We've added to our household

Roy and I have been shopping around for living room furniture for some time.  I am no photographer but you'll have to take my word that this room is super comfortable - even if a bit sparse still.

Before (sans train tracks usually)

After (SO COMFORTABLE!)

We've also been wanting to do something in the backyard for the kids.  I am still pushing for a platform/swingset/playhouse over the sandbox.  But in the meantime we went shopping for this:

We didn't tell the kids what we were shopping for.  We told them IT would be super cool and they would love IT.  D kept talk out loud, "I wonder what IT is?  What could IT be?  Does this store have IT?"  It took us 5 stores before we found IT but IT was worth it!  The kids have had a great time so far and we look forward to many more hours of jumping/wrestling/fighinglaughing.

Simple pleasures

Chocolate covered donut with sprinkles.  Oh yea.

Our first foray into the world that is Chuck E. Cheese birthday parties.

Fishing at "Get Outdoors" Day at our local park.  Each kid got a fish which we then ate for dinner.  Awesome!

Turning 30 lbs of cut strawberries into 3.25 gallons of strawberry jam and plenty of strawberry shortcake. Yum!

Crafting!  The small flower vase is a teacher gift for D's 1st grade teacher.  It is dry erase markers in a vase with  Hersey Kisses.  The flower pot in the entry way makes me smile everytime I think about it!  I love it!  My friend gave me the light up flowers in the pot and I painted the pot to be cute and have our house number.  I LOVE IT!

Turning 30!

Today is my birthday!  I have officially embarked upon the journey known as "30's".  "20's" was a good ride.  Lots of changes, learning and growing.  I still don't feel much older than a young co-ed but apparently I am.
I celebrated by being treated to a movie by my neighbor and friend, Jenn and her mom.  It was awesome getting out and going to a movie theater.  Plus the theater was awesome.  It was a Cinetopia which is apparently a step above regular movie theaters.  We saw Snow White and the Huntsman.  I liked it.  It was way too intense and scary for kids but not so much that I left feeling jumpy or creepy.  Good amount of action with a very mild hint at romance.
Tonight, Roy took me out to Red Robin where I got my free birthday burger.  Love Red Robin (yummmm).  I also went through 3 freckled lemonades.  Seriously, what is it that makes their lemonade so much better than other lemonades?
We finished with dinner but didn't want to go home yet because if I get a babysitter, I am NOT putting my kids to bed.  (Turned out we should have saved our money.  The babysitter had put the kids to bed like I asked but no one was asleep.)  So Roy and I went to Home Depot to brainstorm and look at swingsets.  We want to build one over our sandbox.  When we left the Depot we went to Roy's office so we could use his computer to brainstorm some more.
When we got home my friend Tyce and her family was here dropping off a balloon and some birthday cake.  We chatted for a bit before going in to re-introduce our kids to their beds for the night.  A had taken a big nap and gotten up about 5pm.  Bad for bedtime.  She was being so ridiculously sweet thought that it was hard to be upset.  She wanted me to read her a book then she started reading me books.  She read a book that is the song "If You're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands".  So cute to hear her sing:
"If you happy and know clap hands,
if you happy and know face will show happy clap hands"
Then she started reading me a dinosaur book.  She kept saying, "You listen, me talk.  Me talk, you listen."  whenever I would make sounds or try to read the page.  Adorable.  I could just eat her up.
It was a happy birthday spent with friends and family.  I'm lucky to have so many great people in my life.  I'm looking forward to the next 10 years journey with happy anticipation.

All I want!

I told Roy tonight what I want for my birthday:  Everyone in this house to use the toilet at the proper time and in the proper way!

We spent at week at Grandma's house and A had 0 accidents.  Not even at night!  We get home and in the last two days she's peed in her pants probably 5-6 times!

K is reverting back to her old ways (see here and here and also here) which is getting unbearably old since she's nearly 5.  Tonight's stand off ended with a plastic glove and a dollop of KY.  I want to pull my hair out.

I taught preschool today and even had a little-boy/water-hose effect in the bathroom.  

Does it seem to much to ask for that I not have to deal with other's output for at least 24 hours -- or the rest of their lives... that would be best!

First time

I ran my first 5K this morning!  It was a very low key affair but still fun.  The weather didn't cooperate too much but it could have also been much worse.  There was a wind and it rained part of the time.  But it didn't rain hard and the wind was mild compared to the treebending wind we had yesterday!  I ran with my mom most of the time.  It was fun to do it together.  I'd love to do it again.  My time? 35:55.  Not bad for a first time and for training last week....

Pent up energy

Yesterday I woke up at 5 a.m.  That right there is worth a blog post since I NEVER get up that early.  Anyway.  I got ready and the kiddos loaded and we headed off to Utah.  My kids rock, by the way.  I drove from Portland OR to Boise ID.  NONSTOP.  That's over 400 miles of driving.  7 Hours!  Yeah.  Told you my kids rock.
In Boise, we gassed up, ate a sandwich in Subway then hopped back on the freeway until Brigham City UT.  We stopped there for a while playing at a park and eating ice cream cones.  By a while I mean an hour or so.   Then we drove the rest of the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Total Stats:
Google Maps = 900 miles - 15 hour trip
Our Time = 900 miles - 15.5 hour trip.  With three kids.  They are such good little travelers.  Honestly, I needed more stopping than they did!

So far today the girls have painted, jumped on the tramp, played on the swingset, played with Barbies and baby dolls.  A rode her bike and is reading books.  D has built and played with and picked up the Matchbox car track, train tracks, plastic kid version of an erector set and is now setting up the Big Big Loader track.  Have I mentioned that is is not even 11 a.m.?

Why drowsy blogging is bad:

Tonight I made Mexican style sweet pork.  If you haven't tried one of the many recipes for sweet pork around the internetland I think you'd better.  If you want a recommendation try the one from Our Best Bites.  Which I just looked on the website and it's not there so get the cookbook.  I put it on a leafy bed (sounds better than a pile of lettuce) and complimented it with fresh pico de gallo and black bean, mango salsa (which is basically mango, onion, black beans and avocado with a bit of a sauce - also in OBB cookbook).  Oh.My.Heavenly.Salad.  With fried tortilla strips thrown in for good measure and crunch.  I'll be having that for lunch tomorrow to thankyouverymuch.  Naturally, since it is such a divine mixture, the kids hardly ate anything.
On the hurt-so-good front, yeah.  I do.  Hurt I mean.  The good part is a bit ambiguous at the moment.  I'll let you know.  So my mom saw on the fitness blog that I also never post on that I had started a couch-2-5k program.  I said it in January.  No one should believe any fitness item posted in January.  Anyway, she hooked me up to run a 5k when I'm down visiting over Memorial Day weekend.  It will be with my mom, sil and brother.  So I have taken to training.  As in, a 5k on the treadmill and walking at night yesterday; 60 min step class and a mile on the treadmill today.  Tomorrow I tackle Zumba.  Tonight I convalesce.
D's best talking time is when he is in bed.  He will get going on stories and talking while he's laying in bed.  I'm not sure if it is because he is relaxed and ready to open up or if he just doesn't want to go to sleep.
A is potty training.  Sort of.  She's been alternating between big kid and baby for a few weeks but the last few days have been solid big kid days with only about 2 accidents a day.  Still, she's having 2 ACCIDENTS A DAY.  I am dying for her to potty train so I can shampoo every carpet in my house.  Oh, and she didn't want to put on a diaper for bed tonight because she's a "big kid" so I'll be doing that after she goes to sleep.  Unless I fall asleep first in which case I'll be washing her sheets in the morning.  Speaking of laundry, did I mention how many clothes we are currently going through?  Imagine, girls who change multiple times a day anyway plus 2 accidents a day.  No wonder I have a pile of laundry to fold that's bigger than my bed.  Roy wants my mom to come back because she folded all his laundry while she was here.  I say the kids are breathing, dinner was served and cleaned up and nobody got hurt in the process.  He should be grateful for what he's got right?  I mean folding laundry too?!  What do you people want from me?
huh.  I'm so tired.  Clearly.