Finding Joy in the Journey

A tribute to Mee-Maw

2012-01-27T13:22:00.001-08:00

On January 17, my sweet Grandmother passed away from this earth. She was 87 years old. I wanted to share a few things that stand out in my mind about my Grandma, Molly Anne, who both of my girls are named after, and who, when my older brother couldn't say Grandma, he nicknamed "Mee-Maw." The name stuck.

She was a child of the 1920s. Born and raised in the South. She was not what I would call a southern belle, though. She was a tough cookie. Her mother died when she was just 13 years old, and in order to save her family (of seven children, the youngest only 2 years old) from being split up to different relatives, she promised her police chief father that she would take care of the home and the kids if he would allow them to stay together, with him. He did, and she kept up her end of the bargain. She finished high school and went to business college. She worked for a tobacco company and finished her career by working for 42 years as a bookkeeper for the North Carolina News Company. She raised 4 children of her own (my awesome mother being one of them) mostly by herself after her marriage ended when her baby was only a few years old. A product of her hard work was that she taught her children the same values. She also kept a clean home and was one of the best cooks I have ever met. Her coconut cake, boiled custard, fried okra, and collard greens being just a few of the favorite flavors of my childhood. Of course, we can't forget the fruit cake. Or can we?

Mee-Maw always lived 2,000 miles away from me, yet she was an example and a rock in my life. My summers in North Carolina, or her visits to Utah were the highlights of my childhood. She was so much fun. I always had a great time learning a new card game from her or watching The Price is Right with her. She should've been a contestant on that show. She was a natural! She took us to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, along with my late aunt, Carolyn, and took us swimming and to the movies. Her family meant the world to her.

I will miss so many things about Mee-Maw. Her funny southern phrases, her sense of humor, and the way she loved Duke basketball. She made such an impact on my life and who I am, not only because of who she was, but because of the daughter she gave me for a mother. It's amazing how goodness is passed down.

I was very blessed to be able to attend her funeral, in Durham, North Carolina, and let me tell you , it was a packed church. She had so many friends and family there, and it was wonderful to hear all of the lives she touched in her long life. I am so grateful that she died peacefully and without a struggle. And, I know that she had a wonderful greeting in heaven.

I will love you forever, Mee-Maw. I will try to live my life so that you would be proud.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Ship Parade

2011-12-19T22:28:00.001-08:00

After a fun dinner with great friends, we packed donuts and hot chocolate to the park by the river to watch the annual ship light parade. Here are some of the awesomely lit up ships!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Favorite Christmas Toy

2011-12-15T19:56:00.001-08:00

Playmobil Nativity. But where Baby Jesus' top half went is a Christmas mystery.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fancy Molly

2011-12-13T15:41:00.001-08:00

Molly was invited to a Fancy Nancy Christmas Party. I thought she looked too beautiful not to share!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gingerbread village

2011-12-13T15:40:00.001-08:00

So, lest you think it's all been fun and games, there was the gingerbread village mishap...

I found a gingerbread village kit, and thought, how perfect, 5 little houses! No need to fight over one house, right?

Not so much. They ended up being ridiculously small, and impossible to build when you have human sized hands.

Olivia dissolved into tears when hers fell apart.

Ian happily munched on his.

Molly weeped over her disastrous house.

Max ate his. Notice a pattern?

So, I have decided that there is a reason that this tradition has never stuck for us. You don't have to include the stuff that's more stress than fun!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Nutcracker

2011-12-13T14:51:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, I took the girls to the Nutcracker. First we went out to lunch at our favorite spot, The
Olive Garden, where the unwrapped this year's nutcracker:

Here is Olivia in front of the pit orchestra.

And here is Molly! It was beautiful and we all loved it as much as ever!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas Luau

2011-12-11T20:21:00.000-08:00

**photo courtesy of Steve**

Our ward Christmas party this year was a Christmas Luau. It was so much fun! The cultural hall was decorated beautifully, the food was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G, and we even had some island entertainment (yes, I hula'd), complete with a surfing Santa! The whole family had a blast. A big thanks to those who slaved away to make this party so much fun.

Gingerbread Pirates

2011-12-09T14:19:00.001-08:00

Our favorite Christmas book this year.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Zoo lights

2011-12-07T15:32:00.001-08:00

We headed to Zoo Lights Monday. It was freezing!!!! But not raining. So, we took advantage. The lights were so pretty and fun! And, we were all ready for cookies and hot chocolate afterwards.

The girls loved the bear! It was probably warm!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Our Tree

2011-12-07T15:28:00.003-08:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Festival of Trees

2011-12-07T15:28:00.001-08:00

I think this is our third year going to the Festival of Trees downtown. It always falls on the first Friday of the month, which the kids have off of school. There is so much to do and see there, we always have such a great time and it really gets us in the mood for Christmas!

There's face painting (this is what Ian got after he was told they couldn't do Yoda):

A Teddy bear hospital. All the kids get a bear which they get to name and doctor up! It's so cute! Bandages, xrays, and face masks! This is the highlight of the event! Here is Ian having his bear's ("Big Boy") heartbeat listened to:

Olivia's bear! ("Caroline")

Max's bear (Fella):

Molly's bear, ("Snowflake").

Mrs. Claus' kitchen. They each got to decorate a cookie.

There is a magnificent trays display!

And then, there are the trees!!!

It is such a fun day! And we loved going with great friends!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2011 Holiday Kickoff!

2011-12-07T15:12:00.001-08:00

So I have a bunch of pipe dreams about how I am going to document all of our fun holiday activities. We pack in a bunch of stuff during December, but blogging about it January 1 is totally overwhelming, so I never get to it. This year I will try to "blog as I go," so we can remember at the end of the frenzy that we really did have fun!

So, since I am anti-Christmas until after my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, our festivities began the day after Thanksgiving with the annual tree lighting in our little community. Apparently we have the largest live Christmas tree in the nation. Or so the mayor said. I have not checked his research on that. Anywho, here she is in her lit up glory!

After the tree lighting, the mayor points out Santa, in a fire engine, and we all parade after him to the plaza where you can stand in line to see him. Since this is not our first ball game we know that you have to hi-tail it down there unless you want to stand in line all night! We got there pretty quick, stood in line, and chatted extensively with the big guy. Also, we saw this cute bear and lots of other jolly critters handing out cookies and candy canes. I guess this is one time of year where it's ok to talk to and take stuff from strangers..

Ian with the big guy. His list is so fun this year: a castle with horses and knights! I hope the elves can manage that!

Stay tuned for lots more of our fun!
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Birthday to our big boy!

2011-11-10T07:51:00.001-08:00

My baby is three (sniff)! I can't believe it! He had a great birthday, because, really, how can your birthday be anything but great on Halloween?! He dressed up as Obi Wan for the trunk or treat and fall carnival, but when the big day arrived he chose to be Yoda!

Here is the little punkin picking out his Pumpkin!

Yay for Star Wars birthday toys! Isn't he the handsomest?

Birthday smiles for Grandma! He loves his Star Wars guys!

And, Jonny delivered again with
A darling Yoda cake!

We love Ian! I will try to post
some nostalgia pics later!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Halloween

2011-11-05T13:32:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from the Star Wars Clan:

Dad- Old Obi Wan
Mom- The Dark Side (yes, I pulled off being a concept!
Olivia- Princess Leia
Molly- Queen Amidala
Max- Darth Vader
Ian- Young Obi Wan

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Efficient!

2011-10-20T17:24:00.001-07:00

Molly is tired of everyone at school asking her name. So, she sat down and made a bunch of these:

And instead of answering said people, she hands them one of her "cards!"

She seriously cracks me up.

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chicago Marathon 2011

2011-10-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

I went to ChiTown (that's what people call Chicago, apparently) last weekend to run the marathon. It's one of the top 5 marathons in the world, with over 45,000 registrants. My good friend and runner extraordinaire, Brittany, went to school there, so when we were trying to decide on a fall marathon, Chicago won out over local options. I have never been to Chicago, so it was a treat to see such a cool city. I loved it! It has a cool energy, and lots of diversity, yet the people were so friendly and laid back. I would love to visit again under better circumstances.

I won't bore you all with details of the race. I have rehashed it so much, even I am sick of hearing about it. A marathon is a funny animal. You train for 4+ months, including long 20+ mile runs on weekends toward the end of training. You over analyze everything from your diet, to your fueling, to your sleep, to your hydration to dial in the perfect senario. You visualize, meditate, and positive think yourself into KNOWING it will be a great race. You carb load the week before, and avoid anything that might cause the stomach distress that often comes with long runs. It's consuming. And, kind of a big deal. Anywho, here I am at the start (ignore the bags under my eyes from not sleeping a wink):

And, here is the sign that made me believe that I might actually make it across the finish line. What happened in between these two pics is a grueling four hours that made me swear off running forever and ever.
In conclusion, we have good running days, and we have bad running days. That day in Chicago, I had a bad running day. I have gone over it all with a fine tooth comb and have no idea why I felt like crap, but I did. And, I felt like crap pretty much the whole race. It was not at all how I visualized it.

But, I did it. I finished. I beat my last marathon time by 12 minutes. I made my legs move when they surely didn't want to. I dug deeper than I ever have in my life and reminded myself over and over again that, "my dad didn't give me these legs to look good in skirts." The mind is a powerful thing. Much more powerful than my legs, in this case.

I am trying not to let this be a disappointment. I didn't reach my goal. I did everything right and still, it did not happen. But, I learned that I can do really hard things.

And, there is always the next one...

Also, as an important side note, my sweet, supportive husband was right there with me through this whole journey. He has encouraged me from the start. He never complains that he is left in charge every Saturday monring when I am running for hours. He showed up at the end of a very tough run with doughnuts and ice water for Britt and me. He rubbed my feet and legs every night before the race. He took care of everything and sent me to bed in the days following. He is always there to lend an ear, an opinion (even though I often don't want to hear it), and gives lots of great advice. He never rolls his eyes (like I am guilty of doing) when I start planning another race. He is quick to tell me that he is super proud of me. I think he is so great and am totally unworthy of such a friend.

And, another side note, Brittany, my super great running buddy, is my hero! She rocked this marathon and is so much fun to run with every single week. I am so happy I found her and that we have taken these journeys together! I have a feeling there will be many more!

Max's first day of Kindergarten!

2011-09-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the big guy on the first day. Isn't he so cute with his spikey hair and cute big-boy clothes!? I can't get enough of him dressed for school! He is even sporting really (seriously) cool Darth Vader shoes, which I am usually opposed to. But, these are not super cheesey, or ugly, and he really loves them!

Here is the happy guy hanging up his super cool guitar backpack. He has been so easy going about school! He is so happy to get up and get ready each and every morning. He is loving his new friends (all 4 of them! the class split is 13 girls and 5 boys)! And, he had no separation anxiety about me leaving him (sniff, sniff). This guy is going to rule the Kindergarten!

We are all super excited for a great school year!

Molly's first day of Kindergarten!

2011-09-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

Molly was so excited on her first day of Kindergarten! She was so thrilled to wear her new SKINNY jeans (she only likes skinny jeans not fat jeans-her words, not mine) and t-shirt, because again, it was 95 degrees! She had lots of opinions about what she wore, her hair, her shoes, etc. Not all of them were my preferences, but with Molly, one learns quickly which battles to fight.

How cute are they RUNNING to school?! We all tried to keep up. They were so full of energy and I loved that they were holding hands. I think they eased each other's fears!

In front of the bulletin board outside of their class.

And, finally, Molly, hanging up her backpack. She got a little nervous at this point and clung to me for a while. TOTALLY caught me off guard. I expected that more from Max, because she is usually so dang independent! But, her teacher distracted her and she was happily playing soon after!

Here are her and Max drawing a picture of their favorite animal. Molly drew an elephant and Max drew a Saber-toothed Tiger.

And, this is where I would like to insert "getting off the bus on the first day pictures," but lo, when the bus pulled up to my house, Max and Molly were not on it. Apparently they were on the "walk list" because we live too close to the school, so they were pulled off of the bus and the bus driver was kind enough to pull over to inform me that they were waiting for me in the school office. They were so deflated when I got there to pick them up. They were so looking forward to the bus! The secretary informed me that she and the principal were working with transportation and would get it all worked out. The Kindergarten bus is for ALL kindergarteners. And, this was one time that I knew the school secretary's feistiness would work in my favor. Sure enough, by the next morning I got a call from her saying that they were on the list and could take the bus home that day. Oh happy day! They were so excited and ALL smiles when they got off of the bus that second day. I am pretty sure that the bus is the highlight of Kindergarten so far.

It is so great seeing them come home happy every day and loving school. To me, that is the sole purpose of kindergarten. I am so happy that they got a great, fun teacher and that they are loving it so much!

Backing up a bit...the first day of school!

2011-09-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

I had to back up to the first day of school! It's always so monumental and exciting. This year was no exception. Olivia went to 5th grade. She was so excited!!! Of course, it was 95 degrees on the first day of school, so she had to only wear half new school clothes with some shorts. Funny, it's cool here all summer, then the first week of school gets blasting hot. Oh well. Here is my grown up darling!
Here she is heading down the hallway to her new class! The first day was super special this year because Grandma got to come with us! Olivia was so happy to have her there! Also, Olivia started the day before Max and Molly, so she got her "own" first day. That made it nice and less hectic!

And here is the only picture I got of her in her new classroom where she was not saying, "mom, STOP" and giving me the evil eye. It is apparently no longer "cool" for your mom to walk you to class in 5th grade and take lots of photos. Eventually I looked around and noticed that, yes, I was the only parent in the class. Yikes. Jon is sure that I will be there until her senior year. He could be right. It's just such a big deal. I couldn't send her off to the sharks without checking out the water and making sure it was friendly. It's my motherly duty, right?

Here's to a great 5th grade year and LAST year at elementary school....sniff, sniff....my baby is growing up to fast!

Happy Birthday, Max!

2011-09-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet little boy! This guy stole my heart from the get-go! At 4 lbs 12 oz he literally felt like such a fragile, special little gift, and he was so sweet and cuddly. He and I had a special connection right away. I mean, look at this little guy, swimming in his premie clothes. My heart just longs to have him back in my arms, but oh no! He is SIX! Crazy!

We were so lucky to have Grandma here for the big birthday celebration! She saved my bacon, loved the kids, and just was so fun to have around for a whole week! So, even though this is a blurry picture, it's an important one. Max really loves his grandma!!!
And, here is the father of the year, working on his masterpiece. Jon was so great to help out with Max's cake. He did an excellent job!

And, drumroll...ta-da! Darth Maul (for those of you non-Star Wars fans):

And, here's the cute birthday boy in his new birthday outfit on his way to school! He is such a cool kid!And, this is actually Max, don't be fooled by his awesome new costume! He has been dying for a Darth Vader costume for months!
Happy birthday, Max! Here's to a great year being SIX! We are so proud of who you are becoming and are so grateful to be your parents!!!

Happy Birthday, Molly!

2011-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! How can it be? This is a reoccurring theme: I can't believe my little Molly is SIX. It was just yesterday that she was sharing the womb with her baby brother, and now she shares nothing with him! I had to dig out some reminiscing baby pics of cute Molls, too, of course. Here she is on her blessing day with her cute little bro:

And this is the little princess just a few months old. She was such a darling baby. She was sweet, and easy, and slept through the night at just 6 weeks! She was a saving grace. Of course, she did have her moments. I remember calling Jon on the phone one night (he was working out of town) in tears because I had been rocking Molly for hours and she wouldn't quit wailing! But, those moments were few and far between, and our nickname for her as a baby was "our little pioneer baby" because she seemed like a baby who was just content all of the time and patiently waited her turn to eat, be changed or be held.Molly asked for make up for her birthday, and we obliged. Just for PLAY, of course. She has had the most fun with it, and has only used my white towels to wipe her face a few times! She loves to play dress up, make up, and paint nails. She is a real GIRL. I am still not sure where she came from!!! Here she is on her way to school on her birthday! (please note her new birthday cowgirl boots! So cute!)And, here is Molly's Barbie cake. Every girl needs one of these once, right? She loved it! It turned out ok, but when the candles were lit, Barbies hand got in the flames and started smoking! Yikes! Molly blew everything out quickly and saved the day. She had a great birthday and was smiling ear to ear all day!
We love you, Molly! You are becoming a darling little lady. You are full of spunk and we love that about you, too!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

2011-09-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

My baby is ELEVEN. E.L.E.V.E.N!!! How is this possible? How could this little baby, (6 lbs 4 oz at birth) that I could hold in my hands with little spill-over, be so big, and grown up, and Eleven? It's INCONCEIVABLE! We really love our Olivia! She has been a great oldest child. She broke us in, taught us the ropes, and has thrown us lots of fun curve balls along the way. I dug out some old pics and scanned them (we had a film camera back in those days) so you could all see what a beautiful baby she was:

And, she has grown into an even more beautiful (inside and out) YOUNG lady. For her birthday she wanted a chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake with Reeses on top. So, I obliged, of course. It was my first attempt at an ice cream cake, and all went well except it leaked a little ice cream over night while it was hardening up. All who ate it said it was delicious. I snoozed and lost on that one, because when I got done cutting cake, it was GONE. It must've tasted better than it looked!

Here is the birthday girl opening a morning gift. She got a new game for her DS and she is loving playing it in the 4 spare minutes she has each day after all of her homework, piano, and chores are done (oh, how I miss summer...)

And, here is my big girl getting her EARS PIERCED! That is the number one thing she wanted for her birthday. She has been psyching herself out for months to get this done, and she did pretty well. Grandma was there to hold her hand, and she only shed a few tears. I was too busy video recording to be very sympathetic. She shook it off quickly, though, and now is LOVING her new pierced ears, with SAPPHIRES in them. She looks lovely.

We love you, Olivia! Here is to a great year of ELEVEN! We know you will make it a great one!

Unders!

2011-08-31T21:24:00.001-07:00

My baby is officially potty trained! Woo-hoo! No more diapers for me! Pretty exciting stuff. He loves his new Mickey unders and has been the easiest kid ever to potty train. The first time he went on the potty, he earned a Darth Vader lightsaber, and when he had the potty thing down, he got his Harry Potter glasses!!! (can you tell he has older siblings?) Yesterday he informed me that he wanted to give away his baby potty and just go on the big one from now on. Darn it! I am happy to say good-bye to diapers, but oh-so-sad to have him leave the "baby" stage officially. This little guy will always be my baby!

Cute bum, where ya from???

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-06T20:30:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mommy/son date!

2011-06-03T22:16:00.001-07:00

Jon took the girls to a Daddy-daughter campout with friends from our church today, and the boys and I took full advantage of the cats being away...

The afternoon began with Max and I playing "Guess Who," "Sorry," and "War," while Ian napped. Then, we headed out for sandwiches at Bigtown Hero:

And a picnic at the park of their choosing:

Then, Kung Fu Panda 2! We ate lots of treats and laughed our heads off!

Aren't my boys darling!!?

We ended the night by cuddling up with a good ole Star Wars book. I love times like this when I get time to slow down and enjoy my children. I think I had more fun than them tonight! I am really grateful for my sweet little guys!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Koalas

2011-06-03T22:04:00.001-07:00

Olivia chose to do her ISP project on Koalas this year. She worked very hard. Her project included a research paper, including bibliography, a story, with illustrations, a poem, with illustrations, and this tri-fold board, which was a labor of love for sure! The board consisted of a 3D tree with eucalyptus leaves on it, and a hand drawn Koala eating said leaves up in the tree! It also had lots of eye-catching photos and facts, ad well as her poem. We were so proud of how hard Olivia worked on this project, for nearly two months. She learned so much about research, organization time management, and ultimately presentation, when they presented them at an open house.

Here she is at the open house, dressed as a "safari girl" (she gave me explicit instructions, "Mom, I need you to go to Goodwill and get me safari girl clothes."). She is holding her Koala Webkinz.

Here she is explaining something fascinating to her teacher's husband.

Way to go, Olivia! You really knocked it out if the park in this one! Whew! Is it summer vacation yet?!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Max and Molly put preschool behind them!

2011-06-03T21:49:00.001-07:00

Last week ended our awesome year of preschool for Max and Molly. We have loved the preschool, the teachers, and the philosophy and over all feeling of this awesome Christian preschool. On the last day, they had a luau and ice cream sundaes to celebrate summer birthdays. It was super fun for them to get dressed all Hawaiian-like when it was 50 degrees and pouring buckets!

Here is Max with Teacher Nancy. She is such a loving teacher, and every day would comment on how much she loved Max's smile!

Here is Molly with Teacher Becky, the one who coined the phrase "complete doll," which Molly now believes is her nickname. Becky took a special liking to our little Molly-heart (her actual nickname), and spent extra time with her each day encouraging Molly's love of reading! We will really miss Teacher Becky!

And here is Teacher Janie. Molly was always quoting gems from Janie, who is obviously very wise!

We loved all of their teachers so much, and were so sad to see the short year come to a close! Not pictured is Max's Teacher Kathy, who had a back injury and was out for the last few weeks of school. We loved her, too! Max told me on the last day, "Mom, I don't want it to be the last day of school. I don't want to stop learning!" Up until then, I had no clue that he was learning, because he would never tell me a thing! Luckily, Molly filled in all the blanks!

So, soon I will have two big Kindergarteners (sniff, sniff). In the mean time, we will be living up our summer!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

She reads

2011-05-25T20:31:00.001-07:00

Molly is a reader! She whips through these books quicker than I can buy them. I love seeing this process unfold. I hope she always loves books as much as I do!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Reach the Beach

2011-05-22T15:50:00.001-07:00

Jon rode 104 miles yesterday for Reach the Beach. He did an awesome job, arriving at the beach in under seven hours. Thank you to all who contributed to The American Lung Association in his name. He exceeded his monetary goal, and rode in memory of my dad, who suffered from lung disease.

The whole family met him and his friend Taylor at the finish for a feast, and then we stayed the night at the coast and swam and played on the beach.

We are super proud of our hubby/daddy for training for and completing such a big event! We think he is awesome and are so grateful for his desire to stay strong and healthy for his family!

Peter Pan

2011-05-15T21:51:00.001-07:00

Olivia was an Indian Princess in her school's performance of Peter Pan. She has been so excited about the play for months now, and it was fun to finally see it on stage. She was, in fact, so excited about the play that she hand wrote about 20 invitations which she handed out to her friends who don't go to her school. Too bad there was no charge for the play, because Olivia would have generated some serious revenue for her school (which could really use the cash right now, as they just announced they will be closing after next year)!

Lots of friends came, as well as Abby, our sweet cousin and only family near us! I wish I had taken more photos! Here is Olivia with one of her favorite primary teachers!

Molly gave her big sis flowers after her final performance on Friday night.

Olivia with Smee (her friend Henry) and a lost kid (her friend Malaika).

And, here she is with her teacher for the past two years. She, along with two other teachers for these classes, makes these plays happen each year. They are all incredible! She has been an amazing blessing to Olivia and to our family. We will miss her so much!

Thank you to all of those who came and supported Olivia. It meant so much to her to see so many smiling, supportive people out in the audience. Without a lot of family near, our friends are so great to pick up the slack and support my kids.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Molly's dance...

2011-05-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day

2011-05-13T15:49:00.001-07:00

My kids were adorable on Mother's Day. They made me a great french toast breakfast. My favorite, yum! They also made me a yummy picnic lunch, which we shared on the floor of our living room, because it was raining cats and dogs, and Molly was sick, so we couldn't make it to the Rose Garden (which is our traditional Mother's day outing). I had to share some of the amazing things they made me. I am a sucker for anything they make. It feels so good to receive a gift that they made while thinking of me!

Olivia made me this awesome bowl. She made it from clay. Patterned it. Fired it. Painted it. Fired it again. So cool. I am using it for a jewelry dish. It makes me so happy!

Max and Molly did an awesome program/Mother's day tea at their preschool. They performed darling little skits and sang songs that they have been working on all year. This is the adorable card they made me: (and having twins is so fun, because I got TWO!)

Then, their teacher had them draw a picture especially for me, and they had notecards made with their darling art work! How fun is that? I will smile each time I write a note on one of these little babies, and I hope anyone who receives one will smile, as well!

I asked Max about his art work, and he said it is a mean guy in a space ship. Fun.

And, here is Molly's:

I love my children, and am so happy that I am their mother. They are sweet, adorable, and challenge me every day. Which I am mostly grateful for.

I also happen to have the best mother in the whole world.

Lake Run

2011-05-13T15:35:00.000-07:00

So, my running buddy, and just all around buddy, Brittany, and I decided to run the Lake Run 12k last Saturday. We renegade (aka didn't pay) ran it, so we have no official number. It's always fun to run with Brittany, although as of late, she may not say the same about me. I have been a sick, slow friend for a while now. But, I am coming back. So....

Here we are before the run! So excited!

And after, with our awesome friends who actually paid to do the run!

This was my first time doing this exact route, although I run around "my" lake all the time, and let me tell you: It was a butt-kicker. Only 7.5 miles, but uphill all the way (I know that sounds impossible, when you start and end at the same place, but trust me, it was uphill the whole way. Try it. I dare you!). Of course, my two month hiatus from running and severe respiratory issues may have contributed to my struggle a tad bit. Brittany is the best running buddy/true friend ever, because she stuck with me the whole way, and let me slow her down, and then pretended to be just as tired as me. I love that girl!

And, we still ended up with a respectable 1:08, which is just over a nine minute mile. So, we didn't suck that bad. I am just super excited to be back on the road. I know I am a weirdie, but it's my sanity.

My kids have got talent...

2011-05-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

Our Ward's Primary put on the most amazing talent show! They went all out with a big theme, fun judges, awesome snacks, and red carpet. It was super fun to watch all of our talented friends strut their stuff. Of course, my kiddos were excited to be involved. I am so proud of their confidence in their unique talents and wanted to share what they felt their talents are:

Olivia loves to do art. She has been working on a project for a while that she calls "Squiggles." It is a story with illustrations. She won "Illustrator of the Month" and "Author of the Month" in her fourth grade class for her efforts. She displayed her art work art work, story and awards.

Max is a builder. He loves it. He eats up anything involving Legos, Trios, gears or magnets. He is really creative in how he builds. Sometimes he sticks with the step by step instructions, which he can do with no help at all, and other times he creates as he goes. Once he gets things built, he spends hours playing creatively with them. It is one of the things that makes me happiest in the whole world: listening to Max play pretend. For the talent show, he painstakingly decided what he would take to show his friends. He got really into it. Here he is with his display:

I will try to upload a video of Molly's dance performance later, if I can figure it out. She did a darling job! I love my kids, they are the best.

P.S. Ian's talent is being dang cute!

The Tulip Festival

2011-05-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

We ventured south to the Tulip Festival this past weekend. It was a lovely day, and the tulips were breathtaking! Somehow, in almost nine years of living here, I have never gone to this festival, and now I don't think I will ever miss a year again! Tulips are my absolute favorite flower, and the kids really loved seeing all of the different colors. Now, everywhere we go, they are pointing out tulips!

Here is Molly (front) and Olivia (behind) by a really fun star-shaped grow box of tulips!

Molly loved these red ones! Look how hearty they are!

Fields and fields as far as you could see of every color tulip!

Ian posing (no, he's not cold. This is his "cheese" stance).

I could not convince Olivia that they don't smell good! She smelled every color!

If the shoe fits...

Everyone got to hold this parrot. It was the highlight of the day!

It was a great outing. A perfect way to enjoy the last day of April in the SUN! I am glad I braved it (Jon was out of town). We are dragging Daddy with us next year, for sure!

Easter Dress

2011-05-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

**as promised, the kids in their Easter best (recreated yesterday!)

Remembering

2011-04-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, my sweet dad left me here on this earth alone. This year has been, without question, the most difficult, depressing one of my life. It is indescribable, to someone who hasn't lost a parent, the pain that ensues. Does it ever lessen? There are so many times when I kind of forget, and I think of something I want to share with my dad, and then it hits me all over again. As if it were that day, April 28th, 2010. My emotions have run the gamut this year, from sadness, to anger, to real depression, which is an emotion that I have never struggled with before. I have been struck by the injustice of the fact that my kids will not grow up with their grandfather. That is so unfair to them. They deserve him. I have felt a constant pain in my heart for my mom, who lost her best friend, her companion of 40 years. How can I ever comfort that? How does she go on? She has been an amazing strength to me through this past year, but what about her? It is heart wrenching. As this date approached, I could feel my heart constricting. I felt a palpable sickness in my gut this morning when I woke. I want this day to go away. I might just remove it from my calendar. An image has popped into my head this week, over and over, so I thought I'd put it out there. Solidify it. It is this picture of my dad kissing me before my wedding. I truly adore this man. I am so blessed that I even had him for a day, and I am trying to count it as a gift that I had him for 34 years. I am comforted, a bit, to know that he is with God, but selfishly want him with me. With us. Taking my kids on tractor rides. Riding his mule. Sitting in his chair. Anything, really. Just him. The good and the bad. I sometimes look forward ten, twenty, thirty years, and hate the thought of my future without him. I pray that I can be strengthened in that, by knowing that I will be with him someday.

So, I write this post, not to be a downer, but just to get my feelings out there. And, to share this song, which has always had such great meaning to me, and even more so now. I know this somehow gets easier, many days it is, but for today, I am thinking of my dad non-stop, and hope that he is somehow close enough to feel how much I love and miss him.

Easter morn...

2011-04-26T21:51:00.001-07:00

Easter morning felt a little Christmas-like. The kids were up at 6 AM, excited for their Easter baskets and egg hunt. Here they are on the stairs doing bunny impressions:

Fun baskets :

They looked adorable in their Easter best, but we will have to recreate that next week because we didn't get any photos! Ugh! I think it had something to do with non-stop pouring rain! We had a lovely day at church and our cousins Abby and Alec came over for dinner. It was a great day!!!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The egg hunt

2011-04-26T21:41:00.001-07:00

An awesome lady from our church put together the most awesome egg hunt on Saturday morning. She (and her family) hid 1200 eggs at a local, wooded park. Luckily it was the prettiest day of the Spring so far. There were lots of kids and excitement. She also made adorable paper nests for each child with their names on them, and filled them with candy, and hid them in the woods, too. The kids had a blast!

Ian ate as he hunted (you've got to keep your strength up!)!

Cute, Molly. She had so much fun!

Max with his basket. His shirt says it all!

A really fun Easter event, that almost never happened for us, because we ran out of gas on the way there when someone forgot to get gas that morning like his wife asked. Luckily, we have great friends, one of whom came and got me and the kids and took us to the hunt, while Jon took care of his little mess. In the spirit of Easter I forgave him by that evening.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Easter fun

2011-04-26T21:24:00.001-07:00

We had a little Easter party on Good Friday. We had some friends over, colored a ton of eggs, and ate some yummy treats! Here are our eggs:

Ian thought this was a pretty cool activity! His hands were more colorful than the eggs!

We made bunny rice krispy treats (sugar with more sugar on top! That was the theme of the weekend!)

Here's the whole hardworking group!

Then, we colored some really fun, intricate egg coloring sheets. The kids got super into these (it even held Max's attention)!

This was the beginning of a super fun, eventful Easter weekend. More to come...

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Reach the Beach!

2011-04-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

On May 21st, Jonny is going to bike, along with lots of other cyclists, from Portland to Pacific City on the Oregon Coast, as part of the annual "Reach The Beach" ride which supports The American Lung Association.

Jon is dedicating this ride to my father. As many of you know, my dad had (and beat) lung cancer, COPD, emphysema, and asthma, along with constant bronchitis and plenty of bouts with pneumonia, and Jon has decided to ride this ride in his honor. Although my dad preferred to ride mules, Jon is more comfortable on a bike.

Jon has made a goal to raise at least $100 for The American Lung Association by way of pledges from you, our lovely friends and family. If you would like to donate to this very worthy cause, you can go to the web page http://www.ReachTheBeach.org and look him up under "riders." You can pay by credit card on that secure site. Or, you can just mail a check for any amount, to our home address, and he will submit it. If you need our address, email Jen at jensgottarun@gmail.com.

He would appreciate any donation. If a lot of people donate a little, he can reach, or maybe exceed, his goal with no problem. And, we will keep you updated as to whether or not he actually "reaches the beach!"

The bunny!

2011-04-17T15:47:00.001-07:00

We tracked down the Easter Bunny yesterday! Ian is infatuated with any large character, so when we spotted the giant bunny from the window of the second floor of Borders, we hurried out to hunt him down. we are getting excited for Easter!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Molly sings!

2011-04-14T17:52:00.001-07:00

This is a song that Molly learned at her cute preschool!

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Grandma Bonnie

2011-03-26T15:35:00.001-07:00

We are in Utah for Spring Break. That is the good news. The bad news is that we arrived to find a very sick Grandma Bonnie. She had Influenza B for a week, which turned into pneumonia. She was in the hospital for four days. When she came home, the kids had to wear masks to go near her. That did not stop Molly. She gave Grandma hugs and colored with her. We think having the grandkids there is what eventually helped her to turn the corner and get on the road to recovery. Her doctor gave her a good report at her visit yesterday. So, she got better just in time for us to leave. We love Grandma Bonnie so much and love visiting her house no matter what!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

No more brace face!!!

2011-03-08T16:23:00.001-08:00

Olivia got her braces off today! Yippee! Two years later-first round complete! Here she is before her appointment:

The sign at the ortho's office announcing that she is "brace free!"

Olivia hitting the gong signifying the end of her braces journey (her orthodontist is so fun!).

Ta-da! No more brace face! She says her teeth feel "slippery!"

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Nail the White

2011-03-05T16:47:00.001-08:00

This is Olivia's attempt at "Illustrator of the Month." Her teacher asked them to "nail the white," meaning to leave no white on the page. I think it's a great attempt and love that she is so into drawing aliens these days!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Olivia: Mary Cassatt

2011-03-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

Olivia did her biography report this year on Mary Cassatt. Her mom went to school to watch it and recorded the whole thing. However, when her mom got home and went to upload it to the computer, it was MIA. Could be user error, however, the light was blinking the whole time, and I stand by that will everything I have. Needless to say, I was SICK about it. Really SICK. She did such a great job and her class asked great questions which she answered so well, except on one that she didn't know, where she replied, "I'll have to get back to you on that." So cute! I did get a few photos of her dressed up in her classroom.

And, then, I made her redo it at home, for her tutor and her dad, and I really recorded it that time! Not the same, but better than nothing. And, luckily, Olivia forgave me for my technological retardation. It's a dangerous gift, this hi-tech stuff. I would post it here, but can't figure that out either. Oh well. Hopefully it will be forth-coming, but until then, enjoy this cute picture of my aspiring artist!

My monkeys!

2011-03-01T11:42:00.001-08:00

My cute boys at their gymnastics class this morning! They love it!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Birthday, Jonny!

2011-02-28T18:30:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Jon's birthday this past weekend. Forty-something. Kind of old. But still smokin' hot! We went out to a fun Moroccan restaurant Saturday night and he totally got up and danced with a belly dancer and put money in her waistband. Kind of sketchy, but since it was his birthday, I let it go! It was yummy and super fun. I sure love this guy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My baby boy...

2011-02-28T17:33:00.001-08:00

How cute is he???

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cowboy Max

2011-02-18T12:53:00.000-08:00

Today was cowboy/cowgirl day at preschool. We borrowed some awesome cowboy stuff from a friend, and Max has been in heaven trying all kinds of combinations of cool vests, chaps, and shirts. He loves it, and has been super imaginatively playing for the past two days. Which makes for a very happy mommy. And, I would imagine, a super proud Papa. Needless to say, I have some bids in on Ebay already for some great cowboy dress-ups!

Unfortunately, Molly has a lingering cough and was a bit tired this morning, so we decided to keep her home. She was sad to miss cowgirl day, but has had fun dressing up at home.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T20:17:00.000-08:00

I really super love this guy. Especially lately. Not sure why it goes in cycles for us, anyone else like that? I mean, I love him all the time, really, it's just that there are those rough patches, and then the smooth ones come, and it's a great reminder of why we stick it out together. We are on an upswing now, and I am enjoying the bliss of it all. The affirmation of why we ARE. I mean, the storms come, and we weather those together, sometimes well, other times, not so well, but when the clouds break, and we are still us, it makes my heart sing! (sappy, but true)

Happy Valentine's Day, Jonny!

(what could he be whispering in my ear? I will never tell!)

a heart melter...

2011-02-11T15:06:00.000-08:00

Since it is almost Valentine's Day (which is my second favorite holiday, for those of you who are keeping track), I thought I would post some things that melted my heart today (so far):

1. Max crawling into bed with me for a snuggle before breakfast.

2. Jonny starting my car so it was nice and warm (seat included) when I got in this very chilly morning!

3. Ian sharing his old-fashioned donut with me by his own free will and choice. Yum!

4. Max saying, "don' t take my Ian from me!" when I told Ian it was nap time.

5. Reading three Thomas the Tank Engine stories to Ian before his nap while he cuddled right under my chin. Then, tickling the buttermilk out of him while he giggled until he ran out of breath!

6. Molly telling me that I am the "best cutter ever" when I helped her finish her valentines (which entailed butting 57 hearts and 36 leaves from cardstock).

7. Max asking me, "is there anything I can do for you, Mom?"

And, it's only three o'clock, so I am sure there will be many, many more. Wishing all of you a heart-melting weekend.

Locks of Love...

2011-02-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

Molly has been growing her hair for a long time. She has never really been into the long hair thing. I told her that if she grew it long enough, she could cut it and make a hair piece for someone who lost their hair due to an illness. She immediately said, "like Grace?" (Grace is our friend who just ended 2 1/2 years of chemotherapy for Leukemia, and lost her hair during treatment). I told her, yes, like Grace. And, that is all she needed to make the commitment to Locks of Love. Her hair grew, and grew, and grew, and this past weekend, she took the plunge. Here are some pics!

Before: Long, long hair!

Here she is right after the pony tail came off. Wow!

And, here is the little doll with her new haircut. She couldn't quit smiling the whole rest of the day. She loves her short hair and she loves telling everyone she meets why she cut her hair and who she is helping. She is quite humble.

We are super proud of Molly for her giving heart!

Groundhog Day.....every day...

2011-02-02T22:51:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else LOVE this movie? It has become a typical joke in my life that I am living this movie. Does anyone else feel this way? Every day is the same. Get up, run, shower, make breakfast, clean up, get kids ready, take them to school, dance, gymnastics, clean the house, fix lunch, clean up, laundry, laundry, laundry, make dinner, clean up, piano, basketball practice, bathe kids, clean up, put kids to bed, clean up. YIKES. I make it sound so glamorous!

However, the beauty of my personal Groundhog's day, is that I get to do all of the above with the people I adore most in this world, so I don't really mind so much that what I do is the same each day, because I get to be the mom to the greatest miracles in this world-my children, and the wife to my soul mate. Things could be much, much worse.

And, Puxatawny Phil did not see his shadow, so Spring is coming very soon. Yeah, right.

Same, same know your name...

2011-02-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

I would like to introduce you all to "Jen" Barbie. Molly named her that because (this is the best part) "she looks exactly like you, Mom!" I couldn't agree more. Jon can't stop laughing.

*dress designed from a wet wipe, by Molly*

New memories....

2011-01-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

I flew home to Utah to surprise my mom for her 60th birthday in October of 2009. Just Ian and I went. It was a real treat planning the trip with my dad, and surprising the heck out of my mom. This is the last picture that I have of my dad and Ian. When we went home last Spring, he was too sick to hold him, and when I flew out by myself to be with him when he got sick and put into the hospital, he told me that he couldn't wait for our May visit so that he could be home and better to hold him again. He loved Ian. He called him "Moose" because of his size at birth. He is my dad's last grandchild. And, my dad really loved ALL of his grandkids so much.

The point of all of this, is that when I look at this picture it represents the last memory I have of my dad and Ian. It breaks my heart. I have this deep fear that my children, most especially Ian, won't remember my dad, their Papa. And, that is so unfair. Because he deserves to be remembered by all of them who he cherished so much.

But, this week, a wonderful thing happened. I have a photo album on a table in my living room with photos of Papa. Papa with the kids. Papa with his horses. Papa with my mom. Papa decorating Christmas cookies. A good friend who also lost her dad gave the album to me when he passed away and it's been a great blessing. We look at it all of the time. The other day, Ian went and grabbed the book and brought it to me. He patted me on the leg and when I looked down at him he pointed to a picture in the book and said, "Papa." Crystal clear. And I just sat down right on the kitchen floor and he sat in my lap and we looked at every, single picture of Papa while he pointed and said "Papa" to each one. I could not hear him say that word enough. It felt like we were making new memories, through the photos, and it gave me a glimmer of hope that my children would remember and love and honor their grandpa until they get to see him again and spend eternity with him. He is living on in our memories and we will never let those die.

The things you do for love...

2011-01-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

This morning Molly informed me that it is Jane's birthday. Jane is her new doll that she got for Christmas. Apparently Jane turned 3 today. So, to put a smile on my cute Molly's face, I decided to play along. We made a rice krispie "cake" with plenty of flower sprinkles, blew out candles, and I even mustered up a little gift for the special birthday doll. Molly thought this was all delightful, had a perma-grin, and kept telling me through it all that I am the "best mom ever."

That being said, I would like to insert a little note about something I like to call the "Molly-coaster." This is a super fun phenomena that I get to ride all day long. One minute, I am the best mom ever. And, wham! the next I am, and I quote, "the worst mom ever who doesn't love me at all!" Which she says full of venom. You should hear it. It's certifiably mean as heck! Yikes. And like the Molly-coaster's close cousin, the roller coaster, the whole up/down/around and around business makes me a little disoriented to say the least. She can no kidding, turn on a dime from the sugary-est little gal, to a little mini evil step sister. I am not sure how to handle it most of the time. My current strategy to survive the ride is to ignore the bad and super exaggerate the good. Also, at times I try the "random strategy" which goes something like this: Molly told me this evening how "no one loves her at all," so I asked her if her underwear were on inside out. She just sighed deeply and walked off in a huff. I am sure I just verified her theory, but what is a tired mom to do? Oh, I do love the little sucker. And, I think she's really smart, and is trying to test the world. By the way, we are all failing miserably, because we are not as clever as her little five year old self.

And, a totally unrelated side note: When Max was asked in Primary who is hero is, guess who named? Yep, Molly. He is probably the most frequent passenger on the Molly-coaster. So, I guess that just goes to show, there is a reason we all keep going back for more! She is totally worth it!

Post Christmas fun...

2011-01-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

So, after our Christmas festivities, the fun really began! We had super fun visitors fly in on Christmas night: Geoffy, Crystal, Jaide, and Tage. We love it when they come! It's always super fun, we have tons of laughs, and we find ourselves wishing they would just stop their silliness and move right back up here!

Also, Jon and Geoff's sister, Lesa, was in Vancouver, visiting Abby, and their group came down for a little par-tay! We had a spaghetti dinner, and then they dived into a traditional VW family Taffy Pull. It's a huge ordeal, and one that I am not particularly keen on, but I try to be supportive by staying out of the way, while the real experts do the dirty work. Here are the three stooges cooking the taffy (which takes F.O.R.E.V.E.R).

Then, the mix gets poured onto buttered plates to sit until it cools a bit before the real fun starts...

The Pulling begins! Molly pulls! (and takes lots of little bites along the way)

Jonny, an expert, pulls and shows everyone how it's done. His is my absolute favorite to eat. He is super nice, and even though I don't get involved in the process much, he lets me eat as much of his taffy as I want. I do have to admit, it's a super fun tradition, and I'm glad he carries it on with our kiddos. They love it.

We did a lot of other fun things, but, of course, my camera was MIA from most of it. Here are some pictures from our trip to Portland on the MAX train. My Max ("the real Max" as his friend from school likes to call him) reminded Ian (who is super into trains right now) that it is called the MAX train, NOT the Ian train. It was pretty funny. Here are Max and Jaide anxiously waiting for our train in the freezing cold!
While downtown, we shopped some super after Christmas sales and made our first ever trip to Voodoo doughnut. We waited in line close to an hour, but we've been told by many it's a Portland icon, so we were quite patient.

Here is the menu. Some super original doughnuts, not all of which were G-rated.

The Colorado clan eating their goods.

Molly with the M and M doughnut. I had a bite of most of our dozen, and this one rocked. A whole one would have put me in a sugar coma, but this doughnut would be totally worth it!

Here is the whole dozen. Such fun flavors!

Ian with his fruit loop doughnut. This one was good, but I preferred the Capt'n Crunch one.

Max with his Uncle Geoffy. They are good buddies, and were both worn out after our trip to town!

The whole 10 day visit was super fun, went too fast, and made me want to escape reality even more! It was so hard to go back to being the only one around to entertain my kiddos after they had such a fun time with their cousins and aunt and uncle. Come back soon guys! Do the Roar! (that is an inside joke).

Christmas Morn...

2011-01-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

Here are the kids on Christmas morning. They were pros by this time. Funny story. After all was said and done on Christmas Eve, and Jon and I had finally hit the sack, we heard a rustling at the top of the stairs. I jumped out of bed, panicked that someone was going to come down the stairs and see the goods. When I rounded the corner on the stairs, there were all the kids. Olivia had woke up and gotten them all out of bed, because she thought it was morning! I glanced at the clock and saw that it was midnight. So, I tried to gently break it to them all that it was still nighttime and that Santa had not yet come, so they had to go back to bed until it got light. Poor kids. They went back to sleep without a fight, though, and woke up around 6:30 for the real thing!

Olivia was just dying for this package of 50 puzzle erasers. She was thrilled that Santa remembered!

And, number two on her list: Beverly Hills Chihuahua. She is so funny!

Ian with his Buzz Lightyear gun. Max and him both got one!

Ian with his Choo-choo. He was so excited! He loves Thomas. And I love the train stage. I hope it lasts a LONG time.

Santa surprised Molly with a Madame Alexander doll. She LOVES it. All she asked for was a Princess Art set, which she got, but she couldn't believe that he brought her this cool doll that looks just like her. She has been loving it! The week after Christmas she found a canvas doll house for it with the money that she got for Christmas, so she is all set up!

And this, is my Iron Man.

So happy.

Ian with play dough from Grandma.

Max with his Lego airplane that he and Mom built. He is so amazing at Legos. I love his patience and am amazed at how he can figure out the picture instructions. He barely needs any help. His attention span is longer than mine already. Legos are both of our favorite toy.

We had a fun Christmas. We spent tons of family time together playing, watching fun movies on our new TV, and, let's not forget EATING. Every year I complain about how much work and stress this holiday is, but when it's all said and done, I just LOVE the time with my family on Christmas and the week after, and that is what gets me through it!

Christmas Eve traditions...

2011-01-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

Pretty standard fare at our house on Christmas Eve. We frosted and decorated some CRAZY cookies. Santa was one lucky duck this year, as the kids picked out their most embellished masterpieces for his eating enjoyment. Olivia is a confectionary artist. She made some doozies!

Jon is a good sport and likes this activity more than he lets on...

Here are the goods and the notes. They get more elaborate each year.

Big Daddy reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas." All of us looked on in amazement.

Drum roll. All of the kiddies bathed and in their Christmas jammies. Thank you Aunt Courtney for sending them our way and picking out such cute ones yet again! Aren't they absolute dolls?

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Or, as Ian would say, "ho, ho, ho."

To be continued....

We interrupt this holiday season....

2011-01-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I never blogged this. So, remember that huge tree limb that fell on our house last January? Well, the whole freakin' tree fell the first Saturday in December. It was terrifying. I had just returned from a run, and was gathering laundry to take downstairs. Everyone else was playing downstairs, except Max, who was in the car grabbing something. I walked out of my bedroom and BOOM! The whole house shook. It only took a second to realize what happened. I screamed. Everyone came running. And, when we went outside, this is what we found:

You can't tell how huge the tree is from the pictures, but it was a HUGE, old maple. It took a 40 foot crane to pull it off the roof. Yikes. The good news is that now it's down, and I don't have to worry about it squishing my house anymore. Other good news, my house is apparently built like a tank, and very little real damage was done. Our gutters are ripped off, the roof is damaged and some siding is ripped off. There is a leak in our basement ceiling from the missing siding. And, there is a huge mess that still needs to be cleaned up, but we are slowly working through it.

Really, now I am ready to talk about the holidays!

Pre-Christmas festivities...

2011-01-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

OK, I have to back up, before I can go forward, if that makes sense....

Early in December, Molly had a ballet recital. It was lovely, and she did a darling job. She is such a cute ballerina and we are so proud of her! She danced her little tutu off!

There they are, the whole, cute crew!

And, then, there was Max and Molly's school program. Aren't they adorable? They sang lots of fun songs and each had a little speaking part.
Max was a shepherd and his line was, "This is great news, what should we bring Him?" He did a great job with the delivery, and had it all memorized! This is Max, looking all shepherd-y.
And, Molly, an angel of course, said, "We will all rejoice at His birth." Of course, we had a little video-cam malfunction and missed the speaking parts all together, but they will forever be bright spots in our minds. They are both so cute and loving school so much. They are learning a ton and becoming little social butterflies. It's fun to see them grow up and become a little independent. At least, that is what I try to tell myself as I see them slipping out of my firm grasp!

Now, we can move onto the Christmas festivities!

The Nutcracker: Plan B

2010-12-23T15:27:00.000-08:00

For many reasons, our annual Nutcracker Ballet tradition at Keller Auditorium did not work out this year. I have been super bummed about it, because it is one of the few things I LOVE about this holiday season. Last week, while I was whining about not being able to go to my good buddy, she (of course) came up with a "glass half full" idea that was almost as good!

Here's what we did: We still had a girl's date to the Olive Garden for lunch. So yummy. We still got all dressed up in Christmas attire. We had Jonny take our picture as if we were on task:

Then, we came home, and made a very special "Nutcracker Tea." Complete with Sugar Plum herbal tea and lots of cookies, of course. Here are my darling girls getting ready to party!

Here is the tea. So yummy. It did not disappoint!

Then, we unwrapped a special guest who joined us at our tea party.

And, then we watched this version of The Nutcracker. I would like to write a lengthy review of this performance, because it was so B.I.Z.Z.A.R.E!!! First of all, there was no nutcracker, or lovely home with a big tree, or anything else that is in the "real" version. It took place in an orphanage for the first half, and then in a dream during the second, with lots of candy-type references and dancers licking each other. Oh dear. If you thought in metaphors, you could untangle it all, but my 5 and 10 year old are quite literal (as am I, for that matter), so it was very strange to say the least. On the bright side, the dancing was lovely and the costumes were fantastic (can you say flaming?), so we actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Apparently Michael Bourne also does Swan Lake, so that may be going into my que.
All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon, because, after all, I was with my two favorite gals, who had great attitudes, and we had a blast together. Nutcracker, CHECK! Now we are really ready for Christmas!

What to do?

2010-12-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

This is how I keep finding my oldest and youngest in the mornings. Not good. I have explained to Olivia in a zillion ways why it's not good for her to put him in bed with her, but she just can't resist him when he's crying her name and sad. He is very irresistible when he's sad. Every night I say, "Ian, you need to sleep in your own bed." He smiles and says, "No! Ya ya" (which translates to Olivia). What should I do??? I don't even hear him cry, she takes care of things that quickly. It's nice of her, really, but such a bad habit. Oh dear...

Happenings...

2010-12-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent happenings and thoughts as we get into this busy season. My mom took this darling picture of Max reading to Ian in his bed. Ian loves to get under Max's covers and look at books. It's darling and quite endearing. Ian loves anything Max loves, and when they get along, they are the best of friends!

Our first Sunday of Christmas clothes.

This is how I found the Nativity pieces when I returned from taking M and M to school Monday morning! How sweet is that? Max is so into this Nativity set this year. It's been a big hit!

Family self photo. I love how I look like an amazon woman and Max just looks sad.

The kids saw the real Santa at the Festival of Trees. They were so excited and no one cried in the picture, which I really appreciated!

So, we are getting ready for Christmas and trying to squeeze all of our favorite things in! We have already seen Santa twice, gone to our town's tree lighting, and been through the live nativity "Follow the Star," which was just amazing! I am trying to keep my head together and muster up some holiday spirit! Seeing my kids' excitement is pretty contagious, so I try to focus on that and all of the fun we have together during the holiday season, and not so much on the mile long to-do list that bogs me down. I hope your season is getting off to a jolly start!

My favorite holiday, but where are the pictures???

2010-11-30T21:15:00.001-08:00

I love Thanksgiving. It is hands down my favorite holiday. The sole purpose of it is to be grateful. To celebrate our bounty. To come together with loved ones. There are no gifts. No expectations of gifts. No disappointment over gifts. You get my drift. This year was a little melancholy without my Dad. Even though I have spent many Thanksgivings away from home, I have always talked on the phone with my dad, and I can remember many wonderful years with him, doing what we both loved to do.....eat. We missed him this year. We were very thankful to have my mom with us, though, and the kids loved loving her and having her here to play Legos, Sorry, and read them stories. We managed to keep it light and got through it with lots and lots of pie and plenty of tears. I am terribly bugged that I didn't take more photos. I am hoping my mom can fill in my gaps! We had a yummy meal and a pretty table. You'll have to take my word for it.

Molly with her turkey leg. Classy.

The 2nd annual "Thankful Tree" We all wrote what we are thankful for on paper leaves and hung them on the branches. It was heavy laden when we were done and there wasn't a leaf left to be written on. Even in times of great sadness, there are many rich blessings to count.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I count all of you as my richest blessings and pray that your life will be full of bounty and that you will recognize the richness in all that we have.

The FEAST

2010-11-30T20:55:00.000-08:00

Max and Molly had a feast at their preschool. They were the Indians and the Kindergarteners were Pilgrams. They sat "indian style" across from each other and ate a yummy mini-Thanksgiving. It was so darling. They made their vests, headdresses, and necklaces. They were so excited and so worried it would be snowed out (school was cancelled the day before). It was extra special that Grandma got to come watch!

With their darling friend Sam.

where would I be without....

2010-11-18T10:28:00.001-08:00

Really, where would I be without my mom? I think she is so great. I am very grateful for her love for my children. They all adore her and ask when we can go to Grandma's house next. I really lucked out in the mom department. She is kind, loving, affectionate, and always there to listen, give great advice and help me with whatever I need.

I am grateful for all that my mom taught me. She taught me to be kind. She taught me to always try to be a good friend. She taught me to look at the bright side of things. She is still teaching me all of these things!

I am grateful for my mom's strength and testimony of Jesus Christ. She really walks her walk. She has had the toughest 6 months I can imagine and she still manages to stay "up." It amazes me, and I know it's because she draws her strength from God. She is a shining example to me!

I am especially grateful at this time that my mom is coming to my house for Thanksgiving! We are all counting down the days to when she arrives and we get to have her all to ourselves and have her spoil us all!

We are all thankful for the BEST mom and grandma anyone could ever ask for! Hurry up and get here, Mom!

oh so grateful for...

2010-11-17T14:29:00.000-08:00

I am super grateful for Jonny. Seriously. 16 years of marriage and I would say we are better friends now than we have ever been. We have been through some pretty rough stuff, and although we show signs of wear and tear, we are truly happy, which I am trying not to take for granted. He loves me despite my moods, impatience, and lack of coping skills. I love him despite his.....hmmm, what are his flaws? I love this picture because this is how I see us, hand in hand, for many more years.

We keep looking at each other and asking ourselves, "really, four kids, whose idea was this anyway?" Be careful what you ask for, I guess!

I am grateful to have married a guy who doesn't expect perfection, but loves the bumpy journey. With me. I shake my head in wonder...

Littlest...

2010-11-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

Another heart melter. Ian is so easy to be grateful for. I am grateful that he made it to this earth, in spite of the doctors meager 5% odds. The things I love about Ian are too many to list, but here are a few:

He is just stinkin' cute. He has a cute smile. Cute, squishy cheeks. Darling dimples. Kind eyes. He has a cute run. His feet move very quickly, but he looks like he is going nowhere fast. He has darling, crazy curls. I love his long hair, and hate to depart with a snip of it!

Ian is super good natured. Such a blessing in a fourth child for a mom who is spread pretty thin. He is patient. He is easy going. He loves running errands and being in the car. He cries very little. He is happy doing anything. Really. Especially if he gets a little treat at the end. It has been such a blessing to have time with him alone while M and M are at preschool. We have so much fun together. He loves the one on one attention, and I love giving it to him.

He is kind to others. Mostly. He gives hugs quickly when he isn't. And, it's impossible to be mad at him. Ever.

He loves trains and airplanes. And we all love watching him play with them! He self entertains better than any of my previous kids at his age.

He is super cute with his siblings. They all love him. Olivia is his best buddy and caretaker. Molly is his helper. Max is his playmate as of late. He's everyone's buddy.

He loves his Mommy! This guy has been super attached to me from day one. Maybe it was the 13 months of breast feeding, but we have a great connection. I feel like I know him so well and can read what he wants, and maybe that's why he is so easy breezy. He is just a joy and makes me smile and laugh every day, which I consider a huge blessing when the weight of the world starts to descend!

Here are more cute pics from super talented Kristen!''

This is the award winner! Of course, he adores Daddy.

Dang it. I can't believe I made him! Good thing we are done, because they just don't get any better than him!

obviously...

2010-11-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

I know this could possibly look like just an excuse to show off all of our fun new pictures Kristen recently took of us, but they just capture my children so well, so I am not stopping!

Obviously, obviously, obviously I am grateful for Max. It is no secret how I feel about this boy. How I have always felt about him. He is super special to me. I have a very strong connection to him. He is my first son. The first boy who looked up at me, as a four pound infant, and just melted me. He has always had that ability. And, though I joke sometimes, no, I do not love him any more than my others, but he definitely has a little part of my heart that I never knew existed.

So, there are a million reasons to be grateful for Max. He is a good boy. He is sweet. He notices when people are sad and he helps them. When he is angry and I ask him not to yell, or hit, or take things away aggressively, he always comes back with, "well, what should I do?" Which I find so intelligent. He loves his little brother and they have recently started actually playing with one another, which is too darling for words. He looks up to his sisters. He likes them to protect him. He is the little brother, even to Molly. He loves to learn new things and is full of questions. He asks what a lot of words and phrases mean, like, "what does it mean when you say everyone except Olivia has to go to bed?" This is unique, because often when children hear something they don't know it just doesn't register, but he asks good questions, and figures things out, and then remembers them. He is smart. In a different way than his sisters. He loves to build things. He builds amazing things, with and without models, from Trio blocks and Legos that are symmetrical and useful, and artistic all at the same time. I am always amazed at what he creates and the focus he gives to creating it. He has gotten really into drawing lately, too, and draws very cool things with whole stories behind them. He tells me about the "scary bone guys" (skeletons) and what they are shooting at the boats (obviously from Pirates of the Caribbean in Disney). He drew this dog that was so happy and detailed and more impressively actually looked like a dog. I love seeing him sit for long stretches at the table creating things. He has an amazing mind.

I love that he doesn't say his "ls" yet. His sister is "Mowee", and he loves to build with "Wegos." He told me the other day how much he "wuvs" his friend, Eva. I know that will go away too soon, so for now I am grateful for it, because it means he is still a very little boy who I wish would never grow up.

Max is very unique, and that makes him special. I hope people see that in him, because sometimes he is shy. My dad got a big kick out of Max, and used to say, "that Max, he marches to the beat of his own drum, that's for sure." And he was right. He does. And I am grateful for that.

He loves, loves, loves his daddy.

And, really, is there anything cuter than my boys?

Second day of gratitude

2010-11-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

And then there is Molly.

Molly-heart.

Molls.

I am so grateful for my Molly for so many reasons! She is a funny girl. Really funny. She has a sense of humor. A real one, at a young age. I love it! She has wit. Sarcasm. Silliness. Physical comedy. All of it. She is totally entertaining. She loves to tease (sometimes that doesn't go over super well, but she means no harm). She likes to make us laugh. She has a great laugh herself, and often gets the giggles with Max or Olivia over their made up words that just dissolve them to the floor. She keeps us smiling and laughing and there is no greater gift!

She is also a great dancer and is so fun to watch. I am so grateful that she loves to dance and loves to watch others dance. The highlight of her year last year was going to the Nutcracker and she is already counting down the days until she goes this year. She loves her dance class and her dance teacher and all of her dance friends so much. She entertains us all of the time with her "shows" where she dances to whatever is on the ipod with serious intent, as if each step were choreographed just for us!

Molly is a smarty. I am grateful that she loves to read, and to learn. It brings me great relief! She loves books and loves to write notes and spell words and learn about anything new. Her joy of learning is inspirational and I am grateful that she has reminded me of that part of myself that has been on a shelf.

I am so grateful for Molly's ability to lead. She is the one in charge of her and Max, and he is OK with that. He always looks to Molly for guidance and approval, and she is quick to take his hand and protect him. I love that she is the "big sister" to him, even though she is only three minutes his elder!

I am grateful for Molly's loving and forgiving heart. She teaches me so much each day and she is a perfect second child and second daughter.

*photos, of course, by Kristen*

Gratitude...

2010-11-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

Today I have felt grumpy and blue. Could be the rain. Could be Monday. Could be the wicked stomach virus that attacked me this weekend. Excuses, excuses! So, I decided that I need to start some "gratitude posts" (original, right?) to get my month on the right track and refocus my thoughts. Since my children pop into my mind right away when I think of what I am grateful for, I will start with them. From the top!

I am super grateful for Olivia. She is the greatest OLDEST child. She is super responsible. She is always willing to help. She takes great pride in her "jobs" and does them with such attention to detail. She loves her baby brother, Ian, and is always watching out for him, playing with him, offering to get him dressed, and sometimes sneaking him out of his bed at night when he is sad to snuggle him (and sometimes he is still there in the morning when I wake them up!). She loves to be a part of any project and is always willing to try new things. She is a great listener and tries to get things right each time she attempts them. She loves school and learning new things. She loves to do projects, write stories, and draw. She also loves to write notes to people. I get to be on the receiving end of lots of her notes, which I really enjoy. She recently wrote a letter to the tooth fairy inquiring about her life and hobbies. So cute. She is such a believing, innocent girl, which I am so grateful for. She has a simple ability to trust, and it is a great strength.

As daughters and mothers go, we have our struggles, but Olivia teaches me every day a little about patience. I appreciate that about her. She is always quick to apologize to me and quick to accept my apologies!

Olivia is super affectionate, too. Which is so sweet. I hope that she never gets "too old" to hug and kiss her mom and dad and siblings.

Olivia has lots of enthusiasm for the sports she plays, which is what makes her so fun to watch. She doesn't compare herself to the rest of the crowd, yet, which is such a great thing, because it helps her to enjoy every game. I am grateful for being able to sit on the sidelines and cheer for her and hope she always enjoys sports and being active.

Olivia is such a blessing in our family, and we are grateful every day that we are lucky enough to have her!

*photo by Kristen*

Ian's birthday!

2010-11-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

My baby celebrated his 2nd birthday yesterday with a Mickey Mouse celebration. He wanted a Mickey cake, so here it is. He absolutely LOVED it!

He LOVED opening presents this year and got some cute stuff from some sweet friends!

Once he got over being really shy about being sung to, he finally blew out his candles like a pro!

With his sweet cousin, Abby!

On his new car!

Rip it!

A Mickey pancake for brunch!

Cute card from big sis!

Cheesy, cheesy, cheesy to say (appropriate that I should be cheesy about a Mickey bday) but really, why does he have to grow up? I just love this guy, and need him to stay tiny forever. He is my little buddy all day and loves to snuggle his mom. Somehow I don't think this will always be the case. Ian is such a sweet boy and has made our family complete. We love every day with him and just know he will grow into a darling little boy this year before our very eyes (whether we like it or not!). Happy Birthday, Ian boy!!!

Halloween!

2010-11-01T13:40:00.001-07:00

So, Halloween was busy this year! We had Olivia's school fall carnival, a costume birthday party, the ward carnival/trunk or treat, and a friend costume party for Olivia. There were lots of dress-up opportunities and non-stop fun and candy! Here is Olivia in her bat costume that Jon and I painstakingly made (it took us at least 3 hours in which we disassembled an umbrella and created a very life-like bat, if I do say so myself).

Our ward did a Fall Carnival/Trunk or Treat Saturday night. We had fun dressing up and doing games. Max and Molly both won on the Cake Walk! Love this cupcake!

Games! They are shooting bears. Max loves anything with shooting.

My little Mickey.

Here is my crew before trick or treating.

Here is Ian, 5 houses into the night! (crashed on Abby's shoulder)

I'm glad this nun took time off to pass out yummy treats to my Batman and my Witch.

Super fun Halloween season. It was just the right amount of spooky and fun, and the candy, well, it's endless. Any tips on how to get rid of it without any tantrums?

2010-11-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

A few more pumpkin patch pictures. Max had the best time hunting for the perfect pumpkin. The rule is that you have to be able to carry it if you pick it out. That saves Mom and Dad's arms and wallet!

This is the "Jack o Lantern train." It was the hit of the season! It takes you around the farm and then drops you off at the huge hay pyramid/maze. You can stay out there as long as you want, then you catch the train back. Such fun. And, of course, they had farm animals out there to pet! My kids could not get enough of the animals this year!

Pumpkin carving. Mom prefers the potato head pieces, but Olivia insists. And, Jon and her love to roast the seeds for a salty snack!

Ian helped clean his guts out. Yuck! He loved it, of course!

And, just for bragging sake, here is the applesauce I canned. I learned a lot this year, doing this alone. For example, I learned that I never want to do it alone again! However, this is the yummiest applesauce that I have ever tasted, so it was worth it. Even if it will be gone by Thanksgiving!

We hope your autumn has been as lovely as ours!

Fall fun

2010-11-01T13:20:00.001-07:00

Fall wouldn't be fall without lots of trips to farms and pumpkin patches. We love it! We look forward to it! And, we had some great sunny days that we took advantage of by visiting some new spots! Here is Molly in front of a straw pyramid that had a maze inside! It was a super fun Monday night outing (the face paint was her own doing...)

After carefully choosing their pumpkins, Max and Molly decorated them with their potato head pieces. This is something they LOVE doing every year! This year they hardly needed any help!

The tractor we rode at the apple farm! Such a blast! We went in a giant apple inflatable bounce house, ate huge carmel apples, got our faces painted, and pet lots of farm animals!

On the tractor. This farm was seriously beautiful. It made me want to be an apple farmer when I grow up!

Which one weighs more?

Hip, hip, hooray for fall!

Jonny's marathon...

2010-10-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

Jon ran his first marathon (Umatilla) this past Saturday with his friend, Taylor. They both did GREAT! He has been training all summer for this, and completed it with a great time and energy to spare! I am extremely proud of Jon and how hard he has worked to get in shape for the several events he has completed this year. He is in the best shape of his life. Looks awesome. Feels much younger than his years. I am so grateful that he cares about his health and wants to keep up with his much younger wife and four busy kids! He inspires me.

There was a man who ran this marathon that was 80 years old and has completed 193 marathons. He ran his first at age 48. He has run a marathon in each of the fifty states and is now going through the alphabet and running one that begins with each letter. He needed a "U" and ended up in Umatilla, of all places. When Jon told me about him, it made me smile. It's never too late to get in shape! You are never too old to discover a passion! And, there are very few "cant's" in this life! It made me want me to follow my heart a little bit more!

I wish I had pictures to share....next time, for sure. And, oh yes, there will be a next time! Keep on running, Jonny (and biking, and swimming...)!

jean obsession...

2010-10-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

So, I am going to make an admission. For the past, um, let's say five years, minus pregnancy months, I have been on a denim hunt. I have tried on every (no exaggeration) pair of jeans in Nordstrom at least twice. From the most premium to the Brass Plum bargains. I am constantly looking at womens' butts, to determine what jean they are wearing and if I like it or could pull it off. I regularly check denim blogs, new arrivals, half yearly and anniversary sales, etc., to see if there is something I've missed. Here's the bottom line (pun intended):

I have a weird body. I am not looking for approval here. It's just a fact. The distance from my belly button to my you know what is like a mile. The jean trend has been ultra low, which didn't even cover my you know what. The rises have gotten a little higher in the last year, but not quite high enough to cover my booty. The discouraging part is that these premium jeans look so fabulous on everyone I see, even those with less than perfect bodies, that I have convinced myself that there must be a pair out there for me and I have obsessed over it. I talked myself into believing that I needed to spend $150 or more to get a great pair of jeans. I saved my money so that I could do it. I thought I had found the pair, but when I went back to retry them I realized that they just weren't right. Too tight in my thighs (which are substantial thanks to running, but I like them), too many creases in the booty. If I try the next size up, they are saggy in the fanny.

I mean, seriously, why can't I look like this in Seven for All Mankind (serious crack and muffin top):

or pull this off in Paige (don't they look higher? Not on me):
or these, they showed real promise, I had several people tell me that they look good on everybody (if that's not a blow to one's self esteem):
I guess it's just not meant to be (sigh). So, once again, I wandered into The Gap, my old stand- by, and ended up buying these (Long and Lean):
and these, Curvy, (because they were having a sale: 40% off all denim and I got two pairs for half of what I would have paid for the premium pair):
The bad news is that I am just not "premium jeans" material. The good news is that I just saved enough to buy a new pair of shoes, and that is a purchase that never makes me feel crappy about my body.

How about ya'll? What are your favorite jeans and why? Does anyone else feel my pain?

beaches...

2010-10-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

We spent two days at the beach on our California Adventure. Saturday, we went to Huntington Beach and enjoyed the sea shells and the pier with ice cream from Ruby's. Sunday, we hit Laguna Beach, and loved the big waves and soft sand. We saw seals and dolphins. We had 83 degree weather and stocked up on vitamin D...it looks like we will be needing it as we head into another Oregon winter.

Jon buried all of the kids. They loved it! This is always a hit! And, the sand they get in their crevices is super.

Dollar tree in California had no beach buckets and shovels, so we got cauldrons, jack o' lantern buckets, and kitchen spoons. The kids had fun sifting out shells and digging with nice steel spoons! I am sure we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies. Especially at Laguna Beach!

He loves to jump into his little piles!

Beach pedi, anyone?

Fabulous beach weather. In October. It does NOT get better than that! Oh, how we mourn for you, Cali! We hope to return soon!

The happiest place on earth!

2010-10-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

Our Disneyland trip was amazing. Really, really magical. It's was like a breath of fresh air after a lot of stress, sadness, and chaos. It was exactly what we were missing, needing, and I think, deserving! We only went for two days, so we opened and closed the park! The kids were troopers! The lines were short and the weather was 72 degrees! The stars aligned and we all had a wonderful time playing together and remembering what life is all about! Here are a few pictures, although I took a million, none of which I am in. Oh well. The memories are burned in my mind forever! Here is Ian on King Triton's Carousel riding a fishy! Ian had the most fun of us all, I think. He was so excited over every single thing and character, and had a hug for each and every one. He wasn't scared of anything! He was devastated when they wouldn't let him go on Goofy's Go-Coaster over a measly quarter inch! He made us all giddy!

Chip and Dale!

We waited an hour to see the princesses, but Molly assures me that the line "wasn't long at all!" We saw Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Jasmine.

Hands down Ian's new favorite. He loves Mickey. He didn't even know who he was until we went, and he loved visiting his house, giving him a big hug, a huge kiss, and a high five. It is priceless to see Ian recount this experience with actions and spot on facial expressions!

Halloween at Disneyland. The verdict is: scary! Space Mountain is super scary with very eerie ghosts, and lots of the rides have surprises that my scaredy cats did not appreciate at all. Of course, we made them do every ride, because let's face it, Disneyland is not cheap, and we needed to get our money's worth! This meant that Max's head was buried in my lap on most rides, but c'est la vie...

What else is there to say? I am a convert! Disneyland truly is the happiest place on earth!

the grand finale...

2010-09-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

For Olivia's party, she chose the theme, "Alice in Wonderland." She is obsessed with the new Tim Burton movie! She invited 8 friends, all of whom came, and it was a super fun night!

Here is the invitation:

Everyone had to drink one of these little sugary/waxy drinks and enter through the rabbit hole!

Yep, there's the rabbit hole. Oh, how I wish I had video of the girls going through it!

We made "Mad Hatter" hats. These girls were so creative and FUN with their hats. I was super impressed at their detail and style! They did such fun, unique hats and loved decorating them.

Then, we had dinner (pizza, of course). And, then we had a tea party with lemonade and these little mini-cupcakes and ice cream. Every girl had a unique tea cup and saucer (thank you Deseret Industries). The girls got so into their little tea time.

tea party!

Pin the tail on the Cheshire Cat (aren't we original?) Same friend drew this AWESOME cat!

All the girls in their Mad Hatter Hats.

Great party! I still can't believe my baby is ten! She is such a darling, happy, giggly, sweet girl!

Max and Molly go to school!

2010-09-20T15:57:00.001-07:00

Max and Molly started preschool last week at a fun school just up the street for us. It is a Christian preschool and they teach a fun phonics based program while incorporating fun Bible stories. The teachers and staff have all been there 20+ years and just love the children. We couldn't be more thrilled to have Max and Molly involved in such a great environment! Here is Max outside the door on his first day!

And, Molly, too!

Cute Molly in her class!

Here she is doing an activity with teacher Becky.

Max is in the class next door. I opted to separate them so they could each have their own experience. They each have a friend in their class from church, so it wasn't all strange faces that first day. Max is putting together a puzzle with his friend, Sam.

We can't wait to hear the adventures they have in their new school. We are already overflowing with artwork and Molly is singing Bible songs like she's in the choir! Also, Ian and I are enjoying our Mommy/kid dates three mornings each week! It will be a great time for us to have some one on one time!

to the Batmobile.........let's go!

2010-09-20T15:29:00.001-07:00

The long awaited Batman party finally arrived. Max could barely stand the anticipation. Next time, he gets his first! He was so excited to have his own party, with his own boy friends! He was so excited about who he was inviting and had a cute reason why he wanted each friend there! Love it! For the favor, some friends and I made some cute batman capes! They turned out so cute, and I really am so thankful for my great friends, once again, bailing me out on another one of my hair-brained schemes! Each boy got a batman cape and face paint (if they wished) when they arrived:

I just had to show this AWESOME beanbag toss our friend drew for us. He is so amazing and went above and beyond helping us out on this.

The boys loved throwing bean bags at Batman and Robin!

Little Bat-boy joined the festivities.

Same friend drew this awesome Batman for "pin the bat on the Batman." So GREAT!

Here is Bat-Max pinning the bat on Batman! So close!

Here are all the attendees in their capes!

Cupcakes!

FIVE candles!

We also made fun bat planes and flew them. The boys were really into that! I learned how different a group of boys is than a group of girls. I bagged the last few games at the end just to let them play, because their attention span is just a wee bit short (the girls could have done crafts for the entire two hours!). They had so much energy and were just so much FUN. Max loved his special party and got lots of great gifts.

A great party for a wonderful boy!

Ready, set, kick!

2010-09-12T22:21:00.000-07:00

Let the games begin!

Molly's party

2010-09-12T22:10:00.001-07:00

Thank you, dear Molly, for choosing butterflies as your theme this year for your party! It made Mommy's job so easy and FUN! Here is the cupcake cake I made (idea stolen directly from Kim, I have no originality) and it turned out FUN!

Here are the darling little butterflies enjoying said cake!

Molly got this excited about EVERY gift. I just love how much she enjoys life!

Pinata+9 girls=near death experience and LOTS of candy!

Pin the antennas on the butterfly!

Here are some of the little butterflies. We took this before the last four arrived, and then I forgot to take another! Oh dear! Aren't they all so darling in their wings???

We also did a butterfly walk with lots of fun prizes, made antenna headbands, and did a cute watercolor butterfly craft using a coffee filter. The girls were all so fun and energetic! They giggled non-stop! It was a great time, and Molly was in h.e.a.v.e.n!!! Happy 5th birthday dear little Molly-heart! Now, promptly stop growing up!!!

Birthday Craziness

2010-09-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

It is that time again, folks, where I overwhelm my blog with birthday photos from the crazy September 9th whirlwind! Here is a quick look at our fabulous day with more birthday party updates to come later!

We began the day with French Toast with pears and whipped cream. Olivia and Molly's choice, because Max doesn't care about food other than for the purpose of keeping him alive and fueling him to build another masterpiece. Then, we opened a few gifts. They got cute birthday outfits, but here they each are with their favorite gift from Mom and Dad:

Olivia-Alice in Wonderland DS game.

Max- The Batcave Trio Blocks. Can you tell he's excited. You should have seen the look on my face when I built it with him for the third time. He sure loves to take it apart.

Molly-a tea set you paint yourself and then bake it in the oven. She got this for a friend once and hasn't stopped talking about it. She has painted it several times, each time adding detail for extra beauty. When she gets it just right, we will bake it and then have a killer tea party!

Olivia headed to school and Max and Molly got to go to their preschool open house to meet their teachers. They are super excited to start this week! Then, we did McDonald's with some friends and Dad took lunch to Olivia and ate with her at her school! For dinner, the kids (again, Olivia and Molly) decided on The Olive Garden for dinner. It was YUMMY and we were so lucky to have Abby with us for the evening!

Then, it was home for cake and ice cream and, YES, more presents!

Max blowing candles:

Molly!

And, cute Olivia!

It was a super day for all. While I was driving Olivia to school I asked her what she thought about sharing her birthday with Max and Molly and she just smiled and laughed and said, "I think it's kinda fun!" That was music to my ears. I hope all of my kiddos had a really happy day and felt as special as they each are!

Fourth Grade...

2010-09-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

OK, seriously. Fourth Grade! What happened? Wasn't I just blogging about kindergarten? UGH! She is so excited to be back to school, with the most favorite teacher she has ever had! Her school does 3/4 blends, so she is an upperclassman this year, you could say. The great thing about that, is there is very little transition, because she knows the ropes of this class and teacher so well. We are hoping for an awesome year this year! Isn't she adorable???

First day in her new class!

Reunited with a friend hanging up jackets and backpacks.

Here's to fourth grade! Go and get 'em Olivia!

Last Day at the Lake...

2010-09-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

We spent our last summer Saturday at our favorite spot, the lake swim park. We took Grandma Maxine, Lesa, and Gabby with us. The kids had a blast soaking up the last bit of summer sun in the most picturesque setting.

The boys stayed in the kiddie pool!

Olivia and Gabby braved the cold lake!

Molly got about this far into the lake before decided it was too cold for her!

Goodbye, dear swim park. Goodbye dear summer. Oh how we miss you already!

I am a winner!

2010-09-03T15:53:00.001-07:00

So, I totally won. I am a winner. And, my photographer is also a winner, and she can come listen to my awesome sound system any time she wants. Now, I need a stereo to hook my awesome speakers up to. And a new TV. Oh dear, it's like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. One thing leads to another, then another, and so on...

However, since I've never won anything this is super awesome news! Check out my prize here!

Final stop, Shirl and Glenn's

2010-08-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to stay with Glenn and Shirline this trip, and it was so nice! Glenn got a big, new tractor with a BIG wagon and took us all for a hayride all around the neighborhood and church parking lot. Those neighbors were turning green with envy.

And, then he got out his "little" tractor and took the boys for another spin! They can't get enough!

Swinging in the backyard with Dad and Parker

A mean game of Yatzee.

The kids discovered two new loves. Babybel cheese and Nutella. Sorry we ate you out of it, Shirl!

We love going to Shirl and Glenn's. They treat us so nice and take really good care of us.

Hiking in Utah

2010-08-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

We took a fun hike in one of the Cottonwood Canyons. Gorgeous. This is what I miss about Utah. It was a beautiful day for a hike and the kids totally loved it. Any time we can throw rocks in the river, they are in heaven. Why do we try to do anything more fancy than that?

fun at Grandma's...

2010-08-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

We made a two week trip to Utah to visit family and friends. We played in the water a lot! It was so hot there! We went to Seven Peaks water park, of course, I was too busy chasing 4 kids with no husband to take photos, but we had a blast. We played at the pool with friends, and ran through these fun sprinklers at a park near Grandma's house.

I guess there are no shortage of pics of him...

Asa just tolerates my kids so well! And they LOVE her! It gives us our dog fix for a while!

Grandma's bath tub!

My dad's grave. His headstone was just installed while I was there. It looked nice. Still, not getting easier.

Thanks for a great time, Utah. We will be back, of course. And all of you there, feel free to visit us sometime!

camping with friends...

2010-08-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

So, I am bugged we aren't doing more camping. I think it's the loads of work involved before and after that keep us from going out more, but we did do one fun camp-out with some fun friends, and it was a blast!

Here is Max with his lego-guy head lamp!

Double roasting twins

really freaking adorable youngest

Serious roasters

The kids had the time of their lives. We are definitely going to go again. Hopefully before fall arrives. Anyone want to come???

summer catch up!

2010-08-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

So, this summer has gone really fast, we haven't done nearly enough, but we have had lots of lazy days, playing in the sand, picking and eating berries, and soaking up the few rays we have been lucky enough to get! I haven't taken enough pictures, as usual, but we have made some wonderful memories and had another summer to remember!

Ian is really too much!

Lots of sandbox. They never tire of it! All of them are in there so much!

Berry picking

Nice job, Molly. Almost picked as many as you ate!

We love this farm! And we picked a lovely, cool morning to go!

here today, gone tomorrow

2010-08-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

After many years of deliberation, we decided it was time to nix the ginormous tennis balls Olivia had crowding her throat, causing her a nasaly voice and sore throat after sore throat (resulting in too many missed days of school at home driving mom nutty). She did great. She was very happy about the fun and attention beforehand!

She was all smiles as they rolled her off.

I wish I could say she looked as happy in recovery. But, many, many, many popsicles later, she is already improving and looking forward to a sore-throat free future! We are very proud of our brave little patient!

I couldn't love him more...

2010-07-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

First of all, I feel like I need to repent, apologize, etc. for all of my prior whining, complaining years of pity parties for me and the lack of husband participation in holidays. Jon made up for it this year in a big way by planning the most awesome "golden" anniversary surprise date for us (golden=16th anniversary on the 16th!). I was so glad that, for once, I took my camera along and chronicled this great night. I just have to say, this was a much needed night for us, and for me, after the rough several months we've had. It was rejuvenating, to say the least.

The night started out with Jon bringing me the most beautiful flowers. Knowing how much I really long for anything tropical, he hit the nail right on the head with these (along with the sweetest card, which is a big deal from Jonny!):

Then, after dropping the kids off at sitter #1, he took me on a canoe ride on the Tualatin River. So much fun! It was beautiful! The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze. We rowed, rowed, rowed our boat, gently down the stream until we found a nice shady spot to pull over and my darling husband pulled out the yummiest spread of appetizers and goodies!
California rolls, pita chips and artichoke dip, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, dark chocolate, and sparkling lemonade. So yummy. So perfect.
Here we are after our trip (and before we had to haul that heavy thing up a steep ramp back to the rental place, which is why we look so relaxed...) By the way, aren't my anchor shorts so appropriate? I must be psychic, because I didn't have a clue we were going on a boat!
So, I am missing a picture of the next part of our funnest date ever. We got changed into nicer clothes (I love a date that includes a wardrobe change!) and Jonny took me to the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. It is so nice of Nordstrom to have a sale every year to celebrate our anniversary.

Then, we headed downtown where Jon had dinner reservations for us at 8:30 at a restaurant called Departure. It's on the 15th floor of an old building with open decks on two sides and fabulous views of Mt. Hood and St. Helens. And, it was such a gorgeous night, you could see the whole city, right at dusk. Amazing.

Here we are out on the patio. We actually ended up sitting inside, because it was a bit nippy, but there are windows all around the restaurant, so the view is still unbeatable. We ate the yummiest food, which Jon forbade me to take pictures of...but it was gorgeous and delicious!

Then, to top off our date, we went to Moonstruck and got a chocolate milkshake. Here I am with my "Smores" delight. So yummy.

Then, we headed home, and I took babysitter #2 home (we had to get creative in our child care). I could leave out the part where Jon said I had plenty of gas to take her home even though our gas light was on, and then when I pulled into her driveway I ran out of gas and her mom had to take me home, but then you would miss the funny note our date ended on, which is a metaphor for our whole lives and marriage in general. Tons of fun with lots of unavoidable bumps in the road that I would never want to navigate without Jon by my side. As hard as this time in my life is, he is my constant, and he adores me, and he never misses a chance to tell me that in his own quirky, perfect way.

I love you, Jonny. Here's to 16 more!

Father's Day thoughts...

2010-06-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is traditionally a day to make known to our Dad's how much we love them and appreciate them. I find myself melancholy today because I don't get that opportunity. I keep thinking of the things I miss about my dad. The things I don't want to forget. The things I wish I would have said to him, or done with him. The fact that him being gone is unbearable and so unfair. The way I feel cheated not to have my dad with me today and to not be able to pick up the phone and call him. The list of things I miss keeps rolling through my mind. Here are some of the big ones:

1. His voice. The sound of his voice, simple as that may seem. My mom's answering machine still has that voice, and sometimes I call just to hear it. Sometimes I try to hang up before I hear it. He had such a deep, warm voice. I loved to hear him sing. George Strait. Johnny Cash. Gospel music. I miss the way he would ask me, "how's my gal?" and the way he would whisper to me how proud he was of me every time we parted. I miss hearing him laugh and talk and read to my kids. I miss the noise he'd make when he kissed them and hugged them.

2. His presence in a room. He filled up a room, not just because of his size, but because of his aura and who he was. He could be quietly sitting in his chair, but you knew he was there.

3. His eyes. They were so warm. They literally had a twinkle at times...

4. His smile. Hands down, my favorite feature. That crooked smile when he was amused.

5. His laugh and sense of humor. Sometimes his wittiness went right over my head, and I would only laugh at it days later. The biggest compliment to me is when Jon tells me, "you are witty like your dad." I hope so.

6. His love of animals. This ran so deep in my dad. From his horses to his dogs, he knew his animals and loved them and took such great care of them.

7. His love of my mother. I can't say much more without choking up, but my goodness, that man loved his wife. He went to hell and back for that woman. And we all know that she is worth it.

8. His love of his grandkids. They were a beacon of light in his life, especially when he got sick. He knew each one of them.

9. His honesty. He was the most honest person I have ever known. He never lied. Ever. And, he detested lying in others. He lived a life true to who he was.

10. The thing I miss the absolute most about my dad are his big, bear hugs. He gave a little piece of his heart in each one of them. I would give anything for one of those on this Father's Day.

Here are some pictures I love. Do you see what I mean by that smile? So great.

Eskimo kisses. Oh, and I forgot to mention how much I miss that silver hair, that tanned complexion, and those huge hands with the one crooked, pointy finger.

I miss you, Dad. Today and every day.

jon is awesome!

2010-06-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Even though I have no pictures to prove it, I wanted to give a HUGE shout out to my awesome husband who completed his first Half-Ironman this past weekend in Boise, Idaho. For those of you who aren't familiar with this type of race, here is the deal:

Swim 1.2 miles in open water

Bike 56 miles

Run 13.1 (half-marathon)

Amazing! Jon has been training for over a year, and for those of you who know him, you know that that means he has been extremely dedicated. He injured his back early this spring, and that set him back quite a bit, especially in the running department. But, he persevered. He didn't give up, as I surely would have with his injury list!

Then, last week, he got a yucky stomach virus accompanied by a horrible headache. And this is my boy who rarely gets sick! Poor guy even threw up for the first time since I've known him.

So, not great conditions, not ideal circumstances, but he had a great attitude and did it! And, he did pretty well with a 7 hour and 15 minute finish!

Way to go, Jonny, we are so proud of you!!! (unfortunately what he proposed as a "one time thing" has now become an obsession of sorts, so I am sure this is not the last event of this type).