Mad Hatter Tea Party

About a week ago, my friend Courtney emailed me with a link for a Mad Hatter Tea Party being held in Bellevue this Saturday. We signed Emma up right away considering how OBSESSED she is with Alice in Wonderland. She has been waiting for this day all week! When we first told her about it, she ran to her room to get her Alice dress that Grandma had made her for Halloween. She even came out with the shoes, ribbons and tights in the pile! :) I told her to put them in a safe spot in my room and that on THE day-she could wear it to the tea party. She did and each day since, she would wake up and say in a wondering voice- "Mommmmmm???? Is it my Alice party today?" This morning I was finally able to say "Yep Sis! Today's the day!" It was at the Kidquest Children's Museum in Bellevue. Grandma & Papa brought Cousin Stephanie to join Emma for a crazy time at the Mad Hatter event! Check out the fun they had:

Pure Love

This kid is in LOVE with Elmo-we've never really watched Sesame Street around our house before-well, until now! Mr. B can spy Elmo from a mile away!
Tip: DON'T TAKE HIM TO FRED MEYER-ELMO IS EVERYWHERE AT THAT PLACE AND YOU'LL BE DRAGGING HIM OUT KICKING & SCREAMING!

Needless to say, we finally got him his first Elmo toy-and he hasn't let it go. He gasped really loud and squealed "ELMO!" when we gave it to him-talk about excited! It's about as big as he is and he hugs it constantly saying "I yuh you....ooooo, I yuh you".
Melts your heart doesn't he?

Our Sweet Girl

Since I wrote an Ode to our Peyton back in the fall-I can't leave out our sweet girl Brinkley :) It was this month, 5 years ago, that I brought home that green eyed, fuzzy little brown bellied bundle of cuddles.  Here's how she became part of our Martone family:

I was teaching 2nd grade in Wapato (an hour from home) and Mike was teaching in town. He had been bombarding my school email with pictures of Chocolate Lab puppies for months....months I tell you! We already had Pey Pey and things were going really smooth with him as far as kennel training & potty training went. We enrolled him in puppy classes, and the whole bit. Mike even enjoyed coming home everyday on his planning periods to let Peyton out of the corralled kitchen area to go potty outside...apparently it was so fun he wanted to do it again-which completely shocked me. I thought it was a completely CRAZY idea and repeated the "negative" response OVER and OVER and OVER to his desires for another dog.
One day I finally relented (but didn't fill Mike in on that detail). I contacted the breeder whom we purchased Peyton from and she said that she just had a litter of Chocolates and a litter of Beagles. The most exciting news was that they'd be ready to go home in a week! She emailed me a couple pictures of the 2 that hadn't been spoken for yet and my heart melted....they were so darn cute! Oh my goodness....what had I gotten myself into?
Well, there I was one week later, cash in hand, driving 300 miles round trip AFTER school to pick up a surprise for my husband.  I was completely exhausted from teaching 8 year olds all day, but knowing I had a tiny puppy coming home with me that night-I had enough adrenaline to keep me going :)
When I got to the breeders there were beagle puppies running all over the barn with 2 little chocolate labs in the mix of them all. They were both girls, one was really mellow and the other was right in there with all the beagles-nipping them on the tails and barking right along with them. Which one do you think I picked? Yep-the mellow one, until the breeder let me know that she was actually keeping that one????Ummmmm....ok? So there she was-our Brinkley, a rowdy, spunky gal hoppin' all over the place. I picked her up and she instantly snuggled into my neck. That's when I knew she was a keeper.

She had a zest for life that was insatiable, yet she could calm down and give some lovin' too....a PERFECT combination! I inquired about the mother of the puppies and was informed that she died a day or so after giving birth due to a stillborn pup that was left in the womb causing infection. Thus all her precious lab puppies nursed with the beagle pups off of their Beagle momma-(and I SWEAR it is the reason why Binks is so much more of a barker than Pey! There's "barking/yapping" genes in Beagle breast milk! :)
Brinkley was given her first set of shots, I paid the fees and we headed home together-just she and I! Of course at this point Mike had called my cell phone a couple times wondering why I wasn't home. I told a little fib and said I had stopped at Costco on my way home and would be home when I was done :)
I had made a little bed with blankets for Brinks on the front passenger seat-ha ha ha. That didn't last long. At the end of the driveway she had already moved herself into my lap, cozied in & fallen asleep. She stayed like this the whole 2 hours home. It was great bonding for us and something I'll always treasure.
Pulling up at home-where it was well after dark at this point- I set Brinkley in the pile of blankets in the passenger seat and went inside. I asked Mike for help with the groceries and said there was heavy stuff in the front seat. Without question, he got on his shoes and walked out to the car-it was pretty hilarious to watch him open the door and jump when he saw something small & dark move around in the seat. Then he quickly grabbed her and snuggled her up to his face. He was IN LOVE instantly! He brought her in a looked at me in disbelief-he was a happy guy and surprised to say the least!

(Mike's first few moments with his new baby)

We decided to name her Brinkley after the beautiful model Christie Brinkley and the doggie in one of my favorite Tom Hanks movies- "You've Got Mail".
Brinkley is a great companion, a loving, snuggle bug to ANYONE-especially if you aren't feeling well or are sad. She's gentle and kind to Emma & Bryce, but her favorite person of all time-is still....Mike.

(Brinkley snuggling with a sick EmmaLee)

(Putting up with Puppy Pedicures & Facials)

Bee Bee is Mike's dog in EVERY sense of the phrase. As a tiny puppy, she used to make a "nest" on the floor out of his clothes and nap in the middle of it. She still does this! When she hears his footsteps outside from practically 3 blocks away-she gets so excited she can hardly contain her enthusiasm!
She sleeps at the end of our bed and is the first one to give Mike a hug (literally)& kiss before anyone else has a chance to in the morning or when he comes home at night. The best part is-the feeling is mutual between them-they adore each other, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

(she loves to hang out with the preschoolers and watch them play)

(she licks the beaters of cookie dough too)

She is incredibly intelligent-seeing as she taught herself how to get out of her stainless steel wire kennel as well as open doors in our house without ANY TRAINING WHAT-SO-EVER!  She just opens and closes as she sees fit. It's amazing :) She is 100% a member of this family, just as the rest of us are, and we can't imagine life without her.

A Creek Runs Through It

We found a fun little trail along the property line of Oldstead Farm-the dogs had a grand time jumping in and out of the water, Mike played fetch with the puppies, the kids played with sticks along the banks of the water and I had fun with my Nikon! Great Sunday outing/photo shoot with the fam. Check it out:

Good Ol' Uncle Sam

Last night "Uncle Sam" bought Mike an I-touch. He spent a good part of the evening downloading all kinds of app's on it and couldn't wait to show them to EmmaLee this morning. She thinks it's pretty cool that dad will let her sit on the couch and hold this new gadget. I am SHOCKED at how gentle she has been with it too. If she needs help, she just calls for dad instead of touching anything herself. She's been watching Shrek movies, old cartoons and playing games all morning. Bryce could care less. ha ha ha

What did I get from Uncle Sam you may ask???? A new-very cool-cupcake holder! :)

Outdoors

Woke up to Em & Bryce watching this on Sesame Street with Mike this morning. It inspired me so, we went OUTDOORS all day! It was great! Picnic at the park and hours of enjoyment in the sunshine! I heart sunny days-such a breath of fresh air for the soul! (Don't forget to turn off the music at the bottom first! :)

A World of His Own

I thought I would document this, because it is something that my kids RARELY do, and it may not happen again! :)
Today during preschool Bryce decided he would play in his room-which meant double duty for me (upstairs, downstairs, upstairs & down again to check on him). This sweet boy stayed and played in his room for 3 hours! I brought him some juice and snack, but he could still care less what anyone else was doing today-Each time I popped in, he'd be playing something new: reading his doggy book, riding his dinosaur, playing vroom vroom with his cars, singing wiggles or "na na na na BATMAN!"...and he was completely content. Such a happy little man. Wish everyday could be like this....it was AMAZING!

Yummo Coconut Rice

Made this with dinner last night-it is YUMMY so I thought I'd share the love:

Coconut Rice

2 c. white or Jasmine rice

1 can coconut milk

2 c. water

1 tsp. Kosher salt

4-5 tsp. white sugar

Handful of chopped green onions, plus chopped green onion tops for garnish 

Black pepper to taste

Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil  Turn heat to low and cover for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Allow to stand 5 minutes.  Add green onions, black pepper (if desired), and additional salt if necessary.  Serve with any Asian or tropical-inspired food.

Kristiology

I got tagged-so here it is:

***********FOODOLOGY***************
What is your salad dressing of choice?
Honey Mustard

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
Steak Fajitas!!!

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Fresh tomatoes, onion & cheese!


***********TECHNOLOGY***************
How many televisions are in your house?
4 but we only watch 3 of them regularly

What color cell phone do you have?
Silver

How many computers do you own?
2-both Mac's (a laptop & desktop) but Mike is getting an Iphone this summer and I hope to get an Itouch (which I think count as computers....that will put us at 4! Woah!)

***************BIOLOGY******************
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Right

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
Do 2 babies count???? :)

What is the last heavy item you lifted?
EmmaLee's new dresser

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
not knocked out by someone else-but fainted on my own yes....NUMEROUS times!

************IFOLOGY**************
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
Uh NO! But I do think you should live like you were dying :)

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I wouldn't change my name

If someone offered you $1000 to drink an entire bottle of hot sauce-would you?
HECK NO! I hate hot stuff!

************RANDOMOLOGY******************
How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
None at the moment (which is RARE for me-I LOVE flip flops-I think they show that you love life!)...No worries-I'll have like 5 pairs by the time summer rolls around :)

Last person you hugged?
EmmaLee

First place you went this morning?
To the kitchen to cook breakfast for my family

What's the last movie you saw?
The Skeleton Key-kinda creepy, but decent.

Do you smile often?
Unfortunately, I don't think so-I've been told I often look ticked off (even when I'm not)

Sleeping Alone Tonight?
I hope not... :)

**************FAVORITOLOGY****************
Season?
Fall-beautiful colors from nature and crisp cool weather....LOVE it!

Holiday?
Halloween-not the Freddy Kruger kind of Halloween-the fun, silly spook kind, and it's only been my favorite since having kids, a holiday full of make believe, dress up and sweets! Such a magical time of year-

Day of the week?
Friday-means I have my family all to myself for the next few days-where we can do ANYTHING WE WANT TO!

Month?
October

Form of Relaxation?
Spa Pedicures for sure! (the kind where they turn off all the lights except the one spotlight on your feet, give you a warm wrap for your neck, a glass of water and you can go to sleep while they bathe your feet, smooth them up with parafin wax and massage them.....ahhhhhh-heaven!) My gal Hollie at Hanna Marchel Salon here in Eburg is AWESOME!!!!

***********CURRENTOLOGY*****************
Missing someone?
my momma-besides Mike, she is my best friend. We have our drama moments and our up's an down's like most Mom's & Daughters, but-she's always been there for me and I can talk to her about almost anything, and we have our own secrets together. I love our random daily chit chats-when we don't talk, there is a definite void in my life. I LOVE my Mom.

Mood?
anxious-I want Mike to be done with his principle certification so we can start the next phase of our lives-hopefully including moving home to Cali.(because it's about time :) with a Middle School VP job for Mike! (keeping my fingers crossed that my dream comes true!)

What are you listening to?
A Bugs Life on the TV in the background and music on my Ipod

Watching?
Nothing

Praying for?
Hearts to heal, and things in our future to work out the way they are meant to

***************OTHER-OLOGY*****************
Do you always answer your phone?
no-never...in fact I HATE THE PHONE! Why do you think I refuse to get a landline phone? :) Just email me! I check it like 4 times a day. lol

It's 4 in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
My sister Ashley with a picture text of yet ANOTHER tattoo-lol

If you could change your eye color what would it be?
I love my eye color!

Do you own a digital camera?
Yep I think we have 3-although I only really use 2-I ESPECIALLY love my Nikon D60! It's my baby-she takes some really terrific pictures for me :) I've enjoyed learning about photography with it. Something I've always wanted to do, and now I AM!

Favorite Christmas song(s):
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!-Andy Williams

What's on your wish list for your birthday?
1. A SPA PEDICURE
2. Help completing all the little unfinished house projects
3. A date with my favorite guy-my poobee-he surprised me by taking me to this fantastic Tango Bar & Grill in Seattle last year and I really want to go back!

Does the future make you more nervous or excited?
Both-I love life! no matter what it brings is a new "adventure" I just hope they are positive ones!

Do you have any saved texts?
One-a coupon code for The Picture People (I've used it 4 times!) I don't hang on to stuff-physical or on my phone-clutter drives me INSANE.

Ever been in a car wreck?
Yuck-Unfortunately 2

Do you have an accent?
Not anymore-which makes Mike sad :)

What is the last song to make you cry?
Unborn heart by Dan Hill-I was pregnant with my sweet EmmaLee Mae-I think everything made me cry, but this song is pretty special when you are expecting!

Plans tonight?
Hopefully to take the kids to the park-which means I get to chit chat with Mike, dinner and do a little planning for school this week.

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
No-I've always tried to stay off of that road-I'm not a risk taker-sometimes that's good, and sometimes not....

Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
Alice in Wonderland doll for Em, T-Rex doll for Bryce, lunch at Panera

Current worry?
Selling our house and everything that entails (painting, odd jobs finished, kitchen remodeled kinda....etc.)

Current frustration right now?
when it is sunny and 60 degrees one day and rains the next, then 60 again, then rain! I feel bipolar or something (happy, sad, happy, sad, happy....what's next?)

Met someone who changed your life?
I'm fortunate-Lots of people, in one way or another

What song represents you?
She's Always a Woman by Billy Joel (I can be moody, loving, creative and stressed all at the same time...like he sings about in the song)

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
I don't think so-we have all said or done things we aren't proud of, but they help shape who we become, and I like who I am-so I wouldn't want to go back-just forward!

Have you ever dated someone longer than a year
Ummmmmm....yep! Mike and I dated for 8 years on and off before we were married-now we've been married for 6 years this summer!!!

Do you have any tattoos/piercings?
My ears are pierced. I am terrified of needles (remember the risk taking thing???) so NO on the ink-sorry Ash!

Does anyone love you?
Don't you??? :)

Ever have someone sing to you?
No-that's cheesy!

When did you last cry?
Last month-stress!

Do you like to cuddle?
Absolutely!

Have you held hands with anyone today?
Bryce

What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school?
Classic Rock in Dad's car, lots of Julio Iglesias, oldies, Elvis, Elton John & Olivia Newton John!!!!

Do you like pulpy orange juice?
YUCK! I HATE pulp in my OJ-it ruins it!

What is something your friends make fun of you for?
Not sure-they must do it behind my back because there is too much to bring to my attention!

Yowzers that was a lot!-So there you have it-is there anything you STILL don't know about me? :) lol
The 3 people I tag are: Emily Hall, Megan Miles and Rachel Valenzuela (have fun!)