
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
He lost it......
His first baby tooth is missing! It was loose for a while, and this morning it fell out while he was wiggling it. Brayden wasn't quite sure what to think, I think he was a little bit scared. The other one is already on its way up.

Sunday, March 7, 2010
Whoah, that's a LONG time!
These are my wonderful parents: Jeanie and Bill. The only pictures that I can find of them (together at least), are from our wedding.
Sweet Mama, a little nervous before the ceremony.
Dad, finally relaxed when the reception was in full swing.
Breathing a sigh of relief.....
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
"Are we having fun yet?"
Highlights from the last TWO days:
1. My darling daughters decided to wear party dresses! This is fun, I like it when they actually want to look cute....but we were only going to the YMCA and Fred Meyer. Oh well, they adorned their party dresses and tights. I so wish I would have taken a picture, my description will NOT do it justice.
Ellie: Big, poofy, red, black and white plaid silky dress with polka-dot brown, pink and green tights with princess tennis shoes. Lookin' good!
Danielle: A spring/summer sundress that is a size 24months (way too small) that's yellow with lots of little flowers on it. Half of her diaper clad bum was hanging out along with some nice brownish/whitish tights (they're supposed to be white) with flowers on them with princess tennis shoes. This is so not doing it justice, bare with me....they're dressed like they're color blind. BUT I am choosing my battles, and this one is so not worth it.
We ate breakfast (oatmeal all down both of them and their dresses) and took Brayden to school. Went to the Y and then had to go pick up my nephew from school. We had about 30 minutes so I went to FM and got a prescription and stopped at the bank in the store. We had to walk past the hallway where the bathroom is. Of course Ellie said, "I have to go potty." She has to go potty at every public restroom in the city. Ok, let's go potty. We walked in the bathroom and E bee lined it to a small stall. There are about 4 old ladies in the bathroom as well. (The old folks home dropped a bus load off). I said, "Ellie we all need to go into the big stall so I can help you so your dress doesn't fall in the toilet."
E: "NO, I want to do it by myself in here!" Then she slams the stall door in my face. Lovely, I love two year olds.
Me: "Ellie you need to come into this stall with us so you don't get your dress dirty." After much persuasion she finally crawled out on the nasty bathroom tile and joined us in the big stall. Yeah, her dress was in good shape, I'm so glad she decided to keep it clean. She walked into the stall and she and Dani fought over who got to lock the door. Mind you, they are both SCREAMING at the top of their lungs and pushing each other around the stall. They had to have had EVERY single germ possible on them. Meanwhile I can hear old lady snickers echoing in the bathroom in between my daughters screeches! We probably spent a good 3-5 minutes in the stall and E never did go potty. We exited and scrubbed hands and I had to physically pick both of them up to haul them out of the bathroom. They are still shrieking and screaming and flailing, snot is flying and I am trying oh so hard to not FREAK OUT. The older people were so nice, I got such helpful comments:
"Oh, someones not happy." (In my head: oh are you sure? Thanks for clearing that up for me, I was so confused).
"WOW, you've got your hands full." (Yeah, and I'm about to drop both of my children on the ground, they weigh 30 pounds each, can you get out of my way?)
"Are we having fun yet?" (I have to say, I do enjoy a few good temper tantrums in public with the whole retirement home watching! That is my idea of a party!)
Wow, that was a long number one, I may not be able to go through my whole list.....
2. A fun thing with Brayden right now is that he is growing up so fast! Good and bad:
Good: He loves to help me, he is really wanting to do chores and take on responsibilities, he really likes to write and make lists (just like me), it has been so fun watching him mature and step it up. He is also getting up in the mornings and playing quietly and putting waffles in the toaster for himself and his sisters! LOVE IT!
Not so good: Along with this helping thing, he is trying to become more and more independent. I walked out of the shower this morning to find my curtains, blinds and window open (it was 38 degrees) for the whole street/neighbor to see. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE! He also has tried to haul a whole gallon of milk up from the garage fridge, open it and pour a glass of milk. These gallons are a little too heavy for this tough guy, resulting in lots of milk EVERYWHERE! He also seems to be turning into a tween way too early. When did my sweet boy stop thinking I was the best thing ever? I have caught him with some eye rolling, exasperated sighs, and down right evil looks. (I know this is partly my fault. I do give a mean glare, I need to keep that in check).
On Monday morning he came in my room and said with attitude, "MOM, I don't have any clean pants for school." I was thinking, yes you do, they're in your drawer. Not so much. I took two days off from laundry and he was out of clothes. This is because he goes through multiple outfits a day, he doesn't like to be dirty. So he was really pleased when I told him to grab a pair out of the hamper and put them on. (They weren't even dirty, just maybe a little smelly at this point). I then saw a brand new pair of jeans in the hamper.
I said, "Here put these on, these probably fit you now."
B (with attitude): "No, they need to be washed, they're too big."
Me: "Just try them on, they probably fit now."
B: "What don't you understand? I told you that they need to be washed so they will shrink. They're too big."
Yes, that came out of my 5 year olds mouth. Wow, we had a little talkin' after that one.....
3. Falling down the stairs, oh so gracefully....it was not pretty. I had just walked a client out the door, I turned around and caught the toe of my shoe on the landing and catapulted all the way to the bottom landing....it was loud and scary! (Everyone who knows me is not at all surprised by this incident, but it has been a while since I've done something this clumsy). I am lucky I only sprained/twisted my ankle, the way my day was going I thought for sure there would be more permanent damage. Thankfully there were no clients/parents waiting for me at the bottom. :) It turned out that my next client was late (which is very unusual for them), so I was able to shed a few tears and regain my composure. :) Of course the kids wanted to come down and see what all the commotion was about, and I had to send them away, I was hurting too much to deal with them. The bad part is I won't be able to go to tap class tomorrow! :(
4. After rushing through with my last client, I bolted to the YMCA for Brayden's swimming lesson. Low and behold 5 minutes into it, someone pooped in the pool! I just had to laugh. Clear the pool everyone to the showers! (yes, we pay for poop in the pool, we do not get a make-up session).
I didn't mean to write a novel and that was just a few of my highlights, the others will have to wait for another day.....or never.
Ahh, it is now 8:15 and I think I will be heading to bed and await a new, fresh day tomorrow. It's kindergarten registration morning, hopefully my luck will change and I'll have smooth sailing getting B into the AM class!
1. My darling daughters decided to wear party dresses! This is fun, I like it when they actually want to look cute....but we were only going to the YMCA and Fred Meyer. Oh well, they adorned their party dresses and tights. I so wish I would have taken a picture, my description will NOT do it justice.
Ellie: Big, poofy, red, black and white plaid silky dress with polka-dot brown, pink and green tights with princess tennis shoes. Lookin' good!
Danielle: A spring/summer sundress that is a size 24months (way too small) that's yellow with lots of little flowers on it. Half of her diaper clad bum was hanging out along with some nice brownish/whitish tights (they're supposed to be white) with flowers on them with princess tennis shoes. This is so not doing it justice, bare with me....they're dressed like they're color blind. BUT I am choosing my battles, and this one is so not worth it.
We ate breakfast (oatmeal all down both of them and their dresses) and took Brayden to school. Went to the Y and then had to go pick up my nephew from school. We had about 30 minutes so I went to FM and got a prescription and stopped at the bank in the store. We had to walk past the hallway where the bathroom is. Of course Ellie said, "I have to go potty." She has to go potty at every public restroom in the city. Ok, let's go potty. We walked in the bathroom and E bee lined it to a small stall. There are about 4 old ladies in the bathroom as well. (The old folks home dropped a bus load off). I said, "Ellie we all need to go into the big stall so I can help you so your dress doesn't fall in the toilet."
E: "NO, I want to do it by myself in here!" Then she slams the stall door in my face. Lovely, I love two year olds.
Me: "Ellie you need to come into this stall with us so you don't get your dress dirty." After much persuasion she finally crawled out on the nasty bathroom tile and joined us in the big stall. Yeah, her dress was in good shape, I'm so glad she decided to keep it clean. She walked into the stall and she and Dani fought over who got to lock the door. Mind you, they are both SCREAMING at the top of their lungs and pushing each other around the stall. They had to have had EVERY single germ possible on them. Meanwhile I can hear old lady snickers echoing in the bathroom in between my daughters screeches! We probably spent a good 3-5 minutes in the stall and E never did go potty. We exited and scrubbed hands and I had to physically pick both of them up to haul them out of the bathroom. They are still shrieking and screaming and flailing, snot is flying and I am trying oh so hard to not FREAK OUT. The older people were so nice, I got such helpful comments:
"Oh, someones not happy." (In my head: oh are you sure? Thanks for clearing that up for me, I was so confused).
"WOW, you've got your hands full." (Yeah, and I'm about to drop both of my children on the ground, they weigh 30 pounds each, can you get out of my way?)
"Are we having fun yet?" (I have to say, I do enjoy a few good temper tantrums in public with the whole retirement home watching! That is my idea of a party!)
Wow, that was a long number one, I may not be able to go through my whole list.....
2. A fun thing with Brayden right now is that he is growing up so fast! Good and bad:
Good: He loves to help me, he is really wanting to do chores and take on responsibilities, he really likes to write and make lists (just like me), it has been so fun watching him mature and step it up. He is also getting up in the mornings and playing quietly and putting waffles in the toaster for himself and his sisters! LOVE IT!
Not so good: Along with this helping thing, he is trying to become more and more independent. I walked out of the shower this morning to find my curtains, blinds and window open (it was 38 degrees) for the whole street/neighbor to see. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE! He also has tried to haul a whole gallon of milk up from the garage fridge, open it and pour a glass of milk. These gallons are a little too heavy for this tough guy, resulting in lots of milk EVERYWHERE! He also seems to be turning into a tween way too early. When did my sweet boy stop thinking I was the best thing ever? I have caught him with some eye rolling, exasperated sighs, and down right evil looks. (I know this is partly my fault. I do give a mean glare, I need to keep that in check).
On Monday morning he came in my room and said with attitude, "MOM, I don't have any clean pants for school." I was thinking, yes you do, they're in your drawer. Not so much. I took two days off from laundry and he was out of clothes. This is because he goes through multiple outfits a day, he doesn't like to be dirty. So he was really pleased when I told him to grab a pair out of the hamper and put them on. (They weren't even dirty, just maybe a little smelly at this point). I then saw a brand new pair of jeans in the hamper.
I said, "Here put these on, these probably fit you now."
B (with attitude): "No, they need to be washed, they're too big."
Me: "Just try them on, they probably fit now."
B: "What don't you understand? I told you that they need to be washed so they will shrink. They're too big."
Yes, that came out of my 5 year olds mouth. Wow, we had a little talkin' after that one.....
3. Falling down the stairs, oh so gracefully....it was not pretty. I had just walked a client out the door, I turned around and caught the toe of my shoe on the landing and catapulted all the way to the bottom landing....it was loud and scary! (Everyone who knows me is not at all surprised by this incident, but it has been a while since I've done something this clumsy). I am lucky I only sprained/twisted my ankle, the way my day was going I thought for sure there would be more permanent damage. Thankfully there were no clients/parents waiting for me at the bottom. :) It turned out that my next client was late (which is very unusual for them), so I was able to shed a few tears and regain my composure. :) Of course the kids wanted to come down and see what all the commotion was about, and I had to send them away, I was hurting too much to deal with them. The bad part is I won't be able to go to tap class tomorrow! :(
4. After rushing through with my last client, I bolted to the YMCA for Brayden's swimming lesson. Low and behold 5 minutes into it, someone pooped in the pool! I just had to laugh. Clear the pool everyone to the showers! (yes, we pay for poop in the pool, we do not get a make-up session).
I didn't mean to write a novel and that was just a few of my highlights, the others will have to wait for another day.....or never.
Ahh, it is now 8:15 and I think I will be heading to bed and await a new, fresh day tomorrow. It's kindergarten registration morning, hopefully my luck will change and I'll have smooth sailing getting B into the AM class!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
My first born

My baby boy, Brayden, is now 5 and a half. Next week is Kindergarten registration! I can't believe it. Being the good mom, and worry wart, I was the first one into the Kindergarten center to pick up the registration packet. :) (I had to get 8, for all of my neighbors too). I arrived at 8:30 and collected all the packets and distributed them before 9:30. After I finally got the girls to "take a nap" that afternoon (really they are just stuck in their room and they have the nerve to turn their light ON and play), I got down to business....
I busted out the 20 page packet and started filling out the identifying info and who is allowed to talk to, make eye contact with, or pick up your child.....then the home language survey, then the electronic information systems policy, media release policy, student residence verification (where I have to submit a utility bill, which I throw out and pay online, hopefully they'll accept a printed out version), McKinney-Vento Questionnaire form, dress code standards (shoot, I can't send my kindergartner to school with his I LOVE BEER shirt), three pages of vaccines explanations, certificate of immunizations, (who certifies it? My pediatrician, or the school nurse?), new student health history, K-information for the bus and a plea for the AM class so I can schedule some clients while the girls and B are at school!
Whew, I was sweating profusely, hoping I was doing it all correctly, then I ventured to the basement filing cabinet to pull out Brayden's original birth certificate. I do have a bunch of copies from flying with him so often, but the original is no where to be found. This means I get to take a fun trip downtown and wait in line with three children at the Department of Health and pay $20.00 for an original. I know, I know, this is my fault, who the hell knows where it is after 5 years and three kids??
I am crossing my fingers that I have everything filled out correctly and that I pass the first entrance exam to get my child into kindergarten! I am very grateful that I have a Masters degree and could forge through all of these documents. I honestly don't know how people who have a difficult time reading, or speak another language would manage this. I am willing to start a class, on how to enroll your child into kindergarten (if I pass the entrance exam).
Whew! Seriously, I am so glad that the school district is so thorough and they are doing everything they can to keep my child safe! It is hard to think that I will have no control over my baby the second he steps on that bus......when I worked in the school district I didn't get it. Those overbearing parents that hover, and wait, and check back again.... I mean, come on, let your kid be independent....I really hope that I will be able to let go and watch my baby make "good choices" and succeed. It's a whole new perspective when you're the mom.
Wish me luck, I will let you know if he gets "accepted!"
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
We've been busy
Ok, I am going to try to get back on track here.....it has been a rough few weeks. I am going to stay positive and write about the good, funny stuff that has been happening. I finally uploaded my pics. and they are from a month ago, some are super cute and I had to add them in to the randomness....
Ellie, Brayden and Dani snuggling in their new clean room.
B & D
Owen turned 2 in January and these are some pics. from the party.... oh man, and was it a party. Just with family and close friends there were 10 kids seven and under.
All the kids, horrible pic. but I couldn't get all of them in the frame.
Uncle Kelly and Owen and Ally.

Happy Birthday O's!
Goofiness at home. I was talking to my mom in my room (thank god she was able to visit us last week!) and the kids stomped in with my HUGE boots, tutus and panties.
Ellie took a spill that I thought would leave her paralyzed, but she thought it was hilarious, if only I could bend, twist and fall like that. I wouldn't be so sore after a workout.
Brayden Goo, loving my rainbow rain boots. Kalin, I stole these fair and square, but if you want them back (and you'll actually wear them) I will return them to you.

The first thing that comes to mind as I think about the last few weeks are the multiple floods and messes we've had in the bathroom. Why is washing hands and brushing teeth such a difficult feat? I am really afraid that we are going to have water damage to the bathroom floor, and/or serious leakage from our ceiling in the basement. One kid washing hands makes a mess....three kids makes a monsoon..... at least 4-5 times a day. I didn't realize I was going to have to be a bathroom monitor at the age of 31.
Ellie, Brayden and Dani snuggling in their new clean room.
B & D
Owen turned 2 in January and these are some pics. from the party.... oh man, and was it a party. Just with family and close friends there were 10 kids seven and under.
All the kids, horrible pic. but I couldn't get all of them in the frame.
Uncle Kelly and Owen and Ally.
Happy Birthday O's!
Goofiness at home. I was talking to my mom in my room (thank god she was able to visit us last week!) and the kids stomped in with my HUGE boots, tutus and panties.
Ellie took a spill that I thought would leave her paralyzed, but she thought it was hilarious, if only I could bend, twist and fall like that. I wouldn't be so sore after a workout.
Brayden Goo, loving my rainbow rain boots. Kalin, I stole these fair and square, but if you want them back (and you'll actually wear them) I will return them to you.
The first thing that comes to mind as I think about the last few weeks are the multiple floods and messes we've had in the bathroom. Why is washing hands and brushing teeth such a difficult feat? I am really afraid that we are going to have water damage to the bathroom floor, and/or serious leakage from our ceiling in the basement. One kid washing hands makes a mess....three kids makes a monsoon..... at least 4-5 times a day. I didn't realize I was going to have to be a bathroom monitor at the age of 31.I found it very funny tonight as I was listening to the kids play, they were calling each other "sweetie and buddy." "Are you ok Sweetie? Hi Buudy!" I am more relieved than anything, I am so glad that all those names and thoughts that have gone through my brain have actually STAYED in my head these last few weeks. All right, I guess that ends this positive, happy post.... hopefully Kent being out of town all week every week won't last for too much longer, for the sake of all of our lives! :)
Monday, February 8, 2010
40 before I'm 40
I get to check off another thing on my list! I bought a groupon for a cooking class for Kent and me. It was a blast! We made an Easter brunch: Eggs benedict, Chicken cordon bleu rolls, lemon and white chocolate parfait, banana crunch muffins and a dutch oven fruit puff. Everything was delicious and the teachers were fantastic! It's a married couple who caters and their company is Two Cooks with Love. Their last name is Cook, and they are so cool. If you live in the Spokane area check them out!
I have accomplished some of the things on my list! Have you?
1. Be more patient with my children. (I'm pretty confident that this will be a LIFE goal)
2. Take a cruise with Kent and ALL the kids. :)
3. Get all of the kids into swimming lessons. DONE
4. Teach Brayden to snow ski, and then the girls too.
5. Complete a sprint triathlon. Done 2 times!
6. Take a sewing class. Done
7. Take a cooking class with Kent. Done
8. Go to Europe with Kent.
9. Scrapbook at least the girls' first year of life.
10. Do a canopy tour in Costa Rica. DONE
11. Visit the East coast, especially New York City.
12. Volunteer in each child's classroom. Done
13. Become healthier with my diabetes. A1C = 6.5
14. Take a vacation to Lake Chelan.
15. Go camping as a family.
16. Learn how to crochet or knit (I'm not sure which is which).
17. Go to a natural hot springs.
18. Take a long girls weekend somewhere, ANYWHERE!
19. Take a nice getaway for our 10th wedding anniversary.
20. Expand my practice as the kids get older.
21. Get a will. Done!
*The list will grow as I grow older and think of more things that need to be completed or experienced. *
What are some of your goals and/or wants?
I have accomplished some of the things on my list! Have you?
1. Be more patient with my children. (I'm pretty confident that this will be a LIFE goal)
2. Take a cruise with Kent and ALL the kids. :)
3. Get all of the kids into swimming lessons. DONE
4. Teach Brayden to snow ski, and then the girls too.
5. Complete a sprint triathlon. Done 2 times!
6. Take a sewing class. Done
7. Take a cooking class with Kent. Done
8. Go to Europe with Kent.
9. Scrapbook at least the girls' first year of life.
10. Do a canopy tour in Costa Rica. DONE
11. Visit the East coast, especially New York City.
12. Volunteer in each child's classroom. Done
13. Become healthier with my diabetes. A1C = 6.5
14. Take a vacation to Lake Chelan.
15. Go camping as a family.
16. Learn how to crochet or knit (I'm not sure which is which).
17. Go to a natural hot springs.
18. Take a long girls weekend somewhere, ANYWHERE!
19. Take a nice getaway for our 10th wedding anniversary.
20. Expand my practice as the kids get older.
21. Get a will. Done!
*The list will grow as I grow older and think of more things that need to be completed or experienced. *
What are some of your goals and/or wants?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Therapy session #4939
Tomorrow is a new day, THANK GOD! I went to bed last night telling Kent, "Tomorrow will be a good day, I am going to enjoy the kids, play games, do puzzles and spend quality time with them." This was after our day of cleaning out the "art closet." I finally decided the hall closet could no longer be an art closet, it just wasn't working for me. Play-dough, paint, markers...etc. were not meshing well with my coats that were hanging in there. SO, I pulled everything out and started fresh. This took the entire day. The poor kids had to stay away while I tried to weed through all of the special projects that they didn't want thrown away. It was stressful to say the least. We made it through and I was glad for a fresh, new day, today..... a good work out and no clients today.... just some snuggle time with my kids.
This is just a typical day for all of you moms out there, I just need to vent and let you know you're not alone....when you see a frazzled mom with lots of little tots, please smile at her and give her some hope! (Instead of looking at her in disbelief like she's the worst mom out there).
It started out ok.... it snowed! We had a nice breakfast, got Brayden to school and headed to the YMCA. Ellie chose to not be safe in the parking lot and refused to hold my hand, lovely, great, perfect. I had to carry her like a sack of potatoes while I was holding Dani's hand for dear life so she couldn't bolt. I drop the girls off in the daycare and immensely enjoy my work out. I pick the girls up, they're as chipper as can be and the second we walk out, Ellie AGAIN refuses to be safe. This is a big issue for me, I get very upset when she is deliberately naughty and it's a safety issue. I got her in the car and she proceeds to SCREAM the entire way home, why? Who the hell knows? Maybe she had the wrong colored panties on, maybe she had a hang nail, maybe she just wanted to drive me nuts!! When we got home, she said, "I don't want to be a naughty girl." Do we really have a hormone/drama issue at this age, that she can't control? It's def. looking that way.
The whole morning I was thinking, 'they must be really tired, they're being so naughty, they'll have a good nap today.' Not so much. They were bold enough to turn on their bedroom light and play and cook and build. I frown upon this, but really if they're safe in their room, who cares? It's when they walked out into the living room and said, "What are you doing? I'm all done sleeping." This is a REAL problem.
I decided to make good use of this no napping thing and loaded the kids up to go downtown for an errand. I stopped in the Gap to try on some things, and
Ellie shouts, "What's on your panties?"
Me: "Stripes."
Brayden (screaming): "Those are really beautiful panties mom!"
Really it just goes on and on.....one of those days, but it concluded tonight BACK at the YMCA. I was enjoying reading my book and watching Brayden in his swim lesson when somebody POOPED in the pool. That's it, lesson over! Seriously? We have 15 more minutes of this peace before I have to go unleash (take home) my darling daughters.
We are now in a battle to get jammies on.....tomorrow has to be better right?
*Smile Mommys, these are the best years of our lives!*
This is just a typical day for all of you moms out there, I just need to vent and let you know you're not alone....when you see a frazzled mom with lots of little tots, please smile at her and give her some hope! (Instead of looking at her in disbelief like she's the worst mom out there).
It started out ok.... it snowed! We had a nice breakfast, got Brayden to school and headed to the YMCA. Ellie chose to not be safe in the parking lot and refused to hold my hand, lovely, great, perfect. I had to carry her like a sack of potatoes while I was holding Dani's hand for dear life so she couldn't bolt. I drop the girls off in the daycare and immensely enjoy my work out. I pick the girls up, they're as chipper as can be and the second we walk out, Ellie AGAIN refuses to be safe. This is a big issue for me, I get very upset when she is deliberately naughty and it's a safety issue. I got her in the car and she proceeds to SCREAM the entire way home, why? Who the hell knows? Maybe she had the wrong colored panties on, maybe she had a hang nail, maybe she just wanted to drive me nuts!! When we got home, she said, "I don't want to be a naughty girl." Do we really have a hormone/drama issue at this age, that she can't control? It's def. looking that way.
The whole morning I was thinking, 'they must be really tired, they're being so naughty, they'll have a good nap today.' Not so much. They were bold enough to turn on their bedroom light and play and cook and build. I frown upon this, but really if they're safe in their room, who cares? It's when they walked out into the living room and said, "What are you doing? I'm all done sleeping." This is a REAL problem.
I decided to make good use of this no napping thing and loaded the kids up to go downtown for an errand. I stopped in the Gap to try on some things, and
Ellie shouts, "What's on your panties?"
Me: "Stripes."
Brayden (screaming): "Those are really beautiful panties mom!"
Really it just goes on and on.....one of those days, but it concluded tonight BACK at the YMCA. I was enjoying reading my book and watching Brayden in his swim lesson when somebody POOPED in the pool. That's it, lesson over! Seriously? We have 15 more minutes of this peace before I have to go unleash (take home) my darling daughters.
We are now in a battle to get jammies on.....tomorrow has to be better right?
*Smile Mommys, these are the best years of our lives!*
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