Finally

Not that anyone probably cares, but I'm finally posting pictures! I can't believe how busy I've been lately and honestly, blogging has been at the bottom of the priority list! We had the last day of school for both Zoe and Teagan - they are officially a 2nd grader and Kindergartner! I can't believe it! My snuggle-bug is turning 2 next month and it sort of makes me sad - a lot has happened in the past 2 years and I've so enjoyed all the extra time I've been able to spend with her - talk to me again after her and I spend a week in San Diego!!

We are officially on Summer vacation but that doesn't mean lazy days for us! The girls have a couple different VBS's they are attending, we have cousins coming to visit, a trip to Portland planned, time at Grandma's and maybe even some camping! Bring on the sunshine and warm weather!!


I think she was winking...





Mother's Day



Love her...



Sisters



Being silly



Jordan and I - love my brother.



Love him



New definition to Kissing Cousins



Makes my heart happy



I'm so embarressed!

This is the longest stretch of not blogging that has happened in a long time. I'm sorry! I really do have soooo much to blog about but life is getting in the way!

Here is just a sampling of what's been going on:

• birthdays - Teagan, Mom, Aunt Kari, Duffy, Grandma June...
• a wedding - Congrats to my cousin Mallory and new hubby Jamie! Their wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun! Your wedding gift will be on the way soon. I promise.
• a memorial service - celebrating the wonderful life of my Great Uncle Dan.
• traveling to visit family - trips to Aberdeen and PORTLAND. Wish P-Town could have been a bit longer but still fun!!
• shopping with some of my favorite gals - enough said. 
• sunshine - no enough.
• garden planting - things are starting to grow!
• rain - way too much.
• ear infections - Zoe missed an entire week of school because she had an middle and outer ear infection. She missed the wedding and a week of swimming!
• flooding washing machine - yay. Luckily, it was just the drain hose coming out of the drain. So, didn't have to get a new machine (that will be a sad day, cause I LOVE my machine. As much as one can love a home appliance.)
• flu - uhm, other people throwing up grosses me out. It was not a good 2 days and I realized I don't get paid enough to do that job. Isn't it considered hazardous bodily material in some medical professions???
• allergies
• work - yeah.
• a baby shower - too cute.
• a house-full of fun for the long weekend - we had 6 kids and 6 adults at our house over Memorial Day weekend. It was also Duffy's and June's birthdays, so fun was had by everyone. I was a totally  lame mom and didn't take a single picture - what's wrong with me?!?!
• swimming - starting back up on Monday!
• lots of cooking - lots and lots and lots of cooking. and baking.
• beer brewing - uhm yeah, got Duffy a home brewing kit for his birthday. Our first batch is brewing and will be bottled soon.
• ....and sewing - not enough if I can be totally honest! I have a pile of stuff I need/want to work on.
• Oh yeah, and all the regular stuff like laundry and dishes!

I need up upload a bunch of pictures and get some posted.. Right now, I need some coffee.

Kid Quote - Teagan

This morning while trying to get breakfast, coffee, and everyone ready, this is the conversation I had with Teagan, who will be 5 (oh. my. goodness!) on Thursday.

T: Mom, I don't have an imaginary friend anymore.

Me: Oh, really. I forgot you had one; what was their name again?

T: Rosietta

M: What happened to Rosietta?

T: She died. She was walking and not paying attention and stepped out in front of a car and got ran over.

M: Oh my! That's horrible.

T: Yeah, well, she was invisible, so it's not like they could see her!

no,no,no

...We have not fallen off the face of the earth. We have just been SUPER busy! The big girls started swim lessons again this past week and between school, jobs, church activities, family and friends, it's hard to even catch my breath!! 

We had a house-full this past weekend, celebrating  Teagan's birthday (May 12th) and Mother's day. Next weekend, we are heading out of town for my cousins wedding and the weekend after that, down to Portland for another busy weekend. I feel like I'm running in 25 directions!

SOOOOOOO, hopefully, in the next few weeks, while traveling, getting laundry done, making a few key birthday presents (Teagan 5/12, Mom 5/24, Kari - sister-in-law 5/25, Duffy and Mom-in-law 5/30), and life in general, I will get some photos up! I promise!

10 Things I Love, April 28

• Random hugs from a sweet, almost 2 year old.
• Hearing Mr. P say, "I love you, Missa" in the cutest 3 year old voice ever.
• We had all kinds of crazy weather today - sun, clouds, thunder, lightning, rain, hail, a little snow, and SUN again.
• Called my hair stylist for appointments for Zoe, Teagan and myself. Thought we'd have to wait until next week. Nope. Going tomorrow! YAY!!  Katie is WONDERFUL!!
• Looking forward to a low-key weekend at home. The next 3 weekends are FULL!!! Let the craziness of spring/summer begin!!
• Got a few great deals at Old Navy - yay online shopping!!
• Silly dancing before bedtime - theirs, not mine.
• Enjoyed a nice glass of wine with dinner.

• The Office made me cry - it was sweet.
• It's supposed to be sunny this weekend - its about time!!

Soooooooo...

...did I mention that I went back to work? Yup, after 2 years of being home full-time, I'm working a big whopping 12-15 hours a week and it is AWESOME!

Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom and wife and being home at the end of my 3rd pregnancy and for Harper's first years, has been amazing and such a blessing. BUT, there has been some major stress associated with that, and if I can be totally honest...I think I'm a better mom when I get to do something other than playing, cleaning, laundry, and cooking.

Being a mom is a 24/7 job that you don't get to go home from. You don't get to leave work at work, you don't ever really stop thinking about things - did I switch the laundry? What's for dinner? Do we need milk? Are my kids happy? Why is she so crabby today? Am I being too hard? Not hard enough? Crap, need to switch the laundry!

So, what am I doing?? I am working in the office at our church; I prefer office assistant but old-school folks call me the secretary.  We go to a smaller, low-key church and I've been working Mon-Wen. the past 2 weeks and I think the phone has rang 7 times - and 3 of those calls were my mom! Right now, I'm still settling in, answering the phone, organizing some of the office stuff, revamping some of the documents and such. I'll be sending out weekly emails of church happenings, coordinating nursery and children's church activities, ordering supplies, etc. I'm really excited about everything and the possibilities that lie ahead. I love that my family is still my first priority and that my job is secondary to the well-being of my family; my kids are always welcome - Zoe went in with me for a bit on Friday afternoon to finish up a project. Nothing like child labor!

WOW

It has been a whirl-wind of activity around our house lately. I've sat down to blog a few times and have just gotten side-tracked. So here is a run-down of what's been going on!!

• The little girl that made me a mama, turned 7 on March 24th! 7!! Where did 7 years go??? Her birthday weekend was filled with family dinner (with great-grandparents and s'more pizza), 48 cupcakes, roller blades, new clothes, party with tacos (her choice) and double layer lemon cake with browned butter frosting and toasted coconut (her choice again!). What a fun weekend of celebration!
• March 31st marked 10 years of wedded bliss for Duffy and I. My cousin, who is getting married in May, asked if it went by quickly. Yes. Yes, indeed. Duffy and I have been together for 15 years and it still doesn't seem that long. He is my best friend, my confidant, and partner for life. Love you babe!!
• Spring break is coming to an end. The big girls spent a couple of days with grandparents, we had friends over all day on Wednesday, girls had dinner at Grandma Tine (my mom, Christine) and Grandpa Noel's while we went to dinner Thursday, we traveled to a super fun bridal shower this weekend. Ahhh, it's a lazy Sunday at our house!