12.01.09 report

We celebrated Devin's birthday at Red Lobster, because Cache has been insisting on Red Lobster for weeks. NO idea where he got that idea. At dinner, Cache kept trying to order Lobster, but we settled for clam chowder and he got to eat some of our shrimp that had "feet like lobsters." And Naomi kept trying to hand her plate to the waitress. Eating out with children is a workout. We tried a new cheescake recipe this year. A white chocolate rasberry truffle cheesecake. Pretty good. VERY rich. I forgot to get Devin his annual bottle of BBQ sauce.. I'm really bad at birthdays. Really. But I love you Devin. And lucky Devin is easy to please, and loves any effort. My sweet Devin. Next year, maybe we can have family over to eat the cheescake!

12.01.09

Dearest Devin,
Happy 27th Birthday. Geez, FINALLY thanks for catching up to me! I've been getting tired of hanging out with a baby the last couple months. ;)
I want to write about the million things I appreciate about you. But, this will have to wait since the I have to go start your cheescake. I think this is okay with you. So for now, read this. But first I have a picture story of the birthday Boy.

I love this picture, because to me it says exactly who Devin is:

This Picture was taken right after I had insisted that our gutters were leaking on our house. Devin told me: "Actually I don't think we even HAVE gutters Amie." At 11:00 at night in the FREEZING POURING rain, Devin absolutely did not want to go outside. We were warm and already in our room on our way to bed. "What? That is ridiculous, every house has gutters!" Was my response, and I insisted that they were leaking. KNOWING that he would stop me and do it himself, I dressed and headed outside to wrestle his big ladder out of the shed.

Devin rolls out of bed, bundles up, digs through the back of his closet for his boots because our yard was literally a swamp, wrestles his giant slippery ladder out of the shed. Only to find out:

INDEED, we do not have any gutters.

And my love for Devin increased 1000 fold, by the way he reacted to me. Infact after he got down, he gave me giant soaking wet hug and laughed and laughed right from his gut.

Then I told him like I do often: "Devin, you are my favorite person that has ever lived."

I love love love love LOVE, this man. I will forever cry when I think about you checking our gutters that we didn't have. And that is just the kind of man you are Devin. You don't even realize what a diamond in the rough you are.

Happy Birthday to my most loved Husband.

*now you can go here and read about the other reasons you are loved devin.

It's neighbor week on our blog..

I am thankful for so so many things, but lately I am especially thankful, overwhelmingly thankful when I think about the incredible people around me. It floors me. Too many to even have time to hang out with. I use to have a small list in my head, of the people "I would love to just carry around in my pocket," or so I would say. But let me tell you guys my pockets are getting pretty full! Now, when this subject comes up, I now say if I could make the most perfect town ever... and start naming family after family, person after person, that I wish my children could grow up around, that I could always be close too, that I could emulate in every way. If we could just pluck all you guys one by one from all over the world, back home, Brazil, to Chicago, Missouri and Utah.. and just make a perfect town. Is this weird?

Anywho,small weird tangent, I do have the sweetest neighbors in the world. Aaand pretty darn gorgeous too.
If only my camera could capture and show, sweetness, and personality, then, these would be
the most beautiful pictures ever, ever ever ever ever ever ever...

Have a Happy Happy Thanksgiving!

Rip our hearts out, stick em in a van and ship it off to Idaho...

That is literally how I am feeling right now. My heart feels like someone scooped it out with a very jagged icecream scoop. But at the same time so full of love and thankfullness that we got to have Brennan and Mary next door. Besides my own mother, I have never learned so much from one person as I did Mary, in EVERY aspect of life.

They are simply: w o n d e r f u l

(Aaaaaand incredible, amazing, out of the ordinary)

To see all the pictures go here

:) **tear

11.02.09

All year long when Cache asks me repeatedly for something. My answer is usually "NO" or if it's something I can tell he is never going to let go and seems reasonable I answer "Maybe on your birthday." Well, Cache never forgets a promise. It took a week for me to full fill them all:

1.Eating at "Old MacDonald's"
2.Picking out a toy he wanted at the store.
3.Having ALL his "brother's" over to play superheros.
4. Riding the train at the zoo.

The day of, he and I played a game of chess. (Cache's request), till we both got bored. And waited for Devin to get home. FINALLY he got home, and we went to go out for dinner...

We suggested every restaurant in the area, but he would accept no other Option but :"Old McDonald's." We very reluctantly conceded since he was "The birthday boy." (when your tummy is expecting Red Robin or Red Lobster, Mcky D's just doesn't cut it.) Cache danced, skipped cheered all the way into the restaurant. Afterwards, he picked out a transformer from Toys R Us.(Thanks Grandma Colette.) Which fulfilled, the second wish of "pick out any toy he wanted at the store." We blew out candles that we stuck in ice cream when we got home. Ended the day back in mom and dads bed, and 100 birthday hugs and kisses and then the day was done.


Couple days later, he had his "brother's" over for a superhero party:

This is a Gotham city cake and those are skyscrapers if you can't tell. (Made from graham crackers)

Preparing for the party, we hid the balloons so she wouldn't bite them.

BUT she found em in the tub. Silly Nanners.

Just waiting for on one more superhero to arrive. :)


Going through "super hero training"(Devin's amazing obstacle coarse)

After super hero training they were ready to face the Green Goblin.

The super hero's successfully defeated the Green Goblin and were off to save the citizens(balloons)held captive in Cache's room. And dodge the kryptonite.(green balloons)

** Remember this blow up thing I got for $3 at a garage sale? You want it? It needs a patch or two to be in prime condition, but we don't want to move it, so anyone can have it. Seriously

The invitation:



On Saturday we went to the zoo to ride the train. Fullfilling the last of the promises and keeping me honest.

We love you so much Cache.

** and no we don't usually do big birthdays like this.. but it was so fun.

H A L L O W E E N

Halloween is over, birthday parties done and I finished my book that I've had so long the library won't let me renew anymore. NOW I can update.


So I fear I may disappoint a few of you. Devin ended up having a patient to see and had to come late to the trunk or treat/chile cook off, so we didn't really get time to figure out costumes. He slipped on his awesome red fuzzy and we called him a HOT Tamale, and I stuck on a sombrero and poncho and went as a Mexican Hat dancer. Kinda goes right? The best suggestion I think came from cousin Mardee after the fact when she said Devin should have just gone as "Awkward." Hahaha!


No pictures of the evening. Between the two munchkins, bag of costumes, a jack O lantern and a big basket of corn bread muffins, fairy wings and balancing the sombero on top of me head. I couldn't juggle the camera too. So here is a taste of our cute little Mr. Shmee and rug rat Tinkerbell at home... I accidentally deleted some I took of shmee, of course the cutest ones and I want to puke. Obssesive about pictures much Amie?

A week later on the REAL Halloween night, Cache decided he needed
to be Peter Pan, instead of Shmee. And Tinkerbell didn't dress warm
enough, so Naomi went as a puppy instead.

Most people thought she was a baby cow. So I made sure to post a pic of her tail...
Oh man, I loved this costume! We just kept squeezin her
all
night.

Devin left warm fuzzy at home and went along as another Mexican hat dancer.



Every Halloween, I get the biggest kick out of Devin. He plays the part much better than I.

Oh Devin,,, you are so easy to LOVE.

"eye iiii yie yie yei!"

It was a Happy Halloween for us.

Snuggi you got nothin on this:

SO

We Need Help.

From YOU.

Here's the situation:I just found out that our ward(church) Halloween Party is Mañana night. In typical Devin and Amie style, we figure out our costume the day of. We don't know what we are going to be yet, but we do know ONE thing for sure: Whatever it is it is going to include this lovely piece:

so have any ideas for us?

What does Devin look like and what can I dress up as to compliment this lovely ensemble?

Ideas so far to help trigger your brain stormin:
1)giant piece of BIG RED gum: good but goes with...?
2) whoopi cushion, but again goes with...?
3)Flying squirrel. Devin's favorite, but a red squirrel? And again I would go as...?

4) A warm fuzzy(my personal favorite so far)

Here is a pic of Devin demonstrating being a warm fuzzy:

5)a pool of blood, and I could go as a knife? nah.. gross

6)ketchup and somehow I could be mustard.

None of these ideas are stickin.

Whatya think?

We need your help!

10.24.09

I'm missin that Devin t'night. When were newlyweds, it hurt to be separated from him for even one hour. I was told by friends a little more seasoned in the married life: "Don't worry, this stage fades quickly and then you'll get annoyed when he comes home early." I'm relieved to say that 5 years later that day has not come yet. Although it would be nice to feel that on nights like tonight.

Anyway, so here I sit alone with the computer and the sum of that equals a blog post.

Lucky you. Tonights post will be of last nights date night. Creepy World. Devin passed his second set of national boards!(phew) 2 down 2 to go! His choice of celebrating was to take me to a haunted house.

• I was super leary of this whole thing and had a sick feeling while waiting in line. Walking up the stairs to the mansion, the main ticket guy (huge guy with a big red mustache,) POUNDED his fists on the front porch and yelled "KEEP MOVIN!" Like we were cattle. He was sincerly TICKED that people were walking too slow to get in the mansion. I suddenly had serious worries that this was a trick like Pinnochio when he goes off to that "fun island" and turns into a donkey. No really, it was so unsettling.

• Entering in, I turned and said: "Devin I am SO not a screamer, sorry to dissapoint you." Five seconds into the front doors, we BOTH started screaming. And we didn't stop for the next hour.

• I don't enjoy being scared.

• Those black high heeled boots were not the best the idea no matter how cute they looked with jeans. Too much running.

• We were the only people there above 17 years of age. So it was easy to reminisce when we were 17...when we met.

• Devin realized that I was more terrified than having fun... and began trying to help the situation by putting himself btw me and the monsters. That just egged them ON. They got more aggressive in their efforts to getin my face, grab me or follow me screaming in the back of my hair and whipping their chains at me... seriously, we both were thinking WHAT are have we gotten ourselves INTO?

• Devin moved on to PLAN B: make friends with ghouls by laughing at them or complimenting them on there "lovely dress or neat head band." And turning the tables on THEM and trying to sneak up on them. OH this was hilarious. This got us all laughing and we had a great time from there ON. I love Devin so much.

• On the haunted hay ride, a 16 year old girl jumped into Devin's lap and held onto his hand for the whole ride, clinging to him with her dear dramatic teeny bopper life. I was too scared to care. So I just held onto her.

• The whole night was one anxiety attack after another.

• I kicked a zombie in the leg with my pointy boots HARD. I yelled at a dead soldier with a chain saw to "back off" and he did. Like I said I don't enjoy being scared.

• The amount of work that went into creating that place blows my mind.

• No I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It's just too scary. DARK.

• Although... Devin DID scream like a little girl and that might have been worth it.

I'll now just enjoy the brighter, happier side of the season.

Just some fall pictures. Taken by Devin and Self Timer.

We had like 10 min of sunlight when we got there, so this

is all we got. We'll try it again, maybe with a friend instead

of self-timer. Devin asked me to stand up there so he could

know where to prop up the camera for the self timer pics.

I'm posting them, cuz I like my boots :)

H A P P Y F A L L.