Everett's Post

 I love to look back on all the special moments and memories from when I take time to journal. I've been tryjng to write a lot more lately and one night Everett curled up next to me in his pajamas very curiouse about it. I read to him from when I was pregnant with him and the things I said to him before he was even born. Then I scanned along and read things to him about when he was a baby and the stuff I wanted to tell him then and the things I wanted to treasure and remember about him forever. He loved it so much. He asked if he could write something special in my journal as well. I did the writing for him while he told me exactly what to write down. He had so much fun doing it and loved to read it back to me just like he had written it a long time ago for me. I might let him write posts regularly here if he wants to, but so far writting together has been a lot of fun. Here's his little post straight from his heart. And just for reference the spider-man water bottle he talks about is a special one he got to pick out for school the other day during our shopping trip.

I love papa Jason, Gramma Roxy, Gramps, and Grammy. I love sister, Dada, Mama, and my dog! Probably I love mommy, and daddy, and sister again. I want to get bigger too. When I get 6 then I get bigger. I love all of people and I love Isaiah and Graham and little Isiaha[we have two Isaiah's in our family]. I keep crying when I watch TV too much. I just don't like to sit in time-out. I love to go to church to make stuff for my mommy. I want to go to school. I want to not do bad things and not get a spankin. I love to go to sleep. I want to get bigger and use mamas scissors. I love to take a bath and play with my sister and I love to turn on some music and write and I love to ring bells. I love to pull down the curtains. I love to get a water bottle from the store. I love to push the buttons on my spider-man cup and I love it so much!

And What A Week Its Beeeen!

What a week its been! David's been out of town for work, he's also had hunting, practicing, setting up and playing shows. He'll be out of town again all next week as well. So the kids have kept me so busy. Everett had his first day of preschool, Darby's been getting into every little thing she possibly can and constantly scavenges the floor for little goodies. She's also had more than her fill of spills this week and Everett decided to stuff a Lego up his nose between all of that. Motherhood keeps you on your toes, am I right?! But I'm so very thankful right now that we didn't have anything major to deal with in the end.

Everett seems to really like school. I never realized how much you have to prepare ahead of time for the school day(breakfasts, lunches, laundry)!!! Needless to say I personally enjoy the more laid back-no school days. But I'm glad he gets to go to school part time and has so much fun experiencing something new. He's growing up much too fast. 

P.S. How do all you other moms deal with the full time school? Having everything ready and being on time without being too stressed etc.?

Recently Enjoyed Things

I take too many pictures. I post a tiny handful on Istagram, but rarely share them elsewhere. We've been enjoying so much lately that I thought I'd take a few photos and share them on here for those who can't follow me on Instagram(and for those who do, there's a couple new ones)! 

Enjoying siblings

Enjoying the butterflies(and auntie)

Enjoying giant carrots from the garden

Enjoying first bike rides

Enjoying secluded hikes

Enjoying helping mama

Enjoying the new dog

Enjoying front yard friends

Enjoying squeaky clean babes

Enjoying "The trampoline place"

Enjoying the scenery 

Enjoying the beauty and sunshine

Enjoying the colors

Enjoying getting away

Enjoying a snooze in the stroller(and her new teething flowers)

Enjoying the amazing mushrooms

Junk Smoohtie

I'm not kidding when I say smoothies are amazing. They're probably my number one go to food when I'm wanting to eat really healthy and want something convenient and simple at the same time. I've discovered green smoothies are one of the healthiest things to consume too. They provide so many necessary nutrients it one drink. You can add whatever you're craving and add what your body's needing a little extra of at the same time, weather that be antioxidants, liver cleansing foods, etc. I've found that with a little bit of fruit(and maybe some sweetener) you can add so many other vegetables without it tasting weird. The other day I added radishes to my smoothie and I didn't even taste a hint of them. I ALWAYS add spinach to my smoothies because I've had a history of low iron, but it's good for you in so many other ways too and practically tasteless in a smoothie!
 When I say junk smoothie I mean I make smoothies with whatever you have on hand. And whenever your fruits are about to go bad, freeze them and use them later in a smoothie instead of tossing them. When you see berries or fruits for an amazing price, buy extra and put them up in the freezer and you won't even have to buy those bags of frozen fruit at the store. And instead of tossing it whenever your spinach is getting a little bit soggy, make a big batch of green smoothie and put the extra you don't drink into the freezer. Less waste AND a convenient food to grab when you're going to be out and about! There are countless recipes out there to try and I hope you're inspired to start making your own too!

I forgot to mention I also like green smoothies more than green juices because they have less sugar and more substance. Your body can actually use more of it since it's not in a straight liquid form!
No matter who you are or what your health goals are, you can't go wrong with a healthy smoothie! I wish I had a perfect recipe to share with you but there are just too many ways you can change up your smoothie to your taste or health goal. Here are some ideas of my favorite things to add with my frozen fruit smoothie: Almond milk, 100% juice, chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, celery, cucumber, beets and their greens, spinach, kale, Any sort of greens(I even use broccoli greens from my garden), peanut butter, lemon juice, cinnamon, pure maple syrup, honey, coconut oil, pumpkin, and pure vanilla extract. I'd love to know what works best for you!

My 10 Random Facts you (probably) Don't Know About Me

You may have seen this going around the internet like I did. I decided to participate and write my own 10 random facts! I'm not tagging anyone because I want everyone to join who wants, but if you do, include a picture, write 10 facts, and tag whoever you want to join!

1. I ride motorcycles
I'm not the one that rides around on those loud cruisers. In fact I don't think I'm any sort of Clique rider. I really enjoy the vintage cafe racers and people who actually travel long distances putting their motors and bodies on the line. I rode a 1974 Honda Hawk EVERYWHERE when I first got my M-licence and went on a couple long distant trips with it. Then I bought a faster, more reliable, new Kawasaki when I was still single and had hardly any responsibilities. Although I obviously won't be riding again anytime soon, I'm making plans and having hopes for a long trip to the salt flats in the future.

2. I use Hallmark quotes 
I try to be genuine when I talk to people. It's probably the thing I consider most important when it comes to conversations and writing. But when I try to say what's on my mind or give important advice it usually comes out sounding like a Hallmark quote and I hate it so much!

3. I don't understand couples who can't agree/decide
When it comes to important decisions like naming our children or buying a house my husband and I always seem to agree. It's almost weird how often we agree on those kinds of things. We got really lucky!

4. I want to be a Chris McCandliss 
I should say "wanted", but I still do in a way. I always dreamed about "running away" and traveling around the way he did(if you don't know who I'm talking about read Into the Wild(it's good!) or watch the movie). Now I realize that a lot of people have done this before and Chis only became well know because, with all due respect, he was one of the only one that has actually killed himself doing it.

 5. I want to own my own Orchard
I've had a crazy obsession for YEARS to someday have my own orchard or farm and greenhouse. I would so love to work outside with plants the rest of my life!

6. I never played any team sports growing up
The extent of my physical competition growing up was track, and I loved it. I never played competitively until my Senior year of high school. That year I played every sport available to me and I loved it! Later I started tennis and my husband and I still like to play it every once in a great while!

7. I like to eat my ice cream with a fork 
When I get a container of REALLY good ice cream the best way I've found to enjoy it is eating it straight out of the container... with a fork. If you know me well, you've probably seen me do this.

8. My first job out of high school I was the only female in about eighty guys
I got a job doing exactly what I wanted a few weeks before graduating high school. I worked in a shop that made gondolas(ski lifts, mono rails etc.) as a CNC machinist. I loved it so much and all the people(guys) were great and loved the fact that a little girl was willing to push herself hard enough to work alongside them.

9. I have a phobia of dehydration
I've been to the Emergency Room three times in my life and every one of them was dehydration related. If you've ever visited because of that issue, you know the pain and discomfort I'm talking about. This has made me a HUGE weirdo about water. I always, always have water on me and whenever my kids ask for water, it will be in front of their face within a few seconds.

10. I strongly dislike movie theaters
There are numerous reasons why but the main one is, I can't sit in a chair like a normal person. Whenever I sit, I have to sit in certain positions or I have excruciating pain. If you've ever had a major tailbone injury, you know what I'm talking about. I was in a snowboarding accident eight years ago and  it still hasn't healed! Other reasons include the crazy price, the smell, too many people in a small room and the list goes on!

If you blog, I'd love to hear your 10 random facts, send me the link!

Happy Birthday Everett

This year Everett turned 4!!! This was probably one of the more enjoyable parties for me of his. I wanted it to be more simple this time and asked for a little more help so I could enjoy celebrating him more. I think everyone had a hand in helping this year. THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! 

It had been raining all morning... actually pouring but we decided to bundle up and try to stick it out. The weather ended up clearing up and it ended up being PERFECT weather for the party. It was truly a blessed time.

Everything you see wasn't done by me alone. I have so many talented ladies to give credit to!

Happy Birthday Everett!

A little Bit of Life

There's nothing like some good ol' journaling so that's what I'm doing today. This last weekend we spent in Ouray, Colorado soaking in the natural hot springs and eating yummy food with some of David's family that were in town. David even canceled a work appointment to do it so it was a little extra special since he's never done that for a family trip before. It was so nice to get away for a while, I can't wait to take a little escape again.
 On Sunday night I had just laid Darby in her crib at 3:30 after nursing her when I got a call from my sister. She had been up, painfully sick, for hours and was wondering if I could help her figure out if it was kidney stones or what. I wanted her to go in to the ER just in case. Luckily they were small enough to pass and she'll be fine but, it's not fun when you're laying awake worrying if someone you love might be in danger and them not wanting to go in to get checked out at the same time. Thankfully her stubbornness lost out and we at least found out exactly what it was.

 On another entirely different note, David is playing at Vans Warp Tour this weekend! We've always thought about going(especially before we had kids), but it's funny that the first time he gets to go he'll also be playing. He's playing for some friends band called Redlands. So wish them luck and I know it will be an exciting experience!

Again, entirely different train of thought. I can't believe I'm starting to plan Everett's birthday. He's turning FOUR in three short weeks! I remember being pregnant and looking at the expiration date on my drivers license and thinking, wow, we'll have an almost four year old when I get this renewed again. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to be taking care of such a big kid. And he IS such a big kid. It's so fun to watch him. He's going to make a profound father some day. Every time his sister is whining while I'm doing something he RUNS to her rescue and almost instantly makes her laugh and scream with his silly songs and dancing. I never get done with whatever I was busy with because by then I'm too busy laughing along with them. He also yells out in delight whenever I begin cooking or baking, "can I help?!!!" He loves learning all the little baking secrets and is getting really good at actually helping when it come to making food with me. He loves being a helper all around. It's very rare that he'll refuse when I ask him to do a small favor for me. I've never known a kid to do so much with the reward of satisfaction alone. He still loves to dress up and pretend, make up stories and listen to songs. He likes all the super heroes that all boys like and even talks about God like he's one of them - the man with power who saved us all. He always asks amazing questions about him like, "where does he get his power?", "who made God?" Crazy questions that you have to give the same old "I don't know." answer to. I'd like him to keep his own personal idea of God for as long as he can. There's a point in all our lives when that childlike idea gets ruined by so many others telling you what God is with their own biased ideas. I love every bit of this child and want him to stay this way as long as possible. He always gives me the promise that he'll stay little for me forever which is a great sacrifice for someone who wants to grow so big. We both secretly know it won't last forever like we say, but we will pretend for as long as we can.

-Liz