As 2010 comes to a close, let's reflect on some of the highlights the year has brought us.
January
Carver started crawling.
Chris re-painted a majority of the house & laid down new hardwood floors throughout the house.
February
First time in the swimming pool
First Valentine's Day
March
Carver got his first tooth
April
Chris's Grandpa Garland passed away.
Cody moved to Colorado
First Easter
May
Two new babies in the family, Tyler and Reina.
Our 2nd Anniversary
My 25th (oh my goodness) birthday
My first official Mother's day
June
Carver turned ONE!
July
Carver gets his big boy carseat
We bought a dumptruck
Carver's first baseball game (Yakima's minor league team)
August
I started my crafting blog, A Caffeinated Crafter
Carver met his GG Chuck (GG=great grandpa(ma) )
Carver started WALKING!!
The end of breastfeeding :(
September
My first giveaway on here. Didn't go as well as I thought it would. :(
We were introduced to Skype and have never looked back.
We did a walk for CareNet to help raise money for ultrasound machines
October
Chris got his first deer - opening day no less!
We bought a 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Carver's obsession with Mickey Mouse is cemented when we created his own Clubhouse out of a cardboard box
Halloween #2 - Sock Monkey this year
November
Big storm where we were without power for 3 full days
Thanksgiving and Black Friday
December
Christmas! (need I say more?)
Chris got his first goose.
What are some of your highlights?
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Chirstmas Pictures (Picture overload!)
Christmas morning. Carver LOVES his workbench!!
See mama!
The bat lathe
The picture of my new scrapbooking addition. Carver 'helped' Chris put it together!
The chaos! Notice the pink electric screwdriver Chris got me. :)
The contents of my stocking... along with a Starbucks card
Tyler checking out his new Firetruck
Carver decided to get on with him. haha
Checking out the rocking chair mom redid and his new Mickey blanket mom made. The rocker is over 60yrs old and Mom and I both used in when we were kids.
It used to be white.
The stockings - minus Mom's
Taking a break - laying his head on the coffee table
Playing with Uncle Jake
Maggie getting into the spirit
Little drummer boy. He's going to be like Uncle Jake!
One man band
The Mickey Mouse hooded poncho towel that Jake's girlfriend, Sarah, gave Carver.
He loved being called Mickey!
See mama!
The bat lathe
The picture of my new scrapbooking addition. Carver 'helped' Chris put it together!
The chaos! Notice the pink electric screwdriver Chris got me. :)
The contents of my stocking... along with a Starbucks card
Tyler checking out his new Firetruck
Carver decided to get on with him. haha
Checking out the rocking chair mom redid and his new Mickey blanket mom made. The rocker is over 60yrs old and Mom and I both used in when we were kids.
It used to be white.
The stockings - minus Mom's
Taking a break - laying his head on the coffee table
Playing with Uncle Jake
Maggie getting into the spirit
Little drummer boy. He's going to be like Uncle Jake!
One man band
The Mickey Mouse hooded poncho towel that Jake's girlfriend, Sarah, gave Carver.
He loved being called Mickey!
Chris's First Goose
Chris's goal while we were in Ellensburg was to shoot a goose. He's gotten a lot of ducks over the last few years but he's never gotten a goose. Well he did yesterday!
*Chris just got back today from hunting and he got two more and while he was cleaning them, a flock of geese flew over him and he got a third one! Good job babe!
*Chris just got back today from hunting and he got two more and while he was cleaning them, a flock of geese flew over him and he got a third one! Good job babe!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
How we spent our Christmas...
***I will post pictures later. My camera and cords are in the room that Carver is sleeping in.***
I have to admit, it was a little nice to have a break from blogging. We're still out of town but the dust has settled on all the excitement so I have a little time to sit down and update you on what we've been doing.
My brother and his girlfriend flew in on the 16th and we all went to my mom's on the 17th for the weekend. I was the only one (plus Chris and Carver) that hadn't met Ash so that was great to finally get to meet her. Mom's birthday was on the 18th. On the 19th, we had dinner at my grandma's house and did Christmas with her, my dad, my uncle and cousin. I was in a mad dash on the 17th, finishing up presents before we left. Everyone LOVED their presents and Carver made out. He got some jammies, clothes and a tonka truck from his GG Axthelm (aka. great-grandma), an awesome winter coat from his Grandpa and all three of us got hats from my dad (along with a Target GC). Monday morning (the 20th) I had a dentist appt to have a crown prep. Did I ever tell you that I had a root canal last month? Yeah, fun stuff. When they do a root canal, you have to get a crown on that tooth since it's lost it's stability from having a hole drilled through it. After my appt we came home.
Tuesday Charlie flew in. Mom called and asked what I was doing and I said nothing. Charlie had missed his shuttle and mom was wondering if I could pick him up from the airport and meet her in North Bend. I, of course, say yes. So I loaded up Carver, picked up Josh (Chris's 10yr old brother who I said I'd watch while my MIL had a dentist appt) and headed up to the airport. Everything was going perfectly until we were sitting in the parking lot in North Bend waiting for Cody and Ash (they wanted to pick him up instead). Carver had been a little fussy and then all of a sudden, he threw up... in the car... and it smelled like Velveeta! So I jumped out of the car and gingerly pulled Carver out of his seat. Thankfully Charlie was there and he was a BIG help. He helped me strip Carver and then put his back up clothes on and got in the front seat with him while I cleaned up the carseat as best as possible. The only thing I can think of that caused it was either the fishie crackers that he pounded down or the two bites of a quesadilla from Taco Time that he ate. Once that was over, we went into Starbucks to get Carver a water and we waited in there until Cody and Ash showed up.
I put Carver on the BRAT diet but for some reason decided to give him some yogurt on Thursday... it came back up. But other than that, he's felt fine since that little incident.
On Wednesday, my Christmas Fairy (aka Gramma Pat) came over and wrapped all my presents for me! I was feeling a little overwhelmed and she offered to come wrap my presents. We got everything wrapped that was ready. I still needed to finish a couple presents and buy a gift card but I got caught up. Thanks Gramma!!!
On Friday, my friend Mallorie was planning on spending the day with us but she texted around 9am saying she'd just left the doctor and she has bronchitis. :( Its hard for us to find time to get together as it is, and then when we do find a day to get together something always seems to pop up. Get better Mallorie!!! We'll try again later!
Later that night, we went to the Christmas Eve service at church. We've made it a tradition and I love how it checks your mind into what Christmas is all about. We seem to get caught up in the gift giving and running around and 'forget' what the true meaning really is. It was a great service. The only thing I would've changed was that they didn't have the nursery open. So Carver sat with us and was a little squirmy but we made it to the end and he thought the candlelit part was pretty cool.
Christmas morning was the three of us. We got up, made coffee and opened presents. Carver was having a blast opening everything. I was feeling bad that I hadn't put very much in Chris's stocking, when I saw the how packed mine was. But that was short lived when I realized that everything in my stocking was CANDY!!!!! and a Starbucks GC. haha
Carver is IN LOVE with his work bench. He even 'helped' Chris put together my Scrapbook cart thing. We definitely chose the perfect gift for him.
We headed to Chris's parents house around 4pm and opened gifts and had dinner. We usually do it the other way around - open gifts after dinner - but this way worked out way better. There was no meltdowns and we were able to leave after dinner so Carver got to bed on time.
Sunday morning (the 26th) we got up, finished packing and headed to Ellensburg. We stopped at Target to restock on fishies for the car (I threw away the pack that made him puke) and I found a MICKEY MOUSE HOODED PONCHO TOWEL!!!!!! So I texted my brother's girlfriend, Sarah and told her she could give it to Carver. Carver hasn't exactly warmed up to her yet (no reason why) so we thought that would help. Then we went to Starbucks so I could use my new burlap travel mug. :) It's the burlap from the coffee bean bags. Yes, I know I'm obsessed. :D
When everyone got to Mom's house (us, Gramma, and Sarah) we opened presents. Ash had already flown to her family's house in Ohio so she wasn't there. It's always really laid back and we just take our time. There's no rush. We got some gift cards, Ticket to Ride game, Jake got me a camo sweatshirt from Cabelas that has a pink liner in the hood, and some other stuff. Carver got the toys that my mom bought him awhile ago. There's more but some are hard to explain.
Then yesterday (Monday), Chris, Carver and I went down to Yakima to use some of my gift cards. I figured that I spent about $80, paying $20 (I didn't have a GC for that store), and I still have about $40 in gift cards! I could've saved another $8 but my phone died right as I was going to give the code to the cashier. Did you know that you can get coupons for JoAnns on your phone? So cool! You just put the coupons in your 'wallet' and then pull them up and the cashier types in the code. I'm definitely going to be taking advantage of that more! I always forget coupons at home. Anyways, the one thing I bought that I'm the most proud of is a gingerbread hooded towel for Carver. It was regularly priced at $25 and I got it for $7.50! Yay for 70% Christmas!
Today, Gramma headed home. We're all going to head into town around 2pm (when Mom gets off work) and go to this gift store in town that always has great sales after Christmas.
NOW.... If you made it this far, let's do a giveaway! Leave me a comment and you'll be in the drawing for a $10 Starbucks card! I'll leave it open until Sunday January 2, 2011. Good luck!!!
I have to admit, it was a little nice to have a break from blogging. We're still out of town but the dust has settled on all the excitement so I have a little time to sit down and update you on what we've been doing.
My brother and his girlfriend flew in on the 16th and we all went to my mom's on the 17th for the weekend. I was the only one (plus Chris and Carver) that hadn't met Ash so that was great to finally get to meet her. Mom's birthday was on the 18th. On the 19th, we had dinner at my grandma's house and did Christmas with her, my dad, my uncle and cousin. I was in a mad dash on the 17th, finishing up presents before we left. Everyone LOVED their presents and Carver made out. He got some jammies, clothes and a tonka truck from his GG Axthelm (aka. great-grandma), an awesome winter coat from his Grandpa and all three of us got hats from my dad (along with a Target GC). Monday morning (the 20th) I had a dentist appt to have a crown prep. Did I ever tell you that I had a root canal last month? Yeah, fun stuff. When they do a root canal, you have to get a crown on that tooth since it's lost it's stability from having a hole drilled through it. After my appt we came home.
Tuesday Charlie flew in. Mom called and asked what I was doing and I said nothing. Charlie had missed his shuttle and mom was wondering if I could pick him up from the airport and meet her in North Bend. I, of course, say yes. So I loaded up Carver, picked up Josh (Chris's 10yr old brother who I said I'd watch while my MIL had a dentist appt) and headed up to the airport. Everything was going perfectly until we were sitting in the parking lot in North Bend waiting for Cody and Ash (they wanted to pick him up instead). Carver had been a little fussy and then all of a sudden, he threw up... in the car... and it smelled like Velveeta! So I jumped out of the car and gingerly pulled Carver out of his seat. Thankfully Charlie was there and he was a BIG help. He helped me strip Carver and then put his back up clothes on and got in the front seat with him while I cleaned up the carseat as best as possible. The only thing I can think of that caused it was either the fishie crackers that he pounded down or the two bites of a quesadilla from Taco Time that he ate. Once that was over, we went into Starbucks to get Carver a water and we waited in there until Cody and Ash showed up.
I put Carver on the BRAT diet but for some reason decided to give him some yogurt on Thursday... it came back up. But other than that, he's felt fine since that little incident.
On Wednesday, my Christmas Fairy (aka Gramma Pat) came over and wrapped all my presents for me! I was feeling a little overwhelmed and she offered to come wrap my presents. We got everything wrapped that was ready. I still needed to finish a couple presents and buy a gift card but I got caught up. Thanks Gramma!!!
On Friday, my friend Mallorie was planning on spending the day with us but she texted around 9am saying she'd just left the doctor and she has bronchitis. :( Its hard for us to find time to get together as it is, and then when we do find a day to get together something always seems to pop up. Get better Mallorie!!! We'll try again later!
Later that night, we went to the Christmas Eve service at church. We've made it a tradition and I love how it checks your mind into what Christmas is all about. We seem to get caught up in the gift giving and running around and 'forget' what the true meaning really is. It was a great service. The only thing I would've changed was that they didn't have the nursery open. So Carver sat with us and was a little squirmy but we made it to the end and he thought the candlelit part was pretty cool.
Christmas morning was the three of us. We got up, made coffee and opened presents. Carver was having a blast opening everything. I was feeling bad that I hadn't put very much in Chris's stocking, when I saw the how packed mine was. But that was short lived when I realized that everything in my stocking was CANDY!!!!! and a Starbucks GC. haha
Carver is IN LOVE with his work bench. He even 'helped' Chris put together my Scrapbook cart thing. We definitely chose the perfect gift for him.
We headed to Chris's parents house around 4pm and opened gifts and had dinner. We usually do it the other way around - open gifts after dinner - but this way worked out way better. There was no meltdowns and we were able to leave after dinner so Carver got to bed on time.
Sunday morning (the 26th) we got up, finished packing and headed to Ellensburg. We stopped at Target to restock on fishies for the car (I threw away the pack that made him puke) and I found a MICKEY MOUSE HOODED PONCHO TOWEL!!!!!! So I texted my brother's girlfriend, Sarah and told her she could give it to Carver. Carver hasn't exactly warmed up to her yet (no reason why) so we thought that would help. Then we went to Starbucks so I could use my new burlap travel mug. :) It's the burlap from the coffee bean bags. Yes, I know I'm obsessed. :D
When everyone got to Mom's house (us, Gramma, and Sarah) we opened presents. Ash had already flown to her family's house in Ohio so she wasn't there. It's always really laid back and we just take our time. There's no rush. We got some gift cards, Ticket to Ride game, Jake got me a camo sweatshirt from Cabelas that has a pink liner in the hood, and some other stuff. Carver got the toys that my mom bought him awhile ago. There's more but some are hard to explain.
Then yesterday (Monday), Chris, Carver and I went down to Yakima to use some of my gift cards. I figured that I spent about $80, paying $20 (I didn't have a GC for that store), and I still have about $40 in gift cards! I could've saved another $8 but my phone died right as I was going to give the code to the cashier. Did you know that you can get coupons for JoAnns on your phone? So cool! You just put the coupons in your 'wallet' and then pull them up and the cashier types in the code. I'm definitely going to be taking advantage of that more! I always forget coupons at home. Anyways, the one thing I bought that I'm the most proud of is a gingerbread hooded towel for Carver. It was regularly priced at $25 and I got it for $7.50! Yay for 70% Christmas!
Today, Gramma headed home. We're all going to head into town around 2pm (when Mom gets off work) and go to this gift store in town that always has great sales after Christmas.
NOW.... If you made it this far, let's do a giveaway! Leave me a comment and you'll be in the drawing for a $10 Starbucks card! I'll leave it open until Sunday January 2, 2011. Good luck!!!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
18 Months Old
Carver was initiated into full toddler mode on Sunday. I still call him a baby but he is walking (sometimes running) and talking up a storm. He even has a little stubbornness poking through. Lord help us, he's going to be like his parents.
He decided to throw up today - in the car!!! - for no apparent reason. We're still not sure if he's 100% better or not so we're laying low. Weird thing... and I know this is TMI... but his puke smelled like Velveeta.
Anyways, back to my blogging hiatus for awhile. I promise I'll post after the holidays with a full update.
Merry Christmas!!!!
He decided to throw up today - in the car!!! - for no apparent reason. We're still not sure if he's 100% better or not so we're laying low. Weird thing... and I know this is TMI... but his puke smelled like Velveeta.
Anyways, back to my blogging hiatus for awhile. I promise I'll post after the holidays with a full update.
Merry Christmas!!!!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Taking a Pause
I've taken an impromptu break from blogging while we enjoy the holidays and spending time with family and friends. My brother and his girlfriend are here from Colorado and I haven't seen him since March/April. I'm also finishing up presents that I'm making and wrapping. I'll post after Christmas with an update on what we've been up to.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
My little hunter
I found a hunter orange onsie hiding in Carver's closet so I had to pair it with some camo pants. :) Carver loved those antlers and actually kept them on through the whole store so I had to get them for him!
Carver told me that he was going to get a 3x3 with an eye guard, just like daddy!
Carver told me that he was going to get a 3x3 with an eye guard, just like daddy!
Friday, December 3, 2010
New Look
I'm in the process of changing my background and banner for Christmas. I'm not totally sold on this one. What do you think?
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Black Friday Breakdown
Me, Carver, Mom and Charlie all woke up at 4:00am, loaded up, got coffee from our lovely Kolette (Kolettey's Koffee) who opened just for us :), and headed down to Yakima.
Stop #1: WalMart
I have a very strong dislike for this store but when they're the only ones that carry Cricut Lite cartridges, what's a girl to do? They only had the 7 new lite cartridges which kinda bummed me but I got the Jolly Holiday cartridge and already have a project in mind for it. I also got two movies for $1.96 a piece! Mom found a Mickey Mouse movie that will go in Carver's stocking.
Stop #2: Target
I LOVE this store!!!! But they lines were ridiculous! They wound from the registers to electronics, back down to seasonal, then along the back wall to sporting goods, up that aisle to the main back aisle back to seasonal, and then back towards electronics. But I have to hand it to the employees. They had us clipping along pretty fast. Here's what I got:
Stop #3: Starbucks
Needed another coffee and Carver needed some breakfast. He loves their oatmeal. :)
Stop #4: Michaels
I got 3 photo boxes. They were 3 for $5 when they're regularly $4.50/ea. Score! I also got two cricut cartridges - Everyday Paper Dolls for $28 and Simply Charmed for $37. I needed a bigger acrylic block for stamping so I got that too. I want to go there again today if we go because all of their Disney cartridges are $25 today.
Stop #5: The Childrens Place
I wanted to see if they had anymore hats (no such luck). I got three thermal shirts ($4.90/ea), a sweatshirt ($7) and matching half zip sweaters for Carver and Tyler for $13/ea. That was probably the worst place out of everywhere we went. It was FREEZING in there and they only had two registers going so the line was barely moving.
Stop #6: Borders
Mom wanted a book. I found Curious George 2 for $5 and a Mickey Mouse cd for $6 after I used my 40% off coupon
Stop #7: Fred Meyer in Ellensburg
We got there just as the sale was ending but mom got in line real quick so she got some socks at half off. Chris was already there when we got there and he got a bunch of tools for half off! :)
What deals did you get???
Stop #1: WalMart
I have a very strong dislike for this store but when they're the only ones that carry Cricut Lite cartridges, what's a girl to do? They only had the 7 new lite cartridges which kinda bummed me but I got the Jolly Holiday cartridge and already have a project in mind for it. I also got two movies for $1.96 a piece! Mom found a Mickey Mouse movie that will go in Carver's stocking.
Stop #2: Target
I LOVE this store!!!! But they lines were ridiculous! They wound from the registers to electronics, back down to seasonal, then along the back wall to sporting goods, up that aisle to the main back aisle back to seasonal, and then back towards electronics. But I have to hand it to the employees. They had us clipping along pretty fast. Here's what I got:
- Queen size air mattress for Jena - $12
- Two flannel plaid shirts for Carver - $5/ea
- 2 sets - 2pk Sleepers for Carver - $12/ea ($6/sleeper)
- 5 movies - $3.99-$5.99/ea
- Flannel plaid shirt for me - $7.50
Stop #3: Starbucks
Needed another coffee and Carver needed some breakfast. He loves their oatmeal. :)
Stop #4: Michaels
I got 3 photo boxes. They were 3 for $5 when they're regularly $4.50/ea. Score! I also got two cricut cartridges - Everyday Paper Dolls for $28 and Simply Charmed for $37. I needed a bigger acrylic block for stamping so I got that too. I want to go there again today if we go because all of their Disney cartridges are $25 today.
Stop #5: The Childrens Place
I wanted to see if they had anymore hats (no such luck). I got three thermal shirts ($4.90/ea), a sweatshirt ($7) and matching half zip sweaters for Carver and Tyler for $13/ea. That was probably the worst place out of everywhere we went. It was FREEZING in there and they only had two registers going so the line was barely moving.
Stop #6: Borders
Mom wanted a book. I found Curious George 2 for $5 and a Mickey Mouse cd for $6 after I used my 40% off coupon
Stop #7: Fred Meyer in Ellensburg
We got there just as the sale was ending but mom got in line real quick so she got some socks at half off. Chris was already there when we got there and he got a bunch of tools for half off! :)
What deals did you get???
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 24-27
Day 24: I'm off by a day. This day was covered by the last thankfulness post
Day 25: I am thankful for friends. We went up to our friend's house for thankgiving and it was so much fun! Carver was letting everyone hold him (he's usually really shy at first... not today!) and climbing up and down and up and down the stairs. haha Yummy food too!
Day 26: I am thankful for Regence Blue Shield. We paid them for October right before we switched to a different company. So they sent us a check for that month. This meant that we were able to get [almost] everything on my list for Black Friday without using the credit card!!! Toe Touch!!!
Day 27: I am thankful for Chris. Carver decided to get up at 4:00am again and after an hour and a half of trying to get him to go back to sleep Chris got up with him and fed him breakfast so I could catch up on my sleep. I love you honey!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!
May you be be surrounded by family and friends.
May you be continually thankful for all you have.
May you be reminded of God's love and grace.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Storm
Here's what happened...
Monday: Chris tried to work but that wasn't happening because of the snow that fell all day long so we decided to drive to Tacoma and get the license plates for our car and stop at Tijuana Taco in Lakewood for lunch. We knew the roads would be interesting but we're both very comfortable driving in snow/ice and would've died being stuck at the house all day. Well, let me tell you... there are some pretty STUPID drivers out there!!!! People were parking and leaving their cars in the middle of the FREEWAY!!! It was hilarious! And they were cars that you'd expect to be able to handle in the snow. We didn't even try to take I-5 and decided to take the back roads. It tested our knowledge of routes because we were trying to find a route that had the least amount of hills.
We finally made it to the dealership, got our license plates (which say ACH**** haha I have the Ach-ooo car!) and went to lunch. If you've never been to Tijuana Taco and live in the Tacoma area, PLEASE go!!! It's right by the Lakewood Towne Center and it's amazing!
Anyways, then we decided to go to the mall because The Children's Place is having all of their outerwear accessories (hats, mittens, etc) for $5. They didn't have anything that I hadn't bought on Thursday so we just walked the mall for awhile. Then we made the trek home.
It snowed all day and was really windy. The wind wasn't any stronger than in Ellensburg but the trees over here don't know how to withstand it. So there were branches and downed trees all over the place. Around 530pm we fed Carver dinner and at 6pm our power went out. At least Carver got fed, right?
So we got the bright idea to head to Subway and Target since we were twiddling our thumbs at home. As we were coming down our hill towards town, we saw a downed power line and at the same time we saw a tree in the road. Now, remember that it'd been snowing all day so there was ice on the road. Well, we couldn't slam on the brakes so we went up and over the tree. Thankfully it was a small tree and it, thankfully didn't do anything to our car.
So we putts around Target after eating dinner. On our way home we went up our road to see if the tree had been cleared (I'd called 911) and there was ANOTHER tree in the road that was windshield level. Definitely not going up that way. So we went to the next parallel road. There was a tree down there too. So we went to the next road over from that and decided to just go for it. We couldn't see anything and felt that if we did come across something we could safely back down the road and turn around. Well almost to the top, there was a tree down but it was angled just so that we could drive underneath it (it was a pretty small tree). So we did that and cut across to our road.
Once we hit our road we were in the clear as far as trees were concerned. But remember that it was icy and there are hills every which way around our house. Well, all that to say, we made it home safely. :) We made a makeshift bed in the living room in front of the fire (gotta love wood fireplaces!!!). Carver thought that was the coolest thing ever! He was running in circles around the 'bed' having a great time. He didn't end up going to bed until around 9pm.
Tuesday: When we woke up Chris walked the property line to check the fences and then ran to Albertsons to get Starbucks. Chris wanted to drive by some of our accounts to check for any damage so we loaded up in the truck this time. We met Kim for lunch and then stopped by a couple accounts. We went back to Target, because that's what we do when we get bored and then came home. The trees on our road had been cleared and the roads were A LOT better today. We were toying with the idea to leave for Ellensburg today but Chris didn't want to leave if the power wasn't back on because it was supposed to be really cold that night. Well it didn't come back on.
At some point that evening, Chris remembered that we had a portable generator we use on jobs when they have to use nail guns, etc. What a great idea! So we hooked up the fridge for awhile and then the microwave so we could have a hot meal and then we got even more adventurous and hooked up the tv! We still didn't have cable but Carver got to watch Happy Feet and after he fell asleep, Chris and I got to watch one of our netflix. Too bad we didn't think of this last night. :(
Wednesday: Still no power. At some point last night the generator was making funny noises (low gas, I think) so Chris worked on that this morning. He had to run to Home Depot for some starter fluid and got me a coffee while he was there. While he was out he ran across the Puget Sound Energy guy that was on our road making notes and he said that he hoped to have power back to the road today. Once Chris got back, we loaded up and hit the road! The pass was bare and wet the whole way and there was barely any cars on the road. :) It was so nice to get to Mom's and have power and hot water! I didn't want to get out of the shower!
So that was our adventure. We had Chris's mom go by the house this afternoon and we still didn't have power. We turned all of our space heaters on so when the power does come back on those will take the chill off, but it'll be an igloo when we get back. There's no way around that.
I have a feeling this is just the start of the storms for this winter. Everyone keeps saying that it's going to be worse than 2008 when parts of WA were without power for WEEKS but we'll see. It's definitely made a grand entrance.
Monday: Chris tried to work but that wasn't happening because of the snow that fell all day long so we decided to drive to Tacoma and get the license plates for our car and stop at Tijuana Taco in Lakewood for lunch. We knew the roads would be interesting but we're both very comfortable driving in snow/ice and would've died being stuck at the house all day. Well, let me tell you... there are some pretty STUPID drivers out there!!!! People were parking and leaving their cars in the middle of the FREEWAY!!! It was hilarious! And they were cars that you'd expect to be able to handle in the snow. We didn't even try to take I-5 and decided to take the back roads. It tested our knowledge of routes because we were trying to find a route that had the least amount of hills.
We finally made it to the dealership, got our license plates (which say ACH**** haha I have the Ach-ooo car!) and went to lunch. If you've never been to Tijuana Taco and live in the Tacoma area, PLEASE go!!! It's right by the Lakewood Towne Center and it's amazing!
Anyways, then we decided to go to the mall because The Children's Place is having all of their outerwear accessories (hats, mittens, etc) for $5. They didn't have anything that I hadn't bought on Thursday so we just walked the mall for awhile. Then we made the trek home.
It snowed all day and was really windy. The wind wasn't any stronger than in Ellensburg but the trees over here don't know how to withstand it. So there were branches and downed trees all over the place. Around 530pm we fed Carver dinner and at 6pm our power went out. At least Carver got fed, right?
So we got the bright idea to head to Subway and Target since we were twiddling our thumbs at home. As we were coming down our hill towards town, we saw a downed power line and at the same time we saw a tree in the road. Now, remember that it'd been snowing all day so there was ice on the road. Well, we couldn't slam on the brakes so we went up and over the tree. Thankfully it was a small tree and it, thankfully didn't do anything to our car.
So we putts around Target after eating dinner. On our way home we went up our road to see if the tree had been cleared (I'd called 911) and there was ANOTHER tree in the road that was windshield level. Definitely not going up that way. So we went to the next parallel road. There was a tree down there too. So we went to the next road over from that and decided to just go for it. We couldn't see anything and felt that if we did come across something we could safely back down the road and turn around. Well almost to the top, there was a tree down but it was angled just so that we could drive underneath it (it was a pretty small tree). So we did that and cut across to our road.
Once we hit our road we were in the clear as far as trees were concerned. But remember that it was icy and there are hills every which way around our house. Well, all that to say, we made it home safely. :) We made a makeshift bed in the living room in front of the fire (gotta love wood fireplaces!!!). Carver thought that was the coolest thing ever! He was running in circles around the 'bed' having a great time. He didn't end up going to bed until around 9pm.
Tuesday: When we woke up Chris walked the property line to check the fences and then ran to Albertsons to get Starbucks. Chris wanted to drive by some of our accounts to check for any damage so we loaded up in the truck this time. We met Kim for lunch and then stopped by a couple accounts. We went back to Target, because that's what we do when we get bored and then came home. The trees on our road had been cleared and the roads were A LOT better today. We were toying with the idea to leave for Ellensburg today but Chris didn't want to leave if the power wasn't back on because it was supposed to be really cold that night. Well it didn't come back on.
At some point that evening, Chris remembered that we had a portable generator we use on jobs when they have to use nail guns, etc. What a great idea! So we hooked up the fridge for awhile and then the microwave so we could have a hot meal and then we got even more adventurous and hooked up the tv! We still didn't have cable but Carver got to watch Happy Feet and after he fell asleep, Chris and I got to watch one of our netflix. Too bad we didn't think of this last night. :(
Wednesday: Still no power. At some point last night the generator was making funny noises (low gas, I think) so Chris worked on that this morning. He had to run to Home Depot for some starter fluid and got me a coffee while he was there. While he was out he ran across the Puget Sound Energy guy that was on our road making notes and he said that he hoped to have power back to the road today. Once Chris got back, we loaded up and hit the road! The pass was bare and wet the whole way and there was barely any cars on the road. :) It was so nice to get to Mom's and have power and hot water! I didn't want to get out of the shower!
So that was our adventure. We had Chris's mom go by the house this afternoon and we still didn't have power. We turned all of our space heaters on so when the power does come back on those will take the chill off, but it'll be an igloo when we get back. There's no way around that.
I have a feeling this is just the start of the storms for this winter. Everyone keeps saying that it's going to be worse than 2008 when parts of WA were without power for WEEKS but we'll see. It's definitely made a grand entrance.
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 22-23
Our power has been out since Monday so I'm going to post two things that I'm thankful for instead of back-posting.
#1: I am thankful for POWER!!! It's very true that you don't miss something until it's gone. We had a big snow/wind storm on Monday and our power went out around 6pm... and it's currently STILL out!!!
#2: I am thankful for HOT WATER!!! I, thankfully, took a shower on Monday so I wasn't a stinky gross mess by now but it was heaven taking a shower at Mom's house when we got here. I didn't want to get out!
**I'll post about the storm/power outage later.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 20-21
Day 20: I am thankful for my mom. She is an amazing woman and I'm so glad to call her mom. We've become friends and it is a friendship that I cherish every day. Thank you mom for all that you do. I love you.
Day 21: I am thankful for Carver. He is the light of my life and he brings joy to all around him. I couldn't imagine my life without his smiling face. :)
Friday, November 19, 2010
Only one month left until...
... Carver is 18 months old. :( He's officially 17mo old today. He's becoming more 'little boy' than 'baby'. It makes me sad but I LOVE the stage he's at now. He interacts with you and responds when you talk to him. Here's our conversation in the car tonight...
*Carver sneezed
Me: Did you get boogies on you?
Carver: yeah!
*So I wipe them up
Me: Are there more boogies in your nose?
Carver: yeah!
Me: Do you want me to get them?
Carver: no!
Me: Can I suck them out?
Carver: *silence*
Here's some things that Carver's been up to lately...
*Carver sneezed
Me: Did you get boogies on you?
Carver: yeah!
*So I wipe them up
Me: Are there more boogies in your nose?
Carver: yeah!
Me: Do you want me to get them?
Carver: no!
Me: Can I suck them out?
Carver: *silence*
Here's some things that Carver's been up to lately...
- We've taken down the gate around our fireplace (please no criticism. it was a decision that took a lot of thought) and Carver LOVES helping Chris bring in firewood from the back deck. He'll stand a little ways away from the fire and put his hand up and say 'hot'. [so cute!]
- If we're sitting on the couch and Carver wants something he'll reach around you and pull you off the couch, grab your hand and pull you to the fridge, etc
- He still has a love obsession with Mickey Mouse and will say hi if he sees one in the store
- He doesn't cry anymore when we drop him off in the nursery [makes me sad :( ]
- Loves playing peek-a-boo
- He likes throwing things away for you... even if you didn't want them in the garbage. We've learned to check the garbages as we walk by them
- He's still in size 2 diapers, in 9-12mo clothes, and just moved up to size 5 shoes
- He is in love with Maggie (my mom's dog). He was ECSTATIC when we got to mom's tonight and he saw Maggie!
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 18-19
Day 18: I am thankful for my friend Vanessa. We've known each other practically all our lives (ok, since I was about 3yrs old and she was ~1yr old). We got together yesterday and 'walked' the mall (read: walked, shopped, ate, etc). We've got a relationship where we pick up where we left off and it's just so EASY! I love you Ness and I'm so glad you live closer now. :)
Day 19: I am thankful for SNOW!!!!! It's snowing in Ellensburg and I'm so glad we're here for it. We're definitely going to have to play in it tomorrow before it most likely melts.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 17
Day 17: I am thankful that we finally got dental insurance. I had a root canal done this morning and a little stress was taken away because I didn't have to worry about the $1371 bill that we would have had to pay if we didn't have insurance. We paid $337!!! What a difference!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 13-16
Day 13 - I am thankful for my friend Mallorie. We are twins in some respect. We both love to craft, are addicted to Starbucks and are BIG Seahawks fans!!! For Mallorie's birthday I bought her a ticket to go to the Scrapbook Convention in Bellevue. It was today and SOOOOO much fun!!! We both spent less than we expected (me $60 and Mallorie around $65-70) and got some really cool ideas. We're definitely going back next year!
Day 14 - I am thankful that we've found a church that we love. There is NOTHING we don't like about it! And Carver is making friends in the nursery - to the point where he doesn't want to leave haha
Day 15 - I am thankful for my sister-in-law Kim. We became fast friends when Chris and I started dating. We can talk about anything and we both feel comfortable venting to each other. haha
Day 16 - I am thankful that Chris cut down all the trees around our house when he first bought this property. We had massive winds last night and our power went out. The winds were so strong that the tent/shed thing that covers our firewood blew over and broke into pieces.
Side note: We just had an earthquake!!! It was down in Mossy Rock (more towards Oregon) and it was a 3.5 and we definitely felt it here! It was only 10 miles deep so it wasn't very strong.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
A Giveaway or at Divinely Domesticated!!!
My friend, Meghan's, parent's just opened their own business! They sell all organic lotions, soaps, jams, and spices... just to name a few! Meghan is having a giveaway to kick off the opening. All you have to do is go to Hill Country Mercantile's site and check out all they have to offer. Then, go to Meghan's blog, Divinely Domesticated, and leave a comment telling her what you would love to have!
Good luck!
Good luck!
Friday, November 12, 2010
List Plan It
I found out about List Plan It about two years ago and fell in love! They have about 500 different lists to help simplify your life. Anyone who is a list-maker will love this site.
The reason why I bring this up is that I just signed up to be apart of their affiliate program. This means that if anyone I refer becomes a member and/or buys an ePlanner, I get a small commission. All you have to do is click the link below and sign up. It's that easy! AND it's cheap!!
Click here to go to List Plan It!!!
The reason why I bring this up is that I just signed up to be apart of their affiliate program. This means that if anyone I refer becomes a member and/or buys an ePlanner, I get a small commission. All you have to do is click the link below and sign up. It's that easy! AND it's cheap!!
Click here to go to List Plan It!!!
We've been gone
I've mentioned before that we were gone last week. I'll post pictures later but wanted to let you know where we were. :)
Wednesday: I had Chris take the afternoon off so we could leave early. We went to Ellensburg for the night.
Thursday: We got up and went to Dakota Cafe to get berry sweet rolls (YUM!!!!!) and coffee. Then we went to Mom's work to eat them so we didn't get the new leather heated seats sticky. Then we went to Spokane to Jena and Moktar's house.
Thursday-Sunday: In Spokane hanging out with the Batibure's!!!
Sunday: Alea's 4th birthday party and then we headed back to Ellensburg
Monday: Chris had a dentist appointment in Ellensburg, then we headed home.
It was a lot of driving but it proved to be a good idea to break it up like we did. We definitely don't see Jena, Moktar and Alea (and Jena's whole family) enough. Love you guys!!!!
Wednesday: I had Chris take the afternoon off so we could leave early. We went to Ellensburg for the night.
Thursday: We got up and went to Dakota Cafe to get berry sweet rolls (YUM!!!!!) and coffee. Then we went to Mom's work to eat them so we didn't get the new leather heated seats sticky. Then we went to Spokane to Jena and Moktar's house.
Thursday-Sunday: In Spokane hanging out with the Batibure's!!!
Sunday: Alea's 4th birthday party and then we headed back to Ellensburg
Monday: Chris had a dentist appointment in Ellensburg, then we headed home.
It was a lot of driving but it proved to be a good idea to break it up like we did. We definitely don't see Jena, Moktar and Alea (and Jena's whole family) enough. Love you guys!!!!
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 9-12
*Sorry for being so late on these. I had a lot to catch up on once we got home from being gone.
Day 9: I am thankful for the dollar section at Target. haha I found a couple PERFECT stocking stuffers when Carver and I were there picking up a prescription. I love when I find that perfect present for cheaper than I was originally going to spend.
Day 10: I am thankful I have a nail tech that I LOVE! She always makes my nails beautiful and its a couple hours to myself (appointment plus drive time to Silverdale and back). It's the right amount of time without being too long. I usually try to schedule my appointments so that Chris can watch Carver so everybody wins!
Day 11: I am thankful for all of those who are currently serving, or previously served, and their families. We are free because of you.
Day 12: I am thankful that it's FRIDAY!!!!! This week seemed to drag. And I'm going to the Scrapbook Expo tomorrow with Mallorie! We were originally going to go today but Mallorie got a new job so she couldn't take the day off.
What are you thankful for?
Monday, November 8, 2010
A Giveaway!
I've been following The Exposed Mom for awhile and she has recently launched her photography blog!!! To celebrate this she's hosting a giveaway with the prize being a $75 gift card to WHEREVER you want!!!
All you have to do is:
1. go to: http://www.kipperphotography.com/
2. Click "Facebook"
3. 'Like' them on facebook; if you don't have facebook, you can still comment!
4. Go back to her post HERE and leave a comment telling her you did so!
Good luck!!!
All you have to do is:
1. go to: http://www.kipperphotography.com/
2. Click "Facebook"
3. 'Like' them on facebook; if you don't have facebook, you can still comment!
4. Go back to her post HERE and leave a comment telling her you did so!
Good luck!!!
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 8
Day 8: I am thankful we have a reliable car. We've done A LOT of driving over the last 6 days and it was so nice to have our new Highlander. We even filled up every seat and, I have to say, the 3rd row was pretty comfy!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 6-7
Day 6: I am thankful that I started Christmas shopping early. It is so much easier, less stress, and (a little) easier on the wallet. I found the book, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" at Costco for only $10 hardbound! And I also got part of Alea's Christmas present. I seriously sit down in like, September and make a list of what I'm going to get everyone and then when I see it on sale I pick it up. That way we're not scrambling right before Christmas and putting everything on the credit card.
Day 7: I'm thankful Carver is ok. He's been sleeping in the bed with us since we've been at Jena and Moktar's and I laid him down last night. A couple hours later we heard a thump and SCREAMING! Carver had rolled OVER the pillows I put around him to prevent this from happening and rolled OFF the bed!!!!! He's got a nice goose egg and a little rug burn where he hit the floor but he's no worse for the wear. Thank God!
Friday, November 5, 2010
30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 5
Day 5: I am thankful that Carver adores Alea. He as been so much more talkative since we've been here. He looks up to Alea so much and wants to be just like her. :) It warms my heart.
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