Perfect Timing

So this may seem like an awkward picture, but it has an AMAZING story.  I went to our Walmart which is expanding to a Super Walmart.  They happen to be putting a LOT on clearance.  So I wandered through the isle not finding much, but found Faux Wood 2" Blinds on MAJOR clearance for $2 & $3!!!!  That was it!!  They were regularly $35-$50.  What a STEAL!  I grabbed all that there were, and they happen to work in our house.  I just took them to Home Depot, who shortens the width of the blinds for FREE, then had to shorten the length myself at home . . . and VIOLA!  It's a beautiful thing!  I went back and they had a few more for $10, but now my living room is almost complete (with exception to the triangle windows up high), my TV room, and Owen's bedroom.  I bought $350 worth for $60.  AMAZING isn't it!  They look SO much better than the cheep PINK and ROYAL BLUE metal blinds that were there before.  I'm very excited at the new look!  {Now to get rid of that awful pink paint!}

Side Note:  The girls gave me those pretty Orchids for my birthday!  I've become a cRaZy gardener that Googles everything to see how to baby it.  Love it!!

Like Father . . . Like Son

Yesterday Jason & I went to play Disc Golf with a friend, and had to take Owen & Meg with us.  The course is at our local Junior High; has 18 holes and is a lot of fun!  Owen wanted to be our caddy.  He carried two sometimes three discs at once.  He wants to be JUST like his dad, and LOVES to show it!  We looked back a couple times at him to make sure he kept up, and noticed he was practicing his throws immediately after seeing Jason throw his, and threw his JUST like his dad.  The two that were unexpected and made us laugh were these:  the first one he walked right up to the trees and threw it in the bushes . . . . . . the second one he walked up to a tree and threw it right at its trunk!  Jason is a good player, but it just goes to show that little boys want to grow up to be JUST like their daddys even when they make mistakes! :)

Update On Garden

  

  

 

{This post is dedicated to my mothers, Barbara & Cindy, for their beautiful gardens}

This year I have been worried about having a garden successfully grow.  Last year I bought cheep plastic from Walmart that is supposed to keep out the weeds, which in turn made EVERYTHING get root rot.  So this year, I was smarter and bought the material from a Greenhouse.  Which I am so glad I did.  It keeps out the weeds, but also keeps the soil warmer longer.  And with our summer this year being so cold, it's REALLY helped.  All in all, my garden is growing, even though it's slower than normal.  I have:

• Green Cabbage - My leaves are getting HUGE.  The directions said to plant 18" apart, but I'm affraid it will crush my lettuce next to it.
• Strawberries - I planted 14 plants in hopes to get "some" strawberries this year.  I had at least 10 to pick a few weeks ago, but unfortunately the next day BIRDS ate them ALL. Resulting in buying bird net to protect them. 
  
• Squash & Zucchini - I planted 2 squash & 3 zucchinis.  Theses are the slowest to mature, but one plant has finally bloomed!
• Romaine Lettuce - I am surprised at how huge these have gotten!  They are bigger than our big beach bucket!  At least 14" tall!
• Green Leaf Lettuce - These are also surprisingly growing large!  We will be eating a LOT of salad!!  :D
• Green Onions - These are left over from last year, the ONLY thing that didn't die.  That's why they are so tall.  Hopefully still edible!
• Cherry Tomatoes - These are taller than Kali!!  4' tall from ground up.  The plants say they wont need extra support, but I bought cages for them regardless!  
• Sitka Roses - These were here when we bought the house and I LOVE them.  The trees are taller than me, and they produce beautiful pink and white roses.  Personally, I think they are the best smelling flower out there!  When petals fall off we put them in a bowl inside the house to enjoy the yummy, can't get enough of, smell.

I NEVER thought I'd be a gardener, but I think I am hooked!  It's so fun to watch something grow, and then everyone is impressed when I tell them that they are eating something I grew!

Air Show

           

This weekend was a fun weekend!  We went to the USAF Air Show and saw LOTS of planes/jets & LOTS of demos.  Our favorite was of course the F-22. What an AMAZING machine!  During it's demo it stalled in mid air for a while . . . CRaZy . . . then later tail dragged so slow at 90 knots (like 46 mph) the length of the runway.  It also demoed how it escorts unidentified planes.  We had the Thunderbirds up here as well, but we were by far more amazed with the F-22 Raptor than the group of Thunderbirds.  But it was amazing to watch them fly together.  We also went into the old fighter P-51 who's demo pilot was out of his mind with the crazy stunts that he did!  Very fun to watch.  And who could forget the Parachute Team that had the American & Alaskan Flags flying beneath them.  After the demo's we went into the C-17 cargo plane {a friend of ours in our ward flies this one}.  We got to climb up into the cockpit and even looked out the peep-hole!  The kids had so much fun . . . we're definitely going next year!!

Mowing The Lawn

Today was a first!  I went outside to mow the lawn today and while I did, Owen wanted to jump on the trampoline.  He was so cute just jumping all by himself yelling to say something to me every now and then.  When the back yard was halfway done he kept yelling "Nap . . . Nap" to me.  I asked him if that is what he wanted to do and "Uh huh" is what he said.  I didn't think he was that tired though to fall asleep on the trampoline!!  I left him there for about an hour, then moved him to his crib.  

Happy Mother We Love You Flower Easter Egg Hunt

During the same time that I was mowing the lawn, the girls were off in the bike trails next to our house & riding their bikes.  After I emptied the bag, it dawned on me that I should go check on them to make sure they were ok.  They hurried home, and to my surprise they went right inside.  Didn't think much of it, but they were inside the rest of the time.  Weird . . . on a day like today they are normally off into their swimsuits running around the back yard.  When the lawn was finished I came inside to check on them, and they yelled . . . "Close your eyes, it's a surprise!"  They had me start at the dining table and said joyfully "HAPPY MOTHER WE LOVE YOU FLOWER EASTER EGG HUNT!" Then told me to walk all over the house to find flowers just like the ones they perfectly lined around the table.  They were at the computer, the bathroom, laundry room, lined up the stairs, kitchen, Jason & my nightstand, my rocking chair, on the TV . . . everywhere!

I have to tell you my first reaction though.  Just before they had me start I thought "are these MY flowers from MY tree" and "I told you guys you're not supposed to pick flowers!!!!!!"  . . . . . But today was MY DAY and I enjoyed the moment!!  

Owen Hits Big #2

     

Owen turned a woppin' two today!!  We love our Owen!!  He adds a lot of lax to our house while showing his boyish side of life.  He loves playing Polly Pocket & Kitchen/Playhouse with the girls, yet THRIVES on his cars, balls, blocks and manly stuff!  He had a great birthday and got a hammer from his dad to help out with man jobs, $ from both of his Great-Grand's, and apparently something he will LOVE . . . Star Wars Galactic Heroes {chunky Star Wars figurines} from both his Grandparents.  The videos are pretty funny of him checking them out for the first time.  Then . . . we got on iChat with Uncle Jeff to wish him a happy birthday {they share the same b-day} . . . Happy Birthday Jeff!

Arctic Valley Hike

 

We went on a hike with a bunch of friends up Arctic Valley this week.  The snow was surprisingly still there in the top bowl.  I convinced some of my young women to slide down the snow with me on our coats, which drew the attention of the younger kids, and even the moms.  It was a perfect hill, not too long, but steep enough to gain some speed and get some thrills off of.  But at the bottom when the snow ended, all you had was brush to run into. Making for some pretty interesting crash landings!!!  I took Meg & Kali individually down the hill on my lap.  We gained WAY TOO MUCH SPEED and had the best crashes out there.  No one got a picture of Meg's crash, but she flew off my lap and did a cartwheel in the air and landed on her feet.  All the boys Meg likes to hang out with {8-10 yrs old} came rushing over and said "Meg are you ok!!!??? That was TOTALLY COOL!!"  Meg's face went from freaked out/scared to proud/boastful.  I guess all it takes is boys to change a girls attitude and outlook! :D  The picture of Kali is above, and the outcome wasn't as climactic as her sisters.  She came out of it with snow up her shirt, hands raw and cold, and freaked out cause her mom just steamrolled the heck out of her!!! {Multiple Times!}  The pic looks like we could've broken something! Unfortunately no boys came rushing to her aid.  It's times like these that make me think about teenage life for my two girls . . . Kali will be beautiful and probably have boyfriends . . . while Meg will be hilarious and only have boys as her friends.  As long as they get along, I really don't care!! 

A Rare Occasion

 

Today the kids REALLY, REALLY wanted to play on the Slip-n-Slide.  The slip-n-slide is really a lot of fun, but with the water that comes out of our hose, it's not as pleasant.  Our water in Alaska comes out freezing cold, which when you drink is heaven, but when used outside it's misery.  This literally lasted three runs down the slip-n-slide {mainly due to demanding pictures}, and one time down for Owen.  Next time we'll have to hook the hose up to the utility sink in the garage.  It might run out our hot water fast, but the fun just might last longer than two minutes!

Memorial Weekend

 

We went to my parents cabin for Memorial Weekend.  It wasn't as warm as we would've liked, but we still had a lot of fun playing games, watching movies, and playing in the lake.  Hopefully 4th of July will be MUCH warmer!!  Then we can dump the kids off the tube without them screaming to death of cold water :D  

{Meg is in the boat with Grandpa & Kali is on the 

tube with her cousins Tallon & Mace}