Bet you don't have one of these in your house...

The other day I came home from work to find this new fellow on my kitchen countertop...

He's the snazzy new toothpick holder Nick created in Art class. He cracks me up. He kind of clashes with my current decor, but who else can say they have a buck-toothed, blue faced, toothpick holder dude?
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Nicholas also made a pizza plate just so he can eat pizza on it. Of course, Connor baked up a fine pizza to break in the new plate that very night he brought this home.

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I love my creative kid!

Annual Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

On the most beautiful sunny day of the year so far, our neighbor's congregated to the park in the middle of the 'hood to partake of our annual Easter egg hunt.

This yearly tradition has always been a favorite of our kids. The boys were four and two when we first moved into this neighborhood...the perfect ages for a fun egg hunt. Now, Nolan searched for the candy filled eggs for the last time (sniff) because the cut off age is 6th grade.
Here are the anxious hunters learning the rules for how many eggs they are allowed to collect and in which areas of the park they get to search.

We met a new neighbor. So cute! I've never seen a bunny on a leash before. Connor and I felt kind of bad because we seemed more interested in meeting this furry guy than we did it's owner. Oops. :)

Here's Nolan with a couple of his buddies... Alex and Jacob, waiting patiently for the instructions. (I just have to mention that Alex came equipped with "Crown Royal" purple velvet bag to collect his eggs. I'm gonna have to tease his parents next time I see them.)

Each of the thousands of eggs either contained candy or a surprise token that allowed the recipient to choose a prize at the end. I think there were enough prizes for EVERY kid to go home a winner. So fun!

Yes... there was actually an egg perched carefully on that cement wall right where my sweet neighbor, Jordyn, is standing. I thought for sure it would have a prize token in it, but nope... just a few jelly beans. Kind of lame for having to risk falling into the drink!

This is my friend/neighbor Cyndie. She's got three boys so we understand each other pretty well. :)

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It was such a lovely day! So nice to be outside, seeing neighbors that have all been hidden inside their homes during this nasty, cold, and ridiculously wet winter!

Hope you all had a very Happy Easter!

You can teach an old dog a new trick!

Getting older is no fun. I see it every day at work when people come in with new ailments attributed to their aging bodies. (Take your calcium people... take it when your young! :))

It's so true that our bodies just can't keep up like they used to when we were young and spry. Even at the ripe old age of 39 I'm a little hesitant to partake in some activities because I'm afraid I'll pull a muscle or break something. Lame! I'm currently going to the gym regularly in hopes to get my body in better shape so I don't have to be so cautious.

My husband has a theory on growing older. He notices that as people age they have a tendency to spiral into ever smaller circles of activity and experiences. Over time, people get comfortable doing the same routines and are much more resistant to change. Trying a new experience or learning a new or difficult skill seems too daunting and therefore people avoid them all together. Pretty soon you find yourself sitting in the Lazy boy recliner doing crosswords in front of the television rather than taking a new class or venturing outside to see a new sight.

I hate to say that I can see myself on the way to the Lazy Boy recliner... I need to broaden my horizons and try something new. But Connor? He's bucking the system!

Yup, that's right... My "older than me husband" has decided to take on a new venture that has always appealed to him. He signed up for Scuba Diving lessons and for that I am so proud! He has the gear he needs and will be participating in several lessons that will grant him the Scuba certification he has always dreamt about. How cool is that?!

I hope he has a blast with this new experience. I'm sure he will see some amazing new things under the deep blue sea that he will be able to share with us. Who knows...maybe I'll be the next one signing up for Scuba lessons? Or maybe I'll just stay on the shore, perhaps Hula lessons are in my future? :)

Cooking 101

My boys love to eat. They have absolutely no problem mowing down on whatever is cooked for them each day. Well, except for mushrooms... They both HATE mushrooms and I'm not gonna fight them on that because I LOVE mushrooms and that just means more for me! :)

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However, neither one of them has had a whole lotta time spent in the kitchen actually preparing any meals. Don't get me wrong, they have mastered the toaster, can operate the microwave with flair, and Nick can whip up a mean batch of top ramen from time to time. But if you asked them to saute a veggie or bake a cake I think you would not be pleased with the outcome. So starting last month, we've decided to have each kid cook one dinner per month. From start to finish... This includes choosing a new recipe that appeals to them, making sure we have all of the ingredients, preparing the meal and sharing it with the entire family.

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Nick went first a couple of weeks ago. He chose to make pasta in Alfredo sauce, crescent rolls, and green beans. Now since I rarely make homemade Alfredo sauce I thought it was only fair to let him use the jarred type too. Besides it was his first meal and I thought we should stick to something rather easy. .

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He quickly learned that timing is one of the hardest parts to making a meal come together. But he did an awesome job. Everything was ready at the same time and cooked to perfection! I was in the family room in case he had any questions but told him that my rear was going to stay planted on the couch. I wanted him to do EVERYTHING and by doing so I think he was even more proud of the outcome.

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So meal number one was a success! Nolan is up for his cooking day in just a week or two. He says he already knows what he's going to make. I'm liking this little cooking experiment/lesson so far. I think it's important for everyone to know how to cook. Their future wives will thank me and I have to admit I'm liking the fact that I get a night off from cooking! :)

A Series Of Unfortunate Events

I just have to share a little story about how a series of small disasters followed my boys last Sunday morning. . . . . They decided to pull each other around the house on my beloved fleece blanket like they used to do when they were little kids. It's just not the same game when you're 5 feet tall and weigh 100 pounds or so... This little "game" led to my blanket unravelling around the edges. Oh joy. . . . . . . . . They were amazed by how long the string was that was unravelling before their eyes. So... They decided to stretch it around the house, up and down the stairs, and basically made our home look as if it had been attacked by a gargantuan spider weaving a nasty black web EVERYWHERE. Nice. . . . . . I told them to clean it up and that is when we realized that the string had cut little gouges into the corners of the walls and chipped away the paint leaving ugly spots. Oh lovely. . . . . . .This is when I gave each kid a small paper plate, small paintbrush, and a dollop of paint to correct what they had just ruined. There might have been an eye rolling or two at this point, but they were up to the challenge. . . . . . . Nolan finished up in a jiffy, washed out his paintbrush, and was on his merry way.... . Nick on the other hand, started yelling from the hallway at his cat, Sophie. She had somehow managed to get her paw into his paintbrush and was tracking paint down the hallway. Are you kidding me? . . . . . At this point I grabbed the cat, tossed her outside, and started laughing at the crazy turn of events. How on earth can one little mishap lead to such a crazy string of mishaps? Pretty soon we were all laughing. . . . . . . Life is never boring with these boys! :)

Better Late Than Never

Several months ago... Last October to be exact, Nick and Nolan reached a goal they had worked very hard to reach for over 6 years. Because they were committed to reach their 2nd degree black belt goal, we told them we would reward their hard work by taking them to a local water park for a weekend of fun. We meant to deliver on our reward soon after the big belt test, but the holidays and a busy life got in the way. Fast forward to February... My boys were still water slide-less, so we got busy and made arrangements to remedy the situation.

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For the last few weeks in February, Nick and Nolan were so looking forward to the fun they were about to embark on at The Great Wolf Lodge. Finally their parents were making good on their deal. They were told we had reservations from March 4th to March 6th. Finally!

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Well, on Friday the 4th we were all packed up and hopped in the car. We started on our journey when out of nowhere Connor started blaring Disney tunes, I handed the boys some Mickey Mouse Pez candy for the ride, and then both of us slapped a couple of Mickey Mouse ears on top of our heads. Wait, What? :) Oh yeah... we just pulled one over on them! We were actually on our way to the airport to head for....

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DISNEYLAND!!!!!

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Yes. We rock, if I do say so myself. I love a good surprise, and you could say that Nick and Nolan were blown away! Within about 4 hours of pulling off that surprise we found ourselves walking around in the Southern Californian sunshine amongst the likes of Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie Mouse... it was awesome.

Nick sporting his Goofy pirate cap and Nolan staying warm under his "Chip n' Dale" hat.

Tarzan's tree house

Doesn't get much better than this. :)

Jungle River Rapids is one of our very favorite, albeit wettest rides.

Nick and Nolan got to sit next to the driver on the double decker bus down Main Street USA.

I like this rear view mirror shot!

We had three full fun filled days at Disneyland. Enough time to take a few breaks to enjoy some relaxation at the Hotel's pool. Which was a good thing because our dogs were barkin'.

By the end of our trip, Connor's feet were so sore he could barely walk.

I'm thankful for great kids who work hard at reaching their goals and for the opportunity to be able to make spur of the moment trips like this possible. It was a non-stop weekend filled with lots of fun new memories that I hope my kids don't soon forget.

Coyotes and Bobcats and Elk... OH MY!

Sometimes we kid our friends that we live in hillbilly land, away from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle over an hour away. It's true that we drive past many a barn and cow filled field to get home. It's not unusual for us to spy an elk or coyote roaming in the greenbelt behind our house.

But last week, Hazel (our dog, not our grandma) started whining at the back door when she spotted a bobcat on the hill behind our fence. The boys and Connor grabbed the camera and took video of the uncommon visitor. I was glad our animals were all safely inside the house as I'm sure Sophie, our dumb cat would have easily been an appetizer for this bobcat.

A little Uncle Envy

Here in blogland I have a few favorite blogs that I love to read. One I check out at least a few times a week is called betterafter. I am constantly amazed after seeing "before and after" photos of spectacular transformations created by quite crafty and talented people.

I decided to submit one of my all time favorite "before and afters" to the woman who manages this blog just to see if she would want to feature it on her blog. And lo and behold she did!

Most of you already know about this transformation, but you can take a look at it on her blog and read the comments that others left behind. BetterAfter

Al is famous now and as well he should be! :)

Double Duty Apron

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know how much I get a kick out of my dear friend, Karen. We've been friends for 32 years now and we share quite a history together. Last week she shared a little tidbit of information on her blog that cracked me up and took me back to my childhood. It's pretty funny and "grody" at the same time and you need to read her blog entry before reading any further.... Really, you do.

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Well, after reading that post and wiping away the tears of laughter my hubs and I had a moment of inspiration. Connor was minorly disgusted but majorly amused by what she shared and wanted to create a little something for our wonderful friend.

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It all started with a trip to the store to purchase an apron and a couple of dish towels.

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Then I got busy with my sweet sewing machine.

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To create a little number that Karen could wear with pride to help aid in the drying and cleaning of goblets of her own. :)

It's says "You wash... I'll dry"

and has strategically placed dish towels sewn onto the front of the apron.
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We agonized over what shape the towels "patches" should be and resigned to leaving them square instead of round to keep it a subtle inside joke. After all, we don't want Karen to be embarrassed while wearing such a lovely fashion statement.

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Of course, It's all in the name of fun. I love a good practical joke and I know Karen does too.

Here's to happy days filled with drying/dusting in Karen's future!

Happy 12th NOLAN!

Today my baby turns twelve.

First of all who pushed the fast forward button? And second of all, how on earth is my baby twelve?

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When I think back to the day I met him 12 years ago, I remember how little he was when he arrived. I was so used to having a toddler in the house that this little tiny baby boy was just that...tiny. Tiny and snuggable!

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Now he is not tiny. He's even bigger today that his "once a toddler" older brother. Nolan has always seemed to big bigger and older than his age from the get go. Hard for a mama to take because he went from newborn to kid in no time flat.

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Nicholas was soooooo excited to hear that he had a little brother that day. My parents were babysitting him and they told him that it's fun to have a little brother because you can play basketball together some time. That stuck with Nick...because upon entering the hospital to meet Nolan he ran through the halls saying "hoops hoops hoops!" He was a little disappointed to see that his brother was a lump the size of a loaf of bread. Not what he had hoped for. But he loved Nolan from day one and gave him kisses all of the time. With his minor speech impediment he lovingly referred to Nolan as "Baby Dolan".

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(Nolan was our hood ornament while rafting down the Deschutes in Oregon. Poor kid had nothing to hold on to!)

(Nolan's 3rd birthday... love that grin!)

(Nolan age 8 with one of his many hats... this one came from Leavenworth and is a fave.)




(Christmas morning where he was super thrilled to see Santa brought him the slippers he asked for! I think he was five.)
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Nolan has been such a treat! He's known for being very laid back and just kinda goes with the flow of life. I think what I love most about this kid is that he doesn't care one bit what people think of him. He is who he is and if you think he's crazy well then so be it. I wish I could've been like that as a kid. He loves to be silly and loves to say silly things and I hope that never changes!
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Happy Birthday Nolan! You are loved more than you know and I hope you have such a wonderful year being twelve!

Meet My Uncle Al...

This jovial guy sitting in the beach chair is my Uncle Al. He is one of the best natured people I have ever met. He almost always has a smile on his face, a joke to tell, and a positive attitude to share. Connor and I absolutely love spending time with him and we feel grateful that my Aunt Linda married such a wonderful man. Besides being such a fun person to be around, he is by far, one of the most creative people I know. He loves to build things. All kinds of things. He tinkers away in his garage shop making the most wonderful treasures all. of. the. time. From beautiful bird houses, drift wood people, homemade valentine boxes, and amazing intricate geared automatons... the list goes on and on.

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But take a look at what this talented guy did for Connor and myself recently.

He took some of these nasty old fence boards (that we replaced a couple years ago :)) and turned them into works of art!



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Look at this! I know I've posted about it before, but I love this garden bench that he created for me for Christmas last year. He designed it to look like a large stuffed sofa which I can only imagine is very difficult when you're working with wood. It was meant to live outside in our garden, but Connor and I can't stand the thought of it getting all gross in the soggy weather and getting full of spiders. So it lives in our entry way! I love it!!

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And just take a gander at this beauty! He made this unbelievable bird house out of that same nasty fence! This was Connor's Christmas present from Al this year and let me tell you, we are beyond happy that Al drew his name in the family drawing! :) It is stunning.

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He does such amazing work with everything he makes. He has even had the opportunity to sell some of his gems in some local artisan shops near his home. I wish I had just a smidgen of his creativity and imagination.

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But for now I'll just be happy with the notion that I have the most creative and imaginative Uncle around!

Reading, Writing, and Creating Fabulous Things Out Of Wood...

OK... get ready for a little bragging.

Not only is my kid, Nick, a stellar student in Middle School... He also is a rock star when it comes to creating cool things in shop class.

Take a look for yourself-

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Project number one is this adorable wooden basket that he made for yours truly! It is now living on our kitchen table.

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I mentioned project number two during my Christmas post, but it is so nice I'll mention it twice!
Connor's been trying to think of the perfect location to hang it up in the backyard, some lucky bird is gonna call it home soon.

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And take a looksy at project number three! Is that not the most beautiful cutting board? Seriously, my kid made that? He's a master! :)

I love it, and I love that he is so thoughtful as to give all of his creations to us as gifts. He's been slaving away all school year on these items only to give them to us when he's done. I will find it hard to actually cut on this bad boy for the first time because I don't want to ruin it, but I know it's meant to be used and I guarantee it will be used for years and years to come!

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Thank you Nicholas for all of these heartfelt gifts. You did such a wonderful job and it's obvious you spent a lot of time and worked really hard perfecting each one. Another example of how you are a great student and a thoughtful kid. I love you kiddo!

Feeling...

Feeling a little crummy with a winter cold bug settling into my head and chest...
Feeling a little anxious because Nick is currently up on the ski slopes with his ski club from school...
Feeling like I need to be less overprotective and not worry so dang much...
Feeling happy about what this upcoming weekend has in store for a happy Anniversary couple...
Feeling excited about a little surprise trip in the month of March that we just booked on-line today...
Feeling content to sit on the couch with Nolan while we watch "Winter Wipeout" together...
Feeling sad about an old co-worker and friend who lost his battle with Alzheimer's yesterday...
Feeling renewed to have a brand spanking new year ahead to tackle with lots of gusto and new experiences...

Lots of emotions going on in this here head of mine today...

Christmas 2010

Our Christmas was like a whirlwind from start to finish. It all started when Nolan appeared by my bed at 5:59 AM.

He had already spent the previous 59 minutes patiently reading a book in his room in hopes that the hands on his clock would quickly move up an hour.

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So... we all got up and headed downstairs to the living room where the annual Christmas traditions begin each year.

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(please notice how DARK it is outside at this ungodly hour...I don't think anyone else in the neighborhood was up yet)
This year, Nick made a birdhouse for Connor in shop class at school. He was so proud of it and well he should be-it's cut, sanded, and painted to perfection. Connor was proud to be the lucky recipient!

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I love this kid!

Hazel's big present was "baby". It's a small stuffed fox and she LOVED her "baby" as soon as she pulled it out of the gift bag. She immediately took her new love to her bed and even decorated her bed with a bow she found lying around. She's such a great dog!
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Bacon is a big deal at our house, so Santa brought Nick a stuffed version that says "I'm bacon" and Nolan got a Ba Co N shirt (periodic table of Barium, Carbon, and Nitrogen- yes we're nerds) and he was beyond happy to try out his new drinking straw goggles. (yes we're weird)

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(Left-right... Uncle Tim, Cousin Josh, Sister Sarah, Connor, and Uncle Russ)

Later on that day, Connor's family joined in the fun. Our house was stuffed to the max with all kinds of relatives from across the state.

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It was loud, crowded, and FUN.

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Connor's cousins- Christina and Erik. They are quite possibly the sweetest siblings I know.

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Here's Connor's Grandmother, Marie holding dear sweet Ashlyn. She was the youngest member of the family until we got the much anticipated news that a new baby girl was born to our ever growing family on Christmas night at 11:30!

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Connor's cousin, Kerrie had her very first baby that day down in California. The whole family was on pins and needles waiting and hearing the details as the day unfolded. Luckily, her daughter, Hero, was born healthy and everyone was thrilled to hear good news!

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Our house has a hard time catering to this large of a group but we managed.

I love Connor's family, they are a great group of caring people. Everyone chipped in by bringing food to share, making my hosting duties much easier.

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New babies, handmade gifts, lots of smiles, kids playing, yummy food, hugs abound, close family, and laughter is what I loved about this years' Christmas.

Birthday Perfection

If you are going to celebrate a birthday soon. I totally recommend you do it just as I did the other night. But first you need to find an amazing husband, two very caring boys, and a stellar friend who can fool ya like nobody's business.

Saturday was my Birthday. I'm old...That's as much as I'll tell you. :) No pictures were taken, and that was totally on purpose.

I got to sleep in... Sleep is a big deal to me. I LOVE it.

Then I noticed my house filling up with wonderful scents of bacon and french toast being cooked to perfection by my family. It was delish.

I was instructed to relax on the couch and to watch as much HGTV as my little heart desired. (without hearing any complaints) I have a problem, I am addicted and I'll be the first to admit it.

Then it was present and card time... Nolan was practically bouncing around in anticipation of me opening my gift. My boys made the nicest handmade cards with sweet birthday wishes inside.
I ripped open the wrapping paper and found an iPod touch! Happy Birthday to me!! My other iPod was barely functioning and I really LOVED my ipod so now I'm in ipod heaven! Nick and Nolan were excited for me but mostly envious. They've been pining for ipod touches for months now. Luckily for them, I share.

We spent the rest of the afternoon together and I asked them to play Balderdash with me because I think that game is hilarious. Connor almost rolled his eyes, but agreed to play with the birthday girl! (Connor despises that game.)

I received a birthday text from my dear friend, Karen, stating she wished she could have called but was in a bind 'cause her little boy was sick... I believe her words were "I'm up to my armpits in puke, but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday!" She also managed to ask me "How are you spending your day? Shopping for walkers? Looking for burial plots?" Nice, huh? Nothing like a sweet birthday greeting from an old friend.

Connor had told me he had made some reservations for us to go have a nice dinner together, just the two of us. We don't get "dates" very often, so I was really looking forward to that.

After coming downstairs from trying to get my old self looking somewhat decent for a night out, I was shocked to see my friends Karen and Brad sitting on my couch looking quite dapper! What?!! My hubs and Karen had been arranging this whole birthday surprise for a week or so and I was ecstatic! I love surprises, I love my husband who made my birthday extra special, and I love my dear sweet friends Karen and Brad who travelled across the mountain pass and lied about puke just to surprise me!

We had so much fun that night. We ate like calories were going out of style. We laughed a lot. We got caught up on each other's lives. We learned new things about each other (sippy cups have more uses than I first previously thought). :) I love that the four of us get along swimmingly, it was a perfect birthday celebration in my eyes.

This was the perfect ending to an already perfect day. Thank you Nick and Nolan for catering to my every need and for being so sweet all day long. Thank you Connor for always making birthdays such a special treat. I love you! You and Karen totally pulled one over on me! Thank you Karen for always being my rock of a friend. I can't remember my life without you in it and for that I'm grateful. You are the best!