The Clemence Family

Railroad Days in Granite

2009-10-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Railroad days in Granite Falls. The boys and I had been sick all week and were still not feeling 100% but I decided to take them to the parade anyways because it was a really nice day and I thought the fresh air would do us some good. Mike was working all weekend so we went with Uncle Jason and Auntie Jenny. I did not bring a camera because I just didn't feel like taking pictures but Tow Mater was in the parade and the boys are in love with Cars. So after the parade we found out that Mater would be at the IGA and you could get your picture taken with him. So we walked over and got some pics of the boys. They loved it.

Suggestions Please!

2009-09-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

So last weekend I told Mike we don't have anything going on next weekend so let's paint the family room. Well it turns out I was totally wrong and we had a lot going on. Michelle was coming into town from Utah, Mike's Aunt and Uncle, Bill and Tracy were in town from Arizona, Mike had a golfing tournament on Saturday, we had a 30th birthday party on Saturday night and a family dinner on Sunday night. But since I really wanted to paint the family room my wonderful husband stayed up late on Thursday and Friday night and got the wall done.

This is what we started with. The first night he painted the blue.

The next night he did the brown.

This is the end result. Now we are wondering where we should go from here. Do we leave the side walls the white color, do we paint them brown or do a light khaki color? Please let me know what you think.

Busy Summer

2009-08-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

Okay so I have been neglecting this blog just a bit but we have been busy. Here are a few things we have been up to...

-We painted and hung chair rail in the kids rooms (picture to come soon).

-We have done a little camping and hiking and more to come.

- I joined the dirty thirty club so Mike sent me to the T-Spa at the Tulalip Hotel with Kathy. While I was getting pampered he was busy getting ready for the surprise party he threw me.

- Colten is all signed up for Pre-School, we are very excited and nervous. I got teary eyed just talking to the teachers about leaving him there.

- Mike and I went to see Dane Cook with Dan and Kathy. We have enjoyed more and more kid free nights out lately as they get older.

- Work for me has been really crazy/busy/insane and my part time job is almost a full time job. Seems a little crazy that I work for a home builder and we are so busy considering the economy but we are slammed and my payables have almost tripled what I did last year.

-We welcomed a new addition to our family (ok, our extended family) Tonja and Lavon welcomed Skyla Bliss on July 16th. We are so happy to have a baby girl in the family and you know I have totally gone crazy buying clothes for her.

Now we are getting ready to go camping the first week of September and Conner's 2nd birthday is at the end of September.

I will try to stay on top of this thing but I cannot guarantee anything. Here is a picture of the boys on our hike up to the ice caves (don't mind Colten's hair he was a sleep in the car on the way).

Better late than never.

2009-05-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from Easter and our trip to Desert Aire.

Here is all the loot the Easter Bunny brought them. I told the Easter Bunny not to bring too much candy. I know I am so mean.

This is actually the night before Easter because Mike had to work on Easter.

This is Easter with Mikes Family, the kids had a little egg hunt.

After Easter we went to Desert Aire to meet up with Tonja and Lavon and Chelsea and Jeremy. We stayed in a house on the 5th hole of the golf course, so of course the guys (& Tonja) golfed while Chelsea and I took the kids for walks and played outside.

Here is Colten and Maddie playing in the sand trap on the golf course. Colten's first bath with a girl.Daddy and Colten through rocks in the water.This is our only family shot that we got on our trip. We stopped on our way to see Robin, Ben & Baby Calliegh. This is at a big park by there house.

Easter Pictures

2009-04-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

Conner looks like such a big boy in this picture, he is growing up too fast.

I love this close up of them, they are both so happy.

Daddy's Saturday Project

2009-03-24T17:33:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago while I was working and Mike was home with the kids I got a phone call from Colten. He was saying swing set, swing set and then Mike got on the phone and told me he wants a swing set. I thought that we should wait another year because our boys are 1 & 2 (almost 2 & 3). But Mike was all they really want a swing set to play on like the neighbors (these boys have him wrapped around there tiny fingers). So the next day we headed out to Toys R Us and bought the boys a swing set. Then it snowed and rained and everything else. So finally on Saturday Daddy, Gramdpa and Uncle worked for 6 hours to get the swing set put together for the boys. And of course they love it. I guess it was a good idea to get them one. I am still a little nervous with Conner but he doesn't try to climb all over it yet.

Future Plumber?

2009-03-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

Last Night after we finished our spaghetti dinner I took Conner's shirt off because he was of course a huge mess. I was getting ready to get the bath ready when I noticed this. And yes that is our dog begging right alone with our son. Mike worked late so he did not eat dinner with us. Conner has been pulling down his pants lately and I guess this time his diaper was coming down too!

New House!

2009-03-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

We are pretty much settled in our new house. Most of the boxes are unpacked but we still have a little more organization left. Hopefully the rest of our blinds will be here this week because I would like to stop flashing the neighbors when I am taking my shower in the morning. I really have a towel up so they can't see but it is kinda white trashish, but hey it is Granite so we probably fit in good.

This is our formal dinning room which I love because I have somewhere nice to eat when people come over and there is enough room for all of my china and crystal.

This is our family room that is the perfect size for our furniture. Also as you can see there are no toys in this room and that is because we now have a play room for all the toys.

Here is the playroom, the kids are in bed and that is why it is clean.

And finally the kitchen, I thought I was really going to miss having a island but now I love it because I don't have to kids and a dog running around the island while I am trying to cook. I think my favorite part of this kitchen is the dishwasher because it is so quiet. I will say though I am way too short for this kitchen. Anything that is not on the first shelf requires the assistants of a stool. Upstairs is the bonus room and 4 bedrooms. We are hoping to find time to paint the boys and our room soon so when we do I will post pics.

CHD Awareness Day

2009-02-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we will be celebrating Congenital Heart Disease Awareness Day at our house. I am not a big fan of Valentines Day anyways because you can't go to dinner because everyone else and there brother is out so you have to wait forever and I think that you should show the person you love how much you love them every day not just on a holiday. So anyways, we will be having a nice dinner at home with the family being thankful for our little CHD baby boy. Happy CHD Awareness Day!

Not So Sweet and Innocent!

2009-02-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

So Colten is really having a hard time lately and I am not sure if it is just the adjustment to the new house or just his age and a phase he is going through. Yesterday I thought I had a pretty good day with the boys, we went grocery shopping, we cleaned house and we made valentine cupcakes for daddy. All of this with only a little backtalk and shhing me. Today I went to work and the boys went to grandmas house. When I got there Colten was wearing a pair of pajamas and I asked did we have a lazy day? Grandma looked at me and said NO, we did not! I asked what had happened and that is when she told me that during nap time Colten had climbed out of his pack and play, pooped his pants and proceeded to spread his little turds all around the room. Now Colten still sleeps in a crib at our house and a pack in play at grandmas and never has he tried climbing out of either of them. After he was done spreading his turds around the room he hide under the queen size bed that is in the room. Grandma did not know any of this was going on until she went to check on him and discovered it. When she opened the door to his room all she saw was poop all over the place and asked Colten where are you and he lifted the bed skirt and said Hi Grandma. So she did not have a very good day. Then when we got home I let Maggie out to go potty, turned on the lights and then when in the bathroom right next to the playroom where the kids were playing and when I came out Colten had found a little bottle of glitter in the desk drawer and dumped it all out. We had not even been home for 5 minutes. Then after he almost knocked himself out from hitting his head on the wall because he was through a fit I got him to calm down and watch Word World on the couch. I got him and Conner some juice and they were just watching there show quietly. I was in the kitchen opening our mail but could see them. They started laughing a lot so I went close to see what was going on and that is when I saw they had some how dumped all the juice from there sippy cups onto the corner of my sectional and the carpet. The lids were still on the cups so I don't know how this happened. And one more thing, I think he thinks this is Wrestle Mania or something because the kid keeps tackling his brother and then I hear crying and then sorry Conner. Anyways, I just needed to vent a little about my crazy child.

Finally, we have a HOUSE!

2009-01-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

Not that we were homeless before but now we won't be renting James Wong's house anymore. It has only taken 2 offers, 1 rescission and almost 4 months of this craziness but today I picked up the keys to our new house. Mike and I are so happy to finally be moving into our new house. We made an offer on a short sale at the end of October and then waited and waited and waited some more. Then a week before Christmas when we had all the snow we went to check up on our house as we had been practically stalking it (don't worry the old homeowners had already moved out). We discovered they had not paid the power bill and the power was turned off. With the temperature being in the 20's and no heat who knows what damage was being done to the house. So Mike and I decided to start looking at houses again. The only problem was everything, I mean everything on the market right now is a short sale. So the only other option was new construction. Which we have no problem with we just have always lived in new construction and we thought we were going to break the pattern. Anyways, we were looking in the Lake Stevens and Granite Falls area to be closer to Mike's parents because Eva watches the boys 3 days a week while I work. Mike's dad had heard that the builder in there neighborhood was taking all reasonable offers. So we decided to look at the houses even though they were out of our price range. We found one we really liked and made an offer for $70,000.00 under the asking price. They came back with $60,000.00 off and we took it. Anyways we love the house and are really excited. We will be 2 houses down from Mike's parents so it will be really convenient for the boys. The house a lot bigger than we thought we wanted at almost 3300 square feet but we like the floor plan a lot. I will post more pictures after we get settled.

Happy Anniversary Dear!

2009-01-19T13:58:00.001-08:00

Today is mine and Mike's 8/3 year anniversary. We have been together for 8 years and been married for 3. Although we won't be doing anything special with everything we have going on right now it is still a special day to me. I love you Mike.

Santa Train and Decorating the Tree

2008-12-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am a week behind because me and the kids got a really bad cold (and they gave it to Grandma & Grampa) not to mention everything I had going on at work with it being the 10th.

Last Saturday we headed up to North Bend to meet Randy & Julie and the boys to take a ride on the Santa Train, knowing that both my kids are afraid of Santa. It was cold but all had a good time.

Then finally on Sunday night after we put Conner to bed Colten helped us decorate our Christmas Tree.

Family Pics

2008-12-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from our Christmas pictures that we had taken recently. We were not off to a good start that day as I planned it around Conner's morning nap and he ended up sleeping in until 9:30 that morning and not getting a nap before we left. The kids were a bit cranky for there photo shoot.

What do they call it... terrible 2's

2008-11-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

So last week while shopping at Nordstroms I decided to get the boys new shoes. So we went over to the kids shoe section and I picked some out for both boys. The salesmen helping me went and got some different styles for Conner and I tried them on and picked out a pair, no problem.

Then it was Colten's turn. The salesmen wanted to measure his foot to make sure he was in the right size, so we are both kneeling down to put Colten's foot on the thing that measures your foot and he does NOT want to put his foot in there. He looks at the salesman and screams right in his face this long, really high pitched, only dogs can hear him now scream. The look on the salesman's face was priceless. He was a younger guy and by the look on his face I really doubt he had kids. It was really hard not to laugh even though I was a bit embarrassed. Oh well, I figure most of the people that are at Nordstroms in the middle of the day on a Tuesday are other moms with there kids that embarrass them too. So I then told the salesman to just bring out a 7 and we will see how it fits. When he returned with the shoe Colten then told him "I don't like shoe" over and over. He ended up leaving in those shoes on because once I finally got it on him there was not way I was taking it off.

Remember when shopping was fun, now it seems more like a chore. Please tell me that it gets better....

Conner's First Hair Cut

2008-11-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

Conner had his first hair cut on Tuesday. Mike was very happy that I finally had it done. He said he looked like he had an old man mullet because it was getting so long but it was so thin. I hate cutting there hair for the first time. I love the baby hair, and then after they get it cut they look so much older. So here are the pics of my big boy, that is losing his baby face. Guess it is time to pregnant again... Just Kidding Grandma. He was pretty mad at me by the time he was done as you can see in the last picture.

Colten also got his hair cut. Here are some pics of him. Ignore the binky, I just can't seem to get him to get rid of it. He was also sick that day. He ended up puking when we got home and had a high fever. He is feeling better now though.

November 12th, 2008

2008-11-12T21:57:00.000-08:00

Today is the one year anniversary of Conner's open heart surgery. As I sit here and write this I think about what a difference a year makes. This time last year I could hardly recognize my baby he had so many tubes coming out of him and today I could hardly catch him he is running all over the place. We have been back to Children's several times throughout the year for check ups and they have been very happy with his progress. Conner is doing great, he does not need to go back to Children's until he is 2. Yes, a whole year from now. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful hospital like Children's so close. I thank the lord everyday for the gifts he has given our family. Happy 1 year anniversary Conner, we love you!

I Love You!

2008-10-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember I have been trying to get Colten to say I Love You. I say it and then ask him to say it and he just looks at me or laughs. I have even tried pointing to my eye, saying I, then making a heart on my chest saying LOVE and then pointing to him and saying YOU. Nothing ever worked, until tonight. I said I LOVE YOU Colten and gave him a kiss and a hug, and then just because I always ask said can you say I LOVE YOU? And then it happened, he looked at me and said Love You. I was so happy he finally said it, my little man is growing up.

I LOVE YOU TOO BUDDY!

Walking...

2008-10-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

When I came home from work on Monday night, Conner walked right over to me to greet me. The kids had been home with Ginger all day and she said he was walking all over most of the day. Up until then he would take a few steps here and there when he was feeling brave but nothing like this.

Craven Farm

2008-10-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Mike & I met Grandpa, Grandma & Aunt Mary at Craven Farm to get pumpkins for the kids.
Daddy helped Colten pick a big pumpkin out and he is the one that has to crave it.
Colten was so interested in all the other people I could hardly get him to look at me to take a picture.

Here is "Papa", Aunt Mary, Grandma, Colten, Conner & Me getting ready to go into the corn maze Alice in Pumpkinland.