memorable memorial

I read another mother's account once of the perfect outing with the kids. They went and had a day of fun and there was no whining, no crying, no fighting, no complaining. She said that she was glad to have that one perfect memory to always think about.

I thought maybe they had entered the Twilight Zone.

If that is so, we found our own portal to the Twilight Zone on Monday, because now I am happy to report we had our own perfect outing for Memorial Day.

This is the true account of my own perfect day:
We had a picnic lunch and played at the playground for a while. Natalie got to try swings for the first time.

After we did that we were off to the main event for the kids: carnival rides.

Cali could barely squeeze her knees into the plane.

I guess this is the last year for that ride for her.

Then came the part that surprised me.

Do you see Cali peeking over her bar on the Ferris Wheel?

Cali and Kimi rode it together. Ian and Scott went in another seat. I thought for sure we would get someone crying and want to get down when they got stopped on top, (that's why I don't ride it) but they all loved it.





Then it was off to the Merry-Go-Round.
After some more time walking around in the park and playing on the playground it got pretty hot and we took the kids home.

On the way, Scott decided to introduce them to what they called "smurpees."

It was unanimously voted in as a new part of our Memorial Day traditions.
The End.

foraging

As soon as I start making dinner, Natalie wants to eat, NOW.

I can try to start dinner earlier, but its not the time that matters. Her hunger is signaled by the sound of me working in the kitchen.

A few nights ago she was rustling around in the pantry closet as I was making dinner, and I heard the "whoosh" of something being poured onto the ground.

It really is too bad you can't hear the "mmm" noises she was making or get the affect of how proud she seemed to be about feeding herself.

Since the picture also showed her usually scraggly-hairdo, (please, grow hair!) and adds to her poor neglected child look, I thought I would put in another photo that shows her cute little pigtails she wears sometimes.

It involves a wrestling hold and a lot of jelly beans bribes though, so it's not an every day occurance.

the boy who lived

Look who has come to visit us now.

Harry Potter has been here for the past three days.

Don't worry if you forget to call him "Harry." He'll remind you.

At first I didn't realize what he was doing as he was waving a pencil at things at yelling, "NINTENDO!" ("flipendo," for you muggles)

Then he starting sneaking around looking for lotions (potion) to drink.

That was about when he came and introduced himself to me.

Now he has put together his whole ensemble and I don't think Ian will be back for a while.

Harry is very well mannered though, as well as entertaining, so I told him he can visit as long as he wants.

geeks unite!

This collage was inserted only for attention getting-purposes. Kimi is not a geek. :)

Did you know that it is GEEK PRIDE DAY today?

I feel like asserting some of my rights as a geek.

I didn't make these up, but you would think so from how well they apply to me.

Rights:

1. The right to be even geekier.
2. The right to not leave your house.
3. The right to not like football or any other sport.
4. The right to associate with other nerds.
5. The right to have few friends (or none at all).
6. The right to have as many geeky friends as you want.
7. The right to be out of style.
8. The right to be overweight and near-sighted.
9. The right to show off your geekiness.
10. The right to take over the world.

HAPPY GEEK PRIDE DAY!

a knockout

Remember the night I attacked the stair railing, and it won?

I went back for round two, and round three, and round four and ended up with this:
Much better. I must say. Perhaps "knockout" is a little too strong of an adjective, but I didn't have time to think of a wittier post title.

After I had battled with it some more after that first night, Scott decided it was time to take it outside.

Really outside.
The sight of the banister missing was kind of weird.

I actually liked it, but then envisioned little Natalie plunging over the side to the bottom.

I decided having it gone wouldn't be prudent.
I told Kimi to blame Ian in the picture.

It came pretty naturally.
So anyways, we coated it with an orange paint stripper that was supposed to be safe to use.

Look how it all bubbled and peeled.

Problem was it didn't take it all off, so I had to take another trip back to Walmart.

This time I came home with a paint stripper that wasn't safe.

The paint fell off.
That had taken all day so we had to put the stripped banister back up for safety and wait a few more weeks for another nice Saturday.

This last weekend we had some nice weather again so out came the banister and out came the spray paint.
I love spray paint.

It makes me feel like some kind of graffiti-spraying rebel no matter what I'm painting.

And Viola! We have this in the end:

dinner and a show

One thing I love about dinner with children is that it is never dull.

Natalie is learning to feed herself, and has begun to refuse help.

This is okay with me because I enjoy eating my dinner while its warm.

She is doing better now, but a few weeks ago she was having a little trouble finding her mouth.

Ian's new crash landing spot has become the dinner table.

I was taking Natalie's picture when Scott told me to look at Ian.

This was the first time, and now it is repeating quite frequently.

The other night people were asking for things at the table and he asked for a pillow.
I also wonder if anyone else has noticed the strange phenomenon of the toddler being drawn to anyone who is sleeping.

(A few days ago Ian fell asleep in a snug little corner, next to a basket of blankets, in the basement, and Natalie went straight to him when she got up from her nap.)

We moved Ian from the dinner table to the couch and Natalie (after she was cleaned up) went straight over to poke him.

I, of course, didn't protect my vulnerable child.

I took pictures.

Ten

Today marks ten years since the beginning of this family.

I'm glad I found someone who loves me through the good and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and through thick and thin (literally).

I can't wait to see what the next ten years will hold.

GOAL!

Soccer has been going about as predicted. Cali's team has scored one goal so far, the other teams have scored. . . more than that against them. But the most important thing is they all seem to be having a lot of fun. Even when it is only 40 degrees and raining. They are troopers.

Another thing to do when it is 40 degrees and raining: go run a 5K.

I don't know if I would have actually gone this morning if I hadn't set a goal to do one at the beginning of the year. A friend of mine told me about one that was in my price range (aka: free) and we ran it together.

I went into it thinking I would do it to get it over with, but I had so much fun!

This is the face of someone who just did something she never thought she could.

flashback friday: headlock/hug among the tulips

The tulips around my neighborhood are just hitting their prime right now. I wish I could have packed our bulbs from Pocatello along with us, but I do have this picture to remember them by.

It always gives me a giggle.

crash landings

This is a picture of Ian at this current minute as I type. He asked me to put on his favorite movie for him and then would not stop talking. I told him to stop talking and watch the show, and this is what he looked like about a minute later. He started telling us he was too big for naps last summer, so I am grateful when it catches up to him every once in a while.

Natalie, on the other hand, is upstairs in her crib calling for me even though she should be sleeping.

On Sunday we had to go to church about an hour early. Natalie, of course, was taking a nice nap on that day. I had to go in to wake her up and found that she had just folded over while sitting up.

Does anyone else love to watch their children sleeping? Probably because we just don't get enough of it.

the fire is so delightful

The weather was BEAUTIFUL over the weekend, so we couldn't resist getting out the fire pit for our first fire of the year.

It was lovely.

(On a sidenote, did you know that marshmallows are about 25 calories a piece? That means you can eat 4 roasted marshmallows and that is a 100 calorie dessert. And such a yummy one too.)

Natalie discovered that she likes sugar in the form of marshmallows too.

Everyone wore their hats because they believe it shields their eyes from smoke.

Its wonderful to know that this is only the beginning.

disorganization day

Last night was our first night of soccer. We had "organization day" for Cali's soccer team. I don't have any pictures, because in my true fashion I was running out the door to stuff the kids in the mini-van as we were supposed to be getting there and I forgot my camera. I found these pictures from "Kicking and Screaming" because they give a fairly accurate representation of how things went.

It turned out fine that we were late, because I arrived to find that only about half of Cali's team was there for the meeting and practice because the other half sing together in a "choir." Our coach was standing there with the few other parents asking us if any of us had ever done this before.

Nope.

This wouldn't really be a bad thing except for the team that was parked next to us on the soccer field. They were all in uniform around their coach, who was wearing his own athletic uniform, running drills.

Great.

Our coach was able to put together a little practice for our small team which included the girl who spent the time dancing and spinning in circles, the English as a second language kids, the "husky" boy who kept needing to sit out and have a rest, the kid with the thick glasses, and Cali.

They may not win any games, but at least I don't think Cali is going to be feeling too much pressure.

Eggs

When you think about it, dyeing Easter eggs is a rather odd tradition, but it is one that I will gladly keep carrying on.

Here is a little of this year's egg-stravaganza.

My personal favorite: I heart Mom. What can I say?

the birthday boy

What a whirlwind weekend we had last week! We had Ian's birthday, general conference, easter, and Grandma coming to visit. We twisted Grandma Cracken's arm so that she stayed with us for a week. It was so packed full of fun I am just now getting time to post. Thanks again Grandma!

SO to begin with Ian's birthday: He started the day with our traditional birthday pop-tart. Ian is the one in who remembers we must have pop-tarts on birthdays so we made his extra special with a candle.
Since it was Saturday and everyone was home we got to open presents first-thing after breakfast. This was a good plan for a three-year-old. (Cali and Kimi had helped me decorate the night before so we could surprise him in the morning.)
Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Alan showed up right after lunch with a super awesome present. Now Ian doesn't have to ride around on pink wheels anymore. He is very relieved.
Ian is obsessed with two things: STAR WARS, and Lego Indiana Jones. He wanted a Lego Indiana Jones Cake and this is what I came up with.

I kept those little cake toppers I made and am thinking of sticking them in other foods, like broccoli.
Ian is definitely growing up ! He is a non-stop talker now. He loves to sing, (star wars and indiana jones themesongs mostly) play with his "guys," read stories, and be really goofy. I asked him what his favorite food is and he said, "treats!" He also loves to tell everyone (including the greeters at Walmart) that he is THREE!

easter breakfast

Happy Easter!

Hope that you all have a wonderful Easter and enjoy your Easter Feasts!