Merry Late Christmas and A Happy New Year!!!

Oh My Goodness!!!

Wow, I knew I was slacking on the whole actually posting something end of blogging but rest assured I know what all of you are doing :)

Better late than never. My birthday, yeah I'm getting old, I'm okay with that :) The boss man and I went up north and partied all day!

XXX
The name is misleading isn't it? It's just a 50's burger joint. I thought it was pretty good, anything is good when it's just you and your man though...

Snoqualmie Falls, it looked pretty neat frozen, that doesn't happen here very often. Not exactly the best pictures, but make it big to see the icicles.

I'm renaming my birthday St. Brandon's Day. He was amazing! He HATES shopping, what husband likes following us from store to store, carrying everything - including a purse??? But he did it all and more - cleaning, cooking, carrying all with not one complaint!

Shark Boy

Dillon's adult teeth were just really excited to get here - so they grew in before the tooth fairy came for the babies. We've been calling him shark boy :)

He went to the dentist on Friday (the day before Halloween!!!) - I had no idea they were going to pull them, they just told me it was a check up to see if they baby teeth were close to falling out. We sat down and a very cheerful assistant started prepping for extraction... I wasn't pleased, to say the least. He was scared out of his mind and informed me he wasn't going to that dentist again... judging by the x-rays of his teeth I think we may be back soon. For some reason those adult teeth are in a big hurry and the babies have a case of the slows! Isn't it early for him to be loosing teeth??? He's only 5!!!
The Tooth Fairy came last night - $2!!! (inflation... :) )

Halloween & Pumpkin Patch

A Little Bit of Irony...

A Falling Tribute

* I love fall (before all the leaves fall off) when everything is perfect and looks like artwork just waiting for a canvas.
* I love weather that is just perfect, not too hot, but not too cold yet.
* I love the way hot chocolate and apple cider warms you all the way down to your toes.
* I love sugar cookies, all baking really, that you didn't want to do all summer.
* I love sweaters that hide the extra couple you tack on because of hot chocolate and baked goods consumption...
* I love pumpkins, to eat, to carve, and to look at.
* I love general conference.
* I love the air, it feels cool and clean.
* I love planning Halloween costumes and daydreaming about about trick or treating :)
* I love having a cool clean morning that turns into a warm sunny day.
* I love getting out all the kids clothes - this applies to any season and the opportunity to get out something new and getting their drawers all organized...
* I love being able to curl up with a blanket


I was feeling really grateful today, with all the 'terrible, horrible no good very bad days' that we have had this week we are still here, together, healthy & strong, happy and laughing. I am so grateful for the opportunity to show our children how to be strong and utilize our faith to make it through. We are doing wonderfully.

Long Overdue Pickle Goes To Kindergarten...

I know, it's been so long I can't even believe so much time has passed. Go ahead, call me a slacker but I've been a busy girl :)

Dillon started school in September and LOVES it. I was so nervous about him being in an all day kindergarten (that's all they have here...) but he couldn't be happier about it. The day goes by so quickly and we are the ones wanting him to come home - he wants to stay!

Momma's a Burstin'!

So a few weeks ago Pickle and I went school clothes shopping. We found some super cute shoes (not the ones pictured - I wouldn't let him wear his new shoes until school started:) ) that he liked but I bought them thinking I'll just tie them until he learns, it only takes a few weeks to learn right? Any how, I got home and the husband was less than happy because he didn't think he could learn to tie his shoes before school started - I WIN :) He learned to tie his shoes in TWO DAYS!!!!!!!

He wanted to play outside but I was busy getting Squishy's shoes on so he did it all by himself after day two of practicing, I didn't even realize he was doing it, he just walked out with them all tied up and I started doing the happy mommy dance which, of course, was followed by pictures :)

Yeah, sorry, terrible picture of both of us but I was so proud I didn't care :)

My Morning Fun

A couple months ago I found a treasure. While wandering Ikea I happened upon a grocery cart full of textiles wrapped in saran wrap and taped up like fort knox... nothing was getting out of there without a great deal of difficulty. This mysterious cart of happiness was $10, so we bought it with the hope that I would be able to create a masterpiece out of a mystery. This skirt used to be a pillowcase - I have 6 of this pattern (now 5) and 6 of a matching color - different pattern. Easy as pie is to consume, this little skirt took me 20 minutes - seam, casing, elastic, and hem (oh yeah - and my seam ripper and I enjoying a movie...) The little flower took me a bit longer - maybe an hour - but was so fun, these may be seen on everything I make from now on!!!

Why does my beautiful little Squishy always smile like she's in pain when it comes to picture time??? Please excuse the clashing hair accessory, she insisted on wearing a pink one, it's her favorite (if you like them go to my friends Etsy shop for more, they are SOOOO cute!!! Also, Brandon's cousin started Little Bow Peep Shop, I love 'em, never buy bows in a shop anymore, they are so much cuter handmade!!!)


Oh so fun, I can't stop myself, my sewing machine calls to me in the middle of the night :)
Next thing I'll post pics of the matching mom n' me outfits I made, we wore them Sunday and I felt so pretty matching my sweet little girl!

I am a THIEF!

I play "The Grocery Game" and some days I walk out of the store having done a good job, I saved money, I stocked up etc. Some days I walk out of the store feeling this giddy, happy, triumphant feeling of thievery :). I didn't steal, I paid the price worked out by the store sales and the coupon people. I worked dang hard with my kids in tow - bribed to within an inch of my life - and my 3 page list - no stealing there, but it just feels so good...

Today was awesome. My kids were angels - I didn't even realize they were there (except that I was pushing this 75 pound monstrosity they have the nerve to call a grocery cart - shaped, of course, like a firetruck. It probably was an actual firetruck and they just took the motor off and hooked it to a grocery cart. They probably laugh every time some mom ends up having to push it and her purchases and her kids - you think she went through labor with the kids - nope, it was just practice so she could push a firetruck...) Anyhow, in case you can't read the receipt...

I spent $61.57 - SAVINGS OF $137.60 ...

The Watchers

Once again, sorry about the mess - this was yesterday (the sewing day :) )

Kenzie and I were in the kitchen yesterday and she was thrilled to behold 2 tractors in our parking lot, right out our window!!! We ran to Dillon's room and woke him up (Dillon's not a morning person but we were yelling about tractors and 'hurry come see!' so he came... )

Dillon had a memorable quote from the mornings viewing... "Mom it's like being in a movie feater only the feater is our house!!!" He was thrilled! He told me they looked like they were getting ready to fight :)

You know you've had a fun day when . . .

You know you've had a fun day when all of a sudden you look around and it looks like this:

(It was such a fun day, it took me about 31/2 hours (my sewing skills are pretty rusty!!!) and the kids were so happy!!! They dumped out laundry baskets, they played with sewing scraps, measuring tape, thread, and mom didn't say no unless they went near the iron!!! Oh happy day in the life of kids -- and yup, that is Kenzie sound asleep on the floor:) )

I was so busy turning this:

Into This:

That I didn't even notice :)

Not until my sweetie pie called...
There are 2 reasons you might find my dead body laying next to my sewing machine:
1 - My neat freak sweetie pie saw our room

2 - My neat freak sweetie pie saw that our filthy dirty (I like to call it carefree and happily played in) room in full color on the world wide web for all to see... :)

I'd like to thank my partners in crime ---


Credit also goes to my favorite sewing and craftiness blog for telling me what to do, I am addicted and have 6 more mens shirts of varying colors and fabrics I CAN'T WAIT to get my hands on... (Value Village first Monday 99 cent sale - WAHOOOOOO!!! 6 dresses for under 6 dollars!!!)

It's a hit, she loved it - although we'll have to see how I did when the washer gets a hold of it... shortly after this picture it somehow got covered in popsicle :)

Seattle Science Center

Make it big, we are the itty bitty family at the bottom

I know, all blurry, but I love it :)

What can I say, pretty things are attracted to him :)

Butterfly exhibit was a BIG hit with the munchkins!
Our kids and their little buddies Tristan & Nellsey - I love how kids bond instantly, they ask for them everyday and I'm pretty sure the competition is heating up for Dillon's love life - WHAT?!?!

The dinosaurs, big hit with Pickle - not such a huge hit with Squishy(Brandon held her pretty much the whole time...)

Once again Dillon liked the bugs, Kenzie just liked looking...
That is a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach my brave little son is holding - yuck, my skin was crawling looking at the tarantulas, black widows, snakes, giant millipedes and naked mole rats. Ugggg.

Our friends have a pass so they got us in for FREE! Oh I love family, friends, fun and free! We spent about 4 hours there and only got through half of it! We didn't even get to see 'Grossology' which is showing right now - actually I'm okay with missing that one... Such a good time. So much for the kids and they were just soakin' it up! We definitely have to go there again!!!

The Doctor will see you now...

The princess Dr. and her little ballerina patient. They got all dolled up in dress up clothes to play doctor - don't they normally get all dolled up to play princesses or something like that? I guess you can be a princess in any situation :) Notice the prince is nowhere to be found? When the princesses got all dressed up he asked if he could watch boy show :)
It did give me a birthday party idea but we have to wait a month and a half to see how it goes...