April is Over

I cannot believe it is the last day of April. This month went by so fast. And I cannot even begin to express how elated I am about this. Every day that passes brings us one day closer to the Oregon Coast! Every year for the past 7 or 8 years, my whole family vacations together in Lincoln City. It is seriously the highlight of my year. We have stayed in a few different houses, every year someone either gets married or has a baby, or both. I think we finally have one that fits us well. I almost can't stand thinking about it to much because I want to go so bad! This year Kent and I are going to leave a few days early and take the kids here. It will be nice to break the trip up a bit, and when we go from Beaverton to Lincoln City, we drive through lots of beautiful farms with fruit and vegetable stands. We have never stopped before, but this year we will for sure. Here are a few pictures from last year, Amy and Lisa need to post some, their pictures are always way better than mine. I usually figure Amy will take enough for all of us with her super nice camera.

Our first day there! It is the best feeling the first time you walk down to the beach...


Steve called the Coast Guard to see if we could tour the boats, this was right outside the boat house


This is a picture of the kids on the boat, they all had a chance to pretend to drive it. The girl that took us on the tour was super nice and answered my mom's 20 million questions!


This picture cracks me up, they all look like they hate their lives, but we were actually having a good time


Good looking family! We went to visit a lighthouse, the view was amazing. Just below us were some tide pools


Everyone went down to see the tide pools. If I remember right, the tide was coming in so we didn't stay too long. I had flip flops on, so walking around on the rocks was not so much fun


Our annual trip to, as Colton calls it, The Aclarium


Looking at the tide pools at the Aquarium, I much prefer these to the real ones.


Every year on the way home we stop somewhere different to let the kids get out and play. I think its more about extending the vacation as long as we can. Last year we went to the Enchanted Forest. Man, it was so much fun.


Kent, Colton, and Aubrey going down the slide in the Old Woman's Shoe


Cranpa teaching Colton how to shoot


Kids on the Bumper Boats

For the Love!

For the love of everything clean and pure! Aubrey leave your diaper on!! She totally just walked in to the family room, Naked as a Jay Bird with her pink sunglasses on and her fingers covered in lipstick. I don't know what I am gonna do with this kid. She is a streaker in the making. This morning she came waddling in the kitchen with both of her legs through one leg hole of Colton's underwear. I of course instructed her to go get her diaper. When she turned around to walk away, you could see her little cheeks right through the other leg hole. At least that time was entertaining. But holy cow, by the end of the day, I saw more backside than I cared to. Tonight when I was making dinner, she stripped, and ran outside to the front yard where Kent was mowing the lawn. I don't think he found it humorous. Seriously, all day this girl was either ripping off her diaper or getting into my purse, or lucky me, both.

After I gave her and Colton a bath tonight, I put her jammies on and we went in to Colton's room to get him dressed next. She got a pair of his underwear for him and held them down and open between her two hands, just like I do, to help him put them on. It was so funny. At least I know she understands the concept of clothing.

It was nice to see them cooperating, after the day they had together. I am in disbelief at how much they have started hitting each other. The sad part is, it usually starts with Aubrey. As soon as I begin, some would say raising my voice, I would say instructing them with a firm, clear voice, to stop hitting each other and use their words, they immediately start spitting at each other. Every. Single. Time.

But at the end of the day, I know I am blessed that these are some of the biggest obstacles I have to overcome. And I must say thank you to all who donate their time in the form of adult conversation. With out you, I would be clinically insane.

I have been wanting to take some pictures of the kids for awhile now. The weather was great Saturday, so I dressed Aubrey in some of her new cute clothes, and began the bargining with Colton for cooperation. We of course, settled on a toy. When we got outside he did ok, Aubrey wouldn't do it at all. Finally, she was listening to me, and what do ya know? Colton wouldn't stop moving around, and being a total pill.

These are a few of the pictures I snapped after I told him it looked like the toy would be staying at the store.






The interest is in his face is in response to a second chance for a toy. Amazing how quickly the tears dried up.

Aubrey was not the best subject, but I liked this one alot, I kept telling her to smell the flowers, and every time she tried to blow them out like candles.

Top 10 Reasons I'm Glad I'm Not Rich

The other day Kent and I were just hanging out with the kids, not doing much. Kent went upstairs for awhile and when he came back down, his mood had done a 180. I asked what was wrong, hoping it wasn't the fact that our bedroom floor still looks like a dressing room, and he simply said "I did the bills." And immediately, I think, oh yeah, that'll do it to ya. So I decided to make a list that will help me be grateful for our financial situation in life.


1. My kids will learn the value of money. Whining incessantly only gets them the $10 toy, if they want one that costs more than that, they have to earn it, or be resourceful and ask their grandparents.

2. If I had a lot of money, I might travel. Traveling would lead to the realization that the Tri-Cities is ugly and smelling. This could result in my moving away. Too many lives would be affected by my absence. (I guess that is why everyone else should be glad I'm not rich)

3. If I had a fair share of money, I might feel like I need to donate some. I can't imagine how long it would take me to pick an organization to donate to. Now, we just pay for everyone else who doesn't pay taxes. Thanks to the government, the choice is made for us!

4. If I had an endless bank account, I would probably have a huge closet full of clothes, shoes, purses, etc. Again, the decision of what to wear would be so vast, a person like me would never make it out of the massive room that would be my closet. Good thing now I just have to decide which t-shirt and flip flops to put on.

5. If my account runneth over, I would have a cleaning lady. This would hinder my ability to appreciate the endless tasks of having a family. I would take for granted the pleasure one receives in cleaning pee of the bathroom floor, washing dishes, vacuuming, and so on. I would never know what an accomplishment it is to wash, fold, and actually put away a load of laundry.

6. If I had tons of money, I wouldn't be able to tell who my real friends were. At least now I know the people who hang out with me like me for who I am. Or they just don't have anything better to do.

7. If I were rich, Kent would be rich. This would lead to endless trips to ski resorts, owning a boat, a Mustang collection, going out whenever we wanted. And really, who wants that? I like things just the way they are, few and far between.

8. If we were debt free, Kent and I would have one less thing to talk about. No more, fighting about money, wondering how we would make it to next Friday, what we should pay off first. These things enrich our lives together. If these conversations were non existent, so would be a chunk of who we are as a couple.

9. If money were no object, I would never cook again. And where some who have eaten at my house might fail to see the problem with that, it could indeed have some serious negative side effects. I can't think of any now, but I'm sure there has to be some.

10. If the cash flow was a flowin, who am I kidding, it would be freakin awesome.

Colton being Colton

Colton told me "Here mom, watch this". I watched as he rubbed Vader's ears. Then he asked "Did you hear him say it feels good?" What would I do without this kid!

The slide, the boy, and the girl

This is a story about a

and aand a

The

and the



the

.
The

pushed the

off the top of the
.
She
.

The

wouldn't get back on the

for a whole day.

Then she got over it.

Aubrey's Birthday Party

Ta-Da! Here is Aubrey's Toy Story 2 birthday cake. Lisa looked at a picture of Andy's headboard on the internet, drew it, and cut it out with an exacto knife. I am so thankful she is so talented, with out her, I would have had nothing but a big blue rectangle.


It was so hard to find a good angle. The pictures don't do it justice. The lamp, table, and rug were made out of fondant. The table and lamp didn't look exactly like that when I made them, but because I waited until the day before, they didn't really have time to dry.


Right after I put the cake together I started clearing out a shelf in the fridge so I would have somewhere to put it. I turned away for what felt like 30 seconds and Aubrey shoved the straw legs right through my little bed side table. I was not so happy. The table already had enough issues.


I know, how many pictures can you take of one cake.


So, opening presents is always a fiasco with so many other kids. I told them to scoot back a million times. I was so squished, I sweat for probably the second time in my life, and again physical activity played no part in that.


If you look closely you can see she is holding a toy cell phone. Payson and Macy gave it to her, and after she opened it, it was almost impossible to get her to open anything else. I would give her a new present but she just kept saying "Open Peese, Open Peese". Finally her Grandpa Lo granted her wishes.


We told her over and over, "blow out the candles, Aubrey, blow, hoooo" She just kinda kept looking at us and sticking her fingers in her mouth. Finally she gave the most pathetic blow. It was pretty cute, but it wouldn't have even moved a feather. Thank goodness for Spencer and Graycie, we could have been there for a long time.


See, there's the fingers in the mouth. She does that when she gets shy.


Diggin' in. Not to toot my own horn, but holy cow, that cake was good. I talked about it all day Sunday!


Is she cute or what?!


Aubrey with her classic "CHEESE" face!

My Kids

Since I made my List of things Aubrey, I keep thinking about all of the other things I wished I would have added. I was remembering how people at stores always used to say what pretty blues eyes she has, or what adorable dimples. The old grandma and grandpa type would especially be drawn to her. It made me realize that now, when I am at the store the looks are quite different. They look at me like the are rehearsing what they will tell the 911 dispatcher. "The little girl was kicking and screaming, yelling NO! MAMA!, trying so hard to get away, I just didn't know what to do, the little girl was wearing a pink shirt and jeans, and the lady who was taking her was wearing sweats and what could have been a mans t-shirt." At some point I think they must talk themselves out of it, rationalizing that only the child's real mother would allow herself to be so publicly humiliated. But I know they are making a mental note to watch the news for any stolen children.


Colton is currently obsessed with his Lego Star Wars video game. Kent had helped him beat the game along time ago, they would try and play a level everyday together. Since beating the game they had earned lots of coins and bought a bunch of Colton's favorite characters. Well, one day I was letting him play and Kent wasn't home. I kept telling him to wait for his dad, that I don't know anything about video games and I wouldn't be able to help him with anything. Whatda ya know, about 5 minutes into playing and he needed help. I tried to help him, and BAM. All the hours they spent playing were gone. I pushed one wrong button and they were back at square one. I was completely oblivious to what I had done. Now, when I lay down with him at night he asks me to tell him the story of when I lost all his guys on purpose. I have been letting him play during Aubrey's nap, so now he asks all morning if it is her nap time yet. Today in his cute big brother voice he was asking her if she was tired at 10:00am


Kent took this right before his first Tee Ball game yesterday


His first up at bat. It was pretty cute, I can't get over how big the helmets are on the kids.
After the game we went out for ice cream with family and friends for Aubery's birthday.

List of Things Aubrey

I can't believe my little neeny Aubrey is two! Time flies when you're having fun. Having said that, from the looks of her attitude these past few weeks, it is going to be one long year. Aubrey is such a character, I wish I would have made a video list instead. I know when I look back on this and read about her quirks I will remember what she looked like, and how she said certain things. But for those of you who don't see her that often, well, you will lose a lot in translation. She is not just any two year old, she is an experience. And I love her for that. Without further ado, here is my List of Things Aubrey

*She was born April 17th, 2006, weighing in at 8lbs 8oz

*She can already do a mean somersault

*She only says the beginning part of a word, for example, Vader is Vay, Colton is Co, more is mo, etc.

*She loves the song "Do as I'm Doing"

*She can out dance anyone when Power Rangers comes on

*Her face is so full of expressions

*She has the cutest dimples

*A phrase I hear all the time, "Ah Ty-Ty hit"

*She loves to play "Cheeks" and "Shoulders" with her Da

*I love to watch her brush the hair out of her face, she does it with both hands at the same time, it always makes me smile

*Ever since she was a baby she has played with my hair to fall asleep, now not only does she run her fingers through it, she often tries to shove her toes in there too

*She throws things when she gets mad

* She tries to copy everything Colton does

*She likes to put on as many articles of clothing as she can

*Whenever I am going to change her diaper she either hides or pretends to be sleeping

*LOVES Toy Story 2 and Aristocats

*If you don't hear her, she is doing 1 of 2 things, going through someone's purse, or getting into makeup

*She yells "Mama" over and over, louder and louder until I say "What?"

I thought this list was going to be hard to make, now it is just hard to stop. She keeps life exciting and full of emotion. And from the looks of her at 2, heaven help us when she is 13. You better start praying for us now!

For Negative Eyes Only

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

We all have our personal complaints about ourselves
(complaints below are not all necessarily mine)

• I wish my teeth were straighter, whiter
• I wish my legs weren't comparable to stumps
• I wish I wasn't going bald
• I wish I wasn't chubby
• I wish I wasn't so hairy
• I wish I looked like I did when I got married

So, here's the thing, I'm good with the complaints, I totally get it. My problem lies with the "Suggestions" or the "Help" people want to offer. And I just want to tell those people to shove it where the sun doesn't shine. I don't want any help, I want to wallow in my misery of unhappiness, and this is why. I don't want to have to do anything different than I am now. I don't want to get 4 teeth pulled so I can get braces, I don't want to exercise, I don't want to count calories and eat nasty salad. I want to be how I used to be, I want to go back and appreciate my life before I had kids. That is just it. Nothing more, nothing less. I am lazy and want things to be how I want just because I want them that way. And for the record, all of you people with your "Suggestions" if people wanted your help they would ask. Most of us with these complaints are simply making statements, NOT asking questions. I hope no one was offended, but if you were, in the voice of Simon "Sorry, it's just my opinion" and it's my blog dang it!

Fishing Trip to Rainbow Lake

Me forcing the kids to take a picture with me, obviously Aubrey never got on board


I was giving Kent a hard time, he had been sitting there straight faced, I told him I wanted to capture his true feelings about the trip, and I got my first smile of the day!


Lisa and I taking a picture of each other taking a picture of each other(I think that's right)


Kent showing Colton how to bait his hook


Just ANOTHER false alarm, we had some bites, but their pole never actually reeled in a fish


He wanted to smile, but I told him to just act natural


Lisa and Tyson were having a Model Walk-Off, Aubrey is in the background trying to figure out how she can sneak more of my mom's soda


Throwin back a cold one, man style


What do you mean how many have I had?


The view from where we were sitting


Grandpa and Tyson


Lisa and I took Aubrey, Colton, and Tyson on a walk, along the way we found some dogs


This is what happened because I made her come back to where we were fishing, she rolled around in the dirt and threw rocks at me when I tried to take her picture


Colton's Eye View....he asked if he could take a few pictures