April Fresh

I'm alive!

2010-02-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

Ok so it has been months and I have been meaning to blog but got so far behind I haven't known what to do, but I am going to play cath up here in the next few days! So check back for some updates and pics!!

6 years ago!

2009-08-16T08:39:00.001-07:00

It was just 6 short years ago today that Ally Elizabeth was born into our family! She has been strong willed from the beginning, but always a joy to have around. She is such a girly girl, which is fun and is also full of the drama, which isn't always so fun, but I can't imagine our family without her.
She loves to dress up and changes her clothes MANY times a day, which in turn has me doing laundry a lot, but maybe that's what I get for always dressing her up and changing her clothes when she was a baby. She learned it from Mommy I suppose. She is very sweet, when she wants to be and has just enough sass to drive me crazy, but I LOVE her all the same. Happy Birthday Ally-gator!

(We went to Ocean Shores with Ally when she was only about 2 1/2 weeks old.)

(Ally on the day she was blessed.)

(1st Halloween, Ally was an angel.)

(1st Christmas, look at her beautiful eyes!)

And now she is a vibrant 6 year old!!!

I love you Ally! Love, Mommy

It's a ......................................

2009-07-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

I have been putting off posting because I wanted to scan the ultrasound pics, but alas it has been days, weeks and I still have not so instead you just get a nice informational post. Yay you!

So for those of you wondering (and haven't heard yet) what little Watkins will be.........................(drum roll please).....
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it's a GIRL!!!!

Let's hope for a little less drama than Ally but just as much fun as they all are!!!

14 weeks and counting

2009-05-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

So I am 14 weeks now and still am feeling horrible. I keep thinking maybe this is the last week. Now I am officially in my second trimester and thought it would be over by now, but nope. Haribo continues to make me feel so sick. Maybe by 16 weeks?

Oh, and don't forget to take the poll on the right side of my blog to guess whether you think Haribo is blue or pink? I am just curious.

Introducing Haribo

2009-05-11T15:01:00.001-07:00

And now the reason for my lack of blogging or even commenting for that matter. Introducing, who I call Haribo........................................................

Seriously, doesn't it look like a Haribo gummy bear?! I am 12 weeks along and have been oh so sick! This is definitely the sickest I have been with any of my pregnancies. I feel like death and can barely function. Lately some days have gotten better, but not much. I am so sick and tired and sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am due November 24th. Is it December yet? The house shows my lack of energy and it is getting to us all. Please send good vibes that this part will end soon.

The kids are super excited (although I am not sure how Max will feel him/her). They both really want a girl but say they'll take either. That's really the only option they have. :o) So I am pretty nervous about having 4 but also very excited at the same time. I hope I am up for the challenge because a challenge I am sure it will be. So for now, I am drinking Slurpees and any other ice cold drink I can find and am hoping the queasiness goes away REAL soon!

Colin's Big Day

2009-05-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

Now on April 30th we celebrated both Colin and Spencer's birthday by going out to Red Robin, but since we had an extra special weekend coming up we didn't do anything else, so no pictures. But on May 2nd, Colin got baptized! He was SO excited and had been talking about it for weeks. I am so proud of him and the decision he has made. My favorite part was when he was done being confirmed, he sat down with a HUGE grin on his face and whispered to me "Do I have the Holy Ghost now?" So sweet!! He is such a good example to all those around him and we couldn't be prouder and happier for him!

Max was realy into showing us his tummy that day, not sure why.

Colin was so excited, it is so cute to see it on his face.

Max tried to get a pic of his tummy again, but I tricked him. :o)

My Little Bug Turns 2!

2009-05-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

On April 26th, Max Hudson Watkins turned 2 years old! I think he loved the fact that he got more than one balloon and we were all paying attention to him! I think he would give the day 2 thumbs up, well except for the party hat wearing time, but other than that, he loved it!

He was NOT liking those party hats AT ALL!

Notice the tears still on his shirt from the party hat incident.

But cupcake redeems it all. Love the little Charlie Chaplin he's got going on!

Happy Birthday Bug!

Easter 2009

2009-05-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Easter was pretty low key around here, but the kids had a great time! Max was REALLY good at finding the eggs the Easter Bunny hid, especially the hard to find ones. He would point and I would lift him up to get it. It was a nice day to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ!

Field Trips

2009-05-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, time to play catch up! I know it has been WAY too long, but there are reasons to which I will get to in a later post. So back in March and April, I got the chance to go on a field trip with both Colin and Ally. It was so nice to get to spend some almost one on one time with them. Here are some fun pics. Ally got to go to the Seattle Children's Museum and Colin to Woodland Park Zoo. Unfortunately it was raining on Colin's trip and since it was outside I didn't get a lot of pictures.

Do you use Big Crumbs?

2009-03-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

Not sure how many of you shop on the internet or ebay, but as I was prepping my ebay listings today I realized that I hadn't passed on my Big Crumbs info to you all. Basically it is free to sign up and each month you get money (a small portion of what you have bought in a month online through Big Crumbs) sent to your paypal account. I have been doing it for over 2 years and each month is different ammounts, but it is nice to have it pay my image hosting fees. Anyways, click the link below if you want to sign up from me. No scam really! I wouldn't do that to you my friends! :o)

What does St Patty's Day look like to you?

2009-03-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

Like this?

Yeah, not to me either, but it's what we got. Leprechauns don't like snow I think.

Random Shots I Forgot To Post

2009-03-23T14:43:00.001-07:00

I got a Cricut Machine and now able to make fun cards!

These are at Colin and Ally's first baseball practice. Not baseball pics, but playground pics. :o)

Curriculum Night

2009-03-14T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last week there was Curriculum Night at the kids elementary school, so we all hopped the school bus (which conveniently stopped right by our house) and headed to the school to take a look at what the kids have been up to. Here are a few pics!

They clean up nice!

2009-03-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

Don't they look nice and presentable? Being such rough and tumble kids (well besides girly girl Ally that is), I am proud to show off the kids of our family of 7. We currently have my niece and nephew living with us for a month or so while my sister stays in Seattle with my mom during her stem cell transplant. And with that we get to have 2 more kids join us for church each Sunday. Last week was our first one together. Not too sure they were super excited, but they said they had a good time when it was all over and we hope they will continue to come with us long after their stay with us. What a good looking bunch!

Painting Fool

2009-03-05T07:45:00.001-08:00

Last week, knowing that my niece and nephew were moving in with us for 6 weeks and I wouldn't get to it until after then, I decided to paint the kids rooms. I did 3 rooms in 2 days. (I also bought paint for our Master room but haven't gotten to it yet.) Ally's decorating is almost complete. I need curtains and maybe some more art, but her bedding is good to go. The boys still need lots of work in theirs but here are the colors we have going on.

The Moth Effect

2009-02-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

The other night while the kids and I were sitting at the dinner table, a moth kept flying and landing on our sliding glass door. Ally was loving looking at it, Colin on the other hand liked that he could see it while it was safely outside. Unbeknown to them, the night before, Spencer had caught a moth that was flying around in a box and it was still there when Spencer got home from work. Of course he showed the kids and asked Colin to take the box outside to let the moth go. Colin vehemently refused, but Ally happily said she'd do it. So from that time on until it was time for them to go to bed there was much discussion about moths and whether or not they were in the house and why they would come in. Of course Spencer and I were teasing Colin a little because he obviously did not like the idea of moths in the house. But poor Colin was SO freaked out that he asked us to close his bedroom door (which he NEVER does) all the way, in fear that a moth would come in. So that night Spencer made a surprise sign that he hung up on Colin's door for him.

He was quite happy with it, but told us "Moths can't read". Yet it has stayed on his door since. But Ally said she would want one saying for them to come in. So the next night when she woke up, this is what hung on her door.

She also had library the next day and this is what she came home with, ha ha! We have moth fever in our house!!

You know you wanna!

2009-02-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

So you remember that card swap I did about a month ago? Well one of the girls that I met through the swap is doing a card swap of her own, with one of her friends. So I have signed up, do you want to join in on the fun too? If so let me know and I will send you the info that you need to pass on to her. You should TOTALLY do it! You get to meet people, get great ideas and a awesome supply of cards!! Come on, you know you wanna!

No Circus Boy Here

2009-02-26T08:50:00.001-08:00

Just had to share this.

Colin just asked me: "Do people who join the circus ever get to see their family?"
I say: "I don't know."
He replies with: "I'm not joining, just in case."

Nice to know he loves his family enough not to go join the circus! :o)

Max the Photographer

2009-02-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Colin started yelling that Max had gotten a hold of my camera and was taking pictures. Here's what I found on it once he gave the camera back to me.

Snow Day!

2009-02-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

For the first time in our new house, today is a snow day, no school! Hopefully the kids will get to enjoy it this time, although it doesn't look like there is much out there. Regardless, we all get to hang out today so that is fun in and of itself! Hope you all have a good one!

Do you Sea what I Sea?

2009-02-21T20:53:00.000-08:00

Before my mom started in on her journey of stem sell transplant, heavy chemo and living in Seattle on Monday, she wanted to go with the kids someplace fun. Since Seattle Cancer Care Alliance gives free passes to the Seattle Aquarium for their patients we thought it was perfect. So Tuesday we headed down with the kids and my niece and nephew for some sea life fun. It actually went pretty well, with only one tantrum by Ally, that of course I had to take a picture of so she could see how ridiculous she was being. Then she kept yelling "Delete it, delete it!" No way, gotta capture the moments, the good, the bad and the noisy!
**Prepare for lots of pics**

It was Octopus week!

Colin was a bit leary of touching the sea stars, but he came around!

Ally will touch any creature, go figure, because usually she is the cautious one.

Max did pretty good in the stroller to start with.

Don't they all look so cute?

Max is pointing at something interesting above him...... FISH on the ceiling!!!

The Otters are always my FAVORITE!! I could have stayed there all day!

The Tantrum :o)

When Hunter wasn't teasing the kids he was so nice and gave piggy back rides.

I love this pic!

Such a cute boy and happy to be out of the stroller!

Valentine's Preparation

2009-02-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

I got a little overzealous with ideas for Valentine's treats, so Melain came over and helped me with my many ideas! Yum and fun!

Random Pics

2009-02-21T20:09:00.001-08:00

Chocolate covered marshmallows I made for Bunco night!

Max enjoying some marshmallows and Yo Gabba Gabba on the love sac since the couch hadn't arrived yet.

Me and mom at the Cancer Care Alliance while her stem cells were being pulled.

Max getting his temperature taken with our new temporal thermometer.

He hated the armpit one.

Dad, Ally and Max enjoying Sam's club!

Updated 'do

2009-02-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

Before
I forgot to post pics of my updated hair. I asked Melain to make it darker and add some layers. Here is before and after. Not a super dramatic change, but I am getting more and more adventurous each time. :o) Who knows what next time will bring?! And by the way, I am terrible at taking the self portraits!!

After

Valentine's Day Sentiments

2009-02-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

Colin and Ally showing their love back in 2005

I am not a big celebrater when it comes to Valentine's Day. Never have been, probably never will. Not to say I don't do little things like have heart shaped food, make things in pink and red and the like. But when I hear my children say things like this:

Ally: "I love you Colin"

Colin: "I love you too Ally"

and......

Ally: "I'll do anything for you Colin"

It makes me wish every day could be like this, but I'll take the one day a year and try to make it special for them so they can see how we can always show each other more love every day!

Another "love" moment I am not so fond of is yesterday Ally's teacher talked to me when I dropped Ally off at her class with all her Valentine's goodies to tell me there have been some hurt feelings between her and 2 other boys in class. I start thinking, oh no! Then she surprise me when she says that the boys get their feelings hurt when she picks one over the other when playing and deciding who gets to marry her. Her teacher tells them that they are only in kindergarten and kindergartners don't get married so they don't have to worry about it. Then late in the afternoon, one of the said boys, who actually lives down the street, brought Ally a rose and a little box of chocolates. So sweet and scary at the same time. Spencer really is going to have to lock her up! No dating until she's married!!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Loot

2009-02-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

I got my loot of cards in the mail yesterday! Stacy, if you are reading this, you guys HAVE to do this again......and again................and again....and, well you get the idea! It was so fun to get such adorable and unique cards. I it definitely gave me such great ideas. I am definitely still a novice, but hopefully can improve by using these as inspiration. So fun! If any of you haven't been involved in a card swap I highly suggest it!!!

Surprise!

2009-02-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

I saw this on a friend's blog -- and love to give and receive comments (and surprises)... SO --

Here's how it works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!

The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 3 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!

Card Swap

2009-01-29T15:40:00.000-08:00

I love to craft, that is not a secret, but I do not profess to be especially good. So when my friend Stacy (and friends) at Little Birdie Secrets offered up a card swap I jumped in with 2 feet, then I remembered........... I don't make cards, GULP! But here is what I came up with.

Hopefully it will blend in enough so as not to stand out as the one ghetto card in the sea of fabulous cards. But I must say, I can't wait to get the loot!! Then I will

have lots of ideas for the next swap! You should go check out their blog. It is craft-tastic!! Thanks Stacy for all the great craft ideas! We need to get together and craft soon!

Good day!

2009-01-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a pretty down day for me. My denial of my mom having cancer finally came to an end and I felt very weak, emotionally, mentally and physically (I had no will power). (She started her latest round of chemo which will make her hair fall out, got a port put in her chest which is the next step before she starts the stem cell transplant. Or so I think, so many details!) But today I feel hopeful. Perhaps it is because I woke up to a beautiful light dusting of snow, which looks heavenly. Or maybe because I made the kids a healthy and aesthetically pleasing breakfast of scrambled eggs, bananas and blueberries. Not sure, but I know the Lord will never give us anything that we can't handle. I just have to have faith and do my part. There is purpose in all things!

Stroller giveaway!!

2009-01-17T22:25:00.001-08:00

What an awesome stroller and an awesome giveaway. Wouldn't that be cool to win?

http://inevergrewup.net/giveaway-25-bumbleride-indie-stroller/

Memories

2009-01-17T20:42:00.001-08:00

I just scanned and uploaded a bunch of old school pics onto facebook. If you are on there as one of my friends check them out. They crack me up!!! Now I need to go find more. Most of the ones I just did were during my college days. I need to find some high school and maybe even younger!

Giveaways!

2009-01-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

I love giveaways and of course winning stuff, here are some I have entered this week, what about you, do you have any?

Mommin' It Up
Mommy Snacks .Net
Homemaker Hero
Ramblings & Writings
Busy Mama Blog Designs
Lizzy's Dear Life
BabyGoodBuys.Com
Hormone Colored Reviews
A Little Bliss and No Whining Pleez
Stop and Smell the Chocolates

I am NOT a cook

2009-01-13T07:51:00.001-08:00

Let me repeat that, I am NOT a cook. That doesn't mean I don't cook, or that we don't have meals every night as a family, we do, but they are usually very simple. So when I see a recipe and it has a million ingredients I usually say forget it. For a while now I have been wanting to make lettuce wraps (like PF Chang's), but the recipes always call for SO many ingredients, most of which I do not like. So last night I took the plunge and only used the lettuce, chicken, premade store bought sauce, bean sprouts and carrots and voila!!! It was tasty too! I think it may be healthier as well, at least that is what I am hoping!

Happy New Year ROLL CALL

2009-01-02T09:36:00.001-08:00

I'm here, are you? I thought I would ask you readers out there to drop me a comment to let me know you are out there. Otherwise I am just a crazy mom of 3 talking to herself, which is ok in and of itself, but I may be considered ready for a white straight jacket if I am waiting for a response to my dialogues (don't you have to have at least two people to have a DI-alogue). Anyways, would love to know if you are out there and listening to my random thoughts, so please let me know!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2009! Don't be a stranger!!

XOXO, April

Rockin' with The Watkins

2009-01-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

We got Rock Band 2 from Santa this year and the kids have loved playing it while Spencer and I continue to unpack boxes and move furniture around. Ally also got Lips from Daddy and because she says she is going to be a singer when she grows up she has to practice. And practice she has been doing......a lot! Lips is actually pretty fun. It is like a kareoke version of Rock Band and the songs are more pop than rock. And Ally is very much like me, we love our pop!

Here they are singing Bleeding Love, which is one Ally knows well so we hear it a lot!

Even Max is getting in on being a Rock Star!!!

True to Watkins form, he apparently loves to sing!! I love this clip of him!

Christmas Sharing

2009-01-02T08:44:00.001-08:00

Uncle Tom and Max

My Father in Law Terry, Spencer and Uncle Ross
(this is what they look like after eating, always hashing something out)

Max looks like he has had enough Christmas

Ally proudly showing her Webkinz

It was a very merry Webkinz Christmas and Colin was so happy about that!!

Hope you all had a nice one too!!!

Morning Surprise

2009-01-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

This is what I saw when I sat up in bed this morning. So pretty! And this time I can enjoy it. Starting about 3 weeks ago or so, it started snowing here in the Seattle area, like crazy! Usually it will melt in a day or two, but this year it has lasted for weeks. Which any other year I would LOVE and embrace, but we were in the middle of trying to close on the house and move. Not a good time for snow. So unfortunately we never got to enjoy the massive amount of unusual snow we got this year. So to see a little bit of it this morning makes me a smile. It's almost like a do over.

We've moved!!!

2008-12-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

We are finally in our new house. We had to hire two men and a truck to get our stuff here because we couldn't find a truck to rent due to the snow. We still have a ton of stuff to put away and organize, and no Internet or tv (I'm blogging on my phone) but we are so happy! The kids are already enjoying themselves too. If you are in the area stop by and say hi!

Are you serious?!

2008-12-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

It is snowing again/more.......are you kidding me?! We finally closed and got the keys to the new house yesterday and it keeps snowing. When will we ever get to move in? This is going to be an interesting move to say the least. But it is Christmas Eve and I am lookng forward to Christmas with the kids and our families so I will try not to have a stinky attitude. :o)

Merry Christmas everyone!! Hope you have been good so Santa will visit your house!

I have a secret

2008-11-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

I have been going to the gym Monday through Friday for 4 weeks now, and guess what? I love it!!! Perhaps it is because I love structure and routine. So once I decided that I would go immediately after taking the kids to the bus stop, that is what I have done. I live by the clock. I don't like to be late and get anxious if things aren't done at their usual time. So fitting the gym into a schedule works perfectly for me. I enjoy having a little time to myself, albeit only an hour to an hour and a half, but it is MY time. Sometimes dropping off Max is hard if he cried, but here he is when I tried to sneak a pic of him. He is just fine so I don't let that deter me at all.

And I am seeing results to boot. Small results, but results nonethless. No one else can probably even tell, but I see myself in the mirror before I shower and I am seeing the fruits of my labor which makes it even easier to keep going. So don't tell anyone my secret because the gym should be NO fun, but I look forward to it each day. A little time for me. I hope this doesn't count as selfishness.

the new crib

2008-11-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

It is all painted and the driveway has been put in.

That's ours straight ahead.
(Unfortunately houses will be built in that open space, but for now no one in front of us.)

Pretty fall leaves in the neighborhood.

So the house it steadily moving along. Most of the outside stuff is done and they are working on the inside now. We will be moving into it, most likely around the first of the year, possibly sooner. Nothing like moving during the holidays to add some stress to the season. :o) But I am very excited!! Even though the house is the updated version of our last house, it is different enough in layout as well as vastly different in colors of cabinets, floors and counters that I am giddy to see it all complete. And living with my parents is just fine, it will be nice for the kids to have their own space again. Especially at bedtime. Colin and Ally feed off of each others rowdiness and their room is right next to Max's. Keep looking for more photo updates as I am able to get them!

This excites me

2008-11-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

Halloween Hilarity

2008-10-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

Today has been a trying day. Granted, I had some good things happen (see previous post), but also had an early morning child meltdown and an afternoon that involved Max dropping my most expensive and favorite perfume bottle on the granite tile floor in the bathroom shattering it to pieces. But despite it all, I decided it would be fun to take the kids to a pumpkin patch I saw not too far from our house. Having not been to one since any of my kids had been born I thought it would be a great place to take some pics. So my niece and nephew wanted to come along and I invited my friend Melain and her kid to come along. Before we could even get going I realized the camera I had in my car (the one that takes the better pics) battery was dead, so we had to go back to the house to get the more compact camera. Ok so now we are on our way. We follow the signs down the road, hang a left, keep following those pumpkins, I see the sign, YAY, it says.....closed. But it did say Monday through Friday open from 4-9 so I think maybe they just forgot to turn the closed sign, because the gate is open. So I proceed to drive through the gate where I see a man and ask if it is open. He tells me they are pretty much sold out but if we find anything to go ahead and take it, just give this other guy there some money for cigarettes, ha ha. It isn't looking promising, literally, we can see the field. But we had driven out so we all unpile out of the cars and this is what we find.

I didn't get any good shots of all the rotted ones, but you get the idea. Picturesque, huh?

At least Cheyenne and Lex found something not dead yet.

In the end, we came back with some objects that resemble pumpkins (and that weren't rotten and moldy), and the kids had a good time, so I guess it wasn't a complete waste of time after all.

MILESTONE

2008-10-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Well, yes, Max did turn 18 months on Sunday and that IS a milestone, but today when I dropped him off at the gym daycare for me to workout, he didn't cry! First time!! he happily went off and played, I was SO happy! They did have to page me to come change a stinky he did (he must feel comfortable enough to do his business there now, another milestone I suppose) and when I took him back he cried. But that was because it was not routine. He is used to me picking him up and going home after that, not going BACK. So I still count this as a HUGE success!! I was planning on taking a pic of him playing on my phone when I picked him up, but he saw me too quick and ran at me, so maybe next time. Stay tuned.

Halloween Sneak Peek

2008-10-25T21:36:00.001-07:00

Tonight was our wards Harvest (Halloween) Party, so I got the kids in their costumes (along with my niece and nephew) and headed for the festivities. Spencer was at the Husky game so I was flying solo, YIKES! Ally was a Ladybug, Colin was a Pirate and Max's cute costume is DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba. He was SO active and out of control, I am WIPED! But doesn't he look SO cute!!! His boom box doubles as his trick or treat bag. No Yo Gabba friends in there.

It's OFFICIAL

2008-10-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

I joined the local gym, met with a trainer and have officially started a new workout program. (Sorry aerobics buddies, I miss you all, but have to do SOMETHING!) I now hurt in places I didn't know I even had muscles. Wish me luck!! So far, the hardest part is dropping Max off at the daycare. He grabs onto my legs for dear life and cries, but when I pick him up he is smiling and playing so I think he will live. :o) Supermodel body, here I come......Ok, I'll settle for at least trying to lose the weight from having the kids.

Bite Size Fun

2008-10-11T07:54:00.001-07:00

I got this brilliant idea from my friend Stacy's AWESOME blog (so addicted to all the ideas), so the kids and I made these yesterday. We combined her ideas along with the inspiration magazines ideas and made them to be more like Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory's apples by dipping the caramel "apples" in either melted white chocolate or peanut butter (or both which was awesome) and then in cinnamon and sugar, rainbow sprinkles, cashews and cocnut. This is best idea! You get to try different toppings and they are easy for little fingers. Next time we will use lollipop sticks so they are stronger when dipping and safer too. Other than that, these were a dream to make. Go...now...make your own!!!

Ok, I'm starting to get excited! Anyone else?

2008-10-08T17:09:00.001-07:00

Random Cute Boy Pics

2008-10-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Baby Plumbers!

Puyallup Fair Day

2008-10-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

One day we took the kids to the Puyallup Fair. My parents came with us and took the kids home with them since we had Carrie Underwood concert tickets that night. It was both fun and trying as many family outings are. :o)

This baby pig was only 7 days old and had the spongiest little nose, so cute!

Colin and I rode the Wildcat!!! One of the kids behind us was crying the whole time while his friend held him. I just kept telling him it was ok and would be over soon.

Meanwhile........

2008-10-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

The house is coming along!

More Birthday

2008-10-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

On September 10th, Max and I got to celebrate his friend Marcus' 1st birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's. It was quite fun!!

I turned 32 (UGH)

2008-10-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

September 9th I turned 32 (YIKES!) and my parents got a cheesecake for me. This is what it looked when I got it. I may be getting old, but does something look weird to you?

Catch up!

2008-10-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, it has been a LONG while since I posted, but things had gotten so crazy and I am so out of sorts. Slowly it is getting better. We officially sold and closed on our house on September 18th and have been living with my parents in our new city of residence, Maple Valley, until the house is complete sometime in late December or so. Most our stuff is in storage so it is taking some getting used to, but here are some updates of what has been going on since the kids started school (my last post) here in Maple Valley on September 2nd. First is just a couple of cute pics of Max, had to post what he has been up to at Silly Grandma and Grandpa's!

School's Cool

2008-09-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Of course the beginning of September means (besides football of course), school starts! I actually LOVE having the kids home in the summer and am never very excited for school to start (my kids like to sleep in), but it is still so much fun for them. Colin started 2nd grade on Tuesday and Ally started Kindergarten today. So here they are on their day(s) of firsts along with my niece Alexcia and a cameo by Colin's friend Mason. They're all SO cute and excited to keep learning!!

I was BITTEN.....

2008-08-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

but I survived! Last Sunday I decided that I needed to read the Twilight series because that was all I was hearing about everywhere. So 12 days later, I am done with all 4 books and am happy to have read them. Now I can get on with my crazy busy life, whew!

Max and the Giant Strawberry

2008-08-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

During the birthday festivities Max found that one of the girls didn't want her strawberries and he couldn't let a good thing go to waste. At first I was worried about him choking on this big strawberry, but once he had it, he was not giving it up. See how this momentous experience unfolded...

"Oh look, a huge strawberry!"

"...should I just take it in bites?"
"No way, someone might take it away from me."
"I'll put the whole thing in my mouth."
"Almost got it all the way in."
sdflsk jdfhgh uienv vn

TRANSLATION: "Can't close my mouth, but it's in."
"Ha ha, it's all mine."
"Oops, it is starting to come out, I'll just push it back in."
"SO GOOD! Think anyone else left their strawberry lying around?"
I LOVE that boy!!!

Give me FIVE!

2008-08-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Ally's 5th birthday! We always seem to pick the hottest day to do things for her birthday, but she is an August baby so I suppose it should be expected. Anyways, on to the luau!!

First the girls arrived, got flowers in the hair and made their own leis. They lost interest about 3/4 of the way to being done, but not too bad.
Then it was time for some fruit kabobs!

And smoothies, because we were all SO hot (especially me running around)!
Refreshing!!!
Even Max was in on the smoothie action.
Faces got painted (and removed) somewhere in there too!
Can't forget to sing Happy Birthday andf have cake (although again, it was so hot the frosting was melting, ick)!
We ended it all with a good pinata whacking!!
Hopefully Ally enjoyed it all, it was her first "real" party!!

Too cute!

2008-08-13T16:37:00.001-07:00

I know this picture is blurry (he is a wiggler), but it was too cute not to share. Yesterday he picked up Ally's baby doll and started walking around the house with it on his shoulder. Oh how I love that sweet boy!!!

Fun in the midst of errands

2008-08-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my good friend Kamaile and her son Marcus came with us to get supplies for Ally's 5th birthday party that is on Friday. She was there to help me with ideas, thankfully so, because I had nothing. At the end of our shopping we put the little boys on this riding train thing, and Max was SO happy, he LOVED it!!

I love this picture because you can see their blurry hands both trying to get the control :o)

Are you tired of sprinkler & bubbles yet? They aren't!

2008-08-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Pitcher Pictures

2008-07-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

My sister in law Kate, her husband Miles and their family were up from Utah this weekend and it was so nice seeing them. It has been about 2 years because they didn't come out last year. So Saturday we spent the evening at my in laws having cake to celebrate Terry (my father in law) and Kate's birthday. The kids had SO much fun playing together. Cameron who is 8, played with Colin, Mia who is 7, played with Ally and Andrew (4 years I think) and Annika (2 years) joined in where they could. I wish we would have gotten some pics of them all huddles together playing their Nintendo DS's, it was so cute!

Yesterday, along with Uncle Ross, they all came to our house for a family dinner. It was just so nice to be able to have everyone together. We were missing Uncle Tom though!!! Hopefully we will be able to get our families together again sometime soon. 2 years is just too long! Thanks Pitchers (and Watkins) for a couple of fun days!!

Remember When....?

2008-07-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

This comes from my friend Amy. Love you and miss you Noodle!!

Remember when? Here is a fun little game...Leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time, or a long time, anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. On your mark... Get Set... Blog!

Our Summer Thus Far (in the form of pictures mostly)

2008-07-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Summer sort of kicked off with Colin's "Last Day of First Grade" park day!

Even Ally got to have fun blowing bubbles........

...and play with her friend Katie!

Colin just loves to be a boy and play!!

Max had had enough and really just wanted a nap.

But the girls were enjoying themselves.

The first dayof Summer Vacation we went to get Max his second haircut ever and eat some ice cream at B&R. Fun was had by all.

This summer has brought us lots of fruit, which Max is loving, along with many shirtless days!

The kids love to turn the sprinkler on to cool off in the back yard.

And Max likes to watch!

They even found a ladybug to join in the fun!

Again, we went to the park with our friends Kamaile and Marcus!

So the park gets another thumbs up!Ally wanted to climb this rock thing like Colin.......but she got scared.......really scared!But she was ok just that high :o)Colin loved it though!Much happier down here, even though the sun was in her face!Kamaile didn't want me to take her picture so I surprised her.......so she gave me stink eye. (It's payback for my Wal-Mart pic a few months back, hee hee!)
Marcus liked the swing.And Max liked eating the swing, can we say "Ew germs!" ?
Marcus LOVED the slide, practically throwing himself down it.

One day when we were out in the MV (aka Maple Valley), we went to a local Lake and just hung out. Max was being sweet boy!

Then it was 4th of July, where we woke up early for a ward breakfast and flag raising. And in the evening we went to the Fourth on the Plateau which is just a walk across the street from our house.

Here the kids are waiting for it to get dark enough for fireworks with their friends from our neighborhood, which we happened to run into.
Still waiting.....
...waited too long, Ally fell asleep right as they started....
...and Max not too long after.

Can't believe they could sleep through the loud fireworks, but they were SO tired!!!

We have also gone to Kamaile's pool a couple of times, but watching 3 kids around a pool doesn't leave any extra hands to take pics, sorry! But we have enjoyed doing that and appreciate their hospitality!!! Thanks super tan friends! (They recently got back from a month long stay in Hawaii and we all look extra white sitting next to them both, even though the older kids have started turning a nice shade of tan recently.) UPDATE: I forgot I took a couple pics on my cell phone to prove to Kamaile that Max looks like Casper the friendly ghost next to her.

And we have had more bubble and sprinkler days.

Oh, and Spencer and I have gotten to see 2 fantastic concerts, but because of the million rules they have, were unable to bring our camera (although I was able to sneak a few on my phone cam). We were front row for Styx and Boston (Spencer's all time favorite band, even though the lead singer Brad Delp commited suicide a year or so ago) and we were 5th row for James Taylor. It was great to get out, just the 2 of us. Hopefully we will get to do that more. Summer always brings great concerts to town. We have Carrie Underwood in a month or so, should be fun!

Sometimes....

2008-06-20T20:29:00.001-07:00

...it's hard to be one!!!

Heelarious

2008-06-12T18:57:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if I should be embarassed or proud to say if these were around when I had Ally I totally would have had a pair. So cute and funny!!! You have to go to their site and see all the fun styles. www.heelarious.com Those are my type of mommies!

Ally's Dance Recital

2008-06-11T18:38:00.001-07:00

Friday Ally had her first dance recital. After she performed she said to me "That was fun, I want to do it again". I had to explain that she only gets to do it once but I think it is safe to say we have a performer in our family. I wonder where she gets that from?! Here are pics from the night, but because we couldn't use flash photography (distracts the little dancers) the pictures aren't very good and the video is still on the camera, but you get the idea.

Day at the Park

2008-06-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our last Activity Day activity until the next school year. Since it was at a nice new park I thought it would be a perfect time to take some pics of the kids. Thankfully the weather was not too sunny (no squinting eyes) and not raining (as per usual here in Seattle). So I actually got some GREAT pics, if I do say so myself. :o)

Max finally figured out how to use a cup, yay!!!

The Rocket slide (kids came shooting out so fast)!
Ally and her friend Sabrina.

Despite this pic, they were loving the swing.

See, Max liked it!!!

And Ally too!

Ally is playing with a long worm, YUCK!!!

My sweet Colin.

My wacky Colin.

The park was a huge success, it got 2 thumbs up!!

Awesome Cookie Recipe!

2008-06-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

I am not one to just try new recipes unless I have tested the goods or was strongly encouraged to try a certain one, but I found this one online and it is DELICIOUS!!!

http://www.cooking-mexican-recipes.com/chocolate_chip_cookie_recipe.html

And I actually did wrap mine in cellophane and freeze most of them. Great to grab one and have a cookie dough treat too without making a whole batch and consuming a ton of it because you have a craving! Try it!!

I LOVE YOU!

2008-06-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Not that he reads my blog anyways, but I must say Happy Anniversary to my honey! It has been 8 eventful years and we have an eternity still to go. I am SO thankful for him!! He is a wonderful husband and dad. Because of him our family is so blessed. And although I do not tell him or show him enough, I love him more every day! I can't believe I have known him for more than half my life (17 years actually). I never would have thought I would marry the outgoing cute boy from Youth Conference. At 14 you don't thionk, "Gee, that boy looks like a he'd make a great husband, companion, provider and father", it's more like "Look at that guy, he is HOT! Think he'll ask me to dance?". I just got lucky with everything that came along with that. Because of Spencer I am able to stay home with our beautiful children and keep our home a place of peace......mostly (hopefully). I love you honey!!

Here a Google, There a Google , EVERYWHERE there is Google

2008-05-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Heather's blog led me to the Google reader where you can set up all the blogs you look at daily to see if there are new posts. Being the mom I am, time is limited, so Google Reader saves me a bunch of time! I no longer have to go into each persons blog page. With Google Reader I just look at my list of blogs and it tells me who has a new post. Then if I want to comment I can go into that specific blog. I haven't learned if there is anything else to do on there, you know since I don't have time to dink around, but just reading works for me. I also don't get to see everyone's pretty backgrounds when reading, but I am saving time, so at least I get to READ the blog in a timely fashion (aka not a week or 2 later when I finally get time to check it). You should try it out. Then all us moms will have time to save the world, or at least have our houses clean, that's a step toward world peace right?

Watkins Family Update

2008-05-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it has been FOR-E-VER (in the voice of the kid from "The Sandlot") since I have posted, but whoa, things have been crazy busy around here. Both Spencer and I have to check each others schedules every Sunday to make sure we have all our responsibilities covered. So I don't have a super long post with lots to say necessarily, but I will highlight a few of the more fun things that we have been busy with. It started with:

Max's FIRST haircut on April 10th (which was immediately followed with an injury near his eye of course):

Then it was Max's FIRST Birthday and little party April 25th:

Here he is on his actual birthday, April 26th, which we spent as a family and with some friends at a park in Maple Valley. Max loves to be thrown around, he is a dare devil already. I also included the mood swings of a now one year old (he also went to his 1 year check up and only weighs 19 pounds 6.5 ounces, which is the 10 percentile for weight. It is those Watkins genes!):

Next came Colin's 7th birthday on April 30th. He chose to have a couple of friends come with him to Chuck E. Cheese's. I don't have too many pictures because they were SO fast to grab tokens and run, I couldn't keep up with them. Lucky for me, my awesome friend Kamaile and her cute boy Marcus wanted to come too. If she hadn't have been there I don't know how I would have been able to handle all those kids!

And I leave you lastly with these adorable pics of Max watching Daddy mow the back yard and a clip of him taking some of those adorable first wobbly steps!!

Now you're pretty much up to date!!! :o)

New 'do, part deux!

2008-04-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

I decided that I needed to get highlights in my hair since I have never colored my hair before, so I asked my friend Melain who is a stylist if she would do my hair for me. I wanted subtle to ease my way into the hair coloring world. She also does her hair with these beautiful waves so she did it in my hair to see if I like it. I do, do you? Above is me before and here are the afters.......

My Mom was WRONG!!!!!!

2008-04-08T21:54:00.001-07:00

Ok, I think this is the funniest thing EVER!! So last week while I was doing the laundry and I was putting the wet clothes from the washer to the dryer I noticed something. The washer was almost empty, but I saw a light pink color in the front of the washer, so I pulled way the rubber front and found this............

My Mom always told me the dryer ate the socks, but she was wrong. The washer has been doing it all along!! I found socks from loads I did months ago. Some were supposed to be white but obviously have been washed with every kind of load possible and are no longer like they used to be. All of them were either Ally or Max's socks, so they were small enough to slip into this groove!! Too funny!!

Spring Break, day one....

2008-04-08T21:47:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I needed to run to the North Bend outlet mall to get some workout clothes for aerobics, and whenever we go the kids always want to ride on these funny little toys scattered around the mall. Usually the answer is no, but they were being good and it was spring break, so why not?! Here they are enjoying it!!

Max's new play mate!!

2008-04-03T08:36:00.001-07:00

So the other day Spencer was SO nice and bought us the iRobot Roomba to help with the house cleaning. Last night we decided to get it out and see how it all worked and stuff. The kids have been dying to see it, so this morning before Colin went to school I let them push the "clean" button to let it do its job. Max now thinks it is his new best friend and chases it all over. See his excitement. I have to watch him though because it is pretty powerful........and he also likes to put all his weight on it to try and stop it. He is such a boy!!

April Fools Day?

2008-04-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

Growing up, this was another holiday I hated because it usually went like this, kids (annoying little boys) would say in that taunting tone "April's a Fool Day, April's a Fool, April's a Fool" and that would go on pretty much all day. So I used to love it when April 1st landed on a weekend. Now that I am a grown up I don't mind it at all and it is actually pretty funny to hear Colin try to trick me. But here is something that happened today that is NO JOKE. Poor Max has come down with a fever and threw up all over me. All I could do was sit there and wait for breastmilk vomit to soak into my clothes so it wouldn't get all over the couch. It got on the pillows which now reside in the garbage. Oh how I wish it were a joke.

I also woke up with a hurty skinned elbow and a bruised knee. From what you may ask? Well yesterday at aerobics, the kids play all around the outskirts of the gym and when I was sashay-ing, a little boy came out from behind the dividers and I did a dive to avoid him. I ended up doing a penguin like sliding landing. Very graceful, again no joke. I also took out my friend Heather with my feet during my tumble. We were laughing SO hard!! What a few couple of days it has been.

I LIVE to shop!

2008-03-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such a fun day! My friend Kamaile and I took the kids (her 6 month old Marcus along with Ally and Max) to the North Bend Outlet Mall. We got to shop for the kids (of course) as well as look at some things for ourselves. Ok, so maybe I only bought something for the kids, but I thought of looking for me, but shopping for them is SO much more fun!! Kamaile found a couple of good deals for herself though.

Anyways, so on the way home the babies (who were sitting next to each other in the car) were "talking" to one another, back and forth, it was too cute. They make similar sounds strangely enough. Then all of a sudden it got quiet and we turned to see them both sacked out. Kamaile said she needed to take some pictures. Thankfully she brings her camera places, what a good mommy she is. I would love to always remember my camera, but I feel lucky to remember to brink each child, the camera would be a bonus. (Doesn't Max look like he is pretending to sleep, he looks so stiff.) So all in all, it was a fun trip and hopefully we will get to do it again soon. Ally LOVED playign with another baby. She wanted Marcus and Kamaile to come stay at our hosue, so sweet!

New 'do!

2008-03-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday Spencer worked from home so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make a haircut in the late afternoon since he could watch the kids. I have been trying to make an appointment for a WHILE now, so I was in desperate need of a cut. So I got to go to my stylist at Gene Juarez and now I have bangs again. I decided to take pics in the dressing room after I was done because I can never style it or do it the same way they do. (Although with this cut I MAY be able to, but it is never as sleek and soft.) Please excuse the pics as they are on my cell and I have never taken a pic of myself (which is quite hard to do) and my brows need to be done and I don't have much makeup on.

Now I think I need to be more adventurous and actually color my hair. Just some highlights and lowlights I think, but I have NEVER colored my hair.....well, I take that back. I did a henna in high school that turned the from of my hair Ronald McDonald orange (had to use mascara to cover it until it could be fixed) and the other time in Hawaii when my hair was getting quite red/orangisg from the sun and my mom told me to get a dark brown to cover it. I ended up with BLACK hair, I looked like Snow White. The ends held the color the longest so I ended up "trimming" it (almost to my shoulders) which was the start of many more short cuts.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T21:48:00.001-07:00

The kids love Easter so much that it is hard to not get excited too. I love that they know the reason for the holiday is to celebrate The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is so sweet when they tell us that. The kids got to wake up, and me too (all too early), and get some goodies and then spend the afternoon at church learning more about Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us. Overall it was a good day. I hope you all had a great Easter Sunday!!

I know Max needs a haircut badly, but I am waiting until we get closer to his 1 year birthday and his pictures!!

High Five to Me (and Max)!!!

2008-03-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Just had to tell someone that Max slept from 8:00pm last night until 5:45am this morning! WOO HOO!!!!!! Although after I fed him he wouldn't go back to sleep so we have been up since then, but hooray for continuous hours of sleep!!!! Normally he wakes up about 2 times for me to feed him but not last night. What a sweet boy!

BTW, Colin's obvious green worked yesterday, NO pinches for him!!

St. Patty's Day Green

2008-03-17T13:24:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! This is actually one of those "holidays" that I always hated as a kid because no matter how much green you wore there was always a kid that would pinch you saying they couldn't see it, or that's not green, or what have you. Yeah, you're supposed to be able to sock 'em if you do have green but that never happened. So I would come home at the end of the day having eaten some food colored green and full of irritated pinched skin.

All that being said, I love celebrating (and by celebrating I mean just wearing green) it with my kids. They get so excited to wear green. But I tried to make sure Colin's green was VERY obvious today, just in case there were kids in his school like ones I had in mine. Since this is Max's first St. Pat's Day, he too wore green. But truth be told, he has been sportin' some green of his own for days in the way of 2 slimy slugs coming out of his nose. Poor boy can'r catch a break with all the colds and such going around. And because he gives such great kisses (you know the full on the mouth, open wide, wet ones) I too have my own green which I hope no one will see. It is ok for a baby, but not for mom!!

Anyways, wanted to share these cute pics of Max wearing his green shirt which has a pirate that says "ARGH!" on it. I think this is his first time in kelly green and I think it is a good color on him if I do say so myself (I'm not biased or anything).

Martha Stewart look out!

2008-03-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago I realized after reading a few of my old Martha Stewart Kids magazines that I should subscribe to the magazine again because they have the BEST ideas in there for fun quick crafts and other good things, only to find out they no longer produce the magazine any more. (Super long sentence I know.) So ever since I have been on the hunt for all the issues I am missing, determined to have them all. I called the back issue department and was able to purchase most of them there. The rest I found through ebay (along with the MS Baby too, only missing Fall 2001).

Anyways what this has done has made me want to be crafty! But not the long project type of crafty, but the it-only-takes-a-few-minutes-to-do crafty. I have three kids you know, it can't be TOO time consuming. So I have made a felt food donut rattle (with sprinkles) for Max and homemade stickers. Super fun! I want to make more felt food because they are so cute. I am making chocolate chip cookies with crinkle paper next, yum! If any one knows of some good patterns let me know.

I was also at the best fabric store this week with my mom and she got the cutest pattern to make Max a fabric giraffe. When I get it I will show you all, but that makes me want to go back and find more patterns to make things with all the great fabric I have. I tend to buy a lot of things like fabric and scrapbook paper and all the other getup with the intentions of making things, but I seldom do. I think now may be the time, but again, it has to be something easy. I'll keep you posted.

How time flies!

2008-03-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry (again) that it has been a while. We have been SO busy trying to get the house ready to list. It is official now though, the house is on the market. The sign was delievered yesterday and it looks so weird to have it in our front yard. I guess we'll just see what happens.

Other than that, things around here are the same. The kids seem to grow an inch each day and Max is getting quite fast crawling and cruising the furniture. I can't keep up with him. I just want to hit pause on him because I want him to be my baby forever, they grow up too fast!!

Also speaking of time flying, I recently signed up on facebook and have found some old friends I have been searching for forever. Like my college roommate Jen (Hi Peabody, so glad to be in touch again)!! I am so excited to have sites like this that let me reconnect with such great friends that have been lost over time, but like true treasure, discovered again!!!!

You think this sounds like me?

2008-02-12T18:13:00.001-08:00

I saw this on the Poulton's blog and had to see who I was. So, do you think it sounds like me? I do know that I HATE to be late so I am usually early. With 3 kids that takes a lot of preparation, but being late just does not work for me.

You Are A Gold Girl

You're dependable and hard working. You never miss a deadline - and you're never late.
You have a clear sense of right and wrong. You're very detail oriented.
You get frustrated when your friends are sloppy - or when they don't follow through.
You're on top of things, and you wish that everyone else was!

What Color Girl Are You?

Return to our Father in Heaven

2008-01-27T21:10:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to note the passing of the Prophet, Gordon B. Hinkley. I am so sad but happy that he has returned to our Father in Heaven and his family that has already passed. He was a wonderful prophet, living a full life of 97 years. He will be greatly missed!

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/beloved-church-president-gordon-b-hinckley-dies-at-97

Dance Fever

2008-01-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

Thursday Ally had her second dance class, and it was observation day for parents. So I took a bunch of pics and some video so I can see how she progresses. So take a peek and enjoy!!!

A Good Laugh

2008-01-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

I just saw this clip on one of my favorite mommy sites and had to share. So cute!!! I also love how excited the Daddy is while playing with his little boy. This should get you laughing a little today!!

I Can't Help, Falling In Love With You

2008-01-22T22:16:00.001-08:00

In the past week I have really been able to enjoy many things about my children, to be active in their childhood that has just made me feel like bursting with giddiness. I love them each so much that I hurt just thinking about it. I know this picture of Max isn't the best, but seeing him enjoy a good old fashioned ice cream cone just made my day. He liked the first few licks so much that he grabbed the bottom of the cone and pushed the entire cone in his mouth!! Who can say no to that face?

Both the older kids are now getting busy with activities, which means busy mom, but it is so fun to see them grow! Colin started his third year of basketball (I will have pics soon I'm sure) and Ally just started to take a tap,/ballet/tumbling class. It is her first organized activity and she is so excited. Just look how cute she looks in the outfit and you can see the excitment on her face. I started ballet when I was three and I know she will follow in my footsteps loving to dance. She dances around the house all the time anyways and now she will get to do it with her little friends, so cute!!

Now that I am done beaming and showing off the kids I will leave with a few (short) clips of Max just being cute. He is such a happy boy and the last clip is of him "trying" to climb up on the couch. Makes me laugh!!! Yeah that foot isn't going to reach buddy, but at least his brain is thinking and developing. He will be able to outsmart Mom soon enough I'm sure!!!

Wait a minute, this job doesn't have sick days?!!!!

2008-01-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

Who would have known when becoming a mom that you would not be entitled to sick days. I have had a cold this week and on Wednesday I felt like I had been in an Ultimate Fighting match and I lost. I hurt everywhere and was so tired! Picking up Max all day was very difficult to start with (he felt like he gained 20 lbs, I was so weak), but when the nausea came on I thought I would lose it. And poor Max has been sick too. Unlike his normal happy self, he just has a look on his face (with red, runny nose) that says "I don't feel good today". It is so sad. But at least he has me to take care of him. Who do moms get? We don't get a day off. Next time I need to read the fine print before accepting a job. (Although I would have accepted the job without hesitation anyways, I love being a mom, but it does make you stop and think when it happens.)

My Baby!

2008-01-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

I have to share my enthusiasm for this new spoon that Baby Max got for Christmas in his stocking. It is called the Squirt by the brand Boon. You fill it with baby food and you can feed with one hand by sqeezing out the food directly onto the spoon. And it comes with a cover so I can take it with me. It has been SO handy!! Max was getting fussy in a store line the other day and I whipped it out and fed the boy. Isn't it sad that little things like this are what get me excited nowadays. :oP

But this is what really makes me happy. I was looking through a few of the pics we have been taking over the holidays and I ran across this one. It is the funniest face that I burst out laughing!! This boy is so funny lately. He has started crawling and has become VERY fast. He now gets into everything! His favorite thing to try and get is the volume on the tv amplifier. He gets such a proud look on his face when he turns the knob and instantly the sound is really loud. He doesn't cry, just looks at me like, "yep, I got to it mom, aren't I good?". Gosh I love my boy, even though he is pure trouble. As we speak he is getting into the dvd's by the tv, gotta run!!

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

Sorry for my absence the past couple weeks, but as always the holidays were really busy! (And in that time, Max has started crawling and getting into EVERYTHING and Colin has lost his first tooth.)

I had hoped to get out Christmas cards to all, but another year has gone by without that happening, so think of this as your Christmas card. :o) Maybe next year I will be able to take a family picture and get out a little newsletter with it too. Hmm, I guess we'll see when the time comes. Christmas turned out really nice this year. Our tradition of watching Polar Express on Christmas Eve started us off and on Christmas Day we had both sides of our families come over to celebrate with us. Spencer also surprised me and got me a iTouch iPod (and he is loving it as much as I am ). Looking back on the year I can't believe how blessed I am in SO many ways. I am so grateful!!!

For New Year's, we got to ring it in with our close friends The Blue Family. We ate a bunch of junk we shouldn't have, but had fun doing so. The kids got to play and stay up late, and to my amazement, not one fell asleep before midnight!! We played a fun new game I got for Christmas, Scene It for Xbox 360, and had a blast! So here's to wishing everyone a wonderful and succesful 2008!!!

'Tis the Season

2007-12-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I was having trouble with the Christmas shopping, but today the kids and I went to go see Santa. It is official, Christmas has begun. I am now ready to go gung ho. Time to buy and wrap gifts, make cookies and sing Christmas carols!! Merry Christmas everyone!!

Christmas Blessings

2007-12-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

Some of you may or may not know that my Dad recently learned that he has cirrhosis of the liver due to Diabetes and was going to need to get a liver transplant. But getting on the transplant list for that has MANY qualifications!!! So he has been working on all that that entails and in the meantime has been very sick and in and out of the hospital. My mom called me yesterday to say that it is now official, HE IS ON THE LIST!!!! So now we just wait until a liver becomes available. As excited as I am, it all makes me so nervous too. I just want him to feel like normal again. I don't want him to have all the pain and sickness he has been dealing with.

Not a ONE!

2007-12-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, I must confess. It is less than 2 weeks until Christmas and I have yet to buy a present. I am talking not a single gift or stocking stuffer!! It is crazy! Today I did take Colin to buy a small gift for Ally and Max, so I suppose it will start there, but I am SO behind!! And usually the kids have a million things on their lists, but this year they are being so vague which makes it even harder to think about. I am in the Christmas mood, but just not the present buying mood. Anyone else having the same problem this year?

Sudafed, why aren't you hooking me up?!

2007-12-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

I just got Max to sleep and was hoping I would be able to get some rest soon as well, because I took some Sudafed an hour ago, but I still can not breathe!!! We have had the sickies going through our house for the last week and a half and it finally caught up with me Sunday. But unfortunately I am only able to take Sudafed (because I am still Max's food source) which sometimes is just not strong enough to get any relief. I HATE colds!!!

Welcome to my life

2007-12-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

So I decided to start a blog, although am unsure who will even read it, or even cares. But being at home all day with kids, this is my way to "talk" to other grown ups. So comment back and let me know you are out there! I am sure I will be on here more than I anticipate to vent and share all that my life has going on. With 3 kids 6 and under there are always adventures and humor to share.

Love, April