In a Rut

They say terrible 2's, but with Tay, it has definitely been worse since she turned 3. She was sad here because Jake wanted to take a picture of her before Ballet Class, she just wanted to go!


If you'll notice, Rohne has yet another injury on his nose. At least it's not broken.


Ya know how, as a mom, it is quite easy to fall into a trap. The days begin to drift together, tasks seem monotonous, and you can't wait until the weekend for Daddy to be home. You forget what makes you click, who are you other than just a mother and wife. Even if none of you want to know. . . Here are a few stressors I have right now.

*Kids and husband - I really want to be a good wife and mother. How can I use my time more productively to accomplish this.

*Dinner - I never know what to make, and even if I just went to the grocery store, we don't have any food.

*Working out - I am supposed to run a half marathon in November, and I hate running right now. I have to force myself out the door, with a little push from Jake. Hoping it is just a "Runner's Wall." I read about it once.

*TV - I know I shouldn't watch so much TV. It was Premiere Week for all of my shows, and none of them were actually very good. But, if it quit watching, how else would I fill my time? I love it, and I don't have any hobbies.

*Friends - I feel like I need a friend. Someone close by whom I can just call and chat with, and do girls nights with. My sisters have always been those people. I still talk to them all the time, but I miss them terribly!!! Why won't my family just move up here? This move hasn't been the easiest thing for me to accept.

Following in Collette's footsteps, this has become kind of my journal, since I don't keep another one. Sorry if that bores you all to death. It feels better to just rant sometimes. I have a great life, I do. My husband loves me more than I ever thought anyone could. My children light up my life, and are the greatest blessings I could ever ask for. We do not lack in material necessities, and I even get to buy fun things once in awhile. (I recently got Gilmore Girls seasons 1-6 at Costco for an early birthday present. Yippee!!!) Everyone is healthy, and fairly happy, and I know that the Lord is watching out for us.

What a good Dad

This actually might be my children's favorite part of the day!


I think they really like making cookies because it gives them an excuse to sit on the counter!

I generally despise Sundays during football season, as many of you Fantasy Football wives can attest (namely: Holly, Kim, Kristy, April, etc.) The TV is turned to football, the Internet is on Stat Tracker, and the kids and I tend to be invisible. But today, Jake kinda wanted to change my mind. Don't ask me if it worked yet. I'm still not sure, because the Seahawks won today. That always puts him in a better mood. Anways, this morning he urged me to sleep in and get some much needed rest. Great idea! Too bad my kids didn't have the same idea. He actually got ready for church without any coaxing from me, and we got there EARLY. Rohne became his responsibility during Sacrament Meeting, and he stayed with the kids through the first half of Nursery. It would have been nice to be able to go to Relief Society, but he serves in the Young Men's, so it wasn't possible. I was able to make a whole dinner without crying kids at my feet, and talked to Whitney on the phone for at least 20 minutes. Granted, Tay and Rohne watched Strawberry Shortcake at least 4 times today, but, whatever! Taylee wanted to make cookies, and Jake graciously stepped in to help her make his yummy Chocolate No Bakes. He always reads books to the kids before bed time, and today it seemed like the icing on the cake. What a good Dad!

My current challenge

"I love eating dinner when Daddy cooks!"


You can't see it that well, but it looks disgusting


My mom always said that "kids won't starve themselves." It's important to note here that my mother raised 6 children, so she knows what she's talking about. I have always valued her opinion when it comes to the rearing of my 2 monsters. Anyways, my current challenge is regarding my sweet 3 year old Taylee. She refuses to eat anything but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It is making me crazy! I tried just making her eat a few bites of whatever I cooked for the meal. And after much toil, she would eat it. . . and promptly start gagging and almost vomit. I do not want to clean up vomit, do you blame me? Oh well, if I don't make her a sandwich, she will get hungry and eat eventually. Nope! She would rather starve.

Tonight, I was at the end of my rope. I had made a healthy dinner of whole wheat pasta, turkey burger, and garden ripened tomatoes. My mom's goulash with a little twist. Anyways, I told Jake it was his turn to feed Taylee. He was very proud to show me that Tay ate every bite of her chocolate chip waffle with peanut butter, syrup, and sprinkles on top. Hey, it wasn't a sandwich! I am begging all of the moms out there to give me suggestions. I can't be the only one with the most stubborn, picky little one ever. Please help!!

Growing + Growing = $$$

So, Fall has officially arrived here in the Great Northwest. Leaves are falling, wind is blowing, rain is pounding. . . do I love fall? I really do. That is until I had two growing kids. I reached underneath the shorts to find jeans, and the tank tops to find long sleeves, and I did indeed find them. Except, they don't fit. Rohne has not stopped growing since he emerged from my womb, and I suspect he will soon overtake his sister. And, Tay is in panties for goodness sake! She didn't look any taller to me. But, those darn panties made her a big girl. I guess I will have to go shopping! Yeah! Jake, how big is my budget?

Another day, the other kid, a new injury

Jake watched the two crazies in his office while I went on an exhausting 4 mile run through the neighborhoods of Lakemont. I walked into a chorus of cries from both children, and thinking it was yet another double tantrum, didn't rush to his aid right away. That is until I saw blood all over the sleeve of Jake's white shirt, and Rohne writhing on the ground. Jake then informed me that Rohne went running too fast, lost control, and slammed his face into the wall. Actually, not that unusual for him. He thinks he is a superhero 99% of the time. It is almost the same injury that Tay had a week ago (finally healed, thank goodness). But, Rohne scraped his nose too. Poor kid. He's been through a lot already in his short little life, so he takes to injuries a lot better than his sister. Plus, guys think scars are kinda cool! What a day.



I said, "Rohne, show me your owie Lip" and he stuck out his tongue


The swelling is already starting to go down. Kids are more resilient than I give them credit.

Taylee's First Ballet Class

Taylee had her first ballet class today. She was so excited! We told her that when she turned 3 she could go to real Ballet School, so ever since her birthday, she has been bugging us about it. She did so good, and loved every minute. Her favorite thing was to stare at herself in the big mirrors. I was a little worried about how she would be, but she was really independent and listened to the teacher so well. Jake even stopped by for a few minutes between appointments. Our little Ballerina Princess!


She loves mirrors!

Deep in concentration!

Her little friend, Jillian, did the same class with her. It was good for Tay to have a confidant, and fun for me to have someone to talk to.

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days

I am still in mourning after they ended my very favorite show, Gilmore Girls. What will I do on Tuesday nights? It was one of the things I always looked forward to. One whole hour of guilty indulgence. I loved it! They had a song on there that reminded me of my days lately. A little lazy, definitely crazy, and by the end of the day, I feel quite hazy.

It's funny. . . When Rohne was really sick last summer, and the doctors weren't sure what to do about it, we stayed in the house all the time. In fact, Rohne was in complete isolation for awhile. So, I got very used to entertaining the kids at home. They were both younger then, so it didn't really matter that we never went to the park, McDonalds, etc. We saw Holly and her boys on the occasion no one had the sniffles, and my neighbor would stop by occasionally to say hi. I went to Walmart after the kids were in bed, and worked out on Jake's lunch break. It seemed to work quite well. I would still call my mom and sisters crying my eyes out from stress, but I still do that now! Anyways, the kids came down with little colds this week, so I thought I would stop the madness, and stay home and let them recover. But, by the end of the day, it seems like the kids are more grouchy and hard to handle. Going out, or at least a play date or something, actually helps them wind down. Go figure!


Just something to pass the time.

The kids like to get in bed with me in the morning, while Jake is getting ready for work. Sometimes I can put on a show and catch some more ZZZ's.

Boys will be . . . Brothers!

Wearing my running shoes. Hey, Jake does wear size 13, maybe he's just taking after his Daddy.


















Last Saturday Taylee fell and burst her lip open on our entertainment center. Lots of blood, a very fat lip, the whole deal. Poor girl! I have mainly been worried about scarring, and I was supposed to get her pictures taken this week. Anyways, as a by product of this injury, she has an enormous canker sore. She's hardly eating and drinking, and I just want it to heal already! Back to the title, Rohne, being a boy and a ... brother, head butted her while they were fighting over a toy last night. And, it is injured all over again! I was a little frustrated. Especially when you get to the part that he is only 21 months old, and doesn't understand a lot of cause and effect. So, to keep from losing my cool (and to clean up my little girly) I put him in his crib. Then, he had to say sorry. He ended up holding the ice pack on his lip most of the night, because Taylee wouldn't. Little stinker!! All that I can do is think about my own childhood growing up with 2 brothers who pestered me incessantly. As a matter of fact, they still do! I know I have a lot more of these to deal with in my future. Boys will be brothers. What can we do?

On a good note, though, Taylee is potty trained! Knock on wood. It was 2 days of accidents, potty timers, etc. and then the 3rd day it seemed to click. She has not had an incident since Tuesday! I hope it actually sticks! "She's a big girl now!"

Whitney's Visit

My little sister Whitney had a little break before starting school at BYU-Idaho this fall, and I persuaded her to come up and spend a week with us. Because plane tickets are so outrageous, she rode the train. It was much cheaper, but took 24 hours from Wolf Point, MT to Seattle, WA. What a good sport! We had a great time. I miss my family so much, and it was like heaven having Whit around. We saw most of the sights, did a lot of shopping, and saw 3 movies! I never get to have a girls night out (No thanks to Lisa moving to Utah on me:), so I took full advantage, and Jake was happy to oblige. We saw Becoming Jane, Stardust, and The Nanny Diaries. I would actually really recommend the first 2. Nanny Diaries was a little cheesey. My kids loved having one more person to play with, and they fell in love with Whitney. I only wish she lived closer. We are always pressing my family to move up here so I won't be so lonely. But, no one thinks it is as wonderful as Jake makes it out to be. Oh well, maybe someday. I'll just have to get really rich somehow so I can fly out and see everybody all the time. My family is the greatest. I miss you all so much! Thanks for coming Bub, and good luck with school this year!




We dropped Whit off at the train station, and I wanted to get one last picture before I got all sentimental. The kids were kinda hard to contain!

Jake letting Taylee feed the seagulls.
Right after this shot, a seagull actually flew by, and took the fry right out of her hand. It probably hurt her finger, but she was scared more than anything. I don't she will be going around birds anytime soon!

They've got to be the fattest, most unhealthy birds ever!



Whit and I at the M's game. They lost, but it was still really fun.

Evergreen State Fair

We took the kids to the State Fair up in Monroe for Tay's real birthday. Jake's parents and sister came along, which made it really fun. It was pretty loud and overwhelming, but I the kids seemed to have a good time. I just remembered how much I love fair food, which isn't good since I am training for a half marathon:) We got funnel cakes, hot dogs, lemonade, cotton candy (which Rohne and Tay love now. Go figure) Jake and Jessi were focused on getting their full money's worth on all the big rides. Of course, I don't do the big rides. But, I went on the little kiddy rides because I was not about to let me kids ride by themselves, even though Jake was sure they could handle it. The Petting Zoo was the biggest hit. I was a little hesitant at first, because I remember some big scare last summer about Petting Zoos and eColi or something. But, I am slowly letting the kids come out of their mother's protective bubble. I can't control everything, even though I will continue to try. We have had a summer to remember, it's just crazy to believe it is almost over.


Rohne pooped out towards the end, much to Taylee's dismay. We had to take her out of the stroller and let her walk, so she wouldn't wake him up.

Jessi and Jake finally persuaded their dad to do a ride w/ them. He really liked it!

Jessi and Tay on the carousel. She was too scared to ride a horsey.

But,ofcourse, Rohne wasn't!

This very friendly sheep tried to eat Jessi's jacket

Rohne could not get enough of all the animals

This calf was actually really soft, and Rohne kept "MOOing" at it. It answered him once or twice. Ha, Ha

Taylee touched the calf after she saw that it didn't bite her brother

Rohnie and I rode the airplane. He wasn't really tall enough to go on the rides, but we discovered that if I held him through the gates, they never checked his height. It was just too heartbreaking to watch him scream while Taylee had all the fun.

I was actually more scared of the car ride than Taylee was. I was holding on to her so tight, you'd think she would burst!

Tay's Traditonal Family Party

We had a small, laid back gathering of family and close friends the Sunday after Taylee's birthday. We did all the traditional things I forgot to do at her Ballerina Party, because it was so crazy. I made her birthday cake, which was actually really fun. She went to the craft store with me and picked out a castle cake mold. She loved blowing out the candles, and once again, didn't really care about opening the presents. She was just glad everyone was together. I think that next year, I will just do one party about this size. Fun, and not too stressful.



The princess hat did not make it easy to eat the cake. But, she insisted!

Our friends Tila and Lori gave her the most beautiful princess dress! Isn't it precious! She now wears it every day.

Taylee still had 3 presents left to open when she decided she was done. So, Constance excitedly did the job for her. Whatever!

All the kids observing

Samantha and Parker were a little overwhelmed, so they did a little couch time with Grandma Nanna. (They had just returned from a 3 day trip to the ocean)

My beautiful castle cake. I wish I had a better picture of it. Quite proud if you can't tell!

Ballerina Taylee turns 3!!

Just a glance at the present chaos

Rohne, of course, had to be right in the action

Megan, one of the cutest little girls ever! Tay loves her

Every girl had their own little tutu

The fishing pond was the big hit

Taylee Rae had a birthday August 25th. It's hard to believe that I have been a mom for 3 whole years! She has been such a blessing in our lives, and every day (no matter how tough) I am thankful for our little princess. I suppose that is why I threw her 2 birthday parties.

The Ballerina party was for her and friends. I initially invited 6 little girls from her Nursery. In the end, we had 13 little kids running around the house, plus their moms. In this case, more was not merrier, just more work! Yeah, it was a crazy house. Thankfully, I went a little overboard with food and party favors, so we had enough to go around. I did have it organized perfectly for everyone to get equal amounts, but that didn't work out. But, they're 3 year olds, so they didn't seem to notice. We colored pictures, made candy necklaces, went fishing in the wading pool, pinned the "tutu" on Angelina Ballerina, and danced around to music. Once again, they're 3, so opening the presents was a little challenging. All the girls wanted to open, and one specific girl, and her very embarassed mother, wanted to take all the gifts home. Tay was a good sport, and had more fun handing out the party favors than opening her own presents. Anyhow, I am NEVER throwing another party for 3 year olds. I actually don't think Taylee will get another party until she is 8!! I was so glad it was over!