People's Republic of Zollner

Baby on the Way!

2010-02-12T15:46:00.000-08:00

I've been a terrible blogger lately because of my addiction to Facebook, but for those of you who aren't keeping up with me there (and really, seriously, where have you been?? get on facebook now!).... we have a new baby on the way! The littlest Zollner will arrive at the end of August, very close to, but hopefully not ON, Maddy's 5th birthday....we're planning to find out the baby's gender at the halfway ultrasound in a few months, so stay tuned to see if we are keeping pink and purple or switching gears and going big blue!

Merry KissKiss

2009-12-22T09:19:00.001-08:00

Christmas at Jason's parents house.... with the cousins Abigail (5) and Suzy (3)

Catching some Z's....

2009-11-23T17:13:00.001-08:00

Karis woke up from her nap and needed more snuggle time with me. She fell back asleep in the big chair in the front room and Maddy left her alone for about ten minutes and then couldn't stand it any longer....she was enticed by the delicousness that is Karis and had to kiss and snuggle her until she would wake up and

play. Awwww.... I'm so glad I happened to have my camera in my pocket, score!!! and then a random shot of Maddy doing art just because I love to watch her work. :) Enjoy!

Hungry?

2009-11-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2009

2009-11-07T19:14:00.001-08:00

Little Ballerina

2009-11-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

drinking half and half straight from the carton... ballerinas need calcium you know!

Maddy started a five week dance class this morning. She gets to pirouette and twirl and be the epitome of girly giggliness for 30 minutes on Saturday mornings and she was in heaven. This was my trial class at the parks and rec before I signed her up for ongoing classes and invested in the gear it requires. A hit so far for sure! There are videos on facebook if you are on there. Oh my little sweetie was just *so* adorable.....

My Birthday In Philomath

2009-10-16T22:55:00.000-07:00

For the big 31 we travelled down to see my parents. We went to a community garden fundraising harvest party and the girls saw a OSU beaver caterpillar. Good times! I also went to an OSU beaver football game with my Dad but don't have any pictures of that. We won and it felt nice to be rowdy and make a lot of noise! :) And the girls got to watch their fill of recorded Mr. Rogers episodes. I belive the above picture captured their breakfast of champions. :)

First Day of School

2009-10-05T21:45:00.003-07:00

The girls and I are part of a homeschooling co-op. We go to "school" on Fridays, here is a shot of them on their first morning two weeks ago.....

Punkins

2009-10-05T21:41:00.001-07:00

We had our first trip to the pumpkin patch today.... the first of many of the season, I'm sure!

Homeschooling Wishlist

2009-10-01T16:51:00.001-07:00

#18 is my very favorite. Enjoy!

The Bitter Homeschooler's Wish List
by Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling, Issue #1, Fall 2007
1 Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?
2 Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.
3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.
4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.
5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.
6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.
7 We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.
8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.
9 Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.
10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.
11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.
12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.
13 Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.
14 Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.
15 Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.
16 Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.
17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.
18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.
19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.
20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.
21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.
22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.
23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.
24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.
25 Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!

Tumalo Camping

2009-09-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Every year we go camping with a group of homeschooling/unschooling/gentle guidance families and this year we went to Tumalo in Central Oregon, near Bend. It was a fun fun fun trip, I took a bunch of pictures until I dropped my camera in the water. Oops. At least the memory card was okay!

Zooooooooooo!

2009-09-16T22:01:00.001-07:00

maddy and alayna watching the sea lions - such grace and beauty....

so excited to be on TOP of the polar bear den

three little polar bears

Maddy doing her Michael Jackson routine

three little lionesses

always our first stop (well, after the potty that is!) before we head in the main gates. not sure of the attraction, but it sure is a hit.

If you want to see some funny videos, come be my friend on facebook and check them out there.... :)

birthday celebrations and summer fun

2009-09-13T21:43:00.001-07:00

maddy and odessa blowing up balloons, those girls have some powerful lungs....

merry go round and round and round and round and round and nobody has died on one of these yet.....

ready to go to the farmer's market.... can you see Maddy's leftover butterfly face paint mask

kind of odd picture of maddygirl, but it does show her beautiful butterfly face paint mask she got at the zoo.... we waited in ninety degree weather for over an hour to get this done.... she was so excited and determined to wait... it was pretty impressive and i was so glad she really did get it because we were one of the last ones, the artist stayed past her official time to finish us up because we'd waited so long, what a nice gal! she was there as part of the celebration for the new lion home at our zoo.

a typical scene at our house at any given moment. she loves to read in the nude, what can i say?....

A Bunch of Kids and Some Fish

2009-08-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

We discovered the Wildwood Rec Area in Welches this Summer and have really enjoyed exploring the streams and forest there. We went yesterday with Krista and the kiddo's, it was a really great time.

a naptime's worth of uploading and blogging

2009-08-21T14:36:00.001-07:00

what a freaky picture to start off with... at the benton county fair they will let you borrow these cute little compact strollers for the day, here is karis smooshing her face into the umbrella window

maddy getting the hang of mini golf, she did so great!

a big swing

surveying like a pro

a little bit possessed looking mama and karis

in the mist machine at the smoking freaking hot benton county fair

this ride was wayyyyyyyyyyy too fast for me, i almost threw up. especially since i was a little hungover from our night at the sugarland concert. ugh.

my little pilot flying to colorado

waving to big sister on the roller coaster. she was so thrilled to see maddy go whizzing by she forgot her disapointment at not being big enough to go, but just wait until next year!!!

zoom!

climbing to the top of their new bunkbeds, they love to play up there! no broken arms or falls yet, thank goodness!

trying to swallow water from the mist machine at the fair, it looks like she is going a little bit crazy or something, but she was just REALLY hot. i have the same hysterical shot of my mom doing it, but she'd kill me if i put it up on the internet, so you'll just have to use your imagination.

blueberry eating, not much kerplunking into the pail for this little one.

so excited to show off her bucket to aunty Carolyn!

peekaboo!!!

this year most of Maddy's went into the bucket, she was so proud of her work!

maddy taking a picture of me and karis from the top bunk. look at all the clothes in that closet, sheesh!! a lot of clothes for a girl who is always naked, lol!! karis is blowing a kiss to sister and while it looks like i have a major drool problem, that is just a layer of ruffles down the front of my shirt :)

dutifully helping

maddy and i made this beautiful floral headpiece

so proud of her work!!!

karis kissing cate at jamison

playing baby crocodiles at jamison square fountains

hugging in their matchy matchy old navy butterfly dresses. doncha love the potty in the background? lol, it seems like every picture i take has a laundry basket or a potty in it somewhere.

footprints in the flubber. somebody got creative with their flubber and got on the table when mama wasn't looking. BUSTED by the evidence left behind!!!!

allurah reading to karis, awwwwwwwwww

I wish there weren't perverts in this world that mess up my ability to put naked pictures of my girls on the internet because I have some ridiculously cute pictures that I can't put here.... BUT, here are some of my little loveys (who are ALWAYS naked) clothed enough to put out

for public viewing.

Splash!

2009-07-27T23:46:00.000-07:00

maddy, t & s being cute... how did my baby get big enough to run with the big kids?

karis sitting in (well, "on", rather) the fountain

Squee! They're so cute. This was last month at Blue Lake, my friend Summer just emailed it to me this week, what a fun memory to get in my inbox!

My Great Aunt Barbara's Wedding in Spokane

2009-07-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

my parents who now share their anniversary, 39 years on 7-18!

karis, maddy, kellie and sherry

my great aunt barbara and my new great uncle Gene.

maddy snapped a pic of me and my cousin kellie

swinging on the dance floor

riding the riverfront carousel on its 100th birthday, so beautiful!

still happy at the end of a long drive, we are so lucky!

4th of July

2009-07-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

(ok, this shot i just threw in b/c it cracks me up that Karis pulled her pants up all Irkle style after she went potty!LOL! she looks like a little old man!)

(this was my shirt when i was wee, it says " I nurse for a living")

We had a fabulous 4th, celebrating with our good friends Brett, Angie and Catie on their boat, then coming home for BBQ and fireworks. One of my all time fave days ever!

Zoo Class

2009-07-21T20:55:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture another mom snapped on her phone of Maddy doing shaving cream art at a zoo class. There are a few classes this summer for preschool kids, this one was a two hour class about sea lions and sea otters. We both really enjoyed it and loved having some Mama Maddy time together. We have a few more scattered throughout the summer, our zoo is so full of fun things to learn about!

Champoeg

2009-07-16T21:17:00.001-07:00

Maddy, Mila, Maywyn and Karis in a tree at Champoeg. CUTE!

Silverwood

2009-06-30T21:56:00.001-07:00

nervous at first, but then she relaxed into it and the fingers came out (that's in the above photo)

look how high my babies are! you bet my heart was racing to see karis so high, she seems so little!!!!

cooling off after we hit the water park, the wave pool was awesome! and I got to go down the BIG HUGE FAST CRAZY WATER WEDGIE slide all by myself while the girls played in the kid fountain area. Wheee!

Here are the pictures from the day after the wedding at Silverwood. Expensive, but fun so it was worth the money....

Cara and Dan's Wedding

2009-06-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

pinwheels in the dance floor wind machine

snuggling a little girl who doesn't have time to chill when there is a dance floor complete with disco balls, flashing lights and a wind machine....

enjoying said dance floor together

Maddy snapped a pic of the two of us, see we do sometimes hang out together and even touch a time or two, crazy!!!

blowing bubbles in the wind machine, practicing for the big send off

Maddy making a cheese face (this was surprising, usually she won't indulge me)

Maddy swinging around the dance floor with Daddy

karis' turn to make a cheese face.

daddy spinning his little girls, SO CUTE!!!

Me and Cara...I should scan in some pictures of us from college, we have held up pretty well this past decade. Good grief, we are OLD when I put it that way.... she was a glowing, gorgeous, elegant bride ready for a lifetime of grace, joy and happiness, we wish her and Dan all God's blessings as they enter this covenant together.

My college roommate Cara got married in Coeur d'Alene last weekend so OF COURSE I had to go to celebrate her special day with her. So we all made the trek and it was truly an amazingly wonderful weekend, even the seven hour drive each way was relatively painless. Here are some pictures of our time at the wedding and Silverwood Theme Park the day after. What fun!

Junebugs

2009-06-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

yes, that's right, my daughters' bath tub toys include a bicycle horn breast pump from the 80's and a huge medical type suction syringe. This pictures seriously cracks me up. They played with these two things for almost an hour straight. They can do so many new and amazing tricks with water!

Look! Two posts in one month! Huzzah!!!I promised myself that if I actually blogged my much-overdue bloggy-goodness tonight then I could eat a whole bunch of dark chocolate covered almonds. I guess unconditionality only covers my parenting, not my self care, LOL!

Diaper How-To

2009-06-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

1) get the diaper straightened out and put it directly under your hoo-ha
2) sit on it and get the tabs undone with your little fingers

3) 18 month old fingers don't always do the trick, so bring out the big guns and use your chompers to open the velcro

4) fasten the velcro and you're set! except when you realize it is on backwards, but HEY you are so proud you did it yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Karis demonstrated how to put a diaper on yourself.....

Agate Beach

2009-06-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

a determined karis figured out a way to nurse even though mama was way underdressed for a windy day and had burrowed down under a billion blankets and towels, LOL!!!

More beachy goodness....

Uncle BriBri and Aunty Riah

2009-06-06T21:46:00.003-07:00

Brian and Miriah came to visit and we had such a great time together. We REALLY REALLY love her and are so glad that she is part of our family now.

Mowing the Lawn

2009-06-06T21:44:00.001-07:00

Spring Sisters

2009-04-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

A Good Easter Soak

2009-04-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

girlies with their great grandpa ed "g-pa"

We went to Jason's aunt and uncle's house for Easter Dinner. It is his mom's side of the family. After dinner, the girls wanted to go outside and play in the rain. They (We) got drenched and found some perfect muddy splashy puddles to play in. good thing they had their fancy dresses to change back into when we were done.

Hard at Work

2009-04-27T21:58:00.001-07:00

Somebody has to do the work to keep this place running, so we hired a little carpenter and a little laundress. Don't worry, we paid her prevailing wage....

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

we took the girls to my gym for an easter egg hunt, but they made it super fair so the little ones could only look for certain items which was pretty lame and hard for a one and three year old to understand. next year we'll go somewhere not quite so regulated. we appreciate the sentiment, but really who cares if it is fair because a scripted hunt kind of kills the fun. but they loved it nonetheless since we didn't follow the rules, LOL!

Shovel It In

2009-04-27T21:50:00.001-07:00

Yes, baby girl, eating cake with a shovel would make me smile too.

Beach Bums

2009-04-27T21:46:00.001-07:00

Last week we went to Seaside for the day. It was perfect - clear skies, light wind, sunny and warm. This was the day I sunburned my rear end b/c I forgot to put sunscreen where my pants slide down. LOL!

Cute as Can Be

2009-04-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek of the sisters pictures we had taken by the fabulous Kimberly at Barefoot Photography. I can't wait to see the rest of the session in another week when our proofs are up.

http://www.photosbykimberly.com/blog/ Good grief they are so cute!

Feb, March and April shots

2009-04-03T21:27:00.001-07:00

i love how she stands with her belly all stuckout

got yogurt?

maddy spent the afternoon playing santa and delivering presents to all the girls and boys in the whole world, but my favorite thing of all was when she had a special kissy kiss just for "Kawiss" at the end. mush mush mush mushy mush mush love!

rain dance at my parents house, can you see the huge raindrops?

climbing the swingy ropes, really tricky when you are three (or thirty!)

balancing on these is harder than it looks, i couldn't do it and maddy could. she is so coordinated.

my little mud lover found the one big puddle and dove right in.

ponies! karis has crazy mullett hair, the front is really short but i can pony the back. today she actually left them in long enough to squeeze in some pictures.

Bath Time

2009-04-03T20:42:00.001-07:00

Bath times are seriously some of my favorite sister times, these girls LOVE water and play until they are all pruney. Here are some random shots I've taken in the past month or two. If they are cranky sometimes I'll ask "Who wants a bath?" and by the time I can get there they are both naked and standing at the edge ready to go.

Yurt! Yurt! Yurt! (the world's longest post of pictures...)

2009-04-03T19:20:00.001-07:00

i love how it looks like she is falling down drunk with wine bottles scattered about....

we all decided that this statue was worth the admission price for Sea Lion Caves

puddles puddles puddles puddles!!!! this is just the cutest thing ever, she is every ounce a puddle stomper!

it took us a while but we did succeed at building our first campfire together! s'mores commenced immediately, yum!

i love that Deb would eat a fistful of Karis' sand just because she is that awesome with kids

these ladies are freaking hard core ocean lovers. cold. oh my word it had to have been cold.

karis picked out all the m&m's from the trail mix. that's my girl!

Oh I love the word YURT! It makes me laugh. Anyway, my friend wasn't able to use her yurt reservations for camping and offered them up. Since these book year round nine to ten months in advance, I jumped on it. Our friends Deb, Indigo & Allurah as well as Liberty & Quinn joined us and we had a super time. We were at Jessie Honeyman state park on the Oregon Coast in Florence, most famous for its sand dunes. It is really a beautiful place and we loved our spontaneous camping trip together as three single mama families.

2009-03-14T22:19:00.001-07:00

A better boots and butt shot (as requested, sorry the other is so small).

Miss Maddy at the Market

2009-03-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

Maddy loves to play market. She gathers up everything she needs on her "list" and puts it in a grocery bag. Then she brings it to me to "check out". Then it goes back in the bag with a receipt that I write out, then she puts it in her "car" (usually a laundry basket) and drives it home to put away. It is quite a production! It goes on for hours and hours and hours and the toy room is slowly emptied out as we play - and for those of you that have seen our toy room, this is no small feat!! But this day she added a special touch of dress up, she is wearing six (yes SIX) of my shirts and my new black shoes and all put together it is quite the fancy going to market get up, doncha think?!

Boots

2009-03-14T21:53:00.001-07:00

I told Karis she needed to get some shoes on to go outside, and well, she did wear some... but nothing else. Oh that butt! Oh those thighs! And the purple boots she chose, oh I can't stop laughing, she is just delicious!!!!

My Kind of Place

2009-02-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

i'd like to visit here http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/27/topless.coffee.shop/index.html

looks like my kind of place! squeee!!! this just makes me smile.

More Shots of Our Life

2009-02-27T22:04:00.000-08:00

clomping around in her big girl shoes

Maddy loves to talk on the phone. She can have real conversations with people and it is really heartwarming. It just happened one day out of the blue, she wanted to talk to daddy. And BAM it is like she is thirteen all of a sudden.

Grandpa came for a visit overnight on his way home from Spokane and got in some snuggling.

Slice of life right here. Poor neglected second child with a cold falls asleep at 9 am watching Sesame Street and reading a book. It had been a long night and I was trying to finish up the breakfast dishes to take her back to the bedroom and nurse her to sleep properly, but she beat me to it. I love that Maddy is biting her toenails in this picture, that is just nasty nasty nasty.

First Annual Wildwood Cabin Retreat

2009-02-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

i just love her kissy kissy fish lips, she does this all the time.

This past weekend was full of wonderful memories..... S'mores! Campfires! Log cabin! Hot tub! Husbands doing all the cooking! Hikes! Rivers! Great friends that we love and cherish! The first of many more weekends like this.....

January Outside

2009-02-03T21:02:00.001-08:00

I can't remember when this is exactly, but it was on a very bright but very cold afternoon in January. Maddy wanted to wash the mud off her boots before coming inside so Jason hooked up the hose for her and she went to town. Karis can't resist mud or water, so she had some fun stomping around in the little puddles. It was cooooold water and cold wind, we only lasted a few minutes longer before retreating back inside to huddle up in front of the fire. I am so looking forward to spring and being outside without bundling up so much and then having icy fingers and toes and much much much laundry to show for it. Sigh.

Jason's Birthday

2009-02-03T20:58:00.000-08:00

Jason's birthday was January 19th, here is his fancy pants cake made by the best chef in town. You'll notice just a wee bit of chocolate remnants I missed when I wiped her face before I took pictures. I was trying to hide the evidence, but I guess we could just say that we thoroughly inspected the cake for poison before serving it, right?!

flashback

2009-02-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

here is Maddy's first superbowl. Man, I miss those days.

Superbowl 2009

2009-02-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

We went to our friends' house for the Superbowl. We went to their party last year too, they are such a fun family! Randy is Jason's favorite co-worker and was the training lieutenant when Jason was hired, so they are bonded for life from that experience together. Here are some shots from our day partying with the Davis Family & Friends... they have a great playset outside so we spent time out there before the big game. They also have some sheep which resulted in everyone getting to enjoy Karis' hilarious version of a sheep's baa. It is pretty cute, wish I could upload audio.....anyway, here are our little sports enthusiasts doing their thing to pass the time.

Daily Dose O' Cuteness

2009-01-27T20:27:00.000-08:00

I am going to package these girls up and sell them by the pound, they are delicious!

The Roof! The Roof! The Roof is not on fire, but not on our house anymore either....

2009-01-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

scenes of our roof at various stages of dismantalation (this *is* a word, i just made it up so now it exists)

This is going to be an expensive week thanks to nature's latest outburst, but at least the issue of what to get jason for his birthday has been solved.... he gets a new roof!

Sisters Slice of Life

2009-01-13T22:05:00.001-08:00

Maybe this is a little too much reality, but i LOVE these pictures, it is really our life....

both girls up on the counter (counters are fine for climbing in our house, it is just the piano and dining table that are off limits, and yes I do clean them regularly because of this habit), Maddy is clipping her toenails (yes, gross, I know, but Jason left them up there in his basket of stuff and she found them, this USUALLY happens in the bathroom, LOL) with one princess glove on and her magic dancing fairy crown with streamer ribbons, while Karis shoots me her crazy adorable weird cheese face with sister-given stickers all over her back....

Speaking of no room at the inn... where the heck do i sleep? these two have fully claimed a king bed plus a twin. this just makes me laugh. little divas.

Maddy - 3 1/4 years

2009-01-13T21:52:00.001-08:00

This kid is a riot. Can I say anything else? She is just so ALIVE and funny and bright and challenging in so many wonderful and tricky ways. She is truly spectacular and gets better all the time (awwwwwwwwwwwwwww... mush mush mush)

she is truly cooking here, stirring the vegetables and fettucini just like a pro, back and forth, careful not to burn herself or the food, she is very diligent and loves to help in the kitchen. she is extremely capable, i am always surprised by what she is able and wanting to do to contribute....

her mickey mouse cookie cutter from Auntie Kristy and Uncle Mikey's honeymoon to disneyworld.... she always puts it up to her face and this is the only cookie cutter she does this with... is it because it is sort of binocular-ish and its shape lends itself to fit her face that way? i asked her why and she shrugged and said "my not know why" hmmmnnnn...

legos up on the counter. she LOVES itty bitty toys. These and polly pockets keep her busy for hours. HOURS!!! I make her do the legos up high on the counter because Karis also loves itty bitty toys but for other uses like choking...... we seem to have moved beyond the polly pockets in the mouth with karis so those have resumed residence in polly land in maddy's bedroom, but the legos are irresistible and so remain out of her reach (until she figures out how to climb up here, maddy could already get to this surface by her age so my clock is ticking....)

first use of the can opener with just a bit of stabilization help from mama.....

Karis 13 months old

2009-01-13T21:42:00.000-08:00

I have very few "rules" in my house (outside of be kind, etc...) and one of them is to stay off the pian and the dining room table. This little one is COMMITTED to conquering both those surfaces. Can you see how she pulled the little arch over to the stool and then up onto the piano? I think it must have been after the blue stool and other little blocks didnt' work because prior to this photo they were all across the room. Sometimes the only way I know she is up there is that I have left the lid off and she makes a bunch of "music". Yes, I am super observant now that I have two kids. LOL.
exploring her space in the world, I imagine her little inner monologue..."just what can i fit into? yes, why i am in fact small enough to fit inside this drawer i just emptied.... good to know"

her ridiculously cute cheese face. the SECOND she sees the camera, this is what i get. what a ham!!!

her more normal laughing face, thanks to maddy for distracting her from the camera lens....

closer up laughing at Maddy's antics

Tattoos

2008-12-30T21:09:00.000-08:00

Here is my new art! These seriously didn't hurt a BIT. They were both so small and fast, I couldn't believe how easy it was. I was surprised! Not that the first one hurt all that much, but I could definitely at least feel that one being drawn on. Man, I have a new addiction for sure!!!

The honeybee is because that is my name's meaning and also to honor my grandpa Andy and my mom who are both beekeepers. The wedding ring is a Z with a little band, I am thinking of widening the band part so it doesn't look like I drew it on with a ballpoint pen so much....

i'm a radical feminist, are you?

2008-12-28T13:47:00.001-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/magazine/28froelich-t.html?_r=1

YES! YES! YES!

Two Cute Random Pictures

2008-12-23T20:58:00.003-08:00

Maddy took this one while we were decorating the tree a few weeks back and the other one is her before a Christmas party last weekend.

Cookies!

2008-12-23T20:39:00.001-08:00

i love that the only thing NOT covered in frosting is her cookie!

Zoolights

2008-12-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

Our annual trip to Zoolights was great, as always. This year Karis got to spend some time walking around, last year she was brand new and bundled sweetly inside her sling, probably sleeping, the whole time. It is nice to be creating some traditions and hard to believe a whole year has passed, these big memory makers help mark time for me. Truly amazing, it goes so fast. The girls had late naps so we got to stay until it closed which was a fun treat, I think we were the last ones to leave actually, it was all hushed and we felt like teenagers sneaking in somewhere we shouldn't have been. A little thrill for us old folks!

White Christmas

2008-12-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

It looks like it might stick around this year for Christmas, how fun! We've been having a good time playing in the snow and watching it fall all cuddled up inside by the fireplace, too. Today we ventured outside to walk to my friend Erin's house (Hi Emery!). I rigged up a rubbermaid tub with a rope and made it a sled-ish adventure for Maddy. I knew the stroller would never handle the three foot drifts, so I gave it a shot and it worked like a charm! We just needed to get out and go somewhere different, we all had cabin fever and were getting cranky and in each other's space. It was a nice change of scenery for us and good to get outside and breathe in all the fresh, crisp air. Maddy and I went outside yesterday when Jason was home to hang with Karis inside... the snow is taller than she is, she'd get swallowed up! We got some great video... one of these days I'll figure out how to put those on here too.... anyway, Merry White Christmas!

Christmas Tree 2008 (and a little mud)

2008-12-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

don't you just love the tights that have a crotch down by her knees? She LOVES these, wouldn't wear anything else.... she cracks me up.

Here is our annual tree hunt photo. We got it at my in-law's who have a sort of tree farm on their land. They are currently building a home so there was a LOT of mud. Mud + Zollner Girls = Hugely big FUN. Karis went hog wild and was absolutely covered and dripping with mud, it was really awesome. Maddy doesn't like her hands to be wet and dirty so she mostly just supervised and cheered KK on. I have a bajillion pictures of us decorating our trees once we got them home, but those feel too overwhelming to rename, upload and sort through tonight. Maybe tomorrow, but for now it is time to say good night!

How to Fall Asleep Waiting for Mama to Come Home

2008-12-14T21:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a little how-to manual written by Maddy. I went out to dinner with some friends and Maddy told Jason she wanted to wait up for me to get home... so apparently you fall asleep sitting up and then, somehow, and while magically staying asleep the whole time, shift your body into a weird contorted position and keep dreaming sweetly.... Jason left her on the couch like this because he knew it would make me laugh. Crazy kid!

SNOW! the kind that sticks!

2008-12-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

Two very happy and eventually very very wet girls who didn't want to come inside! The first time we went out early in the morning the east winds were blowing really hard and that didn't go over very well. Maddy said the wind was biting her face and so we went inside and tried to thaw out by the fire. Then Maddy decided that she wasn't getting warm enough, so she stripped and sat naked on the heat vent and said "Dis will do the trick, mama!" Nothing like hot air directly on your bottom to get the blood circulating, I guess. These pictures are from our second foray outside when the winds had died down a bit. Fun fun fun!

Christmas Lights

2008-12-08T21:31:00.001-08:00

taking a break to splash in the puddles

little helpers holding the lightstrand for daddy

headed towards the road, no no no, little love!

maddy ready to dig into the next box of icicle lights

learning to go down the stairs, with a little help from her sister

Powder Poof

2008-12-08T21:25:00.001-08:00

Maddy is really good at following directions. Powder, unfortunately, is not. My mom gave Maddy specific instructions: yes, you may play with the powder but you have to keep it on the towels. Maddy listened, the powder did not and the room looked like a snowstorm had hit. Hi-freakin-larious if you ask me, my Mom on the other hand was not so amused. But then Maddy had the double joy of getting to vacuum up all the wayward powder and the fun continued most of the afternoon. My Mom learned that powder doesn't necessarily like to be confined to one geographical area, i just watched with glee because I had already learned this lesson several months ago tee hee....

Bobbin' for Babies

2008-12-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

When we were down at my parents last week, we decided to dehydrate some apples from my parents' tree. We had to wash them, peel and core them, slice them and then put them on the dehydrator - a lofty goal with two little helpers! Well, we got to the washing part and then had a change of plans. First Karis started out splashing her little hands over the edge of the sink and then all of a sudden she was naked and having an apple bath. And before I knew it, quick as a wink, Maddy was naked and in the other side, laughing and having a grand old time. We didn't get much accomplished with the apples, but good gracious these girls are cute and in the end, we always end up having a better time unscripted than sticking to the original plan.

Snow Day

2008-11-25T22:29:00.001-08:00

watching the snow fall and warming up inside

maddy laughing at a snowball fight outside

little noses

giving mama some snow

daddy and karis ready to play

snowball fight! itty bitty paybacks

snow baby

making a snow angel

bare bottom in the car - brrr! cutest little goosebumps i've ever seen

Maddy asked to go to the mountain today. Not entirely sure what exactly she meant by it, but we decided to go see if we could find some snow to romp in. We had a good time both in and out of Timberline Lodge. I ordered some better gear for us online so our next trip won't be quite so soggy when we're done.

Swinging

2008-11-25T22:18:00.001-08:00

Maddy and Gavin, this day was sooooooooooooo bitterly cold with the East Winds that Krista and I bailed on the park and headed to the indoor play structure at McD's down the road. Brr!

primal scream of joy swinging outside after tooooooo many days cooped up inside.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

close up cutie pants

Uncle BriBri's Surprise Visit & Karis is ONE!

2008-11-25T21:38:00.000-08:00

Karis in her royal throne
cake is served! it is fun to be one! mmmnnn, banana cake with cream cheese frosting

a little email gets the day off right....

sweet snuggles

dinner friday night at Laurelwood Pub, our fave

doing a yoga dvd for kids as kk looks on approvingly

Brian wearing karis' super cheesy birthday hat

Brian flew in for Karis' first birthday bash as a surprise! I went to a show Thursday night to see Donna The Buffalo and when I got home he was almost asleep on my couch. He had it all worked out with my dad, but my mom and I were in the dark about it. What a great secret, needless to say I was thrilled! Here are some photos of Brian's visit and Karis' first birthday party. We had her party at Milagros and it was a nice time celebrating with some of our friends and family. We have been abundantly blessed already with every toy and clothing article imaginable for our girls, so we asked people to please bring food for the Oregon Food Bank instead. We think this is the perfect way to more fully honor Karis' sweet spirit and all that we are thankful for this holiday season, we collected 54 pounds of food to help our neighbors.

The Shunning

2008-11-17T23:05:00.000-08:00

Etsy, Facebook, Ebay and Mothering Dot Community will henceforth be banned from my life! I have spent the last THREE hours totally absorbed by the internet. Sigh.

Michael & Kristy Zollner

2008-11-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

Jason and Kristy
the wedding party

waiting on the big day....

practicing at the rehearsal

gigglers....

looking so beautiful!

cutie pie cousins

Hooray! I have a new sister! Jason's brother Michael married his long time love Kristy on November 8th in Mt. Angel where they (Jason and Michael) grew up. Maddy and her cousin Abigail were the flowergirls and were cute as cute could possibly be. I was so proud of her and how brave she was to walk down the aisle in front of so many new people and to have professional pictures taken (both of these things have been really hard since she turned two, and she is really doing well now at working those fears through). It was a wonderful celebration, we were honored to be part of it and loved watching Maddy blossom in new ways.

Fat Bob

2008-11-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

We have a lot of squirrels who come to eat at our feeders and they are all named Bob with an adjective. Little Bob, Happy Bob, Tiny Bob, Mama Bob.... but today Maddy named one Fat Bob and he was indeed! We think the overhang on his gut is really impressive.... this guy must be expecting a harsh winter.

Little Helper

2008-11-03T20:49:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween

2008-11-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

first doorbell of the night

Happy candy hunters

Maddy, bag in hand, ready to trick or treat!

getting the frog feet on

getting the frog hands on

Our little tigger Maddy and her faithful companion Karis the frog. What a fun night, it was the first time we took Maddy trick or treating and she got the hang of it really quickly. She has asked each day since if it is Halloween again.

I voted

2008-10-29T14:09:00.001-07:00

I voted today! Have you?

Bathtime Deliciousness

2008-10-26T18:14:00.001-07:00

I am three!

M is for Maddy

here are two of the cutest kids around! i could eat them both up! i am sooooooo lucky that these two are as crazy about each other as they could possibly be. These moments are like lightbulbs: Oh, *this* feeling right here is why people have more than one baby! Its been so fun to see them grow and fall more in love with each other each day.... Maddy has been so receptive to learning new skills to negotiate sibling sharing, etc... she is getting really good at asking for help when Karis is getting into "her stuff" and letting me know what she needs and how she feels.

Happy Birthday to ME! Thoity!

2008-10-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from my 30th birthday dinner at Laurelwood Pub....of course none of me, but these two are really the stars of the day anyhow....

Maddy wanted so desperately to put her birthday hat on herself, but she ended up looking like a unicorn and finally submitted to a little mama help to get it to stay up.

Sad and Hilarious

2008-10-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

http://www.palinaspresident.us/

are you my mama?

2008-10-05T23:39:00.000-07:00

i slipped out of bed to get some water and this is what i found upon my return. i had to go find my camera to capture this moment....my girls had both snuggled up to my pillow replacement..... awwwwww.... i just love this picture.

Summer Wrap Up

2008-10-05T22:48:00.001-07:00

making crayons

playing makeup with Gavin
crashed out with daddy
bananas, yum! this kid can pack it away, I tell ya, she is definitely part goat...
her new love! this was a new one for me as toilets and its accessories were probably the *only* thing Maddy was totally uninterested in exploring as a baby

I know, I know. Not blogging for a month is totally unacceptable. But trying to download and organize a whole months worth of pictures just became so daunting that it took me a long time to work up the brain power to tackle it.... And it was a great month, too! We had a lot of wonderful adventures wrapping up summer and welcoming fall.... here is a peek. Still to come soon, Maddy's birthday party, our trip to Spokane, yurt camping & the pumpking patch....

Maddy is THREE and cute Karis pictures

2008-09-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

wheee!!! look at her crazy baby hair blowing in the wind

great big underdog from daddy

We went to our local park in the afternoon on Maddy's birthday, she loves spending time with the ducks and swinging.... and also some shots of 9 month old Karis just because she is so stinking adorable - swinging alongside Maddy and discovering the dish towel drawer. Maddy's party is this Sunday, it should be a wonderful day celebrating this amazing little person in our lives. She is so full of life and love, we feel so blessed with her!

Summertime Fun (a month's worth!)

2008-08-30T17:08:00.001-07:00

Maddy in the sink (this is kind of a long story.....)
Maddy was BEGGING me to take pictures of her holding Karis, which shocked me because she usually gets extremely camera shy. So the next few pictures are what I got trying to take a decent picture of my two crazy wiggleworms.

laundry peek a boo

lillies
a little kiss
a little hug

cute Maddy
Maddy's new flower swing
crashed out, I love that huge diaper bum
cute KK
a little sisterly love

walking to the circus in high lady style, I was trying to get a cute shot of Maddy and Grandma and got a little slice of reality instead, man this picture makes me laugh....
riding the ponies at the circus
riding some more
Karis at 8 months pulling up on Maddy's tower
Karis being cute at about 8 1/2 months, chunkalicious thighs!

Terrific Two's

2008-08-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

http://balancingeverything.com/2008/08/11/why-were-buying-a-bullet-proof-safe-for-paint/#more-107

go. read this. laugh. this is *so* my life. except the pregnant part (thank heavens).

Odessa's Birthday

2008-08-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

Odessa is TWO (way back in July, I'm a bit behind on organizing and uploading photos)! Maddy bought her a makeup kit and oh my goodness it was the hit of the century. We thought they might have a little dress up fun, but it went beyond that and verged on a weird obsession. They both sat super serious and still while they did their work beautifying everything within reach. It was so strange, they were so focused as if they were writing a proposition to the U.N. or something - we thought it would be giggly girly fun but it was all business instead. The best part was when we were so busy trying to move the make up out of Karis' reach and she found the cupcakes instead. Odessa (I think in shock or perhaps in a state of nirvana from her makeup overdose) let her attack the cupcake and it was gone in seconds before I realized what was happening. And THEN when I was madly trying to get the cupcake away from her, she turned around and got into the matches that we left out after lighting Odessa's candle. She had three matches sticking out of her mouth like some sort of messed up walrus. Oh, my poor second child, she will be lucky to survive her babyhood because I am just so busy I can't hardly keep on top of all their adventures!

Sandbox

2008-08-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures that you would experience every single time the girls play in the sandbox. Karis getting sand or toys put on her head. Maddy hugging Karis so hard they both fall over. Maddy getting sand in her panties and her hooha. Karis eating sand and just generally being so in love with her big sister that she doesn't even mind getting roughed up a bit. While the rest of us cringe and say "gentle! gentle!" she is just cracking up and basking in the adoration of her sissy.

Hattie's Visit

2008-08-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

First co-ed shower with Gregory

the banana (the funniest by far of all the things they found to hang up on the line!)
hanging up everything within reach and under twenty pounds
playing in the mud from the sprinklers (what could be more fun than an acre of dirt waiting for hydroseeding???)

We got to visit with my amazing friend Hattie and her puppy pack of boys down in Philomath last week. They came up from Eugene to visit - we went blueberry picking and then had a great day playing in the country. The kids came up with all kinds of fun, my favorite was figuring out how to hang things on the laundry line to dry. The banana about made me pee my pants!

California 2008

2008-07-20T22:59:00.001-07:00

woo freaking hoo!
here it comes, get that elbow ready!

Universal Studios
dipping her sweet toes in the ocean
sand in my shorts!
getting ready for the big dip
still getting ready, getting more excited....

Malibu Maddy and Kalifornia Karis
sucking on a lime....
squinty squished up sour face....
dancing to the mariachi music
sleepy girl tuckered out

Maddy happy to be on her way to the beach
Isis, Maddy, Karis and Fayte - all the cousins in that generation so far
Maddy and Isis cooling off with popsicles
stopping at Rubio's after the beach - I had forgotten my swimsuit so I wore my tank bra in to the water at the beach and needed to change into something afterwards so I wore Jason's shirt. Which left him nothing to wear but my girly blue tank top with slightly scalloped edges.... we were cracking up, he looked so feminine and fabulous in it!
another shot for posterity of my cross-dressing husband

standing up
casting call for Shrek 4
maddy at universal studios (we were wondering what she would think of all the cartoons, etc because she never watches tv or movies so all these characters are new to her, but she seemed to love it and watching all the interesting people)
Maddy hamming it up at Great Great Aunt Jeanne's
Maddy's second plane trip to California (link back to april 2006 to see her on her first plane ride), she did GREAT both ways, sat still and played so nicely - whew! big sigh of relief!

Grandma and Grandpa
me and Jason on the Jurassic Park ride, on the left, second row from the back - soaked!

Karis' first plane ride, happy as a clam both ways!

burying daddy at Malibu
cousins chasing bubbles, Maddy and Isis (born three days apart)
Isis sneaking a lick of cool whip
us with curious george at universal studios
cutie pie Karis at Great Great Aunt Jeanne's house, she loved crawling over and putting her fingers in the holes on Jeanne's crocs (un-toys are the best I tell ya!)

Oh my goodness, all I can say is, good times! Family, beaches, fun - it was just a great trip. Here are some shots of Malibu Maddy and Kalifornia Karis. If you want to be linky-dorky, look at my April 2006 post - it is when we went last time and Maddy was Karis' age. Time flies! I hope we'll be able to go in another one or two years, most of my mom's side of the family is down there and it is wonderful to reconnect. Plus the beaches are so much warmer and the water gets deep quicker and has better waves to splishy splash in than our coast up here.

Fireworks in Philomath

2008-07-20T22:50:00.001-07:00

carefully lining them up with two-year-old OCD precision
our little pyre is growing
woo hoo, we have liftoff!

We got a bunch of snakes to light off at my parents house when Brian was visiting. They were a total bugger to light. My dad and I had to build very tiny funeral-pyre-esque contraptions to get them to burn. We were laughing hysterically at our own ineptitude, but Maddy was very patient waiting and waiting and waiting for the much anticipated snakes. Luckily she totally loved it once we got them going - worth the wait (and a whole big box of matches sacrificed for a good cause).

4th of July

2008-07-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

We had three sets of friends over to celebrate and it was a really fun time. The kids LOVED the fireworks and trampoline, and the strawberry daquiris went over well with the grown up kids too!

Sand

2008-07-17T23:19:00.000-07:00

and this shot I just threw in because I am too tired to make a whole nother post, about half a second after I took the picture the ball smacked me in the nose. if it was a video i'd send it to one of those shows and get $10,000 because she literally knocked me on my butt!

This sand has been around for almost two years now, we got it from the coast and it has survived a couple of moves and lots and lots and lots of visits from Maddy. When my Mom asked us to get her some sand to keep at her house, we had no idea it would become the favorite plaything for such a long time running. The best toys are the free and simple ones, for sure! This morning in particular she raced outside before breakfast to check on her "fwings" (things) and "babies".

Uncle BriBri

2008-07-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

a little kiss for Karis
hiking up high
cornered in the sunroom, the tickle attack begins!

at the fountains
drop it in and then....
...watch it float by
he has her cornered on the stairs

Uncle Brian was visiting for the week before the 4th of July - it was a WONDERFUL time, the girls loved him and it was fun to catch up. Maddy now says each time she sees a plane "Uncle BriBri come Co-wo-wa-do (Colorado). Chase six hours!" He chased and chased and chased her around my parents new house, she was in HEAVEN and he was totally exhausted, but they had oh so much fun. He'll be a great dad someday, but for now is the #1 uncle of all time! If I ask Maddy to guess where we are going, she scrunches up her nose and says "Co-wo-wa-do?!" We wish!

Inkadinkadoo

2008-07-17T22:57:00.001-07:00

My new tatt! It is a celtic mother's heart. One dot is for our marriage and one dot for each of our girls, and the hearts are entwined in each other just like our family. I love it! And it didn't even hurt, I was so relieved that is was so easy to get. It is between my shoulderblades, up high near my neck.

Little Glimpses of Maddy at 2 3/4

2008-07-17T22:41:00.001-07:00

a little afternoon nap while mama was nursing karis to sleep
naked chase -- this is what being two is all about!!
naked (well, except for those socks!) photography

at Summer's house
swinging upside down

Blue Lake Park

2008-07-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

We love to go to the fountains and playgrounds at Blue Lake Park. If it is sunny, we are probably hanging out there for part of the day. Maddy is getting as tan as a little brown nut and there are endless possibilities for things for Karis to find to chew on!

Get Ready

2008-07-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

So, a BIG picture dump is coming soon..... prepare yourself for a month's worth of vacation and fun pictures..... I decided to post this as motivation to actually make it happen, now that I have said it is coming, I will be more accountable. I know, I know a month of no blogging is entirely unacceptable and I am ready to mend my ways.

sunriver 2008

2008-06-24T21:35:00.001-07:00

feeding the llama
brushing away the tickles he gave her hand
petting the pretty white horses
getting up close
walking the baby llama

playing mama-baby-alligator chase
ready to go in yet? contemplating the big pool in her big girl life vest
let's just stay in the little pool daddy, i don't need my life vest here
in fact, i don't need to wear any clothes at all!!!

coming atcha
her favorite place to snooze
splishy splashy little fish
let me drive!

this jumping face just cracks me up
my little mermaids
pulling up on the chair right before her hand slipped and she took a big digger into the chair and freaked out

fountains with daddy

chewing on apple soothes those swollen but not yet pierced through by teeth gums
bed head in the morning, my girl loves her some bacon!
bedhead from the side
this is Zielinski half of her genes
drumstick in the sun

We had such a great time in sunriver again this year....Jason says we are not going to go back because when we go on vacation our youngest learns how to pull herself up to standing and how to really crawl fluently and our oldest said her first fourteen word sentence. What would next year bring? Hopefully more wonderful memories of hiking, biking, swimming and lounging around (well, as much lounging as parents of small children can....). Truly, the BEST part of our trip was a visit to a llama farm. Typically they don't to tours but when I called and asked if we could come, the owner agreed and it went beyond well! Maddy loved the llamas and she was able to pet them, feed them, walk them and learn all about them. Her favorites were the female llamas (this was sooooo cute to hear her say: "Oh dat guy is a mama llama" when the owner pointed out a pregnant one to Maddy).

Horse Swing

2008-06-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

Maddy got to try out the horse swing my Grandpa made for Brian and I when we were little. This swing is more than 30 years old, but still works wonderfully! I had a tearful moment when I saw Maddy climb aboard, it holds many warm and loving memories for me. It got a fresh coat of paint and will soon have a mane and tail made out of leather scraps from a local shoestore. Maddy says "Mine yike dat horsey swing. Dat horsey eat da grass! Dat horsey go high! Gid-dee-yap go horsey"

Corvallis/Newport weekend

2008-06-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Corvallis fountains
Corvallis fountains
cracking crab we bought in Newport
a little pampering for mama
extra special pampering for Grandpa!!

We spent two weekends ago down in Corvallis/Philomath, but took one night to go to Newport to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. Maddy stayed at my parents house while we went away and had a fabulous time. Grandpa got his first ever manicure, but he declined the pedicure despite rave reviews from her other customers (me: one toe is red nailed, one toe is pink nailed and will probably stay that way until it just wears off to be totally honest).

Wake Up, Daddy!

2008-06-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

She spotted her prey and pounced!

Cutey McCuteypants

2008-06-22T22:42:00.000-07:00

Crawling Fast and Pulling Up

2008-06-22T22:37:00.001-07:00

7 months this past week and look at her go! She is SUPER mobile now and can't wait to figure out how to walk and keep up with big sister....

Smackdown!

2008-06-22T22:33:00.002-07:00

Maddy was trying to button Karis' onesie, who saw the opportunity to grab Maddy's hair and pull HARD, then Maddy twisted around trying to break free but still clinging to her work of onesie-snapping, both of them laughing and squirming and just all arms and legs and giggles.