A Month into it

Charlie has been with us for a little over a month now. I was a little hesitant at first that this was the right decision for our family, especially since Will has never been a “dog person”. I was totally surprised when Will said that maybe a dog would be a good idea. We had been talking about a kitty before Christmas, but I was not super motivated to go for it. I like cats OK, but knowing my kids I want something that would be cuddly and with cats (in my experience) it is hard to tell if they will be as a kitten.

I am glad we waited, because Charlie is a good fit for us. We are still having some growing pains with the potty training and biting/chewing. Potty training will be easier once he can go outside. The end of this month cannot come soon enough. He will be able to use up more of his abundance of energy when he can run his little heart out in our backyard.

It is so cute seeing Will and Charlie together. I think Will is very surprised by how much he loves and enjoys the little guy. Charlie absolutely adores Will. They are buddies who hang out with each other most of the day. So, that is good that the whole love thing worked out. 

                                             ~ Love, Hugs &  Kisses ~
                                                      The B Family

Welcome, Charlie!

Charlie

It only took me 10 years of trying...but we got a puppy!! Anyone who knows my husband, knows that he is not really a dog person. Mostly, because he has never had one and a few bad experiences. He was chased by a big dog as a kid and he had a cousin who had a horrible experience with another big dog. I get where he is coming from, but I LOVE dogs!! To be honest though, I have not really pushed the topic because I needed a break from animals (as much as I love them). I had to say goodbye to my puppy Baxter and cat Citrine after a break-up. Plus, before that I had lost my bunny Foley and had a few other cats that I had to leave with my mom. Growing up I was very fortunate to get my first dog, Sandy, when I was 9 and she passed 21 years later. That is truly unheard of. She had such a long life. By this time, I was needing a break from the sadness. 

But recently...I have been wanting a little pet again. I was so surprised when Will was like, "whatever you think". OMG!! I had to jump on it before he changed his mind. 

We did not tell the kids. When we went to go pick out the puppy, I told them I met some people who said I could bring the kids over for a playdate with their new puppies. They were so surprised!!

Charlie just fits in with us! I can tell that Will has totally fallen for him! He is a "surrendered" dog that was with a foster family. I loved working with Wiggly Tails. They were so helpful with helping us find our perfect fit. Charlie (originally Cupid) has such an adorable personality. 

He loves to cuddle and has a great amount of energy for the kids. I am so glad that we chose to go on this adventure.

Precious

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A Scone Treat

Over the holidays, I found a cute bag of scone mix at World Market (one of my fave stores). There were several flavors but I went with the white chocolate and raspberry. We tried it this morning and it was so easy to make and delicious! It made about 12 scones and my kids ate most of them! Meli is picky and hard to find things she likes.

If you see this brand, I highly recommend!

Our heater is not working, so we opted for breakfast by the fire!

                                                  ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                             The B Family

Sometimes, I have 3 Kids

The kids had a snow day yesterday. I am fairly sure their school year just got a little longer with all of the closed days.

Of course they wanted to go out and play in the snow. So did Will! He actually beat them to it and did this...

I do love his nerdy side.

I have to admit, that I thought I would leave all of the snow days behind in VA. I do not remember having too many snow days during my childhood. I am fairly certain the kids have already had more than I did my whole school career. Or I just blocked them from my memory. I do remember specific ones, and I feel that is partly because they were rare. I like snow, but prefer to go visit and leave. I hate driving to work in it. At least in DC they were experts at plowing and clearing the roads. Oregon...not so much. Actually not at all.

                                                       ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                                 The B Family

An Appliance Christmas

This year we was a Christmas for appliances. We have enjoyed trying all of them out so far.


We got the kids a popcorn maker, since the kids are such a big fan and this will help make it an healthier option. It was funny watching the kids' reaction to the popper.

Aunt Teddy sent us an ice cream maker. Our first attempt was simply chocolate. It was easy to use and tasted great. I have started looking up different recipes on pinterest. The kids want to try candy cane ice cream next, which is fitting for Christmas. Plus, we have several candy canes left over.

My mom got me a pressure cooker. Oh my, this may be the working mom's best friend! The first recipe I tried was an Asian Chicken Rice dish. It turned out perfect and I only had to saute for a few minutes then turn the cooker on and it was done and perfect in 6 minutes! I may get part of my evenings back now!

Will's other sister, Aunt W and Uncle E sent us a karaoke machine! We have not been able to try it yet, but the kids are very excited.  I am sure this will provide some very enjoyable family night fun! Such perfect ideas that will help making our goal of no processed foods easier.



                                                           ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                                     The B Family

Snow Road Trip: Diamond Lake

Road Trip

For the second year in a row, I took the kids to the snow at Diamond Lake with my younger brother. This year, we added my dad and Greggie's girlfriend and her kids. Will was going to go but he was still dealing with bronchitis.

Messy hair

We tried out inner tube hill! They added a conveyor belt, which is so much nicer than the pull they had before. I am so glad that we did this. The last time I did was when I was 15. Oh so many funny stories from that adventure...but another time.

Inner Tube

She got the easy job

We paid for two hours, which was more than enough for me. I am sure the kids could have done it all day. At first Meli shared an inner tube with one of the adults. Later she was able to sit in her own and I held onto her rope. The three of us were able to go down all together a few times. We went super fast!

Memory making

This new year we are trying to make sure we are better at making our family adventures like this happen. I am so excited to start making our list of ideas happen. We had talked about Disneyland but I am thinking it would be better to give the kids one more year. I want them to be able to go on all of the rides with us.


Let the adventures begin!!!



                                                           ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                                  The B Family

This Holiday Season

My joy

I have truly been horrible at writing blogs the past few months. It is so easy to let life just get too busy. We are trying to work on that this new year.

We have enjoyed a wonderful holiday season! This year we had two Thanksgivings. I am glad that we were able to celebrate with family. Dinner was delicious and the kids had other kids around to have fun with.

Night time fire

Christmas was simply lovely. I really had a good month. The kids are at such wonderful ages for the holidays and Meli was into anything Christmas. I read the children's classic version of A Christmas Carol and some other short stories from a book I received as a Christmas gift when I was 9. I love that Meli is doing better following chapter books! I have so many books I want to read to them.

First gingerbread house

Playing with new camera

I love it!

The kids made their first gingerbread house. I am fairly certain I have not done this before. I made the mistake of letting it sit too long and it was super hard when the kids tried it. Lesson learned! We did our traditional drive with hot cocoa to go see all of the Christmas lights. It was nice seeing what our new home had to offer for Christmas. There is a perfect corner for the tree. When you come down the stairs it has a perfect view. I think I am going to love this house.

The Santa bags I ordered off of Etsy were perfect!

The kids loved seeing Santa's wrapped gifts inside the bags

The kids went to see Santa at the mall. One of the best Santa's I have seen. He was so nice. It was perfect timing, because there was no line. One started by the time we were done, but Santa took the time to walk over to me and put his hand on my shoulder saying that my kids were so well-behaved and they said "thank you" even though I was not around them at the time. He told me we must being doing something right. It really made me feel great that he was impressed enough to come and seek me out to tell me this. It also made me wonder, what kind of kids he sees most of the time.


This year we wanted a very small, quiet Christmas. Our plans changed a little but it ended up very nice. I love seeing family.

Christmas day was perfect. We had our morning to do gifts, Santa came and surprised everyone with the perfect gifts. We relaxed while dinner was cooking. I even got to read some! Then family came for dinner.

I ventured away from sewing this year for gifts and did some woodwork. I will post later about items I made. I loved working with wood and imagine that this will be something I continue.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday! Merry Christmas!



                                                          ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                                  The B Family

A long time ago (9 Years to be exact)...

...In a state far away. A lady and her husband were anxiously awaiting the next morning to see if their little bundle of joy would be making his appearance.

Mr. Colin Brack

Excuse the Star Wars entry but this family just love the movies, so it felt appropriate. My first born, Master Colin (throwing in Batman now), made his debut tomorrow.

I cannot explain how so much love can fill your being in a single instance. The first time holding and seeing my little guy changed me forever.

These past 9 years have been such a joy to be the mom to a boy filled with so much love, happiness, kindness, curiousity,  and compassion. He has spoiled us so much as parents. Colin and I can be so different with his outgoing nature and need for cuddles; but we are also so similar with his endless talking and positive outlook. I am so thankful that we were destined to be mom and son.

Baltimore Acquarium

My Goober

I never get enough of that smile

Such a great big brother

My loves

Love my family

His first time to the Atlantic ocean

Love these two

He has such a kind soul

~ Love, Hugs &; Kisses ~ The B Family

Interview for the Kids

I saw my friends on Facebook posting a set of questions to ask kids. I thought it would be cute to see what they said. I have done similar things before - I should try to find them and compare.

Meli:

How old are you? 5

When is your birthday? In May

How old is mommy? (I did not tell her to say that) 14

Favorite color? Blue, yellow and green

Favorite food? Pancakes – cupcakes and Cake too

Who are your best friends? Colin & Loreli...Annie too!

Favorite animal? Some bunnies and sheep

What scares you? Um…a monster

Favorite show? Paw Patrol

What makes you sad? When Colin hurts my little arm or takes my toys away

What makes you happy? When I got to a hot tub and splash in it (meaning Sun River vacations)

Favorite place to go? To Get Air

What do you want to be when you grow up? A nerds…I mean when you can be a doctor (me: a nurse). Yes, a nurse!

What does love mean? You be so happy

Colin:

How old are you? 8 (almost 9)

When is your birthday? November 21^st

How old is mommy? 34 (man, no fooling him)

Favorite color? Green

Favorite food? Grapes

Best Friends? Ethan and Jack

Favorite animal? Bunny (this surprised me - I think he feels bad not saying his favorite stuffed animal)

What scares you? Nightmares

Favorite show? Power rangers

What makes you sad? Losing pets

What makes you happy? Family

Favorite place to go? Laser tag – I  haven’t been yet but I am pretty sure it will be (going for his birthday)

What do you want to be when you grow up? Animal scientists...or some kind of scientist

What does love mean? Caring for others

                                                 ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                           The B Family

Passing out Candy is so fun!

On Halloween, I decided to work a half day this year. It has been an adjustment for the kids to have me working again. So, I really wanted to take the kids down to Cottage Grove for the downtown trick-or-treating. That way they could have some mommy time.  The town closes off the roads to traffic and it takes place right after school. The kids enjoyed running into their friends that we have not seen since we moved. We also stopped by the Elks Lodge that had tables set up in their big room for trick-or-treating. There was also a haunted maze that Mi-Ma took them thru.

Once we got back home, the kids were ready for Dad to take them around our new neighborhood. Apparently, there was some very impressive houses. I love when neighbors get into the fun. Once they got back Meli and Colin helped me hand out candy. I think Meli had the most fun doing this. She was so amped up on Halloween vibes and just having a blast. She kept singing “this is Halloween…” and saying “Happy Halloween” to everyone… Literally. Every. Person.

A group of teenagers came by with a boom box that played the Ghostbuster theme song. Meli flipped out! She started yelling, “I love GHOSTBUSTERS!!!!” Then she acted like she was just blown away. She actually fell backwards on the sidewalk. The teenagers thought she was hilarious. It was also neat that one of the girls was dressed as Pikachu too!

Colin was Max Steel and also had a great time handing out candy. He thought it was his job to make sure everyone got enough candy. He also wanted to make sure no one was allergic to peanuts. Colin may have a slight allergy to peanuts that we discovered a few months back. He told me that was why he hated it so much. His body was telling him that it was not good for him. He really has never liked it. He can smell it from the top floor and gets grossed out. I did not like it as a kid, but nothing like that. I actually did not start liking it until I became pregnant with Meli. I find that funny, because she LOVES it! She must have passed on some of that love to me.

I was planning on doing a little more for a costume this year, but time got away. I did wear my rainbow wig and witch tights – so I kind of was a witch…Minus the broom and hat. I got some compliments from several teenagers that liked my wig. Kudos to me! Not always easy getting teenage compliments. I had a younger kid ask me if was my real hair, because “that would be awesome!”.

This year was a blast! I am glad it all worked out. The next day, Meli was ready for Christmas. I personally love the idea of Thanksgiving and November in general. So no decorations yet…but I am getting very excited for Christmas this year. Usually I am a little better at waiting.

                                           ~ Love, Hugs & Kisses ~
                                                   The B Family