gerspacher family

Playing Tourist In Seattle!

2012-02-26T19:57:00.001-08:00

Us at the Paramount Club having drinks and app waiting for Beauty & The Beast to start!

Us at the very first Starbucks!

Cool Wall but actually pretty disgusting!

We had a wonderful weekend playing Downtown Seattle! We dined, shopped, played, saw a show at the Paramount and stayed overnight!

We took the kids to see Beauty and the Beast! It was an amazing production! I was a little worried that the kids wouldn't make it through since it started at 8:00pm. Presley was mesmerized by all the singing and dancing! The show didn't end until 10:30! I was so thankful that our hotel was a block away from the Paramount and we could just walk back and get the kids to bed!

The next day we let the kids swim in our hotel and then we played tourist around Seattle! Believe it or not that was the first time the kids have been to Pike Place Market! Crazy huh! They enjoyed watching the fish throwing, gum wall and visiting the Original Starbucks!

Good Times! But boy I'm I tired!

More Elfing Around!

2011-12-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

Writing on mirrors with Lipstick!

Mickey showed up under our 2nd tree with presents wrapped!

Stuck under a water glass

Roasting Marshmallows in the kitchen!

Just a few more days for the Elf to Elf around! Let's just say he is a pretty sneaky elf! The kids love to wake up every morning and see what he has done! Good thing there is a few days left! This mommy is running out of ideas for this elf to do! Ha, Ha!
The excitement is definitely building in our house getting ready for the big day!

Ethan & Presley do the Nutcracker

2011-12-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

I love this precious video of Ethan dancing the nutcracker with his sister. He made me promise I wouldn't post in on Facebook but I didn't promise that I wouldn't post it on our family blog! I love videos like this and I know that one day he will probably cherish or hate me for posting this. But I think it's just to sweet!
They were watching a old version of the nutcracker and being partners! So cute!

We've been Elf''d

2011-12-16T12:11:00.000-08:00

Mickey TP'd our Christmas Tree and wrote Merry Christmas on the toilet paper

Taking a bubble bath in barbies bath tub!

Removed our stockings and placed our underwear on the mantle!

Made a snow angel on the counter

All tangled up in the lights!

We have a naughty little elf in our house! Here are the pictures from the first 5 days of December! The kids think it's hilarious. Last year when Mickey came he just moved around from spot to spot! This year he moves from spot to spot but is also causes mischief!

Just a tad busy lately!

2011-10-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Wow the past month has been a whirl wind! And I thought I was going to be bored when the kids got into school! Boy was I wrong!

First of all probably the biggest thing on my plate was the school carnival! It was a lot of work but it was so rewarding at the end. It was a huge success and we had great attendance.

I worked on boxes for a client. Had about a week and a half to make 120 boxes! You can check them out here: http://beckscreations.blogspot.com/2011/10/68-days-11-hours-38-mins-42-seconds.html

And lastly I am super excited that I am starting to sub as a para educator in my kids school district!
This will give me the flexibility to be home when I need to be and not ever have to worry about childcare! Woohoo. I got my first call to sub on Friday but unfortunately it was the same day as the school carnival and I was running around like a crazy woman trying to get everything ready!

So If I haven't been on here or updating lately that's what I've been up too!
Here are some pictures from the carnival!

This was the line to buy tickets! It looked like this pretty much all night!
We sold 18,000 + tickets! WOW

Pretty sure counting all kids and adults we had close to 500 people!
Carnival games
Face painting
Cake walk
and much, much more!

First Day of School

2011-09-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Both kids had a fabulous day back at school yesterday! Ethan is in first grade and Presley is in Full Time Kindergarten! They both have great teachers! I know it's going to be a great year for them!

When Pat and I picked up the kids from school yesterday this is what they said about their day!

Presley: "Mom, I have a new best friend!"
Me: "That's great Presley, what's her name?"
Presley: "I don't remember!"
ha, ha that's so cute!

Me: "Presley what was your favorite part of the day?"
Presley: "eating lunch!"
that girl is so funny!

So for Ethan's class the parents were supposed to write a paper about our children and write about their strengths and weaknesses. So as one of the weaknesses I wrote that Ethan tends to be shy in large groups or at school (I know if you know Ethan your wondering really?! But it's true! Ethan is shy in large groups!) So this is what he tells me when he gets home from school

Ethan: Mom you know that paper you wrote about me for Mrs Batten? I didn't give it to her.
Me: Why?
Ethan: Well I read it and I don't want you to tell her that I'm shy. You need to rewrite that paper!
Me: Um no! And you will give it to her tomorrow
So funny! Can't get anything past a kid that can now read! Guess if I want any privacy I will have to stick it in a envelope!!

But there was lots of good stuff on that paper too! Ethan really enjoys school and excels in reading and in Math! I can't wait to see how he and Presley grow this year! It's so exciting and I'm so glad that they love school!

As for me! Yesterday went really well! Pat worked from home so it didn't really hit me like today is! I keep checking the clock and it's not even 10:00 am. Sad! But I'm trying to get some stuff done around the house and it's a lot easier when you don't have 100 distractions! But I look forward to 3:00 and picking up the crazy kids!

The Circus has arrived at the Circus!

2011-09-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy weekend! We had Ethan's Birthday Saturday, Sunday we went to the circus with my sister and her family! It was my sister and my kid's first time! I think that they thoroughly enjoyed it! I mean come on how cool is it to see a elephant do a hand stand???!!! Several times during the performances of the acrobats Ethan would say, "I can't watch, that looks to scary!" But he did! Well this are last Hurrah of the Summer! It's so hard to believe that the kids go back to school tomorrow!

7 Years Old!

2011-09-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

How can it be that this little boy is 7 years old?
Time goes by so fast! I'm sure I probably say that every single birthday!

Things about Ethan in his 7 years of Life:

Ethan has lost 4 teeth
He weighs 60lbs, and is 51" Tall
Ethan LOVES Star Wars! (love is probably an understatement! He eats, sleeps and breathes it!)
He just learned to ride his bike without training wheels (we live on a hill so it's kind of hard to practice)
He will be in the first grade in less than a week and is very excited
He is a great reader!
He likes soccer and will be playing this fall.
His favorite food is Grilled Cheese Sandwich and he loves Root Beer Floats
He loves any type of games! Carnival, Cards and Board games. (And he usually wins at anything he plays!)
He is funny, caring and Sweet!

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY ETHAN!!!!!

I Must Confess....

2011-08-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

I must confess that I am really starting to freak out!
In less then a two weeks both of my kids will be going to school full time! At first I was really excited about this and now it's hit me.
For the first time in 7 years I will be home without my kids and without a job to go to everyday! And this is FREAKING ME OUT!

In the midst of my FREAK outs I've applied for almost 20 jobs and have received quite a few calls about my Resume. But then it comes down to this....

what do I do before and after school with the kids
what do I do when they get out of school at 1:00 every Friday
what do I do with my kids on all those silly holidays and teacher's planning days
what do I do Spring Break and Summer Break and now our school district is going back to Mid-Winter Break this year

There is so much to consider! Maybe my job this year is to just take the year off and see how it goes. Focus on the things that I really want to do. Maybe it's going back to school, maybe it's working more on my own party planning business.

I do know that I hope to continue working in each of there classes once a week. That I will be taxi mom taking them to and from school and to there after school events and that God knows my plan! (and hopefully he will reveal it soon!!!!)

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

I have been keeping this verse close to my heart these days! As any Mom I just want whats best for our family!

Blue Angels

2011-08-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday my Dad, Kids and I went to the park to watch the Blue Angels Fly! I love SeaFair week!

I probably said this on one of my previous post about the blue angels, but when I was little I always wanted to fly an F14 Tomcat! It either stemmed from my love of TOP GUN the movie, or that when I was little my Dad would take me to see the Blue Angels every year, we would go to air shows and we would build models of F14 Tom Cats! When I watch the Blue Angels it's so exciting! I love that my Dad and I still share this special interest and that he still loves to go with me and the kids every year to watch them practice! By the way this was the first year that Presley didn't cry because of the noise! Usually it hurts her ears and my Dad brings ear phones for her, but he couldn't find them! She was even super excited about them this year! YEAH!

Our Family's New Favorite Weekend Activity!

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

This picture was taken at Sunrise

On Sheep Lake Hike

Snacks at Sheep Lake

Coming across snow on our hike!

Every free chance on a weekend we get lately we try to go hiking! Living in Washington there are so many wonderful places to visit and we are lucky that the beautiful Mt. Rainer is only about an hour away!

Several years ago Pat received a book that was 50 great hikes to do with kids in the Washington! We went on our first hike the beginning of the summer and now we are trying to go on every hike in the book! We check them off and put the date after each one is completed! The hike we did today was not in this book! Pat found this hike on seattletimes.com

The hike we went on today was called Sheep Lake. It's on Chinook Pass. It was so pretty. It started off with snow at the base of the hike. Most of the hike was in the sun with a view of Mt. Rainer. Wild flowers lined the trail! With all of the snow that we got this year there was still snow on parts of the hike! The kids thought that was pretty fun (Snow in August)! At the top of the 2 mile hike was this beautiful lake! We sat and had a few snacks. And then back down 2 miles!

We ended the day with driving up to Sunrise! WOW, the mountain is so beautiful there. The kids fell asleep on the way up there so Pat and I took turns walking around the parking taking pictures. We will for sure take the kids back for a picnic and do a couple of the trails around Sunrise! It was an amazing day!

Back to Reality!

2011-05-19T11:38:00.000-07:00

Returning home from Paradise we walked into our house, funky smells coming from the rec room and squish squish below our feet! That's right folks our house flooded while we were playing at the beach and sipping mai tai's at the pool!
Flood and Fire Damage people came out on Monday to see the damage and said that once they got a claim number from insurance they would get to work right away! Next day they were back out! Ripping out drywall, removing carpet, and ripping apart the bathroom in which we were almost finished remodeling! So sad and frustrating! Sounds like the clean up crew will be in and out of our house for the next week!
Contractor and Insurance Adjuster stopped by this morning! I have to stay that our insurance has been wonderful and have acted fast on the situation! Today I am so thankful that we have insurance and that everything will be taken care of!
In the mean time looks like I will be taking dirty laundry up to Mom & Dad's!(brings back memories of college!) And while juggling getting the kids here and there I am having to hang around while workers are coming and going from our home! Hopefully the house will be back together in 2-3 weeks! Let's hope!

It's Baseball time Again!

2011-05-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again! Actually one of my favorite times of the year! When the kids are busy, busy with sports! This year Presley is also playing T-ball with Ethan! She is the only little girl on the team and let me tell you she can hold her own! Most of the kids are being coach pitch to and Presley and Ethan both had some good hits when pitched to by the coach! They both love t-ball and momma loves that they are active and it burns some of their energy off!

Happy 46th Birthday to Pat!

2011-05-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

Happy 46th Birthday to Pat! It was a very busy day! The kids had a their first baseball game that morning then we came home got ready and headed over to Presley's best-friends birthday! After that we came home and relaxed before heading out to birthday dinner with my family! We took Pat to "Tokyo's!" It's beginning to be one of our favorite places to eat! It's close and the food is wonderful and it's fun entertainment!
Well I don't think Pat looks over a day of 30! And he sure doesn't act like it! (I mean this in a good way!)

Vacation-Maui May 2011

2011-05-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

The awesome pirate kiddie pool

Fun playing on the sandy beach

Bubba Gumps for dinner

Luau

playing in the ocean!

We spent five wonderful days on the Island of Maui! It was absolutely wonderful! I wish I could tell you that we did all these wonderful excursions but the truth is, is that we relaxed by the pool and the beach everyday and only left the resort when it was time for dinner or well a trip in the morning to Starbucks! (Yes we are from Seattle and have to have our Starbucks DAILY!) I think this type of vacation was just what we needed! Some major relaxation!

We stayed at the Westin Resort and Villas in Ka'napalli! It was absolutely the most beautiful place to stay! We had a one bedroom Condo with a full kitchen! We did most breakfast and lunch and our place and then ate out for dinner!

I was alittle worried how the kids would do in Maui! We usually vacation in Florida at Disney and I wasn't sure how they would do with so much Chill time! They did great! I think I have two beach bum/water babies! All they wanted to do was play in one of the four pools or hit the beach! Our hotel had many activities for kids and adults! Presley won a Hula Hooping Contest and Pat and Ethan won a water balloon toss! So much fun! Can't wait to return!

Presley's 5 Years Old

2011-04-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

5 years old today! Seems like I just brought her hone from the hospital yesterday

The only thing she really asked for, for her birthday

She loves to play dress up so we got her Barbie Cheer leading outfit with the matching Barbie Dolls

It was her birthday dinner choice to go to the RainForest Cafe

And instead of going home and having cake and ice-cream she wanted Ben & Jerry's right in the middle of the mall

Presley's snack day at Pre-School!

Really I do feel like it was just yesterday that I brought Presley home from the hospital and here she is just last weekend 5 years old! Time goes by way to fast! Even just last week we signed her up for all day Kindergarten!

Here is some of the things Presley enjoys at age 5:

Her favorite thing in the whole world would be CANDY!

She loves to dress-up

She loves to help mom cook,especially bake

She loves animals and would love to have a million of them!

Her favorite food is Mac & Cheese

She talks, and talks and talks!

She loves handbags! Not sure where she get this from!

She has to get dressed the second she gets out of bed!

She is the first to bed and usually the first to rise!

She is very athletic

She loves to sing and dance

and her giggle is contagious!

One fun, fast, amazing trip to NY

2011-04-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

Just after Dinner the first night in Time Square

30 somethings going on 16! Ha, Ha! Fun posing with mannequins at Forever 21

Jenni & I at Havanas! Amazing food and amazing drinks!

Karissa & I adventuring out to Century 21 on our first full day

Oh the things Jenni makes us do! Bike ride through Central Park

To all the yummy drinks that were drunk

Photo Op in Rockefeller Center

Waiting for the subway that we never ended up taking!

So the day that I got back from Vegas with my sister Jenni proposed to me that I travel with her to NY! I thought Jenni I really can't! I just got back from Vegas and with a trip to Maui this Spring I just thought it wasn't going to be do-able! Well these girls sure now about to twist my arm! I am soooooo glad that I made the decision to go! Or should I say that my husband would send me off on a second girl trip in less than two months!

Day 1:

Flight from Seattle-NJ
Town car picked us up at the airport and we traveled to NYC
Arrived at our Hotel! The Hilton (great location! one block off of Rockefeller Center!)
Headed out to eat in Time Square! (don't recommend this! The food was horrible!)
Headed to Havana's bar and had the most amazing Sangria!

Day 2:

Slept in
Starbucks (Thank goodness we had one in our hotel!)
Taxi and off to Century 21. If you ever go to New York you must hit this store! It is a Rack, TJ Max & Marshalls on Steroids!
Visited the sight of World Trade Center
St. Peters Church and memorial for 9/11
Lunch at Elmos! Amazing food, yummy drinks and cute waiters though I think everyone of them was gay!:)
Walked to Lime Light Market! It was an old church turned into a market! Super cute
Bike Ride through Central Park
Drinks at Jekyll and Hyde!
Back to the hotel to get ready
Movie Premiere-Jenni's sorority sister was a producer of a documentary called Circo!
After party at a Belgium Bar
Dinner at midnight at the Blue Ribbon Bakery
Bed Time

Day 3:

Slept In
Met Karissa's Brother in Law Mark
Walked to Rockefeller Center
Walked down 5th Ave
Lunch
Stood in a very long line of half price tickets in Time Square. It actually only took 35 minutes to get through. We got amazing seats to see Mama Mia!
Mama Mia! Was Awesome! The lady that played Donna and the most wonderful voice! It was a great show to see with girl-friends (and it just happened to be the first movie us girls saw together when we first met!)
Late Dinner
Back to the hotel to pack
3:00 Shuttle supposed to come -I start getting sick over my dinner
2:50 Cancel shuttle
sleep for one hour to make tummy feel better
5:00 Taxi back to NJ
7:25 Flight home

It was super busy, crazy fast! Lots of good laughs, amazing shopping! I couldn't think of a better girls weekend with these two crazy girls!

Hula Presley

2011-04-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

Presley got a Hula Hoop for one of her presents and in just two days she is already this good! It makes me giggle watching her! Just thought I would share with you guys and make you laugh as well!

Book Review

2011-03-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you all know about this awesome book I just finished! I highly recommend it to anyone!
I saw this book at Costco, read the back of the book and I instantly wanted to read it! Since I have a Kindle I didn't buy it at Costco and as soon as I got hone I grabbed my kindle and ordered it! (It was even about $2.00 cheaper for the kindle version!) I started reading it and it literally took me two days to read! And I am a slow reader! I think it took me about two months to read "The Help"

I true story of a little boy's journey to heaven and back! The most amazing thing is that everything that he stated his dad backed up in Scripture! For a person like me that dealt anxiety for a couple years over death it truly brought me a peace about dying that it's not the most horrible thing!

Grab your tissues if you decide to read this book! I was at the car dealership getting my oil changed and I was almost hyperventilating over this book. This man next to me was reading as well, he kept looking up at me wondering if I was okay or if he should even ask! I bet he was glad when I left!

A day after I finished reading the book the little boy that the story was about was featured on The Today Show here is the link if you would like to watch It!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/42195186#42195186

If you decide to read it I would love to hear what you think of it!

Field Trip to Pioneer Farms

2011-03-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

Presley playing on the rocks and in the stream

In the School house learning how pioneer children learned at school

Waiting to go into one of the log homes

The kids had fun chasing the ducks that were in the pond

Looks like Presley is having a stand off with this pig! He definitely didn't was to be touched

Jumping in the hay the best part of the day!

Today Presley had a field trip to Pioneer Farms! Just like it sounds it is a old farmstead from the late 1800's. The kids were able to see how the pioneers lived. How they made their food, where they went to school, mode of transportation and their animals! Presley favorite part was probably jumping in the haystack and chasing the pig!

I am so thankful today for modern technology and flushing toilets! I really don't think I could have made it back then!!!!! Pat took the day off so he could go on the field trip with us! Presley was very happy Dad was with us! Overall it was a great day!

Look Who Lost His First Tooth

2011-03-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

He finally Lost his first tooth!!! He has been waiting, and waiting for it to come out and last night Pat finally pulled it out for Ethan! He didn't even cry and just alittle bit of blood and that was it. He didn't even have it out for 5 minutes and he dropped it in Presley room and we couldn't find it! I looked for over an hour and never found it! I teased him that the tooth fairy was probably not going to leave him money if she wasn't able to take his tooth! But the tooth fairy still came and left Ethan with a glittery ten dollar bill and a note saying congrats on losing your first tooth, next time be sure to not lose it!

What will consume us for the next couple of months?

2011-03-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

DIY REMODELING!!!!

Before fixtures!

Before Walls! Sorry the pictures aren't very good I have a super zoom Len's on my camera right now!

First project up is re-modeling our downstairs bathroom/laundry room! What was here before and now? We had stripped wall paper above the wainscoting. I loved the wall paper but it seemed to be lifting so it was time to remove it! I started doing this about 6 months ago! I started the project before Pat came home from work! He was surprised when he came home! And then I let it sit because of lack of motivation! That's bad! So know I am at it again in full vegance and it's going to get done!!!!

So what do we plan to do? We have started painting an eggshell white. We will be painting the wainscoting Black. I've purchased a new mirror (a medicine cabinet was there before) we have also purchased a new light fixture since we are switching everything over to brushed silver and new hardware! So exciting. Hoping that the bathroom will maybe be done by next week!

The laundry room will be repainted as well. I am taking the shelving down that's above the washer and dryer and adding new black wood shelving and adding baskets for laundry products. I am going to see if my friend will add vinyl to one of the wall with a laundry "saying" and we will be adding a black chandelier. I will post pictures when we are finished so stay tuned!

Next up the flooring!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Wow, what a busy day! First of all I've been sick all week and barely have had a voice. I finally went to the doctor today and was able to get antibiotics. WOOHOO! I usually work in Ethan's class every Thursday but since I didn't know if I had a sinus infection or strep I thought I better not work in there!:( Kind of sad sounds like he had a great day at school. And Leprechaun's came and destroyed his class!

After getting everyone off to school and me running a few more errands. I came home and finished these adorable cupcakes! You can find directions of how to make them on my other blog http://beckscreations.blogspot.com/2011/03/over-rainbow-cupcakes.html

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Presley's Our Father

2011-03-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

So Cute Presley recited almost all of the "Our Father" today! I thought this was so cute. I wish I knew how to flip the video so it wasn't sideways but you can still see how precious this is!
I cherish these moments!

Do you Read or Follow us?

2011-02-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

Just wondering how many people out there are reading our Family blog! So if you aren't already a follower could you please either leave a comment below or become a follower. Just wanted to see if I should continue our family blog! Thanks! --Rebecca

My Furry Child!

2011-02-17T16:18:00.000-08:00

So I am always taking pictures of my other two kiddos and hardly ever take picture of my Furry Child (I probably sound like one of those crazy Cat Ladies!)! I came home this afternoon. And Harry was in playful mood! He was laying in the living room and the sun was shinning in on him giving the perfect lighting! So I took the opportunity to take a few photos of him.

He can some times be such a stinker! He does naughty things like eat my diamond earring, chew on shoes, and ruin the kids toys! But despite this we love him very much and he has brought great joy to our family!

My Cup Overfloweth of LOVE!

2011-02-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

Valentines Morning I got up extra early and made the kids pink heart shaped pancakes for breakfast!

Went into Ethan's Class to help out during the Valentines Day Party! Planned on staying for 1/2 hour and ended up staying for 3 helping the kids and the teacher out!

Love this picture of Presley and all her jewels! Does this remind you of anyone?

My husband and kiddos surprised me with this beautiful bouquet of flowers. The pink roses were from Presley the mums were from Ethan, the baby breath from Harry and the red ones from Pat! I love getting flowers! It's amazing how they can brighten your day!

I made one of Pat's favorite dishes Carbonara with sauteed garlic asparagus! YUMMY!

Ethan wanted to drink out of a wine glass to so we filled his with Root Beer!

It was a great day filled with lots of love! I love each of my Valentines very much! I am one Lucky Mama!

My Brave Girl

2011-01-28T15:14:00.000-08:00

Presley had a in house field trip yesterday with the Reptile Man.This is the second time she has seen him and it amazes me that she isn't afraid to touch or hold anything! I sure would be! The turtle was probably the coolest thing he brought. Each of the kids got to sit on it's back and ride him. This turtle right now can carry over 400lbs on it's back and by the time it's full grown it will be able to carry over 600lbs. Also the two tailed komodo dragon was very cool! I believe he said that this is one of a kind. The show was very fascinating and I loved to watch from a distance, it was a great experience for the kids!

My Dirty 30 in Vegas!

2011-01-23T22:11:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Carrie and I on our Vegas trip for my 30th Birthday! We had a blast. Actually this was probably one of the best times I have ever had in Vegas! I am still trying to recover and I have been home for almost a week!
We flew in on a Thursday headed straight to our hotel Planet Hollywood dumped our luggage and headed out. We ate, shopped, did a ton of walking, I gambled a little, we took in a show Viva Elvis!:) and did more shopping!
It was so nice to be able to go out and have nice dinners and not have to get up fifty times during a meal to take someone to the bathroom and to be able to eat a warm meal. If your a mom you know what I mean. It was also a glorious event to be able to shop and actually go in the dressing room and try things on! Most of the time when I shop here I just take everything home and then have to make a second trip back to do returns if the stuff doesn't fit! Such a pain!
Carrie and I really did VEGAS! I have so many memories that will make me laugh for years to come (Shake Weight Contest!) I am so glad that I got to spend these four days with the best sister ever! I think I might just have to surprise her and take her for her 40th b-day!
Well I am glad to be home. Though the flight back was horrible. Nothing like getting food poisoning 20 minutes before you board the plane! I was excited to see Pat and the kids and they were excited to see me. I think a mommy trip away was much needed!:)

Happy New Year & 2011 Goals

2011-01-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Wow, it's hard to believe that it's 2011! I have so many goals that I want to accomplish this year! Some are bigger than others, some might seem silly but to me it's something I really want to hold myself accountable to do and to achieve this year.

I won't bore you with all of them but I thought if I listed some of them, you might also keep me accountable!:)

1. Since I got a Kindle for Christmas I really want to be able spend more time reading! My goal for 2011 is to read two books a month!Now this may sound silly to you, but when your a busy mom there just isn't much time to read. I have already read one book this month! Woohoo! One more to go. A good start! BTW: if your looking for a good read I highly recommend "The Last Lecture!"

2. To sign up for some sort of "Race/Run" I have really wanted to do this for the past couple of years. And I believe that this is my year. Not sure what Race/Run I want to do. It could even be the Seattle to Portland bike ride. Just something that will get me to start training and well for better words force me to go to the gym!

3. To do a service project once a month as a family! (this is going to be so cool! Stay tuned as I will be posting once a month about each project!) This whole thing about the project is to really teach my kids about the gift of giving and learning to be gracious! I think kids sometimes can have a hard time with giving thing up or giving things away. I want them to feel good about it and have them know why we do this!

4. To be in the Word more! This last year I have mentor/disciplining with a friend. It's been great and I am learning so much! It's very exciting to be growing in my faith. Memorizing would also be something I would like to focus on. I have never been good at this, but I know that the spirit will place these scriptures in my heart and will help me to learn them.

5. Updating both my blogs more!:) If you haven't seen my other blog it's www.beckscreations.blogspot.com

Okay so here is just a few of the many! I won't bore you any longer! If you see me ask me how these things are going. I really want to be held accountable!
Happy New Years! Here's hoping that 2011 will be a great year, full love LOVE, Happiness and Good Health!

Recap of our Busy December

2011-01-03T16:16:00.000-08:00

Here is just a glimpse of our busy, busy December.

Dad and Ethan playing Jenga in their matching Jammies!

Ethan sporting a bow mohawk

All the cousins making funny faces. They are way to excited to open presents

Santa Came! Ethan was so excited about his Lego "battle of Indoor" set

Lots of giggles in the month of December!

Snowflake Lane in Bellevue. So fun!

Mom's 30th Birthday @ Bucca Di Beppo! Check out that huge dessert!

Mickey our Elf on the shelf!

A new tradition started this year! Sleeping under the Christmas Tree!

Making delicious sugar cookies! So much fun, and boy what a mess. I think we had flour EVERYWHERE!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T16:52:00.001-08:00

Wow I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Wishing you and your family a very Merry CHRISTmas & and safe and Happy New Year!

Surprise!

2010-12-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

Pat actually kept a secret! BIG SHOCK! He can never keep a secret!

Not a cute picture! I think I had one to many glasses of wine at this point!

Goofy Girls

What a wonderful evening. My sweet hubby and my three best girl-friends threw me a surprise dinner party! It was such a wonderful evening. And, crazy that Pat actually kept it a secret. Though I was suspicious that something was going on because he was acting very weird.

I can't believe that in 10 days I will be 30! YIKES! The 20's were great! So here's hoping that 30 will be even better!

Give the kids a Canvas and let them create! (It doesn't need to be fancy!)

2010-12-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

This week I bought a file cabinet. Presley played all afternoon inside the box while I organized piles, and piles of papers! When Ethan got home from school I asked them if they wanted to paint the outside of the box. They were so excited. My kids love art and they love projects. We sat down and they each painted a side of the box. Even I painted a side of the box! It so funny but this box provided hours of entertainment for my kids and they were so proud to show Daddy when he got home what they had made.

You don't need special supplies, just a box and acrylic paint and maybe a bed sheet to cover the ground! Grubby clothes would be good too!

Another Fall Photo

2010-12-02T15:03:00.000-08:00

My Friend Jenni took this picture of our family at the Pumpkin Patch! I thought about using it for our Christmas card, but that would be weird since it's a Halloween picture! I thought it was a really good picture of our family! So back now to the drawing board to find the perfect picture for our Christmas card this year!

Taking care of Pets!

2010-10-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

Taking care of Pets can be alot of work! I usually try to take Harrison in and have groomed 1-2 a month, and a couple times a month I also give him a bath at home! Today he got into some mud in the backyard so Presley said, "Mom let's give Harry a bath!" So we did. She has taken on many responsibilities of having a dog. Presley loves animals!
So now we have a clean, good smelling dog! Wonder how long that will last? And Presley was able to help out and give Harry a bath, blow dry him and then brush him!

Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Presley had a field trip at one of the local pumpkin patches! It turned out to be a gorgeous day! Pat worked from home so he was able to attend too, which was really fun for Presley! Hay-Rides, Corn-maze, playing in a room filled with tons of corn kernels, and feeding the animals were many of the high-lights of the afternoon! Sure wish brother could have been there with us!:( He has a birthday party to go to tomorrow at a different pumpkin patch so look for pictures of that soon!

2010-09-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

My girl-friend send me this picture that she took of our family on a camping trip this summer! What a wonderful camping trip it was! Though we are alittle dirty we sure did have a great time! The kids love camping and being out doors! We will definitely go back to Cape Disappointment next year!

First Day of School

2010-09-15T13:29:00.000-07:00

Both kids are back in School now. Ethan has been in for about 2 weeks and Presley just started yesterday! They both are so excited to be back and to be learning! They are little sponges at these ages and so excited to learn (hopefully they will always have this enthusiasm!)

Ethan is currently in a Pre-First program! He attends school M-F all day! The first week was a little tough on him! But this week seems to be going more smoothly!
Presley is in her second year of Pre-School. She goes Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday for 2-1/2 hours. She loves doing show and Tell and wants everyday to be her snack day!

We are lucky that each one of them got really good teachers! It's going to be a great school year! And I look forward to seeing the changes that Ethan and Presley make.

Happy 6th Birthday Ethan

2010-08-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, hard to believe that Ethan is 6 years old today! Time sure does fly! We had a wonderful day! I took the kids down to Seattle to the Pacific Science Center. They spent a few hours playing and looking at exhibits, we then went and watch the Hubble Imax 3D! It was pretty cool!
Lunch was at the Center House! The kids insisted we eat there! We then headed back home and finished off Ethan's cake! It turned out okay, I am not a cake maker!:) Ethan was soooo excited about all his new Star Wars Stuff!!!!

Pat's Catch

2010-08-21T08:54:00.001-07:00

Pat has went out crabbing the past couple of weekends and had great success! He left again at 5:30 this morning to do some more! I think he might be hooked! When I talked with him about an hour ago he had about four more! Here is to lots of fresh seafood!

Beans & Tomatoes!

2010-08-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! It's been a wonderful day. My girl-friend and I took the kiddos up to GreenLake for the day, the kids played in the kiddie pool and we had lunch and ice-cream there! I was so excited when I checked the garden, look at all the goodies I got this evening. Headed out here soon to have dinner at a friends. I think I will make some Garlic Green beans to take with me! Pat and our friend Michael left after work to check their crab-pots! Hopefully they caught some and we will have crab, steak, veggies & some wine for dinner! Sounds like a perfect Friday night!

We got Corn Folks!

2010-08-13T14:54:00.001-07:00

Finally the good weather is back! Our garden could sure use the sun! Especially to ripen all those green tomatoes! Our corn is now taller than both Pat and I! Out of the 12 stalks three of them so far have corn growing! Hopefully we will get a couple more! But I am excited to also use the stalks after harvest for Halloween/Fall decorations!:)
The pole beans are huge! Everyday we go out and pick some. The kids love eating them raw and I never have any to saute at night! Oh well I shouldn't complain. They are eating their veggies!
And this is the first year we have done Walla Walla Sweet onions! They are almost all the way out of the ground! They are medium sized. I thought they would be a bit bigger, maybe we didn't plants the seed far enough in the ground!

We sure are enjoying all the yummy veggies!

It's Sea Fair Time

2010-08-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not when I was a little girl I wanted to fly jet planes! Not a Blue Angel Plane but a F-14 TomCat! ( I think I might have been inspired after watching Top Gun at a young age!) So every year when SeaFair comes around I am giddy to go and watch the planes. It is such a thrill! The kids enjoyed it though I think it will take them a few years to really get into it! If not it's still nice to go and watch and have a picnic! My camera has been acting up again! (not happy about that! I think it might have got sand in the lens from last weeks trip to Alki. So I had to use the manual functions. Which is really hard to do when the planes are breaking the sound barrier!) Anyways it was a great afternoon spent with my dad and my kids!

Celebration Weekend

2010-08-03T09:14:00.001-07:00

Wow what an amazing weekend with the family celebrating my mom's retirement from the bank. 44 years of banking and she has finally retired! Hopefully for good this time!
We surprised my mom and dad with a weekend away with the whole family (well minus one, Chad my brother in law wasn't able to make it because he was harvesting corn)

We started off Saturday afternoon with a trip to Gig Harbor we had a wonderful lunch at Anthony's and shopping downtown. We then headed out to Grape View. My best friend has a Cabin out on the Hood Canal! My mom was very surprised with our destination. We spent Sunday and Monday playing down by the water, finding shells and sea creatures! It was so nice to not have any distractions and to be able to spend quality family time!

Gerspacher Cabin

2010-07-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

Pat & Presley at Tsillian Winery in Chelan! If you haven't been to this place I highly recommend it! It has amazing food, outdoor seating in the Summer and every Saturday they have a different band playing! You feel like you are almost in Italy when you are there!

Pat's parents came for a few days! Ethan, Pat and Grandma G played goldfish daily! Ethan is really good at any card games! I need to take this kid to Vegas!:)

Presley in Chelan having yummy Maui Sorbet Ice-cream!

Water balloon fight were had

Presley brought her little mermaid dress up dress and I think she had it on half the time we were there!

Many hours were spent at the pool these last 8 days! One day I think we were there for 6 hours straight! My kids might have grown gills!

Presley really enjoys back floating

Ethan and Presley racing from one end to the other! It was so nice having their life vest that we could be in the water with them but also let them have some freedom!

Wow what a great vacation! We spent 8 wonderful days at the Gerspacher Cabin! Every day was spent at the pool, many hours of relaxing! Visiting with Grandpa & Grandma G. We had our good friends the "Bailly's" come and stay with us for 3 days! There was never a dull moment! Water balloon fights, trips to Chelan (not as many as we usually do!) weather in the 90's almost everyday and much, much more!

See Our Garden Grow!

2010-07-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a 8 day vacation to find our garden is still doing awesome! (thanks Papa Harvey for coming and watering every other day!) The kids were amazed to see that the corn is now taller than them! It is starting to seed so I am guessing that pretty soon we will have some ears of corn to eat! The pole beans have grown almost to the top of the poles so soon we will also be reaping that crop! Can't wait! The Walla Walla onions are starting to poke out of the ground but I think they still have a month or so! Can't wait till our tomatoes are ripe! I am craving Caprese Salad! Keep you posted in the next couple of weeks about what we will have next!

Pacific Science Center

2010-07-16T10:26:00.001-07:00

Presley in the dinosaur footprint
t-rex!

Was trying to get Ethan and the whole Space Needle but it didn't work out:(

Such a beautiful day in the city!

butterflies are so beautiful I love how intricate their wings are!

These flowers reminded me of Hawaii, oh how I want to go back. Maybe next year!

Woodland Park Zoo

2010-07-16T09:53:00.001-07:00

This week has been a CRAZY week! My sister has been in town so we have taken the kids to do some fun things around the Seattle area! We did Woodland Park Zoo on Wednesday and It was such a great day. The weather was awesome and the animals were all out and about. The monkeys as always did not disappoint(they are my favorite) It was a full day there. We got there at 10:00 and didn't leave until almost 5:00. My kids were absolutely exhausted by the time we got home. Next stop Thursday Pacific Science Center!

This eagle was absolutely amazing. He was so close to us!
Papa Harvey and all of his grand kids!

I loved this toucan! Such beautiful colors

My all time favorite the gorillas! So cute and so fun to watch. They defiantly put on a show for us!

Baby Gorilla playing with his feet! It's so funny he was about the size of Presley

This orangutan was playing peek-a-boo with us, and I swear he kept on smiling at us!

First Family Camping Trip

2010-07-12T14:28:00.001-07:00

Ethan down at the dock right next to our campsite!

Our camping set up!

Ethan & Presley at Lake Rifle

Presley enjoying strawberry ice-cream

Ethan playing in the rocky sand

The kids found a little friend at our campsite! Pat decided to pick him up! YUCK!

We had a great weekend of camping at Rifle Lake! It was our first family camping trip. In fact this was Pat and my first camping trip together too! The kids loved it, even covered in dirt for three days they loved every minute of it. We are looking forward to two more camping trips next month! I just love summer.

Beat the Heat!

2010-07-08T19:09:00.001-07:00

Ethan & Grace

Bathing Beauties!

Today was very hot, like in the 90's which we are totally loving! Especially since we had such crummy weather in June! We had a play date at a local park that has a water play area (yes, if you remember this is the one that Presley got third degree burns at!) Ethan was sooooo excited to see his girl-friend Ava! It was super busy there and we ran into many people that we do MOPS (Mothers of Pre Schoolers!) with, which made it fun. I am sure we will be back there for more summertime fun!

Farm Tour with Uncle Chad

2010-07-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is Chad's ultra light that he is getting his license to fly! I have never seen anything like it!
Riesling Grapes growing fast!

Presley and I headed out to all the crops! We had so much fun riding on the quads!

First stop to the strawberry patch to pick strawberries. They were pretty picked over and at the tail end but we ended up getting a few!

Switch! Ethan wanted to ride with me now!

My sister and Tyler. These tents had canola in them. The tents purpose is so that they wouldn't cross pollinate with anything else. The tents I guess cost $2,000 each and they have 48 of them! Crazy!

More Canola

Gosh I can't remember what this is!

Like Beer? This is how it all starts!

Bing Cherries! We picked so many of these and were eating them right off the tree! So much fun!

Ethan pulling Carrots! They are pretty small still, give them a few more weeks and they will be full grown

Presley getting carrots too!

beautiful horse!

Chad was so gracious to let us come out to his work and pick a bunch of fresh fruit and veggies and ride on the quads for the afternoon! We rode from crop to crop and at each crop he gave us a play by play of what each crop was and what he was doing to each crop. Wouldn't it be nice to have all these fresh veggies and fruit at your own finger tips!

Happy 4th of July!

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

1st cousins

huge bubble blowing!

What a great weekend in Moses Lake with the Nordbergs! It was so nice to be in Eastern Washington in the warm Desert Sun! The kids played in the sprinkler, slip n slide and rode there bikes! Presley can almost ride her bike without the training wheels! Ethan we are still working on it! This afternoon we are headed out to Chad's work to ride the tractors, quads and pick strawberries! The kids love it out there!

Beautiful Hydrangeas/Garden

2010-06-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

Pole Beans are really starting to take off
Tomatoes doing a little better now that we are getting a bit of sun

Corn is doing awesome! So excited

The artichoke is the come back kid! A slug had got a hold of it and we almost pulled it out. But there was one little stem and we thought we would just leave it in. As soon as we put some slug bait around it, it's been thriving!

Lettuce! Already we can reap the rewards of having a garden!

Our Hydrangeas are in full bloom in our backyard! These are such beautiful flowers! I just love them! This will probably be our last year of having them since we are re-doing our backyard! I am hoping that my mom will take the two large plants that we have! Unfortunately I don't have any room for them in the front yard!

Presley & Toby

2010-06-29T21:12:00.001-07:00

Meet Presley's new friend Toby! Harry got a hold of her special Polar Bear that was given to her by Uncle Mark and Aunt Elaine. Presley was pretty upset. So today at Target we told her she could pick up a new stuff animal! She just had to pick up the biggest animal there!

She has been playing with him all day. When I went up to her room this afternoon she had him on her big chair covered in blankets and was reading him a story! So sweet. I just had to capture some pictures of her new special friend!

Canoe Riding & Picnic On Lake Tapps

2010-06-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Lunch time Visitors!

Getting ready to go out on the Bailly's canoe

Such cuties out there!
Love this one of my two boys!

Presley out swimming!

What a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon. We met the Bailly's up at Lake Tapps for a picnic and Canoe ride! The kids had so much fun playing in the water and pestering the ducks that wanted to pester us! It was a overcast day but warm enough that the kids didn't mind being in the cold water.

Presley's Tap Recital!

2010-06-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

Presley and her best friend Emma!
Always posing for the camera

Last night was Presley's end of the year Tap Recital! All the kids looked so cute! Presley's class danced to a fast version of "It's A Small World". We were so proud of her. She just loves to dance. So we will start back up in the fall with more dance lessons!

School Is Out For Summer!

2010-06-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah! School is finally out for both kids for the summer! We picked up Ethan today and headed to McDonald's with a friend from school and then headed over to Ben & Jerry's! (we won't count all the calories I ate today!)

It is going to be so nice to be able to wake up at our own leisure and get ready in the mornings! I am so looking forward to sleeping in! If Presley will allow us! She is the early riser of the family.

We have a packed summer so far! Can't wait for trips to the cabin, camping and visiting my sister and her family in Eastern Washington!

Father's Day Present

2010-06-20T15:00:00.001-07:00

I really wanted to do something special for Pat for Father's Day so I bought stuff to make stepping stones for our garden! I knew that it would take a few days for it to dry so I asked if we could do it at my parents house so Pat wouldn't see it, and I am so glad that we did. It ended up being a little harder than I thought it was going to be, and it was nice to have dad's help. (Though it took me back to my school days were my dad liked to take over and do the whole entire project!!!) The kit didn't come with a lot just the mold, sand, a Popsicle stick and a paint stir stick. My dad broke out all the cement tools and made them perfect!

They turned out really nice and Pat was so excited about them! And the kids had fun and did a great job! Thanks Dad & Papa for all your help!

Happy Father's Day!

Ethan's Early School Celebration

2010-06-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Ethan passing out treats

The brownie treats I made were a huge hit. Check out my other blog for the recipe.

www.beckscreations.blogspot.com

Do I have something in my teeth?!?!?!?!

Ethan, Mrs. Goodchild and the Ant farm

Since Ethan has an August Birthday they celebrated his b-day in class before summer break starts! He has had such a great year in Pre-Kindergarten! Hard to believe that next year he will be in Pre-First! We have been blessed with such a wonderful teacher this year! Ethan has just loved having Mrs. Goodchild!

Backyard/Gardening Weekly Update

2010-06-13T22:42:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I will do a blog update on the backyard project and gardening weekly! It will kind of also act as a gardening journal for next year! :) Still lots of work that needs to be done but here is what we have done so far...

So in this picture above we are taking the cinder blocks and moving them back. Pat is building sort of a retaining wall and then we will level out the dirt and extend the grass out! I am hoping soon that the big tree in the corner will be gone!
Our garden is doing great the snap peas have tripled in size since my last blog post. The pole beans have sprouted and the basil is thriving! (Can't wait to make capresse salad!)
Notice the slug bait? Yes with all the rain the slimy creatures are out and trying to eat my garden!

Another picture of the Snap Peas

Our poor tomatoes! Not doing so well since we have had soooooo much rain. We do have a few blooms on the plants so I am hoping that with our nice weather we are supposed to have this week it will help them out and maybe they will start to look a little more healthy!

Corn! Woohoo! This is our first year of corn. I think for sure like the saying goes "knee high by the fourth of July" will happen! Ethan and Presley are so excited about the corn and they have to make sure every day that our corn is growing!

Father/Son Lego Night at School

2010-05-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

I wonder who is having more fun?!?! (Pat is such a kid in a grown up body!)

PTA hosted a Lego Father/Son night! Pat and Ethan attended and had so much fun!

Cooking Presley

2010-05-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Presley's BFF Emma & Jonah

Presley is my little cooking mama. She loves to cook every chance she gets. The other day she had a play date at Emma's house and they made cupcakes. Karissa emailed me these darling pictures of the kids and I wanted to share them with you! She even told her teacher that when she grows up she would like to be a cooker like her mom!

Gardening

2010-05-24T13:28:00.001-07:00

chives!

Snow peas

I am so excited about the transformation happening in our backyard this year. We have decided this year to add a third vegetable/herb planter box this year. The kids have so enjoyed working out-doors with us playing in the dirt and looking for worms! :)

Pat has been working so hard and I am so proud of him. He built me this third planter with the beans in it, he has taken down a huge ugly shrub that was totally over grown, he is planning on taking down a tree, re-doing the deck, adding pavers around the planter boxes and widening the grass to give the kids more room to play in the backyard. We have a lot of work ahead of us but I just wanted to post some begining pictures and show you are progress along the way! I am so excited about how it's going to turn out. It will be so rewarding when it's finished!

More Harry Photos!

2010-04-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our New Addition!

2010-04-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Presley was sick and he crawled right up and took a rest with her.

Well in October we added to our family! We are now proud owners of a puppy. Meet Harrison Winston aka Harry. He is a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel! He has been such a joy to our family and a great addition. The kids adore him!

The Dunn's Wedding

2010-04-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

Mr. & Mrs. Dunn

I loved this picture of the kids!

Ethan was adorable in his tux!

Merissa was such a beautiful bride!

In October one of my best friends from childhood was married! Merissa and Jay's weeding was beautiful. She was a beautiful bride! I was a brides maid and Ethan was a ring bearer! Ethan did a great job! Her are some photos of the special day! I am so happy for Merissa and Jay! Congrats!

I'M BACK!

2010-04-29T15:47:00.001-07:00

Wow it's been along time since I have blogged!
Besides life being crazy with my two kids my computer has been down for about 4 months now. Thanks to my brother in law I am back in Business.

So visit back as I will be trying to up date from October till now!!!!:)

Vote for Princess Presley

2009-09-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
We have entered our little Princess in a Disney Princess Contest! Please log on at vote for her now so that we might be able to win a trip to Walt Disne World!
Thanks,
Becky

http://family.go.com/princess-picture-contest/who-is-the-fairest/princess-presley-18626/

Presley and a Pony

2009-09-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Ethan and Presley were invited to a pony b-day party a couple of weeks ago! Ethan was a little hesitant to get on and ride the horse which I was really surprised since they love horses and have rode many of them. Presley on the other hand didn't want to get off the horse. She probably rode the horse 5 or 6 times. she wanted to brush it and pet it and give the pony kisses!
Ethan did enjoy chasing all the girls around and playing in the bouncy house!

Sports

2009-09-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well Both kids are currently in sports so my life has just got more hectic! Between school, MOPS, bible Study we now have Ballet & Soccer! It has been fun watching both kids start things that they enjoy! I was a little worried that Presley wasn't going to care for Ballet but she loved it, every minute of it. She looked adorable in her little outfit!

Ethan started soccer on Wednesday and all ready has his first game on Saturday! He told me that he loved soccer! It's nice to because its his same t-ball team but one new player who is one of Ethan's best friends Jonah!

Here are some pictures I got of the kiddos!

Vegas

2009-09-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Loved this sign at the Hard Rock Hotel

Pat and I dinner @ the Paris Hotel

Gotta love M & M's!

Yikes this lady was scary! This was in Downtown Las Vegas!

The biggest slot machine I have ever played!

Jenni and I at Caesars

Jenni and I had fun at the Mirage dancing in front of the Beatles LOVE Circus de Soleil
Jenni and her husband went and saw the show and they absolutely loved it!

Our Hotel and one of my favorite places to stay the WYNN

Jenni and I lunch at the WYNN

Pat and I lunch at the WYNN

In August Pat and I and our good friends Jenni & Peter headed down to Vegas for two nights! We had a blast! Our first day we did alot of walking stopping every once and a while to gamble and get a drink or get some food! Saturday Jenni and I spent the morning at the spa getting massages and have some Mommy time! after our massages we met up with the guys and had lunch and headed to Downtown Vegas! None of us had every been. Let's just say I have seen it and I probably would never go back to the old downtown! It was pretty dirty and old!

Saturday night Jenni and Peter went and saw the Beatle show and Pat and I walked just about the whole strip! We had dinner at the Paris hotel at 10:00 at night and then we headed to the M& M store to pick some stuff up for the kids! When Jenni and Peter were done with the show we hoped a cab and met them at the Hard Rock Hotel! We had such a blast there. Jenni was on one machine for almost three hours never having to put more money in. We made friends with some guy that bought us drinks and Peter a massage at the Black Jack table! Our night didn't end until 6:00 in the morning! I am not sure I have ever pulled an all-nighter! And then we left at 10:00 that morning! It was a great trip! Can't wait tell our next get away!

Back To School!

2009-09-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Today is sort of a bittersweet day! Both kids are in school now! Ethan is enjoying school. He goes three days a week full day and Presley goes two days a week for two hours! It's seems like just yesterday they were both babies! Today was the first day I cried after dropping Presley off at school! It's weird not having either one of them with me! Though I am excited for both of them, I am sure going to miss my days with them! We had a great summer full of fun vacations, play dates, and outings so now that they are both in school I should have time to catch up on all the blogging from the summer!

Check out this great giveaway! Enter by 7pm tonight!

2009-08-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

Enter here to win a gift certificate to Sugar babies. One of my favorite stores. In fact I used to work there!!

http://www.momtobee.com/free-as-a-bumble-bee/

Stamping Website

2009-08-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
Well I have officially joined Stampin Up and I am enjoying it so much!
I am going to start posting my cards on my stamping blog. I hope that you will check it out!

www.beckscreations.blogspot.com

Lincoln City Oregon!

2009-07-31T23:57:00.001-07:00

The kids were so excited to get out to the beach. Our hotel was right on the beach and each room was an Ocean View which was really nice! We spent three night here! We had fun building sand castles, flying kites, jumping in sand ditches and running from the waves!

The path way walking down to the beach

I love the black in whites at the ocean!

I love this picture of my family! So sweet!

here Ethan is writing his Girl-friend Ava's name in the sand! The other day I printed the picture and took it to Ava's mom. She said I am going to keep this forever and use it someday for their wedding announcement!

Attack of the Seagulls! They were fighting over a lunchable that someone had left on the beach!

Presley and I digging!

A huge hole that we found. Later we decided to have long jumps in it! Such dorks

The little Travelers

2009-07-31T23:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my two cute travelers. All I can say is Thank God for the TV DVD in the car!
The kids enjoyed watching movies on the way to Oregon!

Our first night we stayed in Mcminnville. It is just South Of Portland! We had dinner and then we hit the WoodBurn Outlet Mall! I love Oregon. Tax FREE! There are many great stores there and we did some school shopping for the kids!

Next morning we headed for Lincoln City to the Beach! First time the kids had been to a real beach with soft sand!

Lowest Tide of the Year

2009-07-31T23:27:00.000-07:00

Pat's parents came down and we met my Dad down at Salt Water State Park for the lowest tide of the year! The kids loved playing out at the beach! We turned over many rocks looking for crabs and other animals. We spent time looking for sea shells and then had a picnic with the grandparents. It was a beautiful day out! After a morning at the beach we then got in the car and drove to Oregon for a three day Vacation. Pictures to follow!

Ethan & Presley with Grandma G
Love Presley's hair blowing in the wind!

Ethan playing on the rocks

I love this one!

they were pretending to surf!

Such a cool little fort that someone built

We found alittle friend. Ethan was very brave to hold it! Presley isn't so into bugs!

Blog Candy Giveaway!

2009-06-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Check out this website for an amazing giveaway!http://keepsakesbymelissa.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-candy-anyone-big-giveaway.html

DisneyLand Day 2

2009-06-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

All twelve of us meeting Fantasia Mickey in his house!

The Von Trapps(this is what we called all of the kids on our trip)

Presley and her bf Emma

Cruella and her litter of puppies!

Bert from Mary Poppins! I love how Presley is trying to pose like him!

meeting the Disney Characters

Day two was another great day! The kids got many of the Disney Character's autographs and we went on many rides. We went back to the hotel and 6 and let the kids swim in the pool for about an hour and then we got ready and headed to Downtown Disney for dinner. It was very funny because the kids were dropping off like flies at dinner even before the meals came. By the time we were done with dinner only the two big kids were awake! Needless to say it was a long walk back even though our hotel was right across the street from DL.

DisneyLand Day 1

2009-05-26T22:32:00.000-07:00

Waiting in line for the Haunted Manson

Presley driving on Autotopia

Ethan receiving his driver's license on Autotopia

Presley and I on the Small World ride.

Pat by himself on Alice and Wonderland. What a sport!:)

Ethan & Parker on Alison & Wonderland ride

Well I guess we can say that we are a pretty hard core Disney family since this is our fourth trip in two years to Disneyland and Disney World! What can I say we just love it! We spent four wonderful days down in Disneyland with two other families! It was such a blast and the kids had a great time traveling with their friends. I thought it would be a little crazy traveling with 6 kids and 6 adults but it wasn't at all; it went very smoothly! I see more trips in the near future with this bunch. Maybe next trip Vegas for the adults!!:)

More photos tomorrow!

More T-ball Pictures.

2009-05-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

One of the moms made these buckets for each team member it's says Ethan on each side regular and upside down so that if it's up or if he is sitting on it he would be able to see his name!

And Ethan keeps all his baseball gear in it when he is at home!

And he hit's it hard!

Cheering on the other team!

Go LIONS!

Ethan Running to first

Kids after the game waiting to give the girls high five!

Ethan ready to run under our parent tunnel!

Games over Presley and daddy walking to the car

Last Saturday was a great day for T-ball. It was beautiful outside. We got to the ball-field early and worked with Ethan on hitting. Wow did that make a huge difference. Just that extra 15 minutes and he was slugging it at his game. They played an all girls team called the pink panther princesses. So cute, make me excited to get Presley signed up!

Mother's Tea @ School

2009-05-13T17:39:00.000-07:00

Last week Ethan had his Mother's Day Tea at School. It was so cute and all of the kids were so excited to have their Mommies there! We had a lite snack and then the kids gave us gifts and then the kids performed some of their chapel songs. Ethan was so precious and made me feel so special and proud to be his Mom!

Tulip Fields

2009-04-27T16:58:00.001-07:00

My Friend Jenni and I

I loved this picture!

Ethan being silly as usual!

running through the tulip fields

We were working with Jonah to give Presley this flower but she didn't want to take it!

I took this picture of Ethan because he just finished learning about Native Americans and totem poles at school. He thought that was really neat seeing a real one!

Yesterday afternoon the Huang family and us headed up to La Conner to visit the tulip fields. It was a gorgeous day. It was really the first weekend of the festival and it was soooooo busy! Traffic was horrible. We stopped at two of the fields and took many pictures. Hard to get the kids to stand still they just wanted to run a muck!

After visiting the fields we headed to main street of La Conner had lunch and walked around for a short while. We then decided to head to Marysville and do some shopping at the Seattle Premium Outlets. It was such a fun day! The kids were exhausted by the end of the day we got home about 8:00.

Emma's b-day party

2009-04-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

I thought this picture was so cute of Presley
Presley and her best-friend Emma

Bubbles the clown placing a real mouse by Presley's ear!

Bubbles the clown!

The kids had a blast at Emma's party. Bubbles the clown came and she was hilarious!

It was a perfect day and the party was outside. Happy 4th B-day Emma!

Castle Cake

2009-04-27T16:31:00.001-07:00

Presley is becoming quite the little helper! She insist on putting on her apron and helping!

Another cake that I made. Was supposed to be a castle cake. I think it turned out to be the Candy Land Castle cake. I think I over did it again with too much stuff on it. So It didn't turn out as good as I was hoping but it sure tasted good!

Bunny Cake

2009-04-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

So I have been on a cake kick lately! I made this cake for my friend's Easter egg hunt. I think it turned out pretty cute. All the kids were very excited about it! So the mouth was used with half an Oreo cookie and Pez candies. The nose was used with a large jelly bean and the whiskers were used with black licorice ropes. The eyes were also half of an Oreo Cookie and Jelly beans. And lastly the grass was coconut with green food coloring added to it.

Can't wait for the next holiday!

Two Easter Egg Hunts

2009-04-27T16:03:00.001-07:00

This year Ethan and Presley participated in two different Easter Egg hunts! One was with one of my MOPS group that a friend had organized and the other was the Lakeland Hill Easter egg Hunt. This was the first year that we participated in the Lakeland one. It was crazy how many people were there. I am glad that we were in town this year and that the kids could be apart of it.

Easter Time

2009-04-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

Ethan & Presley look forward to Easter egg dying every year! Presley was super funny this year. Every time she would drop and egg she would say look Mom it's hatching! We had Pat's parents down and Papa & NoNo down. It has sort of turned into a tradition to have the grandparents down when we do the eggs! Ethan is still asking if it is Easter time!

T-Ball

2009-04-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

This was Ethan's first week of T-ball. Pat and I were amazed at how well he did. He loved every minute of it! For only one practice and these pictures were from the first game he really has it down. He can tell you pretty much anything about it. Where to go once you hit the ball and he will be happy to tell you all the base names! I think we might have a pro in our future!!!

He will be playing for the next 6 weeks with a game every Saturday. It is so fun seeing our little guy enjoy something so much. Looking forward to our next 5 Saturdays at the ball-field!

Presley's Three Today

2009-04-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

Can't believe that today my little girl is three years old!!! Today we went up to Bellevue and had lunch at Red Robin and then went to the Children's Museum. She seems so grown up!
Presley was very excited about the Cinderella cake that I made. She said WOW MOM! It tasted great but I wasn't that happy with how it turned out. I will have to keep practicing. Maybe I should take a cake decorating class! The little b-day princess is all tuckered out and in bed! She is partied out for the day!

Field Trip to the Children's Museum in Tacoma

2009-04-03T21:44:00.001-07:00

Ethan had a field trip last week at the Children's Museum in Tacoma. Ethan had a lot of fun playing with is classmates and his sister was always right by his side. They had a really great Art room with crafts which both kids were all over!
Presley is so looking forward to going to Preschool next year!

Building a Totem Pole

Working at a light table tracing

In a Canoe

Gardening

Not So Boring Anymore!

2009-04-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

So here is our new wall. I am so happy with how it turned out. I really think it gives a finished look to the Living room. My friend Heather has her own Vinyl Business and was able to take the wording I wanted and come up with a really cool design. You can check out her website at www.woodenwordsgallery.blogspot.com, also my friend Jenny took our pictures she is very talented as well. You can check out her website and www.jennyjoyphotography.com. I am ready to start doing another project. I might not want to ended up moving by the time I am through!!! Actually I probably will. HA, Ha.

Fireproof

2009-03-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

Pat and I watched this movie last night and I highly recommend it! If you have a great marriage or your marriage is on the rocks it is a great movie to watch! The acting isn't the best but there is so many great messages! You will defiantly look at marriage and life differently!

A boring Wall

2009-03-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

OK so here is a really boring wall right when you walk into our house. About a year ago we had my friend Jenny take professional pictures of us on the beach. Well I have finally got around to getting all of our pictures matted and framed!
No more boring wall stay tuned to see what we did!

Caught!

2009-03-16T10:57:00.001-07:00

I always catch Presley off doing something mischievous. A couple of days ago she got into my handbag and decided she wanted LIPS on! She looked like such a clown!!! It totally made me laugh and so I couldn't be mad at her.

Happy Valentines Day

2009-02-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day was a very laid back day. We took the kids to Target to pick out a leapfrog game and then came home. I made a cake while the kids played. It didn't turn out like I wanted but it was still good. That night we went to my parents house for dinner.
Pat and I celebrated the next evening with dinner downtown Seattle and then we had tickets to see the Lion King! It was a great evening!

Family

2009-02-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

Second Cousins
First Cousins

My Mom & her Aunt Bonnie my Great Aunt

My sister and I (horrible picture of me!)

My beautiful Sister Carrie

My sister's son Tyler

My Parents Joan & Harvey aka PAPA & NoNo

Ethan

My sister's youngest Logan

Presley

My Dad Harvey his Aunt Ellen and her daughter Donna

My Great Aunt Ellen with her grand kids and our kids.

Last week we were over in Idaho celebrating my Grandma Juanita's life. She passed away on Wednesday. Though it was a very sad time it was nice to see family that we don't get to see very often. I even met some of my Grandma's sisters and brothers that I have never met before and cousins! The kids had a great time playing with their second cousins!

Bailly Bowl aka Superbowl

2009-02-11T16:51:00.001-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday was spent at The Bailly's house. It was a great time. Here is Jenny, Karissa and I sporting the super cool 3-D glasses. Above is the Foot ball cake I made. I think it turned out pretty well. I made the chocolate butter cream frosting and in the center I made a caramel butter cream frosting. It was super yummy!

Build a Bear Workshop

2009-02-11T16:40:00.000-08:00

About a month ago we took the kids to Build a Bear. They received gift cards for x-mas so we drove up to Grandpa & Grandma G's house and then headed over to the mall to do some building. What a fun experience plus they thought it was pretty neat to use their build a bear credit cards aka gift cards!!! Here are some cute pictures of the day.