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!

chocolate... mmmmm

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

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

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

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....

... 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

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

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..

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

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