Not So GR8

OK...

You all know I recently bought a new car.

I've been waiting for my new license plates to arrive.

At our house, we like to name our car or truck based on the letters on the license plates. For example...my van had the letters "RQI" so I gave my van the name "Rickie". My sis-in-law's last car had the letters "PLY" and her car was named "Polly". You get the picture.

You never know what letters are going to be permanently stuck to the back of your vehicle and you always hope it's nothing embarrassing...

So today was the big day when I would go to the dealership to get my shiny new plates and find out the name of my cute little car.

What are the odds my new plates would have the letters...XXL. Seriously, XXL?? Extra, Extra, Large? That is sucky!

So... My cute little red car goes by the name of Fatso.

I'm so bummed. Even the guy at the dealership felt bad. He tried to lift my spirits by saying "Well, at least it will be easy to remember."

Memorable Memorial Weekend

I had the lucky opportunity to spend some quality time with my dear friend, Karen the last couple of days. She is VERY pregnant and was in serious need of a little TLC.

I tried to help her out by cooking up some grub and helping her around the house with her three adorable kiddos. It was so much fun spending time with her and getting to know her kids a little better.




Here's Spencer, he took time
out to have lunch from his busy schedule of roller-blading and making new friends with the neighbors... He's a gem!



Here is Hannah waiting "patiently" for me to come play cars with her. It was so nice to feel so popular for a couple of days! I was in high demand and I loved it! She was so cute, especially when she was trying on her dress-up clothes and then showing me how each one looked on her while twirling! Oh to be a little girl again!

Here's sweet little "Squish" or Sienna as her birth certificate states. She is as sweet as syrup and a cuddle bug for sure! She can do some pretty fantastic tricks on the trampoline and wants to make sure you are "watching her feet" while she does them.

Karen and Brad have a lovely home and it's always such a treat to spend time with their family. Happy kids, funny parents, beautiful decor, yummy food, and comfort surround you! They know how to make their guests feel welcome.

LOOK at the size of that fridge. You could park a VW beetle in there! Can you sense the jealously I have for this girl and her home?

My wish is for Karen to get through these last couple of weeks of pregnancy with little discomfort, well-rested nights, and to be able to relax on the couch to watch an entire television program with out the cable going out! "Technical Difficulties" suck when you're banished to the couch on bed rest.

Thanks for letting me play and chat, I loved being there with all of you and I can't wait to come for my next visit when you're bambino enters this world!

Let's Take it Outside

Oh... Sunny Days!

It was a scorcher today, 90-plus degrees...Time to break out the Banzai Falls for a little slippin' and slidin'.

Nick and Nolan like to play "Lava Monster". Here they are hanging on for dear life perched above the deadly pool of lava.

Hazel and Nick enjoying the beautiful Spring day on the patio. Love. Days. Like. This!


Look at that handsome young man!

I'm so ready for Summer to get here...Can't beat a weekend spent outside, on a lounge chair, tall glass of ice-tea by your side, and the sounds of birds singing and kids laughing. It's the best!

Blessed are the children of mothers

Happy Mother's day MOM!!

My mom has got to be one of the most generous and giving people I know. She's always the first one to offer her help whenever someone is not feeling well and needs extra care. When she's helping them physically she is also helping them emotionally when she gets them to smile and laugh. She is a funny lady and we all know laughter is the best medicine! She is a wonderful mom and I'm so glad that she is MINE! She is also one of the best Grandmas around... She is a constant source of fun and is so great at letting them "help" her with cooking, gardening, and crafting. She has unlimited patience and her love for each and every one of them is so apparent in the way she talks and interacts with them. We love you mom!!

This lovely lady is my Grandma Ruth. We have always called her Grandma "Salty" and now her great-grandchildren call her that too! She is my dad's mom and she is such a fabulous lady! She is a constant source of inspiration to me and I'm hoping that when I get to be her age, I will be as healthy and active as she is today! This lady's social calendar is booked people. She is sweet, funny, and a card player extraordinaire! Love you!!

Now, I have been fortunate enough to have these ladies brought into my life because of Connor. His mom, Pat, is a fabulous lady and an amazing mom. Lucky for me she taught Connor how to grow up to be such a wonderful person. She's a terrific grandma and Nick and Nolan love spending time with her!

Connor's grandma is one of the most amazing people I have met. She is so kind and has a quiet confidence about her. Her family ADORES her and for good reason! She's caring and sweet and can't be beat!

Now, here are the two kids who call me mom. I feel like the luckiest mom in the world because of these boys. They are sweet, funny, kind, compassionate, smart, artistic, creative, athletic, well-behaved, adorable kids and they are all MINE! Lucky me!

Here's a shot of Nick when he was only 10 mos. old. I love this picture because of the look in his eyes...They have a deep and intensely sweet look about them.

I also love this picture because of the look in his eyes. This one cracks me up each time I see it. He's proud of his hammer and doesn't want anyone to mess with him!

Love, love, love this picture of Connor with Nolan... I guess if it wasn't for this wonderful man I wouldn't be a mother at all. Love you Con!

So it's quite evident that I'm the luckiest lady around...My life is filled with joy and happiness thanks to all of these wonderful mothers. They have each touched my life in different ways, I love each and every one of you!

Have the Happiest of Mother's days.

How Bizarre, How Bizarre...

This morning, Connor, left a message on voice mail asking me to call him at work so he could tell me about the interesting thing he found on our driveway as he was about to leave for work...

Needless to say, I was intrigued! Was it a coyote? A mysterious package? A giant lump sum of money? My mind was spinning up all sorts of scenarios...

I called him back ASAP.

He then went on to tell me that as soon as the garage door went up he noticed a woman hobbling down the street near our house. As soon as she saw our garage door open, she made a bee-line straight towards Connor.

Connor said she looked like she was about mid-40's, very disheveled, bedraggled, and quite dirty. I believe he used the words "crazy lady" when he told me what he had found on the driveway.

She began to tell him about her crazy night... Which apparently started with a fight she had with her "best" friend. For whatever reason she decided to leave her friend's house in a huff, and thought she'd follow the train tracks to see where she'd end up. (brilliant) On her trek down the train tracks she managed to twist her ankle and fall down. Apparently, she fell into a nearby ditch as well because her pants were wet and muddy. Doesn't she sound lovely?

Then she asked Connor if she could come into our house to borrow the phone so she could call her sister to come pick her up. Connor politely offered to call her sister on his cell phone and was willing to give her a short car ride to the front of the neighborhood where she could wait for her sister to come get her.

As Connor and "crazy lady" were driving through our peaceful neighborhood she spoke up and asked if she could borrow his phone again to call her "best" friend to find out if she was still mad at her. (What?!!) To which Connor responded "Um, no...I'm sure you can deal with that later...buh-bye."

He left her on the curb and went on his merry way to work... In my car. That he asked if he could borrow for a fun change of pace. He apologized for the dirt she may have left behind. :)

How's that for a change of pace?

Connor... I hope your day has gotten back to normal after such a wacky beginning! TGIF!!
Maybe she was able to help us get rid of the new-car-smell that has been over powering us. :)

Cowboy boots and square roots

Yee Haw...Ride 'em cowboy!

Can you tell I just spent two days in Ellensburg?

We just got back from a rip roarin' good time on the CWU campus. Nicholas was participating in the MATH OLYMPIAD 2008.

What is that you ask?

It's a math competition between several Washington State elementary schools. Only 5th and 6th graders are allowed to participate. Nick joined his school's math club back in September and has been honing his math skills ever since.

They work hard all year just to get ready for this big event.

Now, getting up early every Tuesday morning to do math is not what most kids prefer to do. Some of them truly enjoy working out equations and the like, but for most attendees.... I think it's the promise of the BEST field trip known to kid-dom... A trip to Ellensburg to have a giant pizza party at Grant's pizzeria and a swimming pool party at the local pool.

Then reality sets in on day two when they remember that they have a job to do. They have to put their craniums to the test! They work in groups of four trying to solve some pretty difficult math problems. Seven pages of story problems that deal with algebra, geometry, probability, number sense, etc etc etc. I saw the test, it was NOT easy. I was feeling a little uneasy about my skills when I saw what they expected 5th and 6th graders to do.

Here's our school's crew!

I even felt a little guilty when all of us moms decided to see the sights and get a coffee at the Dakota Cafe while our kiddos were slaving away. Especially when I saw the GIGANTO cinnamon twist doughnut I was about to sink my teeth into! YUM.

Here we are just shootin' the breeze and having fun.

(Jodie, Mona, Sarah, Beth, Lori, and Moi)

At the awards ceremony after the competition, they honor the groups that had the best score out of each category. And the one lucky group who had the best overall score gets to go home with a fancy gold medal.

Hmmm... What is that around Nick's neck? That is THE fancy gold medal I was just talking about. YUP-- My awesome kid was one of the four recipients. Isn't that the coolest?

WAY TO GO NICHOLAS! All of your hard work and early Tuesday morning club meetings really paid off.

Nick, my Nick, Josiah, and Preston

Nick was so proud of himself he could have lit a room with all his beaming! It was a lot of fun and you can bet your boots we'll be back next year!