Mike & Cathy's Blog

It's official. I have a middle schooler.

2010-08-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

Wow. Nearly a year since I last blogged on our family site. As I find myself with (some) time to write as the kids slowly go back to school, I am going to try to re-enter the world of blogging.

Too much has happened since my last post, so I am just going to plow forward.

Newsflash: I am the parent of a middle schooler.

As my dear cousin-in-law, Mo Briare, stated on Friday:

"I don't feel old, but there is evidence around suggesting it."

Here's the evidence around me suggesting that I am old:

1) I attended my 20 year high school reunion this summer

2) My oldest is now in middle school

3) My youngest is starting preschool

4) I have clothing in my closet older than the Freshman class entering college this year

5) I no longer change diapers (which is a good thing)

6) Grey hairs

7) Bursitis

8) No longer carded when buying alcohol

9) My breasts appear to be on a race to meet my belly button.

So there you have it.

Vanessa was the first to start school of my 4. Wednesday, Jack and Josie start at their respective schools and on Thursday, I will have 2 1/2 glorious hours with no children as Colette joins the ranks of preschoolers.

What, might you ask, am I going to do with my free time? Go to the spa? Nah. Spend some time curled up on the couch reading a book or magazine? Nope.

I will spending my precious kid-free time going to my physical therapy for my bursitis.

Yep. Getting old sucks.

Here's the clan on Vanessa's First Day of school:

Mary Lou & Nadia (Colette & Josie's Tumbling Class) 4-10-09

2009-04-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

So I signed the girls up for a Parent/Tot tumbling class on Fridays. Problem: I've got 2 girls and only 1 of me. Solution: Ask Aunt Bern! She generously agreed to be a surrogate parent to one of my gymnasts.

Were they excited? You bet. Should be easy and fun, right? Nope. Josie is the ultimate shy child and despite wanting to do this class, REFUSED to participate in the warm-up activities. Instead, she whinned and whinned and clung to me like gum to a shoe. Colette is NOT shy, but modeled her big sister's behavior and also did not want to participate. What to do?

Luckily, we moved from warm-ups to sommersalts and suddenly my little Mary Lou and Nadia came to life! We moved from the tumbing to the various apparati around the gym and they both acted like they were on the 2nd rotation of the summer olympics. They mastered the "ta da" (arms up) at the completion of every apparatus in the first 1/2 hour.

Here we come, Chicago 2016.

Colette & Aunt Bern warm up

Josie having a hissy fit

Here we go! Josie making the rounds on the obstacle course and Colette following close behind.

Colette showing us her best jumping skills

Josie on the uneven bars wowing the crowd

Josie master of the beam

Colette getting some coaching from Aunt Bern before starting her beam routine.

The reward: jumping from the beam into the foam pit!

Naydenov Gymnastics

You would think after such a great first class, the 2nd class would have started without a hitch? Not so. We went through the same Josie shy behavior, but luckily, the 2nd class, she warmed up during the warm ups!

Coloring the Easter Eggs 4-9-09

2009-04-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

An annual tradition: coloring the Easter eggs. In our household of 4 kids, it takes less than 20 minutes to color 24 eggs. If you blink, you'll miss it and someone will color your egg. The kids LOVE it, especially Jack, who asks me incessantly for weeks leading up to Easter, if it is time to color the eggs.

Finally, we got to color the eggs. Don't blink, or you'll miss it.

Before

And off they go!

Colette stayed surprisingly clean despite her "dive bomb" method of putting the eggs in the dye.

Josie, well, she just loves this kind of stuff

Vanessa--on her 9th year of egg coloring still can't get enough.

Colette and Jack clearly cannot hold their excitment back.

Did you blink?

Voila! Behold the eggs almost too pretty to eat.

A little time for my little girls

2009-04-29T15:12:00.001-07:00

What with Vanessa's school and soccer schedule and Jack's treatment and baseball schedule, my two little girls' have not known life without me chucking them in the minivan and carting them all over the Portland/Vancouver metro area. We spend many hours in the minivan waiting at practices or during rainy games--so much so that I carry a potty in the van so Josie can feel free to go potty anytime, anywhere. No need to take her to a nasty porta potty when Mommy's got her covered in the van.

So another beautiful spring week day and this time, I carted just them to a fun destination--the Oregon Zoo. We played hookie from home and had a wonderful time just taking in the sun and animals...just us girls.

Waiting for the sea lions

Whoa! It's 10 times bigger than them!

Josie LOVES wearing sun glasses

My little Colette

LaCamas Lake April 4, 2009

2009-04-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's about time... Although most of you are my friends on FB, so you have seen these pictures. Nevertheless, I feel the need to do another blog marathon of the last month or so. Here goes!

LaCamas Lake is a quaint little Clark County Parks and Rec park in East Vancouver/Camas, WA. It's literally only a 5 minute drive from our house. On the first nice weather day of the spring, we packed up the kids and went on our first hike of the season. It is our goal this summer to try to enjoy more of our local natural areas and to discover the beauty right in our back yard.

What's nice is that it also has a kids play area/structure right when you start your hike, so the kids love it too! Really, what more could you ask for?

We'll definitely do more hiking here this season! :) Come join us!

Aunt Judy & Uncle Ed's Wedding

2009-03-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

Just in time for their 50 year wedding anniversary. Here's Aunt Judy and Uncle Ed's Wedding video converted to DVD by Pop/Uncle Charlie. They were married on April 1, 1959 in Staten Island, NY.

Nana & Papa's 25th Anniversary Video

2009-03-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

Pop converted film of Nana & Papa's 25th Wedding Anniversary party to a DVD and I've edited it and put it to music. Enjoy!

Need a laugh?

2009-02-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I could use a laugh these days...Colette's laugh is infectious...

2009-01-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

Ahh, to have no worries in the world except which tutu you are going to wear...

My little girls make me smile...

Proud Moment for Mom: Jack's 1st Class Presentation

2009-01-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

I had one of those wonderful moments as a Mommy today, more specifically, I had a really wonderful moment today as Jack's Mommy. Jack was required to do a social studies presentation in front of his class today. (Yes, presentations in 1st grade.) I helped make the PowerPoint (you got it, POWERPOINT) and Jack worked on his presentation skills. Apparently, he LOVES to teach in front of the class. Given that Jack doesn't seem to get embarrassed, having public speaking issues is NOT one of Jack's challenges. However, attending class and following directions when told is a bit difficult for him, which is why his presentation is such a proud moment for me.

Not only did he follow directions, he read/presented beautifully and was the perfect "game show" host at the end when he was required to answer questions. It took everything I had not to break down crying with pride watching my boy in front of the class. (The tears are flowing now, though.) So with that, I must share this moment with you.

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by crkuffner

Good job, Jack. You made Mommy proud today.

White Christmas

2009-01-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

So here we are January 4th and its time for me to play catch up again. Where do I start? Oh yeah, the RECORD BREAKING SNOW that KGW dubbed the "Arctic Blast" for 2 solid weeks that we endured. Now, being the native-Chicagoian/Montanan that I am, this is not a big deal for me. But when it occurs in an area that rarely receives measurable snowfall annually and owns, mmmm...3 snow plows...coupled with a good majority of inexperienced snow-drivers, it really makes for a nasty mess. The main street in East Vancouver never got plowed, nevermind the side streets. When you're dealing with 5-14 inches of snow, this is a big deal and a big inconvenience. So you'd think I would have lots and lots of time to blog? Not so. My kids school got cancelled before the snow actually fell and when the snow did finally fall, Jack's school decided to be heroes and made the kids go to school.

All in all, it made for an interesting experience, but more importantly, a very, very White Christmas--a rare occurance in this part of the Pacific NW.

Sassy in the snow

More snow

Latte admiring the snow

Christmas Eve at Grandmom's and Pop's

It is our annual tradition to spend Christmas Eve at Grandmom & Pop's at their condo on the river. Grandmom cooks up a traditional Italian seafood dinner of some sort. The kids open stocking gifts and the adults get to do their white elephant exchange. It was a "game day" decision whether we would make it to G & P's this year due to the massive amounts of snow and ice, but never fear, it warmed up just enough to melt snow on the roads making it a little less trecherous to drive from the 'Couve to Portland. Thank goodnes, Christmas was not ruined by snow!

Our annual picture of the kids, with cousin, Declan, and our newest family member, Sassy

Colette

Josie

Jack

Vanessa opening her stocking gifts from G & P

Josie excited to open her stocking gifts!

Colette goes right for the food--thanks, Grandmom for the healthy choice!

Jack opening gifts

Eileen giving DC a hand with his stocking goodies

Colette recently started posing for my pictures. Here's her "cheese" smile for Mommy!

And the fam plus Evelyn, our adoptee family for the holiday

White elephant gifts this year included mop slippers, Christmas tree fondue set, Patron St. of Hangovers figurine & prayer card, Verizon Wireless skull cap, potato clock, $ bling necklace, and a leg lamp thingy.

Christmas Day

The stockings were hung by the chimney (well, gas fireplace) with care...

Colette's now *signature* pose

Vanessa's king of all karaoke machines

(Gotta love those credit card reward points)

Jack opening Sassy's gift from him to her

I'm going to take a wild guess, Sassy LOVED her bone, so much so that there is none of it left.

Josie Jo

And me.

Mike got a few treats too

Jack REALLY wanted this toy that he saw in a catalog

It makes a horrendous, continuous, unncecessary squeeking noise. Jack LOVES to watch it for hours and hours and hours...

Round 2: Gifts with Grandmom & Pop, Aunt Eileen & Declan and an added bonus due to weather: Aunt Bern, Uncle Shawn & Judy! (Who are usually with my parents in Montana at Christmas)

Colette baby with her loot

Sassy saying hello to Judy

Presents!

G&P got a nice electronics charger for all of Mom's *toys*

Josie in the surprising hit, her chef's hat and apron

She wears it every day and *helps* me in the kitchen

Here's Vanessa modeling the $ necklace I scored at the white elephant exchange. I hope that it is a sign of the times to come in 2009 for us :)

Merry Christmas to all!

Arctic Blast of 2008

2008-12-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

After what appeared to be a "false" alarm "Arctic Blast" in the Portland/Vancouver area this week, full of knee-jerk school closures on the days we had NO SNOW, and school operating on days we HAD SNOW, the doppler radars finally got it right. Saturday the skies opened up and dumped 5 inches of snow. That is UNHEARD of in this area as we are lucky to see snow flurries at this time of year, or any time of year for that matter, on the valley floor.

Unfortunately, overnight, the snow turned into freezing rain and developed a nice 1/4" layer of ice on top of our wonderful snow. So, needless to say, travel conditions in our area are not great, so we'll be spending the day at home. The kids enjoyed playing in the snow/ice mix and helped up shovel the driveway. Colette experienced her first snow, but wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation.

Josie

Not happy Colette

After spending the morning outside, the kids came in and warmed up in front of the fireplace.

Sassy, the kid warmer

I am finally caught up! These pictures were taken today, December 21, 2008!

December 6, 2008: St. Nick Brunch

2008-12-21T12:38:00.000-08:00

The Christian Mother's Fellowship Ministry that I belong to at St. Joseph Church puts on a Brunch with St. Nick every year.

I know you have no doubt that Jack exists, but here's an actual picture of Jack just before Santa showed up at the St. Nicholas brunch. So no picture of Jack with Santa, but here's a picture of Jack and me by the fireplace.

My immediate family knows the story, but in case you forgot, here's what transpired after this picture was taken.

So, here you have text book example of why NOT to take your kids to take a picture with Santa after they turn 1 year old. My Christian’s Mom’s group put on Brunch with St. Nick that wonderfully fell on St. Nicholas’ day! Brunch was great, but Jack saw through the window as Santa was walking into the building and, once again, just TOOK OFF. He ran and ran and ran without abandon and without any concern that he was running away from his family and caretakers. If Mike would not have followed him, I am POSTIVE he would be in Canada by now.

As you can see, I attempted to salvage the moment and get a picture with our girls with Santa. Vanessa, of course, wanted to partake, but here, it appears that Josie is looking as though the boogie man has cometh and he is about to eat her toes and Colette is following suit. The look on my face is in reaction to the comedic ridiculousness of it all—my son running to Canada with Mike in hot pursuit, my 2 youngest daughters clinging to me with dear life and literally trying to crawl back into my uterus via the neck opening in my turtleneck sweater and the photographer telling us to “smile”. Truly, a scene out of National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.
Regardless, I hope you enjoy the photo that I painstakingly and mistakenly attempted to preserve for my kids “benefit”.

(Posted with permission)

Vanessa's Advent Program

2008-12-21T12:34:00.000-08:00

Every year, Vanessa's school puts on an Advent Program. Each class sings traditional, religious music in the church, followed by a crazy and insane reception. In all honesty, this event is difficult for us to attend because it is a mandatory event, so there are over 400 families crowded into the church (and tiny parking lot) and the reception ends up being a free-for-all for the kids who end up running amuck. This year, I thought it would be more bearable since we were able to hold the reception in our new parish hall, but it was STILL overcrowded, chaotic and LOUD.

Despite the frustration of having to keep the kids quiet for 2 hours, Vanessa's class (and the rest of the classes for that matter) sounded angelic and wonderful. It was the only event that was able to occur this week due to the "Arctic Blast" that hit the Portland/Vancouver area, so it was nice to get out of the house!

December 12th: Christmas Ships at Grandmom & Pop's

2008-12-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Every year, Portland has a wonderful tradition of the Christmas Ships. Private boat owners decorate their boats and come out on scheduled nights during the month of December and parade around the Columbia River. The boat owners do this at their own expense and out of the goodness of their hearts.

Grandmom and Pop have a front row seat and have us over for dinner and to view the ships as a wonderful tradition the kids look forward to every year.

Sassy's 1st Christmas ships

Josie really enjoyed it this year.

Colette really liked the ships this year, too, since she was only 2 months old last year.

Thanks, Christmas Ship people and Grandmom and Pop!

Back-tracking: My Birthday

2008-12-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Once again, I'm playing catch up...So my birthday fell on a Monday this year, so we celebrated twice. The Saturday before my birthday (November 29) we decorated our Christmas tree, which is our tradition, and then headed over to the Claim Jumper in Clackamas for appetizer and dessert. This is a SUPER SPECIAL treat as it is not organic and filled with gluten and all sorts of bad stuff.

For those of you who have not been to the Claim Jumper, their portions are RIDICULOUSLY HUGE. For instance, the "Motherload Chocolate cake" is enough to serve the entire table. But we did not stop there, the kids had a HUGE sundae and Bern and Shawn had a Mud Pie.

Motherload

(No pun intended)

The fam

The Sundae

Bern and Shawn

Attacking the Sundae

On my real birthday, we had special organic ice cream sundae's, including organic hot fudge and organic sprinkles and coconut

Overall, a nice birthday with lots of yummy goodies.

Our 1st Ever Video Christmas Card Production!

2008-12-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year!

Love, Mike, Cathy, Vanessa, Jack, Josie, Colette,

Sassy the dog, Latte the angry cat,

Ed the Fish and George the Snail

Vanessa puts another season of soccer under her belt

2008-11-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

Vanessa wrapped up the fall soccer season this month. The Firealls played up to U11 so gone were the days of being undefeated. They worked hard and the girls grew quite a bit. Vanessa is one of the youngest on the team, so she strugged a bit, but had some great moments on the field.

It was a transition year for her, a lot of ups and downs, but we are proud of her for working really hard. We're not sure what's in store for her for the spring season, but she wants to continue playing, so stay tuned!

BTW: Mike and I now play on an indoor soccer league with the parents of Vanessa's team mates. It's a lot of fun, but, man, there's not a week that goes by that we don't realize that we are now in our mid-30's. We'll keep playing as long as our bodies allow us!

Jack's 7th Birthday

2008-11-19T22:13:00.000-08:00

Jack turned 7 on November 10th, since his birthday fell on a Monday, we celebrated on Saturday, November 8th. We had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme--Jack's current "obession". The usual showed up: Grandmom & Pop, Aunt Bern & Uncle Shawn, Aunt Eileen & Declan. This year we added our friends, the Girolami's to mix it up a bit. It was great to have them!

Aunt Bern, Josie & Jack having some tickle time

Colette gravitating towards the balloons

Uncle Shawn all festive

The Vincer & Sophia in the background

Mike and the chocolate fountain

Leo and Declan

Happy Birthday to Jack!

Gone are the store-bought cakes in our organic household. But Jack doesn't seem to mind.

Jack loves cake, period. He could care less if it was organic or not.

If he could just put his face in it, he would.

Finally. Cake.

Colette's boyfriend, Mario

Aren't they the cutest?

Colette making music with Mario

Presents!

Jack's gifts seemed to all center around planets, space and science this year. He really likes his gifts!

Jack examining the directions to his new computer game

Thanks everyone for coming and for the gifts!

Here's Jack on his real birthday. Yes, more cake.

Obligatory photo time:

Jack and Josie

Daddy and Jack

Vanessa and Sassy

Mommy and Jack

Jack and Sassy

Jack-man, you've come so far. We are so proud of you! Keep up the good work and keep reaching for the stars! We love you to the moon and back, bubby. Happy Birthday!

Back in the nick of Time: Trick or Treating!

2008-11-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

So you've all seen the Halloween pictures of us. No big surprise that those pictures were taken 2 weeks prior to Halloween! So here are pictures from the actual night of Halloween. I made it back from my trip to San Diego just in the nick of time!

We spent Halloween with friends who live in the neighborhood to the North of us. We met them because Vanessa's best friend is their daughter, Gabriella, whom she met in 1st grade! They have 4 kids, too, and we all get along just great. We love them! They were nice enough to let us trick or treat in their neighborhood and then we hung out in their hot tub after earning our candy trick or treating.

(If you are wondering, I bought a whole bunch of organic candy and chocolate at Whole Foods and switched it out after we went trick or treating. Mike to the "bad" candy to work. The kids didn't care at all and LOVED the organic candy!)

Here we are just before heading out. Jack was somewhere saving the world...

Colette, Mike & Vince

Kids gearing up to go

Cathy & Cheri

(BTW: Cheri is wearing her actual high school uniform.)

Jo & Daddy trick or treating

Sassy as a hot dog

Colette enjoying the stroll

Kids enjoying the hot tub

Trip to San Diego

2008-11-19T21:43:00.000-08:00

Just outside the San Diego Airport Baggage claim

This is not news for most of you, but I went to San Diego to attend a Defeat Autism Now (DAN) Conference for parents and practitioners. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about the alternative, biomedical treatment of autism for Jack. Not only that, I was able to do it on the cheap! I had left over frequent flyer miles that paid for my plane fare, I stayed with my sister and brother-in-law, Kris & Mike, I got a parent scholarship called "angel money" and only had to pay 1/2 the cost of the conference. The other half was paid for by a sponsor! I rented a car for $75 bucks for the entire weekend. The whole trip cost less than $250!

Kristin and Mike were kind enough to buy dinner for me 2 times! What a treat! We went out to dinner one night and ate in the next. I even got to babysit for my nephew and Godson, Alex! What a treat and rare one-on-one time for Alex and me.

I learned so much information about biomedical treatment of autism. We have been on the biomedical "track" since April and have seen significant improvement in Jack--so it was nice to know that there are even more options for treatment and also to learn about the science behind it all!

One of the highlights of my trip was getting to meet Jenny McCarthy 2 times! She signed shirts for Mike and I and was so very nice.

The worst part of the trip was being away from Mike and the kids, but it was nice to have a little "me" time even though it was while sitting in a conference all day!

I did bring back a shirt for Jack. Here he is modeling it for me. He wears it proudly. That's our boy!

Mike and I hope to attend a DAN Conference together in the near future and bring the fam. One year it was in Seattle. Perhaps the next time they have it in Seattle, we will be able to swing it. I know they are lobbying for it to be in Portland soon :).

If you have a child with autism, I cannot stress enough about considering the biomedical track for treating autism. I have one major regret, I wish I would have done it sooner. So if you have any doubts, STOP! Go to www.autism.com and find a DAN doctor near you!

Colette's 1 Year Portraits

2008-11-19T21:32:00.001-08:00

Alrighty then, I have some catching up to on the blog. Bear with me as I catch up because I am about to embark on 2 months of "Kodak moments" so I must get the blogs, Shutterfly, My Shutterfly site and my photo folders in order. Come along for the ride as I marathon blog...

Here's our sweet little Colette's formal 1 year portraits. I think they turned out really well. I am learning so much about lighting and I think that my lighting skills improve with every photoshoot.

Colette was a perfect subject, already getting the hang of being the daughter of an amature photographer. The dresses are gifts from Lolo and Lola that she received for her birthday. Thanks Lolo & Lola!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T19:48:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Colette's Family Birthday Party

2008-10-21T10:21:00.001-07:00

Alright, it's been over a week since her party, but better late than never! Colette's family birthday party was extra special! Aunt Bern and Uncle Shawn opened up their newly renovated basement to celebrate Colette's 1st full year with us. It was FABULOUS!!!

(Be sure to appreciate the beautiful basement design details!)

Here's Colette ready to go!

Decorations made with love by Aunt Bern--aren't they beautiful?!?

Presents!

Uncle Shawn's yummy brunch dishes & Costco sandwiches!

Mommy & Sweet Colette

Big Sister Vanessa

Pop, Colette, Uncle Jim & Lola enjoying the party

Jack watching his movie
Dad & Josie

Uncle Jim & Aunt Kathy chatting it up

Big sisters Jo & Vanessa

Pop & Vanessa

Pop getting some birthday girl time

Cousin Declan & Aunt Eileen made Colette her very own personal princess pumpkin

Dad, G-mom, Aunt Eileen

Jack & Puppet friend

Cousin Declan

Pretty Flowers

Cake time!

Dad helps Colette blow out her candle

Yummy cake!

Cake for everyone!

Time for presents!

Fun stuff!

Colette loves her Lolo!

Colette with her Lolo

Aunt Bern & Mommy Self-portrait

Aunt Bern & Josie

Aunt Bern & Lola

Colette, the social butterfly, and Aunt Eileen

Tired Baby!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Little Colette!

Colette's 1st Birthday

2008-10-10T23:19:00.000-07:00

Colette turned 1 year on October 8th. Ah yes, yet another occassion for me to meloncoly... Honestly, the last year has gone by so fast, my head is still spinning. On top of that, Colette began walking just before she turned 10 months old--my earliest walker ever--she was supposed to stay my baby! She is now doing full blown sprints around the house and circles around me!

Well, my baby is now 1 and has become the happiest baby on earth. You wouldn't have guessed that would be her personality based on her "neediness" in her first months of life compared to Josie, but they have now both flipped personalities. Josie is my more needy one and Colette is my easy baby. Go figure...

We celebrated her real birthday at home with Lolo and Lola and just us. We are having a family celebration tomorrow at Bern's house, who was nice enough to agree to host. More photo opts! :)

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

We love you to the moon and back!

Jack's Curriculum Night

2008-10-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

Jack's school has an open house they call "Curriculum Night" every year where parents come in and the teacher talks to the parents about what the kids are learning that year and about how their classroom runs. The kids then get to show the parents around their classroom and show them all the projects they have worked on since the beginning of the school year.

Jack did wonderfully and was very proud to show me all his work. One of the neat things Jack's 1st grade class is studying is insects. They have all sorts of "pet" insects, including catapillars (now in cacoons), ladybugs and they each get their own "meal worms". Each of the kids got to name their meal worm and Jack named his meal worm "Bob". I thought it was fitting even though I could not see Bob in his cornmeal-filled home, but I assume the name suits him well. Jack was very proud to take a picture with his meal worm.

Jack has adjusted to going to school full days, eating lunch at school, and his new teachers and classmates. While he still has many challenges, he is improving every day. We have great hopes for him this year--I think he is surrounded by people who truly care for him. I thank God every day for bringing Jack's aids and teachers into his life and for helping create the "village" it takes to raise him.

Vanessa's Annual Sock Hop

2008-10-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Every year, Vanessa's school holds a Sock Hop and so we all get our poddle skirts on and jitterbug to our hearts content. Jack doesn't particularly care for the loud music and kids running amuck in the gym, so Mike and I decided to divide and conquer. It was Girls night out and Guys night out. I took the girls to the sock hop--matching poodle skirts and all (Yes, I made them--no one sells toddler & baby-sized poddle skirts!) and Mike and Jack took a trip to the pet store to get Sassy's nails trimmed! Fun!

We had a great time and fun was had by all.

Josie, Vanessa & friends

Josie being a little anti-social.

Vanessa and Garrett

Colette with her boyfriend, Mario (6 months older)

Vanessa and friends

Colette dancing away from me

Colette and Mario sharing some popcorn

Jack checking ou tthe frogs in the pet store!

Until next year!

Mike's Birthday

2008-10-05T14:29:00.001-07:00

Here's Mike with the Jack, Vanessa & Josie blowing out his cake on his birthday. Due to contagious diseases and ill-scheduled soccer games, the only family that could make it to Mike's birthday was Aunt Bern & Uncle Shawn! Oh well! We had a nice time anyway. :)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2008-09-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

For 41 days every year, Mike and I are the same age. That day has finally arrived. I am no longer the "older woman" for the next 41 days.

Mike insisted that I not buy him anything for his birthday, so the kids and I made something we could give him that did not cost a dime!

Late Summer Dinner at Grandmom and Pops

2008-09-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful day at the fish hatchery, we went over to Grandmom and Pop's for a scrumptious dinner. We had delicious pasta and meatballs and yummy, yummy cookies and cake for dessert made with love by Aunt Eileen. It was an amazing late summer day, a slight breeze and sunshine. The sailboats were out on the river, so we took some time out on the lawn to play whiffleball and just roll round in the grass.

It's days like this that I hope the kids remember when they are older...being able to kick back and spend some quality time with their cousins and Grandmom and Pop at their house by the river.

The pictures are Colette and Josie heavy, but they just happened to be the ones who stayed near me and so they were the ones who got photographed the most.

A Day at the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center

2008-09-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely day in the Portland/Vancouver area today. We spent a wonderful afternoon at the Columbia Springs Environmntal Education Center with the family. It contains a wonderful trail, a trout hatchery, and outdoor classrooms, not to mention just a nice serene place to be on a Sunday afternoon.

We had a wonderful time and I think the kids even learned a little!

We got there before Grandmom & Pop, Aunt Eileen & Declan, Uncle Charles, Aunt Tiffany, Olivia & Audrey, so we took some pictures while we were waiting.

Here comes Jo!

Jo greeting Pop to give him 5 kisses!

Here we are heading for the trail head.

Making our way down the trail.

Not more than 1 minute into the trail, the kids found this HUGE slug. Yuck!

How pretty is this? The natural light coming through the trees was so heavenly.

Sassy girl

Olivia

Audrey

Declan

Cousins feeding the fish at the hatchery

Here are shots of the outdoor classroom. It was very interesting! A few of the samples came from Missoula, Montana!!! I went to high school just south of Missoula in Stevensville where my parents still reside and Vanessa was born in Missoula :)

Woodpecker holes

Tracks!

Rocks from Mt. St. Helens

Jack really enjoyed the outdoor classroom.

These rocks are from Missoula from a flood.

It was a great day! Thanks Grandmom & Pop for inviting us!

A Visit from Uncle Charles, Aunt Tiffany, Olivia & Audrey

2008-09-14T15:22:00.001-07:00

Mike's older brother, Charles, his wife, Tiffany and their adorable 2 girls, Olivia and Audrey, came to visit this week. Great timing, given the fact they are from Houston and Ike hit their home just 3 days after they arrived. Although we pray for the people affected by the damage that Ike caused, we are thankful that we know they are safe and sound, right here with us in the Pacific NW.

I was flattered when they asked me to take photos of the family while they were here. Here are the results of our photo shoot.

Great subjects! Enjoy the photos!

Sausage Fest 2008

2008-09-07T18:27:00.001-07:00

So this marks the FOURTH Sausage Fest that I have posted on our blog!!! My how time flies when you are having fun! This year did not disappoint--even though the grounds were slightly re-configured due to the construction of our new parish hall, it was essentially the same. We were delighted in the return of the bumper cars and the addition of a few new rides, though I don't think we got to ride some of the new rides.

Our Sausage lovin' trooops included the 6 of us, Grandmom & Pop, Aunt Eileen & Declan, Aunt Bern (Uncle Shawn in is Dubai) and Vanessa's best friend, Gabriella. Gabby's mom, Cheri, is the most dedicated St. Joe's parent I know, and was working the "Sweet Shop" and so we adopted Gabby so she didn't have to sit around with her mom in the Sweet Shop booth. Great time was had by all, however, Vanessa broke Grandmom's heart by choosing to ride with Gabby than with Gmom(just another sign she's growing up...). I think V will make it up the next time she sleeps over and has special one-on-one time with Gmom and Pop.

Josie discovered that rides can be fun, although that was after her terrifying run down the "Big Pink Slide" with Pop. I forced her on the balloon ride which started with tears and ended with smiles and laughter. She went on to ride the ladybugs, the fish and the carosel with much glee and excitement.

So here's the shots from Friday night, I took some pictures, but Aunt Bern went to town and took a lot of pictures including the artsy fartsy ones at the end. Thanks Aunt Bern!

Declan, Vanessa & Jack posing in their German garb

before part-taking in the rides.

Sausage anyone? Yoddle-ah-hee-hoo!

The bumper cars are back! Here are the troops gearing to go!

Look out Mario Andretti, here comes Aunt Eileen & Declan sitting shotgun!

Oh Dad is just having way too much fun. Jack can't take it, it's so fun!

Dad going ape, Jack (uncharacteristically calmly enjoying the ride)

Pop was sure to get his "5 kisses" from Josie

Again, Dad having way too much fun waiting for the roller coaster to start.

Jack is patiently waiting...

Vanessa and Gabby warming up their roller coaster arms.

My, my, my look at this liability waiting to happen...

Anyone have a neckbrace?

Looks like they got a great warm up!

Vanessa & Gabby trying the "YoYo" swings.

Jo giving me her best "cheese"

Aunt Bern getting some Colette cuddles.

Did someone say "brown eyed girl"?

Be careful not to become mezmerized in her eyes...

The YoYo ride took forever, so there was a lot of waiting around for a while.

My monkeys outside the Monkey maze

G&V somewhere on the YoYo.

My only ride, the balloons--I know, crazy! I threw caution to the wind..

Josie hated it then loved it.

Oops, what's happening here?

Josie got her groove on with the boys on the ladybug ride.

Jack enjoying the fish ride on his fish "Mr. Awesome"

Josie & Declan celebrating all that is fish.

Vanessa and Gabby nearing the end of the night.

Grandmom got her bumper car ride with Declan and she's got skills!

You've got to ride the carousel!

"Images of Sausage Fest"

Here are the artsy images of Sausage Fest 2008 as seen by Aunt Bern:

Great Sausage Fest! Thank you to everyone who came!!!! Thanks to all those who volunteered!

Jack Home Safe

2008-09-03T16:41:00.001-07:00

Waiting for Jack

The bus!

My first grader, home safe and sound.

No personal note from the teacher on how Jack did all day, but his lunch box was empty and he earned all his gumballs on his paper gumball sheet, so I am assuming no news is good news. Jack was actually awake on the bus when he got home, but he seems tired. He said he had fun, so I am assuming that he did! First day successfully over, only the rest of the year to go...

Jack's 1st Day of 1st Grade

2008-09-03T09:43:00.001-07:00

Jack started his first day of first grade today. He will be going to "regular" school with a special program for kiddos with autism and he will gone today from 9AM until 4PM. The only way to describe the way I feel is an immense sense of FREEDOM because I will only have 2 babies at home for that long and a sheer sense of TERROR.

It's been a long time since I've spent this much time away from Jack during the day, so I am worried how he will do or whether he will torture his teachers and aids. Will he make friends? Will he eat all his lunch? Will kids be nice to him even when he says weird things or will he just become a target for bullies? Will he stay awake the entire day? Will his teachers be patient and care for him with love? I can only pray for my boy and hope that the teachers will let me know how he does.

Jack was very excited to go back to school--he's been asking for about a month to go back to school, so he was very excited to get dressed and eat and get on the bus. I don't know how he's doing right now, but here are shots from this morning:

Jack and Sassy waiting for the bus.

The bus is here! Time to go to school!

There goes my boy and my heart...

Updates on his day to follow...

Portraits

2008-08-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

This is a collection of my best digital photography of late. I often ask myself why I didn't ever consider this as a profession prior to going (or even applying to) law school. Taking pictures of the people I love and especially my babies truly makes my heart happy. An added bonus is when I take a picture of someone not my child or family member that is beautiful and that makes their hearts happy. Ah, well...hindsight is 20/20...

Vanessa starts 4th Grade!

2008-08-26T14:40:00.001-07:00

Vanessa started 4th grade today . One more year and then she moves to the "big" kids building where the classrooms open to the outside. As a 4th grader, she has a 2nd grade buddy that she has to "take care of" in church. A lot of responsibility, and yes, honestly, it seems like yesterday when she was the one that needed the buddy in church.

Seriously, someone please slow time down, just a bit, so my babies can be little just a little while longer...

Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum

2008-08-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we decided to venture out to McMinnville, Oregon to the Evergeen Aviation & Space Museum (www.sprucegoose.org). It is quite an impressive museum, dedicated to Captain Michael King Smith, with 3 buildings, including an Imax theater. We only went to the aviation museum because it was rather expensive. There we saw the famous "Spruce Goose" airplane, made of spruce wood by the excentric Howard Hughes.

The kids had fun tootling around the planes and especially in the kids area where they could play with all sorts of aviation things including many computers loaded with flight simulator software.

This is a good day trip, and would be even better if we didn't have the kids because it is smack in the middle of wine country where we could have really sauced it up at the wineries...

Twelve Years and counting

2008-08-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

(Self portrait at McCormick & Schmick's Harborside)

I can't seem to stay on top of anything these days, so I am finally posting, 10 days later, that Mike and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary! This actually means that we've been together for 17, yes, SEVENTEEN, years. Well, 17 years and 4 kids later, we're still together.

It's not always easy, but we love each other, so I guess that's good. Who knew that day 17 years ago, on the bus on our way to the "Pray for Sun" dance put on by Mike's (now disbanded for all sorts of bad things) fraternity, when I moved up to a front seat because my friend, Martha, was peeing in the back of the bus, and Mike said: "Chicago? A fellow East Coaster!" in his New Yawk accent, that he was actually my Prince Charming in disguise?

So I will have to "massage" our story a little so I can tell my little princesses how we met, inserting some writer's flair and interpretation so that the big yellow school bus was actually a limo, that my friend, Martha, was actually my fairy godmother, and that the fraternity dance, was a grand ball, and that Mike's t-shirt and shorts, was actually a nice shirt and tie, and instead, he said: "May I have the first dance?"

Regardless of how not fairytale-like our "reality show" meeting was, our life has been nothing less than colorful, full of surprises and excitement, twists and turns, minivans and soccer games, and 4 beautiful babies. We may not have a castle or a lot of money, but we have each other, our incredible children, and most of all, love, so I guess I am getting my happily ever after, after all.

Happy Anniversary, Honey! Here's to 12 more 12 year anniversaries and many more...

A Visit from Aunt Kris, Uncle Mike & Baby Alex

2008-07-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is a long post! Mike's sister Kris, her husband, Mike, and new baby, Alex, came to Portland to visit! We had a busy agenda: Photo shoot with me, Baptize Baby Alex!, Visit Multnomah Falls and Bonneville Dam/Fish Hatchery, and a trip to Cannon Beach. Lot of photos! Here we go:

Friday, July 25th: Kris, Mike & Alex family photo shoot: You all know how much I love to take pictures. Here's the result of my photo shoot with K, M & A.

"How you doin'?" (Joey (complete w/Brooklyn accent) style.)

Saturday, July 26th, Before Alex's Baptism: I had my photo stuff up and could not waste an opportunity to take pictures of my babies.

Saturday, July 26th: Alex's Baptism at University of Portland Chapel:
(Thanks, Joe Kuffner, for taking the pictures at the chapel!) Mike and I and Mike's sister, Eileen, are Alex's Godparents.

Opening presents at the reception.

Eileen, Eileen's friend, Shannon, & Colette

All the cousins (missing Declan & Issac)

Caitlin Briare

A-man lookin' FINE.

Aunt Judy & Alex

Aunt Kathy & Alex

Sunday, July 27th: Multnomah Falls & Bonnevlle Dam/Fish Hatchery:

Bonneville Dam/Fish Hatchery:

Herman the fish

Holding hands. Sweet.

Feeding the giant rainbow trout

Monday, July 28th: Cannon Beach, OR:

We had a great time and we can't wait for Kris, Mike & Baby Alex to come back! We love and miss you guys, we hope you had fun!

Visit from Mari & Matt

2008-07-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

My sister, Bern, went to DePaul University in Chicago (1989-1991) and met her best friend, Mari, there. Mari is a "Flip Sister" and they have been friends ever since. Mari married Matt (also a (lovingly) "honkey" just like Bern and I married), they still live in Chicago. They came to visit Bern and Shawn here.

Bern, Mari and me have an unnatural love of kareoke that we have passed on to Vanessa. Truthfully, it took Vanessa's incessant begging to get the karoke machine out, but once it was out EVERYONE was in full karoke mode. Good times had by all! Thanks for coming to visit Mari & Matt!

(Note: Bern jammin' out in the background.)

Several generations of karoke sistas.

Too much karoke.

4th of July at Grandmom & Pop's

2008-07-31T17:13:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know, I haven't blogged for over a month. So I am doing a marathon post on what we've been doing for the last month. I'll start with July 4th. Grandmom and Pop's condo sits right on the Columbia River facing Fort Vancouver where the big fireworks go off. The barge literally parks right in front of their condo on the river and we have a better view than those at the Fort.

This is an annual tradition, but a long day for all. We skipped last year and spent the 4th in Big Fork, Montana. So we're back at it again at G & P's with all the strangers that have discovered this secret area to watch the fireworks.

It was a nice crowd this year, so well worth the wait. We even took some time and went swimming in the pool and played on the lawn for a bit, too. Joining us was Aunt Eileen and Declan, Eileen's friends, Evelyn and Kathy. I didn't get too many pictures, but here's what I got.

Sassy didn't like the fireworks, but we had her stay outside and hold a down stay to help her at least desensitize herself to the loud, LOUD booms. She's ok and I'm sure she'll be fine next year. Not her first choice of activities, but she'll be ok.

Home Sweet Home (Ode to the 'Burban)

2008-06-30T12:09:00.001-07:00

(Mike in the Burb on the Mt. Shasta Pass)

We made it home safetly! Thanks to the trusty Suburban (The Burb) we rented for the road trip. We didn't want to tax our trusty mini-van by taking it on this road trip because we really need our "sliver bullet" to last us at least another year or so. So we decided to use that great tax rebate to rent the Burb to take us to SoCal. That's how we rolled.

Here's my review of the Burb: Wow--it drives nice. There is no shortage of power in this ride. This particular vehicle had lots of bells and whistles including trip computer and vehicle information. The front and middle row seats are very comfortable, but the leg room is not so great in the third row. The trunk space is cavernous and wonderful, but the third and middle rows are lacking in storage. (In the mini-van we can store stuff under the seats and in lots of nooks and crannies.)

This is a great vehicle for families with older children as it proved to be difficult for both Mike and I to get Josie and Colette out of their car seats. The gas mileage was impressive for the size of the vehicle, proving to be no worse than what we would have gotten with our mini-van. I think we averaged about 18 mpg on the highway.

I did miss our automatic doors and not needing a ladder to climb into the vehicle. It was also tough to have regular doors, as opposed to sliding doors since the vehicle is wide and proved challenging to enter/exit in tight parking spaces.

All in all, great SUV for families with older children. We're not ready for this and definitely know that the mini-van is the best vehicle for us at this stage in our lives. It was fun to drive and I am so happy that we were able to rent it for our trip.

I can't believe we have been home for 3 days already--how fast regular life takes over once you return from vacation. We are blessed to have been able to swing this trip--thanks to Uncle Sam. We're hoping for another one of those rebates every year so we can spend some quality time with each other and take a break from the rat race.

Thanks for following us on our journey!

Balboa Park (Road Trip Day 8 & Last Day in San Diego)

2008-06-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

We decided to spend our last day in San Diego enjoying Balboa Park www.balboapark.org. Balboa Park is home to the San Diego Zoo and many very nice museums, gardens and amazing Spanish architecture. www.balboapark.org/maps/BalboaParkMap.pdf
It is vast and a great place to take the kids and stroll on a nice summer day. There is lots to see even if you do not go into any museums and very child-friendly. We even brought the dogs!

We walked around the Spanish Village Art Center where Vanessa and Josie bought beautiful gemstone necklaces. The town was decorated in bright colors and beautiful landscaping, and the stores had interesting Spanish-themed art work for sale.

Inside the park, the kids enjoyed walking around the fountain and we had a delightful lunch just outside the San Diego Museum of Art. Of course, we tried to take advantage of any photo op and also capture the interesting architecture in the park.

At last, for the dogs, we visited a great dog park just across the bridge from Balboa Park. I think Fletcher and Sassy both enjoyed time to let loose and socialize with K9s.

After leaving Balboa Park, Mike, Colette, Josie and I headed to Pacific Beach boardwalk to pick up a few souvenirs. Just a few shots of us by the beach.

While we are very pooped from all our activities, we are very sad to see our vacation end. We had been looking forward to this trip for months and to have it whiz by so quickly is hard!

We absolutely LOVED meeting sweet little Alex Dutton and spending some really nice quality time with Kris and Mike. They were the perfect hosts and were such great sports when we just kept going and going and going. We will miss them very much and can't wait until they come up to Portland in July for little Alex's baptism! Thank you, Aunt Kris, Uncle Mike and Baby Alex! We love you!

So tomorrow, we embark on our 2-day trip back to the Pacific Northwest. We are going to try to get to Corning, California--just South of Red Bluff, CA and just North of Sacramento. The drive home will be tough, but knowing that we will be arriving home by Friday and sleeping in our own beds will be motivation enough. The kids have been amazing and, although they each had their moments, were very well-behaved all things considered. Mike and I really couldn't ask for more. I'm proud of them and am glad that they, for the most part, are troopers and travel so well.

If there is something worth posting about our trip back home I'll do so! I'm sure, as always, it will be an adventure for our traveling circus.

Much love, hugs and thanks to Kris, Mike, Baby Alex and Fletcher for letting us invade their home for a whole week!

Portrait Day & Mission Bay (Road Trip Day 7)

2008-06-24T23:11:00.001-07:00

We started today with some portraits of Kris & Alex--they came out so cute!

Then Alex solo (isn't he beautiful?):

Any resemblance to Elvis?

Here's Fletcher and his baby boy. So much love, so little time...

Here's Colette with Alex--she dwarfs him, but a sweet picture nonetheless.

Look at those chubby legs on Colette and look at Alex's skinny little chicken legs! Can you stand it? Don't you just want to dip them in chocolate and nibble your worries away?

Here are the kiddos all together--I really am speechless as I am filled with so much love for each and every one of them. I see a wonderful future for these cousins and their great relationships already developing.

So we headed to Mission Bay park for a picnic lunch and a group photo. Not bad! What a beautiful day it was.

Here's the Jack-man doing his best imitation of a "cling-on" and giving love to his Uncle Mike.
It was a lazy day for us today, and we enjoyed just hanging around Mission Bay and having a wonderful dinner with Aunt Kris and Uncle Mike yet again. Our trip is winding down, but we have one more day with them. We will likely go to Balboa Park to enjoy our last day in San Diego. Wow! Did it go fast!

Vanessa's Birthday at Seaworld (Road trip day 6)

2008-06-23T22:39:00.001-07:00

Sweet Moment of the Day:

Colette really loves our pets, Sassy and Latte. Every time they walk by they bring a huge smile to her face. This morning was no exception as Colette scooched her way over to Sassy to give her some cuddles.

Happy Birthday, Vanessa, Seaworld style!

Today was Vanessa's 9th birthday and we celebrated by taking a trip to Seaworld. The day was great--we started it out at the Dolphin Show (which hasn't changed much since we were last here in 2005, but still entertaining, nonetheless):

Next on the agenda was viewing the sharks, since they were inside and cool!

It was hot again, so we had to take it easy and try to pick activities that involved water. Vanessa is an adventurous soul and "dragged" her Uncle Mike and Dad to go on the "Journey to Atlantis" rollercoaster/water ride while Aunt Kris, Jack, Josie, Colette and I waited for their big splash. I got some great pictures of us waiting:

I get the "Mother of the Year" award for feeding my kids ice cream sandwiches (before lunch) and buying them a toy out of the gift shop while we waiting for Mike, Mike and Vanessa to come down the big water hill. It kept them happy and sitting while we waited and it made it more bearable for them. It's hard to wait!

Alex slept peacefully, so I took a shot of him without pulling the canapy back so I wouldn't wake him.

Colette and all her wonderful rolls relaxed and napped as well while we waited...

Finally we got to see them round the corner and down the BIG HILL!

After the Journey to Atlantis, we headed over to the Shipwreak Reef Cafe for a delightful lunch. Since we were over there, after lunch Aunt Kris, Mike, Jack and Vanessa attempted to get on the Shipwreak Rapids ride to cool off, but the ride BROKE before they could get on it! BUMMER! So we headed over to the aquarium to see some fish.

After a while we headed back over to the Shipwreak Rapids and it was fixed! This time, Jack, Vanessa and I decided to go it alone while Dad sat back with Josie and Colette. Uncle Mike, Aunt Kris stayed behind to feed little Alex. They, too were able to get good shots of us as we got SOAKED!

This was Jack's first real "adult" ride where he was tall enough to ride. He waited patiently while we waited in line and snaked around in all the different switchbacks and stairs and people. He laughed hysterically the whole time during the ride and when it was all finished, he said (or screamed) "let's do it again, again, again!" You will see from this next picture, that we got SOAKED. It's a great ride and lots of fun without too much scariness. I'd love to do it again, again, again!

Tough to tell from the picture, but if I had been wearing a white T-shirt, I would be a contender to win the wet-t-shirt contest in the "Lactating category for Most Soaked Breast Pads.

After the Shipwreak ride, we were all pretty spent. We took some time to take in the killer whales since we missed the "Shamu Show" and a few minutes to decompress.

Here's the birthday girl at the end of the day, happy and soaked.

After Seaworld, we dried off and headed back over to dinner central at Uncle Mike and Aunt Kris' house. We had a "Vanessa-picked" meal: Spaghetti, with bread and salad. For dessert we had chocolate fudge cake after she opened her gifts from Aunt Kris and Uncle Mike and a box sent by Lolo and Lola.

Earings from Aunt Kris & Uncle Mike

Lots of pretty dresses from Lolo & Lola

Happy Birthday, our little peanut. You will always be our first baby. Try to slow down growing up just a little bit, so Daddy and I can catch up.

We love you all the way to the moon and back...

Sassy & Fletcher's Play Date & La Jolla Shores (Road Trip Day 5)

2008-06-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

Playdate for Fletcher and Sassy:

Day 5 began with a treat for our beloved dogs. Sassy and Fletcher had a play date at Kate Sessions dog park. Sassy is in love with Fletcher and Fletcher has extreme indifference for our little Sassy. However, he does tolerate her efforts to gain his affection and attention quite well. Sassy doesn't care, she'll keep trying regardless of how many times he may reject her attempts for love. They had a nice time at the park!

The excitement builds as they head to the park.

Finally here!

Taking a break

The view from Kate Sessions

LaJolla Shores Beach:

The second part of our day was spent at LaJolla Shores beach. We scored an exceptionally good spot in front of the LaJolla Shores Hotel & Restaurant--a beachside hotel. We even scored 2 free beach umbrellas from the hotel's beach boys (our beach boy was named "Chad") for a mere tip! :) Kris and I briefly considered flashing him our lactating bosoms for an added treat for Chad and his fine beach umbrella and chair services and quickly changed our minds. In addition to our own private beach boy, we also were frequently asked by a beach waitress if we wanted to place an order for drinks or food! We felt seriously spoiled and rich for one brief second :).

It was beautiful day at the beach, not terribly crowded. There was a delightful breeze coming off the ocean and the water as a nice bath temperature--a far cry from the ice cold ocean water of the Pacific Northwest.

An unusual slice of people-watching developed next to our little beach camp, the hotel began setting up for a beach wedding. They literally set up these latice walls and white wedding chairs right next to us. We were able to watch the rehearsals from our beach towels--front row action! Unfortunately, we left before the nuptials took place at 4:30. It was an intersting group, though, and we wish the happy couple the best of luck.

Here are the shots from our day at the beach:

Little A-man taking a nap in the baby tent.

Dinner at Kris & Mike's:

After a quick dip in the pool and good hard scrubbing and de-sanding of the kids' private parts, we headed to Kris & Mike's for dinner and a movie.

Mike had yet to be photographed with his new nephew and Godson, so we took the opportunity to do that tonight. I think they came out really sweet.

Sassy's love affair with Fletcher continues and Fletcher's "hard to get" act is a showstopper...literally for poor little Sassy. Regardless it's sweet to watch her efforts--we're just glad that Fletcher is humoring her and not getting angry at her for her persistence.

Tomorrow is Vanessa's 9th birthday and we are going to Seaworld to celebrate. We hope the weather is a little cooler as we are all suffering from a little sunburn :)

San Diego Zoo (Road Trip day 4)

2008-06-21T22:52:00.001-07:00

Here is a sweet moment: Jack and Vanessa woke up this morning and immediately started planning their day at the San Diego Zoo on the map that Aunt Kris gave them. They spent about 20 minutes looking at the zoo map and the animals they will be able to see at the zoo. Vanessa read ever square inch of the map including the show times and specials you could buy!

So we started the day out at the Zoo. Aside from the tempature in San Diego being an unseasonable and unusualy sweltering 97 degrees, the day was beautiful. We rented a double stroller and got our bang for our buck. It fit 3 out of 4 kids!

Colette being the DIVA that she is, got her own ride and rolled in our single stroller.

Alex, of course, had the luxurious stroller and napped the entire day as we strolled along the zoo. What a sweet baby boy!

We saw koalas...

And camels...

And polar bears (I would have taken a picture of the polar bears playing the water, but I couldn't get a good shot because there were so many people.)

Josie squeezed in on the second level and was able to see the polar bears. Here she is coming down...

Here's Uncle Mike & Aunt Kris with the flamingos...

Uncle Mike & Aunt Kris had to leave to go to a baby shower, so we headed off to enjoy lunch at Albert's Restaurant high in the treehouse. It was a delightful, sit down restaurant that was AIR CONDITIONED. Even better, the kids behaved BEAUTIFULLY. We rarely go out to eat anymore because of the sheer cost to feed our brood, but all 4 of them were model children. It was one of those meals out that you sit back and just pat yourself on the back for being a good parent. Definitely, a shinning moment for Mike and I and a memory we will savor and cherish.

Take a look at the hippos! Smart, too! They were underwater where it was nice and cool!

At about 2 PM, the kids were done with the heat and couldn't wait to get back to jump in the pool (neither could we!)
A great day at the San Diego Zoo!

Tomorrow is a "rest" day, so we may just meander down to the beach or Balboa Park and have a picnic lunch and take a few shots.

San Diego at Last! (Road trip day 2 & 3)

2008-06-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

We made it! The second day of driving went amazing well. The kids literally slept what seemed like the entire way. I was the lucky one to drive us through LA--can I just say that LA is HUGE? It took us about 2 hours to drive through the LA metro area and we were not stuck in traffic. That city is just GIANORMOUS. I have never been to LA and if we weren't trying to get to SD, I would have loved a chance to explore the sites. I kept looking to the sides to see if I could get a "star sighting" I tried especially hard to look at Range Rovers and Suburbans with dark tinted windows. No star sightings. Darn.

Anyway, we made it to San Diego just before 5PM and we were so happy to get there! Here are pictures just after our arrival.

Here is our new baby nephew, Alex, Josie and Colette getting to know each other.

Big cousin, Vanessa, bonding with the A-man

Here's Sassy and Fletcher saying hello.

We took it easy the rest of the evening off to settle into our guest condo and take a quick dip in the pool. The kids passed out dreaming of the next day at the pool...

Day 3:

Everyone was up bright and early! After a nice breakfast, we headed down to the pool at about 10 AM and spent the next FOUR hours there!

Here's Aunt Kris, Alex & Colette
Baby Alex and his swim "pants" SOOOO CUTE!!

Sorry, the pool pictures are overexposed, but its pretty darn sunny here and we LOVE it! We all need some vitamin D!!! Be ware of our pasty white, Pacific NW skin! You may need to wear your sunglasses.

Jo, Mike & Colette

Vanessa our resident swimmer.

Jack-man enjoying the "Strawberry Shortcake" innertube

Colette crusin' in the SS Baby

Uncle Mike and Colette taking in some sunshine

Josie avoiding the limelight. She wasn't too big on getting in the pool, but she enjoyed dipping her feet in and throwing the pool toys in the pool.

After the pool all the kids took a monster nap and gave us some quiet time which was nice. After our naps we headed over to Aunt Kris and Uncle Mike's for a very nice summer dinner.

Colette Baby

Josie showing off her new sundress

Fletcher feasting on the bone he got from Sassy

Me with Sweet Alex

Alex showing off his pouty lip and making me look like a bad Aunt

Josie and Aunt Kris giving each other lots of cuddles

Tommorow we head to the San Diego Zoo! There should be lots and lots of pictures from our day at the zoo. Off to bed for some well deserved rest...

Road Trip Day 1: Sacramento Bound

2008-06-18T23:41:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Itinerary: Vancouver, WA to Sacramento

We rented a sweet Suburban to get us to SoCal, unfortunately there are slight differences in storage in the front portions of the vehicle that caused a slight delay in packing the 'burban this morning. So we didn't get off at 5AM as planned. We did end up leaving around 7AM which isn't too bad all things considered.

I didn't get a shot of the Suburban, but will for future posts. The kids did great considering we didn't get to the hotel until 8PM. We did take a few extended stops to give everyone a break and stretch.

I didn't take too many pictures today, but here's the first round.

Mt. Shasta

Rest Stop Lunch

That's how we roll: Mike crusin' in the 'burban

Jack man

Jack was watching Percy and insisted that I take a photo for posterity of Percy on DVD player. Note: he even pressed pause so we could get the full effect.

Vanessa in the WAY back :)

We expect to be in SD tomorrow evening. If I have the energy, I will post again! Stay tuned for the rest of our trip!

Road Trip to San Diego

2008-06-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hold on now! Vanessa is turning NINE! Yes, 9. Not only that, she is now a 4th grader. Ok, let's all pick our jaws up off the floor and wipe the tears from our eyes. It's official. She's growing up--fast--and there is nothing, and I mean nothing, I can do about it.

As a promise to her for her birthday, we told her we'd take her to San Diego to visit her Aunt Kris, Uncle Mike and her new cousin baby Alex. So we celebrated Father's Day, Aunt Eileen's Birthday and her birthday this past Sunday. On her "real" birthday, we'll be at Seaworld!

So here I am the night before embarking on a marathon road trip to San Diego with 4 kids and a dog in tow and I'm blogging just to make sure that the blog is ready to go.

I am insane and now I need to finish packing so that's it for now. Tune in frequently as you know how I love to update the blog while we travel. We can even surf the internet while in the car thanks to my handy dandy Verizon Wireless god.

Say a prayer for a safe trip for us--it should be a blast.

Ughhh.

2008-05-27T09:24:00.001-07:00

I have been suffering from an unbelievable 8mm kidney stone for the last 2 weeks. I had an appointment to undergo outpatient surgery today to remove it and have a stint placed in my kidney to assist with the stone passage. Miraculously, I PASSED THE STONE this morning! It is so unbelievable in size, I feel like it is the biggest kidney stone ever passed without surgery. I will be having the stone analyzed and hopefully will be able to prevent it from ever happening again.

Vanessa goes "Select"

2008-05-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

After 3 years of recreational soccer, Vanessa has made us proud again. She tried out for a “select” team and made it! The team she has been playing with for the last 2 years all made a new “select” team and will be playing at the U11 level in the fall. This is a competitive team (as opposed to just recreational) and the competition will be tougher. Vanessa’s growth as a soccer player has been amazing to watch and we are so very proud of her. This whole soccer thing has come 100% from her and she continues to want to play, so we will continue to support her. (Why else would we withstand crazy weather hot and cold?)

The picture is from last weekend at a tournament she played. It was 90+ degrees and the girls played 4 games on Saturday and 2 on Sunday (although Vanessa sat Sunday out due to a cold and fever). Her team took 1st in their age bracket and she got a really cool medal!

U.P. Lady Pilots: here we come!

Jack Michael, my Hero

2008-05-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that I've been suffering through a bout of kidney stones for the last 2 weeks. On one of the worst days, I was laying in bed trying to forget about the pain. Colette, Josie, and Jack were napping and Mike had taken Vanessa to soccer.

Jack woke up from his nap and found me, as he always does. He climbed into bed and snuggled with me and said that he wanted "jelly with bread". I was pretty pathetic and whinned that "Mommy isn't feeling very good. You need to be a patient boy." He got out of bed and mumbled something that I couldn't understand. I thought he went downstairs to watch t.v.

About half an hour later, the door bell rings. I was still in pain and didn't want to answer it, but then I heard Jack moving the chair to the door so he could unlock the upper lock. He was saying: "You have to wake up Mommy" over and over. So I got up and went downstairs to see who it was. Peeking through the window were 2 police officers.

I opened the door and they said: "Are you O.K.?"

At this point, I thought something had happened to Vanessa and Mike and I said "Yes! Why?!?"

The female officer talked into her walkie talkie and said "We're in contact with Mom." (Kind of like in the movies.) They looked at each other and then said: "Jack called us and said that you needed rescuing. He's been on the phone with the 911 operator until we got here. He kept saying that his mommy needed to be rescued."

I explained the situation to them and said that I've been working through some kidney stones and that I was fine. I told them that Jack was autistic and he doesn't quite understand. They said they knew that (from Jack's previous fun attempts at calling 911--it's in our "file") and that next time they will call our cell phone numbers to confirm the call is legit. I thanked the officers (profusely) and apologized as they left.

At one level I wanted to get so angry with him for wasting important community resources that way, but on another level I wanted to celebrate: He got it. Something was wrong with Mommy and he called for help. He had the presence of mind to stay on the line (Jack doesn't particularly like talking on the phone) with the 911 operator until the police got there. He totally got it.

I cried as I hugged him to tell him that I was ok, but that I was just not feeling well.

Now I know that if anything goes wrong, Jack gets it. Jack will rescue me. He is my hero.

Playing catch-up: Out of the mouths of babes

2008-05-26T17:13:00.003-07:00

(I've been meaning to post this for some time now, but am just getting around to it.)

So I’ve been trying to get Josie to tell me when she has a “No. 2” in her diaper so we can move along her potty training readiness.

Today, I could smell the “bomb” she just dropped in her diaper, so I asked her: “Josie, did you make a poopie?”

She replied: “No.”

I asked her: “Then what’s that I smell?”

Josie said: “It’s the dog.”

Incident number 2: I smelled that brown monster again just now (in fact, it’s still in her diaper as I type) and I asked her: “Did you make a poopie?”

Josie said: “No.”

So I asked her again, “What’s that I smell?”

Josie replied: “Colette.” (Actually she says it phonetically: “Co-wette” like Elmer Fudd)

Unbelievable. I have a 2 year-old-pathological-potty-liar who is hysterically funny.

Love, The Mom of the mysterious pooper.

Baby Phat: Colette at 7 months!

2008-05-15T09:53:00.001-07:00

There's nothing better than the sweet rolls of baby fat. Colette is now 7 months old and showing the result of 7 months of nursing. Mother nature is an amazing thing...its hard for me to believe that her life has been sustained by my milk alone.

Colette's personality is slowing coming out. She is very much a Mamma's girl and is a morning baby when she is her happiest. She's not a big fan of evenings, but is ok as long as mom is holding her. She is enjoying her newfound food (baby food, yummy!) and is happy that mom is finally sharing food with her! She is quite "grabby" so look out for your hair, necklaces, plates, and pretty much anything within her reach when you are holding her. :) She is starting to roll more and she certainly tries very hard to move to what she wants--it will not be long before she'll be crawling!

The baby stage is fleeting for me and I am very sad to let that stage of my life go, but I am excited that Colette is much more interactive with us. I'll get my baby fix soon, when we visit our new nephew, Alex, in San Diego next month.

Jack's writing homework

2008-05-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

We recently found out that Jack will be moving on to 1st grade! He will continue going to York Elementary and will be going to school full time in the fall! I can't believe how far he's come this year and actually, how far he's come in the last month or so. We took him to a naturopath and have started him on supplements and we think its working wonders! We plan to continue the treatment and hope that he is on his way to "losing his diagnosis".

Jack does not enjoy writing--he has some fine motor difficulties, so getting him to write is a big deal. Here is a recent writting assignment that he completed at school. So cute!

Jack's Baseball: PGE Park Day

2008-05-15T09:27:00.001-07:00

Jack is back playing baseball with his special needs baseball league the Challenger League with Columbia Little League in Vancouver. Our favorite event is PGE Park day where we get to play on the minor league baseball field in Portland. Here are some shots from our fun day!

Dad and Jack get ready to bat

Jack at bat

Jack got a hit!

On his way to 1st base!

Pop, Dad & Jack waiting on 3rd base.

Jack running to score where he slid on home base!

Jack scored a run!

Pop with the girls

Sassy enjoying the game.

Team Huddle

Team Photo: The West Linn H.S. baseball team came and helped out. They gave each of our players a West Linn shirt. Thanks West Linn! (Jack is on the far right, back row. You can see Mike's face. Jack is looking down at his new shirt.)

Josie Jo.

Grandmom on Sassy duty.

Colette taking care of Pop.

Colette keeping an eye on Pop.

We had great day and we can't wait until next year! Jack has come a long way with his baseball. We don't have to bribe him to play and he'll even tolerate playing defense in the outfield. Go Jack!

My Ka-Chunk-a-Chunk

2008-04-28T16:25:00.001-07:00

Colette Maria

I am very sensitive to the fact that my youngest baby could potentially fall victim to the "one who was not photographed" syndrome that befalls larger families.

If you looked up the definition of "certifiably insane ubermom" you would find a picture of my haggared self as the "e.g.". So every now and again, I try to remember to STOP, take in the moment in time of my baby and rejoice in how she is right now. I love extreme close ups so you can see the very shape of her eyes, her button nose, the curve of her plump lips and the perfection that is baby skin. Colette, though one of my more "high maintenance babies" is perfection in every way in my eyes, biased Momma and all. Though if you asked me that of any of my kids, I would proudly (and honestly) say the same thing about each and every one of them. :)

(Happily, my passion is photography and none of my children will likely ever complain of never being photgraphed.)

Autism Walkathon 2008

2008-04-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

We participated in the Autism Society of Oregon's Annual Autism Walkathon this Sunday for the first time. Our team consisted of our brood: Mike, Cathy, Vanessa, Jack, Josie, Colette & Sassy; Grandmom & Pop, Eileen & Declan, Bern and Shawn. The walk was held at Oaks Park--a very nice setting, but the walk itself was a bit disorganized and chaotic. For a walk held for kids with Autism, the walk started late and all the kids were going crazy waiting around. All-in-all it was for a good cause, but we're hoping next year will be better!

Thank you to all who donated to our cause! Many of the donations were for Jack and in honor of Jack's late Grand-Uncle Ken whose birthday is in April.

Cannon Beach Getaway

2008-04-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we took some time out and went to Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast. It's under 2 hours away, but a world away from our busy suburban lives. Aunt Bern and Uncle Shawn took a break and came with us for some Q.T. with the kids. We rented a modest vacation home just north of the supercute downtown area.

Rainy Saturday
Saturday couldn't have been wetter, but we ventured out to the beach anyway. The kids loved sloshing around in the rain. They don't seem to care if they are cold and wet. Amazing!

Sassy got comfortable with Mike.

Josie & Uncle Shawn killed some time during the rain to do some much needed computer work.

Sunny Sunday at the Rock

Sunday's weather cooperated with us a lot more by granting us many sun breaks. As it always is at the Oregon coast, it was windy making it seem much colder than it really is. This time we ventured closer to Cannon Beach's most popular landmark, Haystack Rock.

I have to share this story about Mike. We were staring at the rock and he [seriously] said: "I wonder why they call it 'Haystack Rock'". I love you, Honey, but REALLY? We all got a chuckle out of that one.

The quintesential self-portrait. My sister and I are experts. Note the perfect placement of Haystack Rock.

We LOVED the trip even though the weather was only 50/50 for us. We can't wait to go back!

Oregon Zoo, Part II: Jack's Turn

2008-04-04T09:27:00.001-07:00

Jack is on spring break this week, so it was his turn for Mom to take him to the zoo. Here are some shots from our trip yesterday. I tried to get different aninals from my post with Vanessa. Josie got a treat and got to go to the zoo 2 weeks in a row!

Jack at the Mountain Goats

Visit to the sea lions

The black sun bear was out!

Giddy-up!

Jack and the ducks

Jack and the turtles

Sleeping beavers!

Jack and Jos

Playful Polar Bears!

Orangatans close up

Really big male orangatan

Visiting the Chimps

Holy Hippos!

Josie and the kelp forest

Two sleeping leopards!

(I called them Jaguars last time, I stand corrected.)

And of course, the self portrait

Thanks to all the animals for a great time!

Colette then Jackie-boy

2008-03-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

Here's just a little bit of video of Colette (Mike in the background) in her supersaucer. Jack comes in a bit later with his Care Bears. This is just a little taste of our silly house.

Vanessa's Piano Recital

2008-03-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

Vanessa has been taking piano lessons for nearly 3 years now. She was slow to really, truly enjoy it, but in the last 6 months she has embraced it. This is her most recent recital earlier this month.

Vanessa's Spring Break: Day 1 Oregon Zoo

2008-03-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

Vanessa's spring break runs the entire week. Since Jack and Vanessa go to different schools, their spring breaks run consecutively instead of concurrently. It really bites, especially if we want to travel because that means that one of them, for sure, will miss school. We're a bit anal about them missing school, so for the first time in several years, we are spending spring break at home. The past years, as you may remember from previous posts, we usually go to visit my parents in Stevensville, Montana. So that trip will have to wait until late summer.

Sooooo, I've got my girls at home this week and I thought we'd do some bonding while Jack is at school in the morning. First up, taking on the Oregon Zoo. We woke up with clear and sunny skies, so off we went as soon as we got Jack on the bus. It was a great day for the zoo because not only was the weather nice, all the animals were out and social! I don't normally torture you all with animal pictures, but they were so good that I needed to share. Should I submit them to National Geographic or does being in captivity automatically exclude my rather nice shots of "wild animals"? (Not Vanessa, Josie or Colette of course.)

Mr. Polar bear was rather playful right in front of the observation glass.

We discovered that Vanessa is about the size of a Sun Bear.

Vanessa searching for the Sun Bears. (They never come out.)

Josie enjoying those odd looking, very sore looking red-bottomed primates.

Vanessa getting cheek to cheek with an Orangatan

(well & several inches thick glass)

Ms. Socialite Orangatan

Josie & the Elephants

Vanessa & Josie with the elephants

Vanessa & the hippos

(note the very large butt next to her face).

A nice little lizard. (I didn't catch his name.)

Vanessa and some very big, flat fish

Josie & the big, flat fish

Look at these next 2 shots of Mr. Allegator. It puts the late Steve Irwin to shame (well if he took pictures anyway). It's like you are right there. Except for the slight glass reflection, you could totally reach out and touch them. (Why you would want to is another matter, but you totally could.)

Mr. Chimpanzee inspecting his (or her) fingernails.

It's like you could take a seat right next to him/her and join in the fun.

Python anyone? I couldn't fit the entire snake in the picture.

Look out, San Diego, here comes Marty the Zebra!

(Matagascar reference.)

Josie observing Mr. Giraffe eating. (Well, actually she's looking at me for just a second, but she really is observing Mr. Girffe.)

Mr. Giraffe up close. Can you feel the African Safari heat on your back?

Vanessa and Josie taking "drive" in the African safari jeep.

A rare sighting of Mr. Tiger--normally the anti-social resident tiger is sleeping a corner and hiding from the prying eyes of the public.

Check out the jaguars!

Don't go calling social services, the girls are on the other side of the glass from this sleeping kitty of a jaguar, but doesn't it look like they are right next to it? Can you hear the bongos in the backgrond?

So close! And yet so far...Thank goodness for bullet-proof glass.

Did I mention that Colette was with us? She was a trooper and slept the entire trip.

Teaching the girls the fine art of the self portrait. Josie needs to work on her form.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

Spring Soccer Season has begun! (GO FIREBALLLLSSSSS!!!!!)

2008-03-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

Vanessa's spring outdoor soccer season has begun! This is the 5th outdoor season she has plyed with this team/coaches and we LOVE THEM! (Shout out to Feike & Justin!!!) The girls are great, the coaches are FANTASTIC, and as an added bonus, the families of the girls are GREAT, too! (Shout out to the Postmas, Donathans, Millers, Nebels, Burres, Craigs, Davis, and Watsons!!!)

They just wrapped up 2 indoor seasons with the same team (some new girls there, but are not on the outdoor team) in which they played some great soccer! Not only was it exciting because the ball was always in play, but it was dry and comfortable for the parents!

Alas, the rainy season is back in the Pacific Northwest, so that means it's soccer time! We've got our rain gear ready (though I determined that I need some good mud boots) and we are fired up are and ready to go. Vanessa's team is called the "Fireballs"!

These pictures are from the girls' first game (pictures courtesy of Bob Davis--THANKS, BOB, you ROCK!), but the great news is from her second game. Vanessa scored 2 goals this weekend!!!! (Not that we're keeping score or that we're teaching her that its all about scoring...) Vanessa's game has improved greatly and the best part of it all is that it is 100% coming from her! (Believe me, I would not stand out in the pouring, cold rain if she didn't want to be there.)

She also did a "trial run" of tryouts for the "select" and "premier" soccer league in Vancover. She did great and we're looking forward to that when it is time (though I can't be too disappointed right now since it costs a lot more and involves travel). However, if she decides that this is what she wants to do, we'll support her 150%.

For now, we are just basking in the glow of her first 2 goals of the spring season! :)

GO FIREBALLS!!!!!!!!

She's here!

2008-03-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

Be sure to check out our blog: http://jackandsassy.blogspot.com/ and see photos of Jack and Sassy!

Sassy Update

2008-02-17T20:07:00.000-08:00

This is the last of my run of postings tonight! On a happy note, this is our new puppy, Sassy! Sassy will be arriving in Portland from Connecticut on Saturday, March 1st! From there, we will begin our long series of training to turn our little pup into the best service dog ever!

We found out that one of her siblings will be joining a family in Beaverton, OR, so we'll be training together. It will be nice to have a fellow North Star family so close by. Their North Star dog is for their son who is the same age as Jack. We hope this is the start of a wonderful friendship!

We plan on documenting our journey with Sassy and Jack on video and photos, so there is lots to come in the next few months. We can't wait to share it with you all, so keep checking in.

Valentine's babies

2008-02-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

Valentine's day came and went rather quickly this year, but not before I could get a picture of the kids in their coordinating outfits! Not exactly perfect pictures, but fun nonetheless. They are good sports for me and my constant shutterbug.

Nothing says "love" better for me, than pictures of our babes hugging and smiling together.

Portrait Mania

2008-02-17T19:58:00.001-08:00

As they say, practice makes perfect. I am working on my photography skills--not only working the camera and subjects, but also my lighting and directing. What better way to practice than to take pictures of the special people in our lives.

My sister, Bern, and brother-in-law, Shawn, were up for the challenge and I finally got a chance to take some nice photos of them.

Grandmom and Pop also were forced to pose for me and I think it turned out very nice.
How am I doing so far?

Our Little Lady Vanessa

2008-02-17T19:54:00.001-08:00

Our little lady Vanessa is so easy to photograph. No bribing, no tears, just ask for a nice smile and pose and I get a beautiful picture. Thanks to years of torture by Mom, she is a natural in front of the camera.

Jack Man

2008-02-17T19:50:00.001-08:00

It's Jack's turn to be in the spotlight. My little man was a champ in front of the camera for me. Before I know it, he'll be modeling Calvin Klein underwear on a billboard in Times Square!

Colette at 4 months

2008-02-14T09:10:00.000-08:00

Our baby girl is now 4 months old! With her new baby fat rolls, she is simply scrupmtious! She is smiling and laughing now, too! Here are a few shots from her latest session at Mommy Photography Studio.

Josie: at the Terrific Twos!

2008-02-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

Our little Josie is now in the Terrific Twos! Her little personality is really coming out and, let me tell you, we are going to have our hands full with this one! Here she is in all her glory in a photo shoot at Mommy's photography studio :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Puppy Update

2008-01-29T11:35:00.000-08:00

North Star told us that all 19 puppies in the litter tested beautifully for temperment. They will be assigning the children their specific puppies soon! Her is a recent picture of one of the puppies they named "Rory". We are hoping to find out who our puppy is very soon.
Here's Jack with his life-sized golden retriever stuffed animal. We bought this to begin preparing Jack for his new friend. We also bought our dog crate and set it up this weekend in preparation for our puppy's arrival. The excitement in our house is building!

Our Little Josie is 2!!!!

2008-01-16T19:58:00.001-08:00

Happy 2nd Birthday, Josie girl!

Can you believe it? Our baby Josie is 2 years old?!? Our little baby is now a very active and personable toddler! She is talking up a storm and is our next little fashionista next to her big sister, Vanessa. She truly is a character and a joy to have around. Though she is still very much a mama's girl, she is coming out of her shell little by little and what a little ham she is!

These next shots are from today, her real birthday:

Josie showing off her little "Cheetah Girl" coat that she got from Aunt Bern & Uncle Shawn

Josie shoing off another new outfit & necklace--supercute!

Cake time!

Blowing out the candles

Cake shot

Can you stand it? They are so cute!

(Sorry, but I love them so much)

Mom & Jo

Everyone got a present

Josie got a sweet new cell phone. Here she is calling her peeps.

It's all about the network. Can you hear me now?

Baby Colette, cutie patootie. Now 3 months old!

(Outfit compliments of Aunt Bern & Uncle Shawn)

Dad & Colette

Sunday, Jan 13, 2008: Josie & Pop's combined birthday party

(low key this year :))
We had an "official" birthday party for Josie, combined with her birthday buddy, her Pop, of course, last weekend.

Here's Jo modeling yet another new outfit

(from Aunt Bern & Uncle Shawn)

Cuddling with Aunt Ei

Aunt Bern and Jo: Fashionista-sistas

Waiting patiently to open presents

Josie opening presents.

(Whatsup, Grandmom? Why the face?)

Log cabin present from Grandmom & Pop!

Wow! A farm for Jos!

(Thanks, Aunt Ei, DC, Aunt Kris & Uncle Mike!)

Pop got presents, too!

25th Anniversary Care Bear!

(With Swarzky Crystals!)

New fad--forget the oversized Jackie O glasses

Uncle Shawn gets cuddle time with Colette

Dad delivers the cake

Pop & Josie get ready to blow out candles

(a comprimise in number somewhere between 2 and 72)

All the kids help out

Mike

Pop enjoying his cake
(and eating it too--sorry had to do it)

Josie taking a short break from her cake eating

Jack & Josie: mmmmm cake!

Pop & Colette

Jack kisses!

Happy Birthday, Josie & Pop, we love you to the moon and back!

Rubio "Christmas after Christmas"

2008-01-15T20:05:00.001-08:00

Or should we say, Rubio Epiphany? Lolo & Lola made it out for our annual holiday gathering after the holidays on January 5 through the 11th. Like the first set of holidays, it flew by. We had a great time with Lolo and Lola. Josie especially enjoyed playing "tea party" with Lolo.

Just before they left, Josie got a special early birthday mini party with Lolo and Lola. Thanks, Lolo & Lola! We miss you already...

Here are shots from our week:

Here's Josie's early birthday mini party with Lolo & Lola: