All I have from Katelyn's Birthday...

Are two pictures. No, we didn't really do gifts (just a couple), and I made a yellow ice cream cake with cookies & cream ice cream and chocolate ganache frosting, but I forgot to take pictures of the cake before we cut it - she she had a piece of cake with 1 candle in it. It's okay though, she still doesn't know how to blow out candles anyway. Am I lame?? Don't answer that - I already know what you guys think... Anyway, here are the two pictures.
Okay, so maybe she does look a little disappointed in the picture, but she was really happy, I promise.

As I was looking in the folder for this picture, I found another one that I have to post, b ecause it's pretty funny. My Kate has a friend named Katelyn (her mom is my visiting teacher - and she's really the best visiting teacher), but they're about 10 months apart. I'm sure you'll be able to tell in this photo that Kate's friend is a little taller. Guess who's older?? My Kate. She's really quite pygmy-ish, but don't let her fool you. She can hold her own. Kate always gets excited when she sees Katelyn, but it's a little confusing because they never can tell who's talking to who. I guess that happens when you have friends with the same name.



This is what else the kids have been up too - since September. I'm still a month behind. They LOVE to pretend cook, Katelyn loves to take Kenzie on rides (well, not always, but sometimes when she thinks it's cute or when Steph and I put them both on the car together), and this was one of the last pool days that the kids had before I decided Cooper needed a new hangout.

I'll have to do one more post for September - as it was Cooper's 1st day of pre-school and he's been having a blast ever since. I'll post a couple of his firsts, since he just had his 1st day of gymnastics class. The Silver Mesa Recreation Center has some great classes, and the best part about it is that it's affordable and the building is REALLY clean.

Fishing and the Priest Lake Cabin

Okay, I don't know many 4 1/2 yr olds who love fishing more than this guy here. Seriously, he was so excited about this trip that he kept talking about it for weeks before and weeks after. Honestly, he still talks about it. Oh, and that giant to the right of the picture...that's Uncle Landan, (also known as Cooper and Katelyn's personal body guard.) So, Cooper, Katelyn, and I all went to Spokane around September 5th. Yes, it was a long time ago - I'm lame when it comes to posting. We went there because we just sold a house we were renting to massage therapists, and I had to sign the closing documents and get my stuff out of there before the official closing. Thank goodness that Landan was there to help me move stuff...well it was more like he moved the stuff and I was busy sorting through stuff. I'm going to hijack my own post to just mention that if anyone has a brother-in-law as good as mine, you must be lucky, and it's a good thing that I have the only 2 grandchildren in Jake's family 'cause that's the only reason why I'm Landan's favorite. Okay - back to the post. My in-laws decided to take this opportunity with the grandkids to go up to the cabin and take Cooper fishing. The pole you see in the picture was a Christmas gift from Jake's dad 2 years ago and he used it for the first time on this trip. Oh, I guess this was a moose that they saw when they were up at the cabin. Pretty cool, huh. Cooper loves stuff like this. Well, I actually let Cooper go up to the cabin with Jake's dad, Landan, and Nathan. This was a big thing for me, especially since I knew there were guns up there. Jake's mom, Katelyn, and I met up with them on Saturday (which is when I caught the "Twilight" fever.) The kids had so much fun with their uncles...and Uncle Nathan even took each of them on a private canoe ride.




Cooper and Katelyn posing for Grandpa. Cooper practicing his "roping skills."

Grandpa was teaching the kids how to rope on our last day there. They were practicing out in front of the cabin. I'm pretty sure they were having a blast, but I made Cooper leave the rope at the Grandpa's house. I definitely didn't want any rope accidents when I got home. By the way, you don't see any pictures of Jake's mom and I because we were hiding in the cabin, engrossed in the "Twilight" series.

TAGGED!! 7 Facts About Me...

Here's how to play:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I'm 30 years old and still scared of the dark. No really, I am. When I was little, my parents use to think it was funny to run up the stairs ahead of my sister and I and turn all the lights off and jump out and scare us as we were running up the stairs to our room. The first thing I do when I'm in someone's house or move into a new place I look for the light switches. If I'm by myself I'll test them all to see which lights they go to so I can move from room to room with at least 1 light on.

2. I'm a "jack-of-all-trades," master of none. I've always been able to do a lot of things and be good at them, but I've never been the best at anything. Unfortunately I think I've got the genetic Chinese ability to copy but not be an original creator.

3. I've got a tiny scar on my forehead from a .44 magnum pistol. Some friends of mine at BYU took me shooting in Payson, UT. We didn't wear any ear muffs and I did fine with the rifles. Apparently, a .22 rifle is way different than a .44 pistol. The pistol was on a towel laid on the hood of an old Ford Tempo, and when I pulled the trigger the noise was so loud it scared me and the pistol kicked right as I let go of it, so my forehead took a huge kick and I dropped the gun on the ground.

4. I have a lot of big ideas that never go very far. Every once in a while I have some crazy idea that I think can be a business, but then I think of all the work that it's going to take and on top of that being a mom, and I get overwhelmed and give up. I know, lame. If you look at the older posts on my blog there are pictures of aprons. I had a little short-lived apron business where I picked these fabrics and design, had them made (when I was in China I had a great seamstress) and then sold them. I think I sold about 28 or so, and these are the ones I still have left. I also make hairbows, baby wrap carriers, and slings...but none have made it to big business. So here I am, the daughter of 2 entrepreneurs and always dreaming of new ideas.

5. I planned on going to law school after I graduated at BYU. Yes, it was my idea to become a lawyer and specialize in family law - hoping to help those women who were wronged in custody battles or to help couples with adoptions. I even took the LSAT, but I knew I'd have to re-take it to get into to the top schools, (I set my sights on UC Berkley). I married Jake though and the LSAT was so unappealing to me that I procrastinated until I had Cooper. Now I'd like to study graphic design when my kids are all in school.

6. When I was pregnant with Cooper, I ate 5 lbs of fuji apples from Buska Farms every week. The farmer's market across the street from us in San Leandro, CA had this stand that had AWESOME fujis. They were so sweet and crispy and just perfectly sized for a snack. On the weekends that I was out of town, I'd have my friend Stephanie May pick some up for me. When I became pregnant with Katelyn, I ordered a box of apples from Buska Farms and he even remembered who I was.

7. When I was 3 months pregnant with Cooper, I went on a week-long white-water rafting trip and swam the "eye of the needle" rapid due to intense family peer pressure. I couldn't say no to my brother-in-law, husband, sister-in-law, and Jake's cousins. I thought I was going to die - I'm not a big water lover outside of the pool, but I made it through the 2 huge rapids and as I attempted to swim towards shore I had to call for someone to pull me in. Thank goodness I had the "golden child..." (Cooper was the first grandson on both sides.)

I tag ....
1. Kim
2. Julie
3. Kim
4. Amy
5. Tamara
6. Stephanie
7. Christy

If you were already tagged before and I missed it, then forget it. For anyone else who would like to do it, it's fun! Please share!

Jackson Hole, Yellowstone Bear World, Yellowstone

Has anyone been to these three places? Well, it's just beautiful up there. I definitely think that everyone should try it. I'm just going to add some pictures really quick - I've got a ton of stuff to do and I need to put pictures of Jake and Tim's triathalon. We're so proud of those two guys - they really did a great job...mostly because we were proud of them for finishing. It's not super easy and you definitely have to be set in following through. There were 2 people who came out of the race right at the beginning of the swim, not even 20 yards out into the 500 m swim. Enough about that though. The first pictures is at Jenny Lake - a little past Jackson Hole. This is Inspiration Point - no, I was not really inspired up there, but it was beautiful. I was freaking out when we hiked up there because there were some really sharp/steep drop offs and I HATE heights. Yes, I know, I stunt, rock climb, etc... but I'm still afraid of heights. It makes me nauseaus.
Family picture - the guys were working hard back in Vegas while we toured the wonders of God's creations. This is a waterfall - don't remember the name, (there were a lot of them all over the place) but it was beautiful and we had to go on a scenic walk to get there. I kept worrying that Cooper was going to slide down the hill and fall into the water - that wouldn't have been good. Apparently he's smarter than I think he is.





Yes, we fed the chipmunks. If you're against that, don't judge me - the kids had a blast and the chipmunks were hungry. Anyway, it was fun and they were cute. I was worried that someone was going to step on them. I'll have to post the Yellowstone and Yellowstone Bear World later. Something is not working quite right with the blogger upload image thing.

Sea World and Newport Beach

Here we are now, a little more than a month later. Lots of stuff has happened - one of them being that my mom and dad came to visit us from China, which is always a treat because they usually stay for a few weeks or a month. This time they not only stayed but we took a road trip that was so much fun...I'll show pictures in a little bit. It's been so crazy, and on top of that my cousin got married, and Jake and Tim completed a triathalon, (they're first). So here are some pictures along with a summary for each...
1. This is how you turn any single child stroller into a double stroller. Cooper has also figured out how to turn it into a triple stroller...he sits on the food tray. This is what happens after a long day at Sea World. Thank goodness my kids are resourceful - Katelyn was lovin' her little basket seat. Yes, that would be Shamu on the right, and we were in the 8th row. No, we didn't get soaked, unfortunately for us we were SOOOO HOT!! But at least I got some good pictures. Does it get any better than this?? I love when my 2 kids love each other, but I guess nothing is ever 100%.

Mom, my sister, and I also went to Newport beach with the kids. Man, did they have a blast, and it was Kenzie's first time in the sand. Katelyn and Cooper were dying to get into the water, but we didn't have our swimsuits, so the kids had to settle for knee deep waves.







We all got down and dirty in the sand building a lake with a bridge. Katelyn kept wanting to spill the water all over the bridge. I think that the best part of the whole trip was just that I actually got to really spend some quality time with Cooper and Katelyn and we weren't interrupted with all the craziness of life.

Note to self & warning to others...

When using Elmer's Glue Spray Adhesive, wear gloves at all times. If you don't wear tight fitting gloves, then beware. You'll need plenty of vegetable oil on hand to remove it off your nails, fingers, palms, etc...

Catching up on life...

So here we are, 2 1/2 months later and I haven't blogged once, but life has been busy, so I feel justified. First of all, just to clarify... I only have 2 kids, Cooper (4 1/2 yrs) and Katelyn (22 months). If you seem some pictures of a 10 yr old Chinese girl, she's been living with us since January and she's now back with her parents. Long story. She may or may not be back in the fall, so this might be the only post with her picture in it. I also haven't been clear enough in these past few posts about the other baby girl. In fact, several of my friends who I haven't seen in a while have emailed me saying "I didn't know you had 3," and of course I was thinking "3? but I only have 2..." until I realized that they're referring to pictures on my blog of my kids and my niece.
She's my niece, Mackenzie...my sister's daughter.
She's 8 months old and 2 inches shorter than Katelyn, and she and Katelyn have been sharing clothes now for a few months. Yes, my daughter is a pygmy. She's still in-between 12-18 month old clothes. I'll have to post a picture sometime this week of the two girls standing next to each other. It's pretty funny. Kate and Kenzie are also the same weight. So, my sister and I have decided that the girls will just share clothes and they'll only need half as many.
Okay, onto what we've been up to lately... In 2 1/2 months Cooper has become quite the swimmer and longboarder. He had an AWESOME wreck on his longboard, or actually it was my longboard. He and Jake went cruising down the trail in Aliante (the master plan community we live in) and as they headed into the tunnel Coop got scared and steered into the tunnel wall to stop. Needless to say, he came out with some roadrash on his face. Yes, he was wearing a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads. Usually he just
steers into the grass and stops, but apparently he didn't make it to the end of the tunnel or this would've been prevented. Oh well, live and learn. This isn't the best picture, but his face looked pretty cool once it scabbed up. Coop has also been practicing his swimming minus the floaties almost everyday. It's nice that our condo has a pool and my sister who's just a few mintues away has a pool too. We just switch back and forth between the two so we don't get bored. Coop's been working on his front flips (from the high side of my sister's pool) and running front flips. We keep trying to teach him how to dive, but it either ends up in a belly flop or a front flip. I think next year we'll do swimming and diving lessons. The pool is about 6 1/2 feet deep and yesterday Cooper jumped in and touched the bottom of the deep end. Talk about satisfaction, he kept telling Jake he couldn't do it and Jake kept telling him to just try, so he did! He was so happy he kept practicing it over and over again. Last week, Jake took the kids to go swimming and we found out some bad news...the condo pool has had some "vandalism" and they've closed it for 2 weeks until they can get an onsite security guard. Bummer, huh. So we've been heading to my sister's pool instead. She has a saltwater pool, so it's more bouyant than the chlorine pools and I can actually swim with Katelyn on my back. Kate is definitely NOT in for the long haul when we swim. She's usually in for about 45 minutes and she's ready to get out. Lately she's been assuming the lifeguard position...this is what she does when she's done swimming, except she's usually wrapped up in a towel. We've been working on having her go underwater and sending her between my sister and I. I finally got her to float by herself, but she's not a huge fan of it. Hopefully we can get her to do some swimming by herself before summer ends. Swimming lessons will probably be in a couple years for her. My friend Carly has been giving me AWESOME tips on how to teach your kids to swim at home, and it's totally worked so far with both the kids.
Onto our other adventure(s)...last night we went to a putting course at Angel Park. It's a really cute place, with sand traps and water traps or whatever you call it in golfing lingo. I'm not a golfer, but it was fun last night. The kids had a blast and guess what?? Yeah, no one had a camera. For some reason, my sister and I can't seem to remember to bring the camera when we go out. At least we had one a few weeks ago when we went to Spring Mountain Ranch. A friend of mine, Kim, invited me to go there with some other moms and their kids when I first moved to Vegas. Bad news for us, they were in the process of moving out shortly after. Her son and Cooper got along pretty well and I'm sure they would've been great friends if he didn't have to move away. Oh well, maybe by some stroke of luck they'll move back. So we went there with my sister Stephanie, her husband Tim, and their daughter Mackenzie. It was a blast! We brought a little picnic with us and the kids just had fun running around learning to throw a football.
I've gotta get going though. Time for church!! I've made it a goal to NOT be late - especially since I need to sit in the side pews to keep my kids cornered from running off!

Just a little note from a crazed mom...

Hi everyone! Sorry about not emailing the link the first time. Seriously, I feel like every day that passes my brain loses more and more cells. Do any of you ever feel like that? I'll try to take more pictures and post them later this week.

Updated Pictures of My Dawgs...

Or Coop Dawg and the girls that is. Here's a bunch of pictures for you guys who are jonesin' for a little cutie pie or three...

Cooper's been swimming A LOT these days. He's started practicing going underwater, jumping in with both feet, swimming backwards, sideways, and forwards, and using his new snorkel and mask. He's hoping for some flippers, but we're waiting for his kicking technique to improve first.

Kenzie has been kickin' it at the pool, and hanging out in her phat new ride (otherwise known as the lily pad floatie). I have to admit, she looks pretty comfortable...I should get one of the adult ones at Costco. Kenzie is also sporting a new summer suit, complete with hat and butt ruffles. Isn't this cute?? (Target - kid's section)And than here's my Kate, gettin' all dolled up and stuff. No, she's not going to prom - too young for that, just going out on the town. Actually, I think we were just going to Steph & Tim's house for a little movie night and BBQ. We've been doing that a lot lately. Steph and I actually sewed a huge movie screen out of muslin and tarp. It's pretty cool and we were able to watch some fun movies with the kids.

I'm not sure if you guys are aware of this, but Asians have this thing about the sun - they're afraid of it. Katelyn's resorted to hiding from it...I'm not sure why. Just kidding, actually she just has this thing about putting things on her head - she loves calling those things hats - even if they're not.

Here are my three angels - when they're not "pretending" to be devils...LOL, but they love to hug and hold each other - and my two can't get enough of smothering poor Kenzie. Good thing she is really mellow or I think there would be more screaming and less laughing. Seriously, Kenzie takes it like a sport; she even laughs and smiles now when the kids are all over her.


Last one for the evening...the kids were in the shower with "Papa Bear" and of course, it wouldn't be true daddy time unless they came out sporting MOHAWKS!! Doesn't my daughter look intimidating? I was pretty impressed.

Out on a Limb Mother's Day Card...

This is my first card posted on this blog...who knows if anyone will see it, but I made it for a card swap for this Thursday and I used PTI's Out on a Limb set. I wanted to use one of my "inspiration" blogger's layouts, but I had a hard time picking one, so I just started with my image and an idea. I guess you can still get inspired even if it's not a real layout to start with. I used navy even though it's not your usual mother's day card color, but I thought I'd try some other colors...and navy is one of my favorites (although you probably won't see it much in any of my other so-called creations). Hope this one isn't too plain. If you think it needs a little spark...share your thoughts, just be kind, I'm not a professional - just a hobbyist.

Supplies:
Paper: navy confetti (unknown source), other blue DCWV
Ink: basic brown, purely pomegranate, whisper white craft
Accessories: corner rounder punch, 1/16" hole punch, sakura clear stardust pen

Family Pictures...

Okay, so long story short, we're in Vegas and here are some pictures from Elko, Vegas, and Spokane. The kids are having a blast - where ever they are...but mostly they're just so darn cute!! For those who didn't want me to clog up their in-box with an email that had 14 pictures, this post is for you.

1. Cooper playing in the snow in Elko... 2. Cooper and Katelyn with Grandma...
3. Cooper's secret tunnel...


4. Katelyn entering the secret tunnel...
5. Red Rock Family Picture...The Coughlins and the Fisks

6. Cooper shaving...(relax, the cover is on the blade, but the shaving cream is real)




7. Cooper's first rock band...

8. Jake and the kids at the Bellagio flower garden...


9. It's hard to be a kid...
10. Are you ready to aerobicize???









11. Start with raising both arms in the air and bend to the right... 12. Next raise your right arm in the air, as high as you can...
13. Sit on the floor and lets stretch our legs... 14. Then take a break to have a little power snack...

15. And when we're done with that - get dressed and go out for an Easter egg hunt...