Catching up....

Over Memorial Day my mom came to visit. We took her to our zoo. Ty and Gracie loved seeing all the animals and eating their lunch as we walked.

This was the last thing we did and was Gracie's favorite!


I had to stand over the ledge to get this picture, he was waiting for his lunch.


This was the coolest thing to watch. These polar bears were putting on a show.


My Ty-Ty what a goof ball! Love him!


Gracie girl was all smiles watching the monkeys play.

Birthday Box Continued

Remember my birthday box? Much to my surprise this was one of the gifts:


I was so excited to go see Carrie Underwood in concert. I hadn't been to a concert in a long time and I love Carrie. She is my favorite American Idol and it was the only year where I really voted. Pretty much I made her a star! :) Ok, not really but I think she has some major vocals!

My mom was in town so I took her. It was a blast! Thank you to my husband for being so incredibly thoughtful.

Carrie was amazing! And I love this outfit she wore.


She sang for two hours straight and did not disappoint. I have always thought she comes across as very grateful and somewhat humble. After she sang her hit, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" she went into singing "How Great Thou Art".


Sorry I realize she is showing some skin here, but it was a great clear picture. And I want her legs.


I had forgotten how much fun concerts can be. It was a great night.

It was time...

for a haircut!

Ty's hair was getting so shaggy in back and for fear of him being called "mullet ty" I had to give him a trim.

We just trimmed the back.


We learned how difficult it is to cut a toddler's hair. Not easy!


Don't look too close. Ty didn't like getting his hair cut. He wasn't sure what was going on.


My little boy! I love this little guy and even though I was a little sad to see the hair go especially since it was curls, at least it is just hair.


So no more possible mullet.

A mommy's job

One of our speakers at church today started off her talk today with this. I found it to be quite appropriate.

What is being a mom - really?

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Must provide on-the-site training in basic life skills, such as nose blowing. Must have strong skills in negotiating, conflict resolution and crisis management. Ability to suture flesh wounds a plus. Must be able to think out of the box but not lose track of the box, because you most likely will need it for a school project. Must reconcile petty cash disbursements and be proficient in managing budgets and resources fairly, unless you want to hear, "He got more than me!" for the rest of your life.

Also, must be able to drive motor vehicles safely under loud and adverse conditions while simultaneously practicing above mentioned skills in conflict resolution. Must be able to choose your battles and stick to your guns. Must be able to withstand criticism, such as "You don't know anything." Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.

Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices.

Also, must have a highly energetic entrepreneurial spirit, because fund-raiser will be your middle name. Must have a diverse knowledge base, so as to answer questions such as "What makes the wind move?" or "Why can't they just go in and shoot Sadam Hussein?" on the fly. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION:
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

It's so nice to have a day dedicated to showing our appreciation for motherhood. We truly do have the hardest job but I feel it can be the most rewarding too.

Here are two reasons why I love being a mommy.









Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful women who are, who want to be, and who will be mommy's. The best job there is!

The Birthday Box

So, everyone wanted to know what was in the birthday box. Well, many fun things and I am sure I will blog about a few of them as they come up. The big gift that was at the bottom of the box was an envelope.

Kevin arranged for us a night at a bed and breakfast on the Oregon Coast. We went to a place called the Channel House at Depoe Bay. It was lovely.



We drove down to Portland a couple nights before and enjoyed some time with my sister and dad. Then we left on Friday during the twins nap. We stopped at Lincoln City and walked the beach, went into the shops and ate some lunch at Mo's.



The Channel House was amazing, and very serene. It sits on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The waves crashed against the rocks all night long. It was extremely peaceful. We stayed in the Admirals Suite which is located on the top floor and had a jacuzzi on our deck.



It was so relaxing to have the night off from being mommy and get to spend some time alone together. I highly recommend it.



Thanks to Auntie Mel and Grandpa for taking such good care of my little ones.



Thank you to my sweetheart for a wonderful weekend. I hope we can go back sometime.

No Phone Zone

I am not one to get on my soapbox and lecture about what I think you should be doing. But I am with Oprah on this one. I feel very strongly that we need to make our cars a no phone zone while driving.

I have complained(nagged) to Kev about how he is constantly talking on the phone while driving and he shouldn't be. Not only is he putting his own life at risk but all the others on the road. I just can't imagine being one of those tragic, horrible stories that you always hear about.

I am watching Oprah right now and I have been brought to tears as I have watched some of these personal stories shared.

Now that I am a mom I just feel things in a different way and I don't ever want my child to be a victim of distracted driving or responsible for. Of course not only my children but any loved ones. There are too many other things in this world that we can't control but distracted driving isn't one of them. We can prevent these tragic accidents from occurring.

That's why I have gone to Oprah.com and taken her no phone zone pledge. And I am encouraging you to do the same.

Just like I don't want my babies on the road with drunk drivers, I don't want them on the road with distracted drivers either.

A Great Day

I am coming to terms with the fact that age is simply just a number. As much as I would like that number to be 25 it is now 27. I am okay with that because I don't feel any older. However, when that number is 30 I may not feel this way. Anyway, I had a wonderful birthday. Kevin took the day off and we headed up north past Seattle to the tulip festival. It was beautiful!

There are fields and fields of beautiful tulips. We stopped at these fields real quick to get a picture.




I kept thinking about the planning that must go into planting the tulip bulbs in different color arrangements. I was impressed with how well the colors looked next to each other.


The coral pink color was stunning.


We went to Tulip Town and took Ty and Gracie on a trolley ride to see the fields.


They had an indoor portion with tulip bouquets displayed with their names. I loved this one.


On our way home we stopped at the great outlet malls and did a little shopping. Then we ate at PF Changs in Seattle which was delicious. When we got home I blew out my candles on my banana ice cream cake. Mmmmm yum!


It was a wonderful birthday and Kevin spoiled me with this huge gift full of lots of fun surprises. He is the best, most thoughtful, creative person.


So, my first day of being 27 was pretty great!