The Brew Crew

2010-03-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it took me awhile, but I guess I figured most people who would want to see my pictures saw them on facebook already. I am not faithful at this blogging thing- and half the time I forget my camera when I plan to take pictures anyways.

Well, we started out our vacation by arriving to Honolulu an hour later than scheduled because of weather. We had an hour to drive to our hotel, so we were really wishing we would have booked a hotel in Honolulu the first night! We were pretty tired. But that morning I woke up bright and early at 6am (because it was 8am Oregon time) and watched the sunrise! That might just be the first in my life! :) J/k. I am not an early riser- so sunrises are usually pretty low on my priority list. But- I was glad we saw it! The wind was blowing pretty hard, so I had a hard time wanting to go in the water like we had planned. I also had no sunscreen, and seeing those pictures of me, you know how that could practically be a death sentence. That first day I was in my sweatshirt and jeans most of the day, and just walking small distances from the car to a building was already burning my face. We decided to go to the Dole Plantation for something to do, and on the way down stopped at Ted's Bakery. They had good sandwiches!

The Dole Plantation was not at all what I expected. I thought we were going to get a tour of where the can pineapple or something- but we entered a cute little gift shop, and then rode the train through the farm and learned a few things about Mr. Dole and pineapples! It was pretty fun. There were other things to do as well, but that's all we did. We did purchase a couple pineapple cones- those were good! and I got a bracelet with my name engraved in Hawaiian.

On Tuesday we drove down to Waikiki. We didn't have a plan of what we were going to do- so we did a little shopping, had lunch, then decided to hike Diamond Head. That was a lot of fun- it made me want to do more hiking and walking dates here! After we finished that, we decided we should go to the beach. The parking there is pretty non existent, so Jared was trying to persuade me to walk a couple of miles from where we could park. I somehow persuaded him to drive down to the beach where I saw parking, just to see if we could get lucky- and what do you know- we got the last parking spot on the curb next to the beach!! Wow!! So- we walked along the beach, then went and walked down the strip, bought a couple T-shirts- then ate at The Cheesecake Factory. They have really good food! It also happened to be Jared's birthday, so we had dessert there as well. We loved it! I think the closest one to us now is up in Portland.

On Wednesday we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. I really liked it. So many things to learn, and so little time! My favorites were the River Raft Show- (even though it rained on us through about half of it) and learning about Samoa. Jared's favorite was New Zealand. We didn't have time to watch all the shows- and it was time to go to the Luau. We sat with a couple from New York- who had been to all the islands, and were evacuated to the top of a hotel room during the Tsunami (yikes!) and two other couples from California. I was brave and tried new food- and found I didn't really like it. But- I was proud of myself for attempting it. After the Luau, we went to the show HA- Breath of Life. It was a good show- but a bit too long for me. I did like watching the fire dancers at the end. That was a long day!

Thursday we took a walk along the beach by our hotel, then went swimming in the pool. I was ready to attempt snorkeling, but they wouldn't rent us snorkeling gear because of the surf. So- this was our biggest lay back day. The nicest thing about Hawaii was having no set times to be anywhere, and no children! I missed them- but didn't worry too much about them, because I knew they were in good hands! Thanks Sharon and Michelle! My mother-in-law and sister-in-law flew in to watch our brood while we were gone.

Friday we drove to our friend Joseph & Crystal Nielsen's house. Jared and I went to High School with Joseph. He took us snorkeling in the ocean near his home, but I couldn't do it. I was hyperventalating- and couldn't calm myself down. So Jared went. I stayed on the beach. I did manage to see a few tropical fish, though! Afterwards, they fed us dinner! They were such gracious hosts, and we really appreciated their hospitality!

Saturday was our last full day in Hawaii. We did manage to snorkel in the shallow bay next to our hotel, and I did much better. Knowing I was in shallow water and not out in the open ocean probably helped a great deal! I got to see lots of cool fish- two or three I recognized from Finding Nemo! I really wanted to see a sea turtle- and someone said one was out there, but I got so cold out there, I had to go back in. About 5 minutes after I got out and warmed up, Jared found the Sea Turtle. I knew this was my only chance, so I got back in my snorkel gear, and went out there. That sea turtle was HUGE!!! It was amazing to see it, just hanging out at the bottom of the Bay. I thought I could try and do more, but I was shivering SO BAD, I just had to go back to the beach. I had a lot of fun, though! My only regret was that I let the wind stop me from going snorkeling every day! We spent the rest of the day at Waikiki Beach again. We didn't get as good a parking spot, but the walking was good for me. We almost decided to eat at Planet Hollywood, but decided to eat at The Cheesecake Factory AGAIN. :) I tried the Mahi Mahi- which I have never had before, because I generally don't like fish or seafood of any kind. I liked it- but for the price, if I had to choose, I'd just go for the chicken! Then, we walked the Beach all the way back, and watched the sunset. It was nice. We decided to go to the airport early, and it was a good thing because we got lost. We ended up getting to the airport on time, though.

The night before, I checked to see where our seats were, and it gave you an option to try and change seats. I tried to change Jared's seat from an isle to a window, but nothing seemed to happen- so I figured it was no big deal and just closed it. We stayed up late that night and Jared checked us in online and printed out the tickets. But the tickets said we had no assigned seats and to talk to someone at the airport. I thought I had screwed something up by trying to switch seats! But it turned out that everyone on the flight had to get a seat because they switched planes or something. We did get that window seat- but no sleep was found. the flight left at 1:15am Oregon time, and arrived at 6:30am. We got to see the sunrise- but since we didn't sleep from the time we saw the sun set in Hawaii, it just seemed to me like one VERY long day!

One other funny thing: while waiting to board the plane home, we ended up sitting next to a couple that had our same last name! (no relation) But it was funny because they were calling up last names of people, so when they called up "Brewer" both Jared and the other guy went up. It was for us, but there was a little confusion when they saw there were two Brewer families on that flight!

All in all, our 10th Anniversary Trip to Hawaii was awesome! It was so nice to spend alone time with my husband, and be able to see all the beautiful sights there. I loved seeing the crystal blue oceans, and snorkeling of course! and everything else there! It made me want to just move there! Being in a place where its about 85 degrees year-round is definitely a place I could deal with, as long as I had sunscreen! ;) It's sad that I can't plan a trip for next year.... although next time, we'll probably take the kids!

2010-03-18T21:31:00.000-07:00

Our last sunset in Hawaii. It was nice just sitting and watching the sun go down, no kids, no worries... ah.... I miss Hawaii!

2010-03-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

Here we are on the beach. Don't laugh at my lack of tan... I've tried before, and it doesn't work, so I've decided to like the porcelain white look....
The entrance to the luau we attended at the pcc
the riverboat show at the pcc.
Showing how the Samoan's climb a tree and get a coconut.
Demonstration how to make fire with two sticks rubbed together and the husk from a coconut.

2010-03-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

These are trees growing by Waikiki Beach. We thought they were unique enough to take a picture- the roots hang down from the branches.
We got this picture taken of us on our way down from Diamond Head.
These are some of the stairs you have to climb up on the way to the top of Diamond Head.
A view of the lighthouse from not quite the top, but almost- at Diamond Head.
This was our favorite little joint to eat at- it wasn't far from our hotel, and the food and prices are great!

2010-03-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

At the Dole Plantation. The little bracelet on my wrist I bought here with my name Stacie Lyn engraved in Hawaiian. It's Kakieline. I might try and get a close up of it, but only if someone asks! :)
I feel a bit silly for admitting this, but I always thought pineapples grew on trees! But just plants out of the ground. I learned something new that day....
Really pretty plants and things to look at at the Dole Plantation.
We took a picture of ourselves at one of the beaches. This was our first day in Hawaii, and we were enjoying the many views of the ocean.
This is the snorkeling bay outside our hotel.

2010-03-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ben had his 1st birthday February 3. He still wasn't too sure about how to open presents, but his sisters were very willing to help out. He got a little mickey mouse rocker (which he doesn't really like) church clothes, and a couple other little toys (that he doesn't like much either) I really need to work on finding the right toys, or just give empty boxes with paper in it.
He got a baseball cake. I'm always looking for very simple but cute designs, because I'm not very good at frosting cakes. And I don't like taking the time to do it either. However, I got lucky here, because I baked the cake, and Jared decorated it. He knows what a baseball really looks like, so I was happy.

2010-02-17T21:40:00.000-08:00

A few of Rachel's favorite things: dressing up as a "horsey g-raffe" and acting like a bug in her "bug cage" She won't take naps anymore- so she sometimes wears herself out playing.

Being a Good Enough Mother

2009-10-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law found this article at pbsparents.com and posted it on her blog. I found it to be a great article, and decided to post it to my blog, too! I feel like this a lot, too- but its nice to know I'm a "normal" and "good enough" mother! :)

Amy, the mother of a four-year-old boy, was upset. She had just had the final conference of the year with her son's nursery school teacher. She heard some really good things about her son; she heard that he is very bright, makes friends easily and is very well liked. But the teacher also told her that sometimes he gets silly and babyish. Sometimes when she works individually with the children, he refuses to work with her. So Amy worried about whether there was something wrong with her son and wondered what she might have done to create these "problems."
Why do mothers tend to think that everything is their fault?
As mothers, we want everything to be perfect for our children. More than that, we imagine we can make it so. Sometimes there are things we don't like about ourselves or our lives and blame our upbringing. We want to fix what we think went wrong with us and do it right for our children. If only we could be perfect mothers, we could create the perfect life for our children and they in turn would be perfect. But since children are not perfect, we think there must be something wrong with us – that we must be at fault.
Besides, everyone acts as if a mother is responsible for everything her child does. People glare at you in the supermarket if your child acts up – as if you don't know how to manage him. They make comments on the bus if your child is unruly. If your daughter protests loudly when you leave to go out in the evening the babysitter or your mother might think, "She never does that with me."
As if that isn't enough, there are so many theories about how children should be raised in order for them to become emotionally well-adjusted, smart, successful and happy. And mothers are the ones on the hot seat. Now that so much has been learned about brain development, mothers feel responsible for that too! Child development research from its beginnings has, too often, assigned mom the role of primary influence, responsibility – and blame!
The message mothers take from all of this is that there is a right way to do things, and if you do it the wrong way you will damage your child. Any problem must mean you are doing something wrong, and so it is your fault. To be a good mother, it seems as though you have to be perfect and never make any mistakes.
The trouble with this idea is that even if you were a perfect mother (if there ever were such a person), that's not what would be best for your child. Your child has to grow up to live in the real world, and the real world isn't perfect. A child can't expect always to have people around her who understand her or cater to her every wish. Children have to learn to share, take turns, wait for what they want and realize that other people have needs and moods, too. Having to learn this can be frustrating, so children act up in various ways to show their displeasure. They show their feelings by behaving in ways that adults don't always like, and sometimes lead mothers to believe that they have done something wrong to cause that behavior.
But what about Amy and the teacher's report? Was Amy responsible for her son's behavior? Well, only if you think it was her fault for having a second child (which, by the way, she did feel guilty about). Actually, her son's babyish behavior was his way of saying that he wanted some baby treatment — like being carried or drinking from a baby bottle – and didn't want to be considered a "big boy." When Amy realized that his behavior was saying something about him, rather than about her, she was able to find many ways to help him appreciate being four instead of still being a baby.
So being a good mother does not mean being a perfect mother. A good enough mother is good enough.
A good enough mother:
loves her child but not all of his behavior.
isn't always available to her child whenever he wants her.
can't possibly prevent all her child's frustrations and moods.
has needs of her own which may conflict with those of her child.
loses it sometimes.
is human and makes mistakes.
learns from her mistakes.
uses her own best judgment.
There are no perfect mothers and no perfect children. If we accept our own limitations, we are better able to accept those of our children and of life itself. In that way we become good enough mothers. And good enough mothers are the real mothers.

Food Allergies

2009-08-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

So- I almost feel bad about writing this post- because I'm complaining a little bit- and I know this isn't that bad when I look around me and see people dealing with way worse. But- I'm still going to get it out- I am so annoyed at having to deal with the food allergies with my children!! Growing up- we didn't have to worry about foods- we didn't really have special needs or anything- so I figured that was how my married life would be- pretty normal with a few hiccups to get through here and there. One of the main reasons I am dismayed that I now have to deal with not one, but two food allergies- is- I hate to cook. And- sad to say- I was liking the freezer foods that I could pop in the microwave once or twice a week and not worry about dinner. Now- I really can't do that. Jacie can't have gluten- and gluten is in SO many things!- its really hard to go out to eat now with her. I've discovered that Rachel really can't tolerate much milk. How much, if any- I don't know- but I know she gets really sick if she eats a lot in a day. I kept thinking with her- if I just replace milk with the soy milk- I'll be fine. But- milk is in nearly everything too! so- I have to read labels like crazy. And- I have a nagging feeling that Jacie needs to be off milk too. She still complains of headaches and stomach pain a lot- although it doesn't make her wake up crying. She's still lacks energy- so- I'm going to take a big breath- and try and make a huge change in my house so that Jacie and Rachel will both be going gluten and dairy free as much as possible. If Rachel gets some gluten- I think she'll be fine- if Jacie gets a bit of dairy- I think she'll be fine... so it will be hard- but I think I may be able to do it. There is a book down at my library that is a gluten and dairy free cookbook- so I want to go check that out and see if I can manage to cook any of it!! Alyson seems to like the silk milk just fine, but going totally gluten free for the whole family could be a bit spendy- so I don't know how this will go. But- we'll see how it works! If anyone out there has any good dairy free or dairy and gluten free recipes- I'll be happy to see if I can incorporate it into our family lifestyle! But, for now- I just need to remember- one step at a time!

Graduation: Pregnancy Brain to Mom Brain

2009-08-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

It was always nice to be able to have something to blame for my spaceyness. Pregnancy. But- now I don't have that to fall back on. So- now I blame it on just being a mom. This scenario happens to me just about every day- just in a different form. Here's what happened.

Jared took Alyson, Jacie and Rachel on the Willamette River on his fishing boat. That left me and Benjamin by ourselves. I figured this would be great to go shopping for those last minute things I needed. I didn't NEED too much- 3 things- so I decided to make a mental list. I even tried to envision myself going to each isle to get the things I needed. The only thing I really needed desperately- were my bottle liners- although I could have used a different bottle if I needed to. So- I got to the store, went and got the formula and wipes, and went on my way. Just looking around the store, nowhere to go... I went to a shoe store, bought shoes for Jared, then decided everyone would be probably home soon, so I got Ben in the car- then thought- I wonder when he's due to eat again? I have bottle liners with me, right? BOTTLE LINERS!!! The one thing I forgot to get, which was the primary reason for going to the store in the first place! Luckily, I hadn't buckled him in, and hadn't put away the stroller yet, so in I went again, and came out with more than I had planned on getting. But- its hard for me to believe how my brain short circuits when there were only 3 things on my list of must haves! Oh well. Sometimes I wonder if I'm in an early stage of Alheizmer's- because I am so forgetful. I need a notebook within easy reach in my purse so I can jot down how to get home.

The art of board gaming

2009-07-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

I have always been a fan of board games. They're just fun! I could play for hours with anyone willing to give their time to me as a kid. As an adult- I still enjoy them, but its harder to find the time- or the right age group...

Alyson for the past couple of days has been asking to play a board game. The trouble is- I sent all our games packed to our storage unit since no one has asked to play them in years... but there has been a couple that escaped the box and are still lying around. One is Rummikub. Jared and I love this game. We used to play it every Sunday with his parents (or Scrabble) but it has been just sitting around for the past Nine years because we haven't found time or energy to play- and no one has been old enough to play. FINALLY- Alyson is old enough- 8! The problem: One missing tile. So- yesterday I told her we couldn't play. I looked and looked for places I thought I had seen the lone tile, but to no avail. Today when she came asking to play a game- I thought- oh why not? its missing a tile... I'll just make up the missing tile in case we need it... it's still a fun game! And she took to liking it fast! We played 3 rounds!! I finished preparing dinner, we ate, and she played with her friends. But- seeing how its not very late yet, maybe we'll get in another game tonight! Quite possibly, board gaming has once again bloomed in the Brewer household!

Skype- fabulous!

2009-07-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

My dad is leaving to Iraq on Sunday. He is going to be an electrician contractor- or something like that. He's not in the Military- but it feels like he might as well be... at any rate- he asked all of us kids if we'd download skype so we would have a cheap (it's free computer to computer calling) and a way to still see eachother- if we have a web cam. So- I downloaded it- and had my first conversation on it with my dad. It was very cool. Unfortunately, we hadn't bought our web cam yet, so he couldn't see us- but the girls were giddy with excitement that they could see Papa on the computer screen, and hear him talking. So- I went to wal-mart and bought a cheap-o model web cam, and had a conversation with him again today. He could see us this time, which was nice, but since I decided on the cheap-o model- the results weren't great. So- I might take it back and fork out the extra cash... I also found out you can have conference calling on skype- which I think is a cool feature- you can have family that can't be at family get-togethers- there- I'm thinking Christmas here. So- I'm excited to be able to talk to my dad while he's in Iraq- although hopefully the time difference won't be too big of a deal... :)

2009-07-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

so- I found out how to put these "reactions" tabs on my posts. I'm wondering if there are people out there who read my blog, but don't comment, would at least say what they thought about the post. It's just to see...sometimes I read other people's blogs and don't comment- so I can't be too worried about my lack of visitors- although I do have a few- and I appreciate the comments! Thanks Shara and Lisa!

2009-07-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Lynette was so nice to e-mail me a "flour-less" cake recipe she found online. I'm new to the gluten-free thing for Jacie- and I'm always looking for cake recipes that aren't hard to do- and "flour-less" was perfect. They taste a lot like brownies- and I probably need to make this a few times for it to come out just right....but I'm sure Jacie and the rest of the family won't mind!

Here is a picture of how long Ben's hair was in the back...

Ben FINALLY got his hair cut last night! I must say, he does look better. The long hair in the back just had to go.

Even though it was sad to cut the long curls on the sides, he looks so much better! So much more like a boy, too.

2009-07-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

Here is the trail from our campsite to the water.
Easy fishing access!

Alyson enjoying her food by the fire.

Jacie taking it easy by the fire.

Where's Rachel? Everytime she got too cranky, I would send her to the next campsite over. It was pretty quiet at the campground on the days we went, so the picnic bench was a perfect place to send her when she wouldn't stop whining. Maybe next year she'll learn to love sleeping on the dirt under the stars! (We did have a tent, and an air mattress to sleep on)

We decided to go camping. Since we like to try and stay 2 nights, we left Sunday afternoon. It of course was raining- with thunder and lightning. We decided to brave it anyway. We went to our favorite campground, and set up camp. It looked overcast, but we thought we would escape the worst of it. We were wrong. It rained ALL Sunday night, and Rachel decided to let us know how much she hated camping by screaming all night. We were close to packing up and going home. As I layed there listening to her cry- and wishing I could sleep as well as Alyson, Jacie and Ben. They didn't hear her! How could that be? I think I may have gotten an hour or two after she became so exhausted she HAD to fall asleep. But I didn't get much. We also need to get a bigger tent. The sleeping arrangement was Ben, Jared and me on one queen bed, and the 3 girls on another queen bed. There isn't much room to put clothes and things either.

On Monday morning it was still overcast, but the rain had stopped. As the day went on, the sun came out, and we really had a good time. My dad, brother, sister in law, and their son, friend they were babysitting and their dog also showed up Monday evening. We ended up having a really good time. Jared had his boat there, so taking the girls on a boat ride was a lot of fun for them! I'm hoping that maybe next year when Rachel is a bit older- she'll learn to enjoy camping a little more. Ben will walking around by then- it should be interesting! We might be very brave and go camping over Labor Day Holiday... but I'm in no hurry to plan that one!

2009-07-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

Alyson also got baptized because she turned 8. I'm short on the photos for this day, because there was so much going on and I thought I had forgotten my camera. There was also another ward there having their baptism service, and I didn't realize they had scheduled them so close to eachother, so I moved my stuff in the primary room in the middle of their baptism not knowing why they were there- I just wasn't thinking. So- my mom, dad, Ben and Jacie were stuck in their for the last half of the other baptism, and I was trying to help get Aly ready- and, well- it was a mess for me. Some other people did get pictures, so I might try and find them and post them. She got a new set of scriptures and her Grandma made her the scripture case, although it was more work than I had anticipated, so I wish I had just bought her one! But, we got through it, and I'm glad she had a memorable day.

Alyson's 8th Birthday

2009-07-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

Alyson turned 8 this year, and as you can see- she clearly loves Littlest Pet Shop stuff. She also took the money she earned plus the money she received as gifts and bought another pet shop house. I'll have to get a picture of that later... We went to Papa's Pizza, and I think the kids had a good time playing together.

2009-07-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is Alyson's Birthday cake. She designed it herself! I wrote the word spy- but she did the rest of the decorating!! When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted this year- she made it pretty easy for me- and I like easy! She likes spy type stuff right now- so this will be a good memory of her 8th birthday party

I had to post this pic of Benjamin in his camo shorts. We bought these when he was a baby and dad was so disappointed that he had to wait 6 months to use them! Luckily- Ben has been growing at a pace that he could wear them at 5 months.

Alyson in the pool

2009-07-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Alyson is not a fan of slides or diving boards, so for her last day of lessons she just practiced everything she learned and dove for rings. Here's her showing off one of her skills!

Swimming lessons

2009-07-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of swimming lessons. So- they had a play day- and Jacie was SO excited to go on the slide. She in fact, wanted to go down the small shooter slide- she is fearless! So here is a fun shot of her coming down into her teachers arms!

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

My Mom
by Alyson

If my mom was gold
She'd be the shiniest piece of gold in the universe.

If she was a butterfly
She'd be the prettiest one in the whole world.

If she was a bird
She'd have the sweetest tune.

If she was a queen
She would be the good kind.

If she was a rock
She'd be the prettiest rock in the world because she is precious to me.

If she was a song
She'd be the song that makes me feel good.

May 2009

2009-04-19T22:30:00.001-07:00

so- Jared was a brave daddy and took the girls fishing at a lake. All THREE!! I will admit, I was a bit nervous about the 2 year old- I could just see her jumping out of the boat... but they all made it home in one piece! Unfortunately, there are no pictures to share, because the video cameras batteries had died...I figured they would be fine because we rarely get it out- but apparently, non use depletes the battery... you would think I knew these things..

It's been too long...

2009-04-16T22:41:00.001-07:00

Today while I was in the store shopping, Jared and the kids waited for me in the car. Alyson decided to draw a fish while waiting for me, and Jared noticed that she had drawn fins on the bottom of the fish but not on top. When he pointed this out to her, she said: "Oh, I guess its been too long since I've seen a fish." Jared said she had this tone of voice like- its been too long since you've taken me fishing- what's your deal? Jacie has also made comments to Jared about how he needs to take her fishing. So- now that he has his boat, I guess he's got a good excuse to take them!

2009-04-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Alyson is happy to be on the boat, and excited for her turn to go on the river with her dad. Maybe she'll even reel in a fish!!

2009-04-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Jared finally got himself a fishin' boat. It is really nice! I haven't had a chance to be on it in some water yet- but one of these weekends- I'll get a babysitter! He did take it out with his fishin' buddy- and had a good time- although I think if he could, he would hire someone to be his rower so he could just fish! Maybe sometime down the road he can get a little motor for it. He was like a giddy little kid on Christmas! :) I'm happy he finally got his boat!

Jacie hangin' out

2009-04-09T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here is Jacie just hangin out at Aly's school waiting for the assembly to begin. She was so patient- unlike her 2 year old sister. If I was better at snapping pictures, I'm sure I'd have some cuter pictures to post.

2009-04-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot! Jared celebrated his 31 birthday March 2. I have such a hard time picking up the camera and taking pictures- and an even harder time downloading them to the computer and updating this thing- but anyways. I bought him what I like to think of as the poor mans version of guitar hero. He did really good with it, but I have about zero hand/eye coordination- and pushing buttons to some music isn't that exciting to me. Call me crazy. I thought I might like this- but until I get better at the whole hand eye thing...this is Jared's deal.- Not that he was begging to have this or guitar hero or anything- but I think he likes it! He would definitely say he wanted a boat for his birthday- which- he did end up getting a couple weeks ago. Its a very nice drift boat- and I need to get some pictures so I can post his prize. Too bad he hasn't been able to get it on the water yet, though. :(

Howdy Doody, Pardner!

2009-04-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

I didn't know that Rachel was such a cowgirl at heart. I bought this little hat for Jacie's Halloween outfit, and Rachel LOVES it. If she finds it, she wears it all day long. If we have an errand to run- she has to wear it in the car too. And if I try to take it off for a few seconds to get her strapped in her car seat- wow. I learned my lesson! It probably helps that her Papa (grandpa) loves cowboy hats too- so I'm guessing that's where her love of all things cowpoke came from!

Aly's award

2009-04-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Alyson got a "playground" award at her assembly the other day- plus she got a perfect attendance prize for the month of March. Wow! Good job, sweetie! Last year she got an award for reading with such good expression. She really does read well- and she does so good in school!

Benjamin- 2 months

2009-04-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

So- here is Ben at his 2 month mark. Some of you might think this is his only outfit- but since this was his "take home" outfit from the hospital- I figured I should have his picture taken in it until he grows out of it. Maybe I can see the changes in his face if the outfit is the same! :)

Exercise...painful or stress reliever?

2009-04-09T13:09:00.001-07:00

I am at the point where so many moms have been before: I have just had a child, and I want to lose the extra weight. Not that I am blaming entirely being pregnant on my weight gain- I will admit I have a hard time limiting my intake of calorie filled food. Specifically- chocolate. I bought a bag of reisens- with the thought that if I eat one after lunch and one after dinner- that isn't too many calories- but I always go WAY over that limit... but enough about that.

I did a little research, and found that 1 pound is 3500 calories!! So- with that perspective in mind, I thought that if I could run on my treadmill at least 3 times a week, and each time burning 250 calories, plus hopefully eating 250 calories less a day- I could burn 1 pound each week- and to help with my motivation- I got my wonderful husband to agree to do our own "biggest loser challenge". So- I decided that to ease me into this workout thing again, I would start the couch to 5K running program. I think this is such a great plan! So. Weeks 1-3. Great. I did all the workouts, and I'm feeling pretty good about it, because I lost a pound in a week. But- Jared lost 4. So- there is a little wind out of my sails- but I plug along until I get to week 4. On Monday and Wednesday, I want to quit. But I'm not a quitter, I think to myself. But I HATE running. I can't do this! I try to put a movie in to watch to take my mind off the pain- but it doesn't work. My ankles and feet are hurting so bad, I have to stop for a few minutes and finally finish later. But on Friday, I find excuses to not work out. I'll make it up on Saturday- I say to myself. But Saturday comes and goes, Sunday comes and goes, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Weigh in. I gained at least a pound, Jared loses 4 again. grr. So I tell him- I just can't run! I HATE it!!!!! .

So- I don't really know where my line of thinking came from- but for some reason, I have this belief inbedded in me that I won't lose weight unless I run. So- when Jared gave me the advice to walk- I immediately dismissed it. Another weird belief I have is: When you your goal isn't going as planned: quit. I have no idea where this came from and why I follow it, instead of stepping back and figuring out how to alter the goal to make it work for me- but when I look at it logically: walking on the treadmill and burning even 100 calories is obviously better than sitting on the couch thinking I should get on the treadmill- but I hate running so I won't. So anyways. Jared said- walk on an incline!! And I thought- oh yeah!! that would burn more calories than walking flat. I will do it. So- today- I got on that treadmill- set it at a 3, and an incline of 6 and went to it. I wanted to burn 250 calories in 30 minutes, so after 10 minutes I set the incline to 8 and I even increased my speed just a little bit. 3.3 I think. And what do you know- I didn't hate it. I wasn't thinking- Only. 30. more. seconds..... why is 30 seconds so looooong???? okay- I can do it- I can do it!! Blood sweat and tears, right?....No. I actually just listened to my music and walked up that incline without hating every second I was on there. And- I even reached my goal- I burned 250 calories in 28 minutes, which is about what I was burning when I was jogging- and hating my workout! So- knowing that my goal right now is to burn calories, not run- I can be happy with myself. AND- I can do this every day because my feet won't be hurting me so bad! yay for me! And- who knows? maybe I'll do another 30 minutes tonight too!! Its so refreshing for me to know that exercising doesn't have to be painful, and even a stress reliever too. Now maybe I can have a chance at winning this thing- it was my idea, after all. Jared is just humoring me- but he's got to stop losing 4 pounds a week! :)

2009-03-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture taken on March 3- his 1 month mark! Since its harder for me to notice the changes as he gets older, I've decided to try and take a picture every month for the next year... Now I just need to find stuff to post about the girls...

What the kids are saying

2009-03-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

Recently Alyson has been in deep thought. The other day, she asked: "Mom, is it a law that children have to move out of their parents house when they turn 18?" So- I told her no, it was not a law- that kids over 18 can still live at their parents house. "Well- then I don't think I want to move out when I'm 18- I want to live with you and dad forever." (Followed by a sweet embarrassed smile) I thought that was so sweet- no doubt in 5-7 years that she'll feel the complete opposite...but its sweet to know she loves us enough to want to live with us forever...in her sweet little 7 year old mind!

2009-02-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Talmage was born Tuesday, February 3 at the Riverbend Hospital at 2:50 pm. He weighed 8 lbs., 4.5 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. He already is so fun to have around, even though he has his days and nights mixed up! I'm biting my nails wondering what I have in store for me with a boy- since all I've dealt with is little princess girls. He will have to be tough to hold his own in a house full of sisters!

Benjamin Talmage

2009-02-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

2009-01-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

I know its hard to tell- but I thought the picture on the right was so cool...I've never had as sophisticated ultrasound as this before- you can see what he looks like a little bit! He looks a little squished- but I can't wait to meet him! :)

ultrasound

2009-01-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

The official due date is February 3, and if the little guy doesn't come before then, we will be in the hospital that morning for induction. Hopefully all will go as well and as fast as the girls!

2009-01-14T22:03:00.000-08:00

Rachel also did a good job waiting for the parade to start!

2009-01-14T22:01:00.000-08:00

Alyson is also patiently waiting for the Christmas parade to start!

2009-01-14T21:58:00.000-08:00

Here is Jacie- we were waiting for the annual Springfield Christmas parade to start.

2009-01-14T21:52:00.000-08:00

Here is some of the loot Rachel raked in for her birthday- the chair she's sitting in is like her throne- when we visited her cousin- he had one- and she took control of it. He was a good sport about it! Thanks Joseph! So- now she has her own- and an Elmo potty book- she's starting to get the bug- and an elephant to go along with her little piggy that has seen MUCH loving- She seemed happier with all this than her Christmas presents!

2009-01-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

so- Rachel loves her piggy...so I thought I'd make her a piggy cake...but I couldn't find my food coloring last minute- so I used pink sprinkles. It still turned out- but I think it could have been better! And Rachel didn't even notice it was a pig- but it was a yummy cake!

2009-01-14T21:33:00.000-08:00

So- its apparent that I'm not that great at blogging as some others that I like to read-

We bought a new camera and video camera on the after Thanksgiving sales- our last camera lasted 2 months- it got ran over by an ocean wave... but it has taken me until tonight for me to install the new software for the new camera and get our pictures downloaded. So- I thought I'd take another stab at this blogging thing... pictures are always more fun to look at than my prattling on, right? So- this is going to show mostly Rachel's birthday- because like the bad mom I am- I didn't take any pictures of Christmas! How could that happen, you ask? Well- Jared videotaped it- and I haven't taken the time to download software for that yet.... so- here it is- hopefully it will turn out!

2008-11-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

This year, Rachel was a giraffe, Jacie was a cowgirl, and Alyson was a ballerina. We had fun going to a party and trick or treating!!

2008-11-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

We have the wii fit at home, and Rachel, who isn't even two yet, thinks the system is hers. She LOVES to do the "half moon pose" and the soccer heading game on here- luckily her attention span is about 2 minutes...but she is very cute to watch!

2008-11-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

Jared and I are in charge of the Turkey this year- I think this is good advice! (Just kidding, mom!)

2008-11-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I decided to start a blog, because I see all my friends, and they're all so cute and fun to read- but I haven't started my own because I don't think I have much to say... but I figured I would give it a try! So- my blog will hopefully get better with time...*crosses fingers*