Happy Birthday Mom!

This date is extra special to me, because both Sidney and my mom share a birthday on August 28th. There is kind of a funny story behind this date. While I was pregnant, people would often hear the due date and state things like "I hope she is born on this date because (insert name)'s birthday is that date". I know that people meant well but you have to understand, my hormone's were RAGING. For some reason, this made me crazy. Food cravings? Not so much. Wanting my baby to have their very own birthdate? Very much. My dear mom made the mistake of stating such a thing, until one day in my pregnant hormonal rage – I went ballistic on her. Never again throughout my pregnancy did she mention her birthday and the baby's due date again. Very wise womanJ As it turned out, Sidney was not in any rush to make an appearance, so my doctor induced me on none other than August 28th. I remember my mom trying so hard to stifle her excitement. I cannot even begin to describe "the elephant in the room". Finally, I had to tell her that it was okay to be excited that her and Sid would have the same birthday. She was so relieved and joyful. I know I am a complete dork, but again my hormones had total control over me. So now every August 28th, we have reason to celebrate the birth of two very special people in my life!

My mother is such a wonderful woman. She is the most thoughtful person ever. Any time that someone has a need, she is the first in line to fulfill it. She has always been there for me and has never given up. Her love is the definition of unconditional. No matter how crazy things got while I was growing up or what kinds of things I did for the mere shock value, she would remain steady.

My mother is truly a woman that knows how to take care of herself and always look her best. My sister and I like to poke fun at her for this, but we really do admire her for it. The most awesome thing is that after 39ish years of marriage, it is only my dad that she is concerned about impressing.

She is an amazing grandmother. She has taught all of her grandkids (and daughters) a true passion for chocolate.

My mom is a go-getter. Over the past few years, she has developed her custom sewing business to be one of the best around. Her standards are very high for herself and she is willing to work hard to achieve her goals.

My mom has taught me so much over the years. Her honesty has helped us to have a very special and close relationship. She is an amazing women.

“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he
praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all’ Charm

is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be

praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her

praise at the city gate.” Proverbs 31: 29-31

Happy Birthday Little Sid!

Wow – I cannot believe that you are two years old today. The time has gone by so fast. You have definitely turned the corner recently with your “No” and your ‘I can do it by myself’ fiestiness. Yes indeed, my little girl, you are not a baby anymore. There is so much to love about you. Here are just a few…

1) You have the most calm spirit in the world. No matter how crazy the rest of the family is acting, you just sit there quietly and watch us act a fool.

2) You give the most amazing kisses and hugs. One thousand kisses does not seem to be enough for you and sometimes when you hug me, I think you are going to squeeze the life out of me.

3) You are so quick to say sorry. This is such a wonderful quality that I hope you never lose.

4) You are extremely smart. There are so many things that you just seem understand with no explanation.

5) You are a cautious girl. Whenever you are in new situations or around new people you tread lightly. Once you get your bearings, watch out!

6) You love and admire your big sis. At the same time, you get a kick out of teasing her relentlessly by running of with her Giraffe or Baby doll. Quite hilarious!

7) You have a natural love for animals and sports. The second one puts a little extra twinkle in your dad’s eye.

8) You have the craziest, most unruly hair in all the land. We will have to ask your Aunt Stephie what to do about that when you get older.

9) You have the silliest laugh. What makes you laugh? Your sister, dancing and tickling your legs.

10) Your answer for everything these days…”I don’t know.”

I love you my baby girl!

Just as your book says:

I love you forever, I will like you for always.

As long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.

Picture (courtesy Kendall).

Decisions, Sickness, Shopping, Firsts, The Crew and Fun - What a Week!

I am not sure where to begin, so I will start somewhere in the middle, move to the beginning and hopefully wind up at the end.

Firsts...

Sidney started drinking out of a cup this week.  WooHoo.  Granted I am only brave enough to put an inch of liquid in the cup. 

Sickness...

Kendall had another bout of asthma and it was a rough time.  What would be a normal cold for most kids (Asher and Sidney had a runny nose for a day), turns into a huge ordeal for Kendall.  It started last Sunday night with a small cold.  By Monday, I ended up staying home with her.  Kevin took Tuesday, Rebecca took Wednesday and we finally went to the doctor on Thursday.  To make things even crazier, throw in that I was scheduled to travel to Oakland for the day on Wednesday - yikes!  We just have no clue what we are doing.  It always starts with a cold, then the cough sets in, then the sleepless nights, then the high fevers.  This is the third time we have went through this.  Each time, it seems we get a little bit wiser.  We have learned that the coughing is a reactionary result of her lungs gasping for air.  The sleepness nights are because laying down puts more pressure on the chest, thus increasing the cough and lessening the ability to breathe.  The fevers are from...who knows...I guess a combination of everything.  On Thursday, we went to the doctor and he put her on 3 days of Prednisone.  He mentioned that she may be hyper and hungry.  We gave her the first dose and within two hours she was eating like a horse (after having not eaten for nearly 3 days).  She did not fall asleep until 10pm and was awake bright-eyed at 5am the next morning.  We have now worked out a game plan with her doctor on how to try and head this off the next time she gets a cold.  We also tried to get a little more direction on how to determine at what point we need to bring her in.  It is so tough seeing your child suffer through so much.  She is such a brave and strong little girl.  It amazes me how matter of fact she handles it.

Fun...

The girls are absolutely a blast nowadays.  Did I mention they are also quite a handful?  I suppose that is to be expected, as Kevin and I are constantly reminding ourselves that they are 2 and 3-1/2 years old.  At one point this week I sent the girls out onto the porch to eat a GoGurt, then ran to fold some laundry.  I looked out onto the porch only to find that they had dragged nearly every blanket from their rooms and had made a picnic on the porch.  They were just sitting there having a blast.

Shopping...

After much persuasion from my mom and sister and many failed attempts at finding things I loved, I am now a fan of Kohl's.  The last two times I have went there, the deals have been endless.  The coupons have been amazing.  My christmas shopping list is getting smaller.  Yes, I have already begun.  After all, a girl needs a reason to shop!

The Crew...

The Nelson kids came over for the evening tonight.  It is always fun to have them here.  Sidney's birthday is "officially" next Saturday.  We celebrated it in July when we were camping with our family.  We were not planning on having a party with her peers until next year.  However when Kendall found out the Nelson's were coming over, she suggested that we make Sidney cupcakes and sing her Happy Birthday.  This thought had never even occurred to me.  So that is exactly what we did.  It was a great impromtu party!

Which brings me to my last topic...

Decisions...

UGH!  For those that know our family, you know how much we have been blessed the past couple of years to have a friend in our life like Rebecca that has taken such good care of our kids while we go off to work each day.  We have made a very tough decision to move the kids to a preschool closer to our house.  We have been wrestling with this for quite some time and finally decided to make the move.  One of the results of this move will be mandatory date nights for both the Nelson's and us each month so that "the crew" can hang-out.  What a bummer, not sure if we will be able to handle that one:)  

Well, I think I have covered just about all of them.  What surprises will this week hold?

Haven't Heard That One Before

Last night the girls and I were on a Skype call with my mom.  They were SO excited to see and talk with their Grandma.  Sid kept saying "Look Grandma, Look Grandma".  Of course, Grandma was eating it up.  My mom asked Kendall to sing her a song, and she broke out with a new one I had never heard before.  She told us she had heard it on her radio (a.k.a CD player).  It was so cute that I had her sing it for the camera this morning.  I was pretty impressed at how someone who cannot even spell or read was able to pick up on the lyrics so well.

Here are the actual words to the song:
Just a boy and a girl in a little canoe

With the moon shining all around
As he glides his paddle
You couldn't even hear a sound

And they talked and they talked
Till the moon grew dim
He said you better kiss me
Or get out and swim

So what you gonna do in a little canoe
With the moon shinin' all a--
Boats floatin all a--
Girls swimmin' all a rou-ou-ound!

Today I took a vacation day as Kevin had his first Intervalley Leaque AD meeting.  I took the girls to the Discovery Center.  It was Madness!  Every Friday until mid-November is free admission, so I was somewhat prepared for the chaos.  We had never been to the Discovery Center.  I always thought the girls were to young, but one of my co-workers told me about some of the exhibits geared toward preschoolers.  The hands down favorite for the girls was the grocery store.  Quite frankly, it was amazing.  It was complete with shopping lists and money.  Some of the kids played checker while others purchased their groceries.  Here is Kendall waiting in the checkout line.

Sid spent most of her time picking out produce.

Sid's New Do

Sidney got her first haircut last weekend.  Leading up to the occassion she seemed very excited about the whole ordeal.  Every time I would mention it, she would start playing with her hair and jump into the kitchen chair that she has seen me trim Kendall's bangs in.  Little did she understand that I was talking about the real thing.  Friday night I took her to the salon for her first professional haircut.  She did a great job.  Of course she was very serious the whole time and sat still as could be.  Toward the end she started chanting "all done.  all done."  Her curls are still there just not quite as out of control.  Here she is pre-haircut.

Here is a shot of Sidney putting on the finishing touches before heading out the door.  She decided to take the styling matters into her own hands.

Fish III

We are on the third generation of fish already.  In June, the girls each earned a goldfish in the summer reading program.  Kendall named them "Goldie" and "Fish".  While we were on vacation  my neighbor informed me that "Fish I" went belly up.  No worries.  Last night we went back to  Zamzow's for "Fish II".  The girls picked out an orange fish with a white stripe.  This morning "Fish II" went belly up.  EGADS.  We bagged the fish and went back to Zamzow's for "Fish III".  This fish is white with an orange stripe.  It has been 2 hours and all signs are positive.  Let's hope for the best.  Meanwhile "Goldie" is growing nicely. 

Another prize that the girls earned this summer was an ice cream from Powell's Candy Shop.  For those who have never visited this place, it is awesome.  They have every kind of candy you could imagine, and the most amazing Gelato.  Last night we took the girls to redeem their coupons.  Powell's did not dissapoint.  They created a masterpiece.  Each of the girls got a scoop of vanilla ice cream with lots of pink sprinkles and a gummy shark on top.  They were in heaven.  It was quite a picture...too bad I did not have the camera. 

Instead I will post a picture of the girls sitting outside the shaved ice shack next to our house.  We just had one of these shacks open up about 1/8 mile from our house.  The girls have already been there twice.

A Story for the Girls from Cousin Kami

This summer Kami wrote the girls a story.  Grandma Terrell gave it to us as we were leaving Montana.  I thought it was so creative and thoughtful that I wanted each of the girls to have a copy when they get older.  So, here it is.  I especially like the drawings of Kendall and Sidney on the first page.

My Top 10 List.

There are times in my life that I need to be reminded of how much I have to be thankful for.  So I thought about this a lot today and here it is...

1)  Kevin.  I am lucky to have a husband that is such a family man.  He wants the white picket fence, the wife and the two kids.  Over the past few years (13 to be exact), he has shown that he is willing to work for "the dream".  For that I am grateful.

2)  Kendall.  She is absolutely full of life.  She jumps into life full-throttle.  I have so much to learn from this beautiful little girl.  Every day I am grateful that she is a part of this family.

3)  Sidney.  My little momma's girl.  She gives me squeeze hugs and a thousand kisses.  There are times when I leave for work that I can actually feel her little head still embedded into my neck.

4)  My job.  Not just the job, but the people I work with.  There are times when I do not feel grateful for this.  The truth be told, I have worked with a lot of different people in my lifetime and have never had co-workers as awesome as I have now.  They have supported me through some of the most critical years a woman has...childbirth and toddlerhood.

5)  My parents.  I am fortunate to have both of my parents and for the example they have set.  I cherish all of the moments that I get to spend with them.  I have a mother that I call every day and a father that has always been honest with me. 

6)  My sister.  I am so thankful to have been blessed with such a beautiful sister.  I have had someone to share every stage of my life with.  Someone whom I cannot run away from.  She has been both my worst enemy and my best friend.

7)  My health.  Though many days I feel fatigued, tired and overwehelmed.  BUT,  I am healthy.  I CAN do anything that I desire.  I can walk, run, bike, swim and breathe on my own.  To many people any of these tasks might be impossible.

8)  My home.  I have a beautiful home with beautiful furnishings.  My kids do not "want or need" for anything.  I am a lucky woman.

9)  Food.  We have a refrigerator (and a freezer) full of food.  I do not ever have to watch my children go hungry, or try to figure out where I will scrape the next meal from.

10)  My education - my mind.  I am thankful to have had the opportunity to get an education.  I am thankful for the mind that God gave me.  I have been able to do with relative ease that which many people work very hard at.

Super Chicken

Kendall's first piece of art.  She spent an entire day working on this picture.  Great use of color and she managed to stay within the lines for the most part.  Go Picasso!

Summer Vacation - 2010

We are back from our vacation and have already begun planning for next year.  We had such a blast.  First stop was Missoula with a visit to Bonner Park.  It was a scorcher of a day so the water was very welcome.  Kevin and I even joined in on the fun.

Then it was up to Holland Lake for a week of relaxation and no cell service.  Amazing!  In keeping with tradition, we celebrated Sidney's birthday early.  Grandma Terrell made her the most gorgeous My Little Pony cake.  Here is Sidilicious hamming it up for the camera.  I think her and Kendall stuck their fingers in the icing a million times before we ever cut the cake.

 Sid opening her presents with her big Sister Kendall and her cousins Hallie and Kami.  She got a fishing pole just like her big Sis! 

 Aunt Sherri Pie and her daughter Julie came up to join us for Chili dogs the first night.  It was great to see them.  But...camping in the "motel" at Condon...wimps I say:)  Or smarter than the rest of us?

I told my Dad that he was indeed "making the blog" with his pretty pink water shoes.  He had forgotten his shoes and the store only had one pair in his size and they happened to be pink.  It is no wonder since most women do not have size 10 feet and most men would have went without before wearing pastel pink water shoes.  Not my Dad.  He wore them proudly.

 Kendall spent countless hours fishing.  It was pretty amazing to watch.  One morning she pulled her beach chair into the water and sat for at least 2 hours casting and reeling in her big fish.  She caught (3) 94 pound fish.  Hmmm......she truly is a fisherman.

Mom, Sid and Riley enjoying the morning sun.

 Cracker Jacks for breakfast anyone?

 Sid after a sunscreen application.  I think it may just be time for a first haircut.

 Kevin spent the week giving boat rides on the lake.  It was absolutley relaxing.  His brother David brought his jetboat to camp one of the days and everyone took turns tubing.

 The infamous rope swing.  Here is Dylan swinging like a chimpanzee.

 What made the rope swing infamous you might ask?  My sister.  Below is a great picture.  See the rope and where she SHOULD have landed.  See the splash in the bottom left corner where she DID land.  Ouch!  A bit too close to shore.

A group of us hiked up to Holland Lake Falls.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  Hallie was such a trooper.  It is quite a hike for an 8 year old.  She drank a lot of water, took a couple short stops and made it the whole way.  Good Job Hallie!

 My dad (without the pink shoes)....

 Steph and Jay.  Most of the pictures I took was of them manning the campstove and cooking us all good food.  Here is a shot of them relaxing after all of their hard work.

 Cousin Cody and Hallie's dog Bo.

 Kevin's twin brother Roy (6  years different)....

It was a great time.  There were no Huckleberries this year but we were told a bear crossed our path on one of our walks.  One of the other campers saw the bear cross behind us.  True to female form, we were making plenty of noise and did not even notice.  We cannot wait to do it again next year!