The Suetta's

My Birthday Boy

2012-01-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Here's my little man on his actual b day morning!

He was super excited for his birthday breakfast doughnut!

These next 4 are from his family bday party.

I ♥ his little facial expressions in each picture!

Opening a pillow pet that he's had his eye on at Freddies for at least a month now!

Jeans from uncle Joe,

I think he was wondering why it wasn't a toy!

We finished the birthday celebration with ice cream sundaes, since we are doing a big dinosaur cake this weekend for his b day party with his friends.

I'm exactly 1 week late on my little guys birthday post, but this is the very first day I've had time! Oh well, better late then never ;-)

Happy 4th Birthday to the sweetest little man around! I really cannot believe that he is 4, time sure does fly these days. I love you my sweet, smart, feisty, playful, and roughhousing little monster!

1 week in.....

2012-01-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

.... to the New Year already! I have a feeling this one in gonna fly by just like 2011 did! I must say, it's been a good week so far! We started the New Year off with a ski trip on NYE to Mt. Hood. It was both Casey and I's first time on skis :-) It was an absolute blast, from the first run to the last! Ringing in the New Year with great friends, my brother & sister was the icing on the cake.

The kids went back to school this week, which I have mixed feelings about. I really do love having them home with me but, they've been doing a little bickering lately and there's been a little sibling rivalry that makes me seriously bonkers! So with Norah in school all week and the boy at preschool a couple days, I think it's been a little better. I now know why it drove my parents crazy when me and my sibs fought growing up!!!

We have had a fabulous first weekend of 2012 too! I was off work, which always makes the weekends nicer. Friday night I got to have some girly time with some of the fabulous ladies that I work with and my sis joined us :) It was Chopstix (a dueling piano bar) followed by a little walk down 6th ave to another bar! Fun times were had by all, I really love my work friends! While we were out friday night my friend Kim told me about a snow shoe demo day at Snoqualmie Pass that her and her hubby were gonna check out. So, I told Casey about it(at 2am Sunday morning) and when we woke up we bundled up, packed some snacks, piled in the car and we took the kids for their first snowshoeing adventure! It was a blast and both kids had a super fun day, especially Norah. With a little help from Daddy she made it all the way to the top! I was super impressed by her. We got home, quickly showered and I made some cookies and it was off to one of our favorite friends' houses for a last minute get together. We played homemade( aka ghetto ;)) pictionary, which was highly entertaining! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Today has been relaxing, yay. It consisted of sleeping in for the whole family, whole wheat homemade pancakes, a trip to the gym and a long trip to the park! It was lovely. Now my handy hubby is saving us hundreds of dollars I'm sure, in repair bills. Our dishwasher was leaking and he diagnosed the problem and is now fixing it!!! So thankful he is good at that kind of stuff.

I snapped this at the park today with my phone and I just thought it was really neat how mine and the kids shadows looked. They got a kick out of it and started doing some funny posing too, I wish I would have kept my phone out and caught some of their silliness!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T14:49:00.001-08:00

2011 Santa Picture

Our Christmas card pic this year!
Our tree is the one in the background :)

Me & my girl had a special pre-Christmas date
at the Nutcracker ballet!
It was a fun girly date, for us!

We wish all of our friends and family a very Merry Christmas
and blessings for a fabulous New Year!

Trick-Or-Treat

2011-11-02T12:34:00.001-07:00

Our Halloween night was spent with our good friends the Newgard & Riggs Families!

The whole gang
Not to shabby, smiles all around
(except for my sick little skeleton)

Kids group shot,
much easier this year than in years past ;-)

A little smile from my sickie :(

The cutest little witch I ever did see!

♥Love♥

Love our
pumpkins!

Pumpkin Carvin'

2011-10-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday night we had a family pumpkin carving session! It.Was.Fun! We had a pizza and salad dinner. Followed by some yummy pumpkin cream cheese whoopie pies, courtesy of Joe's girlfriend Danielle. Then we carved pumpkins, they took up my whole kitchen table plus our island counter space! The kids helped by cleaning out their pumpkins, then they gave Daddy directions on what they wanted carved. They loved how their pumpkins turned out, thanks to Daddy! Here are some pics from the fun night we had :-)

Norah really liked getting all the goo and guts out, she did great!

Nolan wasn't quite as thrilled by it, but he still was a good helper.

Pumpkins galore!

Even my sis and her hubby drove up from Olympia after they got off work to take part in the carving extravaganza!

Me and Norah are sorting seeds here!
Seeds for roasting are a must!!!

More seed sorting ;)

My little ones with their pumpkins!

Happy Halloween !!
I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday!

Better late than never!

2011-10-07T13:30:00.001-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend we headed to Lake Easton state park to do some camping Newetta style(our family + our besties the Newgards)! So this post is over a month old but there are some super cute pictures that I couldn't pass up sharing!

On our camping trip we.....

climbed trees,

had dirty faces with cute smiles,

had awesome food,
cooking mostly by the hubbies in dutch ovens,

wore zip-up hoodies on the cold mornings,

and played in the water during the HOT days!

For a lot of hours!

took breaks from playing in the water to be girly
and lay in the sun with pink shades!

and got super dirty as little boys should
playing in the sand,

Had hot chocolate to warm up those little bodies

and did a lot of "cheers" with above mentioned hot chocolate!

and sat around the campfire in 4 cute little campin' chairs!

If your a kid and your feet/shoes get THIS dirty,
you know a good time was had by all!!!!!

Our 1st & only zoo trip this summer.....boo!!!

2011-10-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

It was probably a combo of our not so stellar PNW summer, and the fact that we were very busy, but I'm sad to say we only made it to the zoo once! And, I only managed to take one kid :( But, there is always next year and I have vowed to buy a membership and go a lot more often, because this kid just loved it!!!!

Nolan with one of his best buds Carson, climbin' all over that bear at the zoo entrance!

Nolan says "the map will show us the way to go"

The Meerkat exhibit is fun! They are super cute to watch and you can just see how much personality they have. One of my favorite stops :)

We visited Budgie Buddies and...

....loved on a camel!
Nolan wasn't quite as adventurous as Carson on this particular day and passed on the chance to RIDE the camel.

My handsome little guy,
with his 'new' cheese face for the camera.
I ♥ it!

Preschool

2011-09-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well, preschool started yesterday for this mister, and he just loved it! I stayed up after getting off work so that I could drop him off for his very first day. It was much harder on me than on him, that is for sure. I had to hold back tears as he was standing in line waiting to go into class. He's my baby, quite the momma's boy and I just can't believe he's already old enough to be in preschool! As hard as it was for me I couldn't be happier with the school we chose for him. It's called Celebration Friends Preschool and it is held at Celebration Lutheran on South Hill. The teachers and staff are great, the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming and they have a great curriculum. The kids also have chapel time every Thursday with the church's pastor, which I am thrilled about. When he got home that afternoon he was all smiles, wearing his preschool crown and excited to tell me about his day. He even had homework, so cute!
Here are some pictures of his first day, enjoy :-)

In the parking lot posing for the camera!
I ♥ this picture

He couldn't stop jumping while waiting in line, the excitement was too much for him!

Nolan and Mollie
My cousin's daughter who is the same age as Nolan is in his class. How fun to know someone on your first day!

One last hug for momma before heading to class.

I love the look on his face, there is just something about it that says I love you mommy!

1st Day of 1st Grade......

2011-09-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

..... for my little miss Norah! It's really hard to believe that she will be gone from 8:40 to 3:16, 5 days a week, it makes me a little bit (actually a lot bit) sad. However, I know she loves school and loves her friends, and will grow to love her new teacher too. It's just me (oh and Nolan too) that will have to adjust to her being not here. Nolan has already asked when we get to pick up sissy 3 times! Here is her morning before her first day of first grade.....

Whole wheat pancakes and apple juice, just what the body needs for a good start to the day!

Brother is gonna miss his big sissy so he's showin' her some love. I'm not quite sure what the expression on his face is all about?

It's blurry, but this is how super excited she was for school.

Looking so grown up! Where is my baby?
♥

She had to make sure I got a shot of her new kicks!
They are Sketchers, they are Sporty Shorty and they light up!!! They are a BIG deal to her!

Just a little bit more ♥ from brother before we head off to school!

And she says "mom, NO more pictures, lets go!"

P.S. It's been a long time since I've blogged, I can't seem to find the time for it. But, I'm hoping that with summer ending it will fit back in somewhere in my crazy, busy little life. We have been up to lots over the past month or so, so I'll just make a little list....
A wedding at a winery
An amazing coastal backpacking trip, just me and the hubby
My loves 30th birthday and a BBQ for him
Work for me and lots of work for the hubby
Bridal shower planning and hosting(for my beautiful little sis)
Playing outside with frequent dips in the pool and trips to the park
Trips to Grandma and Grandpa's house
Bachelorette party FUN in Portland and White Water rafting the White Salmon
Preschool and elementary school prep
The stomach flu :( for me and Norah
and now the 1st day of school for my 1st grader!

Next up a long weekend camping trip with our absolute best friends the Newgards! I am excited, my hubby is excited and the kids are beyond excited!! I can't wait to hit the road tomorrow and am so looking forward to relaxing in the sun, by the lake, watching the kids play, sippin' a simple vodka drink ;)

AND if all this weren't enough Nolan, my momma's boy starts his very first day of preschool next Tuesday..... tears for sure from this momma!

Six!

2011-07-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today my 'baby', first born the one who made me "mommy" is 6! WOW time has sure flown by, sometimes it feels like I just found out we were pregnant, now she's 6.....crazy to say the least. She is turning into quite the awesome little lady, if I do say so myself. She is smart, fun, pretty, athletic and VERY creative. Not a single day goes by that I don't hear "I made this for you Mommy"! She is definitely an artist, and I love it! She makes us smile a lot, thanks Norah! She is a great older sister, they rarely fight and I know Nolan thinks the world of her. She will be in first grade next year and I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with myself when she is at school ALL day. I already missed her enough this year and she was only gone for 2 1/2 hours! But, she loves school, so for that I am thankful. Big news too, as of last week she has her very 1st loose tooth! She's excited(and so am I)!

Saturday we had a backyard, butterfly themed birthday party for my little princess! I think it turned out great and was a really fun time, for the kids as well as the adults ;-)

I made her this butterfly shaped cake(super easy) and she helped me decorate it! I loved how it turned out and so did all her little friends!

One happy girl!

The spread :)

Probably my most favorite pic of the day! They really do love each other!

She had everything butterfly, thanks uncle Joe for the cute butterfly wings(even if you had help picking them out ;)) And thanks Auntie Sarah for the crown and super cute birthday butterfly skirt!

Had to get a couple of this little guy, he had just as much fun at the party as she did!

We had a water balloon fight that was a BIG hit!

She got spoiled with SO many great gifts! Here she is opening her 1st set of golf clubs from Papa!

The Happy Birthday song!

Making that one special wish

Enjoying her sweet treats

These 2 little buds were happy blowing bubbles!

We had a pinata, so fun to watch all those little ones swing away at that thing!

Norah knocked it down then proceeded to beat on it!

A little birthday love from one of her very best friends Alissa!

The kiddos ended the night with a their besties the Newgards, just chillin on the couch watching a movie! It was a great day!

Happy Birthday sweet girl, we all love you so very much!!!!!!!

Satsop River Camping = Love!

2011-06-09T20:13:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend we braved the not so hot weather forecast and headed to one of my most favorite camping spots ever! My very favorite auntie has property on the Satsop River and we've been camping there since I was a kid and I love it, and now my kids do too! We had such a great time and look forward to many more trips just like this one!

A great camping trip must include.......

Awesome fires

Picnic lunches by the river

sports, there was football and smashball too!

Cute little boys

super muddy rain boots

BBQ'd hot dogs

Silly faces

BUGS

Cuddles with mommy

pretty poses for the camera

the hubby (and an adult beverage of your choice)

picking wild flowers

just hangin' out being cute, and....

people you love!

I am so happy that my whole family made the camping trip! It was a great time with a lot of fun memories!

Sidewalk Chalk

2011-05-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Sidewalk Chalk,
Oh how I love you and the hours good times you have provided for my kids(especially Miss Norah)! You are the perfect outside activity on evenings when there's just a little time left to play. You also make the perfect car, truck, airplane, sword and "shoot gun" for 3 year old boys with good imaginations! You are a little messy, but dust off easily and you don't stain clothes.... a big bonus. Thanks for the goods times! We are hoping to play with you more and more as the weather gets nicer and hopefully stays that way!

Working on the beginnings of her picture!

Look mom I broke it (love the little smirk on his face)!

I love his little pudgy, chalk dusted hands!
He's setting up his "piano"

Hey sissy, wanna hear a really annoying sound!

Here's a kiss to apologize for that horrible noise ;)

It's rough being a big sister and an artist!

But, I really love him a lot!!!!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T13:18:00.001-07:00

Friday night we had a blast dyeing Easter eggs!
Even Nolan, who's doesn't love artsy stuff,
jumped on board and they each created about a dozen beauties!

Norah even hand painted some with a sponge,
she's my creative one!

A sampling of the colors!
Blue and green seemed to be the most popular choices of my kiddos.

I even found these cute little bunny egg tongs, great for dipping and retrieving!
No dye stained little hands for these kids ;-)

Here are the 2 eggs I created!

Eggs close up!

The Easter Bunny came and treated the kids really good!
My favorite quote of the morning came from Norah....
"Mom the Easter Bunny even knows my size shoe, my flip flops fit perfectly!"
That's one smart bunny ;)

Priceless, really!

Someone found an egg!

And, someone got the cutest little chocolate Easter bunny :)

French toast shaped into Easter eggs :)

For the kids!

Here's what the Easter Bunny brought Casey and I......
a yummy Breakfast!

Friday Night FUN!

2011-04-17T18:42:00.001-07:00

Friday nights sure aren't what the used to be....they are BETTER! Even the most laid back, sweat pants, no make-up kinda night equals a great time when you've got great friends to spend it with! This past friday was one of those nights. We had a family swim date at the Y(which all of the kids LOVED, and that the mommies thought was a bit too cold). Then we headed back to our house for some Papa Murphy's pizza, play time for the kids and some relaxation for the parents. Enjoy some pics from our fun night, I just have to say that we have some pretty darn cute kids here!

I kept looking at this picture thinking that my teeth looked kinda funny, yep they do! They have a slightly gray purple tone....we might have had a little red wine ;-) That aside look at the 2 little blondies with their dark-haired mommas! Gotta love momma's boys, I do!

The future Mr. & Mrs. Suetta
(I hope so)!

♥ goin' in for the kiss ♥
I know a day will come when I won't encourage this, but until then I absolutely LOVE it!

Kory hangin' with 3 of the 4 kids, cute!

And these two little princesses are just precious!
They are becoming the cutest little friends, so sweet!

Skiing anyone?

Our 3rd Annual Moclips Weekend!

2011-04-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

I ♥ Moclips, there is no doubt about it! I really have just been waiting for my hubby to edit some of the 300-400 photos we took over trip to blog about it. So he edited, and now I'm gonna post. It's gonna be mostly photos(kinda a lot of them) because I'm gonna leave the writing to Tiffany(because she can do it better than anyone I know)! Check out her blog post on Moclips, I'm sure she'll be posting one soon ;)

Grassy beach before the nice sandy beach!

It was Razor clam season(for 2 days), there were tons of people on the beach. Casey and Kory tried there luck with clamming and we were able to cook up a few tasty ones for dinner one night!

Holly :)

Jax, boys gotta get dirty!

The Newgards buildin' some sandcastles

Nolan and Jax in their own little pirate boat right out side the house we rented.

The kids loved the hot tub just as much as the mommy's and daddy's did!

Check out the arm on my kid, look at how high he was able to fling that sand! And look at how great he thinks it is! ALL BOY!

Probably my favorite photo :)

He's going through that I don't want to smile for the camera phase, its ok I still like it!

Me and my girl! Check out her sentences ;)

There was kite flying done by all!

This is a live crab, she was so brave!

She litterally walked right into the ocean, her boots were so full of water we had to dump them out!

My pretty girl, ♥ her!

Kids at play!

View from Sand Castlemore!

The kids!

The parents(photo courtesy of miss Norah)
I really love this one too!

And this one!
Me and my bestie!

Sunset view from inside the house!!!!

I don't think these kids could be any cuter, I love them!!!

Newetta family photo, love!

Thank you Newgard family for the adventure!! It was a great time as always, can't wait for all the fun adventures we have coming up!!!

I don't want to forget.....

2011-03-10T13:53:00.000-08:00

....all the super cute and funny things my little guy says!
Lately Nolan has been saying funny, sweet and sometimes really random things. Here's a quick little list, I just want to always remember this stage in his life :)

* Throwball fight ( he used this a couple of weeks ago when it snowed, instead of snowball fight)

*Sign stop, for stop sign! I hear this a lot from the back seat of the car :)

*Fider web (for spider web) he replaces S with F in a lot of words

* Last week he was sitting at the table eating and I said "Nolan are you a big boy?" and he replied "Yes and I'm fart" so, I replied "did you toot?" and he said no "I'm fart" then I realized he was saying trying to say I'm smart!

*Last night we were cuddling on the couch and he looked at me right in the eyes very seriously, touched his little hand to my cheek and said "Mommy I love you so much on a winter's night"

It's just too cute and I can't help but smile at all of his little sayings!

A perfectly FUN snow day!

2011-02-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

*My favorite little tree all covered in snow *

Uncle took turns throwing
Nolan and Norah up high in the air!
They obviously LOVED it

Warming up with hot chocolate,
complete with chocolate mustache ;)

The boy showing of his mustache!

Today has been so fun and it's only 1 o'clock! Puyallup schools were running 2 hours late due to the snow so that means Norah has no school at all, Yay! My dad and brother got over here bright and early(7am) to help me get my car to the Mazda dealership(minor repairs). Joe and I got back by 8:30 and the kids were ready to play, but first we snacked on some doughnuts and had a little scramble. Then we got all bundled up and headed outside! We ran around, ate lots of snow(not the adults), made snow angles of course and had a "throwball fight" as my precious 3 year old calls it :) After about an hour and a half the kids were getting chilly, I made them some hot chocolate and the adults enjoyed some hot coffee and we warmed up! This was followed by a hot bath for Nolee and a hot shower for miss Norah. We watched some Toy Story 3(which I don't think will ever get old), had some lunch and now it's nap time. I've got a batch of chocolate chip cookies baking and I'm about to hit up the P90X and try and burn off some of the calories from the cookie dough I just ate :-) Love this snow, I hope everyone else is enjoying it too!

The best medicine is....

2011-01-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

....a furry, 4 legged friend!

Our kitty Paulie has been keeping my sick girl company on the couch all morning long! He must know she's sick and needs a little extra cuddling, what a good kitty he is! He is also the only thing that has made her have even the tiniest smile today. I'm hoping with some more cuddling from Paulie, lots of rest, hydration, tylenol and loves from momma my girl will feel better really soon!

My Birthday Boy

2011-01-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

So, this past Tuesday, the 11th my 'baby' turned 3! He's not a baby anymore or even a toddler, he is a full fledged preschooler(even though he won't actually start preschool till next fall)! I love him to pieces and can't even describe all the fabulous things he brings to our little family! Thanks for being 'you' Nolan Joseph, I can't imagine what my life would be like without you in it. He does and says the funniest things, I think he might be the class clown someday, but he also has a lovey, super sweet side that I think only little boys have for their mommas! Below are some photos from his birthday party, we kept it small and low key, with just our families and our best buddies! It was perfect, enjoy......

Here's my birthday boy, looking quite serious as he shows off his Whac-A-Mole game! Let me assure you he takes whacking those moles very seriously!

One of Nolan's best buds Carson, wathcing him open up a Buzz Lightyear toy!

Every 3 year old's gotta have an audience when opening up his presents, right?

Here's the cake and cupcakes that I just love, and so did he! I loved making them and was really proud at how well they turned out! If your not a Toy Story fan they are the little aliens from the movies and Buzz on top of a planet!

Here's my little guy making a wish! This is by far my favorite photo of the entire party! There is just something special about a child's birthday wish :)

Cupcakes anyone?
These are our 4 favorite friends.
Alissa in the upper L hand corner, her bro Carson next to her and Avery and Jax on the bottom! I just have to say that Nolan was the only kiddo at the party without blue eyes, look at all those gorgeous baby blues!

And we just had to get a little family shot, one where each of our kids has frosting all over their faces! Gotta love it, I sure do!!!!

3

2011-01-11T16:47:00.001-08:00

Happy 3rd Birthday!!!!!

Happy 3rd birthday to my sweet, charming, smart and funny BOY!
I can't believe how fast the last 3 years have flown by SO very fast. I wish I could freeze time and keep him this size forever!

**more birthday pics to come, and I might even blog about the holidays(if I can find the time)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T13:07:00.001-08:00

We wish you a Merry Christmas!!!
♥, The Suetta Family

All things Christmas....and an update ;-)

2010-12-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas "stuff" is in full swing around this house. We got our tree cut, up and decorated a little over a week ago. Norah and Nolan (mostly Norah) had an awesome time decorating the tree, and a little one in their room too! We put up our holiday decorations around the house, but we don't have a ton so It'll be an easy clean up :) And, if we get a break in the rain this week Casey is gonna try to put some lights up on the house.
Friday I took the kids to see Santa and get their pictures taken. I'll just say that the pictures turned out way better than the experience. I thought I might just have to walk away because my charming little 2 year old, wasn't being quite so charming. He was actually being down right naughty and defiant :( He shaped up though just in time to get a few good shots! Here is my fave!

Friday night I ran out by myself and got a good chunk of Christmas shopping done, that felt good. And Friday, Saturday and Sunday we baked Christmas cookies :) Saturday evening one of the Dr.'s I work with hosted a Christmas party for all the employees at The Pagoda at Pt. Defiance. Casey and I took the kids and spent a couple of hours mingling with friends, having a yummy dinner and there was even Santa there to visit the kids.
Today had to have been the best day of the weekend for me. Not a thing on the agenda. So, we relaxed, did some house work, played hide-and-go-seek with the kids and I got a little bit more shopping done during nap time! We had yummy homemade baked potato soup for dinner and I got my Christmas cards ordered(better late than never ;)) Here's a sneak peek at the photo we picked for our cards....

*****
Just a really quick update on things non-Christmas. Casey is taking some online courses for real estate appraisal and will be making a career move in the new year :) I have been though a some stressful times at work recently regarding the possibility of a change in hours and/or schedule. I am thankful to say that neither of these things happened and I am keeping my current work hours and days, yay! I do have to say that I am truly saddened for the wonderful people I work with that this was not the case for :( Norah is doing awesome as a kindergartner and just last week got her very 1st report card!!! She's is right on track for where she should be and her teacher couldn't have had nicer comments about her, I'm very proud of my girl! And last but not least my little Nolan. This was a big weekend of potty training for him. He hasn't worn a single pull up since Thursday. I am calling him potty-trained!!! I know there will be "accidents" but something clicked with him and I know he's got it! Also this will be my last week to get in the pool with Nolan at swimming lessons....sigh! I am greatful to not have to get in that cold pool 2x a week but, I am kinda sad that this era is over. I have been in the pool with one of my kiddos 2x a week for the better part of the last 5 years! Maybe it's time to have another one ;)

10 years

2010-11-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the 10 year anniversary of my Mom's death. Sometimes it feels like yesterday and sometimes it feels like SO long ago. As I reflected on it over the weekend it's really hard to believe it's been that long and it really makes me sad to think about all the things she's missed and that I have missed out on because she's not here. I do know that she is looking down on me and my family and watching over us. I also know she has made me the mother that I am, because I had the BEST example to follow! I really still think about her every single day.
Several years ago my little sister Sarah got this tattoo in honor of my mom, not only to remember her death but, she also collected angels too. She had over 200 of them! So after wanting the same tattoo for many years, I thought no better time to get it than now. Yesterday was the day, I have these little angel wings and halo in the inside of my left ankle. They are outlined in black, have pale blue and while on the wings and a gold halo. I love them, and I love and miss you Mom!!!!!

Snowy Days

2010-11-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

Last week we had some serious snow around here! It was the most I've seen in a really long time, and it stuck around longer than usual too. That was good for me because I was on my long stretch at work and didn't get to play in it with the kids until Wednesday. No worries there was still plenty of snow and me and the kids had a great time.

This was from the first snowy day. Casey took the kids out to play and they had a blast. I love this picture for a few reasons. One, he's just so dang cute. Two, his red, runny nose indicative of cold weather. And, three his ears popping out from under his beanie :)

I love this one too, she looks like a little Eskimo snow princess, and her smile says "I'm happy!"

These next few are from the day I got to go out and play with them. They took turns climbing off this rock and jumping/sliding into the powdery snow below. Who new a rock could be so much fun!

You can really see how much snow we got in this picture....a lot!

More happy faces, the snow made my kids (and me & daddy) happy!

I just really thought this was a cool picture Casey got one of the days. I love how all you can really see is snow and how it is sparkling in the light, so pretty!

Happy Turkey Day

2010-11-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone out there has a very
happy, healthy, and delicious
Thanksgiving!

Today I am very, very thankful for everything in my life! I am most thankful for my healthy, happy little family :) I am also very thankful today for my amazing Dad and siblings and the very best friends around!!!

My 30th, soccer, a princess party and a birthday celebration!

2010-11-15T14:11:00.001-08:00

Well I did it, I officially turned 30 last Thursday! And I have to say it's not that bad ;-) I am actually loving my little life at this very moment, I have a feeling 30 is going to be great and I that I will have some of my best years ahead of me! My birthday turned out really nice. Norah got to stay home from school (Veteran's Day) so me and the kids lounged around for a bit eating chocolate chip pancakes in our jammies! Then we headed to the gym and the store, even though it was my birthday I still wanted to get my workout in and hey we gotta eat! Shortly after we got home my mother in law stopped by with lunch, presents and cupcakes! Thank You Jamie!!! Later that night my family came over and we enjoyed wine, pizza and cheesecake. I got some great gifts and was thankful to have a nice night at home with my family.

Saturday my little soccer star had her last game! She shot for a goal but it was blocked :( Oh well it's still super cute to watch them play and she has a blast. After her game we headed to a pizza party to celebrate her team. They got certificates and medals, she was so proud of herself.

Next on our Saturday agenda was a princess party for our favorite 3 year old, Miss Avery! A big happy birthday to her and a thank you for having us over for such a fun party.

To finish Saturday off Casey and I headed to Dukes for a little romantic dinner for my birthday, just the 2 of us. I kinda thought he might have something planned for after dinner but I wasn't sure ;-) We had a great dinner and a couple drinks then he said we should maybe go out and get a drink and dance, that's when I knew he had something planned! We headed for 6th ave in Tacoma and ended up at a place called Sax. We've been there before and I was pretty sure I was gonna be surprised by some friends and family!

I was right! Waiting for us were some of my very best friends, my sister and brother and some of my really good work friends too! Thank you Casey and anyone else that helped arrange it, it was a great time and I couldn't have asked for anything better for my birthday than to be with my best friends and family. I love all of you!!!!
P.S. there are more pictures from my fun birthday celebration on FB!

Trick-or-Treat

2010-11-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

This year we joined the Newgard and Riggs families for some trick-or-treating.
Here's all our little ones; we had a pretty in pink fairy, buzz lightyear,
little mermaid pricess, an adorable little monkey,
the cutest giraffe you've ever seen and a little lion!
They were all just too cute!

The 4 older kids definitely had this trick-or-treating thing down!
They did great at every single door,
even the couple houses Nolan snuck into didn't mind a bit ;)

Norah led the trick-or-treating pack, she's an old pro by now!

My loves!
They both picked out their own costumes,
and I think they did a great job!

Buzz and his princess showing off their spider rings!

Yay for a family photo where we are all looking at the camera!

Thank you to the Newgards for having us over for some Halloween fun! Trick-or-treating with our friends and yummy homemade chili made for a perfect holiday night!

Halloween was just the end to a fabulously fun, very busy Halloween weekend(week really). Wednesday night we carved pumpkins, thursday night we made caramel apples, friday night we went to a Fall harvest celebration at Norah's school and went out and celebrated one of my best friends' 30th birthdays! Saturday was our annual work Halloween party(see Tiffany's blog for some great pics of our costumes!) And finally Sunday Halloween! What a long weekend, but all very worth it!

On a side note I had to go home from work early last night because I couldn't keep my food down. It's no fun throwing up at work. I feel a little better today and am hoping my queasyness and vomiting spells are behind me. I guess all the indulging(food & drinks) I did over the weekend caught up with me :( I'm not 21 anymore! In fact I will be 30 in 9 short days, Yikes!

Spooner Farms

2010-10-30T10:59:00.001-07:00

About a week ago we headed to Spooner farms for some Fall fun!
We looked around at all the cool pupmkins and decorations and went through a fantastic Alice in Wonderland inspired corn maze.

Me and the kids

The kids just venturing into the tunnel that starts the maze.

Norah LOVED the corn maze and was really into it!
Nolan was distracted by the corn stalks and decorations and didn't really care about making it through the maze.

He did like this miniature door, super cute!

I just loved this picture of hops that Casey took!

They have this cute cow when you first enter the farm and it's a great spot for pictures!

Here's my favorite of the whole bunch....LOVE them!

I ♥ Maui

2010-10-27T13:46:00.002-07:00

Maui rundown.....

The pool and a our view from the Westin grounds,
they are so pretty!

This is the beach just in front of our condo,
we spent A LOT of time here soaking up the sun, and just plain old relaxing.

We snorkeled a lot too. It was amazing to see all the sea life,
literally just a few steps into the ocean.

One morning 5 of us girls got up bright and early(3am!) and head to watch sunrise at Haleakala! It was pretty beautiful, I just wish someone would have told me it was going to be 42 degrees up there. It was CHILLY!!!

Here's all of us girls, minus Jo :(
There were 11 of us from work that made the trip!
11 crazy girls is sure to = a great time.

This is Black rock.
Jessica & I got brave and jumped off this thing.
We weren't quite brave enough to go to the very top, but we got pretty close.

This guy was just plain AMAZING! We snorkeled at Black Rock where we saw this very large sea turtle and 2 of his friends.

Swimming with the sea turtles was definitely one of the neatest experiences I have ever had!

We also spent a day at Makena Beach.
It was really pretty and there were no hotels, buildings, ect
just the beach.

And this beach had much bigger waves than the ones by our condo.
Pretty impressive!

Finally sunset, so pretty.
I actually took this picture while floating in the water ;)

All in all, such a great trip!!!! I still didn't enjoy the plane ride even with Valium on board, but it was bearable! I missed Casey and the kids like crazy, but we where able to video chat via our new iPhone 4's which made being away from them a lot easier. I came home relaxed and refreshed and loving my little fam even more! I also came home to a nice bottle of wine and a clean house, thanks babe for always supporting me!!!!

Maui Bound

2010-10-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

In less than 72 hours I will be boarding a plane to one of the most beautiful places around with an amazing group of girls, but even as I am typing this my heart rate is speeding up and a bit of anxiety is creeping over me. I don't really know where this is coming from, I'm NOT an anxious person and I AM really excited and grateful to be going. I do know a few of things though; I WILL have a great time once I am there, I am pretty terrified of the plane ride and am hoping to get some relief from that with either a few Zanax from my doc or a couple shots of vodka prior to boarding the plane ;), I can't wait to be sitting on the beach, relaxing with friends and soaking it all in, and I will MISS my husband and kids more than I am anticipating!

This week has been a roller coaster of emotions, and it's only Tuesday. When Casey got home yesterday he probably wanted to run for the door. I was a MESS, to say the least. He is so great though, and as I was sobbing so hard I could barley talk about nothing really at all, he was exactly the comfort I needed! I LOVE him, and am reassured that I will be leaving my kids with a VERY capable daddy.

Ok, so this post was more just for me to vent a bit, nothing really interesting but nice to get it out! I REALLY am excited to be going, it's my 1st ever trip to Hawaii! My next post will most likely be when I return, and it will be all about how great of a trip it was :)

Can't get enough of these smiles....

2010-10-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

.....and I've been seeing a lot of them lately!
We've had a VERY nice couple of days around here. Yesterday we skipped the gym and headed down to the Puyallup River(thanks to the Newgards for the tip on the spot) we had a great time just the 4 of us. After we played we had pizza and headed home past the kiddos bed time, oops! It's ok though cause Norah doesn't have school today or tomorrow so I'm enjoying it. Today the kids and I played, did some shopping, decorated for Halloween, made some animal inspired crafts and enjoyed a "show" put on by Norah, it was a good one! They are growing up SO fast and I remind myself almost daily that this is a once in a life time chance to enjoy them at this stage in their lives!

Jack keeps getting better!

2010-10-04T13:59:00.001-07:00

Jack Johnson that is! This past Saturday we headed to the Gorge for our 3rd Jack Johnson concert there! We had the best time and both Casey and I thought it was his best show yet! He played all of our faves and some cool covers, he is amazing ;) I definitely will be there anytime he plays the Gorge!

Me, Kimberly and Tiffany heading to the show

Here's some of the guys
Kory, Brandon & Casey

Me and my bestie!

Brandon and Kimberly were so awesome to let us all stay at their condo in Crescent Bar. So glad we could, they are a blast. Thanks guys!

So glad Holly, her husband Rick and their friends Mark and Kari could make the show as well! We love these guys!

I seriously love this guy, couldn't ask for a better hubby!

Me, Rick & Kari enjoying the show!

Here's a little collage of some pictures of the concert, we only brought along our little point and shoot. I don't think it did too bad, but I think we're gonna try to sneak in the Nikon next time ;)

Random stuff

2010-10-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

I grew this.....from a seed!
I planted 6 of them last May and here is the end result!
I love them, and they are taller than my little one story house!

So I guess she can't be good at everything ;)
Casey loves to let her dress herself on the weekends that I work.
This is what I woke up to one Sunday afternoon.
And yes, she did go out in public mismatched socks and all!
I sure do love her ♥

Teeny Toddler Sports anyone?
Nolan and mommy have been participating in this class at the Y on Friday mornings while Norah is at school. It's fun and short and is helping Nolan to be a better listener and have fun doing it. Will he be the next hockey superstar, I doubt it. He might have used it like a baseball bat or golf club more than a hockey stick but it was cute to watch! So far he liked basketball most of all, good thing because he is one tall 2 year old. He has also been developing quite the sense of humor, I think we might have a class clown on our hands :) He will do anything to get a laugh out of us, and he is truly good at it!

Our 1st time hosting a sleepover! Norah's bestie Alissa came over after soccer practice last friday for a sleepover and they all had a blast! It was nearly 11 by the time the 3 of them fell asleep(3 hours past N&N's normal bedtime, yikes)! They still were all wide awake and ready to go the next morning by 7, gotta love a kids' energy. I made them chocolate chip pancakes and they played outside in the yard before I took Alissa home. It was a fun adventure and I see many more to come in the future!

I LOVE 7 years!

2010-09-26T15:57:00.001-07:00

Happy 7th anniversary to the love of my life!

Today Casey and I are celebrating 7 years of marriage and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! He got up with the kids while I slept in, always a treat! I made us eggs benedict and we had mimosas :) Then we had some play time with the kids, watched some Survivorman, got the kids down for a nap and napped ourselves! Well I was the only one who actually napped, but he was sweet and cuddled with me while I slept for almost 2 hours! Now he is at our favorite Thai restaurant picking up dinner(we skipped lunch altogether) and I can't wait to sit down with him and enjoy it.

Here's a picture of our anniversary breakfast, it was delicious!

Our wedding and each anniversary are what have made Fall my most favorite season! We have been in full swing around here with fall activities, hence the reason for no new blog posts in almost an entire month. We had the start of school, the start of soccer practice for Norah, a very fun visit from one of my best friends and the kids "auntie" Kristy from California, a trip to Portland to celebrate my besties 30th Birthday and our anniversary, we did the Puyallup, and a few other really fun things and here we are at the end of September! It's not gonna slow down around here till November! Next weekend Casey and I head to the Gorge to see Jack Johnson with great friends, the following week it's back to Portland to cheer on my little sis while she runs her 1st full marathon, then just 5 days after that I'll be on a plane to Hawaii and I can hardly believe it! I'm gonna try to blog a bit more between now and then, we'll see if there is time ;)

This is gonna be long, because....

2010-09-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

.....a lots been goin' on around here!

First things first, we have a kindergartener!! Last Thursday was Norah's 1st day of school, and she absolutely loves everything about it. I knew she would! We are falling into a new morning routine, no more laying around in jammies till 9 or 10. Up around 7, breakfast, clothes, teeth brushing and hair fixin then Nolan and I walk her to school. She is in class for 2 hrs and 40 min which means Nolan and I get some one on one time and that is so nice. This week she gets to ride the bus from my cousins house and she is beyond excited for that.
Here are some pics from her 1st day.

In front of our house just before leaving

Walkin to school

Waiting to be let in the building for class to start

Let me just say it now, our Labor Day weekend rocked!!! I couldn't be more happier with how it turned out, it really was one of the most perfect weekends. Friday night we had the Martindales and Newgards over, always a great time. We love our friends :)

Saturday Casey and I took the kids on their 1st day hike. We hiked up near Mt. Rainier in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. We went to 3 cute little lakes; Pothole Lake, Bertha May Lake and Granite Lake. We hiked a total of 3 miles and the kids did amazing, especially Norah who we didn't hear one complaint out of. Nolan did well too, we did have to carry him for short periods of time but he probably did 70% of the hike on his own 2 feet! The lakes are gorgeous and we are hoping to do an overnite trip up there next summer with the kiddos.

Casey & the kids on the trail

Nolan had to have a stick & rock in hand at all times

Taking a well deserved rest

Cute little waterfall we hiked past

This picture is courtesy of Norah
Bertha May Lake in the background

Nolan is "fishing" and Norah is searching for things in the water

Bertha May

Granite Lake

Fabulous views of Mt. Rainier

Sunday we headed up to Greenlake to register for our 1/2 marathon and pick up our shirts(horrible neon green, BTW) and packets. Then we headed To REI, I got an early birthday present, a new pack for our backpacking trips :) I really needed a new one. My old one is almost 10 yrs old and not fitted very well for me. I love my new pack and can't wait to use it next season. After we left REI we took the kids to The Rainforest Cafe for lunch. If you have little kids and haven't been there it's a must. They loved it! Sunday night the kids headed over to papa's for a sleepover and Casey and I went to bed early in preparation for our run the next morning.

This morning was race day! It was Casey and I's first 1/2 marathon. I was unbelievably nervous, more nervous than I have ever been for a race. The race started a 9am at the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville. We did the race with our besties the Newgards, and I think we all had a great time! It wasn't nearly as bad as I had built it up to be in my head and in the end I was very glad that I decided to do it. Before the race I said that this would be my 1st and last 1/2 marathon.....I might have changed my mind ;) Congrats to Kory, Tiffany and Casey who all ran fabulous races today, love ya guys!
Me.Casey.Kory.Tiffany

Mt. Adams photos......

2010-08-31T17:45:00.001-07:00

Pretty little purple flowers near our camp

View of Mt. Hood from inside our tent

Mt. St Helens poking out of the clouds

There must have been something worth smiling at on Tiff's camera

Tiffany & Me

You gotta have clean teeth, even at 8000+ ft
The amazing view right before the sun slipped below the horizon
After the sun went down the colors in the sky became even more beautiful!
What a great view we had from way up there

That dang Mountain!

2010-08-24T14:21:00.001-07:00

So the 3rd time was not a charm for Casey and I. Over this past weekend we made our 3rd attempt at summiting Washington's 2nd highest peak, Mt. Adams. It was our 2nd try this year with out best climbing companions the Newgards (Casey and I attempted it in the summer of 2002 as well). Below is a group shot at the South Spur trail head. When we were here in May we couldn't even get to this trail head which meant an extra 5 miles of snowshoeing, so glad we didn't have to do that trek again!

The first day of our 2 day ascent we hiked to our high camp about an hour or so below Lunch Counter a popular high camp site. We set up camp and were all in much better spirits than our last attempt. We ate dinner, goofed off for the camera a bit, and got some great sunset shots. Our plan was to assess the weather in the morning when we get up and decide if this was summit day or not. When the alarm went off at 0430 we looked out and saw clear skies, that meant it was time to get ready to climb!

Everyone was feeling pretty good on the way up, except me :( I head a pretty queasy stomach for the first couple hours of the climb. It finally went away and I was actually feeling great. We all climbed really well and I'm so proud of all of us. We pushed on and for me the excitement was growing as we reached Piker's Peak, I had summit fever for sure! As we approached the top of Pikers we thought were almost there, at the false summit......we were wrong! Below is a view from our campsite of the mountain. The highest peak you see here is Pikers Peak at 11,598 feet that is what we accomplished (the highest Tiffany and I had ever climbed :))

Once on top of Piker's we could see that we still had another good push to the summit at 12,276 feet and probably another hour and a half at least of climbing. We also had been keeping an eye on some clouds that had been rolling in around our high camp area and were worried about the possibility of having to descend in a storm(the weather forecast had not predicted good weather on the mountain for Sunday). At this point we all made the decision to head back down down to camp.....the fun way! We got to glissade almost all the way back to our camp, it was amazing and a bit scary at first.

Back at camp we had a snack, packed up and set out for the car. We made great time getting to the car in less than 2 hours! Once there we headed straight to the nearest place to find food, a little cafe in Trout Lake. It was interesting to say the least, the food took a long time to come out and we were starving, there was good people watching, and the food wasn't bad once we got it! Next stop was a tiny store with all sorts of random stuff. We got some snacks and firewood and left for our next destination, Takhlakh Lake Campground. We napped, started a fire, listened to the family next to us try and set up a tent for over an hour(pretty good entertainment), had some drinks and snacks and went to bed early. I had probably the worst night of camping sleep ever and was ready to go in the morning. We packed up and headed to Randle for breakfast at Mt. Adams cafe, cute and great food! After filling our bellies it was time to go home.

At home we cleaned all our gear and let it dry out in the beautiful sunshine. It was just Casey and I last night, the kids are still at his parents! We were both definitely missing them and wished they had been home. They will be home later tonight and I cannot wait!!!!!!

****More pictures of our trip to come once Casey gets some editing done****

Happy Birthday.....

2010-08-09T15:13:00.001-07:00

......to my husband!

Happy 29th birthday to my love, my best friend,
and the best daddy we could ask for!
Me and the kids love you more than I can put into words.

Summer Happenings

2010-07-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is what we've been up to this past month or so.....

Trips to the wading pool downtown

BBQ's with our besties :)

I think Jax & Nolan had more cake on them then in their bellies
Lots of playtime in the sprinkler and pool
(Nolan prefers the sprinkler, Norah the pool)

A trip to Grandma and Grandpas for a family reunion

Check out that air

Norah with Isabella (Casey's cousin's daughter)
They are only a couple months apart and clicked from the 1st time they met.
Isabella lives in CA so, they are going to become pen pals, so cute!

We sure love the rope swing at G&G's house

We took a trip to Chuck E Cheese, the kids of course loved it!

My future little gamers!
Notice Nolan's boots, it was 75 degrees out today and he just had to wear them.
Gotta love a 2 yo's sense of style!
We also took a trip to the movies to see Despicable Me, pretty good.
Just give Nolie a bucket of popcorn and we're set for a good 2 hours!
Here's how me and the kids ended our fun day, too bad Daddy wasn't there to share it with us!
He's off on an adventure with Kory climbing Mt. Stuart. Can't wait to hear the details when he gets back, I wish I was there too!
We've been keeping really busy, and I haven't been working a lot thanks to not very many sick babies! I'm getting used to it and so are the kids, it's gonna be a hard adjustment when I have to get back to the real world and actually work my scheduled FTE(#of hours per pay period). I'm just not gonna think about that now :) Coming up in the next month or so we've got a birthday camping weekend, a rematch with Mt. Adams and a half marathon to train for, yikes! It's gonna get even busier, but I love every minute of it(well most of them).

Take 2

2010-07-18T18:32:00.001-07:00

Seafair
Benaroya Research Institute
Sprint distance triathlon
Completed by me this morning!

This is just after the start of my wave (purple swim caps).

Coming out of the water with a big smile, glad to be onto the bike!

Almost finished with the bike here,
just a few more minutes until the start of the run.

In the transition area just about to start my run, the last task!

Coming across the finish line feels so incredibly good!

I had the best prize waiting for me at the finish line, my babies!

Here is my finishers medal and bib # :)

*****
The morning started bright at early at 430am, I washed my face ate a quick bowl of oatmeal and half a banana and was heading out to load up the car! My wonderful hubby accompanied me to my event today even though he too had to get up at the crack of dawn!

Upon arrival to the race we walked about a 1/2 mile to the start where I set my bike up in the transition area and managed to loose Casey. Then I waited in line for 20 minute to go pee and by the time I was done the announcer was calling for everyone to clear the transition area and head to the water. I found Casey, he wished me luck and got a quick kiss and made my way down to the water.

My wave started 25 minutes after the 1st wave, and it was chilly! It should not be this cold in July!!!! My wave started and I battled 84 other swimmers to get into a position and into a good rhythm. After a few good kicks to the face and shoulders and someone smacking my feet with their hands several times I found my place, and pace and was feeling great!

Once out of the water it was to the transition area to get my clothes, shoes and bike. I started the bike feeling amazing and was doing great until getting on the I-90 bridge! It was WINDY. I completed this same tri last summer and there wasn't one little tiny bit of wind to worry about, I was not prepared for that! I made my way through it and waiting for me at the end of the bike with Casey was my sis and the kids! Yay, they made it!!! It was so nice to see them and just the inspiration I needed to tackle the run and finish the race!

I remembered it from last year but still didn't anticipate how wobbly and tired my legs would feel after getting off the bike and starting the run! It took about a 1/2 mile to work through it but then I once again was feeling great! I came across the finish line to my family cheering me on, how great! Crossing the finish line really does feel amazing! Thanks to my sis who stayed the night at my house and brought the kids up to the race! Norah is going to try it next year, it's gonna be super cute :)

The Numbers
In case anyone is interested....

My official race time : 1:31:35 (4 min better than last year)
My place: 31 out of 85 for my age group
Overall place: 586 out of 1104

1/2 mile swim: 17:21
12 mile bike: 41:20
5K run: 28:58

I am happy

5 is Fun!

2010-07-14T21:27:00.001-07:00

3 days before Norah's birthday we celebrated her big day at our house, with lots of friends and family! She decided on a Tinkerbell theme and I made a cake and cupcakes and put up a few decorations, nothing fancy. I purchased lots of backyard games, had the 2 swing sets up, a wadding pool full of water toys and a bounce house for jumping. It was a hot afternoon and a few of the kiddos ended up inside watching TV to cool off, but most endured the heat, or played in the shade and had a great time. A big thanks to everyone who came to help celebrate my baby girls birthday, she had a fabulous time!!!

Here are some pictures from her party......

Norah and Nolan starting the party off with a dip in the kiddie pool

Even birthday princess has gotta have her squirt gun!

Norah and her bestie Alissa having some food in the shade

There was swinging!
My cute nephew Dylan

And there was bubble making and tiara wearing :)
Little Miss Avery knows every girls gotta have their tiara too!

Norah's Auntie/babysitter since she was 3 mo old!
We ♥ our Alesia!

♥ Family ♥
My 2 cousins and there 3 daughters,
& our dog Abby snuck in the pic too.

More family
Norah's Auntie Shelly, having a snack on the swing!
She's 22 weeks prego and expecting a baby girl, exciting!

And still more family, this is Zoe, Casey's niece!
It was our very first time meeting her.
She and Norah share the same exact birthday, 2 years apart!

Next there was gift opening, she truly was spoiled.
Now I have to make room for all her new toys :)

Mommy & Daddy got her a bigger bike!
I have a feeling she won't be needing those training wheels for long.

Here is the cake and cupcakes I made.

Tink and all her fairy friends were the spotlight of the cake!

Make a wish baby girl, I hope it comes true!

My Birthday Girl

2010-07-12T08:57:00.001-07:00

Happy 5th Birthday to my very sweet little Norah! 5 years ago today you changed mommy and daddy's lives like nothing else could! You have made us better people because you are in our lives, and we LOVE you for it ♥

You are full of energy, and love being outside every chance you get! Your most favorite thing to do right now is the monkey bars, and you're pretty dang good at them. Mommy loves watching you play outside with brother and showing him cool new things. He looks up to you SO much and wants to do and say everything his big sissy does! YOU are a fabulous big sister and mommy and daddy couldn't have hand picked a better one!

You are stating kindergarten in the fall and I cannot believe it! You are excited beyond words! You are growing into quite the little girl and I love seeing the changes in you that each day, week and month bring us. I hope you get everything you want on your special day and in this life. Mommy and Daddy love our 1st born SO much and hope you have the best day :)

Our 4th

2010-07-05T15:24:00.001-07:00

We had another great 4th of July at the Martindale's House! I was scheduled to work from 7pm-7am but got lucky and was able to have my first 4 hours off, thank goodness for low census days! Here's a look at our day.....

The kids got to be dressed in red, white and blue from top to bottom!
I know I won't be able to do this for long so,
I'm enjoying dressing them while I still can ;)

We smelled (and accidentally picked) Holly's pretty red roses

Had great desserts!
I made these cute little cupcakes for the festivities

Casey entertained us with some Jack Johnson on the guitar

the kids played with pop-its

There was a baseball game played by most

Nolan got in a good wrestling session with some of the older boys that were there

Him and Carson gave good hugs :)

and all the little girls were in and out of dress up clothes most of the night!

The camera got put away when fireworks came out so we could watch the kids. Norah and Nolan both enjoyed sparklers and other kid safe fireworks. We enjoyed a show put on by all the daddies too. They took turns lighting off all the big stuff in front of the house. It was a nice nice night. I got to cuddle with Nolan for about an hour while watching the fireworks before I had to leave, I loved that probably most of all. There isn't much cuddle time lately with him, he's busy!

Hope everyone had a fantastic holiday!

New Toy

2010-06-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we got this great toy set up in our back yard! Casey, with help from our friends Kory and Rick disassembled, transported and reassembled it all in 1 day! We bought it used from a friend for a great deal. It might be a few years old but it's sturdy and it has a lot of hours of playtime left in it!!! The kids have been playing on it every chance they have gotten in the last 3 days.

Nolan offering his sissy help as she scales the rock climbing wall, without the rope!

Nolan's favorite part hands down is the slide, he's tried several different sliding techniques but prefers the old fashioned way the best

And Norah's favorite part is definitely the monkey bars, she has been longing for a play set with these for several months now! She just about has them mastered.

I just really loved this last picture of Nolan watching his big sissy intently! You can't see the look on his face but it is awe. He is totally, 100% into her! He copies everything she says, he wants to do all the same stuff she does, and he just loves being with her. It is the sweetest thing in the world. She is a good sport about it most of the time, every now and then she asks for alone time and will climb up on her top bunk, shut the bedroom door and color or play quietly with her dolls. But I think she loves the attention she gets from him just as much as he loves giving it to her :)

Loving my garden!

2010-06-27T17:44:00.001-07:00

I planted these especially for Casey, he loves them in his salad

We planted 4 different varieties of tomatoes,
I cannot wait to eat all of them!

These little tiny carrot sprouts were my most recent addition
I though the kids would get a kick out of pulling them up :)

One of the boxes

Lettuce!
We planted 4 different kinds of lettuce too.
We had a BBQ last night and I was able to use only lettuce from our garden for a salad I made.
So cool, and tasty!

White Water Rafting, Camping, and the best Mother In Law Ever!

2010-06-21T15:49:00.000-07:00

River Rafting 2010

Top Row: Mike&Jamie, Rick&Holly, Mark&Kari
Bottom Row: Casey&Beth, Tiffany&Kory

Our group shot just after finishing our trip down the Wenatchee River! It was amazing, a bit more exciting than last year and I even took and unintentional swim! Yep, I fell overboard :) I thought the whole boat was going to be in water and that I would be followed by Casey, Kory, Tiffany and our guide Erik shortly, but luckily it was just me that went swimming. Once I came up for air Casey was waiting, ore stretched out to give me a hand back to the boat! Thanks babe! I already cannot wait for next year, unofficial plans are already underway to try the Skykomish River next :)

Holly and I the night before rafting, enjoying some time around the campfire! A big thanks to her and her hubby Rick who are the planners and organizers of these trips and the one's that got us involved in the first trip last year! We ♥ you guys!

Me and Tiff
So glad that her and Kory could come rafting this year with us!
We would have missed our BFF's if you guys hadn't ;)

When going car camping this is one of my 10 essentials!
It's a stove top espresso maker and it makes a lovely caramel latte! It is also the perfect cure for lack of sleep, slight hangovers and chilly mornings!

These 2 are quite the team!
Tiffany prepared homeade pizza dough and sauce before our trip and she and Kory perfected the art of BBQ'd Pizza Saturday night!

Here is one of the pizza's cooking away on the mini Weber!
The pizza was delicious. Casey and I ♥'d it!
Thanks for cooking

A shot of our camp.
The 5 of us couples shared 3 campsites at Tumwater Campground near Leavenworth!

On the way home we stopped at Eagle Falls just off Hwy 2 near Gold Bar. We stopped there last year too and we just think it's beautiful!

My hubby getting ready to get this shot....

Love this one, great shot babe! And Happy Father's day to you too!
You are the best Daddy around!

And I came home to find this cute little daisy that Casey's mom had potted for me while we were gone! I have the best Mother in Law ever, hands down! She is always willing to come stay the weekends with the kids so Casey and I can have our adventures. She never comes empty handed, she does spoil them a bit, but that's what grandma's are for! This weekend she took the kids to Norah's last T-ball game and pizza party! She also took them to see Toy Story 3, they both loved it and told me all about it when we got home! Thank you so much Jamie, (and Tyler and Breanna) for taking care of the kiddo's so we can get away once in a while and have some fun ourselves!

1st Family Camping trip of the year!

2010-06-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, 3 collages! I know it's a lot for 1 post, but when you take close to 400 pictures in 2 days it's the easiest way to share them on here with out making my post gigantic! Last weekend we headed to Lake Wenatchee State Park Campground with the Newgard Family :) We stayed 2 nights and enjoyed the sunshine and company!

This collage is of pictures from around our campsite

Saturday was spent mostly at the lake, the weather was perfect and the kids LOVED it!

I had to make Avery & Nolan their own separate collage, they were just so dang cute together! Sometimes they fight a bit, kinda like brother and sister but they had a great time and played together so well the whole weekend.

Heading Here.....

2010-06-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

Wenatchee Lake State Park!
*****
Tomorrow afternoon we are heading to this beautiful lake near Leavenworth with some of our besties, The Newgard Family for a weekend of camping! We are looking forward to some fun times for us and the kiddos, as well as some relaxation and some much needed SUNSHINE! The weather report says we are looking at sunny skies and temps in the low to mid 80's! I cannot wait for that. I'm excited, but have a lot of packing and preparing to do before tomorrow afternoon. I'll post pictures when we get back, there are sure to be lots taken, hopefully none of me in the new bikini I bought. I haven't bought a bikini since before Norah was born almost 5 years ago! We'll see if I'm brave enough to actually wear it ;)

Mt. Adams!

2010-06-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Casey and I along with some of best friends Tiffany and Kory had aspirations of summiting WA's 2nd highest peak, Mt. Adams. While we didn't summit we still had a great trip and are planning to attempt it again sometime in August. I will post some of our trip pictures below, but please go to Tiffany's blog for an amazing detailed report of our entire trip and also enjoy her great photographs!

Group photo just before starting out on our journey

Me and Tiff, with all our gear and heavy packs
Ready to go!

Me on the way up, a few layers had come off at this point and the weather was pretty decent!

Kory, Tiffany and myself on the way up to camp

Our snowy, cozy little camp
My first experience setting up camp in the snow!

View of Mt. St Helens from our camp

View of Mt. Hood from our camp

Mine and Casey's tent at sunset

Sunrise at 8700 ft. on Mt. Adams

Absolutely gorgeous!

So Very Proud of My Little Sis!

2010-05-20T13:30:00.001-07:00

Dr. Sarah Martin :)

Norah and her Auntie Sarah after the "hooding" ceremony on graduation morning.

On Saturday we had a graduation party for my little sis and her bf Brandon. They are both graduates of UPS, from the DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) program! Great job both of you! Saturday was fun, laid back, and we had perfect weather for our backyard BBQ. Family and close friends joined us in helping celebrate their accomplishments.

Most of Sunday was spent on the beautiful campus of UPS. First we had a family brunch provided by the PT program graduates. Then we attended the "hooding" ceremony for the DPT class. It was really cool, each graduate had prepared a statement that was read while they were being hooded. It was a nice personal touch! Next we had a short break before the University graduation took place. Casey's mom came and picked up Norah, she did great in the morning but I knew we were in for a long afternoon with the presentation of diplomas to 700 + graduates. During our little break Casey and I went in search of coffee, I trekked about a mile in high heels on concrete for an iced vanilla latte, but it was worth it. The graduation ceremony was long, but I am so glad to have been there in support of my sister, she is amazing and I am beyond proud of her! She is going to be a fantastic physical therapist and I can't wait to see her grow into her new role. Love ya sis, way to go!!!

Ferry ride field trip

2010-05-20T13:13:00.001-07:00

Last Friday the sun was shining and I bravely took both the kids by myself on a ferry ride field trip with Norah's preschool class. It went well, but I had some reservations. I was envisioning having to dive overboard to rescue Nolan. Casey and I even joked the night before that we should get him one of those leash things for kids(something we have always said we would never own). Anyways, he was well behaved and they didn't let us on the deck of the ferry while we were sailing so we avoided disaster ;) After the ferry ride we went to Owen beach at Pt. Defiance, had a yummy picnic lunch, soaked up some rays and played in the water a bit. It was the perfect day for a spring trip to the beach!

Here are the kids patiently awaiting they ferry's arrival

The Hiyu, from Pt. Defiance to Vashon
(we never actually got off at Vashon)

Playin in the sand after the ferry ride

"Star fish, mommy"
love this picture!

At the end of the trip it was time to do a little wading. She actually ended up soaked to her waist, but she loved it and didn't care one bit that she had to ride home without panties or pants! Good thing I had an extra blanket in the car.

T-Ball

2010-05-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

♥My little ball player ♥

The baseball stance, I love it

Goin for the ball, and she got it !

Up to bat, the swing....

....and the hit (I adore the look on her face in this one)

Happy @ 3rd base

"Go Purple Pirates!"

Good sportsmanship

*****
Saturday I got to watch Norah play in her 2nd T-ball game, man and I thought soccer was cute it doesn't even compare. I loved everything about it and every minute of it! You can see by the look on her face in several pictures that she does too! The games are 2 innings long and consist of each player going up to bat once per inning, they don't keep score and they let all the kids take turns fielding the ball. She has the cutest little ready stance in the field and she takes it pretty seriously, she also has developed a little routine when she goes up to bat(I don't know where she got it from?) She hits her bat in the dirt a few times and gets ready, sometimes she swings so hard the momentum spins her in a circle! She has practice once a week and games every Saturday. I can't wait to see her play again, it's so dang cute. Nolan wishes he was bigger and could play too, Norah has been so cute trying to "coach" him in the back yard. He can actually hit the ball off the T, I think he's a natural....only a couple more years buddy and you can play too!

These 2 make me smile.....

2010-05-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

.... a lot!!!

I've been having a great day with my kiddos and just had to share it! I seriously love my days off with them. We had a nice relaxing morning including a long bath for them, a much needed hair cut for Nolan and 3 pee-pee's in the potty for him too! Then we headed to the gym so mommy could get in a bike workout(I'm training for my 2nd triathlon) and it was a bike day on the schedule. So I had a great workout and picked the kids up from the nursery and headed for a quick trip to the grocery store. While there the kids got a treat, they had chocolate frappuccinos (minus the coffee, of course) from Starbucks! While we were shopping Norah said to me out of the blue that she was in love with a little boy from the gym and she was going to marry him. I asked her what little boy and she said the one in the superman costume(he was leaving at the same time as them) so I got a peak at her crush. I asked her if she told him and she said "no mom, it's a secret and only my friends can know!" Oh how cute she considers me her friend! I had a big smile on my face the rest of the shopping trip! We went home, had some backyard playtime, ate lunch and they went down for their naps. So that's been my day up until now, nothing special just time spent with my loves! I feel so blessed to have these 2 great kids, and it's so much fun seeing them grow, I LOVE it!

Coming up......

2010-04-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's gonna be another busy weekend around the Suetta house, my weekends off always are! Saturday afternoon Norah has her 1st T-ball game, which I am going to sadly miss, but Casey and Nolan will be there to cheer her on. So far she likes it, besides it being a bit chilly outside still(she gets cold easy, like her momma). I think it's going to be a riot to watch and can't wait to see pictures from the game.

I'm hoping that the wood in the 2 pictures below will be off of our deck and built into beautiful garden boxes soon, maybe this weekend....but I doubt it. I'm at least hoping for some progress in them. Casey has been doing his best, but the weather and our crazy schedules have not cooperated very well for him.

Also, Saturday I am walking in the March for Babies at Pt. Defiance park. I've worked in the NICU for almost 7 years and this will be my 1st time walking. It's a 6 mile walk starting at Owen's beach and the scenery of the park and company of my co-workers should make it a great time. I even think the weather is supposed to be niceish for it. And right after the walk I will be.....

.....going wine tasting for my 1st time! I am going with a group of great girls from work and staying in Cresent Bar (Thanks Kimberly). I'm excited for this little break from the cooking, cleaning and mommying that is my loved daily routine.

I will be heading home early Sunday morning with a couple other girls so I can spend some quality time with the family before another work week starts. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Birthday

2010-04-19T15:01:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to Alissa and Carson! They 2 of Norah and Nolan's best little friends! They turned 5 and 2 over the weekend and had a combined birthday party at Super Jump! The kids (and the parents) had a great time there.

Alissa 5

Carson 2

Spring Fair

2010-04-19T14:45:00.001-07:00

We ♥ the Puyallup Fair!
I've been going ever since I can remember and the same thing is true for Casey, and the kids! Sunday morning was the only time we could fit it in during our busy weekend, but we lucked out and had the most gorgeous weather for it! We only stayed for about 2 hours, which go by super fast when you....

go to the petting zoo,

take boat rides,

play on a super fun bounce house,

climb in the mouth of the biggest fish you've ever seen,

ride on the big girl roller coaster all by your self,

make funny faces at the camera,

eat delicious pink cotton candy, and

pose for cute pictures with mommy!

That about sums up our trip to the fair, can't wait for September to roll around when we can do it again!

worms

2010-04-15T12:56:00.001-07:00

"Along with milk and vegetables, kids need a steady diet of rocks and worms. Rocks need skipping. Holes need digging. Water needs splashing. Bugs and frogs and slimy stuff need finding."

We've been enjoying our lovely spring weather, and cannot wait for summer. Yes, that is a worm Norah has in the 1st picture, she loves to collect them and make "homes" for them and all kinds of other buggies! She is teaching Nolan an appreciation for the finer things our backyard has to offer!

Easter

2010-04-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing day with our family! We had a great time just the 4 of us for most of the morning. The kids got up and were pleasantly surprised to see what the Easter bunny had left for them. They were also excited to find the Easter eggs the bunny had hidden. Casey had been on a short backpacking trip the day before and his tent was set up in the living room to dry out, so the bunny got creative and hid eggs in the tent. Norah got a real kick out of that. Next, Nolan enjoyed his first Cadbury egg, he loved it but was kind of perplexed by the filling. Then we had a yummy baked omelet brunch and the kids played in the bath. During nap time me and Casey got the house cleaned up and waited for my dad, brother, sister and her bf Brandon to come over for dinner. Once everyone one was here we ate way too much yummy food, had an outdoor egg hunt and then had some delicious desserts. Sarah brought strawberry shortcake, I made my first carrot cake from scratch and the kids had little personal Easter egg cakes that I made them. Once everyone was gone and the kids were in bed I enjoyed a nice glass of wine and we watched the series Life on the Discovery channel, that show is amazing! I ended the day feeling incredibly blessed for all that I have!

*click to enlarge*

This boy loves his popcorn!

2010-04-02T14:55:00.001-07:00

This is so good, and it's all mine!

Let's see how much I can fit in my mouth....

Let me show you how much I fit in my mouth!!

I think I can get more like this :-)

*********

Casey's mom and his 2 cousins came up Wednesday for a visit and stayed 2 nights. So, yesterday we all (minus Daddy, who was at work) went to see "How to Train Your Dragon". Which by the way I highly recommend, it was a great story. It was also Nolan's first trip to the movie theater, and I was a bit anxious that he might not be able to sit through the whole movie, being the active, busy, 2 year old boy that he is. I was so anxious in fact that we took 2 cars just in case I had to make an escape with him! Well, no escape necessary! He did great and found his new favorite food too, popcorn! Up until this point I actually had never let him have it, due to my own paranoia about the choking hazards of it (thank you Parenting magazine ;-)) Anyway Norah did great at the movie too even though it was her 2nd time seeing it in 4 days! I see more movie theater trips in our future now that I know I have 2 kids who will both sit through them.

What She does while I'm at work......

2010-03-30T15:59:00.000-07:00

Since I work night shift, and on most mornings no one is home I started(a long time ago) going through the house to see what the kids and Casey had done while I was gone. I can tell a lot because nothing usually gets picked up, that's my job ;-)

This is what Norah was up to last night after I left.
Her Barbies
She would probably say they are playing "house"
Don't mind the half naked barbie either! Norah is just starting to get into playing with barbies and we don't have any extra clothes, her bikini bottoms are probably missing in action!

She has been very into patterns these days too, and will out of the blue start reciting "red, blue, red, blue, that's a pattern mom" I love it. So I've been finding block patterns in random spots around the house.

And finally, drawings & name writing. She doesn't go many days without creating something and writing her name on it!

Little Besties

2010-03-27T14:45:00.001-07:00

Carson & Nolan
Nolan's super cheesy camera smile, Love it!

Norah & Alissa
♥Little princesses♥

The boys
Watchin TV

The princesses have turned into princess cheerleaders!

Me and Holly (Carson & Alissa's mommy)

Some yummy wine we had, try it if you like Chardonnay.
(It's my favorite)

Dance partay!

My boys ♥

Rick & Holly
Such a fun couple and some of our best friends!

Last night we had a delicious chicken parmesan dinner over at the Martindale's! We love having friends with kids our kids' ages. Alissa is just 3 months older than Norah and Nolan is just 3 months older than Carson. So, for the most part they all love playing together. After dinner the daddy's had a dance party with their princesses, and the little boys and mommy's joined in too. Then the boys went to bed, while Norah and Alissa watched a new princess Disney movie. While they watched their movie the adults played Scatergories, it was lots of fun and was mine and Casey's first time playing it. Thanks Martindales for having us over, we'll do it again soon!

Days off....

2010-03-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

go by too fast!

How are 5 days off over before I know it? I know how; 2 kids, a hubby, a messy house, St. Patrick's Day celebrations, park play dates with our buddies, swimming lessons, preschool, working out, 10k runs, birthday parties, dinners with family and great friends and trips to Grandma and Grandpas house! Okay, so even when they go by fast I have a lot to show for them.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend

Sarah, me, Casey & Tiffany
Pre Foothills Dash 10k run Saturday morning!
What an amazing way to start off the 1st day of Spring

My babies enjoying each other at Grandma & Grandpa's house

Meadow~Jenna~Nolan
The 2 cuties with Nolan are 2 of Casey's cousins little girls!

Here's Jenna again, so cute! She was a bit shy at first but by the end of our visit her and Nolan were buds!

Norah spent most of the visit to Grandma and Grandpa's running around the yard with the boys! She had a blast and was so tired she even slept in this morning!

Nolan let me pose him up in this tree, but I almost had to throw down the camera as he started counting 3, 2, 1 blast off. That's what they count at swimming before they are about to jump into the water. I caught him and didn't hurt the camera either, so it was a success.

He is like a water magnet. Yes he tried to drink it, and dump it out, and splash it at the other kids....all boy!

2 more days.......

2010-03-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

.....until Spring!

It seems like it's already here though, we have been having gorgeous weather and we love it. Today we took a trip to the park, played in the sunshine, had a picnic, Nolan had his first meeting with Canadian geese and my 2nd favorite tree in my yard is in full bloom. The best part about this weather is that I am off work until Monday night and will be trying to enjoy every minute of it.

So.Much.Fun

2010-03-12T13:24:00.001-08:00

So, here are the pictures I have managed to sort through since being home from the beach. I think these are only about 20 of the 300+ pictures my hubby took while we were there. I love all of them and all the memories behind them. We couldn't have asked for a better family to share this trip with, we just love the Newgards and all the fun we have together. If you want to read a great post about our trip check out Tiffany's blog because I don't think I could capture it better if I tried.

Saturday was warm enough for rolled up pants and bare feet, yay!

Queen of the hill ♥

Fabulous view from our dining room window, oh how I miss it.

He tried to kiss her,

and, she did kiss him!

This was the side of one of the cute little beach houses just down the street.

Balancing act, I think Nolan only had one tumble off the log!

Nolan is always right behind his sissy, they both would have gone all the way in to the waves if we would have let them. They have no fear.

Nolan remembered the taste of sand and mud from our last trip and went for it.

And this was the result, dirty but happy. All boy!

Speaking of happy, Jackson is one happy little guy, and boy can he eat. I was impressed!

Happy #2, I seriously can't get enough of this smile ♥

More log play, good thing we brought rain boots.

One of my favorites, ♥ it.
If you look carefully you can see her little hand on his back, so sweet.

And my girl, she asked about 101 times if we could swim. We will go back to the beach this summer baby and you can swim!

Oh, and she poses for pictures too!

Me and my boy.

Love the silhouette pictures.

And the sunset ones, this is Norah.

After all the fun at the beach we had some dirty kids that were in desperate need of a bath.

Just a couple......

2010-03-09T15:44:00.001-08:00

Below is our "family" photo! My sweet little Norah had the great idea to get the whole "family" (as she calls it) in a picture together. All of us thought it was a great idea too. So, here are the Newgard and Suetta families just before leaving Moclips after our long, perfect weekend getaway!

♥ And here are our sweeties ♥

Stay tuned for many, many more pictures to come of our fun weekend getaway!

Sleep.....

2010-02-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

Who needs sleep anyways.....not me apparently. Cannot wait for this work stretch to be over, and the sad thing is it just started. After being up for 24 hours one would think exhaustion would set in and I would be off to a fabulous dream land....wrong! After a mere 5.5 hours of sleep I was up and awake, tried to go back to sleep and remembered I was going to marinate a some steak for Casey to BBQ later. So I though I'll get up real quick, make the marinade and head back to bed for a couple more hours. Well, that didn't happen! After searching the black hole that is my kitchen for all the parts to the food processor(unsuccessfully), finally getting the marinade done, and the steak back in the fridge there was no turning back, sad :-(

So I cleaned up, and am now enjoying some coffee and I am just hearing the first little sweet sounds of my kids waking up from their nap (at least they can sleep good). Casey is mowing the back yard and I can smell fresh cut grass, and the sun is shining and as soon as he's done me and the kids will go play outside for a bit. So not sleeping so hot isn't so bad after all, just look at all the things I am getting done ;-)

"How do I make myself feel better?"

2010-02-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

This is how yucky she feels :-(

My poor little girl

tired.....

Nolan's definitely feeling fine,
fingers & toes crossed that it stays that way!!!

Norah to me, "mommy, how do I make myself feel better?" This was the first thing out of her mouth this morning, and it seriously broke my heart. Poor little thing was up until 11 last night (and if you know us that is LATE for her) battling a 104 degree fever. Around 11 it finally was down to 101 and she drifted off to sleep. She has all the classic flu symptoms; vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills and a cough, but is being quite the little trooper through it :-( None of the rest of us have come down with it, thank God! So, today I will be cleaning, disinfecting, and praying that it stays that way.

My Valentines.....

2010-02-13T14:52:00.001-08:00

My 2 sweeties, the best Valentines ever ♥

Me and the kids spent the better part of friday afternoon making Valentines Day cards for daddy, and baking & decorating heart shaped cookies.

Norah with all her supplies, she going to be a little crafter!

Get those ladybug stickers buddy!

"more supplies please!"

Working very hard :-)

The finished masterpiece....for Norah more is definitely better!

I just love how Noley's turned out too!

Some of the yummy cookies we made. Norah especially like this, but I have a hunch that more of the frosting and candies went to her tummy than onto the cookies.

Norah had a birthday party to go to today and I got this idea for a Valentine's inspired hair style from a very crafty friend from high school. This is where I got it, she has lots of fun ideas on her blog! Thanks Autumn for the cute idea.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Happy (early) Valentine's Day!

One Amazing Story

2010-02-11T12:20:00.000-08:00

About 1 week ago I saw a post on a friend's facebook page asking for prayers for a family who she didn't even know. She posted a link to the family's blog and I have been following and praying for this amazing family ever since. I wanted to share it with all of you, if you read it you will most definitely shed some tears, so get your tissue out! But, besides the tears you will also be inspired by this family's incredible faith in God and the belief that He would heal their son. Their prayers and many others have been answered, and what an incredible thing to share!

This is Bronson, and it is his story I've been following! Click HERE to read his story, start on the February 1st post.

SLEDDING

2010-02-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

He's working really hard to climb up this little snowy hill!
Gotta have that tongue out to concentrate ;-)

Just sweet, I ♥ this one!

Saturday we went sledding, YAY! It was absolutely a blast and we cannot wait to go back! We headed up to Paradise, on Mt. Rainier with the beautiful sunshine and blue skies above us. The weather could not have been nicer. We went up with some of our best buddies; the Newgard and Martindale families, my sis Sarah and her bf Brandon. What a great group to have fun with! They have a great toddler slope as well as a big kid/adult one. The little kiddos mostly played on the toddler hill which was just perfect for them, and some of us ventured up to the big hill. Norah was so brave, once she did the big hill there was little time spent on the toddler hill the rest of the day! Nolan also had a blast and could not consume enough snow, every time I turned around he had his face in it :-) After playing for a couple of hours we ate lunch and headed home, just in time to avoid the crowd of people that were starting to show up. We had soooo much fun that we are planning to do it again in a couple of weeks!

Hands on Children's Museum

2010-01-29T14:54:00.001-08:00

This is Ms. Virginia, we love her.
She has been Norah's preschool teacher for the past 2 years!
Today was her last day teaching :-(

Norah, a little sad that it's Ms. Virginia's last day

Ok, there's that beautiful smile!

And, here's my silly little guy, in a bus...

up a tree house,

and, riding away on Thomas, or "Tommy" as Nolan calls him!

A HUGE thanks to my sis, Sarah for coming to the museum and helping me keep track of Nolan! I couldn't have made it through the trip without her :-)

A Weekend of Firsts

2010-01-25T13:35:00.001-08:00

*Norah's 1st time ice skating*

*Jackson's 1st birthday party*

*Nolan's first night in a big boy bed*

What a great weekend, but too short as it always is! The entire weekend was a blast starting friday night, when Casey and I got to go out for dancing and drinks with friends from my work.

Norah and I spent Saturday morning at the ice skating rink for her first try on the ice. She had a blast, only fell once and by the end could skate by herself with just the wall for some support. She even asked me if she could take lessons....we'll see about that one, I'm not sure where to fit it in between preschool, swim lessons, dance class and life? Saturday afternoon we attended one of our besties first birthday parties. It was a blast, and Tiffany, Jackson's mommy did an amazing job on his safari themed bash!

Sunday Grandma came over and brought the kids their new bunk beds, all ready for daddy to assemble! After a couple hours disassembling the toddler bed and crib and putting together the new bunk beds the kids were let loose to try them out. Nolan mastered the ladder quickly, and can now climb right up into bed with sissy. They took turns playing on each others beds and only took a few reminders and a child lock on the door for them to fall asleep. They both stayed in there respective beds all night long and woke up at their usual time. We only had 1 minor incident, I was awakened at 2am by Norah calling my name, she says "mommy don't be mad" Uh Oh, "I peed my bed" WHAT! She NEVER pees the bed. She then informed me that if I wouldn't have locked her in her room it wouldn't have happened! OMG I felt so bad, I completely forgot I put the child lock on the door. So I definitely don't win mommy of the year for that. Luckily though it was only a little pee and didn't really get past the sheet!

His new ride.....

2010-01-16T16:16:00.000-08:00

Here he is tryin' out his new bike that he got for his birthday! We got a quick trip in outside while the sun was peaking through the clouds and the rain had stopped falling. The part where he's trying it out only lasted a couple of minutes, he was distracted by the water running in the ditch and by Norah on her bike. I quickly went and got the stroller and he dropped the bike, and came to me with hands out saying " yes, yes". So I guess today he would rather ride in the stroller than on his bike, but I'm confident that by summer he will be loving it. I cannot wait for that, when I can take the 2 kids out on their bikes and go for a run along side them, those will be good times.

TWO

2010-01-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

From this....

to this.....

to this!

WoW!

I cannot believe it has been 2 years already! I thought the first couple of years with Norah went by fast, but that was nothing compared to the last 2 years with Nolan. The saying is true, "time flies when you are having fun" and that is definitely what we've been doing the last 2 years, having lots of fun!

Nolan,
You are amazingly strong, physically and mentally! You run, jump, climb and run some more. Sometimes even momma has a hard time keeping up with you ;-) You are saying new words and phrases daily, even if sometimes only mommy and daddy know what they are. You love you sissy, and she loves you so much, even when you take her toys! You love the movie Toy Story, especially Buzz Lightyear, and we thank auntie Leesha for this obsession. You have more Toy Story toys than Toys R Us! You are all boy, you love your cars, trucks, trains and airplanes and love to play rough. But, even in all that rough and tough play you are still the sweetest little boy I know. You are never to busy to give mommy a big hug and kiss, and this still melts my heart, and I hope this never changes.

Mommy, Daddy and Sissy LOVE you very, very much!
Happy 2nd Birthday baby boy.

The Party.....

2010-01-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

Here's the birthday boy opening up some presents,
I love the look on his face in this picture.
Ooooh, big trucks!

Momma and Noley opening up his 1st Woody toy,
he has a string on the back you pull and he says 20 different phrases!
We've been hearing Woody all morning :-)

Nolan's friends and family that came to help celebrate his birthday,
(starting top left) Dylan, Carson, Ashton, and Jackson(the boys)!
Mia, Bella, Avery, Alissa, Caitlyn, Breanna and Ruby(the girls)!
I missed getting pictures of a couple of our cousins, sorry Tyler and Ruby.

And time for the birthday song and cupcakes :-)
Nolan blew his candles out like an old pro, and enjoyed his cupcakes(probably 2 or 3) of them!

Here are his birthday cupcakes!

And a close up, he just loves Buzz Lightyear!

Thanks to all of our friends and family that joined us in celebrating his birthday, we had a blast during all the chaos! Nolan's birthday is actually tomorrow the 11th, and we are just going to have a quite day at home. Hopefully mommy will get my first 4 hours off of work and we can go out to a nice family dinner!

Growin' up

2009-12-30T14:16:00.001-08:00

Last night and I am counting down the hours until she gets home from her extended stay and Grandma and Grandpa's house! This is the longest I've been away from her and I can't stand it, I miss her so much. It does make me feel a bit better that each time I have talked to her she is cheerful and has an excitement about her voice that reassures me that she is having a great time with her Grandma, Grandpa and cousins. It even snowed there yesterday, about 3 inches and she has had the best time enjoying that. So, I only have about 16 hours left to go and I don't think I'll be letting her out of my site for awhile, weather she likes it or not :-)

Christmas recap....

2009-12-28T15:15:00.001-08:00

First off I just have to say this was by far the best Christmas I've had in a long time, and I'm sad to see it come and go so fast! It was such a special time for the kids and I loved all the time we got to spend together as a family!

Christmas eve the kids and I visited Casey's grandma and took her a little Christmas angel! She's getting pretty old and is pretty sick, but her eyes had a little sparkle in them while she visited with the kids. When Casey got home we went for a early dinner at one of our favorite local places, the Powerhouse. The food was yummy and we had almost the whole place to ourselves (good because the kids tend to be a bit loud these days). Then we drove around and looked at lights, came home opened up a few select gifts and tucked the kids into bed in their new Christmas jammies. After they were in bed I heard Norah telling Nolan to be quite and go to sleep or Santa won't come! SO CUTE!

To say that Christmas day flew by is an understatement, I got home from work around 7:30 and everyone was still asleep, but only for a couple more minutes. I quickly put cinnamon rolls in the oven to bake and got Casey up. My sister then joined us and the kids were now stirring! We enjoyed each other and our gifts! Casey and I had mimosa's and we all enjoyed gooey, warm cinnamon rolls. The kids and I napped and then we headed to my Dad's for dinner. It was fabulous as always and we had a lot of fun watching the kids play and open more gifts.

After a good nights sleep we drove down to Casey's parents to spend some time with them. We arrived to a tree full of presents for the kids and Christmas cookies waiting on the table. We had a yummy dinner and relaxing night. Sunday was spent relaxing and enjoying the company. We headed back Sunday night minus one member of the family. Norah stayed with Casey's parents and cousins, and isn't due home until Thursday. I can admit their were a few tears shed when driving away from the house, and they weren't Norah's they were mine. She's never stayed anywhere by herself for that long. I hope it goes well, but I already miss her and won't be sad if she want's to come home early.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T23:36:00.000-08:00

We hope that everyone enjoyed their Christmas just as much as we did! The anticipation has been building for weeks and today it was finally here. The kids loved every minute of it from waking up and seeing what Santa brought them, to having yummy cookies before bedtime at Papa's house. We are so blessed to have been able to spend this wonderful holiday with our closest family, and there's more, tomorrow we head down to Casey's parents for more Christmas fun!
Merry Christmas everyone!

That's Tasty!

2009-12-23T13:59:00.001-08:00

This is how Noley helps me bake cookies for Christmas!

Tree time!

2009-12-14T14:53:00.001-08:00

Norah was the 1st to put up an ornament on the tree this year!

She decorated her little heart out.

While Nolan did this....

and this!

Here's the finished product!

And, one of my most favorite ornaments!
*****
We went and cut down our perfect Christmas tree on Saturday morning, but didn't have time to decorate it until yesterday afternoon! It was a very busy, fun weekend. Casey and I got the lights on it while the kids were napping and when they woke up the decorating was on! Norah had the most fun of all of us, she would have done the whole tree by herself if she could have reached. So while her and I decorated, and Casey took pictures, Nolan played in the boxes, ate lots of cheeto puffs and tried to undecorate our tree several times ;-) Once we finished our big tree Norah headed to her and Nolan's room to decorate their small one, what a fun afternoon we had!

The NUTCRACKER

2009-12-12T07:59:00.001-08:00

The Nutcracker

Norah with the Nutcracker after the ballet

Norah with her bestie Alissa

Me and my girl!

Yesterday Me and my friend Holly took our the girls to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker, at Macaw Hall in Seattle. It was so much fun to watch the excitement and anticipation on the girls' faces. The girls did great during the entire performance and it was a great experience for them. Norah says her favorite part was when the Nutcracker and Mouse king fight, and she must have asked me 20 times if the mouse king was real. She might like to dress up and put on momma's makeup, but she's definitely not a girly girl! I think this is going to be a new tradition for me and Norah during the Holidays.

Turkey Day!

2009-11-30T16:11:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving family photo!

We had a fun, low key Thanksgiving at my Dad's house this year! I worked the night before, got home in the morning, finished some food preparations then headed to bed for a "nap". Once the kids and I were up we made our way to my Dad's and had a fabulous Turkey dinner complete with all the fixens and much more. We had enough food to feed twice the people that were there, but there were lots of left overs and none went to waste. We also had more pie than we could ever have eaten in one sitting, but I made sure to sample at least 3 of them! After dinner we played a friendly game of poker, which I won....beginners luck they called it! It was a fun night with my wonderful family that I am so thankful for!
On Friday morning we went down to Casey's parents to have Thanksgiving with them. So on Saturday night we got to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner #2! It was also very good, with good dessert to follow. Sunday Casey's mom and I took the kids shopping, and got pictures with Santa! His mom also got me a massage witch I enjoyed while she looked after the little people, THANKS Jamie. The boys took advantage of us not being around by perusing several different sporting good stores, Casey came home with a new little fishing rod just for backpacking. We had leftovers for dinner then headed for home.

I am so thankful for my family and all the fun memories we are creating for the kids! I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my holiday!!!!

Rain, rain go away......

2009-11-19T14:13:00.000-08:00

...but until it does, here's what we've been up to when it's not nice enough to go outside!

* Hot bubble baths

* Baking, Norah is quite the little chef!

* Playing at the indoor play area in the mall

* Lots of coloring and creating, Nolan's even taken a liking to crayons(and not just eating them)!

* Play dates with friends, for the kids and Mommy & Daddy too :-)

* Movie time, what could be better than a snack, juice and a movie after a nice long nap!

30 - 1

2009-11-12T14:24:00.001-08:00

Yep, that's how old I turned yesterday!
I had this yummy strawberry swirl cheesecake to help me celebrate.

Happy birthday song and blowing out the candles, the kids loved this but didn't understand why when they pulled the candles out to lick them there was no icing?

Big hugs for Momma on her birthday :)

Norah with my brother and dad. My sister and Casey also helped me celebrate but they didn't manage to get in any of the pictures.

*****
And I'll leave you with this.
Casey said after searching he found the perfect card for me, and this is so him!
Thanks babe, I'm glad I still "got it" !

Halloween Fun !

2009-11-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

Here are our pumpkins
Norah designed her and Nolan's(2 on the Left) & I carved them

Superman !

My little heros

Norah helped Nolan at all the houses,
and he followed her like a little puppy dog ;-)

Nolan and his friend Carson takin a little break

Norah and Alissa enjoying some of their Halloween treats!

Costumes at the Patch

2009-10-28T15:01:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday we attended a birthday/costume party at the pumpkin patch! It was a great time and we got to try out the kids' costumes, which I absolutely love and am so happy with. The day was perfect with sunny skies, no rain and very little mud. The kids had a yummy brunch, birthday cake, animal sightings, corn mazes, sawdust piles and pumpkin picking. Nolan also had a few minor injuries including a finger nibbling from a piggie, and a bonk in the face from one heavy duty hula hoop. Poor kid had a rough day, prior to these 2 incidents he fell off the bleachers at soccer not five minutes before having to get his head extracted from those same bleachers. He was such a sport and only really cried when his head was wedged in those dang bleachers! Hopefully he'll be accident free for a while, fingers crossed. Norah was the perfect little wonder woman and got to go to her first slumber party that day. She had a blast, with the exception of waking up with a low grade fever that only lasted about 24 hours and was not accompanied by any other symptoms, YAY! We are looking forward to carving pumpkins tomorrow night and going trick-or-treating on Halloween :-)