields to find a pumpkin but Alaina couldn't find one she liked.  So we went to the stand with all the pre-picked ones.  She looked and looked and then finally...she picked the white one!

Since Levi turned six months yesterday I thought it was about time I made his five month page!  Six month page to come!

Have a GREAT day!

Another Great Weekend...

...I am seriously loving these weekends off.  It has definitely been a change.  We are used to having one day off a week.  There are times that NOT having a day off has been hard.  However, having an entire weekend off is fabulous.  For me, it is just sooo good to get away.  If I stay home (even though I am off), I never feel like I am off.  I know the girls are just down the hall.  I see the clothes they wear, I hear their conversations, I get their phone calls.  I love them dearly but when I want to unwind, it is very hard for me to do with them here.  So, being able to get away recharges me in a way that other things don't.  So I am thankful.

We had a great weekend.  We headed for Lincoln at about 10 on Friday morning.  When we got to Lincoln, we stopped to find out where Fazoli's was.  No real Phillips family outing is complete without a Fazoli's search.  I know there are other good restaurants, but for our family, you just can't beat it.  First of all, the food is fabulous.  Second of all,  all you can eat breadsticks that taste like heaven are hard to pass up.  Third, we can eat for less than $12.  And for people on a limited budget, this is great.  Thanks to the enormous portion sizes in America our family actually just orders two meals and we split it.  They have a pizza/spaghetti combo and we order two.  I like pizza, Alaina like spaghetti (without sauce), Jason goes back and forth and Caleb will eat whatever Jason doesn't want.  So, it works out great. Okay, that was probably much more than you ever wanted to know about our Fazoli's obsession.

So, after lunch we headed the the children's museum.  We walked inside and the kids faces just lit up as they looked around at the massive three story fun place. This place was truly amazing.  It was a miniature little town...they had everything.  A hospital, a vet, a grocery store, a post office, a football field (hey, it's Nebraska), a pizza shop, a police station, a working ATM, etc. etc.  The kids can go around to each of the places and dress up in the appropriate apparel and then do the job of whatever place they are in.  Soooo cute seeing them dressed up in firefighter suits, chef hats, lab coats, etc. Alaina made me lie down on the doctor's table while she made me "all better" and Caleb kept insisting that Jason sit in the back of the patrol car while he "drove" around the bad guy.  There were lots of other fun things to do too...a stage with tons of costumes back stage, a cool water play area, a do-it-yourself-face painting station, etc.  All in all, it was great! And the best part of it was that we bought a membership (because after two times of going you have already paid as much as a year-long membership) so we didn't have to do it all in one day.  We did two of the floors on Friday and then went back Saturday to finish up.  Here are some of the highlights:

After the museum we did a little shopping (somehow in all my winter clothes shopping for the kids I ended up with ZERO full-length long pants for Alaina and it is getting much too cold for Capri's!)  We then had a fabulous dinner at Outback Steakhouse (well, mine would have been better if Alaina hadn't eaten half my prime rib!) We haven't been to Outback in over two years! Jason and I used to go before we had kids.  Amazing, though, how our eating habits have changed...now that there are four of us eating we spent $15 LESS than we did when it was just the two of us! 

On Sunday we went to church and heard another amazing message.  Our pastor is just so good.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate finally being at a church where I really like the pastor and the messages are inspiring and challenging.  It has been a LONG time.  The message yesterday was on living a ONE-CATEGORY life.  Meaning, as Christians we often separate the spiritual from the secular -- we separate things like praying, Bible study, and ministry into the "spiritual" category and things like going to work, eating, and mowing the lawn as "secular" or just not "spiritual." That separation leads to either feeling guilty for having to do day-today activities like cooking and cleaning or self-righteousness for doing "spiritual work."  The heart behind the activities is what God cares about.  Scripture says that WHATEVER we do, do it ALL for the glory of God.  It's just a good reminded that one those days when my Bible reading or prayer time gets cut short due to diaper changes and cereal refills that I can still be involved in spiritual things.  God knows my life, my responsibilities, my challenges.  And He knows my heart and my longings. I can glorify Him by changing a diaper with a pure and delighted heart and I can NOT glorify Him by reading my Bible with a self-righteous holier-than-thou attitude.  Refreshing stuff.

After church I took Alaina to a gymnastics meet so she could see what it is she was working towards.  Every time a girl did a flip Alaina would say, "Wow, that is SO cool!"  I am glad she enjoyed it!

*******

In other news, I am thrilled with the response so far in my little contest.  The entries are starting to come in and am I excited to see what else people do with it!  It is just such a fun little template and I am glad that people are enjoying it!  You have until October 23 to get your entry in...just $1.50 for the two templates, then, when you send me a link to  your LO in an online gallery and you will receive a FREE three-pack of templates and a chance to win a $20 gift card to the scrapping store of your choice!  Can't beat that!

*******
Okay, needless to say, I didn't scrap much this weekend.  However, I did do one page yesterday when I saw MandaBean's new goodies at Sweet Shoppe Designs.  For this one I used her new SERRANO CHILI SALSA paper pack and her SCRAPPERWARE elements. Also, a date stamp by Katie Perteit.

Have a GREAT Monday!

New templates, a CONTEST, and a little trip...

WOO HOO!  I finally got all these templates up in my SHOP .  I have been working on these for a few weeks and finally got it all put together!  I had sooo much fun making these and can't wait to see what people come up with.  My creative team has already been hard at work (but having fun I hope)...

And....how fun is this????

So run on over to my shop and pick these babies up.  My creative team has been playing with them and I have been BLOWN AWAY with the incredible designs they have come up with.  One is so good I can't even show it :) Actually, it's just that a magazine has already picked it up so you'll have to wait!  But here are some of the others...

So...it's been a busy week as you can see!  And so, we are getting away on another little mini-break.  We are off this weekend so we decided to take the kids to the Lincoln Children's museum and then stay at a hotel (we found a GREAT DEAL for a 2 room suite!) for the night.  If we don't get all of the museum done (it's like 3 or 4 floors) on Friday, then we will go back Saturday.  And we'll just hang out, shop for a few more winter things, and just enjoy being together.  I LOVE family days!

Other than that, I can't say that much has been going on.  I've done a little scrapping, had some really neat conversations with a bunch of people, and have just generally been wrestling with some spiritual issues.  I could let some things get me down, but instead I am just looking at things in a way that makes me realize how important it is to wrestle with figuring out what I believe and how it should be lived out.  Turns out, that message  at church  I mentioned about legalism was in God's PERFECT timing as we struggle with the issue.  It causes us to think deeply and pray deeply.  So I am thankful.

Okay, better go put the girls to bed and then start packing for our trip!  I hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend.  And, maybe by the end of the weekend my nephew will have been born (he is due on the 19th but my sister has never shyed away from a little castor oil when she thinks enough is enough.)

Night!

So bummed....

Okay, so, my prizes from winning the Scrappy awards arrived last week. This morning I was finally unwrapping my wonderful CS2 software when...what is this...it wasn't just PSCS2 it was wonderful gigantic CS2.  Which means...what? I get Illustrator too???  I had checked my prize list and it said I was getting Photoshop CS2.  But, lo and behold, Premium Creative Suite 2 with Photoshop CS2, Illustrator CS2, InDesign CS2, and GoLive CS2.  I was doing a little (okay big) happy dance.  I opened up the packaging, just soooo excited.  So why am I bummed?

...There was one little word on the package that ruined my day.  MACINTOSH.  I wanted to fall into a heap and cry.  I don't use a Mac!  Sad, sad, sad day it is.  I wrote the people at the magazine and am hoping sooo much that they will send me a Windows Version.  But that means I have to wait.  And I am NOT good at waiting.  Not good at all. Plus, the whole reason I was opening it is that I have some really fun ideas for some template stuff but what I want to do I don't think I can do in Photoshop Elements.  Oh well.  I'll keep plugging away hoping that they send my new software...fast.

So, when did I become such a little computer geek?  When did things like software and fonts get me all excited.  When did Best Buy become my favorite store in the mall?  When did things like PSE, CS2, EHD, RAM, GB start meaning something to me??  When did my dream toy (which I proudly own) become a black thing with 2GB of ram and dual processors?  Go figure.

Anyway, sorry I have been MIA for a while.  I was really unmotivated scrap-wise last week and so I took a lot of down time, did a lot with my kids, got some stuff done around the house.  Then, this weekend, I got sick. Yuck.  Fever, back ache, severe headache.  Weird symptoms if you ask me.  But, thankfully I am feeling a bit better (no fever anymore) so I am up and doing stuff again.  My back and head still hurt but the blinding pain is gone. While I was sick I just sat in my bed with my laptop watching DVD's (which I rarely do otherwise).  I got the first season of GREY'S ANATOMY from Netflix and watched the whole thing. Season 2 is on its way!  It was nice to do something complete mindless for a change.  I am just one of those people who CANNOT turn their brain off.  So all day long, no matter what I am doing, my brain just keeps going.  Even when I read. I read a few pages and then have to put the book down because I have stuff to think about (not necessarily related to the book!) But with TV and videos, I can somehow turn that little brain of mine off and just rest. It felt really good.

Not a whole lot else is going on.  We are off this weekend which I am really excited about.  I think on Friday we will drive to Lincoln and go to the CHILDREN'S MUSEUM there.  I think we'll have a really good time.  On Saturday and Sunday we will just hang out a bit, probably get some projects around the house done, make some yummy family meals, and just enjoy being together.

Oh, I didn't tell you...Jason and I are on a diet!  Ever since I did Weight Watchers after having Caleb I have been trying to convince Jason to do it with me. I had such success with it (I lost 25 pounds in 20 weeks) that I knew after Levi I would want to do it again.  And since Jason's weight has been creeping up (not a lot, but more than he would like) we decided to start and to do it together!  We do WW online, which is great because there are no meetings to go to, etc.  Jason is getting the hang of the whole points thing.  So, after week one Jason is down 8 pounds and I am down 2.5.  I have to be on a higher point scale than I would normally be since I am nursing.  So, it may just mean the weight will be slower coming off. The first week or two are always hard, but our bodies are adjusting and it is fun to see results.  I have about 25 pounds total to lose and Jason has about 35.  So, I'll keep you updated on our success. We decided (or rather, I decided) that when we both hit our half-way goal we would plan  a trip for us to take when we both hit our goal weight.  I'm hoping for a cruise (which has always been our dream and surprisingly, they aren't that expensive if you pick the right time to go).  It is just something to keep pushing us and since we BOTH have to hit our goal before we go, it will help us from not letting the other person down. 

Weight loss is such an interesting journey. It can be hard.  Really hard.  But the results are so worth it.  And not just from a vanity standpoint.  It is worth it for my health.  It is worth it so that I have the energy to run and jump and play with my kids.  I want to be able to hike and boat and run and enjoy life with my kids now and as they get older.  I want to keep my heart healthy.  I want to do this for me and for my family.  I am sooo glad that I lost all the Alaina and Caleb baby weight before I had Levi.  It makes getting rid of all the Levi baby weight that much easier.  Here is a 2-page LO I did about a year ago about my first time around with WW.

So on the days when it seems hard and seems like I can't see the results, it is good to see this and the before and after pix and realize what a difference it does make.  A pound or two each week adds up. 

Okay, just a few new LO's for you...

I used papers from Shabby Princess's LUCKY STAR kit, cork background by Gina Miller, Calendar by Misty Mareda, and date tags by Janel K.

I made this out of a template that will be coming sometime  in a mega kit from the Digi Shoppe.  Here's another one with the same template:

Paper from Shabby Princess's CUDDLE BUG kit, pin date by Holly McCaig, alpha stamps by Michelle Coleman, and ruler from Designer Digitals

This next one will also be coming in template form...on Friday to the Digi Shoppe

Papers and ribbon from Jen Wilson's LAUNDRY BASKET kit

Dani Mogstad's BEWITCHED kit

Mindy Teresawa's AUTUMNTIME kit, stitches by Shabby Princess, tags by Michelle Coleman, painted wood effect by Atomic Cupcake.

Shabby Princess's CUDDLE BUG kit

Lots of Jen Wilson stuff here and a template by me.

I have a few more LO's, but I am slowly starting to put a few away for possible Hall of Fame layouts. I doubt I will use them but I want to have a collection to choose from.

Have a great day!

A FABOULOUS weekend...

We did it.  We finally had a full weekend as a family and we had an AMAZING time!  After two months of non-stop busyness it was so good to stop, get away, and focus on each other.  We're just the type of family that likes to get away.  If we stay at home we tend to piddle around the house...you know, clean, check email, take naps, clean some more, get milk in sippy cups, clean some more, check email again, blah blah blah.  But, when we leave home and get away together we really get to focus on each other.  We take time and ENJOY each other.  We do fun and silly things we don't normally get to do.  We don't have a lot of stuff.  Our furniture is not new.  We drive a 1998 mini-van.  A nice meal out is our $12 bill at Fazoli's.  We don't own cell phones. THINGS are not bad.  But, since we are on a limited budget we choose to have less things so we have money to go away.  To stay in hotels. To spoil the kids when we are out.  I would so much rather invest in memories and in my family than THINGS. So, we made a large investment in our family this weekend.  And I KNOW there will be great returns on it.

Our weekend off is officially from 5pm Friday until 7pm on Sunday.  But, since I normally have the school day off we would have been just sitting around here waiting all day just so I could work from 4-5.  So, we asked the people who were covering for us if they could start at 4 and then we would comeback an hour earlier on Sunday.  So, we were able to leave at 10:30 am on Friday.  We drove to Omaha (with an hour stop for lunch) and then onto our hotel.  We got a little lost and made lots of stops (with three kids age three and under we're lucky if we can drive for an hour without having to stop!) Finally, at around 4 we arrived at our hotel.  We always pick to stay in a two-room suite.  If we got just one room then it would mean that Jason and I would have to go to bed at the same time as the kids.  And in a job situation where we NEVER have nights off to ourselves, having some alone time is crucial.  So, we stayed at a DoubleTree Suites.  The hotel was gorgeous.  Our room was really nice...a living room with pull out sofa bed, a kitchen with full-size fridge, microwave, etc., and a huge bedroom with king-size bed, bath, etc.  Plus, there were TV's in each room.  The main disappointment was that although we always check to see if a hotel has wireless internet access before booking, the internet at this hotel was not free.  They actually expected me to pay $10 to use the internet for a 24 hour period.  Yea, right.  I was annoyed because I had some work stuff to do, but I was not about to give in to their outrageous prices.  So, I had an internet free weekend...it was actually a nice break :)

We went to the pool, swam, sat in the hot-tub, and played around.  We were hoping to find a yummy Indian restaurant to eat at but Alaina wasn't feeling well so we just went to the mall down the road and ate at the food court.  Then we walked around a bit, stopped at Borders for a while, then headed to Blockbuster and the grocery store.  We picked up a movie for us to watch after the kiddos went to bed and some snacks.

It was soooo nice to spend some time alone as a couple.  Most of you know that we are dorm parents for 22 high school girls.  So, after we put our kids to bed we don't get time alone like most families do...we still have 22 girls to take care of.  We love it, but it doesn't allow for much couple time.  So, it was luxury to have a few hours to watch a movie, to cuddle, to talk without interruption.  I've really missed Jason so it was good t spend some quality time together.

On Saturday we had a nice lazy morning.  Jason hung out with the kids so I could sleep in.  Levi cooperated so I got to sleep until 9am.  HEAVENLY! After I got up and had coffee I headed out to Old Navy and Target (the nearest ones to us are an hour and a half away so I don't get to go very often).  I didn't have a lot of time but was able to pick up some warmer clothes for the boys and a winter coat for Alaina.  I really wanted to stop for a pumpkin spiced latte at Starbucks (we don't have one of those either) but I ran out of time.  Then, we packed up, headed to lunch, then went to the zoo.  The Omaha zoo is really nice and in four hours probably didn't even see half of it.  It is HUGE!  We all had a great time, though.  Alaina fell asleep soon after we got in the car so we decided to not go to a nice restaurant (we were thinking Outback...it's been over two years since we have been there!).  Instead, we went through the drive through at Arby's and stopped near a park and Jason, Caleb, and I ate in the car while Alaina slept.  Then, a long drive home with Caleb incredible wound up from no nap for two days but refusing to give in to his tiredness.

Church on Sunday with an amazing sermon.  It was the first time I have heard someone really talk about the dangers of legalism and also warn against its opposite.  Christians tend to swing the pendulum from one end to the other.  I hate legalism (strict adherence, or the principle of strict adherence, to law or prescription, esp. to the letter rather than the spirit.) but I also hate people throwing God's Word in the trash and doing whatever they please (often in the "Christian" name of "Christian freedom.")  It was such a refreshing and thoroughly Biblical sermon.  I learned a lot.

Then we headed to pizza hut for the lunch buffet (can't beat an all-you-an-eat buffet for all of us for $10).  Then, off to the pumpkin patch.  We had tried to go last week but the van broke down.  It was actually a really nice place...it was totally geared towards kids our kids age.  There was a ton to do...little "train" rides, pumpkin slinging, zip lines, hay rides, slides, a wagon full of corn, etc.  We spent a few hours there and declared the kids TOTALLY worn out.  It only took three days :)

So, all in all in was one FABULOUS weekend.  And, now for the rest of the semester, we are off every other weekend!  We won't go away every weekend but we WILL spend some awesome quality time together.

Sorry...no pictures, no LO's, no nothing.  I took about 500 pictures this weekend but don't feel like proofing and resizing.  Maybe tomorrow.

Okay, gotta go.  Have lots to do.  Hope you have a GREAT day!