Lucky Number 7

My Cat turned 7 years old today. It was a wonderful day, just the four of us hanging out and playing mini golf, something the kids thoroughly enjoyed. Normally the girls birthdays are full of friends, presents, candy, and cranky kids. It was really nice to just have time for us. With the start of school, S going back to teaching, and work staying busy I feel like it is hard to find a little time for our family. I felt a little overly emotional, probably just hormones but every birthday brings the feeling of my kids slipping a little bit away. I know that the point of parenting is to allow your kids to do just that, take a little more control over their own lives. I know they are only 7 & 5 but I still feel that pulling of the heart strings.

Cat is such a mature girl. I love her smile, her longing to be best friends with everyone she meets. I love her caring nature, she is a great sister, always trying to show her little sister how to do things, even when Aly doesn't want to learn. I cry for her when other kids don't see how special she is. I celebrate how well she is doing in school. I wipe her tears away when she is sad, even though she tries so hard to not let things bother her. I love her with all of my heart, my first born, my sweet, funny, smart girl.

Next weekend we will have her friend party, Tinkerbell cup cakes, some pizza, and a very special viewing of Monsters vs. Aliens. I hope her new friends can come, that will mean more to her than any presents. But today I celebrate her birthday, remembering that time seven years ago when I was cuddling her in my arms, watching her sleep. Since that day we have become a family of four and today was a day to celebrate our family, it was a simple, beautiful day.

Five years and counting

Aly,
You are five years old today. Going into kindergarten, you will be one of the youngest in your class yet already a foot taller than most of your classmates. You love to make people laugh and when you are successful you start giggling. You have such an infectious laugh, I smile just thinking about it. Right now your world is all about swinging, eating tomatoes from the garden, playing with your big Sis, Polly Pocket, legos, and your stinky dolls. We never know what the next big thing is going to be. You always surprise us. You are the only one who wakes up with me in the morning. I love having our early morning conversations before I go off to work. You give me a last cuddle and kiss to send me on my way. You are also the first one to notice anything new, haircut, shoes, fingernail polish, a book, and you always compliment the person for their new thing. I can always count on you to say "I love your new hairstyle, Mama". That skill will get you far, as long as you are always sincere.

You are my sweet little stinky face and I love you my big five year old.

Love,
Your Mama

Fresh Air Fund

For those of you over on the East Coast there is a great opportunity awaiting you. It is the Fresh Air Fund, they help place inner-city youth with families in the country. The kids get a break for the summer and a little fresh air.

They are currently looking for host families for August so if you are interested or know someone that is please contact them as soon as possible. You can click on the button below and will take you directly to their website.

Weekend in Review

Some of the sunflowers are finally blooming, but we are still waiting for the big ones.

"Yum, these green beans are delicious!"

The latest harvest

Went up to Mount St. Helens on Sunday and it was beautiful, sunny with a high of about 75.

Finally, a picture of all four of us, sometimes these are few and far between.

All in all it was a beautiful weekend even with the heat wave starting to hit again. It is supposed to be 100 tomorrow, which was a typical summer day when we lived in Sacramento of course there we had central air. Here in Portland our air conditioner is called the basement. At least I can go to work tomorrow for a little cool down, but there they keep it so cool you need a sweater. I shouldn't complain about the heat before I know it the rainy season will be here, so let the sun shine!

Fabric Friday

Has anyone missed fabric friday as much as me? Probably just me but that's fine too. This week some of my favorites come from Heather Bailey at Heather Bailey Online. I want to make a quilt out of these fabrics so badly. They seem perfect for a hot July night picnic. Alas, I should use the fabrics I have in my stash, but soon they will be mine.


Also check out Heather's blog (also over at the side), she has a beautifully designed site to match her fabulous fabric. Almost too much to take in.

The Swimsuit Hunt Continued

Are there an overwhelming number of moms out there who want their 6 year olds to look like little sluts? No? Sorry, is that to strong a word? Then what is going on with the skimpy little bikinis they sell for little kids? Just give me a tank suit that won't ride up on her and that she can spend the day in. She doesn't need a suit with support, there was one suit in a size four that had something seriously close to underwire. She doesn't need a mesh sarong to go over said string bikini. She also doesn't need a leopard print suit that looks incredibly like sexy underwear. She is six!

But after sifting through all the suits and looking at five stores we finally found a suit that was perfect for her. It was the only one in that size and color so I figured it was meant to be. Next time, when I see a suit that is perfect I am just going to grab it. It might be the middle of the winter, but I don't want to go through this again.

Not time for back to school just yet

It was in the 90s here today in Portland. My kids need new swimsuits as they have worn them out. You go shopping and can you find any swimsuits? Nooooooooo! But what do you find? Lunch boxes, corduroy skirts, jeans, jackets, but no swimsuits.

Note to store buyers. When it is 90 to 100 degrees out do not pack your store with parkas and raincoats. I need tank tops, sandals, short sleeve pajamas, shorts, and most importantly swimsuits. I will end up going online but it would have been so much easier to get this done at lunch today.

Butterfly and Unicorn

We waited in line for an hour and a half for the kids to get their faces painted at the art festival this weekend. They were so happy that is almost made up for the sunburn on the top of my feet where I didn't put enough sunscreen. We did celebrate with sno-cones after and then went home exhausted. I was a simple fun day that I am sure the kids will remember for a long time.

Happy In(ter)dependence Day

Cat woke up this morning and said "Happy Fourth of July!" I told her it was also called Independence Day and we talked a little about what that means. Later on when she was talking about the holiday with my parents she said "it is also called Interdependence Day." We all laughed and thought how cute it was that she got confused on the name, I still love it when the kids do that.

So much talk about how these global problems need global solutions. Maybe while we are all celebrating this patriotic holiday we should also think about how times have changed. We can now work with other countries in true partnerships. We can be a leader in bringing ideas to the table. I am so sick of America being seen as the bully that comes in and says "do what we tell you and everything will be okay." I kind of like the idea of Interdependence Day.

Then I got this in my email, and it put it all into perspective:

"Heather --

This weekend, our family will join millions of others in celebrating America. We will enjoy the glow of fireworks, the taste of barbeque, and the company of good friends. As we all celebrate this weekend, let's also remember the remarkable story that led to this day.

Two hundred and thirty-three years ago, our nation was born when a courageous group of patriots pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the proposition that all of us were created equal.

Our country began as a unique experiment in liberty -- a bold, evolving quest to achieve a more perfect union. And in every generation, another courageous group of patriots has taken us one step closer to fully realizing the dream our founders enshrined on that great day.

Today, all Americans have a hard-fought birthright to a freedom which enables each of us, no matter our views or background, to help set our nation's course. America's greatness has always depended on her citizens embracing that freedom -- and fulfilling the duty that comes with it.

As free people, we must each take the challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own. As long as some Americans still must struggle, none of us can be fully content. And as America comes ever closer to achieving the perfect Union our founders dreamed, that triumph -- that pride -- belongs to all of us.

So today is a day to reflect on our independence, and the sacrifice of our troops standing in harm's way to preserve and protect it. It is a day to celebrate all that America is. And today is a time to aspire toward all we can still become.

With very best wishes,

President Barack Obama

July 4th, 2009

What's Up?

July - Garden in full swing

June - Pre-K graduation

May - Start of the garden

April - Flower Girls

March - Out exploring

February - Visit from the tooth fairy

January - Happy New Year

Things to be excited about

• President Obama, I still am having a hard time believing it really happened. But it did!
• Having a job, and being told over and over again that I don't need to worry about losing it, priceless.
• Watching the kids get excited about school. I am a big beleiver in public schools, I think you get what you put into it. Our whole family loves Cat's school, and next year Aly will be in Kindergarten there too.
• A new sewing machine! I am selling my old machine to help purchase a new one. I consider it an investment, my husband tells me it is just a new toy.
• Snow tomorrow. I love snow, sure it slows the city down, but it is so beautiful and isn't that why we live in a neighborhood where we can walk everywhere? Too bad it is only supposed to last for a little while.
• Losing weight, just under 18 pounds now. My goal is for 25 and I am almost there.
• Having my parents close by, I never realized how much I missed them living up in Seattle until they moved down here.
  
• Writing on the blog, even if it is just to come up with a silly list.

Crazy Things

Okay, today we got just crazy weather. In Portland we got close to an inch of rain along with the wind that makes the rain come at you sideways and renders umbrellas completely useless. It seemed to hit especially hard when I had to take the kids to school this morning. I made a run for it the block to school, dragging the kids behind.

When Cat got out of the car she was complaining that her raincoat was not working well. I turned around and saw that it was not zipped and her hood was down. I pointed out these items to her and she said it worked much better once she fixed the problems. I swear my kid is not an idiot just a 6-year old girls who sometimes loses her mind. When do kids pick up on common sense? Soon right? Please tell me it is soon.

The other crazy thing is that when I was dropping off Aly at her school there were two cars in the parking lot that looked as if another car hit them and then drove off. They were rammed together. Her school sits right below a main road in town. A drunk driver ran off the road, went through the chainlink fence, and came crashing down on another car that then rammed into the other two. It was insane, and I will never park on that side of the parking lot even for a quick drop off.

This weather makes the crazy drivers come out. Hydroplaning all over the place, driving on your ass and speeding past you creating a wave of water that crashes over your car. I hate driving in this weather, would rather get wet walking in the rain. Supposedly we will have a dry spell over the next few days. Hopefully the crazy stuff will stop for a little while.

Pre-K how I love the ...

let me count the ways. Aly's new school finally opened this month. It was under construction for so long and the opening was postponed for two months. But it finally opened and she is in love with her new teachers and new friends.

She had been spending the days with my mom and dad, and although they are a lot of fun, she had been craving time with kids her own age. Not to mention getting back into learning. My parents miss spending all of that time with her but since they live down here now they get to see the kids a lot more than they used to.

Anyway, Pre-K has been great so far, and they have openings available. If you want the info just send me an email.

A little annoyance

This morning on the radio that played a commercial for Washington Mutual, saying what a great bank it is now that it is part of JP Morgan Chase. But the things that bugged the heck out of me is that they kept calling the bank WaMu. Whose idiotic idea was it to change the name from Washington Mutual to WaMu?

Is it just me? I like a little respectability in my bank. Thinking of changing. I know in this day and age should we really change a bank because of a stupid name? I say yes, but where to go? Do you go the local bank route, or maybe a credit union? Part of me just doesn't want to have to set up all of my automatic payments again. It is just a little annoyance in my life.

Stinky Bear

Aly has this bear, its name is Stinky. He was a free bear that she got at the Festival of Trees last year. They have a teddy bear hospital there and the kids that go get free teddy bears. I am sure this one was probably made in China, sad to say I didn't even check. Bad mommy, bad, bad mommy.

Anyway, this bear is stinky because she sucks on him at night. I know disgusting. But she is so attached to Stinky and even with washings he still stinks. Do you take something away when she is so attached? I just can't, so Stinky goes where Aly goes, and life goes on. I just know sooner or later Stinky is probably going to fall apart and I am sure Aly will move on to something new. But right now he is her love, and you can't say no to that, even if he is really stinky.

Love Black Apple

Which one should I get?
Perfect for Aly's room
This one is perfect for Cat's room, she love the Loch Ness monster.