project 365, week 1 and the last few pictures of 2009

i wanted to wrap up the year in pictures if nothing else, than for the sake of my blog book i'm putting together.

i will probably more or less do 365 again this year, but i wont be as particular about it, and if i miss a day, then i miss it. no biggie.

my main goal is to blog more of the day to day. i missed that this year. part of it i think is because i feel like if i dont have anything particularly funny to share, then no one will be interested. i need to get over that.

so here are my jan 1st and 2nd pictures and then the rest of 2009.

FRIDAY, january 1st

the very first picture taken with my camera in 2010. approx 12:01 am

SATURDAY, january 2nd

these were one of my pictures a few weeks ago because i saw them while i was out christmas shopping at pier 1. allen got them for me for christmas (he takes a hint so well) and he hung them up today. love!!

and to finish up 2009....

SUNDAY, december 27th

my new red sink!!! love it!

MONDAY, december 28th

my last performance as Grace. bittersweet. this is Lana. she was my Annie.

TUESDAY, december 29th

shayne and kristin came over today to pray over the kids. shayne and kristin are the ideal picture of the big brother/little sister relationship. we love their family and the relationship they have with their parents and each other and would love to see colby and molly have that same closeness. when molly was a newborn, we asked them to come over when shayne was home from college for christmas, and pray over the kids. each year we grab them for a couple hours one afternoon before they both have to get back to their respective universities. this is the fourth year we've done it and its just a sweet time for us all to visit and catch up.

WEDNESDAY, december 30th

some of my friends from 'Annie' came over for lunch today and then we went and saw 'NINE', the new musical movie. it was, eh. i was disappointed overall if i'm being honest about it.

after the movie we went back to my house, got the kids (my mom watched them for me), and went for ice cream. this is diego and erica with molly and colby.



THURSDAY, december 31st

allen did a wedding ceremony at the botanical gardens this afternoon. its been cold and rainy for a week , but today it was 68 and sunny; a beautiful day for an outdoor wedding. i took the kids and we kind of hung out in the back till the ceremony was over, then we walked around with daddy for a bit and went and had lunch at the reception. it was a very nice afternoon.

happy new year!!

this is the 6th year in a row we've spent new years eve with the lamberts and the barners. we go to dinner, then come back to one of our houses for dessert, sparkling grape juice (i make myself sick on the stuff) and games to ring in the new year. we love them and i hope this is something we can do for mayn many more years to come!!!

project 365, week 52!!!!!!

this is it! this is the last entry for project 365, 2009. i may actually do an entry with the last 5 days pictures on it, just so its complete.

we had a fantastic christmas. the kids got way too much, as usual, and loved it all. molly actually got tired of opening presents. about half way through the gift wrapping massacre at mimis, she stopped. i had to open the last 4 or 5 things for her.

we changed up some things this year. the presents from 'santa' were to be assembled and unwrapped, sitting under the tree on christmas morning. we didnt realize mollys gift had sooo many tiny pieces, otherwise we probably would have started working on it a little sooner. allen and i were up till 1:30am putting things together and getting everything just right. then, we opened out presents to/from each other, which was nice. i personally enjoyed having that time with him, and getting to enjoy it without 2 preschoolers screeching and running around. that may become a tradition for us, at least until the kids are older.

we spent christmas day in h-town with my inlaws. we had to zip back home the next morning though; i had to be at the theatre by 1pm for the matinee show they added last week. i have 4 more performances in annie, then we're done. it's been a lot of fun, but i dont think i'll be doing the holiday show again, at least not for a few more years.

heres the week in pictures. i might throw in a few extras. :)

SUNDAY, december 20th

when i'm not being grace farrell, i'm the help. these are my friends and fellow maids in the warbucks mansion, jill and michelle.

MONDAY, december 21st

my grandparents came in from east texas to celebrate christmas and come see the show. this is my beautiful grandma.

TUESDAY, december 22nd

a friend of ours had a cookie decorating party. so. much. fun.

each kiddo got 4 cookies and everyone was asked to bring frosting and a topping of some sort. what a great idea! i'm not brave enough to do it though...i dont handle messy very well; especially messy x10 kids. i think there were actually more than that. yikes.

this is colby and his friend savannah at the party; pre-decorating.

on a side note, see the short sleeved shirts? i think it was in the low 70s. we had snow flurries the next day. crazy texas weather.

WEDNESDAY, december 23rd

some of my annie buddies. this is jenny (she's lily, if you're at all familiar with the show). i love her!!! the next pic is me with cody and diego. funny, talented, fabulous people.

THURSDAY, december 24th

merry christmas eve!

molly, colby, adler, and audrey.

the frans clan. molly was so over taking pictures at this point. we exhausted her with the kid picture. although, she wasnt very cooperative for that one either.

christmas pjs from ace the elf!

the yearly DUKE gear. can you tell we're fans!! i'm a fan by default. if allen likes it, i like it.

my big present this year was a red sink for the kitchen! its getting installed this week, and in can not wait! i've wanted one for 3 years, but we've never been able to find one, until now! i also got a gift card to go pick out new fixtures. i will definitely be posting a picture of the finished product.

FRIDAY, december 25th

merry christmas!!!

the kids were so excited to see what mommy and daddy and santa brought them!

SATURDAY, december 26th

this is me and james. he's one of the drakes (the butler) in the cast; william (whos made the 365 run) is the other one.

happy new year!!!!!!

project 365, week 51

we are one week away from the end of 2009. that is just crazy to think about, and even crazier is the fact that i have stuck with this for the entire year. i think there was only 1 week that i didnt participate and only a handful of pictures missed along the way.

i hope you've enjoyed this christmas season. i say that now, because next time i post christmas will have come and gone. the kids are both old enough this year to really 'get into' the everything that goes along with the holiday season. giving, getting, baby Jesus, santa, baking cookies, making ornaments, decorating the house, seeing the lights around the neighborhood. its been a lot of fun!

here's the week...

SUNDAY, december 13th

the kids came home today from a weekend at mimis. they come home sunday night to new beds (pictured in last weeks post). i took a picture of their reactions when they walked in and saw them for the first time.

MONDAY, december 14th

i bought molly a little tube of lip gloss at the store today. she does pretty well at not smearing it all over her face. although, i think she gets more on the inside of her mouth than her lips.

TUESDAY, december 15th

pajama day! we stayed in all day and played games, made ornaments, baked cookies, all that christmas-y stuff. these are my favorite pj pants and house shoes.

WEDNESDAY, december 16th

ace the elf. we started the elf on the shelf tradition last year, and its really been a lot of fun. if you've never heard of it, check it out.

THURSDAY, december 17th

a trip to see santa. molly was a little wary at first, but once she saw that he wasnt going to, i dont know, pull her arm off or anything, she was good with it.

FRIDAY, december 18th

william and i were going to take before and after pictures of drake (the butler) and grace (the secretary). this is the before, but then we got into 'show mode' and forgot to take any afters. i need to get on it!! i havent taken any backstage pics since we started the show run!!

SATURDAY, december 19th

yet another pajama day for the kids and i. colby started running fever last night and was kind of a wet noodle all day. we spent most of the afternoon on the floor coloring or watching christmas movies on the couch.

fun on the moon

colbys getting really good at reading. i'm using "teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" and we're on lesson 68.
at the end of the lesson theres a very short story to read and a picture that goes with it.
the story today was called 'finding some fun on the moon'.
we read the story and as he reads i ask him comprehensive questions to make sure he understands what he's reading.
so this girl goes to the moon and meets a moon cow who takes her swimming. (don't ask questions, becuause i dont get it either). the last sentence of the story is 'the girl did not tell the other girls that she went swimming with a moon cow.'
i asked colby why he thought she didnt tell her friends.
i was expecting something like, 'becuase she wanted the pool all to herself,' or 'she didnt want anyone else to be friends with the cow.'
i personally would have said, 'because if i told my friends i went swimming on the moon with a space cow, i'd be commited.'
however colbys answer was, "because they would kill him for meat."

guess the moons not so much fun for the cows.

project 365, week 50

2 weeks away from the end of 2009!!!

with the exception of stocking stuffers, i am done with my christmas shopping! woo hoo!

we've had a busy weekend so the kids are with mimi. allen and i went to toys r us thursday and got all their gifts. friday we made a trip to ikea and target to get items to redo the kids' rooms. molly got colbys bed, taking her from her crib to a twin bed, and colby now has bunk beds, but the bottom is a full-size bed, so mimi and papa have somewhere to sleep when they come visit.

on our way home from ikea, with my car full of furniture, the drive shaft fell out of my car onto the road!! it goes without saying that we didnt go any further. praise the Lord we have a friend whos a mechanic and was able to fix my car the same day!! its been a crazy weekend of shopping, building, and reorganizing, with some car trouble, 3 'Annie' performances, and 2 christmas parties thrown in for good measure. whew!!

heres the week:

SUNDAY, december 6th

mollys been asking to dress up like mary, which means putting a blanket on her head. she walks aroun dlike this for hours. its adorable.

MONDAY, december 7th

we came hom efrmo the grocery store to ants, ants, and more ants!! they were coming through a crack in the baseboard. i've been fighting a small amount of them for several weeks, but all of a sudden there were hundreds all over the floor, on the counters, everywhere!! we had a visit from terminix the next morning, and they're gone!

TUESDAY, december 8th

cookie baking extravaganza!! i baked 3 different batches of cookies and they were all delicious!

WEDNESDAY, december 9th

i took the kids to toys r us so they could look around and give me some ideas for christmas. mimis getting colby the only thing he's asked for so i had to have something for 'santa' to bring him. when i asked molly what she wanted, she told me, "a dolly, pink, and butterflies."

i took a picture of this playscape to show allen. i would love to get this for the kids, but it would take up our entire backyard and probably require pulling up a tree. that being said, its a good dream to have. :)

THURSDAY, december 10th

after i took the kids to our drop off point, i got right to shopping. i went to pier 1, which i pretty much never shop at. i walked around for about an hour. l-o-v-e- it!! i saw these canvases, and took a picture. i'm hoping to get a few of them (believe, laugh, and home) for christmas (hint, hint, allen) to hang on the wall above the t.v.

FRIDAY, december 11th

allen was having too much fun with the cart at ikea.

SATURDAY, december 12th

the kids new beds!! they dont know we did this, so they'll be surprised when they get home tomorrow. :)

i hope you're having a fabulous christmas season!!!

stay warm!

project 265, week 49

woo hoo!!! i have a full week of pictures! and they're not all about theatre! even better!!

its beginning to look a lot like christmas. we got the lights up on our house this week, and went to a couple of different christmas parades/strolls in the area.

we pulled ace the elf out on the 1st too. you'll get a picture of him eventually and the story to go with it.

the other day we were picking up toys, and i threw something towards mollys room without even really thinking about it. i tell colby amd molly not to throw toys, so colby looks at me and says, "did you throw that?" i told him that i did and he said, "hmm, looks like you're not getting any presents."

heres the week...

SUNDAY, november 30th

this is william. he is drake the butler in annie. he's come to church with me the past couple weeks and he went to dinner with our family after the service sunday night.

MONDAY, december 1st

i came home late sunday night to a tarantula in a gladware bowl on my kitchen counter. allen had brought him home from the church parking lot that day. i seriously thought about keeping him, but i would have to come up with crickets for him to eat, and i'm not signing on for that. we kept him for a couple days, then let him go. find your own crickets, buddy.

TUESDAY, december 2nd

the weather was yucky, so a trip to the childrens museum seemed logical. leah and i had been several times, but our friend traci had never been with her kids. the 6 kids together had a fabulous time. we were there for 4 hours and still didnt have time to do everything.

WEDNESDAY, december 3rd

allen came home this afternoon with surprise donuts for the kids. with it being the christmas season they had a christmas donut, which just so happened to be colbys favorite color.

THURSDAY, december 4th

we drove to a town about half an hour north of us for their christmas parade. we met our friends the ogrady's there and walked around with them for a bit too. it was a fun evening.

FRIDAY, december 5th

it snowed!!! we got a very small flurry that lasted about half an hour. then it was done and the sun came out. but the kids were really excited for 30 minutes. colby might have even caught a snowflake on his tongue. hahaha.

SATURDAY, december 6th

we went to the christmas stroll in gtwn. i was in the parade with the Annie cast and afterwards the family walked around for a bit, palyed some games, ate lunch, etc before i had to be at the theatre for a pre-show rehearsal.