Happiness Returns to the Farm

I don't know why I named the post this other than there is a part of me that wants to believe I am still a country girl in my heart.

Tonight when I got home from a meeting I was presented with the most wonderful gift...and it's not even Valentine's Day, My Birthday, Mother's Day or Christmas. What could bring such a glow of sunshine into my life...the return of the link into a world beyond the walls of my home. A computer...or rather it's called a Netbook/IdeaPad by lenovo...
I'm feeling overwhelmed and aged as I sit with this little itty bitty thing before me that looks like a miniature laptop one minute and the next a giant phone after being folded up. It's wonderful and so much more than I ever imagined!!!

It's small enough I might even be able to keep it hidden from little hands, fingers and eyes.

Oh Thank You, Thank You giver of this wonderful lil piece of technology. Now if I can overcome my inept ability on a smart computer and find my inner techy teenager once again.

May the Blogging (reading and writing) commence once again!!!

Tate's New Space

At the top of our Stairs lies a little door, half the size of a regular door. It was home to various kitchen things that rarely if ever got used and boxes of picture frames and Cd's. With the girls room upstairs they are often playing there, and Tate wanting the company often goes after them upsetting them and everything in sight as he dumps everything on the ground.

The other day as I was helping to clean up Tate's wake he'd left behind I heard a door open and closing and found Tate in the lil room, on top of a box turning on and of the light and opening and closing the door with a big mischievious grin on his face. Inspired we have decided to turn the little room into a playroom for Tate's toys allowing him to be closer to the action. The room is clean, now if we can figure out where and why there is moisture in the room we can move forward with our plan.

Tate helping Dad assess the situation

Still Painting

With the cold rainy weather and lots of cleaning to be done, well we love to paint.

Tyler is becoming an artistic rainbow expert brightening my day and McKenna's wall.

Tate...well he still loves to paint and I'm still trying to keep him from eating it.

Missionaries-Elder Vincent

John is the Assistant Ward Missionary which also happens to be the Spanish Group Mission Leader. We get to see the missionaries on a pretty regular basis and we've gotten to know a few of them. Elder Vincent who is currently from Hawaii where his parents and 8 brothers and sisters live was with the group for 9 months and was recently transfered to Kent. He was in the area much Longer than most, but we really enjoyed having him and his companions for dinners and Family Home Evenings.

Elder Grua, Elder Vincent and our Goofy Family.

Tidying Up the Nursery

We've been trying to "Tidy Up the Nursery". Clean house and organize making space for all the new things we got for Christmas so we moved the 'Treasure Chest' down to Tate's room to make room to be able to walk. John made this chest a five years ago and Tyler and Tate had a great time playing in it. It serves many purposes in our house Mostly bringing smiles upon our faces.

Dancing Fools

For Christmas my sister Shelly gave me music for my cell phone. I love music-it brightens the gloomiest of days in just a few beats. Since my phone has a speaker we use it quite frequently for background music and chasing away the "crazy" Mom, kid whomever needs it most.

Tate and Tyler have found a few songs they've claimed as their own. As soon at the song starts playing Tate or Tyler (depending on the song) will come running from any room in the house to hold the phone and dance. It's awesome, especially when Tate does his high stepping, arms flailing dance.

Tyler Loves Sugarland's "Stuck like Glue/Stuck on You" and has dubbed it 'Her song'. She's got some really great moves!

Tate is in love with Tim McGraw's "Felt Good on My Lips"

Our Skinny Lil Wild man dancing to "His" song

He actually won't listen to anything else-except Tyler's song.

Slush Sledding

There was an article in the paper about slush sledding in Seattle.

It incorporates the true snow experience in Washington, except when its dry and powedery, but not this weekend.

Our family headed up to Camp Shephard for a little fun in the snow with our friends the McClendon's.

We've been wanting to go sledding since Christmas and looking forward to a little fun in the snow, although we woke up to a warm day and found ice and slush up the mountainside. There's usually a lot of snow up on the "Snowy Mountain Raineer", not so much this time although Luckily there was enough snow/ice to still tube down the hillside the current boy scout troop was using and they were nice enough to let our two families and six kids between the two of us go down a few times.

It was pretty steep!

The McClellans

Top:Nathan, Above: Ben & Andrew, Below: Ava n Jorelle

It was a steep little hill-with a lot of punch. We ALL Loved it! What surprised me was McKenna went down by herself, again and again and again

The Artists at Our House

Upon finding some new and old paint supplies we decided to play with them

Our Budding Young Artists

This is my Favorite Smile-although those aren't edible paints...

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Tate's picture was done a little more quickly than Tyler's but both looked fantastic.

After school we were even able to get McKenna involved.

I love Creativity!

Singing Sensations

Family Home Evening started with a little entertainment last night.

The girls love to sing-and I've been wanting to record them and their beautiful songs. Some are a little longer than others-especially Tyler who is a composer. She Loves to make up songs and sing them about things that are going on, things she has learned and things that she knows. It's really quite endearing. Thought we'd document and share our kids and their talents.

Tyler and her 5 minute song sang strong despite the impatience of her siblings:

Tate & McKenna's Duet or dual?

Rubadubdub

Rub-a-dub Dub 3 Kids in a Tub, and who do you think they would be...

I keep thinking they aren't going to fit or that McKenna's going to be too old, or "big" but they have such a good time we can't keep them out apart. So I couldn't help but try and capture the Happiness, although I mostly just got a shot of 3 kids in the tub.

Tangled-Girls Day Out!

For New Year's John treated the girls and I to an afternoon out...to the movies. Disney's Tangled Movie came out last November. The girls and I have been itching to go but have "patiently" been waiting for the dollar show. I was thrilled to be able to spend the afternoon with my girls watching a girly movie.

It was a fabulous movie and we are excited to go back and see it again, at the dollar show. :)

John didn't fare out too badly-Tate woke up about the time we got out of the movie and we met them at our good friends the McClellan's for some pizza and to watch the Rose Bowl.

It was a great New Year's.

Resolutions

There was one resolution that needed to be made-at least for Tate. Apparently he thought so too because limiting the binki to only his bed was sooo much easier than I expected it to be. The transition was going to take place New Year's weekend since John would be home. But the day before, the 30th it just kind of happened. I believe Tate was in his bed having a time out or finding his Happy and then as he called for me to come get him I played with him and told him to leave the binki on his pillow...and he did.

At one point we had 8 binki's and we are now down to 3, sometimes 1 or 2 which was one of the reasons why it needed to be limited. Too expensive to replace, teeth development, and language barrier. All pretty good reasons.

We expected to see him more of this, but nothing but smiles and sunshine.

Good Job Tate! Keep it up and let's get rid of them, sooner rather than later. :)

New Year's 2011

We brought the New Year's in with Friends in Enumclaw. We got together at the home of the Beird's with a friend of John's from work, Josh, the McClellan's, the Sorenson's, the missionaries and another family we met who had 4 daughters, their youngest being the same age as McKenna.

Lots of good food, games, dancing, fireworks-it was a wonderfully FUN night! I love ringing in the new year at 9 pm.