Cheesetown, USA

cheesetown is moving….

2009-11-06T08:52:00.001-08:00

we are moving from blogger to wordpress. Please update your bookmark to:

www.cheesetown.wordpress.com

or just click and it will take you right there.

Candy Monster

2009-11-03T09:02:00.001-08:00

I was nursing Penelope in the back bedroom the other morning and I could hear Max and Zoey talking. I knew from what they were saying that they were most likely in the kitchen getting into the candy.

When I came in, I came quietly so I could watch them.

While I was watching them, Zoey came up to me right away, but Max was so into the bowl of candy he didn't notice me. He was too busy trying to pick out what he wanted and fit it into his greedy little hands. He put his candy on the ground, put the bowl back on the counter, put all the candy back into his hands and started to walk out before he noticed me.

He says....”oh hi, can I have some candy?”
I said "no, you can have some after lunch."
He looked at the one piece he had already unwrapped and said. "Please, can I eat this one?"
I said "No, you can have it after lunch."
He then quickly shoves the piece into his mouth and chomps it down...

I said “You get no more candy today. You just ate yours.”

Support Kids with Special Needs!

2009-11-02T10:24:00.001-08:00

Here's a fun event to start the holiday season! Great crafters, festive atmosphere, & the annual (and only) fundraiser for SEPAC.

Hope to see you there!

Mark your calendars for the 2009

Woodinville Holiday Craft Fair!

Saturday, November 7th

9 am - 4 pm

Woodmoor Elementary School

12225 NE 160th Street Bothell

SEPAC's 29th annual craft fair proceeds directly support students with special needs and their families in the Northshore School District.

Beverages are available for purchase while you shop.

Look for Coffees a la Cart at the entrance to the Craft Fair.

No need to stop for coffee on the way!

Questions? Need a Crafter application? Email us at: nsdsepac@yahoo.com

I should be rich!

2009-10-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

If I had a dime for everytime I hear the word "why?"

and, I've only started with Max. I still have to get through Zoey and Penelope.

I guess this is when I'm thankful that Quinlin doesn't talk like they do.

Daddy should have milk too!

2009-10-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

After Max had seen me nurse Penelope a few times he asked me what I was doing. I said I was feeding her. He asked what I was feeding her. I responded with mommy's special milk. This is the conversation that followed....

"Why do you have Milk" asked Max.
I replied "God gave Mommies milk to feed babies"
He thought and had a serious look on his face and then said "I think God should give Daddies milk too!"
"I agree!" I chuckled.

Share the duty. That would be wonderful!

He's so Awsome.....

2009-10-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before about how great Erik is.Check out... what a mighty good man.

Erik is a great Dad and Husband. It is hard to explain sometimes what it is that makes him so wonderful. He is fun, loving and charming. But here is more to him than those things. I guess you could say he's just... comfort! Like mashed potatoes, hot cheesy lasagna, you know those yummy hot foods that just make you feel good and comforted... just being around him makes you feel like home. He is so easy to be with. He is simple, relaxing. Like curling up with a blanket by a hot fire and cup of yummy coffee... that is Erik. And...he's all mine.

Pa-Scusting!

2009-10-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Max and Zoey were bathing together today....and... like little kids sometimes do, Zoey pooped in the bath tub. I hear "Mom! come here!....Zoey just poo pooed in the bath!" As I'm cleaning everything up Max turns to Zoey and says "Zoey, that's Pa-Scusting! Don't poopie in the bath EVER again!" She grins at him. He yells to her "it's not funny Zoey, it's Pa-Scusting!"

He's right, it is Pa Scusting. But As he was so upset with her, I was trying hard not to laugh at him too!

running away with me.....

2009-10-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

So I started making Halloween costumes for Quinlin many moons ago because I enjoy being creative, seeing what I can make from my imagination, and I'm super CHEAP! I didn't want to spend the $20- $30 for a costume and I thought I could have fun making her one and also save a bunch of money. Every year since Quinlin was about 3, I have made her Halloween costume. Then Max came and of course I made his too.

All Images in this Post

courtesy of Scott Laird

This is Shelby, Justice, and Max (they are all born within one week of each other)

Three years ago, Erik and I both thought we'd love to do a Family costume and show it off at our annual church party "Trunk or Treat." The first year we were all frogs, then last year with the addition of Zoey, we did Wizard of Oz.

I try to settle on an idea many months in advance, because I'm cheap, and I can get the basics of our costume when things are on sale. We decided quite some time ago that this year we could be Pirates. My friend Laura has also been on board scouting out things that would work for some of the different kiddos. Little here and a little there and now I feel like this Pirate idea is running away with me. Between the million trips to Value Village on .99 day and taking trips to Michaels and JoAnns to use the 40% off coupon, I'm still missing some items. I just spent an hour in traffic to rush to the craft store to buy MORE feathers for Penelope's Parrot costume. Jeez! Who would have thought something that was supposed to be fun and cheap has turned into an expensive chore. Oh well. The kids will have fun. I'll post pictures after we get them.
Tomorrow, Trunk or Treat (our Halloween Party at church) will be here. I can't wait. I love Halloween.

More Conversation with Max...

2009-10-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

"Where does Penelope's mother live?" asked Max. "I'm Penelope's mother, I live here with you," I replied. Again Max asked "Are you Penelope's pretend Mother?"

Mustard anyone?

2009-10-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

Zoey decided mustard taste better licked off her finger than on the hotdog. Yum Yum...

Conversation with a three year old...

2009-10-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

I said "Max, don't climb on the chair any more....its breaking"
Max replies..." but I want to climb up there"
I go get the blue crate and say "use this to climb up there"
"But I want to climb up the chair" he says
I say "you can't anymore, its breaking"
"But I want to"
"I don't care, you're breaking it.... use the blue crate"
"I don't want to climb up there that way; I want to use the chair"
"You can't", "but why", "it's breaking", "but I want to"...
I'm going round in circles with a three year old... I think I’m going cookoo

Coming To Cali...

2009-10-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

We're coming to CA for Christmas so I thought while we were there, I'd take the opportunity to do some sessions with folks there. Here are the details....

Shutterpated, Photography by Marci Cheesebrough

Available sessions: Sunday, December 27^th-Afternoon/evening

Monday, December 28^th- Morning

Location: To Be Determined (El Dorado Hills/Placerville area)

Sessions include:

* 60 minute session with Photographer

30-60 images with post processing and retouch to choose from.

Black & White/Sepia options for every image.

On-line presentation of images in a password-protected gallery.

* Custom made brag book to share with friends and family that includes up to 20 of my favorite images.

Session cost $85

Special Discount Session for the first 3 paid sessions- only $65. SAVE $20

***Note: Sessions will take place outdoors in natural light. Therefore, session dates are subject to rain. Dates could be rescheduled due to weather.***

For more information, book your session, or to contact Marci go to www.shutterpated.com

The Farm

2009-10-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday we went to our annual Pumpkin Path... the Farm. The kids are getting old enough they are starting to enjoy annual traditions and fun things that come with different times of the year. They had fun with the Hay Maze, petting zoo, Kettle Corn and of course... picking pumpkins.

Arrrrr

2009-10-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

"I'm a bad Pirate!" says Max

Gramps

2009-10-06T15:22:00.001-07:00

My mom and dad came to visit a few weeks ago. This is Gramps holding Penelope....

and more...

2009-09-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

2009-09-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

More Penelope....

Welcome Penelope

2009-08-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Penelope was born on Monday. She was 6 lbs. 11 oz and 19 1/4 inches. We are all home and healthy and happy to have her as part of our family. Of course... more pictures to come.

Forks, WA

2009-08-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

If any of you are Twilight fans, then you know that Forks, WA is the mecca for all things vampire/twilight. Some great friends of mine, who are HUGE twilight fans, invited me along for a weekend at Forks to check out all the sites. Of course I brought my camera.... and at one of the stops, La Push Beach, I took the opportunity to feed my need to take some photos that Erik and I could have a lot of fun with. I posed the girls in vampire fashion, then when I got home, Erik and I played around with different looks on photo shop to see what we could come up with. Now, those of you twilight fans know, that the vampires in twilight are depicted as very appealing and beautiful, unlike other representations of ghoulish vampires. So that is why here, you won't find them all gory and ghostly, but more like Stephanie Meyers describes in her books.

This is Laura....

and Alex....

Lily Isis

2009-07-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

Meet Lily, our newest niece. She was born while we were visiting Erik's family a few weeks ago so I was able to do some newborn pics....

Trip to Cali...

2009-07-11T13:33:00.001-07:00

Erik's mom Jill, flew up and spent a few days with us before driving with me and the kids to Sacramento while Erik stayed home and worked. Erik was able to fly down and meet us later in the week. We had a great time visiting with Erik's family with lots of lazy days by the pool.

Every day we enjoyed swimming in the pool. The kids were pretty worn out each day, but they had a blast! All three kids did great in water wings and Zoey was instantly loving being independent. Max took many days before he would venture out by himself. But as soon as he did, he was so proud of himself.

Every day the kids enjoyed ice cream cones. They dripped everywhere in the hot sun an d made a big mess, but they were in their suits and easy to wash off.

Another favorite thing was the trampoline. All the kids had fun but Max especially enjoyed himself...

Here are some other various pictures while we were there.

Eriks brother Justin and his oldest daughter Anika

Max says Grrrr...

2009-05-27T10:40:00.001-07:00

Potty Training Update

2009-05-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

So it's been about 10 days since we started the dreaded potty training. Max is doing well with few accidents. He does need some persuasion at times since he doesn't want to stop what he is doing to do something as un-fun and going to the bathroom. Although, he is very proud of himself that he is a big boy an no longer uses diapers.

I have to say, on day 3, I thought I was going to have to wait and try again. He hated going, had accidents constantly and I had a hard time keeping him motivated. By day 3, the newness had warn off, the stickers and prizes for doing a good job were old and he didn't seem to care that he was wet. BUT, my good friend Jalaine came to my rescue. Her daughter Justice is just 6 days younger than Max. On day three, they so nicely invited us over to a birthday lunch for the next day. The condition... Max had to stay dry between days. AND HE DID!!! He wanted to go to Justices Birthday Lunch and we was motivated! We even stoped at the store on the way and had a quick stop at the gas station...he made it! After that, he has been much better about going and has been able to go longer in between trips to the potty so I think going isn't as much an effort as it was in the beginning when we were going constantly.

So all in all, I would say we made it through. He still need a lot of reminding but my baby is now wearing big boy underwear!

Oooh... new hats!

2009-04-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

This is what Zoey thinks of Max and his new adventures in wearing "underwears" (as Max would say)...and no, I didn't set this up. She came into the kitchen just like this!

Potty Training...

2009-04-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so today is the day. I'm potty training Max. So far, not so good. It's only been a few hours but getting a rhythm going is not happening yet. I'm about to have my fourth baby and have yet to have a child who is independently using the toilet. I'm a bit skeptical that it can be done. I know other moms have done it....
Any suggestions?

Day at the Park

2009-04-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun day at the park on Saturday. The weather was beautiful and the kids loved being outside all afternoon. Zoey surprised me most of all...climbing, jumping, sliding, like she was a big girl. She is already trying to keep up with the big kids and does not except that she is the baby and too small for anything.

Day with Quinlin

2009-04-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

This week Quinlin had spring break so we had a special day together at the Zoo. (thanks Jalaine for watching the little ones!). We had a lot of fun. Quinlin brought her own camera and she had fun taking pictures of the animals she really liked. It was a beautiful sunny day she also picked out her own pair of sunglasses.

Here is Seattle, we are blessed with a great Zoo. I love our zoo. You can spend the whole day or just a few hours. And, because the climate is generally not too hot, the animals are pretty visible, not hiding away in a cool shady spot.

You can't really see, but Quinlin is looking at a brown bear that is sleeping. This was another one of her favorites.

This Orangutan was right up at the glass. Quinlin thought he was so cute. When Quinlin would look away, he would tap the glass with the back of his fingers.

This is Quinlin roaring like a lion...

Taking pictures of the giraffe....

Another Girl!

2009-04-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Just as I suspected...another girl for the Cheesebrough's. Our Dr.'s office got a new ultrasound machine that burns to DVD. So now I am able to put a few on our blog. So here she is... first picture. In case you can't tell, the first one is her face and the second is her little foot.

We've had a name picked out for quite a while. We're thinking of Penelope August (due in August...hence the middle name). What do you think?

Cookie Monster

2009-03-25T11:14:00.001-07:00

Here are more pics of Zoey. She just finished eating a cookie...

say cheese!

2009-02-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

Here's some new pics of Zoey...

It's a bird...it's a plane... no, it's SUPERMAX!!!!

2009-02-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Well if you consider a pink striped hat is a mask, and a green baby blanket is a cape...sure...it's Supermax!

I did take a bazillion pictures of him this day when he was running around and "flying," but we only have one small spot that has decent light in the house... and he only flew by there on occasion. So, these are the only two that turned out ok.

Holiday Update

2009-01-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

Wow, the Holidays came and went and we're alreay a few weeks into January. We've had some CRAZY weather here since late December. Normally we might get a few (1-3) inches of snow. This year we got about 18-24 in about 10 days. Then, a few weeks later it rained so much (yes, even for Seattle) that a lot of the area flooded. While all this crazyness was going on. We all had fun safe and warm in our little house and snuggly fire place. My family joined us for Christmas day and Erik's parents, Fred and Jill, came to hang out with us just after. We had a lot of fun while they visited.

out of the bag....

2008-12-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

So many of you may already know this by now since last week Erik let the cat out of the bag on FaceBook...but we are expecting no. 4!

I thought we were waiting a little while to "announce" our news, but Erik just couldn't keep it to himself. This next one should come mid August. We're very excited that God has continued to bless our desire for a big family. Please pray for our newest as he/she grows. I know God always blesses us, but sometimes it not always the blessing we expect. With every pregnancy comes some risk and no one is guaranteed a healthy/typical child. We see every new baby as a special gift, and although we pray for health, we know God is good and is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.

Baby ticker coming soon!

SNOW!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-19T22:52:00.001-08:00

We had a ton of snow fall the past few days, and the weather is supposed to stay cold with more to come over the next few days. Hurray, I love it when it's all snowy, but no one I know loves snow more than Erik. Yesterday, he took the kids out to play. This was really Max's first experience with snow. When he came in from playing, I handed a him a cup of hot cocoa, and his response was "this is FUN!"

Jack's smiling!

2008-12-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

It's been snowing here the past few days. Even though it may not be much for some of you who are used to tons of snow, a few inches is a lot for us. Enough to cancel school and keep us house bound. But we are snug in our house with a nice warm fire and plenty of food. Jack is loving that we are all here and he can sleep with the nice warm fire. This is him hanging out on our chair keeping watch at the window. Can you see his smile?

Fastforward

2008-12-11T22:38:00.000-08:00

Arggg..What is happening? I think someone put my life on fast forward and didn't tell me. I can't believe how fast time is flying. Zoey will be ONE next week....wow. That was one VERY fast year.

Erik and I had a quick 48 hr trip to Sacramento to attend his sister Kelli's wedding. We were able to borrow our friend Scott Laird let us borrow his wide lense and WOW...did we have fun with it! Thanks Scott. I'll post some pictures soon, but for now here is a few....

Also, thanks to Beverly, Laura, Jen, and Alex for watching our kids!

My Girls!

2008-11-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

I was going through some of our files and came across these pictures from a few months ago. This is what Erik and I do with our Kids when we get bored!

The Farm

2008-10-22T16:08:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday after church we went to a Pumpkin Patch called "The Farm" in Snohomish, WA. It was a perfectly sunny day (unlike last year that was rainy and very muddy). We went with Laura, Jen, Alex & Trenton, and of course our troop of kids. Erik was the photographer on this trip. Here are some of my favorite Pics of the day....

Quinlin's Disney Birthday

2008-10-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Quinlin's birthday on Friday with a Character Breakfast. It was so GOOD! The Character breakfast was a Lelo and Stitch Luau in Paradise Pier Hotel. It fun to see all the characters dressed up in their Hawaiian outfits. There wasn't too many people there and the kids had a ton of access to all the characters that were there. If you're planning a trip to Disneyland, I highly recommend this!

Before we left for the party, Quinlin recieved some gifts from family. Fred and Jill (grandpa and grandma) got Quinlin this SUPER cute minnie dress. Aunt Nicole got her matching Minnie shoes (which we had to exchange for another size....that' why they're not in the picture) and Aunt Kelli got her these other Pink Sparkly Disney Converse. If you don't already know....Quinlin LOVES shoes. Santa always brings her a few too!

So this is Quinlin dressed and ready to go. The other pictures are members of the group and characters.

Disneyland

2008-10-13T13:59:00.001-07:00

We've been back for a week now, and I'm finally getting to the Disney trip. We had a blast! All of Quinlin's favorit people were there. The whole gang included: Quinlin (10), Erik, Marci, Max (2), Zoey (9 mths), Grandma Jill, Grandpa Fred, Kelli, Kylan (8), Savanah (3), Nicole, Anika (3), Bailee (7 mths), Papa Len, Grandma Beverly, Laura, Jennifer, Trenton (9), Alex (12), Tyler (16), Kym and Kai (10)....phew! It was A LOT of people...but very important people.

We were there for the week (that was supposed to be mild temperature and few people) with very HOT temperatures and a TON of people. Despite the heat and crowd, we still had a great time. Quinlin went on all the fast fun rides with anyone who would go with her. But her favorite ride is still the Tea Cups. She also loved the carousel, dumbo, rockets, and anything else that would spin.

Max loved the Tea Cups as well. But he also liked dumbo and the carousel. He asked once..."I sleep in Tars-man's house" after having visited it for the first time. He also loved exploring Huck Finn's island.

Zoey seemed to enjoy many rides. She was able to go on more things than I had realized and never complained about being on any of them. Hopefully next time we go... she'll be able to express what she liked.

We took many pictures, although we did miss out on so many more. It was just not possible to photograph as much as we would have liked. Often the group was separated so there was always something going on where we weren't.

Here are a few of my favorite...

Disneyland was decorated with tons of pumpkins...in the theme of Halloween Time

Bailee (our youngest niece)

Nicole (sister in law) Anika (her daughter) and Savannah (another niece)

Quinlin and Kylan (nephew) on the Carousel

Marci and Zoey on Dumbo

Trenton, Laura, Minnie, and Alex (family friends)

Max climbing in Pooh's corner

Erik, Marci, Quinlin, and Max climbing in CA Adventure Bear Park

Quinlin, Erik, and Tyler in the Tea Cups

Anika/Minnie

Savannah & Anika

Alex, Laura, and Pluto

Max, Minnie, and Anika

Zoey and Bailee

Savannah and Anika

I have even more Pictures of Quinlin's Birthday Celebration at our Character Breakfast. I'll save those for my next post....

Yeah for BLUE!

2008-09-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

We are a week away from our big trip to Disneyland to celebrate Quinlin's 10th birthday. We had planned on getting her a hair cut, but we thought we should do something extra special to get ready for the trip. On Saturday, we went with our good friends Laura and Alex to see Keith. Alex was getting a fun new color... so we had Quinlin have a little too. She did really well. She loved having her hair a fun color that was the same as Alex. The only part of the process she didn't like was having her hair washed in the sink. She was a bit wiggly and kept Keith on his toes, but in the end, it turned out great! Her cut is very cute and the color just adds to her personality. When her hair was done, she couldn't stop looking at herself. She would hold a small mirror and watch herself do everything. We stopped at a store on the way home...and Quinlin picked up her pink sunglasses to add even more coolness to her look. Disneyland... here we come!

"I can't hear it!"

2008-09-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

We have several kids CD's in the car that the kids love (insist) on listening to when we are in the car. They each have their favorite and we take turns choosing which one we listen to. The other day when I was driving with Max and Zoey, Max was listening to his songs. As we drove he said to me from behind "I can't hear it." So I turned it up and kept driving. A few seconds later he says again, "I can't hear it!" So I turned it up again. A few seconds after that I hear again, "I CAN"T HEAR IT!" I'm wondering...what is going on (worried now he might have a hearing problem), it was already soooo loud. I turned around to look at him as he was in mid sentence of saying again "I can't hear it!" only to see that he had both his fingers in his ears! No wonder he couldn't hear it! I told him to take his fingers out of his ears and then he could hear.

The next day we were in the car again, playing Max's music, and driving along. From behind I heard "I can't hear it." I turned around and sure enough.... he had his fingers in his ears. After telling him to take his fingers out so he could hear....he continued to leave his fingers IN and say "I can't hear it." I tried several more times to respond to his insistence that he couldn't hear with the obvious response for him to take his fingers out. But he didn't' All I kept hearing was ...I can't hear it....I can't hear it.... I can't hear it...." I gave up. That's what he did the entire rest of the drive! (Boy, is he 2 or what?) Any one have a child's remote control for sale? I could use a mute button!

Ras-birdies

2008-09-09T14:38:00.001-07:00

The other week while I had the kids with me visting my parents, Max LOVED to be in the garden wth Gramps. He love to help him pick things like cucumbers and beans, but he especially loved to pick the "Ras-birdies." Max would ask Gramps everyday when he came home from work if they could go pick rasbirdies. They never did come in with any... Max ate them as fast as they picked them.

Shutterpated

2008-09-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Erik and I are proud to introduce our new photography business….

SHUTTERPATED

I’ve been working for several months now learning and practicing. Erik has done a beautiful job with the website and we are now in business. I offer photography for: Engagements, Weddings, Pregnancy, Newborn, Children, Family, Senior / Teen Photos, Christmas Portraits

Please visit our site www.shutterpated.com

Thank you to all of you who have let me practice on you over the past few months. Thank you to Terri & Russell, Cheryl & Brandon, the Walkers, the Johnson’s, the Guerra’s, Natalie, Kayla, Alana & Siblings, Annie & Kids, Duke, Hayden & Tucker, Trenton & Alex. I hope you are enjoying the pictures.

To celebrate the start of SHUTTERPATED,

I’m having special introductory prices this fall.

(Free 8x10 if you book your session for September)

Session Fee $50

Includes:

60-90 minutes

25 or more of my images with post processing and retouch if needed

Black & White/Sepia options for every image

Brag book to share with friends and family that include my favorites.

Special Rates for Engagement / Wedding Packages and Baby Packages.

Please Call for More Info.

Print Pricing

Private on line album accessible through our website

(Free 8x10 if you book your session for September)

4 x 6’s - $5.00

5 x 7’s - $10.00

8 x 10’s - $15.00

Wallets - $1.00 each

Special Package Rate

When you buy more than 10 of the same size (pictures may vary), you receive a 50% discount.

Example- If you buy twenty 4 x 6’s, the first 10 are $5 each and the second 10 are $2.50 each.

Please note, the prints can vary, but the size must be the same for the special package rate.

This offer does not apply to wallets. Wallets are individually printed and more expensive to print.

Many of you might be regulars on my current blog: www.cheesetownusa.blogspot.com. While I will still visit for post on our family, I will be using anther blog for photography. You can access it through our website. Please visit all three sites!

Photography Website: www.shutterpated.com

Photoblog: www.shutterpated.com/blog

Personal blog: www.cheesetownusa.blogspot.com

We would love feedback! Please visit our site and let us know what you think. AND, if you like what you see and you think you have friends and family who would like it too, please pass this info on!

Marci Cheesebrough

360-607-9692

marci@shutterpated.com

mud anyone?

2008-08-28T10:58:00.001-07:00

I guess since in the spirit of messes, I'd add the photo's of Quinlin that I took last week

say PINK

2008-08-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

While Max was so quietly napping in the spare room of my parents house...he was really getting into a drawer of makeup my mom thought he couldn't get into. I thought I'd peek in to see my sweet boy sleeping away, but instead, I found this. It took 3 washes to get it all off.

I see you

2008-08-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

I've taken the kids with me to visit my parents for the last week of summer. My mom has a little cubby in her kitchen that opens at two ends. She has it filled with toys for the kids when they come to visit. Max has discovered that he can crawl up there.

Q's Favorite Place.

2008-08-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

If any of you have ever been to our house, you would receive the normal Quinlin treatment. You'd get a BIG huge hug that would squeeze your insides out. She'll repeat your name over and over and make you feel like you were the greatest person on the earth. Then you would be dragged by your hand and led into Quinlin's room. There she would pull you to her bed where (in her greatest hopes) you would play with her. She loves to play in her bed. It's by far her favorite place (with the exception of Disneyland...but that's a no brainer).

It's not uncommon for us to have family wrestling or jumping monkeys (Erik and I refrain from the jumping....LOL....although that would be funny to watch). All family activities like this must ALWAYS take place in Quinlin's room, on Quinlin's bed. So to all of you who come and sleep in Quinlin's bed (since it is our guest room)...yes, your bed gets jumped on and wrestled on.

Here she is...exactly where she wants us all to be.

More of Justice....

2008-08-01T13:39:00.001-07:00

Justice is Max's very good friend. They are 6 days apart and us moms have been friends since the two kiddos were still in our bellies. They spend a lot of time together and last week Justice came over to play with us for the day. We had such a great time, and she was so full of smiles, I couldn't help but take out my camera a take a few shots. She is so sweet and beautiful. Max and Justice don't know this yet, but we have them betrothed.

Dressing a Cat

2008-08-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to dress up a cat? Not a great idea... or easy task. I grew up with cats, and when I was young I would at times try to dress them up....why not? I was never very successful, although I think my sister had a cat once when she was young that would let her do anything, I missed out on that.

Why am I talking about dressing cats? This morning when I was trying to dress Zoey, she was wiggling, trying to turn over, kicking the pants off as I was trying to get them on. I had a flash back. I thought back to a memory of being young trying to dress my cats. So I said to Zoey, " dressing you is like dressing a cat." It gave me a giggle.

Justice

2008-07-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

1st Family Shoot

2008-07-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

I did my first family session over the weekend. Here are a few that I couldn't wait to work on. Aren't their kids cute!

Cake...YUM!!!!

2008-07-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures of Zoey that Erik took this weekend. This was her first taste of cake....and she thought....YUM! It was fun teasing her with bites while she followed each bite wide mouthed and drooling!

Alana

2008-07-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is my first photo session with a special needs child. I was very excited to work with Alana, who has Autism. She was very shy at first, but she warmed up to me and the camera and I was able to be sneaky and get some great shots. Here are a few of my favorite.

No wings required.

2008-07-02T17:47:00.001-07:00

Zoey is my little angel. Not only is she stunningly beautiful, she is an magnificent baby. She is just more than I can stand. Feed her, change her, put her down for naps...that all she wants and is otherwise very happy. She sits and plays blocks with Max and Quinlin. She loves it when they try to make her laugh with their silliness...and she obliges them with a cute giggle and squeal. I love my little angel baby.

Oh the places he sleeps

2008-06-26T22:38:00.000-07:00

As some of you might have read in a previous post, Max can nap in some strange places. This is the rocking chair in his room. This isn't the first time he's slept here...but the first time I could run and get my camera in time to catch him. I've also found him half on the bed and half off. Also buck naked with his butt in the air. He's so funny. He has a pillow at both ends of his bed because throughout the night, he changes from end to end multiple times. I don't think I've ever found him where I left him.

Prayer request

2008-06-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

Some good friends of ours, Amanda and Jacob Henderson, just found out that their one year old son Noah has infantile Tay-Sachs disease. Sadly, this disease is fatal.

However, God is the master of everything and can do anything so, as you pray for strength and peace within the Henderson/Moore family, please set the bar high and also pray for complete healing of Noah. I would also ask that you get as many others as you can to pray for little Noah.

There may or may not be updates posted to the following blogs...

Amanda and Jacob's blog

But what got the Internet abuzz was Myth No. 11: "Thanksgiving is a happy time." It was followed by "Fact: For many Indian people, 'Thanksgiving' is a time of mourning ... a bitter reminder of 500 years of betrayal returned for friendship."

Hollins would not defend her letter, but David Tucker, a spokesman for the district, said it was an effort to be sensitive to minorities in Seattle schools.

"One of the core elements in education is not just understanding your own life history but also those of others," he said.

But one Seattle-area tribe says Thanksgiving is not somber on the reservation but a time to see friends and family, as it is for other Americans.

Native Americans in the Northwest celebrate the holiday with turkey and salmon, said Daryl Williams of the Tulalip Tribes. Before the period of bitter and violent relationships between natives and their culturally European counterparts, they worked together to survive, he said.

"The spirit of Thanksgiving, of people working together to help each other, is the spirit I think that needs to grow in this country, because this country has gotten very divisive," he said.

Nationally syndicated talk show host Michael Medved was more blunt.

"The notion that now you have a major school system sending out a message that, no, rather than expressing thanks we should emphasize guilt on this holiday — that is sick, it is destructive and it is anti-American."

The real story:

From Rush 24/7 Wed, Nov. 21st.
One of the great myths of Thanksgiving is that we swindled the Indians when we bought Manhattan Island from them, we swindled them. Twenty-four bucks is the equivalent. It turns out, according to a book about Teddy Roosevelt, that that's not true. It turns out that the Indians are the ones that ran the real estate scam when they sold Manhattan. It's a book on Teddy Roosevelt, Commissioner Roosevelt: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt and the New York City Police, 1895-1897, by H. Paul Jeffers. Here are the relevant paragraphs about this. "A persuasive case can be made that the city of New York began with a swindle. For generations school children have been taught that a slick trick was played on unsuspecting Indians by the director of the Dutch West India Company, Peter Minuit. In 1626 he purchased the island of 'Manna-hatin' for sixty gilders worth of trinkets, about twenty-four dollars. What Minuit did not know at the time, however, was that his masterful real estate deal had been struck with the Canarsie tribe, residents of Long Island; they held no title to the land they sold to the Dutch. In due course, the intruders from Amsterdam who thought they had pulled a sharp one on the locals were forced into negotiating a second, more costly deal with the true landlords of Manna-hatin," which is what it was called, Manna-hatin.

chocolate

2007-11-16T03:10:00.001-08:00

This song has more to do with a chocolate drink, but I like to sing it when I think of chocolate, regardless of the form. After all, when it comes to chocolate, what's not to sing about?

Bate, bate, chocolate,
Tu nariz de cacahuate.
Uno, dos, tres, CHO!
Uno, dos, tres, CO!
Uno, dos, tres, LA!
Uno, dos, tres, TE!
Chocolate, chocolate!
Bate, bate, chocolate!
Bate, bate, bate, bate,
Bate, bate, CHOCOLATE!

Chocolate

Stir, stir, chocolate,
Your nose is a peanut.
One, two, three, CHO!
One, two, three, CO!
One, two, three, LA!
One, two, three, TE!
Chocolate, chocolate!
Stir, stir, the chocolate!
Stir, stir, stir, stir,
Stir, stir, CHOCOLATE!

Halloween

2007-11-06T15:30:00.001-08:00

Our church does a really fun night around Halloween called Trunk or Treat. We always have great time with the games, costumes, treats, etc. This year we ALL dressed up as Frogs!

When Max was born, he was accompanied by two other sweet girls Shelbie, born the day before, and Justice, born a week later. Every year we get the babies pics together. Aren't they cute.

Pumpkin Patch

2007-11-06T15:14:00.001-08:00

Last month (so I'm weeks behind) we went to a local pumpkin patch. It had poured ALL morning long and although it had quit while we were there, the place was covered in mud....by the end of the day, so were our kids!

Max and Quinlin loved exploring the place and didn't care that there was mud...in fact, I'm sure that made it even more fun. Max took a header early on and had mud not only on his clothes, but on his face. Of course everyone stopped to check out that cute muddy blue eyed blond. We even had Japanese tourist (in snohomish wa? go figure) who asked to take pictures.

It was a fun day with a hay maze, hay ride, animal watching, corn eating, and of course we went home with pumpkins.

I've been tagged...

2007-10-13T12:59:00.000-07:00

Kristi tagged me...so here we go!

Here are the rules. 1)Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves. (2) People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. (4) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

8 things…
1. I grew up in the Navy and moved a ton. Not to mention my travels as an adult. So, I've lived in 3 countries 6 states. 8 different schools and 12 homes before I was 19. I hope to live right here in Washington the rest of my life.
2. I played Water polo through High school. I was kicked out of a game one with a technical foul for punching a girl...she deserved it!
3.When I was 15, my family (in our super cool minivan) was chased by some crazy road raged driver because my brother sprayed silly string out our window and it landed on this guys car.
4. My brother and have had many adventures together living in many interesting places. While in Wisconsin, we found an abandoned (we thought) old house. After several weeks of slowly getting further and further in our exploration of this house we discovered prosthetic legs hanging on a wall of a bedroom and a calendar dated from the 50's. It was pretty creepy and scary, but lots of fun and entertainment for 9 & 10 year olds. Eventually our fun was spoiled when we came to do some more exploring, only to find a family there...
5.My real name is Martha, but I've gone by Marci since I was a few weeks old.
6.I had my first date when I was 18.
7.Fall is my favorite time of year
8. I Love Monkeys and often refer to my children as monkey butt.

I'm tagging Sarah, Claire, Michelle, Haley, Belinda

BUBBLES

2007-10-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

How cute is he?

the Sweetest Sound

2007-09-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

There is nothing sweeter than kids singing! Max, who is just 16 months old, has started singing all the time. I LOVE to hear him. He doesn't really have words so he just makes up sounds. He often wakes up in the morning laying in his crib singing away. Or he'll start as we drive around on our errands. I especially love when he waddles down the hallway singing at the top of his lungs.

He has also figured out that the song book at church is for singing. Yesterday during service, he pointed at a song book. I picked it up, put it on his lap, and opened it. He instantly started singing. I was so surprised that he connected that. The only downside is that it was during communion and so we had to ssshh him. I hated that...I love that he sings, but I guess there is a time and place.

He's such a sweet boy. I love him.

gotta check em out!

2007-09-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

Erik and I the amazing blessing of being part of AIM (Adventures In Missions) many many years ago, back when we were young and had just met. I can't put in words what AIM did for me and means to me. Even today, my experience in AIM continues to affect my life in a way that is beyond measure.

Recently when Erik and I started blogging, we began to come back into contact with many of our friends we haven't seen since our AIM days. The other day, Erik came across two more blogs. The owners of blogs are two mentors of mine and Erik's from back in the day. Reading their words now, remind me of why my AIM experience was so powerful. They are incredible Men of God and I hope that you all can be blessed by their words the way that I am.

For sinners only-Rex Boyles

There's something about that name- Craig Hicks

Spidergirl

2007-09-18T13:44:00.001-07:00

That right. Quinlin's secret identity. She's really Spidergirl! Criminals beware.... She'll use her spidysenses to seek out and destroy!

I've always thought that Quinlin had some super powers. It so Amazing how in seconds, she can walk into a perfectly clean room and turn it into a disaster zone. My mom has called her the destructinator. It almost as if she has suction cups on her hands and arms that are super stretchy so she can reach out several feet away and pull things down. She must...how else could she make such a huge mess in seconds?

ahhhh....the first day of School!

2007-09-04T13:08:00.001-07:00

Time to go back to school for Quinlin! She was very excited to wear her new clothes and new backpack. I'm sure she'll love to see her friends.

Now Max has the run of the house to himself. He'll be able to nap in peace without the sound of elephants tromping down the hall or squeels and shouting coming from all over.

It was a fun summer, but I'm ready for fall. Before long, there be a different noise is the house during the day...a new little baby crying. Only 16 more weeks to go...

Let us eat cake!

2007-08-29T13:44:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Anika's birthday during our visit. She turned 2. Happy Birthday Anika. And of course a birthday isn't complete without cake....

yummmie for cake.....

oohhh....it feels so squishy....

how did cake get all over?

who needs a fork?

yummmm....frosting!

Did someone say....surprise inside? where.....

too big? What?

Trip to the Cabin

2007-08-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

Erik's parents, Fred & Jill, have a cabin up towards Tahoe off the American River. We all went to visit the cabin and stayed the night.

We played a lot of cards....

Took the cousins to the river....

It was very cold! Erik was pretty much the only one who would get in.

Even Quinlin thought he was crazy!

Max stayed in just so he could throw rocks in the water with his dad.

Poor little Anika took a bad fall and busted her little lip.

Max with Uncle Justin.

We squeezed sleeping spots in for everyone. Here are all five cousins. Max stayed for about two seconds before he found something else more interesting than posing for a camera.

More Swimming momments...

2007-08-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

This picture of Quinlin is pretty typical of her in the water. It's no surprise to most of you that Quinlin loves the water. Whether she's in the pool, bath, or any other water, she loves to splash herself...the girl can't get enough!

Quinlin's turn for a "Smack down"

She is her father's daughter.... Isn't squirting everyone great fun!

Savannah (Kelli's daughter)

Max & Anika

Anika (Justin & Nicoles daughter)

Smack me down Uncle Erik!!!

2007-08-25T14:29:00.001-07:00

Our Nephew Kylan LOVES to have Erik smack him down. Basically, it's just Erik throwing him in the pool....but it's Kylan's favorite thing. It's all he can talk about when we come to visit. Here are some pics of the "smack down"....

2007-08-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

CA Trip....

We just got back from visitng Erik's family back in CA. It was so much fun to have all the cousin's playing together.

We spent the majority of the time in the pool, although we did many other things too. I'll post those pictures throughout the next few weeks.

For now, here a a couple of Quinlin and Max...

It's a....

2007-08-08T11:54:00.000-07:00

GIRL!

Last week, we took the kids to our ultra sound. She was in perfect position and within seconds we could see she was a girl. We have a name in mind, but we are still discussing spelling. We'll keep you posted.