SuNnY dAyS, sWeePin' those cLoUdS aWaY

It has been a rainy few days here on the Palouse, but Sunday the sun came out and gave us some love. I took the kids out and let them RUN!!! Don't worry, I got plenty of exercise too. The kids were yelling at me in the stroller to go FASTER, so I ended up running all the way to the park and then back home. I abhor running, but my kids actually make really great athletic trainers. We had a nice picnic and enjoyed eachothers company as usual.






Brother and Sister enjoying the playground....





Addi saw some "big kids" climbing this tree, so of course she HAD to try. A little girl saw Addi climbing the tree, so she decided she needed to as well. And so continues the cycle of setting a bad example for the younger kids..... ;o)

Where's Kaden??? :o)

I thought he was being WAY too quiet up there! We have just been having an uneventful weekend. Holiday weekends usually mean my husband is working ALOT, and this Memorial Day weekend is no different. While everyone and thier dog is out camping Tony is working long hours and we are taking it easy at home.

Addi has been doing great with learning her letters and she just got new phonics books so she can start learning to read. She says she wants to be a ballerina when she grows up. She also wants to be the Boss when she is a grownup. We found a preschool for Addi and she starts the beginning of September. They go on a field trip once a month, and parents are welcome to come along. She will love making new friends and I am going to love dressing her cute and fixing her hair. :o)

Kaden is as sweet as ever. Unlike his sister, Kaden is shy. He hangs back and watches what is going on, gets a feel for the situation, and then he will join in when he is ready. When he meets new people he flashes his big beautiful smile, and then hides his face in his Mom's shoulder. He loves his cars, and the other day he was making a motor sound for so long that I thought he had some sort of lung/breathing problem! He is so loving and loves to cuddle. He has a funny voice that him, Addi and Tony all use when they tell eachother Good Night. It makes me laugh every time.

Addi and Kaden are best friends. It is so fulfilling to see the love they have for eachother. Addison has always been a girl of many words. Since she started talking she always talked fast and used jibberish to fill in the gaps of silence that occur in normal communication. Still to this day she adds jibberish, talks fast, and gets excited while doing it. Her ratio of actual english words to jibberish have and continue to increase, but she still prefers her "filler" method. Kaden is a man of few words. He doesn't use jibberish. He comes out with what he wants to say in as few words as possible. "All Done" "food now" "Look Dad" "Hi Addi". The differences between the two of them go on and on, and I love seeing new aspects and features of thier unique personalities emerging everyday.


Addison acts just like Tony and Kaden wants to be like his Daddy when he grows up. It is so cute the way he lights up when he sees his Dad. I will just have to make sure he knows how to pick up after himself better than Tony ;o)

We made it out for a couple of fun outtings this weekend. My personal favorite was a trip to the driving range with my husband. We shared five large buckets and we are both a little sore from it. Last night I took the kids for a banana split, and trip to the playground. A little bit of shopping at a video store that is going out of business and we scored a couple new movies and games. And now duty calls. The kids are screaming and the laundry needs folded. Just another day in la casa de Shaffer.

Baking with Addi :o)

Addison LOVES baking, especially when it's cookies and cupcakes.

She is making her World Famous Strawberry cupcakes! ;o) She loves making cake mixes because the "recipe" on the back of the box is easy for her to follow.

She takes her job very seriously.

Mom usually takes over at this point. But nope. Not today. Today Addi says, "Step Back Mom! I've got this! Just watch and learn. Watch and Learn! You might wanna get your camera, cuz you've never seen nothin like THIS before!"

"Oh BOY! This job can get MESSY!"

......Oh, that's what this thing is for :o)

Kaden was busy doing his own thing. He just wanted to know when the sweet stuff was gonna be ready!


The final product. Later that night Kaden grabbed a few of these off the counter and made a grand mess. He really enjoyed rubbing the frosting through his hair :o)

Mmmmmmm Delicious. Great Job Addi!!!

A great morning with the kids :o)

Both kids were up and full of energy by 6 am this morning. They cuddled up and watched a some Dora together while I got ready, then the three of us walked over to the indoor playground. Once it had warmed up a bit outside we walked over to the fairgrounds park and played outside. We are supposed to have horrible weather, so I felt lucky to enjoy such a beautiful morning with my kids. Addi has a friend coming over today to play, and then tonight we are planning to go see the new Shrek movie in the theatre. :o)

Our Sunday Drive

We took off on a beautiful Sunday drive and picked a route we had never been on. The scenery was AMAZING, and we found a new campground that is pretty close to home.

I figured out the timer on my camera so we stopped and took a pic together :o)



My good lookin driver :o)

On the way down the mountain little Kaden got car sick and puked. Twice. It was unfortunate, but managable for a Mom who has seen much worse. It may have been Kaden's way of ensuring he got to swim in the creek. We were just glad he was feeling better after a nice cool dip in the water.





Another timer pic! Expect more of these :o)


Me and my Kiddos

Happy Birthday to Me! :o)

Yesterday was my 28th Birthday. I am very comfortable at this stage in my life. I feel like I can look at my past and be proud of my accomplishments, and yet the future still feels wide open. Anything can happen. I feel like I have a good understanding of the world and what is most important. I understand the world will knock me down time and time again, and my children will be watching me to see how I respond. Being a parent and a wife have opened me up to a whole new set of emotions and feelings. These emotions have definatley affected my world view, and have allowed me to feel empathy for a greater range of humanity. This is how I justify my tears from a really heartfelt commercial or song on the radio :o). Being the best wife and mother I can possibly be will continue to be my goals for the rest of my life.

I brought cupcakes to work with me the night before my birthday. When I told my clients how old I was, one of them asked,"28, is that old or young?" to which I responded, "I don't know, you tell me!" :o) I am thankful that I have such a great job with clients that brighten my life more than they will ever know. They always put things into perspective for me, and because of them I never take anything for granted and have learned to appreciate all the little things in life. Like drinking a soda. Going for a walk. Sharing a laugh.

On the morning of my birthday after I got off work, I stopped by the mall for a quick shopping spree. Quick but satisfying. Picked up some necessities like a new golf shirt, some golf balls and other things that I think I need and really don't. But hey, on my birthday I'll be the judge of that. I was very specific with Tony as for my birthday wishes. I JUST WANT TO GO GOLFING. THAT'S IT. MAKE IT HAPPEN! And boy did he make it happen!! It was the perfect day. All around, perfect day. We spent the afternoon on the beautiful University of Idaho golf course, working on our swing. It was just what I needed. And I couldn't have asked for better weather.



Check out this view!!













After our round of golf we headed over to the Ale House for a pitcher of beer and a burger. This is the Centennial Pale Ale. I ordered the California burger, it was topped with pepperjack cheese, peppered bacon and guacamole. Mmmmmmmmmmm good. After dinner we headed home to spend the evening with the kids. The kids had a great time with the babysitter who took them to the park and out for ice cream, so they didn't even miss us! Kaden was REALLY excited to see his Momma though. I put "Annie" the musical on and was surprised that it held everyone's attention, Addison, Kaden, Renner and even Tony.

My dear friend Renner brought me this beautiful cake and gorgeous flowers. Tony bought me my favorite authors new book on it's release day. It was the perfect gift.

The cake was AMAZING! Boston Creme with Strawberries. Everyone loved it and of course I took a few pics of Kaden eating his slice. I just couldn't resist.




Gave Kaden a good bath after this, then put the kids to bed and made Tony watch a romance movie with me!! He couldn't protest on my birthday!! :o)