Matt, Elyse, Emmie, & Prime

Item of {P}intrest: fail

2012-01-21T16:59:00.000-08:00

Behold, a total Pintrest fail. THIS is what it's suppose to look like. I failed. But on the upside check out the quality of that picture! I got a Rebel T3 for Christmas and it has been rocking my world. I mean...just LOOK at it. It makes ugly Pintrest fail look like a work of art. rock on.

Christmas

2012-01-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

The festivities began Christmas Eve. We spent a lot of time playing in the back yard and catching up on shows- so nice and relaxing! Prime had so much fun that he needed a second nap and fell asleep during the kids afternoon movie.

The kids LOVED their Christmas Eve pj's! They are precious.

Emmie was so excited that Santa was coming - She sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" the WHOLE way home. haha. We set out some goodies for Santa and then tucked the little ones into bed.

Christmas Morning

Emmie LOVED opening gifts

Prime LOVES the drum daddy made him!

Matt picked up a present to pose with to humor me - he likes to grill things.

We closed our eyes and pretended that this huge mess wasn't going to be there when we got back from my parent's house...and then we skipped away.

Christmas - Part 2

We attended my parents ward before heading over to their house. It was so fun seeing people that I hadn't seen since high school. The program was wonderful! I wish every Christmas was on a Sunday! What better way to remember what Christmas is all about? I am so grateful for my Savior and the miracle of his birth.

Christmas - Part 3

Party at the Corriveau's

Adam rocking some awesome goggles

(k - side note on Adam. Doesn't he look amazing??! He has lost SO much weight. Go him! He is truly an inspiration. No diet No gimmicks - just smart eating and exercise.)

Finn - he's precious

What?? An awesome camera???!! yes please! Now I just need to figure out how to use it!

Arg! poor Ceri had some eye issues over the holiday's.

Monson and Finn playing with the way cool drum that Uncle Matt made them.

Uncle John reading Prime some books that Santa brought him!

The dinner was SOOO yummy! Matt deep fried the turkey. I will never EVER bake a turkey again! so so so so so so so good. yum!

And who made this day unforgettable? These two love birds. Thanks mom and dad! You guys really spoil us too much...for reals.

"Thanks Grammy and Dadoo! You guy's are the bomb"

-Emmie

Before Christmas came Thanksgiving

2012-01-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

Before I post about Christmas and New Years I have a bit of catching up to do.

Thanksgiving was amazing!

We spent it in Coronado. It was perfect. We Celebrated the big day with a BIG feast at the Hotel Del Coronado...those people mean business with their feasts. I don't remember the last time I ate so much - oiy. For the rest of the weekend we enjoyed some time at the San Diego Zoo where Emmie became acquainted with a hippopotamus. We also spent a lot of time riding bikes. It was perfection!While we were there we had a photographer take some family pictures of us on the beach. We haven't gotten the CD yet with all the prints but hopefully soon we will have those. Yeah for Thanksgiving.

The bike riding...

The Feast...

The Zoo...

A Few weeks after Thanksgiving I ran in the "12k's of Christmas" race. (Yes, it was as cheezy as it sounds). I had a great time. I rode my bike to freestone (which was good because parking was madness) and then ran the race. My time was super poopy because about 20 minutes into I realized just how majorly overdressed I was. Good thing I was wearing layers. I had to stop and strip down to the nitty gritty. I was just glad no one I knew was around or I may have been embarrassed being seen just in my sports bra...don't freak out it was a long one that covers my supper awesome stretchmarked tummy. Anyways. All in all it was fun. Poopy time due to having to stop and adjust the running attire but I think this may be the only time I'm ever serenaded by Christmas carolers along a run. cool.

Little shoppers

2011-12-17T14:22:00.001-08:00

Okay...I know I'm the momma and auntie but seriously, how cute are they? Emmie loves her cousin, Monson...I'm pretty much in love with him too. So.stinkin'.cute!

One if these days I'll get my blogging rear into gear. I have Thanksgiving and another race to blog about...hopefully before Christmas. But no promises. :)

Drummer boy

2011-12-05T07:44:00.001-08:00

This boy makes me smile. A little bit into this he taps his sticks together...he's "counting off". Ha! Love it!

YouTube Video

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I {heart} my bike!

2011-11-27T12:26:00.001-08:00

Isn't she a beauty?

Disneyland - October

2011-11-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

In October we took a (VERY) last minute trip to Disneyland. I honestly knew about it 24 hours before we left. Crazy fun. I love watching my kids (and nephews) enjoy the magic. It gets more and more fun as they get older.

Thumbs up for the White Rabbits house!

There she goes! do you see her on the left all blurry? She's saying, "look at me mom!"

trying to turn the tea cups - she's so strong!

Sisters

Eating Churros! (Do you see Emmie's hand? She's freaking out thinking Daddy is really going to eat them all and not give her one!) ha!

Happiest place on earth?

More Tea Cups. Monson is thinking, "yah, it's go time"

Trying to get a nice picture with two worn out kids...next time we will do this first thing

Awesome.

The Adults put the kids and grandparents to bed and snuck back out for one last bit of fun.

so.much.fun.

Disneyland, it was grand. Until next time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here's to a day filled with family and friends! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love and Blessings to all,

Love,

The Coleman's

The Half and so on.

2011-11-22T19:49:00.001-08:00

I did it! Yeah! I have always wanted to do one of these and I'm so glad that I did. It was a blast! Running is a funny sport. I never considered my self a competitive person...and outwardly I don't think I appear competitive - but it's those on going conversations that go on in my head (does that happen to anyone else?) Now in reality would I run a person off the road and into a canal who is trying to pass me? Never. But do I think about it...heck yes I do. There were two ladies who I had passed and just kept trying to re-pass me (is that a word? re-pass?) gah! anyways - I left one in the dust as a porto-john and the other was like a gazelle in the last mile. She deserved to beat me. She knows how to stride out...I do not. But I did learn a few valuable lessons along the way.

1. NEVER wear gray running shorts for a race. Ummm...even if the lady didn't pee her pants it sure looked like it by mile 3. Poor woman. Everytime I passed...and re-passed her I kept thinking about Billy Madison "You're not cool unless you pee your pants". Who wants to be the pee-pee lady? Rule of thumb: always wear black.

2. Carbo-loading works. It's amazing.

3. Gu is better when sucked down and not left to linger in the mouth

All in all it was a great race. All of my training totally paid off. By the end of the race I felt like I could still go more which I think is pretty awesome. These are my stats:

13.1 miles - 2hours5minutes - 9.3 avg. pace - 203rd place (out of 380)

This race totally made me believe that I could do a full marathon. So January 28th it is. I'm going to run the Desert Classic in Surprise AND my runny buddy is going to do it too! yeah! Running for 4 + hours is so much more appealing when you have someone to talk to.

Okay. Now here are the pictures. enjoy!

Me before the race - awesome morning hair, right?

My family with me at the finish

This one is for my mom. I did it!

This race was very kid friendly. They had a lot of blow up jumpy things and face painting. Emmie got a cupcake. precious.

Prime was all about the free popcorn and Jamba Juice. Emmie liked it too. They think races are cool.

p.s. so since you are sitting here and reading about running, you want to hear about my latest injury scare?

okay...so the marathon is in January right? Right. Our goal is to run in under 4 hours. That means that we need to pick up our pace. How do we do that? Cross train, right? Right. So I go and get my bike (which I haven't ridden in 5+ years) from my parent's garage. The tires need some work so until then I thought I could just ride my buddies bike. Well my buddy is way taller than me and maybe I should have thought about that before mounting the bike and riding away...well within the first mile I have a little accident. I don't even know how to explain what happened but the just is that I needed to stop fast, couldn't touch the ground and the bike hit me hard on my rear end...ouch. Anyways I precede to ride for 8 more miles (because I'm stupid) and come home with a VERY sore bum bum.

So that whole day I'm sore. Then the Next day (which is today) I wake up and am crying I'm in so much pain. I'm able to roll myself out of bed and have to wobble fast to the bathroom so I can throw up because the pain is so bad. Needless to say I think my tailbone is broken. So I go and get x-rays. Nope. Just a bruise. BRUISE?? WHAT?? That is one heck of a bruise. The aftermath of childbirth didn't even hurt this bad. So apparently that area is pretty wicked when bruised...beware.

BUT the awesome news about all of this is that it is not broken. I should be back to normal in a week or so. yeah!

Thanks for reading if you are still sitting there. I'm going to go get some ice now.

Tomorrow

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's finally here. Tomorrow is the Shun the Sun 1/2 marathon!

Let's do this.

Chillin' out max and relaxin' all cool

2011-11-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

I have finally downloaded all the "recent" (meaning...the past 2 months or so) of pictures off my phone and found these treasures. We are so busy all the time it seems but still are able to catch are breath now and again. Here are some pictures of our maxin' and relaxin' times.

Emmie went through a phase a few months ago where she would wake up super early and instead of waking us up she would empty our pantry and build things. One day I woke up to find her jamming out on her "drum set". Her daddy was so proud!

This little boy LOVES books. Which is so fun and so opposite of Emmie at his age. I love watching Matt read to our children.

This is how Emmie enjoyed General Conference a few months ago...she made sure we all stayed awake!

Prime enjoying his book

Emmie enjoying her movie and juice

One night I asked Emmie to get her pj's on then left her to do it. I walked back into the room and found a clothes trail. Ha!

p.s. I'm playing catch up with a lot of pictures so be expecting some nice hearty posts! yeah!

Halloween

2011-11-08T23:05:00.000-08:00

Before I get too far into all of my catch up posts I need to share Halloween! Emmie went as Princess Tiana from the Frog Princess movie and Prime was supposed to be a dragon but refused to wear the wings and tale...I'll probably get a picture around Christmas time when he decides he likes it...oh well. So instead of a costume he wore his pj's...so he could be the Sand Man? humm....maybe not...

Okay so, Emmie would not hold still for any pictures so you get what you get...sorry.

Emmie's costume has a background story that is pretty funny. A few month ago we were talking about choosing a costume and how we were all going to dress up like someone in Harry Potter since my sister was going to throw a Potter themed party...we all chose our person and guess who Emmie chose? Ha! MALFOY! awesome. We were all pretty pumped. wouldn't she have made a great Malfoy? We could have slicked her hair back so good! ha!

Well...the week before Halloween we were talking with some people and I asked Emmie to tell them what she was going to be for Halloween and she thought about it and thought about it and finally I prompted her. This was our conversation:

Me: "Tell them who you are going to be for Halloween, you know, from Harry Potter"
Emmie: "Uh...."
Me: "Remember his name? Malfoy, right?"
Emmie: "No...you are such a silly goose. Malfoy is a BOY and I am a GIRL and girls are princesses. I'm going to be Princess Tiana 'cause she wears a green dress"

That was news to me! It's all good though. Turns out whipping up a last minute princess costume isn't too bad...Elastic thread is awesome in a pinch!

My Fish

2011-11-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

Emmie has been taking swim lessons for almost 2 years and is practically a fish now...okay not really but she has made HUGE strides! 2 years ago she would cry throughout the ENTIRE lesson and now only when she's in one of her "I don't want to do this" moods. Emmie now is a master back floater...a task that neither I or Matt can do. She loves to dive for rings and loves making cannon balls. The girl has no fear...(which scares me to death). Emmie loves swim and I love that she loves it. Here are some pictures to prove it : ) enjoy!

Animal sounds

2011-11-02T09:18:00.001-07:00

Enjoy!

YouTube Video

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Take a guess

2011-10-28T20:02:00.001-07:00

Yanni or Serious Black? Humm...

Sleepy Prime

2011-10-26T12:32:00.001-07:00

Short nap + nursery= sleepy Prime.

YouTube Video

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Emmie had a birthday!

2011-10-15T19:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday she turned 4! She's such a happy little thing. We love her so much! Happy birthday to our precious snickerdoodle girl!

My Green Smoothie Boy

2011-10-02T20:00:00.001-07:00

The kid has no problem getting his fruit and veggies in everyday.

P.s. FYI green smoothie girl, Robyn Openshaw is coming to Mesa, November 5. Her class is Free! All you have to do is go on her website and sign up! I'm psyched! greensmoothie.com

Miracles do happen.

2011-09-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

Emmie ate broccoli...and she liked it.

Emmie's first Primary Program

2011-09-26T06:07:00.001-07:00

This is pretty much how she felt about the whole thing. Until it was over....

Then she felt pretty good...ah well. There's always next year!

The program was awesome! All my primary kids learned all the words to the songs. They didn't even need visual aids. They rocked it.

Guru needed

2011-09-24T20:39:00.001-07:00

I went to a gardening class a week or so ago. I was so excited to go so I could finally learn how to do this and do it right. It's something I so desperately want to be good at but my many failed attempts have left me a bit pessimistic.

Unfortunately, instead of leaving this class with a renewed vigor to give it another go I left a bit overwhelmed.

I think I've come to the realization that gardening is a bit like those stupid strategy games that I hate (sorry Catan lovers). The rules are completely confusing until you just dive in and do it and go through a lot of trial and error along the way.

This leaves me in a bit of a hard spot. On one hand I would really love to do the whole gardening thing. BUT I seriously do not want to put up the upfront cost of it all without the assurance of getting some results. Not that I want a big huge over the top garden....I just want one or two boxes full of salad fixings and salsa ingredients.

So this is what brings me to the guru part. I know someone is out there who would be willing to hold my hand through this whole process. PLEASE, I need someone!

I want this....

And this (some day)....

And this....

And even this....I want it all! I just don't know where to start.

P.s. I'm totally serious...please someone help me!

Love these two!

2011-09-24T15:06:00.001-07:00

Aren't they the cutest? Love them!

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Nuts for Doughnuts

2011-09-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my sister, Ceri, and I took the kids out for doughnuts. Nothing quite like a Saturday morning treat. yummy!

16 pictures for 21 days

2011-09-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

The challenge has been over since Monday and I never got my last 2 pictures in. I did it - I actually did those days twice in hopes of getting my pictures but things came up and I forgot. Oh well, the extra pictures wouldn't have fit in the collage.

I really appreciated this challenge and kind of miss it all ready. This was something I could totally do and it was fun looking at other people's outfits and getting some new ideas. Sometimes I get so frustrated with my closet and feel that I have nothing to wear or just don't want to wear what I have. It was good to have a little boost and motivation to look at my stuff with new eyes. Yeah! Hope you had fun looking at my daily outfits. I promise I wont put pictures of my clothes up any more...or at least until the next challenge.

Starting fall early....

2011-09-08T12:18:00.001-07:00

I couldn't fight the craving! September is here and I NEED pumpkin. I started too late last night to enjoy it (I prefer my pie nice and cold) so I had some for breakfast. A nice way to start the day. Then I walked outside and it was already 95 out. boo. It's coming though....I can feel it...cool air is on it's way.

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Pintrest projects

2011-09-04T18:30:00.001-07:00

I love Pintrest. And this is what has come of my hours of Pintrest research. Because that's what it is right?

My class and I made this together on Friday for our upcoming Open House. They are so proud of themselves.

These are two projects... The inside is sopapilla cheesecake! Do yourself a favor and make it. The second is the carrying case. It's been on my to do list for forever and finally today I did it. And it was so quick that I didn't just make one, I made two...because that's how I roll.

So if your hesitant to jump on the Pintrest bandwagon because you consider it a "waist of time" look at all the good that has come from it! Happy Pintresting!

Day 19 - hair wear and my love for the pixie

2011-09-02T21:06:00.001-07:00

I love love LOVE these little hair clips that my s-in-law, Carrie, made and gave to me. They are so fun and add that pop of color that's perfect.

So it's been 2 week since I pixied my hair and I think I need to take this opportunity to express how much I love it. Here is why:

~Even weeks after the cut I get all giddy when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

~It takes all of 2 minutes to do.

~ I like feeling trendy.

~I feel like I look like a mom....but a cool one.

~I love how comfortable it is. Does that make sense? Not just how cool and easy but how I feel like it's me?! It fits. You know?

~I love that my husbands mouth dropped when he saw me with the cut for the first time...he pretty much loves it ... Which makes me really happy.

There are more but I'll end there

Yeah for fun hair! And yeah for not getting my feelings hurt when someone thinks other wise. I love it too much to care!

Day 18

2011-09-01T12:20:00.001-07:00

Bold jewelry! Cool! These are my African beads. I {heart} them.

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Day 17 - Fix it

2011-08-31T17:00:00.001-07:00

I have been slowly adding pockets to the majority of my skirts. Wearing a skirt on a non-Sunday day is just so much more realistic when there are pockets involved. I have a big stack of them all seam ripped and waiting for me in my sewing room. This skirt is winning it's way to my favorite list! I love it! Best $3.00 I ever spent! Goodwill, I love you.

Can you guess what my theme is this week at school? Primary colors! Preschool is the bomb!

For instructions on how to add pockets to your skirts check out my pintrest! If you don't pintrest you totally should. Need an invitation? Count on me. I'll invite you!

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Day 16 - failure

2011-08-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

Today I was suppose to find something masculine to wear. I failed. I should have stayed up last night and searched for a good outfit but...I didn't. I wore purple today...so not manly. AND floral earings. but see - you have to understand my dilemma. I have short hair and work with 30 very blunt preschoolers who are always happy to tell me things like: "Mrs. Coleman, you look like a boy today." I wasn't up for it. Today was stressful. So I wore purple. I will admit I'm not proud of myself but what is done is done. Tomorrow will be better.

While you are here though, let's reminisce about how Rory totally rocked the groomsman look in Season 5. (sigh) Gilmore Girls. It's been to long.

Day 15! Hair!

2011-08-29T12:19:00.001-07:00

Wear my hair a different way? Okay! But.... Not to work. I want to get up enough guts to Faux-hawk it. Matt really wants me to. I almost did but lost my nerve. When I do I'll post it. Awesome.

P.s. I get to drive to work with the cutest little monkeys! They are so.much.fun!

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Day 14

2011-08-28T20:11:00.001-07:00

Today I was suppose to try and recreate a style I saw in a magazine or on a blog....i didn't really do it. But this is what I wore today....and check out my bag. It rocks. I got it on our Utah trip with my Sis-in-law, Carrie. I am sooooooooooooo glad we went back to Tai Pan. Carrie, I think of you every time I use this bag!

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Day 13 - neutrals with a pop

2011-08-28T12:25:00.001-07:00

This was yesterday's outfit! Only one more week of this. I think I'll miss it. I've really enjoyed this challenge!

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My boys

2011-08-27T18:05:00.001-07:00

I love watching them play! They are best buds!

YouTube Video

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Day 12

2011-08-26T17:04:00.001-07:00

Are you tired of looking at my clothes yet? (I don't want you to answer that...it may hurt my feelings to read it even though I know you may definitely be thinking it). So today I jazzed up my jeans...kind of :)

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Day 11

2011-08-25T13:05:00.001-07:00

Easiest challenge yet! I love wearing long flow-y dresses. Makes me feel like a true "montessorian". You know...tree hugging, berkenstock wearing people. Love it!

So I got this dress at Walgreens one day as I was going into pick a prescription (I prefer to walk in so I can grab a candy bar...2 days ago I grabbed a 3 musketeers with the wafer or whatever. Don't waste the calories. It was terrible). Anyways, yes, never underestimate the clothing possibilities at a pharmacy! Word.

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Day ? What day are we on?

2011-08-24T12:05:00.001-07:00

I missed yesterday. Boo . But I did do it and it was super cute! Maybe I'll re-create it later. I got all sick and weird and all I could think of when I got home was sleep :) . Anyways some steroids and antibiotics later I'm doing great!

Okay anyways, today's challenge was to use a closet orphan. I'm not sure that I really understood. So I chose something that I like but never wear because people ask me if I'm pregnant when I wear it so it goes unworn a lot. Poor, sad grey top. What do you guys think - do I look pregnant?

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Boo boo

2011-08-22T20:16:00.001-07:00

Emmie has learned how to put on bandages by herself! Ha!

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Day 8

2011-08-22T16:49:00.001-07:00

Mixing fancy with casual. So...this is the fanciest shirt I own. I think I may have failed this challenge. Oh well.

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Day 7

2011-08-21T21:05:00.001-07:00

Today's challenge was to layer accessories. The only problem with this is the tangling. Notice in the picture below... Lame-o. Oh well.

Shirts - Old Navy
Cardigan- Target
Skirt - too long ago to remember
Silver necklace - gift from a former student
African beads - boutique
Earrings - Old Navy

Day 6 - unexpected way

2011-08-20T12:26:00.001-07:00

So does this count as "belt it" too? Today's challenge is to wear something in an unexpected way. This is not original at all. But i don't think i would have done it otherwise. I'm kind of in love with it. I think I will most definitely be doing this again.

Lizard Prime

2011-08-20T06:11:00.001-07:00

Meet Prime. He's a lizard. He was Emmie's pet for a day. She loved him. And don't they say that if you truly love someone you have to let them free? So he's free now. The end.

Day 5 - Belt It

2011-08-19T16:57:00.001-07:00

I love belts....I just don't have any. So I used this challenge as an excuse to pick up a new belt. Yeah! Um...and I already knew this but I'm slightly obsessed with cardigans. I've been known to take a shirt out of my closet and cut it up to wear that morning....that's what I did to this yellow cardigan. And in my opinion, the yellow top makes a way better cardigan than shirt!

Tank tops- old navy
Cardigan- originally a shirt from Target
Belt - Target
Capris- Old Navy

Day 4 of 21....and my hair!

2011-08-18T07:38:00.001-07:00

I love my cut! But I'm off to work so more on that later!

Dress: Target
Cardigan: Old Navy
Under shirt: Shade
Necklace: Target
Earrings: Made by my sister! boo-ya!

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Day 3 of 21

2011-08-17T17:09:00.001-07:00

Shirt- Ross
Cadigan- Old Navy ( boat neck shirt refashioned into a cardigan)
Jeans- Old Navy

Say bye- bye to the curls for a bit! Wish me luck!

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Mixing things up

2011-08-16T17:14:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow's Challenge:

Click here for ideas!

I'm not submitting pictures on the Flicker group...I'm just doing it to do it. Add a little spice to life, you know! Speaking of spice...I've been hankering for a change...I'm thinking not just clothes but hair too. It's kind of a long story but I'm going to chop it short...I mean really short... Think Emma Watson or Michelle Williams. I've been wanting to do it for years but never had the guts... and maybe I'll chicken out at the last moment like I always do...but maybe not. Tomorrow night I'm going in. Wish me luck. Worst thing that can happen is that I will have a good cry, feel a little silly and then wear a lot of headbands for the next few months. You will all still like me If It doesn't work out, right?

21 day challenge

2011-08-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm taking on the 21 day challenge I read on my friend, Debbie's blog. Today it is something tucked in. I'm writing this from my phone so I'll add links later. Blogpress though....awesome!

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Jacobson's View Point

2011-08-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Last month we had the opportunity to meet up with a bunch of the Coleman's and stay a few days at the Jacobson's Cabin. Lot's of years ago Grandpa Jacobson (mom coleman's dad) built this cabin overlooking Lamb's Canyon in UT. Over the past few years it's been redone and updated - it is so beautiful!! We had a wonderful time!

First night greeted us with a double rainbow (I know, I know...double rainbow all the way!)
so, in this picture you can't see it. but I promise it was there.

The cousin's hiked to Salamander Lake and other beautiful destinations including a little water fall.

Prime participated as much as he could but mostly stayed in the cabin stealing Haley's pacifier and climbing up the stairs. When he did hike, we wore him out and he took a nap on Grandpa's shoulders.

on the last hike he finally let Aunt Carrie hold him.

There were plenty of intense Scooby-Doo watching moments.

This is where Prime spent most of his time. up and down, up and down

Fairy houses were built and but mostly Emmie just enjoyed getting filthy.

_____ ______ ______ _________ _____ _________ ________ ___________ ________ _________ __

We took a break from the cabin life for a day and went to Temple Square in Salt Lake. We had a great time exploring and taking in the sites.

After a few days at the cabin our time was up another family was coming to enjoy it so we moved out to the Homestead in Midway. It was the perfect way to end the vacation. Everyone swam and played at the park. It was awesome! There some other stuff that we did like swim in a hot spring crater...but I don't have any pictures...so if you really want to hear about it...you know...just ask or something.

Mom Coleman put together these adorable little outfits to get a cousin picture taken. How cute are they?

After a week of Coleman fun it was time to drive home. The drive was beautiful and quiet (after stopping at a Target in Orem and buying a second portable dvd player). Matt and I listened to 7 discs of Harry Potter on CD. Is there a better way to spend a road trip? nah.

He's a walker!

2011-07-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Prime started walking yesterday! Enjoy this little clip!

meet carl

2011-07-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

My official race day photo

This is what I thought I ordered...but when it got to me they cropped...oh well...

So this is me all sweaty running the race (this is my last race post...promise!) and next to me is (du-du-daaaa!) CARL! Looks Pretty good for 60 right? It's the running. Anyways, I was totally excited to see the race photos that were taken. Out of 4 this was my best shot...snazz hands and all. For the next race I'll practice my running pose for the picture. Notice that Carl has got it down - he looks pro. Way to go Carl. No funny hands, no awkward smile. Really, what do you do when you are running and see camera's? Too bad Carl was cropped out of my official picture. He part of the reason I chose that one (and the lack of the thumbs up) oh well. Enjoy!

My other choices:

dig

2011-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

They couldn't get enough of the sand. They dug and dug and dug. We learned a good lesson during all of this digging. When buying shovels next year, instead of getting different colors for each, they all get the same color. no fighting. genius. It's been a few days now since Prime's been in the sand and I'm still finding little specks of it in his ears and little chubs.

called to the sea

2011-07-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

I think it would be an understatement to say that Prime enjoyed the ocean. He didn't just enjoy it...he experience it. He reminded us of a baby turtle being called to the sea. He loved splashing, crawling and putting his face in the water. He taste tested some sand dollars and probably ate his weight in sand. Oh our little baby sea turtle, I love him so. It makes my heart so happy that my children love the ocean. I hope they will always and forever love the ocean as much as they do now.

My First Race

2011-07-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

This 4th of July was pretty big for me this year. Besides doing our annual California celebration and watching the Coney Island hot dog eating contest (go Joey!), I ran my first race. It was so awesome!

I didn't know I was doing it until we were driving through Yuma and I was (just for fun) seeing if there were any races going on in California while we were there (iphone...I love you!). AND just as fate would have it there was a race going on and even better, it was on Coronado Island were we were staying. See...fate.

I'm not going to lie. I was a little nervous. I worried about all these things that I thought could prove to be a big deal but really didn't matter at all. (ie: what if I didn't drink enough water and I get dehydrated on the path? or what happens if the absurd amount of mexican food I just ate decides it needs a quick exit at mile 5? or, what happens if my very flimsy hair tie (the only one I packed) decides to break in the middle of the race...etc) But once the race started all those worries went away and I just ran....and ran...and ran...it was awesome.

I even met a friend.

His name is Carl and he adopted me on mile 2.

This is how we met:

Carl: "What's your time"?
Me: huh? I don't have the time
Carl: No, what's your pace?
Me: uh.....
Carl: is it under 10?
Me: I think so (I lied...I knew full well I was a 10 + pace runner when I do distance)
Carl: Good, you an me, we do this together.
Me: huh? ok....

He's a 60 year old Persian civil engineer and without him I would not have finished as fast. He clocked us every mile and made sure we were on track. He pushed me and showed me that I could push myself hard. I was not going to let him out run me. And I didn't...I sprinted passed him at the finish line (he didn't seem to mind...or even notice). He even introduced me to "gel packs". holy grossness. never again will I eat one of those...that's a lie, I probably will...but I wont enjoy it.

Anyways, it took me 90 minutes to finish the 9.32 mile race. Not only was this a good test run for the half marathon in November but I think I started a new tradition! Ceri says she'll run with me next year. I'm holding her to it!

we {heart} the beach

2011-07-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

California...You complete us.

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

2011-06-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

In the June 3rd issue of The Salt Lake Tribune, Matt was featured in an article about his incredible timpani playing!! OK, OK....so he wasn't exactly featured, but he was in this picture for an article (link) about the Mormon Choral Organization of America. They performed two concerts in Salt Lake City two weeks ago: one at the Tabernacle, and one at Abravanel Hall (where the Utah Symphony performs). I thought this picture was so cool that I had to share. Too bad Matt's name wasn't in the caption in the news paper.

Got ties?

2011-06-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so...I need some help. I am doing a crafty project with neckties and I need a lot of them. I thought I could get some at Goodwill or DI for cheep but I went and looked - Yikes! They were each over $5 and I just can't justify spending the cash for a "first pancake" project. Soooo...I was wondering if any one of you have any ties hanging around that are old or may have a slight stain on them and are now unwearable...I NEED THEM! Please let me know and I will come and pick it/them up and bring you some delicious cookies in exchange! please specify if you like chocolate chip or snickerdoodles (they're my best) Thanks in advance guys!

California or Bust!

2011-06-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

Summer is here! And you know what that means....California here we come! I had one week off before Summer School started. Matt was off to Utah with the East Valley Mormon Choir so...one night after doing some semi-complaining to my mom she and I agreed that a trip to California would be a perfect way to spend the Matt-less week (a spur of the moment trip, a beach front distraction, and child-care help?? what's not to love about that?!)

Taking a driving break in Yuma...Prime needed to check his messages...he's so popular.

Day 1: Sea World

The new Dolphin Show...I wont lie...I cried (it's that darn music!)

The Children were riveted

Emmie got a bubble shooter - it's about the most awesome toy ever.

Emmie showing off her Shark teeth

Riding a Sea Turtle

What was Prime doing during the fun? We wore him out - precious boy.

Emmie loved the tide pool and touching as many star fish that she could get her hands on. And while we were there Matt called!

Oh! and who did we run into while at Sea World? Stacy and her cute family!

After we left Sea World we were driving around Old Town and stopped by the newly re-opened Mormon Battalion. It was awesome. If you have the chance you should go. so.much.fun!

Day 2: Beach Day with AZ friends

On Day 1 we got a call from our friend Russ telling us that he and his wife, Debbie and sis-in-law, Connie were on their way to California and wanted some suggestions on places to see and things to do while they where there...little did they know that we were in California too. So we totally got to hang out. We had a great day - ate some awesome Italian food in Little Italy (were Prime flirted with new bff, Connie) and then enjoyed some wonderful time on the beach in Coronado. I stole some pictures off of Debbie's blog - I didn't bring my camera down to the water and Debbie caught some great shots on her I phone...I want one sooooo bad (mom & dad...my birthday is just a few weeks away...wink wink) So if you have a second check out her blog - she's the one that got me into Curly Girl and does the Basement Sales every now and again.) Thank you Debbie for the pictures! They are awesome!

Day 3: La Jolla and some more beach time!

We ate at my favorite Mexican joint in La Jolla, Alfonsos. They have the best chips and salsa - I crave them all year long! I wont go into detail about why Prime is wearing Emmie's black puffed sleeved t-shirt, only that it was gross...and guacamole wasn't appetizing for the rest of the day...

This is one of my favorite spots in La Jolla. It holds a lot of memories for me and my family. We would sit on that ledge for hours watching the waves crash and the sun set and in the early mornings we would go down and stick our hands in the shallow tidepools. When Prime and Emmie are a little older we'll do that with them.

Emmie found some seals to watch - she thought it was the coolest thing ever...and I kinda think she's right!

Later that day we had some more beach time. Emmie dug and dug and dug in the sand. Prime decided he loved Grammy's hat and went for it. That kid comes up with the funniest stuff. He was so tickeled by himself too - he just kept laughing and laughing. so.stinkin'. cute.

It was a wonderful few days and the perfect way to spend some vacation time. I wont lie, having Matt there would have made it even better but he was having his own fun doing the musician thing and I'm happy that he got to do that. Yeah for vacations and yeah for parents who go with you! Thanks mom and dad! xoxo.

The last of the cool days

2011-05-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Remember when last week was so gorgeous outside? We had just gotten Em's jammies on and realized that we had not fully appreciated the coolness of the day so the kids hopped in the double stroller and we went to the park. It was wonderful!

This is Emmie telling us all about the Ducks and what they like to eat..."Muffins"

(notice her right pointer finger...she soooooo has the "Fern Finger"...am I right, family?)

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my neighborhood?? I run through that park almost daily and never get sick of it. And check out that sunset. {sigh} I love me a good AZ sunset.

Me and my children. I love them so much!

I don't think I've talked about my hair cut yet...my hair is short now - I cut it a few weeks ago and I love it. Maybe someday I'll post a good picture of it or something.

Emmie on the climber.

Prime on the swings

Goodbye beautiful Arizona weather! We will see you again in ~~September~~....October!

Buisness infront - Party in the back

2011-05-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

For Family Home Evening Prime got his first hair cut!

He's been sporting an awesome mullet for the past couple of months.

A picture of the party

We turned on "Baby Signing Time"...worked like a charm!

Matt got out the clippers

And in about 5 minutes the mullet was gone!

All the was left was little wisps of baby hair

(yes, mom, I saved it for you.)

And then to celebrate, Prime showed off his newest trick!

What can I say - the boy loves to live on the edge.

5 years

2011-05-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

5 years ago I married a truly amazing man...he thinks I'm pretty awesome too...I guess that's the way it's suppose to be. I can't imagine life without him. Here's to 5 years - and an eternity more! xoxo.

Endurance...

2011-05-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

..I finally have some. I've been wanting to do a 1/2 marathon for forever and now I'm going to do it.

I was huge into running before I started having kids but it's always been on the back burner due to a ton of excuses...endurance being the biggest one. I just couldn't seem to push myself past the three mile mark. Anyways, in January I committed to start running again. I couldn't even do a mile without walking and got super frustrated so I ended up doing the "Insanity" program on my sister and brother-in-laws recommendation. And let me just pause and put a plug in for that one. It's wicked. BUT completely awesome. I started seeing results (especially in the endurance department) within days. I went from only being able to do 3 push ups to 15 in 30 days. I went for a run about 1/2 through the 60 day program and killed it. I was able to run 2 1/2 miles without much effort. It was exhilarating. I've been running every day since and am up to 6 1/2 miles.

I run with a friend and we have a great time. We are signing up for the November Shun The Sun Marathon in Mesa. Come and join us!

Mother, I Love You - asl

2011-05-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

This is what the Primary children and I will be doing next Sunday. I recorded it so that I could send it to my presidency to study up and the link wouldn't work on the email so now you all get it - lucky!

Enjoy!

Feel free to stop it 10 seconds from the end.

...trust me.

**Disclaimer: I didn't run the signs past anyone this time. I did my research and am pretty positive that they are correct...but...again...I'm not fluent. I'm just handy with a dictionary. :) **

p.s. Heidi, this is one of my favorite dresses! I owe you one!

dying Easter eggs

2011-04-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

We had a great time dying Easter eggs last week. I put one in Emmie's lunch box everyday for the rest of the week and she thought it was the coolest thing ever. Emmie enjoyed it so much I bought another box of dye on clearance to pull out for special occasions...or maybe I'll just keep it for next Easter... who knows!

Confession: I love hard boiled eggs....sandwiches...salads...solo...yum!

Basement Sale!

2011-04-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

please feel free to copy this flyer and post on your blog/facebook/tshirt...whatever.

What good is a sale if no one comes? Please come, I would love to see you!

Here is who will be there:

Mimi from Yasmin Photography

Amy from Folding Chair Designs

Mindy from Laurel Lane Designs

Abbie from Goodie Jar

Kathryn and Marily from I {heart} Mesa

Elyse and Ceri from Ellie and Fern

Debbie from Debsfreckles

Booby Trap

2011-04-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

Around the chair...

Down the hall way...

Into the master bedroom...

But first around the handle...

And finally all around the dresser knobs....

HA! Now Matt will never be able to get to his clothes...

The Culprit: Emmie Grace

Our conversation when I woke up and saw her by the dresser:

Me: Good Morning Emmie Grace.

Emmie: Oh! Just close your eyes and go back to sleep

Me: What are you doing Emmie Grace?

Emmie: Shhh...be quiet. don't touch anything.

Me: Why?

Emmie: Emmie's working

Me: Oh...I see...(I put on my glasses) hummm...did you get into my thread?

Emmie: Shhh...I working

Me: hummm....looks like you've been working hard. Where's daddy?

Emmie:...uh...I don't know really

Me: Are you booby trapping Daddy's dresser?

Emmie: Uh-hu...I'm so tricky!

That girl...I swear. Matt thought he left her in good hands in front of the Saturday morning cartoons and let me sleep in (bless him) while he was helping Prime...Can't leave that girl alone for a second. She used the entire spool...well worth it I'm sure she would tell you!

Still riding in style

2011-04-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

What can I say...I love wearing my baby! and...he loves it too.

Grandma's Rose

2011-04-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

This little, pathetic rose bush came with our house. It's always been kind of awkward and funny but yesterday when I got back from my morning run I noticed that we have a few blossoms! They are beautiful. They remind me of my Grandma Tenney. She always loved roses - especially the peach ones.

Birthday Cake

2011-04-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

What's a birthday without cake? Prime loved his little veggie cake. Okay...call me weird - whatever...but I just couldn't do the big regular cake thing knowing that he'd be eating it right before bed time. So - solution...veggie muffin's made in mini cake pans. He just ate 4 servings of fruits and vegetable! yeah! And he loved every bite! I got the recipe here. It's awesome. even Emmie loves them -and that's saying a lot! Happy Birthday Prime!

2011-04-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

April 6, 2010

5:31 am

Prime Owen Coleman was born!

8 lbs 14 oz

21 Inches long

Prime's first picture

1 Month

6 weeks

3 months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

Prime is a complete joy. Each day with him is a blessing. I'm so lucky to be his mom!

This time last year....

2011-04-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

I still looked like this:

Burnt Toast

2011-03-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

When I was little I had that kind of hair that you would brush after taking a bath and it would dry all wonky. Strait in some places, curly in others. I would complain to my mom and she would tell me to go eat burnt toast. Because her uncle told her that burnt toast would either put hair on your chest or curl your hair. Being young and knowing that I had a 50% chance of getting the outcome I wanted I ate up all the burnt toast I could. Surprise surprise. Nothing happened. I still had wonky hair. So after a series of perms I decided to throw in the towel and just suck it up that I would have to straiten my hair every day. And I did for years. I even went super short for a while because I didn't take as long to straiten. 6 years ago I decided to try the curls again. I cut off 10 inches of hair and went curly. It was okay but I still liked my hair strait better. After a few months I went back to the straightener. Every once and a while I would go on a curly spree. But it never lasted long. I got tired of not having the curls I wanted...they're dull and limp and by the end of the day I was unhappy. It wasn't until a few months ago, after having Prime that I lost a TON of hair (did that happen to anyone else? Hardly lose any during pregnancy and then when baby pops out lose a ton?) all the new hair that has come in has been super curly and I don't know if it's always been that way and I've just have straitened the life out of it too soon but it's awesome. I was satisfied with the curls. I left it alone during the week (living with headbands to try and mask my frizzy halo) and then straitening on the weekends when I had the time. It wasn't until I saw this post and it rocked my world. (check out my friend, Debbie's, blog...she does vintage sales and has some vintage suitcases that I drool over...she also has a bunch of other awesome things up for sale.) I went to the salon that she mentioned (it's right down the street from me...fate) and after about a week of playing around with the product and hydrating my poor hair I am one happy curly girl. I LOVE IT! I've never gotten any positive comments on my hair unless it's strait. And now every one's like: did you perm your hair? - it looks great! It brings me back to the child hood days of eating all that burnt toast (to this day I still eat everyone's burnt toast...habit?) Anyways...this was a really long story...and there are many more layers to the life long drama that it has been to have what I thought was wonky hair. Now I know I just didn't know how to care for it.

Now for some before and after.

This picture was taken on Valentine's Day at our school party (isn't that little girl adorable? I've taught her 2 older siblings also...I hope to get her little brother too...the whole set!) Notice the hair. Limp. Lifeless. Dull. Blah. This is a picture of a picture...cool.

A week after my curl girl makeover. drastic right?

I'm excited to see how my hair will be once it has a few month of hydration

A New Back Yard

2011-03-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Matt's been working super hard to complete my parent's back yard. My dad wanted a place where his grandchildren could play. I think it happened. It looks fantastic and the kids LOVE it! Matt had some help along the way but he did about 80% of the work himself. He amazes me.

entrance view

View from the other side

Patio and pergola

A close up of the climber

Matt humoring me for a picture

Matt designed everything (with the help of John, Clif, and my dad) the only things that came in a box was the playhouse and the accessories (like the chairs, umbrellas and swing)

It was a big job. Again, he amazes me.

p.s remember my post about the apothecary console? It's finished! head over to ellie & fern to read more!

Montessori Girl

2011-03-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

I was sent these pictures via text by Emmie's teacher, Mrs. Hawley. They make me smile. She was doing a "butterfly observation" work. But, in true Emmie form, she not only observed but then laid them all out horizontally with matching colors. I love the way her brain works!

This next one is an object picture matching work. Again, her strait lines. Love it!

I need to do lots more of these posts! My phone is overflowing with pictures from Mrs. Hawley!

A blog formerly know as Lime-Made

2011-03-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

Lime-Made is gone. It's been replaced. It's all good. Our new name is ellie and fern. We like it better. We changed the address too. Ceri and I are going to start posting things there again. {YEAH} I don't know how frequently - but we need a space for all our stuff...the family blog just wont do. Come, visit, and leave comments...we love comments!

Girls Night

2011-03-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Every now and then we just need a good girls night! Finger food, facials, girl talk, and a chick flick...it was awesome. Thanks ladies for a great night! And thank you husbands for taking the kids!

Did you miss it?

2011-03-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

No problem...We're doing it again!

Ellie & Fern Boutique Sale

Saturday, March 19
8am - 12pm

So...we couldn't help ourselves and have added a bit more to the batch. Headbands...like the one I'm wearing in this picture and aprons with matching pot holders - completely adorable!

Hope to see you there!

Apothecary Awesomeness

2011-03-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

I think my husband may be building me something like this...I'm completely psyched...

Ellie & Fern Boutique Sale!

2011-03-09T19:47:00.000-08:00

Ellie & Fern Boutique Sale
Come check it out!
Lots of fun handcrafted items!

THIS SATURDAY
MARCH 12 2011
8:00am - 12:00pm

Some of the items:
toddler boy ties
headbands
rings
receiving blankets
nursing covers
tote bags (shoulder, hand, and repurposed)
ring slings
pillows
&more!

Stand For The Right

2011-03-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

My Primary Presidency asked me to teach the children to sign this song for our Sacrament Program in the fall. I taught it to them in 20 minutes. They LOVED it! It's easy and fast and best of all fun. So I thought I would share for any other Primary chorister's out there. The asl version of this song is not on lds.org (they have an asl page for the songbook...cool right? unfortunately, they don't have ALL the songs...that would totally rock my world)

(Pardon my late night raccoon eyes)

Disclaimer: I do not know sign language...(except for baby signing time...) BUT I did run all the signs past my cousin who is fluent...so she says they are good...and that's good for me. If it's not good for you, run it past someone else and make adjustments. You can sign "words" differently but I liked the "W" association so that's why I stuck with that one...
enjoy!

don't wake the giraffe

2011-03-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

plsd
(precious little snicker doodle)

March in Room 4

2011-03-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I'll be doing this that often but I'm on a kick so either enjoy...or just skip it. These are my March Practical Life Shelves. For the first 2 weeks we are doing St. Patrick's Day and Rainbows. I haven't decided for sure what I'll be doing between Spring Break (yeah!) and Easter. My children really need the shelves changed every 2 weeks or so..I wish they would last longer...but they don't. I always know when I let it go a little too long - they get a little crazy. (I usually try to blame it on the weather or something but usually it's all my fault).

Top: (from L to R) clover spooning, coin tonging, clover tonging (this one is tricky because they have to hold the tongs farther up in order to grasp the clovers in the jar).
Middle: Tree lacing, ball stringing, Dr. Suess match and lace
Bottom: Rainbow weaving, Rainbow Buttoning

Top: St. Patrick pouring, Share Pouring, Pouring and spooning
Middle: water bottle squirting (They LOVE this one - the goal is to fill the bowl with water from the squirt bottle...it's actually really challenging...even for the adults). Straining with a hand strainer, straining with a colander.
Bottom: Barrel of Monkeys, spring puzzle, building box (connector pieces are inside)

Some closeups:
Rainbow weaving. The rack is from the $.99 store and the ribbon is just hot glued (I singed the ends with a match so they wouldn't get gross.)

I made this buttoning pillow. Felt, ribbon, buttons, and a little fluff. The red one is sewed with the ribbon on the front of the flower to show that it goes first.

One of my student's doing the Barrel of Monkeys. I've done this in the past the traditional way (pour in out on to the table (we poured them onto our tray) and pick up the monkeys from there) but for my age group it's a little too challenging and frustrating. The bowl solves all the problems. First they hang the monkeys on the side of the bowl then collect them one by one to see how long they can make their chain. He's doing a pretty good job, right!?

I wish I had gotten a better picture of my sensorial bowl...but this is the best I've got. The children love digging under all the pipe cleaners for the rocks and gems. There are 10 Celtic shapes to collect. But most of the time they spend scooping the rocks out of the bottom.

In case you're wondering what's in the bowl:
white, gold, and green pom poms
green and gold pipe cleaners
2 different kinds of green gems
Celtic shapes
Shamrock confetti

Happy March Everyone!

Eye Candy

2011-02-23T15:59:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel like squealing because your kids are so dang cute? I do this daily.
A little eye candy for you. Enjoy!

A little bit of randomness

2011-02-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

We can't seem to get better at our house...for the past 2 months it's been a constant cycle of ear infections...pink eye...bronchitis...unknown viruses, and now...flu. GAH! We are so over being sick! Right now it's Matt and Emmie (and possibly prime...he's one cranky kid) But even in the midst of boogers, puke, eye goop, and poop there have been some cute moments. These are 2 from yesterday.

Emmie wrote "her name"!

Now you may be looking at this and thinking..."um, Elyse, you need to check your eyes because this does not spell her name." yes, yes, this is true BUT they are LETTERS!!! how huge is that?! AWESOME!

I love them

On our Menu this Week:

2011-02-20T16:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on "I Am Momma Hear Me Roar" she posted about "Make 5 dinners in 1 hour". This is totally awesome! We are in a major food rut at our house and I think this may be our ticket out! This lady as already done all the prep and outlines everything. All I need is time to go grocery shopping and 1 hour (or so) to prep on Saturday...totally doable. Ceri went on her blog and looked up some of her menus. She picked 5 that looked good so we could test them out this week before committing to purchasing the program (it's really inexpensive..I'm just totally cheap).

What I've discovered is that it really does only take about an hour of prep time to get all the meal in order for next week. So...do you want to know what we're having? I know you do.

Monday: Greek Chicken
Tuesday: Italian Baked Bowties
Wednesday: Hot Ham Cornbread Sandwiches
Thursday: Coconut Chicken Strips
Friday: Sweet & Sour Meatballs

I'm pretty psyched...mostly because I know that I'm not going to be standing in front of my refrigerator at 6:00pm this week thinking, "what can I throw together today". Is it silly that I feel completely liberated and empowered by something this simple?

oh..and this is a picture of our weeks worth of meals...minus a loaf of french bread and salad. It fits so nicely on my shelf.

ta-da!

February Shelves

2011-02-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

As a working mom, I get a lot of sympathetic looks from those who are fortunate enough to do the stay at home mom thing. And while, yes, I would love to be a stay at home mom - that's just not in the cards for us right now and it's all good. I have the best job in the world. I work for my mom and I get to do what I love. And really, I think doing what I do has made me a better mom. What could be better than that?

I don't really blog about my work life and I'm starting to wonder why. It's a huge part of my life and I'm really good at it (if I do say so myself) so...for those who are interested (and if it's no one, that's okay) I'd like to start sharing bits and pieces of what it is to be a Montessorian.

Every few weeks I change out my Practical Life shelves. Usually the "works" (our word for activities) revolves around the time of year and what my theme for the month is.

For the first 2 weeks of February I did...ta-ta-da...valentines. These are my 2 Practical Life shelves:

From Left to Right:
Top: pom-pom into mail box, heart clothes pins, ladybug eggs
Middle: cake sewing, heart stringing, heart decorating with strait pins
Bottom: Shoe lacing, buttoning, zipping

From Right to Left:
Top: Heart spooning, rose tonging, rose sort/tweezing
Middle: heart pouring, heart pouring (sharing the quantity), wet pouring
Bottom: peg hammering, cookie cutter grading, place mate puzzle matching

This is a close up of a few works:

Hear buttoning: I got this idea from Counting Coconuts (LOVE her site)

pom-poms and mail box. For this work the child uses a full fist grasp to fill the mail box

Ladybug eggs. The goal for this work is to open up the egg and place one wooden ladybug in it then close it back up. The children LOVED this work!

Rose tweezing/sorting: The tweezers are used to place the pink roses in the cup with the pink sticker on the bottom and the red roses in the cup with the red sticker.

okay...so this work is more "Halloween" looking...but a lot of my students needed major help with their zipping skills so I stuffed one of Primes 3-6 month Halloween shirts because it matched the jacket. As an added bonus it had a monster face on it. Although it was valentines time they completely ate it up! I'm happy to announce the my children need less help with their zippers now. ta-da!

A Valentine Party

2011-02-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

Every year our school puts on a valentines's party with a little petting zoo and goodies and, of course, a valentine exchange. I was not able to get any pictures of the petting zoo because Emmie wouldn't let me put her down - the Llama freaked her out. but here are some other highlights from the day.

Emmie's sack (I did her name and the ribbons...then she told me that I needed to stop and Grammy was the one who would help her with the stickers)

I wonder what she's thinking...Emmie with her friends

Cousin Monson got to join in on the fun

For dinner we had "Valentine Pizza" we may have to make this a new Coleman family Tradition!

31 years and balut

2011-02-16T16:04:00.000-08:00

A perfect birthday morning:

Sleeping in and snuggling with your very own giraffe

After a little bit Emmie noticed what daddy was wearing...so she rushed out and changed. Nothing says, "Happy Birthday" quite like matching shirts!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

This was my first ever double decker cake...Cake Boss, you inspire me

Maybe one day we will turn into party animals...but for now we're a pretty low key bunch...a little cake, some good company, a gift or two, and we called it good. : )

A side note: For Matt's birthday he requested Filipino food. A friend of his made some for him and included some balut (boiled fertilized duck embryos) Matt already had enjoyed his, offered me one, I said, "no thank you", so he passed them around to the boys. Calvin, Clif, and Adam braved it.

They liked it!

To you, From Emmie

2011-02-14T16:52:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Everyone!
Hope it was wonderful and full of love, hugs, and chocolate!

p.s. I tried for 20 minutes or so to get the site that had the idea for Emmie's valentines...I can't find it and can't spend any more time looking...if you do know where it is would you fill me in so I can give credit to whoever came up with that cute idea? cool. thanks!

Jessica filled me in...thank you! Click Here for I am Momma Hear Me Roar's instructions! cool.

Happy Birthday Matthew!

2011-02-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

To celebrate, please enjoy some photos from birthday's long ago.
Happy Birthday Matt! We love you!

Laying Low

2011-02-04T22:23:00.000-08:00

We just can't seem to get well at our house! Seems like after we finish one round of antibiotics 2 weeks later we start another round. Emmie was down with a fever and an ear infection this week and then I just went to the doctor today and got 4 prescriptions for bronchitis (yes, I did just have this 2 weeks ago...it just never went away...stupid zpack), an ear infection, and to top it off, Pink eye (gross).

So, this is us - laying low.

Emmie loves looking at books. One of her favorites right now is a REALLY long version of the 3 little pigs...I think she likes it because it puts off going to bed just a little longer. clever.

He's getting so big - Is it terrible that I don't encourage the walking? Something happens to babies when they start to walk...they grow up all the sudden... JUST STAY LITTLE!

Emmie and Prime are starting to interact more and more. In this picture Emmie is playing a game with Prime where she drapes Matt's suit coat (don't tell Matt) over him and he figures out how to get out. They just laughed and laughed.
Makes me smile.

So hopefully the antibiotics will take this time and we will be able to get back to being ourselves...but for now we are just laying low.

...bid a super cool adieu

2011-01-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

note to self: next party...take better pictures.

So these are the pathetic pictures I have to document the super cool party.
We had a GREAT time!

We ate as if we were Loralie and Rory who could eat elephants and not gain a pound
not pictured: pizza, Chinese food, marshmallows, m&m's

We drank it up Kirk style

(virgin's of course)

"Rory's" were served

(It even tasted pink)

Trivia was played and prizes were won

fuzzy, light up tiara's for our birthday girl and trivia winners

What can I say...you can't go wrong when it involves Gilmore Girls

sadly, not pictured....my gnome, Pierpont

random

2011-01-25T16:25:00.001-08:00

Prime found that the best way to control the wheel was to sit on it

Emmie was feeling a little lightheaded at the thought of eating a gigantic marshmallow pop
(it makes my teeth hurt just looking at it...fortunately she only took 5 bites and was done)

WA and traveling with children

2011-01-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

I always say this...but really...I need to take more pictures. Did I mention that I got a totally awesome camera that I'm in love with for Christmas? I ended up with the Canon Powershot sx210 is. Now I just need to use it more. I got so out of the groove when my last camera was being all weird. Anyways - enjoy - this is all I got.
The 2010 babies meeting for the first time.

We always seem to forget to get a picture of the kids with the grandparents until we are at the airport...next year I'll work on that. (look how sunny and beautiful it was!!! I could totally do the Seattle thing if it was like that more often!)

Emmie and Kai-Lan...a perfect airplane combination.

Prime being Prime...completely precious

So...this is my airplane story. My children were very well behaved on the airplane until the last 20 minutes. It was then that Emmie began crying. The flight attendant rudely told Emmie she couldn't sit on my lap and that's what set her off (thanks lady) and I think she would have recovered fine and stopped crying after a minute or so but then she told me she needed to go potty and I told her she had to hold it...that's when all you know what broke loose. There was nothing I could do. She held it and held it until she could hold it no longer and (she was wearing a pull-up...(rule #1 when traveling with children: always have a back up) But it was very upsetting...She hates having accidents now (glory hallelujah...it only took us 8 months). So anyways, as everyone was standing in the walkway waiting to depart she was still crying and we were getting all the disapproving looks from those who have either never had children or it's been so long that they've forgotten and then some sympathetic looks from those who still remember...I just wanted to scream at them IT'S ONLY BEEN THE LAST 20 MINUTES....YOU'RE WELCOME FOR THE OTHER 2 HOURS! But I refrained. This old lady took it upon herself to tell Emmie everyone wanted her to stop crying. I could have smacked her. Again, I refrained. grrr...people...

Anyways, that's my story.

My Pixie

2011-01-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

Last night we called up a good friend and she blended everything in so it was still long in the back and just super short on the sides...because, really, what else besides a pixie could she do? And we weren't at the Pixie point yet. It looked presentable. But was still SO obvious what had happened. The initial trim would have been great if she was a headband kind of girl....no such luck. So after mulling and mulling all morning I made an appointment at a Salon right next to school and they had an available appointment for us.

So this is the new Emmie.

(This is the best picture I could get...the movie finally got her still - she was jumping off the walls tonight...must be the full moon...or the three cookies that kept her entertained and quiet as the lady cut her hair)

I love it! It is so cute and sassy....perfect for Emmie. If I could just get her to wear a clip or something it would so totally adorable!

Because she is little and people don't seem to be too observant these days - I think the pink skirt fairy may be visiting Emmie tonight and taking all of her pants and trading them in with skirts...

Hopefully I'll have a better picture later!

I don't think Matt Can fix this one....

2011-01-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...so i did both

I'm thinking we have two options we either trim in nice enough and just suck it up till it grows or we go for the pixie cut.

Stay tuned for the update

Snow!

2011-01-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

For the Past few years we have rang in the New Year up in WA with Matt's family. Emmie has the best time playing with her girl cousins! This year there was Snow so on New Years we loaded the car and Drove to Mt. Rainier. It was gorgeous! Here are some of our pictures from the fun.

Emmie and Aunt Becky making snowballs to throw at Granpa

sledding!

I love this picture of Claire

Matt and his newest niece, Adison

Granpa Coleman - he's a good sport. He loves those little girls!

Emmie and Claire

Emma - look at the face! love it!

Hallie wanted Emmie to ride with her...it was a little squishy

All bundled up keeping warm

The Coleman's

wow...

2011-01-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

I took Emmie to Snip-its to get her a nice hair cut to bring in the New Year. This was my conversation with the lady cutting Emmie's hair:

Lady: How much would like taken off?
Me: about an inch, can you give her a cute bob that will lay nicely in the back?
Lady: sure, would you like me to stack the back?
Me: yes, I think that would be best

this is what I got.

Does that look like it "lays nicely in back" to you?? arg!!
(and this is even after I asked the lady to even it out twice)

It was so bad that when we got home I had Matt fix it.

I wouldn't have minded so much but it was supposedly a really good place and I forked out $20. TWENTY BUCKS!!! ARG ARG ARG!!!!!!!!! I could have bought my self a new pair of jeans...
That's insanity! Needless to say, Matt will be giving all child haircuts for now on.

On a bright note - Emmie did get a prize at the end for sitting so nicely

(i think that even if she were rotten they would have given her the prize)

Super Cool Party People

2011-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

Join Us!

Gilmore Girl Girls Night
Saturday January 22
6:00
My House
(Comment and leave me your email and I'll send you my address...or just email me...mattandelyse@gmail.com)

Games, Food, Prizes, Food, Friends, Food....all Gilmore Style!
Don't watch Gilmore Girls? Don't worry...come and we will convert you!

p.s. First person to leave a comment telling me that they are coming and knows what season the post title is from gets a prize!

Howie?

2011-01-08T08:14:00.000-08:00

Prime enjoying his first bite of chocolate chip cookie

Doesn't he look a little like Howie Mandel with the chocolate soul patch? ha!

The Last Chirstmas Post

2011-01-06T19:27:00.001-08:00

After this post is posted I think I can finally move on past Christmas. I always get sad the day we take all the Christmas stuff down - I really love having it up... {sigh} till next year!

The Tree

My favorite ornament
(I love that she's wearing the father's day shirt I made for Matt and the kids - a total coincidence. And for all those who are interested...Emmie's says "Beautimous Prime" Get it? ha! Matt has rubbed off on me a bit over the years.)
Last Year's ornament...look how she's grown!

The Tree Skirt
I Buckled up and finished it a few days before Christmas

A Mantle for the Stockings! Can you pick out which stocking I made?
okay...so Christmas is the only cool time to have a fireplace in my opinion...other wise it's just a dusty unused accident hazard...hence the little play sink in front of it. It's such an eye sore but it's the only thing that will keep the kids out of it AND it's been there for so long that I forget that it's an eye sore.

Have you guessed the stocking yet?
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The Ninja Robot of course. Cool.
Matt asked if he could trade Prime

The pillows I made earlier - I love them.

Emmie helping me take the tree down - helpful little girl.

so for now - good bye Christmas season. Only 300 some odd days until we see you again.
We can't wait!