I really won!!

I love surfing other people's blogs, and noticed that a lot of my favorite sites have been doing Giveaways. Yes, that's right. You enter, at no cost, and if you win, you get something really cool. I guess it is good advertising for the host. Anyways, every couple days, I enter these, just knowing I will never win, probably because I never win anything. But. . . I actually won! I won a wonderful, handmade frame from my friend, Jen's site, and I won a pair of Baby Leg Warmers from Supermom Central. I love it!!! If you are at all interested, check out my sites I like on the right, and win something yourself.

Our Weekend

Is it too late to post about or weekend? I must admit, I haven't wanted to blog lately. I'm just taking a little computer break, I guess. Plus, we haven't had a lot to write home about it. Whitney finally talked me into taking her to Seattle. This is the first time she has gone since she has been up here. I told her that people from here say they are from Seattle, and actually never even go to the city. That is me, exactly. I have no idea where I am going, you have to pay for parking, which annoys me, and there are scarey people everywhere. I don't like taking the kids that much either, because it's just too hard. Sharon offered to babysit on Friday, so Whit and I got very brave, and decided to take a bus to the Emerald City. We were lost 90% of the time, but we did go on the Ferry, which was fun, and we got to walk around Pike, and see some fish throwing. We didn't go to Seattle Center, or see the Space Needle, so that will have to be another day. It was good for some sisterly bonding though.

Riding the Ferry. I think one of Whit's fascinations with them have to do with Grey's Anatomy, which is only partly filmed in Seattle anyways.

Saturday we took the kids to the Renton River Days parade. It was very long, and not too exciting for us, but they seemed to like it. They really liked the candy, that is.

As you can see, my kids did not want their pictures taken. Rohne was too busy unwrapping his sweets, while Taylee just had to wave at everyone that went past.

So. . . . only 4 more days until Breaking Dawn comes out. My poor children will just have to entertain themselves for awhile until I get the book done. And, only 2 more days until we drive to Idaho to see the fam. Exciting things to come!!!

Our Son, the Criminal

Jessi officially only has 14 more shifts left at this Red Robin, before she moves up North to Bothell. Oh, how we will miss that free food. So, we are officially taking full advantage of the time she has left. We went to Red Robin today for lunch, and it was a typical day. Jake was messing around on Jessi's new Blackberry, while I was spacing out. (We have been a little stressed lately). All of a sudden, lights start flashing, and the alarm starts wailing. Oh no. . . a fire! Jessi is in full panic mode, until she looks over and sees our little mischief maker smiling broadly with his hand on the fire alarm. She went to the back, and tried to get the alarm shut off, while also attempting to notify the Fire Dept. that Red Robin wasn't on fire, but no avail. A couple minutes later, 2 stalwart Fire Men, (one with a very grouchy face) burst through the doors to save the day. They were then notified that it was none else but the Manager on Duty's handsome nephew that tricked them. I think that the Security Guard was about to cart him off to 2 year old Juvi, but we talked him down. Just a day in the life!!

Memory Time

I saw this on a few of my friend's blogs, and thought it looked like fun. Go on. . . . leave a memory!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little, or a lot, anything you can remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog, and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see these responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game, and I'll come to your blog and leave a memory about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or you don't have a blog, then I'll just leave a memory of you in my comments.

So, brush out those memory sweepers, and let's have some fun!!

Trip to the Zoo

Today, for Whitney's day off, we decided to take a trip to the Zoo in Seattle. Her boss had given her this Microsoft Prime card that lets you get half off of the admission, so it was cheaper. It was a beautiful day, and we had a really good time. Jake pouted all day that he couldn't come along, but somebody's gotta make the money, I guess. The kids' favorite animals were the otters, hippos, lions, bears, ssssnakes, and wild dogs. We didn't really see any monkeys, or tigers, because they were always hiding. And, the zebras were too far away to enjoy.

They took many "adventure" trips into the deep, dark woods.

The brown bear was hiding in his cave right above these fish, and we actually saw him when we went into a little tunnel.
Whitney and the kids. The wild dogs would run right in front of this window, while the kids screamed.
Here's us climbiing on the hippo statue.
Rohne loved petting the goats, and miniature horses. Tay was scared out of her mind. (That's why we love her!)
This gorilla looked so sad, but was content to let us watch him.
Oh No, how did Rohne become a caterpillar?
Riding a gorilla's back.

2 year old Talk

I just had to record what my little boy said today before I forget. He's a pretty silly kid. I was changing his diaper, (no, still not potty trained, I change one poopy pair of undies today, and realized I'm still not ready) and trying to distract him, I decided to make some conversation.

Me: "So, Rohne, how old are you?"
Rohne: "Rohne, with a T."
Me: "Oh, with a T! How old are you?"
Rohne: "3, just like Constance." I'm a big girl now."

So, I wonder who taught him to talk? Definitely not me, since none of these things are true. Just some of the benefits of having a very talkative older sister. Constance is our friends, Clark & Lisa's, daughter. She's actually 5, and even though her birthday party was in February, the kids are still talking about it.

Random Thoughts, and a little catching up

I just really liked this picture of Samantha and Taylee. They really like each other, don't they?

So, it's 2:17 am. I should be in bed sleeping. Rohne will probably be awake by 7:00, and I'm going to hate myself in the morning. But, I can't sleep. Rohne and I caught yet another summer cold, and he has been up coughing. I got up to rub some eucalyptus oil on his chest to try to calm him, and now I can't seem to shut my mind off. So, I thought maybe if I recorded some things, my mind would behave, and go back to sleep.

1- It was our 8 year anniversary last week, and I really should have done a post about it. I mean, everyone does, right? But, I wanted to make it all cutesy, and I found out our printer was broken, so I couldn't scan any pictures. Anyways, I wouldn't say it has been a perfect 8. We have had our bumps in the road, but each bruise has made us stronger. We still love each other, and that's one of the greatest things ever.

2- On Saturday, we went out on a boat with some of our friends. These friends are all great people, but their lives are so different from ours. They aren't members of the church, and their lifestyle, and habits are so hard for me to grasp. I'm so thankful for the gospel. We will continue to try to be good examples for them.

3- Our Young Women's President is finally home after being out of the country for 6 weeks. I was so over joyed when I saw her in church today, I almost cried. I am amazed at what she does. I hope I don't get called to do her job, like Natali did. It's really a lot of work, and she does it beautifully.

4- My mom and my sister are in Idaho before going to our Family Reunion at the Gorge next weekend. I wish I could be there. Not just for the reunion, but to be with my sisters. I love having Whitney here, but I just wish we could all be together. I miss them.

5- I started training this week for my half marathon again. I really let myself go, and it hasn't been fun trying to build it up again. But, I know it will get easier as time goes on. I wish I had someone to run it with, but it seems like everyone I know is either pregnant, wanting to be, or nursing a baby. What's wrong with these people? If you are interested in running 13.1 miles the end of November, let me know.

6- Taylee really and truly has a tan line. I never thought it possible, and I know Holly is officially gasping right now. I would show a picture of it, but it's most noticeable when I take off all of her clothes. Her little bum is so white, and you can see right where she has been wearing her swimming suit. I slather sunscreen on her, just not enough I guess. It is really cute though. I guess it is all the water sports we, or should I say, they, meaning my children, have been participating in. When Taylee's not really swimming, she's pretending to be swimming in our front room. She lives in her swim suit. I remember wearing my suit all summer long when I was a girl, and all we had to swim in was our gross pond. (Can you really believe we swam in that thing? It was so disgusting. I'm surprised we all didn't get eColi or something.)

7- I'm sorry all my posts are just about my kids, and all the pictures are of them. There's not much more to my life right now. I know that my family never gets tired of seeing pictures of them, so I just keep on posting. And, if you are tired of it, then too bad!!!! (Just kidding, I really think I'm tired now.)

8- Here's me signing off, but I just want to say how proud I am of my brother. He is such a great guy, and he has truly climbed one of the roughest mountains in his life, and come up victorious. My heart is so filled with the spirit, and I feel so much joy! What a great, great day. I can't wait to see him soon, and see the light of Christ that I know is shining so brightly in his eyes.

Remember this?

A couple weeks ago, I entered the Favorite Things Swap, mentioned by Collette, on her blog. What you had to do was send at least 3 of your favorite things to a fellow blogger, and she would send you her favorites in return. I gathered up my box of stuff, and sent it away, and this is what I got in return. I was so excited to get presents! Of course, I had to pretend that it was all for Taylee, because she just felt so left out. She loved all of her gifts!

Each gift individually wrapped in pretty pink paper, with pretty polka-dot ribbon.

This girl is very creative, and actually made the journal, card, and the bracelets. It actually made me want to create something myself. So. . . watch out, cruel world. Crafts are on the way!!

Ducks, and Water Fun

One of our favorite things to do when we lived in Idaho, was to take the kids to a park in Idaho Falls and feed the ducks. Little did we know, there's a place in Bellevue too. Whitney has taken the kids she nannies for here, and I had never even been to this park. It is right downtown, across from the mall. Even though we go by there quite often frequenting Red Robin, we haven't ever stopped to walk around. I took the kids yesterday, and they loved it! The toys weren't that great, but there's a walking path, lots of waterfalls, and fountains, and of course, the ducks were the biggest hit. They are very tame, because they get fed all day long. I thought Taylee would be very timid, but after awhile, when the ducks would walk right up to her feet, she even let them eat out of her hand. I wasn't too keen on this, because she would be traumatized if one actually snapped her finger. So, after that, we decided to just throw the crumbs.

They wanted to swim in this fountain, and couldn't understand why I would only let them stick their hands and feet in. (Then, a lovely park lady told us to cut it out!)

So, the sun is officially back this week, and I am glad. We went to this beach park on Lake Washington today with Lori, and McKay. It's in Kennydale, and it was so nice, and there was no one else there!! Taylee was quite the fish, and would wade all the way until the water hit her chin! Rohne was a little more hesitant, but loved the shallow end. We built sand castles, threw rocks into the water, ate a picnic lunch, and had a blast! Whitney has been looking for a good park with a place to swim laps in the lake, and this one is perfect. We will probably go there tomorrow when she has the day off.

Happy 4th!

We had a good 4th of July. We started out the day by attending a ward Flag Ceremony/Breakfast while it was raining in the park. Whitney and I took a hike up Cougar Mountain while the kids took a nap, and then we headed to Jeremy and Monique's house for a family celebration. We had really yummy food, (Thanx for the trifle, Mo!) played Rock Band, and fired off a few kids fireworks. Then, when it got dark, we watched more fireworks at Maple Hills Park. It was very loud, and crazy. Tay was really scared at first, but with earplugs, and headphones on, she was finally able to enjoy them, and didn't want to leave even though it was nearing 11:00 pm. Rohne was a little wired because of the late hour, so he just ran around terrorizing everyone. It was a great day. I am thankful for our country, and our independence. I think it is important for us to remember that, while all of the other things going on right now. I hope everyone else had a happy day!

Singing Taylee to Sleep

The kids were being really cute this morning. We have had a thunderstorm, and as soon as they hear the thunder, they run and hide in the Thomas Tent. This is Rohne comforting Taylee as she pretends to sleep.

Is Anyone else Blown away by the fact that it's already July?

It seems like summer just came, and now it's halfway over. The weeks are flying by, and I really don't know where time has gone. It is raining today, but I don't really mind, because it has been really hot. My house turns into a furnace because all of the big windows, that don't even open. Go figure!! I feel like I can actually breathe today. We are still recovering from our trip. The kids are kind of getting back on a schedule which suits me, and them, and I finally got my suitcase unpacked this morning. Everything just went into the laundry basket, so that means washing today. The kids and I have been running all over the country, it seems like. We sold our Subaru a couple weeks ago, and with one car, it becomes quite a challenge to do everything we need to do. We've been to the Hospital, the Doctor's office, swimming with the cousins, visiting with our old friends, the Ewers, Softball games, blah, blah, blah. I am tuckered out, and with it raining, the kids are enjoying vegging, and I am happy to let them do it. Rohne contracted this wierd, viral skin infection. It gave him these little, wart-like, blister bumps. He only has 6 bumps so far, but they can spread easily, so I am freaking out, and being really careful with them. I went to an underground Essential Oils place in Redmond, and I have been applying this ointment, praying that it works. Why is it that my kids pick up the rare things that most moms haven't even heard of? I practically hose them down with sanitizer after we go out anywhere!!! It is so frustrating!!! I think the ones on his arm are actually drying out, which is good. I hope Tay doesn't get it. . .

Here's Jake's Softball team. After an almost perfect season, they lost in the playoffs, and ended up with the Bronze medal. They were really disappointed, but have had a really fun season. I have enjoyed spending time with Lori, Allison, Tina, Lisa, Stacy, and the other wives during the games. I am actually admitting I might miss Softball because of this reason. I like girl talk.

Just 2 goofy kids. Rohne has been covered in band-aids lately, and even though he is in undies, he wants nothing to do with potty training. I think I will try again next week. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can actually see the bumps on his lower tummy, and one on his left arm, right by his wrist. Just in case anyone wondered.