Sunrise....Sunset....

Sunrise.....
Sunset.....

This is the beautiful sunset my niece was talking about on her blog. It seems like those are the pictures I always take.....I forget to grab the camera when the kids are doing something fun or what not. My collection has years and years worth of sunsets. This year I messed with the settings on my camera and got some different pictures and that was cool. This sunset picture was taken during the Antelope Complex Fire and the sky was just beautiful. We were fortunate enough to only have one day of smoke in the air, the rest of the time the smoke was hanging over the mountain ranges that surround the lake. The sunrise picture - surprising that I caught it really - was more about the mist that was hanging over the lake. I had never really seen it like that in the summer time. And sure enough about an hour later the mist was gone. The kids and I were so lucky to have had the opportunity to spend a good deal of time up at the lake. And the best times are during the week when the population goes down so much. You can have a whole day and see only 1 or 2 boats on the lake - now that is peaceful!

Back to reality! The kids start school on Tuesday. Yeah! - They got the teachers I wanted for them....! On Monday they have a back-to-school picnic that I hope that I can make - if civic duty interruptous doesn't take that away from me - I'll be happy. I thought about postponing my jury duty but last time my group was dismissed the Friday before, no such luck this time! Bummer. I had a scheduled appt. for service on my car for Monday, that I'll have to reschedule now. And I can't miss the first day of school on Tuesday. What fun is being a stay-at-home mom if you miss the first day of school......I'm already dreading the drive out there. Had it not been for this article in the paper a few weeks ago I probably wouldn't be so anxious about it. All that mess makes me nervous. The Butte County Fair starts on Wednesday so I know we'll be making a few trips to Gridley and have to pass through there multiple times. Yuck! So I'm having a change of heart - yesterday it was that my group would not be called - now I'm going with "I'll be dismissed within the first hour"!....Now say that with me...."She'll be dismissed within the first hour".....Keep going.....The power of the secret.....I should finish that book!

Our Fashionista

This is how I found Karlee one day in the kitchen watching the boob tube..... This is the girl that changes her clothes 5 times a day.....She can't just throw a shirt on - it's two shirts minimum and layered just so.....Usually with a belt around her waist. And apparently this is the appropriate way to lay on the kitchen floor when wearing a skirt!

I'm sure I have a little to do with the fashion thing - although I fail miserably at it myself - so not sure where she's gotten that part of it. But when she was little I loved dressing her up. I had some great hand me downs from my sister and I liked shopping for her. Which is kind of funny considering how much I dislike shopping all together! I think it's the art smart thing coming through. Now if I could get her to care about her room the same way she does her clothes I'd have it made!.....She's always good for putting a smile on my face though.....

Happy Birthday Baby!

I can still remember this day exactly from seven years ago. At this time (2:15 PM) we were just getting into the room at the hospital. I remember not really knowing what would actually happen. I remember telling my sister early in the morning that I thought today was the day and she left to go to Westwood to pick up my 16 year old niece who was going to view the birth (we called it good birth control). Anyway I called my husband around 9 AM and told him that the pain was about every 5 minutes and he said he'd finish things up around the office and come home. I called my mom who had spent the weekend with me as Kevin had been out of town, she'd gone home on Monday and here it was the next morning and it was time - I guess it was all the walking around Costco we'd done the day before. I then called my mother-in-law at work and told her she'd need to come to the house and watch Karlee as it was time. Of all days, she car pooled and didn't have a way home. My sister called about 10 AM to tell me that she'd had road construction all the way up there but that she was on her way back and she'd get there as soon as she could - I told her that Shannon would have to stay with Karlee until Saralee got there from work. Around 10 AM I called the doctors office and explained that the contractions had been every 5 minutes for the last hour. She told me that I'd need to get the hospital before too long. About an hour later Kevin still wasn't home and I called him again as now I was doubling over with each contraction and he said he'd be there before too long. My sister got there around 12:30 and Kevin was still not there. We were considering leaving without him but he finally got there about 1:30 and they jumped into the car and off we went - I remember how weird it was driving down the street towards the hospital in the middle of the day - everyone carrying on in there normal lives as we were on our way to bring a new life into the world. Strange! Anyway the nurse checked us into the room and left us and then the pain was really coming. My sister went out into the hallway looking for the nurse because she thought I was ready to start pushing and the nurse came back into the room like a 1/2 hour later and she was like "oh, I guess we better get the doctor here". At one point my sister whispered into my ear that she had a meeting to go to at 5:30 and could I hurry it up a bit. And sure enough there was my beautiful baby boy - Kyle Warren, 7 lbs. 8 oz., 21 inches, born at 4:08 PM. The nurse said at one point that it was a good thing I got into the car at the time I did or I might have had my baby at home.... I got to hold Kyle before they cleaned him up and it was amazing. I think I knew it was a boy the whole time. It was the same for me with Karlee - I was sure it was a girl the whole time. We didn't have any girls names picked out. Just Kyle - and so there it is......He's my love!

Matching DNA?

I think this is so funny.....They seriously have matching heads!

My boys.....

Okay so here's the story behind this. One evening I was sitting at my desk and Kevin & Kyle were sitting in the chair behind me. I turned around only to see the backs of there heads and was astonished to find that they matched. They have the same smile as well. When Kevin's aunt sees Kyle she tells me that he looks just like Kevin when he was a little boy. She says the same thing about Karlee but I'm not convinced.....The color in Kyle's hair is from the color gel they put in it when he gets his haircut. Oh joy....! Must have been a hair cut day for the boys.

And We're Off (Part 2)

And this is our room (and now it really is a room with a door)
My sister's favorite bed.......
The livingroom with the new windows
The kids room (or sort of).....

And We're Off!

And this is where you'll find us.....

So the bags are getting packed and the last bit of shopping will be done in the morning. And then it's "See Ya!" We're getting out of the heat - I hear it's coming. We leave in the morning and aren't coming back until the 15th. We are going to the lake for our annual 4th of July trip - later than usually - but I'm going to let that one go...... I'm looking forward to spending time on the boat, going for walks, hanging out in the sun and playing with my kids on the lawn. We found our Bocce ball set last weekend and plan to have a game or two! We have our bikes up there too.

And there are just a few things left to do from the remodel - hang up a tool holder and finish the electrical in the lean-to. And then it's done! I guess I still have to pick out window coverings for our bedroom - the windows are so beautiful now I hate to cover them up. Kevin did such a great job on all of the wood work. I love how he kept as much of the old knotty pine wood as he could. It's been a long haul, but so worth it. Last year at this time we spent our nights on the floor in the living room. We'd roll up the sleeping bags in the morning and lean an old mattress against the wall til night fall. We basically camped inside the cabin last summer. We didn't have running water until mid June and no shower until the 3rd of July. Having Kevin's Aunt & Uncle nearby saved us from stinking up the neighborhood. Prior to that we stayed in a trailer. We love being there that it didn't deter us. It was funny to us that know one else wanted to come and stay unless they had a bed to sleep in......Oh Well!

So be sure and visit me again after the 15th - I'm sure I'll have some new photos to share and I'll give you the update! Happy 4th of July!

Toothless Grin

2 hours, 59 minutes later......

Kyle had to have 4 teeth pulled last Thursday. My kids have both missed a step when it comes to teeth - they get new teeth before the old ones come out.... So we took Kyle in for his teeth to be pulled and I had know idea what to expect. We had a follow-up visit to the orthodontist on Monday and they sent us back to the dentist. Since they are both in the same complex we just went straight over to make the appt. When I asked Kyle if he wanted to do it on that Thursday he flew under the coffee table in the waiting area and said "I'm not getting my teeth pulled". Of course I was mortified and thought great....... So anyway it all worked out we made the appt. and on Thursday morning Kyle woke up early, got dressed and came into my room and said "Mom is today the day?" I'm thinking how do I answer that one - So in my big girl grown up voice I tell him - you bet it is....!?! So we go through the process and Kyle was great - no tears, no screaming, no kicking - and thankfully no shoe print on his forehead! You know from my foot on there holding him down!.....

So on our way out the door Dr. Lange tells me to keep him out of the pool until at least 3 pm - of course this is when I go into panic mode. He also says have him rest for a couple of hours, you know take it easy. Yeah right! My kids practically live in the pool these days and half the pool water ends up on the outside from all the jumping. Had I been smart I'd have fed the kids before the 12 noon appt., but remember I just said I wasn't smart. So I took them to Blockbuster to get a video and then next door to get a milkshake at Baskin Robbins and we were still in the pool by 2:59. Whew!