I haven't been good about posting pictures of my kids.  I am going to try to get better at it.  In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures to give a taste of what's to come. The picture of Ryan holding the "crystal turtle" was taken for his 8th birthday party.  He had an Indiana Jones type party but it was "Indiana Ryan and the Kingdom of the Crystal Turtle".  We had a hunt for the Crystal turtle complete with clues drawn on scrolls that lead to a site to dig.&...

I've gotten many requests for pictures of Ashley.  I love this picture so thought it would be a good one to share.

Ashley was afraid of Santa this year.  He gave her a treat right after they took the picture and she liked him again.  Ryan said the same thing I thought, "He should have given her the treat first!" And here she is having more fun playing with decorations for our tree at our cottage

Here is Ashley Grace enjoying the beach at our cottage.  I can't believe she will be a year old in just a couple of weeks!  Time flies when you're having fun and she sure has provided us with a lot of fun. She makes us all smile every day.

Ryan turned 7 on 7/12 and Star Wars Legos were at the top of his wish list.  My hubby & I got him this Sand Crawler set.  What was I thinking?!  This thing had over 1600 pieces!  Big brother Alex got most of it together in a day but I had to step in and help out when the floor kept falling apart.  To anyone out there who works at Lego....design a sturdier base for these stupid Star Wars sets!!

Here's a recent picture of the very silly, Ashley Grace with the pretty face.  She is almost 10 months old now.  She is going to walk any time.  She pulls herself to a standing position and only needs a finger or two for support while walking. She is into everything but has a smile on her face that keeps you from getting angry.  The house is constantly trashed and she loves it that way.  She owns everyone and everything in the house and I think she knows it. ...

It isn't flowers or cards or dinner or hand made crafts that matter today.  The best gift on Mother's Day is the gift of being a mom.  I guess I was feeling a little sorry for myself hearing about other moms getting gushed over today.  Then a feeling of joy came over me as I watched my little baby girl ripping apart the TV guide...I'm a mom.  That's the greatest gift today and every day. I have wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember.  I have friends who have...

I watched GMA this morning and, like a lot of other talk realted shows recently, they focused on "gowing green".  They showed all sorts of "green" products for the home.  All the while I was wondering what everything cost.  At the end of the segment they addressed the cost issue with the answer of "All of these products are comparable to regular products on the market". I don't know for sure about those products but I do know that a lot of the "environmentally friendly" product...

I took my boys for hair cuts after school.  For some reason I can't relate to, these boys still don't like getting their hair cut.  Yesterday they found a way of making it fun though. They had the idea to take sandwich bags with them and collect the hair as it was being cut.  They then compared "hair balls" to see who was the champion hair loser.  They found the balls came out extremely similar in size so the stylist weighed them on her digital scale that they use for weig...

My 6yr old says some of the sweetest things some times.  He is often quite a rascal and by the time he was a year old, earned himself the nickname "Ryan the Destroyer".  But just when you think you are getting angry with him, he says something that just stops you in your tracks. Last night I told him I had to kiss the top of his head goodnight because I'm sick and don't want him to get sick.  He said he didn't mind getting sick as much as he minds seeing me feel sick....but tha...

As you can see, the holidays were exhausting at our house.  They were wonderful, happy and healthy yet I am a bit relieved they are over.  My kids don't go back to school until the 8th but the pressure of keeping everyone healthy, keeping the house clean and holiday ready, and making sure it is a Christmas to remember is over with. Santa was good to everyone at our house.  We had lots of yummy food, plenty of thoughtful gifts and lots of enjoyable visits.  It was one ...

Well, it was time to do the annual "deocrate a bzillion Christmas cookies".  My mom made about 2/3 bzillion and I made the rest with the help of the boys and they and my niece frosted and sprinkled for about an hour straight while Ashley looked on from her high chair.

Many of you have requested to see a more recent picture of our baby girl.  This is my first time attempting to post a picture.  Usually I rely on Brad for this sort of thing but he has been very busy lately.   

Many of you know that our own dharmagrl is making a kick ass baby blanket for my baby girl.  She also received a hula outfit from Texas Wahine.  She has a great grandma and great aunt who are quilting for her, a grandma who is knitting for her and today her nana delivered a special crocheted blanket.  Lucky girl! The blanket from nana is special not only because nana finished crocheting it but a dear friend, my sister's MIL, started crocheting it years ago.  That dear lady...

My 6yr old, Ryan, can be such a sweetheart.  He's a stinker a lot of the time but he is truly sweet most of the time.  The other day we were just sitting on the couch and out of the blue he said "Mommy, you know why I like my lips when you kiss me?  Because then your kiss goes down to my heart."  Isn't that sweet?  I love the way he sees things.  He has a way of expressing things that are so different.  It sure beats getting my kisses wiped off!