The Buonadonnas

If its not one thing, its another

2010-04-21T20:21:00.001-07:00

On Monday afternoon I was cooking dinner when I realized I had not yet repainted the toenail I messed up that morning- so I got out my nail polish and began shaking the bottle (by holding in my left hand and rapping it against the palm of my right hand). I went to the kitchen to check on dinner first...

Then on my way back to my bathroom I rapped the bottle against my palm once, and on the retract I noticed something flew above the bottle. It was nail polish. The bottle was broken and the "deeply in love" dark red trail of polish traveled down one wall, across the floor and up the other. Several globs had landed on the floor below- and even more was splattered all over my right hand. So much that I did not recognize that some of the mess on my hand was actually blood.

The mess was huge. Fortunately Matt was on his way home from work already. As he walked in the door I called to him- "it is mostly nail polish! Don't freak out!" (as I stood in the kitchen amongst a vast collection of dark red splatters with a towel wrapped tightly around my right hand) He didn't- until I told him the blood was "spurting" from the cut.

Next thing I knew we were in his car on the way to urgent care. It was 10 minutes after 5 pm. The doctor took one look and said he didn't want to stitch it up without an x-ray to rule out any "foreign body" inside the cut. X-ray was closed so he gave me an order for first thing in the morning. Tuesday morning I had the X-ray- and could tell by the tech's face and immediate reaction that there was indeed a "foreign body" in my hand. She ushered me immediately back over to Urgent Care. The same doctor peeked in minutes later and said "you've got to see this- come with me". And of course... I saw.

Dr Nagel was not comfortable with his own level of familiarity with the physiology of the hand- so he got on the phone looking a for a hand surgeon to remove it. Within a couple of hours I was scheduled for 9:45 am on Wednesday with a hand surgeon.

I got there and with one look at the X ray Dr. St Mary said he could get it out- but he wants me under general anesthetic. He told me that due to it's proximity to the ulnar artery and the ulnar nerve-which with one wrong move could cause major bleeding or permanent nerve damage- he wants me to be under general anesthetic so there is no danger of me moving my hand during the surgery. He may have to widen the cut as well. It depends on how difficult it is to locate this piece of clear glass. With general anesthetic I have to fast for at least 8 hours prior to surgery- therefore (since I had eaten breakfast) the surgery has been put off. I have the glass in my hand for one more day.

My surgery is scheduled for 12:45pm Eastern Time tomorrow. I will post again afterwards. And yes, I do have pictures. I will post those too.

What we're up to...

2009-06-22T03:07:00.000-07:00

Ok so here we go in age order:

Matt is still unemployed and has morphed into SuperDad (most days). Having an incredibly hard time with allergies lately... he has never had allergies before (??) Has had his resume edited and returned (how rude!?!) by countless people he has never and will never meet in person (headhunters)- some of whom barely spoke english. He is currently working on some independent study projects in order to increase his career options.

Elizabeth is working pretty regularly with an important client (one who needs lots of design help$$) and saving up to have my business website professionally built and maintained. Has lost a total of 66 lbs since last June... and is feeling pretty good ;o)

Zoee is a champ. She is not a "perpetual puppy" anymore... but she is definitely still Zoee. Just a little calmer these days. No long term damage otherwise (Praise God!) She goes for her Summer shave-down tomorrow! No more fuzzy fuzzy Zoee!

Isaac is officially a 1st-grader!! He is SO BIG!!! He got his Kindergarten Dimploma last week! His report card was all good and he is doing so well! He can read simple words and is sounding things out and spelling them on his own already!!! The kid loves counting to 100... over and over again...and again...and again... His new passion is Nerf Wars. He and daddy are practicing battle tactics daily. If mom finds any nerf darts left at the point of impact (or anywhere else for that matter) she snatches them and hides them. She is wondering when the boys might begin to notice...

Max talks. A lot. Sorry- I just spent a couple of hours trapped in the car with him- the memory is still very fresh. He talks about everything and absolutely nothing at all. He notices tiny details and asks tons of questions, he remembers odd things that no one would expect a 3 year-old to know. He is counting and already knows all of his colors. He loves to sing and he loves to wrestle with Isaac. He is our little devil. His smiles and laughter will melt your heart in an instant and I am pretty sure that is by design. He is sneaky and manipulative. The boy is potty-trained. Knows all the little details and can do it just fine. He just doesn't want to. The more irritated Matt and I get the more passe' it all becomes to him. He does the smirk, the fluttering eyelashes, the rolled back eyes. He just turned 3 in May and he is determined to win this potty battle. Unfortunately for him , mom and dad have a secret weapon. Nuetrality. We've gone back into "eh, whatever" mode. You see, he has been telling us he wants to go to "pwe-schoo" for months now. We told him that he can go as soon as he is ready to be a big boy and use the potty. When he sees Isaac go back to school in the fall and he is still not in preschool- something tells me he'll change his mind.

As for us as a whole: We are moving soon. The lease is up here on July 31st. Yay for moving...

and in case that last test wasn't enough....

2009-05-04T23:42:00.000-07:00

My faith is unwavering. I am sure of what I hope for, and certain of what I do not see. I know that God has a plan for us! But my mind screams: "WHY?!?! "ARE YOU TRYING TO SEE IF I WILL BREAK? I ASSURE YOU I WILL NOT! ...I know You have a plan. I know that. I will be still. I do know that You are The Lord. But..."

We are fine. We really are. We are looking at this as an opportunity. But the word "opportunity" only dulls the sheer terror a little bit.

Matt's employer laid off 200 people on Friday. He was one of them.

P.S. Zoee is doing remarkably well.

Zoee's Story

2009-04-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

If you have ever been to visit our home you have most certainly met our little dog Zoee. She is the little black puffball with a tongue that runs to greet you as you enter -that has been her job in our household for 9 years now.

In March of 2000 Matt and I were to have dinner at my parents' home in Duncan. When I arrived there was this fuzzy little puppy on the back porch scratching to come in. I wanted a dog SO BAD. I fell in love with her, I even named her- all before I knew where she came from and why she was there. My younger brother was going to take her to the animal shelter for a friend.

When Matt arrived to 2 sets of puppy dog eyes staring back at him he couldn't say no. He took one look at us on the porch playing and asked me if I had named her. I told him her name is Zoee and he said "well then I guess we're keeping her."

Zoee lived with me in my studio apartment in Oklahoma City since Matt lived in barracks on post at the time. Zoee got to see daddy on the weekends though. They were quite the pair- even early on she preferred him over me.

Zoee played a rather infamous part in our wedding that June. Let's just say that I had some beautiful custom-made ballet slippers that I was to wear with my gown on my wedding day...until Zoee decided they would make a better chew toy. I got married barefoot.

Zoee rode cross-country with Matt and I in our big move from Oklahoma to Bellingham- shotgun in my car most of the way, but occasionally she rode alongside daddy in the big moving truck.

About a year later I started getting the "baby" bug- but we were holding off on kids until Matt graduated. So we got a kitten instead. Zoee and Aja were fast friends. They rolled and played and chased each other every where.

Matt and I were pretty content with our furry little family. Until we discovered that apparently having kids was not going to wait until after he graduated. 9 months later, along comes Isaac and a big sister was born. Zoee was so great with Isaac. She would check on him all the time. She would sleep next to his carrier when he was sleeping in the carrier. If he cried she came to the rescue with me.

As he got mobile, Zoee just stayed one step ahead of him. If he pulled her tail, grabbed a fistful of fur or poked her eye she would just take it for a bit, then she would get up and walk away. When Isaac started mimicking and wanting to play tug of war with Zoee like mommy and daddy do- we were reluctant. We weren't sure how Zoee would react. When we finally decided to let him try it- she blew us away. She tugged gently on the rope until he let go on his own.
Zoee and daddy's favorite past time has always been wrestling. He would get so rough with her- but she loved it. Her tail never stopped wagging. They would growl and bark at each other and goof until Matt would finally "capture" her and bring her to me, carrying a completely docile Zoee over his shoulders and say " fire up the grill honey, it's roasted Zoee for dinner tonight!"

In October of 2003, we got ripped apart. Matt was sent for deployment to the Middle East. Isaac, Zoee, Aja and I moved into our new house just as Matt was leaving. Zoee instantly started acting out. She had serious separation anxiety and was acting out in every way she never had before. I was at my wit's end with her- I told Matt I was going to get rid of her. But I couldn't do it. I decided she just missed him and it would get better when he got home. Apparently I was right because the little monster became quite the angel when daddy came home finally in July of 2005.

While Matt was away I did adopt Aja out to another family when she made it clear that she was NOT ok with having a baby in HER house. As Isaac became more mobile, she became more hostile. Her new family had no small children. We miss her still- but we know it was for the best.

In May of 2006 our little family was joined by Max. Zoee again took this in stride, playing the big sister role. She watched over the baby, checked on him, even cuddled with him as he yanked on her fur etc.. She loved to give him kisses when we weren't looking.

In November of 2007 I packed the car and drove home to Oklahoma with the boys to help my mom, who had taken a turn for the worst. While we were gone Zoee began shedding and losing weight and acting depressed. She missed us like crazy- even though she had her daddy. As it turns out she needs all 4 of us to be okay. When we came home Zoee was her old self again almost instantly- and she seemed to have gotten over her jealousy of my relationship with "her" daddy. She would come to me, obey my commands, cuddle with me... she was finally my girl too.

Zoee's favorite spot is in the crook of my legs when I sit sideways on the couch. Her next favorite spot is on mom and dad's bed- and if the covers are up, she will shove them down and lay on the white sheets. She is infamous for barking at every little thing and for insisting that she must be walked down the street in order to relieve herself sufficiently. The fenced backyard here is larger than the entire lot our last home was built on- but that doesn't matter- she must be walked. She won't eat any store-bought dog biscuits. She will however eat all sorts of bits and crumbs left behind by infants. She cocks her ears at us when we are talking to her. She loves car rides but hates baths. She adores her groomer at City Dogs back in Bellingham. She liked to ride in the back of the boys' John Deere tractor as they drove around the alley in Lynden. She had an ongoing battle with a crow that liked to land on our fence and wait for Zoee to freak out and chase it away... over and over and over again.

Zoee loves to bask in the sunlight! She will go outside and lay in the grass in the same spot for so long that I occasionally would call her name just to get her to look up- so I know she is still alive out there. She also loves to play in the snow. As soon as she sees snow outside she is scratching and begging to go run in it. She gets it caught in big chunks in her fur, but it doesn't seem to slow her down. We can't trick her when we have to give her medicine- the little stinker can eat a mouthful of peanut butter in one bite- and we think we've succeeded, but then she'll spit the pill out- completely devoid of any peanut butter residue.

When she is mad at us she will pick up her dry dog food by the mouthful and drop it into her water bowl- making a mess that we then have to clean up. After a bath she darts out of the bathroom, shaking off and "talking" along the way. She runs loops and circles all over the house, then she finds a dry patch of carpet and rubs her ears along the ground as she walks (trying to get the water out we assume) -which is absolutely hilarious to watch. When she is wet she looks like a drowned rat. When she needs a haircut you can't tell which end is up. When she is nicely clipped she looks like a little lady. She doesn't like to be without her collar.

She also likes to wander off occasionally. Going off on little Zoee adventures, but she typically returns home before we have noticed she is gone. Someone will leave the gate open... or she'll follow us out as we get groceries and get distracted sniffing something and by the time she has sufficiently investigated we are done and back in the house. She is 9 so it has happened lots of times over the years. We get worried every time we discover her missing and she is usually back before we can get in the car to go search.

On Friday morning I let her out to go potty- as is our usual routine. It was sunny out so I expected her to stay out for a bit- but she was soon scratching to come back in. One of the boys let her in. A few minutes later she was scratching to go back out again. I told her to make up her mind as I opened the door to let her back out. At about 11:30 I got the phone call that I had so dreaded each time she wandered off before. Zoee had been hit by a car.

Several people stopped and 3 people lifted her into the back of someone's vehicle and drove her to a vet just down the road. They got my number from her tag and called. Zoee had been walking on the sidewalk down a very busy street (132nd for those of you who know our area) and she stepped off the curb in front of a van. The van did not have time to stop completely- though they did try. Zoee was hit on the left side of her head and was thrown under the van- between the tires. When I arrived she was howling and bleeding profusely from her mouth. The vet asked my permission to give her something to calm her down and to control her pain- so he could find the source of the bleeding. Matt arrived just as she was finally calm. The vet discovered that she had bitten her tongue- but there didn't appear to be any other bleeding. It was clear that she was in shock and that she had a head injury. He was not equipped to care for her there- so we ended up at the emergency animal hospital in Lynnwood. It was like a real ER in there- only for dogs and cats.

They immediately took her vitals and did x-rays. Her pupils were fixed- which indicates severe head trauma and brain swelling. They were able to administer meds that stopped the swelling... and gave her pain medicine to make her comfortable. They came back and told us that remarkably, her X-rays looked pretty good- though it looked like she had a couple of broken ribs. She had a small cut over her eye that they cleaned and closed with one staple. Once they stopped the swelling in her brain and she came down from the shock they felt we would know more about her prognosis... so give it 24 hours. We were prepared to make "the" decision if they thought she wouldn't make it. There was just no way to know for sure right away. So we waited.

The next day we got the call from her ER doctor. She told us she was absolutely amazed at Zoee's progress overnight. That was our moment. We knew we had to give her the chance to continue getting better if she could. The doctor said that there is no way to know for sure if there would be long-term damage...if we would get "our" Zoee back.

She is our first "child"- we had to take that chance. So Zoee continued to improve. I spent all day Sunday and Monday preparing to care for our little invalid at home. The vet staff gave me lessons on how to care for her at home, a shopping list for supplies, and bag full of "sample" supplies. I brought Zoee home with me on Monday evening. It was a bit of a setback for her. Max's energy and enthusiasm and playful 2-year-oldisms does not translate well for Zoee- especially now. She was so nervous and tense that her pain became uncontrollable. I called in the cavalry to help me get things under control. The cavalry- otherwise known as the grandparents. Max is staying with them for a couple of days- and since he left Zoee has made even more progress. Yesterday when "daddy" came home she stood up on her own and wagged her tail for the first time! You'd have thought the sky had opened up and started raining down dollar bills!

Her mental state seems fine so far- the big problem is her ribs. They are really painful and there is nothing we can do to help them heal faster- other than keep her immobilized for the next month.

In the meantime, I am her legs, her comforter, her pain controller, her food preparer and her dish ( I have to feed her homemade mush with my bare hands!) and her water bowl. I know it sounds like I am complaining- but I assure you she is repaying me tenfold with her progress. She is doing so well- and it hasn't even been a week yet.

I credit the Angels (Autumn, Julie and her son) that stopped and put Zoee in their car and drove her to the vet right away. I credit the incredible staff at VCA Hospital in Lynnwood- especially Dr Edwards. And finally- I credit all of you who prayed. It worked! We got our miracle! Zoee is doing better! We still don't know long term what might happen- but we can't help but be hopeful with all of these positive signs! So thank you for praying. And thank you for your continued prayers. Our little family of 5 is still intact! Praise God!

2009-03-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

We are still organizing! It is slower for sure now though. We are down to only a few containers to sort through in the "stuff purging and putting away" portion of our new lifestyle. The financial organizing stuff has slowed to a crawl as that part requires both adults to to be present and coherent during the process. We are usually working/parenting or completely exhausted from all the working/parenting- so working on those things often takes a back burner. Way in the back.

Isaac is "cramming" for his kindergarten progress testing right now. So we get this list from school of all of the things Isaac should know by now in order to meet expectations. He is right on with the reading , he totally gets math and graphs and measuring and patterns, our struggle is with counting. He knows his numbers, he recognizes and writes them with no problem. He can even count by 10s- but when he recites the numbers in order he skips number 16 and 17 EVERY time. He gets in such a hurry! The worst part is that missing 16 and 17 makes him totally lose track and start spewing all sorts of random numbers. However if I go through it with him and stop him to correct 15-16-17-18... he keeps going with no problem. He has to get to 75 by next week. Wish me luck. He gets bored fast!

Max has a new thing. Punching. Not enough to hurt- but all the same... it goes along with his new favorite thing to say: "I wanna kick butt" (said in a low growling voice and a fierce scowl planted on his face). Now I am not a fan of this phrase and was unsure of where it came from until I payed a little closer attention to "Kung Fu Panda" the other day. It was cute the first few times (you are probably snickering as you read this) but I am totally over it at this point.

Matt's employer is staying afloat at this point. His department was shut down and he was moved to another department rather than being laid off and has recently begun working on a product that uses MSN Mobile. He is pretty stoked of course. The man loves working with gadgets!

Being Better

2009-01-20T12:50:00.001-08:00

I have always seen the New Year as a catalyst for change. I however have never been 'with it' enough to stick 'with it'. Most every year I think of something that I want to change about me or my life and just think it to myself. I never share it with anyone and so when I forget about it (usually within a few weeks of January 1st) no one is the wiser, and I don't feel guilty. So my new years resolution this year is to actually keep (and share) my new years resolution.

To clarify: Every year I make the same promises to myself. Most of them involve getting organized, losing weight, being a better wife and mom, finally getting my business off the ground, getting to know God better. Late last year I realized that all of these things are interconnected and each depends on the others. So if you boil these down you get one thing.

Be better than I was last year.

To be better you must do better. I had started reading my small business resource books (again for the millionth time) and came across a tip for entrepreunerial moms:

If you are going to run a business and a household successfully you must get organized.

Naturally that seemed like a good place to start. So we are getting organized. We have spent the last 20 days cleaning out, scheduling, delegating, labelling (the label-maker is currently our favorite ally). Do you have any idea how good it feels to know exactly where to find paperclips, chapstick, or a Curious George band-aid at any given time? I don't even have a junk drawer anymore! We had a family meeting and everyone is on board and sticking with it. So since we started I can find stuff again, our days are more structured, our home is cleaner. All of these things add up to more time to focus on my business, my kids, my husband and of course my faith.

"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

2008-12-25T23:00:00.000-08:00

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'

You Must Watch This

2008-12-23T22:54:00.000-08:00

Are you Inspired?

Finding New Traditions

2008-12-23T20:45:00.001-08:00

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving we all loaded up in my SUV and headed out to a Christmas Tree Farm in Snohomish to find the perfect tree. I have always wanted to do this- we just never have.

It was a blast! The boys ran and ran, getting muddy and hiding from each other amongst the rows of trees as Matt and I took our task of finding the perfect tree very seriously.

We were excited because our rental house has a pitched ceiling and a huge front window in the family room. Perfect place for a really BIG tree! Also, this farm only charges $25 for ANY tree- no matter how big. Not to mention it was run by the sweetest couple ever.

What we didn't consider is that a much larger tree would require more trimmings than we keep on hand. So I gathered up some craft supplies(and bought a little to augment with) and we got to work making ornaments to fill our tree. I think it worked out ok in the end. When I post Christmas morning pics you'll see how it turned out.

It really is huge by the way. But Beautiful for sure! And I think we will stick with the tree farm as a tradition. Definitely an experience worth repeating.

What I woke up to this morning...

2008-12-22T15:56:00.001-08:00

First I heard something hitting the window, then shouts of "mommy!" and "Elizabeth!" from outside...

Apparently my boys got up and bundled up to play in the snow first thing this morning, leaving me blissfully snoozing under the warm covers. The "something" hitting the window was snowballs of course. As I raised the shade I was greeted by 4 smiling faces. My Matt and my 2 sweet little boys had built for me a big cheerful snowman. Most of you who know me know that I adore Snowmen.

What a wonderful start to a chilly day of staying inside and loving on my family!

P.S. Bear with me as I slowly make adjustments to our blog. The goal is to keep it interesting (always has been) but of course I have struggled with this. Documenting the raising of my family has taken a backseat to actually raising them. I am working on my time management skills these days so lets see how this goes...

For now: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you who still actually check the blog for new posts!

What we've been doing...

2008-11-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

Isaac turned 6 on October 5th! We invited his friends from school and of course his best friend Caedmon (and mom) made the trip from Lynden to celebrate with us! Isaac had a great time building lego ships with his buddies and eating blue cake!

I used our "big" legos to spell out a special message for my favorite 6-year-old!

We celebrated with Isaac's class and he got to wear a crown for the day and share cupcakes with everyone! Little brother came too!

At the Lego Party, posing for a group pic after running laps around the house with their custom Lego space ships- ready to cut into the big blue Lego brick! From the left we have Hayden, Isaac (Marcus behind him), Lawrence, Caedmon, Sean and Jacob.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>There's Marcus! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Happy Birthday Isaac! We can't believe you have been our little boy for 6 whole years! We are so blessed to be your mommy and daddy. You are such a great kid! We can't wait to see what the next 6 years have in store for you!

Pictures from the Big Day!!!

2008-09-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

Getting his cool new shoes on. We bought this outfit specifically for the first day of school- but he managed to put it on 3 0r 4 times before the big day... "I'm just trying it out mom"
I actually see a little bit of me in that sweet smiling face. Usually he just looks like Mini-Matt. He was so excited he couldn't stop smiling!
Posing in the parking lot, sun in his eyes, sporting his cool new Clone Wars backpack!
Standing in line with his new classmates, soon to be heading into the classroom for the first time!
Happily seated at his new desk. Ready to start learning! Oh man my baby is really growing up!!! (It was right after I took this picture that they made the parents leave and the tears started welling up in my eyes- can't believe I made it that long!)

Just got back from Oklahoma...

2008-09-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

My grandpa is not doing so well. He has been hospitalized for over a week now and when he went in he was "near death". I left on Saturday and arrived at the hospital in Waurika, OK Saturday night. He looked bad. Didn't recognize me at first- he came in really dehydrated and was just beginning to regain his senses. When I went back on Sunday he knew who I was and asked me about my boys. They ran additional tests on Sunday and found that he is sufficiently rehydrated and his kidneys had started functioning again- but he is now in heart failure. He is 91 and very frail. I flew home today. I am pretty sure when I kissed my grandpa this morning as I left his bedside it was for the last time. I am at peace with this and I am so very grateful that I was there to help care for him and love on him for the last few days.
My grandmother is a mess. Everyone else has accepted that his body is shutting down- but she just won't. Please pray for my grandmother. She needs strength and a gentle reminder that the Lord is in charge and that his leaving this earth will mean only that he can finally rest. More on this later...

I will post pics of the first day of kindergarten when I get a moment. Until then...

Workin' fool

2008-08-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

I have had my nose to the grindstone lately. I come home at night and crash next to my hubby and wake up in time to kiss him goodbye in the morning. My mommy time is in the mornings. Saturday mornings are the best because I work late so we all wake up together and I play with the boys while Matt makes breakfast. My weekend is Thursday and Friday now- Isaac likes to count down the days to when mommy "stays here". I love my job. I am having lots of fun. But I really miss my babies. I am thinking part-time sounds good. I think I will spend some time getting more established here, then go down to part time. It will be better for all of us I think.

The house is still not unpacked. We have most of our furniture set in place. But all of the little details are still missing. It doesn't feel like home yet. I made the mistake of visiting the Lynden Chamber of Commerce website and I felt -get this- sad. As anxious as we were to move, I miss Lynden. I miss our neighbors. I miss my friends, I miss my house, I miss my MOPS. I know it will get better, but for now it stinks.

I am however trying to stay positive. I love living in the city. Everything is SO close! It takes me 10 minutes to get to Alderwood Mall. There is a gorgeous new Safeway one mile from my house. The list goes on... There is so much to be thankful for...even more so when we finally settle into a true rhythm. The really good news: working has helped me take off a few pounds! WhooHoo!

We live!

2008-08-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

Yep we are still here! Matt is back to the grind at work- working normal hours again so he is much happier. Isaac is getting ready for kindergarten- he is so excited!- but I can't seem to get the butterflies out of my tummy! He will do great I am sure, but still- am I really old enough to have school-aged children? I still feel like a kid myself some days!

Maxee is beautiful as always- he is such a happy, expressive little guy! He makes us laugh every day, whether it's a new word, a new "game", or even just his tantrums (I know we shouldn't laugh, but it is SO funny!)

I am so excited to officially start working with clients tomorrow! I was in training for 2 weeks, then I just took a few days off to work on the house and the logistics of moving, but now I am official tomorrow! I can't wait!

That's about it for now...

Yes, Allison we survived!

2008-07-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

It was rough...but we are here! Our new house is awesome! We love having more room- and we love the area. We are so close to so much- and yet our house is off the beaten path (very private location, surrounded by big trees) The boys love their new playroom (no toys allowed anywhere else in the house---YAY!) and we love our big new bedroom. We are still surrounded by lots of boxes, but we are getting there. I LOVE my new job! Matt goes back to work tomorrow and we hired a nanny whom we already love- can't wait for her to start. She will be a nanny 3 days a week and a mom's helper one day a week. The boys are doing fine- they seem quite comfortable here already and as soon as school starts Isaac will do even better! (He is such a social child that the secluded location has been a little wierd for him). Thanks for checking in, as things settle down here I will set aside a time to blog more regularly.

Out with the old...

2008-06-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

We moved to Bellingham in August 2000 with the expectation of being here until June of 2004 when Matt was to graduate from Western. We avoided laying down roots until Matt's deployment forced us to stay here longer. By that time we had a baby and I was going to be alone here for at least 18 months while he was gone. We decided the best thing was to buy a house and build some equity while we wait for the deployment to pass and for him to come back and finish school. Finally after almost 8 years in Whatcom county we are moving on.

Our new home is on the northeast side of Mill Creek (near Everett, WA). Isaac will attend Seattle Hill Elementary for kindergarten in the fall. Matt will have only a 20 minute commute to work- and will be travelling the opposite direction of the traffic. I will start my new job as a Designer with Thomasville Interiors in downtown Bellevue at the beginning of August. My schedule will be very flexible so Matt and I will be able to work around each other- keeping one of us at home with the boys most of the time. Things are changing fast around here...finally!

We make the move officially on July 18th. So... in with the new!!

What I am Doing Right Now

2008-06-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

I am watching my husband play Guitar Hero on our new Wii. Our anniversary was yesterday and it was my year to surprise him- so I took him out to dinner at the Melting Pot last night, then home to this fun new toy! I know, I know, why would I buy a Wii as an anniversary gift instead of say, a night in a bed & breakfast or a cruise to Victoria? Because Matt and I have a different kind of love language. We love to play and be silly- we keep each other young that way- and we are very competitive. I figured what better way to celebrate this relationship than to get something that we can both enjoy- and it will last longer than a night in a bed and breakfast. So we got home late Thursday and we have no kids until Saturday morning- so there will be lots of Wii Sports and Guitar Hero and Champagne and strawberries to enjoy until then!

To Matt- I can't believe it has been 8 years already- it feels like I just fell in love with you last week. So when is the honeymoon phase supposed to be over? Actually I still haven't figured out how I managed to land you- you are the kindest, most playful, most intelligent, best-looking guy I know and I am in love with you! ;o)

Seriously!

2008-06-23T00:04:00.000-07:00

We have an offer! It has been on the table for a few weeks now- I think it is gonna happen! I just didn't want to blog about it until we were a little more solid. The offer has been signed on both sides and we are just waiting on a lawyer to draw up the details!

In the meantime...

We got a new place! It is in Mill Creek and it is awesome! It is a single-level (good for me while I rehab my ankle!) and it has a giHUGEant yard!! Our official move-in date is July 18. Seriously it is happening for real! Pray for us that things continue to go smoothly from here as (in case you haven't noticed) the Buonadonna family tends to do everything the hard way.

I am so excited to know that Isaac will start kindergarten at Seattle Hill Elementary- which I have heard is an excellent school! We are walking distance from a church with a MOPS program and I already have a job interview with a design store in Bellevue and I am hoping for a call-back from another!

Matt and I have decided that it will be best for me to work full time for a few years so we can actually save some money and have more to put towards our dream home in a few years. The good news is that his hours are quite flexible so we can switch off days off as much as possible and keep the boys home with one of us most of the week. I am actually really excited to start working full-time in the design field- I know I will learn SO much!

So we are on the brink of some really BIG changes in our life and we are so ready! For our Whatcom county friends and neighbors: we will miss you all very much but we love you all and promise to come back and visit!

I leave you with a picture of our new yard...and that's not even the half of it!

And then there were two

2008-06-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

more birthdays! Seriously... my niece Emma turned 11 on Wednesday. She lives in Cedar Rapids, IA and her birthday was very wet. So wet that the Cedar River rose to 30 feet above flood stage! Downtown was completely under water! All the same she and the family went out for Sushi- her favorite!! I know, wierd, huh?

I am glad that you had a nice birthday in spite of all the crumminess going on Miss Emma! We'll be praying that things get back to normal there soon and you can get to enjoying your summer break! We'll see you next month!!!

And then there is my dad- poor dad always gets father's day and his birthday crammed together... but I guess the good news is that he gets extra confirmation that we REALLY REALLY love and appreciate him in June every year!

Happy 65th birthday Daddy! I love you!

Up in smoke...

2008-06-10T22:50:00.000-07:00

This is so sad. I haven't been home yet to see the remains of the building- but a Lynden landmark burned down yesterday.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/16552034/detail.html

The latest word is that 2 young teenage boys are responsible. Tonight I am praying that it was truly an accident. I am also praying for the kids (13 & 14 yrs old) and their families as they navigate the rocky road ahead of responsibility, punishment, reparation, and forgiveness. I praise God for protecting all the people from inside and around the building. It was in the end, just a building, but that structure had a soul built in the history of the Lynden community and it will be missed.

And yes...there are more!

2008-06-09T23:04:00.001-07:00

Birthday #4! Yesterday was my wonderful father-in-law's birthday- not sure if he would be ok with me putting his age on here- but I am gonna do it anyway because this guy just blows my mind! He skis, he hikes, he kayaks, he camps. If it is outdoors- he's in. He is 70- with no sign of slowing down. He has to have shoulder surgery this winter and he is already trying to figure out how to time it just so he can get some skiing in first. He and MaryJane are planning a trip to Australia and Ireland within the next year or so. Nonstop I tell ya...

Happy Birthday Grandpa Victor! We love you!

The Worst Children Ever

2008-06-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

So Birthday #3... well there's no way to sugar-coat it. We forgot. A couple of days before THE special day we were talking about it. We talked about it with the boys in front of her while we were celebrating Max's birthday. But a mere week later Matt was guilty of one of the worst things an adult child can do. Forget his mom's birthday. Oh yeah honey. I am laying this one off on you. You didn't call, you didn't send a card. You should be put in front of a firing squad at dawn. The nerve...
In any case, MaryJane your Lynden gang loves you dearly and we hope your birthday was lovely. We hope that in spite of our failure to call that you had plenty of phone calls from all of the other people who think you are pretty wonderful. When we arrive this weekend we will come bearing gifts and grandchildren- what more could you ask for? ;o)

Max's Birthday!

2008-06-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Birthday #2! We had a great party to celebrate our baby's second birthday- complete with Curious George, bubbles, donut cake and well, most importantly as it turns out- BALLOONS!

We got him up from his nap just as all of his guests arrived and he seemed a bit confused by all the people at first...then he saw the balloons. Apparently we could have saved some serious time and money if we'd just gotten him a couple of balloons for his birthday. Seriously.

"Bloo!Bloo!Bloo!Bloo!"

Ruby, John and Tessa with our little birthday boy!

Playing in the sandbox friends: John, Ariah, and Isaac

Frances, Alisha, Ariah and Maxee!

A Game of horseshoes is fun for everyone!

Maxee with Mamo and Grandpa Victor!

Riley chasing some bubbles from our silly bubble machine!

All the kiddos wait "patiently" for the birthday boy to come open his presents!

Who is that silly man in the big yellow hat? Why that would be the other birthday boy of course!(You guys did pick up on the yellow hat being a Curious George reference right?)

Cutie girls (and instant friends!) Ariah and Autumn cheesing for the camera!

Denise and Caedmon take their turn with the yellow hat!

Yay! Curious George Donut Cake! It was inspired by one of the boys' favorite "George" episodes.

Just a little help from mama!

Mmmmm...messy!

That's right John, it's All Good!

Tummy's all full...and I still have my balloons! Happy Birthday to me!

Matt's Birthday

2008-06-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

...marks the official beginning of the annual Buonadonna Birthday Bonanza (not to intentionally leave out older brother Philip's birthday-there is just a decent gap between his day and Matt's- and thus the craziness begins!)

Homemade Cherry Pie for the love of my life- that's what he wanted instead of a cake! Like father, like son! Happy Birthday Honey!
I'm here, I'm wearing my bib. Can someone please tell dad we are all waiting on him?

So much going on!

2008-05-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

We have had 2 birthdays and a graduation in the last week.... I have been to one baby shower and I am going to another tomorrow. Our Bishop is also coming to visit our church tomorrow. Then I have a pre-op bone scan on Monday. Plus our house is for RENT officially. Phew... I'll get back to you.

Toradol is my Friend

2008-05-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hello! Toradol is a good thing- normally I would not say that about a shot in my backside- but Toradol is definitely alright with me! After about 15 minutes- headache was substantially better...30 minutes= gone completely! Dr. gave me an Rx for an "old-school" migraine reliever since I can't take the new stuff (allergic). In any case- migraine gone! WooHoo! It feels good to function again...

Migraine

2008-05-18T12:43:00.001-07:00

I have been trying to think of something interesting to blog about (same ole' same ole' around here) and decided today I would blog about what is ruling my life right now. I have a migraine headache. It has been with me since Friday morning. I have been pretty useless all weekend- thank goodness Matt is home. Anyway, I leave in about 10 minutes to go to a Dr. Appt- hopefully get some meds to get this under control. I need relief!

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures to make you smile:

Isaac and his best friend Caedmon (Caedmon is wearing his klompen dancing costume for the Holland Days Festival in Lynden-complete with wooden shoes that make him look like a giant next to Isaac)...

Maxie?!? Did you hang up on Daddy again?...

Zoee and Isaac take a break from a romp in the bubbles for a photo.

Just a blog-because I should...

2008-05-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

Let's see- MOPS day yesterday- that was fun- I love MOPS! I can't believe that our next meeting will be my last MOPS meeting at Cornwall Church in Bellingham. I have been so blessed by the things I have learned and the friends I have made there. If you are reading this and I met you there (or you introduced me to it to start with!) know that my life is forever changed for the better for having met and spent time with you.

Today I had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon- finally! If you haven't heard me whine about my ankle yet- then you should know I have been in chronic pain in my left ankle for over a year and a half. Every time I try to really get a workout schedule started- I end up in too much pain to continue. So it turns out- after over an hour with this Surgeon this morning- that I have not one- but two different sources of pain. One of which will have to be surgically repaired, the other is still a mystery- but hopefully not for long as I have a CAT Scan scheduled for Friday. Please pray for a simple fix! I am so tired of my ankle always hurting! I can't even go for a walk with my kids without serious pain- and stairs are not my friend. Pray that what ever is wrong can all be fixed in one surgery ( I am pretty sure what ever the 2nd thing is it is probably surgical).

I must say I am relieved to at least have a partial diagnosis. Heck it is just a relief to have a Doctor say "Oh yes, this is abnormal here- and there is definitely a tear in the tendon there..." Instead of "well...it's not broken...it's probably just a sprain..." (ahem, it's been over a year- don't you think the sprain might have healed by now?) Thankfully I was able to return to a trusted Doctor when my insurance changed- and he sent me in for the MRI I should have had a year and a half ago. Anyway, as strange as it sounds- if you think of it could you please pray for my ankle? :o)

What else...hmmm...Max is talking lots now! Every few words are completely understandable! He is even using some sign language accurately (he has always been stubborn about the sign language). We have "goggy"=dog ..."eeeze" = cheese and please... ball and bubble are completely clear... and he is repeating words all the time! I am excited -even though I know we will soon miss his baby babble- he gets very emotional when we can't understand him- so this should mean fewer tantrums.

Isaac's nose is much better! It is back to a normal size and there's only a little yellow left of the bruises! We are working on phonics with him to get ready for kindergarten in the fall- thank you Hilary and Brian for the DVD- he loves it! And you are right Brian- it's not at all annoying!

Matt is having trouble with the house he is staying at near his work (2 words- four cats) so he will go back to staying at his parents' house in Renton for now - I am so praying for a quick finish to our housing situation so we can be together again. This is miserable. For those of you who don't know: this market is better than last year- but still not good. We are so tired of waiting. If we don't have a buyer by next week we are putting it up for rent. Better to be landlords for a year than to chase the market anymore.

Hmmm. I think that's it for now. Phew- that was a lot actually! Well- happy reading!

"Duck"

2008-05-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

One word, three meanings:

Duck: noun; any animal that has wings and flies. ("Look daddy! A duck!")

Duck: verb; What you are when you are unable to get out of a situation. ("Mommy! I'm duck and can't get down!")

Duck: interjection; what you say when something is not to your liking. (Max yells "duck!" and spits out the broccoli.)

The one-day room makeover

2008-04-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

Go to Allison's blog to see how I spent my Saturday! She has a dear friend who has had a rough year. She is suddenly a single mom with a teenage son and 2 "tween" daughters. Her son has been sleeping in what was his mom's childhood bedroom. Complete with pink carpet and blue flowery wall paper. As you can imagine he didn't feel much like it was his space. He will now! Allison was here for 4 days and in that time took on the project of making over his room. She enlisted the help of a few friends and pulled it all together on Saturday.

Allison you are an angel. In case I hadn't told you lately how wonderful you are- your giving spirit is an inspiration. Jake will love his room and I can't wait to hear how he reacted when he came home! -oh yeah and I hope you got home safe and sound! It was so great to see you!

The Nose

2008-04-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Isaac took a tumble while playing with a friend and broke his nose. Lots of tears and cuddles and ice packs later he declared himself well enough to go to a friend's birthday party and then go visit his grandparents. So off we went...and yes we got lots of "looks" from strangers and questions from friends. So here I am blogging what happened. Now you know.

It kind of looks normal -just bruised- but trust me- it is really swollen. Not crooked though! that was the best news! It does not appear to need to be reset. At first he was having a really hard time breathing through it- it was so swollen! Ibuprofen helped with that fortunately.

The bright day light at the tulip festival made the pretty colors of his bruise stand out like...well the nose on his face.
So he was rough-housing with his friend in our living room. On bare floor with socks on. Pushing and shoving, no grip under his feet, slipped and fell face flat. Poor little guys- both of them. The other kiddo was fine- but definitely worried about Isaac and I think he felt guilty. Matt and I were switching back and forth comforting each of them.

It has been a week- and we are down to colors like gray and dark yellow- which mean it is almost healed. The swelling is down and all is back to normal!

What We Did Last Weekend

2008-04-16T18:45:00.001-07:00

First we went to meet the 6 new additions to the Bachelder family (apparently they are old news now though- meet the 3 newest at the link above). Not sure I have ever heard of a live chicken (or 3) being an impulse buy- but whatever floats your boat Hilary!

Cutie Sam showing us his chicken taming skills- he has even managed to train Mrs. Chicken to perch on his finger!

Max was fascinated by these little guys- couldn't wait to touch them! Isaac on the other hand took a while to warm up to them- he finally touched one as we were ready to go and after I had put away the camera.

I just loved this picture of my handsome hubby! Lucky me!

Yum!

2008-04-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

Officially the fanciest dessert I make- it also happens to be the easiest! It has no name really...perhaps "Apple Tart a' la Beth"...or perhaps not...

Anyway, it is simply this:
4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 tbs butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon + a sprinkle
puff pastry shells
vanilla ice cream

Place 4 puff pastry shells, top side up on a cookie sheet and bake according to directions. While they bake place apples, butter (I chop the butter into tiny pieces), sugar and cinnamon in a glass pie dish and microwave on high for 9 minutes, or until apples are tender. For each serving remove the top of the shell and fill with hot apples, and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You'll probably have a bit of the apples left over- nothing that a fork and a 5 yr old can't take care of pretty quickly.

All About Max

2008-04-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

My sweet Maxee~ You are such an awesome little kid! We love so many things about you...

...like how you can find your belly button!

We love how you run to your brother's rescue when he is being "attacked" by the "villianous" daddy...never mind that the BBQ tongs you are brandishing are too heavy for you to hold up for long!

We love your sweet little laugh...

...your thoughtful curiosity...

...and your serious scowl when you are on a mission.

How you love to play hide-and-seek...

...and we love to watch you eat! Sometimes you are incredibly messy (dipping your food in your water cup,then scooping the soggy mess back out all over the table) and sometimes we are just dumbfounded at how well you feed yourself (a whole bowl of oatmeal without a bit in your lap or on your hands!)...

...and of course your "cheesing for the camera" grin!

We love how sweet you are as you discover snow- yelling in gibberish at us about how exciting it is (at least that's what we think you were yelling about!)...

...and of course your spiky hair and your big brown eyes!

Oh and just a few more... your mischeivous streak, how much you love your "bubba", how you run to him for big hugs, how you run to daddy when he comes home- yelling his name and holding your arms wide-, how you love to give momma kisses all the time, how you think Zoee's very existence is so funny, how you insist upon throwing away your own diapers (or a tantrum ensues!), how you love on bubba when he gets in trouble, how you cheer when I say it is time to go bye-bye and chant gotta-go, gotta-go, gotta-go until we actually reach the car!

You are such a beautiful little boy- in personality and spirit- and we are so blessed to be your family!

Musings

2008-03-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

Matt wanted to do something special as a family on Saturday. So we bought a new tv. (We were going to anyway- it is just odd that this could be classified as "doing something special as a family"). I also had no idea that a new tv could make 2 little boys dance around the living room like fools while their daddy tried to figure out how to plug it in. It was quite the scene. Actually in retrospect, the way it made us feel to finally be able to afford the new tv we have been wanting for several years now is something pretty special. Thank you Feds for the child tax credit!

"Daddy will never find me in here!"

We were visiting our stuff that lives in Everett already.

This photo was taken yesterday. Happy Spring Everyone!

As promised...Our Easter Tradition!

2008-03-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

We started this because weather in Washington is not always "permitting" and I don't really like taking the boys to the public Easter Egg Hunts because you just never know what kind of "junk" they'll come home with... At this point in the year we still have Halloween candy in reserves and I just don't want to add to it! So I came up with this idea:

We start by taking pictures of various hiding places around the house...

Then I print the pics in wallet size and put them into large plastic Easter Eggs and place the Easter Eggs in successive, corresponding hiding places.

We start Easter morning by giving the boys an egg. Their smiles are priceless because they already know what's up! They open it and head off on their Easter Egg Hunt!

Each egg leads them to the next of course until finally:

Success!

They reach their final destination and find a huge Easter basket full of goodies, including a new bionicle for Isaac, new crayons and a curious george toy for Max, and a few outdoor toys for both

Happy Easter my sweet boys! Hallelujah, Christ Has Risen!!!

Droppin' by to share some pics and an update...

2008-03-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

Easter was lovely! We started our day with our annual Easter Egg hunt (it's another Easter tradition for us- this one intentional- and so fun! I'll post details later) Then off to church to celebrate our Lord's Resurrection! On Sunday evening we headed down to Mukilteo to Matt's Aunt & Uncle's house for Easter dinner with the family- where we had a wonderful time catching up and just enjoying each other's company! I haven't had a chance to d/l the pics from Easter so I'll share a couple of pics from Max's first driving lesson instead.

Accidental Tradition

2008-03-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

Tonight Isaac and I made my favorite Easter treat. I think this makes it a tradition as this is the 4th year that we have made these for Easter. This is the first year that Isaac was wrist deep in the sticky goodness of my bird's nest cookies with me. I didn't mean for them to become a tradition... I just really like them!

On a side note: Nathan you probably have all of my blog readers thinking that some wierdo is looking at pictures of my kids and offering to read them bedtime stories. So just for the record ladies: "international"= yes, "wierdo"= probably, "stranger"= not exactly- he has actually read Isaac a bedtime story in person before- and Nathan I would love to have you come read to him again- we both enjoy giggling at your funny accent. Whenever you are in the neighborhood :o)

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

2008-03-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Well, how lucky you are if you don't own the book. I mean the Dr Suess one. Every time he picks that one out for a bedtime story I groan on the inside (possibly a bit on the outside too). It is sooooooooo long. I might fall asleep reading it- or if I am lucky- he will. Oh by the way, the picture has nothing to do with the title- I just liked it.

Double Date

2008-03-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

What I learned tonight:

That Denise has excellent form- and when she says she is going to "kick our butts" she means it! (Whether she knew it or not!) Oh and she gets up really fast when she falls on her butt- it was almost like it never happened!

That anybody can bowl better than me. Anybody.

That I can gauge bedtime by how well my husband bowls.

That Jim can throw a bowling ball over 20 mph.

Oh yeah and my husband is a wimpy desk jockey (but I love him anyway).

Kidless in Seattle

2008-03-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

I was gone all weekend on a MOPS retreat weekend in Seattle- I had no internet- nor any desire really to find internet! We had tons of fun shopping, eating out and watching movies- all without kids!

The whole group of us posing in the hotel lobby before heading out on our last day of shopping! (I am the one in purple)

My girl Steph posing in front of a Hummer limo. We were on our way back to the hotel where we changed into our jammies, brewed some decaf and hunkered down with a yummy slice of Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and watched "Dan in Real Life" with our friend Christine. That was definitely my favorite part of the whole weekend! My second favorite part? We went to a place called Sephora that sells only beauty products and there are aestheticians wandering around helping people choose colors and products etc... they encourage sampling colors and such so I decided I wanted to find a fun new eyeshadow color. My friend Karen told me to get something that looked "sassy" so I went for it. The guy sat me down and picked out some gorgeous colors for me and then proceeded to apply them step by step- showing me exactly what he was doing the whole time. When he was done I definitely looked sassy! This picture doesn't even begin to do it justice! My eyeshadow color really highlighted my eye color. I went back to the hotel and changed into something more "fun" and fixed my hair into a flip. A mini makeover is always good- and the best part is I know how to re-create the look that he gave me!

It was tons of fun and really relaxing - but of course I missed my guys! When I got home they were at the park so I decided to meet them there. I captured some sweet pics while I was there. Hi mom! Isaac peeks around a corner to cheese for the camera...

Such a big boy already! Hmmmm....what to get into next?

My handsome men! I am so blessed!

Lovely Day

2008-03-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day today! Sunny and warm and wonderful! Spring has been teasing us for weeks already- I can't wait! I was out all day working in my garden and I just had a wonderful time getting all dirty (that's the little kid in me)! There is something about clearing away all the fall leaves hiding under the plants and clearing out the dead stuff from last season that just makes me feel happy. It is a fresh start. Boy am I ready for one of those!

Today I finally started my final project for my staging certification! A friend has graciously agreed to let me "makeover" her living room for the assignment. I was supposed to start it already- but we have all had colds for the last couple of weeks and I figure the last thing she needs is a bug floating around her family of 8! Anyway, almost there- it's only taken me 2 1/2 years (program was designed to be completed in as little as 9 months)! Something about getting Matt through his senior year and being a mom, etc...We also enjoyed a visit from our every-Wednesday-guest- Isaac's best friend Caedmon. These 2 are just ridiculous together. Today at lunch we enjoyed a classic PB & J with some "fishy crackers". Apparently at some point one of them (I am not sure which) declared that the fishies are going to dance on stage (their heads) and thus the fun began! See, ridiculous I tell you...

Even the baby knows that fishy crackers are best in your mouth- not in your hair!

Have a good Thursday everyone! Matt comes home tomorrow night! WooHoo!

MOPS!!!!

2008-03-04T22:23:00.001-08:00

Man I love spa day! I just have to say thank you to Allison again for introducing me to MOPS (1) and for taking me for the first time on Spa day (2) 4 years ago (can you believe it has been that long?)!!! MOPS has blessed me and my family in so many ways- I can't even begin to list them all!

In case you couldn't tell- I had a wonderful day at Spa Day! I won a massage, enjoyed my free coffee and won 1 of the huge spa day giveaway baskets! Let's just say I have lots of fun stuff to garden with now- and just in time as we are cleaning up the yard for Spring and hopefully a quick sale! Every year on Spa day I have done well- and this one was no exception- the Lord knows when I need a lift! Because what I have won each year corresponds perfectly with something in my life that is in need of a little extra attention.

I also had a little bit of a personal boost come my way today. I have been watching a (new)friend's little boys for a couple of hours on Mondays while she is hospitalized and on bed rest with some serious pregnancy issues (the boys have other caregivers lined up throughout the week). I am so honored that this couple is trusting me with their precious boys to start with- but today she asked her close friend to pass along an extra special thank you to me because I seem to "get" her boys. I can imagine that would be great for any mom to know her kids were in good hands but especially when she is not able to be here herself. It felt good to know that I seem to be doing it right! But honestly- I am just humbled that they are trusting me- a veritable stranger- with their boys and though I can't ever fill their mommy's shoes- I pray that I can at least continue to be a positive and fun influence for them while mommy is away! They are 2 very sweet little boys that have been thrown into a bit of a "funk" at the moment and anything I can do to help them keep "being kids" is first on my list.
If you don't already know her and her situation- and you are the praying kind- please say a prayer for Aumony and her family today. He is listening!

Moving out...a little at a time

2008-03-03T23:32:00.001-08:00

So today we went and played with my friend Aumony's twins for a couple of hours. It is funny what a difference a couple of years can make. They are exactly 2 years younger than Isaac and watching them play is like a flashback to how Isaac used to play- but the crazy part is- I didn't even realize that Isaac had grown out of the things they do! Like the "peepee" dance... or the mimicking... or the changing activities every 5 minutes or so. We didn't even get through 15 minutes of Curious George before they were up and on to something else!

We left this afternoon with Matt's car loaded to the gills with kids and boxes and headed for our storage unit in Everett. How silly is it that I am SO excited to see our stuff "living" in Everett!?Could we please just get on with this? We also switched cars (Matt took our SUV full of stuff this morning) so I could have my shiny truck back! The rain has left her a bit dingy on the outside already, but she sparkles on the inside still! I have officially re-instated the no food in the car rule -though I have no misconceptions about how long that might last of course. I am optimistic- but not overly so ;o)

Ok, off to bed- MOPS tomorrow! Woo Hoo! Spa Day Baby!

Trying something new...

2008-03-01T20:29:00.001-08:00

Bedtime= blogtime - I am hoping perhaps if I set a certain time of day for this it might get done more than once every 6 months! Only on non-bath nights though...

First of all the most important news of MY day: My truck is all shiny again! As you can imagine 6,000 miles of eating on the road and living out of the truck with 2 small children will take it's toll on the interior of a vehicle. It was...well...gross. The detailer insists he has seen much worse but I'm not so sure. So for Valentines Day I asked Matt to get my truck detailed. Not to mention it got a new windshield on Wednesday- pretty exciting I know! So it is almost like driving a new truck. She's still my Sheila though! (Yes I named my truck- or rather she told me her name- and don't mess with me- it is not weird! )

Then we had to go pick up our new Armoire for our bedroom. We got a screamin' deal on it! It matches our dresser we got a few months ago and when I saw it I had to have it! We were going to buy it eventually as it seems more practical to wait until we move to do so...but we bought it for $500 less than it costs at a retail furniture store! How could we pass that up? So into storage it goes until moving day!

Speaking of storage: we rented a unit down in Everett close to Matt's work- so at least some of our stuff has moved down there...I suppose that's a start!

Ok good enough for now- this should occupy you through at least 4 sips of your coffee in the morning Missy! (You know who you are!)

Flashback to Valentine's Day

2008-03-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

Valentine' Day 2008: The boys started their day at Miss Karen's house where Isaac made homemade Valentine's cupcakes for the 4 of us. Then we came home to a Valentine's Day Picnic- complete with a heart-shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's. It got a little over-cooked while we were busy playing chase upstairs (oops!). Still tasted like "love" though! We had our picnic on the living room floor (an occasional special treat in our house- dinner on the living room floor with a cartoon on the tube) - we enjoyed watching Meet the Robinson's together and then off to bed. Then Matt came home from work and we enjoyed a quiet candelit dinner together. All in all it was a lovely evening with my 3 favorite Valentines!

Heart-shaped Pizza-well done.
Valentine's Picnic
So proud of his pink Valentines' cupcakes! He decorated them himself too- his of course had the most sprinkles!

It seems like I am always behind

2008-03-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

I am gonna rant for a minute. I usually reserve this blog for sunshine and roses, but today that is not my mood at all. Soooo....

All I ever seem to be doing is playing catch up. I am behind on my homework, behind on my blog, behind on my scrapbooking, behind on cleaning my house, behind on my business plan and the list goes on. Just thinking about it all makes me want to run away from home!

It's not laziness. I never sit down- I don't even watch TV anymore. (Could someone please tell me what's happening on Grey's Anatomy? And who won the last Biggest Loser?) I am always working on something- but nothing ever seems to get finished. I desperately need to cut back. But where? What responsibilities could I possibly drop? I suppose I just need to approach it all differently- but how?!? Anyone have any suggestions?

Ok, rant over. So now I think I'll share some pictures of my sweet boys!

I stood them up against our blackboard and drew their outlines and set them to work coloring them in! (Bought me some time to cook dinner!)

Isaac is drawing his "guts"- his words not mine...isn't that nice?

Gettin' back into the swing of things

2008-02-17T19:38:00.000-08:00

Hi! So things are crazy here... as usual! We have been home for 2 whole weeks- and it is starting to feel like we never left- which is nice. The boys are settling back into a routine and I have gone all psycho organizer on this house. I am desperate for some order so I am throwing things out I thought I'd never throw out and cleaning out spaces I thought I'd already cleaned out for the move.

At the moment I think we have decided to wait a couple of months to put the house back on the market. I don't want to yank Isaac out of preschool again so we will wait until school is almost out I think. Then if we still can't sell (heaven forbid) we'll rent it out and move anyway. This whole 87 mile distance between home and work is driving us nuts. All of us.

Matt and I attended our first adoption class last week! The process is under way!

I am working on picking up more business - I am adding another certification to my resume' and I am kicking up my marketing efforts and changing my business name as well. Phew!

And if that's not enough, I am still unpacking and putting things away and catching up on all the mail. Haven't even taken any pictures lately. I gotta unpack the camera first.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Airs Tonight!!!!

2007-12-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

This is the one I volunteered on!!!! 8pm on ABC

Extreme Makeover Home Edition!

2007-10-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

No really! I actually did it! I volunteered for the taping in Kirkland, WA 2 weeks ago and I put in a total of 25 hours of volunteer time, part of the time as a skilled trade, part of the time as a general volunteer- just based on what was needed at the time! I had only my cell phone with me so the pictures aren't the best quality but you can tell what they are anyway. I have several pictures of the inside of the house and such but since the show doesn't air until January I think I should not post those on the internet.

I had my hands in every room in that house. When you watch the show (and I know you will!) I grouted the tiles in the downstairs bathroom and the master bathroom and I built the attic access panel frames in the office upstairs. I helped landscape in the backyard and I helped "move the mountain" (you'll see what I mean when you watch the show!) It was so cool!! It was easily one of the most incredible experiences of my life! I met some amazing people and got to see how a TV show happens- it is really incredible- and yes it does happen in just one week!

To read more about the family this home is for check out: http://www.komotv.com/news/10055816.html

...and then check out my proof of presence!

Why didn't anyone tell me I have a Leno chin?

Yes it really is him!

The house- on the morning of what was supposed to be the day we brought the family home. The weather was so miserable that we were really behind schedule- so this was actually taken about 30 hours before the family actually came home- and yes, that is a huge mountain of dirt in the front yard, there is no front porch surface yet and those pillars on the front of the house are not yet connected to anything- they are just standing there.

By the way, when you watch the show, you can look for me, but I don't know that you'll see me. They got me a few times but I am hoping they cut it because frankly I have no desire to see what I look like on TV. I didn't do it to be on tv. I did it because I wanted to be a part of something so much bigger than me. I wanted to be a part of changing someone's life forever. I wanted to be a part of a show that brings me to tears every single week. I think I would like to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity now, because I know the experience would be just as incredible, just as rewarding.

A Quick Catch Up

2007-10-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

We have been busy! We had a scary summer waiting for the job thing to happen. Matt finally started his new job on August 6th and thus the commuting began. We listed the house for sale at the end of July.
As it is now Matt is still working in Everett (loves his job) and we are still living in Lynden. The national mortgage crisis is affecting us big time up here- the house has not sold- heck it hasn't even been looked at. So we have sort of fallen into a routine as best we can. Isaac is back in preschool and I am staying active at church and we are back to MOPS for the fall season. I am on the creative activities team at MOPS this year. So far it is fun and far less demanding than being a table leader (which is exactly what I need at the moment).
Max is 16 months old and is getting so big (of course)! He is walking and talking (a bit) now. He is all over the place, into everything and already showing signs of being a rough and tumble boy- he loves to play light sabers like big brother and he growls all the time like he is a monster. He has been making truck noises for months already. He takes some pretty nasty falls and jumps right back up and keeps going. He is certainly more daring than Isaac was.
Isaac turned five last Friday. He had a great day of preschool, playing with friends and topped it all off with a Transformers birthday party. He has now decided that since he is a big 5 year old he is too old to take baths and now must take showers. Can't wait to see the water bill next month! He is doing really great in preschool this year too! He is really getting into the learning part (last year he was far more interested in playing) but now I catch him singing his abc's and trying to learn his letters. He has been learning to tell time lately too. He is definitely struggling with daddy being gone so much however. He is showing some obvious signs of depression and I am working with him all that I can to keep it at bay.
Matt is doing well. His hand has healed pretty well and he has learned to deal with any left over inadequacies. He is working hard and really likes his job. He is always trying to explain some exciting detail to me while I stare blankly and smile at him. He has a new 2005 Toyota Corolla (had to get something reliable and more comfortable for the crazy commutes) I must admit I like to borrow it on the weekends as it is far cooler than my mommy-mobile. He hates the commute and misses the boys like crazy (I think he probably misses me too).
So that's about it for now. I will post with pictures soon.

Allison's Farewell Tea Party- June 7

2007-08-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

Allison and I
Melissa and Allison

Maria

At Lynden's Cup of Tea

Miss Allison

Jodee

Sara- Allison's Sister

The 6 of us- one last time

Allison moved back to southern California in June. The girls got together one last time to say goodbye to one of our dearest friends. She will be missed by all. Please come back to visit soon!

The Rock Keepers

2007-08-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

We've always loved the little green men on the WWU campus!
We took advantage of the opportunity to take some fun pictures of the boys

hanging out with these cute little critters

and then just hanging out on the rocks

a new friend

up here mommy!

Senior Project Demonstration Day! June 7

2007-08-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

We all came to see the culmination of daddy's hard work!
The boys passed the time by spinning in an office chair

The proud parents! Phew! It's about time!

Explaining the details to some visitors

Matt with his other pride & joy.

May 26th- The Launch!!! Finally!!!

2007-07-20T00:18:00.000-07:00

Some final touches
Isaac made a friend- and they were inseperable!

Putting the rocket together...

Heading out to the launchpad

Blast off!!!!

Found it!!!

It was a REALLY long trip, when we got there it was REALLY dusty, the next day it got REALLY hot while we waited for Matt's rocket to launch, but when it finally went up, it was REALLY cool!!! This was the last big event leading up to graduation...only 2 weeks to the end!!!

Last Day of Preschool May 25th

2007-07-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

Such a big boy!
Chatting with classmate Sophie

Posing with his teachers Mrs. Brann and Mrs. Heeringa with the sun in his face. The teachers are holding the scrapbooks I made for them to thank them for being such great teachers! I made the covers and each student decorated their very own page to put inside. Sonshine preschool celebrates the last day of school by setting up a bike track and inviting all the kids to bring their bikes or scooters and riding around the track together. Even the teachers were out on their bikes too!

Daddy's Birthday May 23, '07

2007-07-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

So Matt's schedule was just out of control. We couldn't celebrate his 30th birthday anywhere near his birthday because he was basically living at school. The day before his birthday he didn't have to leave for school until 9 am- so I had him meet us at a local restaurant for breakfast and presents. The waitress was great- she even helped us sing to him. Instead of a cake Matt got a huge waffle drowning in strawberries and whipped cream- WITH a candle in it!

Isaac's Spring Program May '07

2007-07-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Mom!!!!!
Caught mid-song...

Enjoying a snack after the show with baby brother!

Isaac's Preschool Spring program was lots of fun- and SO cute! Mamo came up to join us- daddy had class this time. They sang about lots of things- but our favorite was the little teapot song ( a slightly altered version of the familiar version). Isaac looked so nice in his Easter outfit, but then he had to go to the bathroom after I had released him to his teachers and before the show started, which means he came back from "going" by himself with his shirt hanging half out and his pants twisted. I suppose there are worse things.... like how instead of doing all of the choreography with the other kids halfway through the program Isaac decided to do the "smackdown elbow" (a WWE wrestling move that daddy taught him- thanks Matt!) over and over again. I hope no one else figured out what he was doing....

Meeting Uncle Thomas May '07

2007-07-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

An after-dinner chat with Uncle Thomas
playing spaceships!!

Uncle Daniel, Uncle Thomas and the boys

Who knew that running up and down the hallway with lego spaceships could be so entertaining?

Uncle Thomas reads Isaac a story at bedtime

Uncle Thomas (from Iowa) was in town on business so he got to meet Max for the first time!

Helping at the New Park May '07

2007-07-19T23:21:00.000-07:00

Shoveling Bark with Dad
The big playhouse

Staining the frame

Has it really been 3 months? Well here we go with some serious back-tracking!!! Back in May we volunteered to help build our community's new city park. This playground is HUGE!!! We had lots of fun helping out!

Frolicking through the Tulips!

2007-04-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

There's always one...
They were working on a "project"

Man I love Washington!

Gonna eat it!

2 buddies, just checkin' out the view...

Me and my beautiful boys!

He just wanted to break one off!

My sweet boys!

Hiding with Caedmon in the Tulips!

It was a beautiful Spring day in Washington last Thursday, so we packed up and headed down to the tulip fields with our friends Denise, Caedmon and Keagan. Denise and I enjoyed the sunshine, beautiful flowers and fresh air, while our boys enjoyed the mud puddles and dirt clods! A wonderful time was had by all!

Friends!

2007-04-10T23:45:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors Isabella and Faith
Matteus, Isabella and Isaac hanging out in the back of their grandpa's truck

These 2 have been best friends ever since we moved in next door, these guys are moving to a new house soon and we are so sad to see them go! God bless you guys and enjoy your new big house!!! We can't wait to come play!

Decorating Easter Eggs with Uncle Brandon & Aunt Sarah

2007-04-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

Uncle Brandon & Aunt Sarah came up to spend a Sunday afternoon with us to celebrate the 4th Anniversary of Isaac's Christening. (These 2 wonderful people are our sweet boys' Godparents for those of you who don't know!) We decided to decorate our Easter Eggs during their visit! Lots of messy fun....

Work in Progress...

2007-04-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

Matt and his dad are hard at work ripping out the old floor
Victor poses "victoriously" (teehee) with his first piece of ripped out entryway

Wow...so naked without carpet!

Taking a picture of my progress...

So pretty! Now who wants to finish it?

Stay tuned for "after" pictures!

The big Re-do!

2007-04-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

Some pictures before we started tearing it all out...

Catching up...

2007-04-10T22:59:00.000-07:00

Just tossing in some pictures so you can see how they grow...

My boys watching cartoons in their jammies!

Tormenting the dog...

Awww...Mama caught me!

Update!

2007-03-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a while...again. And sadly we have been SO busy we have barely taken any pictures in the last couple of months. Gotta get back on that- I know- they are only little once! So Max is 9 months old now. He sits up and feeds himself finger foods, he rolls all over the place and he crawls. This week he started getting up on his knees at the edge of the couch...and just a few minutes ago for the very first time he pulled himself up to standing!!! He also started waving bye-bye this week! SO CUTE!
Isaac is doing really well too. His vocabulary is growing daily (sometimes good and sometimes bad) and he is OBSESSED with transformers and legos! They have been really good for him apparently. His preschool teacher says he has excellent spacial skills. He is FULL of energy! I have to remind him constantly not to run in the house. He is so good at helping with Max too. He loves to play and cuddle with his baby brother.
Matt is SO CLOSE to graduation now we can taste it! Which also means we never see him... That's been rough on the boys...and me. We do okay though- just keep staring at that light at the end of the tunnel- it is actually getting bigger now! His senior project is coming together remarkably! It is pretty cool and I can't wait to see it launched into the atmosphere- literally! If you don't know what it is check out this link and learn more about it:
http://eet.etec.wwu.edu/buonadm/index.html
...long story short it is an electronic device that will be launched into the air (via a high-powered rocket)and as it descends back to earth it will measure atmospheric pressure. Quite an impressive end to a long and dramatic college experience!
I am doing well too. These days I am mostly a mom. As often as I can I am working on my portfolio. But mostly just a mom.
I'll post with more pictures when I get around to taking some!

The Photo Shoot

2007-01-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

First I took this picture- cuz he just looked too cute in his little overalls with his new teddy
But then I just got camera happy and went all-out taking pictures of our little cutie!
My favorite part is the glob of drool hanging from his chin!
Whoops! Fell over!
ZOEEE!!!! EEWWWW!!!
So cute!
Hi Y'all! See my 2 bottom teeth?
Peek-a-boo Mommy!

Allison's Birthday Surprise

2007-01-07T22:35:00.000-08:00

She looks good for coming out of the swimming pool and being ushered off to a surprise night out with the girls!
Allison cheesing with friends Carolynn and Marla
Friends Tami, Maria and Jody
Denise and Melissa pause for a picture
My friend Allison's birthday is December 31st. A day when everyone in the world is busy celebrating something else. Allison is one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for and I wanted so much to make sure she knows how much she is loved and appreciated by her friends. What better way than to surprise her with a night out with the girls? We had an awesome time- live band and yummy martinis and appetizers and lots of girl talk. I think she might have an idea now of how much we love her! Happy Birthday Allison!

Christmas Dinner in Renton

2007-01-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

The basket was a gift from Mary Jane's friend- who knew it would make such a lovely baby corral?
Yummmmm...Mamo is feeding me strained mush.....
Sweet couple- Daniel and Teresa

Christmas Dinner in Renton

2007-01-07T22:05:00.000-08:00

Playing with Grandpa Victor - I love their expressions!
Maxwell takes time out before bed to play with Mommy on the couch
Guy Talk- probably about Transformers as that seemed to be the most popular topic of the day! (Isaac got several new ones for Christmas- sending these guys meandering down memory lane)

From left we have Matt's Army buddy Ches, Cousin Joe, Matt himself and his younger brother Daniel.
Catching up- Cousins Michael and Annie (holding a snoozing baby Max) hanging out with Victor
Another Sweet couple- Uncle Jim and Aunt Kate

Isaac showing off his new "Darth Vader Transformer"
Brothers playing with transformers together- just like old times!

Daniel's Friend Ed happily doing dishes- What a champ!

Well, getting there was a challenge to say the least! It was really tricky to pull the boys (and I do mean all 3 of them!) away from their new toys so we could get out the door- but we made it! We are so glad we did! We had a wonderful time!

Christmas Morning

2007-01-07T21:45:00.000-08:00

Quite a haul this year! Thanks Santa!
Cuddling with "Paws" the teddy bear my big brother made for me at Build-A-Bear Workshop
Posing with my new movie!
Playing in my new baby fort!

The Christmas Program

2007-01-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

This was just about the cutest thing I have EVER SEEN! Mamo (Matt's Mom) drove up to join us for this momentous occasion: Isaac's first Christmas Program! Did I mention it was so cute?!?!? Isaac is the one in the red sweater vest.

trying to get that perfect Christmas picture....

2007-01-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

I gathered up the critters and got them all dressed up for Christmas pictures. The fouled up attempts were too funny to leave out: So first Zoee was trying to escape, which Isaac thought was hysterical- so he was grabbing her collar as Max was sliding out of the chair...

Ok so now we have Zoee in the picture but Isaac is still giggling....
Ok so now Zoee thinks Matt and I are both nuts because we keep saying her name, but then we yell at her to "GO BACK!" when she tries to come to us. Isaac is yelling "No, Zoee Come Back!" in this shot, Max is just not impressed with any of it...
So we scrapped the idea of including the dog, and because we are trying (unsuccessfully) to get Max smiling again, Isaac is smiling extra hard for the both of them...
Ok, so I have officially broken a sweat at this point. We took over 30 pictures in all and this is the one that made the cut! Merry Christmas everybody!

The Lighted Christmas Parade

2007-01-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

Staying warm with Daddy
Being Silly
A gazebo on wheels?
Hey! Don't forget to throw some candy this way!
Every year here in Lynden there is a lighted Christmas parade with some pretty spectacular floats. Everything from Carol singers on a rolling gazebo pulled by a John Deere tractor (of course) to a firetruck completely covered with lights. The local dairy farm even has a cool float that is "pouring" milk into a HUGE glass sitting next to a HUGE bowl of Ice Cream. Silly but fun...

Why I love Washington

2007-01-02T14:41:00.000-08:00

Just couldn't resist the charm...oh... and the snow.
Need I say more? This place is so beautiful year-round really, but especially when it snows. We were totally snowed in for about a week at the end of November- but I didn't mind. It gave us the opportunity (read: forced) to slow down for a bit. The bottom pic is of Mount Baker at Sunset taken from just south of our house in Lynden.

New Baby Keagan

2007-01-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Jim, Denise and Caedmon with baby Keagan in mommy's belly!
The Proud Big Brother!
Not the newest kid on the block anymore!

Our friends Denise and Jim and Caedmon welcomed their new baby boy Keagan on November 19th! We finally made it over to meet the little bundle when he was 2 weeks old. He is so cute! He looks like a miniature Caedmon! Congratulations guys!

Murder Mystery dinner

2006-11-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

So much fun! I played a 1930's film starlet and Matt played a lawyer. He even shaved his goatee down to this pencil mustache for the occasion (of course he shaved it all off the next morning!!) Oh yeah, neither one of us was the murderer.

The tree

2006-11-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

Home from the nursery with our beautiful Christmas tree tied to the top of our truck!

Just like the movies!

Whoa that is one big tree!
Take my picture too mommy! See my toy?
Caught trying to pull the decorations back off!

Cabin fever!

2006-11-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

Sitting up all by himself!
Yes I am really standing in knee-deep snow! Those pickets you see behind me are the tops of our 4-ft tall fence!
He looks like a mini-Matt in this picture!
Silly daddy falling down a pile made in our front yard by a snow plow.
Yes under that mountain of snow is Matt's poor little Toyota.

We have been stuck in this house since Saturday evening! There is so much snow and ice we cannot safely leave the house. Schools are closed, Church was cancelled, even Max's 6 month check up today was cancelled because the Dr's office is without power! With the wind chill it is about 5 below zero out there right now. There is a mound of snow on the street corner that is about 8 to 10 feet tall (piled there by the snow plows trying to clear the road). It is not even good snowman snow- too dry and crumbly. So we have barely changed out of pajamas in 3 days. Needless to say we are getting a little stir-crazy! If you can believe it- we are expecting another snow storm tomorrow!

Thanksgiving

2006-11-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

Teresa and Daniel with baby Max
Building spaceships to fly withUncle Daniel
The boys clean up after dinner
Getting a "baby fix"?

We had to adjust our thanksgiving routine this year. We are accustomed to going to Matt's parent's place every year but this year they went to visit the Iowa and Chicago Buonadonnas- so we stayed here and hosted Thanksgiving for us and Matt's younger brother Daniel and his girlfriend Teresa. We had a wonderful time! It was our first time meeting Teresa and she is a doll! (We would love for her to become a permanent fixture in the family! *wink*wink*;o)

Procrastinating again...

2006-11-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

I have been procrastinating on posting again- but for a good reason this time. Matt and I went to a really fun Murder Mystery dinner party and we were all dressed up- we had pictures taken, but they are on someone else's camera. We have been waiting patiently for them to email them so we can post them. Then we had Max baptized on November 5th and once again all the pics are on someone else's camera. I will post them once we get them. In the meantime, I'll share the pics we do have.

The Monkey and the Villian

2006-11-02T23:21:00.000-08:00

We found this rare species of monkey in the wild!
Hi there!
Oh no! It's Mini Darth Vader!
Oh wait, it's just Isaac!

Carvin' pumpkins

2006-11-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

"Cool pumpkin Dad!"

we've taught him well!

Ew, pumpkin guts!

Baby Max pumpkin (complete with a curl on the top of his head!) and Isaac's pumpkin (used to be a crazy face that daddy carved from a pattern that Isaac chose until Isaac "over-handled" it, leaving it unrecognizable)
From the top: Matt's crazy fangs, my Halloween night sky (see the bats flying around it?), and Zoee's pumpkin!

Just some pictures of my boys

2006-11-02T22:41:00.000-08:00

The little guy is gettin' so big!
Isaac really does adore his baby brother!
Isaac stops trekking in the tractor to play with his little brother for a few minutes.
Caught sittin' on daddy!
Max was fascinated with this balloon left over from Isaac's party

The Baby Shower

2006-11-02T22:20:00.000-08:00

On October 20th I hosted a rather unusual baby shower for my friend Denise. She has a thing for theme parties so I couldn't bring myself to have a regular old baby shower for her! So we had a chocolate fountain and lots of sparkling cider... and a henna tattoo artist! That was a big hit! We were walking around with henna on our ankles, lower backs, necks, hands, shoulders and perhaps most importantly big pregnant bellies! (For those of you who don't know- henna is non-permanent and painless.)

Mama Denise and Allison (these are 2 of my closest friends here in Lynden)

I got this henna butterfly on my shoulder!
Tossin' back a whole bottle...of sparkling cider!

Bathtime for Max

2006-11-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

"Hey! Why is daddy taking my picture?"
"Mommy you're so funny!"
All clean!

Isaac's 4th Birthday Party

2006-11-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

Kids everywhere! All the daddies took the kids out in the yard to start the party off.

Awesome new car from Jackson

All partied out...

Cool! A new coat! Thanks Mamo and Grandpa Victor!

"Happy Birthday Dear Isaac, Happy Birthday to you!"
Chowing down on cupcakes! It was a really fun party!!

Isaac's First Day of Preschool

2006-10-30T22:45:00.000-08:00

He was so excited! So was I- sort of. Can I really be old enough to have a kid in school? Don't answer that.

A day at the Lake

2006-10-30T22:34:00.000-08:00

They just looked so peaceful

Isaac cheeses for the camera after waking up daddy
After Church on Sunday September 3rd we decided to pack a picnic lunch and head down to Lake Padden for the day. It's one of our favorite places. After lunch Isaac wandered along the shore tossing rocks while I read a book and Matt and Max napped in the shade. What an awesome day!

MaryJane & Victor's stay

2006-10-30T15:42:00.000-08:00

Nothin' like an afternoon nap with grandpa!

Getting ready for bed

I'm a deadbeat blogger

2006-10-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

Wow. My last post ended with a comment about 3 month old Max. Now he is 5 months old. I guess you could say we've been a little busy. Matt started school at the end of September and is continuing to work at Alpha part-time. We don't see him much.
I am busy being a mom. I am also in MOPS leadership and heading up the design part of the building expansion and remodel at our church. As if that's not enough, I am making and selling handmade greeting cards for some much-needed supplemental income and I am taking a home-study course to get my real estate staging certification to go with my design degree from the Art Institute of Seattle. Sometimes I remember to breathe.
Isaac started preschool! I can't believe it but my baby can write his name now! That seems so simple- but it is really huge to a mommy! We celebrated Isaac's 4th birthday on the 6th of October with a big party- lots of friends came to his CARS party!
Max is actually grasping toys now, he likes to lock his legs and stand up ALL the time! He loves his exersaucer because he can stand up in it and turn around. He is also rolling over and he just graduated to eating rice cereal. He sleeps through the night now in his own room(otherwise known as my office)- which is GREAT. It won't be long and he'll be ready to move into his permanent bed- in his crib sharing a bedroom with Isaac. We just need him to be a little bit bigger before we can trust big brother alone with him.
Okay so there's your update- now I just need to start posting pictures!

Thanks for your prayers

2006-08-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

I will post pictures again soon, but in the meantime I just wanted to post on here thanking everyone for your cards, prayers, and phone calls over the last couple of weeks.

For those of you who don't know, Matt had a terrible accident while working on building shelves in our garage 2 weeks ago. He was cutting 2x4s on his table saw when the wood bound up and his hand flew off the 2x4 and into the blade. Needless to say it was pretty awful. The outcome is that the hand surgeon at the ER was able to work miracles putting his fingers back together, though after almost 7 hours of surgery he was still unable to save the tip of his thumb. It was his left hand and he is right-handed fortunately. There is a lot of damage and there will be a long road to recovery but he has already regained full movement and will probably regain most feeling (he severed nerves and tendons in his index and middle fingers and the surgeon was able to graft veins from his arm to reconnect things in his hand). It may be 6 months to a year before we know if the nerve reattachment will be successful. His thumb is amputated at the knuckle. He is in good spirits, though still on a lot of pain medicine.

He is such a great dad- he was determined to master diaper-changing one-handed and he has actually pulled it off. That and lots of other things too. He returned to work this past week. His productivity is a little lower, but not too bad. Matt is pretty determined to get back to normal and we all know that if Matt wants to do something you better just get out of the way.

If I wasn't SuperMom before I certainly am now! Matt's parents were here for over a week helping out with everything- I have no idea how I could have done it without them. There is something to be said about having family close by. Our church has also been an amazing source of love and support in so many ways. We are so blessed to be a part of the extraordinary church

family at Christ Church in Blaine.

All in all we are doing okay. We live each day in the knowledge that God will somehow provide. He certainly has so far. Blessings to you all and check back soon for more pictures of 3 MONTH OLD Max!!!

We're Back!

2006-08-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Need some light?
Fun in the Sun!
Stayin' warm at the campsite
Stayin' cool on the beach

Caught cuddling my Isaac!
Me and the love of my life
Isaac put the guys to work building him a sandcastle, but I think they were having more fun playing with his toys!

Camping with a 2-month old!?!? Crazy, right? No way man! It can be done and it was totally worth it! We had a great time with our friends Laura and Eric. We drove a long way to an awesome campground located right on the Washington coastline. So by night we camped and by day we sunbathed and built sandcastles. We got a little wet, we got a little sunburned, we got a LOT dirty and had a lot of fun doing it!

Food, Friends and Fun

2006-07-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

Mini-Matt
Our buddy Wilkie (AKA Dave)
Uncle Mat-Mat is getting better at this holding babies thing
Quick Dave! Put it back in!
First Dave (the other Dave) showed him how to use the camera...
...and then he took a picture of daddy, taking a picture of him!
This is 7 month-old baby Aiden, attempting to chew on his own foot (he is teething)
Aiden's mommy and daddy, Kieth and Tanya -she is holding Max
We had a great time visiting with some old friends that we rarely get to see! They all drove up from the Seattle area to spend the day with us! We cooked out on the grill and played with babies and just had some fun. Thanks for coming up to see us you guys!

Mommy and Max's play time

2006-07-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

I was going to pick one of these pictures for the last post but I couldn't choose just one- he is soooo cute! So they all get their very own post! These pictures were taken Thursday night, July 27th while I took a break from sewing some new "Cars" jammies for Isaac.

Just Hangin' Out

2006-07-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes this is the only way he'll go to sleep
Matt came home from work to a fussy Max that wouldn't (but needed to) go to sleep. Needless to say Mom handed him off right away!
Isaac gets to feed Max for the first time!
Hasn't been a whole lot going on around here lately. We just powered through a heat wave this past week and are definitely enjoying the cool down. These pictures were all taken last week. Just been too busy to post. We are heading out on a camping trip soon so we should have some more good pictures to share from that.

The Fourth of July at the Beachhouse

2006-07-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the Island community's 4th of July Parade

Party Animal

"Run away! Run away!"
"Come on Dad, let's light some more fireworks!"
Just enjoying the view
So Patriotic!
I suppose that's one way to play ping pong...
We spent the day at a Beach House on Treasure Island near Allyn, Washington. We had a great time with Matt's parents and lots of family friends. We played some games, ate lots of yummy food, set off some fireworks and watched an amazing display of fireworks going off all around Case Inlet (the body of water in the pictures).

Tom, Diane and Maddy come to visit

2006-07-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

"Who is this kid my mommy is holding?"
"See my baby brother?"
Catchin' up...
The kids squeeze in some playtime
"See the baby Maddy?"
When we were visiting Matt's parents before the 4th of July our friends Tom and Diane stopped by to meet Max. Tom and Diane have known Matt since high school and the four of us are good friends now- if only we lived closer! Their daughter Maddy just turned 2 in June. We had a nice visit and it was really good to see them again!