life

well, i've been caught up in life these days.
this time of year usually takes on a life of it's own and all i can think about is getting from place to place.
and i dream of a slower pace of life in a big breezy house with a wrap around porch and a tree with a swing.
and lazy summer days just rocking on a chair and watching my kids run in the sprinklers.
but.
that's just a dream
and i have to decide to want what i have.
and so i do.
what i have isn't so bad.
but these busy, pre-summer days try to make me think otherwise.
one thing i have been doing is looking back as often as possible at my snapshots that i take each day.
maybe as a way to remember?
maybe as a way to prove to myself that i did something besides get frustrated and snap at my sweet/naughty children.

so, in the name of good old fashioned "proof", here is my life right now.
and i can either love it or be whiney and complainy....


warm water

purple rainbow sherbet and fancy nails

i am the public restroom QUEEN.
i swear i probably visit an average of 5 a day.
i hate it.
and then i just have to decide to take picture instead of whine.

strawberry watermelon lemonade (its slushy! and makes AMAZING popsicles)

a morning date.
what a treat.

freckles
freckles
freckles

a lunch date!
wow!
another treat!

i am just starting to like baking with my kids.

i wish i was the mom that has always just loved throwing handfuls of flour around with her kids.

the idea of being that laid back really does appeal to me.

but I'm just not.

i like to do tidy projects that get cleaned up right away.

judge me if you must.

but my kids are finally getting old enough that baking cookies isn't an all day, from start to clean up, project... and i love that!

this is one of my new favorite photos.
the rule at our house is that you MUST have braids at the beach ( if you have long hair) otherwise i won't take you.
believe it or not the sand comes right out.
it's the tangles that make me want to run away to paris by myself.

i seriously LOVE taking black and white photos of my first born.
he is so perfectly contrasty.
( can you see me in his aviators?)

i liked this ring that ella picked out.
but she lost it in one day.
surprise!

my favorite coffee shop also has a few very yummy flavors of ice-cream.
dreamy.

what?

reed kid huddles are very good.
it means they are not fighting.

every tuesday and thursday, after karate, we drive by doho to check the waves....

its a "reedo" thing.

obsessed with blueberries.

guess what!?!?!
i got new carpet.
it is so so so special.

do you remember my old carpet?
gag.

i memorized this this week.

i said it to myself as i filled out this paperwork at my yearly check up.

we are in charge of my dad's two dozen little lady chickens this week.
and ella loves them already.
they aren't laying eggs yet, but we were practicing...

i'm thinking this summer is gonna have a sprinkle theme.
so i had to get little jars for all the different kinds, right?
right.

the new carpet came with a new vacuum.

maybe we need one of these in the backyard for when they have been naughty?

this ride was a favorite at legoland.
we went to celebrate ty's birthday.

my first born got 3rd place in his sparring competition today.
i am very proud.
but.
iam also exhausted, since my second born was in his same division and did not place.
that took some serious counseling.
can you believe that they even had to spar each other!?
it was pretty awful.
next time i am going to split them up, even if i have to lie about age.
it was just too much.
i felt like crying the whole time.
and Ty DID cry the whole time.
barf.
YAH JAKE!!!

at least we have this happy moment to look back on!
legoland water park!
( ty's faces kill me)

this is the only chicken that actually returned ella's love

and this is the kind of pointless projects that i sometimes realize i just spent an hour on...
i'm pretty sure that there is no nor hula in this hoop.
but it's super cute.

and finally, the kids and i decided that this red wall and the cute little spot by the mission is our summer hang out.

summer's here in a few more weeks.

we can not wait.

sunday night: 3 snapshots of the weekend

this guy is a treasure.

today was his first time out in the water on his own surfboard.

he's had it since he turned five (over a year ago) but has been so freaked out of the water that he couldn't use it.

well...that says it all.

triumph.

and finally joining the "big kids" who float 15 feet out (away from the little guys)...priceless.

(it is hard for me to look at these photos without tearing up)

a few things....

first things first....
please, if you haven't already, go check out
 this little lady's birthday bash.

she is such an inspiration to share her day with sweet little children who can have comfort through a simple story time that WE can provide. she is making it so easy for us to help with that. i bought "where the wild things are" and "curious george goes to the zoo".
come on!
pick a couple favorites!
she is turning the big 3-0!

second things second....
so glad it's summer.
yesterday was great.
they finished with flying colors.
there were some tears though.
 my little BFF came running out of class with this face....( can you see it's kinda fake though?)

but by the time we came home he was breaking down, and we spent some time hugging and me listening to his sad little sobbing broken heart.

he loved kindergarten.

he loved his teacher.

he loved his friends.

but then i reminded him that next year he gets to buy lunch and have recess with jake and he started to perk up.

and third things third...

whoa. look at this.

i really really love it.

and it is remarkable i think to say that about a photograph of yourself.

but this photo says something about how i feel about my daughter and how i feel inside myself.

i just had to share.

it was taken by one of the VERY talented participants in Joy, from Wildflowers' workshop in Julian, CA

her name is zoe and she has a blog called three sister's jewelry design.

she took the one that i posted on father's day of reedo and ella too.

i am into her program.

i will love this photo forever.

that's it!

it's summer! yay!

summertime

and the livin' is easy?
yah, we'll see about that.

but i am so so so so glad that it's here.
i pick them up in a few hours.
the thing that is pulling on my heart a little is that my tiny ty is gonna be done with half day school and on to staying until 2. gulp.
that does not make me happy.
i love having that guy around.
and although i may have my fill of that in the next few months, i am still sad to see a phase of his life go.

look at the about me page that he filled out in his first ever yearbook.

yep.
i get to be his BFF this year.
what about next year?
and let me just say that he was THE CUTEST ever with that yearbook.
asking everyone and their mother to sign it.....not kidding he has a ton of notes from moms in there.
he has all the moms swooning i tell you (little reedo)

there are things that WILL be better next year though.
for example, i am looking forward to having time where ella is in preschool (oh wait, that's crazy too!) where i can help in the boys classes.
i didn't do that at all this year. i tried to embrace the last year of having a baby to stay home with knowing that next year will give me different opportunities to help.
but, although i am glad about that choice, i definately felt that.
i didn't feel great about not being in their classes engaging with their teachers and classmates more.
still, you choose one thing, you DON"T choose another...that's life.
i can't do everything all the time.

oh and before i forget,
i made jar pies for the teacher last night.
and i have some tips.....
but you know what?  i think i am going to just do my own tutorial for you because the tips are a lot of words.

still embracing....

summer's here!

oh yah! eggs are awesome....

eggs...awesome?
not sure if that is true.
but to see why i just have to sing the phrase, "oh yah! eggs are awwwwesome!"
watch the video (below) of my kids.
(dude, be sure to turn the volume down, high volume runs in our family)
they sing that all day.
about everything....
yah, and i am NOT going crazy.
at all.
i love that song.
i sing it in my sleep, in the shower, in my car when i'm alone(oh yah, i'm NEVER alone...well if i was...), and now you can see i even post it.
"oh yah!_______is awesome" is my FAVORITE!
(insert demented smile here)

i know you must enjoy that as much as i do....

****added later****
i just realized that there is annoying delay on the video that makes an annoying song even MORE ANNOYING to me...ha!
there is NO WAY i am doing that video again though, i think you get the picture.

this time last week...

love these people!

i hope their mom and dad let them come over and hang out with us again soon...

this picture made me laugh out loud.

i used one of meg's "photographer tricks" and had them all look at ty....

i love looking at all their expressions.

each face tells a story, huh?

ha ha!

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here are our adventures in making the Pascal cupcakes on the side bar.

we followed that Disney recipe

 they were fun.

very messy vibrant with the food coloring though

it was a happy thing to try....

i didn't eat one.