Serena Coles

Happy Halloween

2010-11-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

Two Funnies

2010-09-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

We had already read for quite awhile tonight, but Keely asked so sweetly if we could read another page (we are reading a book about snakes). I said "sure, but I want you to listen and not want to ask questions the whole time." I started reading and she almost right away started talking and asking me questions. I kept on reading, "ignoring" her. Then I hear her say, "Mom, I need you to stop talking and listen to my words." (Umm...where has she heard that before?)

Then while we were getting ready for bed this is the conversation we had:

K: Mom why am I so little?

Me: Because you start as a baby and you keep growing.

K: But who made me so little?

Me: God

K: OH! (with a knowing nod and understanding)

My Birthday

2010-07-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

My Keely Girl

2010-05-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Tyson's 5th Birthday

2010-05-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

We had just a small family birthday party for Tyson this year and it was so much fun. It was the perfect weather, so we were able to be outside the whole time (and in shorts). Yes, we had an alien/spaceship birthday (yes the cake is supposed to be an alien spaceship). He had wanted an alien birthday since the day after he turned four.
On his actual birthday we went to Red Robin and he actually asked if they could sing to him. I think he was a little embarrassed when the did sing because they made him stand up on the seat.
So fun. Happy Birthday to my 5 year old boy!!

Fun on a Sunny Day

2010-04-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

A Day at the Park

2010-04-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

A fun and beautiful day at the park! There was definitely a chill in the air, but the sun was warm!

New Pics of the Kids

2010-04-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

Easter '10

2010-04-07T22:06:00.001-07:00

We hosted Easter this year. I forgot to count how many people graced us with their presence throughout the day, but it was somewhere between 50-60. We had a wonderful time!!

March Zoo Trip

2010-04-07T21:53:00.001-07:00

Baby Shower Cake

2010-03-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Cake of the Weekend

2010-03-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

Cakes from this Weekend

2010-03-07T18:38:00.001-08:00

This was for a first birthday.

These cupcakes were for a 40th birthday party at a winery.

I also had a cheesecake testing this weekend for a possible wedding cake to do this summer. I have a cake next weekend and the weekend after that. I so enjoy making cakes!!

Keely LOVES Shoes!

2010-03-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

...especially when they're mine!

Enjoying yet another SUNNY day!

2010-02-22T14:02:00.000-08:00

We got an invitation to the park this morning...and who could resist. It was slightly cool when we left, but the sun warmed us so!

Beautiful Mt. Hood in the distance. Such a beautiful clear blue sky for February!!

And the fun begins!!

Having some fun with the movement setting on my camera (yes I know that isn't the technical term).

Okay, I need you both to look at the same time.

Come on Jakey!

Keely!

Noah was being a bit stubborn and didn't want to have his picture taken. He wanted to show me his flowers.

Playing "Red Light, Green Light."

Tyson found a lady bug.

And everyone had to see!!

Multnomah Falls Today...

2010-02-21T21:48:00.001-08:00

...well actually yesterday. Blogger didn't want to keep uploading pictures last night.

..

It was a beautiful day! 'Twas a little cool by Multnomah Falls, but there were many people that still believed summer was here and were sporting their shorts, short sleeves, and flip flops! I on the other hand was wishing I had taken our hats, scarves, and mitts. How fun!

Painting Keely's Nails

2010-02-21T21:43:00.000-08:00

Spring?

2010-02-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

So this is from the beginning of this week...

...and this is yesterday.

The weeping willow is even leafing!

My Two Babes

2010-02-03T14:59:00.001-08:00

Keely loves to read!

Tyson loves to play games on the computer.

Keely's Potty Party

2010-02-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

So this happened last Tuesday, but...here are some pictures anyway. I forgot to take the camera, so they are just off my phone. We had promised Keely that when she when her poops on the potty we would take her to McDonalds. So she did and we went.

She still accidents now and then, but she is getting better with everything and she didn't have any accidents yesterday! I am so excited about it all!!

Keely...

2010-01-20T21:40:00.000-08:00

...IS USING THE POTTY!

She is so very excited about going, and she is so very proud of herself. She has been using the potty since Sunday...all her own decision. Right now she isn't wearing any underwear...just a dress with leggings or pants. She gets confused still when we put her in underwear. So, in a couple of weeks, maybe she will be able to remember that even though she has something on, they are her underwear and she still needs to go on the potty!

She is doing so well. Luke and I are very proud of her (I should say Tyson is too). She has only had a few accidents over the 4 days. I can't believe how big she is already! Time just flies!!

Cheese!

2010-01-14T15:47:00.001-08:00

It's really hard for me to believe that it is already the 14th of January!! Where has this month gone. I think that it is a sign that the rest of this year is going to go by just that quick too. I think this is a getting older thing!!
Here are some pics of the kids in the last few days.

2010-01-14T15:43:00.000-08:00

We had a horrible sleep night last night. Keely has a stuffy nose which makes her cough when laying down. But, luckily she slept in until just before 9:00. She was very happy and was just talking and talking. I let her stay in there for about 15 minutes before I finally got out of bed. When I went in, she was laying like this and wanted her special Nancy book, but wanted to stay in there to read for a while.

Sour Lemon Faces

2010-01-05T18:41:00.001-08:00

So tonight Tyson wanted to "eat" a lemon. He mostly just sucks on it. But, he seems to enjoy them!

So...since Tyson had a lemon wedge...Keely decided she needed to have one too.

More from Keely's Party

2009-12-18T21:31:00.000-08:00

2009-12-18T21:14:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas Tree

2009-12-18T21:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of our Christmas tree that has been up for the past 3 weeks. It is about 8 1/2 feet tall.

Keely's 2

2009-12-18T06:45:00.000-08:00

(Pictured here wearing baby legs that Allison made.)

Well...that happened on Wednesday night at 11:21pm (since she was born CST). Her birthday is the 17th. We celebrated by going to Red Robin with her. (Luke left early Thursday morning to go sing down in Tucson for the weekend.)

I can't believe that my baby is two! We went to the doctor yesterday and she had her hemaglobin checked and two shots. She didn't cry at all when the doctor finger pricked her to get the blood for her hemaglobin test or for her first shot. The second one must have hurt more because she cried on that one. She has grown three inches since the beginning of August! So, she is now 35 3/4 inches and weighs 25 pounds and 15 oz. She is now in the 95th percentile for height. (What?????)

Keely's 2nd Birthday Cake

2009-12-13T22:27:00.001-08:00

(I'll add more pics in the next few days.)

Dogsitting

2009-11-22T22:50:00.000-08:00

We are dog sitting right now for some friends. We are watching two dachshunds. The kids (I think) think they are theirs to keep. So, I try to keep reminding them that they are only staying at our house for a week. Tyson especially loves them!

Almost falling asleep with his new found friends.

Hugs for the Kewpie and Tinker.

More hugs. He just loves them and was telling me tonight when they go home we are going to get three dogs.

My Wreaths

2009-11-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

I have been working on these wreaths for a LONG time. I was actually hoping to post these pictures back on the same day that I did the pumpkin cookies. But, it took me a lot longer to make them than I anticipated. It was around 12 hours of labor, but they only cost me $7. I am not sure if this is the finished product or if I am going to add some more ribbon or red berries. But, I wanted to have them hanging on the front doors instead of still sitting inside. (For you curious minds...they are made by taking Sweet Gum Maple Tree's seed pods and sticking them into a straw wreath.)

Six dozen, plus 5

2009-11-09T14:59:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, the kids and I made a double batch of pumpkin cookies...well, I guess I did most of it. Luke loves pumpkin cookies...and I would have to say that they are pretty GOOD!!

Pumpkin Cookies:

3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/3 cups oats
1 3/4 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. salt
1 3/4 cup butter
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
15 oz. pumpkin
2 eggs
1 3/4 t. vanilla
1 1/3 cup raisins (I use chocolate chips instead)

Beat butter and sugars together. Add Pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla.
Mix in flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Stir in raisins (or chocolate chips).
Bake at 350 for 14-16 minutes.
ENJOY!!!

Keely

2009-11-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

Keely is such a joy. She loves to dress up. (She is wearing Grandma's boots here.)

Flowers

2009-11-09T14:54:00.000-08:00

I LOVE flowers. Luke started singing with Rescue again and his first concert was last week. They sang at a Portland Youth for Christ dinner...and then he got to bring me a center piece home. I could have fresh flowers in the house all the time!!1

Three Days of Halloween

2009-11-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

So, we were busy last week with three Halloween events. And, as you probably would guess, Tyson and Keely loved them!!

To start the week out we made Halloween sugar cookies.

Tyson just had to have his picture taken because I took Keely's. But, the reason I had taken Keely's was because she looked like this:

Our first Halloween event was at church. Our church had a family fun night. And, the kids got to play games and got candy for playing.

I got better and better as the week went on at making Keely's curls look good and getting her crown to stay on better. (I just had to learn how long it takes for her hair to air dry when in curlers. She hates the blow dryer!)

Getting ready for Halloween event #2. These pictures were taken before we went to Premier Sport and Fitness' Halloween night (in the Kid's Club where I work).

AND THEN FOR THE BIG BIG DAY. I think, no, I know that we had been waiting for Halloween for more than 2 months. Tyson had gotten his costume back in August and was eagerly anticipating Halloween.

Cheese!

Eating a little pizza before the trek out to find candy.

Taking pics before heading out...but Braden and Kenzie aren't in this picture.

Trick or treating was fun. It was actually warmish with NO rain!! Keely had a blast. She was actually almost always the one leading onto the next house. She would say, "a treat." Forget about the TRICK, she just wanted a treat! Tyson HAD to ring all the door bells. No desire for him to let anyone else ring the door bells.
I think after the night...I have decided that next year we will try to figure out something that we can all dress up as together. I think that will be fun!! We will see if that happens.

Lisa's 40th Birthday Cake

2009-10-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

This was for my sister-in-law's sister-in-law...Lisa Getting. I did her daughter's "K" cake last week. This was a very fun cake to do. The lighting on my great camera obviously didn't work that well. This was a hot raspberry pink and black cake. The black cake had edible glitter on it. And, I think I found a new favorite filling...fudge whip. Yummm!!!!!!
(I know the second picture is fuzzy, but I wanted to show that side of the cake, too. And that is the only picture I had at that angle.)

2009-10-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

Tyson helped me rake a few piles of leaves. There are SOOOOOO many leaves to rake all the time. I guess we will get a break when all the leaves are off the trees.

FALL IS HERE

2009-10-22T21:57:00.003-07:00

My wonderful friend Allison took some pics for us last Saturday night. I will post some more later...and some of those will show you what a character my son is right now and how shy Keely is. This is one of the better family pics; I like this one. ;)

2009-10-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

This cake was for a friend's daughter's birthday.

Pumpkin Time

2009-10-22T21:48:00.003-07:00

Oklahoma

2009-10-09T12:55:00.004-07:00

We have been enjoying our time in Oklahoma. And, of course it is passing us by very quickly! The days have been filled with spending time with friends and then normal every day activities of having two children.
So, I always have a hard time packing for any trip...but when you are going somewhere that it can be hot one day and cold the next...well...it was a difficult pack. We looked at the 10 day forecast and packed accordingly. And, well...we are NOT prepared. The Oklahoma panhandle is supposed to have snow this weekend and on Sunday morning...when we wake...it is supposed to be 34 degrees. Ummmmmm....I didn't bring our winter clothes: coats...scarves...hats...gloves. I guess we will be layering for church. It was 75 degrees yesterday morning and the a cold rainy front moved in and we got a few inches of rain. The wind has been whipping, we were under tornado watch last night, and today no sun in sight. Well...the weird weather is something that I definitely don't miss about Oklahoma.
But, the people. Oh, the people! It has been so wonderful seeing our friends.
And, it will be hard to leave!

The View This Afternoon

2009-09-30T16:11:00.002-07:00

2 Days at the Zoo

2009-09-19T22:16:00.005-07:00

We went with Braden and Kenzie (the cousins) to the zoo two times in the last couple of weeks. And as you will see the weather was drastically different on both occasions. Keely and Tyson both love going to zoo. And I absolutely love watching their reactions to the animals.

Some Summer Fun

2009-09-19T21:51:00.003-07:00

These are just some pictures of some things that we have done this summer.
On hot days we frequented the Happy Valley Park's splash pad. (As did many other people in the community.)

I don't know who to say had more fun in the water. Tyson would come out just soaking wet. He would go nonstop the whole time that we were there.
Keely would slowly get more and more soaked as the summer went on. She absolutely loved it, too!

The Cousins

2009-09-14T22:48:00.001-07:00

Our Last Minute Beach Trip

2009-09-14T22:01:00.003-07:00

So we went to Cannon Beach and Seaside this weekend. Tyson absolutely loved it and Keely...well not so much. She would cry and scream as soon as her feet got dirty. But, we still had a blast. We collected a whole bunch of crab shells to study as Tyson begins his preschool year.

What are we up to? Where do we live?

2009-09-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Busy is the best word that can describe my life. We moved into Luke's aunt and uncle's house about a month ago and we have been going pretty much non-stop ever since. We are taking care of their 5400 square foot house (a Gone With the Wind house) and their 4 acres until their house sells. They have already moved to Arkansas and they think that it might be a year.
So far we have stripped the bird wall paper in the kitchen and painted it. We will move through the house stripping wall paper and painting...the longer we live here...the more wall paper will come down.
Tyson's and Keely's rooms are pretty much done. We are refinishing a old rocking chair for in Keely's room and we are still working on collecting some camping/fishing stuff for Tyson's decor.
We have 3 apple trees and 1 plum tree. The plums are almost ready and the apples are pretty much done. We also have 4 planting boxes and a small garden area that we will plant next Spring if we are still here. Tyson declared, "Mom, we have to plant these gardens!" And, since it was so close to the end of summer when we moved in...we planted lettuce. And we most likely will be able to get some lettuce out of it.
I can tell you that we sure hope that we live here for a while anyway...because I WOULD NOT WANT to move any time soon!!! We are looking forward to getting a giant Christmas tree and for the family days that we get to host if we are still here!
We have 8 bedrooms...so if anyone wants to come and visit you are welcome to come on by!! Just give us a call before hand to make sure the beds are not filled.
Hope to post some pictures soon!

Jessie and Jordan's Wedding Cake

2009-09-01T16:23:00.002-07:00

So I know that I need to catch up on my blogging and get some pictures of the kids up here too. But, I just received these pictures from the photographer Kim Whipps (photosbykimberly.com) and wanted to post them.
This is my most recent wedding cake.

They Think It's a Fracture!

2009-07-19T14:36:00.002-07:00

So, Keely has continued to limp. It has been more than five days since it started. And, it has continued to get worse. So, I took her into the emergency room today at Emmanuel (a children's hospital). We actually got seen right away and ended up only being at the hospital for 1.5 hours. They examined her more than once (and more than one person), checked her vitals, and did some x-rays.
Guess what?? Nothing showed up. She's healthy, but she has this mysterious limp. The doctor we saw and the pediactric orthopedic doctor that looked at the x-rays are both fairly certain that it is a toddler fracture. They don't cast it. So, basically we wait for it to heal. We have a follow-up appointment this week before we head up to see my family.

Please be careful Keely...

2009-07-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

...Keely, careful means to be careful. (So said Tyson to Keely when I asked her to be careful as she was hanging over the chair.)

Unexpected trip to the doctor

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

So, I had been doing less than 30 minutes of cardio this morning when I was called back to Kids Club. I thought it was to change Keely's diaper, but NO. Keely had a rash on her one arm and on her back above her diaper. Her rash looked like a burn and was raised. She also was limping.
So, I picked the kids up, called the doctor and headed there immediately. AND...absolutely nothing is wrong (YAY!).
She has something called DERMATOGRAPHIA (also known as dermographism, dermatographism or "skin writing") is a skin disorder seen in 4–5% of the population and is one of the most common types of urticaria,^[1] in which the skin becomes raised and inflamed when stroked or rubbed with a dull object.^[2]
So, she probably had crawled through the play thing in the room and caused herself to become inflamed.
AND, her limp had mysteriously disappeared too. (The doctor thinks that this could be her being dramatic and not wanting me to leave. WHAT?)

But, at least nothing is really wrong!! Just something that she will deal with through her life and her being dramatic.

Keely's Sentences

2009-07-13T21:47:00.003-07:00

Keely is such a character! She is so funny and does the silliest things. I also can't believe how much she is talking. This past week she started saying sentences.
Her favorite thing to say (especially when it is time for bed) is where's Bubba? Where's Daddy? Where's Jakie? Tonight it went even further. Where's Braden? Where's Kenzie?
Yesterday at dinner, we were sitting eating dinner on the deck. She all of a sudden was very upset and stood up in her high chair and said, "I sit by you mommy." (What?)
At bath time she said, "Ready to get out."
WOW! I cannot believe how much she is talking all of a sudden. She does still babble a lot, but wow!
Oh, and on the way home tonight, she was constantly saying and wanting to give me HIGH FIVEs.

My first Wedding Cake

2009-06-28T22:18:00.003-07:00

So, I got to do my first wedding cake this weekend. It is for a friend of mine that I went to college with...Sara Busch. And I was so excited about doing it. I was so happy with how it turned out! The three tiers got progressively darker in color. And, I just thought it was a beautiful cake.

While we were on the way to the wedding, the bottom layer (remember I said three cakes) just started to fall apart. I almost started crying...but, I think I was too tired that I just didn't. I was devastated, frustrated, etc. But, at least we were able to save the top two to present and the bottom was still very edible.

So, I definitely learned from this experience. I will never NEVER transport a cake this big when it is all together.

Recent Cakes

2009-06-23T21:14:00.005-07:00

This for our friend Andrew. He just graduated from college...and he loves golf!

This cake is for my friend Nadia's little boy Noah. He turned 3 recently and LOVES Thomas. But, he actually likes Gordon better and so Gordon got displayed on the cake!

This one is for my sister-in-law Melissa's SURPRISE birthday party.

Keely's 18 months!

2009-06-18T14:30:00.003-07:00

Keely turned 18 months old yesterday. (It doesn't seem possible!)
She has gotten a little more chunky. She weighed in at 23 pounds 11 ounces. And, measured in at 32 3/4 inches. That puts her into the 40th percentile for weight and the 85th percentile for height.
Keely is talking up a storm and is starting to get back at her brother. She especially likes to pick on him in the car while we are driving!

Our Last Day

2009-06-16T21:36:00.008-07:00

So, obviously it is a lot harder for me to find the time to blog when I am at home.
Our last day in Vegas was great, too! Now, I just have to try to remember what we did 2 days ago.
We started our day again with a more than good breakfast. The day before, I had seen people getting blueberries and strawberries...so I thought I would ask if it would be possible to have blueberry pancakes. So, they made me special blueberry pancakes (blueberries that they had to take out of the freezer and thaw). When I got them, they had put blueberries on top also with whipped cream! Wasn't expecting them to be so beautiful...but, I thoroughly enjoyed them!
After breakfast we hung out in our room and played some more Hand and Foot. (We love this game!) And, then headed out to the pool for our last time of hanging out in the sun. I actually got a little pink on this day because we could just feel that the sun was more intense. (But, I can honestly say that I am the darkest I have EVER been in my entire life!)
After we were out at the pool we signed up to be shuttled down to The Strip at 5:00pm. So, we played more Hand and Foot while we waited for the time to come. We had wanted to go down to the Stratosphere, but that is on the complete opposite side and so we didn't get all the way down there. But, we did do about 5 miles of walking around quite a few malls. We went through The Forum shoppes at The Caesar. We also watched the moving statues performance. This side of The Strip was much classier, definitely not as trashy! The buildings on this side were so ornate. They were beautiful to look at!
We decided to grab some dinner on the way back. I am always in the mood for Mexican and so we were going to get some at a place real close to the hotel, but on the way back we saw Bahama Breeze and decided to go there, since we have never been to one before. It was incredible. We got onion rings and split a coconut shrimp dinner. Yumm!! I also got a Mango Beach. It was Mango slush with Pina Colada mix in it. So incredible!
On the way back to the hotel we were still trying to think of something little to get the kids. We had seen a t-shirt that I absolutely loved for Keely but we didn't end up getting it. It said Potty Like a Rock Star. So we stopped by the neighborhood CVS and were hoping to find some t-shirts there. Long story short we got Tyson some "treasures." He is very into collecting little things for his treasure box. So we got him some dice and poker chips (that turned out to be chocolate). And then we got them some poker chip gummy candies to split. Who needs another t-shirt anyway. *Side note of the day: While we were out we saw a whole bunch of police cars and an ambulance at the corner of the street. We were trying to see what was going on and didn't see any cars involved. We found out that a pedestrian had been hit. Definitely not an unbelievable thing!!*
When we got back to the hotel we went in the hot tub for one last time and then headed up to the room to "quickly" pack and head to bed. (Packing always seems to take longer than it actually should!) We were probably asleep by about 11:30 and had to be up by 4:30 to catch our 7:00am flight. Not enough sleep!
Our flights back went well. We had a 2+hour lay over in San Fransisco. But it went quickly, of course.
OUR TRIP WAS SOOOO WORTH IT!!! But, it is definitely hard to get back in to the reality of our busy lives again!

The Wall of Sports at New York-New York

(I think) The Brooklyn Bridge

The inside of the Miracle Mile Shops.

The fountain inside the Miracle Mile Shops.

No need explaining.

L'arc De Triumphe.

The lobby of our Hotel.

Elvis and Priscilla along with the fish in the pond in the lobby.

Part of the Venetian.

Fountain outside of the Venetian.

Looking down towards the Stratosphere tower.

Some art that looked like we were being invaded. This is another mall.

Inside The Forum (another mall).

Trojan horse inside The Forum.

Again inside The Forum.

Fountains outside Caesar's.

Looking at our swimming pool and towards the Hard Rock Hotel.

Three Days into Our Vacation

2009-06-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

Day three was loaded with fun!
We headed down for breakfast at 10:00am. (We had gone to bed so early the night before...so we decided to sleep in, since breakfast is served later on the weekends.) Breakfast was yummy once again!
After breakfast we hung out in the room and played Hand and Foot or while again. Then we got ready and went down to the pool in soak up some more sun. I went in again, but just my legs (and I think it was mostly just up to my knees.)
We then got ready to go grab something to eat. And, guess where we went....In-N-Out. We had a very later lunch. (Before we left we arranged for shuttle to the Strip at 4:30. While out for lunch we also walked over to Von's (Safeway) to grab some more water.
We got back just in time to slap on some more sunscreen and catch our shuttle down to the Strip. We walked around for a long time. We first went to New York-New York and walked around through the shops and restaurants. While doing so...we ran into some people we know from Damascus. Gaila and Scott Collins, along with their three children Jenna, Britton, and David, left the same day as we did and our headed on an almost 9 week cross country trip while the kids are on summer vacation. It was totally cool to run into people we knew, especially when there are soooo many people you pass all the time.
Okay, so our whole purpose in going to New York-New York was to ride the Manhattan Express. And...we did. After paying $14 per person (we could have paid $600 and got married on the roller coaster...that's including the minister)..we sat in the very front (we had to wait longer, but totally made the ride better) and rode The Roller Coaster. Let me tell you...it was fun. We hadn't been on a roller coaster since...well we can't figure it out...but it has been years (and I think at least before we had children...and Tyson is 4 years old!) Let's just say we had fun. Luke and I LOVE roller coasters. The Manhattan Express has a 204 foot climb before we droppred 144 feet (almost straight down), which got us going around 67 miles and hour. The ride also had one complete loop and also a spiral where we were hanging sideways. What a thrill! *Side note: The public restrooms in the New York-New York were beautiful!*
After riding the roller coaster we headed to walk through the Miracle Mile shops. We watched a fountain show in there and walked through the mall. By then it was already after 7:00 and we were starting to get hungry. We walked and walked and walked and tried a place called Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers. It was very good...I think partially because we were so hungry. We walked across the parking lot to Target and got some ice cream and then walked back to our hotel. We got back shortly after 9:00 and just hung out for a while. We actually showered because our feet were black from walking so much...dust...and I don't know what else. Plus we sweat on and off all day since it was close to 90. We just felt dirty!
When all said and done we got in about 10 miles of walking again today. (And in flip flops...our feet are hurting!!)
And, here we begin our next and final day!

Our Second Day in Vegas!

2009-06-13T08:42:00.006-07:00

It's hard to remember everything that we did yesterday.
I woke Luke up at 8:30 so we could go to breakfast. (We have a free cooked-to-order breakfast as a part of our stay here at the Embassy Suites.) We didn't know what to expect, but it was very, very good! We both had an omelet, and I think that it might have been the best omelet that I have ever had!! And beyond the omelets that they cook-to-order...you can have sausage and bacon and pancakes and french toast. Then in another room you can get yogurt with or without granola, fruit, oatmeal or cereal, coffee and juices, pastries, toast...I am sure I am missing something. Let me just say that we were not expecting our breakfast to be so yummy!
After breakfast we hung out in our room for awhile while our food settled, and then we went down to the exercise room. I had planned to do a short run yesterday and a longer run tomorrow. Luke was gracious enough to plan to do the runs with me...so he talked me into running the long run yesterday evening. So, in the morning we ran 1 mile on the treadmill and then lifted for a while.
We then went out to the pool and just enjoyed the sun. They always have music going out there and it is just so relaxing. I did go partly in the pool yesterday. Not a recommended thing...it is SO COLD!!
We came back in and got ready to go to a very late lunch (2:00pm). I wanted Mexican food and so we walked over to Cozymels. It was very good. (We had had Cozymels before, almost 5 years ago, when we flew down to see Melissa, Luke's sister. She was living in Frisco at the time and we had dinner in Grapevine, after getting off the plan, with Luke and Melissa's Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin.)
After lunch...I called Luke's mom to see how the kiddos were doing. They were both awake. Keely had woken up during the night and wanted me and Mom just told her that I wasn't home and she went right back to bed. (Yeah!) So they are doing well. I don't need to worry about them. I talked to Keely for awhile and she, I could tell in her voice, was so excited. Tyson didn't want to talk. I am glad that they are doing well and aren't being horrible for their grandparents!!!
We took a nap yesterday...and I actually was able to fall asleep. It was rejuvenating and I had a hard time getting out of bed. I don't think I have caught up on my sleep yet.
After nap we played Hand and Foot for awhile (it's a card game). And then we got ready to go run at the worst part of the day for me to run. I do not do well running in the evening. We ran right around 6:30 and it was still in the mid 80s. We are directly across from the UNLV track and so we ran over there. It was NOT a good run! We did right under 4 miles. I guess when you put me back on a track I run much faster than out on the streets or sidewalks because we were running around a 7 or 7 1/2 minute mile for the first 1 1/2 miles. We then walked a lap. I was soooooo thirsty but didn't have any water to drink. We finished out the run...but, I was not happy with it. But, I guess with the sun beating down on us and the wind blowing and not being used to the extremely dry air...I shouldn't complain. And...we did almost 4 miles (plus the 1 mile from in the morning). While we were walking back from the track our fingers were swollen like little sausages and it hurt to bend our fingers. WE NEEDED WATER!
As soon as we got back we got ready to head down to the Strip. We wanted to go down at night to see all the lights. It is crazy how alive Vegas is ALL THE TIME! We walked down because there wasn't a shuttle anymore at that time. There is so much construction always going on in Vegas. Right now there is a huge, new casino that is being built. It is so weird to look at because of the angles that it sits at. We walked around a lot. We had an ice cream cone a the McDonalds on the strip. It is amazing to see all the signs. McDonalds, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens...every ordinary restaurant or store we passed on the Strip had bright flashing signs too. We saw the fountain show that's in front of the Belagio, very beautiful and amazing! We walked some more. We did go into M & M world. It is a 4 story building. Four floors of all sorts of M & M products that are WAY over-priced. They sell all sorts of colors of M & Ms in this store for only $12.99 a pound! :o) Wow all the sights we saw on our walk! And all the smells we smelled on our walk!

Hard Rock Cafe (We are staying right across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel and Cafe.)

The Harley Davidson Restaurant

Hotel Paris

New York-New York

The fountains at the Bellagio.

So since we hadn't eaten any dinner and since we had walked for hours on end, we were getting very hungry on the way back to our hotel. We decided that we would WALK over to In-N-Out again since it is somewhat close to our hotel (only another 1.5 miles+ round trip). So, at midnight we split a meal and a shake. Not a good meal to eat right befor going to bed! But, it was good and it did fill our bellies.
We are trying to figure out if we want to go on the roller coaster outside of NewYork NewYork or to a show. Or if we should just do both. I will let you know what we decide in the next blog.
I am sure, by the end of the day when everything was all said and done, that we easily walked/ran 10 miles.
We turned in at about 1:30am...way to late for me...but, at least I did sleep in more than usual! I don't think that Luke and I have gotten to hold hands as much as we did yesterday. This trip has been such a nice treat!

Vegas so far...

2009-06-12T05:17:00.000-07:00

...has been very relaxing.
I was MORE than exhausted yesterday. Three nights with not good sleep or not much sleep took a toll on my body. And the little room on the plane to try to fall asleep only produced a kink in my neck. So, on top of me being tired...now with a kink in my neck...I was nauseous part of the first flight and the majority of the second flight. We experienced quite a bit of turbulence. I have never felt like that on a plane before! Luckily shortly after we landed it was gone. (We each received a $100 voucher for our next trip for some reason that I didn't hear.) *Just another little side note: On our second flight we sat by a grandmotherly woman who was going to San Fran to visit her 86 year old mother. We got to talking and long story short...she thought we were teenagers...not almost 29 year olds, and was astounded that we had not one, but two children!*
After standing in the taxi line for probably 10 minutes...we finally got on a taxi. The line was amazing. There were 12 places for taxis to pull up to and we were almost constantly moving up in line. But, it takes a while to move that many people through! Wow!! We had a horrible driver. He was constantly breaking and then flooring it and then breaking. So after going a little shy of one mile and paying $10.90 we arrived at our hotel. (Not the best first experience for Luke.) We were able to check into our hotel room right away...right around noon, even though check in wasn't until 3:00pm. So I unpacked everything and then we started looking for restaurants because I desperately needed some protein. We learned (thank you google maps) that there was a In-N-Out about .7 miles from us...so we went!! So yummy. Plus, we got a little exercise and we got to walk through the UNLV campus. (We are staying at the Embassy suites...and our room is beautiful! Not one, but two flat screen tvs!)
After lunch we "took" a nap. Luke fell asleep for a few minutes and I tossed and turned until Luke's phone rang and we both jumped. (I had drank caffeine at lunch...not a good idea if I want to take a nap!) So, we decided to head out to the pool! Luke said that the water was very cold. I don't know, I didn't try it. I hate being cold! (Maybe today I will jump in.) We layed out in the sun and just enjoyed being with each other and talking.
We went to PF Changs for dinner. It is walking distance away. So we dressed up all perdy (and we didn't take a picture :( and had a most scrumptuos meal!)
Of course THE game was on last night and we had to watch it. And, I actually got to watch it! We watched for a little while after dinner and then headed down to enjoy the hot tub. Obviously it is too warm (it will be in the high 80s while we are here) out to enjoy the hot tub while the sun is out. But, there was a nice breeze last night and it felt wonderful!! We finished the game when we got back and then turned in for the night...just before 10:00.
I cannot say that I am not missing my children. I miss them a lot. It was harder last night when I was really tired and am usually tucking them in. But, this break is awesome!!

2009-06-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

So...I forgot to have Tyson go to the bathroom before he went to bed tonight. So a little while after he was in bed, he came out. I immediately knew why. But...
...he also went on to tell me that he was going to have nice dreams tonight. He had several nightmares last night. Most of his bad dreams have monsters of some description in them. So, he went on to tell me that he is going to have lots of good dreams tonight. And, the monsters are all going to tell him that they are sorry for scaring him last night.
What an imagination!

Another Conversation

2009-06-07T09:06:00.002-07:00

After church last night, the kids and I ran some errands before we picked Luke up from second service.
We stopped at the mall for a few minutes and when we stepped outside the car, we were met with an overwhelming stench (for the city anyway!). It smelled like silage.
Anyway...we were walking into the mall and Tyson said, "Mom, my nose stinks! My nose is so stinky!!"
I told him it wasn't his nose that was stinky it was the air that his nose was smelling.
He contemplated this and said, "It sure is stinky!"

Tyson's Imagination

2009-06-04T13:43:00.003-07:00

Tyson is so very imaginative. And thankfully, most nights, he isn't waking up with dreams...anymore. But, I can tell he is starting to figure out many things in life, and how sentences are formed, and how we can choose different words to express how we are feeling and what we see, etc.
While driving to work last night a short conversation between Tyson and me started:

T: Mom can you open my window?
M: Honey, it's very warm out and I have the AC on.
T: But mom, I want to smell the sun!
M: You want to smell the sun?!
T: Yes.
M: Okay, but just for a moment and then we need to close it again.
(After allowing him to have it open for a minute, I closed it back up.....and)
T: Mom, the sun smells so beautiful!

That made me smile and it still does. I am not sure what he was smelling. Or perhaps I am just not as imaginative anymore. But, I appreciated this little conversation!

My life is...

2009-05-28T15:16:00.003-07:00

...BUSY!!
Most days it seems I am on the go, non-stop, from morning until I crawl into bed at night. (Perhaps this is why I don't ever make time to blog.)
I am working in the Kids Club at Premier Sport and Fitness. I work there Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights and on Saturdays. Tyson has speech school on Mondays.
While the kids are napping, I work during those hours for my friend's coaching company.
And, I am training for a half-marathon. So we go to the gym in the morning, I drop the kids off at Kids Club and I run. I do my long runs on the weekends. There are 4 of us that are running together. But, so far I have only been able to run with Nadia outside. Last Saturday was the first day that I had done any mileage off the treadmill. We did 8 miles at 6:00am and it felt soooo easy. I was so worried that it would be hard because we did a few hills. After running the 8 miles (at a 9 min. 14sec mile) I totally felt like I could still run more. That felt good!
So this weekend we are up to 9 miles. The half-marathon is looking so much more doable.

More new news is that Luke and I are going to Vegas for 4 days...by ourselves! This is so exciting! I am so ready to just relax and have nothing to do for 4 days. (Well I do need to do a 10 or 11 mile run and another short run...but nothing else!!!!)

Keely's Pig Tails

2009-05-27T21:39:00.001-07:00

Tyson's Birthday

2009-05-27T15:13:00.004-07:00

Baby Shower Cake

2009-05-27T15:09:00.002-07:00

The Tulip Festival

2009-04-23T15:29:00.003-07:00

2009-04-23T15:19:00.002-07:00

2009-04-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

So, I played a little catch up today. Being sick for a couple of months...has allowed me to just do the necessary.

A New Obsession

2009-04-14T16:34:00.002-07:00

Tyson loves worms!! He wants to go find worms every day. We have been letting him go outside by himself recently. Today he was outside for more than an hour...hunting for worms...pushing big logs over to find worms...holding the worms. Tyson is all boy and loves to be outside!

Easter

2009-04-14T16:14:00.004-07:00

Tyson and Keely got books. Keely loves Fancy Nancy books and Tyson loves these animal sounds books.

The Easter Cake.

Tyson and Keely

2009-04-14T15:58:00.004-07:00

Our first WARM, sunny day. The kids absolutely loved playing outside!

Our baby, who now walks all over the place!

2009-04-14T15:46:00.003-07:00

Our friends, Dustin and Tina, got married at the beginning of March. We were honored to be witnesses of their marriage!

I have no idea who this little boy is, but he came up to me twice and gave me the hugest hug and then wanted a picture with me.

Keely and Ava (from Jan or Feb)

2009-04-14T15:36:00.001-07:00

2009-04-02T07:11:00.002-07:00

Keely is WALKING! She took her first steps holding Tyson's sword. A few minutes later she took 16 steps. And a few days later...she is WALKING and pretty much without falling!

And, boy, is she proud of herself!

What in the World Has Been Going On?

2009-03-27T13:51:00.004-07:00

Wow, I can't believe that it has been more than 2 months since I have blogged last! Not much has happened over the last 2 months...except that we have been sick forever! It started back in January with the stomach flu. Then come the end of January I got a head cold...and have had it ever since. They call it a SUPER BUG! It has pronounced itself in different ways for us all. The last 4 weeks have been the worst. I had pink eye for a week. Then the next week I had larangitis while Luke had a fever for 8 days. Then I was so lucky to get the fever for 9 days. Now we are at no energy...blowing the nose constantly...perhaps and ear infection for me. And oh...somewhere in there, Tyson almost got pneumonia...got an ear infection in the ear that still has the tube...then got an ear infection in the other year. Had a horrible cough that only codeine would get rid of...then Keely got the cough. I am sure there is more...but enough of my blabbing on and on! We are normally very healthy...so it has been weird and more than annoying!

I can tell you that we are so ready to be over everything!!!! And we are ready for days of sunshine and warmth!! It has been hard getting used to Oregon winter weather. I miss the sun that we had almost every day in Oklahoma...but, I do not miss the weather going back and forth from 87 to snowing the next day.

Keely and Tyson have both grown 2 inches in the past 2 months. Keely is 15 months old and is around the 95th percentile for height and the 25th for weight. Tyson is almost off the charts for weight and in the 90th for height. I guess we have tall kids! Keely is still not walking...she walks very, very well around things...holding on with just one hand. She also walks very well holding onto someone's hand. She has taken a few steps toward us...but then when we try to get her to do it again, she sits down and laughs at us. I think, when she does start "walking," she will hit the ground running. She likes to climb up the stairs and up ladders. She does have a very fast big brother to keep up with! Keely has 6 teeth now and I am sure more on the way.

And, yes...I will post new pictures soon!!!

2009-01-19T22:05:00.000-08:00

Keely just got her first tooth tonight! (She is 13 months and 2 days old.)

Tyson Loves to Paint

2009-01-19T09:36:00.001-08:00

And Keely Loves Bananas

2009-01-19T07:40:00.001-08:00

Curly Keely

2009-01-18T21:43:00.004-08:00

The top part was thick and curly but the back not so much. So we washed her hair afterwards. We'll have to wait until she has more hair in the back.

I lost count!

2009-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

So, we went out to Panda Express with our friends last night before they left to go back to Nashville. We were just about to leave and Tyson threw up a lot. Luke caught a lot until the container was full and then he still threw up so much on the floor.
So, we get home to 2 inches of snow and can't make it up the hill. So one of our neighbors drove us up.
We got Tyson and Keely ready for bed right away. And then we played a hand of cards. We were just about to head for bed when we heard Tyson throwing up. And, about a minute later Keely started crying...so I ran in there and she, too, was throwing up.
The night continued on quite horribly. I think when all was said and done that Tyson ended up throwing up 5 times, Keely 2 times, Luke 3 times, and Maribeth 2 times.
I have high hopes of not getting this stomach flu. I also have high hopes of getting a little sleep today. Sleep was very limited last night. I did (I think) 3 loads of laundry through the night and the 6th or 7th load is in now.
Oh the things we do for our children. :)

2009-01-04T21:13:00.001-08:00

This is a 50th anniversary cake that I tried to replicate. The biggest cake that I have made to date.

Keely's First Birthday Party

2009-01-04T20:59:00.003-08:00

Keely's own cake. (I'll post more pictures later of her eating it. It was so cute!)

My Beautiful Girl

2008-12-16T21:30:00.002-08:00

My baby turns one in less than 2 hours!!!!

Coles' Family Christmas

2008-12-16T21:22:00.001-08:00

It's Snowing!!!

2008-12-14T13:42:00.004-08:00

HOW IS IT ALREADY SATURDAY?

2008-12-13T07:33:00.005-08:00

The time has been flying by this year, especially the last couple months. So, maybe I should have written that it was my goal to take pictures every day and to post them when I had a moment.
So, here's my moment.

Tyson with a silly smile.

Keely's blankie (it was mine was I was a baby). I am going to start growing her bangs out since her other hair has caught up to her bangs now.

The Last Few Days

2008-12-09T07:52:00.005-08:00

We have been busy and the time between now and when we leave for my parents (in 7 days) will go way too fast. So much still to do...but it's a great time of year!

Keely loves the tree (or maybe it's the ornaments). While she eats, she looks at the tree and laughs.

Tyson and I decorated a gingerbread house. He actually did quite a bit on it.

Luke sang twice this weekend. He sang at the opening of the Happy Valley City Hall and at the Grotto. These are pictures at the City Hall. The first one is of Grandma Clara (Tyson took it).

Tyson and Keely love balloons. I was trying to think of some art project for Tyson to do...so he decorated a balloon...or should I say several. The first 2 popped after he had decorated it for quite awhile.

Keely is growing up too fast. She turn *1* in 6 days. She loves to drive the bus.

She loves to stand up, but gets very nervous when the walker moves away from her.

Not the greatest of pictures...but I wanted to get a picture of her in her navy dress because it makes her eyes look even more blue.

A Pirate of a Day

2008-12-06T14:44:00.004-08:00

Here are the cousins all dressed up. Well, Keely just wore her pirate shirt.
You can see that Tyson is quite pale. But, he had fun and then was very ready for a nap!

The other cake I made was for Braden's birthday. I made Braden a personal cake and then cupcakes for everyone else.

Busy Days

2008-12-06T14:33:00.002-08:00

So, I didn't have very much sleep for 4 days in a row. When we scheduled Tyson's surgery, I had already agreed to do 2 cakes. Yes, that meant less sleep but I had fun making them. And, that means I have more pictures to add to my portfolio. Any one need a cake?

First Post Opp Day

2008-12-06T14:13:00.003-08:00

So on Thursday (yes I realize I haven't posted in a couple days), Tyson wasn't doing very well. He didn't want to eat or drink anything. He also didn't want to take his pain killers. It was a BIG struggle to get him to swallow his pain medicine. But, he did want to paint in the morning and that was about all he did besides lay down and watch movies and sleep. Then about 12:30 he started throwing up. He threw up 5 or 6 times in 5 hours and then we really started worrying about dehydration. I called the nurse and she was pretty certain that it was just a reaction from the anesthetics. He did start drinking and keeping water down the rest of the night.

On Friday, Tyson was feeling so much better. He wanted to eat everything in sight. But, was still only allowed to eat soft foods and liquid. He ate quite a bit yesterday, but mostly his diet was still liquids. But, we did decorate his room a little.

Our Day

2008-12-03T17:55:00.002-08:00

So our day started early. Tyson had to be at the hospital by 7:15...which meant leaving our house by 6:30. Luke took Tyson and I came with Keely later after she woke up. Tyson came through surgery well. He had some difficulty when the anesthetics were wearing off. But, not as bad as when he had his tubes two years ago. We were able to come home at noon. Tyson slept the whole way home and Luke put him in his bed when they got home. He basically slept until 2:00pm, with occasional waking up times.

Keely loves to read books. Especially when she gets to read them by herself.

I am exhausted. :) I am sure we will be going to bed early tonight.

Please Pray...

2008-12-02T20:42:00.001-08:00

...Tyson is having his tonsils and adnoids out tomorrow. Please pray for him and for us.
Thank you!!

So...

2008-12-02T18:19:00.003-08:00

...I could entitle this another new bow, but I decided not to. I am trying to post new pictures of Keely every day from now until she turns one (in 15 days).

Another New Bow

2008-12-01T18:01:00.005-08:00

Tyson took the above picture.

By this time she REALLY wanted me to pick her up.

Thanksgiving Cupcakes

2008-11-30T18:21:00.001-08:00

Keely's New Bow

2008-11-30T18:13:00.001-08:00

This is one of the new "bows" Keely has. My wonderful friend, Allison, and I made bows last night.

My STRONG Son

2008-11-30T18:03:00.002-08:00

Tyson's Prayer

2008-11-18T21:24:00.002-08:00

Tyson loves to pray now. He has one prayer for everything and one prayer that he says before bed time and nap time. His usual prayer is "Dear God, Thank you for Jesus." And his one that he says before he goes to bed or nap is "Dear God, Thank you for Jesus. Let something else don't scare me...monsters don't scare me."
Tyson is scared of the dark right now. But, he is also just nervous about a lot of things. So, I told him to pray to God when he is scared and that God will protect him. So, now he just prayers this prayer every time he goes to sleep.

So Cute!

2008-11-16T14:34:00.003-08:00

I actually woke Keely up from her morning nap today. She is going down to one nap a day, but today she was very tired and so she took a nap in the morning. But, not wanting her to sleep too long (she slept 1.5 hours), so she could sleep at the same time as Tyson, we woke her up. This is what we saw when we went in to get her.