The Perkins Family

Back to School (for reals)

2011-09-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Mikey didn't have the greatest kindergarten experience. I remember coming home from school and telling Chad that I thought I could do a better job. Not that I was a better teacher, but that I could give Mikey some real one on one attention and avoid a lot of the yucky stuff he was being exposed to. Then I was introduced to a home school co-op run through the public school system. It allowed kids to take whatever classes they wanted "on campus" and then complete the rest of their education at home. It seemed like the perfect hybrid. So, we pulled Mikey out of the public school system and became homeschoolers. I loved it. And Mikey seemed to thrive. All the same, we wanted to be sure the kids were happy, so every year we offered them the option to go public. This last summer Mikey caught us off guard by deciding to go back to "real" school. I have to admit, I was terrified. What would it be like? What would he be exposed to? Had I done an adequate job teaching him? Would he be able to assimilate? Would it stifle his creativity? His personality? His spirit? Mikey, on the other hand, was ready to go. No hesitation, no looking back. Which means that this year, on August 31st, he went back to school (for reals).

He is in Ms. Hayden's fifth grade class. He loves recess. He likes to play four square and a game called "infection" which (as far as I can ascertain) is akin to tag. They sing Justin Bieber songs with their music teacher. At first he was appalled by this, but he has since come to the conclusion that "Never Say Never" really isn't that bad of a song. Their school has the largest collection of xylophones in the school district. The P.E. teacher is strict, but funny. They are reading Mr. Popper's Penguins (which I read with him in 2nd grade, but he doesn't remember so it is new and exciting for him). Ms. Hayden is very nice. She is probably in her eighties (according to Mikey. She is, in my opinion, late twenties at the most. Heaven only knows how old I look in his eyes. Is ancient an actual age? If yes, that is probably where I fall). Starting in October you can buy ice cream for 50 cents at lunch time. Everyone wants to know who likes who (which is appalling to me. Cooties should buy me at least two more years, right?). And while I am still terrified by all the things he may be exposed to, or by his spunky little spirit being crushed by the system, he appears to be terribly happy and safe. And old. Really, really old. It really does go fast. I am afraid that if I blink too long he will be leaving for college when my eyes open.

5th Grade

Preschool

Family Photoshoot!

2011-08-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Angela McInroe for these amazing photos! We love them!!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Busy, Busy

2011-08-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

Every year I look forward to summer as a time to relax and slow down. As a homeschooler, I anticipate it just as much as the kids. I imagine long days full of leisurely walks and catching up on chores and reading that pile of books I've been saving for when there's "more time." But then summer hits and it's somehow busier than the school year. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love the family visits and summer festivals and time spent with friends. All the same, I've found myself daydreaming about September lately. About falling into a school routine. Days filled with structure and order. Scheduled time to catch up on chores and read that pile of books I've been meaning to crack open. Huh. Perhaps I should invest in a maid and a stack of books on tape?

Anyhoo, here's a quick catch up. Last week we were surprised from a text from Debbie & Lance saying they had a layover at Seatac airport and would be there for a couple of hours. Obviously, we jumped at the chance to spend a little time with them. We hung out at the airport and caught a quick bite at Wendy's. It was so wonderful to get to see them and hug them and talk in person. Yay for layovers!

Monday, I took the kids to a petting zoo in Auburn. It was a groupon a while back and I can't pass up a good deal. Plus, as much as I try to pretend the zoo dates and petting zoos are for the kids, it's really me who can't wait to pet the pig and feed the goat. I can't help it. I like critters. The petting zoo was pretty cool. They had alpaca, horses, rabbits, ferrets, chicken (and tiny baby chicks!), turkey, goats, sheep, ducks, dogs and an adorable 150 lb potbellied pig named Porkchop (of course). They also had a miniature horse (or pony, I don't know. I'm not a scientist). We were kindred spirits. He got me. While chaos swirled around us in the form of squealing children chasing frightened farm animals, he stood next to me with his adorable little pony head pressed against my side. If I stopped petting him, he'd nuzzle against my side harder. Oh, blissful animal companionship! I'm not sure how much fun the kids had (that's not true, I know they liked it), but I was an extremely happy camper.

This morning, (thanks to yet another groupon) I took the kids to Uptown Glassworks to blow their own glass pieces. It was really cool. Mikey made a vase and natty made a goblet. It was amazing to watch the man swirl the glass around like it was no big deal. Just a pinch here and a tap there and he had a beautiful glass piece. I was impressed to say the least. The shop was full of beautiful glass pieces too. I found one I kinda fell in love with. It was only $1200. I'm sure I'll be able to talk Chad into it. NOT! (Yes. I did just say NOT. I'm not proud, but it happened).

And that was our week in a nutshell. My house is a stinking mess and my pile of books is only growing taller, but we had several adventures and spent a ton of time together. I'll clean my house next summer...

Our Oregon Holiday

2011-08-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

So, last week Chad worked as producer on this film being shot (partially, at least) in Oregon. Natty was cast in a small role as well, so the whole family tagged along. It was a super fun trip. A little tricky working around all the family allergies, but we managed to eat out and avoid being sick, so that was a victory.

(Lizzie avoided her allergies by living off of straight ketchup)

Our hotel was directly across the street from a huge factory outlet mall (which I would have happily spent more time at, had I the chance). We hit up the Converse store and got the kids new shoes for school. I love Converse on kids. Something about the way the shoes are shaped really exaggerate the length of one's foot. Which makes kids look like puppies who haven't grown into their paws yet. I love it!

Our second day in, we stopped in the sleepy town of Mt. Angel to watch their world famous glockenspiel in action. Lizzie was the most impressed. When the little kids swung out at the end, Lizzie thew up both her hands and shouted, "LOOK OUT!" I don't know if she was impressed or concerned or a little bit of both, but it was dang cute.

Most of our trip was spent on set, hanging out with the cast and crew. The kids all got along super well. Two out of the three lead actors were home schooled, which automatically gave them a ton in common to talk about. Their moms were amazing too. I felt guilty for having so much fun while Chad was working so hard. Well, a little. Okay, not really. But I felt guilty for not feeling guilty. I mean, he was working really, really hard. And I was eating fast food, shopping, sleeping, watching movies, playing at parks, making friends and spending multiple nights at super rad nickle arcades.

Saturday was Chad's birthday. He chose to spend it at a Family Fun Center with the cast of The Dangerous Adventures of Leroy Thomas. He got tater tots and birthday cake ice cream. The moms of the actors tried to get the Family Fun Center crew to have Bullwinkle sing happy birthday to "poop cop" (a name Chad earned by playing cop #2), but they didn't find the humor in that. Whatev's. Chuck E. Cheese totally would've played along...

It was a really fun trip. I loved spending so much time with Chad & the kids. And I loved meeting all the amazing people working on the set of the film. All the same, I missed my house and Seattle. There truly is no place like home!

A Blue Day

2011-07-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

So, Mikey and Natty have both been begging to have their hair colored for quite some time now. I have been too cheap to take them in to have it done and too scared to try doing it myself, but last Sunday Aunt Honey and Uncle Mac brought by some blue dye and explained the process. Which meant that today was hair coloring day. May I be the first to introduce you to the new & improved Mikey and Natty Perkins!

While my hands were busy, sweet little Lizzie managed to dump out an entire bag of freeze dried fruit and mash it into the carpet, shred an entire box of kleenex, clear a bookshelf of all its contents and cause all kinds of havoc. Somehow she knew I couldn't stop her with dye on my hands. She's pretty smart like that. Speaking of how smart she is, this morning she added "shoe," "on," and "ball" to her vocabulary. While I don't advocate allowing your toddlers to give you stern commands, it is really darn cute watching her stomp over (footwear in hand) and insist, "Shoe. On."

(Ha, Ha, mom. I think it's funny when you pretend that you can keep me and/or the house clean. Silly, delusional lady. Now fetch me my shoe!!!)

In return for coloring his hair, Mikey allowed me to practice FX makeup on him. I think he is such an amazing actor. Look at him get into it!!

Happy Saturday!!

2011-07-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday was such a fun day! We had unexpected visits from a bunch of our favorite people. It was the best!!!

First, Aunt Honey came over to skate with the kids. Mikey and Natty were so impressed by how good she was. She could ride down and the driveway without falling and do twirls. And she didn't fall once. Now Natty calls me "the old lady" when I go out skating with her. (Thanks for showing me up, Aunt Honey!!)

Then, we were surprised by a quick visit from Chad's cousin and her adorable family, who made a pit stop at our house on their multi-state road trip. It was a blast catching up. The kids hadn't seen each other since '09, but they acted like old buddies. Mikey and Natty have been trying to talk Chad into a trip to Idaho since they left! (Okay, I have been too).

It was a great day. Yay for amazing family that we love to be around and surprise visits that cheer up a regular, routine day!!!

Mid July Update

2011-07-15T12:23:00.001-07:00

Here's a post for the grandmas! Just a quick update on what the kids are up to.

Lizzie is officially a talker. About a week ago she started calling out for Mikey. She said his name super clear, but it sounded like it took every ounce of strength in her to force her mouth into the right shapes to call out, "Miiiiiiikkkkkeeeeyyy!" So stinking cute. She says "natty," "more," and "mac" too. Oh, and she will sing along to the Yo Gabba Gabba Goodbye song. I love listening to her babble!

Natty has taken an interest in roller skating. She can often be found skating up and down our street, much to the amusement of the construction workers building the houses next door. She is a little wobbly still, so she takes out a stroller weighted down with laundry detergent with her. It's pretty adorable.

Mikey has spent the week at scout camp, where he has built a periscope, shot bb guns, shot arrows, launched eggs and gotten very dirty and tired. Chad went with him on Wednesday, and they both came home covered in mud from head to toe and exhausted. Could there possibly be a better way for a ten year old boy to spend his summer?!?

Monday marked the first day of our 30 day journey into the land of purely unprocessed foods. I started a blog over here to chronicle our adventures. Suffice it to say, I've spent the bulk of my days in the kitchen trying to keep everyone fed!!!

And that's what we've been up to!

Davies, Daveys and Perkins, Oh My!

2011-07-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

My whole family came out to visit this weekend. It was so much fun! I can't remember the last time we were all together. This visit included everyone--parents, siblings, spouses and children. We only had a few days together, but we crammed them full of a ton of super intense, fun bonding time.

Thursday:
The family came in a little before noon. We ate lunch and lounged around a bit. I met my beautiful niece, Kenley. Then we ate again. Then we went out to 2 am in Bellevue for a little karaoke fun. Natty did a stirring rendition of Tik Tok. Mikey performed Crazy Train. And Lizzie yelled into the mic every chance she got.

Friday:
This was our Seattle day. First, we hit up a super cool lunch truck for some yummy BBQ sandwiches (well, my family did. Me and the kids partook of the wheat, dairy, egg, soy, corn, rice and peanut-free lunch that I packed for us). While we were eating lunch, Natty complained that her loose tooth hurt too much to eat. I told her if she could wiggle it out, then I'd save it in my purse for her. She looked me right in the eye, stuck her hand in her mouth, ripped her tooth off with one deft tug and handed it to me, (gross, pulpy mouth blood and all) and told me to "feed it to Grandpa." I'm sure that did a ton to whet the appetites of all those onlookers waiting in line to order their lunches. (This was particularly funny because about a year ago Mikey lost a tooth while my family was out visiting. Mikey brought his tooth downstairs to show my parents. In his excitement, he set the tooth down on the kitchen counter and forgot about it. A little while later, my mom made my dad a pb & honey sandwich on the same said counter. Somehow the little tooth snuck into my dad's sandwich. Which he ate. About half way through the sandwich he complained that he had broken his tooth on something hard--crystallized honey we all speculated. He spit out "his" broken tooth. But as much as we inspected, we couldn't find a hole in his mouth left behind by the broken tooth. After awhile we realized it looked too small to be his tooth. Because it wasn't. It was Mikey's. I had inadvertently fed my dad my son's tooth. Funny now. Not then.)

(Hey, Mom! Want some bloody tooth pulp with your lunch?)

After lunch, we took a tour of Seattle via Ride the Ducks. This was my first Ride the Ducks experience and I loved it. It was so fun!! And super informative. We also visited Pike Place and stopped at the Health Expo at the Qwest stadium to pick up my sister's packet for the Rock 'n Roll Marathon. By the end of the day we were all soooo tired! All I wanted to do was hop into bed and sleep, but this weekend was also the 48 hr Film Festival. Gah! So, instead of curling up in my pjs, I came home and joined Chad & his writers for a brainstorming session in an attempt to write a winning script. After which, I crashed and Chad stayed up all night long to prepare for shooting the next day.(Isn't the flower in Lizzie's hair cute? My sister has a line of hair thingies she makes and sells. They're adorable!)

Saturday:
I pulled myself out of bed at 6 am to get dressed and set up a breakfast table for Chad's movie crew. Chad spent the next two days straight filming and editing his movie, Blood Will Have Blood, with his crew. I played with my family more! We played a few games, watched a movie, did some leisurely shopping, ate at Red Robin and went bowling. At about midnight I crawled into bed. At about 2 am I crawled back out because Chad & his crew were back at the house. I made some quick tacos for those poor exhausted souls and got to stand in as a body double for a few quick scenes. Then it was back to bed for me at about 4 am.

Sunday:
Sunday morning I woke up and crawled down the stairs in a half asleep daze only to find the movie crew still awake and still at my house. Can I just tell you that nothing will wake you up faster than finding unexpected menfolk sitting around your kitchen table? And how terrible is it that my first thought wasn't "oh I hope my kids weren't frightened," but instead "oh please. For the love of all things holy, please let me be fully dressed right now. Please say when I rolled into bed at 4 am last night I had the where-with-all to put on some decent jammies and appropriate undergarments first." (thankfully I did)

After breakfast, we said goodbye to my family and they headed back to sunny So Cal. The kids and I came home and got ready for church. After church we curled up and half watched/half slept through another movie. All the while Chad and his crew worked solid up to the 7:30 pm deadline. Remember earlier in the post that I mentioned they'd started Friday night? They had literally worked 48 hrs straight on this movie. So insane!!!

I honestly don't remember what happened the rest of that night. I think I ate dinner. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep on the couch. And when I woke up, it was Tuesday. (not really. Please y'all. My kids were up at six the next morning. But, this is my story and I think that would've been a happier ending.)

It was such an amazing weekend. I loved spending so much time with my family. It was great to all be together! And it was so much fun watching/helping with the 48 hr Film Project. Also, the movie turned out incredible. I was sooo impressed. Such a high quality film produced in such a short amount of time. Well, don't take my word for it. You can find it below. Be warned that they were assigned a horror film, so if you don't like creepy stuff you might not want to watch it. Or watch it with the sound off. Or paint a curly little mustache on your computer screen first to give all the actors a more comical appearance. Your call.

Blood Will Have Blood from Chad Perkins on Vimeo.

My Little Lizzie

2011-02-06T10:30:00.000-08:00

I love my sweet little Lizzie so incredibly much. There isn't a single day that passes without my heart crying out with thanks for her. I wanted another baby so bad that it hurt. My insides literally ached over it. I don't know how else to describe it. For five years I dieted, exercised, prayed, pleaded, bargained, visualized, charted my temperature, and ingested all manner of medicines that supposedly upped my chances of being fertile whilst making me feel like death. When she was born it felt like my heart was finally complete. My sweet angel baby from Heaven! I can hardly believe that she is only a month and six days away from being one year old. Her infancy has sped past me at lightening speed. This morning, as she crawled inside one of the barstools and proceeded to use it as a really tall, awkward walker, I realized that in less than one year she had forever claimed a huge part of my heart as forever hers.

Lizzie at (almost) 11 months:

*She says mama, dada, hi & bye. Mostly dada, especially when she's happy. She will often sit at the top of the stairs and yell “bye dada” into the basement.

*She waves and blows kisses. She has just started nodding yes and no with her head, although it doesn't mean anything to her yet. She just knows it'll get a laugh

*She claps her hands and dances at the first sign of anything musical

*She isn't walking yet, but yesterday she stood unsupported for a split second

*She has four teeth and just enough hair for one wispy pigtail at the top of her head

My Truimphant Return

2010-11-02T20:45:00.001-07:00

Okay, so maybe it's not triumphant. But it is my return. To blogging, that is. Life got busy and somehow I managed to go TEN MONTHS without a post. Pathetic, I know. Part of me feels as if I should go back and catch up. Somehow cover everything that's happened in the last, well, year really. But the other part of me realizes that I never would. I'd just continue to avoid my blog, feeling guilty for falling further and further behind. So, I am just going to jump back in.

Big things that have happened since my ten year anniversary:

The birth of Anna Elizabeth Perkins. Who is that, you may ask? You probably know her as Lizzie. We never call her Anna. Or Annie. Or Ann. Just Lizzie. Sometimes, when she's in trouble, I call her Lizzie Ann. Mikey has informed me that we named her all wrong. We probably did. But Chad and I love the name Anna Elizabeth. It sounds like a sweet little English child wearing stocking socks and a pinafore, politely asking for more biscuits or crumpets or whatever it is they eat with tea. We still love the name. And maybe someday she'll use it. But for now, she is definitely not Anna Elizabeth. She is spunky and determined and strong and...Lizzie. I love her to bits and pieces. We waited so very, very long for her, and it was worth every single second. She is my sweet little miracle. I love snuggling with her in bed in the morning. I love introducing her to new things---foods, creatures, sensations, activities. I love watching her dance when she gets excited. I even love her cry. It can be stressful and overwhelming, but it's healthy and full of life and passion. And I love it.

Mikey turned 9 in July. I am far too young to have a nine year old son! He had his birthday party at the Bouncy Place in Kent. There were a ton of kids and lots of energy. It was a blast.

We moved from Covington to Renton. It's a long story, but we had talked about moving for a long time. About a year, actually. We liked our ward and were comfortable in our home, but we had a nagging feeling it was time to look elsewhere. We poo-poo'd the gut feeling though, telling ourselves that we should be more content with all that we already had. So we ignored the promptings and went on with life. Then one night, while Chad and I were up watching our stories after tucking our wee ones into their snug little beds, we were startled by the sound of three rocks crashing through our huge bay windows. There were huge shards of glass literally everywhere. We had to sell our piano because we couldn't clean all the glass out of the keys. And it took the poor, sweet man from Glass Dr. until four o'clock in the morning to patch the holes in the windows up with plywood so that it'd be safe for the kiddos to walk about the next morning without fear of jiggling more glass loose. It may have been coincidence, but we took the rocks to be a strong prompting from the man upstairs to reconsider the whole moving thing. So, we did. Within days we had found our dream home, bid on it, and had our offer accepted. The loan process went lightening fast and before we had nary a box packed, it was time to go. We were sad to leave our wonderful ward, but we are so, so, so happy in our new home. Our new neighborhood, school and ward are all even better than we could've ever dreamed. It is our little corner of heaven. Oh--and as a bonus, there are deer that feed in the empty lot next door. Like, all the time. One followed me to the mailbox the other day. A buck with tiny little antlers. Heaven!!! (on a side note--does anyone know what you can feed deer? We want to make buddies with them, but don't want to make them sick.)

We transferred to a new homeschool co-0p in Renton. It's called Renton H.O.M.E, and we love it. Mikey is in 4th grade and is taking ceramics, photography, gardening, p.e. and a lego class on campus. Natty is in Kindergarten (yeah!) and is taking reading/writing, gardening, p.e. and arts/crafts. They have both made a bunch of new friends and are excelling. I love it there too. The other parents are so amazing. One mom is teaching me how to cook everything from homemade pretzels to authentic Thai curry in the school kitchen while the kids are in class, and another is teaching me the magic that is infant massage. I think I'm learning more than the kids!!!(First day of school photos)

Halloween! Mikey was a grim reaper and Natty was a bunny rabbit. Lizzie was a little lamb for about a half hour before she convinced me (through her wailing) that it was simply too humiliating. We made our annual pilgrimage out to Thomasson Farms as well. It was so much fun. A corn pit, hay maze, hay ride, petting zoo, homemade pumpkin pie and hand picked pumpkins--what could be better?

We also made a trip out to the REI in Seattle for some rock climbing with the Petersons. For those of you who haven't met them yet, the Petersons are pretty much the coolest people you will ever meet. They also homeschool, and they are in our ward. And we love them! The mom of the Peterson clan is one of my all time favorite people in the world. I'm kinda stalking her. And by kind of, I mean full-on-single-white-female-stalking her. Last week I tricked her into hanging out with me six out of seven days. It's only Tuesday, and I've already committed her to at least 3 visits for this week. Creepy? Probably. But she's just that amazing.
We headed out to the Pacific Science Center for a special member preview of the Harry Potter Exhibit. Mikey was sooo happy! He's read all the books and is somewhat of a super fan. While we were there, Chad took Lizzie to the butterfly house and introduced her to the beautiful winged creatures. She can't talk yet, of course, but I'm pretty sure she wanted to eat them all. Or at least gum them a little. Fortunately for us (and the butterflies) she never quite managed to grab one, although she gave it the old college try. What else? Oh, I don't know. I'm sure I'm missing a hundred and one things. Like, we made a short film for the Renton Film Festival and Mikey, Natty & Chad all won awards for their acting. Or that Lizzie is already pulling herself up to stand on toy boxes, chairs, sofas and anyone that will stand still long enough. So many wonderful things have happened this year that I can't even begin to list them all. Suffice it to say, we Perkinses are very, very happy. I think it is best summed up by Mikey's journal entry this morning. The prompt asked him to write about three things that he was grateful for (in honor of Thanksgiving later this month). His entry simply read, "I am grateful for three little rocks and everything that came about because of them."

Me too.

2010-01-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, Chad and I celebrated our ten year anniversary. That's right, people. A decade of marital bliss. Usually we stink at celebrating anniversaries, but since this was a biggie, we decided we ought to do something. We had always talked about taking some sort of fun trip for our ten year anniversary, but I am far too pregnant to venture away from my comfy bed and full pantry. I guess the big trip will have to wait for our twentieth. Still, we couldn't let such an important day pass without some sort of acknowledgment. But what to do?

When Chad and I were first married we were dirt poor. Honestly, I look back now and am amazed that we didn't die. We didn't make enough money to pay our rent, let alone buy food. If it weren't for our generous parents, we would've starved for sure. Our typical date night then consisted of going to the grocery store and looking at all the super fancy cheeses and ice creams. We dreamt of being rich enough to adorn our dining room table with things like Gouda or triple double chunk chocolate overload ice cream. Who could afford such luxuries? Visions of celebrities gossiping over lavish bowls of Dreyer's Double Churned filled our minds as we walked hand and hand down the grocery store aisles. Then we'd go home, cook up a pot of rice and steamed veggies, and adjust the rabbit ears so we could catch a fuzzy episode of the Simpons. And that was date night. (I realize it sounds pathetic, but we were really, really happy). On very special occasions we would save up our money and "go out to dinner." Usually, we found ourselves with about $5 to spend on our night of wild financial abandon. Armed with this small fortune, we would plot our adventure. $1 would be spent on a bargain burrito at El Pollo Loco (the BRC was our burrito of choice). Another dollar or so would be spent on two cheapo cheeseburgers at McDonalds. Another $1 could get us a hot dog at the sub shop across the street. And thus our fast food scavenger hunt would continue until we had spent our allotted sum. Then our loot would be taken home, lovingly divided into two shares, and devoured. And somehow that $5 would buy us a feast worthy of royalty.

We have such happy memories of driving around in our broken down escort wagon, listening to Chad's amazing mixed tapes, and collecting our bargain feast. We were broke, but we were so happy. Somehow we knew that things would get better, and it made the hard times easier to bare. It was also a very formative time in our lives. We used that time to talk about our future--the future we wanted and were determined to build for ourselves. We dreamed about the kids we'd have, the house we'd live in, the success we would relish. I wouldn't trade those early days for anything in the world.

And so, for our ten year anniversary, we decided to pay homage to those original date nights. Except, this time we went to real restaurants. And we tipped our waitress. And we spent a little more than $5. It was so, so, so much fun. We started at Blue C Sushi and split a Cinco de Mayo roll. Then we went to Racha and split an appetizer tower. After which we split a delicious fruit filled crepe at Unicone. After a while, we chased it all down with some frozen yogurt and a pretzel. It was a ton of food and we were uncomfortably full to say the very least, but it felt so victorious to look back on the past ten years and realize just how much progress we've made. So many of the things we talked about on those first dates have come to fruition. We have two perfect kids and another miraculous baby on the way. We are home owners. Chad has a job that allows us to live comfortably and buy experiences for our children. Even better, he works from home! In all our wildest dreams we never would've imagined he could make money and be home. We are known to occasionally splurge on fancy cheese or on brand ice cream. Dreyers is no longer a luxury reserved only for the rich and famous! We are happy and healthy and excitedly making plans for our next ten years together.

I couldn't be more grateful for my amazing husband. I am so thankful for all the people, events and circumstances that brought us together a decade ago. And I am so excited to see what the next ten bring about.

Another One For the Grandmas

2010-01-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, so if you don't happen to be a grandmother to my children, you can stop reading this post right now. I promise it won't interest you in the slightest. I've been running low on both witty and coherent thoughts of late. I'm going to chock it up to slightly mushy pregnant brain.

If you are a grandparent to my children, here is a video of the kids' winter 2009 exploits. First is a snippet of Mikey's school presentation on the Berlin Wall (he built a model out of Legos), next is the finale of the Nativity Play (in which Mikey was a wise man and Natty was a shepherd) and last is Natty's winter dance recital. We love you guys!!!

Natty Patty Pumpkin Head

2009-12-08T16:46:00.001-08:00

I apologize up front for all the Natty quotes I've been posting lately. I just can't help it though. She is going through a phase where everything out of her mouth cracks me up. Today's top picks:

To me (after holding the bathroom door open for her at school): "Why thank you, my darling."

To Chad: "Our love will make a bridge"

To Mikey: "I'm actually really glad I don't live in Hawaii. They don't have any beds or houses and coconuts are their only drinks. I don't think they've even invented clothes yet." (apparently her knowledge of Hawaii all stems from reruns of Gilligan's Island)

Wait--it's December?!?

2009-12-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

Seriously? December already? How and when did that happen? I wish there was some way to slow this time of year down just a little. I love the holiday season so much and there is never enough time to enjoy it all! I vote for an extra month of Christmas this year!!!

The week of Thanksgiving, we decided to head out to Portland with Mac & Ange and do some tourist-ing. We've driven through Portland several times, but never actually stopped there. We found a killer deal on the only five star hotel in the city (called The Nines). It was a super swanky hotel in the heart of the city. There was a sexy little restaurant in the middle of the hotel and all the rooms had windows looking into it. It was always dimly lit, with candle light and the whole nine yards. In a few spots there were balconies on the upper floors that overlooked the restaurant so that you could stand there and listen in to the hustle and bustle. It was on such a balcony that Natty leaned over and announced for all the diners to hear: "Hey--I just farted!!!" Also, the Bulls just happened to stay there the same night we did. I don't know anything about basketball at all, but we rode in an elevator with someone on the team and we watched them load up their tour bus/trailer. It was pretty cool.

While we were there we visited a couple neat Portland places. First, we hit up Voodoo Donuts. We learned about the place on a Food Network show called Man vs. Food. I think it was also on Donut Paradise. Anyway, it's a totally cheesy bakery that specializes in weird donuts. They used to make donuts with things like peptobismol in them, but they got in trouble for that, so now they stick to ingredients like Tang and Fruitloops. Their claim to fame are little voodoo doll shaped donuts filled with raspberry jelly and served with a pretzel stick (so you can jab the doll and make the jelly ooze, of course). The donuts were really, really good. And just plain fun.

We then headed over to Fabric Depot--perhaps the largest fabric store in the nation. It was seriously huge. Chad patiently let me mill around for awhile and gawk at all the patterns and fabrics. I picked up a super cute pattern for baby girl dresses. Now I just have to get ambitious enough to make one. After the fabric store we jetted over to Powell's--the largest book store in the nation. Powell's made Fabric Depot look like a coffee shop! It was literally the size of an entire city block. And it was full of the coolest new & used books ever. We found some old choose your own adventure books (remember those?) and I got a book on making cute stuffed animals out of socks. So fun. Finally, we headed over to Ground Kontrol, an old school arcade where all the games were either 25 or 50 cents. They had all the classics like PacMan and Bubble Bobble. And the ultimate highlight of the trip for me--I got to play Paperboy (my favorite game in the world) with bike handle controls. Oh so fun!

(Swanky restaurant in hotel)

(Mikey eating a Voodoo Donut)

(Natty doing a happy dance at Ground Kontrol)

Overall, it was a really fun trip. We were super curious about Portland because we'd heard from so many that it was a cooler, hipper, more artsy Seattle. We love Seattle, so if there was a chance there was somewhere better out there, well, we just had to give it a try. But, poor Portland doesn't hold a candle to our beloved Emerald City. There is just something so magical about the Puget Sound. I can't imagine a better city existing anywhere!

After exploring Portland, we hurried home and cooked up a Thanksgiving Feast. We cooked all the traditional dishes on our own this year. It was delicious and it was all done at the same time. I was very happy with myself. However, in typical Perkins fashion, we over did it by a tad. Suffice it to say, it took us two days to clean up and a week to eat all the leftovers.

And, a few of my favorite kid moments from November:

Mikey to Natty: "Well, I'm a very temperate man."

Natty to mom: "You're the bestest mom in all of history. Even China"
me: "Really? You think so?"
Natty (shrugging): "I don't know"

Natty to Mikey: (in a very confident tone) "Oh no. It's a very delicate pen...(shouting now) Mom! Whats delicate mean?"

Natty: "Sometimes when people talk about love it makes tears in my eyes"

Another Natty Moment

2009-11-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

It seems like lately I've spent more time at the dr's office than I have at home. Between routine visits and sick visits, I've been there nearly every week for the past few months. At least that's what it feels like. So, today when Natty woke up her left eye was pink and swollen shut. Which meant another trip out to Valley Medical. Natty is fine. It is just eczema on her eyelid, so she's not contagious and doesn't need any medication. Just ice packs and unscented lotion. I'm glad she's not sick, but I always feel like a chump when I sit at the office for hours only to be prescribed ice and lotion (both things I had at home already, thank you very much). Today's trip was worth it though, for the cute conversation Natty had with the doctor.

Doctor: "Okay Natty. I want you to look at this chart. There are ten faces on here. This face (pointing to the far left of the chart) is smiling. It isn't feeling any pain. This one (pointing to the far right) isn't happy. It doesn't feel good. Point to the face that shows me how you feel."

Natty points to the far left smiley face.

Doctor: (looking at Natty's very swollen eye) "You mean your eye doesn't hurt at all? It looks like your eye must hurt a little. Look, this face is happy."

Natty: "Well, I can still be happy."

What a cutie!!!

Back In The Day

2009-11-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

Natty: "Mom, did you know in the '80's they didn't even have toothbrushes? They had to make their own out of wood. That would be hard to live in the '80's, huh?"

Me: "Wow. That sounds tough. How long ago was the '80's?"

Natty: "A real long time."

Me: "Was it before or after the dinosaurs?"

Natty: "Before. Before the dinosaurs. It was a real long time ago."

The Ramblings of a Wee One

2009-11-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

Natalie: "Mom, I'm bored and hungry." [we were sitting in a piano store waiting for Chad and Mikey to pick out some Christmas sheet music] "Can you give me a million dollar bill or something to love?"

Me: "Sorry Natty, I don't have either."

Natalie: "Really? In your purse?"

Pictures From the Davies' Visit

2009-11-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

Davies' Visit

2009-11-08T13:56:00.001-08:00

My folks came out to visit this last weekend. It was sooo much fun that I didn't even notice my itching for a few days!!! They came out Thursday and stayed through the weekend. We had a blast with them! We played toys with the kids, ate at Red Mill in Seattle, visited the Future of Flight Museum in Mukilteo, and went to Kids Quest. Oh, and Friday night we conquered a "Vermonster" at the Southcenter mall. We also played a few hands of uno and a whole lot of Disney Scene It!

Thanks so much to my mom and dad for coming out and to Chad for taking all that time off. We all loved hanging out with you. You guys are the best!!!

*Blogger isn't letting me post any pictures right now. D'oh! Once it does I will post some pictures of their visit!

Cocoa Butter PSA

2009-11-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

So, I am now 5 1/2 months pregnant and have officially hit the stage where people constantly ask me if I am using lotion to avoid the dreaded stretch mark. I wasn't very good about this with my previous pregnancies, so I decided to give it a shot this time around. I've been told that cocoa butter is the smear of choice for most and it seemed like a good, natural solution. Determined to do right, I headed over to Walmart and picked up a jar of good, quality Palmer's Cocoa Butter. Then I covered the better part of my torso twice daily.

Oh how I wish this were the end of my story!!! But, sadly, it isn't. You see, two days ago I started itching. And by itching, I meant it felt like a zillion fire ants were devouring the skin between my head and my waist. The agony! What to do, you ask? Apply more cocoa butter! Surely cocoa butter must be the answer!!! But, despite my religious application of the beloved butter, one day ago I woke up still itching with the intensity of a hundred angry devils AND covered in a delightful red rash. Ugh!

I quickly hopped on google to see what I could possibly be suffering from. Surely it must be some sort of liver disease or crazy pregnancy ailment. It couldn't be that I was ALLERGIC TO THAT STINKIN' COCOA BUTTER!!! One trip to Dr. Jolly and two vials of blood samples later, it turns out that is most likely what it was. Once again I asked google what it thought. Turns out there are forums full of women who have also been betrayed by this ugly lotion. It'll take about a week for my rash to clear up and in the meantime I shall be covered in calamine lotion and ice packs. All the same, soon I'll be back to my normal self. But "Palmer's" shall forever remain a very bad word in this household.

*Much sympathy goes out to my poor, patient husband who is most lovingly putting up with a very tired, very pregnant, very itchy & therefore very irritated wife. He is a perfect man!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T18:53:00.001-07:00

*Chad is the Goblin King (i.e. David Bowie) from the movie "Labyrinth". And, yes, those are lady pants.

October in a Nutshell

2009-10-29T19:16:00.001-07:00

I love October. The weather cools, the leaves change and the holiday season officially starts. And there are always so many fun things to do around Seattle that we end up cramming the month full of adventures. This October was no exception!

October 10th: We went to the Penumbra Fantasy Faire where Chad bought not one, but two, fantastically medieval swords. What will he do with said swords? Who knows. But I can tell you that I don't think I've ever seen him quite so giddy.

October 17th: We made a family trip out to Stocker Farms in Snohomish. We got a ton of really cool pumpkins and several bags of crisp yummy apples.

October 19th: I had my gender-determining ultrasound and discovered that in March, it would be a little girl joining our family. Yeah for Baby Anna! Tell me that's not the cutest hand you've ever seen in your whole life. Go ahead. I dare ya!

October 21st: Natty had her first filling. She was so brave at the dentist office and looked so tiny in that big chair!

October 22nd-October 28th: We had a fun filled visit from Aunt Jessica, Uncle Todd, Cousin Luke, Grandma Trittipo and Aunt Laurie.

October 24th: Pumpkin Prowl at Woodland Park Zoo. Mikey was a werewolf and Natty was a "haunted kangaroo."

October 25th: The ward primary program. The kids sounded amazing and I didn't fall off my box even once. Whew.

October 27th: We caught a Casper Babypants concert at the Des Moines Library first thing in the morning, then headed over to Beth's for breakfast. Beth's is a super tasty greasy spoon that we discovered on Man vs. Food (see youtube clip below). Chad and I shared a 6 egg "makin' bacon" omelet and a most delicious cinnamon roll. (p.s. West Coast Adam from the tv show is my hair dresser's boyfriend. So cool!)

After breakfast, we headed out to Thomasson Farms. It is officially the best pumpkin patch ever. We played in the corn hut, ran the corn maze and pet the animals.

That night we headed over to the Showbox in Seattle to see a band called "The Sounds." By the end of the night I was T-I-R-E-D, but it was a great day.

October 28th: Our guests went home and the kids were pretty bummed to be in an empty house again, so Chad and I dragged them back out to Thomasson Farms. This time it was completely empty, so Chad got in the corn hut with them. So cute! We did the corn maze again (this time without clues) and pet the animals. Shorty the miniature horse had a terrible itch that Chad caught on film. So funny!

Tonight is the ward Halloween Party. Chad will be attending as the Goblin King from the infamous movie "Labyrinth." I can't wait!

I love October!!!

It's a Girl!!!

2009-10-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Meet Anna Elizabeth Perkins!!! We had our ultrasound yesterday and it was sooo amazing! They have improved a ton since Natty was swimming around in my tummy. We saw all the chambers of her heart, her brain, her kidneys, her bladder---and really cute things like her hands, ears, lips, feet, eyes, and profile. She seemed bothered by the ultrasound tech. Anytime they tried to take a picture of her hands or feet she would move them. And she kept covering her ears with her hands. It was absolutely amazing. So, Anna is 1.) a girl, 2.) healthy & 3.) Due March 6th. Happy, happy, happy!!!

Confessions of a Spazz

2009-10-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

Guys, I have a confession to make. We've lived in the area for over two years now and I just can't keep up the front anymore. It is simply too much effort to pretend to be something I'm not. So, I'm just going to confess. I am a spazz. By which I mean, I am a total, complete klutz. It is in my genetic makeup. No amount of concentration, muscle development, or grace lessons can change who I am. I like to believe that it somehow makes me more lovable--that my mishaps and foibles are more endearing than annoying. Heck, it helped me win Chad's heart back in our singles ward days (the first time I was at his house, I hit my head on a low hanging lamp. Twice. In a matter of minutes. His mom offered me a cold can of pop to hold on my bump). And people certainly aren't intimidated by me as I stumble my way through life, which has to help somewhat in the pursuit of making friends. But, lately I've noticed my "less-than-graceful" incidences are on the increase. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant. Maybe it's because I'm rounding the bend on 30. Maybe it's because I'm so darned tired all the time. Whatever the case, it's made it so that I can't pretend to be coordinated any longer. I have officially been ousted.

One example: Yesterday I hit myself in the head with my car door. What was I doing? Getting in. Hands were free. Vision unobstructed. For whatever reason though, my depth perception was off. And I bashed myself in the face with the driver's side door. A few weeks ago I fell down the stairs. Again, for no apparent reason. Luckily I caught myself (in a rather awkward position) and protected the poor unsuspecting fetus in my belly from becoming a pancake.

My blunders aren't restricted to the realm of physical comedy though. Since being pregnant, my breath has undergone an amazing transformation. Almost overnight it started to smell. And I do mean smell. Like, "does this girl even own a toothbrush?" kind of smell. I brush and floss and rinse to no end, but it makes no difference. Finally I broke down and bought some rather expensive, on-brand mouthwash that claimed to be able to conquer even the worst morning breath. The instructions said to brush your teeth, gargle with the mouthwash for 30 seconds, then rinse. Easy enough. So I set in with high hopes. I brushed my teeth. I measured out the correct amount of rinse. I gargled. And gargled. And gargled. As I daydreamed of donuts and Costco hotdogs (remember, I'm pregnant), my 30 seconds turned to a minute. Then several minutes. I probably had the stuff in my mouth a good 3-4 minutes before I snapped out of it and spit. No bother, right? If 30 seconds is good than 3 minutes should be fine. It's only mouth wash. WRONG. I had apparently swooshed the stuff around my ol' kisser long enough to actually alter the chemical makeup of my mouth. My taste buds were burnt. For 3 days everything tasted like toothpaste. Every time I took a breath through my mouth it had the minty cool sensation you get after eating an altoid. On the upside, Chad said my breath smelled like it had been recently brushed, no matter what I had just eaten.

And so, I confess. I am who I am. I will no longer pretend that I can push a cart through Office Depot without knocking over a huge display of dvds (hey--at least I picked them up). Or that I can run on the treadmill without falling (although this has only happened once, so it hardly counts). Or back my brand new car out of the driveway without hitting a trash can and shattering my rear light (in my defense, it was dark and the trash can had been knocked into the street). Or that I can make a snow cone with a silly $10 kid's snow cone machine without needing stitches (even the nurses made fun of me for that one). I will continue to console myself with the fact that I have never done anything really bad. I have never started a fire or dropped a baby. My accidents only hurt myself, and it turns out I heal rather quickly. And I can live with that.

***One last confession since I'm here anyway: I am a rather newly called Primary chorister and our primary program is coming up in two weeks. Being the uncoordinated goof that I am, the thought of standing on a pedestal in front of the entire ward and "gracefully" conducting music in time with a really good pianist has me really nervous. So nervous that a few nights ago I dreamt that my primary presidency fired me and brought in an amazing lady from another church's gospel choir. I remember being sooo relieved in my dream. Also, really impressed. Somehow the lady convinced Bishop Leder to let the kids all wear choir robes while they clapped and swayed enthusiastically to the music. It may have been just a dream, but it was the most entertaining primary program I have ever attended.

The Summer in a Nutshell

2009-09-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

Oh man. I have been a bad blogger. A very bad blogger. So much has happened this summer that I haven't so much as posted a picture from. I am so ashamed.

First of all, Mikey turned 8 and was baptized. It was wonderful! He turned eight on July 2nd and was baptized on July 4th. We had a bunch of family there to enjoy the day with us, including Grandma & Grandpa Davies, Grandma & Grandpa Perkins, Aunt Honey & Uncle Mac, Uncle Todd, Aunt Jess & Cousin Luke. And of course, me and Chad. The baptism was beautiful and all our family contributed to the program. That night we lit many a firework in Mikey's honor.

Mikey went to XXX Rootbeer for his birthday dinner. This is the coolest place to go for your birthday--EVER! They played the Beatles' birthday song over the speakers in the restaurant, called Mikey to the front of the diner, stood him up on a chair, dressed him up in the costume below, and sang to him while he held a big sundae with a sparkler-esque candle in it. Mikey was so stunned by all the attention, he didn't know what to do! It was great!

Also, I'm pregnant again! (Although it probably isn't necessary to blog about it, seeing as how I don't think there is a single person in the greater Seattle area who I haven't told already). I am now 14 weeks and 3 days along. (But who's counting?) I'm due March 6th & get to find out the gender on October 19th. We are all so stinking excited about it. My tummy is expanding at an alarming rate and I love it!!!

My dear sweet Natty has recently started crying at the end of movies. It is adorable. It all started with the Legend of the Waterhorse movie. Yesterday, she cried at the end of Iron Giant. She is sooo cute! It usually happens at the climax of the movie, just as the monster-that-is-really-the-hero either sacrifices itself for the people who have been hunting it, or has to flee for it's safety, leaving behind the innocent child that it has created a lifelong bond with. At this point in the movie, Natty will throw her hands over her eyes and say, "my eyes are watering and I don't know why!!!" The cutest part is that she really doesn't know why she is crying. It is impossible not to squeeze her when it happens--it's just that cute!
Mikey has started cubscouts. He loves it! (Sister Price: you are his new favorite person in the world!) When he put his uniform on for the first time, he told me, "Mom I feel like a wizard. I've got this special costume and this book (his manual) full of instructions that I have to keep with me at all times." Ahh...a real wizard, indeed.

Lastly, my kids started school again (officially), today. Sure, we are homeschoolers, but today was Mikey's first day back on campus at Russell Ridge. He is taking a class on world cultures, speed stacks, science, writer's workshop and art on campus. He loved all his classes today and was excited to see all his buddies again after a long separation.

Well, I think that's it. All caught up. Whew. Now I can relax!

Well, Lookie Here!

2009-08-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here's Chad's first ever music video. It is for a band from Seattle called Zen Chemists. This is the edited version, but it might still have some language in it that you don't like. So, consider yourself warned! Chad came up with the concept, filmed and edited the entire movie. I am so proud!!!

"Time" by Zen Chemists music video from Chad Perkins on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday, Chaddy!!!

2009-08-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Yep. Today, old man Perkins officially becomes one year old and wiser, too. I love Chad so much. He is my very best friend and my role model in all I do. He's pretty easy to look at too!!! So, in honor of the day he graced the world with his presence, I give you 33 things about Chad you may or may not have already known!
1.) When he was little, he wanted to grow up to be an artist, a comedian or a chef. I think Jack Tripper was his inspiration.
2.) He started reading very early--2 or 3. His dad would have Chad read to him out of the newspaper.
3.) He loves cold cereal with a passion.
4.) As a kid, Chad made a series of short films with his buddies. They were called, "Midget Movies." They are adorable.
5.) In high school, he was in a band called "Noble Cause."
6.) While in said band, Chad had luxurious long hair that came nearly to his waist. It was apparently good for flipping around while he played.
7.) I'm told he used to carry a brush around in his pocket so that he could comb said hair throughout the day.
8.) He held a "hair cutting" party in preparation for his mission at which people took turns chopping off his locks.
9.) His nearly-waist-long pony tail now lives in a box in a garage. The first time I saw it, I was cleaning out the garage and thought it was a rat. Eeww.
10.) Chad served 9 months of his mission in New Orleans. His call was definitely inspired. Chad and New Orleans go together like red beans and rice.
11.) From the time we met until we moved to Washington, Chad was in a band called Wedgekase. He started playing drums and moved on to lead guitar/vocals.
12.) His favorite color is green. Which makes Seattle a perfect home for him.
13.) His favorite season is fall.
14.) His favorite holiday season is Halloween.
15.) He loves cheezy B movies. The cruddier the plot and the lousier the special effects, the happier he is.
16.) He would love to own a huge home and decorate each room in a different theme. Not color scheme, but theme. Like jungle safari or under the sea. As in, Disneyland Home Edition.
17.) He doesn't like pranks or being startled.
18.) He is an incredibly fast learner. I can't tell you how many times he's bought a book on some crazy software program he's never seen before, read it casually and then taught a class on it a week later. An advanced class. It's insane!
19.) If Chad were a character on Lost, he would definitely be Jack. He's a born leader, people are drawn to him, and he's a good guy. A really good guy.
20.) He loves Hitchcock movies.
21.) Once we went to a taping of Mad Tv. Bobby Lee came out to work the line of people while they were waiting to fill the sound stage. Chad made him laugh (hello, he made the comedian laugh!!!). So much that Bobby Lee got our whole group back stage passes. We got to eat their food and shake their hands and everything. So cool!
22.) He loves the movie Stranger Than Fiction.
23.) He read all the Lord of the Rings books. Some of the only fiction he's ever read. Typically he's a nonfiction kinda guy.
24.) He is an incredible cook. In fact, he did nearly all the cooking for the first few years of our marriage. I was in heaven!
25.) His favorite fruit is the Washington apple. Preferably red. Definitely not yellow or green. Pink/red hybrids are okay. I think that oranges and rainier cherries are pretty close seconds.
26.) He has books for sale at Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc. I like to look at them on display whenever we are there. He is usually filed right next to his brother, who also has a book out. It makes me feel like a celebrity to see his name on the shelf!
27.) He has an "agent." I think that sounds really cool.
28.) He won an award for best sound design on a movie he worked on this summer for Seattle's 48 hr. Film Project.
29.) He just finished his first ever music video (for a band called Zen Chemists). He filmed, directed and edited it.
30.) He loves role playing games. He is currently immersed in an xbox 360 game called "Oblivion."
31.) He is an amazing teacher.
32.) He is a perfect dad.
33.) We all love him sooo much!!!

Why Didn't I Think of That?!?

2009-08-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

Natty: "Mom, how did you decide what boy to marry? Did you just have them all stand in a line so that you could look at them real close?"

It's Too Hot

2009-07-29T18:17:00.001-07:00

...and that's all I have to say on the matter. I'm going to go hibernate until fall. Wake me when the leaves start to change.

Big Plans

2009-06-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today Natalie told me, "When I grow up I am going to be a mommy and have babies, be a roller derby girl, a doctor, a singer and a cheerleader. And I am going to be on a diet. A candy diet." Sounds like she's got it all figured out. Not bad for a four year old!!

Happy Mom, Mad Mom

2009-06-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

The kids decided that they wanted to make a movie like their dad. And this is what they came up with! We came up with a script together and I edited it in imovie. It's not as pro as Chad's movies, but pretty cute if you ask me!

Natty's Tappity-Tap Recital

2009-06-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Natty's dance recital was this Saturday. She did soooo well! Her class had two numbers--one tap and one ballet. Natty definitely takes after her father. She loved being on the stage. Quite the ham. My pictures are blurry because my super awesome lens broke the day before, and I haven't quite figured out how to use the new zoom lens. Oh well. You can still tell how cute she was!!!

Eddie Technology

2009-05-17T14:50:00.001-07:00

Chad made this movie of our pet ferret, Eddie Technology. We all love Eddie. He is a total spaz and a ton of fun to play with. A perfect Perkins pet!

(the movie is super high quality, so it may take a minute to load)

Spazzy Ferret from Chad Perkins on Vimeo.

Worth the Price of Lessons

2009-05-17T13:59:00.001-07:00

Mikey has been wanting to learn how to play piano for, well, ever. I tried teaching him myself to save money, since his bi-weekly Tae Kwan Do lessons are far from free. But, seeing as how I myself don't know how to play piano (or read music), we didn't get very far. A couple months ago I finally broke down and signed him up for lessons with a real teacher.

Long story short, Mikey loves piano lessons. And he's taken to it like a fish to water. Saturday morning, he informed Chad & I that he had written a song for piano. We were running around trying to get ready for a ward service project, so we didn't pay much attention to the statement. Honestly, kids write "songs" for the piano all the time. They usually involve pounding two discordant keys repetitively until your eardrums feel like they are going to burst. Mikey was persistent though. He insisted that he did, in fact, write a real song for the piano. He told Chad that he would write it down for him.

At this point my interest was piqued. I watched him take out a piece of white paper, draw a music staff, and fill it with notes. It looked like a real song, but what do I know? Not much, as previously established.

Chad looked at it, carried it over to the piano, sat down, and played it. And it was a real song. Amazing. My boy is a freakin' genius.

Within seconds of discovering our child's ability to write beautiful songs, Mikey had taken Chad's spot at the piano and started playing his song himself. Chad picked up his guitar and improvised along with him. And this was the result...

Irony

2009-05-17T10:41:00.001-07:00

Since our ward meeting time changed to 9:00am in January, I've had a hard time getting myself and the kids ready on time. We're not that late. But, we're not there to sing the opening song either. So, this week I was determined to do better. I had my singing time presentation prepared by Wednesday. That's a whole 1/2 a week early. I knew all my songs. I set my alarm for an hour earlier than usual Sunday morning. I was up, showered and ready before the kids even got up. And, I even put on "extra" makeup and curled my hair. That left me with a whole hour to feed the kids breakfast and get them ready. Cake. Before I knew it, 8:40 had rolled around and we were ready to pile into the car and get to church not late, but early. Then it happened. The "do not pass go and do not collect $200" moment. Mikey turned to me and said, "Mom! I'm going to throw up."

And there's the irony. The one Sunday I'm ready & prepared to go to church and have the best sabbath ever, I don't even leave the house. I could have been completely unprepared for primary and still in my pajamas at 8:40 am and the day would've played out exactly the same.

I'm okay with it though. Even if I never actually left the house, I know I was ready. And that's a huge accomplishment!

Yummy!

2009-05-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

I made Coconut Pineapple Chicken for dinner last night and it was super yummy. I thought I'd share the recipe with you guys!

1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar (or splenda, in my case!)
1 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 medium green bell peppers, julienned
1/4 cu flaked coconut, toasted

1. Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set the pineapple aside. In a large skillet, combine the cornstarch, sugar, coconut milk, lemon juice, salt and reserved juice until smooth. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until thickened.
2. Stir in the chicken, pepper, coconut and pineapple. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is heated through.

I served it on basmati rice. It was tasty! The original recipe also called for 1 tsp. almond extract and 1/2 cup slivered almonds (toasted), but I was out of both. I thought it tasted pretty good without it though!

Chad's Movies

2009-05-06T17:47:00.001-07:00

Chad made these movies with his seminary students. They are soooo good!!!! The kids acted super well, and Chad wrote the music for all three movies himself. Such talent!!!

The World Through Natty Colored Glasses

2009-04-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

We passed a cemetery on the way to church last week. Natty looked out her window and said, "Awwww...that's where zombies are born..." No fear. She said it as if we were passing the nursery in a hospital. And with such conviction. I looked out my window, half expecting to see a green child swaddled in rotting blankets. I wish I could see the world through Natty's eyes for just one day!

Also, Chad introduced the kids to the wonderful world of non-alcoholic mixed drinks via homemade Shirley Temples. Natty and Mikey both loved them. Really, what's not to like about adding corn syrup to already too sweet 7-up? Natty requests them all the time now. Only, to her they're not "Shirley Temples." They are "holy temples." So, should she request a cup of holy temple at your house, don't be alarmed! We aren't teaching anything weird in our family home evenings. She just wants a drink.

Oh, Natty!

2009-04-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

So, we stopped at Target this morning to pick up a prescription. There was a motorcycle parked in the spot next to us. The driver of said motorcycle just happened to exit Target the same time as us and start up his bike. Mikey and Natty were both amazed. Natty rolled down her window, stuck her head out and yelled:

"Hey motorcycle boy! You ROCK!!!"

Oh, Natty...

Super Fun Weekend of Awesomely Amazing Dating!

2009-04-19T14:47:00.001-07:00

This weekend was pretty much the funnest weekend ever. Friday, Chad took me and the kids to the Puyallup County Fair, where we totally demolished our good dieting record. Man, the fair is foodie heaven. I experienced my first, and then second, (don't judge me) elephant ear. For those of you unfamiliar with the magical pastry, please allow me to explain. An elephant ear is a lump of whole wheat pastry, rolled out super thin, deep fried, and then smothered with butter and topped with either cinnamon & sugar or raspberry jam. Yummy.

Also, we got in free! We were at the ticket counter, pulling out our wallet to pay, when some lady walked up to us and said she had tickets she wasn't using. She gave us three and walked away! That saved us over $20! (translated: we had $20 more than we expected to spend on delicious fair food. Hello, onion burger!!!) I love the fair. The food, animals, vendors, shows, rides...it's all just so much fun.

Last year the kids went on the super tall slide & had such a good time that they've been talking about it since then. They were so excited to get to the fair so that they could go on it again! So, we bought tickets for four slide rides and trekked over as a family to make the plunge. We grabbed our burlap sacks (to ride down on) and climbed the bazillion stairs up to the slide platform. Mikey and Chad went down first, gleefully giggling as they graceful slid down the bumpy track. Then it was time for me and Natty to go. I sat Natty's burlap sack on the slide and then...she freaked. Full on, clown-in-the-room, freak out. She literally braced herself with her arms--locked elbows---away from the slide. Being the loving, nurturing mother that I am, I looked down at the millions of stairs and said, "No way I'm walking that again. You're going down!!!" To which she responded with hysterics. So I picked her up, screaming and flailing limbed, and shoved both of us onto the same slide. Unfortunately, I missed the burlap sack, sending it flying down in front of me. So, my adult-sized bum stuck to the slide all the way down. I had to literally scootch down with my feet while Natty was yelling and everyone at the bottom was watching me. Best use of four fair ride tickets ever. It was all worth it though, because when we handed our fair employee our tickets to go on the slide, he looked right at me and said, "are you pregnant? Because if you are, you shouldn't ride. This ride could induce pregnancy." Now, I've heard of a ride inducing labor, but never pregnancy. Seems like you should have to be taller than 42 inches for that kind of ride! Chad & I laughed about that the rest of the day.

That night, Chad took me to a concert in Seattle. We saw a band called Mates of State. They are a husband and wife duo. It was so fun! They have two little daughters that they take on tour with them. Good Morning America did a segment with them awhile back. You can see it here. I thought it was really cute! The music was great and it was super fun to see them live.

Saturday night, Chad took me out again. This time we went into Seattle to see a roller derby bout at Key Arena. Holy smokes, it was so much stinkin' fun. Roller derby is awesome! Totally the best sport ever. I was cheering for the Sockitt Wenches. Chad was on the Throttle Rockets team. Sockitt Wenches won (sorry, Chad!). Rat City Roller Girls will be bouting in Kent at the Showare center twice this summer & I will definitely be there!

Basically, it was the best weekend ever. Thanks to Jessica for babysitting my little ones so that we could go out adventuring!!!

Spring Has Sprung!

2009-04-07T16:35:00.001-07:00

It's the craziest thing ever. I woke up yesterday morning and found that spring had arrived overnight and unpacked her bags. Literally. From snow to blossoms. Now, it's no secret that I moved to Washington for the cold, wet winters. It's my favorite by far. But, this spring thing isn't too shabby either. The cherry blossom trees all bloomed in unison, paving the streets with gorgeous pink puffs. I've got tulips and daffodils sitting on my fireplace mantle--my two absolute favorite flowers. Yesterday, on our family walk we watched two huge eagles flying over us, squawking at each other like an old married couple. And, I've walked around for two days straight with no jacket on. I never thought I'd say it, but I enjoyed the sun. Of course, it was still in the sixties outside, so there was no chance of breaking a sweat. It's just proof positive that Washington is heaven, no matter what the season!

P.S. In honor of the spring weather, we decorated Easter Eggs today. We now officially have more brightly hued eggs than we will ever be able to eat.

The Things They Say

2009-04-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

So, Tuesdays are our regular playdates with another family at Russell Ridge. It was my turn this week. Which means that at 3:00 that day I was driving a car full of kids down the Maple Valley Hwy. And by full of kids, I mean full of kids. Three friends plus my two make for a very noisy drive. So, half way to our destination, Mikey yells at me: "Mom!!! Ethan is throwing all his junk into our trunk!" Then a few seconds later, "Ha, ha...junk...trunk...those rhyme." Then the other four broke out in laughter. Apparently the 4 to 8 year old bracket finds rhyming words to be absolutely hilarious. By this point I was already amused. Then they all started chanting "Junk in the Trunk" in unison. Now, they had no idea of the colloquial meaning of the phrase. They just thought it was funny that the words sounded similar. I, on the other hand, thought it was soooo funny. I can only guess what the cars next to me at red lights were thinking.

Later that day, Natty was sprawled out on the floor playing with her doll house. Mikey was sitting next to her watching tv. Natty turned to Mikey and said, "Shhhh....I'm playing with my dollies and this is a very hard level." Hmmm...maybe we should cut back on our video time?

I just love my kids so darn much. They have me laughing all day long. They are just so innocent and genuine and full of life. I can't imagine having a better job than the one I've got!

Love It!!!

2009-03-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

I love this guy! His name is Parry Gripp. I guess he was in some band. They went on tour and he hated it. According to Parry, his tour bus smelled like old nachos. Anyway, he decided it was time to grow up and get a real job. He thought he'd try his hand at advertising. He submitted this jingle to a waffle company. He didn't get the gig, but he liked his jingle so much that he posted it on youtube.com to share with others. It ended up getting over a million hits (or something like that) and becoming an internet sensation. He has since recorded an entire album full of short little songs about nothing & everything. I love them all. I think he is super funny. My kids love him too. And so should you.

Fairies and Mints

2009-03-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

So, it's been awhile since my last post. Not much has happened, but I do have a bunch of random things the kids have done/said to report on.

First things first, I am on a wacky new diet. Have been for the past four weeks or so. I've had a couple miscarriages in a row, and this diet is supposed to help my particular problem. In essence, it is a diabetic diet with no white sugar, white flour, white rice or white potatoes. Totally a racist diet, if you ask me. I can have all the fruits and vegetables that I want though. Chad has been super supportive and stuck to the diet with me. (Such love and devotion!) Anyways, the drastic increase in roughage has created a problem with, well, "air pollution" in the Perkins' household. It's embarrassing, but let's face it--our bodies just don't have what it takes to digest that much produce. As my mother-in-law would say, we are experiencing a lot of "tooting." Natty has decided that if you really, really love someone, than their toots don't stink. Literally. She has informed us that Chad's smell like mint and mine smell like fairies. I certainly hope for your sake that she is right. Otherwise, we may be sitting in our own pew at church for awhile.

So, to celebrate our new diet, we attended Vegfest 2009 at the Seattle Center last weekend. It was so cool. It was $7 to get in for adults, free for kids. Along with your ticket, you received a big paper grocery bag. The Exhibition Hall was packed with tables, each housing a vendor giving away copious free samples. It was like trick-or-treating for adults. I had such a blast. Also, I discovered Lara Bars. Have you ever experienced the joy of a peanut butter cookie Lara Bar? Heavenly. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that vegetarian is not always synonymous with low calorie. Oh well. You've got to pick your battles, right?

We also discovered Natty's intense fear of clowns at the Vegetarian Festival. They had two fine, face-painted specimens at the back of the hall making balloon animals and painting faces. Natty took one look at them and totally freaked. I'm mean, she was screaming, yelling, tearing at my clothes and running for the exit. I explained to her that it was silly to be afraid of clowns because their whole job was to make people laugh and be happy. A bad guy can't make you happy, right? So, they must be good. An airtight argument, right? Natty responded in her most serious voice, "Well, I don't like to laugh, so that must be why I don't like clowns." Which we answered with a round of laughter. After the chuckling quieted down, Natty said calmly, "No, seriously guys." It was hilarious. She's four. What four year old says that?

Natalie has been saying the funniest stuff lately. She is so brutally honest. We went out for frozen yogurt (which I'm allowed to have on my diet. So I do. Often). Natty had a cup of chocolate and informed us in her loudest voice that it looked a lot like "poo." At the Super Mall, she informed us that the palm trees looked like "arm pit hair." Obviously she was referring to Chad's armpits, not mine. And then the whole mints and fairies thing. She has me cracking up all the time.

And that's about it at our house. Diets and potty humour.

We've Decided to Adopt

2009-03-09T20:44:00.001-07:00

Well, after lots & lots of consideration, we Perkinses have decided to adopt. Once we decided this is what we wanted to do, I spent hours searching out our options. What age? What gender? Where from? What kinds of fees are involved? We discussed it with the kids. We wanted them to understand that they would be required to put in time and effort, just like Chad & I would. Finally, last Saturday, we collected our paperwork and set out to pick up our baby. Eddie, a beautiful four month old little boy, joined our family early Saturday evening.

Did I mention that Eddie is a ferret? Oh. Well, he is. A very cute one at that. And his middle name is "Technology." That's right. Eddie Technology Perkins. He is the most adorable little sable colored ferret. We've only had him a few days, but I am pretty convinced that ferrets are the best pets ever. I had him litter box trained in less than a day. Hello? My kids were in diapers for three years. He sleeps like 14 hours a day, which means if I play with him for an hour or so, he is totally content. And when I don't feel like playing with him, he sits quietly in his cage. No barking. No eating the furniture. No accidents on the carpet. I'm telling you--perfect pet.

Long story a little less long, next time you're over at the Perkins' Abode, be prepared to meet our new little weasel friend.

A Post Only A Grandma Could Love

2009-02-28T09:16:00.001-08:00

Sorry folks. This is a post for the grandmas. No witty anecdotes or funny stories here. So unless you're directly related to us, this will be really boring.

For the rest of you--Mikey took & passed another belt test yesterday. Yeah!!!

Happy Mardi Gras

2009-02-24T19:34:00.001-08:00

(P.S. That's my homemade king cake. Not nearly as delicious as the real thing, but it'll do in a pinch.)

I Hate Poo Bugs

2009-02-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we went to the zoo with the kids. We hit up the bug house, which we've never done before. It was really cool. They even had one super huge spider in an open display with no glass (because it supposedly never leaves its web). Apparently that was a terrible idea. Natty woke up three times last night between 1am & 3am, crying because she thought there was a dung beetle in her bed. Seriously. We saw tarantulas and king cobras and vampire bats, but Natty had nightmares about the dung beetle. A bug whose most horrifying characteristic is that it eats poo. Which is terrible, don't get me wrong, but not exactly the thing nightmares are made of. And while I'll be the first to admit that my house isn't as clean as I'd like it to be, I don't think there is enough animal feces scattered around Natty's room to support a host of poo eaters. Anyway, so today I'm walking around looking like a cast member from Night of the Living Dead, and Natty is totally afraid of Doodie bugs. Awesome. Aren't we just your modern day Cleavers?

Best Birthday EVER

2009-02-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

I turned 29 today. That means this is my last year in my twenties. Then I will hit my thirties. *GASP* I don't feel nearly mature or put together enough to be in my thirties. That sounds so very adult. Despite my reluctance to grow one year closer to thirty, this was seriously my best birthday ever. First, Chad paid for me & a friend to go get pedicures. So, my sister-in-law (Angela) and I went yesterday. It was heavenly. I got to sit in one of those magical massage chairs and the lady used some sort of mystical hot rocks to massage my feet. It felt soooooooo good. And my toes are a delightful pink now. Much prettier than before!

Today, Chad took me to Woodland Park Zoo, which is my favorite place in the world. I love watching the animals. The gorillas are my very favorite & today I got to watch a brand new baby gorilla run around and play right in front of the glass. It was so stinking adorable. We also watched a zoo keeper feed/train the red pandas & a (very brave) zoo keeper move & wash a set of humongous snakes. I loved it. My dream is to go back to school once the kids are all grown and get whatever degree I need to feed animals at the zoo. That would be the best. Also, while we were at the zoo, Chad said I could get a pet turtle. Yay! Look out Pet Co, here I come!For dinner, Chad took me to a brand new restaurant in the international district of Seattle. It was a New Orleans style cafe specializing in crawfish boils. It was super authentic. They brought out a steaming pail of crawfish, corn, sausage & potatoes and dumped it straight on the table. No plates, no forks--just a roll of paper towels and optional bibs. Yummy! It was my first crawfish boil experience. They boil the crawfish whole & then you snap their heads off and peel the tails. The truly brave suck the delicous boil "goo" from the heads. I passed on the head goo, but loved the crawfish tails. And it was pretty fun playing with the whole crawfish before we ate them. Being at the restaurant helped ease the pain of missing Mardi Gras a little too. For dessert, we skipped the traditional cake and opted for delicious frozen yogurt & a fresh custard filled cream puff.

Then, when I got home I found all sorts of treats on my doorstep. There was lotion (in my favorite Bath & Body works flavor) from Christa and an army of the cutest penguin cupcakes ever made from Jessica & Shelly. What a perfect day. Thank you to everyone!!! Maybe being 29 isn't so bad after all...

Mardi Gras!

2009-02-17T16:49:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras is a week from today & I am sooooo sad that we won't be there for it! Chad served 9 months of his mission in New Orleans and the rest in surrounding areas. He's taken me back three times. I love it there. It is my second favorite place in the world (right behind Seattle, of course). Seattle and New Orleans actually have a lot in common. They are both green & lush, they are both full of music and art and culture, and they both breed really friendly, passionate people.

Anyway, Mardi Gras gets a totally bad rap. The world thinks it is an opportunity to get drunk and naked. Not even! There is one little street where all that crappy stuff happens & the only people that go there are tourists. New Orleans natives know that Mardi Gras is a family event. The parades are soooo fun! There are tons of really cool floats, people in costumes, great music, and Flambeaux guys. Everyone in the neighborhood comes out to celebrate & the floats throw cute trinkets to the kids. Last time we were there the kids got little footballs, stuffed animals, cups, and of course, beads. Lots and lots of bead necklaces. Not exactly the Mardi Gras you see on tv, right? Seriously though, if New Orleans was really all sin city, do you think Disneyland would have a whole corner of the park dedicated to it? I don't think so. There's no Vegas-land in the park.

Long story short, I miss New Orleans and am throwing a mini fit that I can't be there this year. If you need me next Tuesday, you can find me curled up on my couch eating homemade king cake, covered in piles of plastic beads, listening to Professor Longhair and throwing things at my kids. (like they do from the floats. Not like a child abuser).

It Must Be Primary...

2009-02-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, during Mikey's nighttime prayer, he prayed for the "widows and the poor." Please try to tell me that isn't the cutest thing you've ever heard. He is such a sweetheart!

Happy Trails to You...

2009-02-14T09:51:00.000-08:00

Historically, the Perkins family has not been very, well, outdoorsy. Having spent a good portion of our lives in Southern California, we associate being outside with relentless heat, stinging sunburns, dust everywhere, prickly brush, angry insects and unquenchable thirst. Since we hate all those things, we assumed that we hated being outside. We sought shelter everywhere we went. Things like camping & hiking were automatically crossed off the list of things we could ever enjoy.

Then we moved to Washington. Sweet, beautiful Washington. And we realized that being outdoors didn't have to be absolutely miserable. Unfortunately, we still associated being outside with wanting to die. In an attempt to overcome our fear of nature, we set a goal to go on three family hikes over the next 90 days.

Yesterday was our first hike. We went out to Issaquah and climbed the Chirico Trail (thanks Eric, for the tip!). Chirico Trail is actually part of a paragliding school. The trail is something like 1.5 miles long and winds up a mountain to two different launches for the gliders. The path isn't paved, but is so incredibly well maintained that it might as well be. This was our first hike, so we didn't make it all the way up to the launches, but we did hike for an hour up & an hour back down. We were so proud of our kids. They walked that whole way all by themselves with no complaining. Not too shabby for a bunch of city kids!

Anyway, the hike was beautiful. And it was cool, crisp & delightful outside. Instead of dust, there was light mud. Even a patch of snow up towards the top. Also, no bugs. Not a single one. We wore coats to stay warm instead of sunscreen to keep our epidermis from going up in flames. There were no unquenchable thirsts, no thorns stuck in our socks, no cries for sweet, merciful death to come rescue us from our hike. It was actually, pleasurable. I think it's safe to say that we Perkins have been reformed. We are well on our way to tree-hugger-status. Go figure!

Silly Bella!

2009-02-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, can I vent for a minute? I just finished reading the second book in the Twilight series & Bella is driving me nuts!!! Seriously. I finished the book yesterday before dinner and I've been fussing over it since then. I even made Chad listen to me rant about it. Now, I've only just finished New Moon, so maybe the next two books explain why Bella is such an idiot. As far as I know Bella turns into an unicorn in the next novel and moves into a cabin next door to Puff the Magic Dragon. If that's the case, please just laugh at my ignorance. Please don't tell me what happens next. I am frustrated with Bella, but I have to admit I'm hooked on the series. I ordered the next book on Amazon yesterday and had them ship it 2 day mail so that I can have it by tomorrow. Pathetic, right? Along the same vein, if you haven't read the first two books yet & plan on doing so, don't read any further in this blog. I will ruin it for you.

Now on to the source of all my frustration: Why is Bella such a dork? She should totally ditch the bloodsucker and date Jacob. Maybe I'm reading the books too much as an english student & not enough as a hopeless romantic, but it just seems that there are five million reasons why Jacob is the right choice. And here are just a few:
1.) Edward is hard and cold to the touch. She constantly describes him as stone. Jacob is warm & welcoming. I realize they can't control their temperatures, but it seems to be symbolic of their personalities.
2.) Edward constantly tells Bella that he's no good for her. When she's with Edward she doesn't get along with her family or friends. Jacob, on the contrary, is good for her. He helps Bella snap out of her massive depression. She gets along better with friends and family when he's with her.
3.) Edward is all drama. Jacob is just happy & fun. He makes her feel happy and peaceful.
4.) Edward can't figure out what Bella is thinking even though it's supposedly one of his supernatural powers. Jacob can read her like an open book without the benefit of any vampire mojo.
5.) Edward is like five zillion years older than her. Seriously. When I was in the singles' ward, pre-missionary dudes were so young & immature. And so I'm supposed to believe that this guy who has had several lifetimes to grow & mature has the hots for a high school kid. Give me a break. That doesn't sound like a creepy old man to anyone else? At least Jacob and Bella were born in the same century.

And while I'm on my soap box anyway, can I just point out that Bella wouldn't have had any of this drama if she'd just been living the church's dating standards? She is way too young to be in such a serious relationship. And talking marriage? Uh uh. She is so not ready for that. If she were living the dating standards, her and Edward would just be friends. Which means she wouldn't have been hanging out at the Cullen's house often enough to incite Laurant & Victoria. Which means the treaty wouldn't have ever been broken & Jacob wouldn't have been transformed in a werewolf. I'm just saying, she could've saved everyone a lot of trouble if she had kept things on a more friendly level. She would've made it through high school in one piece, grown up, married Mike, had a half dozen kids and wondered why she ever had a crush on a solemn emo kid like Edward.

Whew. I feel so much better now. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Go team Jacob!!!

The Ramblings of a Mad Woman

2009-02-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

No, not me. Natty. She has said some of the cutest things in the world over the last week or so. Some examples:

When we got to Disneyland, she looked around with wide eyes and whispered: "Everything is so magical.."

Later that night, in the car, she turned to me and said, "Mom, you were my first love."

Today I asked her to leave Mikey alone so that he could do his worksheet. She responded with, "I just can't. He's just the best brother in the whole world."

Oh, what I wouldn't give to keep her this age forever!!!

Sunny California (NOT!!!)

2009-02-10T19:36:00.001-08:00

Well, if you know anything about us Perkins, you know that we love Seattle weather. I mean love. Like happily ever after, prince charming kind of love. So, when we planned our trip to California to visit Disneyland & meet our brand new nephew, we were excited, but hesitant. Sure it would be fun, but it would be California. Sunny, warm, 80 degree California.

Or so we thought! It rained so, so, so hard the whole time we were there! Which would ruin a Disneyland trip for your average joe, but it only made it better for us! The lines were non-existent. Seriously. The wait for Indian Jones was 10 minutes! We walked right on. It was so fun.

I don't get why people idolize California weather so much though. It would be freezing, then hot, then freezing again. No consistency at all. And there was no warning when it came to rainfall. It would be beautiful blue skies and then BOOM--torrential rainfall. Huge, painful bullets of rain. Nothing like the mist that graces our beautiful Seattle skies. I just don't get the appeal.

But, back to our trip. We got to play with the Davies at Disneyland on Thursday & with the Perkins at Disneyland on Friday. Then on Saturday we got to meet Luke, our perfect little nephew. He is the most adorable baby boy I've ever seen (Mikey being the only exception). And so fun to hold.

I'd love to post some pictures, but we only have two that we were able to snap before the rain made dragging our camera around completely impossible. Note the ever attractive rain ponchos. Oh yah. I looked way hot in mine. Nothing says tourist like a trash bag with a head hole and "Disneyland" printed across the back. Sexy stuff.

Also, Mikey lost a tooth. It is so cute. The hole gives him a little bit of a lisp and it is so lovable. What a great kid!

January Adventures

2009-02-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

January was such a fun month for us Perkinses. I've done a terrible job documenting it though, so here's a very brief overview of all our merry making.

For New Year's Eve we decided to have a Lord of the Rings themed bash, complete with elvin robes and cool staffs. That was about as far as we carried the theme though. Dressed as hobbits and elves, we noshed on homemade buffalo wings, watched a bunch of episodes of Heroes and played uncountable rounds of guitar hero. Authentic, no, but very fun!

Later in the month, we took the kids to a rock 'n roll show at the Vera Project in Seattle. It is a super cool place right underneath the Space Needle. We saw Casper Baby Pants (Caspar Babypants is also known as Chris Ballew, lead singer of the rock and roll band The Presidents of the United States of America. ) His kid brand of music was so adorable and endearing. You can check it out at http://babypantsmusic.com/ . The Not Its! played as well. Both Mikey & Natty couldn't contain themselves once the Not Its! began playing. They were both up shaking their tushies like mad men (that's supposing that mad men shake their bottoms quite vigorously). It was a blast. Nothing is more enjoyable than watching a pit of three year olds bounce around to super cute music.

Then, our crowning January adventure--a trip to a real, live Renaissance Faire. Wow. That's all I can say. Just, wow. There were tons of people totally dressed up in real, honest-t0-goodness chain mail and armor. Oh, and they were bashing each other with crazy faux swords in some sort of contest to win the "crown." Also, there were fire breathing chicks (which all the guys around me described as "hot." Ha, ha. Very funny, medieval dudes. You are both clever and well dressed...) It was so incredibly awesome. Mikey even got to wear his Lord of the Rings cloak from earlier in the month!
Needless to say, January was a blast. Now we'll have to come up with some serious fun if we want to keep February from being a huge let down!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-01-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

Today is Chad and my anniversary. Which means that nine years ago today we were sealed in the San Diego temple in the company of all our dearest friends and family. At the time, I thought I loved Chad more than any one person could love another. Now I look back and realize how young and naive I was! As we've struggled through the successes and setbacks of life, my love for Chad has matured and deepened more than I thought possible. He is my best friend and my most favorite person in the whole world. I love you Chaddy!

Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

2009-01-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

Well, bad news first. I have had another miscarriage. This is my second in a row. We were totally bummed about it, but we've had symptoms of a miscarriage for over a week (which will not be mentioned here in accordance with our house's strict TMI Ordinance), so we were prepared for it when we went in for the ultrasound yesterday. I was almost 10 weeks pregnant, but the baby had stopped living at six weeks. So, they gave me some medicine to clean out my uterus. Apparently, by "clean me out" they meant give me the gnarliest cramps I've ever had outside of labor. Long story a little less long, we are officially no longer pregnant.

Now for the good news. The upside is that we now know the secret combinations of magical medicines needed to get pregnant. And the doctor says that they consider you perfectly normal and healthy until you have three miscarriages in a row. Which means that after a short break, we will try again and no doubt be successful. As they say, third time is the charm. Also, it must be mentioned that we already have a perfect son and a perfect daughter, so we don't have much to be sad about.

And just real quick, I want to post a big thank you to Chad. He has been so kind and loving and patient with me throughout this whole process. He's stayed up until three o'clock in the morning to hold my hand and listen to me blubber. He's made me dinner, tended to the kids, gotten up early to watch the kids so that I could sleep in (after staying up all night comforting me), let me squeeze his hand to a bloody pulp when my tummy hurt, and reminded me that Heavenly Father's hand is guiding and directing all my affairs. He made me laugh when I couldn't stop crying and made me feel sane when I probably wasn't. And he's convinced me that babies are in our future, that I am healthy and able. In short, he's done the impossible. I love him so very much and couldn't imagine living my life without him. Everything is okay when he is near. And he does it all looking so dang sexy. Thank you Chaddy!!!

Our Snowy Adventures

2008-12-21T14:24:00.001-08:00

This morning we had snow all the way up to our front door! It was amazing!!!
Mikey loves the snow. You can tell by the absolutely blissful expression he has in every single picture.

Natty wanted so desperately to catch a snow flake on her tongue. Once she did, she didn't seem to like the taste of it...
z

Happy Birthday Natty!!!

2008-12-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today is Natty's fourth birthday. We planned on taking her to Chuck E. Cheese, but mother nature has decided that we should celebrate her birthday at home this year. (I'm not the best driver when the roads aren't covered in ice, so I'm not going to try my luck today!) Natalie has been such a blessing. After Mikey, we tried for years to have another baby. I cried and prayed and begged and bargained for another child. When she was born I was ecstatic! I remember sitting in the nursery with her and just sobbing because I was so happy to have her. And I've been just as happy every day since then. Natalie is a joy. She is spunky and sassy, but she has the biggest heart of any four year old I know. She loves her family, especially her older brother (who is her hero and her best friend). She loves to sing and dance and apply multiple layers of lip gloss. She is a princess and a ninja, depending on the situation. We love you Natty! Happy Birthday!!!

Snow Day (and a little Dance Recital)

2008-12-14T13:30:00.001-08:00

Today is my first ever, official SNOW DAY!!! We woke up this morning to find Covington covered in a thick blanket of perfect white snow. Then we got a call from our home teacher letting us know that all our church meetings for the day were cancelled. A real snow day! How exciting! Don't get me wrong---I love church. But snow days are the kind of thing daydreams are made of. A whole day where you are forced to lounge around the house in your pjs with your family. Heaven!!!

In other news, yesterday we attended Natty's dance recital. It was adorable. All the girls did so well. Natty loved being on stage (she gets that from her daddy). Chad recorded the whole thing and we should have it posted on our blog in the next few days. In the meantime, here are a few pictures. She danced to "What a Wonderful World."

Dr. Fasslar Got Me Pregnant

2008-12-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hmmm...maybe my title needs some clarification. After several, several years of unsuccessful "trying," Dr. Fasslar correctly diagnosed and medicated my fertility problems, allowing me to become pregnant. But, the baby is Chad's.

I am six weeks along & due on August 2nd, 2009. I have an ultrasound scheduled for December 23rd to check the heart beat.

I am happy.

Looking for Some Free Christmas Fun?

2008-12-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

The Auburn Adventist Church is hosting a "Journey to Bethlehem" 12/4-12/7, from 6pm to 9pm. I guess it is a twist on the traditional nativity scene. In their words, "What if you could see the story of Jesus' birth unfold before your eyes? What if you could wander the streets of ancient Bethlehem, hear the shop sellers hawking their wares, listen to the bleating of lambs or the whinny of horses? What if you could see the star of light in the night's sky? What if you could see the angels announcing the birth of Jesus and visit the stable where Mary and Joseph watch over the new-born Jesus?

Ahh, there is a way.

Journey to Bethlehem, an interactive drama, is a four-night outdoor production in Auburn that features more than 200 costumed actors, vibrant sets, colorful storytelling, and live animals--including camels."

It sounds pretty awesome. We're taking the posse out Thursday night. If you want more info, you can look it up on this site. Oh, and be sure to dress warm, since it is all outside. If you any of you guys decide to come check it out too, look for me next to the live camel. I'm not sure that I've ever seen a real one before!!!

Dog for Sale. Actually, dog for free.

2008-11-12T15:14:00.000-08:00

So, after much consideration, we Perkinses have decided that we just aren't cut out to be pet owners. Our dog is not bad, we just don't enjoy animals. We don't like to pet them or play with them or walk them. I don't like to clean up after them. Thus, we are looking to give our dog away. He is a little over a year old, black miniature schnauzer. He is teachable. Even I (being the terrible pet owner that I am) have taught him to sit, stay, back up, and roll over. You can put a dog treat on the floor in front of him and he won't go for it until you tell him "okay." I was really proud of that trick! He is also fabulous with kids. Natty will lay right on top of him and he just rolls over and licks her face. He likes to play and likes to be loved. We paid a couple hundred (ugh) dollars for him in May of 2007. If you know anyone who would like a dog--send them my way!!!

p.s. We have all his gear to give away with him---leashes, bowls, toys, crates, even a little polo shirt.

Potty Talk

2008-11-12T14:55:00.001-08:00

So we decided to take this last Tuesday off in honor of Veteran's Day. Being homeschooled and self-employed, we often work through the holidays and take our vacations while everyone else is in school. But, this time the call of Seattle was just too strong and we couldn't stand to stay cooped up in our house all day. After weighing our options carefully, we opted to catch lunch at Paseo and then head over to the Seattle Art Museum.

Paseo was DELICIOUS! It is a caribbean restaurant that specializes in the tastiest sandwiches created by mere mortal. They are seasoned so incredibly well. The taste is indescribable. I highly recommend this place.

Then we headed off to SAM. It was our first visit to Seattle's Art Museum. Now, I gotta be honest with you guys. I enjoy going to art museums, but I have no idea what is going on in most art pieces. I don't know what the artist is trying to say or why the piece is poignant enough to be placed in a museum rather than on a hotel room wall. Even so, I can appreciate the fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that it is admirable to see things from different points of view. That being said, one of the pieces in the modern art section of the museum was a toilet. Literally. It was a brightly colored, much adorned toilet. Upon closer inspection I found that there was actually, *ahem*, poo in the potty. Seriously, art museum? Poo is art? How much did they pay for said poo? Is there a way that I can sell pictures of poo to finance my children's education? I may not be Picasso or Rembrandt, but I can certainly manage a likeness of a bm for the right price. Perhaps I am an artist after all...

6 Quirks

2008-11-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

I have been tagged to list 6 of my quirks. I was actually tagged a while back, but I couldn't think of any. I think I am pretty normal. That is, I thought I was pretty normal. Since I was having trouble coming up with some on my own, I asked Chad for help. His response? "Dude. Name anything. You have a lot of quirks." Huh? Excuse me? I was perplexed. I expected him to say something to the effect that I am a delight to live with and it was impossible to think of anything quirky. So, I asked him to expound. What is quirky about everything I do? To which he responded, "I don't know. Name anything." Well, fine then. I won't list my fear of talking on the phone or getting crumbs in my bed, because those have been addressed on previous posts. Apparently it shouldn't be a problem coming up with 6 new ones...

1. I can't go to bed with dirty feet. I will wash my feet before retiring at night unless I've worn socks all day long and I am positive that my feet are squeaky clean.

2. I refuse to watch scary movies, or any show that reenacts crimes of any sort, if I know Chad will have to go on a business trip anytime in the foreseeable future. I just know that if I do, I will see something that will give me nightmares while he is away.

3. I am super scared of losing my cell phone. So scared that I will reach into my purse every 15 minutes or so to make sure that it is still there. (That thing has my calendar, my address book, my pictures, my music--everything on it!)

4. I can't eat a meal until all the dishes from the previous meal are washed and put away (i.e. I won't eat lunch until that cereal bowl sitting in the sink has been taken care of)

5. I am a sucker for the underdog. Always have been. I would take the brooder with a Bunsen burner over the captain of the football team any day.

6. I hate putting away laundry. I will wash it and fold it, but it'll sit in the laundry basket for weeks.

Geez. Maybe Chad was on to something here. This really makes me sound a little like an obsessive compulsive control freak. Naw. If that were true, my house would be way cleaner...

I tag Courtney, Busy Wheelers, Cranston 5, Todd & Jess, Candace and McAngela. Or whoever wants to.

Yay!

2008-11-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, the kids and I made a trip out to Issaquah to visit my sister-in-law at her new photography studio. It was so much fun and she did an amazing job. I love the way the pictures aren't posed. It really looks like the kids! Anyways, she did an incredible job. Thanks so much Angela!!!

p.s. To any of you who aren't grandparents/aunts/uncles of Mikey and Natty, I apologize for the extremely picture heavy blog!!!

Halloween #3

2008-10-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hey--thanks to all you bloggers who posted about your field trips to Thomasson Farms. What a fun place! Me and the kids trekked out there this afternoon to (finally) pick up those prized Halloween pumpkins. It's pretty late in the season, so the gourds were a little picked over, but (on the bright side) we had the place to ourselves. Since we were all alone, I climbed into the corn box and played with the kids (shhh!!!). Also, we ended up with some pretty sexy pumpkins. I guess it was a successful trip!

Halloween Part Deux

2008-10-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

The kids and I had so much fun at Woodland Park's Pumpkin Prowl, that we decided to hit up the Pacific Science Center's Halloween Bash the next day. We have a membership there (making it free for us) and Chad was still out of town, so we decided to just go for it. The Pacific Science Center put on a pretty good shindig. It was more craft heavy than candy heavy, which was nice considering the amount of loot we gathered at the zoo the night before. They had tons of booths set up everywhere with things for the kids to make. Mikey and Natty walked away with masks, animal noses, kazoos and home made slime. Of course, there was some candy. It just wouldn't be a Halloween party without it. But, it was minimal. They also had shows every half hour or so, and a costume parade for the kids. We only caught the magic show, but it was awesome. Mikey's favorite part was when the scientist shot a teddy bear out of an air pressure cannon. I have to admit that it was my favorite part too.

Anyways, so we hit up the PSC for a couple hours, then ran off to the airport to pick Chad up (yeah!). Then we went straight from the airport to our next Halloween destination: Full Tilt. Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "What? Full Tilt? The punk rock ice cream shop? What does that have to do with Halloween?" It just so happens that Full Tilt was also having a Halloween bash. A band called The Not It's played a free show in the shop. The Not It's are a Seattle based band that play rock and roll for the kiddies. They are akin to the bands you see on Nogin, only much cooler. They sang songs about bath time and kindergarten and playing airplane. The best part was that there were a bunch of toddlers there totally rocking out--banging their heads and pogo-ing and the whole bit. So cool. Oh, and there were "prizes" for kids dressed in costumes. So the dancing kids were dressed up like fairies and butterflies and storm troopers. So fun.

From Full Tilt, we made a bee-line for the stake center for the ward's trunk-or-treat party. It was a very nice social, but I was a wee bit tired by this point in the day. We collected our candy and then rushed home to put the little monsters to bed. This has been such a fun Halloween. I am so impressed by all the activities Seattle has to offer for families. Next year and I think we should gather up a group of families and go together!!!

A Few Side notes:
1. If you like the Not It's and are interested in other kid music that I think is awesome, you should check out Kimya Dawson's cd "Alphabutt." It is hillarious!
2. I just discovered that Full Tilt has a birthday package. For $75 you get to submit a recipe for your own ice cream flavor (which they make for you), ice cream for 10 and a pint of your homemade creation to take home with you.

Pumpkin Prowl

2008-10-24T20:58:00.001-07:00

Me and the kids headed out to the "Pumpkin Prowl" at the Woodland Park Zoo tonight. Chad was busy, and I was in the mood to do something festive, and this fit the bill. Oh my heavens! It was so, so fun! They had all kinds of trick-or-treat booths set up for the kids. And they were handing out some good stuff. I'm talking Top Pot donuts, coupons for free cupcakes at Cupcake Royale, beanie babies (not the small ones, either. Real ones), boxes of granola, Cliff Bars and all the regular candy. They also had live shows every half hour or so and a chick walking around on super tall stilts. The "Zoomazium" became the "Boomazium." It was decorated extremely well and I would've loved to taken more pictures in there, but Natty quickly informed me that it was a "bad room" and she wanted to go. Anyways, if you are free tomorrow night (which you're probably not because it's our ward's trunk-or-treat), it's from 5-8pm and you can buy discounted tickets at Bartell's.
P.S. In case you can't tell, Natty is a "scary kitty cat" and Mikey is a zombie (he insisted on saying "trick-or-brains" instead of "trick-or-treat" at all the booths because, "mom, zombies eat brains. That is their treat.")

Tag--You're It!!!

2008-10-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

My beautiful sister, Courtney, tagged me. The magic number this time is eight.

8 Favorite TV shows:
1. The Office
2. Lost
3. Heroes
4. Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern
5. Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew
6. Psych
7. Monk
8. The Soup

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. XXX Rootbeer
2. Saigon Rose
3. Humbows from Meesum Pastry
4. Beth's
5. Full Tilt
6. Tutti Frutti
7. The Confectional
8. Blue C Sushi
(okay, so half of those are just bakeries, but whatever. They're dessert restaurants)

8 Things I did Yesterday:
1. Wished I didn't have a dog
2. Taught a history class
3. Visited three parks in one hour
4. Ate a hot fudge sundae and an apple pie at McDonald's
5. Listen to my husband teach thousands of people in Australia via the internet
6. Looked up Chad's new book on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/After-Effects-Illusionist-Complete-Guide/dp/0240811453/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224709065&sr=8-3
7. Played with my camera
8. Watched Mikey swim all by himself (proud mommy moment!)

8 Things I love about Fall:
1. The vibrant colors
2 . The crisp, frosty mornings
3. The excuse to make all manner of delicious apple or pumpkin filled baked goods
4. Halloween
5. Thanksgiving
6. Rain
7. School starting up again
8. Getting to wear scarves and mittens and beanies and sweaters and...

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Chad's work slowing down
2. Halloween
3. Thanksgiving
4. Christmas
5. Snow
6. Holiday music
7. Visits from my parents and Chad's parents
8. Natty's first dance recital

8 Things on my Wish List
1. A house on property full of trees and water
2. A real tree this Christmas
3. A half dozen more babies to call my own. Well, maybe half of a half dozen...
4. For the new LA Fitness to let me join without paying those darn start up fees
5. To find the bottom of my dirty clothes basket
6. More rain
7. That the electric company would decide to move the humongous iron giant they planted right in front of my window
8. For my dog to stop being annoying

8 People I Tag:
1. Seriously? Eight? Ummm...how 'bout I tag anyone who feels like doing the survey...

I Think I Need A Nap

2008-10-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

Man. Some days are just such a whirl wind. It's great, but it feels like there is no time to breathe. This morning I got up early, fed the kids breakfast and put dinner in the crockpot. Then the dog got sick, so I steamed the carpets in the front room. Then I got ready, got the kids ready, packed lunches and got in the car so that I could get Mikey to school by 9:00 am. From 9-11:00, I prepped for my history class (I teach a class at Russell Ridge with 14 kindergarten through third graders. Most are boys. It's a lot of energy!). I taught my class from 11-12, ate lunch, rushed Mikey off to his last class, then sat in the library and played a board game with Natty. At 1:30 I packed up my car with my kids and three of their friends for our weekly play date. All six of us went to the park. It was so much fun! Within an hour we had visited three different parks in our neighborhood (each has it's own "cool" equipment). I helped a slew of children across the monkey bars, played a Knight (who saved the mermaid, in case you were wondering what a knight at the park does), fixed a boo boo and caught several children as they jumped from the jungle gym. At five o'clock our friends went home and I fed the family dinner. The dog got sick again. This time both the dog and the floor required some serious cleaning. At 6:15, we left for swimming lessons. Chad was doing a live speech for some convention in Australia (via teleconference) from 7-8pm. Since he needed it to be quiet, we went to McDonald's after swim lessons for dessert. Natty told a man in McDonald's that, "it is very, very bad food at Hamburger Meal (her name for any fast food restaurant serving burgers), but we can eat it when mommy needs us to be quiet." Great. That declaration is sure to win me Mother of the Year, right? Finally, at 8:15 I tucked the children into their snug little beds and sat down for what felt like the first time since 7 am this morning. Don't get me wrong. I loved today. Every busy second of it. I had so much fun with my kids and their friends. I wouldn't want to do anything else. But, I think I need a nap...

Brick Con 2008

2008-10-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we took Mikey to "Brickcon" (the annual Lego convention) at the Seattle Center. It was so much fun. There were some very impressive Lego creations. Seriously, thousands and thousands of pieces in some of the sculptures. It was amazing. The crowd was super cool too. I love people who get into stuff and are passionate about what they like. They even had an area roped off for the kids where they could sit down with a bucket of Legos and create their own piece to display.

I'm not sure that everyone attending Brickcon had the full support of their families though. While I was perusing the entries, I overheard the following conversation:

Lego enthusiast #1: "Hey man--this your display?"
Lego enthusiast #2: "Yeah"
Lego enthusiast #1: "How much it cost to gather up all these pieces"
Lego enthusiast #2: "Ummm....I don't know. If I kept track of how much I spent on this stuff, I probably wouldn't have a wife."

I don't know why that conversation amused me as much as it did. But, it did. I thought it was hilarious. And very honest. And, probably, accurate.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

2008-10-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Chad and I have done a lot of adventuring in the 18 months we've lived up here in the glorious northwest. In the process, we've discovered some really, really awesome places. And now I'm going to share them with you!

Saigon Rose.
I love this restaurant! It is in the same shopping center as Shari's and 24 hour fitness. Chad and I eat there at least twice a month and we always get the same order: beef brisket pho (pronounced like you're asking a question), spicy chicken wings, and crab rangoon. Oh my goodness. Just the thought of our regular order sends my salivary glands into overdrive. For those who haven't experienced the magic of pho, it is like the Vietnamese version of chicken noodle soup. Warm and savory, perfect on a cold, rainy northwest day. The spicy chicken wings are incredible. They are coated in this super flavorful but not too spicy goo. I literally have dreams about these wings. And the crab rangoon comes with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce that I could drink by the gallon. The service is great here too. They are always super kind and accommodating.

Catfish Corner.
This is a little restaurant on 104th in Kent. I saw an article in the Kent magazine about it opening awhile back. Chad served his mission in Louisiana and has a special place in his heart for real southern food, so we had to check it out. We got there a quarter to noon. To our dismay, the restaurant didn't open for another 15 minutes and people were already lining up outside the door. It's just that good! The service was incredibly fast and it took all of ten minutes to get to the front of the line, order and get our food. Their specialty is southern fried catfish. It's not like the greasy beer battered stuff that you get at most fish and chip places. This fish is bathed in a delicious corn meal batter and cooked to perfection. They serve it up with their homemade tarter sauce, which they sell by the tub. It's probably not good for you, but it is oh so tasty.

Full Tilt.
Here's their description on myspace: "Full Tilt Ice Cream. 9629 16th ave sw, the heart of White Center. 206-767-4811 The main focus is going to be ice cream (of course) and pinball. We 8 pinball machines and some vintage arcades. The ice cream is hand made. Twelve different flavors with six changing daily. In addition to that we got popsicles. The ingredients are local and organic when available. We always have a vegan selection as well as an array of vegan baked goods. Also we are looking to support local artists by having monthly art openings as well as bands on a semi regular basis. Our planed opening date is June 20th. Read our press! Seattle PI; West Seattle Blog; White Center News; NW Source; Seattle Conscious Choice; Seattle PI #2;"

This place is seriously so cool. The icecream is so unbelievably good!!! Oh my freaking heck. So good. And they make the waffle cones right in front of you when you order. And they are CHEAP! Our whole family got single scoop waffle cones (also a "single scoop" is really two scoops) for under $10. And the pinball machines are super fun. A bunch of them are only 25 cents to play. They even have little step stools all over the place so that the little guys can reach the buttons. A super fun place for your family home evening outings.

XXX Rootbeer.
I know it sounds a little naughty, but the "xxx" refers to the homemade brew (rootbeer). It's a 50's diner with the tastiest sandwiches and homemade rootbeer you're ever likely to find. Sure, it' terrible for you, but most good food is, right? They have vintage car shows there all the time too. Just be careful to type in the right web address or you're likely to come up with more than hamburgers.

Boehm's Chocolates.
This is right across the street from XXX Rootbeer. We usually hit up both in the same trip. It's a chocolate store started by some dude who literally skied across the Alps to escape Hitler. Someone told him that Issaquah looked the most like his hometown, so he built himself a chalet with a view of Mt. Rainier and started making chocolates. During the summer you can take a tour of his chalet, which I highly recommend. The guy's story is cool enough on its own to make me totally love the store, but the chocolate is also really, really good. It puts that See's junk to shame. My favorite is the "mt. rainier." It's like a cordial cherry on crack. So good.

Rat City Rollergirls.
Okay, so let me preface this by saying I have never actually been to a roller derby bout. But, I have watched a bunch on tv (tnt, or one of those kinds of channels, had a series where they followed a Texas team around for a season) and it is so rad. Seriously, chicks with super cute names (Anya Heels, Carmen Getsome, Darth Skater, Crash Gordon, etc.) beating each other up mercilessly whilst on old school four wheel skates? That is so fun. And, I've been told that at the real bouts, live bands play at half time. So it's a sporting event and a concert at the same time. Tami, I think you should start a LDS league...

As I'm writing this I keep thinking of more and more cool places that I'd love to share with you all! The Seattle area just has so many fun places and delicious restaurants and quirky hangouts. How could you not love living here? Alas, I am sure you are all terribly tired of this post already. The rest will have to wait for another time. Now I challenge you. What are your favorite NW haunts? Give me a new place to visit next date night!

My First Tag

2008-09-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

Boy, oh, boy! I am so excited. This is my first ever "tag". I feel like someone just asked me if I wanted to each lunch at the cool kids' table! Tami, you totally made my day. And yes, I really am that geeky.

Okay, so the deal is 5 joys/5 fears/5 obsessions/5 surprising facts. Whoo-hooo!

5 Joys
1.) Date nights with Chad
2.) Rainy, gloomy days
3.) The zoo
4.) Sunday Dinners
5.) Going on crazy "adventures" with my family (i.e. driving around until we get lost and then finding some cool restaurant/store/park/etc.)

5 Fears
1.) Talking on the phone (I hate talking on the phone)
2.) Losing one of my children
3.) Losing someone else's child while I'm supposed to be "in charge"
4.) Falling in public (this should probably go into the "bad habit" category not the "fear" one, considering how often it happens)
5.) Walking around with my skirt tucked into my pantyhose. That seems like it would be horribly embarrassing. No one needs to see my bum squished and squeezed into those unforgiving hose.

5 Obsessions
1.) A clean bed. When Chad and I were first married, I wouldn't let him snack when we watched tv in bed because I was so neurotic about getting crumbs on the sheets.
2.) Funky socks. I love socks with patterns or stripes or tons of color. When I find cute ones on sale, I buy them in bulk and hoard them.
3.) Hair dye. I can't help it. I need to dye my hair. And often. If I were just a smidge braver I would try hot pink or electric blue for a few weeks.
4.) Cloudy weather. When it's sunny for more than a few days in a row, I get depressed. How's that for backwards?!?
5.) Food. I live to eat. As soon as one meal is done, I'm fantasizing about the next. My last thoughts before drifting off to sleep at night are often about what I will eat for breakfast the next morning. I went to the Puyallup Fair (my first fair experience) and I talked about all the food vendors for days. It was heaven.

5 Surprising Facts
1.) I was the official "rapper" for my third grade class. At each school assembly, I would get on stage and perform a rap written for our student of the month. My friend would supply the beat box noises.
2.) I used to be so incredibly shy that I would make other people order my food for me when we went to fast food restaurants. Talking to the cashier was just too frightening. I would've rather starved.
3.) I was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" in High School. If by "succeed" they meant "drop out of college to make babies," then they were totally right.
4.) When my baby sister was a kid, she couldn't say "heather." When she tried, it came out "Ho-Ho." My whole family picked up on it, and that became my nickname. With time my family got lazy and shortened it to "Ho." Cute, right? Yeah, real cute...
5.) I can't whistle.

Okay, now I tag Ashley, Michaelynn, Courtney, Merrilynn and Melanie. Or, anyone who feels like answering.

Pre-Ballet and Other Things

2008-09-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today was Natty's first "pre-ballet" class. After years of sitting through brother's karate classes and t-ball games, Natty was very excited to have a class of her very own. It helped, of course, that she got to dress up as a ballerina to go to said class. Little girls are just fantastic.

Anyway, the class was adorable. Miss Mary instructed a group of six teenie, tiny, prima ballerinas. When it was time to plie, Natty did squats. When it was time to gracefully raise and lower their hands to the music, Natty did what appeared to be the robot. But she did it all with her chin raised proudly in the air, her toes pointed, and her most princess of faces on. She loved it.

Just watching the class was enough to be the highlight of my week, but the kids also said so many funny things during class. While Miss Mary was explaining to the class that girls are called ballerinas and boys are called ballet dancers, Mikey turned to me and whispered in his most serious voice, "Mom I will never be a ballet dancer. I would have to do too much girl stuff."

At the end of class, Miss Mary asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grow up. Natty announced that she wanted to be "an animal. Probably an owl." Nice. The mom next to me tried to console me by telling me that yesterday her daughter wanted to be a pink hotdog. Well, you got me there. An owl probably is a bit more achievable than a pink hot dog.

Finally, tonight while I was snuggling with Natty and watching cartoons (Oswald, to be exact), my darling daughter broke wind on my lap. She apologized profusely for the offense. I told her that she didn't have to be sorry because everyone toots. She then told me, "No mom. I'm a ballerina. Ballerinas don't fart." Well, good thing I never wanted to be a ballerina. Apparently, I would be automatically disqualified by my digestational habits. And let me tell you, Natty has some serious reforming to do in that area if she's going to go pro in the ballet world.

It Appears My Home Has Been Invaded By Ninjas

2008-08-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

So, Mikey has finally started losing his baby teeth. This is something he's been talking about for a very long time. But now that the tooth fairy has begun making regular visits to our home, my son has grown more and more perplexed. Who is this magical being leaving quarters on his dresser late at night?

At first, he was convinced that it was just me sneaking in and swapping his lost chompers for loot. Which led to an in depth conversation about how I have absolutely no use for his old teeth. And if he wanted me to collect and dispose of them, it seems only fair that he pay me, and not the other way around. Plus, my children know that I have a bad habit of throwing away things for no reason other than they are creating clutter in my home and I don't want to deal with one more thing to dust, file, or organize. Why on earth would I collect a bunch of tiny teeth?

Which caused Mikey to ponder the mystery of the tooth fairy for a few more days. Finally, he emerged from his room with a theory that he felt good about.

"Mom," he said, "I know that there is no such thing as the tooth fairy, because fairies aren't real. They're pretend. It must be a tooth ninja..."

And you know what? It makes sense. Ninjas are stealthy. Who else could scale the side of a home, climb in a second story window, sneak into a bedroom and steal a tooth in the dead of night without being caught? I like it.

So, while the tooth fairy may visit your home, we send all our business over to her competition--the tooth ninja. I think it might just catch on...

Go In-laws, Go!

2008-07-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am cheering on my in-laws. Don't act like you've never done the same. You see, my brother in-law Todd, and his beautiful wife, Jessica, are making some pretty momentous steps in their lives. They will soon be both first time home buyers and first time parents. Talk about making progress! We were lucky enough to be in their neck of the woods last weekend. They took us to see their current home and the home they will soon be buying. And they made us a delicious lunch and let us play with their wii. That's real love for you. Natty informed me that once "the baby comes out of Aunt Jessica's tummy, you can have my room. I will move in with them." Thanks, Natty. Gratitude and loyalty just ooze from your presence. Congrats guys!!!

Zoo

2008-07-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

I love the zoo. Seriously, what is better than a day at the zoo? Not much, my friends. I love to watch creatures do their crazy wild animal kingdom thing. This trip we watched a really excited ape swing from tree to tree. It was AWESOME! He (or she?) put on a huge show for us, complete with monkey noises and super cool Tarzan-like moves. Then we watched a gorgeous Koi fish eat stuff off the surface of the pond. We saw tons of macaws up close and personal, and stood right next to a sleeping monitor lizard. Hello? Am I the only one that thinks that is amazing? We even got to take a super fun train ride around the circumference of the park. The kids and I totally lucked out and got the very back row of seats so that our view of the train ride was completely unobstructed (notice Natty's concerned face in the picture below. I jumped off the train to take a picture and she was really afraid I wouldn't be able to get back on before it took off!). It was great. Oh, and we saw pictures of the crazy, bent neck giraffe that used to live there (alas, she passed away in January of this year, rest her poor, crooked soul).
I got some flower pictures (I love taking pictures of flowers! Why? They don't move!!! Kids are so hard to focus on...)
We capped off our zoo trip with the biggest money scam ever created--the smashed penny. Every time I make one of those, I cringe. I can't believe that I would actually pay someone fifty cents to remove all monetary value from my penny. But, the kids wanted a souvenir, and as much as I hate it, the only other thing in the gift shop going for under a buck was a post card, and that wasn't much cooler. So, I gave in and spent a buck on smashed pennies for the kids. I'm such a sucker. I know, somewhere out there, some grubby little millionaire is sitting on a pile of quarters laughing at me and my smashed pennies. Well, let him laugh. Mikey thought it was the coolest thing in the world and it bought me a quiet car ride home. It was totally worth $1.02. So laugh on--grubby, smashed penny millionaire! I was the real winner in that transaction!!!

The Davies

2008-07-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

We also got to spend a few days with my folks last week. I got to see everyone--my mom, dad, sisters, brother, in-laws, Uncle Danny and Grandpa Harris. Not bad for one trip. Courtney and her husband "Big" Mike (which is a big time misnomer) let us swim in their pool (which we totally monopolized for like two hours every single day). Mikey got so good that he was able to swim from the shallow end of the pool all the way to the deep end--all by himself! My parents bought Natty a pair of rain boots, which she has insisted on wearing every second since they gave them to her. I had a great time. I love you guys so much! Thank you for having us out!!!

Visiting Grandma Trittipo

2008-07-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

The kids and I got to spend the night at Grandma Trittipo's last week. It was so much fun! We went to Chuck E. Cheese, hung out with Uncle Dan, played legos and baby dolls, saw Kung Fu Panda and ate (a lot!). It was such a blast. Thank you for having us out, Debbie!!!

Alien Martian Party

2008-07-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

So this month was Mikey's 7th birthday, and I decided that it was finally time to become a real mother and put on my first ever, real invite-kids-your-own-age-games-cake-chaos birthday party. In the past we lived really close to family, so I was able to eek by with regular old familial BBQ's for birthday celebrations. I have to admit, I was slightly horrified by the thought of having a half dozen little boys tearing through my house, all hopped up on sugar and adrenaline. In the end though, it was a ton of fun. Don't get me wrong, it was complete, mad chaos. But, it was fun. The theme was "Alien Martian Party" (which I realize is totally redundant, but Mikey insisted on it). We played "pin the eye on the alien" and "hot moon rock." We made UFOs and glow in the dark moon rocks. We completed the party with a real UFO b'day cake (cooked by me and decorated by Chad). I have tons of pictures, but I will only post the ones that keep the party goers anonymous. I'm not sure that other mothers want their children's pictures plastered all over my blog. Suffice it to say, it was a crazy good time!

4th of July

2008-07-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I am terribly, terribly behind on my posts. So much happened in one month that I just couldn't keep up. So, I will be catching up one event at a time, beginning with the 4th of July. I love, love, LOVE 4th of July in Washington! It is so festive! Fireworks everywhere!!! This year was especially fun because we got to share it with my perfect in-laws and the amazing Campbells. It was such a blast. We used our before mentioned BBQ (Chad managed to catch his hand on fire again, melting the good oven mitt, but that's another story for another post), Mac and Angela brought the tastiest watermelon ever grown by human hands, and the Campbells brought an incredibly delicious salad and TWO yummy desserts. Then we sat in the front yard and watched the fireworks. Chad splurged this year and got a few pieces of "real" ammo, in an attempt to make up for the disgrace of last year's purchase (How were we to know? Where we came from $30 worth of sparklers and snakes wasn't only a big deal--it was illegal!!). It was super fun to watch his inner pyro come out and visit for a night. I think it is safe to say that roman candles are his new favorite toys.
Chad's total glee was so contagious that he convinced Angela to walk away from the tri-pod and give it try. (By the way, if you want to see real 4th of July pictures, check out her page)

Natalie wasn't the biggest fan at first, but by the end of the night even she was begging for her turn to play with fire. Washington is so perfect. I used to sleep through 4th of July festivities, and now it is one of my favorite holidays!!! Yeah for Washington!!!

Mikey's Look Alikes

2008-07-10T19:30:00.001-07:00

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity

It's a Little Better Without My Glasses...I Guess

2008-07-04T15:14:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

At least they're chicks this time. Whoopi, though? Myheritage.com, we are officially not friends.

One More Funny Kid Conversation

2008-07-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

On the way to the airport to pick up Chad last night, Mikey decided to try to teach Natty addition. It went like this:
Mikey: "Natty, what is zero plus zero?"
Natty: "Zero" (just a lucky guess to any of you who may have been momentarily impressed by my mothering skills)
Mikey: "Great! Now, what's zero plus one?"
Natty: (Confidently) "Kisses"

Yes, Natty, zero plus one equals kisses. And nine plus four equals mashed potatoes. Ashlee--is it too late to sign her up for preschool?!?

Happy 4th

2008-07-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

So yesterday me and the kids were running a bunch of errands and I started talking about the American Flag and why it's important to treat it with respect. Our conversation went like this:
Me: "We should be very respectful of the flag"
Mikey: "Why?"
Me: "Because it is a reminder of all the people who lived, worked, fought and died so that we could be free..."
Natty: "Yah, and of all the zombies we had to kill..."

Happy Zombie Slaying Day, all!

I Think Tami's Was More Flattering

2008-07-03T17:03:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Seriously? I look like an old bald guy? Or a Clay Aitkin Look-a-like? Also, the only kinda nice match up was Halle Berry, and they cut her off on the link. That's just not nice myheritage.com. Not nice at all...

Eavesdropping

2008-07-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

So, I was eavesdropping on my kids' conversation in the car today and it made me laugh.

Natty: "BRO! I CAN'T HEAR IT!!! (referring to the dvd player in the car)"

Mikey can't hear her because he has his headset on and is watching the movie.

Natty: (louder and with a growly, serious voice) "BROTHER! I CAN'T HEAR IT!!!"

Same response as before.

Natty: (Very angrily now) "BRO! I CA-AN'T HEAR IIIIIITTTTT!"

Mikey (takes off his headset this time and says): "Natty, you have to put your headset on."

Natty: "oh"

I don't know why, but I thought this was very, very funny.

Family Resemblance?

2008-07-02T23:14:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I was sorting through my old pictures on my computer and I ran across these two. One is of Chad before I met him. The other is Mikey a few years back. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to see quite a strong family resemblance...

Happy Birthday Mikey!

2008-07-02T21:54:00.001-07:00

Today Mikey turned 7 years old. I love my little boy so much. He is my "angel baby from heaven" (as his Aunt and Uncle would say). Mikey is such an example to me. He is sweet and kind. He has such pure faith. He is inquisitive and wants to learn about everything. He is sensitive and empathetic to the feelings of those around him. He's funny and loves to make people laugh. He's grateful. He's so many things that I hope to be when I "grow up!"

Mikey, I love you so much little buddy. I am so lucky to be your mom. I will try very hard to be a good parent and teach you as much as you will no doubt teach me. Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Mom, You're #2!

2008-06-29T22:12:00.001-07:00

So, a few days ago, Mikey informed me (and I quote): "Mom, if I was still a baby and living in heaven, and I could look down and see all the moms in all the world and pick any that I wanted, you would definitely be...(drumroll)...my SECOND pick." Nice. At least I made the top ten, right?

I then asked him who his first pick would be. He answered: "Oh, I don't know. Probably the old you, before you dyed your hair black."

Who knew that dying my hair had such a huge affect on my parenting skills? Apparently blondes don't only have more fun, they're better mothers. Did I mention that I have an appointment tomorrow to have my hair dyed even darker black? It's true. Hopefully CPS doesn't get wind of it and come to take my children away...

Now That's A Good Oven Mitt

2008-06-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

So, we had dinner at the Campbell's a few weeks ago. They cooked up some delicious veggies on their BBQ. It was so yummy that we were inspired to go out and buy a BBQ of our own. Of course, if you buy a BBQ, you have to buy all the accessories. Which means we also got all manner of skewers, grills, grates, pans, wood chips, natural charcoal, pressed charcoal, and new heavy duty oven mitts. The oven mitts were $4.99 each, and they were super high quality. How high quality, you ask? Well, the first night we lit up our BBQ, Chad caught his hand on fire. Yes, on fire. We're talking flames. Then he marched proudly into the house and informed me that the mitt worked so well, he barely even felt it. Sure enough, the mitt had a small spot on the paw that was still smoldering, but Chad's hand showed no signs of wear. Now that's a good oven mitt.

A Good Friend

2008-06-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Last night we got a call letting us know that a dear friend of ours was killed in his home. He was thirty years old (thirty-one next month). It was a random break-in that ended in his death. It was so tragic and so completely unexpected that it has been hard to process. How do you begin to say goodbye to someone who wasn't supposed to leave just yet?

Travis and Chad were best friends. They kept each other active when they were the only members of their respective families going to church. They helped each other prepare for their missions. They wrote each other constantly while they were in the field. They encouraged each other to date worthy lds ladies once they got home. When Chad was sick, Travis came over to give him a blessing. They talked the same. They laughed the same. They were more than friends, they were brothers.

Chad and I are married, in part, because of Travis. I fell in love with Chad the first time I saw him, but I was far too shy to talk to him. I tried once, and ended up hiding in a stall in the ladies room. Travis called me and talked to me for hours, encouraging me to build up the confidence to "woo" my future husband. He was a groomsman at our wedding. He stood in the circle when our babies were blessed. He loaned us $50 at a time when our account rarely had a positive balance. He introduced Chad to Tony Robins and success literature, which eventually gave Chad the confidence to go self employed and pull our struggling family above the poverty line. He was a larger than life character--funnier, stronger, more spiritual, more charismatic, more talented than a "real" person should be. He did more with his 30 years than most of us will do with our 80.

Right before his death, he started writing a book: "Raising You." Travis had, in essence, raised himself. He had made himself the great man he was without the benefit of a traditional family, a home, or any sense of financial security. He was good because he chose to be good. He will forever remain an example to all who had the great privilege of knowing him.

I know that my blog is a silly spot to put all this down, but I don't know where else to put it. Thank you so much, Travis, for teaching us to be better than we thought we could be. No one could ever possibly replace you. You will be deeply missed.

Perkins' Family Adventures

2008-05-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

So, this week we packed up the kiddos and went on a good, old fashioned adventure. Chad's sister (and her husband) were moving up to Auburn from Southern California (which is very exciting news for us). They didn't really need any help moving their stuff, but we thought it was an awesome excuse for a road trip. Thusly (I know it's not a word, but it is so stinkin' fun to say. Try it and tell me I'm wrong--I dare you), we undertook a three day road trip down the coasts to the southern-est tip of Oregon and back. It was such a blast. We did some real adventuring. No cutesy bed-and-breakfast types for us. Instead, we looked up all the quirkiest, zaniest stops the Pacific Northwest coast had to offer and hit up as many as we could.

First up, Marsh's Free Museum in Long Beach, Wa. I don't know that's it's a museum as much as it is a toy shop, but it is free to walk around. Their claim to fame is an "authentic" half man/half alligator mummy which they've affectionately named "Jake." It was a great place to get out and stretch, and there was plenty to take pictures of for the ol' scrapbook. Along with Jake, they had some super rad taxidermy specimens, like a two headed calf, a werewolf head, and a jackalope. The kids thought it was great. Right across the street from the "museum" was a huge frying pan and a big oyster that shot out goop every hour on the hour. Great stuff.Our next stop was the world's biggest sea cave (in Florence, Or). It was pretty fun, but not worth the money in my opinion. You start off at the top of a cliff and then take an elevator down into the cave, which is at sea level. There were tons of sea lions, and the cave was beautiful. I expected to get closer to the sea lions though, and so I was somewhat disappointed. All the same, it was another great spot to get out and stretch.
We slept in Florence the first night. This was the view from the balcony in our hotel room. Pretty nice.
Our next stop was at the West Coast Game Park in Bandon, Oregon. This was my favorite stop by far. It was so much stinkin' fun. It was just this dinky little "zoo" where they let you touch pretty much whatever you want. We held a baby panther, a baby kangaroo, the most cross-eyed possum you'll ever meet, a skunk, a ferret and pet another big cat (cougar?). They also had goats, lambs, llamas, rams, donkeys and turkeys free roaming, which you could both pet and feed. Holy smokes, it was a big, stinky, muddy mess of fun. Natty kissed a llama, a goat ate Mikey's rain coat, and a ram jumped up on me and got his hoof stuck in my back pocket. If you ever find yourself in Bandon, I strongly recommend stopping here.

We slept in Port Orford the next night. The view from that hotel was beautiful too. This is how I like my beach experiences--cold and misty. Aaahhh---so relaxing!!

Our last stop was at the Prehistoric Gardens in Port Orford, Oregon. Apparently some artist decided to build a bunch of life sized replicas of dinosaurs in the middle of this Oregon rain forest. It was amazing. The dinosaurs were HUGE and they looked so natural in the middle of all the huge trees and ferns. It felt like we'd been zapped back into the Cretaceous period. Totally awesome.

The last day we hopped back into the car and drove all the way back up to beautiful Covington. It was a great trip, but I can honestly say that Seattle is my favorite place of them all. The beach is beautiful, but Seattle is perfect and I am happy to be home.

90 Day Goals

2008-05-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Alright bloggers. I know you're all reading this. We're going to start up another session of 90 day goals here in a couple of weeks. It was a great experience this last time around. Working on our goals together not only made us better people individually, but it also increased our unity and friendship within the group. And it was really fun. Seriously. Check out our blog at the link above, or ask anyone who participated last time around. It was great. And we'd love to have more of you join us this time. In the words of Dwight (from last week's Office episode), "Do it, do it, do it..."

Yummy!

2008-05-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

Today is dollar pretzel day at the Super Mall. This week's flavor is cinnamon sugar. Me and the kids each got our own pretzel, fresh from the oven, for $3. I love that!!!! They were also handing out samples of slushies at Auntie Anne's, so we even got a drink with our snack. Then I went to Steve & Barry's and got a dress for $8.98. Aaahhh. I am in stingy mom heaven!!!

What You Ought To Do

2008-04-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, this may come across at bossy or controlling, but please let me take a minute of your time and tell you what you ought to do. We Perkins have officially been residents of the Evergreen State for one year this month. We love it here and have made it our personal mission to explore every square inch of Washington. Well, at least the square inches that run along this side of the mountains. We love it all, from the rustic quaintness of Hobart to the absolute zaniness of Fremont (hello? Have you guys all visited the Lenin statue?). Every once in awhile we come across things that are really, really cool though. And, much like the gospel, when we find these pearls our first desire is to share them with you, our friends. Which brings me to my topic at hand...Archie McPhee.

Archie McPhee is pretty much the coolest store ever. Actually, it's two stores right next to each other. That's right. Archie McPhee has so much awesome junk that one mere building couldn't contain it all. What, you may ask, do they sell? Pretty much everything. They've got dashboard ninjas, yodeling pickles, dueling nuns, a Van Gogh action figure complete with interchangeable heads (one with two ears, one with a single ear and a bandage), and gummy mustaches (see below). I simply don't have the skill necessary to describe in words how incredible this place is. Instead, I will quote their website:
"Archie McPhee has been supplying gifts and toys to Seattle for over 25 years. Located in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, it's a one stop shop for party supplies, crafts, costumes, miniatures and the weirdest collection of toys and candy that you've ever seen.

Widely considered to be a Mecca for connoisseurs of the strange and one of Seattle's top ten weird destinations, it is truly an attraction without a parallel. Not only that, with over 10,000 items and prices as low as 1 cent, no one leaves empty handed."

Okay, now on to my next topic. Weather day with the Mariners. I saw it on the news while I was at the gym (post treadmill accident) and it's meant to be a fun field trip for school aged kids, but it's open to any group. It's June 4th (which is a Wednesday). The tickets are $11 and they include a little weather lesson for the kids with Channel 4's weather man, a ticket to the game that day, and a meal voucher for a hot dog, chips and soda. It sounds really fun and I'm trying to get a group to go. If we all buy our tickets together as a group, they will get us seats next to each other. I realize it's a school day, but it's educational, and every kid deserves to play hooky once in awhile (in my opinion, anyway!). Kids 3 and under are free, but they won't get a seat of their own or a meal voucher without a ticket. Adults are $11 too. Email or comment me if you'd like to go. It'll be fun!

So, then, here's what you ought to do. You ought to run out to Archie McPhee this weekend and stock up on really cool toys. Then you ought to email me and sign up to go to Weather Day with your kids. Ready? Go!

I finally did it

2008-04-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

I knew it was only a matter of time. The day I signed up for my membership at Meiko's Gym, I knew it would happen eventually. What with my coordination and history of being extremely accident prone and all. I just didn't know when it would happen. Well, folks, it was today. Today I fell off the treadmill at full speed, sending my precious ipod crashing into the treadmill next to me. Nothing like a billion curious eyes watching you collect yourself and your belongings off the floor to make you feel like a million bucks. Did I mention that Chad thought it was hilarious? Well, he did. Oh well. I signed up for the gym in October, and it's April now, so that means I had 6 1/2 accident free months. If I follow that pattern, I should be okay until next October. Thank goodness for that.

Alright, You Got Me!

2008-04-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

I like to watch the news while I'm exercising at the gym. I've found that it's a great way to kill two birds with one stone. I'm working out, so I'm taking care of my body. And, if I watch the news while I'm sweating my way through the half hour weight loss setting on that silly elliptical machine, then I'm also catching up on current events. Which makes me feel much better about myself. Honestly, I wouldn't have known Sept. 11th occurred if I hadn't have accidentally stumbled past the news on my way to Nickelodeon that morning. It's pathetic how little I know about things happening outside of my home. But, if I watch the news while I work out, then at least I know the current weather and the biggest news stories everyday (yes, I do exercise 6 out of 7 days. I'm there so much, I'm starting to make “friends” with the other regulars. But, have I lost any weight? No. That's another story for another day though).

Anyways, so I was watching the news while I worked out earlier this week when I saw a story on the Tulip Festival out in Mt. Vernon. It showed fields of tulips blooming in all their colorful, spring heralding glory. I didn't have my earphones plugged into the tv (I was listening to some aggressive rock 'n roll to get me through the last agonizing ten minutes of my cardio), but the little text box at the bottom of the tv assured me that it was, indeed, the Tulip Festival. So, I told Chad that it was time to pile into the car and make our annual pilgrimage to Mt. Vernon. We charged the camera battery, cleared off our memory card and piled into the car to make the 90 minute drive. We hit a little traffic and nearly ran out of gas, but eventually made it. We stopped at the Pickle Barn to use the “loo” (as Mikey would say) and pick up a map. A few more minutes of driving, a small detour through a very rural neighborhood after getting slightly lost and we finally arrived at our destination. We spilled out of the car to see fields and fields of...green. Green, blossom-free stalks. As far as the eye could see. The tulips hadn't bloomed yet.

Ha, ha, ha. Alright Kong 5 news. You got me good. I totally fell for your trick. Playing footage from last year's Tulip Festival, huh? Very clever. I wasn't the only one you fooled either. We ran into another poor soul dragging his camera and tripod through the field of tulip stems, completely perplexed by the lack of flowers.

In the end, it wasn't a completely wasted afternoon. I had a great time with my family. And we did see several gorgeous fields of daffodils. All the same, I'm switching to Channel 4...