Family Photos

Just some pics we had taken for our Christmas card. It was cold and the sun was very bright and Garrett and Gavin were not cooperating. I swear, Garrett wanted to push me in the waterfall. We still managed to get some nice pics though. Thank you to Chris for the photo shoot!

Oh, and yes, that's Gavin sitting in time-out because he kept trying to run across the street.

Halloween 2009

So, I'm a terrible blogger, I know. I'm going to try to be better.

Here are some pictures from Halloween. Garrett was Jasper but I don't have any pictures of him. Seems kinda creepy that we were the villains and Gavin was such a cute, helpless little dalmation.
I think someone even commented that he shouldn't go home with his parents.

Thanks for the awesome costumes, Mr. McBride!

Love a good deal!

Today, I bought a pair of $70 knee-high black dressy boots for $3.02!!!

Yes, you read that right. I'm so very proud of myself and hope to post a picture of them soon. I've been planning to purchase a pair of dressier boots this season and, being the coupon-clipper that I am, I finally figured out a way that I could afford them.

Here's how I did it: The boots were on sale at Kohl's for $41.00 (which was a pretty dang good deal anyway) and then I had a 15% off coupon good for this weekend. Then, I had a $10 off coupon that my wonderful mother so lovingly gave to me. Then, I had a merchandise voucher from a gift that I had returned earlier this summer. So, yes, I ended up paying $3.02 for a pair of very stylish, very comfortable boots.

I love Kohl's and I love a good deal!

Oregon/ Washington Road Trip

Here are a few pics from our trip to Depot Bay earlier this month. What a blast! More details to follow...

Easter Saturday

Easter weekend is one of my favorites. Since way before I was born, my mom's family has gathered together for a weekend of camping, four-wheeling, and Easter festivities. I remember how cool we thought we were when our parents let us drive the 4-wheelers without supervision. I could seriously go on forever about the fun we had. It used to be a much larger event but these days, we usually just get together for a few hours on the Saturday before Easter. This year, we got rained out the first Saturday. We still had fun around the campfire so we decided to come back the next weekend.




Here are some cute pics for your viewing pleasure. Gavin had his cousin Andrew helping him on the Easter egg hunt, and as you can see, they hit the jackpot! It worked well because we didn't want the candy so we gave it to Andrew and Gavin really only cared about the colorful plastic eggs anyway.

Gavin's New Ride

It's been a while since I posted anything so I thought I'd post a few cute pics of Gavin's cute little car we were handed down from a good friend.

He was scared to ride at first. You can see his sad face.

This is about a month later and he's still scared to push the button. However, every day when we come home, he points to the little car, makes his cute little car noise and tries to climb in. He always wants to ride but he never stays on very long. He's still learning to steer so most of the time, he ends up on the grass or in the gravel.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

One of the best things about genealogy is finding out where you came from. Even though our Irish ancestry is a few people back on my fathers side, we still like to play it up. I tried to take a few pics of Gavin with his 'pimp' glasses but he wouldn't stand still. This is the best I got before I had to go to work.

Annual Sledding Party

We've been going to Mutual Dell every year for the past few years. It's a blast to hang with my family (cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles) and have yummy food at the cabin. Here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Funny Hat

I stole this picture from my niece. My bro-in-law has this awesome hat and he let Gavin wear it for a while. I'm a fan. I'm biased, but I think he looks pretty dang cute!

Craftastrophe's

I got this link from my cousin. I thought it was some seriously funny stuff. Check it out when you have a second. You may just find something you're interested in...

http://craftastrophe.net

4 really good years

We recently celebrated our 4th anniversary by going on a date (yes, a date!). We went to dinner and a movie with our good friends, Dan & Julie. The movie: Taken. Fantastic to say the least. We're still talking about it. The dinner: Spaghetti Mama's. Still good, even under new ownership. A little more expensive these days so maybe I'll have to start making my own butter and mazithra spaghetti. Yum!
I love my hubby! He is so good with our son and so good to me. I couldn't ask for any more than that! The past 4 years have really been a blast!

Gavin's first piece of gum

So, the other day, I'm in the bathroom doing my hair, getting ready for work. Gavin is doing his best to empty out the drawers of all their contents - nothing out of the ordinary. Then, I hear him cough a little and I look over to find him, eyes watering, mouth foaming, trying to chew the piece of gum he had finagled out of its plastic packaging. Pretty funny. I felt a little bad as I wiped his now blood-shot eyes. What a kid.
Sad to say, I was in too much of a hurry to grab the camera and take a picture.

Some people's children

Someone broke into my husband's car and tried to steal it.

I don't know what else to say. I'm sitting at home alone with Gavin tonight and I'm nervous at every little sound I hear. The possibility has always been there - I mean, we don't live in the safest neighborhood. I guess I just thought if I stopped obsessing about the possibility of theft, it would never happen. So far, we can't see that they took anything but there were footprints in the snow and the steering column is pretty messed up. I guess I should be happy that they didn't break into the house and harm anyone or steal anything we hold precious.

So coming back to the title of this post: why are some people's children possessed to do things like this? It bugs me that while we're busy living our little lives, someone else is driving slowly past my house, scoping out the goods. I understand the state of the economy right now - it's affecting everyone, including me. But you don't see me out there, breaking other people's things, stealing the fruits of their labors.

Anyway, I'll stop ranting...

Help Wanted

I've been fortunate for the past year not to have to search too far for a reliable babysitter, but my friend who has been watching Gavin one day a week for the past few months is about to have a baby and can no longer tend him. Sad, but exciting for her. My wonderful mother and sisters have been helping me out, of which I am eternally indebted to them. However, because of our financial situation and the needs of my job, I still need a sitter one day a week, maybe two.

Here's my plea: Does anyone know of anyone who might be willing to watch my cute, sweet, hilarious, adorable son? He's pretty well behaved, doesn't cry much, takes regular naps, and looks so darn cute! I'm willing to pay.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions as well!

Better Homes and Gardens Recipe Saver

Something Cool

So, for the past few days, I've seen a heard of deer grazing about a block from my office. I don't know why, but it just made me happy to live so close to such beautiful creatures. I guess my love of wildlife stems from the Sunday mountain drives we used to take when I was a kid. I can't remember how many times we'd up the canyon looking for moose.
Anyway, There were about 8 or 10 deer just hanging out near a small group of trees, just a few feet from the road. These pictures are kinda poor because I took them by the fence. I just had to post them because they made me happy.