Photo Fiasco

A few weeks ago I got a hair-brained idea to get the boys pictures taken as a surprise for Jay and his mom, whose birthdays are in March.  Thinking this might be the only opportunity I have before we move, I went for it.  I am writing here to say that it will be the LAST time I do that, in a studio setting with three small boys on my own.  It was the morning from hell trying to coordinate all of them and get them all to cooperate....I broke a sweat and I am certain my blood pressure was thru the roof.  Naturally, Trev who is usually a happy, smiley baby was not having anything to do with it that morning and anytime we'd put him on the floor he was off and running.  Zac is NEVER one to pose nicely for any picture and the goofier he got, the less Scotty cooperated.  OY!!!  The photo lady was very patient with them, but honestly I wanted to push her aside and take over the shutter button....she was just not trigger ready at opportune times and it was driving me batty - shouldn't she be trained for this kind of thing?!!  Thus, I paid way too much for what really comes down to a half hour of complete stress and frustration!!  However, in 20 years I don't think I will regret having these pics...even if they are all not smiley, happy and perfect (click on photo to view).

Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

Zac is three years old and in every attempt to keep up with his big brother, he learned to ride his bike without training wheels this week.  Every day ever since, rain or shine, he has been outside pedaling away and getting more and more confident.  He has fallen a couple times but has just gotten back up and back on.  He is our fearless little trooper.  Today, however, the cul de sac was particularly busy with parked vehicles for one reason or another and that should've been my first clue to reign in the bike riders until the coast was clear....however, I didn't.  Then I watched Zac almost side-swipe someone's car that had parked on the street...yet another warning I did not heed.  And finally, as I was chatting with my neighbor on the porch, I watched over her shoulder in horror as my little tyke slammed head first into a trailer that was attached to a pick up truck.  YOWSA!  Seriously, I think it was an out of body experience for me as I approached him in what seemed like slow motion and literally watched the bluish-purple bump immediately swell in the middle of his forehead.  Did that really just happen right in front of me?  Is he breathing?  Am I breathing?  OMG, is that blood.....?!?!  And yes, he was wearing a helmet.  Clearly he was not wearing it correctly.  But in true Zac-Attack fashion, he popped right up (albeit screaming in agony) and was fine a moment later ready to get back on his bike.  He is FEARLESS.  Tonite we counted about 19 bruises and cuts on his body.  And it's only just the beginning.  Oy.  I guess I better make a point to pre-register him at the local ER wherever we live...

Side View

(does Star Trek come to anyone's mind?)

Mama's little Unicorn

Counting all his ouchies

Prosser 2011

This past weekend we made our first (but hopefully not last) trip to Prosser.  As mentioned in previous posts, Prosser is that place we like to go to get away, out into the country, relax and spend quality time with Grandma.  I can't even imagine a time when going back is no longer an option for us and so I make a point to never take it for granted and to enjoy every moment that I can while I am there because I don't know if, once I leave, it will ever be the same.  My grandma is so special and she is definitely a constant in my life, despite the miles we've always had between us.  Without her, the appeal of Prosser would not be as apparent.  Obviously she is one of the very reasons that place is one of my favorite places on earth and the main reason we go back as often as we can.  This visit was the first time that the boys went fishing down on my grandma's river, The Yakima River, with Jay and Uncle Scott.  They had a great time and the boys fished to their little hearts content...Scotty had fun reeling them in and Zac had fun picking them up and playing with them, though Zac caught a few on his own as well.  Three generations of Scott's have now fished the Yakima - my Grandpa, my brother and now my son....that's pretty darn cool.

Zac has a way with creatures....no fear.

Scotty reeling it in!

Mallards

I'm certain Jay was sweatin bullets trying to refrain from taken these poor ducks out

Max getting one of her first lessons in parking a car - MY CAR - in grandma's driveway

Trev enjoying some GiGi time

Portlandia

Jay and I stole away for an overnighter in Portland this past weekend.  We went to dinner at the popular Portland City Grill with Jay's cousin Zac and his wife Elaine - who is pregnant with their 2nd boy - and had a great time.  If you've ever been to Portland, you may know of this place or if you ever plan to go to Portland, you must make a point to eat there.  It is situated on the 30th floor of one of the city's tallest buildings where you can enjoy views of downtown, the river and mountains (though the clouds blocked our view that night).  We waited 40 minutes just so we could get a window seat, but it was well worth the wait.  To go along with the wonderful ambience, the food is awesome and worth every penny.  Sushi, steak, seafood and dessert...yum.  It is probably the last time Jay will get down there for a visit with his cousin before our move, so I'm glad we made the trip even if it went by in a flash.  That's about all I can handle away from my babies!  Here's some pics of the evening.



Project Complete

So the running joke (or rather, not such a joke but a big pain in the arse...) is that when something went awry at the house, the guys would sum it up as "It's Northlake"....there were so many problems, mysteries and back-assward things that went on with the house as they were uncovered in the last three months.  When something didn't quite work or didn't quite fit or just was flat out wrong, all they would have to say to explain their frustration was "it's Northlake" and you would know not to ask questions or get in the way because someone was about to lose it.  But I am very happy to say the headaches are remedied, the project is complete and the new family moves in today.  It is a little hard to hand over the keys to strangers, especially after all the beautiful work and expense that went into it, but the house needs a family to live in it and love it (and pay rent for it) and we have found that family.

Special thanks to our contractor and his wife, Jeff & Carin...I say to Jay all the time that I wish we had a "pocket-sized" Jeff to keep with us wherever we go because he is so great at what he does.  Love and thanks to Scott, Nik and the girls for all the help they provided - it was really fun to share this journey with them and have their support.  And of course, the many others who helped in any form along the way: Zac, Josh, Lance, Matt, Wayne, Joel, Alex, Darren, Michael and Jake....and Diane, the mother in law, for babysitting whenever I needed to work at the house.  We COULD NOT have done this without these people - Jay and I are blessed to have them in our lives.

Here are the pics of the completed project....thanks everyone for following along....

Back of house/Deck

Backyard

Living Room

Dining to left, Nook to the right

Open Stairs

Nook that leads to Kitchen

Kitchen - side one

Kitchen - side two

Pantry/Backroom

Wash/Utility Room

Downstairs Bedroom 1

Upstairs Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3 with bonus room

Bedroom 4

Upstairs Bathroom

Downstairs Bathroom