Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Memorial Day, bloggies. Everyone be sure to take a moment....in between their watermelon and hot dogs......to remember why we celebrate.

It's not just a 3 day weekend!

I'm busy scouring the San Diego event sites looking for stuff to do.  Planning our menu.  Getting the house ready.  Adding to Blake's "to do" list.  Washing beach towels.

Saw Hangover 2 last night.  I really enjoyed it, although, most people are saying it's not as good as the first.  NOTHING IS, PEOPLE.  Can anyone name a sequel that was better than the first?  I mean, except for Breakin' 2:  Electric Boogaloo?  Let's keep perspective here.

We're making The Summer List this weekend.  Never done one before.  Are you familiar?  Seen lots of bloggies do it over the years......you take a poster board and write all sorts of plans for the summer.  Kids contribute.  Can't wait to see what our knuckleheads come up with. 

OK, I'm off to the market before 2 rounds of carpool.  Enjoy the sun, friends!  Happy Memorial Day.

Thanksgiving Prep 2010

Thanksgiving is going to be big this year. Big.

Sweet Caroline is flying in to spend the week with us. Our California family will join us for our big meal, which will actually grow a bit this year, as I add a new dish, sweet potato casserole. We had a special request. Anyone have a good recipe?

Already on the menu:

turkey
stuffing (Pioneer Woman's)
lima beans (my grandmother's recipe)
peas
mashed potatoes
green bean casserole (old school version)
broccoli/rice casserole (Blake's mom's recipe)
obligatory cranberry sauce (left in its canned shape, for added beauty)
rolls

Damn. I better add a few days to my walking routine.

Tonight, we're watching one of our favorite movies. If you have not seen it, you must. Robert Downey Jr, Holly Hunter, etc.

After 3 days of bugging me, I finally sat down with the children to make our "Thank You turkey". And, before any of you start asking me to make a turkey for you.....because you're in awe of this beauty......save it. I'm way too busy.

Jack requested wheels on it this year. "To wook yike a train!"

Behold the turkey. We'll add a feather, per kid, each day until Thanksgiving. They'll include something they're grateful for. It's going to be a challenge for Jack to come up with some variety.


Planning to attend the 64th annual Mother Goose Parade this year in San Diego. Looks like good old fashioned dorky family fun.

I stole this fruit and vegetable turkey from Kelley. So awesome. Caroline will help us create this guy before our feast.


Seems like I'm forgetting something else.....time will tell.

Some other, less fabulous, Thanksgiving crafts:

Kaboose

Family Fun


Hope yall had a good weekend. Ours was pretty uneventful. Beach, a little shopping, two movies and time at home with the fam.

Back soon!

My Life As A Mother And A Detail About Me You May Not Know

I always planned on having children, but not at the time it first happened. Blake and I were not even married. Did you know that? We were head-over-heels, can't-breathe-without you in love with each other......and were dreamily planning one day to get married.

We were young.

And, naive.

And, unprepared. Financially, emotionally, and mentally.

But, God brought us Carter......this precious, little child......who started our family. Part of the reason we waited 5 years to have a second child was because we were catching up. We built our savings account and then built a house. Our careers were still blooming and although I stayed home with Carter initially, I went back to work when he was close to a year old in order to help us further establish our finances.

We worked tirelessly those first couple of years......for months, paying bills with our paychecks, leaving $100 in our checking account and then moving every other dime to savings. We lived on $100 for two weeks until we got paid again. I still wonder how we did it sometimes.

But, we were determined to create some stability for this new baby and we were successful. Sacrificing a lot. For the sake of our family. It's not a noble act. It's an expected one when you become a parent.

So, I jumped into motherhood. I read books. I scoured the internet. I wrote on message boards every chance I got trying to prepare. I still do those things. And, will likely continue, as we continue to try to figure this whole parenting thing out.

A few random pictures from our journey thus far:

My football player.

My less-than-ladylike pretending-to-vomit daughter.

A typical family picture.

Pa......such a very important part of our lives since he's the lone grandfather.
Lainey practicing with her babies. I know she watches me. Because one day she might be a mother, too. I hope I am setting a good example.

I'm a mommy to a feline, too. Who follows me around the house because I think I'm the only one he's not entirely afraid of. So, I keep some extra love stored up for my Batman.

The punks. Interesting as always.

Skiing with Jack at age 2 in the Rocky Mountains. He was scared, so we didn't push him. Glad he likes it now.

Coco.....one of my dearest friends......and one I know because of motherhood. She keeps me grounded. And, laughing.

When I became a mother, my sister became an aunt. And, she's been my shadow through this journey thus far and I can't imagine doing this gig without her. I rarely make a parenting move without consulting her first.

And, she's really good at tolerating the meltdowns.

We're not always the tamest group.

And, I like to keep my babies close to me. Hence, the Ergo carrier.

Coco says I have to stop carrying Jack in it. Good thing I can tune her out at times.

What's so wrong with this?

My first girl. And, probably last. What a blessing she is. And, a peak into a whole new world.

Punkin Jack.

Lainey's first birthday party. Another new thing for us.....celebrations for girls. Lots of pink.

Something else we're getting accustomed to. High maintenance Lainey Bug.

This man.....this gorgeous man.....has been with me every step of the way of this 10 year journey thus far. Putting baby gear together. Tolerating my desire for newer or better baby gear. Listening to me constantly trying to plan the perfect family vacation. Going on those vacations and showing up at the museums rather than what may have been on his ideal agenda. Holding my hand. Protecting my heart.

He's not always graceful. But, he's always here.

And, I adore him.

So, while I'm building my 3rd train track of the day, I'll thank God for these precious 3 punks that keep me so busy.


That keep me in tears.

That continue to inspire me to do better.

And, to all the "mothers" in my life......thank you for your inspiration and tireless efforts to help me become a better mom. I'm a work in progress, no doubt!!!

Easter Recap And Photo Editing

Morning, everyone!

Let's start with everyone's reaction to my most recent post. Sorry to have entered into the bathroom talk realm, but it seemed entirely too interesting to keep to myself. And, I forgot to include what sparked the idea for the "Proof Our Kids Are Weird" subject in the first place. I was tucking Jack in to bed and realized that it was the night before Easter and I was singing "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" to him. No further explanation needed, I suppose. And, according to Caroline, we didn't need proof at all.

On to Easter......

Oh, first, I've been playing around on my new favorite site (thanks, Shannon), http://www.picnik.com/. It's filled with all sorts of fun features for photo editing. So, because I'm an amateur, please be patient. Our photos all look a bit different in this post because I'm trying out various options. And, I don't have time to go back and re-do them to my satisfaction. It's raining outside and the little punks need lots of attention.

We colored eggs on Saturday. I'm sure you can guess how this all went down, so feel free to skip through.



The weather was lovely, so we sat outside and saved our carpet.





If you don't have these clever little tools, buy some next season. If your child's name isn't Lainey, he or she will grab onto these and avoid dyed hands.

Is there an "Ugliest Egg" contest? We'd win for sure.

Afterwards, I put my treasured bunny planter back on the table. Blake loves it so much. Don't you?

Yes, it looks better with plants, but it's been snowing since November and I wasn't ready for the risk. All in good time, my friends.


Fast forward to Easter morning.

Notice the "short" pjs. I won.

And, would you look at that?! For the 6th year in a row, that crazy Easter Bunny broke into our refrigerator, stole the carrots and accidentally left some in plain view during his escape. The kids were fascinated.

And, then Lainey was worried he would be hungry later in the day because he didn't finish all of them. Our sweet baby Laine.

Looks like he got a few bites!


We took a walk later that day at Antioch Park.

Some girl at work made fun of Blake for his pink polo, so he refuses to wear it there now. Only on Easter do we get to see this pretty little gem.

Anyone want to make bets on how far the little ones will make it if we let them follow Carter?

Our punks. I love these goofballs.

See the difference? Remember, photo editing.



Lots of fun little houses for the kids to cruise around in.





And, bubbles!!!!!! No one choked this time.



The fam. Will life be boring one day when all 3 kids smile and do their best to not look miserable?

And, this is what it looks like when we leave.


Despite the cries, life is good! Happy Spring to all of you.