Mommy and Me Princess Tea

The Balloon Man at the Roadhouse is GREAT! He made each girl a balloon tiara and corsage! They had a great time.

The girls at the Roadhouse.

Hannah is dressed as Cinderalla. Her Aunt Julie and Uncle Scott sent an entire Disney Cinderalla outfit! Thank you!!! She LOVES it!

Having to take off the tiara to order and eat? What gives Mom?

Princess Lauren...hmm...looks kinda bored by the whole thing.

Food! Hannah is not the least bit shy when it comes to grub! EAT EAT EAT!

Hannah's dance class and preschool were invited to a Mommy and Me Princess Tea. We went to see the Princess and the Frog, then went to the Roadhouse for dinner. It just happened to fall on the day that the Balloon Man was there! Awesome! It also coincided with the Roadhouse's Kids Eat Free deal. Heh heh heh...Mommy wants to save some green! Anywho, the girls were all dressed up like princesses and the waiters/waitresses made such a fuss over them. It was great fun!

Christmas with Pack 480

The Rowan family has been kind enough to let us borrow their awesome shop for the pack meetings. For Christmas, we had several craft tables set up for the scouts to make ornaments and share in decorating the Pack tree. Ms. Tina is helping Hannah with the paper chains. Brock loved being able to wear his new red sash with all of his patches!

Akela's goodbye pledge. It is so cute to see the serious looks on those boys' faces as they chant. So fun!

Pack 480 posing with their leaders and their newly decorated tree!

Brock sporting his new patch sash. The white patch behind his hand is hit shooting patch. That boy is a natural! No mother could be prouder. Sniff!

Brian helps with hole-punching the cardboard star ornaments. That was the least desired table to work! Harley is such a ham for the camera! :)

The Christmas part was a lot of fun. The boys made several crafts, played some games and had some well-earned snacks. There were a lot of young siblings there to add some spice to the evening. Lauren was very entranced by all the racket and motion.

We're almost done with our official Pack 480 website! I will post the link when it's finished so you can check out all the latest on Brock's adventure in Scouting!

Halloween Fun!

Happy H-Day all!

We had a tough Ninja
a pretty Tinkerbell (shown here as needing a nap...)
and a Sweet Pea this year


Hannah carved a silly face pumpkin and Brian cut outlines of Lauren's hands and feet into the smallest pumpkin. Brock's pumpkin was a silly face but he did his earlier enough in the month that we didn't want to move it. They mold so fast!












Our Halloween day started at 11 when Hannah and I went to Fred Meyer for their cake walk. She decorated a small cake which we took to the jail for the officers to enjoy. I am sure they scraped off the mountain of sprinkles and sugar decorations! Hannah had a great time decorating! We also scored some discount Disney dolls for $5.00 each! Yahoo!

We dropped off the cake and took a Very Cranky Tinkerbell home for a well earned nap. She was SO miserable! After a very short nap, Brock come home with Brian and we got costumed up for our Halloween. We went around downtown Ellensburg. It was STUPID COLD! The wind was going and all the kids were in their winter coats. Except our Ninja. He insisted he was fine without it and didn't want to be bothered with a coat. A few blocks later he hastily changed his mind. :) We went into the museum to warm up and get pictures of the kids without their coats on. After that, Brock went t o stay with his other mother while Brian, the girls and I went to CWU's BooFest.

It was so nice to be indoors! YAY! Hannah made all sorts of crafts, learned that people can rope cows,

fished for treats and had her picture taken with Sleeping Beauty! It was so much fun!

After BooFest we went to a friend's house for trick or treat. Hannah and I went along the street where people gave her way too much candy! That kid made out like a bandit. We got home about 9 where Hannah promptly passed out.

It was a good night!

Hannah's Kitten...and it's name is?

Grandpa Carlson recently gave Hannah a new kitten. As opposed to an old kitten I suppose? Anyway, this new kitten had a rude if not abrupt welcome. After howling all they way from Yakima to our house, the kitten was greeted by anxious toddler hands. Hannah was THRILLED to have "kitty".

The poor kitten smelled awful so it got a bath right off the bat. I should mention that it continues to get baths as I am horribly allergic to cats. I don't think it likes me much as a result. Hannah helped dry and comfort kitty after I scrubbed if from stem to stern.

She held it like a baby doll and soothed it with kind words. This little kitten is so patient with the kids. She is a pliable ball of fuzz and tolerates Hannah's mauling love.

Hannah has named her kitten several times and depending on the day, it will be known as Kitchen, Biscuits or Jasmin. We shall see what sticks.

The chair Hannah is sitting on is her Time Out Chair. Hey...it was handy for this picture! :) Anyway, Hannah likes to put the kitty in the seat part of the chair. The green lid comes off to reveal the perfect cubby for kitten storage. *sigh*

In the mean time: I did find this small list of expectations that kitty left. Hmmm....lemme know what you think..


1.) All laundry (clean or dirty) is my plaything and shall be spread throughout the house at will.
2.) Drapes are items to be stalked, pounced upon and scaled at great velocity.
3.) Baby bottles left unattended will be drug off to my lair to devouring.
4.) Shoelaces, hair ties, string and any other irresistibly wiggly objects shall be stalked, pounced upon and drug off to my lair for devouring.
5.) The couch is my scratching post and shall also be scaled at great velocity.
6.) Your feet are meant to be hunted. It is your fault if you trip over me as a squirt between your feet at ludicrous speeds. The fact that I am fuzzed up to 2 x my size and hissing should be enough warning.
7.) All food items are mine. Not the dogs. Mine.
8.) It is mandatory that I scritch around in the dirt of all your household plants. The more dirt I get on the floor/in the carpet the more points I am awarded.
9.) Purring will be addressed in a timely manner. I will not wait for attention and will wind around your feet until you fall on your face. You will acknowledge me at all times I decide.
10.) The dog will stay out...indefinitely.

-Kitty

Updates? What's that?

OK. I am updating this. Leave me alone Russ! :) I kid. He hasn't harangued me too much...

We are doing well. Just really really busy! Here's what's new with the kids:

BROCK:

He's learned to ride his bike without training wheels! YAY! He is SO happy! He wants to start going on 20-30 mile rides. I don't think he grasps just how far/long that really is. He said that Lance Armstrong did more than that. I mentioned that Mr. Armstrong also has spendy bike with a posture-pedic/padded seat. Brock is all confidence as long as he is wearing his various pads and helmet. He is very safety concious! Brock is always on the lookout for cars and has "earned" the right to ride to the end of our street and back. I can't believe he has soared by another milestone! He makes sure that Hannah minds the traffic and safety rules and doesn't hesitate to holler at her if he sees a car coming a few blocks away.

Brock is starting 2nd grade today! We get him this evening and I cannot WAIT to hear how his first day went. This is his first year with a new teacher (had the same teacher in K and 1st grade). Brock is definitely well liked by the staff. I was at the school's reader board changing letters last night when the principle came out to talk. He helped set up letters and close the sign. After talking about our summers, we spent a few moments talking about Brock and how much Mr. Abbott liked him. I doubt this is just the speech he gives to all parents as I have heard it from other teachers and the secretary.

My dad recently built a log bunk bed for Brock. We are waiting to set it up in his room until I get the walls/ceiling painted. Brock chose a selection of blues to make his Transformer room. What fun! He is so grown up! Cub scouts is starting soon too. My word he will be a busy man!

HANNAH:

Hannah is pushing 3 (9-21-06...wow) and is still very busy. She has learned to be quick with her "nonnies" (naughty behaviors). I was making cookies the other day and had to stop to get Lauren. I left the dough paddle from my KitchenAid on the counter as I was scraping the sides of the bowl prepping for forming cookies. Hannah knew very well what I was up to and snuck into the kitchen to help herself to the paddle. She didn't see/hear me return, get the camera and snap some pics. The last one she looked up and made eye contact. This is my sneak ninja girl when it comes to treats.


Hannah is starting dance class on Monday. She may even make the Year End Performance! I am so excited. Yeah...more so than others I think. :) I hope Hannah enjoys it!

We are also starting her 3 year at Dori's Learning Place. Hannah has thrived with the ciriculum and has grown so much! We are looking forward to another year of wonderful time spent at Dori's!

Lauren:

Lauren is 5 months old soon. She is a smiley bunchy little baby! So cute! She rolled over early, is trying to stand when held upright and is kicking her way around the floor. She is going to be an early mover and shaker like her big sister. I dread this yet am looking forward to it at the same time.

Lauren loves her bottles, bundling and of course her siblings. She hates having her nose wiped and wails to be bundled when she's ready to sleep. Brock can get her to smile at the drop of a hat. Hannah can get her to laugh by acting like a clown in her line of sight. Both kids seem to like Lauren well enough. We anticipate this adoration will last until Lauren is mobile and getting into their things!

Lauren had her first taste of solid food this last month. We've been plugging her full of prunes and other...uh..."relieving" foods as she is prone to constipation like her sister was. We were already in the ER once thinking her intestines were in distress. What fun! Lauren didn't seem to mind foor that much...
Lauren is also going to Dori's with Hannah. It sounds like she is quite popular with the kids and gets a lot of "presents" from them. We are looking forward to dressing Lauren up for Halloween and watching her take in Christmas. What fun!

Our summer has been full of friends and family. We went to the park to share in cousin Mirian's blessing picnic celebration.

With the exception of Hannah and Lauren both having a sad moment at the same time, it was a great time!






So this is what the kids are up to at least. I will fill in more as I have time (Russ). Hugs to all!

4 Years, Weekends, Cousins and Plans.

Today is the anniversary of Brian and I being hitched for 4 years! Ha! He's still stuck!

This last weekend was spent with my Ders! It ROCKED! I got to spend all day with my DerDer garage-sale-ing (good times) and celebrating the life and inpending birth of my nice-in-law Shaylee. Glorious! My Der-In-Law Nichole is just radiating that Mommy Glow despite the difficulties of this pregnancy. Amazing...And thanks to Brian and Sid, all of said time was spent without babies! Hannah did accompany us on a few garage sales. I am so taking that kid to more functions! She wore a summer dress that Brian picked out for her. People thought she was so cute that they kept giving her things. She ended up with a fairy wand, bead purse, new lace shirt, a dolly and a sunhat. I only paid for the sunhat and I am sure I only had to pay for it because I got it at WalMart. I wonder if taking her to the bank in that outfit will score us some free money????

I think I figured out how to get videos to work. So here's a shot of Sidney and Hannah "sharing" our glider chair. The video times out before the shove-match gets going.

The two toddlers had a great time mauling each other, Sidney's toys and of course...'Phia. I am so glad that Phia can hold her own! Most of the day Saturday was spent with Hannah and Sidney careening around the living room with a duck and bubble toy in tow. There were several spats about who's turn it was to ride the trike, pull the wagon and sit on Phia. I'd like to say these disagreements were handled diplomatically, but if you know either of our children, you can imagine what happened. I'd like to reckon it to the kind of riot you'd find at an Irish pub or Senior Center when the beer/bingo spotters dry up.

Lauren spent her time in a blissful state of milk-drunkeness. She fussed pretty bad Friday evening. She's been going through spurts of extreme anger and gets all red-faced-square-mouth over seemingly nothing. She has to be calmed before she can eat/be changed/etc which makes it even more dramatic. The doctor said that this just sometimes happens. The best you can do is snuggle and comfort until she wears herself out or gets the burr out from under her saddle. Other than these few instances, she spends most of her alert time like this:


The baby shower was a great time! It was really nice to see all the family/friends show up. And for the first time EVER, I won a game at a baby shower that wasn't mine! I took the pedicure prize 'cuz Nichole and I are having a home-spa day when she comes to visit next week! Woot! There was also a lot of tasty food at said shower. I've been having some weird cravings for peanut butter (and marshmallows...I know...freak) and there were some awesome cookies there. I couldn't figure out why I liked them so much until Erica pointed out that they were peanut butter. *sigh* I'm such a junkie. We got to ooh and aww over all the precious baby clothes and presents. Nichole's dad was the only guy there and I got the impression that he was kinda uncomfy about that. :) He served the cake (which also rocked BTW) and made several funnies throughout the shower.

Yesterday Brian and I pulled weeds, laid landscaping cloth and moved wash rock to landscape part of the front yard. Whew! We also washed both cars! So busy! The front yard is starting to look less like a trailer park poster and more like an actuale home. It is nice to to be THAT house on the street! It is also nice not to have enough dirt on the car for a geologist to do carbon dating to figure the last time it was cleaned. Martha Stewart and the HG network better watch themselves!

Yesterday was also a day for Brock to play ball! My darlin' Ichiro-star hit the ball 3 times! He was so stunned that he got the ball the first time that his running was delayed. He was tagged out before he got to 1st but he got a taste of confidence and success! His second hit was a foul and his 3rd was a healthy pop-fly to 3rd base. Alas, the baseman caught the ball (I wasn't fast enough to trip the kid...) and Brock was out. He didn't seem to care as much because he "...hit the ball really high..." We called both sets of Grandparents to share in the great news. We're anticipating him taking more swings at the ball and eventually gaining more ground with the whole game. He still enjoys playing and is always wanting to go out and hit the ball in the yard. The neighbors aren't keen on the idea as they have gotten several balls in their yards. We're not keen on it because we don't want to pay for windows/etc when the ball hits. Napolean loves the thought because he gets new toys when the neighbors throw the balls in our yard where he can reach them. We haven't played ball outside since.

Well I have a date with the weed-whacker and a ton 'o weeds. Hope this finds you all well! Love you all!

Here's what's on my plate for the rest of May/June and July:
- writing Lauren's Birth Story
- filling out FAFSA (done) and getting on with med/nursing school stuff
- quitting my job at the jail (YEAH BABY!) and being around my babies until school starts
- winning the lotto???
- landscaping the front yard (almost done!)
- getting rid of that baby weight
- graduate Ninja School
- visting family and friends
- sticking it to The Man
- have a huge garage sale
- redo the bathroom painting stuff (done)
- organize my poor dishevelled house (done-ish)
- get the kids in swim lessons
- going out to the bars/getting tanked more often. C'mon...who doesn't want this!??!
- saving more money
- being happy with my career choice, enjoying life, and not stressing over lame politics.

As I type this:

I've been trying to type this out for literally a week now! ACK! Now that I sit down to the computer, Hannah is trying to burgle Brock's room AGAIN. She was just sent to her room for this! Lauren wants to eat now. Fantastic timing! If I get one more stupid time share sales call on Brian's phone I am going to scream! Oh joy! Brock and Hannah have gone from playing to arguing to fighting to trying to out-tattle the other. *sigh* Maybe this is a sign that blogging is just not for me? At least not until the kids are 18 and out of the house? So yeah. When I can get a moment without kids and distractions, I will write out Lauren's birth story (minus scary details of course) and share pictures. I will also include pics from my All-Star's baseball games and Hannah's gymnastic feats. Well I have to go. Lauren is a new shade of angry purple and the other two are about to be permananly installed in their rooms. Hugs to all!