Party of Five

First Day of School 2010

2010-08-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Wyatt, all grown up and headed off to Kindergarten! He chose to wait to buy a backpack until he could scope out what the other kids were carrying, so he's sporting one of mine! I love how adorable he is with his little belt and shirt tucked tightly in. Such qualities of my big guy. He describes his first day as "great!" except for the part where the teacher ran into the pole on the playground and had a headache.

Rylee headed off for her first day of second grade. She rode the bus for the first time, made 2 friends right away and remembered to check on her brother at safekey. She did her homework as soon as we got home and said that both her teacher and bus driver are fun!

Pool Time

2010-07-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

I've decided to not waste time trying to update my blog from the last 6+ months of neglect. What I'll do instead, is just update.

Wyatt {along with the rest of the fam} is really enjoying the pool!

Stay tuned for more {random} updates on the Tanner family!

Blah, blah, blah!

2010-01-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I think four months is a little long to go with no update at all! Sheesh. And lots has happened.

First, we moved from Richmond, Texas to Sunny Las Vegas! Home, Baby! It feels good to be back amongst good friends. Sad to leave some buds behind in Texas, but lucky for me I live in a destination spot! hehe!

Second, I went back to work. Part time. Feels like full time. I am waiting tables at the fancy-schmancy Eiffel Tower Restaurant. I was very intimidated by fine-dining, but it is much easier than I thought it would be and really fun. I work with a fun crew of people and I work short hours (five hour shifts). And I make money. BONUS! :)

Third, with me going back to work the boys have started preschool. There have been some adjustment issues. In fact, Monday was the first day that Calvin did not cry. Oh, he was good and pathetic with "don't leave me mommy", "come back mommy", and my personal favorite "MY need you mommy". Poor fella. Now he knows his teachers well and trusts them to care for him and trusts me to come back for him. All is well. Wyatt--he likes school but doesn't like the bigger kids much. He's scared of them, and doesn't like commotion. So he naps instead of switching rooms. And at the end of the day, if I'm not there yet, he goes to Calvin's room. Whatever works. I'm sure the teachers are just happy that neither of them is screaming until I get there. Work has sent Rylee to an after school program called Safekey. She loves it. They do fun crafts, she's made friends, plays outside, has a snack. If I could rename it, I'd call it "Rylee's Heaven". Seriously.

Fourth, and this is HUGE, Calvin is potty trained. Yup. You heard right. He pees and poops in the potty. I told him on his third birthday (yes, he also turned three while I was neglecting my blog) I told him that big boys go on the potty. We went to lunch at Red Robins (yes, that is how they say it) and he declared he needed to go. It took me a few minutes to understand what he was saying. I thought he was crying because he peed his diaper. Geez mom, get it together. He had a week of trial and error in his undies and decided he didn't like that much. {Insert Happy Proud Mommy Face Here!}.

Fifth, we celebrated Thanksgiving by working. BOO! Then by having a late dinner with friends. YAY!

Sixth, we celebrated Christmas by working. BOO! Then Nolan magically (a christmas miracle really) got the day off. YAY! My brother, the one and only, was here with us for the week. So the kids had a good time and I got home from work and we started the mahem we call Christmas Gifts. I must've been really good this year, because there were a few unexpected things. (New computer moniter, PS3 and that special little green box also known as Tiffany's). I need to know what I did right, so I can do it again next year! I think everyone was pretty happy with Christmas this year.

And lastly, I was asleep before we rang in twentyten. (Pathetic, I know.)

I'd go on, but this is all I remember from my last four months. Crummy, isn't it. But I do have a few goals for the new year that include blogging more. And perhaps printing to make it a book. (I'll need a new printer for that...)And taking more pictures while figuring out that PS3 I was so excited to get. And perhaps running a half marathon...but that a story for another day.

First Grade

2009-08-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

In all honesty, it does not seem like enough time has gone by for my sweet little bean to be heading off to first grade! Isn't she the cutest thing ever? (Yes, I realize as her momma I'm a bit biased).

Today was day 3 of school for her. Her favorite friend is not in her class this year, but she's managing just fine with some other kids she knew from Kindergarten and making new friends. She let me know today that she's not afraid to shake her teacher's hand anymore (a morning ritual for the teacher) and she comes home and says that school is "great" (with added enthusiasm). She loves riding her bike to school with her favorite friend and she looks forward to lunch time (mom packs the best stuff!). I suspect this year will be a breeze!

Catch a Tiger by his Toe

2009-08-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make sure this particular photo didn't get lost in the shuffle of 300+ vacation pictures. Calvin had been saying the eeny meeny miney mo thing all week. He was very animated and intense in the "my mom said to..." part. Very cute. At this particular time he was attacking Uncle Scott with repititions of the verse. Leaving out this part, or that part. But always making sure that "his mom said to..".

For those of you that really know Calvin, you know that he's not so outgoing around people he doesn't see much. This was his second time meeting Uncle Scott. And he LOVED him! Followed him around, played hide-and-seek, and just generally adored him all week. This is a big deal, having the love of Calvin right off the bat. And that is why this photo is priceless.

I'm a huge fan of vacations!

2009-08-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

I love vacations for so many reasons. There's the obvious...being away from home. It seems like there is never a single worry or stress while doing nothing but having a good time for an entire week. For us, vacation usually brings the great joys in life like staying up late and watching great movies, sleeping in until we can't sleep anymore (usually an hour past normal time, sheesh!), enjoying fun activities together as a family, great food, tons of laughs.

This vacation was no exception. Everything we planned went perfectly! We started with a 15 hour drive from our home in Houston to the Wyndham Resort in Daytona Florida. Sounds nightmarish for most people with small children. But let me just do a little bragging for a second and say how wonderful and amazing ALL 3 of my "googies" were! Now, they did sleep the first 8 hours or so of the trip. Still, never a complaint! We stopped and got some yummy breakfast things, they watched a movie and...it was naptime!

Enough bragging. Once we got to the resort and got checked in and *finally* caught an elevator to the 14th floor, the kids went crazy. Not really crazy, just that fun excited energy where they race from room to room checking everything out and counting the television sets. Jumping on the beds, looking for the hidden bed (always a fun time) and marking their territories (with toys, not the way dogs do!) We didn't do much the first day besides checking out the pool and the resort grounds and ordering some pizza. Afterall, Mom and Dad had been up all night long. Ugh. So it was an early bedtime to get ready for Day 2 and the surprise we'd been keeping for months!

The next morning we got to the airport to pick up my brother, also known as Uncle Scott. The kids love him. They knew he was coming and they were excited to play, and hear stories about when we were kids. The surprise was that we were also picking up Grandma and Grandpa (Nolan's parents). Calvin has subtly renamed them "Maa-Maw" and "Man-Paw". We think its darling. Anyway, they were all beside themselves to see them. They've been asking for them since we moved to Texas, so its been nearly 6 months since they last saw them. Here's a picture of Calvin when he first saw his maa-maw.

Calvin, catching a ride from ManPaw!

Here's Wyatt and I. After a few rounds of this game, he was ready to tackle the little waves all on his own, and he did really well!

Rylee worked very hard all week on her castle creations. You can see it just barely in the bottom right corner. In the background, you can see Wyatt going out to catch waves, and me sitting patiently while Calvin dumped water on my head. Over and Over and Over again!

My favorite of myself, on the boogie board. Nice photography moment for my sweet husband, who rarely picks up the camera!

From this point on, the days run together. There was lots of body-surfing, boogie-boarding, lazy river, water slides, splash pool, naps, movies, popcorn, minigolf, karaoke (Nolan can really sing, I'm there to be entertained), great meals and a general sense of togetherness and happiness. That is what I particularly love about vacation.

Now my brother, being a huge Daytona 500 fan, had himself a little dream. Its the sort of dream where you gear up and ride in a racecar around the Daytona track. *Snap* Dream come true. And it was the coolest thing ever! Just watching it was cool, but I'm sure he'd use different words to describe zooming around at 170mph! And he got this cool picture on a plaque when he was all finished. Really sealed the deal, that picture. The kids loved seeing him in the car, they're pretty sure he's an official race car driver! I'm not telling them anything different.
Lap 3, probably close to that 170 mark!

Climbing out of the car, which he did mention was pretty warm inside!

After taking everyone back to the airport waaaay to early on Sunday morning (I'm talking a departure of 4 am), we had a loungy family morning of napping. When I say napping, I mean I took the kids down to the kid pool so Nolan could sleep. Then while I "slept" they ran screaming through the room for an hour. After my crankies wore off, we had a lovely day at the beach. We built some interesting castles, I got buried again, I got pummeled by more waves and Calvin ate more sand. The next day was more of the same. By the end of it we were ready to say goodbye Daytona, hello open rode!

The drive home was uneventful. A little rainy. Lots of movies. The kids were awake for more of it, but they were still amazing little travelers. They're already asking when we can go back!

And just to toss in one more of Calvin, who is so photogenic and ended up in most of these vacation pictures. I just love the way he sticks his tounge out when he's watching daddy on the waves!

Vacation Storms

2009-08-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

While on vacation, we got to see a few thunderstorms in the evening. I think there are a handful of factors that could make this photo amazing, however just the fact that I caught a lightening bolt excites me. So here I am, sharing the excitment on my blog.

More vacation stuff to come!

7 Years!

2009-07-27T13:42:00.001-07:00

It's been seven great years, and I'm looking forward to many more. :)

When he's mad, he's MAD!

2009-07-11T17:22:00.001-07:00

Oh, my sweet little Calvy. This is for all of you have not seen a true Calvin tantrum. At this point he'd been screaming at me for a few minutes, and it all intesified when I grabbed my camera. Perhaps my laughter brought on the deep, gut-wrenching, heart felt scream of anger. It's hard to say for sure. But I know one thing, he was mad!! He's lucky his sweet side is extra sweet, or he may be finding himself for sale on ebay! HA! (I bet I'd fetch a good price, too!)

Blog Giveaway!

2009-06-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

My friend Sheri is doing a giveaway. She is giving one 17" or under amber necklace from Inspired by Finn. You can read about the properties of amber here. Although I have no kids who are suffering from teething, I think its a cool necklace and would like to try one out:) I like the milk and butter one. And I'm really excited about that discount, in case I don't win!

One of my favorite snapshots

2009-06-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

Brazos Bend State Park

2009-06-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Rylee woke up this morning with a sore throat. I made it very *clear* that if she were too sick to go to school, then she needed to stay in bed and rest. A couple of hours later she came downstairs all dressed and ready to go to school. By that time, I had heard her playing upstairs and knew she was feeling better. So Nolan and I had planned a quick little family trip to Brazos Bend State Park to check out the gators.

It was really up close and personal. The map said not to get closer than 30 feet. Well, when the gator is in the middle of the pathway, that is nearly impossible with swamp on either side. I was holding Calvin tight, he was pretty certain he wanted to pet one. He even headed for the water, like he was maybe going to swim and splash with the gators. And this was after we saw one eat a bird! Anyway, I forgot my camera and I may be too scared to ever go back, but it certainly was a fun family day:)

San Antonio

2009-05-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

Recently, our very good friends came down for a visit and we stayed at the WorldMark Resort in New Braunsfels. We were there for 7 days, including Wyatt's 4th birthday. It rained the first couple of days so instead of going to Seaworld for his birthday we went to the Children's Museum. But we did get to go to Seaworld a couple of days later. It was a blast. The kids had so much fun playing with their friends and swimming all week long!

Happy Fairy Dance!

2009-04-28T19:14:00.001-07:00

SHEESH! I personally have been waiting for WEEKS for this tooth to come out. I've begged and pleaded and tried to bribe with money, all to no avail, to have her let me pull it. I mean, it was just hanging on for dear life and flapping all around. Finally tonight, she bumped it and it popped right out. (Isn't that the way it always happens?). She was so excited, jumping around, squealing and asking all sorts of questions (you'd think this was her first tooth!).

As a kid, our tradition was always to put it under the pillow. The tooth fairy came, left some cash and took the tooth. My friend Sheri has her daughter put it in a glass of water. When the tooth fairy takes the tooth, the water turns the color of her dress. I thought this would fascinate Rylee, so I told her. She could not, for the life of her, decide what to do. After careful deliberation (read: chatterbox of questions) she decided on the glass. In the kitchen (yay me!). It's an hour and a half past bedtime and she's not asleep yet. And she's checked the water to make sure its not too cold. Checked again to make sure its not too warm.

The best part, was when I was snuggling her in bed. She told me how proud she was of herself, for letting it come out on its own. **hint, hint** mom.

More on Easter

2009-04-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny brought the kids a new sprinkler for Easter. The weather cleared up in the afternoon so we were able to get outside and put it to use. They had a blast. They love, absolutely LOVE that you're supposed to move it and kick it and play with it. It's indestructible.

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T16:55:00.001-07:00

The end of the day

The Loot

Rylee, Ava, Wyatt and Calvin waiting for the hunt.

After they got the baskets.

Awaiting the "big" surprise!

We did most of our Easter celebrating a day early, due to Nolan's work schedule. The kids received their baskets this morning and spent the morning playing with a few new little toys. Our community had an egg hunt that the kids had a blast participating in, and we were fortunate enough not to get rained on! The day was very successful in my book, Calvin passed out in daddy's rocking chair at 6pm. I'm crossing my fingers he's tired enough to sleep all night, but I'll take the screaming break any day!

*Note to readers: I obviously need to do more regular blogging. Somehow everytime I load pictures they are exactly backwards. Makes for fun viewing I suppose!

Okay, so it's been a long time....

2009-03-19T19:51:00.001-07:00

We've landed in Houston. We've celebrated 2 birthdays, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day.

Rylee turned 6 on Feb 26. For her birthday, she got a new bike. 20" of purple Schwinn. She can ride without training wheels, but feels insecure and can move faster with them, so we put them back on. She has 1 very loose tooth, and another thats very close behind. She's as healthy as a horse and really branching out with trying new foods. (Impressive for that girl, let me tell ya!) She is loving school. She's making new friends and feeling her share of shunning as well (some girls made fun of her smile). She loves Texas and thinks it is a very sun-shiny place.

Nolan turned 38 on March 10. We went to the Rodeo. It was really fun. Think kid carnival meets petting zoo meets men riding, falling, wrangling animals. The kids LOVED it almost as much as Nolan. We overpaid for pizza. Paid a million dollars for carnival tickets. Came home with a stuffed dog named cuddles that Nolan won by popping balloons with a dart. Cuddles has a tear in his back. He is in the ER. I can't find my sewing kit. Oh...the drama.

Wyatt has a birthday coming up quickly...April 17, he will be 4. He has already gotten his big gift...a bike. We have it early because we'll be gone over his birthday and he was really wanting to ride with Rylee, we figured they'd get a lot of use out of spring. And we were right! They ride everywhere together. Wyatt misses his preschool, a lot. Too much maybe. We're keeping him busy learning at home and he gets to golfing more often with dad, so he thinks that is cool.

Calvin, oh my sweet Calvin. He's getting good sense of his place in the family and likes to test the rest of us. I'm pretty certain he joined our family for the sole purpose of keeping me on my toes. Overall, he's a very happy boy. And very loved, with his white blonde hair and sloppy kisses. Made up songs and animal noises. More often than not, he's referred to as Biscuit (his "dog" name). He likes to draw on walls and pop out of bed every 2 seconds most nights. He sneaks in my room and snuggles me in bed at about 4 am each morning. Around 6 he starts begging for milky. He loves to "help" with housework and brush his teeth. Oh, the life of Calvin.

As for me, I'm starting to research some schooling options for nursing. One shiny day it will be time for me to return to the workforce (I can only expect Nolan to support me for so long....) and I'll need to be prepared. My days are filled with cleaning, chasing, singing (not on key), reading (childrens books) and many other mommy chores that need not be mentioned here! Life is good, really good!:)

8 times

2009-01-20T21:58:00.000-08:00

That's how many times I had to retuck Calvin tonight. He is in the process of transitioning to his big boy bed. He sleeps great in it, but Nolan has been rocking him to sleep and then putting him to bed the past couple of nights. With Nolan gone (ManDate) tonight, I decided to try for real. Only 8 times, I was honestly prepared for 807 times. So I'm feeling pretty lucky.

He was pretty cute though. I'd stick him in bed, 5 minutes later he's hiding around the corner peeking at me. So I stand up and he high tails it to his room saying "no mommy, I do it I do it I do it". Prankster.

Moving to Houston!

2009-01-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well, its official. If you heard the rumors, you can now rest assured that they are true! We are moving to Houston. Nolan is very excited about starting his new job at Flemings! We are very grateful to our friends Sheri and Daniel, who have helped out so much with the job and showed us around Houston while we were down for the interview.

I will still be staying home with the kids...well most of them. Rylee will be in full day Kindergarten. Shhh, don't tell her. We're going to let her figure it out on her own;) She should be pleasantly surprised. I'm hoping that full day will keep her occupied and she'll come home tired;) It should be a bit more challenging for her. I don't think Wyatt will go back to Preschool...at least not until September. There is so much to do to keep him busy, that I don't think we'll need it to fight boredom. I plan on working with him at home with the basics. And Calvin, his sweet little life will stay the same...it'll just have more sunshine!

We'll be saying Goodbye to some amazing friends, and our family the first week in February. The 2nd or 3rd...we're not exactly sure yet. It will take 40+ hours to make the drive. We're hoping to do it in about 6 days, with a 2 night stay at the Las Vegas Worldmark resort for a little R&R. The kids will deserve a pool and a long swim by that point.

So, if you have any patience, send it my way. I could definitley use some extra for this move!

Winter Performances

2009-01-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention the kids were both in a winter performance! Wyatt was a mouse in his and his line went something like "squeek, squeek"! He was very excited about his part and grinned the entire time. Calvin was so excited for his big brother that he rushed the stage! LOL.

Rylee's performance was the entire school and each grade had their own singing part. She did excellent for the first song and the rest of it...she yawned through. That's what I get for having an early bedtime. Sheesh! But, I must say, she looked so sweet:)

2009-01-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

Belated Christmas Post!

2009-01-19T16:18:00.000-08:00

Apparently with the holidays I was too busy to actually post anything about our family, how we're doing and to show off a few christmas pictures. We had a great time the whole season. The last week of school was canceled due to snow and ice. I think Rylee went to school one day and Wyatt went one day. We dressed in our warmest clothes and played in the snow, then came in to warm up with some cocoa. (I'm pretty sure that was their favorite part)! We enjoyed our first (and last) Christmas in our new home. We had good friends over for dinner on Christmas and the kids enjoyed opening (too many) presents.

We visited Nolan's sister for a big family dinner. Nearly everyone of his siblings were there (except two) so it was nearly a reunion. On the way home our fuel pump stopped working in the suburban (shocker, I know) so we ended up with an impromptu stay with Melinda. (She is so sweet!) We came home the following morning and his littlest sister and her husband came to stay for a couple of days. While they were here my brother came too. It was fun!

We spent New Years very quietly. Our friend Chad was here and he and Nolan watched movies until the sun came up. I was in bed before midnight. Sad but true.

Anyway, on to the pictures I promised!

Calvin turns 2!

2008-11-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

Calvin turned two this past Friday. We had a small party for him on Saturday. A dog party. It was hilarious to see 10 little kids lapping up apple juice out of dog bowls, to see who could finish the fastest. (Carson was the first real winner. Jade was first, but she picked her bowl up. Rylee was second and Reese was third). I had dog ears for all the kids to wear (only about half actually wore them though). Rylee painted faces. Nolan made a dog house, just for them to crawl around in. I made the cake. It was a really fun time, all the kids loved it! And he got some great gifts he is very excited about (my favorite being a kid size vaccuum that really sucks!).

At age (barely) 2, Calvin is speaking nearly in full sentences. He is extremely good with his words if I do say so myself. He is getting better at listening to me when I ask him to do things, and when we go out. He loves to hold hands now, where 2 months ago he'd just dart into the street. His favorite game is chase (its the dog in him, LOL) and he'll try to get the kids to play with him by taking their things and running away. He loves to bring me my things. Namely my coffee (when I leave it on the table for a restroom break). We still call him "FAT" even though he's not really anymore. He does have some linebacker qualities about him though. He loves to talk to people when we walk through the grocery store. He's very charming. I taught him to tell people "hi. You're pretty". He's well loved in the community;)

Halloween

2008-10-26T15:34:00.001-07:00

From Drop Box

My kids love Halloween. I think all kids do. We have been dressing up in different outfits all (month)! Calvin's been a monkey and a bunny the most often. Wyatt...batman and spiderman and a pirate. Rylee..Mariposa, a witch, Cinderella....the list is never ending. We recently went to a Halloween Party at the local Golf Club. They had a clown doing face painting and making balloons. All the kids participated in a costume walk. There was a pinata. Not to mention all the food, with cookies to decorate and sundaes to create.

Fashion Statement

2008-10-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

This is so funny to me. This whole outfit was planned around the black shoes Rylee is wearing. They were hand-me-downs, from a boy. They're her favorite thing these days and they have a name. Team Shoes. She was pretty certain her pants needed to be rolled up, so everyone could see her red socks and so her shoes weren't covered up. Who am I to judge how she should wear her pants. So she went to school that way.

When she got off the bus I noticed her pants were unrolled. When I asked her about it she said "ya, that didn't seem like such a good idea afterall." Some lessons, you just have to learn on your own.

Roloff Farm

2008-10-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

We went to the famous Roloff Farm to visit their pumpkin patch. It was a blast. 33 acres filled of fun and pumkins! And we had a beautiful day for it too! Usually when we go to the pumpkin patch we wear rain gear. No need this year.

Kid Update.

2008-10-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is for those of you (Joni, Mom) that would love to know all those crazy little things about each of my kids. This may get lengthy, so bear with me;)

I'll start with Rylee. Mostly because she's the oldest and likes to be first all the time. LOL.

~She is reading fluently. Big words too. Send her notes, because she can read them. And she feels special with mail. (So does Wyatt, so play fair!).

~Her favorite color is still pink. But she loves purple too. And yellow because her baby blanket is yellow.

~Her two bottom teeth are almost "growed" back.

~She loves to draw. Mostly pictures of me, because I'm her favorite thing.

~She knows exactly how I'd like for her to behave and makes sure to do it when I'm around (kind words, sharing), but tests her powers when she thinks I'm not looking.

~Her favorite games right now are checkers and wild animals. Her perfect day would be her and I playing wild animals all morning in our pj's and eating junk food.

Now, on to Wyatt.

~He's doing great in Preschool. He's very sad the days he doesn't get to go.

~He can write his name all by himself!!!

~He likes to draw and can make some obvious shapes now. He's great at coloring, stays pretty close to the lines for a 3 year old.

~His favorite game is golf. Or driving his John Deere truck.

~He loves Spiderman, Monster Trucks, and anything Rylee likes.

~He sleeps on the top bunk, because Rylee traded him so he would be happy and stop crying.

~He's fully potty trained and stays dry most nights. (He does use a pullup, just in case. Have you ever had to change the top bunk? In the middle of the night. No fun. )

Now on to Calvin.

~He can talk clearly and say words that a two year old shouldn't know. ;)

~He loves to wait at the bus stop for Rylee to get home.

~He despises the play care at the gym, but tolerates it for me most days.

~He loves to eat. Anything. Everything.

~He's the toughest cookie I know. The other day, he was climbing down out of the car and fell. Got a huge scrape on his elbow. Barely made a peep while bleeding all over me. And he doesn't cry when you rip the bandaid off.

~His favorite thing to do is take a bath/shower. Or pretend like he's peeing in the potty, when he's really peeing on the floor.

Artwork

2008-10-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

I love, absolutely adore the turn artwork is taking in my house. My kids will sit at the table for hours and draw and color pictures. Here is a favorite of Rylee's, and our "family" song that she wrote out. She needed a little help spelling a couple of words, otherwise it was all on her own. And those music notes, she was real proud of those. "See Mom. Do you see? I even put music notes because its a song"!

It's an apron giveaway!

2008-09-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this on my friend Sheri's blog. By far, the cutest aprons I have ever seen--made by Betsey Booms. Visit her blog to see how you can win! You can check out her etsy shop here if you don't win and want to buy one. I'm interested in seeing how the lucky number is chosen!

Sweet Brothers

2008-09-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

My sister in law found this great John Deere ride on car for the boys at a garage sale. They love it! Wyatt is a fierce little driver, and apparently has a vendetta out for all of our little bushes in the front yard. Mostly he does great though. Calvin is too short to reach the pedals, but he loves to catch a ride. Rylee doesn't care for driving much, so it's all Wyatt and he's ok with that! Aren't these two cute in their matching shirts?!

First day of school

2008-09-10T11:37:00.001-07:00

So Rylee has headed of to Kindergarten. She loves it of course. School starts earlier for her than last year, so that is a challenge for my slow poke. I take her in the morning and she rides the bus home, which she loves! And big boy Wyatt started preschool this year. He loves it too. I've been nervous, because he's not 100% with the potty training yet. But he hasn't had a single accident at school. And he loves to go potty there. He's very sad on the days Rylee goes to school and he doesn't get to, since he only goes on Tuesday and Thursday. I like it because it gives me two mornings a week to hang out with Calvin. Turns out I like that boy alot! :)lol.

Tooth Fairy

2008-08-07T13:56:00.001-07:00

I noticed her tooth was loose on July 17. It finally came free last night just before bed. It had just been barely hanging on for a few days, so she asked Daddy to use his tool (needlenose pliers) to yank it out. It didn't even hurt her. Just popped out. No blood. No tears. Just one excited girl about the tooth fairy coming! She's very excited about showing it off. And her "S" make a sweet little hissing sound now:)!

Another new look:)

2008-07-26T20:55:00.001-07:00

That's right, Rylee got a new haircut! I've been working on her for weeks, and she finally decided to bite the bullet. I'm so glad she did. Not only do I not have to WASH all that hair, I don't have all that hair to dry. Or try to keep in a ponytail. And, she's completely adorable!!!! I really love her new look:)

Money Banks

2008-07-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

It was time to start teaching the kids about money (mom, can I have that--dad, will you buy that). We had to put a stop to that;) so we got a couple of old jars and let them decorate them with stickers. Can you believe they spent over an hour, sitting at the kitchen table, putting stickers on their jar?! All the while, actually getting along? I know, I'm shocked too. Must have been the excitement of money. Daddy gave them each silver dollar pieces to start their banks out and Rylee has earned some cash by helping to babysit our baby friend Greta a couple of times. They get paid on Fridays. Which Rylee reminded me off when she woke up this morning! She saving up to buy some littlest pet shop toys, and Wyatt is really into some playmobil guys.

First Haircut

2008-07-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well, at 20 months old we couldn't put it off any longer. He didn't have much hair, but it was starting to look like a mullet and I just can't have that! So daddy got out the clippers and Calvin made the change from baby to toddler. *sniff sniff* He was a good boy and held really still (who wouldn't with daddy's death grip on you). And no, I don't save baby hair for the baby book. Who really does anything with it anyway?

Dance Camp

2008-07-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

This summer I enrolled Rylee and Wyatt in a princess dance camp. If you know Wyatt at all, you know that he loves to dress up, play in my makeup and dance around like a ballerina when he's not doing your typical "boy" activities, so he ended up in class with Rylee. On the last day we got to see them perform and take pictures...

Toys are overrated!

2008-07-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very trying day in my house. It's a long story that I'll spare you the details, but in the end the kids had all their toys taken from the playroom and put in the garage. They can earn them back one at a time for good behavior.

That being said, the first thing they did yesterday once they had "free time" again, was go upstairs and get out some sweatpants to wear on their heads to pretend they are bunnies. (I love, love, love the imagination there).

Now, they have turned two bins into boats and are on a safari rescue, trying to "save" our cat. They're playing nicely and laughing. I think the toys are causing all the problems. Maybe we'll never get them back out:)

So, about that Birthday

2008-07-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

I turned 30 on July 14. The best part about being is that I've now known my best friend in the world for 30 years. She's 4 days older than me, and I did tease her relentlessly for those 4 days about being an old lady. :)

For the celebration, we had a bbq at our house with my friends Stacy (and her family) and Peggy (and her family). The kids all had a great time playing. The weather left a little something to be desired (as is usually the case here on the Oregon Coast).

Nolan grilled up some amazing little steaks, and we made this yummy pasta salad (angel hair, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella balls and artichokes with a vinegrette dressing). It was a new thing for us and it was a huge hit. I also made fruit dip to go with cantelope and watermelon. And chocolate covered strawberries. Chad and Stacy brought some yummy cake and pie. And of course, my sweet Nolan did a little bartending.

Last night, my husband took me out for dinner to the Country Club. The food was good enough, the service left something to be desired. Such is life I suppose. Afterwards we went to the movies and saw The Dark Knight, which I loved to no end. Although, it was a bit long. All in all, its been a really great birthday week!

Our new family member

2008-07-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

So we finally did it. 2 years of my little girl dying for a kitten, and we finally got one. He's orange. His name is Crush. I want to rename him Hobbes, because he and Calvin have such a sweet little bond going. Rylee is adament that we don't change the name however. The cat is very playful and fun, the kids love him so much! Rylee is a bit afraid of his scratchy claws, but loves that he likes to dine with Ariel!

I've been tagged!

2008-07-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

This is how lame I've been at blogging. My friend Sheri tagged me about 6 weeks ago, and here I am, just getting around to participating! Better late than never, right?

What was I doing 10 years ago?
I just had my 20th birthday. I was single, without children. Working.

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Wasa crackers with Laughing cow cheese and turkey
2. Fruit.
3. Popcorn.
4. Cheese
5. Edamame

Five things on my to-do list today:
1. Get out of my jammies.
2. Finish Joni's Birthday present.
3. Blog.
4. Workout.
5. Nap.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay off every single I have.
2. Vacation. ALOT.
3. Invest.

Five jobs I've had:
1. Blizzard Technician
2. Food Server
3. Massage Therapist
4. Hostess
5. Office work on campus

Five of my bad habits:
1. Being irritable.
2. Eating candy when I'm stressed.
3. Drinking too much soda.
4. Speeding.
5. Not calling my friends often enough.

Five places I have lived:
1. Oakridge Oregon
2. Portland Oregon
3. Las Vegas Nevada
4. Seaside Oregon
5. Gearhart Oregon

Now, I'm supposed to tag 5 people.

1. Tiffany
2. Kelly
3. Evonne
4. Jenney
5. Lelia

A whole new LOOK!

2008-07-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

My friend Sheri led me to this site, where I downloaded this super new look for my blog. Which I promise, I will do a better job of updating so my friend Trish will stop saying she has not seen pictures of my kids in forever.

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

This was definately by far the best mother's day I've ever had! Our friends Chad and Stacy came over and Nolan handed us the GPS and said "see ya later". So we followed the voice of (Clarice), and she took us to the spa! After filling out our paperwork, we were given cards that the boys left there for us. Very sweet. Nolan has a special way of writing the perfect thing in every card. Then we were taken to another room, where we had a very nice mani done. Afterwards, they led us to yet a third room (we were the only guests at the spa) where we were set up for pedicures. Massage chairs and all. We each had a boquet of Lily's waiting for us, and we were served champagne that the boys had brought in for us. (A pedicure just isn't a pedicure without champagne. That's my mother's day lesson).

Once we got home, the boys were in full swing of cooking dinner. I was so impressed with their presentation of pork, on a bed of couscous with pinenuts and craisins and a side of spinach with mushrooms that I just had to take a picture. They made some yummy appetizers...round tortilla chips with guac, a bit of grilled green onion and shrimp! Some other friends had stopped by for a nice surprise and joined us for dinner. It was really fun!

The kids gave me a nice card, that they all signed. (Nolan helped Calvin I think). It was a perfect Mother's Day and I definately feel appreciated!

Atlantis

2008-05-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Nolan and I recently went on a trip to Atlantis, courtesy of Wyndham Worldwide, in honor of the great job he did last year! We had a wonderful time at the Resort on the waterslides and the lazy river (which we found out real quick wasn't so "lazy"). The food was amazing--stone crab, lobster, oysters, filet. We got to see Junkanoo dancers (they can really shake their stuff!!), and the Police Marching Band. One night was Pirate Themed and we saw a fire dancer and a man limbo under a pole that was on fire. We took a Powerboat Excursion and went out snorkeling for the day, about an hour south of Paradise Island. We did get rained on, but we also saw lots of great fish, ran on a sandbar and toured a little island with the most perfect beach I've ever been on in my life.

Wyatt turns 3!

2008-05-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

My sweet little guy is the big 3! We celebrated in true Pirate fashion! We invited all his closest friends over for a treasure hunt and cupcakes. The party was a huge success. One little guy (who is 5.5 and goes to lots of birthdays) said "that was the best party I've ever been too"! Wyatt had a great time, got a little bashful when everyone sang to him, but wasn't shy about opening his gifts!

She's 5!!

2008-03-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

I remember when I turned 5, I thought I was all grown up. Turns out, Rylee is more like me than I thought! She turned 5 last month and has been telling me about how big she is now. All the things she can do herself (things like driving a car and babysitting her brothers). If only:)

We had a small party for her at Subway, where there is a playland for the kids to climb around in. Her cake was blue, with a Cinderella and Prince Charming on it. All of her little friends came and she had a really great time.

I still can't believe it's been 5 years already!

He is so much fun!

2008-01-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

This Calvin, I tell ya--he is the funnest baby. He loves his da-a (aka dad) and loves to play games with him. Whether is biting or chase or climbing around on the bed. My favorite part of him are his chubby cheeks, and I love his little scrunched up smile!

Oh, this boy...

2008-01-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

He is so curious. He loves to be doing things--any things, doesn't matter what it is. If I'm brushing my hair, he needs his hair fixed. Forget that he barely has any. If I'm putting on lipstick, he needs some too. (This will be a fun story to tell his girlfriends when he older;) ). So, one day when mommy wasn't paying attention, Wyatt helped himself to my makeup. That's purple eyeshadow. Apparantly it makes a nice 5 0'clock shadow too. Haha.

Merry Christmas!

2008-01-06T11:01:00.001-08:00

It seems like every year, christmas just gets to be more and more fun. We had a pretty eventful holiday season~from the Polar Express to baking (Rylee's favorite thing to do) to my sister in law Camille getting married. Christmas day we spent at home, with Nolan's mom and dad. We did have a fun flu-ish type virus work its way through our house, leaving noone untouched. I did manage to get a few pictures on christmas, regardless.

Calvin is ONE!!!!!

2007-11-30T20:03:00.001-08:00

Well, my baby is officially a toddler. He's walking. He's talking. He responds to my questions with "ya..aaa.." and then does nothing! :) We got him a rocking horse and a cupcake for his birthday and after a little "It's my party I can tantrum if I want to" --- he was a happy guy.

It's been a great year with him. He's a fun little guy. He's very cuddly and loves to give kisses and be tickled. He could splash all night in the tub. He is certainly learning alot from the older two, and is giving me some attitude already! He has 8 teeth and I believe he's working on some molars, which are not as much fun as you may think. I look forward to a lifetime of fun with this little man!

Polar Express

2007-11-30T19:43:00.000-08:00

Nolan and I took the kids over to Hood River to ride the Polar Express train. The night before we left, we had dinner and let them open their new jammies and bathrobes. Then we watched the movie. We left the next day after school and drove 2.5 hours to get to the depot. The train departed at 5, and headed for "the north pole". We had hot cocoa and cookies and sang carols. Once we got there we saw Santa in front of his "gingerbread house". He got on the train and made his way through all the cars, taking time with each kid to say hello, have a picture taken and hear what they wanted for christmas. Calvin actually let Santa hold him, so they must be closer than I suspect because Calvin does not like strangers. Wyatt posed in front of Santa, then thought it would probably be okay to sit on his lap. Rylee only allowed Santa to sit in the seat next to her, where they had a long discussion about a special something called a Pinkie Pie Pony. She's pretty sure she's getting one. (and she's right).

A day at the park

2007-10-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

We had a weekend of sunshine, which most of you know does not happen in this neck of the woods often. Even in the summer. So, despite the chill in the air, we trekked to a nearby park for some frisbee, swings and a nice little photoshoot. Wyatt wasn't so happy about being in the tree, but Rylee and Calvin loved it:)

We went to the Fair!

2007-09-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

We drove up and stayed with Aunt Joni for a couple of days, and went to the fair near her house. It was so much fun! Rylee was such a little stud and was loving all the rides, even the teacups. And Aunt Joni was screaming her head off! Rylee just laughed and offered some pretend tea to make her feel better! We ate lots of horribly delicious fair food! And Wyatt passed out near the end, people were laughing at him because he was leaned forward and drooling on the tray of the stroller.

Rylee practiced her "button face" all day, I think she did really well!! We had to lift Wyatt's head up for the picture, which he laughed about later.

Nakey is his name.

2007-09-03T17:34:00.000-07:00

This is our pet, adopted by Wyatt. He really loves him, gave him an original name and all. It's much better now that he has a terrarium and can't get out! He got out of his bucket and curled up in one of MY shoes for the night. ewww...

He's been working so hard.

2007-09-03T13:05:00.001-07:00

On getting his new teeth in. We've been calling him snaggletooth, but I don't think the name will stick for long. Lucky for him, now that this tooth is through he has started returning to my happy, easy-go-lucky baby!

What I know for sure.

2007-09-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

I know for sure, that being a stay at home mom is the best thing I've ever done. How do I know this? The other day, I was asking Rylee some questions for school. The first was "what do you want to be when you grow up?" Her response--"well a mommy of course".

In her eyes, I am the best thing! So of course that's what she wants to be when she grows up. It's a great feeling to be magic in the eyes of a child.

On the Bandwaggon!

2007-09-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

I think I am the last person on earth to jump on the blogging bandwaggon. I can't put my finger on the motivation for this, but its possibly related to boredom with myspace. Or the need to be a little OCD in my ways to have all my thoughts organized in one spot. Or the joy in bragging about my adorable family. Whatever the reason, I am here. And if you are too, it must mean that you like me and find my life enjoyable enough to read about.