OR Crawford Family

Has it been that long?

2011-08-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

Wow! The last time I updated this, I was still pregnant with Josh. Fortunatly no one reads this so that is ok :) I wonder if there is a way to update from the iPhone...hmmmm. No one reads it anyway!

Dr. Appt Sept 30

2008-10-06T21:17:00.001-07:00

I had another appt last week. We are now going every 2 weeks. It was a little frustrating this time since my appt was at 9:20am, but didn't see the Dr. until 10am. I am supposed to be at Ellie's school for writing lab at 10:10am. Needless to say, I was late. I HATE being late. I hate the anxiety and stress that comes with being late. Since I have been pregnant that had been happening a lot, and it is not good. Anywhoooo…I have gained 2 more pounds for a total of 16, my BP was 124/64 and I measured at 30 weeks (which I was) and the baby's hr was 170- and going crazy. Mike was able to come to this appt which was nice and Molly was at school. I have another appt next Tuesday.

I am anemic and having trouble taking the iron that was prescribed for me. There were a lot of restrictions: no dairy, eggs, whole grains, coffee, or tea within 3 hours of taking the pill. A friend recommended a liquid iron (which was recommended to her from her midwife) so I am trying that. It seems to be working better. The fatigue is not as severe, and I have a bit (small bit) more energy. I actually made it to 11:30 before I needed a nap J I will continue to take it and see how well it works. It is not cheap, but if it works, it is worth it. I may be able to go to once a day instead of twice a day, so that will save some money.

I'll let you know how the next appt goes. It is with a NP instead of the Dr. Only 9 weeks and 2 days more till due date!!! Yowzer

Dr. Appt. Sept something

2008-09-23T18:56:00.001-07:00

I had a Dr. appt last Wed. Baby's heart rate is still in the 160's and is very active every time she tries to listen to him. My blood pressure was 126/74-still good but we had been under some stress that week (our storage unit was broken into and quite a few things were stolen.) I gained 5 pounds, but my total is only 14 pounds. My doctor said that most women have gained twice as much by now. I measured at 29 weeks, though I was at 28. Everything is going well! I am really tired again though. I am not sleeping great at night and feel the need to nap all day. I do rest when I can so that is good. Both girls are really good about letting me rest when I ask them :)

Update on Ellie’s 1st day

2008-09-02T16:01:00.001-07:00

Ellie said she had the best day!!!! She was very excited about it when we talked on the way home. She played with different people on the playground and knew some of the kids from kindergarten. She liked the lunch I packed for her (goof ball) and really liked the day. We both think she is going to have a great year. Her teacher and student teacher came over today to talk about what is happening this year and for us to be able to ask any questions we had. This was great in case the kids were embarrassed at all. Ellie and Molly showed them their room and the playroom. It was really nice to have the one on one with them for questions and to kind of get to know them. I will be working in Ellie's classroom on Tuesdays to help with their writing labs. I am really excited to be able to help out with that. I will help when I can with classroom parties. So it was a good day!

Pictures from Ellie’s 1st day

2008-09-02T12:08:00.001-07:00

Getting ready to leave for school.

Outside her classroom door!

Daddy helping her with her hook!

Looking sad and lonely. She was smiling when we left!

1st Day of School 2008

2008-09-02T11:45:00.001-07:00

Today is the 1^st day of 1^st grade for Ellie! She was really cute this morning. She said she was nervous up to her neck! I just told her that it was ok to be nervous and that all the kids in her class were probably nervous also! She was fine getting dressed and brushing her teeth. We went to put on her new tie-on shoes that fit a few weeks ago, and they don't fitJ. We will try to stretch them out a bit, and if that doesn't work, then we will need to buy new shoes. She needs tennis shoes for gym and she has gym on T & Th. While we were walking to school, she got quiet and more nervous. Mike met us at the school and took her in to her class to see it and meet her teacher since he was on a fire when she had the open house. He helped her hang up her coat and backpack and get to her desk. Her desk is in a group of 5. There are 3 boys and 2 girls in her group. We found out this morning that the girl that sits by her was in her Kindergarten class and Ellie played with her a lot. She was coloring when we left. I can't wait to talk to her after school and see how her day went. Her teacher is coming over today for a home visit. I have no idea what that entails other than I need to clean my house a bit moreJ. I will update more after I know more!

Molly had orientation at her pre-school today. She was acting very shy and clingy. She wouldn't pick out her chair, so I did it for her. She went into the playroom, but was too shy to really play what she wanted. She got upset when another boy took the toy she wanted, but I explained that she wasn't playing with it. Before we left, her teacher wanted a picture and Molly wouldn't do it! I finally had to bribe her with candy and take it for her. No smile, but she did well. We left and I did not get a picture of her, but I will on Thursday when she has a real day. I was going to do my glucose test on that day, but I may wait until next week just in case I am needed at Molly's school. I am excited for her and I know she will do well; she just needs to get pass the nervousness J

I can't believe how fast they are growing up!!!

Roseburg Alliance Church Camp

2008-08-24T22:11:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went camping for the 3rd time this summer! This time was at Indian-Mary which is only 20 minutes from here AND we went with our church from Roseburg! This is one of my favorite camping trips. We get the circle area and we all talk and eat and group together the whole time. There is also a rafting trip on Saturday. I have only been able to go once in the 3 years. I am pregnant this time and was afraid that I would not be able to get back in the boat if I fell out of the boat! We arrived on Friday around 2:30 or so and set up camp in the shade and sat and watched as others came and started setting up. I would say it was a little awkward for us in the beginning. We knew some of the people, but not well, so we had to get over being shy. There was a boy right next to us who was Ellie's age and he and the 2 girls played really well the whole weekend. There was also another family in the circle with a 4 year old girl and 8 year old boy. All of the kids played great! It was really nice to have some other kids there. I know Ellie became happier and easier to be around. Ellie also lost her 4th tooth on Friday. That helped adjust her attitude a lot also! On Saturday while almost everyone was on the rafting trip, I was going to take the girls down to the river to play and Mike was going to stay with Rhonda's puppy, but while he was checking his messages (in Merlin) he was called on a fire, so we took him home and then the girls and I went back to the camp. We played with the kids from the circle and watched Rhonda's dog sleep. It was getting to be really hot and I didn't want to leave the puppy so we filled a 5 gallon bucket with water (over and over again) and the kids played with water for over an hour! It was a lot of fun to watch and I was able to talk to the family that I hadn't met before we moved to AK. They were so nice and I had a lot of fun with the mom all day!! We also had ice cream sandwiches (yummy). Oh- Molly fits inside a 5 gallon bucket. She can't get her head in, but her whole body! Kind of crazy!!! There was a wedding at the campground that day that moved to campsites that night until 12:30 am. Loud drinking and yelling! I fell asleep right around that time. Molly woke up crying at 2:45 and needed to be covered up. At 3:30 or so, Ellie wakes up and says, "Mommy, I think I need to throw up!" After an hour of dry heaves, she threw up at 4:30am. She dry heaved for another 30 minutes then fell over and was asleep. That was the funniest things I have seen. She was sitting cross legged with a blanket around her and kind of fell over and was asleep. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to sleep yet, but a couple of minutes after 5, I fell asleep also. We were up by 8 and had the car packed by 9. Molly slept until about 8:30 and then got dressed. I was happy to be at church camp because 2 guys came over and took my tent down for me. That was nice. I wish I had been able to stay for the church service, I was really looking forward to it, but Ellie needed to go home. She was fine all day, but I am tired! I will be going to bed fairly early tonight!!!!

Pictures from Roseburg Alliance Church Camp!

2008-08-24T20:55:00.000-07:00

Camping at Millpond with Rileys

2008-08-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

We went camping again at Millpond, but this time with the Riley's. I was SPOILED!!! Kristin bought all the food, packed all the food and prepared all the food ahead of time that needed it! Wow, I didn't even bring a cooler with me this time. We had spaghetti the first night and hotdogs the next. We all had a great time. THe kids played and played and played. They rode bikes and went around the loop sooooo many times. Cole wiped out on his bike though and it was a doozy! He was scraped up on his left side-arm, side, legs, ankle-you name it. He did so good with it though as was so brave! We went swimming both days in the river and played with Jade and had a lot of fun! Kristin and I sat around the campfire talking and talking. It was really relaxing and fun! I really do love camping. We are always so filthy and usually banged up pretty good, but it is so much fun!!! Can't wait for next year!

Dr. Appt. Aug 19

2008-08-19T14:26:00.001-07:00

I had my 6 month appointment today. My blood pressure was 112/68 and I gained 4 pounds. I am surprised it was not more, but my total is only 9 pounds for 6 months. My dr. is impressed. I measured at 24 weeks (which I am) and the heart rate was 160-still. The same as the girls. Everything is still going well. I am tired and not sleeping well most of the time, but it's ok :) We are having a boy.

Ultrasound August 6

2008-08-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

We had the ultrasound on August 6. We really were not going to find out the sex of the baby. Really-I promise! But that morning, Mike tweaked his back getting out of the car or getting Molly out of the car and was in pain. I let him choose that morning if we were going to find out. In his pain, he decided that he really wanted to know, and lets face it-I was easy to convince! We are having a BOY!!!! I don't think we could be happier! It is a little wierd to know though after I had spent a few months saying we were not going to find out. It is a relief to know, but I wonder how much more awesome it would have been to find out at the birth. Either way-it is a boy and that is AWESOME!!! (Not to say that a girl would have been a let down-it would have been great also!)

Now I can shop for a crib set. Not really a set, but a sheet that isn't pink. I think our duck stuff is gone. I do not remember packing it for Alaska. I have found a couple of sets that are cute, but that are on the cheaper side, so the sheets are thin. I would rather have a better quality sheet and find a bumper and skirt that will work-can be super cheap. I have also been looking at boy clothes and I am not sure what I like. I think there are a lot more cuter clothes for boys that before. We will have to get him his own Carhart's at some point and Camo for hunting is a must also :)

He is moving around a lot right now and sits very low in my belly. I am having a boy! I am having a boy!!!! I don't think that will get old :)

Dr. Appt- July 23, 2008

2008-07-25T14:51:00.001-07:00

I had a dr. appt on Wednesday at 11:30am. It went pretty good. We got there and Molly dumped the entire My Little Pony bag all over the floor, so we had to clean that up quickly. If we hadn't, we would have been called back asap. Since we cleaned it up right away, we were not called back right away, but soon enough. Also, the front desk needed my insurance card-again, for the 3^rd time. The girl at the front desk said that they hadn't scanned it in, but I saw them make copies. So AFTER my appointment (since I was not going to go back outside to fix their problem) I brought my card in again and they scanned it in. At least they are really nice there-really! So I gained 2 pounds which brings the total to 5 pounds- 5 pounds in 5 months-go me!! My blood pressure was 126/76 which is a little higher than the last few times, but still very good! I was also stressed from the kids being in the room and just stressing me out. I was measured but forgot to ask what it was, and the heart rate was 160-again. So I think it is a girl. I am pretty sure, but we are still not going to find out at the ultrasound. I need to be strong about this.

This picture was taken yesterday when I was 5 months exactly. I was going to take another one, but then realized there is no clean spot in the house, and I had not taken a shower, and wasn't going to that day. So please excuse the mess.

Dr.s Appointment-June 25

2008-06-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

We had a Dr's appointment yesterday. I love my Dr. She is great! I never feel rushed with her and she answers any questions and is just great. I lost 2 pounds which is OK. For me it is normal, but it also puts my weight gain at only 3 pounds, so much better. The Dr. was in the hall when I was weighed and I went "WooHoo! Down 2 pounds" and she laughed. BP 110/70, still good. The baby's heart rate was about 160 which is around what both of the girls were most of the time. But the baby did not like the Dr. pushing on him/her and we could hear the baby kick at us 4 times. It was funny. The Dr. commented on how active the baby was. She had to move the listening thingy to hear better. We could hear the heart beat and the baby's hiccups. It was very funny to listen to. She said that you don't get to hear that too often and that is why the baby was so active! It was a good appointment!

Graduation from Kindergarten

2008-06-20T17:00:00.001-07:00

On Friday June 6, 2008 Ellie graduated from kindergarten. It was really cute. All the kids sang 2 songs for us and then they came and sat with the parents. The kids were then called up one by one. They received a certificate from the principal and then they said "When I grow up I want to be …" Ellie chose to be SUPERGIRL!!! It was really cute watching all the kids and hearing what they want to be. A lot of girls want to be teachers, one boy wants to be a superhero, and one wants to be a real estate appraiser. I honestly don't remember graduating from kindergarten. Mike remembers having the hat and everything. I think it is kind of cute!

After school, we went home and had a little party with cupcakes. We bought a cupcake cake in the shape of a ladybug. There is so much frosting on the cupcakes it makes my teeth hurt!!

Dr.s Appointment-June 10

2008-06-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

June 10 we had our second appointment. My blood pressure was 110/70 which is great and I had gained 5 pounds in 4 weeks. I am not so happy about that part, but the Dr. didn't say anything about it :) I will need to be careful and not let my sweet tooth take over so much. At the last appointment I had to go upstairs for normal lab work, but I was told that they had found crystals in my urine (sorry for sharing). This could mean kidney stones if I don't get enough fluids, and I don't get enough fluids!!! So, now I am drinking fluids ALL DAY long and I am so full of liquids. I don't want to drink anymore. I am also not allowed to drink soda anymore, which I was only drinking Hanson's natural soda, but it is easy enough to give it up. So water and ice tea. I am so full, but I hear that kidney stones are more painful than labor...We also got to hear the baby's heart beat which is always a nice sound :) Don't know how fast it was, but I will be able to hear it again on June 25 for my 16 week appointment. That is only 2 weeks away, and the day after Mike get back from MI. I'll keep you updated.

Some Pics

2008-06-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

I guess I am more interested in playing on the computer than stamping or folding laundry. Who wouldn't be!!!! Here are some pics of the girls and a couple of me and Mike on our birthdays. I would like to point out that the green outfit Molly is wearing on the sand bar is an outfit that Ellie wore at about 10 months old to about 15 months. Molly is almost 3 in the picture! She did just weigh in at 27 pounds the other day-that is 4 lbs since moving into the apartment-Growth Spurt! On Mike's birthday, I was blessed with a migraine and the girls were ornary so he had a "re-do" birthday the next day (Cinco de Mayo!!!) which went much better. On my birthday, I was dealing with morning sickness all day. We almost didn't go out to dinner and it was all I could do to eat my ice cream cake from Dairy Queen! I am wearing my favorite pants-my pink flamingo pajama bottoms! I never wear them out of the house unless I HAVE to take the dog out!-I have a touch of class!

Creativity...not happening

2008-06-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

I really need to stamp. There are birthday cards to make and I would really like to make cards for Ellie's teacher as a thank you. However, I have no creativity in me. I have been thinking about this, I think it is because I have a place set up just waiting for me to stamp. Crazy??? This is me. You see, I have always stamped at the kitchen table or a table placed in the living room. This means there is always a mess, but I was in the center of things. Now I am in the playroom/computer/stamping room and everything is within reach, and I can't seem to do it. BUT...I don't want to start dragging stuff our there. Our house is a perpetual mess-I can't seem to put things away, partly since there is no place to put them. It is amazing how lost we we are without a garage. The girls bikes are in the living room and Mike has his fire gear in there while he is sorting it. There is still a box or 2 around that I don't think will ever go away. *sigh* We make do and I just PRAY that we will buy a house someday soon!!!

Boatnik

2008-06-03T11:03:00.003-07:00

Last weekend was Boatnik. Boatnik is a carnival type festival with Jet boat races. We tried to go every day, but just never made it. We decided we WERE going to go on Monday, but Mike woke up with a tweaked back, so I took the girls by myself. 1^st we rode on a trolley to the park. We were at the beginning of the bus route, so we rode for about 30 minutes. We all had fun with that. When we got there, the 1^st booth we found was the face painting one. We stopped, of course. It was the same person that we saw on Earth Day. Ellie picked a geisha cat and Molly picked a butterfly. After that, we went to the kiddie rides. Molly was tall enough for a couple of rides, but not tall enough for all of them. It depended on the placement of the signJ. They both had a great time, and there were a lot of rides they could both go on. Next year we will buy the bands so they can ride and ride. We were buying tickets, and I just couldn't spend any more money on tickets. After the rides, we looked at the Clysdales horses-they are giant by the way. Bigger than any horse I have ever seen. After that, we shared lemonade, a funnel cake and cotton candy! Then we lined up for the return bus, which took about 50 minutes to get there. The girls entertained themselves by rolling down the small hill. It was a fun day-not to hot. We will go again next year and probably on the last day again!

The pictures are ok, Molly wouldn't show me her face. Ellie had her's on all day and it was finally starting to wear off on the mouth and started itching.

Our 1st Appointment

2008-06-03T11:03:00.001-07:00

On May 13, we had our 1^st prenatal appointment. We met our new Dr. for the 1^st time and she seems like she is going to be great! She has a sense of humor which is always a nice touch. After she asked us a couple of questions, we said that we had 2 girls, so she said "This one must be a boy, you're due!"

We had an ultrasound on that day. We get to see the baby and they get a better idea of how far along we are. The due date is December 11, which is a Thursday! Wahoo, another Thursday. Both girls were born either on their due date or the day before. The baby was moving like crazy through the whole ultrasound. It was really neat to see the little person wiggling like that. At that point s/he was only as big as a person's thumb, so I couldn't feel it, but it was fun to watch. I won't be able to feel the baby until about 16 weeks since it is my 3^rd otherwise it will be closer to 18-20 weeks to feel it and longer for others to feel it. The picture from the ultrasound is really grainy, partly from the scanning process at Wal-Mart, and also from the size of the baby. My blood pressure was good and it was too early to hear the heart beat, but we could see it. Our next appointment will be June 10. We should hear the heartbeat that day!! I wish I could draw a cirlce around the baby, but it is in lower corner on each picture. If it was a good picture, you could see the arms and legs and eye sockets. Amazing!

Our Weekend

2008-04-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

Craig and RaeAnn were not able to make it down this weekend, so we went to Roseburg on Saturday. Our friends have 3 kids all in soccer, so we made it to parts of all the games. We also went to the Earth Day festival where the Migratory Bird Day festival is as well. Ellie made a birdhouse and both girls had their faces painted. The pictures are only so good since they were taken with my phone (our camera was at home.) Molly sat well for her face painting and felt very pretty. We really thought Ellie's was incredible. We went to Logan's game with it on, and she felt special. After soccer, we went to the Riley's to hang out for a bit before heading out to some stores and then dinner with other friends. After dinner we went back to the Riley's to pick up Jade, who had eaten a few sticks, and then on to our last stop, the Rochester's. We haven't seen them since we have been back. That was a lot of fun as we always enjoy spending time with them. Mackenzie and Molly are only 5 days apart and it seems so strange that they will soon be 3! We left there about 9:30pm and it started snowing-AGAIN. (It was the craziest weather all day! We hadn't packed enough warm clothes for Molly and so ended up buying her a new outfit.) We made it over the 1st pass just past Winston and we almost turned around because the snow was in our face and we couldn't see! But then-AAAAAHHHHH!! It cleared up! The pavement was dry, the clouds parted and the moon was out! We got home at about 10:45 and put the girls to bed, clothes and all. Mike and I went to bed right after that and he passed out. I was awake long enough for our neighbors to start making lots of noise so it was 12:30am before I was able to block them out enough to sleep (and they say we are loud!!) But it only happens once in a great while. I don't want the confrontation-a coodle doodle do! Oh well, I will just sleep in the living room next time. It isn't like I am sleeping well with the pregnancy anyway! I am at the point where I feel tired all the time! At least I know things are progressing!!! I really need to fold the girls clothes and organize the playroom and empty one last box, but I am so tired I just can't imagine doing it. Jade had another vet appt today. Her stool , urine and ears all checked out, so we don't have to go back for a year!!! Finally I can put some money away! :)

I am bored

2008-04-16T17:17:00.001-07:00

Yup, I am bored. I am so bored. Bored, boredom bored. It may be a bit of melancholy instead of boredom, not sure. I don't want to read, or stamp or watch TV or knit or watch a movie, or clean or organize or unpack anything else. I don't want to go for a walk or go to the park or sit. I am bored. The kids are also really bored and so is the dog. It is so much fun here today. I did take the kids and the dog to the park this morning, and that was actually enjoyable since I brought a book and the girls played well together. After, we went to McDonald's for lunch. The girls had chicken nuggets and fries. I had fires and mayo-disgusting I know, but it tastes so good. My belly does not like it though and that is a problem. Ever since lunch I have been in this "mood" and I just think it is pregnancy related. I need to come up with something fun and different for us to do this weekend if Craig and RaeAnn do not come down. I really hope they do, but that means I will need to clean a bit (just a bit).

-It looks like someone may be moving in to an apartment-poor saps. If they only knew what a miserable place this was :)

I am typing in the playroom and it looks over the front of the place, not that I am nosy (most of the time.)

The dog does have a UTI so now we get to shove a pill down her throat twice a day and also give her the pro biotic at lunch! I need a job or just some energy and desire to stamp. That will help I think. I also think that the pregnancy is going slow. I am only at 5 weeks and 2 day. Yesterday I was at 5 weeks and 1 day. Tomorrow will be 5 weeks and 3 days. I need to stop looking at the days, that is making it feel slow. I need a specific project-making cards or something for someone, and that will get my creative juices flowing. I have also not posted pics of the girls in a long time, so here are some that are on this computer. I have some more of them on the other computer that I will post another time. I think they are so cute when not being devils which is usually when they are asleep!

In the mood...

2008-04-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

I am feeling like doing something. Something that isn't unpacking or organizing one more pile into 2 or 3 more piles. I am feeling creative, but don't want to knit & not sure what to stamp. I guess that means I blog. I just put the girls in their room. Our neighbors are sensitive to every noise so we feel we can't even walk sometimes. The girls were being kind of wild, so I had to get rid of them. I just don't have enough patience for them sometimes. I took them to a park this morning and it is never enough. I let them play at the playground every day after school , even if it is for 30 minutes and I try to get them out as much as I can. It is an effort to always have to go somewhere to play. And, I'll be honest, I don't actually have fun. I don't enjoy chasing them around and helping all the time. About 30 minutes is all I can take before I feel restless and really bored. If there are other kids there, I can stay for longer, especially if I have someone to talk to or a book to read, then it's fine. What I hate the most is the leaving. Why do they have to cry and fuss when we leave. Why can't they just be thankful they got to play at all???? Our dog is another issue. We love her, REALLY! But with some pure-bred dogs they have "issues." Ours sure does. 1st-she has a yeast infection in her ear, so we have to clean it out twice a day. I do it in the morning and Mike does it in the evening. It seems to be clearing up-finally. She has had this for about 4 months now. 2nd-she has colitis. This means she has diareah, mostly at 3:30 in the morning. She can't control it. The vet has given us a pro-biotic that we sprinkle on her food in the morning. That and a switch to adult food has helped a lot. Did I mention that Mike and I take turns sleeping on the couch so we can take her out and make sure she doesn't have any accidents? Yep! We are getting less sleep than when we have had babies :) 3rd-she was fixed on Wednesday. That was fine except the vet office found FLEAS on her. When they called to ask if they could treat the fleas, I asked if they had the right dog. We are on the floor constantly with her and have NEVER seen one anywhere. They found the beginning of a flea problem when they shaved her. Thank goodness for that! She is also recovering well from the operation and such, BUT 4th-she now has a UTI that we can only imagine how she got that. She has peed on the floor twice with no warning. UGH!!!! (She also pooped on the floor twice the 1st day we lived here.) When we take her out she will squat 2-3 times and sometimes not pee at all, or squat forever waiting to pee. She is at the vet's (again) for a pee test!!!! It is a good thing we love her or we might ship her off :) *Our cat is also lactose intolerant. If I forget and give her milk, I can expect to clean up cat puke! The fun NEVER EVER ends! ;) I watched the movie "Becoming Jane" all this weekend. It is my new most favoritest movie in all the land!!!! I know that most of it is guess, but it was an amazing and heartbreaking story. I have cried at the movie a lot. There are also certain scenes I watch over and over again. Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy do an amazing job of showing passion in their characters. I just love it, love it, love it! I tend to obsess about things when I find something that really "speaks" to me. SO now I will be reading all of her books for about the 10th time and probably watching the movies this week since Blockbuster will want their copy back soon. But my birthday is coming up so I can ask for the movie as a gift. BTW, Jane Austin is my most favorite author. As many have said, it is like reading a friend. All of the books are so familiar to me, it is like wearing a favorite sweatshirt-comfort! My favorite is "Pride and Prejudice" followed by "Sense and Sensibility." I recommend this author to anyone who likes period stories or classics. She is celebrated everywhere! Another author I really like is Francine Rivers. She is Christian Fiction author. I have read most of her books and have loved them all. Ok, creative edge is worn off. I may still stamp or organize. Hmmmm. I haven't eaten well today and my tummy is a bit queasy. I will need to find some bread or something!

Rental Woes Part II

2008-04-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

So we found an apartment. Every home we looked at was small, but had yards. But the homes were so small, we couldn't do it. The apartment felt like it had promise. It is 1100 sq feet of not right space. The way it is layed out, just doesn't seem to work for us. We are still unpacking bits and pieces and we have been here for a month now. I feel like all I do is complain, but it is getting better. I have had to be creative, and that is fine. We do have a 3rd bedroom so we have that set-up as a play room/craft room so that is very nice. We also have a storage unit (10x18) that is loaded. Oh well, we hope to be able to move in a year, but reality is closer to 18 months. Hopefully less because of the baby! I need a job :) or a way to make money with my stamping! But God is more than good, so I will put my trust in HIM!!!!

Potty Training-not for the squeemish!

2008-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

Molly is finally potty training! It is ironic that she started on the same day we found out we were pregnant. I am so grateful that she is starting! She pees at least once a day (in the beginning) and goes a lot more now. Yesterday her diaper was dry all day. She gets a sucker or some sort of candy most of the time she uses the potty. If I got jellybeans every time I used the potty, I would go all the time too! She is still doing #2 in a diaper, but one step at a time works for me. She is getting out of the tub and using the potty as well. I think that she will be completely pee pee trained by next Sunday. We will see :) She is dry most mornings all ready. Both girls do have sippy cups of water in bed, so it is surprising that she is still dry. Hooray!

So we are pregnant

2008-04-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

HOORAY!!!! Mike wanted to wait until we were no longer in AK and I guess my body agreed. We are pregnant. We are very excited! Due date is Dec 14, 15, or 16. I think I will go with the 15th since it is in the middle. The 17th would be better number wise, then I would have one born on the 16, 17 & 18th. Wait, I better check and see when Thursday is in that time frame. Ok, December 18 is a Thursday. Why does Thursday matter? It really doesn't, but Mike, Ellie, Molly and I were all born on a Thursday! Strange, I know! I have been feeling fine. If I eat to much greasy foods (like french fries and mayo) I get a bit queasy. But the prenatals are not hurting my tummy so that is good. I need to get some of my maternity clothes back from AK, but I am not holding my breath :) We have our 1st appointment on May 13 at 8:30am. I will have to try to not to go potty before I leave the house so I can be a good patient! I am on private setting until we tell people about the baby. The girls seem really excited, when they remember :)

Rental woes!

2008-02-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

We went and looked at some rental homes today. I don't know what we were expecting, but it wasn't this. This area is older than we thought and a lot of the homes are small and old. The nice ones won't take pets or have some other condition to them. We are confident that God has the right home for us, if we are patient. This was only the 1st day of looking. The girls really wanted to go swimming today, but I kept putting them off since it was so cold yesterday. We went about 5:20 today and it is warm. Very warm! The hot tub is hot!!! I could have spent all day in it! I know what we will be doing tomorrow!

The end of the 4th day!

2008-02-03T15:15:00.001-08:00

3:30pm. The phone rings and the truck is done! Hallelujah! So what do we do? I want to go. I am tired of being in transition, I want to be DONE. We load up and are on the road by 4:10pm. I have to pull over 14 miles later when I realize that Molly does not have her blanket where she can grab it! We make it 86 miles and Mike can't do it. The steering is ok, but he is just an emotion mess. He is so worried the truck is going to be in an accident. I am trying to be patient, but not doing well at it. We had made it through Portland and Salem, let's keep going. We traded vehicles. I can tell that the truck isn't perfect, but it is fine. We make it to Eugene in the dark. Neither of us like driving on wet pavement at night, it is too hard to see, but again, I want to be done. We call Kristin from Cottage Grove and ask if we could stop by, (yes!) We were worried when we left Cottage Grove since there were giant flakes and wet roads. The truck hydroplanes kind of easy. We get there about 9pm. We only stay for a little bit and are back on the road by 9:45ish. We drive most of the way to Grants Pass going about 45 mph or less J We aren't in a sprint, we are in a marathon and we just want to get there safely! We make it to La Quinta at about 11:20pm! Ahhhhhhhhh! We are here! Mike would have been happy staying in Roseburg, but I just couldn't get up this morning and drive anymore. I wanted to wake up and be at our final destination and unpack and shower and lay around! After we got most of the stuff in, the girls were awake until about 12:30am, and I was awake a little longer.

It was so great to wake up this morning, in our very nice and comfortable room and go and have waffles at the continental breakfast. The girls and I are unpacked, Mike still needs to. I will be doing laundry tomorrow or so. We got the coolers to a meat locker and some of the fish is questionable, but 85% is good! The girls and I went swimming, but the pool is FREEZING so we were not in it long. We went into the warm tub (not hot tub) and then came upstairs where Molly threw a fit before falling asleep. Mike should be watching the Super Bowl, but he is sleeping J Ellie and I are watching Scooby Doo! It's alllllll good! Hee hee!

The 4th day so far

2008-02-03T15:01:00.001-08:00

2/2/08

Saturday. We got up about 8am today. The dog got walked, we all got cleaned. The girls haven't had a bath since Monday. We went over to the laundry mat café for breakfast and we were then going to walk to the grocery store for fruit and cheese, so we wouldn't eat junk ALL day long again. It was snowing at the store was farther than we thought, so we went back to the motel and I drove to the store alone. We ended up paying for another night at the motel so we don't have to hang out in the car for 4-5 hours. It is 2:15 now, and we will make a decision about staying later today. If the truck is fixed and the weather is ok (not snowing hard) and we are not too tired, we will head out tonight and try to make it to Grants Pass. This is about a 5 hour trip at least. We just pray that his truck is fixed today. We are unsure what this all means for travel, but we will deal with it later when we have people to talk to.

We were supposed to be in Roseburg last night. We were going to stay with the Rileys, Ellie was going to sleep with Kaitlyn, we were going to go to a wine bar, and see all sorts of friends today. We are still sitting in a hotel room! I have some phone calls to make!!!

The 3rd day of the Trip and the 1st day of trials!

2008-02-03T14:59:00.001-08:00

2/1/08

Friday. We got up at 6am or so and got ready to leave. We had taken some of our things down the evening before so we didn't have to make 2 trips. The ship was supposed to get into port at 8am Pacific time, but it was almost 9am by the time we made it. Mike and I were the last 2 vehicles off. We left Bellingham at about 9:30 am. We made a stop for ice and to fix the tarp on Mike's truck. We realized some of the fish was thawed, so we poured a ton of ice on it, but we may have lost most or all of it; 3 coolers full. That is our fault; we forgot to pick up ice in Ketchikan. We had to stop a little bit later to fix the tarp again and let the dog out.

A little later we had to slow down because Mike's truck started to get squirrely and the steering became more difficult. We were doing about 55 almost all the way and I was following Mike so he could set a comfortable pace. We were making decent time when we were stopped by accidents on I-5. There were 2 on our side of the road and 3 or more across the median. We pulled over at a rest area after that so we could all go potty and Jade could eat and have a bathroom break as well. We had driven 160 or so miles in about 4 hours. Talk about slow going. 20 miles later Molly PUCKED! All over herself, the car seat, her blanket, you name it! We pulled over into a gas station where we changed her clothes and cleaned her and the seat up as best as we could. We also filled up on gas. We took off again, and Mike's truck was getting worse, so about 40 miles later we pulled off at the city of Kalama and went to a Mechanic. He said he would put it up on a rack and look at it, but we were not going anywhere for the night. This was at 4pm. I went to the local motel and rented a room.

After Mike got back from the mechanic, I went across the street and did some laundry. The laundry mat is also a café run by some of the sweetest women I have met. I put all of Molly's clothes in one machine, and the rest of our clothes in another. Molly's machine kept unbalancing so that took a while. The machine that had our clothes in didn't spin out the water, so they kindly paid to have them go again in a different washer. Just washing took so long. I then picked the one dryer that stuck from time to time. If I couldn't laugh at it, I would have cried. I was done with laundry at about 6:30pm and I had started at about 4:30. Mike called while I was there and said that the tie rods were shot and the lower ball joints were needed to be replaced, for about $800 dollars and the mechanic would try to have it done on Saturday. This is a labor intensive fix, so it could take all day.

After I was done at the laundry mat we walked over to a restaurant for dinner. Mike and I ate well and so did Molly. Ellie said she didn't feel well, so she didn't eat. We came back to the room and put the girls to bed around 8pm. Mike showered and went to bed and I think we were all asleep by 9pm. We had taken the cat and dog inside though and the cat kept waking us up every hour or so. We ended up putting her outside at 5:30am and I finally slept for about 2 hours straight at that point.

The 2nd day of the Trip

2008-02-03T14:57:00.001-08:00

1/31/08

Thursday was a nice day. We didn't go up for breakfast, since we all slept in and I took a shower. We had peaches and pudding for breakfast (we are such good parents). We did go for a walk around the boat and then went to lunch. We purchased way too much food, but finally got some grapes which the girls ate so fast. While we were eating, the crew decided to do drill training, which meant fire drills. Ellie was terrified, I felt so bad for her! We also hit some more rough water, and I NEEDED to lie down, so we went back to our room and we all took naps and waited out the rough patch, which lasted just over an hour.

We had an ice cream snack and dinner later and it was all fine. We then went back and were asleep by about 9pm. I went on car calls with Mike and slept off and on all day. It was nice and easy day. The girls played with toys and fought! Great Fun!

The 1st day of the Trip

2008-02-03T14:56:00.001-08:00

1/30/08

This morning, the scariest alarm woke us up at 4:45am. We got up and got ready to leave. We wanted to be back at our apartment by 5:20am so we could finish loading the car and pick up the pets. We then left and went to Black Bear gas station so Mike could fill up and I bought some water for us. We woke up with cotton mouth because we had put on out motion sickness patches the night before. We got to the IFA terminal at about 6:50. We actually made really good time with icy and snowy roads. We boarded and went upstairs for the "3 hour tour" which was pretty smooth, thankfully! The girls we famished and ate cereal and French toast.

We got off in Ketchikan and went to Wal-Mart (of course) to buy some snacks and movies. We then went to McDonalds (Again of course) for lunch and then to the vet's for rabies shots and health certificates. Then filled up on gas and lined up for the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry at about 2pm. I fell asleep with Molly in the car and Mike tried to sleep in the truck with Ellie, but she wouldn't stay quiet for him. We loaded up on M/V Malespina at 3:30 and checked into our state room. We had one with a sitting room and it was HUGE by state room standards. We were able to make a couple of trips to the car and get everything we needed for the next 39 hours.

Once we got underway (about 5pm), I fell asleep for pretty much the rest of the night. I would wake up and talk to the girls, change diapers, get snacks, etc. We were all in bed and asleep by 8pm that night. Mike got up at about 9:30pm to go to the car deck and take care of Jade. He was so good at doing the car calls. The motion sickness patches were AMAZING, neither of us got sick even in the rough water.

****I talked to Cheri later that day. We had stayed at her house the night before. When we got up, we made sure we were so quiet so we wouldn't wake Colton up. He would be up for the day if we had. She said her alarm went off at 6:30 am and she went tearing up the stairs "Crawford's-wake up! You are going to be late!" She hadn't heard us and assumed we hadn't woken up! That is why I love her, she is so great!!!

We are sick

2008-02-03T14:53:00.001-08:00

1/25/08

Molly threw up on me. It was gross. I am amazed at how much that girl can throw up. YUCK. After Molly puked, she was FINE. She was running around and being silly and hungry. Ellie's Karate test was tonight with a potluck after. Mike stayed home with Molly since he isn't feeling very well either. Ellie went to the test, but said she wasn't feeling well either. I thought it was her being nervous. She passed the test, but was not very into it at all, and was pretty lethargic. Saturday explained it…she threw up in a bucket at 6:30 am. Just like Molly though, she was up and feeling fine by 8am.

Our going away party was on Saturday and we were unsure what we should do with the girls not feeling well; or at least having thrown up. We ended up going anyway after talking to the host. The girls did fine, Mike was iffy all night. On Sunday he was SICK. His head hurt, his body hurt, he could hardly move. The girls and I didn't do too much all day. We just watched TV on a borrowed TV and movies.

On Monday, it was my turn. Let me just say that I almost never get sick. I now say almost, cuz I got sick. I woke up and was getting Ellie ready for school and I had to lie down. I spent all day in bed. Normally this would be ok, since Mike was home and I could cancel babysitting, but we were leaving in 2 days. We had 2 days to clean and that is all. Since Mike was sick on Sunday, we didn't do much so he could sleep. Mike did what he could on Monday, and we called a friend to clean the kitchen for us. (She did an amazing job and was well worth the money!) I don't like being sick.

On Tuesday, Mike and I got the apartment cleaned except for the kitchen, including carpet cleaning. I took the girls to the Bowens around 7:30 that night and Mike came at about 8:15. We were all in bed and asleep by 9pm. Pleasant dreams!

And it is over…

2008-01-23T23:06:00.001-08:00

The movers finished our apartment yesterday. Everything was out and on the container by 6pm. I mean everything! I was shocked. We have seen other moves that have taken 2 days to move everything out of the apartment. I guess we didn't have as much stuff as they did or, the movers were way more efficient this time. I really thought we would have our beds one more night. Nope. We slept on mattresses on the floor last night. It wasn't too bad, just kind of cold.

The movers came back this morning at 8am and were done with the garage by 11am. Yup, 3 hours! I will post pictures of boxes and stuff when I get them downloaded. I wish I had taken pics of the container. It was PACKED!! We have ended up taking out shelves from the garage. We thought we were going to sell them but that didn't work out. It is fine, since they are nice shelves and we will be able to use them anywhere we are. And since we didn't have to pay to move them, even better J

The girls are finally asleep at 10pm and I am pecking away in the living room with them, with a pink night light as my only light. I think I had better try to get some sleep also. We are all so tired and sleep deprived from everything going on. The girls are doing well, considering. This is just the beginning, hee hee hee!!!

Snow Day, January 14, 2008

2008-01-23T22:31:00.001-08:00

So we had a snow day on the 14^th of the month. Mike took Jade for a walk, but didn't wear a hat, since it wasn't snowing at that time. It started to snow right after he left, and he hadn't brought a hat. When he came in, I had to get a picture of his snow head. He didn't even know that there was that much on there. Pretty funny.

We went out and played in the snow after dinner. It gets dark here by 4pm, so we can't play together until it is dark. We took the dog out with us. Ellie really loves the snow at this age, but Molly is not. I can remember Ellie not wanting to play in it much when she was this age also. The girls got on the sled and Mike was pulling them around, when Jade thought it would be funny to jump them. Molly got snow in her glove, so she decided to cry-nonstop. I finally took her inside and warmed her up, then went back outside while she watched TV. We had snow ball fights, and Ellie made a snow angel. It was an enjoyable evening.

Our neighbor's dog also came outside, so the 2 puppies had fun beating each other up for a while. Those 2 girls really love to play together!

The Movers are Here!

2008-01-23T22:29:00.001-08:00

Today is January 22, 2008. The movers came this morning. They were scheduled to come tomorrow, but called yesterday at 9:30am and asked if they could come a day early. I freaked out, but agreed. So yesterday we worked our butts OFF to get things moved out of our apartment and into Ben & Betsy's apartment. The movers will pack anything that is there, even garbage (so we have heard) so we needed to move things that we are taking with us.

The movers seem really nice and are WAY efficient! They started at 8:45am. At 11:30am our room is almost done, the living room is almost done. The kitchen is about one third done, and I am not sure about the girls room. The bathrooms haven't been touched yet and there are closets everywhere that I don't think have been touched. We have 4 guys working hard. The garage also needs to be started. I think that they will be done by Friday am, but they are moving so fast it could be Wed at 5pm.

It is strange and surreal. It makes it more real than it has felt so far. Wow!

The weight is on

2008-01-20T23:52:00.001-08:00

Ok, so when we 1^st moved to AK, I started Weight Watchers and lost about 20+ pounds. I was also nursing and not using all my points (I didn't realize I could have 10 more points a day). It was easy. Then my Dad passes away and it was no longer easy. I didn't worry about what I ate while everything was going on, and I didn't worry about it when I got back either. Then I was done nursing and still not worrying about what I ate. I tried the Core plan, and that was good, but it was easy to cheat. And then I learned that I like adult beverages, in moderation and not every day, but they are good, just not good for you J so I am back to my beginning weight. This is the weight that I was when I have gotten pregnant in the past, so this isn't a bad thing. I weighed myself today, and I am 198 (1/20/08) with jammies on. I am disgusted with myself. I am also lifting some weights, but that might be 2-3 pounds tops, if even that! So, by putting this in writing, I am challenging myself to not be this size. If I get pregnant soon, I will not worry about it, but let my body do what it does naturally, but until that happens, I will need to be careful!

The move is on!

2008-01-15T21:19:00.000-08:00

Well, we have things taken care of, I think. The movers come on Wed, January 23 at 8am. They should have everything packed up by mid day on Friday. We will then stay at Ben & Betsy's for a few nights and then leave on the a.m. ferry on Wed, January 30. Unless the weather is really bad and then we will try to leave on the 29th so that we have 2 chances to get off this rock. We get on the state ferry on the 30th at 5pm and arrive in Bellingham on Friday, February 1. We will drive to Roseburg and stay the night. After hanging out in the burg for most of Saturday, then we will drive to La Quinta hotel in GP and start our month long hotel stay. Hopefully we will find a place to live sooner rather than later, some place that will let us in before the end of the month. Then again, I am looking forward to not paying over $230 a month for electricity. I need to make a list of the things we buy most often and then compare the prices to see how much we will save. I can't wait to eat at Taco Bell and Olive Garden and the list goes on and on. Things seem surreal though. I still can't believe we are leaving this place. There are a lot of things I will miss, but there are also a lot of things I won't miss. My mom and I joke about coming back in a couple of years to visit El Cap cave. Apparently the caves in OR are so much better, so we will go and do those this summer! I need to go drink water now, as I have had way to much candy right now.

New Food...1/07/08

2008-01-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

Well, the girls ate spaghetti and, wait for it…carrots! Ok, Ellie is the only one that ate the carrots, but we have finally entered into a new era of dining, at least for now. The next step is to get them to eat Macaroni and Cheese! We are feeling ambitious. I would love it if we could get Molly to eat meat. Not fish sticks, not chicken nuggets, but real meat. Ellie did eat fish nuggets the other night. Fish nuggets are chunks of Halibut dipped in tempura and deep fried. She even had them the next day in her lunch and ATE them! I am amazed! It actually might be ok to eat on the road and not have fries and nothing but! I also forgot to mention that Ellie ate BACON yesterday with her French toast. Wahoo!!!

December

2007-12-30T22:14:00.000-08:00

December had proved to be an interesting month.

It has been full of DRAMA for Ellie. We found out that there were 3 girls that she seemed really close with had not been her friend for a while. Ellie was acting out at home and I finally was able to get her to talk to me. She was really upset. I was able to talk to her teacher (who was awesome) and has been keeping her eye on it. Sometimes it is worse than other times. We are trying to encourage Ellie to find other girls to play with and when the girls are being mean, say "You are not being nice to me, and it is not ok!" Things seem to be improving.

The other drama with Ellie is that the fire alarms went off unexpectedly on a Friday. Her teacher called me and I had to go and try to convince Ellie to stay at school. Ellie was terrified, so I took her home. Once we got home, we realized that we have the SAME fire alarms in the bedrooms and hallway. WOW, we are still trying to get over that one!

Molly and I have been quiet, nothing truly exciting going on.

MIKE however... he interviewed with Lakeview and Grants Pass, OR for a BLM job. There was about 3 days that we thought he would have 2 offers. Well, Lakeview went with someone else, BUT GRANTS PASS OFFERED HIM A JOB ON DECEMBER 14!!!!!!! That's right-we are moving!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a promotion and they move us. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

On December 17, 2 of our bestest friends came to visit us-Craig and RaeAnn. They will have their own blog entry, but I want to say that we truly enjoyed having them here and missed them as soon as they left! It would have been sadder to say goodbye, but we get to see them in 2 months!!! Could it get any better?

Has it really been that long?

2007-12-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe that it has been such a long time since I have posted!!!! I will try to start where I left off. We got the puppy and Mike was (and is) very happy. He has been reading all about the proper training and such. The puppy (Jade is what we settled on) loves to jump up on the girls and bite things, especially fingers. Thanksgiving was nice. We had Ben and Betsy, Lynn and Larry, and Dunford came over from Ketchikan. We ended up eating at about 3 pm, then played games until 11pm. It was a fun day, and the girls and the puppy did really well.

On the 24th, we took the girls down to the beach with the puppy and played for a while. The puppy loves to run (and knock Molly down when she can).

I think that is it for November. Mike had interviews this month, so that is very hopeful. I will do one more recent blog tonight, but I am really tired and want to go to bed. I will try to catch up later. Night!

A Boy and his PUPPY

2007-11-17T16:38:00.000-08:00

We did it! We got a puppy today. We have been debating it since Thusday night. Mike went and saw the puppies and told me about them. We had a decision to make after that. There were many things to consider. Do we want to be up all night? Is the place big enough? Will it be to much of hassle for me to take the puppy out while babysitting? Will we be moving soon and if so, will a dog make it harder to find a place to rent if we can't buy? Well, we saw her and fell in love. She is really sweet so far, but we have only had her for 5 hours now. It feels right to have her though, so that is good. We don't have a name for her yet, but we have a list going :) Our neighbors also got a puppy- a girl black lab and our puppies sister. They are the ones we heard about it from. The breeder is really nice and cried when we took the puppy home today. It was sad for her because she had bonded and also, she felt bad for the mommy. We can understand that and told her she could visit anytime. Since we all live in this small community, it isn't to hard to run into each other :)

This is the girls checking out the kennel. They grabbed their blankets, toys and animals and spent some time in there. They insisted on the door being locked!

This is Ellie holding the puppy at the old home right before we took her with us.

Bella checking out the puppy while it is asleep. Bella seems to be doing ok with it. We have put up a gate so that the puppy can't come out of the dining room area and that way Bella can deal with the puppy on her terms. Now we are dealing with the potty training. FUN!!!!! Mike is very happy to have her though :)

Mom's Card

2007-11-16T14:01:00.001-08:00

This is the card I made for my mom. She only wanted 10, so that was easy to do. I went to a stamping day and finished it that day. I really like the stamp set, but I have so many Christmas ones that I don't use, that I probably won't get it.

I also volunteered to make another tag for the tag swap since someone wasn't able to complete theirs. I don't love what I did, but I don't hate it either. It had to be done in 3 days, so it is what it is. The letter this time is "A."

I am ready to be done stamping, but I need to make 10 more cards, all the same for 2 swaps that I am in. They are for different people, so they can be the same. I will post later when they are done :)

I am tired and want to take a nap, but Ellie will be home in 30 min and the gale force winds make it hard for her to get the door, so I need to stay awake. :)

Christmas Swaps

2007-11-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

I was in 2 Christmas swaps this month. One is for 6 card fronts. That is on the left. The other is for a "tag" swap. We each did 28 of the same tag and then we get all of the letters of the alphabet back. My letter was the letter Z. I am really loving the eggplant and olive combo right now, so my items are very similar! Copyright of Stampin' Up.

My Girl...

2007-11-07T21:39:00.001-08:00

Recently I took a pretty awesome picture of Molly on the beach. Well today we had amazing weather so I took Ellie out to the beach to get some awesome pictures of her. I am not a professional, but these are pretty good. The first one I love because Ellie is always silly! The second is just a nice shot of her. I have an even BETTER one, but I am saving it for our Christmas Card.

On a completely different note...I have been introduced to the most amazing BBQ sauce. Here is the thing-I don't really like BBQ sauce. It's all right, can live without it! EXCEPT that now I have had Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque Sauce. There is nothing in this world that I now love more than this!!!! OOOOOOO Baby. This and corndogs-I can't get enough. Usually, I don't love corndogs either. PUT THESE TWO TOGETHER AND YOU WILL NEVER EAT ANYTHING ELSE AGAIN. The store here sells it by 1/2 gallons in the bulk isle. I am thinking I need to buy some, and then maybe some more. I am not crazy, really. This is just so good. It is not to sweet, with just a touch of heat!!!! OOOOOOO Baby!!!!!!!! Go to http://www.sweetbabyrays.com/ and you will see!!! OK, that's enough of that sillyness!!!

Halloween ROCKS!

2007-10-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

Today was Halloween! Yay! Ellie was Super Girl and Molly was Princess Genevieve. It is hard to see, but she has a purple ladybug on her face. This is because she was going to be a ladybug. I have a cute coat/costume with attached hat. Well, she was not interested in that AT ALL! So we pulled out her dress-up dress. She loved that so much more!

Ellie had a party at school today. Molly, Colton & I went to hear her class sing-very cute! Then we went to a school carnival this afternoon. That was ok-there were a lot of people there, and Ellie was only interested in doing a couple of things. Both girls bowled and knocked over milk cans. They got some candy which they ate right away. We then came home and I had to force them to eat peanut butter and cheese. But not together-gross! Then Daddy came home from work and then we went "TRICK OR TREATING!"

THAT WAS FUN!!! Molly really got it this year. She was too young last year so this was a treat. The weather was not the best, slight rain, but not too cold. Her bucket was taller than her arm length-so she dragged it around with her. She wouldn't let us carry it :) She would go to the door with Ellie and say "pucket" and sometimes "pucket or tree." It was starting to sound also like she was swearing. But it really was amzing to see her joy in it. She would say "Thank you" in a high pitch voice. Sometimes, she would say "more, more, more tandy!" She was sugar buzzed!

Ellie was also a treat to watch. She had no fear in going to the houses and knocking. She was also great about waiting for Molly to get there. Of course, she wanted to keep going, but it was getting late and Molly was poopig out. Poor Ellie, sometimes she has to stop having fun because of Molly. They did get a lot of candy, and I have picked out my favorites-BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Ellie is...

2007-10-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

growing up way to fast! I was helping her brush her teeth this morning, and I noticed that she has a new tooth coming in. I didn't even know she had a loose tooth! When this one falls out, she won't have a huge hole since the adult tooth is working it's way in! Wow! I know that she is almost 5 1/2, but still, it seems like just yesterday she was still my baby :) Kindergarten is also teaching her so much (which it should), but it is amazing! She is writing words all the time. They are mostly classmates names, but she can spell ON and OFF. I know-she is a genius! I have noticed that a lot of her classmates are writing each others names also. Today is my day off! I am going to try to rent "Meet the Robinson's" for the girls. I also need to finish my Christmas tags for a swap I am in. I was up until 2am designing it. I did spend most of the time cutting everything out so all I have to do is some stamping and assembly. I am a little tired, but it needs to get done today! I will try to post a picture of it later :)

Halloween Party

2007-10-28T22:35:00.001-07:00

We went to a Halloween Party last night! We had a great time with everyone and enjoyed dressing up! Mike was Austin Powers-International Man of Mystery. I was Feronia-Roman Goddess of Landscaping; twigs, branches and leaves. I had some twigs sticking out of my head and wore fake eyelashes with green rhinestones on them. That was fun to wear with "crazy" makeup. We had a babysitter come and stay with Molly and then we went to The Hill for a costume contest and dancing!! Austin Powers danced a lot that night. He also went home at 12:30. I closed it down with some friends and then ate corn dogs! I also did not drink more that 3 drinks all night long, but I am really tired today!!! Ellie had her 1st sleep over since she was 3. She and her friend Liberty stayed up until 12:30am and then got up at 7am. They had a lot of fun today, but she was so tired when she got home. She ended up taking a nap for a few hours, got up at 8pm, ate a sandwich and then went back to bed :) She was crying cuz she really missed Liberty and the fun they had. My house is a pig stye and I have to make 28 highly decorative "tags" before mailing on Wed. I love the last minute pressure! Now I need to go put away some clothes my awesome husband washed and folded! Love that man!

Fall Card

2007-10-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a card I made for some swaps that I was in. I think it was harder taking the picture in the right light than making the card. I have had some brain "farts" when it comes to card making, in terms of original ideas. This one is mine all mine :)

Recipe: Paper- Kraft, Always Artichoke, Really Rust, Mellow Moss, More Mustard. Ink- Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Really Rust, More Mustard. Twine and glue dots. Copyright of Stampin' Up.

So Guess What...

2007-10-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Yup-we were robbed! Someone went into our garage this morning or late last night and stole about $1000 worth of stuff. Our 1st clue was the "cool whip" that was sitting on a chair. I found it this morning before taking Ellie to school. I didn't know why Mike had taken it out of the freezer. Well, later this afternoon, Mike went out to bring in a heater and noticed that his new hunting backpack was gone. It was full of many hunting items. No guns or decoys were taken. They also took a bottle of wine and almost a gallon of Jack Daniels, along with a frozen pizza and pudding packs. Maybe some teenagers, who knows. It really makes us mad! We now have to lock our garage up, and there is only 1 key. That means that I will always forget the key, and be making more trips up and down the steps, just to get TP or put something in the stupid in there. Bugger!

Harvest Festival

2007-10-17T12:27:00.001-07:00

We went to the Harvest Festival put on by the Girls Scouts on Saturday. Ellie had a really great time. Her friend Liberty was there and they spent the whole time together. They got their faces painted the same and went on the hay rides together. Here is Ellie and her cat. They (Ellie and Liberty, not Ellie and her cat!) got wet and muddy and painted pumpkins (including stems) together.

Daddy and Molly did not have as much fun as Ellie did. There was only so much for Molly and she wanted Daddy the whole time. They did go out and play on the wet and muddy slide, so her pants were soaking wet and she stood with her legs apart. She did like the apple cider and pretending to eat pie.

I had fun talking with other parents and following Ellie and Liberty around. I also entered a "slice of pie" eating contest as opposed to a "whole pie" eating contest. I did not win, but I loved eating the pie. We have a new strategy for pie eating contest-eat the crust first. That is where we got held up and didn't win. But I got to eat my favorite pie, I am happy!

Ellie is also very good on the monkey bars, she can go backwards. She wanted everyone to know that :)

Thursday

2007-10-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

So I was going to post pictures of the bags I knitted and the pictures didn't turn out. But trust me, they are cute.

Ok, so I LOVE this picture of Molly. It is something I would pay money for. Her eyes are so blue with this fleece on. This was taken at low tide on the beach by our apartment building and the lighting is perfect! I think it shows her personality so well, there is a twinkle in her eye.

Ellie...this is her personality. She is silly all the time, but she is so amazing also. She is getting ready to go to karate. She goes 3 nights a week. She seems to like it and the kids in her class are really great to her. Kindergarten is also going well. She likes to go everyday and comes home with some great papers and stories.

I made my own pumpkin puree today, and then I made "Impossible Pumpkin Pie" with the puree. You don't need a crust, it makes its own. I had some while it was hot, and it was soooooo good. I should thaw out some cool whip to have with it. Yum. I made pumpkin pancakes over the weekend with apple cider syrup. I LOVE AUTUMN. I mostly love the pumpkin flavor every where.

We are going to go to an "Autumn Festival" on Saturday put on by the Girl Scouts. I have heard great things about it, and I can't wait. I think that it will be lots of fun, with face painting and hay rides. Reminds me of going to the pumpkin patches in OR.

Once a week?

2007-10-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

So much for posting once a week. Mike's Dad has been visiting and it has been a blast. He and Mike go hunting every morning and sometimes all day. He leaves tomorrow which is sad for us. He has been reading books to the girls and spending lots of time with them, and we have dinner every night. I have also discovered my new favorite candy, maybe of all time. It is CINNAMON CANDY CORNS from Jelly Belly. The coffee shop has a mixed bag of autumn candies and they are the best candies- the cinnamon ones. The pumpkins taste like orange jelly candies, they are also very tasty! Our friends, Ben & Betsy, are getting married on the 13th of October. There was a Bachelor/Bachelorette party last Friday. We had a lot of fun and played some great games. I have been knitting bags for the Bride and party and I will post a picture later today when the bags are all done. I am pretty impressed with myself on the one for her niece. Today I get my hair done with someone new. She is new to me, but not to the craft. It will be fine, but I am a bit nervous since I have to "train" someone again :) Part of me wants her to try something new, and the other (stronger) part of me wants nothing to change. Who will win? We are also having torrential rain here. It comes and goes, mostly comes when I get outside. Can you say "sucker hole?" Have a great day, I am sure I will be back :)

Molly and Mountains

2007-09-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

Molly is obsessed with mountains right now. We are surrounded by mountains here, some big and some not so big. She points them out whenever we go outside, but it is turning into more than that. Yesterday, she was eating some leftover pizza, turned it on its side and said, "Mountain mama, see?" She did the same thing at dinner with her cantaloupe. I know that this is a phase, but Mike and I are amazed at the way she made the connection. It is like she is turning into a little person more and more. For a while, when she would see a picture of herself, she wouldn't say her name, now she does. Her sentences are becoming clearer and longer, with all the "parts."

With Ellie in school, I have 2 mornings where it is just me and Molly. This has been fun for us so far. We go to the store, we go swimming, we lay around together. I am enjoying being able to spend time with just her.

She loves spending time with Ellie. She will do whatever big sister is doing. They like to dance together, and then Molly will tackle Ellie and they just laugh and laugh. They will chase each other all over the place, and then wrestle on the floor. Molly also loves to sing. She will try to copy the sounds that she hears, and sometimes she will sing songs and music she has made up. When she wants to listen to music, she asks for "shsortcake" as in "Strawberry Shortcake." So cute!

Kindergarten Starts TODAY!

2007-09-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Today is the 1st day of KINDERGARTEN! Ellie was so cute this morning. Her stomach was nervous so she didn't eat much breakfast. We got ready and went to pick up her friend for school. When we got to their class, they were both hesitant to walk in, but with a gentle push they went in. I showed them both their cubbies and got their coats off. It was fun to see all the kids and some of the parents who were a little reluctant to leave.

Their teacher came over and was so gentle with them. They unpacked their backpacks and put things away. I got a couple of pictures, but didn't realize that Ellie's eyes were closed. When I go back to pick her up, I will take more pictures of her and her room so that I can do a scrapbook page for her. But that probably won't happen until she is 20 :)

I am excited about school starting because I know how much Ellie needs the structure and teaching. I am also excited because on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, it is just me and Molly. I do babysit on Wed., but not til 12:30. Today, after we dropped Ellie off, Molly and I went to the hardware store and then for a coffee (yum). We will go to the kiddie pool for a while later. Only 1 lunch to make also.

Kindergarten gets out at 1:30 instead of 2:25pm. None of the parents are really happy about this as it is a big inconvenience for everyone. The school changed the time last Friday. Some parents will need to come to the school twice now. It is an issue for me, since the little boy I babysit can sleep for about 3 hours for me. My friend has offered to pick Ellie up 3 days a week when I have the little boy so that was a giant relief for me. Thank you!

The First Fish

2007-09-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is Mike's 1st fish. Our neighbor and good friend Larry took the whole family out fishing on June 3, 2007. Mike caught this Yellow Eye, but I caught the 1st fish o f the day with a Rock Fish. Both are so yummy, they almost taste like chicken. I know, how many times have you heard that? But they are really good.

Both of the girls seemed to have a good time, til the end. Molly was really tired and fell asleep in my arms and Ellie started to get sick. Larry was so patient with us, and took us back in around that time. I really had a good time, but I think that I am also a little afraid of being out on the water. I find that funny, because I really like to swim and be in a pool. I think being out on "real" water, especially with the girls, just makes me a bit of a fraidy cat. Oh well, a little fear is healthy. I would really like to go again though, without the kids, so I don't have to worry so much.

The First One...

2007-08-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

I think the 1st blog is probably the hardest. What do I have to say that is so important that other people will want to read. Since most of the people reading this will be family, they won't care so much. I really just want a place to share pictures and stories. The girls are growing so much. Mike and I have also had some new experiences in the last year that may be interesting to some. Hopefully, if you are reading this, you will be somewhat entertained!! Thanks for looking and reading. Post comments if you would like!!