One Plus One Equals

A Shaved Muppet is a Happy Muppet!

2012-01-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

Stella was happy to have her brother home, too.. I think she was getting a little worried....

Progress

2012-01-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

So.. I wasn't seeing much progress, which really puts a squash on any kind of motivation. Took some more pictures, layered them, and...........................

progress.

What'd YOU do today?

2012-01-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

Oh, me? I just cut a hole in my house and installed a big dog door. Yah, I know it looks professional. I also built a little deck on the other side for the short dog. No big thing.

December In a Snapshot { picture heavy! }

2012-01-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to do this each month.... This is our December in pictures. Some you've seen, some I was too lazy to put up before now.. Side note, ordered Rae some new glasses with thin frames and NO TINT. Drives her mama crazy that either the frame is blocking her eye, or she is looking a bit Elton John with her constant sunglasses. I miss seeing my baby's face.

Growing

2012-01-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

Coming from a long line of super handy do-it-yourself folks, I'm a handy girl with a do-it-yourself attitude that I've been stiffeling for the last fifteen years, for some unknown reason. Whenever a "handy" project would come up I'd leave it to someone else. Why? I'd always end up slightly frustrated because the project didn't get done in the method/time frame/quality/etc that I would have done it. Something has come over me lately and that is all starting to change. I have the damn skills and knowledge to get this sh*t done, I don't need anyone to do it for me.

Three days ago I shopped for the perfect trim & the worlds cheapest miter box and cut, sanded, primed, painted, sealed, assembled, liquid nailed, spackled, and touched up the most fantastic big black frame for the builders quality mirror glued to the wall in the downstairs bathroom.

The day before yesterday I completely disassembled the toilet and cleaned out all the nooks and crannies before I painted the balance of the bathroom rather than just having the one bold wall as originally intended. Yes, it's a crazy bold color that won't go well for a re-sale, but we're here for at least another five years so I don't give a hoot. I also painted and sealed all of the trim a deep black after sanding down all the flaking paint from the cheap and unsealed white the builder used.

Yesterday I stripped, sanded, stained, stained, stained, stained, varnished, varnished again, and reassembled the cabinet under the sink. It's a black stain and looks rustic black in person, but it looks dark brown in photos. Go figure. It looks fantastic with the blue and solid black trim in person, I promise!

Today I'm stealing my handy brother-in-law's compound miter saw and adding a framing trim all along the ceiling. The sad cheap plastic miter box that didn't have it's miter cuts go all the way to the bottom and kept pinching the saw and shredding my thin concave quarter round previously purchased somehow managed to get backed over with my car. Several times. It's a mystery as to how that happened. No worries, said brother in law assures me I'll be getting a long safety lecture on the use of said saw when I informed him that I didn't need him to do the project for me. Handy as my lineage is, it's also short more than a few fingers.

And who knows what will happen tomorrow. Re-finishing that counter top? Laying some new flooring? There's got to be a stain for that....
Re-claiming my handy heritage, one random unnecessary house project at a time.

Then and Now

2012-01-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

Well... I can definitely feel and see a difference, but it really doesn't show in pics. This is November 18th and today, January 2nd. It's good for me to see this, there is really no change in the pic as far as I can tell, so I need to seriously UP my arm routines. In a month and a half there should be more change. Still tiny guns, ( but they sure do feel quite a bit more firm!)

The Squeaky Gift

2012-01-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Were it not for her shedding, Squeaker may very well be the worlds most perfect cat. She really only likes the family, but there's not an aggressive bone in her body. The kids can manhandle her and she does nothing about it, but she will vacate the area when she's done with them. She tolerates the dogs until she doesn't,and then it's a well timed puff and hiss to get them under control. She sleeps on my feet and knows better than to get near the head of the bed at any time. She uses the auto litter box in the garage that Matt has rigged into a contraption of such magnificence that I only need to deal with poo issues once a month or less. She reminds me to fill the dog/cat water bowl by hunting me down and squeaking at me till it's full ( she is so aptly named, she literally does squeak and not meow.)She races me to the top of the stairs to demand a once daily belly scratch, aggressive rubbing please. She only comes down stairs if you've earned her time but when she does, she's just damn cute about it. She gifted us with her presence nearly every night since Christmas, and her chosen sleep spot made absolutely no sense but was the most adorable thing EVER, so I forgive her the pounds and pounds and pounds of cat hair she leaves all over my home.

I am NOT a cat person. But our Squeak is just my kind of kitty.

Merry and Bright

2011-12-25T00:16:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours!

Jolly And..

2011-12-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

My kids, especially Raegan, waffle back and forth on weather or not they think the Man in Red is a real personality, or just pretend. They question everything, and my response is usually something like " well what do YOU think?" and "well I was told that.." just so they can make the choice to believe in the magic or not, themselves. Last night we finally made the trip out to Eagle Crest to see the Jolly Red himself, and those two couldn't be more cute. Kael was all bashful quietness ( Kael... QUIET!) as he handed over his written and illustrated Christmas list, mumbling and blushing the whole time. Totally adorable. Raegan quietly walked up to take her turn, but refused to make eye contact when she was close and peeking out of the corner of her eye at Santa while fidgeting. Seriously. My kids. ( Santa was totally awesome, with a quiet voice and kind hands, keeping his eyes on the camera nearly the whole time as I clicked away trying to get some sort of picture. And I'll tell you right now, Santa seemed like the kind of guy who would take all those letters home and read them with a twinkle in his eye.It made me smile thinking of him reading Raegan's awesome letter about her present-worthy status. )

We got in the car afterwards to take the annual drive around looking at the light displays and Kael let us all know that Santa's beard wasn't real, it was a fake beard. After a round of discussion it was decided that maybe Santa had a knot in his beard hair, or he'd got soup all over it, and had had to cut it off? And he was probably embarassed about having to shave & was wearing a pretend beard so that no one would know, and we should probably not say anything so as to not hurt his feelings.

Now firmly on the "maybe he IS real" train of thought, nothing could have sealed the deal like our loop back through the light display on our way out.

A small herd of deer had decided on an evening snack among the light displays, many of them *right there* close to the road ( like, 5 feet away, maybe) not at all bothered by the cars driving by. My children's eyes got huge, their jaws dropped, and it was decided that Santa's Reindeer were just taking a munchy break to get their energy back for the long flight home after Santa had spoken with all of the kids. The deer combined with the sleigh parked in the corner ( to collect the donated canned goods) was all it took.

The Fat Man is real. So we're running with the magic this year....

A small peeve vent:

2011-12-22T16:56:00.000-08:00

This won't make much sense since I really don't post here often, so just go with it..
I've been eating right. I've been going to the gym. I've been working my arse off and I am crazy proud of myself for getting not only to my goal, but WAY past it in terms of weight. I've joined SO MANY fitness and motivational forums and websites, chatted and chatted again with trainers, etc.

The one thing they all say is " Give yourself an official goal! ( but make sure it's attainable)"

And to this I give the giant middle finger. That disclaimer? That "make sure it's attainable"? That right there is just an EXCUSE and permission to yourself to FAIL. To pussy foot around your responsibility to yourself to be the person you want to be, the person you deserve to be. A GOAL is something amazing and "perfect" to aim for. And I don't care WHO YOU ARE, if you want it and you CHANGE YOUR LIFE TO EARN IT then there isn't a goal out there that is unattainable. You pick yourself a GOAL.

It's the true finish line. It's the end of the journey from here to there. You don't make your goal something you're kind of sure you'll be able to do, what a puss move. If it's your GOAL, it's the end result you really WANT. It's not "go down two pant sizes" when in reality, you really need to go down five pant sizes. It isn't "lose twenty pounds" when you're seventy pounds overweight. When you set your GOAL, you pick what you REALLY want.

And THAT is what you aim for. And you don't stop working and working some more till you've gotten there. Don't aim for what will just pacify you. Aim for what will make you wake up each and every morning just ecstatic to be alive, proud of who you are and proud of how you take care of yourself. Aim to open your closet and know that no matter what you pick you'll be comfortable, with no need to suck in or camouflage. THAT is the goal. Not some pansy ass middle ground. Your goal should be amazing, not just satisfactory.

That is what makes it a GOAL.

Rant over. Also? I've set my goal, and I'm just stubborn enough to get there. Just you wait and see.

Snailing; just you wait, it'll be big.

2011-12-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

Good grief, these kids have a nerdy mother.

Kael Snippet

2011-12-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

Great big giant eyes, quivering lower lip...

"Mom? MOM!!??

*whispers*

I went poo...

but it DISAPPEARED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

fin

Busy Work

2011-12-11T23:12:00.000-08:00

I'm OBSESSED with long dangly earrings now that I'm sporting "boy hair".. whatcha' think?

My beautiful little elf

2011-12-09T22:32:00.000-08:00

My little Rae. If ever I need a reminder about what true goodness is, I look at my Rae. I am so amazingly lucky to have this beautiful soul as my daughter. If ever I need uplifted, my Rae is there. I'm sad that she feels that is her job, but I'm just humbled that she is so selfless and beautiful inside that she happily puts herself in that place.

Crafty Day

2011-12-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

Pom-Pom swags...

Smooches under the mistletoe...

colors everywhere...

It was a crafty day around here! And oh lordy look out, I finally got a GLUE GUN!! Pinterest, here I come!!

2011-12-01T22:10:00.001-08:00

I cut my hair. Said I would if I ever got back to a tiny weight, I looked damn hawt in my early 20's with crazy short hair, so I did it.
It looks just horrifyingly terrible. Also, not the best way to learn you need Rogaine. I don't want to talk about it.

Where's a great place to shop for hats?

Just one small step..

2011-12-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

Love this. Love. It's just one small step in the right direction... but think of how fast we could cross the finish line if we ALL took one step.

Random

2011-11-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

My beautiful sweet Rae was pretty excited to tell me about the book she was reading at school, and I fell in love with her all over again watching her little mouth lisp through the story. It happens a million times a day. This time I grabbed my camera.

Just a Record

2011-11-27T09:19:00.001-08:00

I think I have annoyed to the N'th degree just about everyone in cyber land with my SQUEEEE at my current weight loss success, so now I'm off to add the WWW of blogland to that list.

Luckily, no one reads here anymore without a Facebook link, lol!

So here's my bullet list of things I want to remember about being the skinny bit*h:

1: A new appreciation for squishy chairs. I have always been generous of bum, so to be 31 and for the first time actually *feel* my butt bones grinding against my hard dining chairs has been quite an experience. Is there a certain way y'all sit to make this less uncomfy? The hours I spend in class on those hard plastic chairs are killing me, I've taken to wearing a thick coat even if I don't need it just to sit on when I get there! ANd have stolen a couch pillow for my computer chair. It's sad.

2: Surprise again and again when I realize my thighs aren't touching. It's amazing. This has never happened in my memory, even in high school I was a 'rubber. Methinks it's because of the lack of muscle in that general area, but I'll take what I can!

3: I have the tiniest flappiest little boobies imaginable. At one point a 34DD, they are now.... Considerably smaller. CONSIDERABLY. Small downside. Small flappy wobbly downside. Meh.

4: The energy the energy the energy!! WOW!! Is this what healthier people feel like all the time??!!

5: Just seeing my pant size makes me feel good. Then putting them on and finding that they are maybe a wee bit baggy? Floating on air.

6: Clavicle.

7: Every morning I shower and head to my closet to get dressed. And it's not stressful. It's not a chore. I don't hate it, because everything in my closet will fit me. Nothing will have a bulge here that I have to suck in, or a lump there that I have to camouflage. That right there is the biggest secret high.

8: I'm no longer the biggest person at the gym. Being the fluffy girl among the fitness goddesses is hard.

9: Push-ups give me a weird sense of satisfaction. But I still hate them ( even as I do my daily set)

10: Underwire issues.. as in, the bras that fit my weenie teenie boobies are for much younger girls, I'm thinking, who don't have a nice wide rib cage from carrying babies. The result of that is a painful clavicle as the underwire on my pushed-to-the-middle itsy bitsy bras tends to dig in to the now considerably less fatty skin there. I'm thinking the girls this was designed for would have a narrower ribcage so the wires would be more rounded out in the middle and not dig. Either way, weird thing to all of a sudden deal with.

11: There's this crease? Under my bum cheeks? And I can feel it when I walk. Weird.

There is more. But this is what I've got for now.

'stache-a-palooza

2011-11-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

One feature of our family GTG this year........ the 'stache.

Random Kael

2011-11-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

We went to the coast, had an BLAST despite the horrible rental, and Anut Alyca & Uncle Ethan gave Kael a Geode to crush for treasure! The initial plan was to use a chisel to make a nice clean break, but we ended up just smashing it with the hammer. More fun and more productive! Thanks Aunt Alyca & Uncle Ethan, he loves it!

Ooh lookie!

2011-11-18T22:58:00.000-08:00

A wee tiny little gun.... Whoop!

Oh my goodness!

2011-11-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

My babies are growing up SO quickly!!!

CLEARLY the Largest RedNeck.

2011-11-04T23:07:00.001-07:00

I say we're going to the Monster Truck Rally for the kids; it'll be fun! They'll have a blast! But oh so clearly, it's all for me. Kael was done by the time intermission hit, but Rae was holding strong. Neither of us will have a voice tomorrow, lol! This show had motocross riders doing insane flips and tricks in the air, and I was done for. Good grief, I'm hooked. Gah. You know what they say; you can take the girl out of the backwoods po-dunk mud-boggin' country, but.................

..... what? Are my roots showing??!!

eta: Yes, we let Rae go without her glasses. There is so much dust flying around in that place, she'd have spent the whole time fighting to see through them.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

Kael got his Pirate duds from Grambonn and Raegan was the creator of her own costume this year... Her first not a princess. I LOVED them both! A million pictures of Kael because with that makeup on he didn't look like himself at ALL, and a million pictures of Raegan because she was just so pleased with herself over her kitty cat costume! Made a thrifty and calculated decision to skip buying the kids those stoooopid Halloween buckets and instead purchased the less expensive ( and double the size, lol) MOP buckets on sale! Total hit with the kids, they got to decorate them to their hearts content and they had a giant bucket to fill with candy tonight.. And oh did they fill it! My buddy Kari and I took the kids around down town, to the fire station for their festivities, and through a neighborhood or two before we went back home for some ( somewhat) healthy dinner ( hotdogs. And cheese. Half a banana... That's healthy, right?) while we waited for Matt to come home. Once dad got here, our little family went out around our local neighborhood and loaded up AGAIN with candy! Came home for a quick Skype with Grambonn before stuffing ourselves silly with candy before bed time. That's my Halloween rule... You want candy? You eat candy. You eat all the candy you can handle, then a few pieces more. Because after bed time all that candy will be in the garbage, there is no more candy consumed AFTER Halloween. It works for us, and limits the pounds of unhealthy junk we store in the house. A blast was had by all, a totally fun Halloween~!

WHOOPSIE doodle!

2011-10-31T19:56:00.001-07:00

Just realized I didn't put Raegan's seventh Birthday pictures up!!! I'm a total crap parent... For Raegan's 7th birthday what she got from me was......... Four teeth pulled. SORRY BABE! The good news is she thought it was totally awesome ( after she was done being scared and crying.... Crap mom crap mom crap mom....) and she also requested Mexican for dinner. Every time she ate a chip with her toothless mouth my stomach did a weird little burblflutter. ANYWAY, my wee sweet baby is SEVEN now. That's....... Clearly not toddler age. How the heck................

An Ode' to my Breakfast Pants

2011-10-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

An Ode' to my Breakfast Pants: though my thighs you may sausage and my bottom you pancake, I'll wear you with all that I've got. For though I am squeezed just as tight as you can make, my calfs touch but my thighs, they do not.

Oh, those CRAZY Merritt's

2011-10-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin carving always brings out the best in us, ha ha!

park

2011-10-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

For Discussion!

2011-10-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

So... If you have children, do they ever see you naked? Do you have rules about nudity in your home?

Discuss!! ( here, not on FB, lol!)

We Interrupt this Broadcast..

2011-10-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

of random and sporadic family posting to give myself a little bit of a shout out and pat on the back. Some narcissism, if you will.

I've worked my arse off for that. Gym time and SUPER careful with what I eat. I never never thought I'd see that number on a scale. The plan is to put a good 5 back on, but in muscle. I'll keep my pant size, thankyouverymuch.

Those are size four 7&7's I purchased nearly a year ago from E-Bay on accident. I couldn't button them at all, not even with a massive muffin top. Wasn't happening. I found them again today when cleaning out my closet and tossed them on just for fun. Then promptly passed out on the floor from shock, lol! To be fair, my sweet little belly pleating becomes a nice squishy curtain that sits on my lap with me when I sit down, but I'm thinking 5 babies will do that to a person and maybe I should just accept it and move on. There's something magical that happens in your head when you realize you have to put a belt on to wear your skinny pants. Anyway, yay me!

Birthhhhday Girl

2011-09-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

Today, Rae turned seven. I'm not sure how I ended up the Mama of a seven year old, but there you go. I love her to pieces and I wouldn't change one thing about her, she is the sunshine in my day. Happy birthday bug, Mama loves you.

Buddy Time

2011-09-13T12:57:00.001-07:00

I find myself in this unexpected happy place, spending a lot of one-on-one time with the little man. Reminds me why I love being a mama.

Grown Up Baby.

2011-09-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

My little one has a different face, now. She's still a goofball, though.

Always cool...

2011-09-11T09:41:00.001-07:00

Ten Years

2011-09-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

I was literally driving over the Border in to Canada to close on some Real Estate, an appointment I couldn't miss. Frantically, I called my step mother who was near a TV, but she blew it off as not a big deal. Was listening to live talk radio based in NYC and KNEW it WAS a big deal. Heard the whole event first hand as they saw what was happening, but was trapped in my car, no answers to be had. I listened as the radio broadcasters yelled, as the gabled "it's down, it's down!!" was repeated over and over, with the bleeting of these weird alarms in the background. I later learned these were personal firefighter alarms, pulled when a firefighter was "down". Just listened, with no idea what the heck was going on, everyone was just reacting and not really reporting. Finally made it to my ferry to Nanaimo in BC and was able to locate a TV for the first time.

Canadian coverage isn't at all like the version shown here.

I didn't get home that day till after Midnight. The border wasn't closed yet but each and every car was inspected and everyone was considered a threat. We had no TV in our home at the time. It wasn't till two days later when I went in to work and they had the big screen tuned to the news that I saw what had been screaming in my head, those early unedited videos of the buildings and the heroes running in while the terror poured out. It was an awe inspiring, intensely horrible event.

You can ask anyone on the street, heck I'll bet you ask anyone in the 1st world, and they can tell you just exactly where they were when the pompous America was brought to it's knees that day. I know I'll never forget. The horror and the fear. But there was also something... else. In the weeks and months that followed that terrible day, we were all pulled together by how awful it was. How unexpected. I've never felt that kind of brotherhood with my fellow Americans before, united in fear and anger. Yah, I'll never forget.

As of September, 2011

2011-09-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

We're heading to Great Wolf Lodge in a few weeks as a grand finale for when my first surro family comes to visit, and out of curiosity I wanted to see how tall the kids were now, to see if they could ride the big ride. Not quite big enough, but it was interesting to see the plain facts about my munchkins. Was surprised to see Rae in such a low percentile for her height, she's average to tall compared to the kids in her class. Then my head popped off when I saw that the statistics put Kael as overweight. Bullshit. What a crap calculator. That kid has not an ounce of fat on his body.

Music on the Green

2011-09-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

The last one of the season! The kids had a blast with the hula dancing and even ran into some school friends and their cousins!

Rae: First Day of First Grade

2011-09-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a very big day in our home. It was Raegans first day of first grade, the first day she'd be away from us ALL DAY. The first of many and a happy but sad day for Mom. I missed her. It was just one more step away from me. I was bummed when the pics I took turned out to be a little too bright, you can't really see all the details, they're fuzzy.

Showing off her Big Kid backpack

Reassuring Mama and herself that she'll be fine.

But then I realized, they're perfect. My beautiful, talented, sensitive little Rae is growing up, and now she's growing away from me. I don't get to see all the little details any more, just what she shares. Bitter sweet.

And now she's gone.

First Grade: As Raegan sees it.

Q: SO! First grade. The first day of school outfit is really important. What did you chose and why?
A: Okay. They're purple and my shirt is a kind of dress-ish and it's purple and it has a belt and it has hearts and one part of it says love and I have some black pants and I wear pink socks and I have pink and black shoes. And I have a pink backpack. I picked it cuz it's the first day of school.

Q: What did you think when we walked on to that playground with all of those other kids?
A: I was kind of nervous. Cuz there was a lot of people there but when I came right in to school almost everyone in the class was wanting to be my friend!

Q: What do you think about your teacher?
A: I like her, she's a good teacher and tomorrow we're going to do a big art project with the glue sticks so she said we have to make dots of glue to practice!

Q: Were there any kids that you knew in your new class?
A: Only two, that bad Taylor and Ethan.

Q: What are three things that you learned today?
A: Um.. we didn't learn anything on the first day of school but we read books, lots of them. We, Um, read books, we sang songs, and we drawed a picture of what we saw.

Q: What was your most favorite part of the day?
A: Of the day? I liked doing everything with my teacher. That's the fun part about it.

Q: Did you like your lunch?
A: YES! And I liked how you made it. The marshmallows in the peanut butter and I liked the drink but it kind of got gross, the ice melted and then it made water and then after that it got rotten and I liked the granola bar and I liked the banana and apples. They're good. And we have two tables because we have a lot of kids.

Q: Who did you sit with at lunch?
A: I sat with a girl and she had curly hair and she had a flower in her hair. She was nice but she kept pinching me when she got in line, which I didn't like. But then two girls became my friends! Two big kids they're in my class, and two little kids, they're each sisters. One part of my friend that he they and he ended with the same letters, "gan", that was the same part. That was so cool, we became friends very quickly, right when me met. He was a nice friend. Oh and that guy, when he saw I had a cut, he told me how to get rid of it. Do you know what he said how to get rid of it? You can't mess with it and don't move that hand, and after two days it'll feel better.

Q: Did you think the day was really long?
A: It were long. I liked it. But it was very long.

Q: Did you miss me?
A: Um, well, we had fun AND I missed you.

One day down, a million to go!

My big happy FIRST grader. She had a blast!

Warm Springs Fire

2011-09-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

On the way to the zoo the other day we drove past Warm Springs, where there are some big seasonal fires. The highway was closed the day before because they were right on the road, so it was pretty dang awe inspiring to drive by. The pics are crap, I took them while we were driving, but we were all agog at how huge this thing is!

Doodle

2011-08-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Big things are coming, and they kind of make me cry.... here's a bit of one.

House Rock Camping Shenanigans

2011-08-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Goodness was that fun. And miserable. But mostly fun. Between our extremely redneck Grateful Dead blasting mountain of pot smoking camp neighbors, a teeth chattering cold night, and a primitive outhouse with flies more than happy to investigate the source ( ahem) we have decide that we're just not camping folk. We're day campers... show up early, spend all day there, campfire dinner & S'Mores, night time scary stories, then pop the kids in the car for a bedtime video while the adults have an hour of adult campfire time... and drive home. No need to actually sleep there. Tent camping = not our thing. That said, we love this area. The river is just perfect for play, there is SO much to explore and collect. It's only an hour and a half from home, which is just about perfect; far enough away that it's a treat, close enough that it's not a big deal. Of course we brought along the Bestie and her son, who just made the whole thing that much more fun. We got some fire safety packets from the camp host, which made a perfect pre-bedtime wind down activity for the kids, while the big kids sat in our camp chairs and snickered at the mountains of pot smoke blowing over from our neighbors. Learned that Stellla is quite the priss... doesn't like getting wet or dirty, but really wants to show up her big brother so tags along on all adventures. She was actually a lot of fun to have around, and she absolutely helped in warming Kael and I that night... oh yah. Some time in the middle of the bitter biting cold night Kael Popsicled up and climbed into my little sleeping bag with me. Stella abandoned Matt right about the same time and also climbed in. One adult, one giant kid, and one squishy dog all in the same two foot by five foot cotton sandwich. It was awesome. Oh yah, Boston's fart a lot. Also: Put a man in a river and he'll build a dam, every time. Hand a boy a stick, it's always a sword. Two boys? Sword fight. Every time. A small girl with a stick in a stream is actually a world famous artist with her paintbrush. Sometimes if you're careful, you'll catch an angel sun dancing in her morning PJ's. And a bunch of book worm nerds at home will still be book worm nerds when camping.
The end.

Fam-Damily

2011-08-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic visit from some amazing cousins that we just never see the other day. We're lazy and their mama is definitely NOT, so a plan was made and out we went! First to the Peterson Rock Garden to chase a few pollywogs and snakes, and then to the Lava River Caves outside of Bend. It's a long freezing cold walk in a deep dark hole. Can't say much else, lol! I only saw what my flashlight pinpointed and the focus was on improving depth perception and not falling on my face, nor allowing my kids to do so either and less on anything else. Of note, the water drips look like wet mud on the walls, but it's not mud. Stalagmite or something. I'm sure Google will fill me in soon. I noticed that, and that my Chacos weren't the best choice for footage in the 40 degree caves. That's it. I'm not much of a font of information on this one. Dark. Crap footing. Random holes that magically appear right in front of you. Little girls that think a dark cave is the perfect place to howl over and over and over and over again. Also, no matter what their age, boys will climb on random rocks and be king. Maybe just for a second while they think no one is looking. But they ALL do it. The End.

Towards the end of the cave the ceiling got decently low, and I was done. Deep long dark hole with only a flashlight? Um, Okay. Crawling through a deep long dark hole with only a flashlight and, like, cave walls pressing in on you? Not so much. Matt and the others in the group went the last tiny bit to the end and I stood in the dark and fiddled with my non-working phone trying not to freak out. Then we froze up stiff and walked back. Yah. Cave hiking.

Actually, while the cave hike really wasn't my cup of tea, it was a total blast getting to spend some time with this branch of our family. There was a lot of chat among the adults because really, what else is there to do in the pitch dark with only that spot of light in front of your feet to keep you from going stark raving bonkers? Raegan and her cousin, who are very close in age, were instant best buddies. They have perfectly complimentary personalities. And the older and younger cousins that we played with were just a pile of fun. SO glad we had this chance to visit!

Random Park

2011-08-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

Out of the blue decided to go to the big park in Bend, which is always a treat for the kids. LOTS of running around and giggling! They are *usually* really well behaved here, so it's a lot of fun for us all.

Splash Park

2011-08-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

So easy to have fun with these two! Even "late" in the evening, when the wind is blowing and it wouldn't be considered warm if you were wet, these two have a BLAST at the splash park!

Fair Parade

2011-08-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

More for the candy than the floats this time, no matter what the occasion my kids are always SUPER thrilled to get to see a parade!

On The River

2011-08-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Deschutes County Fair

2011-08-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

The Fair... This year was the most fun, again, because the kids are old enough to deal with the hot or thirsty or time consuming stuff without the full out temper tantrums of years past. We went in the late afternoon for a change, which made it surprisingly nice and cool. It was ton of fun.... but I'm not sure as to whether or not we'll be back. Gate prices are INSANE and I'm having a hard time justifying that kind of money just to walk in the door, not when rides are so crazy expensive as is the food ( seriously, that ferris wheel was $4 PER PERSON. For 6-7 minutes. crazypants expensive. ) The kids ended up going on two rides each, their choice, and we did the one family ride on the ferris wheel. They got to choose one souvenir ( umbrella for Rae and blow up mace for Kael) and one dessert ( icecream and cotton candy, of course. ) We also had dinner there ( two burgers for the boys and a shared teriyaki chicken bowl for Rae and I.) Grand total for the whole trip? $101. Duuude. I hate being a cheap arse, but that is just a bit much for me to swallow. That's like 5 trips to the BIG pool! WITH GAS! It's entrance & snack for the family at the Portland zoo! It's 20 coffee house coffees, WITH TIP! ( it's an hour of tattoo time!)

We'll have to go at least one more time, though, because as we were walking out Raegan read the word RODEO and asked what that was. My child. Living in the heart of ranch country. Not knowing what a rodeo was. The shame, it is immense.

The pics are in reverse order, thankyouverymuch PhotoBucket.

House Rock: Matt Cam

2011-07-28T12:18:00.001-07:00

In reverse order....

Brave Kael in the COLD water!

2011-07-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

First jump..

and the last one.

House Rock Shenanigans

2011-07-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

We took a trip out to nature today and made the nearly two hour drive up to House Rock State Park this morning. Arriving, we were totally bummed to learn that some giant storm or natural disaster of some sort completely destroyed the whole area about a year ago, taking out the bridge and downing giant trees trees up and down the path to the waterfall. Of course, that didn't stop us! Matt trekked through the bush to find a way to the path and we hiked through the forest till we reached the waterfall at the end. A waterfall that is MUCH changed from when we last visited it two years ago! Downed trees have shifted giant boulders and the waterfall at the peak is almost unrecognizable, it's so angry and full. We didn't spend much time at the top as the downed trees and boulders have made some pockets of water that clearly have something dead rotting away in them, so we hiked back down and spent the rest of the afternoon contributing to the booming rock tower population and soaking up some sun. It was an awesome day, I just wish it weren't so far from home!
** eta** So apparently the bridge was removed because of rot damage? Which seems weird as it was this huge sturdy thing when we were there two years ago... Speaking of time passing... My kids.Aren't they amazingly huge?? It was a mind boggling day, it seems like our last visit was just yesterday but it was actually 2 years ago.. and the change was intense! Two big kids, able to follow directions and act ( somewhat) safely, scramble over rocks and trees all by themselves, cannonball in to the river and play in the waterfall with no help from me. I mean, the last time we came Kael was just over TWO!! And even with a clear path it was quite a child containment nightmare. I love babies. I really do. But yesterday was just a magical day of really truly appreciating my big kids for being just who they are. Bonus, there was a lot of unprompted hand holding as the two littles helped each other over under around and through the forest. Mama just melted a million times.

Haystack Reservoire

2011-07-24T21:18:00.001-07:00

Princess, In a Dress, In front of a Castle, Beside Tree.

2011-07-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

Raegan is so dang talented!!

Again with the Splash Park!

2011-07-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

What can I say? It's free and the kids LOVE it. We're here pretty much every day! SO glad my tiny town finally added one of these to our city, it should be a requirement for all desert homesteads!

Music On The Green

2011-06-29T20:52:00.001-07:00

Goodness, why haven't we done this before? Every week in the summer there is a fantastic music festival at a local park, and tonight was the first time we've attended. The kids had a blast and Matt and I are reorganizing the budget to fit in some rock climbing lessons for them. Such fun!!

Ooh, GOOD boy!!

2011-06-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

Kid gets a huge reward. No one asked him to, he just started doing chores.

Today: Splash Park

2011-06-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

My wee little socialite has no problems with big crowds of kids, she just wades in and either finds a new best friend or happily plays by herself.

Kael, on the other hand, is decently shy. He either followed Raegan or sat by me.

My poor sun sensitive little man. TOO BRIGHT!! all the time for him, so he doesn't get to enjoy the outside fun as much as he could. If he didn't toss off sunglasses within minutes of putting them on I'd just keep a stash for him. And I can't get him to keep a hat on either. Add to that a water sensitivity and he spent a good portion of today with his eyes closed.

It's no wonder he had more than a few collisions today with the big kids..............

For Alyca: The Top Half

2011-06-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

See? Peacock!
( Got a giant journey tattoo last Friday.... Well, got parts of it anyway! Most of the outline done, just a few additions I'm going to make and then...... ON to color!!! I am so so so excited to get this piece finished! )

Beach Trip, Day Two

2011-06-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Rae was less than thrilled, she'd rather look than touch.

MOUNTAINS of muscles on the beach this time, many if not most of them whole and alive. Totally weird

The kids were agog over the bright colors in the muscle shells.

This little guy was just taking a snooze on that rock, right by us. When the tide is all the way out people can clamber over to that rock, which just shows how bold these guys are getting! Later in the day Rae was collecting water from the surf to make sand castles with and a seal swam by RIGHT in front of her. Seriously, maybe 10 feet away just cruising along the coast line.

Dragging long strips of kelp around became a favorite activity, Kael thought the weed flapping in the wind was just the "funniest thing ever ever!"

Snails. Everywhere.

This fantastic little grotto that I scaled the cliffs to go explore.

Rock sliding. Natures playground.

He was having a very candid and philosophical conversation about how magic his body is in that if he has to go potty, most of the time he can just hold it for a while and he doesn't need to go anymore and isn't that pretty cool of him. Rockstar pee holder.

My little reward at the end of the day...

These tide pools at Seal Rock are just plain awesome. The kids have SUCH a blast poking and prodding all the wildlife and exploring the world around them. It's pretty dang awesome seeing your kids sponge up all that natural goodness. Stella stayed home for this beach because it's a challenge keeping my two from going head first into the water what with all the rock jumping and boulder scrambling, and I wanted hands ready to patch on a bandage or bone splint should the need occur.

Oregon Coast Vacation, Day ONE

2011-06-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

No matter how ugly the weather, the kids are in the water. It was NOT fun outside but within minutes of climbing out of the car after our long drive everyone was covered in sand and the majority of us were soaking wet.. Just as it should be! The kids were fantastic in the car, and it's a long boring twisty turny drive so that's saying something. We were worried about bringing the pups because they tend to antagonize each other and whine in their crates a lot.. but not a peep was heard. It was probably the nicest drive with kids I've taken.
Kari and I were pretty bummed, yet again we got crap weather for our "summer" vacation, but by the end of the day it just didn't matter, we had a blast anyway! WILL be checking the Farmers Almanac next year, we have the worst luck! But it wasn't actively raining the whole time, so I'll take that as a victory.

In No Particular Order

2011-06-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Unexpectedly, kind of, Raegan had three teeth pulled this afternoon . We went in for a regular checkup for her molars, discussed her wonky teeth and the weirdness with their wiggle, and left three teeth short of when we arrived . Raegan on laughing gas is a riot, I'll just say that right now . Also, she didn't really feel anything, but she did notice the momentary wrenching on her head and got a bit scared . As soon as she was able to sit up and was out from under the gas mask, she was fine . She's been weird smiling ever since .

Iceberg

2011-06-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

Big giant blog post brewing.. I've got literally eighteen hundred pictures from our annual beach trip, Raegan graduated from Kindergarten, Kael had his last day of preschool, and Raegan just had three teeth pulled. LOTS to talk about. Later. Off to cuddle my babies...

The Big Five

2011-06-10T01:14:00.000-07:00

Kael turned FIVE yesterday! It's somewhat surreal, that my littlest man was born five full years ago... It really does seem like just yesterday. He's outgrown a lot of his baby, and left me with a big boy. It'll take some getting used to.. don't make a habit of that, young man!

Mad Daddy Skillz

2011-06-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

A day in the rain with a screw driver. The kids are THRILLED, and I'm wearing my happy smile. They've been begging for a swing set for years, and we just now have room to accommodate them. Thanks Matt! We love it!!! Now for the hard part.... what color to paint it?

~shock~

2011-06-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

12 weeks, and I haven't killed them yet. It's amazing.

Papaeye

2011-05-31T19:35:00.001-07:00

How crazy is this BOY??!!. Requested, received and actually ATE a bowl of cooked spinach greens for dinner tonight. Wants to get big Popeye muscles like Papa.

This is what Raegan and I opted for.... My own version of Swedish Meatballs. OMG worth the calories, but that boy sure is showing me up on restraint at the moment, so I may opt for a bowl of the green stuff myself tomorrow. Tonight.... Seconds please!

Kael's Handiwork

2011-05-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

Five minutes, deathly quiet. That's a platform captain's bed, by the way. Weighs considerably more than I do, empty.

*eta: That's the platform the mattress rests on. You can see the empty drawer holes there in front. You can see the bookshelf headboard leaning against the back wall. Basically, he destroyed his room and heaved around super heavy furniture, all with ninja like stealth.

Something Beautiful

2011-05-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

Kael's class visited the Peterson Rock Gardens today... and he is today's Something Beautiful

Kid Pics

2011-05-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

Our weenie little apple trees are LOVING this spring weather, and the little one in the back yard that didn't have a single bloom last year has burst into color.

Pic by Raegan

Jumpin' in the Rain

2011-05-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Moms Day, Indeed

2011-05-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

Rae has no school tomorrow so I was treated with this today.... AWWWWWW!!!!

Give a Dog a Bone

2011-05-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

I'm working my tushy off at my new jewelry shop, BangleSnaps, getting last minute Mothers Day creations together. Go! Check out what I've got!! Like the page!!

Pool Time

2011-04-30T21:13:00.000-07:00

Spent the morning visiting with Papa and playing in the pool.. FUN!!

Easter Bash 2011

2011-04-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

Something Beautiful

2011-04-24T15:42:00.001-07:00

Something Beautiful

2011-04-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

Proof of Spring. This year we're going to attempt a wee bit of a garden, and my sugar snap peas are eager to begin. Their brussels sprouts friends are slightly less eager, and I think perhaps the carrots and onions may have been happier starting outside... we'll see!

We planted these seeds 6 days ago.

Bangle Snaps

2011-04-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

Would you, could you, in the sun? Would you, could you, on the run?

Just felt like throwing a rhyme out there. Your welcome.

Messin' whith those dang beads again! This one was a custom request, a ten inch ankle bracelet in a dainty size. The gal ordering will be a blushing bride at the end of this summer and is going sans jewelry/straps the whole warm season to avoid tan lines, but wanted something she could wear that would be minimally noticeable should she get a white stripe. I love it, it's simple and turned out well! What do you think? Does this look like something you'd ever purchase to wear this summer? ( and if you've got a second, go check out my Bangle Snaps link on the right. It's a facebook page and not only am I a glutton for "likes" on the page, I'd really love some feedback ( good AND bad!) on the other things I've crafted!)

Something Beautiful

2011-04-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

Stinky Eggy Goodness... and the blessing of children who won't touch them, leaving that much more for MEEEEEE!!!

Tea Time

2011-04-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Had my final Spring Tea on Thursday, and it was more than a little bitter sweet. The singing and the cuteness left me a wee bit blubbery. My littles are getting big.

Something Beautiful

2011-04-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

Super Raegan ( also, how sad is that yard. Pathetic. Much intense dog poo guidance and grass fertilizing to happen soon)

Something Beautiful

2011-04-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

Craft time

Something Beautiful

2011-04-08T18:51:00.000-07:00

my ZUMBA baby. No one can encourage me like this little lady can, she LOVES to dance and she'd ZUMBA with me all day.

Something Beautiful

2011-04-06T16:33:00.000-07:00

Many days, many many days, this cuppa' Joe is literally the only thing that keeps me sane. All of Central Oregon should be thankful for that, my bitchiness can spread like the plague.

Something Beautiful

2011-04-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Beads, beads and more beads! Every now and then I'll create something that just makes me happy. This is one of those things.

My Toof Fell Out!

2011-04-04T23:02:00.001-07:00

Something Beautiful

2011-04-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

A box of possibilities. We go through crayons like water in this house, Raegan draws and colors so much. Right around August when all the stores are gearing up for the new school year I go in and load up, buying box after box of the bright stuff so that my wee little artist will have fresh supplies when she needs them.

Growing Up, Dang it.

2011-04-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

That first little baby tooth came out tonight. It's been getting more and more wiggly, and by this afternoon the thing was just dangling in there. Then tonight, as I was tucking her in, she was just messing with it and all of a sudden she gasped... her tooth in her fingers and an incredulous smile on her face. It was awesome. We've hidden her tooth under her pillow in a special satin bag, and the toothfairy has strict instructions to stop at the store on [his] way back from work to pick up a tooth balloon...... One step away. The tooth that fills that hole will be an "adult" tooth, and that just doesn't seem right.

Flyin' Babies

2011-04-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

The last day of class is always the best day of class...

Something Beautiful

2011-03-29T13:36:00.001-07:00

Baby girl Stella happily being submissive with Matt.

Something Beautiful

2011-03-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Daddy and the little Empress cuddling before bedtime.

Something Beautiful

2011-03-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

I've challenged myself ( and everyone who follows me on facebook.. which you should totally do....) to take a second to really notice something beautiful every day. Today, it was Kael and Muppet playing cars together. Gawd, Muppet really is the *perfect* kids dog. SO patient and kind. Yah, he can be overwhelming during outside play just because he's so big, but these kids could do whatever they want to him and he'll just take it. He snoozed while Kael zoomed cars up and down his body, sat patiently as Kael put his paws on car after car & pushed them around with his feet, and was just as interested in the results of the great body racetrack as Kael was. Today, that is my something beautiful: my big man Muppet, and how much he loves my kids.

The Boy's Favorite Fruit

2011-03-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

The bigger the better, no package of strawberries lasts past the afternoon if Kael knows where they're stored.

How Kael Watches A "Scary" Movie

2011-03-13T14:35:00.000-07:00

"Little Monsters". They love it! But it also scares the bejesus out of them.

A fresh start

2011-03-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

I'm getting kind of nervous/whatever about the upcoming surgery, and have been taking it out on my hair, lol! Got a total of 10 inches chopped off over three different cuts, and finally tossed a pile of color in to it this morning. Loving it!! It's step number TWO to a new me! ( step number one was that danged gym membership.... still going!)

Also? My kids are crazy cute.

2011-03-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

2011-02-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2011-02-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

We have a loose tooth. I repeat, we HAVE a LOOSE TOOTH.

Raegan can't stop giggling.

We are on high alert, keep an eye out for a LOSS reported within the next week or two. Or less if Kael decides to help....

I can NOT believe I have children old enough to lose their first teeth. I REMEMBER being that old. Not possible that my own wee little baby bumpkins are of an age that I actually remember being, myself.

New Coat

2011-02-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

Better than the smell of fresh rain on dirt

2011-02-05T22:31:00.001-08:00

Riding. Matt has a co-worker who trains and sells horses when she isn't fielding complaint calls, and she has invited is out several times to learn on her projects. Jasmine, this lovely four legged gal, is an absolute sweetheart and has been fantastic at introducing my kiddos to the magical world of horses. Now, I've got no clue what their instructor is teaching as I've never ridden "fancy", but rather am used to good ol' work horses.. but Raegan couldn't be more in her element. She listens to instruction carefully and promptly does all she's told in order to ride the proper way.. It's just awesome. Kael is still a bit twitchy, so he doesn't last long on the ground or on horse back, but we all have an awesome time visiting.

Loud & Rowdy: Monster X show

2011-02-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

They had a BLAST. We'll definitely be doing this again when it comes through town. But Loud. OMG, Was it loud. We were warned, but the little ear plugs we brought just didn't cut it, we ended up buying the nice ear mufflers at intermission. So now we have to go again, if only to justify that purchase, lol! My favorite part? The mud bogging. Not nearly as *wowza* as the leaping spinning monster trucks, but I could literally *feel* myself inside those trucks gunning and spinning for all I was worth to get through the pit, and leaving the arena jauntily in a thick coating of mud.