Elin Marie is 9 months old!

 Look at this girl, she's got trouble in her eyes.

 Hanging out with Mama waiting for Aiden, she loves to honk the horn with her butt.

 Bath time fun!

 MMM berries for the first time!

 Love those baby blues

 I also love seeing her in Natalie's old clothes.

 Very seriously telling me "mo, mo", will she sign? no, she talks.

 the pre-crawl stage. so proud of herself.

 teeth coming in, 3 hours of sleep last night and still smiling. (oh and no nap)

 She's a mover this girl of mine.

Can you believe she's 9 months old already?  I can't.  She has two teeth, working on 3 and 4 and is now mobile.  Like right now, at 4:14 she has officially crossed the living room rug in a scoot crawl.  Oh my baby.  Please slow down Elin, your my baby.  Can't you just stay small and cuddly? Please? 

A few honey-dos..Done!

  My boys made me a few things I've been asking for over the last few weeks.

 Number one being a bed platform. Here is how we it was for a few weeks (a month maybe?) anyway, you can't just have a king mattress sitting on the floor in the play room for longer then the 2 weeks it was there.

 Okay, Natalie helped too, Don't you like the look?  I don't think she should be using power tools with her hair like that.

Aiden is actually old enough now to use the power tools.  He's sanding his mallot that Loren made him here.  Man he's growing up too fast!

 I lost my parking spot for the construction but it was worth it.  Here it is all put together and in the process of being coated.  Brazilian cherry legs and American cherry on the sides.

 The boys putting it together.

 Finished product.  I just love it, it's tall, and big and I don't have to get up from the ground anymore, and my hips don't hurt, and there is room for all.

Even this one, isn't she cute?

 Here is project two, a fence to keep the dogs (and kids) out of the gardens

 Only cost me about 12 bucks in material so it isn't fancy.

 But I really like how it looks, and it keeps everyone where they should be.

 Look at how the lettuce has grown!  my spinach is just coming up too.

 This is last years fence to keep the berry monster out of the berry garden.  Now she reaches through and picks the unripe strawberries anyway.  At lest some of them get to ripen. 

 Things are getting big!! I think I'll squeeze in some currents next year back by the goose berry.

Aiden insisted I take this picture of him plucking weeds.  Look at him go, I'm telling you, tell them it's a treat and they do your chores for you. I'm so luck to have such handy guys in my life.  Thank you Loren for all your beautiful work, and thank you Aiden for being such a good helper.

Picture catch up!

 So I know I kept saying I was going to post the pictures from the little camera.  And I should but hey, I'm busy, and somehow the time slips away from me.  So I uploaded them to facebook (something that I can do and walk away) and here is the link to them.  So go, check them out and I will try and post a honest to goodness post on Wednesday of my new bed and new fences.  Super cute and made by Loren and Aiden. Happy Monday!! here's a sample of what you will see....(yes, this is Natalie after she dressed herself)

Elin's crazy bath hair and her two new teeth!

introducing the Dog: Shelby

Let me just start with saying that we could never replace Malaki.  She is still missed greatly and talked about often.  She is buried under a large tree in the lower yard at my mom's house.  Where she can and smell the ocean she loves so much and she can keep an eye on things.

Aiden and Loren both made her markers. Loren hand chiseled the granite that he found broken at a job site.  It was truly a labor of love, he spent hours on that stone chiseling with a wood chisel and having to sharpen it often.  While Loren worked on it Aiden made the cross and love sign. 

Each time we go to the beach we find her treasures.  Agates, interesting rocks, pretty shells, sticks she would have loved to chase.  And we always talk to her, tell her what's going on and how things have changed.   

Having said that I sure do like this dog.  She is the easiest puppy I've ever had.

She loves the kids, and if you walk too far away from Elin (in her opinion) she will go sit by her.

If she goes to sleep, again, she will guard her.

Walking out to the ocean?  she'll come protect the kids.

If someone is bored and you're putting away dishes?  Here come's a dog (this is Sultan, my mom's dog, and Shelby's brother)

The cat has even taken to her.  

If you were wondering she's a smooth coated collie.  We got her from a breeder in Alsea, but she has no papers and to be honest we're thinking there might be something else in there, her and her brother have very different shaped heads, and he's half again her size.  Yes she's the runt, but still, there is a big difference between them.  I just love this girl, she's such a good  dog, was so easy to house train and so wonderful with the kids.  We couldn't have asked for a better dog to add to our family and I'm so glad we stuck with our gut and got the collie we wanted.  Welcome to the family Shelby and Sultan. 

solar elipse 2012

Loren, Natalie, Elin, Shelby and I watched the solar eclipse tonight.  We used 3 pairs of sunglasses and a bike chain guard, but it worked!!  Here is a link to some pics.  Happy Sunday everyone.

This moment

 Natalie was helping me cut up onions for dinner.  They were making her eyes "ouchie" and so she left and came back with her goggles.  

"this will help mama"  

"Natalie, those are on upside down" 

"oh well, that's okay mama, it's just fine"

And yes, pants are optional in my kitchen.  But wine is not.

Mother's day 2012

 Happy late mother's Day to all you mama's out there.  On that note here is what I found when I went outside today to get Aiden to get ready for bed.  Isn't he sweet and wonderful??  I love the hugs and kisses!!!  We had a great mother's Day weekend down at my mom's house. 

 Here is my littlest gift mother's day morning.  The kids made me pictures, and Aiden had made me a dozen straw flowers, a flower and bead necklace, a card that said he loved spending time with me when we fold socks (no really, that's what it said, and that's what he told the teacher to write, I'm telling you, start them young and make it fun and they will do your chores for you!) and he planted me flowers.  So super cute.  His first true surprise gifts for me.

 We had a lovely bar-b-q lunch of hamburgers and pasta salad, on paper plates so we wouldn't have to do dishes.  Loren had even come down Saturday afternoon and was there to celebrate with us.  Here are Elin and I after lunch.  It was a beautiful day and what better way to spend it then napping in the shade, listening to the ocean surrounded by family?

 After naps and sprinkler fun we had a fire (we had to wait for it to cool down, it's just wrong to have a fire when it's almost 80)

 we made daisy chains

 I love LOVE these pictures of my little girl in her daisy chain walking through my mom's Japanese garden.

 I love how she's disappearing in this one

Even Nonnie wore the daisy chain, Elin is trying to figure out what is on her head, I have a picture of Uncle Ryan in it too, but I'm a kind person and I'll just keep that one to myself.  For now.  I have a ton of pictures from playing down in the tide pools and playing on the hammock but they are on the small camera and if I wait to post them then who knows how long it will take.  And I have to find the camera.  I think it's in the car.  Maybe tomorrow.  Here's hoping everyone had an amazing mothers day.  I know I did, thanks to my wonderful Mama, and my family.