September 23, 2011

spills, fresh produce, and inside projects..

What a crazy week it's been (is it ever not crazy?)



Last Friday I got a call from the health office that Caleb had took a spill at school, and had some awesome road rash on his face and hands.
..Monday another call from the health office but this time Josh had fallen on his back and got the wind knocked out of him.
..Later that same day while watching Josh at soccer practice Natalie slid down the slide only to collide with a little girl sitting on the end.  She used her eye to stop her, and within seconds had a big puffy purple and blue eye.
..not twently minutes later another spill and a big goose egg on her forehead..there were very few tears from either incident, such a toughie!!
I'm hoping we've filled our quota for injuries for awhile (thank goodness they were all minor)



On a happier note, my neighbor does group buys, and I was fortunate enough to be added to the list.  We currently have over 50 lbs of pears waiting to be canned next week, fresh peaches, pears, and apples that we are feasting on daily, and farm fresh eggs.

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I currently have five unfinished projects, that I'm hoping to wrap up this weekend.

Here's a little sneak peek...

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I've also finished a project!! Woo hoo, yay me right!!

In the den/playroom/computer room/toy room the boys were in desperate need of a desk.  I built these for our last house, but this room was set up differently, and little miss is nipping at their heels to have computer space of her own.  So I decided on a long desk built into the wall.  The plans made a few changes along the way as Dave brought up a need to house components (xbox, kinect, and two computer systems).  So this is the final product..(sorry the pictures aren't that great)

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I decided to stain it to match the baseboard, and trim.  It's simple and very functional, and yes there is room for little miss (when daddy gets around to building her a computer too) 

The room is super bare, and I'd love to stay around and decorate it, but remember those other five unfinished projects? Well, they are a little higher on the list right now.  I've put the bookcases that I built in to house the toys, and some seating for movie watching or play, so for now, it's functional..


We've got a busy weekend filled with soccer games, and finishing projects..hope you all have a great weekend.

September 15, 2011

natalie's first day

My little girl turned four last week, and now this week she started preschool, where has the time gone?

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This is our first time being away from each other during the days.  Usually she's my little sidekick while the boys are at school.  But, starting this week she spends three days a week at preschool for a few hours each day, and I get a few hours of mommy time (OK so far I have just run errands alone).

Natalie walked into her class, hung up her backpack, and got straight to playing.  She didn't turn around to check to see if I was there, in fact I had to walk up to her and said goodbye. 

I walked to the car with my head held high, and was so proud.  Proud of her independence.  Knowing that the last four years had prepared her for this moment, to let go, and to know that she would shine all on her own.

When we got home after her first day, she said she needed extra cuddle time cause she had been gone for so long, she crawled in my lap and just hugged me forever. (I think I needed it too, and I'm glad she's still little enough to want to cuddle.)

Outside Projects

After much vacationing and playing it was time to work, specifically to work on the house.  We have lists a mile long both inside and out, and Dave was eager to start tackling the outside ones before we head into fall, and start getting some rain.

His first project..tree stump grinding.
The goal was 15 tree stumps in one long weekend (Saturday & Monday)

He rented "stumpy", and a chainsaw, and got too work.

He cleared eight stumps the first day, and another eight the last day (yes, you read that right) he found another stump towards the end of day two bringing the total count to 16 stumps ground down. 

Before
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After
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It was hard, hard work, and he did it all by himself (I was inside painting, and keeping the kiddos out of his hair). 

Now that the stumps are clear, we just need to shovel away the trimmings, clear the ever-growing brush, get top-soil delivered, roto-till, and plant grass seed..no biggie..

September 14, 2011

Happy Birthday Little Miss

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I can't believe my baby girl is four years old!! (Even though she has been saying she's four for the last six months) it's finally official. 

She's such a cutie, and were so blessed to have her in our family.  She brightens the room with her happy personality, and has brought out a tenderness in the boys that makes my heart smile.  I love her stubborness and independence, because they remind me of me, and her softness and lovingness because they remind me of her daddy.  Her favorite phrase is an exaggerated "I love it!!" which she says to pretty much anything pink, soft, or strawberry. 

For her birthday we had a simple family party at home, with a rainbow theme.  I made a rainbow six layer cake with vanilla buttercream frosting, rainbow balloons, and we had to have a pinata.  She spent about twenty minutes hitting hit it back and forth (yes, that's just a stick from our backyard) before the boys stepped in, and got the job done.

Happy Birthday Little Miss, we're so happy you're ours!!

September 7, 2011

first day of school

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Today was the boys first day of school!!

Daniel was up bright and early on his own (he has his own alarm clock now!!), and was dressed and ready by 6:30am.  We had a short little power outage, but he was able to get his lunch made, and have breakfast with time to spare before he caught the bus a little after 7am.  He is super excited to be starting middle school.  He is getting so grown-up (tear).

Josh & Caleb woke after Daniel had left which gave me time to focus on them.  The power was now out completely, but the sun was shining, and thankfully we get a lot of natural light in this house.  They scurried around getting last minute items in their backpacks, and are also super excited to head off to a new school, new teacher, and new friends to be made.  They caught the bus together and away they went. 

There wasn't a nerve in sight this morning, just excitement for a new school year..I can't wait to hear all about all their "first day" when they come home today!!

September 5, 2011

summer vacation in cali - week two

After Half Moon Bay we found our way to Lake Tahoe and our campsites.  We were also informed that we were staying in bear country.  All food and pretty much anything that smelled nice to us that might attract a bear had to be stored in a metal container.  I was glad to have Bailey (dog) with us, but every growl in the pitch dark seemed to make me a little nervous. 

The next day we headed to Gordon & Marcia's condo and spent the day swimming with everyone in the nearby pool.  After dinner and movies we headed back to camp for another nights (restful?) sleep.

Tuesday morning we woke early, and went into town to drop off Bailey (spending time with doggie friends) and have breakfast at IHOP.  Afterwards we met up with everyone at the lake, and decided to rent something for even more fun.  We settled on a sixteen seat pontoon boat with a tube.  After some playing on the beach and lunch in our tummies we boarded the boat, and headed out to the west part of the lake where it was calmer, and not so windy.  The kiddos all took turns riding in the tube, and then the grown-ups got it on the fun.  It was such a beautiful sunny day on the lake, and we all had so much fun.

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After saying our goodbyes late Tuesday night, we woke at the crack of dawn, threw the kiddos (still in their jammies) in the truck, and begin our crazy long trip to Escondido.  To avoid traffic we took the 395, and we deemed it the hottest, driest, longest highway ever.  Our stops were short (as they usually are) because it was crazy hot, 110 degrees, yikes!! We arrived safely at Dan & Cindy's and were happy to to be out of the truck.

did you miss week one??...click here

September 4, 2011

summer vacation in cali - week one

Over a month ago, we left for our summer vacation in California.  We packed up the kiddos, the tent trailer, and even threw in the dog for good measure. 

We left Tuesday late afternoon and made it to Grants Pass, OR where we spent the night in the oh so glamorous Wal-Mart parking lot with the tent trailer (hey, can't beat free!!)  The next morning we travelled through northern Cali to our destination of Half Moon Bay State Beach.  We set up camp, and were soon joined by Dave's brother Andy, his wife and four kiddos.  We were also met with fog, and some pretty cool temps. 

The next morning we ventured out on the beach for some fun, but the cooler water and air temperatures made it quite short.  We then cleaned up and made a day trip into San Francisco. We had lunch on the wharf, explored the piers, and I took the whole family on a wild goose chase to find the Lucas Arts yoda fountain (I'm sure they were thanking me when we finally found it).  Back to camp for some dinner and s'mores over the campfire.

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Friday we ventured south to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.  We walked around, played in the arcade, and got some yummy mexican food for lunch.  On our way back up Highway 1 we stopped at a roadside place to pick strawberries.  A big favorite with little miss, since these are her favorite.  After our tummies were full with sweet berries, we stopped a little further up at Bean Hollow Beach where we jumped on rocks, explored the tide pools, and then played on the beach for awhile longer before heading back to camp.

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Saturday found us with much nicer weather.  Before heading to the beach we decide to head into town and visit a few local spots, including the farmers market. We visited Lemos Farm where the kiddos fed baby goats, posed for pictures, and climbed on all the fun stuff.  We then headed to Spanish Town to check out the gigantic steel dinosaurs.  We finished of at the local farmers market where I stocked up on (more) strawberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, and fresh corn for dinner that night.  I love me some fresh produce.

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After another full day of exploring and playing on the beach, and it was time to pack up, and make our way to our next destination a few hours away in Lake Tahoe, CA..
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