Pass the cheese

I could use some cheese with my whine. I feel like whining. If you don't like whining then maybe this post isn't for you. But sometimes a girl just has to whine.

I don't feel good. I have some sort of cold thing that is apparently going around. My head is pounding and my throat is really sore. I am so tired I could go to bed now, except that it isn't even 8 p.m. yet. And of course I feel guilty for whining when Rick was just sick with the stomach flu. He already has so much going on with his body that the flu just makes it worse. Did he whine? Of course not. Geez I suck!

I am feeling down about our finances. I am not going into detail here, but it is so stressful!!!

The girls have been less than angelic. They have decided to try to take over control of the house. Getting out the door for school in the morning is a nightmare, to put it nicely. I am not a morning person, and I really don't want to punish myself by getting up even earlier, but seriously they need to get out the stinking door!!

And their rooms....UGH!!! Seriously, I spent the entire past weekend cleaning their rooms. I am soooo not happy about that, still. It is so frustrating. I know that it is a common problem with kids, but this has been beyond a normal messy room. They hide everything, everywhere. Whether it is garbage or toys, it is shoved in a bin, or under the bed, or under the pillow. I am so frustrated. I even cleared out some of their toys. And things are organized really well, with very accessible places for everything. So if there are toys on the floor at bedtime they are going in a box and will decide what to do with them later. Yep, I know, I am such a meany!!

We got a chore chart and worked it out as a family. The girls picked their prizes for earning stars. And the stars are very achievable. They chose their own chores too. Unfortunately they haven't been able to earn enough stars to get their prizes. They were so excited about it, but then they haven't followed through.

I am just feeling like such a bad parent. Like I must have gone wrong somewhere to have them acting like this. So that has contributed to my bad mood too. It has been such a hard year and I am having a hard time adjusting to trying to find a new normal. So I guess I just need to whine. And so whine I will. And if it bothers someone, well then they can put themselves in my shoes. I promise it isn't easy.

Okay, so now I must go to bed.

Until next time,
Jaime

Look Who's 1

My beautiful niece Mady is 1 today!! I can't believe how fast the year went by. This little sweetheart stole my heart the moment I laid eyes on her. She is such a joy!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY MADY!

Here is a look at her cute cake that her Mommy made for her.

It didn't take Mady very long to destroy the cake.

Mady's party was fun! She had the best time opening her presents. She was actually really interested in her presents. It was so super cute!! She is such a sweetie pie! I can't get enough of her.

Happy Birthday Sweet Mady! Aunt Jaime loves you very much!!

Until next time,

Jaime

The Oregon Zoo

We had so much fun at the zoo. It is so neat. We all especially enjoyed the Predators of the Serengeti exhibit. Some, well a lot actually, of my pictures didn't turn out great. It is hard to get pictures of moving animals behind glass windows. Who knew??

Sam enjoyed the Sea Lions and Sea Otters. They were really fun to watch swimming around. The exhibits to see all these animals swimming were so cool. All the windows at different levels made for some great viewing, albeit some not so great photos. Oh well, it's the memories that matter anyway.

Even after a really long walk Sam was still full of energy. She really enjoyed everything and was so excited to see the next exhibit that she practically ran through most of them. I did manage to get her to stand still for a few seconds for some pictures every once in a while.

We really enjoy monkeys and it was so fun to get to see them.

The sea turtles were pretty cool.

But the baby elephant was even cooler. Meet Samudra, Sam for short. What a coincidence.

The amazing painting elephant. This elephants paintings sell for around $900 each.

After the live predatory bird show one of the trainers held a bird (I don't remember what it is, some type of falcon I think) for the kids to see up close. Sam asked some really good questions and was really interested.

The Predators of the Serengeti exhibit was so great. There was live music, and crafts.

Of all the animals in the zoo Sam decided that the Meerkat was her favorite. She even picked out a meerkat stuffed animal.

I liked the Polar Bears and the Zebras. And the Monkeys of course.

The Eagles were pretty amazing too!!

Sam and Daddy in an Eagles nest.

The memories we made during this weekend will last a long time. We had so much fun together. I hope that Sam will remember this time with Mom and Dad as a very special weekend. I am actually getting a little teary just thinking about it. Since we have no idea what the future holds I am holding on to these memories in a very special place. We don't get the opportunity to spend special time like this together, and I hope that we will be able to do the same thing with Megan in a couple years.

Liver Life Walk, we will be back next year. It felt great to do something, and to make special memories.

Until next time,

Jaime

Cannon Beach Part 2

Samantha had so much fun playing on the beach. She immediately started digging in the sand, and I immediately took off my sandals so I could put my toes in the sand. Sam and I went towards the ocean to put our feet in. Brrrrrrr. But it was so worth it!!

Sam had a great time running into the ocean and then running back with the waves. Unfortunately she got too far out, the tide was coming in, and she got swept down. I ran very fast and was able to grab her and get her back on her feet before she went completely under. She was pretty shaken up and kept apologizing. I wrapped her up in a towel and she sat in the sand for a bit. It wasn't too long and she was back to running into the waves. We even had to remind her not to go out so deep.

It was so fun to watch the sheer delight on her face as she ran in the waves. I am so happy that we had this chance to spend some special time together. It was very memorable, and I don't think I will forget the sounds of Sam's delighted screams as she ran around in the ocean.

Tune back in for pictures from the zoo.

Until next time,

Jaime

Cannon Beach Part 1

My favorite place in the world is the beach at the ocean. I love how the sand feels on my feet and the way the salty air smells and feels on my face. I just love it all!!

So it was great when Sam realized how much she loves it too. We were able to spend a couple hours at Cannon Beach during our liver walk weekend. Sam was so excited to finally get a look at the ocean. The last time she saw it was when she was 3, so I am thinking she doesn't really remember much. We also did a little shopping before we had lunch at Mo's. Sam and I got matching pink Cannon Beach hoodies.

So here is the first installment of pictures from our fabulous day.


Stay tuned for the second installment of Cannon Beach fun. There was just too many pictures for one post.

Jaime