~ My 3 sOnS ~

2011-12-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

13...

3....of the best kids we could ask for! They are completely different from each other, can drive us completely insane, and put us on top of the world all in the same day.

5....different companies, (all in the same line of work)

3.... Different towns, we came from Vancouver, had a semi- short stay in Pasco, and finally found home in Chehalis.

2.... Family vacations each on a different coast, each magical in its own way.

Countless arguments. More teasing than I can count. Some tears. LOTS of learning and growing!!

We have a sign in our house that says ..."Our family may not have it all together, but together we have it all" and I couldn't agree more!!

13 years ago we got married and it was the BEST decision we EVER made!! We have a long way to go, but 13 years in and there is still no one I would rather spend my time with. Is it easy?? NO! Is it worth every second?? ALWAYS!!

So here's to 13 and many many many more years! I know I speak for both of us when I say .....I wouldn't change a thing:)

2011-12-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

Ethan

Ethan is a great creative writer.....having said that here is a sample of his creativity:)

I told him he needed to write his thank you notes to the kids that came to his Birthday party. Here is the note he wrote to Carson. I'm not kidding this is really what he wrote!

Dear....Carson....

Thank you for coming to my party. You are a fantastico! Lazer tagger. Thank you for the moolah. It helped me buy a lego the size of Godzilla! Anyway muchas' grasias senior.

Sincerely......ETHAN!

I cant wait to read the rest:) Gotta love this kid!!

2011-10-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Disney World '11

Earlier this year we started talking about all the different places we wanted to go for our family vacation this year. We hadn't gone anywhere to far from home since we went to Disneyland 3 years ago. We talked about so many different places, but finally came to the conclusion that we wanted to go to Disney World:) So after much searching and figuring and craziness I decided to use a travel agent and let her deal with the headache of finding flights and hotels and all that jazz. She did AMAZING!! Anyway the wait is finally over and we just got back from the most incredible vacation EVER!!

We spent a total of 4 days in the Disney parks and 1 day in Universal Orlando. The first full day we were there we spent in the Magic Kingdom, if I could do one thing differently I would have taken that day to relax at the hotel and maybe look around Orlando a little because looking back we were all so jet lagged and grouchy. The Magic Kingdom part of DW does not come close to the magic kingdom in CA. So it was almost like been there done that....We had fun, but I kept thinking that I had made a huge mistake and no one was going to have any fun on this vacation. Don't get me wrong, we were enjoying being there, but it was just a tiny bit of a let down. And man was it CROWDED!! This is the slow time of year there and Adam and I kept saying how we would hate to see what the busy time of year was like!! We also went to Epcot that night and it was fun but again I think we were just a little to tired to really enjoy it:(

The next day we went to Hollywood studios....Let the fun begin!! Thank goodness!! As we walked in there was a little comedy skit going on...it was so FUNNY! Ethan and Kyler totally loved it and drove us a little crazy the next few days imitating it! There is a few really good rides there. The one the kids liked best was the Aerosmith roller coaster....Addison figured out that if he went in the single rider line it was MUCH faster so that day he and Ethan and Kyler went on it without Adam and I. It scared Kyler to death but E and A LOVED it!! I never did get the courage to go on it, but Adam did go on it when we went back a couple days later and loved it! Apparently you rock out to Aerosmith while you wait and then there is a countdown and your off. That night we went to Fantasia, it was so cool!! Its a water show and its just amazing.

The next day they were expecting a huge storm to go through Orlando...so big they even closed down the 2 water parks! So we decided to just lay low and relax....we waited and waited for this huge storm to come and by afternoon it still hadn't come so we decided to head into downtown Disney and do some shopping. While we were there we had an artist sketch the kids...it turned out PERFECT!! Looking at it just makes me smile because you can really see their personalities coming out!! the funniest thing is he drew each kid separately and then he drew Kylers arms around his brothers...its funny because Ky would NEVER pose like that!! While we were there I kept smelling and seeing all these delicious deserts coming out of the gherideli chocolate store and decided I had to have one so later that night we went back for desert....its the most I have EVER paid for ice cream, but it was totally worth it and I ate every bite!!

The next day was still a little iffy weather wise so we went to Animal Kingdom....you know it always impresses me that my kids love animals so much!! There is one terrifying roller coaster there that my kids and Adam LOVED, but I HATED!! and a really cute bugs life 3d movie show, but other than that its like a big tropical zoo and it was so cool and fun. I thought my kids would be a little disappointed in the lack of exciting rides there but they loved the safari trek and seeing all the animals! I guess 1 scary roller coaster was enough for them to be happy:) Animal kingdom closes a little early so we left there and headed back to Hollywood studios since we loved it there so much and Adam wanted to catch a stunt show we missed when we were there the first time. He and the boys loved it so I'm glad we made it to see it!

The next day the "storm" had past {it never really hit} and we headed to Blizzard Beach! All of us have agreed it was our favorite day of the vacation. For Florida standards it was a little chilly and windy out so we basically had the park to ourselves. No lines, No waits, just rode the slides over and over again. This is also the day I got scared so badly I shook for a good 10 minutes AFTER the ride was over....on a water slide....which I normally LOVE!! I had seen this particular slide online and it looked so fun....once I saw it in person....different story!! Its 120 ft drop straight down FAST!! The guy working the line said they call it the wegginator and with good reason!! I think quite a few people saw more of me than they should have when I got off that slide!! But I'm glad I did it:) My boys would never let me live it down if I hadn't! We rode one slide in particular so many times...it was a racing slide and Adam kept beating us so we kept going trying to beat him, never happened but it was a ton of fun trying!! After the park closed we went and got ready for my bday dinner. We had planned on going to the House of Blues but one look at the menu and the lack of live music inside and we decided it wasn't for us. So we ended up going to a great steak house and it was delish!!

Friday we went to Universal Studios....A ton of fun for the boys....I did alot of waiting and watching. I am not into scary rides!! The boys all LOVED the rockin roller coaster. You get to pick your own music to listen to while you ride, altho I'm not sure how they heard it thru all the screaming! This day was a little disappointing for Kyler because he wasn't tall enough for the Hulk roller coaster that he was so looking forward to going on. I'm kinda relieved that he couldn't go because it was a good excuse for me to sit it out without being razzed for being to scarred:) Universal is also where Harry Potter is....Addison couldn't wait to go on the rides there! It was also the busiest part of our trip....so many people there!! The line was 75 minutes long for the biggest ride. It was really cool because the line wound thru the castle and the ride was pretty intense and fun. I think Aj was pretty impressed with it all!!

Saturday was chill by the pool and relax day and it was much needed by that point!! We al got a good tan and did alot of swimming!!

This post has gotten really long so Ill save the travel home story for another day:) I'm so thankful we got to spend this incredible time together as a family!! Many many many wonderful memories were made and I cant wait till our next one!!

Ps....I tried to put pictures on here but my computer is being stupid and its not working:(

2011-10-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

FALL'S TOP 10

The 10 reasons I LOVE Fall

10. School has started, so has the busy schedule

9. trade in flip flops and tank tops for hoodies and fuzzy socks:)

8. Stormy days

7. Cuddling up on the couch with blanket and a good book and reading the whole day away and not feeling bad about it!

6. The smell of pumpkin candles

5. The changing of the leaves

4. The excitement of the holidays being near

3. Wanting to bake again.

2. SOCCER!! And the joy it brings my kids

and the number 1 reason I LOVE Fall..

Adam is home, his schedule has slowed down and we get to spend lots of days together, just the 2 of us while the boys are in school!!

SUMMER TIME!!!

2011-08-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

Do I dare say it?? I'm not sure I should.....but yes folks I do believe SUMMER is finally here. She is only a couple months late, and she isn't as warm as I like but Ill take it!!!:)

This summer vacation has been chalk full of fun and we have been BUUSSSYYYY!! Adam is working mad hours like always, but this year he is far away from home. We miss him like crazy so staying busy has been a definite blessing!!
Summer started out with Addison going to the college for An Actors Life for Me. He was there from 9-3 everyday for 2 weeks, he learned alot,had a ton of fun!! At the end of the 2 weeks he had a performance. I was kinda worried because his age group did a Broadway musical medley and AJ really isn't a singer. But MAN did my kid blow me away!! He did AWESOME!!!
The very next week he left for scout camp!! I still cant believe we both survived a whole week apart! I stressed the whole time about EVERYTHING!! But turns out I was worried for nothing and he had the time of his life!! One funny story we heard is that he was stuck in the kibo for 20 minutes with no toilet paper.....lesson learned for him!! Check for tp before you go:)
Aj has been wanting contacts for a while now, so after he got home and his leader told us what a great kid he was on the trip I caved and took him in to get them! He looks so grown up!! and unbelievably handsome!!
Kyler did a basketball camp for a week at the beginning of summer and I think he may have found a new favorite sport....thank goodness he still loves soccer too, because I sure LOVE to watch him play!!
Besides the camps we have made quite a few trips to Hermiston to see Adam. My favorite one so far was last weekend!! My sisters and mom kept the kids while I went all by myself!!! It was much needed and soooooo fun!! We really didn't do anything at all, just spent a bunch of time driving around, we did visit some good friends for a bit, but mostly just enjoyed each others company. He really is my best friend, and we had the best time just being alone together!!
My sister Michelle was in town for a week and I cant say enough how much I LOVE being with my sisters and their kids! Our kids all love to be together too which makes it that much better when we all get together!! So many laughs and great memories!! I cant wait till the next time!!

Well this is getting pretty long so last thing I'm going to say is we are all so so so EXCITED for our family vacation coming up in 73 days.....we are going to DISNEY WORLD!!!! we are going for 8 days, its the longest vacation we have ever been on as a family and we can not wait!!
Here's hoping SUNNY summer is here to stay for the month of August:)

2011-06-09T15:46:00.000-07:00

So much for doing better at this blogging thing.....

ANYHOOO~

A couple weeks ago Rene told us that they were selling their kid's dirt bikes in an upcoming garage sale.....Immediately Adam says don't bother Ill take them! Well my sister took the signs I was giving very well and the subject was dropped. Later that night when we got home I made what I thought was a very strong argument as to why we did NOT need to get our boys a dirt bike and the subject was dropped.....and I chalked it up to another victory for me......or so I thought! The next week went by and I didn't think anything else about it, until Friday morning when I got a text from my sister asking if we wanted the dirt bikes and if we did I should go tell the lady having the sale that they were sold. So being the good wife that I am {and thinking I already won this argument} because I had never gotten a definite answer from my husband I figured I better let him know they were going up for sale that day{again, I thought I had already persuaded him against buying them} I didn't want to risk him being upset with me for not reminding him they were being sold. BIG mistake, not only did he want them he was ADAMANT that he was buying them with or with out my approval.....WOW that never happens!! So after a heated argument and me realizing just how important it was to him for our boys to have dirt bikes.....he compared it to my always wanting them to have nice clothes and shoes.....we reached a compromise and bought one of the 2 bikes for sale. I am so GLAD we did!! I only watched the boys ride for a few seconds...at this point that's all I can handle....but the sheer joy on all their faces made it all worth it for me!! My husband was right, and I'm so glad I was persuaded to see things his way!! The thought of the boys riding still makes me VERY nervous, but hopefully one day I will get over it and be able to watch them going full speed around our back yard!! Until then Ill just look at the pictures Adam takes of them:)

Michael Jackson - Black Or White

2011-05-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

My kids have quite an wide range of music favorites, which I LOVE!! I guess they totally get it from me......We love everything from Michael Jackson to Jack Johnson and everything in between. One of Ethan and Kylers favorite things to do is watch music videos on Youtube. So last night Kyler asked me if he could show Lindsay how Michael Jackson dances and I said sure. A few minutes later I hear this song come on and in the middle of it Kyler says.." you know why he made this song" and Lindsay says "no why" and Kyler says "because he used to be black" ......I about died laughing!!! I tried to explain to him that Michael Jackson was always black, just got lighter over the years due to a skin "condition" but he just looked at me like I was crazy and said " he looks white to me" That's right, what was I thinking....he just changed races somewhere along the way:) Gotta love an 8 year olds logic!!!

My Life....for now:)

2011-05-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

I always debate the color of my post for a good 2 minutes before I post.....is that weird?? Just wondering....:)
ANyhoo.......Why does my shower always break and the toilet always clog when no one but me is around to fix it??? The toilet clogging, I can handle on my own {tho lets be honest I don't like to} but the shower thing.....I wouldn't have the first clue how to fix that! Thankfully we have another shower, but I HATE it!! The pressure is all wrong and it is TINY!! Its Adams shower and he cleaned it before he left, but that thing makes me claustrophobic beyond belief!! I don't know how he possibly showers in that thing everyday!! And if I want to shave my legs...forget about it....no room. Every time Adam is gone for even a few extra hours I think about all the single moms out there who do this stuff on their own everyday. I just cant imagine it. Not only is Adam my fix it guy, he is with out question my best friend {insert groan here} I know how cliche that sounds but for me its true!! Since the first day we met we have relied on each other for everything and really like each others company. That's not to say we spend every waking minute together, because we don't. I like my girl time with my friends...In fact I NEED my girl time to be my happiest me...but I always look forward to being home at the end of the day with him! SO this time in our lives is going to suck immensely!! We knew when he took this job that there was a high probability of him working all over the place, but while it was just a probability I was able to live in comfortable denial:) Last summer the stars all lined up and he worked a TON of hours, but was still home at the end of the day{or night} So even if all I saw were the backs of his eyelids he was still here....to say fix broken showers. But this year, not so lucky...in fact Id say pretty UNlucky. Not only is he not here, he is 4 hours away from here and busier than all get out. He assured me he would be home every weekend, which I knew to take with a grain of salt. I know that's what he has to tell himself or he could never leave. Last week was his first week gone and he was home for a whopping 11 hours. He kept his word as best as he could and drove home Sunday afternoon just to turn around and drive back at 3 a.m Monday morning. If that's not love I don't know what is!! If I ever question what kind of love Adam has for his boys and me, that right there is the answer!!!! But I have to whine and cry just a little because its just NOT enough!! It was enough to get me through Monday and a little of today....until Kyler woke up out of anesthesia from having his ear worked on and all he wanted was his dad. All I could say to comfort him was Me too buddy, more than you know. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, I say my heart was already SOOOOOO fond of this man, I don't need or want the absence!!! A couple days was enough to remind me how lucky I am to have him, now I want him back!!! So if someone could please give me this weeks winning lottery numbers Addison,Ethan,Kyler,and I would be very appreciative and we would even share the wealth....We just want our man back home!! Gosh I feel bad complaining when there are so many people struggling financially right now, and I am beyond THANKFUL that Adam has a job and can support us so well, just really wish his job was close to home:) Oh and I dont think my kids will get a good meal for the next few months....something about him being gone and I lost all desire to cook....Ahh who am I kidding I never had it in the first place:)

KyLeR

2011-04-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

KyLeR

What a day we had yesterday with my sweet boy!!! I have never been as proud of him as I was yesterday....having said that lets go back to tuesday.

Tuesday was a beautiful day, that was the only thing out of the ordinary:) Since it was such a nice day the boys were outside playing. When they finally came in we were sitting on the couch watching TV and Kyler says "mom what the heck is wrong with my ear?!?!" he came over to me and I looked at it, and asked him if he had hurt it or something, because it was all red and swollen at the top on the inside. He said no that he hadn't hurt it, so I told him it was fine, probably just a reaction to a bug bite or something. Adam looked at it when he got home and thought it was nothing and would go away. Well, by yesterday {thursday} it hadn't gone away and was getting rock hard, tuesday it felt like there was fluid in it. So after having numerous people look at it and say the same thing...if it was my kid Id take him in.....I called his Dr and they said to bring him in. So after school we went in to the dr. He looked at Kylers ear, felt it and asked him if he had hit his ear on anything. Kyler said well I did fall when I was playing outside and hit my ear on the rocks.......HUh?!? Remember he told me he didn't hurt his ear??? Ya well it didn't "hurt" so he failed to tell me he hit it!!! Note to self......my boys are strong beyond belief and things don't always "hurt" from now on I will be asking more in depth questions!! Believe me I asked him NUMEROUS times if he knew what might have happened...the answer was always no:) Anyway, since he had hit his ear it was apparent to the Dr that he had a hematoma and it would continue to damage his ear and he would be left with an ear like a ufc fighter, you know "cauliflower" ear.GROSS! So we were referred over to a Dr in the E.R. to drain the hematoma and refine the ear so it was normal again. My poor boy was TERRIFIED!!!! I calmed him down telling him they would numb it and he wouldn't feel a thing. and promised him ice ream and treats:) This was the beginning of our little emotional roller coaster ride!!

Kyler and I got to the ER a little before 4. There was like 2 people in the waiting room, so I thought awesome we will be outta here in no time. hahaha! Soon the triage nurse called us back, looked at his ear and said "oh that's not bad at all, we probably wont have to drain it but the dr needs to look at it" back out to the waiting room we go. RELIEF right, no draining of the ear means no needles, and quick way out......wrong! A few minutes later we get called back to the ER quiet waiting room....now I know that's just a nice name for "we stick you back here with no TV and no sick people and make you wait for HOURS" while we treat real emergencies! This is where the day turned in to a great time, weird to say at this point I know but I had Kyler all to myself, and he just layed in my arms and talked to me and it was probably the most quality time we have ever had just the 2 of us. No tv, no video games, no other kids to play with, just US. Sadly this is when the dr came in and told us they were going to have to remove the hematoma and to do that and make it easy on both Kyler and him he was going to have to put him to sleep. Kyler and I were both TERRIFIED!!! {emotional roller coaster} not only did it have to be drained, he had to be put to sleep to do it:( SO even though we were both scared, I got to cuddle and play with my sweet boy for 3 hours uninterrupted!! Around 7 we were finally put in a real room and the nurse came in and prep Kyler for the procedure, I thought we were finally on our way to being done. WRONG again. It was another hour or so before they actually put him out and started the procedure. I spent the better part of that hour trying to reassure him that he was going to be fine, while trying to convince myself of the same thing. It is a scary thing to have your baby put under, no matter what the reason is!! Thankfully Adam made it to the hospital right before they put him out or I might have lost it, which wouldn't have been good for my boy!!

It took quite a bit of medicine to get him fully out but then the proceedure only took about 10 minutes. The dr drained the hematoma, then sewed cotton to his ear to reshape it. I watched pretty much the whole thing, and it was kinda weird but also reassuring to be in there with him. When he came to he was so funny!! I havent laughed that hard in a long time!! He just kept saying the funniest things, I wish I would have had a video camera!! After a long wait to get discharged we came home, snuggled up in bed and went right to sleep!!!

Today Kyler is doing GREAT!! He has to keep his stitches in until Monday, and is rocking a sweet bandage that Im sure will get him lots of treats, but other than that he doesnt seem to be in any pain and is bugging me to take him to Applebees:) I am so happy everything turned out fine and I am thankful for the time I spent with my boy....next time it will NOT be in the ER!!!

2010-11-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

My favorite time of year is here again!!! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I am SO EXCITED!!! There is nothing better than spending the day with family:)

So tonight as I'm patiently waiting for tomorrow I am thinking of all the things I am thankful for......here is my list....because I can, you don't have to read it.

1. Adam....he is my better half, he has taken AMAZING care of me for 13 years, he is the BEST dad, he makes me laugh, he can tick me off like no one else, he tells me I'm beautiful everyday, he knows me inside and out and loves me anyway, he knows when I need a break and encourages me to take them(HAWAII!!!), when I'm sick he takes care of EVERYTHING, he is teaching our boys to be good men, he is always willing to help my family and my friends, he fills up my car with gas so I don't have to, he goes and gets me a Dr. Pepper with crunch ice whenever I want one, he likes to go to lunch with me and my sister, he makes the bed with hospital corners that don't come untucked in the night. These are just a few of the many reasons why I am Thankful for him!!

2. Addison, Ethan, Kyler......I have the best boys a mom could ask for!! They are my world and I am so thankful I get to be their mom!! They are sweet, loving, rowdy, smart, picky, argumentative, CUTE, CRAZY, up for anything, all BOY, and ALL MINE:)

3. Our home....it is not always clean, it is sometimes a little crazy, but its home and its warm and filled with love. I couldn't ask for anything more!

4. Family.....We have a huge family and I am thankful for every last one of them!

5. Friends....I have the most amazing friends!!

6. Great schools....My kids go to great schools and so far have had amazing teachers. Because of this they all LOVE school and love to learn!!

7. Adams job....altho it takes him away from us A LOT it puts food on our table, clothes on our back, and a roof over our head:)

8. good books, good tv, good movies, good food, good laughs, having enough, good health, lazy days, busy days, long days, and everything in between. I guess today I am just Thankful for my life. As crazy and boring as it is, it is mine and I wouldn't change a thing about it....well except for this snow and ice:)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

RAIN

2010-09-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

RAIN

Rain is so depressing to me. I guess I have a pretty good reason to feel like that......Rain means Adam cant work, which means no money comes in, which means I STRESS. I cant help it, no matter how I try and fight it, I STRESS! Once the clouds roll in and the forecast calls for rain my stress level goes through the roof. Nothing earth shattering has ever happened, we always figure it out. We have never been homeless...our basic needs are always taken care of. WE are pretty dang good at getting by on next to nothing. SO my question is WHY??? Why do I let a little rain bring me so much stress? Adam has ALWAYS taken amazing care of our family......I am a SPOILED beyond belief wife. Adam makes sure we always have what we need to live....and then some:) But as I said, the clouds roll in and bring the stress right along with them. On the bright side this year he is back to running the asphalt plant which means he will have maintenence to do when paving halts because of rain....prime example, he is working today while the paving crew is on hold due to the rain. SO you say Why the stress?? Its just me people.....I cant stop it, I try and change it, I don't want to be a constant stress case, but I am. Every year I make a huge effort to not be this way, and every year it gets worse. Iv tried to convince Adam in the past to move us to Arizona.....but he wont. Thank goodness because there is no place I would rather be than right here. My family is close, and my friends are AMAZING!! I just wish the rain would GO AWAY!!!

2010-08-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday my family and I went to Ski bowl in Mount Hood. First thing we did was go on the alpine slides and we had to go on a ski lift which took about 25 minutes but the alpine slides sped down the track. We did that about 20 times. So we went and got on a shuttle to go to the east side of the park. There Me,Ethan,And Kyler went on a bungee trampoline. After that the kids rode on some ponies. Next Ethan and Kyler climbed a rock wall while I bungee jumped from 110 ft . After that we got in the car and headed home. That was one of the best days of the whole summer so far. we cant Wait to go back!!!!

(this post was written by Addison:})

~ Summer ~

2010-08-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Summer

Oh how I love the lazy days of summer..

I vividly remember feeling that way when summer vacation first began.

Now that August is here, I am not so patiently waiting for the first day of school.

When my days wont be filled with the never ending song of Mom, Mom, Mom.

Its my favorite song.....have you heard it? If your name is Mom, I'm positive you have. Some days it is a beautiful song, others it sounds like nails on a chalkboard!!!

There for I am considering changing my name!!!!

2010-06-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Just sittin' here

Today is the boys last full day of school.....the last day for the next 2 months I will have completely to myself! I do LOVE the lazy days of SUMMER, but I have also very much enjoyed my days of doing exactly what I want, exactly when I want to do it!! That may sound completely selfish but it is very true!! Adam has been working nights (well trying to anyway...the weather has stopped them quite a bit) for the last 2 weeks which has given us a few day dates that were so much fun!! After today those are over too:( which is kinda sad to me because I wont see him much in the next 2 months so I was really enjoying our alone time, without the boys taking all his attention!! I am very blessed to have a husband like him who ADORES our kids and spends every moment he can with them....I have to admit it makes me green with envy sometimes!! But anyway......So in doing my stuff on my time today, I got to have lunch with my friend Brook and her cutie patootie Molly, Brook shares my love of Casa Ramos so we meet there every so often for lunch:) Then when I got home I decided to do some blog hopping and when I was reading my friends blog I noticed for the first time some quotes she has on her side bar....not sure if they are new or if I just never noticed them before but I just had to borrow them because they totally hit home for me!! Thanks Clarissa!!

"There is no such thing as the perfect mother...We just do the best we can with the help of the Lord, and who knows, these children...may someday rise up and call us blessed. "~Marjorie Pay Hinckley"

As you create a home, don't get distracted with a lot of things that have no meaning to you or your family. Don't dwell on your failures, but think about your successes. Have joy in your home. Have joy in your children. Have joy in your husband. Be grateful for the journey."~Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Pretty cool HUH?? So for the next 2 months while I enjoy my summer, which I'm sure will be FANTASTIC, I'm going to try and remember the words in those 2 quotes when things get a little hectic, which they always do when I am basically a single mom of 3 all summer long!!:)

2010-05-06T09:05:00.000-07:00

Where has the SUN gone??

It keeps teasing me....I look out the window and its there, then look again and its pouring down rain!!

The more I think about it, the weather is kind of like my mood lately.....One minute I'm happy as can be, the next....WHAM......dark clouds.

The last 4 months have been super challenging! In ways that I never imagined possible. I keep looking for answers and instead of answers, I just get more questions.

I know I wouldn't have made it through the last few months without the support of some pretty amazing friends!! and of course my family!

I am so looking forward to SUMMER and long, lazy days at the lake and not having a care in the world beyond getting a nice tan:)

For now I'm going to go make some lemon aid out of the lemons life has handed me and try and remember not to try and control the things I have no control over. That's a daily struggle for me but I'm learning!!:)

Oh and just one more thing......

Mothers Day is sunday and this year instead of wanting to be spoiled, I am going to spoil my boys!! They are the most amazing gift I have ever gotten and when they are all grown up and have families of their own, I want them to look back and know without a doubt they are LOVED no matter what, that whatever they choose to do with their lives will make me proud to be their mom!! If they ever question how amazing they are, how smart, talented, funny, handsome, creative, loving they are, then I have failed as a mother and that is one job I refuse to fail at!!

2010-03-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

Mother Son JAMMIN' FUN

As many of you already know for the last few weeks I have been REALLY busy planning the mother son date night. Our PTA has put on a very successful Daddy Daughter Dance for the last few years and us moms with boys have felt a little left out, but no one wanted to step up and put on a mother son event....alot of the problem was lack of ideas, no one thought a dance would be a good idea.....That is no one but Me and one other mom. I had said at a few PTA meetings that I would be happy to do ANYTHING that would get this thing going, short of putting it on myself. I am just not a party planner. Anyway to make a long story short, out of the blue one night the other mom called me and basically said lets do this thing! She was my director and I did all the leg work. Neither of us can really take credit for the theme as we got it off the PTA website, but the rest of it was totally our baby:)

We decided the best way to get the boys in the door was to give away some amazing prizes. So I went to work getting donations from the community. All I have to say about that is WOW, even in these tough economic times Chehalis is one GREAT place!! Every place I asked donated without even hesitating!! And I'm not talking little donations either.....the local bowling alley donated 50 free games(shoes included) and the tanning salon donated a basket worth at least 150$ for the moms!!(that was a hard one for me to part with!!) The rest of the prizes we needed we bought. Movie tickets, Bath and Body gifts, and the biggie for the boys Mariners tickets:) We got a DJ, planned the food, put out the fliers, and reserved the school. At this point I was getting nervous.......I was really doing this....could I do it??? Well it was to late to back out, so.....

I DID IT!!

There were a few snags in the night but it turned out AMAZING!!! The best part was we had hired the sophomore class to run the event so I got to enjoy this great night with 3 of the best boys a mom could ask for!! We went to dinner, then danced the night away:) I felt a little spoiled because I had 3 dance partners! The funniest thing is Kyler told me before we left for the party that he would go but he was NOT dancing. I said that was fine but that i hoped he would change his mind.....and BOY DID HE!!! He was a little dancing machine and he has some pretty impressive moves too:) We got our picture taken in a rock and roll themed setting and I am so excited to see how it turned out!! I have never had a picture taken of just the boys and I, we have one with Adam and the boys from a few years ago that still hangs on the wall, so I hope this one can hang next to it:)

The turn out was GREAT!!! We totally exceeded our expectations and I am excited to find out the final totals this week!! It was so great to see all the moms dancing with their sons, and just enjoying the time together!! I have a feeling this will become an annual event and I am so HAPPY!!!

2010-01-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I have been a HORRIBLE blogger lately!! There are so many reasons why....and I don't know about any of you but I really don't like poor me stories, so since I have been in a complete FUNK since Id say about the first of December, I felt it best just to stay away from blogging. Slowly but surely things are starting to look up and I'm feeling like more of myself so I thought since I am stuck at home today without a car I would let the laundry and vacuuming wait...again... and catch up:)

Christmas

Christmas this year was SO, I don't even know how to describe it...except for weird. I was already in the midst of my major funk which didn't help. But things definitely went down hill!! We always have Christmas Eve with my family at my parents house, my mom had been really sick the days leading up to it and we were really starting to worry about her. Wondering if we should cancel our plans or what we should do.. My mom NEVER gets sick, so the fact that we were even thinking about all this was just crazy!! Christmas Eve morning my dad called to tell me that they had admitted my mom to the hospital the night before. WHAT?!?!?! All I could think was this just cant be happening!! But it was....so Rene and I (against mom and dads orders) hurried down to visit. What an emotional day!!! For YEARS I have been a live in the moment kind of girl....If I don't think about the future then I stress less and life is just all around happier for me. Well that whole way of thinking came crashing down on me that day!! I could go on and on about that day and how it affected me but I wont (it could take all day!!) I am so happy to say my mom is FINE now and back to her old self:)

We tried to enjoy Christmas day and all things considered we did pretty well. I always worry about making my kids happy and weather I got them enough and so on and so on....but this year was different. I did less than I ever have for them and they were HAPPY....really Happy. Made me realize all my stressing in years past was all ME!! And that I have really great kids...but I already knew that, its just nice to get a reminder every so often:)

We spent the day after Christmas with Adams family up in Kent....What a great time we had!! Mom was being released from the hospital so I truly relaxed and enjoyed myself. We ate and played games, and visited and I snuggled my baby niece for hours....to me there is no better way to lift your mood than to snuggle on a baby you love so much:) We were all there and the kids just played and played. I am so grateful for how well they all get along!! It is so fun to see them together!!

Great Wolf Lodge

Adams parents got us a night at the lodge for Christmas and we had an absolutely FABULOUS time!!! We love water parks so I knew we would love it. Poor Addison came down with strep the night before we were supposed to go, but he was a trooper and after a couple doses of meds he was ready to go:) It was great to have those 2 days to be together and just have FUN.

The rest of life since last post:)

Not much has been going on....Adam has been off work for what seems like forever. But I'm happy to say that today he is down in Woodburn doing the last part of the hiring process for a new job!!!! As long as he has a personality he should be fine:) according to Rene anyway!! (he has to take some kind of personality test or something today) With a new job comes change, which I am not great with, but hopefully nothing to major will change, like having to move.....I would NOT be ok with that!!! The job is back to doing what he loves.....Asphalt. I see long lonely summers and little black spots on all my whites in my near future, but I will survive and hopefully our family will be better off!! And maybe just maybe this will be the last new job he will have to find for a LONG time:)

So life is still a never ending roller coaster, but I am pushing through!! I am so thankful for all the little (and some not so little) lessons I have learned over the last few months, and the life changes we have made in our family that have only made us happier and brought us closer together. This post is long enough so if you want to see pictures from this month go to my facebook page...they are all there and I cant figure out how to get them where I want them on here:)

2009-12-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

Today is Ethan's 8th birthday and so I am going to write a little about him. Iv been thinking for a few days what I would write about Ethan, and so many ideas came to me that I really am having a hard time. He is such an all around great kid!! He even came a little over two weeks early so I missed all the super uncomfortable part of being pregnant, and had extra time to get my Christmas shopping done that I wasn't planning on:) He was a perfect baby, and toddler, and just keeps getting better!! He has always been so smart!! Even before he started school he would sit at the table while Addison did his homework and just watch him. He loves school and has a great group of friends. Him and my niece Lindsay are very close and have had the same teacher the last 2 years, it is so fun to watch them with their friends and hear from their teachers what great kids they are! One of the best things about Ethan is he wants to make everyone happy....especially me. I am having a hard time getting older so he tells everyone that I'm only 29(then quietly says my real age and says it makes me happy when he says I'm only 29) He loves to snuggle up and watch TV in bed with Adam, I knew he was having a hard time with Adam working nights when he came to me one night and asked me to go lay in bed and watch TV with him like dad does. He seems to know when I'm having a bad day and tries to make me smile. He is an AMAZING soccer player....he didn't want to play last season but I strongly encouraged him to and he did at the last minute, MAN IS HE GOOD!!! I hope he keeps with it:) I am so incredibly grateful for the great kid Ethan is!!! Our family wouldn't work without the great energy he brings to it!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH ETHAN!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we decided to load up and drive to Nevada to visit my sister Michelle and her family. I was a little worried about taking such a long drive but we had the BEST time!! My parents were so nice and let us borrow their van so we had plenty of room, in my car it would have been a horrible drive I am sure!! We left tuesday morning and drove to Boise. My kids played video games the WHOLE Time, stopping only to snack here and there and when we stopped to go to the bathroom......I didn't know it was possible to look at those little screens for so long with out going blind:) Normally I limit there game time, but they were so quiet and happy I just let them be. In Boise we stayed at the best hotel!! It was super cheap and had a great pool, adjustable beds, and my favorite part.....a seprate bedroom for the kids:) We took the kids swimming to burn off some energy, then the next morning we were at it again for the last 4 hours of the drive.

When we finally got there the kids were so EXCITED!!! I absolutely love that all our kids play so good together and really love being together!! We had so much fun catching up and playing games and just being together!! Adam and Mike did a bunch of guy stuff, Now Adam thinks he wants to move there....NOT HAPPENING!!! We had a great Thanksgiving, my brother and his wife came over and we just had a great day of food, games, and fun. Friday we decided we better head home. but before we did we took all the kids to the movie and played a few more games. Saying goodbye was hard because no one was ready for the visit to end!!

We had quite the eventful drive home!! 3 hours of the worst weather I have ever driven thorough!!!!!!!! From howling wind, to blizzard like snow, to horrible fog, to horses in the road. At one point I said I cant even see the road can you, and Adam said he couldn't see it either.....Talk about scary!!!! Anyway we made it home safely and had a great time!!! The kids are already talking about going back:)

2009-11-01T11:01:00.000-08:00

I am so Happy!!!

Halloween is OVER, and now my favorite time of year is here!!! Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE holiday by far and I just cant wait:) Last year was a little stressful for me. Adam convinced me to have his family over to our house for Thanksgiving dinner and I was a nervous wreck!!! I freak out about having people over for dinner under normal circumstances.....Thanksgiving is SO MUCH PRESSURE!!! Before that day I had NEVER even attempted to make a turkey before. All in all with a little help from my mom and sister our Thanksgiving went Great! I did however really miss my family:) It was just really weird to not see them at least for a little while, every other year we have gone to Adams family the next day because his mom works on Thanksgiving, so it was kind of sad for me:( But it was nice to have Adams family here.

This year we are loading up the kiddos and heading to Nevada to my sister Michelle's!!!! I am SOOOOO excited to see her and my nieces and nephews!!! Not so excited about the drive, but I know it will be totally worth it once we get there!! Its going to be a long few weeks until its time to go:) My kids cant wait, Adams excited to go, and I feel like a little kid waiting for Santa:) I'm still hoping that Rene and my mom and dad will decide to come too...but it doesn't look like it:(

2009-10-20T20:52:00.001-07:00

I have had the most fabulous day today......I woke up this morning and found a dozen red roses and a sweet card sitting on the kitchen table, now for any of you who know my husband this has NEVER happened!! Iv had 3 of his children and never gotten flowers!! Now don't get down on him, he spoils me in other ways, I have NOTHING to complain about!!
Then My sweet kids gave me the cards they made for me (I am saving them to look at on the days when they drive me INSANE)Addison and Ethan wrote me a poem worthy of Hallmark, and Kyler of course made his own because that's the kind of Kid he is:)
So as if I wasn't already floating on cloud nine, I got home and read my sisters blog..Thanks Rene:) And throughout the day my friends have all in one way or another wished me a happy birthday. I haven't felt this loved in a long time!! To end my great day, Ethan and Kyler tied their soccer game and Addison won his(and scored his first goal I might add), Then my good friend Amy had our team sing to me and embarrassed the heck out of me, but she gave me such a sweet gift I guess I will forgive her :)All in all Iv had the BEST day....so THANKS EVERYONE who helped make it GREAT!!!

2009-10-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

Its finally OVER!!!

That's right it has finally come to an end and I am SO EXCITED!!

Adam has been working nights for what seems like forever and now is back on days!!! I have to say it is kind of weird sitting here and hearing only the washing machine and the tap of the keyboard!! I have gotten used to hearing the freight train that is my husbands constant snoring during the day:) I do have to admit its going to be so weird to have him home in the evenings. I have gotten really used to my routine.....and I cant lie, not having to share the remote in the evenings has been really nice!! I guess I will be getting reacquainted with my favorite shows.....Ice Road Truckers, Dirty Jobs, Deadliest Catch, and every other Discovery channel show that I have so missed in the last 7 months:) There is one plus side to the TV thing, I will also be able to watch all the shows that I love but was to chicken to watch knowing that I was home alone all night!! I will be the first to admit that I am a HUGE chicken!! Anyway I am so so sooo happy that this long haul has come to an end. I was not meant to do all this alone!!! Adam definitely brings the playful relaxed side out of me!! He definitely reminds me on a daily basis not to sweat the small stuff and that life is supposed to be FUN. Our life will be balanced again and I couldn't be happier about it:)

2009-10-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

BUUUURRRRRR!!!

I am soooo sorry everyone, but this sudden change in the weather may just be my fault:(

Last week as we were DYING of heat at Ethan and Kyler's soccer game I said "I love the heat and all, but this is CRAZY!!" if I could be relaxing by the lake while getting a tan...I am all for it, but sweating it out at a soccer game is not my idea of fun. Once the kids are in school I am ready for cooler weather....cooler, not frigid!!! not to mention the rain!!

Thursday, the forecast called for rain so I was prepared.....BEFORE the game, then as the day progressed with no rain I thought, man looks like we dodged that bullet, and so I told the boys to put on long sleeves under their shirts and I did the same, mind you I took off the hooded sweatshirt I was wearing so my team shirt would show!! I kid you not the second I pulled into the parking lot at the field the rain started.......and continued the WHOLE game!! We were SOAKED!! Funny thing is it didnt seem cold, just wet, maybe it was all the adrenalin running through my veins that kept me warm. Our head coach decided to take a vacation and leave me, who knows NOTHING about soccer, in charge. Thank goodness once again for my wonderful sister who stepped up to help me out and got soaked right along with me!! I really dont know what I would have done wihtout her help. It would have been cayos!! After the game Ethans teacher came up to me(her son was on the opposing team) and told me that at school that day Ethan had written in his journal that I am 30 but he tells me Im 29 because it makes me happy:) isnt he just the sweetest??

Then today I FROZE at Addisons game, it couldnt have been over 40 degrees! At least it didnt rain, that would have been horrible. The boys played a great game, and Addison is really leanrning alot being on this team. He did so good today, I was so proud of him!! He is not afraid to throw his body in front of that ball to stop it. He is getting to be quite a good defender. His coach left him in longer today than I think he ever has so that was awesome for me to get to see since I miss all of his tuesday games coaching Ethan and Kyler.

We are half way throuh the season now so Im praying for some nice days to finish out the season!!

Happy Fall Everyone!!!

2009-09-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

First Day of School

My handsome, yet goofy boys started another year of school, I cant believe I am a mom of a 5th grader!! How in the heck did that happen???

Then there is Ethan, who started 2ND grade and Kyler is in 1rst. They are all doing a great job and seem to love their teachers which is so wonderful!! So far we have gotten nothing but great teachers who have made it so my kids all LOVE to go to school:) I just hope it lasts!!!

Apparently Kylers teacher was warned that he is quite the chatter box, I was working at his school on picture day and she came up to tell me she didn't know what the other teachers were talking about, that he was a great kid and very helpful.......In my head I was thinking, give him time, its only the first week!!! Al tho he did tell me he was not going to get in any trouble this year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!! its not that he was a bad kid, just VERY chatty.....I wouldn't know where he gets it from:)

Other than that, we have been busy with soccer, all the boys are really enjoying it which is nice. I don't think Addison was prepared for all the work this year would be, but so far it hasn't discouraged him.

Adam is just about done working nights!!!!!! YIIIIPPPPPEEEEE!!!! We are so ready to be back to normal! 6 months is a long time to be on nights!! Al tho I will miss having him to help around the house on Mondays!! I don't think I have mopped the floor at all since he has been on nights:)May be my housecleaning day will have to change;)

2009-09-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

To my sister Rene

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I could go on and on and say a bunch of sappy things about how wonderful you are, but really who doesn't already know that you are the best?? I'm lucky to have you for my sister, and friend. I honestly don't know what I would do with out you!! So I asked each of my boys what they love most about you and here is what they said..

Addison~ Shes nice, shes pretty, and shes smart.......Shes a great Aunt, (why) because she SPOILS us!!! and because we love her

Ethan~ Her cookies are SOOOO good, and she loves us(first he said Addison took all the good ones)She lets us come and play whenever we want, if shes going to be home.

Kyler~ Ok so for anyone who knows Kyler let me set the scene......I say, what do you love about Rene....Ky says hmm i don't know.....I say come on I'm sure you can think of something.....(pouty look, whiny voice) he says.....they took all the good ones, why do they always get to go first?? So I take a break to let him think, play a little online scrabble with Rene, fix dinner, then after dinner I ask again. Kyler did you think of anything and he says......drum roll please......She is the BEST aunt!!! and I couldn't agree more:)

So Rene I hope you have a great birthday, I am so glad that you are my sister. I'm so looking forward to our long lunches that somehow got pushed aside this summer, the girls at Taco Del Mar must be wondering what happened to us!!!

2009-09-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Im always giving Rene a hard time about updating her blog, then I realized I hardly ever update mine....It has been a pretty busy couple weeks, but who am I kidding I find PLENTY of time to sit in front of this computer doing a lot less productive things!!

So we went on our little beach trip a few weeks ago and had a lot of fun!! We stayed in a cute house and saw alot of family that we dont normally get to see.

The boys and I(we wanted a family picture but of course there was no one around to take it when we stopped)

2009-08-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

All I can say is "Please see previous post".......YEP that about covers it!!! I think mother nature got her seasons confused about 2 weeks ago!!! I will admit it was nice to have a break from the insane heat we had a couple weeks ago, but come on already, can we please have a little more summer BEFORE the kids have to go back to school and the daily grind starts again? Tomorrow would be a great day for this to happen because we will be at the beach this weekend and a little sun while we are there this year would be greatly appreciated!!
The ONLY nice thing about this rain is Adam has tonight off and will be home for dinner:) I never realized how much I love family dinner until now!! There is just something different about the evenings when Adams not here....It just isn't quite right, so I am excited he is home tonight!!
Oh and one last thing, this little beach trip has been totally stressing me out for about a month now and I am happy to say that finally I have some sort of peace about it and actually think I'm going to have a.....dare I say it....Good time:) I really hope I didn't just jinx myself!!!

2009-07-14T11:21:00.000-07:00

I am really missing Tri-Cities today.....I happened to catch on the news this morning that it is in the 90s there today, while yet again here it is overcast and not very warm...supposedly it is going to be in the 70s today....WHOOOHOOO!!!! I do love it here in Chehalis for the most part but I miss all the things there is to do for fun in the summer in Kennewick. My absolute favorite thing was all the swimming pools!! And it was super cheap to take the kids. I'm not to proud to admit there were days when the boys and I would search the house for quarters to go swimming:) Each pool was a little different, Pasco's pool had a water slide and diving board, Richlands pool had the best kiddie pool and diving boards and actually I don't think we ever made it to Kennewicks pool, but it was there if we wanted to use it. The times kind of stair stepped each other so if you missed the time at one pool you could go to another....If you didn't feel like swimming there is an awesome spray park by the play ground of dreams, that also has a frisbee golf course that is so much fun, we love to play and the kids like it too. Always a bonus!! The amount of parks in the Tri-Cities is amazing too....The only bad thing is my boys always seemed to want to go to different ones, there were days when we would go to a couple different parks in one day just to make them all happy. Another of my favorite things was the free movie days at the movie theater, they would play movies that were already out on DVD and we really liked to go. I still keep in contact with a few of my friends there and seeing their pictures of all the fun they are having this summer without me makes me sad, especially when I have to say for the thousandth time.....Turn the TV off, quite fighting with your brother, no we aren't doing anything today, again, sorry guys its to cold to go to the lake today, and my favorite.....No we cant move back, dads job is here:( So now that Iv gotten that off my chest can we PLEASE have the warm sunny weather back??? ASAP:)

~SUmMeR tImE~

2009-06-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

Summer has officially arrived in the great Northwest :) YAY!!! I love it soooooo much!! The last week was extremely busy with my sister Michelle in town for my mom and dads 50th Anniversary party. We spent all day monday preparing for the big party and had a lot of fun!! Rene, Michelle, and I got alot done and managed to have a little fun too:) It is so nice to have Michelle and her family home, we all miss them so much!!

Saturday was the day of the big party....so in the morning Michelle, Mike, Rene, Darrell, Scott, Tiffany, Tyler, Brittany, and our Aunt Shelly, and I all went to the church to set up. It was So MUch FUN!! My family really is the best to be around!! even when working we can manage to have a BLAST!!! We decided to have a 50s theme and Michelle is a decorating GENIOUS and came up with some amazing decorations that really transformed the gym into a 50s style soda shop. The pictures I got really dont do it justice but it was amazing!! The party was set to start at 6 and my parents actually stayed away until the party so it was a suprise when they walked in. I really think we managed to blow them away...they had seen a few of the decorations but never imagined how great it would all look put together.

The party itself was a huge success!! All of us kids were there, the first time we have all been together in at least 10 years, all but two of the grandkids, and all of the great grandkids. That in itself was pretty amazing, I think in my parents eyes that would have been enough just having their whole family together in the same room but it was awesome to have so many other people come and celebrate with us!!

This week we are just going to relax and have fun with Michelle and Rene and the kids before Michelle heads back to Nevada. I am soooo incredibly thankful for my sisters and how wonderful they are. They are the best aunts to my kids, and the best friends I could ask for!! Having Michelle around this last week has made me miss her so much more!! I really wish she lived closer. All of our kids have so much fun together and its nice to just sit back and watch them play. I guess we will have to cram as much fun into the next few days as we can :)

Man am I a Big BABY or what???

2009-06-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

I honestly dont know what my problem is!! I have had to force myself not to cry all day today!! Really what it comes down to is today is the last day of school, but the tears is not for the reason you might think. No Im not sad that my kids are going to be home all summer, Im actually happy about that. What is making me a big cry baby is that my kids are growing up so fast!! My baby is no longer a kindergartener and Addison will soon be in 5th grade....5th grade people!! Seriously I cannot be this OLD:) Not only that but my kids have been so extremely blessed with the most fabulous teachers this year that I just cant imagine any other teachers comparing. My kids all love school and I know its in large part due to their teachers. And I have to say I loved going in to all of their classrooms!! I got to know so many great kids and it makes me sad to think Im not going to see them for a while and then when i do it will be in passing not all together. So you see I am a big BABY!! Plus it doesnt help that they all said the nicest things about my kids in their report cards!! So again had to force myself not to cry while reading them, at least they would have been good tears and not because of their grades:) So thats that...the beginning of what I hope is a FAB summer with lots of days spent at the lake and our traditional day at Wild Waves:)

Just a random update, what can I say Im bored:)

2009-06-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today has been the most relaxing Saturday I have had in a VERy long time and it has been WONDERFUL!!! I have done absolutly nothing all day.....LOVE IT. THe only problem is I have things I need to get done, case in point the scrapbooks I volunteered to make for Kylers class. They are really cute and all but between Kylers teacher and I we forgot to save a project for the month of September so I have a blank page that I have no idea what to do with.HELP, school gets out in a few days and I am STUCK!! I put alot of time into these books and I really want them to be cute, its the first page for goodness sake, if that's not good it totally messes up the whole thing!!! I did find a cute poem online and I'm putting that in but it just doesn't seem like its enough for the first page. Any way other than that we had an amazing week of warm sunny weather and I managed to get a pretty good tan, but of course now that its the weekend it has been raining off and on all day...Only in the great northwest:)

On another happy note Adam decided to stick things out with the company he is with and it finally paid off a bit, which is such a relief!!! WE got our health insurance back and a few other nice things too. Adam is such a hard worker and he definitely made the right decision for our family once again...YIPPEE:)

~We Go Together~

2009-06-01T08:42:00.001-07:00

Saturday was yet another great day for me!! What seems like forever ago some friends and I decided to get tickets to Grease, at the 5th Ave theater in Seattle. The day seemed to take FOREVER to get here but it was well worth the wait!!!! I am a HUGE fan of the movie and I have to say the play was 100 times better....maybe its just me, but I love the whole experience!! Adam got me tickets to 7 Brides for 7 Brothers for Christmas and ever since I cannot wait to go to the next show!! Anyway I could have watched it all day the performers were AMAZING, and there was just a fun vibe throughout the theater!! It really got me excited for the 50s themed anniversary party we are throwing for my parents in a couple weeks:) After the show we went and had dinner at a really nice restaurant called the PINK DOOR, it was a little different but really good. I had no idea that all salmon isn't pink....I thought I knew my salmon beings my dad does so much salmon fishing but apparently not:) So then we walked around Pike place market for maybe 15 minutes....BOOOHOOO, everything was closing up at 7!!! I could not believe it!! I was so BUMMED, even the stores around the market were closed...Needless to say I was a little let down, but I guess I will just have to plan a trip back to get some shopping done:) Adam will LOVE that. So then us girls went and visited with Samantha and Savannahs mom. I really like her,she is one of those people you can talk to about nothing for hours! It was alot of fun. When we finally decided to head home the mini nightmare started..... It took us over an hour to get out of Seattle!!!! Mind you it was 1 am, so it wasn't because of the crazy traffic in Seattle. We were using a GPS, which is supposed to be so easy, well it is if the on ramps aren't CLOSED....Out of no where with no warning 3 different ramps were closed, with no detour route or anything....just closed. I actually thought we might be in the Twilight Zone:) I could see the headlines....NO WAY OUT......Stuck In the City.....Fighting to get home....Anyway we decided to turn the GPS off and drive a while, turn it back on and hope it took us to an open ramp. Thank goodness it did and we made it home safely:)Just a whole lot later than we thought. It was a GREAT day and I cannot wait to go again!! I think WICKED is coming soon and I will be there!! I hear it is an Amazing show:)

2009-05-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was AMAZING to say the least, for what had to be the first time Adam had the same days off as the boys. I have been wanting to take them to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport for a while now, but it is so far away you really need more than a weekend to make the trip. When I realized that for once Adam was going to be off work when the kids were out of school for a whopping 4 days we had to go!! So Friday morning we loaded up and were on our way. With a couple stops along the way we made it to Newport in time to get unloaded and take the kids golfing and swimming before dinner, much needed activity after the long drive:) We stayed at leisure time thanks to my great parents for continuing their membership so we always have a place to stay!! It looked like there were alot of people staying there but we barely saw anyone the whole time, which was kind of nice. So we got up bright and early Saturday morning and went to the aquarium....It was everything I hoped for and more!! My kids LOVED it, I cant even describe how intrigued they were with almost every aspect of it, as a mom once in a while you will see things and think, wow my kids would like that, and when you are right on it makes you feel so incredibly good, well with this one I have to say I was right on!! Just watching Kyler was enough to make it worth it, not to mention that Ethan and Addison were almost as excited by it as he was. They have touch tables in different areas where you could touch sharks and star fish and all other kinds of slimy things, it really was cool. Kyler could have stayed at those all day, Addison on the other hand didn't want any part of touching ANYTHING!! It kind of surprised me at the time but he is my son and I wasn't big on touching anything either, altho I did....for a second:) They also had amazing tunnels with fish and sharks swimming all around you, with glass floors through part so you could see under you, good thing we went early and it wasn't very busy because my kids were all (Adam included) laying on the floor watching the fish swim by. I really think Kyler will one day end up working with animals...He loves all kinds of them, I really don't know where he gets it from;)
After the aquarium we went down to the beach and flew kites, another favorite activity for my boys. They all love to fly kites, but inevitably I turned my back for a second and they were in the water...BURRRRRRR!!! I couldn't believe how long they played, it was so cold,and windy. But they had a great time!! After we went swimming again(in the nice heated pool) then cleaned up and went in to town and found a 50s diner for dinner, it had hula hoops for the kids and fun music playing, and the food was REALLY good.
Sunday we got up and packed up and drove up to Seaside, which is alot further than we thought but we promised Addison some time at the arcade and I wanted to eat at Mo's so we drove up figuring we could stay the night there if we wanted to. Well Seaside was PACKED, so we decided home sounded like heaven, even though Rene and Darrell decided to head down for the night we played around and had ice cream and all the normal stuff in Seaside then drove home. And Man it was nice to sleep in my own bed:) and not get woke up at 6 in the morning..the one down fall of being out of town is my boys wake me up at the crack of dawn!!
Monday was supposed to be a lazy day but we decided to take the kids to see Night at the Museum 2. It was a really good movie, we had a little snag in the middle tho, some how the fire alarm went off so they evacuated everyone until the fire department came and gave the ok for us to go back in. Then we had to wait for them to find where we were at in the movie, so needless to say we were at the theater for 3 and a half hours instead of 2, that tells you how good a movie it was because the kids sat through the whole thing even after sitting for the extra time in the middle. So we got home just in time to have a quick dinner before Adam and I had softball practice, well I was a little nervous because I haven't played in so long and let me tell you I was right to be!!! The people we play with are SO GOOD, all the girls smack the ball into the outfield on every pitch!! I couldn't believe it!! When I finally went up to bat I barely got the ball past the infield, let alone into the outfield!! How am I ever going to relax enough to enjoy this now??? I guess I just have to remind myself its for fun and nothing else:)
So anyway we had a great weekend full of lots of new things, that hopefully the kids will remember forever, I know I will!!

2009-05-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

I have to give a HUGE Thank You to my sister and my husband today!!! This week has been down right AWFUL in our house.....It started with sick kids and then a sick mom.
I cant remember ever being as sick as I have been this week!!! Rene and Adam really kept eveything under control while I was down in bed for 2 days. Any of you with kids and a house to run understand just what being down for 2 days can do!! Adam stayed home wenesday morning to get the kids off to school and has done his best to make my life easier. Rene has taken care of the boys after school, fed them dinner and called me everyday to make sure I am still alive, which at one point Im sure dying would have been a better alternative:) I really dont know what I would have done without their help this week....so again THank You both so much!! I love you more than you will ever know:) Rene lunch is on me next week when I am back to 100%, you really do more for me than I can ever repay and I am truely lucky to have you as my sister!! I dont tell Adam enough just how much I appreciate everything he does for me, but I am one spoiled and lucky girl!! He is the kind of husband most women dream about and he is all mine:) Thanks again for everything:)

UPdaTe

2009-05-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well in my last post I think I said something about the weather being so wonderful.... Well it didn't last!! Today it is pouring down rain, YUCK. I don't miss much about living in the desert, but I do definitely miss the SUN!!
A lot has happened in the Lulay household in the last month, 3 of us have turned another year older, Adam turned 33, Kyler turned 6 and Addison 10!! Yes April is a busy birthday month around here:) The weekend of Adam and Kylers birthdays we went on a little road trip to Tri Cities and then back around to Kent. We had a great time visiting our friends and Adams brother Jared. I finally got to see my friend Nicole's baby and she was adorable!! THen we spent Adams actual birthday at his parents house in Kent. It turned out to be a lot more driving than we expected but still a great time.
Addisons birthday was last week, WOW my little boy is 10!!! How did that happen?? Someone made the comment that he is a decade old, ok that's going a little far don't ya think?? Anyway my family came to dinner and we had a little party for him, then on friday we took him and Austin and Arianne, and his friend Riley to a movie.... It was a great parenting moment for me!! I just assumed that the movie we were going to was PG, well you know what they say about assuming, right......How did I miss that it was actually a PG-13 movie??? As we were walking out the first thing Addison said was "that was totally inappropriate" Hes such a smarty pants:)At least I was the only parent that didn't know it was PG13, I don't feel so bad now but still. I'm glad most of it went right over Addisons head.....I really didn't want to have to explain condoms and what they are for, or teenage pregnancy, to my 10 year old!!!! 17 Again is DEFINITELY NOT for families!! And I will NEVER make the mistake of assuming a movie is a kid movie again!!

So things should slow down for a while now, no more birthdays in the near future! Now if my kids would just get healthy and stay that way it would be nice!! The stomach flu has made its rounds through the kids...Kyler is the last to get it and he should be fine by tomorrow. I kept him home today just in case he isn't completely over it. He threw up right before bed last night so he is stuck on the couch today even though he says he is fine..I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he is!! Adam and I are supposed to start softball tonight but I'm thinking the weather might postpone it for a while:( I am so excited to play!!!! Iv wanted to for years but Adams work schedule has never let me, with him having friday nights off now and the kids being old enough to go play at the field while we play I finally get to!! I just hope I don't embarrass myself, Its been a long time!! The thought of playing with men kinda scares me too, but I'm still excited!! So wish me luck:)

2009-04-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have decided that my husband, who is WONDERFUL most of the time, is the most indecisive person I have ever met!!!! He has decided(for the moment) to stay at his current job and hope that things get better there. They have landed one big job that he has been working on for the last two weeks and they are hoping to land another big job next week, so we will keep our fingers crossed that they do. The job he is working on now is a night job so I hope it finishes sooner rather than later. I am pretty proud of myself, I guess I am growing up:( I have slept like a baby both nights he has been gone!! Now that I said that i probably jinxed myself but oh well. It used to be that I wouldnt sleep at all when he worked nights in the past, so like i said pretty proud of myself:) Kyler on the other hand is not handleing it so well!! This is really his first experiance of his dad being gone all night, and it doesnt help that about an hour after he gets home from school Adam has to leave. He cried yesterday and today when he left, which makes it hard on Adam, Kyler is his buddy and Adam does EVERYTHING Kyler wants!! But thats another story for another day!!

All in all things are looking up around the Lulay house hold!!! YIPPEE:) I hope it continues, the sun has graced us with its presence and that always makes me happy, and I got my car detailed on monday which turns out was like getting a new car, just a whole lot cheaper!! I hope this content feeling Iv had the last few days means that Adam and I are making the right decisions for our family, Who knew this hole being a responsible adult thing would be so hard!!! Kids should definatly NOT be in a hurry to grow up.

I hope Adam doesnt change his mind again or I will look like a complete idiot, but I think this time hes sure......at least I hope:)

2009-03-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well there isn't much to write about today. It has been a pretty boring week or so. I have been laying low and enjoying time with my little family, something that had been pushed to the back burner recently. I really don't know exactly how it happened, all I know is that I was in a pretty bad funk that I just couldn't seem to shake. When I took a step back and really looked at things I realized exactly why I was so moody and just plain GRUMPY!!!! It all started when we kinda decided that maybe Adam would take a job in another town, and we would only see him on the weekends. MAN I did not realize how much just the thought of this would affect me!! Instead of talking about all my fears about the whole thing I just shut down.. Its way easier for me to pull away from Adam than admit that I'm a big baby and don't know how I will make it through the long days and nights alone( well not really alone but without him) so I consumed myself with other things that were distracting to say the least!!! But distracting in what turns out was a bad way for me. Lesson learned!! Never distract yourself with someone else's problems, because at the end of the day you still have to deal with what it is you are distracting yourself from!!!!

Now its looking more and more like Adam isn't going to leave!!! Which may not be the best for us financially but we always manage to figure it out...somehow. He really hates his current job and I hate that he is so unhappy so I will support whatever decision he makes. I am however so THANKFUL that he loves me and the boys so much that he doesn't want to leave us, and he cares that we are all so happy here besides the job thing. We live about 2 streets away from my wonderful sister and her family and really the thought of not living by them alone is enough to make me want to cry. We have become so close I really don't know what I would do without her. And then there are all the wonderful people we have met here, and the great schools and I could go on and on and on.....If we have to move again I will be crushed but I guess I will survive:) So whoever reads this please pray for Adam to find a job close to home, so we can stay here!!! And if not that I will make it through 3 long months of him being gone all week and yet another move far away from my wonderful family who I cant imagine being separated from again:(

Poor Little Men:(

2009-03-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

Its been a pretty lousy weekend in the Lulay household to say the least!! It all started on Friday. Kyler woke up telling me that he didnt want to go to school, which should have been the first clue to me that something was wrong, but I just figured that he was tired and sent him on his way. I work in his class on Fridays so I told him if he still didnt feel good when I got there I would take him home. While I was there he had a mini melt down, nothing to worry about, or so I thought. That night Austin babysat for us so Darrell, Rene, Adam and I could all go out to dinner, when we got home around 9 Kyler was already asleep.....Mind you Kyler is always the last to fall asleep!! Addison told us that he had fallen asleep before dinner and then again shortly after. So now I am putting it all together!! Great now we have probably infected the Woodland family as well!! Poor Kyler had a temp of 103 most of the day saturday.
Ethan and Kyler sleep together every night, since Kyler was sick I told Ethan he had to sleep alone last night which made him have a full scale melt down!!! Addison came to the rescue and said Ethan could sleep with him. So around 3 this morning I got a wake up call from Ethan, Im thinking great now Ethan is sick, but no, He tells me Addison is crying for me and cant walk, GREAT. So I give him medicine and tell Ethan he had to go back to his own bed, since Kyleris sleeping with me, he should be safe from the bug, right...NOPE!!! So around 1o this morning I am laying in bed trying to comfort Kyler and catch up on some sleep that I missed taking care of Addison and Ky all night and Ethan comes in lays down and tells me hes tired. I felt his head and sure enough he was burning up. So now I have 3 sick little boys. Kyler keeps telling me he is fine but he hasnt gotten off the couch in 2 days....so not fine!! Addison seems to have gotten the least of it so Im hopeing he will be fine by tomorrow. Ethan and Kyler look just horrible!! The worst part about it is we were supposed to go visit Adams family this weekend and had to miss all the fun. I feel so bad for them because they had been looking forward to it all week:(
Hopefully this will pass quickly!! Next week is a very busy week around here. All 3 boys have music programs at school that they will be sooo bummed if they have to miss!! So no fun around here this weekend, Hopefully Adam and I wont get this bug too. I have to say the boys have been really good patients:) It is awful that they are all sick at once but I guess its kinda a good thing to, at least we get it over with.
Rene~ I hope we didnt get your family sick!! Im so sorry if we did!!

Here goes....Hope you enjoy:)

2009-02-11T13:46:00.000-08:00

Well I have been trying to start blogging for a while now and every time I do I end up deleting it thinking who would want to read this, so today I am trying yet again. This time I am going to post it for sure....

My kids mean the world to me and I am constantly amazed by them. That being said sometimes I wonder if anything I try to teach them ever gets through!! Most days I feel like I am the "Polite Police". Today I got to see that my son really does listen ....sometimes. When I dropped Addison off at school this morning I watched as he walked up to the door, there were a couple girls a good distance behind him, he opened the door and held it for them!!! I have to say it made me sooooo Pround to watch my son be such a gentleman:). Today was his VIP lunch so I went and ate with him, it was so nice to sit and talk with him. He truly is an AWESOME kid. He wants to be the best at everything he does and tries hard to be, I wish I had half of his imagination and creativity!! And the fact that he wanted to have lunch with me today and actually talked to me instead of his friends ment the world to me:)

Ok I was not going to post about this but I just have to!! I havent laughed this hard in a very long time... I volunteer in all the boys classes and today was my day in Ethans. His teacher asked me to do some testing so I called the kids out in the hall one at a time and asked them each a few questions about what they have been learning. So 1 of the questions was to name a kind of Penguin. My neice Lindsay informed me that there is a macaroni penguin( who knew) And then there was the ever popular emporer penguin, Then my dear friend came out into the hall to test, when I asked him to name a type of penguin,without even hesitating he said jack ass penguin.....I just about died!! I said are you sure and he looked at me like I was a complete idiot and said well its also called a black footed penguin but jack ass too. after I contained myself(mind you he was still looking at me like I was a jack ass) I said between you and me if your teacher asks you to name a kind of penguin you should say black footed:) Gotta love first graders!!!