All About the Girls

Christmas!!

2012-02-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

Yummy Christmas Breakfast with Tim's parents....cinnamon rolls and ham and scrambled eggs and hot chocolate bar...complete with menus made by Kaylee.

Modeling their new Christmas dresses before leaving for church....super cute!

Tim joined us after church for present opening....super fun for the girls to have Daddy there :)

New marshmallow shooter....awesome, since their old ones have long since bit the dust!

Kaylee made a coupon book for Gracie for origami lessons, science experiments, etc. Love that my girls are so thoughtful!!

Modeling the Christmas jammies....didn't get a pic on Christmas Eve, oops!

Aubrey looooooves her new dress-ups!

And Kaylee loooved this new dress from Grandma Donna, so pretty!!

Daddy carried on the sock tradition for the girls and they all had toe socks :)

Christmas Eve

2012-02-05T17:21:00.000-08:00

When Aunt Kristina called to see if we wanted to go geo-cacheing on Christmas Eve, we dropped the sewing and hit the road for Bridal Veil Falls!

The girls LOVED these rocks!!

So much that Aubrey moped for the fam picture since she had to get off for a minute....

Still moping....

Grace and Ethan exploring the creek....

Anna and Kaylee sharing secrets....

And Kaylee found the second stash!!! She was pretty proud! And note, Gracie is now the one moping....

Home for presents with Grandma and Grandpa!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

2012-02-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Annual Santa Claus visit at the Morgans :)

Gracie hard at work on the finger puppets she made Aubrey (see below), these are sooo cute and make whoever sits behind us in church laugh every week!!

Kaylee hard at work on the wallets she made for her friends and sisters...didn't get a picture of the finished products, but they were super cute, as well!

Gracie snuck pipe cleaners into church on Christmas.....at least she made something for the season, can you see the Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, in a stable with an angel and a star? Love this!

Christmas at the Fort

2012-02-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

Fort Vancouver has great activities for Christmas....you get to go and make old-school presents and see all the regular stuff decked out for Christmas. Pretty cool :)

This was the first one that Kaylee was interested in participating...yes, that's her with the saw!

Gracie made every single craft, she's wearing her wreath as a crown and pounding her top :)

Even Aubrey got into the top making....thanks for helping, Diane!

Decemberish

2012-02-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

This was too funny not to take a picture of!!!

Our annual excursion to the Vancouver Christmas Tree Lighting!

The girls love being able to carry the tree!!

Zoo Lights!!

More silly Aubrey....

Gracie's turn to love on Alara while babysitting!

Wahkeena Falls

2012-01-04T19:05:00.000-08:00

Decided it was a great day for a hike, so we took off on one! Beautiful Wahkeena Falls with my fave girls!!

Checking out the slugs with their magnifying glasses!!

Gracie

Kaylee

Self-portait of the four of us. Wowzers, do I love these girls!!!!!

Me and my hiking buddy :)

The big girls at the upper part of the falls.

Loving life!!!

This and that

2012-01-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

I just thought she looked as adorable as the shirt said she did!!!

Just documenting so that I can finally toss them....Kaylee made this in first grade as part of a big research project on ladybugs.

And Grace made this beehive just for fun by poking holes in an old cardboard spacefiller.

At the zoo :)

Bonneville Dam

Aubrey with Aunt Kristina....love their cute smiles!

Kaylee at the zoo with the black bears :)

Gracie at the zoo with the bald eagles :)

Updating...

2012-01-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

So I guess I should update this thing!!! First off, update to the bead in the nose. Cuz yes, there's an update!!! So EIGHT days after we went to the ER (and no discharge or fever like they said there would be), Kaylee was home from school with one of her really bad headaches. Well, she'd also been having some weird heart issues and her pediatrician had told me to bring her straight into the office if one happened while she was on duty. Sure enough, she had an episode that afternoon so I brought her in. Turns out Kaylee just had a weird virus. Aubrey hadn't been feeling too well, but I didn't think much of it and dropped her at a friend's on the way so that I didn't have to stress her with the EKG. Should've brought her with me....oh, well. So that was Monday. Tuesday, Gracie woke up barely able to breathe and had two asthma attacks before noon, so we were back to the doctor. Turns out she had an infection in the lining of her lungs. Awesome. Nothing a little Flovent didn't cure, though. So after her breathing treatment, I asked Dr. Ebbing if she would mind looking in Aubrey's nose since she still was convinced the bead was there. It only took a glance to determine that the bead was STILL THERE!!!! And so stuck and lodged that we had to come back the next day so the ENT could extract it. Oh, and let's not forget that it was so lodged that after 15 minutes, Dr. Liu gave me the option of coming back later to do it under anesthesia. Seriously? Well, she wasn't kicking anyone, so as long as I was okay with the screaming, she would try again. Please do!!! It did come out and we were all shocked by how big it was and she said that the ER doc should be embarrassed he missed it. And yes, you read that right, THREE days in a row at the doctor's. Fast forward a week....I get a call from my daycare that Aubrey has hives. Awesome. So I take her in because she is also developing a cough. Dr. Ebbing said she felt like she should give us one of those frequent visit cards, you know the buy ten get one free type! Well, they get her all drugged up on benadryl like meds and check out everything else. Dr. Ebbing casually asks the last time her tubes were checked. Um, this kid doesn't have tubes!! So, after determining that there is a green something in her ear canal, we get to sit through a wash until the little stick-on rhinestone came out. Hives never came back. And why should they? After all, aren't hives your body's way of saying it doesn't like some foreign agent that's in it? (Oh, and I should mention that when we went to the dentist a couple weeks later, she may have freaked out a bit and ended up just getting her teeth brushed with a toothbrush instead of the normal buffers....lol.)

Happily Ever After

2011-11-20T00:44:00.000-08:00

Do you ever fall asleep in the middle of a movie? I do....all the time. And I usually wake up just in time to see the end, to see everything wrapped up with a neat little bow, to see the characters live happily ever after. You'd think that would be okay....that I could just be happy knowing the ending. After all, isn't that what we wish for so often? We just want to know how things are going to end up. But even knowing the end, I want to see the middle. I want to see how the characters got to where they ended up. Because, really, when it comes down to it, life is all middle. We know the ending. We know that everything works out eventually. We know that Heavenly Father has a way of taking care of loose ends, if not in this life, than in the next. What we don't know is what happens to get there. And that's the part I always have to rewind to see. To see what happens in order to get to the ending. Because, even though we all want the happy ending, and even though we know its coming, what we really want to know is how we get there from here.

Pumpkins, take two!

2011-10-26T22:52:00.000-07:00

Three little witches....Gracie is the Witch of the East (the one the house fell on...complete with ruby slippers), Kaylee is the Good Witch of the South, and Aubrey is the Witch of Halloween (yes, only one of these actually makes an appearance in the movie, but they are all from the Wizard of Oz....at least according to the girls :)

Perfect timing! With our original pumpkins rotting on our porch (what's up with the turbo rotting this year, anyway??), we went out to my mom and dad's to get new ones with the cousins...yay!!!

Check out Gracie's Design!! Just realized that I don't have pics of the finished product, so I'll have to take one tomorrow and get it up....

Aubrey wasn't as into it this time (could be the lack of sleep from the ER visit the night before), especially when the pumpkin guts started flying!! So she left us for jammies and the couch right after this pic.

Kaylee thought it was funny to make it look like her arm was going all the way through the pumpkin and out the table....

Pumpkin guts everywhere!!!

And I do mean everywhere!!! We had a friend over to help carve and they just "happened" to flick some seeds at the girls....which was all they needed to start chucking pumpkin guts everywhere!! Which was really pretty fun....and it all cleans up, so no biggie....fun times!

Went to a Halloween party where Kaylee got to do her FAVORITE activity---catching a donut on a string with her mouth...that girl LOVES donuts!!

Beads....

2011-10-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

So Aubrey had her first ER visit....little stinker came out after I put her to bed and told me that she couldn't get the bead out of her (bloody!!!) nose....what? There's a bead IN your nose??? So after checking it out with a flashlight and not finding it, we headed in to the ER. Super fun when they told me that she sniffed it back so far that she probably swallowed it....Yikes!!! What a trooper!

Quick Park Trip

2011-10-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to have some warmish weather and it was light enough to hit the park after work last week. Soooo nice to enjoy some playtime!!!

2011-10-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Pat and Uncle Dick stopped by for a quick visit....soooo good to see them!!!

Pumpkins!!!

2011-10-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

Grandma Donna and Grandpa Tim were kind enough to save some super huge pumpkins for the girls to pick out and carve....

Grandma laughing at how proud Gracie was that she could carry hers and not roll it!

Well, maybe rolling's not so bad!!

Some gihugic carving!!

Separating the seeds....our friend Kim helped here since separating the slimy seeds isn't really my thing and I never have luck roasting them anyway....these were the BEST EVER!!! Thanks Kim!!

Aubrey loved scooping out the guts!!

The finished products :)

We love babies!!

2011-10-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to go and meet baby Alara, Aunt Mandie and Uncle John's new addition---what a sweetie!!!

The girls all "fought" over how long each turn was and when it was their turn again!

Aww!! Isn't this the cutest?? Congrats to Mandie and John! Love you!!

Yes, I know its just a commercial....

2011-10-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

I love this commercial....because it's how I try to live my life....look for the fun, dance in the living room, make the best of what I have to work with....Don't stop!! And because I want to be part of the couple that continues to dance in the living room and dance in the backyard at a BBQ with my grandkids and kids. Anyways, I just love it.

Silver Falls

2011-09-30T23:06:00.000-07:00

Had the opportunity to go explore Silver Falls and I took it!! Beautiful area that I've only ever heard about, but never visited. Well worth it!!! So many beautiful waterfalls and caves....the girls had a great time....even though they thought we were trying to starve them on a trail that never seemed to end!!! This first shot is Kaylee and Gracie checking out the caves and skylights behind Upper South Falls.

Kaylee and her new friend Sophie bonding....Kaylee likes to look at dirt and things under her magnifying glass, Sophie loves bugs.....just so happens that this scoop of dirt had tiny bugs in it!! Friends forever. LOL

So cool to walk behind a couple of the waterfalls, and no, I don't remember which ones were which!!!

Aubrey and I posing for a shot....I think she may be getting to point where she's going to have to walk....guess we will be back to the shorter hikes for a year or two!!

Gracie posing (Upper South Falls).....we were waiting for Kaylee to go back and put shoes on after she tried to get by with flip flops.....good thing we didn't get very far before I noticed!!! Some of our friends were waiting for us under the falls in the pic, so it was fun to wave to them :)

Kaylee in front of....um....I don't know which falls!!! Guess all I remember is that first one!! Maybe this is Lower South Falls, but I'm really not sure!!

Thanks for a great hike everyone!! Even those of you who whined more than the kids!!!

SOLV (service on lovely vancouver)

2011-09-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so that's not really what SOLV stands for....and it was not so lovely as it was the ONLY rainy day in a quite a fantastic string of nice weather....but we had a great time helping clean up our city and all my lovelies helped!! We carried branches and raked, and carried branches, and well, carried branches.....What a cool feeling to know that hundreds of people were in different locations all over the city helping to beautify our urban trails and parks and waterfronts!! Love this!!

Kaylee working hard!!

Aubrey and Gracie taking a break to examine a bug or two

Gracie was such a hard worker....until she got cold....and anyone who's ever seen Gracie turn blue when she's cold is familiar with the tears that brings!!!

Even Aubrey didn't back away from the hard labor!! Way to go girls!!!

Pacific City/Cape Meares

2011-09-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe one more beach trip....who could resist with weather like this??

Spent Friday night and Saturday at Pacific City with some great friends.....what a fun beach!!!

Trying out some features on my camera app....some of them are fun, some didn't turn out very well, but it was fun to make them a little different!

Playing in the water with the girls....it was sooo warm outside, but the wind was a little chilly, and the water was freezing!!! I think I might be deaf from the screams, but we kept going in again....what fun!!!

Gracie was trying to dig to China.....Aubrey is demonstrating how deep the hole is....

After Kim helped her dig it a little deeper....

After Kaylee informed us that we would hit moulten first (be proud, Aunt Kristina!), Kima helped the girls dig to the water....

This little stinker was in rare form, destroying her sisters' creations and being a pill!

Aubrey running from the water...super cute!

Kaylee made this dinner tray...I think there is silverware, a cup, a couple of bowls....genius!

Posing at the top of one of the sand dunes...Kaylee and I went a lot higher and ran down...what a rush!

Running down the dunes (Gracie)

Aubrey

And Kaylee didn't settle for just running....she had to jump obstacles, as well!!

Beautiful view from the back side of the dunes

Aubrey and I at Cape Meares

The view from Cape Meares

Kaylee in front of the lighthouse at Cape Meares. What another great weekend!!!

Hamilton Mountain

2011-09-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hiked the Hamilton Mountain Trail on Labor Day with a bunch of friends....since it is almost ten miles, it's not a trail that I've ever taken my kids on and have looked forward to having an opportunity to do so....and I was not disapointed!!! What a great time....and it was absolutely beautiful!! And don't worry, the girls had a great time geo-caching and watching a hot air balloon land at my parents'....so they had a great day, too!

Did I mention the trail is steep??? And of course, we took the more difficult route (it was the most scenic!).

At the top with Mt. Hood in the background.

At the top with Mt. Adams in the background....and Table Mountain which is my next dream hike.....

Beautiful view of the Gorge....and, yes, if you've been on facebook, that is me jumping in the waterfall and it was absolutely fantastic!! So much so that I did it again....whew, that was cold!

First Day of School

2011-09-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the start of another school year! The summer went by so fast, but I feel so blessed to have gotten to go so many new places, meet new friends, and cram a summer of activities into the three weeks the girls were home before starting back to school. Thanks to all the amazing people in my life who help make it possible for me to be a good mom to my beautiful girls. Kaylee was a little apprehensive about starting Fourth Grade, and her first day didn't really help that....after getting her headaches finally under control this summer, she is going to have to learn to adjust to the noise of recess and lunch....however, she is excited to have her two best friends in her class and to help the wheel-chair kids, as well as start Excel in a couple weeks. Gracie is very excited to start First Grade and has loved every second so far. She is loving her new glasses and she looks pretty darned cute in them!! She loves being able to read the board and see her friends across the playground at recess (guess she was a little blinder than we thought!!). She got used to them pretty quickly and now wears them full-time, putting them on when she gets up and wearing them till she goes to bed. And being the social butterfly, she informed me that she is friends with everyone in her class. I can't believe how grown up they are, and I look forward to watching them grow and learn and flourish even more in the coming years!!!

One last awesome beach trip!

2011-09-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

The cutest little turtle you ever did see! Thanks Kim for the carving!

A pic of the momma....camping with the girls....what a great time! And what a great ratio....three little girls, three grown up (kind of) girls :)

Playing in the seaweed at Cape Lookout....yuck!

Kaylee and Gracie showing off their "whole" seashells! Too bad they were both missing the top, lol!

This was Gracie's first day with glasses and it was so cute to watch her look around at everything as we drove around, and to see her see a sky full of stars for the first time was incredible!! She wasn't wearing them full-time yet, but she certainly enjoyed being able to see!! Not to mention she looks pretty cute in them....

Family shot

Thanks for hanging with us for the morning, Diane!

On to Cannon Beach for the afternoon....running through the pools

and swimming in them till they started getting bitten by something.....eww!

On our way to explore the tidepools by Haystack

Surprise! I'm never patient enough to get the pics in order.....back to Cape Lookout...

with my mini-me :)

Back to Haystack with the starfish....the tide was so far out that everything was exposed and smelly!!! We didn't stay long before we were back to playing up the beach.....

Spent Saturday in Naselle with our good friends the Crawfords....had a great time playing in their creek!

....and riding the quads!

making new friends....Aubrey and Dillon were just the same age and played together really well!

And what a small world....Kim came with us and it turns out the Crawfords know her family.....gotta love small towns! Thanks for a great trip, everyone!!

Camping at Panther Creek

2011-09-01T23:56:00.000-07:00

We went camping with my sisters and their families and my parents to Panther Creek....beautiful waterfall and such a great time!!

My mom with Kaylee....happy birthday, Mom!!!

Aubrey loved that she could walk on this log all by herself. And proceeded to give me a heart attack by doing it ALL the time!!!

Grace showing off her kitchen...complete with an opening oven with a tray of cookies!

Kaylee with her kitchen....she is cooking "broccoli cheddar soup" over a fire.....she also had an oven and a coat hook, and all kinds of other fun things.

Group shot before they totally got in the creek....crawdads, fish, tadpoles, and girls and boys having a great time!

Group shot on the bridge....

Family shot on the lookout to the waterfall

Kaylee and Aubrey (not bobrey....)

Gracie and Aubrey (still not bobrey....)

Aubrey was pretty proud of herself for hiking the trail all by herself....with her backpack and everything. Super cute!

The Girls are Back!!!

2011-09-01T23:31:00.000-07:00

So excited to see them!!! I absolutely could not wait for them to get off the plane! This is as we got home....we spent the day jumping on the trampoline and then snuggled for a movie....so nice to have them home!!!

Our first outing wasn't for a few days....they were pretty excited to just hang out at home for a while....but then the weather got warm and we had to hit the beach after work one day....here's my superstar Aubrey :)

Gracie, my little fish that just loved playing in the water!!

All three girls with Mt. Hood in the background....we could also see Mt. Jefferson, watched airplanes at taking off, sailboats...etc....we stayed until after the sun went down, I think we were one of the last groups off the beach (at Wintler)....but it stayed warm and light, so why leave?!

And last but not least, Kaylee who was experimenting to discover exactly why rivers need dredging....she made a fantastic waterfall river that kept getting wider and shallower....

Love these girls!!! I just love my life!!

While the girls were away.....

2011-09-01T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Mom went and played!!! And played and played and played some more.....I don't think I did anything productive this summer at all....my garden got overgrown, I didn't take any classes, my house pretty much stayed at the same level of messiness as when the girls left....but for six weeks I enjoyed no responsibilities for the first time in my life but was absolutely ready for the girls to come home and get back to real life!

Okay, so these are terribly out of order, but you'll get the idea! This is on a drive down the coast, near Newport I think...we drove all the way down to Yahachts.

Oceanside....beautiful place to watch the sunset!

Haystack Rock Tidepools, we also went to the ones below Yaquina Head in Newport, but these were better!

I hiked some of the urban hikes nearly every Thursday with friends....this is from Rocky Butte, also went to Beacon Rock, Forest Park, Mt Tabor and prob some that I am forgetting....

Astoria Column....love this city! Always feels like coming home....

View from the top of the column...looking towards Saddle Mountain. We could also see Mt. St. Helens which surprised me, since I'd never seen it from there before.

Des Moines, also went to downtown Seattle to feed the seagulls at Ivers. I thought I was being punked for sure when my friends were telling me what to do, but then they joined in and it was a super fun experience!

Looking towards the Astoria Bridge.

Jetboats in Grants Pass.....this was amazing!!!!

View of Mt. Rainier over Lake Tapps....what a great view from the patio of where I was staying....I could've stayed all month for a view like that!

Yes, the sign does say California!!! What a crazy fun weekend with Kim and Diane! Thanks girls for humoring my need to document our trek to Cali...

The Redwoods.....never been here before and it was absolutely incredible!!!!!

Seriously no words for how incredible this was! I can't wait to go back!

More of the Redwoods

My fave waterfall in the Gorge, Latourell....also, got to discover just how big a large ice cream cone is at that little place in Cascade Locks...crazy big! And I can't believe we finished it!!!

One more from the Redwoods, this was a cool burl that looked like a face :)

Rafting on the Mackenzie River near Eugene....I missed the Deschutes this year, but this was good too, just FREEZING!!!!!

This is where we ate a super yummy breakfast on our Champagne Brunch jetboat tour....lol, no champagne consumed, and we met the cutest, most polite boy ever. Too bad he was only 8. But he made for some super delightful breakfast conversation!

"Shoot! I left my ammo in the car!" Words I never have heard in my tent before! Lol!!!

The lighthouse in Crescent City....and ironically enough, California was the only place we saw rain on our trip....

One more from Grants Pass....this is as we headed into Hellgate Canyon. What an incredible view...turkey vultures, bald eagles, deer, super fun spinning, what an awesome ride!!!

Our view for a couple hours while enjoying some people watching....there were only about 5 other people on the beach since you have to hike a ways into it, but they were an entertaining 5 people!!

View from the top of my 4th of July hike....Angel's Rest

Dancing with my girl Jenelle on the Portland Spirit

Kim and I look like the Beavers Booster Club....kinda felt like a traitor borrowing a Beavs sweatshirt since the guy I was dating at the time was a HUGE Ducks fan....lol

The view from the top of Cape Lookout...gorgeous!!!!

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Beavers fan or not, I seriously live in the best place ever!! What a great summer of beautiful places!!!

Ape Caves

2011-06-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

These pictures are totally out of order, but we went to the Ape Caves on Saturday with some friends....had a fabulous time hiking through the long one! Even if it was a mile longer than we were originally told!!! (thanks J....)

The girls hiding in one of the little caves on the trail back with their new friend, C.

Kaylee :)

Here we are at the end of the tube.....made it through safe and sound---and I was the only one who got hurt!! I did an awesome faceplant at one point and took a chunk out of my chin....and my knees are currently very colorful...greens and yellows and purples and blacks.....

Aubrey had a pretty sweet ride through the caves....and I only bumped her head once....thanks everyone for a great trip!!!

Mary Poppins

2011-06-30T23:19:00.000-07:00

Continuing our Broadway tradition, we went to see Mary Poppins this year....and loved it! Fun to dress up and go to a grown-up play together!!

In front of the awesome waterfalls by the Keller in downtown.

Kaylee loves waiting for the stars to come out the stage door and get autographs. Here she is with the girl who played Jane....

....and Mary Poppins!!

This one's out of order....but this is inside....what a great show!!!

End of School

2011-06-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

Kaylee's new cast :)

Gracie at Kindergarten graduation with the best teacher ever!!!! Molly Vis, we love you!!!

Sleepy girl on the floor at Gramma and Grampa's

Aubrey and Kaylee snuggling :)

Gracie and her new glasses....

Spokane!

2011-06-30T23:06:00.000-07:00

So I got a chance to go to a Financial Aid conference in Spokane with some friends and co-workers. What a fun trip!! I learned a ton and had some good times. And since I don't scrapbook or anything any more, I figure I'll just post the pics here for laughs later :) This first one we took because we realized on like the third day that we hadn't gone anywhere that we couldn't have gone at home....and that every Red Robin must have a Statue of Liberty!!

Yeah, there's a story here....no, it's not going to be told on this blog!!

This was by far the biggest little red wagon I've ever seen!! We stopped here after riding the gondola over Spokane Falls which was amazing!!!

In front of Spokane Falls....absolutely incredible!! I've never seen a waterfall like this before!!!

This was the upper falls...still spectacular!

What a great view from the plane of Mt. Hood!!!

Beach Trip!!!

2011-06-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

Took the girls to Canon Beach for Memorial Day....had a great time! It was warm, we played in the water, made sandcastles, Kaylee mostly flew her kite so that she could keep from getting her splint wet. Played hard and then it all of a sudden got cold, started sprinkling and we packed up....by the time we got to the car it was raining. So we headed to Tillamook for ice cream and squeaky cheese :)

Mt Rainier

2011-06-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

This was our first stop....loved seeing how the creekbed was red, but no where else was. Also learned just how recently the last time Mt. Rainier erupted was---1947!!! I had no idea!!

The old Hot Springs

Inside the old cabin that the guy (I can't remember his name) had built when he founded the Hot Springs...

Super big trees!!!

Narada Falls

This and that and a big ouch

2011-05-29T23:48:00.000-07:00

So one of my good friends has kids that are exactly matching ages with mine....its perfect! They each have someone to play with and we can help each other out or just hang. I helped her with a birthday party a couple weeks ago and the girls LOVED skating....at Golden Skate....which, let me tell you, looks EXACTLY the same as when I was a kid. Pretty sure they are even the same skates (gross!). Of course, since they were skating, I don't have many pics, but it was a great time. And what a work out helping a spaghetti noodle 5 year old skate for the first time! What a crack up, and no, she wasn't one of mine...

Kaylee was quite the speed demon!

And no, it's not how she did this! This would be the result of shoelaces and a pedal malfunction....which one of our scouting friends is excited to have her come and explain to his scouts that won't listen to him when he tells them to tuck their shoelaces or they'll wreck! What a trooper she has been with this stupid headache and now her thumb! But it's crackin me up how innovative she is to not let her thumb get in the way of doing what she wants. She was mad that I had to write her a note last week that she didn't get her homework done. Hello!!! She did all the math and writing left-handed (including mass amounts of spelling words)....of course her hand was tired by the time she got around to coloring her Native American mask!! Yikes!

This kid cracks me up!

2011-05-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

This is what I discovered when Aubrey went missing the other day....a full tea-party, compete with apron, baby, and dress-up clothes. And, of course, she had the music on and would take breaks to dance....super cute!!

Another tea-party....this time in miniature with what appears to be a bazillion blankets. Why the witch hat? Who knows???

Little Easter bunny....not sure where she got the sucker....I thought I threw them away!!!!

Take Your Child to Work Day

2011-05-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

So I didn't really take my kids to work with me....that whole FERPA privacy law thing pretty much would prevent my kids from hanging out with me while I have appointments with students! Instead, I took a couple vacation hours and took them with me first thing in the morning and gave them a tour and introduced them to my co-workers. They were a hit and they loved their little Penguin ID badges, too!

I love to see the temple!

2011-05-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

I take the girls to the Temple at least every spring to see the beautiful flowers, have a little lesson about the temple, and they can feel the spirit that is so present there. Of course, pretty Easter dresses and the beautiful backdrop of the Temple work out quite well for a collage on my wall, too!!

Children's Museum

2011-05-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this trip to the Children's Museum was a while ago, but I haven't been able to get the pics off my camera...Fun to remember!

The girls favorite part was the veterinarian area....here they are bandaging and x-raying :)

Aubrey giving her puppy a bath

Grace and Aubs loved playing with computer and phone....prob some serious relics to them!!!

Yes, Kaylee was as bored as she looks. Apparently we have outgrown the Children's Museum because she had way more fun a few weeks later at OMSI!

Aubs, on the other hand....she had a blast!

Kaylee got a little less bored when she could build contraptions to re-route water....

Looks like a tough handle to turn!!

Playing with the periscope....Kaylee was determined to figure out how it worked....which, of course, she did!

Awww

2011-05-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

So I was finally able to get the pics off my camera....this was the first one....super cute! I love the crown!!! And has anyone seen that stupid purple lovey? It's been gone for weeks..... Seeing her in this pic makes my heart sad a little since she has since moved to the bottom bunkbed...can't believe my baby is no longer a baby!!! Good thing I have some pregnant friends (and sis) to fill that void since I have apparently moved out of the baby stage.... Anyone need a crib mattress?

Woodburn Tulip Festival

2011-04-09T21:33:00.001-07:00

We love going to the Tulip Festival in Woodburn every year!!! We have gone with friends, with playgroups, with family, and this year we just went by ourselves! It was sunny and we had nothing scheduled, so we just headed down...what a fantastic afternoon!!!

The girls loved posing in the cutouts....Aubrey always tried to do them backwards first, though!

Finally did things in the right order....hit the giftshop and play area first, so then there were no grumblings through the tulips of "when do we get to play????" They loved the hayride too (middle), even though it made Kaylee itchy....

The tulips were incredible!!! And like I said, it was sunny, so getting a shot of everyone looking at the camera at the same time turned out to be impossible!! Oh well, at least their cute!!!

Posing with their favorites (even me!) except the middle pic....that's Willamette Falls on the way home :)

Can't miss trying on the wooden shoes!!!

Oh, how I love these girls of mine!! Nothing beats spending Saturday afternoons exploring with them!!!

OMSI!!!

2011-04-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

Just random!

2011-04-09T21:05:00.000-07:00

Kaylee giving her part (on stage next to her cousin!!) in her super cute musical at school

Gracie showing off the new gap in her mouth....the tooth was pulled by Kaylee!!!

Super cute Aubrey sleeper moment

The girls had space week at school and got to dress up on Friday. Kaylee made them both googly eye antennae that they wore....genius and I didn't have to come up with anything!

Aww, that Aubrey loves to dress up!!!

Out of the mouths....

2011-03-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

I had to write this one down.....so stinkin funny!!!!

Gracie: MOM!!!! Aubrey just spit all over my blanket!!!!
Aubrey: No, I didn't (which she repeated several times as I gave her The Look)
Me: Grace, was it an accident?
Grace: No, mom. She had spit coming out of her mouth and all over my blanket, see...its wet right here.
Me: Aubrey, was it an accident?
Aubrey: No mom, I didn't spit on her blanket
Me: Well, someone is fibbing at me and that makes me sad (they both start crying) Aubrey, did you have spit come out of your mouth and onto Gracie's blanket?
Aubrey: No, I didn't spit on Gracie's blanket (tears)
Me: Aubrey, did the spit just come out of your mouth and onto Gracie's blanket?
A: Well, my tongue had spit and it just frew it onto her blanket.
Me: Aubrey, who does your tongue belong to?
A: My mouf?
Me: (Trying really hard not to laugh now) Okay....who does your mouth belong to?
A: My wips?
Me: (Still trying not to laugh) Okay, Aubrey, your tongue and your mouth and your lips belong to you and you need to tell them to tell Gracie that your sorry and that they won't spit on her again.
They both hug and say sorry and I walk away laughing as I hear this....
A: Tongue! Top pitting on people!!!!

Yay Gracie!!!

2011-03-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

So after giving up on the idea of hiring someone to teach Gracie to ride her bike, I finally just made her do it...no training wheels, no running behind her....and guess what? She can finally ride her bike!!! She even got going a couple times by herself, as well. Yay!!!! And yes, her knees are a little skinned up, as are her hands (you can see on this ride she wore her roller-blading gloves, smart girl!), but c'mon! with a name like Grace, she's always a little bruised and broken!!! What a trooper! Love this girl!!

Happy Birthday Kaylee!!!

2011-03-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that this little girl is nine!!! When did that happen??? My little Kaylee is growing up so fast and I am just amazed by her every day. She is so smart, caring, and beautiful!! I love how nurturing she is with her sisters, that she still loves to rock with Aubrey and play house with Gracie. I love that she loves to learn and is sad when there is no school. She has gotten very artsy lately, making crafts and "sewing" clothes for her dolls. She designed her own birthday cake and since she is quite stubborn (not sure where she got that!) when it comes to making things the way she wants them, she worked on it for quite sometime before she got it the way she wanted. Kaylee chose Red Robin (shocker) for her birthday dinner, but I didn't get a pic. It was funny because they brought her balloon ears and she wore them the whole time!! We are celebrating by going to see Tangled this weekend with her best friend. They've been planning it for weeks, and it is so cute to see them on the phone talking about it. Anyhow.....Kaylee is absolutely amazing and I hope that one day I could be like her when I grow up!!

Sweet dreams!

2011-03-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

This is what I found when I went to hop in my bed the other night....super cute!

Ice Fishing

2011-03-10T19:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, so not really fishing....but this was cool!! We went to Lacamas Lake to play and go for a little walk and this little part of the lake was completely frozen over. The girls kept throwing sticks to see how far they would "skate" and throwing rocks to break the ice and watch the big splash that would go straight up through the hole. Very fun!!! But very cold!!!

Snow Day!!!

2011-03-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

This is what we woke up to....

Aubrey on her snow chair

In the snow fort

Aubrey just wanted to ride her bike! Silly girl!

Oh yeah, and crawl in the snow!

And make snow angels...

All the while Gracie and Kaylee were making this fantabulous snowman!!

And mommy was just enjoying playing with the girls and LOVED going into work late!

Yay! The Park!!

2011-03-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

Gracie showing off that she can do the firegirl pole now!!

Aubrey overcoming her fear of the bouncy bridge...

Racing on the slide....

Kaylee showing off that she could hang at the top!

Our first hike of the year!

2011-03-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

Me and my buddy :)

The three girls....we stopped here for lunch and the girls played for an hour or so, exploring these rocks, looking at "crystals," looking at fungus, finding bugs....

Cheese!

Gracie loved that she could climb to the top all by herself!!

The first creek crossing

Kaylee found this pretty purple flower....first one we've found of the year!

On the overlook....loved the view of the river!

On the bridge by bridal veil falls

The falls was beautiful!!

Aubrey, the Birthday Girl

2011-03-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

Here she is on the day of her birthday...notice the snow in the background!

At IHOP for birthday dinner....wearing her birthday crown, of course!

At daycare with the cupcakes and balloons from Emi and Nan and everyone else....(thanks for saving me again!!)

And a few days later at a joint party with Jayden....thanks Aunt Kristina for making an awesome cake with the star troopers saving the polly pockets! Way to go!!!

My Baby is Three Today!!!

2011-02-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

Just hours old!!!

So beautiful!!! Loving her new sisters!!!

Two weeks old

5 weeks old at Easter :)

I cannot believe where the time has gone! I can't imagine my life without this little girl! She is amazing and smart and so stinkin funny!!! I am so blessed to have her in my life and that she just makes me laugh every day. What a joy to watch her grow and laugh and learn. She loves hugs and kisses and "I lub yous." I love every minute I spend with her and she just melts my heart!!!

Where have the last three years gone?

2011-02-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

So technically these were all in January or the beginning of February....but you get the idea!!! Amazing the changes our little family has made since three years ago today!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-02-12T23:52:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite pic!!! I especially love the look on Grace's face. This is under the bridge at Deception Pass....beautiful, but very windy!!!

I can't remember the name of this beach but it was on Whidbey and the waves were just incredible to watch!!! What a great birthday day!

Happy Birthday Gracie!!

2011-01-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Gracie is 6!!! Where did the time go?? She is so smart and fun and funny, such a sweetie! I am so glad that she is a part of my family and I just love my middle daughter with all my heart!!! Its crazy to me that we have lived in the same place for most of her life, I was talking with someone at church today about how much she has grown up...she was not even two yet when we moved in! She has definitely grown up so much in those 4+ years and they have flown by. I would love to slow them down a bit, but I know that is just the way life goes....many thanks to all the people in her life that love her and help me be a good mom!!!

Being New Years' Eve, we were at my sisters celebrating, so we brought her cake and presents along....she got to have a great party and stay up till Midnight....even watch fireworks! What a great night!

Green monkeys, jewelry, and art supplies....everybody knows Gracie well!!!

Sledding!!!

2010-12-27T20:45:00.000-08:00

Went sledding with my brother and sisters today....had a fantastic time!!!

Aubrey's first run down the hill was with Anna....she absolutely loved it! Though she did say it was a little bit scary!!

Cutie-pie!!!

My brother Rick is the most prepared guy ever!! Had a canopy so there was a spot to get out of the snow....a warmer fireplace thing, a campstove for warming water for hot chocolate....Awesome!!!

Did I mention she loved it???

And I loved it too!!!

Christmas Fun!!

2010-12-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

Aubrey couldn't sleep, so I let her stay up a bit while I wrapped some presents....unfortunately she found Santa's milk and cookies....which she devoured!! When Kaylee came out because she couldn't sleep either, we had to replace them....Thanks Conrads for bringing us cookies that we could leave for Santa!!!

Love this tag!!!

In our matching jammies....love traditions!!!

I have heard all about Lanie ever since she read the books because she looks like her and likes science and outside stuff!! Love it!!

Gracie with her new pet....she absolutely loves her Yorkie and saw one just like it at the airport when they left for Utah that afternoon!!

Aubrey is loving her new laptop....typing on it right now, like Mommy!!

Drove up the Gorge after dropping off the older girls at the airport....what a great time....and surprising how many people were at Multnomah!!!

Graceful Gracie

2010-12-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

So I get a phone call while I was with a student at work....not unusual, but usually I just let it go to voicemail. My caller ID said Evergreen school district....this can't be good....so I apologized to the student that I needed to answer this one and hoped he didn't get too queasy when I asked, "How much blood? How many teeth are loose? Anything else wrong? How bashed in is her face? Seriously? She looks the same as Kaylee last spring? Okay, I'll be there soon." Sure enough, I go to pick her up and her coat has blood spatters, she is getting a black eye, has scrapes in a C shape from her eye to her nose, her lip is insanely swollen where she bit through it, she has 3 loose teeth, 2 of which weren't loose this morning, and I will save you the grossness of what the inside of her mouth looked like!!! Needless to say, its worse than the outside!! (By the way, this pic is 2 days later.) Take her to the doctor to make sure she didn't break her face or damage her teeth....she checks out fine, but I still can't really figure out what happened, other than she said she fell. Get back to Tiff's to pick up the other girls and her friend that she was with when it happened was there, so I asked her what happened. With the drama only a six year old can have, she preceded to explain to me in great detail how they were walking in the bark chips and Gracie fell on her head and hit the sidewalk. Since it is very much a downward pressure injury, I can only imagine the acrobatics needed to fall on a flat surface and hit nothing but the top of your cheek. No skinned hands or knees, she really did simply land on her head. Oh, Grace. What will it be next time!?

Christmas Tree!!!

2010-12-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

So I was a little worried about Christmas tree shopping for the first time by myself---if I manage to get the tree tied down to the top of the van, would it stay? I had images of my tree flying off or being too much of a wuss to get it up there in the first place! Turns out I had nothing to worry about---the girls picked out this tree that was small enough to simply throw in the back....and it only cost six bucks!!! Way to go, girls!!

The guy helping us offered to take a couple pics for me....think he wanted his tip!

They did turn out pretty cute!

The girls worked together to carry "their" tree to the van :)

A little self-portrait action!

Ahh, the joy of decorating!

Wouldn't be complete without a bunch of spinny skirt action!

I am not going to look at Mom!!!

I love all my homemade decorations!! Love reminiscing with the girls while we decorate!!

Silly helpers!!

2010-12-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

Aubrey had to come join in the fun of carrying wood....gotta love dress up clothes that are too big and some stinkin cute boot action!

My good little helpers...gotta record that they are smiling and helping....they love carrying wood into the house! Too funny!

Gingerbread Houses!!

2010-12-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

My mom is amazing and makes all these gingerbread houses every year for the grandkids to decorate!! They are super amazing and we have a great time making a huge mess, eating too much candy, wiping tears from the kid who's house collapsed, and listening to the chaos!! This year we decorated with my brother and his kids and my sister and her kids--what a great day!

The finished products, along with the snowglobes the girls made with Tiff this week. They are pretty cute!

Noah, Kaylee, & Larissa hard at work.

Kaylee taking her time...

Mommy helping Gracie

Aubrey (in dress-up clothes, of course!) with her collaborative house (Mommy may have had some fun with it when she got tired of it....)

Gracie, as we all know, is pretty much all about the candy! And apparently is going through a non-smiley phase with the camera since this is about how her school picture looks this year (both takes!)!!

Kaylee, pretty proud of her creation (though I have to say it is a collosal waste to put junior mints on a gingerbread house!!)!!

Baby, it's cold outside!!!

2010-11-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

You want to come in? I think not!!!

Kaylee loves making snowmen!!! She did this one all by herself!!

I hate it when I don't get the leaves raked before it snows!!! But the girls sure had a blast!!!

Ahh, an extra day home :)

2010-11-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Veteran's Day, everyone!! Thanks to everyone who has made that sacrifice for our country and our freedom. I admire you!! Special love to all the veterans in my life!! (And having the day off from work and school was pretty great as well...here's how the girls spent the afternoon:)

Finger paint! Did you know that it can become full body paint after a couple of hours? Of course it can! Especially when you're two!! What a blast!!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T21:33:00.000-07:00

Snow White

Taylor Swift

Oh, wait...add some glitter, take away the guitar....it's a fairy! (Thanks for the dress, Emi!!)

Dorothy and Toto

Twas the day before Halloween....

2010-10-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

Gracie wasn't feeling so well again this morning so Kaylee was reading to her....I thought this was cute!

Of course, she recovered! And made up some kind of fishing game she was playing with Aubrey...

We made these adorable spider cookies...

And carved pumpkins!!! Here is Kaylee, grossed out by the guts...

Aubrey got in on the fun!

And Gracie wasn't grossed out at all!!

I did my best to copy the girls' drawings of what they wanted....not bad for having not carved a pumpkin in years!!

One of my favorite jack-o-lanterns!!

And Gracie with hers...

Dancing girls

2010-10-27T23:06:00.000-07:00

Dancing around the living room....

Mommy learns to Kayak!!

2010-10-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

Had the chance to learn how to kayak, so I took it! I've always wanted to learn and I'm so glad I went! We put in at Rooster Rock and paddled upriver a ways where we saw a huge belly-up sturgeon, a flock of Canadian geese, lots of wind, and rain!! I made some new friends and learned something new...what a great Saturday morning!!

First Fishing Trip

2010-10-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Timmons took the girls fishing at Rainbow Trout Farm this weekend...they had so much fun and it was so cute to watch how excited they got when they caught something!! Which, of course they each caught two, since it was pretty easy fishing!! Kaylee was quite the good little fishergirl and caught the biggest...which they LOVED eating as well. We'll have to try some real fishing one of these days....

First day of Kindergarten

2010-09-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

Gracie had a fantastic first day of Kindergarten!! I should have kept track of how many times she has said the word school in the last couple of days...I'm sure it was over a hundred just this morning! Big thanks to Aunt Kristina for taking her to meet her teacher this morning!! Here's part of our conversation on the way home:
Gracie: "Mom! I had the best day of my life today!"
Me: "Why's that?"
Gracie: "Because I got to go to SCHOOL and get NEW BOOTS!"
Me: (trying not to laugh too hard that shoes were included in the best day scenario) "What was the best part?"
Gracie: "I got to play with Ethan and Asher at recess.....and I got NEW BOOTS!"

Ahh, my social bug/fashionista. I am not surprised one bit that the best day of her life includes playing with friends and getting new shoes. And who can blame her? The boots are pretty darned cute!

Mt. Hood

2010-09-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Gracie dancing to the music only she can hear...Mt. Jefferson in the background

In front of Mt. Hood (at Timberline)

Gotta love when a stranger takes your pic....you never know what you're going to get! No mountain in the background, me brushing the hair out of my face....

Mt. Hood....up close and personal!

A few more :)

2010-09-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Aubrey....trying to step in all the puddles....Mommy....trying to keep her from stepping in the ones that we couldn't see the bottom of....

Gracie had a ball exploring these rocks!!

Aubrey decided that she could justify touching the water if her hands were dirty, so she would throw in a handful of dirt, lie on her belly, rinse her hands, almost fall in getting back up, then go for another handful of dirt.....throw, rinse, repeat :)

Gracie is actually screaming and flailing in the picture....Hence no follow-up shots to try and get a good one...

Cold Creek Camping

2010-09-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

Went camping over Labor Day with friends and family....what a great time!

Kaylee at the first waterfall we found

Aubrey....throwing rocks, of course!

Playing in the water....I think there was some pretend fishing going on here! We went to Lucia Falls the next day where we got to see huge fish jumping the falls---now that is where they should have been fishing!

Ethan and Gracie....such buddies!

The crafty gene

2010-09-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

Gracie isn't the only crafter in the family....check out this dress that Kaylee designed and HAND-SEWED for her doll!!! All on her own!!! I knew she had been sewing something, but I had no idea she was sewing a dress like this!! Pretty dang amazing!

She's got the look!

2010-09-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

The girls were running in the sprinkler then decided to pick raspberries, which apparently involved putting boots on with the swimsuits--too cute! Aubrey's been an addict ever since---she now wears her boots with everything, even pajamas!!!

Kite Festival Weekend

2010-08-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Took the girls to Kite Festival in Long Beach to do some celebrating about the new job and graduation and being excited about no school for Mommy for a while :) This was at the fireworks and lighted kite exhibition Friday night. Fantastic!!!

Took the girls down the pier in Astoria where the Sea Lions have overtaken the docks...Fun to watch them fight for space and listen to them....and you could barely hear Aubrey's tantrum over the din!! I used to take the older girls down here after grocery shopping...no need to pay for the stinky Sea Lion Caves--Astoria has their own display you can see for free!!

Went up to Ocean Park to see Great Grandma and Grandpa Timmons...were surprised to see sunshine and had a great time playing on the beach!! Aubrey fell in and then crawled through all of the puddles!! Too funny! And, of course, we built a massive sand castle that the girls jumped in when it was complete!

Went to visit our dear friends in Naselle and splashed in their creek...this time it was Gracie who fell in! But the girls had a blast--especially playing with their dog!

Astoria, Naselle, Ocean Park, Long Beach, Wai-ki-ki....what a great trip! Had a great time visiting family and friends, running into old friends unexpectedly, and spending time together!!

Did I mention we splurged and stayed in a great hotel (that we got for a killer deal...love groupon!)?!?! The girls loved jumping on the beds, the deep bathtub, mani-pedis, and snuggling! Poor Gracie was having some asthma issues and not feeling too well, but she sure got relax in comfort!

Skating

2010-08-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Roller blading is a favorite pastime of Kaylee's, and when we discovered that Gracie had outgrown her skates we tried them on the overeager Aubrey....surprisingly she not only loved them, but proved to be fairly decent at it---especially for a two-year-old! I had no idea that two-year-olds could skate!!! Not that I'm convinced it was a good idea, but it was pretty darned cute to watch!!

Dinner Tonight

2010-08-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

(Don't ask what we were eating....the important thing was that we were eating real food that I actually cooked and sitting at the outside table together for like the fourth day IN A ROW!!!)

Kaylee: "How do you like your new job, Mom?"
Conversation ensuing with questions about what I want to do an if I am doing what I want to be when I grow up....which led to this:
Mom: "So what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Gracie: "A postermaker.....and a braider...a hair braider. You know, someone who braids lots of hair." (Always multiple answers, always different)
Kaylee: "A doctor" (Always the same answer, only the type of doctor has been known to change)
Aubrey: "A princess....no, a queen." (Maybe we've watched a few too many disney movies....)

Ahh, girls.

Just missing the ruby slippers....

2010-08-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

What comes to mind when you see this?

....and this?

Yes, that's right, the Polly Pocket house jumped off the shelf and landed on her head. Got her pretty good too!! And you've gotta love head wounds because they bleed so much!! So when I first heard the SCREAM and saw it, it was pretty freaky!! After cleaning it up, it really wasn't too bad...just gross. And won't stop oozing....and won't close up, but it's under her hair and not bleeding profusely, so we opted to skip the stitches this time :)

Crazy Girls!

2010-08-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

After hearing hysterical laughter in the playroom, I grabbed the camera and went back to check it out...I found two little rockstars dancing away to a dying singing barbie, feety jammies, sunglasses and jewelry....LOL!!! Pretty stinkin funny!

Noble Nob

2010-07-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't been on a hike over 4 miles in years!!! 4 miles seems to be the max my girls will do, so I think I have done every 4 mile hike in the area....well...they were gone so I got to hit this one that was over 8 miles and in an area I've never been to up by Mt. Rainier. What a fantastic day!! Beautiful weather and because it was along a ridge there were incredible views in every direction.

Mt. Rainier

This was the view at lunch. Sat on a rock outcropping overlooking the North Cascades and if you look close, you can see Mt. Baker in the very middle. Beautiful!!!

Rafting

2010-07-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

So while the girlies were gone in July I got to play a little....I went rafting on the Deschutes twice!! Super fun! This was with a group from church....I can't wait to go again!!

Dry Creek Falls

2010-06-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

Took the girls up the Gorge hiking on Saturday....checked out this trail that we've never been on before....Dry Creek Falls. Loved it! Good length for the girls, beautiful waterfall, lots of water at the turnaround to eat lunch by and play in since it was warm....

Aubrey loved throwing rocks (as big as she could lift!) in the water and splashing Grampa, Kaylee loved dropping stuff in to see what would make it through the rapids and Gracie pretty much just tried to give me a heart attack by running around and trying to cross the slippery rocks....

Oh, and Aubrey got a little mad a couple times....don't remember why, but what a sad face!! Funny, especially since she was wearing a shirt that said Happy Happy Happy!

ZooPals

2010-06-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

Had a rare day off on Monday, so we went on two field trips....checked out the lions at the zoo with Grandma in the morning, then hit Fort Vancouver in the afternoon with some cousins....they were sure tired, but it was fun to go play for the day! (And somehow this is my only picture!!)

Beacon Rock

2010-06-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

So the sun made a brief appearance on Friday so Kristina and I grabbed the kiddos, left work early and headed up to Beacon Rock.....Nice to enjoy a couple hours of sunshine.....and yes, it started raining again immediately upon arriving back in the couve!

The Sun Does Exist!!!

2010-06-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

Cheese! Aubrey's latest look for the camera!! Ugh.

I really need to take Kaylee climbing again....she can do these little park walls in her sleep!

Aubrey loving the tall slide....then running to do it again! So glad she loved it....last time she went down this slide she refused to go down any slide for weeks!!!

Took the girls to the park to enjoy a little bit of the sunshine today!! Yay! After so much rain, they were so excited to play at a puddle free park for once....and this was after playing at Grandma's in the sprinkler all afternoon :) What a great almost summer day they had!

Weekend Warriors

2010-05-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

This one is from the camping trip Memorial Day weekend....Aubrey loved to help "uncricky" check the dutch ovens!

Checking out the Washington side of Bonneville Dam

Checking out the fish ladders from above....pretty cool to see the swarms of little fishies :)

This is on the Oregon side where you can watch the fish from underwater....love this one of the girls....LOL!!

Camping!

2010-05-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

We went camping this weekend with Uncle Rick and his family and had a fantastic time! These are on our hike to Falls Creek Falls---Amazing!!

If you don't like medical stuff, then don't read this!!

2010-05-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

So some of you have heard Kaylee was in the hospital....here's most of the story....On Sunday, Kaylee began complaining of stomach pain and was incredibly lethargic. Laid on the couch and slept--all day! When she started to complain that it hurt, I thought I better check it out. Incredibly localized pain to the lower right of her belly button. Seriously? To the RIGHT? Anywhere else I could ignore, but we've all heard of appendix pain....Gave it a few more hours, but when the pain started to make her cry, I thought I better get it checked out. Took her to the ER where they pretty much assumed appendicitis with her pain location, crazy vitals, and super high white blood cell count. Couldn't confirm it with the ultrasound, so they sent us to the pediatric surgeon at another hospital. The surgeon also assumed appendicitis, but early stages so he wanted to wait until another ultrasound in the morning and we got admitted. They gave her painkillers through the night and we got a couple hours of sleep....went to another ultrasound that ruled out appendicitis. Great. So what is wrong with my daughter??? They told me it was most likely some virus that was making its way around town with similar belly pain. Then we entered hospital purgatory....nothing they could do except make sure she could eat and drink and wait for her vitals to return to normal...oh yeah, and keep telling us that we could go home soon....we finally got released at FIVE!!! 24 hours in the hospital for them to tell me she had a stomach ache!!! Ugh! She slept on the way home and laid down on the couch to take it easy. At 7:15, the pain was so bad (even with tylenol in her) that she was doubled up and sobbing. Not wanting to return to the hospital that we had just left, I gave it a little bit of time to make sure it wasn't going to go right away. When it didn't, and worried that maybe it was her appendix after all and it had burst, we piled back in the car to head back to the hospital. Stopping on the way to drop off kids with Tiff, she happened to have people at her house that gave her a blessing that proved to be quite miraculous! (Yes, I know some of you don't believe in this, but WOW!) When we got to the hospital, they remembered her and we actually saw the doctor before we saw a nurse. She checked her out and called the surg team. 15 minutes later the surg team came down to check her out and her pain was nearly non-existent. Based off the first doc's exam and my report of what happened at home and her labs, they told me their best guess was mesenteric adenitis, which is an inflammation of the lymph nodes in the same location as the appendix. Basically, its the cause of what has led to most of the appendectomies that ended up removing a healthy appendix. They sent me home on the promise that I would bring her back if she had another attack. I am so grateful for new ultrasound technology that saved my baby a surgery!!! And grateful for friends who could give her a blessing and for Kaylee's faith to be healed!

Starting to feel a litle better...

Right before getting released....working on a school packet that they brought her....She decided that if she ever had to have another IV, she would ask for it in her left arm because it was hard to do anything else...and that was the first thing she asked the doc when we went back in!! Lol!

Washington Park

2010-05-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Gracie loved these monkey bars!

Aubrey would not leave this slide....up and down for an hour!

The girls loved putting on "shows" on the amphitheater stage :)

Cannon Beach

2010-05-09T01:39:00.000-07:00

Our favorite beach to visit....first trip of the year! We had so much fun playing in the sand and the water....and yes, those are swimsuits in the ocean on an Oregon Beach at the beginning of May!!! No wind or rain, not freezing cold---that all added up to great weather for a beach trip and we enjoyed every second!! Can't wait to go again :)

The Changing Face of Grace

2010-05-09T01:28:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Girl!!!

Just lost her first tooth!! Kaylee tried to pull it first, but it needed an extra tug from Mommy....

And a few days later....mommy pulled tooth number two---no tears or screaming!!! Brave girl :)

Down By The River

2010-05-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

I Love To See the Temple

2010-05-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

I Love to See the Temple!

2010-05-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Morning!

2010-05-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

My two blanket-smelling, thumb-sucking early risers waiting for Kaylee to wake up :)

Checking out what the Easter Bunny brought

Aubrey eating all the candy she can! And eyeing Gracie's!! (The Cadbury Egg was the only candy the Easter Bunny brought....she knows Gracie and Aubrey just can't seem to eat candy in moderation!!)

Kaylee playing with the little pop-its....Easter's biggest hit!

Happy Easter Egg Hunt!

2010-04-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

I made this sunflower cake that I found online...thought it was pretty cute, even if peeps with chocolate frosting is pretty disgusting!

Aubrey

Gracie

Kaylee

Bridal Veil Falls

2010-03-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Took the girls up the Gorge on Saturday for a picnic and we did a couple of little roadside hikes....probably walked less than 2 miles all together, but we had a great time! Looking forward to more and longer hikes now that the weather's getting nice again!

2010-03-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

More Bridal Veil Falls

2010-03-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

Shepherd's Dell

2010-03-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

At the top

At the bottom

Aubrey was scared to go down and I had to carry her, but on the way back up she was happy to walk with Gracie...cute!

Taking a "shortcut!" Kaylee went first, but the pic of her is blurry.

Kaylee's Birthday Party

2010-03-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

Aubrey being silly, trying to get in on some party fun, but settled for playing in the sandbox instead....

All the girls painting their flower pots

Aubrey making cookies :)

The finished product

Kaylee had a great time at her party that she finally got to have 3 weeks after her birthday! Since it was the first day of spring break, some of her friends couldn't make it, but they sure had a great time anyway! After listening to all those little girls for a couple hours, I'm secretly relieved that there wasn't as many as planned! Thanks Lenette for all the good ideas for Kaylee's flower theme party--it was a hit!

Helping Mommy

2010-03-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know what this little move is, but she keeps making this face and scrunching her shoulders every time I take a picture!

After helping me hang the shelf, she brought me the camera and asked for a picture with Mommy....cute!