the o'learys

it's done

2011-11-08T23:03:00.000-08:00

Mark said i might not have been clear in my last post. this blog is all filled up and we've moved on.

find us at :: olearyclan.wordpress.com

rub-dub-dub 3 in the tub

2011-11-08T19:46:00.000-08:00

the other night Nata and Evers crashed Delle's bath. Nata washed her hair, Evers splashed her too much and she tolerated it all very well. until she didn't and then she was D-O-N-E.

kinda like this blog.

we've posted and posted and posted some more. now this blog's all filled up and we're D-O-N-E.

moving on you can find us at ::

olearyclan.wordpress.com

see you there : )

scruffy puppies past

2011-11-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

Nata :: Halloween 2007

Evers :: Halloween 2008

Delle :: Halloween 2011

getting the puppy costume out for Delle make me think of Nata and Evers wearing it too. {this costume was passed down from Alexander, but i can't seem to find a picture of him in it}

i remember ::

Nata not minding the costume as long as i didn't push the button for the barking noise. practicing her walking between Mark and myself, being posed with Jake for pictures and taking her to Uncle Tommy & Auntie Nicoles home for trick-or-treating. she helped Uncle Tommy pass out candy and was awe of all the kids that come to the door that night.

Evers HATED being in the costume. he didn't like the barking noise or putting the hood up or trying to crawl around in while wearing the costume. nothing we tried made him feel any better about it. he was most happy being carried around in his onesie, eating everything in sight. this was the year we went trunk-or-treating with a friends and then her families Halloween party all the way out in Camis.

for Delle i want to remember how much she loved it. that the barking noise made her laugh and that she didn't have a hard time crawling around in it or standing up. how she smiled and smiled no matter how many pictures i took of her just as long as she was with them. the way she nursed a ton and then passed out in the sling watching Nata and Evers trick-or-treat. i'm glad i have this blog to remind me.

i don't know if we will ever have use for this costume again, but i can't seem to get rid of it. of all the costumes they have used, all the different things they have been (so far) this one is my absolute favorite.

balance biker boy

2011-11-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

someboy's balance bike FINALLY came. he's been waiting for it F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!

this is one of those crazy excited faces he makes when he is crazy happy about something. with it comes this high pitch queal/squeek that i can not even begin to mimic. it's random and his own and i love him so much for it.

"MOM, CAN WE RIDE BIKES NOW!!"

"MOM, I JUST CAN'T WAIT ALL DAY TO RIDE!!"

"MOMMY, THANK YOU FOR MY BIKE!! IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY THAT IT CAME!!"

and now they are the bikers three. if you come to play make sure to bring your bikes. outside, riding around is what we're up to now and as often as we can until the rains come.

trick-or-treaters

2011-11-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

this Halloween we had one scruffy puppy, one super and one cowgirl ::

Delle didn't mind her costume at all. she loved the barking noise the nose made and did her part to keep her nose wet all day.

super jumper. notice he's lost his super spoon in the leaves. luckily the leaves hid it until we were done walking through the village. i was very glad to find it waiting for us by the car. :: urban cowgirl sees urban chicken farmer add. she thought this chicken on the side of a bus was the funniest and couldn't stop laughing about it. although everyone could tell what she was, one guy asked her if she was Annie Oakley. Nata didn't know who he was taking about, but liked the idea of a girl doing gun tricks on a horse.

en route. we went trick-or-treating in the Village (Multnomah Village) again this year and it was a big hit. i misread the starting time and we ended up arriving an hour early. the kiddos didn't mind though. Nata and Evers played in the toy shop, one of their favorite things to do, and Delle was able to nurse well with out distraction and then slept through most of the trick-or-treating. we got started before most of the crowd came and the kiddos didn't have to worry about being bumped aside by older kids.

each time Evers was given a treat, or allowed to choose his own, he would turn and show it to me with his crazy happy face. each and every time!

back at home, after dinner, the kiddos visited the other houses in our building. before headed out we lit the pumpkin lanterns, wrapped the porch light so the candle glow would light everything and left a bowl of suckers with a note just encase anyone came to the door. -no one came to the door. they never do- Evers insisted on handing out suckers to each of our neighbors as they knocked and trick-or-treated at their doors. it was so backward and funny and super cute, but he couldn't be swayed from the idea.

after all the candy was counted and looked over the kiddos made a treats switch, dug in and watched Halloween cartoons until bed. oh my, here comes the sugar rush.... {cue scary music and flickering lights}

carving jack-o-lanterns

2011-10-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

daddy helped set them up

and they dug right in.

Delle stole the scoop and wanted to help by trying to eat all the seeds. this year we bought a carving kit and it was the best 2.99 ever spent!! if you are even thinking about getting your carve on, get one.

Daddy helped Evers draw his pumpkin face.

Nata drew hers all by herself and was so glad of how it turned out.

a perfect pumpkin ashwash. {Nata used to call mustaches 'ashwashes' before she knew it's name}

Mama's pumpkin turned out darkest.

Daddy made his an artsy sunburst.

last minute i added the O'LEARY and Nata asked me to carve the smallest one for Delle.

light em up!!

we wrapped the light between Sara and our homes in a dark towel and tried for a shot w/out the flash. they are blurry but fantastic. perfect parents we are; children in unders/diaper sitting on the cold concrete in the dark. ; )

to make up for it, Daddy read them a Halloween story before bed. tomorrow is trick-or-treating and the kids are more than ready for it to come.

rainbow rice

2011-10-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

our friends, Christina and her family, have this AMAZING sensory table/station. the last time we were over it was full of rainbow rice. Taylor didn't Nata and Evers to see it b/c "if they did they wouldn't want to play with me!" poor girl. she knew from experience with other friends that once the rainbow rice was found all was lost.

we waited until just before we left to have a look and Christina gave us a quick tutorial ::

use rice, food coloring, storage baggies and germ-X or rubbing alcohol. to try it out we started with 1 cup rice, 2 Tbsp germ-X and 10 drops color mixed in a baggie.

Evers and Nata loved mixing and making the colored rice.

our rainbow.

once well mixed we dried it on wax paper

while it dried the kiddos washed this bin in the tub.

our rice.

the kiddos loved it so much i made more for their tub to find in the morning.

sneak peak

2011-10-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

we're all set for Halloween. thought you might like a guess at what the kiddos will be. they are very very excited. stay tuned...

fare thee well house

2011-10-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

after thursdays busy play date the kiddos agreed it was time to move on and let the box go. we smashed it!!!

now there is a little more breathing room in their bedroom. its leaving made for a great excuse to smash and tear it to pieces and then to rearrange and clean up all the toys. it was such a good box and lasted for almost forever. it will be missed but soon enough replaced.
also the pictures are blury b/c i had the camera on the wrong settings. i obviously need to read my manual over and over and over again until i've thoroughly got it down. : P

autumn decorating

2011-10-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

in every Highlights magazine you'll find an activity to try. this past months activity was a tree limb, play dough, and rock center piece for the table. the kiddos immediately wanted to try it out. i liked the general idea, but not the finished look. (i already recycled the article so no pics to show you) we gave it our own spin by using multiple mossy branches and a no dry molding clay and twine to hold it all together.

then we taped it to our front door. i say tape b/c that is black duct tape holding it up. (it was the only thing we had that would work) they love how it turned out. we hope to add leaf rubbings and other fall items to our decoration. like our pumpkins. : )

anyone have any other ideas to share. we'd love to try them out.

8 months

2011-10-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

my, my how the time is flying. just look how big our Delle is. at 9 months she is everywhere all at once. starting with her snake in the living room, i look around and back at her and she's gone. down the hall looking for her sister and brother. doing her best to be where ever they are. working in the kitchen, she's hanging onto the stools and pulling on pant legs, 'talking' just as much as who she's got a hold of.

this time, even more than last, i've let go of that control to make sure she's right on track and keeping up. no looking at the charts or obsessing that she can do what the next baby can. she is healthy and happy. growing in her own time and way. i just let her be. and because i've decided to let her be it seems that she's determined to move/grow too fast. for a while now she's been trying to free stand up. not kidding. Grandmother first really pointed it out to me when we were in Kansas. "look," she said, "Adelle wants to go forgo crawling to stand up. trying to keep up with Natalie and Everett." yes it seems she does.
now, once her feet are steady, Delle let's go and will stand for a full 5 seconds before purposefully lowering herself to sit. if i hold one hand, she will try and take 3 steps. if i wrap a blanket round her chest under her arms and use the blanket to gently hold her up, she will walk all around. it's too big, too fast. in her jumper she tried her hardest to walk around. i can't stop her and help her to keeping going because that's what she wants.

lucky for me, nursing is still her favorite. she likes to sit to the dinner table and eat with us now. carrots, sweet potato, squash and peas. not avocado. the avocado she took one bite of, made the sourest face and threw the rest on the floor. Delle doesn't want to be fed. all the above, that she likes, she prefers to pick up and eat without any help.

Delle first clapped for Nata, likes to play peek-a-boo in the curtains and bounes/dances along to our dance parties. she's happy, very lovey and chatters "dadada" when she's very excited about something. she will tolerate most anything Nata and Evers want her to do, especially if they are playing with balloons.

one funny thing is that she does not like the shower doors. when ever someone tries to shower, especially Mama, and she see's them get in, she'll immediately begin crying so hard someone will need to rescue her from the room. even then she doesn't really calm down until she sees that person is out. for this reason i either shower before she wakes or after Daddy gets home.

oh, my sweet Delle, please do not grow up too fast. you will be as big as sister and brother too fast as it is. we all love you!!

clean up

2011-10-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

dirty pumpkins must be washed

little helper is trying to figure out climbing on the step too.

Evers wasn't up for the washing part. Nata and i cleaned them all up until they shined.

he decided to help with the drying part, but only drying the gourds he picked out.

Nata wanted to make a pumpkin shop. we moved the table in front of the window and she set everything up. in the jar are some smallish rocks the kiddos use for currency. the exchange goes a little like this :: Evers picks out a pumpkin, Nata names the price and then Evers counts out the needed money (rocks). endless hours of entertainment.

pumpkin fun '11, Nata's 5th party

2011-10-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

yea for the Plumper Pumpkin Patch, we are back. warning, image overload

this is one of our favorite traditions. for her birthday Nata invited all her friends and their families to join us.

singing 'happy birthday'

the cake pops were a big hit.

Delle really wanted one too!

the eye patches were a big hit. top Grayson & Tommy, next Nata & Evers, bottom Morgan & Jennifer.

the babies in the pumpkins were so cute. Grayson kept 'taking/yelling' to Delle and smiling at her. i can't wait for the Q family to move back!

present time: a hand made lion, specially picked out rocks and money. just what she likes.

pumpkin picking

of course Evers went the farthest to find the biggest pumpkin in the field.

the boys were a big help hauling all the pumpkins in.

Morgan was sent to the gallows.

a wheel barrel ride after dropping the pumpkins at the car and we're ready for the fun stuff.

shooting out the tunnel slide; left to right, Nata, Mark & Evers, John Marie & Issac

Angela and Evelyn

as always the ducky races were a big hit.

these slides were new this year. propped up on bales, the kids went down them again and again

lovely Evelyn. she loved climbing the bales and trying to go down the slides alone.

Delle & Daddy's turn.

proof i came too. : )

Angela, the boys & Evelyn.

THE END. told you it was image heavy : )

oops, i forgot the pony pics

at first Evers was a little nervious so Daddy walked with him; Nata "i am good at doing this by myself"

halfway through the ride Evers decided he could do it by himself too and Daddy stepped out. Nata was very proud of him and together they rode off in the circle. : ) THE END for reals

curious about how much the kiddos have grown? check out previous years here :: 2010, 2009, 2008.

pumpkin patch party prep

2011-10-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

say that 5 times fast!

Nata had many wants and wishes for her party. some of them were crazy out there ideas. luckily Mark and i managed to narrow her down to these ideas :: pumpkin patch, pirate, cake pops & muffins. oh and did i mention she invited everyone she saw.

so here we have DIY pirate eye patches. i didn't take step by step pictures b/c i didn't have time and b/c the original designer did a great job of doing so. see how to make them here.

Nata and Evers helped to pick out pirate fabric. steps left to finish; ironing & stitching together

Evers and i spent the day making 3 batches of the asked for pumpkin muffins

Nata wanted to be the cake baker. we used a Pamela's GF Vanilla mix and made sure to completely let it cool.

to learn how to make cake pops, visit Bakerella's site. in place of frosting we substituted jam as suggested by Elana's Pantry. for our pops Nata chose apricot jam.

to make a long story short you; bake a cake, let it cool completely, crumble it up, mix in frosting or jam, roll into balls, dip into chocolate or melts, wait to harden and finally try not to eat all at once. phew!

Nata wanted the cake pops stuck into the muffins. tomorrow i will add a glaze to the muffins. for now, it's into the fridge with them.

the patches are stitched up and ready to go. pirates and muffins w/ cake pops :: done and done!

tomorrow we'll haul all this off to the Plumper Pumpkin Patch for our yearly pumpkin traditions. see you there.

five

2011-10-06T23:25:00.000-07:00

all of a sudden 5 is so big ::

birthday shenanagins begin with practicing singing 'happy birthday' and blowing out candles. it also included cookies with breakfast. what could be better than eggs & cookies?!

BALLOONS!! Nata's wishes for the day were as follows ::

play at the park

do some art

eat lunch with Daddy

get balloons

everything more or less came true. it was raining so the park option was out. instead we went to the play area at the mall. we went at nap time so all the kids there were a bit older and most everyone was her's and Evers age. Daddy had a lunch meeting and couldn't meet us, so she opted to go to Starbucks with her siblings and myself for yogurts and salted caramel hot chocolates. this we did before we headed over to play. on the way back home we stopped at the party store to score some balloons. 5 colored ones for her age and one gigantic #5.

she wanted to open presents as soon as Daddy came home.

spaceship guy from Grandaddy, Grandmom & Aunties; card from Great Grandmother

TP, special tape and pallets for crafting from Uncle Reid & Aunty Sarah.

hmm, what could this be; look closely, Delle is helping open too

almost completely unwrapped; realizing what it is

crazy happy that she got what she wanted for her birthday; a light saber. (i have to note the sad look on Evers face. he was so happy for her to get one, but so sad his birthday is "just too far away. it should be today too.") it's a OB1 Kenobi replica. they couldn't remember who OB1 was so she asked to watch Star Wars. we had to oblige. : )
but first...images taken in dark

images taken with extended flash

even Delle like playing with the light saber

Nata asked for mac-n-cheese with hot dogs for dinner. lots of people called to wish her 'happy birthday'.

time for the official singing with desert. she chose 2 peanut butter bars and 2 slices of raspberry cake (both GF) from the bakery case for her desert.

Nata was given two bouquets of flowers, 1 from Nana & Uncle, 1 from the next door neighbor Sarah. she also recieved Calico Critters from Papa & Great Grandma and Grandma & Grandpapa. all day she was so happy to tell everyone about her birthday and turning 5. it was such a great day for her. thank you all for making her day so wonderful.

Letters to our Godfather & Godmother

2011-08-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Mommy said a surprise was coming and could we help clean up the house. we were so excited we were about to burst.

after everything was cleaned up we watched a little Qubo. Mommy thought it was hilarious that even Baby Delle couldn't not watch.

we would have never guessed our surprise was your coming to visit! Evers says, "i liked you to play my cuptake game!"

Nata says "i painted that so she (Aunty Sarah) could see me because i didn't want to play the games. also i needed to make pictures for Uncle Reid because he has to work."

Uncle Reid crawling inside our play house was crazy fun. we loved it!!

we love you and miss you already, even though you just left. your surprise is our favorite, it makes us so happy. Delle misses your cuddles. going shopping, swimming and to the park with Aunty while Uncle Reid had to work. we are wanting to come up and see you tomorrow.

hugs and kisses,
Nata, Evers & Delle

putt-putt & bumper boats

2011-08-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

during a rain break Daddy suggested we go play putt-putt ::

Nata liked it just fine until the sun became too hot. then she was all "i don't like sun!" she is truly an Oregonian. Evers thought putt-putt was the greatest. anything that has to do with a stick hitting something round is his favorite.

Delle is in the ergo because she wanted to nap so badly. the sun made her sleepy too. the second picture is my favorite; peek-a-boo Delle, i see you.

look-it, evidence i was there too. : )

next we hit the bumper boats to cool off ::

Nata spun Daddy in circles, mostly away from everyone else.

they were minimally wet after their ride. just enough to cool them off.

Delle, too small for the bumper boats, slept the time away in the ergo. who doesn't melt when they see this sleeping babe.

during Evers turn all the boats were full off people and all of them were excellent at spraying while bumping. example, that girl in the pink shirt with black hair in the furthest boat, was really good at keeping a steady stream of water headed in Marks direction.

this resulted in Mark being completely soaked!

Mark, Nata & Evers stood in the sun to dry off while i took a turn in the batting cages. i really enjoyed it. next chance we are going to come back for more fun. Nata is up for trying putt-putt again, "as long as there is no sun" and Evers "wants to do more tomorrow." i wouldn't mind coming just Mark and i to try our hand at the batting cages again.

Elisa's bridal shower

2011-08-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

you might remember, from this post, the shower is derby themed. what we wore ::

Nata ~ hat & dress H&M, boots Gap (garage sale $1 find)
Becky ~ hat H&M (derby-fied by me), dress Target, sandals found at Switch

cake/desert table

beautiful cake from Helen Bernhard Bakery

tea sandwiches, relish/veggie trays and lots of cheese. yum!

gift table

the Lady of Honor; beautiful isn't she!!

bridal Elisa bingo, game

TP brides dress contest, game

Nata didn't understand the rules to dress a pretend bride and dressed herself instead. she looked so cute in her belt. slightly sad to not win any of the games, the ladies throwing the party let her have a roll of TP for being so lovely. she was in TP heaven.

picture time, party attendees

bridal party

Apha Chi Omega ladies

Elisa, Nata & Becky

the bride with her mother and sister

the shower was well thrown and Nata and i really enjoyed our selves. Elisa, whom i lovingly refer to as Eliser, and i met when i joined the Alpha Chi Omega sorority at PSU. a true friend, i love her so much. we are very excited to celebrate her wedding to David. it's gonna be a blast.

oh, and i am doing the bridal and bridesmaids bouquets.

6 months

2011-08-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

happy here is getting so big. as you can see she is a sitter-upper. she's also learnt all the basics of crawling. not all she needs to do is put everything together and she'll be off, faster than ever. ~as if she's not fast enough with her marine shuffle~ Delle is also doing her best to pull herself up. she's managed it standing on my lap a couple of times but not on her own.
Delle is everyone's delight. she loves her brother and sister fiercely! not a moment passes that she doesn't need want to be with/watching them. at times the only way to get her to nap is to completely wear her out watching and following them around. she goes to bed after Nata & Evers b/c it's the only way she can completely quiet herself and let herself fall asleep. i should add that she's much better about being with Daddy after the sun goes down. : )

sweet Delle, we love you sooo much. please stop growing so fast! love, mama

AA+

2011-08-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Overview
• We have lowered our long-term sovereign credit rating on the United
States of America to 'AA+' from 'AAA' and affirmed the 'A-1+' short-term
rating.
• We have also removed both the short- and long-term ratings from
CreditWatch negative.
• The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan
that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short of
what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's
medium-term debt dynamics.
• More broadly, the downgrade reflects our view that the effectiveness,
stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political
institutions have weakened at a time of ongoing fiscal and economic
challenges to a degree more than we envisioned when we assigned a
negative outlook to the rating on April 18, 2011.
• Since then, we have changed our view of the difficulties in bridging the
gulf between the political parties over fiscal policy, which makes us
pessimistic about the capacity of Congress and the Administration to be
able to leverage their agreement this week into a broader fiscal
consolidation plan that stabilizes the government's debt dynamics any
time soon.
• The outlook on the long-term rating is negative. We could lower the
long-term rating to 'AA' within the next two years if we see that less
reduction in spending than agreed to, higher interest rates, or new
fiscal pressures during the period result in a higher general government
debt trajectory than we currently assume in our base case.

Standard & Poors

Rewind to April 2011:

Peter Barnes “Is there a risk that the United States could lose its AAA credit rating? Yes or no?”

Geithner’s response: “No risk of that.”

“No risk?” Barnes asked.

“No risk,” Geithner said.

derby hats

2011-08-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

i'm finally able to post our derby hats. both were bought at H&M for under 15 dollars.

Nata's hat came with the cream flower. i only added the black mini-feather boa to liven it up.

my hat was bought a plain sun hat. everything seen here was added to it. i think it fits the derby look.

now that she's sitting up...

2011-08-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

i thought maybe we should bathe her ::

getting squeaky clean was a blast. she manged to clean everything around her too.

surprising Grandpapa

2011-07-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

for Grandpapa's birthday Mark suggested we head to the beach and say hello in person. Mark snapped this picture when Grandpapa realized it was the kiddos at the door.

opening presents/cards.

me thinks Grandma is excited. : )

Delle sitting with Grandpapa.

Evers feast for Grandpapa.

after some chatting, we were off to the beach.

Evers just wanted to lay down and roll around in the water.

Marks goal is to cut off the water to the ocean and direct it around that island by Grandpapa.

crazy with a shovel. everyone look out.

teamwork. sort of. Nata kept trying to sabotage the plan.

lucky for Mark a couple helpers came along to finish the job.

Nata and Evers wanted to hang up Grandpapa's cards.

at the park by Devils lake.

helloo, how freaking cute are these two!!

Evers kept laughing that he was driving into me. "you have to move Mama or i'm running over you"

she's in a silly, happy mood.

in a face off, trying to bounce each other off.

wow, she looks so big here.

Happy Birthday Grandpapa!

the playhouse

2011-07-26T23:29:00.000-07:00

for our combined birthdays Mark and i have been gifted a dryer. thank goodness for delivery guys to set it up. or maybe i should say stack it up. this washer/dryer set is bigger than our last one and almost didn't fit b/c of a decorative lip on the top front. luckily, through all the crazy, i remembered to ask for the box it came in. as we all know from our own childhood experiences, there's nothing better than a big box. after a few days of playing fort, moving it all over like a car, filling it with every toy in sight, and trying to upend it on themselves, Nata was asking me to cut a door into it. she also asked for some windows, a table/window ledge, a window on the door to see out when someone knocks and a mail slot for starters.

once these things were done, we pasted on some freshly drawn pictures.

the one above is Nata's and the one bellow, Evers.

next we broke out the paints for the front of the house.

Delle woke up to supervise.

she also provided some much needed musical entertainment.

this is the best solution i could think of for painting a huge box indoors; paints all in one tin and a towel to catch any drips.

they worked really hard to make it just right ::

finished, left to dry.

they both really loved painting this side. we're working on adding different things all over. i hope to drag out decorating the box for at least a few days. Nata really gets into it, b/c she LOVES creating art, and doesn't want to break for anything. she wants to make some water color paintings and more drawings to paste on. Evers will follow her lead and try out everything she suggests, but mostly he likes to squeeze the glue tubes and swing them at everything like light sabers. the glue is water based and not packaged like your typical elmers glue bottle. instead picture a 10in clear glue stick with a roll on tip. our neighbor gave us her already read comics from a couple sunday papers and we're going to decoupage them onto the last side that doesn't have anything on it yet. expect more playhouse post to come.

hello monday

2011-07-25T22:39:00.000-07:00

today we're not leaving our unders (except me of course. i'm wearing clothes) or diapers and we've resolved to play with every toy we own. happy monday! enjoy our Delle's smile to start your week off right.

i bought a dress (gasp)

2011-07-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

my mum wanted to see, so here goes ::

not too bad, right? Eliser's bridal shower has a Kentucky derby theme and i needed a dress. in truth i bought 3 dresses. today i bought everything to diy my hat and spruce up Nata's hat too. once i get a bit more time i'll share how i make it. it's gonna be great.

Nata swims 2

2011-07-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

last day of lessons all the kids get to go down the big slide. it's a huge deal and everyone loves it. Nata's done really well. she's mastered all but keeping her face in the water for 5 seconds on her forward glide. once she can do that she'll be ready for pre-otter. she's signed up for another swim session starting August 8th and can't wait to go back.

not where i left her

2011-07-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

that pile of blankets the kiddos are sitting on is Delle's napping cot. when i put her down for her morning nap her head was level with the bunny's ears. i was passing the door and heard scratching and cooing noises. imagine my surprise when i found her happy as can be trying to get to Daddy's shoes behind the door. she's growing way too fast.

just one more story

2011-07-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

at times it can be hard to get some time alone. after the girls had gone to bed he wanted just one more story. and then when it was finished he wanted just one more. he needed it, but probably not more than i did. i love to read to him, to hold him and need to make more time for us.

day trip to Salem with Grandma and Grandpapa

2011-07-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

Riverfront Park ::

giving Grandma her latest dance lesson; to dance like birds.

Salem Riverfront Carousel ::

Nata and Evers enjoyed it so much, they must have got back in line 5 or 6 times. Delle rode her own horse once too.
A.C. Gilberts's Discovery Village ::

family of 5 ::

Grandma & Grandpapa, having a smooch ::

what a busy day! the park, carousel and discovery center all in one day. these pictures don't come close to capturing all we did. after i snapped this last picture of Delle, the camera battery ran out. the weather was wacko, the company good and after it all a birthday dinner from Grandma and Grandpapa at a lovely restaurant that i can't even begin to remember the name of. thanks for a lovely day.

a fine day to turn 29

2011-07-15T23:52:00.000-07:00

i'm so excited to turn 29! so many things to be thankful for. an amazing husband and the three kiddos behind me in this shot. family, friends and so much more.

Mum and Dad gave me these earrings. i picked them out when Mum was visiting and made sure to put them on today. i LOVE them!!

for lunch the kiddos and i grabbed some chipolte with Mark and headed to the waterfront.

while Mark took Nata and Evers to his office, Delle and i made a tea run.

we met up with David and Eliser for bbq dinner.

the kiddos brought this cardboard 'treasure map' Nata made and went on treasure hunts.

Eliser gave them some foam crafts and glue and they went to town "making some stuff"

lovey, silly, happy. we are so excited for their upcoming wedding!!!!

Delle loves her daddy. especially when he flies her around.

catching up.

a hammock was opened for the kiddos much to their to delight.

we missed Nicole and Greyson joining us, but we'll see them soon at Elisers shower. a big thanks everyone for all the calls and texts. it was a fantastic birthday!

Nata swims

2011-07-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

pre-penguin ready to get her swim on

taking direction :: blowing bubbles animal game

red light, green light kicks :: 5 bobs in a row

super 10 second back float

rocket ship arms :: putting into practice

spectator photo break ::

why must he bite the bunny?

back to Nata ::

combining kicking, putting her face in the water & moving forward

strait arm strokes

monkey grips to deeper water

jumping in unassisted

her first week is over and has gone really well. only missed one day due to eating too much breakfast and getting sink pool side. i wish is was kidding! more to come next week.

girl time

2011-07-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

someone gave Oscar (the neighbor boy) some bright snail wrapping paper and Nata wanted some too. she told me this by giving a huge sigh, slumping her shoulders and saying dramatically

"oh, i wish i had some wrapping paper too!"

soooo dramatic! we decided to make some ourselves.

this heart paper was designed and colored by both Nata and myself. when one of us would get a cramp from coloring too much, we'd trade off.

Delle did everything she could think of to NOT nap today. when trying to rock her to sleep she honed in on the baby dolls and i gave up. she spent a good 20min or so playing with the kiddos babies. giggling at them while poking their eyes and chewing on their feet. just like all good mommies do.

our finished paper. she wanted to make a thank you card for a neighbor that bought all the kiddos bouncy balls and i asked her if she'd like to make this wrapping paper into a card for her. she said,

"no, i think i just keep this one for myself. i don't want to give it away!"

maybe she'll wrap something in it another time. she made a different card for Tilly. : D she loves to get her art on.

salami sweet potato salad

2011-07-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

as i walked the grocery isles i was stumped about dinner. what to do, what to do. i finally settled on really wanting salami. the salami is supposed to be a 'treat' for us and not to be bought each week. (b/c i so would if the cost wasn't a factor) today has been one of those days. a day of mum only treats. since most treats i would normally turn to are off the list, i turned my salami treat into this ::

salami sweet potato salad, gluten free

needs ~ lots of quartered salami, sweet potatoes, dark leafy salad greens, red onion, salt & pepper, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette and 1/2 fresh lemon.

first ~ peel and thinly slice sweet potato, coat well with olive oil and bake until soft in a 375 oven.
second ~ layer your salad :: dark leafy greens, onion, salami, S&P to your liking.
third ~ sprinkle olive oil and vinaigrette on salad to your liking, remembering a little goes a long way! also add squeeze fresh lemon juice (fresh tastes best) atop.
fourth ~ place cooked, warm sweet potatoes on top and enjoy.

this is the most kick-ass salad i've made in a long time. totally tops traditional steak salad and is better the 98% of salads i've had in restaurants. Mark loved it too!! it's not a kid friendly salad, but really what kid likes salad unless it's drowned in ranch dressing (bleh). as i said earlier, this 'treat' wasn't made for the kiddos anyway.

let me know if you give it a try.

happy birthday to me

2011-07-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

my birthday isn't till friday, but my present arrived today ::

a natural latex mattress, wrapped in organic cotton, to fit the beautiful bed that i was surprised* to receive for last years birthday.

and to top it off the quilt that i was gifted for my 11th birthday from my parents. it's hand made by my Grandmothers mother. i also use a fitted sheet, being washed right now, to cover the box springs and doubled up the pillows for the finishing touches. now i'm on the look out for the perfect organic sheets. i love this bed. it's beautiful and i am crazyhappyexcited to get to bed. that MarkO, he can really pick a present!! love you babe!!

*when i say surprised, i really mean surprised! he took the kiddos to town, came home and announced i must be home the following tuesday for a delivery while the kids danced around singing surprise. i wanted to know so bad, but didn't want to know all at once and could not stop thinking about all the things that could be delivered compared to what we seemed to need at the time. finally i came to the conclusion that he had bought me a refrigerator b/c we really needed one. i also told everyone who asked me about my birthday that i thought it was a fridge. he ended up telling me the surprise was a bed a day before my birthday. yep, i had to eat those refrigerator words. : ) it was so awesome b/c i had really wanted a "real" bed for quite sometime and MarkO made it happen, and pulled off a pretty good surprise too.

mattress purchased at Mulligan Mattress.

5 months

2011-07-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

oh little baby girl, you are growing so fast. you seem to be the strongest baby compared to your sister and brother. long, lean and super active. rolling, twisting and marine style scooching to get where you'd like to go. i'll put you down and your already gone. it amazes me how you reach out to experience and manipulate things. when your working hard to get to something or concentrating hard your face gets so serious. you purse your lips and flair your nostrils. your one finger grasp is dead on. you love Nata and Evers best, daddy most during the day and only want mama to have you after the sun has gone down. you've started to giggle when you see something you like and squeal when we all attack you. never has a baby been more loved by it's siblings. how lucky you are. how lucky we are. when you talk to us your voice is soft and low. almost like a purr. then you talk to your babies you growl and really let them have it. i wish you would re-find your thumb. you used to love it so, but since your gums have been sore, you've let it go. mommy is a milk machine, not a pacifier! you've been sitting on mama's lap for each meal and are ready for a chair of your own. you love to suck on lemons and fermented pickles. yum.

to Astoria we did go

2011-07-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

on sunday we jumped in the car after church and headed for the beach by Astoria ::

when we got to the beach the kiddos were so happy they started to lay down and roll around in the sand ::

we visited 'shipwreck beach' the kiddos couldn't be bothered about the ship, they wanted to get on digging ::

driftwood hut ::

they tried to climb up the drift, but immediately gave up to dig around ::

it was cloudy but so beautiful ::

Mark, Nata and Evers all began to dig in to make a castle ::

Delle and i went for a walk and picked up some shells, crab pincers and seaweed for the castle ::

just putting on the finishing touches ::

time for a jump in the ocean ::

on the way out we stopped at Fort Stevens ::

then on to Fort Clapstop ::

talked with this fellow and watched a lowering of the flag ceremony ::

usually Evers will smile and Nata will frown but this one seems to be backward. the cause; Evers was dying of hunger and Nata was so happy to hold Delle ::

we learned a few things on this trip ::
1. Astoria is not on the coast.
2. it's hard to find what to eat when your on a elimination diet. but if you ask the locals for the best you will not be disappointed.
3. bring more cash than you think. the 'best' will only take cash.
4. when shown the beach our kiddos will lay down and roll around in it just like the guy's next to you's pup.
5. showing up within a hour of a major parks closing is a plus for us. they didn't charge us admission and still had plenty of time to see what we wanted to.
6. we should really take more family trips like this more often!!

meat -w/ a little veg- loaf

2011-07-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

so i've been doing an elimination diet of sorts to try and get my body back on track. i'm almost through my last of three weeks of removing nightshades; tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant, and dairy and fruit from my diet. also eliminated are wheat, gluten (these two have been eliminated for some time now) and all grains, including corn, and most nuts, seeds and legumes.

what can i eat? protein, veggies and dark leafy greens. i have half a sweet potato for carbs a couple of times a week. some days it's hard to know what to cook. in need of cooking guidance i turned to Jennifer for some tips. i give you 'meat -w/a little veg- loaf' gluten free.

in a med bowl add ::

1 pound, or so, ground beef. this pound contains 20% organ meat.
1 lg egg
veggies; onion, zucchini and carrot, diced in food processor
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper to your liking
1-2tbsp cumin

mix well and make into loaf in 9x9 pan. bake 375 for 45min to an hour.

baking. so why isn't mine in loaf shape? well... i over diced my veggies into more of a pulp and didn't think to squeeze out the juices until i was trying to shape it in the pan. my bad : D

it still tasted pretty good. i served it up with some fresh, oven roasted garlic, applesauce and ketchup for those who could have it. it was delicious!!

i think the next time i get the organ ground beef i add some regular ground to it and make hamburgers out of it. well not next time as i'll be making burgers for friends and don't want to freak them out or anything. but next time i make burgers for us.

we {HEART} Nata

2011-07-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

3 years post surgery check up, one year over due. : ) she's grown so well and hasn't had even a whisper of a problem since her surgery and so i completely forgot when they wanted to see her.

she was very excited to "see her heart" and get to wear a tiger gown.

brother helped to keep her distracted while waiting for Dr. LaGras. they were very excited that he has pictures of his kids for them to look at.

she passed all test with flying colors and laid so still while they were looking at her heart.

they put Curious George on and she only giggled a little when the Man w/the Yellow Hat and George were playing/fighting over the sandwich and hat. every so often she would stare at her own heart on the screen full of wonder and excitement.

after all she could talk about was seeing her heart and hearing its "bleep, bleeping" as she calls it. over cocoa's and iced teas she talk, talk, talked about her heart. how its all better and her "mermaid" (she mistaken the name for murmur) being almost gone. she's so excited to see Dr. LeGras in 3 years. lets hope i don't forget again.

Isidore Farm

2011-07-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

the kiddos and i visited our friends, Emma and Don farm near Klama Wa. it's a sort of urban farm set in the the woods about 10 miles east of I-5. it was good to catch up and watch Mark, Nata, Evers and Abe playing together.

the back side of the house, chicken/turkey coop and part of their land ::

off to see their bee hive and play in 1 of the creeks on their land ::

they had so much fun in the creeks ::

they all played in the creek closest to the house while a melon cooled off in the creek. they had so much fun!!

3 curly headed kids making sure to get every bite of watermelon off their rinds.

little Able. such a fun and happy little boy. he's got red hair under that cap and the widest smile that makes him look like a little leprechaun. when we left the kiddos were all asleep before we hit the highway.

baby Adelle was there too, of course. she rolled in the grass and tried to eat it every chance she got. she watched chickens cluck past her and napped in the ergo. i thought i had a couple of her scooting along, but i can't seem to find them. next time i'll ask Emma to take a picture of me too. : )

happy 4th

2011-07-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

we hope you've had a lovely day.

ours was full of water fights, catching up on rest, swimming and letting off a few sparklers and snaps.

not much, but just right for us.

as a plus, the kiddos said they will be ready for slightly bigger fireworks next year.

yea!!! i can't wait!!! fireworks are one of my favorites!!!

bounce baby bounce

2011-07-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

for as long as we've had this bouncer, i've wanted a way to hang it in the main living area. this weekend we rounded up the necessary supplies and Mark made it happen.

thinking back we had an exercauser, handed down to us from Alexander, for Nata and Evers. i think that's why we didn't make putting the bouncer up in the main area a priority. it was only used in the door way between our bed/bathroom. we passed it on to someone else after Evers out grew it b/c it took up too much space and we knew we really didn't want to use one again. so now, we keep the door clamp in our bedroom, like pictured here, and if she wants to bounce, she can bounce in whatever space we're all in.

she does make quite the cute monkey bouncing around.

caterpillar coat hanger

2011-07-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

i've been on the look out for a coat hanger for the kiddos for some time now. until today we couldn't seem to find one we both liked. this one has so much personality!

ta-daaaa. see, personality!!

big props to Nata for helping me put it up. she helped out with everything; marking, hammering, hanging and decorating it for pictures. she's a super diy-er and i was glad to have the help.

oh, and did you notice how loverly my dreadies are. all of a sudden they seam so long and are beautiful in these pictures.

for this fathers day

2011-06-19T23:38:00.000-07:00

just a couple weeks back my Dad said his goodbyes to his own Daddy. {that's what my dad and his brothers called him his whole life; Daddy} a hard and mostly unexpected loss for all of us, we are blessed to have been there to witness. great men beget great men. my Granddad was indeed a great man. we all miss him so. this picture is how i will remember him :: sitting back, ankles crossed, holding his cane just like so, a cup of coffee near and his mischievous smile.
please keep family in your thoughts and prayers.

time to get her bounce on

2011-06-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

do you know how hard it is to get anything done with this little one rolling around and cooing and smiling like so? i do! i can't resist these cheeks and just want to mug on her all the time! Nata, Ever and Mark feel the same way too.

it's time to break out the baby bouncer. both Nata and Evers loved this bouncer and Adelle seems to enjoy it just as much. these are of her first time in it ::

front and back

and her verdict :: success! my verdict :: success!! she was happy about being in it and i was happy to get the diapers stuffed and folded up before she was done.

4 months

2011-06-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

Delle's babies are her favorite. the one pictured and another one, named Daisy, are her constant companions. they only leave her grasp to be washed. being in KS, Delle has been loved up and met everyone on her mama's Alexander side of the family. Grandmother and Delle seem to have a special connection. Grandmother coos or catches Delle's eye and she just melts into smiles for her. i hope Delle has brought her some comfort this visit.

sooo guess what, guess what, guess what

2011-05-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

i've just won the most lovely clothespin bag thanks to Abbey Hendrickson @ aesthetic outburst. i'm so excited i could burst. now i can get rid of the cardboard box i've been keeping them in. you can follow the link to find a picture of it. when it comes in the mail i'll be sure to post about it.

also :: speaking of posting, blogging has been sparce (save for MarkO's) b/c just as i'm wanting to start a post, crazy happens and now i'm behind again. same old tune right? thanks for checking in anyway.

double also :: we are getting ready for a mini-vaca to the Lynden/Bellingham area. we'll all celebrate miss Adelle's baptism and squeeze in as much family time as possible. the trip can not come soon enough. last night while getting ready for bed, Nata spontaneously burst out fake crying :: "OH, I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO BE AT MY AUNITE & UNCLE REIDS HOUSE!!" it was crazy dramatic, but completely true as we can't wait to see you all. the topic comes up in every conversation.

triple also and the most important :: my Granddad has been diagnosed with esophagus cancer. he's lost a good amount of weight, but is hanging in there. as Grandmother put it, "he's a fighter!" so true!! his surgery is June 1st. please keep him in your thought and prayers. thanks.

Some Text Issues (Obama)...

2011-05-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

So Obama thinks the Bin Laden event will make us forget this little document...

Does anyone know of a typewriter that prints crooked... in 1961? There have already been so many great arguments showing the Birth Certificate is a fraud. How do you refute this one from Mr. Vogt of Archive Index Systems:

If you can't see it, look at the word Male, it is at 0 degree alignment on the curvature while the headers are copied in at about 4 degrees - hard to see at first glance. There are so many things wrong with this document, how do you not demand an investigation? By the way, there are other text alignment issues in this document that I did not see discussed (such as vertical alignment and Kerning - which requires computing).

I like his analysis up until the conclusion where he makes some speculations:

Obamas Cert of Birth_May-10-2011_News Realease

3 months

2011-05-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

workin' those muscles! three months has gone so fast! i haven't much time to write, i'm too busy holding you, typing with one hand. this month you will be baptized and everyone is coming. so many people gathered around you, my lovely. we can't wait. must go, your wanting nursing right NOW. : )

post-MOTHERS DAY-party

2011-05-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

whats the best way to end any series? crafts and bacon of course!!

when the kids and i stopped at Christina's house to pick up our asparagus order, they asked us to stay and play. it was a great addition to our lazy day! the kids had a great time playing and Christina and i got to chat (mostly) uninterrupted. she even made paper folded stars and Nata and Evers got to make some too. the kids wanted their pictures taken with their stars so i gave them star heads. fun times!!

asparagus is in season!! since it's a short season for local asparagus, i've bought 3lbs and will be eating it with each meal until it's gone. i'm so excited! to end this Mothers Day parting, i give you ::

bacon wrapped asparagus

it's fantastic and oh so easy to make. you need bacon, asparagus, a baking pan or cookie sheet with a lip and a cooling rack. preheat your oven to 400. clean the asparagus and wrap it in bacon. {YES! it's that easy} place in on the cooling rack thats been placed on the cookie sheet. this way the grease with drip through. cook until bacon is done, turning every 20 min ; 30 to 40 min. let it cool a little and eat it up!!

your welcome!!

this is the last in a 3 part Mothers Day series. the first and second day can be found here and here. thanks for joining the party!

the-MOTHERS DAY-party

2011-05-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

game night... and you know we love us some games!! this one is small world and was pretty fun to play. i might even have won it if i hadn't been too silly on my last roll. i came in second and Mark was second to last.
i snapped a couple shots of the the kiddos too ::

funny that Nata always blinks when the flash comes. these were taken so late into the night that there wasn't any natural light to be found. and it seems that poor Isaac was left out. i think he was off partying somewhere else when i took these.

this post is part 3 day mothers day series. the first of 3 can be found here.

yo mama's

2011-05-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

this one goes out to ALL the mama's ::

Godmama's, adopted mama's, fostering mama's, birth mama's. yours, mine, and theirs too.

!!we <3 you!!

pre-MOTHERS DAY-party

2011-05-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

celebrated with Grandma. i love that the kiddos are checking each other out to make sure their smilies are cheesie enough. they were told to say cheese a lot. : ) unfortunately this led to them comparing smiles with each other and Grandma instead of looking at the camera. scrolling through the pictures to choose one was hilarious(!!).

they found a nice necklace and bracelet to go with their homemade cards. Grandma and Grandpapa took us to Cafe Yumm for lunch and visited for a little afterward.

the 'pre' mentioned in the title has to do with a 3 part Mothers Day series. check back tomorrow and monday to find out how the rest series plays out.

Leverage

2011-05-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

Let us take a minute and discuss the word inflation. It is widely misunderstood and often misspoken. It is caused by outstanding sum of all debts public and private and available credit to draw on (or in other words money supply) increasing. As I've previously said many times, during its greatest period of growth few people cried out "inflation". We've barely had any gain on money supply in the last couple years and yet we now get a far heavier cry of "inflation" (yet it is a myth). Most of all this gain is from the fed monetizing treasury debt and student loans. So why are commodities, energy, food going through the roof?

Lets stop here and discuss QE1 & QE2. These are programs where the fed has bought treasuries through a primary dealer (think banks) who initially bought the treasuries with hopefully a better deal in their case. This helps the banks to some degree and gives the Treasury a for sure market. It helps the large banks a little, but not near enough. The treasury then spends this money on deficit spending, which we all know much of is unproductive parts of our economy. This program doesn't stimulate the needed investment in the economy, keeps prices high and weakens the currency. All of which will not help employment in the long run. Now, if anything these programs have given investors an all clear to take on leverage. Investors bet the house thinking there is no end to free lunches. This causes all easy to trade assets such as commodities, energy and food to rise. At some point the QE games have to end to protect the currency, which is where we are at right now (which is where we were in 2008 when the fed pulled liquidity to save the dollar).

It's what blew Lehman Bros. to kingdom come. And we have even more leverage now in 2011 than 2008. When you get margin requirements increased, reducing leverage, you get a chart like Silver above starting last week. Don't step in front of this. The next step is margin calls. And like that, welcome to back to 2008 all over again. All without a change in money supply or at least to the extreme that people believe.

Has there been an all of a sudden bout of deflation over one week? No! Not at all, the game just ended! A rising/falling market can create many myths. Inflation is one of them.

Remember, housing is near 52 week lows and dipping now. This is where the economy is showing its true hand and it is being completely ignored...

Cash is not King, cash is GOD right here...

-
The O'Leary Family thinks it is clear to anyone reading these missives that they are merely commentaries…as we see it…and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone other than our own. Information is gathered from sources we have found reliable, but no guarantees of accuracy are implied. These are merely observations of events in the marketplace offering in an attempt to offer a non-mainstream viewpoint.

Nata's picks

2011-05-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

N :: -sitting on the couch where i can't see her- hey mommy, today is a blue day!

me :: um, a blue day. -looking outside and around for blue- what makes you say that?

N :: it is!! it's a blue day. a blue sock day. blue polka-dot sock day!

and then she laid upside down and stuck her feet in the air ::

it is a blue polka-dot sock day.
it's also a striped shirt, butterfly skirt and star legging day ::

the only kind of day to have when the sun changes it's mind and decides not to come out.

hey MORGAN

2011-05-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

THANKS FOR THE BUNNY!!

she totally loves it. today, just now as i was unloading the groceries, i showed her the bunny and then laid it on her belly so she could hang out with it. as i was finishing up i noticed she had picked up the and pulled it up to her mouth. she's sucking all over it with her thumb. thanks for making this for her. it's so bomb!!

my brilliant boy

2011-05-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

silly, happy, mischievous, always hungry, challenging, smart, goofy, beautiful, strong,

compassionate, explorer, growing, questioning, dancer, boundless, smiling, lover and so much more.

i love you!!

balloonies

2011-05-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

they love them so much we keep a small bowl full atop the fridge.

awhile back, when Morgan was over, she had this great idea to draw faces, animals or whatever the kiddos requested on the balloons. monkey see, monkey do.

i love inspiring monkeys!!

also, the black, green, blue & red balloons Nata blew up herself.

wanna follow me

2011-05-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Follow my blog with bloglovin
oh, you know you do.

the 12 project :: April

2011-04-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

the above was taken Easter Sunday. Evers couldn't be parted with his chocolate lollipop, Adelle was pissed b/c she was oh so tired and Nata isn't really into having her picture taken unless its her idea.

this one, taken this morning, is about as real as it gets around here. diapers everywhere (clean and 1 dirty), kiddos in unders only (b/c they had just had a bath), art piled up (on the artline/counters/tables) and perfectly happy kiddos! i love this picture!!

like March, April has been incredibly rainy. May will be better!! i (and everyone else in the Pacific Northwest) will it so. the first day of May calls for 75 degrees and plenty of sun. bring it on!
previous months found here :: 12 project

morning all

2011-04-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

at this early hour the house looks "lived in" the kiddos are happy and we are headed out into the sun!

i have plenty of blogging to catch up on but i'm going to further push it off to play outdoors with the kiddos and MarkO. but rest assured, i will catch up!

these are pictures of our newly arranged living/dining area. i got the "switch everything up" gene from my Mum when i was little. once every season or so Dad would come home to almost everything being rearranged and didn't bat an eye about it. lucky for me MarkO is the same way. what do you think of the change?

More Thought - The Certificate / Trump

2011-04-28T23:44:00.000-07:00

I've never bought into the "birther" argument and I still don't. But, after some more thinking about why Obama would spend 2 million dollars on a legal team, wait 2 years for release and have someone modify his birth certificate, it came to me that Trump may actually be on to something. He is not the type of guy to bring his entire empire down on a conspiracy theory. He has had his own team doing investigations, they have had to come up with some leads otherwise I doubt Trump would go public.

Immediately after the release, Trump said "now show me the college records." At the time I didn't understand why. Now it makes more since: Trump may have already known Obama is a citizen of the United States. I believe this is not what Trump is after, nor what Obama is worried about...

You Be the Judge - The Certificate

2011-04-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't been involved or cared about this issue. But, if this document is in fact manufactured, why do it? And, who was dumb enough to not photo-scan the .pdf document prior to release?

!! she rolled over !!

2011-04-26T14:11:00.000-07:00

no kidding ::

this morning i laid her on her quilt to chill while i finished breakfast. in the less than 2 seconds it took for me to look away, grabbing her rocket ship teether, and then look back she was on her back. i freaked out!! made a mad run for the camera, flipped her back onto her tummy and prayed that i hadn't freaked her out too much with all my freaking out and waited patiently for her to do it again. after a minute or so she did. i repeated the above freak-out/flip-over/wait-patiently move again and she did it again!! she rolled over 4 times before she decide that enough was enough and she wanted to be fed and snuggled to sleep for morning nap instead of doing tricks for Nata, Evers and i. Adelle is 10.5 weeks, can roll over and we are sooo in for it. wish us luck ; )

also, she's begun to suck her thumb.

two things to ponder

2011-04-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

1 :: how can one so small generate so much laundry?! all of this, except 4 pairs of kiddos unders, is Adelle's wash.

2 :: what should i do about attitude from my baby?! if you wonder what i mean, click on the image to make it larger; she's totally giving me the finger!!

Easter weekend

2011-04-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

i ended up leaving the eggs the kiddos decorated at home, on the counter, in the cooler.

so the kiddos Nata and Evers colored more with Dad and Grandma.

Evers ~waiting for the eggs to color already~ pose.

Nata taking her time wrapping rubber bands around her last egg.

goofy Daddy!

MarkO decided to show them how mixing the different colors together will make new ones. we all had lots of fun guessing what colors would come from the different combinations.

the rubber bands were a big hit.

Grandpapa showing Evers and Nata the cotton tail bunnies that visited earlier that week.

Grandma helped divvy up the stickers to finish decorating the eggs.

oohing and ahhing over the loot.

there was bubbles & chalk, play kitchen veggies & fruit and lots of chocolate. Grandmom & Granddaddy and Grandma & Grandpapa were very generous.

hunting for their eggs. the first couple of hunts they went on, they were only interested in finding and keeping the eggs they had decorated. if Nata found one of Evers she would leave it for him and keep looking for hers. Evers, in turn, would jump up and down and yell for Nata to come over and wouldn't let up in till she did. later they changed things up and began hiding eggs for the rest of us.

not wanting her to be left out Adelle was given a rocket ship teether. thanks Grandmom & Granddaddy.

we had a nice Easter at the beach. thanks to shopping, playing on the beach, egg hunts and hanging out with Grandma & Grandpapa. hope everyone had a lovely easter.

egg decorating :: blown out

2011-04-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

this was a fun experience. the kiddos gave it their all but man are those eggs hard to blow out. i know b/c i ended up doing all 6 myself : )

after the eggs were dried out and decorated with crayons, it was time to get with the dying. because the eggs were hollow, and would float, we put them in half-pint jars, sealed them up tight and got to shaking.

they really turned out well. the only down side to them is how fragile they are. maybe next time we'll try hanging them up for show instead of playing with them. or make so many that we can do both. if we do it next year, i'm making the holes for blowing the eggs through bigger. or i'm going to have the eggs all ready blown out and ready for decorating and dying before i tell them what we're up to.

its my dreadie birthday

2011-04-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

1 year already!!

boy oh boy has it gone by fast. last year i broke out of my box and made one of my own wishes come true. i stopped "doing" my hair. with the help of Stephanie, the Dread Goddess, my hair became dreaded and i began this journey. it's taken me far. my dreads have been freeing. i've come to love myself a lot more than i ever have before. i'm not perfect, but i am beautiful. i love my hair! MarkO, Nata & Evers loves my hair! Nata really likes to twist it up and put things in it and get Evers to help her make a mess of it. Adelle, while unable to speak, likes to hold onto my hair and i'm gonna translate that has her love. while i might not have dreads forever, i am no where near getting rid of them. here's to the years to come!
past dreadie posts here :: dreads

super blender

2011-04-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

after waiting 3 long years, our vitamix super blender has arrived!! it comes with a hefty price tag, but is worth every penny. i'll bet the UPS guy wasn't even back at his truck before we had it out of the box and making our first smoothie.

super smoothie ingredients :: frozen pineapple, mango & raspberries, chia seeds, baby spinach, yogurt and orange juice.

the must have close up.

it's pretty loud until you get used to it.

his crazy/happy/cheesy/smoothie making smile.

and done! we poured it out and drank it up so fast that there was no time for picture taking. sorry! however i do have some tasters comments for you ::

"it was the favorite of my life!" "i've waited so long for you to make me a yummy one like this!" "Mommy, if you make me smoothies like this then i will eat them... but not like the old ones." ~ Nata

there was complete silence until he had finished his cup. then, in his crazy gotta have it now voice :: "please, please Mommy, can i have some more!!" ~ Evers

the smoothie was blended so well and loved so much that we forgot to save some for Daddy. oh well, we'll just have to have a demonstration just for him when he comes home. : )

an art kind of day

2011-04-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Rowena came to play and after some much needed catching up, the 3 of them decided to paint on the windows ::

Natalie, left "Dragon" Rowena, middle "Me" Everett, right "Dragon and a Man"

we <3 art

creating egg/bunny/butterfly people

2011-04-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

trace ~

cut ~

decorate and name; these two are holding hands ~

hang up for all to see ~

her art is coming along and taking its own direction and going outside every box i've unknowingly made. my idea was to color in the eggs. her's was to make them into egg people and give them all feelings.
she's teaching me to leave my boxes more and more each day.

2 months

2011-04-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

two months have gone by already! how can that be? Adelle is a fantastic baby! she's so happy, loves to snuggle and can not get enough of Nata and Evers. she begun to take notice of her hands and is starting to try and catch them. if you hold her she likes to be facing out so as too not miss anything around her. her muscles are crazy strong and she likes to hold her head strait up to look you in the eye. she smiles constantly, mimics sticking out her tongue and is working hard to find her voice. Mark and i like to call her our 'heat seeking missile' b/c she wiggles and wiggles in bed until she's right up against me to sleep. she's a good sleeper and an even better eater. we love her so.

happy baby, happy hair

2011-04-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

isn't she lovely! i know i say it all the time, but we love her so much. in the left photo Adelle's cooing/smiling at the camera. in the second she's just stuck her tongue out at me to play our mimicking game. it's cute. she'll make eye contact, smile and then start sticking her tongue out over and over until we do the same back. then she breaks out in an even bigger smile than the first.

Nata and Evers decorated my dreadies with flowers while i nursed Adelle at Gabriel park. i sat on the top of the hill while they ran back and forth collecting flowers and watching the skaters bellow. -last year they put a skate park in the south end of the park, the tennis courts and dog park. it's really nice and always full of skaters, especially on a sunny day like today- they wanted me to hold their flowers while they collected, as Nata put it "lots more but not too many Mama. we have to leave some for the bees so they can make HONEY for us." then Nata had the idea to put them in my hair. it was fun to watch Evers run off to pick one flower, bring it back to Nata and then feel her place it in my hair. they must have put at least 15 in before Nata declared that my head was full and we should go to the playground. walking up and down the hill i got a few interested looks and you could see the pride on Nata's face that they liked my decorated hair. the picture doesn't do the job they did justice, many of the flowers fell out before i took it, but i love it anyway. they did a fantastic job! i love my hair!!

it takes 3 baby

2011-04-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

1 to hold the book :: 1 to hold the bottle :: 1 to supervise

checking in

2011-04-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

hi all, we just wanted to check in with y'all. HOWDY!! while the kiddos run in circles, listening to Star Wars and bounce all around, i'm doing my best to finish morning chores before Adelle wakes. they include :: pumping, hanging the kids laundry, convincing the kiddos to have a shower and finish loading the dishwasher. wish me luck. then when Adelle wakes, we'll be heading to the library and out to soak up the sun. pray it keeps!! i don't want to see rain until next winter!! as it works out i'll also be posting our march picture and other past happenings. our love to you all, B

edit to add,7:45pm ::

so the outings never happened. -unless you include my taking the recycling out just now- Adelle hasn't been up more than 30 minutes a time, sleeping the day away. growing and sleeping the sniffles away. -its so sad to see babies stuffed up- instead we all, including me (yea) took naps and then had some crazy play time. Nata and Evers gave Adelle horsey rides, read bouncing them all on my lap, and when the horsey stopped Adelle would smile and "ah" at us. i'm going to applaud myself for staying in and soaking up my kiddos. sometimes i get so hell bent on leaving that i forget they need home days too. and there's always tomorrow to be out. : )

Nata-bots

2011-04-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

no foolin

2011-04-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

it's about time!

the 12 project :: March

2011-03-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

yea March is over!! it was such a dreary, rainy month. Mark kept count and there was something like 29 out of 31 days of rain. blah!! everyone know the song 'rain, rain, go away...' please sing it with me. go on... do it. NOW! -see, too much rain makes me extra crazy and turns us all into grumps- this picture captures best what the kiddos are currently doing constantly. Adelle :: sleeping. Nata :: bouncing. Evers :: popping. constantly.

party

2011-03-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Eliser!!

30 is going to be so awesome for you and we're glad you like to share your party balloons.

especially Evers. he's crazy happy about them! love you!!

nuts

2011-03-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

do you see it?

almonds for the kiddos...

stored nuts for the squirrel.

this little guy drives me nuts. we've had issues in the past and as cute as he may be, just i do not like him!! but my kiddos do. and if he could learn to stay in this tree, and off my deck, i'm sure that i could learn to like him too.

a day for tents

2011-03-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

"look mama, i've made a tent"

one for brother too ::

brothers is more of a cave ::

with a little help, it makes into a 2 room tent ::

"we need our sister inside too"

it's got a back door ::

happily watching :

pack rat ::

making faces ::

oops, too focused on the camera ::

"look, i'm in the back yard!"

break for lunch ::

packing more in ::

"mama, we're going upstairs!"

easily turned into a theater. todays showing :: Pirates of the Caribbean

she had an idea and they both ran with it, included little sister as they could and let me take as many pictures as i wanted. the idea kept all day until they packed it up for bed. they had wanted to sleep in it, but it wasn't as comfortable as they thought it would be. thats okay, tomorrow they'll think up something new.

origami

2011-03-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

paper "birdies" has been Nata's request since Charlotte made one for her yesterday. it's small and purple and her very favorite thing to play with. -i would have taken a picture of it, but Nata's taken it to bed and is sleeping with it now- Charlotte ran out of time to make one for Evers so he wanted me to make him one too. always wanting to know how to make paper cranes myself, i was more than happy to oblige. i tried to find a good pattern earlier today but didn't find the time to follow through and make one until all three kiddos were in bed. the above are my firsts and i am very excited about them. the white one i followed the instructions to a tee and the blue i folded by memory. i foresee much crane making in our future. i'm already thinking ahead to where i might hang them... in the living/dining room windows or maybe above the kitchen sink?

Origami Folding Instructions - they use step by step pictures to teach and was the most helpful out of the sites i found

smile

2011-03-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

here they are ::

i think they're fantastic!! Adelle has become so much more responsive and begun to mimic sticking her tongue out and smiling. she was so happy, smiling back and cooing at me, after nursing this morning. i love it!! she's got us all wanting more.

wanna make a quick 50 cents?

2011-03-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

when you come across an abandoned kid cart at the mall, return it to the nearest station and claim the payback. that's right, those huge carts that cost way too much to rent give 50 cents back when you return it. this must be why people abandon them at the exits nearest their parked cars; it's just not worth taking them back. once, when we were preggers mall walking and passing abandoned carts right and left, i mentioned this payback to Mark and he and the kiddos have been hooked on taking them back ever since. no kidding! most of the quarters filling up Nata and Evers piggy bank have come from these roundups. today i happened to have the camera on hand when Evers found a cart and they all set off to return it. the four of them, Adelle wide awake on her first roundup, off to claim 50 cents. every little bit helps. : )

modern art

2011-03-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

i quite like having not one but TWO in-house artists. the art line has been overly weighted down with paintings and pictures and i've decided to spread the wealth to other walls. right now Nata's favorite medium is watercolor. about 2/3rds of these are hers, 1 (the far top right handed one) is Morgans and the rest Evers. i thought i'd showcase them in the hall and make a watercolor wall. to be expanded and interchanged as they create. enjoy!!

our Irish three

2011-03-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

playing the Cupcake game together.

the backside of the wee one outfit. i didn't get a picture of the front before she required an outfit change.

happy St. Patty's day, love the O'Leary's!

Happy Birthday Eliser!! we can't wait for 'Beer & Breakfast' to celebrate.

p.s. ~ i did want to take one of those pictures of them together. but as it didn't happen by the end of the day, Nata & Evers flat out refused to pose together and Adelle slept most of the day away, it wasn't meant to be. at times the kiddos really don't want their picture taken and i'll be doing my best to respect that.

kiddo's suite update

2011-03-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

we finally finished the stained glass door project. Nata likes to call it "the window like Mass" referring to the windows she sees at church. i decided to change the idea i had to use the leftover scraps of red, yellow and orange from our sun lamps project and use all the colors we had. the end result is pretty awesome! with so many different tissue options, i can see us doing this project over and over again. inspiration

this is what the rest of the kiddo's suite looks like ::

we moved their bed to the wall between the doors and it's opened up the space even more. they like to play car in the space between the door and bed, filling the area with blankets, pillows and all their toys.

when Adelle was being born Uncle Reid and Auntie Sarah brought the kitchen and some other toys into the room. for now the kitchen and highchair has stayed. the blanket on the floor is for dining and for Adelle to hangout.

and lastly, the pink closet. she still loves it! oh and Jesus too. : )

peek-a-boo sun

2011-03-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

the sun came out for a hour or so and we made sure to soak it all up.

choosing at the radio flyer corral ::

a favorite for both ::

playing chase ::

kiddos's curls ::

Red light, Green light ::

Angela reminded me of this game when she was talking about her boys playing it. i taught it to Nata and Evers and they loved it!! they can't wait to play it with the boys. i also tried to teach them 'Simon Says', but they liked 'Red light, Green light' much better.

snack time

2011-03-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

she sat on the coffee table for her snack and with out missing a beat he sat there too.

you know, where one goes the other follows.

she slept through it all. on her tummy, butt in the air. i love watching her sleep!

our stroller seat opens flat to act as a bassinet and the second seat can be placed on the front in the original seats spot. the best part of it is that people don't know she's down there and no one tries to touch her. i forget how much i don't like strangers touching my babies until i have a new little one.

1 month

2011-03-11T23:30:00.000-08:00

this month has passed so fast! Adelle is such a lovely easy going baby. her favorite things seem to be nursing, listening/watching for Nata and Evers and sleeping on daddy. she's been sleep smiling since about a week old and just beginning to try smiling when you talk with her. every so often she talk back with a squeak. no telling what color her eyes will be yet, but i'm hoping they stay a hazel blue mix like Nata's. we love her so much!

we have to get out

2011-03-08T22:08:00.000-08:00

a week after Adelle was born we caught something viral and have not been well. its no fun and we've all had a turn at it. as our first sickness of the season it's not been easy to shake. while the sun was out -and the rain paused- the kiddos and i bundled up and went for a much needed walk.

baby bundled all snug and sleeping in the ergo.

kiddos bundled too. 2 jackets apiece and puddle boots too.

spring is on the way. green peaks out here and there as we walk.

made a new friend.

puddle jumping in some rather muddy water.

the tire swing was put to good use. a favorite at the playground.

my favorite picture taken on this walk.

geography anyone? -this playground is at a school that was closed down a couple years ago due to budget cuts-

moss heart on the way home.

if the rain stops and the sun comes out, you'll find us doing all we can to be out in it. its been so cold and rainy. cabin fever keep away, spring come faster and bring warmer weather with you.

bath time

2011-03-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

Adelle's first bath went off with out a scream. my third baby and i've finally learned to use this baby seat in the bath tub where i can fill it up with water and it will cover most of her body. -our kitchen sink isn't deep enough and Nata and Evers used to scream when we gave them their first baths in it-

she watched the kiddos as they tried to help me and seemed to enjoy the warm water.

but when i took her out, that was a different story. she got a little grumpy with me.

i take that back. when i took her out, i really pissed her off.

i handed her off to Mark and she screamed at him the whole time he dried her off and dressed her. she would only calm down when i nursed her. but by then she had exhausted herself so much that she fell asleep immediately after latching on.

just another rainy day... or is it!?!

2011-03-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

Nata made a crazy mess with the smallest piece of chocolate ever ::

so i made her vacuum. haha, kidding. she really loves to vacuum and gets upset with me if i don't ask her if she wants to help me before i begin ::

Evers wanted to play in the rain. his exact words were "just come on already mom! lets play in the rain already!"

Adelle noticed the packed bag and keys while i was getting her ready to leave and began her 'i hate my car seat' cry. not kidding. this poor baby yells for the better part of every car ride she's be on ::

and then we all went outside and noticed this ::

our very first mudslide here at Shadow Creek ::

this mess required a medium sized front loader, back hoe and 3 people from the landscaping team to clean it up. the kiddos loved every minute of it.

the 12 project :: Feburary

2011-02-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

what a month this has been! Adelle arrived on the 11th, and Evers turned 3 on the 24th. both i have yet to fully blog about. i've learned that when it comes to blogging and i get behind, keeping in mind that i actually enjoy blogging, i start to lose motivation to catch up fast. never fear though, i have been taking a whole lot of pictures and when this cold subsides i'll get them up. along with birthdays we've been blessed with meals from friends and family and gifts for Adelle as well as Nata & Evers. thank you all so much!!

oh and i did finally get Adelle's baby announcement/2011 valentines in the mail yesterday. i decided to combine the two this year as our newest love arrived right before valentines day. they were dropped in the mail on monday and will be arriving in the traditional postcard style. keep an eye out for them...

Nata's picts/picks

2011-02-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

while the boys caught up on some much needed sleep, Nata wanted a photo shoot with Adelle and i. she delegated the shots and picked the ones that would be posted. which means that all the ones she took are to be posted.

okay now :: stick out your tounge.

okay now :: give baby Adelle a kiss.

okay now :: i'll give her a kiss.

just the three of us.

Adelle likes to sleep best on her tummy.

okay now :: kiss me Mama.

haha, thats a squishy face.

okay now :: get one of the heart that i gived to you.

what she's wearing :: baby legs, pink skirt, tie dye dress, bird shirt and hair pulled back in pig tale buns.

BORN!

2011-02-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

Friday 2/11/11, 11:58am, 8lbs 4oz, 21 inch

Adelle Emerson O'Leary

those 3 little words

2011-02-10T19:27:00.000-08:00

you know the ones. no, not the obvious ones. i'm talking about the other ones. words that Evers has pleaded to me every day for the past week or so :: tickle me Mama!

i don't know what brought on the obsession, but he's been very persistent about it. he'll pick a spot on the floor and yell "come on Mama!" until i oblige.

of course Nata must join in. the laughter is contagious and no one can fight it.

makes me wish our video recorder hadn't died. then we could share the giggling, the belly laughs and squeals with you.

all tickle fest seem to end in a deep sigh. tickle needs fulfilled, we move on to trucks, books, dolls, marbles and much more. the next fix will catch up with us tomorrow.

glorious sun

2011-02-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

while the sun is out, we must be out in it!!

between our weekly wednesday grocery shopping and afternoon dance, we took full advantage of the warm sun. inside the house we read books, snuggled and had tickle-fests in the warmth that shines through the windows. outside we dined on folding chairs and raced and chased each other with trikes nonstop.

still waiting for Adelle to come. like i said before, Mark still thinks she's going to come on thursday. when i pointed out i haven't had any signs or symptoms to suggest his guess will be true, he assured me that he has until 11:59pm to be wrong. we'll see... until then, you'll find us soaking up the sun!