Aloha Friday #29

Aloha Friday # 29

I am going back in time today. So today I ask you the following questions, answer one or answer all just have fun going back in time.

Todays Question......
Go back 5, 10 and/or 20 years in time, how old were you and what were you doing in your life then?

My answers:
5 Years ago I was 29 years old and Luke would have been one. We had our home a couple years at this point and had gotten a good start on the work before Luke arrived.

10 years ago I was 24 and the year would have been 1999. I had just been married one year, we were living in our little apartment and I was working full time and going to collage full time. I always have been one of those people that has to load my plate with way to much stuff.

20 years ago I would have been 14. I would have been in junior high school (8th grade). It was the last year my parents lived in town before we moved to the apple farm that my parents live on today.

Play along at An Island Life for Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

PLAY TIME

Last week while on vacation Luke talked me into putting up his tent. Now this is a tent that I can not stand. Two years ago Luke wanted a play tent for Christmas. My mother-in-law buys him this huge thing.

(I can stand up inside this huge thing)

I was not happy because you can't set this thing up anywhere with out it taking up half of a room. But for my kids enjoyment I put it in the toy room where the boys had a blast.

I was sitting at the computer and Thomas was playing peek-a-boo with me through the little tiny door. It was so cute!!


I have yet to take this tent down but the boys have more fun knocking it down and every day I have to fix it so they can destroy it again. Here it is on its way down, it just hasn't hit the floor yet.
Have your kids ever recieved a toy that was just way to big or just not ment for your home?

Go visit Angie at 7 Clown Circus for more great Wordfull Wednesday post.

Easter Photos

As I promissed Easter photo's to share with all of you. I must have gotten sick of lugging around the camera because I only took pictures of the first two Egg hunts we went on and skipped the Egg hunt photo's for the last two and I didn't take any photo's of them finding their baskets Easter morning. My husband took a video clip but I am half asleep in it and I just rolled out of bed so I am not sharing that with anyone.


This was our first egg hunt at a local park. I didn't even know they did an egg hunt until Luke brought home info from school about it. It was crazy and we arrived just as they blew the wistle. One minute later and it was over. Lots of kids!!!
This is Thomas's first time egg hunting and he just isn't sure what to do here.

He likes the basket!

I had to chase Luke everywhere. He was off and running and it was so busy I was nervous about lossing him in the crowed. I am glad Eric went and had Thomas because I couldn't have done both.

Saturday we went to Grandma's house. We egg hunted with our cousins. It was great that my niece was their considering she just spent the last week in the hospital. On this day she was doing great. Something to be so thankful for.

Thomas has figured this out now. Oh boy I need to hurry and grab those eggs. "Hey mom, whats up with this big basket?"

Yeah, I should have stuck with the little basket.Luke loves trying to get the most eggs. I have a picture of him on my fridge of his first egg hunt at my parents. He was just about Thomas's age and it is such a great memory.

You can't tell but Thomas has discovered that it is really fun to take the eggs he has collected and throw them out into the yard.

Finally we sit in Papa's bar in the Jeep. The battery is dead so their is no riding today. Poor Thomas just wants to ride a power wheel so bad. He sits with his cousin who is one month younger than he is. They are so cute together.

Thanks for letting me share some of our Easter fun.

Awards, some long over due

It is always so fantastic to be given a blog award and to know that others are thinking about your blog. I want everyone to know that I always appreciate these awards and since I received one this week and one last week I decided I need to post several that I have received and not posted about for some time. I love all of the bloggers who have given me awards and who I am passing awards onto, as they have really great blogs that I enjoy reading all of them.

Oh and I am not following the rules on all of them because I just can't think of that many bloggers to pass these onto. OK I am sure I could if I tried but I need to take a shower so this is the best I am doing today.

Today's award comes from Jenn at T-Rex Mom & Dad Tales. She has two really cute blogs. Her second blog is T-Rex Tales and it is from the perspective of her little boy. It is so cute!!!

The rules for the award are as follows:1. Put the logo on your blog or post.2. Nominate 7 blogs that show great Gratitude and/or Attitude.3. Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.4. Let them know they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. Jenn(ifer) at Adventures in Raising Boys
2. HeatherLyn at Colt Family Blog
3. Cynically Optimistic
4. Diane at Good Morning Glory

My next award came last week from Jenn(ifer) at Adventures in Raising Boys. I think she has such a cute blog. I totally relate to her because she is raising boys just as I am.

Here are the RULES!
1. Link back to Adventures in Raising 2. List 7 things you love ♥ 3. Link to 7 blogs and then let them know they have an award waiting for them...Otherwise how will they know???


Seven things that I love.
1. Luke, he is my 6 year old and he brings so much joy to my life. He is growing up way to fast and every day I see him changing and maturing.
2. Thomas, he is my 17 month old. Wow can he wear me out but his smile melts your heart and no matter how bad he can behaive it is so easy to forget and just hug him all day long.
3. Eric, my husband. We have been a big part of each others lives for 17 years. I have days where he can make me so mad and we are very different but at the end of the day I love him so much. I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else.
4. Jesus Christ who died for my sins. This is a big part of my life and I have just as much love for him as I do my family.
5. Chocolate... what more do I need to say here. LOL...
6. Blogging... again what else needs to be said.
7. Working out, when I can find the time I love a good work out. Two kids makes this difficult but I am one of those crazy people that loves getting my heart going and being covered in a good sweat.


Passing this one along too....
1. Caitlin at It's Spelled C-A-I-T-L-I-N
2. LeAnne at Tollesons 4 Him
3. Sarah at I Blame My Mother
4. Jeannie at Jeannie's Happy World



About three weeks ago Sarah at I Blame My Mother gave me this award. She has a really cute blog. She probably thinks I have stopped reading her blog. I can't comment on her blog from home because my computer gives me errors and wont let me. Since I have been on vacation she hasn't had any comments from me.

The rules of this award are simple:
1. Write 10 honest (and hopefully interesting) things about yourself.
2. Pass this award onto 7 bloggers who you find brilliant in content and design.


10 Honest things about me...
1. I never wanted to be a mom. Would you ever have guessed this about me? I am so thankful God had these plans for my life because I couldn't imagine my life with out my kids.
2. I drive an SUV, not my vehical of choice but it is great for hauling kids, dogs and what ever else we might need to take.
3. It is my second new car and it is almost paid off and I am going to drive the stupid thing until it dies.
4. My husband doesn't know that I blog. He doesn't get the interest of things like this so I just don't tell him and I don't do it when he is around.
5. Only one person in my life knows I have a blog and she is my very best friend. I had to share it with her, even though I don't think she reads it very often.
6. I have my batchlors degree in Business with a focus in Marketing. I manage all of the marketing for my company (small company).
7. The part I love most is about my job creating advertisments and new catalogs the part I hate the most is dealing with advertisers who want me to purchase ad space with them and not the other guy.
8. I love my job but would much rather make being a mom my full time job. Eric wont let me give up my career to do this. So I work 32 hours a week and balance the two.
9. I am a Lost (the TV show) junky. I love this show and I can't get enough of it. After it ends I am buying all the seasons on DVD and watching it again.
10. Nina is a nick name my father called me as a child. I used it on my blog because I have a very unique name and I am not comfortable with posting my real name.


Passing this award along too....
1. Jenn at T-Rex Mom & Dad Tales.
2. Lt at A Day with Two
3. Cupcake at The Blog of Cupcake



My friend Diane at Good Morning Glory gave me this award way back in March. I know I am a slacker, you can say it.


The Love Ya Award Rules:
“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."


These go too....
1. T-Rex at T-Rex Tales
2. Tiffany at My Southern Hippy Married Mom of Four Life
3. Peanut at Peanut, Peanut Lover and the Weenuts.
4. Maggie at Life with Boys


Finally way back on March 1st my Friend Heatherlyn at the Colt Family Blog also gave me the Kreativ Blogger award. Same rules as above apply so I am not going to repeat myself. I am just acknowledging the award from her. She has this wonderful blog about her family and I always enjoy reading it.


Letting these awards build up is a lot of work. It has taken a little more than an hour to do this post. Of course Thomas is in here every other minute wanting to destroy my desk so that is making this a challenge.

Easter Weekend

Vacation is over and it ended in a whirlwind holiday weekend. I love family get together but they can also be tiresome especially when everything requires a decent amount of travel time.

Saturday we went to my parents house for Easter. They had a family lunch and then a bon-fire cook out at dinner time. Unfortunately we did not get to stay all day for the bon-fire because I had way to many things to finish doing for Easter Sunday. The kids had a lot of fun hunting eggs and then playing together for the afternoon.

We left my parents and went to my in-laws to pick up the new bike we had bought for Luke. He is 6 and it is time for him to learn to ride a bike. We don't have any place for him to really ride a bike so we are going to have to take him out riding. We had Luke go off with Grandma while we put the bike in the back of my SUV and cover it with a blanket. Not the best move on our part. That boy wasn't in the car 2 minutes and we get in and he says "Who's Hot Wheel bike is that?". Arr.... OK, I laughed but still it ruined the surprise.

Saturday night I put some plastic eggs out with candy and quarters in them. Only a few with candy because I have bad dogs and they would be eating candy while we all are sleeping. Morning comes and Luke is up at 7. He is running around shaking eggs and will only take the ones with money. If it didn't have money he left it for his brother. That kid is all about the money these days. Then it was off to Church and for once we actually got their early. We are never on time let alone early. Church is over and we have another egg hunt. Then we drive home pick up Eric and we drive an hour to his families Easter where the kids do yet another egg hunt. Can I just say the candy is worse than Halloween. I am trying to get into better shape and the candy is not helping. Arr....What will happen is 50% of it will go in the trash after about a week. Everyone will pick out what they like and then the left over stuff I toss because no one will eat it.

Getting up this morning for work was rough so I forgot my camera card. I have lots of great pictures and I will post them tomorrow as I will be home taking yet another vacation day. My sitter is still on vacation and wont return until Thursday. Talk about making life difficult. I hate paying Daycare rates yet they never go on vacations like a home sitter does.

Did anyone else travel for Easter? Do you have way more candy than you or the kids will ever need?