Park, Cupcakes & Duke!

Our last full day out in Oregon we went to Ashland, Oregon.  It was such a cute city!  I didn’t take a lot of pictures, but here are a few I took.  The leaves were just starting to change out here.  The below pictures is from an awesome park we went to.

Taking pictures of the big girls.

I didn’t take many more pictures of the girls – because I’ll be honest, I had a hard time looking at them with their newly styled hair!  And when I would take pictures of Lily – Katie would tell me… that’s good Lynn.  : )  Katie put bows on Lily and I tried to do a comb-over-esk ponytail on Mally!  We weren’t fooling anyone!

Another view on our drive to get cupcakes! 

All these little cupcakes shop are just too fun!  I read all about them on other blogs – and Katie took me to my first one!

An entire glass case of cupcakes!  How do you choose?!

Mallory knew right away which one she wanted!!  Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!  She isn’t me at all. 

I spiced it up though and went with a pink champagne one!

We came home and ate lunch.  Yes you eat dessert first when you visit Katie!  The girls took naps and we watched crazy dance moms!  So much more fun to watch these insane afternoon shows with a friend!  My word these people are a whole new breed of moms!

Mally was in love with Duke, the cat!  We were sleeping in Duke’s bed – and he finally snuck in there and got his bed back during Mallory’s nap!

I’m allergic to cats – so I was trying to keep him out – but he would sneak in there so fast!  He doesn’t like to have to share his room with a non-cat lover.  Mallory loved that she got to sleep with Duke and she made me shut the door so he wouldn’t leave and would stay with her the whole nap!  Mallory is my animal lover!  Honestly, Duke is hard to not love.  He is the only cat I like… and I’m SO NOT A CAT PERSON!  : ) 

We had an awesome trip and successful flights home.  We got in late Wednesday night and I could not wait to get my hands on my Max!  Well, he totally shamed me for being gone so long!  I would reach back and grab his foot and try to talk to him and he would pull his foot away and look away from me! 

Then when we got home and got in the house and Jesse put him down – he saw Mallory and went “MAAAYEEE!” and ran up to her and hugged her!  It was so sweet!  Then when I requested my hugs – he ran the other way!  That was not so sweet!  He literally wouldn’t have anything to do for me a day and half!!  Little stinker! 

Testing

Trying to see if I can get my program to work again…

Beauty School Drop Outs

One of the things I really wanted to do while out here was get Starbucks.  Katie's husband, Ben, brought us home Starbucks one morning.  Katie and I are sitting in her kitchen drinking our coffee's watching her husband cook eggs and then talking him into making us eggs.  : )  The girls are upstairs playing.  They are playing so good!  We don't hear any fighting!  No one has come to tell us one isn't sharing!  They were just a playing so hard up in Lily's room.  Katie and I got lost in our little world and the next thing I know I see the girls coming down the steps and I look at them and they have HUGE smiles on their faces!  I notice their hair!  They got into lotion (or something) and smeared it all in their hair!!  I start to say, as they are still walking down the stairs coming closer to us, What did you put in your...

WE CUT OUR HAIR!!!

My stomach drops!  You didn't!  They come close to us and they are standing next to us and they are so proud of themselves!  Mallory kept repeating - We cut our hair!  We cut our hair!  We cut our hair!  The more I touched her hair the more fell out!  When she cut it, it would just sit on top of her head - so it was getting worse the more I touched her.  Clumps were coming off!

I carried her to the bathroom and set her on the sink to show her what she did.  She was still very proud of herself.  I probably over reacted, but I want her to know that it was naughty and that it wasn't something good that she did.  So I put her in timeout.  She didn't get the full 3 minutes - she was maybe in there a minute.  

Katie's husband was home and all he could do was laugh and take pictures and say "They gave themselves mullets!  Business in the front, party in the back!"  And laugh!  He laughed and laughed and laughed!  He wanted to put it on facebook!  Katie and I both yelled "NO!  Give us a minute!"  Boys!  : )  And then we both bust into laughter and can not stop laughing!  These girls!

We laughed for days!  Every once in awhile one of us would just burst into laughter and we knew what was so funny!  I would start to laugh and Katie would say "Stop looking at my child!  Your laughing at my child!"  Seriously, only with her could this happen and both of us laugh so hard.

Please note that these girls are still in their jammies and they have not had their hair combed yet - so they have bed head on top of their new cuts!  Which makes them look worse.

Mallory's hair did hang in front of her face a lot!  And it did drive me crazy!  And I did try to put clips in it all the time, which she hated.  So she was just trying to get out of having to wear clips all the time.  ; )

Poor Lily!  She just really wanted some rocking bangs like her Momma has!  Next time Lily we should ask a professional!  ; )

I've kind of got use to looking at Mallory like this and I don't notice it anymore.  However, everyone else still notices it.  I was in the gas station the other night and the check out lady says "I remember when my son did that right before school pictures?"  I looked at her and thought, your son carried bananas in his school picture?  Because that is what Mallory was doing - carrying the bananas.  I must of had that confused look on my face and she says "cut his hair!"  OH!!!!!  Yes!!!  Felt like a dork!  I am learning that a lot of kids do this!  Or they did it to other people!  Or to their barbies/dolls!

You are asking - where did they find a scissors?  Katie had a craft bin in the way back of the closet - up high.  But I'm thinking Mally was tall enough to see it and reach it and get it.  The rest is history.

You are asking - did they cut anything else?  Yes!  But we didn't think to ask them that until a day later when we noticed the drum sticks were no longer attached to the drum.  That is all we found.  Lily claims she cut her bears hair and her ducks hair.  However, we can't find any damage to them.

You are asking - did they each cut their own?  Yes!  They both said they cut their own hair.  And actually just the other night I was video taping the kids rough housing with Jesse and I called Mallory to come over and I questioned her about her hair (thought it might be fun to have that on video) and she says "Lily cut hers and said that I could cut mine too."  Whether that is true or not - I don't know.

Mally & Momma Vacation

I have been wanting to see my very good friend, Katie, for a few years now.  We use to live out in Oregon together and we met threw our husbands who went to grad school together.  Katie and I started exercising together every night - as long as it wasn't above 80 degrees... Katie doesn't do heat.  ; )  Our husbands studied every night and we needed something to do keep us occupied - we lived very close - so we started walking.  I loved it!  We got real close.  So I really have been missing her and needed me some Katie time!  Jesse told me that I could go out there (Southern Oregon) to see her.  I really wanted to bring Mallory with me because Katie has a little girl and these girls could play while Katie and I catch up.  I had some air miles burning a whole in my pocket so I did it (after a week of him-hawing and watching airline prices go up) I bought Mallory and I ticket to go out to Southern Oregon!  After I purchased the ticket it was pure excitement and I couldn't wait for October 6th!  And then it was a few days before we left and I did the what I have done?  I'm separating my family!  Mallory and I are getting on a gigantic plane and my boys are staying home!  It felt all wrong!  I didn't want to leave my Max... I didn't like leaving Jesse!  I didn't like getting to take a vacation without them!  

And then Saturday morning (airplane day) came and I was super excited again and just needed to get to that airport and say my goodbyes to my boys and I would be fine!  Mallory was beyond thrilled for airplane day!  She had no idea where we were going or who these people were that I kept telling her about - but she was going to ride on an airplane, watch movies, and eat snacks!  The best part for her - Daddy & Max could not come!  Momma all to herself!

Jesse dropped Mallory and I off at the airport and it was lunch time.  And Mallory was hungry!  She didn't say she was hungry - but her attitude totally told me she needed food, bad!  She wanted me to hold her while we were standing in line for our tickets!  I can't!  I have our suitcase, a carseat and two backpacks to lug around - I have no room for Mallory!  She wasn't impressed.

We finally get our tickets and now we get in line for security.  However, I have checked my suitcase and carseat - so I just have the two backpacks - which are not light.  I didn't know what I would need to keep her entertained so I brought a lot and I brought a ton of snacks.  I'm standing in line for security and she is getting melty on me again and the people in front of us tell me that I can go threw a different line because I have a small child with me.  What!  Really!  Tell me where!  So we go to this "special line" and it was not special at all.  I think it was even longer!  She cried during this wait.  I some how managed to get her in my arms and held her for awhile - but it was just too much so I had to put her down and she cried again.

Now we are to where we have to take our shoes off and put all belongs on that belt and send them and walk in that machine.  I'm thinking - how am I going to get her to walk threw this by herself?!  Well I get her lined up and I'm telling her what she has to do and the security staff says - she can't have that blanket.  You need to send the blanket on the belt.  OH NO!  She is already crying and I take her blanket... melt down city!  She is now refusing to walk threw to the other side and they tell me that I can carry her across!  Whew!!  

We get all our stuff back and shoes back on and off we go to find our gate and some FOOD!  I let her pick anything she wanted - she needed to eat!  : )  She is her mother's daughter - she picked a chocolate chip muffin and chocolate milk.  : )  And she was back to Happy Chatty Mally.

We are sitting at our gate and I get her all comfy because when I looked at the clock we had a while before we boarded.  We are listening to music and reading books and I'm taking pictures and texting away not really paying attention.  I hear them boarding the plane and don't think anything of it and all of sudden I look around and I start to panic.  Did they just say Salt Lake City?  I was listening to the iPod w/ Mallory so I couldn't really hear.  People are getting up to board.  And I look at the people across from me and I say... is this flight going to Salt Lake?  Yes.  They are boarding right now?  Yes.  Holy Crap!  Mallory we have to pack up and go!!

We boarded the plane along with everyone else - we just didn't get to do the special small child pre-board.  She loved the plane!  Wasn't scared a bit!  Didn't want to hold my hand.  She watched out the window.  Complained a little bit about her "mouth sounds funny" - her ears.  : )  Chewing gum was a huge highlight for her too.  She did not sleep on that flight.  She watched her movie.  Then we got to Salt Lake and we had to run to our next flight.  She hadn't gone to the bathroom since Minneapolis and I wanted to make her go before we got on the next flight.  So we run to our terminal and we have 15 minutes before boarding and we race to the bathroom and back and get on our flight to have different seats that are not next to each other.  So the flight attendant told me to ask one of them if they would switch with me... and the gentleman totally did!  So we got to sit by each other.  : )  That flight was so fast to Southern Oregon - we got in 30 minutes early!

I really wish someone would of been photographing us or video taping us when Katie and her daughter, Lily, showed up.  Katie and I are walking out just a chatting away and doing what long lost girl friends do and I look behind us and the girls are walking behind us and they are talking to each other like they have known each other forever.  I can't remember what they were talking about - but it was the sweetest moment!  I even said... Katie look!  It is Little Lynn and Little Katie back there!!

Katie had a little care package for Mallory in our room and the next morning I decorated the girls in the little sparkle stickers.  They had to match.  : )

They both did not like that I didn't put a sticker on the other side.  They both kept telling me they needed more and they needed more on the other eye.

Then they needed their pictures taken again.

If Mallory was going to get a picture - then Lily was too.

We didn't have any plans and I didn't want to have plans.  My plan was to see my friend again and talk and talk and do nothing... and eat Halloween Oreos.  It was perfect.  We stayed in our jammies until - wait, I'm not telling you how long.  : )

We did leave one day, right during lunch and before nap time.  It was a bad judge of time on our part - but when you get side tracked and don't get out of your jammies until... wait, I'm not telling you... You loose track of your child's schedule and well... you learn to be a better judge of time next time!

We went to the pumpkin patch!  I couldn't get over the views they have!  They are in a valley in Southern Oregon and oh my!  This view in every direction!  

My animal loving Mallory - feeding goats!

Lily loved working the corn machine!

The goat was getting a little impatient with Lily.  Almost looks like maybe he would like to taste one of her braids.

Then the girls got to ride the ponies.  As we are walking over there Lily says.. I want to ride the pink one.  There isn't a pink pony Lily.  So then she decided she would settle for a purple one.  Um, no purple ones either.  So we went with the pony with the purple blanket.  Funny girl!

Riding the swing.

If one girl did it - the other one had to too!

Then they rode the bikes while we waited for the hay wagon ride.  Mally is taller then Lily so she could peddle, Lily couldn't.  And she tried every bike thinking maybe that one would work.

I got distracted by the views again.

On the hay wagon ride.  Um, can you tell we are on the verge of needing a nap real soon?

Me and my Katie!

The girls with their braids.  They were so cute!

Looking for the perfect pumpkin to bring home!  

Mallory found one and she kept saying she was bringing it home.  We did bring it back to Katie's and she still kept saying she was bringing her pumpkin home.  However, Katie, she has yet to ask about that pumpkin!  She forgot about it!  : )  

It was so hot out that day.  80s!  And Mallory was hungry, tired and now "sweaty".  She threw herself a little pity party in the dirt because she was "sweaty".  She don't like to sweat!  (Gets that from me!  I can't stand it!)  So we get her back in the car with the AC and she transforms back into her giggly silly self!  It was actually comical watching her!

That was our big adventure!  Stay tuned though!   The little girls had their own adventure!  You don't want to miss this one!  I don't know if us Momma's laughed or cried first...

Frey Academy

Mallory gets to start Preschool (or 4K) next year, if we want. So I've been researching schools… public vs. private vs. homeschooling. I think it would be totally fun to homeschool. However you have to be totally disciplined – and I am, but I don’t know if I am that disciplined. : )

In my little bit of research that I have done, I have no idea what to do for school. So I joke about opening Frey Academy with our sales guy.

A couple of Fridays ago on my day off – I printed off some worksheets for Mallory and had a project planned and we went to the basement to have school. Right now Mallory thinks school is so much fun! She will ask me, Momma are you the teacher? Then she proceeds to call me teacher instead of momma.

One of her worksheets she had to count the shapes and tell me how many she needed to make the picture.

Then lay her shapes on top of the picture. First one was a turtle.

Meanwhile – we had Mad Max with us! Or should we now say… Restless Max! : ) He needs projects too or he starts climbing on the table causing complete chaos. So he had to find the animal I asked for and put it on his dry ease board. Then tell me the animal sound. He loved it!  

Mallory (and Max too) love the search and finds. This worksheet she had to find things that started with the letter A. It was actually pretty tough because I copied it in black & white instead of color.

She found the items and circled them.

Then drew a line after she found it.

Our project was to make a q-tip skeleton.

I had to take Max upstairs and change him – meanwhile Mally started gluing q-tips… and well… you’ll see…

It was so much fun being able to do this with the kids. And the bonus part – after I spent this time with them – I got to make lunch in peace! They had spent a lot of one-on-one time with me that they could play by themselves until lunch was served! Bonus!!

A Fall Walk

Side note: I can't get my Live Writer to post my blogs - which is why I have been "gone".  I have all these posts written and they won't post.  Hang in there - I'll get it figured out and get this back log of posts published.

It was a beautiful fall day so to spice things up I told the kids we were going to go walk on the trails behind our house.

Running to catch up with MaaEee.

Look an airplane!

I stopped to take a picture of the weeds, but couldn't get the one weed I wanted. I got this one though.

 Meanwhile Max got tired of waiting for me and climbed into the weeds to take a load off.

Monkey see – Monkey do.

I was having to carry him on our walk and every time I wanted a picture I would put him down. Well instead of sitting on the trail – he would climb into the weeds and sit.

I love these weeds this time of year! Especially with the sun shining on them. They glow!

I have no idea what it is, but I kind of want to dig some up and move them to behind my house so I can see them every day.

So proud of this next picture!!

See how they glow back behind the kids!

Okay last one! I didn't lie, I really like them! : )



The trail took us to the baseball field.





I learned how to take blurry background pictures and I can’t stop. I love them!



And sun pictures! Can’t get enough of them either!




Mallory was in charge of finding the way home. She pretend that the stick was her map and she had to check the “map” every four steps. She must have been spending time with Uncle Jerry with all his map checking. ; )