Saturday, June 9, 2012

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my parents anniversary. Happy Anniversary to you both. We love you dearly!

Happy Anniversary!

On June 7th my beautiful little sister Rachael and her husband Jared celebrated their wedding anniversary. Congratulations to you both!!!! May you have many years of happiness and love.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Saying of the day

I shouldn't even tell you who said this one. Anybody to have spent five minutes in conversation with her knows exactly you it was.

"Trust me, you don't want to see a snail cry, it's UGGGLLLLLYYY!"

Wow, mom just wow!

When you make a meal for your family the thing you want most is appreciation. To know that what you made them is the best thing ever! So when I put this out for breakfast I loved hearing the initial surprise after the first bite, followed by the best sound ever: SILENCE. That's right you know it's good when they quit complaining, asking for something different, picking on each other, etc....

Wow!

Friday, May 4, 2012

A trip to the store

After giving a long lecture to the kids on the way home from the store about how their behavior wasn't acceptable Travis was happy to hear Aric speak up thinking he was going to apologize, really he shouldn't have been surprised knowing our children when this is what the conversation was.

Daddy: Long lecture
Aric: Never eat a booger!
Taylor: I won't ever eat a booger AGAIN!
Daddy: That was random.
Taylor: I won't eat random either.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

boys and bathrooms

My mother took my two nephews on a small road trip on the way to one of our religious assemblies. They stopped for gas and of course the boys had to use a rest room while they were there. Grandma gives them this long list of things that they are not allowed to do in the bathroom, most of which involves just not getting them selves or there suits dirty wet or messed up in any way. She lets them go into the mens room and she can hear them talking and then all of a sudden an insane amount of giggling bursts forth from the bathroom. Mom demands they get themselves together as they are running late and they finally come out. Grandma asks them what was so funny and Jabin says,
"Grandma you know how the toilets flush themselves now? Well we were standing there peeing and the toliet flushed and Ezra looked at it and said "HEY I wasn't done yet!"

Saying of the day

Today's saying of the day comes to you from my nephew Jabin. Not far from where we live there is a little town by the name of touchett (for those of you who don't know it is pronounced two-she). Jabin was traveling with his grandmother through said town when he asked her where they were, so she said "Touchett" after a moments silence Jabin breaks out in song "I've got a touchet and I know it!" (If you didn't break out into a very specific tune while reading that there is a severe need for you to update your music culture!)

"I've got a touchett and I know it"

Aric-ism

So last night I was desperately trying to get Aric down for bed. He was fighting it with every fiber of his being. After going to the bathroom I came back to check on him and he was in a fist fight with his pooh bear. (for those of you who don't know his pooh bear is almost his size and has been his special animal since he was a baby) I yell to get his attention and told Aric that I had had enough it was past bedtime and if he couldn't settle down I would take pooh bear away. He never missed a beat but looked at me with some black attitude that I can not explain in his genealogy and did the whole black girl head thing as he, "Pooh Bear started it, he hit me in the face."

Do you have any idea how hard it is not to laugh when your beach blonde (and I do mean beach blonds as he has surfer hair naturally) little boy black attitude tattles on his stuff animal.

Maybe you had to be there.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

I'm Taylor and I am TWO!

Two and A half - Author Unknown

Hold him a little longer
Rock him a little more
Tell him another story
(you've only told him four)
Let him sleep on your shoulder
Rejoice in his happy smile
He is only two and a half
For such a little while! 

Friday, April 13, 2012

I'm Taylor and I am TWO!

So at two years old you don't always understand things. They don't have to be highly intelligent or complicated things and most of the time they aren't. Like the other day the kids were all running around in the back yard playing Marco Polo. Taylor didn't get the game explained to him other than Sydney would yell Marco and try to find them, so when they had all run away as Sydney turned in circles he turned in circles with her. When she was done and cried out MARCO he said "I'm right here!"

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Saying of the day

"One man's arrow is another man's chipmunk spear - I guess depending on their elevation."

Sorry I get two sayings today but they were worth it.

shesbatty.com - WOW!

Every have one of those weird conversations that should only happen if you were drunk, but that the fact that your sober only seems to make it funnier. Yeah Carla and I we had one of those today.

While discussing the mosquito problem in Walla Walla this year Carla said that she was going to start selling bat HOUSES! of course I had heard bat HOSES and I had this incredible vision of Carla standing in the back yard with some weird ghost busters backpack shooting mosquitoes with a gun that launches bats (like Vector from despicable me with the Squid launcher). Of course I had to share this and this lead to a hilarious discussion about how that would be possible which lead to bat tennis from Man vrs Wild and then I named the website "Shesbatty.com". At this point Travis stood up and said that we had been spending to much time together.

Maybe he is right and maybe you had to be there to really appreciate how funny that was but it was HILARIOUS and I had to share for some reason.

Hey it's my blog I can share! We all needed the laugh.

She's Syd the kid

"HEY, I can play the recorder with my nose!"

Saying of the day

"Muppets are delicious!"

I can't even explain that for you.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Saying of the day

Today's saying is brought to you by Carla Weston (my mom-in-law)"

"You bet your flying shoes, uh oh!"

I'm Taylor and I am TWO!

I think the kids sometimes forget that just because they know a game doesn't mean that Taylor does. They were involved in a big game of Marco Polo and Taylor just didn't get it. He watched for a while before walking up to Sydney and when you yelled Marco he said "But I'm right here!"

I'm Taylor and I am TWO!

So as previously mentioned I have been entirely lazy and stayed in bed today. Taylor just pushed the door open and walked in completely naked with his boxer briefs on his head.

I'm Taylor and I am TWO!

I was laying here this morning not having a super morning so I was just laying in bed listening to my boys having breakfast with Grandma. I think sometimes we forget that our kids actually do here the words coming out of our mouths even if they don't listen at that moment it may be they remember it at a crucial moment in their lives. This morning wasn't anything dramatic or life changing but it still made me smile. Taylor does listen he just prefers to be the boss. He just very clearly told Aric:

"Sit you butt down!"

Monday, April 9, 2012

Saying of the day

Today's saying of the day is brought to you by Sydney.

"I left the milk cow in charge!"

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Motto

Our new motto in life is as follows:

The most important thing in life is to be yourself. Unless you can be Batman. ALWAYS BE BATMAN!

Here are a few pictures of my boys living the motto to the fullest.



She's Syd the kid

"Rats are ugly, except the black and white ones. You know the ones that look like cows, but then I always expect them to say moo."

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Anniversary wishes

Just wanted to take a minute to wish our BFFs Jason and Kalurah a happy anniversary. We hope you have many many more happy years together.

Aric-ism

"Why does it smell in here like girl's butt?"

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

I'm Taylor and I am TWO!

So Aric and Eza had ran into Aric/Taylor's bedroom and shut the door. Taylor did not think that was fair as he didn't want to be left out, but the door was being blocked by the boys so he couldn't let himself in. After throwing himself against, kicking it with his foot, banging on it with a shoe, and all manner of yelling at them to try to get them to open the door I heard him lower his voice and saying in a very serious voice:

"You let me in right now, or I will huff and puff and blow this door down. And then you will be sorry!"

A Blast From the Past

Sometimes you come across a photo or listen to a song that makes you smile. Not just because you are so ADORABLE or can really sing (haha so not me can't carry a tune even if it had handles), but because of the memory surrounding it. Maybe it is the simplier times or even the fact that as a child you didn't have the weight of the world on your shoulders. Or maybe as it happens to be in today's installment of blast from the past, it is how much love you feel for a family member and a childhood pet. Here it is then, my older sister Regina and I looking amazingly stylish in our rocking outfits as we pose with our beloved Whiskey.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Saying of the day

Today's saying of the day comes to us from my nephew Jabin. After watching a commercial about a cream that helps your skin remain younger looking, Jabin told his Grandma Rhonda (my mom for those of you who don't know) that she should get it because:

"You know when you get old your face turns to mush!"

Aric-ism

We were passed by a woman who reeked of cigarette smoke, you know the stale nasty kind, and Aric yells with some disgust: "What is that smell?". Trying hard to minimize the embarrassment factor daddy replies "What smell?" to which Aric responds:

"It smells like SCRATCH BUTT!"

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Saying of the day

We love the things that people come up with, shoot the stuff that we come up with and are always looking for that one saying in everyday that makes you sit back and laugh. Today's is brought to you by Cody from Dual Survivor, "We're sitting in a screw zone".

I'm Taylor and I am TWO!

So do to my sickness and the fact that daddy woke up with his neck out so bad he can't turn his head things were a little rough in out house. This was complicated by Sydney having a play date with her Grand-dad so she was here to help and the fact that some one somewhere must have given the boys a high dose sugar infusion as they couldn't listen today and were bouncing off the walls. By the time dinner rolled onto the table daddy had used up his reserves and was struggling. He called for quite and asked the kids what they were going to do to help make this evening relaxing, If you are a parent you know the responses he was after: I will listen better, or I will be calmer, I will play in my room, etc... so you can imagine how hard it was to keep a straight face when Taylor proudly announced that he will do this: where upon he stood on one foot, arms extended to either side, his free leg out behind him, and his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he made a funny face.

All I could do was tell Travis, "He's Taylor and he's two."

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Aric-isms

Aric challenged Daddy to a game of rock paper scissors and the both threw what Travis believed to be rock, however Aric exclaimed happily that he had won.
Travis: (point to Aric's "rock:) What is that?
Aric: (proudly without missing a beat) A Volcano!
Travis: (pointing to his own "Rock") And what is this?
Aric: Your fist, I win!

How do you argue with logic like that?

Friday, March 30, 2012

Really?

For those of you who are new to me, I have been ill for sometime. What with? Well you guess is as good as mine, and apparently the doctors. Since Sept. 2011 I have had test after test. Yesterday I had more blood work and even the famous fill up the cup. For today's installment of Really? I give you the phone conversation I had with my nurse today.
Nurse: We got your results back. They show you are fighting something.
Me: Really?!?!?!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

What are you reading?

The Hunger Games

We spend a lot of time reading in our house. It's something that I loved doing before Travis and I got married and luckily enough it is something he loved doing as well. Our friends laugh at us and say we could start our own used book store with all the books we have lying around the house. We have instilled this love in our kids and aren't surprised at all to find our daughter sitting in a tree reading or our son staring at his books desperately trying to read on his own. Based on this I have decided to add a section to my blog called what are you reading. I will let you know what I am currently devouring, what Syd has been racing through and even what books the boys love the most. So here we go:
My niece has been raving about The Hunger Games for sometime and then they started making the movie about it. The hype got so big about it I decided to give it a try. I can't say that I LOVED the writing. I think that the first few chapters were not written well and I haven't a clue who edited it but they need a new job. That being said if you can hang in there to the training center and even to the arena it self the book picks up dramatically not only in the story it self, but the way she writes. I have to say I finished it in a few hours and wasn't jumping up and down to read the next book, but enjoyed it enough that if I came across the next book I would pick it up, and I do want to see the movie.
I haven't decided if it is a book I will let Sydney read or not just yet. I think some of the concepts are a little to grown up for her, especially in the arena itself, on the other hand I would want her to read it when she gets older as I find that Kaitness is in her own way a role model that I wouldn't be sorry for Sydney to recognize for her strength of mind and her determination to protect her family at all costs.
Would I recommend it? Probably if you find the premise interesting enough to survive the bad writing of the first few chapters, then I think you would love it.

Aric-isms

Grandma Carla and I spend a good deal of time playing canasta. For the non-card players out there in canasta you get to deck of cards. One is called your hand and the other your foot. Aric is very interested in playing cards with us and is always wanting to help but he uses all sorts of different methods to pick who he is going to help: whose ahead, eeny-meeny miney moe, or what deck we are in, Grandma and I busted up yesterday when he jumps up to the table and says:
"Ok, whose in their butt?"

Meaningful Mama Inspiration

When I started this blog, I was envisioning something along the lines of what Mama Jodi does at http://www.meaningfulmama.com when I came across her blog by shear change yesterday I had a renewed desire to try to blog my life. I have three beautiful kids that everyday provide me with laughter and joy. I just need to take five and put their life up here for family friends and really just me to see and remember and make me smile. I don't have to have pictures. I can post more than once a day. It can be one sentence, it can be make me laugh cry or just smile with the memory. I can do this and will make my goal.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Spring Fever, Cabin Fever, or just Fun In The Sun?

Nothing brings out the crazy like a nice warm sunny day after months of the winter blues. I love that first day of reasonably warm weather that you can run around and have fun. Maybe its because it's the first day you don't have to do jumping jacks to stay warm outside, or be huddled around a fire, or maybe it's just the need to let loose, but either way ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF IT as it only happens once a year.

As you can see from the pictures below, the kids took that command seriously as they let out their winter crazies. Even Jake the dog wasn't to be left out of the craziness as is seen by the fascinating face he is making as Aric and him run for joy.



Tuesday, March 6, 2012

My boys and I!

 The other day I had the need to get out of my house and so made an excursion although out into the back yard which the boys just loved. Luckily Grandma Carla was ready with the camera.
 Nothing is cuter than watching them playing by themselves. I love it when you have a yard full of kids and fun, but sometime the sweetest memories come out of just catching just the two of them being "best buds" as Aric would say.
After bath time the curled themselves up in Taylor's Toy Story Bed Spread when we turned around this is what we saw of them. Again mom gets props for grabbing a camera and getting such a great shot.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Mathleats!

Yesterday we got a form sent home asking permission for Sydney to attend a Math Team Audition. It is on Wednesday after school from 1:40-2:40. This just makes it normal hours on Wednesday's as it is the only day of the week that we weren't picking her up at 2:40. So, Daddy and I talked and went a head and singed the form, but did all the work about she's only in 4th grade, (Math Team is open for 4 and 5 graders) so if she didn't make it this time she could try out again next year if it was something that she wanted to do. The audition (side point here I just think that is the weirdest thing to call a test) was this afternoon. The very nice teacher addressed the fourth graders that were there and said that it is very rare for a 4th grader to make the team, and that isn't being mean it's just what they must know to compete against other schools, the average 4th grade is just being taught and can't be expected to know it at the level of perfection they want with their competitors. So little Miss Syd sits down to her audition test (All multiplication and division of varying degrees of hardness) and takes it up to the teacher in such a timely manner that the teacher that she  was giving up on the test do to a typical 4th  graders skill. She found out instead that Sydney had not only completed the test in a timely manner but also with 100% and she was told on the spot that she made it onto the math team.

I wish I had pictures of her, Grandma Carl, and I doing a "she got into mathleats" song and damce. It was awesome.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

A Quest for fun!

So waking up this morning I felt better than I had for a while, so I convinced Travis to take us up Milk Creek and light a fire for us to roast marsh mellows and hot dogs. We load up and head off only to end up TRYING to enjoy ourselves as Aric, Ezra and Taylor found it very cold and were not interested in waiting around for Travis to get the wet materials lit and burning. Then Aric slipped into the water (nothing serious just his feet) and while trying to warm them by the fire he fell into it, (again not serious as Travis caught him by the back of his jacket and pulled him out before he really hit so no burn) I think if we heard "I want to go home" one more time Travis was going to go postal. That being said I did get some fun pictures. Check them out:













Friday, January 6, 2012

Laughter, the best medicine?

So we are having a laugh fest at my house tonight, after-all

Or is it?

First we watched some Bill Engvall stand up comedy.
"If you were all over that, there would be pepper spray involved."
"It's not sexy it's creepy!"


Now we are knee deep into The Pink Panther Returns: "You know Kato, I really must congratulate you on your freezer ambush ploy, but Kato your fly is undone..... and so my friend are you!"
Clouseau: [answering the phone] This is Monsieur Gadoire - who is this speaking? 
Dreyfus: Don't you know? HmmHmmm! Can't you guess? I'll give you a clue - this is the man who hates you. This is the man who more than anything else in the world would like to see you dead and buried! 
Clouseau: ...are you the headwaiter that works in the little bistro on the Rue de Bazaar? 


 To be followed by one of my all time favorites Get Smart Again.
"Missed him by that much."
"Did you see his face?"
"If that was his face he has a huge cleft in your chin."

I don't know if it's true that laughter is the best medicine. To be good medicine you have to feel better after it, but I have been laughing so hard that I think I pulled a stomach muscle (as if I needed one more thing to hurt), I feel like a little twitch will put me into a pain induced coma! (not really but still lol).

I was actually feeling better physically before we started our laugh fest, though admittedly I am in a much better emotional mental state (or will be once I quit crying from either how funny it is or how much pain I am in - I'm not sure which). Then Sydney has the gall to bring over popcorn as if I needed anything in my very painful stomach.

So tell me, what are some of your favorite laugh tell your sick movies!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Sleep Talking!

Talking in our sleep runs in our family. Both my sisters and I do it (when I worked at a restaurant after closing I would fall into bed and pass out exhausted, my little sister would come into my room and make me "serve her in my sleep. She would make me go through the specials and all the different kinds of dressings etc She would laugh so hard eventually I would finally wake up and kick her out of the room) and I know my husband does (We will never forget his "Well, did you find me pony collection?" And now my three kids do it.

Sydney's comments are the best though, "The fat man put the licorice on the grass!" and "One more beaver aught to do the trick!" are among the top comments.

As I am sitting in me rocking chair at almost 2:00 am I am trying not to laugh as Taylor (laying on the couch behind me) is apparently having a dream about being "Super Mario". While Sydney in her room is yelling at Taylor to stop cheating. Add in to that my Sister's dog Molly who is laying next to Taylor apparently chasing something as her little legs are going a hundred miles per hour and she keeps sleep growling.

I suppose if I have to be awake I am glad I am well entertained.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Bad Words!

There are a lot of words in the English Language that will send a parent running for the soap, but the worst words out there are the double P. That's right : Projectile Puke! At this point you would rather that they had uttered some horrifying word that you could discipline them for then have them suddenly start heaving with such force that it shocks both parents into a state of immobile panic. After which the frantic scurrying begins,  the calming of the child, the arguing over the fact that we still don't have a carpet machine, and the lysoling of the other children and yourself. (lol) After a few more rounds of get the bowl under the puke (my least favorite game) comes the waiting and worrying.
I think the waiting/worrying is just as bad as the rest. Was it something he ate? Is it a 24 hour bug? Will the other kids get it? Will Travis or I get it? Should we send Syd to school and expose other kids or because she is feeling fine let her go?
The other thing is, it never really happens during the day. It always happens at 11:00 - 3:00 am just to make sure you don't forget that as parents you aren't supposed to sleep. And even after the child passes out into an exhausted sleep, you never really rest. Every sound every move of the children sits you up in bed reaching for a bowl, lysol, bleach, etc...
Thank goodness Aric is feeling better today, and so far (cross fingers, throw salt, knock on wood or whatever it is that you do if you are superstitious) none of the other kids have shown signs of the double P.
HERES HOPING!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

A new year and a new me!

I have never not worked once I started at 12 years of age helping my parents with their janitorial business. By 14 I started picking up after school jobs, by 16 I was graduated putting in 100 hours a month in a bible education program and working cleaning jobs/or full time at a fine dining restaurant in the evenings.
Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I am one of those people who thrive off of having to many irons in the fire. I have  lived my life like that quite happily. Now at the age of 30+ I am feeling it, and my body has recommended that I change dramatically for my health and the health of my children. That's right, I am not working for the first time in EVER.
I am now a stay at home mom. I am still recovering my health and not able to do much but it has been decided that I am not going back to work for the foreseeable future. This has started me thinking of how much I love to bake, cook, craft and create. All these projects that I have had wanted to do and never had the time. The crazy awesome food for dinner when my husband walked through the door (I used to get home after him). Now I just have to wait and get healthy before I become super active mom. I can't wait!