Happy Birthday Evelyn Elizabeth!

We had a teeny little party with just us, Noni, Papa, Auntie Katie, and Auntie Liz. It was sweet, and she got a new pair of rain boots, some dress up high heels, complete with feathers, and a new ballerina outfit. She wore it to bed!

Our big girl is still working on potty training, she loves baby dolls, shoes (especially boots), her pacifier (I can't figure out how to take it away..I tried the cut it method and you would have thought I was cutting off her arm..) She cried for an hour tonight because she couldn't find the right one...she's in love with it and I'm at a loss..

Anyway...she is happy, and smart, and has her own opinions, especially when it comes to being bossed around by her brother.

She loves "macka-no-knees" (macaroni), and any fruit. She loves her baby sister, "Baby Addy" and being outside.

Currently she likes to put her coat on and "go at costco."

I can't believe how much she talks now and I think her sentences are adorable. I love to listen to her and Ben talk to each other..

Anyway...she's a joyful child, she makes me laugh, and she's got a stubborn streak. My second baby I ever had and I wouldn't trade her for anything!

Happy Birthday Evelyn, we love you!

My, My, My....

What a good looking bunch of siblings, wouldn't you agree? (candy ciggs, fyi)

Let's see...in a stream of conscious (meaning I type whatever comes to mind....)

My whole family was here for Christmas...crowded house, happy heart. We had so much fun, complete with a little bit of drama..always a good time. Sadly we forgot to kitchen dance..But we did make the awesome sweatshirts pictured above as well as some fantastic gingerbread (read: graham cracker) creations, which were later devoured by cat and raccoon.

It was a Merry Christmas indeed.

Addyson's first Christmas..and at 9 months and 10 days old (Christmas day) she took her first step (and three more)!

I love living here, but I sure do miss my family. Although, if I lived closer to Emily, I fear we'd both be broke and have matching wardrobes. (I wouldn't mind that much...)

All three kids are sick with colds right now...we visited the doctor today and are now on the road to recovery. I found out today that our doctor was MIA for so long because she was in a bike accident in which she broke her neck, but has fully recovered and feels lucky to be alive. I'm happy she is, she's great and always remembers the details of our lives.

Anyway...we had a really nice Christmas, got some new stuff, enjoyed each others company, did some crafts, played some games, cried a little, laughed a lot, and it was good. I'm grateful to have had this time all together and look forward to doing it again sooner than later.

Evelyn will be 2 in just a few days. It's hard to believe because I feel like she's been 2 for a year..She's so grown up sometimes and very,very independent. We're still working on potty training, she has a mind of her own and she calls the shots. Some days, she will use the potty like a pro and other days she's having 5 accidents in a row. Today was a good day and she was dry through the doctor's visit and the grocery store. Even through a car ride nap on the way home.

I'm tired...so I think I'll call it a night and hopefully do better at updating my blog, because I do enjoy documenting our lives..so nice to re-read the things of every day life that we often seem to forget too soon...

I haven't been a very good blogger in recent days...I feel like we've been going non stop for weeks! We always seem to be busy doing something.

Here's what's going on with us:

Benjamin (3.5 years) is our rule follower. He can be pretty bossy sometimes over his little sisters, kind of like a mini Daddy. ;) He currently enjoys coloring and playing with play dough..and loves his trains, cars, and being outside.

Evelyn (2 years) is our rule breaker. She loves to get her hands in everything, her favorite right now is soap. She is always "awshy hans (washing hands). " She is mini Mommy to her sister, Addyson and loves to play with her bitty baby and the kitchen set. But when she isn't doing those things, you can bet she's at the train table or pushing a dump truck with Ben!

Addyson (9 months) is our baby :), she is learning to stand without holding onto anything and is currently cruising around furniture and walking with push toys. She loves to watch her siblings play and always tries to play with them. She's a happy baby and a joy to have around.

Richard is currently enjoying some down time at work after his deployment. He stays busy with various creative projects around the house and enjoys spending time out doors and as a family.

I am busy being a mommy, and feel blessed to be able to stay home with my kids. I am currently building my photography business and attempting to take up crochet.

We are so happy to be together this Christmas and are thrilled that some of our family is visiting our house this year, we're kind of over the whole traveling with small children thing!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Yes..it's after 2AM...No, I don't know why I am awake..

All is well in our house...Christmas decorations are up outside...counting down the days til Christmas..nothing new to report, just checking in!

Thankful for 3.

Oh my how I love these three.

They love to play together..and recently the toy bins have become the favorite thing. Ben lifts Addy up and puts her in first, then he and Evey get in. I love how he lined them all up here.

Having 3 kids so young can drive a person crazy from time to time, but moments like these remind me what it's all about. =)

Love them, love being their mommy. What a privilege and a gift. I am so thankful for my three beautiful, healthy babes. ♥♥♥

It's the first snowfall of the winter....♪

I love Christmas. I love snow (but I hate cold, and I hate slush, and I hate how everything looks all dirty when the snow melts...).

It snowed today, for the first time this Winter. It was also Addy's first time seeing snow. She liked it, but she liked watching her brother and sister run around the best.

In other news...

Addy says, "mama," "num num," "baba," "dada," and "yay." It's so cute. She also has 2 teeth on the bottom now.

Evey will be 2 next month! We are still working on potty training. It's hit or miss each day.

My whole fam is coming out here for Christmas and we cannot wait!

♥

Apple Cider

On Sunday we went to my friend's parents' house. (that was a mouthful!) They have apple trees in their front yard and offered to let us help make some apple cider.

We always love going down there. It's nice to be in the country, especially for me. I miss it.

I forgot my other shoes, so I was wandering around in my church heels. Looked a little ridiculous, so all I did was pick up maybe 5 apples and take pictures. Ben and Evey raced dump trucks with their friends and we watched a movie and made some pizza.

It's always a good time and it's nice to feel like we have family here. Can't wait to go back for Thanksgiving.

I'm trying out some new photo shop tricks..the logo may be a tad obnoxious....but I like the rounded corners.

Bits from Benjamin

• While playing alone with a bobble head Buzz Lightyear- "Hey, Buzzwightyear, don't shake your head at me"
• While at the mall recently - "Whoa! There's a whole lotta Christmas in here"
• While feeding Addy her baby food (by request) - "Oh my wittle AddyCakes, you're makin' a big mess"
• While playing with trains.."I'm tired of driving and I don't want to drive anymore, I just want to stay in ours home."

Seattle for a Day

On Friday last week we ventured to Seattle for some fun. We saw the Gum Wall in Post Alley, and walked around the Pike Place Market. So many interesting people and things. Here are just a couple of photos from the day.

It's Veteran's Day

And...I just happen to be married to a veteran.
A pretty cool veteran who recently returned from Afghanistan...and who just happened to spend his Wednesday talking to elementry school kids about Veteran's day. :)
He asked questions and when someone got it right, he let them take a patch off his uniform..not in the regs, we know...but the kids loved it!



That second pic was after the assembly, the kids weren't in the mood...and the last one was the kids waiting to get into the car..I just thought it was amusing.

Thanks to all the veterans..past and present.

Blog Fail...

I know...be back soon....

7 Months!

Addy is 7 months old now! I can't believe it. The older we get, the faster time goes...*sigh*

Here's the list of skills she has learned or perfected in the last month...and other random tidbits I feel like writing...

• crawl pretty fast
• pull herself to a standing position and slowly cruise around some furniture
• loves to play with her brother and sister
• can climb the stairs
• gets really excited about her jar food
• claps her hands
• loves cheerios
• LOVES her blankie
• talks (read: screams) a lot when trying to communicate with siblings
• loves the bath and we gave up the baby bath a little over a month ago
• fits in a size 3 baby shoe
• She gets super excited about being able to stand and just rocks back and forth

All you need is love...

To the Pumpkin Patch!

On Wednesday we headed to the pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day, so I'm glad we didn't wait for the weekend..because now it's raining! The kids loved picking out their pumpkins and playing on the hay, and petting the animals.

On Thursday we vegged out and Richard spent time trying to finish up the laundry room cabinets...(We've got a lot of projects going on...) Evey's bed is finished and in her bedroom, and we still have a chair that we are still working on...

Last night we got a baby sitter (gasp!) and we went on a double date with our friends. The babysitter was great, the kids loved her, and best of all I didn't spend all night worrying about how they were. It was wonderful. We had a nice dinner and then went out for coffee after (I got a strawberry smoothie..but whatevs. I'm still cool)..

And that's what's happening in our world...what's happening in yours?

Bits from Benjamin

- Talking about his shirt being inside out...."This shirt is side out, out."

-Getting dressed by himself..."Mommy. I'm gonna do this so you can be proud!"

♥

Population, Me.

This baby can get around! She's getting so good at crawling..and now she pulls up on EVERYTHING! The problem with that, is that she doesn't know how to get down..so she gets stuck and cries..or falls over and cries...or gets knocked down by a sibling and cries...I know it's just a stage..but I'm always amazed that even after having the other two..you just forget things.

Anyway..today was a gorgeous day..I wasted it, cleaning the house. It's pretty much the only thing I do these days besides make food and wipe a bum or two...or so it seems sometimes...I'm not really complaining..but welcome to Rutville. :-P

In other news..we're having friends over for dinner tomorrow...I haven't done that in who knows how long, so that will be fun.

For now...less type, more clean.

Happy Birthday Grandma! :)

Random bits from Ben....

"I fixed the earballs mommy!" (talking about eyeball stickers)

"Mommy, it is hot in the back van. Please turn on the air freshener." (talking about the A/C)

"MOMMY, I SAW A MONSTER...DANCING ON THE CURTAIN. IT.WAS.VERRRY SCARRRY!" (Referring to the shadow of the tree "dancing" behind the dining room curtains)

Happy 16th Birthday Liz!

It's been awhile since you've seen a picture of me...here I am with Addyson today. =)

Bucket Head

Miss Evelyn E.

I am Evelyn

I like things that I can put my hands in

Grass seed, dirt, and water from the toilet

Anything I can get on my shirt to soil it

Food, water, milk, juice

Soak my hair, pull my pig tails loose

I whip off my shirt, take off my pants

kick off my shoes and step on some ants

I love to be dirty, I love a good mess

It makes mommy crazy and causes her stress

I'm really not naughty, just curious

Sometimes my quests are injurious

I'm a good girl

Like a tornado I whirl

My spirit is free

That's why Mommy and Daddy love me

=)

Goin' to the Lodge...

This weekend we went to the Great Wolf Lodge for a marriage retreat. =)

It was an Army function and we did Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage. It actually turned out to be pretty good, and we both really enjoyed it.

The Army provided the room, food, and even child care for us all weekend and we all had a really nice time.

The kids loved the water park and I'm still amazed that they can go down the same slide 2389402 times in a row and never, ever get sick of it!

Sweet Baby Mine...

Celebrating 2 dry days in her big girl "un-new-nah."

She's even stayed dry through her nap today.

*note to self...video her saying underwear*

Fall.

The sun was out today. =)

I am always thankful for any kind of sunshine we get..but even though it does rain a lot here, especially during the Fall/Winter...the sun still comes out and makes me happy. I actually don't mind the rain too much, but I get tired of the continued gloom and feeling like I need to have every single light in the house on....

Anyway....we played outside today...I took the kids on a walk, did two loads of laundry, made enchiladas for dinner, and did ZERO housework. I just wasn't feeling it. If you peeked inside my mind, you'd probably think I was nuts...some of you might think it anyway....hehehe.

Moving on....Fall is here...that means the weather is changing...leaves are turning and the nights are cooler...and the bees are PSYCHOTIC!

Evelyn has been stung twice, so she is now terrified. If you go outside, the bees crash into you...bonk you in the head, land on your arm...buzzzzzzz in your ear...It's annoying and scary..because..really? Who wants to be stung by a bee?

I don't like killing bees because of the whole bee crisis and plants aren't getting pollinated etc...but today when I flipped open the key pad for the garage door, a bee flew out right into my face. It didn't sting me..but it kept coming back...so I took a blanket, slapped him out of the air, stomped on him with force, said "take that ya stinkin' bee," and then I may or may not have ended the whole thing with a happy dance....Don't judge me.

=)

Singing in the Rain...

It's been raining here...A LOT! It is the Pacific Northwest, after all, and we're approaching rainy season. It's been pouring since about 7pm (it's almost 1am now and it's still pouring!). So right before bedtime we decided to let the kids puddle jump in their rain boots. They were both a little weirded out by the fact that it was dark outside, but they eventually followed Daddy's lead and jumped in the puddles. I think it was a good little change for the bedtime routine and a nice chance for a bit of fresh air. =)

Six Months and Crawling!

How do I have another mobile child already?!
She's eating sweet potatoes, she loves them.
Still no signs of teeth...
Still the happiest baby on earth.
LOVES her big brother. (Who, by the way, carried her all the way upstairs yesterday to my horror...I left the two of them downstairs to change Evey's diaper, and a few minutes later he pops in the door, "Mommy, I'm right here, I brought Addy for you.")
Loves bath time.
Favorite toy is a pink Nubi silicone teething ring.
Naps at least twice a day.
Usually wakes up happy.
Loves her blanket.
Gets super excited over food. *note to self, get a video of that*
And today (9/17/2010) she pulled herself up to standing!

I heart Faces Week 37 "Vroom Vroom" challenge!

Unfortunately, this series of pictures is lost on a computer with a crashed mother board. Sad Day...I had to hotlink it from my facebook. I don't know if that is allowed but if not..Oh, well..I still think the picture is hilarious. =)

Who Likes Mondays?

Not I....not this Monday anyway.....

Today was long...and challenging. The morning started with a headache, 2 crying toddlers, and a Parmesan cheese incident.

I could tell the day was probably not going to improve. I was right.

Addyson was awesome though. She slept most of the day so I could deal with her naughty brother and sister.

Ben and Evey have been really fighting a lot these last few days. Now that Evey can talk more, they yell at each other and they get in each other's faces, and now we've even started the occasional hitting.

I don't really know what I'm supposed to do, so sometimes I let them have at it, other times they get time outs..and many days I just separate them for periods of time. That seems to help.

Ben is always concerned with what Evelyn is doing, eating, looking at, playing with , drinking..etc. He always thinks he NEEDS to be doing that too..but if he is doing something that he doesn't want her to do, she'd better not go near him. It's frustrating, we're really working on sharing here!

Most of the time they play nice together. I'm still a little frustrated from the events of the day, so I'm probably doing more venting here.

The good parts of the day...grocery shopping was good. No one cried, or whined at all. The kids played outside in the evening when the sun came out...they both ate all their dinner...Evey asked to go pee on the potty 4 times today. Ben learned to use the Swiffer Sweeper Vac, he loved it and now he wants to "use the dreen baccoom" all the time. So that's cool. =) I ate a Reese's Pumpkin.

Well..it's 11:30...guess it's time for me to head to bed. Tomorrow's a new day...let's see what it brings!

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2

My Own Little Farmhouse Table and Chairs

If you want to see all the progress and forget the boring details below Click Here

So...a few posts back, I showed you the wood we purchased to build our secret project...It's finally done, and it really only took two weekends. Which isn't bad considering our work space was our drive way and we had three kids under foot!

It all started right before our Michigan vacation when I came across a blog post by little bits of bliss. I was totally impressed by her creativity and wanted something similar for my house. Then, on vacation we wondered into Pottery Barn and saw the Hyde Dining Table. I loved it! But $700 for a table without chairs is a bit much for our budget..

So..we came home from our trip and I continued to scour Craigslist for something I could turn into my treasure. After a few months of searching and finding nothing and a little inspiration from Ana White's Knock Off Wood, we decided to take matters into our own hands.

My husband is a talented builder. He can just look at something and copy it. He liked some of the plans at Knock Off Wood, but ultimately we decided to go with our own design. Rick wanted to be able to take the legs off the table for when we move..etc. So he looked at how our coffee table was built and modified the design for a dining table. =)

So...We headed to Home Depot, picked up 4 sixteen ft long 2x6's and 1 sixteen ft 2x4. We cut them to make the table top and the apron. We also got a 10 foot 4x4 (like a mail box post) for the legs. Then we bought hardware, stain, and polyurethane...

After the sawing and piecing, we set to work hammering, chiseling, pounding, and adding all the character we wanted. I loved this part because the kids got to help and it really helped to make the table our own.

COST: We bought everything from Home Depot..because We can do it...they can help. =) (and they give military a 10% discount...)

• $38.88 - Lumber



• $16.02 - Hardware (screws, nuts, washers, bolts)



• $19.94 - Pre-Stain (because pine is a soft wood) & Stain ( Minwax Dark Walnut)



• $42 - Polyurethane (to seal and protect) We bought a gallon, but only used about a quart. (Economy size fore future projects!)

Grand Total = $116.84

Now...after we started on the table I was still searching Craigslist daily for chairs. Finally, after months of searching, I found the chairs I wanted and they came with a very heavy marble topped table. Sweet Day!

This table and chairs came in a very hideous light oak color, so I completely sanded the first chair and then I stained it. When it was dry, I decided I didn't like the way oak stained and we opted to paint the chairs black and leave the seats stained to make them look more like they matched the table. This craigslist find cost us $165. We painted the bottom of the marble top table black also and haven't decided yet if we want to sell it or keep it.

Anyway...WE LOVE our farmhouse table and chairs. I really couldn't be happier and it's even sweeter that Rick and I built it from scratch together. =)

...

It's Ben awhile. hehe (yeah, okay, that was lame...)

I was attempting to get some cute shots of Addyson, since she's almost 6 months old...But Ben always says, "It's my turn, Mommy." Then he gets in the shot and never smiles. Stinker.

Today, I was supposed to do laundry. I did 5 loads. Still not all the way done. Ew. I don't know how I let it get backed up so much. I hate laundry. Every time the dryer beeped today I had to keep telling myself that folding wasn't so bad. It didn't work. I never used to mind doing laundry..but with a family of five, it just piles up too quickly!

The secret project has been completed, but I can't blog about it until it's decorated. =)

We still have 2 other projects in the garage to finish. Including Ev's big girl bed.

We bought her mattress on Monday and tonight is her second night on the mattress. We've got it on the floor and she likes that she can just hop out whenever. So, I think it will be easier once we actually have the bed finished and it's up off the floor.

In other news...I'm not ready for the rainy season. It's just so blah. The sun came out for a bit today (that's normal)...but it's just dreary and makes me feel yuck.

Anyway......bedtime!