The Butterflies

Piper's Pet Party

The invites: Little pet's with tags on them. Simple!

The decorations. Emery and Ty made the decorations.

The party started off with a little dancing for the little girls.

A game of Little Pet's Bingo that Daddy invented.
Opening presents...so expressive.

The Pupcakes.

I love the look on her face as daddy was bringing her her Pupcake.

These two never stray too far away from each other.

The friends

The goodie bags.

This one is from a week ago. We had a family celebration when my parents were in town. The celebration never stopped. It continues through tomorrow when we bring yet another batch of cupcakes to Pre-School. This time Butterflies.

My Big Girl.

If you haven't already seen, I posted pictures of Piper's 4th photo-shoot on my photoblog.

She just had to prove she was 3 for one last day!

Yes, that would be a picture of a sad little three-year-old-for-one-last-day. That would be a picture of a little girl with no...absolutely No bangs! That would be a picture of the giant wad of what-were-bangs in front of her.
So...why is she looking so sad. I bet your thinking because her mama when Ape on her. Nope...that wouldn't be the case. She walked down the stairs, after sheepishly warning me she had something to show me. All this mama could do was gasp and try to hold back the fits of laughter. I mean come on, look at those big brown eyes...so pathetic. How do you scream at them in a moment like this. SHE IS SO THE THIRD CHILD! Emery never got off this easy after cutting her hair FIVE TIMES! But this was Piper's first time. Something very unlike her to do. All I could do was hold her while she bawled in my arms...mind you I was still trying to hold back the laughter. (frankly I still am.) I finally asked if she was crying because she was afraid mama would get mad. She said no. So I asked why she was so sad....and then my heart broke. She said, while covering her little forehead with the back of her chubby little hand "I don't like how I look." How sad and sweet is that? I just kept reassuring her that she is still a very pretty little girl and her hair will grow right back. And now we get to buy a bunch of cute little hairbands to cover up the bangs while they grow back.
She perked up pretty quick after that. Especially since mama still couldn't stop giggling. That started to backfire and she started thinking what she did was pretty funny too. Um...no! DON'T DO IT AGAIN! You can not really tell from these pictures...but it is to her scalp!!!! It's not cute what-so-ever. But, im not about to tell her that...I want her to keep on thinking she's the cutest little 4-year-old around! And just in time for her birthday party tomorrow!

Oh, and by the way...if you will see her in the next couple of days...try not to make a huge deal of it in front of her. I don't want that to backfire or make her uncomfortable...any more than her mama does since I cant stop staring at her forehead.

Just One More Day..

Just one more day is all I have left of being the mom of a 3-year-old. I love 3-year-olds. I will very much miss this age, this time in my life and hers. Im a blessed, but sad mama right now.

Bedtime

I've had these pictures on my camera for a while and wanted to post them. This is what things look like typically at bedtime around our house. The kids are clean and warm...and the kitties are ready for some shut eye. We usually find the two older cats asleep up high in either Ty or Eme's beds. It became a habit for them from when Maverick was a puppy...they needed a hiding spot he couldn't reach. This night we found the baby all snuggled in with Doba as well. I just had to snap a picture. This in turn meant I had to take a picture of each of the children, upon their requests.

Tonight we are trying out a new routine. We have tried several sleeping arrangements for Mav. When he was very little he was a crate dog (actually probably for a year). Then he became a "sleep outside the crate dog" (usually at the top of the stairs keeping guard). This lasted until the infamous "eat mom's couch" incident this summer when he promptly became a "sleep outside in his run" kind of dog. When the winter months came and the weather got colder he became a "sleep inside the house" dog again. But only downstairs...he's really not allowed upstairs anymore. This worked great until he became the "poop on the same spot of carpet every night" kind of dog. Immediately he was a "crate in the garage" dog again. But lately we have been feeling he's rather disconnected with the family. So we are now cautiously attempting the "Sleep In My Boy's Room, On a New Bed" kind of dog. Im sure this makes the cat's all a twitter since Ty's room is their fav. I have a feeling we will find the kitten snuggled up with Mav on his cedar bed someday soon.

Here's to a Successful night's sleep.

Cupcake Love.

Last night was the annual Cake Auction for BLPS. This time it was Pip's turn. I made a "box of chocolates" cupcake tray. I got the idea of this awesome book Mike got me for Christmas. Of course we ended up buying back...we do every year I think. I wanted to buy it back so I could gift it to some special people. We also got suckered in (by Ty) to buying the alligator cake below. It was also made from a designs out of the same Hello, Cupcake book. Our house is filled with sugar and frosting right now...and will be until after Piper's Birthday when I am going to attempt some more details cupcake designs.

25 Random things about me.

....I know I have done this 1000 times but it is all the rage on Facebook right now and so I thought I would post it here too. Oh the peer pressure!! ;).

I'm not tagging anyone though...the pressure stops here!!

1. I vividly remember my first day of 2nd grade. Everything after that is pretty much a blur.
2. I used to have a big crush on Boy George. I'm pretty sure I didn't fully understand the reason why he wore make-up.
3. I really wish I could pull off the Gwen Stefanie look...I have to keep reminding myself I am 34 years old.
4. I am wearing really ugly jeans today. Who said the "mom jean" style has to come back in?
5. I've been wearing old spice deodorant since October. AND I AM NOT ASHAMED! (its a long story)
6. Mike does not wear Old Spice. I like his arm pits :).
7. Are you starting to see the inner-freak in me?
8. I have two pair of boxer shorts since my freshman year in college, 15 years ago. I love wearing them to bed. (they aren't gross, I promise)
9. I had a disturbing dream about one of my best friends mother-in-laws and Paul Newman last night.
10. I have three cats.
11. One of which, the baby, takes a shower with me every morning. He's quirky.
12. Before him all of our cats were named after Cougar Football Players (or coaches)
13. I am in the running for the "Freshest Photo Blogs" Contest. Go to www.definingdetails.com/blog for details how to vote for me. (nice plug huh ;)
14. Really...I'm only on #14.
15. I think I threw my shoulder out with my new lens on Saturday.
16. I'm not sure I am going to love this lens...I better, cha-ching!
17. I miss a good Seattle downpour every once in a while.
18. I don't miss the constant drizzle.
19. I miss warm Las Vegas nights.
20. I don't miss the T&A billboards reminding husbands that their "normal" wives are fat...or that they really need to install a stripper pole in the bedroom. (no that was not from personal experience)
21. I have acrylic nails for the first time...and although they are pretty...I hate typing with them, and I really don't like shelling out the $20 every two weeks. (but I'm getting them filled tomorrow ;)
22. I love running a business.
23. I wish I didn't have control issues and could outsource some of the stuff though.
24. I took some sweet pictures of Piper this Saturday...can't share them til her birthday on the 22nd though.
25. I loved being 25...but the 30's are the best!!

A Pet Post.

PREFACE: Don't freak out...we did not get a new dog! This is my canine niece Crumbs. She's a English Staffordshire Terrier and the sweetest little family dog. And yes I could cuddle with her on the couch during the super bowl because she is the perfect size and doesn't shed or smell! Got to love that about a dog.
To think I had 4 days with my sister and her family in town and the only two pictures taken were of their dog. Oops.

And here is our baby of the family. Tai Lung. Okay I know I have said this about all of my cats...but he is one of the best ever. (i have completely turned into a cat person...all because of the awesome cats I have).

~He's very much a lap cat.

~loves to play but not too frisky. Unless of course you are another cat then he's wild.

~Loves to be right were all the action is. The more people around the better.

~Let's the kids do all sorts of stuff to him.

~Takes shower and baths with mama. Not kidding. He perches on the edge. Sometimes attempts to climb out on my shoulders when I am in the bath. In the shower he stays behind the inner curtain but gets down in the tub to lap the water. He's learned not to go near the bath with kids in it...or he ends up in the water.

~He's smart enough to figure out how to unlock the cat door.

~He's won over the hearts of the other two cats...even Mr. Old Soul Swogger who was none to happy with the baby at first.

~Brave enough to go right up to Mav and bat at his tail or lick his face. Maverick is becoming tolerant...good boy Mav.

~He's a mama boy...doesn't like to stray farther than the front porch.

~Plus he's just too pretty. I LOVE HIM!

Check out how big his paws are! He's our tiger for sure!

I always thought it a tad strange/gross if people had more than two cats...and now we have are "those" type of people. And I'm all right with it. Good thing cats clean up after themselves!

And there is my random pet post for the day!

Blog Update

...man the updates have been few and far between. I think I am loosing my blog buzz. Ugh!
You may notice I added a box on the side that reads "What Am I Doing Now..." It's a twitter box. Which just means I can text a quick note to keep my friends and family abreast to my happenings between my blog updates! Enjoy!

Tummy Talk

Piper made a couple notable comments about the tummy this week. One cute...one not so cute:

First one: She came out for about the 4th time after I put her in bed for the night. She likes to invent big questions at bed time to stall sleep. She asked "What happens if Jesus doesn't live in our tummy?". After questioning her it was revealed she meant in our Heart, not tummy. That led to a little 3 year old discussion about Heaven and Forgiveness. I thought it was pretty cute.

Second (not so cute) one: We were laying on the bed together watching a movie and I was messing with my button on my pants, my shirt was up a bit and she asked; "mama, why is your tummy old?" Um... Nice! I promptly replied, "because I had lots of fat babies!!!"

Her List

Piper has been talking about her birthday for months now. So when a Toy's R Us party planner came in the mail for her she was so excited. She took it to her bed at nap time one day to work on her invite list. She worked on it for a few days before I saw it. I was starting to wonder what the list was looking like. Was she just scribbling names, was she trying out her letters?

Finally she showed it to me. It's for sure not a complete list yet, but it is a start...and totally adorable. In case your wondering who's who. Claire is the little one on top, Whitney is on the bottom and Zeke with the hat (mama drew the hat) on the right.

Bulldog Cheer

We signed Piper up this year. But it was a little too intimidating for her. At least she got a cute t-shirt out of it.

Boys Night Out

Ty, Daddy & Butch spending some time tonight in Pullman to watch the Cougs narrowly defeated by the Bruins. And you thought the madness in our house stopped with Pac-10 Football. Not so. It's NCAA Basketball time folks. Which means a little leeway every now and again when the men get to steal away for some fun. And the little one gets to stay out late and maybe even miss school in the morning. All for some Daddy & Son time.
(it's 11 pm and they are not home yet, Mike emailed me this pic earlier from his phone)

For Your Entertainment

It's long...but worth it.

Wow...1 Week.

Wow, it's been a week with no post. Sorry.
And I really have nothing to say accept stay away from me...i have Strep throat. Yuck. So much for the long weekend. I spent literally spent it in bed the whole time, and poor Mike spend it on full-time duty with the house and the kids.
Good times.

Hopefully my next post will be more exciting!

I was Tagged

Michelle tagged me...so here I go:

FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER AND OVER:
Starbucks
Walmart
The kid's School
New Hope Community

FOUR PEOPLE WHO EMAIL/IM ME REGULARLY:
Mike
Angela
Michelle
Nicole

FOUR PLACES I LIKE TO EAT:
Red Robin
Chens
My Back Yard, when Mike BBQs
Any Place on the water in Seattle

FOUR PLACES I’D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
A Spa getting a massage
Sleeping
A Cabin in the Snowy Mountains
A Cabana on a Beach

FOUR TV SHOWS I COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:
Friends
How I Met Your Mother
Law & Order
Ace of Cakes

and here is where I am supposed to tag, but I'm pretty sure most have done it already.

The Great Purge of 2009!

*be sure to read to the bottom...I'm selling stuff.

Okay, so our house is greatly shrinking! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MY HOUSE. It is quaint, quirky and cozy. I love the look of it. I love the my neighbors. I love all the trees and plants we have added to it. However...I don't love how the walls feel like they are closing in on us. It's our fault. We Have Stuff! Alot of Stuff! And that stuff takes up precious space in the 1600 square feet. So to avoid doing something drastic like trying sell and buy new in this economy just to make more room, I am PURGING!! I am dedicating this whole year to this project. Because frankly, knowing me it may take that long. I will go through every closet, cupboard, storage box, shelf, etc and PURGE!!

Yesterday, I started the PURGE! I started with my own crap, or SCRAP more like it. I cleaned off my Adorably Messy Scrapbooking desk and transformed it into something more practical; A Photographer's Office Space. I'll be honest, I haven't scrapbooked or created a card in nearly 2 years. So it had to go. (don't panic ladies, I still have more than enough tucked away for a rainy day)

So now in effort to pay myself back for all my years of collecting all this stuff I have created an auction.

You can Find It Here:

Scrapbooking Auction.

Next Purge, under the bathroom sinks. (dont worry I won't auction off that stuff)

Piper's Programs

This week was filled with pre-school programs for miss pip. She had her Birthday Celebration for Jesus in class on Tuesday since it was canceled due to snow before Christmas. And then their Concert last night. I love sweet 3 & 4-year-old's singing.

(Note: anyone who wants to see if I got a picture of their child and wants copies see below).

I had to post this: Mike gave piper a sheet of Cougar stickers. She just had to take them to school to give to each of her friends. I wonder what some of the parents thought, us Pac 10 Folks can get a little sensitive on what our children are exposed to ;).

The Nativity.

So, if you asked me to try to grab a picture of your child (since I was in the front) I did try. Or if you are grandma or one of the teachers, I posted them in a gallery on my site, you can download the digital files. I'm sorry it is so impersonal, but it's just quicker for me then emailing them to everyone.

Here's the Link Enter the password: BLPS. You will have to register for an account in order to add them to your cart and then download them. It will take you through the whole process as if you are buying the images...but it doesn't charge you for anything. Enjoy.