For You Papa

Kids CA Vacation

Grandma Lori spontaneously invited to bring all 4 of our kids to her CA home last weekend. She will be bring them home this coming weekend. They will have been gone
a total of 8 days...which is a LONG time for us, considering theyve never been away longer than a weekend in the past.

The kids are having an awesome time. Darla loved sharing today how she can dive off Grandma's diving board now. Elijah is over the moon about the new trailblazer colored shoes & basketball shirt his grandparents got him. Payton is looking forward to spending the night at his Aunt Lena's tonight...a getaway from his younger siblings no doubt. Elijah couldnt believe how "huge" his teenage cousin Lennon has become. Darla is in love with the adorable 2 year old cousin Drevin, and wants to bring him home with her. lol

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Garber for having the kids for such a special & memorable trip!! So special & generous of you.

I am my kids mother!

As DR Laura always says "I am my kids mother!"

I will always be their mama, regardless of their age. They know I am here for them for always. I thank the Lord my babies feel comfortable talking to me about anything & everything. We are so blessed to have Payton, Darla, Elijah, & Nolan entrusted to our care.

I look forward to spending my life encouraging & supporting my children. I smile thinking about the future dinners we will someday get to share with our adult children & their families. All the new memories with our growing family excite me to no end! The thought of babysitting our grandbabies, ensuring mama & papa get plenty of alone time nurturing their marriage, thrills me! I no doubt will giggle with delight to make my kids wedding anniversary cards-what a grand accomplishment in todays world, will never forget a birthday-afterall they are my most favorite days of the year, attend school functions, come over & help fold laundry, or whatever my kids would appreciate. I know a lot of women a generation ahead of me might be laughing at me. They are probably sighing "You just wait Amy...you will be busy with another phase of life... tired and too busy to do all these things you dream of above." And true as it may be for many.... I will defy the odds because "I am my kids mother!" They are my life and my interest in their lives doesn't decrease when they turn 18 & move away. I do, however, look forward to doing a little bit less laundry & less driving them to & fro.

Nolan's Graduation

Our Lil' Shrimp

Nolan goes back to eating his shrimp, which he LOVES!

10 Year Wedding Anniversary....

So what did we do, to celebrate?! Grandpa & Grandma offered to keep the kids for the weekend but we decided to make it a family day....

"Fierce" Takes 3rd Place

Darla's 2nd year playing softball. This was a recent tournament she attended.

Humorous moments thus far:

"Mom there is a rotation & all of us HAVE TO pitch at one point! I dont want to pitch! Im horrible! I wind my arm round & round & throw it & it lands right here!" (pointing at the ground right at her feet)

One of my many pep talks alone with Darla on a way to a game....we decided she is too nice. She needs to get more vicious, aggressive, & wanting to win. So we decided her name at that game wasnt Darla but it was Rita! Anytime she was on the field looking a bit relaxed or semi-timid Id shout "Let's go RITA!" And she immediately took the aggressive stance.

Nolan's Big Day!!!

For Kally...because I dont think...

she's ever heard me sing....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6xKBN2LfqQ

Play Ball!

5 reasons I smile daily

my first born...the love of my life, Payton best daughter & husband in the world Darla & Alan
blessed beyond, basketball boy, son Elijah our loving baby who keeps us laughing Nolan

Boom Chaka Laka!!

Elijah joins the Blazers!!!

Team "Fierce 14"

Darla's softball team just had their 1st game last night. The rain held off, which was a blessing. Game 1: WIN!!!

14 girls makes for a big team. Darla played left field & catcher....had a good hit...stole 2nd base....good game!

Beverly Lewis...Have u ever read any of hers?

Tea Party

Duchess Darla of Twinberry & La La Lady Tierra of Sleepy Hollow co-hosted a High Tea! Fun was had by all. A total of 18 of Hoodlands Royalty attended. Guest List:
The Lady Samantha of Brightwood
Royal Countess Kennedy of Windswept
Darling Duchess Tegan of LoloPass
Countess Carissa of Twinberry
Viscountess McKenna of The Village
The Lady Elayna of Snowdon
Duchess Darla of Twinberry
The Lady Mayra of Welches
The Lady Madison of Lolo Pass
Countess Taylor of Lolo Pass
Countess Kyra of Brightwood
Duchess Keturah of Brightwood
The Lady Lexi of Sandy
La La Lady Tierra of Sleepy Hollow
Duchess Sage of Fairway
The Lady Kiana of Brightwood
Viscountess Karissa of Brightwood
Duchess Jenny of Welches

Below: PINKY UP!!

Below: Kennedy initiating a toast in honor of the hostess' & even the servants!

Below: My dear friend Debbie shown here wearing a Royal Servants apron, tea towel, & tray. Debbie, Roxanne & I were kept nonstop busy by the distinguished guests who would summon us with a loud bell.

Easter 2010

Saturday Before Easter:
1. Woke up to white snow outside!
2. Worked on the baseball fields for 2 hours.
3. Easter Egg Hunt at Resort At The Mountain for the 1st time.
4. Out to lunch with Darla & her friend Samantha.
5. Whole family went out to Pa & Kris's for a nice ham dinner, lots of laughs & memories in the making!
6. Got home around 8:30 and started coloring our eggs.



Easter Sunday
1. Kids woke us super early as always
2. Easter egg hunt outside...which was neat because the new neighbor kids were hunting at the same time.
3. Got ready for church....everyone looked so schnazzy & dressed up. Forgot to take a pic tho.
4. Great msg at church & saw some new faces, which was a blessing!
5. Went out to eat a very non traditional Easter Feast including sushi.
6. Grey windy day...several of us still not feeling 100%...body aches, chills, cough

Duchess Darla...

...is hosting a High Tea on Sunday April 11th at 2pm. There are 16 girls (including Duchess', Countess', Lady, Viscountess, etc.,) that are attending. All the males of Twinberry will be in Estacada for the afternoon, leaving us ladies to partake in tea & delights. Debbie, Roxanne & I will be the Royal Servants. The distinguished guests even have a bell to summon us with. I am sewing unique aprons for us 3 servants. It should be a lot of fun. Between us 3 servants we have just enough tea sets. I will be making for the 1st time adorable petit fours.
Ive been busy assembling handmade little goody bags for the guests....they contain a cute wedding style thing of bubbles - a fluffy assorted colors mama chicken & baby, 3 bracelets, & a candy. Each goody bag cost no more than a dollar. Yep - Im thrrrrrrrifty! Each guest will be bringing her favorite finger food to share.
I am also making each royal guest a fancy cocktail ring made out of pipe cleaners (thank you Martha Stewart for the idea):

Rain drops drippin' down his nose....

doesnt even turn this boy away from his love of the game! Rain, snow, or shine he wants to play basketball. Click on the photo to see the actual rain drops all over my boy!

Taco Soup: It's What's For Dinner

3rd time Ive made this recipe, thanks to my friend Debbie.... no 2 times are the same though. This rendition had fresh zuccini sliced & put in. The whole family loves this soup....AND they get full with one helping! :-) Nice for the budget.

Too Busy To Blog Lately

Lots has been happening....
I recently applied to become a participant on The Biggest Loser, a weightloss show. It involved standing literally for 11 straight hours for a 36 second audition with a group of 14 other overweight hopefuls outside the Portland Convention Center pictured below: By the way it was pouring down rain & windy & cold. I was smart & brought an umbrella but dumb & forgot my coat.

Also consuming a lot of my time, besides the normal child rearing & housekeeping... is our Big 20th H.S. Reunion coming up this summer. I just finished stuffing the hundreds of envelopes.....they are all filled with the cute handmade invitations.
I can see an opportunity for a little bit of rest (pause between projects) in the near future. Yeah!
Darla has started her 2nd year of softball & Elijah is beginning baseball for the 1st time next week. We will basically be living at ball fields until mid June. Bring on the better weather. It was snowing today!

For My Cousin Josh

Josh is a year older than I yet has lived so many more years than I, especially when it comes to heartache. His dad passed away when he was a toddler, his mom when he was around 20, and shortly after that his brother tragically died. To be honest I cant tell ya where I would be if I were him. I love him. He is as perfect as you or I. Can use prayer like you and I. And I wish him every joy & happiness possible. I made this little video slide show with the very small collection of photos Josh owns of his family. It is my hope that my Aunts, Uncles, and other cousins might be able to scan copies of photos they may have & email them to me. I would like to add them to this video collection for Josh. Thank you & God Bless!

A Short Video I made...

My Lil' Monkey....

Darla was hanging off the side of her brothers bunk bed (the footboard area) with her feet all the way up by her hands on the ledge....the part of the bed she was hanging from broke & she came crashing to the floor. Banged up her back, ribs, & bruised/cut up her right arm. Praise God no broken bones! Scared the life out of me.

She had her 1st softball practice of the season tonight....she was wearing a sling so did very little but hopes to be able to fully participate come Thursday evening. She was feeling well enough to draw this picture tho (psst...I almost didnt notice the spelling error):

March Madness

2 days ago we had gorgeous sunshine...daffodils & tulips in bloom....totally Spring Weather! Now SUPRISE.... Winter did decide to show up in Welches. Basketball winding down this week & baseball/softball starting up soon....so of course now the snow is going to dump on the ball fields. Of course! :-)

Crombie's Country Kitchen

The kids enjoyed serving the adults, Alan, Payton, Aunt Linda, Uncle Dave & myself. Menu: Chicken -n- Dumplings, green grapes, tossed salad, Shirley Temples, & 7 Layer Bars.

Mini Vacation

Kids Weekend Getaway : Grandparents in Estacada

Alan & I Traveled To : Alan's folks home near Seattle

One of the 1st items on our itinerary once we arrived, was to watch Alan's cousin Brian & his band "Just Dirt" perform Friday night. However Alan got off work way too late on Friday, which his Boss apologized for. We were dissapointed but plan to check them out next time we are up North. So Alan & I decide to set off on our getaway early Saturday morning.
Nice road trip up North with my man.
$4.25 for my 20 oz. quad hazelnut latte' with skim milk.
$4.50 for Alan's 20 oz. triple "real" caramel mocha with whip.
$75 to fill my Excursions empty gas tank & we're off.
3 hours later arrive to Alan's dads home.

1st thing we notice is the fine job Alan's dad did on adding a bay window to their cute lil' house. Dad & Elain are ready when we get there to go eat. . . . and introduce us to Muckleshoot Casino "up the hill" from their home. Now unless you count me walking into Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City & walking immediately out as a casino experience... I have never been. My only memory of Chinook Winds was overpowering cigarette smoke & feeling nauseated. I had been encouraged by friends who said "State of Washington is no smoking in public buildings"....BUT they were wrong....even Muckleshoot had a smoking section which we had to walk thru in order to get to the dining room or the the nonsmoking portion of the casino. Freshly washed hair = cigarette smoke saturation, yuck! Ahh well.

1st we eat, and boy did we! Roast Pig but I did not have any of it...just thought my kids would be tripped out by this photo. I did however partake in huge chunks of fresh pineapple, plump strawberries, salad greens, lots of tomatoes, smoked salmon, a crab cake, a couple bites of prime rib, and lots of crab legs.
After we stuffed our faces we went & gambled. Now I was only willing to blow $5. Alan planned to play with $20. Dad & Elain boogied off to their favorite machines. It was so obvious I didnt know what I was doing. I was the only one who kept hollaring "Where are the intstructions?" "How do I turn the volume down" "This machine wont take my ticket" etc. Well I finally learned if I increased my bet, instead of betting a penny at a time, it increased my odds of winning. I played for a good hour & cashed out at $25, netting a profit of $20. Alan was at $75 and his frugal penny pincher wife kept chanting "Cash out!" But he ignored my advice & said "I will cash out at $50" and continued to play. When he was done he netted a $25 profit. After an hour or so of gambling the 4 of us decided to head back to their house but I wanted to take a couple of photos of my casino experience. I was able to capture this single picture of the casino before security rushed over to me "MA'AM! MA'AM! STOP! You are not allowed to take pictures MA'AM!" Apparently, I could have been accused of casing the place out to perform some heist?! Ooops! Once we were back at their place....Alan enjoyed lots of father son time...watching bowling...talking...listening to music....lots of laughing. I enjoyed getting to know Alan's stepmom Elain better & was happy to meet 2 of her kids Corena & DJ. Sunday morning came...Alan & I decided to go venture out, have breakfast, & go see the sights.
We were on a mission to go see Lake Tapps, but had bad directions & finally gave up. Another: "Next time!" "Mt Rainier from Lake Tapps" Alan's maternal grandparents lived in a cabin on this lake & it has been passed down thru the family over the years. I had looked forward to seeing this all. We head back & visit with the folks some more & finally pack it up to return home to Oregon & our kiddos. It was a nice mini vacation! We plan to take the kids next time & visit Seattle's Space Needle. Thank you to Dad & Elain for being such gracious hosts!