happy

leap day!

i do love this day. it is somehow so cool to have this extra day in february. a day that doesn't normally exist.

so my plan was to take 29 pictures today in celebration. maybe i need to rethink my goals.

i didn't even take one. i didn't even look at the camera. perhaps it would help if i wrote a memo to myself to remind me of these silly goals? or maybe if i made them the day i wanted to achieve the goal?

regardless i enjoyed my leapday. i visited a new art store. am i the only one that gets crazy when i see paper, paints and brushes? yikes! it seriously was like a kid in a candy store. and i had a small glass of my favourite tawny port while i did some blogging and hanging out with Kristian. this was all out of the ordinary stuff for me.

our house has been so quiet. the kids are happy enough, but they do miss their playmate Malachi. and i miss my visits with Sarah.

Aidan spent some time outside today. he does enjoy the outdoors. but i don't think he likes the hassel of wet mittens. smart boy he is.

since i was neglectful of photos today... although the best one might have been of me at the art store with glazed eyes and art supplies in the background...i'll let you imagine that one yourself. it's probably better that way.

what was i saying?

right. i have to mention that i love to visit this blog. Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. it is one of the best forms of entertainment. she also has a cooking blog. and soon a photography blog. she has the most incredible photos of country life. i've actually been reading her ongoing story of how she met her husband and marriage, etc. she refers to herself as the pioneer woman, her husband is marlboro man and her kids are punks. so much fun to read as i drink my morning coffee. so far my own punks have not complained about this ritual of mine! it has gotten me thinking about a nickname for Kristian...maybe i need more coffee.

and another blog that i recently came across in my blogging and mentioned earlier: Heather Bailey is an extraordinary woman. i honestly have wondered who designs things like paper and fabric. well i now "know" one. she also has a couple of free patterns on her site. one is for baby booties...an adorable kind made of felt....so hot right now. and another favourite of mine is for these paper globes. i downloaded the pattern...so need to make some one day. Easter might be a fun time for these. her husband is a professional photographer. she has a link to his website on her blog. again amazing photos.

another blog i stay in touch with is Nitty Gritty. you have to find the link on her sidebar and read her story. wow. it will make you cry. just a warning. at the same time, i love reading her blog and being inspired about the important things in life. she is a great God loving gal who shares her heart with anyone who listens. she also scrapbooks and is a more well known artist. she is also incredibly humble and seems takes any fame all in stride. i think she would be a lot of fun to hang out with.

another scrapbooker/crafter is Melissa Phillips. she has a very feminine style. so inspiring. definitely an eye for detail. she comes across as someone with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. i don't know where she finds the time for everything.

i just heard about One Little Word. i only wish i had heard of it sooner. so inspiring. one of the urban girls had the winning entry for "STILL". scroll down or find it in the winners gallery. she is an amazing artist. she has a great eye for detail. i love that she uses roxy as her web name too. i have not entered any layouts on it. i'm still trying to work on the photos for the kids! but i think i will have to try this out soon. they also have some tip/technique entries that are unique.

i am so fortunate to be around some very talented ladies. one of the places i go to for help or inspiration is the Urban Scrapbook. it is kind of like my scrapbook version of "Cheers". you know, the place where everyone knows your name, where they're all glad you came..... except we admire paper and ribbon instead of drinking beer. (well sometimes we drink coffee!) i really missed seeing their wall of their DT projects yesterday. it just takes your breath away. amazing projects....cool girls.....so much to love.

this leads me to the last great website of the day....ScrapInStyle. (one of the top urban girls told me about this site first...see they truly do care about me!) this is one is a place where you can post your layouts. check out other layouts and projects. shop. watch their free webisodes. again some of these are so funny. (Jeanette's husband, Bob, was one of the band members of audio adrenalin if you remember that group. my younger sisters thought he was the best of the group. Jeanette is the producer and original SISter) scrapbooking is not just for girls. one of the members is a "little brother". he is the husband of one of the SISters. his wife should be proud. if i can find his link again, i'll post it.

i'm sure you have had to read this paragraph fifty times already. yeah it is tough to understand.

to confuse you even more, the website is similar to other scrapbook posting sites where you get labeled by how many projects or postings you have. i need to be more social here. i'm only a baby SISter so far! i do intend to work my way up to big SIS. or maybe i'll aim high for favourite SISter. if you haven't caught on yet...the acronym for this site is SIS. and the members are SISters.

if this is completely new to you i can hear your groaning already.

and those of you who do have a clue are shaking their heads at me.

seriously....isn't it better to be a SIS than a PEA? (referring to Two Peas In A Bucket).
and if you think i've lost my marbles, then go to these websites and figure it out yourself!

and if you are still confused. don't worry. you probably aren't alone. go eat some chocolate. watch a little Cheers. have a cup of coffee. one day it may just make sense. just not today. try again next week.

these and other websites or blogs are listed on the sidebar on this page. check them out too. i'm sorry i can't list and give details on them all. but you read them and leave a comment. let them know what you think. and i would love to spend even more time at my computer...so if you have any favourite blogs, please leave a comment.

return to

snowy Edmonton!

i love how they both pulled down their trays and put their water cups in the "spot" at the earliest possible time. i guess they could get accustomed to this kind of travel.

just like last time, they loved the take-off and landing. we had a bit of turbulence as well, but it didn't bother them at all.

Aidan could not wait to use his headphones to watch t.v.
Kiara's attention was captivated by baby einstein. they both got the "bits and bites" and snacked away. if you look at the first picture you'll see the pretzel pieces and shreddies sitting on their own. Kiara is our interesting eater. turns out she did not like these parts of the snack. i was impressed that she put these aside on her own.

so we left washington rain and greenery behind and came to slushy and snowy home. at least we are on the tail end of winter...

and while we were away some freakazoid went on a rampage in our neighborhood smashing car windows. and we were included in the carnage. the night before Kristian was awakened at 2am with someone pounding at our neighbors door. he had been leaving both vehicles on the street at the front of the house until then. but after the 2am awakening he put our newer vehicle in our garage (only fits one!) fortunate for us. otherwise we most likely would have 2 cars with smashed windows and seats covered in glass bits. frustrating as it is, we are reminded that no one was hurt (unless we find the punk! lol) and it was just stuff. it was just a few months ago that he had the car parked by the garage in the alley and someone tried to smash out our keylock. these kinds of instances seem to be increasing in the past few years. on top of all the neighborhood drama, Kristian had a pretty severe flu bug. not so great for him. but i'm thankful that we were able to miss out on that event!

so now i have close to a million (okay i'm lying) pictures. and i thought of an idea for my next scrapbook project on the way home. yay! love it when that happens. so hopefully i'll also have the time to create it. and maybe even some more stuff.....yup i'll post it on the projects page.

and i'll also get back to posting the layouts of the baby album comparisons as well. love looking through those albums.

tacos el rey

oh get me one, please!

Tulalip, Washington

yup just a trailer in an empty lot

well, they do have a detached eating area

(and it is heated!)

when i was first given the name to this establishment, it was refered to as the "roach coach".

as were all the similar ones. such an appetizing nick-name.

spanish!

i have a new favourite after this trip. taco al pastor. so similar to the tacos i had in Mexico City in 1993. they claim authentic mexican cuisine. not that i am the most experienced in mexican food, but i remember that this was one of the most common fast foods on the street. a taste like no other. the tortas carnitas are also good as well as the asada tortas or tacos. must squeeze the lime over the food. and also beware of the jalapeno peppers included. and the tacos are only $1 each.

Aidan bit into one. they started adding the pepper slices to the tortas since we were last here. he still finished his food, but he has lost some of the original excitement for the food! anyways we drove by tonight and i ate my last good tacos until i come back again. unless one of these roach coaches decides to try out the northern winters....i have heard that many actually find Washington too cold. so i guess it isn't too likely we'll be seeing them in Edmonton!

really i think i put El Rey and Dicks right up there with Vi's on my must do list. maybe i am a foodie after all?

so now i've got a million photos. and i really need to get some scrapbook pages done. i cleaned up my craft area before i left. must be all ready for me!

while i've been away i've had some time to do some blogging. i came across this one in my "journey". she designed her own line of fabric. she is very crafty. and it is so worth the stop. and she was also mentioned in the March Creating Keepsakes. it was thrilling to have come across her via other blogs before i read about her in the magazine! or maybe that is a bad sign? anyways check her out.

together

reading, playing, laughing, eating...

with the hour time change, the kids have been early-birds.

this morning was quite nice as the kids were interested in reading books by the fire.

they both love this fireplace....i've caught each of them intently staring at the flames.

we thought Malachi looked like a cute little elf

don't you just want to hug him and make him smile in this photo?

i think i mentioned earlier that the backyard has been a land of adventure. here is a photo of one of the fun activities. today i found Aidan "cleaning" this fire pit bowl (or whatever the real name is!). he has spent nearly every day outside. it has been great to enjoy the sun and comfortable weather.....i try not to think of adjusting to a few more months of snow and ice and winter jackets. but i love that both of the kids LOVE being outside and are able to find lots of activities to enjoy. i am so looking forward to spring and summer. even more to look forward to than just pleasant weather.

they both look so academic.

this is the closest Krispy Kreme. and we hoped that the "HOT" light would be turned on when we visited. they don't post when they'll turn it on. and apparently most of the stores have it on for two 15 minute time periods a day. the bonus? they give out free samples of their freshest donuts only when this light is lit.

and the cool part? the light went on just as we drove into the parking lot!

and we enjoyed our donuts. we watched the next batch of their original donuts go down the automated assembly line. and the kids were so hyper. we went right after the kids naps. we thought we were so smart initially! after their sugar injestion we both had to drag the kids back to the car!

one of their featured donuts.
yummy. gooey. sticky.
the kids started to hold hands this week.

adorable.

this is me and my sister Sarah.

i'm the oldest in the family. and she is the youngest.

crocus blooms are everywhere. we even saw some pussywillows this morning.

i had oodles of adorable pictures of the kids. but they look like i took them with a special lens. but no i am not that talented. after downloading the entire lot i discovered that there was a smear on the lens. no doubt sugary donuts were to blame. ugh! and the pictures were so good too. and it's our last day. i'm so glad that i've snapped pictures all week and didn't leave it to the last day.
and it is a good reminder to be checking the lens too.

tomorrow we fly back home. it's always nice to return home. but we're all sad that the visit is at the end. we've all had so much fun. the kids wake up and are anxious to start playing. their age difference is perfect right now, so the three of them are even able to play together happily. good memories.

you know you are in trouble when

everybody is ready and you still have time to spare. you just know that something unpredictable will happen and make you late. isn't that just the way?

Kiara and Malachi had some water fun while Sarah and i were getting ready for church. this mess literally happened in 5 minutes.thankfully it was just water. but it still meant changing Kiara's entire outfit. fortunately Malachi just had wet feet, while he watched Kiara sit down and spread the water all around.

however....

don't they look like they are admiring their mess?

Aidan was excited to go to uncle Nathans' church today. i wasn't sure how the kids would do, all 3 of them would be in a different room. but they both went off to their rooms without a complaint...or a look back at me!

Kiara had fallen asleep in the nursery. Aidan made this picture. he explained that Jesus helps us help others. he also added that he listened really well. and that he was the only one listening. hmmmm... i think there must be more to this story! although i'm relieved to hear that he was bragging about being a good listener...and not bragging about being the worst. as a son of a teacher....that might not go so well for him.

then we went out for lunch. it was one of those outings we wish we had the power to change. it didn't help that it took forever (at least it seemed) to get the food.

anyways....we were all happy to be back at home and have the kids each in a room and hear ourselves think again. there was no way Kiara wanted to sleep again today. great. thankfully Aidan and the good sense to stay in the room i sent him to and stay there. smart boy.

after about an hour of wondering if Kiara would sleep i borrowed the van and went shopping with my kids. Kohl's - i discovered today - has 2 seater shopping strollers. hooray for the person who invented those. then we checked out a few stores at the outlet mall. i think they enjoyed it. Aidan wanted to stay longer. it is amazing how quickly time flies while you shop at the outlet stores. Sarah and i did a power shop one night. no kids. that is the way to do it. but it was fun to take the kids and let them check it out.

i can't believe it. we didn't spend any time outdoors today. that is a first. it was also cloudy today. but still no rain!

we still have some more stuff to do on our list. the time is going too quickly. don't like that.

day trip

to Seattle!

uncle Nathan was not working today so we thought it would be fun to pack everyone up and head into Seattle and visit the zoo.

the kids were soooo excited that we were going to see animals.

we thought some lunch might be best beforehand so we went to this popular spot:

it doesn`t look like it has changed much.

like Peter`s Drive In in Calgary

very cool

Aidan liked a painted vw bug parked beside our van. it was definitely colourful. he refered to it as a butterfly. maybe something from the disney cars movie.

he told Sarah that he could buy that car, but he didn`t want to spend the money.

hmmm....wondering what conversations he`s listening to these days....

got to the zoo.

the giraffes were the first animals we saw

the raptor area was preparing for a presentation. they had a peregrin falcon among the 5 raptors that were going to participate. scary birds, but so beautiful!

snack time while admiring the raptors
is this not incredible.

i could have taken at least 5 photos to show the entire mural.

it reminded me of the wild alberta gallery in our local museum

one building housed a historic carousel. there were several statues or places to pose for photos. this one did not have a line-up, so i quickly snapped a couple of Aidan on the bear. Kiara thought she should also have a turn. sounds fair. but she is not able to sit on something like this on her own yet.

one of our happy moments!
love this photo

can not remember what animal they are looking at though.

it definitely captivated all of them.

Kiara was very tired and it was getting time for us to go anyway.

there were so many exhibits we will have to come back to see. an entire day could have been spent here. and when these kiddies are older, i hope we will! for now, a few hours is our max.

and for Kiara having been so tired, she was the only one who did not fall asleep on our trip home.

lizard eyes!

or maybe just candy!

a little treat for these happy little boys.

we are still having a lot of fun. the kids are finally getting over the worst of their colds.

tonight all 3 of them were in the kitchen twirling around a million times. right at the ankles of Nathan while he was cleaning up. he also had music playing while he worked. and perhaps the excitement of being where the action was drew them all to the same spot!

this was the first day that the kids didn`t play in the backyard. i`m sure they`ll make up for it tomorrow. Aidan has been working hard creating a river and also making a campfire. Malachi is his willing and able helper. not sure what Kiaras` role is. however today we were outdoors most of the day at the zoo, so plenty of fresh air and sunshine. we are all so thrilled that the weather has been so amazing. i think this is the most sun i`ve ever seen in any of my trips to washington.

and the fun

continues! thursday took us shopping to Kohl's. take out lunch at mcdonald's. and playtime at Jennings Park. and everyone was happy.
daffodills?

last night the kids watched the curious george movie as a treat.

Malachi loves 'george' and this was the first time he saw the movie.

the trampoline next door provided some great entertainment this morning.
as you can see the weather was wonderful. we all took off our coats and enjoyed the sunshine. a rare moment for the west coast. the forecast had been rain and cold weather for the week. so far the weather-man has been wrong. and we all couldn't be happier for it. this time!

we finally took turns jumping and let mommy take a break. although they all loved being "bounced" by me. it was a nice break for Sarah. she got to actually sit down and relax for awhile.
we watched part of curious george again today. check out that sweet smile.

for lunch we went to my favouite tacqueria....Taco El Rey....yummy. authentic mexican tacos north of the the border. this time i had the bbq taco or taco el pastore. oh yeah. hopefully we can make it back at least once more. i wanted to take a picture of the place.

when we drove up, Aidan said, "where is the restaurant, mommy?"

oh it is there. it just doesn't look like one!

our visit was great until Kiara fell backwards from a lawnchair to the concrete ground. she is known to try leaning back and doing dangerous stunts on chairs. i even thought i had braced the chair well enough. of course we saw the high chair after the tumble. thank God she was not hurt. that girl has more than her quota of guardian angels i'm sure. she landed on the chair on her back...and only hit her head at the end.

but that wasn't all.

i just finished getting her comforted. and myself comforted after thinking how awful it all could have been.

then Aidan ran into a bar stool.

as you can see here he got a decent little cut just above his left eye.
so more tears.
we weren't far from home, so it got cleaned up and then anti-bacterial cream applied.
not the greatest ending to a fun lunch.

fortunately the rest of the day has been uneventful. good naps for the youngest two.

zz

Sarah and i plan to do some shopping tonight.

and if all goes well with the bedtimes, Nathan will enjoy some peace and quiet!

tomorrow we plan to visit the zoo.

excitement

just gets better every day! both kids LOVED the airplane.

take off and landing got them the most excited....not many passengers

"squeal" and giggle at this time.

Aidan enjoyed having his very own television

and his own controls.

while....

Kiara just wanted to take the record for sitting still for the least amount of time.

overall the experience was great for all of us.

phew!!

amazing
the sky was cloud-free as we flew over the rockies

i did not get the window seat.

someone had to make sure the little live wire did not escape
auntie sarah stopped by krispy kreme on the way to her house.
we were pleasantly surprised with a hat for each of the kids.

they look so cute!
and they love wearing them!
enjoying the sunny afternoon on the front porch swing

we checked out lundeen park today. on lake stevens. lots of walking and exercise for prego Sarah
(not that she needs it)
(or is lacking in it)
(yes i am pointing my finger at you Malachi)
not too many ducks this morning...but there was one family out!
everyone (including Sarah and i) enjoyed the playground. this was the first time Kiara has been able to play at a playground
since she started walking. and she made up for any amount of time
she may have figured she lost!

isn't this an amazing play area?

lots of variety.

i think the kids especially enjoyed these peek-a-boo spots

it rained last night, so the slides were wet.

as you can tell.

they are dry now!

so much fun!
Malachi playing peek-a-boo with Kiara it was great to hear their giggles.

what a great game.

and tonight was the lunar eclipse.

we managed to catch the last part of it. and i even tried to get a picture.

i tried. i know what it is...but it sure is not obvious. i don't want to waste space

where i could put a picture of a cute kid. i'm sure other websites with expensive cameras and super talented photographers will have something posted. i'll leave that kind of stuff to them.

so the kids played and played and played

and played

and played

and then played some more!

and now they are tired.

and it is peaceful.

yay!

hopefully all of us will sleep through the night,

and

that my own dear babies will let me sleep past 7am.

simple request.

in my opinion.