It's Our Crazy Life...and we Love it

Quote of the day

2011-10-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last night on the way home from bible study we were listining the radio. The song that sings "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, your love makes me sing" comes on. Olivia loves this song because it was on one of her baby videos. She asks me to turn it up. After singing a few chorus' in her sweet little voice, i tell can her that I love to hear her sing to Jesus. She then says to me "Mom, everytime I sing this song, it makes me have tears in my eyes" (Which immediately makes me get tears in mine) I told her that when I sing songs I really love to Jesus, it makes me get tears in my eyes too. She nods. Then Toby says "Me too mom...but it makes me get cheese puffs in my eyes"

Haha...so glad I have both these amazing children in my life.

Toby is 4!!!

2011-08-08T13:20:00.000-07:00

Toby's Stats:
Age 4
42 inches tall
42 pounds

Toby...oh where do I start with Toby. Toby is SO FUNNY. He is constantly making us laugh. Whether it be a knock knock joke, (where the punch line is always BUTT, followed by extreme giggling) a silly face, or just taking a million miles a minute tell his version of some story,...he is always entertaining. He loves gymnastics. I love watching him try to do the moves, because he is slightly uncoordinated, but tires very hard. He is always the one in the class taking, or telling something he likes to the gymnastics teacher. His voice carries SO FAR. He does not have a quiet voice once so ever!

He eats SO much. More than me...by almost double. Seriously, the kid can put down 3 hot dogs with buns...no problem. He will try and eat just about anything. But his favorites foods are cheeseburgers an cucumbers.

This last few months Toby has amazed us by doing a couple of things early for his age. At the beginning of the summer, at 3, he started swimming without floaties. My father-in-law offered him a granola bar if he would swim across the pool...and of course he jumped right in and swam the entire length. (I told you he LOVES food!) This summer, he also learned all of his letter. Uppercase, lowercase, and the sounds they make. I was doing them with Liv getting her ready for Kindergarten and he would just watch and listen. Eventually, he would start telling her the ones she didn't know. So I did the flash cards with him, and he knew every single one. I was one proud mama. Hopefully school will come easier for him than it did for me.

Toby loves his snuggle still. (His little blanket that he has had since he was born.) I tried to get rid of it this birthday, but he wasnt having it. Just cant relax without it. And I totally get it, I had my blankets till I was 10!! (ugh...right?!) So...I just let him have it at bed time now. And that works out just fine. Maybe next year!

Toby loves his family. He loves to play with his sissy all day long. Loves his mama SO MUCH! Tells me he loves me and blows me kisses all day long. I am soaking it up all I can while it lasts. He is such a sweet boy with me. So gentle and calm with me. (the exact opposite of how he is the rest of the day) He loves his dad. Loves to wrestle, have light saber fights, and throw any ball with him. He has to have daddy come in every night after prayers to sing "The itsy bitsy spider" which ends in the spider going up the Toby spout at the end and a tickle war always pursues.

Toby is such a happy kid. Loves to sing and dance, loves to watch movies and tv, loves to play outside, and loves anything with wheels. We are so lucky to have this boy in our lives. We love you Toby!!

Olivias Birthday Week Part 2: American Girl Cafe

2011-07-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

On Olivia's actual birthday, my mom took Olivia, Toby, and Me to the American Girl Cafe. This is the 4th year we have gone for her birthday and I absolutely love this tradition. The place is amazing...and the experience is even better. I think my mom and I look forward to it as much as the kids (yes, Toby has a boy doll...and loves the place too...much to my dads dismay) Olivia wore her birthday hat the whole time so "everyone could know she was 5 now" She wanted a big girl doll...so she ended up "Honey". They got matching outfits that had to be put on as soon as we got home. We had a great time.

Olivias Birthday Week Part 1: Best Day Ever

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

Olivia's Birthday week kicked off on the Friday before her Birthday. My dad took her on her "best day ever". She got to pick where they went all day.

She wanted to start the day with lunch at Chuck-E-Cheese. Got an cheese and olive pizza, went on lots of rides, played lots of games, and made a new friend that she ran around with and took pictures with the entire time.

Next she wanted to go to the mall. She wanted to play on the playground and get Twinkle Toes. Her new Twinkle Toes and purple, light up, and have peace signs and glitter all over them. Something mama would have definitely not bought...but I love that her Papa let ger pick them out herself. She told him "Oh no...Mama's gonna be mad at me cause she doesn't like peace signs" She's so funny. (I was not mad for the record) Of course she picked up another stuffed animal along the way as well.

While walking through Nordies, of course she had to get a little makeover.

And they ended up their day at Chick-fil-a...because she LOVES their playground too.

All in all, I think she had a pretty awesome best day ever.

Olivia is 5

2011-07-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

Olivias Stats:
5 years old
39 pounds
43 inches tall

Olivia is amazing. She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out. She loves so much. Loves her family, loves animals, (especially dogs...she hugs every dog she can) still LOVES stuffed animals, and loves to be up in the business. She is so giving. She always gives me one of her two oreos from her lunchable...everytime. She always offers to help any way she can. She helps Toby do the things he can't, even if it's something naughty. She is so much like her dad. Loves to be scratched, loves to hug and be close to people and just hang out. She still loves to be held, even though we told her we wouldn't hold her anymore once she turned 5. When we pick her up, she says "well, I'm still not too big...yet" She eats like a bird, but loves to eat all kinds of foods. Doesn't love veggies, but will eat up an entire plate if desert comes after. She is a chocolate fiend...just like her mama. She loves to "exercise" with me because she wants to be "healthy" like me. She cannot wait to start Kindergarten. We have been working hard all summer and she has learned all but about 4 letters and all her numbers to 10. I am very proud at how fast she has learned these, especially cause she didn't have any desire to learn any letters at preschool this year...too busy being social I'm sure. She never stops talking. Her and Toby would talk at me for hours if I let them. She makes friends everywhere she goes. She flips, summersaults, and runs everywhere. She just moved up to the tumble kids class at gymnastics and is doing so well. Although she "misses the songs" in the tumble tots class with Toby, she is much more challenged in this class and is doing so much better than I thought she would. She is really really good. She loves to swim, especially with her cousins. She is completely obsessed with them. When Ayden and Brandon are around...I don't exist. She loves to hang out and run around with them. She also loves "big girls". Loves her Aunties and Grandmas. She always gets super attached to at least one whenever they are around. Doesn't leave their lap the entire day. This summer she learned how to ride her bike with no training wheels. Just did it, all I had to do was push her off. She also started swimming really well this summer. She could get around the pool last year with no swimmies, but this year she is swimming the entire length of the pool, most of it under water. She still takes off most of her clothing the second we get in the door. Hates jeans and cute shoes if they are at all uncomfortable. She still wears the dresses I make her, (all 20 that she has requested over time) and still asks me to make her more. She is so affirming. Anything I do, she has something mice to say about it. When I am crafting..."Mom, that is beautiful, can you make me one" Or when I am exercising "Great job Mom...you are being so healthy" She says the most sincere "Thank you's" for everything I buy her or do for her. I just love her so much. I love the kid she is becoming. I love her heart. She talks about God all the time. Knows that He died for her sins so she "can make bad choices and still go to heaven" I can't wait to see her relationship with her Heavenly Father grow. I know she will be a bright light for Him someday. Her genuine kindness will bring Him so much glory.

Happy 5th Birthday my girl, I love you to the moon!

Foodies For Life

2011-06-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

If you know our family, you know we are foodies, and you KNOW we LOVE meat! Kevin attempted his first Brisket this weekend and it did not disappoint. He smoked 2 huge briskets for 15 hours. It was seriously the best bbq I've ever had an am very lucky to have a husband who is so cood at preparing amazing meals. (Since I seriously lack in that area)
P.S. They are not burnt...thats the bark (mostly charred fat)...and what makes it SO YUMMY.

Speaking of foodies...today we went the the IE Food Truck Fest to celebrate Father's Day in our favorite way...Eating!! Here are a few of my favorite foods for the day

Rajas Fries from the Fry Smith Truck

Ahi Tuna Poke Nachos from the Lime Truck

Spicy Tuna Chips from the Rolling Sushi Truck (sorry for the horrible pic...sticky food lens)

And the Ultimate Desert: Waffle and Chocolate Ice Cream sandwich (with Nutella spead all over the waffle of course)

Here was the kids favorite

And here they are working all those calories off at the kid gym...yes you heard me...the kid work out area! (Watch your kid work out while you consume massive amounts of calories...only at a foodie fest)

Craft Fair and other Crafty business

2011-06-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

On June 4th, I did the Kissui Craft Fair. I did so much better than I could have imagined and cannot believe what my little side business has turned into. Here is my set up.

Other Crafty Business:

Wreath for my mom for Mothers Day

Picture Collage of my Grandma for my mom for Mothers Day

End of the year presents for Olivias Teachers

My first attempt at pants for Baby Kanno

Olivia is done with Preschool

2011-06-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

Ahh...bitter sweet. I am SO SAD preschool is over for her. She had such an amazing time this year. She loved her teacher Mrs. C, and especially her teachers aid, Mrs. Davidson. When we drove away on the last day of school, she was all pouty when we got home. When I asked her what the matter was, she said "I am really going to miss Mrs. Davidson every day of my whole life" She really did lover her...and I could tell the feeling was mutual.

The end of the year "graduation" was amazing. Each class got up and sang a song. Then got presented with their completion certificate. There was a slide show with pictures from the whole year, and at the end of the slide show, there was a picture with each "graduate" with their name under it. Totally cute.

Then there was a picnic,. And the teacher gave back all sorts of fun art projects, their letter book, and a cd with 800 pictures of the class over the year. So awesome. LOVE First Lutheran Children's Center and loved her teacher Mrs. C. Toby will be able to have her next year and I couldn't be any happier.

Barton Flats

2011-05-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day weekend is going to be packed. Today we headed up to Barton Flats to go off-roading with a group of "Jeep-ers" We were the only truck but Kevin definitely held his own. I will do anything once...but I don't think I'll be doing the off-roading thing again. Too nerve racking. But the kids had a good time, even got in a nap on the way back to the campsite.

And of course I have to try and do a nature photoshoot...but can never get them both looking good in the same picture.

My Life Should be a Reality Show

2011-05-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

For as long as I have been running, I have seen moms or dads running with their kids. I run by them pushing my massive double jogging stroller while they are strolling along with their single, or even better..their kids on bikes behind them. The first time I saw that, I wanted to do that. How awesome would that be. Me, just running, hands free, with my kids getting their exercise in behind me. Sounds like a dream....until I tried it.

Olivia just learned how to ride her bike with no training wheels. So she has been super excited to ride these days. Yesterday I wanted to go to the gym, but Toby suggested that I go on a run and they could ride their bikes behind me. Sounded like a great idea, the days of big kids with bikes instead of a stroller was here and I was very excited.

So we take off, they did great down our street, but as soon as we turned the corner all hell broke loose. I was leading the pack, (because I know if I let them go in front of me I would never catch up and they would probably just roll right into the intersection) then Toby, then Olivia. Well Olivia got in front of Toby, and Toby flipped his lid. He did NOT want to be the caboose. (thats what we always call the person who is in the back) He starts screaming and crying and trying to pass her and knock her over at the same time. So I stop us all, 2 minutes in, take a deep breath, and realize this is not going to be a dream, but a very bad nightmare. I tell him if he keeps acting like this we are going to go home. Olivia, the peace maker, decides that Toby can be in the middle. Thanks Liv, so we go on. We are doing fine again until we turn to go down hill. Toby is running over my heels, Olivia is screaming because she is picking up too much speed, we go onto a very narrow sidewalk with ivy next to it and Olivia gets caught up and falls right over. Fake crying from frustration (she had had a hard time going slow and tipped over a couple times before this.) She screams at the top of her lungs that she hates skinny sidewalks. We get onto the street. Same speed problems till we turn again. The second straight was great, until we turn again, now to go uphill. They immediately start complaining how hard it is to go uphill, Liv starts crying and saying how her knee hurts, and Toby is frustrated that he cant keep up, screaming "slow down". Olivia finally falls over in the grass, face down, balling her eyes out and holding her knee (dramatic much?) By now, I am about 20 feet in front of her, so some good Samaritan pulls over to make sure she is ok. OH MY GOSH. I am so done by this time. I think we are about 15 minutes into it and I vow to NEVER DO THIS AGAIN. So I run back to her, pick up her bike and start walking. She grabs my hand, "Thank you mom" and walks the rest of the way up the hill. Once we get to flat ground again, we are off an running the last leg till home. We could not get there fast enough.

Im sure this will be like the half marathon I did, I know it was hell, but it was worth it. I will forget about the pain and try again another day. It can only go up from here...right?!?

Olivia at School

2011-05-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

I LOVE preschool. Olivia is in her last month and it makes me so sad. She has so much fun. At least I will get to have Toby there next year, and hopefully in the same class. I really LOVE Olivia's class. Her teacher, Mrs. C always does the cutest stuff with them. My favorite stuff is when she takes a picture of the kids faces, cuts them out, and glues them onto pictures to make them look like different things. Astronauts with their faces and slurpy lid "helmets" pilgrims and indians, pictures with them holding their hands out attached to a life size kite. I just love all it all, and will keep them forever. (yes, I'm a hoarder) Well in April they had an art fair. I wasn't expecting much from a preschool art fair but I was blown away. The art did not disappoint one bit. They made things out of recycled objects. I was not surprised Olivia made a jaguar and even less surprised she named it "Angel". (its what she names everything...even our vacuum.) Here she is all proud of her stuff. Just as beautiful as she is.

Also, last week, they hosted a "mommy and me" dinner. Very very sweet. We ate, they sung a couple of songs, and they gave us our Mother's Day presents...a reinstoned jewerly holder with a heart necklace for me...and a matching one for her. It was so sweet. Here she is with her favorite classmate and cousin.

Me and my date <3

Pick of a lifetime

2011-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

We have been yard sale-ing now for quite a while. We also LOVE American Pickers. We love packing up the kids every Sunday morning and going through other people junk. We are kind of addicted. So back in February, Kevin made the pick of his life. We were at an Estate Sale in Redlands, and while in line, Kevin spotted a barn. A rusty, haven't been touched in decades kind of barn. His heart was thumpin' and when they let us in, he made a B-line straight for it. And while I spent over a half hour looking through a queen size mattress piled 3 feet high full of vintage fabric (my own kind of heaven), Kevin was going through the barn. Inch by inch...looking for that rusty gold he loves so much. And boy did he find it. As he walked through the piles of "junk" he stepped on something that sounded like porcelain. He picked it up and Im sure he heard the Angels singing. He had found a 1916 Motorcycle license plate... in amazing condition for being buried in a barn! So he put it in a vintage igloo cooler he also found and loaded the cooler up with other rusty stuff. We went up to the front to pay and they let him walk away with the cooler and everything in it for a whooping $15!! I could tell he had found something good. He does this skip kind of walk with a big ol' grin. (sorry if that embarrasses you babe...but I love it) We got to the car and he showed me. He knew it was awesome, and he knew it was rare, but we had no idea just how valuable it was.

He went home and got to googleing. He could not find one single plate like it. And the other ones he did find, we not as old and in much worse condition. So he googled collectors and started sending out emails trying to find out what it was worth. One of the guys he e-mailed wanted it...and wanted it bad. Offering him $1,200 for it immediately. Now Kevin was not in this for the money, he just loves cool stuff like that and I truly believe he would have held onto it forever if I didn't "help" him realize how much other cool stuff he could get if he sold it.

Well, long story short, and tons of emails back and forth between a few different collectors. He ended up getting $2,000 for it. The plate he found finished this one collectors motorcycle collection he had been working on his whole life. The guy had been looking for that plate for a long time, and at least Kevin was glad it went to a good home. He was super bummed to let it go, but now he has a great story to tell.

Redlands Bike Classic 2011

2011-04-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hi...I know it's been too long. I would promise to blog more...but life always gets in the way. (That and the fact that I might just have the most boring life in the world. No complaints though, I would take boring over drama any day of the week!)

So this weekend was the Bicycle Classic. Olivia got to race last year but Toby couldn't because you have to be 3. He has been looking forward and talking about it since last year, so he was super pumped that the time has come. They ride their bikes up and down our street a lot, and have gotten pretty fast, so I thought they might have a chance. We practiced on Thursday night and that didn't go so well. They did fine the first couple of times, laughing the whole way to the "finish line" But the third practice run wasn't so pretty.

Toby's foot slipped half way down the line, causing him to stop and watch Olivia finish the "race". She starts chanting "I won...I won" causing Toby to burst into tears. We set them back up for a 4th practice run and this is where it got ugly. They take off, giggles turned to grunting, smiles turned into looks of utter determination, each of them were GOING TO WIN. So they get to the finish line, dead even, and both decide, without even saying a word, that they were going to turn around and race back to the starting line. But Olivia (who is a little more conniving and a bit more clever that Toby) decides she has a better chance of winning if she hops off her bike and cuts off Toby. The only problem was that Toby was NOT stopping, no mater what was in his way. So...he ran her over. Full speed, just takes her out. She's hurt, Im trying not to laugh...we go inside and decided not to practice again.

So, Toby ended up winning his heat. 3 year old bike with training wheels...I was so proud. And so was he. He got a medal and the smile didnt come off his face for an hour.

Olivia took off strong. She was in first for about half way down tthe line. Then second, then third, then her petal fell off, and coasted into the finish in 4th place. No metal, but still in good spirits.

I love these races. It is so fun for them to do, and even more fun to watch.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-15T21:18:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to show off my cute Valentines Day Decor...and my cute kids!

Happy Love Day!!

Home Sweet Home (Part 3)

2011-01-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

The Final Chapter: The Loan Modification

Like so many other people, we sold and bought our house at the peak of the housing market. We paid 390k for our house. It is still crazy to me to think how much a modest medium size house was...and that we agreed to pay that much for it...sheesh. We signed up on an interest only loan, the only way we could get the payment down to around $2,000 a month. That was even crazy, but we had to do it. Well, even after 6 months of paying that, we realized we had gotten in over our head. I called the mortgage company to see what they could do. They said we could apply for a loan modification through them. They sent us a 30 (yes I said 30) page packet to fill out and sent back. We did it, and after 3 months of them "processing it" they needed new pay stubs and bank statements, 3 times!! 3 months apart each time. After the third time, almost a year later, I gave up. This wasn't going anywhere.

So fast forward a year after I gave up on that loan mod, after a huge tax return, and borrowed money from Kevin's 401k, and us still not back on our feet, I tried again. Called the mortgage company to see what they could do. The recording said something about President Obama's Home Affordability Plan. So I asked the lady about it. She said they would send me a packet. Ugh...not again, but we were desperate. AND since this one was through the government, I knew it would take forever, but had heard that it was actually a law and that the gov't had to help if you met the criteria. So I did it, filled out the 30 page packet AGAIN, and sent in new pay stubs and bank statements almost every month religiously, so that would not have an excuse not to help us. I was calling once a week, being put on hold for up to an hour and a half each time, and being told the same thing, "that it was processing and just to wait to hear from them, but if I didn't to call back in 3 weeks." It was so frustrating. But I kept on them...I was going to save my house, and if I did, this would all be worth it.

They had originally told us that it could take 60 to 90 days to complete the review process, they told me this every time I called. After 90 days had passedm they would tell me, "Well, Ma'am, it is actually 60-90 business days" But I just kept calling...and praying.

Even with all of the effort, and time that was passing, and us not being able to make all of our bills, going a little more into debt each month, I had a peace. I really can't explain it. Our house, our life, was up in the air, but I still felt this immense peace. Through this whole thing, God kept telling me "I am faithful, I am faithful, I am faithful" (tearing up right now) He has never said anything more clearly to me before in my life. It was so clear, it was impossible not to believe Him.

After 6 long months of calling and sending in updated information time and again, we got the packet...we had been approved for the trial period. We would be getting the packet later in the week. I cried, and cried, and cried. I could not believe it. So our payments went from 2,020 to 1,600. At first I was so relieved, $400 down a month, then I got greedy. "Why couldnt they drop it down more? Thats not 31% of our income" (which is what they are supposed to knock it down to) Then thankful again, "Ok, thank you God, we will take any help we can get" The processing wasn't all that fast, but you get the picture. So we paid the 3 months of the trial period and was supposed to get an answer about whether or not we got approved for the final modification.

One part of the trial period is that you have to meet with a credit counselor, so that he can give them his recommendation whether or not you "deserve" this modification, and whether you have been good with your money or not. I gave him all of our spending information and how much we made and what not. He said that he felt we had been responsible with our money and that he thought we had a "pretty good" chance of being approved for the final modification. I asked him if he knew what the percentage of people actually getting approved for the final modification was. He told me I didn't want to know. I thought oh great. He said that of course the gov't doesn't put out exact numbers, but he has heard that it was less than 20% that were actually getting approved. This got me a little worried, but I just continued to pray, it was out of my hands now, and now amount of worrying was going to change the outcome.

After the 3 month trial period was done, I called the people again, and they said just to make a 4th trial payment just in case it didn't get processed yet. And I did, because I wanted to keep my house!! So my last email went like this. "I have just paid the 4th trail payment, even though I was only supposed to have to pay 3. I just REALLY want to keep my house and will do whatever it takes. Please let me know what I should do. Thanks" She writes back to me "You should be getting your paperwork today or tomorrow" I sat there thinking WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?? So I wrote back. "Does that mean we got approved??" After 10 LONG minutes she writes back "yes"

Yes? "Yes" Thats all she writes!! It made me laugh because she just gave me the news that I get to keep my house and all she says is "yes". This is the answer to best news of my life and she answers with one word. I cry again...uncontrollably. HE IS FAITHFUL, HE IS FAITHFUL, HE IS FAITHFUL. All I could do was cry out "Thank you God for taking care of us" The kids were all worried about me asking if I was ok and I tell them I am, I am so ok, God always takes care of us and these are just happy tears. They thought I was crazy. I felt like it. I cried for a week, every time I thought about it.

So 9 months after we turned in the first packet, we received our final approval packet. And again, we got another blessing. Our modification was not only approved, but our new house payment is now only $1,300. I read the 10 page packet four times just to be sure that I wasn't reading it wrong. They had recalculated out income from the new pay stubs I kept turning in and dropped the payment down another $300 from the trail payments. And $700 a month from our original payment!!

I still can't believe it. We wouldn't be able to rent a nice apartment for that little. I still am in awe. I still am SO thankful.

Home Sweet Home (Part 2)

2011-01-25T13:34:00.000-08:00

**This one is going to be pretty short, but I always want to remember how blessed we are to have been able to get all this stuff, stuff that we would have not had the money to pay for outright, and probably been drowning in credit card debt for purchasing them. But we are not, and for that I am SO thankful!! **

The next part of our story, is how blessed were, to buy the condo at such a low cost, and really reap the benefits of a 2nd and the housing boom. When the housing market was so high, we borrowed a huge chunk from the house. With that money, Kevin was able to:

*Pay cash for his Subaru, allowing us to only have one car payment
*Buy my wedding ring (less than a month before I found out I was pregnant...whew) ;o)
*Buy us a new mattress, because my pregnant back was hurting so bad from the old one. (It was my surprise Valentines Day present...how freakin awesome is my hubby)

And even after spending all that money, after selling the condo, we were still able to pay off the 2nd, put 80,000 down on our new house AND buy most of our new furniture and appliances for the new house.

WOW right? All this, not to brag, but to give God all the glory. The way He constantly takes care of us baffles my mind. He knows what we are going to need, even before we do, and sets up a plan to take care of us. It is so amazing to completely depend on God to fill our needs, and for Him to pull through for us every time. Still gives me goose bumps to this day.

*I promise part 3 will come sooner than part 2 did

Home Sweet Home (Part 1)

2010-12-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard yet...the loan modification on our house got APPROVED!!! I am so thankful and give 100% of the glory to God for this. I know it was Him. He is the reason that we have our house in the first place and now he is the reason we get to keep it. He has made this very known by the timing of all the things surrounding our house. For the first part, I want to tell you the story of how we got our house, and the way God showed himself through the whole process.

Kevin's mom and step dad got married at the same time that Kevin was looking for a house. Kevin's step dad owned a condo in Redlands, and since him and his mom were moving into her house, he was going to sell it. Kevin was looking at places and decided just to buy his step dad's condo. He got it for a very good deal. He moved in, then we got married and I moved in. Once we had Olivia, and quickly got pregnant with Toby, we realized that we needed a bigger house, we needed a home.

The only problem, the market was at it's peak. Now even though we were going to be able to sell the condo for a whole lot, the houses in our price range (350k) were definitely fixer-upers. They were straight out of the 80's and all in the north side. *Side note: Call me a snob...I don't care, but I was NOT going to buy a house in the north side. I knew what I wanted and that was a 92373 zip code. Call me a brat...but I just knew what I wanted and didnt want to settle.* We had our house up for sale for 6 months with no bites. Six months of keeping the house clean in case someone came by, six months of looking at 30+ houses...none that I liked, six months of thinking "We need to get in a house before this baby comes out or there will be no place for him." It was rough. We decided to change realators. The new realator took us to see at least 15 more houses before we realized that we were just going to have to pay more for something that we could live in. So we looked at houses in the 400k range and they were so much better. We had found 2 that we put offers on, only for those houses to be bought in cash by an investor. It was such an emotional roller coaster ride.

After the second house, which I really liked, got swept away I had a break down. I was done. I cursed and cried and gave up. I remember sitting there, balling my eyes out, and just praying "God take it. Take my situation. I am realizing now I have absolutly NO control over whats going on. I can't keep getting invested, I can't keep getting let down." I pleaded with God to give me peace and take care of us.

A week later we got an offer on our house. This was bitter sweet. I was so thankful to have an offer, but so discouraged at the houses we had seen. We didnt want to accept the offer, then be homeless. So I prayed and prayed and prayed that God would show us our house. Our condo was listed for 299k. The lady offered us 10k less, which would have been fine, but we had already taken it down 10k when we listed it with the new realator. We knew we should take it but had 2 days to decide.

That night, around 9pm our realator called. She said that a realator friend of hers had a house that just fell out of escrow and that it was a really nice house in our price range. (They had been talking about our situation and she was on the look out for us along with our realator) Our realator said that we could go look at it first thing the next morning. So we did...and I fell in LOVE. I knew this was it, but Kevin took some convincing. All the walls were white, excpept for the add on which walls were wood paneling. I saw a blank slate, Kevin saw a boring white house. After much convincing from me, and any other family member we had come and look at it, he gave in. She called her realator friend and told her to tell anyone who was coming to look at it that there was already another offer in and she aggreed. So we put in the offer that morning, offering 10k less to make up for the 10k less the lady offered us for our condo. And...they accepted it. (God always works out numbers exactly for me.) We accepted the offer on our condo and in to escrow we went...

(...to be continued)

Happy Thanksgiving (Part 2)

2010-11-25T10:44:00.001-08:00

Today I am also so greatful for the things I don't have at the moment. I remember this verse today:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Today I am also thankful for:

1. That hardly any of my clothes fit, though it's totally annoying, it means I am a new healthier (and smaller) me.

2 Garage doors. Our is broken at the moment, but it makes me realize how much I really appreciate being able to park in the garage.

3. My health and the ability to exercise. I am feeling sick today, and it always forces me to slow down and rest, i am thankful for that.

4. Money. We do not have much of it, but I am still thankful that we have just enough to pay our bills. Being on a tight budget also makes me thankful when we get to go out to eat (and be served). It is a rarity but I am thankful that we get to do it at all because I know some people aren't that lucky.

5. Money. Its a big deal so it gets 2 spots. Since we dont have a lot of extra money for Christmas gifts, I am thankful for my God-given ability to craft and make stuff. That way I can show the people I love how thankful I am for them by making them gifts.

6. All My family. I do not get my sister here on Thanksgiving or Christmas this year and it is really hard, but I am thankful that I have gotten to go see her in Colorado twice and that I know she will get to come home eventually.

I am so greatful to God for everything he has given me and all the things He chooses to withhold. I know that having less makes me more of a person. We are making it...and even though we dont have a lot of things or money, we have a lot of love and I am SO thankful for that.

Count Your Blessings

2010-11-19T11:23:00.000-08:00

This time of year always gets me feeling thankful. This year I am thankful for: (In no particular order other than what comes to my jumbled head)

1. Getting to stay at home with my kids everyday.
2. For a husband that cooks the most amazing dinners.
3. My house and (hopefully) modified payment soon.
4. Olivias heart.
5. Toby's Dance moves.
6. Snuggle time on the couch every morning.
7. That people actually buy Ankle Biters stuff.
8. And amazing group of women I get to call my friends.
9. A healthy Baby Licoln.
10. An amazing and inspiring small group.
11. My sister-in-law. (I got real lucky with this one)
12. My Mom.
13. Crafting (yes...so thankful for this outlet)
14. Worship music
15. A God who not only provides for my needs but also my wants.
16. Cold weather

Have a great day...and count your blessings!!

The Ridiculous Faces of Toby

2010-11-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

Toby is going through a phase right now that he makes the most rediculous faces in pictures. He is also throwing up some sort of toddler gang signs. Not sure what they mean...not sure he does either. It is driving me NUTS...hope it ends soon. Here are a few of the funniest for your viewing pleasure.

A Day with Thomas

2010-11-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we headed out to the Perris Train Museum to go see Thomas. Toby LOVES Thomas. He loves all trains but Thomas and Toby the Train have a special place in his little boy heart. He was pumped the whole time, having to stop, look, and touch everything train. We also got to ride in a train car pulled by a life size Thomas. It was pretty cool to see his little face light up. Olivia was pretty excited too. She was just bummed that Rosie (The girl train) wasn't there.

Dena's Dinner Party

2010-11-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

My dear friend and sister-in-law Dena
only wanted one thing for her 30th birthday. She wanted to have a dinner party in the forest surrounded with twinkling lights. The only problem...no electricity in the forest or a forest near by...but we made due. My mother in law has a little meadow in her back yard so we decided to do it there. I got to be in charge of the table. (I was pumped to be in charge of this) This was my first attempt at a tablescape and was pretty proud of how it turned out. I wanted it to be fancy, but woodland-esque. Tons of twinkly lights, candles, wood stumps, and woodland creatures. I wish the pictures I took could do it justice, but I just couldn't get a good shot. Here is what I did get.

The company was perfect. The night was perfect. Happy Birthday Dena. I love you so much!

Fall Decorations

2010-11-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am slightly obsessed with fall this year and wanted to make a bunch of decorations...so I did. Here they are:

And yes, I took it to a whole new level and made a couple of fall bunting banners for outside. How freakin cute do they look though??

Zuzu Pet

2010-11-07T15:36:00.000-08:00

Miss Liv has been wanted a ZuZu pet for a while now. But at $9 a piece this was going to take some work on her part. Now there is another thing that Miss Liv has been doing forever...and that is waking me up 3 times a night to go pee. She wakes up almost every 3 hours and goes pee and wants me to tuck her back in to bed. Now after almost a year of this (I know I should have done it sooner...dont judge me) I had had it. So we made a reward chart and if she went pee by herself and tucked herself back into bed she would get a sticker. After 6 stickers, she would get her ZuZu pet. She did amazing...should have done this sooner. After 2 days of the chart she was sleeping through the night and only getting up to pee once. So we go and get the ZuZu pet and she grabs it. "Thank you mom, but she needs an outfit" Here is "furry" in her "outfit.

Halloween

2010-11-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

Halloween was not so fun this year. Let me start by saying that Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday. I love it. The decorations, making costumes, tons of little tiny bite size chocolates everywhere. This year was crazy though. Between Halloween orders (Ankle Biters)for most of September and October, and stuff going almost every weekend, October really got away from me. By the time I realized we had better get to the pumpkin patch it was already the weekend before Halloween and we didn't go because we thought it would be too crowded. SO we didn't go to the pumpkin patch or carve pumpkins. LAME. Halloween morning Toby had an asthma attack and I had to take him to urgent care. Oxygen, breathing treatment, steroid shot, and oxygen again, they sent us home. Well he didnt get batter all day. He was still laboring to breath and wheezing so I called the doctor back to ask when I should bring him back. They said to bring him back in right away for a chest xray. Annoyed, because we were about to walk out the door to go trick-or-treating, I decided to take him back in. Thankfully all was clear so we picked up Liv and Kevin from trick-or-treating and hit a couple of houses on our street so Toby could at least get a little fun. All in all it was a stressful and exhausting day. Hope next year is better. Here are the pictures. Liv got to have 2 costumes this year. One for me and one for her ;o)

A little Jammie Photo Shoot

2010-10-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

Olivia's new Halloween jammies definitely called for an inprompto photo shoot. She wanted to take pictures (which is a rarity since I harass them so much.) Let me tell you...this is only half of them AND she came up with all the moves all herself...no coaching once so ever from me. LOVE IT

And my two personal favorites:

What can I say...shes definitely my girl

Happy Birthday Dad!!

2010-10-18T14:54:00.000-07:00

For his birthday, all my dad wanted to do was to go and eat from the "Grill 'em All" food truck. (Winner of the Great American Food Truck Race) He had heard that they were going to be at the Union Station in LA on Sunday so we decided to make a day of it and take the metrolink. (we knew the kids would love that) When we got there we realized that all the hot trucks were a part of a beer festival and you had to pay to get in. So my brother and Kevin took one for the team and payed the money to get into the festival. (and when I say took one for the team, i mean go in and get all the free 4 oz samples of beer that they wanted while they waiting in line for the burgers...it was a tough job...but someone had to do it) After waiting in a line of 35+ people, they got our burgers and joined us in the court yard if Union Station.

Side Note: I LOVED Union Station. It was vintage and beautiful and would be an AMAZING destination for a photo shoot. See:

The burgers were fabulous. The boys got the "bohemeth" burger. A bacon burger between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches. It was AMAZING...so good. SO fat. ;o)

Then back home on the metrolink. The kids were nap-less and crazy. By the time we got back to San Bernardino, there was no one left on out train car besides a man with ear phones on. He obviously couldn't hear how loud my children were being and how annoying I was constantly telling them to get back in their seats. It was fun...once. Don't think I will do that again with them though. (Or next time I wont forget Toby's snuggle)

Happy Birthday Dad...it was a great day!

My First Triathlon

2010-10-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

I did my first triathlon on Sunday morning. It was the at the University of Redlands and consisted of a 5k run, 12 miles bike ride, and a 250 yard swim. The run was fine. It was raining, but i felt pretty good. The bike ride, was harder than I thought, but still not too bad. The first 2 miles or so were all up hill and my legs burning, but i pushed through. The only thing that kept bummin me out was all the road bikes that were zooming past me with no effort at all. Next year I will have to try and get my hands on one of them so I can better my time. The last thing was the swim. When I jumped off my bike my legs kind of buckled as I ran for the pool. The swim was only 5 laps, but because I jogged for the pool, I had absolutely no breath left. I had to swim the whole thing above the water, but felt good as my brother, Kevin, and the kids were standing next to the pool cheering me on. I finished in 1 hour 27 mins.

Here is Mandy and I before the race...this is all I saw of her because as soon as the gun fired she was gone! She did awesome. 1 hour and 7 mins...2nd in her age class. She is my inspiration and the reason I push myself to constantly set new goals to accomplish. I am very thankful for her in my life!

Womens Retreat

2010-10-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend was CRAZY busy. On Saturday morning I headed up to Forest Home for the Oasis 2010 Womens Retreat. It was so much fun. I had an amazing day with amazing women. During free time we attempted to ride the zip line, but got caught in a flash flood rain storm and got absolutely drenched. Here is the before...

And after...drenched!

We spent the next hour wrapped in someone else's blankets, in the laundry room, while our clothes dried in the dryers. Once the storm let up we tried it again. We climbed the climbing wall, did the ropes course, and zipped down the zip line. It was SO much fun to do those things. It was something I would never get to do on a regular day and very much enjoyed the thrill of it all.

Toby Talk

2010-10-15T11:27:00.001-07:00

There are two things that Toby says right now that I absolutely love.

1. Instead of saying that something is soft, he says softly. Like he will rub my arm and say "Mom, your softly, Dad is not softly." Or when he is wearing jeans, he will say "I want to put on softly pants."

2. Any time Olivia wants something and Toby does too he will say "Me three" instead of me too. Don't know when it started or why he says it but I love these little Toby-isms.

Growing like Weeds

2010-10-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

This girl is getting way too big, and way too sassy, WAY TOO FAST!

And this boy...has grown almost 2 inches in the last 2 months. I was talking to him about how NONE of his summer clothes (that I bought him in the beginning of the summer...not even 4 months ago) don't fit him anymore. He told me "Mom...you feed me too much healthy food" I guess it's true!

Date Day

2010-09-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today my mom took Olivia for the day leaving Kevin and Me with only Toby all day. It was great. We dont ever get to just hang out with Toby and he is so much fun and talkative when Liv isn't around. He loved the two on one attention. We went up to Oak Glen, walked around, rode the train, and pick raspberries (his favorite) Such a good day!

Angi

2010-09-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

My best Friend Angi got married!! Carynn and I threw the shower and the bachelorette dinner, bonfire, and sleep over. First for the bridal shower. We had a tea and everything turned out perfect.

For the bachelorette dinner, we headed out to Huntington Beach Wahoo's Tacos, had a (somewhat successful) bonfire on the beach. 10 or so girls who rarely make bonfires = tons of lighter fuel and a short fire. She got tons of gifts, some more useable than others ;o). It was FREEZING so we headed over to Carynn's grandparents condo for a sleep over. This was my first sleep over, without Kevin, since I've had kids. I cant remember the last time I slept over with friends and stayed up talking and giggling till 4am. I had so much fun!

The wedding was AMAZING. Beautiful and intimate. Great food, friends, a little dancing, a blue frosting. (They found out with everyone else the sex of the baby by cutting the cake and reveling the blue colored frosting.)So exciting!! Can't wait to meet Lincoln in February!

Toby the Love Bug

2010-09-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

Lately Toby has been the biggest love bug.

One reason might be because hes 3. (My absolute favorite age)3 years olds are just sweet...at least both of mine have been.

Another reason might be because now he is only allowed to have his snuggle and his thumb at nap and bed time. But he has quickly realized that he can get around that if he has some snuggle time with me on the couch. "Mom, can you come and snuggle wif me? Yes? ok I go get my haha (his snuggle)" I'm such a sucker for it that I let him have his snuggle and thumb because I love the that time so much.

One thing he has started to do is get up early and come into bed with me. He gets up around 6:45 and comes in my bed to rest and snuggle with me till I am ready to get up or until Olivia gets up. Every morning he climbs into bed with me, gets right in my face with a huge smile, tells me "Mama, you my best fwiend, i wub you watta much" and lays down next to me. He always puts his snuggle in between us so we can "share" it. I LOVE the way he smells in the morning and I love this time we get together.

Now this morning was different. He must have been pretty tired cause he slept in till almost 8. I had already gotten up and was getting ready. He comes in, looks at me sitting in my chair, and yells at me with his best stern voice "Mom, get in bed. I didn't get to snuggle wif you." With that tone I HAD to comply. I climbed back into bed and he climbed in after me and we proceeded to snuggle. Even though I was almost late for to drop Olivia off at school because of it, I wouldn't have given that moment up for anything.

LOVE my BOY!

Life: Lots of Random Thoughts

2010-08-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Life is busy...all the time.

I hate that I dont stop and take the time to write it all down. I need to, because I will never remember it otherwise...but it's so hard to find the time after an exhausting day to sit down and re-live it on the computer. I dont want to...I got tired enough doing it the first time. SO I put it off...and off...and off till I forget about it. I really wish you could postdate blogs.

AND I HATE the fact that my card on my camera is almost full (i cant erase my favorite pictures off of it in fear that my computer, external hard drive, and picture cd will all perish...i know...thats a whole new level of OCD *or crazy* but I am who I am)and so it takes me forever to upload my new pictures, and I hate blogging without pictures. Ahhhh...Im rambling. My point: I will update soon. I have to. I will do an August in review post and stop beating myself up for it. Goodnight.

Olivia's First Day of School

2010-08-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Today was Olivia's first day of preschool. She is going to First Lutheran Children's Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She is in the Rainbow Room and her teacher is Mrs. Carlstrom. She is so excited to be in school (and that her cousin Ayden is in the same class)and to be a "big girl" now. We went to breakfast at Panera, and she wanted to drive in Daddy's car to school. I tried not to take that too personally, but Kevin got a kick out of it. Here are the pictures of her first day:

My Birthday!!

2010-08-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

I had an AMAZING birthday week. Yes I said week. My birthday was on a Saturday so I got tons of love. We did our 2nd annual birthday triple date dinner at Claim Jumper with Angi/Ryan, and Caynn/Kevy. Had a great dinner, ate way too much, Angi got me a slice of the motherload cake, and gave me my card. It had tickets for Angi, Carynn, and Me to go to go see LADY GAGA!!!

The concert was amazing...I loved her music before the concert, but now I am a definite fan. She was so good!

And the weekend after my birthday, Kevin and I got away to Las Vegas for both of our birthdays. We met up with some friends and had the best time. It took me a good 2 weeks to recover from my birthday...thats how I know it was a good one!

And I can't believe Im going to show you this one...but i have to...I was having WAY to much fun! *Sorry mom* ;o)

Toby's Birthday

2010-08-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Toby's 3rd year of life started with a birthday donut and balloons,

And continued with a Team Umizoomi Party.

His biggest gift, from all of his Grandparents, was a Train table. It was for sure the highlight of his life!

Toby at 3

2010-07-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

3 is by far my most favorite year. The 2 year old Tantrums are coming fewer and further in between. They are talking so much more, and saying the craziest things. They love you so much. And can actually tell you.

Toby is no different. He is he biggest lover in the world. He tells me he loves me and that I am his best friend upwards of 30 times a day. He is constantly hugging me and wanting kisses. He always wants to snuggle with me on the couch.

He loves anything with wheels and moves fast. Cars, trains, trucks, planes, fire trucks, and ambulances to name a few. He screams with excitement every time he sees one. He is all boy that way. He also loves all the super heros. I don't even know how because he has never seen any of the cartoons, but it is just in his little boy blood to know each of them by name.

He loves to sing and dance. Loves Lady Gaga, veggie Tales, country, and hardcore. She has quite an eclectic taste in music but he definitely knows what he likes. He will stop and shake his "peanut" (butt) any time a song comes on that he loves. He also loves the theme song to The Office. Every time it comes on, no matter where he is in the house, he hears it, runs into the living room, and starts spinning and dancing.

He loves to make funny faces and loves to make us laugh.

One of my favorite things about him is how fast he lets go of things. He can be SO mad and upset about something and a minute later be laughing and playing again. But along with that comes my least favorite thing about him...he can take a lot, I mean, a lot from Olivia or Dad. But when he is done, he is DONE. He will go from ok to furious in 2 seconds flat. Throwing stuff, clawing, screaming...I mean, he gets CRAZY.

All in all he is an amazing kid. Sleeps and eats like a champ. Will try anything once and eats his veggies like a champ. In fact, salad and cucumbers are two of his favorite foods. He is a creature of habit and eats a nutragrain bar, gogurt, and aplesause everyday for breakfast. Has to take a drink and go pee before he takes a nap, and has to pray, sing wheels on the bus, say he wont wake "See-ba" up in the morning, and sing "i looooooooovvvvvvveeeeee you" and touch finger tips before he goes to bed at night.

I love him terribly and am so thankful God gave me a little boy that I never wanted. He definitely knew what he was doing when He gave me Toby. Toby has taught me more patience and understanding that any other boy in my life. Love this boy!

The History Museum

2010-07-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today we pack up and went to LA to meet up with the other Fisher Fam to go to the Natural History Museum. I was glad the kids were free cause there really wasnt that much for them to look at that made any sense to a 3 and 4 year old but it was still fun to get out of the house and do something.

In the garden at the museum they has an AMAZING butterfly exhibit. There had to be thousands of them just flying around. Liv and Toby were in heaven. It was perfect except for the worker walking around nagging everyone to not touch the butterflies even though they would land right on you. Liv was not sure what the heck just landed on her head in this one...haha. We had a great time.

Brag Alert * Brag Alert * Brag Alert

2010-07-21T13:14:00.000-07:00

So it's time for a Brag Alert. I have FINALLY got back into the 130's!!! (139.5lbs to be exact) That is 16 pounds down in 16 weeks. Yeah for me!! Now for the back story.

About a month before the Run Through Redlands I was at my heavest. (156 pounds) I sat there are looked at the scale thinking omg....I am closer to 160 than 150 and besides that, 156 is the heavest I have EVER been. So I knew the Run Through Redlands was coming up and that would be a good excuse to exercise. I really wanted to do the 10k but thought I should just do the 5k because I knew I could do that. But a good friend gave me some great advise. She said "If you want to do the 10k then do it. There is no excuses. Too many mamas sit there and make excuse after excuse to why they cant do stuff. We need to set goals and accomplish them." That advise kicked my butt into gear. I decided that I would do the 10k and that I WOULD get into the 130's again. I started running at least 3 days a week and started eating 5-6 small meals a day. Well, I am so very pleased to say that it took 4 months (16 long weeks of only losing a pound a week) but I have accomplished both goals. I did the 10k (6 miles), in fact I have ran 8 miles since then and I am now 139.5 pounds. And I am not stopping there. Now that I have reached these goals it's time for me to set some more. So here is is: Out there for everyone to see and keep me accountable for.

I WILL:

1 Get down to 135lbs. (and stay there)

2. I will run the half marathon in the Run Through Redlands 2011.

Thanks for listening and for all the support and the affirming comments. They have kept me going for sure!

Early Birthday Party for Toby

2010-07-07T21:57:00.000-07:00

So I tried to walk into Olivias room today only to have the door slammed in my face. I opened it and again and was promptly notified that a party for Toby was in the works and I needed to stay out till she was ready. So a minute later she calls Toby and me in. She had quite the set up. Her table set for two with plates and forks, two of her purses stuffed full of trinkets, and her purple leopard print party hat in hand. As Toby came in, she put the hat on his head (complete with neck strap) and told him "Happy Birfday Tobo" They both glowed with happiness...smiling with their entire faces...I'm sure I had the same sort of smile on my face. Then she told him that he had 2 presents to open. She pointed to the first one and said "This one is from Jesus, and this one is from Mary", she said pointing to the second one. Playing along I gasped, "Jesus and his mom came to Toby's party to give him presents?" Logically she told me yes and instructed Toby to open them. As he took one toy out after the next she says "Wow Toby...Jesus knew exactly what you wanted." I had to chuckle at that one. Then came the present from Mary. As he took the toys out of that one she said to me "Mom...Mary must have went shopping in my closet." Toby played this off every bit as much as she did, gasping with surprise with every "new" toy he pulled from the bag.

I LOVE that their imaginations go together so well. They always play along with each others crazy stories and always add new crazy things so whatever they are playing. I know it wont always be that way...but I sure enjoy watching it while it lasts!

So next came the cupcakes. Still wearing the purple jaguar party hat, Toby pulls up and sits at her table. She brings him over a play cupcake and pretends to fill a little glass with something from her little kitchen faucet. "This is pink lemonaide" she tells him. And follows with "Toby, just pretend this hat is a Geo hat and not a jaguar one" (Toby keeps telling me he wants a Team Umizoomi party and Geo is one of the characters on that show) Next she demands "Mom, lets sing" So we sang the Happy Birthday song as loud as we could. Toby sang too, and blew out his invisible candles. And not two seconds after he blew out his candles does Liv say "ok...my turn" So brief...so sweet. And everyone gets a turn right?

This is one of those moments I would love to have gotten on tape. So I can play it over and over when they are older and remember their sweet imaginations. I love these times and I LOVE that I get to stay at home with them to spend these times together with them. It's time like these that make all their craziness worth it. I love these kids...and I love being Olivia and Toby's mom.

4th of July

2010-07-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful 3rd and 4th of July up in Lake Arrowhead. Kevin's Aunt has a house up there so we just sat around, hung out with family, walked back and fourth to the lake, and ate, ate, ate. It was a wonderful weekend.

Can you tell the water was FREEZING?!?!?

Olivia's Birthday

2010-06-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Olivia's 4th year of life by having a birthday donut,

a purple jaguar party on Saturday,

And the traditional trip to the American Girl cafe on her actual birthday. Needless to say she had plenty of spoiling and a very special birthday weekend!

Olivia at 4

2010-06-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

I cant believe this girl...my baby girl...is going to be 4 on Monday. I LOVED 3. Had to be my favorite year with her. Although I'm sure I will love this year even more.

Side note: I am not one of those moms who is glad that her children are growing and entering new stages of life. I am the opposite. I would keep them small forever if I could. I know it is more work but I can protect them now. (and boss them around) I know where they are and what they are doing at all times...and I love that. But enough about me. This post is about Olivia Addsion.

Olivia is the most caring and observant child I know. She truly cares about the people she loves and has the strongest empathy only to mine. She is so affirming. She notices the little things I do and praises me for them. Like the other night, I stayed up way after everyone went to bed so I can clean. The first thing she said to me when she woke me up was "Wow Mom, you cleaned your room and our playroom and there are no more dishes in the sink. It looks great mom" And when I leave and go play bunco, the next morning she always wakes me up and says "Did you have fun with your friends at bunco?" She really does truly care and I love that about her. She is magnetic. I love to watch her and be around her. She is so cool without even knowing it. She is beautiful inside and out. She tells me that I am her best friend 20+ times a day and is constantly asking Toby is she is his best friend. When he says no, she gets bummed but when he says yes, she runs over to him and gives him the biggest hug with the sweetest smile of relief of her face.

She loves her stuffed animals so much. She has to have one with her where ever she goes and 10 in her bed with her when she goes to bed. She has to have a Mommy and Baby everything. Always in pairs. During her "Livy Time" (Her room time while Toby's napping) I can hear her "animals" talking to each other. The mom is always telling her baby to "make good choices" and sometimes the mom tells her babies that she is cranky. Makes me laugh so much to hear the words I say used in her play time.

Her and Toby have become super good friends this year. She helps him do everything that he cannot, and now he finally lets her. I really cant believe that they get along so well being together for 10+ hours a day. But they do. They play all day and I love when I catch them just sitting there talking. MELTS MY HEART.

She is such a big helper for me while I am babysitting too. She is just a good helper period. She loves to do stuff for us. She always looks so proud doing it too.

I love you so much Liv...I have enjoyed everyday of the four years I have had with you. You ARE my best friend and I couldn't ask for anything more!

New Things this week

2010-06-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well...last week...im a little behind.

Toby decided he wanted to be potty trained (Finally!!!) I have been trying to potty train him for almost 6 months now. He would always go pee (when I took him) but would never poop on the pot. So last Monday he yelled at me "I'm Peeing!!!" I didn't get what he was saying till he grabbed his little package so we ran to the bathroom and he went. And that was it...the entire day...he told me every single time he had to pee and even when he had to go poop! So I was super stoked. And feeling very relieved...it has been a long and frustrating road since Olivia was potty completely trained in 3 days.

But then on Wednesday (a whopping 2 days after telling me he needs to go) I hear the toilet seat drop. Now this normally means that he is trying to get the tooth paste out of the medicine cabinet, so I yell at him to get out of the bathroom. But much to my surprise he yells back at me "Mom, Im peeing all myself" I didnt believe because he had never even pulled down his pants by himself. So I go heading twords the bathroom only to find him walking out of the bathroom, shorts all twisted around but back around his waste, with the BIGGEST and proudest smile. HE DID IT! All by himself. And has ever since.

Now part of this makes me very sad. My baby doesn't need me anymore. But then I think of his sister...who has been potty trained for a year and a half and still wants me to go into the bathroom with her while she pees and then I start to feel very thankful for his independence. I love how different my kids are. And all this is perfect timing because this same week:

I started babysitting my cousins baby Connor. He is 4 months old and a moose. (17lbs to be exact.) Reminds me so much of Toby when he was that age. Big beautiful round face...eats and smiles all the time. I love having a baby in the house again. I forgot how tiring it is though. How much they eat, pee, and sleep. And how you feel like you are going all day but actually get very little done. But it's ok. I know I have to build my baby stamina up and then we can accomplish much more. Olivia LOVES "Baby Connor" She doesn't leave his side most of the day. When she eats, she requests that he sits in his carrier next to her in the kitchen. During her "resting time", when he is getting tired of my face,I call her back in the room and he stops fussing immediately. I think he really does like her! Its so cute, she has taken on the mommy role quite fast. Every time I leave the room I come back to her in the fridge trying to get a bottle for him. When I ask her what she's doing she tells he "He's freaking out, he wants to eat" And the first day we were watching him, literally an hour after he got here she looks and me and sighs. I said "Whats the matter?" She says to me "Babysitting is tough" She's so funny, but she really is such a big help. I'm going to miss her when she goes to school in August...I think Connor and Toby will too.

Bunch of Firsts

2010-05-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

May 1oth- Kids have their first dentist appt. They both did amazing and got all good reviews from the dentist. They even said that Toby's thumb sucking hasn't done that much damage!! (...and I thought they were going to yell at me.) Toby sat there for 20 minutes while they scraped his teeth and Liv took x-rays and everything. They amazed me, and the dental hygienists how well they did. Here they are pumped and ready to get their teeth cleaned.

We also planted out first tree in our backyard. An orange tree. Even though I know it will make my allergies crazy, I LOVE how they look and can't wait till it starts producing fruit. The kids had a blast helping dad dig and water. I never could have imagined how much I would love this kind of family stuff. I get all mushy thinking about all the fun new stuff we are going to do as a family. Here they are in all their helping glory!

I have been feeling super crafty lately so I decided to make Olivia a pillowcase dress. Turned about pretty good if I do say so myself. I love it and was happy she did too.

Oh Liv!

2010-05-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

Today my sweet girl told a lie. Now thi isn't the first time, but most of the time she is exactly like her mama and blurts out the truth a second after shes told the lie. But today was different. Today a cookie was at stake.

So I went to put Kinzie to bed and told Olivia to eat 1 carrot stick before I got back and I would give her a cookie. Now if you have seen this girl eat, you know that it takes her FOREVER to eat anything. So when I get back, all 3 carrots that were on the plate were gone. She opened her mouth to show me that she has eaten them. In amazement I asked her if she had eaten all of them. She said yes and I was such a proud that I promptly gave her the cookie.

After the amazement left my mind and I started to realize that it would have taken a miracle for her to finish 3 carrots in that time, I went over to the trash and opened it, hoping I wasn't going to see what I thought I was going to see....but sure enough, I see almost the entire 3 carrots sitting on top of the trash pile...bummed.

So I take the cookie out of her hand and explain to her that she does not get her cookie now since she lied to me about eating the carrots. Surprisingly, she didn't protest, she just walked up to me, looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said to me...wait for it... "Mama...can you pray with me?"

Oh my goodness, I couldn't have been more proud of her and my parenting in that minute. We sat and prayed that God would forgive us for lying and thanking Him that he forgives us when we make bad choices. We said Amen together and I think we both walked away feeling very victorious.

There are so many times when you feel like a failure as a parent...but I am so thankful for these moments that make those other moments not matter one bit.

Holy Moly it's May

2010-04-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

So I have been HORRIBLE with keeping up on my blogging. So here is April in review:

March 27th was the Redlands Bike Classic. Liv was determined to race (but wouldnt practice on her 2 wheel bike, so we put her in the trike race with Tobys trike. She did reall well, took off in 1st, then half way through was still in 2nd, but she stopped 10 feet from the finish line to look for Mama so she finish somewhere in the middle. She did great though, got a medal and a shirt. Of course she was the best dressed racer there sporting nothing other than a Ankle Biters Tutu to match her bike. It even got her in the newspaper!!

April 4th was Easter. We had a really nice day...here are my favorite pics.

April 15th my sister Lacey came into town for a weekend visit. We miss her way too much and this was a nice time to catch up and eat way to many delicious meals in the process. We also made it to Tanaka Farms to pick strawberries. LOVE that place!

April 18th was the Run Through Redlands. I did the 10k this year and finished in 69 minutes. I was very proud of myself for finishing running the entire time. 6 miles!!!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2010-03-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Toby's First Trip to the ER

2010-03-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

Which I am very sure won't be his last...but I didn't sign up for this. I am not ready to have a boy who does this kind of stuff. It's been a week and only now do I feel like I have finally recovered from it (well, almost). I can't believe how well he did and how much I did NOT. Ugh...here is the full story.

We decided to paint birdhouses as a family last weekend. We were all sitting around the table painting...so much fun. So on Monday Kevin tells me to go get more so we can do it again. Having gone over so well, I thought that was a great idea. I was going to go by myself but of course Toby wanted to go "wit me". I didn't feel like getting him dressed so I let him go out in his "comfy" play pants. (which I swore when he was born I would NEVER do) We go and get them and as we get home, he wants to hold his and Liv's birdhouses. So I give them to him an get him out of his seat. He runs literally 2 steps before he falls right on top of his birdhouse. The corner of it breaks his fall between the garage concrete floor and his face.

It wasn't bleeding that much so I went to grab a paper towel and took him in the bathroom to clean it and take a better look. By the time we had gotten to the bathroom, his lip had swelled up to the size of a bouncy ball. It looked like a HUGE blood blister. So I freaked a little and told Kevin I was taking him to the Doctors.

I rush him into the ER, get in like 3 different lines, and wait, wait, wait. We have to sit there forever and of course he is wearing his freakin "comfy" pants. Well at the ER they obviously not as concerned as I was. We waited 2 1/2 hours to see see a doctor for 3 mins. He said nothing looked or felt broken, said it was "tricky" to give kids face xrays, gave us some antibiotics (just in case) and sent us on our way. I didn't feel very comforted by any of this, but by then I was ready to get him home and to bed so we left. They told me to bring him back if it got worse, but he seemed to feel fine, he was dancing and singing, and watching all of the ambulances come in and out so we went home. This is him after we got home, the swelling moving up to his cheek now.

So I put him to bed and was checking on him every hour and a half or so. But by midnight his eye was completely swollen shut. Thinking this was getting "worse" I called the nurse line and she told me to take him to the Loma Linda ER cause they have a pediatric ER, and so I did. As soon as we walked in and told them this was his 2nd time in the ER today they asked me what the XRays said. I told them what they said and they just shook their heads. This made me very glad I brought him here now. We waited about an hour and a half this time to get back in a room. Toby was starving from not eating dinner so I gave him a muffin from the vending machine.

He was happy as can be from that moment on. From 12:45am when I gave him the muffin till he had to get the head CT he was great. He refused to go lay on the xray table though so they had to put him asleep. They had to give him 3 doses of the sleepy juice (The nurse said it was enough to put a 200 pound man out cold) He was fighting it to the death. But the finally got him out and got the xray. He woke up chatting our ears off and just played and shot every doctor or nurse that walked by with the new squirt gun he had gotten from a male nurse.

I finally got him to go to sleep at 6am but he only slept for an hour. He woke up done! Done with the pain, done with me, done with sitting, and just DONE with the hospital. He started screaming "I want to go home, I want to go home, mom, get your purse, get my haha (his blanket), I WANNA GO Hooooooooooooooooome" And I was balling my eyes out too by now because we were just waiting on a specialist to tell us about a possible broken facial bone. I was scared and exhausted and just wanted to take my baby home. A nurse finally came over and asked me what they had already given him for pain, and they were amazed when I said nothing. The got him just enough morphine to take the edge off till we finally saw the specialist an hour and a half later.

Once they said we could go home Toby was just giggling and hoping around saying "Lets go see Dad, lets go see Sissy Bear, lets go HOME!!" He ran up to all the nurses and gave them hugs and said Bye. I have never been so happy to leave anywhere in my life. On the way home he requested to listen to Lady Gaga (of course)and eat 2 mommy bars (nutragrain bars) go-gert, AND applesause. How could I say no? Needless to say he was feeling amazingly hungry as normal. As we were driving away he said "Mom...I wike dat pwace" And went on head bobbing and singing to Poker Face.

He got lots of love, attention, and gifts from family and friends. Here he is later that night with the balloons Auntie Jean, Nana, and Stella brought for him. He got lots of goodies and loved every minute of the attention he got for his "purple face".

So all in all he ended up with 2 broken blood vessels (one in his eye and one in his lip) that ended up as hematomas. A lacerated frenulum, two chipped teeth, and a broken sinus wall (which will heal on it's own) THANK GOD no surgery!

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-17T15:17:00.001-08:00

Toby decided to go head to head with the glass pane in our door. Fell back and smacked his head right into the window. Thankfully the window gave instead of him busting through. He just had some minor cuts on the back of his neck. BOYS!!! We are SO thankful though because we know it could have been a whole lot worse!

Heres out lovely door-minus one window

Olivia at 3 1/2

2010-01-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

Olivia Addison is a girl. Not just a girl...but a very girly little girl. Much to my dismay, she is in LOVE with everything princess. I had my "princess phase" in junior high and ever since then can't stand anything with the word princess on it. I guess it's good she is getting it out of her system now. I am becoming a little bit softer though because she loves it so much. Even have bought her a couple of things I swore I never would when she was born. She loves Snow White the best of all the princesses.

She has some "outfits" that she got for Christmas and wears at least two of them through out the day.

My favorite part of the whole thing is what she calls Kevin depending on what costume she is wearing. When she is Little Mermaid, she calls Kevin "Eric". And when she is Cinderella or Snow White he is just "Prince" She always asks him to dance and he always does...complete with a spin and dip at the end. She closes her eyes and loves every minute of it. It's really the sweetest thing to watch.
Here is Liv and her "Prince"

She also LOVES to give gifts. The Christmas Season just couldn't last long enough for her. She still asks me to watch all the Christmas movies and she wants to give everyone gifts all the time. She will be in her room for like 20 minutes and then comes and gets me to tell me I have a gift. She will look in each of her four buckets and find which one she made for me, gives it to me, waits for my reaction, and says "Your welcome" whether or not I said thank you.

Then she asks where Dad and Toby are and gives them their gifts. I gave her a bunch of play necklaces and she "wraps" gifts with those too.

But for those she likes to surprise people. She will leave them outside Toby's door when he is sleeping, or outside the bathroom door if I am in the bathroom or Kevin is in the shower.

She is just so thoughtful and I love to watch the new ways she comes up with to show her love for her family. LOVE THIS GIRLY GIRL!!

Chirstmas (So I'm a month late...who cares)

2010-01-23T14:54:00.000-08:00

So the holidays kicked my butt this year. Between a million places to be and tons of orders for Ankle Biters, I was stretched a little thin. One of my New Years resolutions this year is to blog more. So I am back tracking a little to Christmas...a blog must!

The Christmas season was so much fun this year. The kids are big enough now to really enjoy the whole thing and noticed every Christmas themed thing everywhere. Olivia and Toby learned "Jingle Bells" this year and it was a must before bed every night. The also were obsessed...I mean OBSESSED with the "Nutcracker theme song" Both were sung at the top of my children's lungs the whole month of December. Another new thing this year was Christmas movies. I tivo-ed a whole bunch and we must of watched at least two every day. Their favorites were Prep and Landing, The Polar Express, and Nightmare before Christmas. We enjoyed going on walks and looking for Christmas lights. The kids "ooooohhhhs and ahhhhhhhhhhs made it very fresh and new. We made cookies for Santa this year on Christmas Eve and the kids made sure to leave the cookies out with chocolate milk (because who really likes plain milk with their cookies right?)And also made sure to leave a carrot stick out for each of Santa's reindeer.

Christmas morning was crazy, actually opening presents was crazy all together. The kids would just rip the wrapping paper off of the gift, pause for a millisecond to see what it was and ask for another present to open. If the present was in a box, forget it, they would throw it aside and ask for another one. Made me a little annoyed but I have to remember they are 2 and 3 and I can't expect much more.

My FAVORITE moment by far though would have to be openeing Olivia's present to me. We were at Target a few days before Christmas with my sister Lacey and she had taken Liv to go and get something. She told my sister that she wanted to get me something. When my sister asked her what she wanted to give me she told her scissors. My sister thought it was pretty random but went over to the scissor aisle and she picked out yellow ones "Because Mommy wikes wewwow" So they came home and wrapped them up. So I open them up on Christmas and just start balling crying. So here's why: About a week before that my craft scissors had broke. She was in the room when it happened and told me "It's ok mom, maybe Santa will bring you new scissors for Christmas" I didnt think anything of it but she remembered and wanted to get them for me. HOW FREAKIN SWEET RIGHT? So thoughtful for a 3 year old. I love her thoughtful heart.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Truly a Christmas Miracle that they were both smiling at the same time...with Santa!

Missing The Rain

2009-12-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

Even though it means we are all cooped up inside, I LOVE the rain for these 2 reasons

By Far..the best puddle jumpers this side of Gardenia

October/November Recap

2009-11-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish you could backdate these blogs. But a recap of the last 2 months will have to do.

From the last week in September until Halloween I (Ankle Biters) was swamped with Halloween Orders. I made 22 tutus and 5 Super Hero capes. It was a huge blessing when we REALLY needed the money but was very stressful in the fact that there was tulle and fabric everywhere and I had little free time for Kevin and the kids. We got through it, but Halloween lost it's luster for me this year. We took the kids to 3 different things on 3 different days to really get use out of there costumes. Cousin Brandon's school Halloween Carnival on Thursday, Halloween Happenin at Granmmys and Papas church on Friday, and then out Annual Trick-or-Treating on Olive Street with Angi, Stella, and crew. The kids had a blast at every place and got WAY too much good candy. Here they are in all there incredible glory.

Toby channeled "Dash Incredible" all night and ran everywhere, knocking over kids, tomb stones, or anything else in his path. Olivia kept trying to make Toby call her "Violet" all day since she was calling him dash. I made her costume and she was very excited about her "super suit". But when I got the tutu out she looked at me with those eyes and said to me "Mom, that's not a super suit." I had to convince her it was a super tutu and then she was good with it.

After trick-or-treating, we dropped the kids off at my mom and dads (Really Kevin and I would have NO adult life is it wasn't for them...thanks mom!!) and went to Carynn's Party. After making so many tutus, and then my two best friends asking me to make them some, I decided I had to make one for myself to. So here we are. All of us in our Ankle Biter Tutus. It was a fun night!

Then there was November

I was HUGELY blessed to be apart of my Sister-in-laws (and one of my best friends) home birth. Words can't even describe how amazing it was. Dena was such a trooper and brought a beautiful 8 lb 1 oz boy into this world naturally and peacefully in their home. I was reminded of how amazing and perfectly God created our bodies to preform such a task and loved every single minute of it. Here is Lucas Allen Fisher born November 6th 2009

And now, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I am feeling like the days are just flying by. I am annoyed that there is Christmas crap EVERYWHERE and the weather hasn't even felt like fall. My favorite season has come and gone way too quickly. I'm going to have to find my thankful heart by the end of the week here. And I will, I have so much to be thankful for, especially that there is a holiday that forces us to stop and count our blessings. Happy Fall everyone.

Cupcakes

2009-11-15T14:19:00.000-08:00

Apparently this morning Toby wanted to make some cupcakes. I had the Christmas Funfetti Cupcake mix on the counter and I guess he was inspired. Here are the events that transpired, or at least what we have put together through the evidence he left behind.

8:00 (or so) Toby wakes up, busts the child lock in half that is on his door, and gets out his room by himself.

He walks into the kitchen and sees the cupcake mix on the counter...he thinks to himself "I really want some of those cupcakes, I will just make them before anyone gets up so I can eat them all myself."

He then grabs a chair, pushes it over to the counter, and grabs a filet knife out of the drawer. (This part scares me to death, what if he fell off the chair with the knife...thank God for watching over my crazy man-child while I am not) He proceeds to try and cut the box open with the knife, taking several slivers out of the side of the box and making a little slit in his finger in the process. (Again, thank God that was all that happened)

8:15 (or so) He then realizes that he's not going to get the box open, so he will just get out the ingredients instead, and worry about the box later. He puts the filet knife back in the drawer (the wrong way with the pointy end still slightly sticking out of the drawer) and goes to the refrigerator. Since everyone knows, even a 2 year old, that you need eggs to make cupcakes he thought he would get those out too. He drops about 5 eggs onto the ground and realizes that this his 2 year old hands might not be up to the job. So he dutifully picks up all the egg shell and throws them in the trash, but leaving the yokes all over the floor. (Cause really, who wanted to clean up slimy egg yokes)

By 8:30 (or so) he is tired from all this attempted baking, so he goes into the living room, turns on the tv, and watches some random show until Kevin got up with Liv.

I seriously don't know how I am going to do this raising a boy thing, it is turning out to be MUCH harder than raising a girl, not to mention more dangerous. He destroys everything he touches, gets dirty doing everything, and only wants me to kiss him once a week. I have a feeling that my muay thai-ing, girl pushing, door slamming, "rocket" peeing, loud voiced, super speed boy is going to test my soul till the day I die. And even with all that, I still can't believe that I could love a little boy as much as I do this one. For that one kiss a week, totally eclipses all the other stuff. Oh the love of a little boy.

"Aye"

2009-10-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

Its a sad week in the Fisher House. If you know Toby, then you know that he doesn't say "Yes", he says "Aye" It is one of my favorite things about him. Its like his trademark saying. But this week he just stopped. He has started saying "Yea" now. Now some of you might be thinking "So what" but to me this makes me so sad. Nothing has affected my heart more than this. Not his moving out of his crib to a big boy bed, not potty training, but no more "Aye" My little baby boy is growing up, where does the time go?

Disneyland Again

2009-10-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

I decided late Tuesday nght that we needed a break from reality. I have been a little stressed and grumpy lately so I thought I would surprise the kids and take them to Disneyland on Wednesday. They were surprised and very happy. They kept yelling "wahoo disneyland" all the way from the time they saw the parking structure to the time we got into the park. We did new things this time. We got there at a quarter to 10 and I thought they opened at 9 but I guess I was wrong. At 10am there was a stampede of strollers and foreigners and I was glad that both my kids were strapped into a stroller or they might have been ran down by another one. SO...we walked fast to the Nemo ride (Which has and has had a 45 minute wait every time we've been since it opened) So we waited less than 5 mins...I was pretty stoked. Here is Toby so excited to go on Nemo:

And here they are watching the water...so sweet (And that is Liv's cautious face, she is SO ready to cover those eyes need be)

Then we went on Autotopia. Olivia lucked out and got to drive, surprisingly Toby was fine with it.

This time was one of the best times. (Minus Kevin, who was at work bringing home the bacon) The weather was amazing and the lines were pretty short. I love that I get to do this with them. It makes me feel so lucky to be able to stay at home with them...I need to remember that more.

Jesus drives a trash truck

2009-09-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Some stories just need to be blogged about. This one in particular.

So Tuesday morning the trash trucks woke us all up. (Its really SO annoying that 3 trash trucks have to reverse down our culdesac with their back up beeps blaring at 6am every Tuesday but thats a whole different rant) So when we were leaving the house Olivia saw the trash cans out front and said in her little excited voice, "Mom, jesus picked up our trash" I was a little confused so I asked her "Jesus drives a trash truck?" She laughs and says, "Yeah Mom, He picks up our trash in his trash truck." I asked her where He took the trash after he picked it up in his truck and she told me "He takes it to his house." That was that, she had nothing else to say so I chalked it up to her beautiful imagination and left it at that.

The next day she shut Toby in our hot garage and locked the door behind him. I was more than fed up with their fighting by this time of the day and feeling pretty dramatic (me...dramatic...I know?!?!) so I scolded her that Toby could DIE if he got stuck in the hot garage. With the straightest face she could give me she told me "Its ok mom, we could just put him in the trash can and Jesus can pick him up and take him home with him."

Just then I realized why Jesus drives a trash truck in her mind. A couple of months ago, there was a dead bird in our back yard.I dutifully picked him up with the dust pan and threw him in the trash can. Olivia was very sad that he could fly anymore so I told her the truth...that now he gets to go by with Jesus up in Heaven. And duh...how else would he get there if Jesus didn't pick him up in his fancy ride...the trash truck...on their way up to Heaven?

Slacking

2009-09-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

So I can't believe that its been two weeks since I got back from Colorado and still haven't uploaded these pictures or blogged about it. I am totally slacking lately. Start of the trip photo with mom:

So we got into Denver late the first night. Ate at Sonics and headed home to see Georgie. He was very excited to see us. (But didnt like the hat I bought him...hmm..I wonder why?

The next day was shopping day. And we Kahn's don't take shopping lightly. Here is a couple of pics of the damage we did. (We had to bring home an extra suitcase to fit our share. We're REDICILIOUS! (I'm not denying it)

Sunday we went to Lacey's church. Its called Vanguard and they meet in an old movie theater. It was awesome. Now I know why she missed it so much when she was home. Amazing doesn't begin to describe the feeling I got when I was there. God was definitely there, and it takes a lot for me to really feel something at a church that is not my own. I wish I could fly out every week to go there...it was that good.
After church we drove two hours to a quaint little mountain town called Brekenridge. Lots of little boutique-y little shops. Very cute. Here is a picture of the ski slopes minus the snow. It looked really cool.

Lots of good food, quality company, and good times had by all. I was very sad to leave Lacey and Ben but glad that we will see them in a couple of months for Christmas. We are hoping and praying that they can move closer someday. (SOON)

Look who is in a BIG BOY BED

2009-09-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to turn Toby's crib into a bed for weeks but Kevin made me wait until I got back from Colorado. He was so excited when he saw it, he just kept saying over and over "Check it Out, check it out!!!" So freakin' cute. (And what's weird, if memory serves me correctly, Liv kept saying that exact thing when I got her her big girl bed...but I could be wrong) He has done fine, hasn't gotten up once, which I'm not surprised. When he has his thumb and snuggle his world is complete. Here he is, you can see the proudness on his face...his sweet little big boy face.

All for Kevin

2009-08-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

I was laying in bed the other night thinking what a horrible wife/blogger I've been. I always blog about what the kids and I do but never about what Kevin does. So this one is for you babe. Kevin works so hard for us. Him doing that allows me to stay at home with the kids, and for that I couldn't be more thankful. He goes to work everyday at 4:00am with no complaint. He keeps the outside of our house looking immaculate. (with a little help but he really does take care of everything having to do with it) Because of all this I have no problem "letting" him do what he loves...fishing. He would fish everyday if he could. I can't even explain how much of a better husband and father he is when he gets back from a little fishing. I totally get it, so I rarely mind ;o) Life has been rough having 2 kids so close together but I can truly say, right now, that I love him more than ever.

Happy Birthday to Kevin at the Falkoner: He totally wore the stupid necklace I got him for like 20 mins (What a trooper)

Kevin doing what he loves to do best right now.

First Week Babysitting

2009-08-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Was amazing. I am so thankful that I can get paid to stay at home with my kids. Talk about an answer to a very specific prayer. (God continues to amaze me that way) Kinzie will be with us three days a week from now until January. It is working out so good so far. She takes 2 naps which still leaves me with some one on one time with my kids as well as some alone time. SO perfect. Here is the trio on our walk. Pushing the three of them in the stroller is definitely a workout. Life is good.

Olivia

2009-08-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

If you know Olivia at all you know that she is like that sour patch kid commercial. She is sour one minute but oh so sweet the next. I want to remember the sweet things she says. Here are some of them from the last few days.

Kevin was singing a song out loud about Toby and he was screaming every time Kevin would start up. Olivia stops him and says "Dada, I don't think Toby Likes that song"

We were at church and getting out of the car. I tried to give Toby his bible but he wanted nothing to do with it. Looking on concerned, she turns to Toby and says, "But Toby, Jesus loves you"

And she is constantly talking about her cousins. This quote is by far my favorite though. "Mama, I love my cousins, they look out for me"

And I forgot one: Last week the kids were sick. I was putting Toby to bed and she opened the door to tell him "Toby, I hope you feel better"

Birthdays + Vacation =

2009-08-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of VERY good (but oh so tiring) weeks.

First my birthday: Melting Pot with my 3 bestest friends, and Wood Ranch with the Fam. (Totally gained a couple of pounds this week...ugh)

Then Kevins vacation:

Beach trip on Tuesday,

Birthday Dinner at PF Changs Tuesday night,

Phillipes on Wednesday,

Kevins birthday Today...Happy Birthday Babe!!

My Cousins Wedding

2009-08-03T20:36:00.001-07:00

Olivia and Toby were in their first wedding on Sunday. It was a nautical theme wedding so I dressed the kids accordingly. Olivia looked amazing, Toby...a little on the dorky side but OH SO cute! Kevin says these are the pictures he will be hating me for later but I don't think is was that bad. (Really, who would have thought that 2T would be too small, I should have figured.) Here they are hanging out before the wedding.

They did so good walking down the isle. The only problem was that Toby spotted Grammy sitting in the back and tried to make a detour to see her, but Liv, who had a death grip on his hand, kept him going the right way.

Family shot failure #863

This was the first time that I actually had a good time with the kids being there. That sounds horrible but you know how it is. It is stressful to make sure they are happy and staying in one place. But they were so good, they stayed close and danced the night away. It was 8 o'clock before we knew it. I am enjoying this stage in life so much right now. (I <3 my family)

Happy 2 Toby

2009-08-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

We threw him a fire truck (what else?!?) party for him. No fuss...just cupcakes, ice cream, and family. Thats all we really need in life right?

He didn't like the birthday song, maybe cause I snapped at him for blowing out one of his candles too early (what kind of mama am I??) but he stopped as soon as I told him he could blow out his other one. He ate his entire muffin size cupcake and asked for more.

He loved every single one of his gifts. He showed it by running all of his gifts around the room to show everyone after "ooohhhhhhh"ing over it after pulling the paper off.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy

New Ankle Biters Blog

2009-07-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

Follow me please! here, thanks

Waiting on the Rain

2009-07-14T20:46:00.000-07:00

I think she'll be here for a while

Olivia's Big Girl Room

2009-07-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

I know it took me long enough to get these out but here it is. I am so excited about how it turned out. My mom and I are quite the team. I come up with an idea, she runs with it, and can sew like no one else I know. The results are always better than what I had imagined.

Jump Zone

2009-07-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

We headed for a field trip to the jump zone yesterday. I thought we might have a little trouble when it said ages 2-12 but we braved it anyways. Olivia did great, except that some "big boys were bovering me and bocking my way" There were way many older boys for my taste, you know the obnoxious ones who literally jump over your little kids to get in front of them in line...ugh. She had a lot of fun though. She couldn't be bothered to wait for Toby and usually lapped him on her second run. Here she is leaving him in the dust.

Toby did better than I thought too. After flying down the first two slides, and flopping all around smacking his face on the plastic, he decided that going down this way was much more safe.

He did really good going up the ladders too but most of the time he just caused a traffic jam. He tried so hard though it just made me proud that he kept going, even though he kept looking back to see the mess he had gotten himself in.

They went down the slides for like 45 minutes before they were over it and went to go play in the baby section. They played with this box for another 45 minutes. I think I need to get me one of these for our house.

Hes a beast

2009-07-08T13:47:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to see my "Grandma Barbie" (as the kids call her, but her name is Barbara) at her home. She has Alzheimer's and doesn't do much. I love to take the kids to see her because she doesn't stop smiling the whole time. She loves to just sit there and watch them play. Sometimes she tries to tell us how cute or big they are, but she mostly just smiles. Toby loves her, but Liv is a little scared.

After we visit her we ritually go to Fat Burger with my dad. The first time we went we made the mistake of ordering Toby a "Baby Fat". He devoured that baby burger in 1 minute flat and was asking for more. So this time we got him his very first "Fat Burger" (Which is the size I get by the way) Here are our burgers. Toby, Mama, Grampy, and Liv's.

There he goes...so serious

And a hug for Sissy afterward. He says "I wuv you Sissy" now and it just melts my heart. I just know they are going to be good friends.

LONG 4th

2009-07-05T14:28:00.001-07:00

Started the day off by going to Carynn's grandparents house for a little swim before naps...it was great.

Came home, put the kids down for naps and had some much needed alone time for mom and dad. Around 4:30 (So 2 1/2 hours after Toby went to sleep) we walk in Tobys room to get him only to find a water show going on. There was water pouring out of all 3 light bulbs in his light fixture. Kevin ran outside to find that the hose has busted a whole in it (he forgot to turn it off earlier in the morning) and the hole happened to be perfectly pointed at the roof where there is a 12 x 1 inch opening (that only happens every 5 feet mind you) under the roof that goes into the attack. The water was going into the whole and into the attack and right into Toby's room. He slept through the entire thing. His room was soaked. Kevin had to rip out all the carpet padding and take the carpet out on the lawn to dry. He had to poke a million holes in the ceiling so the drywall and insulation dries and doesn't mold. Kevin kicked butt cleaning up all the water. He filled up 2 whole shop vac loads of water and nothing important was ruined. It could have been a whole lot worse so we are thankful for that much. We still have to come up with the funds to fix the damage though so we will see how that goes.

Loving my Unemployed Life

2009-06-29T21:00:00.000-07:00

So my mom started working today so I am officially a stay-at-home-mom. (I already have three play dates of sorts scheduled this week to prove it) I've been sitting here every morning drinking my coffee while they are eating breakfast thinking how stinkin lucky I am to be doing this. I get to do, by default, what I've always wanted to do. However...this fact scares me to death. I am going to be with my kids everyday for 7 days a week, with no Grammy to pawn them off on when I've had enough, or to drop one of them off when I am feeling overwhelmed by the duo. For the most part, it's just me now every second of the day. It's a little overwhelming to think about so I know that God and I are going to get a little closer here as I know I will need some supernatural help!!

On a lighter note. This boy of mine is getting pretty dang attached to me here. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying every second of it because I know it won't last. Back story on this picture real quick. I used to lock them in Olivia's room with the baby gate, a movie, and some juice every morning while I would get ready so I could do so in peace. MOMS: This is not cruel. It was the best thing I have ever come up with. It was my 25 mins of sanity in the morning and made me such a better (and cleaner) mama to be around...so don't hate. Anyways, since they are bigger now, I lock myself in my room with the baby gate to get ready so they can roam around the house and play. Even with this freedom though, they are constantly at the gate harassing me. (ugh) On this particular day, I put on a movie and put their chairs in front of Liv's tv so they could watch. I go in my room, lock myself in with the baby gate, and get in the shower. I come out a few minutes later to find this. He is watching the movie, in his chair, but he had moved his chair right in front of the gate just to be near his mama. What a sweetie.

And this is what was sitting next to me yesterday morning as I was checking my email (ok who am I kidding, I was checking my myspace...but doesnt that make me sound like a terrible mom ahhhhhh) Love this boy though!

Olivias BDay Party

2009-06-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Totally slacking. Here are the highlights:

Refusing to start her party without Stella:

Finally...the party can start!

The kiddos:

The Best:

Loving Veggie Tales:

Stella way more excited for Olivias New Bike

Getting on, but refusing to ride without her helmet (Safety first haha)

I just love this one:

2nd Annual Bday Trip

2009-06-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

To the American Girl Cafe for Liv's #3. My mom bought her the "Bitty Twins" and the starter kit came with a double jogging stroller. Liv was SO excited for the stroller. She kept asking "Wheres my jogging stroller" It was so nice, we dropped Toby off at a friends house for a play date and set off for a woderful Girls only lunch. Lv had a blast being the center of attention. She named her babies Sally (after the car on Cars) and Oliver (After the cat from Oliver & Company) Here is Olivia ready to go:

Olivia with her new babies

Lunch:

Song and Desert:

We had so much fun

Tanaka Strawberry Farm

2009-06-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Today my mom and I packed up the kids, along with my brother, and went to Tanaka Farms in Irvine. We did a little tractor wagon tour through the farm, got to try all the veggies straight from the ground, and ended with picking strawberries in the field right off the bush. The kids had such a good time and LOVED eating the strawberries!! Probably more than picking them. Liv kept saying "Twist and pull...like Oso Mama" Being a couch potato really paying off lately. Toby got the thrill of his little life by being able to drive the tractor. He couldn't stop smiling. I had so many good pics but here are a few of my favorites

Vacation Update

2009-06-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Kevin was on vacation this week and we had SO much fun. We started out on Monday going to the wild animal Park. Way too many hills but the kids had fun.

Then Wednesday-Friday we went to Palm Springs. We stayed in my grandparents Condo. I love it there because we all got our own room and personal space. It makes all the difference in the world. The kids slept great...which means we slept great. (Last summer Liv was up like every hour) We did the kids museum, saw "Up", and ate HORRIBLY. (Sonics, supreme pizzas, coco puffs...the works) We stopped to see the "Roars" on the way home. All in all it was a great trip. It is finally ok to travel with the kids and it makes me so happy to be able to relax now!

June Gloom...no way!

2009-06-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely loving this weather. On Tuesday The Clark Fam came over to play and it was such a nice day we spent most of it outside (And if you know me you know thats a big deal for me to actually want to sit outside.) The kids loved it.

And then today...all the thunder and lightning....but very little rain...so you could actually enjoy it! Kevin was BBQing outside (Only my family BBQs during a thunder storm right??)and called me out to see the most amazing clouds I have ever seen. We stayed outside watching them move and watching the lightning. It was so beautiful. But Liv kept saying "Oh no Mama, the sky is falling. (Too much chicken Little I guess) It freaked her out a little. I had to get the camera, but these pics don't even do them justice, they were so crazy looking. There were parts where it looked like the clouds were sucked in and other parts that looked like giant footprints. None the less, they were breath taking.

This boy

2009-05-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

I really cherish the times that I get alone with Toby. It really doesn't happen as often as it should. But Kevin and Liv were doing something and so I decided to do an impromptu photoshoot with Toby in my favorite jammies. Love the colors and him in them. His crazy faces for the camera were killing me! Here is Toby...22 months of pure joy.

When I get down on life

2009-05-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

I create:

Just thought I would show it off!

One of those days

2009-05-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those days.

One of those days where I don't want to be who I am.

I am exhausted.

However, today is one of those days.

When I take a quick minute to myself to really try to thank God for everything I am.

And everything that I have.

It's so hard.

But so necessary.

I just pray that I can snap out if this funk I am in.

Ugh...

Busy Couple of Weeks

2009-05-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

So of course my life comes in highs and lows. Always...when I want to sub and get orders I get neither. But when I get busy working, I always get tons of orders. So last week I worked four days (I don't know how you working moms do it!!!) and got SO many orders. This week I worked and got more orders. I have been going non stop but today I reaped the benefits of my hard work. I little pre-Mothers Day Splurge. So:

This (x3...3 orders for this exact one in the last 14 days...it's just crazy)

+ These

= This

If I look half as good in this as she does I will be a happy mama!

Teachers...I liked this

2009-05-05T15:41:00.001-07:00

"School Teacher Job Interview"

After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching
prospect said, "Let me see if I've got this right!

You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their
disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their
dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a
love for learning.

You want me to check their backpacks f or weapons, wage war on drugs
and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self
esteem and personal pride! You want me to teach them patriotism and
good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to
vote, balance a checkbook, and
apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for lice,
recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all
pass the state exams.

You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless
of t heir handicaps, and commnicate regularly with their parents in
English and Spanish by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report
card. You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a
blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a
starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps!

You want me to do all this and then you tell me........
I CAN'T PRAY???????

Ca Adventure

2009-04-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Awesome day with the babes and the parents

Waiting for playhouse Disney (Man they are beautiful right?) :

Scared for Monsters Inc.

Rides in Bug Land

Sharing some love

Busy Bee

2009-04-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

So I have been super anxious lately for some reason and when I get anxious...I get crafty. It's definitely an outlet. Here's what I have accomplished this week:

The simple things in Life

2009-04-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

Make me smile...

Like driving behind semi truck carrying garlic and smelling the sweet garlicky aroma coming through your air conditioning vents. yummmm

And driving home from Rancho with my entire family sleeping soundly in their seats (yes even Kevin) Priceless!

Disneyland

2009-04-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

In attempts to get all I can out of my new Disneyland pass I decided to take the kids on our first solo trip. (Angi and Jeanie...wish you could have come too!!) Of course there are no pictures, I brought my camera but couldn't get them to sit still ANYWHERE to document our trip.

If you think I am crazy for taking two kids under three (and a stroller) to an amusement park by myself you are not alone...I thought the same thing but tried not to think about it too much or I would have never done it.

It was amazing. SO SO hot, but amazing. It wasn't so crowded because of the heat so the longest we waited for any ride was 10 mins. (It was the Casey Jr. Train and the highlight of Toby's day)

We were armed with plenty of water, shorts and tanks, and a very handy squirt bottle. They even kept filling our cups with ice for free, which really surprised me for some reason. Overall it was a success. No melt downs, very relaxed, and a wonderful day with just the babes.

P.S. Poor Liv seems to get her fix of traumatizing events every time though. The first time is was Pinnochio, this time it was the Buzz Lightyear ride. Can't anyone warn you your kids are going to freak when they let you on the ride?!?! It is part my fault for wanting to go on every ride we possibly can, but does anyone know any other rides we should steer clear of?

Run Through Redlands

2009-04-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

I did it!! I ran the whole time. I wanted to make it in under 30 minutes but I got pretty close.

The only part that was hard was watching the elementary school kids pass me up...other than that the whole experience was amazing...10K here I come

Im it?

2009-04-16T22:09:00.001-07:00

Carynn tagged me to blog 10 thing I love that start with the letter N...so here goes nothing:

1. Nap Time: It is my sanity and my "me time". I cannot function without it.

2. New clothes: They just make you feel so good!

3. Nice people: There just aren't enough genuinely nice people in this world. But when I do come across one, it makes me feel like humanity isn't completely a loss.

4. Nephews: They make good mma partners for my kids (Sorry Brandon and Ayden)

5. Nutella: The fat girl in me made me put this one.

6. Newborn Babies: I just can't get enough. I need these little beings in my life some way or another.

7. Nightgowns: I own a few and want to buy a new one every single time I am in Target. There is something about the way you feel when you sleep in something cute.

8. Not Going to Work: I fully believe I was born to be a stay at home mom/housewife. I have said that is "what I want to be when I grow up" for as long as I can remember.

9. Nice Restaurants: Lawry's and Morton's tops my list. I LOVE getting the crumbs cleaned off my table. It's nice to be completely waited on!

10. Really...what else starts with N?

Easter Pics

2009-04-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

Easter was great. Way too much candy though!

Saturday night pop in by Grandpa and Nana (Easter Baskets #1)

Breakfast at Panera (Easter Baskets #2)

Church

Grandma Debby and Papa Michael's house (Easter Baskets #3)

Grampy and Grammy's House (Easter Baskets #4)

-My brother and his Girlfriend came over too (Easter Baskets #5)

Here's my favorite Pics:

Hey

2009-04-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

I know Easter was great... but with two sick kids and a sick husband I am too exhausted (and needed) to remember what actually made it that way. I will post later. For now I will leave you with a quote from my amazing daughter. She was playing at the playground at Chick-fl-a when these two older boys came in.

Boy: "Hi, what's your name"

Olivia: "O-ye,yi-a...I'm big"

I literally laughed out loud. She is so funny. She loves to play with the big kids. They were pushing her out of the slide onto the floor and she couldn't have been having a better time. She is way too rough to be a two year old girl. But she's my girl and I love her for it.

Disney Fever

2009-04-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

Oh man I got it!

So with Lacey and Ben here we decided it would be a good time to take the kids for their first trip to Disneyland. I have been waiting, partly because we didn't have the money, but mostly because I wanted to make it special for them. And to make sure they were really old enough to enjoy it. It was a great time. And to top it off, Kevin surprised me with getting season passes for us!!!! I am so excited to not have Disney envy anymore (Angi and Carynn...hit me up!) It was so much fun to see their little faces taking it all in. Pinocchio was a bad choice for a first ride,

but Dumbo and the carousel made up for it.

The highlight of the trip...no make that their lives...was seeing the lifesize Lightning McQueen and Mater. Seriously, made their lives. (Liv hides it well haha)

Surprise!

2009-04-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

So Lacey, Ben, and Georgie made a surprise visit on Saturday. It was a good day. My mom took me to get a pedicure and then Cold Stone. Kevin and my dad were bugging us to hurry home and of course we were all annoyed. But then, as I walked into my door, there is George in my living room. I was so confused until I saw Lacey and Ben standing there too. It was such a good surprise at a much needed time. (I have been feeling in a bit of a rut lately.) So I am so glad that they are staying for a week. I miss Lacey a lot and love spending time with Ben. It is nice to have them around.

What 7 Year Itch

2009-04-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today is the day...seven years ago today Kevin and I offically "hung out" for the first time. I was scared to death that him asking me to hang out was an April fools joke and was on edge the entire time but hey...look at us now. (Not too closely though...haha) I can't believe how much has happened to us in this small amount of time.

I am so thankful that:

Angi and Joey set up an amazing camping weekend

That we were the only two of our friends who actually had jobs (and had to drive out alone together.)

And that he filled up the gas tank on my truck (That really sealed the deal)

Anyways, here's to 7 years and counting!

I have set my goal

2009-03-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

I just registered to do the "Run through Redlands" on April 19th.

I have always wanted to be in the kind of shape to do one of these short marathons and I finally am. I started out slow on the treadmill and can go for a long time. I have been seeing the ad in the paper and thinking I should sign up for it, and then I saw a post from Mandy saying that she was going to do it, and I thought this is it...Im doing it too. I am really excited to see if all my hard work since January is going to pay off. We'll see...

Last Week

2009-03-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patty's Day Lauren Style:

1st Back Eye:

Met Baby Cami:

Amazing Dinner with my 2 Best Friends: (Happy 21 Carynn!)

It was a good week!