ps

i wish i could say that these pictures show a result of several children below the age of 2 ransacking my once serene existence. in all actuality, however, this is apparently what your house looks like on mornings when your child wakes up at 6:30 with nowhere to go.

poor little dude...

so the weather here in the lovely "lilac city" has been less than cooperative for little boys that desire to frolic away their boundless (and when i say boundless i mean utterly endless) energy outside of the confining walls that make up the apartment. Lucky for this little guy, we dug up his rainboots so he can at least walk to and from the car when we absolutely have to brave the elements. As you can see from the picture though, now all he wants to do is wear the boots, even if its just one at a time, and look longingly out the living room window at the world going on without him. the scene is almost enough to make a mother cry, but almost being the key word because instead, i just look at him, laugh a little to myself, and take advantage of poor kid's trauma by snapping a picture of him. sorry luke, i wish i could make it stop raining...i really thought i did by leaving the west side of the state. i guess we'll just appreciate the sun when it does come out, right? yeah, how do you explain that to a one and a half year old again?


no, my son does not represent the lollipop guild. i know you're all thinking it :)

no, he didn't just smell something foul, this is his new pose for the camera. apparently its a smile...in a forced, mom you've made me smile way too many times this past year kinda way.

movin on up...

thanks to mindy for getting her background from this cool website and for putting the link on her site so i could get one too. thanks buddy. mine was getting old and lame. i don't really have much else to say except that i've been a total slacker since the 13 mile trip through you know where. now, my lovely relief society arms and ponch are rearing their ugly heads yet again. i am happy though. our place makes me smile and luke gets more hilarious by the day. the rain could definitly cease and desist, but other than that, life is pretty darn happy.

you asked for it...

after much anticipation--here they are: pictures of the little dude himself. since i've been less than stellar about putting photos on here as i go, this is going to be somewhat of a collage if you will, of the boy we call luke. enjoy...oh and by the way-i might have misled some of you into thinking that i live in an actual house now. its not quite a house, its more like an apartment. alright, alright-it is an apartment, plain and simple, but it is a palace compared to the other hole that i lived in previously. i also wanted to say thanks to all the encouragement after my little run. i appreciate it and maybe i'll do it again someday thanks to all your nice words...if you're a betting person, i wouldn't in this case :)

favorite form of transportation. see photo at top of page :)

one word: aah

sometimes the rice gets away from the guy, what can we say?

my mission is to get a cuter picture of this. luke has discovered his pockets...and it is seriously the cutest thing you have ever seen. no, really, it is

gram and luke at the lake...i know, i know...aah is word that comes to mind yet again

the day has FINALLY come!!!

no, i didn't get the gold medal for the uneven bars...that's still in the works...but i did move out of the nasty shoebox that i called home! this past week, andy graduated from college (insert finally here as well) and we moved our little family and our not so little belongings up to the northside of spokane. its so great, i'm almost tempted to put pictures of the place on this blog...i know that no one is really interested in seeing pictures of a bunch of a white walls, but it just makes me so happy. luke can actually go outside and touch grass instead of merely walking out onto the 40 year old balcony that was covered in who knows what. don't worry, no need to call cps, he's totally germ-free now that we have a carpet i can feel good about walking on in bare feet and two whole bathrooms that haven't had mold growing on the walls for the last decade! yay (feel free to clap, i currently am). well, that's about it for excitement here. i like to get rid of it all at once as you can see. andy graduated, family came to visit, huge move...oh and i ran 13.1 miles on saturday, but i'll discuss that later. there was a trip to ikea in there somewhere too, which as everyone knows is definitly blogging material.

back from the dead...or lack of computer

so, for those of you who are still checking this site to see if i've enlightened you in any way...i'm back after a long hiatus of sick children (well, child i guess), a sicker husband, and an even sicker computer. it crashed, but has come back from the dead, thanks to a computer genius with very large dogs and an eye for "corrupt files." a couple of fellow office fans just launched their own site so i thought it was time to revisit mine.

thanks dudes

well, consider my spirits lifted. you rule

sheesh...

dang! what does it take to get a comment out of you people...sheesh, i thought a sappy plea for one would do the trick. wrong again. well, i guess if you're reading it, that's good enough for me. thanks again

here's to the lasts

so, i was in the library picking up my latest "quick read," when a children's book caught my eye. this, of course, wasn't the first time this has happened, since i am easily distracted/amused...and also because i am always conducting research for my future children's book endeavor. anyway, i don't remember the title, i just remember that it was written by a mother who mentioned that we, as parents, are wrapped up in celebrating our kids' firsts, that we often miss their lasts. she recognized this as her last child was growing into toddlerhood amidst the tantrums and the throwing unwanted items onto the floor, etc...she decided that she couldn't remember the last time she had seen him crawl, or the last time he asked for his binky or asked to be held. so, she turned her book into a prayer of sorts, asking God to help her recognize the last time her child fell asleep in her arms or asked for a kiss in public, or begged for one more hug. it was a sweet book and really made me think of the shortness of life. how we often rush through the day, praying for bedtime, or through the week, anticipating friday night (not necessarily because we're supposed to go on a date or something...what is that again?)
anyway, i was pondering this tonight as i watched luke's eyes droop more and more as i rocked him in the same chair that i once nursed him in night after night. i put him to bed at the normal time and then proceeded to hear him scream for about 20 minutes. i decided to go in and see if something was wrong, only to have him snuggle up against me as i held him in the rocking chair. my thoughts went to the lasts book. how many more times would i have the opportunity to rock him to sleep? how much longer will he fit in my lap just perfectly that his feet don't drag on the seat? take it from me all you tired mothers out there. stop and love your kids a little more. cherish the moments when they're precious, rather than the moments that they make you want to rip your hair out. life is pretty dang short after all.

word to your mother...or you, at least

i just wanted to give a little shout-out, if you will, (i wonder where that phrase came from by the way...its not like i'm gonna wait for you to give me permission or something...anyway) to all those kind, little souls who are generous enough to leave a little comment on your way out of my humble blog. its nice to have a little reassurance that even though friends are scarce here in the lone and dreary world, you do still exist out there in cyberspace. in all seriousness, i really do appreciate the gesture and yes, even if you don't say anything, i'm still glad you drop by. thanks and consider yourselves pretty darn special :)

my little double-fister/exhibitionist

i know tha title says "double-fister/exhibitionist" and then all that follows are pictures of my son exhibiting his tendancies to remove his clothes if given the opportunity (aka something loose enough to get out of). the double-fisting will follow soon. luke rather enjoys not just one, but two sippy cups, preferably with different beverages in each. its pretty hilarious.

good question

in response to a question posed by someone who most likely has more fun than any blonde possibly could, we really don't have more fun...yes, the cat's out of the bag. marilyn and madonna are both full of it. i'm pretty sure that all lindsey lohan does is have fun and she looked really nasty when she was blonde. so there you go, its all a ruse. have at it, brunettes and redheads alike, get out there and have the fun that every blonde has forced you to think that you can't have because they have it all. you can do it

blogger's block and the pitfalls thereof

so, just in case you haven't noticed by checking and re-checking if i have posted anything since being back from the ends of the earth...or the internet rather, i'm suffering from a mild case of blogger's block. somehow, there are those of you who manage to keep up several sites while also managing to scrapbook, can, teach your kids sign language, and run a mile in less than 4 minutes. okay, maybe not the last one so much, but my point is that i'm severely lacking in material right now and, therfore, apparently can't even manage one blog entry. not that i don't have anything to work with because there was my trip to see my family and the gray girls, easter, my half marathon "training," my camapaign to convince my husband that we need to relocate (not cities, just place of residence...although a real change of scenery would be nice--anybody have a couple of rooms that need tenants...) wow, i guess i'm really not hurting for things to discuss, i was just fresh out of witty banter to deliver it with. good news for you, by writing this blog, the banter is obviously back and with a vengence! well, its back anyway for a temporary stint. so, on with my point amongst the rambling. apparently i've been "tagged." i have to admit that i had no idea there was such a thing past the age of 10 in my backyard (okay, so i played in college too, who didn't?) but i guess in the "you're not a true blogger until you get tagged world," the game is alive and well among kids and adults alike...well, at least larissa and her devastatingly creative self. so here goes, enjoy or just skip to the bottom and leave a comment making me think you read and thouroghly enjoyed it. i totally mispelled that word. don't tell my high school english teacher.
A- Attached or single: attached in the loosest sense of the word, i mean...very attached
B- Best Friend: i know i'm probably supposed to enter andy's name here, so i guess i will or did as the case may be...as for someone outside my nuclear family-i must admit that i'm not really sure. my mom is probably the only one that has really been the constant bff...is that sad or cool? i think she's pretty cool. good ol mombo
C-Cake or Pie: ooh, usually pie, but i've been having wierd cake cravings every once in awhile lately. i think they have something to do with richelle and siobhan's cake cookie concoctions...wow, how totally clever was that phrase? they are really good though
D- Day of Choice: i'd probably have to go with sundays because andy is home, well scratch that, he's not really home for most of the day depending on meetings and home teaching, but we do manage to get a good cheesy mormon flick and a nap in. plus, there is usually meat to be had for dinner :)
E- Essential Items: lets see, scrapbook stuff, quilting materials, dance outfits, oh wait, that is definitly someone else's list. i'd have to say-rebecca's toffee, sewing machine (this is recent, but oh so enjoyable), and a nice run outside. can't beat it
F- Favorite Color: red and the infamous pink-give me any shade, i love it and i'm not ashamed to say it
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: definitly bears...is there even a comparison?
H- Hometown: i guess it would have to be camas, wa, but i like to think it was someplace a lot cooler, like korea or germany (where i lived a total of 3 years or so during years that i can't even really remember)
I- Indulgence(s): baby gap and children's place...it really is a sickness i think
J- January or July: summer is for the birds. ha ha--whoo! i'm awesome. january is okay but it means that christmas is over. i'll take september
K-Kids: uno-you all know him as luke because, well, that's his name, duh
L-Life is incomplete without: i could go serious and say the gospel and my family, but to go with my gut, i have to say project runway :)
M- Marriage Date: if you're really my friends, you should know this. i'll give you three choices:
a. may 15, 2003
b. october 21, 2005
c. yesterday
N- Number of Siblings: 2 older brothers, one younger sister
O- Oranges or Apples: you can't make me choose! just kidding, i'll have one of each please
P- Phobias or Fears: i'm not a big fan of risky things because of my proness to accidents
Q- Quote(s): "what e'er thou art, act well thy part"
R- Reason To Smile: the prospect of moving! the family, andy's business being a success, and having everything i need is a bonus too :)
S- Season: spring and fall=sweater weather, gotta layer, the less skin the better
T- Tag Six: if you're on my list, consider yourself tagged
U- Unknown Fact About Me: i'm a closet scrapbooker...yeah, not really--
V- Veggies or Fruit: i'm running out of witty comments, i know you didn't think it could happen did you. fruit, i guess
W- Worst Habit: tv-it does too good of a job of sucking me in
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: really? what kind of a question is this?
Y- Your Favorite Food: didn't i already answer this, wow its all blurring together
Z: Zodiac: virgo

so that was really long. hope you're all still concious. thanks for playiing. i'll try to keep you posted more often...total pun intended

good stuff...

yet again i am back from the vortex of dial-up internet. aah, high speed, how i love thee. anyway, luke and i went back to camas for a little family bonding time and got sucked into the world of glacier moving slow internet. along with that, of course, comes the lack of posting in the last two weeks. hopefully i still have some faithful readers out there that haven't given up on me. i'm here, i promise. as for a topic for this post, i don't really have one, so maybe i'm just stating that i'm not gone. i will return with photos and all kinds of good stuff. what good stuff you ask? you'll just have to check back and find out.

the good, the bad, and the oh so addictive computer games

okay, okay, enough with the self-deprication...is that a word? i thought it sounded good. anyway, it has come to my attention that i spend a little too much blogging time saying something mean about myself. i once had a friend tell me that everytime i say something mean to myself i have to come up with 4 good qualities, so i'll give it a try right now:

1 well, i'm blonde and everyone knows we have more fun, right? we totally do, by the way :)

2 i just beat a computer game that took me from new york fashion week to paris, wait...is that a good thing or a bad one?

3 i can be pretty witty if i really try...i do like to make people smile. i guess that comes easy enough

4 i somehow attracted a pretty awesome guy and now we've got the coolest little dude on the planet that drives me crazy, but also makes me laugh that awesome laughter that comes from your toes and makes a cloud-covered day turn out pretty shiny.

okay, there you go-i knew people hung out with me for more than just my money...or was it my looks...

short list-long story

yeah, so apparently i'm "add a video" illiterate. i'm gonna keep it up though just to keep up the suspense and leave you all wondering what it could be...insert evil villan laugh here...okay, on to today's subject. i've come to the sad and devastating conclusion that everyone else knows a lot more people than i do. or, even sadder, they are liked by more people. what i'm trying to say is that my list of "pals" in the margin of my page is considerably smaller than all the other blogs out there. do i suck? i know what you're going to say...oh tara, people like you, you're great blah blah blah...yeah, prove it! you know, i really can probably blame myself because, speaking of sucking...i do when it comes to keeping in touch. yeah, you know who you are--namely everyone who reads this most likely. i'm sorry...again...i guess i can just hope that someday i'll be really funny so people that don't even know me will stop by. probably not, but a girl can dream, right? the truth is, the people that are on my list, be it short or not, are wonderful and have definitly given me a laugh when i needed to cry and helped me cry when i felt like i was supposed to be laughing. thanks dudes. hey, and if you know anyone i could add to my list just to make me feel like i know people, that would be cool too.

testing 1...2...3...

so i tried to add a video a while back and it didn't work out so well, so here is attempt numero dos. that's number two for those of you who don't understand spanish. no need to thank me. okay, here goes. more complete post coming soon.

pass the helmet please

so apparently i'm a skiier. well, i don't know if i would call what i do "skiing" just yet. it all started in october when we ventured out to the fairgrounds during the annual ski swap. andy and i had decided that this is my year, mostly because i'm sick of sitting at home while he has all the fun for hours on end. speaking of, i'm going to digress a little bit here...what is it with men's activities? is it a law that they have to take a minimum of 4 hours? golf-5 hours, skiing-7 or 8 hours, snowmobiling, 4-wheeling, hunting...need i go on? a woman can go out to lunch for maybe an hour and a half and who is texting or calling every 5 minutes to see where she is? yeah, the "man of the house." ridiculous what we have to put up with. anyway, back to me overcoming the odds and joining the 4 hour plus activity crowd. i'm pretty sure i deserve a medal or at least a cherry cordial for that. so i got myself all outfitted with all-mountain skis (which are pretty sweet by the way), pants, jacket, boots, gloves, even a helmet or should i say especially a helmet. those of you that know me, should not be surprised by that. so, the last month or so i've been "hitting the slopes" as they say. i figure use of the jargin gets me halfway there. i've had a couple lessons from 18 year old boys and i must admit that i have the pizza down pat. that's when you point your skis together like all the tiny kids that get awesome by the time they're 5. i "ride" the bunny hill like a champ and i've moved on to the ever-challenging blue square hill...where there are still kids that barely come up to my waist forging down the hill like it was their backyard. all in all its been a pretty fun ride. i've actually gotten to the point where i can make it down the hill without wanting to stop, cry, and walk the rest of the way down. it feels good to actually get past the point of pure frustration...which is where i still am with golf and about every other sport on the planet. that's okay though, i just figure that i'll go on to become one of those helicopter parents that lives their lives through their children. or i'll just keep doin what i do and just force my kids to get proficient at at least one thing before they get to be 28 and snow-plowing. i guess only time will tell.

merry christmas! my bad

as i was pondering walking into the bedroom to find my workout clothes, (yes, that was a shamless plug to make you all think that i exercise on a regular basis) i noticed the screensaver on my computer. it was flashing pictures from temple square in salt lake city, ut during christmastime. it was my first time to see the lights. andy was kind enough to show me around even though that the was the destination of many a cheap date back in his single days...i thought about inserting the word "player" in there, but come on....we all know andy is not a player--ha ha. sorry, the thought is pretty hilarious, am i right? anyway, here are some pictures from christmas...and so soon too, right? man, am i pathetic. that's okay, though. knowing is half the battle, right? could i possibly say the word right anymore? especially since no one out there in cyberspace is going to answer me anytime soon. wow...anyway, here's the pics...already :)

yay...i'm fancy!

now i'm not trying to toot my horn or anything...who says that? i'm just stoked because i actually made this thing look semi-cool. thanks to my good buddy, camille, i now have entered the not traditional blog background club. i know it doesn't really exist, but humor me would ya? anyway, i'm excited, you're excited, luke's excited...does life get any better than this?