Tired

I haven't posted anything lately cause I'm TIRED! Jeff has been working his 2nd job (building our addition) almost non-stop. He's made a lot of progress and the inspector was pleased with his work so that is wonderful.

For me that means I've been the "on" parent 24/7. All day, every day, from sun-up to sun-down. Of course he helps but it's not like usual. I'm very grateful that this is not normal.

For some reason (because Daddy is not around) the kids are more cranky than usual and seriously testing my patience. To top it off I hurt my back a couple weeks ago and it's not getting better. Thankfully I got some x-rays done and now have a treatment plan but it all adds up to me being TIRED. Please keep me in your prayers if you think about it.

10 years in review

I finally finished our 10 year anniversary album.
Here's a link if you'd like to view it.

http://www.cmphotocenter.com/sbpreview/StorybookPreview.aspx?StorybookID=408195&CustomerID=243080

Pumpkin Patch Fun

We had a fabulous time celebrating Siah & Kylie's two year old birthdays at the pumpkin patch. Pony rides, hay jumping, train rides, pumpkin sitting, endless pictures= fun had by all. Such good buddies!

(If you like to see the pictures in a larger format... click on the collage. I made this using StoryBook Creator from Creative Memories. Always finding something new and cool to do with that software.)

Our Lil Pumpkin Turned Two

Here's Siah 2 years ago weighing in at a very healthy 9.5 lbs. Such a cute and fun little guy!

First birthday at Gizdich Ranch.Second birthday at Arata Pumpkin Farm. LOVE this look! Think Blue Steel- Zoolander. This little guys is so much fun! All Boy- tons of energy, very loud, ADORABLE! It's amazing how quickly 2 years pass. We love you Siah!

Yosemite Camping

This past weekend we headed up to Yosemite with our homies (home group). We had over 30 peeps join us. Half being kids. We had 4 campsites together and spent the evenings around the campfire and then spread out during the days to do whatever each family felt like doing. Everyone had a wonderful time. There's something special about being outdoors in the dirt, sun, and rain surrounded by beautiful mountains and fabulous friends that makes it worth the effort of packing everything (but the kitchen sink) from our perfectly good home, driving 5 hours, and then setting it all up again in a little nylon tent for a weekend. Look at the smiles on these faces. The kids loved being together. The first night we didn't get much sleep because Tori was too excited and wanted to be with her friends. She actually told me around 3am that the night was, "taking to long." Siah was awake all night because we bundled him up too much and he was melting. Poor guy, we didn't want him to freeze.

At the campsites the kids rode bikes and played endless games. Tori packed the bunny ears and told me, "my friends will laugh and laugh when I put them on." Funny girl!

Campfire time is always a favorite for me. Smores and fun conversation while staring into the fire. Here's the Slagg family enjoying "banana slugs". You're gonna want to know how to do this- Slice the bananas down the middle with the skins still on. Smash chocolate peanut butter cups inside. Wrap them in tinfoil and roast. Enjoy with a spoon. Thanks Schwartz family for introducing this yummy camping treat.

The bedtime routine. Books read by headlamps. They love camping and fall asleep pretty easily in the tent. Yes, that is a pack-n-play inside the tent.

Our crew after most of the kids were in bed.

One of the days we hiked down to the river and enjoyed some quality rock throwing.

Then we visited the horses and rode the bus (Tori's favorite).

Here's most of our group. (2 families were hiking)

This boy knows how to get dirty. I've found overalls are the best for camping. I'm not joking when I say he was actually swimming in dirt. It looked like the breast stroke. I wish I was quick enough with the camera but you'll just have to imagine. I was able to capture this picture though. He was thoroughly enjoying his ice cream cone and cheese. I referred to him as my "candy coated bear treat." (Apparently the bears where sniffing around our campsite early one morning. However, I was blissfully unaware. It would have been so embarrassing to pee myself.)

Happy little camper. Here's a smile that keeps creeping into our pictures lately.

I like this picture of the family. Hopefully it shows what kind of family we are cause this is the one I sent to the adoption agency. The scarf on my head was because it was day 3 of no shower (ewwww). That's nothing if you compare it to the time we spent adventuring in New Zealand. Our clothes could walk by themselves by the time we were done.

We wore him out!

This was our second trip and won't be our last. Beautiful place with beautiful friends. Love it!

Jeff- the amazing Daddy

I just have to say it... Jeff is an amazing Daddy.

Here's the most recent example. After returning home from Yosemite (pictures to follow soon) he set up our tent in the backyard to dry (it rained on us the last night). Tori loved camping so much that she decided she wanted to sleep in the tent all by herself tonight. I was not OK with the idea. She's only 4! But Jeff thought it was a great idea because she's usually fearful and this was a very big step for her. I suggested letting her fall asleep out there and then bringing her inside so that I could sleep. Because knowing me I would be up all night thinking of all the things that could go wrong. So... for my benefit he snuck outside after she was asleep and set up a sleeping mat on the patio outside her tent. He didn't want to go into the tent because he wanted her to feel independent and brave. Thanks to Jeff- I'm not going to worry all night about her safety and she's having an adventure.

Update- she woke up at 3pm a bit nervous and started walking towards the house when she saw her Daddy He immediately picked her up and carried her to the comfort and safety of her own room. Tonight she'd like to fall asleep out there but be carried in when we go to bed.