Happy Birthday to my Beloved

To the love of my life...Happy Birthday Sweetheart!!!

I wouldn't want to (nor could I) do LIFE without you.

More Easter fun!

Celebrating Easter just a wee bit more!

Happy Easter

 Enjoying Easter weekend at Grandma's and Papa's with aunts, uncles and cousins! It was a gloriously beautiful day (temps in the 70's - a first ever this year) and celebrating a few birthdays as well.

Disappointment

We've all had it, experienced it, worn it, lived with it to one degree or another! 

It could be as simple as forgetting to put the washing machine lid down on your laundry you need that morning OR opening the frig only to find out that you have no 1/2 and 1/2 for your coffee that morning OR that favorite pair of jeans just so happens to have a hole in the knee.

Maybe it's a bit more than 'simple', like rushing to your gate at the airport (because you were held up at security for no other reason than the guard was having a bad day and decided to pick YOU to search) only to find out that your plane just left OR walking out to your car to find your tire is flat and you are definitely going to be late to your appointment OR by the way you won't be receiving that referral for your daughter in the 6 month timetable you were expecting.

But what happens when it's life altering?, like you just lost your job OR you didn't get admitted to the program you were pursuing OR that check you were anticipating to receive from (probably shouldn't say _ _ _) didn't (and possibly isn't going to) come OR lost a loved one either expectantly/unexpectedly?

Can't say that I have the answers to any of these ~ what I can say is it comes down to how we handle that disappointment! Do you handle it with anger (if you were searched by airport security - then yeah maybe)? Do you handle it with depression? Do you handle it with sigh/defeat/resignation? Do you handle it with grace?

Without specifics, all I can say is that I am learning...how am I going to handle this disappointment???

Shocked and Amazed...

...that I haven't posted anything since March 27th!!! I'm almost positive I had done a post in early April ~ and yet here we are...tax day and my first post of April 2011. Sheesh, you'd think I was busy or had other things to do! :0)

We kicked off April with a home improvement project...a bedroom makeover. Its been about 10 years or so since we've done any upgrades to our bedroom and back in early March I began to get the bug! See...I have to be doing 'something' creative (sewing, painting, crafts) or else I pop, explode...well lets just say my insides become all unsettled and I feel ansy, like things are not right in the world! So, I figured our bedroom would be a great place to satisfy my creative itch, after all it had been quite a long time and the style/dating on the room...totally out! As you can see from the pics below, the outer walls were red (yes I mean RED) and the inner walls were a taupe/sand color. The trim around the door was mix-match giving it a feeling of un-done all the time. I remember buying the paint...the guy (a friend) at the hardware store asked me if I was SURE I wanted RED for the bedroom as the color will invoke a passionate/racey sort of feel - umm yeah, of course I want that for my bedroom!!! :0). Did it really create that feeling...yes in a sense but in the blood pressure racing like you are running from something kind of way!  I suppose that could be good and bad depending on how you look at it. 

 Nonetheless, I knew I wanted a calmer, cheerier, happier feeling color so we went with a yellow (B's favorite color btw) and added spring-time brilliant shades to add feeling. We also painted all the ways the color with bright white ceilings and WOW what a difference. The room feels so much bigger and I LOVE being in my bedroom again. So here's hoping to longer than 10 years of Blissful happy feelings.

 Now...there's nothing better than your 3.5 year old chinese daughter sporting a mullet! Bring on the country music. And what's even better...big brother joined in for the fun too! Can I hear a YEE-HAAAAWWWW! (I just gotta say how much I appreciate how fun and silly my boys are)

 When you've given up the naps...you've got to take it wherever you can get it! Brian was home with her last weekend and she was sitting in this laundry basket just chatting away (she's pretty much go from the time she awakes until she goes to bed). So, when he heard her go from full sentence to silent he obviously thought that odd and looked to find her like this. You go Babycakes!

For years we had wrestling in the house. Given...I have boys so yes, there's always wrestling in the house. I'm referring to the organized High School sport of wrestling. Since Dalton graduated last year, we've not had any team sport participation in the house...until now! Tanner and Noah just joined the H.S. Mountain Bike Team (coached by a very dear friend of ours - yeah)and they are having so much fun (and pain). Noah's first ride was a 14 mile trek of up, down, switchback, up again, a little down, did I mention up some more! Needless to say, their 'downhill' mountain biking they've been doing doesn't even come close to the cross country they are training for with the team. Their first race is in two weeks and they are training hard for this. And lets not forget the mud...oh the mud. Since WA is well WET...that stands to reason that their rides (cross-country refers to off-road biking - no street/pavement - all dirt/mud roads, tracks, mountains) get messy and the messier the ride the better they say! So much fun.

 And...as is always the case, Princess wants to follow suit...doesn't she look ready?!?

 Playing dress-up with big brother! Dinner-time around our house is challenging as Abigail 'requires' some pretty constant watching. Trying to chop, brown, cook, whatever in the kitchen requires one to keep their eyes on what they are doing otherwise a missing finger here, a burn there. So...I am always requesting the assistance of the brothers to occupy her while I'm busy. Todays activities included nail painting, make-up application (I have an old translucent powder case with a brush that Abigail's claimed as her own) and shoes...always shoes! Dalton was quite the sport to allow her to paint his nails a hot pink color. I was also pretty impressed with her ability to keep the polish on the nail and not the skin - a few oops here and there.

 If you look really closely, you will see they are both showing off their nails as well as check out the shoes! Dalton's managed to squeeze two toes in each of her princess dress up shoes. He dared not walk in them as they are plastic and he'd break them for sure!

 Life is good...managing a family of 6 has its challenges...having a daughter (after 3 boys) has on some days thrown me into the washer on high spin cycle...but that's a post for another day!