Blizzard???

The people who know ~ and they keep reminding us that they are, in fact, the people that know ~ are calling this the March 2009 Blizzard. Hmmmm, it's bad and it's still snowing...but I wouldn't call this a blizzard just yet. I've seen much worse...2003 and 2006 comes to mind. But, it is supposed to keep snowing through the night and we could get up to 22" of snow by the time it all ends. We didn't have any snow at 8:30 this morning, so this has all come down quick.

The kids are already suited up and playing! Ah, to be young and think the snow looks fun. I think it just looks cold and I would much rather stay inside next to the fire with a hot toddy cup of hot tea.

Time Warp Thursday

August 10, 2003 - Disneyland

I think this is one of the most hilarious pictures of Cailey. This was the end of the day ~ a very long, very hot day. Cailey took on Disneyland ~ she put up a good fight but clearly Disneyland won this round!

Our new baby!

Scott We finally broke down and got a cat!!!! We adopted her from the Dumb Friends League Animal Shelter on Sunday. We have been considering a cat for a while and we have made a few trips to the shelter. This time we finally found one that felt just right for us!

After much arguing debate, we all settled on the name Panini (her name at the shelter was Terwilliger...yeah, that had to change immediately!). The kids named her after the character on the cartoon Chowder ~ not the sandwich. She is roughly two years old and she is the sweetest cat ever. She loves to be around people and cries when she is separated from us. Unlike most animals, she is not a bit frightened by the tornado we all know as Benjamin ~ that was our main concern. She actually loves the kids and 'plays' with them and snuggles up close to them.

She is actually 'kissing' Ben in this picture. She was playing cars with him ~ I am totally serious! Ben was lining up his cars and she would touch each one with her paw as he put them next to her. Then she leaned forward and licked his forehead! She is really sweet.

Unfortunately, Panini woke up just as Scott took this picture. But, before that, Cailey and Panini were sleeping nose to nose.

Time Warp Thursday

Cailey ~ Pre-school graduation.

May 2005

Finding a pattern

Holly, my sister, has two boys, Matt and Zach. The boys have been a big part of our lives since the day they were born. We love all our nephews (and one niece!) so much. But, we have been fortunate that Matt and Zach live in town and we get to see them often.

When Cailey was born eight and half years ago, a new dynamic was created. Cailey and Zach have been the best of friends, it seems, since she was born.

Because Holly and I have been committed to keeping our families close, we spend nearly all holidays together and celebrate important events together as much as possible. We go to games and recitals and birthdays...those are all important :o) Zach and Cailey get so excited when they know they are going to get to spend some time together. Cailey begs me to go see Zach. She loves Matt, too ~ but Zach is closer to her age and they have always had a really sweet bond.

Today I was going through my picture folders on the computer and I came upon a pattern. It seems that every picture I pulled up of the kids had Zach and Cailey standing next to each other. If they are both in the picture, then they are standing/sitting next to each other ~ their body language almost always turned toward each other. I put a picture slide show together for my sister to show what I mean ~ there were, literally, only two pictures that didn't apply (where Zach and Cailey were standing apart from each other). I have two photo boxes of non-digital pictures (taken before I owned a digital camera) that prove to have the same pattern. I need to get those pictures scanned into my computer someday.

I love this relationship and I hope that it continues into their adulthood. I hope they will always have each other to lean on and confide in.



I showed Cailey the slide show this morning and told her I loved that her and Zach were such good friends. She replied, "We're more than friends...we're family."

Enough said.

Yoga Masters?

Well, not yet.

But we're working on it.

Cailey and I have been taking Yoga classes ~ Hot Yoga/CorePower Yoga, to be exact. It's another version of 'regular' Yoga ~ done in a super humid, super hot room (about 85 degrees!). I have never produced so much sweat in all my life. But, it's so rewarding ~ it feels so wonderful when you are done! The bonus part is that I don't have sore knees or sore shins...but I still feel lighter and so relaxed when it's over.
My goal is so use Yoga to supplement my other workouts (especially the running) and to lengthen and stretch my muscles ~ hopefully giving them a leaner look. Cailey does really well and likes to show off her youthful muscles by doing some of those crazy balancing Yoga poses with such ease. I have a long way to go before I can do some of those. I am pleasantly surprised with myself and I think I have happened upon something I really love! AND...Cailey and I can do it together ~ yet another positive thing about my kids getting older! So far, I am not missing any of the baby stages...been there, done that! :o) Now we get to do fun stuff together.

Holy pants, Batman!

Within three weeks time, Ben has managed to put a hole in not one...

...not two...

...but, three pair of pants!!! (I left the third pair dirty for the picture so you can see how dirty this kid gets in one day!)

And, if three pairs of pants weren't enough, Ben added a pair of shoes, too! We just bought these at Christmas!!!

What. Is. This. Kid. Doing. All. Day???!!! Cailey never wore through a single piece of clothing (that I can remember), but Ben seems to have a knack for it. Is it a boy thing???

Time Warp Thursday

Messing around with the camera

March 5, 2006

watch Ben's expression...

This and That

I have random pictures that I have taken within the last couple of months and haven't found time to devote individual posts to each of the them. So, I am throwing them all together with just a little comment. It's unbelievable, but I can keep my comments short..it is possible :o)

Ben eating his THIRD Macaroni Grill Meatball. He doesn't eat the noodles...just the meatballs! He gets very excited about these meatballs!

Swinging at the new park by our house...

Ben practicing writing his name

Cailey drinking from the carton...yuck, yuck, yuck. Don't worry I would never allow her to do this unless it was the last bit.

A couple pictures of Cailey at her Girl Scouts Thinking Day Event ~ their troop country was Madagascar

Trickle down theory...

...of home improvement. Once you start...it just seems to keep going...

First we replaced the counter tops with granite (always in the plan from when we had the house built seven years ago)...but, then we needed to replace the stove because the old one didn't really work well with the new counter and it was white and seemed to stain even with boiled-over water...so we replaced it with a black stove (I am not a fan of stainless steel...mostly because I can't spend my life cleaning off the finger prints... :o)Then we added drawer pulls and cupboard nobs...

...we recently replaced the dishwasher because the old one started to sound like a jet taking off and didn't clean the dishes that well...

...which is next to the old white sink and really didn't look good...so we replaced the sink and faucet...

...now the white microwave near the black dishwasher and black sink doesn't look good AT ALL...plus, the double ovens and refrigerator are white and will need to be replaced...will it ever end???

We bought new pendants lights and are waiting for them to come in...we will put those up over the island counter...then, we are having someone come tonight to give us a quote on refacing our cupboards...we need to have the hardwood floors redone within the next couple of years.

See? Trickle down.