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We had a very nice Christmas! I will post pictures and a proper blog next week, but wanted to share one of my favorite gifts....my BFF Amy sent me a Designer print Snuggie....as you can see I was thrilled!!!
However why the hell did I not think of this?!

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Happy Birthday, Quentin

5 years ago on December 6, 2004 at 2:10 pm at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska Quentin Armando Chavez arrived weighing in at 9 lbs 1 oz 19 inches tall.
The first year was not typical as we struggled with getting a handle on his allergies, but still through weekly doctor visits and painful eczema all over his body he was the most cheerful baby!
Dealing with 4 sets of ear tubes before the age of 4 was also stressful, however allergies and ear tubes are easier to deal with, than the other potential symptoms that can come along with dwarfism.
Everyday has been an adventure with our little guy but I wouldn't change the last 5 years for anything!
The time has flown by, I am blessed to have a healthly boy.
Happy Birthday Quentin, you are such a special boy and a joy to everyone who has had the pleasure to meet you, so far!!

I love you!
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I am still laughing....since it is Friday and Quentin's birthday weekend, tonight I decided to do anything he wanted for dinner.
He decided on English Muffin Pizza (I am not going to make any other kind from now on). So we did the pizzas they were delicious! Then I had purchased "fun doe" cookie dough from the school fundraiser Quentin has been wanting to make cookies since we brought the stuff home.....so we made them.
First the dough comes in containers that resemble play doh, I cut a hunk off each color and we created....
The picture cracks me up because the doe really plumped when it baked.....

Green blob was a Christmas tree by Quentin

The red snowman
Yellow with red happy face (Quentin made this one)
The red and blue blob on top was a candy cane - I made that one....lol

They don't look that great but they tasted good....next time I will remember to make thinner.....
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I got inked

On Sunday I got my 3rd and final tattoo!!!
I have been wanting this particular piece for almost 5 years now, so to finally have it is just wonderful!

I had my kids baby foot prints (the ones from the hospital printed the day they were born) tattooed on top of my foot.

As many know I have a freakishly high pain tolerance, so the fact that a "normal" person would think that a tattoo on the top of your foot would hurt was not the case for me. If I had to describe the feeling I would say it felt like someone poking my foot with a needle for 40 minutes, seriously once the artist was done my foot felt tingly like it had been sunburned!
I think the artist was surprised too, the part that was most annoying was when the dates were done, for outlining or writing they use less needles than the shading. The artist kept saying are you ok?
I was texting my bff Amy and posting on facebook what was happening...when it was done the artist said ok and I said "WoW that was fast"
I was pleased with the way that it turned out just as I had imagined it. The other nice thing is that they are the exact size, the artist did not have to shrink down in order to fit on my foot....
I was especially happy that the detail was so clear on the tattoo, as I look at my foot compared to the actual prints they match perfectly as if the prints were originally stamped on my foot!
I had the kids birthdays added beneath each print!

As with the sun that is on my right foot (that was done years ago)my new ink is completely original and no one else will have the same one....

What do you think?
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Halloween

A couple of weeks ago I took the kids to the scrapbook store where I crop for a "Spooktacular" Photo shoot.

The pictures turned out so cute.

This week is full of Halloween fun....Thursday will be a party at my mom's office and Friday is Quentin's school party - Saturday of course is the BIG day....Hope you have a Ghoulish time!!

I AM BACK....

I have so been slacking in the blog department – so much has happened since our mini vacation to Washington in July to see our friends the Wiggles. Quentin is still talking about that trip, I am so glad that we did that!

Quentin got a new bike this summer and rode it almost every day!

So what has been happening in the Chavez house you may be asking yourselves….

I have been trying to teach Adrianna how to vaccuum to earn her keep!

In August I had another birthday (nothing spectacular) I turned 33 and found my first 2 gray hairs…LORD I was devastated but have since gotten over it with a little highlight and new cut from my stylist Kirsten.

The weather this summer was SPECTACULAR we spent a few weekends at the Market downtown - Quentin did a little painting....

In September Quentin moved to the FISH room in preschool and what a difference – we had some MAJOR issues with his teacher last year she refused to make adjustments for Quentin and expected him to do everything just like every other “average” 3 and 4 year old in his class, well for OBVIOUS reasons that just didn’t work out. Within a week of being a FISH they had modified a stool so that he can use the bathroom and reach the sink – they have also modified recipes during “cooking class” so that Quentin can participate. His teachers Missy and Jenna are such a blessing!!

In September Adrianna also turned 1 – I started a letter to her but then just got too weepy so I didn’t finish it and obviously never posted it. She is such a joy – I can’t imagine life without her. She is such a different baby than Quentin was – still I am not complaining because I know that every child is different and she is a GOOD baby – as my mom says she is “NORMAL” Quentin was “ABNORMAL” in the fact that he never got into ANYTHING – I turn around for a half a second and Adri already has something torn up or is getting into something. Joe still stays home with her and she is giving him a run for his money – I love it! She is starting to try and repeat words and has been walking unassisted since mid August!

Also in September I escaped to Las Vegas for a girls weekend! I met up with some long lost girl friends on FACEBOOK of all places and we planned the first of many girls getaways! I know that I was truly blessed and made lifelong friends at St. Martin’s but it was proven to me once again as I met up with Amy and Judy who I have not seen since I left SMC in 1997 – the moment we saw each other after we were done SCREAMING with delight we hugged and then it was as if we had just seen one another the day before!

Now as we are gearing up for Winter (I HATE SNOW AND WINTER) I have set my goals to have my Christmas shopping completed by Thanksgiving – I have already started so I may just make my goal.

Halloween is the big topic at the house right now – Quentin will have two costumes – the costume he will wear to school and for the school party is Captain Feathersword (from the Wiggles) and then for the party at my mom’s work, trick or treating and the family party he will be a Guitar – YES I WILL POST PICTURES!
Adrianna will be a lady bug – she loves her costume – although it cracked me up because Joe totally started laughing when I tried it on her – she was strutting (yes at 1) around the house and then when he was laughing she started crying – he must have hurt her feelings.
I have appliquéd (Baker aren’t you proud?) Trick or Treat on an orange tee shirt and purchased a ghost headband that will be my Halloween costume.

We will be getting our condo ready to put on the market and hope to god someone will purchase it quickly so that we can get into a house – we are running out of room as our family grows!
Hope that you are all doing well.
I promise to be better at keeping up with the blog again…sometimes life gets in the way although that is what the blog is for right.

Love to you all!!!

Recipe Time

If you have a hard time finding new ideas for dinner that are balanced, affordable and tasty then you have to try this recipe. I made it last night for dinner and it was a hit with my family! I was able to sneak in veggies that Quentin usually does not like and even TOFU which my brother had no idea he was eating!

Cheesy Stuffed Shells (from Melissa d'Arabian on Food Network) check out her show it is pretty good!!!

Sauce:

Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons EVOO
1/2 c grated carrot
1/2 c grated zucchini
1 small finely chopped onion
1/2 c chopped celery
3 cloves minced garlic (I OMITTED THIS BECAUSE OF QUENITN'S ALLERGY)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

Shells:

1 12-ounce box jumbo pasta shells
8 ounces silken tofu, mashed
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 large egg lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, minced (AGAIN WE OMITTED)
kosher salt and ground pepper
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil to cook your shells. Make the sauce; heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add carrot, zucchini, onion and celery saute until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the basil, oregano, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare the shells: Add to boiling water and cook for 8 minutes; drain. Mix tofu, spinach, cottage cheese, parmesan and 1/2 c. mozzarella. the egg and garlic in medium bowl, season with salt and pepper.

Mist a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray - spread about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Stuff the cheese mixture into the shells and place in baking dish open-side up. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remainin mozzarella and bake for additional 15 minutes. Let stand and cool slightly before serving.


I prepared mine the night before we actually ate it and put in fridge it was DELICOUS!!

Let me know what you think if you try it!!

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Today I ventured to the Orowheat Thrift store, I had heard that they have discounted bread and other items.
I was pleased to see that they had a good selection, Saturdays are the sale days on the already discounted products because they are closed on Sunday and Monday.
I purchased the following items:
2 loaves of Kirkland Whole Wheat Bread (the same bread at Costco for $4.50)thrift store price $2
1 loaf of Cinnabon cinnamon raisen bread ($3.89 at Freds) thrift store $1.50
1 package of hot dog buns ($3.29) thrift store $1.50
1 bag of Sara Lee mini bagels ($3.89) thrift store $1.50
1 package of English muffins ($3) thrift store $1.50
1 box of Arrowroot baby cookies and 1 box of Cars graham crackers thrift store price for both $2
Grand Total $10!!!!!!
I also went to Fred Meyers today with the coupons that I printed from the online site and combined with in store coupons had a total of $21 to make my total bill after coupons $97......so to feed my family of 4 for the next two weeks it cost me $107!!!!!!
I LOVE COUPONS!!!!!! You know I had to take a picture of the items I purchased at the bread thrift store!
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Coupons on your MOBILE phone....

I love coupons and drive my husband crazy with my clipping on Sunday mornings - I have discovered a few websites that I print from as well - I know that Joe just doesn't like to admit but he loves that I use coupons too especially when he sees the savings amount when I return from a trip to the grocery store and the amount of food that was purchased for the small amount of money.

In Alaska I have to be a bit more savvy or sneaky when using my coupons, as our stores do not do doubling - however I have become quite good at my own version of doubling using store coupons along with manufacturers coupon. Did you know that you can also use those coupons that Fred Meyer prints out for you at any retailer? I almost always use my formula coupons that I get from Fred Meyer or Carrs (Safeway) at Target as Target has the best price on formula and with a coupon it is even better!!!

You can imagine my DELIGHT when I discovered the site Cellfire which is coupon site that you can access from your mobile phone (Iphone, Blackberry etc) I mean HELLO - there have been a few occasions when I have forgotten a coupon at home, well I never (RARELY) forget my cell phone. The way it works is that you can load the coupons onto your mobile phone and then pull them up at the check out and the cashier enters the coupon code from your phone.......COOOOLLLLL!!!!! I loaded some coupons and am going to try it this weekend, the key will be to find a very FRIENDLY cashier who will not be bothered by my techno coupons!!!

The other thing super neat about the cellfire website is that you can load coupons right onto your club card from the store website. Carrs/Safeway for us Alaska folks - I registered my card number and have loaded in coupons on my club card so when I go to the store this weekend I will not have to worry about forgetting my coupons they are already loaded in!! The site gives you the option to print a grocery list which has your coupons on the list so you don't forget what you loaded on your card.

I am just so excited to go to the grocery store this weekend!! I will report back on the virtual coupons experience!!

Happy Clipping everyone!!!

Wiggly Adventure

I can't beleive that this is my first post in a couple weeks, I have a lot to write but I guess just not the time.

As stated in a previous post the kids, my mom and I were heading down to Washington for a mini vacation to see friends but the main reason was to see The Wiggles Go Banana's show which was in Everett Washington on July 17, 2009. We flew down on Thursday the day before so that we could get adjusted and be ready for the show on Friday. Remember also that Quentin did not know we were going to see the Wiggles.

We arrived in Washington had a great flight down, issues with the rental car (a whole seperate blog) and then we had lunch at Red Robin at Southcenter I could not stand it anymore I had to tell Quentin - I told him that we were going to the show on Friday - I guess I was more excited or he didn't understand what I was saying because his response was "OH" and continued to eat his hot dog....I was crushed.

After lunch we went to Target to get some supplies for the hotel and the weekend, food for Adri, sun screen and snacks for the hotel! Then it was off to Everett.

We arrived at the hotel in Everett around 4 O'Clock as we drove into the parking lot of the hotel I noticed 3 very large tour buses parked along the side of the hotel in the back. I just looked at my mom and said "I bet the Wiggles are staying here" her response was a slight laugh along with "I am sure we won't see them if they are"

We checked into the hotel and got to our room. Quentin wanted to go swimming so we all changed into to our swim suits mom and I blew up some floaties for the kids and then off to the pool that we went. We swam for over an hour, the kids both loved the pool. I was surprised that Adri loved the pool she had a floatey that she was able to sit in and she just kicked herself all over the pool.

When we were done swimming it was time to get back to the room and think about dinner, Quentin wanted pizza which sounded good to everyone.

After we all got back into dry clothes I decided to run down to the car to get the rest of the stuff that I had left earlier. Quentin of course wanted to come with me. No problem we waited for the elevator when the doors opened there was a girl in the elevator. We stepped on and Quentin noticed she had a Wiggles Logo on her shirt, I recognized her as being Claire one of the Wiggles dancers. She smiled and talked to Quentin, I asked if they were staying at the hotel, she said yes they had arrived on Wednesday. She asked if we were going to the show and I told her yes that we had flown down from Alaska to see the show, she was very surprised.

The elevator arrived in the lobby and we got off, sitting in the chairs directly in front of the elevator was ANTHONY (he is the blue wiggle) I couldn't beleive it (side note - remember we had just gotten out of the pool - I LOOKED FRIGHTFUL! LORD!!!) Quentin was busy still talking to Claire who was walking towards Anthony, once Quentin saw him he recognized him right away (even out of costume) I wish that I had my camera with me because the look on Quentin's face was one that I will never forget! He talked to Anthony for a few minutes and then we went to the car - on the way back in Anthony and his friends were getting into the hotel shuttle - Quentin all the while saying "hey Anthony! See you later" Anthony told him he would see him tomorrow at the show, Quentin then told him that he liked his tattoos (He has tattoos on his arms, and is VERY GOOD LOOKING! I MEAN REALLY GOOD LOOKING AND THAT ACCENT).

We got back to the room and Quentin could not wait to tell Grandma who we had just seen! My mom could not beleive how lucky Quentin was, although it was so cute becasue she asked if Captain Feathersword was with Anthony, remember that is her favorite character.......

Friday morning we got up and went to breakfast, we slept in a little bit so Quentin was in his jammies and mom and I threw on clothes ran combs through our hair and downstairs we went. After breakfast mom was getting the shuttle arranged for the show - Quentin and I were looking at the fountain in the lobby, behind my mom was Katarina, one of the Wiggles dancers that Quentin and I had met the night before she was with Carl (CUUUUTTTTEEEEEEEEEEE) she said good morning and I responded and asked if they were ready for the show, she said yes and asked if we were going today, I said yes the 3 o'clock show. Katarina then asked if we were going to the meet and greet, I said "no we were not invited to that" Carl chimes in and says "Quentin has to come to the meet and greet. Give me your phone number and name and I will have the tour manager ring you" HOLY COW! This type of thing never happens to me, Joe all the time but me never!

So we get back to the room and I jump in the shower - when I get out of the shower my mom is singing "we are going to meet the wiggles" I said "what?" the tour manager called on behalf of Anthony and wanted to invite Quentin to the meet and greet! YAY!!! He was going to get to meet all of them! Our leasurily morning turned into rushing as we had to get ready for the meet and greet which was at 1:30!

We arrived at the meet and greet and it was wonderful! Quentin got to meet all the Wiggles, my mom got to meet her beloved Captian Feathersword and then we watched the show, it was the beginning of a wonderful weekend! Quentin cracked everyone up when he asked Murray (the red wiggle) if he liked ZZ Top, Murray responded with yes they are a good band, then Murray wanted to know what Quentin's favorite ZZ Top song was, the smile on Murray's face was great, Quentin said "LAGRANGE, Murray you like La Grange?"

You will notice from the pictures that Anthony was not there, he had a sore throat and wanted to rest up for the concert, I am sure glad that we met him at the hotel.

Murray (red) Jeff (purple) Capt. Feathersword (pirate) Sam (yellow) Mom, Adri, Quentin and me. Adri is less than impressed at the meet and greet.

The Wiggles yes a silly bunch of guys entertaining pre-schoolers are such a class act, the show was fantastic, I actually really enjoyed it!

Jeff, Captain Feathersword, Sam watching as Quentin is asking Murray his very important question!

I love the look on Quentin's face when Murray asked him what his favorite ZZ top song was.....

Near Death Experience - At least the EMT's were cute!

Friday July 3 was not an ordinary day at our house, I had the day off from work becasue of the holiday the next day, I got up and went to Weight Watchers then to Starbucks with my friend and fellow WWer Emily.

Went home and decided that I would clean the house so that I could get it done and play the rest of the weekend!

Nothing unusual about this, I cleaned the downstairs did a couple loads of laundry and made breakfast - as I was getting ready to clean the downstairs bathroom and then make lunch for the kids I took a little break and sat on the couch for a minute, Joe had on Cake Boss so I took my break and watched a little bit. My right ankle was itching so I reached down to scratch it and all of a sudden my leg was bleeding, I am not talking a little blood I am talking spraying blood, like when you put a pin hole in a water balloon and there is the constant spray - THAT IS WHAT MY ANKLE WAS DOING!!

So I put my hand over the spray and told Joe, "get me something I need help" he looks over and FREAKS OUT, I mean FREAKS OUT....he runs to the kitchen to grab a towel and starts looking for the "cleaning rags" in the meantime my hand is not able to catch the streams of blood and there is now a puddle of blood on my carpet *few choice words from me about the carpet* and telling Joe to just bring me something.....he brought me a dishtowel - I apply pressure on the area it is still spraying it is now soaking through the dishtowel - I tell him I need another one, in the meantime Joe still FREAKING out grabs me another towel and then starts running from the living room to the kitchen (with his cell phone in his hand) saying "OH MY GOD, BABE ARE YOU ALRIGHT, OH MY GOD, WHERE IS THE PHONE" he did about 4 good laps before I said "Joe the phone is on the counter in the kitchen (where it always is) and you have your cell phone in your hand" He said "OH" and then grabs the phone and calls my mom - "TERRY YOUR DAUGHTER IS BLEEDING I MEAN REALLY BAD, WHAT SHOULD I DO, TERRY SHE IS REALLY BLEEDING....OK YES, OK YES, BYE"

He then says "I AM CALLING 911" I looked at him and said OK, meanwhile I am onto my 3rd dishtowel and have to go to the bathroom - I hop into the bathroom where I take the towel off the spray and not such a good idea - my bathroom looked like a crime scene - puddles of blood on the floor - which I was fine with since it wasn't my carpet.

Joe is on the phone with 911 the man is still FREAKING OUT...I am calm as can be -
"911 IS NOT ANSWERING WHAT THE HELL?" "YES HELLO - MY WIFE SHE IS BLEEDING AND IT WON'T STOP, OK HER NAME IS HOPE UM HOLD ON" he comes over to me I am looking at him "HOPE ARE YOU CONCIOUS?" which makes me CRACK UP! Joe to operator "YES SHE IS CONCIOUS - UM HOPE YOU DON'T TAKE BLOOD THINNERS DO YOU?"
me to Joe, "NO" this is through my laughing.
Joe to operator "OK YES, GIVES OUR PHONE NUMBER AND ADDRESS - YES, OK YES, OK THANK YOU" he hangs up and tells me that the EMTs are on the way my thought is YES I hope they are cute!!! He then calls my mom "TERRY THE EMTS ARE ON THE WAY - YOU SHOULD COME OVER IN CASE THEY HAVE TO TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL"
Then I take off the towel to assess the situation Joe immediatley tells me "DON'T LOOK AT IT - THEY SAID NOT TO LOOK AT IT'
Whatever - I looked still gushing......
The EMTs arrive about 10 minutes after Joe hung up - AND THEY WERE CCCUUUUTTTEEE!!! YAHOOOOO!!!!

There were 2 of them the REALLY cute one immediatley starts talking to Quentin and Adri the other one who was not as cute as the one talking to my kids, comes over to me, "what did you do?" I just laughed and said "Um I was scratching my ankle" By the time he took the towel off the bleeding had stopped - I have a vein (vericose - I think ) that appeared when I was pregnant with Adri that has not gone away apparently when I was scratching my ankle I punctured the vein which caused the gushing. The EMT said it happens sometimes - WTH?!?!
He offered me a band aide - and had me drink some juice as I was a little light headed from all the blood loss - I also had to sign a paper that stated they offered to take me to the hospital and I declined. Then told me that if it starts up again to give them a call and they would come back out if I couldn't get it to stop and off they went.

My mom shows up right after the EMTs leave and Joe tells her he is sorry for freaking out and having her come all the way across town - she just laughs. We watched a couple episodes of Cake Boss and then my mom went home - we went to the park for a picnic.

Never a dull moment at our house!!!

4th of July 2009

We had a wonderful holiday weekend! I was lucky enough to have a 3 day weekend which was needed and very much appreciated, although as usual it went by way to quickly!

Friday we had a nice picnic lunch at Lake Hood, which is by the airport. It is where float planes take off and land - Quentin loved watching the planes take off and when they came in for landing. After lunch Quentin had a date with Grandma so we took him over to her house. They went to see UP and have dinner and then a sleep over.

Joe, Adri and I had dinner at LaCabana and then went home, Joe got ready for work and Adri and I watched TV on the couch!

Saturday 4th of July - we met my mom and Quentin at Golden Corral for breakfast and then we headed downtown for the Parade and Street fair on the park strip! We watched the parade with my Aunt and her kids and my brother! I love doing things with my family!

The parade was good, the weather was perfect. Quentin's favorite part were the fire trucks and the motorcycles that screamed down the street at the end of the parade. He also loved waving his flag during the parade!

When the parade was over we went to a couple booths on the street fair - It was packed and the sun was blasting down so was really hot.....Quentin got his face painted, I don't think he was quite sure of the gal who was painting his face when he first sat down, but once she started he was fine - he looked so cute!

Adri was not as impressed with the street fair as you can see! Next year will be a different story I am sure!

We left the street fair and went home to take naps - it was a very lazy holiday - we all woke up around 6 and then took a walk and played outside the rest of the day.

God Bless America! Hope you all had a good holiday too!

July - National Ice Cream Month!!!

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. He recognized ice cream as a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by a full 90% of the nation's population. In the proclamation, President Reagan called for all people of the United States to observe these events with "appropriate ceremonies and activities."

I mean another reason that Reagan was my favorite president!!!

CSA - We got our first box

I was so excited yesterday that I picked up our first box of Organic Produce from Full Circle Farm - I don't think that I have ever been so excited to eat fruits and veggies.

Just check out all that healthy food sitting on my kitchen counter!! We received lettuce, celery, broccoli, tomato, baby carrots, cabbage, bell peppers, apples, strawberries, peaches, grapes and avocados!!!

I loved that they included recipes in the box that we could try using our box contents!!!

Have a great weekend!!

I couldn't resist......

Those of you who have met my son, Quentin know that he is a CRAZY kid - I mean earlier posts from Spirit Week at Pre-School confirm that he doesn't care what he is wearing or what people think of him.

So last week I am in the kitchen cooking dinner and he says "Mom I need to go out to the car and get something" he is telling me this as he is putting on his crocs....he has nothing else on except for underwear and his crocs. I just looked at him and said "Just wait and I will run out and find what you need" I honestly didn't know what he was going to get..

I continue to get dinner ready -I hear the screen door open Joe was coming in - and then he is cracking up - I look out the kitchen window and this is what I see....Thank God the camera was sitting on the counter!

I totally cracked up - I mean seriously the kid is a nut! What was even funnier is that he did not care that he was in his underwear - and our neighbor was outside and all I could hear for about

5 minutes was the neighbor laughing......

I must be crazy...but it is for the kids!!!!

I think that most parents would agree that we want to make our children happy, well at least I want them to be happy most of the time.

So last Wednesday I was looking at the Sprout website for coloring sheets for Quentin and there was an ad for The Wiggles they are joining the Sprout line up. Quentin LOVES the Wiggles, well I guess LOVES is a bit much. He did LOVE the Wiggles when he was younger, he does watch them every now and then but not addicted like when he was 2. So I clicked on the ad which then flashed that the lovable Australians will be on tour this summer, I took a look at the cities which they will be visiting and saw they will have one show in Western Washington in July. I immediately went to my mileage account with Alaska Airlines to see how many miles I had and if we could sneak away for a long weekend to see the Wiggles and of course all my peeps in Tacoma and Olympia!!!

I then called my mom and asked her what she had on her calendar and if she was up for a quick trip to America? She said YES - she was in!! I booked the tickets, hotel and car! BTW my mom said she is "super excited to see Captain Feathersword" I really do think that she is the best Grandma - I mean to know the characters of the freaking Wiggles - AWESOME!!!

My next call was to Aim (my BFF) I wanted to make sure she was going to be in town the weekend we would be down, YES she was - the planets were all aligned because everything was working out BEAUTIFULLY! I asked Aim if they wanted to come to Everett to see the Wiggles and she said she had to talk it over with Brian, so I told her I would call her tomorrow.

I called Aim the next day and she said that they were in!! I was at my mom's office so we jumped online to get the show tickets. We had some issues with the website so ended up calling the arena - now get this visual - I am on cell phone talking to Aim, my mom is on her office phone talking to the ticket agent at the arena - my mom kept telling me to hush which then I relayed to Aim whispering of course and then busting out in laughter because Aim and I were being told to SHOOSH.....Aim and I are a bit crazy when together and apparently on the phone as well!! LOL!!!
So the tickets secured and reservations made we are set, now I just have to wait 4 weeks and then our adventure will begin! Those who know me well know that I am not a good waiter!

I have not told Quentin we are going to see the Wiggles, I did tell him we were going to see Amy (he loves Amy) and that Grandma was going to come too! He was very excited about that!!

This morning I was getting ready for work and Quentin was eating breakfast watching Sprout and a commercial for the Wiggles concert came on - he asked me if they would be coming to Alaska, I told him no they weren't. He had the saddest little face and said "No body ever comes to Alaska" I mean I wanted to bust out and YELL - we are going to see them in Washington. But I didn't for two reasons 1) I don't want to count how many sleeps until we leave and 2) I don't want to hear for the next 4 weeks "Mom today we are going to see the Wiggles?"
So I am going to wait until the morning of the show and tell him, he is going to FLIP out!

So I must be crazy for taking a whirl wind trip to Washington for the sole reason to see a children's concert - but when I imagine how excited Quentin is going to be it is all worth it!!

The added bonus is that I will have a day in a half in Olympia to hang with my friends/family!

There have been additions to families, I can't wait to meet Kate's Daniel and for everyone to meet Adri - plus it has been a couple of years since I have seen everyone -so I am just plain EXCITED!!!! OK a little confession - I am a smidge excited about getting to see the Wiggles too!!!

Another Heathly Choice for my family

I took another step today on the path to making healthy choices for myself and family!

I joined a CSA program! I am very excited and anxious to receive my first box - I will get to pick up my fresh organic produce on Thursday and can't wait to see what it contains.

Thank you to my friends Amy C and Amy H who have talked so highly of thier local CSA program that I did some research and long last found one that delivers to ALASKA!!!!!!!!!

I will keep you all posted on the contents of the first box and how we like it!!

If you join the CSA program from reading my blog please put me down as a friend referral!!!

Have a happy healthy day!!! (My lord that sounds corny LOL)

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Adri will be 9 months on Tuesday, she officially has two teeth that are showing when she smiles! I already miss the big gummy toothless smile. She is scooting around all over the place and tonight she decided to pull herself up and hang on to the ottoman she didn't take any steps yet but I guess that is coming soon! As you can see she was very proud of herself!

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The first week on the plan and I had a 2 pound loss! Not the huge loss that I have experienced in the past the first week, however I have 2 kids now and a differnt lifestyle. I am thrilled with the loss, it is a loss! So I am on the path to success!
My goal for this week is to get up and walk for 30 minutes 3 days this week!
I am also going to Sams this weekend to stock up on fruits and veggies!!!!!
I feel good with the choices that I made this week, I know that I had a couple not so good days but this is a new week and as long as the scale is going down I am happy!
Have a good week!
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Day 3

I am on day 3 of Weight Watchers. I am feeling good, I need to add some activity besides chasing the kids around at night to the regimine if I want to meet my December goal - will reveal later!

Decided that I will not be allowing myself any treats until I reach my first 5% goal which is 12 pounds, which means no Starbucks for me, this is super hard for me but I know that it will be so much better to reward myself.

So I was especially proud of myself today - Joe had jury duty downtown and was dismissed early so he walked to my mom's office and then they met me at City Diner so that we could have lunch and switch out the car - we are still down to only one vehicle......that is a whole other blog....

So I was a little nervous that I would be able to find something "legal" for the program at City Diner, I mean they have traditional diner food which is all so GREAT and tempting and the desserts alone are a great excuse to eat dessert first! Ok back on track now, so I had the grilled halibut filet but ordered it to be grilled with no lemon butter (SIGH) and only with pam cooking spray and choose steamed veggies. I mean it was such a great lunch! It was the first time that I walked out of that place and didn't feel totally full and umcomfortable, but I was satisfied!!!!

SO I think that this is a great first step in my new eating habits!!!!

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The weather has been so nice so far this summer! Joe took the kids to Goose Lake which is by our house. Quentin had a great time wadding in the water.
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A New Day.....full disclosure!

I did it today I joined Weight Watchers today. This will be my 4th or 5th time joing the program. The time that I was most successful was before Quentin was born, I lost 65 pounds.
Of course 2 children later and those 65 pounds have come back.
I did lose all the weight that I gained when I was pregnant with Adri, but obviously there is a lot more to lose. My starting weight is where I was after Quentin was born 4 in a half years ago so that is good I guess.
At any rate I joined again, I am giving my friends full disclosure, the picture on the post is the card that I was given today when I weighed in. As you can see my starting weight is 254 today is the last time that when I step on a scale it will register those numbers. I would like to reach my goal weight (which I will disclose later).
So I will post each week my success I will also post those weeks when I don't do so well. I am really feeling that this is the time in my life to get a handle on my food addiction.
I know that I have the support of my friends and family to as they say at WW have a winning outcome.
Between the accountability in the weekly meetings and posting me weekly weight on this blog there is no reason for me to not be successful!
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Quentin are you there....?

When I picked up Quentin after school yesterday they were outside playing, which is GREAT that they are taking advantage of the sunny days that we have had. Last summer the average temp was low 50's all summer with maybe two days of sun - we are all LOVING this weather!

Anyway I was heading to the play ground and Quentin's teacher saw me and said he is a big dust ball - I just smiled and continued to the play ground. Sure enough he was a walking dirt ball - the first thing that came to mind was "my god I gave birth to Pig Pen" He was wearing plaid shorts and a white t-shirt that was now gray from all the dirt on it.....

I really should have taken a picture because it was so mind boggling how one child could get so dirty in a single day....he ran up to me and gave me a big hug - I was wearing black slacks so I had two little hand prints on my butt - NICE.....good thing I didn't have to go anywhere last night!

As soon as we got home we didn't not even say hello to Joe or Adri we went right upstairs to the tub where I proceeded to scrub the child, his hair felt so nasty when I put the water on his head to wash - like I was making a mud pie on my childs head or something, my white washcloth was black by the time he was all clean and the bath water was DISGUSTING.......I had to scrub the tub when he was done there was so much sand on the bottom.

I am glad though that he has such a good time at school, we have signed him up for the summer program so I will have many more nights of picking up Pig Pen!!

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Mother's Day!



It was decided last night that I would be allowed to sleep in today. Joe set his alarm so he would be up before the kids, well before Adrianna. She woke up early, of course! I got up with her while Joe took a shower then I went back to bed! I slept for another hour which was nice!

Quentin was very excited to give me the card that he signed himself, poor kid has such a long name he only got to Que before he had Joe help with the rest, it was still precious and I teared up he is getting so big!

Joe gave me a small camera that I can keep in my purse or diaper bag, no more missing those important moments because the other camera is too big!

We are having my mom and brother over tonight for a BBQ the weather is beautiful and I have a great family, I couldn't ask for anything more! I hope that you all enjoyed being with your kids and family!

Happy Mother's Day!

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8 months old and on the move!

Adrianna is 8 months today. She has changed so much in these few months. Her smile is contagious and she is starting to get into EVERYTHING. Quentin is such a great big brother and they love each other. She is on the move too, gone are the days when I could walk away or run upstairs and come back and she would be in the same place and everything is still in order! She is also finding her voice, which is super cute when she screams and then giggles although not so cute when out in public.
The time has gone by so quickly it makes me sad to think that the time will continue to go by quickly.
I have to remind myself to cherish every moment that I can with both of my kids!
Happy 8 month birthday!
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Sopapilla Cheesecake

This recipe is a little late since Cinco was yesterday but you really can make it anytime......it is so DELICOUS - I discovered this recipe when I was pregnant and made it a couple times SOOO YUMMY! It makes a lot so perfect when you have to take something to a pot luck or have a gathering at your house.

2 (8 ounce) Packages of cream cheese - I use Tofutti cream cheese and you can't tell the difference it is a little more healthy
2 (8 ounce) crescent rolls - I use the recipe creations it is a single sheet of the flaky rolls so you don't have to mess with the seams.
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup margarine or butter melted
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (1 cup sugar to 2 tbs cinnamon)

Unroll one package of the crescent roll into the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan, you will flatten to the bottom of the pan.
Mix together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla - spread over the crescent
Unroll second package of the crescent rolls and place on top of the cream cheese mixture
Pour melted butter or margarine over the top and sprinkle with teh cinnamon sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I enjoy mine warm so let cool for about 15 minutes then serve. You can also let cool completely and serve your choice.

Quentin loves this cake (which is why I use tofutti and soy butter) - let me know what you think!

ENJOY!!!!

Diaper Cakes

I have stumbled upon a new craft! Diaper Cakes these are so cute and make such a great gift as well as super cute center pieces for baby showers!

The boy cake I did like the washcloth flower!

So I made one last night for a girl - I made one last week for a boy and it turned out cute but the girl one looked so much better, I sold these cakes for $50 each they were for friends. I think that I am going to put an ad on craigslist and sell them for showers - a little extra cash is always welcome in my home!! :)

when it was all done I wrapped it in tulle and tied it off with pink ribbon that said Its a Girl and then white ribbon with pastel hearts!

I am going to make one for a friends shower that I am attending next week, which will be fun.

Finally some nice weather!!

tire swing

Adri had a lot of fun watching all the kids and chewing on her shoe!

Spring in Alaska has finally sprung. This weekend we had BEAUTIFUL weather!!

Sunday afternoon we took a picnic to the park and had a great time....

Really the pictures say it all!!

I am hoping that the summer and the good weather stick around!!!

15 hours of Scrapbooking!!!!!!!

pasta salad!

Cold Cut lunch meat for sandwiches

My work space - very messy!!!

Emily journaling! Notice the beautiful glare from the sun in the window - behind her a demonstration going on!

Working hard on her project!

Aunt Lisa with her Scrapbooking Flair

National Scrapbook Day was this past Saturday and I was lucky enough to get to scrap with my aunt and friend Emily for 15 whole hours!!

It was so much fun!!!! Emily was kind enough to pick me up at 8AM we were meeting Aunt Lisa at Starbucks for breakfast before heading over to More than a Memory to scrap at 9AM. The agreed time to meet was 8:15AM - at exactly 8:02AM I received a text message from Aunt Lisa that said "WHERE ARE YOU?" I mean this woman is crazy, she had her bags packed for weeks and had laid her clothes out Friday night when she got home for work for Saturday...I mean she is NUTS!

Once we all had our drinks and a delicious breakfast sandwich we were on our way to start our 15 hours of scrapping!!

There was a great bunch of ladies at the shop scrapping, we met a new friend Liz who is a Creative Memories consultant and our new BFF! There was also a very annoying girl who was sitting next to Lisa and literally did not stop talking from the moment she arrived to when Tonya (the shop owner) kicked her out after midnight....Emily, Lisa and I were texting each other very rude comments about the girl. I would get up to use the SIZZIX or the Cricut and would come back to the table and the girl would still be talking - I would say "still talking" it would have been one thing if she was talking about something interesting - but she was talking about such stupid stuff...it was rather annoying. At one point I said that my throat hurt and that I probably have the swine flu - as a joke. The annoying girl jumped in and said "you know swine flu has not come to Alaska yet" I just looked at her and said "well I am probably the first case" I rolled my eyes at her which did not phase her and she kept talking........I really wanted to take a sharp object and shove it in my eye at one point.

Drawings were held throughout the day - we all won at least 2 prizes which is always fun! I won a Christmas paper pack that included stamps, stickers and embellishments. I also won a Birthday pack which was perfect since I had been eyeing that paper line at the store!

Aunt Lisa and Emily both won cutting systems which were valued at $60 - Emily also won an album and I can't remember the second prize that Aunt Lisa won.

We also had a wonderful lunch of cold cut sandwiches and pasta salad and chocolate chip cookies.

Dinner was taco salads and ice cream sandwiches for dessert!

There was a lot of laughing while we worked!

I got both kids albums caught up - I have this past Easter to scrap so I am pleased!

It was a long day but so worth it, the only thing that would have made it perfect was if my scrap-sister Brenda was here, she moved to Florida exactly a year ago...I miss her especially when I do these types of things we started our scrap addiction together!

Day 3 - Spirit Week

Today is Beach Day!! I think that my child is such a ham on most days but his outfit today was proof that he is a character!!!

I can't imagine what his Spirit Week clothes will look like when he is in high school if he loves doing things like this in Pre-school!!

I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures!!

Day 2 of Spirit Week - Crazy Hat!!!!

As promised here are pictures of Crazy Hat Day at Quentin's school!

We bought a Top Hat from Michaels and hot glued several items to the hat that he picked out from the dollar bin!

In case you can't see, I tried to get the best pictures:

- Kazoo

- Harmonica

- Bouncy Ball

- Yo-Yo

- Bubbles (that is what is hanging from the front)

- Felt Guitar - you know it would not be my child if he didn't have some kind of drum or guitar reference!