She's A Star!

The Wenatchee World published their annual publication of The Babies of 2007. It's fun to look at all the adorable babies and even more interesting to see the trends for names. Caitlyn won! I would love to tell you she was picked as a winner for her cuteness but in all actualty it was a randon drawing. (So they say, I will stick with cutest baby winner in my mind).

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

On Oprah today she had the great writer, Gavin De Becker talking about his book The Gift of Fear. This book has been around for 10 years now but it is so fascinating to me. The author speaks of that gut feeling everybody gets, and most ignore right before something tragic happens. I listened to each person share there story and I couldn't help but think of the count less calls I have received at work were they are telling me one thing and in the back on my mind I am thinking "this just isn't right". More times than not I have been right on with my instincts. Anyways, if you get a chance check out the book.

First....

Here is a fun little get-to-know-you quiz, enjoy!

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Steve Wallace
2. Do you still talk to your first love?
No, I am not sure where he even lives.
3.What was your first alcoholic drink?
Wine Coolers, YUCK!
4. What was your FIRST job?
I worked in the nursery at my church when I was like 12, but I got paid!
5. What was your FIRST car?
Dodge Omni
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
Eric
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
My kids, it was a little too quiet, I was worried.
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
My mom, I was home schooled.
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
Mexico
10.Sneaking out of your house for the FIRST time, who was it with?
I don't think I ever snuck out.
11. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
Tallee Orth, no I haven't spoke to her in years.
12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
Kelly Grays
13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Emilee, she snuck in to leave me a present on my end table.
14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
My sisters, I was the maid of honor.
15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Went out to the living room to see what the kids were up to.
16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Audio Adrenaline
17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
16 years old, the guy didn't ask for ID
18. FIRST time you were really upset?
Oh I am not sure, I am sure as a child I was upset all the time but I vividly remember being upset in junior high when I wasn't allowed to go to a dance.
19. When was your FIRST detention?
Middle school, I talked too much.
20. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Washington.
21. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart?
I think I was usually the heart breaker but there was this guy in college that messed with my emotions quite a bit.
22. Who was your FIRST roommate?
April, my college roommate.

Home Again!

Well I am home after two days of training on Crisis Intervention. Although it was intended for work purposes, I think a lot of it can be used at home. With a three year old there is always a "crisis". I got home last night and have to be back to work tonight but I did have a good afternoon hanging out with my family that I missed dearly. The whole family went shopping this morning and got some lunch. The younger ones needed a nap so Emilee and I headed out shopping "just girls". We were able to find some great deals. Shopping with Emilee has changed just in the last couple of months. She definitely has her own style, opinions and would rather not hear moms thoughts on what to get. This can't be happening already, she is still just a baby!

I'm Outta Here

I am heading off to Burien today for some work training. Say a little prayer for Eric as he plays single dad for a few days! Yikes!!! See ya in a few.

A New Adventure

The plan for yesterday was to head to Richland for a birthday party. The kids were all ready to go and so excited to go rollerskating ( they have never been before). We had coats on and everything, just waiting for my dear husband to get home( a little miscommunication). We waited, and waited, and waited some more. By the time he got home it was too late to make the two hour drive. My kids were so disappointed. The look on their faces was so sad I could hardly bear it. So I had to come up with an alternative and quickly. Here is what I came up with!







Ice skating!








What a comedy of errors! We spent a little of an hour at the ice rink and made a complete circle of the rink TWICE! Cody couldn't keep his little legs still, they were every where. I finally had to hold onto the hood of his jacket just to keep him upright. Emilee did pretty good. As long as she was hanging onto the wall she could scoot around at a fairly decent speed. We made our two laps and then we were exhausted. We turned in our skates and headed off to Shari's for hot cocoa and a dirty worm sundae. (Oreo cookies and ice cream with gummy worms). Our sad story ended up with a pretty happy ending. We had a great time!

Plan B

Well today didn't go exactly as planned but instead of driving around taking pictures I did get a lot of my errands taken care of. My mom joined me as I ran around today then we joined my sister and her kids for lunch. It was great!

I'm Still Here!

It has been a busy week, but at last my long weekend! So I will catch you up on the last week or so.....Above is Caitlyn "looking cool" sporting her shades and covered in slobber.

Wednesday was opposite day at Cody's preschool. He wore his clothes backwards and his shoes on the wrong feet. He was pretty excited about it.

My little computer junkies, like their mother, and grandpa!

At lastly, Caitlyn decided she has a desire to be mobile. She will get up on her knees but can't quite figure out how to move forward. She will scoot across the room backwards pretty good though.

What else, Eric bought a new truck on Monday. A little bigger back seat for the kids, but other than that its pretty much the same as his last one, he wouldn't agree. Anyways, I am looking forward to my four days off. I am going to go for a scenic drive tomorrow in hopes to get some pretty pictures. So check back!

Quick Update

Yes I am still alive, I haven't lost my my blogging spirit. I am in the middle of my long week, two more shifts to go and then I get four days off!!!! What a week it has been. Caitlyn isn't allowing mommy much sleep, she sure is cute though! She now has a front tooth, she looks so cute! I wrote about her first tooth awhile back, I was a little premature. The tooth came up and then a couple of days later it was gone. This tooth is here to stay though! I have big plans for my days off, I want to take so great pictures so check back, I will try not to disappoint you!

Thanks Dawn

Thank you Dawn for the award!

Girl's Night!

Look at those hot lips!

Em's toes!

Too bad she didn't have any colors to choose from!

Cody spent the night with his cousin Trent soooooo, Emilee thought it would be fitting to have a girl's night. It was my mom, Emilee and myself. We painted our fingers and toes, put make up on, put highlights in Em's hair, gave her a (fake)tattoo, took a dip in the hot tub, ate some ice cream and watched a movie. What fun!

A Rant!

This picture cracks me up. She was jumping away in her bouncer, apparently she jumped herself to exhaustion.
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So have you ever heard the phrase "With friends like that, who need enemies?" That is how I am feeling today.

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On a happier note. I am enjoying two days off! I have high hopes of getting my house clean, the outside Christmas lights put away, and if I play my cards right I might be able to squeeze in some fun family time. I am hoping to take the kids sledding, and catch the new Veggie Tale movie.

The Face of a 6 Month Old

This is a typical face for Caitlyn lately. Every time you look at her she gets a huge smile and then out comes the tongue. Too cute! I can hardly believe my baby is 6 months old already. Did you notice the pink hair. The kids got a kick out of that. Let me fill you in on where this pink hair came from. We have a friend, and every year for Christmas he does his best to find the best present for my kids in which Eric and I will hate the most. Last year, a huge gum ball machine. This year, Emilee received a hair dying kit (for kids). It is all washable but it is soooo messy! Cody got a Spider man web blaster. It shoots silly string all over the house! NICE.

A Winter Morning!

Falling Snow
Author Unknown

See the pretty snowflakes,

Falling from the sky;

On the wall and housetops,

Soft and thick they lie.

On the window ledges,

On the branches bare;

Now how fast they gather,

Filling all the air.

Look into the garden,

Where the grass was green;

Covered by the snowflakes,

Not a blade is seen.

Now the bare black bushes,

All look soft and white,

Every twig is laden,

What a pretty sight!

Biggest Little Coug Fan!

What a week! Our company left so I have been trying to get the house back to normal and wouldn't you know it, a clogged pipe left our basement flooded. Luckily, it was just the storage room and Eric was able to fix it himself. The storage room had some old carpet in it that got pretty wet so now it is stinking up the entire house. That will have to be pulled out and hopefully that will be the extent of our problems.

My schedule at work is changing starting the first of next week. I will now have Thursdays and Fridays off. Change in scheduling means change in childcare arrangement. I am pretty sure I have everything squared away. I am thinking it is time to put the baby into daycare. She not wanting to sleep as much as I would like her to during the day. I am scheduled to leave town for a few days for work training so Cody's daycare has agreed to take her while I am gone, this will be a good trial run to see how she does.

A New Year!

The relatives are gone. The kids are back in school. The Christmas decorations are put away. Things are pretty much back to normal. I feel a bit sad. There is always that slight letdown after the holidays. All that preparation, all the excitement and anticipation, its over! It is nice to think of the year ahead. What will it bring? What will I accomplish? I have set a few goals for myself, nothing big or anything.

• Drop a few of those pesky pregnancy pounds. Original I know! Hawaii is just a month away, I got to get on it!


• Prioritize my time a bit better. Learning to juggle family and work life is always tough but I really would like to spend more one on one time with my kids and my husband.
  
• Take a photography class. I have been talking about it forever, this is the year! Passion for photography will only take you so far, a little education can't hurt.

So there you have it, short and sweet. What about you? Any New Year resolutions?

A Year in Review!

It's 2008! Where does time go. With a new year ahead of us I took a moment to reflect on the previous year. What a great year it was. Here is some photos that capture the year. Also some links of post from the past.


We welcomed baby number three! What a change, going from two kids to three is huge! What a blessing our little Caitlyn has been to us. I can't hardly remember life before this precious little baby.

2007 was definitely the year of babies. Chris and Meredith welcome little baby Sadie. 2008 will be bringing at least one more very special baby, more details to come when I am at liberty to share!
Devon and Karrie welcomed baby Aubrey this October. What a special baby. We have claimed her as our adopted niece.

We moved! Yup, again. We put our house on the marked in June. We had a open house the same day it was put on the market and it sold in 1 hour. We bought a slightly larger house across the river and are loving it. So much space (so much to clean!).

Cody started preschool. He is doing so good. Learning is numbers, shapes, colors and making many new friends.

Emilee started kindergarten this year. She also is doing very well. A bit social, (imagine that) but learning a lot.
We spent a week at the cabin in Idaho along with Uncle Shawn, Aunt Molly, Grandpa Stan and Grandma Gail. We had a great time. We were able to take our new camper! The kids had such a good time running wild.

We took our annual trip to Silverwood. A bit much for a family with a 1 month old baby but the kids had a blast and we made some great memories!

Emilee played spring soccer. She did AWESOME. She has a real competitive spirit so she really excelled this year.

This kids got a new kitten. Baby Bella. She is the most patient cat I have ever met. She is constantly being held down, put on a leash, dressed up, chased around, put into purses, and hugged until she can't breath.

Anyways, what a great year. I would like to take this time to take my many loyal blog readers (all 5 of you) for taking time to read about my crazy life. I started blogging this year mainly just to keep family up to date on the happening of me, my kids and such. The experience has turned out to be so rewarding. What a great way to document moments, things said, memories made, life! Stay tuned much more to come in 2008.