This and that

So, today looked something a bit like this, but insert more slushiness and freezing rain into the mix.

But Jethro, Hazel and I were here:

because we have awesome friends who invite us to awesome birthday parties!! The bubbly hot tub was VERRRRRRY nice. :) And Jethro and I can both now say that we've ridden down the slide that you see curving around the outside of the hotel. I love friends like that!!!

Cowboy Tell (and Horsey Hazel):

Lame horse:When I was at the birthday party today Brett stayed home with Ethne and Talmage and the whole time I kept feeling like I should be looking around for Ethne, or holding a kid on my lap, or juggling a baby on my hip. It's very disconcerting to have the ease of just two big kids (but nice!).

The other day I told Hazel we could have macaroni and cheese for lunch and she said, "Oh, it's my dreams come true!"
I love this baby. GOSH I love this baby so much. I love his sweet-smelling baby skin, his soft kissy baby cheeks, his squeezy baby fingers, his yummy milky baby breath, his baby giggles and coos, his soft baby lips, how he tries to put everything in his mouth so that when you give his cheek a kiss he ferociously tries to bite you. Oh I could just EAT him!!!
Just now Brett was soldering a piece on our thermostat and he burned himself and said "Sonofa!!" then I had to go out and kiss him better and say "Poor my honey," because that's what we always say to each other. (p.s. these next several pictures are from before church on Sunday)
This is me wearing another skirt I made from a pair of jeans. It turned out nice. I think I'm a pro.
Sometimes when I'm washing dishes, my ear itches, so then I have to try to itch it with my watery gloves, because I'm too lazy to take my gloves off just to itch my ear, but really it only makes it itch more, and the vicious cycle continues. Does this ever happen to you?
Okay, my sister Andrea is staying at my parent's house right now, and I apologize to any of you who also read her blog, but these stories were way too good not to pass on:

So my dad had this piece of rope and first he was teaching Cowen how to tie knots. Then he tied the kids up to see how fast they could get themselves out. Then, with both of my kids watching he put the rope in the inside pocket of his coat. Then, with the kids still watching, he pulled out a pen from the same pocket. He was good--he made them feel it and tell him what it was and examine it closely. When both kids had solemnly declared that it was a pen, he put it back in his pocket, waved his arms around, said some magic words and then turned the pen into a rope. With the kids still watching his every move, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the rope they had watched him put in his pocket. And they loved it! They oohed and aahed and thought it was the best magic trick ever. Dad and I were laughing so hard Dad almost couldn't finish his performance.

They might not be bright, but they're a good audience.

Second story: Remember Timothy's eight stitches in his finger? Tonight, Dad asked my hubby how he picked his nose with all the bandages. Tim responded, "I outsource it. At first it was weird but you get used to it."
Another story: On a different note--Mom and Dad and I were chatting about the day and what was left in my house and paint colors. I said I wanted white for right now and then a bright color on the bookshelves later on when Tim builds the bookshelves after he's passed his test (I told him he needs to quit building and start studying ASAP). Mom said she thought white would be sterile. Dad said, "Good thing--you wouldn't want little rooms popping up all over the place." Ha ha. His mind works in mysterious ways.

Ha ha~!!