I don’t know why, but saying “Raptor Club” makes me laugh. It shouldn’t. But it does.

Okay, time to get serious. The WSU Raptor Club totally came to Children’s House today and it was a blast.

The girls were so great.

The kids were beyond interested in the birds.

Raptors are birds of prey with sharp talons who kill their food. I think? That’s what I remember from the presentation. Along with a lot of other facts, like how this horned owl…

….is named Sprite and only weighs a few pounds. He doesn’t eat a lot of mice because they are pretty small for him. He prefers larger animals like maybe rabbits and big rats. Probably cats. They didn’t say that, but I’m guessing Sprite has enjoyed a few cats in his day. He is up at WSU with the Raptor Club because he got hit by a car and hurt his wing.

So did this little tiny guy:

He’s a Western Screech Owl. He weighs 1/2 pound and eats little mice…about 1 a day.

The kids were so awesome. You could tell they had been learning about these types of birds and had really great questions.

And lots of hilarious “questions” like, “My sister hurt her ankle. Like that owl hurt his wing.” or “That’s a tiny owl that looks like a baby owl.” I love little kids. But this group of kids especially because they were so polite.

Most of them.

One child said, “Can we move on to the next bird now?”

I mean…seriously. That kid’s parents must not teach him patience and proper manners, right? Psh.

Oh, wait. That was Jamie.. He totally pulled out the ‘lets get this show on the road’ hint. So rude. I shushed him as quickly as I could and he shot me an evil eye. He didn’t know I was there until he heard me very loudly whisper, “Jamie! huh uh….” Oh, Jamie….

But they did move on to the next bird.

A hawk. Actually, a red tailed hawk (I think that was the name?). He was really huge. Oops, I mean she. Her name was Brenda.

Yes, Brenda. I love it.

We are so lucky that Jamie gets to do and see these really fun things! I’m not sure I would have ever known there was a Raptor Club at WSU (and I certainly wouldn’t have tried to find out if there was one) if Ms. Megan hadn’t brought them to the school.

Hooray for the Raptor Club!!

Today Miss Charlotte wore a Peek Little Peanuts long sleeved shirt and Old Navy jeans. Basic but adorable and cute. She ripped her headband right off, by the way. We did try and accessorize.

Alice.

Alice wore a Mini Boden long sleeve t-shirt under a Gap Kids short sleeved hoodie and striped leggings. Oh, and adorable brown boots.

James.

Jamie wore a Peek shirt and Old Navy jeans. But let’s not forget his shoe choice. One red and one blue Croc. Ridiculous. And a battle I didn’t want to fight.

Maria.

Maria wore Mini Boden skinny jeans, a top from Macy’s and Nordstrom shoes.

The wind almost blew us over today, can you tell? It’s been windy all day long — it’s 4:10pm and it’s still going strong!

Alice has been in big-girl undies for 3 days now with ZERO accidents. I’m not kidding you.

We have gotten ZERO calls on our house. No one has wanted to look. I am anxious, but know that it’s been on the market less than a week and hasn’t even been on the realtor’s tour yet (when all the valley realtors check out new listings). That comes on Tuesday and I think after that, along with this week of advertising we’ll get some people interested.

Today is also Ash Wednesday. Why yes….I did go to Mass today. So did my 3 youngest children who were so loud and naughty in the children’s room that the very nice and quiet 4 year old and her mama decided to leave the quiet room. Quiet room is a lie. It’s never quiet.

So with a giant black smudge on my forehead, I’m ready for Lent. What am I going to give up? I’m not sure yet. I’ll think about it and get back to you.

Even when it’s super cold outside.

Our house has been the location for many a playdates this week. Probably because I’m the meanest mom ever and I won’t let my kids walk to other people’s houses and hang out inside. I’ve got a 2 year old who would follow them and squeal if she couldn’t join in. I don’t like my 2 year old to be sad so I say, “If they want to play, they can come play here.”

Luckily, they did want to play.

We roasted some goodies.

AND we were fashion.

Because that’s how we roll.

Jamie was very sad. It’s hard to be a big boy sometimes when you just want to cry because you can’t sit next to both of your friends. He tried so hard not to cry. But this kid couldn’t hold it in. The tears flowed.

But we got it all worked out and there was a spot for all.

And the mallow roasting commenced.

Alice gazed at Wyatt the whole time. Wyatt MIGHT be her favorite person in the universe.

Danny was the fire chief. He looks unhappy here, but he loved the whole roasting party.

Okay, maybe not so much. But Danny’s a trooper and made it fun.

And the great thing about giant marshmallows on a stick?

They can make even the saddest boy happy.

Hope you had a wonderful week and enjoy your President’s Day…as for us? We’re going to bake some bread and play with friends. And as Jamie put it…

“Maria doesn’t have school? I LOVE the presidents!!”

We do a lot of dressing up.

Well, Alice does.

We do exploring.

We do a lot of talking. Alice is quite conversational.

Charlotte and I make sure we listen and laugh at all of her jokes. She has lots.

We cruise around the rooms. We show off how big we are.

We get every single window as dirty as possible.

We are silly and fun and we sometimes terrorize the dogs. But we think they secretly love it.

Clearly we don’t care about what our hair looks like and we aren’t too concerned about fashion when we are just hanging out at home.

But we have the best time. Alice helps with Charlotte. Charlotte is as happy as can be. They are okay with packing up to get kids from school, go grocery shopping or picking up toys. Alice doesn’t whine too much and she says please and thank you and gives me a zillion I love yous.

We miss the big kids when they are at school, there’s no doubt about that.  But sometimes it’s nice to just be home with my baby girls.

We have an offer on one now, about 25 minutes or so from where we are now.  It’s contingent on our home selling, so we are VERY aware of the possibility that this farm might not work out.  But we’re moving to a farm.  Maybe not the one we have in mind right this second, but that’s okay.

I cannot tell you how many people have responded to our farm dream with surprise.  Pretty much everyone except Cenone and Megan and my parents.  They respond with surprise and confusion and all-around weirdness.  It’s okay.

I know that for many people, moving from a nice subdivision to a dirty farm with animals and chores and super old buildings and a “drive into town” is not their dream.  And it’s okay.  But believe me when I say it is ours.

I want the very best for my kids.  For us that isn’t a gigantic home with a room for each of  us, plus some.  It’s not granite countertops and 3 bathrooms.  I know that for a lot of people, that is exactly what they want for their kids, and I am not against that even a tiny bit.  I don’t think that’s bad or weird or anything.  But Danny and I have talked over and over and over about exactly what we want for our family.  How we want our kids to grow up.

And it always goes back to the farm.

We want a farm for the kids to run crazy.  We want animals for the kids to help raise so they know where their food comes from and how it gets from the farm to the plate.  We want to slow down and not get caught up in all the newest, biggest, best.  It’s hard, I know that as much as anyone else (I love our ipad and our new car and our big new patio).  I want to be able to spend as much time with our family as possible with few distractions.  I cannot wait to say, “Maria, did you go get the eggs?  Jamie, go feed the goats.  Alice, please don’t let the lambs out of their pens!”  Just thinking of that makes my heart do flip flops.  It makes me so excited to get home from school and let the kids loose.  Not have them confined to just our front and back yard — let them run around on acres and acres of land with lots of things to explore.   It’s 100% the lifestyle we want.  We know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s ours.

And we can’t wait.

So if you know of any families looking for a 5bdrm, 3 bath, beautiful home with a gigantic backyard (fenced) and a brand new patio and steps….send them my way.

I Love You Because…..

…you start our day off right.

Okay, so this may be a bit of a silly “I love you” post, but we love driving through Starbucks. On Tuesdays and Thursdays after we drop off Maria and Jamie, Alice will say, “Starbucks?” and usually I will say, “Okay, what do you want?” I always know the answer.

“Cha cha gah.” That means chocolate milk.

“One tall, non-fat white chocolate mocha. With whipped cream. And a boxed chocolate milk, please?”

“Oh…and an oatmeal.”

Delicious. And so while we wait for Miss Ellen to open the MDO doors, we enjoy our Starbucks.

Wyatt gave Charlotte this cow and it’s pretty awesome. The little pig inside pulls out and it vibrates. It’s colorful and cute and Charlotte LOVES it!!

Magic Erasers

I am cleaning my house like you wouldn’t believe. I am kind of in love with Magic Eraser. Be careful on paint, though, because if you are an especially vigorous cleaner, the paint might wear off.

Sanuk Shoes

Comfortable. Can wear in the water. Hippy-cute.

Frommer’s New York

In 2 weeks I will be hanging out in New York city, probably setting up playdates with Suri and Apple and all kinds of famous kids. Thank goodness I have this guide to help me find restaurants and shopping places.

Broccolini

Costco has broccolini right now in their giant fridge and we love it. Salt, pepper, and a little garlic. Mmmmm.

Cori Dantini

I’ve shared her here before, but I’m doing it again. We have this exact print in our kitchen and I adore it. It is whimsical and cute, but goes so well with all our other stuff. It’s not too loud and I love it.

Muck Boots

For Valentine’s Day, Danny got me a pair of black Muck Boots. I’m so excited to get them muddy and wet. They’re comfortable and awesome.

Skinny Girl Lipgloss

I love lipgloss. This is no secret. This SkinnyGirl lipgloss that Alicia gave me is awesome. It’s tingly and sparkly, but just enough…and I love the taste of it. I lick my lips over and over.

Finally….

www.small-measure.blogspot.com

I came across this blog a while ago and I love it. Ashley (the author) is cute and funny and her pictures are awesome. I love her whole approach to life.

Happy Friday!

Charlotte

Today, Charlotte wore one of my favorites: a simple Peek “Little Peanuts” dress with Peek leggings. It looks super comfortable, so I think she likes it. I actually don’t know, she might hate it. But I love it.

Maria.

Maria wore a Mini Boden top (I love their tops) and Old Navy pants with her trusty cowgirl boots.

Jamie.

Jamie also wore a Mini Boden top and Old Navy jeans and (my personal favorite) Vans superhero slipons.

And last but not least…

Alice.

Alice was in rare form this morning. She would have rather stayed home and slept I think.

She wore my cousin Abbey’s hand-me-down Baby Gap outfit….from 2001. How adorable is it? It is very toddler. Oh, and her hair? Alice’s hair is not fashion….I know this. It’s flowing free today.

Whatev.

Today the baby girls and I did the morning school drop-off. Then we went to Hailey’s office to sign a birthday card for Cenone (we went in on a gift for her) and to visit her and Tara (WTWW….hailey wore brown dress pants and a top with a brown jacket and tara wore grey pants with a white ruffle-y top….they are always fashion). Then we dropped off some papers. Then we came home and I did some cleaning.

Why all the cleaning?

We listed our house today. Yup.

Happy Wednesday!

Oh…..and happy birthday to one of my very favorites in the entire world…CENONE!

I love Valentine’s Day. Love, love, love it. I think people who complain about it, talk about how it’s just a “Hallmark” holiday and who are big babies are annoying and should find someone to love. Because Valentine’s Day rocks.

We wake up with gifts. Because any excuse to give gifts is taken advantage of by me.

I received a gift as well…

“frum children”….melt.

I used to think homemade cards were lame. That parents only said they prefer them because they were supposed to say that. But now I’m here…I”m a mama….and it’s true. Homemade cards beat storebought ones every time. Take that, all you Hallmark Holiday haters.

And school Valentine’s Day parties? The best.

For the past few years (BEFORE Pinterest, let me please make that known) I’ve done these types of Valentines:

Little baggies full of treats with cardstock folded over the top. This year it was marshmallows and toys. They turned out so cute!

I got the girls’ tutus from my friend Taunia who owns “Grams Girls Boutique.” They’re pretty adorable.

[all we need is love]

And my baby’s first Valentine’s Day. A big deal.

And thanks to Cenone who outfitted Charlotte with that adorable shirt.

I added a touch of pink, too. Because you should always try to wear something pink or red on Valentine’s Day.

Who has the best friends ever? I do.

Alicia gave me Skinny Girl lip gloss. I heart lip gloss.

I took the kids to school, went and took pictures for a friend, and then went back to Ria’s school to take some shots for her school’s blog I’m running:

www.ascsblog.wordpress.com

Check it.

And then I went to Jamie’s school where Valentine’s Day had hit hard:

I just love teachers who care enough to make things really fun. Even if it means a ton more work for them. We are lucky.

And I spied Jamie playing with his friend outside…

He comes home dirty from school almost everyday with sand in his pockets…and I love it.

We got home and Jamie could hardly wait to dive into his Valentine’s Day treats.

Homemade crayons? Awesome.

He got so many cute, fun cards.

And Alice and her delicious lashes joined in.

And Valentine’s Day is the best. I don’t care if you are single. You can love your mom and dad. You can love your kids. You can love your neighbor or friend or even your dog. I love lots of things.

Danny. I love Danny because he is kind and patient and creative. He is hilarious and fun and thoughtful. He is respectful and generous and so smart.  I feel crazy lucky to have him and cannot imagine a life without Danny.

My kids. I love my kids because they are happy. They laugh and smile and kiss and hug and run and play and make my every day wonderful.

My mom. I love my mom because she supports me. She loves my children more than I thought anyone could (besides me and Danny). She is generous and forgiving. She has an open mind and does not judge. She listens to me when I need her to and tells me what I need to hear.

My dad. I love my dad because he would do anything for us. I’m serious. Anything. I could be in the orchards with not enough money to buy a treat and he would be in a meeting and if I called him and told him I was in a pickle and needed $5 for an ice cream, I bet you anything he’d come and give me $5. He’d build a retaining wall for us if we wanted (because he did once). He’d let us borrow anything and everything he owned. He loves my kiddies like crazy. And he’s pretty funny.

Cenone and Andy. I love Cenone because she’s one person who really gets me. I can tell her anything and she totally knows what I mean…if it’s supposed to be funny, she’ll laugh. If I tell her I think I have elbow cancer, she’ll tell me I don’t and why. If I go a day without BBMing her, I feel weird. She loves my kids and would do anything for them or us. She’s fun and hilarious and generous. Andy is wonderful. He is a great compliment to her. He is a really great friend who would help out with anything if we needed him. He is so good to Cenone, which is important.  If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be on this list.

Hailey. I love Hailey because she is hilarious. I laugh every time I talk to her. She is fun and I’m not sure I know any girl who is lower-drama than Hailey. A really REALLY good quality.

Leann and Jessica. I love these girls. I have been friends with them for so long for obvious reasons. They are fun and we laugh so much when we are together. If we go weeks without talking, but then see or talk to each other, it’s like no time has gone by and that’s rare to have with someone.

Those are only a few of the people I love. I could go on and on. Jamie’s teachers. Love them — they are such great teachers and really funny, fun, kind friends too. Maria’s teacher. Love her. My in-laws. Love ‘em. My friends Alex and Joe and Paige and Joey and Tom and Doug. Love them. I love people who aren’t here anymore like my Grandma and my Grandpa and Clay. I think of them with really great memories.  And even though they aren’t here physically, I love them.

See? Valentine’s Day rocks.

Saturday we had the Pepsi holiday party.

And Sunday…..we cleaned out our garage.

It’s clean.

And the kids played ALL day long.

[how awesome is that racecar driver costume?!]

It was perfect bikeriding weather.

Alice cannot ever be left out of any big girl activities. And when she is? There are squeals. No, not squeals….screams. We try to really accommodate Miss Alice because no one likes the screams. I’m not sure that’s the best parenting…

And while the kids created a worm habitat…

…Daddy and Mama took apart the mini ramp.

So. Many. Screws.

We just took it apart and put it in storage. Maybe one day it’ll get put back together and I can shred it up like P-Rod. Oh you don’t know who P-Rod is? You must not be a gnarly skater like me. It’s okay.

And inside, Phineas and Leo kept Princess Alice company while she enjoyed a snack.

I heard lots of conversations between the 2:

“Bye, Leo.”
“Bye, Phineas. I go to mama’s house. Bye.”
“Okay, honey….Leo. Have fun.”

She’s so cute.

And later that night we went to Abbey and Nate’s to celebrate a couple birthdays. Nate’s birthday is on Valentine’s Day (awesome) and Abbey’s was on Saturday. So I thought I was a genius. Because what do you get a 21 year old? Booze, obviously. But I didn’t think his mother would appreciate that. So I went with a Duck Hunter game. One where you shoot a duck and it flies around and you shoot it with a laser. So cool. So he opens it up….and the duck is broken. What a lame gift. So I’m going to search online and find a replacement duck.

And Abbey got cute pj shorts and a tank. They are probably so uncool to a 14 year old, but gift cards are super boring and she can always exchange them if she wants.

And today? Today I am finishing up the kids’ Valentines which are so adorable. I’m cleaning up the downstairs. I’m blogging. I’m doing laundry.