Germer4

Just a few more....

2012-02-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

I could not resist sharing a few more pictures of these sweet baby girls!

* A very big THANK YOU to my wonderful in-laws for loaning me a camera lens to take pictures of this wonderful family.

Black and White

2012-02-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

"oh my" a few more pictures of the twins for you.....

Goodbye from Savannah and Kisses from Madison.

Happy Valentines day...

2012-02-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

Before I tell you about the kids and their Valentines I can't miss the chance to tell you about my Valentine. I have been truly blessed beyond what I deserve with a husband who is a funny, kind, wise, hard working, loyal and all around awesome guy. I could tell you all about what a great dad he is but mostly I just wanted to take the chance to tell you I think he is an amazing husband and friend. After all he knows all my flaws and still loves me!

Well Mr C is off to school and Miss C had her party yesterday. They both were excited to share some fun things with their Teachers and friends. This year I made Cake balls for the teachers as It is one of my Hubby's favorites too so I made sure to make some for him. I got the recipe from bakerella.

I packed them up in these cute bags from Joanne's Fabrics

Then for the Kids we made lips for the girls and mustaches for the kids. I taped them to a paper straw then attached the Valentines the kids wrote with twine. I found the lips and mustaches as a free download at Living Locurto

Happy Valentines day!

twice the joy....

2012-02-12T22:37:00.000-08:00

Last week I had the honor of taking some newborn pics for my dear Cousin Alyse. I still have so many pictures to go through but I thought I would give her and her wonderful husband as well and all of you a quick look at a few of my favorites so far.

The blessings that make me smile Madison and Savannah!

Miss Maddy decided to stay awake the second time I came to visit.

Miss Savannah was sleepy from staying awake the first visit.

Love these little girls and feel so blessed to spend time with them and there amazing parents!

Gratitude...

2012-02-09T14:01:00.000-08:00

A few from this weeks list...
-A smile from a stranger
- Memories of loved ones mixed with the hope of eternity
- date nights
- Holding a long prayed for miracle in your arms
- whispered I love you's
- listening to the giggles and adventures of two siblings with wild imaginations
- friends who become family
- sharing a friends joy and being trusted enough to pray through the heartache too.

Hope you saw some "gifts" this week too!

January Reading

2012-01-31T12:24:00.000-08:00

Some of our favorite books from this month...

Miss C loves the book poor puppy and can "read" it to us she has heard it so many times. So when she found Bad kitty meets the baby at the library she couldn't wait to check it out.

We put this book on hold back in late October and just now got it from the Library. oh well Pinkalicious is fun anytime of the year right?

Mr C has enjoyed reading Big Nate and Frankie Pickle both books are a mix of paragraphs and comics.

Guys read is a website by a group of authors looking to create more books for young boys. You should check it out they have lots of great recommendations! For Christmas Mr C got this collection of short stories. We have only read a few of them so far but they are kind of fun.

The Invention Of Hugo Cabret is by Far the families favorite book this month and I would also say my favorite children's book that we have ever read! I loved this book! The story and the art work were fantastic. I am so happy we read the book before we saw the movie! The book will decently be one we will be ready again and again.

Some of the art work from the book

Mr C's non fiction pick of the month. He gave a great book report at school on Albert Einstein.

My books this month ....

The Associate is about a young lawyer choosing between what is right, what is wrong and the lines between them.

One Thousand Gifts is an amazingly wonderful poetic book of beauty! It is one of those books that requires your full attention so I had to make my self pick it up sometimes but once I did I had a very hard time putting it back down. A book that hopefully I will grasp and use to change my life and find ways to search and see Gods gifts all around me.

Technically I am not done with this book but as I only have a few more chapters and plan to finish it tonight I thought I would included it in today's post. A story of two young adults who meet in a cancer support group work trough the meaning of life together and form a friendship that caries them though the struggle before them.

Happy reading! Do you have any suggestions for us?

Gratitude...

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

A few from my list this week...
-Laughter after tears
-honest friendships
-a clean house
- the I just need my mom kind of snuggles
- 1st book reports
-falling in love with a book together as a family
- the wonder of watching a movie in 3D
-special "dates" with the each child
-Libraries
-phone calls of pure delight and joy
- seeing wishes coming true
- people working together all over the world to make wishes come true.

Game time....

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

We started a tradition last spring break by getting a new game for the break. My favorite part is we look for the games at goodwill or garage sales. I found 3 or 4 of the games brand new at goodwill just damaged boxes. Last spring break we got disney yatzee, Summer break was whack a mole and sequence for kids, Thanksgiving Clue Jr, and this Christmas Break was Sorry. Sorry has become my new favorite game to play with the kids. We have so much fun!

As we are always on the look out for a new game for each break, would you please give me some suggestions. What are some of your family's favorite games?

Way to go dad!

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Brian had his first deadline for his book. He has finished the whole thing and now just has edit deadlines to look forward to. I wanted to do something special for him but I must admit did not do a good job of planning ahead. So I asked the kids what they wanted to do and I loved there answer. We made a poster for every room of the house to tell dad how great he is. So we spent the afternoon coloring and being creative. We now have the poster hanging all together in our room so he can see them every morning and know we are so proud of him.

Mr C just learned a secret code at school ... which explains the Backwards "book week"

Valentines day project

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

I found a tutorial last year I wanted to try but I just ran out of time to try it. Well as February approaches I could not wait to give it a try this year. With my favorite 7 pictures of the kids together and some time in photoshop and I was ready to order prints from costco. Most of the pictures I used are now posted on the header of my blog :)

After finding left over scraps of paper and some twine I was excited to decorate .

Garland hanging from the mantel.

Hanging in the Hallway ...

With the left over pictures and paper I made this on the kids wall in there room. It was hard to get a picture that shows you just how big it is. I plan on writing on the squares different things I love about each of the kids.

snow day

2012-01-23T15:40:00.000-08:00

One day of a bit of snow is a big deal to the kids.

The funny faces we make when we have such plans as throwing a snowball at little sisters.

December reading....

2012-01-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

We decided to just share our favorites from December as we did lots of reading!
From Miss C

From Mr C ...

Grandma gave us some books that belonged to Brian that she thought Mr C might like. We started with Castle in the Attic and it was a perfect first choice! We all loved this story of a boy and his gift and a silver knight who comes to life. Mr C was so up set when it ended because he wanted to hear more adventures about William. Lucky for us my good friend informed me there was a book two! So Christmas eve Mr C opened a copy of Battle for the Castle and started reading right away.

Non Fiction pick of the month...

There is something about Christmas time that makes we want to read light hearted "easy" read books. However I started out with a non fiction and I really needed the light hearted after finishing "A Stolen Life". Defiantly a story of courage but very disturbing to read about what happened to her.

A funny lighthearted novel of a wife and mom finding her way through a Christmas full of change.

Cheesy yet fun Christmas love stories...

What have you been reading? We have some amazing books we are reading this month and can't wait to share some with you.

Gratitude...

2012-01-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

I told you I would share some of our list as I look to write down one thousand blessings. I had hoped to have a picture to share with this post however the picture is in my sisters camera. So here are a few gifts I couldn't wait to share. To be honest I am not sure a picture or words can even begin to sum up the emotion that swells with in my soul every time I think about that one moment in time.

- A Smile full of joy and hope

- no more Chemo song!

- God's love through nurses who truly care

- Chemo pals

I long to properly put in to words the amount of joy, sorrow, hope, and love wrapped into one magical moment. Please forgive my inability to truly share with you just how amazing it was. As Ammy lay in the bed tired, feeling sick, and annoyed. Her face changed in a mater of seconds, when the nurses gathered around and started to sing. I wish I could remember the words to a simple song sung by voices who sing not because of their gift in music but their joy in seeing lives healed. I wish I could remember the words to the song that I know so many have longed to hear. I however could not take my eyes of Ammy's face to even hear the words. The smile was huge, her eyes light up with promise and joy. In that moment I saw the last few years flash before me the ups and downs the people who have touched her life and the lives she has changed. I realized in that moment I was seeing what The author in the book One thousands Gifts was talking about when she spoke of the "Ugly Beautiful". Cancer is ugly! But this moment, the one I was blessed to be a part of was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen. Not because the chemo is over because we know the time will come when that will start again, not because of the next step because that is a nervous waiting game. Beautiful because in that moment I saw pure joy, a heart awaken with hope again. A moment where you could see love poured out in a small hospital "room". A moment where this little girl was about to enter into a new phase and she was excited! Is there a part of me that still wishes that even this unbelievable moment never happened that never the ugly word cancer became a part of her life? Yes! But it did and it is part of her life so I choose to look for the beauty and the gift in the middle of the ugly cancer. I feel blessed that through her courage she has shown me and allowed me to see God at work, God full of grace, God offering hope, to see truly HIS Face.

Year in review...

2012-01-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

I found this great worksheet on a blog for the kids and could not wait to see what their answers would be!
The site I found it on is Thirty Hand Made Days. ( I had lots of fun looking around her blog). Keep in mind you should not have your kids fill this out while taking a quick break from playing video games with dad. Note Mr C's answer for favorite memory :)

The kid's answers cracked me up and also gave me ideas of what to focus on this year.

Miss C's answers:

Age: 4 1/2 Favorite Color: Purple Favorite Food: Pizza Favorite Activity: Board Games

Favorite Book: Finding Books

Highlights From 2011

Greatest Lesson Learned: Writing my name the kindergarten way

Hardest Thing Of The Year: Learning to ride my scooter

Favorite Memory: Going to Grandma and Grandpa's house

What I Loved Most About 2011: Family Vacations

Looking Forward To 2012

Want To Learn: to read

Want To Get Better At: remembering

Biggest Goal: to learn to swim

Mister C's answers

Age: 7 Favorite Color: Green, Yellow, Blue Favorite Food: Corn, Soup, and Baked Potatoes

Favorite Activity: Staying Home Favorite Book: Magic Tree house

Highlights From 2011

Greatest Lesson Learned: music

Hardest Thing Of The Year: First Grade

Favorite Memory: Watching Dad Match Skeletons and Family Vacations

What I Loved Most About 2011: Learning Music

Looking Forward to 2012

Want To Learn: More Non Fiction

Want To Get Better At: Cartwheels

Biggest Goal: Learn to ride my Skateboard

Did you make any new years Goal's?

Word of the year

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

As each year comes to an end I love to reflect back and remember the joy, struggles, lessons learned, and moments Celebrated. Last years word Celebrate was inspired by the book "Cold Tangerines" a blessing wrapped up in a book given to me by a dear friend. Well this years word came to me the same exact way. My dear friend seems to know just what my soul needs and each year gives me a book for my birthday that is refreshing, challenging, and life changing with each and every page. Just like the year before the book was given to me in April and it seems I don't open it's pages till December. For what ever the reason I wait to read the book I am always annoyed that I waited to read such eye opening heart changing words. This years current book "One thousand Gifts" which has touched my heart, challenged my thoughts and inspired me to truly stop and see God. So not only have I found my word of the year within the pages of this gift but I too have found a challenge. This year I will with my family make our list of one thousand gifts and make this year are year to be GRATEFUL!
My highlighter sits ready to use as I read through this book. It is one of those books you make yourself read but once you start you don't ever want to put it down. I will leave you with one of the many quotes i love from this book as I challenge you to even just for today stop and find one gift to say Thank you for.
"In naming that which is right before me, that which I'd otherwise miss. The invisible becomes visible. The space that spans my inner emptiness fills in the naming. I name. And I know the face I face. God's! God is in the details; God is in the moment. God is all that blurs by in life- even in the hurts in a life"
If you are willing I would love to hear your word of the year or one thing that you are grateful for today. I will try to share with you some things from our list through out the next year.

The Photo Process...

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Getting a good picture of my kids is getting harder and harder!

This is the face I see most when I ask if I can take the kids picture. (If I don't have the very funny Aunt Sissa around to help)

Then ask really nice and I get this...

Make a joke and have Miss C say daddy or Mister C say soup and I get the half smile

Then one silly word or joke and if I am fast enough I might get this.

I then hope I got at least one useable photo from the day.

New Years Day

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Well exhausted from staying up the night before and boredom from being home was not a pretty way to start the new Year. So we loaded the kids in the can along with their scooters and we were off to the park. Ok secretly I wished to get a great picture of the kids on one of the bridges for my mantel but we were having to much fun and that never happened. Well and the fact they were on the run the whole time we were there. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. We headed home for some hot chocolate and to watch Ghostbusters.

Ornaments

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every year we each get a new ornament that says something about the past year. I had so many ideas for the kids but they for the first time made a request for what they wanted. I had hoped to get Mister C a book or reading ornament as this year he took off with his reading. However his request....

Anything Phineas and Ferb because it is his new favorite show and his Birthday party theme this year.

From Grandma and Grandpa this year a soccer ornament for adventures this fall in soccer.

Miss C asked for this pair of ballet slippers to remind her of her dance class this summer.

Of course Grandma and Grandpa could not resist getting her a Barbie ornament.

Our house has become sports fans! Shocker I know but we all love watching the Timbers Games together. We have even been lucky enough to attend some gamers this year however never all at the same time :)

When I saw this ornament I had to get for Brian.

Couldn't resist this cute guy for the whole family!

Brian got this book writers ornament to remind him of the many many many hours spend writing his book this past year. That is a subject for another post :)

I still get teary eyed when I look at this picture. I was given this ornament, on the bottom is written in Loving memory of Colin Palmer and the year of his Birth and Death. To mark the 10 anniversary of my dad passing away Karen found me this ornament. I will treasure the thought as well as the memory for ever!

I thought I would include a picture of our Nutcrackers. Last year Colin asked Santa for a nutcracker and has decided to ask for one every year. Sister wanted in on the request too. So this year Santa got each of them a new nutcracker. Mister C got a Pirate because of his new favorite Wii game lego Pirates. Miss C got a dancing princess nutcracker, no need to ask why :)

Hope you have treasured memories for this Christmas that will carry on through out the years!

Christmas Day

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

As Mister C once told me every boy needs a dog mom....Sorry bubby but this is as close to the real thing we will ever have.

I love this picture not for the quality of photo that is for sure but for the moment! They are giving their gifts they picked out for each other. Taking the time to read the notes and remembering to say thank you. Loved sitting back and watching this special interaction between them. While once again saying a silent prayer that they will stay friends for a lifetime!

A new tradition at the Germer's this year... make your own pizza! The kids loved helping but really loved watching their uncles toss the dough in the air. Also saying over and over again "Welcome to my Pizzeria"

A wonderful day full of laughter and family!

Pioneer Square photos

2012-01-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every year pictures at the same spot in Pioneer square. This year included a few surprises! What would Portland be this year with out a protest and a great big dog to join in the fun. Oh what a fun Portlandia episode we could have made. Not the best picture but I wanted to show you just how big this dog was compared to Little Miss C.

Grandma and Grandpa

Uncle Byron and Aunt Heather

Uncle Matt and Aunt Kathy

* Not Pictured Uncle Tim and Aunt Rae, they were not here yet but we soon all caught up together for some shopping and lunch at Rock Bottom.

Visit with santa

2012-01-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

A visit with Santa and a wish or two in the fountain a Christmas Eve tradition!

Cookies for Santa

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

My silly kids said I could take pictures but not of their faces :) I may of had the camera out a little to much the last few days. Frosting the cookies needed extra help so no hands to take picture but trust they had lots and lots of sprinkles.

Pine Cones and a long afternoon

2012-01-04T06:00:00.001-08:00

While at the dollar store a few weeks ago I found pine cones 12 for $1. I bought two bags with a project in mind. Well I tried out my project and after attempting it with the first pine cone, I knew this was not going to work. So I put the pine cones away and decided to come back to them another time. Well little miss C became very restless one afternoon and needed a project. After digging around for something I decide on a new plan for the pine cones. Some glue, glitter, crushed rock salt, and one crafty little girl we made a new Christmas decoration! You can not tell much in the picture but they really so sparkle in the light.

* next time I will make sure she is looking at me when I take only one picture of her doing the craft :)

Favorite new Decorations....

2012-01-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

Well with the on break and my dear hubby writing his book in the evening it left very little computer time for me. So I will try to catch you up with the adventures we have had over break. First and for most I love decorating for Christmas! It seems odd to post this now with the decoration already packed away and my list started for next years ideas but I wanted to show a few of the new decorations we added this year.

Advent numbers by living locurto

All that is missing and has been for a few years is Brian and I's picture :) I love the sparkle of the silver bells and looking at the pictures of the kids with Santa each year.

This hangs in our hallway using two walls with a picture from each Christmas from when we first got married to now! I got this fun banner from How Does She

Last was these pine cones Miss C and I "decorated" to look like they had snow on them. Wish you could see the light sage tint to the bowl.

giveaway

2011-12-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

These two blogs along with many others are offering a chance to win a Silhouette Cameo over the next few days. Don't Know what that is? It is a cutting system that hooks up through your computer and the uses are endless. It is craft junkies dream!

tatertotsandjello.com
the idea room

Mr C and Santa

2011-12-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

At Mr C's school they host a Santa Breakfast for the Kinder and 1st graders. It happened to be the same day as Miss C's Angel breakfast at her school. After dropping Miss C off Mr C and I enjoyed some time together. He had so much fun visiting Santa (AKA Mr. S from School one of the other 1st grade teachers). I think he was more excited to see his friends and teacher on a non school day then anything else.

While we are talking about school I thought I would show you what we made for the teachers this Christmas. I painted mugs from the dollar store with Chalkboard paint and included Christmas Blend teas, Hot Chocolate Via,candy cane and a piece of chalk in each cup. The paint will stay on as long as you hand wash only.

Miss C's School Program

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Miss C was so excited to get all dressed up for her school Christmas program. She sang 4 songs and her favorite part was being able to stand by her buddy Miss L.

I just love these kids!

Letters to Santa

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

I love each year watching how there wants change and how each letter says more and more about who they are. I will be sad when they day comes when they no longer write letters to santa.

Dear Santa,
For Christmas I want a hula hoop, a nutcracker, a Starbucks card(so she can buy cake pops when ever she wants!) and a polly pocket please.
Love
Miss C
I was nice. 2011 4 yrs

Dear Santa,
For Christmas I want a DS and a nutcracker, Rayman origins the video game, and zelda game for DS, and I want no monsters to tease me ha ha. I was not perfect but I was nice. and I want ghostbusters the movie number 1. I love you Santa!
*he made some fun game santa to do incase he gets bored.

Last of the Leaves...

2011-12-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

Despite the bitter cold the kids could not resist one last time to play in the leaves. Do bad they undid all of Dad's work but who could stop them when they were having this much fun!

Tree lighting

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

This year we meet Grandma and Grandpa at Bridgeport for the tree lighting ceremony. Even though it was very cold we had so much fun! Mr. C really got into dancing to the live music and kept all of us around him entertained. The kids got to see Santa and even some snow. I was a fun evening and we will defiantly do it again next year.

Love the "smile" Miss C gave she had just woken up from a nap in the car and was not thrilled to have her picture taken.

The view from the top of the parking garage where we parked.

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-12-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

At Miss C 's school they had a Thanksgiving feast were the kids sang some songs and made some treats to share. Miss C was over the flu just in time to be able to perform in the program and Grandma was off work and able to join us too!

helpers....

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

One day we had Cousin A over for the afternoon. While they were outside playing I asked if they would help clean up the leaves. Clever cousin A asked if they could each have a dollar for helping? and Colin and asked if they could have Mac and Cheese after they were done? So sure enough for $3 dollars and a box of Mac and cheese our yard was cleaned up and the kids had a blast!

7 years old

2011-12-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

Wow I have been slacking off on posting sorry about that! I will try to catch you up on the happenings around here.
To start off Mr C had his 7th Birthday! This year he again said no picture day with mom but I did manage to get a few pictures that morning and hopefully I will convince him soon to let me do a mini photo shoot :)

I am ever amazed at the many ways you brighten my life. You teach me so much with all your questions, our google searches, and your many many non fiction books. You help me remember to dream big and always use my imagination. You inspire me to practice my talents just like you practice art and music. I love your laughter and smile. I pray you will always remember just how much you are loved!

2011-11-23T16:16:00.000-08:00

Just a few of the books we have been reading over the last year.

I am planning to start keeping a book journal for kids of all the books we read each month. I wanted to highlight a few of our past favorites for you.

We loved Charlie and the Chocolate factory! However we barely made it through Charlie and the great glass elevator.

We read all the classic Amelia Bedilia and then stumbled upon the new ones. They are about a young Amelia Bedilia and her struggle to understand just what grown ups around her are really saying.

Dream Pig Little Pig is written by Kristi Yamaguchi and is about a little pig who follows everyone else's ideas of who she should be. Until one day she discovers for herself her own dream.

Junie B the first grade series is one of Mr. C's favorite books to read on his own. He loves that is is a good fit book(not to hard and not to easy) with lots of sparkling words(big words that describe or let you know something is about to happen)

We have read books 1-46 of the Magic Tree house Series along with many of the Guide books that go with it. I love that the adventures take place throughout history, so you learn while reading a great story.

Miss C loves any Max and Ruby books and we have read all of them at least three or four times.

Miss C also loves anything having to do with Narnia. She loves Lucy and reminds me eveytime we read it about her good friend Lucy :)

Thanks to the recomentation from our very kind children's librarian we started reading ordinary boy. This book is meant for older kids 4th grade and up. However Mr. C loves the stories of O boy and his life as the only boy living in City full of super heroes with out a super power of his own.

What little girl does not love Pinkalicious and the other books in this series?

We love the Ramona Quimby Serious and have read all of the books at least once. It was these books that got Mr C really excited to read.

I know there are more books we have read but there are the ones that I remember the most. Do you have any good children's book recomendations?

Halloween fun

2011-11-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

This year we were so busy with all kinds of Halloween adventures. Friday night we went to Mr C's school and Cousin A was in town so she got to join us for the evening. Sunday was a Harvest party at Miss C 's school which included some amazing bouncy houses. Halloween morning I got to help in Miss C's party at school. Then that night we went trick or treating a few houses before we meet Grandma and Grandpa at there church for a harvest party. With all the fun and adventures I think next year we may plan a quiet night at home :)

Halloween costumes 2011

2011-11-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

Hope your Halloween was safe and fun. Our Link and Hermione had a wonderful fun filled Haloween weekend.

Link from the Legend of Zelda game.

Hermione from Harry Potter.

pumpkin patch

2011-11-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Germer Family Pumpkin day!!!

A trip to Lee's farms which of coarse includes yummy delicious pumpkin donuts and a trip down the slide. Miss C wanted to ride with Grandpa and Mr C wanted to ride with Grandma. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for bring so willing to go down the slide!

The Boys talking after Uncle Tim and Mr C's adventure in the hay maze. You know how I am a stickler for the rules and so is my boy. I admit I am proud of that! Well the sign said 7 and older and he wanted to go so bad. He will not be 7 for another few weeks. We decided since Uncle Tim was going to go in it would be ok. Mr C gives the lady their tickets walks a few steps forward looks up at the sign and says to Uncle Tim " Are you sure I can go in it says 7 and I am only 6 and 1/2?" Uncle Tim reassured him and in they went. It seemed like they were in there a very long time. So I took Miss C over to ride on the barrel pull. When I see Brian on the phone going behind the building of the corn maze. It seems Uncle T has called and can't find Colin in the maze... The maze is dark and Colin kept running ahead and crawling in all the small tunnels. He would come find Uncle Tim and then run away saying Uncle Tim catch me. Oh, I forgot to tell you Uncle Tim had a hurt foot and was already limping around. A few minutes later I saw Tim come out of the maze and no Mr C. Brian headed in to find Mr C after hearing him laughing and trying to find his lost shoe. It seems when ever he found his way to the end he would head back through the maze. Dad was able to convince him to head out of the maze and head down the slide.

After finding our pumpkins is was time to head back to the house for some soup and the annual pumpkin Cookie decorating. All in all a great day!

Carmel Apples

2011-11-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

My very talented friend Lisa told me a way to make bite size Carmel apples. If you have not seen her blog you defiantly need to take the time to check it out. I promise you will not regret it.
Simply This...That And The Other
Not only is she a women of many talents she is kind hearted and has a deep love of Christ. When I grow up I hope I can be like her too :)

So back to the carmel apples I need to let you know somehow I miss understood a step along the way. That somehow I turned Lisa's yummy carmel apples into rock hard jaw breaking mess :) We however had a blast and laughed so hard over my mistake. I have yet to tell her just how bad I messed up but I guess she knows now :)

Miss C loved picking diffrent sprinkles and making the apples look "pretty". Mr C helped to but asked very politely to not have his picture taken today.

*** Warning do not eat even if the look amazing, they will chip teeth or worse!!!***

So as we threw away all our hard work. We decided to slice some apples up get a little carmel dip and some sprinkles and call it good. I think this is they way we will do it next year :)

Apple Farm

2011-11-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to be able to go to part of Mrs C 's school field trip. It was so much fun. We went to Oregon Heritage farms, the kids got to tour the apple factory, go on a hayride, taste apple cider , jump in a bouncy house, and get a pumpkin.

Mister C made himself a notebook that morning before school so he could take notes. I love that about him! He wrote down all the different kinds of apples and the workings of the farm. He couldn't wait to tell his dad and sister that night all the things he had learned. I love that he has such a desire to learn! So many nights he and dad will spend so much time googling new topics to learn about and watching YouTube videos. The other night at bedtime he got out of bed to ask for another book. When I suggested some of his books from the Library he said " mom, I just really want some non fiction books to read". I hope that desire to learn never goes away!

My favorite picture of the day!

Book Review- Cherished

2011-11-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

"How can she believe God cherishes her when she can't forgive herself?

Kelli London once dreamed of being a songwriter. As crazy as it seemed, she hoped that God would use the lyrics that came to her while she slept. She dreamed about Brian too, that the love they shared would be a forever kind of love. But choices she'll forever regret upended her hope . . . and turned her dreams to dust. When those dreams come knocking once more, she's forced to deal with the pain of the past.

Heather Anderson's life has spun out of control—first, an affair with a married man, then a one-night stand with the drummer of a popular Christian band that left her devastated. Broken and alone, she cried out to the only One who can save her. And He did. But that's just the beginning, because now she must leave behind the only life she's ever known.

Two women with shame-filled pasts form an unlikely friendship. What does God's forgiveness look like for them? Will they ever believe that He loves them . . . and can still offer them a life where they are cherished" - Book Description

A story of hope, forgiveness, and grace. While I found it a fun easy read it did seem a bit over the top at times. I would suggest is for a weekend away sitting on the beach relaxing kind of day. The books main characters were likable and easy to get to know. I found myself getting caught up in the story if I overlooked the "cheesiness" of it all.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Miss C's class took a field trip to the pumpkin patch, which fell on a day Mr. C had no school. I truly enjoyed watching them work together to find their pumpkins. Mr C found his right away, while Miss C said no to almost every pumpkin we found. After looking for a while and saying no to every pumpkin yet unable to tell us what she was looking for she finally found her perfect pumpkin. She walked right up to it and proudly pointed to it and turned to Mr C and I saying "this is it, can you carry it for me?" as she runs off to play. I have a feeling there will be lots of moments like this in her life where she will search for many things but when she finds what she is looking for she will know with out a doubt she has found it. Oh how I do pray that some of her life searches are quick and painless, or at least she knows God is right there beside her and we will be there cheering her on. Funny how small moments like these get me thinking about such big moments, I guess I just am always hoping we are teaching the things they need to make it through lives big moments while we are in the middle of the small ones.

Grad Party

2011-10-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was so busy that day I didn't get very many pictures so here is a few from a fun party to celebrate and amazing women, my littlest sis.

So many goodies made with love, Thanks momma and Jess for all your help!

My favorite was a fun back drop for pictures, I only got a few pictures...

I love the back drop so much I am sure you will see it again at a birthday party around here soon. Plus it took a very long time to make!

Couldn't resist this picture while the girls are out of focus I love the smile on Melissa's face!

Hope you had fun Melissa and know we are all so very proud of you!!!

Soccer Part Two

2011-10-29T06:00:00.001-07:00

Before game cheer...

After Game cheer...

Miss L and Miss C like to cheer the team on but mostly they play with their baby dolls and their new Friend Miss A

Remember I told you about the great team mates? Well lucky for us when we go to practice and games the whole family has friends to visit with :)

One week after the game Mr C found this bug and had so much fun holding him!

Soccer

2011-10-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

1st practice...

Jamboree... GO RED COBRAS!

So begins another soccer seasons. This year brings an amazing coach who challenges, teaches and most of all really cares for each of the kids! Plus we have some great team mates! more pictures to come later.

Ballet and Tap

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

MIss C loved taking Ballet and Tap so the last day of class was lots of fun to show off what she learned. However as soon as class was over the tears came. She loved her teacher and was very sad to hear she would not be teaching again in the fall. To be honest I was a bit sad too. Miss C is looking forward to taking a class again this Winter/Spring term. She still loves to practice what she learned at home.

little sis

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my little sis who graduated from PSU this summer! I admit I cried as they called out her name. The kids had fun seeing daddies old school and cheering on their aunt. Melissa I am so proud of the hard work and dedication you showed to completing school! I am praying for and excited to see what plans God has in store for you. You rock!

Painting...

2011-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Lucky for us we have connections to a wonderful printer guy so we seemed to have lots of paper around our house. The kids are always drawing making books, the other morning I woke and Mr C had made a giant dragon out of paper. This summer we painted a lot outside. The never seem to run out of ideas of what to paint.

When they were done they moved on to their faces.

pool fun...

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Many days of fun entertainment! Polly Pocket and the rescue heroes even joined in the fun.

funny faces

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Some of the goofy faces we saw this summer....

The Tree

2011-10-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

A picture by the tree every year! I love looking at how much the kids change from year to year. You can see 2009 and 2008.

A Flash back to their first pictures by the tree.

Mr C 2005 8m old

Miss C 2007 11 weeks old

Jr Parade

2011-10-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

The kids love watching the Jr parade on the last day we are at Wallowa. I love the home town simplicity of it all. Where life seems simple and laid back, a cup of ice tea in the hand, laughter from the kids sitting next to me, the warm sun, and adorable kids in a parade.

one more afternoon by the lake followed by a late night by the fire while enjoying the last s'more of the summer.

Rock art

2011-10-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

One day on our way to the lake we found a class for the kids teaching about Native American Indian rock art. They taught on the two styles of art:pictographs, which are drawings or paintings made on rocks, and petroglyphs, which is when the images have been carved into the rock.The kids then got to choose a rock and make a pictograph or petroglyph. All of the girls choose to make pictographs with the paint markers. Miss C's picture was of her and her friend Miss L playing at the lake. Mr C made a petroglyph with the Zelda video game symbol :)

The Rocks are sitting on a self at home to remind them of Wallowa all year round.

Rodeo

2011-10-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

One Night a year the Germer's get all dressed up and pretend to be cowboys and head to the rodeo. We had so much fun and lots of adventure this year! The kids loved getting there early to watch the rodeo Princesses ride around. Each picked who there favorite was and why. That was a great conversation to listen to! At one point Mr C needed to use the restroom so I took him. While we were waiting I could hear the crowd going crazy. By the time we got back things had calmed down as we got to our seats I see the rocks right in front of where I was sitting were all messed up. Brian couldn't wait to tell me what I had missed. A Rider was thrown from his horse over the fence and landed right in front of where I had been sitting! You think that would have been the end of it but no Miss C had to go to the bathroom and of corse as we are waiting the crowd is once again going crazy as a bull in the pin was so out of control the had to let him out to got through the gate and he almost crash into someone who was to close to the fence. Luckily both people were safe and a bit of a bummer for me that I missed the most exciting events of the evening. All in all good family fun!

(We only let our kids get this close to the fence at the beginning of the rodeo when the princesses are ridding around)

That look is for her momma... I love it!

Stampede

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Horse stampede through main street signals the start of Chief Joseph days and the rodeo. It is a bit silly when you think of how long we wait in the hot sun just to see the horses run past you in less then a minute. Aunt Sissa treated the kids to a ice cold Cherry Italian soda to help with the long wait in the sun.

JR Rangers

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

This year the kids got to be Jr Rangers the went to a class each morning completed the home work showing the learned about three different plants or animals and a trivia fact about the state park. After three days the earned a badge and patch saying they were official Jr rangers. It was fun to see them work so hard to earn there badge. Funny thing was how strict they were on the homework. One day Miss C only drew a picture of two plants or animals not three so they did not let her advance to the next level :)
The kids enjoyed it so much they would make the adults attend Jr Rangers at our campsite, where they would teach us all the things they had learned that day.

On our way to a Jr ranger hike....

at the the end of the hike

Every class included a talk from a ranger about the plants and animals found in the Wallowa Mtns., a hike to somewhere in the park that would include the fun fact about Wallowa, and then head back for a snack and time to do some of your homework.

Pictures for a Friend...

2011-10-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

While at Wallow we got to visit with some friends who live there. It was so much fun to see there newest family member Baby N and her Big brother W. Kindra here are a few pictures of your little ones. I am looking forward to seeing all of you again next year.

Miss Beth catching some snuggle time :)

Summer flashbacks... (July continued)

2011-10-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

This summer we went on our annual trip to Wallowa. The beauty of the mountains, the refreshing breeze while reading by the lake, the laughter of friends, the quiet moments with family, and the blending of new memories with old traditions makes this my favorite vacation we take every year. Each year a little different then the last yet so many things remain the same. The one thing that never changes is afternoons at the lake!

We lost plenty of shoes this year in the "monkey muck"

Back to School

2011-09-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

I decided to skip over the summer stuff for now and go straight to back to school. Mister C started 1st grade and loves it! He has a wonderful teacher and I am already shocked at what a diffrence I see in his writing and reading in just the first few weeks. The morning of the first day of school he woke me up to tell me he thought his tooth was ready to come out. Half asleep I went to wiggle his tooth and it fell out in my hand!!! That is why I like this picture it shows the his missing front teeth. ( He lost one the week before)

Yes he is sad, this was at the end of the first day and he didn't want the day to end. I love that he wanted to try to write his name in cursive :)

This was taken just out side the school, as he requested no pictures in front of the school this time. I was allowed one photo in the classroom to show dad :)

Little Miss was so excited to start preschool this year. She was a little worried that she might miss daddy and bubby.

As I dropped her off on her first day I planned on staying a bit making sure she got settled in. As she put her backpack away and went off to play she came back over to me gave me a hug and said "I love you mom. I am so proud of you. You can go now." Well I think she is going to do just fine in preschool.....

Plus she is going to be there with some of her favorite people, one of them being the adorable miss L.

2011-08-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

I had all kinds of post lined up but apparently I have reached my max for picture uploads for the month :)
I hope to move the site to avoid this in the future. Sorry about all of that! I hope you are all doing well and I can't wait to tell you about the rest of our summer and show you the new header I made for the blog. Take care!

4th of july

2011-08-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

What a fun day! We started the morning out just hanging out at home and relaxing! Miss C and I made a pie together for our picnic that night.

That afternoon we headed over to our friends for a yummy BBQ and the kids had so much fun playing and running around! I realized as we were leaving I forgot to take any pictures we were having so much fun. So I snapped a few pictures not paying any attention to the sunny bright window behind the boys :)

We then headed over to "the City" and spend the evening with family and more friends. The evening was fun to catch up and share stories. Miss C loved watching fireworks with her daddy! Mr C does not like the noise of it all.

Grandma brought sparklers for the kids and they both had fun with those. Except when one of the sparks fell off and burned Miss C's foot.

Grandma and Mrs Paula came to the rescue with a cool pack for the foot and a round of Angry birds on Grandma's iphone.

A wonderful day dull of laughter and many memories.

4 yrs old

2011-08-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I took Miss C to do some pictures and I only got a few and they did not turn out. So we took some more at the park and I think we got some that tell about who she is at age four. (Sorry that they are fuzzy again hopefully we will be better when we switch sites soon)

Sunday Picnic

2011-08-13T08:00:00.001-07:00

My brother and his wonderful family were in town so I called him for a last minute picnic after church. We had so much fun, spur of the moment and lots of laughter made for a great afternoon.

Ballet and Tap

2011-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Little miss C started her first Ballet and Tap class this summer. She of course loves it, anything her cousin me me does has to be great! We signed up with the local park and rec and have found an amazing teacher Thank you auntie Jen and miss M for the recommendation. I have a feeling this will not be the last class she ever takes, she looks forward to it all week. She has even made a new friend with the same name!

sprinkler

2011-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

That same Saturday we were lucky enough to have some friends stop by to play in the sprinkler with the kids. Please tell me you have one of those friends, the kind that every time they stop by they bring a bit of joy with them (lucky for us we have a few of those kind of friends). On this day we were blessed to spend the afternoon with Miss M and Miss L two of the cutest girls!

Farmers Market

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

On one of the rare sunny warm saturdays in June the kids and I with Aunt sissa made a quick stop at the farmers market. The funny thing is I couldn't wait to take pictures of all the beautiful things there but I was so busy keep the kids together I only managed to take a few pictures of them playing after we were done. We had so much fun! Mister C asked if he could get a little wet in the fountain, by the time I got my camera out this is what I saw...

Having some cheese popcorn from Aunt Sissa

Watching brother get more then a little wet in the fountain.

2011-08-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

So is it just me or is the summer flying by? I finally got a moment this morning to use the Mac as my dear hubby has it most nights, oh the new life of an author :) Which lucky for you or unlucky depending on how you see it I can finally post some pictures I have been waiting to show you. So we are going back a few months and try to catch up on all the summer happenings in our crazy lives.
The last day of school is for some a day full of excitement and anticipation for summer. I used to look forward to summer and time with friends and the thought of maybe next fall I would get a wonderful teacher and sit by all my friends. Well for mister C the end of the year brings completely different feelings. He was broken hearted saying goodbye to his friends and teacher. Leaving behind the routine of school to the unknown days of summer, the wondering and worry of who will be his new teacher and will they be like his last teacher. I tried my best to make the day fun and exciting with give aways to his friends, lunch out, and dinner of his choice. We even had a first day of summer party with a few friends the next day. Even with all of this his heart was still heavy and so in turn was mine. Snuggled up to me that night we had such a good talk about how life is sometimes hard and full of changes. When those times come we have two choices be sad and think only of our sadness or be sad and try to think about the good things to come. I asked him which one he thought would be best, he thought for a moment " I think it would be best if things stayed the same." I guess we will just have to keep talking and snuggling through the goodbyes and changes in life.

the boys at the bus stop

Mister C and his AMAZING and CARING teacher Mrs. Meyers.

Book Review

2011-08-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Life is full of questions and I am often left wondering just who is the right person to ask or where can I find the answers. Some questions simple and just from curiosity to ones that trouble me late at night. How wonderful to have one book full of answers straight from the Bible all in one place. Max Lucado once again entertains me as well as informs me! A man who can write and tell a story unlike any one else. He takes questions he has been asked over the many years of writing and answers them as best he can. He answers over 150 questions using whit, heart, imagination but most of all with wisdom and the word of God. This book includes such topics as prayer, suffering, hope, parenting, relationships, prayer, finances, and so many others. This book could be read all at once or used as a reference as those questions fill your mind. This is a book I know I will be turning to for years to come. Way to go Max Lucado another great book!

and still more...

2011-07-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Watching his bride come down the aisle...

more wedding pictures...

2011-07-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Wedding....

2011-07-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday turned out to be a day I will never forget. My Brother in-law Matt got married to a wonderful girl named kathy. The ceremony was the perfect blend of beauty, grace, romance, laughter, and good hearted fun. With the kids and Brian in the wedding I couldn't wait to snap a few pictures of day. With occasional rain showers and the dark clouds we waited for a last min decision in inside or out for the ceremony. It turned out to be absolutely beautiful, not only was the sky clear and everyone dressed so nice the smiles on the faces of everyone there said it all! As I looked around and saw everyone watching the Bride and Groom I knew not only were they two people in love but a couple who is deeply loved by many others. Matt and Kathy congratulation!

Bridal bouquet

The first dance...

field day...

2011-07-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry no updates for a while, our computer has been out and I still have not figured out why when I post pictures to the blog they are all fuzzy. SO until I have my husband help me solve the mystery you will just have to look at fuzzy pictures, so sorry! Here are some pictures from Mr. C's field day at school because I was helping Calleigh got to join with us and even play some of the games. We lucked out with no rain and just a bit chilly weather. It was fun morning and I loved to see just how much friendships have developed over the school year. We were blessed to have the teacher we had and I will write more about that tomorrow. I feel lucky that Mr C had such a wonderful year!

Flower Pillow

2011-06-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

When we did not move after all last year we decide to redo the kids room. So with new paint on the wall and new bunk beds from Ikea it was time to pick a theme. Well Mr C wanted super hero and Miss C wanted flowers. So I decided to start with the little red kitchen they have and go from there. I found on major clearance two King size white sheets. I folded them in half sewed the top and sides together and added velcro to the bottom to make duvet cover. From there I made them some simple red and blue throw pillows. Flowers for Miss C and Superhero for Mr C. Last summer I found this tutorial online to make a felt flower pillow and new it would be perfect for Miss C and I finally made it this last week. It was hard to get a good picture but you get the idea.

Sewing Day 2

2011-06-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

Many people go to goodwill now, I love that being thrifty has become trendy. I love going to goodwill and garage sales in hopes of one thing most the time, FABRIC! I love finding something and looking to see what it can become. Some of the easiest is taking a women's shirt and turning into a sun dress for Miss C. I found this Liberty of London brand women's top for just 3.99 at goodwill. I loved the way it flared out and I knew I could change it pretty fast. All I did was take in the very top part and move the straps over. In about 20 min we had a new dress! Miss C's favorite part, it is a "spiny"dress!

1/2 Birthday

2011-06-05T23:00:00.001-07:00

This half birthday was celebrated with a Harry Potter Lego sticker book, homemade chicken noodle soup and apple pie, and lot of smiles. I can't believe just how much he has grown in the last 6m. He is reading on his own, lost 3 teeth, discovered he loves math, chocolate and being outside. I love you my dear sweet boy!

Coffee Cozy

2011-06-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

This last week has been raining like crazy so I got out my sewing machine! I thought I would show each day what I have been working on. For teacher appreciation and Mothers day I made a few "coffee cozies" from a tutorial I found a couple years ago. I have been wanting to make them for a while but just got around to it. The best part of them is the amount of fabric you need is pretty small so I made them all from scrap fabric I already had. For Mr C's teacher and Grammy I gave it to them wrapped around a Strabucks cup with a gift card inside. For my mom and mom in-law I gave it with a book to read. For Miss C's teacher I attached a note that said "Thanks a latte". This week I made a few more for the Library and office staff at Mr C's school and for bunco prizes at church. Super easy and fun!

Birthday Party

2011-06-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

Our little Princess turned four and wanted a princess party to celebrate her special day. She dressed in her favorite "princess" dress and invited friends and family to help her celebrate.

She asked me to make cupcakes and cake pops. The cake pops were not my favorite thing to make but they were a big hit. I got the recipe from bakerella's website.

We had a few fun activities for the kids to do while they were there. Some princess coloring sheets and a knight for the boys. Miss C's favorite puzzles, and make your own crowns. We also had princess bingo all ready to go but the kids were having to much fun with the other stuff we ran out of time.

For goodies I found these buckets at a local party store when they were going out of business. We filled the girls bucket with all kinds of fun things like rings, necklaces, princess note pads, princess games, wands, and candy. The Boys however got fun curly straws monster and robot stickers, spinning tops, candy and jumping frogs. For the older girls I made them some cute fabric head bands that I will show you next week.

It was a fun party and all the friends and family made it extra special.

2011-05-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

I posted a while back about how much I loved the book Cold Tangerines and how it motivated me to Celebrate each day! On our chalk board in our kitchen it says "CELEBRATE TODAY!" which my husband thinks is beyond cheesy but to me it reminds me to stop sometimes and enjoy the moment. As cheesy as he thinks the saying is he has been enjoying the reminder to take time as a family. A few weeks ago on a Sunday the sun came out for one day in between the rain we were having. The kids begged to go to the park so we packed up the car and headed to their favorite park. Well everyone else had that idea too. The park was so crowded we had to try somewhere else. After taking a ver long drive we finally made it to Cooper Mt. nature Park. The kids enjoyed the play ground then to get out of the sun we went on a hike through the woods. I loved walking together as a family, sometimes all talking together and at others times the kids talking to each other as Brian and I chat. At one point Dad and Miss C went one way and Mr. C and I went the other. I enjoyed the quiet and the questions Mr C ask. I love the peacefulness of being outside with no distractions and just being together all of us. Brian surprised us all by stopping for ice cream on the way home. A fun way to end a great day together.

Mr. C did not want his picture taken but Miss C couldn't get enough of the camera :)
(I am not sure why all my pictures look fine when I edit put get fuzzy when I post them? Until I can figure it out sorry for the fuzzy pictures. )

A Real Princess...

2011-05-20T11:58:00.001-07:00

On her birthday someone asked Miss C who her favorite Princess is? I think there were a bit confused when she answered Princess Kate, in their mind they were waiting to hear some Disney princess. A few days later I came across our pictures from the day we watched the wedding together. It meant so much to me to watch it with her as I remember so clearly watching Princess Di and Prince Charles with my parents. I also remember watch Princess Di's funeral with my family who was visiting from England at the time.
It was a lovely afternoon of laughing about stories of my family in England, Miss C watching a real princess and Mr C thinking it was cool William's brother was named Harry just like Harry Potter. The kids even did there best British accents the whole afternoon. A little disappointed however that they did not like tea, I will have to keep trying :)

If your little one likes Princess Kate too I found this great paper doll set at the Disney family site. It comes with all kinds of princess dresses and a Kate paper doll.

Easter

2011-05-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

I am not sure why these turned out so fuzzy but I thought I would share them anyway. Here is a few pictures from easter this year. I know I am behind but I am working on pictures this afternoon. Plus taking my little girl out for her birthday photo shoot later this week!

part 4 ....

2011-05-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

We headed to the beach one last time before heading home. This is where some of my favorite moments of the day happened! Brian and I standing together watching the kids run and play. Standing next to my best friend hoping this memory is never forgotten. The innocents of the kids, the sun shinning on our faces, forgetting any worries and just being right here in this moment.

Miss C asked me to walk with her in to the water and I was excited to join her after all this is usually a moment she spends with her dad. As we walked hand in hand to the water I thought how she is growing up so fast. I feel like I am missing so many moments in keeping up with the day to day. I wondered if she knows just how much I love her. As we reach the waters edge and the cold freezing water washes over our sandy feet she laughs and giggles and give me that infectious smile of hers. "Again mom?" she asked as the water recedes. Again we let the water wash over us this time she looks up at me with a sparkle in her eye and says " I love you mom!"

Earlier in the day Mister C got a piece of salt water taffy. He was so excited and couldn't wait to have it. So we are walking along as he is chewing his candy and I am not sure how but it falls out of his mouth onto the ground. He starts to cry and says to all of us "This is the worst day ever!" His mood got a little better as we shared Ice cream and then stopped to get a new piece of taffy for the next day. He seemed to have forgotten all about it as we started to play on the beach. Then as we are leaving the beach Mister C and I walk hand in hand. He tells me all about how he likes to read now and how he hopes he can read chapter books soon. He tells me " Mom I don't know why but I just do believe in Jesus. Do you mom?" I tell him I do and he responds with a big smile " This is the best day ever!"
I have to agree days like this are the best!

part 3

2011-05-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

Family day Part 2

2011-05-01T07:59:00.000-07:00

We headed over to seaside to try to stay warm while walking through the shops. The kids found a toy store where they spent lots of time playing and of corse wishing for some new toys. We also found a hat store and could not wait to try some of them on.

Family Day Part 1

2011-04-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

We decided to head to the coast last minute for our family day. We started off with a stop at Krispy Kreme for some donuts. We decided to head to Cannon Beach this time for a change. When we got there we were greeted with sunshine, strong winds and it was cold! I love how different each kid responded to the weather...
Miss C started playing right away.

Mister C bundled up tight in his towel.

15 min later both having a blast in the little dugout we found.

45 min later Miss C was done and shivering cold.

Mister C has just warmed up and is ready to play.

However after about an hour and 15 min Mom and Dad were so cold we decided it was time to warm and have a lunch break at Moe's. After lunch the kids played on the playground and we decided to head on over to seaside in hopes for some warmth and entertainment. More pictures to come tomorrow.

crazy weather

2011-04-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week one day the weather was crazy. It was cold and cloudy all morning and then the afternoon came and it was gorgeous out so the kids and I went out to play.

They even got some painting done. We decided to come inside because some big clouds were coming in and I needed to start dinner. All the sudden it started to pour outside. Then the hail was like nothing I have ever seen here. The kids could not wait to go see it outside Mister C was so excited he forgot shoes!

By the time the hail was done about 15 min it looked like snow outside the kids got all bundled up and went outside once again to play. This to make "snowballs" and "snow angels"!

What a fun day!

try again...

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Miss C has a quality in her that I admire so much and I will admit at times can drive me a little crazy. From the moment she was born she has had an amazing amount of determination. A willingness to try something over and over till she gets it right. Don't believe me let the girl play Angry birds on your iphone :) A few weeks back a friend from church told me her girls had outgrown their three wheel scooter so I asked if we could buy it from them for Miss C. The girls agreed and so for a very good deal (thank you girls!) Miss C got a new scooter. She waited and waited for a day of no rain. After waiting almost a week we were now just waiting for a break in the rain. Finally the day came and she was so excited. Her smile was huge!!! I was just about to take a picture when she crashed. After some tears and hugs she said she was ready to try again. This picture was taken right as she got on to try again...

Not the same face as the first try and I admit at first I was bummed to have not gotten the picture of the big smiles. However this pictures makes me so proud of her! She got up tried again and I know there will be lots of falls and spills over the years and even some that won't be made better with a few hugs, but I pray she will always use her strong determination to get back up and try again. What a gift to know life is full of bumps and falls but she can keep going! I love you sweet girl I pray you and your determination do mighty things!

Book review

2011-04-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

How To Be God's Little Princess by Sheila Walsh is a fun, encouraging book written for young girls who want to improve their manners, etiquette and true inner beauty. This cute book is full of advice, guides, quizzes and fun ideas for young girls on everything royal. I loved how the book gave advice on what to wear, how to set a table, party do's and don'ts, thank you notes, posture and pose, hosting a party, Internet do's and don'ts, and many other subjects in a fun way. The best part of the book was how she focused on what really matters, your inner beauty. How to be a good friend, kindness, generosity, faith, being respectful, forgiveness and most of all living a life that is pleasing to the King himself God. I thought this book was fun to read and one girls will refer to over and over again. I am looking forward to reading it with my little girl as she gets older. With all the focus on princess for little girls this book is refreshing in it's light hearted reminder of what really matters in life as a princess, your heart.

Spring Break

2011-04-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

Ok a bit behind but hopefully this week I will catch up. Spring break was fun and we had the privilege of joining some friends one morning at OMSI. You think I would have thought to get a group shot of all of the kids but it completely slipped my mind. I was only able to snap a few pictures as OMSI is full of so many hands on things that I was barley able to keep up with my two and their curiosity.

* note to self take kids picture before they are warn out and the rain starts to fall :)

We also enjoyed a morning at the park. Cousin A was able to join us along with some other friends which made the morning that much more fun. Miss C and her friend M escaped the camera but I was able to get a few of Mister C, J and Cousin A.

We also enjoyed a few bike rides around the neighborhood, a visit to the Library, some frozen yogurt , and even a movie night at home.

imagination

2011-04-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

The rain is getting to me and the kids. However lucky for us they each have a big imagination. The past few weeks the dress up box has been a huge hit! . After Halloween I picked up a few costumes on clearance for Christmas gifts. For Christmas Mister C got a Superman costume and Miss C got Wonder Women from us and Barbie Fairy and Tiana from the Princess and the frog from grandma and grandpa. Then back in January a local party store went out of business and had all the costumes 70% - 90% off while over several different trip we got Iron man, Transformer, Pirate, Ariel, Bat girl, and a girl Pirate. I love to hear the different ideas they come up with and the way they use different pieces to make all new characters.
Here are a few random snapshots over the last few months....

book review

2011-03-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have been given another book to review however this time I will not be giving it away as someone has already asked me for it. The book was The sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher. It is part of The Ancient Practice Series by Thomas Nelson. The series is written to help people better understand and explore the traditions rooted deep in Christian faith. To seek out the how and whys of some of the fundamentals practice of the church through out it's history. Nora Gallagher is a good story teller and brings history and faith to life. An interesting book and thought provoking while teaching you as well. This book causes you to stop the ancient practice of doing and realize the live and active roll you playing in your own faith. While one may not agree with all the information given it is worth the time and energy to discover for yourself why you take Communion and the role it plays in your walk with the Lord.

friendship

2011-03-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

For one afternoon last week we saw a bit of sunlight so we went to the park for a picnic. Lucky for us some friends were able to join us and made the afternoon a real blessing. That afternoon got me thinking, I sometimes get so busy with the day to day of life that I forget the reason we are here in the first place. I sometimes forget we were created to be connected to other people, that as complicated as relationships can be they are the very thing that make us thrive. Each of my friends has a unique way of making me strive to be better to reach higher and to grow deeper in my faith. It is amazing to think of the responsibility of friendship in it self. Someone opens up who they are to you in the hope that you will care for them and except them. I have had my fair share of heart aches with trusting the wrong people, or the right people who make mistakes. I too have hurt others or let them down and for that I am so sorry.
I also have had the honor of some amazing kind friends who know me and my many faults and still they hang in there with me. Some friends who started out as family but have grown to be wonderful friends too :) Friends who even as time passes and we have not talked in weeks, months and yes even years I know when we do talk it feels like no time has passed at all and we fall back into that familiar conversation. The point is I am so very thankful for each and everyone of you and the roll you have played in my life. Thank you for not only caring about me but my Husband and kids as well. Thank you for allowing me the privilege to be part of your life and share in your joy and your sorrows. Thank you God for blessing my life with some real authentic relationships!

Would have been nice if I got pictures of the kids with their friends :) but they were to busy playing and I was to busy chatting. So here are the two pictures of our afternoon.

Cousin A

2011-03-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Cousin A and the kids get there pictures together every year around Valentines day. To look back over the years is so much fun. 2010, 2009, before that I would have to scan the pictures in :)
We had planned to go somewhere and dress up but time was against so cousin A asked if we could just do it the day she was here while we played outside. Here is a few pictures from our impromptu photo shot. Hope you enjoy them. ( Mister C only wanted his picture taken if Cousin A was with him)

As you look at these today Cousin A is at the doctors having her scheduled 3 month MRI, please continue for her that the chemo will stop her tumor on her spine from growing as well as any new tumors from starting.

2011-03-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

February was full of fun and a some celebrations. With lots of birthdays and Valentines day too we felt like there was a party all the time. We even had time to celebrate a few extra fun days. Ground hogs day the kids made pudding for dessert and we had winter and spring sprinkles ready to use depending on if the ground hog saw his shadow or not.

That same week was Chinese New Year, Mister C had a Parade at school and we made yummy beef with Brocolli for dinner, fried rice and had some fortune cookies too.

Later that month was 100 days which you I posted about all the fun things we did. Mister C had to take 100 of something to school so he choose 100 crayons.

We also had the joy of having Cousin A over for the day and had to take some pictures of the kids together. I will post those tomorrow. We celebrated presidents day with Cherry pie and talking about the jobs of a president and how voting works. We have had fun over the past few months celebrating the little things in life! I hope you and your family have too.

Happy Dr Seuss day

2011-03-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

I made this to frame and hang in my kids room and thought I would share it with you. Hope your day is full of a bit of whimsy and joy in being you!

100's day

2011-02-26T13:21:00.000-08:00

Please forgive the fuzzy poor pictures but this is what happens when the day is almost over and I am to exhausted to check my photos :)
This Friday was 100 days at school and in honor of our word for the year we continued to CELEBRATE at home too. From the door way of their bedroom I hung red circles and circles with school shapes saying 100's day.

Mister C made a banner to hang from the mantel along with 5 or 6 worksheets for the family to do that were all about 100

I made an apple, lined paper, pencil and book circles to decorate with

Mister C stopping just for a moment for the allotted 1 picture in his 100's day glasses he made at school

Mister C picked dinner with the help of little miss. I tried my best to make it look like 100

We then sat at the table and listed 100 things we like and popped 100 kernels of popcorn (thanks Aunt Sissa for the idea)
Mom, dad, brother, sister, Nana, Grandma, Grandpa, iron man, Cousins A, K, G, A, E, and A, Uncle T, M, S, D and S, Aunts M, B, M, J, R, and K, friends, barbies, books, Beverly Clearly, drawing, painting, math, popcorn, mint cookies, sunny days, daises, princesses, superheros, netflix, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, people park (little people),camera, guitars, music, dancing, a clean house, Cheetos, bugles, soup, applesauce, purple, red and yellow, pink, blue, flowers, fishy, Wallowa, beach, floating on the lake at Wallowa, warm bath, Germer Family Day, birthdays, shopping, God, Jesus, tea, Kit Kat, hot chocolate, Starbucks, McDonald's, strawberries, sugar cookies, salt, Mrs. Meyers, Mrs Mary, sparkles, ridding bikes, boots, magic, Wii, board games, legos, coke, juice, sprite, Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, playing outside, sandbox, drawing with chalk, sour chips( salt and vinegar), ice cream, daddy chair, flying with dad, hide n seek, waterfalls, drawing with mom, racing, duck duck goose, and having our friends over to play

We have celebrate so many thing this month and I look forward to posting more this week. Hope you have find something to celebrate today!

Snow fun

2011-02-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

Late February and we get a little snow, How crazy is that! We rushed outside after breakfast to play in the snow before it melted this afternoon. After a few hours of fun the snow is gone from the front yard and the toys and snow clothes are drying in the house. What a fun way to start our day.

Book giveaway winner

2011-02-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

I did not forget about you all and the free book. I have been sick for a week and with tax season here, I was just doing the best I could to get by for a while :)
So the lucky winner drawn from random pieces of paper by little miss herself, #7
-Miss Melney it looks like we have one more reason to stop by and visit you real soon. Thank you all for your ideas for Valentines day. As I was sick this year we celebrated kind of late. I hope to have the post up later tonight.

Happy Valentines day...

2011-02-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

A quick stop at the park while out running errands turn into a little photo shoot for Valentines day.

a little out of focus but you have to love the smile on my boy.

Hope you have a wonderful day! Don't miss the giveaway posted below this one.

mystery giveaway

2011-02-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

Ok last time no responses on the children's book giveaway but no worries it has found a good home. So I will try this one more time. This time it is not a children's book but a mystery novel.

The mountains bow down (a Raleigh Harmon novel) written by Sibella Giorello an FBI specialist joins her mom, Aunt and her Aunts crazy friend for a vacation cruise through Alaska. Shortly as the ship sets off it looks like FBI Agent Raleigh is no longer on vacation but on the case of proving her hunch that the death of a famous movie stars wife is not a suicide but a murder. As she works to juggle personal life, work life and unraveling the mystery before her Raleigh must answer many questions that will have a lasting effect on many of those around her. An easy enjoyable read that would be great for a long rainy nights it looks like we are going to be having again. I look forward to reading other books by Sibella Giorelle including The River Runs Dry, The Clouds Roll Away, and The Stones cry out.

So you want a copy??? Just leave a reply letting me know what ways your favorite Valentines day tradition is. Don't have one? then an idea of one I can start with my little ones :)
The giveaway will end Friday February 18 2011 at 11pm

a Dream...

2011-02-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

I love when my kids tell me what they want to do or hope to be when they grow up. I love it even more when I can talk it through with them and they start to really believe their dreams can come true. A book I once read suggested mapping out for your kids how to reach there dreams in a way they can understand. I also wanted to give them role models who have done what they hope to do. Well Little mister has decide he no longer wants to be a Brain surgeon ( Sorry Dr Gillium we still think your amazing but his dreams have changed) he now wants to be an Author and to tell you the truth he just might. He has already written a few little books which he got to share with his class at school. His idea for writing came from his love of the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary. We have one book left to read and then we will move on to some of her other great books. This spring we plan to make the trip to visit the streets she wrote about and the park here in Portland. While looking up Beverly Cleary on the computer we found she is 99 and lives in California so Little mister asked if we could write her a letter to say thank you for her books. So we sat down one rain afternoon and wrote to her.

A Ramona Quimby Q...

Even Little Miss joined in the fun...

The back of the envelope was signed with "Ramona Q" and a B for Beverly Cleary. Look at that smile he is so proud and could not wait to get this letter in the mailbox.

We had so much fun and I loved that the kids sent these off in the mail understanding that we may never hear back and we are not sure if she when she will get them but now she knows we are thankful for her books. Thankful that she pursed her dream, and gave hope to others. Plus we got some good practice writing in :) Now little mister wants to meet a publisher, not sure how to pull that one off?

What's your dream? What small steps are you taking to get there?

Book Review

2011-02-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

I got another book in the mail yesterday to review...

Read and Share Stories about Jesus by Gwen Ellis is a board book full of bright pictures and short stories about the life of Jesus. Each story includes bright and cheerful pictures and easy to understand message as well as fun discussion questions. A great book for infant to 4 yr olds. Much older then that will enjoy the easy to read words but need more of a story. This book could be read all at once or one story per night. My kids wanted to read the whole thing at once but they are 3 and 6. This would be a fun gift book or a great one to have around the house. The part I enjoyed most was the conversations we had after each story by using the question in the book. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a fun way to introduce your little ones to the life of Jesus.