Easter and so much more...

Thank goodness for Easter Sunday,  we've been so busy these past few weeks that it's hard to keep up with everything.   But Easter weekend came right on time and along with it came general conference.  thank goodness.  i am so greatful to have a prophet of God here on this earth as well as many other leaders placed in my life to help guide me when i've gone off course.  it's so funny all the many different things people hear directed specifically towards them during conference.  this year for me was forgiveness and listening to my children.  i know there are many other people who listened intently to conference and probably didn't hear those things at all, but trust me when i say- it was screamin' loud and clear in my ear as if Heavenly Father was thinkin' i'm deaf.  i'd like to say i usually don't have a problem with the first, but those who are close to me know that i've struggled with one situation in particular recently.  so i did what i've was asked and i'm so thankful for His patience with me.  i love the feeling of weightlessness and freedom from the adversary's grasp when we do as were asked.  as for the second, i can see this as an answer to my prayers.  raising seth the right way so he can make wise choices and return to our Heavenly Father has been weighing so heavy on my heart lately.  i feel that i am ill prepared to protect him from the dangers of this world.  i think of my girls often, and want to be close to them.  i want them to know how important they are to me and feel i am there any time they need.  but instead i find myself living so far away and feeling like i cannot help them at all.  but the answers are there, they always have been.  And just like always, Heavenly Father patiently reminds me.  Read my scriptures, have daily prayer, and listen to my children.  Crazy how simple it is. 

On Sunday  LaRee and Chloe came over for conference and between the two sessions we had lunch and an easter egg hunt.  Lunch was simple and perfect.  Nothing too fancy- just potato leek soup with roast beef sandwiches.  The egg hunt continued the easy going pace of the day.  If i could sum up my Easter in one word, "perfect"- just the way i like it. 

easter egg hunting

yes, sometimes the bunny lays eggs in trees.. lol

my sweet boy

my silly niece

ninety

On April 3rd my granny turned ninety years old!  i cannot explain how blessed i am to still have a granny.  i love my granny!  she is one of the neatest people i know.  alot of the time when someone starts getting older they start losing some of their faculties... but not my granny!  not only is she the super sweet granny that makes you eat every time you stop by (hot chocolate and cookies are a must), but she is as sharp as they come.  she keeps up on current events and her memory is so keen that she can throw a story at you regarding most things you'd ever want to know about.  she is physically healthy and has an unprecidented love and devotion for her family.  there are many great and amazing people in this world  that i'd like to have similar trates to.. but i'd be thrilled if i could even be a hint of the woman she is. 

her name is Florence Emily Totten, and i'm lucky to be her grand daughter and have her name.

April Fools Day

Last Thursday about an hour before seth came home from school i realized it was April 1st,  and thought to myself "holy crap it's april fools day!".    i had two gullable boys primed and ready to be my fools and absolutely nothing planned.   So i called my friend Diana and this is what we came up with-

our faux dinner

the mashed potatoes and gravy were actually vanilla icecream, caramel, and a lemon starburst for a pat of butter.  the fish sticks were just vanilla wafers covered in peanut butter and crushed cereal.  the peas and carrots were candy i found in monroe. and the ketchup (not pictured) to go with the fish sticks was seedless strawberry jelly.  Had it not been for the potatoes melting from the "hot gravy" my boys would have been none the wiser.  We found these on a Disney family fun website- just one more reason to love Disney!

this was my faux"dessert"

Cupcakes made from meatloaf with mash potato frosting. They are a bit on the ugly side, it was a really bad back day.  These were awesome.  Shockingly my boys didn't even know they were fake while they were unwrapping them for their first bite.  Words cannot do justice in explaining seth's reaction- i am still giggling inside.  He was so excited to have a dessert dinner and then to get dessert afterward as well! what could be better!  As he sinks his teeth into what looks like a delicious strawberry frosted chocolate cupcake, the flavor of meat, potatoes, and onions envelopes his mouth...  lol.. he spit it out so fast and exclaimed "mom! there's something wrong with this cupcake! what did you do!".  He didn't even realize that it was meatloaf (one of his favorite meals).  i was laughing so hard i could feel the pain in my back pulse- but i didn't care... this was priceless!  I love April fool's day and i am so blessed to have such great guys to make my life complete.

the fastest dinner he has ever eaten!

my sweet hubby- finally getting to the meat of the dinner

Seth enjoyed the dinner so much that he requested a faux breakfast.  Here is another great Disney idea.  Eggs sunny side up on toast? nope.. toasted pound cake, with vanilla yogurt and an apricot half on top.  lol.. i loved his one and so did seth!

What a ham!

A few weeks back, Seth told me he had a speaking part in a musical the fourth and fifth grade classes were putting on at school.  A little bit in shock, my immediate response was, "really?".   Up until now Seth has always refused to do anything onstage, with exception of the school concerts where he is just another face in the crowd.  He's always said "i can't, i have stage fright".   So i assumed it was probably a small class project.  I was quite surprised when we showed up to the 1:15 program and the entire school was there.  And again at the 7:00 program, in which the entire auditorium was filled with standing room only.  The program was wonderful.  All of the kids did such a great job, the music was fantastic.  (So much so, that i woke up this morning with the song "go west" still ringing in my head)...  And there, right there, smack in the front of it all was my little monkey.  He was so excited to be a part of it,  that somehow he found his way to the front of every scene.  What a crack up.  The best way to describe it is just that he was a total ham!  I was laughing so hard the entire time that i had to brace the video camera on the chair in front of me just to keep it from shaking.  I am so proud of him conquering his fears.  I love my sweet boy!

Seth (middle) and two friends before the play-

seth was a trapper, cowpoke and a pioneer man

In the pictures below, look for him in the brownish-red vest

singing the "go west song"

seth as a "trapper", his favorite role

the finally, front and center...lol

(sorry it's blurry- blame it on my crappy camera)

Our post St. Patty's Day Party

 The weekend after St. Patty's day we had a small family style get together.  There ofcourse was lots of food but even better lots of friends!  The party started around 6:30pm and went on throughout the night.  We totally lucked out with the weather.  It was so warm/dry outside that we were able to host the get together on the back patio (with my new pretty lights).  It was great, lots of space for the kids to play- and no mess!  (lol... i know i'm not the only one who stresses over that). 

My Sweet Husband

Until now, i have always had a view of the mountains from my home.   In our last home this was the view from my kitchen.  I loved it! I always felt inspired to cook, clean and just felt alive!>>>

Since we moved to Bothell, this is what the view from my kitchen looks like>>>

Granted it is not a view of the side of some ugly building or some cranky neighbors, but still it's a small cement patio.  And i love the trees, i actually really love the trees.. However most of the time it is not sunny, but gloomy and depressing.  This was a rare moment today with the sun shining through the trees.   At night, instead of seeing the beautiful sky- i get nothing.  It's so dark,  it's like looking at a view of outer darkness.  On that note, my dear sweet husband took it upon himself (probably tired of hearing me fuss) to make my back yard just a little magical. 

he filled two of my trees (more to come) with white lights.  no, it really doesn't look like christmas.. but a magical wonderland (when i get some good pics i'll post them).  i am  so lucky to have such a wonderful hubby and now a beautiful backyard.

Our Last Pack Meeting

Seth (B and I)  has been working so hard on his scouting to finish all of the activities in his webelos book... and he finally did it!  Last Tuesday Seth was awarded his "super achiever" award in the pack meeting!  It really is quite cool, from what i've been told most kids don't finish all of the activites.  Although Seth looked a little embarrassed getting his award, I could see the excitement in his eyes.  I am just so proud of him!  Kickin butt in the pine wood derby is next and then on to 11 year old scouts!  woohooo!

Spring Concert

Seth has been working so hard and having a blast learning the trumpet.  We are so lucky to be in a school district with a band instructor that loves teaching.   Last week we were able to go to Seth's spring concert and see this first hand.  Seth is in first year band, but the concert also had 2nd and 3rd yrs as well.  We are so proud of Seth and can't wait to see how far he will progress.

all dressed up, what a cutie

waiting for the concert to begin (someone is sitting behind him and making it look as though he had huge side burns...lol  nice optical illusion)

the music was really great

after the concert with some of his bandmates/friends

who says two year olds are no fun?

I don't usually highlight my friends in my blog, but today is different... Before we lived in Bothell, we lived in Sultan, before that we lived in Maple Valley.  And that is where I met Alexis.  Alexis is an amazing mom (and a dear friend), to one of my favorite sets of twins, Greta and Evan.    Often I hear parents complain about how difficult their two year olds are (I know that every parent deals with frustrations, but I'm talking about the ones that make it a habit).  And occasionally we find parents who find joy in the daily challenges,  meet Alexis (aka super mom) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

She is the focus of my post because she is the type of parent that makes kiddy enthusiasts like me smile.  (by the way, you can threaten me later Alexis, but no, i'm not deleting this post..lol).  I don't get to spend nearly as much time with Alexis and the twins as I used to, and it's definitely not enough, but when I do I am always thrilled to see how well they are thriving. Greta and Evan are smart, polite, and silly!- and it is easy to see how secure they are with their world because they know they are loved.  And really who wouldn't love them?- they are practically perfect in every way!  Yesterday we had the chance to spend some time together feeding the ducks and going to the park.  There were so many great pics I got while we were together- here are some of the best ones

thanks for letting me share such a wonderful day with you all

cousins

Throughout our lives we are blessed to find a few people that become some of our closest friends.  And occasionally we find some of these people right in our own family, for Seth, that is his cousin Chloe.  I love, and I really do mean love their relationship.   They are so funny together, acting actually alot like twins (in the best way).  Most of the time they are best friends, some times they bicker, occasionally we find them innocently wrestling around like puppies and on the rarest occasion we can catch some of these moments in pictures.  The other day, Seth and I were up at Chloe and LaRee's (yes, Pat's too) enjoying some time together.  The kids were out on the back deck playing with their new puppies, deep in conversation.  Honestly, who knows what they were talking about (with these two it really could be anything!) and this is what I saw..  They were completely engaged with eachother, not caring what else was going on in the world.. someday, hopefully never, they will start noticing the rest of the world.. but for the moment, it was just them. Two best friends, the way family was meant to be. 

when the frogs sing

I love this time of year, the elements of spring are everywhere.  I know that this weather likely will not last, and that it is unusually warm- but it is wonderful.  The crocus, tulips, hyacinths,  and cherry trees are in full bloom.  The birds are singing and my favorite- the frogs are chirping.  I'm not sure if you've ever noticed, but every frog has a different song.  Currently we have two that sing to eachother in the green belt behind our house.  One creeks and the other croaks.  Listening to them sing reminds me of catching frogs in soos creek and the simple pleasures of my childhood.  I feel so lucky to live in this beautiful country of ours.

Blue and Gold Banquet...

So please let me start off with a bit of a complaint..> Not that getting ready for the blue and gold was stressful enough, or that it ofcourse didn't go exactly how my little brain had hoped... but my camera (Aaaahhh! makes me want to scream)  is the worst!  Every time i take a picture it either is blurry or refuses to snap the shot.  ugh... on that note, here are some of the best shots i could get (unfortunately) of Seth's very last blue and gold banquet for cubscouts.  I am so proud of him and how hard he has worked for all his pins/badges.

Seth carrying the flag out to start the ceremony

leading the pledge

We made "hotdog racecars" for the theme Birthday at the races

our friend, Brad Catlin, loaned us his real pine wood derby hotdog,

and my mom loaned us the silver cup for decorations.

I made 50 fleur de lis cookies for the kids to frost... yum

(thanks for the recipe jess)

B is subbing in as acting weblos leader until

they can find a permanent one.. gotta love 'm.

my amazing daddy came up to enjoy the festivities

the boys and i had a special presentation for the

parents and leaders.. kinda cheesy, but the boys made it cool

seth getting his faith in God knot (patch)

and other awards.. only 4 left!