The Birthday Celebration Weekend - Part 1

As I mentioned, this past weekend we ventured up north of Seattle to visit my family. It was the weekend of the annual cousin birthday party which is one family party for three of four kids who have birthdays within weeks of each other. Kaylen is a February birthday, their cousin, Mikayla, is in March and Kelton is an April baby so instead of three parties and three trips here and there and everywhere, we combine them. A win-win for everyone one except the August birthday boy, Parker, who is 6 months younger than Kaylen. Maybe next year we should move his birthday so he doesn't feel left out. :)

Dakota decided it would be fun to take an extra day and have a little more time so we hit the road first thing Thursday morning. We decided to stop at The Rainforest Cafe in Southcenter which is a favorite place of ours. We had a really fun lunch and since we were there right when they opened at 11AM, we were allowed to pick where we sat. The kids decided to put us at the table directly in front of the elephants. Big fun!

From there we drove about an hour further and had a short visit with my Dad. He is home from the Rehab Center (he came home about 2 weeks ago) so it was nice to see him in his own place again. He is still in a wheelchair and still has his neck brace on. His leg, while out of the cast, cannot yet have weight on it. His apartment has been modified so that he can get around and he has a home health aide in daily to help him. He is so happy to be home again - and his cat is happy to have him home! (His cat was staying with my sister who says she was all too happy to send him home but I think the canister of Pounce cat treats still in her house says otherwise. *grin*)

After the visit we continued our trek North. We made a stop so Dakota could get her hair cut (Oh I know! We know how to vacation, don't we?) and then continued our way to our final destination for the day; my brother's house on Camano Island.

The kids had energy to burn so it was out to the trampoline for some high jumping fun which was quickly followed by some free child labor garden work. Really, the only people who did the work was James and Cara but still - the kids "helped".

Any guesses what happened next? :)

That's right! One rake in the face. He really should have listened to me when I told him what would happen. :) :)

From there it was Wii games, a trip to the hot tub, dinner and bed. It was a long day for everyone!

Still more to come.....I know you are on pins and needles. :)

Out of Touch

Sorry to disappear on you for a few days there. We went out of town to see my family for a long weekend and just got back this afternoon. Thanks for the many emails that were sent to check up on us - we're ok.

There is no news to share yet except this; Kelton is on spring break! YAY!!!

Her spring break was last week and she spent three days of it studying after work and then the last two days up in the Seattle area with us. At least we had her to ourselves for a couple days - that's better than none.

Back to unpacking and settling in. :)

Kelton's Weight

It's down again.

Next step is meeting with a nutritionist.

To recap his weight chart:
Sept 64lb
Dec 31 58lbs
week 1 57.5lbs
week 2 59lbs
week 3 58lbs

Feb 25th 57.9
March 25th 56.7

*sigh*

Poor little boy - after talking with the doc and setting up next steps we were on the way out of the building and he looked at me and said "Mom? Does this mean I will die soon?"

I told him absolutely not! This would not make him die. We just needed to find a way to get more food into him. He looked relieved. And I swear my heart broke into a trillion tiny pieces.

My poor baby. :(

A $7.00 Part

Why is it that a part you think should be a $7.00 part is more than 6 times that amount? Plus shipping.

A week ago the handle to our dryer lost its mind and popped out. Yeah yeah - it's worked hard for years and all but come on! It's not like it had a tough life.

I taped it in well enough to still function and then set about finding a replacement for it. No kidding - it's 4 inches by 2 inches. Tiny. necessary - but tiny.

I found it for the lowest price at PartSelect.com and yet it was still a staggering $35.86 plus shipping. I swear to you this thing couldn't possibly cost that much make. I'm betting $0.54 to make. I would have happily paid $7.00 for it.

I begrudgingly paid $35.86 plus shipping.

It arrived today and I snapped it into its new home. Doesn't it look nice?

But it sure doesn't look $35.86 nice! :)

Tuesday

Kaylen is busy today playing doctor to her babies. It's been a favorite game for a while now and in fact, last week it actually caused an argument with one of her playmates who told her that only boys could be doctors. Boy oh boy did she put up a fuss for that one! :) It wouldn't really surprise me if one day down the road when she was grown if she started looking into healthcare training institutes. She does enjoy all things medical - and is always the first one to jump at the chance to get a band aid for someone who might need one.

It isn't unusual to go into the living room to find several "examination rooms" set up and several babies in the waiting room. Let's just say she has gotten a lot of use from the doctor kit that Kelton received for his second birthday. :)

Here is a photo I took of her a couple weeks ago. She wanted a nurses outfit made like one she saw in a book. Mommy isn't exactly artsy but I think I did well enough. :)

Buying on Facebook?

Has anyone else noticed that you can buy real stuff through Facebook? I have seen ads every now and again but have paid little attention but the new format highlighted the fact that I could buy a present to send to someone on my friends list who is celebrating a birthday. It got me thinking.....what else can you buy with just the click of the mouse while catching up with the latest news of friends who post on Facebook?

Can you buy vases and have them shipped to someone? Can you buy sinks and maybe even arrange to have them installed? What about jewelry? Can you get someone a gift card to Starbucks? Or maybe their local mall?

Maybe I'm not cool enough to know that you can buy real stuff through the Facebook site. I just assumed it was virtual stuff only but from the looks of the ads - it's real stuff.

Is Facebook the new "One Stop Shopping" place?

Has anyone clicked on those links for buying things? I'm just curious as to how it all works and I'm too hesitant to actually click on the links myself. :)

Just Another Rainy Monday

I'm in a funk today and I have no real reason why. Nothing has happened. Nothing is looming ahead. I'm just....out of sorts. I didn't sleep all that well. For some unknown reason I was awake within an hour of falling asleep. And then an hour later. And then Kaylen was awake and calling me and then she was needing something every two hours for the rest of the night. She woke up later than usual and she was unusually quiet this morning. I thought "Uh oh. She's going to come down with something." but then by 10:30 she was her happy little self and wanted to go to gymnastics. She's been fine ever since.

Kaylen's gymnastics class, which I usually enjoy, bored the crud out of me today and it seemed to last forever.

When we arrived home, the guys who I hired to thatch and aerate the front lawn (I have hopes of a moss-free, decent looking front yard this year. Dream on, right?) had finished the job. Since I didn't want to pay $50 for them to rake up at the thatched mess I got to work on that. Kaylen was my trusty helper and we were done in about an hour. Good heavens that was a lot of work and not really what my back needed (it's been a tough couple weeks pain wise with my back/nerves and I finally went to the doc last week and was given meds to help get me through the flair up) but since I already paid $48 for the work they did I just couldn't see paying $50 more to have them rake. Well - I couldn't *at the time*. I could totally see the reason after I finished the job. :) But finish it Kaylen and I did. Then we tossed down some grass seed just in time for the rain to start falling.

With only two hours before Kelton was due home I got to work on folding laundry and various other chores that needed to be done. I can't begin to tell you how much I wish I could have instead curled up in a comfy Berkline chair and hang out and watch movies. Rainy days just beckon to that type of behavior, don't they?

But nope - not today. *sigh*

One good thing happened today though - I received a settlement check for a whopping $48.99 for the Airborne Class Action Suit. I had totally forgotten that I filed a claim on that a couple years ago. Sure - it's not a ton of money but it's something. Why the class action suit? Basically because the company made false claims on what the product could do. They sent info to me a couple years ago and I signed it, attached my receipts and sent it back. And then forgot all about it.

I guess that's all I have right now. I can hear the munchkins going nutty in the other room so it's time to go settle them down and then hustle them off to bed soon. Hopefully there will be more sleep to be had tonight. Here's hoping!

Eeeeeeew!!

This week the carpets got the better of me. This week a coupon book arrived in my mailbox with a great coupon for a carpet cleaning company in the area. This week I picked up the phone and made an appointment.

No, it's not like we had the extra funds to shell out but this is a better time than most what with it being tax season (or as I like to call it "Give us back our money" season) and all. And let me say again - it was a great deal. Such a great deal that I had my doubts on the quality but figured at this point we had very little to lose. Even a little cleaner was cleaner than it was.

The appointment was set for today between 12-2. I arrived home from my playgroup at 11:45 and the truck was sitting in my driveway. Prompt. Always good.

And it was a good thing I got the house ready *before* I left.

They got to work quickly and pre-treated for free because well.....it was clear the living room needed it. Yes, my friends, it's been more than 4 years since our carpets have been professionally cleaned. Prior to baby #2 arriving and the start of law school we had them cleaned annually and then we cleaned in between. We've been using our Bissell but well.......yeah. It doesn't hold a candle to the truck mounted steam cleaning.

Allow me to show you what it looked like prior to cleaning and after cleaning.


And believe me when I say this photo doesn't do the clean side justice. I had *almost* made myself believe the carpet was supposed to be a beige color instead of off-white though I knew in my heart of hearts that was not the case. But now? Oh but now!

Sweet clean carpets. This girl is one happy camper. :)

Family Fun Night

And you will never guess where!

McDonald's. That's right. McDonald's.

When we were there last week I noticed a sign in the drive thru area announcing Wednesday Evening Family Fun Nights. Each week will have different activities starting at 5:30pm and it's totally free.

I don't know if all McDonald's are doing this but I know ours is. :)

Since it was an early release day for Kelton yesterday and we were all feeling a little restless by late afternoon, I decided that it would be fun to try it out. I am so glad we went.

The event started out with a craft project (paper plates and streamers made a fun "windsock" for their rooms) and then a science project (they made flubber). We ended up the time playing (many games of) BINGO.

Even though about mid-way through the BINGO game Kaylen started asking to go home (and by the second game I was playing all four of their BINGO cards) the kids still had a really good time. Thankfully we BINGO'd on the last game so we ended the evening with both kids getting a much sought after prize.

It was fun and both kids have already put in a request to "do it again next time!".

New Pages

I seem to have lost whatever scrapbooking "edge" I might have had once upon a time and darn it if I can't seem to find it. I think I've decided to look into taking an online class to see if I can (re)spark my creativity but in the meantime - this is what I did today.

credit: Jen Wilson's Fronzen Tundra

Credit: Shawna Clingerman's Power Puff Girls

Looking at them again, they aren't as bad as I first thought but they definitely lack "something".

Oh For The Love of Tape!

Kaylen has discovered scotch tape and lately, just as it did when Kelton was 4, it is flying off the rolls as she wraps things to have "birthday parties" and uses it on art projects. Yesterday, though, I saw something that brought me right back to the height of Kelton's tape obsession. Take a look.

This was common for Kelton:


And now, apparently, for Kaylen as well:


Do you think it's genetic? :)

She Told You What?!?

Kelton and Kaylen have been excited beyond believe about St. Patrick's Day. We've talked and talked and talked about it, wearing green and especially about the leprechauns.

Today when Kelton arrived home he brought with him the art/writing project of the day and, no surprise, it centered around St. Patrick's Day. The surprise came bursting forth when he read it to me.



It says:
Who: Leprechaun is a kind of male faerie.
Where: They (are) said to inhabit the island of Ireland.
What: They are not real.

Read that last line again: They are not real.

WHAT?? Who said she can steal the magic of childhood that some parents allow their children to believe? WE allow them to believe and I am a little pissed off that she took it upon herself to say otherwise.

I asked Kelton how she knew for sure they weren't real and he said "I don't think she does because *I* think they're real."

Which is fine and dandy but still.......but STILL!

I would love to take all the "magic stealers" who insist on ruining things for kids who *want* to believe and lock them up behind a nice sturdy aluminum fence installation.

Seriously. Ruin it for your own kid but don't ruin it for mine.

What's next? The Tooth Fairy?

*side note: I think "faerie" is as weird way to teach 1st graders in the United States how to spell fairy. I'm just saying....not that it isn't "technically" correct.......

St. Patrick's Day Greeting!

It's St. Patrick's Day - are you wearing green? I wouldn't want to have to reach through this computer screen and pinch any of you. :)

It's yet another rainy morning here and I'm finding it difficult to feel motivated to do anything more than read blogs, catch up on Facebook and drink cup after cup of coffee. A big kudos to those of you who hit the floor running to your treadmill this morning. I tip my Irish Green cap to you. I hear the sun is supposed to make a limited engagement appearance this afternoon and if it does maybe I'll muster the energy to take Kaylen on a bike ride. (Well - she rides and I have to try to keep up with her on foot. Darn her for learning to ride so well - it's getting to be quite the challenge.)

I was hoping to go to my moms club get together today but Kaylen appears to have a cold. A runny nose, sneezes and a cough are a dead give away, I suppose. *sigh* I'm glad that she will be over it by the time we head up to Seattle for the big "cousin birthday bash" in a couple weeks but her timing for this week isn't the greatest. A couple friends and I were hoping to get together tomorrow for a Scrapping Day but I have my doubts I'll be able to attend. It was cancelled last week due to one of the grown ups being sick. I guess it just isn't destined to be.

I sent an email last night to let them know I most likely will have to cancel and I jokingly said that I wish we had video conferencing capabilities. That way I could be here scrapping and they could be there scrapping and yet we could still chit chat and hang out. If only..... :)

Time to get another cup of coffee so I will bid you farewell and wish you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

My Puddle Girl

credit: Dani Mogstadt "Don't Rain on My Parade"


And the rest.....





And in case you are wondering - boots wash up in the washing machine quite nicely. When she took these off I actually poured the muddy water out of them. Eeeeeew! :)

Look Who Came to Dinner!

A few weeks ago I was reading Audra's blog and discovered that she and her partner were heading up this way from Southern California. In her blog posting she suggested meeting up with me on their way through and I, of course, jumped at the chance to finally meet this person I knew only through my computer screen.

I'm not sure how we stumbled across each other originally- that's the joy and fun of blogging; you get to "meet" people from all over the world!

They ended up driving from the land of Mickey Mouse and arrived in town early in the morning Friday. By late Friday afternoon, they were sitting in our living room. So much fun!!

I'm sure by the time pizza was on the table they were thanking their lucky stars they don't (yet) have children as our two were all about getting a cheap laugh and stealing as much attention as they could get. The kids even disappeared into Kelton's room for a bit where much quiet talk took place. The next we saw of them they had "switched lives" with Kaylen becoming Kelton and Kelton becoming Kaylen. Like I said - they also go for the cheap laughs and laughs they did indeed get. Silly kids.




You may note that they incorporated Disneyland into their theme of dressing up which was done in honor of our Disneyland loving guests. The kids really enjoyed sharing their memorabilia of their trips (a few years back) and talking about all the things they could remember.

Audra and Dylan were so sweet and brought gifts for the kids. Among them was a DVD Disney Bingo game so we ended our time together with a few games. It was so much fun and since they left, we have played many, many, many games. Needless to say, it was a huge hit! (Thank you, guys!!)

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends who honestly didn't feel like "new" friends. It's amazing how connected you can be when the only contact you had ever had was via the computer. I'm usually uncomfortable around new people until I get to know them but as soon as they arrived I was instantly at ease. Dakota and Dylan are both in law school so much of dinner was taken up with "law talk". Audra and I eventually moved into the living room and left them to their "torts, con law, etc. talk.

It was sad to say goodbye but we are so glad they were able to stop and visit. And we all hope they will come back again another time.

Have a great time in Forks, guys! I can't wait to hear all about your "adventure" there! :) :) :)

Sunday

We were feeling restless yesterday so after a much needed trip to Costco, we headed down to one of our favorite malls. We hit a few shops like Crazy 8 (and bought Kelton a few new shirts)and The Disney Store (where we bought flip flops which were 2 pair for $8). We walked by lots of other shops like shoe stores, sleep number bed stores and even a wedding dress shop (which I find funny to have in a mall but whatever....). On our stroll up and down the mall the kids set their sights on one of the Fun Foto booths and wanted their pictures taken.

The climbed in and had their 4 pictures taken and then we decided a family photo strip would be fun. We all squeezed in and here is what we got. Please notice how silly the boy child is. :)

Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone!

Isn't this funny? I couldn't believe he let me take his picture but you have to agree that he is just too much. :) Silly little man.

His accessories lasted about as long as it took me to hit the button on the camera. I love moments like this - where he just throws himself into whatever is there. (Though between you and me - I think he only put on all this stuff to torment his sister who wanted it all for herself. Whatever. I think it's a funny picture.) He was quite a sight with the dress up stuff mixed with his "Extreme Skate" black sweat shirt. :)

These Boots Were Made for Walking

Lovin' the boots! :)

(Pay no attention to the Santa shirt. It's Christmas all year long around here. :) )

Another Sunny Day

The sun is shining so it MUST be summer, right? Well - if you are 4 years old this is exactly what it means. Who cares that it's 54 and windy?

Kaylen desperately wanted to go outside (in fact, she is still out there. I'm too cold to be out there any longer so I'm in uploading photos and blogging) so out we went. I love the way she entices me by saying in her oh so sweet little voice "You can take pictures of me!" How can I resist?

So here you go - pictures of my darling girl.

Look at those eyes! Look closely; one is blue and one is green.

Climbing a tree? Nah - more like hugging a tree. :)

This would be *after* running across the yard and slipping in the muddy grass.

Ever the gardener girl - she is already planning her garden.

*sigh* Isn't she adorable? :)