think of all the 16 year old boys you know. now let me brag about a very sweet and special 16 year old i know. last week as we were driving home from my parents i got a phone call. little brother mike says " jackie open your glove box and look for a white envelope." i did and this is what i found. handwritten instructions for $30 to go to all the kids for a disneyland treat! seriously $30 is alot for a kid to give someone, and i am such a big baby that i actually almost cried about it. really i was just so glad that we have such great families. my boys are so lucky to be loved by so many people. mike is so great he is always planning and scheming and doing special things for everyone. thanks again baby brother ( who just happens to tower over me at 6 foot 4! hopefully he's done growing) and see you later alligators , we are off to disneyland!

look how long my hair was! and how fat eli was! i am growing my hair out again, it is so much easier to fix it when it is long. i really would love to cut it super short and cute but a) i am a chicken and b) i would actually have to fix it and wash it often. yep, long hair it is. i'm all for taking the easy/lazy/dirty hippie route.

my silly goose is 8 months old today. abe is so close to crawling he is likely to do it any minute. i love his bald little head and fuzzy hair. it makes me laugh when he wakes up and his few long hairs are sticking out all crazy old man like. he has the sweetest disposition and is most always happy. right now he is into making a cheesy little grin as seen in the first picture. abe loves to just sit and play next to eli and ezra and watch all they are doing. he also loves to eat eat eat all day long just like eli. we love you big fat head. ( abes current nickname)

some random things-
have you ever visited failblog? you should because it's great. they have links to their other sites too. look-alikes and engrish. james and i check them out every day and laugh our little butts off. this one describes me lately.

this is one of my all time favorite dishes from the rachel ray cooking magazine. we add avocado.

Southwestern Chili-Mac Salad
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 ears corn
2 cups elbow pasta
1 red onion, half finely chopped, half thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 pound lean ground beef
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice and cilantro; whisk in 6 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn until just tender, about 3 minutes; transfer to a cutting board. Return the water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Cut the corn kernels from the cob and add to the pasta.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and chili powder and cook until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain well.
4. Add the beef mixture to the pasta; season with salt and pepper. Add the kidney beans, tomatoes, sliced onion and vinaigrette and toss to dress. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the cheese.

i really want this rug. who knew that one of my favorite fabric designers makes rugs? just like everything else anna maria horner makes its gorgeous. she has such an eye for cool and colorful things. i am currently obsessed with her good folks fabric right now.

i really like this idea of using vintage maps for the boys room. keep your eyes peeled for cute ones for me ok? i think this is from flickr.

every year grandma bateman has an easter wiener roast extravaganza. the kids all have so much fun hunting for their eggs and grandma puts alot of time into it and is so generous ( like she is with everything) this year was a bummer because little abe was sick with a fever so he and i stayed home. i can honestly say i was really disappointed that i didn't get to go. the big boys had a blast though with their aunts and uncles and grandparents. the next day we did a small egg hunt at home. abe didn't hunt for eggs, he just went through the boys basket and shook all the eggs and through them aside. at least he was feeling better!

happy happy birthday ezra dear!

my biggest boy turned 4 yesterday. how is it that this little boy is 4 already? ezra has been the easiest, sweetest, most helpful, laid back kid a mom could want. he certainly set the standards high. ezra is a big boy, always has been ( weighing in at 9 lbs 3 0z at birth) and now topping the scales at 40 something pounds. when ez was little i would get so sad at the thought of him getting older. i can honestly say that i love every stage that children go through more than the last. ezra is so funny lately. some examples... " mom first i was in heaven, then i was a baby, then i turned into a robot." today he said " ok, ok mom settle down a minute" when i told him not to eat his easter candy with out asking. he also makes sure that everyone knows he isn't cute or funny but cool. where do kids learn that they want to be cool?

we had a fun filled weekend birthday extravaganza. on friday we had a combined party for mike( who shares the same birthday as ezra) and kyle. ez got a lot of fun things but the belle of the ball would have to be the tractor and excavator that uncle mark and aunt vickie got him. when we got home the boys were super excited to find that mike and beth had gone all out decorating their room with about 30 balloons, streamers and candy. on sunday ezra opened his presents from us. a bug catcher, jammies, books and his favorite a scooter. last week i was at VF factory checking out some killa deal on 7 jeans ($12 thanks for the tip mom!) anyhow i stopped by the good old toy store and to my delight say a silly little blue scooter, complete with a basket, the word happy all over it, and little streamers. it is super dorky but perfect for a 4 year old. james was worried that it was a little dorky but when we saw ezra's friend tanner today he said " cool basket ezra" so dorky it ain't. love you big boy!

photos from sew mama sew

i really like this skirt and plan on making a bunch of them. hopefully i can find the pattern at a store so i don't have to wait. the pattern review can be found at sew mama sew. i need to do a post about the boys... maybe tomorrow, i'm to lazy to download pictures.