My Hubby's Birthday!!

Happy 35th to my wonderful and gorgeous husband (a few weeks ago!) :)

I am so lucky to be married to such an amazingly kind, gentle, hard-working, and loyal husband. And I am truly grateful. I love you to the moon and BACK! :)

These few pictures are from his party we had at the house on his birthday. Just some family for some food and cake. It was small, but fun!!!! 

We all love you Teagers!!!!

My Oldest Friend

My friend Lindsay and I have been best buddies since the 8th grade, when she and some other fun ladies saved me from being a complete loner on my first day in a new school. We just so happened to have every class together that year, and almost every class together for all the years following. :) Lindsay has always been such a rock for me, always standing by me in every decision or situation I find myself in. She is an amazingly kind, gentle, loving, and loyal friend. And I am so blessed and thankful to have her in my life, for 20 years now. What a lucky girl I am! 

I love you Linds!!!!!!!! Thank you for always being my best friend!

My sweet friend, and my adorable boys, on my birthday last week....

Slacker

I know....I have definitely been slacking on my "blog a day" commitment.  A few excuses: My birthday was this week, Miss E had the flu and has been throwing up for almost five days straight, and I have just been extremely tired. There, I said it. :)

I do have some fun things to post in the next few days, but for now, I am going to bed!!!! 

As Teage would say....Peace Out! :)

Just because I miss Hawaii.....

Happy Valentine's Day

 Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!!

We had a fun family day on Valentine's this year. Teage spent the evening before decorating the house with hearts for our whole family with family sayings on them, like "Famachee!" The boys thought it was really fun to wake up to all of those fun hearts.

They also had the pleasure of doing a Valentine's party in their classroom, which Emery and I attended as well. I couldn't believe how much fun she had as well. She was walking around the classroom like she owned the place, following her brothers around and trying to do all of the crafts and games with them. Pretty adorable. The boys had an absolute ball. They had different stations around the room with cookie decorating, games, card making, and more. All of the kids rotated stations while us parents helped to facilitate each one. The boys were laughing and smiling the whole time. Then they all got to eat their cookies and take home huge bags of Valentines that their classmates had given them.  When we opened their bags at home, they kept saying things like "Wow! Our class must like us a lot!!" Pretty darn adorable!!!

 That night Teage said he would make dinner, so I made him a special dessert. Tres Leches cake from scratch, just like they make it in Mexico (where he served his mission). It actually turned out really well, and he LOVED it! I was so happy!!!

And...my husband the sweetheart, thought to get a dinner that was special to us for that night also. Our very first date was exactly 10 years prior, on Valentine's Day, Feb 14th 2003, and we went to a little Italian restaurant in Bellingham for dinner. I ordered a chicken Cesar salad, and he had the Fettachini Alfredo. So, for dinner, guess what he got? Cesar salad and Fettachini Alfredo! I was completely surprised! I had no idea that he was going to do that for me, and it made my day. We also got to tell the kiddos about our first date, which was fun as well. Overall, a really fun night with our family just celebrating all of the love in our house! :)

My Sweethearts

I have been such a proud mama lately. Well, always, but lately even more. The boys have been doing such a wonderful job in kindergarten, which makes me so proud because they are making good choices even when I am not there to coach them. Their teacher adores them and they are learning a ton every day. :) Yesterday was their Valentine's Day party, and not only were they amazing with their friends, but I also got compliments from other parents about their behavior. I even had one come up to me and say how grateful she was for my boys, and their friendship to her son. She said that he was struggling a bit lately, and he came home the other day talking about how wonderful my boys were to him, and how much he appreciated it. I just about cried right there in the classroom. I have such sweet boys, and I am so incredibly proud of them! 

Also, I had to bring Miss E with me to volunteer at their party, and instead of the boys being annoyed at their little sister attending, they were incredibly good with her. They allowed her to follow them around the classroom, and even participate in some of their fun activities. They were introducing her to their friends, and were proud to have her there. I was so thankful, and so proud. 

I love my boys so much. They are turning into such wonderful and kind young men, and I can't even believe sometimes that I get to be their Mom! :)

Here are the boys the other day while we were stuck inside. Their new favorite activity....sliding down the stairs in a sleeping bag!!! I absolutely love the look on their faces!!!!!! :)

My Goodwill Guy

We just entered Mr. Teaggers into a thrift store contest for the Seattle Times. :) Teage prides himself on his extensive closet, and almost all of his clothes have come from Goodwill stores around Seattle, most of them $5 and under. I always joke with him that he has more clothes then I do, but honestly, I am just jealous!! :) This amazing coat he is wearing is a camel hair trench coat, which he bought from Goodwill for 99 cents! One of his prized possessions!

I am so thankful to have a husband who is so thrifty and money conscious. We never have to fight about finances, which is extremely nice! And he always looks like a million bucks!

My handsome man!!!!!

My Cuties

Here are my adorable kiddos after church the other day....just have to brag a bit. :) They are just the cutest ever!!!!!!!

Sunless in Seattle

I have lived around Seattle for pretty much my entire life. And I have never had much of an issue with the winters around here. Yes, it rains.....lots. Yes, it is pretty dreary at times. But, I have always just rolled with it, and not been too terribly worried. This winter....not quite the same story. For some reason, I am having a difficult time with the weather this year! It hasn't been particularly rainy or snowy, just cold. Cold and dreary. Ugh. 

So, since it hasn't been super nice outside, we have had to make do....inside. And this is how we have been rolling in the Christensen household:

 The boys have been SUPER helpful lately! They have always been sweet helpers, but lately, they have actually been asking to help me with certain things. They love unloading the dishwasher, and sweeping the floor, particularly. I just love my little buddies.

 I had to think of some new games while we were restless the other day. This was my version of being at the fair kind of games. They got points depending on which bowl they landed the ball in. :)

 Every day all of the kids ask me to go on a "ride ride". Basically me pulling them around the hardwood on a huge blanket. :) They think it is a ton of fun, though my arms get tired pretty quickly. :)

And of course, BAKING! The picture above was cinnamon rolls, but we have done cookies, bread, and more!! We have been having some fun in the kitchen lately, though it has not been good for my diet! :)

Mariner FanFest!!!

The Mariner season is almost upon us....yeah!!! And this month we went to go check out the stadium and get excited about the season at FANFEST! :) The boys were beyond excited!! And though it was pretty darn cold, the Mariners did not disappoint. We ran the bases, checked out the new fences, pitched some strikes like Felix, and even did batting practice! And my favorite part, we got to tour the Mariner clubhouse!!! All these years of being a fan, and I had never been there, so it was really special for me! 

The boys had a blast and said their favorite part was batting practice. The M's had a big screen set up in the visiting club house with Felix on it, looking like he was throwing a pitch. Then the ball comes at you like he is pitching it, at probably about 45 miles an hour. The boys actually got really close to all of the pitches, and had a ton of fun doing it! They didn't even care that they missed all of them, and talked about it for a long time afterwards! :) 

We are so looking forward to the upcoming season! I hope that Miss E is old enough to last through a few games, because I am beyond excited!!

5 Is A Good Year :)

Of course now that my boys are 5 and a half, I have time to sit and write about their adorable answers from an "I'm 5!" Questionnaire. :) I wanted to capture the boys' adorable personalities at this fun age so I sat them down right when they turned 5 and asked them some questions about themselves. And I can't even tell you how glad I am that I did. These boys are hilarious and I loved some of their answers. I would love to make a fun printout for them to keep as well....we will see how that goes. :)

I love you D and L! I am so thankful for you in my life, and that I get to be your mommy. You teach me something new everyday, and help me become a  better person. I love you to the moon and back!

What both boys are very into right now:

Of course they still ADORE baseball and the Mariners

Love making forts under the table and playing Jake and the Neverland Pirates (though they get mad at Emery because she doesn't understand what to do!) :)

They are SO excited to start kindergarten (I know, I am behind!)

Love playing board games and card games, Monopoly being their favorite at the moment

My Man Dylan:

What is your favorite color: Blue

What is your favorite sport: Baseball

What is your favorite TV show: Watching Mariners

Who is your best friend?: Beckam Warner

What is your favorite restaurant? Applebees

What does Mommy do during the day? Make lunch

What does Daddy do during the day? Go to work

What is your favorite thing to eat? Macaroni and cheese that Tutu brings....and fish

What is your favorite song? Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Where is your favorite place to go? Applebees

What do you love about Mom? She plays baseball with us

What do you love about Dad? He makes money for us so I can put it in my moneybank

What is your favorite thing about Emery? She plays with us

My Man Lucas:

What is your favorite color? All the colors

What is your favorite sport? Baseball

What is your favorite TV show? Mickey and Jake and Mariners

Who is your best friend? Beckam Warner

What is your favorite restaurant? Red Robin

What does Mommy do during the day? Get breakfast for us and play frisbee sometimes

What does Daddy do during the day? Go to work

What is your favorite thing to eat? Same as Dylan, and blueberries

What is your favorite song? The Star Spangled Banner

Where is your favorite place to go? Everywhere, and Sydney Conger's house

What do you love about Mom? Same as Dylan and she plays football sometimes

What do you love about Dad? He has a basketball hoop so we can shoot baskets

What do you love about Emery? She climbs over us! :)

Oh my goodness I love these boys!!!!!!!!!!!

Hawaii, Part 3! :)

By day 5, we felt fully immersed into the Hawaiian lifestyle (and so happy about it!). :) We spent the morning going to the farmer's market in town, which ended up being some local farmers selling produce out the back of their cars, which we thought was pretty authentic and amazing! We bought some yummy fruit for the rest of the week and had fun talking to everyone there...all of them were so sweet!

Then all of us went over to the Glass Beach, which is really neat! It is literally made up of tiny shards of glass that have come together over the years from a dump and factories close by. We all got some amazing pictures there, even though the sun wasn't shining brightly. There were tons of little crabs all along the beach that the kids loved following around as well.

After naps, Grammy, Lindsey, and my family went over to an old Russian Fort, Russian Fort Elizabeth, just outside of the city where we were staying, and originally built in 1815. It was such an amazing sight to see. The "bones" of the fort are still intact, though many of the walls have now fallen and grass has taken over the inside. We were able to walk all around the outside as well as inside and try to imagine what it would look like hundreds of years ago. The boys had fun playing tag with Auntie Lindsey all around the grounds and we escaped to the car just as it started to pour down rain! :)

 

We got back to our lovely Hawaii house, played in the pool, Teage broke open a coconut and we ate it fresh from the yard, and then played some great Knock after the kids went to bed! A great day!

 Day 6 was a pretty calm and chill day. My little family went to the local ward for church, which was really fun, and met a ton of local families who were extremely sweet to us. We felt right at home (and kind of wished this WAS our home)!!!! :) And you can't beat walking out of church and having the sun shining down on you and be 80 degrees!

The rest of the day was some pool time, a little drive down the coast, and Teage's famous breakfast burritos for dinner (a MUST on vacation!)

Our last full day in Hawaii was filled with some amazing beach and family time. We all drove down to Poipu Beach and stayed for quite a while! The beach was amazing, and though it was crowded (pretty much the first time we had experienced a crowd all week!), the sand bar was beautiful, and there was an amazing area for the kids to play in the water. They couldn't get enough, and neither could Teagers. :) He was playing with the three of them, along with David and Lindsey, in the water for hours, while I got to relax and chat with Grammy for a bit! Fun and sun for everyone!

 For our last official night in Hawaii we decided to do some fun family shots in our beautiful yard. And they really turned out great, I couldn't be happier! My three siblings and I got some great crazy shots as well. I love photography, and I love family....so this was really fun for me! :)

 Thank you Grammy for the wonderful and beautiful vacation! We had such a fabulous time, and loved being with the family! 

We love you Hawaii, and miss you!!!!!!!!!! :)