Tew Crew

Rylie....she shoots and she scores!

2010-10-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

My friend took these awesome pictures of Rylie making a goal at her last game. She got her running towards the ball, kicking the ball and then following the ball as it went into the goal. Seeing how great her camera is makes me realize that we need a new one!

An update on Austin

2010-07-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

So this year Austin decided to try a new sport, track. I new he would be a good runner because of all his soccer training. He participated in the 400m, the 800m relay and the 200m. Mt. Baker did a great job this year and won many of the events. I had never been to a track meet before so it was fun to watch and I look forward to it next year. Go Bulldogs!

I think Austin liked the socializing as much or more than the actual running.

It's hard for a 13 year old boy to earn money. They normally don't babysit and where we live the yards are all so small that most people do there own. But we did find something for him to do to earn money and that is refereeing soccer games. They actually earn REALLY good money and they can make there own schedule so it works out great.

Austin refereeing his first soccer game. He looked so official in his yellow shirt and whistle. I'm really proud of him because he had to tell a parent that was standing by the goalie box that he had to move over to the sideline. The parent kind've gave him a hard time but Austin didn't back down and said that those were the rules and the parent moved.

End of year orchestra concert. Austin has been playing the chello for two years now. It is so fun to see the improvement each year of the whole orchestra as well as his individual progress.

The big #10

2010-06-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's the big double digit birthday. I know I've said this a million times but I can't believe how fast the years fly by. It was 10 years ago that we moved to Washington and I was 8 months pregnant with Rylie.

The day of Rylie's birthday her choice for lunch was McDonald's. She made sure to remind me though that by no means was I to bring her a kid's meal. She has officialy outgrown the toy and would be so embarrased to have one in class.

A friend of ours had a scavenger/game birthday party for her boys over at the school and Rylie said that it sounded like a lot of fun so we did the same thing. Thanks Stephanie for the awesome scavenger hunt. The girls loved it.

We started off the party with pizza at home.

Then cupcakes and ice cream

playing on the monkey bars

a few relay races

and kickball

Back home for a movie and gifts.

Happy Birthday Rylie!

Surgery 7 & 8

2010-06-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are at Children's hospital yet again for another surgery. Sienna and Rylie make # 7 & 8. Austin is the king with 5 and the rest have now had one each. Hopefully this will be the last!

Rylie and Sienna were both born with belly button hernia's. We were not in a hurry to get Rylie's fixed because the doctor said that they usually close by the time they are four years old. Well Rylie's never closed and we just kind've forgot about it until she started telling us that she didn't like her "outie" and was feeling self conscious about it (they can also cause problems as adults and when they get pregnant). By this time Sienna was about 3 years old and her hernia was not closing either. I knew that hers was not going to close either but we waited for the doctor to give us the go ahead when she turned four.

We made an appointment with the surgeon for both girls and decided to do both surgeries on the same day to get them over with at once. Belly button hernia's are a pretty commom surgery and the recovery time is not too long so we felt we could handle both of them being down for a few days.

They let me go back with both girls to the OR while they put them to sleep. I can see how some kids might freak out with all the equipment and dr.'s and nurses in there scrubs. The girls both did great and were out a few seconds after they gased them.

Going home.

Sienna perked up a lot faster after the surgery than Rylie.

Before surgery

Right after surgery

A week after surgery

A month after surgery

We are so grateful for all the wonderful doctor's and nurses who have helped all our kids!

Mulan

2010-06-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

For some reason I have been having a really hard time blogging lately. I think partly because life just gets really busy, especially at the end of the school year, but also I just get tired of doing it. I then start to feel guilty because I think what a great way to documnet our life and the kids will love it when they get older. So my goal is to try to get caught up before school ends.

We had another great school play this year. The play was Mulan and Rylie was a maiden. The costumes and set were amazing as usual and I am always so impressed with the amount of effort and time the music teacher and all the volunteers put into the play.

After six long weeks of practice the big night arrived. Rylie did a great job and I was so proud of all her hard work.

Here are the girls and Rylie's good friend Linsey. Rylie was really excited she was able to be a Maiden with Linsey and it made the long practices a lot more fun.

When we bought Rylie's dress we bought one for Sienna as well. They both look so cute in them. Sienna loves to wear hers! We can't get Rylie to wear hers again. Maybe for Halloween?

Rylie was excited to have Nana come visit and see her in the play. Our kids really miss having their Grandparents around so it's a special treat when they are able to come.

Vancouver, B.C

2010-04-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

We decided to make a quick weekend trip up to see the new Vancouver, British Columbia temple open house. I am so glad that we did. The temple was beautiful and the kids loved being able to walk around and see the inside.

The hotel that we stayed in had this great pool that the kids loved. I think we spent 3 hours swimming before dinner and another hour after dinner.

The next day even though the kids wanted to swim some more we took off for Lynn Canyon park. We were going to go see the Capilano Extension bridge but when some friends told us about the Lynn Canyon suspension bridge (which was free) we decided to check it out. It turned out to be a lot of fun and we had a great morning hiking around.

Not as big as the Capilano bridge but great for the kids and the price.

We then headed over to Stanley park where we played on the beach and enjoyed the ocean. We could have stayed longer but we had one more stop to make before heading home.

Rylie is performing in her school musical Mulan in a couple of weeks and her costume is a Chinese dress. I've always wanted to get my girls one because I think they would look so cute in them. We stopped off in China Town to see what we could find. We found the dresses in a little shop and enjoyed walking around the area. The kids even got a kick out of giving a homeless man Sienna's leftover sandwich from lunch that she didn't want. The man was asking for money but we gave him the sandwich instead. The kids couldn't believe that he was going to eat someone else's sandwich.

We had a great weekend getaway and can't wait to go back to Vancouver. So many fun things that we still want to do.

Happy Birthday Sienna!

2010-03-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

My baby girl has turned 4. What a sad day for mom and an exciting day for Sienna. She has been counting down the days until her birthday.

Sienna chose to have a princess Tiana party and since most stores do not sale a princess Tiana cake I decided to make one. Look how beautiful this cake turned out. I have to give all the credit to my friend Beth for decorating it. She did an amazing job and Sienna loved it.

Sienna was so excited to open her presents but she had to get her pretty dress on first.

Sienna chose to have eggs and bacon for breakfast.

All her friends came dressed up as princesses for her party.

Sienna brought cupcakes to share with her preschool class a few days after her birthday. Here is Sienna and Miss Cindy passing out the cupcakes.

We love having you a part of our family Sienna. Our little butterfly who flits, flutters and skips around the house all day. You bring joy to our home with your sweet personality and beautiful smile. We love you! Happy Birthday!

A new experience

2010-03-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

Rylie played indoor soccer this winter for the first time and loved it. What a different game it is....very fast, more contact with the other team and so much fun! The indoor team was made up of 3 different teams so all the girls had not played together but they did a great job and won about half their games. Good job Wildcats!

Fire Station Field Trip

2010-03-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

Last week Sienna's preschool class went on a field trip to the fire station. The fire fighters were great and made it a fun experience for all the kids.

Happy Birthday Colin!

2010-02-25T13:50:00.001-08:00

Our sweet little boy has turned 6 years old. The excitement and joy he has for life certainly brings us great pleasure and keeps us on our toes. Even though we need to remind him constantly to keep the volumne down we wouldn't want it any other way. We love you buddy!

Colin has been watching Rylie play indoor soccer the past few months and really wanted to play. So we decided to rent one of the indoor fields for his birthday. The kids thought that it was pretty cool to be playing soccer where the Seattle Sounders practice. The coach did a great job with the kids and kept all 15 engaged and running the whole time. They had fun playing games and then having a scrimmage at the end.

Afterwards we went to the party room for pizza, cake and opening gifts.

The party turned out great and best of all our house is not a mess!

Top Ten Highlights of our Christmas Season

2010-01-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

We've had a busy Christmas season and here are a few of our top highlights to share with you.

1. Lights and the tree

Austin has wanted to get on top of the house to help Brian with the lights for the last few years. This was his lucky year. It made me so nervous to see him up there. I took the picture and went back inside.

For the past 5 years we have gone to a tree farm to cut our Christmas tree down. This year our cousins came with us and the kids had a great time. After we get our tree they give us hot chocolate and a candy cane.

2. Snowflake Lane

We have gone to Snowflake Lane for the past 4 years. We have dinner and then watch the show. It only last about 15 min. so it is perfect for the kids and it gets us in the Christmas spirit.

3. School activites

Making a gingerbread house at school.

Kindergarten Christmas performance. Sooo cute!

4. Santa

Sienna told Santa she wanted a Whoopsie Doo doll.

Colin told Santa he wanted a Star Wars gun.

5. Friends

Rylie and her friends.

I was able to meet up with some friends from high school while we were in Utah. It was so fun to see them and catch up. I can't believe it has been 20 years.

6. Christmas morning

We let the kids stay up later than usual on Christmas Eve in hopes that they would sleep in a little. They are usually up and ready to go by 6:00 a.m. It worked. We actually got to sleep in until 7:00.

7. Cousins

The cousins in their Christmas pajamas.

Max and Sienna loved getting their nails painted. (Sorry Brett, I'm sure he'll grow out of it.)

Sledding at Nana's and Grandpa's.

Sledding at Grandma's house. Austin played for hours out in the snow. They even went night sledding and didn't come in until 10:00 one night.

8. Our "Griswold" family trip to Temple Square.

9. Grandparents and siblings

Austin and Grandpa on the train.

Nana with Max and Sienna

Grandma and Rylie fell asleep on New Year's Eve.

I love spending time with my sister. We were able to go out to eat at Training Table, shop at Tai Pan and go see a movie. How much better could it get!

I'm so glad that my brother was able to make it up from Arizona. I miss living so far away from my brothers and sister.

10. Snow, snow, snow

I know why Grandma's never move...

2010-01-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

Cute quote from Colin....

You know why Grandma's never move? Because if you knock on their door and then they won't be there and it will be a stranger who answers and you won't know where they are.

He said this when we were leaving my parents house and going to Brian's mom's house. It was too cute!

A little bit of Christmas cheer

2009-12-13T14:43:00.001-08:00

At our ward Christmas dinner some of the primary kids did a nativity scene while the Christmas story was being read and Christmas songs were sung. Well, after about 5 minutes of standing still, Colin being Colin, got a little bored and this is what happened....

funny faces at the audience, specifically, Sienna and her friend.

I thought it was hillarious and it made my night.

Never happy with what we have

2009-12-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

"Curly hair doesn't make me happy...it makes me mad!"
-Sienna

Who wouldn't love those curls?

I can't believe I have a teenager!

2009-11-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

We pulled it off. A surprise 13th birthday party for Austin. We had a couple of close calls but in the end he was completely surprised.

Austin really likes to race go carts so we decided to have his party at the Family Fun Center. Brian took Austin out shopping for Christmas while I picked up all the boys. I got to the Family Fun center first and Brian made up some story about loosing his wallet and that is why he needed to stop in the parking lot of the FFC. Austin was really confused but he had no idea what was going on. As they walked up to the front doors we jumped out and yelled "Surprise".

I could tell he was really excited but still wanted to act "cool" around his friends. I'm just glad that no one spilled the beans.

After the boys had their fill of go carts and video games we took them to dinner at Burger King.

On Sunday Austin requested an egg muffin sandwich for breakfast and meetballs for dinner with a chocolate cake for dessert.

Happy Birthday Austin!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

2009-11-16T12:15:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to get to spend the day with Colin last week during his field trip to go see If You Give a Mouse a Cookie at the Seatle Children's Theatre. It was a great show and the kids loved it.

I had these 6 cute little boys in my group. I have to admit that when I first saw I had all boys I was a little nervous. Boys can get crazy especially when they are excited. However, everything turned out just perfect. We lost no one and everyone got home safely.

Lunch after the play.

The kids all brought lunches from home and it was fun to see how excited they were to eat with their classmates. There was lots of food trading going on. I kept telling the boys to eat slowly because we had lots of time before we had to get back on the bus. This of course did not happen. Soon boys started running around and I was getting a little stressed that one was going to disappear. We were in a food court and lots of people were coming and going.

So...I thought a game of duck duck goose would keep them happy. It's always a favorite with the kids. We just sat down in the middle of the food court to play and we were able to make it until it was time to catch the bus home.

Thanks for a fun day Colin!

Fun activities in October

2009-11-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that October is one of my favorite months. Here is a run down of all the fun activities that we did this month.

Halloween night

Sienna was a little hesitant when we first went knocking on doors. She was holding my hand so tight, but by the end of the night she was running from door to door with the big girls. The kids also had the special treat of having Nana here this Halloween.

Our beautiful pink fairy.

We have a vampire, a pink fairy and a ninja.

The big boys. Do you see a theme here? Freaky!!

The big girls.

We have another theme here. Dracula's bride and two vampire's.

A lot of candy for a little girl.

Getting her beauty rest before the big night.

Halloween party

Some friends of ours have a Halloween party every year and this year we dressed up as a witch and a hippie.

We had three witches this year. Of course I didn't have the cute striped tights. I'll have to get me a pair of those.

Kindergarten party

The kindergartener's are the only one's that get to dress up for Halloween at the school. They had a fun day with crafts, games and a parade around the school to show off their costumes.

Colin was Snake Eyes from GI Joe and after the parade he told me that everyone kept getting his costume wrong. They were calling him a ninja. I then explained to him that Snake Eyes is a ninja. He felt so much better after that.

Carving pumpkins

Pumpkin patch

It was so cute. Sienna wanted the little yellow pumpkin.

Austin said that I ruined the whole trip to the pumpkin patch by taking his picture. He is such an almost teenager!

Preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch

Cow train

Checking out the animals

Hay ride to the pumpkin patch

Picking out a mini pumpkin to take home.

Playing in the corn.

What a fun place to go with all her preschool friends.

Catchin' Up

2009-10-28T13:39:00.001-07:00

We have had a beautiful fall this year. Lots of nice weather to enjoy all our outdoor activities.

As usual soccer pretty much dominates our life in Sept. and Oct. With 3 kids playing soccer there is not a lot of time for much else. But we love it!

Kick off BBQ to start the soccer season off. The girls are the Storm this year.

Having fun with a dead fish. No girly girls here!

Federal Way jamboree. The girls played 3 games in one day. They sure slept well that night.

Austin scored his first goal since he has been playing select soccer. That might sound crazy but at this age and level of competition goals are not easy to come by. Too see the smile on his face was fantastic! Way to go Austin.

Brian and Pat have been coaching two soccer teams, fall and spring, togther for 3 years. What great dads!

Enjoying the sun on the sideline.

Sienna loves having a playmate at all those long soccer games.

Colin's team this year is the Sounders. These little kids are amazing. They dominate the games and have won all of them.

After soccer treat.

We went for a walk and enjoyed being outside and seeing all the leaves changing on the trees.

Wow, look at that glare coming off the bald head.

It's that time again.

2009-09-11T15:12:00.001-07:00

We've had a wonderful summer full of fun (hopefully I'll get around to blogging it) and are sad to see the long sunny days disappear. But at the same time it is nice to get back to schedules and all the fun activities that go along with school. This year is especially exciting because Colin starts Kindergarten and Sienna starts preschool.

So excited to start preschool at Miss Cindy's. She knows almost all the kids in her class and wasn't even nervous about leaving mom.

Colin in front of his new school.

The best part of his first day he said was riding the bus home.

Rylie is looking so grown up and starting the 4th grade.

Lunch at McDonald's to celebrate the 1st day of school.

Whoops, no pictures of Austin. That would be because he leaves at 6:50 in the morning. I'll have to get one of him and add later.

The potty makes me happy!

2009-07-15T10:57:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Sienna decided that she wanted to wear her big girl underwear. She put it on and since that day she has only had a few accidents. It has been amazing how easy it has been with her. I feel very deserving of this since she is my fourth and I was really dreading the process.

Of course when she "goes" we do the potty dance and give her a potty treat so one day she said, "Mom, the potty makes me happy." So cute!! Even though being almost done with diapers (she still wears one at night) is wonderful, a small part of me is sad because it means my baby girl is one step closer to growing up. Great job Sienna, I know you are going to love this picture when you are older.

She also decided that naps where no longer necessary. I was happy to just get her through the school year. We also decided to not bring any binky's on our trip to Lake Chelan and so she is done with those as well. All these changes in just a few weeks.

The first and the last

2009-06-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

Colin was so excited when he found he had a loose tooth. Unfortunately it was loose for about a month before it finally came out. He wiggled that tooth everyday and I think he thought it would never fall out. But the day arrived and he was so proud to show off his toothless smile.

June brings about the end of many things. The end of school, the end of soccer and the end of peace for mom. What are we going to do to fill all our summer days?

The end of another great soccer season for Rylie and Colin.

Colin's last day of preschool was at a bouncy place with all his preschool friends. This is the morning and afternoon class together.

Colin is going to miss Miss Cindy but he is very excited to move on to Kindergarten.

At the end of year assembly Rylie received an award for Academic Improvement. With her dyslexia she has to work extra hard at school and we are so proud of her and all she has accomplished this year. Way to go Rylie!

Rylie and her teacher Mrs. Brewer

Rylie with some of her class friends. Alyson, America and Hope. Goodbye 3rd grade.

We made it through Austin's first year of middle school and are looking forward to 7th grade. It's amazing how much he has changed and grown up this year.

A little bit of color

2009-05-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

We have spent the last 4 Memorial Day weekends camping but this year we decided to forgo the camping and paint our house. We have had white, ugly walls for 5 years and it was time for a change. Luckily it was a nice weekend so the kids spent most of the time outside playing with all the neighborhood kids. Of course they all wanted to help paint so they each got a turn and then we were kicking them out the door.

We painted the kitchen a terra cotta color, the family room a light tan color and the dining room a yellow. The dining room is my favorite but I do like all the colors. Three rooms down and many more to go....

Nine and lookin' fine

2009-05-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Rylie!

Rylie's birthday was a few weeks ago and we started the morning off with pancakes which was her request for breakfast. I can't belive she is 9 years old!

Rylie loved the cool "peace" purse she got from Nana.

Here's the birthday girl.

It's always fun to have your actual birthday fall on a school day. Nana was able to go eat lunch with Rylie at school.

The class is singing happy birthday to her.

Now, the best part...donghnuts for everyone.

It happened to be a very busy day after school with soccer tryouts and an orchestra concert so we went out after for ice cream.

Here are a few pictures of Rylie at Chuck E Cheese the weekend before. She was so excited to have Nana here to help her celebrate.

We are so blessed to have you in our family Rylie. We love you!

Seussical Jr.

2009-04-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Rylie performed in her school play, Seussical Jr. It was a wonderful play. All the kids did a great job. Rylie was a Who in the play and had a great time performing.

Getting ready for the big night.

Great job Rylie! We can't wait to see you in next year's play.

A Little R & R

2009-04-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my sister and I were able to go down to Phoenix to visit our two brothers and their families. We had such a great time. Lots of sunshine, great food and best of all hanging out with my family. I'm already wondering when I can go back!

The Larsen kids.

We went out to lunch, got a pedicure (the best massage chair I have ever sat in), did a little shopping and best of all relaxed in the sun.

It seems like we always take pictures of the kids so this time it is the adults turn.

Me and my sis ( I love having a sister)!

Jeff and his wonderful wife Jen.

Justin and his wonderful wife Amber.

Presley, the newest addition to the family.

Our tropical paradise.

Thank you so much Jeff and Jen for letting us come and stay with you. I had the best time ever!

I miss and love you all!

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T08:38:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday

Easter morning

Annual neighborhood Easter egg hunt.

Spring Break

2009-04-13T14:01:00.001-07:00

During spring break we decided it would be fun to go roller skating. Colin and Sienna have never been before so this was going to be an adventure. At first I felt like I needed 2 extra arms but as Colin got more comfortable he was able to go on his own.

Skates on and ready to go. Rylie is a good skater and her and Hannah just cruise around the rink. Reminds me of when I was her age. Me and my friends used to make up dances on our skates in the garage and charge the neighborhood kids a dime to come watch us.

Rachel was helping to hold Sienna up.

Hmmmm.....not sure about this.

Snack time

My preteen child (Austin) decided not to come. I guess it must not be so cool anymore. Makes me feel a little sad.

Soccer in Washington

2009-03-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

This was our first game of the season and it was wet, wet, wet. The poor kids were soaked, muddy and freezing. But they must love the game because they keep coming back.

Check out the mud pit of a field.

Look at how muddy Rylie's legs are.

She still has a smile on her face.

Brian's wiping the mud from our goalie's face.

Soccer anyone?

Sienna turns 3!

2009-03-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Sienna!

Our little girl has turned 3 and although we are excited we are also very sad that she is growing up so fast. She is the princess of the house and gets very spoiled by all.

Yeah! It's my birthday.

Leading up to her birthday I kept asking Sienna what she wanted. The answer was always the same...a ring pop. So here is her birthday ring pop. She even got to eat it before breakfast.

For breakfast she chose to have waffles.

Sienna chose to go to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday (with help from her brothers and sister). .

Sienna's friend Alicia came along to help her celebrate.

Here is Sienna's requested Dora Cake. No, I did not make it.

Sienna got these great dress up princess dresses for her birthday and she changed outfits at least 10 times throughout the day.

We love you so much Sienna and are so blessed to have you in our family. We are excited to see you grow and turn into a beautiful little girl. We love your fun and sweet personality. Happy Birthday!

Fire Station field trip

2009-03-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

On the way to the fire station for Colin's field trip I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. I was thinking he might say a fire man, police man or truck driver. No, not enough excitement there.... he wants to be Indiana Jones (Can he do that? ha-ha). He still enjoyed the fire station and seeing the big fire truck.

Of course my camera battery died so these pictures are curtesy of Christina..thank you.

All dressed up and ready for a fire.

Look at all those cool tools.

Such a good audience.

I was surprised that Sienna was so scared of the fire truck. She hardly left my side.

Colin is sure going to miss Miss Cindy's school. He called her up the next day so he could tell her that he loved her....so CUTE!

Daddy Daughter Date Night

2009-02-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

Rylie was so excited for her big night out with dad. The parks department puts on a Daddy Daughter dinner and dance that is so fun for both girls and dads.

Rylie chose the dress that she thought would twirl the most when she spun around. We curled her hair and got her all dolled up for her big night out.

Brian surprised Rylie with her very first coursage. It was a wrist coursage with three pink carnations to match her dress. This brought huge smiles and a big hug for dad.

Love this picture!

Rylie, Hannah and Rachel

Getting together before the dance to take pictures of the girls and dads.

Back to front: Lilly, Ashley, Hope, Kira, Hannah, Rylie, Montana, Rachel and Hailey.

Hope made these cute name cards for each of the girls and put them at the table.

Rylie and Hope

Dinner consisted of chicken, potatoes, beans and for dessert, ice and brownies. Yum, Yum!

Dancing the night away.

Winter Break

2009-02-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

I've decided that whoever started "winter break" (for those of you who don't know, it's a week long holiday in the middle of February) should be shot. They obviously did not have kids or they must have had a lot of money to fly to Disneyland every year. What is the point of winter break. It seems like the kids just got back to school from Christmas break and they have spring break in another six weeks. Do they really need one in Feb.?

So I awoke this morning to a loud screem by Rylie. It is 7:00a.m. and they are already fighting. I am so excited to get out of bed today! Austin was up a 6:30 this morning (no sleeping in for my kids)and the rest were up by 7:00. The arguing and fighting continued for most of the morning. We headed out for a few hours and things calmed down a little. We returned after lunch and invited some friends over to hopefully help the day pass a little faster.

The friends did help but now look at my house. A mess in every room. And I get to do this again tomorrow. Lucky me!

It's Colin's Birthday

2009-02-15T16:26:00.000-08:00

On February 13th my special little boy turned 5. I tease him that he is my love baby because he was almost born on Valentine's Day.

Colin started talking about his birthday last fall and we would tell him that his birthday was after Christmas. So once Christmas was over he started asking quite frequently when his birthday was and we have been having a count down since Feb. 1st. Brian and I were saying that we don't remember our other kids getting so excited for their birthday. It was really cute.

He started his b-day celebration a few days early at preschool. He got his b-day crown and brought donuts to share with his class.

Colin (and all the kids) were up early on the day of his birthday. It was almost like Christmas. He was so excited to open his gifts so we had to do it before Austin left for school.

Colin's favorite gift was Lego Batman for the DS.

Brian took the day off to spend with Colin but then he had to make a trip to Bellevue for work and Colin did not want to go so Brian took Sienna with him and I took Colin out for a birthday lunch at McDonlad's. It was fun to have a Colin/Mom lunch together.

When we have a family party the birthday boy or girl gets to choose an activity to do and where to go for dinner. Colin chose bowling and IHOP. He had been telling us for weeks that he wanted pancakes and sausage for his birthday dinner. Great choice since all the kids love breakfast.

Colin likes to run and slide on his knees when he throws the ball.

Colin's Indiana Jones cake.

Happy Birthday Colin! Your enthusiasm for life brings joy and many blessings to our family. We love you!

My first 5K run

2009-02-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I finally tried my first 5K run last Saturday. One of the teacher's at Rylie's school is fighting breast cancer and so the community sponsered this run to help raise money for her treatment. I have been wanting to try a 5K for awhile and thought this was the perfect opportunity.

It was a nice sunny day, blue sky, no rain. I start out thinking this is going to be great. Soon young children and old men are passing me by. I am huffing and puffing and thinking, wow, I am still out of shape ( I have been running about 3-4 times a week for about 6 months). Of course I was pushing about an extra 100 punds (stroller + 2 kids). I had a great time and am proud that I finished and wasn't dead last.

I think I would like to try another one, this time with no kids!

2009-01-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

This was on my friend, Tammy's, blog and I thought it was cute and easy, so here goes.

Directions - Bold the ones you've done & post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity --
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
l24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie or on a TV show
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Had an encounter with a wild animal
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check--
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Taken a martial arts class

Now it's your turn! I'd love to see it on your blog!

Happy New Years!

2009-01-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year's
We hope you all have a great 2009!

Our trip to paradise!

2008-12-30T11:03:00.000-08:00

We waited 6 months for our trip to Cancun, Mexico and it was definatley worth the wait. My mom came over from Utah to watch the kids(thanks mom for watching our kids for a whole week!) while Brian and I went to play in the sun. We had 7 glorious days to enjoy and we enjoyed every minute.

Here we go!

We stayed at the Cancun Palace which was an all inclusive hotel, so all the food and drink you want.

View from the beach in front of our hotel.

View from our room. We fell asleep many nights to the sound of the crashing waves.

BPit stop on our way to Chichen Itza. We are with the Houser's and Roenfeldt's.

We drove through a Myan village that was a few miles from Chichen Itza and here are a few of the houses and yards.

This is the biggest Myan temple at Chichen Itza. This is something that Brian has always wanted to do so I am glad he was able to see it. We had a 2 hour guided tour.

Playing on the beach. This was one of the days that the whole group was together.

Tracy, Stephanie, Tammy, Jackie, Anna, Tara, Camille and Nanette.

We all surprised Nanette for her 40th birthday(she did not know that any of us were coming). Brian also turned 40 while we were in Cancun so we celebrated his birthday as well. All the boys had t-shirts with Brian's face and Popeye's body and all the girls had Nanette's face with Betty Boop's body. There were 16 couples in all.

Happy birthday Nanette and Brian, if you have to get old this is the way to go!

The highlight of my trip (besides being with Brian) was swimming with the dolphins.

Who's that good looking guy?

Our tip out to Paradise snorkel for a fun day of snorkeling, lunch, enjoying the beach and parasailing.

Isla De Mujeres

This island had the cutest town. Lots of fun, brightly colored buildings.

While walking around town Brian finally found a vendor who sold cocconut water.

Reminds him of his days in Brazil.

Last dinner in Cancun with the Biddulph's, Houser's and Hatch's.

Adios Cancun, we will miss you!

Turning the big 12!

2008-12-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

I'm about a month behind on blogging Austin's birthday, but better late than never....

Our sweet boy is growing up so fast and has turned 12 this year. He is such a wonderful son and a great big brother. His younger brother and sisters just adore him. He has also turned into a

great baby sitter (whoohoo, freedom for Brian and I).

For Austin's party this year he chose to play flag football (well he wanted to play tackle but Brian said only flag) and then dinner at Godfather's pizza.

Try getting ten 11 and 12 year old boys to stand still for a picture and this is what happens...dog pile.

There were 10 boys so it worked out great having 2 teams of 5. The boys played for about 2 hours and then decided that they were all hungry so off we went to get pizza.

Going around the table: Seven, Nick, David, Drew, Corbin, Gavin, Cole, Benjamin, Jacob and Austin.

All the boys thought this card was hillarious. A naked baby sitting on a potty seat (typical preteen boy sense of humor).

Happy Birthday Austin, we love you!

Fall Festivities

2008-11-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

Fall is one of my favorite season's. I love the excitement of going back to school, the leaves changing colors on the trees, the days getting a little cooler and the beginning of all the holidays.

One of our favorite pumpkin patches is Spooner Farms. They have it decorated really cute and the kids love it. Austin loves the pumpkin slingshot but we didn't have time to do it this year.

Sienna doesn't remember the pumpkin patch last year so she was SO excited to see all the pumpkins everywhere. She kept saying, "look mom, more pumpkins."

Colin wanted to show us all how strong he was.

My girls were more excited about pulling out the pumpkin insides then the boys. We had to force Colin to stick his hand in the slime.

Colin's Halloween party at preschool. Sienna wanted to join in the picture as well.

Austin and Rylie can't wear costumes to school on Halloween but Rylie's school had a spirit day where they could dress up as a cowboy/cowgirl. I think I have a pretty cute little cowgirl.

Halloween day Brian's work has a party where the kids can go trick-or-treat around the office. The kids love it because they not only get to see dad but they get SOOO much candy. They also got to eat cookies, brownies, cupcakes, candy and soda pop for lunch. This is a dream for any kid!
Colin wanted to wear his bat costume form last year to dad's work. Maybe because he wanted to be like his friend Jacob who was Batman.

My cute little clown. All my kids have worn this costume that my mom made for Austin when he was two.

Anakin Skywalker

"Peace Out" girl

Scary something....Sienna wouldn't stand by Austin when he had the mask on.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Who's that good lookin' couple?

2008-10-27T14:02:00.001-07:00

We went to a Halloween party Friday night dressed as DOG the bounty hunter and his wife Beth. The theme of the party was white trash so these costumes were perfect. Luckily some friends of ours had them so we didn't have to spend any money on them.

The kids thought we looked great, except for Sienna , who just kept staring at me and wouldn't talk to me. I guess all that hair scared her.

You can see in the dark?

2008-10-19T15:40:00.001-07:00

The other day as I was leaving the house to go running, Colin and I had this cute conversation that I what to remember.

Colin: Mom, are you going running in the dark?

Me: Yes

Colin: How can you see where you are going?

Me: I just can (not the best answer but I was in a hurry)

Colin: Yea, I know how to get dressed in the dark too.

I love the cute things that kids say.

Horse Farm

2008-10-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

Colin was up and dressed for school at 6:30 this morning. He was so excited for his field trip with his class to visit the horses. Miss Cindy knows a lady that raises horses and she lets the kids come pet, ride and feed them.

Listening to Mrs. Houser talk about what horses like to eat.

There were two shetland ponies, just the right size for the kids to pet and brush.

Sienna had no fear and joined right in with the other kids.

This was Sienna's first time being on a horse and the first time that Colin can remember. They both were not afraid and really like going for a ride.

After riding the horses the kids got to feed them apples. This horse was so excited about the apples that it slobbered apple juice all over Sienna's coat. She didn't seem to mind. Colin thought it was pretty cool to hold onto the horses rein.

We had a great time at the horse farm and maybe we'll get to go back again when Sienna is in school.

We love soccer!

2008-09-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

With 3 out of our 4 kids playing soccer we are the true soccer family. It's so fun to watch them all play and see the different skills and abilities of each kid. This is Colin't first year playing and he LOVES it. He gets so excited for each game and was even running up and down the sideline at his last game when he wasn't playing.

Here is Rylie's team the "Icebreakers". The girls love their lavendar shirts.

First game and so excited! Colin's team is the "Sharks"

Brian is helping to coach both Colin and Rylie's teams. He has a great time doing it and it is nice that he can spend time with each of them.

Snack time

Game Day

2008-09-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

I am not a huge football fan so when we got tickets to the BYU vs. Husky game from a friend I was really hoping it would not be a boring game. My wish certainly came true. It was such a fun game to go to. Lots of excitement and controvery.

The day of the Husky-BYU game we woke up to a giant W on our garage door, courtesy of some friends. After BYU ended up winning the game we returned the W with BYU painted over it.

It was fun to be sitting with so many BYU fans. Lots of blue everywhere.

We didnt' have a great view of the field but we had a great view of the cheerleaders. They were pretty entertaining.

We were lucky enough to get a picture with Cosmo.

It's that time of year again

2008-09-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend means the end of summer for the kids here in Washington. The kids were exctied to start another school year, I think more than mom was this year. The start of school means the start of schedules, car pools, volunteering in school, homework, making lunches and much more.

Austin started 6th grade and goes to middle school this year. I think I was more nervous for him to start than he was but so far he is really enjoying school. The lunches are better than elementary school but he misses not having recess. He hasn't had much homework so far, he is liking that but I keep thinking he should have more.

Rylie's starting 3rd grade and was excited to go back and see all her friends. She loves school and is enjoying her new teacher.

Colin is in his second year at Miss Cindy's preschool. He is one of the older kids this year and is enjoying being the "big kid". I think his favorite part of school is show and tell and recess.

Summer Time Happenings

2008-09-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Summer went by way too fast this year. I miss it already. Here are a few things that we did that made summer so much fun.
- Lake Chelan with our friends the Roenfeldts
- Alki beach
- Eating ice cream!

Summer camps

2008-09-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

Colin was so excited to start his sports camp this summer. At camp they learned how to play basketball, soccer and baseball. Everyday I would ask Colin what his favorite sport was and it changed every day. To make it fun for the kids they had a different theme every day. Below is wacky hair day.

The theme for this day was color day. Colin is out there on the grass in the orange shirt.

They were each given a basketball that they got to keep. Here Colin is practicing his dribbling.

Sports day.

Shooting some hoops.

Colin has lots of energy so when he came home exhausted every day it was wonderful. He sure slept well at night.
Austin participated in a tennis camp and had a lot of fun. This was his first time playing tennis and he got the nickname of arms because he would hit the ball so hard and far. Of course in the game of tennis you are trying to keep the ball in the court but I think Austin had more fun trying to hit the ball over the fence surrounding the court. Maybe we'll just stick to soccer.

Of course we can't forget the cell phone! Austin has been begging for a phone for the past 2 years so we finally caved in and got him one before middle school started. So far so good-the phone is a great way to hold leverage over his head.

Utah trip

2008-09-10T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have some major catch up to do for our summer activities. It seemed with all the kids home this summer that I hardly had a minute to blog. So here is the first of our summer activities.

We went to Utah the end of June and visited with Brian's family and then mine. Here are some of the fun things we did while there.

We have not been to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point since Rylie was a baby so it was fun to go back now that the kids are older. They really liked it and loved digging for bones.

Here the kids are with their friends Keegan and Kailey. I met Karen when we first moved to Washington and then she moved to Arizona and then Utah. It's fun that we can still keep in touch. The kids had a great time together at Classic skating.

We spent the day at Payson lakes. Grandma Tew and Rylie

After staying with Brian's family for a few days we went to visit my parents. My sister came over from Denver as well. We went swimming at a freinds pool and the kids loved the slide and the water felt great on the super hot day.

I love being in Utah over the 4th of July because the community I grew up in has a fun parade for the kids to be in. They decorate wagons, bikes, scooters, etc. and throw candy as they go down the street. After the parade is a carnival with fishing booths, face painting and games. As a kid our family did this every year and it is a fun tradition that my kids will always remember.

Another Milestone

2008-08-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Colin decided that riding his bike with training wheels was too slow. We took them off and in just a short time he was off and going. We were really impressed with how fast he learned. Now he can keep up with the big kids. Way to go Colin!

Look mom, no training wheels.

Getting started.....

and he's off!

I'm just using them as bombs.

2008-07-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Here is another funny Colin story.

The other day I hear Brian say "does mom know what you are doing?"

Colin walks over to me and in his hand he was holding a tampon. I told him that those were not his to play with and he said that he was just using them as bombs.

I have to admit I thought it was really cute and imaginative. I was surprised that he didn't throw a fit when we had to empty the "bombs" out of both of his pockets.

It all comes out

2008-07-29T15:25:00.001-07:00

Austin had surgery yesterday to get his "hardware" taken out of his leg. I was so impressed with him, he wasn't even nervous. I think he was just so excited to get it out. Especially the plate in his knee that a tendon was rubbing over. His leg is now very strait and aligned and we get a break from surgeries for a few more years.

Austin before the surgery.

We were stuck in this little room for 3 hours because the surgery before Austin's took longer then expected- so Brian decided to entertain us.

Austin after surgery. He's still a little out of it.

Here's his full leg bandage. He keeps this on until Friday.

Here are the screws and plate that were in his knee.

Here is the screw that was in his ankle.

Austin is doing great and is already getting bored from just sitting around. I'm sure he'll be up and around in no time.

Movin' On

2008-06-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

The end of the school year always brings on a mix of emotions. I feel anxiety (how to keep the kids busy all summer), sadness (that time passes so quickly and they are growing up so fast), and excitement (for the new school year to come).

This year is especially hard because my "baby" boy will be starting a new era in his life-Middle School! Austin is excited and Brian and I are as well, but I can't help but feel this knot in my stomach when I think of him going off to Mt. Baker. This will be a whole new adventure for us.

Here are some end of year pictures of the kids and their activities.

Colin's last day of preschool at the Super Jump Zone. He will be returning to Miss Cindy's school next year.

Rylie and her teacher Mrs. Swanson.

Last soccer game where Rylie scored 4 goals. Way to go Rylie!

Austin's end of year orchestra concert. We were lucky to have Grandma Tew here and be able to come to the concert.

Camp Auburn for all the 5th graders. Austin had an awesome week and wants to return as a counselor when he's in high school.

Cabin where Austin stayed.

Graduation of the DARE program.

Austin had a 5th grade graduation party and he and some friends went to see King Fu Panda and then back to our house for a sleepover. Here they are doing their karate moves on the trampoline.

David, Nick, Mar'yea, Corbin and Austin

We can't forget about Sienna. Poor girl is dragged around to everyone's activites and she is great about it!

Whistler, B.C.

2008-06-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

While my parents were in town for Rylie's baptism we took a little weekend trip up to Whistler, Canada to check our where the 2010 winter Olympics will be held.

The kids got out of the car while we were waiting to cross the border into Canada. The Canadian flag was made out of flowers.

Driving up to Whistler we passed this bear on the side of the road. The kids thought this was so cool. It was much better than anything we have seen at the zoo.

Whistler has a fun village square with lots of shops and restarants. I was supprised at how big it was.

Here we are in front of one of the Gondola's. If it had been bettter weather we would have taken it to the top of the mountain.

Austin had fun climbing this rock wall.

The town is getting ready for the 2010 Olympics and is already selling souvenirs. We went to the Olympics when they were in Salt Lake City and loved them so we are hoping to bring the kids back to Whislter to see some of the events.

Rylie's Special Day

2008-06-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

This was a special day for Rylie because she has turned 8 and was able to get baptized. Grandma Tew and Grandma and Grandpa Larsen were able to come from Utah to help celebrate this day with her.

She had a soccer game Sat. morning that all the grandparents were able to watch. This is a special treat because they live so far away it doesn't happen very often. That afternoon we went to the church for the baptism. Rylie was beaming the whole time and you could tell that she was feeling very special indeed! We are so proud of Rylie and the decisions she makes. She is a sweet little girl that we love so much!

Grandma Tew

Grandma Larsen

Grandpa Larsen

Rylie's friend Kaylie was also getting baptized so it was fun for the girls to be doing it on the same day.

Rylie was exhausted by the end of the day and fell asleep in Dad's lap. I think that was the best part of the day for him!

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

We spent Memorial Day Weekend camping up in Carnation with some friends. The kids always get so excited to go camping. Their two favorite things are sleeping in the tent and roasting marshmellows on the fire. We had a great time with family and friends.

Luca is about 6 months older than Sienna and they were either loving each other or fighting.

Saturday was a perfect, sunny day and we spent the afternoon at the river.

What is it with boys and fire? Austin and the other boys spent lots of time trying to start a fire with wet wood and 1 match. Colin just loves sticking things in the fire.

What is camping without a good game with the marshmellow guns.

You can't tell from this picture but we had lots of dirty faces, hands and clothes. That's part of the fun of camping. Getting dirty!

On the way home we stopped off at Snoqualmie Falls. We had so much snow this past winter in the mountains that the waterful was huge. We've never seen so much water before.

Field Trip to the Zoo

2008-05-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

The second graders went on a field trip to Point Defiance Zoo on Thursday. Brian was able to take the day off to spend with Rylie and help chaperone.

Rylie, America and Kaitlin

Here are the girls with their teacher Mrs. Swanson. She has been a fantastic teacher and Rylie and I will both miss her next year.

Lunch Break

Rylie has a great group of girls in her class this year. Let's hope next year is just as great.

Look at all those 2nd graders.

Jungle Book

2008-05-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Rylie's school put on a performance of the Jungle Book. It was a great play with fantastic costumes. You could really tell that a lot of hard work was put into this event by the kids, teachers and volunteers.

Rylie had a great time and was so excited to be up on stage. She was a parrot in the play and sang and danced to three songs. She had a huge smile the whole time. She sure did a fantastic job and we are so proud of her!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

2008-05-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

What happens when you have 10 giggly, shrieking, laughing girls over for a slumber party- VERY tired parents!

Rylie has been wanting a slumber party for a very long time so Brian and I thought that her 8th birthday would be a good time to have one. We thought, how hard could 10 quiet, sweet, well mannered girls be? Well......lets just say that it was NOT quiet and although the girls are very sweet when you get that many together they turn into wild things! All in all it was a very fun time and Rylie had a great party (which is what matters most).

We started to play a game with finger nail polish but it turned into lets all paint our nails. Most of the girls chose a rainbow of colors for their nails. Colin did not want to be left out so he even joined in on the fun .

Pizza was supposed to be delivered at 6:00 but because of an order mixup we didn't get it until 7:30. We had a lot of hungry girls! When the poor pizza guy arrived he was swarmed by about 6 girls asking why it took soooo long.

As most of you know I am not a cake maker. Rylie wanted cupcakes for her party so when I saw this picture I thought I can make that. Well, it turned out okay. The picture did look better but Rylie thought it was great and nothing fell over so I guess it was a success.

All the girls in their PJ's.

The girls stayed up until 2:00a.m! Craziness! Both Brian and I had fallen asleep and then Brian woke up at about 1:45 and found most of them still awake. He went downstairs and stood there until all of them finally fell asleep. He said it took about 10 minutes.

Juice and doughnuts for breakfast.

On Monday Rylie celebrated her birthday at school by bringing donuts for the class and eating lunch with mom, Colin and Sienna. She also got to sit in the embarrasing chair at school and she was asked if she had a boyfriend. I'm glad her answer was no!

Happy Birthday Rylie! We love you and are so glad that you are part of our family. What would we do without our little weasel?

Spring Break

2008-04-29T12:59:00.001-07:00

We went for a weekend getaway to the new Great Wolf Lodge that opened up near us. The water park is inside the lodge and is only for the guests. They have a restaurant, spa and snack shops so you don't ever have to leave. We had a wonderful time and it was great to spend some time with Brian and the kids!

The lodge has a huge lobby with lots of seating and a huge fireplace.

Every night they have storytime for all the kids.

Everyone is tired after spending the day at the water park.

Giant clock in hotel lobby.

The wave pool was everybody's favorite.

Sienna loved the litte water fountains.

Spending a whole weekend with dad is the best!

We will for sure plan another visit to the Great Wolf Lodge!

Life in Fours

2008-04-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

Okay Sara, this blog is for you. The thought of doing the ABC's just hurt my brain too much so I saw this one on a friends blog and thought I could handle it.

Four places I go over and over.
-Costco
-Target
-Top Foods
-the kids school

Four people who e-mail me regularly.
-Kami-the manager of Austin's soccer team
-MOPS
-Tom Baker
-Larina

Four places I like to eat.
-Olive Garden
-Red Robin
-anything Mexican
-Subway

Four places I would like to visit.
-Hawaii
-Australia
-Thailand
-Ireland

Four TV shows I like to watch.
-Survivor
-American Idol
- Law and Order
-Oprah

Four of my favorite things to do.
-scrapbook & stamp
-read
-hang out with friends
- be with my family

I tag Joci, Jen and Amber

A Word From the Wise

2008-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

The other day we were in the car and Colin informed me that mom's don't work ...they just go shopping. What is he trying to tell me?

Pickin' A Winner!

2008-04-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Sienna is going through a phase (let's hope it's a phase) where she is infatuated with sticking her finger up her nose. She never picks anything out she just sticks her finger up and leaves it there for awhile. I have to admit it's pretty funny when we are at home, but out in public it gets a little embarrasing. Lets hope this doesn't become a habit!

Sienna often wakes up from her nap really cranky so here are a couple of pictures of her throwing her 2 year old tantrums.

Happy Easter!

2008-04-02T14:42:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Sienna!

2008-04-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 2! I guess she is no longer a baby but a toddler but she will always be MY baby. We took her to good old McD's for her birthday dinner. She loved it of course, especially when she gets her own soda pop.

After dinner we got all the kids ice cream which was a treat because they usually ask and I usually say "No".

Most of the time that she was opening presents she had this look of concern on her face.

Finally a happy face!

She has started to like to watch TV and Dora is one of her favorite shows, so we got her a Dora balloon which she like to carry around the house.

Birthday cake time. No, I didn't make this cake, I'm not as talented as most of my friends who make adorable cakes, but hey I can buy a cute one right?

Happy Birthday Sienna, we love you!

Sledding at Snoqualmie

2008-03-02T17:02:00.001-08:00

Go Wildcats!

2008-03-02T16:17:00.000-08:00

The tension runs high, there is excitement in the air. The 5th grade Wildcats are playing their rivals the Huskies from Ilalko. Wow, what a game! The score was within 2 points most of the game and then the Wildcats pulled ahead and won the game 21 to 12, which made them undefeated. What a way to end the season and it was a lot of fun to watch the boys get so excited. It reminded me of being back in high school!

Happy Birthday Colin!

2008-02-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

Feb. 12th was Colin's big day (his b-day is the 13th but we celebrated on the 12th). He was so excited to turn 4. The day started out with a birthday breakfast of his choice. His choice was chocolate chip eggo waffles and French toast sticks. I offered to make him homemade waffles but he wanted none of that.

Yum Yum!

At preschool he got to wear his brithday crown that Miss Cindy made for him and he brought donuts with chocolate frosting and sprinkles to share with his class.

My big 4 year old. I can't believe that he is growing up so fast. I still feel like he should be 2.

Playing with Lincoln Logs that he got for his birthday.

For Colin's party this year he chose to go to the Super Jump party zone. What a perfect place to go. The kids had a blast and they could run and run and run and scream and be wild little kids and no one cared. The kids were so sweaty at the end of the two hours.

Happy Birthday Colin. You are our special boy and we love you!

My Better Half

2008-02-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

This blog is dedicated to Jackie.

Many of you know that I'm going to school to get an MBA and it's been a huge time bandit. In addition to that I'm serving on the High Council. As you can guess I'm not home very much lately and I really, really miss being here. The chance to see the family doesn't happen very often and when it does happen we're often on the move. With Austin playing two sports, Rylie in cheerleading and Colin - just being Colin - Jackie's swamped. I think one of her friends told me that Jackie sometimes feels like a widow. :-(

I totally understand why she feels that way. As I've watched her over the past year I've been amazed at all she's been able to do. But it's the little things that count. She's taking care of four kids on her own at least four days a week. And the other three days I'm home I'm doing school work or we're at church or shuttling kids around to games. Through all this she manages to clean, cook, laundry, shop, teach, volunteer, play, mops, scapbook, stamp, take care of all the skinned knees, disagreements of the kdis, reads, etc. By her SELF!!! I know I spend one day at home and I'm in tears by noon!

I don't feel I've been there enough for her over the past month especially and it's hard. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for her and the depth of my love and devotion to her. I can never equal her accomplishments no will I try. What she gives to me is a priceless gift - herself. For which, I will forever cherish.

Beauty Queens

2008-02-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

Rylie went to a birthday party at Justice and came home with a cute hairdo and makeup. She got some makeup at the party and was excited to try it out on Sienna. Sienna did a good job of letting Rylie experiment on her.

The age difference between Sienna and Rylie is about the same as it is between me and my younger sister. I remember doing Joci's hair and makeup and it is fun to watch Rylie do the same things with Sienna. It is great having a little sis! What fun memories!

Basketball and more basketball

2008-02-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

We signed Austin up in the fall for Upward basketball not knowing that the 5th graders also have a basketball team at school. He really wanted to play both so luckily it worked out that practices and games do not interfere with each other. The school basketball team, The Wildcats, have such a huge team that the boys only get to play one quarter each and sometimes two. So it worked out great that he also plays on the Upward team so he can get some good playing time in.

This is his school team, "The Wildcats." Rylie kept teasing him that he was Troy Bolton from High School Musical. He wasn't to thrilled with that.

This is only half the team.

Austin getting pancaked.

Here's Austin on his Upward team, "The Blazers." It's hard to get a good picture of him playing basketball with all the motion. I need to remember to bring the camcorder.

I think they look so cute in their matching uniforms.

December Fun

2008-01-23T23:17:00.001-08:00

Go Upward!

2008-01-23T21:24:00.000-08:00

It may be too early to tell but I think Rylie has found her "thing". She LOVES cheerleading!

Rylie is in the Upward cheerleading program and gets to cheer at basketball games for 1st and 2nd graders. She was really excited for her first game and even made up her own cheer that her coach says she can teach the cheer squad at the next practice.

All excited for the big game.

Rylie's cheer squad.

The basketball team runs through the cheerleaders as the announcer calls the players names.

Half time performance. (Rylie is on the far left)

Here come those terrible 2's

2008-01-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

So the other day Sienna was being really quite upstairs (it is rare that she leaves my side for very long lately...she is going through a mommy stage). I thought this is great, she is finally learning to play on her own. Well...that was not the case. I soon hear Colin yelling, "Mom, Sienna is getting into Rylie's lip gloss. So I go upstairs and there is Sienna with lip gloss smeared all over her face and hair. She had a huge grin on her face so I couldn't really get mad at her, could I?

Here she is with orange and blue lip gloss over her face and hair. I tried just washing it off with a cloth but it was too greasy so in the bath she went.

I LOVE bath pictures so I couldn't pass up the chance to get a few great pictures out of this situation. Brian always says that I will be "one of those moms" who embarrass their child by pulling out the cute naked baby pictures for their boyfriend or girlfriend to see. Who knows maybe I will!

Girl Fun

2008-01-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

Mom gets to go to a fun girls Christmas party so Rylie decided that she wanted to have one as well. She invited some friends over for an afternoon of fun. We made some Christmas bracelets, decorated cupcakes and had a gift exchange.

Rylie has a fun group of friends that she enjoys hanging out with.

Funny faces

The girls had more fun seeing how many sprinkles they could get on their cupcakes than they did eating them.

I thought it was the boys that got wild but look at these girls. They were having pillow fights and wrestling each other.

The funnest part of all was the gift exchange.

I know that it is January and Christmas is over but I am finally getting around to blogging these pictures. Maybe I'll even get some up of Christmas.

Let's get it on!

2008-01-03T13:23:00.000-08:00

Austin and Brian are huge San Diego Charger fans so when they won their game against the Broncos we had two very happy boys!

Here's what Austin has to say to all our family and friends who love the Broncos....

GO CHARGERS!

Christmas Festivities

2007-12-17T14:31:00.000-08:00

One of the most enjoyable parts of Christmas for me is all the fun activities that you get to do with your family to get you in the Christmas spirit. I feel like there are just not enough weekends in December to get all the activities in that I would like to do. Here are a few of the fun things that we have done this December.

The kids had a great time decorating this gingerbread house.

This is our third year in a row going up to Bellevue Square and watching the Snowflake parade. We eat dinner at the Cheescake Factory, walk the mall for a little while (can't do it for very long with 4 kids), and then head on outside for the fun.

The street is lined with lights and big drums are set up all along the sidewalks. We are up on a skybridge over the street.

I just love Christmas lights and these snowflakes are so pretty.

Waiting for the show to begin.

A little hot chocolate sounds good about now.

Here come the drummers. They march along the skybridge and then go down to the street where they stand up on the drums and dance and play to the Christmas music. There are also lights that are flashing on the buildings and even fake snow when it is over. The whole show is only about 15 minutes but that is perfect length for the kids.

Time to go!

Another fun thing we did this year was to go eat breakfast with Santa. We had pancakes, sausage, eggs, juice and hot chocolate. There was entertainment and Santa came around to each table to say "hi" to the kids.

We even got to see Rudolph!

Sienna is just like her dad and does not like to wear shoes or socks. Brian would take off his socks and shoes also if it weren't for the wierd looks he would get.

Our "Ironman"

2007-12-13T18:03:00.001-08:00

We have been anticipating this for weeks and it is finally over. Austin had surgery up at Children's Hospital a few days ago. He has a little pain but is doing really well-could be all those drugs we are giving him. Austin had a screw put in his ankle and a plate put in his knee. This procedure will help Austin's bones grow more evenly and will get his leg aligned more correctly. Austin had a club foot when he was born and his leg being out of alignement is just one of the effects of the club foot. We joke with Austin that he will set off metal detectors with the metal inside of him. Below are some x-rays the dr. gave us. They are pretty cool, especially in person.

Side knee

Front knee

Side ankle

Front ankle

Here Austin is right after he woke up from the anethesia.

They have his leg bandaged all the way from his thigh to his foot. We haven't seen the incisions yet and he can't take off the bandage until Sunday. This means no shower for 4 days. Austin is not complaining about that!

All the doctors and nurses were great at the hospital. They were so friendly and made Austin, Brian and I feel right at home.

Austin was excited to be able to ride in the wheel chair out of the hospital.

This doesn't look so bad does it?

Austin gets around great on his crutches. He will have to use them until he can bear his weight on his left leg. Hopefully we don't have to take these with us to Utah.

The Perfect Tree

2007-11-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

It has become our annual Christmas tradition to go get our Christmas tree the weedend after Thanksgiving. Who needs the headache of crowded shopping malls when you can be in the great outdoors. So we made our yearly trek down to Sumner to cut our tree down at Harvey's Christmas tree farm. The kids love going because they get free hot chocolate and candy canes every year. I think this is the first year that we have not been rained on while we have been there. Yeah!

The perfect tree.

Austin and Colin helped dad cut the tree down.

Timber-great catch.

We did it! Another successful year of Christmas tree hunting.

Happy Birthday Austin!

2007-11-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving was Austin's birthday. This year was his year for a family party and he chose to go bowling and then to Old Country Buffet for dinner. He had been sick all week so we were happy when he was feeling better for his birthday.

Austin was really excited to get this Lego Castle.

Strike! This was Austin's first strike at bowling, playing without the bumpers.

I thought it was pretty funny that we were going to Old Country Buffet the day after Thanksgiving. Austin loved it. He had three servings of steak and loved choosing just what he wanted to eat.

Austin wanted an ice cream cake this year so luckily I didn't have to try and make one. We were so full after dinner that we sang Happy Birthday to him and had him blow out his candles, but saved the cake for the next night.

Austin, we love having you in our family and you bring so much joy and happiness into our lives! We love you! Happy Birthday!

Thanksgiving Feast

2007-11-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving with the Johnson families. Brian has three cousins who live in Washington and they are all brothers. It was a fun day hanging out with family and eating delicious food. If you think about it, it is the one day you can totally pig out and not feel guilty about it. My kind of day!

Rebecca had three beautiful tables all set up for the big dinner.

She also had cute turkey's with everyones name on so we knew right where to sit.

Pilgrim hats and Indian head dresses completed the scene. Rebecca is a great dinner hostess!

Carl cooked three turkey's, one was deep fried, one was smoked and the last one was traditional. I think my favorite was the smoked turkey.

Where else would you find the guys after the big Thanksgiving meal. All on the couch watching football.

Goodbye Cub Scouts, Hello Boy Scouts

2007-11-21T19:27:00.001-08:00

I can't believe that my little boy is out of Cub Scouts. It was a happy-sad feeling seeing him at his last pack meeting earning his Arrow of Light. It seems like just yesterday that we moved to Auburn and I was called to be a wolf cub leader and a few months later Austin was a cub scout. Now 3 years later he is moving on to boy scouts. I feel lucky that I have been involved in the Cub Scout program the whole time that Austin has been a cub scout. It has been a lot of fun going through the program with Austin as a leader and a parent.

Austin at his last pack meeting as a cub scout.

Austin has earned his Arrow of Light award which is the highest award in the Cub Scout program.

Brian is trying to entertain Colin and Sienna during the ceremony while I am taking pictures. The look on his face says it all. This is how we both feel during church each week.

Crossing over the bridge from being a Cub Scout to being a Boy Scout. One of the Boy Scout leaders is on the other side ready to welcome him into the program.

Austin and his Webelo leader, Tara Hatch. She was a great leader and make Austin's year as a Webelo really fun. Thanks Tara!

Proud parents!

They had a cake for the boys after the ceremony.

Go Cheetahs!

2007-11-19T15:23:00.000-08:00

Rylie had a great season this year playing soccer. She has improved a lot since last year and has definately gotten more aggressive. She scored quite a few goals and her team (Cheetah's) won every game but one. This is the third year that Brian has coached Rylie and many of the girls have been on the team each year as well. It is a great group of girls and hopefully they can keep playing soccer together.

The Cheetah's

Half time instruction. Many of the parents have commented on what a good coach Brian is. He never played soccer growing up so I think it must be from watching all the soccer that Austin has played.

Rylie enjoyed taking her turn as goalie.

I believe they only had one game where it rained. Pretty good odds for Seattle.

Sienna was missing her dad.

Rylie loves having her dad as coach.

Brian had to miss one of Rylie's and Austin's soccer games because of school so he brought home a box of donuts and decorated it for the kids.

End of season team party at Round Table pizza.

So proud of her trophy.

Cousin Fun

2007-11-08T14:01:00.000-08:00

For the past 7 years that we have lived in Seattle we have not had much family around so we were so excited when Brian's cousin Mark and his family moved here last summer. Mark is doing his 3 year residency here and we hope they stay in this area when he is finished. We keep trying to talk them into buying a house in Lakeland (the right side of Lakeland so they will be in our ward).

The kids love having cousins around and each one has someone their age to play with. Brian grew up next to his cousins and we are hoping that we can do the same with Mark and Jenny (hint-hint).

Austin and Jacob. This is their (I don't want my picture taken-so I am not going to smile face.)

Rylie and Hannah.
Colin and Noah The Johnson's came over for dinner while Brian's mom was here. The kids had so much fun with Grandma and were sad to see her leave. Luckily Christmas is just a few months away.

Tick- or- Treat

2007-11-01T19:12:00.001-07:00

We have had a busy month this month with all the festivities for Halloween. Here is a rundown of what's been going on.

A friend gave us this costume idea for a party we were going to. I was smarty pants and Brian was dum dum.

Brian even dyed his hair (what hair he has left) red to get into the Halloween spirit.

Brian's office did a trick -or-treat on Halloween so I took the kids down to see dad and have lunch. Everyone thought the kids were so cute and made such a fuss over them. This was Sienna's first experience with trick-or-treating and every time someone gave her a piece of candy she would drop what she had in her hand and want the new piece. She was on such a sugar high that afternoon she couldn't fall asleep for her nap.

Colin loved looking out the window at the cars and people below. What a cute little bum sticking up!

I went in on Halloween to help out with Rylie's class party. Here she is making cards. I wish the kids could dress up at school. I remember how fun it was to do as a kid.

Decorating cupcakes.
I think there are more sprinkles than cupcake.

Rylie and her friend Hope. They made up nicknames for each other and Rylie's is cookie and Hope's is cupcake.

Colin had a Halloween party at school and the teacher was pouring vinegar over baking soda and it would bubble up and out of the jar into the bowl . The kids would scream every time this happened-they thought it was the best thing ever! I think Miss Cindy could have walked around the table pouring vinegar the whole morning.

Colin insisted on carving this mini pumpkin. It actually turned out pretty cute.

This is how Brian really feels about carving pumpkins.

The kids were trying to make faces like their pumpkins. What do you think-are they close?
When Sienna saw everyone else get their costume on she was so excited to wear hers. I can tell already that she is going to love playing dress up.

I just love the back of this costume. The flower wings are so cute.

Colin would have rather been Spiderman or a Ninja Turtle but I finally convinced him to be a bat because I thought it was so cute and free (it was Austin's old costume).

This is Colin's scary bat face and Sienna decided this would be a good time to join in and pick her nose. Skeleton, Cheerleader and Bat covering fairy princess.

A kids dream-what to do with all this candy?

Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Last week Colin went on a field trip with his preschool class to the pumpkin patch. He was really excited to go pick out a pumpkin but best of all he was able to go with lots of friends. I think I mentioned before but there are 9 boys and 1 girl in his class. It actually turned out to be a really warm and sunny day which was great because you never know what you will get in Seattle.

Here the class is listening to the schedule and rules for the tour.

The farm had a kiddie area where the kids could climb on a tractor, pump water and look at some farm animals.

They had a really cute "Moo" train the kids got to ride on. Sienna wasn't so sure that she liked it but Colin had a great time.

Sienna was so happy to walk around with the big kids. No stroller for her today.

The kids got 5 minutes to find as many rubber ducks in the corn as they could. Colin thought it was fun just to lay in it. It did feel really cool on your feet.

Waiting to go into the corn maze that led us to the pumpkin patch.

They say you have one twin somewhere in the world. Well, I think Sienna has found hers with her friend Emma.

Riding on the wagon on the way back from the pumpkin patch. Colin was so excited to pick out the smallest pumpkin he could. So I had to get a really big one for Sienna.

All Aboard!

2007-10-21T18:08:00.001-07:00

Brian and I had never been on a cruise before so we thought a weekend trip up to Canada with some friends would be a perfect way to start. We boarded the ship on Friday afternoon to a beautiful sunny Seattle day. After checking out our staterooms we headed (of course) straight to the food. We had a pre-dinner snack out on the deck over looking the Seattle skyline. What a way to start off our fun weekend!

Bon Voyage! (we found out later that these drinks were $9.00 each!)

We all had to be trained on what to do in case of an emergency.

Saturday morning we arrived in Vancouver, Canada

We were trying to decide where to go and which way to get there when we decided to.......

jump on the Vancouver sightseeing bus that would take us all over downtown Vancouver with stops where we could get on and off. It was a great way to see the city without having to walk. Of course after eating everything we did-a little excercie couldn't hurt.

While we were in Vancouver I found out that my mom was locked out of the house with the kids

and that was a little stressful for awhile but they ended up calling a locksmith and were able to get back in. The day after we got back I made sure to go get extra keys made for our house.

Here is the dining room that we ate dinner in every night. We had the same table and the same two waiters every night. Most of the crew, our waiters included, were from all over the world. It was fun to hear all the different accents and to find out were they were from.

With so much food to choose from Brian decided to get a little daring and try some Escargot-if you didn't like it you could always order something else, so why not try!

Here is the lamb that I ordered that I did not like too much but Brian had a fun time with it. I'm definately a chicken and beef kind of girl.

The dress code was informal one night (nice dresses for the girls and suits for he guys) and the other two night were casual . Our dinner started at 8:30 and didn't end until 10:30 because we had a 5 course meal every night.

Here we are docked at Nanaimo, Canada. I had never even heard of this town before the cruise so I was excited to see it.
Don't you think these guys could pose for GQ?

This is what happens when you have a weekend away without kids.

There wasn't much to see or do in Nanaimo, as you can tell by the looks on the guys faces. So while they went back to the ship to watch a movie the girls decided to ......

do a little more shopping and stop for some hot chocolate and scones.

Last night at dinner. We ordered the Filet Mignon with was delicious!

Mardi Gras party at one of the disco's on board.

Who new you could have so much fun in an eleveator-and we were not even drunk!

Monday morning it was very depressing to have to get off the ship and get back to "real life". We had such a great time and would definately go on a cruise again. Thanks mom for watching our kids for us and letting us have this great weekend away!

80's Rock!

2007-10-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

Def Leopard is one of my all time favorite bands. I don't know if it's because they were so popular while I was in high school but I have never out grown them. I've never considered myself a "rocker" but I definately like to rock out to Def Leopard.

When I heard they were coming in concert I was so excited-I was hoping Brian would want to come with me but found out that he had school that night so when I mentioned the concert at a church event I was shocked when a couple of friends said that they would go with me. I guess I'm not the only 30 year old rocker out there. I also found out a few days before the concert that my friends the Summers were going as well.

Styxx and Foreigner were the opening bands and although they were good I couldn't wait for Def to start. I have to admit that people watching kept me pretty entertained. Just ask if you want more details-where do these people come from?

We originally bought General Admission tickets but Anita was able to get us free VIP tickets. They were worth $150.00. We had our own box to sit/stand in so it was nice not to be crowded by other people. The seats were good, not quite as good as Steve and Tammy's, but I'm so glad that we weren't stuck way up high in the grass.

I left my camera in the car and although I did take some pictures on my camera phone I am not as tech saavy as Steve and I do not know how to get the pictures from my phone to the computer. Here I am with Angie, Anita and Arrow after the concert. Our ears were still ringing but we had smiles on our faces. What a great concert!!!

Relaxing in Denver

2007-09-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling a little stressed out lately with school and all the different sports and activities starting up so I was really looking forward to a relaxing weekend in Denver with my sister and her family. As soon as Brian dropped me off at the airport I could feel the tension and stress just slipping away. No cleaning, cooking, running kids around and listening to whiny kids for 4 days. I didn't even mind having to make an extra stop on the way to and from Denver. More time to read and people watch in the airport.

Here I am with my niece Tyler and nephew Max. Tyler would say the cutest things and is such a cute and smart little 3 year old . I just love Max's chubby cheeks and big blue eyes.

Here I am with my sister Jocelyn. We went shopping, out to eat, to movies, played games and just had a great time talking and catching up. I wished we lived closer so we could hang out more! Thanks Joci, Brett, Tyler and Max for the great weekend. It was relaxing and so much fun- I miss you already!

Down She Goes!

2007-09-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

I finally got Sienna to climb down the stairs today. Usually she just sits at the top and whines for someone to come and get her. She has been climbing up them for awhile but I guess the coming down part freaked her out. She got so excited when Mom started clapping and getting all excited. You have to wonder what they really think about us crazy Moms.

I always like to watch my kids when they are sleeping. After a long day it's so fun to go look at them and see their sweet faces. They look so peaceful and innocent and you wonder how they can even drive you crazy during the day.

Here Sienna is sleeping. She was facing the wall so I couldn't get a shot of her face.
Just starting to wake up after she was rudely awakened by the flash of mom's camera.
There's my smiley girl. She always greets me with a huge smile when I go to get her in the morning or after her nap.
She has the cutest pose of lifting her shoulders and then tilting her head over to one side and giving you a huge smile.

Back to school

2007-09-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again-back to school. The kids were all so excited to start school, especially Colin who will be starting his first year of preschool. Here are some picutres of the kids on their first day back to school.

Brian bought these Seahawk jersey's for the boys and they love them. Austin's favorite thing about the first day was playing kickball at recess where he managed to trip and rip a hole in his new jeans. Oh well!
Rylie's favorite thing about school was meeting her new teacher and playing jump rope during recess. She is going through this phase where she doesn't want me to put anything in her hair and it is driving me crazy. I like to pull her hair back and put barrets and elastics in , but I guess you just have to let go of some things.

Colin's favorite part of preschool was -that's right-recess. He got to blow bubbles and jump on the trampoline. There are 9 boys in his class and 1 girl. That poor teacher!

Bigfoot tournament

2007-08-31T16:14:00.000-07:00

Austin had a soccer tournament up in Snohomish a few weeks ago and we decided to make it a mini vacation for the kids and stayed in a hotel. It also saved on 3 hours of driving 4 days in a row. This is a really big tournament with teams coming from all over the state. The name of their team is Synergy and their colors are blue, white and orange. The atmosphere at the tournament was really fun . There were vendors, concessions and lots of people camping.
The boys did really well. They made it to the semi-finals and then lost. We are looking forward to the start of their season-go Synergy!

The coaches are giving a pep talk before their first game. They have 1 head coach and 2 assistant coaches.

The boys taking a little break and messing around. It is a lot of fun to see the boys start to bond with each other. They come from about 5 different schools so they did not all know each other before.

A couple of families on the team camped out so after one of the games we all got together and had a BBQ.

Sienna had a great time at the BBQ

Rylie and Colin were great at the games. They did a great job of finding stuff to do.
Colin can't wait until he can play soccer.

Here is the game where it was raining. Austin is #18. You can see the huge water puddles in the field.

Here is the coach telling the boys to not give up at half-time during the game they lost.

All white uniforms-just what a mom wants!

Little Streaker

2007-08-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here is another funny story from the adventures of Colin.

One day I was putting Colin's 4th outfit on him because he either kept getting it wet in the pool (which he was not supposed to be in) or having an accident because he doesn't want to stop and go to the bathroom. So I told him this was the last outfit for the day and if he got it wet he would have to wear it the rest of the day. Well , not much later in comes Colin again saying that he got his shorts wet in the pool. I told him he would have to wear them. He went upstairs and I thought he was playing . About 15 minutes later I get a knock on my door. Jill (my neighbor) is standing there with a naked Colin. He had gone upstairs taken off his wet clothes and then gone next door to ask if he could borrow David's clothes because his mom would not let him have any. We were both busting up laughing at the picutre of this naked boy knocking on her door asking to borrow clothes because his mom wouldn't let him have any. It was pretty funny and definately made my day. One more reason why my life is never boring and I love my Colinator!

Let's Play Ball!

2007-08-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

Rylie played baseball this summer and had a great time. I was a little surprised when she said that she wanted to play since last summer there was only one other girl on her team. This year though there were four girls and one of them was her good friend.

All ready to play some ball. Rylie loved putting on her uniform before the games.

Rylie would get bored out in the out field waiting for the ball and with so much sand around it was too much of a temptation not to play!

For her age group they use a pitching machine which is not always very accurate. Rylie had a hard time at first but never gave up and soon was hitting the ball every time. She even hit a double header (is that what you call it when you make it to 2nd base?).
Coming in to home plate. The kids always have a huge smile when they make it home .

So proud of her new trophy. Way to go Rylie for having a great baseball season!

Fun In the Sun!

2007-08-08T21:31:00.001-07:00

It has been really hard this summer to keep up on blogging. I feel like each day is a blur with all the kids being home. I am behind in everything ...laundry, cleaning, meals. Any sort of a schedule I used to have is out the window right now. Oh well-isn't that what summer is all about?

Unfortunately we have had a pretty gray and chilly summer this year . When we do have those beautiful sunny Seattle days we like to take advantage of them. Going to the beach is one of our favorite outings because it is fun for all ages and it is free! Here are some pictures of our trips to the beach as well as the Auburn water park and our little pool in our HUGE backyard.

The kids have more fun playing in the sand then they actually do in the water. The water is pretty chilly.
My friend Camille and I have been asked if these two are twins. Emma is 1 year older than Sienna but with their cute curly red hair they do look a lot a like. What cuties!
Colin and his friend Hunter-I can't get a picture of them without one of them putting a hand on their face. Silly boys!

It's amazing how this $30 Walmart pool has kept my kids entertained this summer!

I love geting muddy!

Yes, I still like to eat sand.