It went off with a BANG! 4th of July/Birthday Party Rodarte Style

So I can enjoy my 20's for one more year! Bring on the thriving thirties. All I can figure is that even though we may get a bit more wrinkles and we may sag in a few places we would rather not sag, doesn't getting older mean we can have more of a right say what we want and be a little more relaxed about who we are and all that stuff that we worry about when we are young ;). I look at my 9o somthing Grandma and she can say and do pretty much whatever she wants and people just say, "Oh, you know Grandma, that's just how she is." I can't wait to be that old crazy woman who can just say it how it is and get away with it 'cause I'm old. So even though we get to saggin', there are some perks to getting a little bit older.

Celebrating the 4th is THE best! We eat, blow things up, eat, hang out in the sun (this summer is sweet with all of the sunshine, I'm soaking it up. . .literally!) and then eat a little bit more. You get to dress your girls (cause there's no "dressing up" my boys) in red, white and blue and be all matchy. It's always fun to have an excuse to get coordinating outfits for us three amigas.

JP (Peyton) got to ride his quad for the first time this summer and I didn't hardly see him all Friday and Saturday, he was a riding fool. Imagine being all dressed in long sleeve, thick riding pants all black on a 85-90 degree day? He managed it just fine, now if I could just get him to be as dedicated to helping out and cleaning and school as he is with riding.

Food Storage on a Roll!

Happy Birthday to me! Jared just bought me my first food rotations system and I am loving the very organized and efficiency of it all. It's a smaller pantry sized, no #10 cans in this one, maybe next year if I'm a good little house wife I can get the really big super dooper one. Gotta stock up on my food storage and make sure it's good and rotated :) Let the good times roll (sorry, I just couldn't hep myself)

Jared and I went head to head in the birthday cake bake off! No, actually, I wanted both babies to get a special cake. Peyton (Jared, he is wanting to be called by his first name now) had been talking about what kind of cake he wanted for a few months now. We found a picture of a sweet sculped cake that looked like sand dunes, but after the cakes were baked Jared had the vision. there is a sculped bike track with a loop-d-loop, trick ramp and Chips Ahoy dirt track. I put J P on it to be kind of a symbol of the change of name. I am so impressed with Jared, he is so amazing. I guess that working in construction helps with architecture!

Lily got an inch worm/caterpillar. Man, this cake is huge! We had four different cakes at this party and about 1/5th of each one was eaten. But it's all about the love! Lily and Peytong loved them so that's all that matters :)

P.S. the antenna are the candles, kinda fun!

Tiger Lily

Little Ms. Lily in a small photo shoot with the lilies Grandpa and Grandma brought for her birthday along with the beautiful bracelet sent to her from Jen. With her hair in the piggies that she can now sport, she is a living doll :) I cannot say how much this year has flown by for me. Is she really a whole year old? Didn't I just get home from the hospital with her? Wasn't I just holding this little pea pod scrunched up on my chest? Now she is cruising around, trying to keep up with brother and sister, tearing things out of cupboards, sleeping from 7:30pm to 8:00am in her own crib, eating big people food. . . she is growing up. At times it really gets to me but really I am loving every minute I have with this beautiful spirit I have for a daughter.

So beautiful! The day after the fair (Sunday) we drove to Jared's parent's house for our weekly visit and we got a big surprise! It was a little philly that was just born that morning. Frank (Jared's dad) had two other horses bred last year and neither one took. What a shock when one of his mare's gave birth that was never bred. Those sneeky horses horseing around :). I got into the pen and got to give the new baby some nose pats and the mommy was just beaming with pride (or that's what I think anyway). Baby's are just such a miracle.

The after fair party commenced at our house for pork spare ribs, broccoli salad, rice and strawberry cake for my little shortcake. She was diggin' the whipped cream (actually it was dream whip and I have to say it WAS dreamy!

Puyallup Spring Fair! What do you do to celebrate a 1st birthday? Go and have a family day at the local fair. Not the cotton candy, ride riding kind though. We took our baby to see all the little baby animals. Lana was probably the most excited. We got to see pygmy goats, llamas, calves, and lots of other cute fuzzy little creatures. Lily pointed at them and in her cute little lilt say "ehhh?"

So our family got our first experience at the Spring Fair! Love the good family fun!

Fun with Food!

I have this never ending craving/obsession with summer rolls (or fresh spring rolls) They are divine! What better thing is there when you can make something better than a resturant? I can tell you that it is quite satisfying! These little babies have mint, cilantro, basil, rice noodles, bean sprouts, carrot and cucumber sticks, shrimp and a thin slice of turkey. Authentic ones have a pork slice, but it's what I had and it seemed to work just dandy! The sauce is made from hoisin, peanut butter and chopped peanuts. It was so fun! The rice wrapper was really amazing to work with too! Life is good, let me see your summer roll!!!

Little Piggies for Lily

Sweet Lily's hair is pig tail ready! This is exciting and sad at the same time. She is 3 weeks away from turing 1! One! Didn't I just come home from the hospital with a brand new tiny bundle that just slept (sort of ) and ate (most of the time). Here she is ~ crawling, laughing, playing peek-a-boo and other really cute games, eating food. . . growing up!

Never in my life would I have thought I would be a part (be it small) of something so cool. I will never go over a bridge again and take it for granted. Huge girders were trucked in one by one and lifted by a 500 ton crane into place. Rodarte Construction's biggest job ever is a bridge over the train tracks in Kent. Jared went to supervise last Saturday and so the kids and I went to get in on the action. A small town girl like me didn't grow up seeing huge earth moving operations. Constructions is all about collaborating. People coming together with specific skills to accomplish a common goal. This is what life is all about. Productivity, creativity, teamwork, leadership, delegation, organization. . . Jared told me to stop with the description, so it is what it is ~ something I admire.

HAPPY 31st J-ROCK!

SUSHI~My hubby has a few favorite things in life. The second is sushi baby. His birthday lunch w/his buddies, I mean brothers and dad and "the office guys" (they see more of him than I do :) ) So we all got to "sush" baby!

Here are some more of his favorite things. . . See the sushi dragon on the plate too! Pure lovely edible art.

Jared's Favorite Things:

• ME!
• His babies!
• Hunting. . . anything
• Me
• His family (extended)
• Seahawks
• Peyton wrestling
• Sushi
• Panda Buffet (snow shrimp baby!)
• Me
• Snowmobiling
• Being in the mountains.
• Hanging out with his "amigo" (Peyt-dogg)
• and me!!!

Happy Birthday Jared! We love you!

2009 Monster Truck Jam ~ Boy's Night Out!

Friday night (Jan. 16th) Peyton and Jared were off to their 3rd year tradition of going the Tacoma Dome for the MONSTER TRUCK JAM! Just to let you know how much Peyton loves this, if you ask him what he wants to be when he grows up he'll tell you, "I wanna be a monster truck driver". He's definately hard core. I asked him the other day at dinner what we should name our next baby if it was a boy (no, I'm not pregnant, just thinking about the possibility) he, without hesitation replied, "Grave Digger". Actually, he's said he wished his name was Grave Digger. . .I totally missed the mark by naming him Peyton.

The night was a hit, I took Lana and Lily out for a night of shopping at Target and then movie and popcorn at home for a girls night in. I didn't figure they would like really the loud and stinky trucks. When I went to Les Schwab for tires the last time, Lana refused to go back in because she thought it was too stinky (she told me this while plugging her nose). She's such a girl.

P.S. My boys went to the show where a 7 year old boy got hit in the head with debris from a truck and was killed. . .very random and made me so thankful Peyton and Jared were in the cheap seats.

Last ones, I promise . . .

More family photos. . .

2008 Family Pics

CHUCK-E CHEESE!

Grandma and Lily! Can't get enough Grandma time! My sister-in-law bought the shirt Lily is wearing. It says, "What Happens at Grandma's Stays at Grandma's".

My sissy and her one of her twins (the other is a girl). GAME ON! I still can't believe they are 4 already. No fun to be away from them and not see them grow up :(

Lily and my sister's other twin taking an afternoon drive.

We have a new tradition started! Last year we went to Chuck-e-Cheese's when we went to Idaho for the holidays and Peyton talked about it ever since, so we went again this year. I love fun family traditions and the Chuck-e-Cheese's in Idaho is so much cleaner and I like it way more than the ones we have around here! Food, family and FUN!

IDAHO! We headed off between snow storms to spend the New Year with my parents and sister in Nampa/Kuna. Jared and I got home late Tuesday night and left the next morning (New Year's Eve) to make it in time to celebrate with my Grandma Glennis, parents and sister and her family. We made it through the passes easily and got there just in time to enjoy tasty treats and games with the fam. Here is my bigger chub in the tub, er, sink :). It was kind of a joke to see if she could fit and she actually did, so we gave her a quick scrub and got ready for a fun filled day.

Our trip is ending and this little bunch is headed back home to Peyton and Lana. I love time "alone" (we still have Lily) w/Jared, but I always miss my babies and can't wait to be with them again.

Sleigh Ride

We loaded up in two horse drawn sleighs and took a ride up to a tent with hot cocoa and a sledding hill. For the first time since I was tiny, I was brave and went sledding! WAHOO! Good cold, wet fun. Wish the kids were there to see their mommy cut loose!

A little show for our men.

My first time! On the ICE! Life should be full of first times and this was so fun. It was easier than I thought, but you can also get a false sense of confidence and land on your fanny hard. Boy does it hurt too. You know, not everyone is blest with agility. I will just have to be grateful that Jared didn't catch me on camera with my big spill. Look at the view, it is amazing!

Cheese! Jared and I are too excited good food and fun for 24 hours in Twisp at a lodge up in the mountains and snow! Bring it on!

Rub-a-dub, there's a Chub in the Tub!

Monday, Dec. 29th~
Lily had a major blow out on our way to Twisp, WA on a Rodarte Construction retreat. So we (I) plopped her in the tub for a quick "freshening up". Look at this happy face! I think she knows that she is the cutest baby ever (along with my other cutest kids ever) :) She is pure joy.

Holiday Brawl. . .he was robbed!

The Saturday after Christmas we were off to Kent for Peyton's wrestling match. He lost his first match and won the next two and beat the girl in the 1st place position. We don't know what happened but it was pretty fishy that she ended up in first place. Well, at least we know how it all went down and he had fun! That's all that matters. ~I'm the non-aggressive wrestling mom :)

Lily and her delicious rolls wanted to show off too :)

The Christmas Tree Star

Here I go again, catching up time. This is for all my friends who are in need of an update! This last Christmas we tried to go cut a sweet Charlie Brown tree down in the mountains, but by the time we had a chance (w/wrestling every Saturday, it was slim pickings for free time), they ran out of permits. So off to the tree farm we went and picked out my favorite kind of tree, smells good and w/that purdy green :). Lana and Peyton (who is trying to go by his first name "Jared" now) had a grand ol' time putting their ornaments on the tree and remembering where we got them and each of their picture ornaments I've made each year of them (love traditions!) Lana is showing off because she is literally the star of our home!