Don't you hate it when people make you look at pictures from their vacation!

We had a wonderful trip to the Pacific Northwest! Here is just a smattering of the many pictures we took.

We spent a couple days in Port Townsend. The drive up was beautiful, even though it was really long. We thought it would take us about 4 hours and it ended up taking close to 7! We had to stop several times for construction on the 101 and then there's the whole - "Mom, I've gotta pee!" factor. Once we got there, we really enjoyed the beach.

We had a great time at the grandparent's house. We were able to break Nana out of the "home" for a few days. Thomas had a so much fun playing with her. How many 91-year-olds do you know that can still hit a baseball? Very impressed!

Clara decided that she was going to go on a baby food strike once we got up to Washington. She ended up letting us feed her nectarines, an avocado, bread and some chicken and rice soup. One morning she even talked me into a powdered doughnut.

There is something about this guy that just puts her to sleep!

We drove up to Steve's Grandmother's home on Monday. La Center is a beautiful little town just outside Vancouver. Thomas had a great time exploring everything. There is a giant cherry tree in the backyard. We had fun eating the cherries right off the tree! He really wanted to know what was in that red barn!

Just up the hill from La Center is the Cedar Creek Grist Mill. I really wanted to take the kids there. The amount of green is unbelievable. The mill is situated so deep in the forest. The sunlight just barely makes and appearance there. I could not believe the amount of moss that covered everything. It is such a contrast the the dust that covers everything here at home!

Our last stop was Multnomah Falls. I love this place. I never grow tired of visiting and just sitting and watching the falls.





Can I just say I love my new SLR! I was able to get this shot from the bottom of the falls. After I took it, I had to get out of the sight because watching Granddad show Thomas the falls was giving me the willies!

This is the current favorite aunt for the kids. They had a blast playing with Aunt Leah while we were there. She is so much fun!

I will miss looking at this! This is the view from the family room and dining room in their house! Rough life, wouldn't you say!

Dear Old Man at PDX who works for the TSA,

Please accept my apology on behalf of my son. He was the one who slapped your hand out of the way when you tried to approach him with the super-cool Jr. TSA Officer badge. I hope you were able to see my disbelief and disgust with this situation by the way I was standing there, frozen, with my mouth open (I know I need to work on my disciplinary actions). Please understand this is the first time that the Golden Child has acted this way to a complete stranger. He was only acting out like this because his horrible parents took him away from his Grandparent’s house after 10 days of pure bliss and he was very upset.

You’re doing a great job, keep up the great work!

Sincerely,
That little brat’s mother

P.S. The musician playing the grand piano while you go through security is a nice touch. It kept me very relaxed even though I knew we were running a bit behind for our flight.

Oh, I hate this part!

1. 10 days of laundry that will cover my family room floor until it is finished.

2. Fear of the scale until I am able to lose the extra weight gained from Burgerville Berry Shakes!

To be continued...

Things that make me laugh.

Happy Monday! Have a great week!

Grosgrain: Ice Cream Social Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

I found this blog and LOVE it. I thought some of you mommy's may want to check out the give-away this awsome lady is doing. Grosgrain: Ice Cream Social Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Fourth of July

We had a very nice 4th of July. This was the first time in years that we were actually on our own and not with family or friends. Steve had to keep reassuring me that 1) people still do like us. 2) We don't smell (usually). 3) We are perfectly capable of celebrating a holiday on our own.

We all dressed alike because if you are born into this family, you are required to wear matching t-shirts on holidays or any other function where people can look at you and think..."Oh, they must love each other so much." I am all about keeping up appearances! We decided to drive out to Boulder City and watch the fireworks. We thought we would eat dinner at this little restaurant we found out there, but they had the nerve to close for the holiday. We ended up at A&W because it was either that or Jack and the Box. I figured A&W seemed a little bit more holiday-esqe. The burgers were okay, but the root-beer floats were great. After we ate we drove out to the BC airport and waited in the heat for the fireworks.

And The Winner Is........

I used random number generator to pick a winner, and the winner was Jess. I am assuming you will want an outfit for your adorable baby girl!


Here are your random numbers:24
Timestamp: 2008-07-05 15:37:40 UTC

Jess, leave a comment to let me know you have seen this.

The passion is raw, but the hot dogs are cooked!

WHY? WHY? WHY?

Seven Months!

Clara Jane is 7 months today.

Recent Accomplishments

She does the inchworm crawl.

She is really good at yoga and can do downward-dog, seriously!

She can say ma-ma.

She is starting to wave.

She still hates solid food, but I can get her to eat pears, squash, and green beans.

She loves to play with her brother.

She loves the water and has enjoyed swimming with her cousins.

She loves graham crackers and teething biscuits.

She has just started drinking from a sippy-cup.

She weighs 16lbs 10 oz, and is 26 inches long. Chunk!

She has quite the giggle!

We are so in love with her!

Honesty

I often try to be up and showered before the kids wake up. It seems like if I do de-funkify before they get up, the day goes a lot smoother. When I do shower while the kids are sleeping, I am able to actually take my time. Shoot, I might even have a moment to shave my legs if the two little ones are out cold.

Yesterday, I was showering while I thought Thomas and Clara were asleep. I was right in the middle of washing the shampoo out of my lovely hair (which by the way, I got a rockin’ new hair cut, and I am getting highlights tomorrow! No more ashy brown!) when I opened my eyes. Thomas was standing right outside the glass shower door. Now, this has happened before and each time it does, it scares the living daylights out of me. I know what my kid looks like, but you just don’t expect a pair of eyes to be staring at you through the shower door when you think you are alone. I did let out a little yell, which I felt bad for doing. What a great way to greet your child in the morning!

Me: Oh, Thomas. I didn’t know you were awake.
Thomas: Hi, Mom. You takin’ a shower?
Me: Yes (it is so hard to not be sarcastic with them)
Thomas: Well, I’m just going to go downstairs and get a Popsicle.
Me: No, Thomas. You need to eat a healthy breakfast. Popsicles are for after lunch.

He walked away.

He is so smart! He knows he has about 5 minutes to do whatever the heck he wants and there is nothing I can do about it because I am stuck in the shower. I didn’t worry too much about the Popsicles because I didn’t think we had any.

I quickly finished up, dried off, and threw some clothes on. This is what I found when I made my way downstairs.

I guess he found the next best thing. At least it was "All Natural."

Before and After

I figured I had postponed the inevitable long enough and took Thomas to get his haircut today. As his hair gets longer, he starts getting the cutest little curls. I decided I would take him today (before Daddy did) and get a cut that accentuated his curls rather than cut them off. I was quite pleased with the results.

I am not sure if he was or not, what do you think?