Busy...Crazy!

Those Three Adorable Children I'm Taking Care Of

I thought when I started this blog that I would be so faithful and update it on a regular basis.  I can't believe how quickly even a week goes by and I realize I haven't updated my blog yet.  How will I have regular followers if my blog isn't updated?  So on my list of things to do is update my blog, but life is just so busy and crazy!  When do I have time?  I have a house to clean, pictures to download onto the computer, pictures to post on facebook, packages to get ready to mail, bills to pay, birthday parties to plan for, oh and yes, I have three adorable children to take care of.  Perhaps I should hire a personal assistant.  Needless to say, things are great and wonderful, but my blog might have to wait a few days.

Pretty Flowers

Last Friday, Daniel and Sam discovered the joy of dandelions.  At school, they picked a few along the sidewalk and brought them to me as if they had brought me a dozen roses.  It was so sweet.  When we got home and were eating lunch, Daniel looked out the back window and discovered that this beautiful flower was growing in our backyard.  How amazing is that?!?  Daniel and Sam marched out to the back where for the next 15 minutes, they picked all the dandelions they possibly could.  I couldn't help but notice the mud and dirt they were tracking into the house with each trip, but after seeing the joy on their faces, I did my best to ignore the dirt.  After they picked every last dandelion, they carefully placed each individual one in this bowl of water.  And here is a picture of the final product.  They were so proud of this, I just had to take a picture and share.  I hope your spring is as eventful as ours.

The Dandelion Bowl

A Second View

Our Week

This past week we've been in Coeur d'Alene visiting my family.  Daniel has had the week off from school for Spring Break.  (Is it Spring yet?, he asks).  We have been staying with my parents.  We have also been visiting my sister Cheryl, her husband Kent and her kids Justin and Emma.  It has been a nice week, although I have missed Jeff.  He was not able to come with us on this trip.  Maybe next time.  The boys have enjoyed spending time with Grandma and Grandpa.  It makes me thankful that we were able to move back to the northwest and be closer to family, not just Jeff's family, but also my family.

Our Visit to CDA 2 Years Ago

Figgy

I have owned a cat for as long as I can remember.  My first cat was Patches.  She was a calico, long-haired cat.  We got her before I can remember.  She had lots of kittens.  She was a very good mother and a good hunter.  She lived a full life and died of old age.  I can't remember exactly how many years she lived.  Then, we inherited an orange, short-haired male cat called Quimby.  He was one of Patches' kittens.  He was my sister's cat, but then she had to get rid of him, and she gave him back to us.  I adopted him.  We think he got hit by a car or died of unnatural causes, because one day he never came home.  He was probably around 7 years old when he died.  When I moved out on my own for the first time, I immediately got a cat.  His name was Drake.  He was a black and white, short-haired cat.  He went outdoors a lot and unfortunately was hit by a car.  He was only 4 years old.  After that, I swore I would never own an outdoor cat again.  Next, I was given a cat by one of my students.  Her name was Cleo.  She was a long-haired, all black cat.  She lived indoors with me, but died early, I think because of liver failure.  She just quit eating and lost so much weight.  We finally put her to sleep.  She was only about 5 years old.  Soon after that, we got Figgy.  She is a short-haired, calico.  We've had her since 2003.  She is a sweety and puts up with a lot of the boys' pestering.  Here are some of my favorite pics of her.

Checking Her Email

Doing The Dishes

Cat-Napping

Sisters

 Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to spend the whole weekend with my sister.  It was great to just hang out, talk, and spend time together.  A few years ago, we started doing an annual sister's weekend.  Here are some of the pics from years past.  I love you sisters!  And I hope we continue our long tradition till we're taking bus tours together in our assisted living centers!

San Francisco 2003

Seattle 2004

San Francisco 2005

SoCal 2006

Morro Bay 2008

Victoria, BC 2009

Portland 2011

  

Holidays

I love the Holiday Season.  For me, it starts in October with Halloween.  I start to get excited about the upcoming holidays.  I love Thanksgiving.  It might be my favorite.  It brings family together.  I have fond memories of sitting by the fire, eating good food and the anticipation that I still have Christmas to look forward to.  Then, of course, there is Christmas.  Christmas is fun, and although I used to be sad when Christmas and New Years were over, now I look forward to what comes after those holidays...Spring!  With Spring comes Valentine's Day.  I love the hearts, the candy, the flowers...all of it!  The next holiday I like to celebrate is St. Patrick's Day.  Not that I'm Irish, but in the past couple of years I've had fun preparing a "green" meal for my family.  Last, but not least, for me is Easter.  Of all of the holidays, Easter is my favorite candy holiday.  But I also enjoy coloring eggs and hiding them.  I suppose I can't write this without mentioning July 4.  I do love that holiday too, but I don't think of it as part of the holiday season.  I see it as an added extra in the middle of summer.  I love celebrating all of the holidays.  And I've enjoyed celebrating them with my kids now. 

Recent Trip

Jeff had some time off this past week, so we decided to go visit my family in Coeur d'Alene, ID.  It's about a 6-7 hour car drive away.  This was Simon's first road trip, and he did pretty well.  He only fussed a little.  While there, we got to see my parents.  We also got to see my sister Cheryl, her husband Kent, and her kids Justin and Emma.  It was fun to let the cousins play together.  We enjoyed yummy food together, hanging out on Sunday and watching the Super Bowl together, and playing in the snow.  I even went with Cheryl to one of her kickboxing classes.  It was great to see our family again.  I am reminded once again how happy I am that we moved closer to my family and can now see them more often.