:: planning ::

I am having so much fun planning Hunter's birthday party! This is the first year we will not have it at our house, which I love because I don't have to clean up before and after, and Hunter can have friends come! I made a rule after Hunter's first birthday after I realized how much money goes into a party with just family. And since I have been "getting out of debt" I decided since he will have meet kids at Preschool when he is 5 that would be the time to have a family and friends party. :) Hence, the planning! It is so fun we only invited one friend that is coming but we know his 2 sisters and we have done things with this family this summer and last so that is all I invited other than family. But it will be enough :) I am super excited because Hunter wanted a hockey party and I am trying my best to deliver, will see! He also wanted a pinata and Larry and I went on a date this weekend and found one it doesn't go with the hockey theme but oh well I think he will like it just the same. I was just checking and it is 13 more days until he turns 5! That is truly crazy! We have been talking about his party alot and now Grace wants a pinata for her party next year. Monkey see monkey do! I see alot of pinata's in our future :)

:: new look ::

Got a new look on my blog :) I like it! I was looking for St. Patrick's theme but didn't work. So the scoop in my life is Canada is done. Larry's job in PDX is done and is not sending him up there anymore and he does'nt like the job here and he has found a new job in Nevada! So will see what this brings! Super excited and no we are not moving yet but we are moving forward to keeping us all together and keeping us from unemployment which is nice. I see another debt being paid off in a few months too! Yeah! Super excited and we will get a new car too! Double super yeah! I just have to be patient and keep budgeting and doing what I do to pay off debt. But the future is up in the air with Larry's new job but I am very happy that he will be in the USA. I loved Canada don't get me wrong I would go back for a vacation anytime but to know Larry is in the states makes it all better. So here is to a new look on my blog and to Larry's new outlook in his job :)

:: the first loss ::

Buddy and I went to see the Portland Winterhawks play last Saturday. I used a groupon and I have another one for later this month and we are going to try to take Grace to a game for the first time! Will see how it goes. If Larry is not home I am just going to not take her but if he is we are going to go for the first time the 4 of us! But back to the game this was the first time I went that I wasn't 100% feeling well and there was a Blazer game so the parking garages were full and I had to pay for street parking and we were late for the game we made it when they were singing the anthems. Then at the end of the game had a parking ticket because when I was trying to park in the hardest spot ever and everyone around me was yelling at each other I forgot to put my parking pass in the dash. Ugh. It was a good game but this was the first time they lost during a game we watched. In the last 40 seconds of a tie game the other team scored and Buddy was so bummed he cried and was so upset. It was a good learning experience for him but let me tell you as a parent it was embarrassing and with not feeling good on top of it I wasn't very sympathetic for him. But after awhile he was better. I took pictures of the game because Hunter wants a hockey birthday party and I was going to make cute postcards invitations from the pictures I took at this game but it didn't work out I should have taken my big ole camera but didn't want to carry it all around. In the end I just used Snapfish to make his invites and I still can't believe he will be 5 in less then a month. Time sure does fly. Grace had cute homemade birthday invite cards but for some reason it is easier to make them for her then Hunter; it must be because of all the pink. And my lovely Grace just amazes me with her vocabulary and her brain I think she will be smarter then her smart brother. She loves to do his Preschool books and I can't get her to slow down for anything when it comes to learning, memorizing, and soaking it all in.

:: lazy Sunday ::

I have had a cold since Friday and it isn't going away. So for today I am making it a lazy Sunday. It is so beautiful and sunny outside but I haven't ventured out in it. Maybe after nap but my head is so full of sickness that the cold will make it go more. I will just enjoy my lazy Sunday indoors with the kiddos watching movies, reading books, cleaning, and folding laundry when I have the strength and want to. Going to make mac and cheese with little smokies for me and my kiddos and watch the Superbowl game tonight just us should be fun! Hope you are having a lazy Sunday too!

:: last year ::

These are my kiddos last March! They have grown so much in one year! I didn't take many pictures last February so I jumped to the next folder which was March. I need to take a picture of my kiddos with my camera not my phone and show you what they look like now. Grace doesn't have bangs I am growing them out but they are at the stage where they get in her eyes and she is constantly moving them out of her face. Her hair is just a little longer in this picture but not much. She also is alot taller now! Buddy, he looks the same just much, much taller and has a scar on his right cheek. Amazing what one year can do!

:: the last one::

I am so behind in blog world, house work, budget planning, and projects around the house. I am not sure why either. I have so much going on and not enough hours in the day. Larry was home for a week and is on possibly THE LAST ONE! Which means this might be his last month going to Canada and being gone. It is a great thing! It is a sad thing! I am so glad the kids and I get some Larry time but his job will be up in the air if he even has one when he comes back. Such a bummer let me tell you. The reason this might be the last time he goes up to Canada is because another company got the job for the job he has been doing for the last 3 years up there. But hopefully everything works out and Larry will find the job of his dreams if the company he works for lays him off it is all up in the air. Stressful let me tell you. So maybe that is why life has been crazy lately and I am not getting anything done. But I did get the kids closet redone thanks to Larry he put in new shelves and I finished gutting out their room and giving alot to Goodwill. I just have to work on our laundry room that has more of their toys and put my craft stuff in the cupboards that I had their toys in. Larry also got me a new desk that looks great in the kitchen where the old desk was at. Alot more room and doesn't take up alot of space. I took a picture of it with my camera but I am too lazy right now to upload it to my blog. Maybe tomorrow. I put 3 pieces of furniture that we replaced with new on my driveway today with free signs and they got taken. Love that! My pantry got more shelving because I put the kids bin organizer in there and can be more organized with stock piling my food. Still haven't finished Grace's book but hopefully this month. I am working on ideas for Hunter' birthday next month super excited for that! Dude is doing great in his skating lessons and I have to think of something for Grace to do that works around my crazy world because right now just keeping up with Hunter's Preschool and skating is keeping me hopping. Grace wants to do swimming but I have to wait for Larry on that since one of us has to go in the pool. SO there you go...this might be the last month of doing it on my own with the kiddos but it is all up in the air will see what March brings. :)

:: my fav's::

Here again are my fav's for JanUarY :)

1. http://www.pioneerwoman.com/ seriously love her blog, love her cookbook (and I have her new one on Amazon to send to me when it comes out!), and I love her show on the Food Network. I have it recorded on my DVR! Last season it started at 10:00am now it starts at 6am, thank goodness for DVR!

2. Etsy and Pinterest. Love both of these! I have ordered jewelry on Etsy and it hasn't come yet but I hope it comes soon! I am trying to wear more inexpensive jewerly more now. I am growing my hair out long like Taylor Swift so I am trying to wear bigger, longer earrings :)

3. Trying to recycle more so my new website I like to look at and get inspired by is http://www.zerowastehome.blogspot.com/ I am so not to this ladies level of recycling and being better for the environment but she gives me good advise.

4. Fry boots. So love, love, love these boots but seriously cannot afford them! But my good friend, Jo, found me a used pair of Fry boots for $16.99 at a second hand store and I love, love, love them! These are boots that cost anywhere from $250-500 and I got them for $16.99! I will post a picture of them soon! She got them at Katelyn's Closet in Multnomah Village! Love, love that second hand store you gotta check it out!

So there you go! My fav's so far. :) I am still trying to go Organic and Perabin free and make my envionment good for my family. I just started a good earth once a month program that sends me a package every month with healthy good environment packages so will see how that goes and if I love it I will let you know all about it! Hugs for now and enjoy your weekend everyone! And if you want to me to know your fav's just let me know :)

Update...did I finish Grace's book of firsts? Nope, but I am really close! As soon as I am done I will post pictures! As soon as I get my earrings from Etsy I will post them too! Super, uber excited! Also, I asked Buddy what he wants to do for his birthday pary in March and I am so getting ready for that! So many projects on my plate and Larry is home for a little bit so I am going to enjoy my family life and then get back to my projects :)

:: preschool ::

Here is a picture of Hunter and his Preschool class. They are so cute! They sang two Christmas songs at a nursing home this last December. I am posting this picture because next year it will be Grace's turn to go to this Preschool which is very exciting! The stressful thing for me right now is trying to figure out what Kindergarden to put Buddy into. I really want him to go the schools in Canby that I grew up next to but it isn't looking that way. So I gotta figure out where he should go. Super stressful and super crazy and I hope I make the right decision for my buddy who is growing up too fast!

:: updated my blog ::

Finally updated my blog's pictures and look! Was on my list of things to do! Still haven't finished Grace book of first's but hope to do it today or tomorrow. It snowed today and of course I took pictures with my phone so I hope to post them soon! My kids were so excited it snowed it was just a bummer that it snowed just a little bit. I might have to take them to the moutain tomorrow where it will make there day. Will see :) Hope you like my update look on my blog ;)

::Grace's 3 year old stats and my skinny beans::

Grace had her 3 Year old check up today and this is her stats!
Weight: 29
Height: 37
DeOna said that she is a little thin but tall. And to feed her more. Not sure how that is going to happen when this girl wants a snack every half an hour to and hour, but ok. But she wasn't concerned. She said Hunter, who she also so today, was thin and tall too. She said to try to feed them more but not to stress. Thank goodness for that! They are picky eaters and hard to feed but I have been cracking down on feeding them more variety of different foods that they have to eat so that might be more issue with their thiness but I am not going to stop trying new foods. Here is a picture of my skinny beans taking last month. They are two peas in a pod with their skinniness and bruises. I also realized that if I take them both to an appt if Hunter goes first Grace will do everything Hunter does. Good to know and next time they are going seperate! DeOna checked Hunter's knee reflexes and he wouldn't raise his left foot when she tapped on his knee and guess what Grace had the same issue! I told DeOna that someone she copies and does what her brother does and it is crazy. She just smiled and understood so love that! I still can't believe my baby is 3 and I just let her answer all of DeOna's questions today and she answered her back along with Hunter. I felt like that odd person in the room since I wasn't doing all the talking but I am proud of my kids that they can listen to adults and answer their questions and if they can't they look at me for help but they are all about trying first and they can voice their issues. So crazy but I am so proud of both of them that they are not afraid of their doctor and they do what she says. I see so many kids letting their parents do everything and they don't get to talk and so I let mine talk and if I feel like I need to say something I do but they both did awesome today at their appts. :)

:: my girl is 3 ::

My baby turns 3 today! She is such a big girl in so many ways. She loves animals and wanted a pink kitty cat party so we had one! Aunt Lindsey made her cake and it matched her kitty cat invitations purrfectly! :) I had found a cat sweater that was handed down to her that was a size too big for her but once we both found it in a bin we knew it was what she should wear for her party! She was so excited! I am still amazed that she is 3 and that we get to be blessed with having Grace in our lives. She is the icing on the cake! I love her to death and she makes me laugh and smile all the time and amazes me everyday! Happy Birthday Miss Grace!!!! I love you so, so, so much!

:: my hockey boy ::

My favorite sport is hockey. When Larry and I dated he would take me to Winterhawks games and I loved them! My favorite player is the goalie. I like how the goalie scratches up his goal space and hunkers down for the game. Who would have known that Hunter would love hockey as much as me :) Him and I started watching hockey the end of last years season when the Boston Bruins played for the Stanley Cup with Vancouver Canucks. We were cheering for the Canucks cause Larry was in Canada so much and they seemed to be doing good. Grace was routing for Boston and stuck with them through the end and they won the Stanley Cup. Hunter would get so upset when the Canucks lost but now he is better when the team he picks loses. Now we are still fans of the Canucks they are the Canada team we cheer for and we love Boston Bruins and Tim Thomas, the goalie, is our fav both Hunter and I. We like the goalie Schneider better then Lingo or however you spell his name on the Canucks. We like Pittsburg Penguins cause they are my fav animal and they are yellow or were yellow and we like the goalie Fleury. But we are big, big fans of the Canucks we know alot of the teams guys names but Boston is so close to our fav just because of Tim Thomas and now Rase the other goalie. But back to my hockey boy. I used a couple of groupons and took Hunter to some Winterhawk games this last year and he loved them and now he is so into hockey it is crazy! He can tell you so much about each team and who is the Captain and he knows all the teams names and logo's. Seriously, he knows more then me! So of course he wants to be a hockey player! Yeah! I told him the first step is learning how to skate so we have put him in lessons and the first time he went he didn't listen very well because I had taken him to the skating rink just him and I and skated with him and told him all the stuff about hockey on the ice that he was all about telling his teachers about it and he didn't want to let go of the side of the rink. But after a couple of lessons he is doing awesome! He has fun, he smiles, he laughs, and falls all the time on the ice during his class but you can tell he is so wanting to be a hockey player and is enjoying learning how to skate! He has improved so much since his first lesson he listens to his teachers and does what they say and doesn't hold their hands at all! My mom and Wayne got him a Winterhawks jersey and some hockey sticks and he practices in the living room all the time! My poor walls they will be dented for sure! Here are pictures my mom took of him when she was watching him for me and he looks so grown up and so happy to be a hockey player :) Makes me so proud!

This picture makes me cry cause last week he told me he doesn't want to be the hockey player that makes goals cause that makes him tired but he wants to be a goalie! That would be awesome cause maybe he will not get hurt so much and will keep his teeth! But whatever he does I will be happy! And he doesn't have to play hockey either but I think that he will cause he loves, loves, loves it!

:: enjoy ::

My word for January is Enjoy! I have alot to do this month with Grace's birthday and Hunter's skating lessons and doing most of it solo I have to remind and tell myself to enjoy it all and not take it for granted. I also have to enjoy cleaning the house, taking care of my other kids my animals, and taking time for myself and doing what I enjoy reading books and scrapbooking. Hope everyone ENJOY's this month too! :)

:: hello 2012 ::

I can't believe another year has gone by! I also didn't get Grace's book of first done before the new year so now my 2nd goal on that is to have it done before her birthday which is in 7 days! In less than 3 months my kids will both be a year older and in 1 week I will have a 3 and a 4 year old for 3 months! That seems so crazy to me! Last year flew by and we started alot of new things! Hunter started Preschool and ice skating lessons. And this year it will be Grace's year to start new things! I got alot of debt out of the way and just figured out the debt for this year and it bums me out but it is the last of our credit card debt so once it is out of the way hopefully we can get out of this house and also get a van to haul the family around in. Having 2 small cars doesn't help get you places with sports and vacationing we learned that this year. So my new years resolution is to keep getting out of debt and try to do a 1/2 marathon or a run smaller than that but not sure that is going to work with how hected and crazy life is when Larry is in cold country but I am going to give it a try. My other goal is to try to see if we can get out of this house and into a bigger one but not sure how that is going to happen but it is on the burner to figure out. Also, on my list is to fix our pop up trailer it needs alot of love and it needs us to register it so will see how that goes. Just a few New Year goals will see how they all work out. :)

So happy 2012 everyone!

:: my new goal for December ::

I find if I do not write it down I will not get things done. My goal for the month of December and the month is almost done is to finish Grace's my firsts book! It goes up to age 3 and since she turns 3 next month it is perfect to get it finished and all up to date. The only problem is I stopped writing in it after she turned 1 so I got a lot of pictures to download and a lot of writing to do but I think it is achievable! I already made her birthday cards and sent them out to family and put them in her book so I am way ahead on that! I will take pictures of it when I am done :)