the patsey's

chalk board platters

2011-09-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a long time! I have been lacking in the creative department... and it shows! Anyways, here's the latest project. Sorry no step by step guide, but it's really easy to do!

I bought 3 "silver" platters at the Dollar Tree (any shape you'd like), a can of chalkboard paint, and I had a big roll of red ribbon at home already.

I sprayed the platters with 2 coats of the chalkboard paint. Tied bows with the big red ribbon (making sure to have long "tails" on the bow). Then I hot glued one bow to the back of each platter. Hung up and placed a little note on them!

This says "Welcome Home Daddy" since the husband will be home tonight... I doubt he'll even notice these, but hey I love them!!!

Long overdue

2011-06-22T16:33:00.001-07:00

Yes, this post is WAY overdue... I've been a little pre-occupied with my other blog. I am hoping to post more fun crafty stuff on this blog, so we will start with a last minute project I did this afternoon while waiting for pizza dough to rise lol!

Wine Cork Letter in a Frame

I have had a bunch of wine corks just hanging out under my sink. They once were decoration in glass holders, but I got sick of them. I decided it might be fun to make the letter "P" out of them and frame it. I've seen tons of things made out of letters, and since I had everything at home to do this, I went for it. (forgive the photos, I'm far from a photog and I have a crappy point and shoot!)

What you'll need: Corks, hot glue gun (or strong glue), frame, and paper to create background for the letter.

First I arranged my corks to form the letter "P"
Then, I started gluing them together... this was a little stressful at first... I was so afraid it wasn't going to turn out how I had planned!

All glued!!!

Then I placed a few globs of hot glue on the underside of the letter and pressed it gently to the glass of my frame.

I cut out a red piece of paper to fit my frame and voila! I have a framed letter! Kinda 3d and stuff too!

I placed it onto my long window mantle (where most frames and decor ends up!). I couldn't get a good photo of it on display, but I will try to take a better picture tomorrow.

so long, no post

2011-04-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry... it's been 3 weeks since I last blogged. This pregnancy is kicking my butt! I'm constantly exhausted and nauseous. I spend most of my time on the couch... this is the most I've relaxed in 5 years! I am glad that I'm so symptomatic though, this just means things are going well and I praise God for that :] Derek cleaned the house for me on Sunday, which was a HUGE surprise... and so great to just have it done. He and Owen are being such troopers. Since Owen wakes up about 6:30 every morning, I've been eating breakfast with him, then taking a nap. I set the oven timer for 2 hours, get him snacks, a drink and some nick jr. on the tv and he lets me sleep until the timer goes off. Such a blessing! I know I was sad to think my kids will be 5 years apart, but I can't imagine being this sick and tired with a little one... God sure knew what he was doing ;]

our little secret

2011-04-05T09:00:00.001-07:00

We're finally pregnant! 8 weeks now and so excited. We had our first appointment yesterday morning and I was a nervous wreck! I cried when the dr came in so excited for us. She decided to just do the ultrasound to put my mind at ease. I got to see the little teeny baby all healthy and got to see it's heart beating. And we got to hear it... it was so amazing. My Dr said it was ay 175 beats per minute which is nice and strong. She also said she's very pleased with me taking the progesterone and baby asprin during this pregnancy. I have to keep taking these for 6 more weeks. My next appointment is May 3rd where I get to hear the baby's heartbeat again! Thank you every one for the prayers... they're greatly appreciated!

I'm so excited!

2011-03-25T09:51:00.001-07:00

I just ordered me an ipad 2! I can't wait for it to get here! I don't get to spoil myself too often on expensive things. We had decided to split our tax return down the middle and have fun buying stuff. Well, Derek took his money out in cash and mine sat in the bank account and I spent $500 on stuff for the house. Th rest of my return was spent on bills, ugh. So, when we got the Hawaii state return I claimed it! I still won't have spent as much as Derek did, but I'm ok with that. Just too excited for it to get here! Hopefully before my birthday :]

St. Patrick's day

2011-03-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

I've become the woman I've always hated. I am excited to decorate for every holiday... yes, I hated women like me in the past. Owen loves having decorations up and so I want to do it for him. For Valentine's day I made a banner of hearts. I wanted to do the same thing for St. Patrick's day, and this time I remembered to take photos so I can do a "how to"! It's really not hard, but here we go!

I searched for "clover", "horseshoe", and "pot of gold" online in images.
I printed out 8 of the clover and horseshoe's and 2 of the pots of gold.

I found this "Best O' Luck" sign at the dollar store and I knew I wanted to put it in the center of my banner.

Next, I cut out the images and laid them in a pattern on my ribbon.

I glued each one to the ribbon and let it dry... this is my favorite glue. It's great for these kinds of projects, and for modge podging.

I tied each end to my hooks, and it was too long... woops! So, I just put another hook up in the middle and it looked great! Here it is!

Thanks to Eighteen 25 for yet another great subway art print!

and to The Crafting Chicks where I got this "Lucky" print. Click here to get one for yourself!
I also mounted it onto a piece of foam board... and now I'm the proud owner of an X-acto knife! I feel like a real crafter now hehe!

I flipping love the dollar store... I got these window clings there and now they're all over my house... including the downstairs bathroom!

she's here!

2011-03-01T15:57:00.001-08:00

Oh, yes... I am now the proud owner of a new Avington Slipper chair. Ain't she purdy??

(excuse the blurry cell phone picture)

Target deal

2011-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

I've been eying this quilt for Owen since he got his twin size bed (he was 2!), but at $79.99, I just couldn't justify it. I happened upon this lovely sight at $19.98 today! Booya!
*The first clearance tag said $55.98... I got a screamin' deal!

for my love

2011-02-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

Just a little something I saw on a blog and I thought it would make the husbands day. A little frame that tells him why I love him... daily. I can write on the glass with dry erase and tell him something special each and every morning :]

Product Love

2011-02-25T08:06:00.001-08:00

Mane 'n Tail shampoo & conditioner. I'm in love with it! Not only does it leave my hair feeling silky smooth and clean, I've gotten rid of this ridiculous dandruff problem I've had since Owen was born! I've tried every shampoo you can think of, and nothing, not even extra strength T-Gel, which is made for dandruff problems would help. I recently purchased some Paul Mitchel Awapuhi shampoo and conditioner (for $25 through my hairstylist friend) and I loved it until it gave me some gnarly flakes, not something I want to walk around with. Sally Beauty Supply had the Mane n' Tail on sale, buy one get one free. So, for a whopping $7 I got some amazing shampoo!

Candles

2011-02-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

I saw this on a craft blog that I frequent... she had wrapped her candles with a green ribbon for St. Patrick's Day, and I thought I could wrap some old candles I had with some ribbon to match my house. Here's how they turned out!

AND
here's how to do it!

you will need the obvious ribbon (any color, any size), candles, scissors, and a stapler.
(the blog I read had used push pins... cute idea, but I figured the staples since they're shorter would be easier)

Wrap the ribbon around the candle and cut it at the appropriate length.

Now, take your stapler and open it up

Press the stapler on the ribbon like you're stapling something to the wall and there you have it!

I snagged my ribbon at The Dollar Tree. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this ribbon on because it's a little "furry" for me... I might grab a different ribbon, but for the sake of the ol' blog I used what I had.

tax return!

2011-02-19T10:38:00.001-08:00

Oh, I love this time of year! We got our tax return yesterday and I've been waiting patiently for it! I went to Fleet Feet in Bonney Lake last night to snag a good pair of running shoes. I have put a few too many miles on my $40 Nike's for my poor legs. I had heard of how Fleet Feet fits your foot and analyzes your running style. I figured that since I'm becoming more serious about running, I'd better get the best kind of support I can. The sales girl measured my foot sitting down and standing up. I've always purchased a 9 in almost all my shoes, but she suggested a 9.5 which was weird! I guess with a running shoe you need more room by the toe for your foot to move. So, next she had me hop on the treadmill and run barefoot for about a minute. On the TV above the treadmill she showed me running... slowed it down and did all kinds of angles to show me how I was running. Apparently when I run, my ankles tend to drop down and my leg creates this weird shape. She got me into a great running shoe and I wanted to try them out this morning, but woke up to a gnarly cold. So, looks like they'll have to wait a few days :(

On, another tax return note... I am known for purchasing things for my house during this time. Derek will spend his half on toys for his garage, parts for his jeep or anything else that I usually don't enjoy. It's just what most of us women do... So, I have been eying this chair that Target has had in stock off and on. Last week they didn't have any in stock, and this week they do! So, I bought this bad boy for $129.99 with free shipping! If I were savvy and crafty like my good friend at You Paid More Than Me, then I would've found something like it on craigslist an reupholstered it ;]

Hot deal!

2011-02-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

After I worked out today, I hopped on over to my local WalMart. I had to grab just a couple things... I was caught off track by the 50% off Valentine's stuff. I peeked around the crowd of people and found 2 things I just couldn't live without...

Cupcake stand for $2.50! BOOM!

and a box of Fun Dip's for about $2!

Derek and I had been talking about Fun Dip for the last few days and I was stoked to find these!
Although I don't have a use for the cupcake stand right now, I have a feeling I will be hosting a lot more parties and will need this baby!

Bliss

2011-02-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

Every morning, Owen wakes up and walks into our room and climbs into our bed (always about 7-8am). This morning, he climbed up and laid on top of me for a while and just cuddled me. Those of you who know my son, know that he's NOT a cuddler! He would do anything to not snuggle up and get cozy... such a weirdo! I loved this cuddle time this morning (even if it was short). He saw a hair color commercial and said to me, "Mom, don't do that. Don't make your hair different. I won't like it"... so I reassured him that I wasn't going to change my hair. It was so sweet. He's loving that I'm growing my hair out. When he was bout a year and a half, I chopped my hair off. I kept it short for about a year and it's taken a while to get it to grow out (that super cute inverted bob style is a pesky grow out!) I am loving my little man becoming a mommy's boy... never thought it'd happen!

yoga love

2011-02-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

I've had this amazing yoga DVD since we were in Hawaii. Without a gym membership there, I needed something to help tone while I ran for my cardio. I went to Barnes & Noble and picked up this baby that I highly recommend! If you want something to kick your rear, then this is the DVD for you!
I love that they past contestants are real people... not some waif model workout crazies that can do every move with amazing grace. I also love that one is Michelle... yes, at times Bob will tell her to hold something longer and I imagine that it's him pushing me further... maybe I'm a dork because of this haha!

Valentine's Day

2011-01-30T12:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I did a little fasting... I fasted the Internet. Since I'm struggling with trying to figure out a way to earn more money and having a hard time getting pregnant, I decided to not use one of the things I waste most of my time on. So, the Internet it was! I had such a good time just really relaxing, and creating! I had seen a few ideas for Valentine's Day banners, but once again... I don't have the money to print out photos or go buy special V-day scrapbook paper. So, I grabbed a few sheets of construction paper, a ribbon and my craft glue and made my cheap version of a V-day banner!

Lots of tracing and cutting, but I love the way it turned out!

Thank goodness for these hooks I already had up for my cousin's sprinkle! And for the pink ribbon I purchased for it too! (I need a better camera though...)

I downloaded another subway print for my Goodwill frame! You can find it here.

I snagged these cute blocks at Target in the $1 section. They can also say "love" "kiss" & "hugs"

I don't have much as far as the V-day decorating goes, but it helps make my house look a little festive!

need a few ideas?

2011-01-27T08:27:00.000-08:00

My lovely friend has this great blog. She has so many amazing design ideas, and for a great price! Go check her out at You Paid More Than Me ... you won't regret it! ;]

words I despise

2011-01-24T16:12:00.001-08:00

So there are a few words that I hear and it just irritates me... these are the words:

Hubby:: If you're going to shorten the word husband it should be "hussy" right? Cause the s comes before the b...

Prego:: we're talking about a pregnant woman... not spaghetti sauce, she's creating a human being, she's pregnant (really any way to dumb down the word pregnant bothers me ie. Preggers or Preggie)

Ba-Ba:: please speak to your child like the human that they are... If I hear another grown woman say this word about they're child's bottle I think I will explode.

Thank you for listening to my rant.

workin' for worms

2011-01-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

Owen went outside to play ;] This is what I saw when I checked on him...

He's got a lil plumbers crack starting haha!

Menu Board

2011-01-19T09:00:00.001-08:00

I saw a post on another blog about making a menu board. I loved the idea, but didn't like the complexity of the project (cutting wood, cutting metal, hammering and such. Plus you needed a Cricut or a Sillouette which I don't have either!). So I looked on Etsy for one already made... for $50 I could have one of my very own! Not my idea of budget friendly. So, I thought to myself "why can't I make one??" I have had a 12x12 frame from about 3 years ago when I made a calendar (which I still use!)... the frames came from Ben Franklin and at 2 for $12 they were a really good deal. Anyways, I downloaded a font from here ( lots of cute ideas for blogs and such on here also!). I used Paint.NET (I also downloaded this a while ago) and made my menu, printed it out and glued it to a piece of scrapbook paper I found in my stash. I then, placed the menu in the frame. Now, I can write the menu for each week with a dry erase marker and wipe it clean at the start of a new week!

VOILA!!!

After telling my sister about this, she asked where to find a 12x12 frame... since I got mine 3 years ago and the chances of finding this exact frame is slim to none. Try a framing store...Aaron Brothers and Michaels are great places to look.

PS:: I would love to see your menu board if you make one!!! ;]

New Year

2011-01-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

Oh man... here it is mid January and I haven't blogged in a long time! I have been one super busy girl these past few weeks. My great friend Lindsey got married on the 7th and we were busy the few days prior with spray tans and the rehearsal, plus the day of we had the whole day to get ready and help with the finishing touches. It was such a beautiful wedding with even more stunning bride! I had a blast and am so happy that she got to marry such an amazing man.

Then, last weekend I hosted a sprinkle for my cousin Cindy. She is pregnant with her second baby (a little girl named Payton) and since her son will be 15 months old when she's born, we decided to have a party for her to get the things she doesn't have... diapers, wipes and girl clothes! Hopefully soon I will have all the photos from my other cousin Tarah so I can do a post on it! Haha!

So far that's it... nothing big happening until July when I host my sisters baby

well, good for her!

2010-12-12T18:55:00.000-08:00

I happened to be on Papaya's website when I saw this... and thought, "well, good for her!" She was on America's Next Top Model Cycle 14. Her name is Jessica Serfaty, and I liked her a lot. She's a young wife and mother and I was hoping she'd go places... maybe Papaya isn't the most prestigious of clothing stores, but hey... it's better than nothing!

the tree is DONE!

2010-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad that it's finally done! I always put the lights and ornaments on myself each year. For some reason, my brain wasn't working and I didn't put them on right... the plugs were facing the wrong way and there wasn't a way to plug the lights in. So, I undid them all and redid them... man I was dizzy from going round and round the tree! Owen put a few ornaments on... in the same spot! I rearranged his and got it all done... thank goodness the house is ready for Christmas! Even the outside thanks to Derek!

Oh, Christmas tree!

2010-12-05T11:31:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we went on a mission to find the perfect Patsey Family Christmas tree! We decided to go to a different tree farm this year, since the one we used to go to disappointed us with the quality. So, we went to Three Wise Men tree farm... the best trees I've ever seen!!! On top of finding so many we liked, once we got the one, they put a netting around it, carried it to our car and tied it down for us! Talk about customer service! I'm excited to put it in the living room and decorate it today :]

Owen loved this little tree...

THE TREE!

he's just too cute!!!

Christmas at the Patsey's!

2010-12-03T10:14:00.001-08:00

This year I've been in a particularly crafy mood. I went kinda craft crazy I think! It all started with a little project my friend Stepheni had me over to do, and then it was all over from there!

She had us cutting and gluing and in the end we had a super cute advent calendar! Each day, Owen will lift the appropriate cone and get a treat!

Then, after that was done... I kept looking for more! I did the Christmas countdown on the left of this photo and the glitter trees on the right!

as if that wasn't enough I turned this...

into this!

I got the print off an awesome blog, and the frame from Goodwill for $5! I just gave it a few coats of spray paint and voila!!!

I had a ton of fun doing these and I'm hoping that I will continue to keep my crafy side going... with the blogs I've come across, I'm sure there will be no shortage of great ideas!

Snow in November?!

2010-12-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

On Sunday the 21st we started to see some snow falling. Little did we know that in the next 48 hours we'd be in the middle of "Arctic Blast 2010". My sister and brother in law had taken Owen for the night on the 21st and on the afternoon of the 22nd my mom and I decided to take the 20 minute drive to go get him. We had no snow on our roads here, but noticed that the further up the hill we got, the more snow we came across. We decided to grab Owen and jet back home. So, we hopped on the freeway back home and ended up stuck past the last exit we could take for an hour. I had to pee the whole time!!! We saw people sliding who were at a complete stop, and were just afraid we'd be stuck in this blizzard that was coming. Finally, we ended up slowly going down the hill, praying out loud the WHOLE time! Thank God, he got us home... and Owen and Derek played and played in it... me, I walked to the store to get Thanksgiving fixin's with Owen's wagon... then back inside! I do not like the snow!! I really wish I would've taken a video of Owen laughing!

Owen's Birthday Party

2010-12-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

The day of Owen's 4th birthday, we had a party planned for him at SuperJump Party Zone in Sumner. Probably the best place to have a kids party... and I didn't have to clean up or worry about a ton of people in my place! So nice! loving his new bike!

Owen's birthday dinner

2010-11-30T15:02:00.000-08:00

Derek's family is usually busy on the weekends with work and such, so we usually do a dinner with his parents for Owen's birthdays. He had an attitude that night and just wanted presents and cake... nothing else!

Pumpkins and Halloween

2010-11-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

Once again, it's been a while since the last post. Forgive me, I'm getting life in order and finally feeling like my house is together lol! Anyways here's a few photos of the pumpkin carving and Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend we did the Scholz Farm Pumpkin Patch. We had initially gone to a different patch, but the lot was so muddy that a car in front of us got stuck and Derek got out to help... he ended up covered in mud, so we went home for him to change and shower quickly and just went closer to home... I'm so glad we did! We love Scholz Farms!

Checking out the piggies

Walking through the corn maze

about 3 1/2 feet tall ;]

Love these boys!

Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-10-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

These cookies are a favorite in my family... I came across the recipe on allrecipes.com... or some form of it. I can't seem to find the exact same recipe I have written down. Well, here it is for everyone to enjoy!

What you will need:

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup cocoa

2 sticks of butter (softened)

3/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

white chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar together. Beat in eggs. Stir in vanilla. (set aside)

In a separate bowl mix together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda

Stir both mixtures together and stir in white chocolate chips (I never measure the chips, I just pour... the recipe calls for 2/3 cup, but to me that's just not enough!!!)

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes

First day of Preschool

2010-10-12T13:03:00.001-07:00

Last winter, most of my friends with kids Owen's age were registering for preschool. I was bummed because I knew Owen would love school, but with Hawaii being so up in the air as to when we would be home, we couldn't register him anywhere. When we got home and started taking Laney to school 3 days a week, he got super upset about not being able to go too. I tried my hardest to get him into the same class as Laney, but ended up going with my old preschool Buttons and Bows. Thankfully they had an opening for him and he started October 1st!

This little boy ran in as soon as I said he could go to class!

M.I.A.

2010-10-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry, we've been gone from the blogging world. I thought I'd be so much better at it while in Hawaii and I totally proved myself wrong! I spent a lot of my time at the beach with Owen or trying to keep him entertained. Now, that we're home I'm back to watching Laney and Boston and working here and there for Weight Watchers. We've been busy every weekend and busy getting used to being home again. This last Sunday we had nothing to do, but grocery shop... I loved it!!! I didn't shower all day and went to Winco in my jammies! I mean, it's Winco... I wasn't the worst looking person haha! So, hopefully I will make time to blog... but I'm not thinking I will do all that well... look at my track record! Anyways, I might do the Projecy 365 which is a photo every day for a year... keep looking cause I might just surprise everyone!

sorry it's been a while

2010-08-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a little while since I last blogged. We have since moved from the hotel to a one bedroom condo. It was just down the road and it's a lot less $ and hopefully Derek's work is happy about it. We have done a few fun things and I took pictures... I've been too lazy to want to blog all 150-ish of them. We went to the zoo, which was a surprise to Owen... I told him we were going on a walk and at the end there was a surprise and, you guessed it, the zoo was the surprise! We also did "Art in the park" at the Discovery Center where he made a couple art projects and really enjoyed himself. We took another trip to the Discovery Center and went inside. It was one of the coolest places I've been to in a long time... just like my mom said "it's like heaven on earth for kids!" I need to blog those photos, but for now here's what we did yesterday (Derek's only day off is Saturday)

We had lunch on the beach and Owen got this huge penquin juice!

I miss him... so glad we at least get a little time with him
Owen wearing Daddy's sunglasses and walking along the beach

Derek fell in love with this truck (for obvious reasons)

He ran around the beach for an hour non-stop!

I miss home so much... I can't even begin to explain. I'm so ready to be in my house, with my king size bed, watching my fairly large tv, with my favorite channels (this condo has few channels), enjoying time with my family, friends and the boring life of Orting.... I miss it :(

Friday night fireworks

2010-07-12T00:03:00.000-07:00

Every Friday night the Hilton puts on a fireworks show. Owen was excited to see it this time... the first time he ran and screamed and we had to high tail it back to our room. He did very well this time and just sat with Daddy and watched with his hands over his ears.

afterwards, we hung out with Derek's co-worker and his friend from Texas and Owen searched for lizards!

We also promised him an ice cream, so off to McDonald's we went!

2010-07-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

Owen has learned to swim! He just realized that with his little water wings, he can float and thus, swim!!! I am hoping he gets better at swimming while we have so much water readily available to us here :)

4th of July

2010-07-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July we spent the day grocery shopping and doing a little beach time too. That evening we went to the open lobby area of the hotel to watch Fireworks. Every Friday night the Hilton puts off fireworks and the Friday before, Owen didn't do too good with them, he freaked out and screamed and we had to go home. So, I was sure I was going to miss the fireworks on the 4th. And just as I had suspected, Owen freaked! I tried to calm him down and told him to cover his ears. He kinda settled down when I told him we had to go back to where Daddy was sitting to get the room key, he then climbed into Derek's lap and sat through the whole show, covering his ears and burying his face in Derek's chest. After it was all done, he jumped up shouting "I did it!!! I like fireworks now!!!!" haha!

The above photos were obviously before the fireworks show!

Poor little guy!

a lil more Hawaii

2010-07-08T21:26:00.001-07:00

I tried taking a few photos of Owen while he played in the Hilton Lagoon, but really I got a lot of the top and back of his head... oh and one kinda front view lol! We are moving to a new place on the 16th with a harbor view! It is 2 buildings away from the Hotel we're living in now, but this place has a full kitchen, bathroom (with tub!) lots of closets and dressers (all of our clothes are in suitcases here) and get this... a bedroom!!!! It only has one, but this whole open bedroom/studio thing we're in is super hard with Derek working nights. Bless his heart, he sleeps while Owen and I are in there most of the time... I'm so afraid we're bothering him, but he assures me we're not. Anyways, this place is cheaper, which I think his work will like. The downside is that there isn't a pool or a gym. But with the beach right in front of us and a 24 hour fitness down the road, I am sure we will be fine!

Here's my attempt to have him look at me!

This kid would stay here all day long if we let him!

Our first day in Hawaii!

2010-07-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

Owen and I hopped on a plane Wednesday June 30th to meet Derek in Hawaii... err I wish we had just hopped on a plane and it was that easy! We got a call while waiting for my brother-in-law Josh to pick us up for the airport that our flight was delayed 2 hours, which meant we wouldn't be landing in Hawaii until about 2am Washington time... ugh! So, we tried to make the best of it and had dinner with my sister Danielle, Josh and mom. When we got to the airport, Josh helped us get all of our luggage out and to the ticket counter... Come to find out that Delta's website is wrong and they charge you $25 for your first bag and $35 for any after that. I wasn't expecting to pay other than maybe an overweight fee for my HUGE bag. Come to find out my HUGE bag weighed 88 pounds and I was going to be charged $175 to check it! Insane!!!! I started bawling... just so frustrated with all of it at this point... Josh helped me configure our things and consolidate the huge bag down to about 10 pounds by distributing the 18 pounds amongst the other bags... After paying $140 total for the bags we were on our way to the gate. While on our way, my tote bag that my mother-in-law so diligently made sure I had for the trip, broke! I tried to not panic.... but carrying two tote bags (she made one for Owen too), and my carry-on bag while trying to get a 3 year old through the airport was hard enough with fully in tact tote bags! I just tried to think "it's ok, one bag... no biggie!" then the other one broke... So, while walking through the airport I was carrying these tote bags like paper grocery bags... which aren't easy to carry! We finally got to the gate and I rested... We loaded up and Owen was so excited and kept asking why we weren't moving yet lol! After about an hour or so on the plane, Owen started crying and wanted to go back to Orting. He didn't realize the plane ride was going to be so long... he lasted a while and finally fell asleep about hour 4 or so. Which by then we didn't have much time left on the plane. Thankfully when we arrived, Owen was in good spirits and we headed to baggage claim, where so many people were more than willing to help out a mom with a 3 year old and a TON of luggage lol! Derek got a us an SUV to ride to the hotel in which was so nice... and relaxing! We got into the hotel room, climbed in bed and were out til about 830 the next morning! Derek took us to the beach and here are a few photos from that first outing!

Owen won't look at me in photos, he's just having too much fun on the beach! I have a feeling that all of my photos of him for a while will be of the back of his head! lol!

This next photo is from lunch that day, we went to Wailana Coffee House (which is just like a Shari's or Cattin's) and had spaghetti, grilled cheese and french fries! yum! :]

I know.... I know... it's been too long!

2010-03-01T17:19:00.000-08:00

yep, It has been a while since I have blogged... shame on me! I can't say that I've been super "busy" but I have kinda been busy hehe! We had at least one birthday party per weekend in February and it was my last month watching Laney and Boston. So, I kinda just enjoyed the kids being kids and forgot about blogging. I am now un-employed... Derek's work told him we would be leaving for a job in Hawaii for about 6 months on March 1st... well, it's March 1st and we're still in Washington! So, after telling my friend Renee that I wouldn't be able to have the kids after February, she got her sister-in-law to watch them and I couldn't take that income away when she was depending on it. So, here I am with a lot of extra time! What shall I do?!?! I think I may go to the gym, clean the house, and enjoy my little man all by myself :) Well, with that being said, I'm going to get back to blogging.

On New Years day, Derek and Owen took our friend's Jeep up to Evan's Creek to do a little wheelin' in the snow... they had a blast! Here are some of their photos from the day.

the dentist

2010-02-08T12:41:00.001-08:00

Right before Christmas, Owen had a dentist appointment. Now, this wasn't his first time visiting the dentist... it was his first time getting x-rays and sitting in the big chair to get a big kid cleaning! He did so well! They told him to hold the little x-ray things in his mouth and stay still and to the best of his ability he did it :) He also let the hygienist clean his teeth, floss and do a fluoride treatment... needless to say I was proud of him that day!

Way back When-sday

2010-01-27T11:26:00.001-08:00

my sister, my cousin Stacey and me, all dressed up and done up by our Aunt Gloria haha!

Christmas!

2010-01-23T12:25:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's a month after Christmas and I am JUST now blogging these photos... I'm bad I know! This is why I don't do new years resolutions... just doesn't work with me! Anyways, here are just a couple photos from Christmas. We had a rough week, with me having yet another miscarriage and our cars transmission going out... the last thing I was thinking about was picking up the camera. I was just trying to soak up and enjoy Owen being 3 and having so much fun opening his presents.

Our family gets together about a week prior to Christmas and has a potluck style gathering. Usually one of the guys dresses up as Santa. Derek had agreed to do it, then we all hesitated because we didn't want Owen to figure it out... so we had someone else do it. Owen would go no where near him... just grabbed his gift and went!

This was Christmas eve, my sister and brother in law came over after church along with our friends Shawn and Stephanie, their 2 kids and my Uncle Bill and Aunt Lana. We all had some yummy Lasagna and Derek got the Christmas prime rib prepared for the next evening.

Owen got this "Shake n Go" track that was a total hit! Until it stopped working...

we need to take it back still ugh!

baby Wyatt

2010-01-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

On Owen's 3rd birthday, my cousin gave birth to her first son...Wyatt David . We all were so excited that the day he came home from the hospital, we drove all the way out to Glenoma to see him! Owen couldn't wait to hold him, it was just the cutest thing!!!

Wyatt is a precious baby and such a blessing to the whole family! I can't wait to see this little handsome guy grow up :)

Owen's Birthday party

2010-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

The day after Owen's birthday, we had a little party for him. Invited some of his friends and their parents. Derek went all out with the sail, pirate flag and crows nest. (I think it's called that) I had a lot of fun just bringing in little details... I used a lot of Owen's own toys to help decorate :)
The front door signs

the bathroom door sign

I had to wake Owen up from his nap and he wasn't happy...

Mis Savannah decided that she needed to eat off of the floor

Owen was bummed that his "Happy Birthday" sign fell, so he tried to put it back up

the Birthday

2010-01-03T15:00:00.001-08:00

The morning of Owen's birthday, we woke up super early. We went and had breakfast in the hotel and headed out. Owen got to ride in Daddy's work truck for a while, which he thought was so fun! After nap time we got ready for dinner, but first Derek wanted to give Owen his gift.

Yep, it's a little dirt bike (which he's ridden once... Derek HAD to have it!)

We went to dinner at Red Robin after and Owen got sang to for his birthday and he got completely embarrassed... it was too cute!

Owen's 3rd birthday!

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

The day before Owen's 3rd birthday, I took him and the two kids I watch (Laney and Boston) to Jumpin' Jack n Jill's in Sumner for some birthday fun! The kids had a blast!!! Boston didn't get to do much since he wasn't walking when we went (he started like a week later!)

Owen and Laney on a slide

She was having a blast!
So was this crazy kid! ;]

After the kids' dad picked them up, Owen and I packed our stuff in the car and drove to Portland. Derek had been working there for the past 2 weeks and we thought it'd be fun to have a family night there. As soon as we got there, Owen hopped on his fold away bed and said "it's night time guys!"

We went to dinner at the Deschutes Brewery in downtown Portland. Derek's friend from high school, Dan and his wife, Kris joined us for a late evening meal. Owen was having a blast with his crayons and kept putting them behind his ears, I couldn't get a good picture of it though :( He did make friends with the little boy in the booth next to us, Charlie. So cute!

Tomorrow I will post the photos from Owen's birthday and his party!!!

a year in review

2010-01-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well, thank God for a new year!!! I'm hoping and praying that 2010 brings bigger and better things than 2009! Here's a few things that happened in 2009... good and bad. Enjoy!

Good:
~Derek and I spent my 27Th birthday in Las Vegas, our first vacation just the two of us!
~in July, Owen decided to start using the potty all the time! I told him he was too big for diapers and that was that! No diapers at all... undies 24 hours a day!
~I started watching my friends 2 kids as a source of extra income, 3 days a week and those kids are just a blessing! I love them and so does Owen. I've had 2 weeks without them (mom is a teacher so she had Christmas break!) and every morning Owen asks me when he wakes up "are Laney and Boston coming over?!"
~my mom moved into the other side of the townhouses... such a blessing! We get to see her every day and help out when she needs us. Plus, Owen just adores her and is always wondering where she is if she's not at our house. The other positive to her moving is that it costs her less per month... NICE!
~My sister married her best friend Josh (also Derek's best friend!) they had a beautiful wedding at Red Barn Studios in Chehalis... my whole little family was in the wedding. A crazy day, but so much fun!
~I met and got to know a few ladies better this year... they've been such a blessing!
~Derek and I became so much closer this year. He amazes me! He is always helping out around the house and being the best husband ever! I've always loved him, but this year has made our love stronger for each other!

Now for the Bad: :(
~Derek's truck broke down... leaving us with one vehicle for the two of us. Thank God I didn't have to drive to work!
~I had 3 miscarriages... probably the biggest downer of all 2009. We wanted to have a baby so badly and it just didn't happen. All in God's timing.
~on Christmas eve, my car decided to lose it's transmission. Nice! We had just gotten a little in savings and then this happened. Thank God for that! He does provide and it is getting fixed now!

In 2010 I don't want to make any resolutions... they always get broken and then you're left feeling bad about yourself. So, I'm going to just list a few things that I hope to do this year... if I don't no biggie!

~be a better blogger! (i hope to get Owen's birthday blogged (from November!)
~not be a huge procrastinator anymore... do it when it needs to be done.
~focus on me and my health. With getting pregnant 3 times in the last 12 months my body and mind had been through the ringer. I'm going to really watch what I eat and workout more.
~enjoy my little family being little ;]

Happy New Year everyone!!!!

Way back When-sday

2009-12-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

So, another week has passed me by and I'm back to Wednesday... which means another old photo! Hopefully I will get the hang of blogging while the kids nap!

This photo was taken at my old house on Super Bowl Sunday... Derek and I had been just hanging out really and we had our first kiss that day... awe! ;] He's a dork... obviously I married him for his good looks! hehe!

Way back When-sday :)

2009-11-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

This is my sister and I at the beach... I think I was 3 at the time

so there's this house...

2009-11-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

I want it so bad!!!! It's is perfect for us... 2132 sq ft, 3 bedroom, 2 bath w/den, 2 car garage, fenced in backyard, in Orting and just adorable inside... or so the pictures look adorable ;] I just wish we were able to buy a house now :( it's my favorite.

Thankful Thursday

2009-11-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for mousse. The one tool I need to be lazy lol! If I don't want to spend time getting ready, it allows me to do that!

Owen's play room, making my job ten times better by having a place for his stuff.

And I'm thankful for thermometers... it came in handy when Owen was sick this week!

a new blog

2009-11-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

I decided to start a new blog... It's more of a journal of our journey of trying to get pregnant. I did the first post and it's long. I am trying to keep all that has happened fresh in my mind so that when I do get pregnant, I remember how big of a blessing it is. I am also hoping that with this blog I may be able to help others who have been through the same, or similar situations.
click here for the blog if you want to check it out... if not that's OK too :)

Owen's 3 year check up

2009-11-10T10:13:00.001-08:00

We had Owen's 3 year check up yesterday, and let me tell you I was nervous! The last time we went (at 2 years) he freaked! But I had hope because in April we both went to the Dr for ongoing colds and he did great there. He did awesome! The nurses checked his heartbeat and his blood pressure and he let them... he didn't want to get into the cute gown, but I bribed him with a sucker haha! The Dr said he looks very healthy and smart.
Here are his stats!
Weight: 35.4 lbs
Height: 40" (the size of the average 4 year old is what he said!)

the pumpkin patch

2009-10-21T08:39:00.001-07:00

We went to Spooner farms in Alderton a couple weekends ago.
I have a lot of photos that I could share, but I'm too lazy to do it right now.
So, enjoy this one of Owen on the pony ride... his favorite thing of the day!

doin' the puyallup

2009-10-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

We did it... the puyallup that is! We got to finally go the last day, after all of Danielle and Josh's wedding stuff was all over and done with. We had fun, but Owen didn't really like the rides... well he liked the train and the boats... everything else he screamed on. He said he had fun though!

He was so excited for the train... he actually said at one point "this is so cool!"

When the train was done, he got of and looked back, waved and said, "Bye Thomas! See you later!" just the cutest thing ever!!!

We did more stuff, but our camera died after that last amazing photo of me haha!

lookin' sharp!

2009-10-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Owen got fitted for his lil tux for my sister's wedding. He looked so darn cute! He kept calling it his "prince costume". He wanted to wear it SO Bad!

There are a lot more photos of him and my sister's wedding... keep checking Mason Jar Photography and Erlenmeyer Photography blogs for those!

Thankful Thursday

2009-10-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

1. My gas fireplace. It heats up my living room so nicely on these cold days.
2. I'm thankful that my sisters wedding is all done! She was a beautiful bride, but we were all stressed the weeks prior.
3. Ebay. All the best stuff for cheap!
4. Fridays. My day to sleep in!
5. all of my friends. I have some great friends... nuff said ;]

camping

2009-10-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well, this post has been a long time comin'! Sheesh, I've been so busy... We went camping the weekend after Labor Day at Twin Harbors State Park in Westport. Probably one of our favorite places to go. It's an old fishing town, with funny little shops and lots of beach access. Here are some photos from our weekend!

Of course we brought Owen's bike... he had too much fun riding around the HUGE campground!

At Little Richard's Donuts... the best donuts you'll ever have!

Walkin' the pier...

A fisherman brought a very large Tuna for Owen to see... he was a bit freaked out.

My viking boys haha! (Owen wanted to buy the hat, so we did!)

He had a fascination with this shark head...

Probably the biggest seal I've ever seen!!!

My Boys :)

This is the beach that I grew up going to... not much there anymore :(

Derek showing Owen how to fly his pirate kite

He loved flying that kite!

Climbing...

He didn't get very far haha!

Nothin' beats a good campfire!

Derek thought this photo would be funny! (Don't worry, there's nothing in the bottle Owen has!)

Thankful Thursday

2009-09-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

I saw this on a blog... I thought it was probably a good thing to do. As much as I've gone through and so many of my loved ones have gone through, it's easy to lose sight of the blessings in life. So, I'm going to try to do this once a week (keep in mind that I'll be trying, I'm not so great at blogging these days!) So here goes!

1. Derek: I'm so thankful for him! He works so hard and is always in such a great mood. He knows just when to do something for me like doing the dishes, or bringing home a treat for me. He also is so amazing with Owen. They have such a bond, always going fishing and wanting to go camping... He was my rock through our miscarriage and now that I know 22 girls who are pregnant, he's just so understanding... I love him!

2. Owen: I'm not quite sure what I'd be doing if I hadn't gotten pregnant with him. He can make my day with one little comment... his new cute phrase is "Mommy, I made something special for you!" I love it!!!

3. The YMCA: It gets me in the mood to get in shape, when I go that is... I'm thankful it's there though!

4. Naps: Not only do I love Owen's nap time when I can do things like blog, watch dvr'd shows and eat my favorite things without little hands in it, but I do love to take naps too! We all took a nap on Monday... for 2 1/2 hours! Ahhh... Pure BLISS!

5. Cleaning supplies: What would I do without them?! I'm often picked on or criticized because I clean too much. But, I'd rather have a clean house. There is so much to choose from... sprays, wipes, sponges, brushes... and they always make things look better haha! (feel free to call me crazy... i know I am!)

What are you thankful for??

hiking with my honey

2009-09-11T12:19:00.001-07:00

Derek and I decided to go hiking a few Sundays back. We have talked about going for what seems like forever and just haven't done it. So, I looked up a somewhat easy hike... nothing too crazy, but something to give us a challenge. Our plan was to go to Noble Knob and hike the 7 miles round trip. When we finally got there, we realized we didn't have a pass for our car to go up to Noble Knob... so we hopped out at the last place we could go and started walking. We figured we would just venture on a hike no matter what! Well, we got to walking and found a sign that said "Noble Knob 4 mi" so we went that direction... BAD MOVE! It was an uphill climb the entire way! We huffed and puffed our way through trees... I was kinda irritated with the site that I had found this trail on said that there was the sites of a steep hike, with out the steep hike. All I saw was trees above and below me! We decided to turn around after a couple hours of this crazy hike, when we ran into a couple guys on bikes... ya, I know what you're thinking "Who goes on this crazy trail on a bike?!", well they did! We asked them how much further to the top and they said "Well, probably another 2 miles... this is the 'short cut' to Noble Knob". Supposedly, it's shorter than the other hike in the long run, but WAY harder. Nice.... Well, we pretty much ran down the hill and slept like babies when we got home. We both are bound and determined to conquer this "short cut" now haha!

At the beginning... nice and calm, and FLAT

Only partially there... we were still happy looking haha!

Just a view of the trail... kinda steep!

Where we stopped for lunch

Poor Derek was soaking wet from sweating so badly... click on the photo to see it bigger!

just a typical sunday night

2009-09-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

no pictures. just thoughts.

2009-08-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted something so badly you can pretty much taste it? Well, that's me right now... after having the miscarriage I wasn't sure if I wanted to try to get pregnant right away or not. Now that it's been 2 months I'm just itching to have another baby. We have the "go-ahead" next month... finally! It feels like it's been forever... I know of 18 girls who are pregnant right now... 18!!!! That's an insane number! To top it all off, I've been going through our garage to prepare for a yard sale this weekend. I've found all of Owen's old clothes, bottles, blankets and toys. I also found his old diaper bag... with a bag full of little unused newborn diapers. Those things are tiny!!! It's weird to think that almost 3 years ago he fit into those teeny things! I showed them to Derek and we both were kinda sad cause the years have rolled on by. I thought I'd remember so much, but I really forgot a lot. I'm looking forward to another baby, whenever God decides to bless us with one!

Oh summer!

2009-07-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

WARNING!! This post has tons of pictures! :) I haven't been all that great at picking up the camera and snapping photos lately and I finally made myself do it. So, far we've had a great summer... lots of sun and two friends who have property on lakes! That makes for some awesome days! Here are all the photos from our summer so far...

At Clear Lake for Scott's birthday... lots and lots of kids were there! (Scott's an adult, so it wasn't even an child's party lol!)

These goggles were a crack up, he wouldn't let me take a picture... but I HAD to!

We went to Lake Tapps, where a cousin of mine over-sees the PSE park, and we had a family get together on the lake. We had a lot of fun and Owen passed out on the way home eating his doritos!

Derek and Owen camped out in our backyard one night. At first, Owen was going to sleep in his little tent and Derek was going to sleep in his one-man tent. I was a bit leery about this cause I wanted them to be in the same tent. Thankfully the neighbors had a big tent for them to sleep in!

Owen got to see his first movie in a theater! The South Hill mall does free movies every Tuesday and Wednesday for kids and we took full advantage of this and watched Horton Hears a Who. He was done about halfway through, and I somehow managed to keep in interested til the end.

This passed weekend we went to Lake Tanwax. Our friend Dannielle has property on the lake and she invited us to hang out and enjoy the beautiful day. That we did! Our other friends Lindsey and Travis were there so it made it even more fun! Although, poor Lindsey cut her foot on a rock and then got a ticket on the sea-doo for no numbers on it... poor girl! I sure hope it all works itself out!

It's been too long since we've had a photo like this!

Derek and Owen on the sea-doo... he had so much fun!!!

Owen and Macee playing in the water... they haven't used these floaties in a long time!

Owen was telling me he'd be right back... he was gonna ride the sea-doo with Daddy again.

I'm hoping to blog more often now that Summer is in full swing... mostly because there is so much to do! Owen is fully potty trained now and I'm loving every minute of it... except when he has to go potty 4 times in 2 hours and it's a walk to the bathroom lol! But, it's better than spending money on diapers!

Also, I'm doing pretty well now after the miscarriage. Life goes on and I had to pick up the pieces and keep looking forward. A lot of friends are finding out they're pregnant and I've been getting so many mixed feelings. I'm envious in so many ways, but I'm so happy for them because of the new life they're bringing into the world. These women are truly blessed and I pray for healthy pregnancies for each and every one of them!

slacker!!

2009-07-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on taking photos and actually uploading the photos I take... so if you're dying to see pictures of Owen from recently go to my best friend Stepheni's photography blog and check out some!!! Oh, and my sisters engagement photos too!

Getting back into the swing of things

2009-06-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't been much company this last week, but I have tried to make it a point to spend time with those who matter most. Derek, Owen and I walked to the Kingsmen Car show here in Orting. Probably one of my favorite things about where we live is the close proximity to everything in Orting. Anyways, here are a few shots from Saturday... it was fun to just spend it with my boys.

Owen waiting for the ice cream man with his "momey" :)

Stopping for a photo at the car show
They love each other so much!

Daddy giving Owen kisses

Playing with Daddy's boat trailer

In everything that has happened recently, I've realized how truly blessed I am. Many couples try to have kids and never get pregnant. We have one amazing child and whether or not God chooses to bless us with more is up to him... until then I am counting my blessings!

a hard hit

2009-06-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

As I write this I'm unable to keep my composure... which is ok because I'm alone. I need to write this as a bit of a healing for myself.

I had told everyone that I was pregnant in my last entry and was so excited. I went in for my first OB appointment and I couldn't wait to meet my new Dr and discuss doing a VBAC. I was told that I was a great candidate and that I could try for a vaginal birth with this baby. So, we proceeded to do the ultrasound to get an accurate measurement of the baby and make sure the due date is correct. As we saw the teeny little baby on the screen I got so excited... I looked over at Derek and said "do you see it honey?!" and then the Dr started to show me where the baby was, where the sac was and then all around that was blood... and it wasn't good. She pointed out the baby again and that it didn't show a heartbeat. Also, that it wasn't moving and was only measuring at 8 weeks. At this time I was 9 weeks and 2 days pregnant... my worst fear had just come true. I just laid there crying, I had no idea what to do or how to even proceed with what I had just heard. Life changed in an instant and not the way I had hoped. My Dr suggested for me to do a D&C (dilation and curettage) and just get it all out instead of waiting for my body to reject the miscarried baby. I knew that mentally I wouldn't be able to play the waiting game at home. So, we checked into the hospital and went on with it. During surgery, I woke up toward the end and was in so much pain... after I was all done I couldn't help but sob. It was over. I was no longer pregnant and I didn't have a sweet baby in my arms to help with the pain. Thank God my mom was able to come and stay with us while all of this happened. Josh and Danielle took care of Owen and I'm so grateful that they did that for us. And Derek has been my rock through this whole thing. It in some weird way has brought he and I closer... it broke our hearts to know that our baby that we had hoped and planned for was gone.

I've not been much company and haven't done much since yesterday. I sit at home "resting" and reflecting on the past day and a half. Going from complete excitement to grieving a loss in a matter of minutes. I keep telling myself that everything happens for a reason and that I have been blessed with a beautiful son already and I'm so thankful for him. But in all of this and 2 miscarriages in 6 months, it's hard to see the bright side of things. We're trying our hardest to go on. I'm so thankful for all of our friends and family who've shown so much support and love. We appreciate each and every thought and prayer that has gone out to us... all of you have made this a little easier. We love you.

it's been a while...

2009-06-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

I apologize to those who like to read this blog (esp. my mom!), but I've been so busy lately. I have 2-4 kids at my house on a regular basis. They're great kids and keep me on my toes, but I don't have as much time to blog as I'd prefer. We found out on Cinco De Mayo that we're going to have another baby! I'm due January 12th and I feel like it's going to take forever! So, that also attributes to the long time away from blogging... too tired when all the kids leave! So, here are a few photos of Owen that I took over the last month.

The Daffodil Parade

2009-05-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

This post is a wee bit late! The parade goes through our town in early April and I'm just now getting to these photos... sad I know! Owen and I were sick for a month and we finally hit up the Dr's office and found out he had 2 ear infections and I had a sinus infection and a chest infection. We got loaded up with antibiotics and thought we were on our way! Nope!!! Owen had a reaction to 2 of the children's antibiotics which sucked, but thankfully the 3rd and last one worked! We're finally feeling much better and I'm getting to things I've been putting off. So, here's photos from the Daffodil Parade!

Should he be doing this?!?!

2009-04-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

The other night we were playing a letters game with Owen when Derek turned on our favorite song. Owen stopped playing the game immediately and got so excited. He got out his drum and started to drum along with the song. He also started singing along... which would be ok if the song wasn't "Gives You Hell". My mom warned me that he'd start saying bad words if we said them, but I just didn't think he'd sing them! I grabbed out the camera and got a video of him drumming and singing to his "jump song" as he calls it. Listen closely about a minute in...

cars, cars everywhere are CARS!

2009-04-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Like most boys, Owen has an obsession with cars. He absolutely loves them! He drives them, sends them flying across the room, crashes them, makes noises with them and his latest thing is parking them all in a perfect line. He's crazy about it! And if his line gets messed up he has to start all over with a new line. I decided to take a few photos of him and his "line-o-cars".

We got this firetruck at Walgreens of all places... it's a Hot Wheels and it was only $1.50! Ok, so I don't know how much Hot Wheels go for really, I've never bought one! But I thought it was a steal haha! He loves firetrucks and this was the only one he had, until he left it at our friends house. Hopefully soon we can stop by and pick it up...

oh the treasures you will find

2009-04-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Derek used to own a street bike. I was never fond of this bike and was SO happy to see it go! He still has his helmet though and for some reason it's been in our spare room. Owen loves to go scavenging through that room and he ended up finding the helmet! He came downstairs with it on and was having too much fun!

Cupcakes!

2009-03-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on this blog so badly! I have been working more and trying to squeeze in as much time as I can with Derek and Owen. So, without further ado... here's some cupcake fun!

My friend Morgan gave birth to her second beautiful baby girl on March 13th. Her favorite cupcake is from Indulge Cupcakes, the Red Velvet cupcake! So, before we went to visit her in the hospital Owen and I took a trip to Indulge to pick one up for her. I was excited to go and had been hearing about it from her and our friend Christy, who raves about it. When we got there it was so cute and comfy. Lots of cozy couches and awesome decor. Owen's eyes went straight to the cupcakes of course and we didn't get to leave without grabbing him one too. The girl working was just great with him. She added a little dinosaur on top, wrapped it up and he was so happy!

Here's his cupcake box

The cupcake fell over in transport to our house, but I'm sure it was still good

He went straight for the cookie dinosaur (if only the girl working knew how much he loves dinosaurs!)

diggin' in!

who needs hands?!

One satisfied customer!

Ice Skating!

2009-03-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

We went ice skating today at Sprinker. We tried to get Owen pumped up for this so that he'll be a good little skater one day. His little skates were so cute! Just like his little bowling shoes... all those dorky shoes look super cute when they're tiny haha! He started out rough, and didn't want much to do with skating until he got better... then it was hard to get him off the ice! Anyways, here are some photos from our afternoon!

Owen in his skates... when he walked around he looked like a drunken sailor!

Derek had to help him out a lot, when he first got on the ice he was slipping all over the place

About an hour into our skate session Owen was doing really well. Check out the videos! Sorry they're sideways, I keep forgetting that I can't change the format after I've taken the video... so tilt your head and enjoy! ;]

Bowling!

2009-03-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we decided to have a family fun day. We had zero plans and a whole day ahead of us. We had thought of taking Owen to a bounce house place, but none were open. Then we thought about ice skating or roller skating, but both were smack in the middle of Owen's nap. So, we decided to go bowling. I was kinda worried that Owen wouldn't get the concept of the game and taking turns, but he had so much fun! He waited for his turn like a big boy and was so excited to bowl. I got him a little 6 pound ball that was bright orange and he sure knew which one was his! Check out these shoes!!!!

They were so cute on him!

Derek helping Owen with his ball

Derek helping Owen bowl...

Owen with his arms up, excited to have rolled the ball!

He was so cute while waiting for his ball to come out (most of the time it was still slowly going down the lane!)

After our games were done we headed to the arcade in the bowling alley and Owen HAD to go on this ride!

We decided to make Sunday's our family fun day and do something like this each week. We enjoyed ourselves so much! We all came home and took naps (which is unlike Derek or I to do!)
Hopefully we'll have lots of Sunday adventures to post soon!

All grown up!

2009-02-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

Yup, he's shaving!!! Ha ha, of course the cap is on the razor, but he had to shave just like daddy!

Tagged by my sister...

2009-02-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, here goes it's all about the CRAZY 8's!

~8 favorite tv shows~

Sex and the City

Roseanne

Biggest Loser

Survivor

Real World

Intervention

Rock of Love (1,2 & 3)

Celebrity Rehab (also Sober House)

~8 things I did yesterday~

walked to the post office and library

washed clothes

folded clothes

cleaned my bathroom

cleaned out Owen's closet and drawers

put bigger sizes in his closet and drawers

watched tv

played with Owen

~8 things I look forward to~

Hopefully having another baby this year

my bagel and rockstar later today

a vacation!

Owen potty training

getting our tax return

getting a new car

Derek getting a new job (hopefully!)

Date night tonight!

~8 favorite restaurants~

The Rock

Los Pinos

The Olive Garden

Applebees

TGIFridays

Red Robin

Mazatlan

Herfy's (not much of a restaurant, but it's so good!)

~8 things on my wishlist~

a great job for Derek

Owen to grow up to be a Godly man

Mom to not have to work

more nieces and nephews

family peace

no money troubles

to not gain more than 30 pounds next pregnancy haha!

a laundry service

~People I tag~

YOU!

Funniest hat!

2009-02-25T17:02:00.000-08:00

This hat is the funnest and funniest hat ever! It was given to us by my friend Stephanie whose son is 2 years older than Owen. We get a lot of awesome hand-me-downs and this is hands down one of my favorites. Owen loves it too, which surprises me because he's not been into hats for a long time. Yay for this hat!!!!

I'm addicted!

2009-02-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Seriously... We were at our friend's Tracy and Brad's house last night for Brad's 30th birthday party and he got this the night before. I was hesitant to play because I'd only played Guitar Hero. I usually play alone or with Derek, so the embarrassment stays to a minimum. I watched people play and Derek stepped up on the drums and didn't do so good... which surprises me because he's good at EVERYTHING! I decided to take my chances on the guitar. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty good at the guitar. I rocked it! I was having so much fun playing and playing, then someone said "hey Michelle play drums!" there was no way I was gonna play the drums and fail and have everyone blame me for being boo-ed of the stage! Somehow I got on the drums and was so stressed out, why? I'm not really sure...it's just a video game! Anyways, I started playing and rocked on that song too! And then the rest of the night I was drummin' and strummin'away haha! Derek and I decided we need to purchase this game with our tax return cause it's too much fun! Then we both can try singing cause there was absolutely NO WAY I was going to sing in front of people I didn't know... Anyways, we had fun and now I just want to go buy it!

The way to my heart...

2009-02-15T18:10:00.001-08:00

Derek came home from work on Friday night and brought home pizza for dinner. I was really excited cause it's been a while since we've had pizza! We got the oven started and he decided to take a quick shower before dinner. I started taking the pizza's out of their wrap when I realized the pepperoni pizza looked a bit odd... it was shaped like a heart!!! haha! I ran upstairs and asked him if he realized the pizza was a heart and he said "Duh... that's why I got it. Happy Valentine's day!" I was pretty surprised really cause we don't usually celebrate Valentine's day and even though it was the day before it was great! He sure knows the way to my heart... pizza!!!

On Valentine's day we had our friends over for a "non-valentine's" game night. We didn't end up playing any games, but we had great taco's and my yummy chocolate white chocolate chip cookies! I hope everyone had a great time this weekend!

How cute is he?!

2009-02-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

That's all... just love his smile!

100!

2009-02-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

I am posting my 100th post!!!! I got this idea from my friend Keren's blog. I am going to post yet another 100 things about ME! I am also going to try and not repeat any from the previous 100 post... here goes!!!

1. i drink at least 90 ounces of water per day
2. i really love to work out, but working for Weight Watchers has made it harder to get to the gym grrr...
3. i'm currently growing my hair out
4. hopefully we'll have a new baby in our family by the end of 2009 if not then, the beginning of 2010 would be fine too
5. i know how to knit and would love to take it up again soon (hint hint MOM!)
6. my favorite time of day is when derek and I get into bed and talk... we laugh the hardest during this time!
7. i've only gotten flowers from derek 3 times
8. i was born with a broken collar bone and if often pops in the morning (it's weird!)
9. i can pop my right hip out of socket... i love freaking people out with it!
10. i want to keep my girl name a secret because i'm afraid someone will steal it... it's an original name that i've never heard before
11. i recently had a miscarriage (something I feared greatly and mentioned in my other 1oo post)
12. i didn't even know i was pregnant until i was having the actual miscarriage
13. i feel blessed to have met my mom and baby friends... they're wonderful!
14. photos are the best way of telling a story or bringing back a great memory to me
15. i love my daily dose of 94% fat free pop corn
16. one day i will go on a tropical vacation with derek
17. i love having company... so if you're in the neighborhood, stop by!
18. i can't wait for my sister to get married... it'll be the first wedding i've been in since i was 4!
19. i am often misunderstood...
20. at first meeting me, many if my friends thought i was a "bitch"
21. chocolate isn't my favorite sweet, i've been told i'm not a true woman for this!
22. i used to hate facebook, but now i kinda like it
23. my two younger cousins, Ashley and Alyssa were more like sisters growing up and still are
24. one time when derek and i were going to dinner at applebee's he saw a friend and walked towards him... it was my cousin... he knows everyone!
25. i met derek before i remember meeting him. i was with my ex, and he was with his friend... he says we met and i really have a hard time remembering that!
26. my friend stepheni takes amazing photos and i can't wait til i can do a maternity shoot with her!
27. i find myself trying to be almost "too fair" when i think of having 2 kids... don't want to leave one out!
28. i love to wear dresses in the summer... so comfy with flip flops!
29. my family resembles the family from my big fat greek wedding...
30. i have 18 first cousins (2 whom i've never met)
31. i love to shop and sell on craigslist
32. i don't understand guys who aren't handy
33. my worst fear is derek dying...
34. i work with some of the funnest ladies at weight watchers... they're a crack up!
35. i love to see people lose weight... so inspiring!
36. when i was little i never played "the princess" i always was the maid (guess i liked cleaning even then!)
37. i also loved to play waitress and take everyone's orders and then make it... what a weird kid i was!
38. my best friend amy and my friend keren both had baby girls this summer, i thought it'd give me the itch to have another baby, but it didn't.... when my friend renee had her son, i melted and wanted another one so bad!
39. i miss my nephew vadin... i haven't seen him in 2 1/2 years!
40. i also miss my niece kassandra very much, she passed away 4 years ago this month...
41. i've been toying with the idea of using her name as a middle name if i have a girl... i would only if it wouldn't upset my sister, but made her happy
42. i also miss my sister and brother in law... need to take a trip to san diego SOON!
43. i often wonder what my dad would've thought about derek and owen... would he have liked them and loved them the way i do?
44. derek and i have been dealt a pretty tough hand since we got married... we somehow always get through it... by the grace of God!
45. i think i have the funniest pastor
46. i wish i followed through more on project ideas i have
47. i love cake... the more frosting the better!
48. derek and i now think that nights starting at 10 are too late... i remember when i thought that was an early night!
49. i am so glad we no longer live in our old apartment... for so many reasons
50. i loved being a barista, but really disliked the place i worked for
51. i can't stand bikini barista stands... it's hard to find one where the girls are fully clothed.
52. i get down on myself for gaining a little bit of weight... even if no one can tell, i can!
53. i hate that i have to obsess over my weight to keep in under control.
54. if i had a dollar for every time owen said "mommy" i'd be rich!
55. my ipod has a bunch of upbeat songs on it... i can't workout to slow stuff even if i like it
56. i am not a morning person at all... i wish owen would sleep in til at least 9... he wakes up at 7
57. my mom used to have to sign me into each grade until i was 9 when i got glasses and i got straight a's.
58. i'm still not quite sure how i'll handle 2 kids...
59. i'm realizing this isn't very easy to put down things about me... not this many at least
60. i'd rather work out by myself than with someone so that i can go at my own pace and do the things i'd like to do.
61. when i go to the gym i have to make sure my whole outfit matches... it's an ocd thing of mine...
62. i admire women who can decorate their homes with such ease...
63. i want to get closer to the Lord this year and more and more each year.
64. i really want derek to get a job that he loves and gets the respect he deserves
65. i went through a rebellious phase out of high school... during high school i was a good kid.
66. i love looking at old photos
67. i am so thankful for weight watchers... i've been taught so much and i've been able to work for them which has been fun!
68. i love getting new recipes to try out
69. derek likes to tease me and say that the food that i've made isn't good...
70. i like hosting parties and get togethers
71. i wish i could see the good in people as well as derek does...
72. i love my friends kids just about as much as i love my friends... they're a part of my friends so how can i not love them?
73. i love to shop, but hate spending too much on something...
74. potty training is by far one of the hardest things i've ever tried to do
75. i'm amazed that god gave me owen... he's the cutest boy ever!
76. i miss going to concerts like i used to... i went to every tim mcgraw, kenny chesney, brooks n dunn and rascal flatts show there was... camping out at the gorge was a blast and i miss being able to just spend that kind of money on a few hours.
77. i have always wondered why people look down on single women at a certain age and a single man at the same age are just normal... when did the double standard become ok? (Sex and the City comes to mind with this one!)
78. roseanne is one of my favorite shows
79. you'll never cry alone in a room with me... i'm a terrible sympathetic crier
80. i also cry when talking about serious issues a lot... actually i cry a lot
81. when i think about having another baby i look at owen and think "his life is going to change forever..."
82. i sometimes miss working full time, but don't at the same time... does that make sense?
83. in my large family, it's pretty much a given that someone's not going to be happy with another person in the family at one time or another.
84. i remember looking at a photo of my mom when she was little and asking her why my picture was in black and white haha!
85. i collected rocks when i was little (gosh i really was weird!)
86. i used to want to play with my sister and all of her friends but i was just the annoying little sister :(
87. danielle used to always borrow money from me when she was 16 and i was 14 so i'd always make her pay me back with interest haha! if she borrowed 10 she paid 15 back!
88. i worked in the car business for 7 years... i know a ton about cars, financing and all that stuff...
89. i used to scrapbook a lot... i made a book for my friend jessica and had it laminated for her 18th birthday... she loved it!
90. i also made one for my friend sarah... it wasn't as good, but it was my first!
91. i've never lived outside of pierce county. i've lived in puyallup, milton, bonney lake and orting
92. we need a wal mart in orting... and a target
93. i don't understand how people can spend a ton on kids clothes when they grow out of them SO fast!
94. i want a nissan armada when we have another baby... i hope we can afford one, it's the only car that i like that will fit my 6'5" husband, me and 2 kids, our ford escape barely fits the 3 of us.
95. if i lived by myself i'd love to live where my sister lives... it's the cutest apartment i've seen!
96. i used to work at the department of licensing and often was told i didn't know what i was talking about because i was just a kid haha
97. i watch nick at nite every night when i go to bed... derek hates that the tv is on all night, but i can't sleep without it.
98. i think it'd be awesome to move to a different state and build a life without anyone we know...
99. i love warm weather... and hate rain
100. i hope that i'm doing a good job at being a wife and mother.

So exciting!!!!

2009-02-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to entertain the idea of potty training for a while now and Owen really hasn't had much interest. A couple months ago he was going poop on the potty and it was fun and he thought he was so big and then he stopped... never to want to go on the potty again! In a last ditch effort I bought a training potty. I never wanted to buy one because I didn't want to have to clean the potty (yuck!) But when trying on the big potty and putting him in big boy undies to see if wetting himself was uncomfortable didn't work... I gave in! I got this frog potty at Burlington Coat Factory. Owen loved it at first, but didn't want to go potty on it... so it sat in our bathroom collecting dust! Well, today I was watching John and Kate Plus 8 when I had a great idea! Do like they did and just sit him on his potty with a sippy... I sat in the bathroom with him and read a ton of books to him. After he didn't go, I went and got myself a sucker (which he LOVES!) and proceeded to eat it. He freaked out and wanted one, but I kept telling him he had to go pee-pee on the potty and then he could have one too. He got a bit upset and peed a bit on the hallway floor, then came in the bathroom where I sat him back down and he ended up peeing more on the potty!!!! I was so excited! He was a bit scared at first, but when he saw how excited I was he got a huge smile on his face and said "I did it!!!" So, we grabbed him a sucker and made a huge deal about it, danced and cheered for a while. Here's a few photos... I hope the potty isn't too graphic, but I had to! haha!

Owen's first pee-pee in his potty!!!

Such a proud boy with his sucker.
Chowin' down!

Now, I'm just hoping that if I stick to bribing that he'll eventually be potty trained! (Fingers crossed!!!)

Gotta love a good deal!

2009-01-31T23:00:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting and needing some sort of shelving unit for Owen's play room. He has so many toys and they're spilling out of his toy bins. I had been searching at Wal Mart, Target and even Ikea for some sort of solution to our problem. I'd rather have everything organized in a place where it belongs... like cars in a basket, balls over here and books here... etc. Well, I started looking on craigslist and found what I've been looking for!!! The shelving unit sells brand new for $159 and I knew that was way more than I wanted to spend and thankfully I found it for $75! I snatched it up today and here it is!!!

I can't wait to buy bins to sort out his toys!

You can kinda see his toy bins to the right that are overflowing and so disorganized!

Hopefully I'll put up a finished product photo up here... I seriously have a problem! I don't know very many people who get excited to organize haha!

I've been busy...

2009-01-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that I haven't been on here that much to blog about all the fun things we've been doing... wait, there haven't been all that many!!! haha! I've been so busy with work it's insane. I have been working 5 days a week for a total of 7 meetings. It doesn't sound like a lot, but when you're driving to different locations, setting up and tearing down the weight/reception area and meeting room it wears you out!!!

We did get to go to my friend Stepheni's birthday at the Longhorn BBQ which was fun... I was super tired and had to work in the morning :( But I had a good time chatting it up with Amy in the restroom!

Derek is working days again which is such a relief!!! I am so glad that he's home in the evenings and we get to enjoy a well rested and happy daddy again. Although it's been crazy with me working so much, it's way better than having him sleep all day and gone all night.

Hopefully I'll get to Wal Mart soon to upload all my photos to a CD and clear my memory card so that I can start taking more photos and posting them. I think that'll be my goal for Monday (I work right next to Wal Mart in Bonney Lake)... leave early and pick it up on the way home!

Anyways, I hope everyone has a great weekend... mine of course is going to be busy busy busy!

A few random photos to update!

2009-01-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so there is actually a lot of photos on this post, but I really have been a slacker when it comes to this blog lately. Ah, well... I'm trying! So, here's some updated photos.

Owen devouring chocolate cake at my Grandpa's 70th birthday party

When I told him I needed to put something in his backpack, he bent over like this... he thinks I can get into his bag easier I guess!

I came home from grocery shopping the other day to find him like this watching Wow Wow Wubzy... looks cozy!

Derek and Owen made this snowman while I was still asleep... it was the last snow we had and thank God it didn't last long!

Owen was so proud of himself being able to put his tractor on the doorway...

Look at that... he's quite the little Macgyver!

I just think he's too darn cute... he sure loves his burritos! (minus the tortilla for some weird reason!)

Apparently you need safety goggles to eat at our house... haha!

He loves this darn swing! Hopefully I can break him of this habit before we have another baby!

Not a whole lot to say today... just that Derek is finally not working nights and we're finally enjoying some sun around here!! I've been super busy with Weight Watchers and have been working 7 meetings a week, which keeps me on my toes and away from the "blogging world" :( Hopefully it'll all calm down after January! Have a great week all and hopefully I'll post again soon!

And baby makes 4...

2009-01-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not pregnant... but would love to be. And I'd love to look like this girl above while I'm pregnant next time... sheesh! Anyways, I had been putting off another baby for a while now and I've finally got the itch. Although, trying to get pregnant seems harder than not trying... We got pregnant with Owen by surprise and I have a sneaking suspicion that it'll be harder to get pregnant while trying. Do any of you have suggestions on the best ways to conceive? Sorry if this is too much info, but I'd rather get tips from friends than some random person on a message board across the country... Thank you ladies!!!!

A little game of "I"

2009-01-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

I am: blessed
I think: I have the best husband ever!
I know: I should be in bed now
I want: to have another baby
I dislike: cleaning toilets!
I miss: those late nights when I didn't have a care in the world
I fear: of gaining too much weight
I hear: the dryer
I smell: of clorox wipes
I crave: a Safeway sugar cookie
I cry: when I watch The Biggest Loser
I search: for ways to organize
I wonder: when I'll get to bed
I regret: selling my good gas mileage car
I love: my family
I care: for applejacks a great deal (anyone get this?)
I always: put off folding laundry
I worry: about Derek while he's not with me
I am not: in the shape I'd like to be
I remember: when I was 4 moving into a new house and being mad that Danielle got to have her birthday party in the new house... I was mad
I believe: that Jesus is my saviour
I dance: often and sometimes Owen joins in
I sing: a lot of kid songs to Owen
I don't always: eat right
I argue: for the sake of arguing
I write: checks
I win: wii sports
I lose: hair all the time...
I wish: that no one would have financial problems
I listen: when I need to
I try: to keep Owen busy
I don't understand: why people can't just drive right
I can usually be found: at the gym, at home or working at a WW meeting
I am scared: of most natural disasters
I forget: A LOT!
I am happy: when I have had my "me" time at the gym and we come home and Owen sleeps for a couple hours for more "me" time...

** Now, it's up to you... fill it out if you want!

It's been a while

2009-01-08T22:21:00.001-08:00

I've been blessed in my life to have not one but two best friends... Stepheni and Amy. I'm so thankful for both of them! Amy and I have known each other for 4 1/2 years now. She came to work at Toyota of Puyallup with me and when I saw her I knew we'd be friends. We hit it off fairly quick, and soon we were just like two peas in a pod! But all too often life gets hectic and Amy and I don't get to just chat like we used to. Before we were married, and before Owen and baby Kate... Amy was a single mom of two awesome boys. I always hung out with the 3 of them and we were pretty much inseparable. In the last 2 years I can probably count on one hand the amount of times that Amy and I got to sit and talk without interruptions of kids or husbands. Tonight her and I got to chat it up for 2 hours! Gosh, I guess I didn't realize how much I miss those times until now. Not that I ever took those times for granted, but I had kinda forgotten how much we can talk about a whole lot of nothing and everything all at once! I'm sure you're reading this Amy... good! I love you to death and I know we've had our hard times, but like you say it all works out in the end. I feel blessed to have a friend like you who I can be crazy with, but can also be a wife/mom and you accept me for me. I love your family and I'm so proud of what kind of person you've developed into over the last 4 1/2 years. We've seen each other through some really tough times and some amazingly happy times. I hope that we can continue our friendship to share many more moments! Love you girl!!!

Here are some of my favorite photos of Amy and me...

this is both our favorite photo of us at the 2121... captures our personalities to a "T"! I'm the dolled up one and she's the down to earth girl... sounds like us!

once again at the 2121,but I was 3 months pregnant!

at a friends going away party

at my 26th Birthday celebration

This photo is probably one of our firsts together... we were on our way out for the night and had to get pictures to document how cute we looked! Now that I look back it's kinda silly that we were posing in my mom's entry way haha!

I'm going to pump you up!

2009-01-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, so first off... this photo is like 3 years old haha! I was trying to be tough and even though it's a goofy photo it's one of my favorites. Anyways, I got to thinking last night as I walked into the YMCA... it was so packed! I have been going for over a year now and I usually go in the mornings. I have been working more at Weight Watchers (which is awesome) and I have had to switch up my gym schedule. I am not sure if the gym was packed cause I went at 4pm or if it was because of the most popular new years resolution "to lose weight". One thing I was thankful for was that in the weight machine room no one was using the ones I like to use! I'm not quite sure why, but they're always empty... am I a weirdo? haha! I also use the free weight room and that room is normally pretty busy. I feel so out of place in that room, but I LOVE free weights! I'm usually one of the only girls and all of the guys in the room are super toned, tan and tattooed up! It's somewhat intimidating... are they thinking "look at that fat mom trying to work out ha!" or are they thinking "not many girls come in here... good for her". Are there any workouts you do that seem "unusual" for either being female or just in general? Share with me!

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great new year... we sure did! We had a few friends over for some family fun, food and fireworks! I thought I'd take lots of photos of the night, but it totally slipped my mind while I was busy making food and after a glass of wine or two I really forgot. Anyways, we had a good time. Our next door neighbors had some crazy fireworks that they set off at midnight in our road and it woke up lil Brandon... poor guy! As for Owen... he didn't budge or make a peep! I can tell we're getting just a bit older because everyone had left before 1am haha! Anyways, thank you to all who came and made New Years a blast! As for a resolution... I really don't like them, but sometimes it's good to make a goal and stick to it. I finally don't have a weight resolution (thank God!) and I don't want to get disappointed if I don't "follow through" with my resolution, so I decided to stop drinking energy drinks... easy enough right? Let's hope!!! Happy New Year everyone and have a great 2009!

owie

2008-12-30T10:18:00.001-08:00

Owen was watching a movie in his play room and got an owie... he came out fussing, grabbed his blankie and wanted me to hold him. I had the laptop in my lap and I thought he was going to my right side so I moved the laptop left... he was going left and I whacked him in the head hard. He instantly started screaming and I picked him up, he sank into my lap and I started crying with him... I looked at him and he had quite the bump on his forehead right between his eyes. I grabbed the new boo-boo ice pack that Grammy got for him and we put it on his big owie... he's doing better, but check out this bump!

It's hard to see, he wouldn't cooperate for me and look at the camera

His face looks so pathetic... gosh I feel so bad!
that ice pack was given to him in the nick of time!

Christmas...a long post!

2008-12-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome Christmas this year... I think mostly in part that Owen was so excited for it! On Christmas Eve we went to breakfast at the Around the Corner Cafe here in town and it was amazing! It's a tiny little place, but Derek and I agreed that it was one of the best breakfasts we'd had in a long time. We went home and Owen and I napped... or I napped. Owen didn't (I think he could sense the excitement of Christmas!) So, we went to church that evening and on the way there I noticed Owen was super quiet... I turned around and found him like this!

As some of you may know, Owen NEVER falls asleep in the car! He hasn't much since around 9 months old. At church he was even asleep as we walked in... he did wake up shortly after which was good because the kids were encouraged to stay in the service and watch... he loved it!

After church we came back to our house and opened presents with my mom, Danielle and Josh... Owen got a Thomas toothbrush set and he screamed so loud "THOMAS!!!!" when he saw it... too funny! He got a lot of stuff from Grammy, but his favorite is his new "TB" as he calls it...

He's got his cup from his Thomas set with him while he watches tv

He got this chair from Auntie Ashley and he really likes it too... especially to watch tv!

On Christmas morning Owen opened his presents from us and Santa... we hopped in the car and headed over to Grammy's for our annual Egg Nog french toast. Derek got spoiled and got bacon, biscuits and gravy and hash browns... my mom sure does like him! ;] We had to get home and put Owen to bed because my Uncle Bill, Aunt Lana and cousin Katie were coming over. We haven't seen Katie in a year and a half because she is a missionary in Papua New Guinea. It was great to see her!!! That evening we headed up to Derek's parents house, which I look forward to because we get spoiled with PaPa's cooking! He's a chef and boy does it show! Owen got lots of great things from them and we enjoyed a few hours of wine and good food.

We had a lot of fun... but I'm glad it's over. We're gonna take the tree down tonight and prepare for New Years... watch out for photos!!!

Yum, scones!

2008-12-23T10:44:00.000-08:00

I found a recipe for some really easy scones and decided to try it out yesterday. We've been couped up in the house for a few days since we've had SO much snow, and I'm trying to keep myself busy. Owen loves to help me cook and bake and of course I couldn't keep him from helping make Scones!

He loves to stir stuff...

Owen and our ingredients

He helped me roll out the dough and cut the scones in heart shapes

Our first batch of scones fresh out of the oven

He got to try a hot one

he really liked it, even if the face he's making isn't too convincing haha!

I'm so glad that he's so comfortable in the kitchen and that we can share so many fun times while making goodies! He ended up eating 4 scones yesterday... he snuck one without me seeing!!!

Why am I hooked?

2008-12-23T10:24:00.001-08:00

I have no clue why I'm hooked on this darn show! Maybe because I have a son... I'm not sure, but it's a reality show and Lord knows I love them! One thing I've learned from this show is that a mom really needs to butt out of a sons relationship no matter how much you can't stand the one they've chosen. I'm hoping to remember this in say 15 years when Owen becomes a high school student and starts seriously dating girls. I hope that I'll accept them no matter what... I can't imagine being the poor girl who is being beat down by some of these mom's... I really hope this show is etched in my mind for years to come!

Frosty the SnowMAN!

2008-12-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

Derek took this video of Owen a few days ago. He is singing Frosty the Snowman if you can't tell... it's so cute!!!!!

Our Winter Wonderland walk

2008-12-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, we took a walk last night to help cure our cabin fever. We just went up to the main road (which is only a few blocks). Owen brought along his shovel and really lagged behind because all he wanted to do was shovel snow! I know who to put in charge of shoveling snow next year! ;] He wouldn't look at the camera really... too busy with his shovel!

Updating a few photos

2008-12-20T17:49:00.000-08:00

We've got a lot of snow on the ground and more on it's way, so we're pretty much stuck at home. I had to get Owen's mind off wanting to watch shows all day so I gave him a piece of paper and his markers. He got a little wild with the markers... thank God for washable markers!!!

Yesterday I went grocery shopping and when I got home Owen wanted a yogurt, so I pulled one out while I was putting stuff away and set it on the counter. I saw out of the corner of my eye, him getting into the silverware drawer, which he often does so I didn't think much of it. A few minutes later I saw him sitting in the living room like this...

He had opened his yogurt and proceeded to eat it... Derek was watching football and had no clue what he'd done haha!

Check out this scowl!!!!

We're off to go venture out in the dark snowy streets, just a little family fun to keep us from getting cabin fever!

Who doesn't love snow?!

2008-12-19T09:15:00.001-08:00

ME!!!! That's right, I hate snow... I think it's pretty and all, but I can't stand the cold! Plus, I spend time getting all bundled up to stand there and freeze, or if I exert and kind of energy I sweat like crazy... not my kind of fun really!

We left for the YMCA around 1pm yesterday and came home at 3 to at least an inch of snow! Owen wanted to play in it, so being a mom who will do just about anything for cute photos, I bundled us both up and went outside...

He had a lot of fun with his shovel in the snow...

I love this photo... a complete accident, but those are the best!!

Our house all cute and snowy

More shoveling...

Daddy got the sled out and I was sure that he'd hate it... but he really enjoyed himself!

I went in after this... it was just too cold! Derek took him to the neighbors house where their 6 year old girl was riding her pink quad and Owen got to ride on it with her... I'm kinda bummed I went in and didn't get photos of that, but it's ok I guess. He of course threw a huge fit when he came inside... his cheeks were so red and his nose looked like a faucet, it really was time to come in... hopefully Derek will take him out again today since I'd rather be warm in the house haha!

Who doesn't love a giveaway?!

2008-12-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

So, I have a few good friends who do photography... but I had to share this with everyone! Heather Mann Photography is doing a Christmas giveaway of a free one hour session! Check out the blog and sign yourself up to have a chance to win this! Such an awesome deal... now don't get me wrong I love my photography girls, but I couldn't pass this up! ;]