The Six Stooges

2008-06-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

I HAVE SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU ALL!!!! NO, I'M NOT PREGNANT (thank heavens)!!! I HAVE STARTED A NEW BLOG!!! I'M SICK TO DEATH OF THIS PRE-MODERN VERSION OF BLOGGER!!! Enough with the shouting. Anyway, I have included a link to my new blog, over there...under the "Fellow Bloggers" section. It says, in all caps, "ADAMS FAMILY ZOO". Just click on that and it will take you straight (and I mean straight) to my new blog. I haven't had much time to play with it yet, but hopefully, I'll have a more hip-looking blog in the near future. Oh, and the actual address for the new blog is almost as original as the address for this one: jayandhilary.blogspot.com. Don't forget "The Six Stooges", since there are some pretty sweet posts on this blog. You can go back and forth as many times as you like. Isn't that precious? See ya on the other side.

2008-05-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

This post is entitled "Stupid Things You Do When Under the Influence". Under the influence of crazy friends, that is. On Mother's Day weekend, I went with some ladies from church on an overnight retreat to Lake Cavanaugh. It was unbelieveable. I always subscribe to the idea that boys never grow up--I mean, my husband is almost 33 years old and he still asks me to pull his finger when he has to pass gas! For Pete's sake! O.k., so after this overnight thing, I have to say that girls don't grow up either. I got to know these ladies on a whole new level. It's funny what a little "time away", a whole lot of junk food, and the late hour can do to a group of grown women . We were "pinching and giggling" (to borrow an expression from my husband who says that's what us girls do when we get together--hey, better that than "farting and bragging", which is what guys do) into the night and morning, too. We didn't get to bed until 2 am or so, which I still haven't recovered from. Anyway, sometime during the evening, we were talking about Girls' Camp and skinny dipping and such and I mentioned the Polar Dip (you know, jumping into a freezing cold lake at 5am? It's a big hit at Girls' Camp). So, in my utter stupidity, I said I would do it. And then my friend, Amy said she would, too. Oh, we yucked it up, laughing and looking macho all night. Talk is cheap, I tell ya. So, as I lay in my sleeping bag, listening to the birdies chirping and trying not to notice the early light slipping in (which signifies morning, obviously, and time to get up--ugh), I recalled my bravado the previous night. "Oh, please don't let Amy remember," was my plea. Unfortunately, Amy remembered. And she said, "Come on. Let's go Polar Dip!" Or some such nonsense. I tried to back out. I wheedled and negotiated and reasoned. And I managed to put her off for most of the morning. Finally, we were all getting ready to go. And I knew Amy wasn't going to let it rest. She was starting to hint that I might be a "chicken" (you know, flapping of arms and "bock, bock, bock). That did it. I had dug my own grave (or water hole, as the case may be). Most everyone left, but there were a few who stuck around to witness our plunge into the lake. And another friend, Emily decided to join in the stupidity. Notice the photos: I refused to skinny dip (never done it and won't ever). We all went in fully-clothed. And I decided since I had to do it, I might as well do a cannonball. Luckily, we got some great photos. I mean, check out the air on my jump! Sweet. I'm telling you--that water was so dang cold! Apparently, the lake was full of glacier run-off. Double sweet. Not to mention the bottom of the lake felt like a slimy nasty stew of some sort. So, I did it. And now I am a celebrity at church. Fame has its price, I guess. Oh, and just so you know....there was one more photo. It was of us coming out of the water. My pants were falling off and there's a nice white chunk of my bum hanging out of the top. Wisdom suggested that I not post this photo (it would probably come back to haunt me). Hope you made it through yet another one of my very lengthy blog posts. Have a great day, all!

2008-05-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

My sister Heather was in town at the end of April and she was showing me a few things on Blogger. Can anyone guess from these photos what she might have shown me? It has something to do with the direction of the pictures. It's maybe that the vertical photos are actually vertical and not horizontal. No more cricks in the necks on my blog! So, then Heather tried to help me expand my horizons by changing the background of my blog. Boy, that was frustrating. It turns out that I have a fossilized version of blogger or something and they have since updated it, but for some reason, my blog won't comply. I may just be stuck with a completely "kicked" background on my blog....forever!
Definition of "kicked" (just in case some of you are not familiar with this Jenny-ism--I used "kicked" in a sentence with one of my sister-in-laws this weekend and she looked at me like I was hitchin' a ride on the short yellow. Oops. Another expression): means totally ugly or thrashed-looking. Annnnyway. None of you really care about my blog background. You're here to see photos of my cats (Jenny-ism for "kids" or "spouse" or "whoever") and get the juicy details of the Adams family. Right?

So, Carter is finally playing a sport. He has wanted to for some time, but we have opted not to jump on this fast-moving bandwagon until now. Partially a financial decision and partially an "I-don't-want-to-be-in-the-car-driving-all-over-creation-and-dragging-the-other-kids-around-with-us" thing. I won't go into too many details about the baseball season (I can't believe it's finally almost over!), but I will say that Carter has had fun. His coach is kinda "kicked" (which can also mean "not-too-great")--he seems fairly apathetic and his own son didn't sit on the bench once the whole season. Also, I can't lie--it's been a sacrifice because it seems like our whole lives have revolved around games and practices. I have one big question: HOW IN THE WORLD DO PEOPLE MANAGE TO HAVE SEVERAL KIDS IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT SPORTS, OFTEN AT THE SAME TIME???? It seems that family time would have to be affected. In some ways, I wish Carter would have started at an earlier age. But, at the expense of what? Family time is definitely more important. Anyway, he's talking about wanting to do basketball and Avery's showing an interest in soccer....(sigh). Not sure I want to jump right in to "soccer mom". Have you heard how many soccer moms are addicted to stuff...like Red Bull? Yikes. I don't know what it is but whenever I get on this blog I tend to get diarrhea of the mouth (or brain or fingers or whatever, since I'm not in actuality talking to you all). So, baseball's over in a week or so. Here are the stats: Carter is on the Red Sox and so far, they've only won four or five games. But, we're glad for the experience (I think). Thought you'd enjoy these cute photos of my boys. Colby enjoys going to games and practices--an athlete in the making. I don't enjoy taking him, however. Watching the game is almost impossible, since Colby won't stay in one place longer than one minute. I guess that's the way it goes.

I will sign off for tonight. And bore you with more of our recent details tomorrow or the next day or the next month...or whatever. Nightie Night!

2008-04-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hi. O.k. so I need a little help (some may argue I need a lot of help). What day is it today? I am pretty sure it is presently April 19th. At least, when I went to bed two night ago, it was April 17th. But, then this freaky thing happened. White stuff started falling from the sky. You know, it looked a lot like snow. How could that be? I mean we just had spring break LAST WEEK. I thought I was completely losing it, but...LOOK! Up above! At my photos! I have witnesses! Granted the witnesses happen to be related to me...and it is in their best interests to make their mom look SANE. This is no joke. See the ruler! Sticking out of the snow on our railing! Almost 9 inches! As I walked to the end of the driveway yesterday to get the kids from the bus, it was snowing...and the birds were "tweet-tweet-tweeting" in the trees and an actual bee buzzed past my face. Aren't you guys supposed to be hibernating somewhere? I think this change in weather surprised nature as much as it did me. O.k. now, see the photo of Jay and the girls by our mailbox (reason for photo: we had to raise our mailbox. It was too hard for the lazy mail person to reach down and open the box. Pretty shoddy job, but at least the mail person is happy)? That picture was taken EXACTLY ONE WEEK AGO. Yep. It was 75 degrees last Saturday. We worked in the yard and went to the park. Now, notice the photo of Avery in front of the mailbox. I took that picture an hour ago. I don't know whether to get out the Christmas music or weed the flower beds (oh, wait--the flower beds are covered in SNOW). Not to mention our hot chocolate supply is almost gone. But...although this whole weather thing is rather anti-climatic, the kids have sure loved it. We played in the snow this morning and had a great time. Our last winter fling...in spring. What in tarnation? That's all I gotta say. Oh, and one other thing--Merry Christmas/May Day.

2008-04-04T09:35:00.000-07:00

O.k...so I might possibly be blogging a little more often because I have these two sisters, see. They might possibly nag me to post new blogs more frequently than my usual "every-six-months". Basically, my sisters have entered Blog World and one of them in particular, is becoming slowly addicted to it. She said to me yesterday, "You really need to update your blog, cat" (just a funny little name she uses--not sure where she came up with it). Then, she asks me if I've seen hers recently because there's some really "cute" stuff on it, including a video clip of her adorably smiley, bow-headed baby. Whoa--video clip? This blog thing has kicked up to a whole new level. My other sister even has a photo slide show on hers! O.k...so am I the only one living on the outer edge of technology? I'll just go ahead and answer that--YEP. So, I really haven't learned to use this thing (taken the time to learn, more like). So, I am sorry if your neck is cramping from looking at my horizontal photos that should be vertical.

Enough rambling. An explanation is in order for the photos. I don't know what it is but Avery is inevitably attracted to mud, dirt, water, paint, anything that could potentially be messy. Sometimes, I scold her because she isn't the one doing the laundry and the mopping. But, usually, I find it very amusing. I love seeing her have a good time. Anyway, we had a few nice days a month or so ago and we were out in the yard (AHHHH! The mowing season is almost upon us--it's practically at our door! Anyone want to swap yards? Didn't think so). I decided to wash our nasty van because it was....well...nasty. Avery saw bubbly soapy messy water and had a grand time splashing her hands around in it (not to mention flapping bubbles all around in the typical Avery fashion). Colby soon followed (of course). It was great fun watching them.

I also have here Carter at his latest Pinewood Derby. He was so excited about his "skateboard" car. He's had this idea since last year. The Cubmaster in our ward is very handy with wood and tools and such and offered to help Carter out. He had a great time. Jay constructed a "guy" out of that fishing lead weight stuff and it was complete. We were five minutes late to the derby and his car had already raced once...and lost. By the end of the first round, his skateboard was eliminated. Carter was pretty sad (maybe you can tell by his face in the photo). But, when it was all over, he and some of the boys were fooling around racing the cars again on the track. Jay bent the lead guy all the way back so that the weight was more on the back of the car and it started beating everybody! Carter was thrilled. His idea was a success after all. Jay thinks next year for Carter's last Pinewood Derby, he should do a Snickers Bar Car or something. Sweet.

We gave a couple Easter photos, too. Our egg dying kit came with a brown tablet, which the kids all thought was so weird, hence Maia holding a brown Easter egg. Looks revolting, if you ask me. But, eggs are just plain nauseating anyway, unless they're mixed up in a tasty cake or a creme brulee (which I tried for the first time on Easter--my mom (MY mom) was in town for the holiday and whipped it up all nice and tasty like, although we did have a little trouble with the torch). And what's Easter without a chocolate bunny smeared all over the place? Colby really enjoyed mutilating his bunny ("Es yummy," he solemnly said). Sorry the photo is so blurry, but you get the drift.

Two days after Easter, our sweet little Maia Jean turned five. I can't believe how fast time flies! The photo shows her holding her "flower" birthday cake (at her five-year-old check-up, the doctor asked her about her cake. She said it was a flower cake, and he asked, "Was is made with flour or did it have flowers on it?" She just looked at him funny. Oh, and she had three shots and all she did was laugh. The nurse must have thought she was a few crayons short of a box.) Anyway, her party was fun. She had a few of her little girl friends over and they had a egg hunt in the yard and played and ate, etc. Also, I didn't have to plan any games this year (frankly, I'm a little burned out--I thought I would've recovered from all of our "holiday season" birthdays by now, but...no).

I think I got it all. How was that, my sisters? Satisfy your blog tooth? At least for today. I want you to know that Colby and Maia are watching "Elmo's World"--I used up valuable time to type this post. I could've been cleaning or something. Ugh.

Once I figure out the video thing, maybe (notice I said "maybe") I'll try to catch Colby saying a prayer. It is very entertaining, as is everything he does. Hope you are all doing well. "BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!" Oh, gotta go--my bus is here.

2008-02-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Hello? Is anyone there? O.k... so you all probably thought I had completely given up on this blog. My last post was in August--almost six months ago! Just say it. I am completely pathetic. Life is busy, but hey--it's busy for everyone. I was talking to a dear friend of mine on the phone the other day and she told me she finally started a blog. I decided I needed to make some time to update everyone on how things are going. Don't get your hopes up--I may not post again for another six months, but I'll try to do better.

Kids change so much in six months. I know you all received our Christmas letter which pretty much summed up 2007. Carter is still excelling in school--we are filling out paperwork to apply for the "Highly Capable Program" at his elementary school. The testing is in March, so we will see. He is, as I speak (or type or whatever), trying out for baseball. We finally decided he needed to do something. The last thing we need is a social recluse! He has been begging to play for some time. I am very excited for him (not so excited about hauling everyone around to practices and games). Sigh. The extents to which we go for our kids. The picture I've included was taken at Carter's recent Cub Scout Space Derby He is still really enjoying the scouting program.

Avery is finally overcoming many of the fears she's been dealing with at school. She is happy and a wonderful student. She is a great reader and is starting to read chapter books. She recently lost her first tooth, which she was very excited about, as can be seen from the picture. Her other front-bottom tooth is loose, too. Oh, to be a kid again and be overjoyed by the simplicities of life! Avery really wants to do gymnastics. We told her, "Carter first". Actually, we said we'd see about this summer maybe.

Maia is still her sweet/spicy self. She and I have enjoyed having time together during Colby's naps. We have been doing "letter-of-the-alphabet" projects on a weekly basis. I can't believe she will be five in March! She is very excited for Kindergarten and I have no doubt she will do well. The picture included in the blog was taken during a family trip to the zoo recently.

So, did I say kids change a lot over a six-month period? O.k. that's usually true. But, Colby...he's still as curiously-destructive as ever! But is he ever hilarious! Sometimes, I don't know whether to laugh or cry with that crazy cat. The other day, he busted a huge grumpy (that's yet another way of saying, "B.M") in the bathtub. Maia started shrieking and freaking out, so of course, I removed the children and the bath toys and scrubbed the tub down with bleach. While I was doing this, Colby got into my Sanctum, the Holy of Holies--the Craft Room (where I keep all of my scrapbook stuff, etc.), and proceeded to PEE on the floor. Then, after we all showered together. I put a shirt on him and ran to get a diaper. He climbed up into Carter's canvas chair and PEED again, soaking the chair and his clean shirt. I think he does these things to spite me (ha). He is talking amazingly well and he even has a very favorite song. Nearly every morning, he comes downstairs and says, "Mommy! Hed in um game!" (which means, "Head in the Game"--it's a basketball song from the huge teeny-bopper success, "HIgh School Musical"). He grabs his little basketball and starts running like a maniac all around the bonus room. I could write volumes about my fourth child. But, I'll end with one last, very cute thing. At bedtime, he insists on giving(and getting) kisses. But he's very particular. We have to kiss him through the spaces in the head board of this crib. It's very endearing.

Last week, it snowed here, which is why I included the snow photos. This was Colby's first time really out in the snow. He had mixed feelings about it, until he discovered you could eat the snow, and then he was happy as a clam. We had a great time sledding down our gravel driveway. I knew there were some bonuses for living in the styx!

Anyway, I hope you are all doing well as 2008 moves forward. And I hope this very lengthy blog entry was enough to satisfy some of you. I will try to do better. I will. It's hard enough keeping up on the scrapbooks I keep--sheesh! Bye-Bye.

2007-08-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

I just have less and less time to keep up with this blog. I truly do admire those people who can keep it up, but I've found I can't do this and keep up a scrapbook and exercise and clean my house and mow this jungle we call a "yard" and put food on the table and play with my kids and keep Colby from dying an early death (yes, he still has an appetite for the inedible. Not to mention, an urge to climb on top of things). There are, sadly, only 24 hours in a day (sigh). I'll just add a blog here and a blog there.

Anyway, summer is in full swing. I can't believe it's already August! The first half of the summer we were extremely busy because we were out of town. Jay and I were a Ma and Pa couple for our stake's youth Pioneer Trek for church at the end of June. It was in Eastern Washington and boy, was it warm! We were dressed in full pioneer garb and we ended up walking for about 12 miles with our youth. They were pushing and pulling handcarts (we weren't supposed to help). The whole thing lasted four days and it was very difficult, but wonderful (and nostalgic--Jay and I met on a Pioneer Trek in 1992, after all). We had 11 kids in our group and they were fabulous. It truly gave me hope to see how strong the rising generation can be (they're not all going to heck in a handbasket--phew!). I wish I had some pictures--I'm still hoping to get a hold of some I can upload to the blog.

Moving on...A few days after we got home from Trek, we left for two weeks in Arizona to visit my family (well, Jay only stayed one--I have discovered he can't do without me and I'm not sure I will ever be able to leave him again. What a big baby! Ha!) I know what you're thinking--"Why would anyone in their right mind go to Arizona in the summer?" I'm not sure I had command of all of my mental facilities when I bought the plane tickets. It was 12o degrees almost everyday! Here's the next question: "Who in their right mind would live there?" That's the question I would like an answer to. My family is absolutely nutters! Anyway, most of the pictures I posted were taken in AZ. There's my mom with Maia and Carter in their backyard pool (which we spent a lot of time in). The kids loved it! Then, there's Colby soaking wet in his clothes at a water playground we went to in Tempe. He loved all of the fun puddles and jets of water. We were also able to enjoy my dad's fabulous talent for barbequeing. One night, he made baby back ribs, which were truly delish. The kids really liked them. Avery pretty much nibbled her's to the bone, with nothing to spare. She also enjoyed the ribs because she could get really messy! Maia said, after that meal, "Grandpa sure makes tasty meats!" I'd have to agree there. Another treat awaiting us in the desert was two new additions to the Lewis family. My youngest sister, Heather, had a baby on July 1st--they named him Landon. Then, on July 4th (the day we arrived), my other sister, Jenny had her baby, whom they named Elliana (they call her "Ellie"). They are so adorable, but look nothing alike. They look like their dads!

The last picture is from our 10-year wedding anniversary date. My turn to plan. We did a "Dr. Seuss" theme. Here we are, dressed up like Thing 1 and Thing 2 from "The Cat in the Hat". And, yes, we are, believe it or not, grown-ups. The grand finale to the date was a hot air balloon ride, which we never ended up taking because the weather was sorta crummy. I am determined to do it before the summer is over! I'll post pictures of that one (I hope).

We are having a great summer, but it's going too quickly. My brother, Ryan gets married next week here in the Seattle area, so all of the fam will be here. Carter has scout day camp and we plan on going to the Adams Family cabin for a visit. There are definitely things to do. Before we know it, it'll be "back to school." I hope you are all having a wonderful summer and keeping cool.

2007-04-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I still haven't figured out how to rotate my photos in Blogger. My brother is probably laughing at me at this point and thinking I am a complete dunce. Laugh it up, Bobie! I barely make the time to post a blog, let alone taking the time to figure out all of the technicalities. SO, live with it! And get used to cranking your neck to the side so as to better view the vertical photos.

Anyway, I picked out quite a few tidbits to post this time. First, we have Maia dressed as Blossom, her favorite Powerpuff Girl. O.k., so if you ever happen to watch an episode of The Powerpuff Girls, you might think , "Hmm...this isn't exactly a kid show. " BUt, it's a cartoon, so...it's a kid's show, right? Actually, I'm not that naive. It's a pretty funny show and my kids love what they've seen. Maia decided she wanted a Powerpuff Girl birthday party this year. SHe was so excited to have her hair spray painted orange! I can't believe Maia is four already! Now, if we could just get here to make it to the potty every time...

I posted a picture of Easter Sunday morning. DOn't the kids look cute in their matchy matchy Easter outfits? Or did you even notice? Looking at the photo, your attention was probably first drawn to Colby's gi-normous head front and center. Colby was a little upset--now that he can get around on his own, he doesn't take kindly to being "placed" anywhere. SO, a posed picture with the siblings...out of the question! I thought it was rather amusing.

The rest of the photos were taken this past weekend at Jay's youngest sister's wedding. I stuck a picture of Jay and I in here because, well, I wanted you all to see how much we've grown! Just kidding. Not that you really want to see photos of us--you're viewing this blog to see pictures of our cute little munchkins, no doubt. So, sorry!

There is a picture of all the little nieces in their cute dresses and Marianna, the blushing bride. Don't you just want to eat 'em all up like a big load of cheese and bread? That was kind of a joke. Explanation: None of us had eaten dinner before the reception began, so we all pigged out on Mari's reception fare--cheese, bread, and cheescake! Unfortunately, no one thought to keep a plunger handy at the church! (HA, HA)

THe last picture definitely needs some explaining. Jay and his brothers thought it would be funny to put Beneficial Life bumper stickers (that they found in Ray's truck) on the backs of their parents during the family picture session at the reception. The funniest part of all is that Ray wasn't aware of his sticker, but fully aware of Anita's, as you can see from the photo. Joke's on you, Ray! We all thought this was uproariously funny. The Adams are not known for their maturity.

Anyway, hope you are all pleased with this very lengthy blog. Toodles!

2007-02-27T16:34:00.000-08:00

I guess I never really made a New Year's resolution to be better at updating this blog, which is a good thing because, well... I STINK at keeping this thing!

...O.k....it's now three days after I uploaded these pictures and began this blog. Who knew this could be so challenging? Anyway, these photos capture just a few of the highlights of the last couple months in the Adams Family.

On January 13th, Carter was baptized. I can't believe he is eight-years-old. His baptism day was snowy (big shock--we seem to be getting a lot of wayward weather lately), but almost everyone we expected showed up, luckily. In characteristic Adams fashion, Carter's baptism started like forty minutes late because we were waiting for more people to show (another BIG shock). Anyway, Carter was so excited! After it was over, I asked him how he felt. He got an enormous smile and he replied, "Happy!" It was truly a wonderful day.

For Valentine's Day this year, the kids and I did an "M&M" theme for Jay. The picture I posted here is the one I had printed on a mousepad for him. Can you believe Jay didn't have a flippin' mousepad? Anyway, taking this picture was a nightmare. We used a tripod, but between having to set the camera, run back, grab Colby, put on his blue "M" and tell everyone through clenched teeth to "Smile, darn it!", I should have just gone to a studio and let them deal with it. The posted pic is the best one (despite the fact that we are all looking fairly ratty--Avery is even in her pajama bottoms). Whatever. I think Jay likes his mousepad, which is all that matters.

The last picture is of our Ghee Boy, which is now Colby's new name. THe kids rarely call him Colby anymore--he is always "Ghee". So, that cat is a troublemaker, with a capital "T". He has gone from being my best eater and eating all that is good and healthy and edible, to eating edible things as well as Polly Pocket shoes, chapstick lids, rusty screws, and crayons, to where he is at now, which is eating all the inedible things on the floor and then chewing his food and spitting it out. It's really frustrating. Not to mention wherever he roams (he's now entered the realm of the walking) is a virtual path of destruction! He literally goes from the trashcan in the kitchen, where he either throws things away that shouldn't be thrown away (like car keys) or digs things out that are meant to be in there, to the fireplace where he eats the soot (there's a lock there now), to the toilet where he likes to lift the lid and splash, splash, splash, to the toolbox in the laundry room (that's where he dines on rusty screws), and finally, ending up at the stairs where he enjoys going to the top and peering over the edge (he laughs as he watches me scramble up the stairs to try to save his life). Phew! That was a long sentence. FOr all that, we love him dearly. Oh, I forgot another of Colby's haunts--the dishwasher (hence, the picture). When the door is open, he stands on it and pulls things off of the top rack or just holds onto the rack and leans precariously backwards, until I pull him away (much to his annoyance). What a little stinker!

So, that's some recent news. Hope everyone is doing well. Another blog to come soon? Maybe.

2007-01-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

A post two days in a row! Truly unprecedented. Don't get your hopes up, people. I'll do my best, really. But...my computer is still gimpy and I am still frustrated by it. Not to mention I can only blog when Colby is asleep. Take now, for instance. He's awake, and when my laptop is open, he's like a moth to a flame. He loves to claw the keys off of the keyboard. Currently, I am missing the "Fn" key and at one point, I was missing the "V", "1", and one of the "shift" keys. We managed to glue them back on somehow. Anyway, life is never dull.
So, I wanted to post at least one picture from Christmas. The Adams Family gets together every Christmas Eve to put on a little Nativity. Jay's Aunt Janice made a bunch of really cool costumes for the kids. They all dress up (luckily, there isn't much fighting about who gets to be what--the cousins all get along very well) and then Jay's dad reads the story of Christ's birth from the Bible (well, o.k...He does add a little, um, Adams embellishment to it. In the past, it's gotten a little out of hand, but this year, it was actually pretty mild). We also sing (or rather, bellow) Christmas carols and just enjoy being the crazy family that we are.
Jay's youngest brother, Peter was married two days after Christmas. They bought all of the nieces matching flower girl dresses--they all looked so adorable! I had to include a picture of my two little flower girls. Aren't they precious? O.k., so that's gonna have to be it for now. I am having to use my leg (while my hands are busy typing) to keep my Colby-hound at bay. He's reaching for the "Caps lock" key. Better go. Take care, all.

2007-01-01T11:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone! Can you believe 2006 is over already? I decided to start this new year out right with a new blog (since it's been over a month since I posted last--sheesh!) I would like to say that I've made a new year's resolution to be better about posting--you know, something like, "I will now post a new blog every week. But...let's be realistic. It's probably not gonna happen. I will keep posting, but only when I darn well feel like it! Hopefully, I'll have a different computer to use soon, so I won't have to deal with the technical retardation of this one. Anyway, I have a lot of catching up to do! So, an explanation of these photos. October through December is birthday season in our house, not to mention loads of holidays! It's busy, busy, busy. I've included a birthday photo of each of our three birthday kids. First, there's Avery, who turned six on November 15th. She has been really into monkeys lately, so she had a Curious George party. Her Grandma Anita bought her a huge Curious George doll, which she was thrilled about. Carter turned the Big "8 "on December 14th. The power went out that night, due to the huge windstorm our area endured. It was out for 3 1/2 days!! We were lucky compared to some. There were some areas that were without power for a couple of weeks. Yikes! Anyway, we ended up going through with Carter's birthday party on Saturday morning, even though you could see your breath in our house. The boys all wore there coats for the festivities, that's for sure. Carter got roller blades for his birthday from Jay and I, which is what he had been wanting for awhile. He will be baptized on January 13th and is very excited about it. I can't believe he's 8 already! O.k. so, the last photo is of our little "Ghee Boy", as we all call him. Colby turned one on December 15th. We had to move the family party over to Jay's brother's house because they were the only ones with power. Colby really enjoyed his cake. Can you tell? Before he turned one, COlby wouldn't feed himself anything. As soon as he tasted his cake, that all changed. As you can see, he literally stuffed his whole fist in his wee little mouth. Now, nothing is safe. I find lint, chapstick caps, bells, Polly Pocket accessories, crayons, you name it--Colby will eat it!
We survived the birthday/holiday season! It was a good one. We are looking forward to another wonderful year. Hope you are all doing just grand!

2006-11-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

I truly haven't dropped off the face of the planet--I've just been busy! And let me just say that I absolutely detest this computer. I spent forty minutes yesterday uploading these photos and typing in a really witty blog and I reached the very end and was just about to hit the "publish" option, when this piece of technological junk froze up! I should just be grateful to have a computer at all, but sometimes...sheesh! What a colossal waste of time. Anyway, you will now get the condensed version of what I typed yesterday, for fear of the "iceman" freezing this lame-o again.
So, these are some Halloween photos. Carter was Darth Vadar (we borrowed a costume and had to spend $40 to replace it because...he ripped it the first time he tried it on--oh well), Avery was the Wicked Witch of the West (she loved the green face paint, which aided the deception that she is truly "wicked"), and Maia was the infamous "Raccoonicorn", which makes for an interesting conversation piece. When asked what she was for Halloween, Maia responded, "A 'Coonicorn!'" I would, of course, have to explain the story behind the legendary mythical creature. (One last time for Blog's sake! Bought the unicorn costume for Avery when she was three. Washed. Stuck in dryer--big No No! Hair on mane and tail melted. Seriously looks like a rainbowy raccoon tail!) Oh, and Colby was "cheese and crackers"(get it? Colby Jack cheese? Well, we thought it was funny!) Anyway, the kids had a great Halloween and got lots of candy (or so they think. Just wait 'til they're older and can run from house to house faster--bring on the pillow cases-full!) Oh, and the picture of Avery with the funny glasses and Colby clearly entertained...it's just for laughs!
Hope everyone is enjoying themselves as we dive headfirst into the crazy holiday season. I know our house is a'bustlin' with birthdays and the like. Hold on everyone--"it's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

2006-09-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

The summer is over. I can't believe it! It went by way too fast, although a certain older son of mine began driving me a wee bit crazy (he was "bored" and very anxious to start the fast-paced school life). I'll include "first day of school" photos in the next blog. I am getting way too behind!

Heather and Kyle have been married for just over a month already. I included my favorite photo from the wedding. It captures the very essence of the whole experience. Heather and Kyle had planned a special surprise for everyone--they somehow managed to get Heath (the biological father of Heather's little boy, Hunter) to write a letter of permission to the temple so that Hunter could be sealed to them for time and all eternity. It was the most amazing and wonderful thing! After Heather and Kyle were sealed, Hunter came in dressed all in white. Talk about no dry eyes! Even though the actual adoption is not complete, the Robinsons were able to be sealed as a family. Awesome.

There's a photo of my hairy brother, Ryan holding Colby. It was taken Labor Day weekend when he was in Seattle visiting his girlfriend, Megan's family. The kids sure love their crazy Uncle Ryan! I included the picture because it is a really cute one.

Maia is finally potty trained (I might have mentioned that before--my memory is sliding...sliding...sliding). It has not been without bumps along the way. She has been our most difficult to potty train thus far. In fact, she is still having accidents, which we haven't had to deal with too much with the other two. It's rather frustrating. The picture was taken at our little "Pee Pee in the Potty" Party. She's sporting the princess dress we bought her has a reward (since then, it has been up on the fridge a handful of times, based on her frequency of accidents).

Lastly, there's Colby's "gimpy leg" (see it there? Written on his cast? Carter wrote it). It finally came off on Friday--Hallelujah! The last week or two were the worst. I think Colby had finally had it. He was getting violent. I was changing his diaper and he brought his leg up and then slammed it down on my finger. Ouch! Jay took to wearing a cup whenever he was holding him because...um, well, you get them picture (and he didn't really wear a cup). Needless to say, we were all ready to see that thing go. Hopefully, he'll start to crawl soon.

So, that's catching us up (for the most part). Hope everyone is enjoying the last little bit of summer weather before the fall comes (well, except the fam in Arizona, where it's summer all the time)!

2006-08-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe summer is almost over (and I've probably only posted two blogs the whole time). I guess we've just been busy, although I'm not exactly sure what we've been busy doing. I swear our kids are the only kids not in swim lessons, which I think I mentioned in the previous blog. Maybe next summer. Anyway, I had a friend ask me yesterday if our kids spent a lot of time in our new yard. "Hmm..well...actually no, not really." Sad, but true. We've wanted a yard for so long and now we have a big wild one and our kids really don't go out in it much. Sure, they used the new kiddie pool for a stretch at the beginning of the summer and the sprinkler comes on once in awhile. Inside the house seems to be the place to be, though. I feel like I should've done bettergetting my children out of the house, but let's be honest. Will they really remember much about this summer later on?
Enough rambling about my failings as a mother. Some explanation for these photos is in order. My parents came end of July and while they were here, my dad did some odd jobs for us. So,a photo of Carter being a "helper." He's sanding the wall down, in preparation for a new paint job. I mean, I really didn't want to paint over the lovely shade of turquoise (or teal or vomit green or whatever). It is actually now a lovely shade of brown (it looks so much better--thanks, Dad!). We also got new vertical blinds--they no longer clash with everything. So, it's the nasty tile around the fireplace that needs handling next.
Then, there's the quinessential Avery photo--she's covered in mud and loving it! And Maia on her first pony ride. She had to go back and do it three times, I think. BOth of these photos were taken at a company picnic that we were invited to by some friends.
And there's sweet Colby Bear (I call him that sometimes). I love the one where he was crying and then I got him to laugh. His smile is priceless, I tell ya! The last photo needs some explanation. So, see Colby's leg? Yeah. O.k. most of you know this story already, but here it is anyway. Sunday afternoon. On the way to a family get-together. Light splattering of rain on the front porch. Colby and I. Walking down porch steps. My feet. Slippp! I get a nastily bruised bum and Colby gets a fracture in his right femur (that's "thigh bone" for those of you who are medical term-challenged). It was so scary! But, he's been a real sport about it--can't you tell from the picture? His leg was in that splint for a week and now he's in a bright blue cast (which I'll post pictures of later) until Sept. 8th. He's doing really well--swings that blue leg of his like a pro (and man, does it hurt when it whacks you). The kids had a good time writing on Colby's cast. Carter wrote, "Gimpy leg". Ha ha. You can imagine how many times I have told the story of "Colby's Leg"--going into public is a nightmare! How often do you see an eight-month-old baby with a cast on his leg? I'm surprised CPS hasn't stopped by for tea.
Anyway, I guess we've had a pretty adventurous summer for not going anywhere. Oh, wait. We did go somewhere. We went to Arizona (just Jay, Colby, and I) for my baby sister's wedding a few weeks ago. I'll post a separate blog on that one. Ta-Ta for now.

2006-07-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a few pictures of our summer thus far. It's been pretty quiet. We seem to be the only family on the Eastside (or in the whole country possibly) that isn't involved in swim lessons. It's mostly because we're poor, although it is nice not having to be somewhere at a certain time everyday. I can't seem to get anywhere before noon these days! It's been a rather lazy dazy summer, and at this point, I'm grateful for that.
An explanation of these pics: Well, there's Carter, livin' it up in Hood Canal. We went to the Adams Family cabin a few weekends ago with some friends. The weather was great! The kids had a fabulous time jumping on the trampoline, splashing in the water, and being extremely loud (as only kids in large numbers can). At one point, I should admit that we locked the kids outside for awhile (well, actually, it was only for about 5 minutes). The babies were napping and the other kids kept coming inside and being loud after being told repeatedly not to. So, we locked them out and enjoyed a rather amusing time watching them bang on the windows and doors. There's also a picture of Maia and her bestest friend, Helena Chao sitting on a chair on the porch at the cabin. These two are like two peas in a pod, I tell you! Maia won't take a whole lot of flack from anyone, except Helena. We haven't spent much time at the beach, but this past week, we met some friends at Juanita Beach and the kids had a great time playing. We weren't even there for five minutes and Avery was already top to bottom sand (as in the picture here). Out little dirt magnet! She rode home naked, which she thought was fantastic. Next, there's the picture of Colby with Grandpa Ray. It was taken at Ray's birthday party a few weeks ago. And lastly, a photo of Colby meeting his Great-Grandma Eve for the first time. Families are the best! My parents were just in town, too. I'll post some pictures from that adventure on the next blog, hopefully. Hope everyone is keeping cool this summer. We're not--right now our house is 81 degrees and it's only 9 am. Can't wait for the afternoon sun to beat down! We gotta get some screens on these windows!

2006-06-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a smile to brighten your day! Colby is six months old already. Time is passing so quickly. He is our smiliest kid thus far. He does have a lot to smile about--he is very loved! The kids adore him, especially Avery. I keep telling her he will cease to be a cute little angel and transform into an annoying pest (he will get into her stuff). She doesn't believe me. But that's the way it goes. Anyway, had to post this picture--you can probably see why!

2006-06-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

O.k...oops! I uploaded one of these pictures twice. I guess you'll get to enjoy them twice. Anyway, you're probably wondering why my children are dressed like peanuts. Well, the answer is really quite simple--their mom is nuts! For Father's Day, the kids and I did a "Nutty for Daddy" theme for Jay. We made our own costumes and then I wrote some alternate words to the song, "Boom Boom, Ain't It Great to Be Crazy" (in this case, "Nutty"). We sang the song for Jay and gave him his absolute favorite--Blue Diamond Smokehouse Almonds. I also prepared a lunch involving nuts. I am truly...nuts! But, I think Jay enjoys my insanity from time to time. Hope you are all doing well as we move into another summer!

2006-05-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Definitely time for another go at the blog! First of all, here is some explanation for these photos. There's Colby doing a "no-no". The kid has resisted pass-ees from the start, and just recently, I noticed the little man sneaking a thumb in his wee little mouth. I never really wanted a thumb-sucker, but I have to say (and I think you'll agree) Colby looks dang cute doing it! Of course, he won't look so cute when he's ten-years-old and has beaver teeth, but sometimes that's just the way it goes. As for the other photos, they were all taken at the Adams' Family cabin this weekend. We went over there ("there" being in Belfair on Hood Canal) Friday and Saturday. The weather wasn't exactly beautiful (unless you think tons of rain qualifies), but we still had a great time. The cabin is a great place to eat tons of junk and be really lazy. We set up our new tent and slept in it at the request of the kids. A couple of Jay's brothers and their families joined us as well. We went down to the beach and jumped on the tramp. By the way, the third little girl in the picture with Avery and Maia is Veronica, one of the cousins (she's also Avery's very bestest friend). Check out the picture of Carter on the tramp! And check out those legs! Woo-wee! Definitely scored those babies from the Adams' side.
Anyway, hope you all had a memorable Memorial Day! 'Til next time.

2006-05-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

More pictures from the yard! Man, do we love it, but boy, what a load of work! I have been obsessed with trying to keep some semblance of order to our yard. Going from having just a deck with a few potted flowers on it to having over half an acre of wilderness and grass (and geez, there's some grass!), has been an interesting challenge. Especially since our funds are so limited right now. You'll notice our lengthy grass in the picture of Carter picking dandelions.
This doesn't even hold a candle to our front yard. There were spots that came up to my knees practically! Can we say "white trash?" Luckily for us, we live away from suburbia, more or less. A few dandelions are acceptable out here. Jay said, "Hilary, we will never have a putting green for a yard like your Dad does!" Yes, yes--I'm well aware. "But, we do need a lawn mower!", I was quick to point out (a few too many times, apparently--Jay and I had a little, uh, disagreement about this issue. What can I say? I'm a colossal nag). To make a long story short, I ended up going to Lowe's and buying a lawn mower. I spent three or four separate sessions mowing the lawn. Yeah. I've never ever mowed before. But I have to say, all the sweat and sore muscles was well worth it. What a sense of accomplishment! So now we need an edger, you know--to get the very attractive foot-high "fringe" we now have bordering the edges of our yard down to a "non-white trash" standard. Oh well! There's always something.
So, I'll quickly explain the photos. The top right of Maia in her snow mittens says a lot about her personality. She wanted to help me with the gardening and because I was wearing gloves, she had to, too. We even own a pair of kid's garden gloves, but No! She had to have her "pink gloves". Needless to say, she found it a little difficult to help in the garden with those monsters. The top right photo is a family dinner picnic on our newly-mowed front lawn. Excitement. Bottom left: Carter helping me de-weed the back yard (I think he was getting sick of listening to me whine about the dandelions). And bottom right is yet more fun in the yard. We don't own a kiddie pool as of right now. The weather has been beautiful and so, we got out the laundry bucket and filled it with water. What innocently began as playing with plastic turtles in the water, became a fully-clothed bath for my girls! No big surprise there. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the photos!

2006-04-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a little Easter cheer! Enough to give you nightmares. There's actually a story behind this photo, believe it or not. Three Easters ago, the kids and I made some decorations on our flimsy-construction-paper budget. I created this bunny peeking out of a pot and Carter decided he would make the face. When Jay saw the results, he felt so inspired, he burst into song, "It's a pig, it's a bunny, it's a beaver--it's a Puneaver!" We have hung this mythical hare up on our wall every Easter since. While eating dinner the other night, Jay was feeling particularly festive (and entertaining, I might add). He stuck some carrots in his mouth and grabbed the Puneaver off of the wall. The kids thought it was hysterical. Jay is such a great role model for our kids! I can't ever tell them not to play with their food because they can always say, and rightly, "Daddy does it!" Anyway, it is raining here today. We were hoping for an outdoor Easter egg hunt, since we've never had a yard before, but apparently, that's not going to happen. Wishing you all a very Happy Easter! Remember: "Somebunnies love you!"

2006-04-10T13:44:00.000-07:00

O.k...so I haven't figured out how to rotate these pictures yet. But I did want to post these because they say a lot about the personalities of my three oldest children.
A few weeks ago, the weather, although not warm, was not freezing cold. We went out in the yard so that I could pull my first weeds. I realized just how much work keeping up a yard is going to be (especially without a lawnmower and an edger--we'll get them eventually. Man, we're broke!) Anyway, the previous owners left a sprinkler and a hose and so the kids really wanted to turn it on--"Just to water the grass, Mom." Well, I'm not a complete idiot. I knew the only grass that would be watered would be the grass they had picked up on their clothes. I let them turn it on anyway and they had a blast! Avery (my dirt-magnet five-year-old) was soaked head to toe in less than five minutes. In the picture above, she's also "flapping" like mad because she's so excited. Go figure. Maia
(my fiesty three-year-old) was quick to follow her older sister into the flood. But then there's Carter (my seven-year-old). Notice how he is standing as far away from the water as possible filling the watering can. Not a drop to be had on that guy! Big shock. His hair is an orangey-red because it was crazy hair day at school that day. The girls, of course, "needed" a bath afterwards because they were really cold--duh!
It does wonders for my happiness to see my kids enjoying our new yard so much. So long to the boxy little condo! I just hope I don't kill all of the desirable plantlife.

2006-04-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today is Sunday and it is really cold here, which is one of the reasons why we are going to have something warm and tasty for dinner. How about some spaghetti? I found a truly scrumptious spaghetti sauce recipe online some time ago and I've had a few requests for it. So, without further ado, here it is! Bon Appetit!
Desiree's Spaghetti Sauce
2 tsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. or so each garlic powder, onion powder, and basil
italian seasoning (shake to cover top of sauce)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
1 6 oz. tomato paste
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey) made into meatballs (choose your favorite recipe)
about 8 (I do less) Italian sausage links
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)

Brown sausage in oil. Bake meatballs for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees. Make sure sausage is cooked all the way through! Put the meat in a crockpot and then the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

2006-03-27T11:19:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Maia turned three! We had a little birthday party for her on Friday morning, which was more or less a time for the kids to run around the house with their little friends and the moms to sit around and talk. Most of the kids came dressed up (well, it was a dress-up party). Guess what Maia wore? You'll never guess so look in the picture at the left to get a clue. Yep--the infamous "Pink Dress". Maia started wearing it daily two weeks before Halloween and pretty much didn't take it off until after Christmas. She still wears it occasionally around the house (I won't let her wear it in public anymore, but she doesn't seem to care, thankfully). I guess for nostalgic reasons she decided to wear it at her b.day party! I put some make-up on her, too--she looked like our little "Sweet Pea Princess", as her Grandma Cindy likes to call her. On Saturday morning when she got up, Jay gave her a hug and exclaimed, "All done with the Terrible Twos! On to the Terrific Threes!" Hmmm...I'm not as optimistic as Jay, I guess. Sometimes, our little "Sweet Pea" can be a little "Spicy Pepper." We love our Maia Jean!

2006-03-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

Ahhh..yes. My other two good luck charms. They have both had colds and so they slept in a little (a very little) this morning. Hey, Dad and Mom--don't think I forgot another important reason for celebrating this day. Has it really been 33 years? Maia and Colby seem to think so (hence, the shamrock message they are holding). I sure hope you get to go on a hot date, or at least that Mom will allow Dad to stray from "cardboard and fish". HAPPY 33RD WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, YOU CRAZY LOVE BIRDS!!!! You two are the best parents ever and I love you. Today and every day I feel so "lucky" to have you. Enjoy this "Green" kinda day.

2006-03-17T09:49:00.000-08:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! I decided I would get into the spirit of the holiday 'cuz it's fun. I told the kids they should wear green today so that they don't get pinched ("Or flicked," Carter said. "Flicked?" I replied. "Who flicks on St. Patrick's Day?" He didn't know!) Avery was very concerned because she doesn't have any green clothing. I let her wear one of my shirts (actually, recognize the shirt, Jen? It was in the latest installment of hand-me-ups). This picture was taken before Carter left for school today. Just a couple of my good luck charms--the other two were still sleeping. Today, we are doing a "Green" day for our little preschool. The girls get really excited for our preschool days (once or twice a week). I do,too! I love to spend the quality time with my girls! Tonight, we will have breakfast for dinner (aren't you jealous, Heth? Maybe you can convince Mom to take a break from "cardboard and fish" to have some waffles and hash browns). We are having Green Eggs and Ham (which I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole--to Sam I Am's dismay) and green shamrock-shaped pancakes and hash browns with green onions. What a treat!

2006-03-06T13:50:00.000-08:00

While Heather was here, we cooked some tasty food. She really wanted to live it up (which means "eat tasty food") because all Mom cooks at home these days, and I quote, is "cardboard and fish." Ewww. Dad is on Weight Watchers (again) and that's all he can eat--"cardboard and fish." It's sad that Mom's cooking has come to this (she is afterall a fabulous cook), but Dad's health is muy importante.

Anyway, on the first night, we made croissant sandwiches (loaded with fat). We decided that fries would make a great side dish, so I added everything into a plastic zipper feature bag (notice I did not say "Ziploc"--if we would have used an actual Ziploc brand bag, what happened would not have happened). I began to shake the bag with everything inside. I think Heather felt excluded so she said, "Pass it over here!" and held her hands wide. We began passing the bag back and forth across the kitchen, getting progressively more creative with our passes. And then the inevitable happened. Heather turned around and launched that fry bag at me from between her legs. The non-Ziploc bag burst open and sprayed me with fries, parmesan, olive oil, and other tasty spices. We both let out a little scream and then stopped, staring in disbelief at my grease-splattered clothes. Then, of course, we had to laugh and pick up the fries, which we decided to eat anyway. The picture shows me in the aftermath. I learned two valuable lessons from this experience: 1. Always use Ziploc bags, and 2. "Fry Bag Throwing" is not a team sport.

2006-03-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today is Monday. Ahhh...what a peaceful day this is! Normally, I wouldn't say that about a Monday, but this Monday is an exception. I just finished a long, tiring, and very fun week. "Long, tiring, and fun"--I know these words are at odds (or one of them is). It's rather like the Seasame Street game--"One of these words doesn't belong here, la-di-da, yaddi yaddi ya..." Nevertheless, it's true. The week was long, tiring, yet fun. You'd probably like to know "why", rather than read my ramblings. My baby sister, Heather and her little guy, Hunter were in town for a visit. Hunter arrived with the stomach flu and it sort of went down hill from there. Picture this: Hunter (age 2) and Maia (also age 2) alone in a room together. Hunter enjoys throwing anything he can get his wee little hands on; Maia hasn't napped well regularly in days. I probably don't need to describe what happens next. Yeah. It got to the point that Maia would anticipate Hunter's every move--even before he himself thought it up! She would start screaming and crying before Hunter even did anything. This was fascinating to him--afterall, what an intriguing way to learn cause and effect. Who knew antagonizing one's cousin could be so much fun? Anyway, I was at my wit's end with the whole thing by the end. Not to mention my house was a diaster area. I mean, Heather isn't the tidiest cat on the planet (no offense, Heth). Other than those two things, I enjoyed myself immensely and we did some fun things. I'll probably have a few different posts about our week.

2006-02-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Every year, as a Christmas gift, Jay and I plan a creative dinner for his parents. It works out really well, since Ray and Anita have everything they could possibly need or want that is within our meager price range. Four Christmases ago we started doing this and it was such a hit, that we've kept it up as a tradition. The dinner has a theme (of course--what would life be like without themes?). We've done a ballroom dance with a fancy dinner(we dressed up real nice); we did a mystery dinner (everyone was dressed in detective garb); last year was our "pajama" party, where we wore p.j.'s and had breakfast for dinner; and finally, this year, we had a "Mother Goose" evening. We all dressed as characters from different nursery rhymes and the food I served came from nursery rhymes, too. For example, we had roast beef (from "This little piggy went to market"), a cottage cheese-based fruit salad ("Little Miss Muffet... eating her curds and whey"), cherry cream cheese tarts for dessert ("The Queen of Hearts made some tarts"), and water served from a pail ("Jack and Jill"), etc. We also gave them an old Mother Goose nursery rhymes book that we doctored a little (we included some of our own nursery rhymes). It was a great evening! Of course, the best part was spending time talking with Jay's parents. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to post a few pictures from the whole event, which was last Saturday.

O.k. so, I've included the pictures, but obviously, they need to be flipped. I don't know how to do it because I am not in the least computer saavy. Use your imagination and in the meantime, I'll try to learn how to use this thing! The top picture features the Three Blind Mice (Colby had to be included--the other kiddies were at a friend's house so that we could enjoy some uninterrupted adult time). The middle one is Ray and Anita as Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater and Old Mother Hubbard. The last photo is well...a table shot. Notice the faces on the plates and spoons? You guessed it--"Hey diddle diddle...." Fun, isn't it?

2006-02-14T15:38:00.000-08:00

So, one more V.Day post. Check it out! This is a picture I took from our front porch this morning. Carter was leaving to walk down to the bus stop with Jay. But...no bus came. School was 2 hours late--oops! It snowed! On Valentine's Day! What a treat. Gorgeous , isn't it? The kids went out into the backyard and built a snow man. It's great to finally have a backyard--I mean, we were in that dinky condo for seven years. We love our new house! I sure hope someone is reading this. Bye!

2006-02-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone! I woke up early this morning to make a special breakfast for the family. Those who know me know that I have a weird thing for "themes". The V.Day theme for this year is "Toes". I know, I know--toe-tally strange (o.k...that was "corny"). I found a really tasty recipe for Almond French Toast, so I thought I would share. This is a great meal to show your man you think he's "toe-tally" hot!

French Toe-st with Toe-sted Almonds
1 cup slivered almonds
3 eggs
1 cup milk
3 T. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
12 thick French bread slices
3 T. oil
3 T. butter

Toast almonds in a saucepan until light brown (5 to 10 min.). Whisk eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, salt, almond extract, and vanilla. Soak bread slices til saturated. Place in a shallow pan and refrigerate for one hour. Heat oil and butter over med. heat. Press one side of soaked bread slices in almonds to coat. Cook both sides in the oil and buttered pan.
*** I served this "toe-st" with powdered sugar and a little bit of whipped cream on top and stawberries on the side. Round it out with some southern style hashbrowns (they're the little square-looking ones--well, they look the most like toes) and some bacon. I made some Carmelized Bacon which tastes mysteriously like the outer edge of a Honey Baked Ham. Here's the recipe: 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1 tsp. of cinnamon, and 1/2 lb. of bacon (about 8 slices). Heat oven to 450 and spray broiler pan with cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with foil. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and coat the bacon in the mixture. Bake for 12-15 min. til done.
***"Toe-tally" tasty, but really filling. I normally have at least three snacks between breakfast and lunch (well, I am a nursing mother), but I was so full, I didn't eat until 12:30 for lunch. Phew!

If you want to know more about my "Toe" theme, here goes (if not, log off!--this is a rather lengthy post). THe kids and I made Jay a place mat that had their foot prints on it and said, "We toe-tally love you, Dad!" I wrote him a poem, of course. I also gave him some slippers, which he really wanted because our house is rather chilly. Tonight (shhh! DOn't tell because he doesn't know yet) we'll have a "Toe-st" to us (I'm trying a new smoothie recipe) and I'll give him a foot and toe massage by the fire (cuz it's "toe-sty"). FUn stuff. Anyway, hope you all have or had a fabulous Valentines Day!

2006-02-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

Hey, Jen (and everyone else)! This is what I'm fixing for dinner tonight. It's a pretty tasty soup (I've made it several times). So, when it's not a million degrees there in Arizona, give it a try. This soup is even somewhat healthy. Happy cooking!

Hearty Hamburger Soup

1 lb. ground beef (I use turkey, of course)
4 cups water
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery (you don't have to add this, jen)
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 cup cut fresh or frozen green beans

In a large saucepan,cook meat til done. Add next 10 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 min. or til potatoes and carrots are tender. Add beans. Cover and simmer 15 more min. or til beans are tender. I usually sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

2006-02-12T17:40:00.000-08:00

Our Avery (age 5) sure loves her her new little brother, Colby Parker. She talks to him in a high, squeaky "mommy" voice and smothers him (literally sometimes) with kisses. I just love this picture--it captures Avery's maternal nature perfectly. Colby has started smiling (which I haven't caught on film yet)--he most frequently smiles at Avery. I can't believe he's almost 2 monthes old!

2006-02-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

Jared (or "Jay" to some--I've never called him Jared, not even when he's in trouble) and I met almost 14 years ago at a youth Pioneer Trek. We were both stupid and giddy high school kids that called each other things like, "Lary" and "Curly". I was "Lary" (as in HiLary) and Jay was "Curly" (well, he had curly hair which he grew out really long in front and then slicked back--Sweet!). We often wondered, "Who's Moe?" In my vivid romantic imaginings, I pictured Moe as our first child. Jay, on the other hand, didn't even know what a "romantic imagining" was. He had no clue that he would one day marry his stupid and giddy high school friend, Lary. So now, almost 14 years later, Lary and Curly have four little "Moes" (none of which are called "Moe", ironically). Anyway, that is a long-winded reason for both our address and our blog title. Hopefully, we can use this blog to post some fun things about our little family of stooges.