two little monkeys

the monkeys have moved

2008-10-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

come check out our new blog @

(click)

Thanks Blogger, but you just couldn't cut it! Come leave me a comment on the new site so I know you are all still alive and well :)

Thanks for all the blogging fun!!!!

here's the deal

2008-10-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

this is now the second night where I have tried to upload some fun pics from my day and continue my blog challenge BUT for some reason nothing is uploading. I'm off to leave a nasty help note to the blogger people!!

Blog Challenge

2008-09-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the scoop: one post each day for 30 days!

For me, this blog is a way to scrapbook our lives in a more modern and convenient way.
To remember the everyday details like giving Kor is first "big boy" camera and seeing the world through his eyes.
or how my daughter likes to do everything with a phone to her ear...huh I wonder where she get's that from???
this is what I want to remember....so for the next month my goal is to post something. Anything really, just tidbits from the day. I want to read my Blurb book in 10 years and remember just what I was doing and what my daily life was like. So here I go!

2008-09-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

Here's to the last weekend in September! See you Monday when I start my own personal blogging challenge of post everyday for 30 days!

2008-09-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

sometimes we get bored.

2008-09-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

it's that time again, 10 random thoughts for this Tuesday:

Yesterday was the first day of fall and man was it a cold one. We went for a walk around 6:30pm last night and everyone was bundled in their full winter gear. Traeger was the only one who didn't seem to notice the freezing wind.
I'm slowly starting to come out of my editing fog and start replying to some very old emails. Justin & I are so completely different in this aspect as he refuses to leave the office before replying to every last email. I know that is probably the way to be but he doesn't have to fight off a three year old and a one year old who rather despise me being on the computer.
Yesterday was rather stressful for me so I decided to close the kitchen down for dinner. We headed out to Red Robin where we ran into the Hunter family who was celebrating Matthews big THIRD birthday. Happy birthday Matt!
I just remembered that I need to call Save Mart and get someone to the house to fix our oven! It's only two years old and should be working at 1oo percent, but it's not!
It's officially baby season. All of my maternity clients are now having their babies and it seems like they are doing it together! Congrats to everyones new additions!
I am now the proud owner of a Canon 5D! Yes, i'm going to brag just a little but I deserve it! I have worked very hard this summer and my sweet sweet husband has helped me out with it. Thanks babe, you truly are the best!
We also just reserved our spot at Big White again this winter. Looking forward to taking both kids this time around and really enjoying some family ski time! I was super bummed about not bringing K last year, he's already talking about going sledding and who's he's going to "bump".
Speaking of ski season, this morning I peaked in to the Alrberg and got excited about all the winter gear and winter clothing. I'm thinking that a new jacket is in order this year.
This week is great as far as t.v. programs go. Everything is finally new again and now that it's getting darker earlier Koren is asleep so we can actually watch something besides Thomas the Train!
Wow I made it to ten without a pause. I guess it's been a pretty exciting week ;) I need to get some new photos on here I feel like it's been forever since i've actually taken this kids out for their own photo session.

2008-09-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to a Halloween near you.

10.

2008-09-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

well some how it's already Tuesday which means it's time for ten:

This may be a bit random but sometimes i'm just a bit random. I have come to enjoy posting 10 non-related bits and pieces as it's a fun reminder of what my life has been full of latley. If you have a blog, give it a try!

Back to waaaay back last weekend we made the fun trip to the Chelan County Fair in Cashmere where Koren got to enjoy Marie's (amir) company and have a blast riding all the rides and visting the animals. It's great that K is finally tall enough to reach the mark as this has been the first even where he has been taller than the standard 36 inch requirement. If you wanna check out a few fun photos hop on over to my Flickr page.

I met with my trainer Darcy this morning who absoultey worked my butt over today. I'm not sure if it's because I had a lazy last week or if I just wasn't really in the mood but now I feel so engergized. There really is something great about working out first thing in the morning!

Last night we had a little get together over at our around-the-corner-friends John & Anne's place and let's just say it proved to be definant birth control for any future Collier children. Teag's decided to projectile barf just as we were sitting down for a wonderul salmon dinner. It all went downhill from there! I'm sure the whole thing was pretty funny but it really reminded me that a WHOLE weekend without my darlings is needed SOON! Anyone interested in a one & three year old?????

Traeger is adjusting very well and showing his true colors more and more each day. He is a very happy little guy who loves to play and be loved on. He still is a champ in his kennel and crate and hasn't cried, whined, or barked yet!

It is officially the busiest photo month yet! I love it but at the same time am already looking forward to my month off this December. If you are a photo client reading this blog I promise I will have your session up soon :) :) :)

Last week was the downtown fashion show which I commentated due to Pauline have little Miss Gracie a few days early. It really was a good time and I have to say that the little girlies, Teags & Mia, stole the show! They were just way too adorable and i'm hoping Becca will send me some photos of the event.
hmm..well now i'm strugging for two more entries I think i'm going to leave it at that!

2008-09-15T14:53:00.001-07:00

love this guy

2008-09-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce the newest member of the Collier Clan, Traeger. More officially

Red Skye's K.T. Traeger

He is an 11 week old Brittany Spaniel with a wonderful personality and already eager to learn.

Koren is more than excited about his new puppy and Justin is even more excited for a new hunting buddy.

Trager & I attemped to go for a run this morning but he wasn't too sure about the leash yet. I'm sure with time him & I will be great running buddies.

one of my favorite traits about Trae is his little notch of coloring on his forehead and the freckles on his nose.

Thanks to Red Skye Farms for parting with this little guy, we will provide a very happy and healthy home for him!

2008-09-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

We all have fun when YaYa comes to town!!

Sara made a surprise visit this week before she starts her second year of grad school in Philadelphia.
I'm not sure who had more fun today. Thanks again Sara for all your help with these little monkeys. I think Christmas is waaaay to long and you should find some sort of way to teleport yourself more often, wink wink :)

If you look closely you will see that T-Bear had a visit to Sara's mom today, Dr. Bates. Here are the little miss's stats:

weight: 25.12 pounds...YES you read that correctly she is almost TWENTY SIX POUNDS! Her big brother is only 30 pounds!!!

height:31 inches

head: 19 inches

Let's just say that overall Teags is a very HEALTHY little girl with smile as big as her belly :)

love ya T!~

2008-09-10T02:47:00.000-07:00

10 REASONS WHY EVERYONE NEEDS AN ASHLEY:

good friends are hard to find, great friends are even harder.
to be inspired by in so many ways, too many to list on this silly blog
to run with, after a loooong stint on bedrest Ash went on to join the Spokane Mom's In Motion group and ran a 1/2 marathon!!! She convinced me that running was fun (ha!) and has since proven to be a great running partner!
to shop with, we can do some serious damage together. I'm sure Justin loves how well Ash's and my tastes are alike and our love for high end children's clothing. Although, she is a fabulous bargain hunter and has helped me score some great deals along the way.
to talk photography with, I would not be doing what I am today with a little convincing way back in the day. Ashley is a great photographer who has a gift for capturing emotion in kids like no other!
to blog with, it all started with Bedrest Boutique and again inspired me to start my own blog.
to dine with, the first great meal I remember having with A is when she had us over for her signature Cuban Pork Dinner with rice & beans and LOTS of lime! YUMMO! It doesn't stop there either. If you are looking for a great restaurant pretty much anywhere in the state of Washington she knows about it.
to scrapbook with, when we lived in Spokane we would frequent the classes together at Apropos where I was able to preserve a few memories on paper. Too bad I don't have an Apropos in Wenatchee, or better yet an Ashley in Wenatchee :(
to be informed by, Ash is an incredible speech therapist with a special gift for working with children who have autism. When I was worried about Teag's development I shared all my frets and fears and she helped put those aside. If I ever were to have a child who needed any kind of "extra help" she would be the person I would run to. On top of that, Ash is a self proclaimed resource junkie! BOOKS galore!!!
to be a mommy with, Ash is an incredible mom to Holland & Dylan who are also great buddies to Koren & Teags. Dylan & Teagan share a birthday and all I can hope is that our kids grow up knowing what special friendships can be formed even though we live 3 hours away. We can have some seriously fun playdates, trips to the park, Mobius, photo sessions, backyard pool parties and sleepovers!

Thanks Ashley for being you!

Iron Girl I am!

2008-09-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

time: 1:00:26

next stop Leavenworth 10/4 my goal will be to brake the hour mark!

Thanks to my wonderful friends who I could not call myself a runner without, Ashley & Katie, you guys are the best!!!!!

more firsts

2008-09-04T21:34:00.001-07:00

Today marked Koren's first day of pre-school and let's just say the last thing he wanted to to was smile for me. He wanted to run in so fast that he didn't even say goodbye to his dear ol' mom! What happened to the little boy who clung on to my leg for dear life and would scream bloody murder anytime I would leave the room. I'm a sap, yes I know, but still he is only 3 for goodness sakes and he's off to school. C.R.A.Z.Y. He had a blast and i'm sure this year at Seeds will be a great one.

firsts

2008-09-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

first pig bear cakes.
first baby doll kisses
first steps...well almost firsts. T has been toddling now for a few weeks.
first birthday gifts always bring smiles.
first birthday cakes and T asking for more.

one.

2008-09-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

happy birthday sweet girl.

fall style

2008-09-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks Libby for the fun link!

This is me, in all my fashion glory :) I would have a fun/funky outfit for pretending to be cool, a go-out-to-dinner look, a work-at-the-store set, and a photo shoot outfit. This pretty much sums me up, and after my upcoming weekend in Seattle with Ashley I just might own a few of these pieces!

t - one day

2008-09-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

until the T-Bear is ONE! Can you believe it, because I sure can't. For some reason this is a big birthday for me and i'm not sure why. Koren's first birthday came and went without too much emotional toll but for some reason Teags' is hitting me hard. Mainly because nobody knew where exactly she would be developmentally and for the fact that she has surpassed BY FAR everyone's expectations. I also think it's hard knowing or not knowing if she will be our last little monkey having this big milestone in our home.

Well like all birthdays around here i've gotta post some stats:

Teagan at ONE :

weight- heavy! (her check-up isn't until next week so will stick with that)

height- pretty average (again, will know more soon)

nicknames: t-bear, teagers, Teags the tank (haha, I think this is a house fave right now-poor girl) T

favorite foods: well pretty much everything!! Yogurt, french fries, grilled cheese, avacado

what makes her smile: Walking, her brother,changing the channels on the tv, drinking from a cup with a straw, waking up from a long nap, taking her brother's toys, oscar

what makes her cry: not feeding her fast enough if everyone else is already eating, leaving her with strangers, mom walking out of site, poop...

stay tuned for complete birthday coverage tomorrow then I promise to change the subject :}

some recent Etsy faves!

2008-08-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
marykf20

~~two posts in one night, i'm on a roll~~

DMB

2008-08-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

has come and gone....and thanks to the overwhelming amount of "special" smoke blowing through the amphitheater i'm sporting a few less brain cells...good times were had by all at the Dave Matthews Band concert! Thanks Katie & Adam, John & Anne, and Ivy for a great night!!

5

2008-08-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

sometimes you just need a break

2008-08-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

from the car that is.
can you guess who this is trying to get into a bag of cheese crackers???
we spent the day in the tri-cities and took our sweet time coming home. our stop for ice cream and an impromptu photo shoot was much needed and these little monkeys couldn't have been happier.

2008-08-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

So I was finally able to get some pics posted from my big 10k race I completed this past weekend. Katie & I finished the 10k, my time being 1:04, and my mom walked the 5k with Teags. This is whole race was basically for Teagan as almost a year ago while she was at Children's Hospital Seattle I remember wandering through the hospital reading the hospitals' most recent newsletter. It had pictures and results of the 10k race and then there were pictures of patients and their families and at the time I told Justin that next year I would be completing this race for T. I did it!

I know this sounds all corny and sappy like but as I was running all I could think about is how almost a year ago we could have lost our sweet T bear. When the status of her life was on an hour-t0-hour basis and we had no clue what her outcome would be. As my legs were getting tired I had visions of almost every single little detail of her hospital stay including the lame almost year old magazines in the pumping rooms, or the pomegranate tea I would get from the cafeteria, or the smell of the soap in her NICU room, it was like it was yesterday that we were there... So as I set out to complete more races I hope those memories stay fresh and in my head as they served as fuel for my fire and helped me cross that finish line.

My goal for the next 10k in September will be to complete it in under 1 hour. After that I'm on to the Leavenworth half marathon and help me God on that one!

Thanks again Ash for all your encouragement!

2008-08-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

more details about this past weekend's events in the morning as right now i'm off to bed.

2008-08-14T21:17:00.001-07:00

love this site!~

10

2008-08-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

recent events that have made me happy

I joined the brand new Golds Gym in East Wenatchee. I may be a gym snob but after working out in such a cool environment I DONT CARE! It's fabulous, high tech, clean, close to my house, on the way home, and each piece of cardio equipment has it's own ipod docking station!!!
I also bought myself 3 months of personal training! I am finally going to get my butt in gear (with the help of W.) I have three upcoming runs in the next few months as well as a 20lb weight loss goal. I'm sure i'll be bloggin' all about it because for me the more people who know the more accountable I am.
Justin, Koren, and I had such a great time boating this past Sunday. A bunch of our friends met up down at one of the beaches along the river where we all took turns watching the kiddos and partaking in various watersports! I had fun showing off a bit but Monday morning I was paying for it!
BOTH KIDS HAVE BEEN SLEEPING NOW FOR TWO HOURS!!!!!!!
I'm slowly but surely getting caught up on my editing. I only have FIVE sessions to go, well six after a belly session tonight. It makes me happy to see my business growing but also a little hesitant as this was always going to be such a part-time venture for me.
The whole family is heading to Seattle Friday afternoon and I get to make a stop at IKEA.
I am re-styling Teag's room and her new sheets came yesterday from Babystyle....I wish I would have used these colors from the beginning but such is life and they are now making me happy!
I have ran a total of 8 miles this week and it's only Tuesday. My goal for the week is 20, not including the 7 I'll be running Saturday morning.
T took a couple of steps on her own last night. Very quick and unstable, but still it's a big moment.
Koren is such an amazing big brother. It makes me the most happiest mom ever to see him playing with his baby sister and actually enjoying her company. He has really been into showing her around the house lately and all the fun (trouble) they can get in to!

2008-08-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

just another day in with two silly little monkeys

(click on collage to view full image, silly blogger cut's off my sweet cheeks)

baby motrin or a margarita

2008-08-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

up till now T has been sporting only her bottom two teeth. well today the top two are breaking the gum line and life is plain miserable! she is normally such a happy baby and a wonderful sleeper and i think for the first time in almost 8 months i had to rock her to sleep tonight. does anyone have any great tips for teething because if we have another day like today i'm going to be making margaritas for breakfast!

2008-08-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

what should i blog about next?

siblings

2008-07-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

this makes me happy.

meal planning

2008-07-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

it's my new thing!

well not really new, i've dabbled with it seriously a few times before but now i'm really trying to incorporate it into our lives! It is so difficult for us to all be together at home in the summer due to various sporting activities but i'm hoping that we can at least manage three meals this week.

to include:

Pizza! My favorite 'take and bake' has to be California Pizza Kitchen and pretty much any toppings they offer. Runner up would be Papa Murphy's Artichoke & Bacon. yummm.

Turkey burgers with gruyere cheese and a few other sides. I'm thinking salad with pecans and cranberries or a fresh fruit bowl.

I bought some super-rich whole grain pasta at Trader Joes awhile back and i'm hoping that when I add yummy pasta sauce and turkey meatballs Justin & Koren wont know it's good for them. For desert is a scoop (or two) of Blood Orange gelato...i've actually already had a few scoops of this and it's pretty tasty. I really just liked the packaging and I think next time i'll go for a flavor that's not quite so sweet like maybe a pistachio or mint.

Well wish me luck with feeding this family because more often than not I put my menu aside for a chicken soft taco at Taco Time and call it good :)

2008-07-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a fantastic weekend!

ten.

2008-07-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

Last week was a bit insane and I seemed to be all across the state. I was fortunate enough to spend time with two great friends all in one week! Thanks Aliya & Ashley for being such wonderful friends even through we are miles apart.
Thursday was the Green Bluff Cherry Trot & Pit Spit. Koren took part with Holland in the Tot Trot and had a wonderful time although he was even more concerned with losing his firefighter hat.
here's a pic

4. I, thanks to Ash, completed the 4 mile run! It was such a great, great feeling to cross that finish line 40 minutes after starting. I was very much unaware of the fact that the last mile was all up hill!! In 3 weeks i'm off to Seattle for the Children's Hospital 10k.

5. After the race.
6. I received my birthday present this morning and man was it a good one! I had my house deep cleaned by Faith Steps cleaning service and let's just say there is no way I could have ever done what they did! My bathtub is so sparkly cleaned that I almost don't want to use it. Thanks again babe you are the best!

7. Does anyone else realize that I use a LOT of exclamation points!!!!!

8. Yesterday Justin & I spent the afternoon waterskiing, playing softball, going for a run, and learning how to use our new Wii Fit. We both can barley move this morning. I just have to give props to the the Nintendo people for coming up with a video games that actually gets kids (and us parents) off our butts! Koren busted out some mad moves with the balance game and J & I got a big kick out of watching him ski the slalom course.

9. I have been taking a lot of photos of Teagan lately because I'm afraid any day Teags is going to get up and start moving right out of the shot. So i'm not favoring her over Koren, i'm just enjoying looking into those big blue eyes while I can. Like this.

10.

It works!

2008-07-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

So I was surfing another blog this morning (thanks Julie H.) and noticed she made a comment about Blogger making some improvements and that the video feature was now working. So I went through my archives of post and picked this one out just to "test" the system. The results: IT WORKS! YAY that makes me happy :) The video is almost a year old but none the less it's a video on my blog and that's what matters! Have a great weekend everyone.

2008-07-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

Something seems to have happened...she is no longer that teeny tiny little baby who loved to be swaddled and held. Suddenly she is an almost-toddler. She is crawling, and climbing up, and babbling, and screeching, and trying to chase after her brother. Her hair is even blonder and her eyes are even more blue. My sweet sweet baby.

2008-07-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give a shout out to my brother Donnie & sister-in-law Hilari! It really is fun having you back in the state! I look forward to spending more time with the both of you.

what to do when it's 94 degrees out

2008-07-14T22:09:00.000-07:00

toss on a couple of cute bathers and head to the nearest body of water!

10:30pm

2008-07-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

2008-07-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

1. With Koren going to Seeds now Teags and I are left with 4 hours each morning to clean, edit recent photo sessions, work on upcoming "projects", but what me mostly end up doing is blog-surfing, shopping, watching reality tv re-runs, and having impromptu photo shoots.

2. I've got my running gear on as I sit here and type and i'm thinking that as soon as I'm finished with this I'll get my butt out the door and go for a jog so that T-Bear will actually snooze a little.

3. After picking up K from school we'll be heading to the Hunter's for a little baby shower planning meeting for you-know-who...I love parties! I love even more planning parties! As K would say, "that makes me soo soo happy!"

4. I think Justin & I have finally come to the conclusion on a new car. Most likely J will spend the next 2 months trying to get the BEST deal...if it were me we would have driven over yesterday and handed off the keys to the Jetta and been done with it. That's why him and I are a great pair, i'm not sure we would have a roof over our heads if everything was up to me :)

5. I must, must, must get my house organized. It's driving me crazy that everything around seems to be so misplaced. You would think with all this kid-free (well K at least) time that I would have it done by now....oh why am I such a procrastinator.

Alright, Teagan is now officially screaming her head off. I guess nap-time is just not happening today.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

2008-07-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

The less routine, the more life.

~amos bronson alcott

rolls for sale

2008-07-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

and will require a LOT of butter.

JUST IN: Teagan has figured out the crawl. Well sorta. She does it the "t" way, as in backwards until she gets to where she wants to go then she'll put her legs up in the air and spin around on her belly like an upside down turtle until she has anchored in what she was going for. Pretty much anything her brother is playing with, like the puzzle above.

104 degrees

2008-06-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

was the current temp at 4pm today. ouch, that's just a bit too hot for me. I'm such a winter kinda girl that this heat really makes me uncomfortable.

Friday & Sunday we spent a few hours each down at the river. Koren & Teagan don't realize how lucky they are that we can go from our house to the beach in 15 minutes. That's one of the reasons why I love, love, love Wenatchee.

Saturday Koren had a day at Papo's house and Justin, Teags and I went to Seattle for a bit of shopping and searching. Searching for the perfect couch and car. We didn't find either. Kinda of a bummer but we just need to go browsing again, soon! I did score on some stuff for the kiddos as well as Justin but it was almost too hot to even shop. That's right you heard me! Too stinkin' hot!

Another busy week with lots to post! Check back soon.

(sorry about the crummy pics, my point and shoot camera stinks)

I've been tagged

2008-06-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Ashley tagged me yesterday to post 6 quirks about me that you might not know.

These are the rules:

The Rules:
1. Link the person(s) who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged

I'm a nail biter. Big time. I've tried and tried and tried to stop, but it's really just not going to happen. If you haven't noticed by now I have ridiculously small & fat thumbs, and the fact that I am unable to let even the littlest nail grow above flesh just makes matters even worse!
I'm absolutely addicted to the internet. Seriously, if I have to feed Teags in the middle of the night I'll run down and check to see if anyone has posted anything interesting on their blogs or for some crazy reason sent me a 3am email. Is there a rehab program for this?
Probably one of my most bizarre quirks is the fact that if my feet are bare I cannot stand, or even think of another persons bare feet touching mine. Justin will try this out just to torture me and it almost brings me to the point of vomiting. Can't handle it. At all.
I horde cash. It's silly but I'll never use all the cash I have in my wallet at one place. If it means that I throw down a $20.00 and debit $10.00 even though I have another $20.00 bill in my wallet...I always have some crazy justified reason for this, but I can't come up with it right now.
I have a few "mama" quirks and here's a quick rundown on a few:

character clothing is almost forbidden. unless it was from a special mimi for a special occations and will be worn to that special mimi's home
no pj's are to be worn out of the house, we have too many articles of clothing that need to worn
I watch K color in coloring books because it hurts me to see him color outside the lines (yes, I know he's only 3)
the Wiggles are banned from any television in our home-long story

6. I am always early. NEVER late, and if i'm late that I'm really having a bad day. I'm sure I inherited this trait from my dad.

Alright friends, I wanna know your quirks. Katie, Pauline, Libby, Sara, & Melissa you've officially been tagged!

4 years ago today

2008-06-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

I married my best friend.

3 months after that we were pregnant with Koren.

3 years after that, along came Teagan.

In between all that we've lived in two cities, had two houses, one apartment, and lots of laughs.

We've traveled a bit. We've landscaped a lot. We've had very trying and scary days.

I can only hope this next year of marriage will be as great as the last 4!

I love you Justin, like the moon loves the stars:)

oh yeah, i'm also enjoying a great birthday today thanks

to my wonderful friends and family.

ten on tuesday

2008-06-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

I think this post will be, again, a bit random. It's fun to chronicle what i'm doing on a daily basis for my own sake, so i'm sorry if your reading this and getting a bit bored. I have really enjoyed blogging and if any my friends and family would ever get on the bandwagon i'm sure they would enjoy it too!
This one's for Ivy: Koren has delcared his love for your daugher, Irelyn. He told me last night that he loved her and wanted to marry her. Now this makes me laugh, because seriously, they have played together like twice! We stopped by Seeds this morning and the first thing he asked was if Irelyn was going to be there...ahh she must be his summer crush.
This morning I made the dreaded WalMart trip. There were a few essentials that I absolutely had to have and Wallyworld was on the way. We are trying to purchase the Wii Fit program and of course every store in the Wenatchee Valley is sold out. So if ANYONE sees it somewhere please let me know. Thanks.
I have a ton of photo editing to catch up on before this Saturday which is another wedding and even more editing time added to the stack. I used to dream of being this busy and wonder if that day would ever come and now i'm booking Christmas card sessions- in JUNE! I'm blessed to have some great friends who in turn have great friends that pass my name and business around. Thanks guys, you know who you are!
Teags and I just got finished baking a cake! That's right you heard me, and from SCRATCH! I'm not drunk, i'm not crazy, just ambitious. Baking is something i'm plain not good at, BUT I figured i'd give it a shot. Rachel Ray had a recent recipe for a golden cake and yummy vanilla frosting. So right now the frosting is ready and the cakes (2 9inch round) are cooling. Tonight I'm going to fancy them up, take a pic, and force everyone to try a piece. I'll let you know how it goes :)
Koren and Justin just left to go deliver some rock to Shane & Hanna's place. Koren was excited to ride in the "big" truck with dad...I'm excited to have a sorta-kinda quiet house. T is busy playing at her learning table. It makes me think back to when Koren played at the table for hours. I'll have to dig up an old photo here sometime.
Well I didn't make it to ten as our Papa Murphy's pizza is ready to come out of the oven. I'm off tomorrow morning with my mom, Sara, and Barb to the Solcice day spa and boutique hotel for a day and night of pampering and fun!

Dad's Day 2008

2008-06-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

We decided that since the weather was cooperating and we couldn't take the boat out (because Justin hurt his back golfing) that we would take a mini road trip up to Lake Chelan for the day. Koren has been in love with the beach scene ever since our trip to California so he had a blast. I believe Teags was pretty impressed as well by the way she giggled every time the water would rush over her toes.

When it was time for T's nap we headed home so that Koren could still enjoy the sun in his back yard pool and slip&slide. My greatest memory from Father's Day 2008 has to be that of Justin trying to show Koren how to run and slide on his belly down the slip and slide....oh I wish I had a picture...

mmm mmm good

2008-06-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have a million photos of the kids, thought I would mix it up a bit :)

a fun recent purchase of of etsy, I think the flower is almost as big as her head.
Koren helped me with dinner tonight, well sorta.

I just got done making Rachel Ray's smashed red potatoes (with bacon) and barbeque chicken and now i'm waiting for J to get home from yet ANOTHER round of golf. I told him this morning that by the amount of golf he's been playing lately he should be walking on to the PGA tour soon.

randomness

2008-06-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

It has been some time now since i've posted a bit of randomness so how about I put together a little list:

just ordered this, have heard lots of great reviews

tonight is soccer tots, which is a a soccer team for 3 & 4 year olds. koren participated last year in the 18month-3 year old group and spent the majority of the time climbing the near by trees. i'm still not sure if he's the group-sport kind of kid as he's more into adventure sports such as skiing, rock-climbing(ha), jeep-driving, and pretty much anything else that qualifies as dangerous.
some guy in a beat up old car just ran up my drive way and i barley beat him to the door just before he was going to ring the doorbell (the kids are sleeping and i would have taken off his head) to ask me if i wanted to pay him $50.00 to paint our address on the curb in front of the house. WHAT THE??? yeah, no thanks dude!
my garage sell loot is quickly dwindling. i took koren to the craft wharehouse yesterday to stock up his art box and found myself buying heaps of fabrics for projects that i can only hope to one day actually finish
after soccer tonight is moms in motion and i'm super excited. i'm not sure if it's the fact that i get to get out of the house or if it's that i really do enjoy running. i'm mostly looking forward to completing our first race and then i'm sure i'll be hooked. this is week two so let's hope for a big crowd tonight.
next week one of by bestest friends is coming back for a week long visit and our moms are taking us up to leavenworth for a night and a day at the spa. i have never experienced more than a single spa treatment at a whack so i'm counting down the minutes to a whole day devoted to self rejuvenation and meals without my darling kiddos
last night i came up with the perfect father's day surpise which makes me giggle knowing that i'll actually surprise J for once

how was that for some randomness?

now i'm off to pick up before the carpet guy get's here to measure for our new carpet (soooooo excited) and maybe a little afternoon reality t.v.

adios!

frustrated...

2008-06-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

with blogger!

Katie, you are not the only one having issues tonight as Blogger is refusing to upload any of my new fun photos...errrrr

sniff sniff

2008-06-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

that is what i've been doing ALL DAY! So this weekend got off to a great start with T on Friday night feeling cruddy and waking up every hour all night long, leading into a great Saturday garage sale at Ivy's. I finally feel like our garage has some purpose other than storing assorted baby clothes and various forms of infant entertainment. After the garage sale I was tuckered out and went to bed early as Justin headed off to a friends bachelor party. I woke up this a.m. feeling totally under the weather. Head cold, aches, and overall just plain tired. I was hoping that throughout the day I would feel better, but just the opposite I feel worse. I missed our group hike tonight which really was a bummer as it's only our third meeting. I promise i'll be up and running (literally) on Wednesday.

So thanks for letting me sob to all of you, Justin won't let me whine to him. Here's to a great week!

(t has learned the sign for "more" and whenever there is food present she will show you that she really does want MORE!)

Kor Ry at 3

2008-06-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

here is what is happening in the life of Koren @ the fun age of THREE :

nicknames: Kor, monkey butt, kk, dude, k-man, brother

height/weight: 29 pounds, 36 inches

what's new in the past year: became a big brother Sept. 07, loved to go skiing at Mission Ridge, has learned to love "spendanights" at misc. grandparents, has traveled to southern California, has become his mommy's sous chef, mastered his abc's, counting in English & Spanish, singing, outdoor games, and has found a new love for hoses & sprinklers :) POTTY TRAINED!!!

favorite foods: Cheetos (don't laugh, i know it's bad), poppyseed muffins, cheese squares...really he eats anything and everything in small portions

current buddies: Matthew, Preston, Austin, Teagan (is becoming a favorite)

fav. activities: goofing around the house with mom, playing board games, driving his jeep, helping mommy cook dinner & bake, having playdates at the park, going to Target and helping Dad work oustide

Koren,

You are such a delightful, fun, energetic, imaginative little dude. Thank you for always putting a smile on our faces and being the happy-go-lucky kid that your are! We love you like a fish loves water :)

Mom & Dad

my little buddy is THREE

2008-06-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

some random snapshots of my little junebug from the past three years...

Miss T @ 9 months

2008-06-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

Nine months brings this little 22 pounder some new tricks
cruising, well sorta-kinda. T is pulling up to ANYTHING she can get her hands on and moving her way around the furniture and learning table.
SLEEP, I think she has finally settled into a good sleep pattern. T is going down for the night between 6:30-7:15pm and sleeping until around 6am. Typically she is then ready for a morning nap close to 9am then again after lunch for a couple of hours.
SMILES and LAUGHTER, especially for her oh-so-funny big brother (he will have his big birthday post tomorrow). I am loving all the giggles and sweet expressions Teags is giving off lately.
EATING everything.....and then some. Recent favorites include corn on the cob, enchiladas, garbanzo and pinto beans, yogurt, pineapple...seriously this girl can eat!
Still not crawling, or even trying. I have a feeling she will be toddling instead of crawling.

I just love this little girly, she has been such a joy in our lives and i'm not sure what life was like before Two Silly Little Monkeys!

why I blog Wednesday

2008-05-28T07:26:00.001-07:00

these are my kids right NOW, one month from now who knows what they will be up to. i want to remember, to capture, to turn these visual memories into something tangible. that's the main reason for this blog.
i tried to be a good scrapbooker and i failed. i failed miserably. maybe one day i can pick up where i left off, but for now this will have to do
i wish all my friends and family lived closer, but since they don't they can check into our lives via this little monkey blog

It's definitely not the 80's

2008-05-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

Koren just asked me to get him a snack and I told him I would right after I finished reading some emails, his response was "well I have to check my emails too mom, I think I got one from Thomas".... he was referring to his Thomas the Train computer which is is currently playing on! I just love this age and I hope to really make a better effort in documenting all the fun things that he has to say.

love this guy

2008-05-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

because every so often he actually surprises me! thanks babe, you truly are the best and i love you like a fish loves water!

playdate fun

2008-05-16T14:27:00.001-07:00

five fun facts about our playdate with the Hunter's:

chocolate covered marshmallows were a huge hit! until the skewers ended up in K's hair
Nathan has the most precious eyes i've ever seen, and I think I could look into them all day long.
T might have a little crush, or maybe it's the other way around. I think she's giving him the, " what are you up to dude " look as he's trying to put his arm around her.
who has the biggest buddha belly competitions are extremely cute when comparing 2 year old bellies, not mama bellies :)
I am going to institute a regular picnic at the park day each week for anyone who is interested!

and one more of little miss sunshine watching her big brother play in the front yard later in the day.

more pics!~

2008-05-15T20:17:00.001-07:00

San Diego Zoo and more

2008-05-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

In short, here are some pictures from our day at the zoo and Sea World. They are def. snapshots and not great photographs! Enjoy.

Sea World & the zoo!

2008-05-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

Hi friends and family! Just wanted to stop by and let everyone know that we made it safe and sound to San Diego and are having a FANTASTIC time! Koren and Teagan have been absolutely wonderful travelers and it makes us wonder why it's been so long since we've done a fun trip like this.

The plane ride was smooth and easy, both kids slept the majority of the way and crashed hard when we got home last night. Teag's was the star of both flights, I think she had more admirers than a celeb. would have :P)

Today we hit Sea World this morning, moving between attractions as fast as Koren could pick out a new picture from the map. After we hit meltdown mode (around 1pm) we hopped in the car and went on a dream-ride into town and waited for the kids to wake up and check out the San Diego Zoo. We spent a few hours and barely covered any ground. I'm sure we will be back before the week is up.

Now the boys are in the other room winding down, T is snoozing, and I'm contemplating catching up on editing some recent sessions....hmmm (as well as watching the boob tube).

More updates to come, sorry no new photos as I forget my camera cable at home- I know bummer!

8 months

2008-05-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

at 8 months some of T's favorite things include:

EATING-and that includes almost everything edible and non-edible
blowing rasberries
watching her brother play and trying to "play" with him
being outside in the sunshine
Mimi singing Pattycake to her
Standing up! I have a feeling she is going to skip the crawling stage and move right into the cruising and groovin' stage.

And then for a few things that she is less than crazy about:

Being on her tummy!
Having an empty belly :)
actually, that's pretty much it. As long as the above two things are not happening Teagan is pretty content.

three blogs in ONE day, it's a BIG night!

2008-04-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

hi

2008-04-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

my name is Teagan and i'm my mommy's favorite model. I like to sit and play with mommy while she takes millions and millions of pictures every day. One day when I get bigger i'll learn to run and hide like my brother but for now i'm enjoying all the fruit puffs mom gives me when i'm done:)

FINALLY!!!

2008-04-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

I can officially post that Koren has mastered the potty! For the past 6 months we have started the whole "potty training game" and we have failed each and every round. About 3 weeks ago we decided to give it another shot and told K that he wouldn't be able to go on the airplane (we are headed to S.Cali next week) if he was still in pull-ups. Well, whatever the reason was, it clicked! That day I vowed to only put a pull-up on at night and he has yet to to have an unjustified accident. He has even made it through all of his long naps dry! I know it's kind of a funny topic to blog about but hey, it's important! Everytime Koren finishes up doing his business he says, " daddy is going to be so, soo happy...isn't he mom!" Ok, now i'm about to sob up thinking my little boy is no longer a little boy he's my little man!

Koren you rock dude and I just love being your mama and in 16 years when you look back through my Blog Book you can see just how proud I am of you!!!

good night

2008-04-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

just finished watching Grey's Anatomy. time for bed. goodnight!

two days in a row

2008-04-23T20:28:00.001-07:00

so I think I just set a record for blogging, i mean two days in row how great is that!!

I thought I would post a few pics of some fun recent finds:

I have been on an etsy frenzie lately, I scored some really fun pillow boxes the other day and just came across these when I was thinking of a baby shower-party-favor-holder..what do you think?

I'm already staring to think of Teag's first birthday. I've always loved the look of the vintage fabric banner, and how cute is this one!

ok, so I had a few more pics but blogger decided to be irritating AGAIN and not let me download anything. I'm about to move to either typepad or wordpress...arrrr

happy Thursday everyone, and for those of you in WEnatchee i'm sure you know the food fair starts tomorrow- i think i hear a gyro calling my name with a bit of funnel cake to wash it dow ;) :)

i do have 10 this tues.

2008-04-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

let's see if i can get 10 things down before my lovely children need me

we have all been sick. i mean really sick. it started out with T, then K, after that was me and soon there after was justin. fun. the stomach bug that has been sweeping through the valley took out the collier family by storm. we are all over it now, thank God!
i have been swamped lately with photo shoots. i'm feeling awfully proud of myself right now and some of the work i've been producing lately. i fell like i'm in a good groove and my camera and i have really connected. i've also had a lot of babies lately and it makes me sad to come home and see my almost 8 month old chunky monkey, i miss her sweet little newborn self (not enough to do anything drastic now :) :) )
this past saturday we spend the day in kennewick with my brother and hilari. the weather was freezing but the boys still managed to get a bit of golf in.
so yeah, it's almost may and it has been snowing!! how freaking unbelievable!
apple blossom is this coming weekend and next. i'm not sure how it came up so fast this year, but i'm really looking forward to the food at the park. i know that it's horribly fattening and almost always an outbreak of food poisoning occurs but i still love it!
T is getting her first tooth! justin gave her a bath this evening and we were able to finally see a little white poking through her slimy pink gums
2 more weeks and we are off to southern california and i couldn't be more excited. everything is booked and the only thing left is to get to costco and pick up are admissions to the theme parks
koren had a tour today at Seeds and got registered for pre-school as well as their summer enrichment programs. i think it will be a great fit and he is super excited to be with his friends at "school"
i'm almost to ten and i'm hearing dora sing the "i did it" song, which means it's almost over and it's time for bedtime duty...
ten, I made it YAY. the only caps i've used so far, which is because i'm feeling a little lazy tonight. goodnight goodnight!!!

i know, i know...

2008-04-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

o.k. I'm not going to ramble on about all the reasons I haven't blogged, I've just been busy. I'll post later today with what we've been busy with !!!! Until then, here is my little cutie just being her cute little self :) (check out the bottom picture up close, you can see she had a little accident during our photo session and it's a good thing we have wood floors)

calm before the storm

2008-04-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

hello hello~

this is another bullet point post because that's all I can muster up at the moment

we had a FANTASTIC mini-trip to Spokane on Wednesday. Koren and Holland were hooked at the hip (besides the occasional spat) and we were able to enjoy a few minutes of "mommy time." Dylan & Teags shared a few cute baby moments but it's a crack up to see D crawling circles around Teagan. Hopefully in a few months T will give her a run for her money.
B 2 B was pretty slow this morning but the highlight of my work day was bringing in my new "office" set-up for {mkc}photography!! Soon I will be consulting and placing all my orders out of the shop. YAY!
Koren has been getting pretty bruised up lately and i'm starting to worry what other people think. I know he has been really, really aggravating recently but I PROMISE he's just super crazy/clumsy and they are all legit! :) :) :) :) & they are all on his shins and elbows which proves he's just a BOY lol
the neighbors down the street are setting up for a garage sell in the morning which for me means it's no longer winter...hmm not sure about my feelings on this. After finding out that some of my friends have been scoring big time by shopping secondhand I think I'm ready to try it out! I'm a lover of all bargains, the cheaper the better!
EDIT- so it's Sat. morning now and the storm as arrived. I'm getting myself together to drop both kids off at the grandparents then make my way up to Hay Canyon for an engagement shoot, immediatley following that i'll be driving up to Pateros for a fun afternoon wedding.

adios for now!

skipping town again!

2008-04-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

tomorrow after a belly photo session me and the kids are outa here again. This time we're heading to Spokane to spend a little quality time with the Potter's and let me tell you I'm ready for it! I've got a million and one things to share and a million and one hugs and cuddles to give!

We had a pretty unevental day, besides a great photo session this morning. K, T and I just hung out all afternoon. Can't beat a good lazy day. (the photo to the left shows you what happens after two 2 year olds "play" for a few hours)

peace

2008-04-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

and quiet is what I have RIGHT NOW! ssshh read this very quietly as you might wake THEM up...you know who i'm talking about:)

We had another good weekend in Wenatchee. Didn't get up to too much other than a little Red Robbie's with the Hunters ( Matthew is one of Koren's new buddies ), some grocery shopping, some bathing in the sink, some sidewalk chalk drawing, and some napping!

just like this

2008-04-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

this is what i was talking about :) :) :) happy Sunday!!

oldies but goodies

2008-04-04T14:33:00.001-07:00

I forgot to post some of these a while back. Koren and Teags' have officially become buddies and I just love it!

Does anyone remember back in the day when Koren was around a year old and his favorite thing to do was to stand up on his little rocket ship (instead of sit & ride like it was meant for), well I don't think much has changed in the past two years!!

i'm baaaack

2008-04-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

haha, so I have pretty much fallen off the face of the earth and then some. Hopefully I won't have any more super long hiatuses from blog land in the near future. Here's what we've been up to lately:

This past Monday I had a photography seminar in Seattle. It was taught by Sandy Puc and was an extremely informative, interesting and organized 5 hours. The topic was "bellies & babies" and it was all about new and time-efficient ways to photograph maternity and newborn shoots. I know you are all saying blah..blah..blah right now but I want to say it anyways!
Teag's is 7 months old today. I really don't know what happened to month six. It just sort of vanished. She is loving month 7! As any chubby little monkey does, she loves to eat. Her new favorites include anything BUT baby food. Soups, potatoes, pizza crust, grahm crackers, beans....you name she'll eat it! Koren never was a baby to put everything in his mouth and Teagan is just the opposite. She is such a mouther- I mean EVERYTHING.
ooh. forget from above, I spent an extra couple days in Seattle with my mom before the photography course and had some excellent shopping adventures AND a wonderful but quick lunch with one of my dearest friends Aliya. I really wish I had a lot more time to spend chatting and catching up with her but it was great to see her exciting self for a little while.
Koren has started asking for everything for his birthday. The problem is, it's not until June. I'm not sure if he understands that, but at least he has stopped saying Santa Claus will bring him this and that.
We are officially going to San Diego/Disneyland May 8th - 13th (sorry Ash, I think we will be there before you guys). I'm super excited and I kinda actually think Justin is too :)
the blog for Belly to Baby is now up and going. If anyone is interested check out www.bellytobaby.blogspot.com
Justin is staying extremely busy now that he's on his own. He as been given another state contract and has been helping his dad out with tax returns, so I haven't seen too much of him lately.
we are currently watching on the boob tube: Top Chef, American Idol (although we skip through the b.s.), How I Met Your Mother, and soon House & Bones
Has anyone noticed that the Gap is now carrying baby gear and other baby stuff!!! I have always been a big Gap fan, but how cool is it that it's becoming a one stop shop.
ok, I think i've given enough of an update for now, here's some fun pics for your viewing pleasure ;)

bad bad blogger

2008-03-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

I seriously can't believe it's been over a week since i've blogged!

Horrible. Really, really horrible!

I'm back on the bandwagon, I PROMISE! I have so much to share, just stay tuned.

For now, get a glimpse at "biscuit". She is passing up her major milestones left and right. I'm not sure how feel about this, but I love her fat little butt so stinkin much it's crazy! i'm serious...more to come!!!

color me happy

2008-03-20T20:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Koren & I decorated eggs and T took a decent nap. It's such a joy to watch K get into the holidays for the first real time. The past two years he could have cared less but he's finally starting to grasp what each different holiday is about. The only thing he hasn't figured out is the fact that Santa Claus doesn't come to visit every time ;) to be a very SPOILED two year old...

how much longer

2008-03-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

will you let me take your photo every afternoon?

it's 11:06pm and i'm still...

2008-03-15T23:06:00.001-07:00

ONLINE!~ seriously, I think i have a problem. i am a total internetaholic these days. it's horrible, it really is. what did we do before the internet????

anyways, tonight i came across a site that i instantly fell in love with: tangled and true go check it out!~ also all my new mom friends and mom to be friends hurry and check out the layette swap in the side bar think section thingy-ma-bob. how cool, i'm signed up and can't wait!!

ok night night

saturday night live

2008-03-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

hi all, just thought i'd pop on and say a quick hello!

It's saturday night and my brother Donnie is up here at the house playing Wii with J. Teag's is snoozing away in her crib and Kor is having a spendanight with his papo. life is good!

We had some yummy Casa Tapatia for dinner and the boys had DQ to follow. I just snuck a few bites of Justin's as i'm trying to "be good."

I went to upload some new pics and BOTH my batteries are dead, i'll try again tomorrow!

adios.m

2008-03-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hi name is Teagan and I am a thumb-sucker.

I also love it when my mommy dresses me up in a tutu.

I really love it when my brother puts on my tutu and calls himself ballet boy, but ssshh don't tell daddy ;) :)

Have a great day everyone!!!

on time this tuesday

2008-03-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

edit: Wednesday morning, I am so frustrated with blogger!!! I had my post done yesterday morning and have not been able to finish it because my photos would not upload!!! so I swear, I was done yesterday ;)

it's been a while since i've actually got my 10 done on Tuesday, and before the sun sets to boot! I feel like we are all finally back into a regular routine and doing well. T still has a bit of a cough but i'll take that any day over her wheezing and general lethargic tone.
Justin is on week 2 of his new practice. He is doing exceptionally well and has brought in a new client every day. Kudos to him ( i love you babe, and am soo proud of you)!
Yesterday afternoon Koren let me take a few photos of him playing outside with Oscar. I'm not sure what he would do without that dog, they are BEST FRIENDS!
I worked Monday morning at Belly to Baby! I have been shopping (for the store) for soft, organic cotton clothes for kids and toddlers. I put in an order at Kate Quinn Organics and absolutely cannot wait to get the line in the store! We will also be carrying kee-ka and soon green to grow bottles! love.it! There is just something so wonderful about all natural baby products. I think it's the fact that to me baby's are so fresh and free from everything that as a mom I want to keep them like that for as long as possible.
This weekend starts the first of 8 straight Saturday photo sessions. Kinda crazy, kinda fun! I guess I really should get my act together and finish my website.
When I was at IKEA last week I picked up this really cool clothesline type wire system that I am going to hang in Kor's room to hang is art from. The problem is Justin hates for me to put holes in the wall (probably because it takes me a few tries to get it right) and he just is so busy lately that I hate to ask him..I might give it a go this afternoon. I'll post pics if it works out.
Speaking of artwork, that's what you would think a typical pre-school would send home with the kids right? Not K's. Monday their project was boiling an egg, then letting and cool and peeling the shell off. The end result was a hard-boiled egg which they put in the kid's backpacks only to surprise the parents when they take the bag out of the car hopefully the same day. I'm guessing there were a few stinky cars out there this week.
T had to miss her 6 month appt. on Tuesday because she is still on meds from being sick last week. When she went in last week she was a WHOPPING 19 pounds. I can't believe this is the same little baby who spent weeks in the hospital and barley hit the 6 pound mark when she came home. She just really loves her moo juice.
We are starting to talk about birthdays around here. The K-man will be 3 on the 3rd of June and we are thinking of making a trip to San Diego. Ash, I know you would have some good suggestions on what to hit up while we were there, but what about where to stay? Are there any beach houses for rent???
Does anyone know what happened to the Magic School Bus cartoon? Koren was really getting into it, then all of the sudden it was replaced by Steve Irwin's daughter Bindi and some crazy knock off show about animals :) :)

Have a great rest of the week and stay tuned for more blogging fuN!

MIA

2008-03-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

we have definitely been missing in action lately, but we are back! I have so much to get caught up on but when you have a sick kids your priorities change. Here's a quick pic of what our weekend looked like :(

i know i'm late, but here's my ten

2008-03-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

T is sick...again. Everything that she had before that took a week to build up has hit overnight. She is wheezy and coughing like crazy. Tonight will be a touch and go kinda night and we might be making a trip to the ER if she doesn't get some sleep. ahh this girl, I just pray that this is if for the season.
I never mentioned Koren's first day of preschool, it went GREAT! He has been asking to go back all week. He will go again on Friday and to him that's just not soon enough.
I went for quite the run today. I have two friends who are both runners and i'm super eager to try it out. I've always been athletic, but two kids sure takes a toll. I think Justin & I are both going to run the 10k portion of the Wenatchee Marathon/half marathon. I was thinking that I could do the half, but I would rather start small and work up to something bigger and better. Justin is all for joining me, which in the words of K "makes me happy!"
It was absolutely GORGEOUS today! After our run the kids and I played outside for a bit. I swear I could have broke out a pair of shorts this afternoon. I have some traveling days coming up so let's just hope that this weather keeps up and winter doesn't come bite us in the butt.
I am in a sewing slump already. I still have everything sitting out on our bar but with my new "job" I just can't get it together. I love that I have excuses for everything. Basically i've just been too dang lazy. I feel like when I'm home I tend to either gravitate towards the computer or the kitchen.hmm. I'm sure the urge will return so for now the sewing machine looks just fine on the counter.
Blogger is driving me nuts!!!! I have taken some new video clips with my new Flip camera and I started the upload process and AGAIN- ERROR!!! I couldn't freakin believe it! Then it says to contact blogger with such and such issue and I swear I tried for FOREVER and can't even figure out how to contact them. It's all troubleshooting bs and no real contact info. HELP!
Have any of my blog readers jumped into blogville?? If you have, please send me a link to YOUR blog so I can add them to my fav. list.
Today I booked THREE more shoots for this coming month/early Spring. That makes around 8 for the week. CRAZY. BUSY. FUN!!! Can't wait!
I think Teags' is out, I don't hear her little smoker sounding lungs (totally a smoke-free house) and her monitor is not lighting up.
We lost last night a soccer. It was kinda a bummer. We were missing a bunch of our guys and we couldn't pull it together. Still fun, and still a good workout. Next week will rock it!

Have a super fantastic Thursday and tune in for some fun Etsy finds.

night night

6 months ago today

2008-03-03T14:22:00.000-08:00

our little Teag's was born. It was a day i'm not sure I'd like to remember. It was not a glorious birthday of a sweet baby girl, but one of fear and trepidation. We were so unsure of how things would turn out, but by the looks of her I think she surpassed EVERYONES expectations- and then some. This is T 6 months ago, then yes

terday. I just love that girly, I really do.

what a weekend

2008-03-02T22:16:00.001-08:00

WOW!~ it's almost Monday again. I have no idea what happened this past week. It sorta just disappeared. The past few days have been a little crazy here is the run down:

Thursday night- we headed to Seattle after a quick stop in North Bend. I decided that the outlets have lost a little bit of the excitement that they used to have. It all seems to look like the same stuff in the reg. stores and the same price range as well. I think it was the wrong time of year for outlet shopping and i need to hit them up again at the end of a season.
Friday- Justin was at his education deal so the kids and I headed to Southcenter. We played at the mall for a bit then moved down the road to IKEA. I told just a "little white lie" about Koren's age so he could play in the kids area while Teag's and I shopped. It was HEAVEN. We were there for almost THREE hours! I really really love that place!
Saturday- Belly to Baby store opening. I worked all day and had a fantastic time. My mother was so proud of my retail skills, i think it was the Flanigan in me shining through. On top of selling heaps of merchandise I booked up a calendar full of photo shoots for the coming months. Yay! I'm really looking forward to this adventure in Maternity/Baby store stuff. I feel like it's the perfect fit for me! Teagan was my little sidekick the entire day, and I think she is the reason for half of the stuff I sold. I had her in an Ergo carrier and I must admit that thing ROCKS! For holding a 17 pounder all day I don't think you could find something better.
Today- I had a wonderful photo shoot this morning with little Callahan. He was 3 weeks old and just as cute as could be! We were going to ski after that but decided that with the wind we should just go out to lunch insteat- ha! After lunch we headed up to the driving range for a little golf and back home for a kiddy nap. good day.
tomorrow is K's first day of preschool and teag's 6 month mark! I'll have lots to post so stay tuned!!!!!!

what are you doing this Saturday?

2008-02-27T23:29:00.001-08:00

If you are in town, and have a minute, come by Belly to Baby sometime between 9 and 6. It's the grand opening of this great maternity/baby boutique! I promise, you'll love it! Not to mention you get to see some of my recent work nestled among the fun new baby & maternity products! Pauline has a bunch of giveaways as well as treats and doorprizes! Oh, also---if you are thinking of booking a spring photo session with me, come on down and book your date with me on Saturday at Belly to Baby and you will receive a $25.00 certificate that can be used towards your print purchase!!

Can't wait to see you all there!

are you tired of her yet??? I think this is my most favorite photo stage ever! love. it.

ten for tues.

2008-02-26T15:31:00.000-08:00

after my never-ending nightmare of an afternoon yesterday, today was no better. i'm starting to think that koren is going through his jealousy/bad behavior stage that we thought we would have to deal with after teag's was born. hopefully it wont last long because i'm starting to think that full time daycare doesn't sound too bad.
it's gloomy out. i think that is partly to blame for my bad mood. i'm exercising more so i thought that would do the trick but in reality the only thing making smile at the moment is justin coming home from work and rubbing my shoulders. i'm a pretty lucky girl.
tonight is the big soccer night. we are playing for the championship! it makes me giggle just typing that out. i feel like i'm in highschool again and that our team should be having a pep rally right now. go dutch mafia!
we made a neat purchase this week. our video camera we bought before koren was born was supposed to be this great, sleek, modern thing. in reality it sucks and it doesn't work with my iMac. I've been wanting to post little clips and haven't been able to so Jus gave me the go ahead to order a Flip camera. How cool is that! I'm super excited and i'm thinking that I will have to make occasional video blog posts.
Me and the munchkins are tagging along with J to Seattle this Thursday. I'm looking forward to getting out of town for a night and doing a little shopping on Friday. I'm trying to come up with a plan to make Koren look (and act) like he's three so I can drop him off at the IKEA play area while I do my browsing. if he was wearing a stinkin' pull-up i could probably pull if off.
did you know that Jamie Lynn Spears 16 (for those of you soo behind- Brittney's sister) is said to be marrying her 18 year old bf before her baby arrives this summer!!!!! I bet you all really, really wanted to know that.
for anyone who is wanting to learn to cook and needs some help with in the kitchen technique problems you MUST check this site out! I never knew there was so much to know about cracking an egg open :)
i'm constantly coming across fun etsy finds, today is a new shop that i haven't seen before ( i know, i don't know how) how fun and modern is this!
for anyone out there who is thinking of starting a blog, i say DO IT! you will love it. your family will love, love, love it! Especially if you have kids and want to share their latest and greatest achievements.
my friend sara recently sent me a link to a fun baby shop in texas and it got me thinking what are YOUR favorite places to shop and browse? send me a link, drop me a line, LEAVE me a COMMENT basically is what i'm saying and i'll pool them together in another fun shopping post!

take care this tuesday! ( i needed to look at a sweet pic of my little angel boy that i know he realy is) koren-6 months old

i'm thinking CPS should be notified :)

2008-02-25T20:42:00.000-08:00

with a title like that i'm sure you are wondering the story behind it.

My son.....what can I say about Koren. Well he's an extremely clever, unique, creative, outgoing, smart, active little boy. He's also bossy, manipulative, sassy, and defiant. I know that most of those traits are common for two year olds, but today was a day of pushing me to THE LIMIT! It all started off just fine, we slept in, had some breakie, and played hard at open play gym. After play gym we went to the YMCA so I could workout and he played great in the daycare area. Then we met Justin for lunch & we proceeded to enjoy a nice and calm lunch. THEN... out of nowhere he bolts down the stairs at Jeepers and runs RIGHT OUT THE FRONT DOOR (yes, like right next to one of the busiest streets in town). I quickly drop everything i'm holding, chase after him, yank him from behind and drag his butt into the car for a very harsh scolding. He smiles...ahhhhh I think the best part of that was that he did all this right in front of a group of child social workers having a lunch meeting. ha. they should have taken him away right then. So, we get home and I say that it's naptime, he says plainly NO. ok, one cartoon then naptime. Well 4 cartoons later (2 hours) still no nap, he has become even more sassy and tells me that I NEED A TIMEOUT! Wait a minute, he did not just say what I think he said...ah ok so I resort to a form of punishment that I have practiced once before and I feel like if I do it again I really need to call for help. I stuck him in his carseat, in the car, with the lights out in the garage. I left him there for ten minutes! I just couldn't look at him. But the worst part of all, when I went out to talk with him about his behavior all he did was look up at me with his big brown eyes and say, " i'm sorry mommy i no be a naughty boy anymore, i be a goodboy." GUILT- that's what I felt next. I guess this is just life with a two year old right????

stumbled across this

2008-02-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

FANTASTIC site- i. love. it. ALL OF IT!

how sweet and simple, plus Punky Brewster is one of the co-creators. I think I should by something just because she was an old fav. what do you think? check it out HERE!! The Little Seed

sew fun

2008-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

i have discovered another creative outlet. sewing. i really don't know how to sew other than cute little scraps of fabric onto cheap white onesies. everyone has to start somewhere, right?

for me, the most fun is going to the fabric store. it brings back so many memories of being a kid and going with my mom to look for fun fabric for some MCHammer party pants. it's a shame that wenatchee really lacks for a great fabric shop. lucky enough, i'm a fab. internet shopper. ha. stay tuned for more creations. and thanks mom for all the help (i couldn't have turned on my sewing machine without you)

it's 10pm and here's my ten

2008-02-19T22:10:00.000-08:00

We just got done watching American Idol. I def. have my favorites and am looking forward to seeing how the show pans out.
Still can't figure out putting video on blogger. Does anyone have any input?? I might have to ask Jus to tinker with it. Koren riding the chairlift if something everyone just has to see!
The UPS women brought me my wonderful new stroller. Koren & I put it together and now we are just itching to go for a walk. With the super sunny and a little warmer weather I think we will be at the loop trail first thing after gymnastics tomorrow. For sure.
My soccer team kicked butt tonight! It was a really scrappy game with a team that was not so nice, but man that just makes winning even better. Next Tuesday we play for the championship. How STINKIN' cool is that! I just love soccer nights. I love how much energy I have afterwards and how great it feels to have sore muscles the next day.
Teags is now officially crib-trained. Ha, that makes me think of a puppy sleeping in a crate. But for real, every night down like a champ to a little Jack Johnson and her cool mist humidifier.
Today I broke out the sewing machine and wiped a little dust off the top. I picked up a handful of super cool, fun, hip & modern fabric over the weekend an am determined to replicate some samurai pants and onesies that I just ordered off of Etsy last week. I figure spending thirty dollars on something that I can make is just silly. The only problem is, is that I really cannot sew. I am learning, and a good thing is I'm a fast learner. I monogrammed a onesie today with a big T in my favorite brown pattern fabric. I'll take a pic and post soon.
Why is it that we consistently have a TON of laundry. I swear my life revolves around the washer and dryer. I think back to living in Australia and only being able to wash clothes twice a week then having to line dry everything! Man, if they only new how much energy I use up on a weeks worth of clothes...good thing we live on one of the worlds best energy producing rivers
If you have ever thought about starting a blog, now is the time friends and family! It took me forever to make that first leap and i'm just lovin' it! Join the bandwagon and we can all be blog buddies...hahaha i'm in a super corny mood tonight.
My dog is a wee bit smelly, I think he needs a trip to Petco soon. We just love the groomer, Brandy, so if you are ever needing a good recommendation for an awesome pet-loving person she is the stuff!
I'm going to leave ya all with a lovely little pic of my girly sittin' up and giving a nice big grin! Have a great week!!!!

watch out Bode, here comes Koren!

2008-02-17T22:17:00.000-08:00

I'm trying my best to figure out how to put some awesome video of Koren skiing on here!! Blogger is telling me there is an error in uploading the video so maybe in the morning i'll get it working. It's good. Really good. We took Koren up skiing for a few hours this morning and after about 3 runs down the rope tow he asked if he could go up on the chair lift. Umm, sure why not. I'm not sure what the rules or the age limits should be, but i'll tell you there was not one other 2 1/2 year old up there! He ROCKED IT !!! I'm mean, seriously this kid has NO FEAR!~ I think it was one of my proudest moments as his mom seeing him love something as much as I did as a kid. He had a smile from ear to ear. I JUST LOVE THAT BOY!!! check back, hopefully i'll get some footage up soon! HOpe everyone has another great day off tomorrow!~

it's still friday

2008-02-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

and here are my five fun finds for the day:

Eco-Me,great stuff for the home, kids, AND pets! Also check out the links section for some pretty good "livin' green" tips.
For the past couple of weeks i've been trying to find alphabet flash cards for Koren, everything seemed to look the same until I came across these- kinda fun website too!
Oh My! umm pretty much makes my night, except for the fact that currently i'm trying my best not to eat brownies. I think if I had one of these I would eat the ENTIRE pan!
Thanks Bec, for the copy of my current favorite Jack Johnson cd. I think i've listened to it a trillion times already. LOVE. IT. (if I was any good at blogging, i would figure out how to actually post a song, but i'm not so i guess it's not your lucky day)
how about this great, fun, super neat, SOON TO OPEN (MARCH FIRST) new store in WEnatchee: Belly to Baby My friend Pauline has such a wonderful concept as the front of the store will sell super fun and modern baby and maternity products and the back portion will be used as a classroom. cool eh? ALSO- if you want to see some of MY WORK she will have belly and baby photos plastered all around the store. GO CHECK IT OUT!!!

Have a fantastic weekend!!!

share a little love today

2008-02-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

Happy LOVE DAY!!!!

To my husband-

Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers, you are the BEST! It's amazing how this is our seventh V-Day and it still feels like the first! I love you. m

a day late

2008-02-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this yesterday, didn't happen. This is our afternoon in review:

guess who's hiding in the closet? can you also guess what he's doing in there??
chunky cheeks hanging out on her changer ALONE, isn't that what all those magazines and books told me NOT ever to let her do..hmm
stamps on the hands and feet are from Tumblebuds gymnastics class- LOVE IT!
Vicks cool mist humidifier, I think will be a permanent fixture in T's room for awhile.
Koren & Teag's hanging out, do you notice that the girly is sitting all alone :)
Oscar giving some lovin'

10 for Tuesday

2008-02-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

It's sunny outside and as Koren would say, "that makes me happy."
Soccer tonight. Oh how I look forward to soccer. It's been a few months now and I think it's probably one of my favorite nights of the week. Thinking about soccer however makes me want a coffee. Why does soccer make me want a coffee you ask, well because our team is Dutch Mafia aka Dutch Brothers and I just love, love, love an iced nonfat sugar free white mocha from the sweet little shop that it is. hmm maybe when kids wake up from napping we will make a quick stop..hmmm
This past weekend I decided that we too had a lot of "stuff" in the garage AND the new storage shed. Most of the "stuff" was baby stuff. How I accumulated so much stuff is beyond me. I've been wanting a very frivolous and overpriced double jogger and if I was going to get it I had to sell the other 4 strollers that we own. Thanks to some newly preggo friends and craigslist, I was able to get rid of EVERYTHING. Again, that makes me soo happy. I ordered my new stroller this morning, and I really can't wait to go for a run now. See that's what I was waiting for, until it's here next week and i'll have to think of another excuse.
Teagan is feeling much better, or she is at least sounding much better. I think that we have gotten over the hump of being sick and hopefully can stay healthy the rest of the winter.
I really want to go skiing. I can't believe we haven't been since going to Big White with the Reichert's in January. I'm thinking we will have to fit that into this weekend FOR SURE!
My brother Donnie & his wifey Hilari are moving back to the Tri Cities from Cali. It will be nice to have all of our family in the same state. Although I was looking forward to a little trip to San Diego just to spend some q-time and whatever else we might find ourselves doing in California. Oh well, Kennewick is just as good....ha
SOOO Teags' is a bit over 5 months and FINALLY she is sleeping in HER OWN CRIB!!! I'm not sure why now, but she is a champ! Justin & I have reclaimed our bed FOREVER! Seriously!~knocking on wood at the moment
speaking of beds, I'm in the market for some new bedding. After wondering through Overstock.com, I think i've settled on this set. what do you think? Kinda funky, kinda modern but isn't that what i'm about?
wow i've almost made it to ten and both monkeys are still asleep. what a fantastic afternoon :)
I'm doing a bit of meal planning at the moment. It's a really bad idea to watch the food network when you are hungry because looking at my grocery list I'm destined to break the bank. I better go figure out what I actually have in my cupboards before heading out.

tired.

2008-02-09T18:06:00.001-08:00

This has been a long week. A very long week to be exact. Teags' being sick was just the beginning. I'm not sure why I feel so exhausted but I do.

I don't have much to post tonight, so how about some pics of the kiddos. I know, kinda boring but that's all I can think of for now.

Here is a shot of both kids right around the 5 month mark. They both have some cheek lovin' going on!

FINALLY!!!

2008-02-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

thanks to BabyGadget, I think potty training could be breeze.

I know that Koren's grandpa's will think this is pretty neat, check this awesome toddler toilet out!

how stinkin' cool eh?

read about it at Baby Gadget

gotta love a little Etsy

2008-02-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorites that i've been wanting:

with a T, of course)

Green Apple Boutique

ave a major "thing" for baby shoes!

Pedrosprout

doesn't everyone know this is my FAVORITE fabric of absolutely all time??

If it was up to me Teags & Koren would be dressed in it head to toe, everyday! love, love, love it!!!

Snuggle Bug Baby Boutique

Well I think this is a good start. If you haven't shopped Etsy before, CHECK IT OUT!

Miss T's 5 month report

2008-02-06T16:32:00.000-08:00

5 months on February 3rd:

has the sweetest, chubbiest cheeks- EVER

loves to be cuddled

has tried sweet potatoes, carrots, and bananas

smiles soooo big first thing in the morning

REFUSES to sleep in her crib

likes the sound of her own voice

seventeen pounds!!

mastered the roll over- both ways

thinks her brother is super fascinating

has already learned how to ham it up for the camera