Hiatus OVER!

Ahh, it feels good to be back! After almost two years of not keeping up with the blog due to a variety of reasons/excuses, I have returned! I realized after pulling up this electronic jounral to look for a recipe, I found that I was mildly entertaining to read and the little snip-its of life were nice to reflect upon in such detail. I feel it will be a wonderful gift to give Cash and Bentley when they are older, especially if I get these printed every year like I originally planned. Plus it is an easy reference if they every claim I was anything but a total kick-ass MOM!

^ My Mom Shoots People^

Perhaps I will go back and highlight some of our adventures from the last couple of years, but for now goal is just to restart my blogging (such a weird word).  It is important to note that I am now happily MARRIED to the most incredible man, Leif (more to come in another post), who is an exceptional partner and parent. 

Cash and Bentley, you are now 4 1/2 years old! Last fall you started pre-school and this year is kindergarten, WOAH! Currently you are involved in soccer, just started karate and  I plan to add dance or gymnastics to the mix soon. It may sounds borderline overscheduling-ish but you two are brilliant, talented little men with a massive amount of energy and I am confident you will succeed in being well rounded individuals. We are so proud of you both for your commitment to always strive to be the best version of yourself.

We currently reside in a house with a large fenced backyard (woo hoo!) with plenty of room for you guys to ride your bike, drive your car, draw chalk murals and we can even set up a slip n slide! Inside your room you have a rocking bunk bed, spiraled lights on the ceiling, an ever growing library, loads of puzzles and treasure chests full of toys. We have a shop to do all kinds of arts/crafts, plus Leif just so happens to be a phenomenal artist and tattooist! I sure am a lucky girl to have three amazing men to share my days!

I look forward to future posts and Summer now that i'm looking at pictures!

I love you Cash and Bentley, equally and more than anything! 

~ Mama Bear

Bentz FIRST Broken Bone

I knew when I found out I was having boys that our lives would be full of accidental injuries... 

Since I went 18 years without a broken bone or fracture (to my knowledge), I figured it would be a few years before I needed to take you to the emergency room...

On a typical Saturday you guys were running in and out of the house... Bentley was "upset" with Cash for whatever reason and decided to open the door furiously and in the process caught his toe nail..

It was bleeding and I could see the nail had been lifted up.. OUCH! I was comforted by my mom and Josh that he would lose the toe nail but also that this kind of thing happens and will happen again....

Two days later at the well child check-up, I mentioned it to the doctor hoping they could take the nail off since it was just hanging by a tiny piece of skin... She asked if I had taken him in for an x-ray and I said "no... he can bend it and is running around without complaints" (come on, I would KNOW if my kid had a broken bone...)

We had continued to have our normal routine and Bentz had no visible signs of  injury...

Hit the park, did some art, even finished the father's day gift... 

At this point I am just waiting for the nail to come off and trying to keep a band-aid on for protection

Even after your appointment when we received a referral for an x-ray I thought it was a little silly... 

WRONG! 

I got a call  a day later that Bentley indeed fractured his big toe. Across the top and down the middle... OUCH!

We were then referred to the pediatric bone docs office wayyyy out in Beaverton and I had to starve Bentz for 7 hours just in case they needed to do surgery! 

WHAT?!

 Now my kid has a broken toe and they may have to put him under anesthesia... 

Luckily they told me it would heal on its own and that in-fact his own son had probably broken his toe but never had an xray... kinda comforting ;c/

The Grandmother had driven us out and treated us to lunch since we were beyond hungry by the end of that appointment. The above is a picture Bentley took of himself.

Overall it was quite the experience to say the least... 

 I guess the moral of the story is you never know for SURE if you're injury free unless you have a very expensive machine capable of looking inside the body... 

First Swimming Experience

I swear I am not a terrible MOM for not taking you swimming in a big pool until now haha

You two were perfectly content with the blow-up pools, sprinklers and hoses...

This year we finally put the water outfits I bought 2 years ago to good use and your MOM put on her bikini from the 21st birthday trip to Vegas (just a few months before I found out I would be having two little babies) 

Your great grandmother and grandfather invited us over for a dip and spoiled you guys with more float toys than you knew what to do with... It was totally awesome and everyone had a blast!

I was impressed by how quickly you changed your attitude from "help me" to "do it self". 

My little water babies, one more thing to add to your skills set, I am a proud MOM!

I have a feeling we will be back more than a few times this summer!

Last Day of May

As soon as I was back from my trip we immediately starting back up with our Summer fun! We are big fans of bubbles and one day while painting we added a little color to the bubbles in hopes of rainbow... FAIL but you liked blowing bubbles with the straws regardless.

Having a twin is probably the best gift I could have even give you haha

Watching you two interact is the highlight of my life... Well, when you are getting along and doing sweet things like using pipe-cleaners to measure your height.

 I will admit it is not all  smiles despite my best attempt,  sometimes you two try to literally bite each others faces off lol

Of course we do art just about every single day...

(chalk pastels)

 You never seem to complain ;c)

(marble art)

Man you guys have some cute faces! I know all parents think they have the cutest kids but SERIOUSLY, you guys are like little celebrities when we go out in public. We get stopped constantly and you are always complimented and you are very sweet to everyone you see. 

"Hiiiiii' (always with a wave and huge grin)

"Byeeeee"

Almost weekly we visit some park or another to have a change of scenery. It is always fun when your Dad can come  play too...

I love this picture of you two swinging in unison while looking over and sharing a smile...

Cash Ryland, you little daredevil... Made my heart jump the first time, now it is just fun to watch other people's reaction... Bentz, you can do this as well, just with a little assistance since you are about an inch shorter than your Bro

(Here is a video of the first time you decided to be a fearless kiddo)

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Water fountains down town never get old and they are in the same park, lucky us!

It was a great end to the month of May!

I love you both equally and more than anything!

Spontaneous Trip to California

We all know I tend to be a bit on the dramatic end of the spectrum and I prefer to react first/ask questions later... I had wanted to plan a little drive down to see my Dad and Brother with the two of you and your Pops. When I was informed that it would be too much to handle for my "broken" father (broken back playing football in high school, 7-way by pass heart surgery, degenerative discs, scoliosis... the list goes on), I booked the next available flight.

Granted in hindsight I could have saved a little  lot of $$$ if I just would have taken a deep breath (sorry Dad)... But I didn't, so I had the opportunity to help spruce up the property and do a little redecorating while visiting.

Here are the two of you checking out the major construction before heading to the airport to drop me off... 

I did have a bit of a heavy heart saying goodbye to you and being gone for the longest time since you were born... 

Once I arrived I worked as hard as I could to try and show my appreciation for all of the wonderful opportunities I had growing up. Every morning I would wake up and walk out on the balcony to breath in the  fresh mountain air, listen to the hundreds of birds in the trees and have a deep sense of gratitude. I wanted nothing more than to go back in time and relive the hot summers by the pool, hikes down to the creek and trips to the family cabin... I am hopeful that we will be able to visit later in the summer and possibly pass those memories onto you...

The outside of the house is gorgeous of course... but inside holds the treasures...

While rearranging the living room, with MUCH hesitation from my father, I removed stapled fabric from a leather table! A huge leather coffee table from Peru from when he was traveling around the world on ships for work. After I polished it up he seemed to be a bit more pleased ;c)

When I was younger I remember playing chess with my Dad on this spectacular marble and wooden board, each piece with a distinctive face including the pawns. He was so persuasive I even entered a school-wide chess competition in third grade.... I placed... 3rd! hahaha 

I was fortunate enough to have adventures into town every day to enjoy yummy foods and soak up the wonderful culture that is Nevada City/Grass Valley. Ideally I would love to raise my kids in the same schools I grew up in... We will see if I can make that happen ;c)

 I like to think of NC/GV as a smaller version of Portland with wayyyy less crime. I love the Buddha outside the window while enjoying our breakfast of organic blueberry pancakes and Mate-Pure Heart (My bro and Ben got me hooked.. too bad it it over $3 a bottle!)

Since my brother is such a gentleman, one day we headed to the feed store to pick up some stuff for his girlfriend's horses. I saw this giant cock and just had to get a picture.. bah hahaha 

Another day I spotted this beautifully painted forklift, jah man!

(With MATE in hand, thanks brosif)

One evening I was fortunate to have gone to a rodeo to see KJ's girlfriend Lex ride as rodeo queen (although she was queen for a bigger rodeo so i'm not sure how that works... lol)

At the time I commented on her incredible arm strength to hold that flag.. Little did I know that she had a fancy foot holder thing. (Silly Bri)

The bars in town are just as historical as the streets and I was happy to enjoy my first legal drink with my brother. AMF!

The last night I was able to soak up the fresh air and quiet, we had a big fire, made s'mores and gazed at the stars from the trampoline. I definitely tried to slow down every moment and focus on the small details to ensure the fullest experience as possible... 

As children we complain about being "bored" or having to go to the cabin AGAIN... but as we get older we find those moments to be nostalgic and want nothing more than to return to that time of innocence with not-a-care in the world...

Although I grew up without IN-N-OUT burger for the majority of my life (the closest is over an hour or so away), I just had to indulge since they were on every corner while driving to the airport. Truth be told it was my first... In the past I was a vegetarian and never thought twice about it during my visits. I will admit it was pretty darn tasty.

Despite the above pictures of "vacation" I did work my ass off raking, blowing off lawns, wheeling-burrowing, sweeping, dusting and in general helping with the things my father cannot physically do any longer... Even picked up a power recliner to literally dump his butt out of the seated position. (Hope you are using it dear father) haha

Overall it was a wonderfully memorable experience,  but I missed you both terribly and I sincerely hope all of us can visit this summer. 

Thank you to my Dad, Brosif  (KJ) and Ben for being wonderful company.