It's true...a new post from me! Twice a year isn't so bad, right?

It's summer. It's hot. It's muggy. It's already been a very busy week. It's a good day to stay in side and just chill. (after a long, fun morning at the library, that is!)

It's a perfect day to make RICE KRISPIE TREATS!

We started with a bag of chocolate/vanilla swirl marshmallows that a very kind neighbor brought us this past weekend. (Yay for nice neighbors!!)

Added the butter and generic rice kripies...

and a little music...

...which lead to a little dancing.... Then back to work we went....

But it didn't take long until we long one...

But he came back for goods! ;)

So good and even if they weren't....it was so. much. fun. :)

Happy 6th Birthday Ella!

What in the world? Ella is 6 years old? WOW!

Here is Ella in her words:

Favorites:

Food: Strawberries, watermelon and donuts

Movie: Princess and The Pauper and Island Princess

Color: Pink and Purple

Thing to do: Spend time with Mommy, Spend time with Daddy and help Alli

Place to go: Dairy Queen

Why? Because they have lots of ice cream

Book: My little Teapot

Holiday: Christmas

Best Friend: McKenzie and Camlen

What do you want to be when you grow up?: Princess Aurora

What if you needed to have a job, what would you do? Get out of it and stay in my castle (Oh my goodness!)

Favorites piece of clothing: Dresses

And Ella in my words:

A true princess...she is kind, thoughtful, fun, has good manners, believes in fairy tales and is glamorous!

Is reading! All day Kindergarten has it's perks :) She is a pro at sounding out words. She loves reading to her sister.

Loves to help her sister! Alli is pretty much a big doll to Ella, she loves to dress her up and do her makeup!

Has always had such a strong mind! We never worry about Ella in a social setting, she is so outgoing and a social butterfly!

Is at least 1 1/2 heads taller than most girls her age. Last spring, the doctor said that she was the size of a 7 year old and she has grown since! She is so physically strong and muscular!

Loves to sing! She is always making up songs about things from her dress to the sparkly snow! And she has a very pretty voice!

Loves to cuddle.

Has perfect hair! I'm so jealous! It's very thick with a little bit of natural wave in it...she's going to be that girl who can just wash and go! I'm so happy that she won't have to struggle with bad hair...like her momma!

Loves to ride the bus with her friend!

Is pretty emotional!

Oh I could go on and on!

The celebration began on Saturday with a Fairy Party. We invited 5 of her friends here and had fairy food, fairy makeovers, did fairy spells and had birthday cake! (Chocolate with pink frosting of course!)

She woke up this morning to a birthday Cinnamon roll complete with a candle and birthday sprinkles on the "Special Day" plate. She is wearing her birthday dress that Grammy let her pick out to school (with her snow boots, of course!). I am bringing her treat of choice, donut holes, to her class today and we are having birthday pancakes for dinner! She had a hard time understanding that her friend's weren't coming over for another party today, but I think she understands now!

I just can't believe she is 6! 6 years ago today, I was induced and knew we were having a little girl named Ella. But I was sure she would have brown hair and light green eyes (When I was expecting Cole, we didn't know he was a boy and I dreamt of having a girl that looked like that...and I never did. I am still very curious about this mystery girl!) Ella was 9 pounds, 2 ounces...which we were not expecting! And she had the most beautiful blue eyes and a little bit of blond fuzz on her head. And she didn't cry...she snorted! She actually reminded me of a little football player...not anymore though!

Here's to wishing her a magical day!!

Back to School Prep

The open enrollment form I submitted for the kids to go to the school that we liked was approved! YAY! We attended the back to school night and it was fantastic. I am very impressed with this school for many reasons and I can't wait to watch my kids grow in every way ;)

I have been searching the Internet and picking my friend's brains about ideas for quick breakfasts, lunch and dinners to help next week (and the weeks after) run smoothly. (Well as smooth as the first week back to school in a new state can be!) I spent a few hours today baking some breakfast treats to freeze. Let's cook with Cassie...shall we?

Banana Crunch Muffins
Good and good for you! Cassie's changes: No buttermilk, so milk with a big quirt of lemon. No canola oil, so I dumped some applesauce in. No bran, so I crumbled 1 cup of Special K cereal with Cinnamon Pecan. I only used whole wheat flour, doubled the bananas and only added 1/4 cup of the sugar. The result...I can't keep my husband or my kids away from them! I had to hurry up and get them in the freezer. Oh...Don't add the granola until the last 10 min, it will burn.

Breakfast Scones
No link for this one..I got the idea from Kaia and got a little creative with it. I followed the recipe for drop biscuits on the Heart Healthy Bisquick and added cooked ham, cheese, salt, pepper and scrambled eggs. They are so good and will be a very easy, healthy breakfast!

Hot Lunch is pricey here so we plan to do cold lunch. But my kids don't like sandwiches so I had to search for ideas. I made a list of foods that we have from each food group. Protein, veges, fruits, dairy, grains, drinks and snacks. I put it on a dry erase board on the fridge and will have the kids build their own lunch every night, choosing one item from each food group. It will teach them about nutrition, they are more likely to eat a lunch that they chose and I love the idea of them being responsible for making their own lunch. I made a trip to the store and we are ready to roll!

For dinner for the next 2 weeks, I am using this and this. These meals are not gourmet by any means, but they have all of the factors that we need for a busy couple of weeks.

On a side note. We have spent most of the day doing yard work/landscaping. This place has been pretty neglected and just by rearranging some of the rocks and dirt, planting some grass seed, trimming the bushes and cutting down a tree, we have it looking SO good! I wish that I would have taken before and after pics, but I just don't seem to think of those things most of the time. I'm sure it would have made this post more interesting tho! It seems a little silly to do so much work on a house that we are renting, but we have had numerous neighbors stop by and thank us. This house is at least 90 years old and most of the neighbors have lived in their homes for at least 70 years. One even said that in his 80 years of living here, he has never seen it look so good! That is worth it right there!

Tomorrow we will be celebrating our 7th Anniversary, it's sure to be the best (and most emotional) yet. We have a lot to celebrate. It's also Labor Day and the kids last day of summer, so it's sure to be a fun day!

School House Blues

Well, we're here in WY. Mostly settled too. All of the boxes were unpacked by day 3 (and we had a 24 ft. moving truck!) and of course I move things around daily to try to find the perfect fit for every little thing. It sure is nice to have everything organized. I've had to be very creative in finding nooks and crannies to store "stuff" in. It's been fun :) Marty has been working pretty long days to try and make up for the time he took off to move so his honey do list is getting long, but he'll move on a normal schedule again very soon.

I have the blues today in a major way. It's the first day of school in ID and I can't seem to stop thinking about what we're all missing. Ella would be having her Kindergarten orientation today. Cole would be started 3rd grade with a teacher that I have always loved, having a blast seeing all of his friends. I would chit chatting with the parents of my kids friends that I have built relationships with over the past 3 years. I would taken their traditional first day of school pictures in front of our butterfly bush. And so on and on and on.

It doesn't help that I am having a really hard time getting the kids into a school here that I think will be a good fit for them. I have not heard anything positive about the school they are supposed to go to and after registering them yesterday, I absolutely do not want them to go there. The school building is pretty run down, the location of the school is not ideal, the secretary told Ella that she is one of only a handful of Kindergarten girls (you all know how girly my Ella is!) and they do not have a PTO or a PTA (and they don't seem to mind). After being so involved with the PTA at their old school, I know how beneficial it is to have involved parents. I have called the district office numerous times and they are nice, but they have policies that must stay in place. Which I understand. But Marty and I are our children's only advocates and I will not sit back and have them go to an unsatisfactory school.

However, we had a breakthrough yesterday. Since their school did not meet the WY state targets in some testing areas, we have the option of sending them to a choice of 2 other schools. Neither are the schools I was hoping for, but still a huge improvement. I did alot of research yesterday and I like everything that I see in one of them. High test scores, great location, very involved parents/PTO (LOTS of fun events and fundraisers! WHOO HOO) and they are the only elementary school with an extended resource program and have peer tutoring available for the students. I was really involved in peer tutoring in school and I have a feeling that it's something that Cole would really enjoy as well.

We drove by the school last night and I am going to pick up the form to enroll them when Alli wakes from her nap. This school is a little further of a drive, but once we're all in the car, it doesn't really matter. Aw man...now I just got sad about the fact that we can't walk/ride bikes to school anymore. GRRR!

I just hope I am making the right choice. I guess I'm going with my gut on this one, it usually doesn't steer me wrong. I know it will work out. I know we'll all make friends. And I know that we'll all learn from this experience. I know I need to stay postive, but it's hard sometimes. I feel like I am dealing with more than one person should be expected to deal with. It could always be worse. I need to focus on the good....

Now I need to figure out transportation. Cole begins at 8:40 and Kindergarten doesn't being until 9:30. Cole could ride the bus to school, but I'd rather take him. It's once of the advantages I have of being a stay at home, I believe. Ella, however, has the option to ride the Kindergarten bus to school. It's only a few Kindergartners and they pick her up at the front door. That would save me a trip and she won't be exposed to all of the older kids that regular busing has. (Marty and I both learned WAY to much riding the bus when we were young!) So I guess after dropping Cole off, the girls and I will come home and get Ella ready. They get out at 3:33 (NOT 3:30 or 3:35 ha ha ha) and I will pick them up. It's sure going to be quite around here. What in the world is Alli going to do with herself? ;)

I am working on taking photos of the house, but have a few things to still hang on the walls. And let me tell you, walls in older homes are NOT like walls in a newer home, I've made my mark in a few places...oops. My Mom and Heather are coming to say hello tomorrow until Friday so I'm sure we'll have everything looking pretty. I hope they know that they are coming here to decorate! LOL

I feel better now. Thanks ;)

Who wants an update?

Can it really be? A new post from me? Oh you just wait and see....

So...tomorrow is MOVING DAY! After going back and fourth all summer on moving or not, we finally made a choice and we're heading to WY first thing in the morning. We loaded up the moving truck yesterday (and lucky us...we were given the truck with the graffiti on it...we're going to roll into town in style!) and we're ready to roll.

Marty and a few other gracious folks are cleaning the house from top to bottom and I...am on bed rest! Between the stress of moving and the dust from packing, my asthma went crazy. I went to Dr. yesterday since I could hardly breath and he almost admitted me to the hospital but I promised I would lie low for the next couple of days. I sure know how to get out of working! Actually it's very frustrating to have everyone doing all of the work that I should be doing. But my mom is letting me use her spare room and I suppose could use the rest. One good thing about getting sick right now is that it's really taken my mind off of leaving. I am horrible at goodbyes and most of you know that I actually avoid them all together. I'm sure that's the wrong thing to do, but it's just too hard.

There are a lot of disadvantages to this move, of course. We're leaving our home. Our family. Our friends. And so on. However, we are really hoping that this will be a temporary move. We're still searching for a job for Marty here daily, but it's going to be hard to beat the one he is very fortunate to have now.

However, I'm making lemonade out of these lemons and looking at the bright side! I am really looking forward to reconnecting as a family. Especially with Cole at the age he is, he'll want to be off hanging out with his friends (he's already getting there), so this change is coming at a great time. We aren't enrolling the kids in any sports or activities in the fall (maybe swimming lessons in Oct since they missed out on their lessons this summer). We have some fun things planned, like Messed up Mondays, where we have breakfast for dinner. And pizza and movie night on Fridays. (we're actually going to do a variation on pizza every week...pizza subs, pizza casserole and so on). We are all excited to simplify life a little and get to know one another again.

The kids' school doesn't begin until September 8th, so we'll have 2 and half weeks to get settled. Ella will be in Kindergarten...ALL DAY! She starts an hour later than Cole. I am still having a very hard time with this. I thought that I had another year of her being home half of the day, I'm broken hearted! But once again, looking on the bright side and it will just be Alli and I all day and I have some ideas on how we'll keep ourselves busy.

Thank you so much to everyone for supporting me/us through these very difficult past few months. Marty and I believe that everything happens for a reason and we are looking forward to the next chapter in our life.

Oh...our house is for rent, so please let me know if you know anyone who is interested. :)

Summer Happenings

I plan to make this short and sweet...but I'm sure ya'll know how that usually goes :)

I'm trying to remember what we've been up to since our trio to the Coast (AKA..the last time I blogged)

Marty's Grandma was in town from SD, it's always fun to see her. Marty was in WY but found out that he had the weekend off, but had to stay in town just in case. Marty's Mom took the kids for the weekend and I was able to spend the weekend in WY--just Marty and I. It was so fun to just be us for a few days.

Had a mini family reunion in Twin Falls. Marty's Mom and Grandma were planning on meeting us at Shoshone Falls to give us our kiddos back. My Mom, Jeremy, Heather and the boys came too. It was very hot, but the falls were amazing and the kids had so much fun running around the park. Marty and I had a very long day driving from WY to Twin Falls then back. But it was worth it for our weekend alone and a fun day with everyone at the Falls.

We spent 4th of July in WY. We had a BBQ with Marty's co-worker/roommate/friend and his family and some friends that we met here. Ate yummy food, played with fireworks, drove to a parking lot on a hill to watch the city fireworks and came back home to light off more fireworks, made a lot of neighbors angry. We didn't realize it was so late. Oops.

We headed home to day after the 4th for just a few days then we were off to Lagoon for Marty's company picnic. We stayed in a hotel for a couple of nights, so it was kind of a mini vacation. The kids had a blast swimming and I was thrilled that the view from our hotel was a SUPER Target! It's true. The hotel was right across the street from a shopping center, so we were able to walk to dinner and of course to the SUPER Target. We had a very long (12 hours), extremely fun day at Lagoon. We rode just about every ride (Cole even went on all of the big, scary roller coasters with Marty), spent a couple of hours playing in the water at Lagoon-A-Beach and spent time with his co-workers. I did learn a few things throughout the day...A) Don't take a 2 year old on a Tilt-A-Whirl. B) As funny as it looks, the people wearing a fanny pack really do have the best idea. C) If you have a 2 year old, bring a stroller so you don't have to pay $12 to rent a wagon.

Our plan was to head back to WY right after Lagoon so Marty could get back to work, but his schedule changed and we went back home. This time for only 3 days. We fit a lot into those 3 days though ;)

Here are some photos of our Happenings...enjoy!

Oregon Coast...Days 4 and 5

Wait...scroll down first to see days 1-3. I can't figure out how to switch these. HA!

I know, I know, you are all so impressed with my original titles...

Day four.
It was a typical OR coast day, overcast and cool , which was just fine.

Bundled up and headed to Seal Rock (thanks Julie!) to search for sealife.

Strolled down what could have been our own private beach for hours. Found more rocks and shells. Even a couple of starfish. Another relaxing day just chill'n out together.
Went back to the bay and found the best restaurant of our entire trip called Local Ocean. It's a fish market too, so the food is as fresh as you can get it. We had roasted garlic and crab chowder...so so so good! We sat outside under the heaters with a view of the bridge, the bay, the boats and the people.

As we were walking back to the car, we stopped a couple and asked them to take our photo and Marty asked them what was in the bag they were holding. The told us it was fresh crabs and pointed out a a man in a boat that was selling them. They were beyond cheap (for fresh crab!) and Marty loved being able to pick out his own dinner :)

Marty and his dinner.



I love it when I catch Cole laughing! I don't remember what Alli was doing to crack him up, but it must have been pretty good!

Day 5

Packed everything up.

Headed back to Depoe Bay for lunch and to get Ella the seashell heart box that she had her heart set on.

Ate a not so great lunch. Which included HUGE oyster shooters for Marty and I- the flavor was great, but they were so big that I had a hard time with it...and we had an audience.

Visited the Yaquina Head Lighthouse- the history behind it is very cool.

Looking out the window of the lighthouse.

The Parks and Rec Dept. had their telescopes set up, we got a close look at the birds and harbor seals.
Ella was a puppy on this day.


The stairway to the lighthouse..if you look really close right under the top light, you can see Marty's head :)



Left town at 3:30 pm

Stopped at the most fabulous Maltnomah Falls on the way home, I've wanted to go there since I was a little girl, as Ella would say "It was a dream come true"
Sisterly love...


Ella was singing at the top of her lungs, this was Cole's reaction :)

Got home at 3:00 am, got our second wind and unpacked the car.
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We hope to go back every year and possibly stay in the same house. It would be great to go next summer with some certain family and rent a big house...hint hint... :) (and one member of that family especially LOVES fresh seafood...I'm just say'n!)

Since this blog is public, I don't like to write about when we'll be here and when we'll be in WY, but we are still going to be traveling back and fourth for the next few weeks. We'll have a detour to Lagoon for Marty's company picnic in a few weeks- whoo hoo! We're still considering moving to WY, I just wish we had a magic 8 ball to give me all of the answers...uhg. What's meant to be will be and we'll end up in the right place, doing the right thing.

As long as we are all together, life is better than good.