Don't forget that if you are local Missy can do this for you too! Check out her work at Photos by Missy.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Family Photo Shoot
We got the CD back with the final products from our family photo shoot the other day with Missy. I loved them ALL, here are some of my favorites...almost of the whole CD! lol! I can't wait to get these framed, I think all the different ones of Natalie and Brady will make a great picture collage.
Don't forget that if you are local Missy can do this for you too! Check out her work at Photos by Missy.
Don't forget that if you are local Missy can do this for you too! Check out her work at Photos by Missy.
Memorial Day Picnic
This year was the first time in a long time that we actually were invited to a picnic/party on Memorial Day. I guess if you think about it Memorial Day and picnics DO go hand in hand. We are celebrating life and freedom and all the wonderful things about living in America and being and American. We had a really great time (Missy and Sarah both blogged about it too, both with great pictures!). It was actually a going away party for a family at our church, they will be missed so it was great to get together and celebrate them as well as the beginning of the Summer season. Sarah did a great job with decorations, and as usual her house was the perfect place for a get together! We had a lot of fun, the kids went right to the pool, of course, and Keith and I were able to get a lot, lot, lot of visiting in!
Here are some pictures of our cuties:
And some pictures of other peoples cuties too:
Here are some pictures of our cuties:
And some pictures of other peoples cuties too:
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Preschool Finale
I give UP! I have been trying for a week to upload the video from Natalie's preschool program and graduation but it just WON'T work! So here are a few shots of her program. They sang a ton of cute songs including going to the zoo, and the counting song she has been singing (one of the blasted videos). It was really, truly adorable and we are so proud of her for all she has learned. She is becoming such a wonderful young girl and it is so fun to see her grow up! She actually got to participate in the little graduation ceremony even though she will be in the same class next year, I guess it was good practice!
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!
Oh my gosh! This was the funniest Rockin' ABC song and Natalie sang the whole thing just like this, arms crossed and everything. It cracked me up. She was just too cool in her heart sunglasses.
All lined up.
My camera wasn't taking pictures very well, I just didn't have the settings right, and Auto wasn't doing it for me. Oh well, you live and learn! Here she is marching in.
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo!
Oh my gosh! This was the funniest Rockin' ABC song and Natalie sang the whole thing just like this, arms crossed and everything. It cracked me up. She was just too cool in her heart sunglasses.
All lined up.
My camera wasn't taking pictures very well, I just didn't have the settings right, and Auto wasn't doing it for me. Oh well, you live and learn! Here she is marching in.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Pardon the Construction
Sarah gave me some tutorials to make my blog more pretty than it already is! So pardon the mess, while I slowly switch to 3 columns and a nicer background (header STAYS! LOL). It will be slow going seeing as how I am at work...
*UPDATE* Still slowly working on getting just the right one, so seriously bear with the crazy color schemes!
*UPDATE* Still slowly working on getting just the right one, so seriously bear with the crazy color schemes!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Take a minute...
...to remember our Veterans today. I have always liked Memorial Day. When I was a kid it was all about the family camping trip, the parade, the festivals, the boat racing, all the fun things that took place in my home town of Grants Pass. Then as I got older I realized that it was about more than that. About remembering those who have gone before, those that serve now, and those that will serve in the future. I have always considered myself a patriotic person. I always feel a sense of pride when the Flag is introduced, and I love hearing the National Anthem every time it plays. I know what those things stand for, and it means a lot. I think a lot of people don't and that is sad to me. Today Natalie and I got our Poppies, and today for some reason it brought me to tears. I remember having poppies as a child that my Grandma had helped make. They used to be hand made from tissue paper (now they are still hand made, but not the same, at least to me) and I had a bunch that I kept as I collected more every year. They have always reminded me of my Grandparents, and they always will. Check out the story behind the Poppy HERE.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Grey's
sniffle...sniffle...merideth....derek....sniff...house...candles....sniff...snufffle...alex...izzie...snork...snuff...george...sniff...best...show....
snuffle...sniff...ever!
callie...haun...ewwwwwwww!
snuffle...sniff...ever!
callie...haun...ewwwwwwww!
Pool Party!
It is time. Summer has officially arrived and with it the fun of a good pool party! My very good friend Sarah has a gorgeous pool that she has been working hard on all winter long to get it ready for summer time, and she succeeded. The pool and backyard look absolutely fantastic. You can find more pictures of her yard in progress over HERE, she is a serious inspiration to me! Anywhos, we are so glad she invited us over, and we had a blast playing with all the kids and enjoying being outside without being HOT.
Natalie took right to the water, with one minor scare for her(she jumped in and her head bobbed under the water) and after a bit of convincing that "Yay! She did it!" She was fine, and just paddled all over that pool with her little ring, and that was all! A little scary for me to let her go, but there were so many other mommies that I knew she would be fine!
Natalie was so excited to play with Bella, we had missed her awhile back at a possible gathering and she has been talking about it forever. The girls are starting to actually PLAY together more, and I love that!
Bella, Brady and I on the hunt for "BUGS! AHH!" So funny, that girl was cracking me up!
We also had some good food. And the best part was the watermelon! We never buy it because Natalie and I don't like it, and it always seems to go bad. But I gave Brady a little piece to start out with, and he chowed down! Kid loves him some watermelon, I fed him one more piece that was just EXPLODING with juice and then I had to convince him all gone to get him to agree to go and play! He would have eaten that whole thing I think!
Natalie took right to the water, with one minor scare for her(she jumped in and her head bobbed under the water) and after a bit of convincing that "Yay! She did it!" She was fine, and just paddled all over that pool with her little ring, and that was all! A little scary for me to let her go, but there were so many other mommies that I knew she would be fine!
Natalie was so excited to play with Bella, we had missed her awhile back at a possible gathering and she has been talking about it forever. The girls are starting to actually PLAY together more, and I love that!
Bella, Brady and I on the hunt for "BUGS! AHH!" So funny, that girl was cracking me up!
We also had some good food. And the best part was the watermelon! We never buy it because Natalie and I don't like it, and it always seems to go bad. But I gave Brady a little piece to start out with, and he chowed down! Kid loves him some watermelon, I fed him one more piece that was just EXPLODING with juice and then I had to convince him all gone to get him to agree to go and play! He would have eaten that whole thing I think!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Oh really?
"Mom, I am working in a restaurant with my diarrhea."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I am taking what people want to eat in my diarrhea."
"Ahhh...your Diary?"
"Um, my diarrhea?"
"No, honey, diarrhea is a tummy ache and you have to go potty. That is your princess DIARY."
"Oh, OK, thanks Mom!"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I am taking what people want to eat in my diarrhea."
"Ahhh...your Diary?"
"Um, my diarrhea?"
"No, honey, diarrhea is a tummy ache and you have to go potty. That is your princess DIARY."
"Oh, OK, thanks Mom!"
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Oh what a day!
Well, the day started out peaceful enough, but then it turned into a day I don't ever want to forget solely based on the fact that it. was. AWFUL. So here it is, in all its horrible glory for me to remember never to let a day like this happen again. You can't judge me, because you KNOW you have had days like this too!
Today was to be my last night of my 7 day shift at work, so normally by the end of the week I am pretty tired, and when I say tired I mean grouchy. So this morning I was begging the kids to just sit quietly and watch Clifford so that I could nap for 30 minutes on the couch until the show was over. Now on any other day, they would do this for me, I don't know how, I guess I am just lucky, but NOT today! Not on the one day when I can feel the Monster Momma trying to break out, and I know that all I need to lock her inside is a quick little nap. Bleh! That is how it all started, it was down hill from there. For some reason Brady decided he wasn't going to listen today, and that it was his mission to pester Natalie so much as to make up for all the other good days when he left her alone. Needless to say the morning opened with a lot of pointless yelling, crying, and general whining from all 3 of us. So to make up for it I dragged the kids with me to Wal Mart (woo hoo) to finish up my grocery shopping. I knew this would only be a bearable trip if I promised a special lunch when we got home. So with the cart loaded with Oscar Mayer cheese dogs, Little Debbie strawberry shortcake rolls, and Mac & Cheese Pringles we were back on our way home after a surprisingly nice trip to the store, heading to what I was hoping would be a surprisingly nice afternoon. That was where logic failed me!
After the kids scarfed down their lunch I though Hooray! time for naps. This will be easy, we do this every day. Haha hee hee ho ho ha. No. The kids were in their beds at 2, and for the next hour I went in their no less than 5 times to pull Brady off the bookshelf, or clean out his bed of the toys he had gathered, or just plain telling him to shut it. Most of these times I held myself together, but in the essence of honesty I will say I lost it once (only once) during the full hour. So finally at 3 I left the room for the last time (I thought) and headed back to the sanctity of my bed (ah, blissful sleep! so close, yet so very, very far) to lie down. Now on a side note I will say that I am not a person that can run on little to no sleep, I have lowish iron so I get tired anyways (because I never take my pills, that I am not so sure actually help anyway), but after a week of erratic napping I was pretty much at my limit and NEEDED that bed to take care of me. BUT, right after I began to dose I got a phone call, and then after the call was over I heard something, I wasn't sure what it was, but I heard something. So I sneak into the dining room to listen at the kids door and sure enough, an hour and a half after I put him to bed (and I KNOW he was tired when I put him down, because he was rubbing his eyes, and SAYING sleepy!) Brady was still playing! This is after multiple pops on the butt, after mommy laying down in his bed and singing him sweet songs, after too much yelling on my part, after crying on his part, the kid was STILL awake. So I throw open the door (which always scares them, and I find this mildly funny, because they KNOW they are in trouble) and march in there to see what the heck he is doing. Do you want to know what he was doing?? He was playing trains! He had all of his metal (cuddly, no?) trains in bed with him, well except for the five or so that he had lovingly placed on Natalie's sleeping body (nice). Oh this boy, I love him so, but still! Why today?? When I most need a nap, and the beast is awakened, and my patience is shot, and I JUST. WANT. TO. SLEEP!
So, after that last bought of crazy (they both went to sleep after that! Hallelujah!), I went to call Keith to just cry a little, tell him I was losing it and obviously either sleep deprived or crazy, and have a little sympathy tossed my way. Luckily by this time he was close to being on his way home, and that meant close to being there to relieve me! There were other little things throughout the day that added to the drama, Brady's diaper leaking on MY bed, Natalie ripping a brand new book because she didn't wait for me to help her (that was not a good thing), the kitchen light burning out, the old sippies found under the couch with MILK (or what used to be milk) in them,, ick! There were good points to the day though! I will list them here so that I don't forget that with every bad day there is always something good too!
1. I am starting to work on a new rotation at work so that means transitioning from one set of 7 on, 7 off days to another. And THAT means that I have tonight off (which I should have been working) and tomorrow off. Then after a bit of a crazy work week this week I have a full week off next week!
2. We did have a fun time at the grocery store picking out fun foods for lunch, looking at all the people, and just enjoying being out of the house.
3. Lunch too was nice, the kids ate good, we all talked and played, and it was a very nice half hour in the middle of an other wise loony toons day.
4. I had a blissful hour and a half (or so) to myself when Keith went with Bryce to Sam's club AND he took the kids (which he said were monkeys, surprise, surprise, but at least HE was dealing with them, not ME).
5. We had a nice unexpected visit from Keith's Aunt Annette and his cousin April (whom I had not yet gotten to meet) tonight, and it was very fun! The kids loved April right away and we all sat and chatted in the kids room, while the kids showed off all their toys. Relaxing and nice.
6. My kids love me, this is the most important! Even when I lose it and get all "Rawr" as Natalie said today, they still love me and I love them. And at the end of the day we can put it all behind us with a few prayers and promises of a brand new day in the morning.
Days like this need to happen every once in awhile I think to remind us of how to behave. When I have a day like this it is a nice kick in the pants for me to get my rear and gear and work on being a happier Mommy EVEN if I am tired, exhausted, and otherwise beat down (as Sarah said, I am a total lightweight!). I still need to be nice.
A few moments of peace this morning, playing with the infamous trains. I love when kids lay and play like this. Brady kept kicking his legs up, but I just couldn't capture it on camera. Natalie was being a doll. Poor thing got the short end of the stick today.
K
Keith, April, Annette, and the kids. They had so much fun showing April all their toys. Natalie LOVES "big girls" so she was in heaven!
Brady took to April very fast. He was really hamming it up looking all cute and innocent in his jeans and no shirt. Under that sweet exterior though...today he was a little booger. For reals.
Today was to be my last night of my 7 day shift at work, so normally by the end of the week I am pretty tired, and when I say tired I mean grouchy. So this morning I was begging the kids to just sit quietly and watch Clifford so that I could nap for 30 minutes on the couch until the show was over. Now on any other day, they would do this for me, I don't know how, I guess I am just lucky, but NOT today! Not on the one day when I can feel the Monster Momma trying to break out, and I know that all I need to lock her inside is a quick little nap. Bleh! That is how it all started, it was down hill from there. For some reason Brady decided he wasn't going to listen today, and that it was his mission to pester Natalie so much as to make up for all the other good days when he left her alone. Needless to say the morning opened with a lot of pointless yelling, crying, and general whining from all 3 of us. So to make up for it I dragged the kids with me to Wal Mart (woo hoo) to finish up my grocery shopping. I knew this would only be a bearable trip if I promised a special lunch when we got home. So with the cart loaded with Oscar Mayer cheese dogs, Little Debbie strawberry shortcake rolls, and Mac & Cheese Pringles we were back on our way home after a surprisingly nice trip to the store, heading to what I was hoping would be a surprisingly nice afternoon. That was where logic failed me!
After the kids scarfed down their lunch I though Hooray! time for naps. This will be easy, we do this every day. Haha hee hee ho ho ha. No. The kids were in their beds at 2, and for the next hour I went in their no less than 5 times to pull Brady off the bookshelf, or clean out his bed of the toys he had gathered, or just plain telling him to shut it. Most of these times I held myself together, but in the essence of honesty I will say I lost it once (only once) during the full hour. So finally at 3 I left the room for the last time (I thought) and headed back to the sanctity of my bed (ah, blissful sleep! so close, yet so very, very far) to lie down. Now on a side note I will say that I am not a person that can run on little to no sleep, I have lowish iron so I get tired anyways (because I never take my pills, that I am not so sure actually help anyway), but after a week of erratic napping I was pretty much at my limit and NEEDED that bed to take care of me. BUT, right after I began to dose I got a phone call, and then after the call was over I heard something, I wasn't sure what it was, but I heard something. So I sneak into the dining room to listen at the kids door and sure enough, an hour and a half after I put him to bed (and I KNOW he was tired when I put him down, because he was rubbing his eyes, and SAYING sleepy!) Brady was still playing! This is after multiple pops on the butt, after mommy laying down in his bed and singing him sweet songs, after too much yelling on my part, after crying on his part, the kid was STILL awake. So I throw open the door (which always scares them, and I find this mildly funny, because they KNOW they are in trouble) and march in there to see what the heck he is doing. Do you want to know what he was doing?? He was playing trains! He had all of his metal (cuddly, no?) trains in bed with him, well except for the five or so that he had lovingly placed on Natalie's sleeping body (nice). Oh this boy, I love him so, but still! Why today?? When I most need a nap, and the beast is awakened, and my patience is shot, and I JUST. WANT. TO. SLEEP!
So, after that last bought of crazy (they both went to sleep after that! Hallelujah!), I went to call Keith to just cry a little, tell him I was losing it and obviously either sleep deprived or crazy, and have a little sympathy tossed my way. Luckily by this time he was close to being on his way home, and that meant close to being there to relieve me! There were other little things throughout the day that added to the drama, Brady's diaper leaking on MY bed, Natalie ripping a brand new book because she didn't wait for me to help her (that was not a good thing), the kitchen light burning out, the old sippies found under the couch with MILK (or what used to be milk) in them,, ick! There were good points to the day though! I will list them here so that I don't forget that with every bad day there is always something good too!
1. I am starting to work on a new rotation at work so that means transitioning from one set of 7 on, 7 off days to another. And THAT means that I have tonight off (which I should have been working) and tomorrow off. Then after a bit of a crazy work week this week I have a full week off next week!
2. We did have a fun time at the grocery store picking out fun foods for lunch, looking at all the people, and just enjoying being out of the house.
3. Lunch too was nice, the kids ate good, we all talked and played, and it was a very nice half hour in the middle of an other wise loony toons day.
4. I had a blissful hour and a half (or so) to myself when Keith went with Bryce to Sam's club AND he took the kids (which he said were monkeys, surprise, surprise, but at least HE was dealing with them, not ME).
5. We had a nice unexpected visit from Keith's Aunt Annette and his cousin April (whom I had not yet gotten to meet) tonight, and it was very fun! The kids loved April right away and we all sat and chatted in the kids room, while the kids showed off all their toys. Relaxing and nice.
6. My kids love me, this is the most important! Even when I lose it and get all "Rawr" as Natalie said today, they still love me and I love them. And at the end of the day we can put it all behind us with a few prayers and promises of a brand new day in the morning.
Days like this need to happen every once in awhile I think to remind us of how to behave. When I have a day like this it is a nice kick in the pants for me to get my rear and gear and work on being a happier Mommy EVEN if I am tired, exhausted, and otherwise beat down (as Sarah said, I am a total lightweight!). I still need to be nice.
A few moments of peace this morning, playing with the infamous trains. I love when kids lay and play like this. Brady kept kicking his legs up, but I just couldn't capture it on camera. Natalie was being a doll. Poor thing got the short end of the stick today.
K
Keith, April, Annette, and the kids. They had so much fun showing April all their toys. Natalie LOVES "big girls" so she was in heaven!
Brady took to April very fast. He was really hamming it up looking all cute and innocent in his jeans and no shirt. Under that sweet exterior though...today he was a little booger. For reals.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Congratulations!
And...
the...
winner...
is:
Hurrah! Sarah K.! Leave me a comment claiming which pouch you want and I will get it to you as soon as it arrives at my house! Thanks to all who entered, that was a lot of fun. I might have to do drawing more, but next time it may be something cheaper, like a candy bar! :D
Any Takers?
So who wants to baby sit for us so Keith and I can go on a date this weekend and see INDIANA JONES!!! I am so excited to see one of these movies on the big screen, should be fabulous! Love me some Indiana Jones!
P.S. We will pay you....hehehe
P.S. We will pay you....hehehe
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Feeling sentimental today...
We had our family photo shoot with Missy (see her stuff HERE and HERE) and I am really excited about how I think they will turn out. Natalie, of course, acted like a total drama queen (I wouldn't expect anything else!), and Brady wouldn't smile until we gave him a starburst which made him smile a little. I know Missy took a bunch, and I am sure she got some fabulous shots. Spending time with them this today made me appreciate how much I love them. I heard this song while blog hopping and it just touched me. What would I do with out my husband and my children? I have no idea, they are everything to me. And no one will ever love my kids the way I do.
*UPDATE* Missy has posted a preview of the shoot on her photo blog (HERE). So awesome! And yes, I do love my monkeys feet, they are so small and chubby, and I know one day they will be big and stinky. So I love me some baby toes! (grown up ones not so much!)
*UPDATE* Missy has posted a preview of the shoot on her photo blog (HERE). So awesome! And yes, I do love my monkeys feet, they are so small and chubby, and I know one day they will be big and stinky. So I love me some baby toes! (grown up ones not so much!)
Friday, May 16, 2008
300th post...
I have been wanting to post all day today, but I knew that my next was going to be my 300th! I can't believe how much I have written. Think of all the hours I have spent plopped down in front of this computer...actually, let's not! Anywho, I wanted to do a giveaway or something cool, but I know that all of my readers are so different. So it would be too hard to actually think of something that everyone would want. BUT, I was browsing through ETSY and I thought, everyone loves a good zipper pouch! So there you go! Leave a comment for me and I will hold a random drawing to pick a winner that can choose from one of these super cute little pouches that are on their way to my house right now! I bought them from the Dainty Squid (HERE) on Etsy. I will close comments Sunday night at midnight since I posted this so late today! Good luck all you wonderful readers!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Quilting bee
As I mentioned in the last post my machine has been giving me trouble lately, but I have been on a bit of a sewing kick. Though I don't have much to show for it, because much of my sewing time has been spent ripping seams. Bleh! But here are some pictures of some stuff that I have been working on. I have many more pieces cut out that are waiting patiently for me to get some patience to work on my machine.
Quilt block 2 for the Quilt along. Instructions HERE
Oh! This one isn't completed, obviously, but this is my "perfect" square in the works. I am bound and determined that this one will measure up at 12.5 inches square when it is done! So far my other blocks were 12 inches square, and 12.25 inches square, they will have to be redone...poo! This is actually a pretty cool picture of the piecing process, if I do say so myself! It is quilt block 3, instructions HERE.
Um, yeah, so this one isn't finished either. I just need to bind the edges, but it is all quilted! This is a mini quilt I made for Natalie's dolls. It was my first attempt at free form machine quilting (I prefer to tie my quilts). Not bad, and the squares look really pretty. I got the pattern from a new book I got that I am loving. It has 200 patterns for quilt blocks, and it shows which ones coordinate together. I like it much better than other books that just show a completed quilt with instructions, this way I can make my own patterns! The book is called "200 Quilting Blocks: to mix and match" (HERE), um, clever title huh? But, it is a really great book, I highly recommend it!
The bed for the blanket. I had fun with this. I still need to make one more pillow case, and maybe some more throw pillows, every girl needs lots of throw pillows.
I made the mattress myself. I am so proud of how it turned out! Oh, and note the padded headboard. These dolls are sleeping in style!
Quilt block 2 for the Quilt along. Instructions HERE
Oh! This one isn't completed, obviously, but this is my "perfect" square in the works. I am bound and determined that this one will measure up at 12.5 inches square when it is done! So far my other blocks were 12 inches square, and 12.25 inches square, they will have to be redone...poo! This is actually a pretty cool picture of the piecing process, if I do say so myself! It is quilt block 3, instructions HERE.
Um, yeah, so this one isn't finished either. I just need to bind the edges, but it is all quilted! This is a mini quilt I made for Natalie's dolls. It was my first attempt at free form machine quilting (I prefer to tie my quilts). Not bad, and the squares look really pretty. I got the pattern from a new book I got that I am loving. It has 200 patterns for quilt blocks, and it shows which ones coordinate together. I like it much better than other books that just show a completed quilt with instructions, this way I can make my own patterns! The book is called "200 Quilting Blocks: to mix and match" (HERE), um, clever title huh? But, it is a really great book, I highly recommend it!
The bed for the blanket. I had fun with this. I still need to make one more pillow case, and maybe some more throw pillows, every girl needs lots of throw pillows.
I made the mattress myself. I am so proud of how it turned out! Oh, and note the padded headboard. These dolls are sleeping in style!
I don't want to forget that...
I am still trying to get out of my blogging funk, but I thought i should at least do a small update on the happenings around here.
...Brady went potty in the big boy potty for the first time on Tuesday the 13th (finally!). He got a new train out of the deal. I doubt this is the beginning of potty training, but still, he did it!
...Natalie has been walking around the house singing "I know 1 plus 1 is 2, go tie your shoe, I know 1 plus 1 is 2, go tie your shoe, I know 1 plus 1 is two-oo, I know 1 plus 1 is two-oo, i know 1 plus 1 is 2 go tie your shoe!" (set to the tune of She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain") and all the successive verses, for that last week. I love this, it is a dang annoying song, but it is MATH! She is learning math, how cool is that?? will try to get a video of this
...Keith is loving his new longer hours at work. He seems to be getting lots of experience which is good, and of course now he isn't stuck at home with us all afternoon...just kidding!
...My sewing machine is ticking me off! I am working on this quilt along, and for some reason my squares keep coming out a tad too small. My machine is rebelling against all attempts I am making to sew a 1/4 inch seam. I will win! I will! I am currently making a new square, carefully measuring as I go, and it will be the right size! It will!
...Erin totalled her car a while back. It was nothing serious, but she had a Dodge neon so the hood crumpled like a piece of paper when she got in the accident. So, in any event she needed a new car, and my Step dad, Vern, being the master haggler got her a sweet deal on a Ford Taurus that will be much safer for her to drive. Only thing is the car he found was in Spokane, so he ended up driving it down here for her. He was only able to stay for a day, but we all went out to On the Border (where we take all our visitors apparently) and had a nice short little visit. Of course I got no pictures, and of course Natalie had to act shy, and by shy I mean psycho, so of course I acted psycho as well, not pretty. Oh well!
...the weather is getting warmer, and that means the annual hunt for clothes that don't require a tank or undershirt underneath has begun! I just gets too hot to have so many layers of clothing on!
...Natalie has now taken to wearing her new swim suit around the house anytime she gets a chance. She looks like a chocolate cupcake, for reals! I just love to squeeze her and cover her in kisses! I am trying to squeeze out some extra hours at work so that I can afford to get a new swim suit from Diviine ModesTee (HERE). They are pricey, but so cute, and possibly as flattering of a swim suit that I am gonna find for this body. Plus I can get one that kinda matches Natalie.
Geez! That is a lot more than I thought I was gonna have. Really not much going on around here other that adjusting to the new schedule and bracing ourselves for summer to really kick in. We are hoping that we will be able to have some sort of a routine this summer. We always say that we will get into a routine when "life settles down", meaning when visitors leave, or work schedules get kinked out, but I am learning that life NEVER settles down! It is always one thing or another, and that is what makes life fun and interesting.
...Brady went potty in the big boy potty for the first time on Tuesday the 13th (finally!). He got a new train out of the deal. I doubt this is the beginning of potty training, but still, he did it!
...Natalie has been walking around the house singing "I know 1 plus 1 is 2, go tie your shoe, I know 1 plus 1 is 2, go tie your shoe, I know 1 plus 1 is two-oo, I know 1 plus 1 is two-oo, i know 1 plus 1 is 2 go tie your shoe!" (set to the tune of She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain") and all the successive verses, for that last week. I love this, it is a dang annoying song, but it is MATH! She is learning math, how cool is that?? will try to get a video of this
...Keith is loving his new longer hours at work. He seems to be getting lots of experience which is good, and of course now he isn't stuck at home with us all afternoon...just kidding!
...My sewing machine is ticking me off! I am working on this quilt along, and for some reason my squares keep coming out a tad too small. My machine is rebelling against all attempts I am making to sew a 1/4 inch seam. I will win! I will! I am currently making a new square, carefully measuring as I go, and it will be the right size! It will!
...Erin totalled her car a while back. It was nothing serious, but she had a Dodge neon so the hood crumpled like a piece of paper when she got in the accident. So, in any event she needed a new car, and my Step dad, Vern, being the master haggler got her a sweet deal on a Ford Taurus that will be much safer for her to drive. Only thing is the car he found was in Spokane, so he ended up driving it down here for her. He was only able to stay for a day, but we all went out to On the Border (where we take all our visitors apparently) and had a nice short little visit. Of course I got no pictures, and of course Natalie had to act shy, and by shy I mean psycho, so of course I acted psycho as well, not pretty. Oh well!
...the weather is getting warmer, and that means the annual hunt for clothes that don't require a tank or undershirt underneath has begun! I just gets too hot to have so many layers of clothing on!
...Natalie has now taken to wearing her new swim suit around the house anytime she gets a chance. She looks like a chocolate cupcake, for reals! I just love to squeeze her and cover her in kisses! I am trying to squeeze out some extra hours at work so that I can afford to get a new swim suit from Diviine ModesTee (HERE). They are pricey, but so cute, and possibly as flattering of a swim suit that I am gonna find for this body. Plus I can get one that kinda matches Natalie.
Geez! That is a lot more than I thought I was gonna have. Really not much going on around here other that adjusting to the new schedule and bracing ourselves for summer to really kick in. We are hoping that we will be able to have some sort of a routine this summer. We always say that we will get into a routine when "life settles down", meaning when visitors leave, or work schedules get kinked out, but I am learning that life NEVER settles down! It is always one thing or another, and that is what makes life fun and interesting.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
First time for everything!
And luckily it went well (good?). We were finally able to go camping! The Taylor's came up with the idea, and it turned out to be a great one. It ended up being the Taylor's, The Saunder's, The Kirchmann's and us Bowers', a great crowd, and a pretty perfect weekend for a little camping trip, even if it was threatening to get a little too hot.
I have to admit I was worried. I am the stressing queen and I thought I was gonna lose it at some point or another, but I didn't (until we started packing up, and Natalie who was out of this world tired wouldn't stop whining and I made her sit in the camp chair to cool off, but that was just parenting, NOT losing it, I swear!). Probably the hardest part of the whole trip was the getting there! Planning and packing all that food, and all those supplies was crazy, but we did it, and the kids were great helpers, and somehow it all got done.
I think we all had a good time, my kids were thrilled to be able to be out in nature. With us not having a yard it is a real treat to be able to just play outside and I love when they get that chance. And I love when I get that chance to sit in my camp chair and watch them run around! We did all the traditional things; s'mores, foil dinners, sitting, fishing. It was a stereotypical camping trip, absolutely wonderful!
This is my favorite picture of Natalie that I took. I took it early, early this morning when no one else was around. She was being so precious and it is a perfect picture of why that is my favorite time of the whole trip, quiet and serene.
Brady was having fun after breakfast posing and playing with the pole. He was kinda cracking me up.
Of course going to bed was a HARD thing for these guys. Not only were they sleeping in a strange place on the strange ground 5 inches from each other, the next camp site over had a BUNCH of wild and crazy people with absolutely horrible music and mouths. So of course I stayed in the tent so I could sing them to sleep that they wouldn't be lulled to sleep by the music that was blaring. We kept sitting up and playing and having fun with the flash light, they had fun making silly faces in the dark. Luckily once they went to bed, they stayed asleep and somehow the three of us stayed asleep during the commotion that went on around 3 o'clock when the revelers were finally booted for all their problems (I think the straw that broke the Ranger's back was that they were throwing picnic tables in the lake!).
Missy took some wonderful pictures all around the site. This one made me cry a little. How could she know that I have a love affair with these little feet. These little feet that are so sweet and pudgy and soft. These sweet little feet that will one day be huge and smelly and huge! This picture is a treasure, an absolute treasure that I will love forever.
And my Natalie. What is it about my children's feet that I love so much? I have no idea, but I do. I love them.
Three buddies! Love this one SO much. They all look so happy and carefree, and I think they felt that way too!
This one cracks me up, I hope Ewan is laughing because it just wouldn't be as good if he were upset. But I can still tell Brady was being a pest! Not the first time he will bug Nat's friends, of that I am certain.
Sarah got this cute pic of me and Kelli. I think Kelli looks adorable, and I think my head looks to small for my body!
Dig, dig, dig! So happy with sand tools and dirt. Just as it should be. Kelli caught Natalie picking at him like a monkey, and after a while I found out why! She had poured dirt onto his little blond head! And I will tell you it took forever to wash out!
Buds. Brady always asks about Fynn. I think he knows that Fynn and he share like interests, all things boy!
So, a good time was had all around. We are glad to have finally found a place to go camping and I am sure we will go back. This time armed with a better lantern and maybe some water guns!
I have to admit I was worried. I am the stressing queen and I thought I was gonna lose it at some point or another, but I didn't (until we started packing up, and Natalie who was out of this world tired wouldn't stop whining and I made her sit in the camp chair to cool off, but that was just parenting, NOT losing it, I swear!). Probably the hardest part of the whole trip was the getting there! Planning and packing all that food, and all those supplies was crazy, but we did it, and the kids were great helpers, and somehow it all got done.
I think we all had a good time, my kids were thrilled to be able to be out in nature. With us not having a yard it is a real treat to be able to just play outside and I love when they get that chance. And I love when I get that chance to sit in my camp chair and watch them run around! We did all the traditional things; s'mores, foil dinners, sitting, fishing. It was a stereotypical camping trip, absolutely wonderful!
This is my favorite picture of Natalie that I took. I took it early, early this morning when no one else was around. She was being so precious and it is a perfect picture of why that is my favorite time of the whole trip, quiet and serene.
Brady was having fun after breakfast posing and playing with the pole. He was kinda cracking me up.
Of course going to bed was a HARD thing for these guys. Not only were they sleeping in a strange place on the strange ground 5 inches from each other, the next camp site over had a BUNCH of wild and crazy people with absolutely horrible music and mouths. So of course I stayed in the tent so I could sing them to sleep that they wouldn't be lulled to sleep by the music that was blaring. We kept sitting up and playing and having fun with the flash light, they had fun making silly faces in the dark. Luckily once they went to bed, they stayed asleep and somehow the three of us stayed asleep during the commotion that went on around 3 o'clock when the revelers were finally booted for all their problems (I think the straw that broke the Ranger's back was that they were throwing picnic tables in the lake!).
Missy took some wonderful pictures all around the site. This one made me cry a little. How could she know that I have a love affair with these little feet. These little feet that are so sweet and pudgy and soft. These sweet little feet that will one day be huge and smelly and huge! This picture is a treasure, an absolute treasure that I will love forever.
And my Natalie. What is it about my children's feet that I love so much? I have no idea, but I do. I love them.
Three buddies! Love this one SO much. They all look so happy and carefree, and I think they felt that way too!
This one cracks me up, I hope Ewan is laughing because it just wouldn't be as good if he were upset. But I can still tell Brady was being a pest! Not the first time he will bug Nat's friends, of that I am certain.
Sarah got this cute pic of me and Kelli. I think Kelli looks adorable, and I think my head looks to small for my body!
Dig, dig, dig! So happy with sand tools and dirt. Just as it should be. Kelli caught Natalie picking at him like a monkey, and after a while I found out why! She had poured dirt onto his little blond head! And I will tell you it took forever to wash out!
Buds. Brady always asks about Fynn. I think he knows that Fynn and he share like interests, all things boy!
So, a good time was had all around. We are glad to have finally found a place to go camping and I am sure we will go back. This time armed with a better lantern and maybe some water guns!
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