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I haven't ditched blogger forever...

2009-12-29T22:26:00.001-08:00

I still look at blogs and I want to keep mine alive... at least from time to time.

I have started a new blog though, only one post so far. It's all about my craft things. Things that are creative and that I love. Sewing things, paper things, glass-etched things, any old crafty things I do. Check it out if you like that kind of crafty thing like I do.

www.craftythingsbyme.blogspot.com

Lame....

2009-08-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

So, I have become a lame blogger this summer. I admit it. Lame!

For updates on the Behlke Family, please visit me on Facebook, where I have been much better about posting pictures and updates- it's just so much faster over there to post! And i have NO time!!!

Sorry blogger, I'm just lame I guess.

The Leash...

2009-06-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are "those parents" now.

We put a leash on out 2 1/2 year old.

We were spending the day at the zoo and fairytale town.

He's a runner.

It was on clearance at Walmart.

We couldn't resist.

Owen actually likes his "backpack" and didn't seem to mind the leash part at all. He rather enjoyed pulling daddy along all day, to be honest. It also helped that it's something that he gets & brother doesn't have one. The soft, cuddly monkey doesn't hurt either. I only wish I had this last year when I flew to Ohio by myself, or last weekend at the Monterey Bay Aquarium!

Father's Day at Sacramento Zoo & Fairytale Town

2009-06-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Jason decided he wanted to spend his Father's Day by taking the boys to the zoo and Fairytale Town! We packed the kids up in the car and took off to Sacramento for the day. They are really the perfect age for this kind of trip, everything is so amazing and fun to them and they do really great on car trips now. We took lots of pictures (naturally) and enjoyed the day completely!

James & Owen on the throne in King Arthur's Castle.

The boys and Jason in the teepee
The boys and I at Fairytale Town.
The boys on Robin Hood & Little John's chairs in Sherwood Forest.

James as the Scarecrow.

Owen as the Cowardly Lion.

IThis one's for you, Todd & Kelly!

The boys on Mother Goose's lap. Turtle-back riding.

We loved running along the Crooked Mile!

We walked into the zoo right as the wildlife show was starting. It was one of our favorite parts of the day. The zookeepers taught us how they train the animals and let us see a few up-close.

This hawk free-flew right over our heads to land on the stage!

The giraffe exhibit is getting a major over-haul, I can't wait to see it when it's all done! The pink flamingos are always fun to watch.

The giraffes are so amazing & beautiful!

Of course, the primates were a favorite too.

This orangutan was really checking us out.

Thursday Dollar Movies

2009-06-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Tinsletown in Chico has a Summer Movie Clubhouse with previously released movies playing for just a dollar. We bought the season pass of 10 movies for $5, making it even less expensive! We usually meet up with Kristin, Brian and Charli. The kids have really enjoyed the thrill of going to the movies every week. So far we've seen "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" and "Star Wars: Clone Wars." This week we'll see "Daddy Day Care" and grandma is joining us for this one!

What a treat!

Last Kung Fu Class

2009-06-23T14:47:00.001-07:00

James and Renton finished their last kung fu class last week. They loved taking the class with Master Vince, we're hoping to put them in the class again in a few months.

Summertime Tots and Gardening Class

2009-06-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

This summer the boys are taking a 6-week long preschool class through Paradise Parks and Recreation District called "Summertime Tots." It is being held at Bille Park because the Terry Ashe Center where it's usually held is being remodeled. In this class the kids play, do crafts, hear stories, and learn lots of great things. They also take a gardening class on Monday afternoons and a sports class on Wednesday afternoons.

This is a very sentimental class for me because it's James' third and final summer in Teacher Lori's preschool. This is also Owen's very first time in Teacher Lori's preschool! The class is supposed to be for 3-5 year olds, but I called Lori and got special permission to have Owen in the class. She says he is doing great at listening, participating, and using the potty when he needs to go. I feel so lucky to live in a community with so many fun activities available for my kids to participate in! James will miss taking these classes, but he'll still be able to see Teacher Lori in the future when we pick Owen up from her classes to come!

My boys with Teacher Lori.James and Teacher Thomas.

James made this super-cool Spiderman to share

when it was his turn for snack and sharing time.Yesterday in class the kids had a visitor- Jennifer Arbuckle from Northern Waste & Recycling came and taught the kids about worms, composting and the importance of recycling. It was funny when I pulled up and saw Jennifer there. She helped Evergreen 6 get our grant that allowed us to start our worm farm and recycling programs. The worms she brought for the kids to touch & feel were from Evergreen's worm farm- these were my school worms!! Teacher Lori investigates the piles of dirt with the kids.

James and his friend check out their pile of worms.
Owen, Brian, Wyatt & Emma listen and learn about worm composting.

Brain & Owen checking out their worms.

Charli sat very still while getting her face

painted with a recycling symbol and a worm.

Owen was very interested in the coloring book about recycling.

Monterey Trip- June 12-14, 2009

2009-06-15T12:06:00.001-07:00

This past weekend the boys and I took a little road trip to Monterey! My dad was in a golf tournement with The Divots at Poppy Hills, and we haven't been to the beach in so long, so I though, "What the heck, why not?" It was a long drive, but the boys were prefect in the car both ways and the trip was so worth it! We really fit a whole vacation into the two days we were there. This is a very picture-heavy post, but the pictures really do tell the story of our trip.

At the hotel we stayed at, Cypress Gardens, there was a large hot tub that the boys really enjoyed swimming in. Diane, Dan, Aaron, Johnna and Alexis were all staying at the same hotel and we had a blast hanging out by the pool with them too.

On our first night there, we went to Fisherman's Wharf

for dinner and my dad treated the boys to an

ice cream cone afterwards- what a nice grandpa!!

First thing in the morning we headed out to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We beat the crowds and spent about three hours enjoying the awesome aquarium exhibits. They have a large seahorse exhibit right now, which was really neat to see.

The big tanks were so amazing for the boys-
they loved watching all of the fish and sharks swim by so closely!

The hammerhead shark was, of course, one of the boys' favorites.

This river otter was laying right by the window and posed so perfectly for my picture!

It looked so soft, I wanted to pet it!!

Our little scientist...

Right now James tells us he wants to be a

science teacher when he grows up. These pictures are my favorites from the trip.

This scuba diver was cleaning the glass and stopped

for a minute to communicate with the boys through the window.

It was so neat!

The touching pools

A decorator crab

The jellies are always my favorite to see-

So beautiful and peaceful to watch!

This huge fish can grow to be over 150 years old!

After the aquarium, lunch and a rest, we headed out to Dennis the Menace park in Monterey. This is, by far, the best park we've ever been to. Of course, the boys were "best friends" all day long too, it was the cutest thing ever.

Of course, we spent some time at the beach as well. On the first day we drove out to Seaside to the big sandy beach there, but I forgot my camera in the car and it was too windy. On the second day, we decided to try one of the beaches right in Monterey near Fisherman's Wharf. This beach was really nice- much smaller waves and hardly any wind. We hung out and played for a long time and the boys loved every minute of it!

Kung Fu!

2009-06-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

James & Renton are taking a Kung Fu class through CARD this summer in Chico. The boys love seeing each other every Monday & Wednesday night for the classes and have learned a lot already. The instructor really focuses on concentration, listening skills, balance, good decision making skills, and more. We've been very happy with what James has learned so far and both boys love the class!

"Full Horse" stance

Kung Fu stance

Running during warm-up time

"Stop" position
Little brothers waiting patiently while big brothers
take their King Fu class.

Swimming Lessons

2009-06-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

Nothing better than a summer of

swimming lessons with your best bud! Renton, James, Owen and Keegan are all enrolled in swimming lessons through North Valley Swim School at In Motion Fitness this summer. We've got Renton & James together with one instructor and Owen & Keegan with another. It's working out great, because they really do seem to be at the same level as each other, which makes it easy for their swim instructors.
We were impressed at how the instructors were able to work with both boys at the same time. There were times Owen & Keegan's instructor worked with the little guys individually, but she always gave the one she wasn't working one-on-one with something to work with on their own while she was busy. They all listened to their instructors so well and love their swim lessons!

This was Renton & James' least favorite exercise, as you can tell from the tortured looks on their faces. They didn't complain (too much) though and worked with their instructor on it.

James' First 9 Holes of Golf

2009-06-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Jason took James out for his first 9 holes of golf on a real golf course the other day! He'd taken James to the driving range lots of times before, but never to a real golf course. It was a cool day out, so not a lot of other golfers were there, which is a good thing, because James tend to chatter non-stop. Just James and his daddy, out for a day of golf together!

James is left-handed, and he has lefty clubs, but it's hard for Jason to show him how to properly hold the club, since it seems backwards to him. He needs to go out with his big cousin Aaron, who also golfs left-handed, so he can show him how to hold the clubs the right way.

Hatching butterflies

2009-06-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

My mom got James a butterfly habitat from www.insectlore.com for his birthday a few weeks ago. We had mailed away for the caterpillars before his party, so they arrived soon after he opened the gift. The caterpillars were very small, but they were sent in a container of their own food, so within about seven days, they had grown quite big. A few days later when we peeked into the container there were no more caterpillars! All five had turned into little chrysalises hanging from the top of the container! I carefully opened the lid to the container and transferred it to the top of the netted butterfly habitat, attaching it with a safety pin.
We watched every day for changes in the chrysalises. Finally after about a week, they started hatching! Within just a few days, all five hatched into little Painted Lady Butterflies! We put a bowl of sugar water in the habitat and enjoyed watching the little orange and black butterflies fly around in the habitat.

After a few days of observation, we decided it was time to let our newly hatched butterflies go in our yard. We opened the lid at watched and waited...

The kids were lucky and got to hold a few of the butterflies on their fingers and arms before they flew away!

Watching these caterpillars turn into butterflies and then releasing them in our backyard took about two weeks total. It was a lot of fun for my curious boys, who rushed to peek at the insects every day to see how they were doing. What a fun summertime activity!

2009-05-28T22:16:00.001-07:00

A quiet day at home- FINALLY!

2009-05-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today was so wonderful! We have all been so sick, and with this being the crazy-end-of-school-insanity time of year, I have not been able to rest.... at all.... for weeks! This day, the day after the big birthday party, is JUST what I've been needing! Our house is all clean, the boys have tons of new toys to play with from James' party yesterday, and I have nothing on my agenda. We built Spongebob's Krusty Krab as well as a Jedi Starfighter out of Legos, James completed his first Bionicles, we made stickers, colored with new Blendy Pens, molded with Fusion Clay, and more! I have been able to rest, relax, and enjoy some time at home with my family today, and I couldn't ask for a better day!

Owen doin' some water play in the backyard.

James rockin' his new superhero get-up, handmade for him by my talented friend, Kristin.
Playing Bionicles on the back porch.

Up, up... and away!!!

Don't mess with this superhero!

James' 5th Birthday Party

2009-05-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated James' 5th birthday with a big party at our house. After our super-hot party at Bille Park last year when we all just about had a heat stroke, we have decided that pirthday parties are just better at our own house. We had a great time with our friends and family and were able to stay cool. The theme of the party James chose this year was SUPERHERO, so as their favor, every child got to design their own superhero cape that their mommies could iron together.

Heidi in her super pink superhero cape.Hero Heidi saying hello to baby Dane. Grandma & Owen

Matthew getting wild with Jordan and the other kiddos.

Elizabeth Harris, Gwen & Roy's daughter.

Gwen (with baby Lillian), Stefanie, Matt & Eric Zimmerman

Kelly, Kristin, Tara, Jason, Luke, Todd, Chad, Kristin

Superhero Kelly (with Keegan's cape on) The driveway all set up for bike rides, bubbles and splashing through the bike-wash station!

Paige Kennedy

Keegan McGregor

Happy Birthday to James!

Poor Kelly was sick and couldn't come, so we had to get a plain old Costco cake. I have been really, really sick lately too, so when it came time to blow out the candles I noticed all I had was a "2" candle!!!! Oh well, better than no candle at all!

Super-Spidey girl, Jordan with her cape....

...and some sweet moves.

Owen chose this superhero outfit-

Darth Vader mask, mis-matched shoes, and Charli's mini-skirt.

Jason was so proud...

A bunch of superheroes off on their mission!

The boys were so excited to have Jordan & Tyler spend the night!Tyler all ready for bed.

Kindergarten Round-Up

2009-05-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Don't they just look like Kindergartners???

I almost dropped dead the other day when received a letter from Paradise Elementary School addressed to "The Parents of James Behlke." It's official- he's a kindergartner!!! I have been on the teacher-side of all this school enrollment stuff for almost 10 years now, but it's all so different as a parent! Paradise Elementary, where James & Charli will be in kindergarden together, invited us to their Kindergarten Round-Up and Open House last Thursday night. We were invited to tour all of the kindergarten classrooms and meet the teachers and ask questions. The kids were impressed with the classrooms and it was very nice for us parents to check everything out in a casual way. I think I'll be freaking out a little less come next August now that I've been able to see and get a feel for everything.

Charli denying James a kiss after their big-kindergartner-picture.

Two big kids, strutting down the kindergarten hallway.

See if you notice a theme as far as where each of the kids went as soon as we entered each of the five kindergarten classrooms....

Charli & Owen at the play kitchen in Mrs. Levin's "Curious George" room.

Owen serving Kristin tea at the play kitchen.

Charli & Owen at the play kitchen in Mrs. M's "Clifford" classroom. James found the Lego's right away in Mrs. M.'s "Clifford" classroom.

James building a race track in Mrs. Levin's classroom.

James with the blocks in Mrs. Fox's classroom.

School starts August 11, so first-day-of kindergarten pictures are just around the corner!!

Girls' Spa Weekend in Reno!

2009-05-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my girls and I escaped for two days of relaxation and fun. I planned this get-away for us after Jason & I went to The Peppermill over Spring Break. The hotel is a bit off the main drag in Reno, so it's less crowded and they recently did a huge remodel so the rooms are very nice. We checked in late, so we didn't get one of the upgraded rooms, but we didn't care, we had a blast despite the funky, outdated, purple decor.

I took this shot of the girls on the elevator. I got myself in the mirror (flash!), but only one of Kristin's eyes! We were all so thrilled to have Kristi fly down from Washington to spend the weekend with us! We surprised her with a confetti-filled welcome and some fun bachelorette gifts & surprises!
A few of the girls pooped out early on the first night, but Brooke K., Kelly, Krisit & I made our way to the Fireside Lounge to have a few drinks and visit. We ended up laughing our heads off and had a blast!

At breakfast in the Coffee Shop-

we had to have group shots taken whenever possible!

We decided to take Brooke, 5 months and 3 weeks pregnant with twins,

to Babies-R-Us for a baby registry bonanza!

After all that shopping, we headed back to the hotel for our spa appointments. Even though our appointments weren't until 4:00, we checked-in to the spa at 2:00. When you are having a treatment, you are allowed to use the spa facility all day if you want. We ended up staying for over 5 hours and it was by far the most fun part of our weekend. We ordered room service to be delivered to us on the spa patio where we lounged in our robes, ate, swam, and rested. My mom and Aunt Susan were there too- they happened to have rooms & treatments at the same time we did, so seeing them was an added bonus! Kelly, Brooke K., and Kristin all had pedicures while Kristi, Tara, Brooke W., and I had massages. I swear, I had the best massage I've ever had in my life that day. As a matter of fact, I was so relaxed, it took me a good two hours to come out of my relaxed massage-fog!

Kelly, Brooke W., and Kristin,

looking like a group of monks by the indoor hot tub.Preggo-Goddess- Brooke W. and her twin belly at 5 months, 3 weeks.Brooke K. & I loved swimming in the indoor pool.

Kelly & Kristin choosing nail polish colors during their pedicure.

Brooke K. & I waiting for our massages while we share a chair & a cookie.

Kristi rockin' the towel on her way into the sauna & steam rooms.

I said something funny right before I took this picture, but we were all so relaxed at the time, none of us can remember what I said that made them all laugh!

Kelly took us to one of her favorite dinner spots- Ruby River. We, of course, had a group shot taken in the lobby! It was an awesome steakhouse and we had so much fun we ended up closing the joint down! One of my favorite moments of the weekend happened when Brooke K. accidentally went into the men's restroom... followed by a large man!! We laughed so hard we almost peed our pants! Well.... I did actually, but only a little...

Uh-oh.... That is a BIG margirita for a little girl to be drinking!

Kristin was impressed with the lemon's "hair net" to catch the seeds.

Yet another group shot, this one at our Ruby River booth.

James, the cute waiter from Utah, took great care of us!

Brooke at the TWIN WIN penny slot! She does have twins, but she did not win.

Bummer!

Rockin' the sweet minivan on the way home.

THANK YOU to all my girls for making this such an amazing, relaxing and fun weekend!

I love you all!!!

Uh.... when are we going again????

Bubble Bath Mania!

2009-05-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't taken bath pictures in forever, so recently while the boys were soaking I decided to take a few shots. The LOVE bath time, and the more bubbles, the better!
Goofy bubble boys.

Another Major Block Tower

2009-05-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

A perfect rainy-day activity- massive block tower building!

James with his latest creations.

Children's Fair in Chico

2009-05-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

This time of year for a teacher is very chaotic, so I have been absent from my poor, neglected blog for quite a while now. I'm back though and ready to update my blog with recent pictures of all the fun we've been having! I might not write much since I'm trying to get caught up, I'll let the pictures will do the talking for me...

A few weeks ago we took the kids to a Children's Fair in Chico at the Downtown Park. James had his face painted like a tiger and was so impressed with himself for the rest of the day!"Can I have a mirror, Mommy?"

James stared at himself in my little mirror the whole day.

Owen, James & Charli tooting their new whistles.
Charli got a beautiful unicorn that looked like a pig painted on her cheek.

Owen was very excited about all of the Play-Dough, bubbles, stamps, and other hands-on activities offered at the Children's Fair.

Girl's Spa Weekend Coming Up in May!!

2009-04-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

I can't get over how EXCITED I am about the girl's spa weekend we have planned for Mother's Day weekend! A group of my best girlfriends and I are going to Reno for two nights to bond, laugh, and relax. We're taking Brooke to Babies-R-Us, having lunch, spending the afternoon at a fabulous spa, and celebrating Kristi's Bachelorette Party! We haven't seen Kristi in almost a year- since Brooke & Jake's wedding, so it is awesome that she can make it. I can't wait to post pictures on my blog from this unbelieveable trip in a few weeks!

The Easter Bunny Came To Our House Today!

2009-04-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

The boys were genuinely shocked and surprised to find "millions of eggs" (as James states) hidden all around our house this morning! Jason's working nights and got home around 7:30 this morning, just in time to see the boys discover the baskets in the living room and to watch the boys hunt for eggs all over the house before he went to bed for the day.

Easter at Grandma Sally & Grandpa Mike's House

2009-04-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

On Easter we usually spend the day at Sally & Mike's house. The boys love getting dressed up and spending the day with family.All dressed up & excited to find that the Easter Bunny visited Grandma & Grandpa's house too Alina stole a celery stalk while Jessica made the veggie platter!

Owen & Alina love each other so much- they crack each other up!

Poor Alina wasn't feeling well at all. The boys and I decided to make cupcakes to decorate & share.

Owen helped me with mixing the batter.

James decorated each cupcake with care.

We shared the cupcakes with our friends & neighbors.Blowing bubbles in the drivewayJUMPING!

Owen, Owen, Owen...

2009-04-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

I should know by now that when it's quiet in my house, something is up. Once again, after a quiet little bit, I discovered Owen into something. This time, he decided he needed his hair to be combed- and very wet. Looks nice, huh?

Dyeing Easter Eggs

2009-04-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

I spread out a sheet of plastic and let the boys go to town with the Easter eggs yesterday!All the pretty colorsOwen was very proud of his egg dyeing work.Can you tell which eggs Owen were reponsible for? He cracked about half of the eggs before we were done. Poor boy, he just couldn't resist!
Messy hands & another cracked egg...

James was serious about his work.

The boys got camo easter egg kits from their neighbor friend, Belle.

Notice all the cracked eggs?

So proud!

A Lunch Date With My Top Readers

2009-04-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

On Friday Greg and I met with some of my top readers this year. These kids have read more than three times the amount that a twelfth grader should in one school year! These kids are awesome, and it was great to spend a day with them.

We started the day at Books of Paradise, a really neat used book store in town, where each student was able to choose a few books they'd like to read. We then walked to La Comida for a yummy Mexican lunch. After lunch, we walked to the Town Park to play and have ice cream. The kids all complained that the park was "boring," yet they didn't hesitate to spend the afternoon running, swinging, and playing tag!

Tag with Mr. Holman

Danielle & Lucy with James & Emily
The kids playing tag on the play structure

Owen having a grand time on the swings

An Easter Surprise!

2009-04-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

An Easter surprise arrived in the mail for the boys yesterday!

Thanks for the treats, Grandma Cindy & Grandpa Kevin!
Yum.

My Sweet James

2009-04-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

A little bit ago, James came into the computer room where I was working, looked at me in my sweats with scraggly pulled-back hair and told me, "Mommy, you are the beautifulest girl I ever met."

I love that kid!

Too Bad...

2009-04-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight, James sat with me as we looked through a bunch of pictures and video clips from the past year. At the end, James said, "Mom, that is too bad that you aren't in any of the pictures or videos of our family."

I agree, it is too bad!

I vow to hand the camera over and ask others to take a few shots with me in them with my camera.

I should be in at least a few photos, I am the most popular afterall...

A Picnic at Table Mountain

2009-04-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

We met at Table Mountain with a group of our friends today for a picnic with the kids. If you live in the area and haven't visited Table Mountain before, it is so worth the visit! Even though we went a little late for the flowers, many were still blooming and along with the 70 degree weather with a slight breeze, it made for a beautiful day! We all brought blankets and food to share, and after we found an ideal picnic spot, we had a relaxing lunch. The kids enjoyed picking unlimited boquets of wildflowers, flying a kite and running free. I took tons of pictures and it was very hard choosing which ones to post, so I had to post a bunch! Enjoy!

Owen bringing flowers to Mommy. He was so thrilled to be free to pick as many flowers as he wanted- something that is usually outlawed.

James loved flying his Transformers Bumblebee kite- best $2.99 I ever spent!
My cool big boy with his spikey hair!

BFF- Renton & James

Owen was so excited to have a real picnic!

BFF- Owen & Keegan

The Finch family

Boys throwing rocks into the creek.

They would have been happy to have stayed & done this for hours!

Bob & Sonya checking out the waterfall.
Kristin was making me nervous standing so close to the edge!

Tara & Sonya on the edge too...

Cool kids. James thought he'd climb on Kelly for a ride!

Bob & Sonya Clark, enjoying the sun!

Our kite flying high!

The McGregor family Charli Ann, enjoying the day.

James & Renton flying the kite together.

Charli chasing the big disc through the flowers. James decided to snuggle up with Kelly.

Todd & Keegan flying the kite.

Keegan was so proud to be flying the kite all by himself! We all got a nice laugh when he let go and Todd had to run for his life after the kite as it flew away.

Happy Keegan. Todd & Renton flying the kite & enjoying the view.

I love this sweet picture of my sweet Owen picking flowers. This is my new screen-saver.

Giving mommy a pretty flower.

Spring Evening Family Walks

2009-04-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

The weather has been beautiful (near 70) and we're enjoying nightly walks in our neighborhood. While we don't love living in Magalia (we'd so much rather be in Paradise), we completely love our neighborhood. We know all the neighbors on our quiet block and enjoy walking around the block without worrying about traffic or anything like that. The boys love getting outside and taking a family walk after dinner, it's the perfect way to wrap up the day!

Our April Fool

2009-04-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

James' version of an "April Fool's" prank on Jason and I...

It's now April 5 and we're still getting "fooled" frequently. We think James now has a new favorite holiday.

Brooke & Jake are having TWINS!!!!

2009-03-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

Brooke was measuring a little big at her last appointment, so the midwives sent her in for an ultrasound to confirm her due date and peek at the baby. Well, it turns out it's not just one baby.... the Wells are having TWINS!!!! This was a total shock, they had NO idea there were expecting twins, as Brooke does not have twins in her family. She's almost 18 weeks now, due Sept 1, but since most twins are early, they're expecting them sometime around August 11 or so. She called me to tell me the big news right after her appointment around lunch on Friday. I could NOT concentrate for the REST of the day! I am so excited! If anyone will be an awesome mom to twins, it has to be Brooke!I couldn't contain my excitement, so I decided to make a little set of onsies for the babies. Brooke still wants to wait to find out the sex until birth (although Jake does NOT agree!), so I went with green. The whole time I worked on these tiny little shirts, I kept imagining that one day not too long from now tiny little newborn bodies will be filling them! I can't wait to meet this perfect little pair!!!

Owie!

2009-03-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Owen had a big bonk at Kristin's this week! He likes to swing on his tummy, but he was going too high and he took a header, resulting in a bloody nose (which ruined Kristin's shirt!) and a big bump on his head! This guy needs a helmet! James actually took a big fall just a few minutes before Owen had his big crash. Typical boys!

Heidi's 1st Birthday Party

2009-03-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

Heidi is one! My cousins, Matthew & Mary, had a big party for Heidi at their house- complete with a bounce house and all! We were all hoping to have the party at the park, but it was windy & cold. The party ended up being a great time and it was so nice to see some of my family. I haven't been able to see them all much lately and I miss them!!!

Sweet Aiden- age 1

The birthday girl in her pretty dress.

Heidi is a very social little girl and did not hesitate to climb all over her older cousins! Julian didn't mind too much though.

Such a pretty little one-year-old!

Heidi climbing on James.

Heidi climbing on her beautiful little friend.

Climbing on James some more...

Yum!

My Aunt Susan, Uncle Pat, and my mom with our newest family member-

Dane Clark, 6 weeks old.

Yummy cake! No pink frosting for Owen though, he's allergic.

Kristin made this adorable pixie skirt for Heidi. She loved it!

Happy "Pi Day"!!

2009-03-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

Let's start by saying, yes, I am a nerd, and proud of it. No need to tease, I embrace my nerd-ness.

Saturday was officially "Pi Day 2009." A day to celebrate the number Pi. Pi, Greek letter, is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi = 3.1415926535... Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th. You know, like the start of the number: 3.14.... March 14..... 3/14.... get it?? If you're really into it, you can stop and celebrate at 1:59 p.m. on March 14- 3.14159 is the start of Pi. It is a pretty interesting number- With the use of computers, Pi has been calculated to over 3 trillion digits past the decimal. Pi is an irrational number meaning it will continue infinitely without repeating. Another interesting coincidence, Albert Einstein was born on Pi Day in 1879.

Since Pi Day was on a Saturday this year, we celebrated at school on Friday. After lunch we had a rotation of activities teaching the kids about how to find Pi and some interesting facts about the number. The student all brought pies to bake in our solar ovens and we couldn't resist making a Pi symbol from some of the pies.I had the kids make a paper-chain of Pi as far as we could. I used a different color of paper for each digit (0-9) so the kids could see that there really is no repetition in Pi, it is totally random. We got to 880 digits and the paper chain looks really cute hanging on the wall all around my classroom now! The photo below shows the last half of the chain. It is very long!We also wore cute Pi t-shirts I made with iron-on transfers with these comics on the back. It was a blast, I hope my students learned something, and if not, it is a day they will remember and the pie sure was yummy!

I'll leave you with some Pi humor:

A Yummy Meal on a Cool, Rainy Day

2009-03-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

After a very busy Friday and Saturday, we are having a cozy, quiet at-home day today. Both boys are coughing and we're all exhausted from all the fun we had earlier in the weekend, so a nice quiet Sunday is just what we needed.

The weather is cool and gray today, so I decided a nice big pot of soup & homemade bread would make a perfect dinner. There's something about freshly baking bread that just makes your house feel so cozy! And my beer bread recipe is so super-simple, I make it every time I'm looking for that home-y taste and smell with hardly any effort.

Here's my potato soup recipe for the slow cooker. I've never made it before, but it's smelling really yummy!

Cheesy-Potato Soup in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can chicken broth
1 cup warm water
2 large carrots, diced finely
3/4 cups cauliflower, diced finely OR 4 stalks celery, diced finely (Jason HATES celery, so I used cauliflower for a little extra flavor & nutrition too!)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 cup milk
5 pounds russett potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

DIRECTIONS:
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until translucent. Stir in flour until smooth, then gradually stir in broth, water, carrots, celery or cauliflower, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat through, then stir in milk. Place potatoes in slow cooker, and sprinkle with salt & pepper, mix. Pour heated vegetable mixture into potatoes. Place bay leaf in pot. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.Remove bay leaf. Puree about 4 cups of the soup in a blender or food processor, and them stir pureed soup into contents of slow cooker. Stir in cheese and bacon until cheese is melted. Serve hot topped with shredded cheddar cheese and a little crumbled bacon.

Beer Bread

You can use any carbonated beverage to make this bread. We like either Sierra Nevada Summerfest or Wheat usually. Today I'm using Bud Light with lime and I'm adding 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning for an herbed-cheese bread to go with my soup.

Ingredients:
3 c. self-rising flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 can beer
2 tbsp. butter

Directions:
Combine ingredients in order listed above and mix well. Put in well-greased loaf pan and top loaf with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes. When cool, remove from pan and enjoy!

**Variations:
-For apple cinnamon bread, use Sprite instead of beer and add 4 Tbsp. applesauce, 1 Tbsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. vanilla
-Substitute a berry flavored wine cooler for the beer for a cool, fruity bread.
-Add 2 Tbsp. garlic powder, 1/2 cup sliced black or kalamata olives, 1 cup shredded cheese

Sandy Backyard Hand Mosaics

2009-03-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

The boys and I took advantage of the beautiful spring-like weather today and did a fun little outdoor craft in our back yard. I got this idea from Family Fun magazine a while ago and will probably include it in the crafts section of the summer issue of Community Seeds.

First, sprinkle a little water in the sand to make it slightly damp. You don't want it soaking wet, just damp enough to make a good, deep impression. Have your child press their hand into the sand, making sure the make a fairly deep hand print.

When they remove their hand, use your fingers to make sure the impression is deep and that the sides of the hand print are fairly high.

Next, collect natural treasures from your yard. My boys enjoyed collecting small rocks, acorns, sticks, leaves, and even a small pine cone to decorate their hand prints with. Press the nice-looking side of each object down into the sand filling the hand print with as many items as you like.

ix 1 1/2 cups of Plaster of Paris with 1 cup of water well. Pour the mixture into the palm of the hand print and use a chopstick to fill the fingers with the plaster. Make sure not to over-fill the hand print, keeping all of the fingers separate. Place a wooden chopstick into the hand print so it is at least 2 inches up into the palm and about in the middle of the plaster. Leave the hand prints to dry for about 30 minutes. Carefully remove from the sand and clean off the front of the mosaic to reveal the treasures by dusting the loose sand with your hand. Be very gentle with cleaning and transporting, as these plaster hands are very delicate. We ended up breaking off a few fingers accidentally, which we reattached with hot glue.

This summer, our hand prints will decorate our garden as planter steaks. The next time we visit the beach, I'm bringing a gallon Ziploc bag with the dry plaster inside so we can make these right in the sand as a memory of a fun summer day!

I am so lucky to have so many wonderful people who love me in my life!

2009-03-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

This has been a difficult few weeks for me.

Jason's working nights, which is a little hard on our family time together.

I also was notified that I will be receiving a lay-off notice this year for the very first time in the 9-years I've been teaching in this district.

After several days of worrying, I have finally come to believe that I will most likely not lose my job, but it did really freak me out initially. Teaching is more than a job for me, it's what I do, it's who I am in a lot of ways, and despite the stress and challenges that come up every day, I really do love teaching. I hope I am right and things all work out...

Through this stressful time, my friends and family have really been coming through for me. Their support is what has pulled me through this so far. Many conversations and reassuring words have been so, so helpful. Last night as I sat with my girlfriends talking, laughing and sharing, I felt myself finally letting go and allowing my worries to go away. I feel so much better today after this great weekend!

I received two really awesome and meaningful gifts this week as well! My mom made a beautiful and fun quilt for me that I absolutely love! I love sock monkeys, as most people know, so she used the same line of fabric from Moda featuring colorful sock monkeys that I used to make my purse. This line was "Five Funky Monkeys" and has the monkeys jumping on the bed as well one fabric with band-aids all over it. So adorable! My mom told me that every time I wrap myself up in the quilt, I should imagine it's her arms around me, giving me a big hug. I love this quilt!

The boys have been enjoying my Funky Monkey quilt too. Owen totally checked it out the day it came in the mail. He laughed out loud at the pictures and loves to crawl around on it looking at all of the funny monkeys!

I caught James snuggling on the floor with my quilt today while he was watching a movie.

My second gift came from Kristin. This was totally unexpected, I had no idea she had been working on this for me. The gift is so creative and meaningful, I am so touched that she put so much time and energy into something for me.

The gift consisted of four bags, each labeled with an individual tag.

The first bag was labeled, "To Inspire" and inside was a card explaining the gift.

The main card reads:

"Amy,

I have been stewing on this idea for a little while now, and wanted the perfect time to share. With everything that is going on in your life right now, i thought now is the perfect time. I hope you find great enjoyment in what I have put together for you!

Our friendship has lasted 12 years! Can you believe that? You and I have grown so much in the friendship that we have created. From the college years, to our wedding, to being pregnant together, to now raising our children together. I really cherish our friendship that you and I have, and I can't wait to see what else is to come!

Enjoy!

Love, Kristin"

Inside the bag was a card that reads:

"To Inspire:

Inside this bag you will fins: a journal and scrapbooking supplies. You can take this journal and use it however you please. I have taken up journaling and it has been a great release. Also enjoy your new scrapbooking supplies, you can't have enough!"

The next bag was "To Renew" and this card read:

"To Renew:

In this bag you will find: a good smelling candle, bath products and nail polish. I am sure you can't remember the last time you took a nice relaxing bath, but maybe some night after the boys go to bed, you can run a nice hot bath and just enjoy!"

The third bag was labeled, "To Remember" and this card read:

"To Remember:

In this bag you will find 2 picture frames. Take a couple of pictures of your life currently. Anything you want, maybe of the boys building with blocks, or making muffins, etc... Place the pictures in the frames. Reflect upon the pictures now and then."The gift in the last bag was my favorite- this bag was labeled "To Let Go" and the card inside read:

"To Let Go

In this bag, you will find: 2 plates, markers, a plastic bag.

I want you to take the markers and write on the plates all your current fears, frustrations, stresses, negative feelings that you are holding onto in your life currently. Once you are done, place the plates in the plastic bag, close it up and smash the plates with a hammer.

One idea: You could take the smashed up plates and put them in a mosaic stepping stone for your yard."

No matter what is going on in my life as far as stress, difficult situations or worries, I still always consider myself so lucky. I am surrounded by so many amazing people who love me, and that is the most important thing in my life.

Robes

2009-03-04T19:43:00.001-08:00

I made robes for the boys. Transformers for James & Mickey Mouse for Owen.

P.J. pants are the next on my sewing list!

The 1st Annual Snow Ball in Downieville

2009-03-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

The 1st Annual Snow Ball was a huge success last weekend in Downieville! Everyone had to keep reminding me that it was a "formal fundraiser" and not the prom the whole night. The funny thing was I had actually attended prom with several of the boys who were at the event that night. Heck, our wedding reception was in that same room, lots of memories in the Community Hall! We all had a blast getting dressed up and no matter what everyone says... I was truly the Prom Queen of the Snow Ball, 2009!!

My boyfriend and I at the prom.
My girls and I, all beautiful in black- Brooke, Isis, Heather & I
My preggo Brookie! (can you see the start of her tiny baby-belly??)

Leslie, Trisha and the Prom Queen

Erick & Leslie Jackson

Michelle & Brooke- showing off their 13-week bellies together!

Michelle & John Sweeney- so, uh, happy??

Lovebirds at the dance- Heather & Troy

Dancin with Melissa & Kristi

I love my little Holly!

The Biggest Block City Yet!

2009-03-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

James worked for a very long time on this block city, which used every single one of the small blocks we have. He planned all the roads and buildings and had fun driving cars on the roads and parking them under the buildings. Such a creative guy!

A Funny Friday Night

2009-03-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

Kristin came up to hang out on a Friday night recently with Charli. No dads, just us & the three kiddos. They had a silly time playing dress up and watching a movie while we visited.

Meet the Class of 2022

2009-02-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

Thursday night we attended kindergarten orientation at Paradise Elementary School! I was feeling very emotional about the fact that my first baby is going to kindergraten next year, but after attending the meeting, I am now really excited! It's strange, because I've handed all these forms to parents numberous times and I know many of the staff members and have been to P.E.S. a ton, but it's all different sitting in the seat as a parent of an incoming student! James is registered and is #1 on the list of kindergartners for next year (there are a few perks to teaching in the district...). We are very hopeful that James & Charli will be in the same class, but we know they will at least be on the same schedule so I can take them to school together each morning and Kristin can pick them up after school. We are so excited to see James & Charli grow and learn as kindergratners at Paradise Elementary School!

Some Recent Art & More Block Buildings

2009-02-21T13:54:00.000-08:00

Dr. Seuss was born March 2, 1904- happy almost-birthday! Kristin made these Cat-in-the-Hat feet with the kids at day care recently. James' foot is the big one shown first and Owen's is below

This dinosaur picture James drew is hanging in my craft room. Aren't these just the cutest dinos you've ever seen?It is a big, long picture, so I had to take two shots to get it all.

James has been drawing these bright, very detailed pictures lately. He calls them "A Wonderland" and each one has an elaborate story that goes with it. This is our family in our house with a deer (Elliot, from Open Season) outside and a gingerbreadman cloud in the sky.

Always the little architect, James has been a bit of an engineer lately too. His most recent block buildings have been pretty impressive as far as the planning he puts into them. Each building below took many tries before he could build the whole thing without it collapsing. We can't believe he comes up wtih these difficult designs and is able to make them stay up without falling!

Family Date Night: White-Trash Style

2009-02-15T21:18:00.001-08:00

Bowling and McDonalds- a perfect family date night for a cold rainy night! Yeah, it's a little (ok, a lot) white trash, but we had a blast! Owen now has a new favorite sport. I have never seen someone get so excited about knocking one pin over. We're going to have to take this boy bowling more often!
Our little "kingpins"

Finishing the evening off with Happy Meals at McDonals was a treat for the boys. We rarely take them to fast food, but they loved every minute of it!

McNugget Love

The View From My Craft Spot

2009-02-15T21:11:00.000-08:00

When we bought this house, one of the biggest selling-points for me were the window seats in the two smaller bedrooms. This was "way back" before we had kids, and even then I pictured scenes like this of our children sitting on and using the window seats. The seats are still one of my favorite features of our house, and this is why...
This morning Jason took the boys outside to play, so I thought I'd steal a few minutes to do some scrapbooking. I had my curtains open so I could watch the snow flying while I scrapped. When I looked out the window from my scrapbooking spot, this is what I saw:

I can't imagine a better view!

A Very Snowy Scene

2009-02-15T21:09:00.000-08:00

I love the snow.

It's been raining and snowing off-and-on for three days now.

This morning it was a blizzard for a few hours

and I enjoyed every minute of it.

A Bag for my Friend

2009-02-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

My friend DeAnna's birthday is this week. I saw some beautiful fabric on Jenni McCord's blog with a flower & dandilion pattern on it and it gave me the idea to make a tote for DeAnna. She is the owner & editor of Community Seeds and dandilions are kind of our "thing" so I couldn't resist. Every time DeAnna and I meet to work & visit, she is hauling tons of stuff- binders, notebooks, etc. I thought a binder-sized tote would be a great gift for her!

It was a good thought, but the project kind of went all wrong.

First, the fabric I wanted wasn't in stock, but they had something similar, so I got that. Then, I picked what I thought would be an easy pattern. It was mostly easy, but the handle didn't turn out like it was supposed to. Also, the interfacing I used wasn't stiff enough, so there's not enough structure to the bag.

Bummer!

I hate it when I work on a project for someone else and it doesn't turn out! If it's for me, no big deal, but I really wanted this to turn out nice!

I'm still going to give it to her because I think she'll like the fabric. She can use it as a beach tote or something.

I guess it's the thought that counts, right?

I also attempted to make a Klean Kanteen cozy for DeAnna to match her bag out of the scraps, failed project #2. I made the cozy too skinny and none of the scraps are big enough to make another. I didn't want to throw the cozy away, so I made it into a beer bottle cozy instead. It was the only thing skinny enough to fit in the falied cozy! Too bad DeAnna doesn't drink beer...

A Snowy At-Home Day

2009-02-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

WARNING: this is a very picture-heavy post. We had such fun today, I had to take lots of pictures!

We had a school holiday today (4-days off for President's Day), and it was a good thing! We have had so much snow, we wouldn't have been able to get to school anyway today. I went to bed at midnight last night and it wasn't snowing at all. I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to no power and 8 inches of fresh snow!

We had cleaned the whole house last night, so we had the day to just hang out at home. Since we had no heat, we hung out by the "fire" (indoor heater) and read books while we ate lunch.

The power came back on around 11:00, so we decided to make Valentine's Day cupcakes and cards for our neighbors. We live on a wonderful street and enjoy bringing treats to our neighbors whenever we get the chance.

Crafting cards

Decorating / Tasting cupcakes

Owen did more tasting than decorating, and his face proves it....

James made this adorable little "Jaba-the-Hut" snowman all by himself on our back porch.
We took a snowy walk around the neighborhood to deliver the cupcakes.

Owen all bundled up.

James making a snow angel- and trying not to get snow in his eyes!

Owen tasting the snow falling down from the sky.

James snacking on a snowball.

Me & my blue-eyed boy on our snow walk.

Our neighbor, Breezy, is so sweet and likes to come play with the boys in the snow.

Our house, all covered in snow!

Brothers sledding together.

Owen went straight down for a nap and James snuggled in with hot cocoa and popcorn for a movie. A perfect way to end a perfectly snowy at-home day!

James' First Written Words

2009-02-13T16:17:00.001-08:00

James has been writing his name, Owen's name and a few other words for a long time. He can also copy anything I write or tell him if I recite letter-by-letter. Every day when I pick the kids up from day care Kristin sends a pile of the crafts they've worked on or colored that day. When I get home I always go through them and ask James all about his work.

Yesterday, I studied James' paper airplane for a while. Letters were written on it, but I couldn't tell what he was trying to make with them, so I asked him about them. "Oh, those are the words I wrote today by sounding them out all by myself," he told me.

This is new, and exciting for me, since I know this is a pre-reading stage. I am so proud of James and watching him grow and learn new things is ao amazing.

Here are his first written (sounded-out) words:

"KRISTIN" (kris*den)

"MONSTER" (mons*der)

"CAT" (pretty good, just backwards!)
"KAREN" (cer*n) -This is the name of Charli's imaginary friend.
"CAR" (cor)

Renton's 5th Brithday Party

2009-02-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

It takes my breath away just writing this post. Renton is 5. That means that James will be 5 in just three short months. Then, three months after that, Charli will be 5 too! I can not believe this little batch of kids is already kindergarten-age, where does the time go?

Talented Kelly made this amazing R2D2 cake for Renton's Star Wars themed birhtday party. We were all so impressed!

Blow out the candle and make a wish!

Yummy cake! R2D2 looked awesome, but he tasted even better!Birthday Present Insanity Bounce House Insanity
Birthday Boy getting his blindfold on for pin the star on some Star Wars poster thing...

Waiting patiently in line for their turn...Alysa helped spin James when it was his turn to go.

A visit with Alina and bbq with the Quins and Zimmermans

2009-02-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

Lucky us! We got to visit with Jessica and Alina who came for a visit AND see little Alexis all in one afternoon! James and Owen are so sweet with Alina, they really do love her so much! She's very into them too, she and Owen crack each other up, it's adorable! Playing with cousins is so much fun!

James & Alina

Alexis Kyra Quin- 4 months old

Superbowl Party!

2009-02-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

I know it was two weeks ago, but I'm just finding time to post a few older events, like Kelly & Russ' awesome Superbowl party! Russ is a HUGE Steeler's fan, so watching the game with him was a lot of fun. It was a small gathering, just the McGregors, Well, and the boys and I showed up, all with yummy snacks in tow. Micki & Rusty both stopped by for a little bit too. We ate, the boys played, and we all enjoyed a great game. The 3-D glasses for half-time were the biggest hit of the day, as you can see from the photos I took...

Brookie and James

Kelly G. with James & Renton
The hosts with the most- Kelly & Russ

The boys even got to make cookies!

Order a Printed Book of your Blog!

2009-02-09T21:01:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share this neat site....

www.blog2print.com

Blog2Print allows anyone using Blogger or TypePad to order a printed copy of their blog to keep including photos and comments!

I ordered two of these books recently because I want to keep a "hard" copy of my blog to look back over in the future. I had to order two books to fit all my posts and pictures from the past year, but I am very happy with the result. Both books combined cost about $60 with shipping (one was $20, the other $40 because one was longer). The books are high quality and very professional looking. I plan to order one for every 6-months of my blog so I will always be able to look over my posts and keep them like a journal.

I just got an email today from Blog2Print offering a 15% off coupon for anyone ordering a book of their blog. All you have to do is enter the code posted below to get your 15% off!

MyBlog31MAR05498

Doughnut Muffins

2009-02-08T09:21:00.001-08:00

This morning we continued our weekend muffin tradition with a recipe posted on Kristin's blog that came from a muffin recipe book I gave her for her birthday. I modified her recipe by increasing the ingredients to make a larger batch as well as a few other adjustments. I like to make large batches of muffins because we like to share some with our sweet elderly neighbors. My modifications made 15 large muffins and 24 mini-muffins. The resulting recipe posted below is very yummy, cake-like, but not too sweet. The dusting of cinnamon-sugar on top reminds me of the cinnamon toast my mom used to make for me when I was sick as a kid. James, Owen and Jason all loved these muffins and I'm sure we'll be making them again!

Doughnut Muffins

¾ cup butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
¾ cup applesauce

1 C sugar
1 C Splenda

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 C white flour
2 C whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

2 C milk

Topping

1/2 C sugar

½ C Splenda

2 tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp butter, melted

Method

1.) Grease a 12 cup muffin pan plus a 24 cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs, a little at a time, beating well between additions.

2.) Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flax and nutmeg together. Add half to the creamed mixture with half of the milk. Gently fold the ingredients together before incorporating the remaining flour and milk. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan, filling each hole to about two-thirds full. Bake in a preheated oven, 350 F, for 15-20 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly brown and firm to the touch.

3.) For the topping, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. While the muffins are still warm from the oven, brush lightly with melted butter, and sprinkle over the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Enjoy warm or cold.

My new sock monkey purse

2009-02-07T22:22:00.001-08:00

I love sock monkeys. It is a strange obsession I share with my mother and godmother, we all love sock monkeys. When James was a baby, his room was decorated with primary colors and Curious George. Not a sock monkey, I know, but a close cousin I'm sure. When it was time for Owen & James to move into a room together, I decided I wanted to make bedding for the boys' new bunk beds out of Moda's Funky Monkey fabric line. After tallying up the cost of fabric for two quilts plus curtains and pillowcases (over $300), that idea went out the window and I hit Overstock.com for pre-made bedding instead and they ended up with a different theme altogether.

For Christmas, my mom bought me a few fabrics from Moda's new sock monkey line, Malibu Monkey. I was not happy with my current purse and I really wanted to use this fabric, so I decided to design a purse of my own using this fabric that I love. It was a lot of fun deciding how I wanted to set up the purse and what size pockets to put in and how to embellish the outside. I ended up making a pretty simple tote-style purse with lots of pockets. My favorite features (aside from the perfectly adorable fabric) are the monogram on the front that I decided to add at the last second and the custom-fit pocket for my beloved new iPhone.

I know, a whole blog just about my new monkey purse seems silly, but my purse is something I have with me all the time. Purses are as individual to their owners and as diverse as the women who carry them. Now my purse is the perfect reflection of who I am and what I like. I just hope it holds up over time, and if not, I hope Moda keeps making their adorable sock monkey fabrics so I can make another one!

The Malibu Monkey line is all sock monkeys at the beach, so most are wearing swimwear and the liner is of different monkeys playing at the beach. The monogram is a beach ball print that coordinates. I used a silky red ribbon for the accent at the bottom and the key loop on the right side of the purse.

The brown on the straps, bottom and pockets is called "sock monkey skin" and it's a flannel that looks just like the brown knit of sock monkey fur. It's soft & so cute!

Shooting with Daddy at the Paradise Bowhunters Range

2009-01-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

The weather was beautiful again today, so we took advantage by heading out to the Paradise Bowhunters Range. We are lucky to have this free public range so near to our house. The boys had a blast hiking through woods, exploring, shooting their pellet gun and watching daddy shoot his bow. I am sure Jason will take the boys out to this range many more times in the future.
James, showing off his hit on the target.

Jason taking aim...

Helping the little guy take a shot.

James is experienced, he doesn't need help!

Climbing and being boys
Taking aim at another target.

Another great shot for both Jason & James! NOt so good for Speedy Gonzales though...

Jason walking in the woods with his boy.

Mom with the boys at one of the targets. They liked the picture of the mountain lion!

Building with Blocks

2009-01-19T16:27:00.001-08:00

One of the favorite activities at our house is building with wooden blocks. We've had a small set of colored wooden blocks for a while now, but the set has gotten depleted due to the fact they play with them so often, blocks have gotten misplaces. For Christmas, Santa brought the boys two new sets of blocks, one set of large wooden blocks and one set of colored, smaller blocks (smart Santa...). Our boys will build for hours with these blocks. They make towers, race tracks, houses, and whole villages. They sort the blocks by color and build solid-colored robots, they use the blocks as a railroad track for their train cars. These simple wooden shapes are the best and most creative toy we own, and trust me, we own a LOT of toys! We love you, wooden blocks!
James with his Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and Lockdown Transformers built with blocks, and Owen laying next to his color-coded creations.

Brothers sorting and building together.

Cool block robots and towers, by James & Owen.

Dinner at Ojiya for Kristin's 31st birthday

2009-01-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Kristin's 31st birthday, we all got together at Ojiya Japanese Steakhouse for an entertaining dinner. None of us had ever been to this new restaurant before, so it was a fun adventure for us all. We were very tightly packed around a counter surrounding a hibachi grill. We had a chef at our table preparing all the food right in front of us. He was entertaining and the food was tasty, although quite expensive. It was a treat though, to spend an evening with friends experiencing something new and different. Ojiya was a fun place for a group to spend a unique evening together! Brooke & Bob were the only two at dinner without spouses present, so they were "substitute dates" for each other. Cute couple, huh?Behlkes and Finches

Cooking with FIRE!

Micki, Travis, Jason & Tara had to be careful not to have their eyebrows singed off!

Our hibachi chef prepared our entire meal right in front of us.

Our chef had a few tricks up his sleeve, including flipping zucchini into our mouths. Can you see the flying zucchini in the top left corner of this picture on its way to Chad's mouth?

Luke's turn to catch some food!

An awesome night with an amazing group of friends, and a happy birthday to Kristin!

Pedis with my girls

2009-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I met Brooke K., Kelly and Kristin at Queen Nails in Chico for a fun afternoon of pampering. We each relaxed in giant massage chairs and sipped 2-buck-Chuck while getting pedicures. The blue-to-green color-changing water was very neat and we each loved our unique hand-painted flower designs on our toes. With this weather being so clear and temperatures over 70 degrees lately, maybe we'll even be able to wear sandals to show off our pretty new toes over the next few days!
Kristin & Charli, our little pedi-elf. Charli helped us out by delivering cheese & crackers as well as chocolate truffles to us while we sat in our chairs. She was so helpful!

Even though Charli opted not to have her nails painted, she did enjoy giving the dries a try.

Kristin & Charli

The birthday girl getting her pedi!

Brooke relaxing in her massage chair.

My feet enjoyed some special treatment!

Now, this is the life!

Cheers!

Kelly getting some much deserved pampering too!

Owen on his Half-Birthday

2009-01-17T08:33:00.000-08:00

Scruffy hair, wide blue eyes, sweet toddler face.

Our Owen at two-and-a-half years old.

The kinds of games daddies are good for.....

2009-01-17T08:30:00.001-08:00

All systems ready for launch, and .......... .......... BLAST OFF!!!!

James and his Ladies

2009-01-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

James and his beloved ladies- Kylee and Alysa Winebarger. He loves these two girls and they have so much fun playing together every day at Kristin's. What a lucky boy to have such great friends! These pictures of the three of them were just too adorable to pass up.

Alina's 2nd Birthdya Party at ADVENTURELAND

2009-01-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

We traveled to Fair Oaks for Alina's 2nd birthday party. Her party was held at Adventureland, an indoor play park with lots of blow-up climbers, slides, games, bumper cars and more! The boys had a blast, of course, and it was great to see Uncle Steve, Aunt Jessica & Cousin Alina too!
Owen and James are the perfect age to play at Adventureland!

Alina LOVES the book, "Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom" so Jessica made an adorable cake and cupcakes in that theme.

Alina dug in to the cake right away!

This little guy from Alina's day care wanted to give her a kiss, but was so grossed out by her messy face he had to wipe her up first.

Cake..... yum!

James gave his most sad, pouty face for us to show how unhappy he was about having to wait until cake was done before he could go play on the structures.

Uncle Steve on the bumper cars.

Coloring

2009-01-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

Two brother, coloring together before bed.
James' new line he tells Owen daily:
"Owen, you're the best little brother a big guy could have."

Mickey Mouse Ears

2009-01-04T15:06:00.000-08:00

James saw an idea on the Disney Channel to make your own Mickey Mouse ears to wear. He wasted no time and got out his scissors, paper and crayons. Before I knew it, he had whipped up these adorable ears to wear! What a creative & crafty kid he is!

Owen LOVES Mickey Mouse and Santa brought him these fun ears that sing and play games. They are a little big for his tiny head, but he still tries to wear them.My camera was a little foggy from being out in the car.

BROOKE IS PREGNANT!!!!

2009-01-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

Easily the most anticipated pregnancy of all time, I am SO excited to post the news that BROOKE IS PREGGO!!!!! She found out on New Year's Eve that she and Jake are expecting thwir first baby!! She is due on September 2, 2009, which is also Charli's 5th birthday. Words like thrilled and excited do not even come close to how I feel about Brooke being pregnant! I am so, so happy for both she and Jake and am looking so forward to being by her side as they experience all that is to come! CONGRATULATIONS, BROOKE & JAKE!!! Our first "rubbing the belly" shot!

Keegan & Owen had to pretend they had babies in their bellies too...

My 100th Post!!!!!

2009-01-04T14:44:00.001-08:00

This is it, 100 posts on my blog!

I started blogging in January last year and have really enjoyed this as a way to keep updated with family and friends. It has turned into a fun little journal for our family as well, tracking the important moments in our lives. I am excited to recieve the printed versions of my first year of blogging that I ordered from www.sharedbook.com last week. It will be fun to have a printed copy of the blog that I can hang on to and flip through from time-to-time.

Here's to a new year - 2009 - and many, many more posts in the years to come!

One last hurrauh!

2009-01-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

In celebration of having a Friday off together, the McGregors decided to have us over for a BBQ in the middle of the afternoon. We had a fabulous dinner, wine and the kids had a blast playing. It was an awesome way to cap off what has already been an awesome winter break. I love these people and we are so lucky to have them in our lives. Good times, good wine, good friends, that is what it's all about!
Chef Kristin

Three best bussies since birth who are SUPER excited they get to spend the night together!

After we told James & Charli that they could BOTH spend the night at Renton's house, James said, "Ok, get together, here's the plan...." and whispered something to them. They were all so excited!

Making a plan....

Five in the bed.....

Kristin was really enjoying the popcorn that night....Kelly & Kristin- buddies!

"V-Drop Mania!" The kids took turns making the Hot Wheel cars go down the V-Drop. Super cool!!

Five kids, all snuggled up for bed. Thank goodness for those under-bed pull-outs Kelly's kids' beds have!

SLEEP-OVER TIME!!!

2009-01-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

With everyone on winter break, we finally found time for Renton to come up for his first sleep-over at our house. James was, of course, thrilled to share all his new toys with his buddy. The boys played so well together that Renton didn't end up leaving to go home until 5:00 the next day! I'm sure this was the first of many, many sleep-overs with this good friend to come.

Time for the "sleep" part of the sleep-over!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T10:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas was so much fun this year! James and Owen are at the perfect age to really understand and enjoy our family holiday traditions. Both boys were so sweet and geuine in their amazement and fascination with everything to do with this season. We enjoyed Christmas Eve at Sally & Mike's house with Stacey, Diane, Dan, Aaron, Johnna, Baby Alexis, Travis and Patty. My parents came to our house and spent the night so this morning they were here to enjoy watching the boys open all their gifts on Christmas morning. James woke up at 5:30 (of course), but was very patient until everyone else woke up. Owen was the last to wake and he only woke up with help from his brother. He did not want to get out of bed, but once he finally came out to the livingroom and saw all the wonderful things Santa brought, he got into the spirit.

Right now the boys are sitting around enjoying their new toys. Favorite gifts this year included:

*new wooden blocks and craft book from Grandma Mary & Grandpa Allen

*Leapster Tag Reading System & Books from Grandma Cindy & Grandpa Kevin

*Dress-up chest complete with 12 new costumes (Batman, Spiderman, Power Rangers, Pirate, Transofrmer Bumblbee, and more!) from Mom & Dad

*Star Wars Transformer and Handy Manny toy from Grandma Sally and Grandpa Mike *Dinosaur palientology kit and Handy Manny p.j.'s from Auntie Stacey
.....and more!!!

I think we've got a lot of fun hours of play ahead of us!

Owen in his Santa hat on Christmas Eve

Diane & her brand new granddaughter, Alexis Kyra

Jason & I- and he smiled! Yay!

Aaron & Alexis

Opening gifts at Sally's house on Christmas Eve

Owen with his new loot- fridge farm, math desk, Handy Manny toy set and Ming Ming duck from Wonder Pets
Sally with baby Alexis

Jason, Travis, Aaron, Johnna and Patty on Christmas Eve

Sweet little Alexis in her special first Christmas dress- so adorable!

Stacey looking cute & having some lunch

Alexis and I

Diane, Aaron & Alexis

Mike, Taylor & Owen hanging out

James made some "reindeer food" at his Christmastime Tots preschool class. It was oatmeal mixed with silver glitter, which we had to scatter in our yard before bed on Christmas Eve so Santa would be able to find his way to our driveway.

Setting out treats for Santa & the reindeer

When James woke up at 5:30 a.m., it was too early to open gifts yet, so he got out his new palientology set to dig for dinosaurs for a while.

FINALLY Owen woke up and it was time to look at the gifts Sant had delivered!!

Choosing the first gifts to open

present time!

Owen loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and he was very impressed with the mouse ears he got from Santa the paly music & games.

A very excited Owen shows off his new lacing cards.

Big-boy socks, new Transformer underwear and a new Transformer hat for James!

My mom and I- tired, but awake (just barely!)

Time to open gifts, everyone!
Making a book craft
Playing with the new pinball machines with Grandpa
Owen had so much fun with his new Tag Reading pen- a very cool thing! It reads stories and plays interactive games with special books made to be used with it.
James also loves his Leapster Tag reading pen- thanks Grandma Cindy & Grandpa Kevin!

The Behlke Family has been elfed!

2008-12-21T18:19:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Kids' Christmas Party & Taylor's 3rd Birthday Party

2008-12-15T07:47:00.001-08:00

December Scrapblog

2008-12-14T18:31:00.001-08:00

Decorating the Christmas Tree!

2008-11-30T19:05:00.000-08:00

I always love to put up our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. I enjoy having the house decorated for as long as possible- it makes the house so cozy! Now that the kids are 2 and 4, they really can take part in all the decorating and get into the Christmas Spirit. James & Owen were great little helpers, even if I did get a little stressed and uptight about the possiblity of them breaking ornaments... We managed to get everything put up with minimal damage and no time-outs, so I consider it a successful experience!

Owen the Christmas elf

Decorating so carefully...
Owen wore this Santa hat all day today!

Working on the tree together.

Paige is One!

2008-11-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Paige Kennedy's first birthday at a fun party at her house. The birthday girl was adorable in her barely-ponytails and toddling all over the place. One is such a fun age, all of us with older kids enjoyed watching and playing with Paige- ah, how quickly time goes by!Paige & Owen admiring the beautiful butterfly cake.Birthday girl!

All of the kids at the party table! Time to EAT CAKE!yum.

The two-year-old buddies- Taylor & Owen
The four-year-old buddies- Renton & James

Ah, the chaos of gift-opening time! Always my LEAST favorite part of birthday parties!

Our Holiday in Sierra City

2008-11-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

During Thanksgiving break we spent a few days in the mountains visiting my parents. We all love going up there- the seasons are all so beautiful and we get a chance to relax. Both boys absolutly love going to Sierra City to visit their grandparents. They have their own room there full of toys and books. For the first time, Owen slept in their room with James and it worked out perfectly! Below I have posted some of my favorite shots from our trip.

We always take many walks when we visit and I took most of my pictures on these walks. At our house, we have lots of pine needles, but not many oak leaves. The boys had a blast playing in the deep piles of oak leaves in my parents' neighborhood.

J & O throwing leaves.

The whole family walking around the block.

Owen was really into stringing beads with Grandma's craft stuff. He sat cozy by the fire and beaded for hours!

Owen "helped" Grandma make the whipped cream for our pumpkin pie...

Noodle Names

2008-11-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

Noodles, it turns out, are not just for eating! James has been learning so much about words and letters lately and he got quite creative with his dinner the other night. First, he decided to spell Owen for his brother, followed by his own name and his mom & dad's names as well. The boys enjoyed eating- and playing with their noodles! You just can't beat playing with your food!