And Then There Were 21...

My sister Heather just had her fourth. His name is Christian Armstrong Lambert, and he came in weighing a whopping 9lbs. 4oz. He is the 21st grandchild on my side of the family. My sister and her husband are more private people so I won't be posting a pic of him on here, but this is the gift I made for her. It is a first for me. I am not really sure what to call it but I decided to go with the car seat tent! Nice! Anyways, for someone who has everything by the fourth child, she didn't have this and I have been wanting to sew something with pom pom trim for over a year now. Well, I finally got my chance and if you want to see the entire "How to" as in how to make one yourself, I posted all the pics and directions on my Stampin' Up! Blog. Congrats Heather and Steve!

Friends with Benefits...

Zach and Kate went to their first Blazer game last week. And thanks to an invite from our neighbor, Margie, experienced their first NBA game in style, with a box suite. It's nice to be spoiled every once and awhile. This was no exception with the endless amounts of food and drinks, bathroom on site, and the ability to play musical chairs. I have to admit as much as it was nice for the kids, it felt even better for Justin and me. But, now how are we ever going to want to go to a game again unless it is in a box suite? As Grandma RaeLynn would say "Why take the covered wagon, when you can take the cadillac?" We had a great time. It was worth keeping the kids up past their bedtime, on a school night, to have such a fun night out.

Kate' First Talk...

Or should I say Justin's? It is still hard to believe that Kate is a sunbeam now. But sure enough just shy of being two months out of the gate, she gets an assignment to talk in Primary. We practiced for a week, not lying! A week because if she is anything like her momma, she was sure to cry through the entire talk and have her dad end up giving the talk. We practiced and practiced and performed it for Grandma, Dad and Zach. She even got to the point where she had some of it memorized. But of course in the end, her name was called to give the talk, and just with the call of her name she broke down in tears. She wouldn't even hold up the props. Justin ended up giving the talk. Maybe next time, things will be different. But then again, if she is like me, she won't dare give a talk until she turns 16! Why is giving a talk so scary?

Here she is all gussied up, and ready to give her talk a go. I sent her off to church(I had to stay home with Zach, who had a case of the Stomach flu), with high hopes that all would go well. Well it didn't but get this...later that day, 2 hours after she had been home from church, Justin asked her that if mommy had been there to help her, would she have given her talk? She said yes. Great! But then again, she talks a big talk. Just like when I know she has been into something she shouldn't be and I ask her if she has done it?...She blames her baby.

It Finally Snowed...

And more than 2 inches this past Tuesday! The snow didn't really start falling until Zach was off to school, and melted shortly after he came home, so he didn't really get to enjoy it. But Kate and I did! We had so a fun morning building a snowman and trying out the new sled Santa brought for Christmas.


Kate has been quite the little entertainer lately. She is especially into music and dancing.

My Funny Little Valentine...

Well not really mine, as in my own child, but a funny little girl in Zach's class.

Here is the preface...
All the kids in Zach's class had just finished eating their treats from their little party, and his teacher, Mr. McBeth, had them all seated on the carpet to discuss what traditions their family had on Valentine's Day, or what was their family going to do special today, in honor of Valentine's Day.

Here's where it gets good...
The kids talked about going out to eat, or making sandwiches in the shape of a heart, etc. when suddenly one little girl, raised her hand, and said, "My mom and dad are going to have sex!"

We(all the adults in the room) were dying!!! Mr. McBeth chuckled, I busted up laughing, and her poor mom in the back of the room was in denial. Luckily, none of the kids caught on to what she had said, but I tell you, kids say the darnedest things!

Happy Valentine's Day!

On Two Wheels...

The cold wintery month of January seems to be to most unlikely month to learn how to ride a bike, but not for Zach.

Fortunately, we have been having some unusually great weather for January here in Portland. So a couple of weeks ago the kids and I were outside shooting some hoops and Kate was riding Zach's old bike. I decided to grab his big boy bike that he refused to learn how to ride this past summer, and began riding circles around him as he was shooting hoops. I teased him a little about how I could ride his bike and he couldn't, in a nice mommy way of course. But then I thought about it and started to ask him if he wanted to try to ride it. I tried to make him feel confident that he wouldn't get hurt because he could touch the ground without falling over because he has grown a few inches. My teasing payed off because although very nervous, five minutes into his attempt to ride a two wheeler, he became a "pro", as he described his new found skill.

I am so proud of him. And more importantly he is so proud of himself. He has become more daring since he learned two weeks ago, and is now picking up more speed and attempting to stand up on the pedals.

On to Basketball...

Zach is taking a little break from soccer and is now into basketball, and loving it! Saturday was his first game. He had Justin up at 8am for a little early morning practice just to make sure he was ready. But even at 7am he had gotten completely dressed, and had his basketball in his backpack and was pacing with excitement. The pacing reminds me so much of when Justin and I were first married. Before all of Justin's BYU soccer games, he was dressed and ready to go two hours before he had to be there and would be pacing our little 600 sq. ft. apartment. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. Zach had a successful first game and even scored a basket, but of course I didn't get it on tape.

Here's a few highlights...

And a Month Later...

I am finally getting around to Christmas! So I will keep this short and sweet. We had a great Christmas this year. And as every year goes, it came and went all too quickly! Zach was especially excited for the gifts portion of the festivities this year, no matter how many times we tried to remind him the real reason for the season. The big hits this year were the clone trooper costume, plasma cars and the homemade quilts from Grandma RaeLynn.

It is always fun to see who will be in town for Christmas every year, and this year Casey and his family decided to come into town. As much as it is crazy when all the cousins get together, it is also a fun time. Zach loves having so many cousins around and seems to disappear for hours playing when they are all around. We are hoping Kate learns to do the same but she is very much into her territorial stage of life, and likes to make what is hers known, in her ever so sweet and sassy ways to boot.

All in all it was a nice Christmas. My mom and siblings made some yummy food, and we had an over abundance of kids to role play in our annual nativity. Snow would have been nice, but then again we weren't freezing. Next year I am hoping to be more prepared so it won't go by so fast. SO much for short and sweet huh?

Let's Go Oregon...

After Zach's basketball practice on Saturday, we stopped by Krispy Kreme for a little doughnut love and look what we found! Aren't these the cutest little snowmen, all decked out for the Oregon game?

University of Oregon has had an amazing season. I know this not because I have watched every game, but because of the loyal fans around these parts who wear their yellow and green like its going out of style. I have to say it is fun to be surrounded by all the hype and its hard not to want to jump on the bandwagon. Although we will always bleed white and blue, for today let's go Ducks!

Oh and Amy that maple bar is just for you! YUM

Our New Cousin Anderson...

It has already been a month, and I finally got a few pics of this big guy with the kids. For some reason they won't hold him, but they love to look at at him and tell the grown-ups around what he is doing and thinking. He is a sweet baby and we are excited to have a new cousin to play with. Congrats Paige and Patrick!