Four Weeks Ago..Really?

WOWZA!! Has it really been a month since I last posted?

Nah!

Wait....it has?

Sorry about that. I guess when your computer has been infected by a virus and it has to go to the 'shop' it makes posting a little difficult.

Oh well...we got it back and now I can catch everyone up on what the 'happs' of our little family.

Let's start with one of the funniest pictures of Miss A EVER! This is the result of a face painting job gone wrong at the neighbors. I was gone the night before when Jas put her to bed...so imagine my surprise with Groucho Marx came downstairs this morning with a case of some serious brows. She's still pretty cute though, huh?

DO YOU LOVE HYDRANGEAS LIKE I DO? Oh my goodness. Our 'wall-o-drangeas' are on their way to making their full summer performance. This stage of them are my favorite. I love how the blue tips do such a wonderful job of accenting the gorgeous green centers.
God does good work!!

Our Fourth of July weekend was crazy busy. We had two extra kiddos stay with us (and we loved it); especially since one of them is 11 and she loves my girls. Whit is at the perfect mother's helpers stage and was a great big help to me. And my girls adore her as well. We loved having a full house of kiddos. Made me think for a second that we should have another baby...and then the thought of sleepless nights, more diapers, etc kicked in and I was over it! However, if I could give birth to an 11-year old...I would strongly reconsider.

On Friday, July 2, we made the 3 hour drive to visit Jas' mom and dad. A great group of family and friends were getting together on Saturday for a BBQ. Here is a picture of Miss Had getting her first taste of the 'motorcycle boat.' She loved it beached on the sand and didn't love the ride that J gave her shortly after this pic was taken. Let's just say, it didn't go over as well as we thought.

Prior to this pic being taken J took me for a loop around the lake to show me his favorite duck hunting spots growing up. I love the memories that he has of his dear friends, Ben, Matt, Stuart and Brian and the hours they've logged sitting in duck blinds.

After some great stories and Jas' reminiscing, we proceeded back to the dock where he promptly 'dumped my butt' in the lake. Was so funny!!

These are the cupcakes that Whit and I made for the BBQ. I look for any reason to bake up some yummy treats. The 'red's were yummy white cupcakes with strawberry frosting, the 'whites' were a delicious and dense banana cupcake with cream cheese frosting and the 'blues' were lemon cupcakes with blueberry frosting (they were the crowd favorite).

After the BBQ on Saturday night, we headed back home so that we could join our dear friends on their farm for a potluck and fireworks.

Isn't this picture cute? I loved her pig tails and the hands in the pockets...looks so serious.

The following weekend, our neighbor and A's dear friend, Z, had a birthday. Her only request was that I made her cupcakes. Her momma refers to her as 'monkey,' so what could be more fitting than monkey cupcakes? The brown monkeys were an amazing dense chocolate cupcake, the yellow monkey were lemon cupcakes (did I mention they are my favorite?) and the banana tree's were my yummy banana cupcakes. Fitting?

And when I haven't been baking, I've been staying busy sewing some custom ordered aprons. I do love this one. It's for a gal that works at a children's hospital. I think the bright colors and polka dots are sure to brighten the days of some sick kiddo's.

These little lovelies are my newest fun thing to sew. They make a great little 'wristlet.' I've been using mine as a wallet. I've never been a fan of carrying a big bag, especially when I've got Had on my hip...throws out my neck...but these are the perfect size for me.

Please be sure and leave a comment if you 'need' one. They are only $10 (plus s&h). And if you don't see the color you'd like, let me know what you're looking for and I'll be sure and create it for you special.

A and I made this one for our favorite Starbuck's barista. She recently went to Japan for a month to study abroad and brought my girls home gifts. (May be a sign we go there too much?)

NAH!!!

My girls are just lovable!

Right?

OK, maybe we do go there too much...after all A can order my grande non-fat stirred caramel macchiato without any help and 9 times out of 10, the person taking her order recognizes her voice...my neighbor even went one day and told them she wanted to get what Tinell gets...and they knew exactly what she wanted.

YIKES!!!

OK...I'll start the 12-step program soon.

I have also been making a few personalized wedding presents for a friend who has a million weddings to attend this summer.

Do you have a wedding coming up? Want to get the bride and groom something extra special (don't get me wrong matching bath towels are special, but not so personal)?

Again, let me know, these beauties are only $18 (plus s&h).

A great friend of mine is preggo with twins and is scheduled to find out their gender next Thursday...can't wait! I'll be making them each a personalized sign for their nursery. (I think it's a boy and a girl...and am thinking that Tinell and Jas sure have a nice ring?)

In our back yard we have an incredible apricot tree.

Isn't she glorious? It is the 'bones' of our backyard. Unfortunately, we had an arborist out a few years ago and he told us our beloved tree is sick with a disease that results in 'tree death.' So needless to say...we've been enjoying every moment with it.

And look up there....it even produced an apricot for us. My only hope is that we are able to get it before our pupps after it falls...they're known to love apricots.

Here is one of our cheerful zinnias that line our back driveway. I can't help but smile when I see them. The only conflict is that the more you clip them, the more they produce...but I have a hard time clipping our flowers...I love them in our backyard. And they don't last as long once cut.

I know...GROW UP TINELL...they are after all just flowers.

This gorgeous rose has a special place in our hearts.
Jas had the most incredible Grandma EVER...Grandma Emily! After moving to an assisted living home with Grandpa Elmer, she expressed how much she missed her favorite rose that she had had back home (in a home they lived in for 50+ years). Well, I did some research and found one. We gifted it to her for Mother's day one year.
After her passing last fall, Jas family agreed that the rose should take home in our garden. I LOVE IT!!! A is always very quick to point out to me when 'Grandma's rose' has a new bloom.

HEY!!! How did this picture sneak in here...Oh yeah...I love these hydrangeas so much that I thought I would share another with you. Hope it brightens your day!!

And as you can see...I made an exception and clipped a few 'mop heads' for this table display!

If you grew near us...chances are you have strong memories of Faith Dairy Drive-In.
They had the MOST DELICIOUS chocolate milk EVER; not to mention their pumpkin ice cream.

OH how I miss the dairy...but at least I salvaged this lovely treasure from a garage sale recently; 4 milk jars included!!

So there you have it! Our last month in a quick (or not so quick) overview. I'll be sure and update again soon. I was inspired by my dear neighbor, Bri's' blog. She posted about some of the goodies that she has scooped up recently. You should definitely take a peek!

Gotta run, Had is sleeping and I promised A that we would go play in the pool.

Happy Summer to you ALL!!

The Man of the House....

Alright, I have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to 'brag' on my incredible hubb, Jas, and today, being Father's Day, seems fitting enough.
WARNING: It may get a little syrupy sweet.

P.S. The above picture is one of my most favorites of Jas...this was taken during one of our Progressive Dinners...to be 'posted' about soon. Bri captured Jas with his most genuine smile...

First and foremost, Jas, is a great example of what a strong Christian man should be. His relationship with Christ is of most importance to him. And while some men view relying on God for their strength and to be their guide as a weakness, Jas knows that it ONLY makes him stronger. He is soley responsible for bringing my relationship with Christ closer (of which I don't thank him enough for).

Which brings me to the next great thing about Jas...

...He is faithfully and un-endingly (I like to make up my own words) devoted to me and our marriage.

On August 23, 2003, when Jas and I exchanged vows, I KNEW without ANY hesitation that he and I would be married for our forevers. Jas takes his vow to me to be my hubb very seriously, and while there are difficult days (sometimes seasons "i.e. hunting") (anyone who says there isn't hard times...is lying), giving up IS NOT AN OPTION for us and he is commited to me wholeheartedly...and he is handsome to boot.

This is us on a 'no kids' camping trip...with great friends and riding quads.

Next, and the thing that makes me smile the most is Jas' dedication to be the best dad he can to our little lovelies. From the day that A was born and continuing to this moment, Jas is constantly striving to be supportive and loving to his girls.

He told me once that it is his job to make sure and set the standard high for our girls in their expectations from their future boyfriends/husbands. He takes the girls for a date each Saturday and Sunday morning for donuts...and is sure to call and talk to both of them during his days at work.

I love watching them exchange 'I love you's' multiple times throughout the day. And when given the choice of who A wants to snuggle with at night before bed, between Jas and I, 9 times out of 10, she picks him. No hurt feelings here. I love their relationship.

Jas is also great at including his girls in his hobbies (he secretly prays that they will both want to hunt with him as they get older).

Look! They even dress alike!
And when Had needed to be transferred to Children's Hospital after she was born, and I had yet to be released from TG from having her, Jas spent her first two nights there with her, unitl I could get there.

Jas is a very genuine, patient and loving man...whether it's in his relationship with his God, his wife, his kids or ANYONE ELSE...and I am forever grateful that he chose me to spend the rest of his life with.

I love you, FOUR!

Our Yearly Appointment with Angie...

After not having much luck with 'studio' photography sessions in capturing each yearly milestone of our girls, I came across the incredibly talented Angie Penrose. She is a natural light photographer and a mother of 3 boys...so she knows just how fast you have to be to capture the adorable moments of kiddos and does a great job of getting amazing candid shots of our busy little girls. And since she is so relaxed during our sessions, in turn, so are the girls and she is able to capture them and their true personalities.

Now since she is SO GREAT at what she does, we have to book our appointments about a month in advance. No big deal...I am a planner after all. However, the closer we were getting to our session, the more nervous I was becoming due to the ugly trend in weather we were having.

But two weeks ago, we were Blessed with a break in the 'lovely' weather that the Northwest has been having and we headed up to Angie's secret spot to get some pics of our lovelies. Here are a few of my most favorites.

A for Adorable!

She certainly is....

but I am her mom, afterall,

so I guess there is a certain level of partialness (is that a word?) that plays into my vote...

H is either for Happy or Hysterical...

...of which Had is both.

I do love this one.

Last, but not least, here is my favorite family picture that Angie captured. I am obsessed with the 'wash' that she used on this one.

We look so retro 70's

...and for those of you who are familiar with the sensational country music group,

Lady Antebellum, I think Jas looks like one of them....

only much more attractive and manly!

If you want to see the rest of our pics, they are at Angie's website...

www.thetealwall.com/clients/tinell

And if I were you, I would pick up the phone and book your appointment soon.

Two-Two's

Last Friday, Jas' brother's little man, W, turned 2!! So we decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to take our little family on a road trip to visit family. Prior to leaving, Had decided that her 'little piggies' needed some polish...

I love that she was blowing on them to get them to dry faster.

Oh forgot to mention...it's about a 6 hour drive. Well, to be fair, it's probably about 5 1/2 hours...but add two little girls to this adventure and you can tack on at least another hour. And as much as I was dreading the drive...our girls did exceptionally well. And Jas and I did our best to keep them smiling at almost any cost. Cue the pit stop to McDonald's. Not something we do regularly...but it's what A requested. Actually, her first request when asked what she would like to have for dinner was, 'Hmmmm, How about a 5-dollar foot long?' (Did I mention that I am canceling cable for the summer at the end of the week?) Obviously, this kid has seen too many commercials. Anyhow, next request was Mickey-D's. And they thought it was great to eat dinner while we were driving

(another thing that we do not do regularly).

I love taking pictures of my hubb, who usually does his best to escape the camera and hangs out in the background...but with his hands on the wheel...there was NO ESCAPE!!



I took a lot more than this, but decided in all fairness that I would choose my favorite. Isn't he handsome?

Had doing her best to look cherubic...but those who know this little stinker know it's just a matter of time before she's performing again.

Here is a picture of the gorgeous green hills that we drove through. Oh how I love the Pacific Northwest...in just a few short hours, you can go from the ocean to the dessert and passing through beautiful mountains. God does good work.

We arrived Friday night around 10pm and after stretching a bit and bouncing off the walls for bit...the girls crashed.

Saturday Morning, A, Big W and I decided that it was perfect weather for some garage saling. Not knowing the area well made it a little challenging, but we managed. I taught them the importance of looking for signs at intersections and on telephone poles.

We had a great time...and I am already looking forward to the next 'outing' that we can go on. ...the next generation of 'junkers' up and coming.

By Saturday afternoon, Had was ready to soak up some Vitamin D...Look at that little figure. Proud daddy says that she's built like an 'S.'

Had...forever the little 'poser,' was showing me where she fell when she slipped on the slip-n-slide.

How cute! Proud Grandpa Oob with his littlest grandkiddo, W.

W's momma, Auntie B, made this adorable ice cream castle for her little man. It was so fun. And if you look really close at the base of the castle, you'll see what appear to be seemingly innocent blue and white M&M's...OH NO!! Those little gems are my new weakness...bite-size York peppermint pieces. I guess I'll keep my gym membership.

Here are Had and W clowning around and seeing who can wear the most of their dessert. That's Jas' brother, Uncle B and their dad, Oobie Doobie, doing their best to steer clear of these two

Now don't these pictures have the potential for being great ads for a cupcake campaign.


Here is Had doing her best to get to the candy stashed inside...unfortunately, she has some work to do on her swing.

Saturday night, post slip-n-slide, BBQ, cupcakes and pinata, but pre-snuggle the two-'two's' needed a bath...and it is my firm belief that the sign of a good day is evident in the ring of dirt left in the tub after the water drains...the dirtier the tub, the harder they played...and by the looks of this...THEY PLAYED HARD...(and they did).

How cute are these two? This was Sunday morning as we were loading up and getting ready to head to the park to let the girls burn some energy before throwing them back into the car and hitting the road for another 6 hours.

We had a great visit with family and met some new friends.

...already looking forward to our next visit and hoping it's soon.