Warning: SHARKS in the water.

SHARK! Out of the water, Ryan! Okay.. Totally Just Kidding! I caught this picture on Monday at the beach, not seeing anything in the background then. Later that night I was going through the photos and noticed the odd out of focus shape in the water.. I know it is not a buoy cause they had none in the water. But obviously it is not a shark, but I still thought it sounded more exciting than something as lame as just another beach goer.. And imagine the stories this photo could tell!

dake updates.

This morning, I will bathe in coffee. Last night was rough. I was up at 12, 2, and 4 with Zach. Then at 5 with both babies. So today's agenda will be lazy. Jason has speech at 12:45 and that is how our day will go.

I have a ton of pictures to upload, edit and post. I will get on that someday. I started a new book to keep me occupied until Friday's Breaking Dawn release. The hubby will also be home on Friday night around 9:30. We went to Folley Beach on Monday. We cleaned house yesterday. My mom and sister are still here until the 4th. That has been nice and helpful.

Baby Dake Updates: Zachary is almost crawling, more of like low crawling. I think his next word will be "bye" or "bottle" as he is making a baba sound. Ryan may just say "mama" or "no no" next cause he is making ma ma sounds and na na sounds, maybe that is because he hears no no a lot. He is standing so quickly and up to everything. And did I mention, into everything? And they both had their first frolic in the Atlantic. They loved it and I have some good photos too.

Lately I have been thinking of all the reasons that I need my hubby around, besides the obvious ones : ) There are all sorts of things that he takes care of around here and for us. Here is a list that I started to compile: the van needs an oil change, my printer won't turn on, the grass needs mowed, we missed shark week as a family, my camera was acting up, and there are weeds in the yard that may or may not be poisonous. So hurry home, honey!

four days left, my love..

And we will be together.. NO, not the hubby.. This book, Book 4 in the Twilight Series.. I will be attending the midnight pre-release party Friday night. I have already reserved my copy. And I have to say that Becca is now obsessed with the series and fell in love with Book 1 and is now on Book 2. Shelby finished Book 1 today and has already started Book 2. All I need to hear is that Julie and Shawna have their copies finally. Hint. Hint.

mo' hawked.

three generations.

he does love me.

So after last nights blog post about ipods, I received 2 texts.

"Pink ipod. K. I will pick one up tomorrow. There are 3 models. Text me which one you want."

"There is a model that shows video, it is like an ipod on steroids."

Can we say spoiled much?

ipods are okay, and so are we.

Just a quickie to let you know that the dake family is a-ohh-kay. Sorry to worry all my Peeps. We had a rough day, but we are refreshed and ready for fabulous. I want to shout out to my Lewis, Loved your email, take the GAD down a notch, or you will be me.

And to the hubby, think PINK IPOD. Think of me.. Hint. Hint.

a long day, a better night, a decent morning.

Another sum up of the last 24 hours, making that a total of 48 alone. Yesterday was just so long. It rained, keeping us confined inside. We eventually made it outside. The babies were rough in the late afternoon. We all got to bed around 9:24. Zachary was only up twice throughout the night. Once at 12:20 and again after 4:00 and he just drank his milk and went right back down.

Today: Lots of housework to prepare for the arrival of my mom and sister. I need to also pack up Jordyn and get her ready to head home tomorrow. I will be driving to Charlotte, NC to drop her off and pick up mom. I have photos to post on flickr. Hopefully you all saw the video of Ryan standing up. If not see it below. More from me later. Coffee is good, Let's Go!

Houston, we have a problem.

Here is Ryan.. In trouble again. I found him in the crib standing up.. Now it is time that we lower the mattress.. I am not sure how to do this. This is one of the reasons why I need my hubby home. Until then, he will not be left in the crib. Safety First..

Ryan Stands.

Ryan Stands.
Originally uploaded by mandydake

Ryan Yesterday.

Ryan.
Originally uploaded by mandydake

good day, rough night, tired morning.

That should sum up the last 24 hours for you. No coffee this morning, I went straight for the grounds. It is 7:00, so it was a late morning, but my night did not get me refreshed. I feel like a zombie. Ryan is still sleeping. I am up with Zachary and Jason. Yesterday was pretty good. The babies were happy little ones and we all got to bed early around 9:30... But I was then up 3 times at 11:56, 12:15 and 12:25. Zachary would just not go soundly back into his crib. Then the two of us were up at 1:56, 4:21 and 5:30.. I am not sure what that was all about. The night before that he was only up once after 4 for about 5 minutes.. Last night kicked my ass. Today the coffee is brewing extra strong and I may need a cold shower this morning to continue living.

sunday.

I am just home from the airport. The hubby has left for 14 days. This is the longest we have been apart in over 7 years. (He left in 2001 for 3 weeks.) Even when he is here at work, we are on the phone to each other 4 or 5 times a day, and we can even meet up for lunch. So I am really lost. My mother and sister are flying in from Kansas to take care of us until he gets home. Later.

Honey, Please hurry home. I miss you already. Hugs, The Wife

quoteable.

Me: "Jacques, can you get me a beer?"

Jason: "Girls don't drink beer."

Me: "Why? Girls can drink beer."

Jason: "Nuhu, you'll grow a beard."

Zachary Video.

Zachary Video.
Originally uploaded by mandydake

why i love saturdays.

1. It means that there is a 50/50 chance that I will get to sleep in. Today was not one of those days. Maybe tomorrow.

2. It means that I get to call my Grandma first thing in the morning, most likely waking her on 1 of the 2 days that she gets to sleep in.

3. I get a weekly Happy Saturday email that I look forward to every week. Keep 'em coming.

4. It means 2 whole days of help with the babies. This is priceless.

Week Recap: Early this morning, around 4 am, the hubby got a call and one of his soldiers had been hit by a car. Last night we went to the Zoo for supper and we saw a Spongebob 3D movie. I shared an Icee with the babies. Jacques won both his softball games this week. Jason started Speech and is enjoying it.

Today: More housework for me and yard work for the hubby. I need to get diapers and baby food. I am hoping to have a T Shirt made. Three boys need baths. Not sure about lunch or supper. Pizza? The hubby has to run to the office at 11. And we need to start packing the hubby to leave for Nebraska for 2 weeks.

Twilight Update: 1. Becca has the books in her possession, and will start them soon. 2. My mother and sister have picked up a copy. 3. Julie promised to add it to her summer reading even though "vampires are not her thing." Trust me, you will love them. WE are too alike for you not too. 4. Shawna.. PICK UP YOUR COPY, or else.

thursday babies.

thirteen on thursday.

1. Beautiful video.
2. Jason has speech this morning.
3. I was up at 1:35 with Zachary.
4. I browsed Lewis' 16 pages on ebay at 1:45 a.m.
5. I need a coffee pot with a timer.
6. Maybe I am just need my own barista.
7. I watch this video. There is 3 seconds of George Strait in it.
8. The hubby has a softball game tonight that I plan to attend.
9. Love, love, love this song..
10. Still have a bunch of new photos to put up.
11. I put of grocery shopping yesterday. I must go today.
12. I make sure my cup and straw colors match.
13. I crave organization.

and on that farm there was a kid..

With Squishy Puffy Cheeks.. Zachary Yesterday. Quick 2day recap. We have had 2 good nights in a row and great mornings. Jason started Speech. He will have 2 sessions a week. We had BK for a picnic. (I just tell the kids this so they don't realize that driving thru a shack that serves up sides of grease with a soda and label it as "'no trans fat" so think you are doing your already overweight body a favor, doesn't quailfy me for the world's greatest mom. And I always love hearing "Mom Where's my toy?" so that every time they forget the cheap $1 plastic toy, most likely made in sweat shops by kids who don't know what the hell a toy is, I have to back track 5 miles to pick up the most important inedible part of the meal. Not to mention that the babies have had a really rough afternoon, and that should sum up mine. I need to grocery shop tonight (barf) and then I plan on taking a momma TO @ Target and perhaps the Goodwill. I have more photos from yesterday and today, but I am so not in the mood to edit/resize and post them. Today gets only 3 out of 5 stars.

page peek.

It's been a while since I have done a scrapbook page. Here is a peek of one that I started last night. It is simple and almost done.

Lots of things filling up my calendar in the next few weeks: Going to Charlotte, North Carolina, Jordyn leaves, Mom and Shelby coming for a visit, Hubby in Nebraska, Giving Blood, Taking a set of 3 beginning sewing classes (so I can get that pink machine), Member Night at the Zoo, Midnight Release Party of Breaking Dawn, Going back to Charlotte, NC and hoping to attend Brew at the Zoo (cause there is nothin' like getting drunk with a bunch of wild animals.) Click the link about the Brew.. It is sooooooo funny! They play a song about the event.. FUNNY! And there is over 200 flavors of brew. I may need a quarter and a cab.

Today: Headed to the Post Office and Walgreens to pick up 113 photos. Hubby has a softball game, but not sure we will be attending. That's about it. Later Tater, Mandy

monday monsters..

So another fun thing on Monday morning.. If you have an extra $249 dollars to spend freely, go here Make My Own Monster. You simple draw any original monster and then this company makes them for your child. How awesome is that? Adding this to my to do list for Jason. Here is the link to make and purchase them. Check it out for more scary monsters. I want to make one of my own. It would be pink and scary with a tiara.

another week goes by..

And another week begins with coffee and babies. Last night was good, I was only up with Zachary once. We had been having a rough time over the last few days. Hopefully that is over. I was up at 6:37 with Ryan, but I was surprised to see it was that early. I thought it was after 7:00. No big plans for the day or the week. I am hoping to get over to Jason's school tomorrow and see if they have the school supply list out, what class he is in, what room and teacher. I hear a baby. Chat it up with you later. New photos are up on flickr too.

old school sunday.

Ryan and I started our morning off at 6:45 with homemade frappuccinos and vh1 classic totally 80's. Nothing like a little Bon Jovi and Zz Top to start your morning. Totally, M

saturday to do.

1. Housework.
2. Breakfast.
3. Laundry.
4. Reading?
5. Scrapping?
6. Babies Baths.
7. BBQ.
8. Emails.
9. Groceries.

up on etsy.

My Etsy Shop is OPEN Today. Recycled Mag Minis. Hugs, M

friday morning.

This is how almost every morning starts. My cup of Joe and Nickelback. I love this video.. On with my day. Dishes are done, but bottles need washed. Breakfast was waffles. I think we will spend the day outside if Mother Nature approves. The hubby has a meeting at 16:30 so who knows when we will see him. We will need a gallon of milk later and soda. No plans for super and just left overs for lunch. I already made another recycled mini and it will go up on etsy for sale later. I am only 3 chapters in on my new book. Hopefully I can get that fixed too. Later, Peeps.

thirty things on thursday.

1. Zachary has 3 mosquito bites.
2. It's 7:58 this morning.
3. I slept until after 7. That's a miracle.
4. Zachary was only up once last night.
5. Jason already played Wii and is now searching for a movie.
6. I hope to read my book today.
7. Not sure what's for lunch or supper.
8. We have a BBQ to attend on Saturday.
9. Just cereal for breakfast.
10. And a diet coke.
11. Jason into the tub.
12. Washed 22 more bottles.
13. I like yogurt. I had never had any before.
14. It's 11:05 am.
15. Ryan is in the bouncer wearing outfit #2 already.
16. I erased a bunch of photos yesterday that I had not uploaded.
17. Insert tear here.
18. I wonder if shrimp is on sale this week?
19. The E key has broke twice now on my keyboard.
20. Milestone today: Moving up to Size 3 Pampers.
21. Now 4:55 pm.
22. I am loving Bravo Channel lately.
23. Ryan bonked his head and has a small mark.
24. Jordyn painted my toe nails this afternoon.
25. I ate yogurt.
26. We are headed outside to play.
27. The babies have ate 2 jars of food already today.
28. I cut up another magazine for tea journal sale on etsy.
29. Thinking of getting a cut and color on Saturday.
30. The hubby should be home soon.

wednesday, in review.

And the Winner of the new Recycled Mini chosen by the Random Number Generator is 6. And that would be Rosa. Email me your address and I will make one up and send it your way.

Today was productive.. Minus the 4 hours that I spent watching Project Runway. I washed and folded a bunch of laundry and washed about 40 bottles. I cooked waffles for breakfast, Hamburger Helper for lunch, and threw in a pizza for supper. I made some coffee slushies this afternoon that went well in my Starbucks mug. I am recommending them to you all. Bell and Julie, you both will get your own emails with me raving about these treats. Did I mention they are low calorie and only 5 ingredients? And better, you can adjust the recipe to make 3 different flavors. Yum! I didn't do much in the scrap area, but I did throw together these bookmarks out of scraps for Jordyn and I and did one art journal page. I also managed to drink 3 huge glasses of water which may of kept me going for the day. I avoid the diet coke. The hubby is late from work, no biggie. It's after 6 pm and he is usually home around 5:15 ish. Oh.. here he is. The kids are all following him outside. I did get some reading done in my new book. Bathed 2 out of 3 boys. And there is another 3 hours of Project Runway ahead of me. Go!

today.

This Morning Activity Level: Highly Tired. Lots of coffee. Then More Coffee. Seriously, Zachary was up 4 times through out the night. I got up 3 of them. Then I had to have Jacques get up with him once. It was exhausting. Then he was up by 5:45 and ready to start his day. Ryan was up after 6:05. So for today.. Rest. I have a new book to start Eat, Love, Pray. And here is last nights trouble maker.
Please Be Advised- His smile is a sly decoy, don't let it fool you.
Photo: Zachary and Momma after bath time. July 8,08

recycled mini.

I get this beautiful magazine in the mail for ordering specialty teas, and they are heaven. And so is the magazine. It is put together so well. Such great colors and items.. mostly ones that I can't afford. I was having a hard time throwing them out, well that's not entirely true because I have never thrown one out, but they were piling up. A few days ago I set down and started tearing them apart and then today I sat down and picked up the pages and sewed them together. It was a tall book at 11 inches. So I sewed it up length wise making it less than 6 inches. I also put the pages upside down and backwards, so it is way fun. Not totally sure what it will turn into now, maybe a journal. I did borrow a tag line from an etsy listing. Anyway like I side I have a few more of these piling up. So drop a line here about what you think I should do with my copy and I will randomly pick a winner, and then you will have one of your own.

UPDATE: Comment Drawing is done.. Thanks for playing. Comment #6 Rosa is the winner. Email me your address and I will hook you up with one.. Hugs, M

here we have trouble.

This is Ryan. Well the back of him. He has been pulling up to things, AND STANDING for a week already! We may have an early walker here. I can't turn my back on this kid. He will be up in nothing flat, and into trouble that soon as well. It is a long fall for him from the standing position. Maybe I can look into getting him a bubble?

Today: Rest and most likely more rain here. Waffles for breakfast. I skipped brewing coffee and grabbed a diet coke. Both babies were up before 5:45. They have already been through 3 outfits, 3 diapers (and a poopy), 1 jar of cereal and 2 bottles. It will be a long day. More photos to put up on flickr later..

Ohhhhhhhhhh and great news! Yesterday I finally finished Eclipse. Awesome. I read about 300 pages and I am now awaiting August 2 for the release of Breaking Dawn. Love it. Hugs, M

pool party.

The only thing missing was chicks and brew.. Ummmm, Kidding! Like these angels will ever be interested in chicks.. Anyway Daddy bought this pool today for $6.95 and they love it. He even filled it with warm water from the house, carrying it out a pitcher at a time.. Awe. Hello, Super Dad. More photos up on flickr. Hugs.

Oh and I wanted to share this. I snapped this photo of the boys to show off their matching swim trunks and I also saw the hand on the back. It wasn't until I uploaded that I noticed the hand chewing. It is super nice to share your phalanges. It is Ryan chomping on Zach, accomodating.

he so has my number.

At the Px, I asked Jacques to check if they had any sewing machines. Then it went down like this.

Jacques: "Mandy, they have a pink one for $94.00"

Me: "Oh, I can get one cheaper than that at Walmart."

Jacques: "Yeah, but do they have a pink one?"

saturday morning.

Hello, Morning. I am diving in the coffee head first today... with no goggles. Zachary was only up once last night for 20 minutes at 2:19 and Ryan didn't wake up until 7 this morning. But I am oddly tired this morning still. And there is a mini that I threw together yesterday. It will be photos back to back and journaling that is it. Nothing fancy. And there is a journal page too.. I think I may be over doing the labels, but I love them. So going to have Elise get me some more.
Then there is Trouble... Oops, I mean Ryan. On July 1, he pulled up for the first time.. Now I can't turn my back for fear he will topple over and get hurt. One time while pulling up unto me, he got all they way up on his feet.... We may have an early walker here. I need some baby gates.

Today: No big plans. We talked about driving out to the coast to Myrtle Beach, but apparently the weather is no friend of ours. The hubby had also said something about taking me to the jewelry shop for a new necklace. (Insert Spoiling Here : ) I will need to hit the grocery store too. We need milk. I need to edit/upload a ton of photos from the 3rd and 4th too. Busy. Bee.

first fourth.

happy anniversary.

To my parental units. I am not sure how many years it has been. But have a great day. I love you both. And to the rest of you, Happy Independence Day : )

finally. a better day.

And it started with this, an unexpected package in the mail from Julie! Love it all.. Can't wait to put it to use.. Then it continued with this while the hubby took the kids to the water park:And finally it end with the hubby returning from the h2O park with an iced coffee for me. Nice.

7 Months.

Wow. Can you believe how big these two are? Amazing. Today they are 7 months. So let's recap the last months and their awesome accomplishments, shall we? Ryan in the first photo. Zachary in the second. Photos are from today. Plus I took like 300 more that I will post on flickr later. Here we go:

-Both sit up unassisted, laugh and giggle insanely, say da-da, eat stage 2 baby foods, biscuits, juice and cereal, love their walker, saucer and stollers, they don't care for the swings (or anything restrictive for that matter, ie-car seats), love bath time and pools, they both bear a great amount of weight on their legs (a good sign for future walkers), they went on vacation and traveled through 9 states, they met and were jostled by more than 40 relatives, and both are ticklish.

-Ryan is able to hold bottle. He crawls all over. Weighs 16 pounds. Said da-da at almost 7 months. Crawling at 6 months, maybe sooner. Has just started pulling up. Has a smaller head than Zachary, but is taller. Cries when most (ie-not Becca) others hold him or take him from Mommy.

-Zachary is too lazy, but can hold own bottle. Has not conquered crawling yet, but soon. Weighs one ounce more than Ryan, 16 pounds and 1 ounce. Said da-da at 6 months. Has a bigger head than Ryan, but is shorter. Is a very big drool monster. Pretty much lets any weirdos' hold him. (ie-Brad)

They are pretty much just the greatest thing since peanut butter.

let's start today.

I found this today. Inspiring. This man Jamie Livingston took a Polaroid a Day for 18 years before dieing of cancer in 1997. See all the photos here.

Speaking of photos. I was chattin at you about how I love a new month cause it means I get to create a new folder for my photos.. Ummm yeah, yesterday was the 1st and there are already 54 photos from yesterday. Swamped.

Zachary and I were up at 5:45 this morning. That was what I like to call "sleeping in." Way to go Zachary! You rock. Please have a good day.

Ryan has joined the dark side. Yesterday he said his first word... da-da. I guess he forgot that I nurtured him in my belly for 37 weeks before he met his da-da. Not that I am totally bummed out or anything. I have 3 boys, I realize there is no hope for me. They are all about their da-da. And thankfully, he is an awesome one. They are lucky little clones. All 3 of them.

So I know you are annoyed with me "biting" your ears off about the Twilight Series which is a teen read about vampires.. BUT just in case you are not, I found out today that there is ANOTHER series in the works being written,with the same characters (I am assuming since it is told from Edward's prospective.) and book one is Midnight Sun. I am still on book three page 247.

So today: I have more photos I want to edit and post. I am making cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I opted for a diet coke this morning instead of coffee. I am planning on making an iced coffee beverage this afternoon for a treat. I may need a nice new blender, maybe a pink one, if I keep up with the blending. I ordered $13 worth of scrap goodies this morning. Mostly paper and some letters. Super excited. I think I may compulsively buy too much paper. But a girl can never have enough paper, right?

ten on tuesday.

1. I love new months. It means I get to create a new folder for my photos on the computer. June was over run with photos. A total of 653 photos to be exact. Well, unless I took any yesterday that still need transferred from my memory card. Hmmm?

2. It feels like a Friday to me for some reason.

3. By 10:05 this morning, I was done running our errands. We went to Walmart, Bi Lo and the post office.

4. I posted a bunch of photos over on flickr. Go there, Log in and check them out. If you are a friend/family member and are NOT a registered flickr contact of mine, YOU NEED TO BE.. Or you are missing all the photos of the boys which are registered as private. Email me if you want me to add you as a contact so you can see all the photos of the kids.

5. I will be making homemade banana strawberry smoothies this afternoon.

6. I have had a better day today than yesterday.

7. Jacques witnessed a stabbing today.

8. Zachary is sleeping. Ryan is awake.

9. I am on page 245 of Eclipse. Bell, the first two copies went out priority today.

10. I plan to reading Eat, Pray, Love next.

5:14 am

Begins another 16 hour day. Zachary was up 2 times throughout the night. Then wide awake at 5:14. I got up and started life. I was able to put him back to bed at 6:5o and by then Ryan was ready for his day. Lots of errands today including the Post Office, Walmart and most likely a side stop at another grocery. Very rarely can I get all the formula at one stop. Bouncin' like Butter..