{I wanna play!}

I have noticed over the last few days that a few of my friends are doing giveaways on their blogs...who doesnt love free stuff right??

I feel left out and now am looking for something I too, can giveway!

Any suggestions?

The obvious would be a nursing cover...but then again, not all of my readers are pregnant or breastfeeding (hehe).. but they do make great gifts!

Hmm...

Drop me a comment if you have any other suggestions, if not, a nursing cover it will be!

{Playing catch up}

Its Monday night, my workout is done, Steven is upstairs tiling the guest bathroom and the kids are asleep. I love this time of night, I just get to sit back and relax while catching up on some tv shows, emails or having a kid free conversation with my hubby.

Our church recenlty merged together with another church in Edgewood. We began meeting at a new location at the beginning of January and at first it was somewhat overwhelming but after just a few weeks I am really enjoying it! The music has been great, the sermon, wonderful, just like before and with so much more space (except for in the parking lot) we have the much needed room we'd been missing in the previous building. I have already met some great friends and I can't wait to further our friendships, I can sense many playdates in the near future!

Sunday after church we met up with Chris and Angela and took the kids to The Ram because on Sundays kids eat for 1.00! They get a ton of food too! The only problem was that our server was horrible and we were there for over 2 hours...thankfully Chris spoke to the manager and we got a nice gift card as compensation :)

Monday night, my parents offered to watch both kiddos (yes both!) so Steven and I could go to a movie with our good friends Andy and Suzie...the last time we went to the theater to see a movie was also with them..but it was to see I Am Legend...yeah, its been awhile. We saw a great thriller that kept us on the edge of our seats! We had a great time and can't wait to do it again...(this time much sooner than last)

Our Mops table got together last week and took the kiddos to Jumpin Jack n Jills in Sumner, I have mentioned this place in the past but just want to remind all of you south-sounders how fun this place is! Its a great place for the kids to run free when it's freezing outside and you're looking for a place to go kill a couple of hours.

Alicia and Stephanie and I went for a girls dinner on Tuesday at The Rock. It is probably my favorite pizza joint and if you've never been, I strongly suggest the "My Generation" pizza...it's to die for!

Friday night, all of the moms in our mops group got together for a night of food, fun, games and a silent auction...it was so much fun and I came away with 3...yes 3 baskets! One of them was filled with scrapbooking materials/magazines and even a book. The other was a movie night themed basket complete with 3 movie ticket, candy, a dvd and some cute popcorn holders...and finally the last was a camelback water bottle, tshirt, book and a coupon for a free Emerald City Smoothie, my cheeks hurt so bad from laughing so hard and it was definatley a great time!

Sunday, we celebrated Steves Grandma and Papa and cousins birthday...it was so nice to see everyone and Jacob had a blast playing with his cousins...we dont get to see his side of the family enough and we are going to work on getting together a lot more this year...

That brings me to tonight...we celebrated the birth of Adelynne Grace with a fun baby shower at church, her mama and I have become good friends and they have recently started attending our church. We are so happy to have them and I love getting to hold this beautiful new baby! She just melts my heart...it's not really helping my baby fever either!

The kiddos are doing great! Norahs had a bit of a cold but I think its starting to go away...Jacob has become quite the big brother. He's now helping me a lot more with her...at first I think he just pretended she didnt exist. Now I will catch him bringing her toys, putting her pacificer back in her mouth, kissing her and bouncing her in her jumper (she really likes that!) On Friday, Norah goes in for her 6 month appt...I am excited to see how much she weighs...should be interesting...do you think The Biggest Loser takes infants? hehe. j/k I love me some baby fat!

On that happy note,
goodnight!

{Game On}

It's official, we have scheduled our getaway with our best buds, Chris and Angela! Thanks to our crappy economy and the wonderful thing called "debt", we have decided to keep our destination in the lower 48 states and save Maui until next year. In the meantime, we still wanted to head somewhere warm, inexpensive, and where we could find some great entertainment and still lay by a pool...and thats when we came up with...



Eeeekkk!!
We are all so excited, we've all been before but neither of us have had a kid free vacation in a long time! We will be leaving the first week of April but will get back in time for Easter egg hunts on Saturday (we're leaving the week of Easter)...we are going to drive down and make it a little mini road trip! Their van has gps and a dvd player...we always have a blast when we're together so this should prove to be a roarin' good time! We will each drive for 4 hours and stop for meals and pit stops, with gas prices as low as they are, it works out to only 35.00 per person each way...so much cheaper (and more fun) than flying!

We will be at the MGM Grand and have found rooms for under 60.00/night, so as you can see, this wont be a budget buster! Thankfully, we have some amazing family that will be watching the kiddos and we know they will be taken care of!

The real meaning of this post is because of my urgent need to shed some pounds, I have joined a mini weight loss group with some close friends! We are all doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred... I had first heard about it from Amy and Pam but I very quickly realized that I know a bunch of people doing this dvd (and they are all loving it, and seeing results). I started it today and can definatley feel the burn! As I workout, I will text Amy and Pam and they will do the same so we all keep tabs on each other...Pam gives us a sticker and once we reach 30 stickers we'll reward ourselves! I am hopeful that through dedication and better eating, I can look and feel better on our trip!
So...here's to no more junk food, big portion sizes, less soda and eating late at night!

...and bring on the breakfasts!

Let's get shredded!

{Photoshop Fun}

I guess you could say Im a tad bit addicted to Photoshop Elements ... I have been stalking a few websites that have been a huge help is guiding me to create some amazing effects on my pictures. The next stop will be taking a class at one of the local colleges in town which will show me even more in depth all I need to know about my camera. I figure that we have an amazing camera so why not use it to it's full advantage! As I was 'learning' today this is what I came up with....I know its in the pumpkin patch but I really like this picture...stay tuned, way more to come!!

Before::


After::

{Linky Love::}

As I was at dinner tonight with my friends Stephanie and Alicia, we got to talking about blogs and we began listing a few of our favorites...thought I'd point out a couple that have either been strongly recommended to me or have weighed heavily on my heart for various reasons...

Pioneer Woman-
This one was referred to me by my good friend, Alicia. She tells me she's personally spent hours laughing out loud reading the hilarious stories written by this woman. She also gives great tips on photography, home and garden and homeschooling!

Kelly's Korner-
Please pray for baby Harper, she is just a few days old and has already endured so many obstacles but we can already see God is healing her, praise the Lord!

{Pictures::6 Months Old}

1/2 a year already!
I can't believe how fast time has flown by...
I hooked up with Stacy last week and she took some fabulous shots of Norah for me! I cant decide which are my favorites...thats ok though!
Now that Norah is nearly 6 months old I can't help but to mention a few of her little milestones
(for family that reads this) lol.
Shes full on crawling across the floor, which has meant a lot more vaccuming on my part...
She still isnt a fan of any fruits or veggies but is now beginning to accept oatmeal...
She loves to say "bababababa" ...
Shes sleeping through the night :) (amen) ...
If you smile at her, she'll glady shoot a smile right back at ya..
She loves other babies/toddlers (especially Jacob)...they dont have to do much and she's laughing histerically...
....and her favorite toy of all...the jumparoo, she catches some serious air in that thing...its pretty funny to watch her go to town on it!

Needless to say we are having so much fun with her, she has definatley been a blessing in our lives and we thank God for her everyday!

{Here are a few of my favorite pics from her 6 month photo shoot}
Enjoy!

{Can I brag a little?}

It is currently 10:25pm on a Saturday night, you may wonder why that is signifigant to me and I will tell you it's because my husband has been hard at work (on a side job) since 8am. I am so amazed at his dedication and hardwork, not only tonight but the 3 late nights he worked last week as well and his normal 7-4:30 job. Every time I've talked to him today he's sounded so happy and as much as I know he's missing us, he's helping our family out tremedously! I dont know when he'll be home, but he's planning on working as late as he needs to in order to not have to go back tomorrow, plus, football is on, and that's a good motivator!

shhhh.....
{He doesnt know this but Im secretly planning a dream vacation to Maui for him} he thinks it's all up in the air for now and pending our tax return and some scheduling issues, I hope to take his breath away when he finds out what's happening} hehe, I love surprising him!


So I am going to relax, watch some tv, and not complain for having to spend yet another night by myself and just be thankful for a man who is willing to sacrifice so much (including his weekend) for us!

{The Challenge::)

I saw this link on Katies blog, it got my attention and I couldnt have put it better when she said, "There's nothing better than a happy hubby, and enjoying one of God's greatest gifts to married couples at the same time!"
Im actually really excited to do this!
And yes, my kids are going to be so embarrassed someday too!

I joined...
What about you??

{Click the link/icon for more details}

{Girls night::}

On Saturday, I hosted a girls night out with my Mom and Baby Group. We met in the spring of 2007 at Good Samaritian Hospital and have remained very close friends ever since. It helps that our babies are all within a few months of each other, there are even a few of us on round 2! Although we dont get to see each other nearly as much as we'd like, we try and do things at least once a month...
Here are a few of my favorite pictures...
We had so much fun!!

{Renee, Morgan and Jessica}


{Michelle and Amy}


{Amy and Michelle}

{Bree}

{Renee}

{The music came on, and we were dancing!}

{Our neighbors must have thought we were crazy...}

{My house can beat up your club}

{Me, Bree, Danielle and baby Tyler}

{We went "kniving" a neighbors house...he's a friend and
also a fellow practical joker}

{The finished product!}

{Fun times!}

{Some of the girls in the back of the truck!}

{Michelle}

{Michelle, Steph, and Amy}

{Bree}

{ I } ::

I am: spoiled
I think: gas prices are starting to go back up...ugh!
I know: more now that when I was younger...
I want: to be free from credit card debt
I dislike: most vegtables
I miss: sleepovers and girls nights with my friends...
I fear: dying... and leaving my children while they are young
I hear: Jay Leno
I smell: like Britany Spears perfume
I crave: soda and slurpees
I cry: at movies that involve animals dying...
I search: etsy, craigslist, and ebay way too often
I wonder: when the economy and housing market will get better..
I regret: the whopper I ate for lunch
I love: sewing!!
I care: about my parents...
I always: clean clean clean!!
I worry: about Steven losing his job...
I am not: a chef
I remember: my wedding day...perfect!
I believe: in GOD
I dance: and have a lot of fun while doing it...
I sing: even though Im not good at it...
I don't always: floss...
I argue: when I know Im right
I write: lists..all the time!
I win: at Guitar Hero all the time, I think its beginning to bug Steven
I lose: my cell phone and debit card and license on a daily basis...
I wish: we could built our dream home now and not have to wait on the market!
I listen: as much as I can...I try and be there for my friends
I don't understand: how anyone could hurt a child or an animal
I can usually be found: at Joanns, Target, Church, my house, or my parents
I am scared: of possums and moths
I forget: how much it hurts to have a baby...thats why I want more!
I am happy: when the house is clean.... the kids are tucked into bed.... when I get to work out!!

If your read this, you're it!!


TAG... if you are reading this... you are it!

{Randomness}:: Flood update, Great quote, and my attempt at photography...

So this post is all over the place...I apologize, if you know me, I am a random person!

{Flood Update}
We were able to come back home last night and thankfully, our home remained unharmed. Praise the Lord!! Parts of hwy 162 were covered in water but they still opened it back up for all of the residents..phew!! We were visited by the Governor of our state today as well as congressmen and other state officials, it really put Orting on the map!) Steven and I are so thankful to have my parents living so close by. They were a lifesaver and totally helped us out...plus I got a ton of sewing done and didnt have to cook at all (whoo hoo!), we think Jacob knew there was something going on because when we got there, he was so hyper and excited, it was cute. Thank you to everyone who has called, emailed, and texted me in the last few days, it really meant a lot to know there were so many people out thinking of us...

{My attempt at photography}
While at my parents house, I noticed a cream colored piece of fabric, since Norah has such fair skin, that color looks really good on her...so I got out my camera and attempted to photograph Norah as best as I could...
Here's what I came up with:

{Great Quote}
I saw this quote on the side of The Old Cannery today, I really liked it...
"Dont get caught up making a living, that you forget to make a life"

Have a great weekend!!

First Foods:: Oatmeal (Funny!)

Can you believe Norah is nearly 6 months old??
She has now reached the point to where we can begin feeding her solids and thanks to some recent information I received, we decided to start with oatmeal instead of rice cereal. Apparantley it can be extremely constipating to their little tummies(ugh!) and I didnt want Norahs first foods to be a painful experience, so we opted to start with the oatmeal instead!

Here are some of my favorite pictures...
I got a kick out of these...
What do you think?

*Im confused, this isn't milk!*

*Yuck!!!!*

*I think Im going to puke......*

*Gagging myself!*

*Do not come near my mouth!!*

*No, no, no!*

Update::
It has now been 3 days and she's finally "accepting" the oatmeal...but still prefers mommy's milk!!

Wanted:: An Ark!!

So if you haven't heard by now, (which must mean you live under a rock) our little town of Orting, WA has been evacuated because of severe amounts of rain and flooding. The rivers around us have already reached record levels are just going to get higher. We know many people who have been affected must worse than us and just ask that you say a little prayer for them tonight. We are resting safely at my parents house on the hill (with Buddy, our dog, included) Thankfully, Steven was able to come home from work early to help me load up the suitcases... I didn't think much of the flooding when I heard about it on the news last night and this morning...but when so many of you began sending text messages, emails, and calling me, I quickly realized this was much more serious than I had originally thought. Within a couple of hours of hearing the news, there were firetrucks driving up and down our street honking their horns and yelling through the loudspeaker "This is a mandatory evacuation, please leave as soon as possible" We went to go get gas for the car and Downtown Orting was a ghost town, the stores (including Safeway) were all closed...scary sight.

...So thank you so much to everyone who thought of us and have continued to check in with us all evening...if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been ready for our "official" evacuation...

Side Note:: We usually have church tonight, but a nursing facility that was affected in the flood, moved in to our new church facility and has set up shop. My parents are there now setting up cots and giving the residents dinner...my mom called and said KOMO news 4 was just there...so check the 11 o'clock news tonight for Edgewood Bible Church!! (That's us!)

Confession time:: 1.) I still had to make myself look "pretty" before leaving which required a shower and a fresh coat of make-up (all of this while the firetrucks are driving up and down our street! *Disclaimer: I would not have been doing that if the mountain had errupted... 2.) I really wanted to document this with my new camera so I took all of these pictures for you (see below)......while driving.

*This is what we saw in the window when trying to get gas at Safeway


*Can you read the sign?
It says "Standing water? Wet crawlspace? Bad Drainage?"
(the sign was in a huge puddle of water. the irony)


*Check out the the truck in front of me...thats a lot of water*


*Water over roadway


*This is someones back yard*

*Ouch!!*

*Anyone want to go swimming??*

*Another view of the water coming over the road*

*The sign says it all*

*Someone elses front yard*

*A Christmas tree farm*

*People trying to get into our city (Orting) no luck...the cops
were letting no one through and turning them all around*

*This line went forever....*

*...and ever*