I tend to stay away from my blog in stressful periods of my life and almost have an aversion to it at times.--like it is a chore that needs to get done and is another procrastination in my life. I do enjoy it most of the time--it is dumping my problems and parts of my life into the computer and releasing my feeling and emotions onto a blank screen.
we are in financial woes--we haven't been able to make the payments on our house in central point in two months and it doesn't look much better anytime soon. I don't think we can dig ourselves out of this hole.
on another note--I am a car accident magnet--I ran into another jetta tonight after work--such a small tap on the rearend driven by a teenager who had recently just gotten three appraisals for the car accident he had been in last week. He told me he would look at the car in the morning and see if there was any damage but wouldn't file a claim if it was minor. third accident in under a year--all my fault--not paying attention and always in a hurry. must slow down my life somehow.

i'm back

My mom told me today that I needed to update my blog sooo here I am. Now that Christmas is over I can take a breath and focus on things other then christmas cards, shopping, baking, and wrapping. Sadie and Laken finally went to bed--and Dan and I have a couple minutes to unwind and eat pie--hee hee.

we didn't have any snow but everything was iced over this am when we woke up so it looked like it had snowed. dan and I took the kids to cloudy with a chance of meatballs at mcmenamins--can't beat a movie for a dollar.

we also dechristmatized today--not exactly sure if that is a word

here are a few christmas pics

my husband is in dire need of his own dirt bike

wow--time has flown since I last blogged--and I am not sure where it went. Life in bend is better then I ever could imagined--school conferences, soccer games, homework, art shows--I feel so blessed to be back here---just mundane everyday life is a million times better.

working full time is hard--enough said

we went to a pumpkin patch last weekend that was excellent fun for the kids--hayrides, pony rides, carnival games, and yummy food. there is nothing quite like warm caramel corn fresh out of the popper:0

sadies birthday cake

ahh some quiet time

we have had a rough go of it this week--Laken has been sick with a cough/fever for the majority of the week a "viral illness" as the pediatrician told us on wednesday. dan has stayed home with him until this morning --he needed to work a little bit this week and we thought he was on the mend. this morning he was warm again and I could tell he didn't fell like himself but I had no place to take him and as my job is brand new I can't really call in. poor guy--I bribed him to go to school by telling him he could play with legos--which there is a big lego table. I felt horrible because I know I should be home with my baby when he is not feeling well. I was able to take off at lunch and pick him up ( he did great). now--he is working on a three hour nap and I can rediscover the computer. dan and I have gotten no sleep this week as laken has been up and down at night. there are no groceries, the house is a disaster,--I don't think I brushed my hair today. I can't wait until Laken feels better and things are back to normal ( for a minute).

Sadie Gray Hollingsworth is 5 today---9/9/09
she was born at 7:50 am via planned c-section. I remember walking into the hospital for my appointment to have a baby:) the morning sprinklers were going off and it wasn't quite light. Sadie was 7 lbs 10 0z and 20 inches long and had a ton of brown hair. from the minute she came out she had daddy wrapped around her little finger and still does!!!
Happy Birthday Sadie--my little puppy wannabe

My dear friend robin and her little girl simone came to visit me this past weekend --they were staying in sunriver with friends. Laken and Simone did well for their first playdate. Simone loves her babies and laken is all boy but they managed to mesh pretty well. Simone is so cute!!

My mom came to visit and help me out with babysitting this past week. dan was doing his training in wisconsin) I think she played candyland with laken more in one week then she has in her entire life:) what a huge help she was--THANKS MOM!!
whenever I get to spend time with my mom and sister it makes me appreciate how valuable family is--we are hoping to go spend a week in Iowa this fall if everything falls into place--the whole family traveling together via airplace will be a new experience--laken has only flown once as a baby--and sadie only a few times but not in a very long time. gem and brecken are seasoned travelers--I think gemma flew 4-5 times just in her first year.

dan and I managed to semi butcher little mans hair--he thinks we are killing him when we give him a haircut--and always freaks out. he has the coolest hair tho---reddish blonde with really cool highlights--

dan always says if he would have had laken's hair he would have been somebody--:)

My mom is here visiting for a week--she just happened to arrive when we are having a 2 day heat wave--it was 100 today and of course we happened to rent the only house in town that doesn't have ac.
Dan is in Wisconsin for training until monday and mom is here to help out with the kiddos while I continue to adjust to working fulltime...
thanks mom

laken saw his shadow yesterday and said "that's my laken mommy"
awwwww--how sweet

hike at tumalo falls

we went on a GORGEOUS hike today at tumalo falls. unfortunately the kids seemed less then enthusiastic about getting along with each other--there was constant bickering and fighting for most of the hike--dan and i can't understand why the kids can't enjoy the surroundings and get along for our outings. the picture here is quite deceiving--don't they look sweet?

more camping photos

gemma and her dad

can you say haircut?

we went camping this weekend--actually just friday night as the littles became overtired and cried most of the way from jodi and nathans to our house. we actually went in style as our new friends lent us their motorhome--all I can say is whoo hoo--no tent camping. the area we camped at was beautiful--we fished, kayaked (thanks to jodi's dad). ate lots of camp food, and just had an excellent time

gem had her hair done at our local beauty school yesterday--color, straighten, and cut. she was so excited!!!!

relaxing

dan and I at the washougal motocycle race--the whole weekend was like a sweet treat for me. Unfortunately dan had to work the entire time. I went swimming, read two books, took a nap, and sat in the park drinking a coffee and people watching. the races weren't too exciting but all in all a terrific weekend.

tumalo state park is 5 minutes from our house. We went to the river today and had so much fun floating down and just hanging out in the water. bend is wonderful!!!!

we had a magnificent thunderstorm last night--lighting that knocked our power out about three times and thunder that sounded like gunfire. Needless to say all of the kids were a tad bit freaked out. they ended up all sleeping in gemma's room which meant laken inevitably ended up in dan and my bed. I truly didn't mind--in a blink of an eye he will be 13 and will want nothing to do with me.

one of the truest, sweetest people I know---my ex-husband's wife jodi. I gave a baby shower for her this past sunday--amidst the move and everything--I know I know--what was I thinking? just that I wanted to be there for her.... she is due September 14th with a little girl--Seneca. Nathan (my ex) reversed his vasectomy almost 21 mos ago to conceive this little blessing. I am truly happy for her. Doesn't she look great?

gemma and her step-sister kaydrie--they are 8 days apart and always posing for the camera

I got a job---unfortunately it is so much sooner then I wanted to start back to work. My goal was to ride out my unemployment until late fall. I didn't know how much I enjoy my time at home with the kids until I know I will be missing that time. It really makes me sad--I will be working fulltime (40 hours a week)--and I haven't done that in over 10 years. It is a financial necessity for us as dan's income hasn't and won't be what is has been in the past years...
I am really torn--my kids are soo important to me. Obviously I have no choice--I just hope this has a positive outcome for our family in every aspect of our lives.

we have river access walking distance from our house--it really isn't a place you can swim but it is so beautiful--I see myself coming here in the future in the early evening and watching the fish jump out of the water.

Grandma had Sadie and Laken for the weekend while Dan and i were in Washougal, Wa for motorcross races. sadie got a haircut like her cousin Keira--it is really cute and so much easier to take care of.

menace

our kitten has definitely adapted to her new environment and is queen of the castle.--she has the loudest rumbly purr I have ever heard in a kitten--she loves to sleep with me at night.

sadie loves her sponge bob fishing pole and she and laken will spend hours casting plankton out into the grass and reeling him back in.--the kitten loves this game also

I decided to apply for a couple jobs early this week--just to put my feelers out--I got two calls on tuesday to set up interviews.--One is working in a pulmonary department at one of the bigger clinics in bend. the other was actually an medical assistant job working with orthopedic and neurological patients--neither is what I am really looking for but how do you turn down a really good job if you are offered one?
I also visited my old place of employment--central oregon pediatrics and they might have an opening in a few weeks.--pediatrics is truly one of my passions
luckily I am not in a position right now where I need a job--that time will come in a few months and I definitely want to be picky and choose something that works for me and my family......

on a side note--I have the worst blister from wearing ridiculous shoes to a job interview---the stupid things I do!!!!!

we moved

we are here in bend--after months of thinking about it, dreaming about it--we finally did it. No words can express how it feels to finally be here. It all happened so fast. Our house rented on sunday night--we came to bend and looked for houses to rent on tuesday and moved out on friday. On a side note I feel a little down and I am not sure why--I have everything I need and want--I guess the mind is a crazy thing. I am going to post a few pictures of the house we are renting--it is blissfully amazing:)

Laken got his first bee sting a couple of days ago--you know when you hear your child crying and it is 10 octaves higher and louder then usual--you know something is really wrong--so it stung his thumb and laken has no pain tolerance--he basically cried until his lips started swelling from not breathing well and then he passed out on dan--I was able to get this photo

my husband is married to his iphone----not really but he really really really likes it---he can never be found without it--this picture was at the train park and I just happened to catch him in action

guineas

dan gave away my guinea pigs--belle and ruby
no one seems to be bothered or care except me
probaly because I took care of them--I guess I should be relieved that they are gone--but I really didn't mind them--I guess they helped fulfill my nurturing side?????
anyway--I hope they are well taken care of
and ....when jen came over with her male guinea pigs--I pretended not to notice that milly or moodle was humping belle--I think there might be baby belles in the new owners future......

I can't believe my daughter is of the babysitting age. She had her first offical babysitting job friday night watching my neighbors kids--a 6 month old and a 2 year old. I thought I would stay close if she needed me which I thought for sure she would need me--dan and his dad took the kids to a movie in the park---journey to the center of the earth
she didn't call me once--and said the kids were total angels----what??????? and she made twenty bucks!!!
gemma said the neighbor's kids were better behaved then mine!!!--meaning sadie and laken of course

we went swimming at my friend jen's house. she and her husband and 4 kids are renting a house with a good sized swimming pool with a slide and diving board. It is an awesome backyard. well, it was at least 90 degrees and sunny - I have two fair skinned kiddos plus keira who is extremely fair. I applied sunscreen but didn't reapply and brecken and keira got sunburned.

I have so much going on right now I don't even know what to talk about. My grandma passed away this week. She was 91 and had recently moved to Arizona so my aunt could help take care of her. My mom was very close to grandma and it has been really hard on her. I wish I could be more of a support and help but I am so far away....
we put our house up for rent officially on Monday and have already had three families look at it. we found a rental house in bend that we LOVE but it is a no go until we have rented our house out. It is a huge 4 bedroom house in a great neighborhood. I hope our house rents soon.
we have our neice for 2 weeks--she is 10 1/2 and has been living with dan's dad and step-mom for about a year. dan's sister april has a lot of emotional and mental problems and cannot safely take care of keira at this time.
there is nothing like multiple stressful situations to kick the summer off!!
OH and I made an A in Microbiology!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

laken's party

Laken had an excellent third birthday party--even though he wasn't quite sure what was going on. when we would say happy birthday laken he would reply happy birthday mommy!!

we went to stewart park which has an amazing park with a water feature and sand volleyball courts which the kids love to play in.

Sadie has been sick with vomiting since early Saturday morning--she finally felt better today after vomiting one more time this morning around 5:30 am. she is a little fireball and when she is sick she is truly a different little girl.

We took her to Laken's birthday party at the park and she laid in the grass with her blanket and pillow half the time and was in the truck for the rest of the time.

my 2nd favorite photography subject

we have had a fair share of really hot days--so mommy invested in a sprinkler and a slip n slide. there can never be enough fun water toys in the back yard in my opinion.