Soccer Season is Over!

Graham played eight games in the fall and eight this spring with today being the last day! He had two great assists today and they won by a landslide as per usual.

Graham and his coach. He is from South America and is VERY serious about soccer. Which made it all the more fun I think. We're sad that we registered wrong and now will most likely not be on his team again, but I'm sure we'll get another great coach next season.

Greg was so excited that Graham now has TWO trophies! He has been waiting all season to get his hands on this thing. Graham has requested a trophy shelf for his room (me rolling my eyes.) I thought it was sweet that Greg was so excited for his brother and didn't even ask about one for him or was sad that he didn't get one.

Graham's buddy Clark, Graham, Emmanuel, Race, ??, Lydia and Greg. The kids all waiting for the pep talk to be over so they can eat their picnic lunch and play! We had a little potluck at the pavillion afterwards - little effort but a lot of fun for all the families!

So we've now got the calendar cleared for a single week until swim lessons start!

Oops!

We are finally working on our backyard flower beds since we just know Natalie is sick of looking at dirt and weeds from her windows. Am I flattering myself to think that is what she does - looks at my house all day? Yeah right, with 3 kids I know differently! But after checking out Wal-Mart (eh) Home Depot (plant cemetery) and then Lowe's (same ole same ole) I found this great nursery up the road and hit the jack pot and we got to work, sort of.

I can't tell you what I bought since this was last Monday and nothing is planted yet. RAIN! And rocks. So many rocks - we've loaded buckets full into our trash can, our neighbors trash cans, and still there are more rocks left. So I will tease you with a "Before" picture and hoping by Saturday afternoon I can post an "After!"

We took the kids out to IHOP for breakfast - sat with the kids, talked, then realized...hey...we've been here awhile. Our waitress comes over to tell us they mixed up our order ticket and "she is so very sorry." Um, ok, it wasn't a big deal, at all. She spoke to her manager, our food was out within minutes and breakfast for four came to a $13 total! Whoo-hooo!

Then, at the nursery where I was in "Here are all the plants other than petunias, dead shrubs and boxwood" heaven, I loaded up on all sort of this's and that's. I went to pay and the cashier would NOT stop talking. About her crutches, to her co-worker, answering a phone, telling me something about her nephews grades...blah blah blah.

Me: Are you sure you got all that, did you see I had 42 of those? (Just kidding)
Her: Blah blah blah
Me: Did you see I had 57 of that?
Her: Blah blah blah

Ugh - ok lady. Just get me out of here. I get home and realize I am short one pony pack. Not a big deal, but she charged me $2 for it and I wanted it. I go back yesterday with Greg and now they are out of white Lobelia. Only the purple left. Pick up some more compost because our beds are all rocks. Drove home, pull over in the process and realize that the cashier on Monday had undercharged me by $60!!!!

I was not wanting to go all the way back with a 3 year old who was cranky at this point. But I felt like I needed to do the right thing and I called the nursery. Guess who answered the phone? Yup. I explained what happened and she started arguing with me that if she was the one who rang me up it was not possible that she undercharged me. Um, ok....?

Not sure what to do at this point. I might have to sneak around her (like I can sneak with a 5 year old, 3 year old and carrying an infant car seat but I'll try) to see a manager - I need to pay the difference and would like to do so without getting my gloves out and defenses up. Trauma.

Here is cutie patootie Greggie wanting his picture taken. I love that he just stood like a soldier and grinned for the camera! He was a such a helper planting more flowers in the bed and in the pots.

Long Time No See!!

I am so lucky that one of my very best friends from high school has work bringing him here to visit now and then! We got together last night for a fun BBQ (thanks for hosting Neil and Kj!) and luckily he wasn't too overwhelmed by the swarm of boys with their pirate swords and showing off their cool bike tricks. (As cool as two five year olds can get after just learning how to ride their bikes.)Chris and I went to school together since 7th grade but I didn't meet him until about a month before graduation our senior year. There was a group of 6-7 of us that were inseparable that summer and it was seriously one of the best summers of my life. We had bowling names, we were at Hard Rock almost every other weekend, we ate at rotating restaurants, we snuck past security guards, the list goes on. My grandmother had the biggest crush on him. What woman hasn't? He is seriously just the nicest guy. Chris and Kj, if you read this, I am still searching for the picture of our Italian Dinner Night as Lolita and Tanqueray. The minute I find it...

The group shots did not turn out that hot but here are a few others! It was great to see you Chris and we all can't wait till you come to town again!

Last Night - UPDATE!!!

Last night was Lauren's last night in her bassinet. I'm very sad about this, but I think I've delayed this as long as I possibly can. Both boys slept in this also (as well as my brother and myself!) but the boys were moved into their rooms at two months, and here Lauren is now 3 1/2 months old. It's really time, but she feels so far away in her room upstairs. She'll be fine and sleep great I'm sure - I'll be the one going upstairs 10 times a night to check on her!

**Dan is a super cute softie dad and Lauren has got that man wrapped around her little finger. He decided tonight she needed to stay with us "just a little while longer!" YAY!

Summer Work Party!

Dan's work sure has come a long way with their party planning committee. The first year we were married it was dinner at a five star hotel (where I worked, so after a 8 hour day I had to walk down the hall to eat dinner and we sat and made fun of all the people getting plastered.)
The next two years were a carnival with BBQ in his work parking lot. They wanted it to be more family friendly - getting better but you are still at work so it was kind of "eh." But they finally got it right last year (closed down the zoo for the company) and nailed it on the head this year by giving us free passes to an amusement park and with catered lunch. Poor little Lauren had to stay home and get spoiled with some attention from grandma and grandpa.

The boys had such a great time! The kids area is really great - and the weather was iffy all day so I think it kept a lot of people away. We hardly had to wait in lines at all. Graham was excited into going on the big swinging pirate ship with Dan. His poor little face turned from delight to fear after the 2nd swing and they started going so high. He got off that ride steaming mad, but with a hint of a smile, I think he was proud of himself for surviving!

Another favorite, the airplanes, helicopters, whale ride and the train! We took them on the log ride which they sort of liked (Greg hates getting wet like that) and I chickened out of the Haunted House ride - I cannot stand things like that with scary monsters jumping out at me. Greg seemed indifferent, he was more concerned about losing his package of cheese and crackers from his backpack.

Here are two of my cute boys on top of the Ferris Wheel! I am scared of heights like this, but was ok as long as I just looked out and Dan didn't start spinning the wheel on me! The boys did NOT like this and as soon as we got off asked to go again!! Go figure.

Our splurge of the day was paying extra for the go-carts. The boys are big time into cars, racing and anything like it (poor Dan.) Graham rode with me and kept yelling out "Oh YEAH!" Dan and Greg ripped ahead of us several times but we played coy till the end, floored it and took them on the final lap for the win! That was SO much fun!

Graham is so tall that he could go on almost all the rides, but was still nervous and not too sure about a lot of them. Dan and I didn't talk them into anything, we wanted to make sure they just had fun. At the end of the day they finally decided to go on the sky ride that they had said no to all day and then wanted to go on it again.

This was sort of our practice run for Disneyland in the fall. We wanted to see how the boys behaved. We did buy Greg a little Monkey harness backpack which he thought was great. We would hold onto the "tail" so according to Greg " you can follow me because I'm leading the way!" He is a little wanderer these days and I wasn't wanting to chase him through the crowds. It was worth the $8 plus some. We had a terrific time, it was really a nice day spent with the kids with some great memories!!!

Whew!

I've never shopped so fast in my life. With Graham at school my time to get to Nordies and back was short. And we had to go to Build a Bear to get his dog Copper fixed. No, not that kind of fixed, but his seam on the back kept ripping open. With that all important errand crossed off my list I managed to run into VS for some more lip gloss (LOVE THEM!) in Cherry Bomb and Grapefruit Kiss and some Love Spell lotion and spray. Have you all smelled this? So yummy. I was shopping so fast I had to walk straight by J. Crew. Is that sinful or what? Sigh. But with Greg walking slow and Lauren getting fussy I had no choice. This is the damage I did in 30 minutes:

I thought this little smocked dress was so sweet!

Every girl needs a little Roxy - perfect with some white shorts next summer!

Just a fun little poofy party dress and white shruggie

And of course Robeez. I love the Hibiscus flower on these. Cute to wear with jeans this fall.
I tried to grab the new NARS Laguna bronzer but the lady looked at me like I had two heads. I have seen this everywhere lately but no store seems to have it. Odd.

This did not include my new black Reef flip-flops (a MUST if you wear flip flops like I do, they are so cute and comfy and stay looking good all summer long) and I got a new pair of sunglasses in BP - gotta love cheap $10 glasses when you toss them around like I do. Someday when I'm more responsible with my glasses I am going to let the kids eat Top Ramen for a month straight so I can buy these:

Only $650.00 - but aren't they darling? Or these for a mere $1,150.00

Sigh. I don't think I would ever take these off - I would be one of those girls wearing sunglasses on her head at night. Have you seen girls who do that? Weird. I wouldn't be able to part with them! Suddenly the drop off to preschool and sitting in the hot sun watching 3 year olds fail miserably to hit a ball off a tee for hours in the hot sun would become so glamorous. Why does wearing anything Tiffany do that to a girl? (That's TIPPANY to you Kari!)
*need to add I first saw these fabulous glasses here!

This was a long post - you should all be glad I don't share my standard price point shopping sprees at Target. You'd be stuck here for days.

Uh-Oh

This is what is going to happen to me after Dan finds out where I am going this afternoon. Quick drop off of Graham to preschool and off we go to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I don't even need anything right now, but it'll be fun to see if I come up with any good deals!

Yard Sale!!

What a lot of work! But it feels SO good to have so much junk out of my house. Keysha, Marcy, Natalie and I put all our things together and I couldn't believe how fast we filled the driveway and lawn with so much! Some of the things I thought would go fast didn't and the strangest things sold right away. Go figure. Some lady was brave enough to come at 7:30 to scope things out, and then she came back 3 times! I got offered $8.00 (!!!) for a double mattress set (whatever, I just kept it as a guest bed) I made some sugar cookies for Graham to sell - he was thrilled with the $12.00 he made from that.

What we didn't sell we loaded up in the back of the minivan and donated it on the way to seeing Dan's family. The rest (all the boys too small clothes) I brought over for my two sisters-in-law to take. Funny how I get so attached and sentimental with the kids clothes! We had a fun BBQ for his dad's birthday. I was scared of this man for the first few years we were married. He always seemed to be yelling about things like who loaded the dishwasher wrong or the kids not getting into the car fast enough and it scared me. But ever since the family came back from living in Texas he has mellowed out. Plus now I have kids and I too yell at them for not getting in the car fast enough! He's a really hard worker and so dedicated to teaching his children and being a good example to them.
Happy Birthday Maynard!

We had to hurry over to another party to say Happy Birthday to my mom's best friend, Linda. She has been like a second mom to me all my life. It was so relaxing to sit on their backyard swing and chat with everyone while the kids ran around outside. What a great evening.
I think I was in bed by 10:00 p.m. It was a loooong day - but I LOVE that feeling of going to bed knowing you had a great day and accomplished so much. Maybe the $100 extra bucks in my wallet helped with that a bit!'
Ok girls, next garage sale will be in 2010!

She's Really Not Spoiled Yet

Look what I made! (whatever, I wouldn't ever even try to go there for a project like this) But I've been ebay stalking this lady for months for one of her car seat covers. Usually the auctions go past $100.00 but I caught this one right as she listed it and snagged the *best* deal on it! I'm excited that I get to keep the Britax but that Princess Lauren will not have to reduce herself to sitting in that old worn out denim thing I had for the boys. (Let's just say Graham used to be a car sick kid and leave explanations at that.)
Isn't it super cute though? It looks so Lilly-esque!

Art Class Week #2

Don't worry. There are only four weeks of this class so this will not be a permanent posting topic on my children's talents. (I heard you say, "Thank goodness!" Admit it.)

But seriously...my boys are brilliant and I fully expect scholarships to be pouring in. Or they *would* be pouring in if more than 10 people read my blog and those people had connections to any sort of art school. But really...Graham is going to be a Lawyer and Gregory is going to be an Architect, so I'm only superficially pushing the art thing right now as a fun outlet. I do not want long haired grungy loft "covered in art supplies" living sons.

Graham followed directions WORD FOR WORD. No deviation. The boys were given the primary colors and were to create new colors. I was more impressed that without prompting or discussion of any kind that he thought to title his artwork.

Train Ride on a Rainy Day

Dead Field of Corn
(this title is a bit disturbing, yet I feel appropriate for the moodiness of the piece)


Now onto Greg. He embraced the color creations he made. And again yelled out "Ta-DAAA!" at the completion of his paintings.


He was so thoughtful in painting this one. I mean, very serious do not disturb thoughtful. But come on, he made the colors teal, aubergine AND eggplant!

I am thinking that Gregory might have inherited my extra color gene. Dan says my eyes hold some sort of extra spectrum that allow me to pick up on colors that most people do not see. I believe him, however hard to explain.

Happy Mother's Day!!

I love you Graham, Gregory and Lauren! I am so blessed to be your mother!

I am so grateful for my mom. I love her so much. She is funny, kind and compassionate, thoughtful and sweet. She is always there for me - always. She is a great listener and I know I talk her ear off some days. She has a terrific sense of humor, has great ideas for anything you throw at her, is a yummy cook and is so dedicated to her family. Mike and I are so lucky to have such a caring woman as a mom. My children are lucky to have such a hands on grandma (with so much patience!) She loves the Lord and has taught me that I should never wait to turn to my Father in Heaven for help or guidance. All she has ever wanted is the best for us and we love her so much.

I am grateful to have such a wonderful mother in law, too! Sally is a lover of CostCo, great cell phone plans and family parties. She has always got a great reason to gather all her little chickadees together, which is no small feat now that her 12 have families of their own. She is the first to bear her testimony of the Gospel and lives it to the fullest in her daily life. She is always dolled up and put together. I have never in the 7 years I've know her heard her say a bad word about anyone. She holds a very dear spot in my heart for raising the man I fell in love with.

I hope all moms, moms to be (we know a very cute one named Sheree!) and future moms have a wonderful day!

Father Son Campout!

The weekend I, uh, I mean, the boys, look forward to all year! Graham and Greg were super excited to go camping with their dad. And play with flashlights. And eat junk food. They kept asking me all day Friday, "You aren't going though, right mom?" They had a great time, their cute friends Clark and Blake were there and there were hills of dirt. Heaven for boys.

I thought I was in for a nice night of relaxing and getting some things done around the house. Nope. Turns out Little Miss Snooty Snoot is partial to WHO puts her to bed, and that person is her dad. So I could not get her to sleep until way past 11 and then she woke up about four times that night!

Van Gogh Eat Your Heart Out!

Or cut your ear off, whatever. I signed up the boys for a month long art class. When Graham found out he responded: "But I already know how to do art."

Greg, as expected, embraced it. I have to say that Greg has some potential with this sort of thing. He knew exactly what he was going to draw and when done, lifted his marker in the air and yelled, "Ta-DAAAA!" When I asked him to tell me about the grey lines inside his body, he replied, "Those are my BONES!" (Duh, mom, come on.) What 3 year old draws bones in their body outlines?

Graham improved on the social front. The children were asked who would like to show us your drawing and Graham (usually quite shy and reserved in group settings) popped his hand right up. He stood in front of his drawing and explained to the entire group of children and adults what was what. I was impressed.

Both boys left the class very happy and we all had a fun time. Best part? Me not having to clean up a big ole craft mess in my house every Tuesday morning for a month.

You are Getting Very Sleepy

Have you ever been in the other room and suddenly you realize that your kids are super quiet? I walked into the kitchen to find that a full tummy made Greggie very sleepy. Who could fall asleep in that odd position?! He could I guess. Another odd position I have found him in:


Boy sweet tired boy!

Be Free!

So if you've ever driven by my house you know my sweet Dan means business with the yard. He was a farmer in another life I think - but he takes great care of the yard and trees. Our neighborhood has streets lined with blossoming pear trees and it's really so beautiful, especially in the spring. Our trees are the best. Brag, brag.

The problem is the trees were planted with support stakes almost three years ago now and some of those stakes have not been removed, so they are growing INTO the trees. Dan is very bothered by this and there have been discussions of sneaking out at night, wearing all black and him carrying cutters to set the trees free.

Instead we threw caution to the wind and did it in broad daylight. I hope no tree owners are mad at us. But the trees were sad and Dan convinced me it needed to be done. For the good of the trees and its longevity. For the beautification of the neighborhood. Be free little trees!

Lauren's Blessing Day

What a beautiful day! We were so excited to have Dan bless Lauren at church yesterday. Dan's parents and sisters had been in Texas for the blessings of Graham and Greg so it was extra special to have them there with us. Dan gave a really nice blessing - the only tricky part of the day was changing her into her blessing gown in a hurry in the car, I didn't want it to get all wrinkled bunched up in her car seat.
We had about 45 close friends and family over for lunch afterwards and Lauren was smiling and so awake all morning. She looked so sweet in her dress too - I'm getting professional pictures of her in that next week. Thank you to everyone who helped to make it such a special day!