changes are afoot

But if I told you about them I'd have to kill you. Suffice it to say that changes will be made in the near future and they will be good. I don't know what else to talk about since I am in such "stealth-mode" right now

I am super excited about the summer coming. I want to have lots of parties and barbeques and hang out with my friends and have drinks and laughs. By the way, I am on day 3 now of NO COFFEE and NO ALCOHOL! I know... it's crazy! I decided to cleanse my system for a week. I can't wait for that first coffee and cranberry vodka around this time next week (Maybe I can even hold out until TN)!

Now, if you want to read something entertaining and fun, check out CJ's Dad blog to read about our new fish.

More soon.

- K

it's been 4 years

CJ, it's been 4 years since we married. You are truly the man of my dreams.


I love you more every day we are together. You are the most honest, moral, kind and intelligent man I know. You are gentle and funny. You are protective and sweet. You are charming. Oh yah, did I mention that you are SEXAY???


You are an incredible person. I love you with all my heart. I love all the little things you do.

Thank you for making me coffee every morning

Thank you for opening and closing the car door for me EVERY TIME.

I love that do crafts with the kids.

I have developed an appreciation for your fashion style (for Kenzie).

I love that you make the kids heart shaped chicken sandwiches for dinner.


You are an incredible father.


I love that you and Kenzie can sit outside and swing when it's pouring rain outside.


I love that when we first got together you painted my toenails. I love that now, you also paint kenzie's.

I am so proud of you. and I am proud to be your wife.


Happy Anniversary, honey. I love you with all my heart!

I have no words

a tuesday afternoon

1. Darwin. Thanks for the comment. You are such a grump. I think you are just trying to appear tough so people don't know what a softie you are. Just my opinion, but this whole fatherhood thing has softened you up way too much. Next thing I know, you'll be voting for Hilary!

2. When I got home this afternoon I saw this. Kenzie was painting with her fish, Shlawha.


3. Right now Kenzie is outside playing with her Dad. I can hear them laughing and screaming and just having a ball. It warms my heart.

ha

there are so many things funny about this picture

Hippiness and all that

So in college (university, as we Canucks like to say) I discovered that I was born about 15 years to late. My calling was/is to live in a hippy commune. I have always thought that living in a commune would be the best thing in the world. To live every day with your friends/family. To raise our kids together. To help each other through rough times - emotionally, economically, physically (and I don't mean that is a sexual way :) ).

anyhow... this afternoon we went to our friends, the Wheelers. All our friends were there... the whole gang... the Wheelers, the Laceys, the Martins (including Charles), the Drozes, the Kenyon/Barkers, Mr Brown, Andy (I apologize if I missed anyone). I realized that it's almost like we DO live on a commune (except for the SEX part ha ha ha). We had a dozen little kids running around (by the way, where the hell did all these kids come from?!?!?) and I swear an outsider wouldn't know which kid belonged to which adults. All of us love all the little ones - everyone as much as our own. Everyone helps everyone. We all love each other. Everyone is friends. I just was overcome with the love and friendship.

Thanks for the fun afternoon Wheelers. To all our friends: thanks for the friendship, love and good times. I love you all.

p.s. sorry for being so sappy.

p.s.s. Ladies: Don't forget girls night out on Tuesday.

p.s.s.s Sam and Charles... I am so pyched that I'm going to your wedding

p.s.s.s.s CJ... everytime I think of books and TV now I will giggle.

I have to add this pic cause it's so cute.

Random thoughts and lots of pics

1. I have decided the camera makes me a better person. I am always thinking of fun things we can do so I can get some cool pictures. If the kids don't nap I take the opportunity to do a photo shoot. If I am feeling lazy the thought of good pics makes me more energetic. I love that I can combine my hobby, taking pictures, with hanging out with the family.

2. We went to the park today and met up with Kristin and Montana. We all had a blast. I loved watching Sebby with the animals. This is the first time we've been to the park since he's walking so he could basically go where he wanted to. He had a lot of fun. I couldn't believe how late it was when we finally got back into the car.

3. CJ and I are going out for dinner with Pete and Hadley tonight. I can NOT wait It's the first time we've been out together in ages. Also we are meeting Veronica for the first time. Veronica is a friend of Hadley's who will be babysitting for us. I hope she likes us and that the kids love her so we will have the opportunity to go out together more often.

Here are some pics from today.

happy pills

okay. so for the last 2 years I've been taking happy pills. You know... the prescription kind. (they were actually prescribed for me... I haven't been buying them off the black market). I'm not scared to admit it :)

After you have kids your hormones go very wacky. It takes a while for things to settle down and in the mean time your moods can put any family in jeopardry of complete internal combustion unless you look for some outside help. So that's what I did and life was good.

But I decided that I no longer needed happy pills. So over the last few weeks I have weaned myself off. Haven't really felt too different or noticed much of an effect emotionally - EXCEPT.....my moods are way more extreme. It's almost like they were dulled a bit for the last couple years.

I have found that over the past few days when I'm happy I'm really happy. When I'm mad I am downright pissed, and when I read ads in a magazine about the special olympics I start to cry.

In any case... all is good. I am starting to feel like myself again. I am an emotional person. So I'll take that.. the good and the bad. No more shades for me.

CJ, I will not to be too muc of a bitch during those not so happy times. I love you.

woot

I am home, tomorrow is friday and we have plans to go out on saturday night. I am happy.

Here's my beautiful family. :)

if I won a lot of money...

... and I mean A LOT! (as in, working was no longer necessary and kids would be set for life)... I would,

- quit my job. As in.. I'd type up my resignation letter RIGHT NOW and hand it in.
- I'd see if CJ wanted to bring the kids and come to Spokane with me this afternoon and stay in the hotel and go and do fun stuff in town tomorrow so we could be together in the evening and mornings (assuming I still went on this trip cause I wouldn't want to leave my employer in a lurch)
- Fly to Boise, ID to visit Erin and watch Seb and Cam play together
- Pay off the house and start looking for a contractor to do all the home renovations that I want done (walls knocked down, new carpets, new hardwoods, new windopws, new paint, smaller deck)
- Get a landscaper to come and do some work on the landscaping
- buy my mom a condo/house in Seattle so she could come and visit whenever but wouldn't have to live with us
- book a family vacation to Hawaii for 3 weeks
- build a big indoor playground in Kirkland
- get a personal trainer and chef to make me skinny
- I could go on. But that's enough for now :)

and on an unrelated note. Here's a cute picture of the Boo

for Jess

A shout out to my peeps DW squared

Hey yous guys. I just wanted to say i'm thinking about you. I know life probably sucks right now. One kid with pnemonia and one with RSV is a lot to handle. I hope both kiddos get better very quickly and that we can see you again soon. Hugs and kisses to you!

- K

A weekend in portrait

Saturday morning the kids did some painting.





Then we were off to the park with Hadley and the girls. We played at the park for a while and then went for a walk. Spring is here!!!







I did a little photo shoot with Sebbers. The light was great.



After naps, Kenzie came outside to see her new surprise - a SEESAW!!! We had a blast playing on it.





Sarah and Tim came over. Hadley joined us with Phoebe and Kristina, and Kristin, Scott and Montana dropped by too.



In the evening I headed over to Sam's to help make her wedding invitations. It was fun even though Sam was a slavedriver.



This morning we headed out early to join the other 12,500+ participants of the St. Patty's Day Dash in Seattle. CJ ran it super fast and the kids and I took it at a more leaisurely pace.



Can you believe our view .....



We FINISHED!!

if you're bored

check out what CJ acts like at home when no one is watching.



p.s. I cut Kenzie's bangs tonight. I shouldn't have.

I'm excited **UPDATED WITH PICS**

Kenzie has been such a good kid lately. She is a wonderful big sister and so caring and patient with her brother. I just ordered a bouquet of flowers for her. A bunch of gerber daisies and a little bear! She is going to be so excited when they arrive today. I can't wait to hear from CJ. :)

**Update** Well she got the flowers and called me at work to thank me I wasn't as my desk so she left me a message. I am never erasing it. It was so sweet!

feeling guilty

For a couple months now, Kenzie will mention that she doesn't know how to tie her shoelaces. I'll ask her if she wants to learn, and she always says yes.

Unfortunately most of the times we have this discussion it's when we are getting ready to walk out the door. I usually try to slow down a bit and I tie her laces, and expain to her what I'm doing.... "make a bunny ear, go around the tree, and down the fox hole"... and voila we are done and I am dragging her out the door.

I just thought about this and had a huge wave of guilt come over me. I am the mother who is too busy to teach her daughter how to tie her shoe laces. She is so eager right now to learn things and instead of encouraging her, i am squashing this enthusiasm, by sighing and making her feel like it's an imposition.

Ugh... I feel so bad.

I am determined that this weekend we will spend a good chunk of time, with me PATIENTLY working with her and teaching her how to ties her laces.

sentimental moment

It's been a long copuple days of work. I am home now... got to see both kids before they went to bed tonight. Now I am in bed and CJ is snoring quiety (really, just breathing.. it's a sweet sound) beside me. I am so glad to be home with the people I love most in the world.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox CJ, Kenzie and Crabby Pastian. I love you with all my heart.

Hey CJ!

Hey honey, take a look at your butt in the mirror!

ready for bed

It's 7:54 and I'm ready for bed. I'll be brief...

Jess came to hang out.. we did crafts and decorated the kids' boxes...


Kenzie's Box...


We had an impromptu get-together at our house. Much fun was had. By the way, Nabila, thanks for all the clothes.. they are adorable. can't wait to dress up Sebby tomorrow.







Darwin, you married this woman... and little bunny boy will be carrying on the family name.


Tomorrow I am off to Yakima... fun fun fun. At least I come home afterwards. I was going to drive up to Wenatchee after my meeting because I have a meeting there on Tuesday, but I decided I'd miss CJ and the kids too much if I did that. So I'll be doing a bit of extra driving but at least I'll be home tomorrow night.

Sunshine, the new zoloft

wow... what a difference a little sunshine makes. Well that and a good night's sleep. CJ let me sleep in till 8:00 today. It was great.

Then I met up with Hadley, Phoebe, Titina, and Scott, KC and Montana. We went to the local park and the kids had a blast. The weather was PERFECT! Cool and crisp and teh sun was so bright. It made e sooooo happy.

I can't explain how much it warms my heart to see Kenzie with her girl friends, running around, holding hands and just playing with each other. Because she's so timid I worry about her. But she seems to come out of her shell with Montana and Phoebe. They get along so great. I'm sure it will make a world of difference when Kenzie has Phoebe to show her the ropes at preschool this fall.

Sebby and Titina are pretty darn adorable too.




It was a bit tougher getting pics of the older girls since they were running around like crazy the whole time.











Now, to top off a pretty perfect day... the kids are now down for naps, CJ just got home (he was being a handyman today - SEXAY!!!), so we're going to have naps. In an hour and a half I'm picking up Karen and we're off to get pampered (manicures and pedicures) and THEN we are meeting up with the ladies for happy hour drinks and munchies. Can't get much better than that.

Later tonight CJ is off to play poker. So it should turn out to be a great day for all of us :)

a crappy day

To steal a great word from Renee....

my day has been utterly CRAPTASTIC!

That is all.

random thoughts

Can I just say that sometimes it's fun to gossip. Especially when it's with someone you like and trust, and it's about someone you work with and that someone is a complete ass!

I've been busy today. It's 2:41 and I haven't had lunch. I think I'll get a salad now so I don't pig out when I get home.

This morning CJ made a giant fort in the family room. It was great. I forgot how fun these things are. You know what they say about hvaing kids... that they bring out the "kid" in all of us. I think it's true and I love that.