birthday necklace

Dave gave me an acorn necklace for my birthday!!!! Here is what the note card said inside:

This little acorn cap fell form a mighty oak tree just outside the window of our studio. Just as this tiny insignificant acorn can turn into a great tree, remember that lives and dreams also start small but have the potential to become great. May this tiny treasure remind you that you are growing.

He always picks out the most perfect gifts.

dirty thirty

I’m turning 30 tomorrow. Ugh. Part of me really hates the fact. The other part of me says I’ve had an amazing 30 years. I feel so fortunate to have had this life.

Although, I still don’t know what I want to "do" when I grow up, I’m happy to say that I know the woman I want to become and I try to be that woman everyday. However, I hope that in my 30’s I can learn not to apologize for the person I am.

To some 30 is just another number. But to me it’s always been significant. And moving to Phoenix and Kayleigh starting kindergarten in the same time frame just solidifies the significance. I have this great opportunity to change and evolve which is very exciting. I have this mental checklist of things I want to accomplish after we move… All of which should just help me be the best me I can be.

So, tomorrow I’m going to wear flip-flops, torn jeans, a low-cut flowing shirt, and my hair in a messy bun on top of my head. I’m going to spend time outside, make my birthday dinner and cake and share it with my sisters, be silly with my precious girls, wake up with my husband, have a drink and a deep conversation(s).

Dave Matthews said it best in the Song Tripping Billies, “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.” (side note… that song is one of my favorites and was on our wedding cd.)

as told by kayleigh

I have a sister named Zoe. And I love Zoe. We were spinning in the chair. I love the carpet inside the picture. I put the basket on Zoe's head to make a helmet.

These are all of my friends. My friend Nola, Felicity, Nikki, Ava, Sydney, and Caroline are my best friends. We are in dance class together. The picture is one of my favorites because we are dressed in our recital costumes. And I love our bows that go in our hair.

Zoe, Kayleigh and Gunnar (my cousin) are in Scottsdale, AZ are eating apples. I wear my hat a lot. Zoe is a little dude. And I am a little monster. Gunnar is a little boy and he has a friend named "Little Jake." And a little brother named Bennett.

My name is Kayleigh and I wrote this story.

hopes and wishes

I wish I knew where we would be living come July 1.

I wish someone would buy our house so I didn't have to keep it "clean."

I wish I didn't wake up to maggots all over the kitchen this morning.

I wish I liked playing school with Kayleigh and "Marina."

Zoe's painting

I hope Prop 101 passes.

I hope to meet nice people/moms/kids/families soon after we move to Phoenix.

I hope Friday comes quickly.

I wish I could get the text spacing to work :)

Feelin' Lucky

We are so incredibly lucky! Intuit (were Dave works) said that IBM has 45 days to vacate. Intuit is not renewing the contract with IBM and will be laying off 29 across the country. Hopefully IBM has other places for the others to go. I can't imagine what this news would have been like if we didn't have something already lined up. SCARY!

In the mean time.. Us girls are busy crafting, painting, packing, going to the gym, and when I'm not looking mini tornadoes go through the house.

Pretty Much THE Best Day EVER

I talk a lot about me and the girls on this blog and Dave just kinda fades in the background... He is such a great guy and he means so much to me. He is such a hard worker. He's a dedicated employee, friend, son, husband, and dad.



He made Mother's Day such a special day for me. He knows that I like to plan, so I got to plan the entire day! I had breakfast in bed (thanks to Kayleigh), a morning nap, home-made orange-blueberry muffins (thanks Dave and Zoe), recived a 4-in-1 cake stand, and a wonderful boquet of flowers, took the kids bowling and I kicked Dave's a$$, packed some boxes, watched an episode of Private Practice while the others took a nap, and ate a nice meal at a nice restaurant. At dinner, a grandma came over and complemented me on how well behaved my children were. SCORE!

I am such a lucky lady. My husband and my girls made me feel so loved and appreciated today. Thank you family!

Lasagna

Yes, it looks like a lot of work to make homemade lasagna, but it's not and the result is SO much better than the frozen kind.

I used this recipe as a guide. I made some shortcuts buy using store-bought pasta sauce (2) and the no boil lasagna noodles. Also add nutmeg to the ricotta..

Citrus Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

We make lots of salads and dressings... This one had oranges, strawberries, and walnuts (could have used blue cheese crumbles). Dave made the vinaigrette and caramelized the walnuts. Grilled chicken would have been nice on it too if making for an entree.

Ingredients
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Koola-Boola Mongolian Beef

Kayleigh... Wearer of dresses or things that sparkle, random picture taker, poser, wearer of a silver Cinderella headband, and eater of grown-up foods. Always a teacher, always the leader.

And of course I love her so so much too.

Side note: She ALWAYS wears that headband from morning til bedtime. She doesn't like the little tiny hairs that stick up, so she has to have that on to cover them up. She's obsessive about it.

"I Just Oh-we"

My dear children... Zoe is such a silly goose. Her goofiness and her crazy hair... She is stubborn, a cuddle bug, a follower, a learner, an adventurer, and a snack eater.

I love her so so much.

on the move

After much concideration Dave accepted a position at iLinc in Phoenix. We are all very excited. This is a great opportunity for Dave to advance in his career. We are sad to leave our parents, friends, house and neighborhood, but we are also excited for all the new people we will meet and the new places we will go.

Everything is happening fast. Dave will begin work on the 17th of May, stay at a condo, and we will go back and forth until the end of June. I picked up boxes today and plan to pack a box or two a day. I promised the girls that their toys would be last. :)

Everyone asks us what Kayleigh thinks... She's very excited to live by Katie's dog and Shana's cat and have play dates with her cousin, Gunnar. Dave also has a neice and nephew who live in Phoenix so it will be nice to see them more.

When we bought this house our realtor asked how long it would be before we would move (the last house we were in for only 2 years) and we told her 2 or 3 years. Well, it's been 3. I guess we can't sit still!