Saturday, February 28, 2009

GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE!

There's nothing like sunny weekend mornings to wake up to. PLEASE let it stick around today! I promised the kids a bike ride and for my own sanity I need to be able to let them play in the backyard! For now I will enjoy the sun while it lasts, savor my delicious coffee and begin my day.

Friday, February 27, 2009

CAMERA SHOOT, ANYONE?







Gracie loves having her photograph taken and is obviously very accustomed to posing for the camera! Work it, girlfriend!

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS...

Last night Cole and Grace were playing hide and seek, and Grace jumped out and scared him. Cole said " GRACE! You scared the hell out of me!" Yes, we had the talk about innapropriate language....but it was so shocking to hear that it was funny.

Of course, this is all Paco's fault.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

HAPPY NOW?

So, just to appease my dear friend Amanda and her Amanda-like ways, I adjusted the photos around at the top of my page. I had no idea the placement of the photos would irritate her so. Maybe she's extra vulnerable due to the icky sickness shes been plagued with, or maybe its just how she likes things done in Amandaland. Nonetheless, I'm staying on her good side. (Plus, she has the key to the chocolate locker at work and goodness knows I don't want to burn that bridge).

On to other things. Busy day at work, didn't accomplish as much as I set out to but am satisfied with my progress. Picked the kids up at work, came home, threw in a load of laundry, dug through the backpacks, pulled out the important stuff and pretended not to notice the smell of smelly shoes coming from son's backpack. Will let Dad investigate that one. Put together a snack for the kids, filled out a scholastic book order form for school, sorted papers and filled out forms. Packed lunches for tomorrow (the kids' and mine, no need packing one for Paco because he always leaves it at home anyway). Took a peek at the checkbook and am taking a break before I start on dinner. At this rate of progress I may be able to sneak in an episode of LOST and feel completely guilt-free about it. Life is good!

Thought I would send a message out to my great friend Amy, who I found out today is following the blog. You should totally start your own blog....you have great kid stories that often make me feel good about just having 2 kids! Now that I know you're reading this (and Andy too) I'll try not to spill too many secrets so we can keep the mystery alive. (Not to mention, what would the boys think if they knew how much chocolate is actually in the chocolate locker right now?) By the way...I just LOVE Austin in his new glasses! You should put a pic on your facebook page.

Okay, enough already. I'm almost certain these kids are going to want dinner tonight. For crying out loud, this will be the 5th dinner they've demanded this week! This is getting out of hand!

GO ZAGS!


Here's Cole in his Gonzaga shirt...he's a proud Zags fan just like his parents!!


THAT CUTE LITTLE GIRL OF MINE


Here's one of my all-time favorite pictures of Gracie...taken a couple days ago. I love it because she looks more like HERSELF again, the way she did before she got sick. She's got some color in her face and I see her SPARKLE again!


Wednesday, February 25, 2009

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY

Dang it anyway!! It's raining again today and the kids and I had plans to take a bike ride this afternoon if the weather was fairly decent. It was starting to almost feel spring like! Now, I have lured them into the living room for an episode of spongebob so I can balance the checkbook and pay some bills. (oh yeah, and blog!) Tomorrow we are going swimming at the gym so they can get back in practice for summer. I put a roast in the crock pot this morning so I don't have to mess with dinner for them tonight. Today was not as productive day at work as I was hoping, due to a long meeting this morning and then lots of interruptions this afternoon. Tomorrow I will accomplish all sorts of wonderful things! (Check back tomorrow to see if I was able to follow through on this!) I just read this and it is extremely boring. Oh well, I can't be exciting every day.

Monday, February 23, 2009

SNACK TIME!


Now just look at the snacks I made for Cole and Gracie to eat when they get home from school. This is what I do with a kid-free day...sit around pining for them and counting down till they get home. Sad. (But, cute in a "my Mommy really loves me" kind of way)


SWEET, DELICIOUS FREEDOM!

Yes friends, for the next 5 1/2 hours I am free!! Kids are off to school and my house will stay clean until 3:30 (or, if Cole sits down for a snack, 3:35) Im using up a personal day from work...this is the 3rd "school" day I've had off when the kids are at school and I love it. It gives me a chance to get stuff done (without them coming behind me and undoing it), run my errands alone, and just basically get stuff taken care of. More than anything, I just savor the peace and quiet.

How is it that my kids are so different from each other when they're raised the same? It must be the boy/girl thing. Cole is a tornado...not only is he constantly going a million miles an hour, but he leaves a path of destruction behind him. Gracie is calm and laid back. Doesn't make messes, and is just cool as a cucumber. Go figure! Don't get me wrong, of course I love them both for who they are and everyone tells me "just wait until Grace is a teenager!"...blah blah blah. They really are their own person, and I'm so proud of them both. But enough about them! Let's talk about me!

I'm kicking around the idea of going back to school. For what, I'm not sure. I would love to teach Kindergarten or maybe go into radiology (hmmm, but I wouldn't do radiology ON the Kindergartners). What's my reasoning behind this? Its not really about money, because if it were I would probably be better off staying where I'm at. Its more about personal fulfillment and change. I've spent 17 years doing the same thing, and don't get me wrong, its provided well financially and is very family friendly. It allows me the best of both worlds. I haven't had to miss out on the things that were really, really important to me and my kids. So, that kind of flexibility and family oriented thinking is very valuable. But, am I capable of more? Absolutely. Do I find this fulfilling? Not so much. Who knows...its just something I've been thinking about. I've encouraged Paco to do the same but thats another story entirely.

Well...I suppose its time to get some stuff done. Maybe I can sneak in last Thursday's episode of LOST that I still haven't watched!

By the way, I made a KILLER dinner last night...chicken marsala and fresh roasted garlic mashed potatoes. DELISH! Yes, Im THAT fabulous.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

LAZY MORNING.....

Ahhh, there's nothing like sleeping in on a Sunday morning. Okay, so maybe alot of people don't consider 7am to be sleeping in, but hey, I usually have to get up at 4:30 so thats an extra 2 1/2 hours of restful bliss. Besides, I'm totally a morning person. So, a couple cups of coffee and some Gracie snugglin' and its time to get a move on. I was happily surprised to wake up to sunshine blanketing our bedroom, only now to watch the cloud cover move in. Had I not gotten up early I would have missed the sun! Darling husband is enjoying some well deserved sleep and the little Suttons are clamoring for breakfast....that's my cue....

Saturday, February 21, 2009

IDEAS, ANYONE?

I think I need a new name for the blog. Something with a little more pep than "The Sutton Family". I need excitement, people! The grand prize for the winning entry is a weekend stay with the Sutton children! (at your house, of course).

Any ideas???

REST AND RELAXATION

Ahhhh, my "weekend" is here. Actually my weekend came a day late this week due to the fact that I worked today, but am taking Monday off as a personal day. What will I do with the free time? Oh probably housework, homework, bills and the like. BUT, for the first time in a LONG, LONG time, Paco and I have a couple days off together!! That rarely happens with our crazy schedules. Who knows what we will do....the world is our oyster. We were going to go to the gym tonight with the kids and let them swim but Cole wasn't feeling great so that fell through. We decided on chinese food and family movie night. Its all good!

This morning Cole woke up before I left for work. The boy does not know the meaning of sleeping in. He came to me with his hands on his chest and said "Mom! I'm having a heart attack!". I laughed and said "You're kidding me!" He said "I think its because my heart is so full of Mom love!". Awwwwww, I love having a son.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

MY DAUGHTER, THE GERMOPHOBE

So last night was the big kindergarten field trip to Jump and Bounce. For those of you not familiar with pretty much the most popular place with the 2-8 year old set, its a big warehouse full of inflatable castles, slides and pretty much anything you might feel inclined to jump and bounce on.

Since Gracie's bout with meningitis last month and subsequent hospital stay, I have been a bit of a freak about germs and keeping her (and all of us for that matter) healthy. When we go to dinner, I bring along the tub of clorox wipes, wet ones and sanitizer. My kids think this is normal behavior, that Mom is normal. (Others may have a "different" opinion)..haha.

When we were getting ready to head home from Jump and Bounce, Gracie (without me prompting her) went into the bathroom and washed her hands. Mom was proud. Imagine my amusement when she walked up to the counter, waited in line, and then, with both hands on her hips, said to the lady "Um, excuse me? Do you have any sanitizer? I don't want any germs".

What have I done?

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

GO, GO, GO!

Jeesh! That's all I've done today! Up and out the door for work by 5am, rushed out at 1:30 to hit Costco, gave them a pile of my hard earned money then rushed home to get stuff out of the car and in the house before picking the kids up at 3:10. Got home from picking up the kids and had to finish putting groceries away, which lead to cleaning out the fridge, which also lead to cleaning out the pantry. Packed lunches for tomorrow, put in a load of laundry, paid a couple bills and now have to get dinner going early because Gracie's kindergarten has a field trip to Jump and Bounce at 6pm. Then I'll get home from Jump and Bounce, get the kids in the tub to wash off all the germs they got at Jump and Bounce, brush teeth, read stories, get clothes ready for tomorrow and collapse into bed. Yep, thats about it. If only I had more to do today!?! No worries, there's always tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

MORNING ALREADY?

Crap. Back to work today. I had a crummy nights sleep due to my arm and shoulder absolutely killing me. I may have to break down and head to the doctor. I did something to it from all the shoveling I did when we had 5 feet of snow, and it keeps getting worse.

At least there's coffee. Coffee will save the world.

Monday, February 16, 2009

IS IT TOO EARLY FOR SPRING FEVER?

Cause I've got it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the snow, but I'm tired of everything being ugly and wet and yucky. All our bushes are toast because of the 5 feet of snow that was sitting on them in December, and we still can't get all our Christmas decorations out. It's driving me nuts! Which leads me to another dilemma....we can't decide whether we plan on staying in this house or buying a new one. Personally, I would LOVE to move into a new house that needs less work and is more our style. The yard here is high maintenance, and with Paco working so much most of the work falls to me. The sensible side of me says we should stay put since we have only about 10 years left till its paid off, and then we'll have more money for our retirement dreams and college for the little Suttons. We've talked about staying here until the kids are out of elementary school, since the fact that we live next door to the school is really convenient. It's definately not where we want to stay forever. We've also got to consider the possibility of moving out of Spokane for Paco's next promotion. If they offer it to him, we've pretty much got to go. I think our family could use a big adventure! More food for thought.....

LOTS TO DO, LOTS TO DO.....

I must say its been one of the more relaxing weekends I've had in ages! Lots of time off my feet for a change and hanging out with the kids. However, today I must get back on the horse and get some stuff accomplished....laundry, checkbook, homework, cleaning out the family baskets, batteries need charged, pick up cat food, work out the monthly budget (hmmm..the beginning of the month would have been a more reasonable time to do that...), kids rooms, pack lunches, check out the weekly family schedule...and so on. Oh yeah, and I suppose my family is going to expect dinner. How rude. Sigh, a mother's work is never done. :)

Took the kids to the dentist this morning (thanks again to my darling husband for scheduling an 8am appointment...hope we didn't wake you while we were rushing about frantically). All is well and neither of the kids have ever had a cavity. Since her hospital stay, Gracie has regressed back to sucking her thumb much more than just at bedtime. If we can't break that darling little habit (she looks so cute!) she's going to damage her front teeth. Let me know if anyone has any tips that don't involve tabasco sauce. Ive already heard that one.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

15 THINGS I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT

So, everyone does top 10 lists right? Not me! I'm doing a top 15 just to stir things up a bit. Boy do I know how to venture to the wild side. Here's my list of things that I MUST, MUST have to function in my crazy world:

1. binder clips. I totally love these for organizing, especially the colorful ones. I.LOVE.THEM.
2. pottery nights with the girls
3. coffee ( obviously this list is in no particular order)
4. a handful of T.V shows that allow me to escape this reality called my life
5. my hot pink ipod (sorry kids, Mommy can't hear you)
6. cloth bags for everything from hauling stuff around to grocery shopping. I must have 30.
7. recycling bins. The kids and I are recycling/re-using freaks.
8. did I mention binder clips?
9. labeled baskets for the kids, myself and Paco. Thats where all the papers, homework, misc stuff goes until we can deal with it. (binder clips come into play here!)
10. my computer. DUH.
11. my breadman breadmaker
12. Olive leaf, multivitamins and emergen-c
13. weekend mornings in my pj's with my coffee and checking my email. (always with my Gracie by my side, she's my resident snuggler)
14. good friends that I can vent to
15. girly lotions and lipgloss. Never leave home without them. NEVER!

401K MISERY AND SURVIVING CHUCK E. CHEESE

The title pretty much says it all. My 401K is down 47.1% from this time last year. I'm disgruntled and blame everything on Suze Orman who keeps telling me to keep on keeping on. UGH! Soooo, which one of you out there wants to be roomies with Paco and I after retirement?

I spent 2+ crazy hours at Chuck E. Cheese last night with my Mom and kids. The kids have been begging Grandma to go there ever since they poured the foundation on the building. Of course they had a blast and will be developing all kinds of symptoms of all kinds of diseases within the next 6-12 hours. That place was crazy busy by the time we left....apparently its the happening place for all us parents with no social lives and who feel the desperate urge to go someplace where we can completely abandon our children with no thoughts to their safety. On second thought, I love that place.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

My favorite things in the whole wide world: by Gracie

Here are 10 favorite things that Gracie loves!
(in no particular order)

1. being with my family
2. going to the cabin
3. swimming in the pool
4. being out of the hospital
5. my brother
6. my Dad
7. playing the wii
8. my Mommy
9. getting a pedicure
10. snuggling with my Mommy

Cole's 10 favorite things in the whole wide world

My favorite things (for today, anyway) by Cole

1. my remote control tarantula
2. visiting with my family
3. playing with my friends
4. my sister
5. my Mom
6. my Dad
7. going to the cabin
8. swimming in the deep end of the pool
9. I like playing with my two dogs named Jake and Bailey
10. playing the wii

Enough said!

QUICKIE UPDATE

A quick update on miss Gracie. According to her pediatrician yesterday, her continuing headaches may be caused by withdrawl from the medicines she's had for the pain. Why didn't I think of that? Aside from that, she is doing well and its highly unlikely that the meningitis would return. The fevers over the weekend must have been some other little bug she picked up over the weekend. Call me a paranoid Mom, but it totally freaked me out!!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Sarcasm....served fresh daily

So, this is definately NOT my morning so far. I forgot to put my clothes in the dryer last night so they aren't ready. I cant find a single stinking hairbrush in the entire house, so now I will have to improvise and use a hair clip to comb my hair. Lovely. However, the biggest tragedy, and I DO mean a tragedy friends, is that I am OUT OF COFFEE. I can't even scrape enough out of the grinder to make a bad cup of coffee, and even that would be acceptable to me this morning. No coffee? WORST. DAY. EVER.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Back to the grind

Darn, darn, darn....back to work tomorrow. My favorite thing about my mornings off are snuggling up with Gracie and a cup of coffee. I didn't finish everything I wanted, but actually took some downtime for a change. I am SO bad at doing that...its always one thing after another! Hmmmm......it WAS kind of nice......

Oh yeah, and then there's me!


My wonderful, darling Sandy wants to know why I haven't included myself in the blog! OOPS! Typical mother I suppose, worrying about everyone else. I got WAY too wrapped up in this blogging idea and stayed up until 1:30 this morning doing it. I'll have you know, I am a 9pm bedtime kind of gal. Sooooo....I'm not feeling bright and shiny this morning. Coffee can only do so much you know? :)

Saturday, February 7, 2009

And of course, my wonderful husband!


You didn't think I'd forget him, did you? That guy who works all sorts of crazy and ridiculous hours, gets hardly any sleep, yet still manages to be a terrific husband and amazing father. I love you honey!

A little something about Cole


Since I have posted a photo and update about Gracie, I better keep things fair and do the same for Cole! We all know how sibling rivalry works, don't we?


Cole has been a trooper over this last month when all the focus has been on his little sister. He's made Daddy and I so proud! He's doing so well in first grade and is quite the "ladies man" with those beautiful blue eyes! His favorite thing right now is playing the wii that Santa brought for Christmas. I'm not ashamed to say that he totally beats me at bowling every time!

miss Gracie


As many of you know, Gracie has had a heck of a month! After being hospitalized for bacterial pneumonia and meningitis for 5 days, she then spent another 10 days at home still receiving antibiotics through an I.V. They took that out a week ago and she seemed to be doing great! However, over the past few days she has started complaining again about headaches and has had a bit of a fever. Soooo, off we went to the pediatrician today. They say they think she's fine and may have just picked up a bug of some sort from going back to school. We are taking her back on Monday just to be on the safe side. For obvious reasons, after what she went through a few weeks ago we are VERY NERVOUS PARENTS right now! Isn't she just the cutest?


Welcome to our blog!

Hello to our family and friends! Due to the prompting of several friends, I have decided to put together the Sutton family blog. It will be chockful of the amazing adventures of the Sutton children, Cole and Gracie, the hectic and chaotic world of their parents, Denise and Paco, and whatever else we may throw in for good measure. Enjoy!