Happenings...

---Tax season is about to end! YAY! Actually it hasn't been all that bad. With the firm being smaller than his previous employer, and Hubs being one of the "bosses" he isn't working more than his off busy season hours at his past jobs.

---Our 13th wedding anniversary is on Monday. I know that 13 is nothing compared to 50 but to us 13 sounds like a lot. We have been through a lot together and I am happy we have come through happy to still be together. Love my man!

---We will finally have the opportunity to get away together the week after Easter. I am so excited, it is so long over due. I seriously can't remember the last time we had a little get-a-way.

---Hubs is really enjoying his job and he admitted to me that he is even enjoying doing taxes which he has always hated. He comes home happy instead of frustrated and I am so glad that he has found that in his job.

---Hubs has also started to learn how to knit as to help keep himself from playing on being on his phone all the time. I think it is great. I might start doing it with him. I have been thinking about making some short term goals for myself to learn some new things.

---Homeschooling has been fine. We haven't been doing a lot of structured learning, most of it is on the fly but my kids are learning new things so I count that as a success. I believe Mac is at a first grade level for math (he seems to really love math) and he is more hesitant about reading, although he can read great. So we need to work on that a bit. I mostly work with him on little things here and there that I know he could work on.

---I finally got both the kids into a dentist for their cleanings and check up this week. They were supposed to go in December but with the chaos that never happened. A great thing is that we finally have dental insurance to cover preventive care for the kids (only). That has been super great. It was costing us about $1000 a year just for both of their check ups. Mac's check up was great. For some reason his teeth turn grayish over time no matter how much we brush. It has started to collect on his teeth as early as a week after having his teeth cleaned. It looks terrible but thankfully it doesn't do anything to his teeth and the hygienist is able to clean it all off. Dentist says his teeth look really healthy and we have made an appointment to get a sealant on a permanent molar. He also has a two year molar that has not emerged all the way and we may have to shovel out some money to get it looked at and possibly removed by a specialist. Oak rocked her appointment and she let them do everything they needed to. However she does have the start of a cavity between two molars. She doesn't need a filling but we do need to be more vigilant about flossing that spot.

---Oak has gone three weeks without sucking her thumb. So proud of her! I plan on doing a post about that.

---We unfortunately found out we are not able to get a loan to purchase a house for about another year or more. There is a some regulation or what ever it is called that says that if you are new business owner you have to have two years experience before you can buy a house. And technically Bryce is a new business owner. A little frustrating but we aren't devastated.

--With that being said we found a new place to rent. It is a town house with three bedrooms and attached two car garage and a small fenced in backyard. It has a lot more room and we will be able to unpack a majority of our things where living in this small apartment we have done without a lot of our things because we just don't have the space. Some bonuses is that there are a lot of children in the neighborhood and it is on a dead end street and the popular walking trail close by. We are excited! We will sign the lease and do a walk through next week but we are going out of town so we won't be moving until we get back.

---The weather has been so wonderful the last week. And the blossoming trees are out and the flowers are blooming and it is greening up just a bit around here. Love the sunshine.

---Last night Oak spent from 8pm to midnight crying off and on, with the majority of the time crying. It was rough. Hubs and I tag teamed it but I eventually had to let Hubs go to bed so he could get some good enough rest for work the next day. It started it out as a sore/canker sore in her mouth hurting and then it was like she thought she was dying or something. She had to have a throw up bowl because she assumed she was going to throw up and then she wanted a cold pack because she assumed her head would start hurting. And really she was just overly tired and had a hard time resting her body. She fell asleep a few times but kept waking up crying.  She really was fine health wise so I avoided giving her any medicine but by midnight I couldn't take it and thought maybe she was actually sicker than I thought and gave her some motrin. And with in minutes she actually communicated with me without crying for the first time in four hours. And so I made her a bed on the floor next to my side of the bed and she was asleep within 30 seconds and slept the whole night. She has been totally fine today however I have woke up in a grumpy, emotional mood.

---Mac lost another tooth! This would be his 5th. He lost one of his top, front ones. And I am so excited because the other one is loose so soon his grin will be so cute with those two missing front teeth.

---Oak has been very into doing my hair and wants to do it numerous times a day. She actually can even put my hair in a ponytail and can put her own hair in a ponytail. She also almost always is wearing her cape, crown and a glove (Queen Elsa) when we leaving the house to go anywhere. It is quite cute!

---I went to the YMCA yesterday and picked up papers to join and to sign the kids up for swim lessons. I am really excited because for our whole family to be members it will cost us less than $50 a month. And that includes free access to gym and there group classes and child watch while we are doing those. And we get a huge discount on the swim lessons.

just a life update...

--Our house is SOLD! Well, in the process. It will close on February 27th. So in just two weeks! We will be going up soon to empty out our garage which is full of half the stuff we own. And will some how try to fit it all in the garage we have here. Hoping to either find a great house soon or build one.

--We just spent two weeks up north while daddy stayed home and worked. We spent some time in Veneta visiting friends and my in-laws and most of the time at my parents house. My dad had a cataract surgery on each of his eyes so I went up to help him and my mom out. The kids also got to go to Grandma and Grandpa's (Hubs' parents) Valentine Grandkid party which was so much fun. And Hubs' brother and his wife had their first baby while we were up there. The day before we left to come home, I got to go and snuggle her for a bit. They also had quite the snow and ice storm while we were there. We were gone for 16 days and we are glad to be home with daddy. We missed him!

--Hubs' job is great. He is loving it, but hasn't gotten into a comfortable place with it yet, which will come with time. He has finally been able to do some of the stuff he loves like making contact with clients and working on growing the firm. He loves that there isn't a lot of office politics since it is all women working there. They all work part time and none of them are competing for a higher paying/better/seniority job. They are all just mothers working part time to help their families out. They are all so nice there. He loves the atmosphere and the other partners he works with.

--Homeschool is good. It can be really difficult but I really love it also. We haven't done a whole lot in the last couple of weeks because of traveling but thank goodness it is just kindergarten and preschool so we can do alot of other things that teach them things and not just the basic subjects. Mac most of the time has a bad attitude about it before we start, but once we get going he enjoys it. He was the same for going to school and taekwondo, he hated getting ready and going but once there, loved it.

--Both Hubs and I have callings now. I got one the week after we moved in and I am teaching CTR 7 in Primary. Hubs just got called (even though he has been here since November) as Scout committee chairman for the stake or something like that. We LOVE the ward and we have been able to make friends so easily here. Everyone is so friendly and inclusive. There is a stake play group that we go to every week and also a music group that someone from our ward puts together every week.

--We have been praying for snow here otherwise we will be in a drought this summer. They are several feet behind on snow. The farmers rely on that snow to water their crops so it is important.

That's all I can think of now. Will be updating with photos soon!

Happenings and cell phone pics for July...

Last week at church Oak was eating pretzels and coloring with crayons. My MIL got my attention and I look over and Oak's mouth is bright blue. She had eaten a crayon thinking it was a pretzel but didn't realize it until she had chewed it up pretty good. As I was cleaning her up she said, "That was really gross!" I got her all cleaned up except for what was stuck in her molars, which was alot. I tried scrubbing it out with a wet wipe but I just couldn't get it all. She ended up eating more pretzels which did the job. The whole thing was pretty hilarious and I could not stop laughing about it.

After spending almost two weeks with my SIL's and their cute swim suits at the lake house I decided I needed a new cute suit. I just happened to find one on the clearance rack at Walmart of all places for $18. So excited since all the cute, modest ones I had been looking at online were at least $50 for just the top.

Mac lost his second tooth while Hubs and I were on a date. This time it just came out with him wiggling it with his tongue.He was very excited for the tooth fairy to come again.

While I was gone to the lakehouse, Hubs sanded down our deck then I helped him restain it. It didn't turn out very good so we will probable redo it next summer. But it will work for this summer.

For the first time since we have had our garden we are getting cucumbers and green peppers and not just a few but a lot. We have never before been successful with those two crops. We have already picked zucchini and given some away and eaten some. Our tomatoes are getting there, but not even close to being ready yet. Excited about those!

We will spend the next four weeks in swim lessons everyday. On top of that we have taekwondo everyday. I am tired just thinking about it.

Our neighborhood is having a garage sale day and I am excited to participate, although thinking about all the work going into it is causing me a bit anxiety.

I am in charge of our Ward's Sacrament Meeting Primary Program and it is in just two months. More anxiety! Last year it turned out great and it was my first time ever doing one, so I am sure this year will be just as good.

July is the month that we were CHOSEN to be our kids' parents. It is a special month and always makes me reflect on what a miracle adoption is.

We went to Hubs's company family picnic. They roasted a pig and it was on a golf course so the kids had fun running around on it.

Hubs saw a pretty intricate spider web on our deck so he found a grass hopper and put it in the web to see if the spider would come out. Well we got quite the show! It came out and was biting it and trying to wrap it and finally it got it good and dragged it down into it's little funnel leading under the deck. It was pretty cool!

Cell phone pics! I can't wait to get a new phone next month and have better quality phone pics.

Patriotic wonder woman.

Snuggling before bed at the lakehouse. Love my racoon face from wearing my sunglasses in the sun everyday.

The unltimate super hero!

We met up with my dad one day for an early dinner. Mac was out of town and so was my mom and Hubs was still working, so it was just us three.

Made blueberry muffins from scratch with freshly picked blueberries. Heavenly!

Cousins and a lunch picnic indoors since it was way too hot to be outside.

Coloring on a beach ball at daddy's company picnic.

Mac lost his second tooth and his first adult tooth is coming in great!

Finally getting to fly our kites.

These two had  no naps and a lot of cake and ice cream and they were all giggles! 

It was hilarious!

Waiting for swim lessons to start.

Oak experienced her first piece of gum when her cute little friend at taekwondo gave her some. She thankfully did really well. 

Mac jumped off the diving board at the end of his first week of swim lessons. He loved it and could have done it over and over again. He is doing so great with lessons!

Oak had all the letters in her name down now and we just now need to get them in order. She is very good at the double E.

I asked her to draw a turtle and this is what she drew. Isn't it so cute??

Mac tried to run away when he got mad that he had to wait to watch a movie until we could get the tent set up so we could eat dinner and watch the movie inside it. Sometimes trying to make things fun backfires! Grrrr!

Cute kids on the tramp at grandma's 

I went to put the spray nozzle (that we hadn't used in a couple of weeks) on the hose so we could wash the car. I looked inside and saw a bunch of dead grass in it so I pulled it out and there was more, then I pulled that out and then all these dead green grass hoppers fell out of it. It was so weird. So a grasshopper must of layed a nest or something, not sure. Weird!

Our garden looks great! I love going out everyday and seeing if there is anything to pick. We have picked a few zucchini and a few cucumbers and a couple of peppers. And even two little cherry tomatoes. YUM! 

A flower chain for this pretty girl.

Happenings

It has been a year since we were approved to adopt. So we are in the process of getting re-approved for another year. We went and got our fingerprints done and then our caseworker did our house visit where she just checks safety. We have a few more other small things to do and then we will be ready for another year with hope that this is the year we will find our baby.

Mac is finally taken interest in reading and is doing great. I am not sure how much he works on reading at preschool, but we haven't worked on it too much at home. When he has a moment of interest I help him and give him some pointers but I haven't been strict or consistent about teaching him. I don't want him bored in Kindergarten this next year.But he has picked up on it and he is doing really well at sounding out the words and reading. So proud!

Every once in awhile I realize that I am not being as consistent as I should be with timeouts. And it was really showing lately, yikes! So we have cracked down on timeouts in our house.

We weren't able to get a date night/babysitting swap scheduled for April. But we already had our date for this month. We went to REI and then ate some yummy Mexican food. I got a delish Yucatan dish. SO YUM! We got a few things at Walmart and then some Redbox movies.

I have wanted Mac to be my piano prodigy from the moment he was born. He has an ear for music. We would like to get him in piano lessons but at this point in our lives we are only able to put him in one activity which is Taekwondo at the moment. But for now Hubs has written the notes to Teach Me To Walk In The Light on a paper and has put stickers with the letters on the piano keys. He has most of the song memorized. I think this next year we will get some beginner piano books and have daddy teach him more.

Mac got a Thomas the Train Junior UNO game as a gift. Mac picks up pretty quickly on how to play games and it was no exception with this game. He also really loves playing games! We have played it often and he is better at it than me. We just bought the regular version of UNO and we will see how he does with that.

We went to kindergarten registration a few weeks ago. Mac is so excited about going to kindergarten. I am anxious to see how he does since we will most likely be homeschooling after this year.

I had to speak in church last week. My topic was "living and teaching the gospel at home". I think it turned out okay, but mostly I am just glad that it is over with.

Hubs got an iPhone recently. I have been pretty adamant that I don't want a smart phone but now that he has one I want one! I have to wait until August when I can get a free upgrade.

Hubs was out of town for a week and it was miserable. At the very same time the weather had turned bad so we were pretty much stuck in the house and my kids were bored so they were extra difficult and getting into lots of trouble. It was not fun!

The first part of the month was pure summer weather with it being 80 degrees out everyday then the last two weeks it has been cold and wet. We are ready for summer!!

Our garden is looking so great. Hubs ended up planting most of it with seeds straight into the garden beds and surprisingly it is all growing, thanks to the heat we have had. I will have to take a picture of it.

I chopped my hair! And thankfully found someone who wants to trade doing my hair for photos.

Last week marked nine years since we lost our beautiful Brooke. We miss her so much!!

Our June is filling up fast and I am already pretty much dreading it because I hate being over scheduled. It stresses me out and causes a lot of anxiety for me. The only thing I can do is take it one thing at a time and enjoy. Because at least it is all fun stuff!

happenings...

-So I had decided to delete my Facebook account completely. I scheduled it to be done, which takes two weeks. After about a week, I decided to not delete it completely and to just keep it deactivated for now.

--So I started to do a little mommy preschool with Oak. Last week we only ended up doing one day of it but that was all she needed to learn the letter A. Since then she has continually pointed out evey A that she sees. She loved doing it and we will continue to do it a couple a days a week when Mac is at preschool.

--One day I was just getting tired of Mac's room and I wanted to clean it, move his bed and take down the rain gutter bookshelves (which I hated) and make room for a little table so he can have a place to play legos and draw. Mac actually helped me a lot, although he didn't really like it. We took down the bookshelves, washed the walls and baseboards, vacuumed, moved his bed, cleaned out his closet, boxed up clothes that don't fit him anymore, and organized and got rid of some toys. I then worked on Oak's a little bit too, but didn't do as thorough of a job.

--I took Mac to the allergist for his yearly visit. They retested him for two nuts that he showed just a slight reaction to with his previous testing. He wanted to see if it was a false positive or if the reaction was less or  more. It happened to be a bit more of a reaction. It was hard to talk Mac into getting the testing done, but the nurse was patient with me and I finally got Mac to do it although he was not happy about it.

--After the allergist Mac and I went on a little date to get a Happy Meal and then to see the movie The Rise of The Guardians at the movie theater. He was so excited about it. It is fun to take just one of my kids out with me at a time. I feel like they are a totally different kid when they are by themselves.

--A couple of weeks ago, Mac woke up close to midnight and wanted me to come snuggle him. After he went to the bathroom I layed down and snuggled him in his bed. After a few minutes he told me his stomach hurt and asked him if he needed to go potty. He said he already had, which clued me into the possibility of him throwing up. So I went a grabbed a bowl and set it next to him and told him if he needed to throw up to do it in the bowl. A few minutes after that he sat up and threw up his entire stomach into the bowl (thankfully). He felt so much better after that. He woke up in the morning with a low grade fever, but had alot of energy and was not liking the fact that I was making him stay on the couch and rest. He had a another low grade fever late afternoon. But once that was gone, he was fine and never got sick again. Thankfully Oak didn't get it.

-So I had ordered essential oils from doTerra and was excited to when we finally got our package. I opened it up and they had packed everything but our oils (The Family Physician Kit). So I emailed me friend who helped me get all set up through doTerra, and she got it all taken care of. It was just an over sight and I had my oils within a few more days. And I was able to use them alot while my kids were sick this past week.

-So there is an adoption blog that I enjoy reading and she was doing a giveaway for a CD and so I entered and won. I was so excited!

-My friend is certified to teach children yoga and she was teaching a class at a neighboring towns library. So we decided to go because it sounded fun and to support my friend. It was so much fun, and the kids keep talking about going again. But while we were there, I did see a lady with a video camera but didn't think much of it. But the next day a friend from my ward texted me saying she had seen my kids on the news. He then emailed me the clip and sure enough my kids were in the short clip ALOT. Mac thinks he is the coolest kid ever because he was on the news. (If you are at all interested here is the link http://www.kmtr.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoId=3961918&navCatId=19833 then go to the "Ducks win civil war, third Coos Bay murder arrest" link and it is the last 45 seconds of the clip. Which unfortunately you have to watch the whole clip to get to the end.)

 -Both of the kids have had diarrhea for a couple of days, then Mac got a bad cough, then a fever, then a sneezy, snotty nose. Thankfully Oaks never got that far. We had a few sleepless nights and early mornings watching movies because he just couldn't sleep. Yesterday, at about 10:30am he said he was tired and wanted to take a nap. I took him to his room, and he fell asleep within a couple of minutes, and slept for nearly four hours. When he woke up, he seemed to be feeling A LOT better. As of today, he seems to be over everything but the cough. Which we can probably count on staying for a bit. Unfortunately he has missed preschool and Taekwondo for the entire week. We haven't left the house in three days, and you can tell that we are going to go crazy if we don't get outside or just somewhere else soon.

And a few pictures from a beautiful day last week...

oak giving her favorite dog, Bobo, a hug.

the ladybug oak carried around for a few hours. pretty sure the poor thing was traumatized. it did live and I finally talked her into laying it on a leaf so it could go find it's family.

happenings...

--Hubs has been working A LOT! But that is to be expected for tax season, so we are pushing through. He has been leaving by 5:30 am every morning and has been trying to get home by 6pm. But he has had alot of evening meetings for church and other things so we still aren't seeing him that much in the evening. Thankfully he is pretty good at quality time with us when he is home. The kids are really hating waking up and not getting to see their daddy before he goes. It is really sad to see their reaction in the morning when they ask if daddy has left already.

--I fell going down our front step the other morning. I just wasn't paying attention and missed the step as I was going down. I ended up catching myself with our square wooden post and then slid down that and landed on my left knee. I scraped and bruised my arm in three spots from the three corners of the post and my knee got skinned pretty good through my jeans and ended up bruising too. It hurt really bad, and then I felt really bad for all the times I tell my kids to "walk it off" or "your tough!" because I can tell you I wanted to cry and someone telling me that would have made me mad. Thankfully I didn't get hurt worse.

--I love Valentine's decorations but totally dropped the ball and didn't get anything out this year. It makes me kind of sad. Better luck next year. We did however make some cute Valentine's. And we did have a fun little fancy dinner with candles and glass goblets. This kids loved it!

--I finally ordered some essential oils from doTerra. I have wanted to do that for about a year. I have heard so many people talking about how much they love using them. And we have been wanting to find alternative methods for treating us and our kids when we are sick or hurt. I am really excited about it!! They should be here any day.

--I had a really bad bout with my acid reflux recently. It has been a few months since it has been this bad. I was even taking something to prevent it and it still came on full force. It is so painful and leaves me pretty useless because it hurts to even move or touch my stomach. I am hoping some of the essential oils will help with it better.

--The kids got to go to my in-laws house for their annual grandkid valentine party. They do this so the parents can all go on a date together. It ended up being us and just one of his sister's for our date. But it was really fun. We ate dinner at Chapala's, ate dessert at The Sweet Life and then went and watched The Hobbit at the movie theater. The kids loved every second playing at grandma's and getting to do their fishing party game where they get all their fun prizes and treats. Neither of the kids had naps and we didn't get back until 10:30pm. Mac was great and Oak had done great and was in melt down mode when we were about to leave because she was so tired.

--So I had been struggling with Mac staying in his room for quiet time. He would come out alot and ask if quiet time was over. Then all of a sudden I had the great idea to use a kitchen timer for his quiet time. It has worked wonders. The first week I would tell him if he came out for anything but going to the bathroom that I would add time to his timer. He did that a couple of times and he has now gone a couple of weeks without me having to add time. And sometimes he will even crawl up in his bed and take a nap. Love it!

--Along the same lines of what I just talked about with Mac...we were having problems with him coming and waking us up early every morning. So I had remembered an idea that I had heard before with an alarm clock. Mac knows his numbers so I had him pick out a new clock, at the store, for his room and we told him if he woke up before the first number said 7 then he needs to stay in his room and play until he sees the number 7. It took a little bit of training him. But he now just does it on his own without us having to remind him about it much. We aren't super strict about it and if we are already awake we will let him come and get in our bed and snuggle, but if we are needing just a bit more sleep then it works wonders to tell him to go and play until it says 7. And he happily does.

--Hubs and I have been working out most nights to the Insanity workout program. We love it, but it is HARD! The first of January I started working out three days a week to a Jillian Micheals workout DVD, then we decided to get Insanity and a couple of weeks ago we started working out together. I love having someone to work out with. I also love working out. I am excited to get in better shape and to lose a little weight (I have gained almost 10 lbs in the last year) and to hopefully get a boost for when I start running in a few months. I took a week off on accident since we had some late nights with other activities and then I was sick for two days then it was the weekend. But we are back to it.

--My brother Chris was in town a couple of weeks ago for business. It was so great to see him, since it had been two and half years since we saw him last. After he had left I realized that in the last year that I was able to see every single one of my siblings. That is crazy, since the six of us live in four different states. We are trying to put together a reunion in Utah this summer to celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. I can't wait for us all to be together at once. It has been almost eight years since that has happened.

--It has been almost a year since I decided we needed to change how we ate. And just today I realized how far we have truly come, especially with our kids. Mac told me he was hungry and I asked him what he wanted and he asked for a sliced apple. It made me so happy that our hard work has paid off. He is the pickiest eater and it has been a struggle with him. He still doesn't like veggies much, especially cooked ones, but he has gotten to the point that he will at least try new foods and will also take at least one bite of everything on his plate without much of a fuss. HUGE improvement for him!

--Two weeks ago I deactivated my Facebook account. I have loved not being attached to it so much that I am seriously thinking about completely deleting my account all together. I have gone back and forth on doing this for a long time, because I didn't want to take away that opportunity that maybe we would find our next baby through FB. But, I just decided it was what I needed to do and I feel good about it knowing that Heavenly Father will make a way for us to find each other.

--For adoption news, it will officially be nine months, this Sunday, since we were approved. And we have not had one single contact. I have alot of thoughts and feelings about this, but I haven't been able to put it into words to post about it. As the year mark approaches we are trying to figure out exactly what we want, need and can do to add another little one to our family. It is hard and burdensome to navigate this part of our life and to not have complete control over it. Ugh! Leaving the pity party now, sorry...

five months, feelings and happenings...

Today marks five months since we were approved to adopt. This day is significant because on our five month mark the first time we were approved was the day we found out about Mac. So tomorrow will officially be the longest we have waited for any of our babies. I am okay with it to a degree since I have had the feeling that this time it will take much longer. But it still makes me anxious, since we have had no contact at all from an expectant parent.

The first few month of being approved I had more anxiety about that fact that we weren't physically ready for a baby to join our family. Like we didn't have a big enough vehicle to fit another car seat, and the expense seemed overwhelming to think about buying more diapers and formula. So the wait was tolerable and I welcomed it. But we now have a minivan and Oak is potty trained and we just feel physically ready  now. We are also about to convert Oak to a big girl bed so the crib will even be ready soon.

I don't feel hopeless about the wait, but I just feel anxious. And this may sound a bit weird, but I would like to have some sort of contact from an expectant parent even if it doesn't work out. I just want to feel like we are being considered and that we are still working towards something. I know that the Heavenly Father's hand is creating our story, and I am trying to remember and have faith in that. He did it two other times for us and He will do it again.

On another note, lately our infertility has made me a bit sad, not depressed, just sad. I feel like I am revisiting old feelings and the loss of what I will never get to experience, and having to grieve again about it. And the hardest part is that I feel totally guilty about it. I feel like I don't have the right to be sad about it because I am incredibly blessed. And I really thought that I had healed way more than this. And the guilt has been the hardest thing to work through. My sadness isn't even as intense as it has been in years past. It has just brought a heaviness to my heart and then when I realize that my heart is heavy I feel guilty which feels suffocating. I feel like I am going in circles. These feelings haven't taken me over or my life so in whole I am doing good.

Thankfully I have a lot to distract me, that helps A LOT! And actually we are doing really good and we are happy as a family. To prove that, here are a few little happenings...

*Pretty consistently we have been reading the scriptures (not the scripture reader) as a family at night before the kids go to bed and then saying family prayer. And then we always do a family hug, which I think the kids like the most.

*My SIL found out she is having a baby boy! I am so excited! I was hoping for a girl so that Oak would have a girl cousin close in age, but I had a feeling it would be a boy. She posted ultrasound pics on her blog and oh my his little feet are so adorable. We are all excited for him to come in March. Mac especially keeps talking about his new baby boy cousin who he has named Junior. lol.

*Oak had a fever with no other symptoms except a little more irritable for five days straight. I thought that it might be Roseola or a UTI or maybe an ear infection. But like I said she had no other symptoms so I never took her in. She never ended up with Roseola so I don't know what it could have been.

*I have been making Mac take naps again, and it has been so nice to have that alone time during the day to relax. Although I should be doing housework instead, haha.

*I have been watching the series Once Upon A Time on Netflix and I have really liked it. I also just noticed that the added new episodes to Switched At Birth, which I had been watching during the summer.

*I deactivated my Facebook account. I have gone back and forth for months about doing it, but then I always talk myself out of it, because I worry that we may miss a contact from someone about an expectant mother looking to place their baby for adoption. But I at least feel okay to do it for now. We will see how long it lasts.

*We went to the Pumpkin Patch and I will have pics up of that soon.

*Mac is loving Preschool!! I love that he loves it so much. So far I have decided to give him chance at the local elementary school for Kindergarten next year just to see how he does. Although I won't be letting him ride the bus. He is very impressionable especially when it comes to things that are not good and I feel the need to protect him from unnecessary bad influences.

*I had a pretty big health concern recently and after going to the doctor and then to another doctor for some tests all is fine and I am so happy because it was a big weight on my shoulders for a couple of weeks.

*We received the sweetest letter from Hubs's Mission President thanking us for coming to his wife's funeral. It was a standard letter he sent to everyone, but it was so meaningful and beautiful.

*Voting time! I don't like politics and don't ever want to talk to anyone about politics except my husband. But I am excited to vote, especially in this election. My hubby has his done, he is just waiting for me to fill my ballot out so we can drop it off.

*Mac has been drawing picture,. cutting them out and hanging them all over the house. It is adorable! I love it!

*I finally got our garage cleaned up a bit. It was trashed from all the summer playing and gardening.

*Did I mention that Oak is potty trained?!?! Like everything, day and night. I don't even worry about taking her anywhere in underwear anymore. I haven't changed a diaper in two weeks. That is the first time in almost five years. That is crazy! I kinda hope that I get to start changing diapers again really soon, but hope it is on our next baby.

*Oak is obsessed with wearing her OSU Beaver shirts all the time. It is kinda cute!

That is all I can think of at the moment. Sorry

Happenings...

I finally feel like there was enough to do a happenings post. I am not sure anyone cares, but I like looking back at these and remembering, "Oh, ya that did happen!"

-Mac and Oak got to spend the weekend at their grandparents house just for fun a couple of weekends ago. And Grandpa Dick to Mac to the car races. Hubs and I had the whole weekend to ourselves, it always feels strange for us to be home without our kids.

-I unexpectedly decided to start potty training Oaklee last week She was showing some significant signs that she was ready. She just barely turned two and I was trying to hold off as long as possible. But a week later she is doing great! We have had more #2 accidents than #1. When she does have a pee accident she catches herself and can finish it off on the potty. She isn't quite telling me when she needs to go, but when asked she will say yes if she has to. She is waking up dry for all naps and for most mornings.

-We had our Primary program that I was in charge of. The kids did a fantastic job!! My favorite part were the talks written and given by some of the kids. They were so personal and beautiful, and brought tears to my eyes. So glad it is over and now to get working on it for next year.

-Mac swallowed a rock the other night. Although not on purpose. He had been playing with a little polished stone the whole day, with me telling him numerous times to not put it in his mouth. He must have taken it to bed and was playing with it in his mouth and accidentally swallowed it. It scared him and he came running out of his room hysterically crying saying his neck hurt. Thankfully he has been fine although we did take him to the doctor to get an xray to make sure that it wasn't stuck anywhere. Now we are just waiting for it to pass.

-I have had the most terrible time sleeping lately, it is obviously leaving me very exhausted. It is quite annoying and I haven't had this problem since before Oak was born.

-I just finished reading my 6th book since 4th of July!! I am so proud of myself. I don't think I have read that many books all together in the last couple of years. I am not a reader, but I am determined to make myself one. I am about to start The Hunger Games, which I wasn't originally planning on ever reading but we saw the movie and now both Hubs and I really want to read it.

-Last week I went grocery shopping with Oak while Mac was at Preschool. I felt totally on top of it I had made a "menu" and a grocery list and I got it all done in an hour even with Oak whining most of the time. I went to check out and got all of my groceries up on the belt and was half way checked out when I realized I had forgotten my wallet at home. I was NOT happy! It pretty much ruined my whole day. I then had to go with both kids right after Mac's taekwondo and redo my entire grocery shopping trip. so fun!

-Oak is finally getting her two year molars. One day I was thinking I can't believe that she hasn't gotten them and checked in her mouth and saw nothing. A couple of days later, Hubs was brushing her teeth and found one on the top and one on the bottom popping through. She has been fine, just a bit more whiny and irritable.

-My beautiful, sweet SIL, (Hub's little sister) announced that her and her husband are having a baby in March. They find out if it is a boy or a girl in just a couple of weeks. We are so excited for them! I can't wait to know what she is having so I can start buying cute stuff! I am wanting to say girl, so Oak will actually have a girl cousin close in age, but I am thinking it is a boy.

-My headaches and migraines have been bad since we got home from our road trip. I was literally getting one or the other everyday for about two weeks. They are finally tapering off a bit, thankfully.

-We passed the four month mark of being approved to adopt and narrowing in on the five month mark. The longest we have waited was for Mac and it was five months when we were chosen. So I am becoming a bit anxious since we haven't heard anything from anyone. Trying to remind myself that I have felt that it would take longer this time.

-Our blender and food processor both died on the same day. I am not happy! We use both of those alot. The blender actually broker while I was in the middle of making a smoothy for dinner on Sunday. So I went to use the food processor to finish it off and it won't turn on. Ack! We use the food processor more, so that is first on my list to replace.

Happenings...

Life has been busy, busy...BUSY!!

What we have been up to...

-The last four weeks Mac has had swim lessons every morning and on top of that he has Taekwondo every afternoon. We made some great friends from swimming and played at the park right next to our local pool right after then would come home and play with our neighbor friends until lunch time. You can guess I had some very tired kids and a very tired mom every day.

-Both of my beautiful sisters came to visit, but at completely separate times. And it was so amazingly wonderful to see both of them and to spend some time with both. I hate that it is so long between visits!

- When my oldest sister was here visiting with her family from California we got to go through the Portland Temple with my Nephew when he took out his endowments. He is leaving on his mission to Bolivia in a couple of weeks.

- We had two birthday parties for Oak. One with our families and one with her birth family.

- I got my hair chopped in preparation to get our family photos taken this coming weekend. And as always my hairdresser did amazing and all it costs me is taking pictures of her family.

-Hubs and I have had a miserable head/sinus/chest cold that just will not go away. Mine has been more in my head with mild coughing and Hubs' has been more in his chest and coughing constantly. I missed going to an old friends wedding reception and going to the lake house with the whole family and a cousins wedding reception.

- I was called into the Primary presidency about two months ago and I am in charge of the Sacrament meeting program which is in less than a month. I am totally stressed about it...

- We celebrated Mac's "Chosen Day" and his "Forever Day" (the anniversary of when he was sealed to us).

-We went to a free carnival that our kids' dentist office puts on every year. It was so much fun! And Mac even was able to dunk his dentist in the dunk tank.

-Went to a memorial service for an old family friend who left this earth far too soon and is sorely missed by his beautiful daughters.

- I spent about an hour preparing 5 crock pot freezer meals to use for the next week for dinners. So easy and convenient and yummy dinners too.

-I gave Oak a an owie that made me super sad. She was sneaking water from the dispenser on the fridge and had dumped it all over while over filling her cup. And when she got caught she ran and slipped towards the fridge and her toes went into the vent grate under the fridge. Without me totally realizing this I picked her up and as her toes came out of the grate it shaved off a nice slice of skin off her big toe on top and on bottom and just slightly sliced the other toe. I felt AWFUL! Thankfully it has healed quickly and easily.

-I have picked about 7 huge zucchinis out of our garden. And about 5 to 10 yellow cherry tomatoes every day. Oh man are the tomatoes good!

-I have read 4 books this year! That is three more than last year. And one of them has been a parenting book. I feel like I am finally enjoying reading, and I really love it!

What is still to come...

- A fun ward activity at the lake.

-Visiting Oak's Birth-Great-Grandma.

-Hanging out with one of my best friends who I haven't seen all summer even though she only lives 30 minutes away from me.

-Mac testing for his orange belt in Taekwondo.

-Going to attempt a road trip to Montana to visit Mac's birth family who we haven't seen since he was eight months old and also hopefully see his birth mother.

-Mac starts Pre-K and will again be going to our neighbors house right across the street for it.

-Me trying to get feeling better and hopefully Hubs too.

-Me trying to get our Primary program finished, approved and parts handed out and practiced.

-We are having our family photos taken by the fabulous Kristen.

Life in bullet points...

Because I feel like we have been busy, and our computer is down and I can't upload Easter pics.

...both my kids were sick over lapping each other and for a total of about two weeks.
...hubs is at the home stretch of busy season and we will all be glad to say goodbye to April 17th!
...I mailed off the very last of our paperwork for our adoption application today.
...we have our final interviews next week and then we will schedule our home study and then we wait to be approved.
...my dad had surgery this last week and my parents came to stay with us for a few days while he healed.
...Mac went to his yearly visit to the allergist. It wasn't much of a visit but next year he will get retested for some of the nuts he reacted to just slightly. And we got a new Rx for his epi-pen.
...I went to go pick up his epi pens up at the Walmart pharmacy and they did not have them in stock either time so when they do finally get them I they will give them to me for free. That is huge since they are SO EXPENSIVE. They cost about $90 each after insurance coverage and they only come in packs of two.
...Mac used the word "lame" and "irritated" correctly today. What?! He is only four, yikes!
...tomorrow is mine and hubs 11th wedding anniversary! It is not ideal that we were married during tax season but thankfully our anniversary is on a Saturday this year and hubs isn't going to work. I think we plan on going to the coast as a family!
...I have been feeling extremely sluggish and tired lately. I thought it was just that my,husband is rarely home because of tax season and I have two very high energy kids. But come to find out I am extremely anemic. Not a surprise as I have been off and on for most of my life. Glad the tiredness is an easy fix.
...our computer got a virus and nearly wiped out our computer and external hard drive. Hubs got it fixed but then he saved everything and wiped out our computer himself. Hence the reason I haven't been able to blog much. I am now typing this up on our iPad. And it is very annoying to type on.
Since changing our diet as a family I have cut the amount of migraines I get in a month in half. With Easter and my parents staying with us we became a bit lax and I have had four migraines this week. Yikes!
...with the nicer weather this last week, I mowed our back lawn and scrubbed down our deck that was filthy from the winter dirt and weather. Now to get to our garden...
...that is all I can think off at the moment.

Happenings this week...

I have spent most of my week with a heavy heart and praying for those who are hurting from losing their loved ones.  I just really can't bear to hear anymore sad news this week. My Sister-in-law's (my brother's wife) brother was tragically killed. Some friends (from our old Ward in Tigard) lost their sweet little girl. She was two and she was born with a sever heart defect. And then some friends who were expecting to adopt a baby girl next month are now going through a failed adoption. I am just so heart broken for all of them, I can hardly stand it.

When I went grocery shopping by myself Tuesday night I got a text from Hubs saying that Oak woke up and was throwing up. She spent the entire evening from about 9pm to 12 am throwing up until Hubs was able to go find a gas station convenient store open and got some Gatorade. She downed that and was running around giggling at 1am when we put her to bed for the night. She slept the whole night and woke up much better. She still doesn't have an appetite and last night and this morning she really doesn't seem to be feeling very well again although no puking.

I got a text this morning with some very happy news from a friend and it has just made my day. So happy for her and her husband and where they are in their life right now. I can't wait for them to be sealed in the Temple and I really hope it works out for me to be there when that happens.

When I checked on Mac in the night (like I do every night) he didn't have a shirt on. Some how he must of taken it off, that was a first. So the first thing Mac says when he walks into our room this morning, Mac: "Mom, do you know what I found in my bed?!" (Me: "What buddy?") Mac: "A white shirt! I think it fell off of me when I was sleeping!"  I was laughing so hard! He has been pretty funny the whole morning and making me laugh non stop with the funny things he is saying. Love when he wakes up in a good mood.

I have been loving the morning sun bursting through our windows this week. And we even went outside a few times this week to play and walked to the mailbox a few times (I haven't done that in  months). Loved it!!

Yesterday Mac told me he really wanted Grandma W to come to his house. So I had him call her and he asked her if she could come to our house right now. They happened to be at their Walmart and left straight from there and headed to our house one and half hours away. The kids could hardly stand waiting for them to get here. I wanted to make a new recipe so I asked them to stay for dinner. It was fun!

We had to take the dresser and the rocking chair out of Oaks room. They were becoming a hazard as my baby girl is quite the busy thing and loves to climb and stand or get into everything. We moved them both in to our room, so my room is longer clean, ack! I got a little nine cube organizer and organized her toys and also got one for the toys in the family room. It has been a life saver for Oak and for cleaning up. So much easier.

Oak ended up getting a black eye when she was "helping" put together one of the cube organizers. The organizer was laying flat and I was hammering on the cardboard that goes on the back to sturdy it. I was putting the last of five cardboard pieces and only had one nail in it and she decided to lean on it like she was going to climb up and fell through. She smacked her face on the rough edge of the shelf and it smacked her between the eyes and underneath her right eye. The bridge of her nose swelled up pretty quickly and now her black eye is gradually subsiding. Pretty sure she is going to keep us in the ER most of her toddler years.

Oak went to Nursery the entire time this last Sunday. Hubs just took her for a little while to get used to it, since she is just a little over a month away from being old enough, and they said she was doing so good to just leave her there. So he did! And she did great! I can't believe how grown up she has been acting this week. It is killing me!

Happenings...

...Hubs has lost 40 lbs since I think February. He looks great and feels great! We are hoping it has helped his Cholesterol to go down too, which he will be getting checked when he goes to the doctor this month.

...We have been working hard on our back yard trying to make it nice and functional. It looked like a jungle after a bad turnout of grass and then neglect over the winter. We reseeded and the lawn looks awesome, we are building a small deck next week and we still need to finish tackling the jungle of weeds that has grown around the edge of the lawn along the fence. It is really coming together and we are hoping it will be looking great for Oak's 1st birthday party in two months.

...We have gone hiking and to the Lake house and on walks to throw rocks and float grass boats, tried flying kites and just playing on our street with the neighbors.

...Mac will have his first talk in Primary on Father's Day. He has been begging to talk in the micro phone since he started Sunbeams. He is just getting so big and seems to be out of the toddler stage.

...We finally became big kids and upgraded our bed. We went from a hand me down, 25 year old full size mattress to a queen, memory foam mattress. It is a bit firmer than I like, but I am not waking up in pain, which is awesome. We also bought a bed frame which we love. Now I feel like I can do some real decorating in our room.

...Mac also got an upgrade from a toddler bed to a twin bed. He is doing great with it and it is so much better to cuddle with him in.

...We planted our garden, and also planted some seeds for some starts. It all seems slow going and I hope that we won't have to replant too much. I think we are finally through the constant rain of spring and into more warmer, sunnier weather.

...Oak is fast and getting into everything. So fun and so exhausting! She will have her own update here soon since she will be 10 months old in a couple of days, crazy!

Happenings...

It has been way too long since I have actually blogged about what is going on in out lives, so here is an update...

*On the first of January I stopped eating chocolate to see if it would help with my migraines at all. So far it has been 27 days and I haven't seen a difference at all.  I was going to try to go until my birthday in March, but honestly if I don't see a change in the next week or two then I am done with this little experiment. It has actually been fairly easy not to eat chocolate, but the cravings have been hard, very hard!

*Hubs's busy season has not officially started yet. It will soon though. Hubs really loves his job, and that makes for a happy home. Also the new niche he has been starting up there is really doing great and growing.

*The car Hubs drives broke down this last weekend. So it is in the shop being fixed and we are trying to work life out with one car.

*I am now teaching the CTR 5 class at church, oh man I so love that age. They love to answer questions and they love having a teacher. I have about 7 little munchkins and I already love each of their personalities.

*We got a piano for FREE right after Christmas. It is about a 100 years old upright and in pretty good condition. My Mother-in-law bought me some Old English to polish it up and hide the scratches. It actually makes it look really great. We will be waiting a while to tune it, but I am excited to finally have one in our home.

*We have been trying to get alot of our adoption paperwork done. We are getting there slowly. I am hoping that we will be approved in the spring (March or April). I think what is going to actually be the hold-back on getting approved is our back ground checks and finger prints. They always seem to take forever or get lost int he process with the state and we have two states that we have to do this with. But I actually not too worried about it. I know in the end it will all work out how it supposed to.

*I have been doing photo shoots of alot of newborns/babies lately. And I have been loving it. A friend asked me last week if it was hard because of our situation, and actually it hasn't been at all. I realized that I have never even thought about our situation when photographing these beautiful babies.

*In December some friends from church adopted a sweet baby boy. I was lucky enough to be invited to take pictures at Placement. I can't tell you how overwhelming that experience was. It brought back so many emotions and memories of our very special day two years ago. I cried all the way to the hospital and all the way through the paperwork being signed and all the way home and alot over the next couple of days. I thought alot about our sweet, and beautiful C and just how greatful I am for her. We are truly blessed!

*Mac is seriously talking up a storm. And at least once a day he adds a new phrase to his vocabulary that usually stops me in my tracks because it is just so strange to hear those such everyday phrases come out of such a little body.

*It is my goal this week to get our garage completely cleaned out. It needs to be done before we have our home inspection for adoption. So Mac is going to go stay with Grandma and Grandpa and I am going to spend every hour I can working on it. Wish me luck!!

*Hubs has been on a diet for the last couple of months and has been doing really well. People are actually really starting to notice that he has lost weight. And he gets really excited when he tries on old pants that haven't fit him in years and they are loose on him. I am very proud of him!

*Mac has been doing really well at listening and obeying. He will do things that I ask him to do the first time. But then we have days where he just flat our refuses to do anything and he doesn't care what the consequence is. The life of a toddler...

*I really can't think of much more, I am sure I bored you all to death!

Favorite pictures of JUNE...and a little of life lately!

This picture shows Mac's personality to a T!

Daddy and Mac kisses during a round of "peekaboo!"

A Daddy in training! He LOVES to push things around.

Yesterday as I was cleaning under, behind and in my couch, Mac was pushing the vacuum cleaner around the couch, which was in the middle of the room.

He was telling me and showing me that that was a "guck" (truck).

I think he was trying to make sure that I knew he was still a boy even though he was pushing around Dora in a purple stroller. And what you don't see is the rocks that he picked up and put in the stroller with Dora. I think he is ALL BOY!

My handsome Man!

Mac showing Grandma the airplane in the magazine!

He grabbed grandma and the magazine and gave it to her saying "airplane". He wanted her to find the picture of the airplane that he had seen in it earlier. This would usually be a Mac and Grandpa thing, but I think Grandpa was gone, so Grandma had to do.

Getting a wagon ride with "cousins".

These boys are my cousin's twin boys, who are just a month younger than Mac. They didn't really know how to play with eachother this year, but maybe next year.

You can't tell from this picture, but Mac had climbed in and was sitting in his book basket.

I have no clue why!

Looking so handsome and like such a big boy, right before going to Uncle Spencer's wedding reception.

Daddy and Mac at the reception.

Mac was not a happy camper. It was during his nap, and by the end all he wanted was me, but I had to take pictures still.

Mac partying at the reception.

LOVE this photo! My handsome boy with a mouth full of teeth!

If this picture had sound, it would sound something like a high pitched scream! Oh brother!

I think I may go deaf, and I think that I better get some ear plugs. This boy has been screaming all day long, happy or mad! My neighbors just might call CPS with all the screaming they are hearing lately!

I was trying out this fabric I got to use as a background for my makeshift studio. This was pre ironed and starched and was just hanging over some chairs. I was also trying to test the light out at a certain time of day for some photoshoots I have coming up.

going on vacation...

I haven't felt like blogging much...hence the lack of blog posts lately.

But I wanted to quickly get down some of the things we have done in the last week or so.

I will be gone alot the next couple of weeks, so I will be blogging even less than I have the last month. But when I get back I will for sure be sharing about all the trips we have taken.

Last weekend, General Conference weekend we spent at my parents house. The weather was so nice and warm. Did alot of rides in my dad's 31 Model A Ford. Spent alot of time out side, and watched as much conference as we could. Took some pictures but will share later.

Got to meet our new new adorable nephew, hopefully I will get the chance to take some newborn shots of him soon.

Spent the day in shorts and outside last Monday. Found a beautiful park full of Blossoming Magnolia trees.

Mac and I invited a friend to go to the coast with us for the day. I thought the weather would be much nicer, and I was wrong. So the coast was basically a bust. But I do get a "Mother of The Year" Award for letting Mac fall down in the cold ocean water. Thankfully I was fully prepared for anything and had a change of clothes for him and the trusty baby powder to get all the sand off. The highlight was getting to talk alot with my friend Angie. Her and her husband will be approved to adopt very soon. I am so excited for them.

Wednesday, my niece Brenna flew into town. So I went and spent Thursday and Friday at my parents house to hang with her. She then came down and stayed the night with us on Friday night and spent the day with us on Saturday.

We watched two movies, Seven Pounds and Marley and Me. Loved them both!

Tried to get to an Easter egg hunt on time, but no luck. But did meet up with my friend Brynne and Mac enjoyed running around with Brenna chasing him.

We have been house hunting and Saturday went and looked at some Hayden Homes. Very beautiful!

Mac got a cute dog from Build-A-Bear from his Grandma Cammy.

Easter Sunday was a little chaotic and mostly not so fun. Spent most of the day without Hubs because of his meetings, so we never got a family picture. Mac looked pretty handsome in the outfit that his cousin Brenna got him. Mac was awful at church! And only did well through most of Sacrament meeting because I brought the bribe food: oreos and goldfish! Hubs split the back of his pants at church and had to run home and change (he is going to kill me for posting that). Not a big deal since the suit pants were at least 5 years old. I had a migraine by the end of church. We went home and waited for Hubs to finish his duties at church. Then headed to my parents house for dinner and to say goodbye to Brenna.

Mac took the Sacrament for the first time yesterday.

Mac has been way more cuddly and loving the last two weeks or so. I am loving it. After our bedtime routine Hubs would usually put him in his crib after I gave Mac kisses. Now Mac wants me to hold him and cuddle him before he goes down at night. I love it. He will put his head down on my shoulder and just lay there. This is unheard of from Mac. He has also at times sat on our lap and cuddled for five or more minutes at a time.

This week (the 14th) Hubs and I will be celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary! Busy season ends for Hubs on the 15th and then next day we will leave Mac (for the very first time) with my parents and go to the coast for a couple of days.

Next Monday Mac and I will be flying to Spokane to visit my friend for five days.

The beginning of May we will be driving to Utah with my parents to visit my brothers. They have never met Mac. We are also hoping to meet up with C, Mac's birthmother. We haven't seen her since last August. I am so excited to see her and for her to see how big Mac is getting.

As soon as we get back from Utah, Hubs's brother will be going through the Temple for the first time. He is getting married in June.

March Happenings...

-we have been doing family home evening every Monday. it only last about 30 seconds and it is usually just showing Mac a picture of Jesus and telling about the picture. Mac recognized Jesus and any Temple and can say both and point to them when he sees them.



-work for Hubs has actually slowed down sooner then the actual end of busy season. so he has been working normal hours this last week and he won't be working on Saturdays anymore.

-got invited to see a movie with friends from church. saw bride wars, and actually liked it.



-saw a friend from high school that i haven't seen in probably 7 or 8 years. it was really great to see him, and do a quick catch-up. (i wish i hadn't been in such a hurry so that we could have talked longer).



-i turned 30 years old. i still don't really believe it. my parents happily watched Mac on the Saturday before my birthday and Hubs took me to see Twilight and to PF Changs. Sorry, but I didn't like the movie, either did Hubs. we both thought it was corny and the actors were awful. I ended the date with a massive migraine.



-Mac was pretty good at church the last two Sundays. we have sacrament meeting in the third hour, which is hard on Mac, but with lots of snacks we can usually make it through. at one point Mac caught sight of Hubs sitting on the stand and started laughing. he kept on doing all the way through the meeting. he would say "dada" and then just start cracking up.



-Mac can now climb on his little chairs without wanting to climb up on the table all the time. when he climb up on the chair he usually ends up on his knees and then has figured out how to get his legs out so that he is sitting on his bum. when he ends up on his feet, he is having a harder time figuring out how to get to his bum. it is very cute to watch, he is just growing up so fast.


-Hubs got to take Mac and visit one of his good buddies from high school, while I was at the movie. Hubs really enjoyed visiting and showing off mac.



-we have been looking at houses a little. we are really hoping to buy a house by the end of summer.



-I have bought tickets to go see my friend in Spokane. I am really excited to see her and her family. But not excited about flying with Mac who is not a lap sitter and hates being confined in any way. So we will see how that goes.

-i have really felt like I need to build up our food storage lately. So I have been trying to buy a few jugs of water and a case of canned food a couple of times a month. I am also going to make a list of stuff for a couple of 72 hours kits and start getting a few things every week.

-