The Coleman Family

MoMs...

2010-05-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

My babies

I am surrounded everyday by so many fabulous moms (many of whom I try despeartely to emulate) and I got to thinking that some of you may not be aware of the qualities that I see in you and love you so much for. So here is a little Mothers Day love note from me to you:

Steffie- My dear sister became the crafty mom that I always thought I'D be! She has outshown me in craftiness and I love her children like they are my own.

Kimmie- Auntie Ki...With Peeps came a side of you I'm not sure I ever expected to see. We've found common ground with kids in a way that we didn't quite achieve with teaching. Now we talk Disneyland, Kids Boutiques, illnesses, lessons, AND all the regular stuff too. I feel like in motherhood we found each other, we have the same genetics, I'm not alone in my passions. :)

Tracy B- You work 100 hours a week and STILL find time to sword fight and bike ride and play dress up and bake and volunteer AND be a World-Class entrepreneur! I feel inadequate every time I read you FB posts. I'm just sayin'.

Keri B- YAY! a RELAXED mom! You make me feel like I can just be ME!!! You do the things that you are able to do and don't stress yourself over the things you aren't. And your children are exceptionally well-balanced and independent because of it! I LOVE that you know who you are as a mother and you don't try to be anyone else.

Carrie P- You are one of the SWEETEST women I know! You are infinitely patient...like, beyond words, patient. I know you don't think so, but you are. I always feel like you like me for who I am, not who I try to be.

Kim D- Is there anyone who constantly does so much for her children, and the community, as you do. You see a need and you don't just tell somebody about it...you walk right in and fix it. You provide so much love for your boys by your actions. You make the world a better place for them and for the rest of us.

Diane- MOM! All I can say is, you were right.

About everything.

It kills me.

Happy Mothers Day Ladies!

My awesome kid!!

2010-05-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

I totally can't believe this, but I got an amazing note forwarded from a girlfriend of mine. It is regarding Jakes baseball game last week. It was one of his best games ever! I was that totally ridiculous mom screaming "That's my kid!!" from the stands. A mom on the team we were playing against got some great videos of Jake and passed them on to my coach. The first video is an awesome double play that was nearly triple if it had been caught at home base. The second is a diving catch he made that was AWESOME! This is a special thanks to the mom from the other team who caught these on video and thought to pass them on to me! She titled the email : "Great plays by your 1st base player" Here is her message and the link to the videos.

Baby Sister gets a shower...not because she stinks!

2010-04-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer - These pics are TOTALLY out of order...I am apparently so retarded that I can't seem to get them to move around, so please, just deal with it. And I say that in the nicest way possible. Really.

Last weekend was my baby sister Michelle's Bridal Shower Fete put on by the Bridesmaids, me & Stef. Stef and I are the creative, the Bridesmaids are the backers...it works very well for all of us. Here is a sneak peek at the event which turned out great.

My table decor. Birdies, cages, flowers, ect...it was a kind of vintage english garden "themeish" type event. It was fun to decorate for and the bonus is I now have cute decorations for the bridal salon. Sweet.
Cousins, cousins, cousins! All of the girlies had their own table together. Jordyn, Mandy, Kiernan, and Piper.

Here come the Bridesmaids...Ivana, Tierney, Michelle, Joanna, and Meg.

Here you have it...Four generations of Turk Women! I LOVE this picture!!!

The beautiful bride-to-be...I seriously CANNOT believe she's getting married! Stef and I both expected her to be the baby forever and come live with us to keep us from going crazy with our own families. While not a great scenario for her, it suited us quite nicely.

Stef and I hard at work. There's always enough time to strike a pose...

The gift table.

The "Dessert bar". Steffies cupcake fiesta, and Michelles favorite bundt cakes...baby size. We slaved away on the most ADORABLE sugar cookies that we decorated for the party favors and of course got NO pictures of them. And we were so proud of those stupid things too! You can see one on top of the bundt cake tree, it's a wedding dress.

Well, now that that party is over it's time to work on the BIG EVENT! I can't wait to see everything together on the big day...watch for the post. May 22nd, 2009...here we come!

Retro blogging

2010-04-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get inspired by blogging again. In order to do that I am posting a few of the posts that people have told me are their favorites. Hope to enjoy the Coleman Family flash backs...

Disneyland How-To's
Princesses Don't Pick
My Kids Are Trying To Kill Me
The Anatomy of a Princess
Drama-Rama
Mini Van Momma and the Curse of the Caravan

Things to come...

2010-04-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

I've been told, by no less than 3 people this week, that I need to get back into blogging. I think they're right. My dilemma however, is where to begin, since it has been so long. I'm thinking that my best bet is to just move forward from here...covering the last few months may be too overwhelming for me. So much has been going on.

So here is a preview of things to come...

Michelles bridal shower
Wedding prep for my sister
Jake and baseball
Any thing that Kiernan may do
ect....

The gifts that keep on giving....

2010-01-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to send Grandma Diane a big THANKS for the helicopter she got jake for Christmas...he's really enjoying it.

the best gifts...

2010-01-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

Christmas gifts 2009

This is the view I get of my son all the time now...the top of his head. In the car, in the livingroom, in his bedroom, he's always looking down playing his new DS. I'll let him enjoy it until school starts...then I'll make a stand...

Meet Elizabeth. She is the newest member of our family, and the BEST Christmas present EVER...until she went into hibernation hours after Kiernan received her. Now she is represented by a box of dirt sitting on Kiernans dresser. And K now wants to know where HER DS is?

Cute huh?

Nearly done with Christmas

2009-12-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

My mother says that I don't post enough.

I say that posting takes a lot of time...is she going to babysit while I do it?

Yeah. I didn't think so.

Christmas is gone, and as always it is with a sigh of relief that I bid it adieu. Thank goodness that it only lasts esentially one month of the year, I might collapse of exhaustion otherwise. We had a lovely holiday, very little drama, lots of get-togethers. Jacob's favorite gift is his Nintendo DS, Kiernan's is her "real live" turtle. She has been dubbed Elizabeth. No, I don't know why.

Mike and I did very little for each other this year, considering the bills from renovating the house this year, starting a new business this year, and medical bills for Kiernans visit to Valley Childrens Hospital in December. I have never made it a year without paying for some kind visit to an emergency room for one of the kids. Mainly for Kiernan. She is beautifully dangerous at all times, I never relax when she is around. Never.

With her I either have this...

Or this...
There is no in between.

I'm trying to decide if I had a favorite part of Christmas this year...apparently not, since no one thing comes to mind. At this very second my favorite part is surviving. Which I did. Yay.

What's going on...

2009-12-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

Soooo long since I've posted. Life has been out-running me lately. I love all of my jobs, but 3-4 is getting to be too much I think.

The credit union in the morning is the most sensible...It's while the kids are at school, it's the best pay, I am pretty good at it, I love the people.

The Perfect Dress Salon is a blast. It's pretties, and sparkles, and music and friends. I'm creative in ways that stretch my imagination, they let me be free with it...no restrictions.

When I do graphic design I love creating something so many people can see. But printwork takes time...lots of time. Postcards, business cards, logos, web banners...HOURS of work every time. But, so much satisfaction when it's done.

The Celestial Bridal Salon is slow...it's Christmastime after all. Spring is coming and I'm hoping it gets busy. How nice would it be if THIS were my only job? The pay of the credit union, the sparkles and pretties of the salon, the satisfaction of graphic design, and best of all time for my final and most important job of all...MOM.

To have more time for classroom volunteering, baking treats, going on field trips. Just hanging out. The kids come and snuggle in my bed in the mornings, but I have to kick them out so I can shower, do make up, hair, find the right outfit. Wouldn't I love to just lay in bed & snuggle for awhile. To make breakfast instead of handing them a cereal box and bowl.

Regardless, things are good...I'm SOOOOO lucky to have every one of these opportunities, when so many others don't. So, I hang on to them all...with a death grip even. For now. One day it will all work it's self out.

Why my daughter is a Diva...

2009-08-25T10:12:00.001-07:00

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=6978872

Some things just explain themselves.

Over the river, and through the woods...

2009-06-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Grandpas house...

Below Mount Lassen

What a great weekend!

Well, it was just Dad and the girls (minus Michelle) taking a trip to Hat Creek, California to visit my grandpa. Grandpa has been living up in the hills for ever and ever. Grandpa has had alot of health problems over the last few years, and we've really been wanting to get up to see him. My Dad drove, and I rode up front just like I said I would. Stef got in the back, and the proceeded to stretch out along the back seat and drift off to sleep...Hi, I'm Shelby, and I'm stupid, just a bit jealous there! SO, anyways, I slept upright and dad drove.

We managed to make a 6-7 hour trip about 8 hours, which my dad seemed surprisingly relaxed about. There was McDonalds (bathroom), Gas station bathroom, Rest stop bathroom, Starbucks, lunch at a mall, and finally we hit Redding. Redding is 80 miles from Hat Creek, but my dad wanted to show us the Sundial Bridge. It's a bridge that's a giant sundial...get it! You can tell time with the bridge, which was surprisingly accurate by the way.

Handsome Dad on the bridge over the Sacramento river.

The floor of the bridge is glass, very cool.

We got to grandpas and the first thing he did was grab his lawn chairs so that we could sit with him and watch the interstate traffic go by. It's his favorite passtime.

Chatting. Check out the cute house.

Grandpa had a lot of great stories to tell us, stuff we had never even heard about before. Every morning he was the first up, and all kinds of chatty. Did I mention he was up VERY early?

This is Birney Falls, not far from his house. Part of the river runs underground...you can see it pouring out of the walls of the canyon. It was SUPER COOL!

This is my friend Bob. He tried to snuggle up to my sister, but she wasn't having any of that. Bob is a great swimmer, and a touch shy. Watch the video at the bottom of this page to see me making friends with Bob.

Just pretty

Hiking around the falls.

I went exploring the super cool lava mountains while dad and Stef stayed safe on the ground. Chickens. Thats all lava beds under their feet.

Shelby the snake hunter

countdown

2009-06-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

Baseball season.....OVER!
School.....................2 weeks!
Dance Class............1 month!

Not having to run around like a crazy person all week long....PRICELESS!

Is it terrible that I am so looking forward to school getting out? I used to think parents who said they were glad school was almost done were CRAZY! Are you kidding, free babysitting for most of the day?! HaH! That "free babysitting" includes homework, studying for tests, field trips, waking up, getting ready, classroom visits, sack lunches, "friend drama", pick up & drop off EVERY DAY.

Ugh, is it June yet?

Riddle

2009-05-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

What do the following items have in common...

A car jack

A Jeep

A chain

An axe

And a shovel?

Answer: They are all yard tools when my husband gets his hands on them.

Road Trippin'

2009-05-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

Next weekend my sister Stuffy and I get to go on a road trip with Daddy. Our daddy, that is. Our baby Sis Mush will be off frolicking in the waves of Mexico with her boyfriend "Uncle G", and Stuffy & I will be in the back seat of the Yukon alternately taking naps and picking on each other, much like when we travelled as children.

Actually, I may get in the front seat, it is MY spot after all...I am the oldest, I've earned it. It's funny how these things are a given. Like, when we go somewhere with Mom in the car I drive, even if my sisters are there. Why do I drive, you ask? Have you ever ridden in a car with my Mom? Hmmm! Really she isn't a bad driver, but it's not exactly relaxing either. That's not to say that I'm "Suzy Safe Driver" myself. My parents came to visit me in Texas once and my father still tells everyone the story about how I gave him chest pains because I blew through downtown Houston on a major interstate, at night, while texting. I really thought he was going to have a heart attack because of my driving. So I texted Mush to tell her about it. Looking back it wasn't the brightest idea...but he sure loves to tell that story!

So anyways, Mush is frolicking while I ride in the front seat alternately mocking Stuffy and most likely reading a book. While both of my sisters are fun to travel with, I have a little bit more fun with Mush...because she is soooo much easier to tease. Stuffy is too much like me for me to pick on. We did in fact have Mush convinced once that cows had shorter legs on one side of their body so that they could stand up straight on a hill. Priceless. She was 16.

Stuffy on the other hand likes games. Most likely we'll have a deck of cards or some other form of entertainment to keep us busy. We're going to Redding, it'll be a good 6 hours or more on the road, and my Dad will most likely drive straight through. I'm a terrible car traveller, which means I don't like it, not that I can't do it. I would rather go through labor again than go on a road trip across the country, but don't tell my husband that. He still thinks there's a chance I may accept a road trip at some point...Fat Chance, I say. Anyhow, Stuffy & I will plot, plan, chat, and play...all the way to Redding. Maybe we'll start planning Mush's wedding to Uncle G...not that they're even engaged, but it's what Stuff and I love to do together, and we could do it for hours!

Raking the pool

2009-05-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

WHAT?!

Doesn't eveybody have to rake their pool?

Angels in the outfield, or out in the fields...

2009-04-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

No. Not this kind of angels.

THIS kind of angels!

This last weekend the youth of my church went on a "pioneer trek" to reenact what it was like to be pioneers pulling their handcarts west across the country. Part of the many trek activities is when the "pioneers" have travelled most of the day (6 miles by foot, I believe) as they near the end of their journey they hear a choir of angels welcoming them to their destination...

OKAY, stop right there!

I know. I CAN NOT sing! I know this, my family knows this, my friends know this, the poor people sitting next to me in church know this. I can't sing, hum, or even sway to the music very well. So how did I end up here? Let's just say it was a case of desperate measures being taken. And just a little bit of mouthing the words.

I won't even mention the absence of a real bathroom...or what it's like to traipse through the hills in heels (the only white shoes I had).

Regardless, we drove up past Coarsgold and waited in the wilderness for the weary travellers so that we could sing them home. It was actually very moving. We were at the top of the final hill just above a bend in the road and it was so fun to see the kids, several of whom I have taught, come around that bend and see their faces light up when they saw us. Many tears were shed by the pioneers, and by the angels. Here are the first of approximately 400 kids coming around the bend in the road. Exhausted, dirty & sore...

Me, my sister Stef and niece Jordyn. We spent a fun day together. (Aren't we angelic?)

Stef & Jordyn with the sun behind them. I love this pic!

As we were singing, we positively echoed through the hills. Literally!

Boo's Easter Dress

2009-04-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot of you knew I was working on an Easter dress for my friend Tracy. Here is the finished product, on her beautiful little girl Boo. I am so pleased to have someone that lets me have the freedom to do what inspires me, and really appreciates my effort. And really...who could ask for a better model?!

Friends & Family Texas Style

2009-04-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Ah, vacation! Lucky me, I got a free plane ticket on my credit card (thank you, new house purchases!) and decided it was time to head out of town. I have been missing my Texas girls the same way I missed my sisters when I was living there. They had been telling me to come visit, so I took the leap and bought the ticket. My dear wonderful friend Melanie was my "go to girl" for this trip. She drove me around, put me up at her house, fed me, and generally made the trip a really awesome time.

While there we did your basic fun girl stuff...we ate, watched movies, ate, went shopping, ate, ran errands, ate, ate and ate. In spite of all of the eating I STILL forgot to go to Maureens Bakery to get my favorite chocolate petit fours. BUMMER! It's probably a good thing...during my flight out an old woman congratulated me on my "condition". She thought I was PREGGO! If I ate one more thing while I was there, I would have looked like I was having twins on my way home!

(*side note: I complained to Mike about being called that and his response was, "Well, yeah." Excuse me?! Then he say's "You look like a clown when you travel. You wear the comfy slumpy clothes and look ridiculous." Hmmm. I told Tracy the story and let her know at least I don't wear overalls to travel anymore, at which point I think she wanted to smack me. I'm expecting lessons on looking good while travelling from her any day now.)

Here are some out takes of the trip:

1. The WORST traveling ever. The airline sucked, I was supposed to be in to Texas @ 8pm, Mel picked me up well after midnight. Coming home I was supposed to arrive home around noon, I got in after 5 and without luggage. It sucked! Here is what you arrive to when you get in at nearly 1 in the morning...nobody:

As I was waiting for my luggage a whole lot of THIS rolled by on the baggage claim belt...no one was claiming it. Creepy much?:

I got to Melanies, and always the perfect hostess she had this waiting for me (I forgot to get a pic of the mints on my pillows!) :

It just so happened thar Jareds family came to town the same weekend as I was there. We had people everywhere and it was a total blast! His family is HILARIOUS. This is everyone working together to make a big family dinner. It was a really fun night. We ate, did hair, watched movies, killed cookies, and just had fun:

We got the girls together to go antiquing out of town. We CRAMMED Mels suburban with stuff we got and then had to squeeze the girls into the back seat for the 2 hr ride home. Amber had a giant glass window, Dawnette had a 6 ft tall bookshelf, and Deann had the bicycle you see in the back. I sat in the front seat with my lasso. Yes, I got a real lasso for Jake...he has already broken the light fixture on his bedroom ceiling fan. Great idea Shelby!
Here's a pic of all of us shopping. Me, Mel, Dawnette, Amber, and De Ann.

Mel, Amber and I did a girls night out and went back to Melanies to watch Twilight in Mel's movie room...Amber hadn't seen it!!! Melanie showed us what it was like watching Twilight on opening night with hundreds of teenage girls by squealing every time Edward came on the screen. Amber & I joined in and we just had a fun time being goofy and being there with Amber for her "first time" watching the movie. This is us at Chili's before we headed home to get the PJ's on & watch the movie. Hey girls, I'll always remember..."S...E...E"!

I had such a great time and I look forward to more visits in the future. Thanks Mel for putting up with me for SO LONG! Just remember, there's lot's to do in California!

Baptism Day

2009-03-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

I still can't believe it.

I feel like just yesterday I was standing in a little tiny blue and white bedroom in Texas thinking "Wow, there's going to be a little baby living in this room soon". That little baby just got baptized last week. WHAT THE CRUD HAPPENED?!?

I look at Jacob and think how did this darling, smart, beautiful boy come from me? I was a holy terror! Just ask my mom, she'll tell you...she tells me every other day!

We had a great day, most all of the family was there (minus the members of our Texas family), and even some friends were able to come. It was actually much easier than I thought it would be, and somehow I managed not to go overboard. I've learned my lesson over the last few years that I seem to care a lot more about the details than everyone else does. It has saved me a lot of ginormous migraines, and a screaming fit or two (much to my husbands relief). Thanks to everyone who came, or who wanted to come but couldn't, or who didn't know about it but wish Jake well, or who could care less but will pretend that they care. We love you all!!!

Doing it the Disney way

2009-03-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

We did it again...Disneyland!

So many of our friends have been going to Disneyland lately that I was feeling a bit left out. I talked to Mike & realized that getting him to agree to a trip there was about as likely as my being crowned the Queen of England, so I took matters into my own hands and scheduled a trip for me and the kids. I was excited that my sister Michelle agreed to go with me. It was more fun for me AND she was a total lifesaver, not to mention a really good sport! We went one day, stayed in a hotel that night and drove home the next day. It was a lot of fun, but there definetly is a reason daddys need to go to Disneyland, such as:
-To carry tired children around when they're pooped.
-To hold up beastly huge children that can't see the castle during the fireworks show. (I think Michelle lost two inches just trying to keep Kiernan up.)
-To climb all the way up the Tarzan Tree House, while mommy's rest peacfully at ground level.
-To drive home extremely exhaused mommys & kids who had a little too much fun and stayed up a little too late the night before.

Jake & Kiernan at the castle. Yes, I made their outfits.

Yes folks, she did it again. This time I started saving my money early, and scheduled in a decent dinner so that I wouldn't get bitter. It's a good thing, apparently the cost of glitter has gone UP! I think we will be seeing this every time we go.

Jake monkeying around. He was a joy to spend the day with.

Artsy shot of me & the kids on Main Street.

Auntie 'Shell & the kiddies waiting to get our tickets. Thanks for the help Sis, you're the best!

Next time Daddy will be going with us. You can just call me Your Highness the next time you see me.

Naked House

2009-03-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

Can you say that on a Blog? *whispering* "naked"?
Oh well...
My house is in fact naked...as in, without cover. Her plumage has been plucked. We are in fact, exposed...to the world...BARE!

I now have to add to the list of things that the former owner did to ruin this house "Tree killer". He never pruned anything. The little branches that should have been pruned off never were, so they sucked the strength from the big heavy branches causing them to periodically (drumroll please) FALL OFF! We'd come home from work & there'd be a giant branch in the driveway, just sitting there for all the world like we'd planted it right in the middle of the drive. The big sequoia trees in the back were so full of sucker branches that the trees were actually dead. Really BIG trees, they even leaned a bit. (Thankfully not towards our house. Oops, did I say that out loud?)

Well, now we're totally exposed, which is:
#1- a bit unnerving, I feel like everyone can see in.
#2- VERY bright. A bit blinding actually.
#3 -Very ugly. The cost of removing them took away any money we had for landscaping for now. We are now the house you don't want to live next door to...again.

Take a look

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

25 Random Things About Me...

2009-02-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've been tagged a gazillion times to do this 25 things blog, I keep ignoring it because I can't imagine anything more boring than...me. Yet the tags keep coming. So here it is. Don't say I didn't warn you!
1. My middle name is Rebecca, named after my moms best friend in high school who passed away.
2. I HATE the smell of toothpaste, it makes me gag.
3. I have worked as an archeologist. On actual excavations.
4. I have worked as a Yosemite Park tour bus guide.
5. I have worked as a zookeeper.
6. As a Zookeeper I got to: arm wrestle an elephant, give a girraffe a bath, rock a baby monkey to sleep, carry around a 65 pound boa constictor for an evening, and scratch the tickle spot on a giant galopagos tortise named Knobby.
7. I have terrible hearing. I have 80% hearing in one ear, and 40% in the other. That is an average of %60 of normal hearing. Sorry if I ask you to repeat things.
8. I used to really hate my mom.
9. My mom is one smartest women I know, I can go to her for anything.
10. Having children is making me do all of the things that I didn't like my mom for.
11. My kids are the best!
12. I always wanted to have 6 kids.
13. Apparently God didn't want me to have 6 kids. Go figure.
14. I only have Asthma when I'm in the valley. So, living here makes me sick. Literally.
15. I love sewing.
16. I'm a very messy person.
17. BUT, I'm also very organized. I don't get it either.
18. My sister Michelle is the funniest person I know! My sister Stef is the craftiest.
19. My sisters are the main reason I wanted to move back to Fresno.
20. My husband is the absolute best Dad ever! If it weren't for the patience thing, he would probably be a better mom than I am too.
21. I hate walking on bare floors! It creeps me out.
22. I'm a secret romance novel addict.
23. My favorite vacation ever was to DisneyWorld with Mike & Jake!
24. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
25. I AM Daddy's girl.

Okay I tag Melanie, Stefanie, and anybody who wants to do it.

Looking for a tasty treat?

2009-02-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

You can just call her...

Dance Fever

2009-02-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Daddy/Daughter Dance at Kiernan's school. The school opens up the cafeteria, decorates it, calls in a DJ, and serves punch & cookies. All in all it's very much like a young single adult dance, but with less root beer.

We had heard that several of the Daddies dressed up for this particular night, so Mike was going to do it right. He called me in a panic on his way home from work that day:

M: I didn't get her flowers!
S: Okay (me thinking this is really setting a presedent here)
M: Where can I go to get some?
S: I don't know, the grocery store?
M: Okay, I'll go there.

It took SIX phone calls(literally, you can look at my phone) from the store to get this flower and get him out of there before midnight.

"red or pink"
"carnation or rose"
"arm band or pin"
"one or two"

Not only did he think of the flower, he even borrowed his dads fancy car! I think this may be the most he's had to think about a date in 10 years! They had a great time, and danced all night long. Here are a few quotes from Kiernan that day:

K: Mom, I need potion.
S: You need what?
K: Potion mom, just like you put on your face.
S:I wear potion?
K: Yes mom, you need potion to make you pretty.
S: *sigh*
(In case you didn't figure it out "potion" is "lotion")

(in back seat of car, sitting with her friend on the way to the dance)
K: My daddy and I are on a date. That means we can kiss.
M: WHOA! Hold on there! Hey now!

And finally, not dance related but funny anyways:
(while eating our cereal for breakfast)
S: Kiernan, you gave me a soup spoon, I need a regular spoon to eat with.
K: No you don't mom, you need that one.
S: Are we out of regular spoons?
K: No mom, but your mouth is HUGE!
Here are some pics from the evening. The first one K is telling daddy that she wants the flower in her hair, not pinned on her, she doesn't want to get stuck. "How do you know that Kiernan. I'll be careful" "Pins hurt, mommy has stuck me". Oops, My bad? Also, you see several of the little girls lined up waiting to be seated at dinner...several of the dads got together and took the girls to Applebees for dinner before the party.

Coleman Family Snow Trip 2009

2009-02-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

The first weekend of February was the Coleman Family Snow Trip 2009. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, cousins, and cousins all had a great time up in Shaver Lake. Here are a few out takes:

Inside the house was all fun & games. Check out the rousing game of Boggle going on, they must have been a bunch of cheaters because everyone is hiding their papers. There's also a pic of the breakfast brigade, 23 people to feed breakfast, lunch & dinnder to everyday. The uncles all got busy with a morning breakfast of crepes and pancakes. Yummy!

No, you are not seeing things, that IS Kiernan & Lanais in their swimsuits waiting to go outside. The uncles were kind enough to take the lead and they went out with most of the kids into the spa each night. They trekked across ice & snow in bare feet and swimsuits for a little winter fun.

Here is a pic from the Family snowball fight Saturday morning. Kiernan was trying to make a sneak attack on another fort, but as you can see, Uncle Scott caught her in the act.

And finally, a short video for your entertainment. Ths giggles should tell you just how much fun was being had all weekend long.

For Amber

2009-02-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

As requested, some close ups of Kiernans room.

Kiernans Bedroom

2009-02-05T11:32:00.000-08:00

#1- Sisters Rock! Especially sisters who rescue photographs from rebellious cameras that refuse to behave for their owners.

#2-Well, it wasn't Target that did me in...I found a camera at Walmart last night. Hah! Just in the nick of time.

Aaaaaand finally, some pictures:

Kiernans bedroom. My favorite part is the chandelier above her bed.

The bedroom set was mine when I was younger, my mothers before that, and my grandmothers before that. It contains 2 twin beds (only one is in the room), the dresser, a vanity table, and a bench. I've always loved it.

My dad built the cornice box over the window for me. It's so great to be able to just describe something I want and he can just slap it together!

Not the best shot of the painting in the room, but you get the idea. The walls are light pink with a white pinstrip border and dark pink swirly embellishments.
The vanity table. I love the Barbie prints next to the table, they're so girly.

Camera Rage

2009-02-04T06:51:00.001-08:00

Okay, So I've had several pictures that I've been wanting to post for awhile now, but my stinking camera won't release them! It taunts me by showing me the pics on that teeny tiny view screen looking all cute, and then I hook it up and I SWEAR I can hear it cackling at me while it makes all kinds of "download" type noises and then produces NOTHING. No pics, zip, zilch, zero. I swear this camera has been the bane of my existence for awhile now. I think I have some kind of camera jinx, they never seem to like me. The feeling is mutual.

Let's see, I have pics of Kiernan & Jakes finished bedrooms, Mike dangling from the tops of trees with a giant knife to cut branches (what every wife loves to see), and a few pics of some recent craft projects. I have several trips coming up (first one is tomorrow) and NO CAMERA!!!!

So now I have camera rage, my bitterness is consuming me right now. I have a feeling this anger will turn into an ill-advised last minute trip to the store to buy the cheapest digital camera I can find that will eventually turn out to be a mistake. I will try to avoid Target for the next few days.

Any takers?

2009-01-26T07:53:00.000-08:00

Jacob will be celebrating his 8th birthday in March. He decided to write out his birthday gift list to help me decide on a gift for him. Number 2 on his list, right under a Nintendo DS, is a baby brother. If any of you would like to fill either of his requests, please feel free.

Birthday Part II

2009-01-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

So, I didn't tell you about the BEST part of my birthday. My gift from Mike. He did buy me a gift, it's lovely and all that, but do you wanna know what makes him the best husband in the WORLD?!? He snuck home from work and cleaned the house for me! He Cleaned My House! It smelled like PINE when I got home. Things were sparkling that I didn't know could sparkle!

Now, I should clarify that since I left Jury Duty early enough to go to work, I had to go home to change into work clothes thereby finding him there and ruining the surprise. I know, I suck. BUT, he still did it. Is that not the best gift ever?

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-01-24T06:36:00.001-08:00

Guess what I got for my birthday?
Well? Come on...just guess, you'll never get it!
Okay, ready here it is....

A Cold!
Yay me! Oh yeah, and....
JURY DUTY! *sigh*

Yes sir, I kept thinking I'd get out of it, everyone else does. Sure enough I called in Thursday night and Woo Hoo, I was told to show up downtown at the Courthouse, 8:30 am.

So poor sad me drug my sick booty downtown, parked in the stinky underground, and trekked through the POURING RAIN to the courthouse. On my birthday. By myself. With a cold.

I happen to have a long history of having birthdays that start out sucking, but then turn out great. Melanie was great at rescuing my birthdays for me, every year it turned into something fun when she showed up. Well, here I am again, with another birthday in the crapper and my Melanie is in Texas. What's a girl to do?

Well, first I waited out the first release of Jury Duty people, hoping they would let me go. No luck. My big problem was that I HAD to go into work that day, I had a project (nearly done) that was due on Monday. So, cranky as I was I decided to just go ask if they would let me go. They were very nice and pushed my date back to May. Yay.

Well, the birthday definetly took a turn for the better at work. One of the girls had made a cake, my boss/friend Keri had scheduled a birthday lunch for me, and then my sis Steffy showed up at my office with baby Luke, balloons, and the most GORGEOUS butterfly cupcakes that she and Michelle made the night before. See...
My good friend Tracy was able to come to lunch, and Michelle & Mike took me out to dinner that night.

All in all, a great end to a bad beginning.

What I Like About You...

2009-01-10T15:33:00.001-08:00

An ode to my girlfriends. I've been thinking a lot lately about the people in my life that I'm thankful for. While my immediate family are in a catergory all their own, I really appreciate my girlfriends & how they keep me sane when life gets crazy. Here just just a few of the many fabulous women I'm priveledged to know...

Amber. I love how you were always up for an adventure! Any crazy thing I wanted to do, you were the only one who was, #1-Willing to do it, and #2-Just as excited as I was about it. I miss having a partner in crime, not many people have the nerve that you do. I also miss comparing stories about our sassy little girls. Anything Kiernan did that surprised me, Channing had already done. From talking back, to painting nails those girly girls would have made quite the pair.

Keri. The smartest, most levelheaded chick I know! You are so funny and yet I can count on you to make the smart decisions and cut through all of the crap when I don't have a clue. I can't believe our girls are growing up best friends?!? Who'd of thought that back when we were out partying till all hours in college, one day we'd have two prissy little devils (oops, angels) leading us around on a string? I'm so glad K and Abbi love each other so much, I can't think of any other mom as sensible as you are to help me keep the inevitable drama to a minmum.

Melanie. Melanie. Melanie! I knew we'd be the best of friends the very first time you told me my jeans looked terrible and they fit me all wrong. We raised our babies together! I love that you were always willing to jump on the "crafty wagon" with me, we've beaded, we've sewn, we've painted, we've cleaned each others houses (mine more often than yours), I moved a pregnant you, you moved a pregnant me. I was always able to count on you for ANYTHING. I can't tell you what that meant to me when I was so far from home. We've shared drama and we've had really great times. I miss you.

Tracy. You and I have more history than anyone. I can't even wrap my head around all that we've experienced together. We were friends before we could drive?! We've gone through high school, college, boys, jobs, foreign countries, husbands, babies, all while staying wonderful friends! When you and I get together it's ALWAYS a blast, I laugh so much it hurts. We never run out of things to say...just ask our husbands & friends! What a joy it is to be together again, even if we don't manage to get together much, just knowing your around is a relief.

Baby Teeth shiver

2009-01-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

I can handle a lot of things that happen when you have kids. Throw up, poo, boogers, backwash, ect. I do great with reptiles, most bugs, and animals of any variety. There is one big thing that sicks me out though...loosing teeth. Wiggly teeth, bleeding teeth, lost teeth, eww, eww, EWW!!!

So I noticed a few weeks ago that Kiernans grown up teeth came in BEHIND her baby teeth. Hmm, that can't be good since her baby teeth weren't remotely loose. I called the dentist to inquire and they confirmed my suspicions, "Bring her in, they'll have to be pulled." EWW.

I wanted Mike to do it, but he's really busy at work this week, so it was up to me. We went in and they took us right back, I guess they didn't want to give us time to change our mind. Kiernan was a total trooper, although the laughing gas may have helped a bit. It's actually a little nose mask that looked hilarious, and sure enough after a few minutes that child was feeling no pain! The Dr asked me to hold her hands which meant I would be right on top of the action...no problem, I'll just look away. As soon as the GIANT clamp for the little teeth came out I turned my head and BOOM...A MIRROR!! *look away, look away, look away* Boom...ANOTHER mirror! *close your eyes, CLOSE THEM!* *peeking* EWWWWWW, Eww, Eww, Eww! Twist, turn, yank....POP!

We went in to have two pulled, but the dentist decided to pull FOUR because her mouth was so crowded. She never cried, whined, or fussed...amazing! I wish I could say the same for me. While SERIOUSLY grossed out, I was commended by the Dr. for not fainting...apparently it happens a lot.

Here she is before and after (remember, my camera sucks), as well as going through the treasure chest for being so good. While the treasure chest is a nice treat, trauma like that deserves a trip to Target! She got a puppy dog & I felt much better.

2009-01-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It certainly FEELS like a new year to us. We are finally feeling settled in our new home, we've started attending our new ward (church building), Mike will be going back to work after several weeks off of "required" vacation, and my in and out schedule at work (because of the holidays) will go back to being a normal schedule. The last month or two have been chaos for us.

Today was the first day at our new ward. This is THE most uncomfortable that I have ever felt going into a new ward before. I really don't know why, ward changes aren't anything unusual for us. Frankly, we've essentially switched wards every two years for a long time now. Something about this switch really got to us though. I think we were really just too comfortable where we were, especially being there with Mike's family. The Coleman kids made up half of the primary, at least it felt like it. The ward we are now attending is the first building that I ever attended church in. It felt weird being there, I kept getting flashes of the time I spent there when Mike & I were dating. It felt like being sent back to freshman year, when you should have already graduated. Oh well, it really was fine, I did enjoy it, but it was still a transition. Jacob was spending his time during sacrament writing notes to himself on scratch paper. At one point Mike looked over & Jake had just written this:
"I'm scared. I should have stayed home."
Hee. He'll get used to it just like the rest of us.

I'm thankful to feel like we're getting a fresh start. We continue to work on the house. It's totally liveable, but now we're working on the little extras that make it nice. I've been sewing a lot of curtains & pillows, Mike's been building things for me, the kids are just happy to have their own home. We are truely happy with what we've got here in the house & we look forward to continued improvement.

I have not really made an resolutions, they always get broken. I am just simply trying to improve. Actually, I think this one may work out for me..."improving" is ever so much easier than specific improvements.

Another Jacob-ism:
I was headed to the shower with a new razor in my hand. Jake stopped me, "Mom, why do you have dads razor?"
"I don't. This is mine."
"You SHAVE?!?"
"Yes" *puzzled as to why this is such a shock*
"Let me see!" He then walks up & peers closely at my face.
OHHHHH, I see.
"No Jake, not my face. My legs."

Happy New Year to all of our friends & family. I still don't have a working camera, so blogging may be a bit sketchy for awhile.

Aaaack, I can't choose!

2008-12-14T17:16:00.001-08:00

Is it wrong that I positively oozed motherly pride when I pulled these off of the camera? Seriously, the kids just hammed it up today when I wanted to take pictures before church. I am posting the ones that I don't want for a card, so you'll still be surprised.

*sigh*

Hamming it up

Karate moves...HI-yah!

They actually do like each other!!!

So many to choose from.

More...

Mom & Dad got in on one or two.

THE END!

Before and After

2008-12-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

Finally...here we go!

Dining room, before

Dining room, after

Living Room, Before

Living Room, after

Living room, before

Living Room, after

Kitchen, before Kitchen, after

Open houses and other issues

2008-12-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

We had our open house last night & had a great time! Thank you to everyone who came through for a visit. We had so much fun visiting with all of our friends and family, and we were so pleased to feel like our house is finally a home.

I was going to share an "incident" from the party, but I have decided that it is too graphic to actually Blog about. If you are curious at all about what we are now affectionately calling "the poop incident of 2008" call me or Stefanie & we'll tell ya all about it. Let's just say that Stefanie is now officially the BESTEST SISTER EVER!!!!! She asked me last night, "Can you guys do anything without Kiernan having some kind of major drama?" The answer is...NO.

I was going to post pictures, but I'm having Major Camera Issues! Don't even get me started.

Kiernans Christmas List

2008-12-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

Kiernan dictated her list to take to Santa this morning. She was very serious about these items:

Pony *a real one mom, not pretend*
TV *like the one in the living room, mom* (that would be a 42" flat screen)
Make Up *no more pretend stuff, tell Santa that*
Carrot *a BIG one...for the pony*
Fairy Wings
Pet Squirrel *no mommy, not a puppy or cat...a SQUIRREL"

SO, for those of you wanting to know what to get Kiernan for Christmas, here you go. Hope it helps.

Here's dirt in your eye

2008-12-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

A few days ago we were getting ready for school/work ect. I was doing Kiernan's hair and I noticed her eyes were a bit crusty. I told her "Hold on, I want to wash your face. You have sleepy dirt in your eye".
"Sleepy dirt? Whats that?" she asks.
"Well" I explain, "The Sandman comes around at night and sprinkles sleepy dirt in your eyes so that you'll sleep good."
"Whats a Sandman?" she asks now.
"He's like Mother Nature, you don't see him, but he helps you to sleep good by sprinkling sleepy dust on you. Kind of like Tinkerbell dust". Right about here I'm feeling pretty good about myself for my charming, childlike explination of a tale from my childhood. That lasted about 30 seconds.

She then turns tail and hauls booty out of my room screaming, "Jacob!!! A man goes in our room & throws dirt in our eyes at night! *cue the tears* "Mommy, I don't want him in my room. I don't want dirt in my eyes!" *while scrubbing her face with a baby wipe*

The reason I tell you this tale now, is beacuse now whenever she wakes up with crusty eyes I get to hear this;
"Mommy, that Dirtman was in my room again. I don't want him to come in my room. Tell him to stop" *in whiny, upset voice*

Where we are

2008-12-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the dearth of posts lately. We are happily in our new home & still busy bees doing all of the little things that need to be done. I am yet again having camera issues, and feeling a bit cranky about it. I just don't feel like a blog is the same without the pics. So, while I would LIKE to show you how far the house has come, I cannot. It's a wonderful transformation, and I'm very happy with the results. While there were times that I wondered what I had gotten us into, we kept the optimism going and worked, worked, worked. I can't tell you how happy I am to not have to use the phrase "working on the house" any more. If you speak to me with any regularity you know what I'm talking about:

Friend: "So what are you guys up to tonight?"

Me: "We're working on the house"

Family: "Why aren't you answering my calls?"

Me: "I was working on the house"

Acquaintance: "How come you have no money?"

Me: "We're working on the house"

Co-worker: "What did you do on your day off?"

Me: "I worked on the house"

Stranger: "what's the squareroot of PI?"
Me: "Working on the house"

You see where I'm going with this, right?

I am still without a shower door in the master bath, the pool is still technically a pond (if the Koi are any indication), and I have sheets as some of the window coverings...but we have cable tv, and isn't that what really counts?

I'm trying to borrow a camera this weekend to take pictures, if I do you should see a post next week sometime. In the meantime here is a refresher of what the house looked like "before"

the anatomy of a princess

2008-11-05T06:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our very first parent-teacher conference for Kiernan. I was eager to go & hear about how she's doing in class & with the other students. She's always been very personable, but still, you never know.

We didn't learn anything too surprising, it was all very generic:
"She's a very sweet girl blah blah blah, get's along well with others, blah blah, gets all of her work done, blah blah." The usual.

Then we got to her samples of work; Letters-good, numbers-good, comprehention-good, and finally her storytelling skills. For this they drew pictures & added a word or two. The teacher had 4-5 samples of her work. So she asked a question & the kids would journal about it, for example:
What do you want to be when you grow up? *picture of a princess*
Who is you favorite tv charachter? *picture of a princess*
Find something in our classroom & write about it. *picture of a princess*
It's free writing today, write about anything you like. *picture of a princess*

You see where I'm going with this right?

Well, while I do wish that Kiernan could find other areas of interest I don't have a problem with all of the princesses, per se. I have more of a problem with the pictures themselves. First, let me say that Mike was at this meeting also, watching the clock the whole time as far as I could tell, but there nonetheless. As the "princess" pictures flip by I am begininng to see a recurring theme...they are all ANATOMICALLY CORRECT! They are all girls, so I'm sure you can imagine which part of the anatomy I'm talking about.
Here let me attempt to give you an example (they are essentially elaborate stick figures, by the way) try this:

...(:
/OO\
.../\

Do you get what I mean?!?!?
EVERY PICTURE!!!! I was dying & trying NOT to look at Mike because I knew he'd loose it.
My question is...where did this come from??? She certainly wasn't imitating me. *i wish* Is that how she see's the princesses? Does she notice all cleveage? Do you need those to be a princess?

Is it possible for something to be hilarious & terrifying all at the same time?

All I can say is... mortifying. No one said a word during the meeting about "them" but I was dying to ask if other kids do that? Maybe she learned it in class? But I was a little afraid that she would be the only one. Well, here's hoping that she grows out of this phase. SOON.

Halloween II

2008-11-04T06:42:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention earlier that I convinced my sister to join out little Star Wars theme for Halloween. So here they are, oldest to youngest are: Jordyn as Padme, Jacob as Han Solo, Evan as Luke Skywalker, Kiernan as Princess Leia, and Lukie as Darth Vadar!

I have to say, the funnest part of the evening was watching Luke, he made a fab Darth! He loved Halloween, the candy especially! Can you tell by his face?
Leia was a bit worse for the wear by the end of the evening, but it was all in the name of fun.

Eeanie Meanie Halloweenie

2008-11-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

What a great Halloween we had this year! Alot of activities to keep up with though. As I was walking the kids into the school Friday holding 2 carved pumpkins, a cupcake carrier, my camera, Kiernans backpack and car keyes I remember thinking "Did my Mom do this?". I seriously can't remember. We do all of these things for the kids & in the end I don't think they remember? Now if we DIDN'T do it I know they'd remember that!

Well, here's a glimpse into a few of our Halloween festivities...enjoy!

I really hope you can tell who they are! I made Kiernans & most of Jakes. No one knew who Jake was (Han Solo) unless he was with Kiernan, then it would click. He was disappointed when people would ask who he was so I finally told him to stand by his sister all day & he'd be fine. It worked.

He had a really cool holster that you can't see in the pic...the clothes were pretty close.

Recognize the pose? Mike had her do that when I wasn't looking. It's genius...my favorite pic of the day!

Kiernan & her best friend Abbi. They were darling!

Pumpkin Carving 101

2008-11-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Every year my parents host a pumkin carving contest at their house. The family, friends, and neighbors come by to share yummy soups & other fall foods, then we all get carving. My parents set up the kitchen for food and the garage for carving. All of the carving supplies are provided by them, all you need is to bring a pumpkin!

This year it was a little smaller party than normal because of my dads knee surgery, but we still had a fun time. In the end all of the pumpkins are lined up and everybody votes on two kids winners & two adult winners...there are even real prizes provided by my parents! This year Kiernan won a gift certificate to target...she was thrilled.

The concentration is heavy & it actually gets quiet because everyone is hard at work.

Auntie Michelle had strong focus, I guss that's why she's one of the winners.

I sat at the kids table. All I can say is thank goodness for kid proof carving knives! I thought I was going to loose an eye. Evan especially got into it with a "power knife", the dang thing ran on a battery to saw back & forth!

The final products...

Kiernan

Jacob

Shelby

Purple People Eaters

2008-10-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

When we had dance class this week the teacher told us to bring the girls Halloween costumes to class. I was very apprehensive about taking Kiernans actual costume (white satin, head to toe) in to sit on the dirty dance room floor, so she took Cinderella instead. I have really gotten my moneys worth out of that costume! Let's see...2 Halloweens, 2 amusement parks, a birthday, dozens of great pictures, and one happy little girl. Worth every penny! (Just don't ask how many actual pennies it cost me)

About halfway through class they came out, got dressed up & took the mommies back inside for a quick musical number that they'd whipped together the week before. While Kiernan is a bit easily distracted, overall it was a very cute surprise. Luckily mom had the camera for once! Enjoy!

BOYS!

2008-10-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

Jacob had soccer practice yesterday.

There was ONE puddle in the field.

A girl would never end up like this.

BOYS.

Pickin' Punkins!

2008-10-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

This week was our Kindergarten trip to the pumpkin patch. In a fit of nostalgia I decided to go to the patch with Kiernans class. I remember loving the trips to pick pumpkins as a kid. The farmers would be out in the field to cut them off of the vine for you & you'd haul it back all covered in dirt, weeds and pumpkin snot. Those were the days.

I have to admit I was a bit disollusioned when we got there and I saw the giant boxes of pumpkins sitting out in the fields. They weren't filling the boxes...they were filling the "field". It really wasn't that big of a "field" either. Was it actually like this when we were kids and we just didn't know? Small fields filled with harvested, washed and pruned pumpkins strategically placed to look like they grew there? Gah! I guess it's true, what you don't know really won't hurt you. (Until you grow up, realize you were lied to by your parents, teachers AND farmers you don't even know...THEN you're scarred for life. )

Here is the class in the hats the teachers got for them for field trips. While I admit that its was a bit of genious on the teachers part because we could find those kids anywhere within a half mile, I was a bit saddened that it clashed with Kiernans "fall overalls" and matching sweater ensemble with coordinating brown mary janes. :) *just kidding*

Here she is on the Hay Ride...minus the hay apparently. One would think that if you're going to call it a Hay Ride that there would actually be some HAY there! Not so much. Maybe the financial markets are so bad that Hay Rides all over the country are doing hayless. Who knows?

My Princess Pumpkin Picker! She found a good one. It must have come in from Mexico before she "picked" it in the "field".

By 11am she was toast. No one brought the snacks so we had a crop of cranky kindergarteners whining to go home. Apparently the magic of a pumpkin patch only lasts so long.

Tag. You're it!

2008-10-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

Stefanie tagged me with an easy one. I was supposed to go to my pictures and get the 4th picture in the 4th picture file. I admit I was nervous because I have some totally lame-o pictures in there. Like pictures of fabric, or towels....Boring!

Luckily it wasn't a nasty pic without makeup or hair done either. Here it is...Bella's birthday party. My good friend Tracy, whom I've known since high school (possibly longer since we went to the same elementary school), was having her daughter Bella's 1st birthday party. Jake, K and I went & had a really fun time with the gang.

Okay, while I try to pull myself together to actually blog about current goings on around here I tag Tracy, Melanie, Amber, and Natalie (Messick). Four people to find your 4th file folder and post the 4th picture in that file...no cheating (luckily I didn't have to) :)

P.S. Sorry for the blogging dry spell, my camera has been out of commission & I don't like blogging without pictures. It's not as fun. I'll be back in business hopefully this weekend.

Texas Update

2008-09-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

We've had several inquirys about how our friends in Houston have fared during Hurricane Ike. I've been in contact with Melanie quite a bit, it's sounding pretty crazy. Here are some Blog updates from friends on how things are going, in case you were curious:

http://www.melanie-rossifamily.blogspot.com/
http://sugarpom.blogspot.com/

Everybody is well & we're so relieved! We're thinking of you guys!!!

Happy Birthday Kiernan!

2008-09-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

My baby is 5 years old...when did this happen? I'm not okay with it. I still look at her and see a sassy 2 year old, all smiles & baby talk. We had her party at my parents house, it's just the perfect place for a party! My mom & dad have put so much work into the yard and it's totally paid off, at least for us kids. I'd say my sisters and I have had twice as many parties here as my parents have...thanks guys! I did get the "lecture" from my dad about a week before the party. It sounded very similar to the lectures I recieved when we had friends over to hang out in high school. It was something along the lines of: This is our (my parents) house, we're letting you use it, it's not our party, which means it's not our mess, which means there will be no mess left when you leave...right?
It was a fair lecture, I just laughed that I was even getting it, I truly felt 16 again (which actually is kind of nice, since most days I feel about 80).

The theme was kind of random...essentially it was a pool party. The cake was actually supposed to be cupcakes with sharks on them. I had a few issues making them. Have you ever cried over a cupcake? I worked on the stupid things for hours...the sharks were too heavy for the cupcakes so they kept nosediving off of the top onto the counter. Refrost, refreeze, redip, redry... dive! 3 cake mixes, 4 cans of frosting, and 2 mental breakdowns later it looked like a Deadliest Catch massacre on my kitchen counter. If you've never taken a pair of scissors to a cake out of sheer frustration, you haven't lived. :) Out of 18 attempted sharks you can see the survivors on the cake. It was cute in the end, but I'm still scraping frosting off of the kitchen counters.

Yes, I made the tutu. Isn't it darling? An hour to make, 5 minutes on the kid...at least I got a picture.
I swagged the backyard in pink tulle and Gerbera Daisys. It was way over the top for a pool party, but you know me. I only got pictures ofthe canopy, but the pool fence was swagged, the big umbrellas were decorated...we LOVE tulle!
It was a fun night, lots of family, friends, food, presents, tulle, flowers, swimming, chatting, and more. Thanks everyone who came, we love you all!

If you've got it call me!

2008-08-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Aaaack!

I can't find my camera!!

Kiernan's birthday pics...the sharks, the swimming, the poolside tutu, GONE.

It's gotta be here somewhere. I'll keep looking. :(

Back to school

2008-08-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten! We made it.

This week Jake & Kiernan started school together for the first time. Kiernan did really great & seems to really like her class. Luckily she has lots of friends that she already knows in her class so thats a lot of fun for her. She's been very careful with her wardrobe choices, and I've still been able to put her in pants which is nice. She's such a disaster when she wears dresses, her skirts are always in the air. She fiddles with her clothes alot. On top of all of the new school drama it is also Kiernans birthday. She is the first kid to take cupcakes to school, so we wanted to make them fun for the first week. I borrowed an idea from my sisters Hello Cupcake Book & made sunflower cupcakes with little red M&M ladybugs...so cute!

Jake is in a really good class this year with a lot of great kids, we're really looking forward to a great year.

It's an illness..

2008-08-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Seriously. Somebdy should stop me.

I ironed a swimsuit today.

For Kiernan.

Gah!

Drama-Rama

2008-08-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just a few hours ago I had a thought. LITERALLY, two hours ago I was happily watching tv thinking, "Hey, Kiernan hasn't had any accidents for several months?! Whew. She must have finally grown out of that stage. YAY."

That was a few hours ago.

I was cooking dinner tonight talking on the phone with Michelle when all of the sudden I hear hysterical screaming from Jakes room. I don't immediately get off the phone, because really, this isn't the first time I've heard screaming coming from that room. Well, Jake comes running into the kitchen looking a little panicked & yells at me that "Mom, Kiernan's stuck!"

*pause* Stuck? Okay, stuck really can mean several things here. Foot stuck in a shoe? Hand stuck in a drawer? Leg stuck in some pants? Or, in one case a few years ago, head stuck in a chair slat. (Also Kiernan, in case you were wondering) Well, I put the screaming together with Jakes statement & hustled into Jakes room to find this...

Apparently, "stuck" means K tried to get something from behind the big heavy dresser & somehow twisted around enough to get wedged in nice & tight. I imagine it's the same kind of magic she used when she got the nut "stuck" on her finger last summer. It sounds like an easy fix...but it's not. The dresser was so heavy I couldn't budge it an inch! I tried to move her, but she was nice & tight. I'm sorry to say that as I poked & prodded to try to get her out of this mess I could not stop laughing! Is that bad? Am I a horrible mother? Finally I had to call Mike (one of many such calls that I have made to him over the years).

Me: I need you to come home now. *hysterical screaming in the background*
Mike: What. Why?
Me: Kiernan is stuck, just come home please. *giggle*
Mike: How...*laugh* did she *snicker* do it this time?
Me: *snort* If you come home you'll see... *hysterical screaming continues*
Mike: Did you get pictures*guffaw*?
Me: JUST COME HOME!! Hee.

Well, what else was there to do while we waited for dad to rescue us, than to get some pics. She really was okay, just REALLY mad at Jake. Apparently there was something HE wanted back there & he told her to get it because she was smaller. Apparently not small enough.

60 years together...

2008-08-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Grandma & Poppy on 60 Years Together!!

Last week was the culmination of many weeks of intense party planning by my family, to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of my moms parents. We love Grandma & Poppy for so many reasons...not the least of which is how much they love us! When I was gone they would always tell me how much they missed us & wished we were here. Now that we're home they never fail to tell me how glad they are that I'm back. They have been constant companions & we often see them holding hands & constantly asking after each other. Here are some pics from the 40's themed evening, hope you enjoy.

The theme was 1940's with a USO spin, because it was during WWII. The colors were red, white & blue. The cake was lovely, I got it from Eddie's Bakery & we were very pleased.

NOTE: Navy Blue buttercream icing=Navy blue teeth, Navy blue fingers, Navy blue coating on the kitchen sink and Navy blue colored chilren for the rest of the evening. I was in charge of the cake & opted for icing because it was $40 less than fondant. In retrospect, turning the elegant party guests into giant Smurfs, while entertaining, was probably not the way to go. I was cutting & serving and WHOA, that stuff's like napalm. Sticks to EVERYTHING it touches, I was scraping blue from under my fingernails for a week.

The great grandchildren. What you can't see in this picture is the appetizer table directly in front of them. Once they figured out it was there they were in for the long haul.

The grandchildren. My sisters & grandparents. We had such a fun time (mostly) doing this for them & were so happy that they enjoyed their evening. I'm glad I was here to celebrate with them.
Dinner. An elegant affair in the living room...Stefanie managed to find plenty of crystal & china to do things up right. Her tables were gorgeous, my food was pretty dang good & didn't Michelle look lovely? :) *whispering* p.s. that's her boyfriend greg sitting across from her.

Opening presents with lots of help from the great grandchildren...

Me, Stef & Luke in our 40's gear. Admittedly the paci wasn't quite "era appropriate", but I wasn't going to argue with him. Look, we're smiling! If it's not a surprise to you that we're happliy cheek to cheek, then you need to call me more often! Stef & me planning a party together is a bit like...ummm, uhhh, well I don't really know. Any body watch Desperate Housewives? Bree & Katherine...yeah, like that. Luv ya sister!!!

Mom & I relaxing, notice the rotating fan behing us? Yeah baby, that's why I'm sitting there. Whew, party over.

Beach Vacation

2008-07-27T07:32:00.000-07:00

Well, we FINALLY managed to get out of town for a little vacation. About time I say!

We took the kids & went to San Louis Obispo for a few days. It was a really nice break from the hot temps we were getting in the valley (102-113). As a matter of fact, it's been so long since I've been to the California coast that I forgot how cool it is in the evenings & mornings. All I took were shorts & t shirts for me and the kids. I know this will surprise you all, but I decided that since our hotel was next to a mall, I needed to get some warmer clothes for the kids. Tragic, I know! By the end of the trip I had gotten each of them a jacket, jeans, & shoes. Next time, I'm going to forget my stuff, I've been wanting a cute pair of Wedges!

The kids LOVED the beach. We went to Avila, which I hadn't been to since the rebuild & it was gorgeous. The playground, swings, shops, & beach were so nice. The kids were shocked at how cold the ocean here is, it's not like Teaxs' bath water, not that it stopped them from heading out. Kiernan fell into the water her first time out & was not impressed. The rest of the day she complained that her mouth tasted like dirt. "Kiernan, STOP spitting! you don't do that in the car!" Here are some pics of Avila:

That night we went to dinner at Mclintocks. It's a fun restaurant where they give you TONS of food & there's lots to see. See if you can figure out why Mike liked the restaurant so much? Here are some pics from there...

Overall, we had a great time. So fun that Mike actually said we needed to do it more often...in spite of my shopping! On our way out of town we went to Morro Bay to check out the tide pools around the breakers. The kids were enthralled! Hermit crabs, Crab crabs, anenomes, shells, seals, so much to see! Here is Jake & his hermit crab that we carried around for awhile, Kiernan poking an anenome "Mom, it licked me", and us on the breakers watching the tide come in.

Birthday girl Bella!

2008-07-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the birthday party of my good friend Tracy's little girl Bella. It was a fun day at the park, and luckily we managed to avoid the 113 degree heat that had been plaguing us earlier that week. I was especially thankful that it cooled off because, fool that I was, I made Bella birthday overalls for her party, not even thinking that it might be outdoors (I forget that I'm in Cali sometimes & that here we do everything outdoors). I tried to let Tracy off the hook on Bella wearing them, but she was determined that Bella would wear them, even if only for 5 minutes. Well, the morning was pleasant & Bella managed to wear them the whole time! Happy Birthday Bella!

Most of you know that my sewing "itch" comes & goes. I won't touch my machine for months & suddenly I'll be on it every night. Anyways, I got a little crazy that week making some tops for my Aunt & her daughter (3 tops in one week) and was on such a roll that I decided to make Kiernan an outfit for the birthday party. I had this awesome fabric & just had to make something out of it! Of course, it had to be for Kiernan. Kiernan is getting pretty picky these days, luckily I've got Peep's to sew for, should Kiernan ever fully abandon me.

Ready to party!

Birthday girl bella & her mom Tracy. Yes...that is a tutu you see.

Bella is really digging that cake, literally!

Balloons, tattoos & face paint, oh my!

Kiernan & my friend Keri's daughter Abbi. Abbi is Kiernan's princess role model, she's always telling me "But mom, Abbi does it". They are in dance class together & quite enjoy each others company.
Tutu cute! Bella & Jocelyn.

It's called a George

2008-07-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the summer is halfway over & we're beginning to see racks of binders and backpacks in our favorite stores *sigh* Really, what's the rush? Christmas is out at Halloween, Easter is out at valentines, ect...

This year I officially become a mother of school-aged children, no more babies, toddlers, or preschoolers in this house. Yikes! When did this happen? You know whats crazy about kids in school, sometimes I feel like I'm in elementary school too. It's frightening! For example, last year I was...kept after school by the teacher, called to principals office, contacted by the librarian for lost books, and had to do homework nearly every day (in reviewing homework you actually need to do the stinkin' problems to be sure they're right, gah!). Not only schoolwork-wise, but drama-wise as well. We had to deal with friends who were naughty, love notes to girls (sooo not kidding here), playground fights, friends who we didn't want in our "group", ect. Well, you get the gist....

So, here begins another year...
Apparently, my mother has a "new school year" tradition with the girls, they get a George. Yes, you read that right...they get, what we call in our family a "George". George would be my mothers hairdresser. Actually the familys hair dresser, my aunt, niece, & grandmother get "Georges" too. What's that? You want to know if I get a George? Hah! Not so much people. I do love George, but you need to know that my mother does enjoy the finer things in life. Georges SALON is downtown, trendy, pricey & awesome. Thus, I cannot afford it.

My mother scheduled the girls & I opted to go along as George is a bit trendy, and my child is FOUR. I'm sure you will all be so shocked by this, but Kiernan was in heaven! She loved every bit of it! The attention, the washing, the trimming, the GIANT mirrors where she posed & practiced "teen aged" facial expressions while she was being worked on. *shaking head in fear*
Thanks goodness I went along, my sister didn't, and her 8 year old daughter left with what my mother described to George as "a Victoria Beckham cut" & HIGHLIGHTS! She looked awesome, but WHOA! Here a some pics from the event, enjoy.

Here is the salon, it's on the second floor of the tallest building in Fresno, now loaded with high-end condos...in the middle of the ghetto. I wanted to wash myself after walking up from the parking garage.
'Nuf said.
Here's our George. Melanies quote after I texted her a pic was "Scary"
The princess on her throne. Here is where she mugged in the mirror. My mom & I just sat and watched her practice posing & expressions with no concern for anyone around her.
How she felt about the experience... Here's how Jacob felt about the experience...

The final products & our George (how about those earlobe gages & the lip piercing?). The sweetest guy, and part of the family.

A little slice of life...

2008-06-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some video's I found from when the kids were little. Mostly I'm putting this on for my mom to see, but feel free to watch. These are just moments we captured in our daily lives.

This one cracks me up. Jake wants to know...where's Grandma?

Just thought this was cute. That's my tiny dancer...

And this one is hilarious...Her face is priceless. Kiernan REALLY liked her bike helmet apparently.

The Curse. Continued. Again.

2008-06-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Remeber how my car was in the shop for 43 DAYS? Well, this picture was taken 1 week after I got it back. Maybe the rental car wan't cursed... my car was. Dangit! *sigh*

I'd tell you what was wrong with it, but really, does it matter? It came home later that day & has been running fine since. That is, if you call getting 13 miles to the gallon, paying $4.60 a gallon for gas, & driving approximately 50 miles a day "running fine".

HaH! As if!

Hey Batta, Batta!

2008-06-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

Jacob waiting for his turn to bat.
Jacob playing catcher position. His first time out, he took a baseball right in the place where boys shouldn't be getting hit with balls. As he lay on home plate screeching "My balls dad, my balls!" (not the game kind you know), Mike stood there with tears of laughter streaming down his face. That day all of the parents went home & bought their kids "cups" to add to the uniforms. Nothing made me giggle more at these games that watching the outfielders standing there knocking on their "cups" like it was their own personal door knocker
Jake on third base, ready to run for home.

This year Jacob was on an area Little League team, they were the Mets. He was a great little baseball player, pretty good at most stuff, but REALLY GOOD at hitting. He had great batting technique & the best hitting record on the team. At the end of the year there was a contest to sell tickets to "Little League Day" at the local baseball stadium. Well, Jakes team sold the most tickets, so they won the grand prize! Our local team, the Grizzlies, are an AAA team that the SF Giants recruit from. The winning team got to do a few fun things with the Grizzlies, here are some...

First, they got to run on to the field at the opening of the game with the Grizzlies players. (Childhood dream, can you imagine?) Wish I had a better camera!

Next, they were put in groups & sent out onto the field with a Grizzlies player to stand for the national anthem. Here is Jacob & friends on 1st base talking to their "player" ...

Here they are for the national anthem... (Can you see Jake? That hair!)
After the national anthem they ran back to the dugout with their player & got autographs from all of the players...
Finally, they got to spend the entire game right behind home plate. They ate as much as they wanted, and had a grand time doing it...
At the end of the game was a massive fireworks show to top off the evening! It was a totally fun night to top off a really fun season!

Why I do what I do.

2008-06-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

So, some of you have asked me what it is I do at work? Marketing, I say, while being all puffed up because it sounds like such a "big girl" job. Well, here's the skinny...Marketing is what it may be called, but I like to think of it as "decorating", as in deorating everything, all of the time, as much as we can, with other peoples money. YaY! It's been a really great time, and we've had some really fun projects, like juggling hundreds of soda cans, building trees made of money, and dressing up stuffed bulldogs the size of a real great dane!

I've attached some photos of one of the parties we threw because I just happened to find them in my files & thought I'd share. The girls I'm with are the Marketing "crew", minus our fearless leader, Keri, who graciously went on maternity leave so that I could get my foot in the door at the credit union. Me, Erin, Kelli & Michelle had a "member appreciation day" at our Clovis branch. There were games, activities, food, giveaways, & alot of down home fun!

My job rocks!

There's no place like home...wherever that is?

2008-06-12T07:00:00.001-07:00

So I'm sitting here eating my Pop Tart (Strawberry, in case you were wondering) and pondering how could it possibly be the last day of school today? Which leads me to my next thought, "Wait, if school's out, then I've owned a house for 3 months & I STILL can't live in the dang thing!". Perplexing. I now have a Kindergartener, a second grader, a home, a ridiculous case of allergies, and a drivers lisence that say's "California" on it. How did all of this happen?

In my mind I'm still living in Texas, with toddlers, & I can breathe.

We had a girls night out last week, wich is the first one we've had in awhile & it took me right back to Texas. Thanks to Mel we had so many great girls nights out, it was such a relief to finally get one here. At the same time however it really made me miss you guys in Texas. I actually got called out the other day (by Tracy, I think?) because I was talking about Texas & I started the sentence with, "Back home..."

Thanks California girls for the great night out, and thanks Texas girls for all of the good times. I just wanted you to know that I still think of you all the time & of the fun times we had.

Happy Birthday Lukas!

2008-06-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my nephew "cutie baby Luke's" 1st birthday party. Now anybody that knows my sister will know that she doesn't just throw a party, she puts on an EVENT. I am sorry to see that she is just as meticulous as I used to be and worked her booty off to put on a great shindig. I tried to be the voice of reason for her..."Do the flowers & totems REALLY have to alternate on every third pole?", "Do I REALLY need to iron the tablecloth...again?", "Do you really need to make yellow cake, chocolate cake, cupcakes & have pie?", "HOW many people are coming?", "You want a MIXED DRINK BAR?", ect. Nonetheless, I can see myself doing the very same thing, so I just tried my best to help. Here are a few of the highlights:

Uncle Mike feeding Luke his cake. Uncle Mike is called the "baby whisperer" around here. Poor Lukie was teething that day & not so happy, but the cake was OKAY with him.
Stef asked if I could make the girls matching outfits for the party. Here are Jordyn & Kiernan in theirs, not pictured are Aunt Kimmie & her daughter Piper who also had the exact same tops.
Erica & stef working the "bar". Here you can get a peek at what was going on in my parents yard...pool, bar, barbque, lanterns, leis, music, lounge chairs...
Stef & Luke socializingStefanies good friend Kaipo is from Hawaii. Here is her & her husband performing for the crowd.
Without knowing Kaipo had taken the kids to the back of the house & taught them a Maori (New Zeland) dance, and put them in costumes. Seriously, HOW CUTE ARE THEY? Kiernan loved it!
And the crowd watches...
Heres Grandma Diane & her girls...Here's the Coleman family (I seriously have no idea what is up with my hair?)Here is the whole West clan...Wouldn't be a party if we didn't ham it up a bit...Thats all folks!

2008-06-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Tag
Hello, I got tagged by Melanie, so here we go...
A-Attached or Single?-Attached
B-Best Friend- Depends. Always my sisters Mich & Stef, in Teaxs Mel & Amber, in Cali it's gotta be Tracy
C-Cake or Pie?-chocolate cake with chocolate icing, always!
D-Day of choice?-Saturday, no work, no lessons, sleeping in
E-Essential item?-Cell phone, of course
F-Favorite color?-Red & pink
G-Gummy bears or worms? worms
H-Hometown?-Fresno, California
I-Favorite Indulgence? Shopping (It would be Krispy Kreme, but oh well)
J-January or July?- You would think my birthday month, but I have to say July
K-Kids?-2, Jacob & Kiernan
L-Life isn't complete without? My kids
M-Marriage Date?-May 29, 1998 (Hey Mel...I forgot AGAIN! 10 years! Oops)
N-Number of Bro & Sis?-2 sisters
O-Oranges or Apples? oranges
P-Phobia and Fears?-Having a major disease, like cancer
Q-Quote?- Hmmm, so many. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" -Eleanor Roosevelt
R-Reason to smile?- My kids make me laugh all the time...especially Kiernan, she is unmatched in sass & spunk
S-Season of choice? Fall!
T-Tag Ten People? Oh boy lets see...Stefanie, Kristi M, Kristin M, Anna H, Gwen H, Krista G, Kimmie C, Laura S, Natalie M
U-Unknown fact about me?-I HATE the smell of toothpaste. I wanna gag every time I brush my teeth
V-Vegetable?-Mushrooms & Zucchini
W-Worse habit?- I'm so forgetful it's nearly a crime. I don't do it intentionally, but I do it a lot
Y-Your favorite food? The last few weeks I've really craved a good mushroom burger
Z-Zodiac sign? Aquarius

Bad Blogger.

2008-05-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...I'm a terrible Blogger! I've been reprimanded several times this week. I'm just so freakin' busy between work & the house. I've nearly got the kids rooms done, so I'm going to try & take pics and get them online by wednesday. Is that okay with you people? :)

In the meantime here are some cute videos I found of the kids. Here's one of Jake when we went to the Houston Rodeo. My little Texas Boy had to ride the bull. The video looks like it's in slow motion, but that's the actual speed that the bull was going...he was only 5 after all.

For Kiernans 3rd birthday we got her ears pierced. Is it terrible that I laugh when I watch this video? I know, I'm a terrible mother...but her expressions are just priceless! Thanks Miss Melanie for taking the video for us...

One last one...this is also Kiernan's third birthday. Apparently I am the worlds worst mother...look at what her Birthday treat is! Not only did I force a painful procedure on her, but I couldn't even make the proper dessert.

The Curse. Continued...

2008-04-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

I told you.

I told you the car was cursed, but you didn't believe me. "Oh, that Shelby...so dramatic, she's just doesn't pay attention." You thought it, I know you did. WELL, it's cursed, so here I am again.

Last wednesday Kiernan & I stayed home sick. We we're both pretty yucky, but I realized we were out of toilet paper (a very important thing, toilet paper...especially when it's doing double duty as kleenex). So we head off to Costco for TP & frozen chicken. We wander, we pay, we head back to the car, we go to get out the car keys...hellooo, keys? No keys? NO KEYS!? That's right no keys. I think back & realize Kiernan had been playing in my purse. Oh crap!

Well, to make a long story short we were at Costco for over 4 hours. I had asked every worker if they'd seen them, I'd crawled on the floors, and had dug through Costco TRASH CANS!!! (ewww) Every employee in the store knew me, my sick kid, and my husband who showed up to search. They knew it was a rental, and that when I called the rental company I was told they could come & tow it, change all the locks, recode all of the computer chips & charge it all to me.

By the way, did I mention that in all of the frenzy I forgot to pick up my kid from school? Well, I did. Did I mention that I had a ridiculous case of strep? Well, I did. Did I mention that this car is cursed? Well, it is.

Told ya'.

P.S. Hey Gwen, so sorry I was totally psycho when I saw you! I was loosing my mind, as you could easily tell, I'm sure. Next time we'll chat...you look AWESOME by the way. ~Shelby

Minivan Momma and the Curse of the Caravan

2008-04-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

First off, can you tell I've been watching a little too much Scooby Doo lately?

Okay, so I need to first explain that no, I do not own a minivan. Those of you who know me well enough know that I am not a big fan of the minivan-type vehicle (really any "mini-type" or "van-type" vehicle is a bit annoying to me). Not exactly earth-concious, I know...so, sue me.

Frankly I have mocked minivans for so long that in spite of the heckling I am recieving from my sisters I'm finding it hard not to admit that the dang thing is incredibly convenient. It's such a relief to not have to do that contortionist thing that moms do when the kid sitting right behind you announces that they couldn't get their seat belt buckled...while your plowing down the freeway at 65 miles per hour. You know, the one where you must disengage your arm at the shoulder, flip it into the back seat, and then buckle the kid in with one eye pointing forward (scanning for Cops now) and the other pointing back searching for the 2 inch slot lost somewhere between the car seat & the crack. By the way...why is it ALWAYS the kid right behind you? Why can't it ever be the one in the opposite seat, or even the kid that can eventually find the buckle themselves? Nope, it's the toddler who's apparently become blind, lost all of their fingers, and developed an aversion to all seats except the one right under your backside.

I digress.

SO...here's how we got the Minivan. My 2 year-old, brand new, hot off the lot, Ford Explorer was making "a noise". Not a bad noise, but a noise regardless. So, it being under warranty we took it in. They called back later that day to let us know that, "Hey, no big deal...it was just a computer glitch. Reset the computer & we were good to go. Oh, and by the way, did you know that you have FOUR LEAKS!?! "

*pause* (counting on fingers) "Do I have 4 things that can leak on my car?"

Apparently I can. Transmissions, radiators, breaks, and some other mysterious thing that have somehow, in sync, worked together to manage and bust all at once. While 3 of the 4 things were a quick fix, apparently the radiator part we need is made in a black hole somewhere south of Saturn and won't be available until *drumroll please*...November. Yes, you heard me right. NOVEMBER!!!! Luckily we are under warranty and are provided with a rental car until ours can be fixed. Or the apocalypse...whichever comes first.

Now, I've learned one or two things about minivans since acquiring this one, hence the curse mentioned in the title of this Blog.

Lesson #1-Minivans are longer than Ford Explorers. This means that they don't fit in the garage as well. For example, I am including the picture of the MASSIVE SCRATCHES that I put on the RENTAL CAR the first night we had it:

Lesson #2-Apparently all break pedals aren't in the exact same spot in every car. Which I found out on day three, after rear ending a car going down Herndon Ave (think Highway 6 in Texas) in after work traffic on a Friday. Actually, there was next to no damage (slightly bent license plate) on my car, and a small "bolt shaped" impression on the bumper of the hysterical teen ager that I bumped. Through gasping tears she asked for my license, registration, and insurance card...isn't that what the cops ask for when you're pulled over? She wanted to take pictures of the "damage", nothing registered on the camera...because there was NO DAMAGE!! Eventually I asked for her dad's phone number & called him. He's the actual owner of the 1984 Buick that she was driving. I explained everything to him & told him to call me if he wanted me to take care of any "damage". I haven't heard from him since.

So there you have it...I knew there was a reason that I didn't like minivans. They're cursed! The sooner I'm done with this one the better!

Lost & Found

2008-04-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

LOST

Sweet little girl named Kiernan, large hazel eyes, long brown hair w/ big bows, & big smile.
A.K.A. -Sweet Pea, Baby K, or Love Bug
Loving personality, gives lots of hugs, very friendly, tells people they are beautiful. Easy going, travels well & enjoys a variety of foods.

FOUND

Demon Beast child, approx 4 years old, watery brown eyes, tangled hair & unbrushed teeth.
A.K.A. -Whiner, Little booger, or plain old brat
Cries constantly, talks back, & is extremely defiant. Refuses to leave the house, go to bed, eat, dress, brush, or be agreeable in ANY way.
Has been seen wearing my daughter Kiernan's clothes, and has most recently been seen hitting brothers and as of today...mothers.

If this child is yours, please contact me immediately, so that I may return her to you post haste (no guarantees on condition of returned item).
If you have seen Kiernan, please return her home immediatley...and tell her that her mommy REALLY, REALLY misses her.

When theres a note on your door...

2008-03-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

The Joys of Home Ownership
volume three

So, I arrive at the house on tuesday to work on it, and theres a note on the door. *crap, what now*

The note is from the City of Fresno, and it states "Notice and order to remove public nuisance violations". It also states "The condition of the building upon this property constitutes a "Blighted Building" and it is required that you correct the violations upon the property. The violations must be removed by April 13, and the building cannot be vacant past April 25th."

Oh yeah, and did I mention that the city says we owe them $85 for having to come out & serve the paperwork, $185 for having an unoccupied building, and by the way...we'll owe another $85 for them to come out & inspect the property after the "violations" have been taken care of. *pulling hair out & screaming*

I called the city & spoke to our inspector. Apparently he's seen a lot worse & feels bad for us, but someone in the neighborhood complained & he was required to act upon it. Apparently, us over there working on the house every day just isn't fast enough for them. *Grrrrr*

A Day At The Beach. Part II

2008-03-29T16:24:00.001-07:00

Our first stop was a a vary popular seaside town call Pismo Beach. EVERYBODY from Fresno goes to "Pismo", as we like to call it.

Pismo is nice because it's got a great pier for fishing, a lot of beach for playing, quaint "tourist traps" for shopping, and finally it sports the most award winning clam chowder in the state! The line to place your order always is out the door and around the side of the building. I have been going to The Surf Shop just for clam chowder since I was a kid. There are times my sister and I have made the drive just because we were craving it...and we're not the only ones!
So here is a picture of baby Bella hanging out, while Tracy and I chowed down on clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. Yummy!

Luckily Tracy & I are pretty laid back about the day. It was quite the challenge having the 4 kids between us & trying to order food, find tables, get everyones drinks, cut up food, go to the bathroom, watch the baby, stop Kiernans constant crying (I don't know why), and handle the "I don't want this", "I dropped that", "That's mine", "Can I have yours?", "Are we going to the beach yet?", and "I don't want to sit here" comments. Seriously, we really were having fun.

To Be Continued...

A Day At The Beach. Part I

2008-03-25T07:02:00.000-07:00

Last week was spring break here in California. I worked all week & started to feel a little bad for the kids as they told me about all of the things that their friends were doing for the break. Finally at the end of the week I decided to take a day off & do something fun...a trip to the beach!

The weather was perfect. I called my friend Tracy to invite her & her kids Trevor & baby Bella. They were all for it, so a plan was set. I met Tracy & her kids on the other side of town to load up all of us into my car for the drive. It's a 3 hour trip...2 1/2 the way I drive. (2 hours if I'm by myself.) We started transferring her stuff to my car at 7:30am, about 30 minutes later we had managed to fit into my car:1 baby w/ carrier, 2 hyper boys, 1 cranky girl, 3 bags of clothes, 2 bags of food, a giant stroller, purses, books, beach toys, DVD players, 2 surprised moms, and one giant kite.

It then took another 15 minutes to load the DVD player, hook up the ear phones, set up the Ipod movie, get out the snacks, find the cell phones, buckle everybody in, pull out the baby toys and actually START THE CAR! That would be a grand total of 45 minutes in a Carls Jr parking lot trying to leave.

While it was a slow start to the day, the kids were great in the car. The baby slept & the moms got to chat, so all in all it was already a good day by the time we got to the beach.

To Be Continued...

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

2008-03-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated Jakes birthday...for the 4th time! Apparently I haven't figured out how to coordinate all of the friends, family, acquaintances, Bobs, Jims & Joes that I thought needed to be invited to celebrate. This may take me a few years.

I sent out handmade invitations thinking, "Hey, I'm crafty!" Okay, while I may be crafty, apparently I'm not so smart. The very next day the calls started rolling in...somehow I managed to not only get the date of the party wrong (everyone wanted to know if it really was on a monday at 2 in the afternoon?), but Jakes age too. He came home upset because his friends were teasing him about turning 6 years old, when really it's 7. But hey, they looked fabulous, in spite of being completely innacurate.

This is Jake with the cake I made for him, it's a "Chinese Dragon" since he was having his party at a Karate studio. He was thrilled with the cake & wanted to eat it immediately...as in immediately after I frosted it. Sorry kid, after all that work (2 cake mixes & 4 cans of frosting later!) I wanted somebody to see it besides him & I. Everybody had pretty much the same response when they saw it.

"Humph! You made that didn't you" (insert accusational tone of voice here)

This studio was a total birthday bargain! The guy running it had tons of games planned, from some crazy dodgeball, to beating each other with giant foam bats (the boys were in heaven), and a great obstacle course with hitting, kicking, rolling & hopping among other things.

All in all, a good time was had by all. The kids were exhausted...

the moms got to chat...

And everybody left happy!

Cutie nephew, Baby Luke!! Sweetest baby ever!

This, is how you do it...

2008-03-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

The Joys of Home Ownership

Volume Two

Mike Coleman, 5 hours. One Spot.
Shelby Coleman, 3 hours. One corner.

Terry West, one hour. Three rooms.

*SIGH*

And So It Begins....

2008-03-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

The Joys of Home Ownership
Volume One

At 2:00 Friday afternoon we got the keys to our (not so new) new house.
At 2:30 we went to go look at our new house, because now we could do it without breaking any real estate laws. We couldn't really do anything there, and we'd seen it a dozen times already, but this time we actually owned it & could stand there staring at it for as long as we wanted, and the Nazi Regime also known as Countrywide Lending couldn't say a dang thing!
At 2:45 the City of Fresno stopped by to welcome us to the neighborhood (that we'd belonged to for all of 45 minutes) and then cite & fine us. Apparently the real estate company (note: see afore mentioned Nazi Regime) illegally turned on the water to the house.
*sigh*

Volume Two

12:00 Saturday afternoon Mike went over to the house to "work on it". Yay! Getting things done!
3:30 I took the kids to go & see how it was going. I cruised the house to find the project he chose to work on...since there are so many to be done.
Hmmm, maybe he scraped the popcorn off of the bedroom ceilings, then I could paint the kids rooms. Nope. Okay, maybe he started power spraying the moss off of the outside of the house, better curb appeal...that would be good. Nope. Well, he must have started pulling down the wallboard in the living area so that we could get it floated & textured? No. Cleaning up the backyard? No. Scraping up the linoleum? No.
So about this time a friend shows up & gets the tour of the house. Mike & I show him around & finally end up at the garage. Mike takes him in and excitedly explains about the power washer my dad loaned him & what a great job it did of cleaning up THIS SPOT on the garage floor.
"Right here the oil was so thick it was like tar, it took me awhile, but look at that! It was layer after layer of grease...but look at it now!"

5 hours later it's just a regular oily spot on the cement floor of the garage, instead of a big, nasty one. Whatever that means.
*Grrrrrrr*

I think we need to have a discussion about priorities.

Snow much fun!!

2008-02-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was the 5th(?) annual Coleman family snow trip. For our family it was actually the first annual, since this is the first year we've been able to attend. What a great time we had.
The kids really enjoyed hanging out with Aunts, Uncles & Cousins for the weekend. There was a lot for us to do...we ate, played games, ate, did puzzles, ate, watched movies, ate, and went sledding. Did I mention that we ate. A lot. All weekend long.

Unfortunately Jacob was sick when it was time to go, so I stayed behind an extra day with him, hoping he would get better quickly. Sadly, this meant that he wasn't able to go on the ski trip that he & Mike had been planning. Luckily, Kiernan was able to go, and she loved it. She did a great job & hardly complained.

The Uncles (and Aunt Tina) did a fabulous job building some great sled runs right behind the cabin. We had a small one for the toddlers, and a long spinny, twisty one for big kids and adults, which we called The Luge! So Fun. Oh yeah...then there was the one that Mike & Scott made that went under the snow. That's right, it was a sled run through a tunnel! No joke, check out the pictures to see.

Jake stayed sick until nearly the last day, which made him sad, but he's already looking forward to next year. Here are a few scenes from the trip...enjoy:

Mom & Jake helping each other out, after sledding off of the track & into the trees!

Jacob heading back up the hill for another run.

Couple of snow bunnies, after riding the Coleman Family Luge together.

Jenna coming out of the tunnel slide that Uncle Scott & Uncle Mike built...super cool!!

Some of the Coleman gang out for a wild ride

Kiernan's first ski trip...just her and Daddy.

What a fast learner

Looking good, while having fun.

Go, Go Kiernan!!

Jake The Destroyer.

I left my friend in San Francisco...

2008-02-11T16:41:00.000-08:00

Mmmm, Mimi's!

Us on the BART...this is taken after the transvestite (in very snappy heels) but before the cussing rapper & his highly embarassed friends.

Woo Hoo...We look like hot escapees from Alcatraz. Did we actually leave the hotel like this, no. Did we actually buy the same exact shirt, yes! Great taste can't be denied.

Two weekends ago my BFF -Texas style came out to California. Melanie flew in on thursday & left on Sunday, just enough time to get into a little trouble in San Francisco! I left early from work to pick her up a Oakland airport, because we were staying in Pleasanton for the weekend. Here's how the weekend began:

Mel: I've landed, are you close?
Shel: Yeah, about 1 hour. I'll call when I get there.

45 min later... (have you seen me drive?)

Shel: Okay, I'm here. Man this weather sucks (pouring rain outside). Are you outside?
Mel: I'm in Terminal 1, pick me up there...
Shel: Terminal 1? There aren't any terminal numbers here?
Mel: There aren't?
Shel: No, it's pretty small. Are you outside?
Mel: I'm looking for you. Where are you?
Shel: What do you mean? I'm right outside the terminal...
Mel: No, I mean where am I?
Shel: Huh?
Mel: Are you in San Francisco?
Shel: No. I'm in Oakland...didn't you book your flight here?
Mel: (mumbling in backgound) Uhhhh, I'm in San Francisco.
Shel: I'm sorry...what?
Mel: They lost my reservation, it must have changed when I rebooked. Oops! Sorry.

Luckily Mel & I are pretty laid back in regards to vacations. We just drifted from thing to thing...no set schedule. It was great! It was so fun hanging out with Mel again, in spite of the nasty weather. We spent a VERY productive day in San Fran (maybe a little too productive...) and then puttered the rest of the weekend. 3 movies and one very bizarre manicure later we were feeling pretty relaxed.

I took her to several "California" restaurants, and an old Texas favorite or two (yum, Cheesecake!), while taking in the San Fancisco "scene". We thought the transvestite on the BART was pretty interesting, until the rapper got on...dancin' & cussin' in the seat right next to us. Mel yells, "Sombody get me off of this train!"...she obviously did not grow up in gang country! :) Luv' ya girl...always making life fun!

All of this can be yours...

2008-02-11T16:17:00.000-08:00

Well, we close on the house Feb. 28th. In two more weeks all of THIS *insert sarcasm here* will be ours! We're especially proud of the Harvest Gold tile & fixtures in the kitchen, and the one time gold carpets throughout the house. We got some exciting *sarcasm, again* news last week...the house has mold (not the bad kind) in one wall, and termites (ground treatment only). Yay! Projects!

We had plenty of time to back out, but we really see potential here so we're going for it. You are looking at the next 5 years of my life people! As a matter of fact...you may be looking at the next 5 years of your life too (Dad, Scott, Chris, Russell, Hee Hee), so prepare yourselves! *evil grin*

Moving on, in, up, oh whatever...

2008-02-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally did it...we found a house! I could tell you about all of the drama surrounding the purchase of this particular house, but let's just say it's done. Moving on. Or, should I say moving in?

Here is the link to the MLS for the house: http://www.realtyconcepts.com/Nav.aspx/Page=http://fresnomls.rapmls.com%2fscripts%2fmgrqispi.dll%3fAPPNAME%3dFresno%26PRGNAME%3dMLSLogin%26ARGUMENT%3dBlpFQsEvNh2L4dzmHvaUKQ%253D%253D

Suffice it to say, it's currently a pit of rotting carpets & dated fixtures...but it's our pit. We found a foreclosure in a very nice neighborhood, 2650 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, living & family rooms, dining room & large bonus room. Oh yeah...and a pool. Did I ever mention that I don't like owning a pool? I don't like owning a pool. There...I said it. But, it's part of the fabulous foreclosure deal that we got, and hopefully I will come to enjoy it. We like our schools, not sure about our ward (the reviews are mixed), and the lot is 10,500 sq. ft.

There is so much to be done to it, but I suppose I have the rest of my life for that. Take a peek & tell me what you think...I'm hoping to send out really good before & after pictures some day.

Where's the Bean!?!

2008-01-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

Kiernan has started taking dance classes at a local studio...she LOVES it!!

She takes ballet & tap, and seriously those little dance shoes are the cutest things EVER (even though they cost more than prom shoes). Pretty much they're learning to point their toes, stomp their feet, and wave their arms in the air. So, actually, I'm paying someone to refine her tantrum throwing abilities, but she looks lovely doing it.

Dance day is pretty funny. They put the beginner class in the only room without a big window to watch through, there's just a small window in the door to the room. So every saturday 8 little princesses show up, dressed to the hilt *guilty*, and stomp around the room for an hour while 10 parents manuver for a good position at the twelve-inch wide window. It's like watching water buffalo jockeying for position at the only pond in the area...all you see are well dressed rear ends with Dooney & Bourke bags swinging off to the side knocking each other out.
Believe it or not, I do not hang out at the window, I find it a little painful to watch. Kiernan is one of two 4 year olds in the class, the rest are 3 and have been in dance previously. Being a tall child in general, she is the tallest in class...with the least skills. She's actually caught on very quickly, but the first few classes I really thought she had simply inherited my Klutz gene. I just couldn't watch.

Yesterday we were getting ready for class & Kiernan declared:
K: Mom, I need a bean.
Me: A what?
K: A bean mom, for dance.
Me: *beat* Huh?
K: A BEAN Mom, you know...a BEAN.
Me: Uhhhh. To eat?
K:*getting teary* Why can't I have a bean? I want a dance bean! *tears treaming*

We do this for 10 minutes, finally I ask her to show me a bean...

K: *dragginig me into the bathroom & handing me a comb* Here mom, I need a dance bean. *points to head*
Me: *pause* OHHHHH, you want a BUN!
K: YES MOM!! *said like I'm stupidest mom on the planet*

Merry Chris"blog"mas

2007-11-20T15:58:00.001-08:00

Here are the Turk cousins...all together. Jordyn, Evan, Lukas, Jacob, Kiernan, and Piper! Thanks Grandma Diane for the holiday duds.

Ahhh...tis' the season.

Tis' the season for standing with hoards of sweaty children waiting for your turn to "Say Cheese". (Really, who decided that "cheese" was the perfect picture taking word anyways? Wouldn't "freeeeze", or "sneeeeeze", or "take my money pleeeeease" work just as well?)

Tis' the season for elbowing your way through the aisles of Target, even when all you need is a toe nail clipper.

Tis' the season for baking all kinds of delicious goodies that you don't make all year long (but still crave) then take a gander at the pile and realize that even if you took them to family, friends, co-workers, and the U.S. Navy...you still will have to eat pumpkin bread until Easter.

Tis' the season to try desperately to keep your house "holiday clean" (this is different from "It smells clean" clean, "eat off of the floor" clean, and the ever popular "toxic juice spill" clean) while simultaneously putting out decorations, gifts, food, ornaments, embellishments, kid crafts and other clutter-like objects and trying to maintain that "clean" feel to the house.

Tis' the season to show off the family to those who haven't really seen you all year, because your kids are to darn cute not to.

Tis' the season to hang out at home and play games, eat, and watch tv...beacause the rest of the year you have no good excuse.

Tis' the season to say "Merry Christmas" to you because we miss you, love you, and can't wait to see you again!

Merry Christmas, Love the Colemans

62 in the house

2007-11-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

Shhhhh...dont' tell my husband! I turned on the heater today.

Disneyland How-To's

2007-11-09T08:30:00.000-08:00

How does a princess go potty?

How do you keep track of Grandpa...even if he doesn't know it?

What's a good age to get your first Ears?

How can you tell a princess is having a good time?

Which character at the park do children love the most?

When your out of baby food, does the park provides some for you?

How does a princess catch the bus?

Can I get glitter with my steak?

2007-11-08T07:28:00.000-08:00

Well, as many of you already know we went to Disneyland this weekend with my family. We had a ton of fun & the kids loved it, although calling it "the happiest place on earth" might be a bit of a stretch. If you could hear all of the screaming, crying kids being drug around the park by parents hissing "I promise, you'll love it", "happiest" takes on a whole new meaning.

Mike & I spent most of our time apart since Jake & Kiernan are at two totally different places as far as rides go. I have to say, Jake is quite the adventurer...he repeatedly went on rides that had most of us reaching for the barf bags. His favorite phrase this trip was "AGAIN, AGAIN!". Which left the rest of us going, "It's your turn", "No, it's your turn", "He's your kid", *sigh* "Alright". Luckily between Uncle Chris, Aunt Michelle, Grandpa, & Us, we kept him going.

Here's Me, Jake, My Mom, Sister Michelle, Bro in Law Chris, & Tierney on California Screamin

Kiernan was in princess heaven! We did the princess breakfast which was totally fun, I'll write about it later. She & I went off on our own & had a bunch of fun at the Princess Faire. She was right in her element as you can see...

She really wanted to go on the stage that looked like a castle, but she wasn't allowed, so instead she took her place on the throne. She loved visiting with the princesses of the court & everywhere she went charachters were bowing & calling her "your highness"...her getup was quite the hit. I kept trying to get her to change because I thought she was uncomfortable, but anytime I mentioned unloading the tulle explosion we called a dress she went into hysterics. Apparently being smothered in 50 yards of tulle really isn't that uncomfortable...who knew?

Okay, so I have a confession to make (Mike, stop reading here). We stopped by the "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique" to just check it out. I didn't quite realize that it was a money-sucking pit covered in flowers & sparkles. Kiernan took one look & decided she had to get a salon treatment of some kind (thanks Auntie Michelle!). Generally I can resist *if i wanted to* but when she saw those little girls getting gussied up "princess style" she went nuts. She jumped straight into a chair & gave me "the eyes". Now some of you have experienced "the eyes" (Auntie Michelle, Steffie, & even Amber I think). If she uses "The eyes" consider yourself toast. I went to the counter & asked a question that generally I consider to be tacky, but my sense of self preservation demanded I do it.

Me : "Whats the cheapest thing you've got?"

Apparently thats the face painting. She wanted her hair done, but I choked just a little when they told me the cost. They did have the "full princess treatment" starting at $180.00...I declined that one.

Sooo, we got our face painted.

Now let me just say...She was in heaven, as you can easily see in the pictures. Now having said that, getting her face painted was about the approximate cost of a nice sirloin filet at at Fleming's. I make this analogy because my stomach is still in rebellion over the two thousand chicken nuggets :::gag::: that I ate over this last weekend. Everywhere we went I shared pizza or chicken nuggets :::gag::: with the kids. What I would have done for a real meal is scary to comprehend. So when I look at that smiling face covered in paint...well, all I see is a steak dinner people, because that's what I would have gotten! My filet is on her face! What's more, after they were all done painting, the girl asked, "Do you want glitter too? It's $2.00 more." Seroiusly...you're going to mention glitter in front of a 4 year old & expect me not to say yes?! So...they charged me for glitter. They charged me for GLITTER! Disneyland charged a 4 year old child for GLITTER!!!! One would think that they had some glitter to spare. Apparently not...so we got glitter. On my steak.

All in all it was worth it...I mean look at her face!

*NOTE- At breakfast Ariel taught Kiernan how to pose like a princess...do you think she got it?

Another year, gone.

2007-10-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we did have a little bit of excitement this weekend. Saturday a.m. I had to go to my moms for a baby shower, Mike was in charge of the kids. I load up my car & hit the road to go across town to my moms house. I drive 15 minutes & am almost to my moms house when my phone rings...

Me: Hello
Mike: Hi
Me: What's up?
Mike: Umm, do you have Kiernan?
Me: :::silence::: huh? WHAT?!?
Mike: So, you don't?
Me: *screeching* WHERE IS SHE????
Mike: Ummm, gotta go. *click*

What just happened here?

So, I call back...
Mike: What?
Me: Isn't she in the house?
Mike: No! I've gotta go!
Me: CALL ME WHEN YOU FIND HER!!!
Mike: Yeah. *Click*

So, I turn the car around to go home, imagining terrible scenarios involving pools, cars, perverts entering the house, and other miscellaneous "mom nightmares"...but still thinking that Mike will call back at any minute.
5 minutes, no call...10 minutes, no call...15 minutes, almost home, so I can't take it & I call. No answer. So I keep calling...finally Mike answers.

Mike: I've got her, we just got back.
Me: *just got back??* You just got back? What?

Apparently Mike made the mistake of using the restroom without telling Kiernan. She thought everybody left & decided to follow on foot. Mike got in the car and found her a block & a half away walking down the middle of the frontage road of a major street(West Ave. for those who live here).

Aren't I past this part of child hood? Can't I relax just a little? I just lost another year off of my life...I am now officially 50 years old. (see "my kids are trying to kill me")

Real jobs, pretend jobs, & everything in between.

2007-10-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, I know it's been awhile. Okay all you moms out there let's all say it together..."Life is crazy. It never stops. What's my name? Eat?!?...Eat when?".

Seriously, for a chick who supposedly just sits around the house (just ask my husband), I'm loosing my mind! I'm currently working on the craft booth because I'm going to shut it down. So the goal for the moment is to make up as much stuff as I can, shove it all in the booth & hope it all sells over Christmas.

"What, your closing the booth?" you ask. Yes, I'm closing the booth. Why? Because I live in California. California is expensive. California is really expensive. I'm telling you it's been years since I've had the money grumpies. You know, when your grumpy because you don't have any.

So we've come to the conclusion that I need a "real job", not a "self-employed, part-time, seamstress, designer, decorater, painter, work only when your friends need something job". Hmmm, do I really need to wonder why it's not working out?

So, besides the craft booth I've been working at Jakes school, looking for a job, manipulating my family into helping with the kids so I can get a job, sitting at the computer manipulating the money that we do have so it looks like more (and trying to hide the money I spent before I realized we didn't have any), doing my calling, and filling in the holes with all that "mom stuff". Frankly, I can barely remember my kids names at this point. Lets not even talk about the holidays coming up.

So far Jack & Carolyn aren't feeling too neglected yet. *hmmm, that doesn't sound right* But, they are still a little turned around about living in someone elses house. K keeps asking when we can leave this house & go back to her old one.

So, I'm sorry guys...life is busy. If I've neglected you, not called, not emailed, ignored, blown off, or otherwise offended you in some way, sorry. It's not personal, I have kids, ;)

Barbeques, Birthdays, and Ballgames...Oh My!

2007-10-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

I thought I was busy in Texas, I really did. Now I realize I wasn't actually busy, I just really filled my time up. Here, in California, everybody else is filling my time up. You see, it's very different.

Instead of taking a whole day to run personal errands (translation- wander around Target aimlessly until I see someone I know, or fill my cart...whatever happens first) & lunch with friends, here we have all of these "obligations". Take last saturday for example...

6:30 am - Hot air balloon festival & breakfast with sister's family & friends

9:30 am - Jake's soccer game

10 am - Craft festival with Mom

11:30 am- Cal Ripken league practice

Afternoon - Misc. errands to prepare for...

4 pm-10:30 pm - company tailgate & Fresno State football game with Coleman family.

10:30 - Crash & burn in the car on the way home & sleep like the dead until Mike rolls us into the house

*Note - No, I didn't attend all of the activities listed above, Mike & I have perfected the art of "divide & conquer". I'm in charge of the girl's team, he's in charge of the boys. These days we're like ships passing in the night, giving each other high fives as we pass each other in the driveway.

Every week is like this, there's a barbeque, or a birthday, or church activity, or family member needing attention, or whatever. I LOVE IT! *i hate it* I LOOOOVE IT!!! *i think i hate it* IT'S GREAT!!! FAMILY ROCKS!!! *i'm living with it*

To be totally honest, I DO love it, but man...am I tired. *yawn*

I'm sorry...you killed what?

2007-09-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that I'm living in my in-laws house while they are away on their mission in Salt Lake City. It has been a great help to us & we have found living here to be very comfortable. It is, however, not without it's challenges. I'd like to share one with you.

Four days before Kiernans big outdoor birthday party I'm at home getting "party clean" (this is different from "daily clean", "toxic juice spill clean", and the ever popular "throw everything in the closet clean") when there's a knock on the door. I go to answer it & find The Colemans yard care guy, Sergio, at the door.

"I finished the yard", he tell's me.

Every week he does the yard...he's never felt the need to tell me before.

"Ooookaaay" I tell him, while racking my brain trying to decide if I need to give him a tip or something.

"Be sure to turn off the automatic sprinklers, I killed the grass" he says.

"Oookaaay, I'll tell Mike to turn them...YOU WHAT?!?" I must have heard that wrong.

"I killed the grass like Mr. Jim asked. "

Crap...I heard him right. "Why did we kill the grass?" I ask.

"To plant fresh grass in the fall" he says.

Seriously?

Apparently Mr. Jim changes the grass like other people change socks.

Well, the grass was only a little dead for the party. Now however, it's REALLY dead. How dead, you ask? Check out the pictures to see.

I thought it would be a problem for the kids because they've really enjoyed playing in the yard. I was wrong. Apparently the kids would play in an african mine field If they had a ball & large enough open area.

My main problem with the dead grass scenario is this; if your nice neat neighbors moved out & their kids moved in, and suddenly the yard looked like this...what would you think?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

The Looooooong Day.

2007-09-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well, add me to the list of people down with strep throat. I blame my sister. She, however blames me. Kiernan got it from school (I think) & gave it to Jake, who gave it to Jordyn & Evan, who then gave it to Lukas & Stefanie. They shared it with mom & now I have it. *Dang it* I realized today that there are a lot of things that I've shared with my sisters that I haven't shared with any other people. I have a mental list:

Food & Drinks (this includes sharing glasses & utensils)
Houses (Both have lived with me, frightening...I know)
Kids (Hey, what's mine is yours)
Music
Friends (Not a good thing as teenagers)
Toilets (Yes, simultaneously. This means you Stef)
Gas (Don't ask, it's not the car kind. This means you Michelle)
Colds
Inside jokes (Michelle, need a Tic Tac? Stef, how 'bout some flying Italian Soda? Yum.)
Good ideas
Bad ideas
Hair colors (Brunette, Blond & Red)
Cars (I can't believe you sold my Mustang)
Vacations (too many to count)

Anyways, now we're sharing yet another cold, which makes me cranky. I'm exhausted & was working on stuff all morning for the craft booth when I finally crashed & had to take a nap. 3 hours later I woke up sicker, crankier, and still just as tired. Mike knows this. I told him, "I'm sick, cranky & tired"...just like that. Over the next 20 minutes he asked me 3 questions that made me wonder why I have to be the girl in this relationship? Frankly, if I were the boy, I'd still be in bed RIGHT NOW! But, I'm not. Here's what he asked: "Are you going to get the drycleaning?", "What's for dinner?", and finally "Have you paid PG&E? You should really get that done." *Blink* Seriously?

Okay, here's the sad part. Since those comments 3 hours ago, after biting his head off for these very comments, I have been to the drycleaner, grocery shopped for the week, paid all of the bills, balanced the checkbook, & made dinner...all with the kids in tow because he went to a church activity. Now I want to die.

On a side note: While I made dinner & coughed up a lung tonight Jake went across the street to play with two other boys his age. I had Kiernan stay home with me which didn't go over well. I let her babble hysterically for about 20 minutes when finally I caught a bit of what she was screeching at me. I thought I heard this wrong...but I didn't.

ME: Kiernan, what did you just say?

Kiernan: *incoherent screeching*

ME: SLOW DOWN! Now breath & say that again.

Kiernan: *gasp* Mommy, you CUT MY HEART OUT!!!! You won't let me go play*sob*and now my heart hurts....you CUT IT OUT!!!

ME: I'm sorry. *snicker*

Some wierd switch flipped when she turned four & her vocabulary doubled. Her sarcasm level tripled, and her sass quadrupled! My other favorite comment from this week was when she caught her dad popping chocholate chips for a midday snack.

KIERNAN: Dad, whats that?

MIKE: Nothing

KIERNAN: I want some.

MIKE: Of what?

Kiernan: That. *pointing at his mouth*

Mike: Okay. *picking up a stale gold fish cracker from the counter* Here you go.

Kiernan: *Glares at the stale goldfish & squeaks* NO DAD....I don't want your STINKING goldfish! I want THAT! *Points at his mouth, again*

Okay, seriously..."stinking" golfish? Where does she hear this stuff?

So today I have stocked my booth some more (which essentially means I worked), hung out with my snotty sister & our sick kids, Cooked, shopped, been emotionally tore up by a 4 yr old & done other miscellaneous activities with strep throat.

Tomorrow...I sleep. Or die trying.

Princesses don't pick...

2007-09-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

This one is for you, Amber. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This is K in the dress we got her for her birthday...don't ask how much it cost, I had a brain hemmorage at the cash register & can't remember anything that happened in that store. The first picture is her pretty princess pose. The second, is her checking out a boogey she picked with her lovely white satin gloves. Precious.

Okay, so I'm living viccariously through my 4 yr-old...if the dress had fit, yes, I would have put it on! This is also her halloween costume, and dinner attire for when we go to Disneyland in November. It's also a possible nightgown, church dress, swimsuit, or curtains...whatever will get me the most money out of it, considering what I paid.

My kids are trying to kill me

2007-09-05T04:23:00.000-07:00

It's 4 in the morning & I can't sleep. I keep thinking about all of the things I need to do before I leave for Texas thursday morning (tomorrow). A few of the more annoying items being things like buying soccer shoes, writing a minute by minute itenierary for the kids activities, finish making a gazillion bow boards for the boutique, packing bags for me, mike & the kids (4 seperate bags...we're all going in different directions), find the source of the stink in my kitchen...oh yeah, and wash my hair(not to mention the rest of me). When I can't sleep I make lists in my head, hoping that I'll get so bored I'll fall asleep, while simultaneusly comitting things I need to recall to memory. I found myself pretty entertained by the following list & thought I would share it:

I'm calculating my actual age by deducting a year off of my life for each medical emergency that my kids have put me through. Here's what I came up with-
K-seizures, 2 day hospital stay due to subdural hematoma (I get 5 years for this one)
J-Falling down the stairs (top to bottom)
J-ER visit for possible intestinal blockage, the pediatricians exact words were "Go straight to Childrens Hospital, as fast as you can". What he should have said was "your kid has raging diaharrea...strap him into a car seat & drive 20 minutes while he screams bloody murder so that 2 minutes before you get to the ER he can poop his pants, car seat, car, & mom and feel instantly better." Good times.
J-ER visit for internal bleeding at 2 in the morning. What it actually was was the Red Cherry Icee that he chugged at Target as a bribe so that I could shop in peace. Who knew throw up could be SO red?
K-911 call,Abulance & fire truck to our house-During a "nap" she decided to try & swallow a hair clippy. She then choked on it for 5 minutes while I screamed at the 911 lady about her blue face, eyes rolling back in her head, & coughing up blood. Precisley 20 seconds before the ambulance pulled up she choked it up. The ambulance people kept wanting to check out the hysterical woman holding the smiling little girl & waving a bloody hair clip in the air. Again, I get 5 years for this one.
J-Falling down the stairs. (yes again)
K-Leaping off the front of the ski boat as Mike throws it into gear to pull a skiier up. 'Nuf said.
K-ER visit for screwing a nut (yes, a nut. As in nuts & bolts) on to her finger so tightly that it required medical intervention to get off. This one was kind of fun, they gave her drugs so that she wouldn't remember the "incident". She giggled uncontrollably & told us we were funny for about an hour.

Well, let's see. If I add these years on to my life (currently age 33) I actually become...49!!! Holy heck! I knew it! I'm basically a 30 year old in a 50 year old body. My kids are trying to kill me! (If they don't manage to kill themselves in the process)

Barbie has fabulous teeth!

2007-09-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

I made a big mistake this week. I bought Kiernan "Barbie Toothpaste". Well, it's not actually toothpaste made by Mattel, it's good old fashioned Colgate...but it has a stunning picture of Barbie on it, probably taken at a multi-million dollar fashion shoot for A DOLL! I digress. So K was so excited to get this very fashionable toothpaste that she had to use it the minute she found it under my bed. (Apparently I carried the bag all the way to my room & instead of unpacking it I proceeded to move it from dresser to bed to nightstand to sewing table to (finally) under my bed where it seems to have finally gotten out of my way.) Kiernan found it a week later...I'm still not sure why she was under there. She was so excited to use it that when she came to ask me if her teeth looked shiny, I made the mistake of telling her "Yes, they look beautiful...just like Barbie Teeth". Oops. I now find her about 6 times a day in the bathroom brushing her teeth. Now you might say this is a good thing, I am a little less sure of that. Thank goodness I didn't tell her SHE actually looked like Barbie, She'd probably be chugging the stuff after every meal. Unreal...She just now came to me for the second time since I started typing to ask if her teeth looked like barbie teeth? *translation-She just took another hit of Colgate!*

While I find the idea of her brushing her teeth willingly, and regularly, a blessing. I have to wonder at the effects of chugging 8 oz. of toothpaste a day on a 4 year olds internal organs. HOWEVER...if in fact she does start to look like Barbie I'm buying a tube for myself & adding it to all my recipes!

The day Krispy Kreme died

2007-08-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

Jacob asked me yesterday, "Mom, how come Krispy Kreme closes everywhere you live?". *perplexed frown* "Well Jake, I don't think it's personal."

Frankly, no Krispy Kreme should ever close in a town I live in...my PMS days alone should keep the dang place in business. Let alone cranky days, bored days, shopping days, hungry days, fat days, driving on that side of town days, lost a few pounds days, and any day I decide I've earned it. Which is every day I get out of bed.

To celebrate Krispy Kremes last day in Fresno my sister & I took the kids for one last hit of fluffy, hot, sugary deliciousness. Now let me preface this by stating that I told my sister we could share a half dozen (the kids all had their own bags). Usually I only do two donughts here, I figured three would be a fond farewell. When I arrived at KK my sis had already ordered for all of us because the lines were so stinkin' long for their last day. (Where were these people when KK was deciding whether to stay in business or not. I'd always done my share to support the local fluffy, hot, sugary, deliciousness industy!) Anyways...She informed me that this may be the last KK I may ever eat!!! *gasp...really?* So, yes, I agreed to the Hot & Now dozen! To see how we fared check out the attached pictures. Let's just say that I always pull my weight when doughnuts are involved. When she said, "Look just one left, you may never get this chance again." I knew I couldn't shirk my doughnut duty.

I wanted to throw up all day.

Been there, Done that...

2007-08-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, seriously...didn't I already do this school thing when I was a kid?

When I had kids nobody told me that I was going to have to relive every "first day of school" that I've ever had through my kids! Not only that, but i had to do all the "mom work" too...turning in papers, going to doctors, getting shots (Okay, maybe they did do that, but I had to pay for the ice cream bribes that I thoughtlessly threw out while they screamed like they were having major body parts amputated), let's see...oh yeah, the back to school night, soccer sign ups, school clothes shopping, school supply shopping, stress, worry, and general trauma (again, me...not them). I didn't sleep for two nights. When the day finally came they took off onto the playground the second we hit the school property & NEVER. LOOKED. BACK.! After all of that, not even one longing glance back at mommy. Nope, it was sayonara sister, while I stood at the gate hoping (yes, I really thought this) that no one would play with them so that I'd have an excuse to follow them on to campus to provide comfort. No such luck. As a matter of fact, Jake didn't even want me to walk him to school the next day. My little 6 yr old wanted me to stay home so that he could "Do it himself". *yeah right mister* Why do I have to relive my first day of school drama's (mentally at least), while my children are secure enough to not give it a second thought. Well, hopefully it won't happen every year...hopefully I'll mature enough to be able to deal with the first day jitters. At least by the time they hit high school.

The Coleman Family

MoMs...

My awesome kid!!

Baby Sister gets a shower...not because she stinks!

Retro blogging

Things to come...

The gifts that keep on giving....

the best gifts...

Nearly done with Christmas

What's going on...

Why my daughter is a Diva...

Over the river, and through the woods...

countdown

Riddle

Road Trippin'

Raking the pool

Angels in the outfield, or out in the fields...

Boo's Easter Dress

Friends & Family Texas Style

Baptism Day

Doing it the Disney way

Naked House

25 Random Things About Me...

Looking for a tasty treat?

Dance Fever

Coleman Family Snow Trip 2009

For Amber

Kiernans Bedroom

Camera Rage

Any takers?

Birthday Part II

Happy Birthday to Me!

What I Like About You...

Baby Teeth *shiver*

Aaaack, I can't choose!

Before and After

Open houses and other issues

Kiernans Christmas List

Here's dirt in your eye

Where we are

the anatomy of a princess

Halloween II

Eeanie Meanie Halloweenie

Pumpkin Carving 101

Purple People Eaters

BOYS!

Pickin' Punkins!

Tag. You're it!

Texas Update

Happy Birthday Kiernan!

If you've got it call me!

Back to school

It's an illness..

Drama-Rama

60 years together...

Beach Vacation

Birthday girl Bella!

It's called a George

A little slice of life...

The Curse. Continued. Again.

Hey Batta, Batta!

Why I do what I do.

There's no place like home...wherever that is?

Happy Birthday Lukas!

Bad Blogger.

The Curse. Continued...

Minivan Momma and the Curse of the Caravan

Lost & Found

When theres a note on your door...

A Day At The Beach. Part II

A Day At The Beach. Part I

Happy Birthday Jacob!!

This, is how you do it...

And So It Begins....

Snow much fun!!

I left my friend in San Francisco...

All of this can be yours...

Moving on, in, up, oh whatever...

Where's the Bean!?!

Merry Chris"blog"mas

Baby Teeth shiver