my karate kid

so, michael and watched karate kid (part 1) the other night and renewed our love for the classic film. i hadn't watched it in quite a while, so i was fully prepared to be WOW-ed again. there are so many reasons to love and appreciate this film....many great lines and such great music but i believe the message of the film is what holds strong to my heart. ....if you cant fight your own battles, learn karate from an old, wise, japanese man.

one of my favorite characters is john kreese, the cobra kai sensei. he is so "meat". he has quite a dignified way of communicating and such respect for his fellow human beings.

i never had a "crush" on daniel laruso, but i longed for the days when we could practice the "crane" technique together.

here are some of my favorite lines or scenes, which i have memorized by my multiple viewings of this memorable film...

tommy: hey johnny, take a ride, check it out. (as the cobra kai's ride up on their dirt bikes to see daniel and ali (with an i) playing soccer together on the beach.

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kreese: We do not train to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak. Here, in the streets, in competition. A man confronts you he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy. What is the problem Mr. Lawrence?

kreese (to miyagi): i heard you jumped some of my students last night....
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Kreese: this is a karate dojo, not a knitting class. you don't come in my dojo, drop a challenge, then leave, old man.

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tommy: must be take a worm for a walk week.----(oh, so fantasticly terrible!)

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bobby: put him in a body bag!

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kreese: sweep the leg, do you have a problem w/that?

johnny: no sensei

kreese: no mercy

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Kreese:What do we study here?

Karate Class: THE WAY OF THE FIST SIR.

Kreese: And what is that way?

Karate Class: STRIKE FIRST. STRIKE HARD. NO MERCY SIR.

Kreese: I can't hear you.

Karate Class: STRIKE FIRST. STRIKE HARD. NO MERCY SIR.

the karate tournament, the climax of the movie, always brings a tear to my eye. i really feel the depth of the characters at this point, as most of the cobra kai start to change their attitudes toward daniel and sympathize with his plight.

they realize that his 80 pound body can bring a world of pain...

ahhh, the timeless classic of a young teenage boy and his friendship with a reclusive Japanese man.

my sleeping beauties

(sleeping reese); (sleeping audrey)


(sleeping sadie)
arent sleeping babies just the sweetest? they just seem so content and warm and snugly.
sadie is officially out of the "newborn" stage. she is going into her 4th month soon and her body really shows it...she has a couple of chins (this is the best view of her neck that i have ever seen) and she has some amazing cheeks...her hands look oddly connected to her arms b/c there are huge folds at her wrists, and sometimes i wonder if she might need a training bra (J/K!)....okay....so all i am trying to say is that she is a very chubby, pudgy, cutie baby growing up so fast!

and speaking of growing up fast....reese was so thrilled when he learned how to put his new "fast" shoes on all by himself (quite a "feat" for a 2 year old...hehehe) he puts his shoes on as soon as he rolls out of bed (then asks me for food). he is like his dad, always in socks and shoes...and audrey is like her mom, barefoot and fancy free!

my friday photo shoot (sadie)

my summer itch

this is audrey's attempt at being a "glitter, fairy princess". and i love reese b/c he is too cool for school!

so, it was super warm this last weekend and we walked to the park w/o coats...i mean, it was almost into the 60's. it was a beautiful day. and the kids loved it! it felt like spring was here. they are so desperate to play outside. anytime i leave the house to run errands, they all make a break for the yard or the neighbor's house. they run around giggling and excited and i literally have to chase them down (which is not a pretty picture for me w/all my extra body weight flay ling and jiggling to and fro), and a lot of times these events end in "time outs" b/c i am unable to motivate them to return to the florescent lights or the small confined space of our car. they just don't want to give up the outdoors. i don't blame them. we have been in our small 3 bedroom for 3-4 months. we want fresh air, we want to feel the sun on our faces, we desire to run free and not be chilled to the bone, or blasted with arctic winds.


so anytime it is semi warm we take full advantage. after this weekend i went to the store and bought the kids sunglasses and new flip flops. they were so excited!



it was a little overcast this day, but not as cold..."we're takin' it to the streets".

my day of sloth

Michael and I escaped Tatuine this week for a few days. We left for the big city....Salem, Oregon. Michael had work meetings there and I decided to just tag along. We took Sadie with us and left Audrey and Reese at grandma Blodgett's house.

Well, you see, I had big plans for shopping and eating myself silly. Michael had meetings all day on Thurs. and Friday, so i would be all alone (with Sadie) for most of the days. Then Thursday morning rolled in and Michael left for his meeting....and I slept...slept...rolled over and slept again. I finally pulled myself out of bed around 11 and leisurely took a shower and got dressed and slowly applied my makeup and took my time to curl my hair. (i looked good!) I then proceded to get back into bed and turn on the television. My plans of exploring the town and shopping were put on the back burner as I started to enjoy a day of NOTHING to do. (In my defense, it was raining very hard all day). I felt pangs of guilt every so often, for doing nothing but laying around and watching t.v. but they didn't last long. yes, i did have Sadie...but she is so quiet and she still sleeps a lot so it was almost like i was alone.

so, i had a slothful day...a day of rest....a day of complete waste and leisure....a day of watching WAY too much t.v. (i am glad that we don't have cable!)

and i completely loved it!

and i don't regret it.

Michael and I went to the outlet mall the next day and I did do a little shopping. we ate out together for dinners...and he even took me for a ride to see the state capital... it looks hauntingly like a temple...

(we also drove by the mental institution and the prison)

It was a nice little getaway for me. It seems like I got caught up with myself and my sanity and was able to slow down and breathe. And that is exactly what I needed.

Of course I missed Audrey and Reese terribly so when i arrived at my mother's house i was expecting big hugs and kisses. i mean, we had been gone for almost 3 days....however that is not how it went down. they were in the bath and when they saw me, they just blankly starred at me. they were disappointed to see me (at first.) OUCH! Not what I was expecting at all!

its was really okay tho, we got to talking and then they were happy to see me. but they really loved their time with grandma and grandpa. so i was glad. it is nice to be able to live by parents! THANKS MOM!!

so, i took pictures of the kids when we got back.

Audrey and Reese really missed their sister...it was cute.

my kids toys

as i child i really liked strawberry shortcake and rainbow brite...now as an adult i am passing that on to my children. all the toys that i enjoyed as a youth are coming back full circle. audrey got a strawberry shortcake doll for christmas, reese got a care bear for his birthday, we got my little ponies etc. etc. ..but do you ever find yourself more excited than your child to "play" with his/her toys? for instance...audrey received a polly pockets set for her birthday and i think that i
enjoy it more than she does.

i am looking on ebay for more outfits and more sets to buy. and i always look at walmart/target to see if any of that product has gone on sale. is that sad? no, this is sad...when you actually take the time and effort to learn a cheesy song that polly and her rock band sing on their website. i could recite it for you, i really could. (it is kinda catchy) but i digress...is it sad or is it taking an interest in your child's playtime?
now in that same vein, Michael has become obsessed with the geo trax train set that the kids got for christmas from the huffs. he is always wanting to set it up and he has bought more additions . he has their website in his favorites. and just yesterday he told me he was daydreaming about a new way to set the tracks up. and i know that he also checks the stores for new parts or sets of the geo trax line.

michael refused to be pictured with the track set up. he said he will pose with the trax when he can buy another set. i think he wants the city trax next.
i guess we need other hobbies....
sadie got a new toy too that she seemed happy about. she was looking at the dangley things and smiling. it was really cute! she doesnt look to thrilled in this picture but she really did like it!

my funny day

this post might be to sensitive for some readers...it is kind of about...poo

so yesterday sadie had quite the experience with her poop. she completely blew her diaper off (figuratively). and as i was checking the damage, i noticed this was going to be no ordinary diaper change, this was a complete bowel blowout. it was all up her back, on her forearms, on her legs and feet even, on her front up to her bellybutton...she wiggles so much that it just got everywhere. and, poor girl, it got in her hair, her HAIR ! so i proceeded to undress her (spreading the poop) and gave her a bath. then i drained the water and bathed her again. i almost took a picture of her backside with all that yellow poo, but i decided writing about it was going to be graphic enough (sorry).

so, switching gears....

the stars were aligned, the moon was in its lunar phase or whatever, but all the kids plus the girl i babysit, napped together at the same time. there was silence in the house for about an hour. this was huge for me. audrey has stopped taking naps and reese has always struggled to settle down. sadie kind of just sleeps whenever.
but yesterday, the sun was shining down on me and they all crashed and slept for about an hour and a half. it was a beautiful thing!
i then proceeded to stuff my face with as much food as i could find in the house before anyone was disturbed. (i use food to relax me, comfort me, when i'm bored, sad, happy, or itchy....its not healthy, but i am working on it)

michael didnt get home until about 8:30, but that was surprisingly okay...audrey and reese had a pretty good day and they have been listening a lot better at bedtime.

then as i was going to bed around 10:30, sadie was wide awake and she was so talkative, gurgling, cooing, fake coughing, and she even kind of laughed a couple of times. she was loud, and trying really hard to make new sounds. the laughing was a new sound we had not yet heard. it was darling. she was so happy and bubbly. it was a great end to my chaotic day. and i was glad that she wasn't too upset about being covered in poo for a little bit.

it was just one of those funny days......

my sister's birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

JENNIFER LYNN

you are a great sister and i appreciate all of your concern and care for me. you always seem to call me when i am feeling down and need someone to vent to. you are a great person and you have a great family!!

i love you and you are such a great example!

hope you have a great day!

my tiny dancer