Another St. Patty's Day...

I love St. Patrick's Day for several reasons. One, it means that Spring is well on it's way. And Two, I come from an Irish Heritage and my family has always celebrated it!!

Here's a funny memory, my whole extended family used to have an entry in the Irish parade up in Salt Lake. We would ride on a trailer with a banner proudly displaying HORRIGAN (my gma's maiden name) pulled behind a truck. Sitting on bales of hay, and wearing oversized green hats, we would sing songs to the sound of my sweet grandma playing her accordian. A few of us rollerbladed along side handing out candy. Embarassing? Yes, but that has become a very fond memory and I will always have a love for St. Patty's day.

For the four years of St. Patrick's days I have had with my own little family, we have celebrated by having the traditional Irish dish, Cornned Beef and Caggabe Soup...sooo yummy. This year we started another St. Patrick's Day tradition... Jane and I made a leprechaun trap!! Jane had been hearing about and talking about how sneaky leprechauns are all week. So, she was very excited to finally try to catch one the night before St. Patrick's Day. Here is Jane with our trap! Obviously many long hours went into the making of this trap...as you can see!!

Here is our trap all set. Cute Jane thought it would be smart to put the picture of a leprechaun which had been hanging on our fridge inside the trap, so as to lure the leprechauns into it...what a genious!!

The next morning Jane was very excited to see if we had caught one... The leprechauns got away this year, but as evidence that we had almost caught one, we found gold coins inside our trap that the leprechaun had left behind...Oh how Jane loved it!

She loved it even more when she discovered that there was chocolate inside...:) Oh how I love my little family and making new memories together!!

Perhaps we'll catch a leperchaun next year :)

Cooking Curry and Eating Rice

Jane always HAS to help me cook. This used to be somewhat nerve racking and needless to say...annoying. However, lately it has become super fun because Jane is just such a doll :) Here's how the conversation went...

*As Jane is pulling a chair over- "Wanna help, wanna help mama cook!"

*I begin to put veggies into the pot and stir when Jane says, "Let me do it, Let me do it!"

*As I am cutting the onion- "Watcha doin mama?"

*I tell her I am cutting an onion for the curry. Jane excitedly says, "Good idea mama!!"

*As she stirs- "Sorry pot, hahah, I'm cookin ya!"

*The pot begins to sputter and sizzle- "Ahh, I'm getting sprinkled! Oh no!"

*As I am busily cooking away Jane says so sweetly, "Great cookin mama!"

I have never had so much fun cooking before!! What a sweet little gal I have :)

Beckham started rice cereal just a few days ago and just plain loved it! I can't believe how big he's getting and what a large appetite he has...

So I've got daughter who loves to cook and a son who loves to eat...my job is going to get very easy!!

Sick and Stuck!!

Due to two very sick kids, I had quite litterally not seen the natural light of day for TWO WEEKS, until last Thursday when I simply couldn't handle it anymore and took a small trip to the mall with the kids. By then, they both were pretty much over thier illnesses- they just had the inevitable, lingering congestion that generally hangs around for much to long!!

To keep myself sane during this time, I find that I did some pretty inventive things. We borrowed toys from my sis... who had sick kids of her own :(
Don't they both look so happy...

Daddy brought home a new pair of Monkey pajamas for Jane...that she LOVES!! She got the notion that she needed new pj's from watching Minnie's Pajama Party on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...many many times...It made her so happy!!

We of course had many many baths to clean off the germs and grime of the day...always fun!!

And for being such a trooper and handling being stuck indoors for so long, Jane got a new Aurora princess dress which she simply adored!I also started the INSANITY work out with my sister...YIKES. It is exactly what it is titled...INSANE. But, hopefully my butt will get whipped into shape soon. When I get ripped and skinny...I will let ya know :)Also, to pass the time, I got super engrossed in trying to win tickets to the Lion King from Studio 5. My sis, Ryan, Jane and I worked super hard and put together an awesome video...which, in the end, wasn't even a finalist...but it was still fun...and I think it's great! Here is the link and you can check in out :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CepN1YxUmDk Enjoy!!

We made the best of being sick the best we could...but I am excited to venture out into the world again...WORLD...here I come!!!

Blessings, babes, bubbles and baths...

...has been what is going on around our house. Beckham got blessed this month and was such a good boy. This was a far cry from Jane- who cried...no screamed, during her whole blessing. I couldn't even hear it. This just goes to show you how different Jane and Beckham's personalities are :) Beckham wore the same blessing outfit that Ryan wore as a baby...soooo cute, though it BARELY fit him- he was just about busting out of it- poor guy!! His face says it all...Really mom? Are you really making me wear this?

Here's the happy family...a worn out mom (after taking care of two crying kids during sacramnet meeting), a anxious dad (so ready to get home and so done with the lingering in the halls with family) a sleeping baby, and a missing Jane (who was running up the hall at this point...)
I had to throw in this cute pic of my adorable little man waking up from a nap... he is such a happy guy, and a good napper!
Daddy, spending a much needed moment with his little Beckham after a long week of leaving early and studying until late. Ahhh how sweet :)
Being home bound because Jane has been terribly sick, I have been pulling out all the stops to keep this little gal entertained. We even had a bubble oasis in our kitchen...this is big for me due to the fact that I am a complete neat freak...I must have been desperate...
Oh how glorious the bubbles are...

Little Beckham liked them too :)
And of coarse the coveted bath. Jane loves this time of the day and spends a good twenty minutes in there...a precious twenty minutes of calm entertainment :)
One day Jane said to me "Jane take a bath?" I said, "Later. You really love your baths don't you?" Jane replied, "Girls love baths!" I thought that was so cute...and so true!! What a little diva!!
All in all, life is good despite the winter gloom and the sick kids :)

There's nothing like a good friend!!

I had the wonderful opportunity to get together with some of my good friends from high school last night, and it was so wonderful to see them all again!! Just sitting and chatting with these cute gals, like old times, reminded me of so many wonderful moments and memories I have with them...

**I remember volleyball practices with Melissa, and our after practice Slurpee tradition!! I do not know how we were able to walk all around the school and town in our spandex and feel comfortable...but we did :)!!

**When our coach made Melissa run around the track for the rest of practice for talking back to him. In my anger stood up and proclaimed "Volleyball is a team sport! I am going to run with Meliss," fully expecting the rest of the team to join in...they didn't! They went back into the cool gym and Melissa and I ran outside for the rest of practice...:(

**We were cruising around in the "Chevy Nova" when we stopped in front of Meggin's house and it wouldn't start up again for some reason. Sweet Trisha (on crutches mind you) hobbled over from her house carrying a gas can full of gas to fill up my car, only to have us realize that I had the car in neutral the whole time! It started up just fine once I remembered how to drive...

**Watching Ashley dance in the 2002 Olympic Opening Ceremony!! I was proud to be her friend :)

**Our summer feud with Stu and Ryan, where they somehow put a dead, rotting fish on Melissa's car engine... it took us forever to figure out what the smell was. We got them back later though :)

**The fun nights we would have in Trisha's amazing back yard.

**Watching Megan play in a La Cross game, and watching Ash and Trish dance together, and having all the girls in the bleachers cheering us on during volleyabll games :)

**Being on the Blue Crew with Melissa, running for student council.

** Getting ready for dances together. Spending a good amount of time crimping our hair only to have my mom tell us we look like hags...

**Hitting a deer in Melissa's car on the way to a basketball game...scary!!

**Watching movies in Melissa's basement!

Most of all I just remeber having really awesome friends in High school. Good girls who were fun, motivated, beautiful and who had high standards. I really appreciated their friendship and I am so thankful for all the wonderful memories I have with them!! Thanks for the wonderful memories girls and thanks for last night!! I can't wait for Megan to be there next time :)

Tootie Mcfruitie- Another Crestline Quicky!!

As you already know, I am sure, Ryan and I manage a mobile home park. It's quite a glamorous job, let me tell ya!! ...Ok, so glamor is not really a work I would truthfully use to describe this job. It is, however, good for an entertaining tale or two, seeing as how I have many many interesting characters gracing the Crestline Estates office everyday to pay me a visit. The other day, in fact, one such character did come into the office...and this is his tale.

I was minding my own business, doing the typical office work, when a familiar face entered the office. A man who has been a long time tenant here at Crestline and who I have had the pleasure of talking to many many times. (He has a really sweet story, but that is tale for another time.) This particular day we were discussing the progress of selling of his home and finding proper applicants to sell it to.

I was being as attentive as I possibly could be with Jane running around the office and Beckham in the other room getting restless whilst also in the middle of office work, when I heard a noise I had never heard before and couldn't really identify. It sounded like a loud door, creaking open or something. This sweet old man kept talking while I surveyed the room to see if any of the doors were openeing without me noticing...nope!

I dismissed the phantom noise and continued to listen to this sweet man's worries and concerns, when out of nowhere I heard it again...What is going on? I thought to myself. Is the floor creaking? I surveyed the floor where I was standing and shifted my weight strategically, trying to see if it was me moving; all the while trying to stay somewhat attentive to my tenant. This wasn't it either... I was baffled.

I began to notice my dear friend getting further and further away from me as he talked, never ceasing for a second, his back practically to the door at this point. When suddenly I realized what the noise was...he had been tooting uncontrollably, poor guy. I was instantly impressed with his insane ability to keep his composure while obviously having some issues. I mean the man never even broke a sweat, he never lost his train of thought, and never paused for even a millisecond during his speech...! All I can say is...bravo my good friend, bravo!!

He eventually left the office. And I walked into my house laughing to myself at what I had just witnessed, but most of all at the fact that this is not the first time something like this has happened...ahhh good old Crestline...gotta love my job...

Babe Exhibit...don't take this the wrong way :)

Last week Jane, Beckham and I went to the Bean Museum with some friends, my sister and her cute daughter and it was such a blast...partly because I never get out anymore therefore even the smallest outing makes me way too excited, but more so because Jane was such a riot with her cute little friend, London!! Here they are enjoying the "aminimals" as Jane would say!!
We just happened to show up on the day when what seemed like 8 school busses full of kids where there as well. This group of girls decided to take some pictures and my friend offered to take it for them. They called this the "Babe Exhibit," (hahah) and cute little Jane felt like she needed to join in and be a part of this group...She is quite a babe...so she fit in quite well!!
She was having a blast just being one of the gals!!!
We happened to stumble across the reading time as well, which turned out to be super fun!! They read stories about an owl, a frog and this type of lizard thing- then brought out the real thing for the kids to pet!! I was surprised at how fearless Jane was...atta girl!!! She loved the cool reptiles...And here was one of my favorite exhibits...the dik diks... a group of animals that should be our family mascott :)What a great day! Thanks Mellissa, London, Brea, Christina and Mae for a fun time!!