Shark Pool and Sunglasses

My mom bought Lake a shark pool for his birthday. He and Libby have LOVED it ever since I filled it up. It shoots water from the top of the shark's head. Lake keeps covering the water spout and saying, "Where did the water go?" I then have to reply back, "I don't know, where did it go?" Lake then moves his hand away from the spout and says, "There it is". I think we must have said those lines about 30 times. I love how he thinks he is so clever when he makes the water stop spouting. Ahhh, Bless him. Oh, and notice how he continually drinks from the water in the baby pool (there is a picture of him bent over drinking). Yes, I have warned him there is grass and bugs in there,.......but as you can see he doesn't seem to care.

Libby and Lake wore sunglasses today. The glasses were from the $1 store but I swear you'd think they cost a million dollars each with the way they love them. If popsicles, sunglasses, and a shark pool could make me as happy as it does my kids, I am pretty sure all my problems would be solved.

Pictures from our trip to Libby, Montana

My mom and I took the kids to Montana to see my mom's dad who is 90 years old. Here are a few pictures from the trip. It is a 12 hour drive to get there. The kids were amazing traveling in the car. But, they were busy bodies once out of the car. I told my mom it was like people in prison. They seem pretty good when they are stuck in a controlled area but once you get them out of prison they turn wild again. That is seriously how I felt. The kids were so good driving there while confined to their carseats. But, once they were let out in the open they were like wild animals. :) They never stopped moving the entire trip. I felt 10 times more tired when I got home then when I left. The packing and unpacking alone is enough to kill anyone with kids under the age of 3.....Baby beds, car seats, life jackets, clothes, diapers, wipes, sippy cups, snacks, the list goes on and on. I have been doing laundry and cleaning the car since we got back. No joke, the car seats showed every meal the kids had eaten -- oreos, fries, chocolate milk, nuggets, etc. I literally had to spray the car seats down and wash the covers twice. Thank goodness for my mom who was smart enough to buy a DVD player so the kids could watch movies in the car. That was a life saver!!! Overall though, the trip was great and I am so happy I took the kids. It created a lot of fun memories for all of us. It is hard work but you have to start them young so they get used to traveling and experiencing new things.
The pictures are of us at the swinging bridge which spreads across the Kooteni River, my grandma Ida's grave (she and I were very close so it was fun to have the kids see where she is buried), the kids sleeping on the long trip, and lake and libby playing and having fun.

Montana - Swinging Bridge

This is the cutest picture of Lake. He carried this little flower he picked the entire time we hiked. So Sweet!

Below is a clip of Lake and Libby at the Swinging Bridge in Libby, Montana. This is where my daughter got her name. Libby, Montana was where my mom was born and raised. The kids loved going back there and seeing it. I have been going back every year since I was born and love it up there.

Summer Fun!

Well, the summer has gotten off to a fun start. Grandpa took Lake to get his summer buzz which he loves.
The kids played in the yard all day yesterday. They ran through sprinklers and ate popsicles for about 3-4 hours. It is so nice to be able to have them outside playing.

Lake and Libby took a ride in Mike's jeep the other day. They loved it! They kept going, "Woooo" and putting their arms in the air. I think they thought they were at a carnival. It was so cute to see.

My mom and I are taking the kids to Montana tomorrow. It is a 10 hour drive -- probably longer with taking the little ones. We are going up to see my mom's dad who is 90 years old. Libby hasn't met him so I thought we better get up there before his health declines.
I have put off packing but need to do it since we are leaving tomorrow. I can't believe my list of items to pack is 2 pages long. It is amazing what you need to bring for toddlers. Where is a nanny to pack all this when I need one :)?

I am also putting a few pictures of Libby dancing in her little ballet shoes my mom had gotten her. I tried to French braid her hair like my mom used to do with me. But, she must be a tom-boy at heart because she had the French braid in her hair for 5 minutes then took it out. I just like to take pictures so I know as a mom I started out with hair that was clean and brushed in the morning. It somehow makes me feel better...hee hee.

Hopefully I will have some good pictures to post when I get back.

Playing at the Park

I went to the park the other day with the kids. They love getting outside and I love it too! It is a few less hours I get stuck watching: Monsters Inc, Robots, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Shrek, or Lilo & Stitch.
Libby looks sooo tired in the picture with Lake and I. Her eyes are barely staying open. But, that's what happens when you climb up the slide for 2 hours :).

Kids and Bubbles are the perfect combo.

Why is it that kids look so darn cute in the bathtub? I love getting pictures of the kids smiling and playing with all the bubbles.
I wish I could sit in the tub with bubbles in my hair and have people think I looked cute. But, for some reason after giving birth to two kids it's not really that appealing. There is no way to make old stretch marks look good -- even with cute bubbles all over them. Darn it!

EASTER 2009

Here are a few Easter pictures. My favorite one is of Lake and Libby trying to dig into Grandpa's cupcake. Definitely my children!!!
My dad's 70th birthday landed on Easter this year. So, the family got together and got to celebrate both occasions. What could be better than Birthday cake, Easter peeps, and Chocolate in the shape of eggs and bunnies? ..........Uh, Nothing! Okay, well maybe winning the lottery but even that's a close call.

Libby and Naptime = Trouble

So, I laid Libby down for her daily nap. I walked in about an hour later and discovered what really goes on when you put kids down for a nap.

I thought someone had broke in, until I discovered all the clothes that were thrown out of the drawers were all still there.

I guess Libby must have worn herself out opening every drawer and throwing clothes out, as she didn't even move off them to go to sleep.

You Can Never Stay Mad at Your Child

The other day I tried to get my son, Lake, to take a nap. He was so tired but would not sleep. I finally put him in his room and closed the door. I heard clanking for about 25 minutes then it was totally silent. I went into check on him (thinking he had fallen asleep) and there he was with his shirt on, no pants, and his snow boots on the wrong feet. I have no idea where he got those snow boots or how he got them on. They are from last year and a size too small.
Right when I opened the door he said, "Hi Mamma". It totally made me laugh and realize that these are the moments that make being a Mom so awesome.

2009 Resolutions

I was talking to the awesome guy I date and told him my New Year's Resolution for 2009 was to work on my 2008 resolutions. My New Year's 2008 resolution was to work on my 2007 resolutions. My New Year's 2007 resolution was to work on my 2006 resolutions. My 2006 resolution was to work on my 2005 resolutions. I think you get the idea of how this works.

Actually, my overall goal is to enjoy 2009. I really just want to be a good mom, be healthy (I have had the flu 3 times this past year), and cherish all the wonderful moments because they seem to go by so quickly.

I am posting a few recent pictures of the kids and myself over this holiday season. I am glad the holidays are over, but they were much better than I had anticipated.

The Biggest Loser

I just wanted to tell everyone what being the biggest loser feels like. It's sitting in front of your TV watching the show, "The Biggest Loser" while eating a huge bag of animal crackers with frosting. Why is it that every time I watch that show I feel the need to eat chocolate, nachos, spare ribs, little smokies, chicken wings, cookies, etc.? I swear it's that Bob and Jillian. They make those people work out so hard that I get hungry just watching them sweat.

Just in case you don't know who they are, I am posting a picture. I'm pretty sure Jillian was about to jump through the TV and personally pull the animal crackers from my fist tonight.

Next week I am going to put saw dust all over my floor. Then, I am going to order the greasiest fried chicken I can find. Once I finish with the bones, I will just chuck them on the saw dust floor. To top it off, I will get a bowl of peanuts with the shells and throw them on the ground as well.

Bob and Jillian -- You're definitely invited!