the rollins family

art class

2009-09-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

this week has been spent mostly at home as all three of us girls have been sick. there has been a lot of pajama time, book reading, and just being inside. it's also been REALLY hot here. here are some pics of today. the "art class" was happening while i was cleaning the kitchen-kate's favorite thing to do is create-color, glue, cut, stickers, etc. amelia is sure learning quickly and loves to take the caps off the markers before mommy sees. we went to the park for a pinic lunch with tim. we were pleasantly surprised to be there all alone. i guess that's what you get when you are suckers and go out at the hottest part of the day on a really hot day:)

ready for make-up

2009-09-11T14:54:00.001-07:00

i think amelia is ready for make-up. what do you think?

40th anniversary

2009-09-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

tim and i are so blessed to both have parents who have just celebrated 40 years of being faithful in their marriage. oddly enough, they celebrate their anniversaries one day apart. we celebrated my parents anniversary while we were all in spokane together in august, and celebrated tim's parent's this last weekend. thanks dad and mom (both sets) for setting awesome examples of Christ-centered marriages.

fun in the sun

2009-09-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

here are some random pictures of the hot days that we've had lately. please don't think i'm white trash because i let my kids run around in their underwear and diapers (it's really so that the popiscle they're eating doesn't stain their clothes:)

you know your kids are tired when...

2009-08-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

they ask for a quiet time and cry when you tell them they can't have one. we went swimming out at a lagoon today with my sister-in-law, the girl's cousins, and my mother-in-law. the kids had an absoulute blast, but were totally trashed after spending 5 hours in the sun and water. when we got home at 5 tonight, kate literally begged for a quiet time in her room. i guess we finally wore her out:)

wet blankie

2009-08-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

the other night i was in the kitchen cleaning up dinner while amelia was playing in the bathtub (please don't call cps on me:). when i went in to check on her, this is how i found her. i guess she needed her blankie, so she helped herself out of the tub, found her blankie, then let herself back in. glad to know she could do all this by herself:)

last but not least

2009-08-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

summer top 10

2009-08-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

here is my list of this summer's top 1o faves (in no particular order):
1. watching kate learn to LOVE to swim and being quite brave during lessons ( not typical for her).

2. enjoying amelia's love for life-i think she's the happiest and most personable baby i've ever met.

3. watching amelia float down the truckee river NEXT TO our raft (and screaming if we made her come in the boat).

4. not having our house torn apart like it was ALL of last summer.

5. not having a schedule and being able to enjoy what each day holds.

6. spending quality time with each of our families.

7. s'mores-in the backyard or while camping

8. experiencing bears while camping (we saw a lot of them in tahoe-quits close-up i might add!)

9.hot sun!

10. listening to amelia and kate play together-they are such buddies! i pray that they will continue to love and care for each other the way that they do now.

even more still...

2009-08-19T16:00:00.001-07:00

more pictures

2009-08-19T15:52:00.001-07:00

finally!

2009-08-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

we are finally home from all of our adventures, AND i have finally figured out how to sort and post pictures on our new computer. the hard part is going to be choosing between ALL of them. fun things we've done this summer (so far):
-camping with tim's family at gualala (near mendocino) on the coast

-santa barbara for our 6th anniversary (minus the girls)

-my mom and dad visit in july

-church family camp in tahoe for a week

-spokane and idaho visit with my entire family

so, i will try and post as many pictures i have time for (the girls are in their rooms now, but you never know when the quiet will end.

enjoy!

we're here

2009-08-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

just wanted to let you know that i am here and that we have been having a BLAST this summer. we got a new computer, so i am learning how to upload pictures and as soon as we get home from spokane this weekend, i plan to do some major blogging. we have been to tahoe, santa barbara, mendocino coast, and are now visiting my sister in spokane. looking forward to sharing our fun memories and pictures with you!

"fancy" kate

2009-06-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

anyone know who fancy nancy is? if so, this should remind you of her:)

sweet conversation

2009-06-10T20:27:00.001-07:00

today we spent some time in the car driving. as we were driving the girls were happily reading and singing to the music we had in the car. randomly kate started with this:
k: mommy, you're the greatest mommy.
me: what does mommy do to make you say that?
k: because you love me......SO MUCH!
it is times like this that i am thankful that i've hung in there, and not given up. being a mommy, especially one that stays home, is an exhausting, sometimes unappreciated, and (by the worlds standards) an unglamorous job. BUT, when my 3-year-old says something like this, i realize it is ALL worth it!

our little reader

2009-06-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

one of amelia's new favorite things to do is read. she will sit in either her chair or go into kate's room, get some books, then plop down and start reading. we love that both of our girls LOVE books.

we've been busy

2009-06-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

talk about starting the summer off with a bang. as soon as tim's family left, my family came in to town. amy and abby (my sister and niece) flew in from spokane for a week's stay with us. we had a blast doing fun things as well as just hanging around the house relaxing. after a few days, my parents drove up to join in on the fun. we took a trip to the zoo, picniced at the park, and did s'mores (a summer fav). i am so thankful for times spent with my family and miss them dearly. i so wish that we couild do these types of things more often, but am learning to treasure the times that we do have.

all seven

2009-05-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

it's not very often that all seven rollins' grandkids are together so we thought we'd try to capture a picture of them. this was about the best that our camera got.

amelia

2009-05-17T22:17:00.001-07:00

who would have thought that a one year old would want to be so much like her sister. i am constantly amazed at how much she strives to do what kate is doing, but also by how vastly different she is. for example, at train town, the little train take you for a ride, then stops at a "town" where you can get off and explore and also feed some farm animals. both times we've gone (this being the second) kate has had no interest in feeding the animals due to fear. amelia, on the other hand, walks right up to the HUGE sheep, sticks out her hand, and lets him eat right out of her hand without a second thought. amelia, also unlike kate, will climb on ANYTHING. she can get herself on almost any chair, bench, table, you name it. kate just doesn't have any interest in being high up. i'm just always so amazed at how different my girls are, but also think that it is so fun to see them starting to interact and wondering what they will be like in 5 years, and ten. what will they like, what will they dislike, who will be their friends? we haven't done anything differently with the two of them, and yet they are completely different. i guess it's God's way of making sure we trust instead of getting comfortable in what we are doing:) the picture of amelia dressing up was all her idea. she "asked" me to help her put the shoes on and would bring them to me if they fell off. i think we have another princess on our hands:) (please don't think we let her hang out like this all the time-it was 104 degrees at our house and she was hot).

train town

2009-05-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

this last week was busy, once again, trying to spend as much time with tim's brother and family as possible. we had the whole rollins crew over for dinner one night, then met everyone at train town in sonoma for a day of rides, trains, and a picnic in the park. here are a few pictures of the outings.

happy mother's day

2009-05-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

to all you hard-working mommies. i think it's the hardest job a woman could ever have, and i thankful that i have you all along for the support. happy mother's day!

(below is a picture of my birthday/mother's day present from tim-the umbrella, not the playhouse:)

fun-filled week

2009-05-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

we have had a busy week. andy and katie (tim's younger brother) and their boys spencer and parker flew in from n.c. last week to spend some time here with family. they are staying with family in napa, so every chance we have had, we've packed up the car and headed up to see them. this weekend was particularly busy with a "celebration of life" for spencer (most of you know that he has a serious heart condition that has almost killed him several time)-it was a great time to give glory to God for what he has done through this little guy. tim let me spend the day with his mom and my two sister's-in-law at a home and garden tour yesterday, then we had a graduation party last night. today was spent home with my sick kids playing in the backyard and riding our bikes to ice cream. all in all a great weekend (but boy, am i tired!). here are some pictures of the weekend.

more s'mores please

2009-04-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

this is what kate has said frequently since we starting talking about summer camping. every time we mention it, she asks if we can set up our tent and have people come with us so we can do s'mores. since it's not quite warm enough to camp, we decided to have s'mores when our friends came over on friday night. i think both kate and abigail thoroughly enjoyed it!

happy birthday boppa!

2009-04-24T15:29:00.000-07:00

dad-you're the greatest! we wish you a happy birthday and wish we were close enough to help you blow out your candles. know that we do love you and miss you on your special day! we could not ask for a better daddy or boppa-WE LOVE YOU!

fun at the park

2009-04-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

tonight we walked over to the park for just a few minutes. i think i captured a few cute pictures of the girls.

Happy Birthday Tim!

2009-04-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

today we celebrated tim's 35th birthday. it was a pretty low key day, but got to enjoy our favorite daddy & husband. tonight we had a quiet evening with tim's parents enjoying zachary's pizza and double chocolate cake (both of which were tim's request). kate loved helping mommy in the kitchen making the cake. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM!

easter

2009-04-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

we had a fun day yesterday. we went to an incredible easter service at our church in the morning, then headed up to napa to spend the day with 60 friends and family. it was a BEAUTIFUL day and we spent the entire time outside. we ate (& ate), decorated easter eggs, hunted the eggs, and just had a relaxing time. the girls had a great time running around grammie and grandpa's yard with cousins and friends. it was a great day to celebrate the life and hope that jesus gave when he died and rose again on that third day.

so cal trip

2009-04-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

today i returned from a fantastic trip down south to see family and friends. it was just the girls this time, but we had so much fun hanging out with my parents during my mom's spring break. we did a lot of stuff-kate got her first "real"pedicure, went to irvine park and did the easter egg hunt, train, and pony ride, went to newport beach, and just played in the backyard. i was able to celebrate my oldest friend juliana's 30th birthday, and see my girlfriend meg's new baby girl skyler. this trip was filled with many fun memories, but was also relaxing. i think it was the perfect getaway. oh, except for taking amelia on the airplane. can you say SCREAMING! oh well:)

oakland zoo

2009-03-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

today we spent the day at the oakland zoo. we have loved having passes, and the kiddos always love the time there. this was amelia's most "interactive" trip there. she seemed to love looking at them, and in her own language seemed to be telling us what she saw. she LOVED petting and brushing the goats, whereas kate has just seemed to warm up to doing it. it was fun spending the day with daddy, and it was a preview of weekends to come when we have the house finished (or nearly finished:). amelia ended up having a fever tonight, but otherwise it was a really fun day.

the floors

2009-03-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

for those of you who care (mostly my parents, i'm sure) here are some pictures of the floors tim put in. this is another HUGE thing that we were able to cross off our house project "to do" list. tim worked REALLY hard installing them with our neighbor and help from his dad and a friend. it took 6 really long, hard days of work to tear out the existing and install all new hardwood throughout the house. tim's back still hurts (he is almost 35 you know-getting old), but we LOVE the final result.

funny conversation

2009-03-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

kate and i had a funny conversation this evening. this is about how it went:
kate:"why are you making dinner for you and daddy?"
me: "because daddy and mommy are going to have a dinner date after you go to bed."
kate: "why?"
me: "because we like each other."
kate: "you love each other......and you spank each other."
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! what are we teaching our children. i sure hope that we have not scared her for life, and no, we do not spank each other in front of our kids. i'm so glad that she said this to me and not someone else. i guess we need to start being careful about what we say to one another in front of the kiddos. at least they know we love each other:)

baking together

2009-03-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

today kate and i made lemon bars together. sadly it was our first baking experience, mostly because i used to try and do most of my cooking & baking while the girls were napping. however, with kate not napping anymore, i am trying to use amelia's nap time to do "just kate" things. it's crazy how old she seems now that we have a one-year-old. she was able to scoop the dry ingredients, pour them into the bowl, and count the number of scoops of things. it was fun having her help me, and we didn't even make too much of a mess:) notice in the picture that she was "mixing" next to me with her own pink kitchenaid:) i'm glad my mom was (and is) such a great cook and was always in the kitchen. it's a fun thing that i love to do and hope that my girls will learn to love as well.

this week

2009-02-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

this week has been "normal". i am amazed how quickly the weeks go, and yet i can't seem to recall anything "BIG" that has happened. i am trying to enjoy my little girls more, which means being less concerned with a dirty house or laundrythat has piled up. with kate, we are working on having self-control. as i talk with her about what self-control is and what it looks like, i am convicted that it is something that, i too, need to work on. i am proud of her-this week she got 10 stickers for using self-control and we got to go to ice cream. it was fun for her and made me proud of how she is changing. it has also convinced me that i need a sticker chart too-maybe that would help me to remember to keep my mouth closed! we also got to go to cousin penelope's ballerina birthday party. kate had a blast and loved doing one of her favorite things-dressing up!

toilet paper fun

2009-02-19T13:11:00.001-08:00

so i realized this morning why we don't have any pets. all we need is little amelia to tear apart the toilet paper and it seems like we have a little animal in our house. it's a little weird how similar a one year old and a small animal really are-they have nasty poops, make a mess while eating, need to go for walks, need to have "play" time, make loud, ear-piercing noises, and are sweet, cuddly, and fun! next time kate says she wants a dog, i will remind her of the fact that we already have amelia:)

valentine's weekend

2009-02-17T19:48:00.001-08:00

we had a really fun and long weekend. my parents had a long weekend (friday and monday off) so they were able to come up to our house and play. they took our girls on a "date night" (to macdonalds-kate's fave!) so that tim & i could go out for valentine's day. we had a lovely dinner at il foranaio, then dessert at "the creamery"-our favorite ice cream parlor. on valentin'es day we celebrated with lots of food! we made a big breakfast and did our little gifts. in the evening i made dinner, then did chocolate fondue for dessert. kate thought this was the best ever! on saturday the guys (including tim's dad) did crown molding in the kitchen and on monday finished in the master bedroom/office. it looks great and is another big thing crossed off the never-ending "to do" list. we had so much fun, and the girls absolutely adore their grammie and boppa. by the way, my dad loves "guitar hero" and thinks he is the next american idol. sorry dad, but you KNOW it's true:)

date with kate

2009-02-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

last night tim took kate on their first daddy/daughter date. they went to the old spaghetti factory. kate was so excited all week long, and asked me several times each day if it was the day of the date. we made the decision to start a regular date night since tim is now gone long hours with work. he commutes 3-4 hours a day in the car on the days that he is not traveling (which he is doing more of these days). it's been hard, but we are trying to make more of the time we have together. is was also fun that i had an hour or so alone with amelia. it reminded me of the time when we only had kate. i'm thankful that my girls have such a sweet & thoughtful daddy. the other picture is of kate playing "Cinderella". she was getting ready for bed, but wanted to squeeze in one more dress-up opportunity. it seems to be a favorite these days.

last week...

2009-02-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

was kinda quiet. we didn't have much planned, which turned out to be a good thing. amelia got sick with a fever (who knows if it's related to teeth or actual illness), so we just stayed close to home. we went to the park a bunch, dressed up (not me, but the girls:), and just hung out. it was nice to just have fun, and not have anywhere to be. for me, this is a constant challenge-planning enough to stayed busy and the kids entertained, but not so busy that we're always late somewhere. here are a few random pictures including shower time (now a favorite for BOTH girls-they must be tim's) and amelia's first dress-up experience.

also, i wanted to comment on amelia. our brilliant little child is now signing "all done, drink, & please". she also has ferocious temper tantrums when she doesn't get her way. she must be mine!

traveling girl

2009-02-03T17:39:00.001-08:00

today tim left for a business trip, and amelia decided she wanted to go with him. too bad he couldn't take her with him. (by the way, i know we should always put her in pink since she looks like a boy in yellow).

college friends

2009-01-23T14:58:00.000-08:00

today the girls and i ventured over to petaluma where two of my collge friends and roommates, nina and vanessa, now live. the sad thing is that we haven't seen each other for 5 years, but the good thing is that it seemed like just a few months. i am so thankful for the friendships that pick up easily where they left off, and these happen to be some of those. the fun part is that we now have 4 kiddos between us-how fun it is to see our kids play together! thanks for having us to your houses and for the fun conversation and catch-up. we can't wait to do it again! here is a picture of our kids-finn (vanessa & brian's), wes (chris & nina's), and of course, amelia, and kate.

fun outside

2009-01-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

with the weather being so nice, i've been trying to take advantage of being outside as much as possible. i realize how much amelia is loving being outside too. if kate is outside, she stands at the screen door and cries until someone let's her out. i realize this picture is awful in quality, but wanted to show you how they were playing together in their little house. we've waited so long to see this happen.

thumb-sucking hints

2009-01-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

like i said in an earlier post, we are working on getting kate to stop the habit of thumb-sucking. she seemed pretty gung-ho about it at first, but it seems like she is reverting a bit. she is pretty good about it during the day, but at night or nap when she is really tired, so does it automatically. i tried the nail-biking polish, but that doens't help at all. do you have any ideas or things that have worked for you? i have no idea what will remind her while she is sleeping. PLEASE HELP!!!

then and now...

2009-01-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

today is amelia's first birthday. as i reflect on the past year, i really cannot imagine our family without her. she is the happiest baby, with the sweetest personality. from day one, she has been go-with-the-flow and always very smiley. it's fun to see the relationship between her & big sister kate. she seems to adore kate and is starting to want to be involved in whatever kate is doing. we look forward to anther year with our sweet amelia.

happy birthday amelia

2009-01-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

on saturday we celebrated amelia's 1st birthday (her actual birthday is on tuesday) with tim's family in napa. it was a fun time to be with family, and i think the birthday girl is a party girl! my mom was here for the week, so it was nice to have her help and her company.

kate's dentist appt

2009-01-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

on thursday i took kate to her first dentist appointment. i realize that it's something i have been putting off, and since my mom was here to watch amelia i decided now was just a good a time as ever. i tried to pump it up and make it seem like a really cool thing that we got to do, just her and me. she seemed excited, and when we got there, the office staff proved to be amazing. it was like we were at a birthday party-she had a bag FULL of treats. she got stickers, pencils, a tatoo, princess toothbrush, and a really ugly plastic finger (like the kind you see around halloween). the funny thing, and why i write this post is the result of the visit. she heard me talking with the dentist about the need to quit her thumb-sucking(she now needs orthodontic work because of it), and has since quit the habit entirely on her own. after walking out of the office she has not sucked her thumb once. talk about a 3-year-old having self will. she just keeps saying, "i really want to suck my thumb, but the dentist says i can't". so, we haven't had to try any of the things we were anticipating to help her stop. we think that it's so funny that she totally quit all by herself. i wish that i could just will myself to do or not do the things that i should.

more pictures

2009-01-05T13:57:00.001-08:00

i forgot to mention that amelia is starting to walk. we also discovered that she REALLY does not like sand. sorry about the naked picture-i thought it was adorable. this is her version of a patutty run (kate runs naked through the house after time. hopefully you don't think we're weird:)

we're back

2009-01-05T13:48:00.001-08:00

we had such a fun time down at my parents for christmas. besides some travel issues and a slight bout of pneumonia for my niece, we had a really good trip. we spent 8 days hanging out as a family. amy, kelly, & abby flew from wa, and we drove down. we were able to see lots of extended family, as well as good friends. we celebrated amelia's 1st (how did it happen that she is one already), went to knott's berry farm, spent a morning down at newport beach, and played guitar hero (my dad seems to think he's the next big rock star:). we drove all day on new year's eve and ended up in napa with tim's family. we played more games, ate more food, and were pretty lazy. what a fun trip! we definitely didn't waste time getting back into the daily routine. tim left for chicago this morning for the week and amelia landed a slight ear infection and pink eye. oh well-we still had a blast!

we're off...

2008-12-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

as we get ready to pack up the mule (or subaru in this case) on our way down south tomorrow, i have been pondering the events of this last year. i think that it has been the fastest year of my life, and quite possibly the most difficult (actually, i am positive of that). here are some of the memories that stick out from 2008.
1. the quick, hard, and amazing birth of amelia paige
2. adjusting to life with a newborn and a 2 year old (who thought that she ran the house)
3. cooking WITHOUT a kitchen for 6 months
4. potty training (do i need to say more:)
5. sweet smiles from my little melia
6. kate developing into a kind, sweet friend and sister (we are definitely still in progress here:)
7. maui vacation with tim and kate
8. my husband loving me despite my many failures
9. God's graciousness to me during a trying year
10. many moments spent laughing
these are just a few of the things that come to mind when i think of this past year for me and my family. i am glad for many reasons that this year is coming to a close and that i have a fresh new year to look forward to. but i also see this last year as one that God gave me to change many things in me. i hope that i am a better wife, mommy, friend, daughter, and sister because of the experiences that were apart of 2008. merry christmas and happy new year!

christmas #1

2008-12-20T20:40:00.000-08:00

today we celebrated our christmas with tim's family. my sister-in-law jeanene did a fabulous brunch for 14 of us. i made homemade cinnamon rolls (a roth family tradition) and she did everything else. it was fun to be together today since we are heading down south for christmas with my family in just a few days. we were together all day-we opened presents, played games, went out for a walk, & then out to see some amazing neighborhood lights. what a fun day! i am so incredibly blessed to have married into an awesome family.

the nutcracker

2008-12-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

a few weeks ago tim, kate, & i went to the nutcracker with tim's mom, sister jeanene and 2 of her kiddos. we took tim's aunt for her birthday, so it was a fun birthday/christmas event. it was a matinee, so thankfully the audience was ful of young families. kate thought it was a blast until the lights went down and large rats started dancing around the stage. she loved the ballerinas and their costumes, but cried when the king rat was killed by the toy soldier. it was really funny to us, but she was clearly tramatized. she still talks about that part of the ballet.

the job of a mommy

2008-12-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

so, as i'm cleaning up lunch today, i look over to find amelia eating something off the floor. this is not uncommon, but i had just cleaned the floor so i looked a little closer. actually, it was the smell that caught my nose. it didn't take long to realize that poop had literally spilled out of her pants onto the floor and she was eating it. YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so, where do you start the clean up?????? i rinsed her mouth out as best i could, removed her from the poop pile, stripped her down, bathed her, and started ANOTHER load of laundry (i had just finished all the laundry yesterday:) and we wonder why it is that we mommies seem to get nothing done during the day. this is a tribute to all you other mommies out there that are cleaning up messes all day long too.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

2008-12-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

the weather has changed, the lights are up, the tree is decorated and the cookies have been baked (and eaten). this weekend we did it all- i was thinking that we wouldn't do everything this year since we are not hosting anything and are traveling down south for christmas. BUT, when i really thought about not having a tree up and decorations around the house it made me sad. so, we did it and i love it. i love the smell of a fresh tree and wreath, and the girls are loving the oraments and decor. we are hoping that amelia doesn't pull the tree down on herself:) since most of you won't be here to see our house, here are some pictures of what it looks like.

amelia

2008-12-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

this is what we get to clean up after every meal. this girl like to eat!

cabin fever

2008-12-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

i'm sure that any other mother can relate. we have been sick for 3 weeks straight. first kate, then amelia, then me, then amelia, and now kate again. this week illness is inhabiting kate and has been miserable. today was her second day with a fever, which means we can't be around anyone. we have missed a birthday party, bible study, music class, & friends coming over. i'm trying to rejoice in "ALL" things, but am finding it hard. all i want to do is get together with friends and hang out, go to target, etc. instead, we are hanging out at our house. i have cabin fever. we did sneak out to the park for a little fresh air today which was nice.

Thanksgiving weekend

2008-12-01T09:35:00.001-08:00

we had a really nice time away for the thanksgiving holiday. we went to tim's parents in napa tuesday through saturday. it was nice having lazy mornings in our pajamas, playing games, watching movies, and just relaxing. the girls had fun playing with their friends and cousins, and we even spent a day up valley taking pictures for our christmas card ( i won't spoil the surprise since you'll be getting a card in the mail soon:). we have so much to be thankful for-our home, tim's job, our two precious little girls, our health, our families, but most of all God's sovereign and abundant grace that he gives us every morning. we hope that you had a wonderful thanksgiving as well and were able to reflect on all that you are thankful for!

2008-11-19T12:48:00.000-08:00

some days i wonder why i can't seem to accomplish anything!

more parties!

2008-11-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

last weekend was filled with more parties. it's a wonder that kate is already talking about her next birthday. we celebrated her birthday AGAIN with my parents and tim's extended family. we had 45 people crammed into our little house, but kate thought it was great that an entire choir sang her "happy birthday". we also had the chance to dedicate amelia to the Lord at church-it was special having both sets of grandparents, tim's aunt (nonie), and tim's sister, jeanene and her family there. we are blessed to have wonderful families!

here's a picture of kate enjoying her new pink bike from boppa and grammie.

random pictures

2008-11-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

here are some random pictures from the last few days. this week has been spent at home, getting ready for my parent's visit. they are coming to celebrate kate's birthday (you can never have enought parties, right?) and amelia's dedication at church. kate continues to amaze us with the way she thinks and expresses herself (i can't believe she's only 3!) and amelia's new quest is to stand up holding onto whatever she can find. it's fun to see how things change in just a few weeks time.

rainy morning concert

2008-11-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

we woke up this morning to rain, so instead of going for a walk, we decided to hang around in our pajamas (something we rarely do anymore). kate got her new microphone out and gave me a mini concert on the hearth. i can't wait to see her on a stage somewhere in 20 years or so.

tagged again

2008-11-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

i was tagged again by cousin megan. i am supposed to explain the picture from the 6th folder, then the 6th picture from "my pictures". i have mine set up differently too, so i went to the 6th year, then the six month, then the 6th date, then the 6th picture (are you confused yet?). so, here's the picture. it's nothing too exciting. it's kate sitting on our back patio-i was trying to get a picture of her BIG front teeth. she was 8 months old.

i'm not sure how i'm supposed to pick the next person, so i'll just tag my sister. go for it amy!

2008-11-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

i've been tagged by my friend juliana. i am supposed to say 7 random things about myself:

1. i am in a supper swapping group. each week, 4 of my friends and i each make 4 meals (for 4 families), get together at the beginning of the week, swap the meals, then have 4 different meals (including the one i made). all of my cooking and grocery shopping is done for the week at the beginning of the week. with two little kiddos, this has been a lifesaver!

2. i would much rather have chewy candy over chocolate.

3. i love taking a nap on a dreary, rainy day (like i did today).

4. i have an obsession with shoes. currently they are piled on the closet floor in kate's room since we haven't finished the closet in our room.

5. tim and i love running with the girls in the double jogger. we see what we can do more of: actual running or fixing blankies, getting books, getting snacks, giving a water cup, taking the water cup away, stopping to look at the ducks, picking up the toy that fell on the ground, etc.

6. i love to bake and cook. this is something i didn't realize i enjoyed so much until i didn't have time to do it. every chance i get i do it, but those chances seem few and very far between.

7.i love the quiet that nap time brings. it's the only quiet in our house from 7am-8pm. it's when i get most things done- cleaning, blogging, cooking, phone calls, showering (i know it's gross, but it's the truth:). anyway, sometimes it seems too quiet, but most days it's a nice sound.

amelia

2008-11-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

we're still trying to figure out why amelia is topping the charts with her weight:)

Kate's birthday party & halloween

2008-11-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

we celebrated kate's 3rd birthday yesterday on halloween. her birthday was last sunday, but since we were out of town, we did her party yesterday instead. it was fun having all the kids dress up and having a carnival theme, complete with bean bag toss, face painting, and a jumpy house. kate had a blast and is already talking about her next party:) after napping, we changes costumes and went trick-or-treating with jeanene and tim and their kids. kate loves being with her cousins, so it was a bonus that they got to be dressed up and collect candy. she quickly got the hang of the door-knocking and saying "trick-or-treat".

More maui pictures

2008-10-27T16:11:00.001-07:00

tim and i had the most AMAZING dinner. we ate at mama's fish house. since we went with friends, we swapped babysitting so that we could have a quiet dinner to ourselves. it was by far one of the best meals we've ever had. the setting was just beautiful and the food to die for. i would highly recommend it if you ever find yourself on maui.

Maui

2008-10-27T15:59:00.000-07:00

if you've been wondering where we were, we just returned from an amazing trip to maui. tim, kate, and i went to the island with our good friends the jensens. we decided to leave melia at home with grammie and grampa since she was starting to scoot, needs her naps, and would probably spend most of the time eating sand. it was fun to have a little break from the schedule, but she decided that she would learn to crawl while we were away (she also learned a very loud, high pitched scream that could blow your ear drums). anyway, we had a great time and we thinkg kate loved having mommy and daddy all to herself. she loved picking the beautiful flowers, wading in the pools and even went down the slide with me (we had to bribe her with ice cream:) we were ready to come home, but think that this was one of our best trips ever. we can't wait to go back!

backpacking

2008-10-15T16:21:00.001-07:00

tim had the chance to go backpacking with some guys from church this last weekend. it was a fun time for him to get away & have boy time, while i spent the weekend "relaxing" with the girls up in napa at tim's parent's house. of all people, tim definitely deserves to get away every once in a while.

pumpkin patch

2008-10-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

on friday, shelly, christy and i went to the pumpkin patch with our kids. it was fun to be there and the weather actually felt like fall, which was a fun change. i'll include a picture of kate "talking" on her phone, which she did almost the whole time we were there. (thankfully i DON'T like talking on the phone, so she hasn't learned it from me:)

House projects

2008-10-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

it's hard to believe that we are 7 months into our house project(s). we are really starting to see that the end is in sight but still have the hardwood floors to redo as well as the finish work throughout the house (baseboard, crown moulding, etc.) we are both SO ready to have this behind us and can't wait to see the final result. i am at least back to cooking in the kitchen and the bathroom is totally usable (amen to having 2 bathrooms again:) here are some pictures.

happy 60th mom!

2008-09-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

so, for the second weekend in a row, i was able to be out of town. this time it was for my mom's 60th. my sister and i surprised her with a weekend in san francisco, just the girls (well, the big girls). my dad graciously booked us a weekend at the hyatt at the embarcadero, and we had spectacular views of the ferry building and the bay. the weather was incredible. we treated mom to a facial, went to a matinee, then ate at houston's for dinner. we also shopped in union square-what a fun weekend away!

girls weekend away

2008-09-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

this last weekend, i was able to get away to napa for 4 days with my best friends. these are the girls that were my bridesmaids and whom i've known as long as preschool and gradeschool. we rented a house in downtown napa, then spent the next few days in napa, st. helena, and calistoga. we wine-tasted at v. sattui winery and sterling winery in calistoga. we even went to a cooking demonstration at the culinary institute, then at dinner there. we all agreed that the food was some of the best we'd ever eaten. it was so nice to be away, especially with friends i get to see only a few times a year. i'm also thankful to tim (and grammie and grampa) for taking good care of the girls while i was away.

kitchen update

2008-09-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

so, many of you have probably forgotten that we are remodeling our kitchen. yes, 6 months later we are still in the process. thankfully, as of tonight, we have our glass plates, glasses, and bowls in the cupboard. tim has been working endlessly building our cabinets, which have proved to be a little more intensive and time consuming than originally planned, but they look awesome. the last thing to do for those is to build the drawers, then we can officially move back into the kitchen. here are some updated pictures.

bath time fun

2008-09-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

tonight the girls had so much fun playing in the the tub-i had to go and grab the camera (don't tell anyone that i did that:)

teeth

2008-09-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

i'm posting this so that you can see the cute picture of amelia that i got, but also to show you the new teeth that have just arrived. she now has a total of 6!

swinging at "our" park

2008-09-08T21:38:00.001-07:00

who would have known that 5 years ago, when tim and i purchased our house, we would frequent "our" park day after day. like i referenced, kate calls this "our" park because we walk to it, or run through it almost every day. tim and i, pre-kids, could have cared less about having a park so close, but know now that this will be something we look for in every house we buy. it's so fun to see the girls swinging side by side now that melia is old enough to swing too. tim met us there after work (no, that is not his normal "park" attire:)

puffs

2008-08-30T19:18:00.001-07:00

you know, the barely flavored, air-like things that babies love to feed themselves. we have just discovered that amelia (& kate) love them and that she loves to feed herself. this works in our favor during meals, when she's in the stroller and just when we're bored. i hope we're not teaching her to be a snacker, but they sure keep her happy (& her thighs can vouch for that:)

fun weekend

2008-08-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

we had a fun weekend. it all started with taking kate to build-a-bear. she worked very hard at pooping in the potty and was rewarded with stickers and ultimately a kitty she built and named "cupcake". it funny to see how proud she is of her kitty and it's fun to see where she's come with potty-training over the last few months. friday night we went to marine world as a family, then welcomed my parents for a quick weekend visit. we enjoyed yesterday at the oakland zoo. this is what summer weekends are all about!

it's been a while

2008-08-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

it's been a while since i last wrote. the girls and i just returned from a fantastic visit with my sister and her family in spokane, wa. we had tons of fun-especially being able to celebrate abby's 3rd birthday with her. we did lots of fun things-reading hour at the library, lots of pool and sprinkler playing and a fun drive up to coeur d'alene, idaho for dinner on abby's birthday. it was hot, but the girls and i had so much fun being with family. by the way, tim was having his own fun backpacking in yosemite with his buddies:) here are some pictures of our trip.

fun weekend

2008-08-10T16:34:00.001-07:00

this weekend we had a blast up in placerville, ca at tim's cousin's wedding. the girls did great despite no naps, and kate loved dancing at the reception. she was so tired she was literally asleep in the car in about 3 minutes. we also FINALLY got a cute picture of the two of them.

bath time

2008-08-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

last night was the girls first bath together. it was a little hectic as amelia is not yet sitting on her own. it was actually more like a slip and slide, but kate loved the company. i imagine that this is going to be a fun activity every day in the future. kate didn't get why amelia could splash and she wasn't allowed to, another thing that is hard to explain to a two-year-old.

fire house tour

2008-07-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

today a friend of ours gave us a tour of the fire house in martinez. he walked us through the house, then let all the kids take a seat in the driver's seat. kate thought it was great fun, but was a little apprehensive when it came to be her turn to take a picture so i joined her.

sunday at the park

2008-07-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

after we all took naps today we headed over to the park to fly tim's kite. it is been a little windy here, so we decided we'd have a good chance of getting it in the air. the funny thing is that every time we pack the horse (or our double jogger) with snacks, kites, kids, cameras, blankies, etc. the wind dies down and the kite won't stay in the air. oh well, kate thinks it's a blast to help daddy and chase the kite around.

one of those days...

2008-07-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

most of you probably know what i am going to write, especially if you have kids. the morning started out great. we went to the park with some friends and came home for nap. amelia was kinda fussy, conmpare to her normally smiley self, but other than that, things were fine. after nap was a little different. first kate woke up-CRABBY is the only word i can use to describe her. amelia then woke up FUSSY. oh, and did i mention that tim is out of town???? we proceeded to spend the next 1.5 hours sitting on the potty (kate that is) while i was on a stool in front of her reading book after book after book, while holding a SCREAMING amelia. after that long, we finally had success going #2. that means that we have gone 3 times in the potty and have had not an accident in almost one week. YEAH! so, i guess this post is to express my gratefulness that both girls are now in bed, tim is on his way home, and that we have poop where it should be-the toilet!

for those of you who care...

2008-07-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

amelia turned 6 months old this week. we can hardly believe how fast the time has flown by. she is 15#, starting to eat solids, and is the happiest baby i have ever come in contact with. she LOVES kate (i think even more than me :), sleeps great, and is all smiles. we are so thankful that God gave us her to raise.

we love the zoo!

2008-07-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

today was a fun day spent at the oakland zoo. we went with a bunch of moms & kids from church. kate had a blast with her friends-it is so much fun to see them starting to interact and play more together and have conversation amongst themselves.

house projects

2008-07-13T21:03:00.001-07:00

while we were gone camping this weekend, our bathroom tiling project began. the tiler got the walls for the shower done and will come back tomorrow to complete the shower floor as well as the bathroom floor. we are so close we can almost taste it!

it's been a while...

2008-07-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

for those of you who do read this, it's been a while since i've written. we've been busy and mostly out of town. for the 4th of july, we were up with tim's family in napa. tradition is to watch the fireworks at the country club on the 3rd, then hang out at his grandparents on the 4th. it was a blast eating, playing volleyball, and relaxing. as soon as we got home from that, we packed our camping gear and headed to the sonoma coast for our annual trip with tim's parents and his sister's family. the girls did great-our first camping trip with two. we had tons of fun at the beach and the weather couldn't have been better. kate loved the beach this year (she was afraid last year) and had fun getting sandy with her cousins. call us crazy, but we leave for santa cruz tomorrow to go camping again. i guess this is what summer is all about.

tahoe

2008-06-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

we just arrived home from a week with my parents. they let us "intrude" (my words, not theirs) on their vacation to the north shore of tahoe. the girls and i went tuesday, then tim flew up to meet us there on thursday. it was a fun few days filled with naps, laughs, games and lots of sun at the pool and beach (not to mention smoke from all the california fires). kate loved the pool and beach and it was fun to see her interact with her grammie and boppa with LOTS of conversation. amelia was fun just to have around, as always. my parents let us slip away for a nice dinner on the lake in celebration of our 5th wedding anniversary. all in all a great trip. thanks again mom and dad!

busy weekend

2008-06-15T21:04:00.001-07:00

it has been a vusy weekend. as you know ( everyone who reads this,at least) knows that we started potty training kate on thursday. by nap time that day, i was exhausted and ready to throw in the towel. we pressed on though, and i am so glad we did. by friday she only had a few accidents and was loving the m&m prize for going in the potty. saturday we threw a bridal shower at tim's parents house, so it was hectic, but she only had one accident, was dry during her nap, and pooped in her panties for the first time. last night she was dry all through the night and did lots of pee-pees on the potty. SO, we are still far from being totally panty proof, but i am greatly encouarged to keep on and know that she is ready. thanks for all your advice and prayers. here are some pics from our busy weekend. oh, and tim was home working endlesly on the kitchen cabinets while the floor was being installed. we are so close!!!!

potty training

2008-06-12T14:34:00.000-07:00

so, today we are embarking on a new journey-potty training. i would love any advice of things that work with your kids, and am trying to be patient and kind to my little one. she loves the idea of princess panties, and even more the idea of getting m&ms when she tinkles, but hasn't actually gone in the potty. i know it's only been a few hours, but i sure hope that this is not an indication of how it's going to go. please feel free to post any ideas that might work.

something i love...

2008-06-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

PEACE & QUIET! it seems like our house is always bustling, but as i write it is totally quiet and has been for 3 hours. yes, 3 LONG HOURS. this never happens. it's amazing the quiet that can seem deafening. and as i write, wouldn't you know it, i hear not one, but both of my girls. oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

ballet recital

2008-06-07T16:37:00.000-07:00

today was kate's first ballet recital. we really weren't sure whether or not she would actually perform, but when the curtain lifted, she was all business. it was histerical to watch the kids-one of the girls cried the whole time, some did every move, and some, like kate watched the others around them and did as they did. i think it helped having her cousin, penelope, standing next to her and doing ALL the moves. we think we have a little princess on our hands!

our smiley one

2008-06-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

many people who spend any time at all with our family ask us the same question; "does amelia ever cry?" and the answer is no! she is the sweetest, happiest baby! she is becoming her own little person and brings so many smiles to all of us. she has two little teeth (yep, she got them at 3 1/2 months), is rolling over, sucks her thumb like her big sis, and is starting to giggle outloud, it's so fun to see that she is developing into her own little person.

sisters

2008-06-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

i'm sure that anyone who has ever tried to get pictures of children can understand this:i NEVER get a cute shot of both the girls. one is smiling while the other is sad, one is looking away while the other is looking at the camera, or one looks weird while the other has a cute expression. here is my attempt at getting a cute picture of the girls in their matching green dresses. also, i want you to see the smile on amelia's face at kate-she LOVES her and many times smiles just like that at her big sis:>)

picnic

2008-06-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

today we decided to picnic in the backyard for lunch. i so enjoy just being able to open the back door and find a beautiful garden and lawn. kate loves being out there, and amelia seems to like it too.

so cal trip

2008-05-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

yes, we made ANOTHER southern california trip this last weekend. it helps that we have family down there, but tim's cousin graduated from biola, so his entire family headed down for a long weekend of disneyland fun. we had a blast seeing our friends the andersons, going to disneyland (of course), and walking around balboa with tim's parents and sister's family. we discovered that amelia is not yet a road warrior, but we had fun, none the less. kate experienced her first ride on dumbo (we were pleasantly surprised that she liked it:), her first corndog at the funzone on balboa, and did awesome on the long car trips. she's getting so old and grown up (as much as a 2-year-old can be).

my sweeties

2008-05-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

kate LOVES to be the big sister. here she is posing for the camera.

spencer

2008-05-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

i know that some of you are praying for our nephew spencer and want to stay updated on his progress. i thought that it would be easy to update you on all that is happening, but his situation is still critical and lots changes every day. if you are interested in staying connected with what's going on, and want to know how to pray specifically, you can go to his website. it's carepages.com and the keyword is spencerlewis. thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

crazy hair contest

2008-05-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

my mom sent me a link to a contest that disney is holding. the winner of the best "crazy bed hair" wins $5,000, so i thought i'd give it a shot. i think that we might have a chance with our little kate-kate. the sad thing is is that this is her "normal" hair in the morning, so you can understand why i am so proud of myself for getting her hair in piggies (let alone getting an active 2-year-old to sit still long enough:)

happy mother's day!

2008-05-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

Happy mother's day to all the mommies who read this. isn't being a mommy the hardest, yet sweetest job there ever was. i hope that this day you feel appreciated and loved. i am spending mine on the couch with the flu-oh well:)

another spencer update

2008-05-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

a lot has happened since i last wrote. spencer went in for emergency surgery wedensday to replace the valve in his heart because his ventricle decided that it didn't want to pump like it should. his kidneys and liver were failing, so the doctors saw this as their only option. he is now making urine, which is a sign that his kidneys are kicking back in, and the doctors are just trying to keep him stable. please continue to pray for little spencer-he truly is a fighter and we are so looking forward to the story he might share one day. he is truly a MIRACLE! thanks God that you have spared him thus far!

update on spencer

2008-05-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

thank you to all of you who were praying for spencer. we have just recently heard that the surgery was a success. the surgeons were able to use spencer's own tissue to repair his leaky valve, with only mild regurgitation as a result. they are pleased with this. they also successfully completed the fontan surgery and are now letting spencer rest. he will remain on the ventilator tonight, but everything else looks good so far. we will be continuing to pray for quick healing, no infection, wonderful caring nurses and other staff, as well as comfort for little spencer. i will continue to update as i know more.

the rollins family

art class

ready for make-up

40th anniversary

fun in the sun

you know your kids are tired when...

wet blankie

last but not least

summer top 10

even more still...

more pictures

finally!

we're here

"fancy" kate

sweet conversation

our little reader

we've been busy

all seven

amelia

train town

happy mother's day

fun-filled week

more s'mores please

happy birthday boppa!

fun at the park

Happy Birthday Tim!

easter

more pics-see post below

so cal trip

oakland zoo

the floors

funny conversation

baking together

this week

toilet paper fun

valentine's weekend

date with kate

last week...

traveling girl

college friends

fun outside

thumb-sucking hints

then and now...

happy birthday amelia

kate's dentist appt

more pictures

we're back

we're off...

christmas #1

the nutcracker

the job of a mommy

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

amelia

cabin fever

Thanksgiving weekend

more parties!

random pictures

rainy morning concert

tagged again

amelia

Kate's birthday party & halloween

More maui pictures

Maui

backpacking

pumpkin patch

House projects

happy 60th mom!

girls weekend away

kitchen update

bath time fun

teeth

swinging at "our" park

puffs

fun weekend

it's been a while

fun weekend

bath time

fire house tour

sunday at the park

one of those days...