graduation

isla "graduated" from preschool (it was a few weeks ago but i'm just updating this blog so bare with me)

i put graduated in quotes because it's a bit ironic for many reasons:

#1- she still has another year of preschool

#2- it is JUST preschool

#3- she can't write her name, and heck, she doesn't even know her abc's...who gets a diploma without knowing that??

hello, let's save "graduation" for something they really had to work for...like college?

anyway, aside from the overuse of the term, it was a cute "end of the year" program and i was very proud of her. the class celebrated afterwards at the Fircrest pool which was fun albeit, a little cold. isla loved her teachers, miss tiffany and miss robyn. but i think next year i'm going to put her in something that is 4-5 days a week. she's ready. once i started telling people that she doesn't know how to write her abc's or her name, she has gotten interested in both and can now write her name. it's so cute. even though sometimes it's more like ILA (with some weird squiggly for an "S") or ILAS...it's so amazing how quickly she picked up on it all on her own.

next to her in the photos is her friend, aly mae and her cousin, gabe. on a side note: we would like to thank gabe for teaching isla her first lesson in preschool this year...after her second day of school she came home and told me she learned a new word..."S*%!" and that she also said it was a "bad" word. now, if i didn't know gabe, i might wonder who taught her this...and also the fact that he is my cousin...it's kind of a cute story. eh?

lost and found

Q&A

Question: what will the tooth fairy do when she comes to take my tooth but it's not there?

Answer: she will go find it.


isla lost her tooth while swimming at the Fircrest Golf Club...but don't worry, i'm sure it found its' way into the hands of the tooth fairy...since we wrote her a letter telling her where to get the tooth. we just weren't sure if it was the big pool or the kiddie pool. no matter, she still left isla some "treasure" so i'm sure she found it. (since isla was disappointed with ONLY getting money last time, this time the tooth fairy left jewelry--i guess 3-year-olds don't understand that you can buy anything you want with money)


here is isla with her cousins on the way home from losing her tooth in the pool...she doesn't look too worried about the toothfairy's prize, now does she?

One MORE Dyer

It's true! Andrew proposed! there was true dyer-style dancing in the streets upon their arrival this weekend. Andrew and Alexis will be tying the knot on August 16th 2008 in San Diego. Miss Alexis Munoa is such a gem-->>We can't wait!!

oh, how i missed you!

my miss molly came home to see her family (and me) last week! we haven't seen each other in something like 10 years! it's toooo crazy! we had such a great time at Europa (yummy!) and then she took the most amazing pics of my kids! (check them out at her blog)

i love you molly!!

the toothfairy visits

Isla's two front bottom teeth have been loose for MONTHS! it was weird to discover...she is, infact, only 3. well, we've been wiggling and wiggling...and we have even checked out books from the library about the toothfairy. she has been so excited, she even wrote the toothfairy a letter (just like the girl in one of her books). but still, those two teeth just stayed attached.

then tonight, after her bath, we were goofing around...i was tickling her all over and missed and hit her tooth. it went all the way back and when she put her finger in her mouth to check for damage, she pulled the tooth out!! that's right, folks, i feel like a real parent tonight. i have a child old enough to LOSE teeth.

she was so excited she called everyone she knew! Booboo was home, grandma was not, and meredith couldn't understand her. very intelligent conversations going on.

Olympia Children's Museum

we should be elated that there's a children's museum in tacoma since it's soooo close and convenient to visit. right? oh, uh, i don't know if you've heard...but it pretty much sucks. it's WAY too expensive for the size and um, we were bored within minutes. i couldn't wait to get out of there! oh, and i couldn't take my 26 pound massive baby in a stroller. so, there i am carrying a small-biggish person in a baby bjorn while my daughter wanders this 800 square foot (that's a generous estimate) "wonder" of rooms. it took us a whole 30 minutes to be completely bored and feel totally cheated out of $8 a person. okay...so there's my assessment.

now, we recently visited the olympia children's museum. and yes, it is about 10 minutes further away from my house than the local museum. HOWEVER, it is sooooo cool! immediately, isla and her friend, victoria, were entertained in a very elaborate store with choosing foods, shopping, and using a cash register. and that was just the beginning. not to mention, they let me take macrae in the stroller. THANK YOU! and it's a good thing, too because we spent 3 hours in that place! i won't go into all of the museums' offerings, because i don't want to bore you. but, if you are ever in town, it's a sweet place to take the kids. and here's a few snaps for evidence.

here's the stage...budding actresses here....look out General Hospital, these girls are dramatic!
that's me in the sound booth. i was so good, i should be in movie production. not. i was a little obsessed with the thunder sound.

oh, the wonder of the fishtank above...
forget the fish! i'm driving a boat!!
yee haw! this is fun!

isla and victoria are making sandwiches in the deli. good practice for their summer jobs.
oh, mac-chubbies, just loves to be tickled by the flowers.
this picture just proves that self-tanners really do work. is it too much? ugh.

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

in the northwest our springs are less predictable than american voters...but it's finally here! who knows how long it will stay? since the pool at Booboo's house is not yet open, here's how we spent our day in the sun...



she says "look at me mom, i'm a rocking star" (i think that's what get when you cross a rocking horse with a rock star)








(and yes, isla did have a wardrobe change half-way through the day) behind is the construction on our new rock wall...it's now finished so i guess i should take pictures of that, too.

my little "big" sister

many of you know my sister, kjrsten. Only 19 months my junior. as children we were enemies. oh, how i loved to torture her with feet fights. but even worse than the bruises i left on her shins, were (no doubt) the bruises i left on her pride in junior high when i caught her at school in my clothes. (the horror!) the daggers i gave her in the hallways said it all. lucky for me, she forgave me. and was still willing and waiting to be my friend when we reached high school. my junior year in high school it was obvious i was in need of a REAL and TRUSTED friend. and who better to trust than family? she's my BEST and will forever be. (aw shoot)

yes, i mentioned i am the older sister. sure, she was the first to get married and have children. and while i was off galivanting in salt lake city she was spending precious moments with her husband and daughter in monterey....and growing up. actually, she started taking care of me when we went to russia in 1997. while there, she was always better with her time and her money. sure, i spent more time with pete (her husband) hanging out in the metro, walking the streets of moscow, and (even) visiting a club. she was studying to get college credit, preparing her lessons for the next day and just being more responsible. AND she managed to actually lose weight in the country of sunflower oil and potatoes while i gained 35 pounds!

it's all too funny, since in high school i was the one who played sports, got really good grades, did all that crap that got me into a really good college...only to go to russia, decide that i hated my college and just wanted to relax and take life (A LOT) less seriously. kjrsten spent high school having fun and not worrying about taking life seriously... now kjrst...she's the one who got serious in college. and obviously, had it figured out THE WHOLE TIME. because when is it more important to take life seriously? exactly.


why do i bring this up? well, i find it noteworthy that she takes such good care of me? she is always the one taking care of me these days.


let me count the ways:

1. she makes sure i'm still cool by making me new cd's. without her i might still be listening to babyface. just today she sent me an email with a good new song to add to my itunes. she took me to a highly touted concert in PDX a few weeks ago. maybe you have heard of the band? THE RACONTEURS. oh, you have? hmmm...it was so awesome i couldn't even see straight the next day. thanks sis!

2. she is "journalling" my life for me. whenever we are together takes the most amazing pictures! i often forget my camera...and it's a good thing, because my pictures never compare to hers. check out this pic she snapped of my boy.

oh, and this one she just "snapped" of her girls at the Columbia
3. she loves my babies...soooo much! she is sure to pick up a really cute "find" for the boy whenever she's out because she knows how hard it is to find the really great boy stuff. and let's be honest, she loves my chubby boy!
4. she comes to see me. okay, sure, i live .4 miles from my mom's house. but i firmly believe part of the reason she visits 1-2 times a month is to see ME, mostly. partly. she took this picture a couple of weeks ago at Stella's birthday party at Old McDebbies Farm. Now, she could have had Stell's birthday party in Gresham, but instead, she chose to have it up here with all of us. 5. she calls me. a lot. for little reasons.


6. she inspired me to start running. she ran a half marathon in 2003. she talked me into training for one in 2006. and she even joined me at the race without training. oh, and she beat me...without training. ha!

and finally,

7. she tells people i'm the prettier sister. even though i know SHE is. it's sweet for her to say it.

see what i mean?


and by the way, i stole all of these picture from her blog ...so check it out and you'll see what i mean.

Happy Mother's Day

it's hard to believe that I AM A MOTHER. i know, it seems silly. i should be able to grasp the idea that I HAVE CHILDREN since i do have two of them. um, you'd think it would have set in by now. yes, i spend my days caring for and catering to my two munchkins. and some days it seems that's all i do with not a spare moment for myself (unless you count my shower). anyway, i wouldn't have it any other way. i love being a mom. and each day there are little rewards. like, when i peek in on isla in primary and she's sitting there with her arms folded looking ever-so reverent and giving the naughty girl behind her the stink-eye for being disruptive. seriously, that's my daughter? oh yes, it is. and then i have this 26 pound slugger for an 8 month old son...i have to put him in a stroller to take him anywhere because i feel my back is a precious commodity, oh and i don't like the arm cramps after holding him for 3 minutes. so, there you have it...my two precious gems.

And Happy Mother's Day to all the rest of the mothers out there...to my mom, mother-in-law who take care of me and my family as if i am still their child. and to so many other women in my life who mother and take care of me. to my sisters, kjrsten and keirra, who are the best examples of motherhood and love i could ever hope to be. and to my dearest friends who mother me and take care of my children when i am too casual and laid back to notice that they need something. i love you!

get up, get out, and run!

oh...i love running. since i had macrae, i have been trying to get back into it. but mostly, i don't feel fast enough to join my old running buddies. so, this past week and a half, i have really been pushing myself. i even made myself commit to two different people to run in the mornings. thankfully, they agreed even though they both know my condition (i mean, lack of conditioning).

yesterday i ran with my aunt, margaret, and she freaking kills me. why? oh...she's at least 5 inches shorter than me (picture her stride) and yet, she is at least a minute or two faster per mile...let that sink in for a minute...she kills me. she ROCKS! oh, and today i ran with erika and we ran this or i should say, she ran this and challenged me to sprint the last hill. which caused me to get dizzy and think i might die on the hill (at least a 10% grade, here people, i'm no wussy. i only think i'm going to die for really really good reasons). so, she killed me too. um, thanks Erika for meeting me this morning! i sooo needed it! my goal is to keep up with you.

BLAH BLAH BLAHHHG

so a few people have sent me emails like this:
"what are you up to? why haven't you updated your blog?"
answer:
"i have been busy."
retort:
"okay, then let us in on what you have been busy doing."


and well, sometimes you are just busy doing...nothing. blah blah blah. boring. um, cleaning my house, running errands, having kids over to play, weeding the yard, making lunches, changing poopy diapers...etc...the list goes on people. i know! i am sooo exciting these days. whoo hoo.

okay, so my family recently visited OLD MCDEBBIE'S FARM in graham, enumscratch or some other place way out there. we are talkin' full-on-barn,-petting-all-the-farm-animals, fishing, pony rides, and lots of dirt and grass to roam. this place might SOUND like good old fashioned fun...but my family is no ordinary family. oh no. check out the pics of my mom, husband, and brother, each taking their turn making out with a camel. and isla loved the pony rides and they even let her assist in brushing and putting the horse away!