Slumber Party Singing

Lunch with Dad

Last weekend, while Reed was in classes downtown, we met him to have lunch. It was a gorgeous day- sunny but not too hot. Just the way I like them! He had an hour break between classes so we had sandwiches on waterfront and then when Reed went back to school the kids and I went on to Pioneer Place to do a little shopping. And I do mean little. Really how much can you expect to get done with three kids?
















Nate & Jocelyn think the best part about Pioneer Place is the fountain where they always insist on throwing a penny in to make a wish. Jocelyn walked right up to the water, closed her eyes tight, and then paused for a moment before she flung her penny in the water. You could just tell she was sure that her wish was coming true. Nate, on the other hand, said as I gave him his penny, "Why don't all wishes come true when you throw the penny in the fountain?" It made me a little sad that even at six he has figured this out. Can't he hold on to all those wonderful childhood beliefs just a little bit longer? I just told him that even if our wishes don't come true it's still fun to wish for them!

Happy 30th Anniversary

So even though my parents NEVER check my blog- love you guys- I had to send out some happy wishes to my parents who are celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary today. 30 years seems like an unfathomable number! (Mostly since I am still running under that radar of having lived to be 30 years old.) What a great accomplishment that is to have shared your lives together and loved and sacrificed and shared all the ups and downs of life and still be totally committed and in love with each other. They have always been great examples to me. I also bet they never would have guessed on their wedding day that only 30 years later they would be celebrating their anniversary in London, England while serving their mission?! I hope they are having a wonderful day, whatever they are doing. Love you!!

Back on Track

I know it has been forever but I'm back. Here's a quick update on all that has happened:


Sarah and her kids came for the a few days early to hang out with us and let the kids play. Our kids had the BEST time together.















The best quote of the week goes to Cooper. I wanted him to do something and he said no so I started to pretend to cry. In all seriousness he says, "You cry like a girl." I just burst out laughing. What 3 year old knows that phrase? This one does!

Madie also celebrated her fifth birthday while she was in Oregon and boy were we glad she did. Her icecream cake was divine!! I love this toothy(or should I say not toothy) grin of Madie. She is such a sweet girl with an easy going disposition. She loves to share everything she has with anyone she knows. We just love her!

We gave Laynie an Oreo from the cake and this is the final result. It looks like I wasn't the only one who thought the cake was good. :)

It's a Scott tradition to have a spankin' line on your birthday. It's always more fun- well unless it's your birthday- to have lots of people there. Nice to see the tradition is going strong.















So here is a picture from the wedding- the reason we all got together. They make a cute couple and look so happy. We hope they have a wonderful life together!

Here are a few pictures of the kids at the reception with Grandma and Grandpa. Sarah made all of the girls skirts, flip flops, and hair bows. Isn't she just so talented! The girls felt like little princesses the whole day!

Bane of my Existance

Can I tell you how much I despise my vacuum? Here's the low down. When I got married my parents bought us a vacuum from Sears. It worked fine but after seven years it wasn't working as well as it used to so a little over two years ago we went through the ordeal of buying a new vacuum. We researched it in Consumer Reports - we didn't need (or want to spend the money) on the top of the line vacuum but wanted a solid vacuum. CR recommended the Hoover EmPower as a great vacuum for the price. I am a loyal Consumer Reports fan. They have never steered me wrong before. But let me tell you this vacuum sucks- and not the way it is supposed to. Case in point, I am vacuuming in the family room and I can see a piece of lint on the floor. I go over the area once, then twice, and then a third time without any success. I finally said to Nate, "Can you just pick up that piece of string for me?" So here I am just two years later, once again searching for a decent vacuum. All I want is a clean floor, while only having to go over the area just once, is that too much to ask? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Happy 4th of July

There are so many things I LOVE about the 4th: BBQ's, parades, fireworks and even in Oregon we almost always have sun! :) I have so many fond memories of the culdesac BBQ's we'd have on 58th Ct with all the neighbors. I especially remember the one neighbor who always brought the BEST (albeit illegal) fireworks. There was always loads of good food and wonderful friends to share it with. I miss those carefree days. But I also love watching my kids experience those same carefree days for themselves now. They love the fourth of July and have been talking about it for days now. They think the local parade is the coolest thing ever and they think that sparklers and pop its are about the best things in the world. It's so wonderful that they are still so easily amazed. I am so grateful we have this opportunity each year to honor all who have sacrificed so much for our country and enjoy these simple pleasures with my children. Happy 4th!

What's a girl to do??

Last Friday I felt like I was having one of those deja vu moments. I looked over at Jocelyn and said, "Did you cut your hair?" Even at 4 1/2 she tried to pull off the whole "What? I don't know what you're talking about" act. (Makes me nervous for her teenage years) I went over to inspect her hair and sure enough it was cut. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! Seriuosly, I get that this isn't a new experience for mom's. LOTS of little girls cut their hair. The aggravating - pull - your-hair-out part of the story is that this is the THIRD time in a year. The first time happened right after Easter last year. I cried and cried as my friend Jenni cut Jocy's long hair to a cute bob at her shoulders. Later that year, she let Nate cut her hair. (Alright it wasn't totally her fault but still come on... she should have been traumatized enough from the first time she would have never let Nate near her.) Luckily, once again Jenni was able to fix it by just giving her some layers. So here we are- once again- a mere 14 months later dragging Jocelyn to Jenni's in hopes of salvaging something. This time we ended up with some wispy bangs. I hate bangs. Not because I don't think they are cute but because they require work. Like I need any more work when it comes to doing my kids hair. I'm hair- challenged enough as it is.

I'm starting to get a complex as a parent though. I mean really how many times is she going to cut her hair before my pleas that only Jenni or Aunt Kristy can cut her hair will sink in? As I lamented to Reed that whatever I was doing was not working, he mentioned that maybe Jocy had found her calling in life in cutting hair. I immediately responded, "I hope not because she's really not very good at it." Reed assured me she was only four and maybe years from now she will be. Honestly, I'm not convinced. But if the last year is any indication of what the future will be like- she'll get lots of practice.