We're back, again

Wow! Am I happy to be back! This means I have no more trips on the horizon to worry about and the process to get the kids back on schedule for the short term, has begun. We all had a really good time, but taking my almost 2 year old anywhere is a challenge, must less taking him across 2 time zones and changing his sleeping arrangement. Needless to say, Nate was a little too much to handle! Gwen was a little sleep deprived also, but she totally had a wonderful time. She feed the birds with her Grandpop, played with "her" dog, Bisbee and went for wheel barrow rides with Grandmom. This is not to say that Nate didn't have a good time, he did, but he only had short spurts of happiness, the rest of the time he was tired. Eric and I also had a nice time, we got some "extra" sleep, went to the movies (TWICE) and got to spend some time with his parents, hanging out and having fun. I would show you pictures, but I am charging the camera battery and I need that to get the pictures off the camera, maybe tomorrow.
Today a friend of mine lost her battle with cancer. She was just a couple years older than me and her daughter was only 6 weeks older than Gwen. It is a sad day for all of us who knew her, she was a wonderful person who will be missed by everyone who knew her. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family.

More FL pictures

I have more pictures from Florida that I have yet to post. I think we finally have a working computer, so if we weren't visiting the in-laws who don't have internet. But anywhoo here are some pictures mostly from Mom's actually birthday, we went to Lake's Park and Chuck E Cheese. Mom really knows how to party. Or really knows how to show her grandkids a good time.

STRAWBERRIES!!

In case you don't know, I LOVE strawberries. I love blueberries too, but since it is currently strawberry season, I am going to only think about my love for the strawberries! Last weekend I dragged my family to the strawberry festival, fun, lots of strawberries to eat and little activities for the kids. Today I dragged the kids to a strawberry field! I think they had fun. Gwen did a great job picking, Nate on the other hand, not so much, I threw his strawberries out, he picked some, but then just started eating them and putting them back in his basket, the parts that he didn't eat. ICKY! It was super hot out today so we only stayed about an hour. I kept trying to talk Gwen into leaving, but she wasn't having it, she loved it. I took some pictures and did yet another slide show...

Gwen and I made strawberry-rhubarb bars and I think I am going to make a pie/tart, I haven't decided yet...I am also going to make some jam and who knows whatelse. The bad thing about picking strawberries as opposed to blueberries is that I don't think they are as easy to freeze so I have to use them up quickly. I am so glad we moved to an area that has strawberries to pick!!! I am also happy that when we went up to pay the lady was pleased that Nate was covered in strawberry juice. She says that is what the owner always likes to see, now I feel bad for telling Gwen she couldn't eat them until after we paid for them, but who knew she would choose this time to listen to me...

More party pictures

I tried to do this last night, but I had technical difficulties. So in this slide show I have pictures of the pre-party, which included some pictures that Uncle Ken took; pictures of family, Mom's Ant and cousins (well, I guess my Ant and cousins too!) who came down for the party. That day wasn't the best for the kids. Nate was off schedule and didn't go down for a nap until 3ish, so exhausted, Gwen was tired too, but I couldn't get her to lay down for long enough to fall asleep. My Mom tried, but when I checked on her, I found her putting all the stuff in the room on Nate's head. That girl! Nate woke up shortly before the party and spent the beginning of the party with me holding him, refusing to let me put him down. I took all those "entrance" pictures one handed! Gwen also stuck to me like glue. Nate eventually warmed up and was wandering around dancing and making new friends!
From the adult aspect I think everyone had a good time, at least that is what I have heard. I didn't really get a chance to talk to people, just mostly say a brief hello, and then chase after Nate, again!

Welcome to the White House

So we had this party for my Mom, well I use the word "we" rather liberally, I was just there with the kids to distract Mom from the fact she was turning 60!!! The party was a theme party the '60s. We asked people to bring pictures of themselves from the '60s and dress appropriately. Unbeknownst to Mom she was expected to stand at the door and greet everyone and do a shot of Tang (& vodka). I happened to be standing at the door so I got pictures of almost everybody, Uncle Ken supplied the pictures I didn't get. There seemed to be some confusion about what was going on at the door and why my Mom was dressed as she was so she started to say "Welcome to the White House" so people would understand who she was dressed as.

Enjoy! More later...

Beans

I can tell it has been a long time since I posted here, I had to re-type the blog address in, I know a horror of all horrors! I still don't have use of my computer in the evenings and that is really affecting my blogging, as you can tell. I hope to get better about that, but I am beginning to re-evaluate my priorities around here and I know that blogging is currently low on the list. I think that it might get higher on the list eventually, but recently I have enjoyed talking with Eric and scrapbooking and occasionally watching a movie with Eric instead of blogging. But one day, the big computer might work again and that day, I will start more regularly blogging...if my gym going doesn't get in the way! We are gearing up for trip #2, the in-laws. And that trip I find I am not the least anxious about. Must be the fact that Eric and I will be doing it together; I won't have to travel alone, with the kids, across the country!
We have been weighing our options these days on what to do next. We have this house that is basically a blank slate, the people who lived here before us thought that Disney movie posters framed where art work and didn't paint the house at all. The outside of the house I don't think they ventured out of at all, so we get to pick our own plants and plant accordingly. This is where a disposable income would come in handy, but since we don't have that we spend a LOT of time dreaming and wandering around nurseries. This weekend we made our first plant purchases-some azaleas I found for $3.33! WOHOO! Happy Mother's day to me! I have been looking for specific azaleas, a kind that won't grow more than 3ft tall because of where I wanted to put them, but our house needs some color so in about 10 years those things are going to be awesome! Now they are about the 1G size and I think they are slow growers...I got a white and a pink. They are my first Azaleas and I am excited about them. For the past several weeks I have been pointing out any Azalea/rhododendron that I had seen along the road side and I think I finally broke Eric down (that and the price tag.) I haven't decided exactly what I want to do with the rest of the little flower area by the sidewalk to our front door, but I am thinking I would like to stick with the white/pink theme, Eric of course has different plans...
The kids and I have been slowly meeting people from the Church, I joined a Bible study that takes place during the day with the kids present. Kids get to play we get to talk to other ladies, win-win! It is always an interesting thing meeting with ladies discussing marriage and God, such strong opinions and most of them seem to mesh, currently.
In all this talk about priorities I seem to have forgotten to start the slow cooker for dinner! OOPS! I guess it will be leftovers for us tonight, I should also probably attend to the kid that is awake and has been very good during my quiet time! I will shortly start posting pictures from Mom's party...I know something I should have done weeks ago!