"You've Got Your Hands Full"

How is it July already?

2010-07-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

I for one am shocked it is July and guess what?? I haven't blogged in a looooooooooong time again!! What is wrong with me? Besides being busy with 4 kids, a busy real estate business, leading a small group from our home, home schooling the kids and, and, and... So, wow, I guess the blog is a low priority and doesn't need anything from me!! (If the blog starts bickering with its siblings or calling for help in the bathroom, I will be very concerned...) :)

Here's some pictures of the cuties that we did for Eric for Father's Day!!

These boots were made for walking...

2010-03-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

Just a fun time outside in our boots!

Grace's PINK 1st birthday party!

2010-02-22T07:31:00.001-08:00

Grace turned 1 on September 24th! We celebrated with a pink party! Lots of friends and family joined us and we had a great time together!! Did I mention it was pink?? :)

Elijah's 5th Birthday party

2010-02-22T07:21:00.001-08:00

We spent the evening at Chuck E Cheese in Tacoma for Elijah's 5th birthday party on October 10th. We all had soooo much fun playing and doing games (and of course eating pizza and cake!)

Elijah couldn't have been more thrilled with the celebration! What fun!!

Samuel's 7th Birthday

2010-02-22T07:14:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Sam's 7th birthday at IHOP with lots of family and friends! What a fun day!
We also continued the Christmas Eve morning tradition, so he gets to celebrate on his actual birthday!! Fun times!

Sammy Hammy

2010-01-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

It's funny how sometimes you don't know what pictures you have taken until you get around to editing them at home!

I took this picture of Sam in December at his cousin's birthday party. I was just snapping a bunch of them playing and sliding and bouncing and having an all around great time! It wasn't until last night that I was finally editing pictures from all of December's events, that I finally saw this one!!

I LOVE it! I just love the light on his face and the brightness of the colors! I also love that's he's happy! Of my 4 children, Sam can often be the one who's not having fun or ready to leave from something. So, seeing him genuinely happy and having a blast is awesome to me!

365 Project

2010-01-20T23:25:00.000-08:00

Last year I challenged myself to take at least 1 photo everyday and this year I'm doing it again! I'm changing it a bit to share more of them with everyone else though! For 2009 I did print each one and have them all ordered and in hand (shocking I know!) but I still need to put them into a 2009 album! For this year, I'll still do that, because I like to have a book to look through and show the kids and all, but I'll also upload them here and/or on Facebook. Because if I take all these photos, but don't share them with our adoring fans, you all miss out on the little moments that make up our life! So, for now, I've started the 2010 "365 Project" album on Facebook and hopefully soon here I'll get them up on the blog too. In the meantime, feel free to check them out there and let me know what you think!! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=139887&id=630408463&l=506d833293

He's making a list, checking it twice...

2009-12-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, my Dad has been a Professional Santa for the past 4 years now! It's fun to have the kids visit him and get pictures whenever there's an opportunity!

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-11-04T16:38:00.001-08:00

Slacker.

2009-09-09T12:12:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am a blogger slacker. I admit it.

I'm sorry!

This summer has flown by, we've had lots of fun and adventures and I haven't shared a single bit of it with YOU!!

I hope to make it up to you somehow... if you can find it in your heart to forgive me for being so bad at posting!

OK, now that we've officially made up, here's a few pictures for you!! :)

More pictures and stories to come! I promise!!

Sitting Pretty!

2009-07-02T06:17:00.000-07:00

It's Official! Grace has started sitting up on her own. She's happy about it and she might be just a tad bit proud of herself! :) Here's a million pictures to prove it! She also is making more and more funny faces, so I threw those in too!

Grace is now 9 months old; HOLY COW, where has the time gone?? At her check-up last week, she weighed in at 16 pounds and is looking good all around!

More updates and pictures to come of other exciting happenings around here, including lost teeth, baptisms, bandanas, Father's Day, 3 boys, fish, 4th of July and much more! Stay tuned my faithful readers!!

Wordless Wednesday.

2009-06-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, just a few words...

Cousins Maddie and Abby came over to play for a few hours the other day.

No more words, I promise.

Baby Food

2009-06-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

Another milestone in our baby's life has come this week... starting solid foods! Woo hoo! I dug the highchair out of storage this week and cleaned it up a bit. (Apparently it didn't get properly cleaned when Luke was done with it, because I found food under the seat that was nasty!!)

Anyway, we've purposely waited on starting Grace on baby food for longer than the "norm." I faithfully started Sam and Elijah at 4 months, like their Dr. said to. Can I just say, while it was fun for awhile, it was mostly just a hassle! They didn't need solids yet and, in retrospect, they weren't ready. Because of Luke's health issues, we decided to wait on starting solid foods until about 8 months old. It was a great decision for him and for us. He could sit up mostly and participate and had the whole swallowing idea down better!

So, because of our night and day experiences waiting with Luke, we decided to also with Grace. She'll be 9 months next week (which I cannot believe and also am slightly sad about,) so this seemed like a good time to start!

We had some jars in the cupboard that my niece Abby is done with, but I can see that I'll quickly need to start making my own again, because Grace is a BIG EATER! At her first meal, she ate 3 jars; 2 of squash and 1 of sweet potatoes!

I also remembered something that I've done with the boys... use the highchair tray to pin their hands down, so they won't grab for the spoon. :) It was no exception for Grace either; she did get her hands out a few times though!

Another reason I waited is that I'm still nursing. Sam and Elijah, moreso Elijah, kind of weaned themselves once they started solid foods. I want to nurse Grace until at least 12 months, so I knew it'd be harder to meet that goal, the earlier I started her on baby food!

So, what kind of food will I make and how will I make my own baby food, you ask? I'm glad you asked. Pretty much everything I learned about this subject, came from my Mom and the book, Feed Me, I'm Yours, by Vicki Lansky. I think my Mom had this book when we were babies too. Anyway, to start with, I'll buy vegetables and fruits (probably organic,) boil them, if necessary and blend them up. I either fill up old baby food jars, of which I only have a few right now, fill up ice cube trays or, my favorite, plop spoonfuls on wax paper and freeze them. Once frozen, whether in the jars, trays or plops, then I just store them in the freezer and they're ready for defrosting or a quick microwaving for mealtime.

For foods that don't blend and freeze well, like bananas, I also have a little food mill that works wonders. With this, I can grind up most table foods that we're having and not have to worry about making something seperate for baby.

I (we) hope you have enjoyed our very informative post on baby food and feeding. Now, I have a suprise for you! It's very exciting...

I have found, in the archives, photos of the other 3 kids eating in their highchairs. (Yes, it's the same highchair! We got it from my parents as a shower present when Sam was born.)

This first one is Luke at 14 months old...

The second one is Elijah at 17 months old (before we owned a digital camera, so we had borrowed a friends to use for Luke's birth.)

The third one is Samuel at 8 months old (taken using my Mom's digital camera.)

Wordless Wednesday.

2009-06-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

This post is for you Nana!

2009-06-05T12:23:00.001-07:00

Wordless (Watermelon) Wednesday!

2009-06-03T15:58:00.001-07:00

(Just sitting around on a nice spring day.)

(Enter the watermelon.)
(Wonderful, juicy, yummy watermelon.)

(Wet watermelon.)

(Where'd it go?)

(I got it back and I'm not letting it go.)

(Grrr.)

(Mommy, I want Mommy!) <--Sam's contribution! ;)

(What I really want is more watermelon. If I put on the charm enough, will you give me some?)

(No. Well, I guess I'll look at my hand then.)

Not Me Monday!

2009-06-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the weekly blog carnival, hosted by MckMama, at My Charming Kids! I hope you'll join along!!

1. I did not almost lose my cool with the boys last week because they were fighting over a play shovel in the backyard. I did not threaten to break it in half if they came in and told me that "so-and-so took the shovel and I want it back" again. I am a very level-headed, calm parent and I do not make threats like this to my kids.

2. I did not weed our front garden beds for the FIRST TIME in my life last week! Turns out that, growing up, my Dad always did the yardwork and I never learned how! In talking to my Mom, she confirmed this by saying that she doesn't think she's ever weeded either...

3. I did not officially begin our home school curriculum last week and LOVE it! I do not love the direction and support it provides us! I also do not think we waited just a tad bit too long to begin Sam on the kindergarten curriculum, because he's reading the lesson to me!

4. We are not starting P90x today, in an attempt to get in shape and lose weight! I did not fall asleep watching the introductory DVD on Saturday night. I'm pretty sure that's a good sign!

5. Yesterday, I did not, while changing Grace's diaper on the back deck, somehow lose my grip on her wiggly, roly poly body and watch as her head solidly connected with the deck. KONK! She did not cry immediately and I did not feel terrible, especially when a little bump formed on her forehead.

6. I did not get mad at Eric and the boys, when as a joke, Samuel and Elijah showed me their bottoms at bedtime, instead of giving me my goodnight kisses.

Waaaay past his birthday, but just as meaningful!!

2009-06-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

ALERT! Bad Mom Award!!! Luke's 3rd birthday was March 30th and I still haven't posted anything about it (or written thank you cards for that matter!)

So, here's the highlights:

Birthday Party #1 at Nana and Papa's house. Also there to celebrate was Great Grandpa and Grandma Scott, Uncle Paul and Aunt Leah and their girls, cousin Maddie and cousin Abby.

Luke shares his birthday with Great Grandpa Scott; very special!

Paul and Leah and Maddie admiring Grace!

Luke was definitely more into packages this year!

Cute OshKosh coveralls from Nana and Papa.

What's more exciting than the hangers??

Our sweet, dimpled 3 year old!!

BIG truck, also from Nana and Papa! What a hit!

Spiderman car from Paul and Leah. (And, not shown, an Ichiro shirt.)

Birthday party #2 at Grammie's house. Also there to celebrate was Aunt Edie, Uncle John, Uncle Matt and Aunt Tara and their kids, cousin Joe, cousin Olivia and cousin Will, and our friends Katie and Bella.

Says the birthday boy, "I want green cake and chocolate!"

Says the mommy, "Whatever you wish, my dear birthday boy!"

Luke was very excited about his birthday this year. It was very cute. He also, for months prior, would say he wanted anything he liked/likes for his birthday. "I want bananas for my birthday." "I want the barn for my birthday." (You already have the barn you silly!)

He also caught onto the whole blowing the candles out idea!

Even still, it wouldn't be a kid's birthday party without half a dozen other kids helping blow out candles and open presents.

"Don't eat that Luke."

Too late.

"Spit it out."

Elijah showing off his cupcake.

Cousin Olivia putting on the charm!

A fun birthday time was had by all!!

6 of the kids watching Bugs Bunny, after the presents and dessert!

While the 7th kid, Grace, got spoiled by Grammie and Aunt Edie!

Luke had a great 3rd birthday and was thrilled beyond belief by all of it! He still talks about it! Thanks to everyone who participated on any level! You are special to Luke and the rest of us too!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-27T17:18:00.001-07:00

Meet our newest family member!

2009-05-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

This is our new dog, Bruiser! Isn't he awesome?!! He weighs 145 pounds and he's still growing! Isn't he great?

OK, you caught me... we did not add a dog to our family! That would be TOO crazy and I don't know if I could handle any more craziness right now!

This is just a Therapy Dog that Sam read to at the Puyallup library yesterday for a "Reading with Rover" event! It was so much fun and so very special for Sam!

Sorry Bruiser, we can't keep you! You'll enjoy your life on the farm with your brothers and sisters way more!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

Question: What's funner than sprinklers??

Answer: Pretty much nothing!

Not Me Monday!

2009-05-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's Monday and time for the blog carnival created by MckMama, at My Charming Kids. Go visit and see what she and many, many other people did not do this week!

This is what I didn't do this week:

-I did not have such a busy, crazy last few weeks with work and the kids and everything in between, that I let 11 loads of laundry just pile up before my eyes. The boys did not have to remind me to get going on the laundry, because they were running out clothes!

-I did not finally get to put a little barrette in Grace's hair (peach fuzz really,) on Thursday. She did not really need it and the barrette was just hanging on by one hair, but it wasn't darn cute in the meantime!

-I did not get introduced to the Farm Town game on Facebook by my friend Jess and now I am not totally addicted. I also did not let Sam play too, thinking he might enjoy it and he is also not completely enthralled with it. (Thanks Jess!)

-I am not soooo behind in my photography and blogging and feeling like I'll never catch up. I do not have so many great shots I've done lately and people and places I've captured, but just not the time to do anything with them.

-I did not sleep in until 9:30 on Saturday morning. It was not wonderful and not at all needed. Sweet baby Grace (and Luke too, for that matter,) did not sleep in until 11:00 am, which did not help my ability to sleep in!

Well, I'm sure I'm forgetting some of my Not Me Monday's, but these will have to do for this week!

Remember to head over to My Charming Kids and check out what MckMama has going on!

Tacoma Rainiers!

2009-05-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

So, we decided to purchase 4 seats to a package of Tacoma Rainiers baseball games this year! It seemed like a fun, fairly inexpensive, memorable thing we could do with the boys. We weren't up for attending all 84 games (who is, really?) but decided to go with a package that gives us 8 games and 7 of those include FIREWORKS!!

Awhile back there was a "ticket holder event," that we went to and it was so fun! It was freezing that day, but we bundled up and made the best of it! There was face-painting, free hot dogs, free drinks, balloon animals, a bounce house, an opportunity to scope out your seats and meet some players, more free stuff and best of all, Rhubarb the friendly mascot!!

Here's some of the highlights of our fun day at the ballpark!

**Finding our seats and checking out the view!**

**A fun baseball mural!**

**Elijah takes his turn!**

**LoVe how perfect this one of Eric turned out!**

**Who loves Rhubarb?? WE DO!!!**

**Elijah asked me later if Rhubard was a real moose or just one wearing a costume? I said he wasn't real, it was just a costume. Elijah said, "I think he's real, because fake animals talk on the cartoons, but real animals don't, and Rhubarb didn't talk at all."**

**Balloon animal/swords. How cool are they?**

**Even Eric got face painted!!**

**Pretty cool, huh?**

**Suprise, suprise... Sam wanted NOTHING to do with the paint gun on his face, so we settled on his hand getting painted!!**

**Elijah went with the Mariners "S" on his face!**

Wordless Wednesday - AWANA award night!

2009-05-13T23:38:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday.

2009-05-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

Not Me Monday!

2009-05-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

So, I'm going to give this a try this week, because it just seems like fun!

These are the things I did not do in the past week.

1. I did not walk 3.5 miles on Sunday in support of March For Dimes and realize at the end of the day that I'm WAY out of shape. I did not get a blister and wake up this morning a bit sore. FROM WALKING.
2. I did not get poo on my hand the other day when changing Grace and just decide to wipe it on my pants, since I was about to shower and throw the clothes in the wash anyway.
3. I did not then immediately forget I had done that and instead switched gears and ended up wearing said dirty pants for another 4 hours until I remembered what I had done. Or not done.
4. I did not nearly have a breakdown on Monday when Sam had his mouth surgery and he started acting crazy from the medicine. I wish I'd been more prepared for how hard the whole thing was going to be.
5. I also did not almost slap a mom in the waiting room at the dentist's office who was talking horribly to her little boy about his grandparents who had just left. (The same grandparents who had just waited with him for an hour while she was apparently driving back from a weekend trip with her boyfriend.) I got the impression that these were her ex-husband's parents. I do not get mad about parents' selfishness and parents that don't realize that divorce affects their kids and their kids' lives too.

Well, that's all I can think of this week! Enjoy! To read more "Not Me Monday's," head over to My Charming Kids and enjoy this blog festival started by Mckmama!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, the shame...

2009-04-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post on Wednesday for "Wordless Wednesday," as my Mom reminded yesterday. I just can't believe it!!

So, pretend this was on the blog on Wednesday...

Happy 6 Months Old Grace!

2009-04-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

March 24th marked 6 months for Grace; I can't believe it! (I also can't believe I'm this behind in blogging about it...)

Anyway, Grace is a joy to our lives and puts more smiles and laughter into our household everyday! She is extremely laid back and truly doesn't cry much. When she's hungry, she cries the most and on the rare occasion that her brothers' rough housing includes her, she'll definitely chime in! Grace, like the other 3 kids (are or have been,) is a devoted thumb-sucker and when she's tired (or bored or just hanging out,) she'll find her beloved thumb and be pretty content!

Grace is on the small side of the scale for her age, but her cheeks might make you think differently! I often get comments from people on how big they are and how adorable they are; I must agree!! Her thighs are also quite chunky and I think they're pretty cute!

Here's what else is going for our little sweetie:

-takes 3 (sometimes 4) naps a day and sleeps through the night with no problems. She has taken to waking up early (like 5:30 am) and I'm not sure what that is all about, but I'm hoping she snaps out of that soon!

-still has the bluest eyes I've ever seen! we love them!!

-no solid foods yet; still nursing and has an occassional bottle when we're out or when she's getting watched by a sitter.

-not too active yet. she does lay on her tummy for long periods of time and push up her upper body and hold her head and neck up. i think she'll be moving around soon enough!

-she has many, many adoring fans... (here's some of them, in no particular order.)

Papa and Grace

Grammie, Aunt Edie and Grace
Nana and Grace

Uncle Paul, Aunt Leah and Cousin Maddie with GraceCousin Olivia (daughter of Matt and Tara) loves her girl cousin Grace!
With our friend Katie, mom to Izabella. Uncle Tim from California meets Grace for the 1st time! Dear friend Nicole, who was at Grace's birth and is a darn good birthing coach!! Great Grandpa Scott loves holding Baby Grace. My good friend Kelly from high school, who has her own baby girl brewing and is due in June! Another dear friend from high school, Jenn, who also is pregnant with a baby girl and due in June! (For the record, Jenn was part of my birthing team for Grace and was a fantastic support too!!) My good friend Jessica, also from high school, loving on Grace too!

-smiles almost constantly and laughs more and more. she particularly likes her brothers, especially Elijah, and will smile and laugh when any of them come near.-speaking of her brothers... they are all so in love with her and are enjoying this baby girl in the house thing, just as much as we are! the other day Sam told me that sometimes he just wants to look at Grace and not go do what he's supposed to be doing. (Welcome to Real Life!!)

-for some unknown reason Grace has exceptionally petite feet. at 6 months old, I can still fit her newborn, 0-6 weeks, shoes on her! she has quite a few cute shoes to get into and more adorable ones passed down from cousin Abby, but I can't fit her into them yet!

-Grace and her BFF, Izabella are 4 months apart and cute as can be together! I have the pleasure of watching Bella every 2 weeks or so and I love it! it'll be so fun when the girls are older and can play together!

-for her free time, Grace enjoys being held, sitting in the Bumbo seat, laying around on the floor or the playmat or enjoying most any adventure we take her on...

We're so happy that Grace is part of our family and feel truly blessed that God gave us such a sweet gift!

Goodbye Grandma Dimond.

2009-04-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that my Mom's Mom, Naydene Dimond, passed away April 4th at 81 years old. Here's a few pics of her just 5 weeks prior at a little birthday celebration my Mom threw for her.

Here's what was written in her obituary about her life:

Naydene passed away April 4, 2009, at age 81. She was born in Puyallup on Feb. 29, 1928, to Henry and Dorothy Veenhuizen, Jr. and lived most of her life in Tacoma and Puyallup. She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred Dimond, Jr. and is survived by her eight children-Nancy (Dale) Scott, Cindy (Verne) Keyes, Richard Dimond, Janis (Toxie) Case, Jean (Harry) Tuttle, Jeff (Colleen) Dimond, Becky (Pete) Owen and Chris (Jeri) Dimond, 14 grandchildren, and 15 great grandchildren. Also survived by her brother Richard (Rose) Veenhuizen, sisters Joyce Beck and Joann (Lyle) Bishop, brother-in-law Robert Dimond, nieces and nephews. Naydene loved flowers and gardening, and took great pride in having raised her eight children. Viewing will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2009 at 12:00pm with Services at 1:00pm in the Chambers Creek Chapel in New Tacoma Cemetery. 9212 Chambers Creek Rd. W., University Place, WA 98467. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the American Heart Association.

Thank you everyone for your kind words, prayers and thoughts. They are truly appreciated by my entire family!

Wordless Wednesday.

2009-04-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday - Red, White and Blue!

2009-04-08T22:53:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday.

2009-04-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

I Am Not A Boy.

2009-03-26T23:55:00.000-07:00

This post has been brewing in my head for a long time, but I'm finally now just sitting down and making myself write it out, for you, my faithful readers!
I've wanted a little girl for sooooo long, it's not even funny. It really stems back to my childhood and wanting, begging, pleading, asking my parents to PLEASE, PLEASE give me a little sister. I asked for a little sister on my birthday and Christmas lists for so many years, even past the point of knowing better. I DIDN'T CARE though! I had 2 older brothers (and as great as they are! Love you guys, seriously!) but I wanted a girl to play with and someone to join me in barbies and doll playing and dress-up and all that girl stuff. Sometimes I could get Paul to play with me (sorry for that bro!) but mostly my brothers would either a) do things together like basketball and stuff or b) destroy my fun girl toys. Paul, do you remember running over my barbies with the Barbie motorhome and popping their heads off?? That was so mean! :)

Anyway, this post is getting long and I'm not even to my point yet...

Having 3 boys first has been wonderful and lovely, don't get me wrong, even for a second! I LOVE my boys and I LOVE that I am the Queen of our household and that Eric is teaching them real quick to respect and love me the proper way! I know that God was preparing me for Motherhood and gave me boys first, for a specific reason. I honestly think I wasn't ready for a girl yet. I can't fully explain this, but basically let's just say, I've kind of enjoyed being in the spotlight at my house and benig surrounded by boys and all their craziness. But I've done a lot of growing up of my own since first becoming a Mom back in 2002 and I've certainly done A LOT of growing up in the past year. God knew I was ready for Grace to come along and now I can "gracefully" (some pun intended!) share the spotlight with her.

I am SO, SO excited for all the things that having a little girl means... all things pink, tea parties, princesses, little cute dresses, tights, dolls, barbies, makeup, hair bows and barrettes, My Little Ponies, flowers... you get the picture. A lot of people tell me that Grace has very little chance of being into girly things, since she'll want to be just like her dirt-loving, cowboy & indian playing, Spiderman-jumping, all things "potty talk" is the most hilarious thing on earth-ing, bike-riding, puddle-splashing, spitting, burping, tooting, name-calling, wrestling, arguing, pushing, shoving, biting, kicking, screaming, but still my 3 adorable boys, aka Samuel, Elijah and Luke! (Whew. Long run-on sentence there; my apologies!) And, you know what, it is just fine by me if she does take after them. It really is. If she doesn't want to play with the girly stuff or wear pink, I am OK with that. I will do my bestest to remember what a blessing each and every one of my children is. That is after all, the meaning behind the title of my blog! (Another post coming soon on this subject!)

But, when I saw this shirt at Walmart shortly after we found out we were having a girl, it jumped out at me immediately. After I got it home, I realized it most likely means the old, "I am a girl," like people can't tell you apart in the grocery store thing. But when I read it, what jumped out at me was, "I am a girl," like there are 3 boys before me and finally my Mom got her girl! That and the fact that it was 99 cents... but I digress.

I am just as thrilled and IN LOVE with Grace as I am with my boys, but something just feels different. I cannot put my finger on it yet, but if any of you have any thoughts or wisdom, please clue me in! I am truly blessed, times 4 and I'm tickled pink (and blue and blue and blue) about it!

Wordless Wednesday.

2009-03-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

Things Kids Say

2009-03-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

I posted this on Facebook, but thought I'd post it here too, just so I can keep it around forever! Or for a long time at least.

Things Kids Say.... Copy this note, ask your kid the questions and write them down exactly how they respond.

Samuel 6
Elijah 4
Luke 3

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Sam – to be quiet downstairs so we don’t wake up grace
Elijah – you love me
Luke – do you want cereal?

2. What makes mom happy?
Sam – if I obey
Elijah – when I do my job, not someone else’s job
Luke – my dog

3. What makes mom sad?
Sam – when I’m gone for 1 week or 10 weeks
Elijah – if I do the wrong thing
Luke – nothing makes you sad

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Sam – when you pull on my toe (huh?)
Elijah – go on the floor and cry (what?)
Luke – goes like this, ha ha ha ha (probably the closest to the truth…)

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Sam – a little girl
Elijah – you ate peanut butter crackers and you looked like cousin Maddie
Luke – I don’t know what you were like as a little girl? A bottom? (I’m just writing the facts here folks.)

6. How old is your mom?
Sam - 28
Elijah - 7
Luke – 3 (umm, that’s your age actually)

7. How tall is your mom?
Sam – as tall as 2 kids
Elijah –as tall as Gavin
Luke – big

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Sam – printing pictures out
Elijah – eat
Luke – hold baby Grace

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Sam – run errands
Elijah – work in the office
Luke - nothing

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Sam – driving the car
Elijah – for being my Mom
Luke – going potty (thanks Luke)

11. What is your mom really good at?
Sam – doing real estate
Elijah – writing stuff on your computer
Luke – going potty (well, I try…)

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Sam – helping Daddy do the yard work
Elijah – lifting heavy things
Luke – being like Spiderman

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Sam – real estate
Elijah- pack boxes
Luke – change diapers

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
Sam – spicy candies
Elijah – Diet Coke
Luke – popcorn

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Sam – when you go to work and I get to play
Elijah – for you to be my partner
Luke – I don’t know.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Sam – Thomas the Train
Elijah – Bugs Bunny
Luke – Lightening McQueen

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Sam – make cookies
Elijah – eat
Luke – go potty (one way street though!)

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Sam – we both have 2 brown eyes
Elijah – we both have Anderson in our last name
Luke – (you guessed it.) go potty

19. How are you and your mom different?
Sam – we have different hair
Elijah – you have long hair and I have short hair
Luke – mom is a girl

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Sam – because you tell me all the time
Elijah – because you tell me you love me
Luke – I love you

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
Sam – snuggling with him
Elijah – that he loves you
Luke – oh my gosh.

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Sam – to your Mom’s house
Elijah – to the pumpkin patch
Luke – in the car

Wordless Wednesday.

2009-03-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

Even though I am a not a woman of many words, I do have a few words to add to this post...

I was laughing hysterically when I looked out the window and noticed the boys were dumping snow over their heads on the most recent snowday! Brrr! That's why I try to avoid the snow and stay inside with my hot coffee and slippers!

Eric and I think it's funny how everytime it's snowed recently (like an average of once a week since November or something,) the boys are increasingly more thrilled about it and we're in complete contrast, less thrilled about it snowing AGAIN!! Oh well, I suppose spring has to come soon, right? Right?!

P.S. Do you like the bandaid on Sam's face?? Ha!

Apparently I like brick

2009-03-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

After posting my last post, I scrolled down and noticed that I've had the brick wall in the background of the LAST 6 POSTS! Holy cow! The thing is that, if you haven't been to my house, the brick wall is right outside my dining room window. The dining room has the BEST light in the house and it's where I do most of my indoor shooting. So, there you have it... Just thought I'd comment on that, because I have a lot of random thoughts like that!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're all wearing green today! Grace has frogs on her shirt, you may not be able to see them though! Hope your St. Patty's Day is/was great and that you get to enjoy some corned beef and cabbage! (If that's your thing!) We enjoyed it twice, thank you very much! We had some over at my parents on Saturday night and then again at Eric's mom's house on Monday! So, what are we eating tonight, the actual St. Patty's day? Meatloaf and garlic mashed potatoes, of course. Not that you really care about our dinner menu though! Bye for now!!

Mr. Luke

2009-03-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

With Luke's 3rd birthday coming up on March 30th, I've been trying to make a concious effort to get some pictures of him for an ABC album I'm making him. (More on that another time.) Here's a few more from that day's pictures...

Wordless Wednesday. (a day late)

2009-03-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

Blue eyed beauty!

2009-03-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a few more pictures from our "photo shoot" the other day! I promise to share some updated pictures of the boys soon too. Grace just happens to stay where I put her, whereas her brothers are a little harder to capture in all their "busy*ness!"

Wordless Wednesday.

2009-03-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

4 Little Sweeties!

2009-03-02T22:37:00.000-08:00

I only had to take 72 pictures to capture this one. And, wouldn't you know it, it was one of the first 4 that I took! :) Plus, I could NOT get Grace to smile! (Maybe because she can't see my normal "smile helpers" ...)

It's a busy life being a baby.

2009-02-26T21:53:00.000-08:00

Sweet baby Grace.

2009-02-22T00:33:00.001-08:00

I just love this girl!

Happy Birthday Abby!

2009-02-19T06:18:00.000-08:00

My niece Abby just turned 1 on Sunday and we went to a nice party at Paul and Leah's to celebrate! There was a great lunch for us all and cake and gifts, of course! Here's some of the highlights...

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-18T11:22:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice Valentine's Day (we actually stretched it out over a number of days!) this year!Eric and I had Black Angus gift cards that we got for Christmas (thanks Paul and Leah,) that we decided to use for a Valentine's Day date. We went on Wednesday night, since Sam and Elijah are already gone at Sparks and Cubbies (thanks Aunt Edie.) We dropped Luke and Grace off with my parents (thanks Nana and Papa,) and went to a nice dinner for 2!Our table wasn't quite ready when we got there, so we walked next door to a coffee shop and Eric bought me some new ground coffee to feed my coffee craving most every morning! (Thanks Eric!)

We had a great dinner and ended up getting the "2 For" special, which gives you an appetizer to share, we chose the potato skins; soup or salad, we both chose salads; 2 entrees, we both chose steak, garlic mashed potatoes and substituted veggies for more potatoes; and then a yummy apple crisp to share! It was a great dinner and we were throughly full when we left. We just had such a nice time talking and catching up on each other; it happens so rarely that we get away anymore. And it wasn't for business, so that was a bonus too!We picked up the kiddos, who both did great in our absence and headed home. Sam and Elijah beat us home by a few minutes, but Edie kindly waited with them until we got there! As a bonus, our whole house had been cleaned while we were gone! (Thanks Marty!)

2009-02-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's Day morning, we called the kids into our bed for one of our favorite Saturday activities, "Family Cuddle Time!" It's a bit crowded in there these days, but we make it work! We just talked about Valentine's Day and how much we love each of them and each other and all that good stuff! It was nice. Eric and I gave the boys little treat cups with some candy and those big balloons with the handles that you can hit back and forth. Those were the biggest hit; even more than the candy!

In the evening we went over to my parents house for dinner and movies. We all got more candy there too! (I happen to love the conversation heart candies a lot, so I always look forward to Valentine's Day for them to come out again!) We had a nice evening together and a great Valentine's Day weekend!

We are blessed! What did you do for Valentine's Day?

On second thought ... don't smile.

2009-02-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

The other day I decided to try and get some new shots of Luke. I realized he's the only one not to be featured on the blog yet. There's a reason for this... he's the hardest to photograph right now. With Sam and Elijah, they'll pose, smile, not smile, stand still, turn their head, etc. They're usually both very willing subjects. Grace, of course, will just smile when anyone talks to her or tries to get her attention by being silly. She's very smiley, so she's been so easy and so fun to photograph!

But, Luke is a different story. He'll smile on command, no problem. But his smile ends up being WAY too much! (See below...) Anyway, I ended up telling him not to smile and was showing him what a frown looked like. This made him laugh and then I caught a genuine smile! Go figure!

Some People Call Me The Space Cowboy...

2009-02-09T05:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a few shots I took of Sam and Elijah in their "cowboy hats" the other day. You'll notice that Sam's is not even remotely a cowboy hat, but a Nike bucket hat. But, whatever... :)

Oh, and also, cowboys at our house don't wear shirts. Not sure why, they just don't!

Welcome to our new family blog!

2009-02-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Friends and family,

I am finally starting a blog for our family and our adventures and I'm so excited about it! I've wanted to do this for so long, because I think it'll be such a great way to keep in touch. I take a lot of pictures of our family and want to share them with all of you!

So, stay tuned for periodic posts about our life, our kids and everything in between!

-Rachel