Can it be?

The end of the Pre-school year is HERE! We only have one more day left. I have to admit - the year went by REALLY fast.

This has been the first paying job I have had since becoming a wife (almost 9 years ago). Ok, so besides my photog. business - but that's different. I have to say, its been a lot of adjustment.

First of all I had to get used to actually dressing for other people everyday - ok, so they were 4 - but still.
Second, I had to get used to actually making most of the time I did have off. I only work tue-thurs (I didn't say its a full time gig :) but still - I've always been used to just getting up and going grocery shopping whenever I please.
And third - not being around at the kids school as much as I'd like...Chris is bent on me NOT turning into "that" PTA mom -whatever that is....Ok, I know what it is ;) I still know that I can bring my own fashion senses to the PTA meetings - right?!

Well summer is just around the corner, and before we know it we'll all be going to 'Back to School Sales'...But lets not get ahead of ourselves.

SUMMER - WE'RE READY!! Come out Come out where ever you are!!

I got Tagged!

I got tagged by Marisa...here goes!

Five things on my to-do list today
1. Shower & get my kids ready and off to school
2. Go to work at the Pre-school
3. Deposit checks at the bank
4. Get Tanner's baseball uniform out of dirty clothes and wash them
5. Rest...an order by my husband - I promise!

Snacks I enjoy
1. Trader Jo's salsa
2. Homemade guac. & chips
3. Edemame
4. Red Licorice
5. Really anything sweet

Things I would do if I were a millionaire
1. Buy a house on Lake Washington (ok a multi-millionaire?) & a house for my family too.
2. Build our B&B now
3. I'm with Marisa! - hire staff: Chef, Personal Trainer, Housecleaner, Assistant
4. Put my kids in private school
5. Travel

Places I have lived
1. Sequim, Wa
2. Kirkland, Wa
3. Dacula, Ga
4. Auburn, Ga
5 Kirkland, Wa

Bad habits I have
1. Surfing the net - rather than cleaning the house
2. Procrastinating
3. Eating when I'm not hungry
4. Washing the clothes and not folding them and putting them away
5. Wearing the same jeans over and over with out washing them

Jobs I have held
1. Babysitter
2. Lifeguard
3. Hostess
4. Answered phones at The Woodmark hotel
5. Mom/Photographer

I now tag - Debbie, Joanna, Mandy & Angie! Get on it!!

"...So their under here!!?"

Gotta love these special teaching moments - of respect - not to mention tact. On our way around Ballard we found this memorial...and since it was Memorial weekend, we figured this was a prime time to go pay our respects, and to do a little 'field trip teaching'. Well, Haley got it - the boys...hmmm we'll keep working on them.

Too Tuckered OUT!

To:

From:

To the Locks we go...

Ok, So I was born and raised in Washington, granted I moved away for a few years - but that is no excuse! I have never been to the Ballard locks. And to go along with our cheap weekend theme we all piled into the mini van and headed into Ballard.
I totally thought it was going to be dumpy - don't knock it till you try it! Boy was I wrong, there is a beautiful park there! The weather was wonderful! I have to admit I was a bit worried at first - the drop down (where the water comes up) is quite intimidating - and with kids - I just cant go there. So here's the low-down on how the locks work for those that don't know: It is where the lake meets the salt water (for whatever reason the two are not at the same height...hmmm) And its a passage way for boats. The boats pull into a "little" gated area, they then close a gate behind them and fill 'er up until it's the same level as the body of water is they are about to enter, then they open the gate and off you go...

Never to be outdone!

Yay!! My 4 year old is a swimmer!! Maybe 10 min. after Chris had just said to me "Hun, I can do the training wheels thing, the potty training, and even the car driving - when that comes, but you've seen me swim...I sink, can you take on teaching Carter how to swim this summer?" Well my job just got a lot easier! My friend, Pam's daughter Grace who is a little older than Carter was 'teaching' him how to swim and how to use his arms. Not soon after did he hop out of the pool and say "Mom I want my fwowtie off" "No Carter, Im not in the pool with you" "Yes mom, Im taking it off" And in his Carter fashion took his "fwowtie" off hopped back into the pool and SWAM - ok, so at first he looked like a duck - butt up, face and feet down :) But after a sec he got it - like the whole arm thing too. Oh, but don't think it stopped there! Soon he was jumping off the ladder, then that wasn't enough, off the side - then to daddy in the deep end!
I'm so proud of my boy!




Kinda like the training wheels off his bike. Mind you the kid wasn't even 4 yet when he declared he was done with his training wheels. Not 10 min. later he was going off his brothers skate board jump. Yep... his eyes are shut!

Cheap Memorial weekend...?

So, this weekend Chris and I decided beforehand that we would make the most of our 4-day weekend (Chris took Friday off - Yippee!!) And by the most we mean either FREE or very very cheap! No, we're not cheapskates...we just have a family of 5 and live on the Eastside - you get the jest.
So anyway on Friday we were suppose to wake up and go to MY favorite breakfast spot - Maltby Cafe - Oh So Yummy! But by the wonders of God, we were blessed with a 9 year old girl who, much to my dismay, has become quite the little...hmmm how should I put this delicately...Tester. Oh, but only to her Mommy - in fact that is largely the issue. So, I'm big on NOT rewarding "wonderful" (can you sense the sarcasm?!) behavior so Haley and I stayed home while the boys went out for breakfast - yes, Chris let the boys pick...McDonald's - where else??
Not off to a great start, but we didn't let that get in our way. Chris had rented a truck in the morning - my van was getting work done. They first tried to give him a canary yellow PT Cruiser - Ok, that totally makes me giggle, I can just see Chris "Um, yeah that's not gonna work... I'll take that truck over there." "Sir, I can't give you that, its not on your plan" "Yeah ya can!" "No, but you can take that purple Cruiser if you don't want this one" "Listen buddy, I wont tell if you don't tell - but I'm not taking a yellow or purple PT Cruiser" "Ok, The trucks all yours" I love my husbands power of persuasion (I sure don't have that gift!).
So after the boys went out for breakfast and ran a few errands, we all went to Redmond to do a few of my errands, while there the kids and Chris climbed the "wall" at REI...poor Tanner has been waiting PATIENTLY to be tall enough to climb...and now is!! Oh, but only by a hair! Haley rocked it (hehe, no pun intended!) I didn't even attempt - I'd put my family to shame! We went across the street to a 'chichi' little dog and cat shop...just to look right? Well, ever since our dog Ellie - yellow lab - tried to commit suicide at Easter (she ate 7 RISING hot cross buns PLUS all my brothers Easter candy ie: Cadbury eggs, peeps, jellybeans, chocolate bunnies...) her gas has been HORRENDOUS - I mean room clearing, gagging gas, stuff you have to warn your friends about before you invite them over. SOO terrible - although she doesn't seemed bothered at all, hmm, strange! So we bit the bullet and bought her a weeks worth of way too expensive food to see if it helps - hey I didn't say a BIG bullet :) Hopefully that'll clear her system then we'll go back to the cheap stuff! We'll see...
After all that we had a very late lunch at our neighbors new Thai restaurant Thai Angel - kinda across the street from the Safeway and Joann's in Redmond - not the party store side. Anyway SOO good - eat there!
Then we headed over to our dear friends the Rice's for a relaxing evening...I cant wait for summer!

What's a Memorial weekend w/o an ER visit??

So apparently it was my turn to visit the ER last night. We had gotten home late from a great evening with our friends the Rices and Duryee's. We had only been asleep for maybe a half an hour and the pain began! Serious pain - the kind that wakes you out of a dead sleep - doubled over, unable to move, much less get out of bed. For a moment I thought - "This is it, its time - the baby's coming..." Then I snapped back too and realized I'm NOT pregnant. I stumbled to the bathroom - and cant pee - second thought - I have a gal stone - Oh my goodness I'm going to die from this pain. I crawled to the couch, moaning and crying - trying not to wake the house. My poor (groggy) wonderful husband came to my side - "I'm taking you to the hospital" "No, I'll be fine......OK" Thank goodness for live-in Grammies! Bless those kind waiting room staffers - I was told it was going to be a while for a room, but I'm assuming after watching me doubled over in pain - crying hysterically (quietly mind you - not so easy) they called me back right away. Oh, the pain med's - WOW - those are worth every penny! The only description I had for the pain was that it was a horrible contraction that would be a constant pain then get worse in waves. Turns out, after sonograms and ultrasounds - I had a 22cm cyst in my right ovary that burst - OK, that explains the pain! So from 1:30am to 5:30am we spent our night at Evergreen in the ER...bonus out of this event? Our kids slept until 9:30 (I guess it pays to keep them up WAY past their bedtime before you spend th night in the ER!)

OK...It's time

I've been thinking about it for a while now. It seems as though everyone has a blog now and I consider my life FAR too entertaining to not share it with all you out there!

Let's put it this way: I would be doing you a disservice if I DIDNT share my life with you! These three kiddo's keep us hoppin' - laughing...ok, so its not always a cake walk :) We have three kids - what do you expect?
Enjoy... :)