embarrassing baby photos of nic

I have had the pleasure for about the last year of going through my mom in laws endless supply of old photos and saving them digitally.  It has been so fun to see my family in all it's different shapes and sizes and colors. They have such an interesting history to hear, but to see is just that much more special.  So, I am going to start putting on here my favorites.
 Starting with a naked baby pic of my man.  Yes, he still has a great back side!  And yes, that hat is enough to make an outfit. 

This is where I wish I could insert caption bubbles.  This would say, "Hey baby." In an Elvis voice of course. 

This is Nic's uncle Mike and Nic.  

Nic/CC and Chelle/Maddie at bathtime.

From left to right,  Kevin, Heatherlee, Alicia, Tia, Leslie?, Emilee?, Chelle, and Donovan

A generation of boys, middle two are Grandma Arlene & Mike, and Paula & Nic.

Paula, Heather, Gma Wright, Tina, and sleepy Nic

Endorsements

I have often thought about different products/things I like, "I wish someone had told me sooner." So, I'm going to give my non-celebrity endorsement for some of my favs.

Nail Magic!  This is an amazing nail growth/strengthener/repairer that is a local company started out of Sisters, Oregon.  It's in this ugly little box on the very top shelf at Fred Meyers and Walgreens, and has absolutely no advertising other than word of mouth.  And it's been around for 30 years.  A couple months ago I was on a quest to get back my nice nails.  Not vain, but I've always appreciated my nails and like them strong and healthy.  I asked around and even googled.  Just name brand stuff, with no real results.  Until one magical day I asked a friendly Freddies sales clerk that had nice nails, and out spewed her non-celebrity endorsement for Nail Magic.  So I spent my $5.99, and at first, my nails continued to peel and I had to keep them short, but I keep applying it.  And, voila, a month or so later, my nails are long and strong and healthy!

And secondly, Oren Lavie.  Haunting, beautiful, simple, good music.  Amazing video.  Wishing I had curly auburn hair and amazing sleepwalking skillz. 

update shmupdate

I've been a little busy, so please bear with me on what might turn out to be a really long post.  I've got a lot stored up.


CC, Ava and Bree had their spring dance recital.  Adorable.  The teachers, Miss Sunny and Miss Heidi are amazing and have such a talent for teaching and inspiring these little girls.  I know every mom gets to say this, so it doesn't really mean anything, but I'll say it anyway.  My kids were the best.  They were so happy and did their best and I am so glad that they love dance.  I started dancing at a really early age in a basement dance studio, and have loved dance my entire life.  If I could find a dance program for adult women, I'd join in a minute.  Spandex and all.
Here's my little patriots in their star-speckled finery.

I got a new camera, and with it comes video.  It's awesome, so here's one or two clips of the dance recital.  (Just kidding.  It's been awhile since I've used blogger and I can't find the video button...any advice? Kenni?  How do you get video on here?)

Well, in the meantime, here's some of the kids and the gorgeous weather we've had.  

Here's Nic's birthday and him making me birdhouses with the girls for mother's day.  

Random updates:

Kennedy's back to elementary school.  We both gave homeschooling as good a shot as we could, but it wasn't working.  That seems to be a theme in our lives right now.  Give it your all and know when to stop.  She is really happy to be back and has been able to stand up for herself against the bully at her school.  The teacher called me to let me know of the incident and that K was able to go to the teacher and tell her that she was not okay with the situation.  I've very proud of her and am grateful that we had those six months together to learn and grow.  I definitely appreciate teachers more and am more dedicated to following up with her class and homework.  Which leads me into the next update.

We're moving. 

Sometime in the summer we are going to relocate to the family farm in Hillsboro.  Nic and the girls are in heaven.  They will be going to the school Nic went to, and we'll be neighbors with Nic's siblings.  

I'm sad to leave this beautiful house.  It really is my dream home.  I love my tub.  It has an awesome view of the Tualatin valley, and at night the city lights twinkle.  And the toy room is perfect for the kids and the storage is great for me...and the basement is awesome, and the yard is beautiful, and the neighborhood is quiet and clean and peaceful....and...and...it's home. I love curling up on my "Jane Austen" couch by the fire and feel all british 1900's.  I love the huge windows in the kitchen/living room.  Even on rainy days, which there always are, there's light and space.  

So, if you know anyone that wants a beautiful 4+ bedroom, 3.5 bath home on a hill in Tigard, send them my way. 

  

view out my back deck of the morning mist. 

So, now I'm packing up things slowly, we are not going far so it's more of a purging before we move.  I have tossed a lot of toys and I almost got away with tossing Nic's college text books, but there's sentimental value in those apparently ;)

We've been in the Fanno Creek ward for seven years.  I am having mixed feelings about that.  We've had three of our four kids in this ward. I'm currently primary pres and feeling like I'm abandoning my little flock of monkeys (flock? maybe herd of cats is better).  

I've got some wonderful friends in the ward and feel very lucky to already know many people in the ward we are moving to.  

I've had this constant thought building in my wee brain.  With the economy changing, people are changing.  It's spreading people out to different locations, out of our comfort zone, to new situations.  It's been interesting just to see the exodus happening in my ward of people moving away for jobs.  These are interesting times and I am constantly in awe of how resilient and resourceful people are.  There's more to this thought, but it's almost 1a.m. and my brain is slowly shutting down.  

  With money being tight I've found a new hobby in Couponing.  It's like a competitive sport for housewives.  I log on to hip2save.com almost daily to see what deals I can get at the stores nearby and what coupons I want to print out.  I've only been doing it for a couple months, but you should see my shelves.  They are full, and I've spent the same as I always do.  Now the trick is to spend less than I usually do.  

Today I went to Walgreens, got 2 packs of gum and a shower gel.  After a couple coupons and a rebate thingy, FREE.  It's crazy.  

My friend calls the short term hobbies that women take up, "Mommy Hobbies".  It's difficult to keep up a mommy hobby for several reasons.  Take scrapbooking: you get it all out, start to work, kids need to be fed, come back, someone's used all your tape or stickers, distraction, distraction, distraction.  Until finally you box it all up again to get out "when the kids are in school or I have a room to myself with a lock."  I'll give you a picture of my Mommy Hobbies; crochetting and knitting, scrapbooking, photography, college courses, interior design, cake decorating, canning, card making, dieting,  etc.  Nothing can be sustained because that's not my focus right now.  "A time and a season". 

 When the twins were first born, and for the next two years, I kept repeating that.  I had no room left in my brain for anything other than the basics of living.   Slowly I was able to add in personal time and develop some talents. 

 I think I'll burn out at some point, but I am loving the challenge of getting a great savings and I am really obnoxious about saving my receipts to show Nic.  Like the cat that drags in her dead mouse to show off, I shove the receipt in his face and make sure he reads aloud my savings at the bottom.  For the most part cashiers are very helpful and friendly.  There's a couple ladies at Walgreens that are my cheerleaders.  They ask me how much I saved at the end of my transaction, and have helped me through the process.  I did have a rough trip to Target the other night.  The gal was flat out rude and just wanted to get off shift (and not to subtle about it).  But I was assertive and asked for a manager and got my coupons used.  

wow, I should have separated these monologues.  That's what I get for not posting for a month.  I love reading and seeing your lives on your blogs.  

Please keep us in your prayers, you are in mine, Hailey

so hard to update...have too many pictures...not enough time.

we are alive and kicking, and to chelle, maybe this was the same night you were up at 2am....me too.