Wright Here Wright Now

Gracie's 7th Birthday Party

2012-02-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

This year we celebrated Gracie's birthday early because her birthday is so close to my due date. We had a house full of kids from both church and school. We played lots of minute to win it games and had pizza and cake. Gracie got LOTS of cool things from all of her friends. They had fun singing Happy "Burpday" to you and telling jokes. It was fun to have Uncle Kyle and Casey and Aunt Rosa and Grandma and Grandpa here to help out!

Casey did eventually get the cookie into his mouth!

Gracie in January 2012

2012-01-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

Gracie took advantage of the almost week off of school to do some sewing. Gracie loves doing all sorts of crafts especially sewing. She has been wanting a bag to carry her scriptures and things to church and so we thought that this would be the perfect time to make one. She did almost all of it herself, including the topstitching!!
Gracie also lost a front tooth this month. She came to me one afternoon and asked if her tooth was ready to come out. It was pretty wiggly but not ready. I told her to keep wiggling it and it would probably be ready in a few days. She was determined though. She kept pushing it until it bled. I told her that it wasn't worth the pain, that it would come out when it was ready. A few hours later she came up and sure enough it was ready and came right out. When Gracie wants something she definitely makes it happen. My dad told her that if she can channel her determination there isn't anything that she won't be able to do.

This month Gracie is reading The Meanest Doll in the World. This is a sequel to The Doll People which she read and loved.

Quinn in January 2012

2012-01-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

This month Quinn turned five years old. It's hard for me to see her as a little girl instead of a baby. She is such a loving, sweet little thing. She loves to cuddle and give loves. The other night Quinn came into our room at three in the morning and woke me up with a huge hug and kiss. Normally I would send her back to her bed but instead I pulled her into our bed and let her sleep with us. I know that I don't have much longer that she'll do that.

She loves to talk to the baby. The other day she asked me how I got pregnant. I told her that Heavenly Father sent me a baby. She said, "He's so nice!"

She is hilarious. She loves to joke around and be silly. Our neighbor gave her these pink toy glasses and she wears them every day. I love her quirky personality.

She has a special relationship with her Grandpa. He won't tell her no and she knows it. This summer we were at the fair and Mark had her up on his shoulders. We passed by a pony and she asked Mark if she could get one. Mark told her no and all of a sudden she wanted down off his shoulders. When he put her down she ran back to my dad who was walking behind us. I think it was the first and only time he had to tell her no. He couldn't get her a pony. When Grandpa is around she is either on his lap or hanging on his arm.

Quinn is so much fun and brings so much happiness into our family. I'm excited to watch her learn and grow over the next year! Happy Birthday Quinn!

Collin - January 2012

2012-01-20T11:54:00.000-08:00

This year was Collin's first pinewood derby. He decided to make an army humvee. He worked hard cutting, sanding and painting. It turned out super cool with the camouflage paint job and the gun and army guy glued on top.

This month Collin finished his first piano books. Here is a video of him playing a few of his favorite songs from them.

Take 3...

Take 18...

Take 189...

This month Collin is reading the first book in the 39 Clues series. He really loves it and can't wait to read the rest of the books. This is a "multi-platform" series where you can collect cards and play the game online along with reading the books. We heard that they are making it into a movie in a couple years!

This is a paper that Collin brought home. I'm not sure what they were supposed to be doing here... was it a lesson on weather? I don't have any idea although I am a little surprised that he knows what a spartan is and I'm very impressed that he aknowledges that coke is awesome. I definitely think this deserves an A+!

SNOW!!!

2012-01-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend we got a little snow and the kids had so much fun playing outside in it. We drove up to Bothell because Grandma and Grandpa had way more snow then we did and the kids had fun sledding and playing outside with their Dad and Uncle Kyle.

Quinn's 5th Birthday Party

2012-01-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrated Quinn's 5th birthday! First we started out at Grandma and Grandpa's house where they spoiled her with a new rug for her room, a lady bug (that Quinn named warmy...because he's warm of course) and barbie make-up. After this we took a trip to the American Girl Doll store with Gracie and her cousin Cassie. First, they all had their dolls hair done at the doll salon and then Quinn picked out a dress for Ruthie. We finished up with dinner at the A.G. bistro. It was such a fun girls night out!

Monroe Fair 2011

2011-10-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

My parents have a tradition of taking the kids to the Monroe Fair every summer. They have not missed a year since Gracie was 18 months old. This year we were so busy that we almost decided to skip it. At the last minute though we decided to go on the day before school started. It was really fun. This year Collin spent most of his time over on the big rides and went on some that I would NEVER try! Quinn is also completely fearless and will try anything. Gracie is much more careful. They were all so cute and we had so much fun!

What Gracie Has Been Up To...

2011-07-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

Gracie is the sweet peace-maker in our family. She wakes up with a huge smile on her face and works all day to make others happy. She ALWAYS includes Quinn, taking her with her wherever she goes. Lately every time I go to check on them before I go to bed either Quinn is in Gracie's bed or Gracie is in Quinn's. Gracie loves to read and almost always has a book with her. She has also been learning to sew and begs me to help her every day. Some of the women in our ward have learned that she's been sewing and have actually gone out and bought her fabric - so sweet. Right now she is making a scripture bag out of some of her very own fabric. Whenever I do anything with Gracie she always tells me "we're having girl time mommy". Oh, how we love our Gracie!

This is a picture of Quinn, Rocky, Collin, Gracie and Monica

Gracie, Quinn, Cassie and MonicaQuinn and Gracie at the Monroe FairGracie on the 4th of July

What Quinn Has Been Up To...

2011-07-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Quinn is still our baby even though she is four! I can't believe how fast time goes by. She is still adventurous and isn't afraid of anything. She loves to try new things and to make people laugh. She sang a duet with Gracie at Collin's baptism and did so great! She loves Gracie and follows her around all day, even going over to Gracie's friend's house and playing with all the older girls. Everyone loves her. Some of her favorite things to do are playing video games with her big brother and getting make-overs from her sister.

Gracie and Quinn playing in the snow

She fell asleep pretending to read Gracie's book

Here she is with President Reagan at the Jelly Belly Factory

Passed out on Nana's couch in SacramentoPlaying in Sacramento over spring break

Van Damme Had a Heart Attack!

2010-10-20T15:47:00.001-07:00

Don't worry it was just a minor one... when doctors went into his hospital room and saw him like this they knew it wasn't too serious.

School Pictures

2010-10-20T12:46:00.000-07:00

I think that my scanner was actually carried across the Siberian Land Bridge and passed down to me so the quality of the pictures are horrible but aren't they cute?

Gracie Gave Herself a Pedicure

2010-10-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

The girl likes a little bling...

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

This week our sweet friends invited us to go to the pumpkin patch up in Carnation with them. We had great weather this week and Carnation is beautiful! We had so much fun playing in the teepee, making s'mores, finding our way out of the corn maze and filling up on pumpkin pancakes! On the way back to the car the path was lined with these chestnut trees and chestnuts were ALL OVER. Our friend Jim told us how when he was growing up on the east coast that they would gather them and roast them and that they were delicious. So the kids started gathering them and Collin had a whole bag full! Right before we left the guy working there told us that unfortunately they were not edible, that they were horse chestnuts! LOL... Oh well. Collin came home and just dumped them right on our porch. The squirrels came and got them and they were gone in just a few hours! At least someone can enjoy them.

Crazy Wacky Day

2010-10-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is how the kids dressed for Crazy Wacky Day at school. You can't really tell in this picture but Collin's hair is spiked up with red hair gel. I was volunteering in Collin's class that day so Quinn got to dress crazy too!

Collin's Concert

2010-05-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last week Collin had a concert at school. For weeks leading up to this he had been complaining to me that he was going to have to brake dance and that he didn't know how and he didn't want to do it. I didn't blame him, I wouldn't want to brake dance in front of the whole school either lol. Come to find out it was a little square dance he was supposed to do. It was so cute and he said afterwards that the square dance was his favorite part even though he had to dance with a girl. He was so nervous that when they first came out onto the risers he actually turned his back to everyone and stayed like that for a few minutes. He eventually calmed down and sang his songs and said his line. Doesn't he make a cute little flower?

Here's a picture of the girls before the concert. As usual Quinn has as many "accessories" on as she can fit. The little bangle she is wearing is one Mark brought back from India.

Time Out

2010-05-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

We do our time outs on the top stair. Quinn decided to wriggle through the bars and got stuck! It was so funny. I actually was able to just turn her a little bit and she came right out.

Speaking of Quinn, she had a landmark event happen today! We were able to pull all of her hair up. I couldn't get it into just one ponytail but still...this is progress.

Night in Dubai

2010-05-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

I was jealous that I couldn't go with Mark on his trip so I decided to surprise him with our own "Night in Dubai". I know-I'm a dork! I bought all the things I needed from the dollar store and decorated with paper lanterns and tissue paper. I used some old gold fabric that I had to drape over the chairs and an old tube of puff paint to make the designs on the edges of the placemats. We even used our china for the first time in our whole marriage!

I had arranged to drop the kids off at Rosa's house and be home and have the chicken tikka masala made before Mark got home. I made it to NE8th in Bellevue when the suburban just died. Luckily there was no traffic and I was able to coast to the side of the freeway. I had to ruin the surprise and have Mark come rescue us. I traded cars with Mark and drove the rest of the way to Bothell and home again, in the mean time Mark had the suburban towed to our house.

We got a late start on our date but Mark was able to help me cook and it turned out delicious. After dinner we watched Slumdog Millionare while we ate oreo truffles - yum! It was the next best thing to actually being in Dubai together.

India

2010-05-19T09:13:00.001-07:00

Mark had the opportunity to travel to India for work last week. He spent two days in Dubai and eight days in Hyderabad. Mark had an amazing time. He said the people were so kind and the food was awesome. Hyderabad is sort of the technological hub of India and has grown up out of the slums. Juxtaposed between the skyscrapers and landscaped lawns of Microsoft, Google, Oracle and Dell is the squalor that existed before the city became what it is today. Hyderabad is notorious for their crazy traffic. Mark saw a man driving a motorcycle with his wife sitting behind him "side saddle" while holding a toddler on her lap - none of them wearing helmets!

Mark had a 24 hour lay over at the beginning and then again at the end of the trip in Dubai. Unlike Hyderabad which is mainly Hindu, Dubai is a mainly Muslim country and has a much more anti-western feel. Dubai is like the Las Vegas of the East. It has beautiful hotels, beaches and malls. Some things you can do in Dubai are indoor skiing, drive a formula one race car, visit the tallest building in the world or lay out on the man made beach shaped like the palm of a hand.

Ten days was a long time to have our Daddy gone! We are so glad that he's home now! He brought Gracie and Quinn home some sparkly bangles, Collin got a hand carved chess board and I got some carved elephants and some beautiful shalls. Let's hope it's a long time before he has to leave us for that long again!

I am a Child of God

2009-11-28T10:04:00.000-08:00

Nice Weather

2009-05-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

There is really no place I would rather be then Seattle when it's nice out! Today was one of those beautiful days, the kind that renews your energy and makes you want to get out and enjoy life and not waste a minute!

Mark and I took the kids to Country Village to get an ice cream cone and had the FUNNIEST experience! It was more of an ice cream stand and the guy working there was from India and didn't really speak english very well. When he gave one of the kids their cone I asked, "What do you say?" Immediately the guy working there answered "thank you". He thought that I was talking to him! I tried to explain but it was so awkward and emberassing for all of us. Mark and I laughed the whole night about it.

Quinn LOVED the rock wall. She has a very stubborn and strong willed personality and she seems to almost thrive when she is challenged. Even though that rock wall was very difficult for her to climb she did it over and over again the entire time. We always joke that she is an adrenaline junkie because she loves to go fast or high or upside down...whatever is the craziest.They got this really cool new pirate ship that has a cannon you can move around, ladders and flags and treasure etc. the kids loved it! Even though it was about 85 degrees today, Collin showed his true Seattle spirit and wore jeans and a long sleeved shirt!

Mother's Day Lunch

2009-05-13T15:41:00.001-07:00

For Mother's Day this year I was invited to Collin's preschool for a luncheon. It was SO cute! His teacher is absolutely amazing. When I got there Collin escorted me upstairs and showed me into Debbie's dinning room where the table was set with a table cloth, nice plates and glasses and best of all a beautiful card that Collin made me! Next the kids took their mom's plates into the kitchen where Debbie dished us up a really beautiful serving of chicken salad (only one plate got broken in the process). While the mom's ate Debbie had the kids eat in the kitchen so the mom's could talk. After lunch, the kids cleared our plates and brought us in some delicious strawberry shortcake. While we ate the kids sang to us, and then gave us a necklace that they made and then Debbie read to us a list of questions that she asked the kids and the answers that they gave about us. It was such a special afternoon and I felt so loved and grateful for my children. Thanks Collin!

This is Collin and his buddy Seth (the only other boy in the class).
They just happened to be wearing the same thing.

This tasted as good as it looks!

Collin waited on me the entire time!
Collin was pretty shy during the presentation.

Here's a you tube video of the song they sang.

Add files - Windows Live

2009-01-11T15:44:00.001-08:00

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Add files - Windows Live

Fun Weekend!

2008-12-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

This weekend my sister-in-law Cammie had her sweet little baby and almost all the Wright's came to Seattle to visit and get their baby fill. Rob & Jaynee and their kids; Logan, 7 Hailey 4 and Hudson 1 (he's one week older than Quinn) stayed the weekend with us. We had so much fun. Their kids are SO cute! Hudson is SUCH a little cuddle bug. When he woke up saturday morning he sat on my lap and loved me for probably ten minutes. My kids would NEVER do that! I ate it up. I'm so glad that our kids play so well together and that we live close enough that they will know and love each other. My kids all have a special bond with all their cousins and I'm so thankful for their friendships and for the examples that the older ones set.

Here are most of them. Hailey, Gracie, Logan, Collin & Hudson in the back

This is Hudson doing a Barbie's hair :)

Blog Burnout?

2008-12-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

Anyone else ever experience this? It's good to be back.

Fer Cuuuute

2008-12-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

Seriously, are these the cutest things that you have ever seen? They are hand made by my friend Desiree, she is so talented. You can get them here: http://www.kylerskozies.blogspot.com/ I love the christmas ones! I think I will be getting both my girls a pair right away!

Gracie Girl

2008-10-12T20:58:00.001-07:00

Last tuesday I was sitting in the living room dusting while the kids were playing behind me. The slider was open but I was just not paying that much attention to what the kids were doing. Collin walked up to me and said, "Gracie just fell off there," and pointed to the deck. I looked out there, saw the chair pushed up to the edge and my stomach dropped. I ran over and looked over the edge and sure enough Gracie was laying in a little heap 15 feet below. By the time I sprinted down to her she was getting up onto her knees so I grabbed her and ran back upstairs. I called 911 and in the mean time she was screaming and rolling around on the couch. The fire department got there in less than three minutes and the emt got there in less then ten. After they told me which hospital they were taking her to I called Mark who raced to meet us there. They put a neck brace on her and strapped her onto a board and loaded her into the ambulance.

My neighbor watched Collin and Quinn while I rode with Gracie down to Harborview. I was SO scared because the emt told me that her stomach felt rigid and that she might have internal bleeding. My dad walked up to the hospital from the jail and met me there, and I'm so grateful that he was there to support me because I felt like I was going to pass out. My mom got off work early and went and took the kid's to my friend Carly's, and then she headed down. Cammie, Owen, Scott and Danny also went down to the hospital to support us. I am so grateful for good family and friends who love us and who really came through in our time of need.

After a few hours of tests and MRI's and x-rays they determined that she had no broken bones or anything. They did keep her overnight as a precaution. We got to the hospital at about 2:30, she was cleared around 5:30 and then they reeled us into a little room where Mark and I took turns sitting on a swivel stool and then standing until 11:30 until a room in pediatrics became available. When we finally got upstairs I could barely hold my head up, and then dr's and nurses came in every few hours and woke us up to run more tests. Poor Gracie had to sleep with a neck brace on which was really bugging her plus she had two IV's in, one on her arm and one on her hand which were causing her a lot of pain.

The cute girls in our apartment complex made Gracie cards and gave her some of their toys, which was so cute! Gracie loved them and they definitely cheered her up. While in the hospital she would wake up and immediately ask "where's my card?" Gracie is doing great now. She just has a little bruising and soreness on her back, which breaks my heart! Our family is so thankful to family and friends for all of their love and support. We are espescially grateful to our Heavenly Father for protecting Gracie, that she wasn't seriously hurt and for the knowledge that He loves and cares for us and that his hand is present in our lives.

Q IS FOR QUILT

2008-10-02T16:36:00.001-07:00

My mother-in-law is so talented and makes the most gorgeous quilts. She has made a beautiful baby quilt for each one of my kids and I LOVE them all. I know she wants me to let the kids use them but I just can't bring myself to do it, so I've hung them all above their beds. I just got Quinn's in the mail. Isn't it sweet? I love the little bits of yellow.

Collin's quilt has 21 star patches! That is something like 16 pieces cut and fit together perfectly for each star!

Gracie's quilt has probably been the most time consuming of all the quilts Joy has made for the grandkids, but oooh how I love it! I feel a little bit guilty because I told her that I wanted a Sunbonnet Sue quilt for Gracie, but I didn't know how much work it was going to be. I don't think Joy knew either or else she would have told me "no way"! Each Sunbonnet Sue was hand appliqued on. There are little buttons and bows on each square. It is really my favorite.

These pictures really do not do the quilts justice but they give you some idea of how beautiful they really are. I know that they "technically" aren't mine but they are some of the very few material things that I actually care about.

I Love you, Stinky Face

2008-09-30T14:29:00.001-07:00

One of my absolute favorite children's books is I Love You, Stinky Face. It is so sweet. Here is my version.

Mama said, "I love you, my wonderful child." But Quinn had a question.

Mama, what if you cleaned the car out for an hour with me inside. I had the keys but you left the tail gate open the entire time just in case. Then when you got all done you shut the tail gate and I locked the doors before you could walk to the side door to let Gracie in. Would you still love me then?

"If you locked yourself in the car with the car keys, then I would call the police to come and get you out. And in the mean time I would play peek-a-boo and blow funny faces onto the window so that you wouldn't get scared. And then an hour later, when they finally got the door unlocked, I would take you in my arms and give you lots of hugs and kisses and tell you, 'I love you, Stinky Face.'"

But Mama, but Mama, what if everytime you turned around I had climbed up on top of the table or what if everytime the bathroom door got left open I climbed up into the sink? What if every time you didn't get me down from the high chair fast enough I climbed out and stood on top of the tray?

"Then I would run over to you (after I took a picture) and get you down. I would tell you 'NO, NO' and I might even give you a spanking because I would be scared to death that one day you would fall and crack your head open. And then I would tell you in my serious, low toned, Super Nanny voice that you cannot climb up on things because it's dangerous, and then I would say 'I love you Stinky Face.'"

But Mama, what if I screamed at the top of my lungs if I couldn't have everything my brother and sister have. What if I threw myself down on the floor if you told me no?

"Then I would walk away from you, and I would deffinitely not give you what you wanted. I would not hug or kiss you. I would not tell you and I would probably not even be thinking, 'I love you Stinky Face', although I would know that you deffinitely ARE a Stinky Face.

"But even when I don't tell you, please know that I do and will always love you. There is nothing you could ever do to change that. My happiness is innertwined with yours and your joy is mine and your tears are mine. I can't imagine my life without you in it and I am so grateful to be your mama. I love you Stinky Face!"

Close call for Polly Pocket

2008-09-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

As I was picking up toys the other day I noticed this round hard thing in a dinosaurs mouth. I started getting curious wondering what the heck it could be.

So, after taking a knife and prying it out it ended up being a Polly Pocket doll. I'm glad that Collin is making sure his toy dinosaurs are well fed!

Back to School

2008-09-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

Collin started preschool this week, and he was so excited - which made me excited. He totally loves it. This year we put him in a home preschool with only seven kids and he has already made a friend with the only other boy in his class (he shared his pokemon cards with Collin on the first day). Collin's favorite things to do there are play with the dinosaurs, play outside and feed their pet hampster.

Uncle Kyle

2008-09-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

Kyle came up from California for a visit this week. We haven't seen him since Christmas and we all missed him so much! Kyle lived with us for a while when Collin was two and has always been espescially close to his uncle. They all had so much fun with him. Kyle brought Collin a huge, life size blow up spider-man which Kyle then gave Collin rides on in our swimming pool. They watched movies and wrestled and we are all really going to miss him. At first Collin didn't understand that Kyle was only visiting and had a really hard time when he finally figured out that he was going home this weekend. Collin actually asked me if he can move into Uncle Kyle's house so hopefully we can either go down there or he can come up here to visit again soon so Collin can get his fix.

Yeah, that's my brother

2008-08-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know my brother Casey you know how cool he is. We are only 13 months apart and I've always pretty much worshipped him. He is hilarious, never afraid to make fun of himself. He has always had a really strong sense of right and wrong and has NEVER liked bad guys. I think that explains why he was afraid of America's Most Wanted when we were kids. So when he wanted to be a cop I was not surprised. I hate how competitive it is to become a cop because, I'm telling you, Casey was born for it. But bad guys should know that they aren't safe just because Casey isn't a policeman yet. He will get you anyways!

For those of you who don't know, Casey works at AT&T wireless at the mall. They have this big, nice new store right outside of the food court. When Casey came into work yesterday he saw two guys at one of the displays trying to cut through the wire that held the iphones so that they could steal them. Of course Casey confronts them and he somehow ends up wrestling with one of them. The guy wriggles loose and runs. Casey then chased him down and tackled him right outside of Auntie Annes. Then he held the guy until the "real" cops got there. The guy's brilliant friend was waiting outside so the cops got him too. Their car was full of stolen goods. Isn't that an awesome story?

About a year ago Casey was working the kiosk outside American Eagle when he noticed two cops go in and hang out around the entrance. Curious, Casey walked in and pretended to be looking at stuff. There was a guy in the back that had his clothes stuffed with stolen clothes. Pretty soon the cops walked up to try to corner the guy. He darted around the cops and ran strait towards Casey, so he got low and plowed into the guy knocking him down. The cops then ran over and got him.

What a STUD! He should be able to get on at the police department with those two stories alone!

Think About It

2008-08-19T21:24:00.001-07:00

Old Hat New Hat

2008-08-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by these hats and this Bloggy Book and Craft-a-thon Day 1 and this book:

We made our own crazy hats. The kids loved painting and decorating their hats to look like ones in the book. They were all so proud of themselves and I thought that they looked so cute!

Cousins

2008-08-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we had so much fun with my five year old niece Cassie, my eight year old nephew Josh and my practically ten year old nephew Tommy here visiting for a whole week. We went to the beach a couple of times, to the park, shopping and camping. We stayed up late and slept in different beds and different spots on the floor. We played Rock band and started our own group called The Wright Family Rockers. We had fun visiting when their mom Stephanie came to pick them up and were sad to see them go. This week has been very boring compared to last week. We can't wait to do it again next summer!!! Here are some pictures from our camping trip which was cut short when we woke up to puddles of rain in our tent.

This is Tommy swimming in ICE cold glacier water!

My mom has a "NO RULES" rule while your camping and so the kids go to eat as much junk as they wanted!

Here is Cassie taking care of HER baby :)

The kids loved playing in the river despite how cold it was

Josh REALLY wanted to stay up till midnight!

Quinn FINALLY passed out in Mark's lap around 11:00

I am neurotic

2008-07-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

Some of these are SO funny.

Give away

2008-07-31T12:20:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if you guys have seen all the great giveaways on blogs that are participating in the bloggy giveaway carnival. I've decided to do a giveaway also. Now, most of these blogs are not dealing with the type of volume that I do here at Wright Here. Most of these blogs just ask you to leave a comment and they randomly pick someone. If I did that I would probably get so many comments that it could blow up my computer. So, I am going to do something different. I am going to choose only TWO people from my past comments to recieve a homemade roll & go crayon thingy. Now, I know a lot of my readers may become frustrated at the way I'm doing this and think it is unfair but they are going to have to just deal. So here are the winners...I know the suspense...Winner #1: CARLY BINGHAM - pirate crayon roll & go Winner #2 JAYNEE WRIGHT - flower roll & go (I want to make Logan one too but I have to get some big kid fabric) You should both be recieving your prizes soon. Congratulations.

Dripstick

2008-07-30T10:02:00.001-07:00

We ALL need one of these!
DRIPSTICK

Gracie hates going to sleep

2008-07-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

Gracie is the hardest out of all of our kids to get to go to sleep. She usually doesn't come out of her room and is always quiet so we think she is asleep. When we go into check on her before we go to sleep she is almost always sleeping on the floor in the middle of toys or sleeping with barbies.

Zoo

2008-07-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

Click on the Pictures to enlarge

The weekend before last Rob & Jaynee came to town and we had so much fun with them! We hadn't seen them in a while and had really missed them. The kids had so much fun together. At one point Collin and Logan had a head on collision and bonked heads SO hard! They both ended up with huge goose eggs on their foreheads. Logan made Collin 4 AWESOME paper airplanes and Collin is still playing with them. We all went to the zoo and had a blast even though it was HOT! We deffinitely need to get together again soon.

Just a little scripture study before church

2008-06-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

The kids were being unusually quiet so I was worried as I went to check on them. When I got to their room there they were, reading their scriptures!

Quinn had TWO baths today!

2008-06-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

Collin's 5th Bithday!

2008-06-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Collin turned five this last wednesday. It's hard to believe that time has flown as fast as it has. We are so thankful for the humor and joy that he has brought to our family. He is such a great big brother to Gracie and Quinn. He watches out for them and takes care of them and they love him so much! I can't wait to see what fun times we will have with him in the next five years!

One of the things that Grandma and Grandpa got him was a set of Lincoln Logs. Collin LOVES these and hasn't stopped playing with them since he got them (he even slept with the huge tin the first night). They also took us all to a mexican resteraunt where the waiters sang Happy Bithday to him while he wore a huge sonbrero! How fun!

Emmie the Dog

2008-06-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my first "Glove Dog". I really do like the way it turned out. I got the pattern free here I will eventually get the book and then I will be making these cute little guys for my kids and all my nieces and nephews! I LOVE the fabric that I used for the patch around her eye and for her skirt (thanks Joy!) The skirt was a last minute addition and I'm so glad that I decided to make it. I also think the heart button on her chest is sweet and I think that I will put one on all my future sock and glove animals, sort of as my signature. Gracie really loved this little dog and named her Emmie, we decided that we would make her a cat and she wants to name it Chloe. Isn't that funny? Those are names of girls in her nursery at church. Emmie went to Monica for her 3rd birthday!

Monica had her birthday party yesterday at the Everett Children's Museum. What a great idea. The kids had a blast. Quinn's favorite part was the cupcakes!

Saving Money

2008-06-01T13:25:00.001-07:00

http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/saving-money-during-hard-financial-times/article58346-2.html

Father and Son Campout

2008-05-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend Mark and Danny took Collin to our wards Father and Son campout. Mark said that Collin had so much! Collin looks so old in these pictures that it makes me want to cry.

Roasting Marshmallows

2008-05-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went over to my parents house and roasted marshmallows in their back yard. Mark roasted them over this little fire pit that my dad has. The kids loved it! We had Owen that night and he was so funny! He kept stealing marshmallows out of the bag that my mom was holding when she wasn't looking. Don't you love Collin's stylin' Hulk pajamas? My dad bought them for him and he thinks he is the coolest kid around when he wears them.

Japanese Gardens

2008-05-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mark and I got brave and took the kids to the Japanese Gardens at the UW arboretam. It was so hot and of course Quinn refused to sit in her stroller so we were all so tired by the time we left but it was absolutely beautiful. The kids loved seeing giant gold fish and turtles in the pond and crossing the water on the stone bridges.

Talent Show

2008-05-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Collin & Gracie sat in the back and pigged out on junk food the whole time

Collin in front of his display

Collin's "pretend" cooking pictures

Tonight was our ward's primary talent show. All the kids were so cute! Collin's talent was cooking. I had it all planned out to make cookies and take pictures and put together an awesome display for him but I was so tired that I just took pictures of him pretending to cook and then bought cookies at the grocery store. I know, totally lame, but I think that we fooled everyone. Collin was SO excited and talked the whole way there, but then acted super shy once we got inside. I could barely get him to look up let alone smile for the pictures. He really did have a blast even though you wouldn't know it by looking at him.

Visiting Teaching Activity

2008-05-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

Our relief societ recently had a visiting teaching activity. Someone from our ward sang the most beautiful song from the broadway Wicked. Scroll down and check it out at the very bottom of the page. They also gave us this poem which I love!

The Awakening

"I'm only a visiting teacher," she

said, and her head hung low.
"I'm really not very important, I

guess I'll not go.
I'm sure that no one will miss

me, no one will really care.
I'll see to my work this morning,

instead of going there."

So she hurried around all morning,

her home was polished and swept;
then stopping to rest for a moment,

she sat in her chair and slept.
And scarce had her eyelids fluttered,

before a vision came to her sight;
And standing there before her was a

personage clothed in white.

She saw in His hands the nailprints,

His brow where the thorns had lain.
His side where the sword had pierced it;

His face with its look of pain.
"I gave you some work to do,"

it seemed she heard Him say,
"You thought it of no importance,

so you stayed home today."

"You did not deliver my message;

you did not feed my sheep.
You only slept and polished

and stayed at home to sleep."
"Oh, Master," she cried, "Forgive

me, that I should fail to see.
Had I done it unto the least of these,

I'd have done it unto thee."

-Anona Tomlinson Peterson

Central WA Softball Team

2008-05-04T07:36:00.001-07:00

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/04/the_best_tale_of_sportsmanship.html

Chicken and Bean Puff Pastry Empenadas

2008-05-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

These are delicious. I got them from this website: http://www.stick-of-butter.blogspot.com/

Chicken and Bean Puff Pastry Empanadas

recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman

For the filling:1/4 cup vegetable oil1 small onion, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, pressed1 teaspoon ground cumin1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed well1 1/2 cups finely shredded cooked chickenKosher salt and black pepper1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves1 package prepared puff pastryFlour, for rolling out pastryAbout 1/4 cup vegetable oil, for brushingFilling:Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Saute onions and garlic until onions are soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add spices, stir to mix fully, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add black beans and chicken and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until black beans are heated through, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let mixture cool fully. Add cilantro and stir well.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.Lay out a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Flour the top of the dough and roll out the puff pastry until it is about 1/16-inch thick and about 12 inches by 16 inches.Trim edges to size, if necessary. Cut 4-inch strips crosswise and lengthwise making 12 (4 by 4-inch) squares. Make sure the squares are well floured and stack them in a little pile.To form empanadas:Fill a little dish with some room temperature water. Imagine each square you work with is separated in half by a diagonal. Place a couple tablespoons of filling in the top half. Dip a finger into the water and moisten the edges of the top half with water. Fold the bottom half to meet the edges of the top half. Use a fork to pinch and seal the edges. Lightly brush the tops with vegetable oil. Place finished pockets on a nonstick baking sheet and bake about 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy.

Bothell Landing

2008-05-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend Mark and I took the kids to Bothell Landing. It is such a great park. The slough flows through it and so we were able to feed the ducks. We rode bikes along the trail. Collin was so hilarious. The trail runs along the water and he was VERY afraid of accidently riding into it, so he kept steering towards the middle of the trail. Mark had to force him to the side so he wouldn't get run over by other bicyclists. Quinn started walking down a small hill and started going faster and faster until she put her head down and started doing a somersault, I caught her upside down. Gracie had the most fun at the playground and going down the big slides.