Spring Happenings

I am still alive! It's been about a month and a half since my last post. We've had computer ups and downs and I haven't been able to blog. Riley bought me a laptop for mother's day so now I am good to go although we are still working on repairing our hard drive so we can transfer all of our important stuff to a new tower. But that's kind of boring I suppose so enough of that.

So much has been going on in the last month or so. Here's a rundown, beware of super long post:

Kendle's soccer team finished another soccer season and the icing on their cake was also winning the Spring tournament. These girls went undefeated in the fall as well and have really improved and become a "team". We now have this huge trophy sitting on our piano and I'm not quite sure yet what we're supposed to do with it. I'm thinking we should let all the girls take a turn keeping it at their houses.






Can't say enough good things about this group of girls. Riley does such a good job with them and even some of the girls who played for the first time this year have really come along. It's been so much fun to watch them.

We've also been full throttle into softball season. Because the league has so many teams, Kendle's age group (10u) has been playing mostly late night games starting at 7:30 or so. That means on most of those nights we don't get done until after 9:00, and some of the games haven't been finished because the field's lights which are on timers have shut off. It has been neat to see them play under the lights at night though and it hasn't been too cold, just hard when we are taking all the kids with us because that is way past their bed time. Kendle's favorite position is catcher, but she also plays shortstop a lot. I can see her improvement since last season and she has really enjoyed her team and coach this season. So far they have only lost one game and usually outhit the other teams. This is her first year where they are hitting off of actual fastpitch pitching instead of coach pitch, so it took some getting used to but she has come through for her team and made some pretty clutch hits when they needed them. They only have a few games left and then will play an end of season tournament for their division championship.




What else is going on with Miss Kendle? I was able to attend one of her field trips to Sacajawea State Park a few weeks ago and that was pretty fun since I had never been there before. It was a very pretty park and they had a great little visitors center. They also went to the Whitman Mission in Walla Walla last week. She's been practicing for her piano recital that was on Monday night (we will be glad to not have to hear those songs for a while) and has been working on her audition for their school talent show next week - she's going to do a hula hooping routine and we're still working out the kinks. She's also been singing in their school's performance choir and the spring concert is next week. And let's not forget soccer academy for club soccer every Friday and I talked her into running in our Relay for Life's 5k run next week. Busy, busy! They've had lots of testing going on at school as well and I think she is looking forward to summer and laying low for a while if that's possible.

Morgan's life as a 4 1/2 year old is pretty sweet. He loves going to preschool, playing with his friends, jumping and doing flips on the trampoline, digging in the dirt, pretending he's farming, and playing baseball. He just missed the birthday cutoff for playing tee-ball this year, I was pretty bummed because he is so good. That kid can hit and throw like nobody's business and he definitely could use an outlet for all of his energy. I think we are going to get him into some summer soccer and then he will be able to play real soccer in the fall. We're pretty excited to watch him play, he is such a natural -- as long as he can keep his cry baby tendancies to a minimum I think he'll love it. Ha! He loves to ask questions and MUST know the real answer. He probably asks me at least 1000 questions a day and then some. We all get annoyed watching movies with him because he talks through the whole thing and wants to know why, why, why?????? He is still a hard little worker and helped us remove a ton of rocks last weekend from our backyard. He never complains, just tells you when he's tired and needs a little break. He amazes me with his little mind and his ability to entertain himself and play all day long just singing, talking, and imagining.  He could dig in the dirt all day long. No wonder his favorite movie right now is Holes. He starts swim lessons the day before his birthday and is stoked for that. He's pretty much the coolest little dude and everything I hoped my little boy would be like someday.

Cooper and Kale at 2 1/2 are........................well....................Cooper and Kale. Saying they are busy doesn't even begin to sum it up. They pretty much make the word busy look lazy. They are extremely fast, fearless, and smart which is a deadly combination. My goal every day is just to make sure no one ends up permanently maimed and that we all survive to live another day. My house has seriously taken a beating the last few months from all of their "adventures", but at the end of the day I love them still and am thankful for the entertainment and joy they bring to my life even if I don't always appreciate it in the moment. It is definitely a challenge to try and stay one step ahead of them at all times.  I have to be equal parts Sherlock Holmes, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, and Mary Poppins to even remotely keep up with them. On some of the warmer days we've been having, they've had a blast running through the sprinkler and playing on the trampoline with the sprinkler, but without fail - one of them will end up getting the hose and chasing the other one around spraying him right in the face and making him cry. They are both starting to talk more and turning into little jabber boxes. It cracks us up to hear them say new phrases like "Hey mom", "Here you go", "No Thank You" (which they try and say to get out of anything they don't want to do and it really is cute) or their personal favorite when someone has hurt their feelings "MEAN!", which they say when they are feeling slightly insulted or ripped off and is usually accompanied by a good finger pointing at the one to blame. They've also picked up a few not very good things like "idiot" and "shut up", that their older siblings get in trouble for every time they say them. Why do they always pick those words up so easily but not the ones like cup, shoe, or whatever else is useful? (Long inward sigh.........................)

Here are a few of their individual character traits at this age:


Cooper:
Ring Leader
Mischievious glimmer in his eyes
Mastermind
Blond hair fluffy and spiky like a baby chick
Wants to do it himself
Climber
Jumper
Contagious laugh
Forgives easily
Little Morgan Junior
Jokester
Plays the hardest and usually the first to fall asleep
Mostly easy going

Kale:
Slight flare for the dramatic
Can be picky
Cuddler and hugger
Likes to pick out his own clothes
Usually sleeps in longer in the morning
Likes to blame everything on Cooper
Happy crinkly eyes and smile
Holds grudges a little longer
Almost always says thank you
Kendle junior
Funny
Is a big tease

Their current favorite movies that they request over and over again are Fantastic Mr. Fox (or Fox to them), Coraline, and Home Alone. Please don't judge me.

Riley finished up high school soccer at the beginning of May. They had a pretty lackluster season due to some injuries and other circumstances, but managed to end on a high note by beating Kamiakin for their last home game that was senior night. Pretty discouraging after placing 4th at state last year, but that's how it goes sometimes. His job with Sprague keeps him hopping this time of year and he was the top salesman in his area last month and got some good recognition at their last corporate meeting he attended. He's gotten a couple of big contracts he's been working hard for and picked up a few more in their golf tournament he played in a few weeks ago. No better place to make business deals than on a golf course right? Ha. He is a hard working guy and always thinking about ways to improve and do better at his job. He has enjoyed coaching Kendle's age group in the new soccer academy program they started this year and will be their club coach for this next season. It's often a challenge for him to walk the line between dad/coach at practice and it can be frustrating for him if Kendle doesn't listen, but I think he handles it a lot better than I could. He's been doing lot's of yard work and other chores that I throw at him in his spare time.


I feel like I've been on the go every day for the last two months, but it sure does make the time go by fast and I know that soon it will be summer. I enjoy watching the games and activities our kids are involved in and I feel blessed that we are able to make it all work at this stage in our lives even when it feels crazy, there is usually still a little fun mixed into the bunch. I think I will admit I'm eating my words and have fallen in love with running. I've been running by the river trails when I get the time and I love it. Howard Amon park's trail is my favorite and especially in the morning it is beautiful and makes my runs go by so fast. It feels good to take the time for myself and have some quiet to think, reflect, pray, mull over problems, and find peace.  After finishing a big run Monday morning I got kind of emotional thinking about what is possible if you just make up your mind to do something. It has been such a good stress reliever on top of the physical benefits of getting in better shape. I've had a few people ask me if I'm training for anything, and although there are a few races I want to try and do in the coming months I'm mostly just training for a better life and well being.  On another note, I've been putting together plans, getting ideas for our yard,  picking out paint colors, and cleaning out closets and dejunking in preparation for some major house/yard work we are about to embark on in the next few weeks. I hope I can remember to try and take lots of before/after pictures and not get discouraged if things don't get done as quickly as I'd like.

Some things on our list:
Outside:
-Getting rid of the dirt (aka Morgan's farm) on the side of our house and planting grass. If we're feeling generous we might leave a small boxed in sandbox for the boys.
-Getting rid of the pea gravel in the firepit area, planting grass there as well, and making a paver stone surround for the firepit itself
-Hanging up new outdoor lights in the backyard
-Sanding and restaining our picnic table
-Making a fountain for the front and back yard
-Planting some more decorative plants in the back yard
-Touch up the trim and repaint the front door

Inside:
-Painting kitchen cabinets
-Refinishing counter tops
-Adding beadboard and trim to kitchen island
-Repainting all the trim and doors
-New kitchen faucet
-Fixing holes, dents, and other damage on the walls
-New paint for all walls
-Fix cracks in the ceiling
-Address carpet issues in hallway and bedrooms
-Spruce up bathrooms with new paint and hardware
-Add more shelves/storage to laundry room
-Improve functionality of our bedroom closet

Other:
-Organize garage by adding more shelving, food storage area, and place to hang or store bikes.

I will be lucky if we even get half of that  a quarter of that list accomplished, but I'm aiming high! :) Other than that we are making some fun summer plans, counting down the days until school is out, planning a super fun birthday party for the Morgster, and cramming in as many night time smores sessions as we can on windless nights.

Catching Up

I posted a while ago about how our computer was on the long list of things the twins have destroyed. We are still waiting to find a good deal on a possible lap top instead of a regular desk computer in the hopes that I can then take it and hide it and they won't be able to mess with it. In the meantime I am thankful for my smart phone and Riley's laptop from work that he has been so kind as to let me use the last work or so. But that's the boring stuff, here's what else has been going on:

Kendle started softball and so we are now on overlapping mode with soccer and Riley's high school coaching schedule. So far, no major mishaps or crazy scheduling conflicts. Helps that Riley also coaches Kendle's team so we can plan practices on days that work with everything else that is going on. Her soccer team has so far been enjoying another hot streak and remains undefeated. She's been enjoying attending the competitive league trainings on Friday afternoons and is looking forward to that starting after regular soccer is over. She's moved up to the age for softball where they actually pitch to each other, so this season should be interesting. Lots of ducking and evading wild balls I'm sure. Her team seems pretty fun though and her coach is nice and very organized. School is going good for her, she had another excellent review at parent teacher conferences and although it's nothing new, it is still nice to hear that your child is excelling and being a star student. Almost makes up for how they act at home right? She stays consistently pretty far above grade level in every subject and currently her favorite subject is writing. Anywho, we love her teacher and wish she could move up to 5th grade with Kendle next year. Kendle also loves their reading buddy days when they get to read to the kindergartners and anything else she can help with at school. She has made some new fun friends this year at school and through sports and just really enjoys life for the most part.

Morgan and the twins have entered the dirty season. It's starting to get nice enough to play outside a lot so they love to dig in the dirt and by the end of the day they all look like pig pen from Charlie Brown. I am constantly sweeping up dirt and doing laundry but at least they are happy and somewhat self entertained. I read somewhere the other day that little boys should play outside as much as possible because they thrive with touching, seeing, and experiencing learning firsthand especially in nature. I guess my boys have that covered! Morgan made a cute bird feeder at preschool today and was excited to come home and hang it up in the backyard tree. He has been anxiously checking it for any bird activity since then. He is also a flipping machine on the trampoline lately. He can do all sorts of tricks and entertains us. Cooper and Kale are SO close to being fully potty trained. It has taken so much longer with them because it is just harder with two of them, but I've tried to keep at it and they've almost got it. I think we need to throw a big end of diapers party here pretty soon! I'm trying to enjoy this stage of life with them, but as many mom's know the terrible two's can be pretty terrible at times. The only way to get through it most of the time is trying to laugh about the crazy stuff they do I suppose. Sometimes I just wish they could both be happy and content at the SAME time, they are always the opposite of each other.

Spring Break --- Her and Morgan both went to Seattle/Tacoma at the beginning of spring break with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law and some of their cousins. They got to go to the science center and the zoo and they had a fantastic time. Last Friday Riley took them on a fishing trip up past Dayton a little ways and they had a blast. They left super early in the morning while I was still asleep. Kendle was the super fisher and caught not only the biggest fish, but the most fish. Riley said she loved it and was so excited every time she caught one. Morgan had fun too, but most of the time would rather look for sticks or cool rocks. They came home and were very hungry, tired, dirty, but happy kids and I'm so glad they had a fun time to get away with just their dad. Later that night we took Kendle to meet up with my mom in Kennewick so she could spend the night at their house and travel to Portland with her the next day for my twin neice and nephew's birthday party. She had a great time seeing her cousins and having one last day of fun before spring break was over. I think the kids had a fun spring break this year.

 


I still don't have much "spare time" these days, but I'm finding that I treasure and enjoy our family time much more now when we are all busy. I'm also finding that I treasure and need my workout time to help me get rid of stress. I think Riley can tell the days I didn't get a run in because I may be a bit more grumpy! I feel like I've kind of reached a stale mate on the weight loss, but I guess something is still working because my clothes are getting looser. Someone commented to me the other day that my "skinny" jeans were looking kind of baggy. I think I lose weight from the top down and the feet up and then it all meets in the middle. The hardest part to get rid of. My mom and I were joking that we needed to market a new brand of jeans called "Big Waist, Skinny Legs". I'm hoping that now that the weather is nice I can take the kids for more walks or run around the track during Kendle's softball practice's. I can't wait to get out and get some more yard work and gardening done and do some spring cleaning to the exterior of the house. I just love spring and how beautiful everything starts to look. I miss the green grass and the flowers. I also have a long list of home projects I want to get started on in the next little while. I know Riley is excited for that! I think at this point he will be glad to do anything that doesn't involve fixing toilets. Ha, ha.

Easter

We had a really great Easter. It is so wonderful to know that we have a Savior that died for us and paid the price for all of our sins. I know that he lives and that we too shall live again after this life. We had lovely beautiful spring weather on top of it all and that just made the day perfect. I love spring time and the feeling of the earth coming alive again.


I really wanted to take pictures of everyone before we left for church but we were running late ( I know, it's annoying to even say you're running late when you have 1:00 church). However, we still don't get ready until it's close to time to go or everyone would destroy their clothes. So-- I insisted on taking some when we got home and by that time everyone was not in the mood anymore. Go figure. So this is as good as it got. Can't wait for the day when my boys are all grown up with families of their own and complain to me that their kids never hold still for pictures. Then I can show them pictures like these of when they were little.

 





The kids enjoyed what the Easter bunny brought them in their baskets and made short work of a lot of the candy. We had a yummy brunch with apple butter braids and scrambled eggs. After church we had a delicious dinner of ham, potato casserole, rolls, salad, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. We did an egg hunt for the kids after dinner and it was so entertaining to watch the kids looking in all the nooks and cranny's of the yard. Riley did hide a few in some pretty interesting spots, mostly for our own amusement to see if they would be able to find them. It was a fun day and a good way to end spring break. I'm thankful for wonderful days like these.

Spring Break So Far......

We are on day 2 of our lovely windy and cold spring break. I don't know about anyone else, but spring break makes me tired. Riley has soccer and also couldn't take time off of work all week so we are stuck in Pasco for spring break. I decided yesterday that the only way to keep some of my sanity was to assign the kids jobs and make the morning our "work" time and then have the afternoon be our "fun time" if we get our work done. I just couldn't take the idea of the kids complaining all week that they were bored and there was nothing to do, so I figured this was one way to keep some balance. Yesterday was a great day, so I'm hoping today is just as good. We got the bedrooms cleaned and organized, I went through Cooper and Kale's clothes and sorted out the ones that are too small, and now have another ginormous pile to store in the garage. We went out for some ice cream after the twins woke up from their naps, the kids played with their friends from next door, and my friends Brian and Natallie helped us score a sweet deal on a basketball hoop. Kendle can't wait for Riley to put it together and go shoot some hoops. I was really hoping for some nicer weather so the twins could play outside more. Last Friday was the most gorgeous beautiful day and we had a great time out in the sun. I guess that was the ultimate April Fool's joke though. No more nice weather after that.

Hopefully we can squeeze some more fun things into this week -- some bowling, movies, and park days if there's no wind!

Near Perfect Day

*Sunshine*

*Perfect weather*

*Baseball food*

*Second row seats*

*Ichiro*

*The Cheesecake Factory*

*A quiet car ride with good conversation*

The only thing that would have made it better is if the M's could have pulled out a win.

Thanks for the early birthday present Riley!!!

*And thanks to my parents for making it possible for us to go

Spring Break / Easter 2010

As it turned out, our floors took a little longer than we bargained for and the kids and I ended up spending the whole spring break in Irrigon with my parents. We literally did not come home until last night, just in time to let the kids slide around on the new flooring for a bit and then send them to bed. We are so thankful for everyone who came and helped, but especially my dad for coming up almost every day and working late into the night with Riley. They just worked and worked and the floors look great! All that's left to do is just touch up a few spots and paint the baseboards and put them back on. Easier said than done though, it will probably take longer to finish those than the floor did! Ha.

I was feeling kind of lame that our kids weren't going to get to do anything for spring break, but they ended up getting pretty spoiled while we were there. A few of the fun things they did:

-Went to the "How to Train Your Dragon" movie with my mom

-Helped decorate Easter cupcakes

-My mom bought Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakquel which they've been DYING to watch and I think they watched it at least ten times.

-Went exploring with my dad to the river, the park, and the fish hatchery. They had so much fun collecting shells and being with grandpa.

-Had lots of yummy treats including root beer floats.

-Kendle got to hang out at the school with my mom for a while on Friday and go to their book fair where grandma treated her and Morgan to some cute books. (I think this was Kendle's favorite day of the whole week.)

-Morgan got to go the farm with grandpa a few times

-Morgan played outside every day, even when it was cold and rainy. He had a blast jumping on the trampoline, pushing the wheel barrow around, and occasionally chasing the neighbors chickens out of the yard. He is an outdoors type of boy for sure.

Every morning when I would start to hear the babies fussing, I would get up and go out to the family room and there would be my parents already feeding and changing the babies. They are nothing short of amazing people. I know they were pretty tired from helping with all of the kids this week and I think they deserve a vacation themselves. One thing is for sure, Cooper and Kale absolutely adore grandma and grandpa.

I enjoyed the parts of General Conference I was able to watch over the weekend and hope I can recap the parts I missed. I also loved this movie that played after Saturdays session.

Sunday morning Kendle and Morgan woke me up around 5:30 to see if they could go look at what the Easter Bunny had left them. I made them go back to bed for a while but finally by 6:45 or so I couldn't stand listening to them "pretending to go back to sleep" anymore so I let them get up. Here are a few pictures of them:

As you can see there aren't any baskets in these pictures. I decided to do something a little different this year. Morgan has really been wanting a back pack and since he has been kind of obsessed with the "How to Train Your Dragon" movie, I bought him a cool dragon back pack and made that his "basket" with his cool stuff inside. I found Kendle a cute Eiffel Tower bag from Forever 21 that I knew she would love as her "basket" and she could use it for piano books, going to the library, or short trips to grandmas house. I think they got pretty spoiled by the Easter bunny.

Now we're back to school, routine, cleaning house, and all that jazz.

Spring Break, Where Art Thou?

We've been staying at my parents home in Irrigon since Sunday night so Riley can work on putting in our new flooring. I talked to him yesterday afternoon and he said he was very sore, but it is coming along and looking good. Riley took a picture from his phone and emailed me a little look at some of the progress:


Can't wait to get home and see it. That is about the only exciting thing about our spring break. The kids (or I should just say Kendle) are wondering why we can't go to Disneyland or some other fun place like lots of their friends. I think it will be a loooooooooonnnng time before we attempt something like that, or will have time for something like that.

Tuesday Morning

*Got my hair cut yesterday and it feels good. Took a little length off, did a little bit of layering, and some bangs. I ended up going with the majority of the votes. I love how much better my hair looks in a ponytail when it's a little shorter. (Because it's in a ponytail almost every day of the week.)

*I am so sore from pulling weeds yesterday. My hamstrings are screaming this morning. I had to work in little increments of time between the twins napping. Lots of yard work to catch up on in the next few weeks.

*My little cherry blossom tree is blooming and beautiful and my lame lilac bush is sprouting blooms for the first time ever. Come on little lilac bush, I'm pulling for you that this will be your year.

*We have Kendle's parent/teacher conferences this afternoon. It's always interesting to hear what's been going on with her and look at some of the work she's been doing. There is almost always something that makes us laugh.

*Morgan has been staying with my parents since Sunday night and my mom will be bringing him home this afternoon. The house has been so much quieter, but a little less joyful without him. Kendle said she doesn't miss him racing around on his trike in the kitchen in the mornings, but I secretly think she does.

*I have been in a fog of sleepiness the last few days. Just when I think the twins are sleeping good at night, they prove me wrong. If we don't keep them up until at least ten o'clock at night they almost always wake up. But let's face it, I can barely keep my eyes open until nine o'clock most evenings. I'm not sure what's worse at this point - torturing myself by staying up later than I think my body can handle or putting the babies to sleep earlier and going to bed myself only to be woken up two hours later. I really wish Kale would stop rolling over and waking himself up.

*I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never, ever, ever, be done doing laundry. It's an impossible feat so I'm not even going to worry about it anymore. I don't foresee a time in the near future when my family will only wear one outfit a day.

*Looking forward to the end of this school week and the start of spring break!

Green for Spring

I have been stuffed up with a bad cold for the last few days and house bound for the majority of last week. I was getting cabin fever and antsy to be out in the beautiful sunshine that graced us with its glorious presence. I had a desperate need for something springy and fresh to help sweep away the winter blahs.

I've been slowly incorporating some new pops of color into our little home that make me happy every time I walk by.

Here's a little look in my kitchen:

I decided I am going to take a break from so much red for a while. I still love red, but just needed something more spring like. I seriously feel like this little re-do has breathed new life into my kitchen. I'm still on the hunt for some accessories to fill in with, like a green fruit bowl. I decorated the plates and the platter and everything was either from the dollar store or marked down at Target.

So easy and making me so happy!

I think the spring weather is getting my project mo-jo running. I have lots of fun things I'm working on and it feels great.

Spring Break, Day 1

So here it is - Day 1 of Kendle having no school. We let her sleep in a little tent in the living room last night, which I don't know why I keep getting duped into letting her do that, because every time she wakes up and is scared and comes in crying to me in our room. So I think she slept in her room the half of the night, and then crawled back into the tent early this morning. Nothing is ever easy with that girl.

The Southridge Boys are hosting a soccer camp for kids this week, so Riley got Kendle dressed and was going to drop her off at that for a few hours. Now, when I mean dressed - I mean full on primo soccer gear. It's sad to say, but my husband is a soccer clothing diva. He buys Kendle all of this really nice stuff that she hardly ever wears (except for just such occasions) and then it is a huge process to get it all on. I will just state for the record, I hate putting (pulling, using major force) on shin guards, tight soccer socks, and soccer cleats. I am sweating by the time we are done. I think Kendle felt more like a mummy than a soccer player by the time she walked out the door this morning. It will be nice for her to have an activity to get her out of the house and outside for a few hours this week to stay active though.

The Morgster and I have been picking up the house a little, and I'm getting ready to work out. I swore to myself that I would re-commit this week to doing a better job and not miss a day. Spring is here, which means cuter clothing and I've been totally slacking off on my fitness goals. I purposely bought myself a few cute new skirts and outfits for church that are a tad too small so that I have some motivation. I feel like when the weather gets nicer I'm more inclined to be active and do yard work, take walks, etc....on top of my regular workouts. I must stop making bread and other yummy things or I'm never going to get anywhere.

Some plans for the rest of the week:
*Sleep in
*Work Out
*Have a family yard cleanup day.
*Look at plants and flowers and clean out my flower pots
*Take the kids bowling
*Go to the park
*Get paint swatches/samples
*Painting?
*Organize our bedroom closet (yikes)
*Have fun with the kids!

Spring Fresh

I love all of the spring colors that are popping up all over the place. Yellow and green are definitely my favorites. It's amazing what a little color can do to brighten up your day and attitude. Every time spring rolls around I'm tempted to paint my walls yellow and lighten everything up.

Here are a few of my favorite things for spring:

*This cute wreath from A Soft Place To Land would make me happy every time I opened my door:

Can you believe she just used ping pong balls spray painted yellow? Genius.


*This necklace and cute scarf from Old Navy are so fun:

*I'm in love with this kitchen cabinet makeover from Tater Tots and Jello:

*Cute green short sleeved jacket by Forever 21:

*I think This lunch box is adorable:

*The creamy yellow in this duvet cover set from Pottery Barn would brighten up my bedroom decor:

So, those are just a few things that have been capturing my attention the last few days.

What is your favorite thing to do/buy/wear/ or make for spring?