The Great Flood

This won't mean much to some people, but this is the Yakima River, which runs right along the border of our town. With all of the snow we got this winter, and the rate at which it melted, the rivers are flooding like CRAZY!!! We are reminded every day we drive over the bridge to get home, how incredible Mother Nature really is. Kind of ironic actually... we pray so hard for moisture so that our crops can grow, and the river ends up flooding!

Towards the left of the picture, you can see some wooden posts sticking out of the ground...that's the edge of a road that goes down to a big clearing next to what should be the river.

Also, on the right side of the picture, you can see like 3 trees out in the middle of the river... those usually are on land.

Not Sure.....

Somehow... this... happened on Friday night. Some neighbors stopped by, and we were showing them our "Johnny Jump Up" because she has a 13 month old, and another one on the way, and thought she might be able to use it. We put Connor in there to test it out, and while we were talking, Haylie thought she'd get in there and have a little try. Well... you can't really see their faces, but it was quite the stressful moment! I'm supposed to add that Haylie was SO stuck, that it took us a good 2-3 minutes to get her out of there... (It really did)

This One's For You Chelsea!

Meet Sassy!

Sassy is Haylie's beloved Christmas present from my Nana, her great-grandma.

Our lab is sick, and so has been staying at the vet. The kids went with me to check on him yesterday, and our other 2 dogs (yes, we have 3 dogs) got some vaccinations while we were there. The vet office has free leashes, and so we ended up home with a couple of them. Haylie took it upon herself to "pretend." I promise I didn't teach her to hang things! In fact, I told her that Sassy was choking. BUT, she insisted I take a picture of her and Sassy...

The funniest part is, for some reason, this doll has her tongue sticking out to the side, so she looks like she really is choking.

Should I be worried?

Play date anyone?

My dad got this for the kids for Christmas this year and it was our "biggest" gift. I was a little surprised he got it for my kids, because we begged him to get us one when we were little and he wouldn't do it. Apparently he had a friend who got paralyzed on a trampoline when they were kids, so he was scared of them. This one has the net that goes all the way around it, with a door that zips closed, so I think he felt a little bit better about that.

Joe was like a kid in a candy store with this trampoline! His family grew up with one, so he was very excited to set it up for Haylie and Connor as soon as the snow melted. I told him I heard that there was supposed to be another storm coming, but he didn't care. He said he'd just take it apart if it did snow again. Mmhmm...sure he will! As you can see, everyone is in their big coats and hats, except for Connor who was only on for a couple of minutes. They LOVE it! I'm so excited for this summer! I feel like I'm part of the "play date club" and can have something to entertain kids with.

~A Bunch Rolled Into One~

Today was a BUSY day!!! It started out not so busy, which was really nice. Joe took the day off today, for my birthday, and so since he was home, it was a very relaxing week day. He started out the day by making me breakfast, doing a bunch of dishes, and getting the kids ready for the day. SO, I was able to take my time getting ready. We had a quick lunch at home, and then headed out for the day to have some fun!

Joe has been bugging me to get Connor's hair cut forever, so first off, he MADE me take Connor to get a haircut. I say MADE because I was really having a hard time letting go of his little baby curls. For some reason my mind is telling me that he is not a baby anymore :(

Mommy & Connor getting ready for the new do!
Yes, I bribe my kid so he will sit still.
Goodbye curls :(

The good thing is, the sides and back still have little wispy wings, so I'm pretty certain it'll grow back curly ;)!

After the haircut, we headed over to Famous Dave's for dinner. We met up with my mom and her husband, my dad :), brother, Aunt, and cousin. It was a lot of fun! My mom got me a facial!!!, so I'm really excited!!

Here's Haylie waiting to go inside! It was SOOOO cold here today!

This is what Connor does when you say, "Connor- show Dad your teeth (smile)." He's a crack up!

We are leaving town next Friday for the holidays, and so have procrastinated BIG time on getting a tree and decorating for Christmas. I guess half of my brain was saying it's not worth it, since the tree will probably be dead when we get home anyway. HOWEVER, I just couldn't go through the holidays without decorating... So- we stopped at Home Depot after dinner and picked up a small tree. When we got home, of course, Haylie had to help put the ornaments and lights on the tree. It was SO fun...!

Here's Haylie putting the star on top!

The final product... a little blurry, but very pretty! It feels much more like the holidays now, and the smell of the tree is Heavenly!

A Sappy One

I thought it about time for a sappy post. I painted part of Connor's room this afternoon, so his door is open tonight (don't want him getting high on paint fumes :S ) When I went in to check on him, I noticed how much he looked like a baby and it made me a little sad.

About a week ago, Connor left the 'teen months and in just a few short months he will turn 2. It's so hard to believe he is that old already. As I watched him sleeping, I realized I needed to capture this "baby moment" so I can always look back and remember (even though I have hundreds of pictures of him as an infant ;).

I just love how vulnerable babies look when they're asleep... so peaceful.

The Polar Express!!!

On Tuesday, I surprised Joe and the kids with a train ride in Hood River, Oregon. It was Awesome! We left home around 11:30, stopped for lunch in Paterson, and then continued down to Oregon, going the Washington way (because I think it's a prettier drive :) Anyway, we got there around 4, after a pit stop (which I'll post in a while). It's a good thing we got there early, because I thought our ride left at 5:30 and it actually left at 5. The entire train was full, with kids everywhere, and everyone wore their pajamas. It was a great experience! I'd recommend it to everyone!Our train, which Connor was in complete awe of.
Our car called "The Parkdale"Whoops! The best picture we could get of us looking out the window. Ask me why I didn't push the window all the way up.....
Just pulling out of the station.... very excited!

Connor was, I think, in a little bit of shock/awe/wonder at the moving train, that he didn't even move for like the first 15 minutes. Unheard of!

And then this is what the 3 of them looked like the rest of the trip. My gut was in knots... We were served cookies and hot chocolate. I think he was enjoying it. ;)
Pulling into The North Pole!
Santa's Reindeer! :)
Connor's little nook. Yeah, so much for my Christmas card idea. Neither of the kids were the least bit interested in that guy. Can you tell?
Haylie has been inseparable from her bell from Santa since we got home. It goes to nap with her... in the tub... to bed... you name it.

A great night with happy kids!