Ries's 1st Chocolate Chip Cookie

Mmm!



Finger Lickin' Good!



Chocolate Coma!

Gotta Love Ikea

I love Ikea! The store itself I think can be overwhelming if you don't have a plan first before going in. And you definitely can't make it out of there in 1 1/2 hours (even though that's as long as they'll let your kids stay in the play area). But I love to get inspiration from other places and then try to duplicate it by going to Ikea.

For example, I saw this idea in a Pottery Barn catalog a few years ago.  It would have cost me about $400 - $500 to buy this from Pottery Barn.  But I went to Ikea and found almost the exact same ledge and then bought my frames on sale at Target, which ended up costing me less than $100.




So while searching the www tonight I came across this cool blog where people submit their projects using supplies from Ikea.   http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/

My creative juices are flowing...I'm thinking summer projects!

Ries's 1st Birthday!

Can you believe a year has gone by already?!  I CAN'T!!  Where has the time gone?  I Love You Ries!!  Happy Birthday!

Little League

(click to enlarge)

Baseball season is officially in full force. This is Josie's first year to play T-ball. Which now has made our schedules CRAZY! Fortunately both TJ and Josie play at Poston and half their games are on the same day and time. So Jimmy and I split up to watch them.

I forgot how much fun it is to watch T-ball. Kids running the wrong way, kids running to get the ball after they hit it (Emeli Wayas), doing the splits in the outfield (Josie), sliding into every base...it goes on and on. It is quite entertaining. Josie started off not hitting off the tee very well, but she's got the hang of it now.

This is TJ's last year playing coach pitch. We actually thought he'd be playing Minors this year, but his birthday didn't make the cut off. He was a little sad but is enjoying working on his skills. He's really getting a lot better. Last night he hit his first home run. YAH!! We enjoy watching him and he really loves it - which makes dad proud!!

Computer Dependant

Computers are amazing things!  It's crazy to think back not that long ago where it wasn't the "norm" to have a computer in your home.  In high school I learned to type on a typewriter.  Do those even exist anymore?  But now everything we do is on the computer.  All my recipes with meal plans and grocery lists are on my computer (thanks  Crystal!).  I don't know how to go to the grocery store without it anymore.  Banking...I can't remember the last time I filled out one of those paper check registers or paid my bills by writing checks and mailing them in (how much are stamps anyway?).  All my pictures and scrapbooking is done on the computer.  I plan lessons for primary or f.h.e, email, blog...You get the picture.  

So needless to say when my computer "FRIED" on me two weeks ago, I felt so frustrated and angry that I depend so much on the dang thing!!  It's such a sick feeling that so many aspects of my daily life is in an uproar because of one electronic devise.  CRAZY!!  But I'm happy to say that I'm back on track and online with a new computer.  HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!

Spring Break

This year we decided to vacation during spring break. (I'm feeling a little old now, it seems not that long ago I was in school and having spring break and now my kids are. Where has the time gone?!)

Our neighbors told us about this condo they rent every summer in Oceanside (thanks Greg & Julie). It was so great, cheaper than a hotel in San Diego and we were right on the beach. The kids had a great time! The weather was beautiful, but a little cold for the beach - I thought. My kids could have cared less. They put on their swimsuits and went right in that ocean, while we sat on the beach in our sweatshirts. I think I'm getting a little whoosy in my old age! But they had a great time and Ries absolutely loved the sand and being outdoors. We were halfway between the pier and the harbor so there was a lot to see and do.

We did end up spending one day at the Wild Animal Park, which was really cool! Except Ries lost his beloved binky. You know the ugly green one you get at the hospital. It was so worn and torn in spots, he had been loving on it for 10 months now. Needless to say that was not a fun night without it. I did go to the store and buy a few others and with a little effort he now takes those too! :)



But we had a wonderful time and it gave Jimmy lots of opportunities to take plenty of pictures!

The New Piano

Last week my grandmother passed away. Which was a blessing! She missed her husband so much, who passed away almost exactly one year before. I went to California for the funeral with my sister, Holly and all but one my brothers and sisters were there too. We had such a great time being together as siblings without spouses or children. My little brother, Marky, and I shared my grandma's room and stayed up all night talking and laughing. It was great!  So as we were going through things my aunt asked me if I wanted the piano.

My grandma bought it when my mom was young and then my aunt had it at her house until she bought one. So of course I jumped at it. Poor TJ has been taking lessons for two years and has had to practice on a keyboard. So we brought it home and are enjoying it immensely! It needs to be tuned and a little maintenance done.  Even Ries loves to play it and he sings (jabbers) along.





Just a few days and it's already brought so much joy in our home! Thank you Aunt Tami!!

Swimming At Last!

The temperature today was 82 - Pool temperature was 65! Way too cold for me to try to swim. But since we've had our pool for about four months now, they have been dying to go swimming. So today I let them jump in. I wish I would have brought my camera out at the beginning to capture their expressions. Josie is usually my dare devil, but she was a little reluctant to get in all the way. T.J. jumped right in and almost right out. The expression on his face was hilarious! But it didn't take long before they were swimming and having a blast! Nikki came over with her girls and had a great time!

Terese Has Taken Over

So since most of the traffic on our blog seems to be my friends, I have taken over.  Jim has decided to create a new blog on his website and given me this one.  So I'm trying to figure this all out and hopefully I'll be posting more regularly.  Everyone's blogs are so stinkin' cute, I haven't quite figured out how to design this better, so any tips would be helpful!

CES 2008

I just returned from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It was so much fun to see the latest and greatest in technology. The show is always so much fun every year. I think this is the 9th year in a row we've attended it. The Vegas strip is always full of photo opportunities too. I've posted a bunch here from our fabulous 3 days in LV.