The Potterf Personality

Natalie's Dance Recital June 27, 2010

2010-07-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Robby's Baptism! June 26, 2010

2010-07-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Last day of school/preschool

2010-07-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

More pictures!

2010-07-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

Natalie's 5th birthday party-Princess Party!

The kids are getting so big!

2010-07-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

Small update, only 7 months overdue!

2010-02-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few moments from the last 8 months.
Robby turned 8. 4th of July. Uncle Dan visited and we went to aquarium. Robby started 3rd grade. Moved to house in town on nice cul-de-sac. Halloween. Thanksgiving-Wendy and Frank visited. Nana and Papa visited. Christmas. New Years. Natalie started dance class (tap & ballet). That pretty much sums it up in a nutshell. We love Washington!!!

Spring Update!

2009-06-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Like I said before, I am horrible about updating this blog. With being so busy with work, I hardly ever turn on the computer when I get home.

Since my last update, Natalie has turned 4! I can't believe she is already that old. I seems like we just brought her home. She is a sassy little thing and can almost write her whole name by herself. We had a little birthday party for her with one other family that has kids the same age as ours. We had a princess party with Costco pizza and chocolate cake. Natalie really enjoyed herself.

Later that same day, I had the opportunity to take a helicopter ride with my boss around the lovely Seattle and Eastside areas of Washington. Man, we love it here and it was a beautiful day. I got some pretty good pictures, but some are a little glarey! We even circled our house and I could see Robby waving at us!

Robby will be done with school this Friday, the 19th. He will then officially be a third grader. Unfortunately, Natalie will not be starting kindergarten until fall of 2010.

I have also included some pictures of one of the Japanese Maple trees in our front yard. We could see some red things up in the tree the other night and went out to investigate. It turns out, there is a dead rose bush (not completely) with one branch that extends all the way up in this tree. The red buds were beginning to bloom (EVERYTHING is blooming here!). Enjoy the pics, oh, and Nana, we really enjoyed seeing you at the airport for the brief time that we did and can't wait to see you later on in the summer. Love you!

April Update

2009-04-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

I know it has been awhile. Here are some recent pictures from our super busy lives. A yummy birthday cake from the kids, chocolate with fudge icing. Natalie had her first trip to the dentist, only 2 tiny cavities! Mark said she did awesome. A picture of our new cat (not sure why we got one). His name is Isosceles. He is huge and fat and drinks out of the toilet. The kids love him, there is cat hair everywhere, and Misty is not so lonely. The Easter Bunny brought the kids some treats too. Enjoy the pics!

So, I haven't taken any pics...

2009-03-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, I promised everyone an update, but I sat down to do it and realized we haven't taken any pictures since Robby's school performance. I promise I will get pictures posted this weekend. I have to take some. We just have been so busy with work and school, not much has changed.

The only big change we recently had was we found Benelli a new home on Saturday. We were thinking about it for awhile. He has been eating so many rocks and seemed to limp all the time. We have a ton of stairs! A friend of Mark's came by to see about doing some work on the property and had his daughter with him. He happened to mention they were going to go to the pound to pick out a new friend. We pointed out our little guy, and they decided to take him home. He is out on a small ranch and was instantly buddies with their cat. I think he will be much happier there and won't be picked on as much. Misty had really been giving him a hard time lately. Anyway, Robby sobbed for about a half an hour a couple times that day. We sure do miss him, but it does seem to make things a little simpler with only one dog. Misty still hasn't quite figured out what to make of it. She has been super good and won't leave my side. I think she is wondering when she is getting the boot. She's not going anywhere!

January update...

2009-01-25T16:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have been bad up updating the family blog. Thanks for reminding me, John. We got a ton of snow in December. We actually ended up missing a couple days of work because we couldn't get there. We had to go and register the big orange Dodge so we could get around. Apparently, the amout of snow we got was very rare, so everyone was in freak out mode. Robby actually had 4 days of school that were cancelled! Christmas was white and great! Now, the snow has finally melted and were are able to go back to our regular schedules. I am currently a legal assistant with a law firm on Mercer Island. It is a super stressful job, but I work with some really nice people. Mark loves his job on the Island as well. Natalie is in daycare fulltime and is enjoying learning her alphabet and numbers along with her creative side in "preschool". Robby just had his 2nd Grade performance at school. It was called "Americans Moving West". It was a great little show and he did awesome. He even got to play the zylophone during one of the songs--see blurry pic. We included one clip of them singing "Don't fence Me In". Here are some pics of the past month and a half. Misty loves the pellet stove. Oh yeah, Nana, the kids love their snowman jammies! Enjoy!

Snow! Snow! Snow!

2008-12-13T07:51:00.000-08:00

Unlike those of you in AK, we are enjoying our little blanket of white here. It is a huge contrast to the way things looked only two months ago. It started snowing last night around 8:45pm. The kiddos insisted in going out to play in it before the sun came up. What can I say? Us Californians don't see much winter white!

Update

2008-12-07T14:26:00.001-08:00

So I have been informed that I really stink at updating my blog, so here's an update.

Hallaween was great! Robby was Indiana Jones and Natalie was Bumblebee the Transformer(not a power ranger). They got tons of candy and a huge rush of sugar!

We had a nice Thanksgiving here in Washington. Frank and Wendy towed Mark's Dodge up to us and arrived Thanksgiving night. We celebrated on Friday and had a nice spread of ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, and of course, my homemade rolls! They stayed until Monday and we really enjoyed their company! We also got all of our Christmas decor up that weekend. I love Christmas!

I started working full-time for a law office on Mercer Island. It kinda stinks being away from the kiddos, but extra money is nice. Plus I get to have lunch with my hubby everyday! Next week I think we will start commuting together as well. Atleast gas prices have come down quite a bit!
We had a nice little downpour with a touch of hail today. I can honestly say that it doesn't rain nearly as much as I thought that it would. I don't mind it though! It already looks so different from when I arrived here. All the leaves have already fallen off the trees and looks all wintery. If anyone is up in the northwest, feel free to stop by!

Pictures...Finally!

2008-10-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

The pictures loaded in HTML, so I will just give you the run down. The cute yellow house is where we live and we have an awesome flame orange Japanese Maple in the front that I have a couple pictures of. There is a picture of the downstairs family room, kitchen and "reading area". Things are still a huge mess because there is not one single linen cabinet in the entire house. So I have things that don't have a home yet. Sorry I took so long getting these up, I still can't find my cable to connect my camera to the computer--so I hooked up the photo printer and used the card slot--because of the delay, I was able to get the picture of the gigantic slug in the back yard--or what there is of it. See my hand next to it? Gross. Anyway, the back is about 4 feet deep and then there is a huge retaining wall straight up that is ivy, ferns, trees and tons of blackberry bushes. There are in season right now, so the kids are loving it. The dogs are adjusting well too. They pretty much stay on the porch most of the day and then venture out and explore when they are bored. They have already brought me back a ton of trash they have found. Since I took these pictures--which was Sunday, the leaves have changed drastically and it is like living in an Autumn post card. I love it here! The normal high has been between 58-62 degrees F. In the past 12 days, it has only rained twice. I will post more later! I have also included an adorable photo of my new nephew, Evan Magnus Ketcher!

WASHINGTON!!!

2008-10-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! It is so beautiful here. Just wanted everyone to know that we are here and loving it! I will post pictures tonight of our house and the beautiful fall colors everywhere. We just got phone and internet today. Congrats to my brother John and wife Jen on their new baby boy, Evan!!! Love you guys!

Here is my mosaic!

2008-08-17T21:15:00.001-07:00

I thought this was really cool! You should try it!

Gracie has arrived!

2008-08-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

I had to post this so everyone will know that my new little niece has arrived! Gracie Nomena Dierlam was born this morning at 6:45am Alaska time, 5 lbs 9oz., 19 inches. She is here a few weeks early and Randi had to have an emergency c-section because of preeclampsia and then the baby started to become stressed. Anyway, both are doing fine, but they may keep Gracie up to two weeks just to make sure she is breathing good and gains some weight. So cute and tiny! Congrats Mike and Randi!

Summer recapped

2008-08-16T20:24:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick recap of July---Uncle dan came to visit on July 2nd, we celebrated the 4th, on the 5th we had Robby's 7th birthday party, on the 6th, we went to Yosemite and Mariposa Grove to to see the waterfalls and giant sequoias, Uncle Dan left on the 7th, we rested on the 8th. It was crazy! We were exhausted, but so glad that Dan came to visit. The last time he was out to see us was when we blessed Robby. Here are some photos. Natalie being patriotic, Robby enjoying his party, the family in Yosemite, Indiana Jones, etc. Enjoy!

Yeah, I made that!

And all of that! Yum! Fruit salad, sweet & sour meatballs, teriyaki chicken, salsa...what more do you need?

Daa da da daaaaa, da da daaaa, daa da da daaaa, da da daaa daaa da.

Here is Yosemite Falls. It unfortunately was not at its full splendor.

Here is the Lower Falls, so dry!

This is Bridalveil Falls

Gorgeous!

Chillin' with Benelli

Fresh Mountain Air

2008-06-23T20:14:00.000-07:00

We went camping this past weekend up at the Yosemite Lakes Thousand Trails campground just west of Yosemite National Park. It was awesome! I like camping as well as anyone, but after day two or three, I'm ready to go home. This place makes you want to stay forever! The campgrounds had awesome showers and activities galor! There was even miniature golf. The best part was that it was right on the Tuolumne River and it was only about waist deep in the deep spots and barely moving. The water was also amazingly clear. The kids had a great time swiming and playing in the dirt. Mark and I even caught our fair share of trout. Don't worry, they did get eaten(not by me, though!) Even when it is 90 degrees there, you step into the shade and it is so pleasant. You should go there, and often. I didn't even mind the drive home through Yosemite. We saw 4 waterfalls flowing including Yosemite Falls. Unfortunately, it wasn't at full glory. By the way, if you have a child that gets carsick(i.e. Natalie), do not take Highway 49 west of Mariposa unless you want your car to smell of vomit(and jellybeans--ugh)!

Hot weather...hot hair!

2008-06-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

So Natalie's hair has been chopped off and it looks so cute! Here are the pics. Robby got a haircut too(just like all his other hair cuts) and wanted me to include him as well. Let me know what you think!

3 days of school left!

2008-05-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe Robby will be done with 1st grade in 3 more days. I haven't blogged in awhile, and time has flown by. Natalie turned 3, I went and got certified as a Building Permit Technician, Robby got perfect attendance for the entire school year and is reading at a 3rd grade level. That's my boy! Here are some pics of the latest. Enjoy!

Wow---30!

2008-04-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

That's right folks! I am officially
And I have to say, it is kinda nice. I am no longer in my "20's". Weird. I actually like being 30. Such a nice well rounded number! Anyway, to celebrate my age, we took a family camping trip to Sunset Beach. It was beautiful! Wild flowers were in bloom everywhere. However, it got down to 42 degrees F that night and we weren't really prepared. All four of us ended up on the queen blow up mattress because it was chilly! We were also graced by the presence of a skunk. About 2:00am, we heard this strange bird squaking crazily and flying around our tent. Needless to say, we were all just lying there in the dark with our eyes wide open and frozen! About a minute later, we could hear something walking along the tarp right outside our tent. Oh yeah, and there was that lovely smell of skunk in the air. Luckily, it did not spray anything, but our folding chair did smell a bit like skunk on the way home.
It was a nice little adventure. The kids found lots of shells and sand dollars to bring home.

The weekend after our trip, it got up to 93 degrees F. Man, I wasn't prepared for that. We did yard work all day and we all got a little too much sun. The kids enjoyed themselves in the pool. The water slide came the following week. (Robby really isn't this boney!)

Needless to say, the kids really enjoy it! It barely fits in the yard, but we seem to manage! This is pretty much where you will be able to find my kids all summer long!

Harry Potter, anyone?

2008-03-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

So, it has been decided at our house that Benelli looks a lot like Dobby, the house elf, when he is being scolded. What do you think?

Potterf Fam

2008-02-13T16:27:00.000-08:00

So, we went to Davis at the end of January to visit Mark's Aunt and his two brothers that flew in from AZ to visit their aunt as well. It was really nice catching up with everyone and meeting Aunt Donna for the first time. It is really neat to visit with someone from a different generation that knows alot about your family. Mark learned a lot of cool things about his dad and grandpa that he didn't know before. Family is great! Here is a picture of us at Aunt Donna's house in Davis. From Left to right--Potts, Joyce, Aunt Donna, Dan, Robby, Mark, Natalie(asleep), Lindsay.

New nieces...or nephews! (or both)

2008-01-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

Hooray! I am so glad my sister finally posted her news on her blog! There is going to be a little baby Dierlam sometime in September! Hooray for Mike and Randi! Hooray for Ardith and Aaron as well, as they will be supplying the Ketcher Family with yet another member of their family sometime in May. That makes 4 for them! Hooray for babies!

Resolutions Going Strong!

2008-01-10T10:37:00.000-08:00

Thought I would update on the status of my previously posted New Years resoutions. I am doing fantastic. I have gotten on the treadmill 5 times and have eaten lots of fresh fruit and more veggies. I did take somes pics of Natalie today and I have structured the day care day to maximize learning and lower my stress level. Hooray! Only 50 weeks to go until 2009!

Here are somes pics of Natalie being herself and Robby's school picture from back in Sept. They grow up so fast and I have to keep reminding myself that Robby is only 6. He looks much older. So Studly!

Just a quick post...

2008-01-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

I have a little bit of time during naptime to have "my time", so I thought I would make a quick post.

John and Jen came over on Saturday and it was really great to see them. Memphis is like a whole world away. John played the wii with Robby and Mark, and Mark showed him how to rack up the points on bowling. Good times! Unfortunately, they only were able to stay 5 hours due to the inclimate weather that we were having last weekend.

Robby and Natalie love their Aunt and Uncle!

Happy 2008!

2007-12-31T14:59:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe New Year! Hooray for going to bed at 10pm and ringing in the new year with a good night's sleep!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-26T08:45:00.000-08:00

On the 21st, we had a "Christmas Party" with my day care kids. As you can see, we made little elf hats and then danced around to Christmas music for a half hour or so. They seemed to enjoy thems-elves!

Its amazing how kids will sit still and watch a movie when you actually sit down with them.

We had a great Christmas and the kids, as usual, got lots of stuff. Robby has had a Harry Potter movie in his stocking for the past 5 years!

Natalie got this cute shopping cart that actually squeeks like a real one! So annoying! Santa left it for her and she didn't want to open anything else.

We had to help her to get her to acutally do it!

Hope everyone had as great a Christmas as we did! Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

Congrats, My Awesome Hubby!

2007-12-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

I just want to post on here that my hubby is awesome! He just passed his test to be a Certified Building Official this past weekend, which means he is qualified to run a jurisdiction now. He is currently a building inspector for the county we live in, but hopefully someday he will hold a higher position. For now we will stay put. Hooray for Mark!!!

Super Fudge!

2007-12-15T17:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have been asked by several people this year how I make my delicious fudge. Since my recipe is awesome, I am posting it here. If you do make it, leave me a comment on how yours turned out! I am curious to know!

You will need:
4 cups white sugar
1 cube (1/2 cup) real butter
1 can evaporated milk
1 10-12 oz. bag of chips (chocolate or other, I have made this with many flavors. Use milk chocolate if you go with the chocolate flavor)Don't use Generic!
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 can marshmallow fluff

First, put the can of fluff, the chips and the vanilla in glass bowl (or anything that won't melt) and set aside.

Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray lightly with nonstick spray.

In large pot, add the sugar, milk, and butter and bring to a boil. I never use a thermometer, but you want it to boil until it reaches the soft ball stage and then maybe a little longer. Make sure you stir the entire time to prevent scorching the beloved fudge! You can also drizzle a bit of the potion into a glass of ice water and then see if it rolls into a nice ball.
Once the mixture is ready, pour it into the bowl with the fluff and chips and stir like crazy. You want it to be nice and smooth. Once it is smooth, pour the mixture into the pan and let it set.
I usually cover it and put it in the frige as it will set much fast.
Don't forget to lick the spoon!
You can always add nuts to add a bit of flavor. I like to put them into the bottom of the pan, then it is not so hard to stir.
This only takes about 20 minutes to make!
It is so smooth and so good! The Nestle Swirl chips work really good. Last year I made chocolate mint, butterscotch, chocolate raspberry, milk chocolate, milk chocolate-walnut, and white chocolate. I didn't go as crazy this year. I only made four kinds and I did make peanut butter-chocolate, which was delicious!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

2007-12-09T21:24:00.001-08:00

Rock Eater!

2007-12-07T16:12:00.001-08:00

So Benelli likes to eat rocks! Who knew dogs could have such poor taste in menu items. Last week Benelli started to make that wonderful gagging noise that dog owners everywhere dread. I picked him up and ran into the kitchen and low and behold, he vomited up two large lava rocks! They were probably golf ball sized. Great! So two nights ago, he was lying in the couch with me and his stomache felt weird. It was kind of grinding. I realized he had swallowed two more lava rocks and they were grinding together. The next day I went out into the kennel hoping to find the remains of vomit with rocks in them. When I found nothing, I went over to Benelli and felt his little belly. Not only could I feel a lot of rocks, but I could actually hear them. It was like holding a bag of really large marbles.

Thus, my research began. I researched rock eating online and found that Benelli is not the only dog to do this. People had taken many dogs in for surgery to remove rocks and other things from their stomaches and intestines. These surgeries were running more than $1000 a piece! WHAT!

New research topic: How to make dog vomit rocks. Success! I found two ways: the first was to pour peroxide right down its throat--but make sure it does actually vomit because it can poison them--HUH! The second way was to put a 1/2 teaspoon of salt on the back of its tongue and they will vomit from drinking so much water. Yeah, I think I'll go with #2!

So I did the salt thing and he threw up his food. Wow, it worked, but where are the rocks? I tried it again. Vomit and two gravel rocks. Benelli's stomache still feels like a bag of marbles. One more try. Vomit and 6 rocks! Golly Gee Willakers!

Benelli and Misty have since been banned from the kennel until all rocks have been removed. I guess putting rocks in areas of high water flows and dogs are not a good mix.

6 bags of rocks: $25, 1 can of Morton's Iodized Salt: $1.00 Watching your dog vomit and possibly saving its life AND $1000: priceless.

P.S. I actually called the vets office and they suggested giving him canned pumpkin to get his bowels moving. As if I really wanted those rocks to go all the way through!

Turkey Day!

2007-12-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

It took me awhile to get around to posting about Thanksgiving, but here it is. We had a great time playing on the wii and we had a lot of good food.

Robby and Papa had a blast boxing each other. I think Papa really, REALLY enjoyed the bowling. It is quite addicting!

Teddy joined us as well. Misty and Benelli treated their cousin very nicely, even though he was scared to death!

Natalie sure doesn't fall far from the Nana tree!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2007-11-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO RANDI, DAD, MIKE & MOM!!! GO NOVEMBER

Turkey Update!

2007-11-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

We didn't get a gobbler as planned, those shady, sneaky creatures, so we will be having ham this year--and dove. That's right, dove, my friends. Tastes like chicken!

Sweet November

2007-11-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Did I mention I love fall? I wish it would truely come. It has been unbelieveably warm during the day and only a bit chilly at night. I haven't had to turn on our heater yet. The poor plants aren't sure if they should go dormant or bloom. Our neighbors' tulip bulbs are sprouting!

Anyway, the kids had a blast on Halloween. Robby was a skeleton, again, and Natalie made sure to tell everyone "I DeeDee Doodlebop!" I though Natalie would be tired of trick-or-treating after a block or two, but once she figured out they were willingly giving her candy, she was set to go all night. I only had to retrieve her from the inside of one house. She just walked on in and went down the hallway. She is so funny like that. Here are a bunch of pictures of the kids being themselves and some from Halloween. Robby lost his second tooth a couple of days after the first. Now he can stick his tongue out without opening his mouth!--I haven't gotten a pic of it yet!

Below: Always trying to be just like Daddy!

Below: Rob & Nat with Teddy

Alas, he is at a loss...

2007-10-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

That's right! Robby lost his first tooth at school today. He went to the office and they gave him a really cool tooth holder necklace to put it in. He is growing up so fast!

Natalie didn't want this picture taken, but I did it anyway!

Here are Benelli and Misty enjoying some Greenies!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Benelli!

2007-10-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

Our new pup, Benelli, is so cute! He is actually really well mannered and has figured out how to use the doggy door to go out and do his business. Misty is keeping him in check and letting him know who is boss! Puppies are fun!!!

Natalie just totally walked in with all of Robby's stuff on and said "I'm a cowboy!" So stinkin' cute!

We also just bought a Nintendo wii!!! I also sing its praises as my entire upper body has been sore this week!!!

Enjoy!!!

Autumn leaves are falling down...

2007-10-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

Awww, finally, the weather is starting to turn cool. I love the fall! The trees ablaze with brialliant yellows, reds and oranges; the smell of a woodburning fireplace; the chill in the air; wrapping up in a blanket in my sweats; pure bliss my friends, pure bliss. Anyway, it's been quite a while since my last blog. I am a huge blog slacker!

I finally got my day care license after 4 months! Hooray! Anyone in the Madera area? I have immediate openings! Things are going pretty good. I have a 4 year old little boy that I have part time and a 3 1/2 year old girl that just started today that is full time. I am doing a morning preschool program that is working out great. It keep the kids busy, and makes my day go by much faster. Natalie is still working on the whole big girl pantie thing. We have accidents aplenty, but I refuse to go back to diapers or pay big$$$ for pull-ups! Offering her treats is working pretty good. Robby is in 1st grade and now has math and spelling homework. Yikes! Atleast it is very simple at this point.:-) We also got a new puppy. His name is Benelli, accent on the second "e" (this is a high end shotgun brand, in case you were wondering). I don't have any pictures on this computer of him, so I will post next time. He is super cute and looks like a minature version of Misty. Misty is keeping him inline. Enjoy the pics like Natalie is enjoying her pudding!

summer breeze, makes me feel fine...

2007-08-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, do I need to catch up on some blogging! How bout some pics? Here is the rundown. Robby got REAL cowboy clothes for his birthday and then had a huge pirate party. I counted 17 kids. CRAZY!!! My friend made an awesome treasure chest cake.

Then 4th of July came around. We went out to the airport and watched the firework show that they had at the golfcourse. A couple of days later, I chopped off Natalie's hair. She gave me attitude! Typical! She has developed quite the personality. Robby started 1st grade August 14th and on the 15th, Natalie made poo-poo in the potty. She is officially a big girl. No more diapers, only big-girl panties! Woohoo!

Enjoy!

smokin' hot summer

2007-06-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Have you been here?
So, it's been awhile since I last blogged, so I am doing so now. Lots has happened! Natalie turned 2, we went to Memphis and I gave my notice at the college.

So Natalie turned 2 on Cinco de Mayo! She is getting so big and starting to make more sense when she talks. Just yesterday she started actually saying "milk" instead of "gok". Her favorite phase right now is "what's that?", which she pretty much says non-stop. My personal favorite is "I dunno".

I flew out to Memphis with the kids on June 8th to see my bros and their fams. It was a ton of fun and suprisingly, the kids were awesome on the planes-even with the 3 hour layover in SLC. We went to Graceland, the Memphis Zoo--which was totally awesome(they have panda bears) and had ton of family time.

See how good they were? The perfect little fliers!

Graceland was pretty cool. I'm not a huge Elvis fan, but I learned some interesting things. One, he had some very interesting taste in decor--really cool for the 60's-70's, he was a twin(I didn't know) and also, his grandmother died the exact day my brother, John, was born.

This picture was taken from the car museum. He had lots of cars apparently. Randi and Mike looked especially smashing in front of the pink caddy.

The highlight of the trip for me was the zoo. They had panda bears, which I have never seen, and the coolest polar bear exhibit. No pun intended!Apparently, they were hoping she was expecting, thus the shaven tummy. Probably for ultrasounds.

They're paws are massive. The water looked so cool and inviting, except for the bits of floating poo. It was so muggy in TN.

The kids loved the zoo, but we only had time for a few exhibits; Dad had to catch his flight home.

We still fit into the schedule some really good ribs, cooked by chef Aaron, a birthday party for Alli, and a great family picture. Everyone was there except for Mark, who had to work. Bummer!

A little blurry, but OK. We'll just photo shop Mark in. I almost forgot, we also went to Build-A-Bear with Randi. Robby made a cat and hasn't put it down since he got it.

I hope this makes up for my lack of blogging. Oh, yeah, I gave my notice at the college and have decided to run a day care out of my home. You may think I'm crazy, but I knew I could do it after spending a week with mine and Aaron's kids all together and I survived.

Easter Eggs a Plenty!

2007-05-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Just pictures today! These are from Easter. Enjoy!

Alas, Spring!!!

2007-03-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so fantastic lately! We have been in the upper 70's-low 80's the last week or so until we got a couple days of rain. As much as I love the sun, I love rain and I am glad Spring did not get skipped. It was starting to feel a bit summery.

The kids spent St. Patrick's Day at Nana & Papa's. The leprechauns came and left footprints everywhere. They also left a note and a few little treats for the kids. The note read:

"Dear Robby and Natalie, We lost our pot of gold, please have these instead. The Leprechauns" Of course, the treat was m&m's. At Robby's school, I saw his name on the side of the board that said "I believe in Leprechauns". Only one kid didn't believe. Well, I tell you, those little buggers are messy! I totally believe.

Nana took the kids to Hornitos to see some baby goats while they were visiting. Natalie calls everything a doggie, but enjoyed being licked. Robby just likes any animals, and bugs! The goat he is holding is named Jared. Poor Jared!

The kids really enjoyed their trip to Mariposa. They love going to church up there and Natalie totally clinged to Papa. As if he didn't love that! Funny, last time they went up there she wanted Nana. She definately has him wrapped around her little finger! You are in for it Papa! And isn't Robby such the little stud!

Time Flys!

2007-03-10T03:17:00.000-08:00

So it is 3:19 am and yes, I am blogging. Why? you ask, well, the dog kept running down the hallway, so I followed her. I followed her into the kitchen to reveal an entire trashcan of content on the floor, rumaged through. Now after disciplining the dog, cleaning and mopping the floor and searching for her anti-bark collar, I just can't seem to drift back to sleep.

Well my kitchen is now stainless steel and I love it! The only downside is stainless steel likes to show tiny fingerprints, and big ones for that matter. I have to clean more-which I hate, but it looks so nice! Robby is in his chonies in the background steeling a cookie-peanut butter, mmm.

The kids seems to be growing up so fast, it is just ridiculous! Robby is looking so handsome; he is my little man! Yesterday, he wrote his numbers up to 100. I was amazed. I don't remember having to know so much in kindergarten. He can already read too, which he will do for you through Skype if you request it. I think I will try to go back to sleep now.zzzzzzzzzzz

Mmmm..Candy!

2007-02-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

I just opened a bag of discount, after Valentine's Day, Brach's Cinnamon Imperial Hearts and man, they sure are good! They are burning my mouth. Good cinnamon candy is hard to find. One February, Cold Stone made a cinnamon ice cream with crushed red hots in it. My friends, it was the best ice cream in the world! Enough of my randomness...anyone want to buy a used dishwasher?

My Funny Valentine's...

2007-02-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Valentines Day and the kids got lots of treats. Mark and I went to a sweethearts dance at the Elks Lodge on the Saturday before to celebrate our 9th anniversary! Wow! It was a lot of fun watching a bunch of 60+ year olds get their groove on! On Valentines, we went as a family to Fresno and went shopping.

Robby got a bunk bed that he loves! The kids think it is a new jungle gym. Natalie has already fallen off the ladder twice. They grow up so fast! Natalie is not actually this chunky--it's just the picture!

Mark has also gotten himself a little something. He sold his Bronco and bought himself a project truck. It is a 1974 Dodge W200 4x4 in bright orange. It's not a bad looking truck and it is actually near completion. We spent Presidents' Day at a local junk/part yard sifting through dead trucks for spare parts. It was quite interesting and we got probably $600 worth of parts for $20--including a seat!

We are also in the process of upgrading our kitchen appliances to stainless steel. I will post a picture when it is done. On Friday, we get our last delivery and then it will be complete. I am so excited! It will be nice to have a dishwasher that actually washes the dishes!

I also discovered in the last week that Natalie is definately a left hander. Out little south paw loves to color and draw pictures(scribbles). Oh yes, and help Daddy with the truck.

All for now...Have a great day!!!

January still...

2007-01-27T15:49:00.000-08:00

I kinda just ended that last blog out of nowhere, so I will just update at the end of each month from now on with pictures of the kids and updates on life. Enjoy!

mmmmm...muffins!

So, we've started a blog...

2007-01-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! So we have decided to post a family blog so those who are far and away can see what the current happenings are in our family. The kids are getting so big and it just seems that time is flying by. Robby is in Kindergarten and can already read. Natalie's vocabulary is growing as is her hair, and she is constantly trying to make us laugh.

We spent the first week of January in Las Vegas, yes, with the kids, and it was a very interesting experience, to say the very least. Here is a lovely picture of our little tiger cub at the Adventuredome at Circus Circus. Lindsay and Robby spent a day at the fun park while Mark and Natalie stayed in the room and slept. Both of them were sick most of the week--what a great trip! We also got a chance to catch up with Jeramis, Kristi, Jordan and Jade Mcfadden while we were there. It was really nice seeing them!

This is how Natalie spent most of the trip--resting! She got better the day we went home, but now we are all sick with horrible colds! Needless to say, we didn't get to do as much as we would have liked to on our trip.