THE JORGENSEN'S

I'm back (again)

2011-08-11T14:59:00.001-07:00

So it's been so long since I've blogged that I'm not sure if I even know how to anymore! I think my blogger friends have stopped looking to see if I've posted anything but I guess I'll just have to get back into it and forge on. I'm attempting to give my page a makeover so it might look a bit weird for a while. I have a new little face to add to our family picture and some updates to make. I'm going through my pictures so I will be posting very soon! Just wanted to say that I am back. :)

Faces of Rylee

2010-02-10T13:05:00.001-08:00

Rylee: Mommy, those boys at McDonald's wouldn't stop chasing me and fighting over me.

Me: I saw that they wouldn't leave you alone and kept following you.

Rylee: Yeah, they like me. One boy said that I am the princess. Another boy said that no, he's the princess.

Me: Well did you tell him that only girls are princesses?

Rylee: Nah...I let him think what he wanted! I know that I'm the real princess...

and then

After working on her Phonics computer program and figuring something out completely on her own that I didn't know she even knew yet:

Me: Honi! I didn't even know you knew the letter "Q" yet let alone finding it on the keyboard too! I'm so proud of you...good work!

Rylee: Yeah, I know. Thanks mom (raising her hand for a high five) Cuz that's how I roll!!

Really?? I swear she's only 4 :)

Middle School Days

2010-02-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

McKenzie is in the Middle School this year and it has been quite an adjustment for all of us. There are "socials" on a Friday every month or so and all of the normal "not in elementary school anymore" but still "not in Junior High" yet things that happen. There are after school activities called Intramurals that the kids can join. These are can be anything from sports to plastic canvas working to art to foreign languages to drama classes and they change quarterly. McKenzie is taking full advantage of these and has something going on after school Monday through Thursday so I just swing by and pick her up after work. Works out well for everyone and she's learning some neat stuff. She also got a new cell phone for her birthday so she lets me know when her activity is over, when she's about to walk out of the building, when she is actually walking out of the building and when she's almost to my car :) Anything for a text I guess. So when I get a phone call directly after school, it usually means something is wrong or changed.

Yesterday, as I was working along, I received one of these calls but it only rang twice and then she hung up. So...of course I called back and this was our conversation. I swear that 12 year old girls have a block when it comes to giving information!

Me: Hi honi, did you just call?

Her: Yes.

Me:.......did you need something? Why did you hang up?

Her: Yes.......oh......I don't know.

Me: Ok well...what did you need?

Her: Um.....oh yeah. Is being 7th in the whole entire school in algebra good?

Me: Uh...Yeah! Are you really 7th in the whole school?

Her: Yes.

Me: Wow! That's awesome!!! I'm so proud of you! Who told you that?

Her: Um....some teacher...I can't remember. Oh yeah, it was my academic teacher.

Lol....this is how most of our conversations go these days. On the bright side though...yay for my daughter!! At the beginning of the year, she was having some issues with some of her classes and having 5 different teachers/subjects was a big adjustment. After coming from the elementary school with all 4's (which is an A+ above grade average at that school) and then getting a C on her first report card....it was definitely a shock. So this little bit of information really made my day and even though she didn't show it in any particular way, shape, or form...it made hers too. :)

She is also taking Spanish and quizzes me every day on the car ride home and makes me try to decipher sentences that she has made up. I have forgotten quite a bit but it actually surprised me how much I have been able to retain. I'm still cool sometimes...

A Glimpse into the Future

2010-01-28T13:25:00.001-08:00

Oh Lord help us in a few years...

~I don't remember signing up for teenagers~

Our Upcoming Trip

2010-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

To break up this really long, boring, wet winter, we have decided to take our annual vacation a little early. Plus, I don't want to be driving on a long road trip when I'm 20 months pregnant. So...we figured we will just take it a little early. Another change is that my sister and her family are going with us, as well as our good family friend. This way, the kids will have playmates and there will always be someone to go on rides with. This year, we have decided to visit Disneyland again...yay!! We went last time when Rylee was 2 and she hasn't stopped talking about it since then.

We've decided to leave when I get off work at 4 pm and drive straight through to San Diego where we will stay the night and go to Sea World the next morning. My family has never been to Sea World and I must say that I am very excited to go! Right now, I'm excited to go anywhere that the sun is shining :) From there, we will drive back to Anaheim and stay the week there. We're also planning on visiting California Adventure this time around. We didn't go last time because Rylee was too small to be able to go on hardly any of the rides which in turn would mean I wouldn't be able to go on anything. I don't really mind this fact (since I won't this year either) because I'm not much of a "ride" person. I send myself into a panic attack and freeze on the spot. The most I can do is the Ferris Wheel and a roller coaster as long as it doesn't go upside down or in a loop. There are a few in between, but I have been known to wait in line for an hour and then walk away when it's my turn. My poor family! This is another reason why I am glad there are several of us going. I'm also hoping for splendid sunny weather so we can go on water rides as well. Can you tell I'm excited? Now if I can only wait until the end of February....

My mom's family is from southern California and it was so much fun last time when we found my grandmother's old house and pulled off the side of the road for pictures. So many childhood memories came flooding back of walking down those streets and all of the smells from different shops everywhere. We didn't get to visit too often but when we did, it stuck with me for a long time. Maybe one of these days I'll look up one of my cousins or aunts and stop by for a visit.

I'm hoping that my morning sickness will be gone by then so I can enjoy everything. I'll be 4 months by then so I'm planning on it going on vacation (forever) as well. I had my first real appointment this morning besides the ultrasound I had a couple of weeks ago. It was the fun one where they poke and prod everywhere (sorry if that was TMI). Anyway, I got to hear the peanut's heartbeat and my midwife said that everything looks perfect. She said the word "perfect" about 6 or 7 times so I'm guessing that's a good thing :) Even though this was a huge oops and surprise, I find myself getting past that finally and looking forward to what is to come. I still can't believe I will have 4 children when all of this is said and done. I always saw myself with only 3 so I'm a little nervous. Obviously God had other things in mind. Luckily my two older ones love love love babies and I know they will be a tremendous help.

So, we're really looking forward to our trip and hope that time flies until we get to leave. Until then, is a little sunshine too much to ask for? I need to move to a sunnier state!!

Snow in Western Washington??

2010-01-19T13:11:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, we took a trip up to Mt. Rainier. I don't think we've been there in at least six or seven years and it has changed quite a bit in that time. There is a new visitor's center and a really cool sledding area. Our party included ourselves, and Mike's two sisters and their kids. We had quite a large sledding team!

The parking lot was full at the top, so we headed down a level and parked there. It was a short trek back up to the top but it was so worth it. It was snowing and really cold but the kids were so excited because we haven't had any snow this year and after last year's 24 inch dump, it's been quite disappointing. So, this snow trip was very much appreciated. We stayed for about 5 1/2 hours and ate lunch in the center. I didn't get a chance to sled because the ride looked very bumpy and fast and I was a little weary of bouncing a baby right out of it's happy home! Everyone else took full advantage of the race track sledding slopes.

I hope to not wait so long for the next trip! Lots of fun was had by all...

Moving Forward

2010-01-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

It sure has been a long time since I have last blogged. So many things have happened but I just haven't had the energy or patience to write about them. I took many pictures with witty captions planned but they just never made it onto cyber paper. It would just be kind of weird if I started posting Christmas pictures now...so I will just move forward!

One reason for my absence could be due to feeling so poorly lately. The Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year holidays are normally my favorite time of the entire year but this year was kind of a disappointing blur. Family and festivities and presents and all of that fun stuff was still wonderful but my normal excitement was absent. Hopefully next year will be better. I know it will definitely be more chaotic as we will have an extra family member by then. That's right... I've joined the bandwagon of pregnant people. Talk about a surprise! So, what is three for now, will soon be 4. I'm hoping the sickness will end soon as I'm almost 10 weeks because the whole "morning sickness" is a bunch of bunk. It should be re-named "all the time sickness." Must have been a male that made that name up :)

Anyway, hopefully my energy and writing abilities will soon return and I can start posting pictures again. Here's to the new year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T10:42:00.001-08:00

I've been saving this picture for some time now...I can finally use it! I love Sesame Street :) For everyone out there, I have a quote taken from Denis Waitley that I think is very "Thanksgiving time" appropriate:

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."

I think that just about sums it up! I wish everyone a fabulous day with their families...enjoy each other!

Cars, Trains, and Portland

2009-11-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Mike and I decided to get away for some very necessary relaxation...and some Christmas shopping. So on Saturday morning, we got up early, dropped the girls off with my sister, and headed to the Amtrak station. Mike had never been on a train before but I had taken a couple of trips prior, including one with my mom several years back, to Los Angeles. Talk about a long trip! Anyway, a couple of years ago, my employer took all of us employees down to Portland via the Amtrak, gave us each $200 and a sack lunch, and set us free to roam the city for the day. We also got paid for the day as it was a Friday. Such generosity!

I had so much fun that day that it has stuck around in my ever turning brain, waiting to be repeated. So with our bags in tow, we sat awaiting our late train :) We were only a little over an hour behind with no time frame so we just enjoyed spending time together. We never got the chance to go anywhere for our anniversary this year and then Rylee got sick so it was certainly time to get away.

When we finally arrived in Portland, the station that greeted us was much bigger than the one we had come from. Union Station had an old fashioned look to it that made us feel like we had stepped into another time.

We headed out the doors to the city and began our journey of finding the visitor's center. Portland has this great light rail system that is free to ride all around downtown. Luckily, it also went across the bridge to our hotel. We didn't pay a cent to travel around the city. After we found our way to Pioneer Square where the visitor's center is located (not knowing which tram to take, we walked about 15 long blocks), we got a map of the city and directions to our hotel, where we promptly dropped off our luggage. I'm not exactly sure how, but I managed to talk Mike into heading to the nearest shopping center almost immediately. After a couple of wrong turns, a man finally asked us where we were headed and if we needed any help..lol. We were obviously tourists so he pointed us in the right direction. Since we had forgotten the camera, I took a few (blurry unfortunately) pictures with my phone. Very cool mall!

After shopping for a few hours, we decided to head back to the hotel and check out the Skyview Lounge located on the 6th floor. Luckily for us, it was basically deserted and we had the nice old bartender to ourselves. He tried out a couple of his homemade concocted martinis on Mike and after our unscrupulous bill, we took his advice to take the tram back downtown and find a fun place for dinner. We ended up at the Rock Bottom Brewery and had a great meal and a couple too many beers :) I don't remember giggling that much with my honi in quite some time. It was very nice...

Our train didn't leave until 4:20 the next day, so we had the majority of the day to explore. I have not walked that much in a long time! We took our bags back to the train station and put them behind the counter for $3 so we wouldn't have to lug them around all day. Again, I was able to drag Mike around a couple of malls without any complaints! It must have been because there was no tax. We had lunch at Paddy's Bar and Grill and I've never seen so many choices that were not in a movie.

We finally made our way back to Union Station and got onto our cushy comfy train to come back to reality. Not a bad weekend get-away! I highly recommend it for holiday shopping and a lot of fun. One more cute picture to leave you with:

I'm So Outdated

2009-11-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

I am obviously really behind the times here, but better late than never, right? I will however, be putting a few more up in a couple of days because my favorites (besides this first one of course) are not accessible to me at the moment. They are certainly worth waiting for though (Linda you know which ones I'm talking about) :)

I highly recommend having a party at home instead of going trick-or-treating. We bought tons of treats and the kids actually got candied out! Everyone had a really great time and we were nice and toasty warm...

Mah-Ken-Zee...Really??

2009-11-05T14:49:00.001-08:00

I am a firm believer that parents should be the ones to inform their children of the birds and the bees and good morals, not fellow classmates or teachers; however, there are a few things I remember learning in school that go just beyond common sense. Take for instance: sex education. I recall learning the basics of the differences between males and females in the 5th grade. Apparently, they have now bumped this fundamental up to middle school and have replaced it in elementary school with AIDS education instead. This is a little confusing to me because they talk about fluids and how it can be spread anyway so.... they have to go into it a little, right? I suppose that is besides the point and that's why they're the teachers and I'm not (monetarily anyway).

So, my point to this whole post revolves back to my 11, almost 12 year old daughter. McKenzie is exceedingly smart and has been in accelerated courses her whole school career thus far. She is bright and funny and quite witty. Though we used to joke about her fashion sense, I can usually count on her to have the right answers and make good decisions. She was even all ready aware of a couple of definitions that I never in my whole career as a mother, thought I would have to give so soon. I would rather answer their questions, no matter how embarrassing they may be, than have them go back to their peers and get incorrect or much more graphic answers. So, we were driving home from work/school yesterday and I only had McKenzie and my niece Madison, in the car. They both had after school activities and the other girls were all ready home. I'm listening to music and basically tuning out their pre-teenage adolescent talk as I normally have to do. It's either that or feel like I'm in an episode of Hannah Montana.

Anyway, I just happen to come in on the tail end of Kenzie saying, "Thank goodness guys can't get pregnant." I kind of giggled to myself because I have said that many times (whiners anyway). So I decide to get in on the conversation, as my favorite song had just ended. I added, "Well honi, they can't but have you ever seen the movie Junior? It's not real, but it was funny because Arnold Schwarzenegger has a baby." She of course responds with an emphatic "No" (almost question mark at the end because I'm apparently very old). So I decided to end the conversation with a "Well you're right, thank goodness they don't get pregnant." Now this is the part that I begin to question my brilliant daughter's mind...She responds with "Well duh mom.....I know they can get pregnant, I just meant that they shouldn't and it's a good thing it doesn't happen very often." As my head unconsciously begins to cock to the side in silent astonishment, I ask the most obvious question, "Well where do they grow it? They don't have a uterus." Are you ready for it???

She says, "Oh my gosh mom....duh! In their bladders!!!" I just decided to keep my mouth closed.

I'm Back!!!

2009-11-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

Unwillingly, I have obviously been absent from blog land for quite some time...Unfortunately, it wasn't for a happy reason. Rylee, my picture of perfect health, was up at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital for a week. When going through the usual round of health questions over and over and over (I could keep going), my answer to each "Any history of ____?" was NO. At first, when she first got sick, we were told that it was just the flu. Me, being intuitive of my own daughter and questioning ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, did not believe that easy diagnosis. I swear, doctors never listen to mommy's. We know our kids! Anyway (stupid St. Peter's Hospital), after one very long 7 1/2 hour ER visit and two regular doctor's visits, in which the only test done was an ultrasound, we were sent up to Mary Bridge's ER. My thoughts were: Normal flu's don't usually involve 104.5 to 105 degree fevers for 6 days and severe leg pain in one particular spot. No cough, no sniffles, no sore throat, and besides the pains that go along with a high fever, no body aches. Granted, I have no P.H.D., but it sounded a little fishy to me. Can anyone tell that I'm a little bitter regarding the high-paid professionals that put my little girl in harms way so they could say they think it's the flu?

So, MB got her right in to the emergency room, shot her over to radiology, took a CAT scan and an X-ray, and scheduled her for an MRI. By this time, we could hardly get her fever to come down at all. My pale little 4 year old baby lay on the hospital bed, crying and cringing when anyone would even get close to her because her leg hurt so bad. They finally got her up for her sedated MRI, which by the way works F.A.S.T! I wish we could get some of that for bedtime... After an hour and almost a half, out she came still sedated, with the words from the pediatric doctor: Keep her sedated and get her up to the O.R. immediately, the surgeon's waiting for her. Oh my gosh...you can't even imagine the thoughts that were rushing through my head! I don't think that I've ever been so scared~ not even the time that I got caught at Mike's house when I was supposed to be at my friend's house, scared me as much as that moment in time. All I could think was "I wish my mom was here, I wish my mom was here, she'd know what to do." But she wasn't...so we were on our own.

As not to not write for days, I'll make a long story a little shorter. She went into surgery so the doc could drain as much fluid out of a pocket on her hip joint, and an abscess on the tip of her femur, as he could. Somehow, bacteria entered her body, infected her blood, and flowed around until it found a nice place to settle and infect, which happened to be her hip joint. This infection had stopped any blood supply going to that part of her body and caused it to begin degenerating... well that and the huge infection that had settled.

After she came out of surgery, we were finally admitted to her own room and settled in for the night. That is where we spent the next week. She went from just having an IV with tons of different medicines (including morphine) continually dripping into her, to having a PICC line inserted into her vein up through the top of her heart. Phew...it just kept getting better and better! She had so many traumatic things done to her in such a short time, that she is still recovering from the stress. I was basically hooked to her the entire time and could not get more than a couple of feet away from her at any given time. Talk about stressful and exhausting at the same time. Mike, the wonderfully giving person that he is, slept on the floor and let me have the chair. He made sure I was eating and drinking and tried so hard to get me to get some fresh air, but I just couldn't. I felt like my heart was breaking every time I stepped out of her room.

She had so many doctors and nurses that I couldn't keep them all straight. She even had a team of 6 doctors that came in every morning and did a debriefing. Those were separate from the specialists and on-calls and all of the rest. Poor Rylee didn't like any of them! She screamed anytime her door would open and someone would walk in. Horrible horrible experience for all involved. We finally got to come home with a wheelchair and a walker because she could not walk, and her PICC line with antibiotics we had to administer every night for 45 minutes. We had a home nurse coming 2 to 3 times per week and numerous doctor visits in between. I'm so scared to open my mailbox every day because the bills are starting to trickle in.

So good news now, she's on oral antibiotics for another 6 weeks, walking with a slight limp still, no PICC line anymore, and the latest MRI showed that her Acute Osteomyelitis is getting better. Yay!!! What a scary time. I'm so thankful to all of our friends and family that offered up prayers and were so generous to our needs. I'm also thankful to Kelly for keeping my other girls at home while we were gone, and so sorry that Alyssa was so sick. We have such great support... Both mine and Mike's employers were also very understanding and supportive, thankfully. I wanted to include a few pictures I was able to take with my phone (sorry some are blurry) and a video of Rylee when she finally had enough strength to start using the wheelchair. She was a pro from the start! Surprising when you've lost 10% of your body weight from not eating for a week and a half :)

The first ER visit at St. Pete's

Right after surgery at MB

Trying to find some humor from her many stuffed animals

All of her glow stick necklaces together~Feeling a little better!

First time getting out of bed!

And she made it with the help of her walker!

Taking a picture of herself while I was talking to the doctor

Ry and daddy in the play room putting together a puzzle

Look at that hair! The staff called her "Rockstar"

Her hair was so matted by the time we left, it took 3 1/2 hours to get the dreads out. It was like a baseball helmet!

Driving home, after stopping at the "wheelchair store" as Rylee put it, it felt like we had been gone a month instead of a week. As we came into Shelton, this is the beautiful scene that greeted us:

I'm so glad this is almost completely behind us. Maybe I can get caught up on some things now... including my blogging!

Deep Thoughts Of a 4 Year Old

2009-09-29T10:08:00.001-07:00

Rylee: I love you so much mommy!

Me: I love you too sweetie.

Rylee: But I love you more.

Me: No, I love you more.

Rylee: No, I love you more!

Me: I love you most! I've loved you since you were in my tummy.

Rylee: No, I love you most since I was in your tummy!

Me: Honi, I love you the most.

Rylee: Mommy....you're right. You do love me most!

Gotta love the kid's honesty!

Just A Little Fun

2009-09-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

On a previous post, I had mentioned that we adults had a fun night while the kiddos were at grandmas house a couple of weekends ago. I also promised pictures.... Now remember, as adults and responsible parents, we are not allowed to act immature and drink larger amounts very often. Well apparently that rule does not apply to us :)

Another cute picture of us...after quite a few Long Islands...

And what the heck is up with my hair??

I could be mistaken, but it looks as though Mike has had enough!

Ah yes...another shot, though you're not supposed to taste it first!

I'm not sure I want to know what he's contemplating..

Surveying the possibilities...how you doin??

Um.....ahh......where's the drool?

After sitting around for quite some time, trying to come up with good items for a random scavenger hunt, we decided to WALK up the hill to see if Rick was still awake. It was getting a little late, but there was a slight possiblility that he was still up. So with dog in tow, we journeyed up the steep hill (not an easy feat when you've been drinking) to surprise Rick. Mike thought he'd "sneak" around to the back door and catch him off guard. Unbeknownst to him, the dog proceeded to follow and got spooked when the light came on and the other dog started barking. Around the other side of the house, we heard a yell, a gust of wind, and a large thud. For a moment, I thought he had fallen off the roof and had I been sober, I probably would have been scared...lol. Anyway, we heard him yell, "The dog took me out!!" and hearing Rick's dog barking, assumed he meant that dog....oh no, it was our stupid dog. She was the culprit! So, after cleaning up his bleeding wound, surprising Rick's guests (who were absolutely NOT happy to see us), and waking him up, we went out into his garage so the boys could play ping pong.

Not sure if he was really awake yet or not

Him either

Showing off his masculine abilities to scare the opponent!

Is he serious or what???

Check out the ball in mid-air

And finally back at the house again...

(The only thing missing is the drip from her nose)Sorry Kelly!!

I'm so scared sound bite

So... after taking a 4 hour quad ride that afternoon, this was just what the doctor ordered! Who says we have to always live by our labels??

Can You Spot The Difference?

2009-09-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

BEFORE...

AND AFTER...

We still have a ways to go, but can I get a woot-woot??

Fun At The Capitol Building

2009-09-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, my mother-in-law was kind enough to take all of the kids that are currently residing at my house for two whole nights! That's also 2 1/2 days, mind you...though I'm not counting. Before we dropped the munchkins off, we decided to go and "play" at the Capitol Building and grab a few shots. When we were younger, this was one of Mike's and my favorite places to hang out. I think though that way back then, all of the big fans worked and we could float many things across them and ooh and ahh at how they skimmed the air. Now, however, only one or two actually blow air and it's only during work hours (which as we all know, are few and far between for those darn state workers :-) Luckily, this was one of the very rare occasions that we were all together, off both work and school, during the day on a week day. The girls thought this was awesome! Of course, since we didn't really have anything to float over the top of these ginormous fans, spit was the only option. GROSS!!! I almost got hit a few times and finally had to put my foot down when the name of the game was "Try and catch it back in your mouth." Who are these people???

Though the only pictures I could find of the girls' hair flying in the air were on my phone, we got several other cute ones. Here are a few of our goofy afternoon at the capitol...though I did not include the collection of Rylee's head bouncing off the ground, as Mike watched her jump from a ledge. I thought that might be a little over the top.

After we dropped the girls off, we almost didn't know what to do with ourselves.....almost. Anyway, the rest of the weekend was pretty restful and quiet....until we decided to pretend that we weren't adults but silly, young, underage drinkers. I'll save those pictures for another time...

Go Baby Go!

2009-09-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Rylee got a bike for her birthday last year but living where we do, it's kind of hard for her to get any time to ride it. This summer however, she decided that she wanted to learn how to ride (with her training wheels of course). As she played around, she seemed a little top heavy but I think it was just getting used to riding on the uneven ground. Before this, she had been riding around inside our house, so moving outside without the carpet to cushion her falls, proved to be a little difficult. She was a trooper though, and after several walks, she was getting the hang of it....until her training wheel broke. Now, I believe that most mothers would either a) buy a new set of training wheels or b) buy a bigger bike with new training wheels because the bike was a little small anyway; however, mom wasn't in charge of this one...dad was. Neither A nor B took place...C came into play: just take the training wheels off! I, personally, thought that my small 4 year old was much too young and fragile to be riding a 2 wheel bike with nothing to hold her up...obviously I was mistaken.

I think the face says it all...though I didn't think I'd be seeing it from her for quite a few more years but what do I know?? I'm just mom! They surprise me every day~lol.

Some Wedding Photos

2009-09-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

On the last weekend in August, Mike got the chance to shoot his first official "paid" wedding. It was down in Vader with pictures in Longview and along the way back to the wedding site. When we first heard about one of the photograph locations, it seemed a little odd, but having a theme of "Until Death Do Us Part," the cemetery fit right in. Our friend Jerry came along as well, and captured some great shots for us.

The morning dawned cloudy and threatening and after we dropped off the kids and headed south, the rain began in earnest. Luckily, by the time we got to Longview, it had subsided and only sprinkled a little as we were finishing up at the cemetery. As the wedding hour drew closer, the sunshine decided to grace us with it's presence (thank goodness). It was a very long day, but very uneventful and fun, which is a good thing...for a wedding anyway. The ceremony was quick, the reception easy and low-key, and we were back to have dinner and pick up the kids by a decent hour. All in all, it was a great first experience! Mike did a really good job and proved to be patient and courteous. No wonder I married him!

You can click here to see the rest of the pictures. We had a great time and will hopefully be able to get some more practice in there..(hint hint) :-)

Back to School All Ready

2009-09-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of school....again. I can't believe how quickly the summer flew by. It seems like just yesterday was the last day of school, thoughts of bbq's and swimming right in our faces. Now, our schedule begins again. Yay!!!

The morning dawned bright and early...4 girls so ready for school! Kenzie was a little nervous about having more than one class to keep track of, as she was starting middle school! Alyssa and Brosia were excited to be in the same 4th grade class, and Bella was secretly ecstatic to be heading back to M.V. Since I had to be at work way before school starts, Kelly graciously did the honors of shuttling excited, nervous, chatty kids. Though I didn't actually drive Kenzie, I had my own little teary session in my car all by myself. Kelly told me later though, she shed a few too.. My baby is no longer in elementary school. I only had to go to one classroom for open house the evening before, and only got to help unpack one bag of school supplies :( Such a milestone... Still tough not to start blubbering so I'll post a few pictures instead! Even though the girls weren't totally ready to go when I had to leave, they humored me and grabbed their backpacks to "pretend" they were headed out the door; all though I hope Alyssa and Brosia's hair was dry by the time they left :)

It seems that every year, I impatiently wait all day long to find out how their day went and when I ask, I am rewarded with "Mmmm...good." That's it...that's all I get! This year however, all faces were plastered with smiles. Kenzie said that it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it was going to be and the other girls all had fun too. All in all, they had a great day! A very good start to another year. Next year, Rylee will be joining them...I can certainly wait for that!

Here and There

2009-08-27T07:52:00.001-07:00

Rylee or Alyssa???

So McKenzie had her middle school orientation yesterday. She was at the school learning the ropes for 4 hours and then Rylee and I met her for a parent/student bbq. All of my middle school memories came rushing back and I found it very odd to see some of my friends teaching with our old teachers. Several of them are still there...older looking of course, but the same demeanors. Weird!

Kenzie decided she wants to play the clarinet in band, so we signed her up for a rental, bought a book, and walked out...instrument in hand (which she put to good use when we got home). P.E. also has a dress code, so we waited in line for a good 25 minutes to pay for the shorts and shirt, to then turn around and head over to another line for the actual picking up of said P.E. clothes. Not only was Rylee being a poop-head and throwing intermittent fits, but she also decided to lift up my shirt (for all to see) and proceed to stick her head under it. That was lots of fun while listening to 4 million people yelling and having fun. Ok, so it wasn't really that many kids but it sure sounded like it. It was so strange to see so many people I went to school with, bringing their children to this milestone function. I was thinking, "Man, they're too young to have kids this old....wait a second, so am I!!" I also now understand how my mom used to get so mad when I'd tell her someone had hurt my feelings or had been mean to me. Young girls can be so maddening! Kenzie has some friends that are making her question herself and her pre-adolescent life....it's really hard to just listen to her without piping off with some mean comeback. I have to remind myself that she needs to deal with it in her own way, just as I did. If I had told my friends everything my mom told me to say to them, I don't know that I would have had many left!! I understand those claws and feelings of protectiveness so much better now. Ode to past elementary days (without the words)...

Now, we're just enjoying these last few days of summer break before the kids get back into the routine of school. Rylee is so disappointed that she doesn't get to start too, but she and I will be working in the evenings using a book called Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. Since my hopes of being able to stay home and homeschool her are not going to be a reality for quite some time, I will just do it in my extra time (ha!! like I have that). We shall see though, as she is quite excited about learning like a big girl. I found the following succession of pictures in an old file that are just too cute to pass up~

On a funny note, the following will be Mike and I in a few years! (Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit)

The Sharing in Marriage
The old man placed an order for one hamburger, French fries and a drink. He unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half, placing one half in front of his wife. He then carefully counted out the French fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them. As he began to eat his few bites of hamburger, the people around them were looking over and whispering. Obviously they were thinking, "That poor old couple - all they can afford is one meal for the two of them." As the man began to eat his fries a young man came to the table and politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple. The old man said, "they were just fine - they were used to sharing everything." People closer to the table noticed the little old lady hadn't eaten a bite. She sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink. Again, the young man came over and begged them to let him buy another meal for them. This time the old woman said, "No, thank you, we are used to sharing everything..." Finally, as the old man finished and was wiping his face neatly with the napkin, the young man again came over to the little old lady who had yet to eat a single bite of food and asked, "What is it you are waiting for?"
She answered, "the teeth!"

Actually, the whole sharing of teeth thing is absolutely disgusting!!! I won't even share my toothbrush. LOL...funny though.

Last, but certainly not least, this song has been going through my head for days!! I have to pause my music (at the very bottom)to hear it, but it's such a great song and gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. I think of all of the strong, brave cancer survivors out there...

Whoa...Back Up!

2009-08-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

Can we say baby faces??

I've been doing some "rehashing of the past" and recalling funny and not so funny times. I did, however, come across some classic blast from the past pictures. Share in the joy of silliness with me...

Tianna, Kelly, Jess...............Mike, Shelly, Kelly~Jitterbug!!

Nels, Joey, Mike, John............Flashdance Tianna!!!

Studly Mike..................Jess, Kelly, Kristen

Yes, the blonde woman is Leon...Bobbi & Kristen

Man, that was a fun party. Our very own 80's party... Kelly did a somersault down the stairs (all 2 of them) and spilled her drink down her back, Tianna showed more energy than I though possible, the most interesting dances took place (clearing throat~Mike, Kelly, and Shelly), Bobbi decided she would be from a different era, and let's talk about the eyeshadow and mullets!!! LOL..what great memories. A really great change from the horrible journey we had just begun. I can't believe it's been almost 3 years all ready....

The Camping Trip

2009-08-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

Last week/weekend was the annual "Family Camping Trip." It begins on Wednesday and goes through the weekend. We are usually only able to go Friday night through Sunday because of our work schedules, but this year Mike and I were both able to get Friday off so we left Thursday night instead. Our kids went Wednesday afternoon with Kelly so we had Wednesday night to pack and get our gear loaded in the truck. Thursday morning dawned cloudy and scary looking. By the time I got off work and ran home to pick up the rest of our things, a torrential down-pour had begun!!! I'm telling you, if our kids weren't all ready there, I would have stayed home another night. They were, however, so I covered my head and ran to the truck sniffling. Mike was meeting me in Olympia where he was being dropped off so that we could bring one vehicle to the campsite because parking there is horrible. As I sat in the parking lot waiting for my brother (whom I thought was going to bail on me and surprised me by not) and Mike, I contemplated the humongous black rain cloud following me from my home town. I was praying that it would pass right by us and keep heading north. By the time my crowd had gathered, I had given up hope of staying dry and was hyping myself up to "enjoy" the rain because it's not like I was going to melt, right??????

I can't even tell you how amazed I was that we did not feel one single raindrop! The tarp that I had forgotten didn't matter and the cover that we did not have wasn't missed. Though it was cool and cloudy Wednesday through Saturday, it kept the bees at bay who's nest happened to be right by our "kitchen" table. My brother-in-law didn't notice the two bees that were innocently taking a drink inside his can, as he raised it to his lips....big mistake!! He got stung by them both... I never knew a lip could get that large! Anyway, the cooler weather wasn't bad and everyone had a great time enjoying the space and campfire. Kids made the meals with the help of one adult that could not be their own parent, which was nice, and there was hardly any fighting. We took up 4 huge campsites and I believe there were right around 25 people.

Sunday, the day that we were packing up and leaving, was sunny and hot. We had been saying the whole weekend that our last day would be the nicest weather-wise and we were not disappointed. It was a nice ending to a fun time though... We're working on putting all of the pictures taken over here but until we do, here are some of the ones that are done.

A Very Cool E-Mail I Received

2009-08-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Memo From God

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD-The Boss!
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling ALL of your problems for you. I do NOT need your help. So, have a nice day.

I love you.
GOD

P.S. And remember.....
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you can not handle, do NOT attempt to resolve it yourself!! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

P.S.S.
Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life right now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic; Don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; Think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what life is all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Now, you have a nice day,

God

Summer Is Speeding By

2009-08-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

Can't you just feel the peacefulness of this picture? This was taken in Vantage on our way home from eastern WA. I can picture gliding down the river on an innertube with some ~~beer~~ diet pepsi in a cooler next to me....

We have been decently busy this summer but in return, it has sped by so quickly! We have all ready gotten all of the girls school supplies and clothes. Rylee is soooo disappointed that she doesn't get to start school yet but she's been partially mollified by new shoes, new pants, and lots of school supplies. She is recognizing several letters all ready and almost all of her numbers. She was so proud of herself the other night when she read the word "so" all by herself. I'm very excited by how quickly she picks things up. She just can't understand why her friend McKenzie is 4 also but she gets to go to preschool this year. She says "It's just NOT fair!!!" Poor little thing, we'll just have to make sure to take lots of field trips. I'm in the mode of homeschooling but unfortunately have to continue working right now to afford our house payment, so we'll just stick to learning in the evenings. Hopefully one day soon it will happen!

We went to Walker Park a couple weeks ago and got a few cute pics:

Maybe she was too scared of a real one so she was pretending it was a starfish??

I also have a bunch of random pictures from places we went on day trips or just ones from prior times. I want to post them, but I don't have enough for individual posts....besides I'm just too darn lazy to do them all separately! So, I will just put them here.

A couple of Kenzie and I at the lake...

In Tacoma down by the water

Rylee and I looking at the fish in Capital Lake

And one of my favorites...

Just when they thought we weren't looking!!!

All Grown Up..

2009-08-07T15:24:00.001-07:00

The other day, I was cleaning Alyssa's closet which was apparently the storage area from cleaning her room. When I opened the door, I was almost lost forever... No joke, I think it was 2 feet deep with papers and clothing. Anyway, I decided to just do it to get it over with instead of waiting 3 years for it to get done. Rylee was right along side of me "helping."

Rylee: Mom!! Look what I found! Remember these shoes that used to make me look so cute, that I used to wear when I was just a little girl??

Me: Yes honi, I remember them. But aren't you still a little girl?

Rylee: Oh no mom, don't you know? I'm a big girl now...I'm not little anymore :-(

Loaded Weekend Part 2...

2009-07-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

The second day of our mini-vacation was much more fun than the first. We woke up early, grabbed a bite to eat at the local Fred Meyer (everyone was pretty much sick of fast food all ready) and headed to Silverwood. The girls, of course, had no idea where we were going to spend the day because....I love surprises! Of all times to be doing road construction, Idaho picked the Saturday we were visiting. We sat in a long line of traffic for a good 40 minutes in the heat. When we finally arrived, we could hardly keep everyone buckled until we got into the parking lot. We unpacked our gear and began the long trek to the park. We had purchased our tickets at Costco the week before and saved ourselves almost $50, as opposed to buying them at the gate.

We arrived around 11:00 am and it was all ready well into the 80's so we slathered sunscreen on and decided to go to the water park first. We thought maybe we'd beat some of the crowd that waited until it was a little warmer. We did, but there were still plenty of people that obviously had the same idea as we did. The kids didn't seem to mind though and we spent a few hours playing in the water. There was even a bar with bar stools in the water serving fresh margaritas....wish I would have taken advantage of that! Oh well, my water tasted just fine...

Alyssa helping Colton...

Connor looking so cute...

Rylee went on the water slide all by herself...

Notice there are no pictures of McKenzie and Maddi....they were way too cool to hang out with the parents! Wherever we were, they were around the corner acting like they didn't know us..lol. Ahhhh...to be young and popular again.

We soon felt the beginnings of hunger pains and found a quaint little eatery called Cowboy BBQ to rest our all ready weary bones (well the parents anyway). Everyone was mostly thirsty but of course refills were NOT free. They even had a guy sitting right next to the soda fountain watching everyone and charging. Geez!! Toward the end of the day, we finally got smart and got a refillable sports bottle. Talk about getting it's use!

Since it was such a nice warm day, the water rides and roller coasters had the longest lines. When we asked Rylee which ride she HAD to go on, she said the ferris wheel. Oh my gosh....I don't think I've ever waited so long for a ride! We stood in line for almost an hour with only 10 people in front of us! I would have walked away but she was so excited that I just couldn't break her heart. When we finally got our turn, she had her hands in the air and giggled uncontrollably...priceless!

And then, at the most in-opportune time, stuck at the very top....she had to pee. And it wasn't just a little bit...she had to go right now!! She started bouncing and whimpering...what do you do?? My first thought was to let her just pee her pants because she had waited so long for this ride and now it was being ruined..and then I came to my mommy senses and looked below us. That would not work. There were many people underneath us..can you imagine getting peed on from 100 feet up in the air?? LOL!! I did consider it though.. Anyway, she somehow managed to hold it until we reached the ground thank goodness. After a very fast run to the bathroom, we were off to the other rides.

Mike looks a little apprehensive!

Yeah, that's Alyssa, McKenzie, and Maddie in the hot pink, white, and purple shirts...SICK!!!

Kenzie & Maddi are directly in the center section, front seat...We were laying underneath them in the grass and they came swooping by upside down and Mike was able to snap it right at the perfect time!

Alyssa riding the bumper cars (it's a little dark in there)

Here are a few of our relaxing times between the rides:

Rylee didn't want to let Garfield go! She said his belly was buzzing...lol

We didn't end up leaving until almost 10:00 that night and boy were we pooped! I think two out of the three kids were asleep before we even left the parking lot. So much fun, but so much packed into 11 hours! Well worth it though....

Where Am I Going and Where The Heck Have I Been??

2009-07-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

I've been questioning my life quite a bit lately. Am I where I want to be? Am I feeling good about myself and what I've become? Have I accomplished everything I dreamed I would when I was younger? If I could change my past, present, and/or future, would I? I still haven't been able to answer all of my questions but I've really become more in tune with myself. There are things that need to be fixed that I AM able to fix, things that need to be fixed that I am NOT able to fix, and things that just are. I have come to the conclusion that I need a change of scenery. I'm finding it hard to fight an impending depression, as though I am playing keep away with myself. Since the housing industry is pretty slim, I know it will be more difficult to sell my house than it would have been a few years back or a few years into the future...but not impossible. Jobs, though necessary, can be replaced... I guess I will have to just wait and see what the future brings for my family. I did however, find a poem that seems to fit right now..

The Girl I Used To Be

By Rowena K. Lewis

She came tonight as I sat alone

The girl I used to be....

And she gazed at me with her earnest eye

And questioned reproachfully;

Have you forgotten the many plans

And hopes I had for you?

The great career, the splendid fame,

All the wonderful things to do?

Where is the mansion of stately height

With all its gardens rare?

The silken robes that I dreamed for you

And the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad

For I wanted her pleased with me...

This slender girl from the shadowy past

The girl that I used to be.

So gently rising I took her hand

And guided her up the stairs

Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay

Innocent, sweet and fair.

And I told her that these are my only gems,

And precious they are to me;

That the silken robes is my motherhood

Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,

And the only career I know

Is serving each day in these sheltered walls

For the dear ones who come and go

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,

She smiled through her tears at me.

And I saw the woman I am now

Pleased the girl I used to be.

Loaded Weekend Part 1...

2009-07-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

So I haven't blogged in a very long time because 1) it's been so darn hot and 2) I just can't think of anything to say! I have a ton of pictures but I just have no words to go with them. This past weekend however, we made our way over to Idaho again. My friend that lives in eastern WA picked McKenzie and Alyssa up on Sunday the 19th and kept them all week. So on Friday, we made our way over to Cheney and picked them up. We then headed to Idaho for a quick, jam packed weekend. We took over 600 pictures so I think a couple different posts are in order or I may break my computer!

On the way over, we of course stopped in Vantage to view the horses on the hill and the beautiful view offered by the Columbia River. It was very windy (as my sister can attest to~her dress flew up almost over her head!) but it was so hot, the wind was a blessing. Here are a couple pics of the kids:

After we picked the girls up, at which point Rylee could barely contain herself from the excitement of seeing her sissy's again, we drove into Idaho and found our hotel. It was right on the water and had a great view from the balcony. We decided to go find some food and let the kids run off some pent up energy in Coeur D' Alene. Before we left, Rylee had to use the restroom and since we were right outside of Bobbi's room, she used theirs. Big mistake! The toilet overflowed and got all over her legs and feet....YUCK!!! Number one issue with hotel...

Anyway, we decided to go down to the boardwalk in Coeur D' Alene and the kids loved it! It was getting a little dark, as we didn't get there until pretty late, but we managed to grab a few good shots. I think I had a few almost mini heart attacks every time Rylee took off running on the dock. McKenzie and Maddi were way too cool to pay much attention to the rest of us, Alyssa was busy keeping track of the little kids (because she thinks we are not capable), and Rylee and Colton just wanted to be as close to the edge as they possibly could. It was lots of fun but a bit stressful. I almost wished I had brought their lifejackets so we didn't have to worry as much.

When it was finally too dark to take any more pictures and the kids started to whine because they were tired, we decided to head back to the hotel. After a bath and clean jammies, the room quickly fell silent. Gotta love the calm after the storm! It was definitely an end to a good day...

Hot Days

2009-07-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

Aside from the past few days, we have been blessed with very hot weather , so we broke out the sprinkler this past week and this is what we got! (Unfortunately they are a bit blurry)

We finally had the chance to head to the ocean 4th of July weekend, and the temperature was perfect there. Stupidly, we forgot that it was a holiday weekend and instead of leaving early in the morning on Friday, we waited until noonish. Bad bad idea!! We were stuck in traffic for soooo long that instead of going all the way to Ocean Shores, we decided to make a detour and go to Westport instead. Looking at the long line of traffic all the way through Aberdeen did not look appealing. Turns out, Westport wasn't crowded at all! We had such a great time and the kids got to play on the surfboards and boogie boards (with dad right there of course) a bit. I got some much needed book reading, laying in the sun time as well. I know it looks like the majority of the pictures are of Rylee but she is always right there posing saying "Take a picture of me mommy!"

We had a very busy weekend with Mike's dad in town, and all of the fun stuff we did. More pictures will be posted soon!

Disjointed Thoughts

2009-06-30T14:59:00.001-07:00

I am so happy about our wonderful weather! I can't remember a 4th of July that it didn't rain at least part of the day...and we're in for 85 degree weather!! Hopefully that won't add to the fire hazard but, we deserve a day to eat, drink, and be merry without a rain jacket or umbrella.

On another note, Mike and I are trying to get our little photography business off the ground. We have some friends that moved out of town about a month ago that actually did our family pictures last winter. I am sad that they left, but wishing Jen good luck in school! Now that Murray doesn't live in the same town as we do, Mike and I can enjoy our hobby to the fullest and hopefully make a little money, without stepping on our friend's toes. :-) I'll let everyone know when our website is up and running. Wish us luck!

Back in our normal life, we've had a few busy weekends behind us. Just as baseball season ended, soccer has begun. It is so fun to see the kiddos out on the field expending so much energy. If only I had half of that energy, my house would be much cleaner and I'd be more organized (including all of my half-finished projects and scrapbooks). We had pictures last night and I practically had to pry Rylee from my leg. For some reason, she has decided to be scared of everyone, except mommy, at practice. Oh well, she sure looks cute sporting her jersey!

Kenzie and Alyssa have decided that they both want to play fall soccer this year. I'm very happy that they are so interested in sports but I'm not sure I can do two teams at the same time again! Baseball was tough with two different teams, four days/week and weekend practices as well. At least all of Alyssa's games were at home and McKenzie's team travelled. Soccer, however, will have two travelling teams....Yikes! Maybe they'll let them both be on the same team, though I doubt it with the age difference.

So last weekend, we decided to go for a hike up at Staircase in the Olympic National Park. It was a 1.9 mile walk to a bridge that has been washed out. Beautiful river, nice path, and lots of cool trees to see along the way. My girls were obnoxiously loud of course :-), but they had a great time and other people didn't really seem to mind except for the older crowd of course.

Deep In Thought Writing

Mike had a four day weekend (lucky bugger) and so he took the girls out and about while I slaved away at work (big sigh....) He did manage to get a couple of cute shots though..

One last thought, McKenzie is getting so grown up that sometimes I can barely recognize my little girl in there anymore until she does something like this:

She cracks me up!! Another day in my life... :)

Just a Few...

2009-06-26T11:13:00.000-07:00

I have a few pictures of Rylee at soccer practice that I want to share. We have a ton more, but I figured that I'll wait to get some real action ones at her first game.

Rylee and Coach Bob.....

Look at her go!!!!

Coach tying her shoes again....

Giving the kids a pep talk~~Colton deep in thought...

And Colton decided it was time to pick flowers :)

4 Year Olds and Soccer

2009-06-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Monday was Rylee's first soccer practice. For weeks now, we have been reminding her that neither mommy or daddy (nor sissy's) can be out on the field with her when she's playing. We will be on the sidelines cheering her on of course, but she is a very clingy, shy little girl if she doesn't know someone and I was afraid that she would refuse to go out on her own. Colton, her cousin, is on the team with her kind of as a support player :-) The only problem is: Colton plays soccer as though it were football!!! He even yelled "Yay!! I'm tackling everybody!!" LOL

As we were driving to practice, I asked her if she knew her coach's name. She did not but when I told her it was Bob, just like her papa, she said, "But I'm not gonna call him papa, just Bob." I told her that was probably a good idea.

Since we got her soccer gear i.e ball, shin guards, socks, and cleats, she has been putting them on every evening and "practicing." While we were shopping, she was almost in tears because we could not find any shin guards that were pink. She kept telling me to keep looking because she knew they were in there somewhere. Low and behold, she was right! In the very back, on the very bottom, there was one pair in her size in pink. When I held them up in victory for her to see, she said, "See....I told you they were there." (Sniff sniff) so much for go mommy! We grabbed the pink ball to match and we were set.

So anyway, when we got to practice, she surprised me by walking right out onto the field and telling her coach that she is Rylee and is 4 years old. From the second she stepped out there until the time practice was over, she was a running, giggling soccer player and I was thinking to myself, "Who is that child and where did mine go??" By the end of practice, she was hungry and tired and ready to go; however, as soon as we got home she told me she was ready to go back to soccer practice. When I told her she didn't have practice again until Wednesday, she started sobbing her big alligator tears telling me that she wanted to go back right now!! If she was that upset over the 2 day wait, I can't imagine what the whole week/weekend wait will be like! I'm so glad she likes it though and am still very surprised how independent she was out there. My baby is one of the big kids now!

Can you imagine being a coach of a team of 10 four year olds?? Yikes!!

Late Night

2009-06-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

To bring our little league baseball season to a close, our last outing was a trip to a Tacoma Rainier's baseball game. The girls on the team were asked to be standing on the field with the players, in the position that they play, while the National Anthem was being sung. They were so excited! They also participated in the "Rhubarb Run" with the team's mascot and got their hats/mitts autographed by the players. Our whole team and their family's got a free Rainier's hat, hot dog, chips, and a soda. Our girls were chanting and cheering so loudly that they offended the snooty lady in front of us and caused her to complain and ultimately move. Last time I checked, the players enjoy hearing the fans rooting for them. God forbid our girls were excited and cheering for the team! The perturbed fan moved herself, her husband and her child to another location which opened up more space for us! LOL...some people.

Two bats were broken during the game, and amazingly, Mike managed to capture one of them on camera.

The other one unfortunately, was a more exciting break as it almost hit the pitcher, we did not get. That's ok though because we got so many other good ones.

McKenzie waiting her turn for an autograph...

Needless to say, if the game didn't start until 7:00 pm in Tacoma, we didn't get home until very late. Too bad I had to get up early for work the next morning...

As I sit here posting this, between trying to keep my eyes open and helping my customers, I am reminded of how important memories are and how quickly they can disappear if not documented. Every time I find an old picture disc or photos that were actually printed out (prior to digital obviously), I am taken aback how fast time actually flies. The time it takes our children to change and grow seems to be only milliseconds. The song by Trace Atkins, You're Gonna Miss This brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. It's funny how some days it seems that time is running a marathon to see who can finish first and others feel like a never ending repetitive cycle in different colors.

(One of my reoccurring days though not always with a smile)

As I'm looking back over what I've written, the phrase that keeps popping into my head is "What an odd post!!" I guess I'll just blame it on sleep deprivation!

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

For a good definition of the word "butt-load,"you can click Here ~You may ask "WHY? Why would she (crazy woman) include this fairly gross thought??" Oddly enough, it is actually a unit of measurement! The reason I even bring this word up is because of the following number of pictures. Please bear with me for some Arizona pics!

And We're Off!!!

2009-05-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

No, not to Mexico!!! This was actually a picture taken at El Sarape for Alyssa's 9th birthday yesterday. We went to her baseball game last night and then all headed up to the restaurant to have some dinner and homemade birthday baseball cake courtesy of my Betty Crocker sister, Bobbi. She had a really great time and totally took advantage of having the sombrero and smock (the correct name escapes me right now!) all to herself. She also takes the importance of big faces while blowing out candles, to heart. The band teacher I had I in school would be having a heart attack right now watching those puffed out cheeks!! :-)

I'm still amazed at how quickly time goes by and how fast my babies are growing up. She was also nominated for the HICap program and is half-way through the testing. What a good girl!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYSSIE GIRL!!

***************************************************

Beyond birthdays, we are leaving tomorrow for our long awaited vacation!! The girls know that we are leaving and will be gone for almost a week, but they have no clue as to where we are going and how we are getting there... I swear it's been so hard to keep it a secret but I firmly believe that the only reason they haven't found out is because no other children know. I know that if any of the adults that are aware of our destination had told their children, we would have been blown out of the water. The reason I wanted to keep it a secret is because 1) it's just fun, 2) it's not a place that they would just guess, and 3) they've never been on an airplane before. I have told them that Aunt Bobbi is driving us to a car rental shop so that we can save miles on our own vehicle when in all actuality, we will pull up in front of the airport. They will be so surprised!!

We will be flying out at 6:50 tomorrow evening and will arrive in Phoenix at 9:45 pm. I am sooooo ready for a vacation that we can spend quite a bit of time by the side of a pool in 105 degree weather. I have packed a ton of sunblock and everything else I can think of. I am a little nervous about keeping track of all three kids in the airport but Mike will be there to help so I'm sure we'll survive. The kids are packed, but I don't believe I have one single thing in my own suitcase. I think we will be skipping baseball practice tonight and I will be in packing frenzy mode...hopefully I won't forget anything hugely important. Luckily there's a trusty Walmart down there if I do. :-)

One last picture I wanted to share...this reminds me of summer days. Girls hanging out on the front porch, baby trying to decide where he can squeeze in...

Until we return!!!

Who I am....

2009-05-20T13:35:00.001-07:00

on this particular day. I am...

...so ready to go on vacation!

...having a love/hate relationship with my job.

...excited when my hair and makeup look the same when I wake up as it did when I went to bed (though it doesn't happen as frequently any more).

...a lover, mother, daughter, sister, friend, that loves long, fierce, and hard.....stubborn as heck too!

...working on my speed issues including always wanting to be in the front of a line...grocery, traffic, etc., as well as exercising patience (such a hard one to master).

...thankful for God, my family, and my friends.

...proud of my daughters' brains and witty humor (they're pretty darn cute too!).

...very disappointed and hurt because of how quickly I turned back into the "step" child since my mom passed. Parents sometimes don't understand that they can still hurt their children even when they're grown with kids of their own. I'm tired of selfishness and self-importance...

...missing my mom, grandma, and brother so much!!! It's amazing how much it still hurts even after time has passed.

...a good mother and very proud of it.

...very sunburned from a satisfying weekend. How can I be upset at that after the terribly rainy season we're barely coming out of?? I love to sit in the sun with my eyes closed and let all of my senses be aware of my surroundings.

...spending more money than I probably should be for our pending vacation. The kids don't have a clue where we're going and I can barely contain myself! I can't wait to see their faces when we pull up in front of...

...loving the music that is playing right now.

...happy that my aunt stopped to visit me, after not seeing her for a few years, and brought me some wonderful gifts: a bottle of my old favorite lotion "Rain" from Archibald Sisters, some pictures of my cousin and myself when we were little, and my grandma's jewelery box that I used to play with. That last one made me cry all alone in my little office at work :-) She left before I could tell her how special it is to me and how thankful I am to have it.

...head over heels in love with my husband. Sometimes we lose sight of what is truly important such as holding that one person that sticks by you no matter what. The one that takes those vows as seriously as you do. It's easy to lose by the way side.

...the person who usually brings people back down to reality while still being excited right along with them at the prospect of a dream.

...so happy when people smile and even happier if I was a part of conjuring that smile.

...almost completely comfortable in my body.

Jam Packed Weekend

2009-05-19T10:20:00.001-07:00

Well this weekend certainly made up for all of the crummy weather we've been having! It was in the mid 80's both Saturday and Sunday and we definitely took advantage of it. McKenzie had a baseball tournament both days and at Saturday's game, I got fried! I never use sunblock on my legs because it seems like they never get any color, so why use it? Well I guess that rule does not apply when you are sitting on bleachers outside for 4 hours in 85 degree weather. OUCH!!

McKenzie was catcher both days and I'll tell ya, she was awesome! She was so hot in all of her gear but she gave it her all and helped bring her team to victory. The first game started out not so good with the other team kicking butt. Never fear though, our girls forged ahead and beat them 6-4. Woo hoo!! She definitely deserved the Baskin Robbins treat afterward.

Sunday morning dawned bright and early for our household. I had to meet my ride downtown at 6:30 am for our 7:45 half-marathon start and Mike and the girls had to be at Yauger Park by 7. I didn't get to see K's first or second game but they worked really hard and lost the first by only 1 run and won the second.

We met our team at Sylvester Park at 7 am to watch the marathon runners begin. We then got in line for our start at 7:45. It was the longest jaunt of my life!! I broke off with one other member of my team and we bolted. We alternated between walking and running and had a very good time. I included a picture of our team before the race:

Notice my nicely burned knees right there in the front with my lucky #1303!! I was freezing cold with burning legs and arms. Such a nice way to start out the day...LOL.

At every mile, there was a marker and every two miles, there was water and sponges. At one point, running through a neighborhood, there was a beer shot stop!! They actually had little cups of beer. Tempting....but no go, I chose the Gatorade instead. A little girl asked me if I wanted to be sprayed with water while we were passing by and I learned a valuable lesson....always ask what you are going to be sprayed with and how many pumps they are going to take. Oh yeah, she pulled out a Super Soaker 5000 (or something huge like that) and nailed me! She soaked me from my belly button to my knees. Had I known I was going to look like I peed my pants (and shirt) I would have declined; however, it was very warm out so I dried fairly quickly. Right about mile 11 1/2, I stepped down with my left foot and felt a crack. I managed to put it out of my mind for the rest of the race but I'm still enjoying that pain today. I took a picture of the last mile marker before the finish line so I can look back and re-live that gratifying moment again and again and know I did my best:

Whitney and I ran at full force, through the finish line with tons of people on the side-lines cheering for us with a time of 3:13:56 and I have to say that it felt amazing! I was kind of regretting my decision to register but I am so glad that I followed through and finished. It really makes me wonder if I could do the full marathon next year (??????) Maybe not, but I can certainly work toward that goal.

After the marathon, I went back to the tournament for a BBQ and a final game that ended in a tied score. That game was the most exciting of the entire season so far. They worked their tails off and almost won. They won in our book anyway and got an A+ for effort. I'll post some pictures of the tournament soon. All in all, it was a pretty great weekend and ended on a perfectly sunny note!

Rain Rain Go Away...

2009-05-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

I am so so tired of the rain! My mood is below even the lowest crawling creature. Yesterday, I made the mistake of looking at some really sad blogs and had myself crying at work! That was in the morning. By the afternoon, one would think that I would have been in better spirits...wrong! I think that coupled with the rain, the sadness just about did me in. I woke up this morning hoping for sunshine or at least just the absence of liquid falling from the sky but low and behold...it was still here. I think maybe I should invest in one of those vitamin D lamps that act like the sunshine. Or I can just start tanning....ahhhh I can't wait for summer!

When will it end? I think it's supposed to be nice this weekend though. Thank goodness because we have a baseball tournament both Saturday and Sunday and I'm running/walking a half marathon on Sunday http://capitalcitymarathon.org/information.html (what the heck was I thinking??) I will cross my fingers that it's not pouring down rain as I trudge through 13.1 miles of unbalanced terrain. :-)

Good Time Had by All

2009-05-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it home safe and sound...I even managed to evade the pig, dog, frog, and horse flu. I can fully see how freaky I was before I left, but you have to admit: The news took it and ran at a brisk pace with it. They made it sound like everyone was going to get it and we would have another Spanish Flu epidemic...LOL. I am fully back to normal now and I apologize for my loony posts. I did wash my hands quite a bit from the time I left my house until the time I returned but that's just being cautious. I only had one person cough directly in my face, two inches in front of it and boy did he get an earful! That's just plain rude!

So, we had a fabulous time though of course it went too quickly but Mike keeps talking about "next time" we go so that must mean he enjoyed himself as well. By the time we got through the airport and to our ~~terrible~~ inexpensive, convenient hotel (via an Escalade limo), Mike was finally into it. When we were able to get outside and take a deep breath of the nice warm desert air, he finally told me that he thought Vegas was just a big strip of old casinos. What the heck?? A person could have a wonderful vacation and never even step foot into a casino! I see now why he was a little hesitant to leave our children, get onto a big machine that forges through the air, to go to a bunch of casinos when he doesn't even like to gamble. He was amazed at the height of the buildings and how much there was to see and do. We took a ton of pictures and still could have explored for days. Our hotel was centered on the strip so we were able to walk out the door and go to the left one day, and then walk out and go to the right the next. We walked all the way from the Stratosphere back to our hotel and most of the way there on Saturday and by the time we got back, my feet were screaming! As smart as I am, I only brought flip flops and one other pair of sandals. Who does that knowing that they are going to be walking for miles?? I had to go back to our room and soak my footsies in the tub just so I could stand up. Ibuprofen was my friend on that trip :-)

We got caught like so many others do by: TIMESHARES!!! I swear that they had these people waiting to trap us at every entrance! I finally decided to listen to what they had to say and figured that we could sit through their 2 hour spiel on timeshares if it meant free show tickets. Well, 2 hours turned into 4 but we got four tickets to Rita Rudner....she is hilarious!!! Good, clean humor and a $12 beer...what more could you ask for?

We took close to 450 pictures but I think that would be a rather long post, so I'll just show a handful (or two..sorry!!):

The plane...............................................Our limo to the hotel

One of the many casinos..................... M & M Land!!!

1/2 yd of Margarita!................Toby Keith's Bar and Grill

Outback~Cheap dinner!

We also got to experience the Bellagio's water show the last night we were there. It seemed like every time we went to see it or the volcano show, it was either too late or too windy. Bobbi and I finally got to see it while the guys were at Supercross. At least they got to see the video. It is so big so it was hard to get the entire show, but I got a piece of it:

Going to bed Saturday night meant that our vacation was coming to an end, so we stayed out until 2:30 or 3 am. This wasn't any different from any of the other nights except for the fact that we had to leave for the airport at 6:00 am. We somehow managed to drag ourselves there, bleary eyed and exhausted, with a coffee in hand. On our way to Vegas, we had a non-stop flight but on the way back, we had a connecting flight in Oakland, CA. By the time our plane landed in Seattle, I could barely keep my eyes focused. We picked up the girls and headed home where I proceeded to pass out, shortly thereafter. Thank goodness I didn't have to work the next day. Poor Mike, he was up and out of the house by 5am back to Seattle, where he has been all week since then. I hate living alone! :-) All in all, we had a blast and I can't wait to do it again!!

Vegas, here I come!

2009-04-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow's the big day! I am very excited to be going on a trip but am kind of mad because it has the underlying fear of this stupid flu that is running rampant. I considered not going when I found out there was a confirmed case in Nevada, but then I started doing some serious soul searching. There may be cases here in Washington that just haven't been found yet and by the looks of things, it is inching it's way up toward us anyway. All of the states below us (except Oregon-so far) have had an outbreak and it's only a matter of time until it's in our safe little state as well. Why miss a perfectly good vacation? So, I've decided that I'm just making myself sick by dwelling on it and watching all of the news casts, that I need to just calm down a bit. I'm going to try not to obsess over it and leave my television off tonight and tomorrow morning :-) Easier said than done of course. The only positive thing I can say regarding this mess is that it's kept me from thinking about my fear of flying!

I am happy that I will be enjoying very nice weather tomorrow at this time though so I will run with that. Most of my packing is done so I don't have to worry about cramming that in tonight after middle school registration and a baseball game. I haven't packed so many shorts and tank tops in a long time! I did feel bad for Alyssa last night though...she thought we were leaving next week, not tomorrow. She started to cry because she didn't realize it was so soon. Poor girl. Hopefully it will go quickly for them because I know it certainly will for me.

Well, for anyone reading this, I will post pictures when I get back and tell you about the great time had by all. :-) Until then!!

Blah Monday

2009-04-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am having a really hard time trying to come up with something to write about today. Usually, I probably drive people crazy with all of my ramblings but today I'm kind of at a loss for words. I woke up this morning, after not sleeping very well last night because of a sore throat (and a flailing child in my bed), having horrible anxiety. I tried to figure out what may have caused this feeling of dread when I finally tuned into the background noise in my bedroom: The morning news. Now normally, I try not to watch too much news because it's 1) depressing, 2) scary sometimes, and 3) gives me anxiety. The most I usually watch is bright and early while I'm trying to decide what to wear~the weather. I find out if it's going to be rainy or sunny, warm or cold, and what the roads look like and then I turn it off. Besides, my husband watches enough for both of us so if I ever need to know anything important, he will tell me. This morning, however, I woke up to the newscasters talking about the Swine Flu. After 9/11 and all of the Anthrax scares, I couldn't watch TV for months because it would send me into a cold sweat. Now we're on the brink of another possible pandemic and I'm a little freaky. Seriously, for a tightly strung person such as myself, this is a little obsessive for me. :-) Now I'm wondering if my sore throat and flu-like symptoms are so innocent. Just kidding, I really don't think I have it but what a scary thing!! People are going to be running to the doctor for every little symptom now. Better safe than sorry though, right?

So now that I've figured out the reason for my anxiety attack, I can move on to more exciting things. I'm leaving for Vegas in 3 days!!! I'm so excited to get away with my hubby, my sister and brother-in-law, with no kids! I love them to death but it will be nice to just have adult conversations for a couple of days. I swear, we haven't had a "date" since before our anniversary almost a year ago. Grandma is coming to stay at our house so I am very happy that they will be comfortable in their own surroundings. This will be Mike's first time flying so that's pretty exciting! He is tired of everyone offering their own advice on flying and how it will be. He said he's heard "Don't be scared!" so many times in the last month that he never wants to hear it again...LOL. Poor guy. Our first day there, the weather is supposed to be 87 degrees. I am so ready for that! Look out jean and sweatshirts, here come shorts and tank tops!!

I was thinking back through some of my favorite scriptures in my bible and I have to say that in times such as this morning's panic session, this has to be one that helps calm my fears the most:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

On an up-beat note, I found this picture of the girls from several years back. We took our camper down to Ilwaco, WA and then drove down the Oregon coast. This is somewhere down by Cannon Beach. They were so small!! (and they fought much less then)

Busy Busy Weekend

2009-04-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

(Butterfly in flight)

Well, we survived the weekend! It was quite hectic but I am alive to speak of it today. I would have written prior to this but it took me two days just to recover! We started the week off again with games. Alyssa played in Tumwater on Monday, which was also Bobbi's birthday (thank goodness for DQ) and McKenzie played last night at MCRA. Alyssa and Ambrosia make quite a duo with Brosia in the pitcher spot and Alyssa at 1st base. They can get just about every batter out! McKenzie's game last night was awesome! They were on fire and with an ending score of 10-0, it really showed! She hit a double and playing first base, she got every single batter out! The girls were very excited and were so loud in the dug-out that other teams couldn't hear their ump's calls. I just smiled :-)

So back to our crazy weekend, it started out with practice at 9 am and then Connor's party at the pool at 10. For some reason, Rylee is terrified of swimming. She will cling to the side of a pool or hang out on the first step, but she will NOT venture out into the actual water. The pool party was no exception. If I try to get her to let me hold onto her life jacket and put her into the water, she turns into a monkey and is worse than trying to get a cat into a bucket of water...you know the funny videos of them clinging for dear life to anything in reach! That's her. This time however, I pointed out that Colton cannot swim either and the only reason he was staying afloat was because of his trusty life jacket. For some reason, unbeknownst (it's a word!) to myself, she listened to me!! I was able to hold her out away from the edge and she kicked and paddled back all by herself. She was very excited to point that out too..."LOOK MOMMY, NO HANDS AND I'M DOING IT ALL BY MYSELF!!!!" I was so proud of her that I almost jumped in...ok not quite that far but I did have tears in my eyes. Who is this little independent girl and where is my baby?

Look at the swimming pro!

After the pool party, we had just about 40 minutes to grab some lunch and then head back to MCRA for Alyssa's game where, by the way, they kicked butt! Luckily the weather was very nice so we were able to work on our non-existent tans for a couple of hours. After the game, we headed back home for Rylee/Matthew/Karrissa's triple birthday party. Grandma Linda, Shelly, and Tausha broke into my house and had the house decorated when we got home and were working on the above pictured cupcakes. It was supposed to be a soccer theme since Matthew is playing soccer, Rylee will be in June, and Karrissa is always playing...but for some silly reason, soccer decorations are either unearthly expensive or just not in stock. I thought that Walmart of all places would have at least soccer ball plates or black streamers....NOPE! No biggie though, we just kind of settled for lots of colors and it all went together perfectly.

As soon as we walked through the door, Rylee insisted on putting her party dress on, along with a clean face and a Princess birthday button. She walked out of the bedroom with a smile on her face for everyone!

Could she be any more of a ham?

It was a good party and all of the kids had fun. My husband, however, did end up in the dog house right along with the new puppy that he decided to bring home without consulting me. Oh yes, the dreaded "Mommy! Look at what daddy said we can have!! Can we keep her pretty please??" What was I supposed to say? It was followed up by "But you said we could get another puppy since Charlie (our chocolate lab) died and then we had to give Capone (the Doberman we had for a couple short months but had to give back because he kept biting) back. You promised!!" Ok, I don't know about anybody else, but how could this not pull at my heart strings? Yes I hate dogs and would rather eat dirt than have another one, but on the other hand, my girls love them. How can I deny a cute little girl giggle with a puppy on her belly?? I grudgingly agreed and Auntie Kelly has nicely agreed to keep this little bundle of fur named Alice (from Twilight of course) occasionally since she's the one that told Mike about the free puppies... Love you Kelly!! :-)

We then headed out for Bobbi's birthday beginning with dinner at the Ram (yummy!) and then drinks back in Shelton. It was fun but I was so tired that I was almost falling asleep in the booth. By the time Jen dropped me off at home, I could barely see straight. Going out just doesn't have the same appeal that it used to. I'd rather stay at home and go to bed early...man I am old!

Sunday was pretty much a laid back day, enough that I sat out in the sun and painted my nails. Ahhhhh....sunshine on your back, slight breeze blowing, the smell of fingernail polish... Kids laughing with the dog in the background. Baseball pictures were scheduled for 5 and 5:30 pm. We didn't actually get out of there until almost 6:30 and then did some quick grocery shopping for a small dinner with friends that we haven't seen in several months. Thanks for coming over Debbie and family!! It's getting to that time of year that BBQ's are calling our name and we start migrating out of the house and getting together again with friends and family. I'm very excited for the summer to begin!

Random Friday Ramblings

2009-04-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

This week has been so crazy that I can't catch my breath! Monday through Thursday, we had baseball games every night. Additionally, Wednesday was Rylee's birthday and Thursday was Connor's birthday so we went out to dinner each of those nights AFTER the games. Our regular 8:30 bedtime was moved up to almost 10:00 both nights....talk about tough to get up the next mornings! I'm thinking ok we've at least got Friday night free so that we can clean up our tornado of a house before the triple birthday party tomorrow afternoon....Wrong again! I receive a message this morning that Alyssa has a make-up game tonight from 6-7:30(8) ish.. I'm not entirely sure I can hack this extra game. We've got two practices tomorrow along with a birthday party from 10-noon and another 3-person birthday party at 3:30. Following that busy schedule, we are also going out to celebrate my sister's birthday as well. Sunday is baseball pictures for both girls and then we get to start it all over again on Monday. Where's my weekend?? LOL...I do love it but it sure gets hectic sometimes and my poor house will never be the same!

Rylee (thankfully) was happy enough to go to Denny's for dinner on her birthday. The staff, however, are not top on my list of favorite people. It was mostly empty but do you think that a little birthday girl got any better service?? NO! She didn't even get a "Happy Birthday" said to her nor any goodies. I thought that Denny's, of all family restaurants, would do something. When we went to El Sarape the next evening for Connor's birthday, we got a special room, he got to wear the sombrero, they sang to him, and he got a huge free dessert. Poor Ry got the short end of the stick! LOL

We brought her presents into the restaurant so she went in plain and came out a movie star (Hannah Montana eat your heart out!)~thanks Aunt Bobbi! I included a little video to show off her talent:

She cracks me up so much! I bought her some little green high heels from the dollar store and I thought for sure they'd fit but unfortunately, her little feet were just a tad too wide. I was surprised though because she is so small and I always have to worry about things being too big, not too small. She was not discouraged however, she proudly sported them during dinner and out to the car. She walked out with her sunglasses, fake hair, earrings, bracelet, and high heels on, holding her microphone and her gift bag, all the while singing Hannah Montana songs. She also added her "I love my mommy" song in there a couple of times so I figured she was happy with her loot and her day in general. Just a couple photos of her enjoying her presents~

She wants to save and take her flowers to Hawaii with her when we go next year!!

Wish you could see the shoes...

Maybe I should go to trusty Walmart after work in my spare time and get some Calgon. Maybe it will find a place to take me away to....for a few minutes anyway.

My Baby is Turning 4 Today!

2009-04-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

Birthdays are a time of excitement and expectations....when you're a kid. When you're a parent, it's a whole different story. Of course we look forward to their first birthday even though it marks that very important milestone... a barrier between baby and toddler. We then think that maybe their disposition will change as they continue to grow, but each age seems to add something new. I don't know about anyone else, but I think that it's very bittersweet to watch our babies grow. No longer do we look forward to our own birthdays, knowing that they bring new aches and pains and sags and bags; nevertheless, we celebrate right along with our kids and their birthdays. I, however, am not feeling all that great this day.

Rylee decided that she was coming out about 20 minutes after I got into my hospital room 4 years ago today. I can't believe that it's all ready been that long...and so many other babies have been born since her (none being mine of course). Alyssa was this age when I decided that I was ready to get pregnant again so her turning 4 and getting ready for kindergarten the next year really wasn't THAT big of a heartache. I knew I would soon have another little baby to nurture and spend time with that would take much longer to grow up.....RIGHT!!! She has grown just as quickly and is now talking about going to school and I don't know where I stand.... What do I do now? We've decided that we are not having any more kids and 3 is a good round number, but I find myself stuck in an emotional rut. I know that the decision we have made is good for our future but it's the present that I'm having a hard time convincing.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that we should have another baby and I certainly don't think that I could mentally survive 4 children but it's the combination of turning 32 and my baby turning 4 that's got me thinking "Holy moly, I'm at the age of almost being too old to have any more." That magic age of 35 is right around the corner which brings all of the wonderful "cautions" regarding having kids. I'M OLD!!! LOL. I'm just being dramatic now, but it certainly gives me something to think about. McKenzie and Alyssa say that they want a little brother but I told them that I haven't had that much luck in the past regarding that "Y" chromosome so they'd probably end up with another sister. Like we don't have enough estrogen in the house all ready...poor Mike! Even our pets are usually girls :-) As the girls were discussing this, Rylee pipes up with "Mommy, I don't want you to have another baby....I want to be your only baby." Awww... like that didn't pull at my heart strings. She also told me that the only thing she could think of that she wants for her birthday is for mommy not to have to work anymore so that I can stay home with her. That really didn't help my emotional pull of not wanting to work anymore either. If only I could find some way to get paid for staying home...

Anyway, enough of this melancholy...my baby turned 4 today! Alyssa has a baseball game tonight so we are going to dinner afterward. Uncle Jerry is meeting us, as well as Aunt Bobbi and family so we'll wreak havoc at Denny's! We are having a triple birthday party on Saturday for Rylee, Matthew, and Karrissa so I will hopefully get some good pictures to post. Hey, come to think of it, this is the first post I've done without a picture...weird!

Off to baseball!

Sunny Days...Could This Be For Real??

2009-04-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in almost two weeks. I was hoping to keep it a little more up to date but we've just been so busy! We have baseball Monday through Thursday every week and some Saturdays as well. That's on top of everything else of course...but I'm not complaining, just sharing. On the weekend of the 4th, McKenzie and Alyssa had a baseball Jamboree and both played two games each. Alyssa's age doesn't keep score but if they did, I know they would have won because the girls kicked butt! Alyssa, Ambrosia, and Isabella played their little hearts out both games. McKenzie's team won their first game 8 to 1 and the second game 7 to 5. She was catcher and did so great!! She was nervous as we walked onto the ball field at 8 am Saturday morning but by the time we left at 3 pm (such a long day!) she was a pro. Here are some pictures from the Jamboree:

~~The Starz~~

McKenzie taking her base after getting hit by the ball..

Look at that catcher!

~~The Cougars~~

I think she's flying to 3rd base..

Working 1st base...she's not letting anyone past!

After the jamboree, Mike left for the Desert 100 over in Odessa, so the girls and I were on our own. Luckily, Aunt Bobbi was cool enough to hang out with us and make pizza and dessert on Saturday night so we weren't completely alone. The next day was completely ours and it was SUNNY!! We decided to take advantage of this summer-like weather and took a 2-mile walk down to the park by the clubhouse. We walked around the golf course where we stopped to take a few pictures and then continued on down by the lake. When we got to the clubhouse, Rylee took one look at the lake and said, "Oh darn it...I forgot my baving suit!!" She just couldn't understand why we weren't going swimming when it was so warm and sunny..lol. I guess we haven't had 70 degree weather in a long time so it would be confusing. Of course, since I'm a camera freak, I brought it with me for a few candids....and a few poses.

We had a really great weekend even though it was jam packed. Mike didn't win the motorcycle race but he sure had fun riding in it anyway. He didn't get home until 11 pm Sunday nightThankfully for him, he had Monday off. Wish I was so lucky!

Happy First Birthday Chance James!!

2009-04-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it's been a whole year since this little guy was born! I still remember it like it was yesterday, calling Bob at 3ish in the morning on April Fool's Day, and him asking me if this was an April Fool's joke! I asked him, "Do you really think I would get up this early just to play a joke on you?? Give me a break!" My dear sister had so many false labors that we didn't know if this was real or not but we weren't taking any chances. Turns out, he was ready to greet the world! By the time we got into the labor room, Bobbi could hardly think straight. She refused to do what the nurse was telling her to do and said a few choice words to her when asked a second and third time...LOL. She finally got dressed and very slowly got up onto the bed and prepared for her final birth. After the ordeal with the stupid stupid anesthesiologist, she was ready! Poor Travis, however, was not.... I saw his color change and watched as he almost hit the floor. He was a trooper though and eventually regained his composure and helped bring his son into this world.

I can't believe how quickly this past year has passed with several first birthdays within months and days of each other. Jimmy Johnson Jr., my great nephew, and Savannah Jorgensen, my niece, both celebrated their firsts in February. How quickly these little monsters grow....It makes me have baby fever for a few days....then I'm back to normal thank goodness!!

We celebrated Chance's party at his house, which happens to be right next door to me, so it's a very short walk. Bobbi made yummy spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad...which Chance thoroughly enjoyed. He also, of course, had his very own cake. He dug right in and entertained us with his excitement, giggling most of the time. Until the terrible two's, Happy Birthday baby boy!!

Baseball at the Park

2009-03-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Amidst all of the rain, snow, sleet, hail, wind, and whatever weather we have been blessed with, we finally had a sunny day last Sunday! It started out as any other weekend morning lately, that being waking up slowly, knowing there isn't much we can do in such horrid weather. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked outside and didn't see the liquid sunshine we've been used to seeing. "Get dressed everyone" I yelled, "We're going to DO something today!" I was greeted with sleepy acknowledgements and sluggy movements toward bedrooms. I figured if they didn't want to do anything on this fantastic day, I'd do something all by myself (sunbathing in a sweatshirt and sweatpants instantly came to mind). Finally, everyone was ready to go and a picnic lunch was packed. Kelly and her family were meeting us down at the park and we were off! Luckily, now that baseball season has begun and so many practices have been cancelled, mitts, bats, and balls have a permanent space in the back of my trusty Mountaineer.

Surprisingly, the park was not packed. I figured that on such an unusually un-rainy day, everyone would take advantage of Castle Park (Kneeland to the lay person). I was soon proven correct....It got crazy there! I, personally, would not walk directly through any one's obvious baseball practice...balls being hit everywhere! Apparently, not everyone feels the same way...HELLO??!!! All we needed was a line-drive hit and someone to end up like Natasha Richardson...geez, I'm not sure if it's just Shelton or if other cities have such smart people in them as well. Wow, I guess that was a little harsh but seriously, we had so many people look at us and just keep walking right between the pitcher and the batter! Oh well, I suppose to some, it may have been confusing as to what we were doing and the dangers possibly involved.

So anyway, after all of that ranting and raving, I have put up a few pictures out of the thousand I took that day :-)

Alyssa can almost hit the ball out of the park!!!

Kind of a cool picture of Mike and McKenzie....notice the ball! And yes, she hit it!!

Can we say next star pitcher??!!

Notice the tiny cleats and mitt she just HAD to have...how could you say no to something so cute? She caught the ball 6 times in a row!! Must have been the shoes~~she did tell me that they make her jump higher and kick (yes kick) the ball further like in soccer!

Look at that arm...

Alyssa worked so hard on catching fly balls. She improved so much in just the short time that we were there....Daddy helped her practice catching grounders too

And yes, it's all in the pose...

This is one of my favorite pics of McKenzie. Perfect form! She has really become an awesome baseball player. I am so proud of her!

You can't really tell from the pictures, but many spots on the ground were pure mud. As most parents know: Kids+Mud+Riding home in the car=BIG FAT MESS... Holy moly, my truck will never be the same!! They were covered from head to toe in slimy mud and loved every second of my discomfort :-) Needless to say, it was showers all around when we got home. What a great day we had!

From the Mouths of Babes

2009-03-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

McKenzie~11

Alyssa~8

Rylee~3

If you are a member of Facebook or Myspace, you've probably seen this survey posted within the last few weeks. I normally don't take the time to fill them out but I thought that my girls would come up with some cute responses. I asked each one individually because I know the two older girls would try to top each other's answers. This was so much fun!

1. What is something mom ALWAYS says to you?
M-I love you
A-I love you
R-R..Y..L..E..E

2. What makes mom happy?
M-When you're good
A-Listening
R-R..Y..L..E..E.....Can I have some gum??

3. What makes mom sad?
M-When you're bad...when you say I hate you
A-Not doing what you're told or being bad
R-Doesn't give you hugs

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
M-She tells me jokes
A-By being nice I guess..Wait!! When you say funny things
R-Does funny stuff

5. What was your mom like as a child?
M-Smart and funny and pretty (awww..how nice)
A-How would I know??
R-Me!!!

6. How old is your mom?
M-31 (so close)
A-31 (maybe they forgot my last birthday??)
R-5

7. How tall is your mom?
M-5'6"
A-5'6"
R-This tall! (hands above her head)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
M-Spend time with her family
A-Be with her family
R-Go to work (huh??)

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
M-I don't know, I'm not here!! Ok, um....she reads
A-I'm kinda not here so....I don't know! (smart aleck)
R-Go to work

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
M-Oh goodness, um...a beauty competition (LOL cuz I enter so many!)
A-Being so nice
R-Working (I'm sensing a trend here)

11. What is your mom really good at?
M-Everything
A-Being pretty
R-Watch TV

12. What is your mom not very good at? (I'm scared!)
M-Nothing
A-Being mean
R-Not writing :-)

13. What does your mom do for her job?
M-She...What are you??
A-Works at the front desk of the Tribal center (well kinda)
R-I don't know

14. What is your mom's favorite food? (This took a long time for everyone to answer EXCEPT Rylee...no hesitation!)
M-Crab
A-Soup...I don't know!!
R-BEEF (it's what's for dinner, right??)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
M-Everything that she does...she quit smoking!
A-She's nice and sweet to other people (Aww...I love these girls!)
R-Hug

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
M-Jessica Rabbit (very quickly answered)
A-Sandy off of Sponge Bob (Great!! An underwater squirrel)
R-A doggy

17. What do you and your mom do together?
M-Have fun
A-Have mommy and me days
R-Words

18. How are you and your mom the same?
M-We are both pretty (LOL...no self-esteem issues thank goodness)
A-Both of our favorite colors are purple
R-We both have purple shirts

19. How are you and your mom different?
M-I am 11 and she is 31
A-My mom's older than me
R-Purple and pink shirts

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
M-She tells me and she expresses her love
A-Because she's always there for me
R-She kisses me

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
M-A spa
A-California
R-Work (Are we back to that??)

22. Where would you like to go with your mom?
M-Wow...there's a lot of places...On a cruise
A-Everywhere
R-McDonalds

These are the types of things I am going to treasure forever!

The Girl's Seattle Trip

2009-03-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, February 28th to be exact, my sister-in-law and I decided to brave Seattle with our 5 little girls. You may be asking yourselves "What the heck were they thinking??" and with understandable reason. Now Kelly and I have been best buds for approximately 7 years, so of course, we spend a lot of time together and are very close to each other's children. This was actually our second annual girls get-away weekend...the first being a trip to the ocean for our stay in a penthouse suite which, by the way, was very cool. So we had been contemplating all year long where our next trip would be and finally decided on Seattle. Mike and I had gone to stay the night there a couple of weekends before that for my birthday, so I had scoped out all of the hot spots that are also kid friendly. As any western Washingtonian knows, plans are contingent upon our ever unpredictable weather. As luck had it, we picked a good weekend! Not all that warm, but not raining and the most wind we saw was on our ferry ride to Seattle (which I highly recommend).

During our car ride to Bremerton to catch the ferry, everyone was in high spirits. Bright pink lip gloss was being passed around for beauty sake and the volume in the car was reaching ear piercing decibels. By the time we reached the ferry, the girls were so excited that they could barely sit still while we waited in line to board. We hadn't told them where our destination was, so everything was a surprise to them. The sights from the deck were breathtaking as Seattle came into view and the girls all had a blast feeding Cheetos to the sea gulls. One took it right out of Rylee's hand...

The girls were so excited to be on a trip with no daddy's and no boys! Just mommy's, aunties, and girl cousins. It also didn't matter to them how cold it was outside!

Alyssa~Kenzie~Brosia~Bella

~~The Trio~~

~Kenzie's just happy to be there~

So all in all, we went up to the top of the Space Needle, did lots of walking down on the pier, paid for lots of parking, ate an awesome dinner at Red Robin on the water, and visited many shops. Of all of the fun stuff we had planned, the number one response given when asked what they wanted to do next was, "We wanna go back to the hotel and the hot tub!!" The hot tub....well that's another story!!! We had a good time and spent lots of quality time together. Our little hotel room was noisy and packed but if we could go back and do it over again, we wouldn't change a thing! Well except maybe the naked statue of the man that the girls discovered, or the 3 hour wait for the Spaghetti Factory, or the cussing lady in McDonalds, or the diseased man wearing a surgical mask walking around the Pike Place Market with a sign on his front and back saying that the hospital stole his stomach and sold it....LOL...Good times, good times...

(Luckily you can't see the statue of the naked man behind the fountain!!)

And this is just a little something I made from another trip a couple of years ago...just to show how time flies...

Introducing Us!

2009-03-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

So here is my first official post. I've been wracking my brains trying to figure out something witty and funny to start with, but I'm coming up blank! My husband will probably be surprised because there is hardly a time that I can't find something to say. I'm not saying that I'm always witty and funny, but I try my hardest! :-) It's taken me a while to get this whole blog thing figured out but I think I'm making headway. I had a whole paragraph written, hit the wrong button, and wham.....it was gone. Surprisingly, I work on a computer all day long.

Anyway, I suppose I will start by showing a few pictures of my family. In November of 08, we decided to get family portraits done since we hadn't had them taken in about two years. When digital cameras became so popular, professional portraits started taking a back seat. So....where to go. My friend's husband had recently decided to start up his own photography business, so we figured we'd be some of his first guinea pigs. What a great experience! We found that in-home photography is the way to go. The kids were relaxed and had a blast. Here are a few of the shots~~

~McKenzie~

~Alyssa~

Rylee was so goofy....

May the force be with you...

Growing up, people try to imagine what their life will be like when they're older but it usually can't compare to reality. I just knew I would be a famous doctor with tons of money and lots of degrees....but I'm not. As of right now, I live in the same town that I grew up in, I don't have a degree yet, I'm married, I have three children, and I work in a mediocre job...and I wouldn't change it for the world! Ok, well maybe the area that I live in part. I would really like to live where there are four actual seasons, not just 2.....almost sunny and rainy. I suppose we've added another: snow. Maybe someday I will remedy that part of it but for now, it's not a bad place to raise a family. Besides, if I'm ever feeling lonely, I can go into Walmart at any time and see at least 3 people that I know...LOL.

I figured I'd better go back to school and get a degree so that even with this wonderful economic deterioration, I can keep my house. So, I signed up for online courses to continue my education because I have no time to go to a physical campus....don't recommend it!!! Holy moly! Talk about time consuming...and I thought I was busy before! So, once again school is on hiatus for me but I will eventually succeed. For now, I will keep doing what I do best: being an employed wife and mommy. Who wouldn't love that?