5 years and counting

I just felt like posting this picture to show you how cute Taylor was as a baby!

5 years and counting and he is still cute as ever!

Four years ago.....

Four Halloweens Ago......

Chloe was a bunny, Diana was snow white and Taylor was a Tiger again

Taylor said "ROAR...GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!"

Diana as sweet Snow White

Clo-bear as a cozy bunny

Today was a good day

You know its a good day when you score a rocking pair of $125 new running shoes for the small sum of $26.73!

How I did I do this you ask....
well my local Fred Meyer is having an athletic shoe sale.
Most Athletic shoes are 50% off!
Add the 15% off apparel coupon
Add an additional $5.00 off coupon
Add my $15 in freddies reward dollars
Add my additional freddies reward coupon and there you have it $26.73.

Isn't life just wonderful!

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is a VERY VERY CUTE DRESS!!

Around we go

Dear reader,

Diana went home from school two Fridays ago with strep and pneumonia. She missed the whole week of school. Then Mommy throws up on Friday with a slight fever and sleeps the whole day away. Saturday evening, the younger two AND Daddy start with slight fevers and sore throats, waking up on Sunday very sick.

"Uh-OH!!" I think to myself.

We are going around and around on this cycle of sickness. Where is the escape hatch? Please someone save me! Throw me a rope!

Sincerely,

A mom stuck in sickville.

P.S: Pass me the Lysol spray, a tissue and some Tylenol. I am going to need it!

Ta-DA!!

Look what's new in my kitchen today!

Im so happy!

p.s This is the third appliance replaced this year. It better be the last!

Hubster

I know I say it all the time but I truly love this guy.

He took the day off of work because his grandmother passed away.

On that day, I get SICK, throw up twice with a fever and sleep the day away.

During that time he cleaned up the dishes, did laundry, swept the floors, played with the kids,

Nursed me back to health and to ran to the store for me....

All I can say is, where did I find this guy....

because I am one lucky gal!

Hold on

When I was a young mom, I had a sister at church tell me "It will go faster than you think." You hear this again and again until one day you realize "HELLO....where did time fly?"

I had one of those moments yesterday when I went to Diana and Taylors parent teacher conferences. As I sat down with each teacher, they proceeded to tell me what smart and kind children I had. Diana quick to help others. Taylor a little engineer, always building and thinking up constructive ideas in the classroom. I was a proud mother. These children that I had worked so hard to love and teach were growing up. Time does fly and I want this next year work even harder at making each moment count with my kids. These young years are precious ones and I am so grateful I have had this time with them.

It has not always been easy to stay home, as I thought many times about the job or classes I could have been doing. Then reality would hit and I would realize that this is where god had wanted me, to be with my children, to experience these young years at home. I was not able to get that with my mother when I was younger so in someways I am learning how to stay at home. Do not get me wrong, I had a fantastic mother but times were tough and she had to work to put food on our table. So to me and my kids I wanted to experience what it was like to stay at home and be the"soccer mom." This will be the hardest job I will ever hold. Emotionally it is draining. Physically it is draining but the rewards are priceless. Yes we have less money because we do not have two incomes but I would not go back and change it. I will go back to work when they are older and be content with what was decided many years ago. It has made me a better person, mother and wife. It has taught me lessons I needed to learn from god.

I am eternally grateful I found my path. It is not for everyone.

I hope that each of you find your own path that god has for you.

It is out there so reach out and hold on.

4 generations

When Diana was born there were 5 generations alive but we were only ever able to get 4 in a picture. I am so grateful for these great women in my life and what they have taught me. We each were the eldest in our family. I was born in Utah. My grandmother was born in Idaho and my mother born in California and last but not least, Diana was born in Oregon. 4 different states, 4 different lives, all connected through the great bond of families. May we each take the time to listen, talk, cry and laugh more with our families. Life is too short.

It is with life that we will find our greatest treasure is not in what we have but with who we share it with.

In the picture: Me, Diana on my lap, my grandmother and my mother

Shin Splints

I have shin splints and I just have to say.....

They SUCK!

chickens, goats and corn

Yesterday our youngest one had the privelage of taking her first educational field trip to the pumpkin patch with her pre-school class and she LOVED it.

Friends, playing in the corn, pumpkins, a friendly farm dog, goats and feeding chickens.

What's not to love?

Clo-bear and some playmates

Looking for "the" pumpkin

Clo-bear and her friend

Feeding the goats. She loved the way they licked her. She said it tickled.


Warm, fresh eggs
>
Watching the farmer feed the chickens

Clo-Bear's class

~ A grand ol'day for some fun at the farm! ~

Dresses

With the kids sick this weekend I actually had some free time on my hands so I got out some Halloween fabric and whipped up these dresses. Aren't they cute!!

Lately, all I get is this weird scrunched up smile =)

Soooooo pretty!

Ok....I am in LOVE with this bike.

Only it costs $1300 dollars.

What was that???

When we were newlyweds and living in married student housing, I was excited to cook for my husband. I wanted to wow him with my homemaking and kitchen skills, whipping up culinary creations that would please his pallet. Did that happen you ask? Was he impressed with his wife's cooking skills? Did I create culinary masterpieces like Martha, Rachael, or Paula? Heavens no!

I was young, 19 and did not know my way around a kitchen at ALL!

One night I wanted to impress my husband by turning our leftovers into a delicious concoction as his mother often did. I took the pot of left over spaghetti and dumped all of its contents into a 9x13 baking dish. I then proceeded to make a batch of Bisquick dough and dumped large blobs of it on top, making what I thought was spaghetti pie. I pre-heated the oven to a perfect 375, and proudly sprinkled Parmesan cheese all over the top. I put it in the oven to cook to perfection.

30 minutes later I smell smoke.

Clue one that that this was going to be a DISASTER of a dish.

Clue number two: I take it out of the oven to behold burnt mounts of Bisquick dough all over dried out spaghetti. I quickly dump melted butter all over the top to soften the Bisquick dough.

Seriously, could it get any worse at this point.

My husband comes in from the pouring rain, returning from class. I have the table all set and ready to go, scooping out some "spaghetti pie" onto his and mine plate. He lifts his fork and puts a bite into his mouth. "interesting" he says. "what is it?" "Spaghetti Pie" I reply proudly until I taste a bite only to reveal the utterly and horrible goopy mess.

Clue number three: The Bisquick had liquefied into the noodles. The noodles were rock hard and the top was burnt! I wanted to cry. Could I ever learn how to cook???

It has been years since that incident of "spaghetti pie" and to this day my husband and I still laugh about it. It was GROSS. The worst thing I have ever tasted. Liquefied Bisquick over hard spaghetti noodles, certainly is not a culinary masterpiece. The reason I write this down is because this morning I made sausage with maple syrup, homemade biscuits with whipped butter and freezer jam, and cheesy hash browns. My husband, patted my arm and said "whew, I thought I was going to starve there for awhile. You have become a wonderful cook Rachel. You have come a long way since we first got married!"

I laughed and will have to agree!

I have come A LONG WAY!

P.S Don't put Bisquick dough over day old spaghetti noodles.

Its gross.

=)

Want to play a game?

I propose to my readers we all play a game. Its called Tag- your-it. In honor of halloween I am going to list 10 things I have been for Halloween. Those who I tag need to do the same :) either in my comment section or on their blogs. As jack sparrow would say......Savy?

1. A spider fairy - orange beehive wig with spiders, orange and black dress....a personal fav of mine.

2. Martha Stewart in Jail

3. A smarty pants - I taped smarties all over my pants

4. A cat....meow.

5. A hippie chick, complete with 70's afro and daisies.

6. The devil....I had fun with this one ;)

7. Marge Simpson....try wearing poster board on your head with cotton balls attached and spray painted blue...not fun.

8. A scarecrow

9. A clown

10. and being a female.....a princess of course.

I tag: Jenny, Jen. Simpson, Emily, Heather, Kris, Natalie C, Rachel L., Karina and who ever else would like to do so =)

Happy Halloween.....Muh HA HA HA HA!!!!

Rainbows

This year makes four years of soccer for....

our Diana.

Go Diana, GO!!!

You have come a long way in four years. From picking daises to scoring goals and getting dirty. Way to go our little soccer star.

A hunting we will go....

This year we took our annual pumpkin trip to our favorite farm, heavenly harvest. Corn boxes, corn mazes, corn shooting (a personal fav.), hay bales to climb, duck races, tractor rides oh and lets not forget the star of the show, the pumpkins. It was a grand ol'time as we headed out in the early evening bundled up with sweatshirts and boots. There was NOone there since it was the evening and we had the farm to ourselves, even our own tractor ride.

Me "trying" to shoot it into the hole

Daddy burying Diana in the corn box

My clo-bear, always full of spunk and energy

Big "D"

My three little pumpkins

Playing on the tractor

His pumpkin was HUGE, well for his size.

Chloe and her pumpkin

Diana took awhile to find her "perfect" pumpkin

And by the way...... I love this guy. I think I will keep him.

Obsessed!

Ever since I have heard this song, I have been listening to it day and night. Listen and you will see why! It soothes the soul and well.... its just plain ol'amazing!

Whip It

One word sums up this post: AWESOME!

If you have not seen the movie "Whip It"......

GO!

It will have you laughing and make you want to dig out those old "barbie" skates.

A cat, a moustache and a flower

Sometimes you just have to let go; whip out the face paints and be SILLY

And somehow.....they facepainted mom. By the way what a cool mom I am
because afterwards we went out to ice cream facepaint and all
and I ran into 8 people I know. Nice!

FYI: for some reason you can not see my facepaint on here but I had a pumpkin on my cheek and a flower

Did I mention??

Two things:

I absolutely adore my clo-bear and secondly, I have finally figured out how to do my bangs. I love them.

Mother-daughter

~ I love this girl and just wanted you all to know it! She's amazing and ALL mine. ~

Go for the Goal

Guess who is in soccer this year......?

He's fast, feisty, and goes for the goal.....

He has an awesome dad..... well we all knew that.....


Yeah you guessed it

TAYLOR!

He is rockin' the field this year with his new found skills. He has gone out onto the field guarding, kicking, passing, and my favorite....scoring quite a few goals. I love my little boy and can not believe he is all grown up and in soccer wearing cleats, and shin guards.

Keep up the good work bud!

Reflection

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself

~ George Bernard Shaw


A few years ago, before I became pregnant with our third, we went on a family beach trip. Anyone who knows me, knows I despise pictures being taken of me. Without me noticing my husband grabbed the camera and caught this photograph. I loved it immediately. It caught me in that moment. That moment when you are looking inside the looking glass, reflecting upon life and its great mysteries. May we all just stop and reflect each day even if it is but a moment. It is in those moments that we find ourselves.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

The leaves changing colors. The crisp fall air. Pumpkins, gourds, corn adorning the doorsteps of peoples homes. The smell of cinnamon and cloves drifting from the oven. Yes its fall and to me that means red, crisp apples! Between soccer games one saturday, the grandparents came along with us to go apple picking. We met up with some friends as well at our favorite apple orchard and grabbed our buckets and started picking away. We picked over 70 pds! Gala's were my favorite table apple but the melrose apples we picked will go to my canned applesauce.

Taylor and Chloe

Chloe helping dad


"R" picking apples with her cute "apple" shirt

" M" family

Taylor running up and down the orchard

Diana driving in the orchard.....watch out!!

My mother and father in law

I let my kids roam the farms in the summer and fall picking berries, beans, corn, apples, nectarines, peaches. I think it is good for a child to learn where their food comes from. It helps them make healthier eating decisions and teaches them when they are young how important good food is. The fresher the better!