Date Night

It has been months since Mike and I had a date night. As much as I love 'em, I decided we HAD to go do something without our kids in tow. So we did! We had a nice relaxing dinner together and just talked. We didn't have to worry about oyster crackers smashed all over the floor, or a baby discontent with sitting in a high chair, or forks flying across the table.
After dinner Mike took me for a ride on his new motorcycle. I was nervous at first, but that faded quickly. It was so fun! We drove to a nearby cemetery to walk around. There is something about cemeteries I just LOVE. I love reading the headstones and wondering about the people who passed away. Does this sound creepy? I dunno, it's actually kinda fun. It's always quiet and peaceful there. Mike and I just walked around holding hands and talking. It was nice to have a REAL conversation that didn't involve our children or chores or finances. It was just what I needed. As it got later, we witnessed the most beautiful sunset. I wish I could come up with a word that adequately described it. The picture I took really didn't do it justice at all. With the dusk came some night predators....OWLS! I don't think I've ever seen an owl in real life, besides maybe at the zoo. There were four big owls flying from the trees and catching rodents. Some rested on the big headstones. They were so close to us and stared us down while bobbing and doing that crazy circling thing they do with their heads. I have to admit, it was pretty sweet. Although, I couldn't get any decent shots on my camera because there wasn't enough light and also because the batteries kept dying. But here are some pics I got before my camera completely died altogether.

This was a huge monument in honor of two Catholic bishops.

After looking at all the great humongous and elaborate headstones, Mike and I decided we want something really simple when we die. Good to know these things, right?
When we were done walking around the boneyard we sped away on the motorcycle and eventually had to go pick up our kids.
It was a fun date night!

More pics, cos I know you're not sick of seeing my kids yet, right?

The First Step

Vessel took this picture and I thought it was kinda "artsy."

I made it crazy!

Vessel loves playing with Mike's phone because you can toy with the pictures and "make them crazy" as Vessel says. Here's a couple examples of Vessel's skills.

And here's a picture of our table when we went out to eat. Nice shot, Ves.

Sidewalk Art

While on our walk, the sidewalk was covered in leaf prints. Lots of leaves must've fallen on the wet concrete when they poured it. I thought it was amazingly beautiful.

What the?

Sign at Walmart

Tiny Spaces

So, right now I'm sitting here with a pile of henna on my hair covered in a shower cap. I haven't done henna on my hair for a few years and I forgot what a freaking pain it is, not to mention how messy it can be. Part of it could be that I was just in a hurry though. In my haste, I didn't follow the directions verbatim, either, so let's hope this turns out. Anyway, since I've got some time to kill before this little concoction on my head is done, I thought I'd write a post.

It's been exactly a month since we moved from our house into our little 2 bedroom apartment. Transitioning from a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a yard to a tiny apartment like this hasn't been that hard at all, believe it or not. At first it was... I mean, I miss our deck with the fire pit and our yard, and the space in our house. But being here has forced us to live simply. I guess what I mean by that is we came to realize that things are just things. A few items got broken during the move and, well, it was a great way to make us see that "things" shouldn't rule our lives. Here today, gone tomorrow, so don't get attached to things now, as Maude would say. We also had to part with several "luxuries" we were used to in our old house because we just don't have the room anymore. We stored pretty much everything we owned, except of course, the basics. Since all my "projects," (i.e. scrapbooking, knitting, sewing) are packed away for the summer I have actually been doing other things like...reading. Yeah, I've read 3 books this summer. Okay, they weren't big books, but books none-the-less. I have also planted a mini garden on the balcony of our apartment and some things are starting to sprout. My first real attempt at growing stuff and I might just be successful! Let's cross our fingers.

Since we live in a tiny space, I find it much easier to keep it clean because there are not as many rooms to deal with. Also, since the place is not technically "ours" I am much more lax about the kids playing with messy things like markers, play-doh and bubbles and I really don't care if Vessel drinks juice in the living room. :) There are some cons to living in an apartment again, however. For instance, I forgot how noisy an apartment complex can be. Hearing people and their TVs and their cars coming in and out of the parking lot is not something I am used to since our house was always so quiet. Also, we live right by the hospital so pretty much every day I hear sirens or the life flight helicopter. Actually a couple days ago at 5am that chopper sounded like it went right by our bedroom window.... because it did! And soon followed the sirens from the ambulances that were on their way to the hospital as well. I wasn't exactly happy to wake up to that. I haven't been sleeping all that great since we moved here. It could be the noise or the lights that seep in through the windows whether or not the blinds are closed. Or maybe it's pregnancy. Hmmm...

Other things that aren't the best about living in an apartment (or this one, anyway) is not having our own washer and dryer. Our old apartment before moving to Montana had washer and dryer hook-ups so it was wonderful. But now we have to pay to wash our laundry and haul it up and down the stairs. Oh, those blasted stairs. 3 floors up is not ideal when you have a baby in a car seat, groceries, and/or a stroller (and if I'm really unfortunate, a stubborn 4 year old who insists he's too tired to walk up the stairs by himself and that I MUST carry him.) That's probably all the cons I can think of at this point. Nothing that is unbearable, just inconvenient. Oh, I suppose there is one other thing: The smell. You know how people have their own smell? Well, every time I walk into the apartment after being outside I just think, "This is not our smell. This is not our home." It smells like whoever lived here before us, and whoever lived here before them. All these different smells just mingled together. It's kinda funky. But I guess you get used to it. :)

Okay, so enough about the apartment. In other news, my youngest is about a week away from turning 1. This past year went by like a flash. Jacob and I have a very strong connection. I'm not picking favorites here, because I love both my kids so much. But Jacob and I have a different kind of bond than Vessel and I do. It's interesting how diverse kids can be from each other. Already I can see major differences in my kids' personalities.
Next week I'll get my 20 week ultrasound and find out the gender of this baby I'm carrying. I won't lie, I'd be pretty excited to get a girl. But if Mike is right that he only makes men, then I guess I'll be happy with a boy too. I've got 2 great boys already, why not add another to the mix? I'm not really looking forward to moving again when I'm 8 months pregnant. It will be a hassle for sure. Plus, when we get to Oregon, I'm gonna have to find a new doctor right away. I don't think I'll have time to "hunt" around for the best one. I might not get to be choosy. I guess I won't worry my pretty little head off about that now, though. That's still like 3 months away.

I guess the other news is that we own a motorcycle AGAIN. I knew Mike's itch to get another motorcycle would never completely be eradicated. All it took was for him to ride a friend's little motor bike a couple blocks and he was hooked again. It's different than our old motorcycle. This new one is more of a sport bike. Yesterday it was brought over from Missoula and Mike took it to work today. Which means I have a car again! Yahooo! Although, I have to wait several hours for this henna to stain my hair so it's not like I have plans to go anywhere anyway. Psh. I'm just happy to not be stranded anymore and the boys and I can go do what we please.

Since I promised Vessel a quick game of GO-FISH before nap-time I better wrap this up. Just wanted to write a brief update. I'm pretty much horrible at updating my blog these days. So I don't blame you all for totally neglecting me... :)

Kids and Stuff

I realized Mike and I had all these pictures on our cellphones so I thought I would post them. Some of these go back a few months.


I thought this picture of Mike holding his sleeping baby was SO precious.

Jacob DOES NOT like the swings.

Vessel getting extra help with his martial arts.

I think Vessel took this picture of his little brother while in the car.

Always happy.

Always eating.

A little blurry, but I still love the smile on this kid.

Jacob with his nylon stocking do-rag.

Playing in the boxes before our big move.

Vessel showing off the tats he drew all over his arm.

The Lego duplo tower Mike and Vessel built.

More eating.

Construction Zone

A Tear Jerker

LUCK - NYC Wedding Proposal from Aria Melody DJ on Vimeo.

I got this video link from my friend Kenna. It was truly adorable!