The Awesome Aldridges

Ridiculously AMAZING Quotes

2012-02-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

I just became friends on Facebook with this lady I really admire that is in my new ward (church congregation for all my non-LDS/mormon friends). I was reading through her quotes on her info page and these two really spoke to my soul. They are wonderful ones to ponder and try to remember everyday.

If people understood God's love for every single human person and his divine plan for us, then believers would recognize their duty "to unite their efforts with those of all men and women of good will, with the followers of other religions and with non-believers, so that this world of ours may effectively correspond to the divine plan: living as a family under the Creator's watchful eye. -Pope Benedict

"We want our women to be well educated, for children may not recover from the ignorance of their mothers." - Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball

Such wisdom, I love it.

A GREAT Snow Day

2012-01-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

My little snowman

my little snow bunnies

mommy taught them well

my cute, little snowy house

This past Tuesday I went to bed VERY disappointed because the snow forecast had changed from 5-8 inches of snow overnight to a slight chance of 1 inch of snow. I LOVE the snow and I know I don't live in a place known for it's big storms, but dang it the weatherman had been teasing me with a BIG snowstorm.

So when I woke up to 6-7 inches of snow I was SO HAPPY...but my kids were INSANELY happy. Not only was school cancelled they got to play in the snow for hours. They would play outside with their friends...take off their soaking wet snow gear in the garage, come in for 45 minutes or so to warm up and play with their friends, while I dried all their clothes (all their buddies too) in the dryer, then they would get their warm-dry snow gear on again and go play in the snow once more. They repeated this pattern ALL DAY....how fun!

Too bad the snow was all melted in gone by the next morning....oh well. We had a GREAT day!!

Wimpy Snow Weekend

2012-01-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

snow angels by my angel

cutest boy in the world

sledding down a slight incline the neighborhood kids found in the vacant lots next to our house.....how sad that this was the steepest incline they could find.

that is a cool snowball - can we throw it??

Hi crazy camera lady!

Berk & Carlie with their buddies: Mariah - Alexa - Brooks - Jason

This past weekend on Sunday and Monday (MLK weekend) we got a little bit of snow. It was the first snow of the year. So even though it was SERIOUSLY wimpy, the kids had an AMAZING time playing with their buddies in the neighborhood.

Homemade Bread & Jam Face Little Man

2012-01-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

I have NEVER had luck making homemade bread in my life. Granted I had only tried 5 or 6 times, but FINALLY I was successful - I made DELICIOUS multi-grain bread. I used this recipe from my FAVORITE cooking blog.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/01/multigrain-bread/

The directions are EXCELLENT and even have step by step pictures AND great helpful hints.

The bread was LOVED especially by Berkeley.

He pretty much turned into "Jam Face Little Man" for a few days!!

Carlie Learns to Ride a BIke

2012-01-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

Carlie learned to ride her bike this past summer. Her dad worked with her a few times and then Aunt Kimmy had a go at it. Carlie was VERY afraid. We had waited too long to teach her....but now that we lived in a neighborhood that was perfect for bike riding it was time.

Kimmy Trick: She didn't tell her that she was letting go of the handle until AFTER she was riding her bike on her own - she didn't know Aunt Kimmy had let go....awesome!

**The videos below show her progression.

"Chews" the Right

2012-01-22T16:26:00.000-08:00

I am the new primary chorister for my ward. To all my non-LDS friends that means I am the song leader for the 3 - 11 year old kids. It is a blast! I get to do some of my very favorite things - SING and ACT SILLY and MAKE CUTE STUFF and HAVE FUN WITH KIDS. This year's theme for primary is "Choose the Right". I wanted to make a way to pick my helpers that would be cute, fit the theme, and give every kid the same number of turns. So I created these gumball machines from terra cotta pots, saucers, glass bowls, and some 1"wooden balls, paint, and ribbon. Search online and there are a TON of tutorials.

Here is a good one:

http://www.lifesweetlifeblog.com/2011/02/diy-gumball-machine-candy-jar.html

The only thing I did differently is I glued a smaller saucer underneath the lid to make a lip so the lid stays on better.

After I made the gumball machine I painted 1" wooden balls with various colors. Then I wrote each kid's name on a seperate "gumball". I also made one for Junior primary and one for Senior. I made sure to put several "visitor" gumballs in each one.

I used this is primary today and it went great. I found it to be extra useful because I am trying to learn their names. The kids wanted to keep their wooden gumball, but told them once everyone gets picked once we re-use the gumballs. Then one of my extra hyper boys that doesn't ever seem to like singing time asked if I would give them their gumballs at the end of the year. What a great idea....he was excited that I liked his idea- HOORAY.

Another trick to make sure they are reverant is to tell them if I pick their gumball and they are not being reverant and participating then I will put their gumball back. Oh boy - were they quiet after that!!!!

Carlie the Softball Player

2012-01-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

Another successful softball season for Carlie ended this past June 2011. This year her cousin Claire was on the team and her Uncle David was the coach. It was pretty hectic getting her to practices and games with her dad working in Longview during the week, but it was worth it. Carlie had a blast AND she really improved her softball skills.

Carlie was able to get a hit 95% of the time without using a tee!

She got really good with ground balls.

Her Aunt Annie made them medals and a cool silly straw/lollipop bouquets
for the last game. So cute and awesome!!!!!

Berkeley the Rotten Model

2012-01-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

Last winter I entered Berkeley and Carlie into a local contest to get a free photography session. If you were chosen you got a free 8x10 and a chance to be in a local publication advertising all the services the county had for children and families. Berkeley was chosen and I put him in a super cute outfit and rushed down there for our appointment right after work. Berkeley WAS HORRIBLE. He was scared of the backdrop and would only sit on the edge of it. He kept bawling and running away. You only had a 10 minute session and Berkeley was rotten the whole time. The photographer thought he was soooo cute that he had him stay after the next appointment to try again. I think the man took a million pictures and I was pretty sure he never smiled once. He even took some pics of Carlie and me so Carlie didn't feel left out. You can tell I wasn't prepared for them to take pics of Carlie - her hair was a mess!

Well, a few weeks later he sent this adorable pic of Berkeley....pretty cute. I then forgot all about it. Several months later my friend Monica Byers sent me a copy a booklet and guess who was one of the models??? My Berkeley reading a book. How fun!!!!!!

Table Manners

2012-01-08T23:02:00.000-08:00

Here is what I caught my children doing one time last summer before church. I had made homemade rolls and they love them sooooo much that they didn't want any of it to go to waste. What silly kids!!

Christmas Card 2011

2012-01-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

Here is our Christmas card this year. I have not sent out cards in many years. By the time I would get out of school for Christmas break I was always too busy to send out a Christmas card. This year I am a stay-at-home mom and found the time to send cards this year. I really wish I had gotten some professional pics this fall to use for the card, but oh well my amateur ones turned out good enough. I just wanted to people to see my cute kids and wish them a Merry Christmas. I also sent out a brief letter to go with the card.

But, the best part about Christmas cards is receiving them!!! I LOVED going to the mailbox every day and finding cards from my friends and family. I love finding out what everyone looks like and what they have been up to. My family & friends are sooo spread out all over and it is a great way to stay in touch (besides blogging and facebook). I know it is kinda old fashioned, but it is definitely one of my favorite things about Christmas. Here is a pic of how I displayed our cards this year. I ran out of space and was to lazy to add another line of twine and paint more clothespins so I just doubled up the cards. It was fun to walk by and look at the cards everyday. I took down all my Christmas decorations today, but I think I am going to keep this up for another week or two. Next year, I definitely need to make 3 or 4 rows...so fun!

Def Leppard & Heart....still rock

2012-01-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

Back in September we went to the Def Leppard & Heart concert with our friends the McDonalds. It was super rad to rock out all night to some great, classic rock tunes from the 80's.
Barracuda
Photograph
Hysteria
Alone
Rock of Ages
Just to name a few.... It was a great concert, really two concerts for the price of one.

Didn't get very great pics or videos (all the videos have me singing in the background...aaargh! I decided not to upload and torture anyone with my yelling/singing).

What's up with me always sticking my tongue out??

Gina & Amber...yeah we are cool

Here's to a Healthier New Year!!

2012-01-02T17:26:00.000-08:00

I have not made any New Year's resolutions in MANY years. I always laugh at people who make all these goals and after about a week or two they give up. I laugh because I was one of those people with GREAT intentions, but without the will power to follow through.
But, here I am willing to give it a try again........
So this year I am publicly announcing my New Year's Resolutions for all to see, so if I fail all can laugh & ridicule me. I am hoping that public humiliation will be a motivator for me.

1. Eat HEALTHIER & Exercise Regularly so I can feel good, help me deal with my arthritis better, and lose weight at a slow, sustainable rate. I am using an app called "My Fitness Pal" where you keep track of all the food you eat and how much you exercise. I think there is something about actually having to enter your food that makes you want to eat better. For example, today I looked at my diet so far today and decided to eat an orange instead of some of my husband's bowl of candy.
2. Write dad's life history and my own. My mother-in-law is sending all her kids prompts each week to help us write the history. My father passed away in 1997 and I have wanted to do this for A LONG time to preserve the memories of my father for my children and grandchildren. He was the most amazing man, I miss him everyday.
3. Apply to graduate school.
4. Blog at least weekly.
5. Greatly reduce my debt

There are more things I want to do, but this is a enough for now.

Wish me luck!!

Buddy the Elf and his Long Lost Sister

2011-12-18T17:02:00.000-08:00

Corey's sister has a Christmas party every year and this year we finally could attend!! You had to dress as your favorite Christmas character.....that was sooooooooo easy for us. Introducing Buddy the Elf and his long lost sister Buffy.

We also brought two amazing White Elephant Gifts....see pics below.

A Ghetto Buddy the Elf t-shirt. I am thinking of giving them as

Christmas gifts next year, watch out!

A red neck halter top made lovingly by Corey out of a pair

of his underwear and a bejeweled toilet seat.

Here is Corey smashing this poor guy while playing a game I like to call, "Pillow on your Butt and Three Animal Sounds".

Here is the white elephant I ended up with....not exciting, but actually useful.

Where did My Little Girl & Baby Boy Go??

2011-12-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

Where did my cute little girl and baby boy go?? I found these old (over 3 years old) pictures on my husband's computer and it made me ACHE for days long gone. Oh man they are growing up TOO FAST. Someone SLOW DOWN time PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peppermint Marshmallows

2011-12-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

Oooooh HOORAY!!!! I finally after searching for a week at the various stores in my town, being on hold for WAY too long at WAY too many stores, and even being hung up on by a super smart Walmart employee I found some peppermint marshmallows.

I love you Walmart in Woodland (thank you for not being busy and having them displayed in an obscure manner so you did not sell out of them!) After reading the Best Bites website last Monday I came across this super YUMMY looking recipe and wanted to try it out immediately.

So I will make a batch tomorrow to test them out! Hopefully they are as yummy as they look since I bought EIGHT bags!!!!!

Here is the link if you would like to make some, but I am warning you - you might have to cry because you can't find the marshmallows OR I guess make homemade marshmallows OR be really nice to me and hope you are on my Christmas treat list :)
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/12/peppermint-bark-rice-krispie-treats/http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/12/peppermint-bark-rice-krispie-treats/

Random Old Berk Pics

2011-12-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

Berkeley is a super hero lover

Berk "borrowed" Granger's hat and mommy's sunglasses at church.

Berkeley has this really weird obsession with his red blanket. He is constantly sniffing it and can't go to bed without it. If you ask him what he is doing he with say, "sniffing". If you ask him why, he will say, "It smells good". What a weirdo. Recently, the red blanket has been misplaced (I think it is at his cousin Max's house). He freaked out, but we were able to convince him that his old, super-soft brown blanket smelled just as good. He was convinced and the red one has been replaced....thank goodness.

The Dancing and Singing Rat

2011-12-04T20:56:00.001-08:00

Here are some videos from Carlie's "Pied Piper" performance.....please excuse the annoying commentary and laughing by Carlie's obnoxious mother!

Carlie the RAT!!

2011-12-03T00:08:00.001-08:00

Last June Carlie had the privilege to participate in the Pied Piper through the Missoula Children's Theatre that traveled to The Dalles. I was really worried when she tried out that she would get cut, but there was enough parts for everyone!!! Hooray!! Carlie was cast as a rat and practiced everyday all week. It was extra fun because some of her cousins and friends were in the production with her. She did amazing in her performances. It was so fun to watch her dance and sing on stage. She has GREAT stage presence and lights up on stage. This was her first musical and I hope there will be many more to come.

Here is a link to The Missoula Children's Theatre. Be sure to see if it is coming to your community.....it is a great organization.

http://www.mctinc.org/index.aspx

Bruchetta

2011-12-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

I made this recipe for a Christmas party last night and was reminded how much I LOVE bruchetta!!!!!!!!! Some of the ladies at the party might of noticed I added extra garlic (I am a garlic freak) and it was probably too strong for people who are not garlic freaks. But, if you stick to the above recipe you will be super happy and might eat the whole batch by yourself!

Carlie is my Dancing Queen

2011-11-30T22:43:00.000-08:00

The past school year Carlie took dance classes twice a week at Studio Elan (the best studio EVER!) with her cousin Claire. She took a hip-hop class with Teacher Hillary and a tap/jazz class with Teacher Jayce. I have had Carlie in dance class since she was two years old. Many of you know that Carlie was VERY developmentally delayed, has an educational diagonsis of high-functioning autism, and has been diagnosed with low muscle tone. She did not walk until she was 18 months old. Plus she is a foot taller than EVERY kid her age (just like mama). Studio Elan (in particular Jayce) have been instrumental in helping Carlie become more coordinated and confident through all the wonderful dance classes she has taken for the past 5 years. I can't even begin to thank Jayce enough for being patient with my daughter who when she first started dance would have SEVERAL melt downs per class, couldn't even do a front tuck (everyone else in class could), and usually seemed like she was in her own world. You wouldn't even know that she is the same child now, she has grown soooooooooo much!! What is even more miraculous is Carlie pretty much doesn't have any of the symptoms of autism anymore. I would say now that she is not autistic, just unique!! This miracle I owe to the TEAM at Early Intervention in The Dalles. She attended preschool there for 4 years and they worked miracles. Also her team at Colonel Wright Elementary School in The Dalles were amazing. Carlie's new school in Kelso can NOT believe me when I tell them what Carlie used to be like. They say she has NO signs of autism or learning disablities....they in fact say she is incredibly bright (I already knew that) and is doing AMAZING in school. Anyways, I know this post started about dancing and I have gone off on a tangent, but I just feel so blessed to have had so much help raising my daughter that I didn't quite know what to do with. She was such a mystery to me. Carlie is such a ray of sunshine and joy in my life. I just wanted to thank all those that have helped her develop into the beautiful girl that she is.

NOW BACK TO DANCE.....

Just like her mother, she loves to dance...even if she is not the greatest dancer in the world

(I think she is the greatest!!!). But, we both like to SHAKE it!!!

Here recital was so amazing....The dance recital told the story of Peter Pan....every dance class was a different character in the show. It was so nice that all the dances flowed together and told a story. Carlie was an Indian and a Lost Girl.

SPIRIT...You just won a not so new van!!!!

2011-11-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

This past school year some of my teacher buddies and I decided that the climate at our school was SUPER LAME. So we created a school improvement program called SPIRIT

S - Success

P - Pride

I - Integrity

R - Respect

I - Involvement

T - Teamwork

We came up with school rules (we focused on what to do and not on what not to do) that all had to do with SPIRIT, we held monthly assemblies to recognize students and staff for all the positive things they were doing, we had contests, student of the week, student/staff of the month, SPIRIT bucks that could be earned to buy cool stuff, etc. Basically, we were trying to recognize the kids that were already doing positive things at school and we tried to motivate others to join this positive behavior and attitude movement. I could write a book on all the things we tried to do last year...some successful, some not so much.

One of the fun things we did was the ROCK STAR AWARD. To be eligible for the drawing you had to meet the following criteria for the WHOLE school year!

- 4 or less excused absences

- no referrals

- no tardies

- no incompletes (our school did not have D's or F's only INCOMPLETES)

Needless to say, only 12 kids qualified for the drawing. We had the mechanics class buy a car and fix it up. We were hoping for maybe a "cooler" car, but we played it up and a great kid won this "groovy" van.

If you are really bored you can click on the links below to see our main SPIRIT documents.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B7YlmUOcfO9bNDQxYjc0NDktZGZmNy00ZWRlLTg2ODgtMGIwYzkzNjdlNzUx&hl=en_US

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B7YlmUOcfO9bNWEyMmNmYTItNmU3OS00MDU2LTk1ZGYtOGZjZDZjMzRlYzNk&hl=en_US

Potato Cheese Broccoli Soup

2011-11-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

First of all, I LOVE soup!!! I desperately miss the Wildflower Bread Company in Arizona and all their amazing veggie soups. I now live in a town with no amazing places to get soup so I am forced to try to make it myself. But, I always have a hard time finding vegeterian soups that I want and that my family will also like (they are NOT soup people...I know they are dumb). I tried a new recipe tonight and I declare it a success. I found a recipe called Potato Cheese Soup on allrecipes.com and made some modifications. My husband does not care for soup at ALL and he said several times that he really liked this soup. I asked him if he was trying to be nice and not hurt my feelings, but he assured me that it was a very tasty soup and that I was allowed to make it again!! I have tried MANY potato soups and have always found them to be bland or too thin, but this one is thick and flavorful. I was even able to get my kiddos to eat it...miracles happen!! Please excuse the picture with the shadow of my phone and my long bony witch hands trying to take a picture of my soup. I was having problems.

We Love the Zoo

2011-11-29T23:38:00.000-08:00

Back over Memorial Day weekend we went to the Oregon Zoo with the Magana Family (my husband's sister's family). We had so much fun I bought a membership.....which reminds me we need to go to the zoo more often!!!

I am Ridiculous

2011-11-29T20:07:00.000-08:00

I am proclaiming for all 3 of my blog readers that I am ridiculous and I am going to be better about blogging. I think it is crazy that I blog A LOT less now that I am a stay at home mom then when I was working 60 hours a week. I have tons more free time and need to use it more wisely. So I am going to change my background and stuff and then blog about the last 7 months (yes I am that behind). My posts will probably be boring to everyone except my sister and my mom and my stalkers, but I need to blog....this is my family journal.

I am Forty and Fabulous

2011-09-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

My family threw me a big surprise party for my 40th birthday back in March.

As you can see it was a retro theme and TONS of fun!

S'mores Bars and German Chocolate Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake Bars.........insanely yummy!!!

2011-08-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

I made two new desserts last night and they were AMAZING!! On the left is the S'mores Bar and on the right is the German Chocolate Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake Bars. They are both from Paula Deen's Best Desserts,
The link for the S'mores Bars
http://www.pauladeenmagazine.com/recipe_results.php?id=382

GERMAN CHOCOLATE OOEY-GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

1 box German chocolate cake mix
1 cup butter, melted and divided (you know if it has a cup of butter -it's good!)
1 large egg
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 16oz box confectioners' sugar
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter, and egg. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Add remaining melted butter , beating at slow speed until combined. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour over cake mix layer, spreading evenly. Bake for 45 minutes (the center should remain slightly gooey). Remove from oven. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

ENJOY!!! I liked the S'mores Bars the best, but my hubby like the German Chocolate Bars the best. What do you think?

Pesto Pasta & Bread Sticks....oh YUMMY

2011-07-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made some CRAZY, yummy stuff. My husband couldn't quit telling me how wonderful it was AND my kids ate it and LIKED it!!!

I made Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Bread Sticks and the pesto was even homemade. I usually buy the pesto pre-made, but I made it for the first time today and I will never buy store bought again. It is incredibly easy and delicious.

Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

12 ounces sliced mushrooms

3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces bowtie pasta

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup pesto (see recipe below)

1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Place tomatoes and mushrooms on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with your fingers, making sure everything is coated with olive oil. Sprinkly lightly with kosher salt and pepper. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until tomatoes look plump and some of the skins just start to split.

3. When the water comes to a boil, add 2 teaspoons kosher salt and pasta to the water and cook according to package instructions.

4. While the pasta is cooking, place the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently until the nuts turn golden brown, about 7-9 minutes.

5. To assemble, toss the hot drained pasta with pesto and parmesan cheese. Top with tomatoes and mushrooms and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

*** This recipe is from Our Best Bites

Incredible Bread Sticks
I will be making these ALL the time. I also made her Garlic Bread Seasoning.....oh man they are so YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click on the link below for great step-by-step pictures and instructions.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/breadsticks-and-pizza-dough/

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/garlic-bread-seasoning/

Incredible Fresh Basil Pesto
Click on the link below for great step-by-step pictures and instructions.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/fresh-basil-pesto/

As you can see I am kind obsessed with my Cookbook Our Best Bites by Wells and Jones. Alot of the recipes are on their blog....BUT some are not and it is so much more handy to have the cookbook in front of you.

Carlie loves Softball

2011-06-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

This is Carlie's 2nd year playing softball. She is on the same team as her cousin Claire and her Uncle David is the coach. Here are some pics from her first game this season.

Happy Mother's Day to Me

2011-06-26T20:09:00.001-07:00

Look at the cute candy gram my hubby and kids gave me for Mother's Day this year.

Berkeley is THREE!

2011-06-26T19:48:00.001-07:00

My sweet little boy turned three back in April. He is such a little firecracker. I do not have the energy to keep up with him.
He loves........
TO EAT: pancakes, hot dogs (he just ate 5 the other night for dinner), fruit snacks, bananas, yogurt, any kind of fruit, peanut butter, and sandwiches. He eats ALL morning long and then not so much in the afternoon and evening
TO: play outside, give kisses, run away from mom and scare her to death, be with his daddy, help mom clean, ride his scooter, run in circles, tell his mom NO and see what he can get away with, dance, play with his big "sissy", and play with his train set
TO WATCH: Mickey Mouse Club, GeoTrax, Jake and the Pirates

He is very LOUD, determined, fun, happy, inquisitive, crazy handsome, stubborn, and silly little boy, and I LOVE him to pieces!!!!!

Easter 2011

2011-06-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

I know it is June and Easter was forever ago, but TOO bad. I have been a single mom (more on that later...don't get worried Corey and I are still married and always will be) and have been horrible about blogging. My life is changing soon (more on that later..:)) so I am trying to get caught up on blogging.
I LOVED my kids outfits for Easter and wanted to show them off. They were so pretty and handsome in pink.

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-05-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Every year there is a BIG easter egg hunt in our little town up at Sorosis Park. Berkeley's favorite treat - Ding Dong
Seriously....this is the 1-2 year old section. Too small of an area and a bunch of parents that should let their kid get their own candy. Berkeley did great though.
Pretty Carlie

Carlie was in the 5-6 year old section

My cuties
Pretty sweet view of Mt. Adams in my town (soon to not be my town anymore...we are moving in about a month)

Is it just me or does Berk look afraid?

Carlie and her buddy from Kindergarten

My kiddos with the tooth fairy. Carlie thought is was pretty awesome since the tooth fairy had just visited her the other day.

Psych Party 2011

2011-04-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

I am the Stake Camp Director. For all my non-LDS friends - this means that I am in charge of a week long girls camp in the summer for girls ages 12-18. This calling consumes my life sometimes. The past few months I have been working like crazy for our Psych Party. We introduced the theme to the girls and leaders of the stake with a silly skit, showed a fun video of last year's girls camp, sang songs, ate yummy food, did a little certifying, and got organized. It was TOO much work, but I think that it went well. Thanks to my all my assistants....I could not have pulled this off without you!

Copper War

2011-04-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

A lovely young lady, Hannah Olheiser came to me one day in my classroom requesting me to be the sponsor in her desire to raise money for The Make a Wish Foundation. She told me a touching story of her inspiration and how could I possibly say no?

The first thing we did was sponsor a Copper War at our school. We put all the 4th period classes on 10 different teams. I was the captain of the purple team. You put pennies in your own team jars and them silver coins and dollars in other people's jars. Pennies are positive points and all other money are negative points. Your quest is to stay in the positive. Of course I bragged all over school that my team would win. I even wrote a "beautiful" song about how the purple team would be victorious and sang it on the video announcements. Of course, if you tell teenagers that you will win, they will do everything in their power to make you lose. It was AMAZING to watch the students and teachers be so generous and competitive. Just when you think teens are selfish and too self-absorbed to serve or give to others, they surprise you. What a great experience. As could be expected my team ended up losing (we were something like negative 12,000 points - even after bringing in 150 bucks in pennies), BUT we raised the most money. All in all we ended up raising almost $1300 to help grant some wonderful child dealing with a horrible illness their wish. I wish I had taken more pictures, but here are a few of the kids that volunteered to come in a count all that money.

Berkeley the Hair Stylist

2011-04-03T12:47:00.000-07:00

Berkeley loves to have his hair done. He is always asking my to do his hair. I usually put gel in it and make a faux hawk. But, recently he has been sneaking into my bathroom and stealing my pomade and putting hand fulls in his hair. Yikes!!!! He likes to do this right before we need to go somewhere. Of course the process to get all that pomade out is a HUGE annoying one. Oh well, can't get too mad at those blue eyes.

I am Lame

2011-03-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

I have been so extra busy this year that I have not blogged in over two months! How ridiculous. So I changed my background tonight and I promise (not that anyone reads my blog except my sister) that since it is Spring Break (oh baby) that I will do some blogging over the next week.

Billy Bob Sno-Park Adventure

2011-01-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

A few days after Christmas Kim, Juan, Jordan, Andres, and Adan came for a visit to The Dalles. We went sledding at Billy Bob Sno-Park (yes I live in hick-ville) with Corey's two sisters families - the Maganas and the Nietos. What a fun day in the snow. Thank goodness there was a warming hut that some snowmobilers had a fire going in. It was a freezing day. Carlie had a BLAST sledding with her cousins. She was so brave and never stopped to hang out in the warming hut. On the other hand Berkeley does not like the snow very much. I am not sure if it is because it is cold or he can't walk very well, but he spent A LOT of time in the warming hut. On the way back the roads were very snowy and slick. Anne Marie was in front of us and ran off the road. We had no cell service and the snow was really deep. We were able to dig and push her car out though - all because of my super fit body (ha ha...I have been working out though).

Christmas Eve

2011-01-17T14:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from Christmas. It was a nice mellow Christmas with NO traveling!! Hooray! For the first time in my teaching career I did NOT want to go back to work at all after Christmas break. I wanted to call my principal and tell him I quit. I love my job, but I love my job as mommy a lot more. Trying to balance a career and my family is the toughest thing in the world. But, at least I get to spend my summers as mommy - a much easier and enjoyable job! :)

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T14:19:00.001-08:00

Corey and I spent New Year's Eve at the Stake Youth Dance. Good times.....

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

As I sit here missing my family and avoiding all the pre-Christmas work that I should be doing here is a random mixture of some Christmas pics I have taken the past week.

I hope everyone has a FABULOUS Christmas!

Ward Christmas Party

2010-12-23T21:04:00.001-08:00

Here are some random pictures of my very cute kids from our Ward Christmas Party.

RANDOM ALDRIDGES

2010-12-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

Carlie LOVES the snow....here she is making snow angels and posing on the trampoline.

I do believe Berkeley is the most handsome boy EVER!

Here I am in my hotel room when I went to Time Out for Women with my mother-in-law, and sisters-in laws. It was AMAZING.

Here is my cute little family at the Starlight Parade in our small little town

Carlie and Claire

2010-12-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Carlie & her cousin Claire

They LOVE each other & fight like sisters. This love/hate relationship is probably due to the fact that they are in the same Kindergarten class, go to daycare together, have dance class twice a week together, live a block away from each other, etc....

That is a LOT of time spent together.

Look at their sassy personalities!!

I LOVE these girls

Best Buds....

Fall Fun

2010-12-12T17:39:00.000-08:00

Last month we hung out with some of Berk & Carlie's cousins and went to Rasmussen Farms. What a great time picking out pumpkins, buying fresh fruit, navigating the corn maze, and checking out the pumpkin character displays. I love the fall in the Columbia Gorge!!

Oh Cocomotion, how I love you!

2010-12-11T23:18:00.001-08:00

Everyone should have one of these. My sister bought me one a few years ago and I have been in love ever since. Just add some milk and hot cocoa mix and push a button. A few minutes later you have perfectly blended hot cocoa at just the right temperature. If you are super awesome like me you will add a teaspoon or two of your favorite Torani flavoring. My favorite is hazelnut.

This is the best thing to get you through the cold winter months.......seriously.

May the Force Be With You

2010-10-31T19:37:00.001-07:00

Star Wars Family - The Clone Wars

Darth-Tater attacks, R2D2 is down!

Don't mess with the force!!!

Carlie showing off her Ahsoka makeup

How did R2D2 get a light saber?

The CUTEST R2D2 in the galaxy

Ahsoka...cutest Padawan this side of the Jedi Temple

Carlie & Claire....super cute cousins

I HATE when Halloween is on Sunday. Luckily this year our ward put on a great party on Saturday. We went to an orchard and had an apple squeeze, chili-cookoff (I was one of the winners), fishing, & a trunk or treat. It was such a great time.

Carlie is sooo old..Where has the time gone?

2010-10-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

My baby girl turned six last month. I can't believe it. I usually do extravagent birthday parties for my children, but this year I went mellow. I am too stressed out and busy this school year. Anyways, we had a nice family dinner of Carlie's favorite enchiladas and southwest eggrolls. Her cake was a store bought ice cream cake (I have NEVER done a store bought cake, but again, remember stressed out working mom). The blue frosting made everyone's tongue turn blue, hence the picture with the kids sticking their tongues out.

Carlie's favorite presents were her dragon and Scooby Doo Wii game. **Interesting Fact: Carlie is 4 foot 7 inches and wears a size 4 or 5 (yeah that is adult size)

Zombie Gina

2010-10-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

I am a high school teacher. We had dress up days for homecoming week. I LOVE to dress up. One of the days they had Generations Day.

Freshmen = babies

Sophmores = toddlers

Junior = Adults

Seniors = Senior Citizens

Teachers = Zombies

As you can see I am quite the zombie. I looked even better at school because I ripped up an old lab coat and goggles. I said I died from teaching 9th grade science. Plus I tried to stay in character as much as possible all day long. Lots of grunting and weird walking.

SOOOOO FUN!!!!!!!!

Carlie Starts K

2010-10-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Here is some pics from Carlie's first day of school. Not sure what I was thinking having her cover up her cute outfit with her hoodie for the pictures, but oh well. She LOVES kindergarten and is doing well.

Camp & Beads

2010-10-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

I am the stake camp director for my church. For all my non-LDS friends this means I am in charge of a week long camp in the mountains for girls ages 12-18. It is an enormous job!!!! Anyways, I wanted the girls to earn beads for the different things they participated in (this is what my stake in Arizona did and it was so much fun). By the end of camp they would have a momento of their week and hopefully remember all the things they experienced. I also wanted them to have a necklace that would hold their daily schedule. If you look at the necklace on the left you can see the plastic protector that held their schedule. It helped SO much! All the girls always knew where they were supposed to be. Thanks to Jillaire McMillian and her hard work to get the schedule cards personalized for each level.....it was so much work and she did an outstanding job.

I spent months shopping, coming up with ideas, and making beads. I could NOT have accomplished this without AKEMI WHITELEY!!! She took my vision and worked tirelessly to create so many cute beads........she is amazing.

Here is what my front room looked like ALL summer! Girls Camp took over my life!!!!!!

Trampoline

2010-10-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Swim Lessons for Carlie

2010-10-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

Carlie loves the water.

DANCE FESTIVAL....amazing

2010-09-13T20:35:00.001-07:00

This past year Corey & I had the privilege to be dance instructors for the regional dance festival for our church. There were over 12oo youth ages 12-18 involved. We taught the 12-13 aged boys a dance to Eye of the Tiger for 6 month prior to the youth festival. For three days in June six stakes from all over the Vancouver Washington area & surrounding areas got together to PRACTICE some more and put on three performances. I will never forget how much fun it was and how much I felt the spirit.

Seattle Fun

2010-09-12T18:27:00.001-07:00

I wanted to go to Seattle so I could go to this store called Creation Station. I had heard they had strange materials for cheap that you could use to make beads for girls camp. So I decided to get a hotel room and invited Kim & my mother-in-law around for the ride. We had a great trip. We visited the zoo & the Science Museum (while I went to the store) & ate at the Cheesecake Factory. My favorite part of the trip was when one of the bears went swimming and lunged at the glass.....we were so CLOSE to the bear, it was amazing!!!

Carlie's Summer Softball

2010-09-12T16:53:00.000-07:00

Cream Puff Pie...a little of heaven on earth

2010-09-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

Pie Crust & Filling Ingredients:

1 cup water

4 cups milk

1/2 cup butter

3 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanila pudding mix

1 cup flour

1 (12 ounce) container of Cool Whip

4 eggs

1/4 cup Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Frosting (for bottom of pie) Ingredients:

2 (1 ounce) squares semi-sweet chocolate

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp hot water

DIRECTIONS:

CRUST:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat butter and water to boiling over medium-high heat. Add flour and reduce heat to low. Cook and stir until it forms a ball and pulls away from the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.

3. Spread in bottom & up the sides of two 9 inch glass pie dishes. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Frosting:

1. While the crusts are cooling make the frosting. First, melt semi-sweet chocolate squares & butter in saucepan over low heat.

2. Stir in confectioners sugar & vanilla.

3. Stir in 3 Tbsp of hot water (I add one Tbsp at a time until I get the right consistency - sometimes that is only 2 Tbsp.)

4. Spread/pour the frosting on the bottom of each of the pie crusts.

Pie Filling & Topping:

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Then add a small amount of milk and beat the cream cheese and milk. Keep adding small amounts of milk and beat in between until you have added all four cups.

2. Add pudding mixes and beat until thickened. Spread over both cooled pie crusts.

3. Top both pies with Cool Whip & then drizzle chocolate syrup over the top.

4. Keep refrigerated until you serve. You can make it the day before and it does not get soggy!

OK people this dessert is my new favorite. It is absolutely divine. It is easier than making cream puffs, but you get the satisfaction of having a homemade cream puff. I cound sit and eat a whole pie. Good news is you can do that and you still have another whole pie for "other" people.

Max's Birthday Party

2010-09-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

Back in June we traveled to Ridgefield, WA for my nephew's 1st birthday party. He is the cutie in the middle. As you can see the cupcakes were pretty popular with my kids!

Beach: Memorial Day

2010-09-12T14:57:00.001-07:00

A few months ago the Maganas (my sister-in-laws family) & my little family rented a beach house at Rockaway Beach for Memorial Day weekend. It was a last minute thing & we really lucked out with a great beach house and lots of fun times.

We also traveled to Manzanita Beach (oh such a beautiful little town) & Cannon Beach for some seafood at Mo's (well I had a veggie burger, but it was yummy).

Super Duper Chocolate Cake

2010-07-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

SUPER DUPER CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

1 package of devil's food cake
1 (5.9 oz) package of instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs - beaten
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
small amount of powered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, & water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour & half before inverting onto a plate.
4. Dust cake with powedered sugar. (optional)

I know many people make this cake or a very similiar version, BUT oh my it is the perfect cure for a chocolate craving. Problem is I have a chocolate craving about 17.5 times a day. Maybe that is why I am not the skinny girl I used to be :)

My Cuties

2010-07-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

I love these kids...

these are old pictures from February (yeah I know I am WAY behind, but so what - at least I blog unlike some people that will remain unnamed)

Hot Air Balloons

2010-07-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

I used to have my students make hot air balloons every year in physical science class when I taught in Arizona. This is the first year I did them in Oregon. Here are a bunch a photos from our flying day. We had to wait a few weeks for a good flying day - I was starting to think we would never fly them. It is very windy where I live and we needed a day with very little or no wind.

The balloons are made out of tissue paper and glue. Most of the balloons fly for 2 or 3 minutes. But, we had two balloons that flew for about 15 minutes and we had to stop timing because they were so high up in the sky we couldn't see them anymore.

Camp Psych Party

2010-07-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

Part of the reason I have not blogged in such a long time is I spend most of my free time working on girls camp. Here are some random pictures from the 1st Annual Camp Psych Party. I was really bad about taking pictures...oh well.

We watched a slideshow (see previous post), watched 2 skits, did certification, sang camp songs, & ate yummy treats. Jill & Chrysta as Stacy and Corrine from the special camp edition of What Not to Wear to Camp

CPR with our camp nurse Connie Jubitz

Berk's New Table

2010-07-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

Berkeley & his sister LOVE eating out in the front yard on his new picnic table that he got from his grandma for his 2nd birthday.....especially if it is a Happy Meal from McDonalds.

Psyched for Girls Camp

2010-05-23T15:56:00.000-07:00

I am the new Stake Camp Director and here is the video I made for the girls so they would get excited for camp. I showed it to them during our Camp Psych Party.

Carlie's Dance Recital

2010-05-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

my long and lovely Japanese fan dance girl in her costume that was WAY TOO BIG for her....oh well she looked beautiful anyways

Carlie and her cousin Claire are in the same dance class....how fun!! and yes they are the same age

face painting at the dance studio after picture time

mysterious Japanese fan girl

Berkeley carrying around his can of pringles. He LOVED watching the girls dance.

We had a great time at dress rehearsal....Carlie will not be performing in the final performance because it is on Sunday and being the good little mormon family we will not be attending because it is the Sabbath. It is a shame, but dress rehearsal was fantastic. Carlie has come a long way since she started dance lessons. I really appreciate the patience of her fabulous teacher Miss Jayce at Studio Elan....she is AWESOME! :)

Berk's Party

2010-05-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here is Berk's racetrack cake...I got the idea from http://www.familyfun.go.com/

We had a nice little 2nd birthday party for Berkeley on Saturday. We invited Corey's family (they all live relatively close by) and had shish-k-bobs, salads, racetrack cake, & some good times. He loved all his presents...picnic table, bean bag chair, Diego tricycle, etc.....BUT most of all I think he liked eating cake and playing with all his cousins outside.

Play Ball!

2010-05-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

this is her first hit in a game!!! NO TEE!

This is Corey's solution to Berk running away....

This past Saturday Carlie had her first softball games (2 mini games). She really lucked out and got on a great team. The sponsor/coach buys all the girls hoodies, visors, shorts, & socks. It rocks! Carlie did much better than I thought she would at her game. Her last practice she cried the whole time, so I was really worried about her first games. She is the youngest and most inexperienced girl on the team by a mile.

She actually hit the ball when it was pitched to her!!! Hooray!! She ran like she was an airplane from base to base and even sat down for awhile in the outfield, BUT it was a good game and there were NO tears (that is HUGE for Carlie).

My Baby Boy is Two!

2010-04-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little boy is TWO today! I loved him with all my heart the moment I met him. He had such a rough start to his life in the NICU. You would never know that now. He is sooooo active and full of life. He loves to run, giggle, make silly noises, eat hot dogs/bananas/blueberries/anything sugary, & play with his big sister. He has a crazy high-pitched scream, big beautiful blue eyes that will melt your soul, and the sweetest smile.

We are having a party for him on Saturday, but I wanted to celebrate my Berkeley a little bit here on my blog today! :)

Berkeley is Almost Two!!

2010-04-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

Here is what I was working on today!!! I can't believe my little guy is almost two years old!!!

My Review of REI Halo +25 Sleeping Bag - Long

2010-04-12T19:59:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at REI

Winner of the "National Geographic Adventure" Best of Adventure Gear Award for 2009—the REI Halo +25 sleeping bag!

Not Impressed.

By Senor C from The Dalles, OR on 4/12/2010

Gift: No

Pros: Packs Small

Cons: Zipper Snags Easily, Leaks Down, Too Small / Tight

Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational

What Is Your Gear Style: Comfort Driven

I have had this bag for almost 1 year. I am 6'2", 215 lbs. As a Scoutmaster I get the opportunity to camp every month. Unfortunately, I have to sleep in this bag, and each campout gets progressively worse.

Here is what I dislike:
- Footbox is too narrow.
- Feels too short (I have the Long).
- Rating is incorrect. Should be a +35 or +40.
- Sheds feathers like a sieve. (It's like waking up in a chicken coop.)

I really wanted to like it, but it just has too many shortcomings.

(legalese)

Opening Day...Go D-Backs!!

2010-04-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

Carlie and some of her cousins....these are her cousins that all live on the east coast that we had not seen in about 4 years!!! The two girls are the same age as Carlie...they are best buddies. Baseball and Barbie...

My nephew Michael is a CRAZY sports fan....here he is next to the World Series Trophy for the Diamondbacks.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day at the field! Love it!Last weekend Carlie and I traveled to Arizona (this is where I grew up - I am an Arizona girl) for my grandpa's 90th Birthday Party. My brother Scott & his wife Mitchell, my mom, & I took some of the kids to the Opening Day Game at Chase Stadium (it is still BOB to me). The D-backs spanked the Padres. This was Carlie's 1st pro sport game....it was alot of fun. I think she liked the treats more than the game though...
My mom and I also took the light rail to the game.....long story short I ran into one of my very best friends from high school Sheridyn...what a small world.

Menu Planning

2010-04-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

My sister in law Michelle/Mitchell (Scott's wife) made me this super cute vinyl menu board. If you want one go to her blog at http://www.thelettercafe.blogspot.com/.

Now let's see if I actually stick to my menu plan!!

Berk in Blue

2010-03-27T20:24:00.000-07:00

This is my gorgeous blue eyed boy who badly needs a haircut....I was playing with my new camera while Berk played in the sun.

Roslyn, Washington is Cicely, Alaska

2010-03-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

I loved the show Northern Exposure so I took a little tour around Roslyn, Washington which was the real Cicely, Alaska.

That is Ruth-Anne's general store on the right.
Only difference is I am a little smaller than a moose.

The oldest bar in Washington...and the inspiration for Holling's tavern.

Dr. Joel Fleischman's office...now a gift shop

Corey never watched this show, but I made him pose for a cool photo.

The best part of the show was Chris (John Corbett) as the philosophical deejay. He was a major hottie. So here I am in front of the radio station.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-03-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

Here is my new toy I got for my 39th birthday...so fun!!

Now I just need to learn how to use it!

I can't believe I am 39!!!!!!!

I had to go to regional camp director's meeting at Camp Ensign near Cle Elum Washington on March 20th since I am the stake camp director.

So my hubby and I made a weekend of it for my birthday. We rented a rustic cabin and when we got there we decided it was way toooo rustic. So we stayed one night in Cle Elum and another night in Ellensburg in hotels....so much better! It was so much fun to have a break from the kiddos (my mother in law watched the kids - so NICE), stay in a hotel, go out to eat a bunch, and spend some quality time with Corey. Plus the meeting was actually great and I learned a lot.

Carlie's Hair

2010-02-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

I made a goal 2 weeks ago to start learning some new hairstyles to use on Carlie's hair. I was inspired by my sister in law Amy. She finds all these great ideas on people's blogs. So I decided it was time to quit being lazy and get to work. Here are some pictures of my second hairstyle. It is definitely not as good as this lady http://www.princesshairstyles.com/. But, I am pretty happy with myself and now I have two new styles for Carlie's beautiful hair. My plan is to try a new style every week and practice it that whole week. I am also taking Amy's advice and only washing Carlie's hair every other day. On the second day I am using the same style from the day before with a little touching up.

Batgirl and Batman

2010-02-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

Carlie dressed up as batgirl for her cousin Adan's 5th birthday party. Believe it or not batman is only 5 months younger than batgirl! I wish I had taken more pictures...the kids all looked soooo cute! I was scrambling last minute for a costume for Carlie. I posted on facebook that I was trying to figure out a batgirl costume for Carlie and one of my old students (the amazing Alexa Boldt) offered her mask and cape. Hooray for facebook! Alexa saved the day. I was able to make the rest of the costume from items Carlie already had in her closet. I wish you could see her black boots...oh well!

My Daddy

2010-02-01T17:50:00.000-08:00

Today is my dad's birthday. What should be a day of birthday cakes and yelling yeh-hah at the end of the happy birthday song is a day of sadness and remembrance. My dad would have been 64 years old today. He was the most amazing man I have ever known and can hardly wait until I see him again. So here is a tribute to my father from his younger days, because he was always young at heart.

Look at that smile!!

on his mission in South Africa...now he is on a mission in heaven

He LOVED to fish. I have wonderful memories of stream fishing in the

White Mountains with my daddy....

STUPID CANCER!!

This is also a reminder to me to scan all my childhood pictures....all of my pics of my dad were before the age of digital cameras.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2010-01-31T14:42:00.000-08:00

I am trying out new backgrounds, etc. on my blog. So don't be disturbed when it looks all mismatched and crazy!!

I am Super Cute and I Know it!

2010-01-31T11:35:00.000-08:00

getting ready to play in the snow

flying home from Utah

cougar fan

Berk has a SERIOUS shoe fetish

I am so cool

loving the hair

I know that I am biased, but Berk is so cute I can't even stand it!!

"My Boys"

2010-01-31T11:26:00.000-08:00

Carlie calls her cousins Gavin, Dallin, & Matthew, "my boys"

What a Poser!

2010-01-31T09:42:00.000-08:00

My daughter all of a sudden started doing these strange poses for pictures.

I have no idea where she gets it from..

Christmas Eve Early

2010-01-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

We had to be at the airport really early Christmas morning

so we did Christmas morning a day early. Berk and his light saber. Kinda dangerous to give a 20 month old a stick to wave around Corey's dad loves to give us political gifts since we are quite liberal and he is quite conservative. So why not an Obama Chia Head?

What a cutie in his santa hat

Carlie and her new Barbie razor scooter

science nerd that I am LOVED this present....plus unfortunately it is soooooo true

Santa and his new soft-shell jacketthe distruction of all the commercialism....but hey it was a nice morning with our kiddos.

Small Box Shortage??

2010-01-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

Corey ordered the game Uno for his mom for Christmas from Amazon.

Opened the large box and and this is ALL that was inside.

Nice job in saving the planet Amazon!

Carlie Sandwich

2010-01-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

Corey had Carlie make her own sandwich and this is what she came up with. 2 hot dog buns...one on top, one on the bottom. Funny girl.

No Way..We are all Looking at the Camera!!

2010-01-23T21:24:00.000-08:00

I love my little family!!!

My Mommy is Pretty

2010-01-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

I need to do some serious blogging...I am way behind. My sister just sent these pics to me from my trip to Utah after Christmas and I think my mom is the most beautiful lady in the world.
So here is a post for now, maybe I will do some more this weekend....

Year In Review 2009

2009-12-27T21:43:00.001-08:00

Every Christmas I make scrapbook pages for my mom and my mother-in-law as a present. Here is what I came up with this year.

Christmas Cuties

2009-12-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

Here is the best picture I could get of my kids in their new Christmas

outfits before church today...not bad!!

Candy Buffet...Etc

2009-12-19T22:31:00.000-08:00

This is the Candy Buffet I set up for Annie's Wedding..I think it turned out pretty cute. I have such BIG plans for my kids baptisms and weddings now....stay tuned!

Here are pics of the food buffet I set up....I didn't make any of it, but they were all my family's recipes....

Salsa Bar

I wish I could say I made this...so pretty!

Here is the only pic of me..I am a dancing fool/DJ

Don't ask me what Matt is doing to my little guy
Not the cutest pic of Carlie, but it is the only one I got!! But look at those CURLS! I was sooo busy being the DJ that I forgot to take pics
Berk stealing candy...I was stealing candy or cupcakes or grapes ALL night long!
Here is Berk after one of his cupcakes
He spent the night (while we were cleaning up) pulling coolers around or pushing carts around!

I can hardly wait until I can see the real wedding photos.....but I thought I would post what I had. What a great night for Anne-Marie and David. I am so happy for them.

Carlie is the Happy Elf!

2009-12-15T22:07:00.000-08:00

Carlie's Winter Performance for her dance class was tonight. It was so much fun!

Carlie & Claire..cousins make great friends!

Berkeley LOVED watching the dancers. He NEVER stays this still unless he is asleep!

BABY it is Cold Outside So Here are the Last of my Summer Photos that I Never Blogged About

2009-12-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

River Rafting the Deschutes with the Nerdins...gotta love having friends that own rafts! Pretty fantastic. I don't think I will every get sick of going. Such a rush.

After we went rafting we went on a little side trip to White River Falls. I never knew it existed and we have lived in The Dalles for FOUR years! Pretty crazy. My pictures do not do it justice. The sun was in the wrong location.

Here are pictures of what used to be a dam and it powerhouse.

My people had been here!

Cliff jumping

Man I am pretty

Look at Berk in his super cute church outfit.

My pretty princess!

Here is Anne-Marie & David on the night they told us they were engaged. We were playing games at my house when all of a sudden we noticed she had a ring on her finger. Pretty neato.

We know that we are hot...

Carlie & her cousin Adan..they love each other.

Here are the kids "helping" me pick blueberries. I am very lucky to live in an area where you can go pick all kinds of fresh fruit pretty much year round.

Berk loved the"gator" at Apple Orchards

What a great big sis...we were going to pick some pears

This pic makes me miss the summer soooooo much. I have so much fun being a full-time mommy in the summer.

Last trip to the beach this past summer. I spent the whole time chasing Berkeley around.

Carlie spent the whole time floating around in her intertube

More self-portraits

Berkeley stealing my diet DP again! Gotta love his big blue eyes, giggle, & sandy feet

Carlie is a water freak!!!

It is super cold outside tonight...so it made me think of warmer days. So that is why I did this super long picture post of the last of my summer adventures.

See Carlie on Santa's List

2009-12-02T22:24:00.001-08:00

Carlie made Santa's List. Go here to check it out....
http://family.go.com/santas-list/video/94031-coreyaldridge/

Corey is Getting Old

2009-11-22T17:10:00.000-08:00

For Corey's birthday last month I threw him a party. I slaved for two days to make a bunch of yummy mexican food and treats. Special shout out to Corey's mom for helping me with the food and watching my kids since Corey was out of town at a boy scout training. I made chicken, beef, pork (thanks Diane for the pork), & veggie chimis with fresh tomato salsa, black bean avocado salsa, pineapple salsa, and avocado ranch for dipping. I also made fruit salsa with cinnamon chips, chicken burros, three kinds of mini brownie cupcakes with cheescake frosting (plain, mint, & peanut butter), and of course a german chocolate cake. At the party we ate, played Cranium, Rock Band, and Ticket to Ride with family and friends. One of the funniest presents Corey got was from his dad; Bill & Hillary Clinton masks. I was so busy during the party that I forgot to get the cake out so we did the cake the next day - sorry party goers...you missed out, it was amazing. This year I went all out and bought Corey a laptop. My motives for the present were pretty selfish though...I was sick of him stealing my laptop!

Latest CAT Scan Results

2009-11-16T18:04:00.001-08:00

I had a scan last Wednesday to make sure the cancer was not back. I have been having chest pain lately so my doctor moved up my next scan (I wasn't due for one until February) to be safe.
I was supposed to get the results last Thursday, but my doctor was out all last week with H1N1!! Pretty frustrating.
My doctor called today and here is the deal
1. I have a small growth on my thyroid - he says this is not uncommon for women my age, but he is scheduling an ultrasound to check it out. He thinks it is most likely a cyst.
2. I have a cyst (he thinks) on my liver. Apparently it was on the last scan, but he didn't tell me about it because it is small. But, it has grown a little since the last scan. He wants to keep an eye on it.
3. I have several small pockets of fluid in my pelvis (I knew about this - this is why my OB-Gyn did not want to do surgery on me)
4. I have a umbilical hernia
5. I am very deficient in vitamin D - starting prescription
6. Nothing in the scan points to why I am having chest pain so I need to go see my primary care and figure out if he thinks I should go to a cardiologist.

So nothing too terrible...most likely I am cancer free still going on 15 months! Scans are great and HORRIBLE. You can find out if you are cancer free, but you find out a bunch of other things that are most likely no biggie, BUT they could be something...Yikes! Oh well. I will worry when my doc says to worry.

We ARE the Wizard of Oz

2009-11-01T15:37:00.001-08:00

Opposites attract (actually the witch is good, just misunderstood - I LOVE Wicked!)
The most beautiful Dorthy EVER
The tin boy and his candy of choice - DOTS! Carlie is going fishing
He makes my heart happy!

The Wizard of Oz Family

I love posing!

Why can't we get a family photo where everyone is facing the camera AND smiling!!!

The tin boy and his piano

more dots

my favorite pic...a kid digging through her Halloween loot!

oh wait this pic is even better...Carlie & mommy love taking pics of themselves and making crazy faces!

Man we are good looking!

Trick or Treat?

We had so much fun this year with our theme. Carlie was beyond excited about Halloween. I could not believe that she picked to be Dorthy - I couldn't believe how lucky I was. My dream had come true to be the Wicked Witch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also need to give a shout out to my fab mother in law Diane for making my witch costume! Thank YOU!!

Carlie's Halloween Dance Stylings

2009-10-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Carlie's dance class performed at our local harvest fest this year. Her cousin Claire is in her dance class. They both showed up with the same shirt - we did not plan this - how cool is that??? It was the same day as Corey's big birthday fiesta so I saw Carlie O dance and then she stayed with her grandma & cousins at the harvest fest & I went home to cook, cook, cook.

My Sunday

2009-10-25T20:27:00.001-07:00

My poor little guy did not really take a nap this morning before church and of course he misses his afternoon nap while we are at church. We came home after church and I made dinner and within a few minutes of destroying his burrito he was OUT! I woke him up, Corey bathed him and he went to bed at 5:30 PM!!

Corey left for his business conference in Seaside tonight so Carlie and I made these fun Mr. Potato head pumpkins that her Grandpa Aldridge had bought her. Soooo Cute!

Carlie also had her primary program at church today. Her part was, "Adam and Eve were the first family". Even though she had her part TOTALLY memorized she asked Sister Stocking for help...but she did it. She was very naughty and hardly sang any of the songs and kept poor Sister Onstott busy. She had to get a tissue and proceeded to blow and wipe her nose in the first row for about 15 minutes. Oh well, she still was pretty cute!

Ooh-la-la Carlie is Five and so Fancy!

2009-10-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

This post is a month late, but her party was so amazing I had to show you on the blog!

Gina's Hair

2009-10-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Here is my new hair do..layers & bangs & BLONDE...did it back in August...time for me to go in again!