Thursday

It's a nice day again today so the kids are playing outside. Last time I looked at them, Paige was only wearing one shoe and both kids were drenched from the hose. The neighbor kids are playing with them, but are amazingly dry. :) The dogs came in a little bit ago and are sleeping on the couch. I guess the kids wore them out.

Remember the package I got? I didn't really wait. Really, the picture was of an empty box because I'd already opened it and then remembered I should take a picture so I wrapped it back up! Inside was 4 bottles of Eucalyptus and Spearmint scented body products in a little cosmetic bag and a couple of tea light candles. It was so nice! They smell wonderful and I even 'let' Cam use the lotion to rub my feet.

Did you know Eucalyptus wards off evil thought? Hmmm.



The trees are finally leafed out and our yard is looking wonderful again. I'd forgotten how beautiful the trees are with their leaves.

Jeff is taking out a full page ad in Seattle Bride magazine for the year. Here is his picture and the link if you want to see it full screen:



http://www.jefflaplante.com/ads/SeattleBride/JLP-SeattleBrideFullPage.jpg

Mukilteo and Mariners

This weekend was so beautiful! On Sunday, we went to the beach at the Mukilteo lighthouse. The plan was to have me get into the water in a fake wedding dress and have the skirt poof up around me, spread out my arms and tip my head back. Unfortunately, they removed the dock that used to be there so Jeff wasn't able to get above me and I couldn't get the dress to do what I wanted so we'll be going back soon. He's going to use the picture in an ad with Seattle Bride magazine. That is, if we get a good one :) We have lots of time though. It was fun anyway, but more than a little cold! I'll have water pictures in my next post if I can get ahold of them. Jeff has to find the card they are on first.

On the way down, I took a picture of a ferry. Cam asked what I took a picture of and I told him. He got all excited and begged to see it. I said I'd show him when we got to the parking lot. He said okay. A couple of minutes later, he said: "Mom, are Ferries real?" I was so confused... Jeff and I looked at each other and I started to say that they were indeed real when I realized what he meant. I said "Honey, do you mean fairies with wings?" and he said "YES!" I had to explain to him that a Ferry is a boat and a fairy isn't real. I bet he was so disappointed to find out I didn't really get a picture of a fairy. I forget what it's like to accept that things like fairies could really exist and it would make sense that Mom would have a picture of one. Later on the beach, a ferry docked and I pointed it out to Cam. He didn't say anything so I asked if he saw it and it he replied with "Yes, Mom, I see the ferry, but I don't understand why you want me to look at a boat." Anyway... here's the ferry.



Below are pictures of the kids holding a tulip bouquet Jenn made. She, Mark and Collin went to the beach with us. Jenn wanted to have Jeff take some shots of her in her fancy wedding dress down there too. It's always nice to be able to wear your dress more than once! It was fun and silly being all dressed up like that on the beach. She did a fabulous job with the flowers!






Cammy toes on the beach. He LOVES the beach! He kept looking for sea glass, shells and special rocks because I've told him about Gaba and how she would collect things from the beach and make collages out of them. We ended up going back the next day and watched a small piece of driftwood come in to the beach. Cam waded out and snagged it so we could make a Gaba-like collage with his treasures. Pictures of that much later. Cam kept finding neat things and saying 'Gaba would have liked this!' 'Gaba would think this was pretty!'

Here is me looking all silly. Not sure what was going on with my mouth, but I must have been about to say something.

and a last shot of my cammy boy :) I love him!!


Monday we went to the beach again for fun and then Cam and I went to the Mariner's game against Chicago. Cam really enjoyed it, but mostly he loved the silly foam hand I bought him so he could hold it up and shout 'We're number one!!' We ended up leaving before the end of the game because it went into extra innings and we were both exhausted. We had peanuts and cracker jacks and cotton candy and some sugary drink. It was a grand adventure. Thanks, Roland, for the tickets :) We had a great time together, just me and my Cam.

Gifts

Oooh, looky what came in the mail for me! I'm supposed to wait to open it. Anyone want to take bets how long I'll be able to hold off? That little tag says Bath and Body Works. MMMMMMMM

Random pictures

We had a busy day yesterday! I installed Paige's new closet system and then put all of her stuff back in. Turns out she has a lot of clothes.


Before that, Jeff assembled our new exercise machine. It's a Nordic Track Elliptical from Costco. It was almost 1/2 the price of buying it from a regular store! Costco is the best. I'm excited about getting my legs back into shape. Looking at this picture makes me think I'd better paint our room next.
Paige's favorite past time... Finding my wallet and dumping everything out and then running around the house with various cards or IDs and then I get to seek them out. Great fun!


Today is looking so beautiful! Here's the view from our deck this morning. Makes me want to get outside. What a fabulous morning!
Time to find some breakfast.

Sad little miss Paige

I totally forgot to post this picture! Here's what Jeff had to say about it and then the picture below.


Here's a shot of my little girl Paige that I took yesterday. She was mad because her mom went to the store without her. So, what do I do? ..Run up to the top of the stairs to comfort her? No, not me. I'm a photographer. I go grab the camera and document the moment. :D

This shot was taken with my new Nikkor 85 f1.4 that I picked up at WPPI. I love this lens!
-Jeff

Me! memememe

I got to spend three hours with Shane today! I just love having my hair done. Jeff is not home yet so I cannot (my apostrophe is not working?) get a good picture, but I attempted to take my own picture with his camera and a mirror. It is grainy, but I do not know how to fix that on his camera so this is as good as it gets for now.

Why is the apostrophy key not working? Weird and annoying because I do not say things like "cannot" Hey, and the " key is the same button, just using with the shift. Weird.
Oh yea, picture!

Bubble bath

A couple of days ago, the kids were taking a bath and Cameron asked if we could turn on the jets. I thought it would be fun to do that and add some bubbles so I said sure! I always get annoyed when I pour a bunch of bubbles in the tub and you only get a few bubbles, so I made sure this time that I dumped tons in. I think about 1/4 of the bottle went in. Apparently the jets in the tub do a fabulous job of making bubbles! After the bath I had to put the kids in the shower to wash off the bubbles and the toys sucked up so much soap that tonight the bath water was bubbly again even though I didn't add anything. It was fun!








I love this one of Cam... (The one above my comment) What a cutie!


Today I sneezed and Paige said "bees you". She also teased me saying "Hi Grandma!" and then giggled.
Cam has been really good this week. He's trying hard to not get in trouble and I've been so proud of him. He gets embarrassed when I tell him how proud I am of him.

Jeff booked another wedding today! He's raising his prices now. I couldn't afford him :) I think he'll be up to $6,000 per wedding, but it will include an album. No more of the different pricing for different options. Just a flat $6,000. He's also adding two more album options. La Vie is the name I remember and I think they have fabulous albums! I'd love to have one of the kids.

I found a great elliptical trainer at Costco today that I think we will get tomorrow. I'm so excited. I've been looking for one, but it's hard to spend that much money on one. I've saved up enough and our monster sized tax return showed up so I think we will get it. I told Jeff it can be my birthday and mother's day present. Really, I have so much already that all I really want from him is a hug and a kiss and lots of love and I get that every day anyway! I couldn't ask for any more than I already have. My kids and Jeff are fabulous. :)

Ballet, SLEEP, not together though

Sleeping Beauty was a beautiful ballet!! I cannot believe how strong those dancers' legs are! Crazy. The costumes were very pretty, I had a great time. It was also so great being with Heather again! I miss my Heather friend.

Paige is sleeping in her OWN CRIB! I am SO excited. I don't think there is any question that it is completely my doing that kept her in my bed for so long, but I sure am happy she is finally out. Jeff put her to bed tonight just before she fell asleep, but was very tired. She only cried for a minute or so and then was out. Yay for sleep. I have not slept all the way through the night without interruption in about 2 years. Sweet Sweet Sleep. :)

Today the kids and I met Jenn and Collin and took a long walk with the strollers. We ended up at the elementary school nearby and played on the toys there. Both kids had a great time. I'm definitely going to have to go back with a camera and a Jeffy.

Tomorrow, Jeff is off to Oakland for work. *sigh* I'll miss him. I wish I was going!

Happy Easter!

The kids enjoyed their Easter Baskets! They got little snack cups for traveling, some pencils that color a bunch of different colors, scented bubbles, and a chocolate bunny. Cam also got a new mitt and baseball. Later today, Grandma and Great Grandma will be over for dinner and egg hunting. After Paige's nap, Cam and I will finish dyeing the rest of the eggs we have. Here are some pictures of the kids with their baskets. Oh, I forgot... I didn't buy the kids baskets because their grandmas have some for them and Jeff says "We don't need more stuff!" So, I made do. Paige's duck is actually Cameron's Easter basket from a past Easter and Cam's basket for this year is the spider he used for a Halloween basket a couple of years ago when he was a Spider. Hahaha. How's that for recycling? :) Jeff was very happy that I didn't buy more 'crap'. Yesterday, the kids got a package from Grammy and Papa that had plastic plates and an egg with Jelly Bellies inside and stickers for both of them. Paige's plate is a duck of course. Quack. Cam's is a purple animal. Paige calls it a dog. Then, she took a pen and drew all over it so I've had to spend quite a bit of time getting off. Way to go, Paige.

Okay, back to the pictures.

Grandma's new car

Grandma Patty got a new car today!! She's been driving a lemon for years now and deserves a brand new car. I'm so happy for her!! It only has 30 miles on it. Although, now I think it has 35 miles since she drove home after I saw her :) Here are pictures. Dufus I am, the main picture is out of focus, but it's not too bad. Jeff wasn't available to do it right.

Ballet

Yay, my friend is taking me to the ballet tomorrow night! I'm so excited :) We are going to dinner first. I can't remember my last night out with Heather. YIPPEE!!!! (Thanks to Andy and Jeff too :))

A week later...

So, I've been delinquent on my blogging. Jeff went to Vegas for several days last week for a photography convention. He bought an awesome new lens while he was down there. The kids and I went to Wenatchee to be with Grammy and Papa since I don't like to be home alone for that long. Their yard is looking really good, they got a bunch of sod down and started planting some flowers and grapes. Cam rode with Papa to Quincy to pick up a load of sod and both kids had lots of fun hanging out in the hot tub. We also took some walks, found a couple of burros and a horse and fed them grass until Paige's finger got stuck in the mouth of one of the burros. She didn't seem upset until I grabbed her hand and yanked it out. She was finished with the animals after that. She's fine though.
We came home on Monday and spent the day here with Mom and then she took the train back home that evening.
Yesterday, we went down the street to Lauren's house and dyed Easter Eggs. Paige wasn't interested, but Cam and Lauren had a great time! I tried making deviled eggs after we got home, but it was pretty much a disaster. No big surprise since my great ideas tend to disappoint.
Today we made egg shaped cup cakes and frosted them. Pictures below... Paige says 'cupcake'.

Friday

Patty has the flu now. Poor Grandma! I stayed home from work so she could stay home and rest. The kids and I had a pretty easy day, but we did take a walk up to see Jenn and Collin and to eat killer brownies.

The kids are excited to go to Wenatchee tomorrow, Jeff is excited about going to Las Vegas and I would really like to just stay here all by myself and rest :) I will have fun with Mom though.

The kids fell asleep on the couch with me tonight and then I carried Cam up to bed. I love taking him up after he falls asleep because he is so sweet and he barely wakes up. Silly boy. He says I'm the best mom he could ever have. Good thing since I'm also the only mom he could ever have!

Boogers

Yesterday, Paige ran up to me to hand me something. I reached for it and she put it in my hand. Then she said "BOOGER!" laughed and ran away. Rotten baby!!! Cam enjoyed it. :)

Wednesday

I checked my bank account today and I had $0.02. How's that for budgeting? LOL! Good thing I get paid tonight.

Cam is still fighting something. Today the sun came out and he got excited to play outside. He wasn't out five minutes before he came back with a scratched up face and big tears. He said he was looking for rocks to look under to find bugs and he tripped and fell and landed on his face. Mostly he has red blotches and a small scab on his lip. Poor little dude's face is sure taking it in the shorts. He cheered up after nap though when we went down the street to play with all of his friends. Paige had a good time too playing with Olivia.

Paige let the dogs out the front door today. I must have forgotten to lock it and she just opened it up and away went the doggies. Genevieve stuck near by, but Zoe took off to Hilton Lake. I got her to come back by asking if she was hungry. Rotten Zoe!! It's really annoying to get so mad at her, but then have to reward her because she came back when I really wanted to yell at her for running away in the first place.

Tomorrow I get to stay home with the kids because Cam gave his grandma his sickies. He likes to take credit for it :)

Paige's tower

Paige's grandma found this fabulous Eiffel Tower at Safeway! It is going to be perfect in Binks' room!

Cam and the Terrarium

Here is Cammy boy in his brand new swim shorts. In this picture, he was trying not to smile.















Today, Cam and I went out and got potting soil and plants and put together a terrarium. He helped me pick out a couple of ferns and then we found the carnivorous plants and had to get those. We got a Venus Flytrap, a Cobra Lily and something else.. I can't remember the name, but the flies get stuck in it and then it kind of wraps around the fly. Cam and I used a stick to tease the flytrap. He also went outside and picked the perfect rocks for our terrarium. Here are some pictures:




Today we also went to Jenn's and made Killer Brownies and rice crispy treats. Paige is always up for a trip to see 'coweeeen' (That's Collin). When we got home, Paige accidently gooshed Cam's foot in the door and when Cam started crying, Paige said "Sorry!"

Swim suit

So, here is Paige's new suit. See how much she loves it?
I didn't get a picture of Cammy in his because he fell asleep at 6:30 and shows no signs of consciousness. Maybe tomorrow.

Oooh, Paige says 'please' now. Especially if you say no first.

Daylight Savings sucks

Okay, I guess it's actually good because it's almost 7 pm and it's still light out, but I was hating the early wake up this morning.

Cam is asleep on the couch again. He's definitely a lot better, but he's still very whiney and clingy and tired a lot. Paige said her name today. Sounds like peeeege, but it's great! I got new swimsuits for the kids today so they can play in the hot tub this weekend. Paige got a cute pink two piece with ruffles and Cammy picked out a Hawaiian print pair of shorts. I was going to take pictures, but as soon as I put the bottoms on Paige she started crying and yanked them off screaming NONONONONONO!!!!! I guess I'll try again tomorrow.

That's it. I'm too tired to think of any more to write.

Still sick

Poor Cameron! He is still so sick. He spent all day yesterday laying down and sleeping and throwing up. Today I think he is a little better, but he is still just laying on the couch. At least nothing is coming back up. He's not really eating much though. Paige seems pretty much over it, just has a lingering cough. She's not so understanding about letting her brother rest.

I was proud of Cam last night. He woke up at about 3:00 am, ran into our room, turned on the bathroom light, used the toilet, turned out the lights and went back to his own bed. That's the first time he has ever woken up needing to go to the bathroom and then took care of it all by himself. I expected more nighttime accidents, but he seems to have it all under control.