4.27.2009

{the lastest addition to the refridge door}

colin the composer.
last night colin was very busy after dinner.
last night colin was being very secretive while he was writing away.
last night colin was writing a song.
last night colin not only wrote a song but sang it as well.
last night colin sang and steve & i had front row bar stool seats.
last night colin sang for us from his lyric worksheet.
last night colin thought maybe he'd be a singer when he grows up.
last night colin went to bed knowing he could be anything in the world.
last night colin was on his very own american idol show.
colin the composer.
colin the writer.
colin the singer.
colin the world is yours!
-
life in that of a seven year old.
filled with dreams without limits.
filled with innocence without barriers.
filled with hope without fears.
go. colin. go.

(check out this musical fun place)

4.26.2009

double birthday balloons today.

happy birthday willa.

may your day as good as poppas cinnamon rolls and

a trip to the crescent beach candy store rolled into one.

happy birthday paul.

may your day be as good as signing the last dotted line

on april 15th and walking in to darcy mcgees rolled into one.

happy days x 2.

enJoy!

4.24.2009

special delivery #3.

look what we found in our mailbox last night.

a little taste of home sent south.

we have a starbucks at the corner but its not the same.

i miss my tim hortons coffee.

i was truly addicted to it.

i often had more than one cup a day.

it was worth putting 3 boys in car seats for.

it was worth leaving for work 10 minutes early.

it was worth waiting in long, traffic stopping lines for.

tim horton days.

hot and a lot.

thank you deanne & kevin for sending us

a jumbo can of delicious memories.

4.23.2009

{picture from here from flickr}
6 cool ideas.
plant some grass
wacky calendar tape
green growing frames
mail this fun card
creative rubber stamp
single serve krispie treat

4.23.2009

birthday wishes x 2 today.
adirondick memories is celebrating with bloody marys & prime rib.
cousin melanie is celebrating is the warm florida rays.
enJoy your mary rays!

4.22.2009

5 things to do on a hot sunny day:

#1) stop at walgreens for last minute 'cool' ideas

nothing screams summer like water balloons and freezer pops. #2) celebrate 100 on the math taks test
#3) go blue on a 'go green' earth day
our first official swim of the season.
heres to swimming trunks hanging on doorknobs everywhere

for the next 5 months

#4) lazy strolls around the block before dinner.

#5) dust off the banana boat sun tanning oil
bye bye sunscreen
hello texas tan

4.22.2009

happy earth day

great ideas here

great savings here

home depot specials here

walmarts top 10 list here

go

be green

brush your teeth without running the water

actually turn off your computer tonight

use 1 less light switch today

turn off all lights at 8 pm tonight

4.21.2009

{image from listograpy for kids}
nathan: sorry. monopoly & twister
colin: battleship. electronic monopoly & mastermind
justin: monopoly. payday & battleship
mom: othello. mastermind & blokus
dad: clue. mastermind & monopoly

-
hot. sunny & 91
football practice x 2. tuesday folders & office work
barnes & noble. hallmark & walmart
dry cleaners. post office & j.crew
finished season 4 greys anatomy. little children novel & laundry
cleaned out purse. inbox & pantry

heres to your list today

special delivery 2

arriving in november.

look whos one big sister now.

congratualtions ryan. julie & hannah!

special delivery

we gently opened the large brown boxes that had been patiently sitting in the front foyer today. we were waiting for lauren so we could see them together. they are so beautiful. they are classic simple and elegant all folded into one thick lovely cardstock and completed with a pacific blue gentle ribbon down the side.

wedding spirit is in the air today.

special thank you to justin for his great video hand and nathan & colin for their commentary.

4.17.2009

happy 16 years.

heres to all the pillow talk. finishing each others sentences. early morning phone calls.

3 boys. 3 houses. 3 goldfishes.

moving forward. moving to texas. moving together.

walks around the block. walks around the paths. walking together.

'i love walking'

growing old. growing family. growing love.

laughing. contentment. simple.

happy 16.

-

"love doesn't make the world go 'round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile."

franklin p. jones

-

heres to the ride !

4.16.2009

i am at that wonderful place where i am finishing up a book and anticipating the search for my next book...i sometimes spend more time looking for a book than actually reading it...i enjoy walking up and down the aisles of barnes and nobles with a latte just touching all the possibilities...i read to escape...when steve and i were first married we actually had a 'no tv' night where we would just load the platter cd player with 6 great albums, hit shuffle and read the evening away...not sure how long we carried this out - a week, a month, a year - but i loved knowing that there was a date with my hubby & my book...i read because i love seeing the boys read...nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than watching them at the bookstore or library as they search for their next great read...love to see them sitting on the back patio reading in the afternoon sun long after their required reading minutes have passed...love finding them hiding a book light under their pillow so they can just finish one more chapter...love hearing them quote their favorite lines from a book or poem...today i'm hanging out here to start the hunt...creating a couple of these to keep my place in my next book or maybe this personalized one here...printing a page of these...starting to keep a book journal...make a list of books i want to read or add to the list i already have...off to get lost in my next great adventure.

4.15.2009

look what i found on my front step today.

any ideas whats inside?
i'm getting excited about a special day coming soon.
i'm getting out my party dress and dancing shoes.
i'm looking forward to our growing family.
happy {wedding} day ahead lauren & aaron.

4.15.2009

the wedding can now proceed.

mom found her dress.

in austin.

again.

plus she gets to come back in a couple weeks

for the next fitting.

good stuff.

win/win.

gotta love the domain.

gotta love the dress.

more wedding love in the air.

see you soon mom & domain.

4.14.2009

lunchtime surprises with nan & granddad.

stuffing tuesday folders with nan & granddad.

model homes with nan & granddad.

patio lunches with nan & granddad.

minivan rides with nan & granddad.

this is the stuff memories are made of.

the simple stuff.

the silly string stuff.

the poker game stuff.

the zigity card stuff.

this is the good stuff.

4.13.2009

{ 3 dresses today - invites. bridesmaid. mother of the bride - wedding is in the air}
no school today. no need for a clock today. domain trips. wedding dress fittings. golf clubs. long walks in the sun. bridal shower invites. finding a tennis ball. joe dimaggios patio. modeling bridesmaid dress. time together. hanging. swinging. laughing. assembling.

4.12.2009

hoppy easter.

church & live in the dash today.

egg bake & ham.

mustard sauce & egg hunts.

confetti eggs & silly string.

rainy morning & sunny afternoon.

round rock & park walks.

masters on tv & poker at the kitchen table.

4.11.2009

possible captions for this photo:

tom cruise impressions.

wear your matching sunglasses.

a day with nan at the movies.

scarey sippel stories.

-

answer: monsters and aliens 3D adventure with nan at the movies.

4.10.2009

no school & sleeping in.

outlet shopping & starbucks coffee.

breeze brows & target errands.

airport runs & early flights.

buffalo wings & daffodil cakes.

talk about special carry-on luggage.

4.9.2009

{justin and jared}

{nathan and spencer}
{nan and me}
busy and day.
awards and ceremonies.
domain and tiffanys.
michael and kors.
neiman and marcus.
st and thomas.
north and patio.
victoria and secret.
j and crew.
nathan and football.
tgi and fridays.
good and stuff.

4.8.2009

double birthday wishes going out to adyson and austin.

the hutton hut will be celebrating this weekend in true texas style.

heres to smoker grilling, water games and birthday candles!

enJoy.

4.7.2009

steve & justin.

a little father/son activity.

guess where they went?

smackdown & ecw.

honest.

this is what memories are made of.

this is why i blog as not to forget these days.

4.3.2009

{today at school - awards ceremony}

possible titles for this picture.

colin 'the man' sippel

colins got the whole world in his arms.

colin loves everybody.

the sippel gene

awards ceremony at school - 3rd quarter.

cafeteria action at 8am.

taelyn. colin. emily & grayson.

ms. morgans first graders.

dog tags rock.

this is today.

filled with first grade memories.

filled with a shock of reality that time does truly fly by faster than one can imagine.

filled with the ticking of not seconds, not minutes, not hours, not days, not weeks, not months but years.

i can't remember yesterday.

i can only remember yesteryear.

it seems as like colin was just born on a cold february morning in buffalo.

i can see him as a baby just going with the flow.

he probably spent more hours in a car seat that allowed by law.

he loved chocolate timbits.

he had an ambulance ride when he was two? three?

he went to speech therapy.

we went to mommy & me class together.

he was an angel on a long plane ride here when he was almost four.

he kept me going thru those first couple crazy texas months.

kindergarten & school bus rides to union hill.

flag football games. basketball games. riding a bicycle.

curly colin.

loosing teeth. loosing curls.

first grade homework. helping arriton everyday at lunch.

lego. lego. lego.

yesteryear.

a flash.

this is now.

time speeding by.

me trying to catch a glimpse of it here. in pictures. in words.

today i caught a second of it.

and put it down in pictures and words.

4.2.2009

{colin practicing his egg cracking techniques with 8 out dated eggs}

this is today.

the sun was playing hide-n-go-seek with us this morning as we drove up the hill to school. the sky was divided in two by an imaginary line separating the dark blue night clouds from the light blue early sky. we could not even see a shadow of a ray at this time although we could feel her presence - somewhere - like a pair of eyes watching you as you sneak an additional cookie out of the jar. it is so windy that the sprinklers were watering the clouds, the ponds were trying to keep the water from running away and the van was swaying despite the double hand hold. the chairs in the backyard gave up early and turned themselves over long before the miniblinds blinked open. the ground was still spotted with rain drops from an early morning thunderstorm and the grass was still holding the water as mini rain bubbles ready to burst.
one meeting cancelled at work and i was a girl with a block of 3 hours unscheduled.
what to do with found time?
so many options.
it felt like a mini snow day.
i wondered the card aisles at hallmark without a list.
i tested all the lotions at bath & body works without buying a thing.
i browsed the shelves and racks at marshells just because i could.
i purchased a starbucks coffee and grabbed a stack of books at barnes & nobles and just looked.
i checked out the new joannes in case i have a late evening craving for yarn, fabric or paper.
i checked out all the new releases at the redbox without anyone standing behind me.
i walked around walgreens in search for the perfect drink for 2pm on a thursday.
no lists.
no missions.
no goals.
just looking.
just thinking.
just recharging.
good stuff.
good snow day.
off to middle school orientation.
off to football practice.
off to homework.
balance.
no balance.
just balance.
good balance.
balance.

4.1.2009

"one day a fish saw a octopus. A octopus saw a fish. The fish told a knock knock joke to the octopus. The octopus laft and laft and laft. then they swam away form each other."
colins story from this weeks writing assignment at school

this is today.

the morning sun greets us as we turn the bend heading for school as a big perfect orange circle low on the horizon momentarily blinding us. we adjust our wednesday smiles. we adjust our backpacks. we adjust our attitudes to get ready for another wonderful day ahead of us. we review our day and realize that no one has football tonight. we can feel the relaxing afternoon ahead of us even though we have not yet reached the drop off zone. elf is playing in the background - 'its very purplely' -
it is going to be a purplely day!

i make it to the hospital without spilling my coffee on me,
without forgetting my paperwork,
without forgetting my cell phone,
without forgetting my badge -
it is going to be a purplely day ahead.

birthday songs.
outdoor games of tag.
cheeseburgers on the grill.
troys grilling filling our kitchen.
americal idol winds us down.
it was a purplely day indeed.

happy birthay mom

{nan hanging out on the path - may 2008}

happy birthday mom!

wishing you a special day because you know how important it is.....

to have a special homemade snoopy cake on your 7th birthday.

to watch sony & cher on sunday nights while eatting dinner on tv tables.

to be a cheerleader in 8th grade at catholic school.

to buy dollhouse furniture at claytons on elmwood.

to wear five layers of clothing starting with the white turtleneck with little hearts on it.

to be on the front steps after the first day of kindergarten in the rain.

to have homemade halloween costumes.

to have breakfast in bed on your wedding day.

to wear sunscreen.

to always write a thank you note.

to have 'ice house' jewelry.

to have a pedicure before a c-section.

to give those nerve-wreking first baths to a baby.

to hear 'captain zooms' voice on your birthday.

to have homemade lemon cut out cookies on christmas.

to spoil your children & feed them lots of sugar - then send them home.

to keep your priorities straight & God first.

to enjoy today & everyday.

enJoy.

3.31.2009

{colins football practice tonight at walsh middle}
this is today.
our day started with cotton candy clouds hanging low above the morning sun as we filled the minivan with bright tuesday smiles and heavy backpacks. the urge to skip the morning run was palpable but didn't stop me. the morning errands brought me peace - groceries filled the car, dry cleaning wrapped in plastic, library books returned in time, meetings and paperwork filled the rest of the day. the pickup line at school is a social event as we all appear to arrive in a predetermined slot. old bananas mashed into banana bread. tuesday folders filled to the brim with masterpieces, tests and a weeks of knowledge stuffed inside a ripped folder pocket. yesterdays dust is now in an old lands end shirt. yesterdays crumbs are now in the belly of a yellow dyson. yesterdays window streaks are still visiting us. frozen chicken nuggets win the dinner vote. football practice x 2 boys. overhead planes fly above the fields offering roof repairs for recent hail damage. reminds me of the planes flying along the shores of ocean city on our summer vacations when i was younger. filling the coffee pot with water, stuffing lunchboxes with oreos and raisins, arranging cereal boxes on the table for morning again ground me. remind me of the joy of the simple things. colin was thankful for football practice. nathan was thankful for going to his brothers football practice. jusin was thankful finishing his battleship math paper.
i am thankful for nighttime prayers.
i am thankful for football practice and homework questions.
i am thankful for this day. simple & real.
this was today.

happy birthday uncle eddie

sending you birthday wishes wherever you are !!

may your day be filled with magical memories & the dinner of your choice !

enjoy !

3.30.2009

{route 1431 - our backyard}
this is today.
the sun was still tucked behind the blanket cloud as we pulled up to school. monday morning molasses at the dropoff line as parents tried to balance coffee mugs & spelling words. beautiful day by u2 blared back and forth off the minivan windows. golf course sprinklers rinsed the car making it feel like an early morning sunshower. end of the month deadlines hang everywhere. i tackle them one at a time - one step forward, two steps back. before i know it i'm heading back up to school to retrieve the boys. no football practice tonight so we enjoy the leisure of doing our homework without playing beat the clock. the windows are open and i hear voices playing tag through the yards. an evening cocktail on the sidewalk unwinds me like a new spool of string. the evening sun shines in and the dust, crumbs and streaks of the day are everywhere but it is ok. this is real life. this is now. i wouldn't trade it for anything. dinner. homework. prayers. the routine at the end of the day grounds me. it pulls me back in as i set the table for breakfast, pack the lunches & make the coffee. it completes my day. it makes me appreciate the little things. the quiet things. the things.
this is today.
this is now.
this is life filled with wonderful quiet little things.

3.29.2009

{saturday football returns - thanks jay for the game pictures!}

nathan in action.

love his free shrek hat.

ate many frosted mini wheats to get it.

can always locate him on the field.

love it that he is still in his own world.

soon he'll worry about what others think of his hat, his hair, his opinion.

enjoying his grin.

enjoying his jokes. same ones everyday.

enjoying his quest for knowledge.

enjoying his concern for current events.

enjoying the world from his perspective.

go. nate. go.

the world is yours.

3.28.2009

friday review. school library. doctor appointments. shots for all. sonic and bandaids. last guitar lesson. school dance tonight. packed and rocked. hello weekend. football games today. cold morning. warm afternoon.

3.27.2009

i'm just avoiding my to-do list right now.

thought i'd blog instead.

really have no words of wisdom, great quotes, funny kid sayings or cute daily picture.

good news: ice machine is fixed. now theres something I take for granted.

i remember life without automatic ice cube dispensers, without automatic ice cube makers.

i remember plastic trays that you filled & loaded into the frezzer.

i remember metal trays with a handle to release the cubes.

i'm remembering making mini popsicles with ice cube trays and toothpicks and lemonade.

i remember how often there were no cubes in the frezzer because the person prior to you was in a hurry.

i'm enjoying a glass of water with cubes right now.

i'm appreciating the simple things.

3.26.2009

{march 2009 - bushy creek}

5 things i'm scared of:

life without God...can't survive a minute without His peace.

all animals & insects beginning with the letter "s".... spiders, snakes and scorpions.

going to middle school parent orientation next week...whole new adventure.

julia roberts cell phone in my best friends wedding...finally watched this movie today.

not appreciating my husband. children. siblings. family. friends.

3.25.2009

which came first...the tornado watch or the lego rescue helicopter?

-

somehow managed to pull the minivan in the garage in case of hail...thats a first for me since we usually keep both cars in the driveway...as fast as the warnings came so did the dark skies and rain and cancelled football practices...no hail in our area...will have to figure out how to get the van out of the garage now...now its sunny again...crazy texas weather!

3.25.2009

5 things i found under the couch today:

1 sweet tart wrapper

2 superballs

3 lenox framed pictures

4 library books

5 lost legos

everything appears to be the normal stuff one would expect to find

except for those lenox frames???

maybe no time to dust them before company arrived?

maybe the boys were playing hide-n-go-seek with them?

maybe i didn't like my hair/smile/wrinkles in the photos?

maybe i was in one of those clutter-free days?

maybe the moving company put them there?

maybe they will like their new home in the photo chest?

heres to the treasures you will find today...

3.24.2009

{the blank form}

{the deep thought process}

5 traditions we have:

once a year, we complete 'the form'. the questions include whats your favorite dinner, what do you want to be when you grow up, whats your favorite book....we have done this for 6 years and i love looking back on the boys answers. over spring vacation we filled ours out, me included. (i'm not sure what i want to be when i grow up yet!)

cheeseburgers & sippel stories.

frosting christmas cookies on christmas eve morning.

explore ut weekend event.

dinner prayers & thank you notes.

3.22.2009

5 happy things right now:

new issue of body & soul.

blank journal pages.

multicolored thumbtacks.

changing starbucks cup holders.

night out on the town you tube laughs.

-

back to routines.

back to alarm clocks.

back to school tomorrow.

spring vacation is over and

spring days are beginning.

3.21.2009

happy anniversary mom and dad.

“the most wonderful of all things in life, i believe, is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase. this inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. it is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life.”
- hugh walpole, sr.

3.20.2009

five smiling boys sitting on a bench.

eating blue bell ice cream.

at 11am.

at the blue bell factory.

along with 19,000 other people.

apparently spring break sets attendance records

everywhere.

we decided not to stand in line for 2 1/2 hours to do the tour.

instead we watched the tour on tv screens outside
and posed for pictures.

chatting & movies filled the car ride to and fro.
thanks for driving ms. sarah.
our ice cream was delicious.
what a fun way to end our spring break.
i think we are going to have to pick up some
more blue bell for dessert tonight.

3.19.2009

can't leave cowtown without visiting the stock yards.

looking for cattle.
looking for the camera.

looking for the cattle still.

found them!

lunch at the love shack.

mini spring break vacation comes to an end.

3.18.2009

happy birthday jayne! wishing you a special day filled with giggles, laughs
and lots of ice cream kisses.