"More is prettier, mommy!"

A quote from Grace regarding jewelry. I don't have the actual picture from the moment. But she was given some pretty jewelry from her aunt Rechelle and was tickled about it. There were big pink earrings (a very big deal to Grace right now) and a matching pink necklace. Grace LOVES to look pretty!

Biking

I really do live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. I love the rich green colors all year around. The rivers and creeks every which way I look. The bay and ocean at my doorstep. Yes, I have grey skies and buckets of rain most days out of the year but that has taught me to appreciate the dry days. The beauty of the Pacific Northwest is breathtaking.

This past weekend we took the kids out on a bike ride. I hate riding on the streets now that the kids are getting older. When they were younger we would load them on the bike of my bike and in a bike trailer and we would peddle all over. Now they want to ride too and I want them to ride. Can you imagine trying to carry 150lbs around in a trailer!? I like to try and find fun trails around our area to ride that are easy enough for the kids to do themselves and open enough that we can let the kids go and still have them insight.

This weekend we went to one of my most favorite places, The Jetti. It's a gorgeous ride. You have the ocean on one side and the bay on the other and the trail weaves into this little forest and out again. The kids all enjoyed the idea of going. Reece got a bit frustrated because every time he wobbled he would stop peddling and thus his bike would stop.

Madison did great and really took off in her biking skills. Grace rides on a little bike that connects to mine. She thinks it's great fun and enjoys singing while we ride.

It was a really fun family time. The only downer of the day was when I was trying to show off for Reece riding with no feet and I broke my seat. :( Reece got a good laugh and I had a sore bum.

Grasshoppers & Spiders

Madison is currently working on science project. She has to collect bugs, put them in a jar and add a moth ball to kill them. After this, she posts them on a board and labels them. She is currently studying insect and spiders and there different part and how they work.

As we were sitting down at dinner a few nights ago, we were talking about the different kinds of bugs we could try and find for her project. The winter is just starting to hit here, so the temperatures have dropped, rains have set in and bugs have gone into hiding. I have no bugs around my house except for the occasional gnat and these monstrous spiders that come out in the late summer and fall.

"Well Abbey found some grasshoppers and used them on her project." Maddie says.

"But there aren't any grasshoppers out right now, honey." I say.

"They are in the grass field at school, mom. They are on top of each other."

"OH?! Well Maddie, what are they doing on top of each other?" I ask.

"Well they are just hitching a ride." Maddie informs me.

Whew . . . I avoided that one by a hair. I love the innocence of my sweet daughter.

Another quick little story. I was sorting through my laundry yesterday and picked up a pair of Gracie's pants. I saw something fall off the pants but didn't think much of it. I started to put my hand back into the basket to grab another pair of clothes and shrieked. There was a huge ugly spider sitting right on top of the pants I was about to grab. I yelled for Maddie to grab one of her jars and together we worked to not touch the spider and get him in the jar. Of course we added a moth ball to kill him and were mighty proud of ourselves for snagging a disgusting little thing for her project. Of course, if I were the spider, I think I would prefer the quick shoe stomp rather than this slow way of dying.

**The top picture of Maddie is not with this spider, but a frog her daddy found for her a few days ago. Maddie hearts frogs.***

Color

Race has never been much of a thing in our family. I could care less what color someones skin color is. Raising our kids we have told them that God makes us all different and unique. It would be boring to have a garden with all the same kind of flower, all the same color, wouldn't it?

With Obama being elected I know my kids have been hearing things like, "The first African American President" and the such. So, it wasn't too much of a surprise when my son popped a question to his dad the other night.

Mike and Reece were picking up a friend after he got off work. As they were waiting in the truck for the friend to come out Reece asks Mike, "What color is Brian?"

"WHAT?!" asks Mike completely taken by surprise.

"Is Brian black?" Reece asks.

"Reece, you know Brian, he's white like us." Mike responds.

"Ohhhh, you mean peach." Reece says satisfied.

I do have to say, I think my son is on to something. You don't go for the white crayon when coloring you reach for the peach one. So for now on when asked my race, I do believe I will state, Peach.

Easy Bake Whatcha Going To Make?

As I've talked about before, my Mother is staying with me while they wait for a few banks to agree how to split up the cash for the sale of the home my parents are trying to buy. She has been here for 3 weeks and counting. I'm trying to talk her into staying longer, but I think she is getting antsy to get away from my crazy house. ;)

Her time here has been really nice. My kids have loved having Grandma here. It's been a great time to bond. Mada and Grandma have been baking. Grandma took some time to do Mada's "Easy bake, whatcha going to make?" as my kids call it. Madison just glowed as she and grandma made a little cake and frosted it.

Good memories.