BOYS-They've got me Surrounded!!

Pumpkin Time!!

2009-10-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

Carving was fun this year. The boys all knew what they were doing except for Mason!! We had to help Mason and Logan a little this year. No pumpkin patch pictures this year with sick kids and Football, we just didn't get there. We all love this time of year.

Are you ready for some Football?!!

2009-10-25T17:17:00.001-07:00

The Lakewood Midget Cougar team ended the year with a 5 and 2 record. We will see what the playoffs bring. CJ played wide receiver and had some great plays!! He got the family number 22 this year. Sometimes he looked like a mini Uncle Todd out there on the field. It sure is fun to watch him play something he loves sooooo much!!

Happy Birthday to Me!! 100 things about me!

2009-07-19T19:46:00.001-07:00

Today I turned 33. That is me and my niece Sophia right before church today. Not to bad for a mom with a mini van!! Sophia and I painted our toes and fingers last night. I finally have a girl in my house for a couple of days so I had to do atleast one girl thing. Sophia wanted red polish with hearts but I just couldn't put red on a sweet little girl so I opted for pale pink and I found heart nail stickers. There were also jewels and butterflies and flowers. She picked a little of everything even though hearts are her favorite. It was really fun for me.

100 Things About Me
1. My favorite flower is the Tulip
2. I love the color red
3. I hate Yoga
4. I love summer thunderstorms
5. I love the smell of rain on a hot day
6. I have a nervous laughter
7. I like cooking and baking
8. I hate dusting
9. I love dancing
10. I love reading books to my kids
11. I can't live without chocolate chip cookies
12. Sad movies with happy endings are my favorite
13. I always have clutter on my kitchen counter and bedroom dresser
14. I don't like to watch movies or read books more than once
15. I love a good story that you don't want to put down
16. I love great teeth and smiles
17. I hate putting away the laundry
18. I love great photos and art
19. I have a great husband
20. I cry and snort when I laugh hard
21. I like paying bills
22. I like crossing things off a list
23. I am not a jewelry person
24. I love the warmth of the sun
25. I do not like the wind blowing on me for too long
26. I love playing games
27. I like to play basketball and softball
28. My favorite sport to watch is Football
29. My favorite show on TV is House
30. I wear fake diamond earrings everyday
31. I am not a pet person
32. I love musicals and plays
33. Give me cold glass of water
34. Coconut oil is my favorite moisturizer
35. I hate soda pop it makes my eyes water
36. I only like loreal mascara
37. My fridge calendar keeps me organized
38. I love getting mail
39. I am a shoe girl
40. I pick at my cuticles
41. I love quiet alone time
42. I also enjoy a good party
43. I hate exercise but I love it
44. I do not like giving the kids a bath
45. I love music and country is my favorite
46. I love football movies
47. I love spending a day at the beach
48. I hate packing and unpacking
49. My favorite date is golfing the par 3 course and dinner
50. I love Red Lobster
51. I don't like to look people directly in the eye
52. I love my own bed
53. I am always babysitting
54. Love m&m's and hot tamales
55. I like traveling
56. I hate my feet
57. I am obsessed with getting a flat stomach
58. I love being with family
59. I have great skin
60. For a split second in my life I wanted to be a female body builder
61. I would love to go to foreign countries to help people
62. am usually good with kids
63. want to try kite surfing
64. Really good at speaking in church
65. I love to sing and make music
66. I like pencils more than pens
67. I want to be a Kindergarten teacher
68. Would love to be a librarian
69. I like doing taxes
70. I had braces
71. I have never had a broken bone
72. I am a Army brat
73. I lived in Germany for 6 years
74. I wish I could speak spanish
75. I wish I could play the guitar
76. My kids make me crazy but I am crazy about them
77. I love making things grow
78. I love saving money
79. Am good with money
80. I am a pretty good speller
81. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
82. I love spinning in circles therefore I love the Teacups ride
83. I hate milk
84. My bathroom is always a mess
85. I am kinda shy
86. I read all the Hollywood gossip in the grocery isle
87. I like a clean house
88. It is hard for me to sit in a chair properly
89. I put my elbows on the table
90. I only learned a couple of years ago which side the fork should go I just could not remeber
91. I am very patriotic
92. I vote every time there is a major election
93. I have a weird belly button
94. I have a hot sauce collection
95. I love to blare the music and sing in the car especially on road trips
96. I taught my kids baby signs
97. I am teaching my kids to play the piano even though I never learned ( I guess I am learning with them.)
98. I use my public library frequently
99. I like to put my cold feet on my husband but I can't wear socks to bed
100. I hate bully's

Visiting Family in Lacey!!

2009-07-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

Logan

Mason

Kiana

Kate

Camille

We went down south to visit our new niece. Chris and Caitlin had a baby girl named Camille Emery Lynne McClellan. We also got to see Todd, Chad, Krista, Kate and the Lacey regulars. We spent a fun day at Long Lake.

Fourth of July!!

2009-07-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

We went into Oak Harbor for the fireworks show. We tried 3D glasses to see if it made the fireworks better but it didn't. The fireworks started late but the boys and there were 7 of them had no problem entertaining themselves with a little wrestling and rolling down hills. We actually had a race to see who could roll up the hill fastest.

Fort Casey!!

2009-07-19T17:55:00.001-07:00

We went and spent some time at Fort Casey while we were on the island. It was an old ww2 fort. We had fun exploring and playing Bocce,ladder ball, and flying kites in a big field nearby.

Camping Fourth of July Weekend!!

2009-07-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

We went to South Whidbey Island State Park for our last camping trip. Nate hurt his back right after packing us all up. He was walking around like a little old man but managed to get around with the rest of us. We went with our friends the Labrecque's. Fun was had by all!!

One of the days there was a slug race!! I know only in Washington right!! The boys spent all morning looking for the best and fastest slugs. Well they found a few bannana slugs. The slugs start by a rock and the first one to cross the circle of string surrounding the rock won. Cj's slug came in first place and Brenden's came in 2nd. They got a few slug bucks to spend at the campsite store. I guess the morning slug hunt was worth it!!

Random photos I took at the Lake!

2009-06-28T22:06:00.001-07:00

Hiking!

2009-06-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

At the campfire that night the boys decide to make a crawdad trap out of a milk jug and a plastic cup. They put some of our leftover scraps inside and in the morning we boiled up some crawdad. It tasted like Lobster. Who knew?

Sitting around the campfire! Eating smores!!

After the Hike we had a picnic lunch at the Chewuck River and Grandpa set up the Hammoc.

We started the Hike to a raging waterfall with a tree grandpa McClellan found. It had Moss hanging from its branches that looked like hair. Thus the beard pictures. It was an easy Hike but there were lots of good ground to explore.

Camping at Lake Pearygin!

2009-06-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Fishing for trout!! The first 2 days we didn't catch a thing but when we bought the right bait the fun began. We caught 5 in all and they tasted mightygood!!

Playing around at the shops in town!

The boys wandering at our campsite!

Cj and Logan at an overlook on the way to our campsite. Diablo Lake!

The bridge that freaked me out. I think mostly I didn't like seeing the kids on it that high up! They ficked bottle caps from the bridge to see how far they'd fly.

New pets

2009-06-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

I have never been an animal lover!! I like them but not in my house. Growing up in the military we could never have pets because we moved every 2-3 years. So, I am trying to be open minded about the Gerbils. Our first pets were given to us for free they were red bellied tree frogs.They died under a friends watch while we were on vacation. I was kind of glad because buying crickets all the time was a pain. Brenden then got a beta fish for his 6th birthday and he died a couple of months ago. Not a bad lifespan for a fish. Brenden shed some tears. Recently a boy in our ward was giving away his gerbils because he was moving. The boys begged and pleaded and I caved. I am trying to love the little rodents. They remind me of stewart little. The blond one is Houdini and the darker one is X-ray. Needless to say they have really been low maintenance. The kids can easily care for them and clean the cage. They sure love the little rascals.

Garden!

2009-06-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our garden this year. Nate made me two more boxes this year. We planted potatoes, peas, zuchini, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, bush beans, carrots, cilantro, pumpkins, garlic, green onions, tomatoes and bell peppers!! Everything is growing great so far. We even planted corn at a friends house. They have more land.

CJ's Birthday!!

2009-06-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

CJ had his 2 best friends spend the night. We had pizza, brownies and chocolate ice cream. They swam in the pool and played the Wii. Dance Dance Revolution was the big hit of the night. He received walkie talkies with flashlights for his birthday so a lot of time was spent spying and hiding in closets. They slept in a tent in the backyard and giggled about farting all night long. In the morning we took them all to IHOP for breakfast. The kids said it was the best party ever!!

Brenden's Birthday!!

2009-06-17T19:28:00.001-07:00

This year I was all about the at home small party!! Brenden had a friend spend the night. They swam and we went to dinner for free at the school PTA end of the year party. BBQ hot dogs, bouncy house, and DJ for dancing. Afterwards we came home and watched Mall Cop. Brenden was into the chocolate vanilla swirl so his cake was swirled and his ice cream!! In the morning Donuts!! This is special because we never buy donuts and they played the Wii. He got golf clubs from his mom and dad!!

Camping in Canada

2009-06-17T19:16:00.001-07:00

We decided to take advantage of crossing the border before the big change. Passports are expensive for a family of 6. So we went camping in Canada with friends for Memorial Day Weekend. We did a lot of hiking and eating!! It was a lot of fun and the water in the river was emerald green!! No one slept much the first night because of some fellow campers that were party animals and were doing donuts on the gravel road about 3 am. Needless to say they were kicked out and the rest of the weekend was fabulous!!

Just another sunny day!!

2009-05-12T13:42:00.000-07:00

What is more fun than eating popsicles on a hot day?

Nate's Birthday!

2009-05-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

Nate's Tennis Matches got rained out all week. Guess which day it was sunny! Friday, his birthday. The plan was to go to the temple and then out to dinner with friends but he had to coach Tennis. I went to the temple anyway and we met up with Nate afterward for dessert and presents.

Saturday was beautiful so we decided to go on a family hike and have a impromptu BBQ afterward!! We went to Old Robe Trail in Granite Falls. The old railroad used to go through there by the river. The boys had a good time scaveging old railroad artifacts and throwing rocks in the river. They all each caught a frog. A Boys paradise. Good fun and good exercise an excellent combo.

Before and After!

2009-04-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a little sneak peak at the first section of cabinets I painted!! They look so much better!! My kitchen is so much brighter!!

Easter!

2009-04-17T16:36:00.001-07:00

This year we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I guess we usually spend Easter with them. Anyway, Nate was driving a budget truck home full of my mom's furniture, with Chris Blume. They got home at 4:30am on Easter morning and the kids woke Nate up at 6:30 am. He was a little tired but we had a splendid Easter with the McClellan's. We hunted eggs, colored eggs, and ate eggs!! We also went to the cider Mill and had apple fritter's!! We even talked to the farm animals!!

Like Father, Like Son!!

2009-04-17T16:22:00.001-07:00

Enough said!!

After School Water Fight!!

2009-04-17T16:15:00.001-07:00

If it hits 70 degrees in Washington my kids think it is summer!!

OMSI

2009-04-17T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is the Oregon Science Center!! It had this fabulous toddler area!! We let Theresa take the big boys around while Tara and I sat and watched the little ones play for hours!! It was toddler heaven. An indoor sand pit and a ball area. Mason's favorite was the water area. He loved filling up and pouring out buckets of water!! Luckily they had vests and rubber boots for them to wear!! FUN! FUN! FUN!

More beach FUN!!

2009-04-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

This time Logan fell in the water!! We saw some sea cucumber and other creatures in the tide pools!! There was also a cost guard boat and helicopter. Apparently they do alot of training in that area!!

Aquarium in Newport!

2009-04-17T15:48:00.000-07:00

This day it was pouring rain all day long!! Outdoor Aquarium exhibits not so fun!! The giant Japanese crab was the big hit of the day and the sharks!! I was well prepared for the rain I do live in Washington!!

Tillamook Cheese Factory!!

2009-04-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

The tour was great but we went there for the ice cream!! In fact we went there twice just for the ice cream!!

On the beach in Garibaldi

2009-04-17T15:24:00.001-07:00

It was cold, wet, and windy at the beach!! Mason fell in the water in about the first 5 minutes!! I wrapped him in a blanket so the rest of the boys could explore. Needless to say we did not last very long!!

Oregon Zoo!!

2009-04-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

We did alot of kid fun during Spring Break!!My Friend Tara and I went to Oregon and stayed in her mom's house on the beach. Between the 2 of us we have 7 little boys. We were smart because we invited a 17 year old german exchange student to come with us. We had a lot of fun but were exhausted by the end of each day!! Uncrustable Peanut butter sandwiches saved us time and money on this trip!! Mason stared and stared at the baby elephant and his mama1!!

Elder's Quorum Pinewood Derby!!

2009-04-17T14:53:00.001-07:00

It was our Annual Pinewood derby and the EQ challenged the RS. So my good friend Tara and I decided we could beat the men. The pink sparkly decoupage is mine. Technically I would have gotten 3rd place had I tested my car on the track prior to the races. Unfortunately my weights were dragging!! Fortunately My good friend Tara won the race with her green goblin car. Nate placed higher than he ever has before. When the races were all over I put my weights on top and raced the top 3 and beat out Nate for his 3rd place. That was my whole goal and technically I beat him!!CHi Chow!!

Who is the coach?????

2009-04-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

I thought these pictures were so cute!! CJ was doing the exact same arm positions as the coach!! As soon as we took the picture he changed positions but I thought they were still good memories of the Basketball season. He is such a good Sport!!

Noah's Ark!!

2009-03-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

They put the cub scout's in charge of building an Ark for the Primary Activity!!The Mom's helped alot but it turned out great. And it only got a little messy!! CJ and his friends had a lot of fun since we made it into a family night which involved being at the church and Basketball!!

I looked out the window and what did I see?

2009-03-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

About 30 robin red breasts looking at me. I was washing the dishes the other night and happened to look up and see 15 Robin's hopping around my backyard. Then we looked in the front yard and there were about 15 more!! It was weird but the kids thought it great fun!! I must have a lot of worms or something in my grass!!

Eight is Great!!

2009-03-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

This is the challenge theme for the month of March. Well, I happen to have an eight year old who loves the number 8. Ever since he was in the womb he has been going to Football games. At age 2 he could throw a spiral. He lives and breathes Football. This year he happened to be #8 on his Football team. I believe he chose that # because the quarter back on the Seattle Seahawks, Matt Hasselbeck is #8. Win or Lose he loves the Seahawks and the #8. This year his Primary teacher gave him tickets to a Seahawks game for memorizing the 13 Articles of Faith. She just happened to have season passes and gave up one of her games for him. I guess she noticed his passion for football. We think 8 is great!!

Car Wash!!

2009-03-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more fun than a big bucket of soapy water and a sponge!

Stealing!!

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

CJ is having another great year playing ball.He has a really great coach and it is amazing how athletic he is. Eight year olds are just like mini-men they already know so much about the game. This year CJ has gotten into stealing. Stealing the ball that is. One game he got in trouble for doing it too much for his age level. He has got an eye for the ball!

Logan turns 4

2009-03-01T16:29:00.003-08:00

Logan turned 4 last week. He and his Uncle Chris have a birthday within two days of each other. Logan got to celebrate with Chris, grandma, and grandpa. After eating cake he went up to Grandma and said, "You make the best cake." He also got to celebrate with his friends. He has never had a friend party so this year he invited a few friends to go to 321 Bounce to play and then home for lunch which consisted of uncrustables with strawberry jam, apples, and cheetos. He had brownies and ice cream, presents, and goodie bags filled with bouncie balls, big balloons with the rubberband attached, yogo's, basketball chocolates, and bubbles. He had a really fun day and got really cool presents which keep him busy all day long!! He is a sweet heart of a kid. He is one that will just come up and give you a kiss for no reason. He loves to be out doing stuff. He is real social and would always love to have friends over. He does have a shy side though and does not like to be watched. He makes some crazy faces and I love his dimples. Happy Birthday Logan!!

The First Thing That Attracted Me To You...

2009-02-16T18:43:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law Sarah is always doing challenges on her blog each week! I decided I might try some of them. This post is one of the challenges for February. They aren't always challenges more like thought provoking reflections!! Anyway, The first thing that attracted me to Nate was his smile. Then came his sense of humor. Still to this day he can make me laugh like no other. He always made me feel comfortable and safe like home. I am at home when I am with him. I love Nate!!

The Literal Mind of a 3 Year Old!!

2009-02-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

Logan-"Mom, why does Brenden have a cough?"
Mom-"Because he is getting a cold."
Logan-"Mom, anyways, I'm not getting cold cuz I'm still hot."(as he touches the skin on his own neck)

Fun at home in Lacey!!

2009-01-16T19:21:00.001-08:00

CJ!

Logan!!

Brenden!

Nate and Mason!!

Kate Marie!!

Grandma's bubble time fun!!

Christmas Break Highlights!

2009-01-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

My new bros and sistas! Daniel, Emily, Christian, and Lauren!!

My mom and Stepdad TK

Uncle Todd and the boys!!

Waiting for the Bride and Groom!!

Sam and Cj at the Natural History Museum!

Mason at the Zoo!

Logan and Sophia at the Zoo!

Hiking at the Superstition Mountains!

At Arizona CHildren's art museum and playcenter!

We went to Arizona for Christmas and my mom's wedding! Had lot's of fun but also had lot's of sickness. Everyone except my family got sick. Needless to say, it was not the best Christmas ever but I loved being with my brother and sisters. Unfortunately my Mom was on her death bed and was rushed to the emergency room on her wedding day. The wedding started at 4 and finally they showed up after 7pm. She was severly dehydrated and exhausted. They pumped her full of IV's!! She made it through the wedding sitting down. I must say she did look beautiful and vulnerable at the same time. This should be one trip that will always be remembered. We ate too much, stayed up too late, and played hard the days everyone was well!! It was a great chance to meet my new Step Father and step siblings. I must say, I liked them all!!

First Day of Snow!!

2008-12-19T15:49:00.001-08:00

My computer is not letting me upload all of my photos. It keeps kicking me offline before they load. Making me crazy! It wasn't nearly 10 inches in these pictures yet!! Maybe another day you will geet to see Brenden and Logan!!

Let it Snow! Let it snow!!

2008-12-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

We are out of school early because of the snow. We have accummulated 10 inches and it is still snowing. The kids are loving every inch of it. We have made a snowman, snowfort, and found a hill to sled on. Mason likes to watch but does not prefer the snow. I just hope we will be able to fly to Arizona for Christmas on Monday!!

Santa, Naughty or Nice?

2008-12-14T17:46:00.000-08:00

Brenden, "Mom, Santa is not very nice!"
Mom, "Why do you say that?"
Brenden, "Because, he makes the Elves do all the work."
Mom, "Santa has other jobs like delivering the toys and checking the lists and stuff."
Brenden, "Yeah, but who do you think works harder? The Elves making toys or Santa standing around and talking?"

So what is the consensus everyone? Is Santa Naughty or Nice?