Here we go.........

this morning thad and i were still asleep when we heard...."uuugghh. You're just going back to sleep. Disneyland. This is not a normal morning!" I think someone is anxious to leave. Cannot wait to head to the airport and watch the reactions to, well everything. Hope everyone has a great week.

Major Leaguer

Noah had his second game yesterday, the first one that I could go to....it was so much fun to watch him run after the ball. He spent most of his time in the outfield first inning, playing with his hat and thad would move him around in the field to help him understand where to go and what to do. It was great....before this I was ready to never sign him up again, because he just goofed off during practice, but maybe he will grow to love it. Noah has the ability to be one of those rare baseball guys who can bat both sides. He is left handed and I am right.....since I taught him to hit he can do both, and he did yesterday. I love t-ball because they hit the ball and then stay there or run the wrong way or fight over who gets the ball when a grounder comes their way. Part of me does not want to be that mom that spends her springs running to practice and games and waiting by the phone for make up games.........but I also want noah to fall in love with baseball..there is something so american about it. Besides who can resist the cute little uniform.

and a few more

Just a couple more that I liked this year....the top one of our trouble game is a post from last year and then the two below of syd are her starbucks klepto story and her real conversation, but the journaling is hidden so you cannot see it. I love this blog...I love the stories I can capture and keep forever. The two layouts of noah's (work & you're like that) were scraplifted "ideas" from someone else. Part of the creative process is seeing the new and different things out there and taking pieces of those to create your own layout. I love looking back at layouts that I have created (and would never create again), but I still remember making them and I like them to this day. It is really not even about the layout, embellishments or newest gadget....it is about the pictures and the story behind it. I think that when you are creating a layout and can laugh or recall certain emotions from the day or time....you are creating history and family. That is what scrapbooking is all about.

Here is another

I love this one of noah...he was in a wedding in december and I took some random photos of him...this was my favorite. i think we are going to be in for a world of hurt when he turns 14!!!!

I am actually a scrapbooker

no, seriously I am. I don't think I have ever posted on here....to much work to scan them and stitch them....I would rather just look at them in the albums. but this weekend I did take the time and scan a few to share....these are some of my favorites from last year. You can see I need to work on stitching my photos together better...but at least you get the basic idea. I think it is funny that most of these layouts don't have any journaling on them. I have started hiding my journaling a lot so that you can focus on the pictures, which is great, because sometimes you just run out of stuff to say.....I am really itching to sit down and work on their albums again. To be honest with you....their albums are done for last year and I just printed jan/feb/march pictures...so I am ready. Maybe after disneyland I can sit down...but then I will have about a billion photos to sort through and print to start that album. I have been working on an album of our dog which has been a nice break from the kids albums. Syd and noah kept begging me for an animal album to look at. Maybe I will post that later. Thanks for looking.

One Year

It has been one year since I first started this blog. I initially started it to share with my friends and family what we had been up to. The secondary reason was to spur on some journaling for scrapbooks....stories that I might not have written down were it not for blogging. Over the past year my kids books have grown with funny stories that I would not have used. I love that I do this...some months I don't post as much and I lose some of those stories...but the important stuff goes on. The one thing I have not done is write much about me. I have not unleashed my inner self to the world. My crazy, weird, wonderful self. In January I did post my keyword for the year and I am happy to report that I have been striving hard for balance in this crazy, chaotic existance. I have said no to so many things that I would like to help with, but everytime I almost said yes I remember my rocks looking out over the water.....BALANCE. I am thankful that I have this journal to visit, to record, to write in. So here is to another year, more posts about kids and family and maybe some about me.

Look what we got!!!

It is official! We are going to Disneyland. One week to go. Looking forward to sunshine, characters and lots of smiles from my little kiddos. I cannot wait. I love Disneyland. It has been so long since Thad and I have been. California was not even built. I am really looking forward to the rides and watching some of the shows. We have lunch reservations at Ariel's Grotto and Blue Bayou. Noah wants to see the bald guy(mace windu) and darth maul at the Jedi Training Academy. Sydnie is excited about Seaworld and petting a real dolphin. When we first told the kids that we were thinking of going, noah was afraid that the boat in pirates of the carribean would tip over. You seriously cannot write this stuff. I love it.

True Colors

Don't you love color. seriously.

*Blue - looking into my daughters beautiful eyes

*Red little cheeks that show how tired my children are

*Green, green grass

*Purple flowers growing in our neighborhood

*Pink little baby blanket of the newborn next door

*Yellow pinneaple - freshly cut waiting to be eaten

All the colors in the world right before our eyes...do we stop and see them for what they are? Do we know that our Creator delights in the little everyday things. That He made all of this just for us to enjoy, to worship Him. To show His depth of love for us. So as you go about your day today and you see the colors....stop and think about the trueness of God's love for us and His creation.

This little guy came to visit

us last night and how cute is he??? He is 8 weeks old and full of puppy energy. Maddie was not to happy that there was another dog in the house and she made sure that Bandit knew she was in charge and not welcome. I loved that he ran around the house, sliding on the hardwood floors when he came around corners. After about an hour he tore into the living room and plopped on the floor and fell asleep, almost instantly! Could not get comfortable though and abby had to pick him up and he nestled into her arm....so adorable. Everyone in our house fell in love with him and cannot wait for him to come back.

Formal Attire

so in preparation for a gag for a formal bridal shower.......my SIL raided my old prom dresses (yes, my mom still has them all). I cannot believe that dresses from that generation are still around, but you gotta love the puffy sleeves and plunging neckline. You know what is even better........I used to actually fit in to that! and I thought I was fat in high school. Sydnie saw Jenn all dressed up and said "mom, she looks just like cinderella!" So to all the 80's prom dresses, big hair and lace gloves................we love ya. And to my SIL I hope you have the guts to walk into the "Formal" shower tonight and rock their worlds!!!!!!!!!! You have the best sense of humor and I love ya girl. I wish I could be there to support you with a gallon of hair spray and a crimper. Maybe you should bring a little Journey "open arms" along.....bring those 25 year olds back to the days of yesteryear. Were they even born then? Seriously have fun tonight...cannot wait to hear about the reactions.

Happy Easter

What a great day, even though there was a little rain, it was so much fun. The kids loved finding their eggs this year, because we hid them super hard. They also had fun watching their cousin Ryen hunt and made sure they did not take any of hers. They were completely sugared out by the time we left my parents house and super tired. You can see that we all had a great time.

Oregon Arbor Week

What a great day...lots of sun, very very hot, lots of learning.......good times. Riding a big yellow school bus, eating a sack lunch and learning all about trees and flowers. They had some beautiful magnolia trees that were in bloom. Love the top picture with the gazebo on the right. Loved just being with sydnie today, the two of us. It was a great field trip and I thought most of the kids had a good time as well. They seemed to really like the trip. I had never been there before, so it was kind of fun to walk around and see all the different areas. I had a group of boys at one point who were having fun searching for a garden snake and they found a couple....i just hung back and let them go for it. well off to t-ball practice and a weekend full of t-ball, family and fun.

Wild Hogs?

Okay so we were not on hogs....but we toured the neighborhood last night on 3 bikes and a scooter. This was huge for noah who had not been on his bike since his "accident" last summer. He did great....fell off a couple of times like when he was trying to stop and get off. {He had this look, it was so funny, almost like I wanna break out into a huge smile but I don't want you to know that I am enjoying this.} Wish I had the camera. Sydnie rode her scooter the whole way, gotta work on her to ride her bike, she is too afraid of falling off. She was a little bored with stopping and going, waiting for noah, but she had a great time and wants to do it tonight. We have the best neighborhood, because there are so many places to ride with the kids in the middle of the street and feel safe. I am so glad that we have some nice weather right now and can be outside enjoying it and being a family. Have a great day..we are off to a field trip at the Oregon Gardens.

Born Free

The tree swing. A rite of passage. The chance to prove that you are a big kid now. For the last year Noah has wanted to ride on this, but has not been able to hang on long enough...I think he was a bit scared to do it. But this visit to my parents house he did it. Now being the boy that he is, it was also fun to get on swing for 2 seconds and fall off on the ground, pretending to be hurt. Gotta love that. He loved it so much that we spent most of the day outside swinging from the tree and falling off and swinging and falling...well you see where I am going. The best part of the day was when I got on it and rode...he laughed so hard he "fell" on the ground rolling around. Like I have never ridden it before...maybe he has just never seen me ride it. To see the rest of the photos click here {http://www.flickr.com/photos/83743172@N00/sets/72157600038508515/}

Do you want a Dyson?

Have you ever heard of a Dyson...if you have not then you need to get out of the house more or at least visit some mom blogs. This site {http://www.5minutesformom.com/1343/dyson} is giving away a new Dyson Slim. SERIOUSLY! thanks bree {http://buhtafly.blogs.com/} for the idea....you always find the coolest stuff. Go today, you only have until April 4th.

Screaming Bloody Murder

okay you know that all of us moms have used that expression before.....either it is us doing the screaming or the kids! Yesterday I was down at my parents house and I don't remember what I was talking about, but my seven year old heard me use the expression and looked me dead on and says who is screaming blood (such a literal child). I explained that it was just an expression and it is used when you want to get the point across that someone was really upset or screaming really loud. She looks at me again...but where is the blood. At this point my parents and myself start cracking up and my mom starts in on the explanation....to no avail. finally i give up and later on the car ride home...sydnie uses the expression in the right way....something must have gotten thru. Gotta love that...those little day things that might life so enjoyable.

transitions

i love watching my son become a boy. he is maturing and growing and losing his little boy look so quickly. everytime i see that new smile, i cannot believe that he looks so big now. when i look at him a year ago or even 6 months ago...the change is visible. he loves school, he is excited about tball, cannot wait to start reading, he is leaving behind his little boy whining. he is all boy...never looks where he is going, spills every drink we give him, wipes his hands all over his clothes to clean them, plays swords and lightsabers all day long and loves the computer and video games. but he still loves the color orange. so much so that when we were at tillamook cheese factory he "had" to have the orange sherbert ice cream....just because it was orange. i love the left overs all over his face. I am so thankful that God gave this little boy to me, to teach, to love and to watch him transition from boy to man. i love you little man.

a few more from seaside

Love This

Party Time

Went to my friends house last night to play games.......THANK YOU J. It was so much fun. This is a part of me that I have been missing since moving here from Portland. The ability to just have so much fun. {we had some good times DDR, T, D, K and W} I love nights like that where you laugh so hard that your mouth hurts the rest of the night. Loved the game - Apples to Apples. Now it was a bunch of youth pastors in the room, so you know it is gonna get crazy...but that is my type of crazy. My brother is totally like that. So after the kids and I left we ran to target and bought a couple of new games to take with us to the beach this week. So bring on the side splitting laughter, well that might be hard to do with my husbands family this week...but we are sure gonna try.