Holiday Fun

Like most people I'm sure this weekend was packed with holiday fun.  Yesterday Chris had to work so Emily crawled into bed with me and we watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  Of course Peaches had to join in the fun.

Then in the afternoon we had our annual moms/sisters/in-laws holiday outing.  We went to the Singing Christmas Tree at the Life Center in Tacoma.  It was wonderful and I would recommend this performance.

Sunday we headed out to find the perfect Christmas Tree.  The weather was perfect...sunny but really cold. 

It's funny after 12 years together Chris and I have fallen into certain rolls when it comes to the tree.  And I must say we are quite efficient.  He cuts it, trims it and gets it ready to bring into the house.  I put on the lights and sort through the ornaments. Then Emily and Chris put on the ornaments.  Here's Emily patiently waiting for the lights to be finished so she could do her job!  Notice her comfy bed and she had to have a book to pass the time.  The book?  The Nutcracker of course.

And now the finished product.  I think it's one of our best yet.  But I think I say that every year!

A Fun Filled Turkey Weekend

We had a great holiday weekend.  Here's the run down:

Wednesday:  The girls celebrated Trina's birthday with dinner at the Metro grill and a movie.  Of course the movie was Breaking Dawn, part 1.  Totally cheesy but entertaining.

Thursday:  We headed to Sandy and Al's for Thanksgiving dinner.  It was a day of relaxation, eating and hanging with the Moser family.  Thank you to Sandy for a wonderful dinner!  One factoid...I found out that Scott played in the marching band as a drummer.  He got out his old drum and let the kids play on it.  It was a hit with Emily especially when Uncle Scott taught her how to drum roll.

It's impossible to get a picture with everyone smiling and looking at the camera but this one was close!

Emily wanted to help clean up so we put her to work washing dishes.

The Luke man.  He is such a joy and talks non-stop.

Friday:  I met Chrissy and Jamee for lunch.  It was so great to see them and catch up.   I'm truly blessed with great friends.  And the fact that Jamee, Marty and Max moved back to Seattle is a blessing! 
Friday evening we hosted my family for a nacho bar dinner.  The highlight for the girls was decorating gingerbread houses. 

Saturday:  This was a rest / chore day.  Then in the evening the Tjossem family hosted us for an Apple Cup party.  Of course the favorite were Vance's famous hot wings!

Sunday:  This morning Chris and Emily made cookies and we watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  I then headed to bookclub this afternoon.  We read "The Life of Pi" which I would recommend and all the girls gave it high ratings. 

Here's to a great week!

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!  Isn't this such a cute craft?  Emily made this at school. 
Best wishes to all our family and friends!

Winter is Here

It's official, winter is here.  I woke us this morning to a light dusting of snow on the ground!

Tickled Pink

That's the new color of Emily's bedroom.  She wanted to change up her room a bit so I thought paint was a great way to start...not too expensive and it can really make a difference.  Emily wanted pink.  So off to the store I go searching for the perfect pink.  Who knew that many shades of pink existed?  She choose 'tickled pink' and I must say even though I'm not a huge fan of pink, it turned out great.  And the best part....she loves it.

White Poop?

Yes, a interesting title right?  It's amazing once you have kids how poop talk becomes a regular topic.  Anyway, my sister was on a business trip and I was watching Kaitlyn.  Ryan came to pick her up and I was running through her schedule that day, including potty trips.  Emily overheard and said 'yah she was in the bathroom a long time pooping'.  I told her that's o.k. everyone is different and everyone poops.  To which Ryan chimes in 'even Santa Clause'.  It was quiet for a moment and then Emily asks 'does Santa poop white?'

Classic

A classic kid story.  I have Kaitlyn and Emily in the car as Kaitlyn just finished her Little Gym class. We are headed back to our house for lunch.  I look back and both girls have a finger in their nose digging away.  Here's the conversation:

Me: "Girls can you please use a Kleenex?"
Emily: "Mom I have a big boogie stuck up my nose"
Katilyn: "Ya Auntie Jen, me too...a boogie"
Me: "I understand but please use a Kleenex so you don't spread germs"
Emily: "O.K. but where's a Kleenex?"
Me: "There is a roll of TP next to your booster, you can use that"

Then it was quiet for a few minutes.  I look back and the TP is everywhere.  Emily says "I got the boogie and it's in the TP on the floor"  To which Kaitlyn responds "me too Auntie Jen".  Hmmm....needless to say all the TP that was unraveled went straight to the trash.  Classic right?

Happy 60th Karen!

Chris's Aunt Karen celebrated her 60th birthday today.  Her family threw a surprise birthday party and she was truly surprised!  Happy Birthday Karen.  We hope you have a wonderful and special day.

Happy Anniversary!

My bookclub was born three years ago this month.  It's hard to believe.  My bookclub ladies are a special group and I treasure that friendship.  Peaches also came to our family three years ago this month.  I can't even imagine our life without her.  Peaches is a true blessing.

Halloween Night

Oh, what a night!  The weather was perfect for trick-or-treating.  We had a bride, a bee and a mechanic...along with a ton of candy!  We had a spooky fun time.

BOO!

Happy Halloween!  Stay tuned for more updates...Emily has a harvest party at her school today and Luke and KP are coming over to trick-or-treat!  Emily has changed her costume a couple times so it will be a surprise for me too on her decision!  Here are some of her past Halloween costumes.

My Date

This post is alittle out of date order but I had a special date on October 19th.  A date with Ms. Kaitlyn at the pumpkin patch.  I was so excited to get invited to KP's preschool field trip to The Thompson Family Farm. 

The Great Pumpkin Thief

Yes, a thief.  Can you believe it?  I bought a few pumpkins last weekend.  Emily and I carve three of them which left two still to be carved.  And low and behold, someone took them off our front porch!  Luckily, they didn't take the two pumpkins Papa Dirt had grown for Emily as they were in a box. 

On a side note, Fall has arrived.  Chris is feeling under the weather and Emily has a full blown cold.  The hacking cough and stuffed up nose.  'Tis the season right?

Happy Birthday Uncle Scott

Scott, we wish you a great and wonderful birthday!

October 16, 1999

Twelve years ago yesterday I went out on a blind date that change my life.  Yep...that's when I met Chris!  We went out with another couple and saw "American Beauty" and had dinner at Denny's.  Pretty classy and I wouldn't change it for the world!  Love ya Chris.

The Scoop

I don't have any pictures to compliment this post.  My photo card broke and remains in the locked position.  So I can't delete or take any photos.  This week was a good one.  Emily was one of the top 25 fundraisers for her schools PTA jog-a-thon.  So she had a chance to dunk Mr. Cushman in the dunk tank on Friday.  Friday night we had Joey, Christie and Stella over for dinner.  Stella is such a cutie pie.  She reminds me of Emily when she was one year old.  This is where I kick myself that my camera wasn't working since there would have been some great shots of Stella and Emily.  Saturday Emily and I carved some pumpkins and roasted pumpkins seeds.  We met up with Mark and Emma at Trackside Pizza for dinner that night.  YUMMY!  And the big news for Sunday....another lost tooth for Emily.  Now she is sporting the huge gap on the top but it's so cute when she smiles.  She may be asking Santa for her two front teeth this year!

Chelan in October

We took advantage of Sandy and Al's condo in Chelan last weekend.  It was a quick trip but a fun one.  Since Sandy and Al were in the New England states for a tour of the fall leaves, we took The Pederson family along.  The weather was perfect...mostly blue sky's and mid 60's.  Emily even swam in the outdoor pool.  Keep in mind that it's a heated pool!  We swam, played at the park, took in a game of putt putt golf, rode bikes and just hung out. 

Number 8

Go Kaitlyn!  Go number 8!  Score that goal!  Soccer rules!
We went to watch Kaitlyn's pee wee soccer game this morning.  And what a treat.  It's quite entertaining to watch a field of 3-4 year old boys and girls. We are so proud of you Kaitlyn!  It brought back memories for Chris...especially the orange wedges for snack at halftime.

Update

Another busy week in the Moser household.  The most significant event was Chris's surgery.  He was diagnosed with SVT (Supra Ventricular Tachycardia) which means that his heart goes racing....very fast.  We don't know what triggers the episode and if it will happen often or just a few times in his life.  There is medication that is used to treat this but after one year of being on the medication, Chris was tired of feeling not right.  The medication slows the heart down and only allows the heart to beat within a range.  So off we went on Tuesday morning to Swedish Hospital so that Dr. Brody could fix this 'electrical' issue in his heart.  After four hours of pre-op and four hours of surgery and four hours of recovering, Chris was able to come home.  Modern medicine is amazing...he wasn't under a general anesthetic just heavily sedated so he could hear and see some of the surgery!  I was so relieved to get a call from the surgery nurse part way through the surgery telling me all was o.k. and they found the cells that caused SVT.   We are both relieved to have that behind us!

Quick Summary

This last week has been a busy one.  Here's a quick run down:

• Chris went to a Supplier University class for work this week.  Even though he was in Renton, he had to stay at the hotel so Emily and I had alot of girl time!
• Emily got her first bee sting at school.  She was a trooper as she didn't say anything until I read the incident note from the nurse at school.
• A huge thanks to Karena, Sandy and Papa Dirt.  They helped me this week with Emily's drop off and pick up and gymnastic class.
• Christie, Navy and Talon invited us to dinner not once but twice!  What a treat.  The first night was make your own pizza and the second night was Christie's famous fettuccine.  Thank you for the wonderful food and company!
• Emily had her open house at school on Thursday night.
• I painted the trim on the house.
• Chris has his guy weekend with Bob, Jeff and Brady in Suncadia.
• Friday Emily and I went to the Fair.  We literally ate our way through the fair.
• Saturday we watched the Luke man while Karena and Scott enjoyed a dinner without a little one to celebrate Karena's birthday.  We had a surprise visit from the Pederson family.  I swear that Kaitlyn has grown 2" since I last saw her!
• Sunday....Chris is finally home!  We missed him.  And now I'm off to bookclub.

A Birthday = A Trip to the Bike Shop

Happy birthday Chris!  His special day was yesterday and we celebrated with family.  Chris's birthday wish was a new bike from The Bonney Lake Bike Shop.  So as gifts he received gift cards and money to help out the purchase.  First thing this morning we were up and off to the bike shop!  Thanks to all for making his birthday wish come true.  Happy riding!

San Francisco

The city by the bay.  The home to the Golden Gate bridge and cable cars.  Now more infamously known as the host city for our girls 40th birthday celebration.  That's correct....Jen, Jamee, Karla, Chrissy and I took San Fran by a storm.  We had three and half fabulous filled days.  We ate, drank, shopped, ate, walked, shopped, talked, ate, drank...you get the picture.

We took the ferry over to Sausalito for the day.  Great shopping, lots of sunshine and even some wine tasting.  Here's Chrissy, Karla and Jen outside the waterfront restaurant where we had lunch.

What's a trip to San Fran without a cable car ride?  We stood in line for about 40 minutes and paid $6 per ticket but it was so worth it.  Jen and I met a cute couple from England that were on their honeymoon.

Another must in San Fran...ice cream at Ghirardelli Square.

Tiger Lake

We had the awesome opportunity to head to the Deitz's family cabin on Tiger Lake yesterday.  What a great place.  Thank you to Todd and Krista for hosting a wonderful day. Emily is loving the tube now. We ended the day with dinner at Spiro's in Gig Harbor...yummy! 

2nd Grade Here She Comes!

Emily's first day of second grade was today.  Her teacher is Mrs. Gelinas.  I know it's going to be a great year for her.

The Big 4-0

Family, friends and forty...all fabulous!  My wonderful husband threw me an amazing 40th surprise birthday party....and boy was I surprised.  I must say everyone did a great job keeping it under wraps.  I couldn't have asked for a better day.  Thank you to all for making my day so special.

What are the Odds?

Emily and Madlyn lost the same tooth on the same day (Aug 24th).  What are the odds of that happening?

Veggie's

This year I thought I would try my hand at a garden.  So with the help of my Dad here's the outcome.  Not bad huh?

Carrots, beans, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers.

The Scoop

Here are some cools things that happened around the Moser household this week.  Last Wednesday was Papa Dirt's birthday!  We celebrated by heading down to my parents on Sunday.  The girls ran through the sprinkler, played at the beach and of course had cake!  Happy Birthday Dad!

Another big event...Emily got a new bike.  Her previous one was way too small so we moved up!  She loves it and all the kids in the neighborhood are usually out riding bikes each day.  If you in the market for a bike, try the Bonney Lake Bike Shop.  They are great!

Emily and her new bike.

We have also been preparing for school to start.  Emily's first day of second grade is September 1st.  A trip for school supplies, a dentist visit, an eye doctor visit and school clothes shopping with Taylor and Mandy completed the list.

And the most current event....Emily lost another tooth.  One of her front teeth! 

Hmmm...

should I be concerned that my daughter is running around in her underwear singing while wearing her winter ear muffs?

Camping in Entiat

We just returned from a great camping trip.  Seven families + 16 kiddo's + 3 boats + a jet ski + tubing + a fun island + many hours in the water and sun and biking = lots of priceless memories.  A huge thanks to the Tjossem Family for hosting us in their trailer.

The kiddo's...a couple MIA.

The beautiful ladies.... Kari, Krista, Christie, Mandy, Jen and Trina

The manly men.....Vance, Todd, Chris, Pat, Shane and Jim

Wyatt, Emily, Navy, Taylor and Elijah.  The kids loved the boat and the faster the better!

Christie and Emily.  The jet ski was one of Emily's favorite thing about the camping trip.

The Method Family

The Method Family came to visit from California.  It was so great to see them and made me realize how much I miss my friend Robin.  We were talking and realized that we have known each other over 30 years! 

Here's Luke, Molli and Emily.  They had so much fun together swimming at the lake, playing catch phrase and just being kids!

The kids at Point Defiance Zoo.  We got to see the baby clouded leopard cubs up close and also watched them be fed!

My New Profession

Face painting...should I quit my day job?  Thanks to Grandma Sandy for the great face painting kit.  Emily LOVES it!

Road Trip

Call us crazy but this year my sister and I decided to drive to Spokane for our annual girls trek.  Actually it was due more to the fact that airline tickets were outrageous.  Friday afternoon we packed up my Venza with an excited 7 year old and 3 year old.   Portable DVD players are pretty much the best invention for road trips!  Amazingly enough the trip took us 4 1/2 hours with only 2 stops.  Not bad huh?

Our first day was spent at the pool, playing at the park, meeting up with family and ending with a BBQ.

The second day we purchased a summer day pass for the park.  Unlimited rides, IMAX movie, carousel rides, a pony ride, snow cones and much more.  Of course there was pool time!  We ended the day with a picnic in the park....Red Robin take out for the girls and PF Chang's take out for us.  What better way to end the day??

We headed back home on Monday.  But not before one last swim in the pool and one last ride on the Carousel.  All and all a great trip.