Happy 5th Bday Brynners!

It's so hard to believe that our "baby" is 5 already! She is a joy in our lives and keeps up laughing and on our toes! Happy Birthday Pookie! We love you!

Cake Boss???

This is my first real attempt at a fondant cake... yes, I know it's a little like the leaning tower of Pisa! The Cake Boss makes it look so easy! Maybe I could be the Cake Apprentice?

Belfair Elem. Awards Assembly...

Yes, I am a proud mother! This morning was the awards assembly at the grade school. Bridget was recognized as the Rising Star for the year of her class. (1 boy and 1 girl from each class are chosen for being the model student for the whole year.) Baylee was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence, given to 5th grade students who maintain an A average and receive high state test scores as well as honoring students that show motivation, initiative, integrity and leadership qualities. Way to go girls! We are so proud of you!!!!

Strawberries...the true taste of summer

We've been picking these beauties by the handfuls!

The mousetrap finally prevails!

A couple of weeks ago I found "evidence" of rodent visitors in our garage storage room. Needless to say, I wasn't very happy about it. We use the room often, so I knew that it was a fairly new event. I went to our local hardware store and bought 2 different kinds of traps after a lenghty discussion with a (well-versed on the subject) woman. I set the traps and for 2-3 days I would check them each morning and to my dismay, the peanut butter had been LICKED clean and the trap had not gone off! I finally decide to go and shop vac/disinfect the room and see if I can tell where they got in. As I enter the room and begin to drag the box of empty canning jars out-- up pops a mouse's head!!! What?! So I close the box really quickly and drag the box outside. (Thinking of course how humane it would be of me to let it go) However, the little mouse was reluctant to leave the box, even when I opened it and kinda dumped it over. Weird......hmmmm. Oh well, Brynley and I finally chase it off and I go back to cleaning the room. As I begin to do so, a disturbing thought keeps coming to me that I had better go check the nest inside of the box. Yup, you guessed it----- 4 PINK BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAGH! Now what do I do?? I know that we can't have mice, but how can I kill these teeny little things? So, as per the suggestion of my friend I head to the local pet store to see if they can take them---sure enough, nope. They might be deer mice and have diseases etc. (which really set my mind at ease concerning the little buggers) The pet store lady did tell me that the mother would return to the babies. So, I set the nest inside a clear plastic container outside hoping that might work. Back to my room to finish the cleaning job----(mind you about 2 hrs. have gone by now) and as I go in there what is sitting on the shelf staring me right in the face??? Mouse #2...... I actually said out loud "Oh yeah, I see you alright" it was as if he was DARING me to catch him! So my MacGyver-type skills set in, and I knew what I had to do. So, I took the babies and their nest and disturbed them enough to produce prolific "eeeeking" and set the box in the room as a bait/trap. Within 5 seconds Mouse2 had climbed in and began covering and taking care of the babies. I waited for just the right moment and slammed a cover on the box and took it all outside. Still unable to "rub out" the little suckers I left them out there for Tom to take care of when he got home. I told him that I wanted to invoke a "no ask-no tell" policy about how he took care of the mice. I did ask however, but Tom was smart enough not to tell. Phew!!!! Mice problem solved......yeah right-- well to shorten the longest story ever- more evidence, more traps, and finally this morning CAUGHT! Take that Mickey!

One of the culprits....

My nephew Landon....the video says it all

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My sister, Parri, and I went to Costco last week and on the way home, her son (Landon) was just being a total goof. I was laughing so hard and realized that I actually had my camera in my purse and started recording. The recording is short, but you have to realize that this hilarious behavior was going on for about 10-15 minutes straight....impressive if you ask me! :) The Batman shirt or "matman" as Landon says really adds to the effect I think.