Parker the Pretty Pink Polka Dot Pirate Princess

I'm quite a few months late, but that's how it goes this year.
My beautiful baby girl turned the big 1 this year and I got so excited for her party I might have gone a "little" overboard. Her party was the Pretty Pink Polka Dot Pirate Princess Party.
This girl loves her sweets, but her favorite is ice cream. Unfortunately a candle doesn't work well in ice cream so she also got a cupcake.
The spread- all the food was either pink or started with a "p". Pretzels, peach rings, peppers, popcorn, pink oreos, and of course pink polka dot cupcakes.
She totally hated the headband so it didn't last long, but the onesie was embroidered by my sister-in-law and has gotten a lot of use since then.
Argh! My awesome nephew totally getting into the theme.

Of course we had to have a Pinata. Learned with Quinn's party that pull-strings work best with this age-group.
The Cake! Love the sheets of fondant at Michaels, which made this so much easier to do.

We started off with a Pin the Pirate on the "X". I created a treasure map then used print outs of Jake and the Neverland Pirates that the kids got to color. Total take off of pin the tail on the donkey. The winner got the first clue to the treasure hunt, but everyone got pirate eye patches.

I love this girl, even if she does love to try my patience. Her first birthday was a lot of work, but tons of fun just like my little peanut.

Year in Review

This year has been quite a journey. We are still learning how to be parents to 2 children, getting used to a new teaching job with an added tech contract, preschool at home with Quinn, along with just the normally challenges of life. We have been on quite a few trips to see family. In March we spent time with my mom in California, June was a trip through Idaho for the Elison family reunion, September was a trip to Ohio for sisters, and then another trip to California with a side trip to Arizona for a Mom's recoup at Time Out for Women. We rounded out the year with a Christmas trip to Medford. Yes, this is a lot of my family trips but one has to remember that we live with Ryan's family. This year I also got a seasonal job working at a Gingerbread Bakery to help pay for Christmas and all the extras. Smelled yummy the whole fall through, and had a great time working with wonderful people.
Looking back is so much fun, because it reminds you of all the good times that get forgotten in the muddle of daily challenges.

Quinn's birthday cake. We had a St. Patrick's party, but his big gift was a bike which he LOVES!
Parker's borrowed St. Patrick's dress. This is one of Emily's creations meant for Mena at Christmas several years ago, but it fit perfectly for Parker for the great green day.
She really does like to shop, but she sings to her own tune.

For a Father's day present for Ryan's dad Geri was able to get all the boys together for an awesome trip White Water rafting, which totally surprised Mike.

We had a great time on Fourth of July soaking in the community spirit at the park. We watched the fireworks at the Willamete Park, eating fried chicken and licking up the ice cream.
For Labor day we went to a little park with the whole fam. for a picnic and canoeing. Very quite and relaxing. Water was really "green", but is had lots to look at while on the boat. Quinn hanging out, waiting for his turn to be Lewis and Clark.

Halloween was a whole family event. Everyone was a Wizard of Oz character. Parker was the Wicked Witch, but we thought of her as Elphaba (Wicked was an awesome play), Quinn was the Scarecrow, Ryan and I were Flying Monkey's (along with Rory, Michelle and Geri), Mike was the Wizard, Lilly was Dorthy, Haddie was Glenda, Cooper was the Tin Man, Heather got really into the spirit with her own creation of a Munchkin which was super cute, Gavin was the Lion, Macsen was supposed to have been Toto but he went anti-costume and at eight months no one was fighting him.

Oh yeah you bet we took the Best Family Costume at the ward party :D


And to end the year we had a wonderfully quite Christmas with lots of gifts for the kids, yummy treats, and hopes for another great year.

"The" Diet

I've never been one for dieting. The idea of completely cutting a certain food out of my life is unimaginable to me. I like options. I like variation. I don't like having to count, especially if then I have to have complicated equations to figure out what I can and can't have. At the same time it is unavoidable to see the how the "American" diet is affecting our population.

Like many Americans I was fascinated with the documentary "Super Size ME." Granted it didn't keep me from EVER eating at a fast food restaurant again, and I wasn't a McDonald's fan before. But overall it got me thinking about changes I would like to see made in my own life of eating habits.

Then. . .

This last week I watched "Fat Head," the rebuttal documentary to "Super Size Me." What I learned from it has gotten me even more contemplative on the reasons we eat the way we do. It has really got me questioning everything I have learned about what is "healthy" and the history of the human diet.

Moderation has always been the way to go in my opinion (not that I don't get tempted to eat the ENTIRE box of Girl scout cookie,) but this really reenforced it to me. Of course it also helped me feel even better about all my garden seeds I just order.

Fat Head that's me :D

Sun Shine

Today was such a beautiful day, it was difficult to think that less than half way around the world people were reeling from an unbelieveable devesation. As I prepare my garden for the coming spring I have started to reflect on the many blessings in my life. My beautiful babies surround me as I trim the roses. Parker in her stroller catching her Vitamin D and Quinn racing up and down the drive on his new bicycle. While pruning the apple tree I contemplate the tasty fruits I get to have for applesauce and pies come winter. Clearing the moss I collect for the chickens to rummage for little bugs I remember the many projects and ideas I get to carry out.
This week I purchased a book about finding God in the garden; today was one of those enlightening days.

A rose by any other name

So I was informed the other day that Quinn does not like his name and no longer wants to be called Quinn. When asked what he wants us to call him instead his reply- "Trash Can."

Sorry kid as crazy as you can make me I am not calling you "Trash Can."

Super Big Brother

Quinn sure loves his sister (as long as she's not crying :D )

Beans, Barre Classes and Business

So I am jumping into the New Year with lots of adventure.
I am proud to say that I am making a very good effort to add beans back into my diet. For those that know me this is a very BIG step. Around 8 or 9 years old I decided I could no longer eat beans, the taste of them would make me gag. I know they are a great source of protein and they are wonderful for living on a budget, but I just could not get past the taste. Unfortunately, being the cook for the family with one extremely picky eater (and this is not the toddler) has become quite the challenge. To face the challenge and to improve upon myself I am expanding my taste buds. It is with much pride that I have now incorporated beans into two meals and actually enjoyed them (thank you S&W for your wide variety of bean mixes.)
My next achievement came with much more joy if not a little bit more soreness.
I had the great pleasure to get a great deal at a local women's studio that does specialty classes for an intro to pole dancing and then a week FREE to unlimited drop in classes. It has been so much fun getting back into shape and even nicer I have lost 5 lbs. in 2 weeks- Yahoo! Meet me at the Barre has been one of my favorites. Marsha was an awesome instructor even though my muscles were screaming at me all the next day. Boo-Ya Burlesque was my next favorite with Megan A. it really brought me back to my high school dance days. Tonight is my last class, but I am working on a way to get in more classes as a treat to myself. Crazy I know who would think of exercise classes as a treat- Thank You DIVA DEN for your great deals and awesome instructors.
Last but not least is the next chapter of my life. After almost 3 years of working my business I am saying good-bye. It is with a little sadness, but a lot less stress that I am looking towards my future of Radical Homemaking- meaning more gardening, canning, cooking, and mothering. I am looking towards adding in some classes so I can work on my undergraduate degree so that when the kids are in school I can get my Physical Therapist degree, but that is in the future. Right now I am looking out my window towards the garden that needs prepping and children that need attention and I smile, take a deep breath and hope this new chapter has much happiness.

Girly-fied

My Little one has now been girly-fied. Yes there are some out there who think this is barbaric- I obviously don't. To me I have now shared a tradition with my daughter that my mother and grandmother passed down. I can now share with my daughter the joy of earrings without the pain of having to deal with healing herself. We went with the Purple Titanium for her first set, felt like it was the most hypoallergenic of the choices. Like a true trooper she cried only a tiny bit and then was over it and on to shopping for tights :)
She also has not had any problems with pulling or playing with them since.
Oh how I love my girls!!!

Charlie Brown

He's a classic character, and lately I am connecting with him on many levels.
Main connection comes from his routine difficulties with the "football." Oh how I have come to dread those footballs, but like Charlie I can't seem to keep from trying to reach for the dreams they represent. If only I could actually get it kicked rather than ending up flat on my back.
And then there is Lucy. Lucy, the self-proclaimed superior character whom everyone else sees as the witchy sister to the lovable Linus (course this is my Charlie Brown bias- so if you don't see Lucy this way sympathize with me anyway.) Just like Charlie as much as I know the outcome will never be different, I keep running into her trap hoping that I can beat her at her game. Yeah I know most people would say "then just avoid her," but how they forget- Charlie's best friend is Linus. They're spheres are intertwined there is no avoiding, just surviving. But being a girl "Charlie" with a little bit different relations I think I might be reaching the point of telling Linus that I need a break, sorry Linus the survival skills are getting low and my back needs a chiropractor.
Luckily, there's always Snoopy to cover the strip.

Snow, Sled and Super Friends

What an awesome second day of the year!
Wasn't so sure how it would turn out this morning at 7:40am when my two and a half year old was screaming at me because he didn't want to get dressed, but in the end we made it and had fun to boot.
Even though it was Sunday we decided to join our friends on the mountain and enjoy the white powder. Because they live in D.C. Uncle Mikey and Aunt Christa don't get to spend as much time as any of us would like with the kids, so we have to take advantage of the times we get together the best we can. And because Uncle Chad and Aunt Nicole gifted us time at the snow-my effort to get Nicole to eventually teach me to ski and kick my booty actually to the snow, they were able to join us as well.
It was so great seeing my little guy sledding down the hill with such a huge grin on his face. To sit around the lodge enjoying hot chocolate and friendship was delightful. And best of all was feeling the love we all support each other with as we feel the frigid air flying past our faces.
Parker, my tough and tumble little girl, got her first trip down the hill on the sled at four months old. Can't say she was particularly impressed. She did look mighty adorable though in her new snow suit.
Afterwards we all joined up together at Calamity Jane's (one of my new favorite food stops) where we shared a wonderful meal of hamburgers. I got adventureous and went with the Hot Fudge Marshmallow Sundae, probably first and last time for that one, but it was "interesting." Quinn impressed a table of little athletes as he downed his Uncle Mikey's rootbeer milkshake.
Yep, definitely an awesome day out with friends and I sure hope this is a good sign for the year to come.

Robbing Peter

It's an hour till the new year has finished it's first day. Yeah I know it is normally the day before the new year begins that people take their look back and prepare for the changes they hope to make in the coming year, but well quite frankly I had to finish the year fully before taking the deep breath and first step forward.
I've been playing out what I would write for a while now, the title was the loudest. This past year has been mainly the game of survival. I went through the storms of pregnancy; after the first trimester finally passed I went through the thunder of the second and of course after the thunder comes the lightning. Like a true summer storm it has it's beauty in the darkness. I often felt- frustrated at what I couldn't do, blessed with the ability to do, and confused at the ups and downs and disconnection.
This year was also an Over the Rainbow tornado of life and living space. As we're spinning around with the in's and out's and where who sleeps where I can feel myself becoming lost in the subconsious dreams I can't quite express.
Of course at each moment of almost dispair I'm brought a saving grace.
Like Emily Watts says I need to feel blessed in my "Have To's."
I have to get up each day because I have two beautiful souls in my care.
I have to clean and cook because I have a roof over my head and food to nourish me.
I have to pay bills and live on a budget because I have been given the opportunuity to live in a country where I could get an education and have credit as well as stay home with my little babies.
I have to . . .
This year is about taking the first step on my road- not necessarily a yellow brick road- but my life road for this year. Good or bad, beautiful or frightening storms have their ends and tornados eventually move on giving a person a new view of what they can live through.
To the new year and memories with my beautiful babies!