What I Want To Be.

Let me just preface this with, I LOVE MY JOB! There is nothing better in the world than being the mother of my sweet children and the wife of my wonderful husband, However....
Sometimes when I am cruising down the road, or sitting on the couch or laying in bed wide awake, the overwhelming desire to be AWESOME hits me full force right in the gut. I don't know what I want to be awesome at, or how I would go about doing it, but I just do. I know it isn't musically related...I can't carry a tune in a pail, or play even the kazoo, although I have been told I run a mean iPod! I am not all that good with painting or drawing or anything related to that outlet...my sister is pretty good at it though...I think she got my share of that along with her own.
I just need to do something spectacular, something mind-bogglingly cool! I yearn for it. I think a lot of people figure out their awesome much earlier in life. One of my dearest friends from school ALWAYS wanted to be a nurse. I mean, from the first time I met her, she wanted to, and that was in like the fourth grade. And here she is several years later doing (and loving) just that! And I have it on good authority she is awesome at it! She is one example, and there are many more. I wager you know a few, or maybe are one of those who found their awesome already. Not me, not yet! I went to school. I have four (ok nearly five) years of university under this belt of mine, but to what end? I'll tell you that end, the switching of my major like a million and two times, wanting to know lots of different things and never fixing on the one that would make me awesome. There was always something standing in my way with each choice. Take my last choice (this has been several years ago now), geology! I love rocks and dirt and learning all I can about the minerals and gems and everything that has to do with geology, well, everything that is except that darn math! Who knew you had to be a math whiz to play in the rocks and dirt all day! I truly thought geology was it, I had gone through English, History, and sociology and finally settled on my first love as a child (no really ask my Mum someday! I never came home until my pockets were full of cool rocks), and then found that I didn't have mad enough mathematical skills to succeed, and with finances tight like they were then, I dropped out so my sweetest one could finish!

And here I am again (no really that is me), NEEDING to find my awesome. Where is it? I love baking and making chocolates and I fancy photography and writing, and writing about photos and attempting to write children's books, but is one of these MY awesome? IF I work at THAT, will that overwhelming desire to be awesome be fill to overflowing, or will I still on occasion feel that burning need to be more than I am, cooler, more awesome?

Over, Under, All Around! Wordful Wednesday

I love the Berenstain Bears books, especially the Inside, Outside, Upside Down! I think they really get the way kids think and behave. The other day Orissa was endeavoring to fish something that had gotten stuffed under the couch (a rare thing in my house...wait, wait, I cannot tell a lie...there are probably things growing under there!) She had her forehead push up against the bottom of the couch and was struggle so hard to get what ever it was. Aaron found this amusing, and said, "Rissa you are too big to do that now!" Then we got to taking about how much she has grown...you know they things all parents do on occasion. She fought and fought with that toy that was just out of reach until something else distracted her, and she was on the move, going over stuffed animals, under the chairs and table, and round and round the island in the kitchen.
Then just two days ago that same toy caught her eye again. She was determined to get it this time. She squeaked and squawked and struggled, and I went about my morning preparation. The next thing I hear is my niece Shaylee saying, "Rissy stuck, Rissy stuck!" and the very distinct angry noises of my little Miss Riss. I come running back into the living room to find Orissa was no where in sight, but boy could I hear her yelling at me. And there, over by the couch, Shaylee was squatting down pulling with all her might on a little arm from under the couch with, wouldn't you know it, that darn toy that had been eluding her.

(forgive the quality of the pictures...it is hard to take pictures of thing and people under the couch!)
Orissa had proven her daddy wrong, she could, in fact, still fit under that couch and was going to get what she wanted if it took all week! In my mind I could here her say, "Mama, Mama I got the toy over, under, all around!"
You know me, I just had to get pictures of the silly girl before I could think of rescuing her! She is an amazing little girl, with the stubbornness that has helped her all her life. I can on occasion get frustrated with her determined, stubborn attitude, but I think it has served her well and mixed and reinforced with the right values will continue to help her on this journey through life!
For more wordful stories go to Seven Clown Circus!

Five Minutes, it was only Five Minutes!

Have you ever thought to yourself, what can happen in five minutes? I mean really? I used to think that, until my kids came. Now I know oh to well what can happen.
The other day I was really in need of a shower. We had been out playing at the park and other fun things and I was just kind of smelly, you know hot day lots of kid chasing,so a shower was just the thing. I looked over at Javin and Orissa and they were happily playing with cars in the living room. I thought to myself, "Oh GROOD! They are playing together, and happy! I think I will run take a quick shower! It will only take a few minutes, what can happen in five minutes, really?"
So off to the shower I ran, quick as a wink I was showered and dressed and back in the living room. And there they were! If I hadn't looked too closely, I might have thought they hadn't even moved from their spot. Only I did look closely,and, well, they were no longer playing with cars. Instead of zooming up and down the living room, they were licking the floor. I guess they decided to turn the living room floor into a scrumptious dinner, seasoned with only the best...ALL of my Johnny's Seasoning Salt and my Johnny's Garlic Spread. Yes, that is right my room is well seasoned and is waiting for the rest of the stone soup ingredients!



"IF you season it, they will come..." Oh, wait wrong movie, wrong story, wrong! Wrong! Wrong! After running the vacuum over the living room floor three or four times the carpet no longer smells good enough to eat, yet Orissa still tries!
AS you can tell, I couldn't stop being me, and I had to get a few pictures in. This was a bit challenging since I was shuddering from laughing so hard. My laughing caused Javin to look up and thus the more posed look to the shots. It was too hard to be grumpy, it was just so funny!
I did decided that a WHOLE lot can happen in 5 minutes where the kids are involved and I have vowed to NEVER EVER do that again, I WILL wait for Aaron to come home, I will, I will, I will!

A Trip to the Park. A photo story Friday

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Aaron had been promising Javin a trip to the park all week. We hadn't gone is a few days since it was SO hot here, so wednesday he finally took Javin over to the playground. I had high hopes of staying home with Orissa and cleaning a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I love the park and I HATE cleaning, I just needed to get some done. Ok is wasn't so much the cleaning, you see all day my little man was making me crazy. First he turned the kitchen in to a milk slip and slide, then after I got that cleaned he turned the bathroom in to a water park. After that pulled every book and toy out into the living room and spread them all over. And for fun at lunch time he decided the floor would like his hotdog just as much as him. The list could go on and on.
(I mean, he is adorable and everything, but sometimes enough is too much!)
Thus I was really preferring a bit of cleaning to his shenanigans, so I kissed him on the head and sent father and son to the park for "bonding" time.
I really thought it was a GREAT plan, only I forgot that little miss Orissa has a mind of her own and when she sets it on something, it is impossible to change. She just happened to set her mind on going where ever the guys were going. I tried to distract her with games of ring around the rosy, and the fun lay her on my legs and bounce her, but nothing was going to make her happy, nothing that is but a trip to the playground.

I had been wholly defeated by an 18 month old and she knew it! She was all smiles and giggles the entire walk to the park. We could see the boys on the basketball courts. Javin was practicing riding his bike. He just recently decided it is cooler than his trike. It still has the training wheels on and all, but wow, he is really learning the mechanics of how to ride.


He was cruising all over the school grounds (we go there instead of the park cause people don't smoke there). He wanted to ride right next to the school on the little concrete path. I let him, though apprehensively, there were dips in the ground and I was afraid of his down hill skills. I shouldn't have been, he took them will the giddy joy any boy headed down hill!

Mean while Aaron and I were just enjoying the ride. Orissa watched on with a bit of curiosity, mostly I think she was patiently waiting for us to hit the play ground so she could have fun too.


We eventually did make it to the play ground and every one had fun.







I didn't regret not getting a bit of cleaning in, I didn't regret going to the park with my family, I DID regret not just heading out at the same time as the boys. He just needed some of that good old outdoor fun, and all the space in the world to run. And Orissa just needed to be with her Pop and brother having some of the same fun! I was trying to be a fuddy duddy, but I figured it out and not a moment too soon! Life is too short to not enjoy every moment with the family!

So much fun! That is what life is all about when you are a kid.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I recently sent the nieces away to visit other cousins and aunts and uncles...for the week. That has left us to our own devices, which means I am kind of at a loss as to what we should do, or would have been if it wasn't so stinkin' hot out side. The heat has really been the determining factor in all the things we do.
The other day I went to my sister's house so we could walk to the pool together and enjoy the water fun. We stood in line for nearly a half hour...you see we needed to wait for people to leave so we could go in cause of capacity issues. So, just when enough people finally left for us to go in and start having fun (and cooling off) they CLOSED the pool. Yes you read this right, it was 96 degrees out side, there was a line of nearly 20 people waiting to get in and they closed it. I guess a kid, um how do I say this with out being too crude? A kid's bowels released while in the water, so they closed the pool and weren't going to reopen it until 6 pm...it was barely 3. What were we to do?
Luckily there was a store close by (not my favorite store, the one I usually avoid if I can...but oh well) and we decided to go buy a kiddie pool, walk home and play in that, or at least let the kids play in that! Other than how light headed we became from trying to blow the silly thing up, it all went well. And since the kids really couldn't care less where they were playing in the water, as long as they were playing they started having a blast as soon as the water was turned on.

It had a little water slide thing...much smaller than the box made it appear, and much harder for a kid my son's size to use, but a slide none the less. They played for nearly two hours.



The zebra head spouted water (as long as you hook the hose to it). Javin thought it was great...Shaylee (my sister's girl) was not fond of it at all, so most of the time the zebra was "drinking".


Orissa just loved to splash, and crawl in and out of the water and all over the yard and find sprinklers to use as her "stormtrooper mask".


Oh the fun kids can have out in the sun and water!

Summer Time and the living is easy...Photo Story Friday

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Be warned there are to be a lot of pictures to follow...

I know not a very original title, but I do so love that song and summer! I can't help but sing it while watching all my loved ones enjoy the fun summer has to offer.
I haven't been a good little blogger the last few weeks...I have had a few of my nieces here and we have been having too much fun to take time to write it down! So this PSF is going to be sort of a recap of that summer fun.
Maja, Savanna, and Shantel have been here since the last week of June. Maja went home last Saturday and the other two stayed on. Oh the fun we have had! We blew bubbles. I know, bubble fun for toddler and little kids makes a lot




of sense, but 11 and 13 year olds? But the truth of the matter is bubbles are fun for EVERYONE!
We went camping at Lyon's Ferry in southern Washington. It was hot, dry and wonderful. We swam, hiked and drove around hunting for picture ops! We saw Palouse Falls and found a wind farm.




We spent the fourth at my in-laws. For some that would mean a small amount of fire works and a few people, but not for us! They go all out on the fourth and the show is better than most small town displays! This year I was too busy keeping Javin calm to take in pictures of the show, but I did get some of the kids in the sprinkler.





We have park hopped and spent hours out in the summer sun having summer fun.





We have gone to the newly opened pool a couple of times, played in the sprinkler at home and even went to the splash pads that are around town a few times. Summer sun and water alway mean fun in this family!


There was also a trip with the cousins to Silverwood...alas no pictures of that, I didn't bring the camera...too many people and too much fun to worry about the camera the whole time!