Earthmonkey Mama

Right now :)

2012-02-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

Right Now I am::

:: soaking in the sun while I can! The weather here has been crazy: snowing on Sunday and in the 70's by Tuesday!

:: wearing mostly leggings and loose shirts... but I have lost some baby weight! Down to 180, woohoo! Only 30 more to go!

:: wondering if Colton will get this stomach bug that has been around since Saturday :(

:: hoping that he doesn't get that silly stomach bug!

:: laughing because that is all you can do when it there is sickness going on around your place, right?! But really laughing at all the funny things the kids are saying. Yesterday, Ayla went around saying "That is highly over-rated." To everything... it was cute.

:: enjoying our evenings at OUR park.

:: smiling because these kids of mine crack me up. Kellen is singing Bob the Builder on a regular basis, and keeps adding more words daily. It is kind of fun to see his progression.

:: deciding whether or not I should continue to work out like I have been doing because of an ankle problem... hmmm... these ailments are annoying :)

:: feeling pretty tired most days... but entirely happy. I really enjoy my life.

:: reading LOTS! I just finished two books in three days (I guess that is what happens when you spend your day in bed sick!) Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman (good read in my opinion) and Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares (the end of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants stories; also a good read in my opinion)

:: knitting not much, but thinking of finishing up a diaper cover that has been waiting for months. Also thinking of knitting a little vest for a doll named Rainbow (and maybe one for Rose)

:: working at getting the kids into a cleaning routine (Not to mention myself included) Every day I have them pick chores and help around the house... and if they get in trouble, they get an extra chore. Sometimes we even get Kellen to lend a hand!

:: thinking about turning our house in Montana into a vacation rental in a couple years... like here and here. (our house isn't as awesome as these, but it is near there, and ... well, it is a thought for the future)

:: watching movies with my husband on the weekend. We saw Win Win the other night... very good. We also watched the Hangover II, which we both thought wasn't as good as the first, but still pretty funny!

:: remembering fun times had in the Navy with my girls! Three of the four of us (we will miss you Bryr!) will be meeting in Austin in March, and I.AM.SO.EXCITED!!!

:: itching to get out running, but ailments (ankle, knee and back) seem to be at every corner! frustrating, for sure!

:: wanting to stop buying THINGS! I look around my house and see piles of things, useful things, but things that seem to clutter and make me FULL.

:: wishing that we could live somewhere that has beautiful trees... Astoria would be nice :)

Picture a day, 365 days 32-44

2012-02-14T18:46:00.000-08:00

32: 365, yes, those are woolies (diaper cover) on his head. It is clean, don't worry!

33: 365, Kellen loves to peek at us at the park.

34: 365, Love the hair (plus he is still in PJ's and it is more than likely in the evening time this pic was taken :))

35: 365, Odd picture, I know. These are stickers we got in Yellowstone, and I LOVE THEM! I want to get some artwork like them.

36: 365, Can't tell these kids are related!!

37: 365, being silly.

38: 365, How cute is he?!

39: 365, all tuckered out!

40: 365, Wonderful new things arrived in the mail:: more on them later!

41: 365, dominos aren't just for playing dominos!

42: 365, yummy avocado hummus sandwich :)

43: 365, a little gift made for someone special (who likes strawberries)

44: 365, kids climbing up the stairs, on the outside! Kellen is only allowed to go up two!

So are days move pretty slow around here. We have been battling some sicknesses this last weekend, and I got it last night... but seem to be on the mend :) Thank goodness. Mommies aren't meant for getting sick, especially on Valentine's Day!Hope everyone had a great holiday... we made it what we could. The kids made us cards, so that was really all we needed. Tyler got me chocolate, and amazingly, I have only eaten two pieces from it (for anyone who really knows me, you can tell by this statement that I must really not be feeling well!)

Oh, I think I have officially made it further in my documenting the year than I did the last time! I will try to keep it up :)

I am.... a closet hoarder.

2012-02-11T18:21:00.001-08:00

I think.
I am.
I think I am a closet hoarder.
You know the type. Maybe you are one too. You get one thing that you LOVE, and then you must have more. You are not happy with just one. (This also pertains to food for me, unfortunately)
Admittedly, I am a clothes and shoes snob for my kids. I tend to buy the super cute, mostly expensive stuff when we have a little extra to spend (or for birthday's and Christmas usually). And then, when I see it on sale... I THINK I HAVE TO BUY MORE, OR IT WILL NEVER BE AVAILABLE EVER AGAIN!!!

Ayla looks adorable in anything (in my unbiased opinion), but she looks even cuter in clothes from TEA or Mini Boden, or Hanna Andersson.... you get the picture. And Google and Facebook know how to do it. They know to put those ads up for those places that taunt me with deals. Also, I "like" them on Facebook, so they themselves taunt me. Maybe I should just "unlike" them?.

I figure with the boys, it might last through two of them, right? Or if I am lucky, all three.

I look around our house and I just see a bunch of stuff though. It has been really getting to me lately, and I feel an incredible need/want to purge some stuff. But when I go to do said purging... I find that most of the stuff is GOOD stuff. You know, wooden toys that for some reason I LOVE, or toys that one of them thinks they can't live without. Or things that we may SOMEDAY need. This good stuff needs and is begging to be let go... but I find myself holding on for some unknown reason.

I think I am going to start trying to consciously make the effort to find out why I can't let go, and then try to get around it. I don't think of myself as overly sentimental. I have let go of some of the kids baby things that a bunch of people I know would not get rid of. I have decided I will keep only handmade stuff or things that I ABSOLUTELY ADORE. Maybe these rules are good to live by.

There are so many ways to accumulate stuff though, isn't there? You can buy it, or get it given to you. You can find it, or it is made. Some stuff the kids make is pretty hard to let go. What if they want to see it when they are older? What if I want to see it when they are older?
Letting go is so much harder when it is you that has to let go. Even of stuff.

The last couple of days, I have had some crazy ideas that need some extra money.... so I am going to try to save said money over the next couple years to try it. Let's see how long this lasts. We already save a decent amount of money for ourselves and the kids; we tend to live within our means (even with my buying expensive kids clothes :) ); and I think it would be a really good thing for our family.

But dreams are always nice as dreams too. Someday.

Someday, I will not be a hoarder.
Someday, I will be able to let go of the things that own me, so that I can be owned only by the things I love.
Someday.

Climbing trees

2012-02-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

my kids claim they are monkeys on occasion... I think they're right! We found a good climbing tree on our walk the other day, and at first, they seemed unsure as to if they could climb all over it, but I encouraged them the best I could! Soon enough they were swinging off of the lower branches :)
It made me happy!

Coming up soon:: details on something I won and a coupon code for my Etsy shop!

BBQ at the park in January

2012-02-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

Had a great time a couple weekends ago, at the Lake Fort Phantom playground. The kids played at the new(?) park amid dead fish carcases (I know, gross, but really funny). They raced around and I am pretty sure thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We had a couple families meet us there, and we cooked hotdogs and brats, had veggies and pop (you know, almost all the things you shouldn't have!)
Kellen carried a football everywhere and loved throwing it down the slides. Colton got hit in the face with a football (he ran in front of it while a couple adults were throwing it around).
Fun, fun, fun! Hope to do it again soon. We briefly complained about the cold wind, but then we reminded ourselves that it was January.

365 project :: days 25-31

2012-01-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

25:365 Kellen loves to play on the jumper with Soren... or swing him!

26:365 Look at that hair!

27:365 Our chore basket (each pick two a day)

28:365 discovering toys

29:365 Insistent upon bringing football to the top of slide

30:365 Baby feet!

31:365 My little monkies

365 project :: days 17-24

2012-01-24T20:00:00.000-08:00

17:: 365 (everyone needs an abacus while they potty)

18:: 365 (our January outdoor picnic)

19:: 365 (just liked the light here, but from day before)

20::365 (A boy and his planes)

21:: 365 (mixing legos with UNO)

22:: 365 (Love this! Finger sucker...)

23:: 365 (Ayla reading to her two brothers)


24::365 (this boy LOVES his kefir yogurts) I need to work on maybe more shots without my kids in them?! I just think they are sooo cute, and most of my MOMENTS are with them, I guess.

Ft. Worth Zoo, New Year's Day with Uncle Noel

2012-01-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

This picture is so "Ayla" for me. Messy hair. Pink flamingos. I love my girl!

Colton reading his map... Maps are awesome at places like zoos!

They almost have a family resemblance?!

Zebra! (total inside family joke, and oh-so-funny!)

The "train" that really did nothing for us.

Having a good chat.

These are my favorite kind of shots. Right in their face when they are a little mad!

These mountain lions followed all the kids with their eyes, and I am sure they were thinking they looked tasty.

I don't know why everyone thinks their twins?

Funnest thing to see at the zoo... the ring tailed lemur show! They were running circles and bouncing OFF the wall! So cute! I really enjoyed watching there antics, as did the kids since Madagascar is one of their favorite movies. And thankfully Uncle Noel does a perfect King Julian impression!

I think one of my favorite shots.

New Year's Eve

2012-01-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve was special this year, because we got to spend it with Uncle Bigfoot, or Uncle Noelie (we have a book called Uncle Bigfoot, and the Uncle has really big feet, so we named Noel that). He drove down from Maryland with some friends of his, and they invited us over to her parents place near Ft. Worth. They were very hospitable and made us feel oh so welcome. We sang karaoke and lit off fireworks. The kids thought that was great. Well, except Soren. But that is okay. The kids also got to decorate rice krispey treats, and they thought that was a blast. Here's to a wonderful 2012.

365 picture a day

2012-01-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a friend of mine, I am going to try to keep up with a picture a day for the whole year. This may just be for my enjoyment, but I want to have record of those everyday moments that for the most part kind of just get overlooked. This will be a long post because it will begin at the start of the year. I will label them with their dates and whatnot.

I failed at this experiment before! Here :: I only made it through mid- February... oh, how I wish I would have continued!

1:365

2:365

3:365

4:365 (Ayla and Uncle Bigfoot)

5:365 (T-rex arms)

6:365 (marshmallow mushrooms)

7:365 (Jingle in a flightsuit?!)

8:365 (doll making)

9:365 (taken by Tia, at girls' coffee)

10:365

11:365 (green smoothie)

12:365 (blueberry monster)

13:365 (first pacifier time)

14:365 (taken by the lovely Tia, another girls' lunch)

15:365 (friends)

16:365 (definition of passed out; notice the drool?)

Trip to Florida with Grandparents

2012-01-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

The kids at the airport looking at all the planes.... Colton knew all the different kind, and when he didn't, he asked!
Kellen found a little girl his age and was "showing" her all the planes outside :: so cute!
Thankfully, we had a whole row to ourselves. But the kids were all SO good on the trip there.

Look at this cutie.

No pictures, Please.

Grandpa and baby Soren. We had such a great time with the grandparents. They had a great time spoiling the grandkids too!

We went to Lover's Key near where we were staying and they had tons of shells and hermit crabs, and we saw a couple dolphins too! It was SO cool.

I really love these shell pictures.

Love the sand on this...
so neat.

Googily eyes. Cool, in my opinion.

Hayley, Alex, Tyler and the kids all made some sand sculptures. A turtle, a mermaid and an airplane.

they collected a coconut for the bra, and shells for facial features and what not.

They were so fun! The kids loved making them and helping design.

Alex and Hayley making there "Corona" postcard.

Turned out pretty cute.

Shuffleboard. We love shuffleboard in this family. It was right outside our door at the beach house, and Colton and Kellen were always begging to go out there to play.

My favorite picture of the trip.

(Alex and Hayley in the background posing for the camera)

What a beautiful group.

This is the beach house that I fell in love with. I absolutely love the colors. Green, black and white.

A couple of Christmas's

2012-01-06T20:00:00.000-08:00

This is Christmas morning. This boy was SO HAPPY to get his flight suit from Santa! Seriously priceless. He wore it nonstop for about a week, and then it had to be washed... I think it will get a lot of use.

The kids woke us up at about 7am, which is a little early, but not much. We wanted to videotape them, so they got us up first and then we headed downstairs.

Santa had hung their new dress up clothes and set their legos on the new hanging rack that Tyler made them for Christmas. He still has to finish it, but he will.

Here is sweet Ayla in her ballerina outfit. She loves it so much... well, except the shoes... should have went with the fuzzy slippers :)

I really love having this daughter of mine... and it is so hard not to spoil her rotten!

My boy! So feisty and demanding! Santa left this for him, a hammering toy... to fine tune their hand/eye coordination. I would say he has it down... a couple mornings ago, I picked him up from this toy to change his diaper and he whacked me with the hammer on the bridge of my nose. So not funny. It hurt like a $%^&&*, and I think I might have said that out loud. I flicked him under his chin, and he was SO upset about that! Tears were pouring out of my eyes, and Uncle Noel is laughing! ha ha real funny!

Anyways, Kellen also got a mini flight suit, and has yet to really wear it, but I think in the next year, he will get into it... and if not; there is one more boy it will go through!

This one. My sweet boy. Santa had this set up for him, and boy does he love it. He spent over an hour under it on this particular morning. And except for one minor mishap with Kellen releasing a toy onto his brother's face, it has been fantastic!

He also got a second hand johnny jump up thing to hang in the doorway, and that has been just what he needed!

In their stockings, they received Thank You cards, and they got right to work on them, my little ballerina and pilot!

My lovely new hat from Blue Corduroy . Love her Etsy shop! I led Tyler there on the internet, and told him to pick me out one for Christmas. A sure way to get something you want :)

And they wonderful, cozy blanket! Knitted by Grammy and sent for Christmas! The cat loves the ends of the corners... those might have to be cut off at some point!

This is our second Christmas... a couple days later! We opened up Grammy's packages and the kids had so much fun handing out the gifts!

Colton was so patient with Kellen and helped him untie bows and everything!

We had such a lovely Christmas, and really love having our little family traditions expand every year. One thing I really want to continue is the making of cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve to hand out to neighbors :) I think that is fun. We even went and introduced ourselves to neighbors that we hadn't really MET yet!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-05T22:04:00.000-08:00

Even though I have lots of pictures to put up here that happened before Christmas (Florida, for one!) I decided to start with Christmas Eve. I just put 650 ish pictures on to the computer, so I have tons to share!!

So.. we invited some friends over for dinner on Christmas Eve. My back had been hurting all week, so I didn't do much... just ham, stuffing and green bean casserole.

But, Ayla and I made some awesome cinnamon rolls for the neighbors! They were so tasty, if I do say so myself.

The recipe is from the Pioneer Woman :: here.

Don't they look delicious?

All boxed up and ready to go. I doubled the recipe and came out with nine (9!!) to give to friends/neighbors! We of course kept one for breakfast!
We went as a family to deliver them too... it was quite comical, in reality.

Here is a group shot of the kids on Christmas Eve.

And look at these puppies?! Could they be any cuter? And no, they aren't ours... however, Colton really wishes we would get one!
Kellen on the other hand, was FRIGHTENED by these two things! It was the funniest to see him running from these balls of fur, with a look of utter fear in his eyes :) of course we saved him from the monsters!

Opening our Christmas Eve gifts. We have decided to continue the Aamot side tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve.... Tyler is still skeptical of this one.

Traditions are fun to compromise on, right?

I have to say that seeing Kellen open things was particularly fun because it is really his first Christmas of wonder. And that wonder is so incredibly priceless!

Taking a medical break

2011-12-29T07:50:00.001-08:00

Sorry about the lack of posts! I have been slightly out of commission with a hurt back for the last week. And before that was our wonderful Florida trip. Thank god those two didn't intersect!!! Anyways, it is hard for me to sit in a chair for any amount of time still, but I am hoping by next week I can update here and post pictures of all the fun things we've been up to! Florida, Christmas, crafts, gigging, weekending, loving and living! Tryst me, you won't be disappointed! So next week meet me back here, of you would like.

Part of our trip to Dallas

2011-12-05T19:04:00.001-08:00

We went to Dallas a couple weeks ago, to take Grammie back to the airport. Instead of Tyler just driving there, we decided to make a day of it, and we went to the museum in Fair Park. I think it is the Museum of Natural Science and History. Anyways... they had a childrens museum there, and this Bob the Builder exhibit. Now, Kellen is a big fan of Bob, so we went there first. They had a great time.

My kids are such posers!

Running is fun

2011-11-30T19:52:00.001-08:00

Seriously, it is! Back in high school I started running because I injured my knee in basketball (and didn't know that I actually more than likely tore my ACL at this time), and couldn't participate in sports with side to side action, otherwise my knee would give out... not fun!
Anyways, I started running track in high school and fell in love with the 800meter. This is twice around the track... not really long distance, but not a sprint either. And I was good. I hate to toot my own horn, but really, I won a lot of races back then. (Went to State my junior year to compete... but totally failed there :) )
I gave up running a bit after high school... admittedly got fat, and then decided to join the Navy 2 years later. And needed to get in shape before bootcamp.
So I ran.
Now, I don't remember how far or for how long I was running before I went to bootcamp, but running did help me lose 20 lbs before I left. Which is always good, right?
Well, bootcamp really wasn't that hard. I passed easily.
But I kept running.

I ran when I was stationed in California, learning Russian. I would go through my list of vocabulary words that I had to memorize while I ran along the beautiful ocean. (oh, how I miss that place) My favorite memory is saying dostapremchatelnoste while I ran... it means places worth seeing, if I remember correctly. It still is my favorite Russian word. I ran many miles there.

Then in Texas, I ran and ran around the old flight line. My ex-boyfriend would run with me sometimes. But it was Texas and during the summer, so it pretty much sucked! My favorite story from there was when we were doing a "fun run" which is basically a run that you had to go to (you know, attendance was taken and stuff), and my good buddies- Bianca, Bryr and Traci - were all there with me. Bianca HATED running (yet she looked great and smoked like a chimney) and immediately after attendance was taken and we were running for fun, she headed back to the dorms to smoke with some wise-ass comment (oh, I love you Bianca).
NOW, Bianca is a marathon runner who is super fast and super fit, and oh how I envy her (and am so proud of her!)

When I was stationed overseas, in Japan, I took up biking too. I would bike to work (4 miles) and then run home. Sometimes I would take the long way, which doubled the distance. And then the next day I would run to work and bike home. I was in the best shape of my life. And I LOVED running.

It has always been the time for me to decompress I guess, and answer all my questions that I had been pondering, and sometimes coming up with some really good answers - or not.

Well, I started running again. Monday was day one, and boy was it hard. I had a million excuses to NOT start running until after the holidays. And then, I just decided to do it. And it felt good. Until I got home :) Then I was SO sore.
I hadn't ran in a year and a half.
A YEAR and a HALF, people!
My knee surgery and then pregnancy were my reasons for not then, but since my knee is fixed up and I am gladly not pregnant anymore... I had to do something.

And I ran again today. I am a little less sore right now too.

I am so glad I started back up... now I need to keep it up.

I will keep you (whoever reads this... wait, WHO reads this?) posted.

OH! And I just purchased a Vitamix (used of course) so now I think I am getting back on the green smoothie wagon! I would love to lose some more of this baby weight (16 lbs to pre-Soren, and about 35 to pre-Colton ISH!)

Truthful Tuesday:: the craft room

2011-11-22T12:34:00.001-08:00

This is where some magic happens... and many many messes!

In order to just get that one last thing done, sometimes I resort to handing scrap fabric and scissors!But really, I tend not to craft much when the littles are awake... except during "quiet (movie) time".

Right now, in the works are a bunch (32) bibs that are so thick and nice, some reversible pants, flag banners, (all for a craft show) and some Christmas presents.

Whats going on in your craft space?

The babies bouncer is usually occupied by the cat... I had to coax him off to put the sleeping baby there!

So Thankful

2011-11-17T18:57:00.001-08:00

These are my people, and I love them so!

Being November, the month of Thanksgiving, I am going to try to reinstate Thankful Thursdays. There are oh, so many things to be thankful for. Sometimes this is hard to remember when your days are filled with much of the same, day in and day out; but at this time in my life, I am slowly realizing that it is all about the little things. Hopefully there will be time for "bigger" things in the future, but right now, I need to practice being present and marveling at all the things that happen. So here goes::

:: thankful for chocolate. My mother in law made some awesome chocolate truffles while she was here last week, and I have been eating like five a day. At least!

:: the weather! I can't believe I am saying that, but I am so thankful that it is at least feasible to get the kids in their sweaters and socks (and other paraphernalia) and go out for a walk!

:: husbands. Well, mine in particular! Without him, I would be a mess. Truly, a mess.

:: good friends with good ideas. Enough said.

:: baby carriers. Like this one and this one. My favorite. I have so many carriers, it is not even funny! One of these days, I will do a blog post about carriers and the good, the bad and the ugly! And two of them I have made, and those are pretty awesome too.

:: Coca-Cola from Mexico. You know, the kind with real sugar in it? The best! And in a bottle.

:: Timers. The kids are really loving the new timers from Ikea... and so do I.

:: Dinner in the afternoon, or Linner as we call it. Tyler is on swings right now, so he heads to work at 230pm, and doesn't get to come home for dinner. So instead of making dinner nightly for me and the rugrats, we decided to have dinner mid-day. Today was the first day, and I think I like it.

:: family. I truly love my family. The six of us are pretty awesome together. I can't wait to see what comes next for us.

:: my extended family. They are pretty awesome too. Such a great support from afar. My parents have been with us for the birth of each of our babes... that is pretty cool. And the other parents come soon after!

:: vacations! I am pretty excited for our Florida vacation coming up in December! Even with the plane ride with four kids and lugging four carseats... I think it will be awesome!

So what are you thankful for? There really are so many things to just give credit to... I will try to keep this up!

First real haircut for Kellen

2011-11-16T20:00:00.001-08:00

This is before:: crazy Einstein style hair, and our little rascal!

This is the after Mommy got one side, and he got grumpy :)

This is Daddy fixing what Mommy didn't do right, and no sucker bribing could fix. (Although I kind of thought the huge "tuft" of long hair I left coming down the front looked kind of cute)

This is Daddy buzzing it, while he was bribed with apples (of all things!)

Finished product :: PURE ADORABLENESS!!!

This boy is at one of my favorite ages! He loves to voice his opinion in his new-found language and LOVES to tell us "NO!" I happen to think he is one of the cutest things around and usually end up holding in laughter when he bosses me around. Oh, my he is trouble.

And I love him so.

My little boyka-boyka--boo!

Truthful Tuesday

2011-11-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a glimpse into our house on most days... notice all of the kids and cat on the unmade bed... this is right before naptime. The two littles nap and Colton and Ayla rot their brains with a movie.
Notice the far corner with an array of baby paraphernalia to try and get me and Soren through the night. It occasionally works :) Really pay attention to the dirty diaper under the rocking chair... yeah, that happens.
The kids are in what we call a "rat's nest"... which essentially is a bunch of blankets and pillows piled on the floor for the comfort of the user.

Just thought you guys might want to see.

Jack

2011-11-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

Sadly, we lost our cat, Jack last week. He will be greatly missed.
We received him as a gift for our wedding from Tyler's mom. One of her coworkers had found him and a sibling in a rockpit.... he was our rockpit kitty. He looked awful... crusty runny eyes, and a bloated gut... turned out pretty cute though!
We brought him to North Carolina from Oregon. He traveled from there back to Oregon for an extended visit, while we set up home in Montana. Then he came to live with us there. He made the drive down with us from Montana to Texas, by way of Arizona. This kitty was a traveler... and a pretty good one too (by seeing his picture above, he liked the dashboard :) )
But for some reason, he had a death wish. He refused to be solely an inside kitty, and would escape to the great outdoors any chance he got... and he would lounge in the road and slowly saunter out of it when a car came by.... we knew this could be a problem. But we also believed that with a speed limit of 20mph, and assuming people paid attention, he would be safe.

Tyler and the kids were outside, as usual on our nights here in Texas, and Colton runs inside and says MOM! come outside!
I knew from his voice that something had happened, and I just prayed my kids were all safe (and Tyler too).
When I came outside with Soren, Tyler had Kellen corralled, and he said sadly that Jack had been hit while shaking his head, so I knew he wasn't going to make it. A couple cars were stopped in the road, but I didn't care. I started crying.
For a cat.
A man said "I'm sorry" and walked back to his car.
I assumed that he was the one that hit him... he was the only one that said he was sorry.
But Tyler later informed me that a woman had been the one... and she said nothing to Tyler or I.
Come on?!
Seriously? You accidentally kill a family's cat... a family that pretty much was right there and saw what happened, and you just continue on?
I was pretty upset about this. My kids saw there beloved cat laying on the grass, taking his last breaths. We said nice things about him and all took turns petting him.
Colton was the only one of the kids that seemed to understand the finality of it all.

But the next day, Ayla looked at me sadly and said, "Mommy, I didn't get to pet Jack..."
I started crying, again.
For a cat. For my girl who didn't get to let go.

Kellen stood at the window and pointed outside and kept saying "Jack, Jack."

I cried. Again.
For a cat. For my kids first experience in death.

Even a week later, I look at the spots he frequented.
Above the fridge to get away from the kids.
On top of the laundry hamper.
On the window sills.
Curled up on the baby blanket.
In a spot of sun to warm his soft fur.

I miss him. I wish I would have pet him more, when he needed loving, instead of pushing him off of my lap. But I absolutely do not miss him trying to lick my face! I hated that.
It is always amazing how loosing something/someone you love makes you love more; harder.

You are missed, Jack. And loved.
I am crying again.
For a cat.

Halloween

2011-11-01T17:53:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Halloween. I think it is going to be one of my favorite holidays... for a couple reasons.
The kids love to dress up,
They will do practically anything for candy,
An excuse to have friends over for low key celebration,
....
and the Wicked Witch as a success!

I decided to make the kids costumes, or at least parts of them this year. I have to say, I loved looking at them and seeing my hours of work look so darn cute!

Colton wanted to be a wolf, so this is what I came up with:: I didn't use a pattern, just measured, measured again, cut, sewed and hoped for the best! In my opinion, it turned out rather cute! I wanted him to be able to play with it in the future.

Ayla was Little Red Riding Hood... mostly because I suggested it and wanted them to kind of "GO" together. If she had her way, she would be a princess every Halloween. So we compromised and I told her that we could pretend that LRRH was a princess also.... for her, I made her cape for her birthday.

The two little boys were gnomes of the woodland ge-nome (get it!?) Ha... I saw a lot of kids in pictures dressed up as garden gnomes... but my little gnomies were beard-less. I knitted their sweaters, finishing up on Halloween. I also knitted their hats, but was done with those a while ago... Soren's was actually a little snug (I blame Tyler for his big head!), so we didn't make him wear it the whole night. They were just so darn cute though. I just loved all of them.

Look at these cute boys!

We went trick-or-treating with some good friends (Little Kasey is above... kind of grumpy) and then after we went back to our house, met some more friends and shared some treats!

Fresh squeezed apple cider, some fruits and veggies and some raw snacks. Yumm!

Then after everyone went home, the kids picked their favorite 10 pieces of candy and we set the rest out for the Wicked Witch to come collect in the middle of the night.

Earlier in the week, I had mentioned they could trade their candy for something off their Amazon wishlists, if they were approved by the Wicked Witch. They liked this idea, and picked their gifts and hoped they got approved.

(The approval was if the gifts arrived in time!)

They were! and so happy this morning when they found their gifts.
Colton chose a lego airplane,
Ayla chose some butterfly wings,
Kellen got a garbage truck/street cleaner,
and Soren really wanted a diaper cover!! Ha ha!

Anyways we had a great night and I can't wait till next year!
One of my favorite things was that the first piece of candy Kellen received, he carried around till we got home! It was Smarties, of course! Also, he I was urging him to say thank you, and he kept saying thank you to the candy bowls... silly boy.

They grow up so darn fast though... Soren is now officially 4 weeks old!

Moment

2011-10-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Sorens Photo Book

2011-10-25T19:03:00.001-07:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Create a gorgeous, high quality wedding photo album at Shutterfly.com.

Through Ayla's eyes

2011-10-20T18:43:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

We went to the local pumpkin patch last week. Since we had been to other pumpkin patches, this was kind of a disappointment, but I guess you have to just go with the flow, and take what you can get!
Some of these pictures were courtesy of Kellen... he loved the auto timer and kept insisting on being the one pushing the button. Ayla even took a couple of the pictures.
I really love my family.

I am working on Colton's costumer... I hope to get it done in time for Halloween! Everyone else's is pretty much ready to go. Will share when done.

Granna and Papa

2011-10-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

My parents(aka: Papa and Granna) came and stayed with us to help out during Soren's birth. They came from Arizona on the 21st (remember we were due on September 24th!) and ended up staying almost three weeks! Luckily, they have been with us for every one of our kids births... in North Carolina, Montana and Texas.
The kids love having them around. Colton teases Papa about always doing Sudoku puzzles, they get read extra books, fed lots of candy... just what every kid wants, right?
Thanks Mom and Dad.

Birthing Soapbox

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

I feel like I am experienced enough (and possibly intelligent enough) to speak on this subject of giving birth. So here goes...
I have given birth in 3 different states: North Carolina, Montana, and now Texas. All three were completely different, obviously. At each birth, I had them all natural (no epidural or pain meds) but only one was me going into labor on my own, which was the first with Colton in North Carolina. The other three were induced with pitocen.
Now, my opinion is strictly just that, MY opinion. And I am completely biased.

We will start with North Carolina, which rates at number 2 in my book. One thing they had going for them is that midwives were in abundance. Although it was a military hospital (Ft. Bragg) where we gave birth, it had a definite big hospital feel, and everything seemed pretty rigid. They did let me go into labor on my own, and instead of admitting me the first time I came in, they sent me home to labor there. No forcing me to be tied to a bed with an injection of pitocen to speed up my contractions so that I would have the baby before their shift ended. This is good.
Colton was put on my chest right away, and they were very mama/baby oriented.
One con was that I had to share a recovery room for the two days we were there. Again, not the end of the world, but not the best situation either.

So here is Soren's birth story::
Now, we will go with Texas. If I could rate it lower than number 3, I would. And my experience wasn't bad. It just left a sour taste in my mouth.
From the moment we walked in at 515am, I was in bed. Now, bed is nice, but when you are in labor... without pain meds.... not exactly the best place. The doctor broke my water at about 8am, and told the nurses to start the pitocen in half an hour if my contractions didn't start coming regularly. They didn't.
At 930am they started the pitocen at the lowest dose. A two on their medicine pump. Contractions started coming pretty regularly every 5-6 minutes. Not very intense, but contractions.
They upped the pitocen to a four at 1130am, and contractions starting getting more intense and coming every 2-3 minutes. I was still in bed. I could only get up to pee because of an interuterine contraction measurer contraption thingy. (Not used during my other TWO inductions, but told that it is standard procedure in Texas to do when induced)

We watched Top Gun and A Baby Story during this time, since I could not walk around.

At 2pm the doctor checked my cervix and I was dilated to 8 cm. He said to me that I was far too pleasant to be that far along. The contractions started becoming more and more intense soon after, but i could still breathe through them. When the nurse checked me at about 230 and said I was still 8cm, I almost bit her head off. I knew I was close. 10 minutes later, I told her I HAD to push. She had the nerve to tell me no, the doctor is not here yet. Well, he better get here, was all I could think. Needless to say, I was not able to stop pushing, and although I tried, 3 pushes (contractions) later, Soren made his appearance.
The doc made it... barely.
Right away, because of the interesting knot in his umbilical cord, the doctor was distracted. He cut the cord, without even offering the option to Tyler. I had asked to have the cord delayed in clamping so the blood could all be given to the baby. Yeah, that didn't happen.
They cleaned us up, the doctor left. Soren was given to me and all was good.
All I could think about was how much better this birth could have been if I was in Montana. (you will see why.)
But it was a great birth because we got adorable little Soren out of it. And he was healthy and HERE finally!
The whole time, it felt like pregnancy was a disease or an illness that had to be cured. Which I find about as impersonal as can be.

I remember at different times during labor I would mention to Tyler... we could still be at home right now if we weren't induced. How much better would that be? To labor at home. Now, I am not a homebirther... admittedly, I am scared of giving birth at home. It seems to me that anything could go wrong. But here in Texas, I really wish I would have considered it a little bit more! I am so jealous of my SIL, Danielle and her beautiful third birth that she got to have at home just a month ago.

Now Montana, was very much as close to homebirth as you can get. It was awesome. I am so thankful that I was fortunate enough to have two of my babies there. For one, I had the best doctor ever. And I am not just saying that. She took the time to get to know my family and what I wanted...so wonderful.

We were induced with both Ayla and Kellen, but those inductions were so ... different. I didn't feel like I had wished I had considered having them at home. I didn't feel like it was routine. It was a birth for gosh sakes.... it was a miracle.
With Kellen, I was lucky enough to experience a water birth. Even though I had been induced! Can you believe it? They had monitors that could be used while you walked around and labored. (Here in Texas they are behind the times, and had REALLY old monitors.) A waterbirth is about as peaceful as you can get.

All in all, my four births were wonderful. I just don't feel like there are enough options for birthing here in Texas. And it breaks my heart that the general population here won't know how amazingly peaceful a waterbirth can be; or how strong and capable you can feel after giving birth naturally. The nurses were amazed that I wasn't using pain meds. They asked two different times if I needed anything. It seems a standard procedure memo went out to all the doctors and they have to do everything accordingly.

They're all mine!!! (well, Tyler's too!)

Now I will get off my soapbox. Thanks for listening :)

Colton and Ayla's birth stories are somehow not written down... maybe sometime soon. I have them in their journals, and of course I remember them by heart :)
(Actually here is a short and sweet version of Colton's birth... really it was more INTENSE than conveyed here!)
Here is Kellen's birth story.

Soren Bridger

2011-10-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

Our little boy, Soren Bridger was born on October 4th, 2011, at 250pm.
We are so happy to have him here. (and for the record... I don't think he was overdue! He looked just like he was right on time!)
If you look at this last picture, you can see that his umbilical cord has a funny little knot right by his bellybutton... this is called a true knot, and it isn't very common, especially because of the location. From what we understand, this can be a problem in utero if the baby somehow tightens it, but usually doesn't really affect them at all.
As you can see he is loved by all his brothers and sister, and Ayla is always asking, "Can I hold the new little baby?" And Kellen just walks up to him with a smile and says "Baby, Ears, Eyes, Hands"... etc! So cute!

More to come later on his birth story, and my own views of hospital births in a couple different states. My sympathies to Texans. You guys are really behind the times.

And tomorrow or someday soon, I will have pictures of the proud daddy with his new son... for some reason I have not one picture of them together!

Holding Pattern

2011-10-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, we head in to be induced. This baby is stubborn... we are 41.5 weeks along, and decided if Granna and Papa wanted to get a chance to see this baby for any amount of time, we needed to set a date for induction.
I feel like these last three weeks have had us in a holding pattern of sorts. Always waiting for the baby to make his appearance, and it just never happened! Being the fourth baby, we figured it would happen sooner than later... boy were we wrong!
Colton had been 2 days before his due date, Ayla was induced a week before hers (for purely selfish reasons on my part!), and Kellen was induced 3 days after his due date kind of because the same reasons this guy is being induced! So we assumed... but you know what that does (makes an ASS out of U and ME!)

We are very happy to be finally able to say tomorrow is the day, but oh, how I wished this boy would make his appearance on his own! He seems to be pretty comfy in there, though.
I walked 4 miles today... granted not all at once, but in two trips. And I walked pretty fast for a severely pregnant woman :) But nothing so far. I think I will eat a piece of cheesecake, head to bed (maybe get a massage?) and watch a movie... and anxiously wait for either 430 to arrive, or some contractions. Either way, we will get a baby.

And that is really all I want.

Wish us luck!

My monkeys

2011-09-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

All my boys are monkeys... including Tyler! He is often the ringleader... and since there aren't really any mountains around here, he climbs trees. Oh, they will give me many grey hairs and headaches as they get bigger!

New wheels

2011-09-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

The kids got some new bikes in the last few weeks... Ayla a birthday present from Grammie, and Colton used his birthday money to buy his (since he couldn't have a smaller bike than his sister!)They LOVE them! We go on bike rides every day, and then at night they ride around the neighborhood with the neighbor kids. Really cute, and I can't believe how easy they adjusted to the new bikes!
Kellen has a few bikes that he rides... yes, that is a pink one, but I am working on painting it!

The Balloon Festival

2011-09-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time at the local Balloon Fest yesterday. To be honest, we didn't really know what to expect, but I looked up the info and it said a balloon glow was going to happen. And I thought, that sounds fun. And it was super cool.
The kids were in awe at the huge balloons, and when so many were being put up at once, it was like magic. Kellen just kept saying either "boon" or "wow". It was so cute!
Really it was the perfect night for it too. Not too hot and not too cold, and obviously not the night to have a baby! I thought that maybe if we planned something that it would happen, but alas, that did not work!!! (It was our due date)
We will keep you posted on when that baby decides to arrive. Ayla is still holding out it is a girl... I told her there is a slight chance (about 1%) but she is sure that she will get a sister!

Some things for the littles

2011-09-21T07:18:00.001-07:00

These are a couple things I have been working on in the last few weeks... and there are even more to come, however crazy that sounds! Little babe has not made an appearance as of yet, but my parents are coming to stay with us, starting today, so maybe that peace of mind will send me into labor?

I found this pattern in what is quickly becoming one of my favorite books to get little people patterns from:: Meg McElwee's Growing Up Sew Liberated. I absolutely love how it turned out! It is in a 0-6 month size, and it looks a little big around the neck, but I think it will do just fine! The little pilot hats are from Meg's website, and were so easy to make (once I had all the necessary materials), and I made two for us and one for cousin Elin.

And these are the pants I made for baby Elin. The moment we found out she was a "she" I set to work on these. I love them. And I hope Elin's mommy does too. (I know they are pink on one side, but it is a cute polka dotty pink!)

Hope everyone's Wednesday is going well.
Anything particularly inspiring out there?
Yesterday, during our science expedition on our walk, the kids had such a great time finding the differences in trees! They happily ran to each tree, and said how the bark was soft or rough, the leaves were big or small, pokey or flat, etc. It was a great "lesson" and I felt like we learned something, even it was just observations. (School is going great for now, by the way!)

Another Ayla one

2011-09-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet girl. Here were her birthday presents from us. We tried to keep it simple this year, and I made her a cape (that will double as a Halloween prop for her) and I bought her a pair of Livie and Luca shoes, that I am absolutely in love with! Seriously these shoes are so cute. Kellen has a cute pair of them also. Today she received her bike from Grammy, and she is love with that also! It is a 16" bike as opposed to her 12" one, so it fits her a bit better. It is a mini cruiser, and oh, so, cute! I will post pictures later of that. Thanks Grammy! :)

Ayla's butterfly birthday party

2011-09-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Ayla decided on a butterfly birthday party... I admit I was trying to get her away from PRINCESS!

But we thought we would invite some of the little girls that we know over for a little butterfly fun... Coincidentally we had just done "B" in our homeschool curriculum, and had a fun little butterfly craft, so I bought extra stuff so the girls could make one too.
That was fun.It is super hard to keep 5 little girls, between the ages of 3 and 6, all doing the same thing... very hard.
But it was only for an hour and a half :)
We planned on the craft, playing dress up, and getting to know each other. That lasted all of about 10 minutes.... we managed to get them excited about the pinata that Tyler built (again, a great job!!)They had fun beating that and getting the candy.
Then it was open presents time... Ayla was very happy.
Then cake and ice cream... well DQ ice cream cake and some cupcakes that I had made that morning. We do miss our Baskin Robbins ice cream cake, but this one will do :)
It was a great birthday party, and now we have a big 4 year old.Now let's see if we can convince her that she can wipe herself!

9-11 in our lives

2011-09-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

On 9-11-01, I remember being new to the Navy, and the way of the military. I shared a room with my good friend Kadie. We were getting ready in the morning for our language classes, and I turned on the radio, just like I always did. But this day was different.
There was no music, just news. News of the awful thing that happened that no one quite understood, and no one could explain.
We went to class just like usual, but classes were anything but usual that morning. All of us were in a daze, wondering what that meant for us as young Americans, and us, as military members.
I had just turned 21 two days prior.

Tyler was fishing, and heard two old men on the bridge talking about the planes that hit the building in New York. He had no idea they were talking about huge planes that took the building down.
It happened to be one of the last things that pushed him to join the Air Force.

9-11-07
We had just moved to Kalispell, Montana and were getting ready to welcome our second child into the world. Granna and Papa came to visit to help with little Colton. We scheduled an induction on the eve of September 11. And looking back, the only thing I was thinking about was having a baby. I was so excited to meet my little babe, that I don't remember really reflecting on the actual day. We had headed up to Glacier National Park that day to show the family the sites and were, as always, amazed with what we saw.
The next day, at 11:01am we welcomed little Ayla into the world.
The world.
Thinking small picture, we loved our world... we were so excited to be living in Northwest Montana.
Thinking big picture, the world was scary. To bring another little one into the world as it was, seemed almost wrong. But we wanted a family of our own. And we added another. (And another, and another!)

9-11-11Yesterday, we celebrated Ayla's birthday one day early. Tyler is on twelve hour shifts during the week right now, so we figured a weekend party was the best option. Ayla invited 4 little girlfriends over and we had a great time making butterflies, playing dress up and of course, beating the daddy-made pinata. I think they all had fun.Then the moms came back with the littler siblings and we all had cake and ice cream.The celebration occurred because that is what we do. We get on with our lives. Admittedly, I did reflect on the 10 year anniversary of Sept. 11, and what it will always mean to the United States. But mostly, I celebrated my little girl's 4th birthday. And what a day we had.

His name

2011-09-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

So, I decided I can't keep it a secret any longer (I really don't think it was, anyways!).

Soren will be our little one's name.

I will keep the middle name a surprise! Anyways, just thought I would share this AWESOME picture taken by Tia at Tia Colleen Photography (or on facebook). She came over early the other morning and I set up my favorite chair outside by the clothesline. Kellen was a ham, and was poking my belly button constantly, which made for a great picture. That kid (Kellen) is always walking around with his finger in his own belly button, so any chance he gets to poke someone else's, he takes!
Thank you, Jennifer, for the awesome henna design, too! Hopefully she will be starting up a little henna business here in Abilene!
Don't you just love the colors? Thanks Jaime for the beautiful birthday shirt (MY birthday is tomorrow!)! It comes from the wonderful Hip Mountain Mama Shop, and I just LOVE it (the henna kit is from here too). BTW, it is not a pregnancy shirt, but because of how it is cut, it works.
Anyways, let me know what you guys think of his name... I think it is perfect. Soren Gustafson; has a nice ring to it! Can't wait to meet him!

Pictures from our trip back to Oregon

2011-09-05T08:58:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful time visiting everyone in Oregon. Thank you to all who took us in and fed us! The kids had fun playing with cousins and friends. We actually got to see some friends from Montana, who happened to be vacationing on the Oregon coast! Can you guess where some of these pictures were taken?

Our Friday

2011-09-02T19:52:00.001-07:00

Even though Tyler got home last night at almost 2am, and the kids woke us up at 8am (I had tried to wait up for Tyler, seriously, I have no idea why!!!), we had a great day today. I had previously signed up the kids for a class at the local museum for 930am, and so we had to get up and ready for that. Colton was tough. As always!

The topic was on how boots used to be made, which may not sound terribly exciting, but it was very informative.... and the teacher made it pretty short to hold the kids attention :) Then they got to do a quick craft, and hang out in the museum, which has some pretty cool things. The best being a children's museum. The kids had a great time!

Plus, we had the promise of donuts afterwards!

Then we came home and tried to nap and although that didn't work out, we tried not to be grumpy about it. We decided to think of something fun. We thought of going to get a slip and slide and playing in the backyard. So we headed to Target. They had one option for $15, so we bought it. Then we stopped at the dollar store on the way home to look for promised glow sticks (which they didn't have) and found a plain jane slip and slide for $5! Needless to say, we returned the Target one (while we still had the receipt :) )

Came home, hooked it up and had a blast. The light was perfect tonight for me to get some pretty good shots of the kids playing.

Now as I am typing this, the kids are all in bed (Colton is still awake, like always) and Tyler is in bed maybe even asleep... I am headed there as well.

Hope you all had a great Friday, and start to a great holiday weekend.

Hippie-ish

2011-08-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

So, I went for a walk last night, while Tyler was putting the kids to bed. Recently, someone had mentioned that they were the hippie of their family. And I had answered, "Yeah, Me too!"
But what makes me a hippie? I mulled this over, and of course the obvious came to mind ::

*I recycle
*I use cloth diapers (and when I don't, I use chlorine free diapers)
*I try to buy organic food, and clothing when possible
*I try to find and buy from companies within the US (not sure if this qualifies, but it sounds good)

etc, etc...

Then, I thought "but why does that make me a "hippie" per se?"

<>

Because I think, and truly believe, that everyone should do these things!

And a light came on, and I figured that THAT was exactly why I am a so called hippie.

This Earth was meant for us to live on, but SO MANY people take advantage of our dwindling resources (it is pathetic).
Some people use God to hide behind; some just use laziness. And think "what does it matter if I do these things, it won't change anything".

But if everyone even did one of those things I listed that makes me a "hippie" we would actually see a difference. And I truly believe this.

And here is the definition of HIPPIE (per wikipedia) Noun: (esp. in the 1960s) A person of unconventional appearance, typically having long hair and wearing beads, associated with a subculture involving a rejection of conventional values and the taking of hallucinogenic drugs.

I guess I am not a hippie after all!

HaHa! :)

Henna

2011-08-29T09:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we had quite an eventful day. Tyler had the weekend off, which we weren't sure would happen until it was upon us. And I had scheduled us a photo session with a local. The lovely Tia, from Tia Colleen Photography to be exact. She is new to professional photography, but as you can see from her blog, she really has a great eye for it, and I think she will do awesome!
I had the idea to get henna done on my belly, kind of for just a fun thing to do. So I bought this kit, and was going to do it myself. I mentioned this to Tia, and she said "I have a friend that actually is thinking of starting doing this thing, maybe she will want to practice on you?" And so it was planned for her to henna me up! It took about 2 hours to do, and I really like it. Today it is even darker, so I excited to see how long it will actually stay on. I really think peacocks are adorable, so that is the direction we went with it... and his name is actually on the other side of the belly, but I can't really reveal that right now, can I now?
Anyways, the kids got a little bit done on their hands, and it looks so cute. They have been obsessed with drawing on their arms right now. And I can't say no, can I?

On another note, we started "homeschool" today, and so far, it is really fun. I find myself really being involved with the kids instead of just watching them grow up. They are really into learning. And although Colton is further along than the curriculum, we decided to just take it slow and really let him take the time to learn more of the basics, while expanding on the stuff he is really interested in during other "learning sessions". This way, Ayla is right there with him learning the basics and both are taking the time to fully grasp just being a kid. I really like the Oakmeadow curriculum, and have been learning myself.
Even though we have found that homeschooling is not popular with everyone we know and love, this is the decision that feels oh-so-right for our family at the moment. Who knows where it will take us. (in the bundle of curriculum I bought on Craigslist, I received up till 3rd grade...)

Some pictures courtesy of the kids :)

2011-08-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hope your having a great weekend!

:: This Moment ::

2011-08-26T14:27:00.001-07:00

I am really going to try to do this on Fridays again... I have been slacking in the blogging department (sorry Ben).

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Amanda Soule

::The last two weeks in projects::

2011-08-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

These last two weeks I have been busy making some things on my "project list". I keep said list with birthday presents, holiday presents, new baby presents, and especially Christmas presents carefully selected from my random craft books (mostly sewing or knitting). I don't however always get all of the projects done, but it is nice to have a list to look at and check off!

First, I used a pattern out of Handmade Home by Amanda Soule to make the baby sling. It is made out of good quality muslin, and lets just say, I love it! It is so soft and simple, and I can't wait to put baby in it!

Next, I finally finished my homemade "boppy", or nursing pillow. This fabric I bought a couple years ago off of Etsy, and I have been saving for the perfect project. It is thicker, which I thought would come in handy. I stuffed it with bamboo stuffing and I think it will work well. This is from the book Simple Sewing for Baby, by Lotta Jansdotter. I know with my other babies, I would use my boppy on and off, but it all depends on how much time I had to nurse!

Then I finally finished this project! It was started when Kellen was a wee one, and I just finished the knitting part last December. It is called a baby bean bag from Essential Baby by Debbie Bliss. I love the feel of it, and think an infant would love the texture. I just have to find something to fill it with. I don't really want to use the beanbag beads, but will if i have to. Any suggestions?

Here is me knitting this with Kellen in my lap last June!

I also transformed a nightgown my mom had given me into a cute little nightgown for Ayla. I love it, and so does she! It was intended for her birthday (wish is a little over 2 weeks away!?), but she saw it and begged, and of course, I caved in. I plan to make another just for her birthday with different trim. I handmade this bias tape with some seahorse fabric I had (pink of course!) and kind of just made the pattern as I went. It was fun!Before

and After::

Finally, I made some cute little burp cloths last night for baby. I just took some rectangles of birdseye fabric, doubled it up and added some biased tape. Basic pattern from this book also. I had noticed that some of the ones I have, that I made for some of the other kids smelled of rotten milk.... yuck!
Here is me and baby at 35 weeks and a couple days... time is moving fast!

Decisions, Decisions

2011-08-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

This week was a week of tough decisions for us (me, really). Well, only one actually.

Even though I thought I really wanted this little boy to start school....We decided that we would homeschool this year. At least give it a good try. I just got to thinking how hard it was going to be to get the three, soon to be four kids, ready EVERY morning, Monday through Friday. To be out the door by 7:30am, with four kids!!
(they look completely innocent, but REALLY, they can be monsters at times!)
Now don't get me wrong, people actually are able to accomplish this. I however, don't think I am up for the task.

I have contemplated homeschooling for awhile now... and thought I didn't have the patience for it. Which I might not... however, I do believe that it will come. And I get to wake up whenever the baby (or babies) wake me up... not by 6:30 every morning to make sure they all have enough time to get up and dressed and out the door.

Really, it is Colton that hates the morning. That kid would sleep in till 10 if we let him. He doesn't like to go to bed early either... so I think this will work for us. Besides it is kindergarten, and we have the option to put him in school next year.

Oh, and if Tyler happens to get deployed soon (not that he is, but it could happen) then I would have the option to head back to Oregon. Which would be nice to have help during that time.

In the meantime, we are awaiting baby number four. I am finishing up some projects:: I made a nice sling for him, and finished a bean bag pillow (just need filler for it). Also, knitting some cute little vests and gnome hats for Halloween... next up is a knitted wolf hat and mittens and maybe tail for Colton for Halloween. Ayla is wanted to be Little Red Riding Hood (which all happen to tie in together kind of) so I will be hopefully making her a cape for her birthday. I have plans to make her an outfit for her birthday, but that girl has so many clothes, that I might hold off and save it for Christmas!
My project list is pretty long, and who knows how much I will actually get checked off before the babe comes, but it sure is nice to check them off.
OH, speaking of checking things off a list... check out this blog post over here. I ordered this app for our IPod touch, and so far, so good! Nice to be able to gold star finished tasks :)

Just in case anyone asks... we are going to use the Oak Meadow Curriculum for Colton and Ayla (why not, right?). I found a smoking good deal for a used set of K-3rd grade on Craigslist, so I went for it. I have a feeling Colton will be ready for the 1st grade stuff. This kid is chomping at the bit to read!

::Right now::

2011-08-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Right now we are finding things to enjoy, despite the heat.

Golfing as a family (we only golfed 4 holes, but the kids had a blast driving the carts!)
Running away from everyone on the golf course (or stealing everyone's golf balls!)
Reading countless books.

staying in PJ's for a good part of the morning.

Enjoying my one cup of coffee sitting in my favorite chair.

Having thunder, lightning and sweet rain since early this morning (Saturday!) ::: so nice!

Watching tumblebooks online.

Seeing Ayla become obsessed with these beautiful dresses that her Grandma and I scored at the local (well, used to be :( up in Kalispell) consignment shop. She looks so darn adorable, even if they are size 5-6!)

Oldies but goodies! Easter 2011

2011-08-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

NO, Texas did not suddenly sprout awesome snow capped mountains!! (Or wonderful friends who I miss so much!) BUT... I was going through some old folders of photos (on the computer of course) and came across these. I thought to myself, wow, what great photos! Then I looked back on Easter 2011, and realized I only posted a couple of them.... so here is some more great pictures of our beloved Flathead Lake, that we miss so much, and our beloved friends, Becca, Luke, Kadence and Gracyne, who we miss more!!!

While we were away...

2011-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

The kids and I just got back from vacation in Oregon. We left Tyler at home to fend for himself, and we visited lots of family for 3 weeks.
This was the first year that the older two kids were left with the grandparents overnight for more than one night! They had a blast!! It is amazing how well they behave without us there to supervise (or so I am told!) Kellen and I headed to the Portland area and bonded (he is now a COMPLETE mama's boy!) and hung out with my sister, Leecia; one of my best friends, Jaime and family; and my parents out at our old house in Boring. We had lots of fun.

Meanwhile, Tyler was back in Texas slaving away in some oppressive heat! He worked most days and then in the evening he would ... golf! There were even a couple days that he golfed twice in a 12 hour period. That is a lot of golf!! But he also managed to get a lot of projects done around the house... 3 bathrooms were painted; one table with 4 chairs were cleaned (and this was major) sanded, primed and painted and then distressed ... I absolutely LOVE the table and chairs!
He also painted two bookcases (which he said was the most work, because they required many coats of yellow); and the outdoor furniture got a touch up too.

That was my honey-do list... and he did every single thing! I guess that is what you get when you don't have TV in the house.

I love this man, for more than just being the best husband ever!!!

I have to admit that I thought he might forget to eat without us here, so thank you so much to a couple neighbors and friends for feeding him while I was gone! I am proud to announce he did not loose any weight (that is a feat all in itself).

Pictures of our trip might be a little while in coming.... I did not bring a camera with us, and had to use a couple disposable ones. Patience is key.

33 weeks (still 7 weeks left... really?)

2011-08-06T17:41:00.001-07:00

Here I am at 33 weeks. With our little boy (unless they were wrong!) We are so excited to welcome him into the family... and the seven weeks probably can't go fast enough with this heat we are having!

Colton's Birthday Party

2011-07-12T17:23:00.001-07:00

Colton's birthday party was a huge success, and I think fun was had by all. I might have planned a little too many games (hence the morning after game of pin the tail on the wolf), but it went fine. He had a plane cake, a B-1 Bomber pinata (that Tyler spent hours on!), friends, pool, sprinkler, croquet, and presents!
Morning after Pin the Tail on the Wolf.... even Coyote the wolf got a turn! Colton, Ayla and Kellen all put the tails where they were supposed to go... Tyler was the furthest off!

Colton is 5!!!!

2011-07-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today, we welcomed this sweet little bundle into our lives. From day one, he has been his own little person. Always curious, always shy, always doing things at his own pace. We have been so lucky to get to watch you grow into the little boy/big brother you are today. Thank you Colton Jay, for giving us a very happy five years... and hopefully many, many more!

I will try to post his birth story soon (when time permits)

A couple glimpses into our living space

2011-06-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

So in the move, we changed up a couple things. The biggest one is that we chose not to have the TV downstairs in the living room/family room area. This has been a huge positive change for us. No longer do I get stuck watching a stupid show or have the kids begging to watch something... which leads me to another change... we decided no cable for us. We did however order Netflix and get movies from the library on a weekly basis. The kids get to watch a movie after lunch, while I nap with Kellen or get a project done. This is also a huge improvement. I cannot say enough good things about it. I am such a fan.

The kids have their little corner of the area downstairs, behind the couches. We decided to put up the teepee as a reading corner and that has also worked out fabulous. Plus, it looks adorable. With their books, which was an ongoing battle with me, we decided to pack up most of them, and do a rotating library for them. Each week they pick out a couple books for upstairs and a couple for downstairs, we put them in their baskets and it makes cleanup so much easier! Plus, they really get to appreciate certain books for the whole week, and they seem to really dig it. I was so skeptical of putting the books away, but it has created a lovely amount of peace for the family.

Our downstairs really has become a favorite place to be (maybe because it is cooler?) and I really enjoy the decor we have chosen. We didn't really mean to go with the red and white and blue, but it seems to work! Plus, I guess we are pretty patriotic.

Well, I am off to nap. Maybe.

"Our" park

2011-06-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

This is the park which is about 2 minutes walk from our house. The kids love it. Tyler and I love it. You can usually find us there most days between 8am to 10am or 8pm to 9pm depending on when the kids wake up and when we want to put them to bed.
Colt and Ayla usually bring their favorite stuffed animals and play with them. If Tyler is there, he plays monster with them. I either walk around it, or push Kellen on the swing (his favorite).
It is so nice to have a great park so close.... I just wish most of the day wasn't SO incredibly hot!!!

Oh, and hardly anyone is ever there!? Maybe the weather, I don't know. So the kids refer to it as "OUR" park... and ask when anyone else is there, why they are at OUR park!

My boy is officially walking!

2011-06-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

My little baby.... is officially a toddler!He has been "walking" for about a month off and on, but now he walks everywhere (well, except when he is busy with tractors! That kid loves his tractors!)

I cannot believe how fast they grow... and we will have another wee one in just a few short months! My goodness.

Trip to the Dallas Zoo

2011-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

{This Moment}

2011-06-17T08:53:00.001-07:00

inspired by Amanda Soule of Soulemama::
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifuse, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Granna and Papa's place

2011-06-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

We went to Dallas this past weekend, and in spite of some mishaps, had a great time at Ikea and the zoo (yes, those were my main two objectives when we were there!).

But first.... I wanted to share the pictures from Granna and Papa's place in Arizona. They just moved down there (although they are back up in Oregon right now), and they bought a great place near my dad's sisters'. A four bedroom house for $42,000 ... can't get better than that right? So I don't have many pics of the actual house, just some cute kids running around doing crafts and helping cook... that will have to do!

Grand Canyon :: Part 2

2011-06-07T12:43:00.001-07:00

Grand Canyon :: Part 1

2011-06-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Arches National Park, Utah

2011-06-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

Our new place

2011-05-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

A wonderful neighbor brought us some yummy cupcakes!

Kellen decided to eat one himself. This kid climbs EVERYTHING!!!

Front of our place. It is a townhouse, but we are used to that!

The kitchen.The living room/toy area/dining room... kind of like our place back in Montana. I love this color we choose for down here.The boys' room... sometime we were directed that we must put wolves and airplanes on the wall, so we are thinking of some possibilities. Ayla's room, I directed her towards the lavender instead of pink, and she happily agreed (thank goodness!!) Soon (maybe) there will be paintings on the wall... but maybe not!

My sewing room!!! Love this space... now just to clean it!

In Texas

2011-05-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

So we are jn Texas. Have been for a week almost! So far, so good. When we got here, they had us look at a house on base... I thought it was awful, but Tyler said "with some tlc we could fix it up" (what an optimist!) but we passed on the house, knowing that we might be houseless for a bit longer (there is no estimated wait list for base housing) and decided we could stay at the local KOA if need be. Turns out the housing office called us 2 days later with another house! Before we even went inside, we knew it was one we would say yes to! It is newer housing, connected in the middle (townhouse) with a decent sized backyard! We probably won't move in for another week, but that is okay! We are staying in a temporary 3 bdrm apartment that is working just fine! The cats have no idea what is going on, but the kids think it is all just one big adventure with bunkbeds at the end for them!
I can't load pictures right now, but as soon as I can, I will. We have done a lot of fun things on this trip (Arches and Grand Canyon, Granna and Papa's) and I can't wait to share!
Kellen is getting close to walking, the baby is kicking a lot, Colton and Ayla are enjoying the sun and we are happily learning this place we will eventually call home. We miss Montana and our wonderful friends there, but in order to get by, we must look forward to what is to come... And really, there is SO much to come!

Oh, did I forget to mention WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!! Three boys and a girl sounds perfect to me... Maybe means more ER visits and whatnot, but I have a feeling there will be a lot of baseball and golf and oh so much fun!!!

Moving

2011-04-28T07:24:00.001-07:00

they packed up all our stuff this week.

the kids took it pretty well. we are camping out on the floor while we get the house ready for renters.

kind of a weird feeling seeing all of your "stuff" go. Almost nice. I would love to have a more simpler house. maybe we can work on something in Texas.
the semi trailer was actually really pretty. moose and polar bears on it. Colton thought it was cool.Kellen even is helping us clean (until he starting eating the rags!)

wish us luck; we are heading out of Kalispell on Friday. Sad.

Easter

2011-04-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

This Easter, we chose to dye eggs the day before and then we hid them for the kids the next day along with some eggs with candy. The kids also had to find their Easter buckets, which had a chocolate bunny and wildflower seeds in them. They thought this was fun, and decided to hide one for Tyler and I. They went around the house and found random things for them. It was really adorable.
Easter was a BEAUTIFUL day here, almost 60 degrees with clear blue skies! Our dear neighbors invited us to the beach... and we are so glad we went! We hid more eggs for the kids among the driftwood, played soccer, got in the water, built sandcastles, etc.... GREAT TIME! The beach on Flathead Lake is really only here in April and May, otherwise the waters are too high... so we haven't been there much, but it was the perfect day!

Wonderful Easter Sunday!

this moment

2011-04-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~ Soule Mama

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Fun in a box and more

2011-04-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

Right now I (or we) are::

::enjoying the transition to spring
::awaiting the warmer weather in Texas
::anxious about the move in a little over 2 weeks!
::contemplating whether to find out about the baby or not!
::love watching the kids explore outside and be so independent
::proud of myself for hiking up more of Lonepine than I thought I could!
::excited about the bike riding going on around here! (loving the bike path)
::getting comfortable with three kids... thinking about number four being here in 5 months!
::happy to have the taxes done.
::knitting some fabulous gifts for some people (little and big)
::sad to be leaving an area that I absolutely LOVE!
::listening to the birds singing outside, calling spring in each day.

"Take a Picute of us!"

2011-04-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Ayla commanded us to go get the camera and take a picture of her and her baby brother. That girl loves her little brother so much! She is constantly trying to make him happy and cuddling with him. I wonder what she will be like with the next one?

And Kellen LOVES smoothie pops!

16 weeks

2011-04-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

Right now I feel huge at 16 weeks... I know it is number 4, but still! Huge, I say! But all for a precious little baby. We go in for an ultrasound in two weeks... we may find out what this one is. The other three were surprises, but I almost want to find out for this one. WE are deciding (really, I am deciding). And then we are not certain that if we do find out, if we are going to tell anyone else. And if we do, we will save the name for the birth.
Decisions, decisions.

Plates galore!

2011-04-07T08:34:00.001-07:00

Back when Tyler's parents came to visit last month, I mentioned that we ventured up to Whitefish to paint some plates. Well, here are the finished products! Our first trip was with Richard and Colleen, and we painted dinner plates, and I painted a baby plate for the upcoming baby :) I just love how they turned out, and every night at dinner, the kids are asking for specific plates!
Colleen's back of her beach plate::

Then we went up there again with Roxanne, Danielle, Aiden and Natalie... we painted some salad plates for our place, and Danielle and the kids did a couple kids plates for Aiden, Natalie and the new baby (or babies!!!) they are going to welcome in September!We had a great time painting all of these things, and this place is definitely going to be missed by our family!!! Maybe we can find a place like it in Texas???

Playing in the Montana sun

2011-04-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

The other day, while we were pumping water from the crawl space, the sun made an appearance and we were drawn outside by the warm (high 40's) temperatures. I raked the yard barefoot, Kellen explored the grass and the walk, and Colton went and got his rake and raked right alongside me. Then we made a big pile of grass, and he did a couple run and jumps! It was very fun, and cute to see Colton let loose and get a little dirty!

Water

2011-04-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Every year, about this time, in our neighborhood you see hoses coming out of peoples basements/crawlspaces/front doors. AKA:: there is water under the houses! So we keep track and check our crawlspace, and pump it out with a pump. The kids think this is so fun, and quickly volunteered to help!
Sorry for the sporadic entries... I have been such a slacker! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

2011-03-25T08:23:00.001-07:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

*** *** ***

Some pictures from more visitors!

2011-03-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

We had some more visitors this last weekend! Grammy (Tyler's Mom), Aunt Danielle and cousins Aiden and Natalie. We had a great time while they were here, despite the fact our minivan didn't have seats for everyone AND we all passed around the inevitable cold/sickness. We celebrated Kellen's birthday (again!), we painted pottery, some of us got makeup makeovers, courtesy of Clinique, the same people got half-!@#$# pedicures/manicures (the shop really didn't do that great of a job!), and we did some knitting... the kids played A LOT inside and out. All in all, a fantastic time with some of our favorite people!

Our first bike ride this year

2011-03-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

We took a couple bike rides this last weekend, with fabulous results! Colton is such a trooper and loves to ride his bike EVERYWHERE! But just in case we put the seat on the back of my bike and the bike trailer on Tyler's. The first day Kellen rode with Ayla in the trailer... he was too fond of it, unless she fed him snacks the whole way!
The second day he sat in the baby seat behind me, and totally loved it!

Ayla calls him Baby Watermelon Head!

Kellen's birthday (the actual day plus)

2011-03-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

So here are more of Kellen's birthday pictures :: he seems to have had a great first birthday.

We made this pear cake which turned out wonderful! Except the middle which was gooey (to little of a pan and not enough cook time!)One of my great friends got this fishing pole for Kellen. All of the kids thought it was great! So cute!Aren't my two boys handsome? And don't they look alike?

Fun with Grandma and Grandpa

2011-03-10T09:00:00.001-08:00

We had so much fun with Grandma Colleen and Grandpa Richard this last weekend! The kids decided they wanted to go bowling, so here are some of those great pictures. The bowling alley near us is so nice; they had a couple lanes with couches and what not, and the kids thought that was fun... the floors were also VERY clean, so I was alright with Kellen crawling around... not that anyone let him much! Both Colton and Ayla beat Grandma and myself in the two rounds we played... they each got over 100 both times!!!Colton would put his leg over the bowling contraption after every ball, just watching it go down the lane!

Both kids took a running start in order to get the balls going fast!

Kellen enjoyed all the attention!

Some Daddy love!

We also went out to eat a bunch, painted some awesome plates up in Whitefish (more on that later), went shopping, played games at home, and just in general had a lot of fun. We wish the visit could have been longer, but know that all good things come to an end.

What fun things do your kids like to do with their grandparents?

I think either this year or next, the two older kids will go to the grandparents (all three, maybe?) and spend a couple days really getting to know them without us silly parents around! The younger two will probably follow suit soon enough, too!

Kellen

2011-03-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Oh, wow! How the time has flown. My sweet little boy who entered this world in an amazingly peaceful way, is now ONE YEAR OLD!
His birth story is here... it was really amazing and I can only hope this next baby has such a wonderful experience.
Kellen is a happy little boy, who greets us every morning with a smile and a giggle. He loves his big brother and sister, although he lets them know when they go too far! He is unbelievable vocal, saying "kitty", "Jack Jack (our cat's name)" "meow", mama, dada, and a whole bunch of gibberish! He loves to play blocks and knock them over. Usually he is pretty independent, but still loves to come snuggle and get picked up. He pulls himself up on everything, but is still pretty unsteady in the standing on his own department.

I can't believe a year has gone by already! It is truly amazing to watch that first year unfold, and a baby turning into a toddler.the volcano cake

This last weekend, the Grandparents were here, so we celebrated a little early.... and we will celebrate again next week with Grammy and Aunt Danielle and cousins!

Mountain Bars :: A Childhood Favorite

2011-03-02T13:28:00.001-08:00

These recipe came from my mom... not sure where she got it, but I remember her making these when I was a kid all the time. And they were one of my favorites! Still to this day, too.
Kellen and I made them today; he was quite the little helper! And Oh So Cute!SIMPLE NO BAKE MOUNTAIN BARS OR COOKIES

2 cups sugar (I used 1 3/4 cups, and it was still great!)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup cocoa (dry)
3 cups (quick cooking instant) oatmeal (or grind up some regular oatmeal for same effect)
1 cup of creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

opt:: I added about 1/2- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut, and I have to say, it was fabulous!Mix first 4 ingredients in saucepan on medium heat. Boil 1 minute or 2. Take off heat and add peanut butter, stir until smooth and creamy. Stir in oats (and coconut) and vanilla. Mix until all mixed together.
Drop onto wax paper with a big spoon and let cool in freezer for 1/2 hour or until cool. When putting away, store in airtight container.

2011-02-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

{this moment} inspired by Amanda Soule- A Friday ritual. Photos - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
Yes, you read that right! Can you believe it? We hardly can either!

Colton's pictures in February

2011-02-23T15:02:00.000-08:00

We have quite the family of photographers... Colton and Ayla love taking pictures with our camera. I'd say they do a pretty good job!

Sicknesses and Snow

2011-02-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

The kids have been getting over a cold... you know the cough, runny nose and general stuffiness. AND NOW Kellen has a fever. Last night it got as high as 102.5! Thank goodness for Advil, and mama's patience. (Tyler was gone last night) We didn't get much sleep.
But he seems in good spirits when he is medicated, and we might make the trip to our wonderful doc later today.
And later today, we are supposed to get a pretty good snowstorm. Unfortunately, Tyler will be driving home in it. But he is pretty used to this weather by now. I try not to worry about him constantly.
Isn't Kellen so cute in these legwarmers and woolie? I just couldn't resist taking pictures of his cute little bum!And Ayla feeding him a bottle... he is one of my babies that actually takes a bottle quite well. Such a sweet boy.

Lone Pine

2011-02-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

We have a state park by our house called Lone Pine. It is such a great place to hike and explore nature, and I have missed it so much on this knee hiatus! We went up there the other day for a class for the kids, and then we went back later and hiked around. It seems every year around Valentine's Day we head up there... I think by then we are itching to be out in the wilderness. So, I thought I would share a few photos from our time up there, and then some from past February's.

From February 2009::

From February 2010:: From this year ::

I will really miss this place come May.

Kellen's top teeth

2011-02-14T17:56:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to show you guys' this little boys top teeth... I think they are so cute!
He is just the sweetest little guy, even when he has a cold (right now he has a horrendous cough, but it doesn't seem to hinder his attitude)
He is just starting to pull up on everything and showing signs of toddlerhood :( How does it happen so fast? He was just born, what, a little less than a year ago! A YEAR!? How does that happen? My boy is going to be a year in less than a month!!!

why am I not here?

2011-02-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

that is the question I ask myself daily... why are you not blogging today? You know what my answer is? I am busy!!!
So here are a few things we have been up to::

:: we found out we are moving to Abilene, Texas! At the beginning of May. Feels like it is tomorrow!

:: I am in my final weeks of physical therapy for my knee... only 3 more weeks, and then I have to take it a bit easy, but I should be back to running in May...

:: I have been knitting up a storm! I am almost done with my Shalom sweater... but.... I ran out of my butternut squash yarn and had to order some more. So that is on hold.

:: I started a jacket for Kellen, and hooded baby snuggler for someone that is having a baby...

:: the sun has been shining around here, and although it is still SUPER cold (I mean in the teens mostly) we have been trying to get outside; now that I am not as scared to slip and fall and mess up my knee again. The kids have been loving it! They even rode their bikes. It took a couple pedals for them to remember how to do it, but they figured it out!

:: Kellen has been being mischievous. He JUST recently realized that he doesn't have to lay on his back in his crib (I don't know why it has taken him this long to even try to roll over in there!)... so he is having a tough time calming down for bedtime. Or naps. That kid hates naps. I swear that he only sleeps maybe 45 minutes during the day. Sometimes he sleeps well at night, and sometimes he doesn't. Oh well, he is REALLY super cute and makes up for the lack of sleep.

:: I recently discovered a Chinese food restaurant that is SO good here in Montana... The Alley Connection. Just thought I would through that out there.

Hope everyone has a great week.... Tyler is gone for a work thing for a couple days so it is just me here to hold down the fort. I am SO not looking forward to him EVER being deployed. Three days is tough!

I will post pics soon!

This Moment

2011-02-04T18:58:00.001-08:00

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

this Moment

2011-01-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

Just a few things...

2011-01-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

I found this awesome chair at Salvation Army for $8.75! It matches perfectly to a desk I picked up a bit ago, and it is comfy to boot! I also scored an old dairy container, that says "Greig's Dy Kalispell" painted green - totally awesome to remind us of this wonderful place when we have to move.

(he is thinking, "Will Mom notice if I grab for the kitty? I don't think so!!!")

For some reason, I have been away from here. Kellen has been teething, so not a whole lot of sleeping going on (well, continuous sleep anyway), crafting has been done, physical therapy is gone to three times a week, and we are all anxiously awaiting hearing about our next assignment. Among other things.
I guess the simple answer is that I have been avoiding the computer for the most part other than a check in here or there. And that is okay.

But here are some updates::
Ayla started school with Colton, and so far (after two weeks) we are EXTREMELY happy with our decision. Colton has opened up at school and actually is talking to his teachers (he had not said a word to anyone there for the whole schoolyear!!!) Ayla is absolutely loving going and learning... I think she is going to be one of those kids that just loves school (I was that way as a kid). So... we feel like it has been a very positive thing. Also, I get to spend two whole days (9-3) with Kellen. I think he really likes that part :)

I finally got out my sewing machine. I put it away before Christmas, and it has been sitting in my closet, not even calling my name. And then the first day Ayla went to school, I thought to myself "Kellen needs a blanket that can be attached to him that will keep him covered at night." And this is what I came up with. No, this doesn't help his little icicle paws in the wee hours of the night, but it does make my mind rest at ease when I don't have to worry about the blanket being on his face or him being cold! (we just started knocking the heat setting down to 62 every night).I think it turned out fabulous. It seems to serve it's purpose, and it is really cute! Can't go wrong with that, right? I used what I had on hand, and the inside is wonderful organic fleece - so soft!!

The kids have been really into art projects, and I thought I would try one that Heather mentioned. The kids seemed to like the process, but after we pulled off the tape, Colton wanted to paint the white space! Ha! I love this picture though... my little goofballs.