Five Reeds in a Blog

Christmas in Tahoe

2012-01-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

I realize Christmas was almost 3 weeks ago, but it would be a sin not to blog about it, so here goes.

This year we spent Christmas up at my grandparents cabin in Northstar at Tahoe. We always go up just before or after Christmas, but this year we spent the actual holiday there and it was WONDERFUL...aside from the fact that we did not have snow. Sad. So much for a white Christmas. And, about half of the family caught a nasty flu bug...wouldn't be an official family get-together without a little sickness I guess. (Darn it.)

Sharee, I bet you are loving me for posting this picture of you...especially as my first picture. You are adorable, and it's the only picture I got that shows the adorable V-day runner we all made! Mom had a genius idea to have us all make matching runners and introduce the rest of the girls to free-motion quilting. I think we have some new addicts! :)

Doesn't Sharee's look fabulous? All my sisters are naturals, but if I had to give an award out for the one who can quilt at super-sonic speeds, it would be Jewel. Those little fingers can whip out some serious stippling! :)
Jewel and Mel.

Like I said, we spent Christmas up there and my amazing parents brought a tree all the way up there, cuz, let's face it, it just wouldn't feel the same without a tree! The kids worked hard one afternoon painting, gluing, and folding to create ornaments for the tree.

Here it is. All decorated and all with homemade ornaments. It turned out SO CUTE. I may never buy an ornament again!

We also celebrated Brandon's 29th birthday up there. (Oh my goodness! I just realized I didn't do a birthday post for him! I am a terrible wife. SORRY HONEY!) Natalie made these cream filled cupcakes and let Jemma help her decorate them. They were DeLiSh!

Brandon prepping to blow his candles out.

Christmas Eve was a busy night. After celebrating Brandon's birthday, the kids put on the Nativity for us. Jemma was Mary this year (boy was she excited about that) and Carter was a donkey. Aren't all those costumes cute? A lady in our ward let us borrow it all and bring it up here. It made me want to start making my own stash of Nativity costumes. It's goin' on the list. ;)

(Jemma in her hiding place and Carter and Hayden in theirs.)

After the nativity, the kids built their forts to hide from Santa.

For those of you who don't know, one of our family traditions is to hide from and watch Santa deliver our presents on Christmas morning. He always tells us in a letter the approximate time he'll be arriving and reminds us to be sound asleep in our beds. So, we set our alarm clocks for 15 min. before he arrives so we can quickly climb into our hiding places and spy on him when he arrives. For some reason, he always uses our front door, and he always falls asleep on the couch for a few minutes, but never has he caught us. I've been doing it for 28 Christmas' now, and he's yet to find us out. ;)

Christmas morning:

Poor Jemma threw up about 20 minutes before Santa arrived, but somehow we had her bathed and clean before he came through the door. She hid with her daddy at the top of the stairs instead of behind her stack of presents so they would have quick access to the bathroom.

Carter with his new playmobile police helicopter. (Thanks Kristina for introducing those to me...my kids are HOOKED.)

Our family had my sister Jewel's family this year for Christmas and I made my first quilt to give away. I know, that's pathetic that it's taken me so long to give one away, but those babies are a lot of work, and I seem to always need more blankets. ;) This is the best picture I got of it that morning. So, you can go here to see a better picture of it. (This is a blog my long distance friends and I use so we can still see each others projects.)

We gave Mom and Dad the start of a Mission Fund this year. Mom & Dad cried. Not our intent, but a good sign they liked it.

All the brothers-in-law got together this year and planned a gift for all their wives; a trip to Vegas to see Celine Dion in concert!!! We were freaking out! They were so creative and gave us a letter bank and hangman blanks to figure out what the gift was. Probably the funnest way I have EVER figured out what my gift was. Thanks again guys! And, ladies, I can't wait to see you all January 21st on the Strip. :)

Gavin slept through most of the early morning festivities. (There was NO WAY we were getting him up to watch Santa. He would have scared him away for sure!) But he sure enjoyed opening his gifts. :)

After church, we attempted to take a picture of the whole family. This top one is about the best we could get, of us being serious that is.

My personal favorite is this close up shot of Mom & Dad though. :)

What a wonderful Christmas we had! It was so fun to be all together up there. I have to admit, when everyone went back home, I was a little depressed for a day or two...things were just too quiet.

Love & miss you guys!

Christmas Picture (attempt)

2012-01-06T21:35:00.000-08:00

A few days before Christmas (and before our tree turned completely brown) I tried to get some pictures of the kids in front of the tree...had I been successful, there would only be 4 pictures on this post. (One for each child, and a group shot.) Gavin, however, was less than cooperative, so there are 6 pictures - and not one of them has all three children. Whatever.

It took .5 seconds to get a good smile from Jemma...

a minute (that may have included bribery) for Carter...see that hand? It's itching for the m&m's I promised him...

...silly boys....

...Gavin was originally sitting on Jemma's lap here...

...and when it was all said and done, this little guy still did not give me a real smile...just his, "I've got you in the palm of my little hand," look.

What a little stinker.

Home School Swap

2012-01-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

A few months back I had had a particularly challenging week of homeschooling and was at my wits end. Poor Jemma was discouraged - and I really couldn't blame her. She was missing her slew of Oregon friends and was, frankly, tired of playing/putting up with little brothers and sick of me sitting her down to do school. Enough said, it was then that I felt prompted to call my amazing big sister, Sharee and ask her if she would be interested in doing a home school swap. She is homeschooling her 2nd grade daughter, Daphne, this year and Jemma ADORES her. She agreed to it and our girls were SUPER excited about it. :)

Daphne spent December 12th-19th with our family and we LOVED having her.
I am ashamed to say that of the 6 Christmas crafts I had planned, we only got around to 3 - and I only took pictures of 2 of them. Lame. (In my defense, we did the other 3 up at the cabin later over Christmas with ALL the nieces and nephews.)
Here they are painting little Christmas house ornaments - here's the tutorial for making the houses out of cereal/jello/cracker boxes. Again, I'm a loser and forgot to take pictures of the finished houses. They were ADORABLE. Daphne is an especially good painter.

We also did borax crystal snowflakes. SO COOL! I am going to make these every year! Tutorial here. (You'll have to scroll down a ways to see it.)

We also went to see the new Muppet Movie - very cute - read LOTS of Christmas books, fed the ducks (and were almost eaten by the aggressive and ginormous geese!), played at Nona's house and played lots of games while the girls weren't playing dress-up, barbies, polly-pockets, princesses or make-believe.

Yes, there was a bit of home sickness, but I think that should be expected from someone comin' from a family as fun and fantastic and Daphne's. :)

Daphne was also a good sport and participated in our ward Nativity as a "shepherdess" ;) with Jemma, also a shepherdess, and Carter, the donkey.

We loved having you Daph!

So, like I said, this was/is a swap, so that means, Jemma is in New Mexico right now soakin' in the Gariety Family until next Monday night when she flies home SOLO to Cali. I'll be nervous about that until she walks off that plane.

My first goal for this swap was for Jemma to have an opportunity to strengthen her relationship with her cousin Daphne. We've bounced around a lot in her short life, and she's had to say goodbye to a lot of friends. Daphne, however, is family and there's always a reunion or something around the corner. :)

My second goal was for Jemma to see how other families function - my sister Sharee and her husband, Arthur are raising a stellar family, so hopefully they don't put us to shame. ;) I think one of the greatest blessings of home school is that you can teach outside the box - Jem is basically on an extended Social Studies field trip. :)

Thanks Sharee for letting us have Daphne as part of our family for a week and for taking such great care of Jemma!

Jemma's birthday

2012-01-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Jemma's birthday at home. With all the relatives we have close by, we decided to make it a "family only" party. This was probably the most people any of us have ever had come to a birthday party and miss Jemma ended up with a crazy number of presents. I am pleased to report, however, that she did not get spoiled and was quick to share all of her new stuff. :)

I have to admit, having so much family around cut my work in half. Brandon's Grandma Jean supplied all the balloons and she and Brandon's Aunt Jill made an adorable birthday banner they hung infront of the house. (I'm kicking myself because I forgot to get a picture of it before Brandon took it down.) My mom decorated Jemma's cake and she and my sister, Jewel, made all the cupcakes. Thanks guys! You're the best.

The birthday girl right before the guests arrived.
The set-up.

Blowin' out the candles. She got to do it twice cuz the first time I didn't have the camera ready.

Opening presents - her cousin, Daphne (visiting from Albuquerque, New Mexico) helped her read her cards. Aren't they cute with their matching hair? :)

It sure was a fun night. Thanks to all the of the loving family that came by to help us celebrate this gem of a girl! :)

Temple Trip

2012-01-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

I realize I should have blogged about this back in November when it happened, but, as I am sure you can all relate, life has been a little crazy, and my blogging has been sporadic and sparse. So, better late than never. :)

Brandon's father, Mike, step mom, Debbie and brother, Austin all were baptized and became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints November 18th, 2010. Exactly one year later, November 18th 2011, Brandon and I were privileged to go with his dad and step mom through the temple for their first time. It was a WONDERFUL experience. I was unable to attend their baptism, so it was a truly sweet opportunity for both Brandon and I to be here for this occasion. Mike and Debbie received their endowments and were sealed to one another for time and all eternity. The four of us.

Mike & Debbie.
This sweet little blond gal was one of the sister missionaries who taught Mike & Debbie the gospel. She and her husband were able to come out to be a part of this incredible day.
I am so grateful for the blessing of temples - for the opportunities they allow for continued spiritual growth and understanding and, perhaps most of all, for the sealing power therein that provides a way for families to be eternal.
We love you guys! Thanks for letting us be a part of this special day.

The Christmas Card

2011-12-20T21:09:00.000-08:00

This is a semi long story, so move on to the next blog now if you don't want to hear why you didn't receive a hard copy of our Christmas card in your mail box and why the picture on this post is teeny-tiny.

Back in November, Brandon's family arranged for family pictures as a gift for his grandpa. I figured, if I'm going to the trouble of dressing my kids up and what not, I would really like to get a family picture out of it and maybe, just maybe, even have a picture to use for a Christmas card for the first time in like 3 years...

I took my own camera, cuz I don't go many places without it, and the photographer was NOT happy about it, so I didn't get any pics of our family...not a big deal, maybe I could just buy the negatives for our favorite shot and use that...$50.00. FOR ONE NEGATIVE. Not happening.

She told me I could buy my cards from her for $1.20 a piece...still pricey, but cheaper than $50! And, they could have them made up fast... So, I put in my order on December 12th, got this ^ picture from her to proof on December 14th, emailed her back the same day asking her to add "Wishing you a 'Merry Christmas' and a Happy New Year", didn't hear anything from her for days...finally I sent her an email today asking her what the status was cuz I'm leaving town tomorrow and need to pick up the cards today and to PLEASE call me. She did, and said the cards wouldn't be ready until tomorrow. I told her I wasn't going to buy them then...I'm not paying to send out a card that people aren't going to receive until after Christmas! She was ticked...had a list of excuses and blamed me for not telling her I was going out of town. She proceeded to say, "wow" several times and then hung the phone up on me.

Now that's customer service.

So, to all of you that continue to send us Christmas cards despite our lack of holiday reciprocation, I just want you to know that this year, I tried.

Lookin' back on Jemma

2011-12-14T20:18:00.001-08:00

Jemma turns 6 today.

I am in denial.

It really doesn't seem like it's possible for her to be 6 already! Alright, I'll quit with all the sappiness.

Jemma was born the December before I graduated from Dental Hygiene school. I was due with her 1 week after I was scheduled to take my National Board Exam and Heavenly Father blessed the two of us so that she didn't come until after I had taken them...she decided to come, instead, on the following Thursday when I was supposed to give a presentation that could not be made up...so, I was there, having contractions every 7 minutes, giving my presentation on who knows what now...

She was born that evening and was the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen. (Maybe I'm a little bias.)

Above: Here she is just a few minutes old...cold and unhappy about it.

One day old...just had her first bath, and DID NOT like it.

One year old...boy was she a mischief maker.

Two years old...busy and SO MUCH FUN!

Three years old.

Four years old...dressed up for the Nativity at Christmas time.

Five years old.

November 2011...one month shy of 6.
We sure do love this girl. She brings so much life and energy to our family.

We sure are glad you were sent to our home!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEMMA!

Venting

2011-12-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

It's 10:00am. I have a "to blog" list a mile long, but it's been a rotten morning and I'm venting here, so don't read on if you don't want to hear me complain. Here are just a few things my kids have managed to fit in during the 2 hours they've been awake.

1. Jemma wet her pants

2. Gavin took scissors to the computer monitor

3. Jemma & Carter didn't clear their breakfast dishes off the table and Gavin dumped their orange juice all over himself and the floor.

4. Carter broke the soup ladle in half (how in the...?)

5. And almost every room in the house is a DISASTER even though I picked it all up before I went to bed last night.

Jemma just informed me that she & Carter have placed themselves on time-out.

Good. Maybe Gavin will go join them.

And now you know why I don't ever get a chance to blog about fun stuff anymore!

ps. I really do love my children.

Monterey: Part 2

2011-11-23T21:45:00.000-08:00

Finally...here are a few more pics from our trip down to Monterey. It is such a cool city - possibly my favorite California coastal stop (minus So-Cal that is).
Above: Carter on a sweet bench outside a shop on our walk to/from the Aquarium.

Yo ho, Yo ho, a pirates life for me.

Every flavor of Saltwater Taffy you can imagine. AwEsOmE!

Monterey sunset.

So, we saw SO MANY dolphins and sea lions out in the water from our hotel, but, I am not quick enough with the camera to spot them, position my camera and snap the shot before they've disappeared, so water ripples is pretty much all I got. Lame.

Blow this one up. You can see it a little better. ;)

Me & Gavin on the beach. (It was frigid, by the way.)

Carter running from the waves.

Grandma & Granddad with the kids...running from the waves. I was happy to snap the shots rather than stick my toes in the icy water. Mike & Debbie, you guys are good sports!

Sand dolloar someone found.

After playing on the beach, showering all the kids and dressing them in the only things left that were dry/clean (their pajamas and/or clothes from the day before), we headed over to this amazing park - the Dennis the Mennis Playground - HUGE & FREE! That's what I'm talkin' about. :)

There were tons of play structures, bridges, mazes, slides, etc., but once the kids found this roller slide, we were all hooked. Pretty sure the kids went down it at least 50 times.

So FUN!

Oh ya, there was also this old train there that you could climb all over. The front of it was just like the one on Polar Express...made me wanna go home and watch the movie.

We had a FaBuLoUs time over there in Monterey - it was the perfect getaway during Brandon's week off and we were so glad Brandon's parents could come with us!

Monterey: Part 1

2011-11-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

Brandon had 10 days off last week in between his 2nd and 3rd rotation...so, in between studying for his second set of boards and trying to give me a little break from chauffeuring, schooling, etc., we took a little trip over to Monterey with Brandon's parents.

Our first stop was, of coarse, the Aquarium. It. Was. Amazing.

I haven't been in a really long time, but I remember being impressed then, and I was equally impressed this time around. They have such a phenomenal variety and I learned a lot of interesting things about so many of the creatures who rely on our oceans for life.

They had great touch pools - I wish I could remember the names of all the animals they had in those things, but I don't. Sting rays, starfish, crabs...stuff of that nature.
Cool tunnel...I look like I'm falling asleep and none of the kids are looking at the camera...but this is our one family picture from the trip, so there you go.

Kids in a clam shell...obviously not real. ;)

Cute penguin. This guy was actually the oldest penguin they had there. I think they said he was 15? He was a serious people watcher. Cracked me up.

This tank was massive. It was at least 3 or 4 times the width of this picture and even held a couple hammer head sharks. I never did get a decent shot of them, and that's all Carter has talked about since that trip! Darn it.

Grandma helping Gavin color a whale.

Granddad and Carter racing the dolphin and school bus...guess who won. :)

Gavin loved these block shapes that you stick through this wall. I just loved how every time he went to grab a block, his little feet left the ground. Adorable.

So, that is just a snippet of our 4 hours in the aquarium. It was fabulous, and hopefully we make it back there again before we leave Cali next year!

2011-11-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

Kristina emailed a couple weeks ago to let me know that they were pickin' up and headin' to Disneyland during Shawn's 10 day break and did we want to join them!?! Oh, how I wish we could have...still wishing (and waiting to see your post about your FABULOUS trip!)

They stopped by on their way down and I think our family thought we'd died and gone to heaven for the afternoon.

We ate pizza, the kids played, the adults chatted, (Brandon & Shawn in their foreign optometry tongue, and the ladies about girl stuff. :) I pawned 3/4 of our Halloween candy off on the Skinner kids, I got some advice on several of my current projects (I've been meaning to tell you, Kristina, that I've noticed multiple things I meant to, but did not get your opinion on...guess I'll have to take pics and send you an email...until you get texting! hint hint ;), and had an all around MARVELOUS 2 hours with them. It almost felt like they lived next door again.

Miss that so much.

Reagan & Gavin.

I don't think I've ever mentioned this on the blog, but Jefferson, Grant & Reagan were like another set of siblings to Gavin. They were always so sweet and kind to him and he LOVES them back!
All the kiddos.
Jemma, Grant, Jefferson, Reagan, Carter & Gavin.

Silly faces.

Our families.

Me & Kristina.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU for stopping by and taking the time to hang out with our family, even if it was only for a couple hours! We have missed you guys tremendously. Hopefully this visit will tie us over until the next time we see each other...

in six months...

when we come back to Oregon and visit YOU!

Disney on Ice

2011-11-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

A little over a month ago, I saw an add in the local newspaper for a deal saver on tickets for Disney on Ice. I was all over it. I was pretty sure the kids would LOVE it. (And let's face it, I'm a big fan of ice skating and Disney too.)

So, Saturday, October 29, we loaded the kids in the van, dropped Gavin off with Pop & Gram (THANKS AGAIN FOR WATCHING HIM FOR 6 HOURS!), and drove up to Sacramento to enjoy the show.

Of course, we hit some crazy traffic due to a semi truck going up in flames on I-5 and missed the first 20 minutes of the show...but aside from that, things went according to plan. :)

We had great seats with a front on view. We borrowed binoculars from my parents and ended up not needing them! It was fabulous.
Duel between Peter Pan & Captain Hook.

Tinker Bell's entrance.

The kids during intermission.

The show was 2 hours long, so the 20 minutes we missed really wasn't that big a deal...had it been an hour show, we would have been really ticked! :)

Jemma, Carter & me.

And the kids with Dad.
The kids were so distracted with all the vendors during intermission that it was almost impossible to get them to look at the camera!

Simba & Nala.

The Seven Dwarfs.

Mickey & Minnie. (Obviously...)

All the Disney princesses with their princes.

I didn't get pictures of these guys, but they also had Alice in Wonderland, The Incredibles (apparently part of the intro to the show that we missed) and Goofy & Donald Duck.

And, unfortunately, my battery died during the finale and I did not do a very good job of getting pictures of any of the lifts...

The kids want to know when we're going again though, so maybe next time. ;)

p.s. If there's a smokin' hot deal in your area to go see Disney on Ice, snag it! You & your kids will LOVE it! :)

Halloween Rundown

2011-11-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

We had a crazy couple of weeks prior to Halloween, so I was grateful we were able to still get around to sugar cookies and pumpkin carving. :) Here are some pics of the kids decorating cookies...Gavin didn't actually decorate. He just ate treats. I was NOT in the mood for a disaster/mess, I don't think he minded.

Pumpkin carving...

Nina & Papa gave Carter a Mr. Potato Head set that goes on a pumpkin...cute huh!

Gavin LOVED this. In fact, he was quite a hog of the big spoon we were using to scoop out all the pumpkin guts.

All finished!

Costumes:

This year, the kids decided to go as Star Wars characters...

Carter was Darth Vader.

Jemma was Princess Leah. She said that her character needed a gun, and I wasn't gonna buy one, so she rummaged through the toys in the backyard and found a water gun...I thought that was very creative and a good sign of problem solving skills. :) (There's the home schooling mom.)

And Gavin was Yoda. He HATED his hat...shocker. There is candy drool all over his costume in EVERY picture cuz we were trying to bribe/distract him to keep it on.

I have to give most of the credit on this hat to my mom...without her, I never EVER would have figured out what the tutorial was saying...so THANK YOU MOM for helping me make this little hat a reality. :)

I'm only in this picture cuz I was trying to keep Gavin from ripping his hat off. We, unfortunately never did get a decent shot of just the three of them. :(

Ward Party:

Jemma pumpkin bowling.

Carter fishing.

Trick-Or-Treating:

Since we live so close to so much family, we bagged trick-or-treating in our neighborhood and just drove around to ALL the family.

Nona & Papa's house.

Pop & Gram's.

Granddad & Grandma's.

I am just now realizing that I didn't get a picture of the kids with Nina & Papa at their house! What that!?!

Here's Gavin in their kitchen...

Jemma, Carter & Trey in the toy closet...maybe that's why it didn't happen...the kids be lined it in there before I snapped a shot. (Gotta place blame somewhere.) ;)

All four cousins!

We also went to Aunt Jill, Uncle Jerry & Grandma Jean's...they were our last stop and again, I forgot to take a picture of the kids with them! Lame. It must have been getting late...

The kids had SO much fun this Halloween and are already discussing what they want to dress up as next year...

Quotes from August, September & October

2011-11-01T20:40:00.000-07:00

Don't worry. This post is not insanely long...I have been horrible at jotting down the stuff these kids have been saying since the day we left Oregon. Pitiful. But, alas, it has been three months, and I ought to have a few things around here to share. Here goes.

(Note, this conversation took place before we moved to Cali.)
Jemma: Three more days and we're driving to California!"
Carter: That's going to take too long, and that's why we would should ride on a airplane.

Jemma: I miss our old couch. It was smooshy and great!

Carter: I don't like gilled geeze (grilled cheese). NEVER make this again!

Jemma: I was born in California. You (referring to Carter) were born in Mexico.
Me: No, Carter was born in Idaho.
Jemma: Oh, Idaho.
Carter. I don't wanna be born in Idaho. I'm gonna be born in California.

Carter: Why I always a kid? I wanna be a mom!

(Again, before we left Oregon...our little friend and neighbor had the flu.)
Jemma: Poor Sophie! She has a bug goin' around her that's making her so sick!

Carter: When I was a little baby, I weared all of Gavin's clothes.

The other night I was getting the boys into the bath and our tub and toilet sit next to each other so I was kneeling next to the portion of the tub that was in front of the toilet. I asked Carter if he needed to go potty before he got into the bath to which he responded, "Yes, but your BUM is in the way!"

Carter: I'm tired of you working on this computer and I need you to make dinner NOW!

Carter wanted to get down from the dinner table the other night, but I told him he couldn't yet because he hadn't touched his vegetables. He promptly stuck his index finger in his corn and said, "Yes I did". Smarty pants.

Carter has been pretty proud of his ability to stand up and urinate these days. (Joy.) So proud in fact, that he had a conversation with Brandon the other day that went something like this:
Carter: I learned to go wet standing up!
Brandon: That's great!
Carter: I think I'm going to learn to go poo-poo standing up now. Do you know how to stand up and go poo-poos?
Brandon: No I don't.
Carter: You sit down to go poo-poo?
Brandon: Yes.
Carter: Oh.
He hasn't tried doin' it yet, so hopefully his little mind grasps the concept that we DO NOT stand when defecating.

Apple Farm

2011-10-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I have become a Home school Mama. It's been a bitter sweet road, to be sure. Thankfully, however, I have quite the support system of family members and other unsung angles who keep boosting my self confidence and reassuring me that it is possible for me to do this and maintain my sanity and the love of my children. Enough of that though. I could spend an entire post just gushing over the ups and downs of home school...but I won't. Instead, I'll tell you of the GENUIS idea my mother had to take the kids to an Apple Farm for a field trip. :)

We've actually been studying trees...it's been a very fun theme and a nice creative outlet for my sanity in this craze I call "home school". So going to an Apple Farm was PERFECT. We packed a picnic lunch, loaded the kids up and headed off to Cover's Apple Ranch.

Carter in front of a killer truck. Wouldn't look at me. (Surprise.)

Jemma and the ducks.

Gavin and the goats. He was totally amazed by these guys, but refused to get any closer to the fence.

The three chillin' on the haystacks.

Cool windmill...I think I want one in front of my house someday...reminds me of the Wizard of Oz.

Carter pushing Gavin in the swing. Carter was totally making Gavin giggle...you know the kind that jiggles their whole belly? PRECIOUS!

I have high hopes that one day, these two will be inseparable.

Jemma in the funky, fun play structure...see her in the window?

The 4 of us with the apple. (Mom & I agreed that it needs a new paint job.) I LOVE Carter's face right here...but mostly because I know why he's smiling so big. He was refusing to be in the picture cuz all he wanted to do was ride the train, so we told him that if he smiled really big, then we'd go ride the train. Boy did he smile big. :)

And, there they are (Carter, now smileless and Gavin wolfing down the rest of his Oreo from lunch) on the train. This little train ride was ADORABLE! It took us around the property TWICE! We saw frogs in the pond, the apple orchards that are original from the 1800's and went through two AWESOME tunnels...don't know why I don't have a single picture from the ride...must have been enjoying it too much. :)

Gavin, snaggin' a pumpkin from the gift shop.

Here's what we came home with. A massive box of apples...cannot remember for the life of me the variety...but they are DELICIOUS. Mom & I have already made 9 batches of apple pie filling to store in our freezers. (I only have 3 batches left cuz we needed an apple turnover the other afternoon while we were sewing.;) Guess we better whip up a few more.)

And, I cannot say enough about that spiced apple cider and the taffy. SO GOOD!

Thanks Mom for taking us up there! Cover's Apple Ranch was FUN. :)

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

We went to a pumpkin farm with Brandon's family a couple weekends ago and had a BlAsT! We did everything under the sun while there (minus actually purchasing pumpkins...sorta got caught up in everything else and forgot about those...no worries though, we went to another little pumpkin patch the following weekend and came home with 4, so we are NOT lacking in the pumpkin department. :)

Here's Gavin watching his brother and sister ride horses.
When we first arrived, Brandon's mom (Nina as the kids call her) asked the kids what they wanted to do first. Jemma promptly responded, "Ride The Horses!"
So, they did. :)

His face looks so chubby here! LOVE IT!

Next was the petting zoo. This is probably the best petting zoo I have ever been to. Tons of different kinds of animals - most of which had a baby with them (ADORABLE)...they even had an ostrich and a zebra! A little random for a farm style petting zoo, but cool none the less.

Jemma was pretty comfortable with the animals...that rabbit looks pretty uncomfortable. She asks regularly for a dog. Not happening.

There was a section inside where you could actually go in with the animals and Nina and Papa were brave enough to venture in with the grandkids.

Papa with Carter & (cousin) Trey...darn goat wouldn't get out of the way.

This is perhaps the first picture EVER taken of all 4 grandkids where NO ONE is Crying!!! Score.

Gavin kept calling the pumpkins "balls"...he was intrigued by them for sure.

All 4 AGAIN!

Playin' around.

The train.

Me & the boys...Jade, Jemma & Trey were a few seats back and we didn't get a pic of them. :(

This was possibly the highlight of the trip for the kids. If you paid a couple bucks, they could go out on these bouncy things (for lack of a better description/name) and jump their hearts out. They had a ball!

We had so much fun hangin' with the family! When and where is the next PaRtY!? :)

Behind on Blogging...and a 60th Wedding Anniversary

2011-10-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have been seriously neglecting the blog...it's partially subconscious...I've just been busy, but mostly, I've chosen to put it on the back burner...it's just been "one more thing" lately...I'm sure none of you can relate. ;)

However, because I keep this blog primarily for the purpose of documenting events important to our family, I better do some catching up here.

So, here goes:

Two weeks ago, Brandon and I had the opportunity to attend a 60th Wedding Anniversary party for his Grandma Ruth and Grandpa Ron. Brandon's mom and aunts worked tirelessly putting this together, and it was beautiful from start to finish.

I have a little disclaimer...I, of course, had my camera, but because the party was primarily when the sun was setting or already set (and I DO NOT like having my flash on auto), many of the pictures turned out blurry. Lame, so here are some of my favorites that actually turned out.

This is Brandon's grandparents outside the courthouse they were married in. She was SIXTEEN when they were married, and told a little white lie that she was already 18. Wish I could document their whole story on here, but it would be an outright novel. Suffice it to say, they were separated right after their marriage because he left to serve our country for approx. 2 years in Korea, they were incredibly poor with 4 small children and through diligent hard work, and a little faith I'm sure, they trecked across the United States to Cali to start afresh and make their own way...and guess what? They did!

Here's the dress Ruth wore when they were married. Isn't it adorable!

Brandon and his sweet sister, Jade.

Grandma Ruth...this is the only shot I got of her that (sorta) shows her face. Pathetic.

Jade and Grandpa Ron. He has had some real trials with his health lately, and that night he was not doing very well...especially with the COLD. (That lasted only a couple days...we're back up to 85+) They had him stretched out on a lawn chair and bundled to the hilt in blankets.

Here's his army jacket and her dress.

Jade slaved over the dessert for that evening, and can I just say, they were divine! Cream cheese filling with chocolate & strawberries on a flaky pastry. DeLiSh! She has culinary arts in her blood. :)

Are you salivating yet?

Brandon and Grandpa Ron at the end of the night...inside where it was MUCH warmer.

We felt so fortunate to be in the area so we could be a part of this event. 60 years, in today's society, is really a remarkable accomplishment. Congratulations again you two!

Jemma lost a tooth!

2011-10-06T20:49:00.001-07:00

Jemma lost her 1st tooth Tuesday night!

It had been wigglin' and wobblin' around in her mouth since before we left Oregon. I encouraged her to twist it and wiggle it all the time, but she mostly just thought it was cool that it was loose and generally left it alone.

Well, we ate this for dinner that night,
... and after just a couple of bites, that tooth was hangin' outta her mouth! (There was quite a bit of blood too...I kinda forgot how much it bleeds when you lose a tooth.) I ran to grab her a paper towel and by the time I got back, she had pulled it out. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with her bravery. Jem generally doesn't like blood, but she didn't freak out at all!

She is LoViN' her new smile. She shows everyone, everywhere we go. It is pretty cute, huh.

Big hole. :)

Right after dinner, I ran and snagged an envelope for her to put her tooth in for the Tooth Fairy...that thing is so little I was afraid it would get lost. :) We put it in and talked about putting it under her pillow so the Tooth Fairy could come and give her money in exchange for the tooth! (That was the BEST part of losing a tooth, right!?! My little sister, Jewels used to bang her teeth with her toothbrush cuz she wanted the cash so badly!!)

Anyway, Jemma was not real excited about having to give her tooth away, so this is what she wrote on the envelope:

It's a little hard to see in this picture, but is reads, "not to the tooth fairy".

So, that night, she went to bed and didn't put her envelope under her pillow cuz she was terrified that she might take it.

Next day, we talked it over and decided that maybe if she just left a note with the tooth, the Tooth Fairy might just look at it, but not take it and still give her a monetary reward.
Here's her note:

"I want to keep my tooth, but still want money"...and it says "Love Jemma" on the back.
That night, the Tooth Fairy brought her $1 (this Tooth Fairy is on a budget), and left the tooth as well. Phew! Would have been in big trouble if she'd taken it! :) Jemma did an entry in her journal today about losing her 1st tooth, and the tooth is taped inside next to a picture she drew of the Tooth Fairy...shoulda taken a picture of it to stick in here.

Anyhoo, it's a little bizarre to me to think that Jemma is old enough to be losing teeth! Permanent teeth always change the way kids look SO MUCH! Not sure I'm ready for that.

Ready or not, here it comes.

The House

2011-09-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

We've only been living here for about a month and a half, but here,

finally,

are some pictures...I initially had planned on putting them in a particular order, but after forgetting to put this last picture in, I was not about to reload all the pictures just cuz I left this one out...so, for starters, here is the kitchen. :)

Ya, it's nice and big. I really don't know what to do with all the space. Especially above the cupboards...right now there are just some glass dishware and my beloved window.

Carter on the front porch...like I said, these are totally out of order.

Another shot of the front porch. I really LOVE this porch. It is so cute! We don't sit out there all that often, but it'll come in handy on Halloween! We won't have to keep opening and shutting the door. :) We can just sit there and hand out our goodies...

Front door. Love that it's red. (I have a love/hate relationship with red...I keep trying to eradicate it from my home decor, but it seems to keep slipping back in. I just can't seem to live without it!)

Wanna see a little more of what's inside? Well come on in. ;)

Gavin at the table painting with/eating yogurt.

The living room. (Can you tell what movie Jem is watching?!?) I am having trouble with this room. I know I need to raise the picture of the temple and possibly put something on top of the entertainment center, but the walls are so big and the ceiling so high compared to what I'm used to, that I'm having difficulty balancing the space. Suggestions welcome! And, I haven't put any window treatments up cuz there are SO MANY WINDOWS! They would need to match, and I can't do 4 new sets of window treatments right now...and that's just the living room. I LOVE all the light though! Definitely welcome after living in dark apartments with one window per room.

Our beloved piano. I was super bummed that it didn't fit in the living room, but at least it's close by. (Never thought I would have a piano in my dining area/kitchen.) I would LOVE to find an area rug to go under it. I think it would help absorb some of the sound. (It's pretty loud with the tile under it and high ceilings...not that I'm complaining!)

View of the whole dining area.

And here's a front view of the house. Isn't it cute! I love the rock accent along the bottom and the little window above the garage. (I've been having a rough time with Carter...what's new...maybe I should put him in the attic when he's naughty...at least he'd have a window to look out of.)

No bedroom pics yet...I'm truthfully not doing a whole lot in those areas...we're only here for like 10 more months and I don't wanna get carried away in a space I won't be staying in, ya know.

Swimmin' in the heat

2011-09-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

Before all the family left town after Melanie and Jade's wedding, Grammy & Grandpa Stone had us all over for a BBQ & swim party. PERFECT! Especially since it was still very hot. We had a blast hangin' with all the family, coolin' off in the pool, and eating lots of good food...oh, and the boys managed to fit it watching the BYU game...which, unfortunately BYU did not win...:(

Daphne, Jemma & Kyrie.

Gavin & Sydney...only about a month apart.
We really need to work on Gavin's social skills. He had a real problem with hitting this sweet girl.

Carter & Sean, sportin' their goggles.

My brother Jacob and Sydney...Jacob is really great with all the grand kids. It's no wonder the little ones all adore him!

We busted open the left-over pinata from the wedding and Carter FINALLY took a whack at one of these babies. Pretty sure he loved it!

Cousin, Hayden. (He's Carter's age and HILARIOUS!)

Here's Dallin, the oldest of the grand kids. He wielded that stick like a light saber and cracked this baby wide open. Nicely done Dallin. :)

Gavin, enjoying some of his saltwater taffy from the pinata.

Jacob with Gavin.

The kids had a blast playing water charades and doing all kinds of tricks in the pool for each other...not sure what exactly was goin' on here, but we thought it was cute how they were all huddled together planning something.
The kids miss their cousins. Are you guys sure you have to wait until Christmas to come back? We'll take you for Thanksgiving, Halloween, this weekend...asap!

Love you guys!

Mel & Jade

2011-09-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

My little sister, Melanie, got married Friday, September 9th to Jade Magnum Thomas...I don't usually put full names on my blog...but his is just so darn cool, I had to spell the whole thing out. :) We are so happy for these two. They are so darn cute together and VERY happy. Here they are coming out of the Oakland Temple just after their sealing.

See! Cute, and happy! :)
We took the whole family up to the temple and my siblings Emma, Jacob & Nathan were kind enough to watch all 9 nieces and nephews while the rest of us were inside for the sealing. Thanks again guys! Here's Jem chillin' in front of one of the fountains...side note...I found out a few years ago that every temple has a water feature of some sort because it is symbolic of Christ who is the "Living Water". Cool huh. (Pretty sure you told me that, Sharee.)

Jemma & Carter with their Aunt Mel.

Me & Mel. :) Wasn't she a lovely bride! She gave the honor of fixing her hair that day. I am KICKING myself for not getting ANY shots of the sides and back of her hair. Lame. Maybe the professional photographer did...

Our family in front of the temple...Brandon and I were married here a little more than 7 years ago, so we thought it appropriate for us to take a current photo of our family in front of where it all began. :)

The three musketeers "playing patty fingers in the holy water"(name the movie!)...j/k. For those who are not LDS and reading this blog, we do not consider this water to be holy. Just a pretty addition (and symbol) on the temple grounds.

More fun in the fountain.

Some of the kiddos outside the temple.

Left to right: Dallin, Jemma, Gavin, Ruby, Kyrie & Daphne.

After the temple sealing, we all headed back to Ceres to prep for the family dinner later that evening. Melanie didn't wanted a reception...just a simple outdoor dinner for family and close friends, so that's what we did and it was LOVELY.

They had these cute pom poms at the family dinner that Gavin was totally intrigued by. He kept walking around under them trying to figure out how to get one down...if I remember correctly, he did finally retrieve one. Here he is headed off to check the pom-poms out.

Melanie talked about having a pinata at the dinner, and by golly, she pulled it off. She and my sister Emma tore apart some hideous pinatas and made them much more appealing...

Here's Mel helping my nephew, Dallin, gear up to hit the pinata.

Jemma takin' a whack at the pinata. Gavin had his first swing at a pinata that night too, I was just too busy helping him swing that 10 lb bat (not kidding. that thing was heavy) to take a picture...and Carter, well, he refused to take part...crazy huh!?! Ya know what, it just boils down to him getting super introverted when we're in public...he's very athletic and would have thoroughly enjoyed swinging that bat, if there hadn't been such a crowd.

This was Gavin's expression during the whole pinata extravaganza. Completely mesmerised.

Did I mention it was a blazing 98 degrees that night? Well it was. Scorching, I know. While Gavin was wandering around the yard (and I was supervising said wandering), he sauntered his way around the house and into the front yard where he discovered the front lawn being watered.

It took about 5 seconds for him to decide to run around in those sprinklers, and I let him...in fact, I almost joined him.

Much better (cooler).

It was such a wonderful day from start to finish and we are so grateful that we got to be there to witness it all. We love you Melanie & Jade and can't wait to see where life takes the two of you!

Wedding Festivities

2011-09-16T11:28:00.001-07:00

One of the things I love about a Stone wedding is spending time with my family. It is fabulous! Over the years, we have developed a few traditions...my favorite, hands down, is doing the flower arrangements. It. Is. So. Fun. So, here are a few pics of my mom and sisters working on the arrangements and the finished products.

Jewel! Where were you!?! I know you did these with us, but I don't have a single picture of you on my camera! (Melanie, the bride, was gone working on other stuff...she's never really liked doing these! Crazy girl. Next time, like it or not, we're draggin' you in to do them with us!!!)
Aren't they lovely!?! Those creamy-peach roses were my FAVORITE...along with those pom-pom/ball things...ya, I don't know the technical term...
We had them all sitting on top of the piano when we finished them. The living room looked and smelled like the Garden of Eden! LOVELY!

These next pictures have absolutely NOTHING to do with past family traditions...this is purely a MELANIE tradition. She is notorious for her "photo-shoots". She loves dressing up, doing funky stuff with make-up and taking gazillions of pictures...so, per request of Mel (the bride-to-be), we put on clothes that could pass off as American Indian, Mel painted our faces, and it was out to the backyard to take pictures...and for kicks, we called it her bachelorette party. :)

So, I have to admit, it was REALLY FUN! And, the kids thought it was awesome.

Melanie is the one with the long dark hair and glasses on.

Here we are dancing around Mel...we look utterly ridiculous and I'm laughing out loud right now...my family ROCKS!

Duck-duck-goose...I'm sure Indians played this one all the time. ;)

More silly dancing...before we had an all-out Indian war.

Can you see Gavin in the middle? He had no idea what was going on, but he made sure he was part of it all, cuz it was so darn fun!

Thanks Mel for your creative and imaginative personality! What would we do without you!?!

Before & After

2011-09-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

No, these aren't pictures of the house...sorry.

My sister Melanie just got married, and this was our wedding gift to them. I just thought I would put before and after pics up...

So, I found a hideous picture (so hideous, in fact, that I took it out of the frame before I took this picture) at a local thrift store, (which for the record, is nothing like Thrift City...still bitter about having to leave that behind.)

Painted the frame, raided my moms button tin, and sewed on like 200 buttons in the shape of a "T"...no, I did not come up with the idea on my own...stole it from my clever friend, Alison.
As you can see, it was a rather big "T"...Jemma was kind enough to model next to it (in front of our gardening shed) for the picture to give you an idea of it's size...(sweats in 90 degree weather? I don't get it either. Maybe she was cold after her shower that evening...) I was really pleased with the result. Hope they like it!

The Joy of living in a HOUSE!

2011-09-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

Among the blessings that awaited our family in California was a HOUSE. Ya, I know, we've been married 7+ years, and this is the FIRST time we have ever lived in a house where we are not sharing any walls/ceilings/floors with anyone else. It. Is. Lovely.

I LOVE having a washer and dryer again,

a ginormous kitchen,

tile floors,

my own bathroom, (and by "my own" I mean seperate from the kids...Brandon still shares with me:),

a garage,

a yard...especially the FENCED IN back yard where even little mister Gavin can play without me worrying that he might wander into the street,

a hose and drive way where we can wash our cars for FREE, (said in a high sing-song voice) Boy do the kids love that...chores have never been so thrilling...they get so excited when Brandon pulls out the lawnmower and edger and they get to help sweep up all the grass. Adorable.
And, we can fit our upright piano...my parents gave this to us (alright, so I asked for it...they were gonna get rid of it when they inherited a grand, and I learned to PLAY on this instrument!!! It had to be MINE...along with the fact that I couldn't bare to see it leave the family.)

And lastly, I love that my walls are not WHITE! All the brown fingerprints just blend right in to the tan walls. Perfect!

More pics to come. (For all 3 of you who care.)

Oregon

2011-09-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

I realize we're comin' up on our month mark since leaving Oregon, and this post is completely random and a little difficult to follow, but I had to blog about our last week there anyway...

Lemme just start by saying that we LOVED Oregon. It was such a phenomenal place for us to be during Optometry School. There were TONS of things for us to do, gazillions of incredible people, and (minus the gloomy 7-9 months of rain) the landscape was (and is) to DIE for. Miss those moderate temperatures and all the green.

Anyway, we tried desperately those last couple weeks to squeeze as much fun into our schedule as possible. We had a list of places to go and people to see and I think we managed to get all those important things fit in. We made it a priority to hit up the Portland Temple grounds one last time with the kids...

we just sorta forgot that it was the last day of it's annual deep clean when we went...oh well. We didn't get to walk around the grounds, but we did get to see some dude scale the temple wall. Pretty cool.

Love that temple.

I stole this collage from my friend's blog. Her daughter, Reagan and my Carter were BUDDIES. Carter doesn't connect with many other kids...he's just not very social. But he sure loved this little lady. They were pals and it broke my heart to separate them.
Don't worry though, Reagan's mother happens to be one of my closest friends (a kindred spirit if I've ever met one) and so they WILL see each other again...it just won't be on a daily basis...which, frankly, is lame.
Those last couple of weeks though, we crammed in as much fun as possible with their family;
splash park & aquatic center, picnics, Out-of-this-world Pizza, water balloon fights, walks to the park, and, of course, the beach.
Here they are all loaded up in the Skinner's van. AWESOME!
Kristina is crazy strong and pulled all 6 kids to and from the beach...just kidding. But she did give them a ride from the top of the trail to the van after we spent ALL DAY lounging in the sand.

Carter and Reagan on the wagon.

And Jefferson & Jemma swimming in the river that goes down through the beach. (I think Jefferson was retrieving his shoe here.)

I think saying "goodbye" is the WORST part of moving...I'm sure that's how most feel...Jemma was not real happy about leaving all of her friends...here she is with Michelle, her bike riding buddy. Michelle actually helped Jemma gain some confidence on her own bike by teaching her to ride in circles. They went for one last bike ride the day before we left and I had to snap a picture of them. No, that's not Jemma's bike. That's Michelle's. ;)

Brandon's dad came up to drive the moving van for us. Don't know that I would have survived the drive if he hadn't...seriously. I don't do long car rides...I get WAY too groggy. So, thanks for coming Mike! And for putting up with the DiSaStEr we were living in the last few days.

Speaking of disaster...there I am...right in the middle of it.

Here's what got me through the insanity of moving:

And the extra insanity that came when Carter ended up with Strep Throat 2 days before we were pulling out. Poor kid.

kay.

Back to goodbyes. I HATE them. And I don't know that there has ever been a harder goodbye for me to say than this one.

I realize we'll always stay in touch and definitely see each other again, but I also realize that we probably won't ever be next door neighbors again. I miss you BIG time Kristina!

We spent our last night at our favorite park eating Baja Fresh and watching the kids play.

Thanks Oregon for 3 wonderful years!

Overwhelmed

2011-08-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

The last 3 weeks have been overwhelming.
Packing, loading, decluttering, moving.
Then came the unpacking, unloading, organizing, (and reorganizing because I didn't like the way I had it the first time), adjusting, routinizing (is that a word), and schooling (yes, home schooling. Never thought I would really home school. Just thought it sounded good in theory).
But truthfully, all of that has been on the smaller scale of my being "overwhelmed".
The last 3 weeks have been so utterly and completely full of
playing as much and as hard as we could with good friends before we left Oregon, and now with all of the family we have here in California,
gifts that ranged from literal packages wrapped for members of our family to a refrigerator, lawn mower, edger, tanks of gas to help with Brandon's commute, and gift cards,
service from others toward our family...sadly not a whole lot of service going out...gotta get on that, but yes, lots and lots of service (ie. babysitting, meals, loading and unloading our moving van, driving our moving van for us; thanks again Mike!, putting beds together, unpacking what felt like endless boxes, fixing our broken kitchen table; thanks Reed! and so So SO much more.)
So, ya, I've been overwhelmed...but mostly just with the outpouring of love and kindness from SO MANY of YOU! Our family thanks you.

p.s. I forgot to mention that I am also overwhelmed by all the blogging I need to catch up on! I'll get on that. After I nail down tomorrow's lesson plans, figure out what we're eating for dinner and change a poopy diaper.

Projects and Packing...

2011-08-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

This is my bedroom right now...less than a week to go, so every room in the house has at least one box in a corner. Things are starting to look empty...and a little depressing. I'm saving taking the downstairs decor off the walls for Saturday. I don't think I can handle more than 3 days in an apartment with completely naked walls. Anyway...

I also have to keep doin' projects cuz they just make me so darn HAPPY!

I found this coat tree at a local thrift store about a week or so ago and fell in love with it instantly. It cost me $5. Nice. I've been looking for one of these for a couple YEARS now and never found one priced below $40 until now.
So, I stuffed it in my minivan, primed and painted it the same day, glazed it with a dark brown the next to give it an antiquey (I think I made that word up) look and via la!

I already had the prime, spray paint and glaze on hand, so this was a serious steal! Love that. Now, back to packing...

Day at the Beach

2011-08-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

We spent last Saturday at Oswald with a big group of friends and Brandon's grandparents.

Oh, how I love that beach! It is seriously THE best spot on the Oregon Coast...at least of which I am aware. It is a 1/4 mile walk down through some of the most BEAUTIFUL terrain. The walk goes right next to a river...and ya, that river runs right through the sand and into the ocean. So, if you have little ones that want to play in the water, but are too timid or little to take on the waves, they can splash around in the shallow streams and play with the rocks in the river bed.
We had perfect conditions that day; sunshine and very little wind. (Wish it had been that way a few weeks ago when I took my parents and brothers out there...sorry guys!)
Carter, showin' off his cookies. When we trek out to the beach, it's seriously a day of fruit and JUNK FOOD...any excuse for chips ahoy cookies and ruffles potato chips. :)

Jemma and Carter playin' with the Skinner kids. They were gone most of the summer on rotations and we are SOOOO glad they're back so we can PLAY! Left to right: Jefferson, Jemma, Grant, Reagan, and Carter.

Gavin: still loves the beach. And, still loves to eat sand.

Kristina (mom of the Skinner clan, and the best next door neighbor a girl could ask for) playing with Gavin.

These two were laying on the sand like this talking to each other, so I had to snap a shot...

...and then snag Gavin who was eating sand somewhere else, so I'd have ALL THREE in the photo.

We spent 5 or 6 hours out there watching the kids play in the Cole's wagon,

flying the Cole's kite,

taking walks along the coast line (Pop & Gram came to town for the weekend and were good sports about joining us and our friends out at the beach),

and collecting treasures. (That's a crab pincher Carter found with Pop & Gram...he was devastated when we were driving home and he realized he'd left it on the beach.)

And here's a shot of our family inside one of the trees found on the walk to and from the beach...I look NASTY and should have put my sweater back on to cover my WHITE shoulders. (I was trying to get rid of my farmers tan...) Anyway, it was so nice just to relax on the beach for the day...I am definitely going to miss being an hour from this green, gorgeous coast.

July Quotes

2011-08-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

I had a blue and brown watch band on and Carter said this: "You're wearing a boy watch. It's mine...but you can borrow it".

We had french bread one night with our dinner and when Carter wanted another piece of bread, there was just the heal left...we generally save the heals and take them to feed some ducks nearby...so when I put it in front of him, he said"Hey! This piece is for the birds!"

A recent prayer Jemma said before bed... "Dear Heavenly Father. I am thankful that I did have a great day...And that the garabage man did tell us 'Can you please get out of the road' and Mommy did say 'I told you to stay our of the road. I am so upset with you.' And I did cry...in my mind. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Carter: Hey Mom, pigs come from ham, and cows come from milk.

I took Carter and Jemma to watch fireworks on the 4th of July while Brandon and Gavin stayed home...and went to bed...(Brandon had to be up and off to work at 6:30...) Jemma and Carter both LOVED them...Carter was sitting on my lap during the show and we had a little conversation that went like this:
Carter: Can I touch the fireworks?
Me: No. They're too high and too hot.
Carter: No, no! I will blow on them.

...we were out LATE that night. So, on the way home, when we were stuck in a huge line of cars, Carter said, "Now we'll never get to go home!...and have breakfast."

We were listening to the radio in the car one afternoon and a Lady Gaga song came on the radio. I promptly turned it off...(I admit, her music is catchy and she's got talent, but I just can't support listening to someone who thrives on attention that comes from inappropriate behavior)...ANYWAY! I'll get off my soap box. Jemma wanted to know why I turned off the song...I explained that Lady Gaga's lifestyle (including clothing choices...or lack thereof) are inappropriate and I choose not to support listening to her music. Carter then promptly replied, "probly she is hot".

Jemma: I asked [so-&-so] if they wanted to play with me and they said no cuz I'm a girl and they don't want to play my game.
Carter: Jem, if your friends don't want to play with you, I will always play with you.

No Training Wheels!

2011-07-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

Carter has been asking for weeks, no months, now to have his training wheels removed. His feet barely touch the ground on tippy toes, so there was no way I was gonna take them off and have him get all banged up. Last night, however, Carter asked Brandon to take them off, and so, while I made dinner, Brandon removed them and off Carter went. Seriously. That's no exageration. He needed a little help starting and stopping at first because his little legs are, like I said, still not quite long enough, but he was riding that thing with NO help on the first try. CRAZY!

He spent most of today out there on his bike practicing gettting started and stopping all by himself, and he has it down now, short legs and all.

I'm not ashamed to say that I was wrong.

Just cuz this kid is only 3 and barely reaching the ground while on his bike, doesn't mean he can't ride it without training wheels. Way to go CARTER! You are one stellar bike rider. :)

Here's a quick video of him riding today.

It's been a while...

2011-07-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have totally lost my blogging mojo.

In fact, until yesterday, I hadn't taken a single picture in over two weeks...that's a long time for me.

But, here I am...making recompense for my lack of documentation on the blog.

Bear in mind, however, that the contents of this post are pretty uneventful.

Since my last post, Brandon and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. I feel especially bad for not documenting that. As has become tradition, we went and saw the most recent Harry Potter in theaters: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It was AWESOME! If you haven't seen it, GO!!!

We've also had a little more sun lately, so we've spent LOTS of time at the park. I say "the park", but we've been to like 4 different parks on 7 different occasions...lots of picnics and lots of tired, tan kids. :) No pics though, cuz, I didn't take the camera once.

Lack of blogging can also be attributed to a move that is only 18 days away...I've started packing. 11 boxes done and looking around my home, you can't even tell. Wonderful.

I was cleaning out my closet (with the help of the little ones) and they found my wedding dress. They were SO excited and they convinced me to try it on for them...

I am pleased to announce that, 7 years and 3 children later...it still fits. I was actually quite surprised. The kids loved it so much, Jemma got the camera out (for the 1st time in 2 weeks)and the kids begged for me to wear it all day...I had to draw the line there...no way! Can you imagine!?! Dishes, diaper changing, cooking, etc. in a 15 lb. wedding dress!?!

My dress has a massive train...the kids thought it would be cool to sit on it.

And I included this picture because I just LOVE those chubby fingers...this little guy is a bottomless pit, and if the fridge is open, he's diggin' through it.

Mi Familia: Part 2

2011-07-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

Shortly (like a week) before my parents and brothers arrived, Brandon talked me into replacing our living room furniture...don't believe me!?!

Alright, so maybe it was me that had to convince him, but seriously, when I stumbled on this deal ($699 for a sofa and love seat) for furniture that looked just like what I have imagined, but have never seen for REAL until I happened upon it, I knew it was fate...

So, with the extra strength that all those boys brought with them, we enlisted the help of my dad and brothers to remove the faithful, and unfortunately, now nasty couch (thanks to our adorable children) we had been using for the last 7 years along with the now peeling pleather chair...I will NEVER purchase FAKE leather furniture again!!! It's a nightmare when it decides it's done looking like leather cuz your kids won't stop jumping on it. Eeesh.

Moving on, here are a couple shots of them removing the couch.

THANK YOU!!! I'm so grateful for the blessing of having had a couch for the last 7 years, (I'm not so shallow that I don't realize others go without) but I am oh so happy to have something fresh and new! You boys helped make that happen. Moowah! (That was me blowing you BIG kisses!)

Jemma and Carter knew exactly what to do with the now vacant space...run in HUGE circles.

At least for the next 5 minutes until they brought in the new stuff! :)

Among the excitement of the new furniture and spending a day out at the coast, we did find time to do some of the traditional stuff...like:

playing games,

listening to the boys jam out and compose tunes on the piano,

play a little frisbee (I cannot, for the life of me spot the frisbee in this photo!),

and read stories. :)

We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED having them, and are thrilled to be spending the next year just a couple blocks from these guys! It's gonna be a BlAsT! :)

And, here's a shot of the bargain find of the century. I should have taken a picture of all of us piled on them just after setting them up, but the thought eluded me. They're a slate blue/gray and my very FAVORITE detail is those little spots where the fabric dips in on the back and seat cushions...I'm sure there is a technical term for that, but I just cannot come up with what it might be. Anyway, they are LOVELY.

And, by the way, I was so taken by the sofas themselves, that I didn't even notice the pillows that came with them! Ha! Brandon was thrilled cuz they tie in with the newly reupholstered ottoman that he has insisted we retain. I must admit, I like having something to prop my short little legs up on too.

And, for the record, we have some seriously STRICT guidelines goin' on with these guys. No food, no drinks, no jumping on, no climbing over, etc. etc. Carter was trying to convince me that he could eat a snack on them cuz it wasn't "crumby"...don't worry. I held firm. And earlier this evening, Gavin was in dire straights-twisted up under the little rocking chair, so I leaped over the back of the couch to his aid...and boy did I get REAMED by Carter for that one. So, we're all on board for following the rules and maintaining these guys for the long haul. ;)

Mi Familia: Part 1

2011-07-12T20:13:00.001-07:00

(Jacob, Reed and Nathan)

My parents and all 3 brothers came to visit us last week. This was the FIRST time my dad and two of my three bros had been able to make it here to Oregon to see our family and it was AWESOME to have them come. We LOVED it!!! It was a quick trip, but we are oh so grateful that they took a detour on their way back from a reunion in Washington and stayed with our family.

We ended up at the coast on Wednesday and, despite the windy conditions, we had a good time. We went to Oswald State park, hiked 3/4 of a mile down to the coast, enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch with some of the best apricots and cherries I have had in long time...and didn't let the bits of sand that got into our sandwiches ruin it. :)

The Oregon coast is unbelievably beautiful. I love how there are pines right up to the coast, but the sand is still super-duper fine. This was Gavin's first trip to the beach as a toddler (probably the second trip in his entire life) and he was in HEAVEN (even if he did eat a pound of sand)...hence, the many, many photos of him. I never got a very good shot of this, but he kept laying down on the sand (tummy down) and moving his arms and legs back and forth...almost like he was making a "sand angel". SO CUTE!

My parents with the kids.

It may have been windy, but the sun was out...can't ask for more here in Oregon.

Gavin ...

Mom trying to get some of the sand off his face. His bowl movements were like 50% sand for the next couple of days...poor kid...he didn't seem to mind though. :)

My handsome brother, Jacob, hangin' with Gavin.

My studly brother, Nathan, diggin' a massive pit for the kids to play in.

Mom and Dad checkin' out the tide pools (which were quickly disappearing as the tide rolled in) with Carter and Jemma. A couple years ago, I came here with the kids and there were TONS of starfish. I was so hopeful that they would be here again, but unfortunately, those little guys must migrate, cuz we didn't spot one. I was bummed. Lots of sea anemones and clams though. ;)

Mom and Carter.

So, the water here was fridged...not. kidding. Carter wanted me to fill up a bucket of water for him to play with back up in the sand; my toes went instantly numb the second the waves touched them. And that is not an exaggeration. So, when Jacob decided he was going to swim across a section where the tide had come in instead of walking around to a higher point, I had to catch in on film. You are one super stud Jacob!

Mom, Dad, Jemma, Gavin and Carter hangin' on the beach. They were actually all watching and laughing at my brothers strikin' male model poses (chillin' on the beach with their hoodies unzipped) while I snapped silly pictures of them...you'll have to friend them on facebook though to see those. ;)

Jacob, me, Reed and Nathan.

Yes, one of my brothers has the name Reed...even the same spelling as my last name. In fact, until I married Brandon, I had always intended to name one of my sons Reed. It's such a sweet name! But, I guess I lucked out, cuz now all my sons (and daughters) get to have that as their name. Cha-ching!

Festivities on the 4th

2011-07-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

Our 4th of July was chuck full of fantastic fun. (Like that alliteration?) Brandon wanted to take the kids to the parade in Hillsboro, and that was a super big hit. They LOVED it...with the exception of Gavin perhaps...he prefers a little more freedom than the parade would allow...

This guy had skill! I was super impressed.

Carter, excited about his first handful of candy in his bag. :) They're still wittling away at that stuff.

I love this! Jemma's got her arm around Carter's neck...I think there was a fire truck on its way down the road and Jemma was pointing it out to him.

This little amigo was too much! So little and so super cute!

The Dairy Queen. ;)

Some giant horses.

More candy.

After the parade, we ran home, packed up a picnic lunch and swim gear (while Gavin slept in the car) and then headed to Hagg Lake to hang with friends for the afternoon.

Jemma, warmin' up after at least an hour in the (muddy) water.

Now that swimming lessons are over, Carter assures me he is in no need of a life jacket or help when in the water...hmmm. He also didn't get in past his ankles, so I guess if that's his idea of swimming, then he's right. ;)

After the lake, we ran home, bathed the kids and put them ALL down for a nap. It was AWESOME!!! They slept from 4-6pm. Lovely. We don't usually give Jemma and Carter naps anymore, but we told them it was a MUST if they wanted to go to the fireworks that night in Banks.
Again, we went with lots of friends and the kids had a BLAST playing with friends until it got dark (and cold) and we snuggled up in blankets to watch the show.

The firework pictures are courtesy of Carter. I had already put the camera away when he insisted I get it back out so he could take pictures of the fireworks. Thanks Carter!

It was such a fun, busy day and we all slept SUPER good that night. :)

2011-07-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

"Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain...

(photo courtesy of Jemma...not bad! I didn't even have to crop it.)

"...for purple mountain majesty above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee. and crowned thy good with brother-hood from sea to shining sea."

Happy 4th of July!

June Quotes

2011-06-30T21:03:00.001-07:00

Jemma: Mom, can we have a treat?

Me: You just had a popsicle. That is a treat.

Jemma: That's not a treat. It's just a cold thing.

I asked Carter to go to the bathroom before he went to bed and this was his response:

Carter: I alweady went potty…last night affer dinner.

Poor Jemma threw up on a Saturday morning. Gavin kept trying to get the bowl that was next to her and she kept taking it back. Later that morning, she was still resting on the couch, and feeling much better, when Gavin came along.

Jemma: Here Gavin, you can play with this bowl now. I'm not throwing up anymore.
Gavin happily took the bowl and wandered off to play with it. (Don't worry, it was a clean bowl…she never did upchuck in it.)

Brandon: Carter, I just need to give you squeezes!
Carter: Fine. Go ahead.

Jemma: Some people just die with their eyes open. (She was quietly coloring a princess picture when she made that comment…random.)

Jemma overheard Brandon and I discussing who we might will our children to should anything happen to the two of us.
Me: Possibly so-and-so, or even so-and-so…
Jemma: No! You want to sell us?

Carter: Look at that flowa Mom!

Me: Isn't it pretty? It's a peony.

Carter: Ithsss not a pony. Ithsss a flowa!

Jemma: Carter, smell me; right here. I stink!
Carter: (Big Sniff) Yup.

Carter: When babies are sad, mommies and daddies hold them. When babies cry a lot, then they take a nap.

One evening, it was like 7:45 and Brandon still wasn't home from the clinic in Portland and Jem said this:
"Daddy's taking a long time. I think he's probably on time out…for not doing what he's supposed to do at work".

I took Carter to see Cars 2 the other night and on the way there, I asked him dozens of questions. Our conversation went something like this:
Me: What's your favorite color?
C: Blue & Gween.
Me: What's your favorite food?
C: Tacos.
Me: Who are some of your friends?
C: Jemma, Jemma and Jemma.
Me: What's your favorite thing to do?
C: Eat dinnew.
Me: What's your favorite toy?
C: Light Queen & Matah…can we stop talking?

Brandon was tucking Carter into bed one night and Carter was worried about there being a ghost in his room. This was their conversation:
Carter: Awe there ghosts in here?
Brandon: No, there are no ghosts in here.
Carter: Oh. Where do ghosts live?
Brandon: Far, far away.
Carter: Oh, where the Holy Ghost lives?

Please ignore the spacing in this post...I just can't figure out what blogger want me to do these days!

Swimming Lessons

2011-06-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

The last 2 weeks, Jemma and Carter had swimming lessons. Every. Day. Which, I actually like...better than stretching it out for 5 weeks. Anyway, this was Jem's 3rd round of swimming lessons. She LOVES it and is a total fish...she's getting much better and even mastered the floating this time around. We'll have to keep up the practicing so she can just get a little more confident on her strokes. Every time the teacher would let go of her, she would get really worried, quit swimming altogether and start to sink...not good. But she'll get there.

This was Carter's first time...in the pool that is...at swimming lessons.

He has been many-a-time to watch Jem. He has always been wary around water...he slipped one time in the tub and ever since has been SO FREAKED OUT to have his face in the water.

Despite that, he seemed ok with the idea of swimming lessons. I think it was mostly because it's something Jemma has done - he wants to be just like her - only a boy version. Anyway, he seemed fine, which SHOCKED me, right up until they got in the water. Then, he was clinging to the edge of the pool, sobbing.

It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to just sit and watch. His teacher was so awesome with him though...she carried him around on her back for almost the whole first lesson while she worked with the other kids, just so he'd feel safe. Then, she showed him that when he's next to the wall, his feet can touch the bottom!!! That was literally the turning point. The crying ceased and he was a changed little man in the pool.

He did great and he's even doing a full on "big jump" (as he calls it) off the edge of the pool now so his head submerges and EVERYTHING!

And as for Gavin, he barely survived swimming lessons...he did a whole lot of this:

accompanied by intermittent yelling and screaming...poor third child.

But, yahoo for swimming lessons and progress and

especially that they're over. :)

Strawberry pickin'

2011-06-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have LOVED about this area is all the fresh produce. This time of year is always so much fun with all the U-pick farms and the farmers markets...not all states have that and I am really gonna miss it.

Any-hoo. Strawberries are finally in season. It felt like it took forever with all the unseasonably cool and wet weather. So last Saturday, while Brandon worked on his presentation for the docs and residents at the VA, Jemma, Carter and I headed off to Dyucks Peachy Pig Farm to pick some strawberries.

No, it wasn't raining...but Jemma insisted on wearing her hood.

We also got to see some of the animals on the farm...several of the hens had little chicks scurrying after them. Very cute.

There were lots of baby pigs...but these little guys were BRAND NEW. Born just the day before. Pretty cool. Both the kids and I were surprised/impressed with the size of the mommy pigs. You can't really tell in the picture, but these ladies were MASSIVE.

They also had a horse, lama, goats, rabbits...and I did spot a rat who scurried under the floor boards when we approached one of the pig pens...that freaked the kids out and Carter insisted I carry him after that. It made me think of Templeton on "Charlotte's Web".

Since bringing our strawberries home, we've made our freezer jam (seriously essential. pb&j's are NASTY with the store bought stuff), a strawberry pie on Father's Day (a little tart, but I sorta just winged it...next time I'll find a recipe, or at least add more sugar), had smoothies and just eaten them by the handful. Delish!

Zoo...again.

2011-06-12T20:52:00.001-07:00

I'm sure some of you are thinking, "man, how many times can these guys go to the zoo?"...well, we have a season pass, and when we've been cooped up due to rain for lengthy periods of time and the forecast finally says 'no rain' for 24 hours, we have got to escape. So, escape we did. To the Portland Zoo, again. And you know, I thought it was a brilliant idea because school was still in and we were getting there at 9:30 in the morning...we were gonna have the zoo to ourselves and I was stoked and the kids were pretty excited about it too.

Wow, was I ever wrong. It must have been field trip day for every school in the area cuz it was INSANE...pretty comparable to $2 Tuesdays which is saying A LOT. (I did that once, and that's the day I decided a Zoo Pass was a brilliant idea.)

Anyway, despite the crowds, we did get to see and do all we wanted to and then some. They had the penguins in a section of the Polar Bear exhibit for some reason, so we got to see those guys for the first time. Sad, huh. They are so darn cute, and I always skip them...too many big cats and other cool things we've always got on our agenda I guess. Carter LOVES the movie "Surfs Up", so he was pretty impressed to see some real penguins. :)

The dinosaur exhibit was up again, but I wasn't willing to pay the extra fee to get inside, so Jem just played on the T-Rex outside and Carter watched. There was no convincing him to climb on that thing.
We also saw the alligator for the first time. I remember my friend posting a picture of it on her blog and me being shocked that they had one of these guys...I had NEVER seen it. Well, now I know why. He's little. Much smaller than I was picturing, but impressive none the less.

As is tradition, we checked in on the baby elephant. He's almost three years old now. CRAZY! He was brand new when we first moved to Oregon. He is still so fun to watch. He follows his mom around, pushing and pulling on her with his trunk. Reminds me a lot of Gavin these days. :) There he is, holding onto his mommy's tail as she walks away, trying to get a little space...I've been there.

The crazy trio.

Hooray for the Portland Zoo!

Clover

2011-06-05T21:51:00.001-07:00

I fell in love with the clover fields our first spring in Oregon when we were driving to and from Stake Conference. The color against the green landscape is breathtaking. It rivals the tulip festival for me...that is the absolute truth. So, when I noticed the fuchsia blossoms starting to appear, I knew I had to get some pictures out there...(again) especially since this is our last spring in this incredibly beautiful part of the country. Well, today was Stake Conference...how appropriate and convenient! Brandon agreed to a brief stop after conference...so, if the kids (especially Gavin) look a bit ruffled, wrinkley, or tired, it's because they just sat through 2 hours of church and the littlest one missed his morning nap.

So, here a many more pics of Gavin because I have been meaning to take his 12 month pics, and well, this was as good a time as any, minus the messy shirt and flood pants...oh well. At least he's smiling and adorable and these pictures just make me want to freeze time and keep him this small and sweet forever!

Tracy, that chair you gave me is coming in really handy! :) I might not even do anything to it. Do you want it back? (I hope not.)

This one is probably my favorite...I just love candid shots...and besides that, just look at those little toes, the chubby fingers wrapped around the clover blossom and his practically bald head. A-dor-a-ble.

I am going to miss this place.

Quiltin'

2011-06-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

I don't post a whole lot of my sewing projects on this blog, but this baby merited a post. I have wanted to make a quilt for the spare bed in Gavin's room ever since I finished my 1st quilt...and ever since I found out I had a boy! (The room was supposed to be unisex, but clearly it was more girl than boy...my intuition was way off.)

Moving on.

The size of a quilt for a twin bed just sounded HUGE. And frankly, it was more the actual quilting of the thing rather than the piecing (which by the way took FOREVER) that had me scared...I was pretty sure, my poor machine couldn't hack it. But somehow, me and my babylock pulled it off. (those of you in and out of the sewing world alike are probably asking, what in the world is a babylock? it's my machine...ya, i'd never heard of that brand either...but i had a budget...so babylock it was.)

Enough rambling. My amazing friend Alison shared her quilt patterns with me and I decided to use her skipping squares pattern. (She's pretty amazing by the way.) I just added an extra row to the top and sides and a border around all the edges to get a bigger size.

Getting ready to baste this bad boy.

There's my babylock...you know, for all the mocking and poking fun I do at my poor machine (and the crazy loud racket it produces when I sew...sorry Skinner family! I guess it's a good thing you were gone when I was quilting this guy) I really do love and appreciate it. I have put it through sewing boot-camp in a way and, despite the fact that I have never had it serviced (THAT IS TERRIBLE! I KNOW!) it is yet to give me a problem. Thanks Babylock!

Here's my other helper...this boy is a crazy good climber! Bad. Very bad.

Finished and on the bed.

I had to wait to get a picture of it being held up because I wasn't tall enough. Brandon, who is 6' 1" is holding this high above his head and it's still touching the ground and he has it a bit folded at the top...(and honestly, I don't think I made it quite long enough...I am very happy with the width, but if I did it over...which I'm not...I would have one more row of squares across the bottom...oh well. I'll keep that in mind when I make one for me and Brandon's Queen...) :)

Anyway, here's to my biggest quilt ever. (so far)

Quotes from May

2011-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

My sister Sharee does this each month with the things her kids say during the month and I LOVE reading that post...in fact, I look forward to it...it's a new month, she's gonna be posting stuff her kids said last month any. day.! So, I thought, ya know, I ought to be documenting the things my kids say. I mean, kids say the funniest, weirdest stuff and I LOVE IT! So, here was my first attempt at keeping track of some of their remarks from May(and "some" is an understatement...by the time I got to the computer, I had usually forgotten what it was they said that I wanted to jot down...I'll try to do better this month).

Just a disclaimer, the spacing in this post is all wacked up...don't know how to fix it, so, sorry 'bout that. It's bloggers fault.

Jemma really likes Star Wars...Carter, not so much, but he agrees to watch it with Jemma if she covers his eyes during the scary parts...
Star Wars Narrative: Carter: Cover my eyes!!! Jemma: Don't worry. This is not a scary part. It's just a man. (pause) With a pink face. (pause) And purple eyes. And a black hood. (Sounds scary to me.)

Jemma: I did choose a shirt with a butterfly and pants with flowers because butterflies land on flowers. (So that's how she chooses her clothes and justifies what matches and what doesn't...)

Jemma has been exercising with me lately. I told her that I didn't want her to use weights because it could stunt her growth. So, tonight when I was tucking her into bed, our conversation went like this:
Jemma: I'm almost gonna be six.
Me: In seven months. I think you should just enjoy being five and not think about growing up too fast. I want you to stay my little girl.
Jemma: If you want me to stay like this, then I have to use weights.

Jemma: Hey Mom, whenever Christian (a boy in the neighborhood) rides his bike, I always see his crack-bum (bum-crack) and I go like this: (eyes open wide and jaw drops) .

Jemma: What's gonna be happening tomorrow? Me: You have your preschool graduation. Jemma: I'm gonna graduate before Dad!

Me: Carter can you say the prayer for breakfast? Carter: Hm. I guess so. (That's his response to everything now...unless he just says "no"...it's rarely a "yes" anymore.)

We've been doing a lot of decluttering and so the other day, I mentioned to Carter that we needed to take some things to Goodwill, to which he responded in reference to our home, "And this is Badwill".

Me: What do you guys want for dinner? Jemma: Spaghetti! Carter: No. I want some cocky-bo-bo. (That's just one of his nonsense phrases for, well practically everything...and he thinks he's hilarious whenever he says it.) Jemma: Sorry Carter. We're all out of cocky-bo-bo.

Preschool Grad

2011-05-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

Jemma has a late birthday (December) so she missed the cutoff for kindergarten and didn't get to start with the rest of her friends last fall. Up until then, we had just done stuff at home together and a little co-op preschool with some other moms and their daughters. But with all her friends starting school, Jemma was a little bummed...so, we decided to get her enrolled in a preschool so she could "attend school" too. :)

I have to admit, it took some serious dedication on my part...getting 3 kids up and going so we could be out the door at 8:45 and then heading back at 11:10 to pick her up. It was especially tricky with a new baby, but it was all worth it. She has loved this last year of school and has learned so much.

Last Thursday was her graduation from preschool. They gave all the "graduates" those little visors. Aren't they cute?

I had to throw a picture of Carter in. He has been such a good sport...all the time he spent in his car seat taking and picking Jemma up from school.

Jem waiting with some of her girl buddies before the graduation started.

Jemma receiving her diploma.

Jemma with teachers Terri and Melissa.

Posing with her diploma and "All About Me" poster.

After graduation was over, I remembered we had been meaning to put together a small gift for her teachers...luckily, Friday was the last day of preschool, so we rushed home and put these little treats together to give them the next day. I got the idea off of Our Best Bites.

The little note says, "Pull Tab. The contents of this can are to be used purely for the treatment of stress due to teaching. When feeling such ailments, wait for recess, lock door, hide under desk, and consume immediately".

It was really fun putting these together with Jemma and hopefully her teachers felt a small ounce of our appreciation for all they've done during the year.

Last Soccer Game

2011-05-31T12:19:00.000-07:00

Jemma had her last soccer game about a week and a half ago...I know, I'm just a little behind. (As usual.)

Anyway, it was a perfect day! Sun shining, moderate temperatures...everything Oregon hasn't been lately. Usually, just Brandon or I go (and maybe Carter depending on his mood) because games were always right at dinner time and/or right after teaching piano lessons. But since it was the last game, we all went. Jemma has had a great time playing. She's learned a few things about the sport itself, but mostly just had a great time running around and cheering on her teammates.

This is how most games looked...a mass of children herding around the field with the ball right in the middle. Hilarious.

Gavin enjoying a few orange peels, that's right, peels during the game. Hey, they're chuck full of Vitamin C and they were keeping him happy.
Half-time...for Jemma, not Carter, but apparently, he was exhausted from sitting on the sidelines, eating snacks and watching the game. Jemma looks like she's thoroughly enjoying herself, doesn't she?

Every time Jemma was called back onto the field, she would run right up to her coach and slam him with a huge hug. Yes, we told her not to do it many, MANY times. Some things just don't sink in with this 5 year old.

Water break.

Jem with her medal after the game. She was pretty proud of it; even set it aside for show and tell at preschool. :)

Last goal kick of the season. She always let out a little "HI-YAH!" when she did a corner or goal kick. Must have given her a little extra power behind the kick.

It was fun to try something new this year with Jemma. Maybe we'll do it again next year. :)

Redo

2011-05-25T13:11:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted on any of my "projects", but I have been so pleased with the way this one turned out, that I just had to post about it.

A couple weeks ago, I was on my way to pick up Jemma from preschool, but had a few extra minutes, so I stopped by the Goodwill. Boy am I glad I did, cuz I found an awesome mirror for $6.99. I forgot to take a picture of it before I got started, but you can see it leaning against the back of the couch in this picture...

I guy in the checkout line was totally eyeing my find, walked right up and told me what a great mirror it was. He wanted to know what I was gonna do with it...it was pretty dinged up. I told him I was going to paint it, and he tried to talk me out of it...said I should use steel wool on it and just re-stain it...I am glad I didn't listen cuz I am in LOVE with this blue.
I also tried a new technique on it called glazing. (Thanks Tracy for the idea and Kristina for the glaze!) I did a gray glaze and really like the way it turned out...it gives it just the right "shabby chic" look I was goin' for.

In it's new home.

I had to post this picture...since the other side of our room doubles as Brandon's study, this is what I get to look at when I sit on my bed...lovely.

And this is the mirror that got replaced. It is now in search of a new place to hang...maybe I'll repaint it and put it in Gavin's room, since that is a HUGE project that I have been chipping away at forever...like ever since I found out I gave birth to a boy and not a girl...

Anyway, here's to re-dos and great deals at the Goodwill. :)

2011-05-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

I forgot to include this picture in the last post and blogger was being weird about me inserting it in the middle of the post, so here it is...in it's very own post. He got this car for his birthday and L.O.V.E.S. it. So CuTe!

Birthdays

2011-05-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

It has taken me entirely too long to document the boys birthdays...especially Carter's. So, here's to 'better late than never'. :)

Carter's Birthday:

He had a list of things he wanted for his birthday, among which was the character Doc from Disney's Cars. I looked everywhere!!! And, unfortunately, I never did find one. :( I did however, find this set of 9 cars on clearance at Target for 70% off! He was pretty impressed.

Yah! His own RaZoR!

The birthday cake is a pretty big deal for our kids...unfortunately I am no cake-pro, but I do my best. Carter requested a green and blue cake with two levels and cars on top. He picked out like 8 cars...unfortunately I could only fit 2. I think he was still ok with that. :) We're singing "Happy Birthday" to him in this picture.

Big Blow!

Back to my big find at Target...he loved it so much he didn't even touch his cake and ice cream! Just played with those cars around his plate.

First ride on the razor.

Gavin's Birthday:
Side note: we spent a lot of time at the Dr's office this last week...lots of sickness...so Carter and I were waiting for a prescription to be filled at Safeway at one point so we headed to the Dollar Tree and he picked these party hats out for Gavin's birthday. The kids LOVED them...all except Gavin of course. He did not keep his on for long.

Carter sporting his hat.

Jemma in hers.

It's become tradition for the kids to get a toy from the Little People collection on their first birthday...mostly because I LOVE LITTLE PEOPLE! I tried not to go over board this year and snagged this cute little tugboat. :)

Gavin had lots of offers for help from his older siblings.

The paper is so much more fun than the actual present at this age. He would just toss whatever the contents were aside and immediately try to ingest the wrapping.

His cake. He didn't have a say in the appearance of this one...pretty sure he was ok with that.

He didn't actually get the big cake anyway...just a miniature version in cupcake form.

So, until Gavin, our kids have never done the typical "mess making" with their 1st birthday cupcake. I was always so disapointed when they just kind of poked at it and pushed it around their tray, but never really did anything with it, or even really tasted it! So, when Gavin had a hay-day with his, I was utterly pleased! Never have I been SO happy to clean up such a messy baby.

All that cake made his thirsty!

AWESOME!

Gavin's 1st Year

2011-05-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

The first birthday for each of my children has always been full of mixed emotions for me. I love that glimpses of their little personalities start to emerge and that they are becoming more independent, but I don't like that the first year is gone, marking their exit from infancy and entrance into being a toddler and so forth. I suppose it's all just part of the mortal experience...babies growing up and me not having a "baby" anymore. I guess I could just have another one. (ha ha ha...not yet.)

Enough of my sob story.

So what are Gavin's likes and dislikes?

Gavin loves cheese, strawberries, blueberries, saltine crackers, toast, the toaster (explanation later in the post), being outside, his pacifier (just since last month), his blanket, taking his socks off, the play kitchen in the kid's room, any garbage can and it's contents (gross), and plastic bags and paper...both VERY BAD things to play with since they're super-duper choking hazards.

Gavin dislikes his carseat, being told "no" (don't we all?), oatmeal, not making it out the front door before it gets closed, and having things taken away from him.

All in all, he's a pretty darn happy guy. We just love him so much and are so grateful for all the love and joy he has added to our family.

Here's Gavin from day one until today. CRAZY! They change so much that first year.

And they sleep for the first 3 months!

And then their eyes open, but they still just chill.

Then the smiles begin. LOVE that stage.

Rice cereal for the first time. I would make that face too if I had to eat that stuff.

Gavin lived in that carrier for the first 6 months of his life. It would have been longer, but my back just couldn't hack it anymore.

Aproximately 6 months old.

Tradition!

Finally has his top 2 teeth...that makes a grand total of 4 teeth.

Toting his latest favorite toy. Yup, that's a toaster. And yes, it's the one we use. We keep it in a cupboard (cuz there's just not room on the counter) and he goes to that cupboard, opens it, pulls the toaster out and drags it around by the cord. Crumbs eveywhere. If he were my first, I would have kepts telling him "no" and putting the toaster back in the cupboard over and over again...but he's not. He's #3 and I'm ok with him pulling a toaster around.

Happy 1st birthday Gavin. We love you!

Busy Week

2011-05-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week.

Among the usual hustle and bustle of everyday living, we had some FUN additions to our schedule. :)

First, Brandon's grandparents came up from California to visit. They are so kind and come to see us regularly. The kids LOVED having them and were spoiled by all the extra attention. We spent a rather cold, and a little wet, afternoon out at Hagg Lake, but we didn't let the chill dampen our picnic. And, according to tradition, we played 5 crowns every night...Frank was undefeated this trip...we'll have to have rematch next time we get together. ;) Thanks again for coming to see us! We love you guys.

Second, Jemma's preschool held a bicycle parade on Friday. It was so cute. We had so much fun decorating her bike the night before and just as much fun watching her and her classmates ride around and around and around the school parking lot. :)

Jemma had some serious fun out there.

And Carter sported my extra pair of shades while we watched. This boy is hilarious.

Jemma's class after the parade.

Third, Brandon and I went on a date!

That could be a novelty in and of itself...those don't happen often these days. Our friend Megan swapped some babysitting with us and so off we went!

Now, if Brandon were writing this post, he would say something like, "The weather was perfect, it was really fun and we wanted to do something other than go see a movie or go out to dinner, so we checked out the Tree to Tree ropes course up by Hagg Lake."

This was an absolutely adventurous date, but the first half only was fun...for me. Brandon kicked trash out there the whole time. I, on the other hand, am a bit fearful of heights. (That was a huge understatement...I am very fearful of heights. And yes, I knew before we went...and, well, I am the one who came up with the idea...I must be crazy.) I figured if I was strapped in and what not, I would be fine...uh no. It didn't help that I am shorter than short and could barely reach the lines to clip myself too, but half the time, I couldn't even reach what little was out on the obstacle to hang onto. Eesh. Anyway, before you got started, they gave you some briefing on your gear and how to use your lobster clips and zip line clip and told us we could go through the blue and green courses after a quick trial run on a little course that was like 5 feet off the ground. After that, you had to be able to successfully climb and get across the "junkyard" (pictured below) in order to move onto the red and black courses. We did that (Brandon, no problem and speed-demon like. Me, tentatively and with few problems.)

Here I am, smiling, cuz we havn't started. Boy did I feel like a super dork once we got up in the trees and my face was plastered with fear and panic.

Brandon, rockin' his gear.

Part of the blue course behind me.

I know what you're thinkin'...that doesn't look bad, and you're right. This part was really mostly just fun despite the semi-high conditions...if you subtract out the swinging of the logs as you walk across them and having trouble reaching the ropes to help maintain my balance...

Still on the blue course.

Brandon on the "Junkyard"...you had to be able to climb this to go on the the red and black courses. I actually didn't mind this thing...it was the craziness that followed 100+ feet up that left me wIggiN' out!

I was on the other side of this, prepping to zip across. At one point on this course (BLACK...ya, at least I can say "I DID THE BLACK COURSE") all they had was one rope hanging down in between the trees and they wanted you to tarzan it across. I had to have Brandon swing the rope back to me cuz I couldn't reach it. And then after that, there was NO rope and you were supposed to leap from one to tree platform to the next. If I'm honest, just thinking about that part of the course makes me want to poop my pants. I wanted to cry I was so FREAKED OUT! Anyway, on a more positive and less embarrassing note, I am pleased to say I didn't cry or poop. I made it through and am glad I did it. I will NEVER do it again (the Black and Red Courses, that is.) But, I am glad Brandon and I had a chance to go do something more creative and, yes, adventurous. (Love you Brandon! Thanks for your patience with me out there in the trees!)

And Fourth, we celebrated Carter's 3rd Birthday. (Pictures to come.)

Yup. It's been a busy week. :)

3rd Birthday

2011-05-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Carter turns 3 today. What!?!

In honor of his birthday, I'm gonna list out some of his favorite things, some of his unfavorite things and post a gazillion pictures of him from the last 3 years of his life. :)

Carter's Favorites:

His bike (but will only ride it WITH a helmet...good boy), balls, golf, scooters, frisbees, his blanket, warm baths, drinking cold water from the fridge, the movies Cars, Toy Story (1, 2 & 3)Monsters Inc., and Kung Fu Panda, licorice, icecream, M&Ms, salad, being outside, playing with cars, singing the songs "Wheels on the Bus", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam".

Carter's Unfavorites:

Timeouts (duh), cold water (on his body), potty breaks, scary movies (like Star Wars), and being told he's not big enough.

Happy 3rd Birthday Carter! We love you!

Mothers

2011-05-08T21:30:00.001-07:00

I always look forward to this holiday...some of the reasons are obvious. I get a little extra TLC, I'm not expected to cook or do dishes and my husband and children pamper me. The other reasons, I'm sure are felt by many, but often go unexpressed.

I am thankful for this holiday because it gives me an opportunity to re-evaluate myself as a mother.

And frankly, the best way for me to do that it to reflect on my own mom; mother of nine. I remember in Jr. High telling a friend's parent that there were nine children in my family. Yes, nine. Yes, all from one marriage. And no, there are no multiple births. "Is your mother still sane?" was her response. "Of course" was mine.

Only now, as a mother of 3 do I comprehend her questioning of my mother's sanity. ;) And only now, as a parent, do I grasp the magnitude of her sacrifices in baring and raising nine children. It would take someone extraordinary to accomplish such a task. And my mom is just that. Extraordinary.

I have been blessed with three precious children. I have many faults and my children know them well. I also have, however, the example of my mother; someone to follow and emulate.

So, this Mother's Day, I am looking to my own mother, who's courage and love have been an anchor in my life. Thank you Mom!

Last week...

2011-05-07T20:26:00.000-07:00

...we met up with friends at the...you guessed it...the Children's Museum in Portland. Did the face paints give it away? Without fail, my kids seem to find that station minutes into our visit every time.

Gavin did not stay in the stroller much. He was far too independent for that nonsense.
Thanks Haycocks for coming and spending THREE HOURS there with us! It was so fun to see you guys!

...Brandon finished his THIRD YEAR of Optometry school!!! That's huge. No. more. classroom. studies. He'll be seeing patients full time during this last year and that means when he's home, he's home. (With the exception of prepping for parts 2 & 3 of Boards...) So, when he finished his last final on Wednesday and arrived home, the sun shining outside, he snagged Carter and went to the golf course. Carter was on cloud nine and keeps asking when they can go back to the driving range and hit balls "way up high"!

This boy LOVES golf. And even though he's right handed, he swings with his left...just like his daddy.

...and we spent a chilly, but very fun afternoon out at Hagg Lake with all these guys! The 2012 Class of Optometry. Now that the first three years are over, about 2/3 of this group are headed to rotations away from here and we won't see them again until graduation next spring. WEIRD! And very sad too.

(Photo courtesy of Kristina Skinner. THANKS!)
I don't mean to get all mushy, but these guys are some of the best people I have ever known. Thank you to the guys who studied along side my husband and made his journey through optometry school a better one, and thank you to the wives who gave me things to look forward to when our husbands were gone ALL. THE. TIME!!!

We had a BBQ and munched on snacks while...

Gavin slept in his carseat for 2 hours...

...the kids explored and played by the water...

...the guys had a baseball game of sorts...a childrens' pink bat and a wiffle ball were, I believe what they used to play. It was really quite entertaining...and humerous. Check out Brandon's pitch! :)

...like I said, snacks...pretty much unlimited...

...and a little more expoloring...

...here are some of the kids gathered on a bridge that they could not stay away from...hanging over the edge trying to reach their sticks (which, by the way I helped to track down...nothing like a good stick when you're out in nature) into the little stream below was just so darn entertaining. And you know what, I genuinely wanted to join them...so I did...but I mostly just fetched the sticks they dropped out of the stream.

It was a good week.

Jog-a-Thon

2011-05-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Jemma's preschool is part of a private school for grades K-12 and last week they held their school jog-a-thon. They included both of their preschool classes in the run with their kindergartners and it was cu-ute! It was so fun to watch and cheer on these little 4-6 year olds.

Jemma shootin' us a thumbs up after her first lap around.

Jem dressed in her "comfy pants and tennis shoes" just for the occasion. She wanted to wear clothes that would be good for exercising...she (unfortunately) has not learned anything about exercising from me. I have to say, she is quite a little runner. She ran almost the entire time.
Unless she was taking a water break. :)

Getting her card punched...I wish I knew the name of the boy punching cards...a few weeks ago, I noticed him as a helper in her classroom for the first time. One day when I came to pick her up from school, she asked him to bend down when he handed her her backpack. He did and she promptly kissed him on the cheek and gave him a ginormous hug...she does not get her forward nature from me...(for the record)...and this may or may not be her first crush, but it is certainly the first time she has kissed a boy that old who is not an uncle!

The upper grade levels came out to cheer these guys on as they ran lap, after lap, after lap. Many times, they'd hold out their hands and the kids would run through giving out high-5's. Very cute.

Jemma playin' to the crowd...all done. What a champion! Conqueror of the jog-a-thon.

Jem showin' me her punch card. 17 laps in 15 minutes! Not bad. (I secretly wanted to count up the punches on all the other cards just to see what the highest lap count was...Just curious.)

Jemma's class with their medals.

Great job Jem! It was fun to watch you run your little legs off! :)

Woodburn Tulip Festival

2011-04-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the Woodburn Tulip Festival this year, and let me tell you, it was worth every minute of anticipation. If you haven't been, GO!!! I could have walked around for hours and taken 500 more pictures if I hadn't been wearing heals and if I didn't have 3 hungry kids and an even hungrier husband in tow. ;)

We went with our good friends, and next door neighbors, the Skinner family. We have been planning for the last year to go together; 1st to enjoy each others company (of course!) and 2nd so we could both get a family picture.

So, pardon the gazillion photos that follow...if you're not that interested, check out now, cuz if you make it to the end, you're gonna see me and Brandon kissing. AHHH!

That apricot colored tulip was my favorite!

It was such a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. (Good for an outdoor excursion in Oregon, not so hot for photography purposes, but I think we still got some good stuff.)

Is that not incredible!?! And this was just one side. I was standing in the middle (approximately) so the other side of me stretched out just as far. AMAZING!

We never did get a very good shot of Gavin. He was so intrigued by the tulips that he rarely looked at anything else...I hope tulips aren't toxic, cuz he got more than a nibbles worth...guess we would know by now, eh.

Cute kids!

I love that one of Carter! (I told him before we came that smiling big would get us a dinner at McDonald's...and grumpy faces would send us home for sandwiches...bribery is a good thing. :)

We had a fabulous time...so much fun, in fact, we're going back tomorrow night for Family Night! Just kidding, but I do hope we can squeeze it in again next year before we say goodbye to Oregon.

Easter

2011-04-24T14:57:00.001-07:00

I want somehow, to express my gratitude for this holiday and what it represents to all of Christianity. I have, however, never been gifted in matters of writing. So, please excuse my simple testimony of this event.

I do not fully understand how the Atonement of Jesus Christ took place, nor can I comprehend it's ability to cleanse me from wrong and imperfection. I do, however, have an unfailing knowledge that it does work and that a sinless and perfect Christ gave his life for all mankind.

I serve with the primary children (ages 4-11) in our church and today's lesson was on the events surrounding Christ's death and resurrection. We listed on the board things that the Savior endured during the final days of his life; he was betrayed, spit upon, reviled, denied, whipped, mocked, and crucified. And yet He responded by healing, forgiving, submitting to the will of the Father, giving His life and ultimately conquering death. Elder Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the following:

“Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].

My other plea at Easter time is that these scenes of Christ’s lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial and abandonment and, at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. Now, may I ask that never again will He have to confront sin without our aid and assistance, that never again will He find only unresponsive onlookers when He sees you and me along His Via Dolorosa in our present day. [...]—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,” for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone.”

I am incalculably grateful for my Savior, for the Atonement He willingly performed on my behalf and for the knowledge I have been given; that He conquered death and that the tomb stands empty.

"He is not here; for he is risen" Matthew 28:6

And on a side note, here are our 3 bedlamites (as termed by Elder Holland), dressed in their Easter best. :)

The Hunt

2011-04-24T14:40:00.001-07:00

We had a visit from the Easter Bunny on Saturday. He must have dropped by awfully early too, because the kids woke up to house that had been littered with dozens of Easter eggs.

Jemma and Carter scavenged and collected all the eggs in a matter of minutes...

Jemma was even kind enough to show Gavin how to collect the eggs.

He got really good at putting them in his little basket. :)

All three kiddos with their baskets chuck-full of eggs.

And what was inside?

CHOCOLATE.

Tons of chocolate.

Breakfast (and a belly ache) supplied by the Easter Bunny. :)

See the chocolate drool? Delicious.

Easter Festivities

2011-04-23T20:55:00.001-07:00

It seems like life is just zipping past these days...I'm in the kitchen cooking or cleaning and the kids are out riding bikes, and we're just wrapped up in stuff.

But that doesn't mean we haven't made a little time for traditional Easter activities.

Sugar cookie making for starters...the kids were SO excited about these.

They even sat in front of the oven and watched them (ok, just the first batch) bake.
Decorating them, for Carter, was more about eating the mini m&m's.

Jemma, on the other hand, was quite meticulous...I'm lame though, and totally didn't get any pictures of them before we gobbled them up.

We also spent part of an afternoon at the Dean's home dying eggs and having an egg hunt in their yard. (Honestly, if they hadn't had us over, we probably would not have dyed eggs this year...just never got around to it. Plus, none of us are big fans of boiled eggs, and I have guilt over coloring a couple dozen eggs and then just tossing them in the garbage after they've sat in the fridge for a week...)

Jemma was sweet...Carter had much fewer eggs than she did after the hunt was over, so she shared a few of hers with him. :)

Gavin with his treasure.

Carter asking me to open one of his goodies.

Jem showin' off her loot.

It's a good thing this was last weekend, (ya, I know I'm slow these days when it comes to blog updates...) cuz the Easter Bunny visited our home this morning, and we're on treat overload over here!

Of Late...

2011-04-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

Aside from chauffeuring Jem to and from preschool, running back and forth from soccer practice, doing a little sewing (mostly refashioning some of my stuff and scrap skirts for Jem), we've had a relatively chill week. SO chill in fact, that I actually had the energy to take all three kids to the zoo for

a.) the first time without Brandon and

b.) the first time since Gavin was born (if you don't count Zoo Lights, which I don't cuz you couldn't see the animals...)

So, pictures of that excursion are down at the end of this post.

I also have decided that I am truly undecided on how I feel about this little chair.

I found it at goodwill for $9 last September. Love the chair itself...just can't seem to give it the right look.

Obviously "Sofia" had to go...and I was on a gray and turquoise kick, so that's the look it got last fall.

However, after months of gray skies, the color gray on this sweet little rocking chair just didn't work for me...and in addition, the little seat mat I'd sewn up for it looked more and more like a hot pad...no good. Plus, I'm trying to go more neural in my home decor. Too many colors these days. Makes me wanna gag when I look around and see mismatched nic-nacs everywhere.

Time for a re-do.

So, I painted it off white and made a new seat cushion.

Gavin felt he needed to climb on this baby as soon as it was upright. (And, notice the upside-down stool in the background?)

And then he felt the need to climb all over me while trying to get a decent shot of the finished product.

But, get a decent shot, I did.

So, now that it's all done...I fear it's too neutral...the cushion doesn't have enough color or maybe I just don't like the yellow ties. (In truth, I didn't feel like sewing up ties, so I dug through my ribbon stash and yellow was the best I could find...) Anyway, we'll see how long this look lasts.

Back to our trip to the zoo. We got there in time for lunch and ate our picnic out on the big lawn and soaked up as much vitamin D as possible. It was WONDERFUL to get out and do something out of the norm away from the confinements of our little apartment.

Here are the pics from the zoo. (I didn't get the camera out much...we were just enjoying ourselves too much I guess. :)

This was the first time we've EVER seen the lions outside their den.

Those bats are really cool to watch...we usually just skip these guys cuz they're back in a little dark corner and we tend to hit this area at the end of our zoo excursions. This time, we checked them out for a good 10 minutes or so.

Anyway, I asked Jem and Carter what they're favorite animal was. Carter's was the Tiger and Jem said she loved them all!

They haven't stopped asking since when we're going back...when the sun comes back out!

Trouble

2011-04-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

I had this stool upside-down today (along with the little rocker in our living room) cuz this boy won't stop climbing. I should have taken a picture of him after I took him off the stool and posted it on here...he was heartbroken! You'd think after falling off twice he'd realize I'm just trying to protect him!

Soccer Player

2011-04-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

Jemma is playing on a soccer team this spring and had her first game last Saturday. It was actually much more than a first game, it was a first time exposure to soccer playing on a team, period. We had missed all three practices leading up to the game...I'll spare you the details, but it was totally not. my. fault.

Whatever.

Good news is, she did great! She just went out there and had fun...and that is what playing on a sports team (especially when you're only 5 years old) should be all about.

Jemma before the game.

Pep talk from the coach and choosing of the team name. They let Jemma choose a piece of paper out of a bag and she pulled out the piece that said "Dragon" on it. So, the team name became the "Blue Dragons". Cute. Jemma's #11.

Their team scored and Jemma was pretty darn proud. It took a while for their team to get the ball into the goal, so this was an exciting moment. :)

Jemma doin' a corner kick. She did pretty darn good for not having been at any of the practices.

We're excited to be trying something new with Jemma this year. If nothing else, we hope she learns good team-work skills and just has fun!

28

2011-04-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

I'm feelin' old.

Yesterday was my birthday.

I turned 28.

I have crease marks on my forehead and between my eyebrows from giving the "stop that" or "that's enough" look to my kids.

My skin is fitting less snugly to my body these days (and maybe buying jeans that come up over my abdomen isn't such a bad idea cuz then I could just tuck the donut inside and hide it better.)

Thirty is just around the corner and I can feel myself changing.

Bring it on.

Because the future brings with it more memory making with my family,

more time to conquer so many imperfections,

and more opportunities to recognize, appreciate and express gratitude for all that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with.

p.s. Birthday gifts from Brandon and the kids included a slew of power tools...sounds odd to some, but that is what I really wanted. (Cirular saw, reciprocating saw, power drill, 2 18 V batteries, a charger, and a working light.)

p.p.s. Carter is also potty trained. It took 3 days. Best. Birthday. Gift. EVER!

Spring Break

2011-04-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is my attempt to quickly cover Spring Break. It was over more than a week ago, but guilt has driven me to the computer to document the few things we did. :)

The weather was pretty much rotten. Little sunshine. Lots of clouds and wind. And even more rain. Pretty sure if I had things my way, the rains would have ceased a month ago.

Anyway, Brandon and I have been attempting to make one-on-one dates with the kids a monthly occurence and so I had my date with Jemma over Spring Break and Brandon had his with Carter. Jemma and I spent an hour at the aquatic center splashin' around and have a jolly time in the pool. Brandon took Carter putt-putt golfing for the first time. Carter was sure to tell me when he got home that he didn't go golfing, just putt-putt golfing and that he didn't get to hit the ball "up in the high" (we think he's trying to say up in the sky...ya know when they tee off with a driver). Not even 3 and he totally knows the difference. Eesh.

Then, when there was an hour of sunshine, we went on a picnic with our friends, the Bisbee family, and flew kites (before it got too cold).

We spent a morning at an indoor park with the Parkinson's (great idea Dave and Tara!) while it poured rain outside.

And even made it down to Woodburn to visit our long-time friends, the Haycocks. They took us to this adorable farm that had lots of animals to see, a fun play area and a great gift shop with DELICIOUS apple cider donuts! This little lamb was so cute and happy! It was born on Valentine's Day and thus named "Valentine". It did lots of leaping and jumping around - very fun to watch! They had two of these teeter-totters in the play ground area. Mason and Laura were good sports and rode with the kids on them...it's much more fun that way! :)

I thought this was so cool! The goats had this walkway from inside the barn to outside in the pasture area. I just thought it being up high/giving something for the goats to climb was genius!

Alright, so I really didn't do a very good job of taking pictures over Spring Break, so I'm sorry there aren't more pictures...especially of the kids. Just wanted you to know that we didn't lounge around in our pajamas the whole time. :)

Cali Trip

2011-03-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

Me and the kids planned a trip to California during the week before and the week of Brandon's board exam. He wasn't going to be around to spend much time with us and we all get a little cranky cooped up in our little apartment without him...

There was NO way I was going to drive 13 hours by myself...especially after the way the drive went over Christmas break. So, we booked our flights and I had nightmares for weeks beforehand over traveling alone with 3 children (mostly over Carter and Gavin...) But, when it was all said and done, the kids did GREAT and people were so nice to us. I even had a lady come up to me before we boarded the plane and say how impressed she was with my well-behaved children (beaming:), but that if I needed any help, she would gladly sit by me. How sweet! Fortunately, I didn't require any assistance.

Here are some pics of them before we boarded and on the plane.

Maybe you noticed the kids bright colored clothing...this is actually because I was so super paranoid about loosing one of them...I wanted to be able to spot them quickly if they wandered at all in the airport/remember what they were wearing if, heaven forbid, I actually lost one. Maybe I was a little overly-paranoid...

Gavin's little nap made the flight heavenly!

My sister Melanie and brother Reed (who, by the way, just got home from his mission in Texas) picked us up from the airport and as soon as we got to my parents' home, Jemma and Cater were out on the trampoline with Uncle Jacob and Uncle Reed. (Jacob left, Reed right.)

Before I get any further with the pictures, I just have to say, there are a lot of people I meant to get pictures of, and it just didn't happen. My fault. So, if we saw you on this trip and you're not pictured, I am so sorry! We loved seeing ALL of you!

We got to go out and see the property that Brandon's parent's just purchased...they have been working SOOO hard out there! And Carter was happy to be out in the orchard mimicking his Papa Ben.

Aunt Mel is always full of crazy fun and did some interesting make-up for the kids so they could do a little photo shoot.

Eesh.

We went to feed the ducks with my mom one afternoon...unfortunately there were more seagulls and geese than ducks, but we had fun nonetheless.

We played at the park while we were there too.

This swing was AwEsOmE!

We spent an afternoon with Brandon's step mom on her day off and ended up at a park nearby. The sunshine was WONDERFUL and we are missing it a whole darn lot now that we're back.

Jemma and Grandma Debbie.

Carter giving Gavin an "under-dog".

Gavin lovin' it!

Jemma givin' him a push.

This picture has a story.

Debbie and I were trying to get a picture of all three kids. Gavin was happy and smiling initially, but then he got interested in the grass.

Carter was smiling for us,

but Jemma was ticked that we made her come off the playground or something like that so she was mostly scowling at the camera.

This is the best shot I got because Jemma is looking away and Gavin doesn't have the grass in his mouth.

Back out at Brandon's parent's home...they have these little tractors now that the kids LOVE!

Jemma and cousin Trey.

Trey givin' Carter a ride. This was ADORABLE!

This may appear to be a random photo, but it was the only one I took that day...and I don't want to forget it.

My Grandpa Stone has composed A LOT of music and one of my amazing cousins is making sure it all gets recorded.

(THANK YOU ELIZABETH!)

So one of the Saturdays I was out there, I got to be part of this whole experience. I sang a trio with my mom and sister Melanie for one number and then got to do a few of his fun group numbers.

The picture is my dad at the piano and Grandpa Stone giving us singing instructions.

My mom took us to a cute little tulip farm out in Modesto and when we pulled up, Carter spotted this little dandy. He really wanted to ride on it, but unfortunately, a pic with it was all I could offer. He looks so teeny next to it!

Nona (my mom) with the kids.

Jemma...I couldn't get Carter to stick his face in the one next to Jemma...stubborn little guy.

I told the kids to choose their favorite color tulip and I would take their picture with them...Jemma, obviously chose pink, and Carter was off running through the mud toward the cows before I could snap one of him...noticing a trend?

Checkin' out the geese on the pond. There was one lone duckling out there...I think Carter's head is covering it in this photo...but anyway, it was adorable.

Me and the kids.

Other things we did on this trip included:

Visiting with Granddad Mike, Uncle Austin and Aunt Heather,

McDonalds with Great Grandma Nawatha, Great Papa Frank and Great Aunt Sheryl,

painting a bedroom wall dusty blue and a laundry room hydrangea green,

helping brother Reed build a shelving unit for music storage in my parent's living room, (I used a miter saw for the first time...very cool! Thanks Reed for letting me help a bit! Can't wait for you to come build me some stuff!!!),

game playing (mostly memory with the kids, and a little Sabatour...very fun card game!),

dancing & pizza with the Zamaroni's and Soiseth's,

pizza with the Reed's, Yoder's and Fretwell's,

movie watching,

scooter riding,

frisbee throwing,

attending Melanie's Joseph Smith tribute performance with the YSA in Modesto,

and... (drum roll)...

registering Jemma for kindergarten (she'll start in Cali during Brandon's 2nd rotation).

Too fun!

We always love visiting family, but next time, hopefully Brandon can join us cuz we

REALLY MISSED HIM!

2011-03-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Boards.

Today's the day.

We have talked about these for almost 3 years now.

Just waiting for them to come and get them over with.

The preparation on Brandon's end has been grueling. Poor guy. But I must say he's done an exceptional job of still trying to pitch in at home and give the kids and me a bit of attention. However, if we're being completely honest, the stress level in our home will go way down once they're over!

The first of three sets is finally here. (Bittersweet really...bitter that poor Brandon has to spend two full days taking an unbelievably difficult exam and that there is no more time to prepare. Sweet that once it is over, we can spend Spring Break thinking and talking about something other than boards!)

Brandon, we just want you to know that you're in our prayers today! You are gonna do GREAT! (No pressure.)

Love you!

Jen and the kiddos

YUCK!

2011-02-28T20:59:00.000-08:00

I'm laughing out loud before I even start writing this.

Yesterday when it came to making Sunday dinner (which is generally supposed to be the nicest, most delicious meal of the week) I was scrounging around in the kitchen looking for something, anything that you could put together and call a meal. It had been some time since I'd been to the grocery store.

I hate grocery shopping. And I hate it even more if I have to do it in the rain.

Anyway. I found a box of stuffing our neighbors had given us when they moved, one chicken breast, some frozen corn, a few carrotts, a can of cream of chicken soup and some sour cream...

there's a recipe on the back of the stuffing box for "Easy Chicken Bake". So I threw it together and served it up for dinner. When Brandon placed it in front of Carter he took one look at it and yelled, "YUCK!" Alright, so maybe it looked like it had been regurgitated, but it smelled, and tasted just fine.

Then tonight, after grocery shopping (in the rain), I made that italian chicken with the cream cheese in the sauce that you put over white rice. Again, Carter was not impressed with the main course on our dinner menu. He was so stubborn about not eating it that he missed out on brownies after FHE. That's huge.

So, it came as no surprise that his prayer before bed went something like this;

"Deaw Heanly Fadder, thank thee foe this day. Thank thee foe bweafas and not dinnew cuz it's yucky. And I not have bwonies. In name of Jesus Chwis, Amen."

I'll try to come up with something non-yucky for dinner tomorrow. Just for you Carter. :)

Nap Time

2011-02-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

Gavin generally does a bit of fussing when he goes down for his naps, and today was no different. So, after he falls asleep, I always go in and check on him (ie re-adjust his position, cover him up, etc.)...But this is the first time I've had to get him out of a sitting position!

It did bring back memories of this though!

Poor babies!

Rapunzel

2011-02-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

Jemma has been growing her hair out. For months now, she's talked about having hair like Rapunzel. But the other day, we were looking at pictures of the kids (most of which showed her with short hair) and she turned to me and said, "I think I just want my hair short".

I LOVE short hair, so, an hour later, it was done.

Before:

After:

Brandon and I
LOVE HER HAIR SHORT!
And so does she. She keeps telling me it feels SO GOOD - no hair on her neck and in her face. And technically, Rupunzel ends up with short hair. So, Jemma's hair is still like Rapunzel's after all!

I have to confess too, I have a bit of hair envy. I'm trying to grow mine out and when I cut Jem's off, I was SOOOOO tempted to call and schedule myself a hair appointment.
I held strong though...no hair cut...yet.