End of the world?

This is Kansas. 

This is what it's supposed to look like....during the wintertime.

You know, when it snows.

And as much as I love walking my kids home in the sunshine, I can't help but wonder what the heck is going on around here. I won't lie.....it's freaking me out a little bit. If we go the entire winter without snow, I may start putting my affairs in order.

Calling all Blanchards

While out looking for "little treasures" at our local Goodwill today, I spied something that made my heart go pitter patter and I took a little stroll down memory lane.

Brothers and Sisters!

I give you:

I know... right?

I was powerless to stop myself, and for the 25 cents apiece, I am now the proud owner of our plates from the past.

You may eat off one if you come and visit.

And say "please".

Where gratitude is due

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank the bigwigs at Walmart for making all those little toys so accessible to my tired, shopped-out little kids. I really think that is so thoughtful of you to set up a little miniature day-care for my little pups while I load my groceries and what-nots onto the belt.

It's customer service at its finest.

And to show their gratitude, they always make sure to give all the toys a quick "spit-shine" before we tidy up and go on our merry way.

It's the least we can do.

Four things I love about my husband

1. He spent the ENTIRE DAY in the cold garage changing the break pads and rotors on both cars.  This is a very awesome thing to do, but even awesomer is the fact that I will no longer announce my arrival at any given event by the SKREEEEK of my brakes. That's 3 years of skreeeking I would like to forget.  Now all I have to do I make all new friends and it will all be in the past.

2. He has very nice muscles and sometimes he wears these glasses that remind me of when we were dating. Back in the 20th century.

3. He never gives up. Even when the bolts are rusted on. Even when the caliper is ruined and needs to be replaced. Even when he has to drive to AutoZone for the fifth time and then has to go one more time to the store all the way up by Legends. Even when the kid at Autozone forgets to give him half of his break pads and he gets to go back.....again. 

4. He likes it better when I am there to keep him company.  And he doesn't mind if I just read and keep warm by the space heater.  

A shift

Something weird happened last night.

We were all laying on the floor of the boys bedroom around 8:30 pm and taking turns reading chapters from "The World According to Humphrey". I say "chapters" because we forgot to read for 3 nights in a row and therefore we had 4 chapters to read in order to get caught up. Sunnyside Elementary has blessed us with ONE MORE THING that I am now barely remembering to do: reading a book all together, as a family, as a school, at the exact same rate.

Seriously! Seriously?

So there we were...Mathew had read his chapter (with voices and expression). Megan read to 2 pages and I read as fast as humanly possible and polished off that chapter. Then Ethan started reading his and.....

I fell asleep.

Drooling on the carpet.

Then....

They sent me to bed and finished the rest themselves. I did not argue.

Because I'm absolutely beat by 8:45.

They gave me a quick rundown of what I missed as we drove to school this morning. And I realized that before I know it, they are going to be shielding me from "sexy" things on television and trying to decide if I'm still capable of driving.

Busted.

I walked into the bedroom tonight...innocently putting away a stack of laundry.

Then I realized that Mark had discovered my secret stash.

Horror struck my heart and a chill ran up my spine.

The Nutella has been compromised.

We partied like it was 2011

I do believe it is 2012!

We went to my favorite kind of party:

Hanging out in our socks:

Perusing the food table. Going back for more....and more....and more.

Little groups and conversations going on everywhere....all you have to do to join in is pull up a chair.

Kids are downstairs playing Wii.

Little girls are asleep in their future babysitter's pink fluffy bed:

This is the night that being born into a loud family of 7 really pays off. Even when the clock struck midnight and the noisemakers were blaring, she didn't make a peep.

I get a kick out of all these Mormons and their sparkling grape juice...

It looks like it's going to be a fantastic year.

Happy New Year!