Bring your sick child to work day

Abby came down with a cold/fever the end of last week. I could NOT miss work on Friday and... well... Rick didn't even offer to stay home (ahem). So... I had no other options and brought her to work. I brought her princess cot, coloring books etc. My coworker ran home to get his laptop and some movies and she was all set. She actually went to the dr today because her ear was hurting. It's pink and inflammed but not infected (yet).


Big Sissy Visit
Jessica was in town so we got to spend time with her! The kids love having company and get all kinds of hyper excited.

Sunny Days Keeping the Clouds Away...

We BBQ'd tonight and actually got to eat on our new patio... this is the first time we've been able to do this since uh... 2003. After my dentist appt I went over to watch Aidan's soccer class- I only got see all of 30 seconds :-(

This is what happens....

when daddy shows the girly girl a worm

More Sunday Fun

Aidan took a 3.5 hour nap today- making up for not sleeping last night. Abby spent most of the afternoon being daddy's sidekick. She helped wash patio furniture and even got to visit the ice cream truck (yes I missed it again).


Just look at this outift....and those are leggings underneath

CSA

Did I tell you we joined a CSA?
"Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season"
Cool huh? Last year we waited too long and many CSA's were sold out. This year we were able to buy shares of Sun Gold Farm and they have a drop location in Lake Oswego so it works out great. We don't have room (or the time) for a garden so we're going to try this AND it comes with fresh flowers every week. Who wouldn't want fresh flowers to gaze upon?
Aidan FINALLY finished his 21 days of meds on Tuesday. He keeps waking up at 5am due to the trains. Even though WES has lowered the decibel on their horns, other trains are now coming through and BLARING. He is also cutting his 2 year molars and has developed this cough that only allowed us 3 hours of sleep last night. Not sure if it's teeth, allergies or what- and did I mention it comes with wheezing? I am praying he does not have asthma. Oh and he started soccer 2 weeks ago. I miss it because I am at work but I am hoping to stop by this week to snap a few shots after my dentist appt.
Little Miss Abby continues to want to ONLY wear dresses or skirts and is now quite fond of Angelina Ballerina. Teacher recommendations went out last week in her ballet class and her teacher gave us the choice of moving her up to the next level, or put her in a 'teacher placement only' class called Pre-Ballet Express.




Before school


Waiting for daddy to get home

Weekend Pics

Saturday the kids and I spent the morning with my mom. It was wonderful. God truly blesses us- I don't know how to explain it but she does A LOT for us. Generous. She took us to breakfast, she tagged along to Fred Meyer so I could pick up a few things. We went to the mall where the kids received a Grandma shopping spree at the Disney store, Gymboree and Nordstrom shoes. Yummy latte at Nordy's. Yummy lunch at Nordy's cafe.
Easter service was moved up to 7:30. Great sermon as always. Filled my heart- don't you love how Sunday worship just fills up your tank for the week? The kids enjoyed ALL their Easter baskets (snicker). Ashley came over for a visit and brought more loot! Abby forced invited her to a pretend picnic while Aidan forced continually asked her to fly him around the house aka "airplane."

Easter Fiasco.

Have a cup of coffee and stay awhile...Let me just tell you how the kids are making out like bandits this year. I started Easter basket shopping like a month ago- maybe more to spread out the expenses because in May we take a HUGE hit with birthdays and Mother's Day. And it's not like we go all out on the Easter basket gifts- I just don't like giving an entire basketful of candy. So... I assembled their baskets awhile ago to make sure they were 'even' between the kids. I hid them in the upstairs spare bathroom behind the shower curtain- we NEVER go in there, the door is always shut. For whatever reason after work on Tuesday I decided to clean this bathroom and was scrubbing the toilet and noticed it wouldn't flush. I hailed my handman hubby to come fix it. While he was fixing the toilet, Abby decided to go in there and open the shower curtain. EASTER BASKETS. She didn't say one word. That night after they were in bed, I took the baskets and moved them to our new spare room upstairs- which again, they NEVER go in- the door is closed. Wednesday morning comes, I am at the computer working, and here comes Aidan with stuff from his Easter basket, asking me to take the tags off his new tractor. I diverted that whole situation with an obnoxious tantrum . Later that day, I am making dinner and Abby says, "Mom I think you are pretending to be the Easter Bunny." My heart sank.
So Easter is in 3 days and how do I get out of this? I tell her, well the Easter Bunny had to deliver your baskets early. She says "No, you're pretending." So that conversation was dropped and in my head I tell myself to remain calm.
I call my friend Colleen, who mind you, laughed HYSTERICALLY at me and thanks me repeatedly for making her day and proceeds to tell me she had to share my predictament with all of her co-workers and the consensus was that we needed to purchase new items from the Bunny. Rick and I discuss this Wednesday night, and he is trying to come up with all sorts of man-saving tactics but I politely tell him, nope, she's too smart. Really, she's just always been an observant kid. Example- after she was accusing me of pretending to be the Bunny, she says "Does the Easter bunny bring toys and candy? or just candy?" This was later to be a test. Me...how do I answer this considering A)she has seen her basket and B) if we buy them new basket items, I was thinking we don't have a lot of money to spend so it will just be cheap candy so I reply- candy. The bunny brings candy. To this she says, "No he doesn't. He brought me that talking Elmo thing when I was a baby and now I am too big for it." She was ONE and she remembers that. Not to mention a few weeks ago, she says, "Mom, what is the Easter Bunny's name?" Me: Easter Bunny. Abby: No, What is his name? Me: Easter Bunny. First Name: Easter Last Name: Bunny.
Rick goes to work today to discuss with his co-workers. He calls me at 9am and says the consensus is we have to buy new stuff. were you not listening last night? I leave work during lunch and go to Target. I decided against cheap candy and to buy stuff that they "need" vs. throwing away money on candy and needless items that might eventually get lodged in someone's nose. (Raisin's are now banned in this house). Target is PACKED. You can't even get to the Easter section (yes I was going to browse). In my cart I had a ballet leotard for Abby, undies, socks for the kids, jammies for Aidan, new sippy cups.... so I am in the Easter section, and you had to leave your cart in the outside aisle because there were THAT many people. I come back to... no cart. My cart was gone. NOT HAPPY. The poor red shirt Target worker got an EARFUL. I was sweating. I needed to get back to work and I had no Easter items from the EASTER BUNNY. I am wandering around looking for my cart with red shirt kid and I am about to stomp out of the store in the most mature fashion when this ditz woman comes towards me saying, "Are you missing a cart?" She ran off with my cart thinking it was hers. After I got my cart, I rammed her with it I made it to the check out. What makes this whole fiasco even more funny, is Rick stopped at Toys R Us on his way home and bought stuff from the Easter bunny- so now it's like Christmas. I think we actually will save some of it for Christmas or Birthdays. Last night and tonight, Abby says, "Can I see the stuff you bought me in my basket?" So... she knows that what she saw she is getting from us. I think I might have just saved the Easter Bunny (if we can pull this off).
I debated about blogging this story, it does speak materialism, vs. the celebrating of Jesus' Resurrection... yet I want to capture it for the kids for when they are older. I have the best memories as a child, the anxiety of waiting to see MY easter basket- the peeps, the jelly beans, the coveted chocolate bunny and truly believing a big, huge floppy-eared bunny hopped to each house to deliver the goods. I'm keeping her little as long as possible. Long live the Bunny.

Muffins

Abby has been asking me for days to make blueberry muffins and paint her toes. I happily obliged today... I'm going to miss my Wednesday's home so it was absolutely wonderful for her and I to spend time together during Aidan's nap making

The Best EVER Blueberry Muffins.

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
16oz sour cream
10 tablespoons butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups blueberries
crystal/sparkle sugar sprinkles if you have them otherwise use white sugar

Small bowl: combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt

Large bowl: beat eggs with sour cream until blended

Saucepan: melt butter and brown sugar about 3 min. cool about 5 min. stir frequently
Then combine this mixture into egg/sour cream mix, stir in oats.

Fold in flour and then fold in berries.

Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake in muffin pan (you have to use muffin liners for these)
Bake 375 for 25 min

Bless You

Spring and Summer bring warm sun, birds, breezes, flowers, lots of outdoor activities and SNEEZING. I have had allergies since I was seven. When Abby was little, I was the perfect subject for teaching her when to say bless you because I sneezed OFTEN. So today when I found myself doing my usual rapid fire machine gun sneezes, and I truly mean one right after the other- I can blast off like 15 in a row, I found myself reminiscing.
I would sneeze and teach Abby to say "bless you Mommy." If Rick was there he would instruct, "say bless you Mommy." I sneeze all the time therefore, she was a quick study. Anyway, we did (and still do) this so much it's just like being on automatic pilot. So one day last year when I was in a meeting at work, sneezing my head off, I had to STOP myself. I opened my mouth to those around me and almost blurted, "Say bless you Mommy" to my co-workers.

Sunshine

This plastic play structure was found in the dumpster by my co-worker. Not a bad deal eh?

I CRACK up at this one- um... I don't think the ball moved sweetie but good form

How is this guys? Much better than princess attire?

She almost hit one over the fence- the tree stopped it.

Swing set that Rick stood in line for at 4:30am the day after Thanksgiving. Half off.

More mole holes.

For the Love of Bacon

Look what arrived from Jessica & Reilly.... home delivery via Ashley and Nick. BACON SALT gift pack. I have a lot to say about this product so just bear with me because when I find something I like- I want EVERYONE to like it too. We use this stuff MORE than once a week- popcorn, tomato soup, fish, baked potatoes and scrambled eggs. Oh the eggs.... and now they have NEW flavors. Oh Lord have mercy. Can you imagine the BBQ grilling possibilities with this stuff? The applewood flavor??? You gotta try it... You'll be hooked. The baconnaise- it brings new meaning to BLT's. Trust me. You can't even fathom. I'll bet money the baconnaise would be delish on a big club sandwich as well- haven't tried it yet. Now I am hungry. And why yes, since you asked that is Bacon Flavored Lip Balm. Tell me, what man wouldn't want one of those? In fact, that could be a huge marketing tool, you know like that Axe body spray for men. Single women all over can just apply some bacon chapstick and see what happens.

Visit http:///www.baconsalt.com

If you're local to us, Haagen has it and I just saw it at Winco.

Please continue to pray for baby Stellan. You can click on Praying for Stellan button on my blog. Be sure to check out his name gallery- it's a button on the left side of Stellan's blog. People ALL OVER THE WORLD are sending photos of Stellan's name. It will move you to tears. It will. Your eyes will flood.

$99 to fix my camera lens. boo hoo. I've been using the big mama 55-200 and I have to keep backing up just to take a picture.

Egg Hunt

Apparently I'm having the time of my life

Getting some help from Daddy

This is very serious business

He did it again...

Rick came home from the store today and said, "I bought milk for the girls, so cross it off your grocery list." I'm thinking that was sure nice of you to buy milk for THE GIRLS, I bet they really appreciate the fact that you still buy them milk but what I was really thinking was no wonder your son dresses like a princess you keep referring to him as a her I'm so grateful that you picked up milk!

Easter Bunny