Good Day Sunshine!

It was a balmy 55 degrees outside today and the sun was shining bright, so what were we to do?

We piled into the car and headed West to plunk our behinds on a log that was washed up many moons ago on the beach along the Puget Sound.

I hadn't been to the beach in a very long time. It was nice to hear the seagulls and smell the salty air. It was beautiful... hardly a breeze and the sun felt so good. For some reason I have never been more ready for Spring to arrive than I am this year. It's sooo close!

These two almost always put their arms around each other when it's picture time. I seriously don't prompt them to do this... I love that they actually like each other. :)

Just missin' dad!

Nicholas found something I've never seen on a beach before... an actual shark jaw. He was totally jazzed about this discovery, it had a few large teeth and another row of tiny teeth behind those. So cool!
Their cousins and aunt Shannon met up with us to join in the fun. Here's Jessica with my boys. I just have to say that this girl is a never ending growing machine. She's only 11 and is only 1/4" shorter than me... She shows no sign of stoppin' I think she may reach 6 ft. before the ripe old age of 14.

Here's Jessica's little sister, Nita... I don't think I have to worry about her getting taller than me, she's petite in every way. Well, except maybe in attitude... Watch out for her she's got some sass. I love her!!

My sis-in-law Shannon wouldn't let me take any photos of her. How rude. But here is proof that she was there. She's always a lot of fun and I'm glad she lives so nearby that we can do stuff like this!

I missed any shots of Ben and Jay because my camera totally died... ran out of batteries half way through our fun. They were so cute playing by the edge of the little creek that ran into the Sound. You'll just have to use your imagination. Maybe Uncle Sam's refund will be put to good use towards a new little camera in the coming month?

I am looking forward to many more days of sunshine in our future. When they are so few and far between you want to make the most of them! I think we accomplished our goal today.

Maybe I should have named him Alec...

I was warned.

By many mothers who have lived through raising boys around the age of 12-13.

I just didn't think it would happen to me. After all, my kids are perfect. :) But after a conversation with Nicholas the other night it appears that I, too, am going to have to weather the storm of smart remarks made by kids going through adolescence.

We were just sittin' around the television flippin' through the channels when "The Simpson's" came on. My boys hooted with glee in hopes that the channel surfing would stop right there. That's when I opened my big mouth and said, "Jeez, I can't believe they are still making new Simpson's episodes...that show started back when I was in high school." To this my oldest son remarked "Gosh, mom, you had TV back then? I thought you just sat around and watched fire."

Um...excuse me? When did my sweet, tenderhearted, thoughtful, and kind son turn on me? I have to admit that his smart Alec remark was quite a zinger, and I laughed out loud more than anyone in the room...but it still hurt. Just a little.

Nineteen Valentine's and counting...

Connor and I have spent 19 Valentine Days together so far... Wow, that is more than half my life. Crazy.

And most of those were celebrated at home in our own kitchen cookin' up some new recipe that sounded good to us at the time. It was always easier to stay in rather than fight the crowds at restraunts and finding a babysitter on Valentine's day was never an easy task. Cooking in the kitchen with your sweetie is so much fun especially with some good tunes and a delicious drink concoction in your hand.

This year we all had a hand in the Valentine's dinner.

Connor and I decided on bacon wrapped scallops (thank you Giada), a side of fried zuchinni, and parmesan garlic bread to boot. YUM.

Nolan LOVES to cook and wanted to help out, so we put him on zuchinni duty. They turned out divine... And Nicholas, being the artistically creative one, set off to make some Valentine's flair for our table. He made some lovely "never die" flowers and lit some candles to add to the ambiance.

The boys even started a fire in the fireplace...all by themselves! So we sat down to eat our awesome meal together and it was one of my best Valentine's Days ever. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the zuchinni was pretty much inhaled instantaneously (hence this photo shows no sign of the veggie). And the best part was having my three favorite Valentines surrounding me at the table... I love these guys.

He can be taught!

Nolan and I turned on some tunes and hunkered down to clean up his room that was being swallowed up by an endless array of meaningless stuff.

It only took two hours of sorting through junk on every surface in his room, but we did it! He was amazingly willing to part with much more than I had anticipated. I measure our success by not only how much better his room looks and feels but by the way he immediately wanted to sit down to write his cousin, Hanna, a letter on his newly found desk top!

We took Connor's advice and created a bigger "box of joy" filled with goodies his little heart could not live without... It fits nicely under his bed and even has room for future treasures.

I'm a firm believer in blaring good music while cleaning... it makes it so much easier!

Our first hike 2009

Ah... once the fog lifted this morning we saw some wonderfully blue skies and sunlight streaming through some wispy clouds. Wow, what luck! And it was Saturday too! Nothing beats a sunny day in the Northwest I tell you.

So...on went the sneakers, sweatpants, hoodies, and SUNGLASSES! We headed out for a hike in the woods. Nothing too extreme for our first outing this year... just headed to the next town where they have the best, relatively flat, well tended hiking paths to get our blood pumping. We also chose this path because after a couple of miles, it conveniently passes very near a quaint cafe that overlooks the river. We were famished after all of our tromping in the dirt and deserved a little grub of burgers and onion rings don't ya think? I just kept telling myself that I would burn the calories on our journey back. OK...maybe not enough but who cares, those were some darn fine onion rings worthy of every calorie.

It felt so good to be outside. The boys were happily discovering nature again. Sword fighting with giant branches, skipping over mud puddles, tossing rocks into the river, and hollering in the tunnels trying to make their mother cringe. It was all good. I do love living in the Northwest. I just wish we didn't have to spend so much time indoors dodging all the rain and misty gray weather. I guess I just have to remind myself that this misty gray weather is what makes everything so unbelievably green and lovely when the sun finally decides to show up!

One of my new year's "resolutions" is to spend more time hitting the trails. It's fun, free (unless you load up on lunch!), and my boys are the perfect ages for making the adventures hassle free and enjoyable. It is a great activity to share...bonding with nature and eachother!

How do you spell Nolan? P.A.C.K.R.A.T.

Ok... here is a glimpse into Nolan's world.

This boy seriously cannot throw anything away. He has absolutely no desire to purge his bedroom of useless dust collectors.

I have tried NUMEROUS times to convince him that cleaning up and tossing out old stuff makes you feel good. But he just says "nope mom, I love all this stuff". Really? Can you really love 4 tubes of lip balm, a broken Hulk action figure, a calendar that only displays July 2008, a damaged shell necklace, a geode covered in dust, piles and piles of crumpled paper, a picture of a hamburger, a birthday hat from so and so's party, a dusty pinball machine that no one ever plays with, a tiki made from wood, a green rabbits foot, a scratched up magnifying glass, a broken pez dispenser that is void of candy, a glow stick that hasn't glowed since Halloween, a nerf dart that's missing it's suction cup, a mood ring that only shows one color, stale Easter candy, blah, blah, blah.....

And this is only what is on his dresser and desk. I will spare you from seeing his closet. I just don't think anyone is ready for that. I probably couldn't even open the door all the way to get a proper photo even if I wanted to... Do you see what I'm dealing with here people?

My goal this week is to have Nolan work with me in learning how to clean and organize. Wish me luck. This is not going to be easy. I will post the after shots when our lesson is complete.

Happy 10th Birthday Nolan

How can it be that my baby has entered the double digits???

(Nolan at age one)

Ten wonderful traits that make this kid who he is...

1. He's got the best, most contagious belly laugh.

2. His hair has a serious party overnight... I've never seen bedhead quite like his.

3. He loves nick names... the sillier the better. He once went by "fuzzy beard".

4. He makes friends easily and likes pretty much everyone.

5. He could seriously retell every Spongebob episode word for word. Much to my chagrin.

6. He LOVES to cook along side me, which I love!

7. He gives the very best hugs. Big cuddly bear hugs.

8. He's afraid of aliens...still cannot watch E.T. without leaving the room.

9. He always tells me he loves me at the end of every phone call before I even have the chance.

10. His favorite food is... a turkey sandwich with pickles.

I love you kiddo and hope your day is filled with happiness and fun!

Why can't my kids just play checkers?

I looked outside my window today to see my boys happily playing in the front yard.

Just made me smile.

That is, until I saw Nick invent a new game of "launch yourself with crutches while wearing roller blades"...

This is why I have come to the conclusion that we need our very own room at the local urgent care center.
That would have been a fun visit to explain to the Dr. had he hurt himself.
"Um, yes... It does appear that my son needs crutches for his broken femur injury that he sustained while playing with crutches." Nice.
Luckily, he came to his senses and put the crutches away before there were any mishaps, and happily went back to shooting hoops... while wearing his roller blades. Sheesh.

Oh happy day!

This morning found me on my couch, eyes glued to the television, my boys and a box of tissue by my side. (After the election results back In November and Obama's speech, I now know tissue is necessary.)

I'm so happy with the new leader of our country. It's so refreshing to feel like we're heading in the right direction and to know our reputation in the world is soon to be repaired. Obama's heartfelt speech and calm demeanor made my day. If he leads this country as well as he gives speeches we will have nothing to worry about! I was moved by the massive sea of people flooding the grounds in Washington D.C. all waving their flags in celebration. Seeing the hope in every one's eyes was enlightening. I loved seeing the faces of his little girls, all smiles just enjoying the day. It all was so moving to watch... It was a three tissue morning. I won't forget it.

Four years ago I knew I'd be happy when this day finally arrived. (It felt like a lifetime!) I just didn't know I'd be so thoroughly happy with the individual chosen to take the helm. It's really the first time I've ever been inspired by a President. It feels good! I hope and pray he can safely lead our country to better days. We are better off today than we were yesterday so that's a step in the right direction!!

Never a Dull Moment

Morning coffee. check.
Kids off to school. check.
Prepare for 4th grade art lesson. check.
Lunch. check.
One load of laundry started. check.
Teaching art project to best 4th grade class ever. check.
Have Principal interrupt to tell me Nick had a 'collision incident' in PE and is in office. check.
See son in office with a laceration in forehead from fellow classmate's tooth. check.
Take Nick to urgent care to get stitches. check.
Comfort Nick who is beyond scared about having stitches. check.
Give Nolan the evil eye for complaining about being "bored" while waiting for poor Nick. check.
Go to pharmacy to pick up medications for sutured son. check.
Home at last. check.
Kind classmate with sore tooth calls to check on Nick. check.
Feel relieved that Nick is feeling better and doesn't have a cuncussion. check.
Kind classmate with sore tooth brings warm cupcakes to cheer up Nick. check.
Hope someday Nick will date unbelievably sweet, adorable, sharp toothed classmate. check.
Happy to see a smile on Nick's face. check.
Laugh at Connor when he says to Nick, "Tell her to aim lower next time." check.
Just another day in the life of a mom with boys. check.

My Major Award!

A couple of weeks ago...I was a lucky winner in a fantastic giveaway contest put on by a fellow blogger. I have never met Marilyn, but I read her blog from time to time because I admire her taste in music. She is consistently reviewing new songs and albums and has opened my eyes to some great new artists.

So imagine my surprise when she randomly picked my name and told me I would be receiving 9 CD's worth of new music! Over 9 hours of tunes! I was thrilled!

But I was beyond thrilled when the package actually ended up on my doorstep last night...

Take a looksy...

I

She put so much work into each homemade CD compilation.

Each has it's own lovely Cover and play list inside. And the artwork on each CD is so COOL!!

Aren't those super cute??

You know they are. And you can bet your boots that the music contained on each one is even better!!

Thanks, Marilyn, for this amazing gift and all of the time and effort you put into it. I can't wait to listen to them all.

And so I mustn't wait any longer... :)

A girl's Bestfriend

I haven't been able to post for a few days because of this little number...
Connor, being the amazing guy he is, helped me pick out this lovely sparkly ring for my anniversary present last week.
It's made it very hard to type on the keyboard due to the overwhelming shine radiating from my right hand. I've been blinded by the intense sparkles and quite distracted by the beauty of it all.

We will now resume regular posting from here on out.

5840 Days of Wedded Bliss

Happy 16th Connor!

I went online to find out what the "traditional anniversary gift" was for this blessed year...

But lo and behold, they skip years 16-19.

No china for me until year 20...

We've reached a point in our marriage where we now only buy gifts every 5 years. We are officially old married folk.

Thanks for being by my side all these years... You continually make my life's journey more than I could have ever hoped for. I love you!

Update... Um, I found a site that states the 16th wedding anniversary gift traditionally should involve airline tickets to some lovely tropical locale, sparkly jewelry, AND an endless foot massage. Just in case you were wondering sweetie. :)

Webster's latest entry

What better room to enhance with a new saying like this than the boys' bathroom?I'm sure they're gonna love it... Hee hee hee :)

How mama got her coffee slush fund

Connor really didn't want me to disclose this info on my blog... But I thought it was funny and oddly sweet, so I'm putting it on my blog so I can look back and laugh one day.

A couple of weeks ago as the four of us sat around the dinner table, I heard Nolan whisper under his breath to Connor "Oh...that'll cost you a dollar".
Connor quietly shushed Nolan, and pretended like nothing had happened.
Finding this rather peculiar, I asked "What was that about?"
Nick pipes up "Way to go Nolan, you've spoiled our little secret."

That is when the three of them unveiled their latest scheme at becoming less gross and disgusting in the presence of mom. They had made a pact that when any of them had audibly belched or did other disgusting boy stuff over a two week period they would have to put some money in a collection jar. Connor's fine was a dollar. Nick and Nolan's was a quarter for each infraction. They mentioned that they felt a little sorry for me being the only lady in the house and wanted to make an effort at being more refined and less grotesque. I found this to be hilarious and was quite pleased to see that my men were making an effort at being more like gentlemen and less like trolls.

Two weeks have passed and I'm the lucky recipient of the collection jar...I'm $7.83 richer. Not sure how we ended up with such an odd total and random pennies, but I'm not going to complain!