sandwich of the day

I made the mistake of leaving the lunch ingredients on the counter and getting on the computer. Amelia had pushed a chair up the counter and made her very first sandwich! A tortilla, mayonnaise, turkey meat and a granola bar all mixed together. She has eaten almost the whole thing which is really surprising for Miss Fussypants. What a creative cook.

my new jewelry box

Thanks to Heather, my dresser was tracked down at Costco yesterday. There was a dresser available at the Issaqua store. Dale drove an hour home and then proceeded a 5 hour round trip drive to pick it up (during our freak snow storm). What a guy! I am very grateful but just in case you think he is a complete pushover the cost of the dresser was a third of the other one I found and now he can justify a flat screen for the bedroom! One of the dresser drawers is a jewelry box and it's nice to see my jewelry all at one time. I don't have very much on purpose but I did order a cute pair of vintage earrings this morning... Our night tables are set to arrive on Monday and then our bedroom will be complete!

do you think they like her?

Auntie Ashleigh came for a visit and the kids were thrilled (and their mom too!) I was able to go for a massage in the morning. It was fabulous and I would highly recommend her to anyone in Bellingham. In the afternoon I had another ENT appointment. I have had tinnitus for close to two weeks and I was scheduled for a hearing test. The hearing test showed that I do have the hearing loss associated with Meniere's so now I know. A lifetime of daily medication and a low salt diet. I had really not been following the diet b/c I didn't have any symptoms lately and thought the diuretic was doing enough. After two week of tinnitus and no vertigo/vomiting (yet) I realize that I will have to be careful about salt. He also prescribed a high dose steroid for the next few days that should help with my hearing. Hopefully this steroid will help me at the gym (just kidding, not the same kind).

albino alligator, two headed turtle, oh my!

Today we went to the Reptile Zoo in Monroe. We knew it would be paradise for Aiden so I braved the lizard and snake fest in the name of being a good mom. Amelia loved it too, who knew? It was smelly and hot but it definitely was a hit with the kids. Aiden and Amelia loved holding the snakes and Dale thinks a lizard would be a great pet for Aiden (whatever). Last week they were trying to talk me into a corn snake for a pet until I found out they eat live rats (never, ever happening).

couldn' t spend money today if we tried any harder

We had big plans for today. New front door and a new dresser for our bedroom. We headed to the store today to purchase the front door I've been eyeing for months. I explain what door I want and the salesperson brings me right to it. But it's clear glass where I thought it was frosted. It's a no go and now I can't find another door that I think will look as good. Major bummer. Then we head over to Costco to get the dresser we want and have been looking at for a few weeks (should have known better). Yep, they're gone and now I've decided that's the dresser I really want and I don't want to compromise. Looks like we're stuck with hand me down dressers and make shift night stands for another ten years. Ahhh. We were grumpy and discouraged and decided to drown our sorrows in the Costco food court but the ATM was out of order so we headed home for lunch. Someone is making sure we don't spend a dime of our hard earned money. Thanks (I think).

my baby's baby.

Amelia got a doll for her birthday that talks and moves. She is quite enamored with it. She tells the baby "it's okay, it's okay baby" when it makes any noise. That's far cry from the grocery store a few weeks ago. We overheard a a tiny baby crying and Amelia very loudly piped up "stop crying, stop crying, bad baby." She repeated this throughout the store whenever she heard the baby crying. Which was every few minutes. I was avoiding eye contact with the other customers because I'm sure they thought I had some awesome parenting skills. What two year old makes up "bad baby" all on their own. Apparently, mine does. At home she is kind and nurturing, not that anyone in the grocery store could tell.

interview with a six year old

me: what's the best thing about being a six year old?
Aiden: that you know more about yourself

me: favorite food?
Aiden: fruit snacks

me: favorite restaurant?
Aiden: Red Robin

me: favorite activity?
Aiden: scootering, skateboarding and biking

me: best place to play?
Aiden: Cameron's house

me: favorite thing about Amelia?
Aiden: she jumps on my tummy all the time

me: favorite movie?
Aiden: Tony Hawk Boom Boom Huckjam

me: favorite toy?
Aiden: scooter, skateboard and bike

me: favorite color?
Aiden: red, blue and green

me: Do you like the president of the United States?
Aiden: yes
me: What's his name?
Aiden: Barack Obama

me: what do you want to be when you grow up?
Aiden: a professional skateboarder

me: what do you think about global warming?
Aiden: not so fun

ps. Aiden applied the forehead tattoo while I was in the shower.

spring fever!

I am always so impatient with the seasons. When it's the end of summer I can't wait for crisp fall days. Dreary fall days make me want a snow day. And now I am officially done with winter. It's time for spring! I want flowers in the garden, sunny spring days and a clean shiny house with a few spruce ups! I am going to be terribly disappointed if we get more snow.

happy belated hearts day

from my loves to your loves.

my lil skater dude

Aiden got a skateboard for his birthday and we now have a shared hobby! He skateboards and I take pictures of him skateboarding. We wants me to document all his tricks and I have a willing photography subject. This just might work.

aiden turns six!

Yesterday Aiden celebrated his sixth birthday. We started with 'chocolate' oatmeal for breakfast. Then we headed to school for another sugar feast. His class celebrated Valentines and had a lil breakfast party. Amelia and I joined him for the party. Lots of fun. After school we had a very long five hours before his birthday party started. 10 six year old boys + pizza + skateboard tricks and games + cake + presents + more games = awesome party for birthday boy + 2 exhausted parents. Aiden got a Tony Hawk skateboard that completely made his day. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

coffee girl

Amelia loves coffee. We used to jokingly ask her if she would like a cup of coffee in the morning (just like we did with her brother at that age) and he always had an emphatic 'no'. Amelia is the opposite, always trying to get her mouth on our coffee cups. Last November when Grandpa Orville was visiting I walked in on her sitting on his lap happily slurping from his coffee cup. She looked up at me and said "mmmm". Now every morning while I make my coffee she asks for "bean,bean?" So I gave her a coffee bean thinking it would be a one time deal and she would spit it out. Nope, she loved it and kept asking for more. This picture made me laugh because Dale had a firm grip on his Starbucks but Amelia was trying to weasel her way in for a taste.

the guesstimater

Yesterday we had an adoption shower for Erin. Hopefully very very soon she will have her little guy in her arms and home. There was a game to guess the number of pounds of donations that were collected for the orphanage. The winner received a gift certificate for a massage. I won (because I'm smart like that). I felt a little guilty thinking maybe I should give it to the host, or Erin or possibly the person that was second closest to winning and wouldn't let it go. Until I found out she collects massage gift certificates and doesn't use them. We were sent home with these cute gift bags and inside is a dvd about the orphanage in Ethiopia. I don't know if I can watch it. It's appealing to have a bigger family and not go through the pregnancy or first three months again...

love is in the air...

Yesterday we did a little Valentine crafting. Aiden and I made a banner (following the Maya Made tutorial) and I made a few photo decorations. Aiden is also making a handmade card for everyone in his class 3 down and 17 to go. I think he's going to burn out but he's a bit of a craft machine so we'll see. This morning he made me a special valentine. It's adorable and features his basketball picture, I love it!

heart paper clips

Came across this cute idea this morning. Idea and image found on www.howaboutorange.blogspot.com. You just bend a regular paperclip! I'll be sharing our valentine crafts later today!

2 cute

Yesterday I made Amelia's matching skirt while she napped. I think I should have done some measuring before she went to sleep. When the skirt was completed (in less than 30 minutes). It looked cute but looked like it would fit a Cabbage Patch doll. That's because it could. It's a miniskirt! I paired with a pair of jeans and it looks cute but from now on I wll make her skirts on the long side. I tried to get some pictures this morning before her 2 year check up. Challenging. Lil Miss weighs 27 pounds (55th%) and is 35.5 inches tall (90th%). She has a huge vocabulary and says "I'm just kidding, Mom" about 10 times a day.

kitty cat rockstar

Amelia got a kitty cat piano for her birthday. Tonight Dale was playing with the kids and I overheard him singing into the microphone: "My name is Hans, I am a kitty cat rock star. I say meow, I say meow." I was too busy laughing to even try and take a picture.

cute shirt

Today I finally made Amelia's '2' shirt that I had wanted to do for her birthday. After going to the fabric store it took me approx 3 minutes to put the shirt together. It looks adorable and now I'm off to make a matching skirt!

cupcake social

We had a simple celebration for Amelia's birthday Friday afternoon. A cupcake social! She loved hearing everyone sing happy birthday to her! I'm waiting for Rebecca's pics of the event but here's a few blurry ones for now. Thanks to everyone that came to celebrate our girl turning two.