RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY!

Aaaahhh! When will it ever end? June? July? Sheesh! I'm sick of it already! Good thing we are prepared this year in the event of a power-outage though...a shiny new generator is sitting in the back of the truck as we speak! Too bad it wasn't ready for today's power-outage...figures! We will probably get it all hooked up and not have to use it all winter. That's not likely though, since our power goes out pretty much anytime the wind blows. Thank God for my Dad's old generator last year during the big storm...it kept us warm and the frig cold...and let us provide a temporary home for our neighbors. Shayla and Sean were practicing how to put on snow-gloves...just in case!

Pics, pics, and more pics!

So the truth is out...I'm a picture FIEND! I love snapping pics of our babygirl, but I really love it when Alecia, our photographer snaps those pics too! She's simply amazing, and for those of you who have gone to see her, you know what I'm talking about. To everyone else, go see her! (Or tell someone you know who has or is expecting little ones, to go see her!) I've put her link on the right, and even if you aren't needing any pictures right now, visiting her site will bring smile after smile to your face. She loves what she does, and it shows. I can't say enough good stuff about her, can you tell?

Granite is here (well, at M&D's)!

OK well this isn't the best photo, but I wanted to get a pic posted as soon as possible. I'll post better ones later. The counter tops are so beautiful...you just can't stop looking at them! The granite is full of specks of color and movement - it truly is amazing. Just a slice of God's earth, right there in the kitchen! The space is on it's way to getting put back together. By the time I left Friday evening, Dad had already installed the new microwave, cook top, and hooked up the oven. He was working on the sink fixtures and I wouldn't doubt if they have running water already. You know Daddio...he's pretty quick!

Here fishy fishy...

Take a look at the salmon that Sean caught last week - well this is one of them! The other one is in mom's freezer. This was my first attempt at filleting - I think I need a little more practice however. Sean gives all the props to his brother, who hooked the fish in the first place. We think Jeremy should give up his day job and become a guide, really -- he's THAT good!

Raise your hands if you love vanilla yogurt!

Check out our experiment this morning with self-feeding with a spoon! It wasn't ALL that bad until she pitched the bowl over the side of the tray and yogurt went flying. Sigh! When do kids start acting civilized at mealtime anyway?

Moving right along...

Grandma Sue's table and chairs were delivered yesterday - they are bee-u-ti-ful! And comfy too...just in time to eat a huge turkey dinner and sit back stuffed and slightly comatose! The woodwork is gorgeous - Grandad Rog gave his seal of approval. Good choice Grandma Sue! The kitchen remodel is coming along nicely...the amazing granite countertops are to be installed this week - I'll post a pic when they are in. Trust me when I say EVERY detail has been agonized over!

The Littlest Elephant

Like I was saying, since Shayla slept through last Halloween and never got to wear her little lady bug costume, I was really hoping this year would be a little more fun. Shayla (who detests hats of all types) actually left the elephant ears on all night! I really think she liked her costume. We had tons of trick-or-treaters, OK, well actually just ONE cute little girl. (We heard this from Sean, since it just so happened to occur as I was changing a diaper, and we both missed it!) Feeling bad that Shayla didn't get to answer the door for any trick-or-treaters, Sean decided to ring the door bell and go through the motions. I'm sure the whole thing will make a little more sense next year. We continue to amaze ourselves at the lengths we go to to amuse this kid!

Happy Halloween!

Well since Miss Shayla slept through her first Halloween (what else is a 10-week old to do?), I decided to make this one a big deal! We spent a sunny afternoon at the pumpkin patch where Shayla insisted on trying to lick all of the various pumpkins, squash, whatever particual gourd happened to be in close proximity.

How does this thing work, anyway?

So since I'm kind of new to this whole blog-thing, I can't seem to get the welcome message to appear at the top - it's at the bottom!

"The Trade" - part 2

So as part 2 of "The Trade", Sean and Shayla got to have a little daddy-daughter time. They swam in the pool (it turns out Shayla is part-fish). After that, it was time to hang out pool-side in the shade.

Meanwhile, I got to do some downtown Palm Springs shopping with Jess. She fell in love with some of the oddest things though.....

We came home with some fun treasures (I would not let her leave the store with this visor, don't worry!) Jess made a completely selfless purchase (witch closely resembled a purse) that turned out to also work as a diaper bag. I'm sure you can see a picture of it on her blog as she is quite proud of it!

The Trade

So in exchange for an afternoon of golf, the guys agreed to watch the girls so the mommies could go shopping. Judging by the look on their faces, I think it was worth it!

Todd and Sean were able to get a round in on an amazing course, and in true Tangen-style, Sean was able to find a deal. On this course, a round of golf is normally $140 including the golf cart, EACH! Sean scored a deal and it only cost $35 including the golf cart, EACH! That's my guy! The guys played until dark and actually did pretty good - at least that's the story they are sticking to!

One Ton!

This is a picture of the luggage we took for 4 adults & 2 babies. We each maxed out the amount of luggage we could check, and it literally took two trips to get us and all of our luggage to the airport. I'm always amazed at how much I manage to over-pack for Palm Springs.

Let's face it...all you really need for a week are the following items:

flip flops
2 pairs shorts
2 tank tops
2 swimsuits
toothbrush, comb, suntan lotion

When will I ever learn?

Hello Sunshine! Our trip to Palm Springs

Wow - we can't believe our week is already over! We had so much fun in the sun...we spent time playing in the pool every day. We got to see Lori & Polly, and Shayla got to splash around--not only in the pool, but in Samme's water bowl! What's a mom to do? Take more pictures! The weather was wonderful - right around 90 every day. Azure blue skies and picture-perfect palm trees everywhere you look. Ahhh...I miss it already! The pool was 87 degrees, and for the most part, we had it completely to ourselves. (Maybe the kidders scared people off?!) We got to enjoy the last half of the week with our good friends, Todd and Jess, and little Hailey, who isn't so little anymore! She's 6 months younger than Shayla, but weighs the same! Shayla still has a couple of inches on her, but I don't think it'll be that way for long. The girlies had fun hanging out in the pool, and also in their packNplays in the shade. What a great week we had!

Welcome to our BLOG!

Well I finally decided it was about time I start a family blog. The quick little emails with pics attached just aren't quite cutting it anymore, so I'm going to try to stay up on this journal of our family "happenings" to keep you updated on our adventures! Happy blogging!