Girls Night Out

So one of my very best friends is moving to California. I'm not happy about this. Not one bit. We have little girls the exact same age and they absolutely love eachother. Many times, Jamie has been my outlet, my friend, my shoulder to cry on, my friend I can be completely goofy and honest with and I never have to sensor my honesty.. yet, she still loves me.. I think! :-) Her husband Ben is a pretty cool guy... but I'm not very happy with him for taking her away! :-) Just kidding Ben.. you know I love you! All jokes aside, i'm really sad about it. I've been trying not to think about it, but it's here and she's leaving.. what can I do?!

So, last night, we went out. Just the two of us. And it was the most fun I have had in a long time. We went to a place called 'Color Me Mine' and painted ceramics, laughed, made fun of eachother and talked FOREVER! It was great. Then we went to dinner at Macaroni Grill and ate till our hearts content. Here's some highlights.












Mmmmm... dessert! Nothin like it. Painting ceramics was so fun. I'll post pictures of the finished product when we pick them up on Friday. We had a really great time. Thanks Jamie!

I hate change...

Lately, a lot of things have been changing for me. Way too much to even TRY and blog about. But here's one thing:

This is what Addy looked like a week ago:


and this is what Addy looks like now!


Can anyone see the difference besides me????????
She decided to grow up over night. I specifically remember when this happened and could not believe that morning when I went to get her out of her crib and realize I had to lift higher just to get her out! Crazy girl.. she will NOT stop eating and keeps getting more and more thin. I hate this kind of change because it makes you realize how fast they grow.

Canada!!

We just got home last night from a week long trip in Canada. I admit, I was REALLY not looking forward to the trip for the main reason that I knew the girls would HATE the drive. They did, but the time we spent in Canada was amazing. We had so much fun with everyone. We saw a lot of people we haven't seen in so long, we ate lots of good food, played games, swam, laughed, etc. It was a blast. Here are some highlights from the trip:

1. The girls and I got to spend A LOT of time with Nate.. away from work and his calling and sports.

2. Seeing all the cousins, aunts and uncles, Grandma's and Grandpa's... etc was GREAT! It was really great to get to know everyone a little better.

3. Going down the crazy huge waterslide at the hotel was a blast for Nate and I.

4. The first day we were there, we had nowhere to go and Addy was really tired and would not sleep in the car, so we found a parking lot, took everything out of the back, set up Addy's pack n play and noise maker in the back and gave her a nap, meanwhile, we sat outside the car and threw rocks with Hailey while she slept.

5. We said goodbye to everyone and headed for home when I looked at Nate and said, "you want to go to Banff?" and he said "No, it wouldn't be any fun for the girls to drive more" and I replied "I don't want you to miss anything that you really want to do, so let's go". So, we turned the car around and went to Banff and we are so glad we did. it was so fun.

6. Poor Addy slept in hotel bathrooms half the trip so we wouldn't bother her.

7. Going to Elbow Falls was really neat.. even with the rain, it was really pretty.

8. Eating dinners and lunches with tons of family was a blast!!!

9. Getting rained out at the lake and ending up in the gym of the church was an adventure but we all had so much fun.

10. A bonfire with lots of fun stories.

11. the one thing that stood out to me the most and only because i'm his wife: while listening to the stories Valerie was telling about Nate's Grandpa, I was running around like crazy trying to keep the girls contained and out of the dirt and I was really getting irritated that nate wasn't helping and just sitting there, then I realized something... he is where he needs to be at this time. I finally caught a glimps of him and saw that he was crying. (don't ever tell him that i'm writing this) For those of you who know Nate, it's a rare thing. I have only seen him cry maybe 4 times in the 9 1/2 years that I have been with him and I realized how much he needed to hear what his mom had to say. It was a tender moment for him and i'm so glad he got to be a part of that. Thanks Valerie.

All in all, it was a great trip.. and thanks to all those who put so much effort into everything and so much time and patience in making it such a great reunion for all of us. Although, I was really stressed about it and not looking forward to the HOURS and DAYS in the car, it was worth it in the end.

so, thanks to Canada and all our family for spending some well treasured times with us. We hope to see you all again soon.

You can see lots more pictures here.

Our Basement Project

Those of you who have been in the basement, know that it's pretty much just a dungeon. While I was pregnant with Hailey, we spent most of our time down there since it was the middle of the summer and the coolest place in our house. I never really felt like I was 'home' while hanging out down there.. just something about how dark it was or something. Anyways, a while ago, we decided there needed to be some things done in the basement, new shower, new cabinets in the kitchen, etc. So, to give you an idea of WHY these things needed to be done, there was no door seperating the shower area from the rest of the basement, so it wasn't very private. Also, there wasn't much cabinet space in the kitchen. The shower fell apart, and therefor, it was in diar need of being replaced. So, here are some before and after pictures for ya.







Nate and I both were hard at work during nap times and after the girls went to bed trying to tear out all the stuff in the basement. We did it all ourselves to save a little money and it was horrible. The bathroom floor by far was the worst part and Nate and I were both SO sore after all that. But it was well worth it as you can see:







As you can see, it is much more 'homey' looking and we love how it turned out. It doesn't seem like a basement at all. Our very talented brother in law, Justin did the cabinets, to which there are a few more to add, we hired out for the shower, door way to the shower and bathroom, carpet, wood and tile flooring, the plumbing for the shower needed some serious work, and Nate put in all new lighting to brighten it up. It was quite the project, but we're happy with it and glad it's over.

Happy Birthday Addy!!!

I can't believe she is ONE! Where has the time gone? I swear with two kids, the time goes by twice as fast! It seems like yesterday you were born. We had such a fun time planning and decorating for your party.

Complete with GIANT Gerber Daisy's and bugs and butterflies all over the fence, a jumper, a cake, good food, lots of great friends and family.. we couldn't have had a better time.

Thanks for being born, and thanks for making our lives even more perfect now that you are here with us. We love you so much! Happy Birthday Baby!

Sleep Walking??

Hailey got a haircut! Sort of.. I gave her some bangs because i'm sick of her hair being in her face ALL THE TIME! I love her hair without bangs, but for her sake, it had to be done.

This is what happened the night before her haircut...

I love toddlers. I love all babies and kids stages, but the other night, we had a good laugh. Usually, when Hailey comes out of her room for any reason, she is pretty quiet, other than pulling her door shut with a loud clunk. (that's how I know she's up) Well, two nights ago, Nate and I were downstairs watching tv at about 11pm when all I hear is "MOMMY! MOMMY!". Looking at Nate confused, I walk up the stairs to see her peaking through her doorway. I turn up the dimmer in the hallway to see better when she flings open her door pointing to her bed. "my bed is all WET!" she says. Realizing she is very frantic about this, I feel around her bed and blankets to find anything wet. Nothing. She points to the exact spot and says "right there!" Still, nothing. Realizing that there is no convincing her otherwise, I get her a new blanket and tell her it's a dry one. She simply replies, "oh" and climbs into bed. Before I can walk out of her room, she is fast asleep. Weird.

So the next morning, I hear Nate in her room with her when she first woke up.
"Hailey, did your bed get wet last night?" She immediately gets excited and starts to tell him all about it. "Yeah, I flushed the toilet on my bed! My blaket got all wet! It was SAD!" she gets very emotional these days when telling stories. Nate played along, while I was laughing in the other room. Gotta love kids dreams!

Sleep walking? yep!

Where did it go?

Dear Time,

I miss you. I wish you were around more often and I wish I could share a lot of things with you.
I feel like you aren't around when I need you and I feel like you don't want to be a part of my life. What gives??

Sincerely,
Me

So, lately, i've been struggling. Mainly with the fact that I feel there is NO time to do anything anymore. I feel like my life has hit the fast forward button and I can't seem to slow it down. With me, when this happens, I usually get REALLY overwhelmed, stressed, depressed and frustrated which leads into panic attacks. Don't worry, I had one the other night.. so not fun. First one I've had in a LONG time.

Here's the thing.. I'm SO grateful for my life. I couldn't ask for a more patient, kind, loving husband and father to my sweet girls. I have THE BEST children ever. Yes, I'm allowed to say that. I worry about them a lot. Probably more than I should. I've been feeling WAY behind on so many things and just feel like I can't catch up. Meanwhile, I watch my little ones grow up so fast and wonder: Where did it go? Where did all the time go? Lately, Hailey has been obsessed with her scrapbooks.. which I am SO grateful for making and she wants to look at those and hear stories about her when she was a baby. While looking at them with her, I just can't believe how fast she has grown up.

With the fact that Nate is gone so much with work, auctions, church, sports, etc., i'm trying to find a way to simplify. I'm trying to get some time back that has decided to take a vacation and let the busy life take over. I'm so done with it. I really just need a break or I think i'm going to lose it. Anyone else feeling this way? I remember when I was a kid.. it seemed like the summer days just lasted FOREVER! Now I feel like I don't have time to even shower most days.. ewe. I know, sick. what can you do?

I feel sometimes that I may seem ungrateful for what my Heavenly FAther has blessed me with. As I look back and look in the present, I am SO grateful. I can't even believe how blessed I have been. I just miss time. And selfishly, I wish I had more.

Jalepenos and Sour Cream

So, here's a funny story. Today I made fresh salsa. K, that's not the funny part. I was cutting everything up, including Jalepenos. Well, I didn't think about it, and after touching them, I touched my nose. Washed my hands after, of course, then all of a sudden.... BURNING SENSATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was dying. My nose was ON FIRE!

So, I call my mom. I asked her to get on google, since I couldn't really see... with my eyes all watery.. pretty much she just laughed at me the whole time, like a good mother does. As I'm debating on whether or not I should hang up with my mom or call 911, she gets some answers for me. Some included alcohol, white vinegar, SALT (I tried this one-don't recommend it), milk, and Sour Cream.

So, naturally, I grabbed the sour cream and covered my nose in it. I spread it all over the place. Immediately I found that the burning was going away! It worked! Just then, Hailey walks in from playing outside and says to me, "mom, you have boogers."

the moral of this story is: get latex gloves for handling spicy objects, always have a supply of sour cream and just laugh at brutal honesty by little ones.

Landscaping and Yard Work

I decided this year that it was time to do something about our yard. It's always been ok, however, it needed some help. So, in the front yard, along the walk way were some flower beds full of weeds. It was bad. So, I dug out all the old dirt and rocks and bark and weeds, filled it with new clean dirt, flowers and plants and some accent lighting. I also added a couple flower pots with bright colored flowers in them. Our Jasmine bush is completed with a lattice for it to climb up! Love it. This is how it looks now...



Then in the backyard, I decided to make a platform on the grass for our BBQ. I wanted to make more room on our deck so i could put a swing or glider bench on it. I have a love for swings and other things similar. So, I dug out the grass and dirt to make it level enough so that the bricks would fit level with the grass. Thus making mowing a whole lot easier. Picture this: Me, Hailey and Addy at Lowes. The girls are in one cart, while a flatbed cart is full of flowers and plants that I was dragging behind the cart with the girls... then another flatbed cart full of bricks tagged along. It was quite a sight. Needless to say, a sweet lady saw how difficult it all was for me to do alone and helped me out to my car. :-) So after a couple days of hard work and sweat, I love how it all turned out! So, here you go, Allison.. I finally blogged about it! :-)

Sad faces, Home Runs and Grass in the mouth

I love warm summer nights combined with Nate hitting home runs.
I just wish that I had a million eyes in my head so that I could actually be able to watch him, busy Hailey and curious Addy all at the same time.
I decided to take my macro lense to the game the other night to see if I could get some fun shots, and indeed I did.

Gotta love close-ups from far away!

This is our friend John. He and Nate are good friends.

This was just too good of a shot not to share. Hillarious.

I absolutely LOVE watching him play. He's just so good at the game.

This little bundle of sweetness just melts my heart. She LOVES to crawl around in grass.. and even more, loves to eat it.

And this little princess had an unfortunate run-in with the gravel parking lot at the game which resulted in this:

And this was the better hand of the two. Her left hand is all wrapped up still after a long half hour of me cleaning out little pebbles and dirt. Poor girl. It was a very sad night with a few wake ups in the night due to hurting hands.


Love the sun.
Love the smell of fresh cut grass.
Love the cool breeze on a warm summer night.
Love the smell of a soft ball glove.

Good times.