mamasraspberry

The Treehouse

After two years it's finally finished!

Brian Blain (Powell family friend and Michael's business partner) built (not had it custom built, he made it with his own two hands!!) a massive/gorgeous treehouse for his grandson Evan.  And tonight was the lifting/mounting of the tree.  It was a big old country backyard barbecue with good food, good music, good people and of course the treehouse.

Caleb had a blast running after the big kids and dance dance dancing!  And of course climbing up the 20 rung ladder up to the 15 foot tall treehouse!!!  Yeah.  I was scared but Boogie insisted so....Mama had no choice.  He LOVED it up there.  He laughed and ran around.  Mama didn't laugh.  I was Nervous Nelly.  But eventually, after the second time my son practically ran up the ladder, I got used to it.  Guess we'll be spending a lot more time over at The Blains :-)

Check out the awesome pictures. 

 

 

Mom & Dad

HAPPY 42ND ANNIVERSARY!!!

We love you so much!!!! :-)

Good Things

Our computer is still jacked up so I won't be able to post any pictures :-(  BUT I have good things to share.

Congratulations to my good friend (of 18 years) Pablo!  His wife Martha gave birth to a baby boy Juan Pablo on Monday!!! :-)

Mama Jewelry

Had my nose re-pierced (for the fifth time--nose ring drama..blah blah) last week and it feels good to have it back.  I took out my hoop when I was feeling funky about turning 30 but I'm loving being 32 so bring on the nose ring!!!  This time I just got a small post.  Watch out ya'll mama's back!!!

Caleb is a BIG boy now.  11 months old on Friday!!!

He can feed himself with his very own spoon!  And...he does it with his left hand! 

Little Man walks EVERYWHERE with minimal wobble.  He's such a good little walker.  And if he does topple over he gets right back up.  He loves his Independence. 

Baby boy LOVES to play at the playground.  Oh he can climb and swing and slide and watch the big kids run around and frolic.  He so enjoys being a big boy.

Caleb has two new bottom teeth.  Now Booga has eight teeth!  Four top and four bottom.  Sooooo freakin' cute.

Boogie looooves his Daddy.  When Michael comes home me and Caleb sit on the couch (which faces a window to our driveway) and I say Daddy's home!  And Caleb jumps up and down and screams!  Michael walks up to the window and says Hi Caleb!  And Caleb jumps faster and faster and screams louder and louder.  It is absolutely adorable.

THE AMERICAN DREAM

1pm tomorrow we have the final walk-through of OUR HOUSE!!

Yes.  Our house. 

We bought a house in Tulare and if all looks good we can sign tomorrow night and move in next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW!!!  OUR VERY OWN HOME.  HOMEOWNERS!!! 

Me and my two guys.  Living our dream.

Life is so good. ;-)

Details & pictures to come.....

little bit of this and a little bit of that

Greetings All!

Many apologies for not posting but we've had internet issues.

And before I'm booted off let me give a quick rundown on all the great things that have been going on:

1. CALEB IS AN OFFICIAL WALKER!!

He LOVES to walk.  And of course he is the cutest thing ever when he does.  Ha.  Oh he sings his song, flaps his hands and does a marathon walk to wherever his little legs want to go.  So freakin' cute.  Michael and I have been cracking up cuz Caleb looks like Frankenstein when he walks.  Legs all straight, shoulders hunched, singing his "errrrr" song that he loves (it sounds like an airplane--soooooo funny!).

What can I say?  Our son is adorable.

2.CALEB'S 7TH TOOTH HAS ERUPTED!

Poor baby boy.  His third bottom toofum broke through this week and he's been having a tough time....well...for Caleb.  Since he's pretty much the best baby in da world...he's mildly having a tough time.

He's just been extra clingy and somewhat cranky.  And for a couple of days didnt want to eat any tablefood.

3. CALEB EATS TABLEFOOD!!  (Goodbye baby food!) And very well I might add :-)  Booga has been doing so well tasting new foods.  We've added raspberries, sausage, waffles, real applesauce (not that babyfood crap!), eggs, cheese, melon, watermelon, chicken, mashed potatoes to his menu...and I'm sure Mom has given him chocolate.

When he's in the mood he will gladly feed himself with those two little fat fingers. :-)  Doo doo and doo. 

4. Sierra Performing Arts Center: Teaching is going superbly!!  My girls are so much fun and so inspiring.  Tuesday nights are my longest-5 hours but I loooove it!  AND....I've dropped down to 140lbs!!!  Feeling like I almost got my dancer body back :-)  It feels so darn good to be agile and limber again..ahhhh.

5.MOMS Club still rocks!

I participate in three to four activities a week.  And I LOVE it!  We go to the park and play with the other kids ( Caleb loves to swing and go down the slide), we're in a baby playgroup called "The Growing Rascals"  doo doo, sometimes we go on tours of fun businesses like Coldstone Creamery, PetSmart, RoundTable Pizza, we meet for lunch, we have potluck lunches at a mom's house, we pick pumpkins...so many fun things.  I really enjoy it.  It's great for me and Caleb.  He gets to interact with kids his age and older.  And I get to get out of the house and hangout with cool moms.  It's a win win!

6. Noah is 4 months old and is absolutely adorable!  He laughs and smiles and giggles and wiggles.  And he has the softest skin in all of the universe!  I mean soft :-)  Mmm mm mm he is so sweet ;-)

So things are good here in V-town.  Next milestone?  Caleb talking!!!

***My Grama, back in Maryland, went to the emergerncy room on Sunday night with severe back and abdominal pain.  I know scarey.  Praise the Lord she is okay.  She was diagnosed with a Cervical Prolapse-Stage 1.  After a "fix" by her OBGYN  on Wednesday she is doing MUCH better.  My sweet grama.  She's 85, acts like she's 55 and is as sweet as pie.  I love her dearly and I'm so thankful that she is okay.  Can't wait to see give her a hug at Christmas.

***Mom, Thank you for the hug on Monday.  I'm so glad I have you.  I'm so blessed to be a Powell.

P.S. Secret Good News:

The American Dream is just around the corner...

sweet pictures!

Blessings

Today I was reminded of how important family is.

Mom, Cassie, Maci and baby Noah were in a car accident this afternoon. They're all thankfully okay and home safe tonight.

Life is so precious.

I love you guys.

Saturday Popcorn Pictures

Saturday Mornin' Popcorn

Early Saturday morning me and my family fed the birds over at Mooney Grove Park!!!

...that's Me, Michael & Booga, Mom & Dad, Breezy, Maci & Noah Baby. :-)

Michael made a BIG pot of popcorn (yes he actually made it over the stove like back in the day!) and dumped it all in an old diaper box along with some old unopened Lucky Charms.

Yeah, according to Michael ducks just loooove Lucky Charms ;-)

So there we were at Mooney Grove, delighting in a healthy breakfast courtesy of Ronald McDonald while watching the peacocks peck at our offerings.

And as a thank you a male peacock opened his tail and gave a loud squak!

Then we all took a walk to the bridge and threw popcorn-charms to the ducks. And they looved it! HA!

Oh we had such a good time spotting big fat carp, watching the ducks devour our lucky popcorn-charms, taking pictures of Breezy pretending to dive in the murky waters and laughing at the "Einstein Duck" waddle his feathered booty arcoss the pond (there was a white duck with hair just like Albert Einstein!!!).

It was a great Powell Family Outting and a fantastic way to start the weekend!

Gosh I love this family. I am so blessed to have you guys!!!!

Great finds!

Paris Flea Market

Oh don't ya just love the antique store?!

Me & Booga, Mom, Maci & Noah, Abby and Katelyn had a yummy lunch at Watson's Veggie Garden this afternoon and then took a stroll through Paris Flea Market for hidden treasures.

Oh we had a good time digging for goods. And I found THE BEST baby stuff for Caleb. They totally took me back to childhood...happy memories :-)

1. A Fisher Price "radio" musicbox (it sings Hickory Dickory Dock)
2. A Paddington Bear nite lamp
(um doo doo and doo)

I had a similar Fisher Price music box and I totally remember playing with it as a child. I LOVED IT! And Paddington Bear? That's an easy one. He was the dooest!! I LOVED his cartoon.

Ahh I heart other peoples childhood toys that take me back to my childhood so that I can buy them and give them to my son so he too can have happy childhood memories about mice that run up clocks and Paddington Bear.

Thanks Mom for the great finds! :-) I just love ya!!!!!!

And thanks to my sisters and neice for a delightful outting- LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Red Woods

Ahh the Red Woods!

Me, Michael, Caleb and Nate (Yup, Nate dog is back in town and staying with us for a week!! Yeah!) drove up to Hume Lake on Sunday and took a detour through the Red Wood forrest so that Nate could see how massive these trees are. He was like WHOA! And Caleb was like um get back down this mountain for I have a fit (he was so over his car seat. We had been driving for 6 hours-there and back. And he was SOOOOO CRANKY).

Anyways, the drive was lovely, Hume Lake was gorgeous and the weather was ahhhh so nice and cool. Love to smell those pine trees and fresh mountain air...perrrrrfect.

ENJOY!