Mr. L

I would really like to get back into the habit of posting about the "little" things, as well as the big adventures of our family. These small moments with my boys are so precious to me and I don't want to forget. So today, it is about Mr Lucas. :)Mr L has been such a cuddle-bug lately. Well, I take that back. Mr L has been such a cuddle-bug at sleep time lately. Of course the other hours of the day are spent running around, playing baseball, and being Mr. Independant. But, recently, before nap time and bed time, his favorite thing to do is cuddle up with me on this big oversized chair we have in their room, with his softie and blanket in tow. We just lay there for about 15 minutes, either singing a song, or quietly talking, or just falling asleep holding hands. It is such a precious few minutes for me and makes me feel so special. He looks up at me with his little adorable face and says "night-night Mommy", or even an occasional "I love you Mommy", and my heart just melts. I don't want to forget these precious moments with my children. They are at such a wonderful and adorable age....I wish that I could capture each and every facial expression and funny saying.

I love you Lucas!!!!!!

Hawaii, Part 2

OK Erin, time to catch up!!!!

I realized that in the last post I didn't even thank the wonderful people who were responsible for this amazing trip in the first place!!! THANK YOU so much Grammy and Papa for allowing us to have this adventure with you!!! :)

Day 4 was a pretty low-key day. Teage, the boys, and I went to the store in the morning to get grocieries for the rest of the week's dinners and then stopped by the Kona Temple on the way back to the house. What a beautiful temple it is! We grabbed some lunch and ate on the temple grounds with the boys, who had a great time. Then just took a few moments to snap a few pictures (with my camera propped up on the car hood :) ) before we left. What fun we had.

When we got home the boys took a much needed nap while the older "kids" decided to have some fun playing volleyball in the sand pit. I actually had just as much fun shooting pictures of them while they were rolling around in the sand. And honestly, they did really well for hardly ever playing beach volleyball before! Another dip in the pool before dinner, and our day pretty much came to a close. :) Well, after a few games of Knock of course!!!

Day 5 was a busy and wonderful one!!! Day 5 was also a Sunday, so Teage and I took the boys to church in Captain Cook. The Hawaiian people are just so wonderful and friendly. The minute we walked into the church building we were greeted by a very enthusiastic man who gave us all hugs and just dooted over the boys! As we were in Sacrament meeting, I looked around and realized that I was the only blond one there.....how FUN! :)

After church we took a drive around the island to the volcano on the other side and met the rest of the family in Volcano National Park. Teage and I had never been to this part of the island before, and it was such an amazing experience. It actually worked out great, because the drive was so long, the boys slept in the car and were ready to go by the time we got there. We drove over to the lookout point where you can see some huge craters, then to the steam vents (the boys had no idea what to make of those!), and finally to the lava tubes, which was our favorite part. You can actually walk through these lava "tubes" for about a quarter mile which were formed naturally from the volcano's lava flow.

Mommy and Grammy at the crater, and then the whole family.

Lucas is definitely not sure he likes this steam!

Walking through the amazing act of nature. Good thing my Dad wasn't there! :)

Then on the way back, we took advantage of our time and stopped at the Black Sand Beach, which truly does have jet black sand. The rocks all around were also jet black and it made a really neat effect with the water coming and going. We took a few minutes to grab a few model shots and throw some rocks before we were off again!

Since we STILL didn't want to go home, we stopped again for dinner at the Southernmost Resturant in the US and had a fabulous and relaxed meal, though Uncle David couldn't finish all of his and lost his bet. Poor David. :)

Only two more days to go!!!! Getting a few more pictures from my brother this weekend and then I promise to finish up! WE MISS YOU HAWAII!!!!!!!!

Hawaii, Part 1

I FINALLY have a minute to sit down and post about our fabulous trip to Hawaii!!!! We had the amazing opportunity to go to the Big Island with my Dad's family about a month and a half ago (yes, I know I am behind! :) ), and actually got to bring the boys this time! Teage and I were a bit nervous about taking the boys on their first "big" plane trip, but they did beautifully....I was really so impressed with them. They were champs.

Our first day we left at the crack of dawn to catch a flight with my two brothers and sister. The boys actually napped on the plane, and we didn't even have a melt down at the airport....amazing! We all made it to the Big Island in one piece, thankfully, and met my stepmom and Dad at the gorgeous Manalani Resort where they had been staying for a few days. All of us were tired, but didn't want to miss a minute of our time in the sunshine, so we went right out onto the beach and snorkled and swam for a few hours before going to our own private "villa" down at Captain Cook bay.

We are finally here!!!!!!

Yes, that is our very own Hawaiian paradise right there. I still can't believe that we stayed there!!!!!!!! It was a dream come true! Our first dinner on the patio

After being woken up at about 4 in the morning (darn that time change!) on Day 2, the whole family decided to go down the street in Captain Cook to a famous coffee plantation that has been on the Big Island for decades. We got a tour of the plantation and in the end were able to make some Portugese sweet bread by hand. The boys even got involved and had so much fun rolling the dough! They were really into it.

Then after a wonderful nap in the middle of the day (for the boys of course :) ) we decided to hang out at our amazing villa, play in the pool, and just have fun as a family. The boys had so much fun with all of their aunts and uncles, and Grammy and Papa of course. They were so happy to be there, and Teage and I couldn't get enough of our view, our villa, and our family.

At the coffee plantation

Day 3 was a blast as well. We got up early and ventured north on the Big Island back to the Manalani area to the grey sand beach. Unfortunately the day wasn't the sunniest in the world, but it kept the crowds away, and we truly had the whole beach to ourselves for the first hour or two. It was amazing. Still really warm, so we still swam and snorkled, and then had lunch on the beach. It did start raining about halfway through, but we just had fun with it and set up our own little haven under towels with Grammy and Papa. Teage and I got to snorkel on our own, which was such a fun experience for us!

After lunch, Grammy and Papa went back to the villa to rest, and the rest of us went up to a famous beach to go boogy boarding. The boys actually ended up falling asleep in the car on the way, so I stayed in the car with them and read my book while Teage and my sister and brothers went out and had some fun in the waves. They even saw a sea turtle while they were out there! And I honestly had a great time in the sun with a great book. It was a fabulous day!

OK, gotta go to bed....more later!

Yikes

Today I have spent quite a while contemplating how I can be a better mother, and continue to learn and grow on this journey of motherhood. I know many of us get frustrated and lose patience extremely easily. But I for one always try to do better every day and learn from my mistakes. I have never been a mother before, and it is not fair for my boys to have to deal with all of the mistakes that I make as a mom.....I completely understand that I am not perfect, but that is why I try my hardest to do the best I can and learn constantly!

Anyway, I was just thinking of my own motherhood journey today because of some crazy examples that I had seen and heard of recently. My mom and I took a walk with the boys this morning and ended up at a park near our home. There were other children there with their mothers or caregivers, as it was a beautiful day and everyone wanted to be outside. But what baffled me is the complete lack of responsibility shown by these mothers! I was blown away! There were multiple times when I had to spot a child so that they wouldn't fall off equipment that was way too large for them (and actually catch one of them as they did fall!), or tell a child to go back to where their mother was sitting because they were just walking down the street without ANYONE watching them! What is the matter with people? These kids were younger then mine were and they were just left to their own devices so that these moms could chat for a few minutes. Then on the way home, there was a little one who was probably no more then 18 months to 2 years old, just running down the sidewalk next to a busy street with NO parent in sight!!! I am just baffled.

Side note, but related, www.momsoncall.com......amazing, love it, adore it. That is all.

Random

I am so far behind right now. This summer has been a busy and fun one for us, but there are so many pictures to edit and so little time! I will catch up in a bit....I just wanted to take a minute and write down some random thoughts that I have had recently, and of course, some funny sayings by my two little men! And since we are in Yakima right now sitting in a hotel room, and I don't have anything else to do, I am just going to write! :)

Let's start with the funnies:

-We had Tawna (Teage's sister) and her kids staying with us last week after a Christensen family camping trip. Tawna has three children, ages 10, almost 8, and 3 1/2. Maiya is just a few months older then the boys and they were playing most of the week, fairly happily together. :) Then at the dinner table the last of their stay.....

Dylan: "I was born first'

Lucas: "I was bigger"

Maiya: "I am bigger then you....I have bigger arms and bigger legs!"

Lucas (without skipping a beat): "You have a big head!"

Maybe they were getting more sick of each other then I thought! :)

-I got out of the car the other day and stretched, and my back cracked a bit so I said something out loud to the effect of "oh man that hurt!" Lucas asked what was wrong and I just said "oh it's nothing babe, mommy's back just cracked a little bit". Lucas thought about that for a few seconds and then in all seriousness replied "You mean like an egg?"

-Teage thought it would be good opportunity the other day to ask the boys about new babies and how they get here, etc. He asked them "Who puts a baby in a Mommy's tummy?" (NO, I am not pregnant! Thank you for asking.....). Dylan replied quickly "Mommies and Daddies".....wow, smart kid. Teage took that as a good sign and now has decided that the birds and bees talk is complete. Oh goodness.... :)

I am so far behind on my thank you's for the CF Auction this year. I have just had so much to do, and not enough time to do it. And unfortunately something extremely important, but tedious at times, got left on the back burner. Now I am feeling terrible about it, and absolutely need to start soon! I truly appreciate all the individuals and businesses that helped and donated to our event, and I want them to know that as well. It is interesting though, chairing an auction like ours definitely opens your eyes to how some people do business (and how some people DONT!). And the simple yes or no answer, and how it was said or done, has changed my shopping habits considerably. Thought I would share some of the major winners and major duds.....

Winners!:

-Friends and Family!!! Came through in so many amazing ways, and went the extra mile for me and the CF Foundation!

-Fred Meyer

-Top Foods

-Marlo Flower!

-Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse

-Issaquah Trophy

-Heidi Isaacson and the Snoqualmie Casino

-Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

Duds: Most of these businesses didn't just say no, which would be just fine especially in the economy we are living in..... they said no with no charm, no customer service, and no people skills. Or, they just plain were rude about the whole thing.

-TARGET!!! (Surprised? I sure was. Both years I have put this event on, they have been TERRIBLE to me and the cause)

-Jamba Juice

-Primo Grill, Tacoma

-Pacific Grill, Tacoma (yeah, Tacoma restaurants were not friendly to me at all)

-World Market

And, side note, because of my experience with this event, I would shop at Kohls over Macy's ANY DAY!!!!!!!!!

The other thing on my mind has truly been my family. Things have been crazy for us this summer with Teage working long hours, me working inside and outside the home, family, friends, and fun as well. But inside all of this chaos (at times), I have learned to appreciate my family and situation even more. I have such a wonderful and loving husband whom I adore, two children who can test and try me, but teach me love and patience everyday, a beautiful home with wonderful neighbors, generous and loving extended family on all sides, a fabulous church family, and the list could go on and on. I know that I complain at times about all of the "things" that I have to deal with as a mom (don't we all?), but then I look around me at all of the true blessings Heavenly Father has given me and am completely humbled. I am very grateful.

Hope all our you, our friends and family near and far, are doing well also. We think of all of you quite a lot. Have a fantastic summer!!

The celebrations continue....

I have not written in what seems like forever, and I have so much to catch up on......but, let's start with the fun and exciting days (that turned into weeks) to celebrate the boys' birthday. :) Boy these little men are spoiled! They just have too much family! :) And this year, we were ALL about baseball!

s our gift to the boys, Teage and I really wanted to take them to a Mariner game, considering that is their number one pastime. As we all know, they are still very obsessed with baseball, and going to see the Mariners play is just about the most exciting thing in the world for them. Which works out, since Teage and I enjoy it as well. We invited Grammy, Papa, Uncle David, and Auntie Lindsey to come along with us, were able to find wonderful seats thanks to stubhub, and ended up only being about 5 rows up from the field. All in all, a fabulous game! Plus, the M's even won! :) And added bonus, Dylan ended up getting an official major league ball out of the whole thing as well. We were standing next to the field after batting practise, and one of the groundskeepers found a ball sitting right there on the field and handed it to him. He was thrilled!!!

The whole group, minus Daddy

There he is :)

Another fun surprise, we put a message on the board for the boys' birthday. Definitely worth it! It was so much fun!

Then a little while later we had a small family party over at our house as well to celebrate with the rest of our large family. :) The boys really wanted to have Mariner cakes for their birthday, specifically Ken Griffey and Ichiro cakes, though I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to pull that off. Finally I decided to do baseball cakes instead, with the players' numbers on them, and thankfully the boys really enjoyed it. :) We had fun just eating dinner and chatting with everyone, watching the boys open some presents and blow out candles, and just enjoying the beautiful day. It was perfect. We are so grateful for all of those people who love the boys and make them feel so special. And I really can't believe that they are three already. I remember sitting there at home with them throughout the entire first year of their life thinking "will they EVER get to 1 year old?".....it seemed like an eternity at the time. :) And now they are jumping, running, baseball playing three year olds. The time truly goes by so quickly.

I love these little men so much. They challenge me constantly, and are such a blessing in our lives. Teage and I feel so grateful to have them in our little family.

Happy Birthday Dylan and Lucas!!!!!!!!

With Uncle Brandon and Auntie Tracy

The boys with my oldest friend, Lindsay

The "other" Christensen Clan. :) Uncle Brett, Auntie Beth, Kai, and Auntie Sunni

Boys with Tutu (not sure where Poppi ran off to!)

Papa Christensen

I love all three of my boys!!!!

My big 3 year olds!

Happy Birthday to my Dylan and Lucas! I can't believe that it has already been three years. Know that I love you forever and ever, and am so proud of the sweet little boys you are becoming!! 5 days old

1st birthday

2nd birthday

Just a few days ago while visiting Western, where Mommy and Daddy met

Off To The Beach!

After all the craziness of the auction was over, and I was able wind down a little bit :), we decided to take our little family to the beach for a weekend of relaxation and family time. We realized on our way down there that we really hadn't taken a vacation just the four of us, ever. We always are visiting someone else, or going with someone else. And not that we don't love doing those things as well, but this was a real treat for us. We left on a Friday morning and went to Klipson Beach in southern Washington, and stayed through Sunday. We really didn't have an agenda, we just did whatever we wanted! Fabulous! We rented a little one room cabin just about a half mile from the beach that had a fire place and little kitchen, and it ended up being perfect for us. We made a make-shift bed on the pull out sofa for the boys and lined it with pillows so they wouldn't fall off, made little lunches and ate wherever, walked around town and on the beach, and played as much baseball as possible. The beach was practically deserted, so we got it all to ourselves! I can't tell you how much it filled my tank, even just a few days. We had such a wonderful time as a family, and made some wonderful memories. The boys are still talking about it to this day and want to go back as soon as possible. :)