Wednesday, November 26, 2008

He's so Strong!!

The shirt had to be taken off otherwise he would've ripped right through the sleeves!!

Handsome and Helpful!

He is such a huge help around the house now!! We have since cancelled our housekeeper!

Partying Like A Rock Star



This is Marley's girlfriend! Her name is Grace; we call her princess Gracie! She and Marley go to the clink together and Gracie is the daughter of our friends Dylan and Lindsay, we work with Dylan! Mike thinks Grace is the cutest little girl he has ever seen and apparently so does Marley...unless Dad is trying to hold Grace and then Marley hates her...but that's another post!






This weekend we went to Grace's house to celebrate her brother Jackson's 3rd birthday...notice there are not pictures of Jackson, that's because our little flirt was only hangin with the ladies! To get their attention, Marley tried out the Hughes method of attraction...I think it worked!
When that grew tiresome, Marley then hopped on his wheels and cruised for a new love interest...


Gracie's older sister Sage...apparently he has something for the ladies in this family!!
I think Gracie got a little irked with Marley's flirtaion, because she pretended to ignore him and fain interest in "The Urban Cheeleader", I kid you not that's what the doll is called. And it sings cheers that aren't appropriate for a high schooler, let alone a one-year-old...but it was a gift...and I won't use this post to go off on my soap box about sterotyping...I'm sure everyone can read between the lines!


To get Gracie's attention back on him, he challneged her to an old fashioned drag race...



And in typical boy fashion, the spirit of competition quickly overcame the desire to flirt...girls have cooties anyway...geesh!!









Fun with Gram and Gitdu!







Last Sunday we over to Mike's parents' house for an early Thanksgiving celebration since they will be fasting on the "Real" Thanksgiving!! Gram made a fabulous turkey and mashed potatoes that marley loved and after dinner we didn't even need to clean him up!! Thanks Obie!! I think we are going to need a dog!!





Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Dare I say Lionel Richie??

No that the mister's hair is getting so long, we can have tons of fun in the bathtub!! His hair is actually long enough to pull all of it back into a ponytail...but then he looks kinda girly, so I'm not going to immortalize that!!


Friday, November 21, 2008

Make Your Holiday Shopping Count!!

With the state of the economy everyone is looking to save a little money this holiday season and no one has money to spare to donate to a worthy cause. You all know that I am passionate about AHOPE for Children and this year you can save money and make a difference by purchasing your holiday greeting cards from AHOPE for only $12


This year AHOPE is offering packages of beautiful holiday cards to send to your friends and family this holiday season. This is a wonderful fund raiser for AHOPE and it also spreads the word of that amazing things AHOPE is doing.

Please consider purchasing a package of these cards from the AHOPE Store today! Your partnership with us in promoting AHOPE makes a huge difference. The more people know, the more that can be done.

As with all store items, 100% of proceeds support the mission of AHOPE.

You can visit the AHOPE Store at www.ahopestore.org

____________________________________________________________________

You can also go to OneCause and register AHOPE for Children as your chosen cause. Whenever you use OneCause to do your retail shopping (at over 500 on-line retailers) a portion of your purchase will be donated directly to AHOPE for Children!!
And the coolest thing is the Onecause toolbar. When you download it and unknowingly go to a Onecause retailer, you'll get a pop-up letting you now that retailer will donate a portion of your purchase to your cause!!
Just last night Michael and I were making our hotel reservations on Expedia when a pop up told us that if we went to Onecause and used Expedia 1.25% of our purchase would go to AHOPE! So of course we did (and it only took one click and we were on the Expedia site, it was just through Onecause) and we were able to help AHOPE without spending ANY extra money!!
How cool is that!?!?

So, if you're going to shop this holiday season, you might as well shop with compassion!!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Marley's New Best Friend

Working Hard for his MOney!!

You Can't Handle the Cute!!







Helpy Helperton!


Such a sweet guy, not only helps with the dishes, but now he is dusting too!!



Mmmmm....Feet....




Say Cheese!!


Natural Born Athlete











Our little guy loves a ball! He throws really well and quit straight actually! I'm thinking H2o player for sure! But he likes any ball!! Especially if he can play with Dad!




Mmmmmm....Guacomole!!


Cruzin!!
















Finally I can get the pictures up of our trip! Before we went to Vegas we stopped at Michael and Cindy's house to hang out with them and their twins! Ben and Seb wore their Halloween costumes all day...totally adorable!!

Halloween Fun!!











We had such a great time in Vegas with my family! And I think our little pumpkin did too!






Monday, November 10, 2008

A Way to Give Back...

AS some of you know, I have taken a very active roll in helping to raise funds for AHOPE for Children...an awesome orgazination with a fabulous cause!! When Mike and I were in Ethiopia, we were priveledged enough to be able to visit the care center. We played soccer with a beautiful little boy and met all of the children and care takers. Since then, it has held a special place in my heart and I am doing what I can to help! The following is an email I received from Marissa Baker, another passionate AHOPE volunteer!

The AHOPE Store is now selling packages of AHOPE holiday cards to send to family and friends this season. The front of the card features a vibrant, colorful photo of happy children at AHOPE. The photo is courtesy of the talented photographer, Lisa Qualls. They come in packages of 12 and we are requesting a $15 donation per package. This is a great way to raise funds for AHOPE and also inform your loved ones about the organization we so passionately care about. The quantity is limited so please act quickly! You can order the cardsat www.ahopestore.org.

While you're there please be sure to check out the new items that have recently been added such as hooded sweatshirts, beautiful jewelry(including the "offical" AHOPE Necklace), and memorial bracelets. These will make great holiday gifts. To those that who supported the AHOPE Store already, thank you very much! It's been a very successful venture thanks to you. We have exceeded our goals and have set them even higher. Through your support, we have not only raised tremendous funds for AHOPE, but have also spread the word about these remarkable children. As always, there is much more to be done.

With gratitude,Marissa Baker
AHOPE Storewww.ahopestore.org

P.S. We recently ordered a new shipment of bracelets. When selecting the names of the children for the bracelets, we chose the name of a 12-year-old boy named Tilahun. Sadly, last week Tilahun passed away from meningitis. We hadn't planned to offer AHOPE memorial bracelets until January but Tilahun he will be our first name. He will be the first child we honor. His memorial bracelet is now available on the store website. The memorial bracelets will include a photo of the child along with a celebration of his life through words. It's one way to keep the memories of these children alive.--
Marissa BakerAHOPE Store
www.ahopestore.org
www.ahopeforchildren.org
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Cruisin with the Cruzes

I don't know what the heck is going on, but I can't upload any of my photos...so I have a lot of catching up to do, but it will have to wait!