poor neglected blog..

We are still around. Life just seems to take over.
Girls are busy with school and Laney, Ash and Jord are taking gymnastics classes at the Y. Craig and I have been going 5-6 days a week as well and working out. He has lost 17 pounds and I have lost 10 since joining at the end of January. Of course we are eating better too! Cortney starts a baseball spring training this weekend. The whole family is just loving the Y.

Craig has been super busy at work, working 12+ hours every day last week as his partner was on vacation. He is still working a lot this week, as the partner still isn't back as he broke his foot while on vacation too. Sigh... Its great money wise, especially in these unsure times, but we haven't seen much of him lately.

Had the chance to take Craig to his first hockey game this past Saturday. We went to Seattle v. Portland in the new Showare arena in Kent (love that place!). We had a great time!

I'm still working at the coffee stand and am working a couple extra shifts this week. I still enjoy it, and am coming up on my 1st anniversary there.

We are gearing up for busy times! Birthdays coming up, weddings, babies... should be exciting times! :)

It's the little things...

That sometime make us happy and here is one... I bought Laney these pink rubber rain boots at the Goodwill yesterday for $4. I was especially tickled as the rain had been pouring here for 2 days and I really wanted some rain boots for her. I went looking for something else, and just hoped maybe I might find some, although highly doubting it, thinking they were an item much in demand.
Well imagine my surprise to find one lone pair of rain boots on the shoe rack, and in something close to Laney's size (a size to big, but she'll wear them and grow into them!). And in pink to boot!!
Apparently, she was quite pleased about them as well. She kept talking about her boots all night. She told me that she can jump really high in them and run fast. She also said her boots are for mud, and snow and rain of course. She refused to take them off, and I finally persuaded her to remove them to put on her pajamas, only if she could put them right back on. So we did.

Do I need to tell you that these pictures are from this morning?? Yep, she slept in them.

Who knew a cheap pair of rubber boots from the thrift store would bring one 3 yr old so much happiness :)??

updates coming soon.

Sorry blogworld and whatever readers I had... I know I have severely neglected this blog.
I will be updating soon. Hopefully today :)

makin cupcakes

Potty training...its going. Slowly. As I learned after the other 2 children I potty trained, you can't force it. So it has to be Laney's choice. I just daily give her the choice whether she wants to wear panties or a diaper. Even when wearing the diaper I ask her "Do you want to go pee on the potty?" once an hour or so. She seems to have figured out what the sensation is just before she needs to go, and when she is in panties she has not been having accidents. She has now gone pee on the potty 5 times. yay!! So....I keep waiting. Hoping that like Ashlyne if we keep heaping on the praise, she'll just wake up one day and want to wear the panties and it will be done.





So Cortney turns 12 tomorrow! I have a full list of things to do today, including get my house clean. sigh...


She has requested I make peanut butter cupcakes decorated like basketballs for her to take to school tomorrow. This is what I plan for them to look like:

I'll post photos when I'm done. Maybe. Ha ha...unless they turn out horribly.

So tomorrow night is her party, 3 boys and 5 girls have been invited and the girls will be staying the night. Its a sports themed party. We are having hotdogs, popcorn, soda, and cupcakes. The original plan was shooting hoops, playing catch, etc. But now with Cortney having a broken ankle, that blew that plan. I still haven't figured out what they are going to do exactly but I'm working on it.

Wish me luck!! Have a super Thursday!

Maybe an end to diapers in sight?!!

Laney just peed on the potty TWICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you need original gift ideas for the Mom in your life?

Yes it is true...Mother's day if sneakin up on all of us at light speed. It tends to do that every year.
I just received an email this morning from a website I frequent http://www.coolmompicks.com with news of their Mother's Day Gift Guide. I have put their display button over there on the right, so you can link directly to the guide. There is some very cool stuff, including great book suggestions, original jewelry, and some green choices as well.
Enjoy!!

Spring Snow!!

So last week was the start of Spring, and we are also now in daylight savings time. Wouldn't it be safe for one to assume that sunshine and warmer temperatures were on their way. Well, as you know, one should never assume....
As last night we were hit with surprise snow showers, and (gasp) accumulation of that snow! It was crazy. So about 5pm we all bundled up and went outside to enjoy a bit of what will hopefully be our last snowfall this year.

Cortney, Laney and Ash just out the front door...

Laney.."See mom...it snow!!"

Jordanna likes to eat the snow.

Craig and Cortney threw snowballs at each other...

Here Laney was trying to catch the snow on her glove..

We went to the park in our development to play..

And here are the loves of my life... :)

So while it was temporary fun...we want our sunshine and warmer temps!!!!!