Living the Fricke Life

Almost a year... ooops~

2011-02-11T19:37:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been almost a year since my last post. I cannot say how many times I sat down to the computer and tried to update. The longer I waited the more updates I needed to post. Trying to think of all the wonderful things that have happened without missing anything got to a point of overwhelming, until now. Now it's past that point.. now I feel like I can just list some of our highlights. So here goes- my list of super awesomeness for the year (please excuse if I miss any events).
*Pine Wood Derby
- our very last one for Seth's cubscouts. So sad but we made it a big one and had a blast!
*Seth got his Arrow of light
- pretty big accomplishment for our little man
*Brandon's birthday/Cinco de Mayo Bash
*Our big Utah/California trip
- Alyssia's highschool graduation (so awesome!)
  -Visiting Sabrina and her family
  - and ofcourse Disneyland! (I can never get enough)
*Seth finishing an awesome year of 5th grade
*Seth's 11th birthday
  - in may we surprised him by not going straight home from Utah but heading to California instead.
  -camping at Boulder Cave with his bf Connor
   -horseback riding for the boys (they loved it)
   -went into 11 yr old scouts
*Seth's horseback riding lessons
- his bday was such a hit we had him do a few more lessons over the summer.
*We finally got pregnant in July! We're due on April 8th
  -we are currently 32 weeks along (again, really bad on the updates)
- lots of ups and downs, too many to count really. so i'll sit down with a separte list sometime
-it's a girl!
*My 35 birthday
- ugh. Not something to write home about, but noteable just the same
*Moved, again!!
-We're still here in Bothell, actually only 3 minutes away from what I refer to as "the rat hole" (named for catching 16 rats in the last 3 months we lived there)
  -living in a beautiful home, I'm very pleased as a side note
  -Seth is now attending Fernwood Elementary in Mr. Weaver's class.  I'm still loving the Northshore school district
*All of the holidays were awesome
- I'll update pics separately
*Seth has started piano lessons again.
  -he's now taking lessons from Sister Gould who is wonderful!
  -I still cannot believe how talented he is
*Brandon has had another successful year with his business and trading
  -side note I am sooooo proud of him!!!
*The overrall year was fantastic!
  -I am more in love this year than last to my sweet husband
  -I feel so blessed to have such an amazing little man for my son
  -anxious, but excited for my little girl on the way (so weird I'm having a daughter)
  -love my friends and family and could not feel more blessed by my loving Heavenly Father

Easter and so much more...

2010-04-08T22:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-30T18:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-03-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-06T00:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

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...

2010-02-27T18:33:00.000-08:00

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!

chocolate... mmmmm

2010-02-27T14:10:00.000-08:00

I have been very blessed to be meeting some new friends in the area/ward here in Bothell. There are so many very neat women here with lots of fun activities.. lucky for me i was invited to go on a tour of the Theo Chocolate factory in the fremont neighborhood of Seattle with some of the ladies. I have realized now that chocolate really is a key ingredient of friendship..lol..

what's up with secret doors and chocolate factories?

we all got to wear these fancy new hats!

chocolate nibs- they sound good, but not-so-much... yuk

what is that? a wasted bucket of chocolate?

X marks the spot..mmmm

smiles all around

the final product..

all the girls.. and our "unique" tour guide in front

(she cracked me up)

Cupcake ideas for Jessyka

2010-02-27T13:18:00.000-08:00

For anyone else who is reading this post, it might not make sense without an explanation- Jessyka's little angel is having her big #2 soon and these are some cupcake ideas i thought she might like. Found them in a great book i bought, i highly recommend it to anyone (comes with mass instructions)

Hello, Cupcake! Irresistibly playful creations anyone can make
Karen Tack & Alan Richardson

seriously, this is one of my all time best book purchases- it's only $15.95 and totally worth every cent... and no, i am not a distributor..lol

Our trip to the Seattle Aquarium

2010-02-18T21:55:00.000-08:00

Talk about a beautiful day in Seattle! The sun was shining, the water was blue, and it was almost warm (somewhere in the mid 50s).. gotta love it. We've been wanting to get together with our good friends, the Swapps (from Sultan) for some time now, and we could not have planned out a better day for it. We spent the nice part of our day at the Seattle Aquarium, and the kids had a blast. We are so lucky they all get along so well. Ofcourse, Hollie and I don't complain much when we get to hang out either. It was such a lovely day, the only thing that would have made it better would have been the hubbies coming along too.

the view of the sound

aspen, seth, and tanner getting excited

horrible pic, great friends

on our way, parking was a nightmare

"I love you".. what a great kid!

Tanner

Aspen

my littlest buddy, Lindie

kids petting the furseal pelt

i'm so blessed.. i love my life!

What a nice weekend

2010-01-25T00:40:00.000-08:00

It's always nice when you can finish Sunday evening reflecting on "what a nice weekend" it was. I guess it wasn't anything in particular that made it so great, but the collective all of the nice events. On Friday night, Brandon took the kids (Chloe and Seth) skiing- so just like last year, girls night was on. LaRee and I had some nice quality time together and then enjoyed dinner and a movie with a bunch of our girlfriends from Sultan. Dinner ofcourse was at Benjarong. It's pretty much the default location for us to go. Lucky enough for me, it also happens to be my favorite Thai restaurant. Conversation was great as always, with the ladies updating eachother with their latest happenings and chiming in with opinions. The movie "Leap Year" was a sappy chick flick with some much needed acting lessons, but it was funny and left us smiling and feeling good. Overrall, it was just nice to hang out with good friends. The kind that take you as you are, quirks and all. Since we got back so late Friday night (had to wait for the boys ofcourse) we could do nothing else but sleep in late Saturday morning. Snuggling with my hubby as he was late for work and I late for my day was well worth it. By the time my day was in full swing, Seth and I were hurrying down to Maple Valley for the twin's second birthday. I still can't believe it. I know that I think it every time my kiddos grow older, but time really did fly for Evan and Greta. The party was wonderful. Their home was full of family, friends and lots of kids! And as always, the kids were the picture of perfection. It's not often you find 2 yr olds that are willing to share their home, eat with company around, and still have lady n' gentleman style manners. They really are such good kids. After that fun, we were able to pick up Seth's best friend, Connor for a sleep over. When we finally made it home, B was surprisingly there. We had dinner and then an all out battle between the boys and B and I. Seth didn't know his mom was soooo goooood. lol.. it took some convincing from Connor that mom kickin their butt was still alot of fun. Sunday was another easy going morning. Church was nice, met some new people and got to know a few better. It's a slow process, but still good. Afterward, B had home teaching, and the boys and I played Apples2Apples. You really cannot go wrong with that game, it's easy for any age. Taking Connor home, we thought our weekend had come to a close- but we got a chance to stop by our dear friends, the Hurleys, and chat for a few more hours before heading back to Bothell. Which leaves me here, eating a bowl of peppermint icecream and reflecting of what was truly a nice weekend it was.

the worst part about christmas....

2010-01-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

... has to be putting away the decorations. I finally have my house looking like a home and now it's time put it all back in the boxes. I guess I've been procrastinating long enough, but there is always Valentines. Let me know if anyone has any classy ideas. I've been looking online (mostly at martha stewart) but haven't found quite what I want. Anyways, since I have the options to post pics now- here are a few of my favorites from around our home on the holidays..

Good Bye 2009

2010-01-04T01:23:00.000-08:00

On a quick note- I'd like to thank any/everyone who tried to help my debug my blogger- Especially my sister in-law Tasha who finally figured out what was wrong with it! yah! now i can have pictures!!!!
December sure was crazy for our little family.   Brandon and I got our new callings in our new ward. He is the 14 year olds' Sunday school teacher, and I am a ward missionary. I was really surprised, I thought they would be the other way around. But I guess this is where Heavenly Father needs us to grow. December 17th, was our little Oscar's first birthday. It is so strange the emotions I struggled with this event. Should I be sad, should I not? Should I recognize the day, or ignore it? Obviously this would be hard for anyone desiring for more kids and then losing one. It is just confusing on how someone is supposed to feel about these moments in their life. So as odd as this may seem, we decided to celebrate. Although we may not have him here now, we will be blessed with him later. Our day went as follows- Brandon, Seth and I put flower's at his and his grandma's site, had dinner at a fun family restaurant throwing peanuts all over the floor, and then played lazer tag for the first time together, and finished it all off with much deserved sugar. At the end of what could be a very hard day, I felt happy. I love my family.   The holiday spirit although slow to start eventually came full throddle. Brandon went crazy decorating the outside of the house with lighting madness (i'll post a partial picture, but it does not do it justice), and I had a blast decorating our new house inside. Finally it feels more like home (until I have to take it all back down ;0( so sad).  Brandon gave us a wonderful surprise this year, taking us to the PNWB Nutcracker! I loved it! I love it every time I go!  But this time was extra special since Seth and I got to go with Brandon. LaRee and Chloe came along making the surprise that much better. We were lucky to spend yet another fun Christmas with my granny. I feel so blessed she is still in our lives, she is truly an amazing woman. Christmas Eve, and Day (evening) were spent with my family. It was very nice- mostly. We all know my complaints, so there is no reason to post them. ugh.   But overrall it was great seeing my family. Mark and Julee's kids are doing so well, and getting cuter every day. And ofcourse it's always nice to have my mom's amazing cooking. On the 26th Brandon's sister. LaRee, had his entire family over for another holiday dinner. It was a blast! I really do feel lucky that he has such an easy going family that all get along. We have new additions to our family this year. Carl and Tasha have little baby Devin (7 mths) who is a total charmer.   And Dave and Rebecca's youngest Madie just turned one. So now there are six little cousins from the Frickes... so great for Seth to be able to have cousin's so close to home. New Years was much the same as the 26th, except we had the Fricke family over to our home.  Some of the family had already gone out of town, but it was still a good size get together.  Seth was also very excited because his friend Connor (from Maple Valley) stayed a few nights. So Seth had his two best friends for New Years - Connor and Chloe (his cousin).  We did so many wonderful things together, our days are always full but at the end of the month, family always seems to be my favorite memory.  Thank you all for enriching my life- I feel so blessed to be sharing it with you!
   Have a Wonderful 2010! Love you- Emily


                                                                 Brandon's hard work

At the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker

Chloe and Seth doing there rendition of Clara and the Nutcracker

Some holiday pics from inside our home

1st is our front room, 2nd is the family room with the Wooville tree

Seth and his best bud at the Bell Square "Snow Flake Lane" holiday event

Bothell

2009-10-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

Barfell, or Awethull... is the new name for Bothell according to my Young Women in Sultan. I miss them dearly and my good friends over in the old neighborhood. It's not Maple Valley, but I couldn't be happier with the move. Our monkey is now so happy in an amazing school, he has a great teacher and has started band! We gave him two different choices for instruments, both of which were his dads'. The sax from his dad Sean, and the trumpet from his dad B. He chose the trumpet, which I think is easier and B is around to help direct. It's so cool to listen to him play. I really have no basis for an opinion, other than I am his mom.. but he picks up music so well. He had taken some piano lessons from our friends the Risenmays over the few spring months. We had to stop for a while because of the summer schedule and Allyson was due with their new son Logan. But I still find him playing songs on the piano and now fiddling with notes on the trumpet. I have always wanted a home of music, and I am loving every bit of it. Speaking of the home, it still is just a house as of right now. It looks like it has been flipped upside down, with STUFF that needs a place everwhere. We finally finished cleaning our beautiful home in Sultan for the next lucky family, and then Seth had the Swine Flu all week. Watch out! It's horrible! lol.. just kidding. Actually he had a very mild dose of it. His top fever was 103.7, but that was before tylenol. Otherwise it stayed between 99-100.5. For the most part, it was just like the regular flu. Unfortunately, we had it before we knew it and passed it on to our neice Chloe. Ooops. Luckily hers is just as mild. So back to unpacking, cleaning, unpacking, and cleaning I go... wish me luck.

Moving- that is the answer..

2009-09-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Well i guess this is it.. we are moving, again. ugh. It's all my fault ofcourse. I just can't get passed the fact that monkey will be in middle school next year with all the kids having sex and doing drugs.... yikes! Mostly i worry about the drugs. It may sound stupid, but if it were just a few kids doing pot.. i don't think i'd worry about it. But no, it's meth.. and it's not just the kids- it's the kids who go home to their parents who are also doing it. So, it's time to move. I'm sad to go.. We are leaving our perfect home, in the perfect spot of the perfect neighborhood, with the perfect neighbors.. But man am i excited for his new school!!! I can't wait! We'll be in the Northshore school district, in an amazing school.. and, he gets to stay in elementary through the 6th grade! wooohooooo! no middle school, i get one more year of innocence. Now we just need to pray we get that right fit, with the teacher who'll help his enthusiam for school come back.

fingers crossed XX

to move or not to move? that is the question

2009-09-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

not sure if anyone remembers the song in which the line says, "should we stay or should we go now. If we stay there will be trouble, if we go will there be double?"... anyone? yah. Well that's how i'm feeling. I am in the middle of a huge decision and the anxiety that goes with it. We live in the perfect home, in the perfect spot of the perfect neighborhood.. for that i could not be happier. But there is a BUT. That comes into play with the school. Most everyone knows how i feel about the school. We have found an amazing school and ward. Only problem is the neighborhood. the new house itself would be just fine, not as amazing as our current home- but we cant have everything.. I guess the biggest issue is the street is busy, and there are lots of kids- they just don't play outside. Our backyard is a cement patio, but that is rivaled with a small park being next door and a green belt behind us. Ideally, i'd stay here and drive monkey to bothell (30-45min) .. but they don't allow transfers. ugh.. i know i'm rambling, but this is my brain at the moment.... Help

double digits

2009-06-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

it's not uncommon to hear people say, "it goes by so fast", or "blink and they'll be grown".. but seriously- who knew that ten years would go by that fast. i certainly didn't. I think i'm still in a little bit of disbelief. Sunday was Seth's 10th birthday. He likes to laugh at me while i fake cry about my baby growing up. He tells me he's no longer my baby-boy, but my young-man. there will never be another single digit birthday for my little man. And as he and his two friends are having their birthday sleepover spectacular, the reminders that they are older than i'd like are a constant. Things that regular boys talk about, that i am so not ready for. Like noticing the scantily clad pop star on the cover of a magazine or movie title at the store- and we don't even want to go into where the conversation of "sperm whales" went. holy-moly i'm so not ready for this. just a few more years of innocence is all i ask..

SIlly people

2009-06-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

okay so this is a completely retarded picture of us, but we were having so much fun. (at the children's museum of seattle with jessyka's family-keaton is the little robot behind seth's hand)

Well it's about time....

2009-05-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

Not sure how many of you know this but i have been a bit of a slacker at getting my named changed. I know there are no excuses good enough to not have had it done, and no it's not because i didn't like my new last name... actually i love it! i swear i was born for this name. i've just been slow.. but it's done! yahhhhh! just thought i'd share that... hope you are all having a great day!

it's been awhile

2009-05-20T21:32:00.001-07:00

it's been a while since i've made any posts... most of you are my close friends and already know the details of my last 9 months. So i don't really feel the need to add any of the past details on here. Maybe that's dumb, who knows. I've never been one to aire my feelings into a diary. But i figure it's time to start blogging again.. maybe this time i'll be better at it. So on to where we are right now... Since we moved to sultan we've started making some great new friends. Funny enough, one of them was already in our family. Crazy as it seems, she has fast become one of my closest friends. Oh...lol. today was a big day... I finally changed my last name! That may sound stupid, but it's been a struggle to get done. Today was the dol and tomorrow the ss. dept. Soon it'll be finished, yah! And just before our 2 year. Brandon and i are still doing great. Still getting to know eachother which can sometimes be frustrating, but also in the newly wed faze- which.. yah. good stuff. hmmmmm... yah. Seth is doing well. Almost done with the fourth grade, and ready to move onto fifth. I can't believe how big he is getting. No shoes on he's 4'7". He says his legs hurt alot, and his pants getting short look like a telltale sign of a growth spirt coming on. Oh.. Jess and the kids came up a few weeks ago. What a blast. I feel bad we couldn't do too much with my back and finances, but it was so nice having her here. Not to mention how freakin cute her kids are! they should come back soon,,,,,hint hint. Summer will soon be here, i can't wait to get out and play!

A week or so of fun...

2008-08-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

Wow.. we had ALOT happen this last week.. I'll try to be brief. We went camping with family up at Anthony lakes. (grand ronde specifically).. And we had a blast!!! We finally got to meet the youngest member of our broadening family, Kayleigh. (Jessyka's newest little gem). What an absolute doll! We had some much fun spending time with her little family and the rest of the cousins as well. I got alot of pics, but yah, none are uploaded yet.. i'll post some later. Anyways, had one of the best bday experiences of my life! Finally learned how to fly fish, and caught almost 100 trout!.. it would've been more but the fly fell apart..lol. Seth had some much fun. He learned that he can make an Osprey sound, and was calling the birds.. pretty cool. Also the little cousins were acting like their own wolf pack, howling alot. Much to the shagrim (sp?) of the older adults. On the way home, we stopped by the Darigold factory and had some yummy icecream. Seth chose blue bubblegum and i had strawberry lemonaide sorbet. yummm. I think the only thing that would have made our trip better is if dad (brandon) would have been able to make it.. but, you know he does have to pay for my vacations.. lol... ok, not funny.
Right now Seth is having a blast over at Chloe's house, his cousin. We were able to have her for a few days this last month and now LaRee is returning the fun. The two kids are just best little buddies. It's so nice to finally have cousins... not to mention, his age and fairly close by. Hopefully, when we buy a home, they'll be much closer.
Brandon has been hard working. Lots of late hours as he tries to cram in as much time before he gets back in school. Which should be at the end of September. One more class at BCC and then onto the UW... woohooo! i'm so proud of him.
As for me.. hmmm.. pretty good i guess. Today is the big #33. Doesn't seem much different than the big 32 though. Highlights of my day- Went to work with the twins and Alexis bought me lunch.. :0) thanks! Her mom was lovely as always and gave me some funky "not white" socks.. made me laugh inside that Alexis thought of such a creative idea. Also a beautiful pic frame. A bit afterwards, i was able to meet my new niece and nephew for the first time. Not sure if i can put their names on here.. so we'll call them mark and julees kids for now. They are so cute! J was super tired, but Julee is such a natural he seemed right at home in her arms.. The little D- now she is funny. We had a blast playing together, and learning all sort of important things.. like sticking our tongues out. lol So all in all a pretty good day.
As for Bertha, aka period o' de yuckiness.. She hasn't reared her ugly head yet.. I'm not getting excited though. Not until i see 2 positive tests. (we had 1 before but it didn't hold, ugh) Today is day 32, i should have seen it by 30-31. But a couple of days is not anything abnormal for me. heck, a couple of weeks isn't either i guess. So not much to do but wait... and wait...

Here's to hoping

hmmm... sigh

2008-08-18T00:26:00.000-07:00

Well tomorrow is another "big day".. again. We'll be going in the morning to try another iui. I'm not sure whether to be excited or not... i guess that's because i don't want to get too let down if nothing comes from this one. Maybe i should have more faith.. even though, i feel that i have alot. just not in the timing i guess. I'm tired of clomid. wow, am i tired of clomid.. all the emotional, hormonal junk.. not to mention the physical changes. Today my feet were swollen.. bizarre. It really wouldn't be that big of deal if i were pregnant, but.. yah. Head trips.. one day i feel like we really really should expand our family, and then the next i don't.. Our little family is already so perfect, and i try to convince myself that its no big deal either way.. i just wish i was better at the convincing. hmmm.. yah. too much rambling. I'm tired, i should be in bed sleeping.. but that doesn't seem to be working either.
Today was a good day for hubby though. We seemed to click really well, laugh alot, and overrall enjoyed eachothers company. We worked in the yard after church.. got alot done, i'll post pics later.
As far as Seth.. he's such a good kid. However he has been testing every boundary lately. I'm tired of arguing.. i know that this is not his normal sweet self.. just wish i could figure out what is wrong..
Oh well... tomorrow's another day...........

New at this....

2008-08-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Well i guess i'm going to have to cross my fingers, as this is the first post to my blog.. i'm still trying to figure it all out... thanks for the info jess. We'll see how this turns out before we actually enter some real info... lol.

wish me luck!