A few pictures from our photo shoot last month

One happy family

One laughing dad and a daughter who likes her toes

One little daughter who loves her mommy

One little baby who is sad

One smart father teaching his daughter to throw rocks.

One big girl swinging on a big kid swing

One little girl, as cute as can be:)

We were hoping to go to the pumpkin patch

So we put on our rainboots figuring there may be some mud. However, it started raining kind of hard after these pics. So I guess we'll have to wait for another day to go pumpkin picking.

Jade is trying to copy me here:)

Going green!

Well, I'm not really going "Green" for green sake, more for my sanity sake. The amount I spend on disposable diapers every month and the amount of trash we accumulate every week...is starting to make me go insane.

Jade is so smart, and so big and so ready to be potty training any...month now! (lol) That I figured we can just stop buying her diapers and maybe go another route. The answer...Cloth diapers!!

I stopped by Simple Cloth that just opened up in downtown Olympia and had the gal tell me all about the many options of cloth diapers that are now available for us.
I was most attracted to the Knicker Nappies both for the simplicity of use but also because you can pull them up and down like a pair of panties (or pull-ups) for potty training your toddler (or baby). They are super cool, with this special pocket at the top that you insert the cool "Loopy-Do" inserts. When the baby goes potty you just pull the insert out and put the diapers in a diaper pail to wash later or stick in the wash right away. I've been using these for almost a week now and so far I'm thrilled!
They are very absorbent and the special outside liner holds in moisture very well. Jade can notice the difference a little bit though and is able to tell me right away when she's gone potty. We are still trying to teach her to to tell mommy before she needs to go potty, but that will come soon enough. For now we'll save some money on diapers and maybe help the environment while we are at it:)

1...2...3!

Ta Da! Here is Jade showing off her new rain boots!

Our weekend

This weekend our family spent at a nice resort near Canada called Semiahmoo (sp?). It was for a work event and we wives and children just came to enjoy the surroundings (not for work). There wasn't really to much for us to do, but the kids did find throwing rocks in the water very enjoyable. They even found a huge (dead) jelly fish on the rocks! Eck!
The first day we were there we had a nice time touring the resort and playing near the water, but the second day we decided to see what there was to do around town. First, we had to make a stop at Jack in the Box for some healthy lunch:) Then it was off to TJ Maxx for some shopping!
Saturday afternoon Jade and I went and played in the pool, it was outdoors, and while the pool itself was heated, we did get pretty cold. So we checked out the steam room for a whole of two seconds and then went to "nap" and watch some cartoons. Later that evening all the moms and kids got together in a big room and we ordered room service. Then it was back to our room to watch "Horton Hears a Who" with all six of the kids piled on our two beds (plus moms). It was fun!

Sunday was a short day and then a long drive home. We are back now and ready to do some resting and laundry before Monday starts.

Oh, and here are some pics I got at Kamerons birthday party on Thursday. Not that I have any pics of the birthday boy, he was to excited and thus never stood still. But I got Jade and her little friends:)


This is Jade chillin' in the bouncy house. Not sure if you can see or not. She would lay down and let everyone else around her jump up and down. She laughed and thought this was the bes way to do the bouncy house.

Jade's Room

These aren't really fancy pictures or anything, I'm just proud of myself because I've finally put some thought and effort into my daughters bedroom. I (thanks to the idea from my sista, Nic) decided to do Jade's room in lavender and green colors, so for those of you who saw her room before, now...she has lavender walls!
I also finally got around to hanging her "J-A-D-E" letters that I got awhile back and, that flower picture on the wall I got on super sale at Target (it was normally $60!)

I still have a few more things I want to add to her room (like tie backs or hooks for the curtains) and things I'm looking forward to getting rid of (hopefully!) in the next few months (such as her changing table. But all in all I'm happy with her room.

Off to the Fair

Yes, it was raining today, and yes, we did knowingly decide to go to the Fair on a rainy day. Jade wasn't to pleased with the thought, and cried most of the drive over.
But once we got there and took her to the petting zoo, she was much happier. Granted, it was hard to get her smiling...
no face there...
not sure what to think here...
very intent here.
She would point at the horses and try to poke them through their fences, and she was smiling a second before this pic was taken in front of the draft horses
She liked to stare at the cows.
And liked to walk holding Dad's hand
Here she is with the sheep.
we did walk a lot in the rain, and tried to get her a ride on some cars. But the age limit was 2 year old, and she is only 20mons, so she wasn't able.
She did have a hot dog, some of my corn dog, parts of my scone and lots of french fries. And that pleased her greatly.

Cold and rainy as it was, we did have a nice time at the Fair.

Grumpy Jade

Jade has been super grumpy the past couple days. Hens, my lack of posts and pictures. I'm not really sure what's going on in that little head of hers. Maybe she is teething, maybe she is growing, maybe she is just upset and unhappy. Who knows, I sure don't. It's been kind of exhausting mentally and physically for me. She is usually such a happy little girl, so her tantrums and grumpy attitude has been hard to deal with. Thankfully, like everything in life, this will eventually pass and my happy, cheerful, little daughter will emerge once again.

New clothes for Jade

A few weeks ago Gymboree had a whole bunch of "French" inspired clothes on sale. Cute little blue skirts and adorable shirts, little cardigans, socks, shoes and dresses. I wanted to buy them all up right then and there. But alas, my budget would not allow me to.

So tonight, many weeks later, I went to Gymboree in hopes to find something left over from this line still on sale. And it was!! In Jade's size there were only these two pieces, so I bought both of them. I'm so excited too, since tomorrow we are having pictures done of Jade. And now she will have a new, blue dress to wear!!
The T-shrit I just got because it was cute and because Jade calls me "Ma, Ma" and says it very much like you may think a little french girl would say it.

Poser

Jade gave me my camera and then stepped back and grinned really big. "Oh" I said "do you want a picture taken?" lol.

Jade and shoes

Jade has loved shoes ever since she was able to walk (about 5 months now), but it's only been within the last couple weeks that she has gotten seriously frustrated with the in-ability to put them on and take them off, her self.
So, earlier this week I went out and bought her some pink "croc" look a-likes so she could have some semi practical slip on shoes to put on and take off on her own.
So for the past couple days whenever she isn't eating, sleeping, or asking to sit on the potty (no she is not potty trained, she just likes to sit on the potty) she is on the floor with her toys and her shoes and she puts them on and takes them off.

Ta Da! She is very proud of herself here.

Reading is another favorite past-time, but only if she has her shoes on. Also note her new princess nightgown, she got that this week as well, and I think she knows how adorable she is in it.

JB asked me when/if this phase would ever be over. We both laughed knowing that even if she gets over the constant need to put on and take off her shoes, that most likely her love for wearing shoes will never end and if it does will most likely be replaced with a new fetish. I'm guessing clothes are next.

My week

After returning home from our TX/Wedding trip late Sunday night Jade and I had a super busy week. Besides having to catch up on work, laundry, cleaning, and regular household duties, it was also the start of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) on Tuesday. This year I have volunteered to cooridnator the creative activities for our group so that meant Monday night I was up cutting and trimming and organizing and putting together the crafts and nametags to be ready bright and early on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday afternoon I was grateful to get out of the house for a little while to go hang out with friends and do nothing except talk while our kiddos played.

Wednesday was the first day of Bible study, being held at my house. I'm so excited to be starting Bible study up again. I feel like it's been forever! (we stopped in May). The group of women who are in the bible study are a wonderful mix of ages and stages in life, I am looking forward to gleaning from their wisdom and experience.

The rest of this week is gonna be pretty slow for me, which I am very grateful for. Today I figure if I clean a bathroom, or sweep the floor I'll have done enough to count this as a profitable day.

The Fair is happening this week and I secretly hope we get to go to it this weekend. If not, I may go to the mall to exchange a shirt my wonderful husband got me for my birthday. (I love him or buying me a size to small!)

Hope everyone else's weeks are going well!

Pics from our TX trip

This past weekend was my best friends wedding...or maybe I should say "our" best friends wedding, since Nic and I both have known Jenny since we were very little (like 3yrs old) and have all been really good friends ever since. Here we are before heading out to dinner for Jenny's party.
Our kiddos were so cute together, they stayed home Thursday night with a sitter. CJ played with trucks...
...and Jade played in our shoes. She is such a little girl.
Here is some of the gang at dinner:)
Friday we went to the Rose Emporium for the rehearsal. For some strange reason the kids didn't want to stand around doing nothing, so Jade and I took a walk. Here she is on a back trail.
After the rehearsal we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. We got Daniel (Jenny's baby brother) to sit in between us because he is so cute. He liked that:)
Saturday the big day arrived, here Nic and I are before pictures, before the wedding started.
Jenny was given a granola bar to keep her energy up and Jade promptly went over to her to beg for a bite:)
This is Jade and I. I tried to get her to wear her flower halo, but she would have none of it.
The two cute kids before they walked down the aisle.
Can you see Jade in this pic?
After the ceremony Jade played with Grandma in the water founatin
Dancing.
My parents:)
Dancing and a goofy game:)