I tweaked my knee about a week ago while running on the treadmill--and then again fell off of the sled over christmas weekend acting like a teenager. I am 35--and in my head I am still young--my body on the other hand is getting older--I notice those little things like those aches and pain your parents complained about at this age.
I hate the feeling that parts are not working as well as they used to--I am the type of person who likes to go go go--this whole knee thing has slowed me down. it really sucks
I called to get into to see orthopedics--the soonest they could get me in is january 14th--hmmm
hope i can walk until then..

sledding

we went sledding on friday at a little hill by grandma's house. all of the kids loved it except laken--he didn't want to have anything to do with all the clothing and the snow.

dan and my annual picture by the christmas tree--I should look back and try to find the past 4-5 years and post them too.

we opened presents tuesday night the 23rd at our house. the kids were soooo excited. we had junk food for dinner with as many candy and cookies as we could eat---

snow coming down

It is so good to be home
there is nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed, opening your own refrigerator, and using your own bathroom. it's just the simple things really
christmas was nice--it didn't start out so well
we left medford around noon on christmas eve to make our way to bend. it was snowing heavily for a lot of the way but dan grew up driving in this kind of weather so usually I have nothing to worry about.
we got pulled over for speeding of all things about halfway before we reached bend--dan was doing 66 in a 55. the officer didn't spare us a ticket either--147 smackaroos--already doubling our expenses..
we reached bend around 4:30--it took us about an hour longer then it normally would to get there. found out last minute--two of our nephews were going to be at christmas eve--that we didn't buy christmas presents for--so we stopped at ma jo's store and bought lottery tickets.
christmas eve included 16 of us--opening presents, eating, and watching the snow come down in huge flakes.....

we are heading off to bend tomorrow after I get off of work. forecast says we will be heading into freezing weather--it has been in the negatives there at night. brrrr--time to drag out the snow boots--don't think I've put my feet in them in 3 years
we always spend christmas eve at dan's mom's house--this will be number 6 that gemma, brecken, and I have been apart of. It is nice to have some family so close--not my mom or sister but people who we love and who love us. what a blessing to be able to spend time with each other and share christmas together.
My mom recently moved to Iowa--near my sister--it really seems like a million miles away. I miss them both the most around holidays. we spent so many holidays together--took them for granted at the time. One of these years we will all be together again.

we made christmas sugar cookies today. I bought a huge roll of sugar cookie dough and tons of sprinkles, sparkles, ect. the kids had a blast sadie especially--she decorated every last cookie until they were all gone. she wanted to make the cookies in her christmas dress but i managed to talk her out of it. whereas laken didn't want to wear anything while decorating cookies

snowman

sadie and dan made a snowman a couple weeks ago and used up most of the snow in the yard. the snowman still remains but is now lying on his side and most of his parts have fallen off. rarely do we get snow in this area but we sure enjoy it when we do....

neither of the kids wanted to get near santa but bribes of candy, cookies, and anything I could think of did the trick

it snowed today--on and off all day but it wasn't cold enough to stick. I know sadie was disappointed as she is bound and determined to make a snowman sometime this winter. We took the kids to the mall to buy gemma a few things at her favorite store Justice for christmas, and then let the kids run off some steam at the play area.

We decided to take the kids to Sharis for lunch as a special treat--

the rest of the day was lazily spent napping (laken and I) and lounging

sadie fell asleep in daddy's arms around 7

and you thought I was kidding when I said the kids are hanging on me all day long..

life has been or hectic and frantic lately--we drove to bend last weekend and stayed at the shiloh inn--saturday night. I had just enough thank you points on my expedia credit card to get a free room. the hotel clerk upgraded us to a room on the river--how nice was this free room!!! a fireplace, 2 comfy queen beds, and a pull out sofa. we also had a little table and chairs to play phase 10 on at the end of the night. staying in a hotel was a huge treat. grandma and papa so graciously kept sadie and laken overnight so dan and I were able to fully enjoy gemma and brecken.
My wonderful husband did destroy the toilet at one point and we had to have hotel maintenance come unclog the toilet--and in the process he broke the handle off the toilet--Lovely
we had to change rooms--luckily it was the exact same room only one door down
we went swimming in the hotel pool, ate at a local yummy pizza and salad bar buffet, watched a little tv, ate dinner at johnny carinos, and played phase 10--really just a wonderful experience.
in the morning we had breakfast at the hotel, went swimming again, ate lunch at carl jrs, and went to see city of ember at the local mcmenamins theater. the theater is filled with couches and comfy chairs--you can drink beer, wine, and mixed drinks while watching a movie and order tons of different food if you want.
we were going to stay one more night in bend but after we picked sadie and laken up--we decided to drive home and get the littles back into a routine. laken loves his routine......

laken is a funny little guy. recently he has been seen carrying his sister's purse around on his shoulder and last night he insisted on bringing his sister's my little pony with comb to costco with us. dan would love for him to sport toy guns and little cars in place of these things but look at who his favorite role model is----sadie!!

bathtime tonight--laken is obsessed with sadie's jewelry--he looks like a little girl here. I recently bought a huge container of mr bubbles only to discover we have gone through most of it.. hmmmm

a rare photo of dan and I at an after thanksgiving party--sadie and laken came with us and did very well--playing wii and running around like wild indians.

being 4

sadie's new thing--grandma bought sadie's baby a walker saturday while we were shopping..sadie recently tied a scarf to the walker and drags it around wherever we go. yesterday at fred meyer we got quite a few smiles and looks as she pulled her baby around the store.. she is only 4 once...

all by myself

here I am all alone at home watching Annie--well not alone--laken is in his crib upstairs
how did that happen you may ask? grandma and papa just left with gemma and brecken to head back to bend. dan and sadie went to a bike shop to check out the sales. It hasn't been this quiet in days. I appreciate it yet it just totally sucks that the kids had to leave--we had a wonderful thanksgiving this year!!
after we woke up this morning I remember I had stashed some flu shots for gem, brecken, and laken as they haven't been immunized this year--I did give them the choice of flu mist or shot..except for laken of course. gemma and brecken both chose a flu shot and didn't complain one iota when mom gave them their shots... they are getting so big. Laken watched everybody and was willing and ready to get his but didn't like it so much when he finally got it--poor guy.
it is gray and foggy today--40 something degrees--perfect weather for staying inside--I think the littles are getting a bit stir crazy lately.

the last of them

waiting to eat..............they look like they are in pain eh?

t'giving

the one day a year that feels like it lasts only about 15 minutes

thanksgiving has come and gone AGAIN!! my husband was surprisingly crafty this year--printing up bingo games for the kids--while watching the macy's parade--for example some spaces included santa claus, a marching band, the grand marshall......and then when we sent him to the dollar store to pick up some dice as our yahtzee game was fresh out--he picked up a piece of poster board and wrote thanksgiving on it--everyone proceeded to write what they were most thankful for off of the letters--way to go hubby!!

sadie had her thanksgiving program at preschool--I was unable to go but dan took mega pictures

here are a few

sadie and her preschool teachers with her turkey hat...sadie LOVES her school

Dan and I have been working with Sadie on trying to teach her about the value of money and earning that money doing little chores, keeping her room clean, waking up with a dry pullup.....
she absolutely loves being mommy's little helper--and she really does a good job at whatever she is given to do
a few days ago--I told sadie she needed to go clean her room--
sadie: Laken, do you want to be my helper and help me clean my room?
laken: otay sadie
off they went upstairs.....
sometimes on a perfect day--they warm my heart with their love for each other

love this picture--I tried for 10 minutes to get laken to smile and look at the camera--when he finally looked up and said "cheese"--dan looks like he is drunk out of his mind...

dain/sadie

dan and I had a couple over for dinner saturday night--they have three children--one of which is their's together. dain is 4 and sadie and he absolutely adore each other. dain had to wear brecken's spiderman costume and sadie put on her halloween witch costume... they played the entire night without eating or getting into a fight.

there are so many scenic spots on my route from medford to bend--which i drive 2 times a month at least. I finally stopped at a beautiful stream with falls--I am trying to do better with my camera--I want to be really good--and the nature shots are my total favorites. there is a class coming up in the spring I might try to get into--there are so many thing I need to learn about speed, settings......

can you believe gemma and brecken stayed in the car and played video games while I hiked around basking in the beautiful surroundings. kids!!

fall

what a beautiful fall day--the sun is shining and it is warm

I smell thanksgiving in the air--my favorite holiday

dan is doing yardwork and sadie is raking leaves

I love fall

surprise

My mom called me a few days ago to inform me that she and her husband- terry are planning on moving to Iowa. currently they live in small town in northern washington. terry might possibly lose his job in the near future--and there would be no reason to stay in the area except that terry's son and daughter live nearby.
they found a farmhouse in Iowa--near my sister--that sits on 7 acres for 75,000 dollars.
needless to say this news came as a shock to me--
I am happy for my sister--if everything works out--she will only be a few miles away from my mom.
I miss being near my family--at one point we all lived within 5-10 miles of each other
at that point we didn't really appreciate each other and spend as much time together as we should have. only after I moved away did I realize how special that family/sister bond is.
I hope it works out..

I am obsessed with the author Stephanie Meyer and the Twilight series--the plot revolves around vampires and werewolves.. the books are targeted at the younger generation but I just love them
the movie Twilight comes out November 21st--doubt it will be as good as the book

Laken sits in the middle of his race track for hours--watching the cars go around and around. dan and I alternate his train set and his race car set. we have gone through a case of double a batteries I do believe--keeping the darn cars running

movies

dan and I took all 4 kids to see madagascar 2 yesterday. determined to save a few buck we drove to the cheaper theater in white city about 15 miles away from our house only to discover it was sold out. I guess other people has the exact same idea. the matinees are all 2.50--so it would have cost 15.00 for my family to see a movie. needless to say the littles were very disappointed--laken had a small tantrum just to show us how disappointed he really was
we then drove to the large expensive theater in town where there were plenty of seats available
33.50 to get in--holy shit
the movie was cute, laken did well--except he was loud at times and clapped his hands for everything--i had stashed redvines, whoppers, gummy fish, m and m's, and other assortments of candy in my big cookie lee tote so we were well supplied.
we had to get popcorn of course and some sodas
50 plus dollars later....

play doh

sadie loves playing with play doh--she got a haircut today and was just amazing--no complaints and just a perfect angel. Laken wouldn't have anything to do with the stylist....I told laken sadie was going to have pretty princess hair and he would just have crazy man hair

sometimes I feel like I am not important or significant in my husband's life. dan is a wonderful person and would bend over backwards for any of his friends or relatives--even for those people in his life who are not there for him.... yet--where do i fit in the picture? I just feel like I am last on his list all of the time
at this point I don't want romance--just some action to show that I am number one
for example I took my team oregon motorcycle class a few weeks back and I asked him many times to pick me up some motorcycle boots..
friday night I come home from work--dan--were you able to pick my boots up? no, the kids were being really bad so we didn't go.
my husband is a motorcycle parts rep for god's sake --i should have the coolest, chic, bike gear ..

not a month ago--he managed to get his dad a zillion different bike parts and ship them to prineville with complaint at all.
dan did get my motorcycle boots--after I wore snow boots to my first motorcycle class to prove a point.
I think about dan all of the time--if it is just filling his car with gas before he drives somewhere the next am or renting a dvd I know he will like--he is constantly on my mind and it just really hurts to think I am never on his

laken in action

my babies

coffee

I am a huge coffee lover truth be told
and not just the black swill my husband drinks. I like the flavored creamers that go in the coffee like pumpkin spice, or vanilla caramel--now they have a chocolate raspberry creamer out--yum
my ultimate favorite this time of the year is eggnog--to die for
I would compare a latte in the morning to a good book
with money being tight--I have been TRYING to cut back
I am just going to pray I get lots of starbucks giftcards for christmas and my birthday....

halloween

halloween began like this. Laken didn't want anything to do with his costume--"don't want to" he said over and over. he didn't want his pirate hat on or to hold his sword--I guess this is the before picture

not 10 minutes later--he was smiling and ready to go---still no hat or sword

goal

I have a goal--it is a hefty goal --yet it is something I want with all of my being.
Dan and I want to move back to bend. I think we wanted to move back within the year after moving to medford.--but alas--we were stupid and bought a house instead of renting.

now three years have gone by--we are upside down on our house--things are looking really bad for selling our house.
so our plan is to rent our house out--and rent a house in bend. foremost--we must have large amount in our savings account before this can play out.
our goal is one year from now--having enough savings to return to bend.
I feel like a giant weight has been lifted from me--

Dan and I had a nice weekend with Gemma and Brecken. how different it is to have 2 kids who sleep in and occupy themselves for hours at a time.
they do have one similar characteristic as sadie and laken---they can't sit beside each other without poking, kicking, hitting.....and they are even worse then the little ones at times.

Brecken got his heeleys that he has been wanting and wasted no time in breaking them in. we had a huge lunch at a chinese buffet (brecken's choice), did a little shopping, and rented the hulk to watch while eating our chocolate fondue--we dipped bananas, strawberries, marshmallows, and pretzels.....
I drove them home on sunday and picked up sadie and laken from grandmas. what a short weekend it was.

I love this tree

laken

recently Laken has developed an empathetic side to his personality
anytime I say ow or hurt myself in anyway Laken is at my side--"mommy are you otay? are you otay?" next he places his hands on either side of my face, looks me deeply in the eyes and plants a big kiss somewhere on my face
I can't get enough of this

one of my favorite things about fall........................

littles are going bye-bye

Laken and Sadie are going to spend two nights with grandma and papa this weekend--this kind of stay is old hat for sadie--she has been spending the night there since she was 6 weeks old.
Laken on the other hand is a different story--he was fussy and had colic has a little guy so absolutely nobody wanted to watch him for any length of time.
he has slept in dan and my bed maybe 2 times in his life. he loves his crib and his structured life with naps and bedtime--
I am a little apprehensive as to how the visit will go--it is not like grandma can call me and have me pop over--we are 3 1/2 hours away
but if it goes really well this may open doors for more visits and a real live vacation for mommy and daddy
crossing my fingers....

happy birthday brecken

My little man is 8 today--how the time just disappears

I still remember my water breaking about 8 am on Sunday october 22nd--8 years ago. I woke up in the am to go to the bathroom and I started gushing fluid everywhere--kind of freaky when that has never happened before--I took a shower while nathan called my doctor--we went in and I got hooked up and started the labor process only to have a c-section about 6 o'clock at night--I remember it was a rainy, dreary day and a perfect day to be inside having a baby:)

brecken is my sensitive child--he feels for everyone and is just a little empathetic guy. He loves his puzzles, reading, games..and can't find his shoes EVER--I love you Brecken

pumpkins

what happened to October? I blinked and it was already three quarters of a way over--and we had yet to make it to the pumpkin patch. Sadie had gone with her preschool class but it just wasn't the same....so on tuesday sadie, laken, and I went to seven oaks farm to check out the pumpkins......laken found a pumpkin just his size