Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day...

"And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me."
~Lee Greenwood

We are so grateful to those who have served and who continue to serve so that we can live and worship freely in this great country.  I'm proud to have my Uncle Mike who continues to serve, and my Brother-in-Law Tim who served, in the Army, my Pops who served in the Navy, and my cousin Kevin who serves in the Marines all in my family.  They make me so proud!

What says Memorial Day more than swimming, BBQ's and watermelon??!!
Thanks to some friends who invited us to swim with them and their families


mmmmm.....watermelon....
Time to wash off all the sticky fun from the day!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

'Oh Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun, Please Shine Down on Me!'

The past few days have been absolutely BEAUTIFUL here.  It's days like these that remind me of why I love Springtime in Bend!  Everything is blooming, the grass needs mowing (which I love to do!), we can eat popsicles outside without getting cold, we go bare foot, and we can finally get some sun on our pasty white skin!!  We've been taking advantage of the warm weather by staying outside as much as we can.  Now when summer hits and our schedule is totally flexible, we'll really be loving life!  
Yes, you are seeing right...Jack is in a speedo!  
With that body, who wouldn't want to sport one?  Haha!!


The warm weather also means haircuts!  I decided that it was time for Olivia to get a hair cut (well more like a 3 inch trim).  It was hard for me because I didn't want to cut the little curl she had left on her ends, but her hair was getting so long and so tangly.  I took her to a cute kids salon here in Bend called Sprouts.  She was excited because every time the boys get their hair cut she wants a turn.  She loved it, and she still has the curl on her ends!  Is she a princess or what?!  
This is the before picture showing how long it is after a bath...

During....
And after!  It's hard to see, but they put sparkles in her hair!
Not a big difference, but it's so much easier to comb out now!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Oregon Coast Weekend Trip!





We've been lucky enough to make it over to the coast 2 times in the last 2 months!  We had beautiful weather, wonderful company, and made lots of new and fun memories!  (sorry the pictures are so small, we couldn't decide which pictures to post, so I just crammed as many in as I could!)  Thanks to my family for planning the trip and for making the drive over so we could join in on the fun!  And Happy 17th Birthday to my little brother Jess!  

Sunday, May 10, 2009

You simply fill me with love....

I had a Beautiful Mother’s Day today!!  I had breakfast in bed, got to hear the children sing at church, opened some cute presents (some very creative ones at that), had my favorite dinner, went on a nice Sunday bike ride as a family, and then had strawberries and ice cream for desert!  All those things are so great, but the thing that really truly makes me love this day so much is that I have three little munchkins that call me mom.  I really don’t know how or why I was blessed to have them as my own, but I am grateful for them everyday.  Each of them so different, but each helped to build our complete family. 

As this mother’s day comes to a close, I can’t help but sit here and think of all the influential mother’s that have been in my life; 

 

First of all, my own mom, who is simply put, amazing!  I couldn’t have asked for a better mother to raise me, and now that I’m grown and a mother of my own, I’ve tried to use some of the traits that she has shown me throughout my life.  It’s a spectacular thing when a mother and daughter cannot only be friends, but the best of friends.  She’s also been such a great ‘Ninny’ to my kids, which makes me cherish her so much more!!


 

And my mother-in-law, Judy has also been so wonderful to have in my life.  She raised an honest, hardworking, loving son and I am forever grateful for that.  He’s been a great parent and spouse and he had to have learned it somewhere, right?!  Even though we live so far apart, the kids have a special relationship with her.  Thanks to you for being such a great grandma and mother-in-law!  I am lucky to have her as mine!


 

I also wanted to thank my 2 Nana’s for their constant love and support throughout my life.  I always thought that in a way, I was blessed with 3 moms.  I have an extra special bond with them.  They have lived exemplary lives, which I admire so much.


 

And lastly, I want my big sister Heidi to know how much I’ve admired watching her mother her sweet boys.  When I first saw her and her first son Jayden together, I saw the purest kind of love, and I couldn’t wait to have that for my own.  She’s been a great source of knowledge and someone I can always call for help, anytime, anywhere.


 I love all the women in my life everyday, but just thought I’d send an extra note to these amazing women this Mother’s Day.   It’s great to have a whole day dedicated to mothers and the greatness that comes from them.  I hope you all had an amazing day, as you certainly deserve it.

“God planted within women something divine that expresses itself in quiet strength, in refinement, in peace, in goodness, in virtue, in truth, in love.” ~President Gordon B. Hinckley

My yummy breakfast in bed!

They are the reason I love being a mom!

My beautiful flowers from my hubby and kids, a cute bag, sandals, 'dead' dandelions in a cup, a paper necklace, a mother-son spa coupon, a hand made little jewelry pot from KJ, and a cute photo magnet! Thanks!

The perfect ending to a wonderful day!  

Nothing is sweeter than your baby cuddling up in bed and falling asleep!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Baseball Squared....

I know I've posted a lot about baseball lately, but that's what I feel my life has turned in to.  And I always thought I'd be a soccer mom, ha!  I just thought I'd post a few pictures of our family 'double-header' last night.  KJ had a game at 5:30, was done just before 7:00.  We went to the drive-thru & grabbed dinner, then went straight to Dan's game at 7:15.  It was Dan's first game of the season last night.  He's on a really fun team, they are all good friends.  Their team name is 'Choir Boys'!  I was having lots of fun, chatting with the other ladies, watching my kids play with all the other kiddos around, and then I saw Dan in the outfield running after a fly ball.  He dove to get it and looked so professional until I noticed he didn't get up after he dove.  Uh-oh.....Dan pulled his hamstring.  I guess that's what happens when a bunch of old guys get together to play ball.  He limped off the field, but was up batting again by the end.  He would bat, hobble to first, then have Matt run for him!  All in all, it was fun.  And for the Bonus, they killed the other team!!  Way to go boys!
KJ's sequence:  Waiting to bat, up to bat, running to 2nd, happy to make it home!

Whack!
(This is the limping off the field part.  He'll probably kill me for posting this!)
KJ watching Dad play ball!