hApPy BiRtHdAy SkYe!!!!!

So... I guess it was bound to happen. My lil' sis is growing up! I just can't believe how much she has changed the past year. I really miss her!!! I am missing a lot of fun times in her life simce we are living so far away and it really stinks! She and I are 10 years apart and it's amazing how despite the age difference we are still close. Krystal (who for her whole life has tried without success to get everyone to call her by her middle name- Skye) is totally into school and activities and friends. She has THE CUTEST friends ever and they are so funny. Not to mention way to cute for a bunch of 15-year-olds. Skye is a track star. She can run like it's nobodies business and she also totally kicks butt at volleyball. She is so athletic. She is one of those people who tries something once and is automatically good at it. This is something I happen to love about her. She is so smart and would probably get straight A's of she were willing to clear her social calender a bit- but I am just so glad that she is having a blast being a teenager. She is a perfect teenager- sassy and trendy, feisty with my parents and learning just how much she can get away with. It is so funny to watch her find herself. I just hope she knows her special place in our family and just how much we all love her. Happy birthday sis!

Stuck in a bucket!

Easton got stuck in a bucket yesterday. Derek and I thought it was so hilarious- obviosely Easton didn't share that opinion (especially after I started taking pictures). I just thought I'd share so you could get a good laugh. As you can see he did eventually get out. Ha! HA!

Happy Birthday Batman!!!

I can't believe Easton is four. He brings so much to our lives and I don't even remember what my life was like without him. Even with all the crazy boy stuff he does and all his mischief- I still can't help but be madly in love with our little man. He is the best and always surprizes me with tender moments. I hope he grows up and know's how Super he really is...

If he wasn't obsessed with superheroes already- he is now! All his friends and even some cousins were all dressed up and it was a great party! Al in all we had Superman, Two batmans, a pirate, Optumis prime, spiderman and wonderwoman. Thanks to everybody who helped me and came!

Do we look tired? we are.

Mel brought me some surprize flowers from Seattle- they are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!

My masterpeice of a cake... I really liked it acctually...
The superheroes even captured a villian... Derek is such a good sport.

I love this picture of me and Eastons friend Brynn- she is Mrs. Batman I think. She melts my heart!
Even Wonder woman showed up!

The only regret I have is not getting a group Superhero picture! Darn. Oh well, it was one wild-crazy-fun party.

I'm tired.

My sister Mel brought her boys to visit and we had a non-stop party! There were times when they faught like brothers- but it was so fun and you can just see from these pictures how much they love each other! We went to cannon beach and to OMSI. Mel got a little break and took a trip to Seattle and then they helped us celebrate Easton b-day!!! What a great weekend! Love you!
Easton kept asking Logan to carry him around when he realized he was strong enough! It was so funny!

We found a huge pile of sand on the beach and Logan named this "bum sliding". Later we realized that a better name would be "sand-in bumming". They totally wore themseles out! (Yes we matched their clothes...dorky, huh? They loved it!)

Mad scientist Payton making flubber ot OMSI-too cute!!!

A 40-pound what?!?!

I wanted to share a little story that taught me a very important lesson:

So... Derek took Easton and I fishing to hopefully catch a 40 lb salmon... (I might as well tell you now that this story doesn't end with us catching a salmon). So here we are one happy family. The sun is shining and we have this really strange day where the weather is like 80 degrees in October. Derek is casting and I am reading on a blanket. After about a hundred times telling Easton to stay away from the edge of the river I finally decided to get off the blanket where I was thoroughly enjoying my book and stay right by him. I was picking up a cool stick to show him when I heard the splash and then total silence that was shortly broken by be screaming "Honey, Honey!!!" I looked at Derek and he looked in the river and then jumped in. Luckily Easton didn't fall to deep or far and Derek was able to pull him out. It was so scary. not so much the part of him actually falling because the river wansn't that deep and raging and Easton was scared, but fine. Scary in the sense that all the times I have been frustrated at him and annoyed at him came rushing into my mind and all of the sudden I think I realized just how much he means to me and that I need to be a more loving and gentle mom. I need to focus on the good in him and stop nagging so much. I just looked at my boys soaking wet and had the most overwhelming feeling of love for them both. I am so lucky to love them and have love and I found new appreciation for my life in that moment.

We stripped Easton down to his undies and hung his clothes on a tree. It was pretty funny. Our only 40 pound catch spent the rest of the afternoon fishing in his football underwear and red rubber boots.