Feeling Inspired...

Do you ever hear a song on the radio and it literally brings tears to your eyes...happened to me today, with the kids in the back seat....Martina McBride...Blessed

I have been blessed

And I feel like I've found my way

I thank God for all I've been given

At the end of every day

I have been blessed

With so much more than I deserve

To be here with the ones That love me

To love them so much it hurts

I have been blessed

Across a crowded room,

I know you know what I'm thinking

By the way I look at you

And when we're lying in the quiet and

No words have to be said

I think to myself, I think to myself

This love is a beautiful gift

I have been blessed
And I feel like I've found my way
I thank God for all I've been given
At the end of every day
I have been blessed
With so much more than I deserve
To be here with the ones That love me
To love them so much it hurts
I have been blessed

still thinking of my blessings,

me

Backyard Fun

Well with the weather warming up, our kids are dying to be outside. Any chance they get they are asking to go outside and run amuck. Ava is usually just banging her head against the glass door, that is her way of asking to go outside. She, at 13 months, has mastered climbing both sides of ladders to get to the top of our play set and come down the slide. Its actually a little terrifying as a parent. The girl has no fear and is really willing to try anything. Its amazing how having an older sibling can make you just that much more aware of the fun stuff you can do. Well here are some cute pics we took recently of them just hanging out. Enjoy!

Sorry so many of Van and not of Ava...he was being super photogenic that day...thankfully minus the super cheezy smile that I hear is famous at the age of 3...she on the other hand was not so photogenic...except for the few dad caught when there wasn't a memory card in the camera! Ughhh!!

love,

me

Congratulations!!

I'm sooo excited that I have to write a post. One of my bestest friends in the whole world got engaged this weekend...Congrats Megan!! I feel like I've known her forever and Mike and I have really had the privilege of watching her grow and mature into a beautiful christian woman (ooh that sounds old), okay young lady. There were days I had to force this girl to let me blow dry her hair or throw some make up on her, just for MY kicks and giggles. But now, she has her hair done every day and rarely goes a day without makeup. We have forced this girl to believe in herself what we always saw...a beautiful, smart, witty young lady and now she has a guy who is committed to telling her that too. Well, she just celebrated her year anniversary with her boyfriend Mat, and he surprised her by proposing. He's a really great guy and is not just good to her...he is good for her, so of course we approve. I feel like she is the little sister I've never had. She has been around for all of our "big" events including dating, wedding, pregnancies, both babies, and hours upon hours of talking and venting and is always here to lend me a helping hand. We joke that she is our nanny because she is always helping with the kids or whenever we are supposed to be "hanging out" it always turns into us running errands and me abusing her extra hands. I really do love her to pieces and am so happy for her. Guess what the best part is...she asked me to be her Matron of Honor!! Of course I said yes and already started throwing wedding detail questions at her...I think I made her head spin a bit. But I'm so flattered and so excited for her. Congrats Mat and Megan...can't wait to see what your future holds!!

love,

me

Busy busy bees

As always, super busy.

Lets see, we should start with Thursday. So I believe it was just a few posts ago that I was saying how I always feel like I have soooo much to do. Well what do you know...I took on something else. Thursday night we had our meeting at Van's preschool for enrollment for next school year. Of course we enrolled him because we and him really love it there. Well all of the moms have to take a position at the school, hence the co-op program. Last year I was the auditor and it was pretty easy. I became very familiar with our financials and how our books were kept. So for next year, I was gently told by our President, that I was running for Treasurer on the board. Ha ha...I didn't get much of a choice...I guess I could've turned it down if I really wanted to...but I'm glutton for punishment and tend to take on way more than I need to keep me busy. It was kind of funny actually. I asked her well what if someone else runs for that position on the Board, and she laughed and said "I guess you better have a speech ready". Well it turned out nobody ran against me and now I am an elected official at Van's school. Mike jokes that since we're on the 5 year plan (Van and Ava getting through preschool) that one day I will probably be running that program. Who knows...we'll see how this next school year goes...one day it may be President Becky to you.

Onto Friday...busy, busy. Mike had a golf tournament for work he had to attend, I know rough life huh? And I had to work a boutique for my boss that I agreed to a couple of months ago. So Jessica (Daniel's fiance) watched the kids all morning for us. They had a great time and everyone seemed to survive unscathed. That night, Mike and all of Daniel's groomsmen kidnapped him, literally. He was handcuffed and blindfolded and taken to an Angels game (one of his favorite spots). We were blessed enough to have some friends from church lend us their suite for the night so all of the guys got to go in style...including Van. From what I hear they had a great time. And, Jessica, Ava and I enjoyed a nice quiet girls evening. Here's some pics...

Let's see Saturday was busy as usual. We were invited to breakfast at some friend's house and really enjoyed the company and some yummy food. Then Saturday night we were off to dinner with my mom. We try to hang out at least once a week so she can see the kids and we get a chance to chat. Its so nice having her close so the kids really get a chance to have a relationship with her. Sunday was Sunday of course, always a long day for us between church and naps and just surviving the day.

I was just looking at our May calendar and it seems like we've got so much stuff already booked up. We have the next 3 weekends already booked and stuff going all week long between Mike's softball team, our softball team, preschool, church, etc etc. It seems like the list is never ending and we're always running around. All in all though, it was a good weekend with lots going on. I have a couple more posts to make so check back soon.

Thanks for reading.

b

Oodles and Oodles of Good Things

So the last few days have been so full of blessings for us. Where shall we start?

Well in some fun news, Friday night we had some more co-ed softball fun. Mike played well, of course. I think he may have only gone 1 for 3 but I'm sure he had a double or something. The team we played was really good. Their girls didn't seem like girls at all, they were even wearing baseball pants....get that, not cute softball clothes like our girls, actual boy baseball pants. I swear some may have been men in previous days. However, I switched on and off with another girl at catcher, which was a really easy position. That's the place they put us girls that aren't very good in the field. Our job is really to just stand there and throw the ball back to the pitcher. It was pretty easy and I'm proud to say my defensive game was errorless. On the hitting side, it was not as plentiful as previous games. I believe I was 0 for 3. I made contact, every at bat, which makes my husband proud, but I could barely get the ball out of the infield all night. Ughh!! Hopefully it will be better next game.

Onto Saturday. We had a joint garage sale with Matt and Kaylee Doerr and made lots of moula. Mike and I were both surprised at how well we did and really enjoyed cleaning out our garage for that. Its so amazing...the saying is very true...one man's junk is another man's treasure. Some stuff I totally understood why people bought...kids toys, clothes, bedding...but other stuff, I'm just not sure. Anyways, we had such a good time that we agreed to do another one in a couple of months to clean out the rest of our house and make some more money. And....just to be sweet, my husband took some of our earnings and bought me tickets to go see the Keith Urban and Sugarland concert in July. I know I posted about this a few months ago, but when it came down to it, I just couldn't bring myself to spend the money. I am very willing to spend our money on our kids or even fun stuff for Mike, but I have a really hard time spending it on myself...it just seems so frivolous. However, I'm super excited about the concert and feel so touched that Mike thought of spending our earnings on me alone....and to do it as a surprise...which I love by the way.

More good stuff....last week Mike and I decided to finally give in to our life long goal...not really but at least a few years...and bought some mountain bikes to go riding. We got a trailer to hook onto Mike's bike for the kids and we've been taking family rides. It is such a blast. Its a great exercise and a fun way to get out for the night. The kids LOVE it!! They sit together all squished in the trailer and belted in just oohing and aahing as we go by cars and horses and all sorts of stuff. Our first ride together was up this crazy hill that Mike thought we could make...but there was no way....we actually ended up walking it half way, and our legs were still on fire. However, we've made some wiser decisions about routes since then and are really enjoying our investment. Do I need to mention we got our bikes and the kids' trailer on Craigslist? I think it should go without saying that we get lots of big ticket items on that site for waaayyyy cheaper than retail. Another reason to add to my list.

Then another good thing happened. We had dinner with some friends on Sunday night and they GAVE us their double stroller. I know this sounds lame to lots of you, but Mike and I have been debating buying one for a while now and even starting getting some quotes from ones we've found on Craigslist. We didn't buy one when Ava was first born because Van NEVER wanted to ride in his before...but sure enough now that Ava likes to ride in it, he does too....hence our dilemma. So like I said we've been looking but just haven't made the buy. Then on Sunday we were joking about seeing their stroller in the garage and made an offer to buy it and they said better yet, just take it. I know they will probably read this and think how silly that I'm even writing about it...but we were REALLY excited. And, I already used it today and it was AWESOME. THANKS GUYS!!!

So let's see....I can't think of anything else right now, plus I want to sit down after a very long day and enjoy the night with my hubby. But here are some recent pics for you to enjoy.

Our future pitcher?

Believe it or not, this was a good hair day

My kid's bad habit...pulling skin off of his lip

Pretty girl with an Easter basket

Okay all, I'm off for now. Write to you soon.

Love,

me

Always...

Always something to do. Always somewhere to go. Always laundry to fold and put away. Always toys to pick up. Always bills to balance and pay. Always a blog to write. Always groceries needing to be bought. Always a bulletin to write. Always a craft for school to find. Always work to be completed.

I'm so tired of being tired. Honestly I just feel exhausted. Is it normal for grown woman to need to take a nap everyday? Yesterday I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open when the kids were eating lunch. It took all of the energy I could muster up to work for an hour or so before collapsing for a nap. I don't know why I'm always this tired. Mike said its because I give myself too much to do and never take any down time. He's probably right. Even as I sit here typing, I'm planning my day and when I can get what done. How can I not be like that? I know in my heart that if I don't do the million things I need to do, who will do it? It won't get done...so essentially I'm just pushing it all off for me to do later and I hate procrastinating.

I wish I was as easy going as my husband and could wake up one day without a plan. Even when I don't have anything to do, I already have it in my head when I want to be up and dressed by as well as the kids. Its so hard for me to just do nothing or plan nothing. I think my brain is so tired just from all of my planning. I have days planned ahead in my head like a little calendar...and I mean down to the hour. I don't remember being this anal when I was growing up. I know I've always been a planner, but I feel like since I've had kids, its just out of control. Lately I've been feeling so overwhelmed that I've been letting things go that I never would before, like sitting down to watch tv at night without all of the kids toys picked up off of the floor. I have this weird thing that I can't sit down to work or relax unless all the toys are put away...it drives me crazy to see them strewn all over my house when the kids aren't awake. I have been leaving laundry in the dryer longer than usual and haven't been to the grocery store in at least a week or so. I feel so unproductive, but on the other hand I just feel so exhausted.

I don't know if this is part of just being a stay at home mom and trying to balance everything or if I'm really overwhelming myself with too much to do. It makes me laugh when people say I have it made or how easy it must be to sit and watch soap operas all day...man if they only knew. I feel more tired now than ever before, more than ever sitting in an office for 8 hours and then coming home to a quiet house.

me

Couples That Play Together, Stay Together

So Mike and I have joined a co-ed softball league that plays on Friday nights. Are you laughing yet? We're actually playing with a good friend of ours, Bryan, and practically his whole family. I have never in my life played baseball or softball so I thought for sure I'd be the worst on the team. I played soccer growing up and was a cheerleader, yes we are athletes, but never softball. But, heck I'll give it a try. Even if I suck, it will be fun to play with Mike and do something together.

So last Friday was our first game, a double header too, and I didn't do too bad. I thought for sure I'd be catching, which really means just standing way behind the plate and throwing the ball back to the pitcher, not really doing much else. But instead, we were short girls, so Bryan tells me I'm playing 2nd base...all night. Oh boy, an actual position, yikes!!

Well I practiced with Mike for 2 weeks (okay it was really just a few nights) fielding, hitting, catching, and throwing. And, I'm really glad I did. The first game I went 2 for 3 with a walk. I actually hit really well. I was quite surprised. Luckily not one ball was hit my direction, at least in the 1st game, so the team was spared my lovely fielding expertise. And, we won.

In the 2nd game, I went 1 for 3 (but the 2 outs I hit were actually decent hits, 1 a line drive to the 3rd baseman that he caught), so it wasn't too bad. However, this team was full of left handed hitters so it seemed like every ball was hit right to me...lowly ole me at 2nd base with my years of experience fielding. I swear I tried my hardest but by the end of the game I think I had 5 errors. The weird thing is that everyone on the team seemed okay with it because everyone else was making errors too and we were playing the championship team from last season. Needless to say, we lost the 2nd game. I was exhausted after playing the two games in a row...man am I getting old or what? I do have to say though, it was really fun getting to be on the team w/ my hubby, taking the field with him, sitting in the dugout with him, seeing him on-deck behind me. And, he was super supportive all night and was always telling me I was doing a good job. I love you for that babe..I know I'm not good, but I'm loving the fun time with you.

I'll make sure to have someone take some pics of us before the season ends so you can see me in my cute softball cleats...with just a hint of pink.

love,
me

A Weekend Away With The Hubby...Who Can Resist?

Sorry Kaylee...I stole your picture....I believe you were the only smart one to bring a camera!

So a few weekends ago, Mike and I had the privilege of going to Las Vegas with 2 couples that we totally love...Matt and Kaylee and Greg and Amy. We had a BLAST!! We had the weekend planned for a while now, but it seemed like it took forever to get here. Maybe because we had so much going on up until the getaway that we just had a lot to get through. However, it got here, and away we went.

We left the kids with Lynn and Larry for 4 days and made the drive to Vegas with Greg and Amy in the back seat. I have to say, both car rides were actually a lot of fun. You know how you have those friends that you aren't sure if could really spend a long time alone with them in the car without being totally annoyed at the end...well let me tell you...Greg and Amy Austin are not those people. We had a lot of fun and were laughing the whole time.

Our weekend fun consisted of bowling, eating, a sucky impersonator named Danny Gans (luckily they made a mistake and we only had to pay for one ticket), eating, massages, a little gambling, eating, shopping, and more eating. Did I mention eating? That's always what Mike and I like to do on vacation...eat, and then eat some more. Its so nice to enjoy a quiet meal without worry about the kiddos. We called to check on them everyday and even talked on the phone to them. They both seemed to have a great time, even though Ava was a little under the weather. We did miss them bunches but still enjoyed our alone time.

I think Mike and I both are determined to not be one of those couples that as the kids get older and leave the house, we find ourselves with nothing to talk to each other about. We don't want to wrap our entire lives around our children without forgetting about each other. Our priorities are this...1. God 2. Eachother 3. Our Children...in that order. Don't get us wrong...we would do anything for our kids at anytime...but if we don't work because "we" aren't a priority, than what good are we to our kids?

Okay off of that soapbox...back to the vacation. It was a ton of fun and we'd do it again in a heartbeat...just as soon as we recoup our money.

How quickly a day can turn...

This is how the day started today....some of the best ones we've ever gotten...











And this is how it has turned....

(I did not take the above pic right after the incident by the way...I'm not "that parent" that is more concerned with getting the pic than my poor crying baby. She's now mad because I took the bottle of ibuprofen she was chewing on away)

Ava took a nasty fall outside and now has a cut that stretches diagonally across both lips, including gums and teeth inside. We are trying to minimize the fat lip now...poor baby.


me


PS I hope you're all keeping up on all of my new posts...I have done one the last 3 days and have another one coming for each of the next 2 days.....happy reading!

A Visit From Opa

So my dad tries to visit twice a year from Washington. Its always so nice to see him because we just don't get to enough. Every time we see him, we always say, "okay we'll come up and see you next" but that just never happens. At least he seems pretty understanding about it and says its easier for one to travel than for 4. So the bi-annual visits are usually in November -ish and March-ish. So we've been emailing for a while now trying to get his March visit nailed down and it just didn't look like it was going to happen. And then....one Thursday night, he emails me saying he can come that weekend and stay for a week if we're up for it...are you kidding, we're always up for it.

I didn't really have much of a relationship with my dad growing up...it was always just my mom. But as I've become older, married, a parent, and just an adult in general, I think I've come to accept my childhood for what it was...not perfect...and accept my parents for what they are...not perfect. I've realized I can have a relationship with both parents, and make it work, if that's what I really want. And it is. My dad is brutally honest, which I actually really respect even though his answers may not always be exactly what I'm looking for, and he's always up for anything. The last time he was down, Thanksgiving, we all got so sick that the trip was so wasted. I felt so unfulfilled by it and was really bummed that that was how I got to spend one of the only times I would see my dad for the year. However, we were both determined to have a better trip this time. So my dad got in late on a Tuesday after making the long drive from Washington and was able to stay all the way till Sunday.

It was a lot of fun this time around because Van is in that age where he is an incessant questioner. I really thought it would drive my dad a little crazy since my dad is the quintessential bachelor...but instead, he says he's actually missed the little booger's questions since he's been home in the quiet. They formed quite a bond and Van was very sad to see him go, as was I. I was bummed because again, I got sick, this time with a nasty cold/flu bug but luckily I was the only one who had it. I was determined to make it through the week doing the best I could and staying up as late as I could every night, but its just sucky having to be the sick one. My dad and I email a lot and are always in contact, but its really nice to just get to talk in person. I think for those that have always had their parents around, you may take it a little for granted. I have really learned to appreciate the small amounts of time I have with my dad. My mom is always here, we hang out at least every week, and I love having her so close. My dad I have to appreciate from a distance and just soak it all up when he's in close proximity. Here's some pics of him with the kids...

PS We took Ava away from breakfast to take some pics....note to self, never take the food away

PPS I wish we would've thought to take pics more than just the last day

Love,

me

10 years!!

So last month, Mike and I hit another huge milestone...the 10 year mark. Yep it has been 10 years since our first date...March 12, 1999. I had been thinking about it for a few months and wanted to make sure I remembered it without reminding Mike about it. You know, its no fun when you have to remind your husband about a special date to do something special...why not take it into your own hands, and make it special for the both of you.


So I never mentioned to him that it was coming up, nor did I mark it on the fridge calendar....I just pretended like it was any other day. I placed a special note in his car so when he left for work in the morning, he'd get it and be surprised. I even arranged for a secret babysitter to come and watch the kids. Well we got dressed up and enjoyed a quiet dinner at The Chart House in Dana Point. The view was beautiful and it was really nice to just be able to sit and relax and eat dinner without having to worry about the kids or bedtime or potty breaks.


Its so funny...I can remember everything that has happened between now and that first date in 1999, but it really does seem like eons ago. Sometimes we joke that we are just playing house and dress up because that's how we really feel....it doesn't always feel like we're the REAL adults here, with REAL kids, and a REAL mortgage. We still feel like we're those 2 teenagers from back then. I feel so blessed to be able to say that I love my husband more than I ever thought possible on that first night. I do believe that God gives us choices that lead us down certain paths in life...but I just can't imagine my life any other way...or with any other person. My date a few weeks ago was with the same man that I had the worst jitters over 10 years ago and I'm very lucky to be able to say he still makes me smile just the same. I love you babe and I hope God blesses us with another easy breezy 10 years...or if I'm being honest, and probably a little selfish, maybe another 50.


me

Yes Yes I know...I need to blog

Okay so everyone has been hounding me for what feels like forever now to blog again. It hasn't even been a month people...gosh its not like having 3 family birthdays in one month, an important anniversary with the hubby, an unplanned visit from Opa, a flu/cold that has and is still making its way through our family of 4 (round 2 for some), a little getaway with the hubby, trying to keep up a part time job, trying to keep the hampers empty as well as the dishwasher, and my daily desire to vacuum fulfilled...doesn't keep me busy enough. But noooo, one must blog monthly too...man the job of a stay at home mom is never ending.


So I have decided to do a few blog entries...today...well that's my goal anyway, we'll see how far I get. I just have lots of pictures and events that happened so in order for them all to get noticed, I must do them separately...I think.


Okay well we started off the month with little Ava's first birthday. Van's birthday is March 19th, yes I know I'm a horrible mom who didn't even do a seperate blog post for just Van's birthday (refer to paragraph 1 for my excuses), but anyways, the kids had so many parties it seemed neverending around here. Our initial plan was to just have one party for both kids and invite everyone....however our invite list seemed forever long so we made some changes. On Ava's birthday, we ended up at Lynn and Larry's for the actual cake and singing (cake was made by Van and I). I think Van was more excited about making the cake than Ava was eating it...which really surprised us. She will eat just about anything, but apparently cake is not on the top of her list. She wouldn't touch the thing with any of her fingers. Its was actually quite funny because she's really not very dainty but she was acting like the stickiness of the frosting was just too much to handle on her little fingertips...so she improvised and thought she would just lick it.





So that was celebration 1. Then the following weekend, we had the family (both sides) over for just some family fun for the kids birthdays...with what we thought was limited presents...man did our kids make out. Van was totally stoked because this birthday he got a new "big" (even bigger boy) bed and a real drumset...just his size. Ava was excited about everything...especially the paper. We did it super easy though, everyone wanted to pitch in so we actually ended up with a dinner and dessert that everyone contributed too...thanks guys, it was way easy on our budget. It was really nice to do something low-key. We all got to just enjoy the kids and eat and hang out. We tried ice cream sundaes this time around and Ava was still not touching it with other than her mouth...no fingers. This was celebration 2 for Ava, and 1 for Van.






Onto the next celebration...then the next weekend we did a party for just the kids and our friends and our friends w/ kids...but this one was supposed to be no gifts...but, of course, the kids got gifts. We rented a jump house that was actually a boxing ring, did cheap pizza, cake and again...kept it low key. This time around Ava got another "mini" cake...different party...same result...mouth only...no fingers. So this time around...I decided to just smash her face into it...why not enjoy it, right? But all in all, I think the kids had a great time. Ava bday celebrations 3, Van 2.








Now Van's actual birthday was the following week and we had planned to go to Disneyland to celebrate...but I had to ruin it and go and get sick...but more on that in a later post...Opa's visit.


Stay tuned....