Snow in May!

When we get packages delivered to the house it is always a big deal.  

 We read who it is for/to,  then who it is from.  If it is for Dad, then we have to wait until he comes home.  Sometimes they are for Mom or the kids and we get to open it right away. 

The best part is

1) seeing what we received,

2) finding out the packing materials used,

3) Playing with the toy or packing apparatus. 

Even though they come clearly labeled with a caution.  THIS IS NOT A TOY.  Under supervision they jump on the large bubbles to pop them and then they save room in our recycling can. 

 

Yesterday we received a package for Dad... We were guessing all day what could be in the package.  Sister insisted Dad open the package as soon as he got home. Inside was another box, set aside.  But the Packing peanuts were a pleasant surprise.  Anytime I get a package with peanuts in them they are moved to the garbage before they make a mess.  Well without seeing the peanuts, as I was getting dinner together,  I hear that she is enjoying the novelty decide she can play.   After dinner, Brother joins in the fun.  This is the Snow we received this MAY!

 

 

Playing in the box.  Boxes are still the number one entertainment for kids.  Large or small.

 

 Ummm...  all the white is static cling to his little body.   When you run it still sticks to you.

 

They could have played for hours spreading the packing peanuts through the house.  They were good to keep it moderately contained to one room.  When they realized that they were covered in peanuts and they were somewhat difficult to remove.  Off came the clothes.  

 

That is when the cleanup effort began.  

Mom knew they would clog the vacuum, so only the little pieces could be sucked up.  And going from piece to piece trying not to suck up a large peanut.... well forget that!..  By hand it must be.  Did you know that when you try to grab more, more keeps sticking to you... Good thing daddy is a thinker.  He grabbed a few dryer sheets to cut the static electricity.  This worked as our broom to sweep into a pile.  It did help to rub the dryer sheet on our hands and legs to keep others from attracting to us.  So if you ever allow your kids to play in packing peanuts...remember rub them down with a dryer sheet before and after the fun.

 

Highlights from 2012

It never fails!  Come February I get all self conscious about the blog.   For a few reasons: first the kids are growing up and another year has passed.  Second, I have become aware of social media and realized that there are so many voices out there.

 A whole year!  Good-ness gracious. With everything being digital, you would think I could get my act together and just whip it up.

Well this year for good reason.  We have been busy

January: house guests

February: birthdays galore

March: getting the garden ready


April:  Aunt Margie's big birthday bash!  We got to see so many long lost cousins. Auntie S,  helped mom drive and was the extra hands and ears for the long ride.  We were able to visit Po Po and Gong Gong at the Forrest Lawn Cemetary.  they have one of the best spots in the place. 

















May: got addicted to Pinterest.  Swimming

June: picking zucchini- baking zucchini bread, zucchini patty, zucchini every which way.

July: picking tomatoes, 4th  of July parade in Clayton, CA fireworks!  USS hornet.  So proud to be an American!


August: family reunion, quilts and egg rolls. What my parents are known for.  We tried a bit of slack lining.   Take a picture it will last longer!

















 

September: Roundup Décor Rustic, and Still has a feminine touch.  Used as centerpieces for 24 tables.  Groups of 3 made a very nice grouping.


October: Halloween.....umm for the undecided, we started out with moon, hey diddle diddle,   A moon and spoon....difficult to walk... Rocket man/girl, ...pirate, kitty, all these costumes were available for the undecided and we wore the, all.







November: trip to Pismo beach imperial sand dunes.  Just so you know this is the most relaxing time we have together.  No Clocks.. and little sister falls asleep riding in the RHINO!.  We try to go gentle and the rolling movement of the dunes and the sound of the sea, lulls her to sleep.














December: almost 5th annual cookie exchange.  Cranberry Brie Bites for Cookie Exchange Appetizer

Rewind please!--February Birthdays

 

We Celebrate 3 birthdays in February.  Whoo Wee What a feat! only because I am the type that likes to do everything myself.  I don't know why, but just a compulsion that I have.  Our Little "Sugar and Spice" baby turned one.  Simple layered, round cake with dots.  To give credit where it is due.  Dad does the best icing job in town.  He has the craft mastered.  He likened it to finishing concrete!?  Well as long as he does a bank up job then all I have to do is the icing is fine by me.

 

 

 

Birthday Number 2: Had to be special and unique.  Right before this picture was taken of the in progress "island of Sodor"...it was about to be the forgotten "island of Garbage"!  With hills and valleys the cake was crumbling on me and I was trying to rush rush.  Used a square and a round pan to get the large shape and the excess was used to layer the hills.  I think freezing may have helped. but I'm not a professional.  So glad that I  opted to not make it look like the Thomas the train Engine.

 

  This was much more special because this is the day that the Birthday boy recieved his coaches, Annie and Claribel.   I really wanted to incorportate the gift into the cake.  Hills, valleys, forests & track, were done in icing. The waterfall, river/stream, and grasses, I used colored sugar, blue and green.  The rocks were a special treat from gramma.  She had brought rock candy and that made the whole island a little more real.  Flavor underneath was a carrot cake and Chocolate.  A mixture for all the tastes in our family.

The firends we celebrated with were just tickled pink... about the rocks, trees, and water.  So overall I would say a sucess!

And the last birthday.... I don't make that Cake!

Our favorite moments

Growing up happens so fast! This year has been the fastest. After almost a year I think I have things almost figured out with schedules, being a mom, working.... then the kids start new skills and just grow up so fast. A Few years ago I about this very time I told jax to slow down... well look at us now. I was thinking it with em, but forgot to actualy tell her since it did no good with the first. So as We start a new year. already here are a few of our favorite moments.

Um she's little now and thinks she is so funny being where she's not supposed to be. I think to my self. "poor dishwasher, your gonna fall apart any day!" She just plays with the trays and spins the helicopter and has so much fun...had to capture the sheer joy of Growing up.

Look What I have! a fork and im using it, to feed myself..Yaay!



My toothless Smile! before I got my Chompers.

Look, I got a big Cheeky!

Pictures in the park

Not an easy task. We had a friend take some much needed Family Photos. Personalities are everchanging and growing. We wanted to share some of the fun we have been experienceing as parents. Smiles & giggles, walking & wiggles.

Just had to go back in time.

I just had to go back in time to show the Halloween we had this year. Halloween has never been my favorite holiday... until I had kids. This year we were a hodge podge of all sorts of things. The boys were cute as can be cowboys. Jax was finally able to fit into his handme down cowboy boots from the Family reunion and souvineer hat, Daddy's vest from when he was little, and mamma's collection of hankies. Em-was a little viking baby, not sure of the proper term. But she was given this cute hat as a gift...It was perfect timing for Halloween and so starts TUTU making. What she is wearing is a tutu made from scraps from a tutu she will wear in about 2 years. Mama was a thrown together gypsy! (not pictured)

Oh we love our brother. Em loves crawling all over Jax. Especially when he has snacks. To Jax, anytime we eat sitting on a blanket, it's a "picnic". We came home from errands and I gave him some snacks, he asked for a blanket for a picnic. He loves eating outside. Today of all things we had a picnic this afternoon in the warm sun. It was so warm we had to pull the blanket into the sun. He really loves playing outdoors.

So it's been Awhile.....

2010 I had good intentions of keeping up to date. It is now the latter half of 2011 and I don't intend to Catch up on the last year and a half.

Some Pictures to let you know we are doing well and living life. Jax has a love of trains and cannot get enough. We distract him by going to the park or places to play with friends. Learning to share just started. He can share most of the time with Mom, Dad and Elly. There are select toys for us. but of course Everything is "MINE"! Jax is a pretty good back seat driver. "red light-STOP....Green light-GO GOGO!!"

Oh Yeah..we Welcomed Emily to the Family in February. She makes the best Cooing sounds and has the cutest "toothless Smile" Chubby as Ever and rolling and scooting all over the place reaching for things she ought not to. She adores her big brother. He will push her in the swing that is already swiging and they just have a ball Laughing at each other till one of them gets the hiccups.

Off Hiatus

We've been on hiatus for awhile... almost all electronic communication. Wanted to give a quick update before I started putting pictures back up. Summer we had an awesome Family reunion, came home..packed up the house and moved across town. Worked on unpacking ...finding the computer..well we plugged it in and "poof" a literal poof of smoke and fire came out of the computer.....so we had to get that fixed....caught up on 78 emails......56 emails.......120 emails....Bills...Moved in ...So right about now we feel that we are getting settled and almost back to normal. Mike went on fishing trip and came with Cheese!

LAst week Jax started saying "Baby" Clearly it used to be "Daeby" so the timing is great because we just found out we are expecting a "GIRL" !

So we will keep you posted on our happenings.

Pismo Dunes

Memorial day weekend we went to the dunes. The weather was going to beautiful and the rhino was ready to go. We picked up ourselves a new toy for our long trip, a 32' toy hauler that we wanted to break in. Let me tell you it made camping a lot easier with the little one. The only problem is you spend too much time inside with some moddern conviences. I kinda missed when we tent camped you were actually camping "roughing it".

The little guy enjoyed the trip down, slept most the way thank goodness. That made our drive more enjoyable. He did such a good job he got to get out of the carseat when we arrived at the beach and aired down.

Playing in the sand is so much fun. We gave him the task of digging the fire pit. Dad had to help a little but he was right in there digging away.

The boys had fun on their trips out to the Dunes. Some of the guys Mike works with came down and had a blast. The new set up in the Rhino made things more fun and safer.

After the boys were done it was time for Mom and the boy to take a ride. The little guy wasn't to sure if he liked it. When we went down hills his eyes got really big. Mom rode in the back while dad drove, He was holding onto moms hand as tight as he could. Maybe a few more trips out he will start to like it.

We had a great trip the weather was beautiful, and the sand was soft.

So this is how the truck had to leave the dunes. Sad sight. Pulling into the dunes we had to drive across the dunes and there was an incline. The truck didn't want to make it, dad was trying harder and harder to make it until the transmission decided it didn't want to make it. So we sat there for about an hour trying to figure out what to do when a straight up "Redneck" in a big truck came up and offered to give us a tow. We told him the truck was dead and he wouldn't be able to tow us, he told us to hold while he got a buddy. It took two trucks to pull us to our camp spot where the we spent the next 3 days, and the truck sat there not going ANYWHERE.

So your probable wondering how we got home. Good question, all weekend dad was trying to figure that out, since it was a holiday weekend all the shops would be closed until Tuesday. Finally we called a friend back home and asked him to bring down his truck to tow the fifth wheel back and dad would take the truck to a shop.

So that was our fun adventure. It seams that every trip with us has a "good story". All those that have been with us know what we are talking about. There is always a story to look back on and go..That is so crazy.....and yet we still go year after year.

*** Spring has Sprung ***

Spring has Sprung and so has our little Boy!

-Clothes that used to fit..no longer do

- Independence is getting stonger each day

-Climb halfway up the stairs without making a peep

-Comes down the stairs like a pro!

-Definetly has his opinions about what he wants to do, even if Daddy says "no"

-Thinks its funny to walk the other direction when Mama says "Come here"

-Loves sitting in chairs his size and puts his sippy cup in the cup holder

-Always plays hide and seek with Dad's Charger

-Drinks out of the faucet/hose....like a pro

-Daily chore is to Help feed the dogs and Fill the dogs water bucket

-Everything with 4 legs is a Wuuf.

-Purposely drops food off the high-chair just to say"uuh oh"

-Offers the doggies their treats...after sampling a few

-Signs: more, milk.....or I WANT!

-

Just some thoughts...

I've had a few thoughts on my mind lately....As I have been facebooking this past month a few things have made me realize everybody has Challenges...some small and some large. (I'm just rambling and don't expect it to make sense.) The challenges we have had to deal with lately are relatively small, compared to some friends I have been reunited with. I don't know the details of what they are going through. It seems far more than I could handle. But for each of us there will always be a challenge that is tougher & more tiresome than the next. From past experience with Challenges, I have learned that how you approach the challenge, how you overcome the challenge, can either weaken or strengthen your soul.

I had a friend pass away before Christmas time. Her passing was and still is hard for me. She was there for me during some of the hardest times of my life. She gave me life advice and friendship, without judging or criticism. I am glad She was there when I needed her. It was one conversation that changed my outlook.

to all my Friends & Family, you may never know how a conversation you have with someone can change their lives... good night.

First B-Day

Graduating to..somthin cuter....sweeter

This year so far has been quicker than lightning...and so has our little crawler....

He has mastered crawling around the house to:

find Mom....

find Dad.....

play with the dogs....

go up the stairs.......

see who's in the bathroom.....

look out the window.....

It hasn't stopped at crawling....he's gotten into climbing....he loves climbing onto the wooden butcher block and plays with the handle on the mixer. It is tight in there but he manages to get himself in and out without any trouble!

"Little Squiggles" also has graduated from the baby tub/sink to the big tub! The first time was a little scary.....for him.....but as long as we've got the toys and some cups he'll do just fine. HE's growing up too Fast! A year is almost here..and Mama's not quite ready for a toddler. Especially one that thinks he can stand in the tub. Leaning over the tub....Oh My back just kills after bathtime.
"lil Stinker"
so he's old enough to sit in his high chair and feed himself finger foods..but what the camera did not catch is the dropping of said food on to the floor.....We'll be done eating and there is a sea of chunks on the floor....seat..cushion...( that's why the cushion is missing..its in the laundry).....So we send the dogs in to clean up his mess and he continues to hang his hand over the side of his chair and lets Rusty eat out of his hands..... he gets the biggest grin on his face when Rusty is done with the food and licks his hands clean...

His little personality is really quite charming..

**Goodbye 2009 and Hello 2010**

Well 2009 went out with a big bang...clang clang.... Dad ended up in the ER last night after hurting himself... I keep telling him to be more careful and he thinks he's Super-MAn.. He got a nice crooked slice in his leg. about 6-8 inches long....27 stitches and some nice bruising. Haven't taken any pictures with the stitches yet but he got a shot right before the stitches and is it ugleee!

2010** New Year's Resolutions.... They are in my head right now....will get to writing them down before teh 2nd...so hopefully they will get worked on this year and into the NEW DECADE! Whew!... a new Decade? Time has really gone by way too fast. Let's make every moment Count!
HAppy NEw YEar

Baby's First Santa

This is just what we expected! Dad did the same thing when he was a baby.

Right on Santa's lap...step away for the picture and WAAAAaahhhhh! aaahhhh !

Oh the poor thing. Mom loved the pictures!

We had a very nice time at the ward Christmas Party. Listening to the Tremble Clefs,

Family Band, and singing carols.................. This year it was hard for mom to get in the Christmas Spirit! There were plenty of Opportunities, parties and overall love.....But somthing was just not coming together......She is excited for a whole New Year for Improvement and Growth.

What a cute Pair

Mom is not the best when it comes to Halloween.....so I was feeling kinda gloomy.....either that or I had an ear infection....not quite sure. I've had constant trouble with my ears now and i'm tired of it. This year I had a few parties go to. Bella's, Mike's, Trunk or Treat,& Halloween night! I want over to my buddy's house and we were the cutest pair. Too bad mom didn't think of entering us in the cutest couple Category! No Candy for me this year so I just played with my glow stick!

Allergic reaction

So today we found out that the little one is allergic to Amoxicillin. He has been taking it for last 5 days for an ear infection. This morning when he woke up I noticed 3 large bumps on his check, the looked like big pimples. The first thing that came to mind was oh no Chicken Pox. But as time went on he got more and more and the started turning into welts. So into the doctor we went. Poor guy, hope he gets better soon. Luckily the welts haven't been bothering him, at least for now.

Camping

This last weekend we went camping. We went to Big Basin Redwood State Park, up in the mountains above Santa Cruz. The area had nice campgrounds with lots of BIG Redwood trees. We tried to keep the little one contained to a blanket but he had other things on his mind, like eating dirt and leaves. So we spent most of our time making sure he stayed on the blanket, or in our arms. We had a big rain storm a few days earlier so the ground was pretty wet and muddy.

At night it got a little cold, good thing Mom made him a nice sleeping bag. He loved playing in it.

Learning how to stand

I'm not camera Shy at all...I like seeing my reflection in the big lens!

I like to crawl into new spaces. The enclosure make me feel safe.

I also like to crawl out.....and back in again.

So the last month I have been working on my sitting and standing. I can pull myself up on my knees pretty easy, but getting to my feet is a little harder.

It has gotten a little cold here so can finally where my cool coat Aunt Sandy got me. I gotta say I'm a hunk.

I like the toy that Jamey and Debbie gave me, i pretty much have all the levers and buttons down. And it works great for pulling myself up. I can also use in to hang out and look around at the doggies.

I have been secretly standing in my crib seeing how far over the rail I can hang, (when I'm supposed to be sleeping) but Mom caught me one night and made Dad lower the mattress. I can still stand but no climbing out..... at least for now.