Rockaway Beach Kite Festival

What an awesome day we spent in the sunshine. The sun came out just in time for us to enjoy the kite festival. The big hit with the kids this year was the "Nemo" kite. I have to admit it was my favorite too!! I sat in the warm sand and watched my kids as they played on the beach. It was pretty warm so they decided to get in the water.....which is pretty brave here in Oregon. The chilly water didn't seem to phase them in the least bit. It was a fun day spent with family and they kind of day you never want to end.

Beautiful Blossoms

I just had to post a picture of the beautiful tree I've been enjoying across the street. I LOVE it's pink blossoms. It catches my eye every time I look out the window and against the blue sky is probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I actually enjoy doing dishes and having such a spectacular view.......I love spring....

I WILL SURVIVE.......or maybe not!!

So today is Monday....on Monday's here in Tillamook the kids don't have to be to school until 9am. So we all get to sleep in an extra hour. To some of my children (Maddy..who would sleep until 11am if she could) that makes all the difference in the world. To others, you'd never know they got any sleep at all. Apparently this morning, Kiley woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I think she even woke up with a frown on her face. It all started when she needed to take a shower and Maddy was already in it. She hopped in with Maddy, which could have been her first mistake. That started a huge fight in the shower.....picture shower curtains falling and water everywhere. Ok....now you're seeing what I'm dealing with here. Then after the shower there was a fight about wanting to dress in the bathroom. Maddy was already in there and Kiley really wanted to be.....so she stomped her feet and started screaming!! YES....that's right.....stopped her feet!! I couldn't believe what I was seeing and asked if she was miraculously 2yrs old again. That didn't go over well and the BAWLING only got louder. Then.....she had picked out a hideous outfit for school....and me being the overbearing, controlling mother asked...."Are you really going to wear that to school?" Now, let me explain why I said this....I normally would have just left it alone, but I couldn't get passed the purple socks, brown capris, olive green striped top with a peach colored cami under the top. Now you tell me what you would have done!! I was only trying to save my child from ridicule at school, but apparently per Kiley all the kids in her class dress like this. HMMMMM....I'm not so sure. Then....yes...there's more......then she wanted me to do her hair in pig tails with 2 different colored "beautifuls." (in our house that's what rubber bands are called) I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I told her I'd do her hair in 1 pony tail but not in 2 and that I'd go buy her some new "beautifuls" today. (Since the move we can't find anything...including "beautifuls") She continued to cry even louder because she wanted pigtails!!! So I sent her in the bedroom to cool down...because this was unacceptable. While she was in there she decided to do her own hair in pigtails with the unmatching "beautifuls." And let me just add.....it wasn't beautiful.....she had about 5 different parts in all different directions. By this point I was tired of fighting with her about this and decided to let her go to school like that. I guess I can't control everything....even though I'd like to think I can.
Sandy called from work after the kids had gone to school. She said she was just checking to make sure I had survived the morning. I did...but still not sure I will survive the next 10 years with 3 girls.

Kiley

I promised I would Blog about all of my children....so when Kiley saw the Blog about Maddy she asked when I was going to write about her.....I decided sooner than later would be better.

Kiley is one of a kind...but aren't they all. She's wise beyond her years and surprises me on a daily basis. She's loyal, colorful, creative, jealous, freckle faced, dimpled, emotional, thoughtful, stubborn, and friendly.

Kiley is full of energy and life. Her smile can light up a room just as her tantrums can leave you wondering....what just happened?? She has a style all her own....she is confident and doesn't care what anyone else thinks of her. I love her for that. I love her for being her own person and standing up for what she believes is right. I love her for the kind heart she has, and willingness to help when and where she's needed. She is a wonderful part of our family and we are thankful each day for her.

On Top of the World

Mike and I were a little bored last night as we waited for the kids to get done with dance practice. He suggested we hop in his truck and go for a drive. He wanted to take me to his favorite place to watch the sunset. He said "If we leave now....we'll make it just in time!!" So I grabbed a sweatshirt and my camera not really knowing what adventure I was getting myself into. We ended up on a gravel road headed straight up into the trees. The road was full of potholes and bumps. I have to admit I was a little nervous as we drove up the narrow windy road. I'm not a fan of narrow roads with hundreds of feet of cliff to look down at. I just bit my lip and held on. Mike had a great time....he kept looking at me and telling me it would be OK....we just have to go a little bit farther.....it's worth it...you'll see!! Well....indeed it was worth it because we had a gorgeous view of Tillamook, As far as we could see.
Mike standing WAY to close to the edge for my liking...I stayed back aways to take pictures!!

Can you see those White dots?? Those are cows in a field!!

Tillamook.......What you see is what you get!!

We decided to turn on the automatic timer on our camera....We put it on the the roof of his truck...the only problem was I had to jump out of the bed of the truck and run over to that exact spot in less than 10seconds....I just barely made it

This was Mike once again WAY to close to the edge....the whole time I was taking this picture I was saying "Honey, you're too close....get back here....Honey...c'mon....my stomach hurts. Oh geez.....you're really close!!!"

Thanks Mike for taking me to your favorite spot...On top of the World!!

Madison

As I was looking for pictures on the computer I came across this picture of Maddy..... I thought it was a really pretty picture of her and decided I needed to blog about each of my kids.

Maddy.....my oldest.... my almost 12 year old going on 20 year old.....beautiful, spontaneous, compassionate, bossy, friendly, quick tempered, smart, responsible, imaginative daughter.

We are lucky to have Maddy as part of our family. She keeps us all in check and makes sure we are all doing what we're supposed to. She is becoming a lovely young women. Though she does not know the effect she has had on my life for the good, she has been my companion through the best and worst times of my life. She's my friend, my cheerleader, my fighter, but most of all she's my Maddy Chicken Patty!! I appreciate her for all that she is and all that she will become in the years ahead.

Moving Day

I can hardly believe I'm saying this.....but we moved once again!! I hate moving!! We regrettably made the decision to move from Bend to Tillamook for me to pursue my nursing degree. Mike got a job at Stimson Lumber and in the Fall I'm going back to college. With the state of the economy these days we only thought that would be the smart thing to do. I'm still not sure how I feel about moving back to Tillamook. There are many reasons why it's good, but OH SO many why it's not so good.

We've packed full 2 storage units of our belongings and are staying with Mike's parents while we look for a house. It's hard to have your life packed away, I'm still living out of my suitcase!! That's a harsh reality for me as I'm a Very organized person who can't seem to get organized.

We have been able to enjoy sunny days playing on the beach, which has eased our homesickness for Bend a little. If the sunny days continue I just may learn to like Tillamook all over again. That's a shot in the dark I know....