Merry Christmas from the Withingtons

Well, here's to another Christmas that went by too quickly, to early morning squabbles and children waiting impatiently for parents to get wake up, make coffee and set up camera & video equipment etc. Here's to an afternoon nap well deserved, to children hopped up on peppermint bark and candy canes, racing through piles of new toy packaging scattered around the house, and covering up their new favorite baby dolls with blankies in the middle of the dining room floor... and finally to the one person who, once holiday festivities have ended, is now passed out on the living room sofa. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without all of it:)

Now I'm off play with my pile of toys, which are dishes and a bottle of Palmolive. Wish me luck!

& hope you all have a Great Day with those you love.

Merry Christmas

Miss You Gals

Roxanne

Growing Up

So I know...it's been soooo long since I've blogged. Just felt the need to open up.

Yesterday, Adrienne turned 11 years old. Geeez! Where did time go. My mind glimpsed back today to years ago when she was a tot. We brought her home from the hospital right before Christmas and watched how amazed our family was with her. It was so easy to make her giggle, and cry sometimes too. Now she's quickly on her way to becoming an adult, reserving her right to giggle (tomboys don't),and refusing to cry, but always finding a reason to ignore anything I say that she does not like.

My Adrienne,standing at 5'3", awkwardly accepting changes of preteenhood, brave and beautiful, imaginative and independent, uniquely her own person, my goofy sugar-loving counterpart, my Adrienne is done with childhood.

Childhood is fleeting. There's just no way to stop it. I love her so much and am glad she still likes to watch a good movie (Julie & Julia), will share some of her secrets with me and counts me as the best baker she knows.

With that I leave you with today's best quote from my Audrey at 3yrs...

"Mommy, wouldn't it be so much fun to have a parade down our street with giant teddy bears and roller coasters, and we could ride on dem!"

xoxo

Luckylass

Random Summer Photos

Adrienne's 1st Snow Cone Stand of the Summer with Ashley














Their Best Customers!!net profits= -$2.50

Our day trip to Alsea Falls in June

Planting a garden for daddy!
(Charlie helped dig holes)

Celebrating the 4th of July with an all American Baseball game and Fireworks show.

Fun at the pool! Sorry, Adrienne was lost in a sea of children

My crazy little Audrey Bear

Taking Charlie to the park

and last but not least,

I present to you,

Princess Audrey

(dress up day)

I hope you have enjoyed sharing in our summer splendor. There will be more to follow. Audrey and I are off to the beach soon and Adrienne will be returning from Summer Camp Friday.

xoxo

Lucky Lass

Strawberries!

My friend Jennifer invited us to pick strawberries a few weeks ago at Davis Family Farm. These pictures turned out great and I love that Adrienne actually let me take a few pictures of her, one of her sneaking a bite before we paid. We also had to get 2nds of there complimentary strawberry shortcake that they make with their famous fresh donuts. Totally worth the humiliation of grovelling for a second serving. The strawberries were delicious by themselves. What a fun day!

Visiting Papa

Next, we were off on a trip to visit our family up in Washington and celebrate my niece, Beth (top row) graduating from high school. My sister Shelly, was visiting from Tennessee with her daughter Kristen(2nd row on left), who we haven't seen since she was 4! It was great for all the cousins to spend time together. Beth loved playing with Audrey. She's going to college in Eastern Washington, studying to be a nurse in pediatrics. Congrats Beth!

Best of all, the girls spent time with my dad, Papa Pat. Audrey was just a baby last time. We went out for ice cream and back to the senior housing where my dad lives. He was so excited to show us his cat, Midnight, who rides around with him on his wheelchair. He even let Audrey ride around with him, too.

My dad plays sax for his local church, and takes care of the garden for the senior apartments. He loves to stir up trouble, but luckily hasn't got himself kicked out yet. LOL. The last few years his health has been up and down. He seems to be doing better now and trying to work up to exercising in the gym room down the hall.

It was a great trip, and a nice way to start the summer

Summer Wrap Up

Summer is in full swing and I am covered in kids. From 7am until 6:30 pm, they're all mine.

I love them, but am happy to have this hour long break to catch up a little

Here's how our summer's been so far...

School ended for Adrienne in the middle of June. She had such a great year being silly with friends, changing and of course growing taller and taller. Adrienne was sad to see the year end. What kid is sad for summer? Hard to leave friends and spend all her time with me and Audrey.

We spent the last day of school with a friend and then hopped over to Avery Park for an End-of-the-Year party. A pie eating contest and water balloon fight, kids climbing the great train and spending time together. Audrey had so much fun, she didn't win the contest, but she did finish the pie, with hands behind her back. H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S

On The Run

Finally, I was allowed to take some pictures of Adrienne, my other daughter (Haha). Most of you have heard me comment on the conflict of pictures with my 10-year old. I love pictures, she hates them, I blame her dad for this personality trait. He was the same way at this age. His mom once told me years ago that every picture from age 11 to 16 was blocked by his hand. At the time, I laughed at this story, chalking it up to adolescence. Now that I'm the mom with the camera, I don't find it so funny. When I do get the opportunity to take a good picture, without an argument, I cherish it.

This month, Adrienne has joined the Corvallis Track team through the Boys and Girls Club. She has always been a fast runner and now is learning good form and the benefits of practice. So far she's had two track meets and won a 2nd place ribbon in 4th grade girls 400m relay. Above is the photo of her with the relay team. Adrienne also competes in the 200m run and the Long Jump. Despite giving up her Saturday mornings, she has enjoyed competing at the meets, and hanging out with new friends.

This weekend she will attend the Albany meet without me, since I will be Scrappin with the Girls. Mike is on duty with Audrey-in-tow. It is harder than it sounds...getting one child to their event on time and chasing the other one down the track. I'm sure he will be fine without me. Mike is in law enforcement, after all, with his vast array of experience in arm-bar takedowns, I'm sure he can wrestle with a 2-year old ;)

So of all the track pictures I was able to take, I chose the three above to post on my blog. I love the girl's relay team pic and the one of Adrienne running around the track, but my favorite is the one of Adrienne running on the grass. Not only is the green grass at Linus Pauling Middle School a great background, but the photo also has a funny story. See Adrienne's not running to win a ribbon, or running away from some from some vicious attack dog. She's running away from me, the mom with the camera.

Keep Picturing...

Lucky lass

Story time

Audrey and I love going to Story time at the Corvallis Public Library on Tuesdays. She has so much fun interacting with the other kids and dancing(or sleeping) to the songs in between stories. Her favorite is the Hokey Pokey, we practice at night when she's getting her teeth brushed. She spends most of story time running and diving into my lap, but she's 2 1/2, and a two-minute story is a looong time to sit through. LOL

Afterwards, she gets to color a seasonal picture and play with the toys or flop down on the giant pillow in the kids section. I get to search for new story time books. Right now we've been reading "Bye-Bye Big Bad Bullybug" every day at nap time and almost every night too.

The best part of Story time, is that it's free! Which is something I value with this economy. Free fun, I'm all for. If only I could remember to return my library books on time. Ha!

Take care

Lucky Lass

"Fireproof"

Just wanted to say a quick blurb about a movie I just watched a few weeks ago called "Fireproof". It's a romantic "bring a box of tissues" story of a firefighter and his wife that are struggling to keep their marriage together. It is a great inspirational story of relationships and heartache and learning to love. I was so inspired that I started the 40 day Love/Dare challenge. Just to show that positivity is contagious, last week Anne and I both bought the Love/Dare book, now she has decided to commit herself to the challenge.

If you want to know more....rent the movie at Redbox for $1, and if it inspires you too, checkout http://www.40daylovedare.com/

It's been tough, but worth it. Tomorrow, is my day 10. Blessings and prayers requested

xoxo

Rox

A Day in the Sun

SANDBOX--SUNSHINE--LICORICE

no more needs be blogged :))

Audrey and Makeup

I'll start by confessing I have very little makeup because I usually wear very little makeup and because I'm a mom and have little money to spend on makeup. So please take these next comments with a grain of motherhood(or salt).

My 10 year old, Adrienne, won't go near the stuff. No blush or lip gloss for this tom-boy. She sports a black boys jacket, black and white converse shoes, and tops her look off with a black tiger hat. It's her look, skater/punk, and don't tell her I told you, but it's sort of adorable. But makeup, she gags at the thought of it.

Now Audrey, who is 2 1/2, is in the experimental stage with makeup. I've left her unattended for a minute and found her in the bathroom with my one and only makeup collection with foundation smeared on cheeks and black eyeliner dotting her chin. I have spent many days contemplating whether I can save a smushed up lipstick, usually it ending up in the trash or Audrey's "special makeup bag".

These pictures are from a day(at the end of Feb) we spent a few hours with Anne at the hair salon. Anne was looking pretty, mommy was getting her eyebrows waxed, Audrey wanted to join in on the fun. Too much pretty to not take a picture...

xo

LL