The Real Life of a Mom With 2 Kids

Josh's Newest "Passion"

2010-09-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, you are right, there is no need to adjust your computer screen - that is a skateboard. Brad was a sucker when they went to the store a while back, and bought him a skateboard. I guess on the way home, Josh wanted to know if he could get on his skateboard and hold on the the back of the car while it was driving! Um, what?!? When he got home, that's all he wanted to do was show me his "moves". After asking him how he learned all of that, he said, "Moooom (all drawn out), from Back to the Future, of course". Which totally explains the wanting to hitch a ride while holding on to the back of the car part. He has elbow and knee pads as well, so he is protected. But he is such a natural, I can't get over it. Ugh, the sports are just going to get more and more dangerous in this momma's eyes!

His first time on one.

He loves to do stunts.

He loves his skateboard - I have no idea whats on it, geez, I'm getting old :)

Josh's 1st Day of Kindergarten

2010-09-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

It's still so hard for me to even believe it now (since it is Sept. 27th already), but my little boy is in Kindergarten. He has been waiting all summer to go to school and Sept. 1st was his very first day. The first week was a little hectic; we were trying to get used to being on a schedule again. As well as a little rough - none of Josh's classmates from preschool were in his class this year. He saw them on the playground at recess and was upset the rest of the day since he didn't understand why his friends could play with him then, but couldn't be in his class. But I'm happy to report that he has made plenty of new friends, loves his teacher, love music class and the computer lab! He loves doing homework (ha, only a few more months of that) and loves to do his reading and counting. We are working on counting up to 100, and he is getting so close!

Maddie misses him when he is at school, but we've been pretty busy ourselves to say the least. We've been getting together with friends, doing the grocery shopping or running to the bank, laundry, heading to the gym, etc. As you can see by the pictures, Maddie had to get a backpack too - one more year Little Miss, one more year!

His first day at Kindergarten

Maddie wanted in on the action

Josh with his new Spiderman backpack

I love when she looks at him like this. So cute!!

Outside of his school

Inside the classroom. He was really excited!!

By this picture, he was like - ok mom, you can leave now.

The Rest of August

2010-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so for the rest of August I just put up the rest in pictures. Let's see...we did another day trip up to the woods (always fun). We went up to Bumping Lake to have lunch and again for me to take pictures. Maddie also got a big girl bed with princess bedding. We've been potty training and so far so good. She is constantly waking up dry from naps and in the morning as well! We've had a few accidents, but those come with the territory. Now, we just need to get rid of the binky. But we will work on that another time. The big girl bed and potty training is enough for now. Josh had a school bus round-up, which was basically just riding the school bus for the very first time. Maddie loved riding it too, I think she thought she was going to school as well. Josh also had an Open house for Kindergarten, so we went and he got to check out his classroom and see other kids in his class. We also had professional pictures taken of the kids, which I will put in a different post. And then it was my birthday at the end of August. I got to go to lunch with another mom I know with the same birthday as me. So we went to Red Robin and ate some yummy food. I also got to sleep in, got a photography book, some new shoes, and we went out to dinner. Didn't exactly know how that was going to go since we don't go out as a family. But I think we're turning a corner. The kids did great (wasn't really worried about Josh as much as I was Maddie) and I didn't have to cook! Woot Woot!

Maddie in her big girl bed.

Her princess bedding

She wants to climb in already!

Maddie loved the bus.

His first time riding a school bus

Bumping Lake

My mushroom find

Pretty flowers

She had to wear her Hello Kitty boots

Day Trip to the Woods

2010-08-27T07:25:00.001-07:00

So during the middle of the month (yes, August) we took a trip up to the woods just for the day to look around and have a picnic. We went up White Pass and had a really good day. Brad knew of this waterfall that he and his dad had seen when they went snowmobiling last winter. So that was the plan. Lunch at a campsite, check - then hike down to the waterfall and of course take some pictures!

Trying out more flower pictures

My little family

The kids look SO small on this stump

Mushroom

Maddie being a goof

South Fork Falls

The Waterfall. There was so much spray we were drenched

My hubby living the good life

Pony Rides

2010-08-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

So the kids got to go on some pony rides through the MOMS Club I joined over here. It was a hot and muggy day, but the kids still had a blast. They loved feeding the horses, seeing a huge pot bellied pig, seeing the donkey, the chickens, and of course riding the ponies. Josh was a true natural at riding and Maddie was a little timid at first, but still did great! Love watching my kids enjoy and try new things.

Pumba the pot bellied pig

Maddie feeding one of the horses

My ladies man :)

Watching the horses

He had SO much fun!

See, he is a natural.

Maddie's 1st time being on a pony

Watching out for his sister.

She loved it, even though she was a little timid.

Our 7th Anniversary in Seattle

2010-08-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

So we decided to go up to Seattle for our 7th Anniversary. Brad took the day off and thought we'd much rather be busy doing something than staying home. So off to Seattle we went. We went the the Space Needle, which didn't go the way I had planned - since the weather was kind of crappy and the kids didn't/couldn't appreciate it. But we went nonetheless. We also went to the aquarium, since we'd never been there before. We normally only go to the zoo, so we thought we'd try a few new things this time. The kids had fun, Brad and I had an OK time - we wished we could have eaten at the restaurant in the Space Needle. But that is definitely something to do WITHOUT kids! Next time, next time!!

View from the top.

Looking up

I have no idea why they posed like this, but they did. Can't you just see the excitement on Josh's face?

Good picture of the 3 of them.

Then it was my turn.

Starfish at the Aquarium.

Dory and Nemo :)

Had to get them in front of the sign

Silly kids

Inside the Dome.

The Seals

Evergreen Air Museum

2010-08-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

So on our way home from the beach we stopped in McMinnville at the Evergreen Air Museum. I thought at first, ok, only an hour here tops! But the more we looked, the better it was. We ended up staying at least 2 hours, so it was a nice break with a lot of information! Plus, I thought the kids would just run around like lunatics and start yelling, etc. But they didn't. We had a blast and I'm really glad we stopped to see all of the airplanes, read about a bunch of war facts, and seen the one and only Spruce Goose! And a water park included with an airplane on top of the building is supposed to open next year - so maybe we will be back! We also missed out on the IMAX theater. So much to see!

They had to sit in the airplane seats :)

Had to get a picture of this!

The Alley Cat Airplane

Josh "flying" a helicopter

The magnificant "Spruce Goose" That thing was huge!

A water bucket that helicopters use to put fires out. Didn't think they were this big!

The Beach

2010-08-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

So we went to Lincoln City, OR with Brad's parents during the 3rd week in July. It was the first time the kids have ever been to the beach, so that was pretty exciting. The only downer - the weather. It was so cold and windy. I've been to the Oregon Coast many times growing up with my family, albiet it was Cannon Beach or Seaside area, but I have never known it to be as windy as it was when we went! Craziness. So we got there on a Wednesday (traveled most of the day) and left on Sunday. We went to the aqauarium down in Newport on Thursday, went to the beach and outlet mall on Friday (which I'm glad we did since we thought it was going to be nicer on Saturday - oh no, we thought wrong), and then tried to go to the beach on Saturday...but we mainly just hung around the house. We rented a beach house, so that was nice! We bought some food, did a few meals at home, the kids shared a bed, we had a DVD player, etc. Wish it had been a little closer to the beach, but oh well :) We had a good time even though the weather didn't hold out - the kids loved going to get taffy! It went by too quick, but have plans to go to maybe a warmer beach next year???

Maddie wanted to stay by Grandma since she was pretty cold!

Josh loved the water and running from the waves.

Love this one with their reflections.

Grandma and Grandpa were cold too!

Maddie in her sweats trying to stay warm!

Our first day at the beach.

Our meager attempt at a sandcastle as the wind was blowing sand in our faces.

Needed to make this OUR family tradition :)

July

2010-07-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

Just look at these in reverse order - I will try again next time :)

So July was busier than June and I can't believe it's already over. We ended up going to Tri-Cities for the 4th and had a BBQ with Brad's parents. I had a mom's night out with my moms club to an art studio - so I painted a very cute mug for myself. And now that I've cut out coffee, I'm not sure what I'll put in there...ice cream, maybe? The kids and I have been doing a lot of playdates and I've also been taking them to the local pool, which they love! We also went to the beach with Brad's parents (which is a totally separate post - too many pictures). We've had something to do almost every day this month, and I'm almost looking forward to school starting so that things will feel like they are slowing down. I'm trying to gear up for this month, and things are still looking pretty busy. I was talking to one mom today and we both agreed that when we look at the calendar - even though it's only the beginning of the month, it feels like the end since we are so busy. So again, enjoy the pictures and I will try to work on the beach post tomorrow.

We had a fire out in Cowiche, which is over the hill from us. This is what I got on my camera. Lost power to our house for about 15 minutes. 6000 acres were burned and we made the National news.

All of the grandkids with Grandma and Grandpa

She looks so little in this picture

Camping trip with Deb and Dennis

Some other people had the really big fireworks.

Our little fireworks show

Are these two even related? Note the sarcasm.

Brad and his dad - they look *nothing* alike.

Getting a little hot - look at those cheeks!

Brad being patriotic :)

Sharing some pie with Grandma

Maddie showing me her purple tongue after a Popsicle on the 4th of July

June

2010-07-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

These posted all wrong, yet again. Here is our pool day!

It's been so long since I've posted, I figured I'd just a run down month by month until I get all caught up. That way I can tell you what we did and post pictures as well. I got a new camera. So I've been having a lot of fun taking pictures with it and learning new things. I got a Canon Rebel T1i for those photography enthusiasts out there. I got it as a kit from Costco and it came with 2 lenses, a camera bag, and lots of gadgets :) I'm very happy with it, but I want an additional lens already.

Ok, so June. Josh finished up school. We were busy every single weekend in June. I feel like we've been busier since summer started than we were when Josh was in school. I've done a couple more activities through the MOMS Club. Brad and I had a date night, I went to lunch with 2 of my friends from middle school/high school. We had a BBQ that we went to, along with a birthday party. I had 3 Scentsy parties!!! And Josh did a preschool camp. Phew! We definitely had a busy month. Enjoy the pictures.

Going for a walk/ride up the street. And yes, it was THAT cold in June. Definitely needed jackets!

Miss Hollywood

Future model?

My goofy girl!

Josh posing with his new haircut at the Barber Shop. He loved it. He had to pull one ear to get the chair to move up and the other ear to move the chair back down (*wink, wink*). It was cute.

I'm still alive

2010-07-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the last time I posted was back in May...um, what?!?

Well to catch you up, which is how this blog has gone for the past year now, always catching up. But anyways...to catch you up.

Let's see, May, May, May - I can't even remember what happened last week, so let me grab the calendar. Well May was filled with Birthday parties, having people over for dinner, and Memorial Day weekend. We had a camp out to go to, but didn't even end up staying one night. It was so cold and windy (probably 20 degrees cooler than usual), so we ended up just coming home. Not too much happened in May, even though it felt like we were busy.

Ok, so it won't let me post any pictures. It's taking forever, so maybe I will try again later.

Camera Time!

2010-05-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

Grrr...these keep posting backwards and if I type first, then I can't copy and paste what I wrote at the top. So read this from the bottom :)

I've been into black and white lately.

...and power poles. Hmm...I wonder why?

This is Mt. Rainier - but it's blurry. Boo

I've been doing some pretty heavy research on buying a more professional camera in hopes of taking more professional pictures (ha, ha). I've always been interested in photography, and by looking at some pictures that people have taken - I just want to get into it more and more. I am so inspired and want to find a camera that will be able to take me to that next step. I don't plan on having a "studio" or taking pictures of people other than the kids, I'm more of a scenery kind of gal. But I love taking pictures. So I think I've figured out what camera I'm going to get...now just to get the money. No, but really, I'm going to get a Canon because I've had one before. There is a kit at Costco that comes with the camera, two lenses, gadget bag, SD card, and a bunch of other stuff. So I definitely think this is the way to go. And I want to have one before we head to the beach - perfect picture taking opportunities there. Hopefully photography can be my hobby and I won't get burnt out on it - i.e. scrap booking :) I'm going to post a few pictures that I really like, but the point and shoot camera that I have now just doesn't do these justice!

May Thus Far...

2010-05-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it seems to be a recurring theme - but this month has BY FAR been the busiest month yet! Yeah, yeah you might say - but it's true. We finished off the first week in May with Brad having the duty truck. He ended up with 40 hours of overtime, and I meant to put in addition to his 40 hour work week, not 80. But still, it was a lot!

I had a Scentsy party on the 8th, which was a total bomb! Only one person showed up, but hopefully the host can get some outside orders. I sent some mini scents to a lady that lives in Oregon and she had a basket party - so that helped me out there. I have another basket party on Saturday. So I hope this means that things are starting to pick up???

Josh had a field trip to the local high school for Farm Days where there are farm animals, craft projects and lots of tractors. He got SO excited because they got to ride the school bus to and from school. Very exciting! I will post pictures of that tomorrow...maybe. I felt bad because I had to bring Maddie with me and since that was the case, I could only watch Josh and Maddie and not be in charge of any other children. Josh REALLY wanted to be by his friends, and not around mom and Maddie. It's happening already! Ack!

On Mother's Day, Brad and the kids got me flowers and a card. Brad also let me "sleep in" and I got a pedicure. Very pretty toes and very relaxing! We also ordered in so I didn't have to make dinner. Pretty low key but nice all at once.

We've had a birthday party to go to, I had a purse party that I went to (which I had to bring the kids with me, ugh), plus my Scentsy parties, and I also ended up watching Brad's cousin's son for a day and a half. Which brings up a good point - we are DEFINITELY not having 3 kiddos! I don't think I could do it. I'm already used to having the kids being able to entertain themselves, having my hands free, no spit up, no high chairs, etc.

And we aren't finished with this month yet. I have a hair appointment on Thursday (thank goodness, I'm in desperate need of a color), Josh has to redo a hearing test since he failed the one at his 5-year appointment and get booster shots, and then the next weekend it's Memorial Day weekend. I'm ready for summer. Rest and relaxation...ha ha ha!

April Pictures of the Kids

2010-05-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

Who's 5? ME!!!!

He wanted a Spiderman Birthday party.

Josh on his 50cc Dirtbike.

Sugar-induced coma from eating Easter candy.

Love the way his legs are crossed :)

Super cute Easter dress.

Trying to shave like daddy.

A rare peaceful picture

Ok, well here's another one...but I swear,

they only do this for pictures!

April

2010-05-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

April, April, April...this was by far our busiest month. And I promise I will be posting pictures soon, but not today. So at the beginning of the month we had Josh's 5th Birthday party. I still can't believe that my son is 5. What is even more trippy is that he will be starting Kindergarten in the fall!!! WOW! Josh had a great party and he got a little 50cc dirtbike as a gift from us - which is absolutely loves!

The next weekend, Brad and I went to Bellingham for my friend's wedding reception. That was so much fun and I am so happy for Ashlee and Jeff. Brad and I left early Saturday morning and I got to watch Ashlee get ready for her wedding and see her hair and makeup. She looked absolutely beautiful! We got to see a few people from high school that we hadn't seen since high school, so that was fun too!

Josh finished soccer and I also got him registered for Kindergarten. Maddie is growing faster than a weed. She is quite the little boss and her newest thing is trying to order Josh around. She is quite the talker and is definitely showing us her independent streak...but I don't really think it's a streak. More like, just her personality! Boy, am I in trouble!!

We were sick a lot in April, all of us actually. It's been a long road of sickness for us. Maddie got an ear infection in both ears - which was followed by a 10-day course of antibiotics. Josh was sick for over a week and half. Brad got sick, and I did too. And the wind here has been outrageous!!! Brad and I weren't sure if we had gotten sick or if it was just our allergies. Right now, my mailbox is laying on it's side. And to top all of this off, Brad has had the duty truck since Wednesday night and has been on-call from the time he gets off of work until he goes back the next morning. So I think right now he is around 35 hours of overtime, plus his reg. 80 hour work week, and we still have 2 more nights to go.

So, I promise I will post pictures of Josh's Birthday party and from the months of March and April. So there, I'm caught up!

March

2010-04-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been sooooo long since I've posted I'm going to have to give a run down by the month. Yikes! We've been so busy and I've really only been on fac.ebo.ok so go figure, eh?

So here it goes...let me grab the calendar. Ok so looking at the calendar, Brad worked A LOT. So that was kind of stressful. Josh stayed at G&Gs house for a few days over Spring Break. He also started soccer, which has been his first sport that he's done. It was cute to watch him try to follow the rules, since neither Brad or I know the first thing about soccer, but he did pretty good. I mean, he loves to run - so there you go.

I had a Scentsy party and that actually went extremely well! It was the best party that I have ever had, so that is a step in the right direction. I went to my friend's bridal shower/bachelorette party on the 27th up in Seattle. It was really fun, and I had a great time meeting new people and visiting with Ashlee. Her friend threw the Bridal shower and then we went into Seattle for dinner and drinks for the bachelorette party. It was a good time and nice to get away from the kiddos for one night.

And I guess that was pretty much it. Not too exciting...now on to April :)

Grrr

2010-03-05T16:32:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I'm having a little pity party for myself today. Everything keeps getting piled on top of one another and today is one of those - "I hate my life" kind of days. And yes, realistically, I DO NOT hate my life. I do feel very fortunate that I have a roof over my head, that my husband has a great job, our kids are healthy, etc. But it's just been a really long and stressful week knowing what lays in the days ahead.

I've been sick (yet again), and trying to take care of the kids when Brad has been working late (yet again there too) leaves me no room to breathe - literally! I just found out this week that our house payment went up - no fun. We just have a lot of things going on starting the end of this month, with a lot of money going out the window - I am and am not looking forward to it. It's been a rough week with the kids, Josh is out of school all next week due to it being conference week, and my patience is gone - not just cut thin, gone. Period. I'm due for another bad mommy award yet again!

I have a Scentsy party (yay!) next weekend, Josh starts soccer and I have a baby shower to go to tomorrow - so that's money there. The last weekend of the month I have a bridal shower and bachelorette party to go to (out of town). The next weekend we are having Josh's birthday party and the weekend after that we are going to a wedding out of town - which Brad and I both have to buy outfits - for since it's black cocktail attire (I have no use for those clothes since becoming a mom, so there you go). Money, money, money. Busy, busy, busy! But we will get through it - I'm just stressed.

Ok, and...I'm done.

Valentine's Date

2010-02-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

Well Brad and I actually got to do a date night on Saturday night for Valentine's Day. And let's just say that it left much to be desired! We got a babysitter (and no, it wasn't Grandma and Grandpa!) and decided that we'd just go out to dinner. I wanted to bring him to a new restaurant in town and he even got me flowers - which was really sweet!!! This was the first Valentine's Day that we have celebrated in 2 years. Last year, we moved on that day and the year before that Brad worked on Valentine's Day. So I thought it was going to be great.

So we get to the restaurant and everything is fine...until we ordered. The waiter was SOOOOO slow. We got there a little before 5:30. He came to take our drink orders, then left...came back 10 minutes later, and I ordered an appetizer and then he left...came back 20 minutes later and took our dinner order, then left...came back 10 minutes later and brought our salad and bread, then left...came back 20 minutes later and brought our food. It was just crazy. By the time we left it was after 7pm!! And we didn't' even sit and talk after we ate our food, we just basically ate and left. Then Brad ended up getting sick from the food that he ate. Poor guy! So needless to say, it wasn't that great of an evening and I was really bummed because we hardly ever get to go out to dinner. I just hope the next time it will be a little better.

My Parents - Part II

2010-02-11T09:43:00.000-08:00

So now it's my mom's turn! Ever since her and my dad got divorced my relationship with her has been even more of a struggle. She is constantly asking me if I've talked to my dad, if I have his address, that she is pissed off at my dad (which is definitely understandable), and to make matters worse - she was hounding me after my grandfather passed away to make sure that I found out some information for her. Um...what??? She wanted me to find out if my dad was officially divorced from her before he married Bobbie because if he was a bigamist - 1/2 of my grandfather's money was hers! Words can not even describe how insane and disgusting that is - she told me to find that out the day I told her that my grandfather passed away!! I'm sorry, but WTF??? Why do people think about money right after someone dies?? That is just beyond disrespectful!

And lately I'm just tired of dealing with her drama (which she is always forcing upon me). She is dating a guy (and has been for a while now), that honestly (and I'm sorry for this) but he is just a douche bag. He is an alcoholic, he only comes over to my mom's house for the free use of the shower and her alcohol, and one (of the many times) that they broke up - he told her that if she put more money into their relationship maybe he would treat her better. Again, um...what?!? And for her birthday - which was on the 9th - he gets her a 100 proof bottle of Peppermint Schnapps!! And she doesn't even like that crap! Also, now I hear from my sister that my mom is going to be selling her condo so that her and Steve (her boyfriend) can buy a house and move in together! Ugh! Constant drama that I don't even want to deal with.

My Parents - Part I

2010-02-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

Wow - I feel like I've been adopted. I feel like I don't even know my parents any more and I also feel like they've reverted back to being teenagers where it is all about them and no one else. A lot of this has stemmed from going to my grandfather's funeral and more stuff lately just keeps bringing everything right back to the surface.

A lot has happened to get me to this point. I just feel like I've been dealing with A LOT of drama in my life lately, and I just want it to end and be peaceful! I need a break. I need a vacation. I just want to go somewhere and cozy up with a few books, read to my hearts content and then sleep. And that's pretty much it!

So this all started when I went to California for my grandfather's funeral. Once there I met my dad's new wife for the very first time! Not exactly the best opportunity to do this, seeing as how I was grieving and everything else. So let's just say, that didn't go over so well. Long story short (because I don't feel like typing it all down) she just seems like she is with my dad for the money. She only met my grandfather one time, and thinks that she knows him and our life with him. My dad kept calling her "honeybear" even after I spoke with him about my feelings about hearing that. I tried to explain to my dad that this (him and his new wife) is all VERY new to me and I'm so used to seeing him with my mom, it's just very difficult. I asked him if could tone it down with the pet names and such, but as soon as Bobbie (the new wife) walks through the door he calls her "honeybear" and all the while is looking directly at me. I felt like he still thinks of me as a small child and isn't taking my feelings into account. It's all about him!

I had not seen my dad in almost 2 years, I was dealing with my grandfather's death, and then I had to deal with all of that crap with his new wife. It was just too much! And now I've been hearing from my aunt (my dad's only sibling) that my dad didn't even call her on Christmas. And when he did call it was to say that they (him and Bobbie) needed to rent a UHaul truck and bring it to California. When my aunt asked him why - he said so they could pick up some stuff of my grandfather's because they were already placing dibs on furniture, pictures, and probably jewelry! Hearing that just made me completely sick to my stomach. What were they doing in California - taking stock of everything so they would know what they wanted?!? My grandfather has only been gone for a month when my dad starting asking about that stuff!!! WOW!

And there has been much more stuff, but I am just too tired to type it all out. I'm just exhausted in dealing with all of this family drama!

Maddie's 2nd Birthday

2009-12-28T14:54:00.000-08:00

We had Maddie's 2nd Birthday party yesterday. And I can't believe my little girl is already two years old. It's hard to imagine that she's two, and that Josh will be five!!! Time sure does fly. We had just a few people over - Brad's parents and his sister, my sister, and Brad's cousin and her little boy came over. We just did cake and ice cream and then opened presents. She definitely didn't like it when people were singing Happy Birthday to her, but she loved eating the cake. We had a princess themed birthday party - so that was fun. Maddie was a hoot to watch when it came time to open presents. She got a lot of good stuff and was a mad woman tearing through the wrapping paper. She got some pots and pans for her kitchen, more dolls, some Hello Kitty stuffed animals, and the cutest pink Piggy Bank with a tiara and tutu on. So cute and fit for a princess :)

Maddie and her new Piggy Bank.

Opening more presents.

She got scared when everyone was singing to her.

But she LOVED the cake!

Christmas

2009-12-26T14:02:00.000-08:00

Maddie getting some more clothes.

Brad trying to guess what was in the box.

Josh and his tool set.

Maddie's new kitchen.

Josh and "RC" from Toy Story.

Maddie loves the tool set too.

Well I have much to write about Christmas, and no motivation to do so. So, I might be just posting pictures instead. But the short version is - we did have a great Christmas. Brad had to work on Christmas Eve day - so that was kind of a bummer, but he did have Christmas day off. So we had our big Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and then did a big Christmas breakfast after the kids opened up their gifts. And of course, they were spoiled and got way too many gifts, but oh well.

Josh was really into Santa this year. We left some milk and cookies out for Santa - and Josh was amazed that Santa a.k.a. Brad, drank all of the milk and ate some of the cookies. He just couldn't believe it - I wished I had gotten that on camera! And on Christmas Eve he said to me, "Mommy I don't think Santa is going to be able to get down our fireplace because there is glass on it and he won't be able to get out". So I had to say that Santa has magic powers and would still be able to get presents to them. Smart boy! And of course he didn't think ANY presents were from Mommy and Daddy - only Santa!

After we did our thing, we headed down to Tri-Cities to open presents and have another Christmas dinner with Brad's parents. The kids got more toys - and our big present was a Garmin! Wow, it's really nice and I can't wait to use it! We are completely blessed in many ways, and have had a great Christmas again this year.

Christmas at my Mom's

2009-12-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

Well we headed down to Tri-Cities on the 19th to have Christmas with my mom since she will be gone from the 22nd to the 29th. She is going back east to Maine to visit with her family for Christmas this year. The kids got to open presents and we had a Christmas dinner. My sister, her boyfriend, and our neice were able to make it as well - so it was good to see them. The cousins had a good time playing with each other and it was actually a good day!

Josh was like this in almost every picture :)

Josh hugging his cousin Sidnei

The Men - Brad and my sister's boyfriend, Branden

Maddie got her favorite present - a baby doll - go figure

Sidnei opening up the Tinkerbell present we got her

"Look mom it's another box"

My sister, Alisha and Maddie

My Grandpa Bond

2009-12-15T13:36:00.000-08:00

My dad and my Aunt Debbie

My dad receiving a flag for my grandfather's service in the Navy.

The granddaughters - Alisha (my sister), me, Nicky (oldest cousin), and Jenica (youngest cousin)

Ok, so I know that I have been REALLY bad about posting lately - I've just been so busy, so most of these next posts will be for this month.

On December 3rd my grandfather passed away. He was 84 years old and died in his sleep (or that is what I was told). He was my last remaining grandparent and it was very difficult (and still is) to hear the news. Long story short - his funeral was on the 10th and I left for California on the 8th. I was able to see my dad (who I haven't seen in almost 2 years) my aunt and my cousins. My sister was able to go as well, so it was good to have everyone together again, albeit under crappy circumstances. I just cried the moment I saw my dad at the airport, but I'm really glad that I went. And I'm really glad that Brad's parents were available to watch the kids so that I could mourn.

On Wednesday my dad and his new wife [and I say this because it's a entirely different story that I will have to talk about later] and I went to visit my great Aunt Marion's grave - which was good. And then later that afternoon was the viewing - which was extremely difficult. I've never really understood why anyone would want to have a viewing - but I'm actually glad that there was one so that I didn't completely loose it at the funeral service. They had a viewing specifically for the family for about an hour - and I was able to let out the feelings that I had held in for almost a week. It was really hard to see him look the way he looked. He didn't look like the grandpa that I knew.

On Thursday was the funeral service, which I pretty much cried through the entire thing. The pastor did a good job through the service, and read a little paragraph that we (the granddaughters) had written about grandpa. They also played the song that I had downloaded onto my iPod that my grandfather had sung to all of us granddaughters - "A - you're Adorable" by Perry Como. My grandfather and I also danced to that song at me and Brad's wedding - so it was very dear to my heart. After the service we headed over to the cemetery where my grandpa would be buried with my grandma. It's nice to know that they are together again after 10 years.

My sister and I left early Friday morning, wishing that we had just one more day to visit and be with our family. But as it was, we had to leave. I loved my Grandpa Red, but it makes me feel good that he is in a better place now. I love you Grandpa, always and forever.

Christmas Tree Adventure

2009-12-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to go up to the woods and cut down our very own Christmas Tree. Brad had done this as a child, but I've never had the experience of it all. So we headed up White Pass and started on our adventure of finding a tree. There was some snow up there, but it wasn't consistent. There was no snow in places, a little snow in other places, and plenty of snow where we were. We left the house at about 9:30, and it was a perfectly sunny day to find a Christmas Tree.

So we get up there, drive around for a little bit and then decide to get out and walk around to see what we could find. Maddie was fearless in the snow on the hills and Josh couldn't stop smiling that we were actually walking around in the snow. Oh, to be a kid again. It was pretty cold, but the kids had boots, hats, and their winter coats. We walked around for quite a while, which wasn't how I thought it was going to be. Maybe in my head I had been imagining that it was going to be like "Christmas Vacation" where there was that "awwwwww" moment with the heavens shining down a light onto our Christmas Tree. But no...it wasn't like that at all, darn it!

At one point, I was carrying Maddie because we were going down a hill in the snow over a tree that had fallen over. It had been there a while because some of the branches had snapped off, so there were only the sharp, broken down to the tree trunk branches left. As I was trying to maneuver over this tree, I slipped and fell right on top of 2 of the broken limbs. And since I was holding Maddie, I could not break my fall. I was in so much pain and Maddie did a face plant onto the tree itself (I'm shuddering just thinking about it, we definitely had a guardian angel watching over us, because it could have been a lot worse, A LOT worse). She cried for a little while, but no bruises, cuts, or scrapes even. But I did escape unwounded. When we got home, I went to look in the mirror and what did I find a huge, black and purple bruise on my upper thigh, with another smaller (and not so ugly looking) bruise further down my thigh. It was so bad that I still haven't been able to sleep on my right side yet. But walking around is much easier now, although driving still hurts a little. Let's just say it was a nice souvenir.

But, I digress, we did find a Christmas tree. It started out at 13 feet, Brad had to cut 2 feet off of it so that we could get it on top of the Tahoe. Which was quite comical at the time. We got home around 2:30, with everyone cold and exhausted. Brad ended up having to cut 2 more feet off of the tree so that it would fit where we had planned. So now it's still a whopping 9 feet tall, and it might not be the best looking tree - but it was a great experience (except for that slight mishap).

We will definitely be doing this again next year and we will make sure to have a better plan! Needed: more snacks for the kids, hot cocoa, lunch, boots for me, and then we can make a day of it. Enjoy the pictures.

This is what it looks like now.

This was the day that it happened.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T13:39:00.000-08:00

Well we had Thanksgiving at our house this year. I invited my mom and sister, Brad's parents and his sister as well. My mom, Brad's parents, and his sister and her daughter came up so we had a full household. My sister wasn't able to make it because she already had plans to celebrate it with her boyfriend's family. So we had 6 adults and 3 kids, a 9-lb turkey breast, and plenty of pies and wine to go around. It was a pretty gloomy day outside, but it was really nice to have family over for a Thanksgiving dinner.

The food was great, everyone had a good time - what more could you ask for? We definitely have a lot to be thankful for. We have a roof over our heads, Brad has a good paying job, our children are healthy, Brad and I are healthy, we have working vehicles, and I get to stay home to raise our kids (even though sometimes I wish that I could work). It's been a very eventful year for us, as usual - but a good one nonetheless.

November Update

2009-12-01T13:27:00.000-08:00

Well not too much has happened in the month of November, except for Thanksgiving that is. The 2 major things that happened were - my sister hosted a Scentsy party, which turned out pretty well. I also had a person sign up to be on my team for Scentsy at the beginning of the month, and then another just yesterday - so that's good too. And then Brad and I went to Bellingham to visit my friend Ashlee and her fiance Jeff. We had a pretty good weekend, but on the way home on the pass chains were required. Wishing that we had taken the Tahoe, Brad had to get out to put chains on the Honda - so $90 later. But oh well, I was glad to have them, even though it wasn't really necessary (the roads weren't THAT bad). It was nice to get away from the kiddos for a weekend. Especially since Brad had been working a TON of overtime due to a landslide that occurred up Chinook Pass. He was working 14 hour days, 7 days a week for 11 days total.

But we made it through that, and now that I'm thinking about it - some good did come out of that. We got another debt paid off - with all of that overtime money, we got my student loan paid off. So now the only other bill that we need to pay off (besides the house and the cars, of course) is our couch! Yes - so that's $9500 worth of debt paid off in 3 months!! And only $1500 more to go. That's awesome! It feels really good to have that student loan paid off. So now Brad is just that much closer to getting his truck!

Bad Mommy Day

2009-11-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

Surprise, surprise - it's happened again. I had a REALLY bad mommy day yesterday. One in which I was wishing that I was back to work. And in fact, had me questioning my very being and capabilities to actually be a mom. I yelled at the kids a lot yesterday, and actually had a headache from all of it. It WAS NOT a good day!

Lately, I have not been enjoying motherhood as much as I probably should be. My days consist of just "getting through" them - surviving really. I have gotten into the routine of cleaning, picking up, feeding and yelling at the kids - and let's not forget about getting on the computer. This is not how I envisioned my life and how I thought motherhood would be like. Is it just the ages of my children right now? Or is there something else very, very wrong with me? Are these feelings normal? Who knows.

I mean, yeah - I've had bad days before, but we've gotten through them. But I'm not happy, plain and simple. I haven't been happy. I haven't been doing projects with the kids, haven't been taking them to the park to just get away, I don't really know what the issue is. Do all moms go through this at one point or another? Going back to work is sounding really good right about now! And maybe I should, maybe I should get more serious about going back to work. I don't know.

And on top of all of this - Brad is working 7 days a week for 12 hours a day for at least the next 2 weeks or until whenever they get that job finished. And we're supposed to be going to Bellingham in 2 weeks. Nice! He just started this yesterday - and instead of working 12 hours, he ended up working 14 - so with the kids waking up earlier and earlier, it just makes for an excruciatingly long day! I know now I could never be a single mom. NEVER. I hope that it won't come to that. EVER.

Josh's Picture Day

2009-10-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today was Josh's picture day at school. I had him in a cute shirt, made sure that I did his hair and told him to smile when the person took his picture. I made sure also, that I took some pictures of him before we left for school - just in case his hair got messed up somehow...and I'm glad that I did. We ended up buying the cheapest package they had with an 8x10 - which is another - I'm glad I did.

So on the way home from school, I asked him how it went and he said that he didn't smile. He said that he missed his dad and said he smiled "straight across". So I'm going to post the pictures that I took of him and then when I get the actual school pictures I will post those as well. So keep checking back...it should be interesting.

Trip to Bellingham

2009-10-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

So I got another chance to go and visit my friend Ashlee in Bellingham over the weekend. We met at the outlet malls (which I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE) on Saturday and then headed to her house that evening. I had gotten some money from my dad (Thank you Dad!) for my birthday, and since I had had such good luck with finding my grown-up wardrobe when we went the first time. I decided to save that money and use it when I could go again. And I'm so glad that I did! I have to say that my favorite stores up there are Gap, Banana Republic (I'm a little obsessed now), and of course Carter's and Osh Kosh...but ONLY at the outlet stores!

We got to go out to dinner that night and hang out. And then we drove to Bellevue on Sunday so that we could go and look at wedding dresses, because she is getting married. I just have to say that it felt great that she actually wanted ME to go and look at wedding dresses with her. It felt awesome that she valued my opinion and wanted me there and guess what? She found THE dress! I took some pictures for her and she looks absolutely beautiful!!

It was a short trip, but good and Brad and I already have plans to go up there next month! I love living closer to her. It's been really nice.

1st Scentsy Party

2009-10-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

Well I had my first Scentsy party for the realtor that sold us the house that we're in now. And I think it went pretty well. It was successful in the fact that people showed up...always a good sign. About 12 people came, I got orders out of almost all of them, and ended up doing a $600 party. There were only a few questions that I didn't know the answer to, and wasn't completely prepared, but all in all - it went well. I know what I need to do for the next party and that's great. So I will definitely be prepared (well more prepared) for the next party and I'm excited. I just wish that my sister's party was my first party and not this one. But it's over, I accomplished a goal, and I might actually book another party off of this one. And I might even have my first recruit! Wow. So yay!

So after my sister's party (next month), I don't have any more parties - so I putting it out there. If you know of anyone that wants to have a party, please let me know! Thanks!!

Hair Appt.

2009-10-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I finally feel like a normal human being. I got my hair done on Tuesday after almost 3 1/2 months since I had it done last. She put some low lights in and I got it cut like I had it done in Utah. It's a cute A-line bob and I love it. I was a little anxious to get it cut shorter again, but I love it. Did I say that I LOVE it. The only down side...I'm back to getting a haircut every 6 weeks again - but oh well. I went to a new lady and I must say, she is wonderful. I have a few bad experiences with my hair, so it's really hard for me to trust someone - but this lady did a great job. When I get some good pictures taken, I will post them.

Whatta Day

2009-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Day started out fine, but is progressively getting worse! I didn't get together with a friend today because I had so much to do, but now I wish that I would have said - to hell with all of that stuff and went over to her house anyways. So we needed to go grocery shopping, and I always hate it when I have to bring both kids with me. It makes it that much more difficult. So I warned the kids that they needed to be good, listen to mommy and keep their hands to themselves. Ha! We walk into the grocery store and lo and behold is one of those carts that looks like a car. Moms, you know - the one that is almost impossible to maneuver, is like a football field long, and hardly has any basket space for actual food. Well you get the point. Those things should be illegal.

So the kids begged me to get into one, and yes - I gave in. I thought this would solve all of the fighting, and keep them happy until I got all the shopping done. Silly mommy, what was I thinking? I must have forgotten that I was shopping with 2 young kids. So as I'm trying to steer this massive shopping cart - I keep missing isles and bumping into other peoples' carts, etc. The kids are starting to scream, fight, want this and that, and want out - and oh, I don't think so. So I'm running around like a mad woman and when we finally get done. I'm exhausted!

Get home, unload all the groceries, empty the dishwasher, reload the dishwasher, finish putting the kids bedding back on their beds (I did 2 loads of laundry before I left the house), made the kids lunch, and cleaned up the kitchen. And yes, I was exhausted, but because I knew that Brad and I were having a date night - it kept me sane.

So grocery shopping - check. Cleaned up house - check. Laundry done - check. Babysitter - check. New makeup to look beautified - check.

Husband standing me up because he has to work - Priceless.

Website

2009-10-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post my website address. If any has any questions or wants to host a party - please let me know :)

Thanks!!

www.scentsy.com/adriennetillett

I am a Scentsy Consultant

2009-09-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you who don't know...I just became a Scentsy consultant. This is the first time that I have ever tried anything at all in dealing with direct sales. I've wanted to try some things before, but either never had enough money, drive, or knew enough people to even start thinking about doing something like this. I have friends that are consultants with other companies and see how well they are doing, and I just had my first Scentsy party...it did so well, that I thought - hey why not become a consultant. My party allowed me to get $140 worth of free product and 4- 1/2 price items!! Whoa! And I like Scentsy (this is candles, by the way), because it's easy. They practically sell themselves, and there is not a ton of information that I have to remember about each product. Pretty self explanatory.

So my starter kit arrived on Monday. I've got some business cards, catalogs, and order forms ready to go. I've got all of the scents and my handbook, and the even better news is that I've already done one party, have another on the books, and yet another one that we're trying to get scheduled!! Yippee! So, my short term goal was to see how this whole thing played out and to at least get back (money), what I put in. And so far, it looks like I'm going to get that.

Not sure if it's going to bring in any major cash, but a little here a little there will help with a few bills - ie my student loan! But if it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out. I'm just going to see how it goes...so wish me luck!

Josh's 1st Day of Preschool

2009-09-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Grrr. These keep posting backwards, and I keep forgetting about it.

Maddie wanted her picture taken too.

Goofy face.

He wanted me to take a picture of his backpack!

All set for preschool!

Well another school year has started and Josh was as excited as ever. This year he will be going Monday through Thursday from 8:45am-11:25pm. Last school year he only went on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-12pm. So you wouldn't think that it would be too much of a change, but boy has it ever been.

He was so excited to start school, as you can tell by his pictures! I had a meeting with his teacher a week before school started, and he had an orientation the Wednesday before so that he could get used to the classroom and meet his teacher. Brad took that day off so that we could all take Josh to school. It was so great for that to all happen.

And now that we've got the first week under our belts - hopefully we'll be more on time this week! I always felt like I was running late, and Josh wasn't getting settled before class actually started - because the classroom opens at 8:30 but class doesn't start until 8:45. Well I had been bringing him at 8:45, but all of the other kids were already there - so I talked with the teacher, and she said if I wanted to bring him earlier I could. So today, we got there a little after 8:30, and that seemed like it worked a little better. Plus, I think Josh is getting used to the routine and knows what to do now.

So we'll see how this week goes! And I'm trying to get more involved with Josh's school as well. Tomorrow night is the Preschool Policy Council meeting, so hopefully I will be able to attend that. I just know from here on out we're just going to keep getting busier and busier!!

Debt Paid

2009-09-20T15:30:00.001-07:00

Well I probably shouldn't be saying this, but I'm just so proud of my husband for working so hard and one small thing that we've accomplished. As some of you might remember, Brad worked over 48 hours straight over Labor Day weekend. Well we've been wanting to pay down some of our debt so that Brad can buy a truck and we can maybe get a camping trailer next year. Well...that has finally happened (the paying down our debt part).

The debts that we've been wanting to pay off are our credit card (which didn't have a lot of meaningless charges on there, but charges nonetheless), my student loan and our couch (which still has no interest or payments until next year). So the biggest one with the highest interest was our credit card, and I am proud to say that we have finally paid that off!!!!

It feels great and like a weight has been lifted and it feels like a real accomplishment! So there it is. We did it, now only 2 more to go! Woohoo!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-10T13:48:00.001-07:00

So our Labor Day weekend was pretty uneventful – and when I think of Labor Day, I think of the last weekend to have a BBQ with lots of friends and/or family and just hanging out. You know, the real last weekend of the summer type of thing. Well, that did not happen for us. Long story short – Brad got called out to work at 2pm on Saturday and we didn’t see him again until 3pm on Monday! He worked 49.5 hours straight. I’m so glad that my sister, her boyfriend, and my niece came up on Sunday – because I probably would have gone insane. That was the only thing that saved me that weekend. The kids didn’t sleep well – which usually always happens to me, and I was pretty much at the end of my rope. And I know there are plenty of moms out there that do this exact same thing and even some yet, that have way worse than I do – but it’s hard just the same. And for those moms out there that don’t know what it’s like to have your hubby away – the ones that their husbands come home every night at the same time and leave the same time every morning, with no overtime, etc. Cut us moms a little slack, it’s hard work, and call us to make sure that we’re doing ok, and if there is a little stress to our voices – tell us to come on over! It really makes a difference. So this is my shout out to all those single moms out there and to the ones who do this type of thing all the time – YOU’RE AWESOME AND YOU DESERVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE!!! Keep up the good work.

My 30th Birthday

2009-09-10T13:39:00.001-07:00

So for my birthday, I really wanted to visit my friend Ashlee in Seattle. I thought it would be fun to have a girl’s weekend, and go shopping and just girly stuff. I left Friday around noon and got to her house in Bellingham around 3:30. Because Brad and I had to reschedule our anniversary trip – I was actually gone two weekends in a row from the kids! After I got there we chatted for a while and then headed off to get spa pedicures. Oh, so nice and Ashlee even treated me – I felt like a princess!! After that we got dinner and went back to her house to watch a movie. Then on Saturday we left for the outlet malls in Tulalip – it was like heaven opening their gates – pure bliss!! 110 stores, a Banana Republic outlet, a Coach outlet – anything that you could dream of was there. Brad told me to spend some money for my birthday, being that it was my 30^th and that I don’t normally spend money on myself – it is always going towards the kids. So all in all, I got 12 different pieces – lots of sweaters, shirts and a great pair of jeans! I can’t wait to go back!!!! Then we headed on down to Seattle, checked into our hotel downtown and got ready for dinner. Because surprisingly enough we shopped for over 4.5 hours – hard to believe, I know J We ate at PF Changs for dinner, and I had never been there before, so that was a great treat. Yummy! Then on Sunday we walked around at Pike Place market and around downtown and then it was time for me to leave. It was a great weekend.

And I have to add this part, because I haven’t really been able to complain about it to anyone – so I will do that here. On my actual birthday – I got a lot of people wishing me happy birthday – which was great and my dad and sister (and you, Jill) sent me a card – but other than that, no one really did anything for me. Well, I shouldn’t say that – Brad took me out to dinner, and yes, that does count for something. But he didn’t get me a card, and didn’t get me a cake (which is what I had really wanted, because I LOVE cake). And my own mother didn’t even get my card to me in time, and on top of that my mother in law forgot my birthday. My 30^th birthday – I mean, yeah it’s a birthday and most years that’s what I think – but it was my 30^th! That’s a milestone, if you ask me. My sister in law didn’t call and no card from her either – I guess it was just a little disappointing to think that the people that are the closest to me didn’t even bother to do anything. So it’s a really good thing that I did go to Seattle!

My pretty pink toes after the pedicures!

Dinner at PF Changs.

Walking around Pike Place Market.

Our Anniversary Trip

2009-09-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

Brad and I were finally able to go on our anniversary trip to Coeur d’Alene on the 22^nd of August. It was so much fun and a much needed vacation. This is the first time that we’d ever been on a trip without the kids since before they were born. And now that I’m thinking about it, we never really took a vacation since our honeymoon – so it was only fitting to go back to Coeur d’Alene for our trip!

We dropped the kids off with Brad’s parents on Saturday morning (which that’s an entirely different story in itself) and left for Spokane, which was our first stop. It was so great to be back in Spokane (for those of you who don’t know, I lived there for 2 ½ years while I was going to nursing school). We stopped by Riverfront park and walked around – which is where Brad proposed to me and ate lunch while we were there.

Then, it was off to Coeur d’Alene. We got there at about 3pm and we checked into our room at the Resort – pure beauty!! When we made reservations, we were able to get a spa package and a dinner cruise package. So right after we arrived, it was time for our spa services. We both decided to have the hot stone massage done – and if you are ever thinking about doing this, I highly recommend it! It was so relaxing and I could have gone for another hour! When we got back to our room they had champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us because they knew it was for our anniversary – sweet! After that we got ready for dinner and ate at a Mexican restaurant. We were so exhausted from the night before (the kids didn’t sleep well), driving and being completely relaxed from the massage – we ended up heading to bed at 9:30.

Sunday, we were supposed to rent jet skis and lay out by the lake – but of course, the weather didn’t cooperate and it was really windy and the water was super choppy. So we had to change our plans a little. We walked around the pier on the lake, and ended up going to a movie – The Ti.me Tra.veler’s Wife – it was awesome. Then that night, we went on our dinner cruise – and I would suggest that to anyone as well! Overall, we had a great time – wishing that we would have stayed just one more night. But it was great to reconnect again and have some alone time!

This is the resort and this stupid picture won't post the correct way - this is like the 5th time I've tried to load this picture - so there it is!

The view of the lake

Our dinner cruise

It's Only Been a Month

2009-08-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't been very good about blogging lately. It's been almost a month since my last post - does that sound like an addict in recovery or what? We've just had a really busy summer and I don't have as much time as I used to for blogging. But here is where you can catch up :)

Last time I posted anything was after Josh's first summer camp. Since then we had a family reunion to go to - which the kids loved even though they got very, very dirty. And I have no pictures to show from that - sad, yes, I know. Josh had his 2nd summer camp - which was a summer campout theme and we went up to Boulder Cave (yes, again). Brad's grandpa (his mom's dad) passed away on the 14th (he was 91 years old), so there was a graveside service for him that we (well Brad did and then the kids and I went afterwards) attended. We had to reschedule our anniversary trip due to that, and I only mention that because now we're going next weekend - I'm so excited. Oh, what else - Brad and I had our 6 year anniversary on the 2nd of August. Josh stayed a couple of nights and Grandma and Grandpa's house. We've been heading up to different campsites up in the woods just for the day for picnics and cooling off in the river. And then we just got done with Josh's 3rd summer camp - which was swimming themed. And now we're up to speed.

Here are some things that are happening in the coming weeks: Brad and I are taking our anniversary trip to Coeur d'Alene next weekend, I'm going to Seattle to visit my friend Ashlee for my birthday the following weekend, and Josh starts school on the 14th of September. Yikes, that sounds like a lot!

Here are some pictures taken over the last month. Hopefully I won't get this far behind again!! To all of you reading this and that blog - please leave comments and keep blogging yourselves because it helps me to do the same! Thanks.

Josh's class

Josh sitting on a rock with all the ladies

Pleasant Valley campground

I love this pic!

Getting in the river - it was cccold!

Josh wanted to go swimming - my feet were red after this one.

HUGE anthill!

Halfway Flats campground

Eating a rock, yes a rock!

Playing in the water, yet again

Boulder Cave

2009-07-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

Another adventure of ours has been going to Boulder Cave. Brad and I have been there before (even though I had forgotten all about it), and we thought it would be fun to take the kids. It is a huge cave that is about 25,000 years old. Lots of bats are down there and it is nice and cool when you get into the cave. It is so beautiful and these pictures just don't do it justice! Josh was scared the first time we went through - his little palms started to sweat, poor guy. But we had a flashlight for him and a lantern, so all was well. It is quite a hike up and then down, so Brad thought to bring the wagon - good man! And he pulled the kids up the mountain, and then we walked around in the cave. Maddie wasn't scared in the least - she wanted to go in the water!

It is always such a cool thing to see the looks on kids' faces when they are experiencing something for the very first time. When we got into the cave, the kids felt the rocks and let me tell you - they were ccccold!! But it was fun and we went through it a second time - mainly because it was so hot outside, and the cave was refreshing since it was cool. It was a nice little adventure for us, and it's only about an hour away - so we'll probably go do it again.

Not sure if this is readable.

We ate lunch up in the woods before we went into the cave.

Brad pulling the kids in the wagon up the mountain. Hard work!

Beautiful!

I've got a daddy's girl on my hands now.

Using the flashlight to it's full advantage.

I love this pic. Huge tree, then Brad and then Josh. Really shows the size of the tree.

More cave walking.

Josh's Camp

2009-07-20T14:05:00.000-07:00

Through Josh’s preschool, they have these summer camps that the kids can attend. And we signed Josh up for a couple of those camps, and he had one the week of the 6 th (see, I’m only 2 weeks behind). It was for a full week from 9am-1pm. Nice! There are 4 camps total, and each one has a theme to it, and this week’s theme was Western Round-Up. So they played western games, read books about cowboys and the big thing was taking a field trip to a horse ranch and ride a horse. Josh loved it! He had an absolute blast and wanted to ride the horse 3 or 4 more times. And I’m not talking about a little pony – it was a huge horse for a 4 year old. I was glad that siblings were able to tag along, because I wouldn’t have been able to go otherwise. But it all worked out, and Maddie loved it too – except when she didn’t get to ride the horse. But we walked around the ranch, saw all of the cows and horses, saw some baby kittens, and even a miniature pony. I’m glad that we got to go and that Josh had the opportunity to ride a horse. It was awesome!

Our Yard

2009-07-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well, as usual - we've been busy. So the first thing to get cut - blogging. Oh well. I'm here now. So I thought I'd write about our yard. I posted some pictures on fac.ebook, but I will here as well. We got a bid for the sprinklers and to have them put hydroseed down. Now, this is the first time we've ever put seed down and not sod - granted, this is only our second yard. But still. And there is definitely a difference (at least this season, anyway). Sod is instant lawn. Instant, beautiful, almost ready to walk on the minute you lay it down. But sod is A LOT more expensive. Seed is work! When you put seed down, there are going to be weeds. Lots and lots of weeds the first season. It's just hard to look outside right now and not see a perfect lawn - especially with the way Brad takes care of it - case in point, our yard in Utah.

Seed is work and more work, and then when you think you’re done, more work after that. But, seed is a lot cheaper. And with how much grass we decided to put down (0.57 acres to be exact – 25000 square feet), we needed the least expensive option. And maybe it would be better if we didn’t live where we do. Number one, there is a ton of tumbleweeds up here, and mix that with the wind, and on top of that – no fence and that equals one big weed mess. But I’ll just say, it’s a work in progress and where the grass is growing – it looks awesome and thick. We just need to take care of the weeds. So here are some pictures of the befores and afters.

And I keep forgetting these post backwards now, so here are the afters first (if that makes any sense at all).

The Zoo

2009-06-30T06:46:00.001-07:00

My little monkey boy.

Josh's favorite bear.

Josh with his new zoo shirt.

The Space Needle - and yes the picture was taken from the car.

So we headed up to Seattle on Saturday because we desperately needed to get out of the house and actually do something. So what better place to go than Seattle - I mean, hello, we're only 2 hours away and the Woodland Park Zoo is definitely one of the better zoos than I've been to. We left around 9am, got the the zoo, ate lunch, and the headed off to look at all of the animals. Josh was really funny because he took charge and was holding the map and kept saying "What's next, what's next?" And all he wanted to go look at were the bears - which were all the way on the other end of the zoo from where we parked. And it was such a beautiful day - it was 75 degrees in Seattle. Seattle! It was the perfect day to go to the zoo. We brought the stroller for Maddie and Brad suggested that we bring our wagon - which I'm glad that we did, because we used it. Josh and Maddie loved seeing all of the animals. This was Maddie's 2nd trip to a zoo, but first to where she really knew what was going on. Josh loved the bears, aldergators (alligators), spiders, snakes, and the monkeys. Maddie loved everything.

It was just a really good day and we got home around 5:30 that night. Good old family fun! We still want to go to the aqaurium, the space needle and walk down by the pier - but there is plenty of time for that. We didn't want to cram everything all in one day, so next trip we'll do more stuff. We'll probably stay overnight as well. It sure was nice in Seattle, I'll tell you that. :)

My Week (LONG post)

2009-06-19T15:04:00.000-07:00

My, oh my - where do I begin? Well it has been one of the worst weeks I've probably had in quite some time. Let's see I'll just start off with the beginning of the week.

Sunday - at about 4 or 5am, Josh got sick, throwing up to be exact. We couldn't get him back to sleep - I slept out on the couch for a little bit before finally get "up" at 6:15. He had also been coughing a little since Friday - which was in full swing by Sunday.

Monday - we had Josh's hearing test. Which that was a lot to deal with. Brad worked on Sunday night, so I had his mom come up to watch Maddie so I could take Josh to his hearing test. So I get home from that, and Maddie is acting up. She's being really whiny and won't eat. We finally get the kids down for their naps and Maddie wakes up after only sleeping a hour. One hour. Brad goes in there, and she has puked all over the place. We stick her in the bath, get all of her bedding in the washer, and I'm holding her in the kitchen. Lo and behold, she pukes all over me. Yuck!!!! So after putting her in the bath again, more laundry, me taking a quick shower - ughh. She ended up getting sick a few more times that evening and really wasn't herself. I'm just so glad that Brad was home to help with all of that. The kids didn't sleep good that night either.

Tuesday - I woke up early Tuesday morning (1am) to find my stomach in knots. It was literally turning over and over, and I was trying to fight it - but I couldn't. I ended up getting sick at about 4am, and it just went down hill from there. I was extremely sick (no details needed), and I had a fever, body aches and was just hurting all over. I thought I was going to die, I was THAT sick. Brad called in sick from work so that he could take care of the kids for me, because there was no possible way that I could have done anything! I was sick the entire day - I couldn't keep anything down, and my fever finally broke at about 9pm. I went to bed feeling a little better, but definitely not 100% and definitely feeling beat up! And to top that all off, the kids were even sicker - and there is no nice way to put this, but they had the runs. Both of them!

Wednesday - Brad got sick. So it was me not feeling the best, feeling so weak trying to take care of the kids - but luckily Brad's mom came up again and we got the kids out of the house, but then I started to feel sick again, but that passed and I was glad. Maddie was still a little sick, but was starting to get better. The rest of my day was spent doing damage control - doing dishes, laundry (mounds and mounds of nasty laundry), disinfecting, etc. Plus on top of all of that - Josh decided to poop in the tub when Brad was giving them a bath while I was cleaning the master bathroom so Brad could take a bath for his beat up body. So I cleaned 2 bathrooms that night as well - I was bone tired.

Thursday - More laundry (and this was just to get the rest of the stuff caught up), more dishes and we had to run to Target because after not getting a paycheck for 30 days - things started to add up! Big time! So $200 later - we finally had everything we needed.

Today - I'm still exhausted. The kids woke up several times last night, much to my dismay. Brad also worked until about 10 last night, so I was on my own. This just has not been a good week. I'm so tired and if I could just get like 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I think I might feel a little bit more energized. But oh well. And that's where we are right now.

Josh's Hearing Test

2009-06-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

The doctor looked in his ear and didn't find any fluid or wax build-up. He did 3 different hearing tests on him. One was to test for any pressure build-up in his ear, another was the standard hearing test (beep, etc), and the other was to test the actual bones in his ear. So for the first test, he failed (if you can call it that). They usually like to see a peak when doing that test to show that the eardrum is actually moving/vibrating because that’s how we hear, but Josh’s ears just showed a flat line, which was elevated – so obviously pressure. The 2^nd test he also failed – but that is probably because of the pressure. He did say a couple of times to the doctor – what, I can’t hear that. And the 3^rd test (testing the bones) – he passed. So there is no permanent damage to his ears, thank goodness! So the doctor said that he will pass this information on to our regular doctor and go from there. I asked him if we were looking at possibly putting tubes in his ears, and he said no. But it is something that we want to definitely keep an eye on. He said that one of his daughters had this same thing, and it finally cleared up in about 6 months – but six months!!! He also said that the doctor might want to prescribed antibiotics, but we would have to see. And one of the things I need to doctor about is if we can get him re-tested when he doesn’t have a cold and isn’t congested – if that would make a difference. Because it just happened that he was sick for the test. Which I still need to follow up with the regular doctor about all of this, but after the week I’ve had – I’ll just have to do it next week.

Slip-n-Slide Party

2009-06-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

So Josh got invited to a Slip-n-Slide party by one of his classmates on Friday and we decided that we would go and I'm so glad that we did. And it wasn't just any ordinary slip-n-slide - it was 150 feet long! They had made it out of irrigation tarp and PVC pipe - it was awesome. And now that I'm thinking about it, I didn't even get a picture of it - dang it! And they had a hill that it went down, so it was perfect. They had the sprinklers on it, a hose, and had blow up pool toys to ride down it. Josh ended up going down it once, but he did it. They also had a huge blown up slide - one of those huge things that you can find at Costco, which Josh didn't want to get out of. There was also a big trampoline (that was maybe a foot off the ground), a huge sand box area and lots and lots of food, candy, chips, etc. - basically every kid's dream!

We stayed for about 2 hours and Josh got to visit with all of his little classmates and by the time we left, my little man crashed in the car on the way home. It was a blast, the weather had cleared up - so that was perfect and I got some great pictures. Brad worked the night before, so he was able to stay home with Maddie - which I was glad. It was great just being able to hang out with Josh and do something fun with him, and I'm glad that I didn't have to bring her because she is fearless. They had a decent sized hill/slope to their yard and I know that she would have tried to go down the "mountain", she would have been in the water, probably going down the slip-n-slide - I just would have been baby wrangling more than enjoying watching Josh have fun. So it was a good day.

Josh's Last Day of Preschool

2009-06-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well today was Josh's last day of preschool. It was a fun day. Since it was the last day of school, parents were encouraged to come, so Grandma came up to watch Maddie so that Josh and I could have some one-on-one time, which we really needed. We headed over to school, and it was so fun to watch him run around with all of his little buddies and play and just have fun period! They played inside on the trampoline (the school is also a gym for gymnastics classes and such) and ran around on the mats for a while. Then we went outside to play on the toys out there. Josh played basketball and "fed" me ice cream (wood chips) for breakfast - now that's my kind of breakfast. And then the was another area set up with 2 bounce houses, so the kids played in those. After that, we went inside to do a three-legged race, and play with the parachute. And finally, it was time to eat. It was a good day!

Hopefully next school year, we'll be able to make it all the way through without having to move! It will be nice for me to be able to get to know the other parents and the other kids. Everyone here already knew each other, and I didn't really get to meet many of the other parents. I also made a fruit bowl, which no one even touched - talk about feeling like I was in high school again. But alas, it was not about me - it was about Josh and he had a great day. I just wish I would have thought about bringing the teachers flowers or a card, but there is always next year.

It's going to be a long summer, but hopefully it will go by fast. We've got a few mini trips planned with the kids and without. So it does look like our weekends are starting to fill up. We'll probably go camping with Grandma and Grandpa, Josh is going to 2 summer camps this year, Brad and I have our anniversary coming up (which we are taking a trip finally), Brad and I want to take the kids to Seattle to the zoo, I have my birthday coming up - which I'll be going to Seattle then as well, and my mom and sister want to plan a trip too. So, like I said, our weekends are really starting to fill up! So maybe it won't be such a long summer after all.

Josh's Hearing

2009-06-11T14:34:00.001-07:00

Ever since Memorial Day weekend, Josh has been having problems hearing us. He got a little sick right after our camping trip and was pretty congested, so I attributed him just being plugged up to not hearing us. Well it kept going on, and I was really beginning to wonder - what the heck? And it wasn't just that he wasn't listening. He did the usual, what? what? But then it started turning into him saying, "Mommy, I can't hear you." And then, he started turning his head to the sides and sometimes putting his hand to his hear like he was trying to get water out of his ear. Or has Heidi said, trying to unplug it. He hasn't had a fever, and isn't' complaining that his ears hurt. But I wanted him to see a doctor just to make sure. Well we found a doctor up here (which is another story in itself, and I won't even get into that now) and she said that she didn't see any fluid in his ears or wax build-up. His ears to her just looked red and irritated. So we got a referral to have him do a hearing test - which is scheduled for Monday at 9:30.

I'm so confused about all of this. Why all of a sudden would he not be hearing us when there is no wax build-up or fluid to suggest an ear infection? It's a little scary and I hope it nothing, but the closer this gets the more nervous I'm getting. It's one thing for him to not be listening, but for him to actually say - mommy I can't hear you?!? What if he ears are permanently damaged? What caused the damage? Ok, I can't think about it like that - we'll just go and get through the hearing test (which, hopefully Josh will cooperate with) and go from there. That's all we can do.

My Weekend

2009-06-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

*These are out of order, sorry*

Ok, so from the past posts everyone knows that Josh stayed with G&G and it was basically just Maddie and I at home. Well my friend Ashlee came into town from Seattle on Saturday afternoon. It worked out perfectly (liked I've said before) because her boyfriend was out of town and Brad was working all weekend, and I only had one child to watch. So we hung out and talked until Maddie woke up. We talked some more until dinner time. Brad actually came home around 5:30, and we all ate tacos together. Then just the girls went to col.dst.one to get ice cream (can you say, yummy?), and that was an adventure in itself! Long story short, the ice cream melted really fast and you had to be there to appreciate any of it. Then I put Maddie to bed, and Ashlee and I rented a movie.

The next day we had a really good breakfast and by lunch it was time for her to leave. It was just great being able to hang out with her again and to have some girl talk again. I miss that! Ashlee and I have been friends since the 5th grade, and she is one of those people that we don't talk nearly enough - but when we do get together it's like we haven't skipped a beat.

We already have plans to see each other at least twice (I hope) before my birthday. And then for my birthday I'm going up to Seattle to spend the weekend up there with Ashlee. We've got a few things planned like pedicures and shopping, but mostly it will just be nice to get away for a two nights and be with a great friend!

Sleepover

2009-06-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well we've been going to Tri-Cities a lot lately to visit Grandma and Grandpa, and just to give us something to do. And every time that we leave, Josh wants to spend the night and throws a fit when we have to get him in the car. So the kids and I headed down there to visit on Friday, and we had planned to have Josh spend Friday night with G and G (sorry, I'm sick of writing Grandma and Grandpa, so G&G it is) and we would see how it went and go from there. Well it was a perfect weekend to do it because of Brad being on-call. My friend Ashlee was also coming down from Seattle to visit and stay Saturday night and leave on Sunday.

So I kept asking Josh on Friday before Maddie and I left if he really wanted to stay with G&G, and he kept reassuring me that yes, this is what he wanted to do. I told him that mommy and Maddie were going to the yellow house, and that he would be staying there - and his reply to me was "bye mom, you go to the yellow house". Maddie and I stayed a little bit longer and finally hit the road by 6pm. And Josh was fully content with staying with G&G and got so excited! I called when Maddie and I made it home and Josh was doing fine. Erica, his cousin, came over to play that night on the slip-n-slide that we had bought for him. I gave Maddie a bath, put her to bed, got on the internet and watched a movie by myself. Brad was working, Josh was with G&G, and Maddie was sleeping - it was a little lonely.

So Saturday rolled around, I called in the morning to see if everything had gone smoothly at night - no accidents, no wanting to come home at 2am (which worried me the most, since we're an hour and 30 minutes away) and he slept as well as any 4 year old could. He did wake up early, but that is nothing new with Josh. Whenever I talked with Brad's mom, I kept telling her that we'd play it by ear and see how the rest of the day went. Josh actually took a nap with Grandpa and was helping out around their house, played with his slip-n-slide some more, went to the store, and had a blast! I called again in the evening, and Josh was again playing with Erica, and didn't really even want to talk to me :( But it was good that he had so much fun.

He didn't even want to come home on Sunday. G&G kept asking him, don't you want to go home to the yellow house and see mommy, daddy and Maddie? And he said that he didn't want to, he just wanted to stay with G&G. That was really heartbreaking!!! It was so sad to know that he didn't want to come home. We've had a few moments of weepiness since yesterday - with him saying that he missed G&G. I asked him yesterday if he wanted to call them, and he just said "no, I'm too upset". Oohh! Sad. But hopefully with him going to school tomorrow and Grandma coming up on Wednesday, we'll get back into the swing of things.

Last Week

2009-06-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well last week Brad went back to work. He went back on Wednesday, and now we're back to reality. He also had signed up to have the duty truck (trouble truck) the day that he went back. And this entails him going to work his normal hours and then bringing home a trouble truck and basically being on-call from the time he gets off of his normal hours, until he starts the next morning. And this lasting for a week. A week you say? That doesn't seem so long? But oh man, it's been a long week - and it isn't even over yet. So far he has worked 40 hours of overtime alone in 5 days, plus his 24 hours of regular work - so 64 hours in 5 days! It probably wouldn't have been so bad - but we're going from him being home all of the time to him not being home at all. It's all or nothing with our family!

So Brad's mom came up to visit on Wednesday - which worked out perfect for the kids and for me. Brad did end up working a little late, and got home around 7pm. Well as he was outside cleaning up around the perimeter of the house, he started to hear a rattle - and lo and behold - our first rattlesnake. Brad had moved the garbage can to throw some stuff away that had blown into our yard, and as he was moving the garbage can back into place - he started hearing the rattling. He looked and saw that the snake had already coiled up and so he grabbed a shovel and took care of business. The snake had six rattles on it, so it was six years old. And our garbage cans are right up close to the house, right by the garage. I was pretty freaked out to say the least. It was very scary to have a rattlesnake up by the house, but was even more scary is that the kids and I had just been out there a hour or two earlier! We were waiting for Brad's mom to come back to our house, so we were right by where the snake was. Ugh, I can't even think about it. So needless to say - I've been having nightmares about rattlesnakes!

Memorial Day Weekend - Part II

2009-06-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

So after a long day on Saturday, Brad and I thought we would push the envelope a little further. We ended up heading to Tri-Cities on Sunday to visit with Brad's parents and then to meet up with some friends. We left the house around 1pm and got there around 2:30. The kids played in the pool that they have and got to see their cousin Erica. And then we just hung out, since it was such a nice day. It was sunny, hot, and it felt good to put our feet in the water.

Then Brad and I met up with some friends and went out to dinner and then back to their place to hang out. We ended up drinking a little and singing karaoke - because little did Brad and I know, but they have a karaoke machine at their house. And poor Corbin and Amy because I am just a really bad singer! But it was fun, and we had a good time. And we took advantage of Brad's parents yet again, and had them watch the kids. And we stayed out late again, and then drove home - so it was a long weekend, and it was good to have Monday to relax before everything started all over again.

Memorial Day Weekend Part I

2009-06-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes - this is late as well. It seems like I don't have any time to blog anymore. We've been so busy and a lot has happened and it seems like it's not going to stop. And I, like a lot of my other mommy friends, are quite busy these days. So here are a few catch up posts.

On Saturday (before Memorial Day, mind you) we ended up going to Brad’s aunt and uncle’s house to “camp” for the day. And the reasons why I say “camp” are because we don’t have anything to camp in, we didn’t stay overnight, and we were close to the woods but not quite in the woods. We got up there around noon, and we didn’t end up leaving until about 9pm. So it was a long day for the kids and for us, but it was definitely enjoyable and we’re glad we went up. The kids had a blast, an absolute blast. They played in the dirt and were completely covered from head to toe in dirt – but that’s what camping is all about, right? They loved seeing family members and hanging out with their 2nd cousins.

Now comes the bad part...at Brad's aunt and uncle's house there is a creek with water that is about a foot deep I guess - I don't know, I'm really bad about guessing that kind of stuff. Well the point of the story, is that there is water. They have a little wood bridge that goes across this into a little sandy area for the kids to play in with their tractors, trucks, and just to dig period. So of course this is where all of the kids are playing. And knowing my kids, and with Maddie being so little - Brad or I were right there just in case anything happened. And happen it did! Well Josh fell in (he was sitting on the edge dangling his feet, and leaned a little too far forward and slipped in - so only his shoes and socks got wet). He wasn't completely soaked - which was good because somehow I forgot to pack a pair of pants for him. So that crisis was over.

Then about 30 minutes later Maddie fell in. And she didn't just slip in. She was sitting on a rock, and must have slightly dozed off (which this is all according to Brad because I didn't actually see it, thank god), and fell forward and went right into the creek face first. Well Brad being right there, he jumped in after her - but she was completely soaked from head to toe. And this was right after I had changed her into her pants, a clean shirt, and her hoodie! So no dry pants, hoodie, shoes, etc. and we didn't have any extras. So as soon as I saw Brad holding her, I ran out of the trailer that I was in, stripped her down to her diaper and wrapped her in a towel. But she didn't even cry, it didn't really even phase her. I just think she was so tired! And poor Brad - he felt awful that it had happened, and he was soaked - his shoes, socks, pant legs - and again, no dry or extra stuff to wear. And they had just turned on the irrigation that Monday - otherwise that creek would have been dry.

So next time we go up there or go camping, we will be bringing 50 different outfits for the kids, 10 different pairs of shoes, and more clothes and shoes for us. We'll just be more prepared - well clothes-wise anyways.

Two Accomplishments

2009-05-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

We've (and when I say we've, I mean the kids) have gotten through 2 big accomplishments in the last few days.

One is that Josh is now fully potty trained. We had been putting Josh in diapers for bedtimes (nap and at nighttime), mainly because we were lazy. I didn't want to deal with the bed-wetting, getting up in the middle of the night again, and washing sheets, comforters and whatever else got wet. I know, it was just plain and simple laziness. He had been dry during naps, so those went first and then he'd been dry for a while at nighttime too. So, we figured there was no better time to do it then now - with Brad being home and all. And I'm proud to say that Josh is now fully potty trained. He had been going without a diaper for a while now during his naps, but just last week we started putting him in underwear at night too. And yes, he did have a few accidents - but I think those are over (but of course, I just jinxed myself and he'll pee in his bed tonight). So yay!

The second is that Maddie is off the bottle! Whahoo!! I was sick of the mess with bottles. The ones that she had been using were starting to leak and then she'd carry them all over the place upside down - ugh, what a mess! So I threw all of them away, and now she is on sippy cups. She's not drinking quite as much milk as she was before, but I don't think she's really noticed that she isn't getting a bottle anymore. Now, if we can just get rid of the binkie...yeah, right! Baby steps, baby steps!

Farm Days

2009-05-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, this isn't working for me and I'm getting really frustrated. So this is how this post is going to stay. The pictures won't move and I can't copy and paste my post at the top, so look at the pictures and read the post at the bottom. Errrr!

Well Josh had Farm Days at school on Thursday where we walked over to the local high school and had a field trip. There were baby chicks, chickens, turkeys, goats, horses, a pony, a day old calf, and lots and lots of tractors. Josh had a blast and it so fun to see all of his little classmates interact with each other. I volunteered that day to help out (which is another added benefit of Brad being home, because he was able to watch Maddie while I did this). There were enough volunteers to each have 2 children, and it worked out perfect. After the kids got a chance to see all of the animals, we headed over to the local playground to let the kids burn off some energy. Then we headed back to school where the kids ate a snack and did show and tell. It was really nice to be able to see Josh interact with the kids when he didn't know I was watching him. It felt really great to be able to do that. I also got a chance to talk with a few of the other mothers, and that was great too! Here are a few pictures of his day.

Mother's Day

2009-05-16T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well this is really late, but posting on Mother's Day is still important to me. It was fairly laid back, but good nonetheless. Brad took Josh with him to the store and the kids got me a beautiful bouquet of yellow tulips - very pretty, a card, and some milk duds (my favorite candy). I also have an IOU for a pedicure. So hopefully I can cash that in sometime soon! I can't wait, I haven't had a pedicure in such a long time. But I also wanted to wait until the weather got a little warmer, so I didn't waste it (which now, that weather is here).

There was no breakfast in bed or jewelry, but Brad did take care of the kids for a huge part of the day. He also did the dishes and some laundry, so I really didn't have to lift a finger. The night was also followed by going out to dinner and getting ice cream after that. It was a really nice and relaxing day, and I'm so thankful to have such a great family.

Catch Up Post

2009-05-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

Well I don't even know where to start. It's been a while since I've written anything. I have tons of stuff to write, but not enough time to do it. A lot has happened since I last wrote. It's hard to even focus on what to write - my mind is racing and doesn't know which way to go. Well, and it could be that I've had a migraine today and I should probably be in bed right now.

First off, I've started working out again. I've taken all of my measurements, written down how much I weigh (all of which I will not be sharing) and have been using the elliptical for 30 minutes 3 times a week. I hate working out, but it is a must after having kids. I used to be one of those lucky few who didn't really need to work out or had to watch what I eat. But alas, after having kids those days are long gone. I'm trying to get rid of the mommy pooch and control my mommy booty - and booty it has become! Like I said, I hate working out - but I feel so much better after I have. Now I just need to work on what I eat. It is so hard to control what I eat and how much I eat. I need to stop drinking pop and also work on portion control. I don't want to starve myself. But not drinking pop anymore, and drinking cry.stal li.ght has helped me so much in the past.

Let's see what else - well we've gotten a couple of bids on our yard. We've got so much land, we're not quite sure what to do with it. A big problem for us is that we can't get irrigation where we live. So all of the water that we use - for the yard and inside the house - comes off of our well. So we won't be able to have a ton of grass, but there will be plenty. Brad had thought about doing it himself (since he does have so much time on his hands), but decided against the headache. We did get a bid that is reasonably priced for sprinklers and hydroseed. We wanted to get sod, but that would have killed the budget! So I will take some before and after pictures and post those when everything starts to happen - which will probably be next week! Yea!

I have a lot more to say, but will write different posts on Mother's Day and Josh had Farm Days at school as well.

I'm on Strike!

2009-05-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

Well as my fac.eboo.k page states "I'm on strike". As most of you know, Brad has been home for a while now, and things are starting to get a little testy! We are T minus 20 days until he goes back to work, and so far our total fight count is 2. And I'm not talking 2 little ones, no it's been 2 huge fights.

It's frustrating on both ends. Now that he's home, he knows what I go through EVERY day! I do all the cooking, cleaning, mopping, sweeping, laundry, dishes, taking care of the bills, balancing the checkbook, and that doesn't even include taking care of 2 kids.

So today, we had a fight because he is off helping a friend build a fence. Yes, it's good because it keeps him busy. Yes, you should always help friends. But what he says to me is, "don't get too used to me being home" - ok, well I won't. And since when has he ever taken care of both kids, and kept up everything I do? Umm...let's think, never! Men, just don't get it sometimes. And sometimes I wonder - what would it be like to be a daddy? Oh, so easy. From where I stand, it's go to work, come home and maybe help out a little while I make dinner. And I'm a stay-at-home mom. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like as a working mother. You have all of jobs that I do, plus a working job on top of that. Sheesh!

So, I'm on strike. No doing the dishes today, laundry, vacuuming, dusting, mopping, cooking, etc. And hopefully no one just stops by, because it's a mess!

Date Night

2009-05-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

So my friend, Ashlee and her boyfriend Jeff were making a trip to Tri-Cities from Seattle and our house is on the way - so they decided to stop by and see our house on Friday night. They stayed for dinner and it was nice getting to catch up and talk with other adults! And the kids loved it too!

Then on Saturday night Brad and I drove down to Tri-Cities and went out to dinner with them and then hung out at Ashlee's brother's house afterwards. It was nice to go out to dinner again and nice to not have to pick up food off the floor, think of things to do to keep the kids busy - you know, what usually happens at a dinner with adults - great conversation, drinking, etc. Sorry that was a really long sentence.

After dinner, which probably lasted 2.5 hours!! Yikes. We headed to Chad's house and played ping pong - oh, the good old days. It was so refreshing to have a night "out on the town" without the kiddos and be with friends. Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids, and they did great. We didn't end up leaving Chad's until 10pm!!! I know, I know. It was a really late night for the kids and I felt a little guilty for keeping them up so late, but it was only one night - and they did fine the next day as well. We didn't get home until midnight, but the kids fell asleep instantly in the car and it was a quite ride home. We probably would have stayed the night in Tri-Cities, if Maddie was a little older. She still sleeps in her crib - so maybe next year :)

So here's a toast to good friends, great date night, and to having babysitters!

Brad's Work

2009-04-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well I probably shouldn't go into too much detail (you never know who is reading what), but if anyone wants to know all of it, then you can call me and I'll gladly let you in on everything.

Update:
I've read, re-read and re-written this post so many times. What I don't want to happen is to have my blog get Brad into trouble at work. So if anyone wants to know full details, I can email you - so sorry for the secrecy.

Brad was involved in an accident at work on Josh's birthday. Long story short, Brad was trapped in a backhoe and could have died! (details if you want them) It was very scary and I'm so thankful that he made it out alive and unharmed.

Again, long story short - Brad has been on Administrative Leave (paid) until the company could investigate and figure out what the punishment (if any) would be. Well that was 12 days ago - 7 working days. So we've been on one heck of a roller coaster of a ride. We've been stressed about the uncertainty of our future, and about not knowing what punishment was going to be dealt out. I just want to know what is going to happen. We can deal with what ever they throw at us, as long as we know what it is. If he is going to get fired, then we can deal with it - and Brad can find a new job. If he doesn't get fired, even better - but this whole hanging in limbo is just killing us.

Update:
Brad got home yesterday at about 3pm - and the final verdict is 30 days off UNPAID! Thirty days. I am still in shock. And yes, it could be worse - but that's 2 full paychecks that we'll be missing out on. Luckily we still have a lot in our savings to cover a full month of bills, groceries, car payments, gas, and still have some left over - but it's still going to be a shock.

Maddie is 16 months

2009-04-27T13:50:00.001-07:00

Time is just flying by with this kiddo. She is getting some more teeth - two molars and maybe another of the front on her right side. She is definitely getting a little more of an attitude - her independence I guess I should say. She tries to be just like Josh and climb, run, and dance just like he does. I just wonder how different it would have been if she had been the first born child?

My friend, Melissa, and I have talked about this before. Madison learns almost everything, good and bad, from Josh and that's where things get tricky. Because more often than not I'm at a loss with my patience from dealing with Josh that Maddie kind of gets the short end of the stick. I find myself yelling a little more than I should and wonder if it would have been different, but that's life.

The newest things she's doing are: she freely gives hugs (to Josh especially), she gives slobbery kisses, she finally knows what waving means, she grabs her nose with her fingers when we say "pee-ew" - it's really cute. What else? She runs all over the place and is getting faster by the day. Her hair is finally starting to get longer to where I can put it in pig tails. So here is to my 16-month old.

This and That

2009-04-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

I figured I should probably post something, since it's been a little while since I did. It seems like we've been busy, but then again it doesn't. A lot has been going on with Brad's work, but I can't post anything on that yet - it still isn't resolved yet.

So last week we had the doctor's appointments, which I already wrote about. Josh had school on Tuesday and Thursday, which is going a lot better now that I've had a talk with his teacher. I will also have to write another post on that, because it's a REALLY long story.

Wednesday I went to get a WA state driver's license. And I hate going to the DMV, but it had to be done. It was a pain in the butt because they had me in their system under my maiden name, and it was taking some time to get things switched over. I almost had to take another test. Yikes! So now the only thing left to do is get Brad's car switched over to WA plates, and it will be complete. We'll finally be WA residents again.

Josh had bike day at school on Thursday, in which all of the kids brought their bikes, trikes, or scooters to ride. I was a little worried at first because we just got Josh a bike for his birthday and he hadn't been riding it that much before this bike day. He did get on it a couple of times, but for no longer than 10 minutes each time. He can ride in our driveway, but it's not very big - we have gravel going from the road and up to our driveway. But to my surprise (as usual), he did great. The teacher told me that he didn't get off of his bike the entire time. And when I went to go pick him up, he didn't want to leave. The other assistants had spray painted a "road" on the cement track, so the kids loved that.

Friday we spent the day with Brad's cousin and her little boy. We went to the park, which is in a perfect location - not too close to the parking lot with lots of room for the kids to run. Everyone came back to our house for lunch and then Brad's uncle and aunt stopped by as well. It was good to see them and I'm really glad that we've moved closer to family. This is what I've always wanted.

Sunday we went to Tri-Cities again to drop Brad's dad's truck off. Brad had borrowed it earlier in the week to build a workbench and pull some dead trees around the yard. It was sunny (a little windy), but nice weather and Josh didn't want to leave. Someday he'll spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Well that's all for now. This week is going to be a little busy, but hopefully not too bad. I've already accomplished vacuuming, sweeping and mopping all of the tile (quite a hefty job), dusting and doing a little laundry. I'm beat!

Mental note: post about Josh's school and Brad's job.

Doctor's Appointments

2009-04-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Today we headed down to Tri-Cities because both of the kids had doctor's appointments. Maddie had her 15-month (only a month late) and Josh had his 4 year appointment. Josh is still so little, weighing in at only 30 pounds and he was 38.25 inches tall. Maddie weighed 19 lbs, 12 oz. and was 29.5 inches long. Josh weighed 19 lbs, 3.5oz at his 15-month appointment, so she is still outweighing him. Maddie had to get one shot and we had the option to do Josh's booster shots for Kindergarten or to wait until next year, and I said let's wait. Just the thought that Josh will be in Kindergarten next year blows my mind. It's so crazy, but it will be good for both of us.

After we did the doctor's appointments we headed to the park so the kids could play since it was 80 degrees outside!!! The sun was shining and it was hot. I dressed both kids in short sleeved shirts and pants, and myself the same, because I guess I just didn't believe it was going to be as hot as it was. But hot it was - I actually got a little sunburn on my arms and so did Maddie (again, not prepared). But the kids, Grandma, Brad's sister and our niece had a blast. At the park they also have this water area where they have sprinklers and spouts that shoot out water - and thankfully I packed an extra set of clothes for both kids, because they wanted to play in it and they were drenched! I wish I'd had the camera. Maddie was completely fearless - playing with kids twice her size and running through the water. It was really cute (and scary) to watch.

After that we had some lunch, went to Grandma's house to unwind a little and then we headed home. Thankfully the kids both slept most of the way home, so it worked out great. A beautiful, fun-filled day.

Sitting Pretty

2009-04-14T19:08:00.003-07:00

Just had to share this picture of Maddie. Such a little lady!

Easter

2009-04-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm only 2 days late. But we've been busy. Brad had to work Sunday morning, but got home early enough to do the kids' Easter baskets before we left. Brad took the kids upstairs so that I could put their Easter baskets together. I heard Brad telling Josh - "I think the Easter Bunny was here and left you something downstairs". So the kids came down, and Josh whizzes right past his basket because he is looking for the Easter Bunny - wish I had gotten that on video!

So we ended up going down to Tri-Cities for Easter. We stopped by my mom's house first to visit with her and my sister and niece. The kids did a little Easter egg hunt, but dumb me forgot to get the camera out. Then we headed over to Brad's parents house for dinner and another Easter egg hunt with his sister and our other niece. The kids had a blast and we had a good time too. Three Easter Egg hunts later - a LOT of candy was consumed.

Josh Dancing

2009-04-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is a toy that he got from his great grandparents. The song is Cotton Eye Joe - nice and annoying but the way he "hoe dances" is too funny nonetheless. Enjoy.

Josh is 4!!!

2009-04-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe that I'm even writing this but today Josh turned 4. Four!!! They just grow up too fast. So much has changed since he was 3, it's really crazy. We've moved twice, Brad got a new job, we bought a new house, Josh has changed schools, etc.

He was born at 9:11am on a Thursday and he is my little buddy. He loves his sister, sometimes more than I wish. He loves to hug her, pick her up (yes, yikes), and he watches out for her. He is a running, jumping, truck playing, non-stop energy kind of boy. His new things to say are "I promise" and "Holy smokes" and "I won". He keeps telling Brad "When I get bigger Daddy I promise that I go to work with you." It's too funny.

Today he went to school and he was the VIP. So he got to bring a toy to share and I got the pleasure of trying to come up with a snack, treat, and drink for 20 preschoolers! It all worked out, but I did get a glimpse of my life in the near future of making cupcakes or cookies in the middle of the night. After I picked him up from school, we went to grab a special bite to eat and we played outside since it was so nice out.

So here is to the birthday boy! Happy Birthday Josh. I hope that he had a good birthday.

Another Entry

2009-04-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry about these lasts couple of posts, I'm really getting into doing entries. So here is another one from Pretty Pink Momma for RHB Designs. I love the jewelry from RHB Designs and would love to win something - so please check it out and do an entry for yourself.

Josh's Birthday Party

2009-04-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

Wow - it's almost time. My little guy is going to be 4!!! I can't believe it. His actually birthday is on Tuesday, but we decided to celebrate his birthday on Saturday so we wouldn't mess up any Easter plans next weekend.

We had quite the turnout - about 17 people came and it was great. The only person that I missed was my sister. She couldn't make it because she was sick, so I was a little disappointed - but what can you do? We had pizza and pop, cake and ice cream and Josh made out like a bandit as always. We had a monster truck themed party (that's what he said he wanted, so that's what we did) and it was a blast. Josh got a fishing pole, a tackle box, some tools and gloves for outside, 2 truck DVDs, monster trucks (of course), a bubble machine and a bicycle and helmet. He got a Spiderman bike from Brad and I and already had a tumble today - but he likes it. Practice makes perfect.

He did so good and everybody had a great time. When he blew out his candle, he said "I won!" It was so funny. Here are some pictures from the party.

This was when he got his truck DVDs!

Smiling for the camera

NOISY police car - yay for mom and dad

Got the gear

First attempt out

Dinner Out

2009-04-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

This has been such a busy week for me that I've hardly had a chance to sit down and write about anything that's been going on. This week was filled with grocery shopping, a trip to Tri-Cities, organizing a birthday party, cleaning the house, doing errands, and a dinner out - all during Josh's spring break! Yikes - that's a lot.

So Brad's cousin, Cari, and I went out to dinner on Thursday night. It was really nice to be able to talk with an adult, and another mother, and get away from the kiddos for a couple of hours. We went to a really nice restaurant, ate some yummy salmon (it's so much better over here in Washington), and we each tried a mojito! The conversation was great, the dinner was awesome, and 2 hours away from the kids left me feeling refreshed. We've hatched a plan to try to do this at least once a month - we'll see if it works out. But now that my kids are getting a little older, this going out thing should be getting easier to do.

Small Trip

2009-03-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

Today we made a trip down to Tri-Cities. The main reason behind the trip was to get the Tahoe cleaned and detailed - it was a mess. But also we went to see Grandma and the kids got a huge treat of being able to see Grandpa too - which was not planned.

We left the house this morning at 9:15, so I could stop and get a coffee (which I desperately needed since Josh was up from 3:30-5am) and then be into town by 11. I dropped my car off and my mother in law picked us up, I transferred car seats and then we headed to the mall for some food and play time. I was able to do a little shopping by myself - thank the heavens! Then we headed to my in-laws' house and the kids played there and ate and had cookies - thanks Grandma!

It was a really long day for us - especially since the detailing took almost 5 1/2 hours (but the Tahoe is spotless and looks brand new, so it could've taken all day for all I care). But the kids did great. I was worried about how they'd do, with no naps and all - but much to my surprise they did awesome. Maddie slept a little on the way down, but didn't show any hints of getting crabby until right before we left.

Josh kept saying that he wanted to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house, but I'm not sure anyone is ready for that yet :) So we left at 5:15 and got home at 6:45 - so a really long day - but now I'm looking forward to doing it again because today was great. And of course the kids fell asleep as soon as we were on the freeway! I wish that I could have taken a picture of what they looked like. Grandma had given Josh a cookie to eat on the way home (what I was thinking after all it took to get the car clean, who knows?) and he fell asleep with it still in his mouth. Too funny.

But we're home now, after being gone for 9 hours. I gave the kids a bath when we got home, and now I know I can do this by myself if I have to. Brad is working late again, so I'm all on my own - but I'm doing it.

Peek...Aren't you curious

2009-03-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

Please check out this website Ask Design Mom Week to enter for a $300 shopping spree from Peek...Aren't You Curious.

This is worth a shot, and the clothes are so cute - I had to try.

Tired, tired, tired...

2009-03-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today I'm tired. Just plain tired. I'm tired of being the housekeeper, the cook, the dishwasher, the diaper genie, the garbage collector, the toy picker upper, the laundromat, the teeth brusher, the bedtime story reader, and the human velcro since my kids seem to think they need to cling to me every waking minute.

Well it's just been one of those days. Mommy needs a break! I'm sure all of you mommies out there can relate and have one of these days more than you'd like to count, but today I've just had enough and can't wait to go to sleep.

Overdue Pictures

2009-03-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

I finally put the kids' table in the house.

Playing outside with her horsie.

Josh in his truck.

Josh and my niece. The cousins had a great time playing together.

Mohawk mania!

One Step Closer

2009-03-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

Well we finally did it, we broke down and got WA license plates. And it feels weird to say that because when we lived in Utah, I wanted my WA plates back. And now I didn't want to get rid of my Utah plates - whoa! It's a small thing, but I actually liked the Utah plates (the newer ones) more than my WA ones. Oh well. My tabs were due the end of this month, so we had to get it done on the Tahoe and Brad will take his car in sometime soon. Brad also got his license switched over, and I'm dreading doing mine. I LOVE my picture on my Utah license. It was taken before I had kids (so I was still skinny) and I had long, beautiful hair. Vain, yes. But, it was before I had spit up all over my shirts, before I wore sweatpants and sweatshirts all of the time, and before I cut my hair short to accommodate getting ready faster to take care of the kids. A time when my hubby and I could go out to dinner, go to the movies, sleep in, and be alone. And I guess getting my license changed over is losing that part of myself all over again. It's a little thing with big meaning, for me anyways. Oh well, it must be done, but I'm not going to be happy about it one bit.

Visitor

2009-03-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

Well my mom came up for a visit today, and I am very happy to report that we had a really good time. The kids absolutely loved it and it was a great change of pace for us. It was just a really great visit. There weren't too many things to get annoyed at, because if you know my relationship with my mom - it's a little stressful/tense, sometimes, so I never know how things are going to turn out - what she might say, etc. But the things that were annoying were just little things. So a great day for all!

It was a nice change of pace for us, like I said. Josh has been out of school all week for conference week, and Brad's parents still haven't been back up - so it was really good to see my mom. Plus, the kids had a great time with her too. She got here early and just left - and Josh was really sad to see her go. But we'll be seeing her in 2 weeks for Josh's birthday, so we're looking forward to it.

Josh and School

2009-03-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well today was parent/teacher conferences. I had two of them since Josh was going to 2 schools. The first was at the new school, and that one went well and everything seems to be right on track. The second one was a little more substantial - since it's through the school system. Josh has been doing speech therapy for a little over a year now, and the progress has been tremendous! So with his birthday coming up, and I know I've mentioned this before - but they had to re-evaluate him.

So that was done last Wednesday and I am happy to report that he no longer qualifies for services! I have to keep telling myself that this IS a good thing, but I just absolutely adore his teacher and the speech therapist. So it was a little hard telling them goodbye - and I feel a little sad for Josh because he doesn't really understand that he's not going back. Just the other day when he walked into the class he asked, "where are my boys?" It was too cute. They said that we'll see how it goes next week, but maybe if he wants to come in and say goodbye we could - but we'll see.

But some other good news is that we're at the top of the list for next school year - so he'll have a guaranteed spot in the tuition-based slots. So that makes me feel a lot better. And the speech therapist also works with kids in the 4 year old program so she can look in on him from time to time. I feel good. The teacher, speech therapist and school psychologist all say that his teacher next year is a really good teacher and it will be a good fit for him. And also with him staying with the school system, it will be easier for them to place him with the right teacher for kindergarten. So it's all working out in the end. Phew!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Maddie and the Swaddle

2009-03-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

So, Maddie is finally done with her swaddle, *gasp*, I know. Some of you out there might be thinking, oh my gosh - she is still swaddled?!? And yes, she was. This little girl holds on to some things longer than Josh ever did, and one has been the swaddle. She learned to maneuver quite well being swaddled, Josh didn't. She could move around all she wanted (I know hard to imagine, but she did), and she loved it. She slept so well being swaddled, I was scared to break the habit.

I meant to get her out of being swaddled before we moved, but that didn't happen. And then, I kept thinking to myself - well how long would we be staying with my in-laws? I didn't want to try to get her unswaddled then because it was already a change, and then it would be another change when we did finally move into our own house. I wanted the transitions to go as smooth as possible, which leaves us where we are right now.

Long story short, she is finally sleeping without her swaddle. I started last Monday, just on her naps. And she did a lot better than I thought she would. She didn't sleep nearly as long as she normally does for either of her naps, but that was okay - I knew it would be a little rough to start out. The first two nights, she slept pretty good, but woke up several times and I ended up putting her back in her swaddle when she couldn't quite go back to sleep. But each morning I found her little arms out, so I knew we had to keep going and that she was ready. So then next night, she slept all the way through the night - and that was that. Now that we're a week out, when I put her to bed - she gets her binkie (I'm not ready to deal with this one yet), gets her baby and blanket, I tell her to lay down and she does - and she's ready for bed.

It's a great feeling for me now that she's not swaddled, because before I was the only one that could do it. My mother-in-law learned, but I still always felt that I needed to be home to put her to bed when we were living with them. So now, Brad or his mom, or a sitter will be able to put her to bed.

Sick and Tired - II

2009-03-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so yesterday I got the parts to my vacuum that I ordered on the 23rd of February. I open them up and of course, they are the wrong parts. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating. I get online, again, to find out where I can buy this part - and none of the stores carry it anymore. So I call eu.reka again to tell them that they sent me the wrong parts. So the lady has the gall to tell me that I ordered the wrong part and that it's my fault. Oh no she didn't!

Then I went through the lengthy process of explaining to her what I ordered - as seen on my email receipt. Then she tells me that the warehouse is out of the particular part that I need, so they are replacing it with the parts that they sent me. Um, what? The part they sent doesn't fix the problem that I'm having. I needed the dust cup filter - I can't close the lid on the canister and put the canister back into the vacuum without this filter. She said, well what we sent you goes over by the on/off switch. Um, again - what?!? It's not something I need, I didn't order it - because, why would I order something that I don't need. Then I tell her, well I'll just order it from somewhere else - could she tell me how to send it back and get a full refund on my account. She said that she would transfer me to the return department, and that's where I still stand. No one has called me. So check back for part III.

One of those days

2009-03-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Today was just one of those days. Everything started out just fine, but slowly started to unravel. Josh got to school on time, no less. I had a little conference with his teacher, we set up another conference for next week - which he'll be out of school for all of it, since it is conference week. Then I needed to run to the store really quick to get a few things to make dinner. Umph! That took forever. I figured I didn't need to put Maddie in the cart since I needed 2 items. Well I thought wrong. The checkout took forever, Maddie was squirming, I kept dropping the stuff I did have, and my arm felt like it was going to fall off.

We got home. I put Maddie down for her nap - which the nap thing hasn't been too successful lately, since I'm not swaddling her anymore - but that's another post by itself. So she took a short nap, was really crabby, and then it's time to go pick up Josh. Check, done.

We get home, long story short - I need to find a new pediatrician for the kids. We don't have a family doctor here, dentist, eye doctor, etc. So Brad's cousin gave me the name of the doctor that her family uses. I looked them up online, to make sure that our insurance was accepted there, and it was. So I was like - yes, we know this doctor is good, and we'll get in. Wrong. The 1st doc I try - isn't accepting new patients, but the #2 choice is. But...they no longer take our insurance. So I call another office that I found in the phonebook, and find out they are only pediatric specialists, so that's a no go - but she does give me the number for another "good" office. They aren't accepting any new patients. So I call the doctor that we found in Tri-Cities, and I need to make an appointment for both kids (Maddie for her 15 month, and Josh for his 4 year - that way I only need to make the drive once). Of course, I can't get them in until after Josh turns 4, so Spring Break week is out. And I'm not sure if Josh will still be going to school 4 days a week, so on the safe side, I asked if they were open on Fridays - yes, but he doesn't do well-child checkups on Fridays. Crap. Back to square one. Frustrating to say the least.

We're late, we're late

2009-03-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

For a very important date. But seriously, we're ALWAYS late. I hate it. I hate. being. late. And it never fails. No matter how much planning I do, no matter how early I get ready, or get the kids ready for that matter - we're always late. One excuse that I will use, is that I haven't really figured out how long it takes to get places. Especially living where we do, and there being a lot of big trucks on our route to, let's see - anywhere. But that's the only excuse that I will use.

For instance, this morning - I wanted to leave the house by 8:45 to get Josh to school by 9. I'm ready, Maddie is ready, Josh is ready - and we're about to walk out the door. Then Josh tells me that he has to go pee, and then it turns into #2. ERrrr! I'm glad that he went before school, but why, oh why do we have to cut everything so close. It never fails. Most of the time, it's Maddie having a poopy diaper, Josh can't find his shoes, I can't find my purse, etc. I'm always losing something. But last night, I got everything ready ahead of time - put my purse on the coat rack by the garage door, picked out Josh and Maddie's clothes, and had everything else that we needed by the door. I also got up earlier than normal to get in the shower and to get ready. But we were still late. I just hate having that rushed feeling, and I don't like the kids to see me getting rushed, or me rushing them. So tomorrow I'm going to start the getting ready to walk out the door process 30 minutes before we have to leave, instead of 15. We'll see how that works out.

Small Town Living

2009-03-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

Today we had planned to make a trip down to Tri-Cities for my sister's birthday. Spend a little time down there and go out to lunch. But with her having pink eye - that was out. So we didn't have any plans, and I had been wanting to make a trip to the mall so the kids could get out of the house, I could get out of the house, and it would be something fun.

So we made it to the mall, no problems. I told Josh that we were going to eat lunch first and then he could play on the toys - I just assumed they would have some toys to play on. We walk into the mall, go upstairs to the food court and I just about died. The food court consists of 3, yes 3, places to eat. A pizza place, a Chinese place and a sub place. Wow! So luckily the sub place was there so we could at least order some fries for Josh, because he won't touch anything else.

We ate and then it was time to go to the play area. Another wow. It was about the size of our dining room and only had 3 toys to play on. Nice. Hopefully we'll find something better to do once the weather warms up a bit.

Sick and Tired

2009-03-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

I'm so sick and tired of things breaking around here or needing to be replaced. It just seems like it's been a lot of stuff within the last month, and with all of the stuff that we've already purchased for the new house - it feels like we're spending money left and right.

First it was our vacuum cleaner - somehow the filter got thrown away. I don't know if I did it (which I must have been having a dumb moment) or if one of the kids got it. The point is, it got thrown away. Now we can't use the vacuum without the filter - the canister won't fit into it's spot. We looked at various stores to buy one, and no luck. So I got online and ordered 2 of them, just in case it happened again. Well I put my order in on the 23rd, and STILL have not gotten them yet. Long story short on this - I called, they got everything worked out, but I still might not have it until next Friday. Crap.

Second is our camera. Not a huge deal on this, we just need to buy a new battery. I've been trying to charge the battery, but it won't hold a charge, so I still need to do that. Another $40 later.

Third is the microwave light. Again, not a huge deal - but it's still really annoying. We do have a lot of light, but both of the smaller burners are in the back. And it still makes it hard to see back there, even with all of the light. So now we need to go buy another light for that (hopefully we can find it in some store, because I haven't had much luck ordering parts online lately) and another turn table. The one that's in there now is too small.

Forth is our printer. Now, I guess this one doesn't really count because the problem has been resolved - but it took a while, so I'm going to put it down. In the move, we somehow lost the printer power cord and the AC adapter. Couldn't find it. We looked everywhere we thought it would be, and no luck. So I had to call Hp to get both of those ordered. If I had needed to order those - it would have been about $60 with shipping and tax. So for another $20 or so we probably could have just purchased a brand new printer - but there was nothing wrong with this one. So again - long story short on this - I had wanted Brad to hang the kids' pictures in the hallway like we had in Utah, and lo and behold - the power cord was in that box. Why was the power cord to the printer in a box with all of our pictures? Who knows. All I know is that I didn't pack that box, but I know who did. Frustrating.

Josh and School

2009-03-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

Where, oh where, do I begin? Well Josh is doing really well in school. He has come a long way with his speech therapy. He is talking in 3-5 word sentences now, is saying more and more complex words everyday, and has just made huge leaps forward - it's truly amazing. I'm so proud of him.

My problem begins with the fact that since he is on an IEP (Individualized Evaluation Program - I think that's what it stands for) - he has to be re-evaluated by his birthday, which is quickly approaching. Since moving up this way and starting his new preschool, the teachers there think that he may not qualify for services - which is really good, but bad at the same time. Since he might not qualify - there is nothing within the school district here for him to be in. The class that he's in now is only for students who qualify for services. Now don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that he might not be needing anymore speech therapy - but the thought of him not being in school until the fall is scary for me. Especially since we live where we live now. We haven't met any kids his age, except for his cousin, so there isn't too much socializing going on.

So they have another preschool program here that goes hand in hand with a gym class. The kids go outside everyday, do gymnastics everyday, but still do a lot of academic stuff. Well when I called to see if they had any openings - they did, but only one. And I've heard such great things about this place, so I know those spots go fast. So since I wanted to have a back up plan, I signed him up for this as well. I didn't want him to not be in school until the fall - because it would be a long 6 months! And I didn't want to lose the one spot that was available. To make a long story short - Josh will be going to school 4 days a week now. His regular school on Mon/Wed and the other school on Tues/Thurs - until the school district re-evaluates him. And then if he does not qualify for services, then he will only be going Tues/Thurs.

Now I'm feeling a little guilty about sending him to more school. I feel guilty that I might be pushing him too hard or that it will be too much. But he absolutely loves school. He asks to go everyday! He just needs more - more time with other kids, more activities to keep him busy - but I still feel guilty. Guilty that I'm in part doing it for myself, because I do need more of a break from him - guilty, guilty, guilty. We'll just have to see how it works out and see if he likes it and how well he adjusts.

The Yard

2009-02-28T11:11:00.001-08:00

Dun, dun, dun!!! Well we'll probably be getting some yard this year. And the reason why I say some is because we have a little over 2 acres and we can't do all of that this year. We'll probably add on a little every year. So it will be nice to have a yard, but living out in the country has other disadvantages!

Rattlesnakes. And no, I'm not joking. There is a TON of sagebrush out here, we live right by a firing range (also an Army base), neighbors are a good distance away, and there are a lot of critters (a polite way of saying it) around here. That equals snakes, and not just any snakes - rattlesnakes! I can deal with snakes, I don't mind them, but hello - these are poisonous snakes.

I was looking forward to this summer, but not now. I've been having nightmares about the kids getting bitten, or myself and not being that close to a hospital and the list goes on and on. I'm really getting anxious about it. It's scary. Really scary! We've been looking online at ways to reduce the population, but it still doesn't relieve my fears. We'll probably be getting a couple of cats and probably 2 dogs. The cats to kill the mice and anything else around to take away the food source and the dogs to warn us about the snakes. At least you can hear a rattlesnake, but you can't hear a baby rattlesnake - they don't have their rattles yet - so they are the most dangerous!

Our neighbors keep saying that it's all about teaching your children and awareness about snakes, and yes, it is that. But I have an almost 4 year old and a 14-month old. Yes, I can explain basic stuff to Josh about snakes and to not turn over rocks - but I'm still scared to death, because little kids can't fully comprehend how dangerous these snakes really are. I don't know, maybe I'm not giving them enough credit. But I just think it's going to be difficult.

Getting Organized

2009-02-26T11:56:00.004-08:00

Ok, so last night our desk arrived from FedEx! Oh, thank the good lord. We've been needing one since we moved in, and now it's finally here. So last night Brad put it together and it looks great. Today, I got everything in the "office" organized - filing papers in the filing cabinet, organizing bills, putting things in the desk, and unpacking three more boxes that had office stuff in them. Wahoo! It feels good to have that accomplished.

Now Brad has a few things on his list: hanging pictures in our bedroom, the kids' pictures in the hallway, a coat rack and anything else I can give him to do. It's just going to take some time to fill this place up and get it how we want it. The next big ticket items (since we already got the TV and desk) are a couch for the bonus room, a mudroom bench (so we can sit down while putting on shoes) and a small kitchen table for the nook area. Hopefully we'll be able to find those items and they won't be too expensive. Once we get those items, I'll be feeling a lot better! And then it will just be getting stuff to decorate this place. We have a few things, but definitely not enough. One step at a time, I keep trying to tell myself that - but it's not working. I just want to have everything done now - and yes, I know I'm a 3 year old.

More Random Happenings

2009-02-22T20:50:00.004-08:00

Let's see, where do I begin? Well Brad worked all night last night, so it was the first time that I've been in the house at night by myself. It would have been a little scary, had it not been for the NyQuil that I took earlier since I've been feeling a little under the weather. And boy oh boy, wouldn't you know it, the kids woke up - Josh twice and Maddie once. I swear they sense when I'm having to deal with them by myself at night!

We ended up heading to Target this morning to look for more decorative stuff. Found some stuff, but didn't buy any of it. I did buy a few more rugs for the kitchen and entry way. One was pretty big and they had the tag marked at $9.98, which was odd to me since the smaller ones that I was buying were $19.99. So I just happened to see a employee and inquired about it. And he told me that since it was listed at that price, they would have to honor it. It was regularly priced $39.99, and I got it for 10 bucks! Sweet. We also tried to look at computer desks at a different store, but haven't found any that we like. We'll just have to keep on looking, and hopefully we'll find something soon. I'm tired of seeing boxes and piles and piles of papers! I want to get organized. We also got a new TV which Brad and his cousin's husband mounted above the fireplace. It will be nice once we can actually watch it, but it's up.

My sister was supposed to come up today, but she ended up not. So I'm a little disappointed with her and wish that she would have come up, but oh well. Hopefully she'll make it up here soon. Other than it trying to snow up here, there's not much else to report. Oh, wait, yes there is. Maddie is teething again. I had noticed that she was getting another tooth on top and bottom in the front. But she started to cry when we were out and she was in her stroller, so I got a really good look in her mouth, and she's getting a molar on the bottom. And then after her bath, I just wanted to see how many more she was getting, and found another molar on top that's about to come through. And all of these teeth are on the same side of her mouth - poor little thing! So once these four come through, she'll have 8 total. Oh, I hate teething.

Newest Pictures of the House

2009-02-20T15:39:00.004-08:00

Ok, so here are some updated pictures of the house, with the new paint and all. We still have a TON of decorating to do, but at least we can move around and know where things are. I have a plan for the master bedroom, so I'll have to post more pictures when I get that done. Hopefully we'll be getting new bedroom furniture.

Master Bedroom

Bonus Room

Bonus Room

Kitchen Nook

Hall Bath

Josh's Bedroom

Kitchen

Another view of the kitchen

Another view of the nook

Maddie's Bedroom

Misc Pictures

2009-02-18T21:07:00.004-08:00

Here are some pictures of the kids from the past month or so. I think they are backwards in order, but oh well.

Maddie loved playing on the boxes.

DQ treat night. One of the last nights at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Maddie and daddy.

My little munchkin getting into trouble at Grandma's house.

Maddie playing on Grandma's chair.

Love this picture of Josh.

Maddie playing outside, looking mischievous.

Eating cupcakes at Grandma's house, oh Grandma!

2.18.09

2009-02-18T15:36:00.001-08:00

Well Josh started school today. He had a blast and I got good reports all around from his teacher. We were late though and I was also late picking him up. I hate it when I do that. I don’t ever want to be late picking him up again, so I will make it a point to find out exactly how long it takes me to get there! I just have to keep in mind that we do live out in the country now – and everything else is “in town”. It feels so weird to say that, but it’s true. To go in town, takes at least 15 minutes, just to get there, and another 15-20 to get back. So we’ll just have to leave earlier in the morning, which isn’t a problem with my early birds! We got the newspaper set up today, so I’m excited to read that. I know, little things.

Brad’s mom came up this morning and then she’ll come back after visiting her dad and stay for dinner – so that’s good. Tomorrow we’ll probably do a little grocery shopping, and that’s all I have planned for this week. Brad will be home on Saturday, but will probably work on Sunday – but I think my sister might come up, so that’s good. We definitely need to buy more furniture and more decorating stuff for this house! The house in Utah was about this size – a little smaller, but the basement wasn’t finished – so it wasn’t livable space. Here, we have plenty of room, but not enough furniture to fill it! We need to buy a computer desk, another TV, a couch for the bonus room, and lots and lots of decorating stuff! So if anyone has any ideas after seeing the pictures – I could use a little help in the decorating department!

2.16.09

2009-02-18T15:35:00.000-08:00

Well it’s pretty lonely out here. Now, it will definitely be better once we get internet and TV!! But we are pretty isolated out here. Right now I don’t really have any contact with the outside world, so I’m pretty lonely – which just means that I need to get out there and meet other people. I know of a couple of places where I can take the kids to, and I guess the next step would be to join a MOMs club. Hopefully I’ll meet some people through Josh’s school, and Brad does have a few cousins out here that have kids close to our childrens’ ages, so that’s good. There just aren’t too many young couples out here. Most of the people that live out here are older and retired. Not too much to do around here now, so it’s been pretty boring. But hopefully things will get better by Wednesday – that’s when Josh starts school and hopefully when our phone and internet get hooked up. Plus, Brad’s mom will stop by for a visit.

2.15.09

2009-02-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well today we got more of the rooms organized. Brad’s mom and I got both bathrooms organized, our closet organized, the laundry room put together, she mopped the floor, and I ran to Target to grab a few more things that we needed. Brad and his dad tried to work on the phone line (again, don’t ask), got all of the cabinet locks on, put in light bulbs that were burnt out, and got more of the garage organized. Now I can almost park the Tahoe inside! After 3 months of parking it outside, it will be nice to have it in the garage. We got so much done yesterday that Brad’s parents are leaving today, and his mom won’t need to stay longer. I’m sitting by myself right now while Maddie sleeps, because everyone else is gone. Brad had to pick up his car at his parents’ house, so my boys won’t be home until late tonight! On the way up here, Brad’s dad drove the motorhome, Brad drove his dad’s truck pulling the trailer and I drove our car – so Brad had to make another trip to his parents’ house and back, but hopefully this will be the last time for a while. Until we just want to go down to visit. At least we’re only an hour and fifteen minutes away, compared to nine hours! So I don’t have any TV (DirecTV can’t come until the 23rd, the 23rd!!! Do they not know that we need TV ASAP! I have a 3 year old, people!), no internet because Qwest couldn’t hook us up, and no phone (except my cell phone). Hopefully we can get internet by Wednesday. But no TV for another week is going to be hard. Well that’s all for today.

Finally!!!

2009-02-18T15:30:00.002-08:00

Well we finally have Internet up and running! It felt like an eternity! But we have it, it works, and now I can finally catch up on email, blogging, and posting pictures. YES! Can't you tell that I'm excited? So I've been writing posts on Microsoft Word, so I'll just copy and paste those onto here. It's going to be a really long post, so please bear with me. Nevermind, I'm just going to post these each separately, it will probably be easier that way.

Valentine's Day:

Today we moved the rest of our stuff into the house. We loaded up the beds, dressers, toys, and a lot of little miscellaneous stuff! But it’s done. And we couldn’t have done it without the help of Brad’s parents and my mom. Brad’s parents brought their RV up so that they would have a place to sleep, and so that Brad’s mom could stay a little longer if we needed her to. My mom followed me up here and got to work with washing dishes, arranging more of the kitchen, playing with the kids, and just organizing stuff. We got most of the stuff out of the garage and into the house. The beds were the first thing that Brad and his dad put together. We didn’t want to be putting beds together at 9pm! The boys spent the rest of the time bringing in boxes, unloading the boxes, moving the heavy stuff into the rooms that it needed to be in and fixing the light switch – please don’t ask, it was only an hour process.

I did some more grocery shopping, which only took 2 hours. One, because I got lost and two, we’re living out in the country now. Gone are the days of just driving to a store that is just 5 minutes away to grab a few forgotten items. They do have a few small grocery stores in town, but to get to an Albertsons – it’s a good 15-20 minute drive. So I left at 5 and didn’t get home until 7, with dinner in hand. It has been quite a long day, but with much accomplished. Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Now I’m ready for bed, but it’s so stinkin’ quiet!

"I Very Sick"

2009-02-04T16:18:00.006-08:00

Well I was going to post this picture anyways because I thought it was cute. I had been on the computer checking email and getting sucked into Facebook once again and Josh kept running in and out of the computer room. Earlier I had set him up with a movie and some apple juice, and a snack. The next thing I know he's put all of his mini Ritz crackers into the button spots for this glider chair. Hard to tell what those orange things are, I know, but that's what they are. And I just thought it was cute that he had put those there, so I decided to take a picture - which he more than willingly posed for, as you can see.

Again, the next thing I knew he was jumping up and down (again, not unusual) and his mouth is completely full. He just crammed all of those crackers into his mouth and is starting to gag. Holy crap! Panic sets in for a second, but then I tell him to spit them all into my hands. Gross, but what else can I do? I thought he was ok, because there was a reasonable amount in his mouth - but no. He starts gagging again and then it happened - he threw up. All over the floor, which I'm cleaning at this moment, his hands, my hands, his shirt. And I felt so bad for him, and probably even worse because it kind of made me chuckle. He says to me - "I very sick, mom, I very sick. I need go to doctor. I need my mesin (medicine)." Just the look on his face and the very sad way he said this broke my heart but made me laugh all at the same time. He is fine now, drinking his apple juice and back to his normal self.

Sidebar - completely off the subject - I just looked at my little birthday counter for Maddie and it says that she is 1 year, 1 week, and 1 day old - kinda cool.

Pictures of the House

2009-01-29T16:45:00.005-08:00

Here are the pictures that I've been promising of the house. And yes, I know, the peach walls are hideous! They are being repainted as we speak. The entire house is being repainted, so I will post more pictures once that is done. They have 7 days after we close (which was yesterday, Friday) to paint, and then we'll need to let everything air out - so it looks like we'll be moving on Valentine's Day.

Formal Living Room (this will probably be where we put the computer - it will be our office since we don't need a sitting room)

View from the formal living room into the dining room and kitchen

View into the kitchen

Another view of the kitchen

View from the kitchen into the family room

Bonus Room above the garage

Hall Bath

Laundry Room

Master Bedroom

Good News

2009-01-27T21:30:00.004-08:00

Well we've got some good news to share with everyone! We FINALLY found a house. Finally. We did the final walk through today and we sign the paperwork tomorrow. I can't believe that I don't feel more like jumping up and down for joy - but I think that I'm just too damn tired at this point. It's been a long haul looking for houses, doing 2 inspections, getting our hopes up on another house, having that fall through, and getting frustrated that we couldn't find a house that we could both agree on.

The house is basically a one story house with a bonus room above the garage. It is a little over 2700 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths and one half bath, separate laundry room (yes!), nice sized kitchen, jetted tub and separate shower in master bath, and it sits on 2.25 acres with views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams! It's pretty nice. We're having them (we bought it from the builder directly) re-paint the inside because the colors are pretty bad. So hopefully they'll get that started this weekend and we can move in by Valentine's Day. Yipee. And probably one of the best parts about the house is that it's only 15 minutes away from Brad's work. Holy crap! That will be the closest Brad will have ever been to home. So instead of getting up and leaving by 6 and getting home at 6, he'll be able to sleep in (and help me in the morning) and leave by 7:30 and be home by 5! Crazy.

I'll be sending/posting pics once we get settled and they re-paint. I can't believe it's finally happening. I can't wait to be in our own space again, but wouldn't have traded this time with Brad's parents for the world. Yes it's been stressful, but it's been worth it. The time that my kids have had to bond with their grandparents is priceless!

Something To Laugh At

2009-01-26T15:48:00.003-08:00

Man’s surprising laugh

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