Choose Faith

Sometimes I feel worried and I can't remember why. I can't recall the source of my nervous feeling. Devon laughs at me and says something like, "You should write yourself a note reminding you what to worry about today...  Worrying is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere..."  And that worry-knot is in my gut, and that nagging-knot is in my head, and I try to retrace my thoughts to find the one thing that made me panic.  Oh, it is a lot of work, this whole worry business. 

My Nana once told me that she reminds herself to choose faith, because faith and fear cannot co-exist. 

Choose faith.  Choose faith.  Choose faith.

Along that same line, I heard on the radio once that one cannot worry while worshiping.

Worship.  Worship.  Worship.

Some days, I need these reminders to be written on my hands.  Taped up on my wall.  I can choose to conquer anxiety by choosing faith and by having a heart of worship for the One who created me and has blessed me immeasurably.

Now, if I could just remember what it was that was stressing me out...

Perhaps it was the fact that I can't seem to get enough of these-



They are just so delicious!  And I find myself replenishing my supply, which is a problem because my favorite jeans are getting pretty tight already, and while at the store I have that little dialogue with myself, you know the one-  Are you sure that you want to buy more?  Yes, I'm sure.  But you will eat them all.  Yes, but they are a seasonal candy.  And I love them.  And soon enough they won't be available until next year, so I should indulge while I can.  You might be sorry.  No, I won't.  You might.  I won't.

It appears that I'm not the only one who eats them.  Yesterday I found that Max had pushed a stool into the kitchen and helped himself to my treats!

(Please ignore the fact that our knives are totally within his reach in this video!  Please do not call CPS!)

Did you know that Tangled is now available in stores?  We bought it yesterday, and we give it ten thumbs up (Get it?  Ten thumbs because there are 5 of us?).  We've already watched it a few times, and I predict that we'll keep playing it because it is a stormy day outside and I don't aspire to leave the house at all.  Plus, Lucy looks like this while we watch-

So, on this mid-week stormy day, I am working to choose faith.  I am focusing on immeasurable blessings.  I will watch Tangled again.  I will sniff the back of Max's neck and behind his ears because he smells so yummy, and I will kiss him 1,000 times because next month he will turn 2 years old and I am feeling sentimental.  I've promised to paint some tiny fingernails and toes, and from where I am sitting now, I can see that I've got some dishes to clean.  

And if I happen to remember what it is that I'm worrying about, I'll be sure to write it down this time :)

Scrimmage-y Weekend

We spent our weekend at the ballpark- Joe's baseball team played a scrimmage on Saturday and Devon's softball team played a scrimmage on Sunday.  Max and Lucy and I showed support for our ball players, and we found ourselves cold, wet, and muddy.  In hind sight, since these games were only scrimmages, we should have stayed home and remained warm, dry, and clean, but, I suppose, sometimes it is good to get out of the house and let the kids expend some energy and bulk up the laundry hampers...

The season of little league and softball is about to begin, so be prepared for a season of pictures like these-

Have I told you about Devon's mistress?  She is sleek and slender, smart and fun, and he can't keep his hands off of her!

Aren't they a cute couple?  Her name is Paddy (she might be Irish).  Paddy the iPad.  She's making me work for my husband's attention!  She's keeping me on my toes!  But I didn't see her sitting in the rain at his softball game, so you tell me who is more devoted to our man!

(Devon insists that I add that I love Paddy too.  I suppose that we are sister wives.  The kids love her too.)

Look at this little treasure that I found at TJ Maxx-

Isn't it super duper cute?  I didn't buy it at first, but then I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I drove back the following day and shelled out the $12.99 plus tax.  It makes me happy!  :)

You know what else makes me happy?  Even happier than these little birds on their little branches?  You!  Yes, you!  Thank you once again for being a reader and for all of your kind words and encouragement!  I read your comments and I feel so blessed to have friends/family like YOU!

Happy Monday!

Never Have I Ever

Have you ever played the game "Never Have I Ever"?  It is an ice-breaker type game, played at youth group or on the way to church camp or in a long line to ride a roller coaster or at a restaurant while you wait for the food to arrive...  according to wikipedia, where you can read the official rules if you'd like, it is even a drinking game.  But I learned it at youth group.  No alcohol.  Promise.

So, my ace in the hole has always been never have I ever broken a bone.

Anyway, Devon and I went on a date last night, and we went to our favorite restaurant, Cactus (amazing salsa, fantastic ambiance, cool waiters, hip patrons).  We sat at a tall table in the bar, because it was a 30 minute wait for a table in the dining room, and as I hoisted myself onto the domed cushioned bar stool, I set my purse on the bar stool beside me.  My purse began to slide, threatening to embarrassingly scatter all of its contents onto the floor, and my reflexes moved fast to secure my purse, and I'm not sure what happened next, because it is now all a blur, but I think that the top of my hand slammed against the underside of the mosaic table, and the pain was unlike anything I've ever felt before.  I think I let out a high-pitched moan like, ugghhhahhhh, and Devon asked, "What?  What just happened?  What did you do?"  I couldn't answer him because I was busy trying to decide whether to cry, scream profanities, or vomit.  I didn't want to lose my status as a "hip patron" by making a scene!  I mumbled, I think I'm going to throw-up. 

I showed him my hand, confident that I'd broken a bone.  It didn't look any different, but it was numb in spots.  Once the room stopped spinning, I began to make a mental list-

Okay, I saved the purse, so crisis averted.

Fortunately, it is my left hand, so I can still write

We can go to Urgent Care tonight, but I probably won't be able to see a doctor until Monday.

Pain-killers could be fun.

Maybe my mom will fly up to take care of me- that would be good!

Now what am I going to say when I play "Never Have I Ever"?

My glass of sangria arrived, not a moment too soon, and I sipped slowly as I watched my hand, waiting for swelling and bruising.

It was a false alarm.  The numbness went away by the time that we finished our meal, and I'd forgotten about it altogether once I found these shoes at Nordstrom Rack-

Max got new shoes this week too!
Well, first, he inherited these hand-me-down shoes (and pajamas) from our friend Hayden-

Hayden's shoes were unlike anything that Max had ever put on his feet!  They had red lights that flashed when he walked, and they had "Queen" (Lightening McQueen) on the sides!  And despite the fact that they are currently 2 sizes too big, Max would not take them off!  He was pretty funny as he'd stomp through the house in the too-big shoes, exaggerating his already established here-comes-trouble gait!

I figured that I'd fight fire with fire.  If he loves these shoes so much and will not take them off- not even to sleep- I'll just buy him some that are his size.  Win win. 

We came home with Buzz Lightyear shoes that light-up :)

Now Lucy wants princess shoes that light up.  Of course she does!


Let's play- Never have I ever broken a bone.  Have you?  If so, did you cry, scream profanities, or barf?

One-Trick Pony

I'm in love with red onions.

It took me nearly 30 years to appreciate the deliciousness of the red onion.

My favorite lunch these days is a sandwich made on Innkeeper's 8 grain bread from Costco with cream cheese, cheddar cheese, avocado, cucumber, tomato and, the star of the show, red onion.  Yum!  I savor the breath that lingers!

As I was snuggling with Max yesterday, getting him down for a nap, he said, "Sticky, mama," and pointed to my nose.  I asked, "Is there something sticky in my nose?" and he said, "No, steeeeeeky."

Oh.  He meant my breath!  Sorry, kid!

I'm pretty sure that Lucy did something similar when she was around Max's age, and I'm pretty sure that I blogged about it then too, which makes me wonder how is it that my toddler noticing my stinky breath is blog-worthy news?  Is it really that funny when a child who can barely verbally articulate his or her thoughts is able to express that my breath is offensive?

Friends, I'm worried that I'm running out of things to blog about. 

I'm kind of a one-trick pony (I've always wanted to use that expression- how did I do?).  I don't have photography skills, and I don't really craft or decorate, or even cook or bake.  I don't scrapbook.  My marketable skills are limited.  So, this is what I do.  This is it- this blog is my only hobby and creative outlet. It is this pony's only trick!

I can geek out about how much I love Ralph Macchio, and share my latest pictures of Lucy in a princess gown, and even tell you what I ate for lunch today.  And I can't promise you anything more than that!

A friend of mine once started a blog that disappointingly only lasted through a handful of posts, but I often think of this line of his:  "So why have I begun on this new pasttime that sounds like a code for a bowel movement?"  It is true, blog is a funny word.  "Do you blog?"  "I'm blogging."  "My blog has a new banner."  It is a noun.  It is a verb.  It is a public forum on which I share details of my life.  Which brings up the questions Am I sharing too much?  Should I change my account to private?  Is there value in being more open about my daily life?  Or is it better to be more vague?

My mom accused me of blogging about everything.  I retorted like a 4 year old, "No I don't!"  I really don't.  I promise.  I don't blog about the times when I'm really upset with my husband.  Or when being a stepmom kicks my butt in a thousand different directions.  I don't really blog about politics or finances.  I try not to blog when I'm grumpy, so that I don't complain too much or sound ungrateful.  I don't post our address or directions to our house.  See, there are things that I keep private.  :)

But today I'm sharing that I love red onions, and that the sandwich that I mentioned earlier is the bomb, and that Max can identify "steeeeky" breath.

So, there you go. 

Come again! 

"You're the Best Around, Nothin's Gonna Eva' Keep Ya' Down!"

Okay, friends.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again- I really don't watch Dancing With The Stars.  And I don't know why I'm so adamant about not watching this reality TV ballroom competition when, clearly, I do watch the show.  I have favorites and opinions, and I caught the last half of last night's season opener, and all I have to say is

 GO DANIEL-SAN!!!

Surely you recognize Ralph Macchio.  He hasn't changed much in the 26 years since he wax-on wax-off-ed his way into the hearts of a generation.  Yes, that is right- The Karate Kid was made in 1984!  (How could 5-year-old me not fall in love with the Jersey-boy living in Reseda who spent Halloween as a shower?)  I made the comment to Devon, "He looks the same!  Ahh, I love him!" and Devon said, "No he doesn't.  He looks old."  But then during the footage of Ralph dancing, we learned that he is 49 years old, and Dev choked a little bit, like, "Whaaaa?  He is 49!!??  Okay, he looks pretty good."

It is worth noting that he and his partner Karina (yeah, she's pretty cool) earned the highest score of the night.  If I watched the show, which I don't, I'd totally vote for him.  He makes me want to change my name to "Annie with an i."

Bonus points if you can sing the song from The Karate Kid called "The Best Around." "You're the best around! Nothin's gonna eva' keep ya' down!"  Devon looked at me like I was crazy while I was singing it to him- obviously the song didn't leave the same impression on him as it did on me.  Seems like 14 year old Devon was out causing mischief while little Annie with an i was watching Mr. Miyagi teach Daniel-san to paint the fence.

In other news, I won something!  The preschool carnival that we went to on Saturday?  The one where Joe won the Cookie Monster cake?  Well, I threw some tickets into a raffle, and I won the Fun Family Night "In" gift basket!  Woohoo!  When I got the winning phone call, I did a little dance of joy, and Joe joined me, and our jubilee woke up Max from his nap, and Bubs was not happy!

Anyway, the basket has everything that we need for some good wholesome fun in the comfort of our living room.  A gift certificate for Papa Murphy's, popcorn, a variety of popcorn flavoring, candy, board games, DVDs, Snuggies...  We opened Candy Land right away, and Lucy was very excited to play, but we couldn't get Max to get off the board.  That is where he insisted on sitting- right on the board.  Next time, we won't play on the floor, or when Max is around.  :)  

Grocery Shopping Woes

In a perfect world, I could find everything we need at one store.

Or, imagine a parking lot that is settled between Costco, Trader Joe's, Safeway and Target.  Heaven, right?

Rather, to cross off everything on the shopping list, I make four separate stops, loading and unloading the kids from their carseats each time.  And since it is raining more often than not, we get increasingly wet with each stop.  And there is always the annoying issue of having to return the shopping cart while leaving the kids alone in the locked car.

Not to mention, grocery shopping with kids is less than a desirable activity.  If the in-and-out-of-the-car routine doesn't totally wear me out, negotiating with Lucy as she asks for everything in sight will surely do the trick.

But today is the day- our shopping list has reached a critical point.  We can only go for so long without laundry detergent or milk.

I'm going to try to get it all done in only 2 stops (Costco and Safeway)- wish me luck!!  And it is not raining right now- bonus!!

And, sure, I could make it easier and go on the weekends or in the evenings while Devon is home with the kids, but I think that the bottom line is that I just don't like grocery shopping.  Period.

Does anyone feel my pain?  How many stops do you make? 

Animals, Mud, Sticks, and a Bullseye

Don't you love it when you wake up on Saturday morning and realize that you don't have an agenda or any obligations and that the day will take shape on its own and you can just go with the flow?

It is a beautiful day!

How about we pick up Joe from baseball practice and go to that preschool carnival?

Joe won a cake at the Cake Walk!

They played some games, won some prizes, and it became abundantly clear that Max knows nothing about waiting in line

Now what?

Want to go visit Aunt Merry and Uncle Dave?

*Max and Lucy take after me in that they aren't totally comfortable around animals.  Our time at Merry's usually begins like this-

 But with time, we all get a little cozy with our four-legged friends.

Petting a dog is one thing, but a horse?  A huge horse?  No thank you!

We are pretty happy playing with sticks and mud.  We don't need to get close to the horse.

Although, that does look kinda fun...

Okay, now we are pushing our luck...

Sure, I'll try something I've never done before...

I hit the bullseye twice!

What a fun, go-with-the-flow kind of day!

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

It has been raining for days.  Raining in Seattle- shocking, right?

But there was a short break in the downpour, and some blue sky even peeked through the clouds, and the sun filled our windows and warmed our rooms.

I'm not sure that Max and Lucy knew the reason behind their sudden burst of joy, but I knew- it was the sunshine!!  They danced and giggled and jumped, and the overall vibe of the happy morning inspired me to grab my camera and attempt to capture the moment.

Of course, as soon as the camera was in sight, the giggling stopped and neither child would make eye contact with me. 

So, I had to resort to singing "Happy Birthday", which they liked, and then I asked Lucy to tell some jokes- the punchline is always "pickle!" because she thinks that pickle is the funniest word ever- and I over exaggerated a fake laugh in order to evoke laughter from them, and all in all, I think the moment was captured!

"PICKLE!"

Then we ran some errands, and, on a whim, I decided to take the kids to Snoqualmie Falls.  We live less than 15 minutes from this tourist attraction, yet we've never been there.  See, my husband got married there once, and I was not his bride that day.  So, in my mind, this natural wonder is a dark and doomed place, even on the sunniest of days.  And it might as well spew boiling lava, the mist of which would burn your flesh as you stood on the viewing platform, which would, of course, then crumble in an avalanche, casting your body down into shark infested waters below.  Well, gosh, that sounds fun!  Let's go!

But today I gave myself a little pep-talk.  Maybe we could reclaim this waterfall, making it a favorite place to visit.  On a warm summer day, we'll pack a picnic and take it to the Falls and cool off in the shade.  Maybe the kids will love it.  Maybe they'll ask to go there often.

So, the three of us- the characters introduced in Act II of a play that would be called "Devon's Life"- made our way up to the platform to check out this waterfall for ourselves.






Do you think Max liked the waterfall?  No, he did not.  He kept saying, "Home, mama. No wah-der."  And Lucy only said, "Uh, mom, I'm getting kinda wet."

So, did we love it?  Were we in awe?  Did I make my peace with the local natural spectacle?  Nah.  Ya' seen one waterfall, ya' seen 'em all.

It turns out that there isn't a waterfall in Act II :)




"No wah-der, mama.  No wah-der.  Home, mama"

So, we went home.  And we used the last bit of blue sky for some pics with the auto-timer.  Don't be surprised to see it as my new Facebook profile picture.



TLC had it right. "Don't go chasing waterfalls. Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to."

You loved that song too, right?

I'm a Thief

Of croutons.

I steal croutons.

For as long as I can remember, whenever I am eating out with my mom, and she orders a salad, I help myself to the croutons on her plate.  Don't mind if I do!

Tonight, Devon and I took the kids to Chipotle for dinner, and Max was stealing guacamole from my burrito bowl.  He kept breaking his chips in my rice, attempting to catch some guac, and then he'd dip his finger, as if my meal was a Fun Dip.  It was SO ANNOYING.  I wanted to stab his chubby hand with my plastic fork. 

I'd like to publicly apologize to my mom.

I'm sorry.

I'll never steal your croutons again.

Our Princess World

In our house, the boys outnumber the girls.

And there is plenty of evidence of the boys' existence. 

We have a closet full of comic books, and boxes of super hero action figures, and a whole bunch of Star Wars crap, and enough Legos to fill a bathtub, and a calendar of softball and little league games, and Toy Story movies on a continuous loop on the screen...

But I've got to say that there is a strong presence of girl around here. 

Lucy does her part to keep the hero/princess scale balanced (and sometimes she is able to pull Max in on her fun!).

While the rest of the family watched Megamind, Max was happy to sit in the princess tent and read Lucy’s books.

Lucy’s ensemble as we left the house yesterday.  Who am I to tell her to wear something more conventional?

I picked up this cd at the library, and it is awesome.

Devon won’t play it, and Joe lets out a loud groan, but as for the rest of us, we love it!

I pulled out my camera at a stop sign so that I could share what I love about playing this cd in the car.

Yes, we like our princess world!

An Update, on Friday; The Friday Update

We are almost out of Girl Scout cookies.  Like, the Samoas are gone and there are 3 Thin Mints left in the box.  I can't decide if this is good news or bad news.

Devon is home with us today.  This morning, I felt ginormous pressure to find something cool to do, like take Max and Lucy to a museum (I know what you are thinking. "Max?  Museum?  Really, Annie?"), or to KidzBounce (not open on Fridays), or the zoo (it is kinda rainy and cold), or the park (again, rainy and cold).  Ugh- I couldn't think of a brilliant daddy-is-home-and-it-is-Friday kind of activity, and it stressed me out until about 1:30, which was when I finally accepted that we are just going to do our regular thing today, and I'll put Devon to work a bit, making Lucy's lunch, coaching Joe through homework (yes, he has homework on Fridays.  Absurd!  Can't we he get the weekend off?), etc.

Devon went to Stroller Strides this morning.  I've got to give proper respect to my husband for being the only man in a room full of women and children, working up a sweat!  What a guy!  He enjoyed the class, and the occupants of my stroller were so thrilled to have him there ("Daddy!  Daddy!  Daddy!"), and afterward he said, "What a great workout!  I got my butt kicked!", which made me feel like a stud-muffin as I polished my knuckles on my collarbone and thought, "Yeah, it is just how I roll- me and the mamas, getting our butts kicked- it is all in a day's work."

Do you all get the Costco coupon books in the mail?  Gosh, I love those things.  Right now they have a coupon for the bakery's braided apple strudels, which are so delicious and healthy too!  (No, I don't think that they are healthy, but they have fruit, right?). 

Yesterday, at Costco, I bought new swimsuits for Max and Lucy.  Not that they are going to need to wear swimsuits until late July, but they were cute and Disney and I figured that if I didn't buy them now then they would soon be gone...  I tried to hide the suits from Lucy so that I could present them when the time was right (like, when we could at least SEE the sun, much less feel its warmth!), but, alas, she found them, and now she won't take the little pink princess ruffly swimsuit off.  Seriously.  She wants to wear it out of the house.  Max really likes his Toy Story suit too, but he isn't spending the day in it or asking to sleep in it.

I figured that bath+swimsuit=swimming.  Right?

That is the best picture that I've taken in a while.  Except for this one-

What a lucky little diaper-boy, napping on daddy's chest!

Did you know that I get to see these girls in 35 days????????



(summer 2004)


An A-Team reunion!  We haven't all been together since October 2007.  Nearly 3 and a half years ago!!!  WHAT!?!?!?  I am beyond excited! :)

Anyway, now I'm off to go shopping for bridesmaid dresses with a group of girlfriends, one of whom is getttng married in September.

Happy weekend!

A Tuesday Morning Project

Like most little girls, Lucy loves to play dress-up.

She loves to be fancy and look like a princess,

and her collection of dress-up items has grown to be pretty impressive.

It began with the costume dress that she received on her 2nd birthday-

And then we added some garage sale treasures-

And piece by piece, it has all come together to become a make-believe wardrobe that provides hour and hours of fun,

but,

I've never quite know how to keep it orderly.

My friend Katie found this idea on this website-

It is so cute and I could make it for not too much money,

but then my friend Andrea suggested that I use something that I already own-

a small armoire with shelves inside.

So, this morning I took the shelves out of the armoire, removed the doors, added a dowel for the hangers,

and voila!

Everything is hung up nicely and is within Lucy's reach!

Yes, I am kidding myself to believe that Lucy will hang up all the dresses by herself after her daily costume changes.

But, hey, even if I end up being the one to re-hang, at least I don't have to fetch the dresses for her now that she can reach them!

Max and Lucy were playing together nicely while I organized the closet,

so I continued to pick-up the rest of the room, which looks like this-

A Tuesday morning well spent!

Wanna come play?