hmmmm...... I just feel compelled

This isn't a funny post. this post has no real great meaning except for me. I wanted to take a few seconds to tell all the people I know and all the family I have and all the friends I have made that I love you all. I have been introspective today as I signed up to participate in the Susan G. Komen race for the cure. I am thinking of all the lovely women in my life that I have met and that have changed me one way or another. Through their stories of faith and persistance and fighting they have caused me to be grateful, thankful, and humble. I am thankful for lives lived and even though some of those lives ended early.... They lived to the fullest. I want to be one of those women. I want to enjoy each breath I am given, because unlike them, I can still breath. I pray for those that are still fighting their fights. Margaret, you are an inspiration. Your example of faith is unbelievable. Your strength is amazing. You are a strong woman. I am very proud of you. Zina, you are loved and you are missed. You loved everyone and everything.. even the critters in your back garden that ate your plants and made growing things otherwise impossible.. Caroleen, you have beautiful daughters that will continue on in your honor. You raised them well. You will be re-united again.

I don't know what else to say. I just wanted to say this. Thanks for listening. =)

missed a scheduled event.. this is the result...

OH my gosh dear friends... This morning I had the worst experience in my life and of course, I have to blog about it.

It started a week ago... I was vacuuming my living room and my vacuum pretty much died. I tried to fix it.. to no avail. So, I have been living with no vacuum for about a week. I have 4 children, daycare, and a dog. I do have a very small little vacuum thing that is about 20 years old. lol and I have been using that as much as possible. But that doesn't clean much. just surface cleaning, barely. K, so 3 days ago I was playing Basketball and my back started to hurt really really bad. I finished the game and that was the last physical activity of any kind that I have had for 3 days. I haven't cleaned my house, I haven't put away laundry, I haven't done dishes, I barely got my kids to school this morning. I finally got out of bed about 930 and slowly make it to the shower... I get out of the shower and my son says to me.. Jeff called. JEFF?? who's that?? About 1 min. later the phone rings and at that exact moment I see out of my bedroom window a strange man in the backyard, with a tape measure, and I remember.. THAT'S JEFF!!!! See, we are trying to re-fi our house right now and BofA sent out an appraiser.. JEFF! UGH. I quickly threw on what was closest to my hands... my pajamas... and ran out side to see if I could find him. He was just coming around the corner and says, HI, I need to see the inside of your house. I about died. The inside of MY HOUSE??? does he know that I have been incapacitated for the better part of this week and that my vacuum broke???

So, instead of telling you about my complete embarassment and total lack of preparation.. I would like to just show you.
I hope you enjoy and remember.. if your back is out, CALL A MAID!!!!!

Well.. I haven't posted anything in a very long time. I have been too addicted to Facebook I think.. and running short on time most days. My days are only 24 hours long.... But I figured I have a few minutes right now.. Here are a few pics from our Easter Vacation... I know its called Spring Break now.. but growing up it was Easter Vacation.. so I regress to that time. I took 2 days off work and we headed out to the Oregon Coast. We ended up staying in Gearhart, OR which is about 1 hour 45 minutes away. Brian couldn't get time off work so it was me and the 4 kidlets.. I had to call in reinforcemtns though.. me and 4 kids alone was kinda daunting.. so I invited the kids babysitter to come with us and help keep me sane. We had the BEST time ever. We rented a lovely 2 bedroom Condo and we had a pool/jacuzzi.. the beach was right out the window and so we spent much of our time beach combing for shells, sand dollars, etc. We even learned how to "clam". Razor Clams are abundant on the OR coast.. so that was fun. This is also the first beach I have ever driven on. Growing up in CA I always saw the lifeguards driving on the beach and I was always a little jealous.. so I got my chance! We actually drove in the water a bit too.... later to find out it isn't soo good for the belt in the engine of the Suburban... Who knew?? OH WELL. Its a memory! so, here are a few pics of the kids freezing their butts off.. but all in the name of fun. We wish more family lived close so that we could enjoy these things together!!!!!!



our kitchen.. in the condo.. much fun

Michael just keeps 'em comin..

Michael is our child that makes us laugh uncontrollably! Here is another gem..

Yesterday I asked Mikey to go look for his little sister and make sure she was OK and not getting into anything she isn't supposed to..so a few minutes later he comes back and says "mom, madelyn is playing in her room with her toys." I said thanks to him and he went away to play.

About 20 minutes later (after I was done prepping for dinner) I go to look for Madelyn and she is not anywhere to be found... I go into my room and what do I find?? Not Madelyn.. but proof that she has been there. Brian's misc. drawer was open and money was everywhere (all change). My makeup drawer was open and my make up was drawn on the carpet, and my shoes were everywhere. I called for Michael and I said.."so were these the toys she was playing with??" He says sorry to me and apologizes for lying and says he wont do it again. I asked him to please help me clean up the mess. He was happy to help. One of the other kids called me so I left Mikey in there while I went to the LR. I'm in the LR talking to Hannah and Michael comes out, doing some silly whistling thingy, looking at me as we goes to walk up the stairs... HE IS SO HIDING SOMETHING.. he has that guilty look.... I said "Michael, whats in your pockets?" he says nothing. I said "Come here." he comes over. he shows me his pockets, he even goes as far as to jump up and down to show me that there is nothing in his pockets... I said "give me your hands." he just looks at me and opens them. Snuggled nicely in his left hand is about $3.00 in change..LOL. I said, "Uh, is this yours?" he said no. I asked him to please go put it back in dads drawer. He says ok. A minute later he comes back and goes to go upstairs and this time he's humming... again, guilty! So I said, "Michael, open your mouth!" He walks over, opens it, and there inside are 3 quarters! LOL!!!!! I said "uh, ya, I'm smarter than you! Don't try this again!" He spits them out and then gets sent to his room for a time out....

what a dork! He finally made it to his room though!